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Magnificent Men of Steam

A History of the Forefathers of the Steam Engine

By

Jason Butler  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

All rights reserved, no part of this publication may be produced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying or otherwise, without the written prior 

permission of the of the author. 

First published in 2009 © 

Copyright © 2009 

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MAGNIFICENT MEN OF STEAM

Contents

   

    Foreword                 page 5.

1: Heron of Alexandria:          page 7.

2: Blasco de Garay:             page 11.

3: Taqi al-Din Muhammad ibn Ma'ruf:    page 13.

4: Giambattista Della Porta:        page 15.

5: Salomon de Caus:            page 17.

6: Giovanni Branca:            page 19. 

7: David Ramseye:            page 20.

8: John Wilkins:              page 21.

9: Edward Somerset

the Second Marquis of Worcester:     page 23.

10: Otto von Guericke:            page 25.

11: Sir Samuel Morland:          page 28.

12: Olly vs Charlie:            page 32.

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13: Christiaan Huygens:          page 33.

14: Jean Hautefeuille:            page 35.

15: Denis Papin:              page 36. 

16: Thomas Savery:            page 40.

17: Thomas Newcomen:          page 46.

18: Jacob Leupold:                        page 50. 

19: Henry Beighton:                        page 52.

20:John Theophilus Desaguliers:       page 53. 

21: John Smeaton:             page 56.

22: James Watt:            page 58.     

23: Matthew Boulton:            page 64. 

24: William Murdoch:          page 68. 25: The Hornblower Family:        page 73.

26: Edward Cartwright: page 75. 

27: Matthew Murray:            page 77.

28: Richard Trevithick:            page 81.

29: William Hedley: page 89.  

30: George Stephenson: page 94.

31: Robert Stephenson:          page 101.

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Magnificent Men of Steam 

A history of the forefathers of the steam Engine

When I was asked to write a book about the history of steam engines, I immediately thought: well, what can be said that has not already been said (or printed). There are many books explaining steam engines and its uses; from Herons toy through to the advanced steam turbines of today. One can find writings and texts about the advancements of steam way back as early as the seventeenth century, maybe even earlier and many make for a fascinating read.

Many of these books have been translated into different languages, simply because the working mechanisms of steam has had such a global impact, the interest shown from people across the world is quite astounding. Then again, maybe not; the steam engine has for all intents and purposes completely changed the world. Within the past two hundred and fifty years, man has gone from riding horse back (which he had travelled on for thousands of years) to flying rockets to the moon. Such speedy advancements, have only been possible since the industrial revolution was kick started by the steam engine in late seventeenth century Great Britain.

It was while doing research for this book that I came upon the belief that not only was there many great minds behind these steam engines, but there were also many amazing personalities too. Upon closer inspection of what each individual inventor had brought to the party, I found that each had their own life story to tell too.

During the earlier years, information concerning some of these great and industrious people can be a little vague, though this can be put down to the passage of time and sometimes by the deliberate actions of their competitors.

In this book (the first in a series of three) we take a look at their lives, achievements and goals. As the practical uses of the steam engine were realized, so was the potential to make money and become famous.

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Like most fantastic inventions, the steam engine cannot be credited to one man. Every great and completed invention is a combination of many smaller accomplishments a cumulativeness that not one man could rally in a single lifetime. Many times the use of steam had been suggested; many times it was ignorantly rejected. Many men went to their graves cursing humanity, cursing the fact that they (the inventor) was ahead of their time.

 

Here in Part I of a three part series: we cover the time between Heron of Alexandria through to Robert Stephenson.

Taking a look at their lives, their loves and their inventions; this book has been clearly and entertainingly written, for those not only with a love of steam engines, a love of history too.

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Heron of Alexandria:

eron (Heron Alexandrinus) was a mathematician, engineer and inventor; he is believed to have lived between the years 10-70 AD of

the first century. There is some speculation as to when exactly he did live. This is due largely to a misinterpretation of when the first century began. It is not quite known whether Heron was Greek or Egyptian as most of his works were written in Greek (a not uncommon practice in Egypt at this time).

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It is now widely accepted, that Heron taught at the Musaeum of Alexandria – an ancient museum which housed the famous library of Alexandria (founded by the great Ptolemy dynasty). This was deduced by the fact that most of his discovered writings are on the lectures of mathematics, pneumatics and physics; seemingly they were lessons he was giving to his pupils at the time.

Alexandria is an Egyptian city situated on the Mediterranean Sea. This ancient city was founded by Alexandra the Great in the year 332BC. The City of Alexandria became the most civilized city on Earth and whose population included the most intelligent and erudite men of the time; the city became extremely prosperous as it was also the commerce centre of the world.

Heron has been credited with the writings of:-

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Automata: A description of a mechanism that enabled Temple doors to be opened by mechanical means.

Catoptrica: The description of light reflection using mirrors.

Mechanica: Writings on how to move heavy objects using gears.

Belopoeica: Writings on war machines, such as a stone and arrow throwing devices.

He is also accredited with Herons formula; a formula for finding an area of a triangle from the length of its sides.

He invented many things for the Greek theatre. Using his expertise in mechanics, he engineered an entire play which was powered by a binary like system of ropes, knots and machines which were all operated by a rotating cog-wheel.

The wind wheel operating an organ quite possibly the first evidence of a wind turbine operating machinery.

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He formulated the principle of the shortest path of light. He stated that a ray of light propagates from point A to point B within the same medium, and the path length followed will be the shortest possible route.

The first ever vending machine can be traced back to Heron. This was used to dispense holy water, by dropping a coin into a slot, the coin then dropped onto a pan and the weight of the coin released water until the coin fell from the pan.

The Aeolipile (translated means, ball of air), was Heron’s most famous invention, it was the first recorded steam engine/turbine. The Aeolipile was really only a toy for Herons amusement and it was never given the credit it fully deserved; not until more modern times anyhow. There is a theory that if this device had been used to its full potential, the industrial age, may have come about a thousand years earlier.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Heron’s Aeolipile

Although the Aeolipile has more in common with the modern Jet engine than it has with a steam engine, such ingenuity is worthy of a mention, even if it was not fully realized at the time.

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The Aeolipile (as seen above) was a hollowed sphere and made air tight, it was mounted on a pair of hollow legs that provided steam from a hot cauldron beneath. The actual steam was released from the sphere by several small tubes on opposing sides. The force with which the steam emanated from these tubes caused the sphere to revolve, thus using steam for a revolving motion. This was the first known apparatus using heat energy and transforming it into a mechanical energy.

One of the most surprising points here is that although steam has been on Planet Earth occurring naturally for at least all the time as man has been witness to, is that he never made any use of it, other than a toy. Surely, if humankind could kick itself, then a good kicking would ensue.

There are only a handful of snippets in the history books proving that the power of steam had not been lost forever.

It is stated that in the year 1120 AD, in a town by the name of Rheims (now Reims), France, in a small church there was a musical organ which had been operated by escaping air which had been heated.

Leonardo Da Vinci, Agostino Ramelli and Matthesius all mentioned the possibilities of steam in their writings.

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Blasco de Garay: 1550 -1552

n 1543 a forty three year old Spanish Navy captain by the name of Blasco de Garay, was reported to have used steam to propel a two hundred ton

ship in the port of Barcelona. Witnesses to this event were ‘Don Pedro de Cordova’ who was the treasurer Ragado; the Governor ‘Don Henry de Toledo’ and possibly even King Charles V of Spain was in the Spanish port that day to see the very first ship ‘Trinity’ (Trinity was originally used as a cargo ship to transport corn to the cities of Spain), powered by steam.

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Not much is known of the workings of this vessel, as such inventions were kept top secret in those days; however it is known that there were huge paddle wheels suspended over the sides of the ship which were powered by a large copper boiler which contained boiling water.

It is still under much debate, whether Garay actually used steam to move this vessel, as there is very little information available on the workings of the methods used for its propulsion. It would have been extremely difficult for a single boiler to create enough steam to power the huge paddles. Although it was mentioned that the vessel contained boiling water and the experiment was opposed by the treasurer, stating that it was dangerous and that the experiment was complicated and extremely expensive.

The following account was furnished for publication by the superintendent of the Spanish Archives.

Blasco de Garay, a captain in the navy, proposed in 1543, to the emperor and king, Charles the fifth, a machine to propel large boats and ships, even in calm, without oars or sails.

In spite of his impediments and the opposition which this project met with, The Emperor ordered a trail to be made of it in the port of Barcelona, which in fact took place on the 17th June 1543.

Garay would not explain the particulars of his discovery: it was evident however during the experiment that it consisted of a large copper {vessel} of boiling water in moving wheels attached to the side of the ship.

The experiment was tried on a ship of two hundred tons, called The Trinity, which came from Colibre to discharge a cargo of corn at Barcelona of which Peter de Scarza was captain.

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By orders of Charles the fifth, Don Henry Toledo, the governor, Don Pedro Cordova the treasurer, Ravago and Vice Chancellor and intendant of Catalonia witnessed the experiment.

In reports made to the Emperor and the Prince, this ingenious invention was approved, particularly on the account of the promptness and facility with which the ship was made to go about.

The treasurer Ravago, an enemy to the project, said the vessel could be propelled two leagues in three that the machine was complicated and expensive and there would be an exposure to danger in case the boiler should burst.

The other commissioners affirmed that the vessel tacked with the same rapidity as a galley maneuvered in the ordinary way and went at least a league an hour.

In spite of Ravago’s opposition, the invention was approved and if the expedition in which Charles the fifth was then engaged not prevented, he would no doubt have encouraged it.

Nevertheless, the emperor promoted the inventor one grade, made him a present of two hundred thousand maravedis and ordered the expense to be paid out of the treasury and granted him many other favours.

There is little doubt, that at the time, the Spanish would have had the resources and technology to perform such an experiment. Therefore Blasco De Garay unless further proof is adduced, will be regarded as the inventor of the first steam vessel and that the steam vessel was invented in Spain.

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Taqi al-Din Muhammad ibn Ma'ruf al-Shami al-Asadi: 1520 -1585

aqi al-din was from Damascus, he was an author of many texts, some of which still survive today. He worked, for a time, as a judge in

Damascus and then in Cairo and also Nablus, Palestine. He excelled in astrology, astronomy, while being a keen mathematician, engineer and inventor.

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Amongst other things, he is also credited with inventing the first ever alarm clock, the first spring powered astronomical clock and the first watch to measure in minutes and seconds.

He was commissioned as an astronomer for the Ottoman Empire in Istanbul, Turkey. He set up an observatory there, which was biggest of its kind. Several months after its completion, Taqi al din witnessed a comet and thinking that it was some kind of astrological omen, he predicted Great Ottoman military victory.

It is obvious that Taqi was a fantastic scholar; however, his astrological predictions were occasionally off the mark. And, this was one of those occasions, as thousands of Ottoman troops were massacred. The Sultan as punishment, withdrew all funds for the observatory and Taqi was counting the minutes and seconds on his new clock while the Sultan decided his fate.

 

It is found in his writings in the book titled ‘al-saniyya fi al-alat al-ruhaniyya’ (The Sublime Methods of Spiritual Machines) in which he describes the workings of a steam engine.

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Here (translated into English) is what Taqi said in his writings of 1551 AD

The making of a spit, which carries meat over a fire, so that it will rotate by itself, and without the power of an animal. This was made by people in several ways, and one of these is to have at the end of the spit a wheel with vanes, and opposite the wheel place a hollow pitcher made of copper with a closed head and full of water. Let the nozzle of the pitcher be opposite the vanes of the wheel. Kindle fire under the pitcher and steam will issue from its nozzle in a restricted form and it will turn the vane wheel. When the pitcher becomes empty of water bring close to it cold water in a basin and let the nozzle of the pitcher dip into the cold water. The heat will cause all the water in the basin to be attracted into the pitcher and the [the steam] will start rotating the vane wheel again.”

The Steam Jack

In the sixteenth century it was also written that there was some knowledge of the power of steam, stating the ease of which a vacuum can be made and by using condensation in certain facilities. These writings were made by Hieronymus Cardan. There were several other great minds that were studying the applications and workings of steam power at this time including.

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Giambattista Della Porta: 1535 -1615

n Italian of Neapolitan nobility; he was educated with his two brothers privately at home. Porta’s father, Nardo was in service to Emperor

Charles the fifth of Spain. Nardo Porta had a huge appetite for learning and made sure his sons would also benefit from a good education. Many esteemed men, including: philosophers, mathematicians, poets and musicians were invited to the Porta family home; which was more of an academy and library for his sons. This encouraged the young boys, Giambattista especially, to become scholars of notability.

