In 1874 Scranton traveled to Europe to study the new Bessemer process for making steel ties, which was being used by England, France and Germany; it had been developed in England by Henry Bessemer. From 1866 to 1877, eleven Bessemer mills were licensed in the United States.Thomas J. Misa, A Nation of Steel: The Making of Modern America, 1865–1925 (1995): chapter on Holley and Bessemer process online In 1876 Scranton built a new mill at the Lackawanna works for the Bessemer method. As a result, it "doubled capacity and quadrupled its output." The company became one of the top producers of steel in the United States.
