The Sun.
London, England, 1853-02-17 00:00:00

THE CALORIC ENGINE.

At a meeting of the Institution of Civil Engineers, on
Tuesday, James Meadows Rendel, Esq., president, in
the chair, the paper read was " On the use of Heated
Air as a Motive Power," by Mr. Benjamin Che-
verton.

The author, in a short historical notice, stated that
Sir George Cayley had written on the subject in 1804
and 1807, and had subsequently built several engines ;
but that the Messrs. Stirling, of Scotland, produced the
first really efficient engine, working by means of heated
air, in the year 1827. In the same year Messrs. Par-
kinson and Crosley brought forward their air engine ;
that Mr. Ericsson, following more closely the arrange-
ments and form of the ordinary steam engine, con-
structed an air or a " caloric engine," as it was termed,
in 1833. Messrs. Stirling patented further improve-
ments in 1840, and in 1845 their engine was described
to and discussed at the Institution of Civil Engineers.
In 1851 Mr. Ericsson brought forward his present form
of engine, and that the principle acted upon in both
these latter inventions, and announced as an important
discovery in motive mechanics, was the reiterated use of
the same caloric in the production of power. The me-
chanical means of realising this idea were described, and
it appeared that in both inventions they were substan-
tially identical. The ejected hot air, by being brought
into contact with an extensive metallic surface of wire
gauze, was deprived of its heat, which the next moment
was imported to the incoming cold air, and thus the
ultimate use of the furnace was only to supply the un-
avoidable waste of caloric by radiation.
This view of the subject was strongly contested, as
being inconsistent with the best established laws of na-
ture, and as involving the idea of the possibility of the
creation of power. It was argued at some length, that
the employment of caloric as a motive agent consisted
in the development, from molecular forces, of a dynamic
force, and as such was directly amenable to the third law
of motion—that of action and reaction being equal and
opposite. It was contended that sensible caloric was
not an indication of the presence, but of the abeyance of
mechanical action; that these were interchangeable con-
vertible quantities ; and, consequently, that a working
force could appear only as heat disappeared—a conclusion
entirely opposed to the assumed principle of the " caloric
engine," that " caloric could be made to operate over
and over again." It was admitted, however, that there
was an apparent anomaly in the application of the law
of action and reaction when caloric was in question, in
the fact that its quantity was not less after than before
the generation of steam power, if it were estimated
conjointly by water and temperature. But it was ex-
plained that a cause might have two classes of effects,
and might require two distinct and different mea-
sures, to indicate its entire efficiency ; that while
caloric might remain intact, under the aspect ad-
verted to, it lost by a declination in the intensity of
temperature for which the equivalent gain was a dynamic
force—a conclusion as adverse as before to the idea
that such force could be acquired without cost. It
was, in short, in the aspect of a vis viva " force" in
caloric that the development of mechanical action must
be considered. These views were further explained and
illustrated by a reference to the analogous difference be-
tween momentum and the more practical modification
of power, named by Smeaton and Watt " mechanical
power," " work," and " duty ;" and it was shown that
here also an apparent discrepancy existed in relation to
the third law of motion, but which was cleared up when
both the measures of power—that by time and that by
space—were appropriately used.
It was contended that the " caloric engine" was
analogous to a non-expansive high-pressure steam-en-
gine, which it could exceed in wastefulness of heat, if
it were not provided with what its inventor improperly
termed a " regenerator," the office of which, it was in-
sisted, was simply to absorb the unutilised sensible
caloric of the escaping air, which, as compared with
steam, was in very large proportion to the efficient calo-
-1 ric ; and to afford another opportunity of its being con-
verted into force, thus compensating for the loss of
expansive pressure. An explanation, founded on these
considerations, was given of the continued action of the
engine for some time after the fire was withdrawn—a
fact which had been advanced in support of what was
styled the untenable hypothesis of a " regenerator of
force."
Although the mechanical effect of heat might be proved
to be independent of the chemical condition, if not also
of the physical constitution of bodies, it was admitted
that economy of fuel, as being a distinct question from
that of economising the caloric already in possession, was
eminently a practical matter, only to be determined by
experiment ; and in this point of view it was explained
in what manner the reception of heat, at a much higher
temperature than steam, was greatly in favour of air as
a motive agent ; but, on the other hand, many adverse

