CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN ENGINES TO BE WORKED BY GAS, VAPOUR, OR STEAM, EITHER SEPARATELY OR IN COMBINATION
Year: 1847

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, WILLIAM
NEWTON, of the Office for Patents, 66, Chancery Lane, in the County of
Middlesex, Civil Engineer, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her present most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by
Her Royal Letters Patent under the Great Seal of Great Britain, bearing
date at Westminster, the Tenth day of March, in the tenth year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto
me, the said William Newton, Her especial licence, full power, sole privilege
and authority, that I, the said William Newton, my executors, administrators,
and assigns, and such others as I, the said William Newton, my executors,
administrators, and assigns, should at any time agree with, and no others, from
time to time and at all times during the term of years therein mentioned,
should and lawfully might make, use, exercise, and vend, within England,
Wales, and the Town of Berwick-upon-Tweed, an Invention of " CERTAIN
IMPROVEMENTS IN ENGINES TO BE WORKED BY GAS, VAPOUR, OR STEAM, EITHER
SEPARATELY OR IN COMBINATION," being a communication from a Foreigner
residing abroad; in which said Letters Patent is contained a proviso obliging
me, the said William Newton, by an instrument in writing under my hand
and seal, particularly to describe and ascertain the nature of the said Invention,
and in what manner the same is to be performed, and to cause the same to be
enrolled in Her Majesty's High Court of Chancery within six calendar months
next and immediately after the date of the said in part recited Letters Patent,
as in and by the same, reference being thereunto had, will more fully and at
large appear.

page_text: William Newton, do hereby declare that the nature of the said Invention, and
the manner in which the same is to be performed, is particularly described
and ascertained in and by the following description thereof, reference being
had to the Drawings hereunto annexed, and to the letters and figures marked
thereon (that is to say):
The Invention for which I have obtained Her Majesty's Letters Patent as
aforesaid consists in various improvements upon an Invention for which
I have previously obtained other Letters Patent, and by means of which sub-
sequent improvements the Invention is rendered much more perfect and
economical in operation. In the improved engine, which forms the subject of
the present Patent the inventor proposes to employ two distinct boilers or
generators and two separate cylinders, with their appendages, and the piston
in one cylinder is acted upon by steam or the vapour of water, which is gene-
rated in one boiler, and the piston in the other cylinder is worked by the
elastic force of the vapour of ether, or some other highly volatile liquid, which
is vapourized in the other boiler or generator. In the following description of
the machine I shall always mention sulphuric-ether as the volatile liquid to be
used, but it will be evident that any other moderately cheap and easily vapour-
ized liquid may be used in place thereof, if desired. As the engine is actuated
by the combined force of the vapours of ether and water, the inventor deno-
minates it an " Ether-hydric Engine." The principal parts of the engine are
constructed much in the same way as those of the ordinary double-action
marine and locomotive steam engines (according to the purpose for which the
engine is intended to be used), that is, it consists of cylinders, boilers, feed
pumps, condensers, air pumps, and the other necessary appendages. The
necessity for making it a double-action engine will be easily understood, as it
has already been stated that the engine is worked by means of two different
vapours. In one of the boilers steam is generated, which works the piston in
the first cylinder, and in the second the vapor of ether is generated, which
operates upon the piston in the second cylinder.. The first boiler, therefore,
contains water, and is precisely similar to an ordinary steam boiler, and is
heated by fuel in the same manner. The second boiler contains ether, and is
of a peculiar construction, which will be presently explained. It requires no
fuel to vaporize the ether, that operation being performed by the heat of the
steam which escapes from the steam cylinder after operating upon the piston
therein, as this steam, instead of being condensed by an ordinary condenser, is
conducted to the outside of the ether boiler, where it parts with its caloric to
vaporize the ether, and thereby becomes condensed. This phenomenon is

