Virginia Argus. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1796-1816, 1815-08-26

necessary to enable him 10 make safe contract
with an engineer, and TO avoid imposition lit
will also enable those who have engines, to Judge
OF their merit. A good engineer willneycr hest.
tate to bind himselfto msl-e his engine perform
at least moderate portion of work, in proper
ton to the fuel expended, ifhe receives a good
price. An engine is only good or bad, in pro-
fuel
q Engines were first substituted instead of hor.
ses, for raising water, driving machinery, &C.
Hence 1t became common to say, that an engine
IS equal to 10, 90 or 40 horses, according to the
work twas ablet to perform James JFaa, the
first and most celebrated improver of the Steam
Engine, being an honest and upright man, as
well as one OF the most profound philosophers
and mathematcians of the age. sc. the power of
horse at oz,OoOpounds, raised one foot high in
minute; This is power that few horses are
able to produce in hours in the day. but is tile
horse power meant a measure of power. in cal
culatmg the power of an engine
rms morse power Is sufficient to grind and
bolt bushcl of wheat per hour-lt Will drive
100 cotton spindles with the cards and other
preparation machinery.
Four horse power w,ll drive pair of mill
stones four feet diameter with sufficient force
IL Will drivea saw mill with one saw, with suffi-
cient force.
From the foregoing statement, horse power
as measure ofPower among engineers, will be
correctly understood.
Eve and a half pounds of good pit coal will
produceaD horse power in good engine one
hour ofcourse, 824, or bushel, will produce
a horse power Is hours. { See emporium Of .a,ts,
Vct. 2, p. 50, no,e. ...---,,e
1889 pounds of dry oak, it is said, gives out as
much heat as 900 pounds of coal a cord of dry
oak viii weigh from twenty five to thirty hun.
dred VT hence may be estimated equal to 90
bushels OF coals--dry wood IS much better than
green; oak is farfrom beng AMONG the best sort
OF wood Capt. Gregg, of the steam boat En-
terprize, told me that cord of wood was about
equal to % bushels of coals--Csptan Ogden, of
the Nesuvius, told ME about the same. This
statement is also confirmed from other sources
of information.
cord ofgood wood ought to grind and bolt
three hundred bushels of wheat, or saw 5 thou.
sand feet OF plank, or roll and slit 10000 lbs. OF
iron.
doubt we have few engines in the United
States that perform equal to Watts old engine
all our engines are upon some new and improve
plan!
The reason our engines do not perform equal
| to Watts, is this: we have no experienced work
men, who construct engines upon the most APP
proved plan.
Heat will not enter hot body with the same
rapidity, that it will colder one it also escape.
as rapidly through all bodies from under pres
sure, as wafer or air does through porous ones
hence, to work steam at high temperature
causes greatw waste OF fuel.
| The nearer an engine is enveloped in fame
the more powerful it viii be, in proportion t.
the fuel expended, as there is rapid. escape o
heat, from every part the fire is not applied to-
T. w RUBLE.
or Printers throughout the United States
favorable to the interests of their countryrnen
will please giUe the above an Insertion