tegral part of Stirling's original design. 'nit plwticai
difficulties of the immense dimensions of the heating
sels and cylinders, and the:Kapid destruction of thelni 1.5
tallic parts were fully considered ; and it was admitted
that, although at present there did not appear to be_ any
positive recorded results,..more advantageous than by the
use of steam, it won't be wrong to discourage the at-
tempt to use heated aft, and to overcome the inherent
difficulties of the syst&n.
Allusion was ma€l,6 to the appendix, to a tract, pub-
lished by Mr. A. G 4 on, wherein it was shown, that
the volume of the gases into which one cubic foot of ari-
thracite coal was decomposed, under atmospheric pressure,
was 219,250 cubic feet, that the volume of air required
to sustain combustion was 14,273 feet ; the mechanical
power developed was 473,000,0001b5., raised one foot.
It was proposed by Mr. Maxwell Lefroy to pass these
gases through water, in order to purify them from grit,
&c., and to cool them to a convenient temperature, and
then to use them together with steam, in power cylin-
ders. He proposed a system of' co-axial cylinders, of
' which the central one was the furnace, the two next
were cylindrical shell boilers, the water in the inner one
of which completely covered the surface of the furnace
—that in the outer one having its furnace always below
the insertion of the gas pipes in the furnace ; the exterior
shells being for the purpose of gradually heating the air
in its passage to the furnace, so that the exterior shell,
which alone sustained the bursting pressure, was always
cool.

About one-seventeenth part of the power produced
would be expended in forcing in the air required to sus-
tain the combustion of the fuel. .The coal hopper was
co-axial with the furnace, and was kept cool by the
supply water, descending through its hollow shell into
the interior.

The system would be one of high pressure, and some
of its advantages were assumed to be, the absence of a
funnel, saving three-fourths of thefuel, sairety from
explosion, with economy of first cost, space, and labour.
The discussion of the paper was adjourned until the
meeting of Tuesday, Feb. 22, when it was anw.ounced
that the whole of the evening would be devoted to the
subject.

LOSS OF THE QUEEN VICTORIA AND NEARLY
EIGHTY LIVES.

