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Easy Steps to Awaken Develop Your

Intuition Carole Conlon


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Contents
TitlePage
Quote
What is Intuition All About and Why Should I Care
The Main Triggers That Awaken Intuition
Life Changes that Help Open Up Your Intuitive Self
Three Tools for Building Intuition
Practice, Practice, Practice
Care and Feeding for Your Intuitive Self
Avoid Getting into Trouble with Your Newfound Abilities
About the Author
For More Information
Easy Steps to Awaken and
Develop Your Intuition

Carole Conlon

*************************

Easy Steps to Awaken and Develop Your Intuition


Copyright 2017 by Carole Conlon
All rights reserved. No part of this publication
may be used or reproduced in any manner
whatsoever without written permission except in the
case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles
and review.

http://www.AyniWritePress.com
Carole.Conlon@AyniAlchemy.com
Ayni
(pronounced “I -nee”)
is the Qechua Indian term
that describes how we relate to our surroundings.
This word connotes gratitude, reciprocity and balance
with everything in life -
from the smallest microbe on the planet
to the farthest galaxies in the heavens
or to God.
Ayni is as simple as paying money
in exchange for a product
or as complex as
being in complete synchronicity
with the world around you
and having the universe
respond to your every thought.

The Easy Steps to book series is designed to help you restore your ayni.
Chapter One
What is Intuition All About and Why Should I
Care?

How Using Intuition Can Change Your Life


Have you ever been to a psychic, palm reader, card reader or attended a seance? Or do
you like to read those predictions about what the new year will bring or how the astrology
energy of the stars and planets will influence you this month? Can you always guess who is
calling you on the phone without checking caller ID?

As humans we are totally fascinated with taking a peek into the future to pick up a few
clues to make life easier or to help win the lottery. We use this information to choose the
best decision to make, what to eat, what supplements to take, who to date, etc. To that
end we seek out information and the people that offer it. But did you know that everyone is
blessed with some level of intuitive or psychic ability?
Intuition is generally called a gut feeling or an impression whereas psychic information
builds upon your intuition and provides more clarity and insight, usually providing more
specific detail.
According to The Donning International Encyclopedic Psychic Dictionary, intuition is
defined as
a non-thought which by-passes the process of thinking and brings through a whole
body sensation of “this information is important” (Did you ever get a feeling of ‘deja
vu’ or a shiver down your spine?);
information that one did not know previously through education or past experiences,
did not logically think out or reason with;
an “inner” knowing that happens spontaneously, willed or unwilled (that voice in your
head that is shouting about danger, or urging you to walk a certain path);
comes from the superconscious mind making it “pure” information, unclouded by the
subconscious belief system (you just know deep down inside - nobody taught you
about it);
comes with or without the help of the etheric world intelligences (much like having a
headset on and hearing someone whispering in your ear; and yes, it could be dear
departed aunt Mary doing the whispering!);
the most common type of mental psychism and the most easily developed (intuition
needs to be developed, just like exercising a muscle or learning a new dance).

The same dictionary defines the word psychic as “to sense, understand, interpret and to
use for practical purposes, a force that enters in and emanates out of the body and mind
without the use of the five senses.”
There are many forms of intuition or psychic ability and very few people have all of them
developed. In fact, most people find they have two or three strong ‘talents’. The following
list shows you the many varieties of psychic abilities that can occur. Are there any you
recognize in yourself or others?

Which Types of Psychic Abilities Do You Recognize?


Animal Telepathy - The ability to communicate with (but not command or influence)
various kinds of creatures.
Astral Projection - The ability to leave one's body and travel as a spirit to another
location.
Aura Reading - The ability to see the energy fields that emanate from living beings.
Automatic Writing - Writing coming through the subconscious mind without conscious
thought on your part.
Bilocation - Being in two places at the same time.
Channeling - This is the ability to act as a channel or vessel for an outside
intelligence.
Clairaudience - This ability is used to hear what is "inaudible" - even a thousand miles
way (includes telepathy).
Clairvoyance - is the psychic ability to see visions of that which is hidden or far away.
Clairsentience - the psychic has an insight or "knowing" of a hidden or forgotten fact.
Feels things physically (a tingling, warm or cold energy, etc.).
Divination - A broad term for methods used in an effort to predict the future.
Dowsing - Also known as "water witching", dowsing involves the use of a rod, sticks,
or a pendulum to locate water or lost objects. See also “Questing”.
Empathy - The talent to sense the needs, drives, and emotions of another.
E.S.P. - Extra Sensory Perception is the awareness of information about events
external to the psychic that are not gained through the senses and not deducible
from previous experience.
Intuition - Similar to clairsentience, this is the power of attaining direct knowledge or
cognition without rational thought or inference.
Questing – using a pendulum for diagnosing health issues.
Mediumship — communicating with the spirit of a person who has died.
Levitation - The ability to cause one's body to hover off the ground.
Precognition - Usually this ability refers to knowing general outcomes of specific
courses of action, with occasional flashes of detailed insight.
Remote Viewing – gathering of information at a distance.

Of all these psychic abilities that are listed, the most common are clairaudience (hearing),
clairvoyance (seeing), and clairsentience (feeling).
Chapter Two
The Main Triggers That Awaken Intuition

Intuition describes the ability to acquire knowledge without


evidence or the use of reason, although many people see it as a gut
feeling based on experience. Some psychologists believe that
intuition is actually a mental matching game: that when your brain is
exposed to a situation, it does a quick file search and finds the best
match of stored memories and knowledge. Then it assigns a
meaning to that situation.
Scientists now know that the gut itself literally feeds gut feelings
- think of butterflies in the stomach when a decision is pending. The
gut has millions of nerve cells and, through them, a "mind of its
own." The Chinese call this your “abdominal brain”.
Still others say intuition comes from the third eye (brow chakra)
and its intention to create and this, in combination with the heart
chakra’s compassion and resonance to truth, gives us the inner
knowledge. Additionally astrologers can show combinations of
planets at the time of birth that create enhanced intuitive abilities.
There are many types of life experiences that can enhance or
jump start intuitive abilities in a person. Among them are:
trauma, abuse or terror
near death/UFO experiences
guided imagery
yoga, meditation, imagery
close proximity to a strong psychic
falling in love/heartbreak
cultivating compassion
Of these, the first two - trauma/abuse/terror and near death/UFO
experiences - are the most common.

There are other ways to tap into and enhance your intuitive
abilities and these will be covered in the next chapter.
Chapter Three
Life Changes That Help Open Up Your Intuitive
Self

There are three good reasons as to why you should develop your
intuition. These include enhanced soul development, expanded soul
knowledge and consciousness, and a way to offer increased benefits
to the universe. Pretty cool! With just a little effort on your part, you
can open yourself up to an interesting, informed new way of living.

