All About Inventions and Discoveries
The Romance of modern scientific and mechanical Achievements

36 All About Inventions permission to use the process in their respective shops for the sum of £10,000 apiece. The inventor sold outright for the lump sum ; that is to say, there were no further payments to be made in the form of royalties, which meant that each firm had secured the right to exploit the patent during its term of fourteen years. Bessemer received his payments in hard cash, and within a month found himself the richer by some £27,000. The money was necessary to him. The experiments had proved costly and had made great inroads upon his slender income, which came mainly from the exploitation of his bronze powder. Now he was in a position to prosecute further investigations and without fear of any financial worry. However, he was destined to receive a rude shock. The firms who had acquired the rights to use the process laid down converters in their works with all speed, and within a short time were busily engaged in converting iron into steel. But, to their dismay and disgust, they could not produce a pound of metal which approached that exhibited by Bessemer. In- deed, every effort proved a dismal failure. This ghastly sequel came as a staggering surprise to every- one, including Bessemer himself, who was totally at a loss to explain the reason for the failure. Now, the very ironworkers who a few months previous had been wildly enthusiastic over the discovery, and who had fallen over one another to acquire licences to work it, turned completely round. They vehem- ently branded Bessemer as a charlatan, rogue, scoun- drel, trickster, thief, and whatever other opprobrious term they could call to mind. They stormed and threatened, and demanded their money back.