When we talk about rolling mills, keep in mind that Bessemer did not produce
steel until 1855. Prior to that, the Iron-Carbon-Silicon chemistry was a
mystery.


"Gary Coffman" wrote in message
...
On Tue, 30 Mar 2004 17:15:35 -0500 (EST), (ED ROGERS)
wrote:
Again thanks for your input.I was amazed at the degree of the machine
technology for that time.To top it off the rails don't have" MADE IN
CHINA" on them.(I hope)

Rolling mills (though not railroad rail rolling mills) have been around
since at least the second century AD. The ancients were as smart
as we are. We've found ancient machines, instruments, even batteries,
that rival anything from the industrial age. But in ancient times the
technology didn't spread far beyond the shops of its inventors.

What's changed in the last two centuries are the economic and
political systems which allow us to organize to exploit technology
on much larger scales. Capitalism, and the limited liability corporation,
upward mobility, relative freedom, etc have allowed us to harness
the native cleverness and greed of human beings on a much larger
scale than has ever been possible before.

Gary