Mental Preparation to Help Increase Your Intuition


Set the intention that you want to develop your intuitive
abilities. “Allow” rather than “strive for" or "force". Intention is “I
want this …” or “I intend for …”
Open your heart, feel love and take a gamble.
Clear yourself to get rid of the energetic mental clutter - the
day’s business, any worries or fears, judgments and opinions;
even your own feelings. This removes confused energies that
will interfere with intuition. This is where meditation comes in.
Focus on the area or method you’d like to become good at;
what attracts you, as you start exploring this subject.
Relax and remain positive to keep your frequency high.
Learn to listen to and trust the “small voice”, the “headset”
inside; begin to act on inner urgings.
Keep strength of purpose, let go of results and take full
responsibility for your decisions.
Do not judge the images you see.
Play guessing games about things you don’t care about for
practice; keep it fun.
Ask for feedback where appropriate.
Summon belief and heighten expectation.

Personal Habits That Will Enhance Your Intuitive Abilities


Relax; clear and still the mind. Meditation is good to quiet
your mind and to change your energy to become more receptive
to incoming messages.
Practice and meditate in the same place, posture,
circumstance.

Experiment with different times of the day to discover when


you are at your intuitive best.
Enhance reception through dreams, different types of media
(music, films, etc.), other people, nature events, and art. These
trigger and activate deeper thoughts.
Create and work in a sacred space.
Avoid sugar, drugs, and alcohol which lower your frequency,
making you less receptive.
Use visualization relaxation techniques. Guided visualization
alters the consciousness, drops us into a receptive state for
subtle signals, shifts brain waves, and amplifies the energy field.
Also, through visualization, we can receive many encoded
messages by way of symbols and metaphors. (There are many
tapes available for guided visualization or you can make your
own.)

How Do You Know When You Are “Getting It”?


Practice, meditation and experimentation are the key. Remember
the positive experiences you have with intuition by keeping a journal
of positive “hits”. As your success rates increase beyond coincidence,
belief in your own ability increases.
You know ‘you are getting it’ when you begin to experience one
or more body sensations such as tingling in the head, shivers,
coughing, sweating, warmth around the heart, pressure at the back
of the head, hearing your own voice in your head, the hair stands up
on your arms, you feel pulled in one direction, or have a picture flash
before your eyes. Every person has a unique signal so observe
closely to discover yours.
As you begin to flow with intuitive hits, you will have a clear
knowing without being able to explain how you know. The
knowledge is gained without logical or rational thought. You can also
start getting symbolic pictures, metaphors, and spontaneous
messages on your “headset”. Suddenly there is a key or light bulb
that unlocks deeper thoughts.

What Blocks Intuition?


If you don’t feel like you are getting positive intuitive hits, you
might be blocking them. Your personal ego or will can set up a
barrier to the flow of information. The ego is like an inner child,
obsessed with staying protected, so it often won’t let you hear
intuitive warnings and suggestions - or it talks you out of believing
them.
Intuition can also be blocked by free will. You can chose, either
consciously or unconsciously, to do what you want, regardless of the
warnings in your head.
Chapter Four
Three Major Tools for Building Intuition

This chapter introduces three major tools that many intuitives use
- muscle testing, card readings and pendulum dowsing. These
methods can help a person explore his or her intuitive knowing or
psychic skills by offering a means to visualize what the “abdominal
brain” is trying to convey.

Tool #1
Muscle Testing
Muscle testing (kinesiology) is a system in which you can
communicate directly with the body for “yes” and “no” answers.
Muscle testing bypasses the conscious mind and accesses both the
intuitive and energetic systems producing a signal. The accepted
belief is that an idea with a positive association or “yes” strengthens
the muscles, while a negative association or “no” weakens them.
Any type of stress - mental, nutritional, emotional, electromagnetic,
etc.- can impair the body’s energy system.
There are over fifty different healing systems world-wide
employing some form of muscle testing. Some alternative health
practitioners use Applied Kinesiology (AK), a technique used to
diagnose illness or choose a treatment method by testing muscles
for strength and weakness. The BodyTalk System is another therapy
using muscle testing. Kinesiology draws on the principles of
Traditional Chinese Medicine and can evaluate body function through
the muscle/meridian relationship. It can also establish connections
between imbalances, put them in order of priority and help
determine the most effective treatment.
The practice of muscle testing applies a wide range of gentle yet
powerful techniques to restore balance, and create and sustain
health, well-being and more effective function. It can also be used
with other healing modalities. Note that making a diagnosis using
muscle testing should always be combined with presenting
symptoms, health knowledge base and other types of testing.
Obviously it is not a replacement for conventional medical
diagnostics but can be used for personal screening.
On a personal level, muscle testing is one of the easiest and
quickest ways to get a “yes” or “no” answer to a question about
what foods to buy, type and amount of supplements to take, persons
to date, which route to take, what apartment to rent, etc. Each
method takes a little practice but you will find one or two that work
well for you. Once you find a favorite testing method, start using it!

First Steps in Muscle Testing


Look through the various methods below and try to establish
“yes” and “no” answers. For a good “yes” question, you can ask “Is
my first name ___?” “Is my dad’s name ___?” For an easy “no”
question, ask “Is my name Roger Rabbit?”, or try holding some
refined cane sugar (table sugar) to your chest and ask whether your
body likes it or not. If your body signals a “yes” with the method you
are using, it likes/is strengthened by the sugar.
One word of warning, though: before you test, think/intend to
connect to your high self for the answer. The high self acts like your
soul nanny, filtering and delivering to you information for your
highest and best good from the rest. If you receive information from
your human self, guess what? Yes, the self loves sugar and your
body might react that way, even though it is actually unhealthy.

Muscle Testing Methods


The “American Indian Way” of Testing Using Your Body
1. Stand and hold a product or a written question on a piece of
paper to your chest while you mentally keep the intention that
your body will tell you if the product or question is good for you.
2. If your body rocks slightly forward, your body is vibrating
“yes” (you need or like the product).
3. If you fall or rock backwards, you are getting a “no” (the
product weakens you).

Four Methods for Muscle Testing using your Fingers


FINGER LOOP:
1. Press forefinger (or middle finger) and thumb of your non-
dominant hand together making an interlocking ring to create a
link.

