The Guthrie daily leader. [volume] (Guthrie, Okla.) 1893-1996, 1907-08-21
STEEL INDUSTRY'S
FOREMOST FIGURE
Industry and Application the
KeyuOte Of Success
fol Career

Bethlehem. Pa, Aug 2i- This Is
the eiehty-hfih birthday OF John Fritz,
his perfection Of grmor plate processes
his perfection Of armor plate processes
and one of the grand old men in the
iron and steel Industry A flood ot
congrat1lat0ry messages were receiY-
ed al his home IN this city. Among
the sendcrs were leading members OF
the engineering profession in America
industry and the central figures Of
ifnsiry and she central figures Of
fnance allied with the iron trade.
John Fritz Is tho Nestor Of the iron
trade in America. He began life as
blackamNb in tS3S, and In his long
career has been identified with almost
every lLpcrianf step IN the process OF
making iron and steel, which has re-
suited in an increase of the American
product OF a million tons IN 1888 TO
upwards Of $4,000 eco I'm 1906. The
crowning effort 81 his life was the
conception. the Goelening and erection
of the great forge and arm0r plate
plant Of the Bethlehem Steel company
Of which dc WAS the chief engineer
and superintendent from 1860 to 1893
AIr Frlig IS striking example Of
the typical American horn Of poor
parents. who were solid. substantial
aud God-fearing with only district
school education. gained in the mid.
die part Of Pennsylvania. he started
life with the stimulus and opportunity
that American citizenship gives, and
attained position In the steel indus
try that Is recognized by the whole
world He IS the only man now living
Of the small group that introduced
into the United States the Bessemer
steel process. A great economical
revolution WAS thereby effected from
which has flowed the tremendous de-
yelopment seen today in steel manu-
factare in the United States. The
leading men in the industry today are
the pupils of John Fritz.
In 1898 The British Iron and Steel
Institute gave Mr. Fritz the Bessemer
eold medal which Is about the highest
distinction steelmaker can receive
Ia 1909. On the eiphtieth birthday OF
Mr. Fgitz. the occasion was simallzed
by the founding of the John Fritz gold
medal Tor achievement in the indus
trial sciences. the medal bcing award.
ed annually hy a committee Of the
American Society Of Civil Engineers.
the American Society Of Mechanical
Engineers aud the American Institute
81 Electrical Engineers
Born on August 2l 1922. in Chester
county, this state Mr. Fritz, at the
age OF 16 left the farm to work in a
country machine shop with a view of
learning the trade Of machinist.
After various experiments in steel
making at NoTigtown and Safe Har-
hor Mr. Fritz. in 1854, went to Johns
town, where be remodeled an old mill
aud built what IS now known as the
Cambria Iron works. II was at this
period |-at IN connection with his
brother George, be designed and erect,
ed the waii 'sgvAa "three hish bloom
ers, with thNir automatic tables and
the three high mill' These inven-
tions started an economical reyoln-
tion iu steel manufacture
In the early days of the Bethlehem
Iron works the newly discovered pro-
cess Of making steel by blowing air
through melted cast iron reachei
America, and outside Of the few per
sons engaged la bhe experimental
plant at Troy a. r. there was none
more Interested in the study Of the
process than Mr. Fritz His expert.
ments were conducted TO a most sue
cesslul issue
Mr friiz played an Important part
, in the unhunding of the iron and steel
Industry in eastern Pennsylvania only
20 see the center of steel production
shift 10 the westward, under the mag
netic attraction Of The ore supply Bur
he IS OF fhe oninion that this tendency
IS MOI 20 be continued unlnterupiedly
He says that some day the east s.
agaia 10 become a great iron and stee