The Progress of Invention in the Nineteenth Century.

THE CANNON THE MOST ANCIENT OF FIREARMS--MUZZLE AND BREECH LOADERS OF THE SIXTEENTH CENTURY--THE ARMSTRONG GUN--THE RODMAN, DAHLGREN AND PARROTT GUNS--BREECH LOADING ORDNANCE--R...

Whatever the future centuries may bring in new and useful inventions, certain it is that the Nineteenth Century stands pre-eminent in this field of human achievement, so far exc...

EARLY IRON FURNACE--OPERATIONS OF LORD DUDLEY, ABRAHAM DARBY AND HENRY CORT--NEILSON’S HOT BLAST--GREAT BLAST FURNACES OF MODERN TIMES--THE PUDDLING FURNACE--BESSEMER STEEL AND...

EXPERIMENTS OF WEDGEWOOD AND DAVY--NIÉPCE’S HELIOGRAPHY--DAGUERRE AND THE DAGUERREOTYPE--FOX TALBOT MAKES FIRST PROOFS FROM NEGATIVES--SIR JOHN HERSCHEL INTRODUCES GLASS PLATES-...

Almost entirely of an outdoor character, and necessarily on public exhibition, the engineering achievements of the Nineteenth Century have always been conspicuously in evidence,...

EARLY EXPERIMENTS--SYMINGTON’S BOAT--COL. JOHN STEVENS’ SCREW PROPELLER--ROBT. FULTON AND THE “CLERMONT”--FIRST TRIP TO SEA BY STEVENS’ “PHŒNIX”--“SAVANNAH,” THE FIRST STEAM VES...

If called upon to name the most important of all factors of human existence, that which underlies and sustains all others, even to life itself, everyone must agree that it is _f...

SPINNING AND WEAVING AN ANCIENT ART--HARGREAVES’ SPINNING JENNY-- ARKWRIGHT’S ROLL-DRAWING SPINNING MACHINE--CROMPTON’S MULE SPINNER--THE COTTON GIN--RING SPINNING--THE RABBETH...

“And God said, Let there be light: and there was light. And God saw the light that it was good; and God divided the light from the darkness.” Thus early in the account of the cr...

DISCOVERY OF CIRCULATION OF THE BLOOD BY HARVEY--VACCINATION BY JENNER--USE OF ANÆSTHETICS THE GREAT STEP OF MEDICAL PROGRESS OF THE CENTURY--MATERIA MEDICA--INSTRUMENTS--SCHOOL...

EARLY ENGLISH MACHINES--MACHINE OF PATRICK BELL--THE HUSSEY REAPER--MCCORMICK’S REAPER AND ITS GREAT SUCCESS--RIVALRY BETWEEN THE TWO AMERICAN REAPERS--SELF RAKERS--AUTOMATIC BI...

HERO’S ENGINE, AND OTHER EARLY STEAM ENGINES--WATT’S STEAM ENGINE--THE CUT-OFF--GIFFARD INJECTOR--BOURDON’S STEAM GAUGE--FEED- WATER HEATERS, SMOKE CONSUMERS, ETC.--ROTARY ENGIN...

THE VOLTAIC PILE--DANIELL’S BATTERY--USE OF CONDUCTING WIRE BY WEBER--STEINHEIL EMPLOYS EARTH AS RETURN CIRCUIT--PROF. HENRY’S ELECTRO MAGNET, AND FIRST TELEGRAPHIC EXPERIMENT--...

The art preservative of all arts it has been rightfully called. Before its birth generation after generation of the human family lived and died, and each was but little wiser, a...

EMBROIDERING MACHINE, THE FORERUNNER OF THE SEWING MACHINE--SEWING MACHINE OF THOMAS SAINT--THE THIMONNIER WOODEN MACHINE--GREENOUGH’S DOUBLE POINTED NEEDLE--BEAN’S STATIONARY N...

PRELIMINARY SUGGESTIONS AND EXPERIMENTS OF BOURSEUL, REIS AND DRAWBAUGH--FIRST SPEAKING TELEPHONE BY PROF. BELL--DIFFERENCES BETWEEN REIS’ AND BELL’S TELEPHONES--THE BLAKE TRANS...

EARLY USE OF CAOUTCHOUC BY THE INDIANS--COLLECTION OF THE GUM--EARLY EXPERIMENTS FAILURES--GOODYEAR’S PERSISTENT EXPERIMENTS--NATHANIEL HAYWARD’S APPLICATION OF SULPHUR TO THE G...

THE DRAISINE, 1816--MICHAUX’S BICYCLE, 1855--UNITED STATES PATENT TO LALLEMENT AND CARROL, 1866--TRANSITION FROM “VERTICAL FORK” AND “STAR” TO MODERN “SAFETY”--PNEUMATIC TIRE--A...

