Phenix gazette. [volume] (Alexandria [D.C.]) 1825-1833, 1825-10-08

made good ner passage W Dun'iio'e
without any injury So regular is the
passage Of the steam vessels across the
Irish sea, that is common to slaughter
beef in Dublin, for sale next day in
the market of Manchester, $50 miles
distant.
BABCoCK's STEAM ENGINE.
The Providence Patriot publishes the
following description of this improve
ment, in the boat recently built in New
Port, R. !. Ifit prove effectual, as it is
believed at the North it will, it is GER
tainly a most important improvement
in steam navigation:
'The invention Of Mr.. Babcock,
which will probably supercede the me-
cessity of boiler to the steam engine,
consists merely in converting water in
to steam the instant it is wanted, by al
lowing it 10 come in contact with hot
iron. To effect this, two generators
are used, formed of iron tubes, cas-: in
lengths of three and a half feet, Of five
inches internal diameter, and an inch
and half thick; these are made to ira.
verse a furnace horizontally, in two
rows, and are fourteen in number; the
lower seven are connected with each
other by caps, and steam pipe leads
from the end Of the last one into the
lower part Of the cylinder OF high
pressure engine; the upper seven are
connected in the same manner, and
steam pipe leads from them into the
upper part Of the same cylinder. At
the other end Of each generator, and
on opposite sides Of the furnace, is at
tached q small forging pump. two and
half inches in diameter, and about eight
inches in length. On the top of the
furnapce is a small copper reservoir,
containing Jew gallons of water, with
a tube leading from each side of it,
which connect. it with the pumps
The furnace HIS two fire places, the
one above, the aher below the tubes
its extreme outside length is eight feet
its height and width, each three and
half feet. The bumps are worked by
long levers, attached to the cross head,
so arranged as to move them alternate
ly, and they can be made to inject from
half to four cubic inches OF water at
once, the whole OF which, after per-
forming its dety in the cylinder, is
saved by condenser. To set the EN-
CINE in motion, fire is kindled i'll the
furnace, and when the generators are,
sufficiently heated, an injection is
made, by hand, with one Of the pumps,
1--WE will suppose into the lower gene
rator;) the water is instantly converted
into steam-a valve is opened to ad-
nit it into the lower part of the cylin-
der, and the piston is driven up; an in
lection is then made by the other pump,
into the other generator-a valve is O.
pened in the top of the cylinder and
the piston is driven down. The en-
CINE, then, without further assistance,
continues to operate with unabated vi
gor, and with perfect equality. The
injection made into the generator, now
in operation, is at most but four cubic
inches; the cylinder of the engine, to
which they are attached, is ten inches
in diameter; the length of the stroke of
the piston is three aud half feet, and
it is calculated to be ten horse pow.
err, though it varies in proportion to
the quantity of water injected. The
principle, upon which the generators
are constructed, is an evident one; but
the heretofore insurmountable obstacle |
has been, that they cool so fast, BY the
constant injection Of the water, that
the requisite steam power could not
be obtained by them; this is now COM
pletely overcome by using TWO gene
rators instead of one, and having the
injection pumps so arranged as to
work alternately, that while the water
is forced into one generator, the other
has time to regain its expended caloric:
and here consists the great merit of the
the merit is the greater
because, though so simple, it has been
entirely overlooked. We have been,
ourselves, repeated witnesses Of the
perfect success of the operation, and
he generators, SO far from being cool
ID, are with ease and celebrity made to
acquire the requisite degree Of tempe
azure, even when the engine has com.
nenced working with them at low
"The economy Of the substitution