page_text: caused by a well-known principle in physics, which is, that all bodies on passing
from a liquid to a gaseous state instantaneously absorb a large quantity of
caloric at the expence of contiguous bodies; at the moment, therefore, that the
heated steam from the eduction passage of the steam cylinder enters the case
or outer cylinder that surrounds the ether boiler, the ether, which boils and
vaporizes at a much lower temperature than water, becomes rapidly converted
into vapor, and, by absorbing the caloric of the steam which surrounds it, the
steam becomes instantly condensed. This condensation of the steam by the
simultaneous vaporization of the ether takes place with remarkable rapidity
and regularity. The ether vapour is therefore generated without expence by
the steam which has already done its work, and which has always hitherto been
condensed by means of cold water, and was considered of no further utility after
acting on the piston in the steam cylinder. The ether vapor thus produced
enters the second cylinder, which is of the same capacity as the first, and
there acts with considerable power on the piston contained therein, and on
making its escape from the cylinder it passes into a condenser of a peculiar
construction, in which it becomes condensed by coming into contact with the
metal composing it, the said condenser being kept cool by means of a stream
of cold water, or a sprinkling of cold water aided by a current of air; the
ether thus condensed is then pumped into the ether boiler, in order to serve
again for a like purpose. The water in the cylinder surrounding the ether
boiler resulting from the condensation of the steam is also carried back in a
warm state to the steam boiler for the production of fresh steam. It will thus
be seen that the same water and ether are used over and over again without
sustaining any appreciable loss. The ether-hydric engine differs in the con-
struction of its parts from the ordinary double cylinder steam engines in some
few particulars, which are as follows, and relate principally to those parts of
the engine which come in contact with the ether or etherial vapors :-
First, the boiler, which I call the vaporiser or generator, and also the con-
denser, must be constructed in a peculiar manner, and the mode of forming
several of the joints, as well as the packings and stuffing boxes, is also different,
as is also the mode of producing the vacuum in the condenser; and, lastly,
the mode of constructing the induction cock for the vapour.
I will now proceed to describe these parts in succession, leaving out all those
which do not possess any features of novelty.
First, the vaporizer or generator. This vessel is composed principally of a
large number of copper tubes made by drawing them in a drawbench without
soldering, as is well known. These tubes are fixed at each end to a brass
plate, which is cast on to them (as seen in Figure 6, Sheet 1), and are about

page_text: three feet and three quarters in length, and may be of an ovular, oblong,
lenticular, or other suitable form, as shewn at Figures 3, the object being to
obtain as great an extent of heating surface as possible. The tubes thus con-
structed will bear a pressure of twenty-five atmospheres without being dis-
torted. They ought to be tried at this pressure with an hydraulic press before
being used. In practice it is found that from thirty to forty tubes are required
to generate sufficient vapor for a power equal to one horse. The end plates
which hold these tubes together are cast on the ends of the tubes in the follow-
ing manner: The tubes, after being all cut to an equal length, are then
tinned over at both ends to the extent of about an inch; the end of the tubes
are then filled or stopped up with dry sand, and placed vertically at equal
distances in a mould frame such as is used in foundries, the ends of the tubes
being held in plates C (as seen at Figure 7); the tubes are then covered
with sand, which is well rammed in between them and the plates C, so as to
form a solid mass to support the tubes when the mould plate C is removed.
The mould plate C is made from a sheet of copper, with holes made
therein to receive the ends of the tubes, and cut in the required form, and of
such a thickness as to regulate the thickness of the plate to be cast on to the
ends of the tubes, so that when the plate C is removed the tinned ends of the
A second mould
tubes may project the required distance from the sand.
plate D is employed (as seen in Figure 7*) for the purpose of forming a space
to receive the molten metal which is to hold the tubes together, and which
will, when poured in, cover the ends of the tubes, but this superfluous metal
may be removed by means of a planing machine, and the ends of the tubes will
then be left open.
Figure 8 represents a sectional view of one of the end plates cast on to the
ends of the tubes, and just as it comes from the mould, the ends of the tubes
being closed by the superfluous metal, which, when removed by planing, will
leave the ends of the tubes open (as shewn in Figure 9), and when the dry
sand is removed from the interior of the tubes they will have a perfectly free
passage through them from end to end. It should be understood that each
end of the tubes is secured to one of these plates which is cast thereon,
and when both of the end plates are finished spherical ends or caps / must
be bolted thereon (as shewn in Figure 6), and the apparatus will be complete.
I would here observe, that in casting the metal plates A on to the ends of the
pipes some care is required to prevent the the molten metal in its passage from
melting the ends of the pipes; this inconvenience is obviated in the following
very simple manner:-The mould frame, with the tubes B, B, secured therein,
and having the space for the end plates A prepared, by means of the mould

