440 
POPULAE SCIENCE EETIEW. 
METALLURGY, MINERALOGY, AND MINING. 
The Manufacture of Steel . — Mr. David Forbes’ usual quarterly report on 
the mining and metallurgical resources of the several States of Europe, 
gives us most valuable information. In fact, it considerably lightens our 
task, for it gives in a condensed and thoroughly comprehensive form, every- 
thing that has been done for the quarter. We find it stated that M, 
Aristide Berard has recently introduced into practical operation, at Givors, in 
France, a process for the direct conversion of pig-iron into steel, for which, 
among other advantages, he claims that it effects a partial purification of 
the iron, by eliminating the sulphur, phosphorus, arsenic, &c. ; at least, to 
such an extent, that commoner brands of pig-iron, which by no process at 
present known could be used, may be employed for making steel suitable 
for the manufacture of rails, tyres, &c. ; and that, by the combined action 
of air and gas, alternate oxidising or reducing effects may be obtained at 
pleasure, so that the decarbonisation or recarbonisation, and consequent 
uniform nature of the product may be regulated, whilst at the same time the 
waste is reduced to a minimum. The main features of the process are — 
the conversion of the fuel employed into a gaseous state, the use of a jet 
of superheated steam in so doing, and the employment of a peculiarly- 
shaped converting furnace, in which, from three to five tons of cast-iron is 
treated at a time, the charge being run into the moveable bed of the furnace, 
in the molten state, direct from the blast furnace or cupola. Spiegeleisen is 
added in the operation, and the waste is stated to be not more than from 
seven to eight per cent., whilst the operation is said to require only from 
one hour to one hour and a half. The process has been fully described in a 
pamphlet, published by M. Berard. 
Anthracite Coal Trade of Pennsylvania. — Mr. Peter W. Sheafer, a well- 
known engineer at Pottsville, Pa., has prepared a diagram, which is pub- 
lished in Silliman’s American Journal,” exhibiting the progressive deve- 
lopment of the anthracite coal trade of Pennsylvania. It embraces the 
period of fifty years, from 1820 to 1870, and an accompanying table gives 
in detail, for each year, the yield of anthracite of the four great subdivisions 
of the anthracite region, the Lehigh, the Schuylkill, the Wyoming, and 
the Lykens Valley, Sharaokin, &c. We take the export in tons, for the 
years 
below specified, from the table 
1820 
Lehigh. 
365 
Schuylkill. 
Wyoming. 
Lykens V., &c. 
Total 
365 
1830 
41,750 
89,934 
43,000 
174,734 
1840 
275,313 
475,091 
148,470 
15,505 
864,384 
1850 
690,456 
1,782,936 
827,823 
57,684 
3,358,899 
1860 
1,821,674 
3,270,516 
2,941,817 
479,116 
8,513,123 
1870 
3,172,916 
3,853,016 
7,825,128 
998,839 
15,849,899 
The Schuylkill trade began in 1822, with the exportation of 1,480 tons ; 
the Wyoming, now twice the largest, in 1829, with 7,000 tons j the Lykens 
Valley, &c., in 1839, with 11,930 tons. 
Puddling hy Siemens' Gas Furnace . — Mr. Forbes’ Report states that in the 
