•i62 Chronicles of Science. [July, 



Kefined Iron. — Mr. Ellershansen has been cariying out some 

 experiments, "wliich appear to ns to be new only in tlie method 

 adopted, at the ii'on-workg of Slioenberger at Pittsbui'f;, U. S,, 

 on the conversion of crude cast-iron, as it runs from the blast 

 fui'nace into wrought-iron of fuie quaUty, by the admixture of iron 

 ore. It has long been known that an oxide of iron will combine 

 with and remove the carbon from pig-iron. The 'American Artizan ' 

 describes the process, which appears to consist in allowing a quan- 

 tity of very finely powdered peroxide of iron to flow into boxes 

 prepared t« receive it, at the same time as the iron is allowed to 

 flow into them from the furnace. The mass thus formed is sub- 

 mitted to the subsequent process of puddling, and it is said that 

 merchant iron is produced at the first rolling, thus considerably 

 reducing the cost. 



The chemists have of late been turning their attention to the 

 character of iron in its different varieties. Dr. Miller, of King's 

 College, has made some useful analyses of that produced by the 

 Heaton process. Dr. Paul has read before the Chemical Society a 

 paper " On the Connection between the Mechanical Qualities of Mal- 

 leable Iron and Steel, and the Amount of Phosphorus they contain ; " 

 while Mr. Arthur H. Elliott has a paper " On the Determination 

 of the ' Total Carbon ' in Cast Iron." Mr. J. Lowthian Bell, the 

 weU-kno\\'n iron-master of Cleveland, has lectured (May 6th) before 

 the (yhemical Society " On the Chemistry of the Blast Furnace." 

 In this lecture a very careful consideration of all the conditions 

 under which the changes occur in the blast furnace was brought 

 before the chemists. This union of the experience of a thoroughly 

 practical man with the theoretical knowledge of the scientific 

 chemist cannot fail to have its advantages. 



At the present time, attention is turned with so much earnest- 

 ness to the economy of coal m the production of iron and steel 

 that we may anticipate ere long to hear of the realization of results 

 which have hitherto been thought to be highly problematical. 



Bronzes. — The production of a fine imiina on our bronze 

 statues instead of a coating of dust and soot is, especially in our 

 largo cities, a thing to be desired. In PoggendorfT's ' Annalen ' for 

 April we find the report of a series of experiments which were 

 made by direction of the Berlin Verein zur Befcirdcrung des 

 Gewerbfleisses, to examine into the causes determining the forma- 

 tion of this veii antique patina, on bronze statues. 



The experiments while in progress led the observers to sujipose 

 that grease had much to do with the formation of the finest patina. 

 Four busts were therefore placed in a part of the toxNii which was 

 very unfavourable. One of them was rinsed every day, with the 

 exception of rainy days, and was painted once a month with bone 



