‘Adelaide’ steam-ship, built under Mr. Brunel’s directions, 290
Admiralty, Mr. Brunel’s connection with the, respecting the screw propeller, 283.
Communication with the, on floating gun-carriage, 459
Airy, G. B., Astronomer Royal, member of the Gauge Commission, 117.
Correspondence with Mr. Brunel on astronomical observations for the ‘Great Eastern,’ 321
Angarrack, viaduct at, 189
‘Archimedes’ steamer, the screw propeller used in the, 253.
Experiments made in the, 254
Armstrong, Sir W. G.
His hydraulic machinery at Paddington station, 85 note.¹
Engaged with Mr. Brunel on gunnery investigations, 452.
Letter to, 454, 461
Atlantic cable expeditions of the ‘Great Eastern,’ 412.
Loss of the first cable, 412.
A second one laid, and the first recovered, 413.
The French cable of 1869, 413
Atmospheric system of propulsion on railways, 131.
Description of this method of traction, 134.
History of its introduction prior to 1844, 136.
Mr. Brunel’s views respecting it, 137.
His report recommending its adoption on the South Devon Railway, 138.
Grounds of his recommendation, 142.
Select Committee on, 144.
Working of the system, 153.
Imperfections of engines, 154, and longitudinal valve, 157.
Mr. Brunel’s report on the failure of the Atmospheric apparatus, 159.
Abandonment of the system, 164
Australian Mail Company, Mr. Brunel appointed engineer of the, 290

Barlow, Professor P., member of the Gauge Commission, 117
Barlow, W. H., 57
Bath, station at, 84
Bath, bridges at, 175, 179
Bathford, bridge at, 175
Beamish, Richard, his account of Sir Isambard Brunel’s block machinery at Portsmouth, quoted, 3.
Joins the Thames Tunnel works, 21
Bennett, Joseph, Mr. Brunel’s secretary, 92
Berks and Hants Railway, 88
Birmingham and Oxford Junction Railway, 90
Birmingham, Great Western extension to, 124
Birth of Mr. Brunel, 1
Blake, H. W., consulted by Mr. Brunel on the ‘Great Eastern,’ 297
Block machinery at Portsmouth, Sir Isambard Brunel’s, 2
Bourbon, Ile de, Sir Isambard Brunel’s suspension bridges for the, 5.
Description of them, 40
Bourne viaduct, 181
Box Tunnel, 70 note¹, 72, 81.
Criticism as to its safety, 81.
Letter from Mr. Brunel on the, 81
Bremner, A., 263, 280
Brentford, dock at, 440
Brentford, extension of the Great Western Railway to, 86
Brereton, Robert Pearson, chief of Mr. Brunel’s engineering staff, 92, 210, 215 note¹, 217 note¹, 223, 225, 437, 438 note¹
Brickwork, use of, 59.
Bridges in, 172
Bridges, suspension, Sir Isambard Brunel’s: in the Ile de Bourbon, 5, 40; designs for the Serpentine, and for the Thames at Kingston, 5.
Mr. Brunel’s: at Clifton, 46; Charing Cross, 59
Bridges, railway, 171.
1. Brickwork and masonry bridges, 172.
Flying bridges, 176.
Skew bridges, 177.
Letter from Mr. Brunel on bridge construction, 178.
2. Timber bridges and viaducts, 179.
3. Cast-iron bridges, 190.
4. Wrought-iron bridges, 192.
Girder bridges, 193.
Opening bridges, 195.
Trussed bridges, 199.
Extracts from letters on bridges of large span, 212 note¹.
Experiments on matters connected with bridge construction, 227
Bristol, Mr. Brunel’s early connection with, 58, 64.
Station at, 84.
Bridges at, 175, 195.
Floating Harbour, 422.
Proposed improvement of the port, 426.
New lock at, 427
Bristol and Exeter Railway, 86
Bristol and Gloucester Railway, 90
Bristol and South Wales Union Railway, 90
Briton Ferry Docks, 437
Broad Gauge. See Gauge
Brunel, Sir Marc Isambard, birth of, 2.
Arrives in England, 2.
Marries Miss Sophia Kingdom, 2.
Designs the Block machinery at Portsmouth, 2.
Veneering machinery, 5.
Shoe machinery, 5.
Designs suspension bridges for the Ile de Bourbon, 5, 40.
Experiments on carbonic acid gas, 5, 42.
Proposes the Thames Tunnel, 5.
Extracts from his Journal relating to the Rotherhithe shaft, 10.
Extracts from his Journal relating to the works at the Thames Tunnel up to January 1828, 16.
His death, 39.
Hoop iron introduced by, in brickwork, 177.
Designed a large timber bridge to cross the Neva, 211 note²
Bullo Pill opening bridge, 197

