Sunbury American and Shamokin journal. [volume] (Sunbury, Northumberland Co., Pa.) 1840-1848, 1841-10-23

I steam ship Clarion snd Anthracite Coal.
This packet ship. provided, as our readers are a.
ware, with an auxiliary steam power and the E'ces-
son Propeller, made trial excursion IN the Bay
last Saturday, the result ofwhlch may be consider
| ell Of some importance in connexion with the pro-
| rress of American steam navigation.
has long beeh urged by grave athdrtes, tha,
nature has netposed an efectoa barrier to prevent
the United States from competing with Grcat Brit.
ain in steam navigation, owing to the scarcity and
inferior quality of our buminous coal. The alb
surjity of this opinion was stnkingy illustrated in
the trial aludedto
The public generally are not aware that the
Clarions boilers have been constructed for burning
anthracite coal only and that artificial draught was
employed in order to dispense with the usual tall
and combrous smoke-ppe. Hitherto some diff
Guilty has been experienced in keeping upa sulii-
cient supply of steam in the "Carion !" but by the
addition off small steam cylinder for working the
blower applied to the b,iler this difficulty has now
been most completely removed, and nothing could
be more perfect than the control which he engineer
| had over the steam during the trial. BY simply
tarnhhg s,op-cock attached to the small cylinder,
the quality and pressure Of the steam in the boilers
were raised at pleasure.
| Considering the small quantity Of stowage room
required by anthracite coal, its cleanliness powerful
heating qualities and the perfect absence Of smoke,
we hazard nothing in asserting after wha, we wit
messed on board the "Clarion," that far from the
I~t> Ia.
pectinG coal for steam navigation. we possess, in
our inexhaustble stores of anthracite coal an abso
iute advantage of our Transatlantic neighbors. And
in warfare we have an advantage of the most vital
| importance.
Steamers burning bi,ulninous coal can be "irack-
ed at sea at least seventy miles before their hulls
! come visible by the dense columns of the black
smoke pouring out their pipes, and trailing along
| the horizon. 1t is complete tell.,ae Of their
whereabouts, which is not the with those burn
ing anthracite coal as the latter kind sends forth
| smoke. Therefore all steamers like the "Clarion"
and "klmschatka," are decidedly superior 10 all o.
theirs in time of war. And regret very much
that our new war steamers, the "Mssourl" and
Mississippi" have been constructed to burn foreign
bituminous coal only! We regret very much that
the Board df Construction" had little foresight
| But this enpassunt.
| Having had the advantage OF conversing with
some thoroughbred engineers who on board
| the Clarion we cannot avoid noticing the perfor
nance of the propeller during the trial. The speed
of the engine being accurately tried it was found to
give 4, 700 revolutions to tho propeller in running
over space of IA miles. Now, the propeller being
G! feet in diameter and it, spiral plates being set
at an angle of 46 degree. at the circumference its
progressive movement through the water will be
precisely 30 feet for each revolution had therefore
the resistance of the water been perfect, the vessel
could only have passed a space of 800 feet.
But Ia miles is equal to $4,000 fcct-thus it
will be seen that only 2-9ths lost by slip the
reccdng OF the water--a remarkable fact; consider.
ing the large midship section of the "Carion," com
pared with the small dimensions Of the propeller.
Respecting the consumption Of fuel IN the "Clar-
ion," it has now been truly ascerained $50 pound,
per hour is the average, which is less than that
quired by British steamer of forty horse power
~ Y, Herald.