IRON. Every person knows the man ifold uses of this truly precious metal ; it is capable of being cast in moulds of any form ; of being drawn out into wires of any desired strength or fineness; of be ing extended into plates or sheets ; of be ing bent in every direction ; of being sharpened, hardened, and softened at pleasure. Iron accommodates itself to all our wants, our desires, and even our caprices ; it is equally serviceable to the arts, the sciences, to agriculture, and war; the same ore furnishes the sword, the ploughshare, the scythe, the pruning hook, the needle, the graver, the spring of a watch or of a carriage, the chisel, the chain, the anchor, the compass, the can non, and the bomb. It is a medicine of much virtue, and the only metal friendly to the human frame.
The ores of iron are scattered over the crust of the globe with a beneficentpro fusion, proportioned to the utility of the metal ; they are found under every lati tude, and every, country which possesses a range of primary rocks is sure to have beds of iron ore. When pure it is a me tal of a bluish-gray color, and a dull fi brous fracture, but it is capable of ac quiring a brilliant surface by polishing. Its specific gravity is 7.78. It is the most tenacious of metals, and the hardest of which are malleable and ductile. It is singularly susceptible of the magne tic virtue, but in its pure state soon loses it. When rubbed it has a slight smell, and it imparts to the tongue a peculiar astringent taste, called chalybeate. In a moist atmosphere, iron speedily oxydizes, and becomes covered with a brown coat ing, called rust.
There are no lees than 10 ores of iron : 1, native iron of three kinds, pure, metal liferous, and steely ; 2, arsenical iron; 3, yellow sulphuret of iron ; 4, white sul phuret of iron ; 5 magnetic sulphuret ; 6, black oxide, either the loadstone, the magnetic, or titaniferous ; 7, Fer either specular or scaly ; 8, haematite, yielding red powder ; 9, yellow haematite, a hydrated oxide ; 10, pitchy iron ore; 11, silico calcareous iron or zenite ; 12, sperry carbonate and clay iron stone j 13, phosphate of iron ; 14, sulphate of iron, native copperas ; 15, chromate of iron ; 16, arseniate of iron ; 17, chloride of iron ; 18, oxalate of iron ; 19, titenate of iron.
Of these ores 10 are worked by the mi ner of the native iron, the magnetic oxide, the carbonate, or clay iron stone. The hematite and the brown iron stone are the most important.
The waive iron occurs in veins gener ally and is almost pure iron. The mete one iron contains nickel, and the mass is magnetic.
The magnetic oxide or magnetic iron ore is a mixture of protoxide and perox ide, and contains, according to Berzelius, in 100 parts : Iron 71.74 Oxygen 28'26 It is of an intense black color crystalliz ed in regular octohedra, sometimes in gra nular or compact masses; its sp. gr. 5-094. This variety is found in Warwick, Orange Co., New-York-. The magnetic iron exists in the primary rocks of New England, and crosses New-York and New Jersey into Pe. It occurs at Winchester and Franconia, N. H., at Cumberland, IL I., at Hawles and Bcrnardstown, Mass. Near Ringwood, along the Highlands, beds of ore 10 feet thick exist ; in Morris county, New York, its average thickness is from 5 to 12 feet, and it yields 65 per cent. of pure iron. In the primary hills W. of Lake Champlain, there are numer ous veins and beds of it 25 feet thick in some places and nearly pure. It is work ed at Peru and Crown Point. This ore, be sides being so rich in iron, yields it of the greatest purity ; hence that of Dannemo ra, in Sweden, has been so highlyprized.
Chromate of iron, or chrome iron ore, is found massive and crystallized in octo hedra, imperfect lustre, color brown black, sp. 4-49. It consists of— Oxide of chrome Protoxide of Iron 82• Alumina Silica 2• does not fuse before the blowpipe,* it is magnetic after exposure to the reducing flame ; it forms a green bead with borax. In the United States it exists abundantly in Maryland, near Baltimore, also in small quantities near New Haven, Conn., in limestone with serpentine. It is used for extracting chrome salts. (See CHROME.) The quantity of chromate of lead annu ally made in Baltimore exceeds 80,000 lbs. iron ore and red iron are occurs in many crystalline forms derived from the acute rhomboid, lustre metallic, color dark steel gray iron black ; streak cher ry red sp. gr. 0.25, has full action on the magnet. The micaceous iron ore and the hematite, analyzed by Bucholz, have yielded in 100 parts, Peroxide of iron 00'00 04'00 Oxide of manganese a trace a trace Silica 2.00 Lime a trace Water 2-00 8.00 It yields ordinarily 60 per cent, of metal. The island of Elba is the most celebrated locality which has afforded iron for sixteen centuries. It has been worked at Hawley, Mass. It is however found but sparingly in the United States. It occurs at Ticonderoga, New-York, where it is ground to powder, and em ployed as a polishing substance. It affords excellent iron, and often as much as 60 per cent. It occurs also at Mari etta, Ohio.