JO DAVIESS COUNTY. 53 



the flowing molten lead finding its way in fiery streams to some place 

 prepared for its reception. It took nearly a whole day to melt one of 

 tliof charges, and nbt much more than half the lead contained in the 

 ore was smelted out. A "reverberatory furnace, 71 in wliieh the ore was 

 melted in an oven, where the blaze passed over and through the charge, 

 was next tried, and was a great improvement in smelting processes. 



But they have all been superceded of late years by the Scotch Hearth 

 or Blast Furnace, now universally used throughout the lead region. It 

 consists of a cast-iron box. shallow and open at top, and about two feet 

 long and less than two feet wide. In the side and near the bottom of 

 this box is a hole into which the nozzle of a strong bellows is placed. 

 The bellows is generally run by water-power. A huge chimney is built 

 over the hearth, resembling a cooper's chimney. The following detailed 

 description of the Scotch Hearth is taken from an article in Harpers 

 MiKjnzhn-. and is understood to be the production of a lady of 'Galena, 

 whose name I do not know : 



The hearth consists of a box of cast-iron, two feet square, one foot 

 high, open at top. with the sides and bottom two inches thick. To the 

 top of the front edge is affixed a sloping shelf or hearth called the work 

 stone, used for spreading the materials of the "charge" upon, as occa- 

 sionally becomes necessary during smelting, and also for the excess 

 of molten lead to flow down. For the latter purpose, a groove one-half 

 an inch deep and an inch wide runs diagonally across the work stone. 

 A ledge, one inch in thickness and hight, surrounds the work stone on 

 all sides except that towards the sole of the furnace. The hearth slopes 

 from behind forward, and immediately below the front edge of it is 

 placed the receptable or "melting pot." 1 An inch from the bottom, in 

 the posterior side of the box. is a hole two inches in diameter, through 

 which the current or blast " of air is blown from the bellows. 



The furnace is built under ah immense chimney thirty to thirty-five 

 feet high, and ten feet wide at its base. Behind the base of the chim- 

 ney is the bellows, which is propelled by a water-wheel, the tuyere, or 

 point of the bellows, entering at the hole in the back of the box. The 

 fuel, which consists of light wood, coke, and charcoal, is thrown in 

 against the tuyere and kindled, and the ore is placed upon the fuel to 

 the top of the box. The blast of air in the rear keeps the fire burning, 

 and as the reservoir or box is filled with molten lead the excess flows 

 down the grooved hearth into the ''melting pot, 1 " under which a gentle 

 fire is kept, and the lead is ladled from it into the molds as is con- 

 venient. Before adding a new "charge"' the blast is turned off, the 

 'charge" already in is turned forward upon the work stone, more fuel is 

 cast in. and the charge" is thrown back with the addition of fresh ore 

 upon the wood. The combustion of the sulphur in the ore produces a 



