5i6 



NA TURE 



[[September 24, 1896 



the influence of unrest, which so often prevails at autumn 

 meetings. Probably the subject will come up again. In the 

 meantime, those interested would do well to study Dr. Wedding's 

 suggestive paper as a means of preparation for future controversy. 

 The following quotation will serve to give a key to the line of 

 reasoning followed : — 



" As a rule the roasting is a preliminary to the reduction 

 process. It is only exceptionally or incidentally that it has to 

 effect the purpose of simultaneously eliminating elements, such 

 as sulphur or arsenic, that could detrimentally influence the 

 iron produced. It is only in very recent times that roasting 

 processes have also been employed in order to render iron ores 

 magnetic, so that they can subsequently, by magnetic concentra- 

 tion, be freed from gangue, that is, from constituents not con- 

 taining iron, and be enriched in iron. 



" On considering the composition of the ferruginous con- 

 stituents of the ores practically employed in the metallurgy of 

 iron, there will be found, as a rule, in the ores supplied by 

 nature, oxides, hydrates, and carbonates of iron : magnetic 

 oxide in magnetite ores ; ferric oxide in red hjematite ores ; 

 ferric hydrate in brown hLrmatite ores ; ferrous carbonate in 

 spathic iron ores, clay iron ores, and carboniferous iron ores. If 

 sulphur compounds occur, which have to be used as iron ores, 

 as, for example, iron bisulphide in iron pyrites, they must 

 always be first converted into ferric oxide (purple ore) before the 

 material can be further utilised in ironworks practice. Again, 

 from the hydrates water must be expelled, and from the 

 carbonates carbon dioxide, before the iron of these ores can be 

 reduced. 



"The heats of combination of all iron ores show that a 

 reduction to iron cannot occur as long as sulphur, water, and 

 carbon dioxide are still present. It might consequently be 

 assumed that the only object of roasting was the expulsion of 

 sulphur, water, and carbon dioxide, with a view to the reduction 

 of the iron, were it not that the practical facts were in con- 

 tradiction to this, in that they show that as a matter of fact even 

 more iron ores that contain neither sulphur, water, nor carbon 

 dioxide, but that consist only of magnetic oxide or ferric o.xide, 

 can with advantage be subjected to roasting. The object of 

 this is either to facilitate the subsequent reduction by the 

 formation of the most easily reducible oxygen compounds, 

 or to facilitate the reduction by loosening the texture of the iron 

 ores." 



At the conclusion of the reading of his paper, the author 

 pointed out the great use of the thermo-junction pyrometer in 

 work of this nature. He had himself improved the working of 

 this instrument by a shield of asbestos. 



Mr. Head's paper was read in abstract, and gave rise to 

 practically no discussion. It was an interesting record of certain 

 professional investigations made by the author into the prospects 

 of mines in the neighbourhood of Santander and Covadonga. 

 Analyses of the ores, cost of working, and other data of a 

 jiractical nature are given in the paper. 



The remaining paper taken at this sitting was that of Messrs. 

 Harbord and Twynam. It was a .short but suggestive con- 

 tribution on what may be called a by-subject, although one 

 not without its practical bearing. The authors agree that 

 nitrogen undoubtedly exi.sts in two conditions in steel. They 

 think it may occur mechanically occluded in the metal, whilst as 

 fixed nitrogen, in combination with some other element, it is 

 undoubtedly |iresent. As the result of investigation, however, 

 they have failed to trace any connection between the amount of 

 nitrogen and the good or bad quality of the steel. Their results 

 appear to confirm the generally accepted opinion that nitrogen, 

 in the jwoportion in which it is found in commercial steel, has no 

 detrimental effect. Details of tests and analyses are given. 



At the second sitting four papers were read in brief abstract 

 before an extremely thin audience, all, excepting a conscientious 

 few, having gone on an excursion of a frankly frivolous nature, 

 there not being even an incipient ore quarry as an excusive for 

 a lunch. Mr. Hibbard's paper was first read. In it the author 

 dwelt, somewhat emphatically, upon the evils of sand sticking to 

 pig ; and then proceeded to describe an apjiaratus he had 

 devised for getting over the difficulty, although whether he had 

 translated his theories into practice did not transpire. So far 

 as could be gathered from the description and illustrations, the 

 ordinary pig bed is superseded by a vast circular table on which 

 are mounted eight radial rows of iron moulds. Sows connect 

 the pigs in the usual way. The moulds are capable of turning, 

 and the pigs are dumped while still red hot, falling into waggons 



NO. 1404, VOL. 1^4] 



fitted with projections which serve to break them up. (It may 

 be suggested that an objection to this is that the pigs may bleed. ) 