page_text: plates C and D, ready for receiving the molten metal, is mounted on a pivot,
so that when one of the end plates A has been cast on one end of the tubes
the frame may be readily turned over to receive the molten metal for the other
plate; instead of bringing the mould into a perfectly vertical position, it is
inclined a little on one side, as seen in the sectional view, Figure 10, in which
B, B, represents the tubes with their ends projecting beyond the sand F of the
mould, leaving a space C to be filled with the melted metal, which is run into
the mould through the gate E, and after running along the channels A, A,
made in the bottom of the mould, as seen in the plan view, Figure 11, first
fills up the well D, and then gradually fills the mould C, as shewn by the
horizontal lines in Figure 12, the air in the mould being allowed to escape
through the air holes G. In this manner it will be seen that no more molten
metal comes in contact with the tubes B, B, than is necessary, and they may
therefore be all secured without the liability of being melted during the passage
of the metal while running into the moulds. The condenser is manufactured
in the same manner as the vaporizer or generator, and therefore requires no
further or more detailed description. The vaporizer or generator above de-
scribed is enclosed in a jacket made of cast or wrought iron, and shewn
detached in Figure 6*; the exit steam is conducted into this jacket after it has
exerted its elastic force in the steam cylinder. The generator or vaporizer is
furnished with a cock at the upper part, and there is also a gauge or level and
a feed pipe at the side (but not shewn in the Drawing), from whence the ether
is discharged into the upper part, and passes through the lower case. This
arrangement greatly facilitates the production of the vapor and the circulation
of the ether in the tubes. There is a pipe H for conducting the steam from
the steam cylinder to the outer casing of the ether receptacle, which is fur-
nished with a safety valve communicating with the atmosphere, and opens at a
moderate pressure, in order that, in case of accident, such as the rupture of
a pipe in the vaporizer or generator, the ether vapor may casily escape without
danger. The ether condenser is surrounded by, but not inclosed in, a case,
which is supplied with fresh water for the purpose of condensing the etherial
vapour after it has passed through the engine. The spherical ends of the con-
denser are provided with suitable openings to receive the tubes which conduct the
ether to the apparatus in a state of vapour, or from it in a liquid state; it is also
provided with a pipe to allow the water of condensation to run into the exhaust
pump, which draws off the air and condensed water from the condenser.
Luting for the Stationary Parts.-It has been found that minium or ordinary
luting, or fatty matters, cannot be employed for luting or securing the various
parts containing ether or ether vapour, but instead thereof the inventor uses a

page_text: success;
sheet of paper steeped in a thick solution of gum arabic, as this substance is
not acted upon by the ether. In order to prevent the ether from escaping from
the glass level or gauge, leather washers, steeped in solutions of gum arabic,
are employed; they must be left exposed to the air until nearly dry, and are
then ready for use. Flax steeped in gum arabic may be employed with equal
it must be saturated and almost dry; and if joints, secured in this
manner, are left to dry before being exposed to the ether, they will be found
to be perfect. Packing for the piston and other moving rods, is shewn in
Figure 1, Sheet II. Sulphuric ether dissolves and decomposes all kinds of
fatty matters and oils, and consequently the ordinary packing made with flax
and grease would not prevent its escape. In order to overcome this difficulty
the following contrivance has been adopted :-On the cover x, of the cylinder
(see Figure 1) is cast a box very much like the ordinary stuffing boxes,
with this difference, that it is furnished with a flange, to which a lid or cover C
is secured by bolts D, D. To this cover, and also to the bottom part of the
box where the piston rod works, hollow brass cones F, F, are firmly affixed
by screwing or otherwise. These cones are respectively in length one third the
whole length of the box; for instance, if the box be six inches in length from
the bottom to the top, each cone must be two inches in length, and when the
box is shut they are about two inches apart. Before putting on the cover C, a
strip or band of strong leather G is taken (about seven inches wide if the box
be six inches in height, and gradually tapering to a point, and sufficiently long
to wind three times round the piston rod), and the end and edges of this band
are pared thin, after which it is rolled round the rod A, and secured there by
means of a cord or string H; the cover C is then bolted on to the box, and by
pressing the cover downwards the points of the cones F, F, will be forced
between the leather and the piston rod, and made to fit; the bolts by which
the cover C is secured to the box facilitate this operation materially; the box
is then hermetically closed by inserting a sheet of gunmed paper or minium in
the joint and tightening the bolts D. An opening is made at the side, and
carries a projection I, to which a tube J is adapted, which leads from a small
pump or hydraulic press, with a reservoir for water and compressed air. This
small pump is shewn at Figures 3 and 4, and is provided with a safety valve,
which may be weighted so as to allow of any desired pressure. Several tubes
K, K, leading from the water reservoir communicate with the several stuffing
boxes of the working rods of the engine. The pump may be worked by hand
or by the engine, as desired. When the engine is set to work water is pumped
into all the stuffing boxes (Figure 1), and by pressing on the leather band G,
causes it to fit tight against the cones and the piston rod A, along which it is

