220 Obituary Notices of Fellows deceased. 



Long before his invention of the hydro-electric machine Lord 

 Armstrong had been engaged upon another investigation, which was 

 destined to produce more important results. As far back as 1835 he 

 had begun to consider the subject of water pressure and the manner in 

 which that pressure might be adapted to machinery. He made no 

 secret of his ideas, but communicated them to the " Mechanic's 

 Magazine," in 1838, though without arousing any public interest in 

 the subject. His association with the Newcastle Water Company a 

 company which was due to his initiation, and which to this day supplies 

 Newcastle with water gave him further opportunities of testing his 

 theories, and at length, after nearly ten years of experiment, his first 

 hydraulic machine was produced. This machine is still to be seen at 

 Elswick. It is a species of rotary engine, admitting of a continuous 

 and uniform flow of water through it, and exempt from all contracted 

 passages. Tried in Newcastle with a pressure from the street pipes 

 equivalent to a column of water of about 200 feet, it yielded a very 

 high effect. It is needless to say that this early form was soon 

 superseded. Whittledene reservoir, 400 feet above high-water mark, 

 suggested to him the possibility of using this source of power, and by 

 permission of the Newcastle Town Council he erected, at his own 

 expense, the first hydraulic crane, which proved a great success, and 

 soon attracted the attention of engineers. 



One of the first to inspect the crane was Mr. Hartley, the chief 

 engineer of the Liverpool Docks, who was very sceptical as to the 

 success of the new crane. He was, when enquiring into facts he 

 considered doubtful, exceedingly rough in his manner, and was so with 

 the man in charge, who was known by the name of " Hydraulic Jack," 

 and who had become exceedingly skilful in his management of the 

 crane. Hydraulic Jack asked Mr. Hartley what he would give him if 

 he let his load drop and picked it up again. A reward was promised if 

 successful, and the load was allowed to drop at a great speed, was as 

 suddenly stopped, and raised again smoothly and rapidly to its original 

 position. Mr. Hartley declared the crane to be exactly what he wanted, 

 and gave an order for the Liverpool Docks, the forerunner of the very 

 considerable work done by Elswick for Liverpool and Birkenhead. 



The success of this crane created so considerable a demand for 

 cranes and other hydraulic machinery that Lord Armstrong in 1847 

 ceased to practice as a solicitor, and also resigned the Secretaryship of 

 the Water Company, and devoted the whole of his time and attention 

 to starting the Elswick Engine Works. 



Lord Armstrong's early partners at Elswick were Mr. Donkin, 

 Mr. Addisori Potter, Mr. George Cruddas, and Mr. It. Lambert, and 

 the support they gave to, and the trust they reposed in the genius of 

 their partner, inventor, and manager never faltered in spite of the 



