Coal, Steam, and Iron

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Coal, Steam, and Iron

• Ingredients for an Industrial Revolution

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Coal
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The Iron Age started 3000BCE

• Iron was first made from iron ore and charcoal.
• The process used huge amounts of wood for fuel
  and helped deplete forests near populated areas.

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It took until the 18th century to make iron with
coal
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Now iron could be made in larger amounts

• Iron was used to produce machines that replaced
  human labor
• Increased demand for iron meant increased demand
  for coal

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But, back at the coal mine

• Greater demand for coal to make more iron meant
  mining to new depths
• Problemhow to keep mines from flooding

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Solution to flooded mines

• The Newcomen pump
• used a wood fire to power a large piston that
  pumped water from the mines.
• Later, coal was used to fuel the fire

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• The ability to pump water from mines increased
  coal production.
• Needed more coal to run the pumps
• More coal meant more iron could be produced

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Sixty years later, James Watt made changes that
lead to the steam engine
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Watts adapted his steam pump for other uses
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The steam engine was used to mine more and more
coal

• Rising demand for coal to make more iron
• Rising demand for iron to make more engines and
  other machinery
• Lead to.

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a Transportation Bottleneck
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Wooden railways

• The first railways in Great Britain were built in
  the early 17th century, mainly for transporting
  coal from the mine to the water where it could be
  loaded on to a boat. These had wooden rails.
  However, the rails wore out and had to be
  replaced often. In 1768, the Coalbrookdale
  Company laid cast iron plates on such wooden
  rails to provide a more durable surface. The
  wooden trains were pulled by horses.

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With modifications from others, Watts steam
engine began a new era in transportation
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The Bottleneck was opened.

• The opening of the Liverpool and Manchester
  Railway in September 1830 was one of the key
  events of 19th century England. It was the first
  railway, which used steam locomotives, and the
  first to link two major cities

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The steam engine railroad was an instant success
and the age of railroad building began

• Coal
• Iron
• Railroads

• The demand for each depended on availability of
  the others.
• All three were necessary for industrialization