Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1881-09-14
A New Engine which Will Create q
Revolution in Steam.
Illustrated Railroad World.

A locomotive especially adapted TO a new
fuel will in September be running between
New York aud Chicago. This locomotive
will generate and burn hydrogen gas pro-
duced from water by the Holland process,
and It is estimated that not only will SO per
cent. in the cost Of the fuel be saved, but
that the effects Of the remaining per cent.
will be more than doubled. The dead
weight in fact, will be diminished by four
or five tons as compared with coal burning
engines. There will be no back pressure on
the Distons from the retarded escape of
steam, and there will be no more smoke or
sparks.
The new locomotive is at present being
constructed at the Grant Locomotive
Works, Paterson, n. j., aud will weigh
forty-eig tons. Its total length is 30H
feet; length of boiler, % feet; cylinders,
II by "a inches; driving wheels, 81 inches.
The peculiarly in its construction ia In the
furnace and fire chamber and the number
of fues for the passage Of the flame. In
ordinary anthracite furnaces the tubes run
ming through the boiler are necessarily,
from the species of fuel used, of large
calibre and made of iron. In the new fur
mace they are constructed from copper, and
are Of small calibre and placed close to-
gether. Two advantages are thus gained.
Copper is much better conductor
of heat than iron, and, therefore, will trans
NIT the heat more readily, and the number
of 1ues being capable OF almost unlimited
increase. gives a much larger radiAting sur
face. The small calibre OF these copper
f1ues brings the incandescent gases more
fully into contact with the heat conducting
metal. while the water is 1iffused In this
strata between the hot surface. This reduc-
tion Of the diameter OF the hues is practi-
cable in the hydrogen engine, because there
is no need in IL for the violent draft which
is REQUIRED for the combustion of anthra-
cite coal. Smoke and sparks-those terrible
nuisances-are entirely avoided, because, in
the case Of hydrogen, there are no
perceptible products Of combustion, but the
purest aqueous vapor. The hydrogen
fame is produced by the separation OF the
constituents Of water, hydrogen and oxy-
gen, at a comparatively low heat, in the
presence OF carbon in burning naphtha gas.
The oxygen unites with the carbon; the
released hydrogen takes up atmospheric
oxygen, and burns fercely and intensely
with a colorless flame. From the furnace
where this fame is generated 1t ia con-
Quoted by ,662 vertical fiues, fve-eighths
of an inch in diameter, into an
upper chamber, which is traversed
by 5l2 horizontal hues, eleven
feet long and three quarters Of an inch In
diameter. These horizontal pipes conduct
the gases of combustion to their hnal out
let. A brief calculation will show what an
enormous amount Of heating surface Is thus
exposed to the water. All this apparatus
does not occupy greater space than the IRE
box of the ordinary locomotive. The In
ventors claim that their experiments no
longer leave any doubt as to success. The
rate OF evaporation will be enormous. while
under no circumstances can the cost be IN
creased, as the hotter the fire grows the
more steam and the less naphtha will be
consumed.