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From the Publisher
WHITBREAD ENGINE - MATTHEW BOULTON AND JAMES WATT – SCOTLAND – 1784
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A 1784 illustration of an early Boulton & Watt steam engine.James Watt’s invention of the steam engine was a crucial development in the Industrial Revolution. The new steam-driven technology inspired engineers and inventors, who in turn devised new machines and industries that would drive the future of the British economy. A 1784 illustration of an early Boulton & Watt steam engine. Their development of steam power put them at the forefront of the Industrial Revolution. It is no exaggeration to say that without their work the technological developments of the 18th and early 19th centuries would not have happened. Author’s collection |
James WattJames Watt – who gives his name to the SI unit of power – was in many ways the father of the Industrial Revolution. His engine, particularly after partnership with Matthew Boulton, would provide the Industrial Revolution with its power. Watt (1736–1819) was a Scottish instrument maker who saw how he could take the current static technology of a steam-driven working cylinder and link it to a separate condenser to create a partial vacuum (also known as an atmospheric engine). His innovative idea, which he patented in 1769, was that the working cylinder would be permanently hot and the condenser cool. |
Boulton & Watt steam engineThe oldest surviving example of the Boulton & Watt steam engine is known as the Whitbread Engine and is on permanent display in the Powerhouse Museum, Sydney, Australia. It was one of the first rotative engines and uses sun and planet wheels instead of the more common crank to drive the flywheel. Newtown Grafitti/WikiCommons (CC BY-SA 2.0) The engine was built for Samuel Whitbread (1720–96) in 1784 to replace the existing horse-driven mill at his brewery in London. Installed the following year, its added power helped Whitbread become the largest brewer in Britain. |
Photograph of the Portland Observatory in 1936, some 13 years after it ceased its working life. Library of Congress
The view from the Portland Observatory is a great panorama of the harbour and it shows how the low-lying outer islands and headlands obscured the view of incoming ships from ground level. Brian Feathers/WikiCommons (CC BY-SA 3.0)
The tower greatly increased the efficiency of Portland harbour and it remained a working marine signal tower, run by the Moody family, until 1923 when the invention of the two-way radio made it obsolete.
PORTLAND OBSERVATORY
LEMUEL MOODY – MAINE, USA – 1807
At the turn of the 19th century, Portland in Maine was a busy port, valuable for its deep harbour. However, ships entering the port were hidden from sight until they rounded the point of land at Spring Point Ledge, by which time they were almost at the docks. Former sailor Captain Lemuel Moody (1768–1846) had the inspiration to construct a tall tower on Munjoy Hill, 68m above sea level, to serve as a communication and observation post.
- One of the earliest observation towers in the USA, the Portland Observatory was engineered and constructed to a unique design.
- It remains the only historic maritime signal station in the United States.
- Looking somewhat like a lighthouse, the tower rises up seven storeys to 26m high and is built with a tapering octagonal design to lessen the impact of the prevailing winds.
Top reviews from other countries
Amazon Kunde
All is good when we learn more
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on August 6, 2019larraine
its all informative, unable to pick out one
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on July 28, 2019
