Manchester Memoirs, Vol. Ivii. (191 3), Xo. 17. 29 



of these rails soon demonstrated their relative cheapness. 

 In 1862 Bessemer and Longsdon, in order to increase 

 their available capital, decided to sell a portion of their 

 patent rights. This they did to a syndicate of fifteen 

 members, among whom were John Piatt, of Oldham, and 

 the Galloways of Manchester. For a sum of ;^50,000 

 the syndicate bought one-fourth share in the Bessemer 

 process patents for the period of 1862- 1884. This pur- 

 chase proved enormously profitable to the syndicate. 

 There is no doubt that the possession of this capital, and 

 the strong supporting influence of the syndicate, greatly 

 strengthened Bessemer's hands in his bold and decisive 

 handling of his affairs with the Ebbw Vale Company two 

 years later, to which I have already referred. In 1862 a 

 Bessemer steel rail was put down at Camden by Mr. 

 Ramsbottom, and it wore out seven iron rails, that is 

 fourteen surfaces, before it was turned. In this same year 

 the first Bessemer steel tube-plates were supplied to the 

 Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway Company, and in the 

 following year Bessemer steel was used for locomotive 

 boilers on the London and North-Western Railway by 

 Mr. Ramsbottom and Mr. Webb. The first boiler of this 

 kind was kept in service until 1879. I" that same year 

 (1863) the same steel was extensively used for Lancashire 

 boilers by Mr. Daniel Adamson, and it was also first used 

 in shipbuilding. 



A very important exhibit of Bessemer steel was made 

 at the great International Exhibition in 1862. Among 

 the articles shown were gun-forgings and projectiles, 

 hydraulic C)linders, forged shafts, railway axles, engine 

 and carriage tyres, bars and rods of all sizes, steel wire 

 ropes, etc. It was this exhibit that directly led to the 

 syndicate's purchase of an interest in the patents as above 

 related. Large quantities of Bessemer steel rails were laid 



