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When Mr. Fairbairn entered on the sole charge of
his business he appears to have turned his attention to a new branch of
engineering manufacture. He reverts in his diary to the investigation he had
made a year or two before, on the application of steam-power to canals, and
he goes on to say:—-
The experiments and constructions above
described were the precursors of that great department of our national
industry, Iron Shipbuilding, from which this country has derived so much
benefit, and to which mankind are indebted for that rapidity of ocean
communication which distinguishes the steamers of the present time.
Although nothing could be done for the
attainment of high speeds on canals, it was perfectly possible to open a
useful steamboat communication between Glasgow and the towns on the eastern
coast through the Forth and Clyde Canal. For this purpose I constructed an
iron steamer, called the 'Manchester,' on the same principle as the 'Lord
Dundas,' with the paddles at the stern; and having launched her on the
Irwell, and fitted her with high-pressure engines of 40-horse power, she was
tried on the Mersey with the greatest success, and had such speed that she
steamed round the fastest boats then at Liverpool. She made the passage from
Liverpool in a comparatively short time, and having been stationed on the
canal, she carried on a regular and considerable traffic for a number of
years between Port Dundas and the towns along the Firth of Forth up to
Dundee.
The success which attended the 'Manchester,' her
great strength, buoyancy, and lightness, and her qualities as a seaboat,
pointed out the advantages to be derived from the use of iron, and induced
the building of other iron vessels of greater burden. During the two
succeeding years not fewer than eight vessels were built in sections at
Manchester, taken to pieces, and reconstructed at the ports.
The system, however, of building ships of 100 to
250 tons burden in an inland town, taking them to pieces, and having to
rebuild them at some convenient seaport, was in itself a process that could
not be long maintained, and the only alternative left was either to abandon
iron shipbuilding altogether as a business, or establish an entirely new
concern for that purpose in Liverpool or London. The former town offered
many advantages; but after mature consideration, London being the seat of
government, and a railway communication having been determined on, I arrived
at the conclusion that the metropolis held out more encouraging prospects
for the formation and extension of this new business than Liverpool. Having
foreseen from what had already been done that iron shipbuilding must of
necessity increase, I came to the determination to establish works in
London, and for this purpose I bought a plot of land at Millwall, Toplar,
and with one of my own pupils, Mr. Andrew Murray, who was given a small
share in the business, entered on the premises early in the year 1835. The
following year we bad orders for twelve iron vessels for navigating the
Oranges, for the East India Company, and four others for different parts of
Europe.
About this time the subject began to attract
much public attention. Others embarked in the trade, and we had to contend
with a formidable opposition which was started against us by several
shipbuilders on the Thames. This competition we had to light against for
many years; but we were well supported by the Government and the East India
Company, and by increased orders from abroad. We made many blunders as to
prices &c. in a business which we had yet to learn, and the rapid increase
of the demand for iron vessels, and the consequent necessary outlay and
extension of the works in buildings, tools, &c. trenched so hard upon our
limited capital as to hamper us for a long time. Unfortunately, also, I
could not attend personally to the London establishment, as by doing so that
in Manchester, of much greater importance, and which in fact created the
other, would have been neglected. My young friend Murray, who was without
experience, and had everything to learn, could not do much, and although he
exerted himself to the utmost, it could hardly be expected that so young a
man could exercise all the judgment and precaution of a person whose
training had attained greater maturity.
In this situation I felt all the responsibility
of both concerns. I was hurried backwards and forwards between Manchester
and London for more than five years, without a moment's repose, and with a
degree of mental strain and anxiety that would have broken down a
constitution of less rigidity than my own. Nature has, however, supplied me
with an elasticity of spirits which enabled me to throw oft' for a time the
mortifications and anxieties attendant upon arduous undertakings; and having
the power and determination to forget, in a change of scene or conversation,
the cares and troubles of the moment, I found the greatest relief from such
relaxations. Many were the times that, seeing no relief at hand. I have,
from this buoyancy of disposition alone, returned with redoubled energy to
the charge, mastered every difficulty, and given a new colouring and new
features to the prospects before me. Thus constituted, I never for an
instant gave way to despair. I was often disappointed; sometimes miserable,
but never discomfited; and I attribute to this peculiar quality of
temperament that constant desire to rise, and that never-tiring exertion,
which carried me through troubles and difficulties apparently
insurmountable.
In relating this part of my history I should be
wanting in gratitude if I did not allude to the exertions of an excellent
young man, Mr. John Elliot, now no more, who acted for several years in the
capacity of foreman of the millwrights at Manchester, who assisted at the
trials of the 'Lord Dundas,' and who ultimately was offered a small share in
the works at Millwall.
