INTRODUCTION
There are many thrilling incidents—all the more attractive because of
their truth—in the study, the trials, the disappointments, the
obstacles overcome, and the final triumph of the successful inventor.
Every great invention, afterward marvelled at, was first derided. Each
great inventor, after solving problems in mechanics or chemistry, had to
face the jeers of the incredulous.
The story of James Watt's sensations when the driving-wheels of his
first rude engine began to revolve will never be told; the visions of
Robert Fulton, when he puffed up the Hudson, of the fleets of vessels
that would follow the faint track of his little vessel, can never be put
in print.
It is the purpose of this book to give, in a measure, the adventurous
side of invention. The trials and dangers of the builders of the
submarine; the triumphant thrill of the inventor who hears for the first
time the vibration of the long-distance message through the air; the
daring and tension of the engineer who drives a locomotive at one
hundred miles an hour.
The wonder of the mechanic is lost in the marvel of the machine; the
doer is overshadowed by the greatness of his achievement.
These are true stories of adventure in invention.