EARLY USE OF NATURAL GAS--COAL GAS INTRODUCED BY MURDOCH--WINSOR ORGANIZES FIRST GAS COMPANY IN 1804--MELVILLE IN UNITED STATES LIGHTS BEAVER-TAIL LIGHTHOUSE WITH GAS IN 1817--L...

Following closely upon the discovery of the telephone the phonograph came, literally speaking for itself, and adding another surprise to the wonderful inventions of that prolifi...

OLD ENGLISH TYPEWRITER OF 1714--THE BURT TYPEWRITER OF 1829-- PROGIN’S FRENCH MACHINE OF 1833--THURBER’S PRINTING MACHINE OF 1843--THE BEACH TYPEWRITER--THE SHOLES TYPEWRITER, T...

EARLY MACHINES OF SIR SAMUEL BENTHAM--EVOLUTION OF THE SAW--CIRCULAR SAW--HAMMERING TO TENSION--STEAM FEED FOR SAW MILL CARRIAGE--QUARTER SAWING--THE BAND SAW--PLANING MACHINES-...

TREVITHICK’S FIRST LOCOMOTIVE--BLENKINSOP’S LOCOMOTIVE--HEDLEY’S “PUFFING BILLY”--STEPHENSON’S LOCOMOTIVE--THE LINK MOTION--STOCKTON AND DARLINGTON RAILWAY, 1825--HACKWORTH’S “R...

Very few people have any correct conception of the principles of ice-making. Most persons have heard in a vague sort of way that chemicals are employed in its manufacture, and m...

LIQUEFACTION OF GASES BY NORTHMORE, 1805; FARADAY, 1823; BUSSY, 1824; THILORIER, 1834, AND OTHERS--LIQUEFACTION OF OXYGEN, NITROGEN AND AIR BY PICTET AND CAILLETET IN 1877--SELF...

A prominent factor in the electrical art is the _Storage Battery_, Secondary Battery, or Accumulator, as it is variously called. A storage battery acts upon the same general pri...

The foundation stones of empirical discovery, upon which this science is based, had been crudely shaped by the workmen of preceding centuries, but the classification and laying...

The majority of people have been accustomed to regard light as something to be excluded and controlled by opaque screens just as effectively as rain is excluded by a tin roof, o...

BARLOW’S SPUR WHEEL--DAL NEGRO’S ELECTRIC PENDULUM--PROF. HENRY’S ELECTRIC MOTOR--JACOBI’S ELECTRIC BOAT--DAVENPORT’S MOTOR--THE NEFF MOTOR--DR. PAGE’S ELECTRIC LOCOMOTIVE--DR....

VOLTAIC ARC BY SIR HUMPHREY DAVY--THE JABLOCHKOFF CANDLE--PATENTS OF BRUSH, WESTON AND OTHERS--SEARCH LIGHTS--GROVE’S FIRST INCANDESCENT LAMP--STARR-KING LAMP--MOSES FARMER LIGH...

If the reader has been patient enough to have reviewed the preceding pages, the impression may have been formed that the notable inventions referred to represent all that is wor...

In the last thirty-five years of the Nineteenth Century there has grown up into the full stature of mechanical majority this stalwart son of electrical lineage. As the means for...

1802--Trevithick and Vivian’s British patent for Running Coaches by Steam. Charlotte Dundas (Steamboat) towed canal Boats on the Clyde. Tantalum discovered by Ekeberg. First Pho...

Among the applications of the telegraph which deserve special mention for magnitude and importance is the Atlantic Cable. For boldness of conception, tireless persistence in exe...

Standing on the threshold of the Twentieth Century, and looking back a hundred years, the Nineteenth Century presents in the field of invention a magnificent museum of thoughts...

The Draisine, 1816. Michaux’s Bicycle, 1855. United States Patent to Lallement and Carrol, 1866. Transition from “Vertical Fork” and “Star” to Modern “Safety.” Pneumatic Tire. A...

Early Iron Furnace. Operations of Lord Dudley, Abraham Darby, and Henry Cort. Neilson’s Hot Blast. Great Blast Furnaces of Modern Times. The Puddling Furnace. Bessemer Steel and...

The Cannon, the Most Ancient of Fire Arms. Muzzle and Breech Loaders of the Sixteenth Century. The Armstrong Gun. The Rodman, Dahlgren, and Parrott Guns. Breech-Loading Ordnance...

Early Experiments. Symington’s Boat. Col. John Stevens’ Screw Propeller. Robt. Fulton and the “Clermont.” First Trip to Sea by Stevens’ “Phœnix.” “Savannah,” the First Steam Ves...

