Transcriber’s Note
The punctuation and spelling from the original text have been faithfully preserved. Only obvioustypographical errors have been corrected.
HOW IT WORKS
AUTHOR'S NOTE.
I beg to thank the following gentlemen and firms for the help they havegiven me in connection with the letterpress and illustrations of "How ItWorks"—
Messrs. F.J.C. Pole and M.G. Tweedie (for revision of MS.); W. Lineham;J.F. Kendall; E. Edser; A.D. Helps; J. Limb; The Edison Bell PhonographCo.; Messrs. Holmes and Co.; The Pelton Wheel Co.; Messrs. Babcock andWilcox; Messrs. Siebe, Gorman, and Co.; Messrs. Negretti and Zambra;Messrs. Chubb; The Yale Lock Co.; The Micrometer Engineering Co.;Messrs. Marshall and Sons; The Maignen Filter Co.; Messrs. Broadwood andCo.
ON THE FOOTPLATE OF A LOCOMOTIVE.How It Works
Dealing in Simple Language with Steam, Electricity,
Light, Heat, Sound, Hydraulics, Optics, etc.
and with their applications to Apparatus
in Common Use
By
ARCHIBALD WILLIAMS
Author of "The Romance of Modern Invention,"
"The Romance of Mining," etc., etc.
THOMAS NELSON AND SONS
London, Edinburgh, Dublin, and New York
PREFACE.
How does it work? This question has been put to me so often by personsyoung and old that I have at last decided to answer it in such a mannerthat a much larger public than that with which I have personalacquaintance may be able to satisfy themselves as to the principlesunderlying many of the mechanisms met with in everyday life.
In order to include steam, electricity, optics, hydraulics, thermics,light, and a variety of detached mechanisms which cannot be classifiedunder any one of these heads, within the compass of about 450 pages, Ihave to be content with a comparatively brief treatment of each subject.This brevity has in turn compelled me to deal with principles ratherthan with detailed descriptions of individual devices—though in severalcases recognized types are examined. The reader will look in vain foraccounts of the Yerkes telescope, of the latest thing in motor cars, andof the largest locomotive. But he will be put in the way ofunderstanding the essential nature of all telescopes, motors, andsteam-engines so far as they are at present developed, which I think maybe of greater ultimate profit to the uninitiated.
While careful to avoid puzzling the reader by the use of mysteriousphraseology I consider that the parts of a machine should be given theirtechnical names wherever possible. To prevent misconception, many ofthe diagrams accompanying the letterpress have words as well as letterswritten on them. This course also obviates the wearisome reference fromtext to diagram necessitated by the use of solitary letters or figures.
I may add, with regard to the diagrams of this book, that they arepurposely somewhat unconventional, not being drawn to scale norconforming to the canons of professional draughtsmanship. Whereadvisable, a part of a machine has been exaggerated to show its