New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1849-12-21
The steam Kngi-,-W WHIST Ia Il md whit II
be.


While great advances have been made during
the last half century in almost every department
of,ccace, and vast improvements in the various
branches Of mechanics, the Steam Engine rank
ing Highest in the fca'e Of usef4lness, and whose
sphere oi action Is every day more ond more en-
larged, rer-n 'ns the same in al its elementary
principles sad ga .1e Of operation that it was fifty
yearse,o. Why is ttisl "a ii because it is in
fact IN ,s prescnt form Of construction and opera
tion the best that human ingenuity can devise,
and il, hers'ore, not susceptible Of Improvement
Let tus Lo granted, and you can, By the same
logic, prove that the present mole Of printing,
spinning. weaving &c is the beet that can be de-
vised, end incapable OF farther improvement No
man OF ssuse, in view Of the vast improvements
which nr the lest twenty years have been made
in thcss arl various other branches Of mechanical
science, viii, i'm respect 70 ttom, venture such an
assertion Yatitmusi be such universal belief
first iuca Gated by distinguished engineers and writer's
upon the Stosm Engine IN Europe and siierwsrd
though, asy copied into mechsDical and Other
Journals which hoe been the chief operating cause why
no improvements upon the Engine have been made
This be- 1T has, doubt, been strengthened In the
minds many superficial thinkers by the fact that vast
sums Of money and many years OF labor have been
wasted upon numerous a5ortiye contuvSuces to i'm
prove ard supersodc 70. But in proportion TO a value
aud Importance ten fold moro labor and money have
been wasted upon various other cOutivRnces, some oil
which have IN The end, resulted In great beneht-in
complete srd Triumphant success Yet up 20 the mo-
men, % SUCCESS the words "imprsclcable,' "mpos''
be" &c were az applicable to them they now arc
10 the present Steam Engine.
The most important and distngui hing feature Of
a.. he
agency OF which and the connecting rod, rotary mo
ton glyoa 10 tho propsllug shsit In view OF the
abhoreaoo expressed by many would be sage' in the
science Of mechanics Of every patented substitute for
the crsns II s amusing to be- able to present them the
hisory of the sics Ia CINE and show them that ,hnt
now hi hy lsuiei continuance not the frat mode
sdopteu tut was i,se the sui 'ct OF patent upon s
fret Tut ldacton With such p,ople thing patented
isa hla4bsg and not worth looking AZ but when the
patent ras expired, 10 any man who undertakes to
siperscis IL by any thing better lin their own wise
eIlms'on ltis "imposdhio."
Any one At all acquainted with the nature proper
aes aud poser OF steam, knows that, Ike powder Il
presses according 20 Its density certain amount TO
the SQUARE inch upon all the surfaces by which II Is
surrounded-that TO ssy, recording to the extent OF
,urface rs much backward as forward. upward ss
much "a downward. Hence III important that, Ike
powdor 10 guubarrel there should be one polni or
end stationary and fixed which shah operate as
bacifr or support against which the powder or steam
NAV xond ITSELF whilst for action aud space Is
given o. the other end for the ball or piston 10 move
ont or forward. Moreover. expansion 10 one OF the
proper,,s Of steam and Np'renco has demonstrated
that In dxed and stationary cylinder, rs In present
me- space equal 20 full half tina cubic contents
or tbe Under may worry &c economically and prohtsbly
e.. h glV dirniuu
non Of o oiive force For these (sud strong
one. tbey are) ts believed BY many tia, strictly
rotary engine where the cylinder aud steam revoves
with M, main SHAFT aud where these advantages car
No. ia Al well secured eau ever equal tho reel rocs
inc epsi,e A technically rotary ngine being out OF
the question for any purposes where great power and
economy Of steam Is required SIS IN our Marine la
slnes aud the preseut form, position ard mode OF op
Grafton Il the present cylinder and piston being a.
lowed to De the best for such purpose according to the
nature and properties OF steam, the next point Of in
ouy ha. BEEN whether the crank 10 the most natural,
elective and economical contrivsree for converting
the recproc atiug and recunesr motion OF The piston
into rotsry motion Of the shaft The numerous
trivAnees. by way of substitutes which at different
times have appeared in model and In print would In
.,lcs,e d belief ON the Psr, OF those who produced
them ,hst the crank not, "a claimed by lie friends
and now 10 universal ule the most natural, Elective
and economical eontrysuco for that purpose lnsup'
Dor, of the assertion that eminent Engineers and vii
ters upon the Steam Engne In Europe, and slso the
various mechanics Journals in our own country have
ru.ntaired ana d. still maintain the doctrine the
crank I. the perfection Of machinery In Steam Eo'
zine, or, in other words that there be nothing
gained In u substitute, there Is In their opinion,
power os, in ts use and that consequently the prev
slenos of thai belief IL the chief cause why no i'm.
movements upon the Steam Eesiue, in that particular
have seletofors been made, the o, the follow.
,,s vrl.ers and authors IN Europe are given John
So, Russell Professor Of Mathematics in Glasgow
College. scotland Mr. Sang, an eminent Scotch En-
s,pasr Me,srs Bourne, Galloway. Lsrdner and 9th
ar. autaors OF works On the Steam Easne, found In
tae libraries OF most OF our Engine builders 10 this
country In support Of the same doctrine you heed 80
n, further than the nearest nlsch snicA J'asnA-4~
se,>a;,s, Ansiea4-who, as late As the Sfta oil iA'
- an THAR sp,wer To Correspondents" say 70
az n y of Msssschusests Tasys IS no loss e p0H7 "a
,A e-ask IN oar 0Yisoa' And again, IS tate ~ 'ss'
xxseA publi,hed q communication from one WIN am
r rosey Of Syracuse, without comment or di'senN
who ..y,. 81 row believe the exchanging ias crank
,,- .nv other medium Of transferring reciprocstns
into rotary motion one " the meehsnies sSe'es Oh
the day.
Having now given the chief reason why snOns"S'
our great mprovemen;s in every other department Oh
mechanical .ci.aes the present s,esm Engine hs'' IN
It's main features, remained und.;nreed and uniH''
proved for % long period, VIC will 'o-n0r'9~ l00A
the crank In in wbich Its friends have uniformly
represented it, add examine tho loGadau'a upon "n''n
IL rest and determine II can BY comparison Win
other equally well known mechanical powers wne1her
IL is the Pasees claimed for IL by its friends OF Al
unDstara ii sien, ui eontvsLcs ~ rsPre
:. ssnted BY i;s OpPooents.
THREI PRISONS DROwsED.--The MeTfditA
Bridge N II Gazette stsss mat Tnursdsy evening
last three persona and tensle, (uArnes not
siven) we're drowned In attempting 10 arm oil
ths Lake. ON TIE lee near Clarks Landing, In Moulton