”Abouttheyears1827and1828，thesubjectofsteam-carriagesforcommonroadsoccupiedmuchoftheattentionofthepublic。Manytriedtosolvetheproblem。Imadeaworkingmodelofanenginewhichperformedsowellthatsomefriendsdeterminedtogivemethemeansofmakingoneonalargerscale。ThisIdid；andIshallneverforgetthepleasureandthedownrighthardworkIhadinproducing，intheautumnof1828，atanoutlayof60L。，acompletesteam-carriage，thatranmanyamilewitheightpersonsonit。Afterkeepingitinactiontwomonths，tothesatisfactionofallwhowereinterestedinit，myfriendsallowedmetodisposeofit，andIsolditagreatbargain，afterwhichtheenginewasusedindrivingasmallfactory。ImaymentionthatinthatengineIemployedthewastesteamtocauseanincreaseddraughtbyitsdischargeupthechimney。ThisimportantuseofthewastesteamhadbeenintroducedbyGeorgeStephensonsomeyearsbefore，thoughentirelyunknowntome。”TheearnestdesirewhichIcherishedofgettingforwardintherealbusinessoflifeinducedmetoturnmyattentiontoobtainingemploymentinsomeofthegreatengineeringestablishmentsoftheday，attheheadofwhich，inmyfancyaswellasinreality，stoodthatofHenryMaudslay，ofLondon。Itwasthesummitofmyambitiontogetworkinthatestablishment；butasmyfatherhadnotthemeansofpayingapremium，IdeterminedtotrywhatIcoulddotowardsattainingmyobjectbysubmittingtoMr。Maudslayactualspecimensofmycapabilityasayoungworkmananddraughtsman。TothisendIsettoworkandmadeasmallsteam-engine，everypartofwhichwastheresultofmyownhandiwork，includingthecastingandtheforgingoftheseveralparts。ThisIturnedoutinsuchastyleasIshouldevennowbeproudof。Mysampledrawingswere，Imaysay，highlyrespectable。ArmedwithsuchmeansofobtainingthegoodopinionofthegreatHenryMaudslay，onthel9thofMay，1829，IsailedforLondoninaLeithsmack，andafteraneightdays’voyagesawthemetropolisforthefirsttime。ImadeboldtocallonMr。Maudslay，andtoldhimmysimpletale。Hedesiredmetobringmymodelsforhimtolookat。Ididso，andwhenhecametomeIcouldseebytheexpressionofhischeerful，well-rememberedcountenance，thatIhadattainedmyobject。Hethenandthereappointedmetobehisownprivateworkman，toassisthiminhislittleparadiseofaworkshop，furnishedwiththemodelsofimprovedmachineryandengineeringtoolsofwhichhehasbeenthegreatoriginator。Heleftmetoarrangeastowageswithhischiefcashier，Mr。RobertYoung，andonthefirstSaturdayeveningIaccordinglywenttothecounting-housetoenquireofhimaboutmypay。Heaskedmewhatwouldsatisfyme。KnowingthevalueofthesituationIhadobtained，andhavingaverymodestnotionofmyworthinesstooccupyit，Isaid，thatifhewouldnotconsiderl0s。aweektoomuch，IthoughtIcoulddoverywellwiththat。IsupposeheconcludedthatIhadsomemeansofmyowntoliveonbesidesthel0s。aweekwhichIasked。HelittleknewthatIhaddeterminednottocostmyfatheranotherfarthingwhenIleft-hometobegintheworldonmyownaccount。Myproposalwasatonceaccededto。AndwelldoIremembertheprideanddelightIfeltwhenIcarriedtomythreeshillingsaweeklodgingthatnightmyfirstwages。Ampletheywereinmyidea；forIknewhowlittleIcouldliveon，andwaspersuadedthatbystricteconomyIcouldeasilycontrivetomakethemoneysupportme。Tohelpmeinthisobject，Icontrivedasmallcookingapparatus，whichIforthwithgotmadebyatinsmithinLambeth，atacostof6s。，andbyitsaidImanagedtokeeptheeatinganddrinkingpartofmyprivateaccountwithin3s。6d。perweek，or4s。attheoutside。Ihadthreemeatdinnersaweek，andgenerallyfourriceandmilkdinners，allofwhichwerecookedbymylittleapparatus，whichIsetinactionafterbreakfast。