Memoirs and Letters of Sidney Gilchrist Thomas, Inventor

This 1891 publication describes the brief life and important work of the metallurgist and inventor Sidney Gilchrist Thomas.

Sidney Gilchrist Thomas (Author), R. W. Burnie (Edited by)

9781108026918, Cambridge University Press

Paperback / softback, published 19 May 2011

334 pages, 2 b/w illus.
21.6 x 14 x 1.9 cm, 0.43 kg

First published in 1891, this memoir describes the life of the metallurgist and inventor Sidney Gilchrist Thomas (1850–1885), best-known for discovering the method of eliminating phosphorus from pig iron which revolutionised the commercial production of steel. Professing a desire to give a 'true' account of a life in contrast to the somewhat hagiographic approach of some contemporary writers, Thomas' biographer, R. W. Burnie, sets out to construct 'a brief history of a very striking and individual character'. The details of Thomas' short life are narrated in 22 chapters, beginning with his early education, his work as a schoolmaster and police clerk whilst studying law and chemistry at night, his career, and his work-related travels, which took him everywhere from central Europe to New Zealand. The memoir also includes a postscript which reveals that Thomas left his considerable fortune to workers in steel production.

Editor's preface
1. Early days
2. A summer tour
3. A 'double life'
4. The problem of dephosphorisation
5. Years of equipment
6. The problem theoretically solved – a German tour
7. 'Technical travel talk'
8. Experiments – a dash into Switzerland
9. The basic process publicly announced
10. The basic process described
11. Triumph
12. Dusseldorf – a gathering cloud
13. A visit to the United States
14. Health fails in earnest
15. South Africa
16. Mauritius and India
17. Ceylon, and the voyage to Australia
18. Australia
19. Homeward bound
20. A sad home-coming and a flight south
21. A winter in Algiers
22. The last days in Paris
Conclusion.

Subject Areas: History of engineering & technology [TBX]