New-York tribune., 1842-01-01
Reported ror The New -Ycrl Tribune.
DR.. Lardner'S Eighth Lecture.
Second Series.

audience, was mainly description. BY reference
10 models, Of the Steam Engines of Great brl,ala
and America as applied TO water navigation and
to railway transportation. Depending as 1t did 70
same considerable ex,eatupon the beautiful mooe''
BY which it was illustrated, for its lnterest u "'"
scarcely be Ineligible in literal report u'''cs,
figures could DC ,resenle,i which should sS'Ve ~
stead of the didnctc 'nades th's
convenientlv do and shall tifo" our rel
.o,,,ouba, into the form OF notice, coiicct-
;nr from the lecture such remarks as concern 'n'
rene,a, nrociples wkch DR. LAKpSER attempted
. .1rc;date. and cmi,,ing what could be OF no
.;b)o utility wi,hou, the explanatory models.
u. commenced by stating that the arrangements
required BY the application OF steam engines 70
rurno.es of sea VOYAGES, are different altogether
from, those required by engines which are &c work
IN land. OF which intended Tor rvcr navis CATION
For sea navigation ii is generally admitted 10 be
essential tina, the ensinery should DC betwccndecks
This is cspecally=the case With vessels ia,ended
for the National Marine. Il il IiEcwi-c cvidcn',
neccs sary tina, the engine the boiler, should be
fed with salt water These ure the two features
which enter the construction of vc.ses hst tor
.sa navigation. which have no application upon
,iiyc,s OF railways When steam vessels we're first
cmpovcd FOR coas; navigation the difficulty attend,
inc the first OF these conditions WAS obviatcd. as
expiaincd on former evening. by ,ransposns cci-
,ein portions OF the ,nachincry-by transferring the
beam TO the bottom instead OF suffering IL TO re-
rnaina, the ,orand by having the connecting rods
pass upward instead ot downward. SO that a parl
oi the engine was in fac, turned upside down
lhe proportions Of the cylinder were altelcs to
accommodate these views: the cylinders OF en-
c,ses arc generally OF greater length than width
cens commonly twice as long as then diameter
When / mentioned this subject before. | made
an observation which now repeat TO hc NY strong
nrinion-an opinos shout winch have mo douht
w,srever. ,ha, the profound reverence whchiS en-
cr,aneC rs The English engineers for the authority
al WATT did Anr.n TO the progress o! steam nav.
CATION and especially 10 that branch ot II applied
to sea purposes Allot the present audience who
have happened To rcad the works | have written
,,ron this subject, and the scattered memoirs
have myself penned with respect to MIR. WAIT.
viii readily acquit me of any intention to speak u
10 infer any thing disrespectiul TO thar great
But truth should be far above all personal con
sidere,ions. and the plain matter OF fact is this
Nr. WArr. the creator of The low pressure cen
densirc steam engine, ludn natural and cNcusablv
b,a. in i,s favor and during his lifetime he could
hardly listen TO the name OF high pressure
rne without irri,a,ed feelings: and these tesllns
of irritation seem 10 have descended upon his
ressers So far has their aversion to high pressure
eng:nes been carried that for many years after
their general use none were allowed 10 be built al
Sohe; and this particular form Of the steam en-
zine. which has made its efficacy felt 10 the cut
skirts of human civilization, the consequences OF
which have spread to the most savage tribes OF
Africa and Asia, and brought the blessings OF in
;srna communication, at a very early period. to
this vast continent. was despised and utterly re-
iected. These feelings spread among the English
people 10 such an extent that twas perfectly vain
al any time TO propose high pressure engines tor
English steam vessels: and had il been done and
vessel actually furnished with one OF them. the
consequences would have been that woulti
have undertaken the voyage in her. Az the first
construction OF engines for the English railways. j,
was seen that they could no, be worked not enl,
wi,hou, hish pressure engines but without engine
OF the very highest pcwer; and the sagaciouS en-
gineers we'll knowing the prejudice against them,
wisely adopted for them The name OF loconlot,rtS:
and had they been called, as they were high pres
su1e engines, i, is likely that the success OF rail.
ways woad have been greatly less than II was.
Butthev were ckristeRed locomotives; and verify
believe that this day not one IN twenty thousand
of the English people are aware that locomotive
is high pressure engine. say then that Il,
nv strong conviction that the reverence for the
lal al
English steam navigation. In the construction ei
their marine engine. the English adhered as close,
as circumstances rendered possible to the old
little changes, which were seen 10
be perfectly inevitable, being made.
The second condition necessary to engines used
a, sea, as stated, is that the boiler be fed by sal,
or sea water New sea water is u solution Of Ger
tain salts the water however is net,saturated tina,
IS it does not contain much salt is capable
of sustaining. II it be put into boiler then and
evapora,ed the water passes OFF IN steam while
salt will remain, and there will be a constant
accumulation of sGlt water in the boiler Tie rf
iec, is that the water in the boiler becomes .tron
ger and stronger solution of salt. If this zoe. on
for any considerable length e time, the water in
the boiler will become completely saturated and
in this state the next step will be precipitation OF
,a, in the boiler; this will be seeH TO be the neces
sarv consequence; for there being more salt than
the wafer will hold in solution, there no sltera.
tive but te throw down in the boiler. and if the
process be carried on after time the boiler will
in fac, be converted into a salt pan.
These evils. even if carried to the cxireme
zlm, have supposed, will still be considerable, a,
an incrusta,ion will be formed upon the inside OF
the boiler of salts and earthly Hlatter which are
found TO have so strong an affinity fer the metals
tina, they will adhere the surface Tins Will con.
tnue te increase until the boiler will be walled up
by thick coating OF earthly matter. This will be
attended with important and injurious consequent
ces; for the boiler being thus made q non-conduc.
of H.,