Theoilcostnotquiteahalfpennyperday。Themeatdinnersconsistedofastewoffromahalftothreequartersofalb。oflegofbeef，themeatcosting31/2d。perlb。，which，withslicedpotatoesandalittleonion，andasmuchwaterasjustcoveredall，withasprinkleofsaltandblackpepper，bythetimeIreturnedtodinnerathalf-pastsixfurnishedarepastineveryrespectasgoodasmyappetite。ForbreakfastIhadcoffeeandadueproportionofquarternloaf。AfterthefirstyearofmyemploymentunderMr。Maudslay，mywageswereraisedto15s。aweek，andIthen，butnottillthen，indulgedintheluxuryofbuttertomybread。Iamthemoreparticularinallthis，toshowyouthatIwasathriftyhousekeeper，althoughonlyalodgerina3s。room。Ihavetheoldapparatusbymeyet，andIshallhaveanotherdinneroutofitereIamayearolder，outofregardtodaysthatwerefulloftherealromanceoflife。”OnthedeathofHenryMaudslayin1831，Ipassedovertotheserviceofhisworthypartner，Mr。JoshuaField，andactedashisdraughtsman，muchtomyadvantage，untiltheendofthatyear，whenI
returnedtoEdinburgh，toconstructasmallstockofengineeringtoolsforthepurposeofenablingmetostartinbusinessonmyownaccount。Thisoccupiedmeuntilthespringofl833，andduringtheintervalIwasaccustomedtotakeinjobstoexecuteinmylittleworkshopinEdinburgh，soastoobtainthemeansofcompletingmystockoftools。*
[footnote……
MostofthetoolswithwhichhebeganbusinessinManchesterweremadebyhisownhandsinhisfather’slittleworkshopatEdinburgh，Hewasononeoccasion”hardup”forbrasswithwhichtomakeawheelforhisplaningmachine。Therewasarowofold-fashionedbrasscandlesticksstandinginbrightarrayonthekitchenmantelpiecewhichhegreatlycovetedforthepurpose。Hisfatherwasreluctanttogivethemup；”for，”saidhe，”IhavehadmanyacrackwithBurnswhenthesecandlestickswereonthetable。Buthismotheratlengthyielded；whenthecandlestickswereatoncerecast，andmadeintothewheeloftheplaningmachine，whichisstillatworkinManchester。
InJune，1834，IwenttoManchester，andtookaflatofanoldmillinDaleStreet，whereIbeganbusiness。Intwoyearsmystockhadsoincreasedastooverloadtheflooroftheoldbuildingtosuchanextentthatthelandlord，Mr。Wrenn，becamealarmed，especiallyasthetenantbelowme——aglass-cutter——hadavisitfromtheendofa20-horseenginebeamonemorningamonghiscuttumblers。Tosettheiranxietyatrest，IwentoutthateveningtoPatricroftandtookalookataratherchoicebitoflandboundedononesidebythecanal，andontheotherbytheLiverpoolandManchesterRailway。BytheendoftheweekIhadsecuredaleaseofthesitefor999years；
bytheendofthemonthmywoodshedswereerected；theringofthehammeronthesmith’sanvilwassoonheardallovertheplace；andtheBridgewaterFoundrywasfairlyunderway。ThereItoiledrightheartilyuntilDecember31st，1856，whenIretiredtoenjoyinactiveleisuretherewardofalaboriouslife，duringwhich，withtheblessingofGod，IenjoyedmuchtruehappinessthroughtheheartylovewhichIalwayshadformyprofession；andItrustImaybeallowedtosay，withoutunduevanity，thatIhaveleftbehindmesomeusefulresultsofmylaboursinthoseinventionswithwhichmynameisidentified，whichhavehadnosmallshareintheaccomplishmentofsomeofthegreatestmechanicalworksofourage。”IfMr。Nasmythhadaccomplishednothingmorethantheinventionofhissteam-hammer，itwouldhavebeenenoughtofoundareputation。ProfessorTomlinsondescribesitas”oneofthemostperfectofartificialmachinesandnoblesttriumphsofmindovermatterthatmodernEnglishengineershaveyetdeveloped。”*
[footnote……
CyclopaediaofUsefulArts，ii。739。
