Not Appreciated

The inventor of the celebrated "Bessemer process" is the most modest of men, slranning rather than courting observation. A few years since he was soinetinies to be seen taking a "constitntioual" in the neighborhood of his unpretentious abode at Denmark Hill, in England, but the venerable gentleman witli the benevnlent face, in the old fashicuccl frock coat and voluminons, many folded choker neckcloth, is now rarely seen even by his immediate neighbors. The British public, the British government. and British manufactnrers did their very best at one time to crush one of the most useful men ever born in Britain, and failed ignominiously. Sheffield laughed at him, and Woolwich gave him the official cold shoulder, but neld and VV oolwich would be crippled indeed at the present time were it uot for "Bessemer steel." Yet, even now, althongh foreign poten tates have showered crosses and stars upon him, the English government has not conferred apon him auy honor more important than aa ordinary knighthood, and thft in spito of the fact that he has created one of the largest and most important industries in the world. Soi:io fascinatiag calculations, made by bir Henry himself, prove that one year's production of Bessemer steel ruight be represented by a, solid column 16á times the height of St. Paui's cathedral, and as thick throngh as an ordinaiy gasometer - abont 100 f eet. Henry Bessemer, son of the late Mr. Anthony Bessemer, was born in Hert fordshire in the year 1813. His earlier years were devoted to art, aud we flnd that he was an exhibitor at the Royal academy at the age of 20. At this early age he had discovered ameans by which impressious of the designs on coins, niedals and other reliëfs could be reproduced in any numbers on cardboard. Sorae of his work in this line is still extant, and when specimens come into the market they bring high prices. This led hiin indirectly to a more important invention. Hediscovered that the government of the time was robbed to the tune of L100,000 per annum by unscrupulous persons, who were in the habit of removing the embossed duty stamps on legal and other documents aud using the game again. Young BesBcmer invented the useful little contrivnnoe bywhich the stamp is embossed on the paper or parchment of the document itself, and submitted it to thethen chief of the stamp departnient at Somerset House. The potentate in question saw the advantage of this system at a glaoce, and soon af terward the authorities expressed their willingness to make use of it. A pretty little story is connected with this inveution. When his model was completed, Bessemer showed it to the young lady to whom he was then engaged. Her ñrst comment upon it showed that she was well fitted to become the wif e of an inventor. She said : "Yes, I understaiid tliis, but surely, if all stanaps had a date put upon them, they coujd not at a future time be used again without detection. " This proved a very valuable suggestion, for Bessemer soou hit upon the idea of a steel die with a space for a movable date, and iii that form his invention was adopted by the authorities. Will it be credited that he never received a solitary farthing from the government for his services or the use of his invention? Such is nevertheloss the fact, and i when he hinted mildlyat legal remedies I he was told by the solicitor to the stamp department that he was emitled to no corniJensation, inasmuch as he had preseuted his inventiou to the government gratis ! This was at a time, too, when he was by no meaus well off, when indeed he lacked the necessary money to set up housekeeping with the clever young lady whose brilliant suggestion had resulted in a perfect stamping machine ! He received mauy generous pronaises from various ministers, of course, but one government went out of power after another, and to this day he has never been compeusated in any shape or form. A man of vast wealth now, Sir Henry Bessemer can afford to regard the troubies of that period of his life with coniparative indifference, though he has since had more ampie reason to cherish a dislike for all British goverunients and politicians. But bis disappoiutment in this instance taught him a very salutary lesson. When he made the great discovery of his life - that by which it is possible to convert pig irou into steel by a simple and inexpensive process - he kept his discovery a secret. To some extent it is a secret to this day. The importance of the discovery can hardly be overestimated. Before the Bessemer process caine into use steel could uot be bought under L50 a ton, and its price prohibited its use in numberless departments of industry where it is now considered essential. At that time, too, only 51,000 tons of cast steel were produced in Sheffield in a year. Lu 1892, 33,546 tona of steel were mauufactured in the world every day according to the Bessemer process, the selliug price per ton averaging L8 Derhnus. It is chieflv dne to Sir Hpnrv _._ _ _ _ _ _ . . - ._ J Bessemer that one isalmost as sufe on a modern ocean steamship as on land, and that the modern structure of steel ie aearly as imperishable as the Pyramids. Such a discovery, it might be supposed, would be hailed with enthusiasm by those iuterested in the iron trade of Great Britaiu. Not a bit of it. Besseiner met with every possible disconrafiement. The steel manufacturera of íáheffield were dead agaxnst him from thü first, and the government ignored