It will be seen
that, during the course of the work, the furnace workmen and the hammer
workmen have well defined duties to perform; but it is not the same with
the assistant, who goes from one to the other according to requirements.
There are, however, some forges in which each of the workmen has an
assistant, since the blooms produced are heavier, and one assistant
would not suffice for the work of the two men. In such a case the
assistant at the crucibles carries the blooms to the reheating furnace,
and the assistant at the hammer carries them from thence to the hammer.
[Illustration: FIG. 7.--WORKING THE BLOOM.]
ELABORATION OF THE ORE.
We have seen that the workman who has charge of the fire contents
himself with putting charcoal and ore alternately into the crucibles,
and that too according to the aspect of the flames, without making any
examination in the interior, in order to judge whether the work is
proceeding well. The bloom forms gradually beneath the nozzle of the
tuyere, in the center of the bed of sand and charcoal, and is surrounded
on every side with an exceedingly pasty mass, formed of silicates of
iron and manganese (Fig.
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