an autobiography-第90节

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Fly…wheel。'　It　has　long　been　to　me　a　matter　of　astonishment　that　your　idea　has　not　been　reduced　to　practice　years　ago；　particularly　when　it　is　considered　how　well　the　arrangement　is　adapted　to　the　rolling　of　Armour　Plates；　or　other　work　requiring　a　sustained　effort；　whilst　it　is　at　the　same　time　more　effective　than　the　ordinary　mill　arrangement　for　very　light　work。　So　much　is　this　latter　true；　that　the　men　who　are　left　to　their　own　choice　in　the　matter；　will　reverse　the　mill　rather　than　pass　a　light　sheet　of　8　or　10　lbs。　　weight　over　the　upper　roll。　　This　country　is　much　indebted　to　you　for　so　valuable　a　suggestion；　and　now　that　it　has　been　brought　to　a　successful　issue；　I　have　no　doubt　but　it　will　be　widely　acted　upon。　　I　need　not　add　that　it　will　afford　me　much　pleasure　to　show　you　the　mill；　and　also　what　we　are　doing　generally；　if　you　should　at　any　time　visit　Crewe。　Believe　me　very　faithfully　yours；　〃　J。　RAMSBOTHAM。〃

I　also　communicated　the　invention　to　Mr。　Thomas　Gillott　of　the　Farnley　Ironworks；　Yorkshire；　and　received　from　him　the　following　letter；　dated　the　2d　January　1877：

〃　DEAR　SIRI　was　much　gratified　to　see　by　your　letter　in　Engineering　　the　interest　you　have　shown　with　respect　to　the　large　Reversing　Plate　Mill　erected　by　me　at　these　works；　and　drawn　on　the　plan　suggested　by　you。　　Allow　me　to　thank　you　for　the　complimentary　manner　in　which　you　have　mentioned　my　work。　　Since　the　notice　appeared；　we　have　done　a　deal　of　heavy　work　in　this　mill；　and　a　plate　large　enough　to　shear　11'　0〃　and　10'　2〃　and　1/2〃　thick　has　been　rolled　in　five　minutes。　　The　slab　went　through　the　roll　17　times　before　being　rolled　to　the　width　and　turned　round；　and　18　times　after　turning　and　of　the　full　width；　making　a　total　of　35　passesthe　turning　occupying　20　seconds。　When　it　is　remembered　how　rapidly　a　thin　plate　cools；　this　performance　will　sufficiently　indicate　the　severe　work　this　mill　is　capable　of　doing；　notwithstanding　the　many　predictions　that　such　large　plates　could　not　be　rolled　without　a　fly…wheel。　　As　to　repairs；　none　have　been　required；　so　I　cannot　compare　this　with　the　Clutch　systems。　　In　respect　of　steam　used；　the　direct　acting　engines　compare　favourably　with　an　expansion　beam　condensing　engine　doing　similar　but　lighter　work。　Should　it　ever　be　your　wish　to　see　this　mill　at　work；　I　should　be　much　pleased　to　have　the　opportunity　of　showing　it　to　you。　I　am；　dear　sir；　your　obedient　servant；

〃THOMAS　GILLOTT。〃


1854。　Drilling　Tunnels　through　Hard　Rock。

Besides　these　contrivances　and　methods　of　accomplishing　mechanical　objects；　I　have　on　several　occasions　read　papers；　prepared　drawings；　and　given　suggestions；　out　of　which　have　come　so…called　〃inventions〃　made　by　others。　　For　instance；　at　the　meeting　of　the　British　Association　in　Liverpool　in　1854；　I　read　a　paper　and　exhibited　drawings　before　the　Mechanical　Science　Section；　on　my　method　of　drilling　tunnels　through　hard　rock。　　The　paper　and　drawings　excited　considerable　interest　among　the　railway　engineers　who　were　present。　　I　afterwards　met　Mr。　George　Newmann；　C。E。；　who　consulted　me　on　the　same　subject。　　Several　years　after　（21st　April　1863）　I　received　the　following　letter　from　him：

