Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, Va. [W. Va.]) 1852-1859, 1853-01-18
The Caloric Ship Rricsson.

The Caloric Ship Ericsson. I
The New York Courier, in alluding to the sue
cessful trial of the ship propelled by this new and
great invention, (of which we gave a brief account
onfW ednesday,) says: Z
1tmatters little whether this vessel went one mile
one hundred, OF whether she was propelled at the
rate OF two miles an hour ortweny;the great facts
TO be established were, first that an engine of con-
siderable power could be driven by another, bet
Ter, cheaper, and safer motor than steam; and Sc
cond, that such an engine could be effectively used
IN vessel Insufficient size to cope with the sea-
These, the trip of yesterday settled beyond doubt
or a cavil. But when add to these that sea
steamer (fcr still call herr of first rate size
was upon her second trial, made with unfinished
engines, equal to only seven-twefths of their pow
en- very materially inferior in size to those des gned
Tor her by the inventor propelled against tide and
wind at the rate of nine or ten miles an hour, we
record one of the most stupendous triumphs in SCI
ence and mechanics which has ever claimed the
admiration OF the world.
The name given to this engine msleads the pop
ular conception with regard to it. 1t is not cal
ORIG engine if that name imply that caloric is used
as motive power. II might be better termed an
atmospheric engine for it is upon the elasticity and
expansiyeneSs of the air that it's action depends
Caloric is in no greater sense its motive power than
1t is that fthe steam engine. is the very air
we breathe which rropels that enormous vessel
The inventor has seized upon the vewlesS winds
unu COiupeNeu IHem 10 90 MS OluulHSi ne mas mar
messed the SteedS of the air to the car of commerce.
He has by twenty years patient and thoughtful
working aid waiting, made the most impalpable
and innocuous element Of which our senses are
cognizant, the mighty power which is to produce
the most StupendouS material effects which they can
appreciate or the mind can project. He has dimin-
ished the danger of the traveller by and ulti-
mately by land,-of the mechanic, of the engineer,
of all in fact who incur the risks of steam, to
an inapprecable entity, if he have not removed
them altogether. .
The Mirror SAYS:
After a thorough examination Of the ship in all
its parts Capt. Ericsson assembled the party in the
after cabin, and, with the aid OF simple diagram,
explained the operation Of his atmospheric engine,
meeting and confuting every possible objection that
could be raised. He courted objections. Weglve
glance at his most interesting explanation.
Mr.. E. said the chief principle involved in the
operation of this engine, that of using the same
heat over and over again. This was effected in a
simple way, through the intervention Of what IS
called degeneration" between the valves and cy
lenders, which IS nothing more or less than mass
of1-16th inch wire, compactlyr interwoven, the
whole containing 24 square feet. Upon the heat
ed air passing through this, the culoric is absorb
ed, and the cold air. in returning, is again heated
nearly enough to continue the motion of the en-
CINE. Seventy-five tons of air are drawn through
the 100, 600, 600 meshes of the wire each hour
The resistance to its passage is almost inpercepti
ble In its passage through the mesheS the air is
inStantaneouSly heated TO 400 deg.-aS rapid as
the electric flash. The wires are not oNodized by
the process.
There is pair of cylinders on either side of the
shaft-each composed oftwo sectlons-the upper,
called the supply cylinder which is 81 inches in
diameter, and the lower working cylinder. hav-
ing diameter of 1913 inches, or ID feet. The at
mospheric air is admitted from above, in what is
termed the receiver, and circulateS between the
two sections through side pipes, in which is the
"regenrator." Consequently, the pressure above
and below, eaving out of view the increased area
of the working cylinder, is the same. A pait of
these cylinders is placed each side the shalt. The
power can be increased by charging the diameter
of the cylinder. 1t was originally intended 10 have
the cylinders of the Ericsson 16 feet in diameter
instead of IA, at present. But il thought 10
be impossible to make them. The increased size
would nearly double the power, and give speed
equal to that Of any ocean steamer.
Twelve pounds pressure is used to the square
inch, and this cannot he exceeded without increa-
sing the temperature, which is Objectionable. The
furnace fires are five feet from the bottom of the
cylinder. One of these furnace bottoms will last
FIVE years. Anthracite in the hest fuel, as il makes
no flame. The cylinder above the fires is II inch
in thickness, but is SO arched as 10 have great
strength. Even were it Ito break, the contents OF
the cylinder would pass off harmlessly. There is
consequently no expensive steam boiler TO be fire.
quently renewed, and no liability TO explosion. II
the engineer get asleep, the engine would only
stop. ....
The engine in the E. is of 600 horse power, and
not more than tons OF coal per day can posi-
bly, be consumed. In steamship of the same
power, go tons per day uld be low calculation.
Mr.. Ericsson stated further that this ship was star
ted before she finished, because it was SAID to
be dead failure, and the effect was preudcial to
the interests of those concerned with him in the
enterprise. But the results had far exceeded his
anticipations. But half pound to the square
inch was necessary to start the engines. The
weight of the crank was sufficient to do this.
AS to the comparative expence of running a
breathing ship at high or low rate of speed, Mr..
E. stated that it was about las cheap, far the
engine concerned, to run ten miles per hour as
less.