NAME: LUISA PABLIANA ULLOA CARRASCO 4TH SEMESTER

THE ADVENTURE OF THE ENGINEER S THUMB

Sir Arthur Conan Doyle was doctor, novelist and writer of detective novels. He
was the creator of detective Sherlock Holmes and he found fame writing
stories about this detective. He was a prolific writer who also wrote science
fiction, plays, romances, poetry, science fiction, non-fiction, and in an effort to
get away from writing about Holmes and concentrate on other projects, he
famously killed the character in 1893's story "The Final Problem." Holmes
fans were so outraged that Doyle brought him back.
All told, Doyle wrote the beloved character into 56 short stories and four
novels. The best stories of Doyle are A study in Scarlet, The Hound of
Baskerville, The sign of the four and The adventures of Sherlock Holmes.
Thanks his literary versatility, he had success with his novels and stories, also
many authors since have continued his adventures.
Other famous story is The adventure of the engineers thumb, this story
happened in the summer of 1889, since Dr. Watson was married and he
abandoned Holmes. He decided to return to civil practice, his practices had
steadily increased, and as he lived near Paddington Station, he got a few
patients from among the officials.
One of cases brought to the attention of him and Holmes, it was of a young
hydraulic engineer Mr. Victor Hatherley, who told him the strange event of the
night before. After Dr. Watson cured where his engineers thumb has been
and was cut off. Subsequently the doctor introduced engineer with Sherlock
Holmes. Mr. Hatherley told us his experience; he had visited in his office by
suspicious man who identified himself as Colonel Lysander Stark. This
Colonel offered Hatherley a job outside of city, this consist examine a
hydraulic press used, as Colonel explains, to compress fullers earth into
brick, and Mr. Hatherley will receive a good amount of money, but Colonel
warned engineer, that was illegal job and he did not say nothing anybody.
Hatherley felt compelled to take this work, despite his misgiving, he took the
last train; he met with Colonel and driven a considerable distance to the
house where he is to render his services. He is still under the spell of the 50
guineas and does not become afraid even when a woman at the house warns
him to flee. He is presently shown the press, and makes his recommendations
as to needed repairs. Then, he rashly decides to inspect the press a bit more
closely, discovering that it is certainly not used for pressing fuller's earth.
Hatherley narrowly escapes getting crushed to death when the machine is
turned on, and is forced to run for his life, culminating in him getting his thumb
severed. Holmes then makes sense of the happenings, recognizing Stark and
his allies as counterfeiters, but he, Watson, and the police arrive too late: the

NAME: LUISA PABLIANA ULLOA CARRASCO 4TH SEMESTER

house is on fire, and the perpetrators have fled. Ironically, the press was
destroyed when Hatherley's lamp was crushed inside it, setting the machine
on fire and ruining the criminals' operation.
The adventure engineers thumb is a fabulous story, where the writer Doyle
makes good use of literary versatility, he transport us other times and contexts
with this story; despite being a short story, mentions several places where the
events occurred. Writing the story is written narrative form, and destine for a
wide audience. Readers can play the role like a real detective. Finally, I think
is a good story to start the habit and pleasure of reading.