The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1890-05-11

cylinder. Y, Exhaust pipe TO open air condenser
OF its action Is shown In the first diagram. II
consisted OF a cylinder. into which was fitted
piston. the rod OF which was attached moro
or less directly to the crank OF the shaft which
Il was sought to make revove. At the side OF
the cylinder was the steam chest box into
which the steam was admitted directly from
the boiler From the steam chest to the
cylinder were two small holes called
ports. one at each end. through which
the steam could enter and leave the
cylinder. These ports were opened and
closed alternately by system OF sliding valves
more or less complicated. which are not shown
in the diaRrams. With the head OF the piston
near the top ofthe cylinder the port at that end
and behind the head would be opened and the
port at the lower end closed. When steam was
turned on 1t would rush from the boiler into
the steam chest and through the open port
into the empty space in the cylinder back OF
che piston head. It's pressure there would. OF
course, be the same as In the boiler. theoreti-
cslly at least-that is. from fifty to hundred
pounds to the square inch. and when any such
pressure as that 10 lying around loose any
thing that Is movable has to move. The piston
beng the only movable thing about the cyin-
der and steam chest. 1t would give and
slide ahead with greater or less force,
according to the pressure OF the steam
and the weight OF the machinery to
be moved by the turning Of the shaft. which
had to move whenever the piston did. being
attached to It by the crank. When the force Of
the, steam had pushed the piston to the other
end OF the cylinder as It couldn't, 90 any
further It would naturally have had to stop
pressure that had sent It ahead But I'll. the man nam
who Invented the steam. engine knew a trick
that when the piston head had reached almost
the other end OF the, cylnderthe first valve
ht the ue S sas
would open another vent from the cylin-
Sss nS as Rs 6as s Of Rs psn Sss
At the same instant the front valve would
back Just as It had, been forced forward. and
pete a full revolution. The repetition Of this
process of alternate admission and expulsion |
steam chest Originally the valves we're work.
With The shaft se sssG s1
ba In sbsre s n1 SS On . SaD
S SisSS The i. IT. SsIsi1Si aRgRs esn
their r piston working straight back and forth,
put put ths took uDa good deal Of room. and was
but RHs WIZ R Re t GSndaF DSeGS
up and down from beneath It. was finally al
most universally adopted and is the form In
those on using pade Shess 6stsnSd
W"rfne oas Sy u Ss 6 6e9 below and
E. long evolution from the first principle as IL
true Of marine engines, with WITCH It is Sbs s
lItey p9eeesssry 70 get the greatest possible
n the first place. the early elSineeTs ' found
that 1t was great waste to disc barge the once
% yapor and then back into water, leaving the
atsr emPty IN ebert fine unless
sialy serious thing in marine engine. Tor ps salt
ESter wont do for boilers. and fresh water can't
,ondensing engines, In them the steam. in
'tsed OF going into the open air when it left the
nee called condsnser The eendease eqn Is ex
,lace whore heat is applied to the water to turn
iato steam; the condenser is place whore
nto. water. The general CONSTRUCTION i Of Ola a
round round IecsRtaeIe iwIth small pipes running
constant stream of cold water Just as the
OF air from, the furnace Is forced through the
he cylinder is all around the tubes In The con- {
e eIIs q the water SURROUNDS the tubes in
40 steam almost instantly into water and It is
breed from the condenser back Into the boiler
H Ills be boe Of the erea eeean
hip when she leaves New York is still in the
oilers when the vessel reaches Liverpool. and
~ 90 used on tho return voyage, and 80 on
definitely, Theoretically there is no limit to
a ,s length o. time the same supply OF water will
curse there Is some waste through the loss Of
. .eea I'm IN blowing the whistle and through
Tho original steam engine improyed into n
rat pt1SInnro c0nIenslng engine. was the
used on apEs Hesss s G2Ia REALISTICALLY SIas
Sre engines aIgs are sin u use. However
her sma a RrGor nbSnt Of the tugs and
=, easy eSsy ito to get fresh supply OF water
nRnes su ane T T1m1ir pun Pcesssny when the
' y steam from their pipes are run by high
S TbssSq tires engines without any condenser
ut any n noise or apparent motive mower over
nth G eUadens wIfh mproYSd engines ard
nglnte Is very seldom seen, because il is I'M,
ossib ,e there to obtain at any reasonable ex
be used in the condenser whIs il is 9nn ttra
iiy easy to get fresh water 10 keep the Boilers
tho ocean d H"V WHICH Sfh'R p Sd M fSd
hrouRh huge pipes below tho water line and
cpl IN constant motion into and out oi the
essel by circulating pumps 1t was through
he t, poles Tor water for tile condensers in Tho
Ut the engine rooms at The time Of The re- re-.
ont disaster 10 that vessel the pipes 10 the
ondenser h HAVING been broken by the flying
BY the time the ordinary high pressure con- v,
enSlng engine had been fairly fitted to work W
n shipboard. engineers began to suspect that n
ICY were not getting the full mower from the a!
cam. and looked around for means by which SC
nd managed TO enchan 1t was evident that >
y keeping the port open until the piston lad 81
llly or a lmost cached tho opposite end II the OF
Finder there was a consumption of tho whole ii
hinder fun Of steam at every strike. While pt
10 steam that was admitted last would not W
ave any push NJ at all 10 do. but would be W
loved out into the open air by tho 10
turn stroke without having eAerted any u,
r.. zee at all or practically none. 1t was 81