IRON AND STEEL MAKING.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume L, Issue 61, 20 November 1907, Page 3

IRON AND STEEL MAKING.

XIIE MOORE-IIECKETT SYSTEM. HIGHLY SUCCESSFUL DEMONSTRATION. ORE CONVERTED INTO STEEL IN 5 HOUBS. SYSTEM APPLICABLE TO TARANAKI IRONSAND. Received 19th, 10.2* P-m-Melbourne, November 19. At South Melbourne to-day an exhaustive trial of the "Moore-Heekett" process for the direct reproduction of iron and steel was made with entirely satisfactory results before a large gathering of experts from all parts of the Commonwalth- From Sydney a party of 25 interested in the mineral industry came to view the demonstration. Among those present were Mr Deakin, Count Normer (representing the Swedish Government), M. Schauman (representing the Belgian Government). Major Hughe* (American steel interests), Colonel Stanley (of Armstrong-Whitworth Coy.), Newbiggin (of Victors, Son and Queensland; presidents „f Manure* ofJ.ew Works" 1 two experts representing r.' it* Wales Government and ZF'ZZ 1 P " T " defect of expensnreness 11» well as effecting an enormous

this mnrnin* the ■_M-.it.ti The ore stofU were ?Jfi*H-oSS (,ie> ore fron,R£2JTk«w South W*les, and the prewot inflation was devised tits Into bematitic ore. In the en it was customary to pulvenw t owfbut in tbe present instance lump OT WHhin a couple of hours, the chaTge *W withdrawn, and molten steel and iron sent to the refining chamber. One of the' essential features in the Bnt operation was the ingenious manner In which the ore, in parting through the reducers to the slag bath, was protected from oxidisation by a roantb of reducing gas, while another striking feature lies in the fact that once started the smelting of ore and conversion fetO iteel was carried on without inters roptkm. Ju«t before four o'clock, the charge from the refinery was withdrawn, and {tote assembled witnessed the cistmg into ingots of steel with a six inch by wven inch cross-section from ore which tod gone into the reducers five hours before. I/jud cheering greeted the accomplishment of the task. At a luncheon, the Lord Mayor presided. Speeches were delivered by a > mnriber of Senators and others. It was Minted out that Australia last year had imported ten million tons of iron and steel, which would be sired by a de- J velopment of her own resources. There 1 Were practically unlimited quantites of Iron ore Tn various parts of Australia •waiting development and treatment. Count Jformer, the Swedish renresen(atin said that although a direct proMi had been invented in Sweden, he congntu!atr<l Mr Heskett on his victory, asserting that he had done a Treat thfag for Australia, and perhaps for the world.

It fa expected that the steel prepared today be subjected to expert tests io-morrow. It ii claimed for the process that it toU] treat New Zealand ironsand withOnt the necessity of its first being converted into bricquett-'S and a special plant for the purpose would be no more expensive that that for the treatment W ore. To-day's demonstration clearly proved the rapidity with which steel could lie produced, compared with the 36 to 40 hours required by the indirect method, while it~k claimed that the actual cost of production is considerably less than by tbe old way. X cable wag received from Russia taking an offer for the rights of that tountlj If to-dav's t"sts were successful. Those best qualified to judge, the work ktcomplished, indicated that a jrreit Hep forward had been accomplished in the rapid production of steel.