new thought, not as one perfected by him, but of his 

 own creation. I will relate an instance. 



After the failure to make a business of the garden 

 engines, a class of engines called "village engines" 

 were built. These carried a suction hose, to be 

 thrown into cistern, creek, or pond, as the case 

 might be. He had returned from delivering one of 

 these engines, and in the evening came to father's 

 house. He complained of having had great trouble 

 from leaks in the leather suction hose. My father 

 proposed substituting folding metallic pipes, and 

 sketched a swivel ground joint, with a single bolt 

 clamping the parts together. He proposed three or 

 four folds, just as is shown in the plate facing page 

 284 in the second American edition of "Nicholson's 

 Operative Mechanic," [see fig. 12, p. 19] with the 

 exception that that is shown with the screw flange to 

 clamp the joint. It is also illustrated with the single 

 clamping bolt as one of Nasmyth's inventions in his 

 autobiography. 37 Father's sketch was complete in 

 all its parts. 



As Perkins was leaving, according to his common 

 custom, he gathered up all scraps of paper from the 

 table and thrust them into his universal receptacle — 

 the crown of his rather broad-brimmed plug hat. 

 The next morning he came hurriedly into father's 

 office, saying: "Coleman, I have worked out my 

 suggestion of last evening." 



"What was that?" asked father. 



"Why, have you forgotten already? Folding cop- 

 per pipes, instead of our leather suction pipes that 

 have given us so much trouble." He dove into his 

 hat, turning out a lot of sketches; and taking up the 

 one father had made, he explained how simple it 

 was; a single bolt to clamp the joint together. 



I saw by father's smile that he was more amused 

 than annoyed, but I could not help remarking, "That 

 is the drawing father made last evening." 



"Is it?" said Perkins; "Why, bless me, can I have 

 made a mistake?" He then rummaged over the con- 

 tents of his hat, and produced a sketch with the joint 

 made with clamp ring and bolts, evidently his own 

 work. "Coleman, when last evening I proposed 

 folding metallic pipes, you certainly did make this 

 sketch, but it don't look like your work. In the night 

 I thought of using a single bolt, and it is strongly 

 impressed upon my mind that I got up and sketched 

 it, but I have had so much on my mind lately, that at 



37 James Nasmytk, Engineer, An Autobiography, Samuel Smiles, 

 edit. (London: 1883), p. 426. In justice to Nasmyth, he 

 claimed as novel only the packing ring of the joint. 



times I don't know what I am at; but we will say no 

 more about this." He crammed the papers into his 

 hat and was off. 



This was not a solitary case. I know many more 

 like it, yet still believe he was honest and sincere; but 

 on the subject of originating he was not far from 

 being a monomaniac. 



When father became connected with him he was 

 engaged in other business, and it was agreed that 

 Perkins was to conduct the engine building, father 

 only acting advisory and giving such time and atten- 

 tion as he could spare. 



I will now relate what led to his retiring and trans- 

 ferring his interest to Dr. Thomas P. Jones. Patrick 

 Lyon had brought out his greatest fire engine — I 

 think it was called the "Diligent" — with double 

 cylinders, if I recollect right, of 9 inches diameter and 

 11 or 12 inches stroke, with folding levers and out- 

 riggers, and it could be manned with about 60 men. 

 Perkins had seen this engine on its trial, and was 

 seized with the idea that he could excel it. 



Father was opposed to that kind of rivalry. He had 

 always taken great interest in the independent volun- 

 teer fire companies, whose engines Pat Lyon, with 

 hard knocks, had done more to improve than any 

 other man. Any one visiting the Pennsylvania 

 Academy of Fine Arts can see almost the living Pat 

 Lyon in Neagle's great picture, as he stands with bare 

 arms and leather apron in the glowing light from the 

 fire on his forge. Father urged that this uneducated 

 workman, having with his own hands, skill, and 

 energy accomplished so much, should rather be 

 helped than competed with. Mr. Perkins remarked 

 that would put an end to all improvements. 



The matter was supposed to be dropped, but it was 

 not long before it was again opened by Mr. Perkins 

 in a rather singular manner. His ever-active mind 

 had been dwelling much on it. He began by saying 

 that at the trial of Lyon's engine he had observed 

 when the engine was only about two-thirds manned, 

 the stream of water from the nozzle wet the ground 

 to a greater distance than when fully manned. This 

 he attributed only in part to the increased velocity of 

 the water meeting the resistance of the air, separating 

 it into spray. But he had noticed with the increased 

 velocity the crackling noise as the water escaped from 

 the nozzle also increased. He was satisfied that it 

 was caused by expansion of compressed air taken up 

 by the water in its great commotion in the air vessel. 

 To prove this, he had put a bent glass tube from top 

 to bottom of the air vessel of one of his garden engines, 



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