Anti-slavery bugle. [volume] (New-Lisbon, Ohio) 1845-1861, 1853-01-29
Selected Artitles,
The Ericsson RtSpiratOh


promise, to offer such an explanation of It's
principle as we hope may prove iutoIligible,
VI not satisfactory, 10 our readers.
We will say, then, as preliminary TO this
explanation, that all the power used in Cap
tain Ericsson's engines Ia obtained from the
expansion Of the atmosphere hy heat lie
used TO water aud makes no steam, but em-
ploys the atmosphere very much MS the
steamers employ wnter, with this difference,
that instead OF throwing nwny the heat after
IT has heen used ms the steam engine does
by ccndensaiiun, he separates it fiom tie es-
Gaping air, and uses II over again in heating
each new charge of air which Is supplied 10
his cylinders. This economy of the heat,
Of course, results in corresponding ccono-
my of fuel, furnace room and tiring eqnipagc,
equal, it is supposed, TO difference, in point
Of expense, of five purts in every six,
We will now give MS near MS we can, the
process 10y which this important economy is
effected We desire our figures and facts
TO he understood MS applying to the vessel
which we visited on the lilI inst. The Err
lesson, by carpenters measure, rates as Il
1900 ton vessel. She is supplied with two
pairs of engines, aud each pair is supplied
with two Working Cylinders" ns they nre
termed, and two "Suppy Cylinders inverted
over them. The supply cylinders are s'nall.
or Than the working cylinders, aud aye filled
with cold mr. from the atmosphere, at every
decent OF the piston which creates u vacuum
for its admission. The working cylinders,
which are Immediately below the supply
cylinders, and over the furnaces, are filled
by heated or rnriiied air, and are as much
larger than the supply cylinders as is ncccs-
sary TO realize the difference Of forces be-
tween air at its natural iCmperature aud IN n
rnrfied state. When the air in the working
cylinder is heated, the piston uscends aud
drives tho cold air out of the supply cylinder
into a reservoir, where it remains until the
rarfcd air has exhausted It's force and Is
expelled by the descent of the piston in the
working cylinder then upon the ascent Of the
piston again, this cold air rtIsles into the
working cylinder, where il is again rariicd,
und Repeats the motion we have described,
and uulIipies tho force which propels the
vessel.
Before proceeding TO describe the novelty
of the machinery the process by which tie
heat is separated from the waste air-and
held in deposit for future use, we will give n
few Of the more important statistics of the
dimensions aud capacities Of tue machney
We have already described.
The diameter of each Of the working cyl
inders is l6S inches, aud its area 2!,30O 50.
iuchcs-about three iimes the area Oi any oi
the cylinders of the Collins steamers, mud
yet they weigh only ten tons, while those oi
The Collins steamers weigh fifteen tons. The
pressure on these cylinders is ten pounds 10
the square inch, which gives an aggregate
pressure Of 223 900 pounds for each cyin-
der. Some of our readers inny better npprc-
ciute the extent of this power, il we add
x.ybot l. occartainaI ftrf that "a Sin 4.
pound of pressure upon the piston will raist
sieyen tons.
The "supply cylinder" is 1877 inches in di
nmeter, ana lis area II, 400 squire inches. The
two pistons, the supply and the working, or'
connected by eight massive wrought iroI
rods, which insure u perfectly simultaneou
aud sympathetic motion. The power iron
thd piston is communicated TO tie crank o
the paddle shalt, 10y connecting rods place
nt un angle of forty-fiye degrees, and work
ing in such way as entirely to dispens
with the cciitre shaft, in use in steamboat,
and ohvating all Inconvenience from whi
Is technically known among mechanics Il
the "dead centre" This appliance is ais
An invention of Mr.. Ericsson, aud scarcel
t--- important in its results than that whic
u is our principle purpose Today TO dcscrlb
We will now attempt to describe the pr'
cess by which il is economical.
by the side of each working cylinder is
vessel or box, filled with collection of vii
discs. like sleeves, six feet hy four, placed We
ticnlly in the box, The hot air, on lenvin
the working cylinder after performing i
function 10y driving the piston up, is cXpelle
through the box of wire, which Nj. Ericsso
lerms "regenerator."
IN passing through the disc the expclle
Dir gives off all, or nearly all of its heat, u
but about 80 deg, to the wire, where it
held on deposit us il were, until the procci
Of expulsion is complete and the valves ope
for the admission OF the cold niinuspher
pir which is waiting to undergo the proce
of ratification, When the valves open, Il
cold air rushes through the respirutor
which the hent is deposited, takes il up, nj
thus enters the working cylinder almost as h
us the mir which n moment before depOsitd q
same heat in slhe reservoir, TINS leaving
the furnace the moderate duty of supplyil
triflling difference OF only about so de
of temperature TO the air III tue worklI
eyliDder.
The capacity of these wire meshes TO a
gorb and retain the colOric will not he que
toned by practical men, when we State tli
the four regeneraiors" in the "Ercsso
feet, while there are more ihau 100000
of cells between the meshes. The wire
,his boat Is l-lGih of an inch in diameter, |
that may be varied, of course, according
circumstances, MS may the number Of dis
both depending upon the amount of h'
which is sought to he deposited. The ST
tace of wire employed in absorbing the Ia
IN the Ericsson" is equal to the entire {
snrface of four of the very largest sized u
gine sleam-boiers.
BY most elaborate series Of eXperimer
the details of which, though exceeding
curious and attraclive,we have no Time tod
90 narrate, Captain Ericsson nscertained Il
each particle of air occupies just l-3OIh
a second IN passing quite through the di
and ia TINT Time undergoes n change of te
perainre Of 400 : that is, the expelled
air is four hundred degrees cooler wheI
lenvea tlle re Ge eneratof than when il enters