Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1884-12-18
THE EXPOSITION.
The Steam-Engine of the New Orleans
show.
New Orleans Picayune.

New Orleans Picayune.
In all the vast assemblages of the
products of all the countries Of tho
earth which are being placed on ex
hibition at the worlds exposition, fe "
things will be found more generally
interesting than the machinery de-
partmeat, Here wonderful and ingen-
ious mechanical devices for the pre-
paration Of every article that is manu-
featured for any of the purposes of
life are to be seen at work. Long
lines of shafting traversing the entire
length of the building and aggregat-
ing miles In lineaI extent, are set IN
motion by the great steam engines,
and thus all the rest of the machl merry
IN the varied forms is set to work.
The steam power, which is the great
throbbing heart of the institution, is
worth attention, In the center of the
machinery department, and intirely
biseetlng it, is space one hundred
feet WIDE and three hundred feet long,
devoted to the steam engines, while
the immense battery of sixty-sIx
boilers is accommodated outside of the
building in a structure specially built
machinery department, but separated
from it by an alley or street. The
enormous range of of the boilers pres
ents front of four hundred feet, and
they are all connected together by a
great steam drum, which traverses
the battery its entire length. The
steam being gathered In this drum is
supplied to the engines through a
riveted 91ain pipe twenty-six inches
in diameter This main has out
valves at various points connected
with small pipes, which feed steam
to the several engines. Another, but
smaller, pipe leads from this main to
the right and left that to the left
carrying steam to the cold storage
engine and pumping machinery,
while the pipe to the right, after
traversing the southern half of the
main building crosses Magazine street
and gives steam 10 the machinery IN
the iron cotton mill building and the
sawmilI annex. There is fully half a
mile of this steam pipe and 1t IS all
supported on roller brackets so that 1t
may have full play to move forward
or to retract when expanded by the
heat of the steam or contracted by It's
absence. So considerable is this
change of length in the pipe by rea-
son of varying Influences of heat and
cold, that if the pipes were not free to
move longitudinally, aud the Joints
by which it is connected with the
several engine ipes were not arrang-
ed to accommodate this movement, the
pipe would burst its connections and
be torn from It's fasten1ngs. Science,
however, has stepped la to guard
against such mishap.
The boilers have a steaming capa-
CITY equal to about six-thousand
horse power, which is supplied to
twenty engines of various sizes. All
the engines yet erected, and some of
them are very large, have horizon
tai action, and it is strange that no
engine with perpendicular motion
has been placed on exhibition, con
sidering the fact that most steamship
engines have perpendicular action,
end IN this seaport steamship engines
would attract attention. OF the vari-
Gus engines on exhibition there is
much to be said In the way of praise.
They work with exceeding smooth
ness and regularity and each has sOne
special feature of mechanical detail,
which is of interest to the practical
mechanic.
Everywhere in the main building
exhibits are crowdlng in and are
beng put in place. Order is rapidly
growing out of chaos, and forms of
beauty are springing up out of con
fused masses of lumber, merchandise,
and furniture