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He wrote 17 plays in his life time. Porta’s time was split between scientific research and the dark arts –what is now known as the art of magic. In 1580 he was denounced before the Inquisition and ordered to give up this love of the dark arts. It is has been acknowledged that he worked on the parabolic mirror and quite possibly magnifying glasses, which may of lead to the false claims that he invented the telescope.

He published a book in 1606 on raising water by the force of the air. Porta’s diagram above shows water being driven out of the tank by hot air. The air which was heated, forced the water out of the pipe. A boiler was fitted to the tank and the bent pipe vented into the external air. A fire was lit underneath, and as the generated steam rose into the top part of the tank, the pressure exerted on the surface of the water drove it out through the bent pipe.

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Porta called this his steam fountain, though this contraption was never applied to any practical use, it must go down in history as a successful experiment with steam. Although steam had yet to be used practically, it was clearly evident, that throughout Europe the advancements of steam technology were gathering pace.

Porta’s Steam Fountain   

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Salomon de Caus: 1576 -1626

e Caus hailed from Normandy, France; he was schooled in England, where he excelled in architecture and engineering. Due to his religious

beliefs he spent most of his life in exile, he travelled extensively throughout Europe including Italy, Germany and Spain. He gained knowledge of water schemes and devices and it was these water appliances for which he was renowned.

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De Caus was asked to come to England by King James I. The king had two children, Henry and Elizabeth and De Caus was employed primarily as drawing master to the king’s two young children. The young Prince of Wales was a sickly boy and lived most of his short life at Richmond London. The Prince loved nothing more than playing outside in the gardens of Richmond. With his mesmerizing water displays De Caus would entertain the young heir to the throne in the same gardens. And, this is also where De Caus is thought to have discovered the raising of water by using steam. He discovered that water could be shot up by the expansion of steam.

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In 1615 De Caus published a book titled ‘Les Raisons des Forces Mouvantes’ in which he claimed, that when aided by heat, water will raise higher than its source. As seen in the diagram above. This apparatus consisted of a metal container, which was filled partially with water and had a metal pipe inserted into it. When placed over fire, steam was formed inside and was driven up and out by force through the vertical pipe.  

A de Caus Water attraction

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Giovanni Branca: 1571 - 1645

n Italian engineer and architect, Branca was employed as a renaissance engineer at the Sacra Casa (Virgin’s Holy House). He also

worked for the local government and was a land administrator for the Sacra Casa, where he would take care of its many properties.

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He specialized in designing and inventing mechanical devices for heavy work. He published a book called ‘Le Machine,’ in which he explains how a steam engine could be used, although he never actually built the device, he has been credited (albeit only in certain quarters) with designing the first true steam engine.

Branca was credited mostly for is the idea of the Stamping Mall, which uses the same concept as the steam turbines of today. As the diagram below shows, the water was heated in the vessel. As the temperature increased, the steam was forced out of the pipe and in doing so turned the mechanism. Branca thought that this device could be used in many different ways. He was made a citizen of Rome in 1622.

 

 

 

Branca’s Steam Turbine

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David Ramseye:

n 1630 Ramseye was granted a patent by Charles I for several items which included (written in olde English): I

1. A machine to raise water from low paths by fire.

2. To make any sort of mills to grow on standing waters by continual motion, without help of wind, water, or horse.

3. To make boats, ships, and barges to grow against strong wind and tide.

4. To raise water from low places, mines, and coal paths, in a way never yet in use.

This patent stood for 14 years…….

In the early days of its progress the steam engine was known as the Fire engine.

In the early 1630’s there were also patents given to Thomas Grant and Edward Ford; these patents were for, moving ships against the wind by some new and great force. One speculates as to whether the word was reaching far and wide the tremendous effect steam may ultimately have on the world. As it seems, many in the know or those with a good business brain tried to make a patent for anything that steam may be able to put in motion. It did seem the word was out and money could be made.

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John Wilkins: 1614 - 1672

orn in the town of Fawsley, Northamptonshire; John Wilkins was educated at Magdalen Hall Oxford (later known as Hertford College).

His father was a watchmaker and goldsmith and his grandfather was a vicar. The way of the church was a path that the young Wilkins would also follow.

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Wilkins had a wide range of knowledge and he was intellectually superior to most of his peers. He was the only person to have headed a college at both Oxford and Cambridge universities. It was while studying at oxford, that he regularly assembled a group of fellow students, scientists and philosophers; this group would later become known as The Royal Society.

Wilkins was the chief founder and became its first secretary. He made many contributions to the field of science and philosophy. He wrote: ‘The discovery of a world in the moon,’ in which he describes that flight and space travel may be possible and that one day man may colonize the moon. His book ‘Mercury, or the Secret and Swift Messenger’ was described as the first book in English on cryptology. 

As mentioned previously Wilkins was a religious man and became vicar in his local town of Fawsley; he was also chaplain to many aristocrats including: Lord Saye and Prince Charles Louis (who was nephew to Charles I). He also held other roles within the church, including Vicar of St Lawrence, Vicar of Polebrook, and finally he was made Bishop of Chester.

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He went on to become warden of Wadham College, Oxford. During this time the college became very affluent and successful. Wilkins married the sister of Oliver Cromwell, Robina. This union certainly ruffled a few royal feathers; as they were the same royals that had previously placed several princes into his care. After Cromwell’s death, his son Richard, appointed Wilkins as master of Trinity College, Cambridge. However, when the monarchy was restored and Richard forced to abdicate, Wilkins was also removed from this post due to the fact of who he was married too.

 

In one of his books ‘Mathematical Logic’ he wrote:-

“of things as familiar and useful pieces of apparatus, and describes them as consisting " of some such material as may endure the fire, having a small hole at which they are filled with water, and out of which (when the vessels are heated) the air doth issue forth with a strong and lasting violence." “They are," the bishop adds, " frequently used for the exciting and contracting of heat in the melting of glasses or metals. They may also be contrived to be serviceable for sundry other pleasant uses, as for the moving of sails in a chimney corner, the motion of which sails may be applied to the turning of a spit, or the like."

Wilkins last few years were served as the Bishop of Chester, he would often be found in London and it was there were he in 1672 died, possibly of liver failure.

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Edward Somerset

the Second Marquis of Worcester: 1601 - 1667

orn into nobility; the only son of Henry Somerset ‘The 1st Marquis of Worcester.’ Edward’s innovations marked the beginning of a new age

of practical application for the steam engine; he was the first to use a steam mechanism productively. Edward was an extremely wealthy (which was mainly due to inheritance), educated and industrious man. However, this wealth would not last, as the civil war would take it toll on the family’s wealth. He was described as a patient, skillful mechanic with a persistent and creative mind.

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In a book title ‘A Century of the Names and Scantlings of Inventions by me already practiced.’ One of the inventions mentioned in this book was regarding an apparatus for raising water by steam. He never actually marketed this idea -not through lack of trying, more through lack of funds - it was put to use by creating a large scale model for the removal of water. The invention was first tried at Raglands Castle, South Wales. About the time of 1665 and several years later it was moved to Vauxhall, London.

Worcester never gave up hope of marketing his idea and spent what was left of his fortune on marketing his ideas to the public. It seems, however, he may have been a little ahead of his time as the public could not see the point in these new contraptions. Even after his death, his wife continued in

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trying to secure its introduction, again without success. However his legacy remains, and he is seen in many eyes as the first inventor of the steam engine. However this has been disputed in some quarters, some even calling him all talk and no action. Edward died a poor man and he would not be the only steam innovator to do so.

 

 Somerset’s Apparatus for Raising Water by Steam 

 

 

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Otto von Guericke: 1602 - 1686

orn in Magdeburg, Germany; Otto von Guericke’s family were an extremely wealthy family, owning many properties in and around the

city of Magdeburg. B

Otto attended the local school of Magdeburg; he received additional private education at home. By the age of fifteen he joined the faculty of Arts at the Leipzig University. Just after his sixteenth birthday his family moved him to Helmstedt University to study the philosophy of law and science. His time was cut short there as he was called back home due to the death of his father. Several years later he went on to study at the Leiden University in the Netherlands, where he enjoyed mathematics, Mechanics and geometry.

Otto’s contribution to the evolution of the steam engine was the improvement and understanding of the vacuum pump. He disproved the theory that nature abhorred a vacuum. For centuries, this had been a huge problem for scientists. Otto thus proved, that’s substances were not pulled by a vacuum, but that they were actually pushed by the surrounding fluids.

Otto produced a cylinder with a closed fitting piston which he fixed in a vertical position. By a rope and pulley twenty men effortlessly raised the piston to the top of the cylinder. Otto had earlier prepared a large hollow sphere from which he had removed the air. When the sphere was attached to the cylinder the atmospheric pressure pushed the piston down, which was in spite of the twenty men trying to restrain it. Thus proving the

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atmosphere was a potential source of energy, although a vacuum was needed to make use of its power.

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Twenty Men Raising the Piston

Otto had several successes; he applied the barometer to predict the weather, paving the way for meteorology. He also worked with static electricity. He invented the first electric generator, which produced power by creating static electricity by applying friction in the machine. He used a large sulphur ball inside a glass globe, the ball was rotated by a crank, and electric sparks were produced when a gauze pad was rubbed against it. Once the ball was removed from the glass globe, it could be used for electrical experiments.

Otto moved to Hamburg to live the last few years of his life with his son. He died peacefully in1686. His son returned Otto’s body to Magdeburg for the burial. There is a monument to him in the square of his home town and later a university was named in his honour; The Otto von Guericke University of Magdeburg.

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Sir Samuel Morland: 1625 - 1695

orn at Sulham Bannister; Berkshire; Samuel Morland was educated at Winchester School; he continued his education at The Magdalene

College, Cambridge, where he studied mathematics and Latin. It was there where he first met and became life long acquaintances with Samuel Pepys.

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After leaving Cambridge, Morland joined the public diplomatic service where he took part in public affairs. Morland was a zealous supporter of the Parliamentarian party, he was sent as part of Mr. Whitlocke’s entourage to visit the Queen of Sweden. The purpose of the visit was to create an alliance between the royal houses of Sweden and those of the new regime under Cromwell.

He was an excellent diplomat, being described by his peers as a fine scholar, fluent in the Latin tongue, very respectful, a superb mechanic and a very modest man.

After his return from Sweden, so impressed was Cromwell by Moorlands’ accomplishments, he sent him to remonstrate with the Duke of Savoy over

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the cruelties inflicted by Savoy upon the sect of the Waldenses (a French Christian movement).

Savoy had previously massacred a large number of the sect and Cromwell being disgusted at such a barbaric act refused to sign a treaty with France, unless, the Waldenses received some form of Justice. Cromwell, positioned British gun boats along the French coast as a threat to Savoy. Savoy begrudgingly obliged, but not without much intervention and smooth talking from the ever increasingly skilled diplomat Morland.

Morland was ordered to stay in Geneva taking the post of the English resident, and assisting the Rev. Dr. John Pell, whom at the time was the resident ambassador to the Swiss Cantons. Their work involved distribution of any charities sent from England for the relief of the beleaguered Waldenses.

During his stay in Geneva, Morland took minutes, procured records and attestations in order to compile a correct historic view of the Waldenses plight. The book was published two years later, titled ‘The History of the Evangelical Churches of the Valleys of Piemont.' The book endeared him further to Oliver Cromwell, he also received the thanks of a government select committee; the committee had been appointed by Cromwell to inquire into the proceedings of the massacre. However, the book would haunt Morland later in life.

When Morland returned home, he was recommended as assistant to John Thurloe (Thurloe being, official secretary of espionage) and it was here at the Thurloe offices, where Morland narrowly escaped with his life. While pretending to be asleep at his desk, he overheard a meeting between Thurloe, Cromwell and Richard Willis regarding the intended assassination of King Charles II and his Brother the Duke of York.

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The royal brothers were to be enticed back to England under the false pretences that many of their supporters wanted to see Charles re-establishment as the King of England. After their arrival by boat from France, the brothers were to land on a Sussex beach and instead of being met by their supporters, instead were to be met by Cromwell and his men and murdered.

Cromwell learned of Morland’s presence at the office and threatened to kill him there and then. However, Thurloe assured Cromwell that that there was little chance Morland had overheard their cunning plan, Thurloe explained to Cromwell how Morland had not slept for three nights due to his hectic workload. When the King eventually returned to power; this would turn out to be a huge mistake.

Morland not only feared for his life but he became disillusioned and disheartened by the whole approach of Cromwell’s rise to power, and consequently he turned double agent.

Eventually Morland got word to the King of this terrifying plot, thus saving Charles’s life. As a result, he gained the kings sincere gratitude and after Cromwell’s death and the kings’ return to power, Morland was made a Baron and Master Mechanic to the crown. The heads of Thurloe and Willis were to decorate the palace railings.

