Chapter II: Introduction: 1

STEAM ENGINES 3
THE LOCOMOTIVE 14
PORTABLE ENGINES 24
THE STEAM HAMMER 25

IRON 29
IRON IN ARCHITECTURE 72
BIG WHEELS 81

TOOLS 85
THE BLANCHARD LATHE 96
SAWING MACHINES 98

RAILWAYS 101
THE METROPOLITAN RAILWAYS 114
THE PACIFIC RAILWAY 116
INCLINED RAILWAYS 125

STEAM NAVIGATION 129
RIVER AND LAKE STEAMBOATS OF AMERICA 144

SHIPS OF WAR 149

FIRE-ARMS 169
THE MILITARY RIFLE 178
RIFLED CANNON 190
MACHINE GUNS 218

TORPEDOES 227

SHIP CANALS 249
THE SUEZ CANAL 251
THE MANCHESTER SHIP CANAL 262
THE NORTH SEA CANAL 271
THE PANAMA AND NICARAGUA CANAL PROJECTS 272

IRON BRIDGES 276
GIRDER BRIDGES 280
SUSPENSION BRIDGES 284
CANTILEVER BRIDGES 291
THE TOWER BRIDGE, LONDON 297
THE GREAT BROOKLYN BRIDGE 303

PRINTING MACHINES 305
LETTERPRESS PRINTING 306
PATTERN PRINTING 321

HYDRAULIC POWER 324

PNEUMATIC DISPATCH 340

ROCK BORING 349
THE MONT CENIS TUNNEL 351
ROCK-DRILLING MACHINES 355
THE CHANNEL TUNNEL 364
THE ST. GOTHARD RAILWAY 371

LIGHT 380
SOME PHENOMENA OF LIGHT 382
VELOCITY OF LIGHT 384
REFLECTION OF LIGHT 388
REFRACTION 397
DOUBLE REFRACTION AND POLARISATION 399
CAUSE OF LIGHT AND COLOUR 408

THE SPECTROSCOPE 416
CELESTIAL CHEMISTRY AND PHYSICS 436

ROENTGEN’S X RAYS 445

SIGHT 452
THE EYE 454
VISUAL IMPRESSIONS 468

ELECTRICITY 481
ELEMENTARY PHENOMENA OF ELECTRICITY AND MAGNETISM 483
THEORY OF ELECTRICITY 487
ELECTRIC INDUCTION 488
DYNAMICAL ELECTRICITY 490
INDUCED CURRENTS 502
MAGNETO-ELECTRICITY 507
THE GRAMME MAGNETO-ELECTRIC MACHINE 511
ELECTRIC LIGHTING AND ELECTRIC POWER 519
THE NEW ELECTRICITY 538

THE ELECTRIC TELEGRAPH 547
TELEGRAPHIC INSTRUMENTS 553
TELEGRAPHIC LINES 572
THE TELEPHONE 581

LIGHTHOUSES 593

PHOTOGRAPHY 607
PHOTOGRAPHY IN COLOURS 630

PRINTING PROCESSES 632
STEREOTYPING 632
LITHOGRAPHY 636
OTHER PROCESSES 640
THE LINOTYPE MACHINE 645

RECORDING INSTRUMENTS 653
THE PHONOGRAPH 665

AQUARIA 675
THE CRYSTAL PALACE AQUARIUM 677
THE BRIGHTON AQUARIUM 682

GOLD AND DIAMONDS 687
GOLD 687
DIAMONDS 696

NEW METALS 714

INDIA-RUBBER AND GUTTA-PERCHA 724
INDIA-RUBBER 724
GUTTA-PERCHA 728

ANÆSTHETICS 731

EXPLOSIVES 740

MINERAL COMBUSTIBLES 751
COAL 751
PETROLEUM 757
PARAFFIN 761

COAL-GAS 764

COAL-TAR COLOURS 781

THE GREATEST DISCOVERY OF THE AGE 801

NOTES 811

INDEX 813

LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS.

