Wichita eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1886-1890, 1888-07-05
A GOOD INVENTION.
TWO WICHITA MEN PERFECT THE
FASTEST RUNNING ENGINE
Ever Invented-.-Simple and Cheap
in Observation-Disclosures in
Operation---The Wichita
Rotary Engine.

For several years Messrs. S. E. Campbell
and William Wake, of this city, have
been perfecting an engine which promises
to be of vast importance to the mechanical
world in general. and to Mess1s Campbell
Wake in particular 1t is a simple piece
of mechanism, consisting of only six pieces,
with no wearing parts. The cost OF con-
struction is reduced to the minimum, while
the opportunity for utilizing the force OF
steam is correspondingly increased. A
proper idea Of the engine can not be guar
anteed by written description, but per
son of any mechanical turn OF mind
will be able to understand at a
glance that the principle involved
is the correct one The best way, however,
to understand it is to visit the Globe Iron
Works, on the corner of Second street and
Fifth avenue, where the engine was built
by Mr.. Wake and is running.
The engine can be built SO as not 10 &C
cupy more than one-half as much space as
ordinary engines of corresponding horse
power The cylinder, instead OF being
round and lonaand lying horizontally as
is usual, is round but fat and stands upon
its edge. The fact that it is a rotary en-
CINE, alone permitting this position. The
cylinder proper is is a perfect circle seven
inches in diameter and one and one-half
inches from front to back.
Inside of the cylinder is a perfectly round
fat piece, five and one-quarter inches in
diameter, and the same thickness as the
depth of the cylinder from front to back,
against the faces of which, this piece, cal
led the crank plate'lies. The crank pla.e
and the cylinder do not have a common
center, but both being perfect circles, the
former in its revolutions fits up against
the upper circumference Of the cylinder,
while between the lower edge OF the crank
plate and the lower circumference OF the
cylinder is a space one and three-fourthS
inches at its greatest width, graduating to
nothing, and IN length the same as the
cylinders length, one and one-haf III
inces. Across the diameter OF the crank
plate is sliding piece of ircn called the
piston, working in recessed groove in the
plate. This piston is divided in the center
into two sections, which are forced apart
both by coil spring and steam
inserted into the space in the crank plate,
between the back ends of the two sections
of the piston This pressure forcing out
ends conform TO the circumference of the
cylinder proper and the face of the piston
thus exposed to the pressure OF the steam,
between the crank plate and the cilinder,
is what gives the motion to the crank plate,
into the center of which is inserted the
shaft of the engine, and upon that is the
driving wheel.
The manner of letting the steam into the
cylinder is simple, consisting merely Of
two ports from the steam chest, one on
either side of the point where the crank
plate comes in contact with the upper side
of the cylinder. By letting the steam into
one port the piston will be forced around
one way and by letting it in at (only one
being open at time) the other the motion
will be reversed.
The exhausts are two in number and so
situated as to be two-thirds of the way
around the circumference of the cylinder
from the port, il con junction with which
each operates This obviates any dead
centers, for the reason that by the time
one end of the piston has passed the place
of exhaust the opposite end will also have
passed the port and be receiving anew the
pressure of steam at its rear. The port
Jointly opened and closed by turning the
the same valve by which to either start or
reverse the engine.
The presentsengine is..not so perfectly con-
structed as would one be, upon which am
pie time had been taken, but even under
these conditions it yesterday developed a
speed of $50 revolutions per minute, with
sixty pounds of steam through one-half
inch connections. Under ordinary circum
stances it is quite evident that it will de-
velop at least 1000 revolutions.
There is no danger from condens-
ed water, as the cylinder discharges
the same automatically through the ex-
hausts without the aid of cylinder cocks
as in all other engines.
The automatic governor for regul atiug
the amount OF steam let into the cylinder
has an advantage in this engine, because
it cuts the steam of short, Immediately
between the steam chest and the cylinder,
instead of allowing storage of steam in
the steam chest, TO run into the cylinder
and prolong the running of the engine.
This engine can be adapted to any use
for which other engines are used and
promises to rerolutionize the propelling
power of machinery requiring high rates
OF speed or slow rates either, because it
can impart directly any speed desired
without any cumbersome or useless gear
ing Its convenient size and economy both
in construction and operation viii render
it particularly beneficial as a motive power
for street cars, motors, traction engines,
etc Messrs Campbell and Wake have
their invention fully covered by patents
and are to be congratulated upon having
invented such an engine, while Wichita
can feel equally elated over the prospect
for manufacturing an article for which
there will be a good demand. and in the
manufacture of which there is an unUsu-
ally handsome profit.