54 ANNUAL OF SCIENTIFIC t DISCOVERY. 



A vertical spindle receives motion from the main shaft ; on this is 

 placed a sliding collar, which is connected by a rod to the throttle 

 valve. The slide, however, has no flexible arms attached to it, to ele- 

 vate the rod by centrifugal action. The construction and operation 

 are different in principle, entirely, from the common governors. Two 

 straps are attached to the top of the spindle opposite one another, and 

 the lower ends secured to balls on horizontal rigid anus, which are 

 secured to the sliding collar. The straps partake in a moment of the 

 motion of the spindle, and act upon the balls at once on the outer 

 ends of the horizontal arms and lift up the sliding collar in an instant. 

 The action of this governor is by velocity and gravity, the velocity 

 of the spindle and the gravity of the sliding collar. A sudden increase 

 of velocity in the spindle makes the cords of the arms wind around 

 the top of the spindle, and this lifts the sliding collar instantly, when 

 the steam is cut off, and then the gravity of the balls and collar, when 

 the velocity of the spindle is thus checked, soon restores the cord to 

 its angular rigidity. It is a unique system of checking and balancing 

 for governing the quantity of steam required for the engine, so as to 

 preserve a uniform motion of machinery. Scientific American. 



WILLIAMS' ALARM WATER GUAGE. 



THIS water guage is constructed simply on the principle, that 

 water will find its own level. A tube, containg a float, is brought into 

 connection with the boiler by two pipes, through which the water 

 flows ; a glass tube at one side shows the height of the water. When 

 the water falls to a certain level in the boiler, the float within the tube 

 rests on an arm that opening a valve produces a whistle or warning 

 to the engineer. The lower cock of the instrument is attached to 

 the boiler on a line with the top of the flues or lowest water line ; the 

 tube is sufficiently long to make allowance for the proper fluctuations 

 of water 10 to 20 inches. No matter how the water foams within 

 the boiler, the indications of the guage are those of solid water. 



IMPROVED SAFETY VALVE. 



THE following is a description of an apparatus patented in Eng- 

 land by Messrs. Bloomer & Co., for the prevention of steam-boiler 

 explosions. It consists of a valve, which is screwed to the top of the 

 boiler, over which stands a hollow fluted column about three feet high, 

 forming a box to contain the weights on the valve, and a pillar for a 

 wheel, over which works a flat chain connected with the buoy in the 

 boiler, having at equal distances two long links, one on each side of 

 the pillar. 



Two levers, connected with the valve, and fixed on centres, pass 

 between the long links, so that the water in the boiler, rising or fall- 

 ing beyond a given level, depresses the lever, opens the valve, and 

 permits the steam to escape. An index is fixed on the wheel which 

 gives the height of the water in the boiler ; the steam is also weighed 



