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COLLIER'S PATENT STEAM-BOILERS, AND SAFETY BREATHING.TUBE. Fig. 2.

Fig. 1.

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VOL. XXVI.

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COLLIER'S PATENT STEAM-BOILERS AND

SAFETY BREATHING-TUBE.*

In the year 1831 Mr. Collier obtained a patent for an improvement in steamboilers. In 1835 the Lords of the Admiralty were induced to give the invention a trial, and the inventor a chance, of proving by practice his theory to be

correct.

From a pamphlet which has been published upon the subject, we extract the following particulars of the experi

ments:

"He (Mr. C.) received orders to fit a pair of one-hundred horse power boilers, in his Majesty's ship the Meteor, which was done. The first trial to prove their power of generating steam was made in still water, when eighteen revolutions of the paddle-wheels were made, those of another vessel of the same power making only eleven revolutions. When ready for sea, the Meteor was placed in competition with the steam made by another vessel; a distance was marked out upon the river, and due observations taken, when the Meteor was proved to gain in speed one and half knots per hour, by the working of the patent steam-boilers of Collier's invention. Thus establishing their working powers. Another trial was made against H. M.'s vessel Firebrand, from Woolwich to Sheerness; four Lords of the Admiralty were in the Meteor to witness this trial. The

Meteor, furnished with Collier's patent boilers, beat the Firebrand by twenty minutes, in this short distance!! The Meteor had also a trial to run against H. M.'s ship, the African, from Plymouth to Falmouth, a distance of fifty-five miles, when she gained an hour and half in speed during that short run, with Collier's patent boilers.

"The Meteor was then ordered to Lisbon, and Mr. Collier was directed to attend the voyage, as soon as fuel and other requisites could be provided; but here, a great disadvantage presented itself, by reason, that only Welsh coals could be obtained, and even those of a very bad quality, instead of Newcastle coals, yet, with these she put to sea, working admirably; and, notwithstanding that the Meteor was overtaken by a violent tempest, and obliged to lay to for twenty-four hours, and during which period the fires were banked down, and the steam let off. On the abatement of the storm, the

* On the Superior Advantages of the Patent Improved Steam-boilers, invented by Elisha Haydon Collier, Civil-engineer. London: John Nichols, Chandos-street, West Strand.

pilot ordered Collier to prepare for work (presuming, as in ordinary cases, that an hour or two would be required to get up the steam to the working power). Mr. Collier immediately superintended his fires, and in less than ten minutes his steam was up to the working point; on intimating which to the pilot, he would not believe it possible; but however, found it to be the fact; this being a further evidence of the power of these boilers (notwithstanding the inferiority of the fuel, a large quantity of which, indeed, was so bad, that it was thrown overboard). However, the voyage proceeded, to the admiration of all on board; * * * the stokers declaring that they would rather stoke these boilers for six months than those in present use for one month. No flues required cleaning during the voyages out and home. With equal success the voyage was performed back from Lisbon to Falmouth, where the boilers were scrupulously examined, and were found to be quite as perfect as when first put on board, and without an atom of sediment from the impurities of the water, or crystallisation of salt; thus proving another of the great merits of these boilers.

"Upon these reports being forwarded to their Lordships, an order was forthwith given for the payment of the price agreed upon for these boilers."

Notwithstanding these favourable re

ports of their " faithful servants," the public will be surprised to learn (and we wonder Mr. Collier does not inform them how and why it so happened) that the Lords of the Admiralty ordered Mr. Collier's boiler to be removed, and the Meteor to be placed out of commission till she could be refitted with boilers on the common plan. The price Mr. Collier received for his boiler was 20007.; and so highly did their Lordships value it, that Mr. Collier was allowed to repurchase it at the price of old metal. The sum for which it was appraised back to him (funnel included) was 150l. (!) being at the rate of 41. 10s. per ton. We are,

however, too well aware of the nature of Admiralty dicta to place implicit reliance upon the decision of their Lordships; and as Mr. Collier has lately been "blowing off" a good deal of vapeur, in the shape of advertisements and paragraphs, "particularly inviting" engineers and boiler-makers to examine his important improvements, we have thought that his own exposition of the "superior advantages" thereof would be interesting to

Fig. 3.

the scientific public-from the before referred to pamphlet. We cannot compliment the writer upon the correctness or elegance of his diction; but this does not, of course, detract from the merits of the invention, whatever they may be, and which we must leave our readers to discover-for, to speak the honest truth, we can ourselves perceive none other than a little ingeniously-arranged complication, and consequent increase of expense. We fear Mr. Collier will not make many

such good bargains as he did with the Lords of the Admiralty.

