James watt and the steam engine
*James watt discovered the power of steam. How did this discovery help to improve our lives?
Over two hundred years ago James watt was born in small town in Scotland. He was not a very healthy child. He did not go out much for his parents were afraid that he might catch a chill. He spent a lot of time at home. He would often sit in the kitchen room and see the water boiling in his mother’s tea –kettle.
One day he put a thick cloth in the spout, and the steam lifted the lid. James realized that steam could be used to produce power.
As a young man James watt worked in a shop in the University of Glasgow. One day a man brought a small model of a steam pump. It was not in working order. Watt studied it carefully. He did not think the pump was very useful as the water in it became cold very quickly. E spent a year studying steam and steam power.
On a quite Sunday morning he went out for a walk. He was still thinking about the power of steam, when he suddenly realized that steam expands and rushes into a vacuum. He hurried to the university and told a lecturer about his discovery. The lecturer was interested of a steam pump. Watt soon made a steam pump that not only saved fuel but also worked faster. At that time, steam was used only for pumping. There were many coal mines in Britain those days. Sometimes the mines were flooded. Steam –power was used to pump water out of the mines. James watt showed that a lot of power could be produced from steam and heat.
Steam –power started being used in various ways. It was used in mills and factories. Cloth was now readily available in large quantities. It was also cheaper. People did not have to spin yarn and weave cloth at home. They now had more things and more time to spare.
The use of steam –power led to many more inventions and discoveries. In 1829 Stephenson invented the first railway engine. Later, high quality steel was produced and in 1900 the modern steam engine was made.
Steam –power is used to produce electricity. We use electricity to light our homes, to keep us cool in summer and warm in winter. Electricity also gives us the news of the world, shows us films, drives our trains and makes space research possible.
Our ancestors had to travel on foot or in horse –drawn carriages. They had to row boats themselves and had to spend a lot of time cooking food and weaving cloth. In the modern times, we travel fast, get things cheap, live well and have various means of entertainment such as the radio, television and many others. These are all the blessings of steam!
- Fuel: coal, kerosene oil, petrol that is burnt to produce energy.
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