Invention and Application of my Marine Governor.
I was anxious from the first to produce a governor capable of being
used on marine engines--which the governor already described could not
be, as it needed to stand in a vertical position--and also one that
should be free from the limitations of the conical pendulum. I gave
a great deal of study to the subject, and after worrying about it--I
am ashamed to say how long, for the principle when once seen is found
to be exceedingly simple, being merely maintaining a constant ratio
between the compression of the spring and the radius of the circle of
revolution of the balls--I finally perfected my marine governor and
tried it in my shop, running it from a hand-driven pulley, and found
it perfectly isochronous. It was capable of being adjusted to be as
nearly isochronous as we thought expedient consistent with stability of
position.
This governor is represented in the cut that follows. The motion
imparted was small, from ³⁄₄ to 1¹⁄₂ inches in the different sizes, but
the governor was very strong. The balls are shown half expanded. Before
expansion their circle of revolution is 10 inches diameter; when fully
expanded it is 15 inches diameter; increase in diameter, and so in
centrifugal force, 50 per cent. The spring has an initial compression
given by the nut of 2 inches; additional compression imparted by the
expansion of the balls, 1 inch, giving an increase of 50 per cent. in
the resistance. So in every position of the balls the two forces are in
equilibrium, at a constant number of revolutions per minute.
My friend Mr. McLaren had the job of making repairs on the vessels of
the newly started North German Lloyd Line, and feeling confident that
my governor was what that line needed very much, he obtained from the
agents in New York an order for me to put one on the steamer “New York”
on a guarantee of perfect performance. This was the first steamship of
this line. The chief engineer of the vessel, an Englishman, Mr. Sparks,
told me in conversation that I could have no idea how anxious they
were in the engineering department for my governor to be a success,
because they had to throttle the ship by hand, and it seemed sometimes
as though their arms would drop off before the end of their watch;
but he was sorry to say that I could not do it, and he would tell me
why. “We know when the screw is coming out of the water by the rising
of the stern of the vessel, and we shut the steam off beforehand, and
so when the stern goes down we know that it is going down into the
sea and admit the steam to the engine beforehand. Now, your governor
cannot tell what is going to happen. It cannot act until a change of
motion has taken place which will be too late, and so I am sorry to say
that you cannot succeed.” But in spite of his want of faith I obtained
authority to attach the governor.
On returning from his first voyage with it, Mr. Sparks said to me: “I
have nothing to say, Mr. Porter, except that we have sat quietly in our
chairs all the voyage, which has been a very stormy one, and watched
the engine moving as regularly as a clock, while the governor has been
in a state of incessant activity.”
The captain joined with him in giving me the following testimonials:
“Steamship ‘New York,’
“Pier 30, North River.
“_To Mr. Chas. T. Porter_:
“Sir: It affords me sincere pleasure to acknowledge the perfect
success of your patent marine governor, as applied to the engines of
the above ship.
“On our passage from Southampton we had an excellent opportunity
of testing its merits fully, and I can assure you it had complete
control over the engines at all times. Not the slightest racing
occurred, nor any of those sudden shocks that happen with the best
hand-throttling. It closed the valve at the right moment, and as
freely opened it again, thus maintaining a uniform speed throughout.
“To the proprietors of steamships, or engineers having charge of
marine engines, I can confidently recommend this most valuable
invention, wishing it the success so perfect a governor deserves.
“I am
“Respectfully yours,
“H. SPARKS,
“Chief Engineer.
“May 30, 1861.”
“I cordially concur in the approbation of Mr. Porter’s governor,
contained in the foregoing letter of the chief engineer. We had
several days of bad weather on the last passage, and the ship, being
very lightly laden, pitched excessively, so as to throw the screw at
times entirely out of the water.
“The motion of the engines and ship was at all times perfectly
steady; scarcely a jar was felt in the ship more than in calm weather.
“I would strongly recommend to all masters and engineers of screw
steamships to use this governor.
“G. WENKE,
“Master of the S. S. ‘New York.’
“New York, June 1, 1861.”
