The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1889-02-15
THE STORY OF STEAM.
The Aucients Knew It's Power, but
They Could Not Apply Il.
From the PLttsIurg Dispatch.

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the ancients. There are continuous refer
ences to its power, and certainly the steam
engine existed in Spain and England as
early as the fifteenth century, though in a
very crude form. IL consisted simply Of
two boilers, which were alternately filed
with steam through pipes and then altern-
ately 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 manufacturing lines.
The first engine really worth the name was
thae invented by Thomas Newcomer in
100, when, instead Of two boilers, the CYL
Inder was first used 1t was combination
steam and air elgine-tne piston was forced
up by steam and down by atmospheric
pressure. The steam entered the cylinder
70 supply the up-stroke pres sure, ana was
then condensed by the outward application
OF cold water, leaving the atmosphere to
force the piston down throug the vacuum
left by the steam. But the condemnation
was soon after accomplished by means of
jet of cold water.
The valves were at first worked by hand,
but in 17lS the automatic valve came in
by attaching il to rod joined 10 the beam.
This was great improvement, and this g.
CINE IS said to nave been so far perfected as
tP supply from fifteen to twenty strokes
per minute But it must be noticed that
the modern use aud power of steam was
not understood. The principle on which all
these old engines worked was to make
use OF the steam simply to fill a space AMI
then evacuate it in order to let the atmOs-
phere act, and had no reference to the ex-
pansive force of steam as a vapor. On
such principle an engine could not be
built to suit the fast stroke required in
modern manufacture and, moreover, il
was attended with enormous waste of
water. The cylinder had to be heated and
cooled with every stroke. 1t was this
problem which remained for Watt 10 solve.
WATT LED TO INVESTIGATE.
Watt was a maker Of mathematical in
struments at Glasgow. He had consider
able trade at the university there, and &C
qulred from his associations a considerable
knowledge Of scientific principles of his day
A friend suggested 10 him the problem OF
trying 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 b.
successfully solved, steam could be readily
applied as a force in locomotion. 1t was
with this idea in mind, rather than the in
vention of any stationary engine for use il
the manufacturing arts, tat he started
upon his series Il Investigations. After
considerable difficulty he secured a work. 8
mod of the Newcomer engine then in use
l759), but it was not until after six years Of
patient effort 1765D he struck on the right
principle.
Els first endeavors were direct d toward
the fuel-saving problem, bu5 at this time
the expansive force of steam vaDor seems
to have occurred to him as a motive power
He at once threw overheard ali idea of thu
alternate helting and cooling Of the cylin-
der for each stroke. This new idea led him
to close both ends of the cylinder-5he idea
e. i ~ H., 80. L
out his first Datsnt-described a. desig ed
for the saving of fuel in steam engines
One named Roebuck ARIEL his early eff )rts
He was the owner of m1es which had been
flooded by water, and aide for hi own sa l.
walton. But in 1772 crisis came on, and
Roebuck failed. Among his asset was this
interest in Watts invention. A capital (
and iron manufacturer of Birmingham
named Boulton, was among his creditors
After person al examination he thought tue
idea was good. and, to the joy of the Other
creditors, he agreed 20 take this interest as
his share of the assets.
ONE FORTUNATE INVENTOR.
Watt then emOved to Birmingham, and
the engine took the name of the B2ulton-
Watt engine. Two years after Q77A the
engine was in working order, and from the
successful experiments conducted it was
widely known and was coming rapi ilv for
ward. Orders began to pour in in advance.
In 1775 the patent was extended to 1900, and
in 1776 the first order was filed. The orde 5
came in rapidly, especially from Cornish
mine-o Hners. Then came an order for use
in a griSt mill, and it rapidly worked into
other manufacturing uses. 1t was not until
1875, however, that profits began to be real
lied, but at this time they were getting very
large, and by 1900 considerable fortune
had been realized.
Watt continued his efforts till 1919 when
he died. In his business sIccesS he presents
an exception to the ordinary run of in
ventors, for he left a large fortune. H
seems from the first to have had clear
conception Of his objective purpose. He
understood the principles of the later in
ventions and seems TO have known that
steam could be successfully applied in navi-
cation. Many had tried u solve the prob
lem and failed, but ne seems never to have
doubted its ultimate success The atmOs-
pheric engine had been tried, but was found
too clumsy. AS soon as the perpendicular
stroke of the engine had been turned int
rotary motion the successful application
of steam to loconotiOn was assured. Watt
did not try himself to solve this problem,
but he suggested the possibilities and en-.
Outraged the efforts made.
Ii the period l7S7-lS00 many trials were
made in England and America. w hen Full
ton made his invention he purchased a
Boulton- Watt engine, brought it to New
York and used il on the Hudson. Fulton
made the inven ion, but the principle an
idea lived before him. Watt started with
| the idea that steam could be used for loco
motion on landry using a sort of carriage
on ordinary roads. In Cornwall an at
| tempt was made to draw coal cars in thi,
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
connection between these rails and the
| steam engine should remain unnoticed for
forty years.
| WATTS GREATEST TROUBLE
seems to have been in procuring models &c
| test his work at the different periods in his
progress. This illustrates well the state OF
| the mechanical arts in those days. He
needed for his purpose a cylinder with cir
! cular perpendicular sides. But the
machinistS of that day could not produce
such a thing steam-tight. The inventlo;
and construction of these greatly delayec
his work and hampered his efforts. To-day
any sort OF model is easily turned out b.
| thousands of expert machnists.
The early uso and application of steam
| power is a other instance in which EnglanC
| got great start over other countries. W.
| have already noticed the crippled state oil
! France just about to start in her rsvolu
| tionary path, and the wretched and hone
| less condition Of the rest of Europe. As lat'
as 1910 only sixteen engines were at work
| in Eraucp-in the utinpg-and the steam