FIG. PAGE

Heading—Rain, Steam, and Speed (after Turner) 1

1. Portrait of James Watt 3

2. Newcomen’s Steam Engine 4

3. Watt’s Double-action Steam Engine 5

4. Governor and Throttle-Valve 6

4_a_. Watt’s Parallel Motion 8

5. Slide Valve 9

6. Section of Gifford’s Injector 11

7. Bourdon’s Pressure Gauge 12

8. Steam Generator 13

9. Section of Locomotive 15

10. Stephenson’s Link Motion 17

10_a_. G. N. R. Express Passenger Locomotive 19

10_b_. Joy’s Valve Gear 20

11. Locomotive after Explosion 22

12. Hancock’s Steam Omnibus 22

13. Nasmyth’s Steam Hammer 27

14. Merryweather’s Steam Fire-Engine 28

15. A Foundry 29

16. Aerolite in the British Museum 31

17. Blast Furnace 41

18. Section and Plan of Blast Furnace (obsolete type) 42

19. Section of a Reverberatory Furnace 45

20. Fibrous Fracture of Wrought Iron 47

21. Cup and Cone 49

22. Section of Blast Furnace 51

23. Experiments at Baxter House 58

24. Bessemer Converter 63

25. Model of Bessemer Steel Apparatus 65

26. Section of Regenerative Stoves and Open Hearth 68

26_a_. Rolling Mill 71

26_b_. The Eiffel Tower in course of construction 73

26_c_. The Eiffel Tower 75

26_d_. St. Paul Building, N. Y. 77

26_e_. Manhattan Insurance Co.’s Building in course of 79
erection

26_f_. Manhattan Insurance Co.’s Building nearly completed 80

26_g_. Original Design for the Great Wheel 82

27. Portrait of Sir Joseph Whitworth 85

28. Whitworth’s Screw Dies and Tap 86

29. Screw-cutting Lathe 87

30. Whitworth’s Measuring Machine 89

31. Whitworth’s Drilling Machine 91

32. Whitworth’s Planing Machine 93

33. Pair of Whitworth’s Planes or Surface Plates 94

34. Interior of Engineer’s Workshop 95

35. Blanchard Lathe 96

36. Vertical Saw 98

37. Circular Saw 99

38. Pit-Saw 100

39. Box Tunnel 101

40. Coal-pit, Salop 102

41. Sankey Viaduct 103

42. Rails and Cramp-gauge 104

43. Fish-plate 105

44. Section of Rails and Fish-plates 106

45. Conical Wheels 107

46. Centrifugal Force 107

47. Points 108

48. Signal Box on North London Railway 109

49. Post Office Railway Van 111

50. Gower Street Station, Metropolitan Railway 115

51. Map of the Route of Pacific Railway 117

52. Trestle Bridge 118

53. American Canyon 119

54. “Cape Horn” 121

55. Snow Plough 122

56. First Steam Railroad Train in America 123

57. Railway Embankment 124

57_a_. Train ascending the Rigi 126

57_b_. At the summit of the Rigi 127

58. The _Great Eastern_ at Anchor 129

59. Casting Cylinder of a Marine Steam Engine 131

60. Screw Propeller 132

61. Section of _Great Eastern_ Amidships 134

62. The _Great Eastern_ in course of construction 135

63. The _Great Eastern_ ready for launching 136

64. Comparative sizes of Steamships 137

65. The ss. _City of Rome_ 138

66. The _Castalia_ in Dover Harbour 140

67. The same—End View 141

68. Bessemer Steamer 142

68_a_. A Whaleback Steamer, No. 85, built at West 146
Superior, Wisconsin

69. H.M.S. _Devastation_ in Queenstown Harbour 149

70. Section of H.M.S. _Hercules_ 151

71. Section of H.M.S. _Inconstant_ 153