Morland moved to the Vauxhall area of London, he lived very close to where the now deceased Edward Somerset, the Second Marquis of Worcester had lived. It is thought Morland must have been very familiar with Somerset’s work, as most of Morland’s workings with steam were of a similar nature to that of the late Somerset’s.

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Raising water by steam was always Morland’s goal. He invented a machine that used gunpowder in order to create a vacuum; this machine was seen as the very first combustion engine.

Morland did construct a steam pump that used pistons, which enable him to raise water from the River Thames to Windsor Castle. And, in doing so impressed the king so much that he was commissioned to do work for the Kings cousin, King Louis XIV of France; where he produced pumps and pumping apparatus for the French Royal Court.

Back in England, his pumps were used for industrial and maritime establishments. They were so efficient they could be used to drain water from ponds, wells and mines. He applied for a patent for one of his steam engine pumps but the engine failed.

He invented many different contraptions, including the first speaking trumpet (a kind of megaphone), an adding machine, and a capstan (a rotating cylinder) which could be used for moving heavy weights and hauling in ropes on ships.

Without doubt, Samuel Morland lived an extremely fascinating life, as a diplomat, an agent, a double agent and later in life as a very productive and successful mechanic and inventor. However, his days working for Cromwell and the parliamentarian party weighed heavily on his shoulders. He asked for the forgiveness of Archbishop Tenison, presumably for the book he wrote for Cromwell, with regard to the Waldenses cause (which he later denounced). It was these writings that lead to his excommunication. He also had the account of his life read before the King; seemingly in search of absolution.

For the remaining part of his life he moved to Hammersmith in London; he lost his sight three years before his death in1695.

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Olly vs Charlie

liver Cromwell is not a name that one would necessarily associate with the history of steam engines. However, it must be mentioned that

England, would most certainly not have been at the forefront of the technological advancements which were being made at the time, had Cromwell’s pursuit of Charles II been as successful as his quest to dethrone and execute Charles’s father, Charles I, things may have been rather different.

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It was King Charles II who helped in the funding and development of The Royal Society; he was Patron of the arts and science. Charles took a very active role in the society’s setup and funding. He was also very interested in mathematics, mechanics, chemistry, and natural history. He also had his own laboratory set up at his palace. Charles other interests were in naval architecture and navigation. He dedicated much of his time in determining the best timbers and designs for his ships and the development of his navy.

It is doubted that such rapid advancements made by England regarding steam at this time would have been possible had it not been for Charles II. England really started moving forward at a pace that the rest of Europe found increasingly difficult to keep up with. More and more foreign architects, inventors and mechanics travelled to England in order to use the facilities that were being made available for the sciences.

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Christiaan Huygens: 1629 -1695

orn in the Hague Netherlands; Huygens was once described as the greatest mechanic of the seventeenth century. He proposed that

Saturn was surrounded by gaseous rings and he was also the first man to detect that Saturn had a moon, which he named Saturni Luna,(What he saw in the sky with one of his own telescopes was the moon more commonly known as ‘Titan,’ which is the largest of Saturn’s moons, and was renamed many years later by John Herschel).Huygens also was the first man to observe and sketch ‘The Orion Nebula’ a section of the Nebula was named after him.

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His favoured line of work was astrology and for this kind of work an excellent timepiece is a must. Though not a watch maker by trade, he did have several successes and managed to patent the first ever pendulum clock, thus increasing the reliability of time keeping in the seventeenth century. He was also an excellent maker of telescopic lenses, he designed a new technique for grinding and polishing lenses; and accordingly received much praise from his peers in the field of astrological science.

In early 1661 he visited London bringing with him his new telescope. He was invited to show it to The Royal Society and as a result proved that his telescope was far superior to anything being used in England at that time. He even met with the Duke and Duchess of York and he showed them the night sky through his new lenses, they were duly impressed with their observations of Saturn: he was elected to the Royal Society shortly after.

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During his time in England he worked alongside the likes of esteemed men such as Robert Hooke, Sir Christopher Wren and Edmund Halley. Together they formulated the inverse-square law of gravitational attraction.

Later on in his life, he even found time to experiment with internal combustion. He conducted several experiments using gunpowder and put forward a paper where he describes; ‘expansive force of gunpowder as capable of utilization and portable mechanical power.’

He also drew up many significant sketches for the possibilities of engines. These diagrams are of most interest, as they are the first ever sketched drawings that show a cylinder and a piston, although more in common with the combustion engine -as gunpowder was to be used. The cylinder and Piston were very common in the workings of the steam engine. Huygens and his assistant Denis Papin tried the experiment using gunpowder to expel the air from a cylinder in order to create a vacuum, but this was deemed impractical.

 One of Huygens Sketches

After he was elected to The Royal Society, Huygens moved to Paris and at the request of King Louis XIV was awarded a position at the French Academy of Science. It was here that he carried out many more astrological observations. In 1681 Huygens suffered a serious health condition and move back to The Hague. After a few years recuperation he decided to move back to Paris, however the Edict of Nantes stop this idea in its tracks. In the year 1695 Huygens died in The Hague.

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Jean Hautefeuille: 1647 -1724

orn in Orleans, France; Hautefeuille was adopted shortly after birth by the Duchess of Poullion. He was a Physicist and Mechanic.

Hautefeuille was fascinated with time pieces and is credited with replacing the pendulum (as was commonly used at the time) with a spiral spring and balance wheel with which to control clocks. He also invented the Thalassameter (a device used for measuring the tidal movements of the sea). He was involved in several disputes with Christian Huygens regarding who actually invented the Spiral spring; many years later it was proved beyond all doubt, that neither man had invented this new device, and the honour went to English inventor Robert Hooke.

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It is thought, that Hautefeuille, was rather an impatient man and rarely saw his inventions through, preferring to turn his eye to newer pursuits as very few of his ideas actually saw the light of day. However, he is recognized as the man who suggested the use of a piston in a heat engine.

He also proposed the idea of making a gun powder engine; this engine is now considered to be closely linked with today’s internal combustion engine -again more controversy with his rival Huygens. But whether he actually built this -or any other- machine is very much doubted, though he does take credit for it in certain quarters.

In one of his experiments using a gun powder engine, he displaced the atmosphere with the gases produced by the explosion; the vacuum which occurred was utilized in raising water by the air pressure. In another of these experiments, he actually found a way for the air pressure to be utilized in the driving of a piston.

He was at odds with the Paris Academy of Science, although they valued his opinion and the usefulness of his discoveries, they never elected him as a member. Whether this had anything to do with his grievances with Huygens will probably remain a mystery. In 1724, Hautefeuille died in Orleans

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Denis Papin: 1647 - 1712  

orn in Blois, (coincidentally, the same year as Jean Hautefeuille) Papin was a French Inventor, Mathematician and Physicists, he was a pupil

of Christiaan Huygens -the highly esteemed Dutch scientist- in his earlier years of learning. He went on to help the great Dutch man in many of his studies and it was while working with Huygens that he developed a keen interest in the workings of steam and vacuums.

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After moving to London in 1675, Papin collaborated with several other well respected scientists, including Robert Boyle (while working closely with Boyle, Papin invented the double air pump and the air gun) and Robert Hooke and it was during his time in London that Papin invented the steam digester.

The digester was a food pressure cooker and the first of its kind to have a safety valve fitted. This valve allowed the excess pressure to escape before it became dangerous (he has since been credited with the invention of the safety valve).

Papin’s Steam Digester

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Papin applied his knowledge to one of Huygens gun powder engine models which he modified to use steam. He used steam in a cooling chamber to create a vacuum which would propel water upwards. Papin claimed his new machine would be very useful in clearing water from mines, stating that it may also be useful for the propulsion of ships.

Examples of Papin’s Steam Pistons

He produced the first ‘piston’ steam engine that used condensation to secure a vacuum. Another of his creations was a series of boilers of increasing efficiency and he proposed their use in ship engineering, where

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they may be used to drive large ships propelled by paddles. They could also be used in large textile and fabrication mills.

Papin was obviously an extraordinary scientist and was well revered. However, respect and talent alone does not pay the bills. There was great rivalry between the scientists of the day, motivations such as financial reward and prestige, are just a few reasons why this business had become cutthroat. Papin was very unfortunate and did not get the credit or fiscal rewards he so obviously deserved, needless to say he died homeless and destitute.

Papin’s Second Steam Engine

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A Steam Water Wheel Created by Papin

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Thomas Savery: 1650 - 1712

orn into a well known Devonshire family in the town Modbury, England. Thomas Savery showed from an early age a keen curiosity for

mechanisms. A well educated military man, he rose to the rank of captain although little else is known of his time in the forces. Although apparently on one occasion, he was thrown out of the admiralty’s office and accused of lunacy, which due to his proposal that a ship could be propelled by large side mounted paddles, rather than by sails and manpower.

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Unperturbed by this, he carried on regardless and patented many new inventions. These included a paddle wheel system which was driven by a capstan and to be used to propel vessels in calmer seas. He also patented a machine for polishing plate glass.

He then turned his attention in the direction of the steam engine. Savery had studied the works of many previous inventors, and learned much from their past mistakes. He was also an established writer, and authored several books.

Savery’s most important contribution to the progression of the steam engine, was his water pump (loosely being based on Papin’s pressure cooker). Though this pump had no moving parts, the pump used the expansion and contraction of steam to create a vacuum. Thus making it

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possible for the raising of water from mines, ‘The Miners Friend’ had been born.

The water pump consisted of a boiler, a collecting chamber and two pipes. The water that was held in the chamber was heated to cause steam. The opening of the valves allowed the steam to pass into a closed chamber. The area was then cooled down to condense the steam, which then created the vacuum. The water would be sucked up replacing the vacuum and expelled through a draining pipe.

Savery’s Patent Image

These pumps (known as fire engines) although a fantastic idea, did not work so well under the pressure they were required to work at. They

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needed constant maintenance; also they could not be sealed well enough to raise water more than twenty five feet. The reason for this is when Savery used suction alone; the weight of the water would succumb to the atmospheric pressure of the surrounding air. Any deep mines would have needed several pumps to move water out.

Immediately following an audience with King William III at Hampton court Savery patented his idea.

The patent read as follows:-

"A grant to Thomas Savery of the sole exercise of a new invention by him invented, for raising of water, and occasioning motion to all sorts of mill works, by the important force of fire, which will be of great use for draining mines, serving towns with water, and for the working of all sorts of mills, when they have not the benefit of water nor constant winds; to hold for 14 years; with usual clauses."

Once he held the patent, he made no secret of the fire engine’s use and would advertise its services to anyone who would be interested in its purchase (Mine and Mill owners were a prime target for his aggressive marketing campaign); he was indeed a shrewd business man. Savery had spent an absolute fortune of his own money and so wanted reap the rewards which he felt he was entitled to.

Savery wrote a prospectus on his steam engine which was circulated throughout the country mines. The prospectus detailed the uses for his ‘fire engine’ and it also answered questions about its imperfections too.

Most deep mines employed a system where a large number of horses were deployed to haul large buckets with the help of gin wheels, in order to

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remove the water from the pit bottom. Many mines owned over five hundred horses, this system had become very expensive and time consuming especially in the up keep of the live animals.

The problems mine owners faced had gradually become much worse. The more coal that was removed from the mines meant the deeper the miners would have to dig to excavate deeper seams. Meaning more water entered the pits; many pits became inaccessible due to this problem and were closed.

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Two Examples of Savery’s Steam Engines for Raising Water

The patent which he had acquired covered any engines that were made and were to be used to ‘raise water by fire.’ This meant Savery had all machines used to raise water under his patent, forcing possibly more talented men either to work for him or with him.

Newcomen was forced to work with him, in order to develop his own more advanced steam engine, which he begrudgingly had to market under Saverys’ patent. Newcomen’s invention used a piston concept, which had been originally created by Papin. Later he successfully produced a steam engine which was able to raise water from deeper mines.

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Another Example of a Savery Engine

The fire engine was also used for supplying water to town’s, country houses and other establishments that could afford such a luxury. Though it was still used for many years in the raising of water from shallow mines it was barely cost effective and a new system needed to be found.

The Fire Engine Act did not expire until 1733, although after Savery’s death in 1715 the patent did become vested in a company titled ‘The Proprietors of the Invention for Raising Water by Fire.’

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Thomas Newcomen: 1664 - 1729

orn in Dartmouth, Devon; he was from a modest mining family so unlike many of his predecessors he never enjoyed a private education.

However, this never bothered Newcomen, the man whom many believe to be the forefather of the industrial revolution.

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Newcomen was a blacksmith and ironmonger by trade; he would travel around the mines of Devon and Cornwall (south west area of England) with his partner John Calley. They made tools and other hardware products which they would peddle to the local mine owners.

Newcomen took a keen interest in the coal mining industry, due to the fact he had been brought up close to so many mines and was well aware of the water problems it faced; and it was while on these travels that he saw an opportunity.

