ABSTRACT
When Johann Conrad Fischer died the steel industry was on the eve of a new era. Almost exactly a year after Fischer's death Henry Bessemer took out a patent for his converter. This invention—and the later Siemens-Martin open-hearth furnace and the Gilchrist Thomas process—revolutionised the steel industry. 2 Instead of being a semi-precious metal—an expensive raw material used in small quantities by cutlers, watchmakers, gunsmiths and mints—steel came to be made in large quantities and to replace iron for many purposes. The new inventions enabled those who made steel to meet the heavy demands for this product in the second half of the nineteenth century. As the industrialisation of Europe gathered momentum more machines were needed. As more and more railways and tramways were built more iron and steel was needed for the rails and the locomotives. The introduction of more steamship services stimulated the demand for steel plates and for marine engines. As living standards rose more towns had their waterworks, gasworks, and electrical undertakings so that orders flowed to firms able to supply pipes, wire, and ‘fittings’. As the armies and navies of the world grew so the armament manufacturers used more and more steel. It was because they were able to adapt themselves to the needs of the new age of steel that J. C. Fischer's grandson and great-grandson were able to transform a tiny workshop into a large modern steel and engineering plant.
