Savery Steam Engines

Thomas Savery

By the end of the 17th century, the mine companies strongly needed new powerful pumps to extract water out of the mines. Many engineers managed to persuade prosperous company owners in favor of their projects, which were often unrealistic and unrealizable. The distrust in such engineers grew, and in 1702 Thomas Savery had serious problems when he published a script in which he described the advantages and the mode of operation of an engine that would transport water out of mines easier. He called his script The Miners Friend. His goal was not to make unrealistic promises. He wanted to explicate to people how his engine worked. Society would then decide whether or not his engine is worth building.