New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1855-01-13


a. plants aad It's waters, it's rocks and lt' MINER
.l,. and even the animal forms which innso' '''
.upply the inexhsustible materials whiea n,"'
,bs ,,tizap. ia 10 shape into innumera'ie ana III
spi,el, diyer,i6ed fabric, throughout his sac;e'-
I've eeneratiops. Nature, 10 ever, part % her
tide realm not less than in Der deePe' suo'sr-
,,,ssn ,.ces,es. 10 always busly engaged ID pre-
n,ipg tbo.e materials by tho most subtle pro-
ce..ss for bis reader use. She, moreover eoh-
,tspty urges him to Perseyere IN DIS 'oil py ever
Increasing and ever varying wants; and as c'n'
s,pally cEeers bin onward BY the rewards OF ever
jnne.,ing health, s,fety riches, knowledge,
mower. freedom and dignity.
But this labor 10 to be performed always 1855
and lees By the appliance Of mere muscular force,
and more and more by mechanical agents which tae
human mind can device, ard the human hand can
hbrjcate Nature leads the inventor on in the task
odeyisng and fsbrica,iDg such agencies, by making
zach new discovery furnish ready clue to the next
discovery which Is required.
In every art he began with only bis own muscular
force then hc subjected the power Of animals TO his
aid; then he organized natural powers, sue e. tho
,inds and the streams and lastly he eOmbnss latent
mechanical forces into effective auxiliary powers. In
this contest with the material Oosirucions 6hch slr-
round him he begins with simp'e tool or lnlpie-
uent. He xt combines several OF tbese lmpienents
and The las machine lie a. last combines sevsfal
Of such machines and then has ou eng'ne seiienng,
sld capsule Of operating many hnd varied depenusnI
nscbibos Such has been The progress OF invention
In all lie departments from the shuttle 20 the f0'er.
loom from the wooden type to the printing press and
from the steam compelling water JET 70 the steam en-
gine.
.J..n has UefitCtei.
avery engine conssts in the effect il has TO relieve the
human hand OF necessary labor, md the human MAD
Of weaIi-Ome attention and consuming care. La
ether WORDS every engine perfect IN Just the extent
that IL is automatic Every successive alteration or
Improvement has the effect Of rendering an engine
more purely automatic in principle and more perfectly
automatic Ia lts operation
Inventors as is thus seen are the pioneers OF
human progress. They must be encouraged, IT not
by rewards at least by equality and Justice lie who
dsyises machine must not be deprived of bic proper
reward nor vet must he be allowed 70 mOnOpOlze the
reward due 10 bin who improves the first Invention
He who makes one improvement must not be allowed
TO deprive Of his Just compensation him who makes
another and different improvement In no case does
the Injustice Of society toward individuals react
against itself severely than ia cases which ln
yOve the rights OF inventors.
Fred,r ick T.. Sickeis made his improvements in the
puppet alive engine in 1912; George H. C0yiss IN de
bis imprOveu enis in $40 and 1851 / need not psr
ucuiaTly rehearse the history Of the steam engue 10
show the stage at which that great invention he'd
then arrived. IL was nearly in the CONDITION IN
which Wait had left it, after reducing by his Success
ave improvements, by aduirutlon Of three-quartefs,
the quantity OF fuel required T. keep II in operation.
Ii was then a ooube.actng steam engine, with per
feet vacuum obtained by condemnation of the steam IN
separaie vessel. The proportions Of its parts were
adjusted accurately with regard to the newly dis-
covered laws which defined the nature and operation
of latent heat and of the pressure Of steam and Of
iis expansive force. There was an Imperfect sell
regulation Of the action Of the engine by means Of
governor acting through throtiie-vave IN the pipe
which conducted the steam from the boiler TO the
steam chest Watt knew the value of the expansive
fsceOf the steam, and had contrlved and put IN use
gear for working it, by detachiug the valves from
the mechanism that moved them. watt knew toe
advantage which would resuit from connecting the
governor with the steam valves for the purpose OF
regulation and various devices for that purpose had
been accepted.
Puppei valves would slam Oh their seats, ans Watt
had deV fed water dash pot aud punger to prevent
that incon venence. Siidicg.ynlycs could not be
opened cosed without the application Of extern 1t
force. ara Watt devised the use Of weight Tor .ol'
purpose.
The ste am engine was extensively enploye5 q
stationary poser in forges furnaces mines, inuls q
mauuiaCt Iies in America, and st more widely De
Europe Oar own Fulton had also gwen ne"
and Growing triumph by adapting 1t to navigation
ana il al fully begun is career rs an agent VI CON
mercc and civilization on the rivers, the LAX s ana
the ocean.
,tssm engine This valve rises from lis port to per
nit the ste TO enter escape fromthe engine sud
falls upon the port 10 prevent the entrance or escape
Of the steam But invention Dot long afterward pro-
dueed the sliding valve which is always in contact
with the plano or surface of the port, and which Is
always moved by external force equally IN closing
and epeniog ito port These sliding valves were l5ng
known in the arts under the name of slides; they
are noiseC 81 and silent in their motion, and thus as
tnluishe0 from the puppet valves, which are DE-
ssnbee ss slammingy alyes. Moreover, the stea n
valve and the ehaustvalyo when sliding hses
we're used were always worked simultaneously beng
rgidly connected. The puppet-valve, when balanced
more easily opened and closed. But, on Tue
other hand the sliding valve OF simpler cOnsuuc'
ten and ito motions were continuous and positive.
Engineers aud mechanicians recognizing these diner'
ences between the two valves and tue physical I'M
possibility of making gear which should work boia
kinds Of valve equally well, divided in their pref
srnces between them. Great Britain justly claims thu
invention of the steam engine; she had brought 1t
INTO full operation as stationary power before the
separation of the American Colonies. The United
States emulated Great Britain IN making new I'M
proyemeI Is and applications OF the lnveniion-and
these two nations have oustrpped all others IN this
respect. Does not tins fact sufficiently account for
the two extraordinary social phenomena of tins CEN
fury, namely: the renewal by Crest Britain, with
vigOr unknown before, Of declining career OF coz
guest ard commerce and the unparalleled advances
fthe United STATE toward prosperity and empire
Great Britain. with her rich iron mines and mex
haustble coal fields and her dense population, be-
came the manufactures for the nations. The United
States with their great advantages for internal as
well foreign trade, and for shp-buhding, ana the
adventurous character of their people, began inst
career IN navig aOn that is 60 steadily bringing the
commerce Of the world 10 concentrate in this dmnu-
tive island TIE British engineers and machinsts pre-
Jared the sangvalve, perhaps because 1t seemed TO
them more practicable 10 surm0un, It's defects and
apply II 70 stationary engines. Inc American ensi-
and meCha icans adhered chiefly 10 the puppei-
valve, perhaps from idea that II WORKED more