Transformation to Steel: How the Bessemer Process Sparked the Industrial Revolution
Railroads
Before the Bessemer process came along, iron rails caused problems for railroads all over the United States. The soft iron rails were not very durable and often ripped off the railroad tracks, causing countless complications among many railroad companies. When Bessemer steel was introduced, the nation-wide railroad companies were quick to switch their old iron rails for newer, stronger steel rails. This helped the reliability and durability of the railroads, and allowed railroad tycoons like Andrew Carnegie to focus their attention in other areas, including expanding the railroad system. It also boosted job creation, as there was plenty of work to be done for Andrew Carnegie and others. This effect boosted the United States' economy, as it employed so many, and allowed better transportation all over the country.
"[The Bessemer Process] spurred steel production in the United States. By 1873 the US was producing nearly 115,000 tons of steel rail, approximately one-eighth of all US steel production."
Steel Industry
Gale Encyclopedia of US Economic History
"Without steel, there would be no skyscrapers, no suspension bridges, no railroads, no reinforced concrete, and no modern highways... It is safe to say that no large city would look the same without steel."
English Inventor Henry Bessemer Develops Process to Produce Inexpensive Steel,
Science and Its Times, Volume 5
Pictures courtesy of banklands.com
Skyscrapers
Around the beginning of the 20th century architects started to build cities up, creating tall skyscrapers. The beams that were made out of iron could only handle a certain amount of weight before they collapsed from the strain. This made a strong material like steel welcome to many architects looking to make taller buildings and expand their towns into cities. Cities like Pittsburg, Pennsylvania and Chicago, Illinois that had easy access to iron ore and coal for fuel, and grew very rapidly, as the demand for steel soared.
"Steel made it possible for cities to build up, it made transportation better, and it affected all kinds of industries."
William Rorabaugh,
Professor of Nineteenth Century US History and US Social History at University of Washington