The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1880-11-19
THE ATRATo COMPANY.
The Report of the Constructing Engi.
ne6r

AS many of our citizens take lively inter-
est in the progress of the work undertaken by
our young fellow townsmen the coming win
ter, QUA reporter has obtained from the officers
Of that company the report of their con-
structing engineer, showing the contracts he
has placed at Bristol. 1t was considered nee
essary to save all the time possible, and as the
Herreshoff Manufacturing Co. had preeminent
facilities for turning out all of the complicated
machinery at shorter notice than others, it was
decided preferable to place it all where it could
be made to fit exactly, rather than to run
any risk of having work done in pieces by
different makers, not fit smoothly together
when delivered.
Mr. Samuel S. Weber, since his arrival in
our city from California, has been devoting his
entire time and energies to the requirements
of the company, with very gratifying results to
its officers. When the question of boiler con-
struction came up before the mechanical engi-
neer and board of construction and equipment,
1t was found that the limited space which
could be devoted to engine and boiler room
was not nearly large enough to put in boilers
OF the ordinary upright orihorizontal patterns,
without having the steam dome extend
through the upper deck into the living room, a
pidh eIdt Wdo uOJ only worry uuueSiTaUl6 DuG
also nearly impracticable. The question of
engines to drive the boat and pumps was also
one OF prime Importance, for il the same steam
cylinders used to propel the boat could also be
made to work the pumps, much room and ex-
pense could be saved over the play of separate
engines for each work, besides large saving
In the weight of the machinery and conss-
quently the carrying capacity of the boat
could be rendered available for other purposes
with these facts SO plainly shown the me-
chanical engineer visited the works of the
HereshoH Manufacturing Co.. at Bristol, r.
l., where most favorable contract was made
for the furnishing of a system of machinery
consisting of one of the well known Herreshoff
Safety Coil Boilers so decidedly recommended
by Chief Engineers Isherwood, Teller and Car
penter, U. S. N. for light draught t,amers ard
launches for naval use
BY the use OF this boiler the company will
secure the maximum amount of steam gen.
GRAFTON in the small space of five feet in diam
eter by five feet high, and also the fact that
steam can be raised in six minutes to 100
pounds pressure enables them to avoid the ne
cessity of carrying large body of boiling wa
ter under the sleeping apartments at night, in
itself no small consideration in q tropical eli
mate.
The Herreshoff system also comprises COM
pound condensing engine in which the steam
cylinders are arranged to drive both pumps and
wheel, and by very simple method of dis
co meeting the paddle wheel the engines are
rendered available for working the pumps.
The engines consist of one high pressure and
one low pressure cylinders, having diameter
OF in. a1d 10l in. respectively, with a stroke
OF "a in. These cylinders are placed one on
each SIDE of the boat and connected by right an
gle cranks to the wheel shaft The steam is used
in the way peculiar to the compound system,
and a large saving in fuel is effected by this
method in connection with surface condenser
arranged in the water circulation of one of the
pumps: The pumps are of gun metal bronze
AIN diam and 24in. stroke of piston, and will
be double acting with extra large water pas
sages for high duty, and will work under
pressure of $50 pounds per inch. As steel and
gun metal bronze enter largely into the con-
struction of the engines, we thus secure the
very best quality of material and the reputa-
ton of the Herreshoff Co. is in itself sufficient
guarantee Of the excellence of the design and
workmanship.