Manchester Democrat. [volume] (Manchester, Iowa) 1875-1930, 1901-09-04

carbon to 90 parts of cast iron con-
verts the mass into steel fit for the
of the best cutlery, and
1t is worth about $500 ton made up.,
1t is not like the steel that is used for
bridges and ships, Which cannot be
made to take an edge suitable for cut
ting. Yet there is not, much difference
The steel from which ships, rails, ETC.,
are made costs only from $50 to $50 q
ton, yet it has only little less carbon,
from one-fifth to one-tenth of that in
cutlery steel.
Without the small bit of carbon, iros
would be nearly as useless as gold as
an element Of construction, for cast
iron also contains 1t. only in different
proportions from steel.
There are many steels besides those
in which carbon is the principal agent,
including manganese steel, chrome
steel, Harveyized steel, nickel, Krupped,
etc. But these are manufactured for
special functions only, and nearly all
the steel made in the world to which
civilization owes so much is insignia.
cant in itself, turning up in various
aliases. In the uninyitlng form of SCOT
and coke, in the flashing diamond, in
charcoal, in the black lead pencil, III
plumbago, 1t is the same essential ele.
ment. We do not know in what way
SO slight trace of this element works
so tremendous change in common
iron, transforming 1t into most aristo.
cratic steel. 1t is believed that iron
holds carbon in solution, as sea water
holds Its salts.
Revolution of 1858.
1t was not until 1856 that the age of
steel began to dawn. But it dawncd
slowly, and the world was reluctant
to welcome it. III the year mentioned,
"Bessemer read paper before the
British Association ut Cheltcnham,
which, though the most important
technical contribution of the nineteenth,
century, provoked only merriment
among the members. On the morning
of that day Mr.. Bessemer, when at
breakfast at his hotel, overheard an
ironmaster, to whom he was unknown,
say laughingly to n friend: DO you
know that there is somebody come
down from London to read us a paper
oil making steel from cast iron without
fuel? Did you ever hear of such non
sense? To these irOnmasters the thing
was huge joke. 1t is useless to search
for that paper in the report of the year
1t was not deemed worth printing.
And yet says an English writer, Sin
the year 1890, by that outrageously
nonsenslcal process of Bessemer's, this
country made over 100000 tons of
steel, while the United States produced
trlfe of 0,5O0,OOO tons-made from
over 100000 tons of cast-iron with
out fuel" Continuing, the same writer
says:
''In 1866, ten years after his inven-
ton, Bessemer and his partners, for he
was not a wealthy man at that period.
were receiving royalties in Britain to
the amount of S1,00O,000 per annum.
Enormous profits We're also made in
those years by the steel manufacturers
who secured the right to manufacture
under royalties. They obtained from
5000 to $3.50 a ton for steel, which cost
them only abont $50 ton to produce.
Trade rolled In In huge volumes, until
in 1872, when the first fourteen years
partnership into which Bessemer had
entered expired, 1t was found that his
firm-Henry Bessemer g. Co.-had di.
yided In profits fifty-seven times the
capital invested in the business, or 100
per cent for every two months for
twelve years, while the works, which
had been largely extended out of rev.
enue, were sold for twenty.four times