72. Section, Elevation and Plan of Turret of H.M.S. 154
_Captain_

73. H.M.S. _Captain_ 155

74. Diagram of H.M.S. _Captain_ 158

75. Ditto 159

76. H.M.S. _Glatton_ 162

77. H.M.S. _Thunderer_ 163

78. The _König Wilhelm_ 165

78_a_. The _Victoria_ leaving Newcastle-on-Tyne 166

78_b_. Firing at Floating Battery 168

79. Krupp’s Works at Essen, Prussia 169

80. Trajectory of a Projectile 174

81. Diagram for Trajectory of a Projectile 176

82. Muzzle-loading Musket and Rifles (obsolete 179
patterns)

83. The Minié Bullet 181

84. Greener’s Expanding Bullet 182

85. The Chassepot Rifle—Section of the Breech 183

86. Section of the Martini-Henry Lock 185

87. The Martini-Henry Rifle 186

88. The Mannlicher Magazine Rifle 188

89. The Magazine and Breech of the Mannlicher Rifle 189

90. 32–pounder, 1807 191

91. Whitworth Rifling and Projectile 193

92. 600–pounder Muzzle-loading Armstrong Gun 194

93. 35–ton Fraser Gun 195

94. Section of 9–in. Fraser Gun 196

95. Millwall Shield after being battered with Heavy 200
Shot—Front View

96. Rear View of the Millwall Shield 200

97. Comparative Sizes of 35 and 81–ton Guns 201

98. Diagram of Velocities and Pressures 205

99. Elswick 4·7–in. Q. F. Gun on Pivot Mounting 207

100. The Moncrieff Gun raised and ready for firing 209

101. Moncrieff Gun lowered for loading 209

102. 68–ton Gun on Elswick Hydro-Pneumatic Mounting 211

103. Mallet’s Mortar 213

104. 32–pounder Krupp Siege Gun, with Breech-piece open 214

105. The Citadel of Strasburg after the Prussian 215
Bombardment

105_a_. The Shrapnel and Segment Shells 217

105_b_. The Gatling Gun—Rear View 219

105_c_. The Gatling Gun—Front View 221

105_d_. The Montigny Mitrailleur 222

105_e_. A Hotchkiss Gun 224

106. Harvey’s Torpedo.—Working the Brakes 227

107. Submerged Torpedo 228

108. Mode of Firing Torpedo 230

109. Explosion of Whitehead’s Torpedo 231

110. Effect of the Explosion of Whitehead’s Torpedo 232

111. Experiment with a Torpedo charged with 10 lbs. Gun 233
Cotton

112. Explosion of Torpedo containing 67 lbs. Gun Cotton 234

113. Explosion of 432 lbs. Gun Cotton in 37 ft. Water 235

114. The same in 27 ft. Water 235

115. Section of Priming Case and Exploding Bolt 236

116. Harvey’s Torpedo 237

117. The same 238

118. The same 239

119. Official Trial of “Harvey’s Sea Torpedo” 239

120. Model of Submarine Guns 240

121. The Warner Experiment off Brighton 241

122. Portrait of M. Lesseps 249

123. The Sand-Glass 253

124. A Group of Egyptian Fellahs and their Wives 254

125. Dredges and Elevators at Work 255

126. Map of the Suez Canal 256

127. Port Saïd, the Mediterranean Entrance to the Suez 257
Canal

128. Bird’s-eye View of Port Saïd 258

129. One of the Breakwaters at Port Saïd 259

130. Lake Timsah and Ismaïlia 259

131. Railway Station at Ismaïlia 260

132. The Viceroy of Egypt cutting Embankment 261

133. Map of the Manchester Ship Canal, Western Portion 263

134. Map of the Manchester Ship Canal, Eastern Portion 263

