186 HENRY DEACON 



round the muffle, as to prevent the escape of 

 gas from the muffle into the flues. 



In the year 1867, Weldon was at work ; his 

 labours at Messrs. J. C. Gamble and Sons 

 works, at Gerard's Bridge, St. Helens, were 

 attracting general notice, and manufacturers 

 were beginning to realise the probability that 

 the plan of Gossage, on which success was 

 denied him thirty years before, was now 

 about to be carried out. But Deacon was 

 never content to be a mere imitator ; to follow 

 in the wake of other men was distasteful to 

 him, he strove to originate and to lead. To 

 work out his designs he was fortunate at this 

 time in engaging the services of a young 

 chemist, Dr. Ferdinand Hurter. He was a 

 man whose capacity and training Deacon 

 knew how to appreciate, and from the date of 

 the earliest experiments which he entrusted 

 him to make, he had one who could execute 

 his designs, and intelligently carry out his 

 instructions. 



Masters are sometimes accused of growing 

 rich and famous on the inventions of their 

 servants ; there was no suspicion of this in the 

 initiation or working out of the " Deacon 

 chlorine process ;" no one will more readily 

 acknowledge than those who co-operated with 



