Engineer and inventor, born in Illogan, Cornwall, SW England, UK. He became a mining engineer at Penzance, and between 1796 and 1801 invented a steam carriage which ran between Camborne and Tuckingmill, and which in 1803 was run from Leather Lane to Paddington by Oxford St. He later went to Peru and Costa Rica (181627), where his engines were introduced into the silver mines.
Richard Trevithick (April 13, 1771 – April 22, 1833) was born in the village of Illogan, between Camborne and Redruth in the heart of one of the rich mineral (former) mining areas of Cornwall, United Kingdom.
Childhood and early life
Richard was the youngest and the only boy in a family of 6 children.
Trevithick was the son of a mine 'captain' named Richard Trevithick (1735-1797) and a miner's daughter Ann Teague (?-1810), and as a child, would watch steam engines pump water from the deep tin and copper mines common in Cornwall. Until that time, such steam engines were of the condensing or atmospheric type, originally invented by Newcomen in 1712, and which also became known as low pressure engines.
Trevithick's first job
Trevithick's first job, at the age of 19, was at the East Stray Park Mine. He worked on building and modifying steam engines to avoid the royalties due to Watt on the separate condenser patent. Another of his projects was the plunger pole pump, a type of pump used with a beam engine and used widely in Cornwall's tin mines, in which he reversed the plunger to change it into a water-power engine.
Family
In 1797, Trevithick married Jane Harvey of Hayle. The company became famous world-wide for building huge stationary 'beam' engines for pumping water, usually from mines, based on Newcomen’s and Watt’s engines.
Their children were Richard Trevithick (1798-1872); John Harvey Trevithick (1807-1877); Francis Trevithick (1812-1877); and Frederick Henry Trevithick (1816-1881)
The high pressure engine
As he became more experienced, he realised that improvements in boiler technology now permitted the safe production of high pressure steam, and that this could be made to move a piston in a steam engine on its own account, instead of using a pressure of close to one atmosphere in a condensing engine.
He was not the first to think of so-called "strong steam", but he was the first to make it work, in 1799. Not only would a high pressure steam engine eliminate the condenser but it would allow the use of a smaller cylinder, thus saving space and weight.
He started building his first models of high pressure (meaning a few atmospheres) steam engines, initially a stationary one and then one attached to a road carriage.
The Puffing Devil
Trevithick built a full-size steam road carriage in 1801 on a site near the present day Fore Street at Camborne, which was also known as Camborne Hill. During further tests, Trevithick's carriage broke down 3 days later after passing over a gully in the road. Trevithick however did not consider this episode a serious setback but more a case of operator error.
In 1802 Trevithick took out a patent for his high pressure steam engine..
Anxious to prove his ideas, he built a stationary engine at the Coalbrookdale Company's works in Shropshire in 1802, forcing water to a measured height to measure the work done. To date the only known information about it comes from a drawing preserved at the Science Museum, London, and a letter written by Trevithick to his friend, D.
The London steam carriage
The Puffing Devil was unable to maintain sufficient steam pressure for long periods, so in fact would have been of little practical use. In 1803 he built another self-propelled road vehicle, a stagecoach fitted with a steam engine called the London Steam Carriage, which attracted much attention from the public and press when he drove it that year in London from Holborn to Paddington and back.
The tragedy at Greenwich
Also in 1803, one of Trevithick's stationary pumping engines in use at Greenwich exploded, killing 4 men. Although Trevithick considered the explosion was caused by another case of careless operation rather than design error, the incident was exploited relentlessly by his competitors and promoters of the low-pressure engine, Watt and Boulton, who highlighted the perceived risks of using high pressure steam. Trevithick's response was to incorporate two safety valves into future designs, only one of which could be adjusted by the operator. This would release steam into the atmosphere, reduce the boiler pressure and provide an audible alarm in sufficient time for the operator to damp down the fire and let the boiler cool naturally before any permanent damage could occur
The world's first railway locomotive
In 1802 Trevithick built one of his high pressure steam engines to drive an automatic hammer at the Pen-y-Daren iron works near Merthyr in South Wales. In 1803 Trevithick sold the patents for his railway locomotives to Samuel Homfray.
