Brunelformanufacturingships’blocks。ThecareerofBrunelwasofamoreromanticcharacterthanfallstotheordinarylotofmechanicalengineers。Hisfatherwasasmallfarmerandpostmaster,atthevillageofHacqueville,inNormandy,whereMarcIsambardwasbornin1769。Hewasearlyintendedforapriest,andeducatedaccordingly。
Buthewasmuchfonderofthecarpenter’sshopthanoftheschool;
andcoaxing,entreaty,andpunishmentalikefailedinmakingahopefulscholarofhim。Hedrewfacesandplansuntilhisfatherwasalmostindespair。SenttoschoolatRouen,hischiefpleasurewasinwatchingtheshipsalongthequays;andonedayhiscuriositywasexcitedbythesightofsomelargeironcastingsjustlanded。Whatwerethey?Howhadtheybeenmade?Wheredidtheycomefrom?Hiseagerinquiriesweresoonanswered。TheywerepartsofanengineintendedforthegreatPariswater-works;theenginewastopumpwaterbythepowerofsteam;andthecastingshadbeenmadeinEngland,andhadjustbeenlandedfromanEnglishship。”England!”
exclaimedtheboy,”ah!whenIamamanIwillgoseethecountrywheresuchgrandmachinesaremade!”Ononeoccasion,seeinganewtoolinacutler’swindow,hecoveteditsomuchthathepawnedhishattopossessit。Thiswasnottherightroadtothepriesthood;andhisfathersoonsawthatitwasofnouseurginghimfurther:buttheboy’sinstinctprovedtruerthanthefather’sjudgment。
Itwaseventuallydeterminedthatheshouldqualifyhimselftoentertheroyalnavy,andatseventeenhewasnominatedtoserveinacorvetteas”volontaired’honneur。”Hisshipwaspaidoffin1792,andhewasatParisduringthetrialoftheKing。Withtheincautiousnessofyouthheopenlyavowedhisroyalistopinionsinthecafewhichhefrequented。OntheverydaythatLouiswascondemnedtodeath,Brunelhadanangryaltercationwithsomeultra-republicans,afterwhichhecalledtohisdog,”Viens,citoyen!”Scowlinglookswereturneduponhim,andhedeemeditexpedienttotakethefirstopportunityofescapingfromthehouse,whichhedidbyaback-door,andmadethebestofhiswaytoHacqueville。FromthencehewenttoRouen,andsucceededinfindingapassageonboardanAmericanship,inwhichhesailedforNewYork,havingfirstpledgedhisaffectionstoanEnglishgirl,SophiaKingdom,whomhehadaccidentallymetatthehouseofMr。Carpentier,theAmericanconsulatRouen。
ArrivedinAmerica,hesucceededinfindingemploymentasassistantsurveyorofatractoflandalongtheBlackRiver,nearLakeOntario。
IntheintervalsofhislabourshemadeoccasionalvisitstoNewYork,anditwastherethatthefirstideaofhisblock-machineryoccurredtohim。Hecarriedhisideabackwithhimintothewoods,whereitoftenmingledwithhisthoughtsofSophiaKingdom,bythistimesafeinEnglandafterpassingthroughthehorrorsofaFrenchprison。”Myfirstthoughtoftheblock-machinery,”heoncesaid,”wasatadinnerpartyatMajor-GeneralHamilton’s,inNewYork;mysecondunderanAmericantree,when,onedaythatIwascarvinglettersonitsbark,theturnofoneofthemremindedmeofit,andIthought,’Ah!myblock!soitmustbe。’Andwhatdoyouthink。werethelettersIwascutting?OfcoursenoneotherthanS。K。”BrunelsubsequentlyobtainedsomeemploymentasanarchitectinNewYork,andpromulgatedvariousplansforimprovingthenavigationoftheprincipalrivers。Amongthedesignsofhiswhichwerecarriedout,wasthatoftheParkTheatreatNewYork,andacannonfoundry,inwhichheintroducedimprovementsincastingandboringbigguns。Butbeingbadlypaidforhiswork,andapowerfulattractiondrawinghimconstantlytowardsEngland,hedeterminedtotakefinalleaveofAmerica,whichhedidin1799,andlandedatFalmouthinthefollowingMarch。ThereheagainmetMissKingdom,whohadremainedfaithfultohimduringhissixlongyearsofexile,andthepairwereshortlyafterunitedforlife。
Brunelwasaprolificinventor。DuringhisresidenceinAmerica,hehadplannedmanycontrivancesinhismind,whichhenowproceededtoworkout。Thefirstwasaduplicatewritinganddrawingmachine,whichhepatented。Thenextwasamachinefortwistingcottonthreadandformingitintoballs;butomittingtoprotectitbyapatent,hederivednobenefitfromtheinvention,thoughitshortlycameintoverygeneraluse。Hetheninventedamachinefortrimmingsandbordersformuslins,lawns,andcambrics,——ofthenatureofasewingmachine。Hisfamousblock-machineryformedthesubjectofhisnextpatent。