During my residence at Medlock Bank, Manchester,
I frequently received visitors in the evenings; among these were Mr. Elliot
above mentioned, (whom I found exceedingly intelligent), Mr. Eaton
Hodgkinson, Mr. Bennett Woodcraft, the scientific adviser of the
Commissioners of Patents, and Mr. James Nasmyth, engineer, and inventor of
the steam-hammer. The evenings were most agreeably spent—chiefly in
philosophical and scientific discussions. Amongst other projects which at
that time we had in contemplation, was the establishment of a quarterly
publication, to be entitled 'The Workshop,' and intended chiefly for the
working classes. The subjects to be treated of were the industrial and
mechanical arts; mathematics as applied to them; biographical sketches of
eminent men; and such other subjects as would interest, stimulate, and
improve the class it was intended to benefit. It was further intended to
give accounts of all the improvements, suggestions, and discoveries in the
manipulations of the workshop—the origin and management of tools, the
division of labour, and the rise and progress of inventions of every
description within the reach of the editors and their contributors. Last but
not least, a portion of the work was to be set apart for essays on domestic
culture, moral improvement, and such other matters as would raise the
character of the workman, correct dissipated habits, encourage economy,
ensure self-respect, and render his domestic hearth attractive, instructive,
and happy. All these objects the projectors of 'The Workshop' had in view;
and I went so far as to write the introduction and prospectus, and some
other papers.
As will readily be supposed, these papers, and
the project altogether, were of a most sanguine description. We had some
practice in our peculiar walks of life. My friend Hodgkinson was an able
mathematician; Woodcroft was an original inventor; Nasmyth imaginative;
Elliot cautious and persevering; and I myself with a slight mixture of the
whole; so that there would have been a singular compound—a literary 'hotch-potch,'
not perhaps very refined, but which might have been acceptable to those it
was intended for.
Unfortunately the intentions of the projectors
were never carried into effect. We were all of us well employed, and could
not devote much time to such a pursuit. The arrangement and classification
of the subjects, as far as they went, were satisfactory, but we never got
beyond that point and the whole affair at last died away.
I was incessantly engaged in conducting my two
large establishments in London and Manchester, where I had collectively
upwards of 2,000 hands employed. "With such a business I could not have done
much for 'The Workshop' if that publication had gone on. I could not,
however, suppress the desire I always had of giving to the world such
information as I had collected in the varied forms and pursuits of my
profession. I confess that nature had endowed me with a strong desire to
distinguish myself as a man of science. I was pleased to see myself in
print, and the only fear I entertained was the imperfections of style, and
the great difficulty I had to encounter in expressing my ideas in a clear
and perspicuous manner. This was a difficulty I laboured hard to overcome,
and I have up to the present moment no clear perception whether I am right
or wrong in any composition in which I have been engaged.
The imperfection which I have just admitted, and
which, like Meg Merrilies to Dirk Hatterick, has always been a 'rock
a-head,' has not, however, deterred me from attempting, every now and then,
to launch my uncouth barque amongst a host of critics on the sea of
literature; for almost every year from 1834 to the present time I have had
some communications, or scientific enquiry, ready for the press.
Although Mr. Fairbairn's chief practice lay in
the mechanical branch of the profession, he did not confine his attention
exclusively to that subject; for we find him, at this period, undertaking
several engineering matters of a more general nature.
In 1832 he was desired to examine the drainage
of a fen district called Soham More, near Ely, in Cambridgeshire. He found
the existing arrangements imperfect, and he reported, on March 23 in that
year, explaining the. facts, and making recommendations for the improvement
of the drainage operations.
In 1835 he was engaged by the mill owners on the
River Bann, in County Down, Ireland, to examine the locality, and to report
on the best means of improving the water-power. Numerous linen factories had
been established on the river, but they were much hampered by the
irregularity of the stream. In dry seasons there was not water enough to
work the wheels, while during rains the floods were so great as to drown the
machinery, and often do much mischief.
Mr. Fairbairn undertook the commission,
associating with him in the work a young engineer, Mr. John Frederic
Biiteman, who had commenced business in Manchester shortly before, and with
whom he had formed a friendship. Mr. Bateman afterwards married his
daughter, and attained to high eminence in the profession. They examined the
district together, and in January 1836 Mr. Fairbairn made a report, which,
from its importance to the industrial interests of the district, he was
requested to get printed for general circulation. The title was:—
'Reservoirs on the River Bann, in the County of
Down, Ireland, for more effectually supplying the Mills with Water.'
Manchester, printed by Robert Robinson, St. Anne's Place. 1836.
