The Early Nineteenth-Century Chain Testing Machines

Notes

• Baldt Inc., ‘Over a Hundred Years of Excellence’ (history and development of the anchor chain) <www.nvo.com/baldtus/historyoftheanchor> (accessed 25 January 2001); Thomas W Traill, Chain Cables and Chains (London: Crosby Lockwood & Co., 1885).
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• Flinn MW, Men of Iron; The Crowleys in the Early Iron Industry (Edinburgh: The University Press, 1962). Traill mentions Crawley’s forge at Swallowell.
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• Betty Nelson Curryer, Anchors; An Illustrated History (London: Chatham Pub., 1999).
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• Jars MG, Voyages Métallurgiques ou Recherches et Observations, dedicated to L’académie Royale des Science, Paris (Lyon: Gabriele Regnault, Librarian, rue Merciere, 1774).
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• Baldt; Captain G A Peacock, Treatise on Ships’ Cables with the History of Chains (London: Simpkin, Marshall & Co., 1873); H Scrivenor, History of The Iron Trade (London: Frank Cass & Co., 1967 reprint of 1841 and 1854).
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• Louis-Antoine de Bougainville, Voyage autour du Monde (Paris: Chez Saillant & Nyon, 1771).
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• Traill. All the details of Flinn’s early life are derived from this reference.
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• Anonymous advertisement ‘To be disposed of by private contract, or LET for a term of years’, in both Newcastle Courant, 12 August 1826 and Tyne Mercury, 5 September 1826.
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• Anonymous Announcement, The Newcastle Chronicle, 23 September 1826.
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• SR 1823, No. 1045 (notes on visit to Sunderland and Brunton’s cylinder); SR 1831, No. 1515 (visited many works in North East).
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• Anon, ‘To chain makers’, Northumberland Advertiser, 20 September 1831.
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• Anon, ‘Ship launched’, Northumberland Advertiser, 5 June 1832.
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• Anon, ‘For Quebecdirect’ and Anon, ‘For sale on reasonable terms’, Ibid. and 9 October 1832.
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• Anon, ‘Anchor Smiths wanted’, Northumberland Advertiser, 25 September 1832.
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• Anon, ‘By the King’s Royal Letters Patent — Pearce & Gardeners Patent Screw Fid [and] an Announcement of the same’, Northumberland Advertiser, 9 October 1832.
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• Anon, ‘To be sold by private contract’, Northumberland Advertiser, 8 January and 7 May 1833.
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• Anon, ‘First ship to Montreal’, Northumberland Advertiser, 18 February 1834.
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• Anon, ‘Robert Flinn and Co desire to return sincere thanks’, The Newcastle Journal, 23 September 1837·11
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• Kent’s Directory, 1840.
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• Anon, ‘Death of Mr Ald. R. Dow of North Shields’, North & South Shields Gazette, 2 June 1859.
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• Traill, p. 17.
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• G W Lenox (a grandson of Brown’s relative and early trading partner), ‘On Chain Cables’, Transactions of the Institution of Naval Architects (March 1860) says 1774. However, Stephen K Jones, ‘A Link with the Past: The History of the Newbridge Works of Brown Lenox & Co’, Glamorgan Historian, 12 (1981), pp. 27–48 says 1776, which he got from the DNB and this is confirmed by Thomas Day’s own research.
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• Samuel Brown, ‘Rigging Ships or Vessels’, Patent No. 3107 (1808).
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• Lenox, p. 162.
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• Traill, p. 16.
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• Ibid., p. 16.
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• Brown, Lenox & Co., The Thames, Waterway of the World (London: Stratten & Stratten, 1893) supported by Charles Wilkins, History of Iron, Steel, Tinplate and Other Trades of Wales (Merthyr Tydfil: Joseph Williams, 1903). Hostettler in Dockland: An Illustrated Historical Survey. Shipping and Related Industry on the Isle of Dogs (Northeast London Poly & Greater London Council, 1986) dates it as by 1810, but the authority she relies upon (Daniel Lysons, The Environs of London pt 2ii (London: T. Cadell and W. Davies, 1811), p. 710) actually refers to Jukes Coulson making anchors and mooring chains, not to Brown, Lenox & Co.
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• Wilkins, p. 234.
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• Chester H Gibbons, Materials Testing Machines (Pittsburgh: Instrument Pub. Co., 1935).
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• Traill, p. 29.
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• Jones, p. 27.
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• Hostettler, pp. 137–8.
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• Glamorgan Records Office, 1857. Brown Lenox deposited documents. Stephen K Jones has commented to the Editor: ‘The chains referred to as ‘drag’ chains were actually the ship’s chain cables pressed into service at the launch and there is no doubt as to the origin of the Great Eastern chain cables — i.e., Pontypridd’.
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• Brown, Lenox & Co, p. 91.
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• Traill, p. 18.
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• Samuel Brown, ‘Reports and Observations’, No. 3: December 1816 (Liverpool: Thos. Kaye, 1816).
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• Scrivenor, p. 308.
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• Letter to the Editor [from Samuel Brown], The Times, 24 June 1820, p. 3, col. D.
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• Kemp EL, ‘Samuel Brown: Britain’s Pioneer Suspension Bridge Builder’, History of Technology, 2 (1977), pp. 8, 9.
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• Bishop JohnG, The Brighton Chain Pier, A History from 1823 to 1896 (The Brighton Herald Office, 1897); T G Cumming, Description of the Iron Bridges of Suspension (London: J Taylor, at the Architectural Library, 1854); Thomas Day, ‘Samuel Brown: The Design of Suspension Bridges’, History of Technology, 8 (1983); Thomas Day, ‘Samuel Brown in North East Scotland’, Industrial Archaeology Review VII, 2 (Spring 1985), pp. 154–69.
