Page:Collier's New Encyclopedia v. 02.djvu/22

LEFT BESSEMER f BESSEMER, SIR HENRY, an Eng- lish inventor, born in Charlton, Hert- fordshire, Jan. 19, 1813; began modeling and designing patterns when 18 years old; chose engineering as a profession, and, after long and costly experiments, announced, in 1856, his discovery of a ^^..^ SIR HENRY BESSEMER means of rapidly and cheaply convert- ing pig iron into steel, by blowing a blast of air through the iron when in a state of fusion (see Bessemer Steel). For this discovery the Institution of Civil Engineers awarded him the Gold Tel- ford Medal, and several foreign govern- ments honored him with valuable tokens. In the United States appreciation of his great discovery took the form of cre- ating industrial cities and towns under his name. He was elected President of the Iron and Steel Institute of Great Britain in 1871; knighted by the Queen in 1879, and received the freedom of the city of London in 1880. He died in London, March 15, 1898. BESSEMER STEEL, steel made from pig iron, from which practically all the carbon, etc., has been removed by ex- posing the molten mass to a current of air. The Bessemer process, that of Sir Henry Bessemer was patented in 1856. Bessemer's first idea was to blow air through molten pig iron till practically the whole of the carbon was oxidized when malleable iron was required, and to stop the blowing when a sufficient de- gree of decarburization was effected in BESTIARY order to produce steel. By this process, steel has been produced ranging from 1.00 per cent, carbon to .08 per cent, car- bon, the former being a steel suitable for springs, and the latter a soft material replacing wrought iron, rail steel usually containing .4 to .5 per cent, carbon. The production of Bessemer steel in the U. S. in 1918 was 9,376,236 long tons, compared with a production of 10,- 479,960 tons in 1917. BESSEY, CHARLES EDWIN, an American botanist, born in Milton, O., May 21, 1845; educated at Harvard University; Professor of Botany in the Iowa Agricultural College in 1870-1884; Professor of Botany in the University of Nebraska since 1884. He was also President of the Society for the Promo- tion of Agricultural Science in 1883- 1885; President of the Nebraska Acad- emy of Sciences in 1891; acting Chan- cellor of the University of Nebraska in 1888-1891; Fellow of the American As- sociation for the Advancement of Science. His publications include "Reports on In- sects" (1873-1874) ; "Geography of Iowa" (1876) ; "The Erysiphei of North Amer- ica" (1877) ; "Botany for High Schools and Colleges" (1880); "Essentials of Botany" (1884) ; Elementary Botany" (1904) ; "Synopsis of Plant Phyla" (1907) ; "Outlines of Plant Phyla" (1909), with others. "New Elementary Agriculture" (1911). He died in 1915. BEST, WILLIAM THOMAS, an Eng- lish musician, born in Carlisle, Aug. 13, 1826; received his musical training from Mr. Young, the organist of the Carlisle Cathedral. In 1848 he was ap- pointed organist of the Philharmonic So- ciety in Liverpool; in 1852 he went to London and became organist of the Pan- optican of Science and Art, and also of the Church of St. Martin-in-the-Fields; in 1854 was organist of Lincoln's Inn Chapel; in 1855, returned to Liverpool, and became organist of St. George's Hall; in 1868 was organist of the Liverpool Musical Society; and in 1872 was again engaged by the Philharmonic Society. He was the author of "The Modern School for the Organ" (1853) ; "The Art of Organ Playing" (1870) ; "Arrangements from the Scores of the Great Masters" (1873) ; "The Organ Student," etc. He died in Liverpool, May 10, 1897. BESTIARY, the name given to a class of written books of great popularity in the Middle Ages, describing all the ani- mals of creation, real or fabled, com- posed partly in prose, partly in verse, and generally illustrated by drawings. But they were valuable for the moral