Itmaybeexplainedthatthemakingoftheblocksemployedintheriggingofshipsforraisingandloweringthesails,masts,andyards,wasthenahighlyimportantbranchofmanufacture。SomeideamaybeformedofthenumberusedintheRoyalNavyalone,fromthefactthata74-gunshiprequiredtobeprovidedwithnofewerthan1400blocksofvarioussizes。Thesheavedblocksusedfortherunningriggingconsistedoftheshell,thesheaves,whichrevolvedwithintheshell,andthepinswhichfastenedthemtogether。Thefabricationofthesearticles,thoughapparentlysimple,wasinrealityattendedwithmuchdifficulty。Everyparthadtobefashionedwithgreataccuracyandprecisiontoensuretheeasyworkingoftheblockwhenputtogether,asanyhitchintheraisingorloweringofthesailsmight,oncertainemergencies,occasionaseriousdisaster。Indeed,itbecameclearthatmerehand-workwasnottobereliedoninthemanufactureofthesearticles,andeffortswereearlymadetoproducethembymeansofmachineryofthemostperfectkindthatcouldbedevised。In1781,Mr。Taylor,ofSouthampton,setupalargeestablishmentontheriverItchenfortheirmanufacture;andontheexpiryofhiscontract,theGovernmentdeterminedtoestablishworksoftheirowninPortsmouthDockyard,forthepurposeatthesametimeofsecuringgreatereconomy,andofbeingindependentofindividualmakersinthesupplyofanarticleofsuchimportanceintheequipmentofships。
SirSamuelBentham,whothenfilledtheofficeofInspector-GeneralofNavalWorks,wasahighlyingeniousperson,andhadforsomeyearsbeenapplyinghismindtotheinventionofimprovedmachineryforworkinginwood。Hehadsucceededinintroducingintotheroyaldockyardssawing-machinesandplaning-machinesofasuperiorkind,aswellasblock-makingmachines。Thusthespecificationofoneofhispatents,takenoutin1793,clearlydescribesamachineforshapingtheshellsoftheblocks,inamannersimilartothatafterwardsspecifiedbyBrunel。BenthamhadevenproceededwiththeerectionofabuildinginPortsmouthDockyardforthemanufactureoftheblocksafterhismethod,thenecessarysteam-enginebeingalreadyprovided;
butwithasingulardegreeofcandourandgenerosity,onBrunel’smethodbeingsubmittedtohim,SirSamuelatonceacknowledgeditssuperioritytohisown,andpromisedtorecommenditsadoptionbytheauthoritiesinhisdepartment。
ThecircumstanceofMrs。Brunel’sbrotherbeingUnder-SecretarytotheNavyBoardatthetime,probablyledBrunelinthefirstinstancetoofferhisinventiontotheAdmiralty。Agreatdeal,however,remainedtobedonebeforehecouldbringhisideasoftheblock-machineryintoadefiniteshape;forthereisusuallyawideintervalbetweenthefirstconceptionofanintricatemachineanditspracticalrealization。ThoughBrunelhadagoodknowledgeofmechanics,andwasabletomastertheintricaciesofanymachine,helabouredunderthedisadvantageofnotbeingapracticalmechanicanditisprobablethatbutforthehelpofsomeonepossessedofthisimportantqualification,hisinvention,ingeniousandimportantthoughitwas,wouldhavebornenopracticalfruits。ItwasatthisjuncturethathewassofortunateastobeintroducedtoHenryMaudslay,theinventorofthesliderest。
IthappenedthataM。deBacquancourt,oneoftheFrenchemigres,ofwhomtherewerethensomanyinLondon,wasaccustomedalmostdailytopassMaudslay’slittleshopinWells-street,andbeinghimselfanamateurturner,hecuriouslyinspectedthearticlesfromtimetotimeexhibitedinthewindowoftheyoungmechanic。Onedayamorethanordinarilynicepieceofscrew-cuttingmadeitsappearance,onwhichheenteredtheshoptomakeinquiriesastothemethodbywhichithadbeenexecuted。HehadalongconversationwithMaudslay,withwhomhewasgreatlypleased;andhewasafterwardsaccustomedtolookinuponhimoccasionallytoseewhatnewworkwasgoingon。
BacquancourtwasalsoonintimatetermswithBrunel,whocommunicatedtohimthedifficultyhehadexperiencedinfindingamechanicofsufficientdexteritytoexecutehisdesignoftheblock-makingmachinery。ItimmediatelyoccurredtotheformerthatHenryMaudslaywastheverymantoexecuteworkoftheelaboratecharacterproposed,andhedescribedtoBrunelthenewandbeautifultoolswhichMaudslayhadcontrivedforthepurposeofensuringaccuracyandfinish。BrunelatoncedeterminedtocalluponMaudslay,anditwasarrangedthatBacquancourtshouldintroducehim,whichhedid,andaftertheinterviewwhichtookplaceBrunelpromisedtocallagainwiththedrawingsofhisproposedmodel。
