1869.] Metallurgy. 313 



mass of iron when subjected to the action of nitrate of soda. "We 

 have been informed by one of the largest of the Sheffield steel 

 manufacturers that, while he waits to see the result of a continuance 

 of the experiments carried on at Langley 3Iills before he adopts it, 

 he is strongly predisposed in favour of the process — that he regards 

 it hopefully, and — we are bound to say it — that he is greatly 

 pleased with the liberality and openness observed by Mr. Heaton. 

 With these remarks — which we introduce mainly to convince our 

 readers that we are not inattentive to the experiments in question — 

 we leave the Heaton steel process until its more complete develop- 

 ment removes it from the doubtful position in which it has been 

 placed by injudicious advocacy. 



A discussion of some interest in connection with the Heaton 

 process has been ojjened in the pages of ' The Chemical News.' It 

 arises out of a paper read before the Chemical Society, by Dr. B. H. 

 Paul, on " The Connection between the Mechanical Properties of 

 j\Ialleable Iron and Steel, and the Amount of Phosphorus they Con- 

 tain." Mr. W. ?T[attieu Williams, of the " John Brown and Co., 

 Limited" Works, Sheffield, argues that Dr. Paul has shown an 

 imperfect knowledge of his subject. That although Dr. Paul's 

 conclusion that 0*50 per cent, does not impair the quality of steel 

 is correct when it applies " to tenacity as measured hy a direct and 

 yradually applied longitudinal or axial strain,'' yet, that it is 

 absolutely wrong when it is made to refer to steel which is to be 

 employed for cutting instruments of any kind. " It is obvious that 

 the power of resisting a sudden, a vibratory, and a transverse 

 shock is the property most demanded," and that here the smallest 

 quantity of phosphorus is highly injurious — " this is just the pro- 

 perty which phosphorus tends to destroy." 



Chromium steel has been attracting some attention. An alloy 

 of chrome and iron can be made of sufficient hardness to scratch 

 glass. Experiments are stated to be in progress, on a large scale, 

 as to the ^practicability of making a chromium steel for rails, by 

 adding chrome iron-ore and manganese to the iron in the puddling 

 furnace. 



At Pittsburgh (United States) some apparently successful 

 experiments have been made in sulistituting a purely chemical 

 process for the operation of puddling. Into melted pig-iron 

 crushed hematite iron-ore is thrown — the oxygen of the ore com- 

 bines with the carbon of the iron, removing it. The metal thus 

 obtained is said to yield a very good iron, upon re-heating and 

 squeezing in the usual manner. We believe a process much like 

 this has been tried in this country and abandoned. 



WoEKs ON Mining. — ' Under-ground Life ; or, Mines and 

 Miners,' by L. Simonin, has been translated by Mr. H. W. 



