Читать книгу The Steam Engine Familiarly Explained and Illustrated - Dionysius Lardner - Страница 11

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(28.) It appears, by a MS. in the Harleian Collection in the British Museum, that a mode of applying steam to raise water was proposed to Louis XIV. by Sir Samuel Morland. It contains, however, nothing more than might have been collected from Lord Worcester's description, and is only curious, because of the knowledge the writer appears to have had of the expansion which water undergoes in passing into steam. The following is extracted from the MS.:

"The principles of the new force of fire invented by Chevalier Morland in 1682, and presented to his Most Christian Majesty in 1683:—'Water being converted into vapour by the force of fire, these vapours shortly require a greater space (about 2000 times) than the water before occupied, and sooner than be constantly confined would split a piece of cannon. But being duly regulated according to the rules of statics, and by science reduced to measure, weight, and balance, then they bear their load peaceably (like good horses,) and thus become of great use to mankind, particularly for raising water, according to the following table, which shows the number of pounds that may be raised 1800 times per hour to a height of six inches by cylinders half filled with water, as well as the different diameters and depths of the said cylinders.'"