Invention of the Richards Indicator. My Purchase of the Patent. Plan my
London Exhibition. Engine Design. Ship Engine Bed to London, and sail
myself.
The subject of an indicator directly presented itself. Mr. Allen
invited Mr. Richards and myself to his engine-room, and took diagrams
for us with a McNaught indicator. This was the first indicator that
either of us had ever seen. Indicators were then but little known
in this country. The Novelty Iron Works made a very few McNaught
indicators, almost the only users of which were the Navy Department
and a few men like Mr. Ericsson, Mr. Stevens, Mr. Sickels, and Mr.
Corliss. I told Mr. Richards that we must have a high-speed indicator
and he was just the man to get it up for us. He went to work at it,
but soon became quite discouraged. He twice gave it up. He could not
see his way. I told him I was not able to make any suggestion, but the
indicator we must have, and he had to produce it. After some months
he handed me a drawing of an indicator which has never been changed,
except in a few details. This important invention, which has made
high-speed engineering possible, came from the hands of Mr. Richards
quite complete. Its main features, as is well known, are a short piston
motion against a short, stiff spring; light multiplying levers, with
a Watt parallel motion, giving to the pencil very nearly a straight
line of movement; and a free rotative motion of the pencil connections
around the axis of the piston, which itself is capable of only the
slight rotation caused by the compression or elongation of the spring.
Elegant improvements have since been made, adapting the indicator to
still higher engine speeds; but these have consisted only in advancing
further on the lines struck out by Mr. Richards. In fact, this was
all that could be done--giving to the piston a little less motion,
lightening still further the pencil movement, and making the vertical
line drawn by the pencil more nearly a straight line.
[Illustration:
DIAGRAM TAKEN SEPTEMBER 13, 1861,
FROM THE FIRST ALLEN ENGINE
BY THE FIRST RICHARDS INDICATOR.
ENGINE, 6 INCHES BY 15 INCHES,
MAKING 160 REVOLUTIONS PER MINUTE.
THIS CARD WAS RUN OVER TWENTY TIMES.]
I took Mr. Richards’ drawing to the Novelty Iron Works and had an
indicator ready for use when the engine was completed. The engine was
made by the firm of McLaren & Anderson, on Horatio Street, New York,
for their own use. It was set up by the side of their throttle-valve
engine, and was substituted for it to drive their machinery and that of
a kindling-wood yard adjoining for which they furnished the power. It
ran perfectly from the start, and saved fully one half of the fuel. In
throttle-valve engines in those days the ports and pipes were generally
so small that only a part of the boiler pressure was realized in the
cylinder, and that part it was hard to get out, and nobody knew what
either this pressure or the back pressure was. I have a diagram taken
from that engine, which is here reproduced.
The indicator was quickly in demand. One day when I was in the shop of
McLaren & Anderson, engaged in taking diagrams from the engine, I had
a call from the foreman of the Novelty Iron Works. He had come to see
if the indicator were working satisfactorily, and if so to ask the loan
of it for a few days. The Novelty Iron Works had just completed the
engines for three gunboats. These engines were to make 75 revolutions
per minute, and the contract required them to be run for 72 consecutive
hours at the dock. They were ready to commence this run, and were
anxious to indicate the engines with the new indicator.
I was glad to have it used, and he took it away. I got it back after
two or three weeks, with the warmest praise; but none of us had the
faintest idea of the importance of the invention.
I remember that I had to go to the Novelty Works for the indicator,
and was asked by Mr. Everett, then president of the company, if we had
patented it, for if we had they would be glad to make them for us. The
idea had not occurred to me, but I answered him promptly that we had
not, but intended to. I met Mr. Allen at Mr. Richards’ office, and told
them Mr. Everett’s suggestion, and added, “The first question is, who
is the inventor, and all I know is that I am not.” Mr. Allen added, “I
am not.” “Then,” said Mr. Richards, “I suppose I shall have to be.”
