New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1857-07-16

tion Of the coal instead OF being suffered to escape
at once through the fues, are seized IN frdn'~H
and made to do manifold service BY being sent
through certain curved bridges, the effect OF which
on the gaseous current is greatly to increase the
power of the combustion. By the last, current
Of heated air ia introduced at the curves behind the
ignition, so as to make the improvement OF DIR.
Baker peculiarly applicable to coal.burning loco
motives.
The engine now building, and nearly completed,
Of which we have spoken, can hardly be regarded
as an experiment. 1t is only the combination oil
these improvements in locomotive expressly built
to receive them under proper conditions, after they
bad been satisfactorily tested under very unfavora-
bic circumstances. The Baker Improvement was
first applied year or two ago to an old condemned
engine on the Lowell and Worcester Railway, as
experiments in medicine used to be tried on crimi-
mails left for execution-a kind Of erperimentsm IN
eorpors ril With all the disadvantages incident
to such trial, it was estimated that the saving of
fuel was about 40 per cent over the old wood fur
naces. A second experiment was made under bet.
ter auspices upon the Boston and Worcester Rail
way with a better engine, built of course for
wood, but with these improvements intro
duced as well as could be done under the cir
cumstances. More than twenty trips were made
with this imperfect machine, with coal
superior in quality to what would be used were
it employed as a regular working locomotive. The
trial was regarded as sgnally successful, and the
result was stated by Mr.. Hale, most cautious
though experienced authority, in The Boston Daily
Adrertiser, as indicating economy in fuel ofsbout
62 per cent over the old wood furnaces. Accord
ing to the analysis Of The Adrertiser, the aver
age cost for wood Of running freight trains in 1855,
was about Al cents while the average cost OF
coal on these experimental trips with coal used
with these improvements, was but about 10
cents mile Such result as this, one would think,
must settle the question, even if the new engine
should effect no greater saving than was made by
this imperfect application Of its principles But it
is reasonable to expect that it will effect still
more material percentage of saving. In which
case locomotive revolution must be at hand.
The object aimed at in these adjustments Of Mr..
Baker and Mr.. Amory is to approximate to the
solution of the problem-how much work pound
of coal can be made to do. BY the consumption Of
the gaees and the smoke which results from the
successful application of these improvements, the
comfort Of travelling is as materially promoted as
are the profits of the shareholders. The smoke
and SCOT nuisance which is the bane of Summer
railway travelling here finds its proper antidote
The principles of the curve and Of the hot-air feed
are applicable as well to stationary steam engines
as to locomotives, and they have been fully tested
and proftably adopted in this country and in En-
gland. In England the curves were applied, under
Mr. Amory's direction, to the East London Water
Works; and after fair trial, Mr. Wicksteed, the
Engineer of the Works, admitted that they would
effect saving of from 30 to 40 per cent over Ord-
nary furnaces, and this report of Mr.. Wicksteed
was adopted by the Board of Admiralty. As near
as we can understand the matter, those improve.
ments in the structure of locomotives, and the
consequent substitution If coal for wood, which
must follow, if the economy be anything like that
indicated BY these experiments are destined to
work great and beneficial changes in all the rela-
tions Of railway life. They should make travelling
cheaper, and at the same time increase the profits
of the shareholders. Whatever tends to bring
peace out of the natural warfare between the buyer
and the seller Of swift locomotiOn-which shall re-
concie tie ancient grudge between ticket.buyers
and div dendreceivers-is good, only good and that
continually. We trust that We shall soon have to
announce the squariDg of this circle the discovery
of this longitude, the dawning Of this Golden Age
upon the Iron world in which Directors, and Share
holders and Travellers. live and move and have their
being