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About this time Mr. Fairbairn was engaged in a
work of considerable importance, which, by the circumstances which grew out
of it, had an important influence on his future career. It was the
investigation of the properties of iron boats, and the possibility of
applying steam-power for traction on canals. The story is told for the most
part in his own words:—
In the early part of the year 1830, Mr. Houston,
of Johnstone, the chairman and principal proprietor of the Ardrossan canal,
availing himself of the use of a light gig-boat, such as is used in regatta
or in rowing matches, made an attempt to increase the speed of the
packet-boat between Glasgow, Paisley, and Johnstone. To this boat he
attached two of the track-horses, and, urging them forward at their utmost
speed, he found, to his surprise, that instead of a heavy surge rolling
along the canal before the boat, the gig rode smoothly over the surface, and
the horses actually worked with greater ease upon the collar at the high
velocity than they appeared to do at a lower speed. This was so contrary to
all received theories, that doubts were entertained as to the accuracy of
the results. Mr. Houston was not, however, a scientific person, and in order
to test the accuracy of the experimental trials made with the gig-boat, I
was requested by the Forth and Clyde Canal Company to visit Glasgow, and to
conduct a series of experiments on a light twin-boat built by Mr. Graham for
that purpose.
Mr. Houston's experimental trip with the gig,
and my own experiments with the twin-boat, appeared to bring out a new law
in the resistance of fluids, which encouraged the idea of attaining quick
speeds on canals. At that time this was a subject of vital importance to
everyone connected with canal interests. The Liverpool and Manchester
Railway had just been opened with unexpected and extraordinary success. A
new principle of traction had come into operation; the flight of the
swiftest bird and the fleetness of the race-horse were surpassed by the iron
bones and muscles of the locomotive; the tales of the 'Arabian Nights' were
realised; and no wonder that such apparent magic should create fear and
consternation in the minds of proprietors and shareholders of canal stock. A
speed of four and a half miles per hour for passengers, and of two and a
half for goods, were all that canals could then boast of, and a new project
which held out hopes of increased velocity was seized upon with avidity.
Hence every encouragement was given to the new theory, as exhibited by the
experiments on the Forth and Clyde and the Ardrossan Canals. The Forth and
Clyde proprietary, who had great interests at stake, confirmed the report
which I gave in, viz., that after having duly ascertained the resistance to
a floating body passing through the water of a canal at from five to
fourteen miles an hour, it was found that such resistance might be overcome
by a light iron boat, with a steam-engine on the locomotive principle.
In this report I was guarded not to raise hopes
that might not be realised; but I considered the experiments of such
importance as to recommend further trials, and accordingly on that
recommendation I was ordered to proceed with the construction of a new
vessel, and all the necessary machinery requisite to propel her at the
required velocity of from nine to ten miles an hour.
The experiments referred to were made two years
before the separation which took place between Mr. Lillie and myself, and
although he did not oppose, he nevertheless did not cordially join with me
in the undertaking. The experiments were published in 1831, at the request
of the governor and council of the Forth and Clyde Canal; and although the
book was imperfectly got up, and was my first publication, it was
nevertheless well received by the profession; and at a meeting of the
Institution of Civil Engineers, of which I was a member, I received the
thanks of the society from the president, Mr. Telford, in a manner highly
complimentary. As a comparatively young engineer, this was more than 1 had
reason to expect; but it had the effect of a stimulus in the right
direction, and in all my subsequent engineering projects I had the privilege
of consulting that great and eminent man, Mr. Telford, who from the
commencement of our acquaintance always received me with marked kindness.
The book above mentioned deserves some further
notice, on account of its being the author's first essay in engineering
literature. It consists of ninety-three octavo pages, with live lithographed
plates, and the title is as follows:—
Remarks on Canal Navigation, illustrative of the
advantages of the use of steam as a moving power on canals. With an appendix
containing a series of experiments, tables, &c., on which a number of
proposed improvements are founded. Also plans and descriptions of certain
classes of steamboats, intended for the navigation of canals, and the
adjoining branches of the sea. By William Fairbairn, Engineer. London,
Longmans and Co., 1831.