It may be supposed that with such an unqualified endorsement we would
have no difficulty in obtaining many orders. In fact, so long as simple
engines were used a good business was done in the manufacture of these
governors, but when compounding came into use it was found that they
regulated no more. The intermediate receiver held steam enough when
admitted to the low-pressure cylinder to run the engine away when the
screw came out of the water, and the use of marine governors entirely
ceased, and the engines have ever since been allowed to race without
any attempt to control them.
This governor was not, however, to vanish like the stone-dressing
machine. About the time when the patent on it expired, its principle
came to be utilized in shaft governors. I do not know by whom this
application of it, which afterwards became so extensive, was first made.
[Illustration: The Porter Marine Governor.]
On the “New York” I made my first and only observation on the subject
of electrolysis. I was required to put in a special valve to be
operated by the governor. I put in a throttle valve of steam metal in a
cast-iron chamber. The spindle was of steel, 2 inches diameter, and the
valve was secured on it by three steel taper pins ⁵⁄₈ inch diameter at
one end and ¹⁄₂ inch at the other. For some reason, what it was I have
now no idea, on the return of the ship I took this valve chamber out
of the pipe, and found something I was not looking for. The projecting
ends of these pins, fully ¹⁄₂ inch long, had been completely eaten
away in one round trip. I had to replace them with composition pins,
which I always used afterwards.
Directly after the success of my marine governor on the “New York” I
went West to attempt its introduction on propellers running on the
Great Lakes. This journey resulted in the same financial success that I
had achieved at Pittsburg; but some incidents make it interesting to me.
On taking my seat in a car for Albany I found my companion to be Mr.
Hiram Sibley, afterwards the founder of Sibley College of the Mechanic
Arts in Cornell University. When I lived in Rochester Mr. Sibley was
sheriff of Monroe County, of which Rochester is the capital or shire
town, and as a lawyer I was occasionally brought into some relations
with him. We had not met in eleven years, but we instantly recognized
each other. He was then enjoying the triumphant outcome of his amazing
foresight and boldness, and he loved to talk about his experience,
especially with an old Rochester man who had known his associates
there. In fact, he entertained me all the way to Albany.
On the first burst of enthusiasm over the invention of the telegraph,
companies had been incorporated in many of the States for the
establishment of lines. These companies, it was found directly,
could not even pay their running expenses, because their operations
were confined to their respective States. Mr. Sibley was the man
for the hour. He conceived the plan of buying up the stock of all
these companies, which could be got for very little, and after this
had been secured incorporating a company to operate throughout the
United States. It is difficult now to put ourselves back to that time,
when the vastness of such a scheme would take men’s breath away. Mr.
Sibley succeeded in interesting the financial men of Rochester in the
enterprise, and the Western Union Telegraph Company was formed. The
story of his struggles to hold his subscribers, resisting the appeals
of some of them for the sake of their families to be released from
their obligations, was very amusing. He was obdurate and enriched them
all.
A few years later Mr. Sibley conceived a plan for a telegraph line
to San Francisco, and at his request a meeting was held of parties
holding large interests in the Western Union Telegraph Company to
consider the proposition. This was referred to a committee, who in
their report pronounced the scheme utterly visionary, and indulged
in considerable merriment over its absurdity, and the proposal was
unanimously rejected. Mr. Sibley then got up and said, “Gentlemen, if I
were not so old a man I would build the line myself.” This declaration
was received with peals of laughter. Then he got mad and shouted over
the din, “Damn it, gentlemen, I’ll bar the years and do it”; and now he
had done it. “And this very day,” said he, “I have been solicited by
merchants in New York to let them have shares in California telegraph
stock at the rate of five dollars for one, men whom I had almost on my
knees begged in vain for help to build the line; but they could not get
the stock.” I asked him, “Don’t you have trouble from the Indians?” to
which he replied: “The Indians are the best friends we have got. They
believe the Great Spirit is in that wire; in fact, they know it, for
they have seen him. The linemen had shown them the electric sparks. The
only trouble we have had has been from the border ruffians of Missouri.
We are now building a line through Iowa, around the State of Missouri.”