135. A Cutting for the Manchester Ship Canal 265

136. Blasting Rocks for the Manchester Ship Canal 266

137. Manchester Ship Canal Works, Runcorn 267

137_a_. The French Steam Navvy 268

137_b_. The English Steam Navvy 269

137_c_. Sketch Map of the North Sea Canal 271

138. Britannia Bridge, Menai Straits 276

139. Diagram showing Strains 278

140. Ditto 279

141. Girder 279

142. Ditto 279

143. Ditto 280

144. Section of a Tube of the Britannia Bridge 281

145. Albert Bridge, Saltash 283

146. Clifton Suspension Bridge, near Bristol 285

147. Section of Shaft 286

147_a_. Clifton Suspension Bridge, Niagara 288

147_b_. Living Model of the Cantilever Principle 291

147_c_. Principal Dimensions of the Forth Bridge 294

147_d_. Map of the Tower Bridge and its Approaches 299

147_e_. The Tower Bridge 301

147_f_. Sketch 302

148. Newspaper Printing-Room 305

149. Inking Balls 306

150. Inking Roller 306

151. Diagram of Single Machine 308

152. Diagram of Perfecting Machine 309

153. Cowper’s Double Cylinder Machine 309

154. Tapes of Cowper’s Machine 310

155. Hopkinson and Cope’s Perfecting Machine 311

156. Section of Casting Apparatus 314

157. Diagram of the Walter Press 315

158. Hoe’s Type Revolving Cylinder Machine 317

159. Hoe’s “Railway” Machine 319

160. Napier’s Platen Machine 320

161. Roller for Printing Wall-Papers 322

162. Machine for Printing Paper-Hangings 323

163. Chain Testing Machine 324

164. Pascal’s Principle 325

165. Collar of Hydraulic Cylinder 326

166. Hydraulic Press 327

167. Section of Hydraulic Lift Graving Dock 331

168. Section of Column 332

169. Sir W. Armstrong’s Hydraulic Crane 335

170. Raising Tubes of Britannia Bridge 336

171. Press for Raising the Tubes 337

172. Head of Link-Bars 338

173. Apparatus to Prove Transmission of Pressure 339

174. Pneumatic Tubes and Carriages 340

175. Diagram of Tubes, &c. 342

176. Sending and Receiving Apparatus 343

177. Section of Receiving Apparatus 344

178. Sommeiller Boring Machines 349

179. Transit by Diligence over Mont Cenis 353

180. Burleigh Rock Drill on Tripod 356

181. The same on Movable Column 358

182. The same Mounted on Carriage 359

183. Diamond Drill Crown 360

184. Diamond Drill Machinery 363

185. Chart of the Channel Tunnel 367

186. Section of the Channel Tunnel 368

187. View of Dover 369

187_a_. Map of the St. Gothard Railway 372

187_b_. The Uppermost Bridge over the Maïenreuss 375

187_c_. The Bridges over the Maïenreuss, near Wasen 377

187_d_. Windings of the Line near Wasen 378

188. Contrasts of Light 380

189. Rays 382

190. Diagram 383

191. Telescopic Appearance of Jupiter and Satellites 384

192. Diagram 386

193, 194, 195. Diagrams 388

196. Diagram 389

197. Polemoscope 390

198. Apparatus for Ghost Illusion 391

198_a_. The Ghost Illusion 393

199. Illusion produced by Mirrors 394

200. A Stage Illusion 395

201. View of Venice—Reflections 396

202. Refraction 397

203. Diagram 398

204, 205. Diagrams of Crystals 400

206. Diagram 401

207. Diagram 403

208. Diagram 404