page_text: desired to prevent escape. As the cones are stationary and the rod only is
moveable the leather bears against the rod A for a very limited distance only
it will therefore be conceived that the friction of the rod would not be liable to
displace the leather band, even if the two ends of the box did not prevent it
from moving. By means of the hydraulic pump any desired pressure may be.
brought to bear upon the rod A, and the escape of the ether can be thereby
effectually prevented. Thus, if the manometer of the ether generator should
indicate a pressure of four atmospheres, it will only be necessary to weight the
safety valve of the hydraulic press so that it shall not yield to a pressure of
less than four atmospheres and a half, and although the vapor will exert a
power of four atmospheres it will be met by a resistance of four and a half
atmospheres, and will therefore be prevented from escaping. I would here
observe, that the friction of metal on damp leather is very small, and that the
rods thus worked, far from being rusted or worn away, are well polished; also,
that the leather being surrounded by water, does not become sufficiently heated
to be at all injuriously affected. Outside the cover is a cup B filled with oil,
through which the rod A runs. This kind of packing is more easily made and
put in use than those made of flax. In an experimental machine the packing
for the steam cylinder, which was made by an experienced engine maker with
flax and grease, was worn away, and replaced four times, while that of the ether
vapor cylinder was not touched, and was in a good state of preservation, the
two cylinders having worked in conjunction all the time. In order to produce
a vacuum in the ether condenser an exhaust pump, similar to those used in
condensing engines, is used; the stuffing box, however, must be similar to the
one just described. The piston must be metallic, and instead of allowing the
product of condensation to escape into the atmosphere, as is the case in steam
engines, the condensed ether and air is conducted into an hermetrically closed
reservoir of a capacity equal to one quarter of that of the condenser. This
reservoir, which is shewn detached at Figure 13, is of a cylindrical form, its
height being about six times its diameter, and has a tubular projection D at the
side communicating with the air-pump, and a similar opening E at its lower
extremity communicating with the ether boiler or vaporizer. It has also a
stopcock A at top, which leads to the atmosphere.
The reservoir is also pro-
vided with a level or gauge B, which shews the height of the ether in the
apparatus. On the engine being set to work the air pump forces into this
reservoir (which communicates with the vaporizer) the air and ether which it
draws from the condenser. The weight of the air and liquid ether being very
different, the air, being the lightest, necessarily rises to the top of the reservoir,
and accumulates there under a pressure equal to that existing in the ether

