New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1889-01-18
THE STEAM ENGINE
AN ADDRESS BY E. NJ DICKERsoN.
HE ABLY DISCUSSES THE SUBJECT BEFoHE THE
ELECTRIC CLUB.

gr,y,s, ,as hold last evening at the clubhouse NO.
40 Fast Twenty. secoud-st The address OF the
svening was delivered by Edward N. Dickerson the
well-known patent lawyer, on " Inc Steam Ensne'
Its Principles its Developments, its PresehO Oapac
ltv and its Future Perfection" Dinner was served
from to 8, and an informal entertainment was
provided after the address. H. L. 01Iniaha' nreV
vice-president Of the club, presided end over iVo
were present. Among them were b A.
G)uncan of Pittsburg; Charles W. Pnce,
seoretarv of the club; Thomas H.
ISooyiu O. E. Madden. e. 6. Adhesion OF t1tss-
burg: Captain Henry Erben. u. s N: Coionei
NJ M Ransom of Boston; George M Fhelps'
George worthington, w. A. Kreidler. oil Ch1cago'
George F. Gorter. of philadelphia; Henry "
STANLEY, Of Bridgeport: Walter v. herr,
John O. Tomlinson. W. L. Candec~ Y. .. H.
Moodbury of Boston; Henry Hine D. 4. NC
Sluaide, Charles w. Could A. v 1arrA1.' mA;or
E H. Hamilton, Cyrus o. Baker, OF newark, ''nn
ID. geeley. and Lieutenant Hutchins, U. 5, NJ, Oh
Newport
Mr.. Dicisersons address in part was:
In the year 1880 great eountrymsssn Professor
Sliant investigations Of the principles of electricity
produced the first electro motor ever Known 20 wsh
which Would render the principle then exhibited
available and valuable. In 1881 Professor Henry IN
sneSSsg But anG ndcSenaeny Of each other
cred that could be produced IN %b
magnet; and electricity thus produced was called
OOSeres IN secy opened the door to unlimited
application of power for It's production, and lt was
@ to % %SS n Se mos ecve and Economical
way, the desired result could be sccompdsn Sh, h.
practically superseded all others in the devices fer de-
velopng the principles established by he dscoy psc
of Professors Henry and Faraday, was made ny Pacl-
notfi whose apparatus, modified subsequently by IN
genous inventors, is now in universal use proauens
the theoretical ones tDa1
more than 90 per cent of the power expended upon
electTcy leaving less than 10 per cent to be saved
OF i can be saved by other mproysmentSS o sonss
and practically applied tho arts by the inventors
complete system for the creation AID Distribution s Si
OcsgRyng the attention sSO of to 10
sandTeds and q RCasaSSs men, Of AND
upon humanity inestinabe blessings So lar as b we
h9S y s SsO pOwsr s' Sn e s
discovery shall be made Of means for e1nyertns
out The intervention Of any other agency when that
doneand It is entirely within the laws OF o6neS on
with the generation of electricity but until that IS
problem, and therefore is subject Of great Etercs!
to you, as electricians, both IN scienuh4 po.n. ~
ths connection ena yoS have 6onored me with your
vitatfon to speak to You tonight on the subject o.
capacity, and its inture limitations.
TRIBUTE TO JAMES WATT.
Mr. Dickerson then gave terse and lucid his
tory Of the steam engine, paying an eloquent tribute
to James Watt. who, he said, brought to bear upon
the subject Of the greatest and most profound
inteects ever directed the practical subordinaton
Of the laws of nature to the wants Of man." The
speaker added that tho progress which Watt made
was marvellous. He discovered all the laws which
we now know with almost perfect precision, and he
showed lis how to apply them to produce results
ia almost perfect accordance with those laws under
which steam must act.7 After describing Watts
discoveries in terms Of great precision, Mr. Dcker
said
The problem Of the steam engine nf to S0.y
and that steam engine Is the best which can OBTAIN
syele V Which with Cod began. force in proiean form
remains constant and whether 1t is APPLIED 10 o 1ns
useless or injurious effect, depends upon how nearly
imperfect man can obey the laws OF nature n
S Sss FORM S Of force Which has edd Sas Ear al
investigations into its substance; but It Is but one
what spsSssd; 4 under T i6s
and your predecessors have dealt with This form q
force as It has passed through your hands with
TO you has not been wrapped In napkin and
buried in the ground 1t may be truly said 20 you
have converted dynamic energy into electricity, and
delivered 4 for conversion into light or some other
by the way than onetenih Of the force that has
been committed to you for transference; and 4 y
But those who have RAD e deal with the transfer.
IN the exact reversed condition; for they transfer
hardly more than ten per cent Of the power and
per cent and lose but ten per cent.
In considering American marine engines, Mr.
3)ickerson spoke in this way:
In this country the early steamboat engines sdopted
lntely perfect for steam engine but they did not have
and d @ s 5 81
Mr wsttis plans. Their single poppet valves, how
ss o was D y Observer anS e.
wh less fuel han his mprOssd modern ,s steSps
NE modern seseps abandoneS tSs nss
valve q Watt AND suSstated for L what is caisd
s- y yadsTng easier Sas5s
the valves By hand r. With starting bar TSOD the
nS a. 'Ps y maSs h srsss ss s ops % 1 p
comes proportionately increased
WASTE og FUEL
little steam cylinder would do the work at no
cost but that not thought Of then. The single
valve is absolutely tight but II is impossible to make
balanced valve tight; and tie consequence Of that
been waste by leakage through the engine at least
fifteen per cent Of all the coal that has been
burned from that date to this in steamboats, and that
continues this day. The astonishing fact exists to-
the waters Of NewYork is wasting certainly not less
leaking through the valves; and almost any one Of
them VIII run at the rate Of four or i've miles az
and simply by the leakage through those valves and
that leakage Is the difference only between what
leaks In through the steam valves and what leaks out
Through the exhaust valves. Some of these steam
boat engines constructed that the engineer
can unlock the steam valves without unlocking the
exhaust valves, that the engine the ex-
haust valves are working and the steam valves arc
shut That IS particularly. true OF Of the
stesmboat engines on the New-Hayen Line. and when
The pilot rings The slow bell no frequently must do
IN going through the crowded thoroughfares the en-
gncer simply unhooks the steam valves and lets
them drop shut, and the steamboat moves on at
fair rate OF speed from the leakage alone: whereas
Il those steam valves tight the engine would be
otopped In half q revolution This tremendous loss
IS appreciated, because IL is Of Internal
heporrhagc and no visible sign appears. The steam
leaks into the condenser and is pumped overheard
with the condenang water; but far az have OBJ
derived Il has not raised The Temperature Of Long
1gand Sound at ALL and therefore has not produced
.pny effect climate md so far as can See there
1s adv antage gained by that tremendous eKpendi-