Memoirs of the Geological Survey of India . not only is the demand for iron increasing, but theamoimt manufactured in the district is decreasing from various shape and construction of the furnaces vary slightly, but thatmost generally used is nearly cylindrical, taperinginto an irregular cone at the top. The furnacesare constructed entirely of red-clay mixed with sand; they constantlyrequire to have the inside renewed by fresh linings of clay, which cannotstand more than three or four days^ working. The height of the furnacevaries from 3 to 5 feet, with a diameter of the interior of
Memoirs of the Geological Survey of India . not only is the demand for iron increasing, but theamoimt manufactured in the district is decreasing from various shape and construction of the furnaces vary slightly, but thatmost generally used is nearly cylindrical, taperinginto an irregular cone at the top. The furnacesare constructed entirely of red-clay mixed with sand; they constantlyrequire to have the inside renewed by fresh linings of clay, which cannotstand more than three or four days^ working. The height of the furnacevaries from 3 to 5 feet, with a diameter of the interior of from 9 inchesto 1 foot. The furnace itself at the ground is about 2 feet wide, andtapers sometimes from the ground, sometimes from about ^rd or ^th ofthe height; the walls are from 4 to 6 inches thick. The front of thefurnaces is for the most part nearly vertical, the back therefore slopesconsiderably more than do the sides, as shown in the annexed figure. Fig. 8.—Section and elevation of native Iron Furnace. Form, &c,, of giving a section of an iron furnace at Chaindanumgalum, in the NamkulTaldq. (Fig. 8). In some cases,, however^ the furnace is a regular (375) 154 GEOLOGY OF TMCHINOPOLYj &C, [ChaP. VIII. Inside tlie furnace the ground is generally excavated to the depthof about 1 foot, to form a hearth for the bloom. A semi-cucularopening from 1 foot to 14 inches high is either left in the front waU^ oris subsequently cut into it while the clay is still moist. This is filledup with clay before the commencement of each smelting. The blast required for the smelting is obtained by using two bellows,each made of a sheep or goat^s skin, and workedby hand in the ordinary way by a man squat-ting in front of the furnace. The nozzles of the bellows are madeeither of thin sheet iron, or tin plate, or sometimes of bamboos, and theseare inserted into a clay tuyere entering at the bottom of the front opening,and carefully luted. The tuyeres reach to the centre of the
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Keywords: ., bookcentury1800, booksubjectgeology, booksubjectminesandmineralr
