Lives of Boulton and Watt. Principally from the Original Soho Mss.: Comprising also a history of the invention and introduction of the steam engineSmiles, Samuel
History
Lives of Boulton and Watt. Principally from the Original Soho Mss.: Comprising also a history of the invention and introduction of the steam engine
[18] His first idea seems to have been to employ gunpowder for
the production of motive power, for in the ‘Calendar of State
Papers’ (Dom) we find the following entry:--“Decr. 11th,
1691.--Warrant for a grant to Sir Samuel Morland of the sole use
for 14 years of his invention for raising water out of pits,
&c., to a reasonable height, by the force of powder and air
conjointly.”--(‘Entry Book,’ V., p. 85.) In vol. XLVI., p. 49,
we find this entry under the same date:--“Warrant for a grant
to Sir S. Morland of the sole making of an engine invented by
him for raising water in mines or pits, draining marshes, or
supplying buildings with water.”
[19] The ‘Harleian Miscellany’ (Brit. Mus.), No. 5771, contains
the following brief tract in French, written by Morland in 1682.
It is on vellum, and entitled ‘Les Principes de la Nouvelle
Force de Feu:’--“L’eau estant evaporée par la force de feu, ces
vapeurs demandent incontinant une plus grand’espace [environ
deux mille fois] que l’eau n’occupoiet auparavant, et plus tost
que d’etre toujours emprisonnés, feroient crever une piece
de canon. Mais estant bien gouvernées selon les regles de la
statique, et par science reduites a la mesure au poids, et à la
balance, alors elles portent paisiblement leurs fardeaux [comme
des bons chevaux] et ainsy seroient elles du grand usage au
gendre humain, particulièrement pour l’elevation des eaux, selon
la table suivante que marque les nombres des livres qui pourrant
estre levés 1800 fois par heure, à 6 pouces de levée, par de
cylindres à moitie remplies d’eau, ausi bien que les divers
diametres et profondeurs des dit cylindres.” Tables are then
given, showing the power requisite to raise given quantities of
water to certain heights by cylinders of different dimensions.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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