Weekly national intelligencer. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1841-1869, 1853-01-15

10 diameter but that may be varied Of course according
10 circumstances, as the number Of discs both de-
pending upon the amount Of heat which is sought to be
deposited The surface of wire employed In absorbing
the heat in the Ericsson is equal the entire FIRE sur
lace Of four Of the very largest sized marine steam
boilers.
BY most elaborate series Of experiments the details
which, though exceedingly curious and instructive we
have no time to-day narrate Capt Ericsson ascertain
ed that each particle Of air occupies just l30th of Sc
coma In passing quite through the Disc and in that time
undergoes change Of temperature of 40Oo that is the
expelled hot air is four hundred degrees cooler when Il
leaves the respator than when ii IT, and the cold
air becomes four hundred degrees when it enters
the working cylinder or heating chamber, than il was
when it entered the resprator 1t deserves in this con
nexon to be borne in mind that Capt Ercssons patent
never contempates crater heat in the working cylinder
than 5OO0. Yesterday the heat was only about 45Oo
In passing through the respirator it is asceraned that
the hot air deposites all but about 800 of its heat that
Is the waste or escape air is only about 800 warmer than
when it entered the reservoir co and consequently the
waste OF heat only about 10 per every 3000 en-
poyed and it is this waste only which the function
Of the furnaces to repair greater saving might be OBJ
tanned by employing greater number of wire discs and
some other obvious cautions, but practical advantage
ton any further.
We will now describe the heating apparatus Under
each working cylinder furnaces each about the
size Of if any thing smaller than the interior of ord
nary countryhouse oven in which is kept up moderate
fire with anthracite coal.
The distance between the upper surface of the Goals
and the fire surface of the cylinder is greatbetween
four and five eethat the heatrom the Goals only acts
by way OF radiation, there being blaze and the bottom
Of the cylinder being entirely removed from any direct
contact with the fire.
The ordinary consumption of the four furnaces in the
Ericsson is six tons in twenyfour hours. They can
not consume over seven tons within that period They
use no blowers any other artificial auxiliares of
combustion nor, at the highest rate of speed will the
coal burn materially faster than when running moderate
n other words the cost Of fuel will not increase with
the speed as in vessels propelled by steam.
Steamers ofthe same tonnage the Ericsson never
consume less than fifty tons in every twenyour hours
The Atlantic steamers take in, for winter voyage, |
twelve hundred tons. A vessel propelled by caloric
engine, OF the same tonnage, at the rate of speed
and unless Mr. Ercssons whole theory be fallacous,
(Which no can believe who has what on
Tuesday there is for doubling that by pro-
portionately charging the cylinders equal if not
greater speed can be obtained than any steamer has
reached-such vessel we say thus propelled, will
quire for similar voyage not over l40 tons of COAL
about 900 tons less than steamer Of the tonnage
The Atlantic Steamship Companies estimate the coal
for their steamers to cost them adding the value of the
space ii occupies to the price of it, S25 per ton That
makes difference in the expenses the two yes
sells resulting exclusively from the and transport Of
fuel of S25, 900 for single passage
This vast bulk of coal engrosses all the best freight
room in the steamships, while Capt Ericsson
away his lao tons in his coal bunkers beneath the freight
deck beside the engines leaving all his freight deck
tirely free, and of course productive.
In this connection it proper to state that the immense
weight Of the coal required for the Atlantic
compes them to leave port always deep in the water
and enter light for their best running speed while
Mr. Ericssons ship is affected by the weight of
the coal necessary for his engine than ordinary clip
per is affected by the fuel which carries for consump
tion in the cooks galley.
There is also important difference between the
weight OF The Ercssons engine and steam engines of equal
power. The engine Of the Ericsson weighs about $50
TONS The engines of Atlantic steamers, including
the water in the boilers which Of becomes part
of the steamers burden, weigh 1000 tons.
The power of Ercssons engines is to be increased not
by raising the temperature in the furnaces but by
larging the cylinders of which shall speak presently
An enlargement Of the cylinders of course would involve
an increase of weight.
But this increase would not be considerable, as the
power increases directly the squares of the dameters
Of cylinders, that by doubling their dameters the
power is increased in compound proportion But we
need hardly say that this does involve any proper
tomato increase Of weight either the cylinder the
engine
Now, we have shown that the motive-power of one
of the stcass Atlantic steamers this season of the
year, weighs /, 200 + 900, equal 300 tons
That of the Ericsson propeller Of the same
class, at the outside 500 =