〃DEAR　SirSome　few　years　ago；　I　had　the　pleasure　of　spending　an　evening　in　your　company　at　my　relative's　（Mr。　G。　Withington）　house　at　Pendleton。　　As　I　was　then　Engineer　to　the　Victor　Emmanuel　Railway；　and　had　made　a　survey　of　the　Mout　Cenis　for　the　purpose　of　the　Tunnel；　I　consulted　you　as　to　the　application　of　the　machinery　for　that　work。　You　suggested　the　driving　of　drills　in　a　manner　similar　to　a　piston…rod；　with　other　details。　　On　my　return　to　Savoy；　I　communicated　these　ideas　to　Mr。　Bartlett；　the　contractor's　agent；　and　I　recommended　him　to　get　a　small　trial　machine　made。　　This　he　had　done　in　a　few　months；　and　then　he　claimed　the　whole　idea　as　his　own。　　The　system　has　since　been　carried　out　（see　Times；　4th　April　1863）　by　compressed　air　instead　of　steam。　I　call　your　attention　to　this；　as　you　may　contradict；　if　you　think　proper；　the　assertion　in　the　article　above　mentioned；　that　the　idea　originated　with　Bartlett。〃

I　did　not；　however；　contradict　the　assertion。　　I　am　glad　that　my　description　and　drawings　proved　in　any　way　useful　towards　the　completion　of　that　magnificent　work；　the　seven…mile　tunnel　under　Mont　Cenis。

1862。　　Chilled　Cast…iron　Shot。

In　like　manner；　I　proposed　the　use　of　Chilled　Cast…Iron　Shot　at　a　meeting　of　the　Mechanical　Science　Section　of　the　British　Association；　held　at　Cambridge　in　October　1862。　　Up　to　that　time　hardened　steel　shot　had　been　used　to　penetrate　thick　iron　plates；　but　the　cost　was　excessive；　about　#30　a　ton。　　I　proposed　that　Chilled　Cast…Iron　should　be　substituted；　it　was　more　simple　and　inexpensive。　　Considerable　discussion　took　place　on　the　subject；　and　Sir　William　Fairbairn；　who　was　President　of　the　Section；　said　that　〃he　would　have　experiments　made；　and　he　hoped　that　before　the　next　meeting　of　the　Association；　the　matter　would　be　proved　experimentally。　　A　brief　report　of　the　discussion　is　given　in　the　Times　of　the　7th　October；　and　in　the　Athenaeum　of　the　18th　October；　1862。　　Before；　however；　the　matter　could　be　put　to　the　test　of　experiment；　Major　Palliser　had　taken　out　his　Patent　for　the　invention　of　Chilled　Cast…Iron　Shot；　in　May　1863；　for　which　he　was　afterwards　handsomely　rewarded。

I　do　not　wish　to　〃grasp〃　at　any　man's　inventions；　but　it　is　right　to　claim　my　own；　and　to　state　the　facts。　　The　discussion　above　mentioned　took　place　upon　a　paper　read　by　J。　Aston；　Esq。；　Q。C。；　who　thus　refers　to　the　subject　in　his　letter　to　me；　dated　the　7th　January　1867：

〃I　perfectly　remember　the　discussion　which　took　place　at　the　meeting　of　the　British　Association　at　Cambridge　in　1862；　upon　the　material　proper　to　be　used　as　projectiles。　　The　discussion　arose　after　a　paper　had　been　read　by　me　in　the　Mechanical　Section　upon　'Rifled　guns　and　projectiles　adapted　for　attacking　armour　plates。'　The　paper　was；　I　think；　printed　by　the　Association　in　their　Report　for　1862。　　You　spoke；　I　believe；　at　some　length　on　the　occasion；　and　I　recollect　that　you　surprised　and　much　interested　all　who　were　present；　by　strenuously　urging　the　use　of　Chilled　Cast…iron　for　shot　and　shell；　intended　for　penetrating　armour　plates。

