Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1898-04-06
SHERMAN STEEL.
RISE AND FALL OF A BUCKS
PORT INDUSTRY.
PALMY DAYS OF PRoUTYvILLE "A
REVOLUTION IN STEEL MAX
ING THREATENED.
From the Bangor Commercial.

A Bucksport gentleman, in Bangor re-
Gently, ran across Tom Sherman, an old
Bucksport boy and had a pleasant chat
with him. Tom Sherman is one of the
famous Sherman family who twenty
years ago revolutionzed things in Bucks
port by building the big steel manufac.
turing plant on Indian Point and creating
a stir throughout the manufacturing
world by producing steel by new pro-
cess. Their reputation extended to Eu-
rope and beyond.
Thomas sherman, who was indirectly
connected with his brothers enterprise,
was private secretary to James &. Blaine
during that great statesmans most trying
political career and later consul at
Liverpool. He is now the chief represent
tative Of Frank Munsey, another son of
Maine, no has made a name for himself
in the publishing world, and who started
out from the little town of Lisbon Falls.
Mr.. Sherman is making tour of Maine
in the interest of the various magazine en-
terprses of Mr. Munsey, and spent two
days in Bangor and vicinity.
To the younger generation the Sherman
steel plant is only thing of memory,
but to the older citizens it recalls the time
when Bucksport dreamed of taking her
place as great manufacturing centre, and
the first year or two of the operations of the
Sherman plant gave good grounds for that
belief.
The father of the Sherman boys. as they
We're called, was village blacksmith
whose shop was near Smelt Brook woods.
Ii has long since disappeared. The two
most prominent of the Sherman boys were
Edward and Thomas They did not take
kindly to the anvil or forge, and went to
Washington, where they held department
positions for number OF years.
One day Edward Sherman appeared here
and told story which at once enlisted
the interest of number of the wealthy
and enterprising citizens and as he backed
II up with ocular proof it soon became the
talk of the place.
1t was in effect that a sprituaist in
Washington had revealed to him a new
process for making steel, and at that time
steel rails sold for $50 and over per ton.
1t was after the close of the war, and pros
perity was once more spreading through
the land. 9titied industries were reviving
and the call fer steel was the crying need
Of tn" day and times. Money was plenty,
there were good crops, and it did not take
long for HE moneyed men OF the country
to look for a chance to invest in What APP
peared to be the biggest scheme of the
day. In earnest of his plan Edward Shcr-
man produced steel by his new process be-
fore committee of Interested men, and
they were satisfied that great discovery
had been made.
No one hut the inventor knew exactly
just how the steel was produced, but
that hc did actually produce the metal as
he promised no one denied. Bessemer
was at this time making experiments with
steel in England and the manufacturing
world was Waiting for perfect process.
All that the outsiders knew of the process
was that iron Was chopped into a crucble
which Vas placed in a charcoal furnace and
at a certain heat Sherman placed in it a
spoonful or two of an unknown white
powder and that at the expiration of a
certain period Of heating a mixture
was produced which was the best steel
then to he found on the market,
\ company was soon organized and
about $50 eco capital was raised to manu-
facturc the steel Indian Point was pur-
chased, and two immense mills, now used
as taunery, were bought from the Spot
ford estate. They We're great rectangular
buildings, built at right angles, with a
huge smoke stack in the centre. Opera
tons were begun at once and over one
hundred and fifty men and at times more
were employed to run the mills day and
night.
The local interest was at that time great,
and the news of the discovery of the new
process soon spread across the water and
letters poured into the concern by the
bushel Maine became greatly interested
in the enterprise of her ingenious son,
and Sherman steel became a by-word in
trade circles. 1t was sold everywhere and
the orders poured in so fast that the fac
tory was unable to supply the demand.
The great expansion of railroads and the
substitution of steel for iron rails in the
country made the Sherman plant famous.
The steel was used to satisfaction for rails,
but for tempered TOOLS IL ola not give such
good satisfaction.
The discoverer Of the process saw mill
lions in it and + lilt him a costly residence
which is nov occupied by Hon. Parker
Spofford. The stockholders, too, were in
great hopes of the future of the plant, and
Bucksport enjoyed nearly three years of
great prosperity and notoriety.
p,,t hon he bnnm
suddenly burst. The Sherman brand of
steel did not stand the tests which time
wrought, and business suddenly slackened.
Edward Sherman moved away. and with
him went the business which suspended
as suddenly as it had started.
Sherman next appeared in Europe, and
bought a big estate twenty miles out of
London, where he esta blished himself in
LII g.