MECHANICS AND USEFUL ARTS. 41 



vast beneficial results when perfected. It is much to be regretted that so 

 important a matter should be in any manner retarded by the obtrusive inter- 

 ference of persons who do not possess knowledge enough to understand that 

 our present motor, the steam-engine, working as it does within very limited 

 range of temperature, and constantly wasting the caloric, never can be made 

 an economical medium of transferring the force of caloric for motive purposes. 

 Happily, while those who only pretend to science thus assail the good cause, 

 the highest authorities support it. Regnault the greatest living authority 

 in relation to caloric in a memoir to the French Academy, after discussing 

 the relations of force produced, and range of temperature, says : ' But, as in 

 the Ericsson system, the heat which the air gives out is given up to bodies, 

 from which the entering air takes it again and brings it back to the machine, 

 we see that, theoretically, all the heat expended is utilized for mechanical work, 

 while in the best steam-engine the heat utilized in mechanical work is not the 

 one-twentieth part of the heat expended.' 1 Endorsed by such authority, and 

 fortified by such opinions, the writer disregards assailants, and will continue 

 to labor at the perfection of the caloric engine until the end is achieved." 



Since the abandonment of the original features of the Ericsson Steamer, the 

 vessel has been used with ordinary engines, still retaining the improved 

 boilers and condensers introduced by Mr. Ericsson. "With these improve- 

 ments some very extraordinary results have been attained to. The results 

 of experiments made under the direction of Mr. Charles H. Haswell, showed 

 that 9.96 pounds of water were evaporated with the consumption of each 

 pound of anthracite coal consumed, " and notwithstanding this unprecedented 

 attainment hi a marine engine, it could have been very materially increased 

 with better firing of the furnaces." 



By the use of Ericsson's improved condensers, a larger amount of fresh 

 water for re-cooperation was obtained, under the same circumstances, than 

 with any former condensing apparatus. 



IMPROVEMENTS IX STEAM-EXGIXES AND BOILERS. 



Storms' 's Cloud-Engine. Mr. W. M. Storms, of New York, professes to have 

 made new discoveries or applications of natural laws, which are to result in 

 increasing the efficiency of a given amount of fuel in the steam-engine. The 

 company formed to carry out and apply the intentions of Mr. Storms, have 

 subjected the theory to the test of several expensive experiments, and one 

 engine of respectable size, constructed on this plan, has been for some months 

 in actual daily use, driving the fans and other machinery of a small foundery 

 and machine-shop. The plan consists in mixing cold ah" with ordinary steam. 

 It is assumed that in addition to the familiar forms of ice, water, and steam, 

 the aqueous element is capable of existing in a state of vesicular vapor, or 

 opaque steam, a form more familiar to the eye than the transparent steam, 

 but never before suspected of possessing any mechanical power above or even 

 equal to that of the latter. 



If a glass bull's-eye be introduced in the top or side of an ordinary steam- 

 boiler, the steam within is found to be perfectly transparent and invisible. 



