The weekly Placer herald., 1853-03-19

Phi ip's<Dictionary of the Arts of Life
and CiviIization,'' published in England
twenty years ago. v Q find in the work
a plate and description of the first trial
engine erected by Ericsson in 1884,
Since then great Improvement has been
made on the trial engine Of five horse
power, in the substitution Of wire gauze
frame work in the place of IRON tubes
thus reta lining more heat and securing
more motive power to the engine
Philips in speaking Of it says: with Il
handful of fuel applied to the very sensi
bic medium of atmospheric air., and Il
mostingenious disposition of its dfferen-
tal powers, he beheld resulting action
in narrow compass, capable of extension
to as great forces as ever can be welded
or used by man." 4 t' a5ta -is.. Sd
And this is the opinion of scientific
Eng ishman twenty years ago, yet his
nation failed to take advantage of it. Ia
1852, just twenty years afterwards, we
find Ericsson, plowiny the waters Of New
York bay, the glorious trial spot of the
Immortal Fulton, demonstrating to the
word the importance and truth of his
wonderful discovery.
The N. Y. Commercial Advertiser, in
speaking of the trial trip of the .caloric
ship on the 18th of January last, says:
"lt was Obvious to every one on board
that the packing Of The cylinders is not
perfected. and that there was consdera-
ble escape of the atmospheric or motive
power, the air-tight packing of cylinder
of fourteen feet diameter being necessarily
a work of time, and Cap. Ericsson max
ing the trip thus early to dispe the doubt
that "a ship can he thus propelled, rather
than to show of what speed she can be
made capable. The valves, too, allowed
of some escape. Yet with these draw
backs the Ericsson made nine miles an
hour, and gave proof that, with her ma
chinery perfectly prepared, she can do at
least one-thrd more. The original nten-
ton was to make thecy inders of sixteen
feet diameter, but no engine makers could
execute the work. The cylinders are to
a caloric ship what the boilers are to IA
stea nshp.
! he principle of propulsion is simple,
and bears much affinity to human respira
ton, the inhalation and expulsion of air
being the key of the whole. The supply
cylinders inhale about 10 tons OF air per
hour; that air when expanded by heat
forces up the piston, tits expel ell by chin
neys on deck, but the heat is retained in
wire gauze frame work, called regene
rator, and the cold air entering passes
through the same Regeneration, taking up
the heat the wires have retained, and thus
expanded is ready for use. t.e. ~
1t will he Obvious that the engine is,
therefore, a thorough ventiator of the
ship. We stood upon the top of the
cylinder while it made twenty ascents and
descents. 1t was cooler than the room in
generally. AS to economy the Ericsson
uses six tons Of Goa in "a hours, and could
not consume more than seven. " hich in
point of cost is six to fifty. Only one
fireman is on duty q, one tine and all he
has 10 do is T., supply coal about every
hour; only one engineer, aud he has no
thing t1 DO but 10 grease the journals, &c.
There can be no explosion.
ICouNT RAoUssET BoULBoN The Echo
du Pacafque Of yesterday contains ong
letter from this gentleman, denying the
assertion of Gen. Cass, and stating that
neither he nor his brave band were the
agents of any foreign policy whatever.-
The Count de Boulbon Is descended from
one of the old royal families of France,
and served with much distinction in AL
giers, where his chvalric disposition in
duced him, for the sake of amusement
only, to offer his services to the Due
-D' Aunale, who placed him on his own
staff In speaking Of his Sonora expeii-