tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8710611656756005747.post3394188646111205178..comments2024-03-27T09:59:48.839+00:00Comments on Greenwich Industrial History: Bessemer in GreenwichDavid Riddlehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15841234446226688028noreply@blogger.comBlogger5125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8710611656756005747.post-87212702810862969012010-12-20T19:14:04.673+00:002010-12-20T19:14:04.673+00:00Mary, I've just spotted this on Google. The re...Mary, I've just spotted this on Google. The reason I was |Googing is that I have a reference in the Govan (Glasgow) colliery accounts in November 1875: R Barrie Ry [railway] fares to and from Greenwich Steel Work about steel rails for new railway (£4 15s) Govan Colliery was owed by William Dixon & Co, along with Govan Irobn Works (which is what I'm working on) - it had blast furnaces, a bar iron works, and a foundry/engineering works - but it did not make the transition to Bessemer (or other) steelmaking. The fact that Dixon's sent someone to Greenwich, rather than any of the nearer works using the Bessemer process, might suggest that they wanted to talk to Bessemer himself, rather than just buy some rails?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8710611656756005747.post-61686820253361365132010-04-21T17:53:09.812+01:002010-04-21T17:53:09.812+01:00Apologies for being a little blunt over spelling.
...Apologies for being a little blunt over spelling.<br /><br />Captain Caruana was surely right in that both spellings were "used", but the name on all Blakely's patents and articles was without the the second "e".<br /><br />The start of ths story of Captain Blakely and his cannon can be found at captainblakely.orgSteven Robertshttp://captainblakely.orgnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8710611656756005747.post-16141065380785755402010-04-15T13:50:40.692+01:002010-04-15T13:50:40.692+01:00Steven
Sorry - the Ordnance/Ordinance is the spell...Steven<br />Sorry - the Ordnance/Ordinance is the spell checker.<br />The Blakley/Blakeley spelling is a bit more complex. When I did the original research about his Greenwich site I was advised by Adrian Caruana who thought both spellings were used and sent me an analysis of when and where. I'm grateful if you are able to confirm the one spelling which he used himself on published works.<br />Can I ask what research you are doing on him? Clearly his Greenwich works is of interest locally and some few traces of it remained until relatively recently and there are some pictures. Please get in touch.Marynoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8710611656756005747.post-664165705767820782010-04-12T12:57:23.640+01:002010-04-12T12:57:23.640+01:00The name of the gun manufacturer is Blakely NOT Bl...The name of the gun manufacturer is Blakely NOT Blakeley... That's according to all his published work. The generic term for artillery is Ordnance NOT Ordinance. I hope the rest of the article is more accurate.Steven Robertshttp://captainblakely.orgnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8710611656756005747.post-67008492916105634032009-08-10T16:53:36.856+01:002009-08-10T16:53:36.856+01:00There was a relatively small Bessemer converter i...There was a relatively small Bessemer converter in the iron foundry in the Arsenal when I was there pre-war. I actually saw it in operation, though I spent my time in the brass foundry.<br />As for Blakely, who appears as A. T. earlier and T. A. later in the list of patent applicants. I have been told he disliked the name Alexander. Personally I would have preferred it to Theophilus!<br /> I would not regard Blakely's gun making as abortive. Warren Ripley in his "Artillery and Ammunition of the Civil War" says " Although this was the first Blakely fired in America ( a 12 pounder, 3.5in. bore, cast iron hooped with wrought iron) - - - a former Royal Artillery Captain Alexander Theophilus Blakely - - - had bad luck in getting his guns accepted, or even tested, by a government partial to Armstrong . Consequently, he sold a great many to other nations - particularly - Russia and the Confederacy - testifying before the Ordnance Select Committee in 1863 that more than 400 had gone to foreigners, half made of steel and the others cast iron strengthened with steel" <br />Apparently there are numerous Blakelys scattered around in the States.<br />In Vol. 4 (1992) of The Ordnance Society's Journal there is a very full paper by the late Adrian Caruana on Blakely and his firm and in Vol. 9 (1997) there is a paper by J. Day on the controversial actions of Armstrong on gun design.Johnnoreply@blogger.com