Emmet Mercury Boiler Records
name: label: Creator
content: Hartford Electric Light Company.
label: Creator
content: Foster Wheeler Corporation
label: Creator
content: Stone and Webster.
label: Creator
content: General Electric Company
label: Creator
content: Babcock and Wilcox Company.
label: Creator
content: Emmet, William Le Roy, 1859-
label: Former owner
content: National Museum of American History (U.S.). Division of Mechanical and Civil Engineering
label: Former owner
content: National Museum of American History (U.S.). Division of Work and Industry
topic: label: Topic
content: Mercury
label: Topic
content: Mechanical engineering
label: Topic
content: Electricity
label: Topic
content: Chemical engineering
label: Topic
content: Boilers
label: Topic
content: Mercury vapor
acqinfo: label: Provenance
content: Immediate source of acquisition unknown.
creator: label: Creator
content: Hartford Electric Light Company.
label: Creator
content: Foster Wheeler Corporation
label: Creator
content: Stone and Webster.
label: Creator
content: General Electric Company
label: Creator
content: Babcock and Wilcox Company.
label: Creator
content: Emmet, William Le Roy, 1859-
setName: label: See more items in
content: Emmet Mercury Boiler Records
abstract: label: Summary
content: The Emmet Mercury Boiler Records contains information about General Electric Company and Hartford Electric Light Company's development, installation, and use of William Le Roy Emmet's mercury boiler units.  The mercury boiler units used mercury fluid along with steam power to improve cycle efficiency in converting coal or oil to electric power.   The collection contains articles, news clippings, reports, instruction manuals, log books, data sheets, photographs, and drawings related to the experimental unit installed at Dutch Point, Connecticut, and the first commercial use of a mercury boiler at the South Meadow Station in Hartford, Connecticut.
bioghist: label: Historical
content: The mercury boiler was developed by a General Electric Company's engineer, William Le Roy Emmet, to use mercury fluid in conjunction with steam power to improve cycle efficiency in converting coal or oil to electric power. An experimental mercury-steam generating unit was installed by Hartford Electric Light Company in 1923 at Dutch Point, Connecticut.  In June 1927, ground was broken for the South Meadow Station in Hartford, Connecticut, and Babcock and Wilcox Company was contracted for the boiler.  This unit was the first commercial installation in the nation and was based on the data collected from the Dutch Point unit.   The Dutch Point unit was damaged during the course of operations and was permanently shut down by Emmet in September 1927.  Emmet requested that all efforts be focused on the South Meadow Station.  In August 1947, the first commercial unit at South Meadow Station was taken out of service and disposed of, and a second unit was installed and put into use on January 1, 1949.  The engineering company, Foster Wheeler, was used to help design the second unit.  During inspections in 1959 and 1960, it was discovered that the second unit had a wastage issue, and the unit was then operated at half load capacity for the remainder of 1960.  On January 4, 1961, the second unit was removed from operation, and on April 19, 1961 it was officially retired.   The mercury was removed and sold to Woodbridge Chemical Corporation.   The decision was made to not to replace it with another mercury unit.
physdesc: label: Extent
content: 4 Cubic feet (14 boxes)
unitdate: label: Date
content: 1920 - 1961
custodhist: label: Custodial History
content: Transferred to the Archives Center from the Division of Work and Industry in 2006.
dataSource: label: Archival Repository
content: Archives Center, National Museum of American History
identifier: label: Identifier
content: NMAH.AC.0968
objectType: label: Type
content: Collection descriptions
label: Type
content: Archival materials
label: Type
content: Reports
label: Type
content: Photographs
label: Type
content: Logs (records)
label: Type
content: Correspondence
label: Type
content: Blueprints
label: Type
content: Architectural drawings
label: Type
content: Articles
arrangement: label: Arrangement
content: The collection is arranged into four series.

Series 1: Background and Research on Mercury Boilers, 1920-1961

Series 2: Correspondence, 1921-1950

Series 3: Dutch Point Mercury Boiler Operational Records, 1923-1949

Subseries 3.1: Data Sheets and Reports, 1923-1927

Subseries 3.2: Log Books and Instructions, 1924-1949

Subseries 3.3: Photographs and Drawings, 1923-1927

Series 4: South Meadow Station Operational Records, 1928-1961

Subseries 4.1: Data Sheets and Reports, 1928-1961

Subseries 4.2: Log Books and Instructions, 1928-1955

Subseires 4.3: Photographs and Drawings, 1928,1955

Series 5: Hartford Electric Light Company Operational Records, 1928-1949
processinfo: label: Processing Information
content: Processed by Sara Wheeler, July 2017; supervised by Alison Oswald, archivist.
genre_format: label: Genre/Form
content: Reports
label: Genre/Form
content: Photographs -- 20th century
label: Genre/Form
content: Logs (records)
label: Genre/Form
content: Correspondence -- 20th century
label: Genre/Form
content: Blueprints
label: Genre/Form
content: Architectural drawings
label: Genre/Form
content: Articles
scopecontent: label: Scope and Contents
content: The collection documents the construction, operation, and demolition of mercury boiler generating units developed by William Le Roy Emmet and installed by the Hartford Electric Light Company in Hartford, Connecticut. The collection contains articles and research about the use of mercury and the development and implementation of mercury boilers.  Also included is general correspondence between Hartford Electric Light Company and General Electric Company, operational logs, collected data, instructional guides, inspection reports, and photographs and drawings for the Dutch Point Mercury Boiler and the South Meadow Station.