Sacramento daily record-union., 1888-09-29
N0IsELESs AND sMoKELEss,
These Desirable Qualities at Last Found
in a Locomotive

4
in Locomotive.
AT Palmyra, Wis, about forty mile,
northwest of Milwaukee, there may be
seen to-day a new, small locomotive en-.
glne (but large enough to draw several
street cars, the construction of which is SO
| dlIerent from anything which has pre-
ceded 1t as to be genuine surprise to the
man OF science as well as to the practical
engineer. Except the noise of its wheels
moving upon iron rails, it is noiseless and
smokeless. The fuel, any kind of wood or
| coal, Is perfectly consumed. The steam.
| alter Its use in the engines, is condensed in
a new manner, and the water at the boil
Ing point is reused. The performances of
this remarkable piece of mechanism are so
startling as, naturally, to cause statement
to be received with incredulity by those
who have not witnessed them.
10 see and experiment with a locono-
i've winch starts, stops and reverses, its
direction OF movement so silently and
easily that, If your eyes are closed, YOU
cannot detect the instant when the direc-
ton OF motion is changed is strange ex-
perlence, and tells more plainly than words
that the phenomenon before YOU NAV
mark an era in the history of engines and
motors. The objections to the ordinary
locomotive which l have enumerated
above are all overcome in the new engine.
The rigid bases and all the shocks Incl
dent to a rough and uneven track are ab
sent. All the wheels of the new locomo-
tive are drive wheels and all its weight is
traction weight. The necessity for a front
guide truck does not exist, the drive wheels
being so arranged as to give them easy
control OF the car on curves and on uneven
tracks
The most surprising feature Of this loco.
motive Is that there is very little waste of
steam, heat and water in operating it. as
the steam Is not thrown away after using,
but the water of condensation is returned
to high pressure boiler and reused over
and over again with but small loss of heat.
The noise incident to a forced exhaust.
common in the old system, is done away
with here. The combustion of fuel is SO
complete that no smoke exists. The side
motion and jarring felt in the ordinary
engine is done away with, and stopping
and starting and reversing the motion Of
the engine are very easily accomplished.
Tbs engine runs equally well in either
direction. One supply of water and fuel
is sufficient for half a days run or even a
longer run. Nothing is wasted, which
means an economy in operation never be-
fore approached in this class of machines.
In answer to the claim made that it is
very difficult, if not impossible, to pump
boiling water, l can only say that this is
easily done in this engine every day. as
any investigator can see for himself.
| have purposely avoided going into de-
tails OF technical nature, my object being
to state results only. The advantages of
this new locomotive over the ordinary one
are many and revolutionary in their i'm
portance. 1t need not be much more than
half as heavy as the present ordinary loco
motive engine, and the cost of operating
1t IS so much less as to astonish engineers.
Nolseless, smokeless and cinderless, it can
be used in the crowded streets of cities
without objection and with none of the
disadvantages of the common grip car.
The inventor is T. I. Prosser. of Chi
cago, who is widely known as a mechani-
cal expert and engineer. The PALMYRA
Manufacturing Company are engaged in
building second locomotive of this type,
which may be exhibited in Chicago and
New York. 1t seems to mark an era of
great advance in the uses of steam. and
nothing which the last half century has
seen in this line has attracted the atten-
tion which will be directed to this new
locomotive the moment its remarkable
features are fully made known to the me-
chanical and industrial world Duane
Doty IN Rait,coy Age.