The Lambertville record. [volume] (Lambertville, N.J.) 1872-1968, 1895-06-05
NOT APPRECIATED.
.oHN BULLS MeANNess TOWARD A
FOREMOST INVENTOR.


ess'-Tho Great Change Wrought by the
IDventiOn-Dessemcr's Safety Stamp.
The inventor of tho celebrated ''Bes-
semer process" is the most modest of
men, stunning rather than counting OBJ
A few years since no was
sometimes to be seen taking q "consti-
tutionar' in tho neighborhood of his I'M
pretentious abode at Denmark Hill, In
England, but tho venerable gentleman
with tho benevolent face, In the old
fashioned frock coat and voluminous,
many folded choker neckoloth, is now
rarely seen even by his immediate neigh
bora
Tho British public. the British gov
eminent and British manufacturers did
their very best at one time to crush one.
of the most useful mon ever born In
Britain, md failed ignominiously. Shelf
field laughed at him, and Woolwich gave
him the official cold shoulder, but Shelf
field and Woolwich would be crippled
indeed at tho present time were 1t not
for "Bessemer steel" Yet. oven now,
although foreign potentates have show
cred crosses and stars upon him, the
English government has not conferred
upon him any honor more important
than an ordinary lmighthood, and this
in spite of tho fact that no has created
ono Of tho largest and most important
industries In tho world,
Some fascinating calculations, made
by Sir Henry himself. prove that one
years production OF Bessemcr steel
might be represented by solid column
1917 times the height of St. Paul's Ca
thedral, and as thick through as nm or
binary gasometer---about 100 feet,
Henry Bessemer, son Of tho lato Mr..
Anthony Bessemor, was born In Hert-.
fordshire in tho year 1919. His earlier
years were devoted TO art, and wo find
that no was an exhibitor OF the Royal
academy at tho age Of 30. At this early
ago no had discovered means by which
impressions Of tho designs on coins,
medals and other reliefs could be repro
duced In any numbers on cardboard.
Some Of his work In this limo is still ex-
tant, and when specimens come into tho
market they bring high prices.
This led him Indirectly TO moro
important invention. He discovered that
the government Of tho time was robbed
to tho tune of G100, 900 per annum by
INSCRIPTIONS persons, who were In the
habit of removing tho embossed duty
stamps on legal and other documents
and using tho Same again. Young Bes-
semer invented tho useful little contriv-
ance by which tho stamp Is embossed ON
tho paper or parchment of tho document
itself, and submitted IL TO the then chief
of tho stamp department. OF Somerset
House.
Tho potentate In question saw the I'D
vantage Of this system at q glance, and
soon afterward the authorities expressed
their willingness to mako use Of It. A
pretty little story is connected with this
invention. When his model was COM
pleted, Bessemer showed 1t TO the yonng
lady to whom he was then engaged Her
first comment upon 1t showed that she
was well fitted to become tho wife Of an
inventor She said
Eyes, understand this, but surely, IL
all stamps had date put upon them.
they could not ct future time be used
again without detection.
This proved very valuable Hugges-
ton, for Bessemer soon hit upon the idea
Of O steel die with space for n movable
date, and In that form his invention was
adopted by tho authorities win it DO
credited that ne never received solitary
farthing from tho government for bis
services or tho use Of his invention?
Such Ia nevertheless tho fact, and
when he limited mildly at legal remedies
he was told by tho solicitor to the stamp
department that he was entitled to no
compensation, inasmuch as no had pre-
scented his invention TO tho government
gratisl This was ut a time, too. when
he was by no means we'll off. whom I'm
deed he lacked the necessary money to
SGT up housekeeping with tho clover
young lady whose brilliant suggestion
had resulted In perfect stamping ma
chine received many generous prom
Uses from various ministers, Of course,
but one government went out of power
after another, and to this day he has
never been compensated In any shape or
form.
A man of vast wealth now, Sir Henry
Bessemer can afford to regard tho trou-
bles Of that period of his lifo with com
parativo Indifference, though no has
since had moro ample reason to cherish
n dislike for all British governmentsI
and politicians. But his disappointment
in this instance taught him a very salu-
tary lesson. When no made tho great
discovery Of his life-that by which 1t
Is possible TO convert pig iron into steel
by simple and inexpensive process
no kept his discovery secret. To some
extent 1t IL n secret TO this day. The
importance of the discovery can hardly
be overestimated.
Before tho Bessemer process came
into use steel could not be bought under
ESQ ton, and its price prohibited its
use In numberless departments Of indus
try where it is now considered essential
At that time, too, only $1,000 tons OF
cast steel wero produced In Sheffield in
q year. In 1892, 38, $40 tons of steel
were manufactured in the world every
day according to the Bessemer process,
tho selling price per ton averaging GS
perhaps. 1t is chiefly duo to Sir Henry
Bcsscmer that ono is almost as safe ON O
modern ocean steamship rs on land, and
that the modern structure of steel 10
nearly as imperishable as the Pyramids.
Such discovery, it might be sup
,,oead yunnId ha hailed with enthusiasm
by those Interested In the iron trade OF
Groat Britain. Not bit Of 1t. Bcs-
semer met with every possible discour-
agement. Tho steel manufacturers Of
Sheffield were dead against him from
tho first. and the government ignored
him. Boston Commercial Bulletin.