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120 BJÖRNEBORGS JÄRNVERKS AKTIEBOLAG
after the founding of the Works, a bear, while pursuing a cow, entered the forge and was
killed wrestling with the bar-iron hammer.
The production of the newly founded works was principally bar iron. The
raw material for this, i. e., pig iron, was probably bought from the blastfurnaces in
the district north and north west of Björneborg. At that time, in granting licences
för iron works, the State followed the principle that the woods in the mining districts
should be reserved for the neighbouring mines and blastfurnaces, while the bar iron
forges should be situated farther away from the woods. As Björneborg was located
about forty miles from the nearest mine - which was then, as well now,
Dalkarls-berg - it may be supposed that its situation pleased the Crown authorities very
much indeed.
The Works passed from the founder, partly by inheritance and partly by purchase,
to his son-in-law^, Lieutenant Colonel Niklas Nordensvärd, who died without issue in
1762. The latter’s nephews, Johan and Olov Nordenfelt, took over the Björneborg
Works, and they remained in the Nordenfelt family until the beginning of the " nineties ".
This family has, therefore, had great influence on the fortunes of the Works. The great
critical period for the Swedish iron-works was in the "sixties," "seventies" and
"eighties". Hundreds of Swedish iron works were then closed as they could not keep
pace with modern developments. When one considers that, in the province of Vermland,
the number of forges in 1666 was 43 and, about a century later, more than double
that number, while, at present there are in the same province only 6 works which
refine pig-iron, one is inclined to ask how it is that Björneborg, with its heavy ore
freights and no very large supply of water-power, should be one of these chosen
few. We believe that, to a large extent, this is to be credited to the Nordenfelt
family, as, thanks to their splendid technical and financial management, the Works
stood on a very solid foundation at the critical periods, and when, in 1871, the
main north western railway line was extended to pass Björneborg, the continued
existence of the Works was assured as well as the development into a large industrial
concern, a development resembling that experienced by the majority of the Swedish iron
works now in existence. It is, as a matter of fact, from the period immediately
succeeding the extension of the railway that the establishment of the Works in their
modern form dates.
In 1895-98 the works were owned by The Bofors-Gullspång Company, Ltd. In
the latter year the ownershap was transferred to the present owners, the Björneborg
Iron Works Co., Ltd., formed in that year.
The present manager of the Company is Captain Henrik Nordenfelt.
We shall now proceed to give an account of the most important products of the
Works.
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