The southern press. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1850-1852, 1852-07-07

Hev Engines.
We observe that the last number OF Hunf'
M.rcAau,,, Magazine contains long article de-
.,,,,t;vs and Iaudatory of ERIcssoH's caloric en-
cine. A periodical Of high reputation like HUNTS
...ums. good deal of responsibility in endors
inc an invention which, like this of Captain
ERICSSON, undertakes to supersede steam' and
to effect mighty revolution in manufactures
and commerce. The reviewer ought to be a
cary exact observer and a rigorous scientific
,a..oper But we do not recognize these quail
6cations in the article.
Within the last two or three years, We have
had several announcements Of the invention OF
.ubattutss for steam. And such is the credulity
If the public, the love of what is marvellous,
and the sslf.conceit of the age, that all these
nrstensions have been well received by the
newspaper press, and have been given to the
oublic with ample and confident endorsement.
Two or three years ago, it was proclaimed
that electro. magnetism was the grand desider-
.tum for mechanical power And Dir. PAGE OF
this city, an ingenious and scientific gentleman
tbouoht he had discovered the secret Of applying
Il The papers believed and applauded, and
even Congress made an appropriation of twenty
thousand dollars to carry on experiments. When
that WAS nearly expended an application was
made for another and greater sum, and it was
supported by actual exhibitions of the new
power in the Smithsonian Institute, and by the
appearance in the IntelIigencer and Union of Ger
tifcates of learned professors as to the progress
which had been made If those certificates had
been correct, the invention was triumphant.
But we interposed and demanded exact and
ust tests, and expressed our conviction that they
would prove the thing to be deusion. Con.
srsss refused the application for more funds,
and we suppose the project is abandoned.
Last winter another great discovery was an
nouuced Carbonic acid gas was the agent. And
flaming advertisements went abroad to proclaim
its triumph over steam. An application was as
usual made to Congress, and we believe com
mittee was again ready to report in its favor
We awaited that report with the intention of
expressing an opinion on it--but it has not, we
believe, appeared.
The truth is, these projects Of making expert
ments on grand scale and at public expense,
to test what are alleged to be great inventions,
are always to be regarded unfavorably. In nine
teen cases out of twenty, an experiment on a
small scale and at little expense will test prin-
ciple or All invention.
But inventors are the most sanguine and
self-deceiving of men. They make experiments
themselves, and finding the result not conform.
able to their then theories. lay the blame on the
imperfection of the machine instead Of the pro.
ject
Mr.. PAGE, who undertook to apply electro
magnetism to machinery, had two engines built
before he applied to government for aid. But
they did not exert the power which his theory
asssrted-and hence he wanted to make expert
msnts on grander scale. So Mr.. SALoMoN. u
the carbonic acid gas engine, had one or two
raachines constructed some time ago-but they
are not on scale he thinks sufficiently great,
and he 10 now engaged in building MUCK larger
one, to apply it to boat. We think that Soth,
Mr.. PAGE and MI. SALoMoN, allowed themselves
to be deceived as to the actual power of the en-
gines they first constructed. We saw both OF
them, but could not find on examination tina
they performed, according to what we have nj
doubt was the honest belief Of the projectors
We expressed ourselves at some length las
year against Mr.. PAGE's engine. As to Mr.. SAL
oMon's we know it Is defended upon the fact thai
carbonic acid gas, when subjected to quefy.
Ing pressure will expand three times as much as
atmospheric air on given charge of tempera-
ture. This is undoubtedly true, for the books
all say so. But the question il, how much fuel
il required to produce given charge of temper
allure in carbonic acid gas, compared with air
or with other gases or water? This is the vital
question The books do not answer it, nor
does any statement of Mr.. SALomoN's invention
answer it. Yet the experiment ought to be east
ly made, and at little expense And if a given
quantity of fuel will produce a greater expan.
sion of carbonic acid gas than of air or water,
then Mr.. SALoMoN will succeed-but lot with
out. He has, however, to work his gas at high
pressure and therefore he will have to find sub
stances less porous than iron, copper or perhaps
glass, to prevent the waste Of his power.
As for Captain ERIcssoN's engine, we don't
think it can succeed, if we understand the de.
scription in HurT's. Its power is the result of
the rarefaction of air by heat-an expedient
that has been attempted perhaps more than any
thing else. But the merit of Captain ERIC q
sons inven ton consists in the attempt to pre-
serve for repeated use, the heat first generated
by fuel. This would undoubtedly be great
achievement, if it could be effectually done.
But heat is perhaps the most subtle and unman
ageable of all the agents we have to deal with
except, perhaps, the principle of gravitation
We can arrest the passage of light, by inter
posing opaque substances. We can guide cleo
tricity by the use Of conductors and non-con