SIX WILLIAM SIEMENS, F.X.S. 415 



Tli? lining itself did nothing towards the removal of phos- 

 phorus ; but t was the added basic material that effected that 

 ivsuit, and the question was how much of that basic material was 

 requisite to remove a large amount of phosphorus from the iron. 

 .Mr. Bell hud brought forward last year a system of eliminating 

 phosphorus from iron. He (Dr. Siemens) at the time questioned 

 whether the amount of rich oxide proposed to be employed by 

 Mr. Bell, would not be too great to pay for the difference in cost 

 of hematite and Cleveland pig metals. He would only repeat the 

 same question to Messrs. Thomas and Gilchrist. Was not the 

 quantity of basic material necessary to absorb from .the Cleveland 



g the amount of phosphorus it contained, such a serious item 

 as to make it an open question whether they had not better go on 

 using "West Country iron for steel ? They must also bear in mind 

 the materials of which the basic linings were composed. Lime- 

 stone itself was certainly cheap enough, but the question was, 

 would limestone, unaided by more expensive reagents, carry away 

 the phosphorus which had to be eliminated ? The paper admitted 

 that ferrous oxide was employed in the process, and he should wish 

 to ask how much of that material was necessary to accomplish the 

 effect contemplated, and how much of it was produced by oxidation 

 in an overblown charge. In overblowing the charge they had to 

 oxidise some of the pig metal, and that might be a convenient way 

 of providing the ferrous oxide, but he should like to know how 

 much of the iron under treatment was destroyed. He had no 

 reason whatever to doubt the chemical results brought before 

 them by Messrs. Thomas and Gilchrist in their paper results 

 which were certainly most interesting, and which he would not 

 have been prepared to expect. The question, therefore, seemed to 

 him to narrow itself into one of cost, which could only be fully 

 solved by experience. 



