ADVANCEMENT OE SCIENCE. 117 



theory, the deviations, from the law of squares, occur to as great an extent as in 

 Mr. Whitehouse's actual experiments ; these deviations, depending on the precise 

 nature "of the electrical operations performed at one end of the wire, and of the 

 test of electrical effect afforded by the receiving instrument at the other hand." 



ON THE MANUFACTURE OF IRON AND STEEL WITHOUT FUEL, BY MR. W. BESSAMER. 



Mr. Bessamer asserted that crude iron contains about 10 per cent, of carbon; 

 that carbon cannot exist at white heat in the presence of oxygen, without uniting 

 therewith and producing combustion, that such combustion would proceed with a 

 rapidity dependent on the amount of surface of carbon exposed ; lastly, that the 

 temperature which the metal would acquire would be also dependent on the rapid- 

 ity with which the oxygen and carbon were made to combine, and consequently 

 that it was only necessary to bring the oxygen and carbon together in such a man- 

 ner that a vast surface should be exposed to their mutual action in order to produce 

 a temperature hitherto unattainable in our largest furnaces. With a view of test- 

 ing practically this theory, he had constructed a cylindrical vessel of three feet in 

 eight, somewhat like an ordinary cupola furnace, the interior of which was lined 

 with fire-bricks; and about two inches from the bottom of it inserted five tuyere 

 pipes, the nozzles of which were framed of well burnt fire-clay, the orifice of each 

 tuyere pipe being about three-eighths of an inch in diameter. These were so put 

 into the brick lining (from the outer side) as to admit of their removal and renewal 

 in a few minutes when they were worn out. At one side of the vessel, about half 

 way up from the bottom, there was a hole made for running in the crude metal, 

 and on the opposite side there was a tap-hole stopped with loam, by means of which 

 the iron was run out at the end of the process. The vessel should be placed so 

 near to the discharge-hole of the blast furnace as to allow the iron to flow along a 

 gutter into it. A small blast cylinder would be required, capable of compressing 

 air to about 8 lb. or 101b, to the square inch. A communication having been made 

 between it and the tuyeres before named, the converting vessel would be in a con- 

 dition to commence work. It would, however, on the occasion of its being first 

 used after re-lining with fire-bricks, be necessary to make a fire in the interior with 

 a fesv baskets of coke, so as to dry the brickwork and heat up the vessel for the 

 first operation, after which the fire would have to be all carefully raked out at the 

 tapping-hole, which would again be made good with loam. The vessel would then 

 be in readiness to commence work, and might be so continued without any use of 

 fuel, until the brick lining in the course of time became worn away and a new lining 

 was required. The tuyeres are situated Bearly close to the bottom of the vessel; 

 the fluid metal will thei-efore rise some eighteen inches or two feet above them. 

 It is necessary, in order to prevent the metal from entering the tuyere-holes, to turn 

 on the blast before allowing the fluid crude iron to run into the vessel from the blast 

 furnace. This having been done, and the fluid iron run in, a rapid boiling up of the 

 metal will be heard going on within the vessel, the metal being tossed violently 

 about, and dashed from side to side, shaking the vessel by the force with which it 

 moves from the throat of the converting vessel. Fiame will then immediately issue, 

 accompanied by a few bright sparks. This state of things wili continue for about 

 15 or 20 minutes, during which time the oxygen in the atmospheric air combines 

 with the carbon contained in the iron, producing carbonic acid gas, and at the same 

 time evolving a powerful heat. Now, as this heat is generated in the interior of, 

 and is diffused in innumerable fiery bubbles through the whole fluid mass, the metal 

 absorbs the greater part of it, and its temperature becomes immensely increased • 



