[D8747AAW], Letter from Witherbees Sherman & Co to Thomas Alva Edison, December 14th, 1887

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Title

[D8747AAW], Letter from Witherbees Sherman & Co to Thomas Alva Edison, December 14th, 1887

Editor's Notes

We were much interested in one recent visit to you and while at our mines during the past week we had the samples analyzed you separated in our presence with the following result. ## Magnetic ## Metallic Iron 71.75 ## Phosphorous .05 ## This result is satisfactory if it can be uniformally maintained though of course a lower Phosphorous result would suit us better. The Diamametic was very hastily and perhaps inacurately analyzed as follows ## Metallic Iron 9.12 ## Phosphorous 3.94 ## Titanic Acid .63 ## We suppose the Phosphate of [-]ince would be about seven times the amount of the Phosphorous. ## The sample of ore and lime combined showed as follows ## Metallic Iron 54.62 ## Lime 10.79 ## This is hardly satisfactory as the iron is too low and lime too high. In answer to your inquiry as to the fluxing qualities of lime and silica would say it takes two parts of lime to flux one of silica and in answer to anohter inquiry you made would say the best ground lime can be had at Port Henry for $8.00 per ton. ## Parties tell us they can use a limited proportion of the ore of the size you make it and as during the early Winter we generally close our contracts for one yearly output we would support that the tests for a commercial success of the 'separating' be gone ahead with and the cementing (?) process be carried on as you can best arrange it without delaying the other. We are anxious to have its success demonstrated with a 50 ton machine so we can order one or more from you and get them started in time to dispose of the product before our customers have bought elsewhere. We will be glad to ship you the car of ore for your larger machine at any time. It will take about two weeks to reach Orange after it is ordered. In connection with the cementing material we would say we learn the Bethlehem Iron Co are using what is know as 'Blue Billy' which is the residuum of Spanish Pyrities used in England for making sulphur. It comes out as fine as dust but is put there into bricks and shipped here as an Iron ore and contains about 70% Metallic Iron and .01 Phsophorous. Later on we will investigate the matter and advise you. It may be what we want -- whenever you would like to have us come out again we will be very glad to go and hoping soon to lean you have made a commercial success out of what seems to be a laboratory one ## We presume you have already looked into the value of the Apatite though we have thought that of secondary importance"

Mentioned

Date

1887-12-14

Type

Folder/Volume ID

D8747-F

Microfilm ID

120:169

Document ID

D8747AAW

Publisher

Thomas A. Edison Papers, School of Arts and Sciences, Rutgers University
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