El Paso daily herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1881-1901, 1898-12-21
NEW STEAM TURBINE
ELISHA SEYMOUR'S INVENTION TO
SPEED TRAINS AND STEAMERS.

Chicago Inventor Thinks He Has
Solved the Problem of Economical
~ Using Steam-Seven Advantage
of His Device Set Forth.
Occupying dingy corner of an un
pretentious little foundry in Chicago is
small perfected tur bine rotary engine.
1t is product of the inventive genius
of Elisha Seymour, a white haired Chi
cagoan, rs years old. If all that is
claimed for the invention is true, it will
mark revolution in mechanics unri-
vailed since the advent of the steam en-
CINE.
"In the face of thousands of futile at
tempts at a successful rotary engine by
engineers in every part of the world, y
said Mr.. Seymour the other day, with
the patent Office at Washington alone
classifying upward of 500 models aim
ing at the same achievement, undis
couraged by the assertions of scientific
men, our turbine wheel engine, tested
by every trial of practical mechanics.
has been successfully evolved.
"We hold out the promise of 16 houl
trip from Chicago to New York behii:,l
a locomotive equipped with rotary en-
CINE power and an ocean voyage aboard
a greyhound whose propellers will az
initiate distance at anywhere from q
to 40 knots an hour. Arrangements f.,
demonstration on rail and water Az
now being perfected"
Mr.. Seymour declares that the grea,
aims of rotary engine in all particu
lars are realized in his invention be
yond all doubt. Seven distinctive fea-
lures of advantage over the comm or
style of reciprocating engine are nance
constituting the points of improvement
at which all modern engine constructor.
have aimed. They are:
First-Absolute control Of the steam
power by cut offs and valves.
Second. of space occu.
pied, both for engine and boiler.
Third.-Minimum of cost of manu-
facture.
Fourth. of steam neces-
sary to develop given amount of power.
Fifth.-Minimum Of friction ano
wear and avoiding dead working parts
Sixth. - Interchangeable lity of Its
eight simple working parts.
Seventh. of speed, q.
maximum or minimum, without loss &:
power or sacrifice of durability.
Mo Seymour has two working models
in the little West Side foundry. Tht
smaller wheel bears a cylinder by {
inches, and occupies with all equip
ment less than a square foot of foo,
space. In daily operation, for the benz
fit of interested visitors, is a dynamo.
built for operation by 10 horsepow eI
engine, which is sent buzzing with
noiseless rapidity by the little bundle
of power a few feet away, so insignifi-
cant that one might almost stumble
against it unnoticed. A larger Wheel.
with cylinder 10 by "a inches, but
identical with the smaller model, occi.-
pies three square feet of space. This
model has demonstrated a capacity Oh
100 horsepower.
Speaking Of the incentives which
have evolved his engine, Mr.. Seymour
said: "In 1891, while in the Adiron-
dacks for my health, I took the notion
to build sample wheel after my OWE
ideas, based on the turbine idea. 1 have
constructed eight different wheels bu;
not until few weeks ago did 1 com.
plete the perfect one. Its adaptability
to battleships at once suggests itself
permitting builders of war vessels tc
devote to armor and armament the ex-
ira weight that has not been possible
before because of the heavy machinery
II may contrast the general idea o.
the engine to the Parsons turbine ma
chine, which is the propelling power
for the famous Turbinia. The Parsop
engine has not been perfected SO as tc
permit the reversing of the Turbinia
without a separate set of engines foi
the express purpose, while the Seymour
wheel accomplishes forward and revers
ing motion with equal ease''
Mr.. Seymour is native Of Skaneat
eles, Onondaga county, N. Y. He has
made his home in Chicago for many
years. -Chicago Record.