page_text: boiler, and the ether only passes into this latter, the opening through which it
escapes being at the lower end of the reservoir. As the air drawn from the
condenser accumulates at the upper part of the reservoir the level of the
ether in this vessel descends, and may be easily seen by looking at the
glass tube B, with which it is provided; it will, therefore, be only neces-
sary to open the cock A above, and let the air escape, which can be
done without inconvenience and without stopping the engine. There is no
occasion to fear the loss of the ether, as it is cold, and vapour could not be
formed unto such a pressure; it is only necessary to take care to shut the
cock when sufficient air has escaped to allow the level of the ether to rise to
the required height. No inconvenience can arise by letting the air accumulate
in the reservoir, provided the vessel does not become entirely filled with air, as
in that case it would ultimately pass into the vaporizer.
I will now proceed to describe an improved construction of cock, which is
employed for regulating the passage of the ether from one part of the appa-
ratus to another, and is shewn at Figure 14. As ether possesses the property
of decomposing fatty bodies, the employment of cocks of the ordinary con-
struction for retaining that liquid is attended with difficulty, as the cocks
must not be lubricated with oil; the metal will therefore rapidly wear away,
and cause considerable loss and expence. To remedy this evil, the following
contrivance has been devised, and has been found fully to answer the purpose.
It has also been found applicable to ordinary steam engines:-A is a way or
opening with two seats C, C, between which the valve B works. This valve,
which is made of iron, is covered with lead on both sides, as seen at b, b, and
slides by means of a nib or stud in a groove L, so as to prevent it from turning
round, and may be made to rest on or bear either against the lower or upper
seat. The valve is moved up and down by means of the valve rod B, which
is screwed and works in a female screw in the lower part of the stationary
piece D, which is turned by means of the handle M. When the valve rests
upon the lower seat, and closes the communication with the boiler, the piece D
presses with equal force against the sides of the aperture in which it turns, and
thereby prevents the entrance of air; when, on the contrary, it is desired to
open the passage for the steam, the valve is raised so as to press against the
upper seat, and thereby closes the exit passage. As this valve B is covered
with lead at b, b, it takes the impression of and fits exactly on to the two seats,
and makes an excellent and perfectly tight joint.
Figure 15 is a sectional representation of another construction of cock,
which is, however, precisely similar in principle to that already explained,
although somewhat different in form, and the arrangement of the parts A, A,

page_text: is a tubular opening having two seats C, C, as before, the valve B being
mounted between them, and furnished with lead facings b, b, in order to fit
closely against the seats C, C, and form a perfectly hermetic joint. The valve
is mounted on the lower end of a rod or spindle D, which passes up through
an ordinary stuffing box, and is screwed at its upper end. The screwed end
of the spindle D works in a female screw made in the top part of the arched
frame G, which is bolted on to the top of the vessel H, to which the cock is
adapted. M is a wheel or handle affixed to the upper end of the spindle D,
for the purpose of working the valve.
All that has been hitherto said refers more particularly to marine or stationary
engines, and although the arrangements above shewn and described have been
found to succeed with those kind of engines, yet it will at once seen by a
practical engineer that many of the above contrivances could not advantageously
be employed for locomotive purposes. In order to condense ether vapour in
stationary and marine engines, the metallic surfaces of the condenser are
cooled by means of a current of cold water, but in locomotive engines this
means cannot be conveniently employed. The following contrivance has there-
fore been devised for locomotive engines:-The condenser, similar in con-
struction to that above described, is set vertically, but without any outer casing,
on that part of the locomotive which is most exposed to the air; each row of
pipes has a cloth stretched tightly over it, and on the upper end is a reservoir
which is filled with cold water from the tender. This reservoir supplies water
to channels placed between each row of tubes, for the purpose of wetting the
cloths which cover the tubes or metallic condensing surfaces. The superfluous
water flows into a receptacle below, from whence it may be pumped into the
tender to serve again. These surfaces are therefore constantly kept well
wetted, and a very strong current of air is produced by the rapid motion of the
engine through the atmosphere, and will be continually carrying off the steam
which may have been formed by the heat of the ether vapor inside. As each
particle of water, on being converted into steam, absorbs a large quantity of
heat from the ether in the condenser, the ether will be very readily condensed.
As the eduction steam from the steam cylinder is used for vaporizing the
ether for the second cylinder, some other means than those usually employed
must be adopted to excite the draft in the chimney. The method of effecting
this object will be best understood by a reference to, an examination of, the
Drawings in Sheet III. and IV., in which Figure represents a longitudinal
vertical section of a locomotive with the improvements adapted thereto, and
Figure 17 is a horizontal section of the same. A is the generator for the ether
vapor; B, B, the condenser for the ether vapor; C, C, is a semi-circular

