Evening journal., 1899-10-07
OLIVER EVANS INVENTIONS.
DR.. SELLERS REFERS TO THEM
BEFORE THE EXPOSITION.


VAGUE IDEAS OF THE POSSIBILI-
TIES OF STEAM AND THE STEAM
ENGINE WHICH WERE HELD
DURING THE EARLY PART OF
THIS CENTURY.
The mechanical and engineering sec
ton Of the Franklin Institute took
charge Of the meeting held Thursday
evening at the Philadelphia Exposition
buildings in commemoration of the
seventy-ffth anniversary oi the insti-
tue.
Dr. Coleman Sellers made an address
on the Origin Of the Locomotive" in
which he said that his own lifetime
was exactly coincident with that OF the
locomotive. Previous to the starting Of
the first railroad in England in 1927,
which marked such an era in the COM
merce of the world Git had been in use
before in hauling ore and coal from the
mines by horse traction), Oliver
-Evans in Philadelphia and others had
clear perceptions as to the possi-
bilitv OF q steam traction engine. The
locomotive was then created separate
iy from ihc railroad and lt was the
bringing of the two together as fore-
told by Evans and others, that made
the modern railroad all that ID un-
derstood hy rapid transit now. AL
though when 81 was predicted that ff-
ioen miles an hour wbuld be danger
ous speed. no one would have credit
cd for "A moment the possibility of a
hundred miles an hour.
DR.. Sellers then gave some interest
ing facts as to the history Of the ma
chine tool industry, with some anec-
dotes as illustrations. One Of these
facts had considerable OF local inter
est attached to it, He said that when
the engine was built for pumping the
water at Centre Square, before the
Fairmount works we're built, the Oliver
Evans type OF high pressure engine was
used. The cylinder was cast in New
Jersey. The boring rod for boring out
the cylinder was erected with cutters
in IL. with levers attached TO 1t. 80
that men walking around could propel
the cutting tools, and gradually force
the rod down through the cylinder un-
iii It had been turned out approx
mately round. After that it had to be
filed to q surface. Probably a month
was consumed in boring the cylinder.
Previous to that fire engine cylinders
had been built in Philadelphia which
were all bored out in similar manner
by hand boring tools. There were no
lathes at that time fit for that work,
nor was the planning machine then in
existence. That came when Dr. Sell
| lers was nearly a grown man. lie
wished to emphasize the fact that from
it sprung all the wonderful advance in
machine tool art.
He called special attention TO oliver
Evans steam engine. When Evans
gave the makers the size of the boilers
to run the Centre Square engine-they
were plain cylinder boilers-those in
charge OF the erecent deemed that II
the length he prescribed was enough IL
would be well to make them ten feet
longer. So they built them ten feet
longer, but the boilers would make nc
steam. Evans was in New York anC
they sent for him. He returned as
speedily as he could by the coaches Of
that day. and told them they must Gu
of the ten feet The fire would no
extend FAR enough back TO heat the ad
ditlonal length and an the steam mad,
ON the front end was condensed in tn
back end This anecdolc showed ihl
general ignorance Of the principles @
the steam engine at that day.
I'm point OF fact" said DR.. Sellers
all we know about steam, and all tha
has been written on the subject is no
what has made the growth Of the stean
engine. hut is merely the history OF tn
growth Thermodvnamics Is but tn
record Of what has haen done although
p rmav be a guide 20 those 81 ho com
% after Tho carly engineers had nj
ability 20 use the higher mathemauc.
We have now reached the stage whei
! higher mathemaiics Is the shortes
road 10 accomplish The end provide
+. experience accompanies the use Of il
3 Isaac Newton was a born mathemati
J. cian,and everything was calculated
while Faraday who had laid dow
I. everything OF use to us to-day in tn
II domain Of electricity, which ha
n brought forth such beautiful fruit /
,r harnessing Niagara. all being promu
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