2. Loop your dominant hand forefinger (or middle finger) and


thumb through like a chain link fence.
3. Using firm - but not excessive - pressure, try to pull the
dominant hand “link” out through the weakest point (where the
finger and thumb meet) of the non-dominant “link”. Take it easy
as this is not a strength test!
4. Establish a baseline first to gauge the amount of strength it
takes to break open the dominant hand “finger link”.
5. Now imagine a person, activity or thing you want to test and
repeat the finger pull. For practice, first try something you like.
Then try something that has caused you harm, like poison ivy. It
should take less force to pull the links apart with the harmful
item since it weakens your body and muscles.
Note that the more sensitive you get, the less strength you will
need to exert to have your fingers separate for a "no" answer. Also
be aware that as your fingers get tired from the testing, this test is
less accurate.
THUMB NAIL METHOD:
Quickly slide your index finger pad across your thumb nail. If
what you are testing is true, the finger pad slides easily across the
thumbnail. When an answer is false, movement stops abruptly in the
middle of the nail.

SIMPLE FINGER PRESS:


1. Rest the palm of one hand on a table or desktop, and firmly
press the fingers and thumb down.
2. Focus on something or someone you love and try to lift one
finger or the thumb. If it stays put, it indicates strength and a
“yes”.
3. Next focus on something or someone negative, and try to lift
the finger or thumb again. If it lifts easily, this indicates
weakness and a “no”.
(Be sure you use the same amount of pressure each time you
perform the lift).

JUMPING FINGERS:
Relax your hand with your fingertips lightly touching the tabletop
and ask your "yes-no" questions. When what you are testing is true,
your index finger will lift off the table. If the answer is false or a
“no”, the little finger jumps. And yes, this take practice and you may
find that different fingers signal for you.

MUSCLE TESTING EXERCISE:


Choose one of the above muscle testing methods that you like and
establish a “yes” and “no” response for yourself. Then practice using
questions you already know the answers to. Once your responses
are accurate and clear, start asking other questions where the
answers are unknown.

**********************

Tool #2
Card Readings

For performing intuitive readings, there are many, many special


card decks available to choose from including a multitude of Tarot
decks, Hawaiian, Egyptian, Fairy and Angel cards, Medicine and
Animal cards, or even a regular card deck. Take a look at what is
available in the metaphysical and new age bookstores and choose a
deck that you resonate with. Most decks come with a book that
explains what each card or symbol means.

First Steps in Card Reading


To perform a typical card reading, the deck is shuffled by the
reader, then possibly cut by the “client”. Then the reader lays them
face down in one of a variety of patterns called "spreads". Generally,
each position in a spread is assigned a number, and the cards are
placed in that order and then, after all have been laid out, turned
over in that same sequence for interpretation. The reader takes the
symbolic meaning of each card as well as its position in the spread
and tells the story they see from these relationships. The card
position might include the subject's thoughts and desires (known or
unknown), or past, present, and future events. Sometimes, rather
than being dealt randomly, the initial card in a spread is chosen
intentionally to represent the question being asked. This card is
called the significator.

Simple Card Exercise to Solve a Problem


1. Focus on your problem.
2. Without looking at it, draw a card and place it face down in
front of you.
3. Focus on the card and see what energy you can pick up from
that blank side (color, temperature, sound, etc.). Record what
you sense.
4. Next, turn the card over and look at the picture and feel how
it relates to your problem.
5. Put all the information together into a reading to solve your
problem.

Working with Card Spreads


Choose one or more of the card spreads that follow and see what
solution or understanding the reading shows you to help handle your
problem or question.
1. Choose a spread.
2. Shuffle the cards.
3. Lay out the cards face down in the order indicated by the
spread.
4. When the spread positions are filled, flip each card in order
and interpret its meaning in that position.
5. Finally, determine an overview of the reading by looking at all
the overturned cards in the spread and see how each position
interacts with the others.
Note: if you are stumped at any time during a reading, you can
draw more cards for additional information to help clarify an answer.

Some Common Card Spreads


ONE-CARD SPREAD
Meanings of the Card Positions for the Celtic Cross:
1. Central card of the cross is the significator (the question
being asked).
2. Conditions surrounding the question, an obstacle to be
faced, or an aspect of the question not yet considered.
3. What the person hopes for in relation to the question being
asked.
4. What the subject has already experienced in relation to the
whole spread.
5. What was in the past.
6. Future influences.
7. The attitude of the question being asked.
8. How family or friends will influence the question.
9. Hopes and fears in relation to the question,
10. The Culmination Card that shows the end result of all of the
previous nine cards.
Meanings of Card Positions for the Horseshoe Spread:
1. The past.
2. Present prevailing issues.
3. Hopes and fears.
4. Obstacles and problems.
5. Surrounding energies that are affecting the issue.
6. Future events and fresh influences.
7. The outcome.

Reversed Cards
Some people and some decks of cards consider reversed (upside
down) cards to have different meanings - either the opposite of its
upright meaning or as an undeveloped trait of the upright version.
The Medicine Cards are like this. Others point out that card reversal
is dependent on the order of the cards before shuffling, so being
reversed is of little bearing to the scope of a reading. You can
experiment and make your own choice as to which belief to follow.

Caring for Your Cards


When not in use, keep your divination cards in a closed box or
bag until you are ready to use them again in order to shut down any
active energetic connection with the universe.
This chapter introduces three major tools that many intuitives use -
muscle testing, card readings and pendulum dowsing. These
methods can help a person explore their intuitive knowing or psychic
skills by offering a means to visualize what the “abdominal brain” is
trying to say.

**********************

Tool #3
Pendulum Testing
How pendulum dowsing works is explained by the term
“radiesthesia”, literally “feeling of the rays.” Even mentioned in the
bible, radiesthesia was believed to help a person become sensitive to
a type of radiation given off by all living things, as well as to
interpret universal knowledge.
To work, a dowser first sets an intention or asks a question. The
pendulum he or she holds amplifies answers by sending a visual
signal called the “ideomotor response, that the conscious mind can
interpret.” This response is caused by micro-movements of the
muscles and happens very quickly. With an experienced practitioner,
the pendulum will often show a response before the entire question
is even voiced.
The accuracy as well as completeness of any answers depends
on the dowser’s skills. This chapter will show you how to begin
gaining those skills.

The Dowsing Tool


A pendulum is made of string, thread or chain with a weighted
object (the “bob”) attached to one end. The simplest pendulum to
make is to tie a nail or paper clip to a string. The best materials for
making the pendulum bob have a neutral energy like wood or
acrylic, while crystals each have their own energy properties that can
add to the testing “mix”. Crystals also pick up and retain energy as
you work with them so they should be cleared on a regular basis.
How often a pendulum needs clearing depends on what it is made
of, how much you use it, and the purpose for which it is used. Care
of your pendulum is discussed at the end of this chapter.

Which Hand to Use for Dowsing?