On arriving at Buffalo I called first upon the firm of Shepard &
Company, who were the largest builders of engines for the lake
steamers. I did not succeed in persuading them that it would be for
their advantage to add to the cost of the engines they were building,
but they were very courteous and advised me to apply to the companies
owning the boats. I did not make much progress with them, but the
matter was left open for further consideration on my return from
Chicago. An official of one of the transportation companies showed
me over a new boat. I saw a valve in the steam-pipe at some little
distance from the engine, and asked him what it was. He told me that
was the cut-off. I asked him, “Why not place it on the boiler?” He did
not see the humor of the question, but replied to me quite seriously,
“Because it is a part of the engine.”
At the Shepard Works I said to the gentleman who conducted me over the
works, “I see you use the Corliss valve.” “Corliss valve, indeed!”
said he. “Come with me.” He then showed me their own engine driving
the shop, and fitted with the same valve, cutting off, of course, at a
fixed point. He said to me: “That engine has been running in that very
spot more than twenty years. Mr. Corliss once visited these works, and
I showed him around just as I am showing you around. He was very much
interested in the valves we were making, and asked me a great many
questions about them. It was not very long afterwards that we began to
hear from Providence about the Corliss valve.”
I went on to Chicago, arriving on a Saturday afternoon. I went to the
house of an uncle, the Rev. Jeremiah Porter, who was a man of some
local prominence, having been the first missionary sent by the American
Home Missionary Society to Fort Dearborn, which stood where Chicago
is before Chicago was. I expected to set out Monday morning to look
for customers, but I changed my mind, for that morning the telegraph
brought the news of the battle of Bull Run, which had been fought the
day before, while I was in church hearing my uncle preach. I did not
think any one would have much heart for business for some time to come,
so hurried back home as fast as steam could take me, not stopping in
Buffalo.
Some years afterwards I had an amusing experience in attempting to
introduce my governor into the British navy. I called upon Mr. John
Penn, to whom I had sold one of my stationary governors for his
own works and who had become very much interested in the Richards
indicator, and I thought he would surely adopt my marine governor. He
told me, however, that he must set his face against it like a flint,
and explained as follows: “I do business entirely with governments,
principally the English government, and I come in contact with the
official mind, and I have to adapt myself to it. Should I put one of
your governors on an engine, my competitors would say: ‘Mr. Penn is
afraid to send his engines to sea without a governor, they are made so
delicately. _Our_ engines, gentlemen, do not require any governor,’ and
they would take all the orders.”
Marine-engine builders generally did not seem to appreciate this
governor. While in Manchester I had an inquiry from Caird & Co. of
Greenock, the builders of the engines for the “New York,” and indeed of
the entire ship. They asked the price of my smallest marine governor.
I inquired the size of the vessel for which it was wanted. Their reply
was brief. “None of your business. We would like an answer to our
question.”
Some months after I received a letter from my foreman in New York:
“Mr. Porter, what in the name of common sense did you put such a
little governor on the ‘America’ for?” Caird & Co. had performed their
contract to supply a Porter governor, and had left a suitable one to be
ordered from my shop in New York.
Soon after the first arrival of the steamer “Kaiser Wilhelm der
Grosse,” about 1900 (I forget the year), I obtained a letter of
introduction to the chief engineer of that vessel, and called upon
him for the purpose of asking him to favor me with indicator diagrams
from its engines. In the course of conversation I said to him: “I have
rather a partiality for this line, for I put my first marine governor
on its first vessel, the old ‘New York,’ in ’61.” He replied to me: “I
remember that very well, Mr. Porter; I was an oiler on that ship.” He
had risen from that position to be chief engineer of the line. At that
time the Germans were commencing to form a steam marine. They had not
only to procure their vessels abroad, but also engineers to run the
machinery. They set in earnest about this development, and took out
of their polytechnic schools the brightest young men to put them on
foreign-built vessels and in foreign shops to learn the business, with
the wonderful results we are now witnessing, and the chief engineer was
one of those lads. He said to me: “I have an acquaintance in your town,
Montclair--Mr. Clemens Herschel,” a prominent civil engineer. “He was
an old friend and fellow student of mine in the polytechnic.” About the
diagrams, he said he would take a set for me on their next voyage. He
kept his promise. I have the diagrams now, and very instructive ones
they are.