"A low temperature is best adapted for these boilers; thus showing that there must necessarily follow a saving of fuel-for it is not the lavish supply of coal, but the judicious application of it, that produces the temperature required. The peculiar structure of these boilers, they being surrounded with a jacket of iron, and between which and the boiler lies an intervening slow-conducting medium, prevents all radiation of the heat, so much so, that the hand may be put on the boiler without experiencing the least inconvenience, thus securing comfort to the passengers against the oppressive heat of the boilers now in use, and also the preservation of the goods, which may now be stowed close to these boilers. The multum in parvo of these boilers is, in the present state of navigation, the greatest desideratum; for, when you take a comparative view of the patent boiler only occupying ten feet for a 100-horse power, whilst those in present use occupy twenty-four feet; and thus obtaining fourteen feet of length in the principal part of a ship, in the entire section, and employing this great space either for stowage, or the accommodation for passengers, by enlarged saloons but a saving also of at least fifty tons in weight, as in these patent boilers, on account of their diminished size, so much less water is required. These objects combined will naturally show that a great saving of fuel must follow of course.

"Description of the Boiler.

"In the annexed engraving (see front cut), fig. 1, is a front section of a steam-boiler, with part of the front plate removed, the right-hand side showing the furnace-doors, while those on the left are removed; and below the ash-pits two covers of the apparatus, for occasionally cleaning out any mud or sediment, are shown; they being placed at the lowest part of the boilers, where all the deposit will naturally be lodged.

"Fig. 2 is a side section or elevation of the boiler, taken at the line AB, of fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a plan of one-half of fig. 1, taken at the line CD of that figure.

"In this steam-boiler the water is divided amongst a number of narrow upright chambers, with spaces between and around them, for the flame and heated air from the furnaces to pass through, and thus quickly to heat the water; their back-ends all opening into one common cross-chamber. These chambers being nearly closed at their tops, the steam generated ascends and escapes at

the upper part of their back ends, whilst the water is constantly flowing in at their lower parts, and thus a circulation is produced which effectually prevents any sediment being lodged within the chambers. These chambers are placed in separate furnaces and the whole is enclosed in one casing' forming the steam-boiler; the chambers,' ash-pits, and the whole furnaces, being en closed, and surrounded by water. There is likewise provided an outer casing (not shown), containing a slow-conducting medium, to prevent the radiation of heat, as above-mentioned. The flue is likewise surrounded with water, to become heated, and to supply the boiler, in proportion to the evaporation, occasioned by the escape of the steam; this supply is effected by an upright pipe, proceeding from the water around the funnel, and connected with a horizontal pipe, from which branch-pipes enter at the bottoms of all the chambers, and thereby prevent the possibility, however violent the fire may be, of the water being removed from contact with the interiors of the chambers; the pressure of the column of water being much greater than the pressure of the steam. There are likewise provided vent-pipes, at the upper front ends of the chambers, to allow the escape of any surplus steam that may be generated in the chambers, to the mass of steam contained in the steam-chest. These two last improvements effectually prevent all injury to the steam-generators or chambers, from any carelessness or wilful design to injure them by over firing.

"In fig. 2 an upright pipe or tube is represented, which is opened at both ends; the lower end being immersed within six inches of the bottom of the boiler; and the upper end entering the funnel; and thus, in case of any accident arising from the sticking of the valves, or other causes, the pressure of the steam in the boiler will force the water into the funnel, and extinguish the fire; and vice versa in case of a collapse, from any sudden condensation of the steam, the upper end of the pipe being open, will admit the atmospheric air to enter and restore the equilibrium. And it is a known fact, that a boiler of any description, as a common house copper, or a tea-kettle, for instance, have never been known to burst, either by expansion or collapsing; as, notwithstanding all the gases which may be generated, from the oxygenation of the metal by the water, the pressure of the atmosphere keeps the water in constant contact with the metal, and prevents it from being overheated, which is the general cause of the bursting of all bilores.

"The cause of steam-boilers exploding is but little known; but it generally arises

from the prodigious expansion of the gases, produced by the decomposition of the water by the heat. This mischief, however, will be entirely prevented by the introduction of this beautifully simple invention,' the safety or breathing-pipes.'

