PATENT APPARATUS FOR THE FEEDING OF STEAM ENGINE AND OTHER FURNACES.

By JOHN STANLEY, of Back Watling Street, Manchester: (being a conclusion of the subject " On Furnaces which consume their own Smoke”. Continued from p. 362 of the preceding volume.)

Ir affords us much satisfaction to be enabled to conclude the series of articles mentioned above, by introducing to the notice of our readers a recently patented invention, which is eminently calculated for lessening the inconvenience arising from dense black smoke, and at the same time of economising to a great extent the consumption of fuel. It is true, that the majority of inventions contrived for this purpose have been stated to possess similar properties; but the merits of Mr. Stanley's apparatus do not rest upon mere profession-they have been proved in numerous instances on the large scale to the perfect satisfaction of the proprietors. We have had an opportunity of observing and investigating its application, to a large engine at the South Lambeth Water-Works, to which two 40-horse boilers are provided. Previously to the adoption of Mr. Stanley's apparatus, it was found necessary to work both these boilers at once, in order to furnish sufficient steam to do the work, and the labour of the fireman was excessive in feeding the furnaces by hand. Now, the feeding of the same boilers is performed without manual intervention, and the effect of the fire thus mechanically supplied is so much greater than before, that only one of the boilers instead of both is found fully adequate to supply the steam. The quantity of fuel used is besides so nicely regulated by the engine itself, that the instant there arises an excess of steam in the boiler the feeding apparatus ceases to work, by being thrown out of gear, and immediately the steam falls below the required pressure, the falling of the mercury puts the machinery into gear again, and the feeding recommences. The large coals are broken by the apparatus to a small size, so that ignition takes place the instant they are thrown upon the live fuel, and being constantly distributed over the whole surface of the grate, the combustion throughout is so perfect, that scarcely any smoke escapes undecomposed. Of this fact any person may easily satisfy himself by noticing the chimney of the works in question, from whence is seen uniformly issuing only a light grey vapour, containing not so much carbonaceous matter as is commonly given off from a kitchen fire. Thus are the public benefitted by the annihilation of a nuisance, and the proprietors of the apparatus derive the advantage of considerable saving in expenditure for fuel. We cannot venture to repeat what

was told us with respect to the latter point: suffice it to state, that we were informed that the patentee guarantees that the quantity of fuel required to produce a given effect shall be twenty-one per cent. less by his mechanical mode of feeding than when performed by hand.

The cost of the apparatus is very trifling when compared to Brunton's Revolving Grate; it is far more convenient and compact, and does not require a supplementary boiler. Stanley's is applicable to any ordinary furnace; it is fixed in front, forming a convenient appendage, and a very neat and handsome finish to the structure. Such are the facilities for fixing, that we were told by Mr. Thomas Thomas, the engineer, of Holland Street, Blackfriars, (who is the manufacturer and patentee's agent for London,) that he would undertake to fix the apparatus even to a 100-horse engine between Saturday night and the succeeding Monday morning, so that not a minute should be lost by the stopping of the work during the usual hours of business. We may also remark, that in an engine having only one boiler, the furnace of which is supplied by this apparatus, any repairs can be made to the latter without stopping the work, as the furnaces can during that operation be fed by hand through the fire-door as usual There is, however, so little liability to derangement in this feeding apparatus, that the patentee undertakes to keep it in repair for about. two per cent. per annum; and with respect to the wear of the boiler and furnace, we were informed by the engineer, at the water-works before mentioned, that they would last full double the usual time. A little reflection upon the effect of the frequent changes of temperature occasioned by the opening of the fire-door, and the poking and scraping with the stoker's iron tools, would lead us, independently of any statement of the kind, to the same conclusion. It is scarcely necessary to add, after the foregoing observations, that this apparatus will keep the steam uniformly at any required density.

Fig. 8, Plate II., represents a front elevation of one of the boilers before mentioned with the patent apparatus applied, and likewise a portion of the second, the whole of the latter not being brought into view on account of its similarity to the other. Fig. 9 represents a side view of a part of the boiler, and a longitudinal section of the furnace and feeding apparatus, the scale of feet between these figures giving the dimensions of the parts. The letters of reference in each of the figures indicate similar parts.

a a are the boilers; b b the brickwork and flues surrounding them; cccc are plates of cast-iron pannelled, and forming a handsome front to the apparatus whereto all the apparatus is fixed, so that it can be easily attached to any boiler; ffis the hopper, con

taining sufficient coals for an hour or two's consumption; at ee are grooved rollers for breaking the coals as they fall between them from the hopper above; they are put in motion by straps from the engine embracing the pulleys g hik, and the revolution of the shaft of the pulleys hi actuates some small gear which cause two fanners to revolve with rapidity over two circular iron plates which project the coals over the grate; only one of these fanners is necessarily shown in the section at 7, but the situation of both is indicated in the front elevation by the two letters ll; nn is the fire-door; o the fire; p the ash-pit, which is provided with a ventilating plate q to regulate the admission of air whenever desirable; rr are doors covering openings into the side flues.

PATENT FILTERING MACHINE.

By R. Wiss and Co., of Fleet Street.

WE have a letter before us, signed "A COUNTRY FARMER," expressing a desire to see a description of the above invention in the Register, as he conceives it to possess the extraordinary powers which are set forth in the printed prospectus issued by the patentees. This little apparatus, which occupies something less than a cubic foot of space, our correspondent repeats, will filter 2000 gallons of water per day, and therefore" will become a most useful article in those farms which have ditch and pond water, full of frogs, toads, efts, spine-worms, spawn that breed the hair-worm in calves' lungs, in the disorder called the fan fog; also, in preventing the red water in cattle, which is occasioned by their drinking water containing small animalcules, bred from the weeds in those ditches and foul waters, &c. &c.," and, consequently, that "by using this machine a great many beasts might be brought to market that are now lost by drinking impure water." The writer concludes his epistle, by informing us that he has purchased one of Mr. Brown's filterers, owing to its having been described in favourable terms in an early number of the Register, which he finds to answer his purpose well; but, as Wiss's machine will filter such a vastly greater quantity, he is anxious that the public and the cattle should derive all the benefit, and the republics of frogs, toads, efts, &c., should receive all the injury which the "Royal Patent Mechanical Filterer" can inflict.

As believers in transubstantiation, we are not a little apprehensive in introducing this machine to our readers; but here it is represented in the subjoined cut.