andBruneltolaunchtheGreatEasternsteamshipfromhercradles。Ithasalsobeenusedtocutbarsofiron，todrawthepilesdriveninformingcofferdams，andtowrenchuptreesbytheroots，allofwhichfeatsitaccomplisheswithcomparativeease。
TheprincipaldifficultyexperiencedinconstructingthehydraulicpressbeforethetimeofBramaharosefromthetremendouspressureexercisedbythepump，whichforcedthewaterthroughbetweenthesolidpistonandthesideofthecylinderinwhichitworkedinsuchquantitiesastorenderthepressuselessforpracticalpurposes。
Bramahhimselfwasatfirstcompletelybaffledbythisdifficulty。Itwillbeobservedthattheproblemwastosecureajointsufficientlyfreetoletthepistonslideupthroughit，andatthesametimesowater-tightastowithstandtheinternalforceofthepump。ThesetwoconditionsseemedsoconflictingthatBramahwasalmostathiswit’send，andforatimedespairedofbeingabletobringthemachinetoastateofpracticalefficiency。Nonebutthosewhohaveoccupiedthemselvesinthelaboriousandoftenprofitlesstaskofhelpingtheworldtonewandusefulmachinescanhaveanyideaofthetantalizinganxietywhicharisesfromtheapparentlypettystumbling-blockswhichforawhileimpedetherealizationofagreatideainmechanicalinvention。Suchwasthecasewiththewater-tightarrangementinthehydraulicpress。Inhisearlyexperiments，Bramahtriedtheexpedientoftheordinarystuffing-boxforthepurposeofsecuringtherequiredwatertightness’Thatis，acoilofhemponleatherwasherswasplacedinarecess，soastofittightlyroundthemovingramorpiston，anditwasfurtherheldinitsplacebymeansofacompressingcollarforcedharddownbystrongscrews。Thedefectofthisarrangementwas，that，evensupposingthepackingcouldbemadesufficientlytighttoresistthepassageofthewaterurgedbythetremendouspressurefrombeneath，suchwasthegripwhichthecompressedmaterialtookoftheramofthepress，thatitcouldnotbegottoreturndownafterthewaterpressurehadbeenremoved。
Inthisdilemma，Bramah’sever-readyworkman，HenryMaudslay，cametohisrescue。Thehappyideaoccurredtohimofemployingthepressureofthewateritselftogivetherequisitewater-tightnesstothecollar。Itwasaflashofcommon-sensegenius——beautifulthroughitsverysimplicity。TheresultwasMaudslay’sself-tighteningcollar，theactionofwhichafewwordsofdescriptionwillrendereasilyintelligible。Acollarofsoundleather，theconvexsideupwardsandtheconcavedownwards，wasfittedintotherecessturnedoutintheneckofthepress-cylinder，attheplaceformerlyusedasastuffing-box。Immediatelyonthehighpressurewaterbeingturnedon，itforceditswayintotheleathernconcavityand’flappedout’
thebentedgesofthecollar；and，insodoing，causedtheleathertoapplyitselftothesurfaceoftherisingramwithadegreeofclosenessandtightnesssoastosealupthejointthecloserexactlyinproportiontothepressureofthewaterinitstendencytoescape。
Ontheotherhand，themomentthepressurewasletoffandtheramdesiredtoreturn，thecollarcollapsedandtheramslidgentlydown，perfectlyfreeandyetperfectlywater-tight。Thus，theformertendencyofthewatertoescapebythesideofthepistonwasbythismostsimpleandelegantself-adjustingcontrivancemadeinstrumentaltotheperfectlyefficientactionofthemachine；andfromthemomentofitsinventionthehydraulicpresstookitsplaceasoneofthegrandestagentsforexercisingpowerinaconcentratedandtranquilform。
Bramahcontinuedhisusefullaboursasaninventorformanyyears。
Hisstudyoftheprinciplesofhydraulics，inthecourseofhisinventionofthepress，enabledhimtointroducemanyvaluableimprovementsinpumping-machinery。Byvaryingtheformofthepistonandcylinderhewasenabledtoobtainarotarymotion，*
[footnote……
Dr。ThomasYoung，inhisarticleonBramahintheEncyclopaediaBritannica，describesthe”rotativeprinciple”asconsistinginmakingthepartwhichactsimmediatelyonthewaterintheformofaslider，”sweepingroundacylindricalcavity，andkeptinitsplacebymeansofaneccentricgroove；acontrivancewhichwasprobablyBramah’sowninvention，butwhichhadbeenbeforedescribed，inaformnearlysimilar，byRamelli，Canalleri，Amontons，PrinceRupert，andDr。Hooke。
whichheadvantageouslyappliedtomanypurposes。Thusheadopteditinthewellknownfire-engine，theuseofwhichhasalmostbecomeuniversal。Anotherpopularmachineofhisisthebeer-pump，patentedin1797，bywhichthepublicanisenabledtoraisefromthecasksinthecellarbeneath，thevariousliquorssoldbyhimoverthecounter。