"A summary of the chief advantages of these patent improved steam-boilers :-there is a saving of fifty per cent. in weight, room, and fuel; no incrustation can take place therein, from salt or sediment, and consequently, the boilers are rendered more durable; and as no heat can radiate from the boilers, so the ship is kept cool throughout, and the comfort of the passengers and live stock promoted; butter, eggs, and other provisions will be preserved; there is no danger from setting fire to the coals or cargo, and in consequence, the rate of insurance ought to be reduced. The steam is got up in less than one half the time required by the ordinary boilers; if necessary to bank the fires for twenty-four hours, five minutes time is only necessary to get the steam up; as these boilers are worked under an open column of atmosphere, of course they can never either explode or collapse. Repairs can be easily effected on board, with as much facility as in any other situation, thereby saving the expenses of unshipping and shipping. There are no flues to sweep in case of long voyages, spare sets of chambers can be taken on board; the boilers are supplied with hot feeding-water, which causes a saving of from ten to fifteen per cent. in fuel. Boilers upon this principle of only ten feet in length, will generate more than a sufficient quantity of steam for engines of one hundred horse-power."

DEFECTIVE VISION.

Sir, I am one of those unfortunate individuals who have such a defect of vision that they cannot distinguish one colour from another; and having been brought up to the profession of an artist, you may imagine it is a source of great inconvenience to me, being obliged to take the greatest care that I place the colours I require in such situations that I shall not make mistakes. Hitherto I have succeeded very well, by dint of close study and great care, in colouring without this defect being known. I have endeavoured to become master of most of the theories on harmonious colouring; but still I gain very little in the actual distinctions of colours. Perhaps there

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EVIDENCE TAKEN BEFORE THE SELECT COMMITTEE APPOINTED TO INQUIRE INTO THE BEST MEANS OF EXTENDING A KNOWLEDGE OF THE ARTS AND OF THE PRINCIPLES OF DESIGN AMONG THE PEOPLE (ESPECIALLY THE MANUFACTURING POPULATION) Of THE COUNTRY; ALSO TO INQUIRE INTO THE CONSTITUTION, MANAGEMENT, AND EFFECTS OF INSTITUTIONS CONNECTED WITH THE ARTS.

(Continued from page 157.)

Questions answered by Baron Von Klenze, Architect and Privy-Councillor to his Majesty the King of Bavaria.-(Translated from the French.)

How many schools of design are there in Bavaria-there are in Bavaria thirty-three schools in which drawing is an essential part. In every school with us, in fact in every village school, drawing is taught. There are at this moment thirty-three real schools of design established; there are thirty secondary schools for artisans, called "Gewerbschulen," and three primary or polytechnic schools.

Is design a part of national education ?— An integral part.

What is the course adopted in teaching design as a part of national education?-I think the best way will be to explain all the course. Every school among us has a class of design, even in the smallest villages. When they leave the schools, if any of the scholars wishes to devote himself to any particular branch of art, then he enters in one of the thirty secondary schools which I have mentioned. In those secondary schools instruction is given to all those who are to be devoted to the arts and to manufactures, to civil engineering, to architecture, to roads and bridges, and even to agriculture, because there are schools of agriculture, and to waters and forests. In those secondary schools they remain three years; after those three years are expired, the young people determine what branch they will embrace, as I have just said, and then they enter the polytechnic schools, and there they finish their education.

When they enter the polytechnic schools, is it necessary to devote themselves to some profession?—Yes; that is to say, they are not exactly obliged to do so, but the instruction is divided there into different branches* For example, there is a chair for the waters and forests, a chair for the architecture, a chair for manufactures, for physic, &c., and for the mines, and, in short, for every branch.

Then, when they enter the polytechnic

schools, the students are distributed according to the profession which each one chooses?Yes.

In the primary schools, in what manner are the pupils instructed in design? In the primary schools they are instructed in linear drawing, both in free drawing with the hand and in geometrical drawing. In those schools they only learn to draw in outline, triangles and every kind of perspective, and the simple element of ornaments, but only in outline. Every species of embellishment as to drawing is strictly prohibited in the primary schools.

Then all the children in Bavaria have an education in linear drawing ?-If they wish. In the primary schools they are asked whether they will learn design; and if they will, it is done; but if they will not, it is not forced.

But generally they all learn it ?-Almost all of them; but they are not compelled.

Are they compelled to receive general education ?-No, they are not forced; it is not at all necessary; they all do it voluntarily. But when they enter the secondary schools, where the arts and manufactures are taught, there they are obliged to learn the art which they have adopted.

Up to what point do the schools of design go? They ascend from the primary schools to the secondary schools, and there we have adopted the principle of making them continue as long as possible to learn outline; they make them study form very strictly in those schools; they go so far as to enable them to do many things very difficult, to design architecture very correctly, and such things, and then they begin modelling. Then the last are the polytechnic schools, of which there are three. Before they arrive at the polytechnic schools all who wish to devote themselves to trade diverge to those pursuits, and those who wish to devote themselves to the higher branches of engineering, enter the polytechnic schools. In the polytechnic school they are instructed in all that relates to engineering, architecture, the waters and forests and the mines; all that is completely

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