The Green Forest tribune., 1911-03-31
Yankee Surprised Bessemer

the steel trade he came to know in timately the inventor of the Bessemer process of steel making.
 About twenty-five years after Sir Henry Bessemer had invented his process of converting iron into steel, I was a guest at his home some dis tance from the city of Birmingham" said MT. Hewitt not long before his death, which occurred in 1903, when he was eighty-one years of age. Some time previous to calling on Sir Henry 1 had made the statement that in twenty-five or thirty years the United States would be supreme among all the nations of the world in the pro- duction of iron and steel-a prophecy that has come true, as you know. Sir Henry had heard of my forecast, and was inclined to doubt its accuracy But he was eager to talk the matter over with me, and almost as soon as I had reached his home he took me for chat over my statement into his library, a beautiful room that con- tained one of the choicest collection of the classics I have ever seen, as well as complete library telling of throughout the world.
 There, while Sir Henry listened at- tentively, l told him why I believed my country would eventually lead, and be Independent of, the entire world in the production of iron and steel. I quoted the statistics I had at hand in support of my contention, and. finally, added: And, Sir Henry, you will be responsible for the pres tige which we shall obtain, for had 1t not been for your discovery of the process by which perfect steel can be made cheaply we should not now be able to compete with you in the man. ufacture of steel and would probably have to import all our steel
 Sir Henry smiled indulgently; 1t was plain that had not succeeded in convincing him.
 Well, I said, perhaps I can con- vince you on another matter that has been interesting me greatly of late. But first tell me, off-hand, if you can, about how many millions of pounds your invention has brought to you per sonally. I do not ask the question out of idle curiosity
 For perhaps five minutes Sir Hen- ry was absorbed in mental calcula- tion. Then he said: MT. Hewitt, should say, off-hand, that my process of steel manufacturing has brought me about four million pounds
 That Is twenty million dollars in American money I replied. Then I took a pencil and paper and began to do some figuring, based on my knowl. edge of the statistics of steel produc- tion and of commerce and manufac- ture. I made rapid computation and handed the paper to Sir Henry.
 "'You will see by my figures, ex- plained, that your invention, within a quarter of century, has increased the material wealth of the world by an amount practically equivalent to the cash capital of the commercial na- tions of the world as that was hun dred years ago, or at the time of the close of our Revolutionary war
 For a long time Sir Henry looked blankly at the figures. You amaze me- he said, at last. T know that you are familiar with the statistics | you have employed to arrive at this result Yet it doesn't seem credible
 Nevertheless, the story those fig 4 ures tell is the truth I answered. And of the increased wealth of the world-hundreds of millions in all resulting from your great invention, you have received only twenty mil lion dollars. Surely, you have divided your great wealth with all the na- tions.'"
 | Copyright 1910, by E. J. Edwards. All Rights Reserved)