Samuel T. Wellman
Encyclopedia
Samuel Thomas Wellman, was an American
steel industry pioneer, industrialist, and prolific inventor. Wellman was a close friend of electrical pioneer George Westinghouse
, and Charles M. Schwab
of Bethlehem Steel described Samuel T. Wellman as "the man who did more than any other living person in the development of steel". Wellman was also president of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers
from 1901 to 1902.
in 1847, Wellman was the son of a Nashua
Iron Company superintendent and a great-great-great-great-great-grandson of Puritan
Thomas Wellman
. Wellman received his formal engineering training from Norwich University
in Norwich, Vermont
, and served as a corporal with the First New Hampshire Heavy Artillery
during the Civil War
. Shortly after the war, Wellman married Julia A. Ballard, with whom he had five children.
, who immediately hired him to establish the first crucible-steel furnace
in America. Wellman went on to improve upon the open-hearth process
of steel rail production, which in turn had improved upon the Bessemer process
. In 1869, Wellman built the first commercially successful open-hearth furnace in America at the Bay State Iron Works in South Boston
.
Furnaces were not Wellman's only contribution to the steel industry. He was also instrumental in the development of the Hulett unloader
, which allowed the unloading of taconite
from the iron ore boats of the Great Lakes
, particularly on Lake Erie
. In addition to improvements on the Hulett unloader, other important inventions include an open hearth charging machine and a hydraulic crane
. Following an unsuccessful venture with his half-brother, Wellman later founded the Wellman-Seaver-Morgan Engineering Company in Cleveland, Ohio
, which continues under a different name to this day.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
steel industry pioneer, industrialist, and prolific inventor. Wellman was a close friend of electrical pioneer George Westinghouse
George Westinghouse
George Westinghouse, Jr was an American entrepreneur and engineer who invented the railway air brake and was a pioneer of the electrical industry. Westinghouse was one of Thomas Edison's main rivals in the early implementation of the American electricity system...
, and Charles M. Schwab
Charles M. Schwab
Charles Michael Schwab was an American steel magnate. Under his leadership, Bethlehem Steel became the second largest steel maker in the United States, and one of the most important heavy manufacturers in the world....
of Bethlehem Steel described Samuel T. Wellman as "the man who did more than any other living person in the development of steel". Wellman was also president of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers
American Society of Mechanical Engineers
The American Society of Mechanical Engineers is a professional body, specifically an engineering society, focused on mechanical engineering....
from 1901 to 1902.
Early life
Born in Wareham, MassachusettsWareham, Massachusetts
Wareham is a town located in Plymouth County, Massachusetts. As of the 2000 census, the town had a total population of 20,335, with an estimated 2008 population of 21,221....
in 1847, Wellman was the son of a Nashua
Nashua, New Hampshire
-Climate:-Demographics:As of the census of 2010, there were 86,494 people, 35,044 households, and 21,876 families residing in the city. The population density was 2,719.9 people per square mile . There were 37,168 housing units at an average density of 1,202.8 per square mile...
Iron Company superintendent and a great-great-great-great-great-grandson of Puritan
Puritan
The Puritans were a significant grouping of English Protestants in the 16th and 17th centuries. Puritanism in this sense was founded by some Marian exiles from the clergy shortly after the accession of Elizabeth I of England in 1558, as an activist movement within the Church of England...
Thomas Wellman
Thomas Wellman
Thomas Wellman was born in about 1615 in England and died at Lynn, Massachusetts on 10 October 1672. He was among the early settlers of the Massachusetts Bay Colony and progenitor of the Wellman family of New England...
. Wellman received his formal engineering training from Norwich University
Norwich University
Norwich University is a private university located in Northfield, Vermont . The university was founded in 1819 at Norwich, Vermont, as the American Literary, Scientific and Military Academy. It is the oldest of six Senior Military Colleges, and is recognized by the United States Department of...
in Norwich, Vermont
Norwich, Vermont
Norwich is a town in Windsor County, Vermont, United States, located along the Connecticut River opposite Hanover, New Hampshire. The population was 3,544 at the 2000 census....
, and served as a corporal with the First New Hampshire Heavy Artillery
Artillery
Originally applied to any group of infantry primarily armed with projectile weapons, artillery has over time become limited in meaning to refer only to those engines of war that operate by projection of munitions far beyond the range of effect of personal weapons...
during the Civil War
American Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
. Shortly after the war, Wellman married Julia A. Ballard, with whom he had five children.
