Expository Piece

In the Industrial Revolution there were two main resources, that without there would be no progress. These were coal and steam. Each of these had huge importance in the I.R.

The arguably the most important invention during the I.R was steam power. Steam power was first captured by Thomas Savery. He made the first engine in 1698. This first engine was very basic It had no moving parts and worked on a vacuum system. Also it was very weak and barely made any power. It was called a miners friend, as the inventor intended it to pump water out of mines. Next was Thomas Newcomen’s engine. Although this was more powerful it consumed huge amounts of coal and could only be used to pump out water from coal mines. Finally in 1878 a engine came that would change the ways of the I.R for ever. It was a revolutionary engine invented by James Watt. This engine was more powerful and consumed less coal. But mainly it was the rotary movement of this engine that allowed it to be used it mills and factories. This engine also led to the development of the train.

Coal was the fuel for the I.R. Before the invention of the steam engine if coal reserve was found, it could not be exploited very far. If miners went deep there would be too much water. After the invention though miners could go a lot deeper. But soon they were confronted by another problem. The gases found in the deeper parts were sometimes explosive. The lanterns used by miners would ignite and explode the gases. Many men died like this until William Reid Clanny devised a safety lamp. This would detect any gases. Coal was used to power steam engines and later on trains. The demand for coal was huge. Coal was mined for many centuries from then until other alternatives came, although mining continues today.

Chicago Tribune

September 18 78

The first rotary steam engine is invented!

Invention to revolutionize the Industrial Revolution.

Today on the 18^th of September 1878 the first Rotary Steam Engine has been invented by James Watt in the Great Britain . The steam engine can now be used to power all mills and factories that previously ran on the weaker source of water power. John Dope, the owner of the Dope Textile Mills, believes that it is a great invention. “ This will change the efficiency of all factories. It is inventions like these that are need to move the Industrial Revolution forward. I have already ordered this great machine for my factory!” The coal mining companies are also happier because they have got steam engines that use less coal.

The Watt steam engine, unlike the ones that Thomas Savery or Newcomen invented, makes a rotary action. This is what enables the engine to be used in mills. Also the Watt steam engine has a separate cooling chamber which allows the main cylinder to stay hot all the time. This generates more power as well as making it less coal guzzling. It gives a horse power almost double the double of that provided by the Newcomen Engine. Users will have a double benefit.

Inventor James Watt is a Instrument maker in the University of Glasgow. He is very proud to release his invention. “ I first tried to produce this engine 9 ½ years ago. Unfortunately we went bankrupt and I had to work as a surveyor for 8 years. Then I formed a partnership with Matthew Boulton and successfully manufactured the engine. I am very happy today”

One the other side, the owner of a Cottage Industry called Slow, and Slow is very unhappy. Mr. Oldtech stated “ if machines can replace man then why was man ever created.” The cottage industries are slowly and slowly vanishing due to the much more efficient machines. Mr. Oldtech was disappointed with the start of the I.R in the beginning and is even more unhappy today. He fears he must shut down his 100 year old company.

Note: Mr. Oldtech and John Dope and their companies are purely fictitious. Any resemblance is to be considered purely coincidental.

1870 stock market

I was very successful in the game. In fact I had the highest amount of money in our class. I did not use specific strategy besides my basic knowledge. I got a lot of shares of the Great Northern Railway because I new that they went up at that time



Buy low and sell high

This is the one that I used. I got 10 shares of the Great Northern Railway when it was the lowest at $ 4 . Then I sold every thing else and got more Great Northern Railways shares. Then in the end the shares turned out to be real high and I made a lot money.

Don't put all your eggs in one basket.

I don't agree with this because this is exactly what I did and I made a lot of many of it. Maybe it could be sheer luck but for this game putting all your eggs in one basket worked very well.