Caermarthen, opening bridge at, 198
Carbonic acid gas, experiments on, by Sir Isambard Brunel and Mr. Brunel, 5, 42
Cast-iron bridges, 190.
Mr. Brunel’s views as to the use of cast iron in bridge construction, 190, 192
Cheltenham and Great Western Union Railway, 88
Chepstow bridge, 203.
Mode of forming piers, 203.
Description of superstructure, 206.
Floating and erection, 209
Clarke, Seymour, 117
Claxton, Captain, 57.
Assists Mr. Brunel at the floating of the Chepstow bridge, 210.
And the Saltash bridge, 222.
Appointed Managing Director of the Great Western Steam-Ship Company, 234, 242, 247.
Letter to, from Mr. Brunel, on the ‘Great Britain,’ 264.
Goes to Dundrum to carry out Mr. Brunel’s plans for the protection of the ‘Great Britain,’ 272.
Letter to, from Mr. Brunel, on the breakwater, 272.
Report of, on breakwater, 274.
Superintends floating of the ‘Great Britain,’ 280.
Consulted by Mr. Brunel on the ‘Great Eastern,’ 291, 297.
Floating Harbour, Bristol, 424
Clifton Suspension Bridge, origin of the, 47.
Mr. Brunel’s designs, 47.
Rejected by Mr. Telford, 51.
Mr. Telford’s own design, 52.
Second competition, 52.
Mr. Brunel successful, and appointed engineer, 53.
The site described, 54.
Description of the design, 55.
Architectural features, 56.
Commencement of the work, 56.
Completed, 57
Coles, Captain Cowper, 461
Construction of works, letter on, 178
Continuous girders, 208
Cork and Youghal Railway, 91
Cornwall Railway, 87.
Viaducts on, 185
Crystal Palace at Sydenham, water-towers of the, 448
Cylinders, of Chepstow bridge, method of sinking the, 204.
The great cylinder of the Royal Albert Bridge, 214

Dalkey Railway, Atmospheric System on, 131
Dartmouth and Torbay Railway, 87
Death of Mr. Brunel, 520
Dock and pier works:
Monkwearmouth, 418;
Bristol, 422;
Plymouth, 433;
Briton Ferry, 437;
Brentford, 440;
Neyland, 443
Draught, Mr. Brunel’s paper on, 101 note¹
Dublin, railway to Wicklow from, 91
Dundrum Bay, stranding of the ‘Great Britain’ in, 263

Early life of Mr. Brunel.
He goes to school at Chelsea, 4; at Brighton, 4; at Paris, 5.
Employed in his father’s office, 5.
Engaged at the Thames Tunnel, 6.
References by Sir I. Brunel to his exertions, 17, 19, 21, 22, 25, 33.
Appointed resident engineer, 25 note¹.
First irruption of the river, 29.
Second irruption, 35.
Accident, 36.
Visit to Plymouth, 46
Eastern Bengal Railway, 91, 195, 517
Eastern Counties Railway, gauge adopted on the, 105
Eastern Steam Navigation Company, formation of the, 291.
See ‘Great Eastern’
Egypt, visit to, 517
Electric telegraph, application of the, in connection with railways, 155
Engineer, Mr. Brunel’s view of the position of, 475.
Of joint-engineer, 476.
Of consulting engineer, 477.
Of the position of the engineer in relation to the contractors, 477.
To the Directors, 478.
Remarks on interference of Directors with assistant engineers, 481.
On State control over engineering works, 486
Experiments:
Strength of timber, 182, 227.
Cast-iron girders, 190, 191.
Wrought-iron girder, 193.
Riveting, 194, 228.
Continuous beams, 209, 229.
Bridge construction, 227.
Ropes and chains, 228.
Friction, 348, 368, 385