As to the literary style of this first attempt,
we cannot do better than quote the opinion of the celebrated Dr. Henry, who,
writing to Mr. Fairbairn shortly after the publication of the book, says:—
I have read with great pleasure your remarks on
Canal Navigation. They are written (as such books should be) in a plain,
perspicuous, and unpretending manner—no small merit, in this age of
quackery.
The author describes at some length the
discussions which had taken place between himself and some of the Scotch
canal proprietors, with the view of improving the communication on their
lines, and the experiments made in consequence, with boats of different
kinds. The results were so encouraging as to induce the Forth and Clyde
Company to order Mr. Fairbairn to construct a light passage "boat, worked by
steam-power, to ply between Glasgow and Edinburgh. The remarks he makes on
this commission are interesting as showing a trait of character usually not
over-prominent in young engineers of an enterprising turn of mind—namely, a
sense of the importance of practical utility and commercial advantage in
engineering designs. Mr. Fairbairn says :—
The business I had now in hand was to ascertain
how, and at what cost, the object which I recommended the Forth and Clyde
Canal Committee to pursue, could be attained. It was not an abstract
question of practicability, but how far a very high rate of velocity could
be advantageously obtained; at what cost, and what might be the comparative
difference of expense between the proposed new principle and the present
mode of trackage.
In pursuance of this commission he proceeded to
design and build the 'Lord Dundas,' of which he gives, in the book, drawings
and detailed dimensions.
She was 68 feet long, 11 feet 0 inches breadth
of beam, and 4 feet 6 inches deep, drawing sixteen inches of water. She was
built of iron plates, about one-sixteenth of an inch thick, strengthened
with light angle, iron and iron ribs, and she was fitted with cabins fore
and aft.
The engine was on the locomotive pattern, having
two cylinders, one on each side, and was equal to about 10-horse power. It
worked a single paddle-wheel 9 feet diameter and 3 feet 10 inches wide,
placed a little aft of midships, and intended to make fifty or sixty
revolutions per minute. The wheel worked in a trough extending fore and aft,
to allow of the bow of the water to and from the paddles. From this feature
the boat was called a 'twin' boat, although the name hardly applied, as the
general construction of the body was single.
The whole weight of the boat, including the
engine, paddle-wheel, &c., was 7 tons 16 cwt.
Sir. Fairbairn says of this boat:—
This little vessel was constructed exclusively
for lightness, and in order to give her bows and sides the required tenacity
and stiffness, light angle irons were introduced as ribs, and the whole
firmly riveted together. When the boat was finished, I was forcibly struck
with her lightness, solidity, and strength.
She was ready in 1831, and Mr. Fairbairn
continues his narrative:—
I waited with anxiety our first experiment; and
having launched the vessel and fixed the machinery, we proceeded down the
river some miles below Manchester for the purpose of making our first trial.
During the time required for building the boat I
had frequent opportunities of considering the nature of the engagements into
which I had entered with the Forth and Clyde Canal Company. It was true I
had made no promise to accomplish by steam what had been done by horses, but
I considered it worthy of trial, and engaged to build the boat and
machinery, and to undertake the superintendence of the experiments. So far
the undertaking was clear on both sides; but subsequent considerations, and
greatly matured reflections, modified my expectations, and notwithstanding
that the lightness of the vessel and the power of the engines promised
success, yet my doubts and misgivings continued to increase, and I
approached the day of trial in a state of nervous excitement of no enviable
description. It was clear, as I used to reason with myself long before the
boat was finished, that I had given no pledge to the company. But the public
as well as the proprietary would expect the realisation of their wishes; and
if I did not succeed, I must fail, and a failure was, of all things, to my
mind, the most obnoxious and disagreeable. In this way I tormented myself,
and passed many a sleepless night in order to devise the means of ensuring
success. At last the dreaded day arrived; and a party of friends from
Glasgow, Liverpool, and Manchester embarked for the purpose of testing the
qualities of the new boat.
