New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1856-04-05
NEW INTENTIONS.

Uo1 AIR LocoaoTVE.-Capt. Phneas Bennett Of
this city is the inventor Of locomotive constructed at
the Novelty Iron Works within the last few months,
a style which for magnitude, expensive and skillful
workmanship and imposing appearance seems second
10 no experiment of the kind since the unsuccessful
Efforts on the ship Ericsson. The form in which this
invention has been constructed that of locomotive
aud the machine full.siIed, handsomely finished
affair with two pairs of six feet driving wheels adapted
10 the broad six feet gusge, has been tried to
extent on the New-Yok and Erie track, but regret
to say go far without any strong prospect of final
success The engine is driven partly by air and partly
by steam the two elements being mingle together
and worked off in the usual manner by the aid Of
CYLINDERS and pstons The steam IS generated in
stout chamber immediately over the fire, the water
being kept I'D in the usual manner by force pump
connected 10 the machinery. The air j. heated By
passage directly through the IRE l. is in fact
the same air which usually enters the FIRE
through the crate TO support combustion AMI
which usually escapes, highly heated, through the
chimney. IL order TO make this heat available in
impelIg the engine, this air IL compressed to a high
tension and forced under the crate by large pump
connected directly TO the pston-rod, and not allowed
TO escape into the chimney until it has passed through
the cylinder and mpeed the piston. BY this means
all the eIpansi N due to the change of temperature
serves TO develop power the propulsion of the
chine and it. as il the case IN fact, the mixture Of
steam and heated air be cut oil early, and conel
worked very expausively in the cylinder 80 as TO re-
duce nealy to the pressure of the external atmOs
phere the gain due to the Of the air Is very
siderable One great evil arising from this arrange
men, is the too high temperature OF the air. IL
contemplated TO overcome ttis by diluting il with
a greater or less quantity of equally compressed
air not passed through the furnace, and also
by sbowerng upon il small quaint Of water
which. by absorbing the heat ard changing n
steam. would cool the gaseous matter, ana would
itself iupel the engine in the u.uAl approged
st,le These latter ie lures new presume
and peculiar to this skful and patient inventor. but
the use of ,moke or air heated in this manner hs.
b, en tired before and ike Ercssons, abandoned a.
impracteGbe, although aiOrdns undoubtedly some
degree Of economy over the yet triumphant steam.
The difficulties experienced IN former tials from
the scratching and destruction Of the interior surface
of III, cyclinder and in spite Of oil the precautions
described the same difficulty exists in the machine un
der notice 10 such extent Us render its
tIeIney doubtful unless some new e1pedisnt De
adopted either 10 free the gases from PARTICLES Of
cosl al grit or more efficiently and constantly
TO luiricatc The working u-faces IL shor' n.
sult~ !ar have demonstrated that, as has been the
care with all previous ef,rs IN this direction. the
saving j. fuel by tho introduction q heated a.. has