The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1894-05-16
THE AGE OF STEEL.
Bessemer's Discovery and Obstacles In the
Way of Its Perfection.

Way of Its Perfection.
The man who inaugurated the reign
of steel by so vastly increasing its uses,
and invented a method of manufacture
which makes the product even lower In
cost than the kind of metal il was des-
tined so largely to replace, ranks
among the worlds greatest inventors
though, like other remarkable creative
minds, he did not reach his goal unaid-
ed by the skill and genius of co-labor-
era The pneumatic process OF making
steel, by which Sir Henry Bessemer
added more to the wealth of the world
than any man of his generation, fur
nshes curious example of what Tyn-
dali called the scientific use OF the i'm
Rgination. Bessemer, like Siemens
and Thomas, who share with him the
honors of modern iron metallurgy. was
not a practical worker in the metals,
but, unlike them, he was absolutely
ignorant Of augbt beyond superficial
chemical knowledge. When be grasped
the conception of burning out the in-
purities of pig metal by the oKidizng
power Of air, and thus reducing the ex-
cessively carburized material TO the
mallea BILE state, he knew nothing OF
ahe traditions and science Of the prob
lem he was daring enough TO attack
Had he been an adept, it is more than
probab ole that he would have been 50
Imprisoned by the past as never 20
have reached out so daringly into the
unknown He began bis experiments
secretly in small way. after having
visited numerous iron works 20 make
himself acquainted with existing pro-
cesses II was not until the end OF
eighteen months that the fundamental
principle of his great future success
became perfectly clear 20 hin-that Of
rendering cast~iron mzlleab bic by
powerful air-blast blown throughout
the charge. and not merely on the TOP.
as in the old fnery and the pudding
furnace.
The hea. Developed was SO great ~
20 keep even wrought iron fused. and
the happy inventor found b. and by
that he had succeeded IN making iron
"a small quar- tities- IL cannot be re-
lated here how he fought through the
early difficulties Of rs work. and how
the iron masters Of the age were alike
eStouished and delighted a. his pri-
rnary results The shock 20 the IT,
ventor YVES scarcely less great when he
discovered that in making iron In large
quantities his process. did not answer
all has aaticipations Es earlier sne-
ccsses had been with pig IRON su1@lt~i
from highgraas ores. comparatively
free from sulphur OF phosDhoruA 1ss
sttemp: 20 work the process eonassr-
clally involved tae nse 81 The common
pig, waIeh made up tae balk q ths
snelting material The intense he2t
OF the Furnaces burned oGt tss cz<eoEs
sz6 the silicon. ba; left tee phosphorus
aad ssl,hzr ua.sEehsA Ihss nAaas
hav. been renesied By using pure psSs
containing bz. traces .. these sss-
n.ests: bat . grawer essss: attended
-. process Il nAny 81 &c op~rssasns
tie snzs. had 10 esnsAateseJs -
ersra sled usAsr sas hammer CO - tbs
roliN IN the language ct ,Es saspt %
WA rottenL Tie prooesa wAsca- with
ia q Izcnth Of Iis frxs ~ Bile announce
reE. ~ the CssltsaAasa rzestaCy -
.a- E-stlzA a&socs4tso1 II issk. had
b-o-xEt 20 rs eiso1seT.y ;As szz2n os
tsxsn.T-seEen ioo7&saa D0z.nss sssr.s-S
IL s6xzues license fsss. vss asv sAs>
S-ussA By s<.szt-sts sA4 0aQpA 80
-. ,.s.ess2skssEs