men of invention and industry-第1章

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Men　of　Invention　and　Industry　



by　Samuel　Smiles










〃Men　there　have　been；　ignorant　of　letters；　without　art；　without

eloquence；　who　yet　had　the　wisdom　to　devise　and　the　courage　to

perform　that　which　they　lacked　language　to　explain。　　Such　men

have　worked　the　deliverance　of　nations　and　their　own　greatness。　

Their　hearts　are　their　books；　events　are　their　tutors；　great

actions　are　their　eloquence。〃MACAULAY。



Contents。



Preface



CHAPTER　I　　Phineas　Pett：

　　Beginings　of　English　Shipbuilding



CHAPTER　II　　Francis　Pettit　Smith：

　　Practical　introducer　of　the　Screw　Propeller



CHAPTER　III　　John　Harrison：

　　Inventor　of　the　Marine　Chronometer



CHAPTER　IV　　John　Lombe：

　　Introducer　of　the　Silk　Industry　into　England



CHAPTER　V　　William　Murdock：

　　His　Life　and　Inventions



CHAPTER　VI　　Frederick　Koenig：

　　Inventor　of　the　Steam…printing　Machine



CHAPTER　VII　　The　Walters　of　'The　Times'：

　　Inventor　of　the　Walter　Press



CHAPTER　VIII　William　Clowes：

　　Book…printing　by　Steam



CHAPTER　IX　　Charles　Bianconi：

　　A　lession　of　Self…Help　in　Ireland



CHAPTER　X　　Industry　in　Ireland：

　　Through　Connaught　and　Ulster　to　Belfast



CHAPTER　XI　　Shipbuilding　in　Belfast：

　　By　Sir　E。　J。　Harland；　Engineer　and　Shipbuilder



CHAPTER　XII　　Astronomers　and　students　in　humble　life：

　　A　new　Chapter　in　the　'Pursuit　of　Knowledge　under　Difficulties'





PREFACE



I　offer　this　book　as　a　continuation　of　the　memoirs　of　men　of

invention　and　industry　published　some　years　ago　in　the　'Lives　of

Engineers；'　'Industrial　Biography；'　and　'Self…Help。'



