Evening star., 1870-02-07

Interesting ErperiMents-Crude Petroleum as q
Heater and Mumiaator.

lH(fTefrtn0 Observation-Disclosures
Heater and Huniaator.
series Of interesting experiments have re-
Gently been conducted here for the purpose OF
utilizing crude petroleum by adapting 1t 20 the
uses of fuel and artificial light. Many expert
ments have hitherto been brought to the atten-
ton of the Government, which mas peen much
| interested in them, but none have proved abso-
lutely successful These, however, all brought
petroleum into direct contact with fire, and
were, therefore, fraught with much danger, As
| well as many chemical difficulties. The Secre-
tary Of the Navy, In his report tor for iss.,
| the fact came out in the experiments made
| with all kinds Of inventions, that the pc
troleum, when subjected to the furnace
/ temperature, threw down a portion of its
/ carbon in a solid state, and in sufficient guam
titles to close the tubes of the boilers) I'm about
| fOrty-eight hours, and often in much less time"
| The gleat aim, therefore, has been to discover n
| process whereby the tendency to carboniZatiOn
/ should be overcome. Furnace heat, no matter
| how applied, had failed under Government ex-
periments. But il was certain that the vapor of
| petroleum would not only burn, but would pro-
| duce the intensest heat of any known agency
| Finally, after much study, the inventors and
| NJ Whipple and MIR. T. s. Dickerson, invented
| a very simple apparatus, whereby they sought
| the evaporation of the petroleum through The
application of super heated steam, it being evi-
| dent to them that the great essential hitherto
lacking in the process was sufficient quantity
| Of hydrogen to prevent the carbon from decom-
/ posting In solid state. For several months
Il
/ at last producing such results as to leave
scarcely any doubt of their complete success.
Saturday an exhibition was given at Duval's
| foundry, in Georgetown, before a company of
| twenty-five or thirty professional gentlemen,
| engineers and journalists. The process is in
| brief as follows: Steam is taken from boiler
| and passed by pipe into the fire-box, where II
| is forced through a small iron cylinder, known
as the super-heater, which increases the temper
ature of the steam to from 800 to /, ,2oJ degrees,
| as may be required. Thence ii passes through
pipe into cylindrical tubular generator, the
| petroleum being contained in the space around
the tubes, and by its head rapidly generates the
| cylinder now in use is eighty gallons of crude
petroleum. The gas, as fast as generated, passes
into receiver, which encloses the generator
like water jacket; thence by pipes into the fire
box OF the boiler, where it is introduced by jets
of burnt rs in such volume as to produce flame
| which ditfuses itself the full length of 35 feet
| boiler, and several feet into the smOkestack,
| with the apparatus only working at One-fourth
| its capacity. At the same time the steam re-
| turning from the generator at an inflammable
| temperature is mixed with the vapOr, improving
| the combustion, increasing the head and lessen
i ing the consumption.
i For the past two months the daily duty of the
| apparatus has been to drive thirty-hOrse power
engine, with common thirty-five foot cyiindri-
cal boiler. Relative tests with Cumberland coal
| show that the average pressure of steam with
coal fuel under the same boiler is thirty-five
pounds; the coal fires being raked out and the
pumps started, the pressure becomes reduced to
| twenty-five pounds The gas fires then being
started, the pressure is increased to seventy
pounds in twenty minutes This service is per-
| formed at an expense of one gallon Of crude
petroleum per hour-cOst, II cents The capa-
city OF the present apparatus is estimated at
| twenty thousand cubic feet of gas per hour,
equally adapted for fuel or for Illuminating pur
poses. From the fire thus produced, when COM
bustion is regulated, there is neither smoke, dust
nor ashes. As matter of comparative ecOnO-
my the results thus far seem to be Of great
/ promise.
At the conclusion of the exhibition the party
IN lave r1,nr.
an excellent lunche.
| THE MARKET-HousE COMPANY QUESTION
Meeting Of Citizens this Afternoon.-This after
| room, meeting of citizens was held at Union
League Hall in opposition to the bill pending
erect a new Centre Market-house Among those
present were George NJ. Oyster, John s. Paxton
b. s. Elliot, G.. 5. Kraft, G. w. Emerson,
Holmes & Bro, j. c; Pearson, John F: Seitz,
| +. M. Bradley, II. Whaley, and other dealers
| in market; also, j. L. Gatchell, A. Watson, w.
5; Morse. W; II. Brown. A. X. Browne, Benz.
| Reiss, L. II. Langley, Ond other citizens.
Before the meeting was called to order MEM
| bers engaged in animated conversation on the
! plan-Mr. Cluss, the architect, explaining the
| anne. The meeting was called to order at 245
O'Clock by Mr.. G. Holmes, who nominated As
| chairman Mr.. George NJ. Oyster. who was
elected, and Mr. A. X: Browne was elected Sec
| Ietary, as also Mr.. j. G.. Pearson Treasurer
The Secretary read the call of the me ting.
Messrs. G. Holmes, B. S. Elliott, Alfred Jones,
;. =; nIant an anu "A: Matsoh were appointed
@uonii.tee on IssoiItlohs re
;n;toa wa =, io1Su I5 .lS hr. uiGeoh u. walker De
~ ..eu -. ~ ~, auioso .no mSe.IhS uuTlhg tne ao-
' 0 vi ene , mHGn WI. Nash osJect-
Ua, ta, on 'n9 grounu tllat MI: aker was the gen
r;,, n,m Mho @ oaale " railioau meetng al the
| Sty naIi some time since, ana acted there as
tne friend OF Mr. John W. Garrett, and he
"an.eT tne meeting 10 Know IT,
4 ~ " aher ueIhg ailo"eu 10 SPEAK, sald that
| ne ne had taken pans 10 ascertain the title OF the
| CORPORATION 10 the TWO squares on which the
| Center Market now stands, and found that il
was the property OF the Corporation.
Inc committee ON resolutions here reported
a. r0lo"s:
Mnereas, Oil mas recently been presented IN Con
roun ~ aoa @ ,i,1 a, ,ease 1 ,ne osnier Market
Zine wears on condiinn Thai said cansnH q, r,
thereon a suitable market house: and hereas, the
are known TO have no interest in said market
other than as culaton for their private benefit;
anu "a ,ne OSrpeTaion M ION OF washington IS now
licenses In said marke, and Wberc, a. M n
| of this meeting the transfer of said market grpnmn5
to said private company would be highly detrimen.
tai as well unjust to the pay of this city
thfrl