F5O THE ADDRESSES, LECTURES, ETC., OF 



by siliceous slags, and it is important therefore, that the pig metal 

 introduced into the rotative puddler should be as free from silica 

 as possible. By charging fluid metal into the furnace, the silica 

 adhering to the pigs in the form of sand is got rid of ; but efforts 

 have latterly been made, with satisfactory results, I believe, to 

 subject the pig iron itself to a simple finery process on its way 

 from the blast furnace to the rotative puddler, with a view 

 of removing the silicon chemically combined with the pig. 

 M. Hamoir, of Belgium, has been engaged upon this subject for 

 some years, as you will have seen from the " Eeport on the 

 Progress of the Iron and Steel Industries in Foreign Countries," 

 in our Journal, while in this country, Mr. I. Lowthian Bell has 

 called the Bessemer converter into requisition for effecting the 

 desired object. 



We are informed that not only does the lining of the furnace 

 stand better in using this semi-refined metal, but that the yield 

 per furnace per diem, as well as the quality of the metal obtained, 

 are much improved. 



It is intended to roll the metal thus produced into railway bars, 

 without any intermediate process of re-heating, and to subject the 

 rails to a process of case-hardening similar to what was practised 

 some years ago by Mr. Dodds, in South Wales. The case-hardened 

 iron rails are expected to rival steel rails in quality, but it remains 

 to be seen whether their wearing properties will not be obtained at 

 the cost of brittleness, and whether rails manufactured by this 

 method will be able to compete in price with steel rails. 



Three years ago, I had the honour of bringing before this 

 Institute a plan of producing wrought iron directly from the ore, 

 in a rotative furnace of special construction, and heated by gas. 

 This process was at that time only carried on upon a small scale 

 'at my Sample Steel Works, in Birmingham. It has since been 

 carried out upon a working scale, at Towcester, and in Canada, 

 and although the results hitherto obtained cannot yet be con- 

 sidered entirely satisfactory from a commercial point of view, I see 

 no reason to feel discouraged as regards the ultimate result of this 

 method of treating iron ores. By it, iron of almost entire freedom 

 from sulphur and phosphorus is obtained from ores containing a 

 considerable percentage of these impurities. If steel is to be 

 produced, the raw balls, as they leave the rotatory furnace, are 