Being familiar with Savery’s invention and its lack of sustained power especially when operating at depth, Newcomen came up with the novel idea of a piston system. Armed with the knowledge of that of which Denis Papin had provided in his writings, he came up with the first Practical Steam Engine. Instead of using the suction caused by condensing steam, he used it to work a piston, which could raise water as high as needed.

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Newcomen and Calley built their first engine and were able to patent it in 1708; Savery was also named on the patent, where steam pumps were concerned Savery held all exclusive rights to use surface condensation. However, Newcomen’s machine was not a total sensation due to the fact that it operated very slowly.

The atmospheric engine he had designed had a slow process of condensation (due to heat loss). This caused the engine to take very long intervals between strokes. The process was in desperate need of acceleration. Soon a freak accident would kick start the industrial revolution.

One day while Newcomen was working on his engine a fortunate incident occurred. As cylinders were not accurately bored in those days, the bore of the cylinder would be quite often smoothed out by solder; water was used as an extra seal on top of the piston. Freakily, at the precise moment when the cylinder was at it highest point and being full to capacity of steam, the solder disintegrated. The water that was being used as an additional seal immediately entered the cylinder. This action instantly condensed the steam inside, which caused a sudden temperature change brought on by this cooler water. This brought the piston crashing back down with such speed and force it shocked its observers to the core.

Newcomen gradually started to realize what had happened, sifting through wreckage of his mangled machine; it had broken its attaching chain, even managing to drive itself into the boiler below. And there, in the wreckage was the answer.

All that was needed was to introduce a cool injection of water when the piston had reach its pinnacle height; thus, cooling the steam inside the cylinder and making the piston work much quicker. With a controlled water injection and a system of levers and rods the engine became self

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operating. Newcomen’s goal of making the steam engine faster and more economical had been achieved.

A Newcomen Engine

Though it was Newcomen’s idea (or accident), he never made much money out of his modification as Savery’s grip on the patent was very tight. Although, it was Thomas Newcomen who went down in the history books as the inventor of the first practical steam engine and not Savery.

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Newcomen’s steam engine had almost single handedly rescued the coal mining industry of England and Wales from going bankrupt. Mines could now operate much more cost effectively and produce more coal which was much needed in the cities and towns of England. This new technology was also introduced to factories, enabling them to use more complicated machinery than they had before; this new technology was also applied to the advancements in the manufacturing of steamboats. Before Newcomen died, he had seen over seventy of his engines installed in many mines around the country, he had even sold several overseas especially in mainland Europe. Newcomen’s idea of the steam engine changed very little, incorporating only minor advancements over the next three quarters of a century. Another example of Newcomen’s Work

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Jacob Leupold:1674 - 1727

eupold was a renowned German Mathematician, scientist and physicist. He was schooled in Latin, Theology, Astronomy and mathematics, but

from very early in his life he showed a keen interest in mechanics and it is this field where he will be remembered most. Leupold wrote: ‘Theatrum Machinarum Generale’, in translation “The General Theory of Machines.” It was the first systematic analysis of mechanical engineering.

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In 1720 Leupold wrote a manuscript detailing the first high pressure engine. Previous to this, the only use to which high pressure steam had been applied was in the formation of a vacuum. Although De Caus, Branca and Savery had proposed to use steam in this way; their machines were very wasteful with heat. His principle was that of applying highly elastic steam alternately upon two pistons; as one piston ascended the other would descend. In the diagram below, the boiler directs steam via a four way valve. Two open top cylinders contain heavy pistons that counter balance the pump buckets. They are attached to the beams by rods; the beams transfer the movement of the pistons to the two working pumps. It was a very simple design but yet worked very effectively. This design was almost eighty years ahead of its time and was not put to practical use until the early 1800s. Leupold died a relatively young man aged fifty three.

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Leupold’s Steam Pump

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Henry Beighton: 1687 - 1743

orn near Nuneaton, Warwickshire; Henry Beighton was a highly respected engineer and surveyor. After publishing an engraving of one

of Thomas Newcomen’s engines at the Oxclose colliery, Durham, it had occurred to him that maybe he could make it a little more efficient. Familiar with the engine and its working, he set about designing a system that would become known has the hand gear. Whereby, motion was given to all the cocks and levers by a rod from a beam. This newly designed engine was erected in1718. It was the engine in which a steel yard valve (that would prevent boiler failure), was introduced for the first time. Henry Beighton was also a Fellow of The Royal Society, he died in 1743.

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John Theophilus Desaguliers: 1683 -1743

orn in Rochelle, France; he was the son of a protestant clergyman. At the age of eleven, due to religious reasons, he and his family were

forced to flee their homeland. They boarded a ship bound for England where they found refuge. He was educated at Christ Church, Oxford.

B Desaguliers was an excellent lecturer and succeeded Dr. Keill in reading lectures on experimental philosophy at Hart Hall, Oxford University.  During his time at Oxford he was awarded with a Fellowship into The Royal Society and in 1734, 1736 and 1741 he was bestowed their highest honour The Copley Medal. It was while at Oxford he became the assistant of Sir Isaac Newton. Later on his life he would go on to publish several volumes of work, and in one of these writings, he explained the basics of Newton’s physics theories and their practical applications. Desaguliers was a religious man and was ordained in to the Church of England (as a priest); he later went on to become the rector of St Lawrence. He was also a Freemason, an avid collector of early Masonic texts; he was elected the third Grand Master of England. He conducted experiments with electricity. He showed that when connected to a rubbed glass tube, metal wires and string; objects could be electrified even if they are many hundreds of feet apart.

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They discovered that if the transference line between the two objects touched the ground, the current would not pass; it would however; pass when they insulated the line from the earth. They did this by suspending the line on silk threads. Desaguliers is also credited with inventing the Planetarium. He later made improvements to the design of Thomas Saverys steam engine, where by introducing a safety valve, he also designed boilers that could be heated by using steam rather than with fire. When building the replica of Savery’s engine, he noticed that it could be improved; so in his design, he used a spherical boiler and attached a safety valve similar to the one used by Papin. Attaching a smaller receiver which was one fifth of the boilers capacity, he then attached a pipe which lead water into the condensation chamber and used a sprinkling plate for its distribution. This secured the vacuum and also filled the receiver much quicker than that of Savery’s. By using a two way cock it allowed the steam to enter the receiver or if the cock was turned the other way, it allowed for the cold condensing water to pass through. The water needed to be dispersed in small droplets as this would allow rapid condensation (this was necessary for the pump to work quickly and smoothly) thus allowing for a much smaller and lighter condenser to be used.        

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A Four Way Cock The Rev. John Theophilus Desagulier’s latter years are said to have been clouded with sorrow and poverty. In the cold winter months he was plagued by gout. It has been noted that he became quite insane, some days he would dress as a harlequin, and sometimes even as a clown and it was while in one of these fits of insanity that he died.

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John Smeaton: 1724 - 1792

orn in Leeds Yorkshire; his father was an attorney whom Smeaton would later go on to work for. As a young boy he enjoyed making his

own tools even creating a lathe with which to turn wood. After leaving school Smeaton went to work for his father in his law office and after a couple of years went to university to study law. However, Law was not his forte and after he gained his fathers permission, he left to pursue his dream and found work as a mathematical instrument maker.

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He attended meetings of the Royal Society and became a fellow member in 1753. Contributing many articles to the ‘Philosophical Transactions’, he received the Copley Gold medal for experimental investigations into windmills and water mills; showing how maximum efficiency could be obtained. He also designed and constructed many water wheels. His work was far superior to anything that had been done before, and it was not until the turbine replaced the water wheel was Smeaton’s work bettered.

Around the time of 1756, Smeaton was commissioned to build the Eddystone lighthouse (to this day Eddystone is a very busy shipping route situated in the English Channel). There had been two previous lighthouses built on this site but they had been destroyed by bad weather and fire respectively. The reef in which the lighthouse was built upon was extremely hazardous to the ships that would pass by; the rocks and boulders being submerged only by a few feet of water at high tide.

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The new lighthouse was made entirely of stone; this was a completely different approach, as the two previous lighthouses had been built with stone and timber. Dovetailing the courses into each other and into the reef itself was a novel idea, thus making the lighthouse extremely sturdy. He used a technique which had last been used in Roman times; the cement consisted of ‘Hydraulic Lime’ which enabled it to set even when immersed in water. Smeaton was the very first civil engineer to investigate the workings of the steam engine, the goal of his experiments was to increase its effectiveness. After several years of trials, he finally succeeded in doubling its efficiency, thus creating the most efficient steam engine on the market until James Watt introduced his design a few years later. Smeaton’s Steam Engine Smeaton was the founder of the society of Civil Engineers. It was he who coined the term Civil Engineer to help distinguish those from the Royal Military Engineers. Smeaton died in 1792.

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  James Watt: 1736 -1819

orn in Greenock, Scotland; Greenock a small town perched on the mouth of the River Clyde and is a historical ship building Mecca. Young

James was the only surviving child of the (as his younger brother John was lost at sea when still only in his early teens) the marriage between James Watt Senior, (who was a shipbuilder, contractor and magistrate) and Agnes Muirhead (whom was from a well respected family in the area).

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As a youngster, Watt was quite a sickly child, so his parents thought it would be better for his well being to be kept away from school, where he may come into contact with more infections and illnesses common to young children. Watt was schooled at home and like many budding geniuses he had an unquenchable thirst for knowledge. Watt was lucky enough to have at his disposal a vast library, where he would be found fastidiously reading and studying. He excelled in Mathematics; he took a keen interest in Physics and Mechanics too. His mother taught him to read while his father taught him Mathematics and Writing. At the age of just six years old, he was found in his room with a piece of chalk working out a geometrical problem on the floor tiles. He showed much interest in all the sciences, but he especially enjoyed reading books on medicine and surgery. One day, for the purpose of its dissection he was caught trying to bring into the family home the head of a small child, whom had recently died of an obscure disease.

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A popular Scottish yarn about Watt’s youth speaks of a time when he was being cared for by his aunt, she apparently told the young James: “James, I never saw such an idle boy! Take a book, and employ yourself usefully; for the last half hour you have not spoken a word, but taken off the lid of that kettle and put it on again, holding now a cup and now a silver spoon over the steam, watching how it rises from the spout, and catching and counting the drops of water." Shortly after his mother’s death, the young James, still only eighteen years of age, for the purpose of learning the profession of a mathematical instrument maker departed for London. He was placed under the tuition of John Morgan who was himself a reputed mathematical and nautical instrument maker. His time under Morgan’s wing was not that of an apprentice, but as a student and these lessons did not come cheaply, Morgan charged twenty Guineas a year. Showing great care and attention to detail, he studied meticulously in London. His health started to deteriorate and after one full years studying in the capital, he reluctantly returned home. Shortly after recuperating, he moved to Glasgow where he was to look for work as a Mathematical Instrument maker. At first, he found it rather difficult to find work, which was largely based on the fact that he had not completed his apprenticeship. Watt was a dissenter, which was another contributing factor as to why many institutes would not accept him. That was, until three highly esteemed professors offered him the role of instrument maker to the University of Glasgow. Watt was given his own workshop, which was an annex to the workshop used by the three professors who had shown great faith in him.

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The names of the professors are: Joseph Black: who had earlier discovered ‘Latent Heat and its Effects on Engines.’ Robert Simson: A distinguished mathematician and Adam Smith: who was the author of ‘The Wealth of Nations.’ Watt’s friendship with Dr. Black in particular, blossomed and it is Black’s name that found its way into the history books, for his valuable contributions to the knowledge of the principles heat. Watt worked at the university for more than six years and it was during this time that he would make a name for himself. There is a popular misconception that Watt was the actual inventor of the steam engine. These misconceptions arose from his actual contributions to its development, which in some circles may have been misunderstood. The professors who employed him could have had no idea as to what the talented young Scot would ultimately accomplish. It was a professor by the name of John Robison who said: “When any difficulty arrested us in the university, we used to run to our workman. When once excited, any subject became for him a text for serious study and discoveries. He never let go his hold, until he had entirely cleared up the proposed question. One day the desired solution seemed to require that Leopold’s work on machines should be read; Watt immediately learned German. On another occasion, and for a similar reason, he rendered himself master of the Italian language.” Robison was the man who asked Watt to figure out how the steam engines of the day could be used more economically. Watt constructed his own steam engine; however, he didn’t have much success in making the machine work properly. Refusing to beaten, and in true Watt style, he read and learnt as much as there was to know about the workings of steam.

