Commemorative
Object number94.51.331 a-c
Manufacturer
Edgar Thompson Works
Manufacturer
Carnegie Steel Company
Date1875
MediumSteel; Paint; Pine wood; Wire nails; Ink
Credit LineTransfer from Carnegie Museum of Natural History
DescriptionSection of a Bessemer steel railroad rail with wood box.Dimensions(a) Height 4.25, Width/Length 15, Depth 4; (b,c together) Height 7, Width/Length 18.875, Depth 6.563.
InscriptionsEmbossed on rail: "E.T. STEEL. CO. 75. 111111111"
Stenciled on box: "E.T. Steel. Sept. 1875"
Historical NotesThis section of steel is part of the first Bessember steel rail rolled at the Edgar Thompson Works in September of 1875.Label TextIn his workshop in England around 1855, Henry Bessemer developed the most important 19th-century steelmaking innovation. His process made steel directly from molten pig iron without the labor intensive and time consuming “puddling” stage. With his process, steel could be made in large quantities instead of small batches. Carnegie’s first Bessemer mill opened in Braddock.
On View
On viewCollections
1980
c. 1978