Afewdayspassed,andBrunelcalledwiththefirstdrawing,donebyhimself;forhewasacapitaldraughtsman,andusedtospeakofdrawingasthe”alphabetoftheengineer。”Thedrawingonlyshowedalittlebitoftheintendedmachine,andBruneldidnotyetthinkitadvisabletocommunicatetoMaudslaythepreciseobjecthehadinview;forinventorsareusuallyverycharyofexplainingtheirschemestoothers,forfearofbeinganticipated。AgainBrunelappearedatMaudslay’sshopwithafurtherdrawing,stillnotexplaininghisdesign;butatthethirdvisit,immediatelyonlookingatthefreshdrawingshehadbrought,Maudslayexclaimed,”Ah!nowI
seewhatyouarethinkingof;youwantmachineryformakingblocks。”
AtthisBrunelbecamemorecommunicative,andexplainedhisdesignstothemechanic,whofullyenteredintohisviews,andwentonfromthattimeforwardstrivingtohisutmosttoworkouttheinventor’sconceptionsandembodytheminapracticalmachine。
Whilestilloccupiedonthemodels,whichwerebegunin1800,MaudslayremovedhisshopfromWells-street,wherehewasassistedbyasinglejourneyman,toMargaret-street,Cavendish-square,wherehehadgreaterroomforcarryingonhistrade,andwasalsoenabledtoincreasethenumberofhishands。TheworkingmodelswerereadyforinspectionbySirSamuelBenthamandtheLordsoftheAdmiraltyin1801,andhavingbeenfullyapprovedbythem,Brunelwasauthorizedtoproceedwiththeexecutionoftherequisitemachineryforthemanufactureoftheship’sblocksrequiredfortheRoyalNavy。ThewholeofthismachinerywasexecutedbyHenryMaudslay;itoccupiedhimveryfullyfornearlysixyears,sothatthemanufactureofblocksbythenewprocesswasnotbegununtilSeptember,1808。
Wedespairofbeingabletogiveanyadequatedescriptioninwordsoftheintricatearrangementsandmodeofactionoftheblock-makingmachinery。Letanyoneattempttodescribethemuchmoresimpleandfamiliarprocessbywhichashoemakermakesapairofshoes,andhewillfindhowinadequatemerewordsaretodescribeanymechanicaloperation。*
[footnote……
Sofaraswordsanddrawingscanservetodescribetheblock-makingmachinery,itwillbefoundveryablydescribedbyMr。FareyinhisarticleunderthisheadinRees’sCyclopaedia,andbyDr。BrewsterintheEdinburghCyclopaedia。AverygoodaccountwillalsobefoundinTomlinson’sCyclopaediaoftheUsefulArts,Art。”Block。”
Sufficeittosay,thatthemachinerywasofthemostbeautifulmanufactureandfinish,andevenatthisdaywillbearcomparisonwiththemostperfectmachineswhichcanbeturnedoutwithalltheimprovedappliancesofmoderntools。Theframingwasofcast-iron,whilethepartsexposedtoviolentandrapidactionwereallofthebesthardenedsteel。Inturningoutthevariousparts,Maudslayfoundhissliderestofindispensablevalue。Indeed,withoutthiscontrivance,itisdoubtfulwhethermachineryofsodelicateandintricateacharactercouldpossiblyhavebeenexecuted。Therewasnotone,butmanymachinesintheseries,eachdevotedtoaspecialoperationintheformationofablock。Thustherewerevarioussawing-machines,——theStraightCross-CuttingSaw,theCircularCross-CuttingSaw,theReciprocatingRipping-saw,andtheCircularRipping-Saw。ThenthereweretheBoringMachines,andtheMortisingMachine,ofbeautifulconstruction,forcuttingthesheave-holes,furnishedwithnumerouschisels,eachmakingfrom110to150strokesaminute,andcuttingateverystrokeachipasthickaspasteboardwiththeutmostprecision。InadditiontotheseweretheCorner-Sawforcuttingoffthecornersoftheblock,theShapingMachineforaccuratelyformingtheoutsidesurfaces,theScoringEngineforcuttingthegrooveroundthelongestdiameteroftheblockforthereceptionoftherope,andvariousothermachinesfordrilling,riveting,andfinishingtheblocks,besidesthoseformakingthesheaves。
