52 REPOBT— 1889. 



8. The samples to be analysed, in the United Kingdom, bj Mr. A. H. 

 Allen, Sheffield ; Mr. W. Jenkins, Dowlais ; Mr. G. S. Packer, Steel 

 Company of Scotland ; Mr. J. Pattinson, Newcastle-upon-Tyne : Mr. E. 

 EUev, London ; the Royal School of Mines ; and Mr. J. E. Stead, Middles- 

 brough. 



Progress of the "Work. 



Under date July 14 1SS9, Professor Langley states that he has not as 

 yet received a conclusive reply firam the State Department at Washington 

 to his application asking the Government to forward the samples through 

 its consular agencies, so that they might reach their destination with the 

 seals of the American Committee unbroken by the Custom House in- 

 spectors. The first four standards are ready to go as soon as word is 

 received from Washington. They are packed iu lead-lined hermetically 

 sealed boxes, four for each counn-y, and are enclosed by a larger wooden 

 case, the whole weighing about 400 lb. 



The material was prepared as nearly as possible in accordance with 

 the directions of the British Association Committee. Ingots of crucible 

 steel were selected from a lot of some twenty-five tons, which came nearest 

 to the required carbon for the first three standards. The last, C=01o. 

 was too low to be made in a cracible, for after melting up a ntunber of 

 charges it was not found po^ible to get below 020 in the plumbago 

 crucibles used. Professor Langley accordingly took a large billet of 

 Open Hearth steel, and after forging had a piece weighing about 100 lbs. 

 cut out of the centre. 



The original weight of the ingots was 90 lbs., but after turning ofi' 

 the skin and allowing for the pipe and some inevibible loss in turning, 

 not much over 50 lbs. coidd be recovered in drillings. This will cause the 

 weight of the standards to be somewhat less than specified, but it seems 

 as though there was no help for it, because to have attempted to make 

 the quantity up fi\)m two ingots woidd have intixiduced metal of a 

 slightly difierent carbon, and so brought about an objectionable lack of 

 uniformity. 



The metal was turned in a lathe at a very slow speed, and with a 

 bltmt tool. The whole time of turning was between three and four 

 months. 



In regard to pulverising the drillings as originally proposed. Professor 

 Langley found it utterly impossible to do so by any means which would 

 not introduce a notable quantity of foreign matter. Between chilled rolls 

 the shavings only flattened. They were sifted through a 30- mesh sieve, 

 and the fine material so obtained, which is small in qnautity. is in a 

 separate enclosni-e. The i-est of the drillings are as nearly homogeneotis 

 as it is possible to make them, because they have been made from * dead 

 melted ' stock formed at one heat fi-om a single crucible. 



The vi^rions committees ai-e as follows : — Sweden, Professor Richard 

 Akermau, Seci-etary ; Germany, the Grovernment Department of Tests ; 

 France, Mous. Ferd. Gautier, Secretary ; England, the British Associa- 

 tion Committee ; United States, three members of the American Society 

 of Civil Engineers, viz., William Metcalf, Thomas Rod, and A. E. Hunt ; 

 and three members of the faculty of the Univei"sity of Michigan, viz., 

 Professors J. W. Langley, A B. Piescott, and M. E. Cooley. 



The material for the standards and the mechanical work on them have 

 been furnished by the Crescent Steel Works of Pittsburgh gratoitoosly, 