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He learnt through Dr. Black, that the university owned an original Newcomen engine. Broken, the engine had been sent down to London for repairs. Watt arranged for the engine to be brought back up to Scotland, so he could examine it first hand. While doing the repairs, he noticed that the engine was nowhere near as efficient as it could be. One of the problems being, that the engine needed to be cooled after every stroke and then reheated, which meant the engine consumed vast quantities of steam. Watt needed a way to condense the steam without cooling the cylinder. During this research into steam engines, he discovered the importance of latent heat, several years before unknowingly to him; his good friend Professor Black had discovered ‘Latent heat and its effects on engines.’ Watt studied the engine for nearly two years, then one Sunday while walking, the solution came to him.

Watt was quoted as saying: "I had gone to take a walk on a fine Sabbath afternoon, early in 1765. I had entered the green by the gate at the foot of Charlotte Street and had passed the old washing-house. I was thinking upon the engine at the time, and had gone as far as the herd's house, when the idea came into my mind that as steam was an elastic body it would rush into a vacuum, and if a communication were made between the cylinder and an exhausted vessel it would rush into it, and might be there condensed without cooling the cylinder. I then saw that I must get rid of the condensed steam and injection-water if I used a jet as in Newcomen's engine. Two ways of doing this occurred to me. First, the water might be run off by a descending pipe, if an offlet could be got at the depth of thirty-five or thirty-six feet, and any air might be extracted by a small pump. The second was to make the pump large enough to extract both water and air. . . . I had not walked farther than the golf-house when the whole thing was arranged in my mind."

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Once the cylinder had been filled with steam the valve would be opened introducing the cold condensing compartment. This steam, would condense thus creating a partial vacuum, then drawing in more steam from the cylinder which also condensed would create even greater vacuum. When most of the steam had been removed from the cylinder, the cylinder would be pulled down as a result of the vacuum not from atmospheric pressure (like that of Newcomen’s). The engine was more fuel efficient and was able to operate at much higher speed.

The pursuit to find a more efficient method for the steam engine has made many rich men poor. The steam engine had become vital to the mining industry, so whoever could find the solution to the steam engines efficiency problems, with proper marketing, would be a very rich man indeed.

A diagram of a Watt Steam Engine

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Watt was obviously a genius, but he was no business man and he certainly did not have unlimited funds at his disposal in which to pour into a patent for his new improved water pump. Dr. Black, Watts close friend helped as much as he could financially, though his funds were limited. John Roebuck (was the founder of ‘The Carron Iron works in Falkirk’), offered a much needed injection of cash which enable Watt to improve on this new fire engine and afford the patent. Acquiring the patent and trying to machine the metals that were required to build (which was a very difficult process) this new engine soon emptied Roebucks pockets and he went bankrupt, owing over one thousand pounds to Matthew Boulton. Boulton was the owner of ‘The Soho Foundry’ situated near Birmingham. He could see Roebuck would not be able afford to pay him back the money that was owed to him, so Boulton accepted Roebuck’s share in the patent. Roebuck gave up his two thirds share and the debt was cleared. Watt owned the other third and so was born, a partnership that would changed the face of the history of the Steam engine. Watt once said: ‘I would rather face a loaded cannon than settle a disputed account or make a bargain." He also understood the significance of his development. ‘I can think of nothing but this engine’, he said.

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Matthew Boulton: 1728 - 1809

oulton was the son of a successful toy maker. Boulton was a very ambitious young man and by the age of twenty one he had become

Partner and manager of his Fathers Company, he would ultimately take complete control after his father retired.

B Shortly after his father had retired Boulton went into partnership with Mr. John Fothergill and they went on to establish the famous Soho foundry. Soho foundry was built at a cost of around ten thousand pounds (a huge some of money for the time). The building was three stories high and possessed offices, workshops, showrooms and stores it even possessed accommodation for the workers. Boulton was a visionary and a man of honour, he was respected by his peers and workers alike, and he refused point blank to employ children to work in his factory(a common practice of the day). He also introduced a kind of social insurance system, where by his employees paid a small percentage of their wage in to a fund and should they fall ill or get injured, they would still receive a substantial part of their wages. His factory was renowned world wide for producing artistic objects, imitation diamonds, and oil paintings it also produced stained glass. He won the contract to mint coins for several countries around the world, including Russia and Sierra Leone and even producing a new copper coin for Britain. His methods made it very difficult for the coins to be duplicated by forgers.

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Though it was his association with James Watt that made him rich and illustrious, the partnership they forged would become one of the most famous and important of the industrial revolution. With Watt’s intelligence, aptitude and familiarity with steam engines together with Boulton’s undoubted gifts as an astute business man they were destined for greatness. For twenty five years the Boulton & Watt partnership had a complete monopoly over the manufacturing of most steam engines. This patent was taken out in 1775 to prevent anyone else from making steam engines similar to the ones they were producing. They have actually been accused of holding back the steam engine’s progression by an estimated ten years, due to their proprietorial attitude towards their patents. Together, they manufactured and marketed an engine that used less than a third of the fuel used by the Newcomen’s engine; by way of introducing the steam into the cylinder from both sides, Watt had increased the power of the old design three fold. So 1776 saw a new era of steam engines, these engines were primarily used for pumps and produced reciprocating motion. The pumps were very popular especially for extracting water from the deep mines of Cornwall; this kept the money and the orders pouring in. The mine owners were ecstatic with their new pumps, although expensive the pumps were worth the extra outlay, as production in coal and other mined materials had become a booming trade.

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Rotational Power Pump Boulton, being the business brain, was constantly thinking of new ideas and always pushing for improvements. Boulton persuaded Watt to convert the reciprocating motion of the piston to produce rotational power. Boulton’s aim was to open up a new market, allowing them to enter into business with the cotton and weaving mills of Northern England. The crank was the obvious solution to their problem. However, Mr. James Pickard already held the patent for it. Collaboration between the two companies would have been the easiest method of achieving their goal of rotational power. And, although, Pickard proposed an alliance, true to form, Watt declined; he was determined and confident of inventing a new mechanism. In 1781 Watt invented and patented the ‘Sun and Planet Gear’.

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This new invention, driven by steam and using cogs of varying sizes turned the vertical movements of a beam into that of a circular one. A cog was fixed at one end of the beam, with the up and down motion which turned a larger cog which turns the drive shaft generating motion. Although this mechanism was patented by Watt, there is some controversy as to whether William Murdoch was the actual inventor.

The next few years would see Watt making many other improvements to his steam engine, although sometimes his need for perfection did get in the way of any rapid advancement. However both men enjoyed enormous success and retired very comfortably in 1800 which, incidentally was the same year as their patent expired. The company Boulton & Watt was taken over by their sons Matthew Boulton jr and James Watt jr.

James Watt sr, had married his cousin, a lady by the name of Margaret Miller. They had five children and only two of their offspring survived childhood. Margaret died giving birth to their fifth child. Watt did remarry several years later to Ann Macgregor, a daughter of a Glasgow dye maker.

Even during his retirement years watt continued his experiments. He invented a device enabling the user to copy letters. He also made some improvements on the oil lamp and also he invented a telescope to measure long distances. Watt died at his Birmingham home, he reached the grand old age of eighty three. However his legacy will live on for many more years.

James Watt was buried at St Mary’s church, Handsworth, Birmingham 1819. There are several statues of him including one in Birmingham and one in his place of birth, Greenock and one in Glasgow. There is also a huge statue of him in Westminster Abbey, London.

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William Murdoch: 1754 - 1839 Born in Cumnock, East Ayrshire Scotland; Murdoch was the third of seven children. His father, John was a gunner in the Hanoverian Artillery; he was also an excellent mechanic and engineer. And It was through his father John, whom William had gained much knowledge and developed a strong fascination for engineering. He was schooled until the age of ten years at Old Cumnock Kirk School, and then he attended Auchinleck School where he specialized in Mathematics. Auchinleck School was owned by William Halbert (a highly respected mathematician). As a youngster, William would often be found roaming the countryside searching for chunks of coal to burn. He was fascinated by the flame and vapours it released, it was this fascination that put him on the path towards greatness.

During his very early twenties in search of employment at the Soho foundry, Murdoch made the long walk from his home in Scotland to Birmingham, a distance of over two hundred and fifty miles. However, Watt was away on formal business, so it was up to Boulton to interview the young Murdoch.

Murdoch was a quiet and shy young man, upon meeting Boulton for the first time his nerves got the better of him so much so, his hat fell off hitting the ground, revealing it to be made of wood. Boulton inquired where had he acquired the hat from; Murdoch told him, that he, himself had made the hat on his lathe at home. Boulton was suitably impressed with the young mans talent and gave him the job on the spot.

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It was not long before Watt and Boulton realized that they had a young man of exceptional skills working for them. Many of the pumps they produced were assigned to the mines of Cornwall, and as they were both extremely busy men, they realized, that they needed a good man with whom they could trust to run the Cornish branch and to make any important decisions. So they decided to send Murdoch to oversee all the pumps in that area were working efficiently. It was in the best interest of the company to keep these pumps working, as Boulton and Watt were receiving commissions based on the pumps effectiveness over that of employing horses to do the same work.

Watt said: ‘Our profits arise not from making the engine, but from a certain proportion of the savings in fuel which we make over any common engine, that raises the same quantity of water to the same height.’

Boulton said of Murdoch: ‘We want more Murdoch’s, for of all others he is the most active man and best engine erector I ever saw...When I look at the work done it astonishes me & is entirely owing to the spirit and activity of Murdoch who hath not gone to bed three of the nights.’

While working in Redruth, he built the first steam tricycle, on which he would ride along the cobbled streets of the town and quite unintentionally frighten the locals. One account reveals, the time his steam carriage manage to get away from Murdoch and whilst chasing after it he encountered a clergyman, who later swore blind that he had seen the devil charging through the streets, billowing smoke and fire coming from its belly.

He also had the idea to mount a steam car onto rails, but the company told him that moving engines had no future and for a further thirty years they were correct. Murdoch was obviously a visionary but lacked the financial muscle of Boulton and Watt.

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Here is a letter written by Richard Wilson to James Watt: "He (William Murdoch) has an amazing genius and I am almost afraid will lead him too far, he has mentioned to me a new scheme which you may be assured he is very intent upon, but which he is afraid of mentioning to you for fear of your laughing at him, it is no less than drawing carraiges upon the road with steam engines, for my part I think there is too many difficulties ever to answer, or going up and down hills, and I c I do not mention this from him, viz by his desire, but as it has taken such hold of him, I think it is right that you should be acquainted with it, and either consult with him, on the means he proposes to make it answer if you think it practicle, or endeavour to convince him of it's impossibility, he says that what he proposes, is different from anything you ever thought of, and that he is positively certain of it's answering and that there is a great deal of money to be made by it, I shall inform him that I have wrote to you on the subject, which I have a notion is what he wishes but did not know how to do it himself" Murdoch’s Steam Carriage Murdoch’s most significant invention regarding the evolution of the steam engine was to introduce the Sun and Planet Gear. It was brought into effect to produce a circular motion which revolved around an axis, this new mechanism, would enable the mills of northern England to become more effective than the mill owners had ever dreamt about before. The steam engine had now been adapted for the textile industry, thus increasing the already huge clientele that Boulton & Watt already had.

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Murdoch’s Fly Wheel Although it is widely thought that Murdoch did invent this new technology, the patent was given to the company as the company policy was ‘for any employees of theirs, which any new inventions are made, would be under the patent of Boulton & Watt.’ For over twenty years, Murdoch ran the Cornish branch of the business; he was kept extremely busy, though he still found the time to invent many other things, including what he is now more widely known for, the ‘application of gas lighting as a replacement for oil.’

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In 1792 he first started experimenting with gases for lighting purposes. It is claimed that his house in Redruth was the first domestic house in the world to be lit by gas. To avoid possible gas leaks, poisoning and explosion it is more likely that these experiments took place in his workshop. He patented then unpatented this new phenomenon claiming it to be a gift to the world. A truly remarkable man and without doubt a genius, after the introduction of gas lighting the world would never be the same again. Boulton and Watt retired in 1900, so Murdoch moved back to Birmingham and was made a partner in the company; undoubtedly the two young heirs needed the great mans knowledge.

Other inventions by Murdoch include: the steam wheel which was a precursor to the steam turbine. The steam wheel was put in motion by pressure from the steam which moved through it.

He is also credited with the invention of the first steam gun which fired 3mm lead bullets; a steam cannon which was used to knock down walls and small buildings was another of his creations. He also created a Pneumatic messaging system which propelled message (enclosed in a cylinder) through long tubes from one room to another; this proved to be very efficient and was used by large stores and factories of the day.

He was awarded a Rumford Gold medal which was presented by the Royal Society for: "both the first idea of applying and the first actual application of gas to economical purposes".

William Murdoch was another important figure in the Great Industrial Revolution; he died in 1839 aged eighty five. He was buried at St Mary’s church, Handsworth, Birmingham.

