IRON 



1011 



steam-ram, housing, and the ends of bed-plates. A is the squeezer-cam; n, the 

 housing ; c, the head of steam-ram ; D D, the rolls ; and E E, the ends of bed-plates. 

 , The following is a description of the drawings of Danks's improved revolving 

 puddling furnace : 



Fig. 1271 is a sectional elevation of the furnace, showing the fire-grate, E ; wind jet 

 pipes G, which convey fan-blast into the fire-chamber over the fire, for the purpose of 

 effecting as perfect a combustion of the gases as is desirable, producing a quick and 

 intense heat ; H, is the passage for gases ; i, the gear-holder. The bridge is shown, 

 with the plate having water-pipes passing through it, protected on the one side with 

 fire-brick, and on the other with fettling. The revolving chamber, K, is also shown ; 

 with the tapping-hole, B ; carrying-rollers, L ; also the ends of bed-plates, M M ; and 

 moveable piece, N ; with stopper-hole, B, which latter is suspended from an overhead 

 tract. 



Fig. 1272 is an end view, showing the arrangement of bed-plate, c; carrying- 

 rollers and gear-wheels, upon a pillar-block, B ; also an end view of the revolving 



1272 



en 



SCACE 



chamber, supported by standard, A, with a section of fettling ; a portion of the fire- 

 bridge is also shown. 



Fig. 1273 presents a front view of the furnace, showing the moveable piece, c } 

 with its stopper-hole, D ; props, E E ; arrangements and water-pipes, F F ; rods and 

 swivels for suspending the moveable piece, a a ; stationary flue, B ; and chimney- 

 stack, A. 



In the autumn of 1856 the attention of ironmasters was powerfully excited by a 

 proposal from Mr. Bessemer to manufacture malleable iron and steel from crude iron, 

 without fuel. The first experiment was only partially successful, but Mr. Bessemer, 

 conscious of the correctness of his principle, pursued his investigations with undi- 

 minished zeal, and the result was that he was rewarded by the most decided success. 

 See STEEL. 



One of the objections urged against the Bessemer process was, that the high tem- 

 perature to which the iron was subjected destroyed its fibrous character. 



3T2 