DUBLIN. FEB. 16.
It is with feelings of the deepest regret that we have
to announce one of the most disastrous shipwrecks that
has for many years occurred on the coastofld prelaanioid—ui
Ireland—
the intelligence of which produced
our
fellow-citizens a deep and
sensation amongst all classes of
yes-
terday—and which, from thenumber of lives lost, and
the melancholy circumstances
attendant on the catas-
trophe, occurring as
almost at our own doors, is
only exceeded by the burning of the Amazon, and the
more recent destruction of the Birkenhead.
The particulars, as far as we have been able to ascer-
tain them, of thin' deplorable catastrophe, are as follow—
The Queen Victoria started from Liverpool for Dublin at
half-past 3 o'clock on Monday afternoon, having a general
cargo and about 120 human beings on board—about 12
cabin and the rest steerage passengers; the latter in-
cluded a number of'cattle-dealers who were returning
from England after having disposed'of their stock. The
Queen Victoria was a first-class vessel, and some years
ago bad been employed in carrying the mails between
Kingstown and Liverpool. She was commanded by
Capt. Church, an officer of great experience, high in the
confidence of his employers, and upwards of 20 years in.
the service.
Prom the moment the vessel left the dock at Liver-
pool up to half-past one o'clock yesterday morning all
went well ; the wind was N.E., the weather favourable,
and she was making as rapid and easy passage, but about
that hour some heavy falls of snow took place, which
retarded her progress a little. No material abatement,
however,' took place in her speed, and about two o'clock
the first mate and some of the passengers perceived the
Kish Light. An anxious look-out was kept for .the
Bailey Light, and, we understand, that for a feii minutes
they did see it, but the snow coming down in a heavy,
dense, impenetrable cloud, completely shut out the view.
Under these circumstances the coursewas to have slackened
speed, and whether this was effected to any extent or not
we are at present without any distinct or satisfactory in-
formation, some asserting that the vessel continued to
go at full speed, and others that her " way" had been
considerably retarded. However this may be, it is un-
fortunately but too clear that the land was hugged too
closely, and the first intimation those who happened to
be on deck had of their impending danger was a hurried
and agitated cry from the first mate to stop the vessel.
The mate, who was on the look-out at the starboard bow,
Was horrified to perceive looming dimly through the
snow cloud, at a distance of not more than twenty yards,
the dark andrugged cliffs of Howth, a little to the north
of the Bailey Light. He immediately gave the order to
stop, bat it was too late, and the next instant the doomed
vessel went headlong upon the rock with a fearful and
appalling crash. The captain was instantly upon deck,.
and gave orders to reverse the engines ; this was done,
and the vessel, being released from the rocks, backed
out into deep water, when, finding that, she was
rapidly sinking, the captain attempted to run her
ashore. In the meantime, a scene of the most
melancholy and heartrending description ensued.
The cabin passengers were, of course, in bee,, and
being awakened by the shock of the collision, rushed
half dressed, and some almost in a state of nudity upon,
the deck, when, to their horror, they found the ship fast
going down. The steerage passengers, affrighted and
dismayed, were running in wild confusion about the
deck, vainly seeking for some mode of escape—husbands
were looking for their wives, wives were clinging to their
husbands, and mothers, clasping their helpless children
to their breasts, were uttering impassioned prayers to
heaven for succour and for mercy. The dark waves dash-
ing round the vessel, the snow falling in thick masses,
" making darkness visible," the supplications for help,the
frenzied shrieks of despair, and the fearful confusion that
prevailed on board the unfortunate ship, all combined to
constitute a scene of the most agonising and appalling cha-
racter—enough to unnerve the stoutest heart—and which
will ever remain engraven upon the memories ofthose who
were fortunate enough to survive it. The captain,the first
mate, and the other officers, preserved their presence of
min d, and endeavoured to keep order, so that the passengers
and crew might have a better opportunity of effecting
their escape ; but such was the alarm and excitement,
and so short the period that elapsed between the collision
and the final destruction of the vessel, that their efforts
proved quite unavailing. The confusion increased every
moment, the cries for assistance became louder and
louder, and a general rush was made to the ship's boats.
The starboard quarter boat was immediately filled by
a number of the wretched passengers, but in the hurry
and confusion of the moment proper care was not taken
to secure the ropes, and the great weight caused the boat
to slip from her davits into the sea, when she instantly
swamped, and all in her perished. The larboard guar
ter boat was then lowered, fortunately with more suc-
cess. It contained seventeen persons, including Mr.
Duffy, Queen's-squre, Mr. Walsh, of Athy, Kildare,
and Mr. Charles Ralph, shipowner, of Wicklow, of
whose humane and courageous conduct we cannot speak
too highly. On reaching the water, however, it was
found the boat was leaking fast, and must have gone