〃Having　embraced　all　opportunities；　and　I　had　many　at　that　time；　of　ascertaining　all　that　was　done　in　the　way　of　improving　rifled　projectiles；　I　entertained　a　very　strong　opinion　that　experiments　had　shown　that　ordinary　cast…iron　was；　as　compared　with　steel；　of　very　little　value　for　shot　and　shell　to　be　used　against　iron　plates。　For　that　reason；　I　remember　I　took　an　opportunity；　after　the　termination　of　the　discussion；　in　which　you　held　your　own　against　all　comers　in　favour　of　chilled　cast…iron；　of　questioning　you　closely　on　the　subject；　and　you　gave　me；　I　admitted；　good　reason　for　the　opinion　you　expressed。　　You　also　urged　me　to　cause　a　trial　to　be　made　of　chilled　cast…iron　for　shell；　such　as　I　had　shown　to　the　section；　and　which　（in　hardened　steel　shot）　had　been　fired　by　Mr。　Whitworth　through　thick　iron　plates。　　This　I　had　not　an　opportunity　of　doing。　　Term　began　soon　after；　and　Temple　occupations　then　took　up　all　my　time。　　〃There　can　be　no　doubt　whatever　that　any　one　who　may　claim　to　have　been　before　you　in　teaching　the　public　the　use　of　Chilled　Cast　Iron　for　projectiles　intended　to　penetrate　iron　plates；　must　give　proof　of　having　so　done　prior　to　your　vigorous　advocacy　of　that　material　at　the　Cambridge　Meeting　in　1862。　Yours　very　sincerely；　〃J。Aston。〃

In　another　letter　Mr。　Aston　says〃It　is　quite　right　of　you　to　assert　your　claim　to　that　which　in　fact　belongs　to　you。〃　　I　did　not；　however；　assert　my　claim；　and；　with　these　observations　and　extracts；　I　leave　the　matter；　stating　again　the　fact　that　my　public　communication　of　the　invention　was　made　in　October　1862；　and　that　the　patent　for　the　invention　was　taken　out　by　Major　Palliser　in　May　1863。


Mr　Nasmyth's　final　comments　on　his　inventions　and　contrivances。

I　have　only　mentioned　the　more　prominent　of　my　inventions　and　contrivances。　　Had　I　described　them　fully　I　should　have　required　another　volume。　　I　have　the　satisfaction　to　know　that　many　of　them　have　greatly　advanced　the　progress　of　the　mechanical　arts；　though　they　may　not　be　acknowledged　as　mine。　　I　patented　very　few　of　my　inventions。　　The　others　I　sowed　broadcast　over　the　world　of　practical　mechanics。　　My　reward　is　in　the　knowledge　that　these　〃children　of　my　brain〃　are　doing；　and　will　continue　to　do；　good　service　in　time　present　and　in　time　to　come。

In　mechanical　structures　and　contrivances；　I　have　always　endeavoured　to　attain　the　desired　purpose　by　the　employment　of　the　Fewest　Parts；　casting　aside　every　detail　not　absolutely　necessary；　and　guarding　carefully　against　the　intrusion　of　mere　traditional　forms　and　arrangements。　　The　latter　are　apt　to　insinuate　themselves；　and　to　interfere　with　that　simplicity　and　directness　of　action　which　is　in　all　cases　so　desirable　a　quality　in　mechanical　structures。　PLAIN　COMMON　SENSE　should　be　apparent　in　the　general　design；　as　in　the　form　and　arrangement　of　the　details；　and　a　general　character　of　severe　utility　pervade　the　whole；　accompanied　with　as　much　attention　to　gracefulness　of　form　as　is　consistent　with　the　nat