172 HENRY DEACON 



with the Le Blanc, he would withdraw. 1 

 Deacon was compelled to yield, although 

 fully assured that perfect success would have 

 resulted from a little more perseverance ; and 

 so the plant on which some thousands of 

 pounds had been spent, and on which he had 

 bestowed such thought and pains, had to be 

 abandoned and demolished ; and sulphuric 

 acid chambers, with saltcake pots and con- 

 densers, black-ash furnaces, lixiviating tanks, 

 and vat waste had to be endured, whilst the 

 beautiful and most profitable ammonia pro- 

 cess was a treasure to be hidden for ten years 

 longer, reserved for Solvay and for Brunner 

 and Mond. 



From 1854, Deacon's career and work can 

 be best seen and followed by an examination 

 of his patents. There is a remarkable 

 sequence and development in all his inven- 

 tions ; they are not spread over a great 

 variety of subjects they are concentrated 

 around the most important points of alkali 

 manufacture. They are not mere amend- 



1. I find that I was mistaken, in my former edition, in my remarks on Mr. 

 Gaskell's decision regarding the ammonia soda process. The Le Blanc process 

 at that time was very profitable, and any further expenditure on the ammonia 

 soda process would have meant the neglect of a certainty for a possibility. Mr. 

 Gaskell's experience and judgment had taught him how easy it is to under-rate 

 difficulties and under-estimate expenditure. I have no doubt that Mr. Gaskell 

 came to the only decision possible under the circumstances. J. F. A. 



