John Elder

On this day occurred the death in 1869 of John Elder, marine engineer and shipbuilder. Elder invented the compound steam engine in 1854 which, by using the same steam twice, reduced the coal consumption of steam ships and increased the payload.

Earlier in 1869, he had been unanimously elected as President of the Institute of Engineers and Ship Builders in Scotland. However, he died before he was able to attend his presentation. Scot clans

The Ocean by Nathaniel Hawthorne

The Ocean has its silent caves,
Deep, quiet, and alone;
Though there be fury on the waves,
Beneath them there is none.
The awful spirits of the deep
Hold their communion there;
And there are those for whom we weep,
The young, the bright, the fair.

Calmly the wearied seamen rest
Beneath their own blue sea.
The ocean solitudes are blest,
For there is purity.
The earth has guilt, the earth has care,
Unquiet are its graves;
But peaceful sleep is ever there,
Beneath the dark blue waves.

Nathaniel Hawthorne  (1804 – 1864)