MB 
Messrs , Mouchel on the 
they first pass it four times through the drawing plate. 
The fibres which appear at the utmost extension of the 
molecules that are arranged lengthways, are removed by 
heat, and the process again repeated three times. The 
whole operation is thus repeated five times, and conse- 
quently the wire is passed through fifteen numbers ; af- 
ter which a single heating is sufficient to fit it to pass 
through six others, and then it is reduced to the thick- 
ness of a knitting needle. Steel wire being much harder 
than that made of iron, requires to be passed through 
forty-four numbers, and to be annealed every second 
time. The wire is drawn with either the pincers or the 
bobbin, which is a cylinder adapted to axle-trees. This 
last was invented by the grandfather of Messrs. Mou- 
chel, and is used to prevent the marks occasioned by the 
application of the pincers. The degree of heat required 
in annealing the wire must be regulated by the diameter ; 
as upon this much of the perfection of the manufacture 
depends. When the wire is sufficiently stretched at each, 
heating, it assumes a peculiar colour, which the work- 
men are careful to observe. 
For annealing the wire, these manufacturers employ a 
large elevated furnace, in which the wire is supported in 
the middle of the flames on bars of cast iron. This fur- 
nace is capable of containing seven thousand pounds 
weight of wire, so arranged, that the thickest is exposed 
to the greatest heat ; so that the whole becomes equally 
heated in the same time. An inconvenience, however, 
is experienced with this furnace, which leaves the heat- 
ed wire exposed to the atmospheric air, which occasions 
both a considerable loss of oxyd, and an expense in re- 
moving it. In order to prevent this, they have invented 
another furnace, which is round, and about one metre 
six decimetres (near 5 feet 3 inches English) in diame- 
ter; and one metre eight decimetres (5 feet 10 8678 
