The Pickens sentinel. [volume] (Pickens, S.C.) 1871-1903, 1882-08-17
Tie Hydrogen locomotive.

The following Is description of the
locomotive which recently ran upon the
Jersey Central Railroad, the fuel being
hydrogen gas, which was constantly re-
produced by its own heat from water by
means of naphtha, as explained by the
inventor: The new locomotive is fucled
With hydrogen gas, which is constantly
reproduced by It's own heat from water
through the mediation Of small pro-
portion of crude naphtha. No oil is
burned in this process in the ordinary
or proper sense of combustion. 1t is
usedexGlusively within retcrts without air
as deHnmposing agent for steani. The
present NV locomotive, commenced at
the Grant Works in Paterson in the sum-
mer of 1881, was originally designed
with considerable notifications eup-
posed to be favorable TO the utilization
of gaseous fuel. The boiler as then con-
structed was tried in October, 1881, and,
as the result, the more extensive and
costly changes Wero rejected and the
simple ordinary pattern of boiler, with
certain adaptations only in the firo-box
and vent-pipe (no longer "smoke-
stack, as there is no smoke), was sub
stituted last winter. The gas-making
retorts are four in number, of massive
%rought-iron, semi-cylndrical or dome
shaped, the size and shape being nearly
that of half peck measure with the
convex side up. They are set on short
iron posts in q row across the firc-box,
near the floor and near tho door. The
interior of each retort is q single undi-
vided chamber, into which enters from
the top an oil-pipe, extending to within
one inch from the bottom, and also
pipes from the steam-space and water
space IL the boiler, all opened and
closed by finely-ftted and gauged
valves. An outlet pipe also passes
from the top of each rctort to
a "manitold" joint, in which these
four pipes Unite and so connect with q
massive cast-iron gas "main" running
centrally through the f1re-box fore and
aft Qength eight feet, diameter three
inches), ut level Of about three inches
below tho bottom Of the rctorts. This
main Is divided into three sections by
cutoff valves, enabling the engineer to
supply or withhold gas to any section
of the burners at pleasure. From each
side of the main horizontal branch
pipes of one-inch caliber and three or
four inches apart extend ut right an
giles across the fire box, TO the number
of sixty-two. Each of these pipes Tex
cept the extremes) is pierced on its
upper side with two rows of minute
burner holes, alternating in position and
obliquely pitched in such manner that
the gas-jets from the right side of the
one pipe and those from the left or
nearer side of the next pipe converge
and meet in pairs, each pair uniting al
an angle of, say, forty-fve degrees di,
Tectlv over one and one-fourth-inch
air-hole in the iron floor of the fire.
box. The total number of jets thus
placed is 549. The air-hoics arc opened
and closed wholly or partly at will by
under-slides controlled by levers from the
engineers cab. Under the whole is
constructed an air-chest, open forward,
to secure pressure of air into the air
holes during rapid motion, and also to
warm the draft and thus save tho great
heat radiated downward from tho fire.
The retorts of q locomotive in service
will seldom be cooled; but for initiating
the process in cold iron q small prm-
ing oil-pipe runs under the four re-
torts, touching each Of them with six
jets which are turned on and lighted tenn
porarily until the retorts are hot
enough to vaporize oil in their interiors.
N. Y Times.