Career and influence on the steel industry
Wellman began his career working at the Nashua Iron Company. He was encouraged by his father to build a regenerative gas furnace for the company. Wellman did this, impressing Carl Wilhelm SiemensCarl Wilhelm Siemens
Carl Wilhelm Siemens was a German born engineer who for most of his life worked in Britain and later became a British subject.-Biography:...
, who immediately hired him to establish the first crucible-steel furnace
Crucible steel
Crucible steel describes a number of different techniques for making steel in a crucible. Its manufacture is essentially a refining process which is dependent on preexisting furnace products...
in America. Wellman went on to improve upon the open-hearth process
Open hearth furnace
Open hearth furnaces are one of a number of kinds of furnace where excess carbon and other impurities are burnt out of the pig iron to produce steel. Since steel is difficult to manufacture due to its high melting point, normal fuels and furnaces were insufficient and the open hearth furnace was...
of steel rail production, which in turn had improved upon the Bessemer process
Bessemer process
The Bessemer process was the first inexpensive industrial process for the mass-production of steel from molten pig iron. The process is named after its inventor, Henry Bessemer, who took out a patent on the process in 1855. The process was independently discovered in 1851 by William Kelly...
. In 1869, Wellman built the first commercially successful open-hearth furnace in America at the Bay State Iron Works in South Boston
South Boston, Massachusetts
South Boston is a densely populated neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts, located south and east of the Fort Point Channel and abutting Dorchester Bay. One of America's oldest and most historic neighborhoods, South Boston was formerly known as Dorchester Neck, and today is called "Southie" by...
.
Furnaces were not Wellman's only contribution to the steel industry. He was also instrumental in the development of the Hulett unloader
Hulett
The Hulett automatic ore unloader was invented by George Hulett of Ohio in the late 19th century; he received a patent for his invention in 1898. The first working machine was built the following year at Conneaut Harbor in Conneaut, Ohio...
, which allowed the unloading of taconite
Taconite
Taconite is a variety of iron formation, an iron-bearing sedimentary rock, in which the iron minerals are interlayered with quartz, chert, or carbonate...
from the iron ore boats of the Great Lakes
Great Lakes
The Great Lakes are a collection of freshwater lakes located in northeastern North America, on the Canada – United States border. Consisting of Lakes Superior, Michigan, Huron, Erie, and Ontario, they form the largest group of freshwater lakes on Earth by total surface, coming in second by volume...
, particularly on Lake Erie
Lake Erie
Lake Erie is the fourth largest lake of the five Great Lakes in North America, and the tenth largest globally. It is the southernmost, shallowest, and smallest by volume of the Great Lakes and therefore also has the shortest average water residence time. It is bounded on the north by the...
. In addition to improvements on the Hulett unloader, other important inventions include an open hearth charging machine and a hydraulic crane
Crane (machine)
A crane is a type of machine, generally equipped with a hoist, wire ropes or chains, and sheaves, that can be used both to lift and lower materials and to move them horizontally. It uses one or more simple machines to create mechanical advantage and thus move loads beyond the normal capability of...
. Following an unsuccessful venture with his half-brother, Wellman later founded the Wellman-Seaver-Morgan Engineering Company in Cleveland, Ohio
Cleveland, Ohio
Cleveland is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and is the county seat of Cuyahoga County, the most populous county in the state. The city is located in northeastern Ohio on the southern shore of Lake Erie, approximately west of the Pennsylvania border...
, which continues under a different name to this day.
Partial list of inventions
- Automatic bail gripping or locking device for electric cranes
- Furnace charging apparatus
- Open hearth steel furnace
Selected publications
- Wellman, S. T., (1902). The early history of open-hearth steel manufacture in the united states. Transactions of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers, 23, 78-98.
- Wellman, S. T., (1916). Iron and steel making. In F. H. Newell & C. E. Drayer, (Eds.), Engineering as a career: A series of papers by eminent engineers, (pp. 81-88). New York: D. Van Nostrand Company.
Further reading
- Misa, T. J., (1995). A Nation of Steel: The Making of Modern America, 1865-1925. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press. ISBN 0801860520
- Sicilia, D. B. (1989). Samuel Thomas Wellman. In P. F. Paskoff, (Ed.), Encyclopedia of American business history and biography: Iron and steel in the nineteenth century, (pp. 359-363). New York: FactsOnFile. ISBN 0816018901
External links
- All-Craft Wellman Products Inc. — Wellman's company today.