Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1886-12-27
ERIcssoNs SOLAR ENGINE.
The Inventor OF the Monitors Completes
Another of His Great Works.


Another of His Great Works.
New York Sun.
Capt. John Ericsson, the inventor OF
the revolving turret or "Mouitor" gun.
boat, though now In his eighty-Gfth year,
ia still hale, hearty and vigorous, in love
with his profession as ardently as ever,
and as industrious IN study, experiment
aud Invention as many men of half his
years. For twenty years or more he has
been endeavoring to utilize solar heat ia
the production Of power. His. hot-air
engine, generally known and III quite
common use, was designed TO be'drlyen
by heat engendered by the SUMS rays, and
was the nrst product Of his study aud eX
pertinent 10 that direction. But though
the engine was perfected and given TO
public use years ago, the originally con-
ceived motor failed to satisfy the invent.
or's exacting judgment, aud was held
back for further improvements But
now, after fifteen years OF patient effort
aud wearisome experiment, the solar mo.
tor Is perfected.
Solar motors have been designed and
are now In use, to a limited extent, In
some tropical countries where fierce sun
may be daily relied upon. None of them
seems to have given entire satisfaction.
They have been more extensively tried In
Algiers than elsewhere, aud the enter
prise Of the French government in
seeking their perfection and practical
utility has greatly stimulated IN
vention in that direction. The motor
now produced by Capt. Ericsson has al
ready gone abroad and attracted foreign
notice, 20 which this country is indebted
for the first description Of 1t. A recent
number OF London Nature, scientific
publication OF worldwide repute deyotes
several columns to the Ericsson solar
motor, from which the following is con-
densed;
"The leading feature OF the device Is
that OF concentrating the radiant heat of
the sun by means OF a rectangular trough.
having curved bottom lined on the in
side with polished plates so arranged that
! they reflect the SUMS rays toward CYL
indrlcal boiler placed longitudinallv
above the trough. This boiler contains
the acting medium, steam or air, en-
ployed to transfer the solar energy to the
motor, the pistons and valves re-
sembling those of the engines Of
the ordinary type. The great cost
of large reaectors In one piece
and the difficulty of producing accurate
curvature on large scale are objections
which have beer supposed 10 render di-
rect solar energy practically useless for
producing mechanical power. Capt.
Ericsson has overcome these objections
by using a number Of nat strips Of sill
vered glass three inches wide and twenty
six inches long, placed side by side on
the curved bottom Of the trough,
aud 80 arranged that the sun
falling fharn N
def cted upward against the
bottom of the boiler. Such glass is mex
penslve, and scientifically accurate work
Is uncalled for. The whole trough is ar
ranged upon pivot which allows it to be
moved so that the sun shall always fall
directly upon the rejecting plate. The
trough is eleven feet long and sixteen
feet broad, the boiler being of the same
length and six and a quarter inches in
diameter. The motor Is steam engine
with working cylinder Of six inches di.
ameter and au eight-lnch stroke; the pls-
ton Tod operates hve-inCh force
pump, aud mouon is also impaired to d
crank shaft and hywheel. The average
speed of the engine during the trials OF
last summer was 100 turns per minute,
the pressure on the working piston being
thirty.four pounds per inch. Capt. Erlcs.
sen now says that he has finished the
work to his satisfaction, and that with
motors costing but little more than steam
engines an amount OF work can
be obtained in hot countries which
would more than repay the extra
cost OF the sun motor in one
year, With the scientific results of the
motor he is perfectly satisfied, and he is
ready to turn the device over to capital
istsi although a business man, he would
never embark In the manufacture of his
devices, no matter how sure he might be
OF the profits to be derived therefrom.
Indirectly his experiments In motive en-
gines have paid him very well, inasmuch
as about four Thousand OF the hot-air
motors are used In this country alone,
and Capt. Ericsson receives regular
royalty upon them"
Having completed and launched this
new mechanical product, the venerable
Inventor has promptly turned his atten
tlon to other subjects, and promises
within year to startle the world with
the most wonderful OF the conceptions oil
his long life. Notwithstanding his great
age, he gives twelve hours daily to work
handling the draughting pen and rule with
as much boldness and steadness O.
ever. He works more satisfactorily to
himself in the night time, when he /!
alone and In no danger OF interruption
He works out all his own ideas upon pa
per, and his drawings are as perfect anC
, neat now as those made by him hal
century ago. He rarely 20 out; denies
, himself to all callers other than those who
come on business, and declines TO make
any new acQuAintances of merely sociA