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The Hornblower Family:

he Hornblower’s were a family of several generations of engineers: Joseph Hornblower was born 1692 in Shropshire, England. He worked

with Thomas Newcomen on the construction of one of Newcomen’s engines in 1712. Then he was sent to Cornwall to erect another of Newcomen’s engines in Truro. He also worked on many other steam projects and was a valued member of the early steam pioneers -passing much of his knowledge on to his son Jonathan. He settled in Chacewater, Cornwall where he was to raise an extraordinary family.  

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  Jonathan Hornblower, born 1717 went on to succeed his father as an engineer; he along with his brother Josiah was engaged for much of his life in the development of the steam engine. Jonathan was commissioned to work on the Pumps at the famous Tresavean Mine in Cornwall. Josiah on the other hand was sent to America to install an engine (which had been designed by the Hornblower family) for a gentleman by the name of John Schuyler. Josiah decided to stay in America, where he gained a reputation as an engineer and mathematician. Although it was Jonathan Carter Hornblower (son of Jonathan sr) who went on to become the most famous member of the family. J Carter was born in 1753 in Chacewater. J Carter was the most innovative member of the family and designed an engine to challenge those of Boulton & Watt’s. J Carter and his sons were employed by Boulton & Watt to help maintain and erect new steam pumps. After they had mastered all the details of Watt’s designs, they contrived an engine to outclass that of Watts.   After he was granted a patent in 1781, J Carter put his steam engine into production. His machine was seen as a more superior design to that of Watts. The Patent was describes as: ‘Machine of Engine for raising Water and other liquids and for other purposes by means of Fire and Steam.’    

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A Hornblower Pump The difference with this machine to Watts was it had two cylinders and both of the piston rods were attached to the same end of the working beam. J Carter applied for an extension to his patent, hoping that he could spend some more time to refine is engine. However, Matthew Boulton had many friends in Parliament and had this extension blocked and soon after the partnership from the Soho Foundry went on the offensive and brought lawsuits against J Carter along with many others felt Boulton’s wrath. J Carter was prosecuted for infringement, and he lost the law suit was jailed for defaulting on payment of royalties. They also sent injunctions out to all users of these new steam engines. In Cornwall at the time, there were many engine erectors, and the competition was fierce. Much copying went on, companies spying on each other. Bribery and violations of patents were rife. The risk that their work was being copied irked Boulton & Watt considerably and they prosecuted anyone whom they thought had made an infringement on their work. 

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Edward Cartwright: 1743 - 1823

orn in Nottingham, England; Edward Cartwright was educated at Oxford University and became a Reverend of the Church of England. It

seems very little is known of his early life. Cartwright is best known for his invention of the power loom.

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Cartwright had been invited to Richard Arkwright’s factory which produced textiles and clothing. Arkwright had asked Cartwright for his assistance in making his machinery more economical. Although Cartwright did not have much experience in the textile industry, he went about his task with vigour. He soon set to work to try and improve the old method of weaving. He spoke to many local weavers asking their advice; he also listened to their suggestions about how to improve the old style loom.

By 1787 Cartwright had successfully marketed the new loom so well that he decided to go into the weaving business for himself. Cartwright was always looking to improve his invention and soon realized that steam could be applied to make the loom run even more efficiently. He also went on to develop several other machines to add to the industrial revolution’s every increasing pace. Including a wool-combing device, which prepared sheep’s wool to be manufactured into yarn; this machine was so successful that it actually did the work of twenty men. He also developed a machine to make rope.

Reverend Cartwright’s scheme, for which he obtained a patent for, was ingenious. His objective was to procure a tight piston and a condenser, in

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which the steam was exposed to a large surface area of water. He used two metal cylinders, one inside the other, with cold water flowing through the inner one and enclosing the outer one.

The steam was then exposed to the greatest possible surface area in a thin sheet. Cartwright, introduce a valve to his piston by which constant communication is kept between the cylinder and condenser. Both sides of the pistons are affected, so that condensation takes place whether in a descending or ascending stroke, any steam that escapes past the piston would also be condensed, thus preserving the vacuum.

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A Murray Steam Engine is in the background.

Matthew Murray: 1765 – 1826

orn in Newcastle upon Tyne; Murray left school at the age of fourteen to become an apprentice Blacksmith. Before he could finish his

apprenticeship his family moved to Stockton, Murray found it difficult to find another blacksmith willing to sponsor him, so he decided to turn his hand to a slightly different field and secured an apprenticeship as a Whitesmith. After completing his training, he was offered work as a mechanic at the Flax Mill in Darlington. The mill was owned by John Kendrew and it was at this mill where the spinning of Flax (Flax is a plant which grows up to 1.2 m/ four feet tall) had been invented.

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Soon after he started work at Kendrew’s mill, he married Mary Thompson to whom he had four children with, three girls and one son whom he named Matthew.

Due to a lack of business, the spinning of Flax in the north east began to die off. Murray decided to move his young family to Leeds, and went to work at John Marshall’s Flax mill. Murray’s job was to monitor and maintain the machinery there; Murray was a keen worker, working long hours, often late into the night. Murray was a key asset to Marshall’s company and was soon promoted.

Marshall was pleased with Murray’s work, so much so, that when he expanded his business, he appointed Murray as Chief engineer, and put him in charge of the new installations at Holbeck Mill.

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Murray had previously patented a Flax machine of his own, and after showing it to Marshall he was encouraged to install it in the new Mill. After spending a couple of years working under Marshall, he decided to leave and branch out. Murray went into business with David Wood and they also made James Fenton a partner. Together, they formed Fenton, Murray and Wood, and opened up their business next to Marshalls’s Temple Mill in Leeds.

This new company made only the finest quality steam engine flax spinning machines. They really made a name for themselves and caused rather a stir in the world of steam. As their new company grew in stature they soon became the main rivals of Boulton & Watt for supplying steam engines to the textile mill industry.

Fenton, Murray and Wood’s business was very successful, and with success, envy can be found especially amongst competitors. There could be no more fearsome and powerful competitor than that of Boulton and Watt.

To show there was no underhanded goings on; Murray invited William Murdoch for a site seeing tour of the mill (Boulton and Watt saw this as a chance for some industrial espionage). Being so proud of his accomplishments, Murray gave Murdoch and his companions a rather elaborate tour, revealing, maybe naively, far too many secrets.

Murdoch was amazed at what he saw, the forging and casting of Murray’s work was far superior to that what was being manufactured at the Soho Foundry. Subsequently, Boulton and Watt adopted many of Murray’s methods, all the while trying to avoid any infringement on his Patent. Boulton and Watt were also accused of trying to bribe several of Murray’s

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employees into revealing the latest developments at Murrays Mill – though this was never proven.

There were a couple of challenges to Murrays patent by Boulton & Watt, firstly the patent of 1801 regarding his improvements to air pumps and again in 1802 regarding a different type of slide valve. Both cases were won by the men from the Soho Foundry, mainly due to Boulton’s political friends. Even so, Murray’s company went from strength to strength even attracting orders from across Mainland Europe.

In 1802, Murray did mange to patent his box slide valve, and it was his design of the slide valve that would later be used in the development of locomotive engines. This variation of the slide valve was much simpler than the one of Murdoch’s design. He also managed to patent an engine which had two cylinders, the driving crank sets were arranged at right angles, enabling the machine to be self starting in any number of positions.

The Stockton & Darlington railway inquired as to whether the Fenton, Murray and Wood partnership would be interested in building a locomotive for their railway. However, Murray declined the offer due to his doubts over the high pressures that these steam locomotives would require. Later on, Murray did develop an idea for a locomotive, whereby the boiler and engine were carried in separate vehicles. Though he never actually built it and the idea was later patented by T. E Harrison.

Due to the Napoleonic war, horses were becoming increasingly difficult to find and were also very expensive, so in 1812 John Blenkinsop, who was the manager of the Middleton Colliery at the time, approached Murray in order to design a steam locomotive that would transport his coal at a more reasonable cost than that of using livestock. Murray finally agreed and in total they produced four locomotives for Blenkinsop.

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They named one of these new locomotives The Salamanca; it had cog-toothed driving wheels. Two vertical cylinders held inside the boiler; the pistons drove the rack wheels through rods and Pinions. It weighed in excess of five tons and when carrying a load of ninety tons was capable of speeds of up to four mph. The Middleton locomotives were so successful that they managed to replace fifty horses and over two hundred men; thus saving Blenkinsop a small fortune.

The Salamanca

Many of the steam engines designed by Murray were of such high quality that they would last for over eighty years, far out surviving their creator who died in 1826. Matthew Murray is buried in St. Matthews’s churchyard in Holbeck.

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Richard Trevithick: 1771 - 1833

orn in Illogan Cornwall, Trevithick was the youngest of six children, his father (also named Richard) was a very well respected mine captain

and his mother (Ann Teague) also came from a large mining family. He grew up in the heart of the mining industry and would often go down to the local colliery, as he was fascinated by the steam pumps extracting water from the depths of the pit.

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Trevithick was no academic and showed no real interest in school, except when sports day came around, he loved all sports and excelled in wrestling. His school teacher once described him as a disobedient, obstinate, very inattentive and spoiled boy who was frequently absent. All this said, he did, to his credit, have a talent for Mathematics which he would put to good use in later years.

He was known locally as the Cornish giant, due largely to his physique, at six feet two inches (188 cm) he towered over most of his friends. After leaving school, he went to work with his father at the Wheal Treasury Colliery. Trevithick soon revealed an aptitude for mechanics. He made several improvements to their steam engine pumps and when his father retired in1792 he was promoted to engine consultant, which was a huge honour especially for someone of such a young age.

While working at the Ding Dong mine in Penzance, he developed a very successful high pressure steam engine, which was soon in great demand

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in the mines of Cornwall and South Wales. He was quickly gaining a reputation as a leading authority of steam engines.

Another of his projects was the Plunger pole Pump. A beam engine pump used in the Cornish mines, in which he actually reversed the plunger to change it into a water powered engine.

Although Trevithick was not the first person to try to work with steam at high pressure –William Murdoch a close friend and neighbour had shown Trevithick several of his ideas- he was the first to make the high pressure steam work. Using high pressure steam allowed him to do away with the condenser, it also allowed for a smaller cylinder, thus saving space and weight. He reasoned that this would make the machine more compact and lighter, yet still having enough power to pull a small carriage.

The boiler and the engine were in one piece; hot water was poured in to the boiler and a large red hot poker was inserted into a tube underneath. This caused the steam to rise and to set the engine in motion.

After having success with this engine, he moved on to a larger scaled model and in 1801 he built the ‘Puffing Devil’ -so called for the noise it made. The Puffing Devil’s first trial run was on Christmas Eve and as he travelled up Camborne hill (with several of his friends in accompaniment) he was with met with opened mouth amazement by the locals. This was the first time steam had been used for transportation; its principal features were the cylindrical horizontal boiler and a single horizontal cylinder. The piston being driven by high pressure of steam was linked by a piston rod and connecting rods to the crankshaft and flywheel.

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The Puffing Devil

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Although it worked quite well, Trevithick was unable to sustain the pressure for any length of time; consequently it could only make short journeys. A few days later, during further trials, Trevithick’s new Locomotive experienced a few troubles. So, Trevithick parked up his steam engine outside the local ale house leaving it unattended, Trevithick and his companions went inside to discuss over lunch how improvements could be made. It was during this time that the all the water boiled off, thus over heating the engine and burning out the whole contraption and completely destroying it. Always one for positive thinking, Trevithick thought it was more of an operator error than a mechanical one.

Trevithick’s Steam carriage

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Overjoyed with his new invention Trevithick travelled to London to show off his new machine. A company named Vivian & West agreed to finance Trevithick’s experiments, however, even after several trials, his machines kept breaking down; reluctantly, Vivian & West withdrew from the business deal and Trevithick had to find new sponsors.

Samuel Homfray who owned of a big iron works in South Wales offered to help, and it was during this collaboration that Trevithick produced the worlds first ever steam engine to run successfully on rails. While carrying ten tons of iron and over fifty passengers, his new steam machine reached speeds of up to five miles an hour.

He tried a new system, where the exhaust steam was drawn up the chimney. This produced a draft which drew the hot gases from the fire and through the boiler.

However, his new machine only made two or three journeys and was responsible for breaking much of the rails it travelled on; Homfray decided that is was a rather an expensive way of moving his steel, so he also withdrew his funds from the venture.

Trevithick found yet another sponsor, his name was Christopher Blackett. Blackett owned a colliery in Northumberland. Blackett had been using horses to deliver his coal up the Tyne, but he also was finding this quite expensive, so he approached Trevithick with regards to building a locomotive that would replace his old wagons. The Wylam locomotive was the outcome. The Wylam weighed in at five tons, again proving to be too heavy for the wooden tracks on which it travelled.

