Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1870-02-08


charged.
ECONOMY IN FUEL-PETRoLEUM AS A Pro.
pUCER OF Motive PowER-An exhibition OF
4 remarkable and important new invention took
place 10 Georgetown. Saturday afternoon at the
foundry of w. a. Duvall & Co., in the pres.
cnce of several representatives OF the press and
number OF other gentlemen. The process
which has been in course of quiet development
there for the past eight months. consists
in converting crude petroleum to the uses of
motive power by the application Of steam. For
several years couple OF gentlemen who were
largely interested ia the oil regions have made
the uses CT petroleum study, and sought per
seve1ingly to adapt to practical ends the vapors
and gases which issued from It's wells ti>surcs
and every opening in the ground which were
simply the result Ct the evaporation of the pc
troleum in the earth. Many methods were
applied but chemical difficulties or practical
obstacles delayed final success At length it
became apparent that the great secret to be
discovered was the application OF heat, in such
manner as to evaporate the petroleum without
contamination. The various methods were first
fully investigated. Furnace heat, no matter
how applied, had failed under Government cX-
permcnts. Heat produced by elections into
the fire OF petroleum and steam combined,
proved spasmodic, Irregular, and dangerous
but it was certain that the vapor Of petroleum
would not only burn. but would produce the
intensest heat of any known agency. Finally,
after much study, the inventors and conduct
ors OF the present experiments, Mr.. Il. NJ.
Whipple and Mr.. Il. S. DickcrSon, invented
an apparatus, whereby they sought the evapO-
ration OF the petroleum through the application
OF super heated steam it being evident to them
.bnt - al h ,tbo La ~
process was sufficient quantity OF hydrogen to
prevent the carbon from depositing in a sold
state
For over four months these experiments have
been going on, and are at last producing such
results as to leave scarcely any doubt OF their
complete success.
For the past two mouths the daily duty OF
the apparatus has been to drive a thirty horse
power eng ne, with common thirty hvc-fo0t
cylindrical boiler Relative tests with Cumber-
land coal show that the average pressure OF
steam with coal fuel under the same boiler is
thirty five pounds the coal fires being rakcd
out and the pumps started the pressure becomes
reduced to twenty five pounds The pas fires
then being started the pressure is increased to
seventy pounds in twenty minutes. This ser
vice is performed at an expense OF one gallon OF
crude petroleum per h0ur-cnSt, seventeen cts.
The capacity OF the present apparatus Is csti-
mated at twenty thousand cubic feet OF gas per
hour, equally adapted for fuel or for iIlumina
ting purposes. From the fire thus produced,
when combustion is regulated, there is neither
smoke, dust, nor ashes. Asa matter of CON-
parativc economy the results thus tar seem To
be Of great promise.
MARRIED HIS Own SISTER The Delham
Patriot says that marriage once took place at
Canton, Massachusetts, under the following
circumstances: The bridegroom, when quite 4
small boy, ran away from his parents, who
lived in Lower Canada. In process of time the
father died, the mother married again, and the
fruits of tins union were several daughters.
The daughters grew up, and the parents not
havinm the means TO support them, they Went
10 work in factories. One straycd to Canton
factory, where Ivy 4 fortuItous circumstance,
the runaway happened tn be n wolk. tic
soon became acquainted with this Girl, and tc
lore full history of each Others origin was ur.
velopcd MARI ed her. In 4 few days it vas rs.
r2rtained that they both had one mother. This,
"G course, greatly confused ard aStonshcd both
parties, from winch arose Sr0nG conscientious
s:rIlplcS as to the propricty OF !rothcr and sis
ter living together in 4 state oi matrmony,
and, upon mature consideration, they resolved
mutually to dissolve their connection rs maj
and wife.
"ANTI RoBmER Stick. "A New York cdi
tor has been shown q wonderful invention,
termed an "anti rotbar stick" in the hand
OF which is located small gavan:r battery. -
s slight pressure causes the instant THROWN!
out of 4 strong steel needle At the other end
and penetrating the highwayman who COMES IL
contact with it. The ga|vanlsm 0i the ma
chine at once paralyZeS him, and it becomes NJ
easy matter to capture or get away from him