James Dredge

“ The first locomotive steel boilers were used on the London and North-Western Railway in 1863. In that year stationary boilers of the same material were made, and ships' plates were rolled on a large scale. The first Bessemer steel rails were made much earlier than this. In 1861 Crewe station was laid with such rails rolled at Crewe from ingots cast at Sheffield. The next year another rail was laid outside the Camden goods station, and the experience gained from these experiments revolutionised railway practice and rendered possible the heavy loads and high speeds of to-day. ”

“ During the thirty years 1869-1899 the manufacture increased so rapidly that in the latter year the capacity for production had grown to about 10,000,000 tons. The manufacture of Bessemer steel in the United States has for many years exceeded that of any other country, and at the present time it is probably equal to that of the rest of the world collectively. With growing production prices fell, until steel rails could be purchased for less than 5l. ”

“ Greatly disappointed at the result of this, his first great invention, Bessemer turned to another direction in order to make a livelihood. He purchased plumbago waste at 2s. 6d. a pound, which, after cleaning and lixiviation, he compressed into blocks under hydraulic pressure, and cut into slips for making pencils; as the plumbago in this shape found a market at 4l. 10s. a pound, the industry was a profitable one. After a time he disposed of the secret of manufacture for 200l. ”

“ Considering the great services he rendered to the whole world, the recognitions he received were richly deserved. The legion of honour offered to him by the French emperor in 1856 he was not allowed to accept. ”

“ The converter held ten hundredweight of molten metal, and an air blast of fifteen pounds' pressure to the square inch was used. This was admitted through the tuyeres into the charge for about ten minutes, when a violent explosion of sparks and flame and melted slag occurred, lasting some minutes. As soon as this had subsided the charge was tapped from the converter, and the metal was found to be wholly decarbonised malleable iron. After many experiments the fixed converter was replaced by one mounted on trunnions ”