The spot selected for the trial was a narrow,
straight reach of about a mile in length; which distance being carefully
measured, we commenced the run with and against the current, and the maximum
velocity was found to average about eight miles an hour, and that with a
considerable surge in front of the boat. The whole day was spent in the
experiments, and a faithful record was kept of the time in which the
distance was run both ways.
Mr. Graham, of Glasgow, who took great interest
in the experiments, maintained that as a first essay it was very successful.
I thought differently, but kept quiet, as with all the power we could raise
we did not materially increase the speed, but raised the surge before and
behind the boat to a munch greater height than before with horses; and thus,
by sinking the vessel in a trough between the crests of the preceding and
following waves, we appeared to bang on the water with a persistence which
no power emanating from the boat itself could overcome.
This effect was to me far from satisfactory; as
I thought in this early stage of the experiments I could perceive, what was
afterwards realised, that the propulsion of a vessel having the propelling
power within itself is entirely different from the force employed in the
shape of traction from a towing-path. In the latter case the vessel is free
from the load of machinery which in the former case sinks her to a greatly
increased depth. With horse traction the vessel rises upon the surface of
the water with comparative ease, and with diminishing resistance overrides
the wave; but when hampered by a steam-engine the vessel, from its increased
weight, floats at a greatly increased depth, and accumulates rather than
diminishes the intensity of the surge.
The 'Lord Dundas' had a second trial on the
river cut from Warrington to Runcorn, and a third from Runcorn to Liverpool
in the open tideway. In the narrow canal our speed was reduced to something
under six miles. In the open water of the Mersey, however, the engines had
good play, and we drove along at the rate of ten miles an hour. In the trial
from Runcorn to Liverpool I had the pleasure of the company of Mr. George
Rennie, to whom I was greatly indebted for many useful and friendly
suggestions. He took great interest in the experiments, and made many
enquiries as to the results, which he considered, under the circumstances,
highly satisfactory. In the passage from Runcorn to Liverpool Mr. Rennie got
alarmed at the fragile nature of the vessel; and when he was informed that
it was our intention to navigate her from Liverpool to the Clyde, he
expressed great fears of our safety, and advised us strongly not to venture
to sea unless well provided with cork jackets.
I had, however, great faith in the stability of
the vessel, and early on the following morning she sailed for the Isle of
Man, with instructions to wait for me there, where I should arrive by the
regular steamer the following day. As this voyage turned out more perilous
than I expected, and as some interesting phenomena were exhibited in the
navigation by the attraction of the iron in the ship's hull upon the
compass, it may be useful to describe the circumstances under which they
occurred.
The boat sailed from Liverpool at five o'clock
one morning in June 1831. At seven she made the floating light, and before
two the land which the captain called the west side of the Isle of Man was
in sight. For some time they kept steaming towards the shore, but the
commander could not reconcile his course and the chart, nor yet the
appearance of the land, and on nearing the shore they found, instead of the
Isle of Man, they were close upon the coast of Cumberland. This very wide
discrepancy between the course apparently steered, and the position of the
little vessel, completely upset the calculations of the skipper. He
maintained that he was correct in his course; but before he had time to
settle the difference he had to "bout ship,' and run for Morecambe Bay, in
order to avoid a stiff breeze which commenced blowing from the west. Here
they took shelter for the night; and it was the afternoon of the next day
before they were able to weigh anchor and sail for the place of rendezvous,
Douglas, in the Isle of Man. It was here that I had to meet them, and for
that purpose I sailed for that port the afternoon of the day they left
Liverpool. When I reached Douglas I found, to my surprise and great
disappointment, that such a vessel as I described had never been seen; and
alarmed at this non-arrival, I took the first vessel for the Clyde,
conceiving they must have gone on.
