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EXHIBITION, BRITISH INDUSTRIAL. 



STEEL MANUFACTURES. The manufacture of 

 steel and steel articles, on anything like a large 

 scale, is confined to very few countries. In 

 1851 it was ascertained that while we produced 

 annually about 45,000 tons of steel, Austria, 

 which came next to us, produced only 13,000, 

 and all the states of the Zollverein taken to- 

 gether, but 8,000. Perhaps nothing indicates 

 the progress which has been made during the 

 past few years, so clearly as a comparison be- 

 tween the steel found at the Exhibitions of 

 1851 and 1862. 



The so-called homogeneous metal, which has 

 excited much attention of late, is extremely 

 malleable and tough, and may be placed mid- 

 way between wrought iron and ordinary steel ; 

 it may be regarded as steel containing a low 

 percentage of carbon. This is the metal of 

 which Mr. Whitworth has formed so high an 

 opinion. Examples of it were exhibited by 

 Shortridge, Howell, & Go. Pieces of tubing 

 formed of this metal were shown flattened 

 down vertically, which might readily be mis- 

 taken for caoutchouc. It is stated to have been 

 produced by melting pieces of Swedish iron 

 and carbonaceous matter. 



In the French Department, Jackson, Son, & 

 Co. exhibited steel objects made by the Besse- 

 mer process. The Swedes sent both iron and 

 steel made by this process. Bessemer steel was 

 sent from Kloster Works, Dalecarlia. 



The process of Uchatius excited some atten- 

 tion a few years ago, especially in London. 

 Samples were exhibited in the Swedish depart- 

 ment. This steel, strange to say, finds a ready 

 sale at prices ranging from 50 to 60 per ton, 

 which are higher than can be obtained for Bes- 

 semer steel in Sweden. It is said to be espe- 

 cially good for sword blades. It is made by 

 melting Bispberg iron ore, mixed with char- 

 coal, in Belgian crucibles. This ore is remark- 

 able for its purity. 



Cast steel, made by melting together wrought 

 iron and charcoal pig iron, was shown in the 

 Swedish department, by Rettig, Geffe. Cast 

 steel, made by melting together wrought iron 

 and refined pig iron, was exhibited by Dr. 

 Price, in the British Department. 



In the Austrian Collection were specimens of 

 the so-called wolfram steel, made by melting 

 together cast steel and the mineral wolfram. 

 It breaks with a very fine gram, and is hard 

 and tough. 



In the Austrian Department were drawings 

 of Mayr's furnaces for casting steel on Sie- 

 mens's principle by his "regenerative fur- 

 naces." Lignite is the fuel used, of which 

 three parts by weight are required to melt one 

 of cast steel. In six days between five and six 

 tons are melted in one of these furnaces. 



Krupp's Cast Steel. Krupp affects consider- 

 able mystery in his processes. His works in 

 Essen are reported to occupy 180 acres of 

 ground. It is stated that he employs puddled 

 steel, which is broken up, assorted, and re- 

 melted in crucibles. This variety of steel does 



not appear to be adapted for cutlery. He con- 

 sumes all the spiegeleisen produced by Miise- 

 ner & Co. It is affirmed that there is a great 

 consumption of plumbago and leather parings 

 at the Essen Works. Each crucible is said to 

 contain TO Ibs. of steel, and the furnaces in 

 which they are heated vary much in dimen- 

 sions, the smallest holding two and the larger 

 twenty-four crucibles. When a large casting 

 is required, the organization has been carried to 

 such a remarkable degree of perfection that, at 

 a given signal, all the crucibles needed are ready 

 to be taken out of the furnace at the same time. 

 Their contents are poured with the utmost ra- 

 pidity into a large reservoir, and from this the 

 metal is cast. By this means, as in bronze 

 founding, on the large scale, homogeneity is 

 attained. The apparatus for working the steel 

 is the most gigantic yet constructed. There is 

 a steam hammer weighing 50 tons. The an- 

 vil face weighs 185 tons, and cupola furnaces 

 were built expressly to melt this large quantity 

 of metal. The largest casting in the world is 

 the great bell at Moscow, reported to weigh 

 192 tons; but it cracked in cooling, and was 

 never removed from its birthplace. Krupp's 

 anvil rests on eight blocks of cast-iron, weigh- 

 ing from 125 to 135 tons each, and making a 

 total weight of 1,250 tons of cast iron! This 

 solid structure of iron is supported on a wooden 

 foundation, 40 feet square. The largest casting 

 exhibited by Krupp in 1851 weighed 2J tons, 

 and the largest in the recent exhibition weighed 

 21 tons. It is in the form of a solid cylinder, 

 about 9 feet high, and 3 feet 8 inches in diameter. 

 It has been broken across to show fracture. The 

 largest casting Krupp ever made weighed 25 

 tons. Now, when we reflect that this enor- 

 mous mass of metal is melted in comparatively 

 small crucibles we get an idea of the perfect 

 organization requisite to have every crucible 

 ready and the pouring effected at almost the 

 same moment of time ; and it is in this organ- 

 ization that we are disposed to think one great 

 merit of Krupp consists. Krupp exhibited 

 shafts, rolls, railway tires and wheels, locomo- 

 tive axles, and guns. There was a good cata- 

 logue in German, also a price list of the cast 

 steel guns. A finished gun of eight inches 

 calibre, turned, bored and rifled, without 

 breech closing apparatus, is advertised at 975. 

 Krupp has supplied locomotive axles to some 

 of our largest railway companies, and crank 

 axles of marine engines to some of our most 

 celebrated marine engine makers. 



Bcssemer's Steel. Bessemer made an admir- 

 able display both of iron and steel produced by 

 this process ; with specimens illustrative of the 

 quality of the metal, as shown by hammering, 

 punching, bending, twisting, stamping, rolling, 

 drawing into tube and fine wire, turning, polish- 

 ing, &c. A rail was shown 84 Ibs. to the yard, 

 which may be supplied at 13 per ton. 



There were a crank shaft of a 50-horse engine 

 in one piece ; piston rods for engines of from 

 50 to 260 horse power; the powerful screw of 



