222 ANNUAL REPORT SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION, 1907. 
International Acheson Graphite Company at Niagara Falls now 
utilize 2,000 horsepower, and produce over 2,000 tons of artificial 
graphite per annum. The greater portion of this output is used for 
electro-chemical and electro-metallurgical work, the Acheson artifi- 
cial graphite having been found specially suited for electrodes. 
During 1906 Acheson discovered a process by which the soft variety 
of graphite can be produced in the electric furnace, and it is expected 
that this new artificial graphite will become a keen competitor of 
the natural variety, especially as it shows more uniformity of compo- 
sition. No details of the new process of manufacture have yet been 
published. 
Ferroalloys——The application of the electric furnace for producing 
alloys of iron with silicon, chromium, manganese, tungsten, and 
vanadium has developed into a large and important metallurgical 
industry. Since Moissan’s early research work, the value of these 
alloys for the manufacture of special steels has been recognized by 
expert steel makers in all countries. The manufacture of ferroalloys 
is carried on at present chiefly in France and Switzerland, a cheaply 
developed water power being essential for the commercial production 
of these compounds. In France, MM. Keller, Leleux & Cie. are pro- 
ducing ferrosilicon and ferrochrome in large amounts at Livet and 
Kerrousse, while the Société Electro-metallurgique Francaise devote 
a portion of their power to the same manufactures at La Praz and 
St. Michel. The largest works are, however, to be found in the 
Haute Savoie, on the borders of Switzerland, where the Société 
Electro-metallurgique Giroud are utilizing 18,000 horsepower for 
the production of a ferrosilicon, ferrochromium, ferrotungsten, and 
ferromolybdenum, the aggregate output of the three works owned by 
this company being given by Doctor Hutton as 9,000 tons per annum 
and the value as £360,000. 
In Germany MM. Goldschmidt & Cie. and MM. Krupp are using 
the aluminium reduction process, in place of the electric furnace, at 
Essen for producing ferroalloys free from carbon. 
In America the ferroalloys industry is less developed, the Willson 
Company, with works at Kanawaha Falls and at Holcombs Rock, 
Virginia, being the only producers of ferrochromium; about 3,000 
tons are produced in the two works. Rossi is, however, experiment- 
ing at Niagara Falls with electric-furnace methods of producing 
ferrotitanium, and a new works has been erected during 1906 at 
Newmire, Colorado, by the Vanadium Alloys Company of New York, 
for the manufacture of ferrovanadium. Recent trials of ternary and 
quaternary steels, made with the addition of vanadium, have proved 
that these steels are specially suited to the demands made by motor- 
car work, and it is expected that in time the mariufacture of vana- 
dium steel may become a branch industry of considerable importance. 