 The author states that in one year (1895) purchasers of pig in the 

 United States received 213,750 tons of sand in lieu of iron, and 

 though some allowance is made on this account, the actual loss 

 to purchasers — and corresponding gain to the iron maker — was 

 considerably over a million dollars. These are surprising facts, 

 but the subsequent statement the author makes is even 

 more startling. lie says that " the chemist of a great iron- 

 producing firm was commissioned to find a sand which would' 

 stick in the largest pos.sible proportion to ]iigiron" ! In the brief 

 discussion an opinion seemed to prevail that the invention was 

 not likely to receive very immediate a|)pIication in this country. 



Mr. Hogg's note on " the missing carbon " was another con- 

 tribution on a by-subject of the steel-maker. The question has 

 been discussed before, and is likely to come up again, as Prof. 

 Roberts-Austen has promised a communication on the subject, 

 which can hardly fail to be of scientific interest, although, so 

 far, the problem does not appear to have a practical bearing 

 from the steel-maker's point of view. Bearing on this, how- 

 ever, the following passage, with which the author concludes 

 his paper, may be quoted as a warning, from one who can speak 

 with authority, against a reaction that appears to have set in 

 with undesirable force : — 



"The various questions of a purely physical nature concerned 

 with the phenomena of hardening are now increasing so rapidly 

 that, for the time being, the chemical side is receiving a some- 

 what disproportionate share of attention. Probably this may 

 be on account of the generally limited nature of the kind of 

 chemical examination which has to be resorted to. Bearing ir> 

 mind that the few facts of a purely chemical nature which are 

 known to be intimately related to the physical results are based 

 upon the eftects of retarded or accelerated solution, the writer 

 feels confident that, although the labour may at first sight 

 appear to be great in proportion to the results obtained, in time 

 some simple chemical discovery will do much towards rendering 

 the hardening of steel easier to understand."' 



The valve described in Mr. Colquhoun's paper was illustrated 

 by diagrams, without which it would be impossible to make the 

 details clear. The cooling of valves by water is, of course, by 

 no means a new idea, though possibly the author's arrangement 

 may include points of superiority over anything that has gone 

 before. This was the last paper taken, Messrs. Atkinson's con- 

 tribution not being read. 



The sitting was brought to a conclusion by votes of thanks 

 to the Spanish gentlemen who had done so much hard work to 

 make the meeting a success, and to the President (Sir David 

 Dale), who had occupied the chair throughout. 



Mr. E. P. Martin, of Dowlais, will be the next President. 



During the meeting excursions were made to ironworks and 

 mines. These we must deal with very briefly. 



The Altos Hornos Iron and Steel Works were the first visited. 

 They are situated on the river Nervion, five miles from Bilbao. 

 The following figures relating to their output give an idea of the 

 scope of the works. When in regular work, the product is about 

 100,000 tons of pig iron yearly. Of this 12,000 tons will be 

 made into puddled iron ; 15,000 tons into steel of various sec- 

 tions ; 6000 tons into plates ; 45,000 tons into rails and bars ; 

 6000 tons into castings; 3000 tons into liridges, roofs and 

 boilers ; and 1000 tons into machinery. 



The ^'izcaya Company's Works, also visited, are likewise on 

 the Nervion. The following is given as the annual production : 

 200,000 tons of iron ore, 100,000 tons of coke, icx5,ooo tons of 

 pig iron, 25,000 tons of open hearth and converter (Robert) steel, 

 6000 tons of puddled iron, and 25,000 tons of rolled iron and 

 steel. 



The above are the two principal works, and they are well 

 laid out and equipped. Other iron and steel works are of a 

 smaller character. It may be interesting to .state that the pro- 

 duction of pig iron during 1894 was in the United Kingdom 

 7,546,000 tons. In Spain it was 260,000 tons during the same 

 year. 



The great excursion of the meeting was, however, that 

 arranged for Thursday, September 3, when the whole day was 

 devoted to a visit to the great Oconera Mines. The weather 

 was extremely favourable, and members had an opportunity ot 

 seeing the manner in which iron stone is quarried on these 

 mountains, and at the same time enjoying an exquisite view of 

 the Bay of Biscay — as blue that day as the Mediterranean — and 

 the liold, rocky coast-line backed by the I'yrenees. As we have 



