II (OF 2)***


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LIFE OF RICHARD TREVITHICK,

With an Account of His Inventions.

by

FRANCIS TREVITHICK, C.E.

Illustrated with Engravings on Wood by W. J. Welch.

VOLUME II.







London:
E. & F. N. Spon, 48, Charing Cross.
New York:
446, Broome Street.
1872.

London: Printed by William Clowes and Sons, Duke Street,
Stamford Street and Charing Cross.




CONTENTS OF VOLUME II.


  CHAPTER XVII.

  VARIOUS INVENTIONS.

  Stone-crushing mill, 1804--Portable puffer, 1805--Staffordshire
  potteries--Engine for South America--Diversity of steam
  appliance--Numerous high-pressure engines--West India Dock
  locomotive--Engines at Newcastle--Blacklead lubricator--Engines in
  Wales--Mine engines on wheels, 1804--Engines in London--Engines to be
  sold in market towns--Blast-furnaces--Aerated steam-boiler--St. Ives
  Breakwater--Dolcoath blast copper furnace--Davies Gilbert's opinion of
  the aerated steam-boiler--Trevithick's advice to a brewer--Agricultural
  engines--West India engines--Thrashing engine--Horizontal
  engines--Expansive steam--Cold surface condenser--Air-pump--Expansive
  cam--Fire-bars--Comparison with Watt's engine--Stone-boring engine,
  1813--Plymouth Breakwater, reduction in cost--Locomotive engine,
  1813--Stone splitting--New method of stone boring, 1813--Screw bit,
  1813--Falmouth Harbour--Exeter Bridge--Engine at Lima--Proposed train
  from Buenos Ayres to Lima--West India portable engine      Page 1-35


  CHAPTER XVIII.

  AGRICULTURAL ENGINES; LOSS OF PAPERS.

  Sir Christopher Hawkins's thrashing machine, 1812--Report of three
  wise men--Cost of horse and steam power--Wheal Liberty engine--Sir
  John Sinclair and the Board of Agriculture--Cost of engine--Power of
  engine--Welsh locomotive--Trevithick on steam agriculture--West Indies
  engine--Horse-power--Trevithick on patents--Engines in charge of
  labourers--Teapot--Detail of agricultural engine--Lord Dedunstanville's
  thrashing machine--Plymouth Breakwater locomotive--Wheal Prosper
  engine--Wheal Alfred engine--Steam-plough--Cultivation of
  commons--Combined steam-tormentor, narrower, and shoveller--Mr.
  Rendal's thrashing machine--Cost and work performed by thrashing
  engines--Their durability--Bridgenorth engine--Trevithick's drawings
  light the tires      36-68


  CHAPTER XIX.

  POLE STEAM-ENGINE.

  Return to Cornwall, 1810--Wheal Prosper pole vacuum engine,
  1811--Cylindrical boilers, 1811--Steam pressure, 100 lbs.--Duty
  of engine, 40 millions--Expansive working, 1811--Herland
  high-pressure pole puffer, 1815--Steam pressure, 150 lbs.--Boiler
  making--Comparison with Watt's engine--Blue-fire--Steam--Patent
  specification--Steam-ring stuffing box--Engines in Lima--A 33-inch
  pole-puffer more powerful than a 72-inch Watt engine--Description
  of pole engine and boilers--Trevithick's calculation--Trial of
  Herland engines--Steam-cushion--Power of the pole-engine--Defective
  workmanship--Sims examines the pole-engine--Opposition from
  shareholders--Defective boilers--Challenge to Woolf--Davies
  Giddy's opinion--First cost, and cost of working one-third of
  the Watt engine--Meeting of opposing shareholders--Duty of the
  high-pressure steam pole puffer-engine, 1816--Comparison with the Watt
  engine--Combined high-pressure pole and cylinder for expansion--Wheal
  Alfred Watt engine converted to high pressure--Wheal Chance combined
  engine--Mr. Michael Williams's opinion--Woolf and Trevithick  Page 69-113


  CHAPTER XX.

  THE WATT AND THE TREVITHICK ENGINES AT DOLCOATH.

  Early steam-engines--Semicircular boiler, 1775, net power 7 lbs.
  on the inch--Watt's statement in 1777--Engines in Dolcoath--Watt's
  engine, 1778--Watt's engine at Herland, 1798--Trevithick's tubular
  boiler, 1799--Reconstruction of the Carloose 45-inch, 1799--Gross and
  net power of engines--Comparison of Newcomen, Watt, and Trevithick
  engines--Boiler explosion, 1803--Strong rivalry with Watt--Locomotive
  at Coalbrookdale, 1803--Watt's proposed locomotive--Competition in
  Wales--Numerous high-pressure engines, 1803--Patent difficulty--Watt's
  opposition, 1804--Government inquiry--Competitive trials in
  Wales--Tramway locomotive, 1804--The bet--Opposition because of saving
  of labour--Worcester engine--West India Docks engine--High-pressure
  steam condensing engines--One or two cylinders for expansion--Sirhowey
  boilers--Mr. Homfray's opinion of