Career
Jane's father, John Harvey, formerly a blacksmith from Carnhell Green, formed the local foundry Harveys of Hayle. His company became famous worldwide for building huge stationary "beam" engines for pumping water, usually from mines, based on Newcomen's and Watt's engines.
Until this time, such steam engines were of the condensing or atmospheric type, originally invented by Thomas Newcomen in 1712, and which also became known as low-pressure engines. James Watt, on behalf of his partnership with Matthew Boulton, held a number of patents for improving the efficiency of Newcomen's engine, including the "separate condenser patent" – which proved the most contentious.
Trevithick became engineer at the Ding Dong Mine in 1797, and there (in conjunction with Edward Bull) he pioneered the use of high-pressure steam. He worked on building and modifying steam engines to avoid the royalties due to Watt on the separate condenser patent. At Ding Dong Boulton and Watt served an injunction on him and posted it "on the minestuffs" and "most likely on the door" of the Count (Account) House which, although now a ruin, is the only surviving building from Trevithick's time at Ding Dong.
He also experimented with the plunger-pole pump, a type of pump – with a beam engine – used widely in Cornwall's tin mines, in which he reversed the plunger to change it into a water-power engine.
Read more about this topic: Richard Trevithick
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