Most books suggest using your dominant hand to hold the
pendulum but either will work. However, once you start dowsing,
always use the same hand. If you try testing with your other hand,
the spin directions of your “yes” and “no” answers will be reversed
(which is normal). Choose one hand and be consistent.
Just a note: at one lecture I heard a dowser state that left-
handed dowsing is “from the devil”. NO! It is because there are left-
handers using a pendulum.

Establishing “Yes” and “No” Responses


The simplest use of a pendulum is to test “yes” and “no”
answers. There are several ways to establish these responses
including the following method:
1. Hold your pendulum in front of you and, to overcome inertia,
gently start a soft swing moving out away from and back
towards your body. This “neutral swing” is always a good
starting point to work from.
2. Next ask your pendulum a question where you know the
answer is a strong “yes” (e.g., “Is my name ______?”). The
pendulum should respond by changing the direction of its swing
from neutral to either the left or right. Note which direction the
pendulum moves because this becomes your “yes” response.
The response might also be a clockwise or counterclockwise
circular swing.
3. Return the pendulum to a neutral swing in front of you.
4. Next ask a question that is a strong “no”, like “Is my name
Daffy Duck?” This becomes your “no” answer. The pendulum
should move in the direction opposite from the “yes” response.
The negative response might also be a circular swing.
Note that you might need to repeat steps #2-4 many
times as you learn to relax and awaken the muscles involved
that allow the pendulum to respond. Remember to stay as
relaxed as possible, to hold the pendulum loosely, and to keep
the elbow of your dowsing arm supported at a soft angle.
If you are unable to get your pendulum to respond at all,
there may be past life blockages needing cleared that may be
preventing you from using this tool. Keep practicing or find
someone to help clear the blockages. Alternately, work with
muscle testing or another method to obtain answers.
5. Once your yes and no responses are consistent, continue to
practice asking questions where the answers are not critical (like
a health question might be) in order to continue gaining
confidence with your new ability. It also helps greatly to avoid
“doubting Thomas” relatives or friends until you have practiced
longer and feel more confident.
To make practice more fun, take your pendulum to the
supermarket and try picking out produce by dowsing. Believe me, all
potatoes are not created equal! Ask “Is this potato fresh?” and “Am I
completely compatible with this potato?”

Working with Charts


When you are comfortable dowsing “yes-no” questions, you can
begin to work with simple charts, like the 0 to 10 number chart
below. If using the chart below for testing percentages, the number
4 becomes 40%; the number 10 becomes 100%, and so on. You can
use this chart to ask “What percent is this potato fresh?” “What
percent am I compatible with this potato?”

On the chart above, the heavy vertical line is called the neutral line.
Begin working with the chart by placing your pendulum into a gentle
swing along that line to overcome inertia. Next, ask your question
and see what answer the pendulum indicates.
Note that when you dowse using a chart, your pendulum should
select answers from the chart. For example, if you work with the
above chart that has the "yes" answer on the left, your pendulum
should go to the left if an answer is true. This is even though,
without a chart, your pendulum moves clockwise/to the right to
indicate a yes answer.
As you practice with this chart, keep your questions simple and clear,
and avoid asking about serious conditions. You the dowser must
remain in neutral energy in order to get correct answers.
Continue to practice with the simple chart until answers come easily
and you begin to build confidence. Eventually you can move on to
more complex charts.

Before You Begin Dowsing in Earnest


There is one more important step to take before you begin working
consistently with your pendulum, and that step is knowing where the
answers are coming from. Answers should be from Source/God and
coming through your ‘high self/soul committee’, which acts like a
‘soul nanny’, filtering out any information that is not for your highest
and best good. On the next page is a simple chart you can dowse to
find where your information is coming from.
As you dowse this chart, be sure to allow for the possibility of more
than one answer. Ask “Who is giving me this answer?” Once you get
it, ask “Anyone else?” If you are getting good information, the first
answer should be “Source and high self” and the pendulum should
remain on the neutral line to the “Anyone else?” question.
To see the difference in dowsing without connecting to your high self
and source, pick up your pendulum and ask “Is chocolate (or some
special treat) good for me?” Now align yourself with God and your
high self committee and ask “Is chocolate good for me?” Most
people will test that chocolate (or another favorite treat) is good to
the self only but when they align and have that “highest and best
good” filter in place; then the treat isn’t quite as strong a yes
answer.

The ‘others’ option can indicate answers coming from angels, other
person’s, thought forms, etc. And are not to be trusted.

Clearing Your Pendulum


It is important to clear or clean a new pendulum or one that has
been used for a while as it will hold onto energy that can affect the
quality of answers. Choose one of the following methods:
Place it overnight on a piece of selenite (shown below).
Selenite, often called “frozen White Light”, absorbs negativity. (I
prefer this method.)

Use a gentle scrubbing of soap and water to help clear out


old energy and then use a prayer to reprogram the pendulum to
work with you for the purpose you want.
Bury your pendulum either in dirt or sea salt for a few days to
absorb the energy.
Place it in running water like a fast-flowing stream for two
days.

Caring for Your Pendulum


It is a good idea to keep your pendulum in a small bag or
carrying case when not in use in order to protect the pendulum from
scratches, or from getting caught on clothing or the insides of
purses. More importantly, the protective cover also acts to
energetically close the pendulum down until you are ready to use it
again.

A Word of Advice
Not everyone connects successfully with dowsing as a tool for
accessing their intuition. Try it and see how you do and, if
unsuccessful, try muscle testing or card reading instead. You can
also work with someone to clear the interference from past life
programs. Sometimes one’s guardian angels will block you from
using this method to keep you safe because it led to problems in
other times.
Chapter Five
Practice, Practice, Practice

What follows in this chapter are several exercises that will help
you tap into your intuition and help you discover where your
strengths lie. Are you better at feeling, seeing, or hearing? Everyone
has all these abilities but usually are much better at one than
another. This process of awakening is like strengthening a set of
muscles - the more you practice, the more your intuition opens up.
Note that in the beginning, pretending and allowing yourself to
make up answers, are two important skills to work on in order to
gain confidence in your intuitive abilities. Allow yourself to take
chances and make wild guesses. Suspend disbelief. All the while use
a journal to keep track so you can observe your “wins”- when you
get the right answers - and begin to build confidence in your abilities
and answers.
Remember that intuition is really just information gathering.
Don't try to figure everything out.
Do any of the following practice exercises that interest you,
writing down your results in your journal.

EXERCISE ONE: Awakening Your Intuitive Mind


1. Using a deck of regular playing cards, shuffle them and place
the stack of them face down in front of you. Now touch the first
card and quickly decide if it is red or black. Don't try to
rationalize which color it might be, just touch and decide.
2. Turn the card over each time so you can see if you were right
or wrong. Go through the whole deck, then count how many
you did that were correct. Once you are correct 75% of the time
on the color, also try to guess the suit along with the color.
The average person who does not try to use intuition will get 50%
or less. As you practice more you should get a higher percentage of
correct answers. You also will start to become very familiar with your
intuitive voice, a small voice you hear inside your head.