The　early　chapters　relate　to　the　history　of　a　very　important

branch　of　British　industrythat　of　Shipbuilding。　　A　later

chapter；　kindly　prepared　by　Sir　Edward　J。　Harland；　of　Belfast；

relates　to　the　origin　and　progress　of　shipbuilding　in　Ireland。



Many　of　the　facts　set　forth　in　the　Life　and　Inventions　of　William

Murdock　have　already　been　published　in　my　'Lives　of　Boulton　and

Watt；〃　but　these　are　now　placed　in　a　continuous　narrative；　and

supplemented　by　other　information；　more　particularly　the

correspondence　between　Watt　and　Murdock；　communicated　to　me　by

the　present　representative　of　the　family；　Mr。　Murdock；　C。E；　of

Gilwern；　near　Abergavenny。



I　have　also　endeavoured　to　give　as　accurate　an　account　as

possible　of　the　Invention　of　the　Steam…printing　Press；　and　its

application　to　the　production　of　Newspapers　and　Books；an

invention　certainly　of　great　importance　to　the　spread　of

knowledge；　science；　and　literature；　throughout　the　world。



The　chapter　on　the　〃Industry　of　Ireland〃　will　speak　for　itself。

It　occurred　to　me；　on　passing　through　Ireland　last　year；　that

much　remained　to　be　said　on　that　subject；　and；　looking　to　the

increasing　means　of　the　country；　and　the　well…known　industry　of

its　people；　it　seems　reasonable　to　expect；　that　with　peace；

security；　energy；　and　diligent　labour　of　head　and　hand；　there　is

really　a　great　future　before　Ireland。



The　last　chapter；　on　〃Astronomers　in　Humble　Life；〃　consists　for

the　most　part　of　a　series　of　Autobiographies。　　It　may　seem；　at

first　sight；　to　have　little　to　do　with　the　leading　object　of　the

book；　but　it　serves　to　show　what　a　number　of　active；　earnest；　and

able　men　are　comparatively　hidden　throughout　society；　ready　to

turn　their　hands　and　heads　to　the　improvement　of　their　own

characters；　if　not　to　the　advancement　of　the　general　community

of　which　they　form　a　part。



In　conclusion；　I　say　to　the　reader；　as　Quarles　said　in　the

preface　to　his　'Emblems；'　〃I　wish　thee　as　much　pleasure　in　the

reading　as　I　had　in　the　writing。〃　　In　fact；　the　last　three

chapters　were　in　some　measure　the　cause　of　the　book　being

published　in　its　present　form。



London；　November；　1884。





CHAPTER　I。



PHINEAS　PETT：　BEGINNINGS　OF　ENGLISH　SHIP…BUILDING。



〃A　speck　in　the　Northern　Ocean；　with　a　rocky　coast；　an　ungenial　

climate；　and　a　soil　scarcely　fruitful；this　was　the　material　

patrimony　which　descended　to　the　English　racean　inheritance　

that　would　have　been　little　worth　but　for　the　inestimable　moral

gift　that　accompanied　it。　　Yes；　from　Celts；　Saxons；　Danes；

Normansfrom　some　or　all　of　themhave　come　down　with　English

nationality　a　talisman　that　could　command　sunshine；　and　plenty；

and　empire；　and　fame。　　The　'go'　which　they　transmitted　to　usthe

national　visthis　it　is　which　made　the　old　Angle…land　a　glorious

heritage。　　Of　this　we　have　had　a　portion　above　our　brethrengood

measure；　running　over。　　Through　this　our　island…mother　has

stretched　out　her　arms　till　they　enriched　the　globe　of　the

earth。。。。Britain；　without　her　energy　and　enterprise；　what　would

she　be　in　Europe？〃Blackwood's　Edinburgh　Magazine　（1870）。



In　one　of　the　few　records　of　Sir　Isaac　Newton's　life　which　he

left　for　the　benefit　of　others；　the　following　comprehensive

thought　occurs：



〃It　is　certainly　apparent　that　the　inhabitants　of　this　world　are

of　a　short　date；　seeing　that　all　arts；　as　letters；　ships；

printing；　the　needle；　&c。；　were　discovered　within　the　memory　of

history。〃



If　this　were　true　in　Newton's　time；　how　much　truer　is　it　now。　

Most　of　the　inventions　which　are　so　greatly　influencing；　as　well

as　advancing；　the　civilization　of　the　world　at　the　present　time；

have　been　discovered　within　the　last　hundred　or　hundred　and　fifty

years。　　We　do　not　say　that　man　has　become　so　much　wiser　during

that　period；　for；　though　he　has　grown　in　Knowledge；　the　most

fruitful　of　all　things　were　said　by　〃the　heirs　of　all　the　ages〃

thousands　of　years　ago。



But　as　regards　Physical　Science；　the　progress　made　during　the

last　hundred　years　has　been　very　great。　　Its　most　recent　triumphs

have　been　in　connection　with　the　discovery　of　electric　power　and

electric　light。　　Perhaps　the　most　important　invention；　however；

was　that　of　the　working　steam　engine；　made　by　Watt　only　about　a

hundred　years　ago。　　The　most　recent　application　of　this　form　of

energy　has　been　in　the　propulsion　of　ships；　which　has　already

produced　so　great　an　effect　upon　commerce；　navigation；　and　the

spread　of　population　over　the　world。



Equally　important　has　been　the　influence　of　the　Railwaynow　the

principal　means　of　communication　in　all　civilized　countries。　

This　invention　has　started　into　full　life　within　our　own　time。　

The　locomotive　engine　had　for　some　years　been　employed　in　the

haulage　of　coals；　but　it　was　not　until　the　opening　of　the

Liverpool　and　Manchester　Railway　in　1830；　that　the　importance　of

the　invention　came　to　be　acknowledged。　　The　locomotive　railway

has　since　been　everywhere　adopted　throughout　Europe。　　In　America；

Canada；　and　the　Colonies；　it　has　opened　up　the　boundless

resources　of　the　soil；　bringing　the　country　nearer　to　the　towns；

and　the　towns　to　the　country。　　It　has　enhanced　the　celerity　of

time；　and　imparted　a　new　series　of　conditions　to　every　rank　of

life。



The　importance　of　steam　navigation　has　been　still　more　recently

ascertained。　　When　it　was　first　proposed；　Sir　Joseph　Banks；

President　of　the　Royal　Society；　said：　　〃It　is　a　pretty　plan；　but

there　is　just　one　point　overlooked：　that　the　steam…engine

requires　a　firm　basis　on　which　to　work。〃　　Symington；　the

practical　mechanic；　put　this　theory　to　the　test　by　his　successful

experiments；　first　on　Dalswinton　Lake；　and　then　on　the　Forth　and

Clyde　Canal。　　Fulton　and　Bell　afterwards　showed　the　power　of

steamboats　in　navigating　the　rivers　of　America　and　Britain。



After　various　experiments；　it　was　proposed　to　unite　England　and

America　by　steam。　　Dr。　Lardner；　however；　delivered　a　lecture

before　the　Royal　Institution　in　1838；　〃proving〃　that　steamers

could　never　cross　the　Atlantic；　because　they　could　not　carry

sufficient　coal　to　raise　steam　enough　during　the　voyage。　　But

this　theory　was　also　tested　by　experience　in　the　same　year；　when

the　Sirius；　of　London；　left　Cork　for　New　York；　and　made　the

passage　in　nineteen　days。　　Four　days　after　the　departure　of　the