209. Polariscope 406

210. Section showing Polarisation 407

211. Iceland Spar, showing Double Refraction 407

212. Diagram 408

213. Diagram 410

214. Diagram 412

215. Portrait of Professor Kirchhoff 416

216. Diagram 417

217. Newton’s Experiment 418

218. Bunsen’s Burner on Stand 421

219. Spectroscope with one Prism 423

220. Miniature Spectroscope 426

221. The Gassiot Spectroscope 427

222. Browning’s Automatic Adjustment of Prisms 429

223. Apparatus for Spark Spectra 430

224. The Sorby-Browning Micro-Spectroscope 433

225. Section of Micro-Spectroscope, with Micrometer 434

226. Diagram 435

227. Section of Micro-Spectroscope 436

228. Solar Eclipse, 1869 439

229. The Planet Saturn 441

230. Solar Prominences, No. 1 442

231. Ditto, No. 2 443

232. Section of Amateur Star Spectroscope 444

232_a_. X. Ray Photo of Living Hand, Exposure 4 minutes 446

232_b_. Skiagraph of a Hand by Dr. Roentgen 448

232_c_. Metal objects photographed through Calico and sheet 450
of Aluminium

232_d_. Skiagraph of Layers of various substances 451

233. Portrait of Professor Helmholtz 452

234. Vertical Section of the Eye 454

235. Section of Retina 456

236. Diagram 457

237. Muscles of Eyes 459

238. Diagram 461

239. Diagram 464

240. Diagram 465

241. Ruete’s Ophthalmoscope 466

242. Diagram 467

243. Wheatstone’s Reflecting Stereoscope 469

244. Diagram 470

245. Diagram 471

246. The Telestereoscope 473

247. Lines 475

248, 249. Diagrams 476

250, 251. Diagrams 477

251_a_. Edison’s Kinetographic Theatre 479

252. Portrait of Sir W. Thomson 481

253. A simple Electroscope 485

254. The Gold-leaf Electroscope 489

255. The Leyden Jar 490

256. A Voltaic Element 491

257. Ampère’s Rule 492

258. Galvanometer 493

259. Daniell’s Cell and Battery 495

260. Grove’s Cell and Battery 495

261. Wire Ignited by Electricity 496

262. Duboscq’s Electric Lantern and Regulator 497

263. Decomposition of Water 498

264. Electro-plating 499

265. A Current producing a Magnet 500

266. An Electro-magnet 501

267. Ruhmkorff’s Coil 503

268. Discharge through Rarefied Air 504

268_a_. Large Induction Coil at the Old Polytechnic 505
Institution, London

269. Appearance of Spark on Looking-glass 507

270. Magneto-electric Spark 508

271. A Magnet producing a Current 509

272. Clarke’s Magneto-electric Machine 509

273. Magneto-electric Light 510

274. Diagram 511

275. Gramme Machine 512

276. Insulated Coils 513

277. Hand Gramme Machine 513

278. Gramme Machine, with eight Vertical Electro-Magnets 516

279. Gramme Machine, with Horizontal Electro-magnets 517

280. Gramme Machine 519

280_a_. The Alliance Machine 520

280_b_. Wilde’s Machine 521

280_c_. Siemens’ Dynamo 522

280_d_. The Brush Dynamo 523

280_e_. Siemens’ Regulator 524

280_f_. Jablochkoff Candle 525

280_g_. Electric Lamp 526

280_h_. Incandescent Lamp 529

280_i_. Poles with Single Arms for Suburban Roads.—The 533
Ontario Beach Railway, Rochester, N.Y.

280_j_. The Glynde Telepherage Line, on the system of the 534
late Fleeming Jenkin

