2D8 



THE CIVIL ENGINEER AND ARCHITECTS JOURNAL. 



[Septemhkr, 



When the hearth has been nearl}' filled up in this way, a covering of 

 charcoal is spread over the surface of the whole on a level v.ith the 

 top of the dam. The bellows are then blown, and a workman, who 

 stanils at the side of the hearth, keeps constantly pushing down the 

 charcoal in the middle witli an iron rod, and from time to time throws 

 small quantities into the centre of the fire as it gtaihially subsides. 

 At the commencement, one man at a time is sunicient to blow the bel- 

 lows, but, towards the close, two are required, the one standing behind 

 the other. The bellows shown in Figs. 1 & 5, are in general use all over 

 Persia. After blowing for an hour or an hour and a half, part of 

 the twycre pipe having melted from the violence of the heat, the blast 

 is stoi]ped for a moment, for tlie purpose of pushing the twyere pipe 

 farther in towards the centre of the hearth. It is then again con- 

 tinued, and in about three hours, or three and a half hours from the 

 commencement, the ore becomes consolidated, but not fused. The 

 blast is then again stopped until that half of the bloom which is next 

 to the slag hearth is turned over with an iron bar, and jnished on the 

 top of the dam. while the oilier half is turned round to the centre of 

 the fire. The blast is then immediately recommenced, and the metal 

 of the half bloom in the centre of the fire speedily falls to the bottom. 

 The remaining half of the bloom is then drawn into the centre, and 

 treated in a similar manner, very little charcoal being placed on the 

 top of the fire during this part of the process. When the raetal has 

 entirely disappeared by sinking to the bottom of the hearth, the whole 

 semifluid mass is stirred about for a cjuarter of an hour longer with an 

 iron rod. The blast being then stopped, the twyere pipe is with- 

 drawn, and the operator taking his shovel, jiushes the burning charcoal 

 together with the dam into the lower heartli : the slag immediately 

 runs off, and exposes the g'owing iron lying in the bottom of the upper 

 hearth; the metal is then beaten with the back of the shovelinto a 

 more solid state, and after being dexterously cut with an iron chisel 

 bar, from the sides of the hearth, and forced from the bottom, it is re- 

 moved to the floor of the hut with a large pair of tongs. The iron is 

 next beaten wiih large hammers as it lies on the ground, in order to 

 expel the slag and other impurities from its pores; and after being in 

 this way formed into a rough mass, it is lifted to the anvil, when it is 

 again hammered into a more regular shape. It is next cut into two 

 pieces with large hamniers,-and is then fit for being drawn into bars of 

 the dimensions required. 



At a single smelting, one hearth generally affords about 30 lb. of 

 malleable iron, to produce which there is only required about double 

 that quantity of ore, and three times the weight of charcoal. One 

 smith with Ids assistants will make about three or four smeltings in 

 one day, or one cwt. 



It must strike every one acquainted with the iron manufacture, that 

 this yield is in a high proportion to the materials used. In England, 

 about four tons of raw ore and eight tons of coal are required to pro- 

 duce one ton of bar-iron ; while, by the process above described, the 

 same quantity of iron, of a much superior quality, is produced in Per- 

 sia from less than half of these materials. The greater productiveness 

 is no doubt to be attributed in a great measure to the superior richness 

 of the Persian ores, and the use of charcoal ; but the simplicity of the 

 pi-ocess must also have a considerable share in diminishing the waste 

 of materials; for the roasting, smelting, refining, puddling, shingling, 

 balling, and drawing-out, or something very similar, is all there effected, 

 as it may be said, at one heat, and in a very few hours. 



The rich iron-ores of Cumberland and Lancashire, and many others 

 in Britain, particularly the blackband ironstone of Scotland, which has 

 so recently attracted the attention of iron-masters, if manufactured in 

 the same mar.ner, would undoubtedly produce similar results, and thus 

 create a great saving in time, labour, and capital, as well as diminish 

 the waste of materials. 



In conclusion, the writer would beg once more to draw attention to 

 the fact that malleable-iron can be readily made directly from the ore, 

 contrary to what he believes to be the prevalent opinion in this conn- 

 try. 



Since writing the preceding, the writer lias had an opportunity 

 of becoming acquainted with a similar process to the one already 

 described, now successfully practised near the town of Malatia, on the 

 tSyrian frontier, in the central parts of Asia Minor. The iron-ores in 

 this district are of the richest description, and were examined by the 

 ■writer at the command of the Turkish government, with the view of 

 establishing iron-works on the scale of British iron-works, for the sup- 

 ply of the Turkish ordnance. The method there pursued is, if possi- 

 ble, still more simple than that of the Persians, as the furnaces are in 

 the form of a small cupola, and the fuel is simply dry wood. 



