A Great Discovery

Thm-e is living near Katasatiqna, Pn., 111 a hearty okl age, the min who (liscovered liow to use anthracitc coal in the manufacture of iron. Ilis name i David Tilomas, and the story of hls discovcry he tlius relates : "One winter niirht, in the old country, I Bat with Mr. Grane, a brother superintendent of a blast ñu-nace, over a flre ot hard coal. We had talkod of the recent invenüon of the hot blast, just patentad by Mr. Neilson, a Scotclnnan and our con versa tion had carried 119 pretty wcll along into the cvenin#. riiu íire liad bnrned low, and we were about to separate, when T picked up the bellows and bean to blow it, 'You will put tlie fire out,' sa id Mr. Crane. As lie spoke it flashed over ine that if my bellows gave a hot blast """"lu uwng iiib grateiim ol ooal to a bnght glovr, and with tho thought there eame like an inspiration upon me that the hot blast was all that was needed to ütilize the rich bcds of antln-acite under feet for makiiig uÉoii. I dropped the bellows and are utterance to niy thoughts. Mr. Crane smiled, then ltcw nttpuHv ,-,A o= t went on thinking out my tkeory as I spoke he became intei-ested. W'hen I ?oucluded we grasped hands over the acid eoals of anthracite fire and eparated. Littie sleep we got that ug-ht. To me it was one ot' vestless nxiety. When 1 read an account of lie niglit beiorc the exocution of a ondomnod man I always think of ray ight with my new idea. The next ay I posted up to Scotland, and ou my return I brought with me the plans of a hot-blast ftirnace, which -we at onco proceetled to build ibr the purpose of makiag iron with anthracite coal. It was a great success, and atracted capital to the development of ie anthracite coal beds of Wales and ie attontion of the scientiflc world. Sefora tliat, for our furnaces we had rought coke froin tlie distant bitumïious coal flelds, thereby increasinoe cost of our uroduct over thn.f. n? tabhshments more favorably sitúad. The very hills beneath our feet ere fillnd witli rioh deposits of anrucite, and the discover y of meana to utilize it was like a mine of gold to f he country around. Our experiment was a success. Of course the scientiflc chscussion carried on in tlio papers in that country provoked attmition in America, and the few scientific naw pnuiished here took up the matter, and thereby the iron-workers of tuis región carne to know of its reat v;i 1 no. ïhoy were then using chaTvoal and coke. At oiice thoy set to work un iny lan."