down in a short time, were it not for the coolness and
presence of mind of a young lad, who, having searched
with his hand, found that the plug-hole was open, and
immediately thrust his fingers into it. At this time the
boat was almost immediately under the side of the sink-
ing ship, the bulwarks of which were crowded with the
paissengers, whom the captain was seen endeavouring to
9-aiet and pacify. Some of them, however, leaped into
the sea, and were instantly drowned, Mr. Walsh, wham
we have mentioned as being in the boat, saw his wife
clinging to some of the woodwork of the vessel, and
called upon her to leap down, but Mr. Ralph cried out,
" For God's sake don't jump down, or you will surely be
drowned—hold on, and we will return for you in a few
minutes." They had no idea at that moment that the
vessel was so near her final destruction, but in a few
minutes afterwards she went down bodily, bow foremost,
and the unfortunate lady, and nearly all who remained
on board were lost.
Up to the very latest moment the captain was seen
upon the- deck, endeavouring to calm the agitation of the
Pas sengers, and to direct their exertions into the proper
channel for the preservation of their lives ; and it is sup-
p osed that when the vessel took her final plunge he went
down with her, together with the first and second mates,
who clung to their ship to the last. In the meantime
the boat, which could not hold another person, shoved
off ; the water was baled out with a hat, and Mr. Ralph
and a young man-of-war's-man, named Kegg, being the
only persons that could row, seized the oars, and after
severe exertion, ultimately succeeded in landing 14 per-
sons on the rock about half-a-mile below the wreck. Un-
deterred by the danger of the enterprise, and intent only
on saving as many lives as possible, Ralph, • Kegg, and
the young lad who still continued to stop the plug-hole
with his finger rowed back to the scene of the disaster,
when they found the Queen Victoria had gone down, her
masts alone being visible above the water. 12 or 14 per-
sons were clinging to those with all the tenacity of despair.
Ralph and his companions took five off the foremast,
and were proceeding to relieve those upon the mainmast
from their perilous position, when the steward of the
Queen Victoria, who was one of them, cried out,
" Don't mind us, my dear fellow—the boats of the Ros-
common will pick us up." On turning round, Ralph
perceived at a short distance the Roscommon steamer,
the boats of which had already picked up several persons,
and were proceeding as fast as possible to render further
assistance. It appears that the Roscommon, chartered
by the Chester and Holyhead Railway Company, was
proceeding from Dublin to Holyhead with a general
cargo, when the Commander, Captain Brown, observed
fon': red lights in the direction of the Bailey Lighthouse.
This being rather unusual, he conferred, with his
mnate, Mr. Davis, on the subject, and at length re-
solved to make for the light. They soon arrived at
the wreck, and the snow having by this time ceased,
they at once perceived what had happened. The boats
of the Roscommon were lowered without delay, and
proceeded to the wreck, where they took off the men
who
wimeerere clinging to the mainmast,. and rescued others
then struggling in the water. A. little child
was picked up, its bod t warns, anthe si of life
faintly visible, all efforts to restore animationfailed.
Mr. Ralph, and those whom herehadrseaved andlanded
on the rocks, Were also picked up by the Roscomme'
uf
osn`s.
boats, and the greatest attention was shown to th
ferers on board. that vessel All of them had suffered
intensely from the wet, cold, and fatigue which they
endured, and many were reduced to the lowest state of
mental and physical prostration. About 45 persons
were rescued in this manner, of whom seven were fe-
males, and they were safely landed at Ringsto yes- I
terday morning by the captain of the Roscommon. They
ever at once placed under the care of the police, who did'
eything in their power to minister to their necessities
in whirl they were most kindly and humanely assisted by,
mans of the inhabitants of Kingstown. It will be seen
that the entire number saved amounts to fifty-three, of
Wl.min we are informed twenty belonged to the crew.
When the Queen Victoria first struck, about ten or
twelve of the passengers and crew scrambled over the
bows upon the rocks, and eight of them succeeded in
obtaining-a footing. They were afterwards brought by
the police into the town of Howth, and from thence for-
warded by railway to Dublin, where they arrived in a
most deplorable condition from exhaustion and exposure,
The Iron Duke (Captain Griffiths) arrived at Kings-
town from Liverpool about half-past ten, and was imme-
diately 07.dered off by Mr. Howell to the scene of the
catastre'phe.
Wb sn the Iron Duke had reached the spot where the
ill-fs'ied vessel had gone down, nothing was to be seen
b&, her funnel, ten feet of which was then above water,.
P'-.r,; of the mainmast and foremast, a quantity of floating
'pars, and some trifling articles of clothing which had
bel Egged to the passengers or crew.
17,121 e
.n.tum her of people who were on. board the Queen
as'f'un ior the names of those who perished, cannot be
ned until the arrival of a vessel from Liverpool,
which shall leave that port after the intelligence of this
deplorable calamity shall
ha have reached there.
A similar accident happened in the year 1841 to the
Thames, a splendid steamer belonging to the same com-