OUTLOOK FOR IRON KEMP. 307 



fuel in the blast furnace accomplishes two purposes — the production 

 of a high temperature and the reduction of the iron oxide to the 

 metallic state. The electric furnace could serve to replace the former 

 portion, but carbon for the reduction of the iron oxide would always 

 be necessary. Some heat, of course, would be developed in the re- 

 action itself, which practically implies the combustion of the carbon. 

 If w^e assume a practicable electric furnace, comparable so far as the 

 installation is concerned with a blast furnace, we have to balance 

 against each other the cost of heat from combustion of coke and from 

 electric current. Thus far coke has proved more economical, al- 

 though it is conceivable that countries like Sweden and Norway, with 

 abimdant water power and ores, but without coal, might develop an 

 electric smelting industry. Charcoal would probably then furnish 

 the reducing agent. For some time to come, we can see little chance 

 for electric smelting in eastern North America. 



Improvements are then reduced to those possible for the blast fur- 

 nace itself. We are reminded of the great economies introduced by 

 the chilling and separation of the moisture in the air to be used in the 

 blast. A great debt is due Mr. James Gayley for this invention, 

 which steadies the running of the furnace and keeps conditions uni- 

 form. We recall the use of the spent blast in internal-combustion 

 engines, and the economical generation of power in this way instead 

 of through the ordinary medium of steam. The power is then avail- 

 able for all manner of applications around a works, and lowers costs. 

 We note the recent and very encouraging experimental run of some 

 months at the Port Henry,, N. Y., furnace, with large proportion of 

 titaniferous magnetite in the charge. The reports of Mr. J. E. 

 Bachman,^ in charge of the furnace, do much to remove the stigma 

 from this variety of ore and to make available large reserves now 

 looked upon with suspicion. By just so much as these neglected 

 ores come into use the life of the nontitaniferous varieties will be 

 prolonged. Dr. C. W. Hayes ^ estimated the titaniferous ores in 

 1909 at 90 million tons available and 128.5 million tons as not at 

 present available. Dr. J. T. Singewald ^ has concluded that in some 

 of the areas used in the calculations of Dr. Hayes, the ores are too 

 low for probable use. These ores have not been very generally ex- 

 plored as yet because of their bad reputation, but the amount is 

 quite certainly large. 



A remote possibility for improvements in the blast furnace but 

 one worthy of careful consideration was suggested by Mr. J. E. 

 Johnson in the address at the annual meeting of the Mining and 



1 The Iron Age, Oct. 22, 1914, p. 936 ; Dec. 24, 1914, p. 1470. A complete report Is In 

 press in the publications of the Iron and Steel Institute. 



2 C. W. Hayes, Bulletin 394, U. S. Geological Survey, p. 102, 1909. 

 2 J. T. Singewald, Bulletin 64, Bureau of Mines, p. 38, 1913. 



