”Itmaybeaverredthatascertainlyastheageofironsupersededthatofbronze,sowilltheageofsteelreigntriumphantoveriron。”——HENRYBESSEMER。”Aujourd’huilarevolutionquedevaitamenerenGrande-BretagnelamemorabledecouvertedeBenjaminHuntsmanesttoutafaitaccomplie,etchaquejourlesconsequetcessenferontplusvivementsentirsurleconfinent。”——LEPLAY,SurlaFabricationdel’AcierenYorkshire。Iron,besidesbeingusedinvariousformsasbarandcastiron,isalsousedinvariousformsasbarandcaststeel;anditisprincipallybecauseofitsmanyadmirablequalitiesintheselatterformsthatironmaintainsitssupremacyoveralltheothermetals。
TheprocessofconvertingironintosteelhadlongbeenknownamongtheEasternnationsbeforeitwasintroducedintoEurope。TheHindooswereespeciallyskilledintheartofmakingsteel,asindeedtheyaretothisday;anditissupposedthatthetoolswithwhichtheEgyptianscoveredtheirobelisksandtemplesofporphyryandsyenitewithhieroglyphicsweremadeofIndiansteel,asprobablynoothermetalwascapableofexecutingsuchwork。TheartseemstohavebeenwellknowninGermanyintheMiddleAges,andtheprocessisonthewholeveryfaithfullydescribedbyAgricolainhisgreatworkonMetallurgy。*
[footnote……
AGRICOLA,DeReMetallica。Basle,1621。
Englandthenproducedverylittlesteel,andwasmainlydependentforitssupplyofthearticleuponthecontinentalmakers。
FromanearlyperiodSheffieldbecamedistinguishedforitsmanufactureofironandsteelintovarioususefularticles。Wefinditmentionedinthethirteenthcenturyasaplacewherethebestarrowheadsweremade,——theEarlofRichmondowinghissuccessatthebattleofBosworthpartlytotheirsuperiorlength,sharpness,andfinish。Themanufacturesofthetownbecameofamorepacificcharacterinthefollowingcenturies,duringwhichknives,tools,andimplementsofhusbandrybecametheleadingarticles。
Chaucer’sreferencetothe’Sheffieldthwytel’orcase-knifeinhisCanterburyTales,writtenabouttheendofthefourteenthcentury,showsthattheplacehadthenbecomeknownforitsmanufactureofknives。In1575wefindtheEarlofShrewsburypresentingtohisfriendLordBurleigh”acaseofHallamshirewhittells,beingsuchfruitesashisporecuntreyaffordethwithfamethroughouttherealme。”FullerafterwardsspeaksoftheSheffieldknivesas”forcommonuseofthecountrypeople,”andhecitesaninstanceofaknavewhocozenedhimoutoffourpenceforonewhenitwasonlyworthapenny。
In1600Sheffieldbecamecelebratedforitstobacco-boxesandJew’s-harps。Thetownwasasyetofsmallsizeandpopulation;forwhenasurveyofitwasmadein1615itwasfoundtocontainnotmorethan2207householders,ofwhomone-third,or725,were”notabletolivewithoutthecharityoftheirneighbours:theseareallBeggingpoor。”*
[footnote……
TheRev。JOSEPHHUNTER,HistoryofHallamshire。
Itmust,however,havecontinueditsmanufactureofknives;forwefindthattheknifewithwhichFeltonstabbedtheDukeofBuckinghamatPortsmouthin1628wastracedtoSheffield。Theknifewasleftstickingintheduke’sbody,andwhenexaminedwasfoundtobeartheSheffieldcorporationmark。ItwasultimatelyascertainedtohavebeenmadebyoneWild,acutler,whohadsoldtheknifefortenpencetoFeltonwhenrecruitinginthetown。Atastilllaterperiod,themanufactureofclasporspringkniveswasintroducedintoSheffieldbyFlemishworkmen。Harrisonsaysthistradewasbegunin1650。Theclasp-knifewascommonlyknownintheNorthasajocteleg。HenceBurns,describingthefamousarticletreasuredbyCaptainGrosetheantiquarian,saysthat——”Itwasafauldingjocteleq,Orlang-kailgully;”
thewordbeingmerelyacorruptionofJacquesdeLiege,afamousforeigncutler,whosekniveswereaswellknownthroughoutEuropeasthoseofRogersorMappinarenow。ScythesandsicklesformedotherbranchesofmanufactureintroducedbytheFlemishartisans,themakersoftheformerprincipallylivingintheparishofNorton,thoseofthelatterinEckington。
Manyimprovementswereintroducedfromtimetotimeinthematerialofwhichthesearticlesweremade。InsteadofimportingtheGermansteel,asitwascalled,theSheffieldmanufacturersbegantomakeitthemselves,principallyfromDannemoraironimportedfromSweden。ThefirstEnglishmanufacturerofthearticlewasoneCrowley,aNewcastleman;andtheSheffieldmakersshortlyfollowedhisexample。
Wemayherebrieflystatethattheordinarymethodofpreparingthisvaluablematerialofmanufacturesisbyexposingironbars,placedincontactwithroughly-granulatedcharcoal,toanintenseheat,——theprocesslastingforaboutaweek,moreorless,accordingtothedegreeofcarbonizationrequired。Bythismeans,whatiscalledBLISTEREDSTEELisproduced,anditfurnishesthematerialoutofwhichrazors,files,knives,swords,andvariousarticlesofhardwarearemanufactured。AfurtherprocessisthemanufactureofthemetalthustreatedintoSHEARSTEEL,byexposingafasciculusoftheblisteredsteelrods,withsandscatteredoverthemforthepurposesofaflux,totheheatofawind-furnaceuntilthewholemassbecomesofaweldingheat,whenitistakenfromthefireanddrawnoutunderaforge-hammer,——theprocessofweldingbeingrepeated,afterwhichthesteelisreducedtotherequiredsizes。ThearticlecalledFAGGOT