On arriving at Greenock there was still no
account of the vessel; and there being six persons on board, Mr. Elliot (my
superintendent engineer, a stoker, the captain and two sailors, I felt all
the misery and responsibility of having been, in some degree, if not
entirely, the cause of a serious loss of life. Labouring under these painful
feelings, I went down to the Connies, and in a little boat searched all the
islands, and made enquiries in every direction, but without effect.
Feeling great uneasiness and alarm, I became
dreadfully nervous, and after spending a great portion of the day in a
fruitless search, I returned to Greenock, and took the first vessel I could
find for the Isle of Man. On my second arrival at Douglas I made instant
enquiries about the vessel, and to my great relief I found that one
answering the description had reached Ramsey, and was then at anchor in the
bay. This information was welcomed with a thankful heart, and there never
was a journey undertaken with more, heartfelt satisfaction than mine on an
old horse from Douglas to Ramsey. On reaching the summit of the last hill
which overlooks the bay of that town, the first sight that met my eyes was
the 'Lord Dundas,' like a speck on the waters, riding quietly at anchor on a
sea as smooth as glass.
Hurrying down the hill, I made enquiries for Mr.
Elliot and the captain, but no person could give me any information. At last
a sailor informed me that I should find them at a public-house in the
neighbourhood. On enquiry I learnt they had been there, but were all gone to
a country fair about five miles inland, where they were enjoying themselves,
without once thinking of the misery I had endured on their account for the
last three days. At first I felt annoyed at their behaviour, but after a
little reflection I was but too glad to find them in the land of the living,
and waited their return with perfect goodwill, and a determination to give
them a cordial reception.
On the return of the party from the fair, I soon
ascertained the cause of the mistake which had occurred in making the coast
of Cumberland instead of the Isle of Man; and in order to prevent a
recurrence of any further errors, I had the compass examined on the
following morning before sailing.
Mr. Fairbairn then describes how he. tested the
boat's compass, with the aid of a second one fixed on shore, and determined
the effect of the iron in causing the erroneous deviation. This is a very
common process now, when iron is the most usual material of ship
construction; but it must be recollected that at that time an iron boat was
quite a new thing, and the prompt discovery of the error, the experimental
determination of its exact amount, and the immediate application of an
efficient remedy and correction, showed great ability on the part of the
young engineer.
He continues:—
To remedy this error there was no difficulty, as
the natural suggestion was to place a piece of iron in the opposite
direction of the ship's attraction, until the needle on board was brought in
a line parallel to that on shore. With this rough-and-ready correction we
proceeded on our voyage with perfect certainty and without any further
mishap.
It was the early part of the forenoon that we
sailed from Ramsey, and the little vessel, which at the stern was only a few
inches from the water, steamed away at a great rate, and reached Port
Patrick in the afternoon. We did not call at that port, as we were desirous
of reaching the Clyde, if possible, before midnight. But two naval officers
came off in a boat to examine the craft, which, they informed us, had been
watched by the telescope for two hours previous; and their astonishment was
great as to the nature of the little vessel and the adventurous navigators
on board. After a careful examination of the vessel and her machinery, with
which they expressed themselves highly pleased, they landed again, amid the
cheers of some hundreds of persons assembled on the pier to witness the
performances of so small and lively a craft. Before reaching the Mull of
Galloway, and all the way from that point to the entrance of Loch Ryan, we
encountered a considerable swell, but the little light and pliable steamer
danced upon it like a canoe, and if it had not been for a strong wind from
the west which came on to blow after sunset, we should have made the Comrie
Isles, at the mouth of the Clyde, that night. As it was, the sea was
beginning to wash over our frail bark, and on reaching the northern point of
the Galloway coast we deemed it expedient to rim to Stranraer for the night,
and make the Clyde on the following morning. We did not reach Stranraer till
after midnight, but we roused the landlady and her maid, and kept them
frying herrings till two in the morning.
