Monday 3 April 2017

The International Grain Code

The  International Code for the Safe Carriage of Grain in bulk

This code is made mandatory through SOLAS  Chapter VI Safety of Cargoes, which states-


"Regulation 9 - Requirements for Cargo Ships Carrying Grain"1  In addition to any other applicable requirements of the present regulations, a cargo ship carrying grain shall comply with the requirements of the International Grain Code, and hold a document of authorization as required by that Code. For the purpose of this regulation, the requirements of the Code shall be treated as mandatory"




Sunday 26 February 2017

A Richly Yielding Piece of Ground

History of Fowey Consols Mine 1813 to 1867

By Jim Lewis

Fowey Consols and William West

William West's fame and fortune was built on the events at this rich mine. It was here that he built his famous Austen's engine, it was here that he installed his first man engine, and it was here that he expanded his skills out from steam engines. More importantly, Fowey Consols was where the fruitful relationship between West and the industrialist J.T. Treffry was born.

The story of William West, 'The Last Great Cornish Engineer', cannot be told without understanding the scene within which many of its most important events played out, and this is the book that tells the story of that mine.

The Book

A Richly Yielding Piece of Ground is the definitive publication on Fowey Consols. It is extremely well researched and Hillside publications have produced a crisp  styled book that makues researching a pleasure. The text is supported by a wealth of supplementary information held in tables and annexes. 

Unfortunately, the book's format does not do some if its map reproductions justice; tantalising glimpses of some amazing Victorian Cartography that defied my attempts to squint at nose length to extract information from.

Second hand prices for this book  are normally reasonable, and for anyone interested in Cornish Mining, Treffry (Austen), mid Cornwall history, and William West this is a book that should be on the shelf.

Book details


  • Paperback: 176 pages
  • Publisher: Cornish Hillside Publications
  • Published: 1997

Friday 10 February 2017

The King of Mid Cornwall- The Life of Joseph Thomas Treffry by John Keast


My research for  Luxuylan Valley talk gave me the reason I needed to fill in some gaps in the William West story by learning a bit more about J.T. Treffry ( Austen), an industrialists whose life intertwined with that of the last great Cornish Engineer. This is the definitive book on Treffry.


J.T. Treffry


"Joseph Thomas Treffry (1782-1850) has been aptly described as "a Captain of industry, master of his own economic fate, an assertive, individualist sole who pioneered the development of transportation to facilitate the exploration of his mines and marketing of the ores they produced"

His legacy includes the magnificent Treffry viaduct, Par docks, the Cornish mainline railway and the spectacular remains of 'Austen's 'engine house at Fowey Consols, a mine he developed into one of the largest copper producers in Cornwall.


The Book

This paperback of about 200 pages by John Keast was published in 1982 by Dyllansow, It is the definitive biography of the industrialist, and as such is a 'must' for anyone starting to study his life. Unfortunately the book has been out of print for some time, and its price can be ridiculously high. So it is well worth keeping an eye on the prices, and grab a copy when one turns up at a sensible price,  
 This is defiantly a book to grab if you spot a cheap copy in your local second hand bookshop.


The book on Amazon



Monday 30 January 2017

So Very Foolish- A history of the Wherry Mine Penzance



This small book is about am amazing mine. Wherry's mine shafts were located about 200 yards offshore in Mounts Bay,  and linked by a timber trestle to the machinery on dry land. The mine worked sporadically during the eighteenth century but closed around 1800.Some attempts at reworking occurred in the nineteenth came to very little. 
For some fascinating pictures of the mine pop across to the Minedat page.

Peter Joseph's impeccable research on this unique Cornish mine has been published in this booklet by the Trevithick Society,

So Very Foolish: A History of the Wherry Mine, Penzance,
Peter Joseph, 2012
Paperback 44 pages
978-0-904040-95-1










.

C.C.C The history of the Cornish Copper Company

My study on the events leading up to Willliam West's success at Austen's engine has lead me, via the work of Samuel Grose to this publication.

The History of the Cornish Copper Company by W.H.Pascoe


The Cornish Copper Company started smelting near Camborne in 1754, and in 1758 obtained its site at Hayle. From its start as a smelting company it would expand into the engineering industry to become one of the most important manufacturers of Cornish engines. As a foundry is it better known by its later name Sandys, Carne & Vivian.

This paperback by W.H. Pascoe was published by Truran in 1982. It is the only publication at present covering the history of the company, and is unfortunately out of print (2017), and so prices can be high. If you follow the Amazon link below, make sure you check out the 2nd hand prices, they can be more sensible.




Sunday 22 January 2017

Mr Lean and the Engine Reporters

I have been requested to give a talk to the Friends of Luxulyan Valley on William West the last Great Cornish Engineer.  Such invitation is a great  excuse to  wander down some topics and produce some new posts on the Navsbooks site, and create a new shelf on in the Navsbooks store based on the industrial archaeology of the fascinating Luxulyan Valley in Cornwall.

First book up onto the shelf will be this little gem, a small publication packed some amazing, and little told history


Mr. Lean and the Engine Reporters

By Bridget Howard


Bridget Howard's book is a great publication packed with information that is a must for anyone interested in the history of the Cornish Steam Engine. It goes beyond the simple concept of  Lean's reporters being an accurate recording of steam engine performance, a recording that drove a technology race in Cornwall, to uncover a far more Complex history.

Within its 80 odd pages are packed details of all the other reporters, of the problems of measuring duty, corruption and the real power behind the tables of scientific looking figures.

The measurement of Duty 

This is a book hung on the measurement of  'Duty'.

"The amount of work performed by a steam engine for the combustion of a given amount of coal"
Page 81
Or in less simple terms

" The number of pounds "expressed in millions" lifted one foot high by a certain amount of coal"
Page 81

That certain amount was normally a bushell, a unit that could vary from 79 to 120 lbs, A there within lies one of the weak foundations upon which the engine reporting system operated. My particular interest was the important, and Controversial role that William West and is accomplice William Browne played in this amazing story.



The book is published by The Trevithick Society, ISBN 0-904040-56-9

If you are passing through Liskeard I suggest popping in to the excellent book shop to see if the hold a copy, or can order one.


Or to order on Amazon click below

  Mr. Lean and the Engine Reporter