“Will you patent it?” said I. “No,” he replied; “if I patent everything
I think of I shall soon be in the poorhouse.” “What will you sell it to
me for if I will patent it?” I asked. “Will you employ me to obtain the
patent?” he replied. “Yes.” “Well, I will sell it to you for a hundred
dollars.” “I will take it, and if I make anything out of it will pay
you ten per cent. of what I get.” This I did, so long as the patent
remained in my hands.
The success of the stationary and the marine governors and of the
engine and the indicator fired me, in the summer of 1861, with the idea
of taking them all to the London International Exhibition the next
year. The demonstration of the three latter seemed to have come in the
very nick of time. For this purpose I fixed upon an engine 8 inches
diameter of cylinder by 24 inches stroke, to make 150 revolutions per
minute, and at once set Mr. Richards at work on the drawings for it. I
thought some of speeding it at 200 revolutions per minute, but feared
that speed would frighten people. That this would have been a foolish
step to take became afterwards quite apparent.
[Illustration: JOSEPH E. HOLMES]
That summer I made application for space in the London Exhibition
of 1862, and soon after was waited upon by the Assistant United
States Commissioner, Mr. Joseph E. Holmes. So far as the engine to
be exhibited was concerned, I had nothing to show Mr. Holmes. The
drawings were scarcely commenced. I, however, took him to McLaren &
Anderson’s shop and showed him the little engine at work there and took
diagrams from it in his presence, and expatiated on the revolution in
steam-engineering that was there inaugurated, but which has not yet
been realized to the extent I then dreamed of. It was evident that
Mr. Holmes was much impressed with the assurance of the success of
the new system that the perfect running of this first little engine
seemed to give. I told him that the engine for the exhibition would
certainly be completed, and on that assurance he accepted my entire
proposed exhibit. I did not see him again until we met the next spring
in London, under the somewhat remarkable circumstances hereafter to be
related.
In spite of all efforts it was found impossible to complete the engine
and have it tested before shipment as I had intended. Indeed, as the
time approached after which no further exhibits would be received, two
things grew more and more doubtful. One was whether the engine could
be got off at all, and the other whether I could obtain the means to
make the exhibit. Finally I managed to get the engine bed finished and
immediately shipped it by a mail steamer.
A small, slow steamer chartered by the United States Commission and
loaded with exhibits had sailed previously, carrying the assistant
commissioner and a number of exhibitors and their representatives, who,
until they reached their destination, remained in blissful ignorance of
what happened directly after their departure.
But to return to my own movements. Mr. Hope one day said to me: “I
understand you shipped your engine bed last Saturday; what did you do
that for? You don’t know yet whether you can go yourself.” I replied:
“If I had not shipped it then, I should lose my space and would have
to abandon the exhibition altogether. If I find that I can’t go, the
bed can come back.” I redoubled my exertions to get the remaining parts
of the engine completed and to raise the necessary funds. The next
Saturday I shipped everything that was ready. On the following Monday,
by making a large sacrifice, I realized a sum that could be made to
answer, and on Wednesday I sailed on the Cunard steamer “Africa,”
leaving to my reliable clerk, Alexander Gordon, long President of the
Niles Tool Works, and now Chairman of the Board of Directors of the
Niles-Bement-Pond Company, the responsibility of seeing that everything
still wanting should follow as rapidly as possible.
I left, not knowing an Englishman in the whole island, to have the
parts of an engine, the first one from the drawings and the first
engine I ever made, brought together for the first time by I had no
idea whom, and assembled and put in motion before the eyes of the
world. But I had no misgivings. The engine had been built in my own
shop, under my constant supervision, and by workmen trained to the
greatest accuracy. The crank-pin I had hardened and ground by my friend
Mr. Freeland. I knew the parts would come together perfectly. The
result justified my confidence.
One incident of the voyage is worth recording. As we were leaving port
we passed the “China,” the first screw steamer of the Cunard fleet,
coming in on her maiden voyage.
