CHAPTER I

MAN AND NATURE

The Conquest of Nature, p. 4—Man's use of Nature's gifts, p. 6—Man the "tool-making animal," p. 7—Science and Civilization, p. 8—Clothing and artificially heated dwellings of primitive man, p. 10—Early domestication of animals, p. 11—Early development to the time of gunpowder, p. 12—The coming of steam and electricity, p. 15—Mechanical aids to the agriculturist, p. 19—The development of scientific agriculture, p. 20—Difficulties of the early manufacturer, p. 21—The development of modern manufacturing, p. 24—The relation of work to human development, p. 25—The decline of drudgery and the new era of labor-saving devices, p. 27.

CHAPTER II

HOW WORK IS DONE

Primitive man's use of the lever, p. 29—The use of the lever as conceived by Archimedes, p. 21—Wheels and pulleys, p. 32—Other means of transmitting power, p. 35—Inclined planes and derricks, p. 37—The steam-scoop, p. 38—Friction, p. 39—Available sources of energy, p. 41.

CHAPTER III

THE ANIMAL MACHINE

The oldest machine in existence, p. 43—The relation of muscle to machinery, p. 44—How muscular energy is applied, p. 44—The two types of muscles, p. 45—How the nerve-telegraph controls the muscles, p. 47—The nature of muscular action, p. 49—Applications of muscular energy, p. 52—The development of the knife and saw, p. 53—The wheel and axle, p. 55—Modified levers, p. 57—Domesticated animals, p. 59—Early application of horse-power, p. 60—The horse-power as the standard of the world's work, p. 61.

CHAPTER IV

THE WORK OF AIR AND WATER

First use of sails for propelling boats, p. 62—The fire engine of Ctesibius, p. 63—Suction and pressure as studied by the ancients, p. 64—Studies of air pressure, p. 65—The striking demonstration of Von Guericke, p. 66—The sailing chariot of Servinus, 1600 a.d., p. 68—The development of the windmill, p. 69—The development of the water-wheel, p. 70—The invention of the turbine, p. 72—Different types of turbines, p. 73—Hydraulic power and its uses, p. 74—The hydraulic elevator, p. 76—Recent water motors, p. 77.

CHAPTER V

CAPTIVE MOLECULES: THE STORY OF THE STEAM ENGINE

The development of the steam engine, p. 79—The manner in which energy is generated by steam, p. 80—Action of cylinder and piston, p. 81—Early attempts to utilize steam, p. 82—Beginnings of modern discovery, p. 83—The "engine" of the Marquis of Worcester, p. 84—Thomas Savery's steam pump, p. 85—Denis Papin invents the piston engine, p. 88—Newcomen's improved engine, p. 89—The use of these engines in collieries, p. 90—The wastefulness of such engines, p. 92—The coming of James Watt, p. 93—Early experiments of Watt, p. 95—The final success of Watt's experiments, p. 97—Some of his early engines, p. 98—Rotary motion, p. 99—Watt's engine, "Old Bess," p. 101—Final improvements and missed opportunities, p. 102—The personality of James Watt, p. 107.

CHAPTER VI

THE MASTER WORKER

Improvements on Watt's engines, p. 110—Engines dispensing with the walking beam, p. 111—The development of high-pressure engines, p. 112—Advantages of the high-pressure engine, p. 114—How steam acts in the high-pressure engine, p. 116—Compound engines, p. 117—Rotary engines, p. 119—Turbine engines, p. 124—The Turbinia and other turbine boats, p. 125—The action of steam in the turbine engine, p. 126—Advantages of the turbine engine, p. 127.

CHAPTER VII

GAS AND OIL ENGINES

Some early gas engines, p. 133—Dr. Stirling's hot-air engine, p. 133—Ericsson's hot-air engines, p. 134—The first practical gas engine, p. 135—The Otto gas engine, p. 136—Otto's improvement by means of compressed gas, p. 138—The "Otto cycle," p. 139—Adaptation of gas engines to automobiles, p. 140—Rapid increase in the use of gas engines, p. 141—Defects of the older hot-air engines, p. 145—Recent improvements and possibilities in the use of hot-air engines, p. 146.

