Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1889-01-20

simply of two boilers which were alternately
filled with steam through pipes and then
alternately cooled by the passage OF air
through them, condensing the steam. BY
this means slow-acting force pump was
made, chiefly valuable for mine drainage,
but of no use in ordinary man ufacturing
lines. The first engine really worth the
name was that invented by Thomas Newco-
men in 17O5, when, instead of two boilers,
the cylinder was first used. 1t was combi-
nation steam and air engine-the piston was
forced up by steam and down by atmos-
pheric pressure. The steam entered the
cylinder to supply the up-stroke pressure,
and was then condensed by the outward ap-
plication OF cold water, leaving the atmos-
phere to force the piston down through the
vacuum left BY the steam. But the con-
densation was soon after accomplished by
mea ms of a jet of cold water.
The valves were at first worked by hand,
but in 1718 the automatic valve came in
by attaching it to rod joined to the beam.
This was great improvement, and this en-
gine is said to have been so far perfected as
to supply from Is to 20 strokes per minute.
But it must be noticed that the modern use
and power of steam was not understood.
The principle on which all these old "en-
gines" worked was to make use Of the
steam simply to fill space and then evacu-
ate it in order to let the atmosphere act, and
had no reference to the expansive force OF
steam as vapor. On such principle an
engine could not be built to suit the fast
stroke required IN modern manufacture,
and, moreover, it was attended with enor-
nous waste OF water. The cylinder had to
be heated and cooled with every stroke. 1t
was this problem which remained for Watt
to solve.
WATT LED TO INVESTIGATE.
Watt was maker of mathematical in
struments at Glasgow. He had considerable
trade at the University there, and acquired
from his associations considerable knowl-
edge of scientific principles OF his day. A
friend suggested to him the problem OF try
ing to save fuel in the use Of the engine.
As early as 1859 the idea seems to have oc-
Cured to him that if this problem could be
successfully solved steam could be readily
applied as force in locomotion. 1t was
with this idea in mind, rather than the in
vention of any stationary engine for use in
the manufacturing arts. that he started
upon his series of investigations. After
considerable difficulty he secured working
model Of the Newcomer engine then in use
(1759), but it was not until after six years
OF patient effort (1765) he struck on the
right principle.
His first endeavors were directed toward
the fuel-saving problem, but at this time
the expansive force of steam vapor seems to
have occurred to him as motive power.
He at once threw overheard all idea of the
alternate heating and cooling of the cylin
der for each stroke. This new idea led him
to close both ends of the cylinder-the idea
of double steam stroke. In 1863 he took
out his first patent-described as designed
for the saving of iuel in steam engines. One
named Roebuck aided his early efforts. He
was the owner of mines which had been
flooded by water. and aided for his own sal
walton. But in 1772 crisis came on, and
Roebuck failed. Among his assets was this
interest in Watts invention. A capitalist
and iron manufacturer of Birmingham
named Boulton was among his creditors.
After personal examination, he thought the
lutd Was SOOu, anu, W VIC Joy VI thO otuCr
creditors, he agreed to take this interest as
his share of the assets.
ONE FORTUNATE INVENTOR.
Watt then removed to Birmingham, and
the engine took the name of the Bo1lton-
Watt engine. Two years after (1774) the
engine was in working order, and from the
successful experiments conducted, it was
81 l. nd 1lryf for
ward. Orders began to pour in in advance.
In 1775 the patent was extended to 1900,
and in 1776 the first order was filled. The
orders came in rapldly-especially from
Cornish mine owners. Then came an order
for use in a grist mill, and it rapidly
worked into other manufacturing uses It
was not until 1885, however, that profits be.
gan to be realized, but at> this time they
were getting very large, apd by 1900 con-
siderable fortune had been realized.
Watt continued his efforts until 1919,
when he died. In his business success be
presents an exception to the ordinary run of
inventors, for he left large fortune. He
seems from the first to have had clear con-
ception of his objective purpose. He un-
derstood the principles of the later inven-
tions and seems to have known that steam
could be successfully applied in navigation.
Many had tried to solve the problem and
failed, but he seems never to have doubted
its ultimate success. The atmospheric en-
CINE had been tried, but was found too
clumsy. As soon as the perpendicular
stroke of the engine had been turned into a
rotary motion the successful application OF
steam to locOmotion was assured. Watt did
not try himself to solve this problem, but he
suggested the possibilities and encouraged
the efforts made.
In the period 17s7-1S00 many trials were
made in England and America. When
Fulton made his invention he purchased
Boulton-Watt engine, brought it to New
York, aud used it on the Hudson. Fulton
made the invention. but the principle and
idea lived before him Watt started with
the idea that steam could be used for loco
motion on landry using sort of carriage
on ordinary roads. In Cornwall an attempt
was made to draw coal cars in this way, and
though it had some success, it had not
enough to justify its use. Even before this
time the miners in Cornwall had laid
wooden rails, sometimes covered with iron
straps. 1t seems strange, indeed, that the
between these rails and the
steam engine should remain unnoticed for
40 years.
WATTS GREATEST TROUBLE
seems to have been in procuring models to
test his work at the different Periods in his
This illustrates we'll the state of
the mechanical arts in those days. He
needed TOR his purpose a cylinder with cir
cular perpendicular sides. But the ma
chinists OF that day could not produce such
q thing steam tight. The invention and
OF these greatly delayed his
work, and hampered his efforts. To-day
any sort of model is easily turned out by
thousands ofexpert machinists.-
The early use and application Of steam
power is another instance in which England
got great start over the other countries.
We have already noticed the crippled state
,f France just about to start in her revolu-
.ionary path, and the wretched and hopeless
condition OF the rest of Europe. As late as
1910 only 16 engines were at work in France
in the mines-and the steam engine was
not applied to the cotton industry until
1872 Prussia, one of the most advanced Of
he German States, though she had engines,
vas not in position to use them effectively