SUTCLIFFE'S PATENT ROTATORY PUMP. 



Sir — I take the liberty of forwarding yon the enclosed engraving of a 

 rotatory jiump, in wliicli you will jierccive Jlr. Sutdiffe is completely autici- 

 pated, and evidently (from the apparent age of the print) hy many years. 

 The coincidence lietween the two is more than remarkable, and I can but 

 regret the want of the letter-press to accompany and explain ; of tliis, how- 

 ever, yon (and your readers, if you think fit to publish it,*) will judge. It is 

 a French invention, and I consider, abandoned by our neighbours on account 

 of its very great friction, and the difficulty there must exist in preserving, for 

 any considerable time, the working surfaces in perfect contact. The ends or 

 water-tight points of the ellipse exi)eriencing so much more wear than the 

 same extent of surface in the surrounding cylinder, or chamber. 



If Mr. Sutdiffe, or any person from him, wishes to see the print, 1 will leave 

 it with you for a time for that purpose. 



A. 



" [M'e have not thocglit it noccssnry to give the engraving, as it is .so 

 identically the same In principle as that of Mr. Sutcliffe's. The engraving, 

 we should say, is at least 100 years old ; it may be seen at uur o.Tice. — K.l. 

 C. K. 5c A. Journal.] 



ADCOCK'S PATENT FOR RAISING WATER FROM MINES. 



The very peculiar and extraordinary' degree of novelty exhibited iu 

 this process of raising water, and the high degree of importance at- 

 taclied to it by many of our engineering and mining friends, has induced 

 us to open a correspondence with the patentee, who has forwarded to 

 us drawings and a description, which will fully explain the invention. 



It may be necessary to state, as the ajiparatus is for raining upwards, 

 many of our readers may have a very inadecpiate idea of the effect 

 which it produces, and comparing it with the velocity and quantity of 

 rain descending from the clouds, may conceive its effect, as practically 

 inefficient. And so unrjuestionably it would be, were the cases at all 

 analogous. But in the apparatus erected at the works of Messrs. 

 Milne, Travis, and Milne, at Shaw, where the pressure of the air was a 

 ninth part of a pound iq)on the inch, the velocity of the rain up- 

 wards, and its abundance were such, that if the rain were to descend 

 from the clouds with ecpial velocity and in equal abundance, it would 

 cover the earth ISi feet in a single minute of time. While, on the 

 contrary, it is well-known that the quantity of rain falling in the me- 

 tropolis in a vear, is not more than 22 inches. 



To prove what we have here stated, we have only to detail the 

 following: 



The diameter of the up-cast pipe at Shaw, was 1-lA inches =: 13-5 

 inches area. 



Therefore the number of cubic inches in 1 foot of depth = lOSU. 



And through that pipe 130 gallons per minute were carried up 

 120 feet in height. 



And each gallon contains 277'274 cubic inches. 



Hence, 130 gallons X 2"r-271 4- 19s0 = ISi feet, in depth. 



Clearly proving ^vhat we have stated, that in a single minute, the 

 earth would be covered rather better than IS feet in depth. 



Most probably we shall resume this subject in our next month's 

 publication. In the meanwhile we shall give Mr. Adcock's description 

 of the apparatus. 



( Conimunicntcd by ilie Invmlor.) 



By the present modes of raising water from Mines and other deep 

 ])laces, by pumps and pump-rods, and other mechanical contrivances, 

 the water is raised through a series of pipes, in a compact or solid 

 state; in other words, if the depth through which the water must be 

 raised, by a pump or one lilt, be 100 feet, then the pipes, extending to 

 that depth, will be full of water, and the whole column of water in 

 those pipes will be lifted at one and the same time. 



A column of water 100 feet deep, presses with a force of about 4;') 

 poiuids on each square inch of its base. Hence, if the diameter of the 

 pump-bucket, or ijUmger, be 12 inches, and its area, as a consequence, 

 1 13 inches, the weight of water to be lifted, at tach stroke, will be 

 about o085 pounds. — In a deep mine, therefore, containing lu such 

 colunuis or lifts of water, below one another, and acted on at the same 

 time, by the same ]nunp-rod, extending down the shaft or jiit of the 

 mine, the weight of water to be raised will be very great, being not 

 less than 50,850 pounds, or about 23 tons. Hence, to lift such weight 

 of water, and to overcome the friction of the water in the pipes, to- 

 gether with the !'»8 inertice to put such colunuis of water in motion, 

 and to support its own weight, the pump-rod must be made of great 

 strength ; and the steam-engine, water-wheel, or otlier prime mover, 