Thehand-hammerhasalwaysbeenanimportanttool，and，intheformofthestonecelt，itwasperhapsthefirstinvented。Whenthehammerofironsupersededthatofstone，itwasfoundpracticableinthehandsofa”cunning”workmantoexecutebyitsmeansmetalworkofgreatbeautyandevendelicacy。Butsincetheinventionofcast-iron，andthemanufactureofwrought-ironinlargemasses，theartofhammer-workinghasalmostbecomelost；andgreatartists，suchasMatsysofAntwerpandRukersofNurembergwere，*
[footnote……
Matsys’beautifulwrought-ironwellcover，stillstandinginfrontofthecathedralatAntwerp，andRukers’ssteelorironchairexhibitedatSouthKensingtonin1862，areexamplesofthebeautifulhammerworkturnedoutbytheartisansofthemiddleages。TherailingsofthetombsofHenryVII。andQueenEleanorinWestminsterAbbey，thehingesandironworkofLincolnCathedral，ofSt。George’sChapelatWindsor，andofsomeoftheOxfordcolleges，affordequallystrikingillustrationsoftheskillofourEnglishblacksmithsseveralcenturiesago。
nolongerthinkitworththeirwhiletoexpendtimeandskillinworkingonsohumbleamaterialaswrought-iron。Itisevidentfromthemarksofcareandelaboratedesignwhichmanyoftheseearlyworksexhibit，thattheworkman’sheartwasinhiswork，andthathisobjectwasnotmerelytogetitoutofhand，buttoexecuteitinfirst-rateartisticstyle。
Whentheuseofironextendedandlargerironworkcametobeforged，forcannon，tools，andmachinery，theordinaryhand-hammerwasfoundinsufficient，andthehelveorforge-hammerwasinvented。Thiswasusuallydrivenbyawater-wheel，orbyoxenorhorses。Thetilt-hammerwasanotherforminwhichitwasused，thesmallerkindsbeingworkedbythefoot。AmongWatt’svariousinventions，wasatilt-hammerofconsiderablepower，whichheatfirstworkedbymeansofawater-wheel，andafterwardsbyasteamengineregulatedbyafly-wheel。Hisfirsthammerofthiskindwas120lbs。inweight；itwasraisedeightinchesbeforemakingeachblow。Wattafterwardsmadeatilt-hammerforMr。WilkinsonofBradleyForge，of71/2cwt。，anditmade300blowsaminute。Otherimprovementsweremadeinthehammerfromtimetotime，butnomaterialalterationwasmadeinthepowerbywhichitwasworkeduntilMr。Nasmythtookitinhand，andapplyingtoittheforceofsteam，atonceprovidedtheworkerinironwiththemostformidableofmachine-tools。Thisimportantinventionoriginatedasfollows：
Intheearlypartof1837，thedirectorsoftheGreatWesternSteam-ShipCompanysentMr。FrancisHumphries，theirengineer，toconsultMr。Nasmythastosomeengineeringtoolsofunusualsizeandpower，whichwererequiredfortheconstructionoftheenginesofthe”GreatBritain”steamship。Theyhaddeterminedtoconstructthoseenginesontheverticaltrunk-engineprinciple，inaccordancewithMr。Humphries’designs；andverycompleteworkswereerectedbythemattheirBristoldockyardfortheexecutionoftherequisitemachinery，themostimportantofthetoolsbeingsuppliedbyNasmythandGaskell。Theengineswereinhand，whenadifficultyarosewithrespecttotheenormouspaddle-shaftofthevessel，whichwasofsuchasizeofforgingashadneverbeforebeenexecuted。Mr。Humphriesappliedtothelargestengineeringfirmsthroughoutthecountryfortendersofthepriceatwhichtheywouldexecutethispartofthework，buttohissurpriseanddismayhefoundthatnotoneofthefirmsheappliedtowouldundertakesolargeaforging。InthisdilemmahewrotetoMr。Nasmythonthe24thNovember，1838，informinghimofthisunlooked-fordifficulty。”Ifind，”saidhe，”thereisnotaforge-hammerinEnglandorScotlandpowerfulenoughtoforgethepaddle-shaftoftheenginesforthe’GreatBritain！’WhatamItodo?
