The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1850-11-24
steam and stame.

MIR. JAMES FRosT'S LECTURE.
Or Thursday evening, Mr. James Frost the veterans
engineer, delivered slecture steam before the mem
bsrs Of the Institute, at their rooms Broadway The
lecturer explained the nature and rate of expansion
of steam when heated In contact with mercury and
how small is the quantity OF heat required for doub-
ling volume Of steam, apart from water when COM
pared With the quantity Of heat required forming
second volume Of steam Of the same tension he re-
marked that heat combining with steam is subject
to and controlled by peculiar laws perfectly distinct
nom those which pertain when heat combines With
water Tor the formation OF steam which requires
equal increasments Of heat TOR equal fncre-
ments OF yolumsi while, on the contrary, when
only doubled In volume by arative trivial ousn.
tty OF heat but every additional increase OF volume
increment Of heat 20 that the greater the incrssse 81
volume the smaller will be the quantity of heat re-
quiIed for that latest volume and although this is 50
contrary to the general laws Of heat and therefore
adverse to commen spprehensions yet the lecturer
held IL to be a chemical fact The present cost and
weigh OF apparatus and OF fuel for the production o.
motive force appeared to him sxtrava CANT unssi-
entifc, and wasteful rs the OF steam for
There is not . locomotive that moves but barns
three times . much fuel Is necessary He
proposed to increase the volume Of steam BY separating
the steam from the water and hen heating the
increase its heat four times and thereby save great
force for double speed il lie evident we're the pres.ut
enormous rate Of fuel consumed In steamers judceus
ly applisd would furnish abundant power for pro-
pellir them at much more than double the speed:
while the consumption of fuel Tor the voyage would Of
course, be reduced to much less than ons-ha The
lecturer fully and ay described the Increasing force
obtained rem decreasing quantities of heat applied
to steam apart from water which only proves the
prodsious economy Of this means Of obtaining mo-
tive force but points Que the physical cause OF
the supsratve explosive force attendant on greatly
and suddenly heated elastic huids; and he then de-
tailed many valuable advantages which occurred to
him during his experiments. Great advantages have
been frequently verified by several of the most emf
nent engineers and learned and competent men Of
New York and other placer, by . condensing en-
CINE and apparatus, sctuated alternately ~ com
mon steam, and BY moderately heated steam; aud
30 the comparative quantities of heat aud water
actually employed for motive force In each sepa-
rate experiment, cosld Dc accurately measured,
40 well as the power exerted by the engine. The
general results showed that more than six times the
motive force was realized from equal quantities Of
heat and OF water when ployed TO actuats the en
gins with heated steam than was obtained from the
use OF nat ural stesmeach being alike produced ON
the tsme constant IRE and time, and same engine
which he (hr. Frost) would be happy to illustrate
practically to any OF the gentlemen present II they
favored him with call at his residence In Brsokyn