280_k_. Diagrams 540

280_l_. The Tesla Oscillator 542

280_m_. M. Nikola Tesla 543

281. Portrait of Professor Morse 547

282. Double-Needle Instrument 554

283. Electro-magnetic Bells 555

284. Portable Single-Needle Instrument 556

285. Connections of Telegraph Line 558

286. Morse Recording Telegraph 559

287. Morse Transmitting Key 561

288. Morse Transmitting Plate 562

289. Step-by-step Movement 567

290. Froment’s Dials 567

291. Wheatstone’s Universal Dial Telegraph 568

292. Mirror Galvanometer 571

293. Telegraph Post and Insulators 573

294. Ditto 573

295. Wire Circuit 574

296. Wire and Earth Circuit 574

297. Submarine Cable 575

298. Making Wire for Atlantic Cable 577

299. Instrument Room at Valentia 578

300. Breaking of the Cable 579

301. Atlantic Telegraph Cable, 1866 580

302. Diagram 580

302_a_. Reiss’s Musical Telephone 584

302_b_. Bell’s Musical Telephone 585

302_c_. Superposition of Currents 587

302_d_. Bell’s Speaking Telephone 588

302_e_. Hughes’s Microphone 591

Lighthouse (heading) 593

303. Eddystone Lighthouse 594

304. Eddystone in a Storm 595

305. Revolving Light Apparatus 601

306. Stephenson’s Holophotal Light 604

307. Camera 607

308. Camera and Slide 615

309. Folding Camera 616

310. Lenses 617

311. Bath 619

311_a_. The Roll-Slide 622

312. Portrait of Aloysius Senefelder 632

313. Press for Stereotyping by Clay Process 633

313_a_. The Linotype Machine 645

313_b_. A Matrix 646

313_c_. Diagram of Movements 647

313_d_. A Line of Matrices 648

313_e_. A finished Line entering galley 649

313_f_. The Melting Pot and Mould Wheel 650

313_g_. The Finished Line 651

313_h_. Lines assembled into a “Form” 651

313_i_. Matrices dropping into Magazine 652

314. Recording Anemometer 653

315. Registration of Height of Barometer and Thermometer 655

316. Electric Chronograph 657

317. Negretti’s Deep-Sea Thermometer 661

318. Ditto, General Arrangement 662

319. Atmospheric Recording Instrument 663

319_a_. Traces of Vibrations of a Tuning-Fork 667

319_b_. Phonautographic Tracings of Different Vowel Sounds 667

319_c_. Diagram 668

319_d_. Phases of Sound Waves 668

319_e_. Edison’s Original Phonograph 670

319_f_. Diagrammatic Section of Phonograph 671

319_g_. The Graphophone 672

319_h_. Edison’s Perfected Phonograph 674

320. Domestic Aquarium 675

321. The Opelet 679

322. Viviparous Blenny 680

323. The Lancelet 681

324. Sea-Horses 683

325. Proteus anguinus 684

326. Mud-Fish 685

327. The Axolotl 686

328. Sorting, Washing, and Digging at the South African 687
Diamond Fields

329. Gold Miner’s Camp 689

330. Gold in Rocks 690

331. “Cradle” for Gold-washing 690

332. Pniel, from Jardine’s Hotel 702

333. Sifting at the “Dry Diggings” 703

334. Vaal River, from Spence Kopje 704

334_a_. Sketch Section of the Kimberley Diamond Mine 709

335. Portrait of Sir Humphrey Davy 714

336. Apparatus 717

337. Portrait of Mr. Thomas Hancock 724

338. Portrait of Sir James Young Simpson, M.D. 731

339. Railway Cutting 740

340. View on the Tyne 751

341. Fossil Trees in a Railway Cutting 752

342. Impression of Leaf in Coal Measures 753

343. Possible Aspect of the Forests of the Coal Age 754

344. The Fireside 756

345. View on Hyde and Egbert’s Farm, Oil Creek 761

346. View of City of London Gas-Works 764

347. Section of Gas-making Apparatus 765

348. The Retort 767

348_a_. Retort House of the Imperial Gas-Works 768

349. The Gas Governor 770

350. Bunsen’s Burner 772

351. Faraday’s Ventilating Gas-Burner 773

351_a_. Diagram 778

351_b_. Diagram 778

351_c_. Diagram 779

351_d_. Diagram 779

351_e_. Diagram 780

352. Apparatus for making Magenta 781

353. Iron Pots for making Nitro-Benzol 784

354. Section of Apparatus for making Nitro-Benzol 785

355. Apparatus for making Aniline 786

356. Section of Hollow Spindle 787

357. Portrait of J. Prescott Joule, F.R.S. 801

LIST OF PLATES.

PLATE I.
TO FACE

THE GREAT WHEEL IN ACTION _Title page_

PLATE II.

NORTH-EASTERN RAILWAY LOCOMOTIVE 18

PLATE III.

THE GREAT STEAM HAMMER, ROYAL GUN FACTORY, WOOLWICH 28

PLATE IV.

THE AMERICAN TRACT SOCIETY BUILDING 76

PLATE V.

GENERAL VIEW OF THE GREAT WHEEL AT EARL’S COURT 84

PLATE VI.

MOUNT WASHINGTON INCLINED TRACK 124

PLATE VII.

PIKE’S PEAK RAILROAD, ROCKY MOUNTAINS 128

PLATE VIII.

THE “CLERMONT” FROM A CONTEMPORARY DRAWING 130

PLATE IX.

THE “MARY POWELL” 144

PLATE X.

THE “NEW YORK” 148

PLATE XI.

H.M.S. “THE TERRIBLE” 168

PLATE XII.

THE 110–TON ARMSTRONG GUN 202

PLATE XIII.

THE FORTH BRIDGE 292

PLATE XIV.

THE TOWER BRIDGE IN COURSE OF CONSTRUCTION 298

PLATE XV.

THE BROOKLYN BRIDGE 304

PLATE XVI.

THE NORTH MOUTH OF THE GREAT TUNNEL, ST. GOTHARD RAILWAY 374

PLATE XVII.

SPECTRA (Coloured Plate) 422

_Wind, Steam, and Speed_ (after TURNER).
]