EXERCISE TWO: Do a Reading


1. Sit down at a table with three blank index cards.
2. Think about a decision you need to make and write down
three solutions for it, one on each card.
3. Turn the cards blank-side-up, mix them and place them face-
down on a table.
4. Run your hands over the cards and notice the feeling of each
card (temperature, color, emotion, intensity, etc.).
5. Assign a percentage to each card based on how powerfully
you are drawn to it.
6. Turn the cards over and apply the answer from the card with
the having the highest percentage to your problem.

EXERCISE THREE: Sensing Colors


1. Take a brown paper bag filled with identical objects of
different colors like marbles, Lego's, scarves, etc.
2. Without looking, reach in and feel the object and “see” what
color it is.
3. Pull the object out of the bag and check to see how you did.
4. Write down your answers.

EXERCISE FOUR: Colors and Clothes


1. Take a look at what you are wearing right now. What are
your clothes telling you? Are you listless and tired and do your
clothes and colors reflect that (e.g., wearing dark blue, black, or
gray; wearing big, sloppy clothes)? Ask yourself what color you
could put on to change your energy to something different (e.g.,
red, orange or hot pink for more energy)? What is your intuition
telling you about how you look and feel with the new color
choices?
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CHAPTER VI

Arrival in London. Conditions I found there. Preparations and Start.

reached London very early next morning, and drove


directly to the lodgings of my friend, Mr. Wellington
Lee, the only American resident in London whom I
knew. These were on a short street extending from the
Strand down to the river, a short distance west of
Temple Bar, the ancient city gate, which was then
standing. Who was Mr. Lee and what was he doing in London?
These were questions in which I had an interest of which I was as
yet entirely ignorant. The firm of Lee & Larned were the first
successful designers of steam fire-engines in this country. More than
seventy of these steamers had been built from their plans and under
their direction by the Novelty Iron Works in New York, and the fire
department of that city was completely equipped with them. One of
their engines had been sold to the city of Havre, and Mr. Lee had
gone over with it to test it publicly on its guaranteed performance. Mr.
Amos, one of the senior members of the great London engineering
firm of Easton, Amos & Sons, went over to Havre to witness this trial,
with a view to the manufacture of these steam fire-engines in
London. He was so much pleased that he determined to make the
fire-engines, and engaged Mr. Lee to take the direction of their
manufacture. So it came to pass that at this particular time Mr. Lee
was in London superintending the first manufacture of his steam fire-
engines by this firm.
After our salutations Mr. Lee said: “First of all I have something to
tell you.” Before relating this, I must mention something that I knew
before I sailed. About the time when the cargo of United States
exhibits started, the well-known Mason and Slidell incident occurred.
These gentlemen, commissioners sent by the Confederacy to
represent their cause before European governments, had sailed on a
British vessel flying the British flag. This vessel was overhauled on
the high seas by one of our cruisers, and the commissioners were
taken off and brought prisoners to New York. Mr. Lincoln made haste
to disavow this illegal proceeding, so singularly inconsistent with our
own principles of international law, and to make all the reparation in
his power. But a bitter feeling towards England was then growing in
the Northern States, and in a moment of resentment Congress
hastily passed a resolution repealing the law creating the Exhibition
Commission and making an appropriation for its expenses, and
Secretary Seward issued a proclamation dissolving the commission.
The vessel carrying the exhibits had been gone scarcely more than a
day when this action of Congress and Mr. Seward surprised the
country.
I now take up Mr. Lee’s narrative. The news of this action, carried
by a mail steamer, had reached London several days before the
arrival of the exhibits. Under the pressure of an urgent demand the
Royal Commission confiscated the space allotted to the United
States and parceled it out to British exhibitors. Mr. Holmes on his
arrival found not a spot in the Exhibition buildings on which to set his
foot. But he was a man of resources. He went before the
commission with an eminent Queen’s counsel, who made the point
that they had received no official notification of any such action by
the United States Government, but had proceeded on a mere
newspaper rumor, which they had no right to do; and there was the
United States assistant commissioner with his credentials and a
shipload of exhibits, and they must admit him.
The commissioners yielded most gracefully. They said: “Now, Mr.
Holmes, the American space is gone; we cannot restore that to you,
but there are unoccupied spots all over the Exhibition, and you may
take up any of these, and we will undertake that your whole exhibit
shall be well placed.” Upon this Mr. Holmes had gone to work and
had been able to find locations for every exhibit, except my engine.
Wellington Lee

