GUESS: WHO AM I?

Quick intro to self + invention; PROBLEM->NEED->SOLUTION

-Essentially, all products for the Industrial Revolution come from the simplest substances in the ground: coal, tin, iron, etc. Anything more advanced is built on getting these things. I know this, coming from a mining town.

-Born in 1664 in Dartmouth, Devon: a region of mines, which led to my training and career as an ironmonger

-Our region’s problem was: the mines would often flood when we dug too deep

-We needed to invent a powerful enough pump to combat that degree of flooding

-I invented the atmospheric steam engine: combats flooding in mines

 

Background: How did I come up with this invention?

-I’m just a commoner, but well skilled as an ironmonger

-My boss was Thomas Savery, an aristocrat who’d invented a pump called “The Miner’s Friend”, because it pumped water out of the mines. But it wasn’t that good. Why?

-His invention used high-pressure steam to force water up. Its parts could barely withstand the pressure and needed to be repaired often. Also, his invention could only pump water out from 30 feet deep.

-An ironmonger like me could fix these problems. I knew which kinds of materials to use to withstand the pressure better. After consulting with a scientist, Robert Hooke, I got the idea to add a mechanical pump so that there was no longer a 30-foot limit.

-How does my invention work? The boiler below the cylinder heats water in the cylinder. The steam goes up and works the beam, which operates the pump. Then the steam comes back down and gets condensed into water again. The cycles work at around 12 x per minute, lifting 10 gallons (54.6 litres) per stroke. (1 min = 120 gallons)

 

What can my invention be used for?

-It’s spread to all the mining districts of England, to remove water from mines

-That’s not all: it’s also used to drain wet lands, supply water to towns, and propel ships

 

Why fund me?

-My invention (1712) stayed pretty much the same for about 75 years, and spread throughout England and mainland Europe

-If you don’t have this invention, how can you mine any precious materials from the earth? How can you even mine coal? How can you get the most basic stuff for the Industrial Revolution?

-Even when my invention became outdated due to James Watt’s engine in the 1760s and 1770s, it still stayed in use until the 1800s—because my invention was cheaper and less complicated, so it provided options to different places that couldn’t afford the newest technology

 

Summary

-My invention is needed to get the most basic materials for the Industrial Revolution and other inventions out of the ground

-It can also be used for a wide variety of other tasks that require pumping

-Even if newer things are invented, it can still be useful as to provide people with simpler, cheaper options; not many inventions can last as long as mine with very little need for change