Faraday, M., his experiments on the liquefaction of gases, 42.
Consulted by Mr. Brunel on the Kyanising process, 189
Field, Cyrus, 411, 414
Field, J., consulted by Mr. Brunel on the ‘Great Eastern,’ 297
Floating gun-carriage, 454
Floating harbour at Bristol, 422
Floating pier, proposed at Portishead, 426.
In Mill Bay, 436
Florence and Pistoja Railway, 91
Flying bridges, 176
Ford, Captain Robert, consulted by Mr. Brunel on the ‘Great Eastern,’ 297
Friction, experiments and observations on, 348, 368, 385
Froude, W., letter to, describing floating of the ‘Great Eastern,’ 389

Gathampton, bridge at, 174
Genoa, Novi, and Alessandria Railway, 91
Gauge of railways, difference between the broad and narrow, 99.
Origin of the ordinary gauge, 99.
Adoption of the broad gauge on the Great Western Railway, 101, 106.
Reasons for its adoption, 102.
Attacks on, 106.
Reports of Mr. Wood and Mr. Hawkshaw on, 107.
Report by Mr. Brunel on, 107.
Northern extension, 116.
Inconveniences of a break of gauge, 116.
Royal Commission on the gauge question, 117.
Report of the Commissioners, 117.
‘Observations on the Report,’ 119.
Report of the Board of Trade, 122.
Act for regulating gauge, 122.
The mixed gauge, 124.
Summary of the advantages of the broad gauge, 127.
Partial abandonment of the broad gauge, 127, 129.
Report on the broad gauge, 525
Gilbert, Davies, appointed referee in the second competition for the Clifton Suspension Bridge, 52.
Recommends Mr. Brunel’s design, 53
Girder bridges, 193
Glennie, W., 215 note¹
Gloucester, opening bridges near, 196
Gloucester and Dean Forest Railway, 88
Gooch, Sir Daniel, 117, 119.
Experiments by, 125
Gravatt, William, an assistant engineer at the Thames Tunnel, 26
‘Great Britain’ steam-ship, commencement of the, 247.
Report on the engines, 249.
Adoption of the screw propeller, 254.
Principal features of her design, 255.
Arrives in the Thames, 261.
Her voyages, 262.
Stranded in Dundrum Bay, 263.
Letter from Mr. Brunel on the subject, 264.
His reports to the Directors, 267, 273.
Construction of breakwater, 274.
Floating of the ship, 280.
Her subsequent history, 282.
Dimensions of ship and engines, 282
‘Great Eastern’ steam-ship, origin of the project, 291.
Memorandum by Mr. Brunel to the Directors of the Eastern Steam Navigation Company, 292.
He is appointed engineer, 293.
Letter on the form and dimensions of the ship, 294.
Report on mode of proceeding, 296.
On enquiries relating to the draught and form of the vessel, 297.
On the dimensions, 299.
Tenders invited, 300.
Report on tenders, 301.
Commencement of the work, 304.
Extracts from Mr. Brunel’s memoranda, 304, 310.
Letters on his position as engineer, 311.
Report describing the ship, 315.
Letter to the Astronomer Royal, 321.
The observers’ department in the ship, 322.
Captain Harrison appointed to the command, 323.
Memorandum on the management of the ship, 324.
Letter on the duties of chief engineer, 335.
Suspension and resumption of the works, 339.
Reasons for launching the ship broadside to the river, 340.
Adoption of iron sliding-surfaces, 343.
The ways and cradles, 345.
Motive power, 348.
Checking gear, 351.
River tackle, 352.
Letter to Captain Harrison on the river tackle, 354.
Letter to the Directors respecting the operation of launching, 355.
Memorandum of arrangements and intended mode of proceeding, 356.
Particular instructions, 358.
Final preparations, 359.
Commencement of the launch, 360.
Accident at one of the drums, 361.
Failure of the first attempt, 362.
