#10 - "Oil Pump II"

#11 nitrogen fixation! Those who chose "C" were more correct than the others - Michelle, Joani, Peyton, and Tony!

"Oil Pump II"

At the Stone Mill I came across this pump still attached to a large drum. I believe it was used to get the oil or grease from the drum into the proper machinery. What fascinated me the most was seeing the cobwebs on it. I guess this hand device had not been disturbed in quite some time. Because of the little hint of blue paint on the rust, I opted to keep this in color and not try a B&W conversion. Also, the rust and yellow on the back wall helped to pop out the pump. 

Greatest Inventions of All Time!
Recently I came across an article about the greatest inventions as determined by a large group of scientists, philosophers, educators, and other professions. Their task was to create a list of "the Greatest Inventions of All Time." Conveniently, the final list numbered fifty! so, I'm starting with #50 and working my way down to Numero Uno in December.

Fear not as I will offer you some hints as to what the invention was.

#10 - Top Ten Time!

The use of boiling water to produce mechanical motion goes back over 2000 years, but early devices were not practical. The Spanish inventor Beaumont obtained a patent for a rudimentary water pump in 1606. In 1698 Thomas Savery patented a pump that used this medium in direct contact with the water being pumped. Savery's device created a partial vacuum and draw water into a chamber, and then applied pressurized medium  to further pump the water.

Thomas Newcomen’s idea was the first commercial true #10 using a piston, and was used in 1712 for removing flood water from a mine. 104 were in use by 1733. Eventually over two thousand of them were installed.

In 1781 Scottish engineer James Watt patented his invention that produced continuous rotary motion. Watt's ten- horsepower devices enabled a wide range of manufacturing machinery to be powered. They could be sited anywhere that water and coal or wood fuel could be obtained. This stationary invention was a key component of the Industrial Revolution, allowing factories to locate where water power was unavailable.

# TEN powered the factories, trains, and ships that drove the Industrial Revolution!

Murphy's Laws

 First Law of Laboratory Work. . .

Hot glass looks exactly the same as cold glass.

Leaving You with a Laugh, I Hope. . .

"Obsession Cure"