Healsotookoutseveralpatentsfortheimprovementofthesteam-engine，inwhich，however，Wattleftlittleroomforotherinventors；andhenceBramahseemstohaveentertainedagrudgeagainstWatt，whichbrokeoutfiercelyintheevidencegivenbyhiminthecaseofBoultonandWattversusHornblowerandMaberly，triedinDecember1796。Onthatoccasionhistemperseemstohavegotthebetterofhisjudgment，andhewascutshortbythejudgeintheattemptwhichhethenmadetosubmitthecontentsofthepamphletsubsequentlypublishedbyhimintheformofalettertothejudgebeforewhomthecasewastried。*
[footnote……
ALettertotheRightHon。SirJamesEyre，LordChiefJusticeoftheCommonPleas，onthesubjectofthecauseBoultonandWattv。HornblowerandMaberly，forInfringementonMr。Watt’sPatentforanImprovementoftheSteamEngine。ByJosephBramah，Engineer。
London，1797。
InthatpamphlethearguedthatWatt’sspecificationhadnodefinitemeaning；thatitwasinconsistentandabsurd，andcouldnotpossiblybeunderstood；thattheproposaltoworksteam-enginesontheprincipleofcondensationwasentirelyfallacious；thatWatt’smethodofpackingthepistonwas”monstrousstupidity；”thattheenginesofNewcomensinceentirelysupersededwereinfinitelysuperior，inallrespects，tothoseofWatt；——conclusionswhich，weneedscarcelysay，havebeenrefutedbytheexperienceofnearlyacentury。
OntheexpiryofBoultonandWatt’spatent，Bramahintroducedseveralvaluableimprovementsinthedetailsofthecondensingengine，whichhadbythattimebecomeanestablishedpower，——themostimportantofwhichwashis”four-waycock，”whichhesoarrangedastorevolvecontinuouslyinsteadofalternately，thusinsuringgreaterprecisionwithconsiderablylesswearofparts。Inthesamepatentbywhichhesecuredthisinventionin1801，healsoproposedsundryimprovementsintheboilers，aswellasmodificationsinvariouspartsoftheengine，withtheobjectofeffectinggreatersimplicityanddirectnessofaction。
Inhispatentof1802，wefindBramahmakinganothergreatstrideinmechanicalinvention，inhistools”forproducingstraight，smooth，andparallelsurfacesonwoodandothermaterialsrequiringtruth，inamannermuchmoreexpeditiousandperfectthancanbeperformedbytheuseofaxes，saws，planes，andothercuttinginstrumentsusedbyhandintheordinaryway。”Thespecificationdescribestheobjectoftheinventiontobethesavingofmanuallabour，thereductioninthecostofproduction，andthesuperiorcharacteroftheworkexecuted。
Thetoolswerefixedonframesdrivenbymachinery，somemovinginarotarydirectionroundanuprightshaft，somewiththeshafthorizontallikeanordinarywood-turninglathe，whileinothersthetoolswerefixedonframesslidinginstationarygrooves。A
wood-planingmachine*
[footnote……
SirSamuelBenthamandMarcIsambardBrunelsubsequentlydistinguishedthemselvesbytheinventionofwood-workingmachinery，fullaccountsofwhichwillbefoundintheMemoirsoftheformerbyLadyBentham，andintheLifeofthelatterbyMr。Beamish。
wasconstructedontheprincipleofthisinventionatWoolwichArsenal，whereitstillcontinuesinefficientuse。Theaxisoftheprincipalshaftwassupportedonapistoninavesselofoil，whichconsiderablydiminishedthefriction，anditwassocontrivedastobeaccuratelyregulatedbymeansofasmallforcing-pump。Althoughthemachinerydescribedinthepatentwasfirstappliedtoworkingonwood，itwasequallyapplicabletoworkingonmetals；andinhisownshopsatPimlicoBramahemployedamachinewithrevolvingcutterstoplanemetallicsurfacesforhispatentlocksandotherarticles。Healsointroducedamethodofturningsphericalsurfaces，eitherconvexorconcave，byatoolmoveableonanaxisperpendiculartothatofthelathe；andofcuttingoutconcentricshellsbyfixinginasimilarmanneracurvedtoolofnearlythesameformasthatemployedbycommonturnersformakingbowls。”Infact，”saysMr。Mallet，”Bramahnotonlyanticipated，butcarriedoutuponatolerablylargescaleinhisownworks——fortheconstructionofthepatenthydraulicpress，thewater-closet，andhislocks——asurprisinglylargeproportionofourmoderntools。”*
[footnote……”RecordoftheInternationalExhibition，1862。”PracticalMechanic’sJournal，293。
