On the Economy of Machinery and Manufactures, Charles Babbage [classic romance novels .TXT] 📗

who read that paper in

various quarters of the globe, what a scene of organized activity

the factory presents during the whole night, or what a quantity

of talent and mechanical skill is put in action for their

amusement and information. (1*) Nearly a hundred persons are

employed in this establishment; and, during the session of

Parliament, at least twelve reporters are constantly attending

the Houses of Commons and Lords; each in his turn retiring, after

about an hour’s work, to translate into ordinary writing, the

speech he has just heard and noted in shorthand. In the meantime

fifty compositors are constantly at work, some of whom have

already set up the beginning, whilst others are committing to

type the yet undried manuscript of the continuation of a speech,

whose middle portion is travelling to the office in the pocket of

the hasty reporter, and whose eloquent conclusion is, perhaps, at

that very moment, making the walls of St Stephen’s vibrate with

the applause of its hearers. These congregated types, as fast as

they are composed, are passed in portions to other hands; till at

last the scattered fragments of the debate, forming, when united

with the ordinary matter, eight-and-forty columns, reappear in

regular order on the platform of the printing-press. The hand of

man is now too slow for the demands of his curiosity, but the

power of steam comes to his assistance. Ink is rapidly supplied

to the moving types, by the most perfect mechanism; four

attendants incessantly introduce the edges of large sheets of

white paper to the junction of two great rollers, which seem to

devour them with unsated appetite; other rollers convey them to

the type already inked, and having brought them into rapid and

successive contact, redeliver them to four other assistants,

completely printed by the almost momentary touch. Thus, in one

hour, four thousand sheets of paper are printed on one side; and

an impression of twelve thousand copies, from above three hundred

thousand moveable pieces of metal, is produced for the public in

six hours.

 

333. The effect of machinery in printing other periodical

publications, and of due economy in distributing them, is so

important for the interests of knowledge, that it is worth

examining by what means it is possible to produce them at the

small price at which they are sold. ‘Chambers’ Journal’, which is

published at Edinburgh, and sold at three halfpence a number,

will furnish an example. Soon after its commencement in 1832, the

sale in Scotland reached 30,000, and in order to supply the

demand in London it was reprinted; but on account of the expense

of ‘composition’ it was found that this plan would not produce

any profit, and the London edition was about to be given up, when

it occurred to the proprietor to stereotype it at Edinburgh, and

cast two copies of the plates. This is now done about three weeks

before the day of publication—one set of plates being sent up

to London by the mail, an impression is printed off by steam: the

London agent has then time to send packages by the cheapest

conveyances to several of the large towns, and other copies go

through the booksellers’ parcels to all the smaller towns. Thus a

great saving is effected in the outlay of capital, and 20,000

copies are conveyed from London, as a centre, to all parts of

England, whilst there is no difficulty in completing imperfect

sets, nor any waste from printing more than the public demand.

 

334. The conveyance of letters is another case, in which the

importance of saving time would allow of great expense in any new

machinery for its accomplishment. There is a natural limit to the

speed of horses, which even the greatest improvements in the

breed, aided by an increased perfection in our roads, can never

surpass; and from which, perhaps, we are at present not very

remote. When we reflect upon the great expense of time and money

which the last refinements of a theory or an art usually require,

it is not unreasonable to suppose that the period has arrived in

which the substitution of machinery for such purposes ought to be

tried.

 

335. The post bag despatched every evening by the mail to one

of our largest cities, Bristol, usually weighs less than a

hundred pounds. Now, the first reflection which naturally

presents itself is, that, in order to transport these letters a

hundred and twenty miles, a coach and apparatus, weighing above

thirty hundredweight, are put in motion, and also conveyed over

the same space. (2*)

 

It is obvious that, amongst the conditions of machinery for

accomplishing such an object, it would be desirable to reduce the

weight of matter to be conveyed along with the letters: it would

also be desirable to reduce the velocity of the animal power

employed; because the faster a horse is driven, the less weight

he can draw. Amongst the variety of contrivances which might be

imagined for this purpose, we will mention one, which, although

by no means free from objections, fulfils some of the prescribed

conditions; and it is not a purely theoretical speculation, since

some few experiments have been made upon it, though on an

extremely limited scale.