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• A Biographical Dictionary of Civil Engineers in Great Britain and Ireland 1: 1500–1830, ed. by A W Skempton, M M Chrimes, R C Cox, P S M Cross-Rudkins, R W Rennison and E C Ruddock. (London: Thomas Telford/Inst. Civil Eng., 2002).
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• Traill, p. 18.
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• Lenox, p. 162.
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• Thomas Brunton, ‘Improvements in the Construction of Chain Cables or Moorings’, British Patent (1813).
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• Samuel Brown, ‘Reports and Observations on the Patent Iron Cables’, Bound Tracts & Pamphlets; TTV15 on Weights and Measures (ICE); Brunton, Middleton & Co, Bound Tracts & Pamphlets; TTV15 on Weights and Measures (ICE): No 2: (London: Richard & Arthur Taylor, 1815). NB: On the title page of this item it states under the authors ‘preceded by an extract from Philosophical Magazine, October 1814’ (ex. diagrams)).
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• Hostettler, p. 137.
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• Samuel Brown, ‘Reports and Observations’, No. 2, 1815.
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• Thomas Telford, Life of Thomas Telford, Civil Engineer, written by himself, ed. by John Rickman (London: James & Luke Hansard, 1838), pp. 542, 5.
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• Brunton, Middleton & Co., p. 17.
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• Letters to the Editor, The Times, 11 April 1815, p. 3, col. G and 4 November 1817, p. 3, col. F. Kent’s Directory for 1820–1836 gives the firm’s name initially as Brunton, Middleton & Co. but between 1824 and 1836 the name changed to T & W Brunton.
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• Anon, ‘Sales by Auction: Messrs Ellis & Son.’, The Times, 19 October 1839, p. 8, col E.
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• SR 1812, No. 423.
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• Brunton’s pressure gauge in SR 1817, No. 696; Flinn submitting chains to the Navy Board in SR 1822 No. 1009.
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• 1830, No. 1508.
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• Traill gives a useful account of the history of chain links and Curryer touches on this subject. The travels of Jars around Swalwell in 1795 are not described except for reference in Jars to links 3 ft (c.1 m) in internal diameter and weighing 250 lb (c. 110 kg).
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• Traill, p. 16.
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• Ibid.
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• SR 1822, No. 1009.
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• Samuel Brown, ‘Rigging Ships or Vessels’, British Patent No. 3107/1808.
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• Traill, p. 18.
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• Lenox, p. 161.
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• Ibid., p. 162.
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• Andrew Ure, Dictionary of Arts, Manufactures and Mines (London: Longmans, Brown and Green, 1846 (3rd edn) and 1853 (4th edn)).
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• John Rennie, Diary Entry for 1814, MSS 19812–3, National Library of Scotland, Edinburgh.
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• Samuel Brown, ‘Rigging Ships or Vessels’.
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• Brunton, British Patent of 1813.
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• Brunton, Middleton & Co., p. 9.
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• Ibid.
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• Lenox, p. 162.
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• Ibid.
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• Samuel Brown, ‘Reports and Observations’, No. 4, December 1813.
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• Samuel Brown and Philip Thomas, ‘Manufacture of Chains’, British Patent No. 4090/1816.
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• Brunton, Middleton & Co., pp. 9 and 20.
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• Lenox, p. 164.
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• SR 1800, No. 83; SR 1802, No. 79; SR 1802, No. A74; SR 1805, Nos. 140/141.
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• Robert Kipping, Masting & Rigging (London: Crosby Lockwood & Son, 1898), p. 140.
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• SR 1817, Nos. 700, 701 and 702; Kent’s Directory volumes for 1820–1836.
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• Kemp.
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• Ibid.
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• SR 1802, No. 79.
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• Brunton, Middleton & Co, p. 10.
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• SR 1817, No. 702.
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• Kipping, p. 140.
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• SR 1814, No. 504. Brown cites a letter from Goodrich of two days earlier.
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• Ibid.
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• Rennie, MSS 19812, p. 28.
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• Lenox, p. 162.
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• SR 1830, No. 1515/3 (Mr Pow’s calculations of Mr Flinn’s testing machine).
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• SR 1817, No. 691; SR 1817, No. 696.
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• Samuel Brown, ‘Reports and Observations’, No. 2, p. 16.
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• Rennie, MSS 19812, p. 28.
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• SR 1814, No. 504.
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• P Barlow, A Treatise on the Strength of Materials, 6th edn revised by P W & W H Barlow (London: Lockwood & Co., 1867).
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• J H Wicksteed, [title unrecorded], Proceedings of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers (1906), pp. 543–58.
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• SR 1817, No. 691.
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• SR 1823, No. 1045.
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• SR 1817, No. 695.
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• Ibid.
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• Ibid.
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• Ibid.
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• Samuel Brown, ‘Reports and Observations’, No. 4, December 1813, p. 16.
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• SR 1819, No. 856, described in more detail in SR 1823, No. 1045.
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• Samuel Brown, ‘Reports and Observations’, No. 4, December 1813.
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• SR 1823, No. 1045.
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• Ibid.
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• Ibid., document BL/4.
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• SR 1830, No. 1508 (list of cable manufac-turers in 1830).
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• SR 1822, No. 1009.
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• SR undated, No. C303/4.
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• Ibid.
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