Undercover - Steam Power - Book 5

Part 10 - One horse power

Mr Watt left Denny and Alfie in charge of the engine while he re-harnessed the horse and drove the rest of us to Mr Hornblower's house. When he announced the successful repair, everyone was ready to rush back to the mine but Mrs Hornblower prevailed upon them to stay for afternoon tea which was very welcome. We had not eaten all day and the tea was accompanied by delicious sandwiches, cakes and trifle. Licia, Miguel and I had never tasted trifle before so Megan explained that it was made by putting pieces of day-old cake and pieces of fruit into a sweet jelly. 

 While we were eating, Javez Hornblower arrived and Mr Watt described his successful engine repairs. Mrs Hornblower packed some food and beer into a basket for Mr Hornblower, Denny and Alfie and then everyone went back to the mine to see the engine, except for Licia who elected to stay with Megan.

At the engine house, water was gushing from the pump outfall which drained into the mill pond that supplied water to turn the water wheel and drive the trip hammers. Denny reported that the engine had worked steadily since we had left but he and Alfie were getting tired from shovelling coal into the boiler furnace so Miguel and I gave him the basket of sandwiches and took over the shovelling. 

 Meanwhile, one of Mr Hornblower's miners climbed the ladder out of the mine pit with the news that the water level in the mine had fallen by twenty feet which greatly pleased everyone. It took another hour for Mr Hornblower to get his engine men together for a brief demonstration of the correct operating procedure and then we let the fire die down and stopped the engine. Most of us were pretty dirty by the time we headed back for dinner but Mrs Hornblower had anticipated our need and provided several large tubs of hot water in the stables and a change of clothes for each of us. We didn't see Licia until we were sitting around the long table in the dining room and when she arrived we didn't recognize her. She was wearing one of Megan's ankle length dresses and looked like a fashionable young lady. She laughed at our expressions of astonishment. We had never seen her wearing anything but jeans and sweaters except for a short time on the Titanic.

 'Mrs Hornblower was worried about me playing in Megan's room,' Licia told us,  'until she found out I was a girl and then she was horrified that I was disguise as a boy. She insisted that I change into one of Megan's old dresses. It's too small for Megan but isn't it gorgeous? I wish I could take it home with me.'

The dinner was one of the best meals I have ever eaten and we worked our way through soup, fish, a main course of lamb and an apple pie for desert while listening to Mr Watt discussed the method of payment for the engine.

 'I must confess,' Mr Hornblower said, 'having myself paid for the engine in cold coin of the realm, I am not sure what it is that you sell?'

'If I may quote Matthew Bolton, ma partner,' Mr Watt grinned impishly. 'What we are selling is what all the world desires . . . power.' He laughed. 'But that is in jest. In truth, we make no money from the sale of the engine. Our profit arises from a one third part of the savings in coal compared to a common engine that raises the same quantity of water to the same height. We ask that ye pay this annually for twenty five years, or if y' choose it, y' may purchase our part at ten years price in ready money.' 

 'Yes,' Mr Hornblower agreed. 'That is what I have agreed to pay but how am I to calculate the amount? I understand you have a device on the engine which counts the number of strokes and I know the weight of coal used but the stroke is not always the same length.' 

 This debate continued until they were both agreed on a method of making the calculation and then Denny asked about horsepower. 'Aye,' Mr Watt replied. 'I was thinking about a more convenient method of measuring the power of the engines and I have noted a horse, walking a 24 foot circle and turning a mill wheel with an average pull of 180 pound, walks around about two and a half times per minute which I calculate to be about 33000 foot pounds per minute. Which is the number of pounds of water raised one foot every minute. On this basis the average common engine rates about twenty horse power.'

The discussion continued with the merits of high pressure steam, two stage engines and cutting off the steam partway through the stroke and, by this time, Mr Watt, Denny and Mr Hornblower had finished dinner and were well into the port wine and cigars. 

 Licia and Megan were entertaining Mrs Watt and Mrs Hornblower in the music room, each trying to out do the other showing off their prowess with the piano. 

 No one seemed very concerned about Old Bouge's conversation with the two men. So, awhile later, Alfie, Miguel and I walked back to the mine and let ourselves into the dark, deserted engine house.

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 Authors note. For more information about steam engines I recommend Dunc MacPhun's work.https://www.wattpad.com/myworks/257785133-steam