“But only yesterday,” said Mr. Lee, “Mr. Holmes learned that an
engine ordered by the commission to drive the British exhibit of
looms, of which there were thirty-three exhibitors, had been
condemned by the superintendent of machinery, Mr. Daniel Kinnear
Clark, and ordered out of the building.” He added that Mr. Holmes
went directly to Mr. Clark and applied for the place for my engine, the
bedplate of which, thanks to my precipitate action, had arrived and
was then on a truck, in England called a lurry, waiting to be
unloaded. In answer to Mr. Clark’s questions, Mr. Holmes had given
him his personal assurance that I would be there, and the rest of the
engine would be there in ample time, and it would be all that he
could possibly desire; and on that assurance he had got the place for
me.
I informed Mr. Lee that I also had something to tell him. I then
gave him the situation as already related. He looked very grave.
When I had finished he said: “Well, you are in a hole, sure enough;
but come, let us get some breakfast, and then we will see what
Easton & Amos can do for you.” After eating my first English mutton-
chop in a chop-house on the Strand, I accompanied Mr. Lee to their
works in the Borough, a long distance away, on the south or Surrey
side of the Thames, to reach which we crossed the Southwark
bridge.
None of the partners had yet reached the office. Very soon Mr.
James Easton arrived. He was a young man about my own age. Mr.
Lee introduced me and told my story. The instant he finished Mr.
Easton came across the room and grasped my hand most cordially.
“That’s the kind of pluck I like,” said he; “we will see you through, Mr.
Porter; we will build this engine for you, whatever else may have to
wait.” Directly he added: “We have a good deal of ‘red tape’ here, but
it won’t do in this case. There will be no time to lose. Come with me.”
He then took me through the shops and introduced me to every
foreman, telling them what he had undertaken to do, and gave each
of them the same instruction, as follows: “Mr. Porter will come
directly to you with his orders. Whatever he wants done, you are to
leave everything else so far as may be necessary, and do his work
as rapidly as possible.”
As I listened to these orders, I could hardly believe my senses or
keep back the tears. Coming on top of the devotion of Mr. Holmes
they nearly overcame me. The sudden relief from the pressure of
anxiety was almost too much. It seemed to me to beat all the fairy
stories I had ever heard. This whole-hearted cordiality of the first
Englishman I had met gave me a high idea of the people as a whole,
which, I am happy to say, a residence of over six years in England
served only to increase.
Returning to the office, we found Mr. Lee, who said, “Now, Mr.
Porter, I think Mr. Holmes would like to see you.” Getting the
necessary directions, in due time I found myself in the Exhibition
building on Cromwell Road and in the presence of Mr. Holmes, who
received me joyfully and led me at once to Mr. Clark’s office. As he
opened the door, Mr. Clark looked up from his desk and exclaimed,
“Good morning, Mr. Holmes; where is that engine?” “Well,” replied
Mr. Holmes, “here is Mr. Porter, and the engine is here or on the
way.” Mr. Clark asked me a number of questions about the engine,
and finally how many revolutions per minute it was intended to make.
I replied, “One hundred and fifty.” I thought it would take his breath
away. With an expression of the greatest amazement he exclaimed:
“What! a hundred and fifty! B—b—b—but, Mr. Porter, have you had
any experience with such a speed as that?” I told him my experience
with the little engine, which did not seem to satisfy him at all. Finally
he closed the matter, or supposed he had done so, by saying: “I
cannot allow such a speed here; I consider it dangerous.” I decided
instantly in my own mind not to throw away all that I had come for;
but I made no sign, but humbly asked what speed I might employ.
After a little consideration Mr. Clark replied: “One hundred and
twenty revolutions; that must not be exceeded.” This he considered a
great concession, the usual speed of stationary engines being from
fifty to sixty revolutions. I meekly acquiesced, then made my plans
for one hundred and fifty revolutions, and said nothing to anybody. I
had no idea of the gravity of my offence. It was the first time since I
was a child that I had been ordered to do or not to do anything, and I
had no conception of orders except as given by myself. If there was
any risk, I assumed it gaily, quite unconscious how such a daredevil
defiance of authority would appear to an Englishman. Mr. Clark
showed me my location, and gave me an order for my engine-bed to
be brought in immediately, and also other parts of the engine as
soon as they arrived. Trucks generally, I was told, had to wait in the
crowd about ten days for their turn to be unloaded.
Charles T. Porter
A.D. 1862

I hurry over the time of erection. Everything arrived promptly and


the whole came together without a hitch, as I knew it would. The fly-
wheel and pulley and cylinder lagging I had left to be made in
England. I was at the works of Easton, Amos & Sons every morning
at 6 o’clock, and laid out the work for the day. I made the gauges for
boring the fly-wheel and pulley, which I had now learned how to do,
and adjusted everything about the engine myself, and knew it was
right.
I had a talk with the foreman of the pattern-shop about the best
thickness of felt on the cylinder to be covered by the mahogany
lagging, in the course of which I remarked, “It is the air that is the
real non-conductor.” “Yes,” he replied, “and felt, you know, is ‘air’.”
I learned several things I did not know before, among others how
the English made a steam-pipe joint, using parallel threads and a
backing-up nut, packed with long hemp which was filled with a putty
made of red and white lead rubbed together dry.
I had great luck in the way of a driving-belt. An American exhibitor
of india-rubber belting asked the privilege of exhibiting a belt in use
on my engine, which I was glad enough to have him do. Otherwise I
hardly know what I should have done. The widest English belts were
12 inches wide, double, and sewn together from end to end with five
rows of sheepskin lacing. The belt ran on the knobs of this lacing.
English machinists then knew nothing of the hold of belts by
excluding the air. The ends of all belts were united by lapping them
about two feet and sewing them through and through with this same
lacing. Fine pounding these joints would have made on the pulleys. I
got a governor belt from him also. Both belts were united by butt-
joints laced in the American fashion. I did this job myself, and,
indeed, I put the whole engine together mostly with my own hands,
although Easton, Amos & Sons sent two of their best fitters to help
me. I learned afterwards that I should have had a sorry time driving
my governor by a belt laced in the English way.
In spite of all efforts and all our good luck, we were not ready to
start until a week after the opening day, May 1, and the exhibitors
were in despair, for none of them believed that this new-fangled
American trap would work when it did start at the frightful speed of a
hundred and twenty revolutions per minute, which they had learned
from Mr. Clark it was to make. Finally one day after our noon dinner I
turned on the steam, and the governor rose at the speed of one
hundred and fifty revolutions precisely. It was immediately
surrounded by a dense crowd, every man of whom looked as if he
expected the engine to fly in pieces any instant.
It was not more than two minutes after it started when I saw Mr.
Clark coming with his watch in his hand. Some one had rushed to his
office and told him the Yankee engine was running away. The crowd
opened for him, and he came up to the engine and watched it for
some time, walking leisurely around it and observing everything
carefully from all points of view. He then counted it through a full
minute. At its close he turned to me and exclaimed, “Ah, Porter—
but,” slapping me cordially on the shoulder, “it’s all right. If you will
run as smoothly as this you may run at any speed you like.”
And so the high-speed engine was born, but neither Mr. Clark, nor
I, nor any human being then knew what it was that made it run so
smoothly.
I have since realized more and more what a grand man Mr. Clark
then showed himself to be. A small souled man might have regarded
the matter entirely from a personal point of view, and been furious at
my defiance of his authority. There are such men. I will show one to
the reader by and by. Officialism is liable to produce them. I was
quite unconscious of the risk in this respect that I was running. I have
always felt that I could not be too thankful that at this critical point I
fell into the hands of so noble a man as Daniel Kinnear Clark.
Mr. Porter’s Exhibit at the London International Exhibition, 1862
CHAPTER VII

My London Exhibit, its Success, but what was the matter? Remarkable Sale of the
Engine.

