The Project Gutenberg EBook of How it Works, by Archibald Williams

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Title: How it Works
Dealing in simple language with steam, electricity, light,
heat, sound, hydraulics, optics, etc., and with their
applications to

Author: Archibald Williams

Release Date: April 10, 2009 [EBook #28553]

Language: English

Character set encoding: ASCII

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The punctuation and spelling from the original text have been faithfully
preserved. Only obvious typographical errors have been corrected.
Subscripts are represented as X_1. Superscripts are represented by X^1.

HOW IT WORKS

AUTHOR'S NOTE.

I beg to thank the following gentlemen and firms for the help they have
given me in connection with the letterpress and illustrations of "How It
Works"--

Messrs. F.J.C. Pole and M.G. Tweedie (for revision of MS.); W. Lineham;
J.F. Kendall; E. Edser; A.D. Helps; J. Limb; The Edison Bell Phonograph
Co.; Messrs. Holmes and Co.; The Pelton Wheel Co.; Messrs. Babcock and
Wilcox; Messrs. Siebe, Gorman, and Co.; Messrs. Negretti and Zambra;
Messrs. Chubb; The Yale Lock Co.; The Micrometer Engineering Co.;
Messrs. Marshall and Sons; The Maignen Filter Co.; Messrs. Broadwood and
Co.

[Illustration: ON THE FOOTPLATE OF A LOCOMOTIVE.]

How It Works

Dealing in Simple Language with Steam, Electricity,
Light, Heat, Sound, Hydraulics, Optics, etc.
and with their applications to Apparatus
in Common Use

By
ARCHIBALD WILLIAMS

Author of "The Romance of Modern Invention,"
"The Romance of Mining," etc., etc.

THOMAS NELSON AND SONS

London, Edinburgh, Dublin, and New York

PREFACE.

How does it work? This question has been put to me so often by persons
young and old that I have at last decided to answer it in such a manner
that a much larger public than that with which I have personal
acquaintance may be able to satisfy themselves as to the principles
underlying many of the mechanisms met with in everyday life.

In orde