The morning call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1878-1895, 1893-08-04
SMOKELESS FIRES.
A Steam Boiler Without
a Chimney.
COMBUSTION ON A NEW PLAN
The Novel Apparatus Invented by a
San Francisco nechanic to Burn
Coal, Smoke and Gases.

In q boiler-making shop on MISSION
street, near Main, there is queer-looKing
contrivance that may work revolution ID
steam furnaces. Some time ago IL was
patented by George Belmor. machlnlst
of this city, and now it is working on
large scale as a test of its practcability.
In appearance this machine transcends
the uuesr-it Is grotesque. Only pie OF
brickwork that encases boiler Win iron
bands and corners is to be seen IN one cor
ner of the works. At one end an ordinary
steam boiler protrudes about eighteen
inches, and from it there runs tunnel
just two feet above the top. But there IS
no furnace to be seen underneath. nor
chimney overhead. There is absolutely no
smoke from it, and yet it generates nifty
horse power of steam at trifilng cost.
At the end opposite the abbreviated
funnel is another novel and peculiar piece
of mechanism. known as the generator.
This produces gas tor fuel by a wonder-
fully simple but scientlnc princlp.e. i. 10
also built up in the brickwork. but enough
remains uncovered to give an idea OF It's
general design. The lower part is cir-
cular iron re tort about three feet In diam
eter, that tapers at the bottom to grate.
The exposed portion is tube OF iron
about eighteen inches in diameter. through
which the coal is fed to the reiOrt.
To operate the machine fire is kindled
in the bottom Of this ret0rt. Then coal
mixed with the water Is thrown in upon
the ire until the generator is full. A
cover is screwed down and instantly gas is
generated A draft is kept up by small
steam and air jet, which drives the gas into
a pipe connecting with furnace under the
boiler There it Is ,gnited. The result is
marvellous. A furious flame bursts through
several brick chambers that soon attain an
incandpscent glow. Here also a draft is
maintained by two steam and air jets. The
flames can be seen rushing through the
pipes. where everything is in raging
white heat.
Bet never puff of smoke passes through
the cutoff funnel. Even q silk handker-
chief placed over the chimney aperture Will
not be soiled. It is all veritable fire
without smoke.
The invention was brought under the
notice of the Southern Pacific Railroad
Company and some important tests were
recently made BY John ID. ISaacs. an en-
gineer of that corporation. at the boiler
shop on Mission street.
His report to the superintendent OF
'malntenance of way" is mainly techni-
cal explanation of the investigations made.
A machine was fitted up in the Sacramento
railway shops for tests. so one apparatus
ScINcu Nd q CiCCh Uu tuo OtuOls
'"The principle of the apparatus" says
Isaacs. sis the utilization of a small amount
# the fixed carbons in such fuels (bitum-
inous and cheap 3lignite coals) to vaporize
the hydrocarbons. using the latter as
fuel; and further, to assist In the steam
making by recovering so much of the heat
gen Grated by the fixed carbons as is In ex-
cess of that necessary to the vaporiZation
OF he fixed carbons. The vaporized hydro.
carbons on leaving the producer are mixed
with suitable quantity Of air, com blu stion
being effected as the mixed gases aud air
pass under and over incandsscent thing,
which forms the entrance to the furnace
proper"
Further on the report continues: mo
smoke issues from the stack at any time.
Nine tests in the generator of ten hours
each show an average performance Uf
96l3 pounds of water per pound of coal. or
So per cent better than the showing with
the same coal in the stationary boiler at
the Sacramento machine-shops"
The inventor claims he has solved the
problem of the SIN oke nuisance, and at the
same time discovered a principle that will.
ere loEg. revolutionize the generation of
steam Dy heat.