It was prefaced by an address 'To the Noblemen
and Gentlemen of the County of Down, and particularly those interested in
the improvements of the River Bann districts, and connected with the
proposed Reservoirs for supplying the Mills with Water,' in which the author
urged the benefits that would arise from the improvement of the industrial
resources of the country. In the report itself he showed that the measures
for the cure of the evils complained of should consist of the formation, on
the course of the stream, of large reservoirs, which would catch and impound
the excess of water in lime of floods, allowing it to be distributed down
the stream in dry seasons, in aid of the natural scanty flow at those times.
He pointed out three sites where such reservoirs could be made, and gave an
estimate of the probable cost of their construction. He further examined,
economically, the alternative plan of providing steam-power, and showed that
the reservoirs would, in the end, be cheaper by the large sum of 7,000/. a
year.
The report went fully into the scientific
calculations of rainfall, evaporation, water-power, &c., bearing on the
question, and was illustrated by a large map showing the works proposed, and
signed jointly by Mr. Fairbairn and Mr. Bateman.
The recommendations of the report were adopted
by the mill proprietors; funds were raised, and the works were afterwards
successfully carried out, the detailed designs and construction being
entrusted, at Mr. Fairbairn's wish, entirely to Mr. Bateman,
About the same time Mr. Fairbairn made an
enquiry of a very similar character in regard to the River Don, in
Aberdeenshire, Scotland. He reported to the mill proprietors in November
1835, also recommending the construction of reservoirs on the stream. But
this proposal does not appear to have borne any fruit.
In 1835 Mr. Fairbairn took part in an
investigation of great scientific and mechanical importance, and with which
his name has ever since been honourably associated; — namely, the
determination on a large scale, and with great accuracy, of the strength and
other mechanical properties of cast iron. The previous knowledge on the
subject was limited, and great uncertainty existed as to the effect which
had been produced by the introduction, a few years before, of the new
process of manufacture by the hot blast. Some iron-masters, in one part of
the country, had come to the conclusion that the new process greatly
deteriorated the quality of the iron produced; while others from other
neighbourhoods maintained, on the contrary, that no deterioration resulted
from the process, which was admitted by all to diminish the cost of
production.
These widely differing opinions, both expressed
by persons largely connected with the manufacture of cast-iron, were brought
to the notice of the British Association for the Advancement of Science, at
their meeting at Dublin, in September 1835, and the Committee resolved to
submit the whole question to the joint investigation of Mr. Eaton Hodgkinson
and Mr. Fairbairn. Mr. Hodgkinson had previously been engaged in making
experiments at Mr. Fairbairn's works, and he afterwards acquired great
eminence for his scientific investigations on the strength of materials. The
resolution was as follows:—
That Messrs. Hodgkinson and Fairbairn be
requested to undertake a series of experiments on the difference of strength
and other mechanical properties of iron obtained by the hot and cold blast,
under similar circumstances as to the nature of the coal employed, and from
the same manufactory ; and that a sum not exceeding 30l. be placed at their
disposal for that purpose.
The preparations for the enquiry, the collection
of samples, &c., occupied more time than had been anticipated; and at the
Bristol meeting, in 1836, the matter was re-considered, and an additional
sum of 60/. was granted for expenses.
It appears that during the course of the
investigation Mr. Fairbairn had the opportunity of making many trials of the
properties of cast-iron generally, independently of the special instructions
from the Association; and, not wishing that the results thus obtained should
be lost, he gave an account of them in a preliminary paper which he read, on
March 7, 1837, before the Literary and Philosophical Society of Manchester,
and which was afterwards published (1842) in vol vii. of their Transactions.
It is entitled..
'An experimental Enquiry into the Strength and
other Properties of Cast-iron, from various parts of the United Kingdom.' By
Mr. William Fairbairn.
It contains accounts of experiments on
thirty-nine samples of cast-iron, twenty-two being of English, fourteen of
Welsh, and three of Scotch manufacture. They were tried for what is called
transverse strength. A bar, one inch square, was cast from each kind of
iron, and placed horizontally on supports 4ft. 6in. apart. A weight was then
hung on the middle point of the bar, and was gradually increased till the
bar broke, the deflection and elasticity of the bar being carefully noted at
the different stages of loading. The results were all carefully tabulated,
and useful remarks were added on the practical qualities of the various
kinds of iron.
At the Liverpool meeting of the British
Association in September 1837, reports were submitted having more formal
reference to the enquiry ordered by that body. It appears that when the two
investigators began to work, they found that it would be more convenient to
divide their labours. It was proposed to test the strength of the various
kinds of iron in three ways, namely—1. By tension, or tearing the metals
asunder in the direction of their length. 2. By compressiem, or crushing.
And 3. By transverse strain. Mr. Hodgkinson undertook the two former of
these, and Mr. Fairbairn the third, and each experimenter reported to the
Association separately on his branch of the subject, the two reports being
printed in the Eeport of the Association for that year, vol. vi.
