The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1891-07-18
FAKES fireplace OF STEAM.
.---orYl Used As A MOTIVE POWER
- rgr rue EDWIN u HARTLEK.

aAH
~ picturesque heights Of Staten Island
,ovard the Narrowa An ordinary pas
-, would have noticed nothing at first to
- ~. Ma curiosity. Unless otherwise In
e.'..ssa ne would have disembarked At the end
~ iourney with no other thought than that
4. Mat had cut through the water at . high
y. =, speod. Blu II he had stepped into the
Ns,rs room he would have been greeted with
nnmistaka able whit Of ammonia. and had
:. sseonded the ladder into the stokehols he
S.,N.Ny would have made speedy retreat to
y. .usu deck. where, with watery eyes and
.~hs filled with the pungent gas. he would
~ rsalized that there was something pecu.
N, about tho boat after all
VI. only real difference. however. was that
4. ing was propelled BY aqua ammonia In
'...d OF By the ordinary water steam. This
=. vhIch cave the engineers so much to talk
I'm, WAS tho Edwin D. Hartley. the only boat
+. ,hc world In which ammonia Is used as
alive power. Tho Hartley. which has an iron
sau Is elghty.Gve feet long. She has COM
nsuud engine. and was fitted with tho most
o.rfect aaua-ammonta appliances. patented
4, the Campbell Engine Company. at the ship
,.rd OF J. II. Dialogue 4 Go. In PHILADELPHIA,
,sdsr the direction Of william B. Reaney. .
marine engineer OF that city.
Chemists aud other scientific men have been
irving for years to counterfeit the difficulties
N applying ammonia to steam engines. James
q. Campbell was tho first to succeed. His In
yss,lon promises to revolutionize the present
sr.sm OF running steam engines The same
sorinss now run by steam by vory slight
changes may be constructed TO b run by AM
nouia and This aqua am monia engine may
Than DO run by steam II desired. The Camp
h.l Epsine Company. which holds the patents,
h.a nothing to do with the engines themselves.
mt only chnngoe the mole OF running them.
Tssts made with the experimental engine OF
N. company during the last two or three
,.,rs showed that ammonia accomplishes
; vondsrIu things whom combined with water
In Ia ratio OF about fifteen parts ammonia to
.,rh,y. Ave ,ar:s water Some OF the advan-
t,pes claimed for the aiua-ammonta plant are
that |, requires bat half as much fuel As the
ordinary steam engine to do the same amount
Of work and that it is non-explosiVe and
laws no sedimentary deposit In the boilers.
Tapythlng. ammonia acts as a cleansing me-
dum upon the boilers for 1t has tendency to
ursservs iron. With ammonia it is claimed
tbs, boilers can be operated fully five times as
loags Is when steam Is used. besldss. lucy are
said 10 require no cleansing.
,uccs, Is u well preserved. active man. some-
What beyond middle age. but his head Of thick
ssow. white hair makes him appear older than
hrealy is. He is an enthusiast on the subject
dsmmonia To a reporter the other day he
ssye brief account Of his work and expert
msnts during the past few years.
My attention was nrst called to export
nSutng with ammonia" said Mr.. Campbell.
by an address by Lyon Playiair on Air and
Airs" delivered In 1876. Prior to 1854, you
know. mono OF the scientific men knew Of any
permanent gas except air. Joseph Black was
the first to use tho plural OF ar Several per-
sons began using these various gases
% motive powers. l WAS surprised to
apd that NO announcement for working
My OF them except ammonia had been given
ether BY nuiyiI4als or Goyernments france.
10 study the motive propertie, OF ammonia,
but the experiments were not very successful
however came nearest to solving the problem.
Our own Government did not appropriate
money Tor this purpose. bnt gave the use OF
IsmRse conducted these experiments at tho
tmstsly defeated by the strong back pressure.
anime why these Cove, nments gave the ell
eoutagsne.t they did 10 ammonia TO the OK
o Of Sshsf ssfss and found thai It
bishsr specific as well as a higher
nssi tbs' fny shs5 %s:S
ies9d BY working with il in a cylinder: I
..ndled the mntler Tor some time. aud abont
ysvs 10, James MeLain. now Prssi-
dsss Of the Campbell Engine Company.
engine in West forty-slxth street and began
opsraiions. This, engine was first used for
crushing grant g for paving. 1t was run one
y.mnonia. ~ th's system We found that
M,dly more than half as much fuel was re-
qplred With ammonia as with water. Our
xnat aim was To obtain vacuum. and alter
snendiDg between 5000 and $4,000 for the
cs,G w. succeeded s in getting one Then we
is Edison i,n mos Of 80 pe Candle Bower Dow II,
s1aal 10 q resi'tEcc OF about 100 horse over.
Forty; .ixth street where we were continually
"All,this tin. We were heating the ammonia
yys.sr boiler. Tho water boilers we're rusted.
tns ammonia removed the rust, and they
v uiss :, 80 II was necessary TO use safety
Ivy waves were li.ted the ammonia csc aped
.Tsns eonirnser, 10 provide against the loss
:htmmouiH and tho irreRuarity o. pressure We
sSueImlhed 70 haat the ammonia with water
Ssesm. ~ this wa there was no trouble In
euia e no zen how to regulate tho am,
t.s' 40 tueS udu no extra duties DINER tl81
op:hnine and cos ne the valves.
our nsxt and most difficult step was to
SseuiS tne proper pr"r0rli ous. and this had to
~s,U G,oseinined tV actual experiments. AS a
syn,n;nr feature win ammonia. difficult to
s.p,nin Is That the pressure depends on the
pAs ount o. solution AS well as on the strength.
sI.as.' .hs a,%os"h~rs at si.. as doe o I"e5
SSnnaa out when 100 pounds OF ammonia
Seees TIE atmosphere. 1000 pounds will
Nuio bounds PRESSURE On tho gauge. It
- 'nese very prcul!nrities in ammonia that
u tho glsatsst advantage. We can
nnn.as generator which will stand 1870
EvSuIs pressure to tho square inch. and
Interpreting It between steam
ySS ues and Tue engine We can have all the adj
vhkes 81 carrying $50 pounds pressure,
iuarhs The Government will not give ua
ksH.ss 70 put more than l25 pounds on stea m
sSo, Ia. ammonia can also be used where the
In. ox ms l1m IS above tho average lem pera-
viIh MS has boen demonstrated ut tho
isaa1outns Mill In Philadelphia. where cool
Ssni.HeI mas been u.ed when ammonia was
sssswoved a. from 90 to 800, whereas in an
G IInyo Ool'sr water must be- taken at from
,!Sstore abandoning the Torty.sixth street
hss state Of Isrfec,lon. Tbs TUG 'iE dWin b. :
SEney Is fitted With the most improv cd an
aulS s ans tnrs far they have proved WON
ses. lumber OF tests were made by expert
plssti engine rs with the Forty-siYth street
fash., george Forbes. son oil Malcolm
CSivvsssss ana professor In tho Edinburgn
ssd ,rsity ran ths engine two days by water
sns, t"ouays by ammonia, and found that the