| Description | (6 items).
1338. Steam Wheels. 1781. 6 items.
Rotative engine or "steam wheel" designed by James Watt.
Side view - original and reverse drawings; section and section of valve etc. - original and reverse drawings; detail of valves, catches etc. [?] - unfinished drawing; side view and plan showing pipes etc. None of the drawings bear captions or titles and only 2 are dated 1781.
Original Portfolio or 'Book' No. 21. Catalogue of Old Engines p. 338.
Rotary engine or "steam wheel". The steam wheel consisted of a circular chamber fitted with valves and mounted on a horizontal shaft - for a detailed description see Dickinson & Jenkins p. 146. Watt included the steam wheel in his patent of 1769 and drawings were prepared but not submitted to Parliament; these can be found in the James Watt Papers. According to Dickinson & Jenkins [p. 147-148] Watt did not work on the steam wheel after 1779. However two of these drawings have been dated as 1781, John Southern opened Book 21 for steam wheel drawings in the same year, and one A. Kemp enquired about progress with steam wheel on 5 Dec. 1782.
See also: Incoming Correspondence. |