THE LATE MR JAMES NASMYTH.

Timaru Herald, Volume L, Issue 4842, 13 May 1890, Page 4

THE LATE MR JAMES NASMYTH.

The following noliee of the late Mr James Nasinytb, whose deutb at the advanced age of 82 years was announced m Saturday's cablegrams, is taken from *' Men of the Time": — James Nasmyth, engineer, wa« born at Edinburgh on August 19th, 1808, and was the son of Alexander Naamyth, a wellknown landscape painter. He waa the youngest of a family of five, the eldest beiDg Patrick, also a well-known artist. James gave Tery early evidence of & decided tante for mechanical pursuit*. His education was importantly stimulated by the advantage of listening to tlio conversation of many of the most intelligent men of ecience and artists who, m bis early days, were constant visitors at his father's houao. From his earliest years his love of mechanism led to his acquiring the art of handling tools aud performing all the processes m practical mechanics with such effectiveness as to enable him to pay the fees for his attendance at the chemistry, mathematical, and natural philosophy classes at the Edinburgh Univereity from the proceeds of the sale of steam engine and other models which he constructed m a small workshop m his fatherV house. In 1829 he went to I.oDdon to offel his services to Henry Maudalay, the founder of the celebrated engineer firm m London. The evidences of his efficiency ad a workman were so satisfactory to Mr Maudslay that he appointed him his assistant m his beautiful privato workshop. Here be remained till Mr Maudelay's death m 1831, after which ho returned to Edinburgh for the purpose of constructing a set of engineering tools, whorowith be commenced business m Manchester m 1834. The extent of work that came to him soon outgrew the capacity of the premises. He then removed to a twelve-acre plot of land which be secured at Patricroft, four miles west of Manchester. This site waa soon covered by an extensive series of workshops, and the establishment was named the Bridgewater Foundry, from the circumstance that tl.o land m question was bounded by the Bridgewater Canal. Here many mechanical tools were invented and manufactured which are now doing good service m the workshops of the world. Conspicuous among them is the Bteam hammer, which, since its invention m 1839, has had no small influence m advancing the progress of the mechanical arts. Tho application of bis steam hammer as a means of driving piles for the foundation of bridges and great dock works was one of his most successful inventions, and was hailed as a most valuable agent m carrying out such great works as the High Level Bridge at Newcastlo-upon-Tyne, tbe Borders Bridge at Berwick-upon-Tweed, the great coffer dam required for the construction of great docks at Keybam, near Dev'onport, and many other »uot works at home and abroad. Among other inventions of his which have been extensively adopted owing to tbeir high practical utility may be named his safety foundry ladle, by which the most ponderous castings can be poured with perfect security to the workraon $ doublefaced wedge sluice valve, now m general noe by waterworks companies ; a suction fan for effecting the perfect, ventilation of mines ; a reversible rolling mill m which all need of a flywheel is dispensed with, and by which siraplo arrangement enormous plates and bare of iron and stool can be rolled with tho utmost ease and vast saving of labour; a form of steam engino derived from that of his stoam hammer, and now almost universally adopted for screw steamships ; md a spherical seated safety valve which is absolutely perfect m its action. Having realised an pmnle fortune, he retired m 1857 from the firm, which he had founded, of Natmyth, Qatkell and Co, and he has since resided at Ponshurst, m Kent. There he found occupation m. the uio, of powerful elescopeß of his own making, chiefly m investigations into the structure and surface of tho sun and moon. He was the author of " Remarks on Tools and Machinery," m T. Baker's " Elements of Mechanism," 1858 ; and "The Moon Considered as a Planet, a World, and a Satellite " (m conjunction with James Carpenter), a work that has if cured for itself the highest approval of astronomers.