Engineering reminiscences contributed to "Power" and "American machinist"

by Charles T. Porter

“But all is of little use unless the journal is round. High speed under heavy pressure has a peculiar way of making it known when a journal is not round, which, we suppose, is one of its faults. Now the difference between a true cylindrical form and such an approximation to it as a good lathe will produce in turning ordinarily homogeneous metal is simply amazing; but when we compare with this the forms of journals as commonly finished, the wonder is how many of them run at all at any speed. When ground with a traversing wheel in dead centers, which have themselves been ground to true cones, the only known method by which a parallel cylindrical form can be produced, their inequalities stand disclosed, and these are usually found to be greater, often many times greater, than the thickness of the film of oil that can be maintained in running. Then under pressure this film is readily broken, the metal surfaces come into contact and abrasion begins. But a true cylindrical journal swims in an oil-bath, separated from its bearing at every point by a film of oil of uniform thickness, and sustaining a uniform pressure, which cannot be anywhere broken, and which has very little inclination to work out; and if it revolves without deflection and the pressure per square inch of surface is not sufficient to press out the lubricant, the speed is absolutely immaterial and wear is impossible, except that due to the attrition of the oil itself, which on hardened surfaces has no appreciable effect.”

From the illustrations contained in these articles, I copy only the following pair of [diagrams] with the accompanying note.

Pair of Diagrams from 18×30 Allen Engine at South Tyne Paper Mill, 108 Revolutions, Vacuum 28 Inches. Only Half Intended Load on Engine.

The winter of 1867-8 was devoted by me partly to watching the dissolving view of my engineering prospects in England. It grew more and more evident that through my difference with Mr. Whitworth all my efforts and successes there would come to naught, as they did.

But my friend, Mr. Lee, had even worse luck than I had. It will be some relief from the monotony of my reverses if I go back a little and tell of a reverse that befell another man. Curiously enough, Mr. Lee’s reverse came from the overwhelming character of his success. The English engineers had their breath quite taken away and lost their heads, with the result that Mr. Lee lost his position. He was ambitious to show his steam fire-engine doing its utmost. If he had been wiser and had realized the limit of what his judges could stand, he would have shown about one half its capacity and all parties would have been happy.

To understand how naturally this most unexpected dénouement came about, we must recall what the English people had been accustomed to. In London fires were rare and trifling. Buildings were low, built of brick with tile roofs. Open grates afforded the means of cooking and of warming sufficiently for their climate. Every tenant of a building who called in the fire department was fined five pounds, which encouraged careful habits. The apparatus itself was something quite ridiculous. It consisted of little hand-engines, worked by about a dozen men. On the side of a corner building occasionally one saw painted a distance in feet and inches. This meant that by measuring this distance from this corner out into the street and digging a little into the macadam pavement, a connection would be found with the water-main. From this the water was permitted to flow gently into an india-rubber saucer some 6 feet in diameter spread on the ground. Out of this saucer the engine drew its water for a feeble little stream.

Mr. Lee’s engine, with Worthington duplex pump, was, on its completion, exhibited before a large company of invited guests, principally officials of the fire department and prominent engineers. The engine maintained a vertical column of water, delivered from a much larger nozzle than had ever before been used in England, and considerably over 100 feet high. There was also a corresponding column of sparks from the chimney of the steam-pump. The exhibition was made late in the afternoon of a short winter day, and before it was over the coming darkness showed the column of incandescent cinders to the best advantage. The few Americans there enjoyed this miniature Vesuvius hugely. The Englishmen were frightened out of their wits. Their unanimous verdict was that the engine would evidently put out a fire, half a dozen of them for that matter, but it would kindle twenty. And this where the engine had been pushed to its utmost, and had not kindled one fire. Easton, Amos & Sons instantly decided that they could never sell a steam fire-engine under Mr. Lee’s management, and they discharged him the next morning.

During the following season we had quite a steam-fire-engine excitement. Some one, I have forgotten who, but think it was the Duke of Sutherland, made a public offer of a thousand pounds sterling for the best steam fire-engine, competition to be open to all the world, the engines to be tested for six days in the park of the Crystal Palace at Sydenham, in the month of July following. There were a number of amusing incidents connected with that exhibition. One was the following: The common council of New York City determined that the city must have that prize, so they sent over engine No. 7, a favorite engine, one of Mr. Lee’s make, and which had been three or four years in service. A junket committee of the city fathers accompanied it. The London Fire Department received this delegation with great enthusiasm, and devoted itself to making them happy. They took entire charge of their machine and exhibited it in London to admiring crowds. A few days before the time fixed for the opening of the trial they took the engine to Sydenham, where on the way to its station it accidentally rolled down a hillside and was pretty well broken up. Mr. Lee being in London was hurriedly sent for to see if it could be repaired in time for the trial. He found that the injuries were of so serious a nature that the repairs could not be completed in less than three weeks. So that competitor was out of the way. Their sympathizing friends were full of condolence, and assumed all the cost of the repairs. They also proposed that when the engine was put in proper order they should have an excursion down the Thames to Greenwich and have there an exhibition of its powers. So a steamboat was chartered and a large party accompanied the machine to Greenwich. On arrival there it was found that the two nozzles, a large one and a smaller one for long-distance streams, which had been taken especial charge of by the members of a fire company, had been accidentally dropped into the Thames. The New York delegation were glad to get their engine back to New York without further accident.

Easton, Amos & Sons also concluded that they would like that prize. After they had taken the engine into their own hands, they found a number of features which seemed to them to need amendment, so they made some quite important changes. On the second day of the trial this engine broke down and had to be withdrawn.