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Updated: June 2, 2025
"Sideros" concludes that Bessemer's discovery was "at least for a time" now shelved and arrested in its progress; and it had been left "to an individual of the name of Mushet" to show that if "fluid metallic manganese" were combined with the fluid Bessemer iron, the portion of manganese thus alloyed would unite with the oxygen of the oxide and pass off as slag, removing the hot-short quality of the iron.
The royalties from this, with Bessemer's pension seem to have left Mushet in a reasonably comfortable condition until his death in 1891; but even the award of the Bessemer medal by the Iron and Steel Institute in 1876 failed to remove the conviction that he had been badly treated. One would like to know more about the politics which preceded the award of the trade's highest honor.
It was his claim that the rail was rolled direct from the ingot, something Bessemer himself could not do at that time. Mining Journal, 1857, vol. 27, p. 871, and 1858, vol. 28, p. 12. Ibid. , p. 34. Mushet, op. cit. The phrase quoted is typical of Mushet's style. This was the beginning of a series of claims by Mushet as to his essential contributions to Bessemer's invention.
It had just struck nine from the cuckoo clock that hung over the mantelpiece in the dining-room, when Victorine brought in the halved watermelon and set it in front of Mr. Bessemer's plate. Then she went down to the front door for the damp, twisted roll of the Sunday morning's paper, and came back and rang the breakfast-bell for the second time.
Bessemer's great discovery ... and ... nothing that Mr. Bessemer may hereafter patent can deprive Mr. Robert Mushet of having been the first to remove the obstacles to the success of Mr. Bessemer's process. Ibid., p. 823. Bessemer still did not intervene in the newspaper discussion; nor had he had any serious supporters, at least in the early stage.
The year 1865 saw Mushet less provocative and more appealing; as for instance: "It was no fault of Mr. Bessemer's that my patent was lost, but he ought to acknowledge his obligations to me in a manly, straightforward manner and this would stamp him as a great man as well as a great inventor." Mining Engineer, 1865, vol. 35, p. 86.
Helpful and consistent legislation has also favored British industries. Besides, England enjoyed a good start in the race with foreigners. Surplus English capital of late has been employed in promoting foreign industry, and the interests of England as a rival may suffer. Reaching the station at Denmark Hill, the colonel and George drove at once to Bessemer's home.
But with pig iron produced from the red hematite ores, practically free from phosphorus, Bessemer's process was a surprising success. At once exploration began to open vast fields of hematite ores in the counties of Cumberland and Lancashire of England, in Spain, in the Lake Superior regions of North America, and in other countries.
So began Mushet's claim to have solved Bessemer's problem, a claim which was to fill the correspondence columns of the engineering journals for the next ten years. Interpretation of this correspondence is made difficult by our ignorance of the facts concerning the control of Mushet's patents. These have to be pieced together from his scattered references to the subject.
I immediately took the opportunity of giving my assent to the principles which he had propounded. My words were not reported at the time, nor was Mr. Bessemer's paper printed by the Association, perhaps because it was thought of so little importance but, on applying to Mr.
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