Indiana State sentinel., 1849-08-23
From the Louisville Journal.
Relative Cost OF Water and Steam



Such have been the improvements Of late years. in the
engine and the economy Of fuel, that we find
steam gradually taking the place of water motive
power The object OF the present article Is 10 show the
present relative OF each. Ii WILL however, be borne
in mind that the cost of the is the same now and
will always be the it centuries ago; yet,
while write even the cost of the other may, by some
invention, be materially essened. Power, for use
of large manufactures extensive works. must be eer
tain well ampe that from water must, therefore,
be on large and rapid streams with great volume and
fall. In the West have but few falls where
manufactures be placed. The BEST perhaps, are at
Beaver, Pa, and the Muscle Shoals, IN Tennessee
On the slope Of the Aeghanies most OF the NV
short and compaatiyel dry in summer Ma
ny Of the New England manufacturing corporations have
been obliged a, vast expense 10 purchase lands and form
reservoirs sufficiently large 10 furnish water IN dry sea-
The Eastern mountains and hills steep that
water rapidly from them the sea, and in the
spring, when the in melting and the ice breaking
up, should heavy fall the force of the Hood carries
away every obstruction To avoid this danger, the
dams and locks must be of great strength and necessari
Iy, costly while the mills, if possible, placed off The
river and take their by canals As the falls are
always rocky nrmaiions and generally at the gorges
of hills, this cauaage and excavation of sites for build
ings and the making OF roads the spot attended with
great expense Where the falls Underwater the
work OF the mills has often to be suspended. Lowell,
perhaps more exempt from this difficulty than Dover
| New Market, Salmon Falls and many other manufac-
turing sites in New England yet DIR. Miles, in his his
tory of Lowell, says: Eighteen of the twenty
cotton mills IN the city situated on the river side,
and twice in each year, obliged TO suspend
part OF their works, sometimes for days together in
sequence OF bsckwaer. Occasionally The ice carries
the dam away, breaks the warerwhee In such cases,
the pay of tile operatives goes on, higher price is
put the work Of the remaining days. To escape the
loss per diem, resulting TO company from suspension OF
its works give some OF The statistics IN The Merrimack
mill. This mill has capital OF $40 COO, and employs
,737 operatives, Of say S240000 per annum,
interest on tie capital Sl20000-making $3.50 900 per
annum nearly $1,000 per diem would be the loss by
the suspension of single day. aside from the inconveni
ence Again, the walsr-whees must be exposed 10
the frost, but enclosed in masonry and often in
tons in the solid rock. am not aware that any water
power IN New England Is cheaper than that at Lowell
This s. pei spindle AT first, the Locks and
Canal Company relied for it's profits mainly the ad
vanced value of its lots and the profits building mills
and machinery for other corporations, and therefore put
the price of the power at 81 spindle-Probaby but
little actual cost; the purchaser being the
pense Of taking the water from The canal to and away
from the MILL and this has, in instances been very
expensive.
Nearly all these falls considerable distances
from the highest point of the and
estimate is within the truth when give Lventy-six
miles Qhe distance between Lowell and Boston) the
average distance Of the New England factory from the
point where The cotton is landed and the depot of its
gOods-both of which usually transported rail-
roads. The freight from Lowell to Boston was, and /
presume now is 50 per ton. cotton mill of thou
sand spindes will turn out two of goods day-say
six hundred tons per annum 100 pounds Of cotton will
average 81 pounds of cloth; 666 tons of cotton
therefore required by the mill 266 cost, aside
from drayage "a considerable em 81 532 in transport
alton between The mills and where the goods are sold.
Aside from the of power this mill would
require capital Of not $3.50 000perhaps $500 900
would be sufficient This item then is or per cent.
on the capital in, esed Mr. Montgomery, in his work,
published n 1S40, the comparative of manufac-
turing IN England and America, says:
'The attention OF manufacturers in New England has
been for time directed the advantages steam
OF propelling machinery, the advantages of a
good location teing considered equal to the ertrG
Of steam pO1ocr."
Another important item of expense avoided by a steam
factory, is that of heating the MILL Mr. Montgomery
gives the cost of this $467 so per for
mill of say 1000 sPndes Six hundred dollars per
mum may then be put down of heating mill oil
900 spindes. And is not only necessary that the
atmosphere ia the mill should be the proper degree
temperature but of the proper ddmpness, that the
threads shall run smoothly. Both purposes require
mill.
The foregoing are not ali but the most important
difficulties attending the of power for
and woollen factories. Most of the difficulties
wherever this power is applied and a general rule
among engineers at positions where coal be had
at ten cents bushel, steam is cheap watel
power at its minimum cost Such is the theory. The
facts 10 60 beyond this; for in New England where
power is abundant, the largest factories
now being erected are to have steam motive power
of this character the Naumkeg mill Salem, anC
that at Portsmouth the first of 10000 and the last o
$4,000 spndles and these the largest in the world
AT Fall River, Bristol and Newport steam factories are
in successful operation. The fine goods of the Bartlett
mills at Newburyport have a reputation. Til,
recent erection Of the James mill, at the place
shows the success OF the former and within the last yea
the escape of a mill Lowell is sdrownne th
noise of the falls of the Meuimack. Let il be remem
bered that coal in New England COSTS on an average
twenty three cents per bushel.
As before stated, the power Lowell now cost
So spindle; $4,000 Of capital is be invested in pow
er a mill of 10 900 spindles.
The interest this, per annnm, is S3O0
Now add the cost of heating the mill, 60
And the cost of transportation, 2,53
And you have ono side of the equation against
steam, S6I3
l cannot fix with precise accuracy the steam powe
and fuel required for mill of 10 900 spindes. The
authority before gives this estimate for of $40
spndles, with the necessary machinery for preparin
the cotton and manufacturing the CLOTH high pressur
engine cf40 horse powerlength of stroke feet diane
ter OF cylinder foot-makes 40 single or 20 doubI
strokes per minute these or four round boilers Is fee
long by 2i feet in diameter, requiring 200 gallons
err and consuming chadrons Us bushels) of bitumi
nous coal per day-pressuro OF steam sixy-eght pound
to the square inch To do double the work does not,
] am told require double the power and nothing Iik
double the fuel. This estimate made eight or min
years since; within that time very important improve
ments have been made in the application of powe
and the use of fuel aud probably may safely say tha
engine Of 80 horse power requiring 80 bushels Of
is sufficient for the mill OF 10, 600 spindIes.
Then 80 bushels Goals for 300 days at % cents
per busheI, $3.50 0
Add salary Of engineer, 500 0
$1,000 0
Showing advantage in favor of steam, from coal
t,oentythrce cents a Jushet, of SIP per annum. TIL
cost of engine of 80 horse power boilers, beltn:
pipes, &c, not required for the purposes specified in h
other, would be probably not $4,000, while the
oi communicating the water power to the machiner
would be at least IL ,000 Montgomery in the work a
ready quoted from, states the of wheels
equal to eighty horse power including gearing, gates
shaftng, beltng, &c, at $4,000. The T'emoni an
, Suffolk mills at Lowell contain 12 900 spindles, max
coarse goods, and have six wheels; the cost {
each wheel between $3 900 and $780, entirely excll
sve oi the cost OF excavaing and walng up the branc
canals to and from the mills
1t mooied question which will last the longer, tn