Benjamin Franklin, while agent in
London for the United Provinces of America, had a correspondence
with Matthew Boulton, of Birmingham, and Dr. Darwin, of
Lichfield, on the same subject. Boulton sent a model of a
fire-engine to London for Franklin's inspection; but Franklin was
too much occupied at the time by grave political questions to
pursue the subject further. Erasmus Darwin's speculative mind
was inflamed by the idea of a "fiery chariot," and he urged his
friend Boulton to prosecute the contrivance of the necessary
steam machinery.[6]
Other minds were at work. Watt, when only twenty-three years
old, at the instigation of his friend Robison, made a model
locomotive, provided with two cylinders of tin plate; but the
project was laid aside, and was never again taken up by the
inventor. Yet, in his patent of 1784, Watt included an
arrangement by means of which steam-power might be employed for
the purposes of locomotion. But no further model of the
contrivance was made.
Meanwhile, Cugnot, of Paris, had already made a road engine
worked by steam power. It was first tried at the Arsenal in
1769; and, being set in motion, it ran against a stone wall in
its way and threw it down. The engine was afterwards tried in
the streets of Paris. In one of the experiments it fell over
with a crash, and was thenceforward locked up in the Arsenal to
prevent its doing further mischief.
Pages:
157
158
159
160
161
162
163
164
165
166
167
168
169
170
171
172
173
174
175
176
177
178
179
180
181