An Electrical Furnace. 55 



ganese, magnesium, and the alkaline metals by the electric 

 furnace. I had the pleasure of hearing Professor Mabery 

 give the first scientific notice of this discovery before the 

 American Association for the Advancement of Science, at 

 Ann Arbor, August 28th, and then spoke of the early results 

 of Deville and those of Debray on aluminium and its alloys, 

 having myself witnessed many of the experiments of both 

 of these chemists thereon. I also insisted that the import- 

 ance of this new instrument that the Messrs. Cowles have 

 placed in the hands of chemists, for producing and control- 

 ling degrees of temperature never before obtained, can 

 scarcely yet be estimated, either in its economic or its 

 scientific aspect. This heat of the furnace realizes the 

 dream of the alkahest, or universal solvent of the alchemists, 

 and he who can rightly use it will be worthy of the ancient 

 title of Magister Magnus in igni. 



I may add that, through the courtesy of these gentlemen, 

 I have since been enabled to spend two entire days in their 

 experimental works at Cleveland, with the brothers Cowles 

 and Professor Mabery, when they explained to me several 

 points not yet made public, and allowed me to direct 

 experiments with one of their furnaces. The fusion of 

 quartz and the reduction of silicon without the presence of 

 copper was repeated ; also the reduction of boron and the 

 formation of boron bronze, with many other interesting 

 experiments. I then suggested trials for the reduction of 

 titanium, both from rutile and from titanic iron ore, which 

 will probably soon be made. 



The present plant at Cleveland is but a first experimental 

 one, and has only been in operation a few months. The 

 Cowles Electric Smelting Company has secured a large 

 water-power at Lockport, New York, and a dynamo-electric 

 machine of 125 horse-power is now building for them at the 

 Brush Works in Cleveland, which will soon be in operation 

 at Lockport, and will permit the establishment of the elec- 

 tric furnace on a larger scale. A series of experiments of 

 the products got by this remarkable discovery is, by the 

 courtesy of these gentlemen, placed before the members of 

 the Institute. 



