HORNBLOWER, JONATHAN CARTER

born July 5, 1753, Chacewater, Cornwall, Eng. died March 1815, Penryn, Cornwall British inventor of the double-beat valve, the first reciprocating compound steam engine. Hornblower's invention, patented in 1781, was a steam engine with two cylinders, a significant contribution to efficiency. The firm of James Watt (Boulton & Watt) challenged his invention, claiming infringement of patent. With the decision against him, Hornblower lost the opportunity to further develop the compound engine, and the principle fell out of sight until it was rediscovered in 1804 by Arthur Woolf, of Great Britain. Hornblower patented other inventions, a rotative engine and a steam wheel, or steam engine, and amassed a fortune in engineering.