Mr. Fairbairn's report is entitled :—
'On the Strength and other Properties of
Cast-iron obtained from the Hot and Cold Blast.' By W. Fairbairn, Esq.
It gives elaborate accounts of numerous
experiments, conducted generally in the same way as described in his earlier
paper, but directed more especially to the comparison of the two kinds of
iron, the result being that on the average of the whole but little
difference existed between them.
In addition, however, to the main question
submitted for investigation, Mr. Fairbairn voluntarily undertook two
collateral branches of enquiry; first as to whether, when the loading was
long continued, any appreciable weakening of the metal took place; and,
secondly, to what extent the strength of the iron was affected by variations
of temperature. On the first point he summed up his results with the
following pithy sentence :—
It is now upwards of fifteen months since the
bars were charged, and if we are to judge from the hardihood displayed in
their resistance to the load, there is every probability of the experiments
outliving the experimenter.
The results of the temperature experiments were
too complicated to admit of brief summary.
The Association, at this meeting, resolved that
the experiments should be further prosecuted, and should be extended to
wrought-iron, granting another 100/. for expenses; and the names of
Professor Willis and two other gentlemen were added to the committee; but we
do not find that Mr. Fairbairn published, or attached his name to, any
further report on the subject to the Association.
About this time Sir. Fairbairn introduced an
invention which has been of the greatest utility iu engineering
manufacture—namely, the riveting machine. He gives the following account of
its origin:—
I have before alluded to a circumstance which
occurred at this time, namely, the stoppage of a part of the works at
Manchester by a strike of the boiler-makers. For some time previously we had
been busily engaged in the construction of boilers, and nothing could have
been more injurious than the stoppage of the works at such a time. I
remonstrated with the men, but without effect; and perceiving no chance of
coming to terms in any reasonable time, I determined to do without them, and
effect by machinery what we had heretofore been in the habit of executing by
manual labour.
In arranging this Mr. Fairbairn took into his
counsels his assistant-engineer, Mr. Robert Smith. Two plans were proposed,
one to act on the rivet by a lever (on the principle of the ordinary
punching machine), the other to compress it by a screw Mr. Smith was in
favour of the latter plan, and wished to make drawings of a new machine on
that principle; but Mr. Fairbairn says :—
I replied that the screw would be too slow; and
before any further steps were taken, I insisted on making a trial with the
punching-machines which were in daily use.
This was done on the following day, and Mr.
Smith produced as fine a specimen of riveted work as I have seen either
before or since. This was the origin and history of the riveting machine,
which so much improves the quality and reduces the price of labour in this
important branch of mechanical construction.
Previous to the experiment made with the
punching machine, which was accomplished by the simple introduction of two
steel dies corresponding with the ends of the rivet, it was argued that
compressed rivets would never be tight, that they would become loose and
spoil the work; and many other objections were brought against the project
by persons interested in the maintenance of the old process. To these, and
also to the threats that were held out by the workmen, I turned a deaf ear;
and after the first trial I was fully convinced that the principle was
sound, and that we had nothing to fear from one or the other. Having
convinced myself of the practicability of this new invention, a patent was
taken out for it; and as Mr. Smith was the person first to accomplish the
task, it was taken out in his name, but at my expense, and he was given an
interest in it.
The patent, in the name of Robert Smith, is
dated February 16,1837 (No. 7,302), and entitled 'Certain Improvements in
the means of connecting Metallic Hates for the Construction of Boilers and
other purposes.' It gives a full description and drawings of the riveting
machine, and it claims 'the manner of connecting metallic plates for the
construction of boilers and other purposes, by riveting them together by
compression obtained by the aid of machinery'
Mr. Fairbairn continues his account:—
The new machine effected a complete revolution
in boiler-making and riveting, and has substituted the rapid and noiseless
work of compression for the eternal din of the hammer; besides making the
work infinitely superior in quality and strength.
The introduction of the riveting machine gave
great facilities for the despatch of business. It fixed, with two men and a
boy, as many rivets in one hour as could be done with three men and a boy in
a day of twelve hours on the old plan; and such was the expedition and
superior quality of the work, that in less than twelve months the
machine-made boilers were preferred to those made by hand, in every part of
the country where they were known. This success was not attained without
opposition; and, as happens in all similar cases, I had not only to contend
against modifications and improvements, but I had to combat prejudice and
opposition from quarters where it was least expected. The patent, however,
expired some years since, and the machine is now in general use; and I have
reason to be satisfied that it has not only answered the purpose intended,
but has been of use to the public in the development of a new and important
principle in the constructive arts. |
