Forge hammers are very frequently mounted as levers of the first kind with the centre of motion about one third or one fourth the length of the helve from the cam wheel.
When well hammered by these trip hammers, the mass is made to pass be-. tween grooved cylinders, which press it into the bar shape ; as it emerges from the cylinders it is cut with a shears into shorter lengths.
Such is a rough outline of the mode of obtaining bar or wrought iron, as prac tised in England. In France, and the south of Europe, as woll as in many places in this country, it is differently conducted.
Malleable iron is frequently obtained direct from the ores by one fusion, when the metallic oxide is not too much conta minated with foreign substances ; this mode, which is allowed to be much more economical than the one described, as it saves time and combustibles, has for a long period been employed in Catalonia, in the Pyrenees, froin which circum stances it is called the method of the Catalan forge. Those ores, best adapted to its treatment, are the pure black ox ide, red and brown oxide, and carbonate of iron to extract the metal from which, it is sufficient to expose them to a high temperature in contact with charcoal or carbonaceous gases. The furnace em ployed is similar to the refining forge previously described. The crucible is a semicircular or oblong basin, 13 inches diameter, and 8 or 10 deep, excavated in an area or small elevation of masonry 8 or 10 feet long, by 6 broad, and covered in with a chimney. The tugres stand 5 or 6 inches above the basin, and have a slight inclination downwards, and the blast is given by a water blowing machine. The first step consists in expelling the water combined with oxide, as well as the sulphur and arsenic. When those combinations are present, this is done its usually is roasting in the air. The roast ed ore s crushed TO a fine powder, and thrown by the shovel at intervals on the charcoal fire of the hearth ; the side sand bottom of the basin being previously lined with two or three brasgues (coats of pounded charcoal). It gradually softens
and unites into lumps, more or less co herent, which finally melt and accumu late in the bottom of the crucible or basin, and a thin slag is occasionally let off from the upper surface of the melted iron by the holes, which can be opened at discre tion. The melted iron preserves a pasty condition, owing to the heat communi cated from above, and when a mass suffi ciently large is accumulated, it is remov ed, pat under the hammer, and forged at once. A lump or bloom of inallealle iron is thus produced in three or four hours. The iron is generally soft, very malleable, and a little steely. Four work men are employed at one forge, and by a relief every six hours, they can make 86 cwt. of iron per week. 100 pounds of iron are obtained, in this forge, from 300 lbs. of ore. This process, generally called blooming, is one now increasing in this country.
Mr. W. Lyman first put into successful operation at Pottsville, Pa., in 1830, a furnace for smelting iron by anthracite with the hot blast. In 1840, Messrs. Biddle, Chambers & Co. did the same at Dansville, Pa., and others followed.
Anthracite coal is now always used with hot air in smelting, and the pud dling is performed by Dctmold's patent, with ignited gas, In Maryland bitumin ous coal is used, in New York charcoal. Blooming or making the bar iron by one operation, without the use of the blast furnace is common in Connecticut, New York, and Vermont.
In 1845, Clinton and Essex Co., N. Y., produced 13,000 tons of iron. The whole produce in the States same year was esti mated at 919,100 tons =$41,734,610. 'In New-York, the mines of Dutchess and Columbia Co. yield 20,000 tons annually ; Essex Co. 1,500 tons, Clinton 3,000, Franklin 600 : St. Lawrence 2,000, amounting in all to a value of inore than 000,000. In Ohio 1200 square miles are underlaid with iron, and calculated to contain 1,050,000,000 tons. In Tennessee 100,000 tons are.manufactured yearly. The following is the process recently adopted by Mr. Alexander Dickson, of Newark.