| Show electricity AND IRON the multifarious uses to which electricity is being put are continually being added to one of the most recent processes in electrical science is that of melting iron when the welding of iron by this means was successfully accomplished it was waa but another step to reduce the solid abild metal to toa a liquid state by the same agency and a plan to carry this idea into effect has been discovered by a milwaukee man i named solomon shaw he saya that the use of electricity for melting malting iron la Is only a question of obtaining a suf euf current for practical purposed durpos pur posea without an undue waste of energy and this problem he be claims to have solved the usual construction of the cu cupola to ie employed except that it is in made mad e to tg taper gradually from the charging door in the shape of an inverted cone to within eighteen inches of the bottom when it opens out into a ing chamber for the fluid metal at the bottom of the conical opening on each side aide of the apparatus are two or more electrodes of carbon in such auch relative arrangement as to produce a voltaic arc when energized by a current of electricity the electrodes are fixed upon rack bars ban which by an automatic arrangement of pulleys and strap la in actuated by a weight controlled by the electric current carrent As ag the electrodes are consumed and the distance increases to such a degree decree that there is danger ot of the our rent falling to cross the racks are automatically forced together so as an to keep a constant current the iron to be melted is stacked in the main cham chamber berof of the furnace an electrio electric current of sufficient clent power being lot let in to the electrodes electrode the lower portion of the metal to Is reduced to a fluid state and passes down to the receiving chamber to be drawn oft through the tap open ing this process is continued till all the iron is down if melting iron in a furnace by means of electricity can be accomplished with as much saving over the use of coke as shaw claims for his hig method it is in only a short and comparatively easy stop step to smelling sm elting the ore bythe by the same means mean so soon as this end is le attained the vast mountains of iron ore in southern utah as well as the immense bodies in morgan weber and box elder counties can be reduced without tho the outlay of a million or more of dollars which would woud be necessary under the present method of smelling smelting sm elting it would be indeed a good thing for this territory if its iron could be reduced to marketable form at such low cost at as to compete with the prices now paid for ordinary pig iron in this time of rapid development of scientific and mechanical knowledge the time may not be far distant for the opening up of what will yet prove to be one of the greatest industries of the west went successful iron works in utah |