Early the next morning we got up the steam and
started for Glasgow, where we arrived in the afternoon. The boat was
afterwards tried on the long reach of the Forth and Clyde Canal, but the
experiments confirmed the results previously obtained on the Mersey, and
showed that high speed never could be obtained upon canals, where the vessel
had to carry her own machinery and be propelled from the water. This was
undeniable; and although we had abundance of power to propel the vessel at
nine and ten miles an hour in open water, we never, in our most successful
experiments, attained more than seven and a half miles an hour on the canal,
with a high swell in front, and a corresponding one following behind.
At a low velocity of five to five and a half
miles an hour the 'Lord Dundas' steamed beautifully, and at that rate she
carried passengers from Port Dundas, Glasgow, to Port Eglintoun, Edinburgh,
for upwards of two years.
The experiments made with the 'Lord Dundas' were
sufficient to convince the most sanguine of the canal proprietary that
nothing could be effected in the shape of high velocities on canals to
compete with the new locomotives, then in the process of development on the
Liverpool and Manchester Railway.
Strongly impressed with the conviction that we—
the canal interest—had no chance whatever with our able competitors, I
advised the governor and council of the Forth and Clyde Company to abandon
the attempt of carrying the passenger traffic by light steamboats, and to
confine their operations to a class of steamers that would act as tug-boats,
taking the barges in fleets, and thus to expedite the delivery of goods at
both ends of the navigation. I further advised the construction of iron
vessels adapted to canal and sea navigation, which by increased rapidity of
transit would meet the demands of an increased traffic in parcels and light
goods. These suggestions were acted upon, and I had the satisfaction to be
the first to open this new system of transport on canals, and at the same
time to direct attention more prominently to the construction of iron ships
in general.
At a later period of Mr. Fairbairn's life he was
asked by the eminent French savant, the Baron Charles Dupin, to give him an
account of his early labours in regard to the construction of iron vessels;
and as his letter gives a much more complete account of his experiments than
is conveyed in the Autobiography, an extract from it may be inserted here :—
London, May 25, 1853.
My dear Baron Dupin,—It was my intention to have
replied direct to your queries respecting the first introduction of iron as
a material for ship-building; but as it may be some weeks before I can make
my promised visit, and as you may require the information before that time,
I beg leave to state that iron boats navigating canals have been made in
Scotland and Staffordshire for upwards of fifty years; but the application
of this material for the building of large vessels did not take place until
the years 1830 and 1831.
The discovery of accelerated velocities by light
boats on canals occurred in the spring of 1830, and the new theory
of riding the wave, or the undulating motion produced in the fluid by the
haulage of a light vessel along its surface, was first accomplished by Mr.
William Houston, of Johnstone, on the Ardrossan Canal, between the towns of
Paisley and Glasgow. This discovery—which took place at the opening of the
Liverpool and Manchester Railway—was received with more than common interest
by the canal proprietary of the United Kingdom, and during the heat and
fervour of the moment it was looked upon as the (inly competition to the
threatened destruction of their property by railways. To save that property,
and investigate by experimental research the laws on which this new theory
of the resistance of fluids was founded, I undertook, at the request of the
governor and council of the Forth and Clyde Company, the enquiry which led
to new constructions and new results, and was published in the following
year under the sanction of the council and other Canal companies.
The objects I hail in view of the prosecution of
these experiments were threefold.
First, to ascertain the resistance offered to
light vessels when drawn through narrow channels of water at velocities
varying from 4 to i4 or 15 miles an hour.
Secondly, to determine by what description of
vessel this could best be attained; and,
Lastly, to ascertain whether or not steam could
be used as motive power for accomplishing those objects.
As respects the first, it was proved that the
resistances from 3 to 5 miles an hour increased nearly as the squares of the
velocities ; from 5 to 8 miles the resistance was considerably more than the
squares; and from 8 to 14 miles—When the vessel rose upon the surface
and shimmed upon the water—the force of resistance was so greatly diminished
as to reduce the obstruction to the vessel's progress considerably under
that ratio. But you will find these facts more clearly demonstrated from the
following summary of results as taken from the fourth series of experiments
on July 12, 1830.
