the age of invention-第13章

按键盘上方向键 ← 或 → 可快速上下翻页，按键盘上的 Enter 键可回到本书目录页，按键盘上方向键 ↑ 可回到本页顶部！
————未阅读完？加入书签已便下次继续阅读！


because　he　was　a　sounder　engineer；　or　a　better　combiner　of　sound　principles　into　a　working；　whole；　than　any　of　his　rivals。

Across　the　Atlantic　came　the　news　of　Stephenson's　remarkable　success。　And　by　this　time　railroads　were　beginning　in　various　parts　of　the　United　States：　the　Mohawk　and　Hudson；　from　Albany　to　Schenectady；　the　Baltimore　and　Ohio；　the　Charleston　and　Hamburg　in　South　Carolina；　the　Camden　and　Amboy；　across　New　Jersey。　Horses；　mules；　and　even　sails；　furnished　the　power　for　these　early　railroads。　It　can　be　imagined　with　what　interest　the　owners　of　these　roads　heard　that　at　last　a　practicable　locomotive　was　running　in　England。

This　news　stimulated　the　directors　of　the　Baltimore　and　Ohio　to　try　the　locomotive。　They　had　not　far　to　go　for　an　experiment；　for　Peter　Cooper；　proprietor　of　the　Canton　Iron　Works　in　Baltimore；　had　already　designed　a　small　locomotive；　the　Tom　Thumb。　This　was　placed　on　trial　in　August；　1830；　and　is　supposed　to　have　been　the　first　American…built　locomotive　to　do　work　on　rails；　though　nearly　coincident　with　it　was　the　Best　Friend　of　Charleston；　built　by　the　West　Point　Foundry；　New　York；　for　the　Charleston　and　Hamburg　Railroad。　It　is　often　difficult；　as　we　have　seen；　to　say　which　of　two　or　several　things　was　first。　It　appears　as　though　the　little　Tom　Thumb　was　the　first　engine　built　in　America；　which　actually　pulled　weight　on　a　regular　railway；　while　the　much　larger　Best　Friend　was　the　first　to　haul　cars　in　regular　daily　service。

The　West　Point　Foundry　followed　its　first　success　with　the　West　Point；　which　also　went　into　service　on　the　Charleston　and　Hamburg　Railroad；　and　then　built　for　the　newly　finished　Mohawk　and　Hudson　（the　first　link　in　the　New　York　Central　Lines）　the　historic　De　Witt　Clinton。　This　primitive　locomotive　and　the　cars　it　drew　may　be　seen　today　in　the　Grand　Central　Station　in　New　York。

Meanwhile；　the　Stevens　brothers；　sons　of　John　Stevens；　were　engaged　in　the　construction　of　the　Camden　and　Amboy　Railroad。　The　first　locomotive　to　operate　on　this　road　was　built　in　England　by　George　Stephenson。　This　was　the　John　Bull；　which　arrived　in　the　summer　of　1831　and　at　once　went　to　work。　The　John　Bull　was　a　complete　success　and　had　a　distinguished　career。　Sixty…two　years　old；　in　1893；　it　went　to　Chicago；　to　the　Columbian　Exposition；　under　its　own　steam。　The　John　Bull　occupies　a　place　today　in　the　National　Museum　at　Washington。

With　the　locomotive　definitely　accepted；　men　began　to　turn　their　minds　towards　its　improvement　and　development；　and　locomotive　building　soon　became　a　leading　industry　in　America。　At　first　the　British　types　and　patterns　were　followed；　but　it　was　not　long　before　American　designers　began　to　depart　from　the　British　models　and　to　evolve　a　distinctively　American　type。　In　the　development　of　this　type　great　names　have　been　written　into　the　industrial　history　of　America；　among　which　the　name　of　Matthias　Baldwin　of　Philadelphia　probably　ranks　first。　But　there　have　been　hundreds　of　great　workers　in　this　field。　From　Stephenson's　Rocket　and　the　little　Tom　Thumb　of　Peter　Cooper；　to　the　powerful　〃Mallets〃　of　today；　is　a　long　distancenot　spanned　in　ninety　years　save　by　the　genius　and　restless　toil　of　countless　brains　and　hands。


If　the　locomotive　could　not　remain　as　it　was　left　by　Stephenson　and　Cooper；　neither　could　the　stationary　steam　engine　remain　as　it　was　left　by　James　Watt　and　Oliver　Evans。　Demands　increasing　and　again　increasing；　year　after　year；　forced　the　steam　engine　to　grow　in　order　to　meet　its　responsibilities。　There　were　men　living　in　Philadelphia　in　1876；　who　had　known　Oliver　Evans　personally；　at　least　one　old　man　at　the　Centennial　Exhibition　had　himself　seen　the　Oruktor　Amphibolos　and　recalled　the　consternation　it　had　caused　on　the　streets　of　the　city　in　1804。　It　seemed　a　far　cry　back　to　the　Oruktor　from　the　great　and　beautiful　engine；　designed　by　George　Henry　Corliss；　which　was　then　moving　all　the　vast　machinery　of　the　Centennial　Exhibition。　But　since　then　achievements　in　steam　have　dwarfed　even　the　great　work　of　Corliss。　And　to　do　a　kind　of　herculean　task　that　was　hardly　dreamed　of　in　1876　another　type　of　engine　has　made　its　entrance：　the　steam　turbine；　which　sends　its　awful　energy；　transformed　into　electric　current；　to　light　a　million　lamps　or　to　turn　ten　thousand　wheels　on　distant　streets　and　highways。