CHAPTER VIII

THE SMALLEST WORKERS

The relative size of atoms and electrons, p. 148—What is electricity? p. 149—Franklin's one-fluid theory, p. 150—Modern views, p. 153—Cathode rays and the X-ray, p. 156—How electricity is developed, p. 159—The work of the dynamical current, p. 162—Theories of electrical action, p. 165—Practical uses of electricity, p. 168.

CHAPTER IX

MAN'S NEWEST CO-LABORER: THE DYNAMO

The mechanism of the dynamo, p. 173—The origin of the dynamo, p. 176—The work of AmpÈre, Henry, and Faraday, p. 177—Perfecting the dynamo, p. 178—A mysterious mechanism, p. 180—Curious relation between magnetism and electricity as exemplified in the dynamo, p. 182.

CHAPTER X

NIAGARA IN HARNESS

The volume of water at the falls, p. 184—The point at which the falls are "harnessed," p. 185—Within the power-house, p. 186—Penstocks and turbines, p. 188—A miraculous transformation of energy, p. 189—Subterranean tail-races, p. 191—The effect on the falls, p. 192—The transmission of power, p. 194—"Step-up" and "step-down" transformers, p. 198.

CHAPTER XI

THE BANISHMENT OF NIGHT

Primitive torch and open lamp, p. 202—Tallow candle and perfected lamp, p. 205—Gas lighting, p. 207—The incandescent gas mantle, p. 208—Early gas mantles, p. 209—How the incandescent gas mantle is made, p. 211—The introduction of acetylene gas, p. 212—Chemistry of acetylene gas, p. 214—Practical gas-making, p. 215—The triumph of electricity, p. 218—Davy and the first electric light, p. 220—Helpful discoveries in electricity, p. 222—The Jablochkoff candle, p. 223—Defects of the Jablochkoff candle, p. 225—The improved arc light, p. 226—Edison and the incandescent lamp, p. 228—Difficulties encountered in finding the proper material for a practical filament, p. 230—"Parchmentized thread" filament, p. 233—The tungsten lamp, p. 234—The mercury-vapor light of Peter Cooper Hewitt, p. 236—Advantages and peculiarities of this light, p. 240.

CHAPTER XII

THE MINERAL DEPTHS

Early mining methods, p. 242—Prospecting and locating mines, p. 243—"Booming," p. 246—Conditions to be considered in mining, p. 248—Dangerous gases in mines, p. 249—Artificial lights and lighting, p. 251—Ventilation and drainage, p. 252—Electric machinery in mining, p. 253—Electric drills, p. 254—Traction in mining, p. 256—Various types of electric motors, p. 257—"Telphers," p. 261—Electric mining pumps, p. 263—Some remarkable demonstrations of durability of electric pumps, p. 265—Electricity in coal mining, p. 266—Electric lighting in mines, p. 269.

CHAPTER XIII

THE AGE OF STEEL

Rapid growth of the iron industry in recent years, p. 271—The Lake Superior mines, p. 272—Methods of mining, p. 273—"Open-pit" mining, p. 274—Mining with the steam shovel, p. 276—From mine to furnace, p. 278—Methods of transportation, p. 279—Vessels of special construction, p. 281—The conversion of iron ore into iron and steel, p. 283—Blast furnaces, p. 284—Poisonous gases and their effect upon the workmen, p. 286—From pig iron to steel, p. 287—Modern methods of producing pig iron, p. 288—The Bessemer converter, p. 289—Sir Henry Bessemer, p. 291—The "Bessemer-Mushet" process, p. 293—Open-hearth method, p. 294—Alloy steels, p. 295.

CHAPTER XIV

SOME RECENT TRIUMPHS OF APPLIED SCIENCE

The province of electro-chemistry, p. 298—Linking the laboratory with the workshop, p. 299—Soda manufactories at Niagara Falls, p. 300—Producing aluminum by the electrolytic process, p. 300—Old and new methods compared, p. 301—Nitrogen from the air, p. 303—What this discovery means to the food industries of the world, p. 304—Prof. Birkeland's method, p. 307—Another method of nitrogen fixation, p. 309—Cost of production, p. 312—Electrical energy, p. 313—Production of high temperatures with the electric arc, p. 314—The production of artificial diamonds by the explosion of cordite, p. 315—Industrial problems of to-day and to-morrow, p. 316.