The Engineer's and Mechanic's Encyclopaedia, Comprehending Practical Illustrations of the Machinery and Processes Employed in Every Description of Manufacture of the British Empire (Paperback)

This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated. 1836 Excerpt: ...straight courses, it will traverse with facility roads so rugged as to be wholly impassable to ordinary carriages. But the well-directed skill and admirable perseverance of Mr. M'Adam having, about this period, brought our public roads into a high state of improvement, had the effect of removing, at the same time, the only insuperable obstacle to the application of locomotive steam-carriages thereon: accordingly, we find numerous projectors and speculators successively appearing for the honour or the profit of their successful introduction. To attain that object, however, there are two things essentially requisite--capital and skill; and these must be employed in combination, and to an extent which has not hitherto been practised; otherwise disappointment will continue to be the bitter fruit of experience in this interesting and important branch of mechanical science. In some instances gold has been wanting where skill was abundant; and, in others, gold has been abundant where skill was wanting. From these causes, separate or combined, in an undue ratio, steam locomotion upon the common road has made but little progression since the time of Trevithick, notwithstanding the vast aid derived from M'Adam, and, more recently, from the labours of Telford and M'Neill. Since these changes in our roads were effected, the name of Julius Griffith, of Biompton Crescent, stands the foremost in prosecuting the object. His patent is dated in December, 1821, and the specification informs us that it was partly communicated by foreigners. In this carriage there are two working steam cylinders, which, together with the boiler, a condenser, and other appendages, are suspended to a framing at the back of the vehicle. The carriage body is to be made of any convenient form adapte...