THE MASTER WORKER 



Curiously enough, however, the influence of Watt 

 led to experiments in high-pressure steam through an 

 indirect channel. The contemporary inventor, Trevi- 

 thick, in connection with his partner, Bull, had made 

 direct-acting pumping engines with an inverted cylinder, 

 fixed in line with the pump rod, and actually dispens- 

 ing with the beam. But as these engines used a jet of 

 cold water in the exhaust pipe to condense the steam, 

 Boulton and Watt brought suit successfully for in- 

 fringement of their patent, and thus prevented Trevi- 

 thick from experimenting further in that direction. 

 He was obliged, therefore, to turn his attention to a 

 different method, and probably, in part at least, in this 

 way was led to introduce the non-condensing, relatively 

 high-pressure engine. This was used about the year 

 1800. At the same time somewhat similar experiments 

 were made by Oliver Evans in America. 



Both Trevithick and Evans applied their engines to 

 the propulsion of road vehicles; and Trevithick is 

 credited with being the first man who ran a steam 

 locomotive on a track, a feat which he accomplished 

 as early as the year 1804. We are not here concerned 

 with the details of this accomplishment, which will 

 demand our attention in a later chapter, when we come 

 to discuss the entire subject of locomotive transporta- 

 tion. But it is interesting to recall that the possibilities 

 of the steam engine were thus early realized, even 

 though another generation elapsed before they were 

 finally demonstrated to the satisfaction of the public. 

 It is particularly interesting to note that in his first loco- 

 motive engine, Trevithick allowed the steam exhaust 



VOL. vn. 8 [ II3 ] 



