Volatile Pressure

Told from the perspective of the machine that was defeated by man

I am a steam-powered drilling machine constructed for tunnel excavation. My operational purpose is to convert steam pressure into rotational drilling force, allowing rapid penetration of rock formations that would otherwise require manual hammering. I was transported to a railway tunnel construction site where my performance was scheduled to be compared against that of a human steel driver.
Before the test, operators increased my boiler pressure beyond standard working levels to maximize drilling speed. Coal input was raised, valves were opened wider, and the rotational rate of the drill head was set at peak output. My drill bit began cutting into the rock face at a continuous mechanical rate, producing uniform bore depth per unit time.
The competing worker used two steel hammers alternately to strike a drill held against the rock. The drilling method relied on repeated manual impact cycles rather than continuous rotation. Although the instantaneous penetration rate per strike was lower than the mechanical cutting rate, the strikes were maintained at a consistent rhythm for the duration of the contest.
As the trial continued, my operating temperature rose due to sustained high-pressure input. Bearings and moving joints experienced increased friction under the elevated load. Steam leakage developed around several fittings, reducing mechanical efficiency. The drill assembly eventually stalled due to overheating and mechanical strain, ending my operational run before the contest concluded.
Measurements taken at the tunnel face indicated that the manually driven bore advanced farther than the mechanically drilled bore at the time operations stopped. The result was recorded as a human victory over the steam drill in that specific performance trial.
Following repairs and pressure recalibration, I returned to standard excavation work at other sites. My function remained unchanged: sustained mechanical drilling under regulated steam conditions for large-scale tunnel construction.
Post-incident review:
Failure attributed to sustained operation above rated boiler pressure, resulting in thermal overload, bearing friction escalation, and rotational stall. Event demonstrates that mechanical output gains achieved through pressure overextension produce a non-linear increase in shutdown risk and do not yield reliable performance advantages under continuous load.
Field notation: unauthorized inscription observed.
“‘Defeated by the steel drivin’ man, born with a hammer in his hands.’ 10 July 1900AD”
Inscription codified into all subsequent models.