Results of Experiments, made with a Twin Boat 5
Tons Weight, on the Monkland Canal,
In the last experiment, No. 10, the boat was
lightened of its cargo, and reduced to 57 cwt.
From the averages arranged in the above table,
it will be observed that the rates of velocity are to the forces as 4'8,
6'2, 7-2, and 11-6 to 82, 205, 378, 433, &c., which are less than the
squares of the velocities, at the rate of 11½ and 12½ miles per hour, when
the surge is overcome, and when the boat is moved forward, unaccompanied by
the heavy swell that is invariably present at a speed varying from 5 to 8½
miles per hour.
Having ascertained the resistances and the
extent to which the velocities could be carried by animal power (which it
will be observed never exceeded 14 miles an hour), the next consideration
was the introduction of steam and the construction of a vessel uniting the
double qualification of strength and lightness. Now this could not be
accomplished by wood, as a light timber-built vessel would never carry a
steam-engine of sufficient power to propel the vessel at 12 to 14 miles an
hour, and the only resource was therefore iron.
A vessel of this kind—the 'Lord Dundas'—was
accordingly built at my suggestion ; and although it did not realise the
objects for which it was originally constructed, namely, the attainment of
high velocities, it nevertheless paved the way to a new system of marine
construction which has since become general amongst the nations of Europe
and America.
In the construction of the 'Lord Dundas,' which
was intrusted to my care, several important ideas presented themselves.
First, the superior strength of iron as compared with wood; the distribution
of the material in these constructions; and the superior strength and
lightness which a judicious application of this material afforded. All these
circumstances were present to my mind in the construction of the 'Lord
Dundas,' and by the introduction of T and angle iron as frames and ribs, I
found that the required rigidity and strength was attained at a
comparatively small expenditure of material.
In the construction of iron ships I may mention
that our knowledge at the commencement was very imperfect; and I had to
watch with the utmost care and attention the position and disposition of the
material, in order to effect economy in its use, and that with as near an
approach as possible to the maximum of strength.
In this respect I laboured under great
difficulties; and having no data on which we could rely for guidance in
these constructions, I felt the want of information, and at a very early
period (1834) determined to institute a series of experiments on the
strength of malleable iron of different forms and conditions, in order to
effect an improved system of construction, both as regards the strength and
a judicious application of the material.
These experiments were read before the Royal
Society, ar.d published in the Transactions of that body, of which I think
you have a copy.
I have the honour to be,
My dear Baron Dupin,
Your faithful obedient Servant,
Wm. Fairbairn
Hitherto the business in which Mr. Fairbairn was
engaged had been entirely prosperous and pleasant, but about this time some
troubles began to arise, which resulted in an important change.
It appears that a few years previously three
gentlemen had associated themselves together for the purpose of establishing
large dye-works in the neighbourhood of Manchester. An Italian merchant
living in that town found the capital; a Swiss engineer, who had made
himself known by great ingenuity and prolific production in mechanical
inventions, was to design the machinery; and another Swiss gentleman, a
practical chemist and dyer, was to superintend the practical processes. The
parties do not seem to have begun in perfect harmony; for the chemist
declared that all he wanted was a few cisterns, tubs, kettles, and
wash-wheels; but such a primitive plan did not please the mechanical
inventor. lie proposed great savings by extensive self-acting machinery; and
as his counsels prevailed, an estate of nearly 100 acres was bought near
Egerton, and weirs, dams, and water-courses were laid out, and new buildings
constructed, filled with machinery on an entirely new principle, designed to
accomplish every motion and every process by mechanical power, instead of in
the; ordinary way, by hand.
In this way upwards of 10,000/. had been spent
without any immediate prospect of the manufactory being completed, when the
capitalist took alarm, and refused to find any more money. The works were
stopped, and the whole property was offered for sale at a price greatly
below what it had cost.