CHAPTER　IV。　SPINDLE；　LOOM；　AND　NEEDLE　IN　NEW　ENGLAND

The　major　steps　in　the　manufacture　of　clothes　are　four：　first　to　harvest　and　clean　the　fiber　or　wool；　second；　to　card　it　and　spin　it　into　threads；　third；　to　weave　the　threads　into　cloth；　and；　finally　to　fashion　and　sew　the　cloth　into　clothes。　We　have　already　seen　the　influence　of　Eli　Whitney's　cotton　gin　on　the　first　process；　and　the　series　of　inventions　for　spinning　and　weaving；　which　so　profoundly　changed　the　textile　industry　in　Great　Britain；　has　been　mentioned。　It　will　be　the　business　of　this　chapter　to　tell　how　spinning　and　weaving　machinery　was　introduced　into　the　United　States　and　how　a　Yankee　inventor　laid　the　keystone　of　the　arch　of　clothing　machinery　by　his　invention　of　the　sewing　machine。

Great　Britain　was　determined　to　keep　to　herself　the　industrial　secrets　she　had　gained。　According　to　the　economic　beliefs　of　the　eighteenth　century；　which　gave　place　but　slowly　to　the　doctrines　of　Adam　Smith；　monopoly　rather　than　cheap　production　was　the　road　to　success。　The　laws　therefore　forbade　the　export　of　English　machinery　or　drawings　and　specifications　by　which　machines　might　be　constructed　in　other　countries。　Some　men　saw　a　vast　prosperity　for　Great　Britain；　if　only　the　mystery　might　be　preserved。

Meanwhile　the　stories　of　what　these　machines　could　do　excited　envy　in　other　countries；　where　men　desired　to　share　in　the　industrial　gains。　And；　even　before　Eli　Whitney's　cotton　gin　came　to　provide　an　abundant　supply　of　raw　material；　some　Americans　were　struggling　to　improve　the　old　hand　loom；　found　in　every　house；　and　to　make　some　sort　of　a　spinning　machine　to　replace　the　spinning　wheel　by　which　one　thread　at　a　time　was　laboriously　spun。

East　Bridgewater；　Massachusetts；　was　the　scene　of　one　of　the　earliest　of　these　experiments。　There　in　1786　two　Scotchmen；　who　claimed　to　understand　Arkwright's　mechanism；　were　employed　to　make　spinning　machines；　and　about　the　same　time　another　attempt　was　made　at　Beverly。　In　both　instances　the　experiments　were　encouraged　by　the　State　and　assisted　with　grants　of　money。　The　machines；　operated　by　horse　power；　were　crude；　and　the　product　was　irregular　and　unsatisfactory。　Then　three　men　at　Providence；　Rhode　Island；　using　drawings　of　the　Beverly　machinery；　made　machines　having　thirty…two　spindles　which　worked　indifferently。　The　attempt　to　run　them　by　water　power　failed；　and　they　were　sold　to　Moses　Brown　of　Pawtucket；　who　with　his　partner；　William　Almy；　had　mustered　an　army　of　hand…loom　weavers　in　1790；　large　enough　to　produce　nearly　eight　thousand　yards　of　cloth　in　that　year。　Brown's　need　of　spinning　machinery；　to　provide　his　weavers　with　yarn；　was　very　great；　but　these　machines　he　had　bought　would　not　run；　and　in　1790　there　was　not　a　single　successful　power…spinner　in　the　United　States。

Meanwhile　Benjamin　Franklin　had　come　home；　and　the　Pennsylvania　Society　for　the　Encouragement　of　Manufactures　and　Useful　Arts　was　offering　prizes　for　inventions　to　improve　the　textile　industry。　And　in　Milford；　England；　was　a　young　man　named　Samuel　Slater；　who；　on　hearing　that　inventive　genius　was　munificently　rewarded　in　America；　decided　to　migrate　to　that　country。　Slater　at　the　age　of　fourteen　had　been　apprenticed　to　Jedediah　Strutt；　a　partner　of　Arkwright。　He　had　served　both　in　the　counting…house　and　the　mill　and　had　had　every　opportunity　to　learn　the　whole　business。

Soon　after　attaining　his　majority；　he　landed　in　New　York；　November；　1789；　and　found　employment。　From　New　York　he　wrote　to　Moses　Brown　of　Pawtucket；　offering　his　services；　and　that　old　Quaker；　though　not　giving　him　much　encouragement；　invited　him　to　Pawtucket　to　see　whether　he　could　run　the　spindles　which　Brown　had　bought　from　the　men　of　Providence。　〃If　thou　canst　do　what　thou　sayest；〃　wrote　Brown；　〃I　invite　thee　to　come　to　Rhode　Island。〃

Arriving　in　Pawtucket　in　January；　1790；　Slater　pronounced　the　machines