Jamie:

Interest in electric steelmaking began with William Siemens experiments in the late 1870s and was perfected by Dr. Paul Heroult in 1889.  The first European electric furnace was erected in 1900 at La Praz, France and the first American electric furnace was erected at Syracuse, NY by the Halcomb Steel Co. in 1906. Its adoption was rapid and by the 1920s, electric steel production replaced crucible steel production for the manufacture of tool steels and specialty steels.  For more info see: William Dennis, Foundations of Iron and Steel Metallurgy (New York: Elsevier, 1967).  This is good general work. 

Lee M.





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Lee R. Maddex, Project Coordinator, Sr.                                                                 
Institute for the History of Technology and Industrial Archaeology                              
West Virginia University, PO Box 6305,  Morgantown, West Virginia 26506-6305   
phone: (304)293-3829; fax: (304)293-2449; email: [log in to unmask]                   
"Any man that eats chili can't be all bad."  Pat Garrett praising Billy the Kid, 1880                                                                                                       
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