HENR V BESSEMER. x 9 9 



Here was a discovery of immense importance. If malleable 

 iron and steel could be thus made direct from pig-iron by a 

 process so rapid and simple, it could not fail before long to 

 effect an entire revolution in the iron trade. 



The news of Mr. Bessemer's discovery soon flew abroad, and 

 many distinguished metallurgists went to see the process. Among 

 others, Dr. Percy went, and thus describes what he saw : — 



"Towards the end of 1856, I had the pleasure of seeing the 

 process in operation at Baxter House, and I confess I never 

 witnessed any metallurgic process more startling and impres- 

 sive. After the blast was turned on, all proceeded quietly for a 

 time, when a volcano-like eruption of flame and sparks suddenly 

 occurred, and bright red-hot scoriae or cinders were forcibly 

 ejected, which would have inflicted serious injury on any 

 unhappy bystanders whom they might perchance have struck. 

 After a few minutes, all was again tranquil, and the molten, 

 malleable iron was tapped off." 



Though the doctor came away wondering, he was not con- 

 vinced. He analysed a portion of the iron which he had seen 

 produced; and when he found it to contain i per cent, of 

 phosphorus, he says his scepticism was rather confirmed than 

 otherwise. 



Among other visitors at Baxter House was George Rennie, 

 the engineer, who. after witnessing the process, urged Mr. 

 Bessemer to draw up an account of it for the meeting of the 

 British Association at Cheltenham in the autumn of 1856. To 

 this the inventor assented, and the result was his paper " On 

 the Manufacture of Iron and Steel without Fuel." 



On the morning of the day on which the paper was to be 

 read, Mr. Bessemer was sitting at breakfast in his hotel, when 

 an ironmaster (to whom he was unknown) said, laughing, to a 



