Of the DEVON IRON WORKS. 39 



much lefs, would have the effect of increafing its heat, and ope- 

 rations, and produce. And as, from the principles above ftated, 

 with regard to the machinery, I faw I could greatly increafe the 

 quantity of air thrown into the furnace, by enlarging the dia- 

 meter of the blow-pipe, and regulating the engine according- 

 ly, without being obliged to employ more power, I was anxious 

 to make this experiment. 



A fyflem of management, of which I did by no means ap- 

 prove, was adopted by the other partners of the Devon Com- 

 pany, foon after the works were begun to be erected ; and, in 

 the profecution of it, they ordered their fecond furnace to be put 

 in blaft, without permitting thofe meafures to be taken that 

 were neceflary to provide and maintain a fufHcient flock of ma- 

 terials ; and alfo without allowing their blowing machine to be 

 completed, according to the original defign, by the addition of 

 its fecond boiler. As might have been expected, a trial of feve- 

 ral months to carry on two furnaces, with only half the power 

 of fteam that was neceflary, and an inadequate flock of mate- 

 rials, proving unfuccefsful, the Company, as a remedy, inflead 

 of making up the above deficiencies, ordered one of the fur- 

 naces to be blown out, and flopped altogether. This improper 

 meafure, however, afforded me the opportunity of immediately 

 putting in practice the plan I have mentioned. 



When one of the furnaces was flopped, the other continued 

 to be blown by a blow-pipe of 2| inches diameter, and the pro- 

 duce of the furnace, for feveral weeks thereafter, was not 20 tons 

 of iron per week at an average. The engine at this time was 

 making about 16 flrokes a minute, with a flroke of the air 

 pump, about 4 feet 8 inches long ; but when I altered the dia- 

 meter of the blow-pipe, firft to 3, and immediately after to 3^ 

 inches diameter, and regulated the working gears of the engine, 

 fo as to make a flroke of 5 feet 2 inches long, and about 19 

 flrokes in a minute, on an average, the produce was immediate- 