 

336. Let us imagine a series of high pillars erected at

frequent intervals, perhaps every hundred feet, and as nearly as

possible in a straight line between two post towns. An iron or

steel wire must be stretched over proper supports, fixed on each

of these pillars, and terminating at the end of every three or

five miles, as may be found expedient, in a very strong support,

by which it may be stretched. At each of these latter points a

man ought to reside in a small stationhouse. A narrow cylindrical

tin case, to contain the letters, might be suspended by two

wheels rolling upon this wire; the cases being so constructed as

to enable the wheels to pass unimpeded by the fixed supports of

the wire. An endless wire of much smaller size must pass over two

drums, one at each end of the station. This wire should be

supported on rollers, fixed to the supports of the great wire,

and at a short distance below it. There would thus be two

branches of the smaller wire always accompanying the larger one;

and the attendant at either station, by turning the drum, might

cause them to move with great velocity in opposite directions. In

order to convey the cylinder which contains the letters, it would

only be necessary to attach it by a string, or by a catch, to

either of the branches of the endless wire. Thus it would be

conveyed speedily to the next station, where it would be removed

by the attendant to the commencement of the next wire, and so

forwarded. It is unnecessary to enter into the details which

this, or any similar plan, would require. The difficulties are

obvious; but if: these could be overcome, it would present many

advantages besides velocity; for if an attendant resided at each

station, the additional expense of having two or three deliveries

of letters every day, and even of sending expresses at any

moment, would be comparatively trifling; nor is it impossible

that the stretched wire might itself be available for a species

of telegraphic communication yet more rapid.

 

Perhaps if the steeples of churches, properly selected, were

made use of, connecting them by a few intermediate stations with

some great central building, as, for instance, with the top of St

Paul’s; and if a similar apparatus were placed on the top of each

steeple, with a man to work it during the day, it might be

possible to diminish the expense of the twopenny post, and make

deliveries every half hour over the greater part of the

metropolis.

 

337. The power of steam, however, bids fair almost to rival

the velocity of these contrivances; and the fitness of its

application to the purposes of conveyance, particularly where

great rapidity is required, begins now to be generally admitted.

The following extract from the Report of the Committee of the

House of Commons on steamcarriages, explains clearly its various

advantages:

 

Perhaps one of the principal advantages resulting from the use of

steam, will be, that it may be employed as cheaply at a quick as

at a slow rate; ‘this is one of the advantages over horse labour.

which becomes more and more expensive as the speed is increased.

There is every reason to expect, that in the end the rate of

travelling by steam will be much quicker than the utmost speed of

travelling by horses; in short, the safety to travellers will

become the limit to speed.’ In horse-draught the opposite result

takes place; ‘in all cases horses lose power of draught in a much

greater proportion than they gain speed, and hence the work they

do becomes more expensive as they go quicker.’

 

Without increase of cost, then, we shall obtain a power which

will insure a rapidity of internal communication far beyond the

utmost speed of horses in draught; and although the performance

of these carriages may not have hitherto attained this point,

when once it has been established, that at equal speed we can use

steam more cheaply in draught than horses, we may fairly

anticipate that every day’s increased experience in the

management of the engines, will induce greater skill, greater

confidence, and greater speed.

 

The cheapness of the conveyance will probably be, for some

time, a secondary consideration. If, at present, it can be used

as cheaply as horse power, the competition with the former modes

of conveyance will first take place as to speed. When once the

superiority of steamcarriages shall have been fully established,

competition will induce economy in the cost of working them. The

evidence, however, of Mr Macneill, shewing the greater

efficiency, with diminished expenditure of fuel, by locomotive

engines on railwavs, convinces the committee, that experience

will soon teach a better construction of the engines, and a less

costly mode of generating the requisite supply of steam.

 

Nor are the advantages of steampower confined to the greater

velocitv attained, or to its greater cheapness than

horse-draught. In the latter, danger is increased, in as large a

proportion as expense, by greater speed. In steampower, on the

contrary, ‘there is no danger of being run away with, and that of

being overturned is greatly diminished. It is difficult to

control four such horses as can draw a heavy carriage ten miles

per hour, in case they are frightened, or choose to run away; and

for quick travelling they must be kept in that state of courage,

that they are always inclined for running away, particularly down

hills, and at sharp turns of the road. In steam, however, there

is little corresponding danger, being perfectly controllable, and

capable of exerting its power in reverse in going down hills.,

Every witness examined has given the fullest and most

satisfactory evidence of the perfect control which the conductor

has over the movement of the carriage. With the slightest

exertion it can be stopped or turned, under circumstances where

horses would be totally unmanageable.

 

338. Another instance may be mentioned in which the object to

be obtained is so important, that although it might be rarely

wanted, yet machinery for that purpose would justify considerable

expense. A vessel to contain men, and to be navigated at some

distance below the surface of the sea, would, in many

circumstances, be almost invaluable. Such a vessel, evidently,

could not be propelled by any engine requiring the aid of fire.

If, however, by condensing air into a liquid, and carrying it in

that state, a propelling power could be procured sufficient for

moving the vessel through a considerable space, the expense would

scarcely render its occasional employment impossible.(3*)

 

339. Slide of Alpnach.