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TJte Country GentlemarC s Magazine 



western traffic must be diverted from it to 

 the south and east by the side lines running 

 out from the Northern Pacific Railway at 

 Brainerd and Glyndon, its future progress 

 must be but small ; but when I learned that 

 the charter of the Northern Pacific requires 

 that line to be extended loo miles further 

 east in order to reach Sault St Marie, where 

 the traffic will at once \yt connected with the 



Canadian railways, and the most direct route 

 be opened up from the Pacific to the Atlantic 

 via Quebec, the difficulty was dispelled ; and 

 there seems no good reason why the expected 

 future greatness of Duluth should not be 

 realized. Minnesota is destined to be the 

 principal wheat-growing province of the 

 North-west, and Duluth must be its shipping 

 port. 



RAN SOMES ARTIFICIAL STONE. 



THERE are few inventors whose lives 

 and pursuits present as much that is 

 fitted to excite interest in others as those of 

 Mr Frederick Ransome, the successful inven- 

 tor of artificial stone. For the long period of 

 nearly thirty years he has been engaged in 

 his earnest career as an inventor, and his life 

 during that time has supplied abundant 

 materials for a most interesting chapter in 

 the " History of Inventions ; " it has been a 

 record of successful struggle with difficulties 

 — of progress, step by step, to triumphs that 

 cannot have been dreamt of, even by himself, 

 at the outset of his career ; such a record as 

 applies to the lives of few indeed, of even 

 the most eminent inventors. 



Mr Frederick Ransome, it may be known, 

 is a member of the well-known Ipswich 

 family, and was in early life connected with 

 the Orwell Works firm of Ransome and Sims. 

 It was while there, and noticing a workman 

 engaged on the comparatively commonplace 

 operation of dressing a millstone, that he 

 became inspired with an idea that has been 

 the germ of the persevering study and toil 

 that have culminated in the production of 

 stone, moulded to any form, that is a perfect 

 imitation, both in appearance and substance, 

 to the blocks taken from our best quarries. 



At the commencement, Mr Ransome had 

 his stone works at Ipswich. For ten or a 

 dozen years his progress was slow and dis- 

 couraging, but his perseverance was indomit- 

 able. Chemistry had not been before time 



a speciality with Mr Ransome, but he found 

 that a knowledge of this science was in- 

 dispensable to his success, and he accord- 

 ingly studied it, and is now, we believe, an 

 accomplished master of the mineralogical 

 branch of the science. He was then 

 enabled to alter his combinations and pro- 

 gress from time to time as increasing know- 

 ledge and experience dictated, till at last the 

 excellent qualities of his productions were 

 recognized by the most eminent scientific 

 men, and the demand for his artificial stone 

 became so much extended, that his inven- 

 tions were taken up by a company, exten- 

 sive works were erected at East Greenwich, 

 to which the business was transferred, Mr 

 Ransome continuing with the company, as 

 was essential to its success as managing 

 director. 



Having had the pleasure of accompanying 

 the Society of Engineers in a recent visit to 

 the works, we are enabled to give a brief 

 description of the premises and process of 

 manufacture. 



The party, about 50 in number, consisted 

 exclusively of practical scientific men,, 

 well able to appreciate alike the process and 

 results submitted for their inspection. Mr 

 Ransome, attended by the manager of the 

 works, Mr A. Pye Smith, personally con- 

 ducted his visitors over the works, supplying 

 explicit explanations as to processes and 

 products. 



Concerning the building in which the 



