Industrial Biography | Page 6

Kirby Stephen in making power-looms Removes to
Carlisle Glasgow Peter Nicholson teaches him drawing Removes to
Aberdeen Works as a mechanic and attends College London Employed
by Alexander Galloway Employed by Bramah Advanced to be foreman
Draughtsman at Maudslay and Field's Begins business on his own
account His skill as a mechanical draughtsman Invents his drawing
instrument His drawing-table His improvements in the self-acting lathe
His double-driving centre-chuck and two-armed driver His fluted taps
and dies Invention of his Planing Machine Employed to make
Babbage's Calculating Machine Resume of the history of apparatus for
making calculations Babbage's engine proceeded with Its great cost

Interruption of the work Clement's steam-whistles Makes an organ
Character and death
CHAPTER XIV
.
FOX OF DERBY--MURRAY OF LEEDS--ROBERTS AND
WHITWORTH OF MANCHESTER.
The first Fox of Derby originally a butler His genius for mechanics
Begins business as a machinist Invents a Planing Machine Matthew
Murray's Planing Machine Murray's early career Employed as a
blacksmith by Marshall of Leeds His improvements of flax-machinery
Improvements in steam-engines Makes the first working locomotive for
Mr. Blenkinsop Invents the Heckling Machine His improvements in
tools Richard Roberts of Manchester First a quarryman, next a
pattern-maker Drawn for the militia, and flies His travels His first
employment at Manchester Goes to London, and works at Maudslay's
Roberts's numerous inventions Invents a planing machine The
self-acting mule Iron billiard-tables Improvements in the locomotive
Invents the Jacquard punching machine Makes turret-clocks and
electro-magnets Improvement in screw-steamships Mr. Whitworth's
improvement of the planing machine His method of securing true
surfaces His great mechanical skill
CHAPTER XV
.
JAMES NASMYTH.
Traditional origin of the Naesmyths Alexander Nasmyth the painter,
and his family Early years of James Nasmyth The story of his life told
by himself Becomes a pupil of Henry Maudslay How he lived and
worked in London Begins business at Manchester Story of the
invention of the Steam Hammer The important uses of the Hammer in
modem engineering Invents the steam pile-driving machine Designs a
new form of steam-engine Other inventions How he "Scotched" a strike
Uses of strikes Retirement from business Skill as a draughtsman
Curious speculations on antiquarian subjects Mr. Nasmyth's wonderful
discoveries in Astronomy described by Sir John Herschel
CHAPTER XVI

.
WILLIAM FAIRBAIRN.
Summary of progress in machine-tools William Fairbairn's early years
His education Life in the Highlands Begins work at Kelso Bridge An
apprentice at Percy Main Colliery, North Shields Diligent self-culture
Voyage to London Adventures Prevented obtaining work by the
Millwrights' Union Travels into the country, finds work, and returns to
London His first order, to make a sausage-chopping machine
Wanderschaft Makes nail-machinery for a Dublin employer Proceeds
to Manchester, where he settles and marries Begins business His first
job Partnership with Mr. Lillie Employed by Messrs. Adam Murray
and Co. Employed by Messrs. MacConnel and Kennedy Progress of the
Cotton Trade Memoir of John Kennedy Mr. Fairbairn introduces great
improvements in the gearing, &c. of mill machinery Increasing
business Improvements in water-wheels Experiments as to the law of
traction of boats Begins building iron ships Experiments on the strength
of wrought iron Britannia and Conway Tubular Bridges Reports on iron
On boiler explosions Iron construction Extended use of iron Its
importance in civilization Opinion of Mr. Cobden Importance of
modern machine-tools Conclusion

INDUSTRIAL BIOGRAPHY.

CHAPTER I
.
IRON AND CIVILIZATION.
"Iron is not only the soul of every other manufacture, but the main
spring perhaps of civilized society."--FRANCIS HORNER.
"Were the use of iron lost among us, we should in a few ages be
unavoidably reduced to the wants and ignorance of the ancient savage
Americans; so that he who first made known the use of that
contemptible mineral may be truly styled the father of Arts and the
author of Plenty."--JOHN LOCKE.
When Captain Cook and the early navigators first sailed into the South
Seas on their voyages of discovery, one of the things that struck them
with most surprise was the avidity which the natives displayed for iron.
"Nothing would go down with our visitors," says Cook, "but metal; and
iron was their beloved article." A nail would buy a good-sized pig; and

on one occasion the navigator bought some four hundred pounds
weight of fish for a few wretched knives improvised out of an old hoop.
"For iron tools," says Captain Carteret, "we might have purchased
everything upon the Freewill Islands that we could have brought away.
A few pieces of old iron hoop presented to one of the natives threw him
into an ecstasy little short of distraction." At Otaheite the people were
found generally well-behaved and honest; but they were not proof
against the fascinations of iron. Captain Cook says that one of them,
after resisting all other temptations, "was at length ensnared by the
charms of basket of nails." Another lurked about