page_text: casing or jacket, open in front like the mouth of a trumpet, and terminating
in the chimney by a pipe C¹, C, gradually decreasing in area, as seen best in
Figure 16. By this means the air that enters between the tubes of the condenser
is conducted upwards into the chimney and creates a strong draft. D, D, is the
smoke box; E, E, the ordinary locomotive steam boiler; and F the fire box.
G, G, is the framing of the locomotive, and H, H, the puinps, seen best in the
plan view,-Figure 18. h, h, pipes for conducting the ether to the vacuum
apparatus M, and from thence to the generator A. I is the steam cylinder,
and J the ether cylinder. K is a pump for drawing off air and water from the
casing or jacket Q of the ether generator A, and L, L, are the wheels of the
locomotive. M, the apparatus for making a vacuum in the condenser, and
already described in reference to the other engine. N is a pump for commu-
nicating pressure to the packings which are in contact with ether or its
vapor; P, a cock, for shutting off the ether vapor; Q, the outer casing or
jacket of the ether generator and constituting a condenser of the steam;
and R are the rails of the railway.
In the several Figures in Sheets V., VI., and VII., I have shewn
a different method of constructing the apparatus for generating the etherial
vapor and for condensing the same. Although the plans above shewn
and described have been found to answer their intended purposes remark-
ably well, yet, as they are somewhat costly to manufacture and are liable to
derangement, the inventor has devised a less costly, stronger, and easier
method of constructing the above parts. In place of the copper tubes,
which are expensive and tedious to manufacture, the inventor employs
concentric cylinders made of sheet copper and connected to a plate by the
same process of casting as that above described for connecting the tubes
together. The sheet copper employed for the above purpose is about the
eighth of an inch in thickness, and from ten to twelve inches in width; the
length of the sheet will of course depend upon the diameter of the cylinder to
be produced, but these dimension's may of course be varied, and should be left
to the discretion of the engineer. The sheet of copper is then doubled or
folded lengthways, so that when so doubled it is only from five to six inches
wide; and previous to doubling the sheet of copper, a sheet of zinc, of the
same length as the copper but only half the width, is placed on the copper, so
that when the latter is doubled over the sheet of zinc will be enclosed between
the copper. The sheet of copper, with the zinc in the middle, is then passed
through a machine to be formed into a cylinder, after which it is heated until
the sheet of zinc is melted out from between the doubled copper sheet, leaving
the latter with an annular space between the sides of the copper. A number

page_text: of cylinders thus made are placed concentrically one within the other, in such
a manner that they may be about the third of an inch distant from each
other. The open edges of these concentric tubes are then carefully coated
with tin, and the interstices between them filled with moulders' sand, a wooden
pattern having been previonsly inserted in such a manner as to leave a space
(when it is removed) to receive the molten metal which is poured in for the
purpose of connecting all the concentric cylinders together in the same manner
as has been already explained in reference to the tubular generator. The
casting having been completed, the superfluous metal must be removed by
means of a planing machine, and the upper annular spaces of the cylinders
left open as in the former instance. Upon removing the sand which fills the
annular spaces of the cylinders, and also the interstices between them, an
apparatus equally applicable either for generating or condensing the vapor is
obtained. The apparatus for generating the vapor must be furnished with a
chamber or reservoir for containing the vapor, as seen best at Figure 21, in
Sheet VI. It is enclosed in a casing or jacket in the same way as the tubular
apparatus already described. One great advantage of this mode of construct-
ing the apparatus is, that it has only one joint and is much more manageable
and much stronger and firmer than the other. From the peculiar internal
arrangement of the generator the liquid ether cannot by any possibility be
expelled, and in the condensing apparatus an agitator may be employed,
which, by moving about the water that is in contact with the sides or
surfaces of the condenser, causes the apparatus to act more effectually. In
Sheet V., Figure 19 represents a side elevation of the generator. Figure 21,
in Sheet VI., is a vertical section of the same, taken in the line e, f, of
Figure 19. Figure 20, Sheet V., is an internal elevation, one of the side plates
of the external casing having been removed to shew the concentric cylinders.
Figure 22 represents a transverse vertical section, taken through the concentric
cylinders of the generator in the line c, d, of Figure 21; and Figure 23 is a
partial section of the vapor chamber or reservoir, taken in the line a, b, of
Figure 21. The generator is composed of two parts precisely similar in con-
struction, and bolted together by their flanges (as seen at Figure 21), leaving
a space A, A, between them. B, B, is the chamber or reservoir for containing
the etherial vapor which rises into it as it is generated by the heat of the
steam. C, C, is the metal plate, which is cast on to the concentric cylinders,
D, D; in the manner above explained. E is the tube which conveys the vapor
of the ether from the reservoir B to the working cylinder of the engine, and
is furnished with guards or shields J, J, for the purpose of preventing the
liquid ether from being blown out of the generator. F is an inverted syphon

