Free summaries
Engineering & Technology — page 11
497 public-domain engineering & technology books, summarised. Page 11 of 11.
Comparison of Methods of Sewage Purification
Theodore Clifford Phillips
This technical thesis provides a foundational look at the late-nineteenth-century struggle to manage urban waste, offering a snapshot of a turning point in sanitary engineering. It serves as a pragmatic guide to the evolving science of city hygiene.
Digital PDP15 Price List, April, 1970
Digital Equipment Corporation
This catalog serves as an archival blueprint of 1970s computing power, detailing the modular architecture and pricing structure of the PDP-15, a cornerstone machine of the minicomputer era.
Comparison of Woods for Butter Boxes
Grover Dean Turnbow
This technical bulletin investigates whether common California timber can replace costly, imported spruce in the manufacturing of butter shipping containers, aiming to stabilize costs for the state's dairy industry.
A brief sketch of the work of Matthew Fontaine Maury during the war, 1861-1865
Richard L. (Richard Lancelot) Maury
This account chronicles the development of naval mine warfare during the American Civil War, detailing how a displaced scientist transformed the conflict’s tactical landscape through clandestine invention and engineering.
IBM System 360 RPG Debugging Template and Keypunch Card
Anonymous
This technical guide functions as a precise architectural map for navigating the complex, rigid logic of IBM System 360 computing environments. It serves as an essential manual for translating human intent into machine-readable punched card data.
Practical Rules for the Management of a Locomotive Engine: in the Station, on the Road, and in cases of Accident
Charles Hutton Gregory
This technical manual serves as an essential guide for the early railway era, providing precise instructions for the safe operation and maintenance of steam locomotives in the station, on the track, and during emergencies.
Engineering Bulletin No 1: Boiler and Furnace Testing
Rufus T. (Rufus Tracy) Strohm
Simple tools, meticulous records, and basic arithmetic can transform an inefficient steam plant into a vital model of resource conservation.
A new discovery for finding the longitude
William Hobbs
A clockwork solution for finding longitude at sea, this proposal argues that by tracking mechanical behavior against meridian observations across various climates, a sailor can mathematically derive their position with precision.
Report of the Railway Department of the Board of Trade on the London, Worcester, and Wolverhampton, and on the Birmingham and Shrewsbury Districts
Great Britain. Board of Trade. Railway Department
This official government report documents a pivotal moment in British industrial history, when the expansion of the steam railway faced a critical impasse over technical standardization and corporate monopolies. It serves as a stark, authoritative lens into the logistical friction of the Victorian era.
Transactions of the American Society of Civil Engineers, Vol. LXX, Dec. 1910: Final Report of Special Committee on Rail Sections, Paper No. 1177
Various
Forged under the weight of expanding industrial networks, these technical deliberations capture a pivotal moment when standardizing steel composition became essential to preventing catastrophic railway accidents.
The Rural Motor Express: To Conserve Foodstuffs and Labor and to Supply Rural Transportation
United States. Council of National Defense. Highways Transport Committee
The Rural Motor Express offers a pragmatic 1918 blueprint for mobilizing automotive logistics to sustain a nation at war. It documents the pivot from horse-drawn farm transport toward centralized, motorized supply chains.
The Chester and Holyhead Railway and Its Prospects
William Morgan
This account examines the engineering marvels and commercial potential of the mid-nineteenth-century railway line linking London to the Irish coast. It serves as both a technical tribute and a vigorous financial defense of a monumental infrastructure project.
'Return Loads' to Increase Transport Resources by Avoiding Waste of Empty Vehicle Running
United States. Council of National Defense. Highways Transport Committee
A wartime government initiative outlines how civilian motor trucks can rescue a congested transportation system by carrying freight on their return journeys rather than traveling empty across the nation's roads.
Chambers's Edinburgh Journal, No. 451: Volume 18, New Series, August 21, 1852
Various
This collection of mid-Victorian journalism explores the rapid shifts of a changing world, from the competitive race for dominance on the high seas to the quiet, poignant struggles of individual lives.
Facts and Figures Concerning the Hoosac Tunnel
John J. Piper
Massachusetts faces economic decay unless it pierces the mountain barrier of the West, transforming an impossible tunnel project into a vital commercial necessity.
Report on the Plans of the Various Railways before the Examiners of the House of Commons, 1864, so far as relates to the Parish of Kensington
James Broadbridge
A detailed parliamentary proposal outlines competing nineteenth-century railway routes and new roadway designs intended to intersect and reshape the physical fabric of the London parish of Kensington.
Report of the Several Works Connected with the Draining, Paving & Lighting the Parish of Saint Mary Abbotts, Kensington, 1856
James Broadbridge
Under the authority of the Kensington vestry, Surveyor James Broadbridge chronicles the meticulous mid-century engineering campaign to drain, pave, and light the sprawling Victorian parish of Saint Mary Abbotts.