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Science, technology and natural resources, were the driving force behind the Industrial Revolution in the United States. The telephone, the new steel, railroads and electricity in general led to the shift from a rural country to a technological and industrial America. Because of many inconveniences that were posed upon the American people during the 1800 's, such as impractical farming techniques, ample communication, and poor transportation resources, caused great minds and inventors to come together and create new materials and methods that aided in the creation of an industrialized country. The Creation of Steel One of the pioneers of the industrialization of America was Andrew Carnegie. He wasn't skilled in the process of making steel, but he invested large amounts of capital to install Bessemer converters in factories.
The Bessemer converter transformed wrought iron (pig iron) into steel by blowing cold air through the vessels and then through the molten iron, ridding the iron of any impurities which made it mandible and weak, forming steel. This process was a very simple one where unskilled workers were able to operate it with ease. One of the very first Bessemer converters was installed in Carnegie's own Edgar Thompson Steel Works in Braddock P. A. The factory was able to produce a great amount of steel which cost less by the ton. McClure's magazine documented the results: "Out of each pot roared alternately a ferocious geyser of saffron and sapphire flame, streaked with deeper yellow.
From it a light streamed -- a light that flung violet shadows everywhere and made the gray outside rain a beautiful blue. A fountain of sparks arose, gorgeous as ten thousand rockets, and fell with a beautiful curve, like the petals of some enormous flower. Overhead the beams were glowing orange in a base of purple. The men were yellow where the light struck them, violet in shadow...
The pot began to burn with a whiter flame. Its fluttering, humming roar silenced all else... A shout was heard, and a tall crane swung a gigantic ladle under the converting vessel, which then mysteriously up-ended, exploding like a cannon a prodigious discharge of star-like pieces of white-hot slag... Down came the vessel, until out of it streamed the smooth flow of terribly beautiful molten metal.
As it ran nearly empty and the ladle swung away, the dropping slag fell to the ground exploding, leaping viciously, and the scene became gorgeous beyond belief, with orange and red and green flame. " This mass production of steel stimulated the growth of many other industries, such as the first trans-continental railroad which used 165, 000 miles of steel. Newly settled urban areas were now showered with towering skyscrapers made of sturdy steel foundations. The new steel created an environment that attracted people in rural areas to move to urban areas that looked like promising new worlds to former farmers and immigrants leaving their failed attempts at trying to keep up with farming. Steel was being used in rural agricultural areas for the creation of steel machines that helped farmers do large jobs in half the time it took by hand. In turn, farming turned into more of an industry than a single man or family operation.
The new machines and expensive equipment used for farming cost thousands of dollars, resulting in large debt to farmers who tried to transform their small operations into high product production operations. Only operations which had the help of wealthy investors survived. Industrial Crutch What is it that these industries depend on? They must have a good transportation system to bring them raw materials to factories and to distribute finished products. Thus they started building canals between mines and factories, then a road surface, and finally the rail road industry was developed. George Stephenson developed the Rocket; the first steam powered locomotive.
Also, the American Engineer Robert Fulton developed a way to use steam power for ships. The postal system was also introduced by the British. The overall success of these industries depended upon many other sources besides their own skill, to sell their goods.
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Research essay sample on Creation Of Steel Bessemer Converters Iron
