Author’s Note
192 Words
Author’s NoteThe demand for coal soared towards the end of the eighteenth century, especially after James Watt made his improved steam engine capable of driving other machines in 1781.
The development of the railways demanded not only coal to run the huge steam engines but also supplied coal to industrialists all over the country. The expansion of coal was dramatic – ten million tons mined in 1800, became forty million in 1870 and ninety-five million in 1913.
Other minerals rose in the same startling manner. In 1840 Britain produced three-quarters of the world’s output of copper, half the world’s lead and sixty per cent of its tin.
Queen Victoria and Prince Albert’s first journey by rail on 13th June 1842 gave Royal Approval to the ‘Age of Steam’ and in 1859 the Prince Consort opened the Cornwall Railway.
The Royal Railway carriage was very superior, being oblong, measuring about thirteen feet by seven feet, and constructed of the finest mahogany. Double panelled, it was stuffed with felt to lessen vibration and increase warmth. The interior was lined throughout with delicate blue satin wadded and tufted and the hangings over the windows were elegant draperies of blue and white tasselled satin.
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