Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1884-12-18
THE EXPOSITION.
The steam-EngiRe of the New Orleans
show.
New Orleans Picayune.

New orleans ficayune.
la all the vast assemblages of the
products of all the countries of the
earth which are being placed on ex
hibltion at the worlds exposition, few
things will be found more general ly
interesting than the machinery de-
partmeat, FL IRE wonderful and ingen-
ious mechanical devices for the pre-
parat;on 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 ia lineal extent, are set IN
motion by the great steam engines,
and thus all the rest of the machi 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
biseeting it, is a space one hundred
ieet wide and three hundred feet long,
devoted to the steam engines, while
the immense battery of sixty-slx
boilers is accommodated outside OF the
building in structure specially built
for them in the immediate rear of the
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, aud
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 main 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 TO the machinery In
the iron cotton mill building and the
sawmill 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 its
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, and the joints
by which it is connected with the
several engine pipes were not arrang-
ed TO accom- 9date this movement, the
pipe would burst its connections and
be torn from its fastenings. Science,
however, has stepped Ia to guard
against such a mishap
The boilers have 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, nave a 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 a perpendicular action,
and IN this seaport steamship engines
would attract attention. Or the vafl-
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 Some
special feature of mechanical detail,
which is of interest to the practical
mechanic.
Everywhere IL the main building
exhibits are crowdlng in and are
being 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.