Sunbury American. [volume] (Sunbury, Pa.) 1848-1879, 1857-11-14
IFrom the Journal OF Commerce, Oct 81
The Caloric Motor Revived-Mr Eric
sons last Experiment.

BY next February, four years will have
elapsed since the caloric ship Ericsson" went
to Washington City making seven knots an
hour with head wind. By many the sue
cess Of the new principle seeme1 to be estab-
lished, and was chronicled accordingly but
the expectations then entertained, failed TO
be realized, and the caloric machinery was
replaced by the ordinary steam engine. The
time which has since elapsed has not been
suffered to pass fruitlessly away by MIR. Erics
son, for he has labored ipfutigably for the
perfection OF his original design, and the
development of u motor promising important
results to commerce and the srts. The calo-
rc engine has been Reproduced in forms va
rously modified, and in all cases with great
simplicity of construction while the labor
which it performs is vastly dsproportoned
to the consumption in other engines
These remarks are suggest Ivy visit
made yesterday to the Office OF Jonn u. kitch-
ing, 81 William street where one Of Mr..
Ericssoas engines, as Just csmpieted is set
up, on a small scale /; but is sufficiently large
to illustrate the principle Though occupy.
ing less than cubic foot space, aud heated
only by gas, the power developed defes the
strength OF single man. 1t is employed in
pumping and raising three hogsheads per hour
TO elevation OF five feet. This pattern is
called domestic engine being adapted to
perform great variety Of work ordinarily
done by hand, and with q surprising degree
OF economy.
Still another caloric engine is located on
one of the piers Of the North river, and is
designed for ships use. In this capacity il,
promises to accomplish important results; !;
Tor our tno large packets and sailing ships,
being unable to carry steam engines are un-
supplied with the Worthington pump, and
therefore have wholly to rely Oh manual la
bor in Kidding the ship Of water, in case Of
leak or other exigency. The caloric engine
may be placed in the corner Of the cook S
galley, almost unobserved, and may DO pat
in operation in fifteen or twenty inmates, saw
ing the labor Of AL entire crew. There being
! no possibility Of explosion or other disaster,
| tine cook is amply qualified to oilciate US en-
gneer, if desired. The position of the engine
is matter Of the leas: consequence, as II re-
qures little beside air, aud CAP run in the
! lore-top or upper deck equally Well.
In addition TO the above a beautiful steam
! yacht has been plying about tho harbor for
! the last ten weeks, and is often seen running
across from Staten Island to Long Island
&c, propelled solely by caloric. This boat
! is ty feet in longth, with an eight-feet pad
| dewheel which works about thirty turns
per minute, giving a speed equal TO eight or
nine knots an hour. The engine is controlled
by any one who happens to belong to the
party on board. The fuel is either coal or
wood. Small oak wood has generally been
used, sawed into eight inch lengths, and in
credible as it may seem, onla one cord has
been used during the last six weeks, though
the boat has been run more or less every day!
Even after the fires are wholly extinguished
sufficient heat is retained in the metal Of the
engine (if il has been thoroughly warmed and
is ~ good working order) to propel the boat
at least two miles. The space occupied by
the engine of this boat is not larger than the
boiler which the same boat would require il
propelled by steam.
1T IS said that the caloric engine can be
built on any desired scale Of magnitude
Though the principle on which Encsson'S
calorc engine was originally built is wholly
preserved, the arrangement and mechanism
are entirely different-the whole being re-
duced to degree of simplicity never before
attained in any engine. 1t is reasonably sug-
gested that in places where dry motors" On
ly eau be employed, as in the gold dggings
Of California, this new eRgna must prove
immensely valuable.