The sun., 1895-04-28
BEssEMER AND HIS PROCESS.
John BuiTs Mennness In Dealing with One
OF Hts Foremost Inventors.

| from the Boston Commercial BuHenn-
| The inventor of the celebrated "Bessemer
| process" is the most modest OF men, stunning
rather than courting observation. A few years
since ho was sometimes to be seen taking con-
| stitutional" in the neghborhood of his unpre-
| tentious abode at Denmark Hill. In England,
| but the venerable gentleman with the benevo-
lent face, in the old-fashioned frock coat and
| voluminous, many folded choker neck cloth, Ia
| now rarely seen even by his immediate neigh
| bors.
The British public, the British Government,
and British manufacturers did their very best
at one time to crush one Of the most useful men
eyer born in Britain, and failed ignominiously.
Shefiield laughed at him, and Woolwich gave
Woolwlch would be crippled indeed at the pres
ent time were " not for Bessemer steel" Yet
even eS nov although foreign potentat&es & have have
ehowered crosses and stars upon him. the Eng
lsh Government has not con ferred upon him
any honor more important than an ordinary
kniEhthood, and this in spite of tho fact that ne
has has created one OF the largest and most impor-
tant industries In the world. 49,,
Henry himself. prove that one years prodpc-
tion OF Bessemer steel might be represented by
height Of St. Paul's Gathedral, and as thick
| through as an ordinary Rasometsr-ebout 100
Henry Bessemer. son Of the late Mr.. Anthony
Bessemer, was born In Hertfordshire in the year
1873. His earlier years were devoted to art.
Royal Academy at the age OF 20. At this early
age he had discovered u means by which i'm.
other reiief, could @ be- rerroduced % in any num-
6ers on cardboard. Some OF his work In this
into the market they bring high prices
This LED him Indirectly 70 mo more important
Of the time was robbed to the t tune Of sioo, 900
per gnnSm BY 9nscrupIous persons who te TSre
useful little contrivance by which the stamp is
Il tS
the Stamp Department at Somerset House.
of this system at a glance glance and soon afterward
the authorities expressed their willingness to
w THIS pretty Mbsn his
whom he was then % engaged. Her frst Comment
come the wife of an inventor. She said:
Yes. understand this; but surely. II al
detection"
This proved a very valuable, suggestion, for
with a space for movable date. and In that
form his Invention Mt WAS adopted by the authori;
solitary farthinR from the Government for his
services or the use of his inventionp
hnted mildly at legal remedies he was told by
the solicitor to the stamp Department that he
he had ,s presented his Invention to the Govern
ment gratis! This was at time. too. when he
Ssa y. means io Ts S %nsn mUnsy to
set up housekeeping, with the, clever
young lady whose brilliant suggestion, had
He received many generous promises from
various Ministers. of course: but one Govern
this day he has never ib been Com Compensated in m any
4 man Of vast wealth now. Sir Henry Bes.
period Of his life with comparative indifference
n Ea N mi n tn
and politicians. But his disappointment in this
Instance taught him a. very salutary lesson.
that by which it is possible to convert pig iron
into steel by a simple and Inexpensive process
it is a secret to this day The Importance Of the
discovery can hardly be overestimated.
and
Its price prohibited its use in numberless de-
part partments Of industry where IT. is now consd, SD
a year. In 1892 33546 tons Of steel were
to the Bessemer process the selling price per
ton ayeraging fs perhaps
iron in all departments where toughness and
durability are considerations. In the building
ers for % buildnes' Of T iocomoti1es, co rails, 81 steam
It IS W ehey due es1 Sir qGM HsnrS
that one Is almost as safe on modern ocean
steamship as on land. and that the modern
structure of steel Is nearly as imperishabe as
such a discovery, it might be supposed. would
be hailed with enthusiasm by those interested
it. Bessemer met with every possible discour-
agement. The steel manufacturers Of Sheffield
hin from the FIRST and the
department, so it is not surprising to learn that
the British Admiralty could only be induced to
adopt the Bessemer steel in the building of war
ships when it had been in use in building mer-
the London and Northwest Railway utterly de-
clined TO have anything TO do with Bessemer
ment Bessemer did receive. however. from the
late NJ Platt, NJ. p. head of the famous Old
ham firm, who gave him ESQ 900 for fl tth share
-, on the Continent too his merits were imme-
diately recognized. Krupr. tho great. gun man
on his patents: The Emperor Napoleon evinced
the keenest interest in his invention, and would
of the Legion Of Honor If it had not been ex-
planned to him that British subjects were not al
ernments except by special permission. Tho
EmpsrSr Of Austria conferred upon him
e hs
wien he was in London, drove out to Denmark
Hill to call upon MIN.
upon him in 1879. In, 1850 he was presented
Of city Il Gondon OF Ss
valuable discoveries, which have So largely BEN
s isS of whsh s We ed
known throughout the world"
Americans have done their best to show their
respect for this great man. In Indiana there is
u tiourshing young town called after him.
When the Gold Albert Medal of the Society OF
Arts was presented to him at Marlborough
House by the Princeof Wales himself, Besse-
mer humorously confessed that, though he
priced such distinctions, he was no less pleased
with tho el,O57,74S which he made by his
patents.
Bessemer recently recovered from n severe ILL
ness, and Is at present, in his SD year, bueily
engaged In answering the great mass Of corre
spondence which accumulated during his ILL
ness, Doubtless 4 large proportion Of this cor
pns of liz mons ot oegsg lettefs M M he's
though he does not like 1t to be known. and
many large penefaction from him finds Its
way anonymously into the Golfers Of the hos
pitfalls and orphaDages OF London.
IT Is characteristic OF the man that he should
take particular pleasure in his invention Of a
machine for the manu- facture of nails, forthe SIM
pie reason that his invention relieves hundreds
Of young girls In what is known in England as
the Black Country" and Wolyerhampton of
ths @ degrading toll Of forging nails by hand, In
filthy. reeking dens these poor young things
passed their lives in "unwomanly rags" en-
gagged in unwomanly toll But Bessemer has al