1873-1 Metallurgy. 133 



year amounted to upwards of £20,000,000 sterling. The following summary 

 exhibits the quantities and valaes of the several metals smelted from British 

 ores in 1871 : — 



Pig-iron Tons 6,627,179 £16,667,947 



Copper ,, 6,280 475,143 



Tin ,, 10,900 1,498,750 



Lead ,, 69,056 1,251,815 



Silver. Ozs. 761,490 190,372 



Zinc Tons 4,966 92,743 



Other metals (estimated) 3,000 



£20,179,770 



Certain improvements in the metallurgy of manganese have recently been 

 effected by Mr. Hugo Tamm, and fully described in the " Chemical News." 

 The ore employed in these investigations was an impure binoxide of man- 

 ganese, containing 79*5 per cent of peroxide of manganese, 6*5 of peroxide of 

 iron, 3*5 of water, and 10-5 of gangue, with traces of phosphate of lime. To 

 obtain metallic manganese, 1000 parts of this ore are mixed with gi of lamp- 

 black or soot, and with 635 parts of a mixture described as " green flux." 

 This is prepared in the following way : — A mixture is made of 63 parts of 

 ground glass, i8| of quick-lime, and i8| of fluor-spar. Of this mixture 34 

 parts are taken and incorporated with 5^ of lamp-black and 6o£ of native per- 

 oxide of manganese. On smelting this mixture, metallic manganese is ob- 

 tained, accompanied by an olive-green slag : this slag, when ground, forms the 

 green flux previously described. The charge of ore, flux, and carbonaceous 

 matter, in the proportions indicated above, and moistened with oil, is intro- 

 duced into a refractory crucible lined by a mixture made of 3 parts of plum- 

 bago and one of loam or fire-clay worked into a thick paste with water. The 

 crucible is heated in a wind or blast-furnace, and a button of manganese ob- 

 tained, together with the slag previously described. The metal reduced by 

 this method is not pure manganese, but a product which the author designates 

 as " cast manganese." A specimen of this contained — Metallic manganese, 

 96-9 ; iron, 1*05; aluminium, o*i ; calcium, 0*05 ; phosphorus, 0-05 ; sulphur, 0*05; 

 silicon, 0-85 ; carbon, 0-95. The cast manganese may be refined by Berthier's 

 process, which consists in re-melting the coarsely-powdered crude metal with 

 carbonate of manganese. A sample of the refined metal obtained by this 

 treatment had the following composition : — Manganese, 99*91 ; iron, 005 ; 

 silicon, 0*015 ; carbon, 0*025. Mr. Tamm suggests that the cast manganese 

 might be economically employed in certain operations as a good substitute for 

 the alkaline metals. 



A patent has been granted to Messrs. T. W. Gerhard and J. Lightj jun., for 

 the production of iron and steel from a certain preparation which they call 

 "iron-coke." This is a mixture of powdered ore, or iron-scales, with a bitu- 

 minous substance, such as pitch, and with carbonate of lime. Cast-iron may 

 be obtained by smelting the iron-coke with ground coal or other carbonaceous 

 matter. Wrought-iron may be procured by the reducing action of carbonic 

 oxide generated in a combustion chamber connected with the furnace. 



An improved method of lining rotatory puddling furnaces has been patented 

 by Mr. Danks. Lime and oxide of iron, or silicate of iron, mixed in certain 

 cases with soda, potash, or even common salt, are worked-up into the con- 

 sistence of a stiff mortar, with which the revolving cylinder is lined. When 

 this coating has become dry, iron ore is introduced into the furnace and 

 melted, thus forming a vitreous lining. More ore, or oxide of iron, is then 

 melted, and lumps of ore thrown into the molten mass, so that, when the 

 liquid sets, the ends of these lumps project from the surface. In this condi- 

 tion the furnace is ready for puddling. 



Certain salts — such as the alkaline nitrates and chlorates — are applied by 

 Mr. R. Elsdon to the conversion of cast-iron into wrought-iron or steel by 



