Which sentence from the passage supports the idea that the "world is chiefly
indebted" to James Watt and George Stephenson for developing the steam
engine?
The Steam Engine
The idea of using steam for driving
early centuries. For long time,
stationary machinery originated in the
no one seemed to have thought of using
steam for
transportation purposes. In the earlier historical records, there
S
mention of "heat engines,
which were used for organ blowing, the turning
of
spits', and like purposes. But from this early date until
the 17th century,
practically no progress was made in the use of
steam. Though men had
experimented
with steam up
to this time with more or less success, the world
is chiefly indebted for the developed type of the steam
engine to
James Watt
and George
Stephenson.
James Watt, who secured the position as a maker of scientific instruments
in the University of Glasgow, proposed an idea for improving the existing
steam engine,
which was used for pumping mines.
For a long time, owing to a
lack of money, he had difficulty in establishing the
merits of his
improvements. Finally, he formed partnership with Matthew Boulton, a
wealthy and energetic man who lived at Birmingham, England. They began
the manufacture of steam engines at Birmingham, under the firm name of
Boulton and Watt. This partnership was very successful. Watt supplied the
inventions; Boulton furnished the money and attended to the
business.
Before the time of Watt, the steam engine was exclusively a steam pump-
slow and wasteful of fuel. Watt made it quick, powerful, and efficient
engine, requiring only a fourth as much fuel as before. Under his first patent,
the engine was still used only as a steam pump, but his later improvements
adapted it for driving stationary machinery of all kinds. The commercial
success of his engine was soon fully established.