DoyouthinkImightdaretousecast-iron?”
ThisletterimmediatelysetMr。Nasmytha-thinking。Howwasitthatexistinghammerswereincapableofforgingawrought-ironshaftofthirtyinchesdiameter?Simplybecauseoftheirwantofcompass，orrangeandfall，aswellaspowerofblow。Afewmoments’rapidthoughtsatisfiedhimthatitwasbyrigidlyadheringtotheoldtraditionalformofhand-hammer——ofwhichthetilt，thoughdrivenbysteam，wasbutamodification——thatthedifficultyhadarisen。
Wheneventhelargesthammerwastilteduptoitsfullheight，itsrangewassosmall，thatwhenapieceofworkofconsiderablesizewasplacedontheanvil，thehammerbecame”gagged，”and，onsuchanoccasion，wheretheforgingrequiredthemostpowerfulblow，itreceivednexttonoblowatall，——theclearspaceforfallbeingalmostentirelyoccupiedbytheworkontheanvil。
Theobviousremedywastoinventsomemethod，bywhichablockofironshouldbeliftedtoasufficientheightabovetheobjectonwhichitwasdesiredtostrikeablow，andlettheblockfalldownuponthework，——guidingitinitsdescentbysuchsimplemeansasshouldgivetherequiredprecisioninthepercussiveactionofthefallingmass。Followingoutthisidea，Mr。Nasmythatoncesketchedonpaperhissteam-hammer，havingitclearlybeforehiminhismind’seyeafewminutesafterreceivingMr。Humphries’letternarratinghisunlooked-fordifficulty。Thehammer，asthussketched，consistedof，firstananvilonwhichtorestthework；second，ablockofironconstitutingthehammerorblow-givingpart；third，aninvertedsteam-cylindertowhosepiston-rodtheblockwasattached。Allthatwasthenrequiredtoproducebysuchmeansamosteffectivehammer，wassimplytoadmitsteaminthecylindersoastoactontheundersideofthepiston，andsoraisetheblockattachedtothepiston-rod，andbyasimplecontrivancetoletthesteamescapeandsopermittheblockrapidlytodescendbyitsowngravityupontheworkthenontheanvil。Such，inafewwords，istherationaleofthesteam-hammer。
Bythesameday’spost，Mr。NasmythwrotetoMr。Humphries，inclosingasketchoftheinventionbywhichheproposedtoforgethe”GreatBritain”paddle-shaft。Mr。HumphriesshowedittoMr。Brunel，theengineer-inchiefofthecompany，toMr。Guppy，themanagingdirector，andtoothersinterestedintheundertaking，byallofwhomitwasheartilyapproved。Mr。Nasmythgavepermissiontocommunicatehisplanstosuchforgeproprietorsasmightfeeldisposedtoerectsuchahammertoexecutetheproposedwork，——theonlyconditionwhichhemadebeing，thatintheeventofhishammerbeingadopted，hewastobeallowedtosupplyitaccordingtohisowndesign。
Thepaddle-shaftofthe”GreatBritain”was，however，neverforged。
Aboutthattime，thesubstitutionoftheScrewforthePaddle-wheelasameansofpropulsionofsteam-vesselswasattractingmuchattention；andtheperformancesofthe”Archimedes”weresosuccessfulastoinduceMr。BruneltorecommendhisDirectorstoadoptthenewpower。Theyyieldedtohisentreaty。ThegreatengineswhichMr。Humphrieshaddesignedwereaccordinglysetaside；andhewasrequiredtoproducefreshdesignsofenginessuitedforscrewpropulsion。TheresultwasfataltoMr。Humphries。Thelabour，theanxiety，andperhapsthedisappointment，provedtoomuchforhim，andabrain-fevercarriedhimoff；sothatneitherhisgreatpaddle-shaftnorMr。Nasmyth’ssteam-hammertoforgeitwasanylongerneeded。