Powel.] gg [October. 



Stated Meeting, October 17, 1862. 



Present, sixteen members. 



Professor Cresson, Vice-President, in the Chair. 



Donations for the Library were received from the Boston 

 iNTatural History Society, the publishers and editors of the 

 American Journals of Science and of the Medical Sciences, 

 the Smithsonian Institution, Mr. Jules Marcou, and Dr. 

 Roehrig. 



A letter was read from Mr. Samuel Powel, dated Bethle- 

 hem, Pa., October 15th, 1862, accompanying and describing 

 specimens of iron manufactured from the slag obtained from 

 the Zinc Works of the New Jersey Zinc Company, through 

 one of its members. Captain James Jenkins, of Elizabeth 

 City. Remarks upon this ore and its locality, and the his- 

 tory of its use were made by Professor Trego, Dr. Hays, and 

 Professor Lesley. 



In Sussex County, New Jersey, are the mines of Franklinite ore, 

 from which the products are derived. In the process of nianufac- 

 turino; oxyd of zinc, there remains a scoria which is rich in iron. 

 Fronj the treatment of this scoria in the blast furnace arises the iron 

 which I send you. 



In the first place there is a specimen of black, porous, spongy- 

 looking pig iron. This is the product of first blowing in the furnace 

 with charcoal. Although so different from the white, lustrous, and 

 largely crystalline specimen which accompanies it (which is the next 

 pi'oduct of the same furnace and ore (scoria), when it comes into foil 

 blast with anthracite), the black, spongy ore hfhaces in the same 

 peculiar way which characterizes the white pig, when it is attempted 

 to be made into casting.s by any process. 



The uniform character of the castings made from either of these 

 pig metals is as follows : they are hard, white, and brittle, and 

 largely crystalline. Ai^o, where the furnace has an overcharge of 

 ore, it will produce a No 2 pig, which is very light gray, and finely 

 granulated, but which will still make the same sort of castings. The 

 appearance of the white pig is so remarkable, that I think few people 

 conversant with pig iron would guess it to be iron. I do not believe 



