ELISHA MITCHELL SCIENTIFIC SOCIETY. 69 



above is opened and the water allowed to enter the blower, 

 air is drawn in with it from openings arranged in the con- 

 duit above. 



Once in the blower, the water escapes under pressure 

 through the slit, w^hile the air collecting above is forced 

 through the blast pipe and tuyere into the forge hearth. 



The hammer is a mass of iron, weighing perhaps 600 

 pounds, and mounted on the end of a beam, the other end 

 of which is pivoted in an upright post. This post is 

 deeply buried and braced with a heavy beam. The anvil 

 is a similar mass of iron fastened in a wooden block, which 

 is buried in the ground. 



The hammer is raised by wooden cams fixed in the 

 periphery of an iron ring mounted as a drum upon an axle. 

 This axle is also the axle of a small overshot wheel, so 

 that when the wheel is set in motion the drum revolves, 

 and the cams engaging the hammer raise it to the height 

 of ten or twelve inches and allow it to fall upon the anvil. 

 The force of the blow is augmented by a spring beam 

 acting downward upon the hammer as it is released. A 

 similar arrangement of cams set in a drum and operated 

 by a separate water-wheel works the ore crusher. This 

 consists of an iron shod beam of about a hundred pounds 

 weight, standing on end in a strong wooden trough, and 

 having a vertical movement, in guys, of about one foot. 

 The trough has an iron grating in the bottom through 

 which the crushed ore (which has been first roasted) falls, 

 and whence it is raked out. The accompanying figures 

 give dimensions and show mode of operation. 



Soft ore is washed in an inclined trough by stirring in 

 gentlv flowing; water. 



About 100 bushels of charcoal is required to run 250 

 pounds of ore. Each fire will make three loops a day, 

 each loop yielding from 75 to 80 pounds merchantable bar 

 iron. The iron is wagoned over the surrounding country 