We had some rough weather, sometimes with a following sea. I was much
interested at such times in watching the racing of the engines, when
occasionally both paddle-wheels would be revolving in the air in the
trough of the sea. The feature that especially attracted my notice was
that the faster the engines ran the more smoothly they ran. It was
certainly a fascinating sight to see these ponderous masses of metal,
the parts of great side-lever engines, gliding with such velocity in
absolute silence. The question what caused them to do so it did not
occur to me to ask.
[Illustration: ALEXANDER GORDON]
Being anxious to reach London as quickly as possible, after a tedious
voyage of twelve days, I left the steamer at Cork, to go through
with the mail. The custom-house inspectors first interested me. On
the little boat by which the mail is transferred from the ship to
the shore, two of the representatives of Queen Victoria were anxious
to know if I had any liquor or tobacco in my trunk, these being the
only dutiable articles. They were quite satisfied with my reply in
the negative. A personal examination they never thought of. Truthful
themselves, I moralized, they do not suspect untruth in others. Their
next question was, “Have you got the price of a glass of beer about
you?” I made them happy with a half crown, several times their modest
request, and they stamped me as an American free with his money. I
purchased a first-class ticket to London, and received the assurance
that I should go through with the mail. I was the only passenger on the
train of two coaches, besides the mail-van. It was late at night. The
regular passenger-train had gone some hours before. Not being up in the
English ways, I did not know how I might make myself comfortable, but
sat up all night, dozing as I could. I did not sleep after two o’clock.
In that high latitude it was already light enough to see fairly well.
After that hour the railroad ran through a farming country all the way
to Dublin. I was amused with the queer shapes of the fields. These
were generally small, and running into sharp corners, regardless of
convenience in cultivation. They were separated always by hedges and
ditches. A ditch was dug some two feet deep and three or four feet
wide, the dirt was thrown up into a bank to correspond on one side, and
on this bank was planted a hedge of hawthorn--“quick-set” they commonly
called it. These hedges were of all ages, from those young and well
kept to those in all stages of growth and dilapidation. I could have
passed everywhere from field to field through breaks in the hedges,
sometimes wide ones. I could not see of what use they were except for
hunters to jump over. Saw occasionally a laborer’s cabin, sometimes
a group of them. When an Irishman came out to sun himself, he always
stood higher than the eaves of his thatched roof. Occasionally a more
pretentious house would appear. These were all alike, painted white,
full of windows, very thin from front to back, and looked like waffles
set on edge. Never did I see a tree or a bush about a house to relieve
the appearance of barrenness, but there were often small trees in the
hedge-rows.
The railway station on one side of Dublin was about four miles from
the station on the opposite side, from which a short railway ran
to Kingston, a point a little distance south of Dublin, from which
the channel boats crossed to Holyhead. There being no other means
of conveyance, I rode through Dublin in an open van sitting on the
mail-bags. At the Kingston station an empty train stood waiting for the
mails. The regular passenger-train had gone some time before, but the
boat at Kingston was also waiting for the mail. I got into a carriage,
having ordered my trunk put into the baggage-van, but was ordered out
by the guard. I showed him my ticket, and was told that I would have
to see the superintendent. That official appeared, and told me this
train was for the mails. It had an empty passenger-coach. I showed him
my ticket and told him the assurance on which I had bought it, that I
should go through with the mails. He replied that the passenger-train
had gone, I should have been here to take it. Said he was very sorry,
but it was impossible. I got mad. My trunk stood on the platform. As
nobody would touch it, I took it up and put it into the open door of
the baggage-van myself. The superintendent ordered two men to take it
out, which they did. I told him of my great anxiety to reach London
that afternoon. All the reply he made was to repeat that he was very
sorry, but it was impossible, and I was compelled to stand there and
see that train move off, and fool away the whole day in Dublin. Does
the reader want to know what the matter was? If he does not know
already, he is as green as I was. I had not given the superintendent
two and sixpence. But I had more yet to learn about England and the
English, and much more serious.