The home journal. (Winchester, Tenn.) 1858-188?, 1882-08-16
Tho Hydrogen Locomotive.

The following is n 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
peans of naphtha, as explained by the
inventor: The new locomotive is fucled
with hydrogen gas, which is constantlv
reproduced by its own heat from water
through the mediation OF u small pro-
portion of crude naphtha. No oil is
burned in this process in the ordinary
or proper sense of combustion. 1t il
usedexo lusively withinretortswithOnt mir
as dc composing agent for steam. The
present Ia " locomotive, commenced at
the Grant Works in Paterson in the sum-
mer of 1881, was originally designed
with considerable notifications sup
posed to be favorable 10 the utilization
! Of gaseous fuel. The boilcras then con-
structed was tried in October, 1881, and,
rs the result, the more extensive aud
! costly changes were rejected and the
| simple ordinary pattern Of boiler, with
certain adaptations only In the iire.boy
and vent-pipe Ono longer n "smoke-
stack, rs there is no snOke), was sub
stitutcd last winter. The gaS-making
retorts are four in number, of massive
wrought-iron, scmi.cylindrical or dome.
shaped, the size and shape being nearly
/ that Of half peek measure with the
convex side up. They are set on short
| iron posts in u row across the lirc-box,
near the floor and near the door. The
interior OF each retort is u 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.spacc and water
space in the boiler, all opened and
closed by iinely-ttted and gagged
valves. An outlet pipe also passes
from the top Of each retort to
"manifold" joint, in which these
four pipes unite and 50 connect with q
massive cast-iron gas "main' running
centrally through the iire-boX fore and
aft Qength eight feet, diameter three
/ inches), at level of about three inches
below the bottom of the rctOrts. Til,
main is divided into three sections by
cutoff valves, enabling the engineer Ia
supply or withhold gas 10 any section
Of the burners at pleasure. From each
side of the main horizontal branch
pipes of one-inch calibcr and three or
I four inches apart extend at right an
giles across the firc.bON, TO the number
of sixty-twO. Each Of these pipes lex
cept the eXtremcS) is pierced on its
upper side with two rows Of minute
burner holes, alternating position and
obliqucly 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 at
an angle of, say, forty-iiyo degrees di-
Tecllv over II one and Onc-fOurth-inch
air-hole in the iron noor of the fire
box. The total number OF jets thus
placed is jiS. The air-hoieS are opened
and closed wholly or partly at will by
undcr-slidcs controlled by levers from the
engineers cab Under the whole is
constructed an air-chcst, open forward,
to secure pressure OF air into the air.
holes during rapid motion, and also TO
WuIlu lIc u'lil NuN AllNlN saw tilN HI'hl
heat radiatcd downward from the fire.
Tine rctortS OF locomotive in service
will seldom be cooled but for initiating
the process in cold iron Il small prm-
ing oil-pipc runs under the four re-
torts, touching each of them with six
Jets which are turned on and lighted tenn
porarily until the relorls are hot
enough to vapori1e oil in their interiors.
~ Y. Times.