The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1898-01-15
A NEW STEAM ENGINE.
1t Is Only as Big as a Derby Hat, but
Develops Fifty Horse Power.
Pittsburg Commercial Gazette.


Among the east-bound passenger at the
Union Station last evening was Charles A.
Backstrom, who has resided in Allegheny
for the past three and half years, and
left for Paris, France, to seek a vacation
from years of labor, study and experiment
ing with the new engine which he mas per-
fected, and will soon be introduced to the
world by George Westinghouse, who has
given Mr. Backstrom financial and moral
support.
and Machine Companies at East Pittsburg,
a small steam engine is III use, placed
alongside of other steam engines, which
have the appearance of giants beside the
pigmy. Yet the steam engines, great and
small, generate the same horse power.
The Backstrom helical engine is the size
of a derby hat and has capacity of fifty
horse power Mr.. Backstrom did not care
to talk on the subject, but answered ques-
lions cheerfully, excepting those. which he
thought should be answered by Mr.. west
inghouse. He said:
yes, | have invented an entirely new
method of utilizing steam, something not
heretofore dreamed of, and far ahead of
the steam turbine as the latter is ahead of
the steam engine of the days of Watts 1t
will soon be introduced TO the pubic by
Mr. Westinghouse, and until then VIII
have to refrain from talking on the sub
ject.
MIR. Westinghouse has been exceedingly
kind to me during the three and a half
years 1 have labored on the engine, and
when the work was finished he insisted that
1 take rest for several months and adj
cuperate The Pittsburg climate has dealt
severely with me. l viii be back from
France al a few months, and the work of
placing the engine on the market Will De
pushed"
the public some idea from whence the great
power was derived in his small engine. lie
said: Its great advantage over all known
steam engines is the absence Of all reclpro-
eating power, and in the saving or space.
1t can also be connected directly with a
dynamo or any other machine, and, being
small in construction, it will be correspond
ingly low in price. 1t is patented through
out the entire civilized world.
Il must refuse to enumerate the ecouo-
mics introduced by the helical engine as
Mr.. Westinghouse will see that it is
properly attended to. / fully realize the
Importance of the invention, as does Mr..
Westinghouse, and there is going TO be a
great deal OF scrap iron in this world with
in the next few years, and the increase
win be due to the introduction of steam
engine that does not take up more space
than your hat. The engine is driven At a
high speed, and is on exhibition at East
Pittsburg That is the outside of the en-
CINE can be seen, but / doubt If you can
secure a sight of the interior mechanism -
Taking the meaning of the word helical,
derived from the Greek word helix, Mr..
Backstrom has secured a force from nom
inclined TO given plane. 1t is distin-
guished from the spiral all the convolu-
lions of which are in the same plane. The
new engines will be manufactured in Pitts
burg.
Mr.. Backstrom is not a stranger TO the
mechanical and scientific world. There is
not a place on the globe where milk is
SKINNED by machinery for its cream where
the name of Charles A Backstrom is not
familiar. He introduced the skimming of
milk by machinery in 1854 and in 1856
brought IL 10 such perfection that $500
quarts of milk could be SKINNED in an hour
by machine while before that time he
could only skim / 900 quarts in an hour.
Under the latest process 90 of l per cent.
of the cream is removed from the milk.
The inventor OF the SKINNED milk process