Phenix gazette. [volume] (Alexandria [D.C.]) 1825-1833, 1827-08-04

rate of from 500 TO 1000 balls per minute, and
the steam blowing of at the escape valve, our
ing the whole time; he is equally conhdeht win
myself. that the steam may DE Kept up IN such
mannep as 10 discharge constant stream OF
balls during the whole day.if required. AS
regards economy, am within the ruth, when
| say that, If the discharges are rapid one
pound of Goals will throw as many balls as iour
pounds Of powder.
Ithas been stated. as an objection to the steam
cun. tina, il would take too long 10 get up The
steam in case Of an attack. 10 tins answer
tina, very small FIRE will keep The generators
sufficiently heated, when there is no water III
them: and that when there is any cha'fee OF lheiE
being suddenly wanted, they should De KEEP
heated in this way. The heat ofthe generators
would last long enough to give OF steam uh' 'l
the fire is sufficiently increased 10 furnish co''
sanl supply. For naval purposes, ms cahho'
be an objections, as the steam must Always oe
up. Lord Exmouih, after witnessing ie"
showers Of lead, observed, that he oeiie'eu .he
time would come, when steam gun ooa', WIN
two steam guns in her bow, would conquer any
line Of battle ship, and Sir George |ockourn
said, that the mischief of II was, II would Ut to
nations what the pistol was 10 dueiilsts, IL "ouo
bring all, whether strong OF weak, upon par
To prove the safety OF my engine nave
worked it under pressure OF 400 lbs. 10 tht
square inch, or al hanared aimospheres, ana
cut off the steam al one twelfth OF the stroke
this was merely 10 manifest what could be done
with perfect security. My usual pressure Is
500 lbs. per inch, cutting of at one eighth, ano
letting the steam expand 10 below 100 los. pei
inch. let off at the dead point, al one Hash;
the manner Of doing this lloDg to explain 10
you, but you must first getmy last patent sealed
| am informed thai our friend, DR.. Hare
thinks l have yentured beyond my depth; III
this he is not singular, nor GO wonder tsa'
such an idea should prevail, after the publlca'
zion Of so many absurd things respecting my
engine; had no knowledge ofshese publications
and OF course had noscouIol over them. In
deed, have been extremely cautions abou'
publishing any thing myself, or sanctioning II
in others; my determination having been first
10 complete the essenhalimprovemenis OF which
have been in pursuit.. / presume that you
have seen my last paper on the compression Of
water, air, &c. It's publication by the Royal
Society has created no small sensation among
the philosophers Of the old school. The coun.
Gil would not have allowed the reading oft, lad
not Dr.. Wollaston an0 Sir Humphrey Davy wit
messed many of the experiments. shall soon
publish an experiment with which ! think DR.
Hare will be pleased, as i, will, if mistake not
prove practically, what the doctor has so ably
attempted to establish theoretically, namely
that caloric is matter The proofs simple and
direc:, and | am persuaded that when you see
il, you will think il conclusive.
! was led 10 the discovery Of this fact by my
experiments upon steam; the result, OF many Of
;.k ite n
expected One of the most striking is the
great rrpelen, power Of heat. I discovered
that a generator, at a certain temperature, al!
though il had small crack IN it, would moi
emit either water or steam. This fact men.
toned to a very scientific friend, who question
ed its accuracy, and, 10 cdnvince aim, tried
the experiment.; but he concluded that the ex.
pansion of the metal must have closed The hs-
sure. To remove every doubt, proposed TO
drill a small hole through the side Of the gen
orator, which was accordingly done. After get.
ting the steam up to proper temperature,
took out the plug, * although we were working
the engine at so atmospheres, nothing was
seen, or heard 10 issue from the plug hole, all
was perfectly quiet; l next lowered the tenn
perature, by shutting the damper, and opening
the furnace door; singing from the aperture
was soon observable, and when coal was held
before il, rapid combustion ensued; nothing
however was yet visible; but as the temperature
decreased, the steam became more and more
visible, the noise at the same. time increasing,
until, finally, the roar wassiFemendous, and
might have been heard at the distance Of half a
mile. This was conclusive. i should mention
that, at The aperture the iron was red hot.
My belief is, that water cannot be brought
into contact with iron, heated 10 about 1902,
without force equal TO the maximum pressure
of steam, which is equal TO about 1000 atmos-
pheres, when water is heated to about 1902.
That pressure would, believe keep in contact
iron at any degree Of heat, and the steam would
then be as dense as water. Its very evident
that if it would require that force to keep the
water in contact, heated as it was al the vent
hole, thirty atmospheres must be insufficient TO
effect this: but the experiment affords some da-
Ia towards answering the question, at what
distance from the heated metal the water re.
NAMED, when under the pressure Of thirty al
mospheres?-We may safely aver, that it exceed.
ed one eighth Of an inch, as the hole was one
quarter Of an inch in diameter.
After commencing this letter, ascertained
that my patent was likely i'll few days to pass
the great seal, and have delayed forwarding it,
II $3.50. IL