Hisremarkablepredilectioninfavouroftheuseofhydraulicarrangementsisdisplayedinhisspecificationofthesurface-planingmachinery，whichincludesamethodofrunningpivotsentirelyonafluid，andraisinganddepressingthematpleasurebymeansofasmallforcing-pumpandstop-cock，——thoughwearenotawarethatanypracticalusehaseverbeenmadeofthispartoftheinvention。
Bramah’sinventivegeniusdisplayeditselfalikeinsmallthingsasingreat——inatapwherewithtodrawaglassofbeer，andinahydraulicmachinecapableoftearingupatreebytheroots。Hispowersofcontrivanceseemedinexhaustible，andwereexercisedonthemostvarioussubjects。Whenanydifficultyoccurredwhichmechanicalingenuitywascalculatedtoremove，recoursewasusuallyhadtoBramah，andhewasrarelyfoundatalossforacontrivancetoovercomeit。Thus，whenappliedtobytheBankofEnglandin1806，toconstructamachineformoreaccuratelyandexpeditiouslyprintingthenumbersanddatelinesonBanknotes，heatonceproceededtoinventtherequisitemodel，whichhecompletedinthecourseofamonth。Hesubsequentlybroughtittogreatperfectionthefiguresinnumericalsuccessionbeingchangedbytheactionofthemachineitself，——anditstillcontinuesinregularuse。ItsemploymentintheBankofEnglandalonesavedthelabourofahundredclerks；butitschiefvalueconsistedinitsgreateraccuracy，theperfectlegibilityofthefiguresprintedbyit，andthegreatlyimprovedcheckwhichitafforded。
Wenextfindhimoccupyinghimselfwithinventionsconnectedwiththemanufactureofpensandpaper。Hislittlepen-makingmachineforreadilymakingquillpenslongcontinuedinuse，untildrivenoutbytheinventionofthesteelpen；buthispatentformakingpaperbymachinery，thoughingenious，likeeverythinghedid，doesnotseemtohavebeenadopted，theinventionsofFourdrinierandDonkininthisdirectionhavingshortlysupersededallothers。Amonghisotherminorinventionsmaybementionedhisimprovedmethodofconstructingandsledgingcarriage-wheels，andhisimprovedmethodoflayingwater-pipes。Inhisspecificationofthelast-mentionedinvention，heincludedtheapplicationofwater-powertothedrivingofmachineryofeverydescription，andforhoistingandloweringgoodsindocksandwarehouses，——sincecarriedoutinpractice，thoughinadifferentmanner，bySirWilliamArmstrong。*
[footnote……
Inthis，asinothermethodsofemployingpower，themodernshadbeenanticipatedbytheancients；andthoughhydraulicmachineryisacomparativelyrecentinventioninEngland，ithadlongbeeninuseabroad。ThuswefindinDr。Bright’sTravelsinLowerHungaryafulldescriptionofthepowerfulhydraulicmachineryinventedbyM。Holl，ChiefEngineeroftheImperialMines，whichhadbeeninusesincetheyear1749，inpumpingwaterfromadepthof1800feet，fromthesilverandgoldminesofSchemnitzandKremnitz。Aheadofwaterwascollectedbyformingareservoiralongthemountainside，fromwhichitwasconductedthroughwater-tightcast-ironpipeserectedperpendicularlyinthemine-shaft。Aboutforty-fivefathomsdown，thewaterdescendingthroughthepipewasforcedbytheweightofthecolumnaboveitintothebottomofaperpendicularcylinder，inwhichitraisedawater-tightpiston。Whenforceduptoagivenpointaself-actingstop-cockshutoffthepressureofthedescendingcolumn，whileaself-actingvalveenabledthewatercontainedinthecylindertobedischarged，onwhichthepistonagaindescended，andtheprocesswasrepeatedlikethesuccessivestrokesofasteam-engine。
Pump-rodswereattachedtothishydraulicapparatus，whichwerecarriedtothebottomoftheshaft，andeachworkedapumpatdifferentlevels，raisingthewaterstagebystagetothelevelofthemainadit。Thepumpsofthesethreeseveralstageseachraised1790cubicfeetofwaterfromadepthof600feetinthehour。Theregularworkingofthemachinerywasaidedbytheemploymentofabalance-beamconnectedbyachainwiththeheadofthelargepistonandpump-rods；andthewholeofthesepowerfulmachinesbymeansofthreeofwhichasmuchas789，840gallonsofwaterwerepumpedoutoftheminesevery24hours——weresetinoperationandregulatedmerelybytheturningofastopcock。Itwillbeobservedthatthearrangementthusbrieflydescribedwasequallyapplicabletotheworkingofmachineryofallkinds，cranes，&c。，aswellaspumps；anditwillbenotedthat，notwithstandingtheingenuityofBramah，Armstrong，andothereminentEnglishmechanics，theAustrianengineerHollwasthusdecidedlybeforehandwiththeminthepracticalapplicationoftheprinciplesofhydrostatics。