e, one as the Lucy was and the other as Mr. Whitwell
advised it should be. This was done, and upon my next visit
experiments were made with each, the result being just as Mr. Whitwell
had foretold. Our bell distributed the large pieces to the sides of
the furnace, leaving the center a dense mass through which the blast
could only partially penetrate. The Whitwell bell threw the pieces to
the center leaving the circumference dense. This made all the
difference in the world. The Lucy's troubles were over.

What a kind, big, broad man was Mr. Whitwell, with no narrow jealousy,
no withholding his knowledge! We had in some departments learned new
things and were able to be of service to his firm in return. At all
events, after that everything we had was open to the Whitwells.
[To-day, as I write, I rejoice that one of the two still is with us
and that our friendship is still warm. He was my predecessor in the
presidency of the British Iron and Steel Institute.]

CHAPTER XIII

THE AGE OF STEEL

Looking back to-day it seems incredible that only forty years ago
(1870) chemistry in the United States was an almost unknown agent in
connection with the manufacture of pig iron. It was the agency, above
all others, most needful in the manufacture of iron and steel. The
blast-furnace manager of that day was usually a rude bully, generally
a foreigner, who in addition to his other acquirements was able to
knock down a man now and then as a lesson to the other unruly spirits
under him. He was supposed to diagnose the condition of the furnace by
instinct, to possess some almost supernatural power of divination,
like his congener in the country districts who was reputed to be able
to locate an oil well or water supply by means of a hazel rod. He was
a veritable quack doctor who applied whatever remedies occurred to him
for the troubles of his patient.

The Lucy Furnace was out of one trouble and into another, owing to the
great variety of ores, limestone, and coke which were then supplied
with little or no regard to their component parts. This state of
affairs became intolerable to us. We finally decided to dispense with
the rule-of-thumb-and-intuition manager, and to place a young man in
charge of the furnace. We had a young shipping clerk, Henry M. Curry,
who had distinguished himself, and it was resolved to make him
manager.

Mr. Phipps had the Lucy Furnace under his special charge. His daily
visits to it saved us from