Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, "Destructors" to "Diameter" by Various

(11 User reviews)   6042
By Ronald Gonzalez Posted on Jan 11, 2026
In Category - Business
Various Various
English
Okay, hear me out. You know how you can get lost for hours clicking through Wikipedia? This is the 1911, leather-bound, pre-internet version of that. We're talking about a single volume of the legendary 11th Edition Britannica, covering entries from 'Destructors' to 'Diameter'. It's not a novel—it's a time capsule. One minute you're reading about military demolition tactics, and the next you're learning how ancient Egyptians measured circles. It’s wildly random, surprisingly opinionated, and full of knowledge that was cutting-edge right before World War I changed everything. It’s a fascinating browse for the endlessly curious.
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forced draught from fans or steam jet to a pressure of 1½ in. to 2 in. under grates by water-gauge. (h) Where a destructor is required to work without risk of nuisance to the neighbouring inhabitants, its efficiency as a refuse destructor plant must be primarily kept in view in designing the works, steam-raising being regarded as a secondary consideration. Boilers should not be placed immediately over a furnace so as to present a large cooling surface, whereby the temperature of the gases is reduced before the organic matter has been thoroughly burned. (i) Where steam-power and a high fuel efficiency are desired a large percentage of CO_{2} should be sought in the furnaces with as little excess of air as possible, and the flue gases should be utilized in heating the air-supply to the grates, and the feed-water to the boilers. (j) Ample boiler capacity and hot-water storage feed-tanks should be included in the design where steam-power is required. [Sidenote: Cost.] As to the initial cost of the erection of refuse destructors, few trustworthy data can be given. The outlay necessarily depends, amongst other things, upon the difficulty of preparing the site, upon the nature of the foundations required, the height of the chimney-shaft, the length of the inclined or approach roadway, and the varying prices of labour and materials in different localities. As an example may be mentioned the case of Bristol, where, in 1892, the total cost of constructing a 16-cell Fryer destructor was £11,418, of which £2909 was expended on foundations, and £1689 on the chimney-shaft; the cost of the destructor proper, buildings and approach road was therefore £6820, or about £426 per cell. The cost per ton of burning refuse in destructors depends mainly upon--(a) The price of labour in the locality, and the number of "shifts" or changes of workmen per day; (b) the type of furnace adopted; (c) the nature of the material to be consumed; (d) the interest on and repayment of capital outlay. The cost of burning ton for ton consumed, in high-temperature furnaces, including labour and repairs, is not greater than in slow-combustion destructors. The average cost of burning refuse at twenty-four different towns throughout England, exclusive of interest on the cost of the works, is 1s. 1½d. per ton burned; the minimum cost is 6d. per ton at Bradford, and the maximum cost 2s. 10d. per ton at Battersea. At Shoreditch the cost per ton for the year ending on the 25th of March 1899, including labour, supervision, stores, repairs, &c. (but exclusive of interest on cost of works), was 2s. 6.9d. The quantity of refuse burned per cell per day of 24 hours varies from about 4 tons up to 20 tons. The ordinary low-temperature destructor, with 25 sq. ft. grate area, burns about 20 lb. of refuse per square foot of grate area per hour, or between 5 and 6 tons per cell per 24 hours. The Meldrum destructor furnaces at Rochdale burn as much as 66 lb. per square foot of grate area per hour, and the Beaman and Deas destructor at Llandudno 71.7 lb. per square foot per hour. The amount, however, always depends materially on the care observed in stoking, the nature of the material, the frequency of removal of clinker, and on the question whether the whole of the refuse passed into the furnace is thoroughly cremated. [Sidenote: Residues:] The amount of residue in the shape of clinker and fine ash varies from 22 to 37% of the bulk dealt with. From 25 to 30% is a very usual amount. At Shoreditch, where...

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This isn't a book with a plot in the traditional sense. It's a slice of the monumental Encyclopaedia Britannica's 11th Edition, often called its greatest. The 'story' here is the journey of human knowledge as it stood in 1911. You open it to any page and are instantly transported. The entries are written with a confident, almost literary voice by experts of the day.

The Story

Think of it as the ultimate non-linear narrative. You might start with Destructors (detailing explosives and siege warfare), hop over to Deucalion (the Greek flood myth), dive into Devonian geology, and land at Diameter with a full mathematical explanation. There's no main character except the early 20th-century mind itself—brimming with certainty, colonial perspective, and awe for the natural world and engineering.

Why You Should Read It

I love this because it’s history unfiltered. You see what people valued, how they explained the world, and what they got wildly wrong or brilliantly right. The writing has personality! It’s not dry. You can feel the authors' passions and biases. It’s a reminder that 'facts' are shaped by their time. Browsing this volume feels like having a conversation with a very smart, slightly old-fashioned professor.

Final Verdict

Perfect for history buffs, trivia lovers, and anyone who enjoys the serendipity of old reference books. It’s not for someone seeking a straight narrative. But if you like the idea of a literary scavenger hunt through a world on the brink of massive change, you'll find it utterly absorbing. Keep it on your desk for occasional, brilliant dips into the past.



🔓 Community Domain

There are no legal restrictions on this material. Knowledge should be free and accessible.

Amanda Sanchez
2 years ago

Having read this twice, the clarity of the writing makes this accessible. I couldn't put it down.

Margaret Wilson
1 year ago

After finishing this book, the narrative structure is incredibly compelling. A valuable addition to my collection.

Brian Allen
3 months ago

Read this on my tablet, looks great.

Oliver Wilson
1 year ago

Used this for my thesis, incredibly useful.

Joseph Taylor
4 months ago

Citation worthy content.

4.5
4.5 out of 5 (11 User reviews )

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