Homfray was so impressed with Trevithick's locomotive that he made a bet with another ironmaster, Richard Crawshay, for 500 guineas that Trevithick's steam locomotive could haul 10 tons of iron along the Merthyr Tramroad from Penydarren to Abercynon, a distance of 9.75 miles (16 km). As well as Homfray, Crawshay and the passengers, other witnesses included Mr. Giddy, a respected patron of Trevithick and 'an engineer from the Government'.
The locomotive itself was of a very primitive design. It again used a high pressure cylinder without a condenser, the exhaust steam being used to assist the draught via the firebox, increasing efficiency even more. These fundamental improvements in steam engine designs by Trevithick did not change for the whole of the steam era.
The bet was won. Despite many people's doubts, it had been shown that, provided that the gradient was sufficiently shallow, it was possible to successfully haul heavy carriages along smooth metal rails using a suitably heavy and powerful steam locomotive. Trevithick's locomotive was probably the first to run on rails.
Homfray was pleased enough. Hearing of the success in Wales, Christopher Blackett, proprietor of the Wylam colliery near Newcastle wrote to Trevithick asking for locomotive designs. These were sent to John Whitfield at Gateshead, Trevithick's agent, who built what was Trevithick's second locomotive.
Tunneling under the Thames
In 1805 Robert Vazie, another Cornish engineer, was selected by the Thames Archway Company to drive a tunnel under the River Thames at Rotherhithe. Vazie encountered serious problems with water influx and got no further than sinking the end shafts when the directors called in Trevithick for consultation. The directors agreed to pay Trevithick £1000 if he could successfully complete the tunnel, a length of 1220 feet (366 m). In August 1807 Trevithick began driving a small tunnel 5 feet (1.5 m) high tapering from 2 feet 6 inches (0.75 m) at the top to 3 feet (0.9 m) at the bottom. The tunnel was flooded and Trevithick, being the last to leave, was nearly drowned. Progress stalled and a few of the directors attempted to discredit Trevithick but the quality of his work was eventually upheld by two colliery engineers from the North of England. Despite suggesting various building techniques to complete the project, including a submerged cast iron tube, Trevithick's links with the company ceased and the project was never actually completed. However, Trevithick's suggestion of a submerged tube approach was used for the first time across the Detroit River in Michigan in 1906 and under the Hong Kong harbour.
"Catch Me Who Can"
In 1808 Trevithick publicised his steam railway locomotive expertise by building a new locomotive called 'Catch me who can', built for him by Hazeldine and John Urpeth Rastrick at Bridgnorth near Stourbridge, similar to that used at Pen-y-Daren and named by Mr. Giddy's daughter. This was Trevithick's third railway locomotive after those used at Pen-y-Daren and the Wylam colliery. Trevithick was disappointed by the response and designed no more railway locomotives. It was not until 1812 that steam locomotives built by other engineers started replacing horses for hauling coal wagons at the collieries.
He went on to research other projects to exploit his high pressure steam engines: boring brass for cannon manufacture, stone crushing, rolling mills, forge hammers, blast furnace blowers as well as the traditional mining applications.
Trevithick saw opportunities in London and persuaded his wife and 4 children reluctantly to join him in 1808 for two and a half years lodging first in Rotherhithe and then in Limehouse.
Nautical projects
In 1808 Trevithick entered a partnership with Robert Dickinson, a West India merchant. Dickinson supported several of Trevithick's patents. However it did not meet the fire regulations for the docks and the Society of Coal Whippers, worried about loosing their livelihood, even threatened the life of Trevithick.
