National Republican., 1874-05-13
NAVY YARD AFFAIRS.

TRIAL OF THE NEW ENGINE BOILERS
AND CIRCULAR SAW MILL
The circular saw mill which has been in pro-
gress of construction at the yard for some time
past was tried yesterday, in presence OF Chief
Naval Constructor Hanseon, Naval Constructor
VIM. L. Hanscom, Of the Brooklyn navy yard;
Navy Constructor Theodore ID. Wilson, Of the
Washington yard; Civil Engineer F. A. Stratton,
U. S. N; Hon. .. d. ConEer, Chairman Of the
House Committee on Patents, and the Hon. ]. W.
Baker, and others. Its working gave entire sat
isfactiOn, and the visitors expressed themselves
as being amply repaid for their trouble in coming
TO see 1t in operation.
mill are of the knowlton patent non-priming cir
culating boilers like those used on the ive steam
fire engines which the patentee built for the Phila-
delphia fre department, and are 5Qhorse power
each. Tho engine is plain vertical one of
S0-hcrse power.
having one 6oinch saw and one overhead S6-inch
saw. This enables the operator to side timber
which Is very crooked. The carriage upon which
the timber IS placed is 81 feet long, and will con-
The principal features Of this carriage (for which
patent has been applied for) is the fricton-ieed
and the power-set works. The frictiOn-ieed dis-
penses with the rack and pinion and the power
set works enables the operator to move the log to
and from the saw with perfect case and to guage
the timber desired to be sawed, from one fourth of
an inch to eighteen inches In thickness on o scale
of one sixteenth of an inch, by forcing the log
against a roller in front Of the saw, the roller
mill Is compound OF iron, steel and composition,
and is built in the most substantial manner posi-
Bile. 1t is the invention Of John L. KnoWlton,
esq, and is manufactured by Messrs. Knowlton
& Hopes, at Sharon Hill, Delaware county,
Pennsylvania.
During the trial yesterday Mr.. Knowlton, the
inventor, laid his coat aside and worked the ma
chinery in person. All VINO witnessed the opera
tion OF the circular saw cIpressed~ themselves as
never having seen anything TO equalit in its rapid
manner or working, and finished condition in
which 1t left its work.
Mr.. Knowlton is also the inventor OF Knowlton's
patent bevel scroll saw for saving ships timbers
to curve and beYel. 1t was patented April !, 1865
This saw is s1pagls Ql eQbupg any timber used in
ship or yawl Goat frames, and T1r2 s,ch crS,c." "v
that 1t requires no dressing with thu kk 81 adle
before uiuyii.-- in nositin-
Knowlton's patelt 6sfsi circular saw for edging
panking for vessels cuts the planks regular and
beyels so accurately that It requires no planning
before placing on the vessel, leaving sawed sur
face for calking on. These saws are in use in the
Washington, Philadelphia, Kittery, Boston,
Brook, H. Norfolk and Mare Island navy yards,
beside thirty or forty in use in private yards.
In t.. cgIstfuction OF the three vessels Of war
now ouilding for the Government 1.-TWO at the
Kittery under Naval Constructor Webb and Mr..
Griffith, and one at Boston, by MT, pQpald Nc
Kay,) thesc saws have been used on the heavy
live oak frames with which they are being built.
1t is estimated that one Of these saws which It
takes three men TO feed and attend, will do the
same amount Of work that II will take forty men
o do with the AZ or adZe, and do 1t in hal! Of the
lime