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Undeterred Trevithick returned to Cornwall and went back to the drawing board. In the summer of 1808 he came up with his third locomotive which he called, ‘Catch Me Who Can,’ which he took to London in order to Promote. He erected a circular railway in Euston square London, determined to prove that his locomotive was faster than horses. Trevithick charged the local folk one shilling to ride his new machine, reaching speeds of almost twelve miles an hour. However, the same problems still haunted him; his machine was again too heavy for its rails.

Trevithick’s Steam Circus at Euston

Trevithick was offered employment with a tunneling company as chief engineer; they wanted a tunnel dug from one side of the Thames to the other. They offered him one thousand pounds to complete the project. He

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encountered many problems and several times the tunnel collapsed and on more than one occasion Trevithick was lucky to escape with his life. The directors of the company became anxious as the project was well behind schedule and had become very expensive, so they tried to discredit Trevithick; consequently the tunnel was abandoned after reaching almost three hundred metres.

Trevithick’s next venture would take him to the other side of the world to the deep silver mines of Peru. The Peruvian mine owners of Cerro de Pasco had purchased Boulton & Watt’s low pressure steam pumps to clear their pits of water; however due to the high altitude of the mines these pumps were quite ineffective.

The owner of the mine, Francisco Uville, travelled to England in order to purchase some high pressure steam pumps. Uville managed to buy one of Trevithick’s high pressure pumps and once he returned to Peru found it to work very well; so much so he employed Trevithick to come and work in his mines as an engineer. In the beginning Trevithick enjoyed his time in Peru, he successfully managed several mines and the up keep of their pumps and was even given a mine as part payment for his work.

Trevithick was now finally starting to earn the kind of money that his obvious skills deserved; he acquired some land and built a property where he lived quite comfortably. Meanwhile his wife was still in England and left to look after the family alone. Trevithick was now running his own silver mine, however his bad luck returned and just before he could sell the five thousand pounds worth of silver ore that he had mined, war broke out and Trevithick, fearing for his life, had to abandon his mine and property; leaving him with nothing but the shirt on his back.

Trevithick found himself in Costa Rica where he struck up a partnership with James Gerard and together they searched the jungles of Costa Rica in

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search of gold and silver mines, they found several possible sights, but failed to develop them due to lack of funds.

This was a very difficult time for Trevithick, he moved on to Columbia tired, sick and almost penniless. Trevithick made his way to the port of Cartagena and as fate would have it he bumped into Robert Stephenson (Robert had been working in the mines of Columbia for three years, and was finally on his way home), the son of George Stephenson. Trevithick had known Stephenson since he was a young boy. Stephenson was deeply concerned over his friend’s state of health, so he lent Trevithick the fifty pounds needed in order for him to make his way back home to England.

After returning back to England, Trevithick worked on several more inventions including a closed cycle steam engine. In 1830 he invented an early form of storage room heater, it comprised a small fire tube boiler which could be heated inside or outside with the flue being connected to the chimney.

At the time of his death, he was working in Dartford on yet another project when he was taken ill with pneumonia. He had been laid up in bed for over a week when he passed away. He died penniless and would have been buried in a paupers grave had it not been for his work colleague’s, who all clubbed together to give him a decent burial.

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William Hedley: 1779 - 1843

orn in Newburn near Newcastle upon Tyne, England; Hedley went to school in Wylam. And, as fate would have it he would pass the Wylam

colliery wagon-way everyday on his way to his lessons. At the time, The Wylam Colliery was still using Horses to transport coal to Lemington on Tyne.

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Hedley was born very close to the area where George Stephenson grew up, whether the two men met when they were young boys remains a mystery; however, their paths would certainly cross on more than one occasion later in life.

After leaving school, Hedley joined the Walbottle Colliery as an apprentice colliery viewer, and by the age of twenty one he had become so proficient he was appointed manager of the coal mine. This was a splendid achievement for one so young. After several years in charge at Walbottle he moved onto the famous Wylam colliery, which was owned at the time by Christopher Blackett.

Blackett had previously contacted Richard Trevithick with regard to using locomotives to transport his coal. Trevithick, as we know, built a locomotive that was far too heavy for the wooden tracks at Wylam.

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Blackett decided to change the wooden tracks for cast-iron plate rails. He asked his coal mine manager Hedley, to produce a locomotive which would be able to travel on these new iron tracks with out destroying them. Hedley jumped at the opportunity. Hedley was helped by two local and highly skill craftsmen, Jonathan Forster and Timothy Hackworth.

It was Hedley’s idea that if the locomotive wheels were coupled, the weight of the locomotive would provide enough adhesion to allow the train to haul a greater weight than its own along smooth rails.

Blackett and Hedley had looked at the idea of using the rack and pinion method, however to convert the track that had been recently laid with smooth rails would have cost the colliery a small fortune. Hedley decided once and for all to see if smooth wheels could indeed travel along the rails of a smooth track.

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Rack and Pinion System in use

Hedley constructed a carriage with four handles each to be controlled by a single man. Each handle was connected by a cross shaft, which engaged a gear set on the wheel axle, which turned the wheels, thus moving the carriage forward.

Hedley now had to test the pulling power of his locomotive. He added varying weights of ballast to represent the mass of a full size engine and then gradually adding other loaded wagons to his locomotive. He discovered that the friction alone was sufficient to move a viable load of coal on a smooth track.

The experiment was deemed a success and the carriage was converted to an experimental locomotive. He mounted an iron cast boiler which had a single flue, it was fitted with a single cylinder attached to a fly wheel, and the design worked well but needed more power. Due to the noise it made whilst running, the locomotive was named Puffing Billy.

Hedley decided to build another more powerful locomotive. This time, he produced one that had two vertical cylinders situated on the outside of the boilers. The piston rods extended upwards to the beams, which were connected by rods to a crankshaft beneath the frames, from which the gears drove and also coupled the wheels.

Due to its overall weight, eight wheels were needed to evenly distribute its mass on the rails. This locomotive was named ‘Wylam Dilly,’ it attracted attention from miles around with many local colliery engineers and managers coming to observe this new contraption. The Wylam Dilly locomotive also attracted the attention of George Stephenson, who himself was the engine-wright at the neighbouring Killingworth Colliery. Stephenson was a close friend of one of Hedley’s engineers, Jonathan Forster.

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Stephenson seemed to be at the Wylam colliery more than his own, which would annoy Hedley no end. The two men were not at all close and their relationship would come to a head several years later, when it was claimed that Stephenson had invented the first smooth rail locomotive.

There was still much work that needed to be done to the tracks. The engines had been rebuilt with twin four-wheeled bogies. The wheels were without flanges so they could be used on the smooth rails. A few years later, the track was re-laid with edge rails so both of the locomotives could revert back to their original pattern but with flanged wheels.

Later on in his life Hedley rented the South Moor Colliery. While there he invented a steam powered pump machine that was considerably more effective pumping water than the ones that had previously been used there.

Hedley was really only ever interested in producing a more efficient coal mine; if however he had been more single minded and marketed his locomotives on a global scale, it may have been his name that is synonymous to the steam locomotive and not that of George Stephenson’s.

It seems either a lack of marketing skills or imagination, as to where his ideas may lead to, was his one and only failing. For William Hedley (who died at Burnhopeside Hall, near Durham, on 9th January, 1843); was quite obviously a man of genius.

Hedley’s descendants remained heavily involved in the coal-mining industry until nationalization in the 1940s. In the 1970s, a charitable foundation was set up in Hedley’s name, with assets based on the compensation from nationalization. Although Stephenson’s fame is world

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renown, Hedley’s will go in to the history books as the first man to succeed in using smooth wheels on smooth tracks.

In a letter to Dr Dionysius Lardner, William Hedley wrote:-

‘Now I do not wish to detract one iota from the celebrity to which Mr. Stephenson is entitled - he has done much for the locomotive engine; but ... it appears that a locomotive engine was not constructed by Mr. S. before 25th July 1814.’

"Long before this period, the use of horses on the Wylam Railroad was superseded by the locomotive engines, and a large annual sum in the course of being saved to the colliery. My patent bears the date 13th March, 1813.”

‘In conclusion, I beg to say that I am the person who established the principle of locomotion by the friction or adhesion of the wheels upon the rails, and further that it was the engines on the Wylam railroad that established the character of the locomotive engine in this district.’

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George Stephenson: 1781 - 1843

orn in Wylam, Northumberland; he was the second of six children his father Robert and mother Mabel produced. Both his mother and father

were illiterate, due mainly to the fact that they were so poor. Robert worked at Dewley Colliery as a fireman; he earned a very poor wage, barely being able to put food on the table for his young family. George never received much formal education and was soon helping his father at the colliery.

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His first real job was to watch a local farmer’s cows, making sure they did not stray onto the local colliery’s coal-wagon rail tracks. Another of his earlier jobs was to remove small stones and pieces of slate from the coal that had just been mined, a quite tedious job that Stephenson did with relish. By the age of fourteen, he had become his father’s assistant.

Aged seventeen, he found work as the engineman at the Water Row Pit, this job enabled him to pay to go to night school. Stephenson was desperate to better himself, and he new full well that a proper education would open up at lot more doors for him. A couple of years later, he found work at the Black Callerton Colliery as a brakesman; his job was to control the winding gear in the pit.

Aged just twenty two, he fell in love and married a local farm girl named Frances Henderson. They lived in a one room cottage, after work Stephenson would fix clocks and cobble shoes to boost the family income.

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The following year they produced a son named Robert. Two years later the young family moved to West Moor, Stephenson found work at the Killingworth Pit as a Brakesman. Frances gave birth to a daughter, who sadly died a few weeks later.

Frances suffered from poor health and died of Consumption two years after the death of their daughter. It would have been impossible for George to bring up his son on his own, due to the fact he had to work or starve. George recruited the help of his spinster sister Eleanor, who moved into the family home to help bring up the young Robert.

It was at the Killingworth Colliery, where George would make a name for himself. The colliery owned several steam pumps, some of which had been designed by Thomas Newcomen and some by James Watt. By doing weekly maintenance, he became familiar with these engines; he would strip them down, and make sure they were running efficiently. Stephenson was given the role of enginewright, which was testament to his skill and knowledge of these complicated machines.

He was so successful maintaining these machines, that word soon spread and he was offered work maintaining other pits machinery; it was more work than he could handle. As George travelled to different mines, he would witness several mining accidents.

Concerned with safety standards, he devised a safety lamp for the local miners. His lamp, even when working in the most flammable parts of the mines would not cause explosions. Unknown to him a gentleman by the name of Humphrey Davy was also working on a new safety lamp.

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Stephenson finally developed a new safety lamp that would burn without causing an explosion. He showed this device to his colleagues at the Killingworth Pit who were suitably impressed; however, The Royal Society accused him of stealing Davy’s design. Stephenson’s lamp was encased in glass housing, differing from Davy’s, whose was surrounded by a panel of gauze.

The gentlemen of The Royal Society could not understand how an uneducated man like Stephenson could invent something so important; and awarded Davy with a Two Thousand Pound reward.

It was later proved by a House of Commons Committee that Stephenson had indeed invented his safety lamp without any knowledge of Davys, and he himself was later rewarded. Davy went to his grave believing that he alone had invented the safety lamp and believing that somehow Stephenson had copied his idea.

Stephenson on the other hand developed a lack of trust towards the Royal Society and vowed to have no more dealing with them in the future. Stephenson’s lamp was used exclusively in the North East where as Davy’s was more popular down in the south of the country.

George Stephenson once said about the conflict:-

‘The principles upon which a safety lamp might be constructed I stated to several persons long before Sir Humphrey Davy came into this part of the country.’

Stephenson was always interested in what was happening at the other collieries and spent much time at Wylam; he was fascinated by their locomotives. He did however manage to convince the owner of Killingworth (Nicholas Wood) to let him design a locomotive. Woods gave him permission and released funds for the new engine to be built. Stephenson

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produced the now famous ‘Blutcher Locomotive,’ which he named after the Prussian General, Gebhard Leberecht von Blücher, who had fought Napoleon at Waterloo.

The Blutcher was not all that successful. Stephenson’s locomotive ran on wooden rails and proved to be slow and unreliable on the colliery’s wooden rails.

By making the connecting rods drive the wheels directly and coupling each pair of wheels Stephenson did actually improve on the design. This irritated William Hedley, as he believed Stephenson had copied his design of the ‘Wylam Dilly’. Despite all this, The Blutcher helped massively to increase Stephenson’s fame on a national level; and over the next few years he went on to produce sixteen more engines.

Stephenson was asked to construct an eight mile line from Hetton to Sunderland. It was while he was working on this new project that he concluded that to have a successful railroad, it must be as level as possible.

Stephenson soon realized that ten pounds of force applied on level ground could move as much as one ton in weight. But if the grade increased to as little as 1 / 200 the force required would have to be increased 50%. He would execute this practice when he built the Stockton and Darlington line of 1821 – incidentally, the Stockton & Darlington line was the first public railway line in the world.

