Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1817-09-05
( Srom TIE PHILADELPHIA Dsily sfTreriissr.l
: GRENI NISCON-ERX

/ GREAT DISCOVERY
SUR Steam boHfs.-CitiIeps, attend i Surely
the sam OF death and misery, Occasioued hy
the explosion OF tie boilers Of steam engines
OIL bOar, of boats, is now enoughto arrest your
attention, If SoG ever intend 20 travel 40 >team
boats. This discovery has recently been so o.
peuly STACKED, that the inventor is compelled
70 defend It, Therefore, announce THAI more
than - gears ago, / discovered the principles
and afterwards the means, OF applying the
great and advantageous principle ~ nature, of
the rapid increase ~ tie eaStic PO'er df ScGnt by
reOmetric2! progression, BY the sR0u increase Of
heqt IN tie euter, by arthmetical progression,
2ud thereby 10 lessen the consumption Of fuel
,,Ie size and weight OF the steam enelne TO suit
for steam boats For double heat in The water
produces i2S times the power, and ,laubie fuel
consumed produces is times the erect. have
since got IN operation 10 or so steam engines
constructed on the erualand inmutahie prin.
ciples aud laws OF nature combined aud
arranged thatlt iSneariy beyond tie art OF man,
either Ivy neglect, design, ignorance or malice,
TO explode them cy the eicStic pol-er o. stec1l.-
lie eau Ouly make them yield 20 the urcsisti-
BILE power IA SCsaU degrye, so as to let The pow
er escape until the steam eXtingUiShCs the
fire, and the danger ceases by iGe regular ope-
ration of the engine itself; accident has
ever harpeUed with ans of my engines to DO
INJURY.
On Ihese principles, steamboats, NAV be
made tie most safe, as well rs the most COM
modious vehicles OF passage, and steam mills
as cheap and safe as water mIis, to consume
only halft the fuel that other engines Go, aud
ccSt much less.
have made many efforts to communicate
my discoveries fully to the public, bat with
ont much success. l Published in Che year
1903 1 iahorjOuS :; difficult new work (prodnced
by long and intense study on this new aud
abtTuse subject, describing aud ds1icastrutiaE
those principles, and directing Their applica-
ton 70 mills aud also to bOrtS7 by means OF the
very pddaie rkssls since adopted, which mode
otapplicat;On had conceived or understood
well for about thirty years before. This book,
entitled" The l"Dag Steam Engineers Guide"
I-gave gratis To many, but sold very few ii
contained also rules for calculating, and tables
OF the proper thickness Of iron for boilers o.
yaTlUuS diaineters, necessary to hold the power
with safety, and of the proper diameter and
length of The working cylinder for engines of
The various powers, with directions for ma
king them, to propel boats against the cur
rent OF tile river Mississippi, and the result of
an experiment ON The river Delaware with a
STEFAN engine in Hat, which was propelled by
paddle wheel, ascending the river against "A
head wind, leaving all the vessels then beating
up behind ii. This was in 1901. II contained
every thing necessary for a steam engineer TO
know TO cnable him 10 construct perfectly
safe steam boat on my principles which book
the pubic certainly had the full pcrusai of
when the first SuccessfIl steam boats were pat
III operation. TO II HOW refer 1t is 20 be
IN the Philadelphia Library. But soon
discovered that the force Of habit and attach
rHent TO Wait and Bottoms inferior engine (it
being afterwards adopted) would prevent my
necessity should compel its adoption This
pcndegOus, feeble and dangerous engine pre-
vailed in boats, while the light, simple and
powerful engine, cons umlng only haif the fuel,
prevailed on tie land an abSurdity scarcely
credible.
have since endeavored to divulge my prin-
cipieS and discoveries 10y many publications
in newspapers but these circulated no furtt-
er THAN paid. This country has been too long
deprived of the benefits OF my discovery. Ii
bas been doomed to work its way slowly by its
own Hti inalC merits, against The opinion of ten
sef-intereeted persons, speaking loudly a.
oahist it, " thout knowledge Ofthc principles,
Tor one who understands its principle and me
rtIS and KNOWS how 10 speak IN its favor. Eli
ltorS OF newspapers should give currency to
arguments and demonstrations ia its favor
IS wen as uniounded assertions against the use
Of the elastic power of steam, as agent 10
produce mechanical effects, that fair con-
tract fsssy be laid before the public, that il NAV
appear ciear where the danger exiSts-wiei
the danger will be found TO rest entirely with
what is now called The low pressure, Wattand
Bottoms condeDsing steam engines hut
which, III tact, are HCJC using degree Of higt
pressure, dangerous to be Used ~ their bO!ieis,
constructed on wrong principles, in such a
form as will not bear steam OF auY elasticity
with safety, for they cannot prevent tie steam
from rising in two or three minutes 90 degree
Of pressure that would explode their boilers
which may be seen verified, every time tlie en-
CINE is stopped IN It's motion, to take in "a pas
Scnger, or tile boat come 10 "a wharf, the safety
valve is that moment lifted ny Il string to let
the steam escape III this was to be neglected
three minutes, al explosion must take place.
The lives of the passengers are entrusted 10
the care OF the valve lifterl Il person perhaps
20 whose care not one OF them would be willing
90 trtlst their lives moment, It they KIN w il y
These are the engines 50 highly recommended
by those who 10 noe understand the subject.
Description Of BJiter5 thai cannot be erptyaed.
construct nay steam engines, in every part
that holds the elastic steam, OF d true circular
form, which fora the elastic pow or has 40 ten.
dcncy to change, the stress or pull being as fair
as tliat Of weight suspended al tive end at
walking slick pCrpeudicuiariy, to pull Il end.
wise this form will hold steam OF more than
one hundred times .lie elasticity that dny other
form will bear. For the whole elias nc power iH
boiler Of any other form tends 20 change il
10 a circular form, just is certain rs blowing a
bladder briggs ID 10 q round FORM, aud III this
change to break il and produces great eX-
pDsiOu, being Oh the weak principle Ot sus.
pending a weight on the middle VI waking
sick laid horizontally, 10 bend It.
tiy Cylindric boilers, - inchy5 diane with
the ends closed with halt globes, viii hold a
h0ut 1850 pounds pressure 10 the inch area Of
ms inner surface u 20 inches diameter, about
1000 1880 inches, 100 pouilds; and 10 90 Inches
diameter, they will bear abOut $50 pounds,
when constructed with wrOught-iou sheets,a
quarter Of an lucli lhCk strongly riyeucd to-
gceIer, and that with as much safety as any
tier form viii bear ten pounds 70 the rnch; dou-
bic the diameter wiH hold but hay the power.
Bat farther, ~ my cylmdriC boilers, the stress
% make them yicld is equal in every part, and
because II Is Impossible for any workman 10
construct such boiler TO be cgu0i an strength IN
al rs prug, but that SOME part or ritct of "a
Thousand viii be weaker than the rest, and
yicid first by smH opDttag toilet the power es-
cape inside The furnace, aud steam enough to
cEtinguisl tIe fire ; thus the operation Of tie
engiue Itself stops all danger. That Ibis viii
be The case DO lines out OF 1000 instances where
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