New Orleans daily crescent. [volume] ([New Orleans, La.]) 1851-1866, 1860-04-09
DIR. LErEBvRE's FLurED STEAM BOILER.


Mr.. ]. ]. Michel's lecture on this subject, de
iivered Saturday evening at Odd Fellows Hall
was a very interesting one. The topic, indeed
was of itself enough to attract the marked atten
ton of any intelligent audience, as it was the dis
covery, so claimed, of an immense improvement
in steam motive-power Who that is obliged te
travel would not be at once absorbed in ques
lion of more speed, less expense and diminished
n danger2
Mr.. Michel claimed for the invention Of Dr. Lee
febN, that with half the fuel it would generate al
least the same amount of steam any other boiler
now in use. Here is saving of half the cost then
at once, in the way of fuel. Moreover, he claimed
that the danger from an explosion or a collapse
would be almost entirely removed. As happy as
such a result would be in.a humane point Of view.
it is doubtful if that consideration would attract as
general attention as the former.
The effects upon travel and commerce, prodnced
by diminishing the use of fuel one-half, would be n
real revolution. Steam completes most success.
fully with sails in freight carrying The great
difficulty with steamships used for this purpose is
the bulk Of the fuel, rather than its cost. The
space occupied by the supply of coal necessary
for long voyage is SO much lost for freight, and
the evil becomes greater in proportion to the
length of the trip undertaken. Diminish the buk
and cost of fuel by one-half, and you render mnch
longer voyages practicable and all far more pro.
sftable.'
Mr.. Michel, by the aid of engravings and small
model, proceeded to explain to his audience the
peculiarites of the invention. The boiler instead
OF being plain cylinder, is a fluted one, as the
name implies. From one end to the other of the
uhoer there run straight grooves or depressions.
Seach separated from the next by corresponding
elevation. The distance round the boiler il
divided into eight Of these depressions, and conse
auently eight of the elevations, and the distance
across one Of the former or through one Of the
latte, is therefore one-sixteenth of the whole 3s.
tanee around the boiler. These depressions and
elevations form succession of regular half cylin
/ ders, the ones concaye the others convex. The
inside Of the furnace is made Of shape to cores
pond with the shape of the boiler, and the conse
quence is that the flames act upon twice the
amount of surface that would be presented by A
plain cylinder. Mr.. Michel, then adopting the
principle that the steam evolved is in proportion
to the fre-surface argued that at least twice the
amount of steam would be obtained BY shaping
the boiler in this way. He also adduced instances
where this principle had been applied to sugar
boilers, and with the most complete success.
To increase the application of the principle to
the steam boiler, the fue is made of the same
shape the exterior, thus doubling the action of
the flames within ITSELF In order to give stability
and avoid explosions or coapses, iron rods, called
ktay-bolts, are run from the fue to the boiler in
pany places, and firmly secured. For the same
ksrpose iron rings fitted into the interior of the
oiles, nd attached to it at all the points where
hey touch the concayities.
We certainly hope that this invention will prove
complete success, and we are assured that the |