THE RIGHT HON. LORD ARMSTRONG.

Press, Volume LIII, Issue 9433, 3 June 1896, Page 3

THE RIGHT HON. LORD ARMSTRONG.

A MAN OF TO-DAY.

"I was always an engineer," said Lord Armstrong to mc when I called on him the other day. " When I was a boy I liked to pall things to pieces and put them together again, just to see how they were made. I used to make queer little machines of my own with Mire and firewood by way of amusement. Of course, there was no merit in them, but they showed my natural inclinations. . I think that parents make a great mistake in not watching their children in their amusements to find out what is the bent of their minds. Watching them in their stndies is not much use, for to most boys all studies.are merely a choice of evils. I am not blaming my own parents, you understand. They certainly did their best for mc. The age of engineering, moreover, had not really begun, and very few people realised what a splendid openiug there was in this direction for a young man." It may be added that Lord Armstrong himself for some time wavered when he was brought face to face with the question— would he abandon the safe competence offered by the steady family solicitor's business, in which he was engaged, in order to follow the brilliant but possibly delusive visions held out to him by the prospect of an engineering career ? His father was a worthy corn-merchant of Newcastle, whose fellow-citizens showed their appreciation of his merits by electing him to the mayoralty. He sent young William Armstrong to school at Bishop Auckland, and afterwards put him into the law business. It happened, however, that William Armstrong had a mind whiclrwas not only very inventive, but exceedingly ready to perceive the method oi reducing its ideas into concrete form. The simple mechanism of a water-mill brought home to him an appreciation of the vast power which can be derived from the weight of water. If water can be used to turn the enormous wheel of a mill, it clearly could be employed to move other unwieldly forces, and even to keep them in motion. Water-power, moreover, would obviously be a very cheap factor, for the simple reason that in many cases the water could be obtained gratis, and that in others it would be possible to arrange a mechanism which would prevent waste and enable the same amount of liquid to be used again and again. The consideration of the water mill, in short, led William Armstrong into the study of this whole science of hydrostatics. When he had grasped the laws of the subject they proceeded to illustrate themselves by taking i the form of new and valuable inventions. Clearly, water could be used to lift weights, and out of this idea sprang the j hydraulic crane, which has rendered possible the ambitious enterprises "of the modern builder. It might be applied to move ponderous levers of dock-gates and swingbridges, and out of this theory was eventually developed the beautiful mechanism by which one man can throw open the entrance of the biggest dock, or cause a bridge, weighing many tons, to slide smoothly to and fro at will. He combined the study of electricity with that of hydraulics, and after a comparatively short period, he invented the hydro-electric machine, which is one of the most powerful instruments for producing electricity by friction. This machine attracted a good deal of attention, and was very highly esteemed by the scientific men of the day. They showed their appreciation of it by making the inventor a JPellow of the Royal Society at a very early age. The most momentous event of William Armstrong's life was when he confided his ideas and inventions to Mr Rendel, the father of the present Lord Rendel, and asked his advice. " Mr Rendel was an engineer of eminence in his time. He designed Holyhead Harbour, for instance. I was on intimate terms with all the boys whose engineering tastes suited mine. I asked Mr Rendel whether here was anything in the' inventions, and whether he thought it would be wise to start a manufactory to put them into shape, or wisest to stick to the law business." Mr Rendel was a man of discernment, and possessed a kindly A -keajc,fc.■ ■;: \Htt- told young Armstrong to go in and win. The result of his advice was that, after a slight delay, William Armstrong and some friends, among this number being Mr Rendel's eldest son, started the Elswick Iron Works, with the object of carrying on the business of manufacturing Mr William Armstrong's various inventions. As a matter of fact, they did not start the establishment de novo. Mrs Armstrong owned some small works on Tyneside, which brought in a fair income. Her husband's plan was to develop these into a much larger affair. This .was in 1847. It was while reading an account of the Battle of Inkerman that» Mr Armstrong's attention was first drawn to the manufacture of artillery. It struck him that the size of the guns used was immensely disproportionate to the missile discharged. This was obviously a disadvantage in many ways. He set to work to experiment, and at last hit on the great secret which caused the Armstrong gun to supersede all other artillery. This was the principle of coiling one wrought iron tube over another until sufficient thickness had been built up. The idea is the same as that of the " helical tube" known to cyclists. The result of the employment of this method was that the weight of the gun could be considerably reduced in proportion to that of the missile, while the artillery manufactured in this way carried farther and with greater accuracy of aim, which was further insured by rifling the interior of the tube. There are not many men who are capable of quietly and unostentatiously making a present of £50,000 to the Government, but that is what Armstrong practically did when he offered-|his patent free to the "War Office. The Government accepted it gladly, conferred a knighthood on the inventor, appointed him Chief Engineer of Rifled Ordnance to the War Office at a salary of £2000 a year, and arranged that a proportion of guns should be manufactured at Elswick. This was in 1858. " That was how, the works first undertook the manufacture of artillery. But it was still quite a small place. Now it extends over 70 acres and employs more than 15,000 hands. Then—well, if you were able to look on this picture and on that, you would be surprised." The period between the years 1858—63, which corresponded to term of office, was one of "great stir and excitement in the engineering world, and especially among the engineers of ordnance. There was so much that was brand-new, that all fixed.principles were quite unsettled. The Armstrong and Whitworth committee was appointed to inquire into all the artillery inventions of the day, and after an exhaustive examination they reported in favour of the Armstrong gun. It may be added here that the merits of this ordnance have been recognised all over the world, and the gun adopted by many foreign countries. Austria, Denmark, Spain, Brazil, and Italy have conferred orders of merit on the illustrious inventor, and if he were to wear them all together, with hie 1 Order of the Bath as well, the breast of his coat would bear a strong resemblance to the array of jewelled brooches which a professional beauty thinks it necessary to stick all over the front of her dress. In 1863, Sir William Armstrong resigned his post under Government. His independent mind rendered him unwilling to submit any longer to the trammels of office, and, moreover, he saw the way in a position of "greater freedom and less responsibility" to developments which would be impossible to a Government official. This was to effect an enormous extension of the Elswick Works, which would not only enable them to manufacture the largest artillery and the most powerful armour on a vast scale, but would erect them into an arsenal which would be second only to Woolwich, and would be entirely at the disposal of the Government in time of need. The capital needed for this development was supplied by a syndicate' of friends, including the Rendels. The success of the scheme more than realised Lord Armstrong's expectations. All who were concerned in it obtained great wealth, and the works are now (as a company, with Lord Armstrong as the chairman) one of the most prosperous businesses in the kingdom. :

