CHAPTER I.
PRELIMINARY MATTER.

Motion the Agent in Manufactures. — Animal Power. — Power depending on physical Phenomena. — Purpose of a Machine. — Prime Mover. — Mechanical qualities of the Atmosphere. — Its Weight. — The Barometer. — Fluid Pressure. — Pressure of rarefied Air. — Elasticity of Air. — Bellows. — Effects of Heat. — Thermometer. — Method of making one. — Freezing and Boiling Points. — Degrees. — Dilatation of bodies. — Liquefaction and Solidification. — Vaporisation and Condensation. — Latent Heat of Steam. — Expansion of Water in Evaporating. — Effects of Repulsion and Cohesion. — Effect of Pressure upon Boiling Point. — Formation of a Vacuum by Condensation. Page 17

CHAPTER II.
FIRST STEPS IN THE INVENTION.

Futility of early Claims. — Watt the real Inventor. — Hero of Alexandria. — Blasco Garay. — Solomon De Caus. — Giovanni Branca. — Marquis of Worcester. — Sir Samuel Morland. — Denis Papin. — Thomas Savery. 38

CHAPTER III.
ENGINES OF SAVERY AND NEWCOMEN.

Savery's Engine. — Boilers and their Appendages. — Working Apparatus. — Mode of Operation. — Defects of the Engine. — Newcomen and Cawley. — Atmospheric Engine. — Accidental discovery of Condensation by Jet. — Potter's discovery of the Method of working the Valves. 51

CHAPTER IV.
ENGINE OF JAMES WATT.

Advantages of the Atmospheric Engine over that of Captain Savery. — It contained no new Principle. — Papin's Engine. — James Watt. — Particulars of his Life. — His first conceptions of the Means of economising Heat. — Principle of his projected Improvements. 69

CHAPTER V.
WATT'S SINGLE-ACTING STEAM ENGINE.

Expansive Principle applied. — Failure of Roebuck, and partnership with Bolton. — Patent extended to 1800. — Counter. — Difficulties in getting the Engines into Use. 80

CHAPTER VI.
DOUBLE-ACTING STEAM ENGINE.

The Single-acting Engine unfit to impel Machinery. — Various Contrivances to adapt it to this Purpose. — Double-Cylinder. — Double-acting Cylinder. — Various modes of connecting the Piston with the Beam. — Rack and Sector. — Double Chain. — Parallel Motion. — Crank. — Sun and Planet Motion. — Fly Wheel. — Governor. 91

CHAPTER VII.
DOUBLE-ACTING STEAM ENGINE,
continued.

On the Valves of the Double-acting Steam Engine. — Original Valves. — Spindle Valves. — Sliding Valve. — D Valve. — Four-Way Cock. 108

CHAPTER VIII.
BOILER AND ITS APPENDAGES.

Level Gauges. — Feeding apparatus. — Steam Gauge. — Barometer Gauge. — Safety Valves. — Self-regulating Damper. — Edelcrantz's Valve. — Furnace. — Smoke-consuming Furnace. — Brunton's Self-regulating Furnace. — Oldham's Modification. 117

CHAPTER IX.
DOUBLE-CYLINDER ENGINES.

Hornblower's Engine. — Woolf's Engine. — Cartwright's Engine. 134

CHAPTER X.
LOCOMOTIVE ENGINES ON RAILWAYS.

High-pressure Engines. — Leupold's Engine. — Trevithick and Vivian. — Effects of Improvement in Locomotion. — Historical Account of the Locomotive Engine. — Blenkinsop's Patent. — Chapman's Improvement. — Walking Engine. — Stephenson's First Engines. — His Improvements. — Liverpool and Manchester Railway Company. — Their Preliminary Proceedings. — The Great Competition of 1829. — The Rocket. — The Sanspareil. — The Novelty. — Qualities of the Rocket. — Successive Improvements. — Experiments. — Defects of the Present Engines. — Inclined Planes. — Methods of surmounting them. — Circumstances of the Manchester Railway Company. — Probable Improvements in Locomotives. — Their capabilities with respect to speed. — Probable Effects of the Projected Railroads. — Steam Power compared with Horse Power. — Railroads compared with Canals. 145

CHAPTER XI.
LOCOMOTIVE ENGINES ON TURNPIKE ROADS.

Railway and Turnpike Roads compared. — Mr. Gurney's inventions. — His Locomotive Steam Engine. — Its performances. — Prejudices and errors. — Committee of the House of Commons. — Convenience and safety of Steam Carriages. — Hancock's Steam Carriage. — Mr. N. Ogle. — Trevithick's invention. — Proceedings against Steam Carriages. — Turnpike Bills. — Steam Carriage between Gloucester and Cheltenham. — Its discontinuance. — Report of the Committee of the Commons. — Present State and Prospects of Steam Carriages. 213

CHAPTER XII.
STEAM NAVIGATION.

Propulsion by paddle-wheels. — Manner of driving them. — Marine Engine. — Its form and arrangement. — Proportion of its cylinder. — Injury to boilers by deposites and incrustation. — Not effectually removed by blowing out. — Mr. Samuel Hall's condenser. — Its advantages. — Originally suggested by Watt. — Hall's steam saver. — Howard's vapour engine. — Morgan's paddle-wheels. — Limits of steam navigation. — Proportion of tonnage to power. — Average speed. — Consumption of fuel. — Iron Steamers. — American steam raft. — Steam navigation to India. — By Egypt and the Red Sea to Bombay. — By same route to Calcutta. — By Syria and the Euphrates to Bombay. — Steam communication with the United States from the west coast of Ireland to St. Johns, Halifax, and New York. 241

CHAPTER XIII.
GENERAL ECONOMY OF STEAM POWER.

Mechanical efficacy of steam — proportional to the quantity of water evaporated, and to the fuel consumed. — Independent of the pressure. — Its mechanical efficacy by condensation alone. — By condensation and expansion combined — by direct pressure and expansion — by direct pressure and condensation — by direct pressure, condensation, and expansion. — The power of engines. — The duty of engines. — Meaning of horse power. — To compute the power of an engine. — Of the power of boilers. — The structure of the grate-bars. — Quantity of water and steam room. — Fire surface and flue surface. — Dimensions of steam pipes. — Velocity of piston. — Economy of fuel. — Cornish duty reports. 277

CHAPTER XIV.

Plain Rules for Railway Speculators. 307