New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1859-07-25
scIENcE, INDUSTRY, AND INVENTION
MOTIVE POWER -wATER-wHEELS.

used, Atmosphere Air, the Gases ana ElecHicfy
or Gslyanism, with bat Ii tie If any useful result.
The first wa,er-wheel constructed IN the mot
simple form, by merely attaching plain float. boards 70
vertical shaft, the end Of which asfastened directly
20 one II the stones Of mill.
The lndershOt. Breast, and Oyershot wheels
aflerward invented and worked With more efficiency.
The Irdershot wheel has plain fat boards, ag1ins.
which the water shoots with great velocity, setting i
in motion BY the force Of percussion. When the
fo.,boaSs have half the velocity of The vster, Is
maximum power i. obtained, which, theoretically,
should be equal TO the whole power of the water;
bat as the water leaves The wheel with bali toe We
octy with which L strikes IT, OF course it retains half
its momentum, 50 thai, dedIcting this and allowing
for friction, the power Of TIE wheel i. one.taird or
two.fths the power Of the water.
The Breast wheel has buckets on il. periphery, 80
constructed as TO receive ;be vster ,s top and
retain il until Il reaches yearly 10 the bottom.
This wheel depending the gravity of the water,
rather than is velocity snd force of percussion. needs
10 run much more siosly thsn the UndeIsho, ts max
imum poser requiring velocity q, the periphery, of
only three or four feet per second
The Oyersho. wheel acts on the same principle a.
the Breast bnt its implies, TIE water shoots
over INTO the buckets the opposite eide from the
nume causing Il TO reyolye in su opposite direction
10 the latter.
Tie bes, Breast and Overshot wheels have power
Of about - per cent OF the force of the water A
wa,er.power became more generally used for manu-
factuirg purposes the enormous loss of the under-
shot Al the grt ST bulk ard slow motion OF the Breast
and Overshot wheels, called loudly for some device
more compact than the latter and more economical
than the former. Ia response 70 this call, ID. Bar
ker of England invented what called " Bankers
Mil, which was merely hollow shaft " tn two hcl
low arms having openings near their ends, opposite
each other. The water in this machine j. forced by
its own pressure through the shaft and arms and
issues with great force through the opening IN jets,
il. reaction giving motion 10 the in the opposite
direction. Ii WAS supposed that by giving the ex
tremies of these arms aveocty equal 10 the velocity
of the water issuing from them, the water woulf
be left in state OF rest, and Consequently in-
paIt is entire power Ia the mill. Tbs theory, IN
all devices for using the reaction of motors is correct
but in Barker's mill the water lost part OF lis power
by being twice turned a, rgbt angles from ,s courte,
and the centrifugal force given it by the arms greatly
Increased It's force, giving It an undue and objection
able velocity. These impcrfectons reduced its useful
effect below that OF the Breast aud Oversize, wheels.
Ihis mill turned the attention Of inventors to the
principle Of reaction, and, after mach experimenting,
Mr.. James Whiteaw constructed wheel giving the
veter curved channel from its ngress to It's egrsss,
which in great measure overcame the objections OF
Bankers Mil, and gave an available power OF "a per
cent. Abou, the same time NJ. Fourneyron OF France
conceived the idea Of union of the two principles of
percussion and reaction, and 20 far accomplished II as
TO produce a wheel that combined the good qualities
of both without their bad ones Using enough OF the
percussion to require but half the velocity of the
81. H.
necessarily lost by direct percussion the French Tur
bns wheel gives more available power than has been
acquired by any other device.
The action of tins wheel ia too intricate to describe
without illustrations, but we will give general idea
of it, construction and operation. The wheel runs
horizontally, with vertical SHAFT. II is divided near
its circumference into curved channels with smooth
thin metal partitions AT its center is stationary
trunk or cylinder which may rise 10 the top of the
head of water, and form sort of fume.
In It's operation the water il admitted into the sta
tionary trunk from the lower end of which IL enters
the channels Of the wheel with great velocity, i'm
pngug against the inner end Of the curved partitions
in objection varying sufficiently from right angle,
or radius to it, To insure ts passage round the curve
and in close contact with it, until IL reaches the peri
phery where ii is discharged in tangent in the OPP
poste direction to the motion OF the wheel. Inc
motion OF the water having been checked frat by its
partial percussion when il entered the wheel, and
then by its continued and almost infinite number Of
impacts against the curved partition, and but slghty
rescrg il, owing to its motion IN an opposite drec-
ton ooses It's entire force, and the periphery OF the
wheel passes smoothly away from it, leaving It per-
iecty exhausted and very nearly in state Of rest.
To understand the philosophy Of the construction
of the Turbine requires clear comprehension OF some
the most abstruse and perpexng points in theoret
zeal science.
Some years ago, one Of these wheels was put IN
operation at st. Blasier in France only 10 inches in
diameter and inch thick, making 200 revolutions
per minute under head OF water of 81 feet, which
supplied power for cotton mill Of 5000 sp.ndies.
It, useful effect said to be from ~ 10 - per cent
of the theoretical water power.
Until 1873 the Breas, wheel considered the best
10 use in this country, when Elwood Morris construc,ed
two Turbines, that were used near Pnisdelphia with
power Of - per cent.
IN 1874 M Irish 4. BOyden " Mass, designed
Turbine Of - horse power, tor the Appleton Company
Losell, with power Of - per cent. In 1916, Mr.
H. constructed three Turbines Of 1870 horse power esh,
for the company. II they gave - per cent Of
the power OF the water he was 10 have 200 for his
services end patent, and 500 additional for every one
per cent - per cent. These wheels produced Is
per cent power, making bis compensation s. 300 in
stead Of 81 200, which promptly paid by the CON-
parry.
There several kinds Of cheapy constructed Re
action and Turbine wheels which effective, bu. NJ
the performance Of each depends It's philosophical
construction, and certain velocity depending on the
form of construction and the head Of water where it.
to be used, person should purchase without either
understanding liz whole operation or having entire