hus, as the result of a remarkable combination of


circumstances, upon which I look back with feelings
more of awe than of wonder, the high-speed system
made its appearance in the London International
Exhibition of 1862, installed in the midst of the British
machinery exhibit, under conditions more
advantageous than any which I could have imagined.
But the engine had a weak feature: it was wanting in an essential
respect, of which I was, and remained to the end, quite unconscious,
as will presently appear. Before entering on this subject I will give the
reader an idea of what the exhibit was like. The accompanying half-
tone from a photograph will, with the help of a little explanation,
make this quite real.
The location was in a narrow space between a side aisle and the
wall of the temporary wooden structure, 300 feet wide by nearly
1000 feet long, which formed the machinery hall. The engine was
crowded closely by looms on both sides. Here were shown together
the first high-speed engine, the first high-speed governor, and the
first high-speed indicator. My marine governor could not be
accommodated there, and had to be shown elsewhere. I was so
much afraid of deflection or vibration of the shaft that I shortened up
the length between the bearings and placed the driving-pulley on the
overhanging end of the shaft, which for the light work to be done
there answered sufficiently well. I showed also the largest and the
smallest sizes of my stationary-engine governors. These were belted
from the shaft to revolve so as to stand always in positions
coincident with those of the governor which regulated the engine.
On a table between the railing and the head of the engine I
showed mahogany sectional models of the valves at one end of the
cylinder in the engine exhibited, and of the now well-known Allen
slide valve, with double opening for admission made by a passage
over the exhaust-cup.
The Richards indicator is seen placed on the cylinder midway of its
length, and connected by pipes with the ends over the clearances,
so that in the familiar manner by means of a three-way cock the
opposite diagrams could be taken on the same sheet. After a few
days’ use I mistrusted that the lead lines were not correctly drawn,
and I took away these pipes, placing the indicator on the cylinder
itself, at the opposite ends alternately. The diagrams then taken
showed that the error from transmission through these pipes had
been even greater than I had feared. I have, of course, employed the
close connection ever since.
This identifies the time when the photograph was taken. It must
have been within a few days after starting.
The center of the eccentric coinciding with the crank, as already
stated, and the center line of the link being in the same horizontal
plane with that of the engine, I was able to take the motion of the
paper drum from the sustaining arms of the link instead of from the
cross-head. This was very convenient.
During the first two or three weeks the steam pressure was kept
up to 75 pounds, as intended, and I was able to get diagrams cutting
off quite early, which were then erroneously supposed to show
superior economy. But when all the steam-eaters had got in their
work the pressure could not be maintained much above 40 pounds,
and for that exhibition the day of fancy diagrams was over. Gwynne
& Co. showed a large centrifugal pump driven by a pair of engines
which always brought the pressure down at the rate of a pound a
minute. They were not allowed to run longer than fifteen minutes at a
time, but it took a long time after they stopped before the pressure
could be got up again even to 40 pounds. Whenever I took a
diagram somebody was always standing ready to take it away, and
so among my mementoes I have been able to find none cutting off
earlier than the one here represented. On the wall at the back I hung
the largest United States flag I could find, with a portrait of President
Lincoln. This seems all that needs to be said about the photograph
and the diagram.

INTERNATIONAL EXHIBITION, UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT


1862 DIAGRAM TAKEN FROM 1862
THE ALLEN ENGINE BY THE RICHARDS INDICATOR.
ENGINE, 8 INCHES BY 24 INCHES, REVOLUTIONS PER MINUTE, 150.
SCALE, 40 LBS. TO THE INCH.