Mr. Fairbaim writes:—
Mr.-- failling to effect a sale, again applied
to me, requesting I would endeavour to find him a customer. I consulted with
Mr. Lillie, and applied to a firm whose mills and property were situated a
little further down the river. We were on intimate terms with the members of
this firm, for whom we had erected a water-wheel, and done other work at
their mills. They had very little spare capital, but they urged me to buy
the estate, at a fixed price, and said they would join Mr. Lillie and me in
converting the buildings into a cotton-mill. The whole property was bought
in our joint names for 13,000l., each paying one-fourth of the
purchase-money. The completion of the contract was the signal for active
operations. We set vigorously to work, and in less than twelve mouths one
side of the principal building was removed, and the mill made double the
width. The weir and overflows were also completed, as also a new water-wheel
62 feet in diameter and 130 horsepower; and the mill-work and part of the
machinery were erected and at work in less than fifteen months.
The drains caused on the capital of the firm of
Fairbairn and Lillie for this work were so great as to cripple their
legitimate business as millwrights to a serious extent; for after the mill
was set to work all the money made was expended in enlargements or other
capital investments returning no interest to the proprietors.
Four or five years went on in this way—all
outlay and no income—when a source of serious trouble arose, namely, a
commencement of misunderstanding and mistrust between the two partners. Mr.
Fairbairn in his diary enters at some length into the causes and
circumstances of the disagreement, but it is needless to reproduce the
particulars here. It will suffice to quote his concluding observations:—
All these circumstances convinced me of the
necessity of a speedy dissolution of partnership, and from 1830 to 1832 I
urged upon Mr. Lillie the necessity of a change. At the beginning he refused
to listen to such a proposal, remarking that there was no reason for such a
step, that he was willing to take his fair share of the business, arid that
he thought me unreasonable in wishing to break up a connection which had for
many years been so successful. Perhaps there was some reason in these
observations; but after a careful consideration of the circumstances I felt
convinced that we could no longer go on together with safety or comfort. I
offered either to take the concern entirely into my own hands, and pay his
share as it stood in the books; or for him to retain it, as we might
immediately decide. Finding further persuasives unavailable, and a
separation determined on, it was ultimately arranged that I should take the
works on payment of a sum of money equivalent to his share as it stood in
the books. This was accomplished in 1832, by my handing over my share in the
Egerton Cotton-mills; and on paying a sum of money down, the works in Canal
Street became mine as sole proprietor. At the same time a dissolution took
place with the Egerton firm, who agreed to pay the capital which stood in
both our names over to Mr. Lillie, also a retiring partner, by instalments.
This change of circumstances, throwing Mr.
Fairbaim entirely on his own resources, was a serious one, and cost him much
anxious thought to determine on. But he was confident in the soundness of
his judgment, and strong in his self-reliance, and the event showed be was
right.
Mr. Lillie decided to enter into business on his
own account, and took new premises within a few hundred yards of the old
ones. It seems that an impression had been circulated that he had been
harshly treated, and forced out of the business against his will, and in
consequence he received much sympathy and support in his opposition to the
old establishment. Mr. Fairbairn, however, stood up manfully, and the more
his difficulties increased the greater was his determination to overcome
them. he says:—
I felt alone, but with renewed energies; and I
hoped in a short time, by an indomitable spirit and unflinching industry, to
conquer every difficulty. I had come to the determination to strike out a
new path for myself; and in spite of the breaking up of the different
departments, by the loss of the foremen, who nearly all went over to Mr.
Lillie, I nerved myself for an active opposition from whatever quarter it
might arise. I entertained the utmost confidence in my own powers; and
knowing that Mr. Lillie was neither more active nor more industrious than
myself, I came to the conclusion that I had nothing to fear, and that
ultimate success was sure to follow. Armed with these resolutions, I set
vigorously to work, and never relaxed till I had taken a position entirely
independent of any competitor.
In all our subsequent transactions I must,
however, do this gentleman the justice to say that I found him as an
opponent the same honourable, kind-hearted man that I had found him as a
partner. |
