Bessemer Process Part 2

Ernest checked his pocket watch, noting the exact minute in his logbook.

Around the vessel, the floor was cleared. The blast engine operator stood at his control panel, watching the pressure gauges. The emergency water cooling systems hummed in the background.

Hollen glanced at Ernest. "Your kettle is charged."

"Raise the vessel," Ernest ordered the operator.

The operator engaged the hydraulic tilting gear. The heavy machinery groaned, and the massive vessel began rotating back toward the vertical position. Forty degrees... sixty... eighty... until the converter locked squarely beneath the exhaust hood.

"Vessel locked in blowing position!"

The shop fell entirely quiet. The only sound was the deep, rhythmic beat of the steam blowing engine in the adjacent building—the mechanical lungs of the steelworks.

Hollen stepped up beside Ernest. "Last chance to abort."