In 1824 George Stephenson along with his talented young son Robert formed the Robert Stephenson & Company. Together with partners Michael Longdrige and Edward Pease they went on to become the world’s first locomotive builders.

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The Blutcher

Stephenson was the chief engineer on the Liverpool to Manchester line and was faced with many serious engineering problems like the unstable peat bog at Chat Moss, a two mile long rock cutting was necessary at Olive Mount. He also had to design a nine arched viaduct across the Sankey Valley. Stephenson saw these obstacles as more of a challenge than a hindrance.

The owners and directors of The Liverpool & Manchester line were unsure whether to use stationary or locomotive engines on their new line. So they decided to hold a competition, whereby the winner would be awarded the contract to supply the new line with its engines.

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Ten locomotives entered into the competition despite the fact that on the day only five actually showed up and two of these engines were withdrawn due to mechanical problems. This Left only ‘Sans Pareil,’ ‘Novelty’ and ‘The Rocket’ to compete for the reward. The first two did quite well until they too developed mechanical problems leaving ‘The Rocket’ as the only surviving locomotive.

The rules of the competition were, each locomotive had to haul a load three times it own weight at an average speed of 10 mph. The Locomotives had to run the equivalent distance of that between Liverpool and Manchester. No machine could weigh in excess of six tons.

The rocket was driven by George’s son Robert Stephenson and covered thirty six miles in three hours twelve minutes with an averaged a speed of twelve mph. At one point ‘The Rocket’ reached a top speed of twenty five miles an hour, an astounding accomplishment for the time.

The Rocket & the Robert Stephenson Company won the competition, taking home the first prize of five hundred pounds and they were awarded the contract to supply locomotives for the new railway line.

George Stephenson’s name became synonymous with steam locomotives and the Robert Stephenson Company was renowned throughout the world, and made them all very rich men.

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The Rocket

Later on in his life, he went into partnership with another famous railway man Mr. George Hudson. They opened several coal mines, a limestone quarry and even purchased an ironworks factory.

Never one to take it easy even after his retirement Stephenson went into farming, he experimented with manure and animal feed and he is even credited with one of the first forms of battery chicken farms.

George had married again and would also outlive his second wife Elizabeth Hindmarsh. During the autumn of his life he moved to Tapton House, Chesterfield, where he married for a third time. Six months after his third marriage to Ellen Gregory (his house keeper), he contracted Pleurisy and died. He is buried at Holy Trinity Church, Chesterfield, alongside his second wife.

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Robert Stephenson: 1803 - 1859

orn at Willington Quay, near Newcastle upon Tyne; Robert was an only child his mother (Frances) and father (George) were very poor;

however this would not deter his father from making sure that Robert would have the best possible education.

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Robert went to school in Longbenton near Killingworth, where he studied up to the age of eleven. George had the means now to support a private education for his son and sent him to Doctor Bruce’s academy in Percy Street, Newcastle. Because of his Geordie accent, Robert was teased by the other children; even so he was a popular child at school. While there Robert became a member of the Literary and Philosophical Society.

George pushed his son hard in his studies, at times to the limit, determined to give him a better start in life than the one he had had. George himself would learn much from Robert’s homework as the two studied together most evenings. The bond between father and son was obvious; they thought the world of each other and would often work together on experiments. One of their first collaborations was a sun dial that they built and placed above the front door of their home. The sun dial can still be seen today as a permanent monument to them both.

After leaving school, Robert was offered an apprenticeship to the manager of Killingworth Colliery, Nicholas Wood. Robert jumped at the chance; where he stayed for the next three years. After his apprenticeship his father persuaded him to go and study at the University of Edinburgh, Robert agreed, but reluctantly; as he would rather have stayed in his job at Killingworth.

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Robert stayed in Edinburgh for six months studying Chemistry, History and Philosophy. Robert met George Bidder in Edinburgh, they would become friends for life; even working together several times, and in particular on the London & Birmingham railway project.

After leaving University, he joined his father who at the time was surveying the Stockton & Darlington Railway line. This new rail track was initially built to connect inland coal mines to Stockton. Robert helped his father on this project as a surveyor. Shortly after the completion of this railway, they opened their own business.

Robert was to become the managing director of the new company, which incidentally was named ‘Robert Stephenson Company.’ Robert, his father and two other men (Michael Longdrige and Edward Pease) were the major shareholders in the world’s first locomotive factory and all was running smoothly.

However, Robert did suffer from the occasional bouts of poor health, which concerned his father greatly. Robert’s ill health was due mainly to his huge work load; he rarely took holidays always pushing himself to the limit.

In 1824, a Company named Herring, Graham and Powles representing the Columbian Mining Association, offered Robert a three year contract to manage their gold & silver mines in South America. He was reluctant at first, but after consulting with his doctor he agreed, a few years in a warmer climate would actually be good for his health. His father had a very persuasive nature believing the experience would be a fantastic adventure.

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Robert sailed to South America in the summer of 1824, and after a difficult crossing he finally landed in Venezuela. He remained there for two months unable to travel further mainly due to the roads at that time of year being almost impassable. Robert did manage to travel locally, though with little success in regards to finding new mines with any real prospects, he moved on to Columbia.

This next trek would take him across mountains and through jungles, traveling the twelve hundred miles by a mule. During this trip he visited many areas, which were supposedly rich in the minerals he sought, but only a few traces of gold and silver were found. Robert had employed several guides to help and advise him on his quest to find new mines.

Most of the guides he used were just local scallywags and used Robert’s good nature to line their own pockets. They would fabricate stories in order to keep themselves in work for a few extra weeks. One guide, after leading Robert on a merry dance for almost a month, was found to be a complete liar; he had told Robert of the secret yet prosperous mines deep in the Columbian jungle, which held vast quantities of brass, steel and even alcohol. Robert kicked him to the curb shortly after these ridiculous claims.

Finally arriving in Bogota, Robert sought out the advice of the manager of the Mining Company with regards to the location of the intended site of operations. Robert was guided to the slopes of the Andes, where he found the local area in much decay and much work was needed to reestablish the mines as they once were.

The mines were inaccessible and the ground needed to be opened up, roads were rebuilt and new machinery brought in and erected. The local laborers were not too helpful, and did not care too much for their rich foreign employers. Stephenson sent for workers form the UK to help with the set up of the mine. In the beginning at least, the new staff were even more inefficient than the Columbians.

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The miners that were sent from Cornwall were a rowdy bunch, to say the least; they were drunk, obstinate, insolent and aggressive to each other; even fighting amongst themselves. The Captain of the gang was the nastiest of the lot, showing no respect to Stephenson at all; claiming, anyone that did not hail from Cornwall, knew nothing about mining and had no place in being or near such a place.

Stephenson longed to return to England and get back to his own business in Newcastle; however, he stuck to his task. The mines were not at all productive in the first couple of years and it was indeed necessary for him to stay the three years in order to make the mines a worthwhile venture.

He learnt to be diplomatic with the miners and showed extreme calm and a good sense of judgement; he kept up his courage and his morale, telling himself he would return home as soon as his three years were accomplished.

The men gradually became less rowdy and settled down to work. Robert’s health would again become a concern for him, he developed fever and pain in the chest and again in these times of ill health would long to return home.

Finally after three years he was relieved of his post. He was pleased with the success of the mine; and in hindsight, enjoyed the country and its wildlife (which he admittedly found fascinating) however, he was overjoyed to be on his way home.

He left almost immediately, traveling to the small town of Cartagena in Columbia, where he waited for a ship to take him to America. While staying at a small and impoverished hotel he came across another English gentleman.

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The man was gaunt, hollow looking and quite poorly dressed, Robert recognized him in an instant. The man was of course Richard Trevithick, the famous Cornish inventor and friend of his fathers. Robert was staggered to find him in such a poor and sorry state; Trevithick had been working in the mines of Peru constructing and maintaining steam pumps in the area, where he had been enjoying life and making money, until war broke out. Trevithick was unable to afford his passage home, so Robert lent him fifty pounds for the trip.

The adventure was not over yet; for either man. It was in the middle of the hurricane season when a boat arrived to take the men to America. The first few days had fine weather, until the ship turned north, where they encountered strong gales, heavy rains and thunder storms. Like a child’s toy, their ship was relentlessly tossed about by the huge waves. The storm being responsible for wrecking many boats, Stephenson’s ship even picked up several survivors along the route.

They had almost made main land America when, yet another storm hit the unfortunate vessel. This time the storm was unforgiving, stranding the ship on a small reef, fortunately for the crew and passengers not far from a beach. Through the long night, their ship was rocked continuously by the wind, slowly filling with water, fearing for their lives, they were finally rescued at first light the following morning.

Robert said of his treacherous trip…. . “Upon the whole, we got off well; and, had I not been on the American side of the Atlantic, I ' guess' I would not have gone to sea again."

After a short stay in the USA, Robert took a ship to Liverpool. Arriving late November he hastily made his way back up to the north east. There was no time for reflection; work had to be done as a new locomotive was required.

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At the time, his father was busy with the construction of the Liverpool and Manchester Railway, George was now living in Liverpool, where he could oversee the completion of this new rail line.

Robert stayed in Newcastle working on the new locomotive that was to compete in the forthcoming Rainhill locomotive trials. These trials as previously mentioned were to find the best locomotive production company.

With vigor, Robert started work on the new locomotive, in order to increase the locomotives performance he installed a multi tubular boiler which would result in maximum steam pressure from the exhaust gases. Robert also had the idea to move the cylinders from their traditional vertical position to that of an inclined one of thirty degrees. He replaced the twelve inch diameter fire tube with several two inch pipes which would increase the surface heat the cylinders drove the front wheels and were inclined towards the rear.

This new locomotive was named The Rocket and easily won the Rainhill trials, resulting in a first prize of five hundred pounds and the contract to supply the Liverpool and Manchester Railway with locomotives.

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The Rocket at Work

A year later, Robert modified The Rocket adding a smoke-box and shortened the chimney; he also reduced the cylinders from the thirty five degrees to eight degrees. This made The Rocket much more stable. The Rocket worked on the Liverpool and Manchester line for almost ten years until it was sold; it finished its working life in Carlisle (The Rocket still survives today and can be found in the Science Museum in London; although in a more modified state than then when first used on the Liverpool & Manchester line).

After the Rain Hill trials, competition was getting tougher in the production of locomotives and the Robert Stephenson Company was no longer the domineering force that it once was. Robert started to tinker with the designs of the locomotives and would receive strong criticism from his father.

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Rocket at the Rain Hill Trails

Robert Stephenson explains the boiler system ‘By causing all the flame and heated air to pass through a great number of tubes surrounded by water, a very great and rapid means of heating the water is obtained as a very large heated surface is thus exposed to the water.

Former locomotives with only a flue through the boiler have never been able to travel faster than about eight miles an hour as they had not sufficient heating surface in the boiler to generate the steam for supplying the cylinder more rapidly.

The introduction of tubes into the boiler is one of the greatest improvements that has been made in the construction of locomotives, and was the cause of the superiority of the rocket engine to those that competed with it.’

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Robert was not only an excellent locomotive builder, but he was also a fine architect he designed several bridges which included: - The High Lever Bridge at Newcastle upon Tyne; The Royal Border Bridge over the River Tweed; The Britannia Bridge across the Menai Strait which connected the Island of Anglesey to Wales; The Conway Railway Bridge in Llandudno Wales and he also constructed the Victoria Bridge over the St Lawrence, in Montreal, Canada.

Robert was appointed Chief Engineer for the London & Birmingham Railway. He would be responsible for all aspects of the railway – appointing contractors, designing bridges and cost management. This was the first mainline track to enter into the city of London. Work on this line would prove to be an enormous challenge; he would have to overcome many engineering obstacles. Constructing several more bridges, including the construction of tunnels which needed to be laid in order for its completion; it was said at the time that London and Birmingham railway was the greatest engineering feat since the construction of the Pyramids of Egypt.

Later on in life he became a Conservative Member of Parliament for Whitby. Robert was also awarded the post of Commissioner for the Metropolitan Commission of Sewers; he was also president of the Institution of Civil Engineers.

Unlike his father, Robert was only married once, to Frances Sanderson, though unfortunately Frances died young, they had only been married for thirteen years when she passed away, they had no children.

During a trip to Norway, Robert was struck down with jaundice and shortly after returning home he died at the age of Fifty five. He was buried in Westminster Abbey, a sad end to a magnificent albeit far to short life. Robert Stephenson will forever be remembered as one of the greatest names ever to be associated with steam engine locomotives. In his eulogy, he was called ‘the greatest engineer of the present century.’

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MAGNIFICENT MEN OF STEAM

 

 

Jason D Butler copyright © 2009

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