The Voltaic Pile. Daniell’s Battery. Use of Conducting Wire by Weber. Steinheil Employs Earth as Return Circuit. Prof. Henry’s Electro- Magnet, and First Telegraphic Experiment....

Barlow’s Spur Wheel. Dal Negro’s Electric Pendulum. Prof. Henry’s Electric Motor. Jacobi’s Electric Boat. Davenport’s Motor. The Neff Motor. Dr. Page’s Electric Locomotive. Dr....

Spinning and Weaving an Ancient Art. Hargreaves’ Spinning Jenny. Arkwright’s Roll-Drawing Spinning Machine. Crompton’s Mule Spinner. The Cotton Gin. Ring Spinning. The Rabbeth S...

Liquefaction of Gases by Northmore--1805, Faraday--1823, Bussy--1824, Thilorier--1834, and others. Liquefaction of Oxygen, Nitrogen and Air, by Pictet and Cailletet in 1877. Sel...

Embroidery Machine the Forerunner of the Sewing Machine. Sewing Machine of Thomas Saint. The Thimonnier Wooden Machine. Greenough’s Double-Pointed Needle. Bean’s Stationary Need...

Early Use of Caoutchouc by the Indians. Collection of the Gum. Early Experiments Failures. Goodyear’s Persistent Experiments. Nathaniel Hayward’s Application of Sulphur to the G...

Experiments of Wedgewood and Davy. Niépce’s Heliography. Daguerre and the Daguerreotype. Fox Talbot Makes First Proofs from Negatives. Sir John Herschel Introduces Glass Plates....

Early Use of Natural Gas. Coal Gas Introduced by Murdoch. Winsor Organizes First Gas Company in 1804. Melville in United States Lights Beaver-Tail Lighthouse with Gas in 1817. L...

Early Machines of Sir Samuel Bentham. Evolution of the Saw. Circular Saw. Hammering to Tension. Steam Feed for Saw Mill Carriage. Quarter Sawing. The Band Saw. Planing Machines....

Hero’s Engine, and Other Early Steam Engines. Watt’s Steam Engine. The Cut-Off. Giffard Injector. Bourdon’s Steam Gauge. Feed Water Heaters, Smoke Consumers, etc. Rotary Engines...

Voltaic Arc by Sir Humphrey Davy. The Jablochkoff Candle. Patents of Brush, Weston, and Others. Search Lights. Grove’s First Incandescent Lamp. Starr-King Lamp. Moses Farmer Lig...

Old English Typewriter of 1714. The Burt Typewriter of 1829. Progin’s French Machine of 1833. Thurber’s Printing Machine of 1843. The Beach Typewriter. The Sholes Typewriter, th...

Discovery of Circulation of the Blood by Harvey. Vaccination by Jenner. Use of Anæsthetics the Great Step of Medical Progress of the Century. Materia Medica. Instruments. School...

Preliminary Suggestions and Experiments of Bourseul, Reis, and Drawbaugh. First Speaking Telephone by Prof. Bell. Differences between Reis’ and Bell’s Telephones. The Blake Tran...

Trevithick’s Steam Carriage. Blenkinsop’s Locomotive. Hedley’s “Puffing Billy.” Stephenson’s Locomotive. The Link Motion. Stockton and Darlington Railway, 1825. Hackworth’s “Roy...

The Nature of Food. The Roller Mill. The Middlings Purifier. Culinary Utensils. Bread Machinery. Dairy Appliances. Centrifugal Milk Skimmer. The Canning Industry. Sterilization....

Early English Machines. Machine of Patrick Bell. The Hussey Reaper. McCormick’s Reaper and Its Great Success. Rivalry Between the Two American Reapers. Self Rakers. Automatic Bi...

Great Bridges, Pneumatic Caissons, Tunnels. The Beach Tunnel Shield. Suez Canal. Dredges. The Lidgerwood Cable Ways. Canal Locks. Artesian Wells. Compressed-Air Rock Drills. Bla...

Geissler Tubes. Vacuum Tubes of Crookes, Hittorf, and Lenard. The Cathode Ray. Roentgen’s Great Discovery in 1895. X-Ray Apparatus. Salvioni’s Cryptoscope. Edison’s Fluoroscope....

Storage Battery. Batteries of Planté, Faure and Brush. Electric Welding. Direct Generation of Electricity by Combustion. Electric Boats. Electro-Plating. Edison’s Electric Pen....

General Principles. Freezing Mixtures. Perkins’ Ice Machine, 1834. Pictet’s Apparatus. Carré’s Ammonia Absorption Process. Direct Compression, and Can System. The Holden Ice Mac...

Early Printing Press. Nicholson’s Rotary Press. The Columbian and Washington Presses. König’s Rotary Steam Press. The Hoe Type Revolving Machine. Color Printing. Stereotyping. P...