page_text: tube for introducing the liquid ether to the generator, and is seen best in
Figure 20. G is a cast iron jacket or casing, enclosing the generator, and into
which casing the heated eduction steam from the steam-working cylinder is
allowed to enter at different places through the pipes I, I. The water resulting
from the condensation of the steam from the abstraction of its caloric by the
ether in the generator is drawn off through the pipe H. The condenser, which
is constructed very much in the same manner as the generator above described,
is shewn in Sheet VII.
Figure 24 is a longitudinal vertical section of the condenser taken in
the line a, b, of Figure 25, which is a transverse vertical section of the
condenser taken in the line c, d, of Figure 24. C, C, are the plates,
which are cast on to the concentric cylinders D, D, D, D, and whereby
these latter are held together. G, G, is the tube which conducts the ether
vapour to the condenser, and in so doing passes through the centre of the
metal plate, as will be clearly seen in the Drawings. An agitator F', composed
of a number of small rods g, g, fixed to an arm, is mounted on the centre E,
and a similar one on the hollow boss E*; these agitators receive an oscillating
motion from the engine, and as each of the small rods g acts in one of the
spaces between the concentric cylinders D, D, a continual agitation of the
water takes place, and the water that has become warmer by contact with the
heated surfaces of the condenser is removed. The whole apparatus is enclosed
by a casing or jacket made of cast or sheet iron, and contains the fresh water
for condensing the ether.
Having now described the Invention that has been communicated to me as
aforesaid, and the best mearis with which I am acquainted for carrying the
same into effect, I would observe, in conclusion, that although I have, for the
sake of perspecuity, thought it desirable to describe in the present Specification
certain parts of the ether-hydric engine which have been described and claimed
in the Specification of the former Patent which I have obtained as aforesaid,
yet I do not intend to claim any such parts as constituting part of the present
improvements; nor do I mean or intend to confine myself rigidly to the precise
arrangement or construction of parts herein shewn, as it will be evident to any
person conversant with the manufacture of machinery of this description that
considerable alterations or modifications, according to the purposes for which
the engine is intended to be used as well as other circumstances, may be made
therein without departing from the nature and object of the herein-before
described improvements. But that which I consider to be new, and therefore
wish to claim as the Invention or improvements secured to me under the
herein-before in part recited Letters Patent, is,-

page_text: First, the employment or application of the waste heat of steam, after it has
exerted its elastic force in one or more cylinders, to heat or vaporize ether or
any other highly volatile liquid, for the purpose of producing or generating a
vapor therefrom, which may be employed for working the piston or pistons
of an additional cylinder or cylinders.
Second, I claim the right to condense the vapor of water (or the vapor
of other liquids which are vaporized at a somewhat similar temperature) by
bringing such vapor into contact with the surfaces of another generator, which
contains a more easily vaporized liquid; or, in other words, I claim the conden-
sation of one vapor by the generation of another, or vice versa.
Third, I claim the means above shewn and described, or any modification
thereof, for constructing the ether generator or vaporizer and condenser, and
also the manner of packing or securing the joints for the prevention of the
escape of the ether or its vapour.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Newton, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Tenth day of September, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and forty-seven.