Another patent was for the installation of iron tanks in ships for storage of cargo and water instead of in wooden casks. In 1810 a wreck near Margate was raised in this way but there was a dispute over payment and Trevithick was driven to cut the lashings loose and let it sink again.
In 1809 Trevithick worked on various ideas on improvements for ships: iron floating docks, iron ships, telescopic iron masts, improved ship structures, iron buoys and using heat from the ships boilers for cooking.
Trevithick falls ill with typhus fever
In May 1810 he caught typhoid and nearly died. They were not discharged until 1814, Trevithick having paid off most of the partnership debts from his own funds.
The Cornish boiler and the Cornish engine
In about 1812 Trevithick designed the ‘Cornish boiler’.
Again in 1812 he installed a new 'high pressure' experimental steam engine also with condensing at Wheal Prosper. Other Cornish engineers contributed to its development but Trevithick's work was predominant.
The recoil engine
In one of Trevithick’s more unusual projects, he attempted to build a 'recoil engine' based on the famous model built by Hero of Alexandria in about AD10. This comprised a boiler feeding a hollow axle to route the steam to a catherine wheel with 2 fine bore steam jets on its circumference, the first 15 feet in diameter and a later model 24 feet in diameter.
Draining the Peruvian silver mines
In 1811 draining water from the rich silver mines of Cerro de Pasco in Peru, at an altitude of 14,000 feet (4267 m), posed serious problems for the man in charge, Francisco Uville. Uville was send to England to investigate using Trevithick's high pressure steam engine. When he had recovered he boarded the Falmouth packet ship 'Fox' coincidently with one of Trevithick's cousins on board the same vessel. Trevithick's home was just a few miles from Falmouth so Uville was able to meet him and tell him about the project.
Trevithick leaves for South America
On 20 October 1816 Trevithick left Penzance on the whaler ship Asp accompanied by a lawyer Page and a boilermaker bound for Peru. He was received by Uville with honour initially but relations soon broke down and Trevithick left in disgust at the accusations directed at him. Uville died in 1818 and Trevithick soon returned to Cerro de Pasco to continue mining.
Crossing the isthmus of Nicaragua on foot
After leaving Cerro de Pasco and passing through Ecuador on his way to Bogotá in Colombia, =and dangerous. The part comprised Trevithick, Gerard, two schoolboys on their way to school in Highgate and seven natives, three of whom returned home after guiding them through the first part of their journey. The journey was treacherous one of the party was drowned in a raging torrent and Trevithick was nearly killed on at least two occasions. In Cartagena Trevithick met Robert Stevenson who was on his way home from Colombia. Stevenson gave Trevithick £50 to help his passage home.
Trevithick's return to England
Trevithick's later projects
Taking encouragement from earlier inventors who had achieved some successes with similar endeavours, Trevithick petitioned Parliament for a grant but he was unsuccessful.
In 1829 he built a closed cycle steam engine followed by a vertical tubular boiler.
In 1830 he invented an early form of storage room heater.
To commemorate the passing of the Reform Bill in 1832 he designed a massive column to be 1000 feet (300 m) high, being 100 feet (30 m) in diameter at the base tapering to 12 feet (3.6 m) at the top where a statue of a horse would have been mounted.
Trevithick’s final project
About the same time he was invited to do some development work on an engine of a new vessel at Dartford by John Hall, the founder of J & The work involved a reaction turbine for which Trevithick earned £1200.
Conclusion
Today, to commemorate his achievements, a statue depicting Richard Trevithick holding one of his small scale models, stands beside the public library at Camborne.
Professor Charles Inglis speaking in 1933 at a lecture to the Institution of Civil Engineers to commemorate the centenary of Trevithick's death included the following words:
"In the brief period between 1799 and 1808 he totally changed the breed of steam engines, from an unwieldy giant of limited ability he evolved a prime mover of universal application".
One of his four sons, Francis, became Locomotive Superintendent of the Northern division of the London and North Western Railway.
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