Weekly national intelligencer. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1841-1869, 1853-01-15
TRIUMPH OF THE cALoRIc SHIP.

The New York Commercial Advertiser Of Tuesday
evening has the following account Of the triumph
OF new motive power, as demonstrated on that day
during trial trip of the ship Ericsson
We have just returned from trial trip Of the caiorc
ship Ercsson-the breathing ship as the Mirror very
properly called it the other daynd have been witness
Of the most perfect triumph Of its prowess AS motive
power for all legitimate purposes Of commerce. domestic
international, it will straghtway supersede steam
Any thing experimentaly successful, pract-
caly simple, cannot be conceived
AT this late hour, and with the pressure upon
columns which has excluded much editorial matter, we
enter into particulars Of the working of the engine
and Ship of the statistics Of the trial trip but will give
them Suffice say that the Ericsson made
this trip not to give proof of her capacity of speed &c.,
but simply satisfaction to parties interested and 10
the press that Captain Ericsson has done what he claimed
to do and substituted atmospheric air for steam in the
propulsion Of large vessels.
1t obvious to every board that the packing of
cylinders perfected and that there consdera
BILE escape of the atmospheric motive power the air
tight packing of cylinder fourteen feet diameter being
necessarily work Of time and Capt Ericsson making
the trip thus early dspel the doubt that ship be
thus propelled rather than to show of what speed she
be made capable. The valves, too allowed of
escape Yet with these drawbacks the Ericsson made
nine miles an hour, and gave proof that, with her ma
chnery perfectly prepared she do at least onethrd
The original intention was to make the cylinders
of sixteen feet diameter but engine-makers could
execute the work The cylinders to the calorc ship
what the boilers are to steamship
The only thing necessary to increase the power speed
is to enlarge these cylinders and Messrs Hogg and Dalai
mater now guaranty to bore them of twenty feet
diameter which, with engine in every respect similar
to the used in the Ericsson would is morally
tain, give a greater speed than yet reached by any
steamer.
We must defer explanations simply observing that the
principle is simpe and bears much affinity human
spiaton, the Inhalation and expulsion Of air being the
key to the whole The supply cylinders inhale about
seventy tons of air per hour that air when expanded by
heat forces up the piston is expelled by chmneys
deck but the heat is retained in wire gauze work.
called regenerator and the cold air entering
through the regenerator taking up the heat the
wires have retained and thus expanded is ready for
1t will be obvious that the engine is therefore tho
rough ventator of the ship We stood upon the top Of
the cylinder while made twenty ascents and descents
1t was cooler than the in which we write. So
was the engine-room generally AS to economy the
Ericsson uses six tons of coal in twenty -four hours and
could not consume than SEVEN which in point of
is SIX to fifty Only one fireman is duty ut time
and all he has to do is to supply coal about every
only one engineer and he has nothing do but to
the journals, &C. There be no explosion.
Capt Ericsson very lucidy explained by diagram the
whole machinery and answered every question that any
chose to put to him. All board and there were those
among them who entertained very serious doubts of the
of the enterprise and were, judge interested
in steamships, acknowledged that every objection
proved to be groundess and that the thing done.
Indeed there taking any other ground seeing that
airing it at nine miles an hour.