But what was the matter? I will clear the way to answering this
question by relating the following incident: Six months later, with a
feeling of bitter disappointment, I contemplated my engine standing
alone where the place had been thronged with surging life. All the
other exhibits had been removed. This was left in stillness and
desolation, and I was making up my mind to the necessity of
shipping it home again, its exhibition to all appearance absolutely
fruitless—a failure, which I was utterly at a loss to comprehend,
when I had a call from Mr. James Easton, the same man who had
first welcomed me in England. His firm had perhaps the largest
exhibit in the Machinery Hall, of a waterfall supplied by a centrifugal
pump, and they had been frequent observers of the running of my
engine, which was quite near them. Mr. Easton bluntly asked me if I
thought my engine could be run 50 per cent. faster or at 225
revolutions per minute, because they had concluded that it could be,
and if I agreed with them they had a use for it themselves. Under the
circumstances I did not hesitate long about agreeing with them in
respect to both ability and price, and the sale was quickly concluded.
I noted an entire absence of any disposition to take an undue
advantage. Mr. Easton then told me that they were troubled with lack
of power every afternoon when the foundry blower was on, and had
long wanted to drive this blower independently. It needed to make
2025 revolutions per minute to give the blast they required, and they
had planned to drive it by a frictional gearing, nine to one, if my
engine could run at the necessary speed. So this most peculiar and
exceptional opportunity for its application, absolutely the only chance
for its sale that had appeared, and that at the very last moment,
prevented my returning home in disappointment. It is hardly
necessary to add that the engine proved completely successful. I
shall refer to it again.
The point of the incident is this: It established the fact, the
statement of which otherwise no one from the result would credit for
an instant, that, from the afternoon when the black and averted looks
of my loom exhibitors were changed to smiling congratulations down
to the close of the exhibition, the engine never once had a warm
bearing or was interrupted for a single moment. It was visited by
every engineer in England, and by a multitude of engine users, was
admired by every one, and won the entire confidence of all
observers in its speed, its regulation, and the perfection of its
diagrams; and yet in all that six months not a builder ever said a
word about building it, nor a user said a word about using it; and, as
week after week and month after month passed without a sign, I
became almost stupefied with astonishment and distress.
The explanation of this phenomenon was entirely simple, but I did
not know it, and there was no one to even hint it to me. I was among
a people whose fundamental ideas respecting steam-engines were
entirely different from those to which I had been accustomed, and I
knew nothing about them, and so could not address myself to them.
In the view of every Englishman a non-condensing engine was
rubbish. Those which were made were small, cheap affairs, mostly
for export. Neither a builder nor a user could regard a non-
condensing engine with the slightest interest.
Now I do not think that in my limited sphere of observation at
home I had ever seen a condensing stationary engine, except the
engine which pumped out the dry-dock at the Brooklyn Navy Yard. In
my mind condensing engines were associated with ships and
steamboats. At this exhibition also there were shown only non-
condensing engines. I did not think of the reason for this, that in this
part of London, far away from the Thames, no water could be had for
condensing purposes. I took it all as a matter of course, though I was
astonished at the queer lot of engines in the company of which I
found myself.
I was, of course, familiar with the development of the stationary
engine in England from the original type, in which the pressure of
steam below that of the atmosphere, and sometimes the pressure of
the atmosphere itself furnished the larger proportion of the power
exerted; but after all I carried with me my American ideas, which
were limited to non-condensing engines, and had no conception of
the gulf that separated my thoughts from those of the men about me.
My visitors always wound up with the same question, “How do you
drive your air-pump?” And in my innocence I uniformly replied, “The
engine is a non-condensing engine; it has no air-pump”; all
unconscious that every time I said that I was consigning the engine
to the rubbish heap. This reply was taken necessarily as a frank
admission that the high-speed engine was not adapted for
condensing. Of course, then, it had no interest for them. No doubt
many wondered why I should have troubled myself to show it there
at all. If I had thought more deeply I must have been struck by the
unvarying form of this question, always assuming the air-pump to be
a part of the engine, but which, of course, could not be used there,
and only inquiring how I worked it; and also by the fact that after
getting my answer the questioner soon departed, and I scarcely ever
saw the same visitor again. But I did not think deeply. Perhaps the
conditions of excitement were not favorable to reflection. All I thought
was that this same everlasting question, which at home I would
never have heard, was getting awfully monotonous. After a while this
annoying question came to be asked less and less frequently, and
also the engine attracted less and less attention. The engine had
failed in a vital respect, and I did not know it. That the fact of the
engine being non-condensing should have been an objection to it
never once entered my mind.
But I doubt if I could have bettered the matter, however alive to
this difficulty I might have been. I showed all I had yet accomplished.
In the minds of my visitors it no doubt appeared impossible to run an
air-pump successfully at such a speed; the water and air would be
churned into foam, and the valves would not close in time. This
objection I was not prepared to meet, for I had not thought on the
subject at all. Moreover, it could not have been met in any way
except by a practical demonstration. For that demonstration I had yet
to wait five years.
There were many things connected with this season which were
well worth remembering. One of these was the visit of the jury. It was
the only time I ever met Professor Rankine. There were two or three
Frenchmen on the jury, and they engaged in an animated discussion
of the question whether the steam could follow the piston at so great
a speed. I well remember the sharp exclamation with which
Professor Rankine put an end to this nonsense, when he had got
tired of it. “There is no limit to the speed at which steam will follow a
piston.”
One day I had a call from Mr. John Penn, Mr. William Fairbairn,
and Mr. Robert Napier, who came together on a visit of ceremony,
and presented me their cards. In return I presented to them the
cards of the engine. But their visit, like most others, closed with the
same inevitable question.
It was a delightful hour that Mr. F. W. Webb spent with me. He was
then assistant engineer of the London & Northwestern Railway under
Mr. Ramsbottom, afterwards Mr. Ramsbottom’s successor, and the
pioneer builder of compound-cylinder locomotives. He told me about
the new form of traveling-crane invented by Mr. Ramsbottom for the
shops at Crewe, which was driven by a flying-rope, a ³⁄₄-inch cotton
cord, and also of other inventions of Mr. Ramsbottom—among these
the automatic cylinder lubricator, in which the condensation of the
steam was so rapid, from the locomotive rushing through the
atmosphere, that only the water formed on the conical end of a bolt
was permitted to drop into the oil, other condensation running into a
circular trough and back through an external gooseneck pipe to the
steam-chest; and of their experiments to observe the rate of this
condensation. For this purpose they used soda-water bottles, which
they found capable of resisting a pressure of 200 pounds on the
square inch, and in which they could see the rapidity with which the
condensed water displaced the oil, thus leading to the above device
for limiting this action; also about the Ramsbottom piston rings,
which came to be, and still are, so largely used. These consist, as is
well known, of square wrought-iron rods, say ¹⁄₂ inch square, two for
each piston, sprung into grooves. What is not so generally known is
the way in which these rings were originated, which Mr. Webb then
described to me. As sold, these are not circular rings, but when
compressed in the cylinder they become truly circular and exert the
same pressure at every point. The original form was found for each
size in this way: A circular iron table was prepared, provided with a
large number of pulleys located radially and equidistant around its
edge. A ring having the section of the proposed rings, turned to the
size of the cylinder, and cut on one side, was laid on this table, and
cords were attached to it at equal distances passing over these
pulleys. Equal weights were hung on these cords, sufficient to
expand this ring to the extent desired. The form of the expanded ring
was then marked on the table, and to the lines thus obtained the
rings were then rolled. He told me also of the trough and scoop
invented by Mr. Ramsbottom, and now used the world over, for
refilling locomotive tanks while running at full speed. Being a
locomotive man, Mr. Webb did not ask about the way I drove my air-
pump.
Mr. Clark formed a scheme to indicate all the engines in the
exhibition, twenty-four in number, all English except mine, so far as I
remember, and employed my indicator for the purpose, the diagrams
being taken by myself. Only two exhibitors declined to have their
engines indicated. As I afterwards learned, most of the engines were
bought for use there, as exhibitors would not exhibit non-condensing
engines.
One of those who refused permission were Gwynne & Co., the
principal partner a nephew of my centrifugal-force friend of earlier
days. They exhibited a centrifugal pump supplying a waterfall. They
employed Mr. Zerah Colburn, then editor of The Engineer, to
investigate their pair of non-condensing engines and find out why
they used so much steam. He borrowed my indicator to make a
private test. Of course, I never saw the diagrams, but Mr. Colburn
informed me that by making some changes he had reduced the back
pressure to 7 pounds above the atmosphere, which he claimed to be
as good as could be expected. No material improvement in the
engines was to be observed, however.
Some of the diagrams taken on these tests exhibited almost
incredible faults. The only really good ones were from a pair of
engines made by Easton, Amos & Sons, also to drive a large
centrifugal pump, built for drainage purposes in Demerara, and
sustaining another waterfall. These showed the steam cut off sharply
at one third of the stroke by separately driven valves on the back of
the main slides. A mortifying feature of this work for myself was that
on testing the indicator Mr. Clark found that the area of the piston,
which was represented to be one quarter of a square inch, was really
considerably less than this, showing lamentable inaccuracy on the
part of the makers, as well as my own neglect to discover it. This
rendered the instrument valueless for measuring power, but it
showed the character of the diagrams all right.
The finest mechanical drawing I ever saw—or any one else, I think
—was shown in this exhibition. It was a drawing of the steamship
“Persia,” then the pride of the Cunard fleet, and was the only
mechanical drawing ever admitted to the walls of the National
Gallery, where it had appeared the year before. It represented side
and end elevations and plan, as well as longitudinal and cross-
sections, was painted and shaded in water-colors, and involved an
almost incredible amount of work. It was made by Mr. Kirkaldy, then
a draftsman in the employ of the Napiers, of Glasgow, the builders of
the vessel. I am tempted to refer to this, as it forms a prominent
datum point from which to measure the development of steam
navigation in the brief space of forty years. The vessel did not
possess a single feature, large or small, that now exists. It was of
only about 3000 tons burden. It was an iron ship built in the days of
the rapid transition from wood to steel. It was propelled by paddle-
wheels. These were driven by a pair of side-lever engines. The
engines had each a single cylinder. The steam pressure carried was
nominally 25 pounds above the atmosphere, but practically only from
15 to 20 pounds. Full pressure was not pretended to be maintained.
They had jet condensers. All forged work was of iron. The vessel
was steered by hand. The rigging, standing as well as running, was
of hemp. It was full bark-rigged.
Frederick E. Sickels

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