steelismadeafterasomewhatsimilarprocess。
ButthemostvaluableforminwhichsteelisnowusedinthemanufacturesofSheffieldisthatofcast-steel,inwhichironispresentedinperhapsitsveryhigheststateofperfection。Cast-steelconsistsofironunitedtocarboninanelasticstatetogetherwithasmallportionofoxygen;whereascrudeorpigironconsistsofironcombinedwithcarboninamaterialstate。*
[footnote……
MUSHET,PapersOnIronandSteel。
chiefmeritsofcast-steelconsistinitspossessinggreatcohesionandclosenessofgrain,withanastonishingdegreeoftenacityandflexibility,——qualitieswhichrenderitofthehighestvalueinallkindsoftoolsandinstrumentswheredurability,polish,andfinenessofedgeareessentialrequisites。Itistothismaterialthatwearemainlyindebtedfortheexquisitecuttinginstrumentofthesurgeon,thechiselofthesculptor,thesteelplateonwhichtheengraverpractiseshisart,thecuttingtoolsemployedinthevariousprocessesofskilledhandicraft,downtothecommonsawortheaxeusedbythebackwoodsmaninlevellingtheprimevalforest。
Theinventionofcast-steelisduetoBenjaminHuntsman,ofAttercliffe,nearSheffield。M。LePlay,ProfessorofMetallurgyintheRoyalSchoolofMinesofFrance,aftermakingcarefulinquiryandweighingalltheevidenceonthesubject,arrivedattheconclusionthattheinventionfairlybelongstoHuntsman。TheFrenchprofessorspeaksofitasa”memorablediscovery,”madeandappliedwithadmirableperseverance;andheclaimsforitsinventorthedistinguishedmeritofadvancingthesteelmanufacturesofYorkshiretothefirstrank,andpowerfullycontributingtotheestablishmentonafirmfoundationoftheindustrialandcommercialsupremacyofGreatBritain。ItisremarkablethataFrenchwritershouldhavebeenamongthefirsttodirectpublicattentiontothemeritsofthisinventor,andtohavefirstpublishedthefewfactsknownastohishistoryinaFrenchGovernmentReport,——showingtheneglectwhichmenofthisclasshaveheretoforereceivedathome,andthemuchgreateresteeminwhichtheyareheldbyscientificforeigners。*
[footnote……
M。LePlay’stwoelaborateandadmirablereportsonthemanufactureofsteel,publishedintheAnnalesdesMines,vols。iii。andix。,4thseries,areuniqueoftheirkind,andhaveasyetnocounterpartinEnglishliterature。Theyarerespectivelyentitled’MemoiresurlaFabricationdel’AcierenYorkshire,’and’MemoiresurleFabricationetleCommercedesFersaAcierdansleNorddel’Europe。’
LePlay,inhisenthusiasticadmirationofthediscovererofsopotentametalascast-steel,paidavisittoHuntsman’sgraveinAtterclifleChurchyard,nearSheffield,andfromtheinscriptiononhistombstonerecitesthefactsofhisbirth,hisdeath,andhisbriefhistory。Withtheassistanceofhisdescendants,wearenowenabledtoaddthefollowingrecordofthelifeandlaboursofthisremarkablebutalmostforgottenman。
BenjaminHuntsmanwasborninLincolnshireintheyear1704。HisparentswereofGermanextraction,andhadsettledinthiscountryonlyafewyearsprevioustohisbirth。Theboybeingofaningeniousturn,wasbredtoamechanicalcalling;andbecomingcelebratedforhisexpertnessinrepairingclocks,heeventuallysetupinbusinessasaclockmakerandmenderinthetownofDoncaster。Healsoundertookvariousotherkindsofmetalwork,suchasthemakingandrepairingoflocks,smoke-jacks,roasting-jacks,andotherarticlesrequiringmechanicalskill。Hewasremarkablyshrewd,observant,thoughtful,andpractical;somuchsothathecametoberegardedasthe”wiseman”ofhisneighbourhood,andwasnotonlyconsultedastotherepairsofmachinery,butalsoofthehumanframe。Hepractisedsurgerywithdexterity,thoughafteranempiricalfashion,andwasheldinespecialesteemasanoculist。Hissuccesswassuchthathisadvicewassoughtinmanysurgicaldiseases,andhewasalwaysreadytogiveit,butdeclinedreceivinganypaymentinreturn。
Intheexerciseofhismechanicalcalling,heintroducedseveralimprovedtools,butwasmuchhinderedbytheinferiorqualityofthemetalsuppliedtohim,whichwascommonGermansteel。Healsoexperiencedconsiderabledifficultyinfindingamaterialsuitableforthespringsandpendulumsofhisclocks。Thesecircumstancesinducedhimtoturnhisattentiontothemakingofabetterkindofsteelthanwasthenprocurable,forthepurposesofhistrade。HisfirstexperimentswereconductedatDoncaster;*
[footnote……
ThereareseveralclocksstillinexistenceintheneighbourhoodofDoncastermadebyBenjaminHuntsman;andthereisoneinthepossessionofhisgrandson,withapendulummadeofcast-steel。Themanufactureofapendulumofsuchamaterialatthatearlydateiscertainlycurious;itsstillperfectspringandelasticityshowingthescrupulouscarewithwhichithadbeenmade。