BUSINESS ABROAD: Cast for Quality

In 1851, when Jacob Mayer of the Ruhr's Bochumer Verein steelworks discovered a way to pour white-hot liquid steel into molds and cast the world's first steel bell, other foundrymen could not believe it. At the Paris Exposition of 1855 they launched an investigation, ran chemical tests, were persuaded that the bells were not cast-iron fakeries only after sledge hammers failed to crack them. Last week Bochumer Verein für Gusstahlfabrikation, A.G.,* once again amazed steelmen. Out of its mill came the largest piece of cast steel ever made—a rolling mill foundation...

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