Second attempt, 364.
Report on operations, 366.
Progress of the launch, 368.
Suspension of operations, 376.
Report and memorandum, 377.
Re-commencement, 379.
Floating of the ship, 382.
Experiments and observations on friction, 385.
Letter to Mr. W. Froude, describing the floating, 389.
Formation of the Great Ship Company, 393.
Progress of the works to Mr. Brunel’s last illness, 393.
Completion of the ship, 393.
Voyage to Weymouth, 393.
Explosion of water-heater, 393.
Storm at Holyhead, 395.
Description of the ship, 396.
Her first voyages to New York, 403.
To Quebec, with troops, 404.
Accident to rudder, and loss of paddlewheels, 405.
Voyages in 1862, 407.
Accident off Montauk Point, 407.
Formation of Great Eastern Steam-Ship Company, 409.
Remarks on performance of ship, 409.
Employed in laying Atlantic cables, 412.
The Indian cable, 414.
Dimensions of ship and engines, 416
Great Exhibition of 1851, Mr. Brunel’s opinion respecting prizes to exhibitors, 445.
His part in the work of the Building Committee, 446.
Supports Sir Joseph Paxton’s design, 447
Great Western Hotel, 86
Great Western Railway, origin of the, 63.
Mr. Brunel appointed engineer, 64.
Survey of the country, 65.
Bill for a line from London to Reading, and Bath to Bristol, read a second time, and referred to a committee, 66.
Opposition to the Bill, 67.
Plan of entering London, 68.
Mr. Brunel’s cross-examination, 69.
The Bill passed by the Commons, but thrown out in the Lords, 70.
A Bill for the whole line introduced, read a second time, and committed, 71.
Evidence taken before the Commons’ Committee, 72.
Evidence before the Lords’ Committee, 73.
The Bill receives the Royal Assent, 74.
Construction of the line, 80.
Opening from London to Bristol, 80.
Levels and inclines, 80, 104.
The Box Tunnel, 81.
The Bath and Bristol stations, 84.
Paddington station, 84.
Branches and extensions of the railway, 86, 88, 90.
Adoption of the broad gauge, 106.
The permanent way, 108, 111.
Meeting of shareholders on broad gauge, 111.
Extension of the Great Western system, 116
‘Great Western’ steam-ship, formation of the company, 233.
Details of the construction of the vessel, 234 note².
Report on the selection of the builders of the engines, 235.
Controversy with Dr. Lardner, 237.
Launch of the vessel, and voyage to London, 241.
Return to Bristol, 242.
Fire on board, and accident to Mr. Brunel, 242.
First voyage to New York, 243.
Subsequent history, 244.
Dimensions of ship and engines, 245
Gunnery experiments, 452
Guppy, T. R., 148, 233, 234, 247, 253, 254.
Letter to, on iron-ship building, 259

Hammond, J. W., 65, 92
Hanwell, bridge at, destroyed by fire, 190
Hanwell viaduct, 172
Harrison, Captain, 223.
Appointed commander of the ‘Great Eastern,’ 323.
Letter to, on the river tackle, 354.
At the launch, 362, 370, 382, 392
Haverfordwest, opening bridge at, 198
Hawkshaw, J., 57.
Report on broad gauge and permanent way, 107
Henley branch of the Great Western Railway, 86
Hungerford Suspension Bridge, 57, 59

India, railway works in, 91
Indian Cable expedition of the ‘Great Eastern,’ 414
Institution of Civil Engineers, 516 note², 521
Inventors, communications with, 485
Ireland, railway works in, 90
Italy, Mr. Brunel’s railway works in, 91, 510
Ivybridge viaduct, 182

Kennet, bridge over the river, 175
Kidwelly, opening bridge at, 198
Kyanising process, 189, 421

Landore, viaduct at, 183
Lane, Michael, 29
Lardner, Dr., 114 note¹.
Opinions respecting ocean steam navigation, 237
Llansamlet, flying arches near, 176