Sir William Armstrong's services to his country were rewarded in the Jubilee Year, 1887, by a barony. Hie services to the causa of science have been recognised in the f uM«*t jpoasible way. '

He has been president of various scientific and engineering societies, including the British Association. Oxford received him with thunders of applause in the Sheldonian Theatre when he came to receive the honorary degree of D.C.L. Cambridge and Dublin also conferred marks of admiration, and for his hydraulic inventions the Society of Arts gave"him the Albert Medal.

It is an interesting proof of the versatility of a great mind that in an interval snatched from rifled cannon he invented a new fishing basket. Being himself an enthusiastic disciple of Izaak Walton, he brought to the question a thorough knowledge of the defects of the old article, and the Armstrong basket was as great an improvement in its way as the Armstrong gun.

He hae made au excellent .use of his wealth. The Newcastle charities have benefited largely-by his donations. He has given a fine lecture-hall to the Literary Society, and a largo operating-theatre to the infirmary. The Mechanics' Institute was built at his expense, and Armstrong Park, one of the finest open spaces in Newcastle, was purchased by him and presented to the town.

His own residence, Cragside, near Rothbury, is a fine place, which is fitted up with great magnificence. It has received as guests, during the last quarter of a century, a succession of the most distinguished men in England. Princess Louise stayed here during her visit to Tyneside a few years ago, and was entertained with princely hospitality. Lord Armstrong's own tastes, however", are simple enough, and his expenditure is for his visitors.

A few years ago Lord Armstrong's portrait, painted by Sir John Millais, was exhibited at the Royal Academy. It attracted a good deal of attention, and it was frequently observed that his was such a " patrician face." As a matter of fact, Lord Armstrong is not only a self-made man, but is proud of it. He claims no ancestors at all, and has added no gems of genealogy to the pages of Burke. His " shield" and " supporters " have reference only to his trade—the latter being two stalwart smiths armed with sledge-hammers—and his motto, Fortis in annis (strong in arms), in its primary allusion to the excellence of his artillery, is probably the most appropriate to be found in the entire records of the Heralds' College.