38 



THE POPULAR SCIENCE MONTHLY. 



three inches thick and 115 inches wide, or sheets 3=^ of an inch 

 thick and 117 inches wide, and of course any intermediate dimen- 

 sions of any length, and of a weight not exceeding six tons. This 

 mill can turn out five thousand net tons per month. 



Fig. 70 * is a view of 

 the hydraulic shears in 

 the " slabbing-niiir' of 

 the Homestead Steel 

 Works. 



The men in the pict- 

 ure will assist the mind 

 of the reader in form- 

 ing a correct idea of the 

 magnitude of this pon- 

 derous piece of mecha- 

 nism, whose purpose is 

 to cut into the required 

 lengths the "slabs" as 

 they come from the 

 " slabbing rolls." The 

 lower knife is station- 

 ary, and the movement 

 of the upper knife in a 

 vertical plane is insured 

 by guides on the " hous- 



FiG. 70. — Hydkaulic Sheabs. 



ings" of the machine. The upper knife is actuated by a water 

 pressure of about three thousand tons, and the shears are capable 

 of cutting a section 24" X 48" of hot metaL The^slabs" are taken 

 to the plate-mill, reheated, and rolled to the required dimensions. 

 The above description of some of the machinery in use m the 

 Illinois Steel Works and in the Homestead Steel Works must 

 serve for illustrating the ponderous character of the mechanism 

 of a modern " steel plant," as it is plainly impossible m this paper 

 to speak of details which would require a volume to adequately 



^""^ The ""Bessemer process," as for many years conducted, could 

 only deal successfully with iron which contained a very small 

 quantity of phosphorus; this being the case, a very large propor- 

 tion of the world's make of that metal was useless for the manu- 

 facture of steel; and therefore it was evident that any improve- 

 ment bv which such iron could be made available would have 

 great value. This fact stimulated inventors to endeavor to dis- 



*ric.s 69 and TO are reduced from photogravure engravings illustrating a paper by 

 W Richards and J. A. Potter, descriptive of the Homestead Steel Works, which was pub- 

 lished in vol. XT, No. 3, of the Proceedings of the United States Naval Institute. 



