HENR Y BESSEMER. 1 9 7 



strength; but as they were of comparatively small bore, 24- 

 pounders, Mr, Bessemer resolved to make them on a larger 

 scale, for the purpose of more exclusively testing the strength 

 of the material. 



In the course of his experiments, the idea occurred to him 

 that if he could contrive to blow air through melted pig-iron, 

 he would be enabled to purify it to an unusual extent. He 

 thought that, by thus bringing oxygen into contact with the 

 fluid metal, the carbon with which it was surcharged would be 

 removed, as well as the silicon, phosphorous, and sulphur 

 which it contained. This is exactly what is done, after 

 another and very laborious method, in the process of puddling. 

 He proposed to reverse this process, and so get rid of puddling 

 altogether. Instead of bringing the particles of the iron in turn 

 into contact with the oxygen of the air, his scheme was to 

 force the air through the fluid mass into contact with the 

 separated particles of the iron. Now that the thing is done, 

 we see how simple, how natural the first idea was. But it 

 needs the quick intuition of genius to detect even simple things 

 in practical science. 



The only way of determining the matter was by putting the 

 idea to the test of experiment Accordingly, early in 1856, Mr. 

 Bessemer ordered a stock of Blaenavon iron, and set up a 

 blast-engine and cupola at Baxter House, St. Pancras, where he 

 then resided. 



The first apparatus which he used for conversion was a fixed 

 cylindrical vessel three feet in diameter and four feet high, 

 somewhat like an ordinary cupola furnace, lined with fire- 

 bricks; and at some two inches from the bottom he inserted 

 five twyer pipes, with orifices about three-eighths of an inch in 

 diameter. About half-way up was a hole for running in the 



