The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1871-02-10
DAILY PRESS.
FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 10 1877,

PORTLAND

ihe sher2ian Process of Making Steel,
To the Editor of the Press.
have great and almost uncopouerable
dislike to becoming the subject of newspaper
controversy, but IS many erroneous state
ments 10th in regard to myself and imy pro.
cess for purifying iron and manufacturing
steel OF the common and lower grades of iron
nave recently appeared in the American
press 1 feel it to be due to myself and all who
take any interest in my discovery in America,
~ make clean and truthful statement of the
iacIs Just as they occurred and now exist.
Inc Portland Daily Adcertiser appears to
nave condensed the most of these errors from
the 1ridane, Ecening Post and other naners
ihto one article and while I shall not make a
detailed reply to that article 1 will endeavor
to make such plain statement of facts in the
case, as will cover and correct all the errors
contained therein.
Inc article starts with the assertion that
my father and an uncle of mine, by the name
OF Atwood, for long time experimental with
chemlcals. that when my father died the se-
cret (my discovery was LETT to this uncle and
myself. My father was of very thoughtful
anu rejecting cast of mind and in our daily
conversation he sometimes spoke of the prac.
ticaoiity OF improving the low grades of iron
and thought it would some day be done; but
never, TO my knowledge, attempted such i'm
proyement by the application of chemicals or
In any other manner With him, as with
many other speculative minds, it was belief
but he made no attempt to make it a practi-
cal reality. He taught me much about the
nature, working and uses of iron and steel.
| and am probably indebted TO him for having
my attention directed to the subject of improy
ing iron,and hence the idea OF converting such
| improved iron into steel ;but he made no prog
ress towatds such discovery and left no secret
of the kind to Inc, my uncle Atwood or any
one else. l had the highest possible regard and
affection for my father, and his conduct to-
wards me was always of the most Affection
ate, confiding nature, and had be ever made
any valuable discovery 1 know should have
been the first to whom he would have com.
municated it.
AS for my Uncle Atwood, it does not appear
very reasonable that the papers would volun-
tarily, without his knowledge, set up a claim
for him. For my own protection, and for the
protection OF such as may be led astray by
such groundless claim, think it necessary
and proper that l should publicly, explicitly
and emphatcally declare once for all that L
have no business interest or connection what
ever with him, that he has not the slightest
knowledge whatever of, or interest in nv
| "process for purifying iron and making steel
of common iron." 1.-The has any method of
producing such results as produce from the
low grades of pig iron, let that method stand
upon its own merits, and not attempt to woke
my name and process with any scheme of his,
whether real or visionary.
Ihave spent something like eleven years of
anxious thought and experimental labor to
discover, work out and perfect my process for
purifying iron and making steel. I have toiled
and thought day and night until have reach.
ed discovery which believe the world will
yet acknowledge to be among the most inn.
portanS and useful of the discoveries of the
present century. This discovery have spent
some OF my best years in rendering practically
reliable in its effects and results, and therefore
useful and valuable. The discovery is mine |
and mine alone, and the merit, if it be mer- |
it, of making it practically useful in regular |
work is also mine and mine only, and no hon |
est man will make an attempt to alch from
or divide with me that to which he has no
particle of claim and which belongs entirely
to me.
After further erroneous statements, which
are not of sufficient Importance to notice
here the assertion is made that "pcrsevered
in my experiments in Bangor, and through
that means the attention of the British Leoa-
tion lat Washington was called to the sub
ject. Rev. B. F. Tefft then took an interest
with Mr.. Sherman, and together, about year
ago, they went to England by invitation of
the British Government &C., &c, that Mr..
Sherman bas taken out a patent in England
eff which he controls three-fourths and DR..
left one-fourth.'
Now all these statements are pure fiction
except the first, which rests on the merest
shadow Tor foundation. L made no experi-
ments at Bangor. There are no steel or iron
works IN Bangor where experiments can be
conducted. l made but one trial there in a
small extemporized crucible, merely to give
some friends an ocular demonstration that 1
had made valuable discovery and could do
what claimed to do by it. 1t is not at all
| probable that any member of the British Le-
| CATION at Washington ever heard OF this, to
me, unimportant trial. The British Legation
came to their knowledge through an entirely
| different channel. The facts l will state as
] briefly as clear understanding of them will
| permit. l made successful demonstrations
| at the works of Mathew and Moore in Phila-
| delphia, but more extensively at the steel
works of Anderson and Woods in Pittsburg
1t was at these works where [ first reduced
| my process to practical working order and
| made first class steel of common iron. Many
pieces of steel of different tempers made there
by my process were tested at the Washington
Navy Yard, by the late Admiral Dahlgren and
other U. s. officers, at the request of the Sec
| retary eff the Treasury.
| The report of these tests was published by
| the Government. 1t was this test at the
Washington Navy Yard OF steel made by nv
process that attracted the attention of the
British Legation. The naval attache to that
legation, Capt. the Hon. VIM. /. Ward watch
ell my demonstrations with care and intell-
gence, and reported the results to the British
Minister, Sir Edward Thornton. A COPY of
the report of the testing at the Navy Yard
with samples of steel made by my process,
was seEt to England in the spring OF 1869.
l had an invitation from Earl Clarendon con-
veyed to me through the British Legation at
Washington to go to England and demon
strate the value of my process on English
irons This invitation declined During
| the summer the invitation was renewed and
| again declined. In the following autumn
was agaiu urged by Capt. Ward to accept The
Invitation, see Sir Edward Thornton and
come to England. After much reflection, and
knowing this country to be by far the most
important field for the use of my process, and
not meeting with suitable encouragement to
remain at home, very reluctantly consented
to come to this country. had very pleasant
and satisfactory interviews on the subject of
my visit with Sir Edward Thornton, and be.
gan at once to make arrangements to leave.
During all this time I did not see Rev. Dr.
Tefft, or have any communication with him
directly or indirectly, nor had so far as can
recolect ever spoken with him, therefore he
of course was not included in the invtation.-
Being young man without European expe-.
rience, and without any knowledge of the
business customs of this and other European
countries felt that needed some one who
had such experience and knowledge to come