After rolling the ingot down to proper width and thickness, the “piped” end is cut off and “discarded.” Slabs are cut and piled in regular order on a little flat steel car on which they are pulled, still red-hot, by the shrieking little dummy engine out from the slabbing mill, through the yard and to the plate mill furnaces, into which they are charged in proper order. Here they remain until they are again white-hot and the plate mill roller is ready for them. Meanwhile record sheets giving the heat number, the number of the ingot and the weights of the slabs in the order in which they were piled come to the plate mill clerk. From these and the results of analysis of the steel he makes out the rolling orders for the plates to be manufactured. [Illustration: SLABS FROM WHICH PLATES ARE ROLLED ] You have heard how difficult it is to get solid ingots and how the top eighth (or sometimes more) of an ingot is usually “piped” and discarded. Now slabs from the balance of the ingot were piled on the car and have been charged in the plate mill furnace. Those from the upper part of the ingot (next to the discarded part) are used for the less exacting qualities of plate. Only the bottom half of the ingot, which of course is the solidest and best, goes into the higher grades of plate, such as “fire box,” the choicest grades of “flange” steel, etc. The third quarter goes into flange stock, “ship” and “tank” plate, the latter representing miscellaneous lower-priced plate which may be used for water tanks, steel flooring, etc. Steel known as “fire box” of course must be of very high grade. It is used for parts of locomotives, etc., which come in contact with and likely will suffer deterioration from flame, smoke, etc. The best “flange” goes into boiler plates and other products which have to stand considerable bending to shape. In making out his rolling orders the clerk sees that each numbered slab is ordered rolled only into a product for which it is well suited. He has to take into consideration the chemical composition, the probable strength and other physical properties which were definitely named in the specifications of the customer’s order. And, as the physical properties of such steel are mightily affected by temperature and speed of rolling and by rapidity of cooling, he must know mill practice and constantly keep in touch with the results which the physical testing laboratory is getting from bars sheared from such of his plates as have been “pulled” for customers or the inspectors who represent them. When hot, the slabs one by one and in regular order come to the rolls from the furnace. Following his rolling orders the roller and his helpers put each slab back and forth through the plate mill rolls, first drawing it out to a width a few inches greater than the plate to be sheared from it, and then turning it a quarter around, they draw it out in the rolls until it has come down to the proper thickness or “gauge.”