Thetotalnumberofmachinesemployedinthevariousoperationsofmakingaship’sblockbythenewmethodwasforty-four;andafterbeingregularlyemployedinPortsmouthDockyardforupwardsoffiftyyears,theyarestillasperfectintheiractionasonthedaytheywereerected。Theyconstituteoneofthemostingeniousandcompletecollectionsoftoolseverinventedformakingarticlesinwood,beingcapableofperformingmostofthepracticaloperationsofcarpentrywiththeutmostaccuracyandfinish。Themachinesareworkedbyasteam-engineof32-horsepower,whichisalsousedforvariousotherdockyardpurposes。Underthenewsystemofblock-makingitwasfoundthatthearticleswerebettermade,suppliedwithmuchgreaterrapidity,andexecutedatagreatlyreducedcost。Onlytenmen,withthenewmachinery,couldperformtheworkwhichbeforehadrequiredahundredandtenmentoexecute,andnotfewerthan160,000blocksofvariouskindsandsizescouldbeturnedoutinayear,worthnotlessthan541,000L。*
[footnote……
TheremunerationpaidtoMr。Brunelforhisshareintheinventionwasonlyoneyear’ssavings,which,however,wereestimatedbySirSamuelBenthamat17,663l。;besideswhichagrantof5000L。wasafterwardsmadetoBrunelwhenlabouringunderpecuniarydifficulties。ButtheANNUALsavingtothenationbytheadoptionoftheblock-makingmachinerywasprobablymorethantheentiresumpaidtotheengineer。Brunelafterwardsinventedotherwood-workingmachinery,butnonetocompareinmeritandexcellencewiththeabove,Forfurtherparticularsofhiscareer,seeBEAMISH’SMemoirsofSirMarcIsambardBrunel,C。E。London。1862。
Thesatisfactoryexecutionoftheblock-machinerybroughtMaudslayalargeaccessionoffameandbusiness;andthepremisesinMargaretStreetprovingmuchtoolimitedforhisrequirements,heagainresolvedtoshifthisquarters。HefoundapieceofgroundsuitableforhispurposeinWestminsterRoad,Lambeth。LittlemorethanacenturysinceitformedpartofaMarsh,thenameofwhichisstillretainedintheadjoiningstreet;itsprincipalproductionsbeingbulrushesandwillows,whichwerehauntedincertainseasonsbysnipeandwaterfowl。Anenterprisingriding-masterhaderectedsomepremisesonapartofthemarsh,whichheusedforariding-school;
butthespeculationnotanswering,theyweresold,andHenryMaudslaybecametheproprietor。HitherheremovedhismachineryfromMargaretStreetin1810,addingfreshplantfromtimetotimeasitwasrequired;andwiththeaidofhislateexcellentpartnerhebuiltupthefar-famedestablishmentofMaudslay,Field,andCo。Therehewentonimprovinghisoldtoolsandinventingnewones,asthenecessityforthemarose,untiltheoriginalslide-lathesusedformakingtheblock-machinerybecamethrownintotheshadebythecomparativelygiganticmachine-toolsofthemodernschool。YettheoriginallathesarestilltobefoundinthecollectionofthefirminWestminsterRoad,andcontinuetodotheirdailyquotaofworkwiththesameprecisionastheydidwhenturnedoutofthehandsoftheirinventorandmakersomesixtyyearsago。
ItisunnecessarythatweshoulddescribeinanygreatdetailthefurthercareerofHenryMaudslay。Therestofhislifewasfullofusefulandprofitableworktoothersaswellastohimself。Hisbusinessembracedthemakingofflourandsawmills,mintmachinery,andsteam-enginesofallkinds。BeforeheleftMargaretStreet,in1807,hetookoutapatentforimprovementsinthesteam-engine,bywhichhemuchsimplifieditsparts,andsecuredgreaterdirectnessofaction。HisnewenginewascalledthePyramidal,becauseofitsform,andwasthefirstmovetowardswhatarenowcalledDirect-actingEngines,inwhichthelateralmovementofthepistoniscommunicatedbyconnecting-rodstotherotatorymovementofthecrank-shaft。Mr。
Nasmythsaysofit,that”onaccountofitsgreatsimplicityandGET-AT-ABILITYofparts,itscompactnessandself-containedsteadiness,thisenginehasbeentheparentofavastprogeny,allmoreorlessmarkedbythedistinguishingfeaturesoftheoriginaldesign,whichisstillinashighfavourasever。”Mr。Maudslayalsodirectedhisattentioninlikemannertotheimprovementofthemarineengine,whichhemadesosimpleandeffectiveastobecomeinagreatmeasurethetypeofitsclass;andithashelditsgroundalmostunchangedfornearlythirtyyears。The’Regent,’whichwasthefirststeamboatthatpliedbetweenLondonandMargate,wasfittedwithenginesbyMaudslayin1816;anditprovedtheforerunnerofavastnumberofmarineengines,themanufactureofwhichsoonbecameoneofthemostimportantbranchesofmechanicalengineering。