, 1866-08-28

NAN AAuAO O1 thO 4SltOiCuIn AiSnL
Company of New York, which has often
been referred to in the public discussions
on this subject, only lasted for one hour.
Sugar heated steam was used in this case as
an auxiliary, but the fire went out, we
believe, as soon as The pine wood used to
light it was exhausted. Experiments Of
short duration lack the vital essential of
all proper trials of steam fuel, which is
fundamentally Il continuous euuable du-
ration of combustion, and it is the abso-
lote attainment of these qualifications
which causes us to mink so highly or
the present results of the WoolWich
trials.
About eighteen months ago Mr.. C. J.
Richardson Che last of the family of the
celebrated novelist of the last century,
submitted his method of burning petro-
leum through a porous material (such as
loan, charcoal or coke, lime, brick, and
the like, which formed, as it we're, an in
cOmbustible floor or continuous wick)
to the consideration of the Admiralty,
and shortly afterwards, upon the favour
able report of the officer who was direct
ed to inspect the illustrative apparatus,
Mr.. Richardson, received permission to
make practical trials at his W expense
in the dockyard. At first the oil was
burnt in a movable crate, the patentee
having been deferred from trying the use
of a steam jet through the unfavourable
reports of the American SaUant Dr.. Fisher,
but subsequently Mr.. Richardson, having
succeeded in convincing the Admiralty
authorities of the practicabilily of effec-
lively burning mineral oil through q po-
rouS material, further" facilities were af-
forded him TO perfect and apply his meth
Cd to steam boilers. In the course of
these trials it became evident that "A SUI
perheatcd steam jet could be employed
with great advantage, and this means
was reSOrted TO in various ways with
more or less promising effects, but very
recently the suggestion was made Of con-
veying the steam let continuously along
the whole porous floor of the furnace, and
the result has been a perfect combustion
of the oil, aud all but entire absence of
smoke indeed, so equally can the adj
justment of the quantity of oil supplied
to the furnace and the superheated steam
admitted to ensure lis entire combustion
be made, that a movement of the oil tap
or steam tap the breadth of a line, will
destroy Tue equilibrium d"u Cduse d gene
ration of smoke greater or less according
10 the divergence from the proper regis
ter. The captain on the deck of a ship
could thus, by a glance at the top of the
smoke funnel tell at once whether the en-
CINE fires were in proper order, for gene
ration of smoke with rock oil indicates
loss of power, and does not, like the
clouds from our coal steamers, show a
rapid, but, on the contrary, an imperfect
combustion Of the fuel.
In coaIing the fires every engineer
knows there is involved in our steam
ships the most lahorious and incessant
work, such rs is thoroughly exhausting
to the men; and in large vessels the num-
Der of hands employed is very considera-
BILE, it not being alone necessary to keep
the fires fed, bat the Goals have to be FREE
ouentIy moved from other parts OF the
shin to the coal bunkers. In the case
of the oil, in Mr.. Richardson's method,
a glass tube like that of the steam regis
ter allows the height of the inflow 10 be
seen and to be regulated to any height,
SO as to admit just the right quantity to
the furnace and no more, and once this
-..k .oodo tLo Stokox-oc we aun.