Dairy of James Watt

Dairy of James Watt

Date: January 16, 1867

Today was by far the worst day in my life. After all the effort I went through to acquire my patents and my partnership I have got bankrupt. I first came up with my first plan for a steam engine in 1865. Oh, that was a great day. Then I struggled to find capital to start the production of a full scale steam engine. When I managed to do that, yet another problem arose. The workers in John’s factory were more like blacksmiths than mechanics. They could not build to the preciseness required to produce a steam engine. The problem was with the piston and cylinder. Then there was a patent which cost me almost all my money. Now, I have none of it left.

I have been offered a job as a surveyor and the pay is very poor. Still it is the best job available. I have heard that there is a German architect who has figured a way to make precise drilling. If this is true then I can form another partnership with someone and build my steam engines again. That is if any one agrees to buy my patents

As for now I must work as a surveyor.

Date: March 27, !870

Work as a surveyor is very hard and boring. No one yet has offered to buy the patents for steam engine. Imagine how much more advanced factories would be with my improved steam engine. I am in total despair!

Date April 20, 1875

Today a great thing has happened. The owner of the Soho Foundry, Matthew Boulton, has offered to buy my patents. This means after eight painful years I can finally create my steam engine. Oh this is unbelievable!

An Interview with James Watt

Born on 19th of January, 1736, James Watt is by far one of the most important people of the Industrial Revolution. Without his famous invention, the steam engine, there would have not been an I.R until electricity would be discovered. That would be a huge delay!
Today on the 18th of August, 1989 at the age of 83, he has joined in an interview.

How was your childhood?
“I was born in Scotland. I barely went to school and most of the time my mother would home tutor me. I was great at math while I performed very poorly in language. At seventeen my mother died and my father was very ill. At this point I left to study in U.K and then it all started!”
Moving on, how did the idea of a steam powered engine come to your mind?
“Actually I had an instrument shop at the University of Glasgow. Through this, I got introduced to a professor called John Robinson and he became my friend. Then one day while he was showing me about steam, I thought it was a great source of power. So soon I was experimenting with steam power to make an engine.”
After that how many trails did it take you to get a working model?
“Ooh, I would say well over fifty. My first attempt was a huge failure. It barely worked, forget powering anything! After many failures, at last I had a working engine!”
And then?
“Don’t ask, it was like torture! I had the plans for the production of a full scale engine and formed a partnership with a friend of mine who owned an iron working company .But to my disappointment the workers at the factory were blacksmiths and could not produce the quality needed. The end product was far from desired and soon we got bankrupt. For the next eight whole years I had to take up employment as a surveyor. Then Matthew Button, the owner of a famous foundry, bought my patent rights and I formed a partnership with him. This time we got the golden taste of success finally. At first these engines were used to pump water out of mines but after some modification it was used power all sorts of machines in the Industrial revolution.”
After retirement what did you do?
“I couldn’t leave inventing so I continued that at my house. I made some machines like the steam mangle, a device for copying letters, and much more.”
You are considered an important and respectful person in the I.R. Your reaction?
“I think I deserved the fame and respect after all my hard work and struggles. Overall I am very satisfied with my life!”
Thank you for coming to our interview!
“It was my pleasure!”

Mid term goals

1.My main goal was to add more detail and description in my writing.

I think I got a lot better at this. This is mainly because of two reasons. One is that my teacher last year did not focus a lot on creative writing. This year writing is both fun and intense in Mr. Coyle's
class. Another reason is now I want to write and improve at it unlike last year.

2.The other goal was to improve my conventions.

So far we have not done grammar yet but I still believe that I will get better at that!

Benifits and disadvantages of the I.R

When the Industrial Revlution came, it got many benifits and disadvantages with it.

One benifit was the employment. Many poor people got jobs during the I.R. Also many products where mass produced. Items where more eaasily available. A lot of products became affordable due to mass production. Many new inventions at this time helped make work and life easier. The lives of people were more organized because they were regulated by clocks

A major disadvantage was that children where employed. They risked death and injury every day. Also in many places whole families were employed while only the father was paid. The people who worked on cottage industries all lost there jobs as they could compete with the commodities of factories. As the need for coal rose, the mines went deeper and deeper. These parts contained explosive gases and many workers would die when these gases ignited.

The I.R made life harder and easier at the same time.