of the Vienna Exhibition, 1873. 77 



" Messrs. Garrett and Sons, of the Leiston "Works, Suffolk, were in the field 

 some time ago, and took out a patent dated November 15, 1871, for burning 

 straw, as a communication from M. Paul Kotso, of Pesth. The engine exhibited 

 at Vienna is constructed substantially in accordance with this patent. Very- 

 little explanation is necessary to make the arrangement quite intelligible. The 

 furnace, capable of being fitted with the ordinary grate for burning coal, as 

 shown by dotted lines ; this grate is made removable in order that the furnace 

 may receive another grate, as sliown, for burning straw and other light combus- 

 tible matters. In front of this second grate and on a level therewith is a spout 

 through which the straw is introduced to the grate ; this spout is closed air-tight 

 b}' a hinged door, and forms in fact a kind of hopper extension of the furnace, 

 the cai^acity of which is greatly enlarged to enable it to contain a proportionate 

 quantity of the light fuel. The water jacket of the boiler is carried sufficiently 

 far below the level of the straw grate, as shown, to permit of the calcareous and 

 other deposit from the water taking place below the efficient heating line of the 

 fire and to protect the walls of the furnace. The furnace when arranged to burn 

 .straw, instead of tenninating in an ash-pan, as shown by dots, is made open at 

 bottom to allow of the ashes being discharged into a pit dug in the ground for 

 the purpose of receiving the ashes, the ashpan being for this purpose removed. 

 '\Vhen the engine is brought over such a pit, access of air through the ash-pit 

 to the furnace may be prevented by means of loose covering plates, and by 

 throwing up a mound of earth round the bottom of the furnace. A regulated 

 supply of air can be admitted through a damper provided for the purpose below 

 the straw grate, and in front of the ash-pan extension of the furnace, whicli 

 extension is slidden into and out of place and is supported by flanges, as- 

 shown. When using the furnace as a straw-burning furnace, the door by 

 which fuel is admitted to the fire-bars is kejit closed to prevent the in-draught 

 of cold air above the fuel. 



" As regards the efficiency of this apparatus we may quote the following 

 extracts from a letter written to Herr Kotso, the inventor, by Herr Ludwig 

 A'^on Karolzi : — * I,' writes Herr Karolzi, ' have had the straw-burning engine 

 these two years constantly in use, and drove my mill of two pairs of stones, as- 

 long as my stock of straw lasted, by straw firing, and the threshing machine 

 as long as' the threshing was done, constantly with straw fire only ; even in 

 some cases where there was a stock of old chaff, useless for any other purj^ose, 

 or maize straw, I burned this material with great success. In regard to the 

 proportion of work done by the engine to the consumption of fuel, you can 

 judge from the following facts : I was threshing 400 mandelu (mandelu equals- 

 15 sheaves) daily, and used one load of straw of 20 cwt., that is about 3 per 

 cent, of the threshed straw ; the value of this straw is in our country twa 

 florins (equal to 4s.). I was grinding 120 cwt. of corn into flour, and wanted 

 for firing two loads of straw of 40 cwt., the value of which is about four florins 

 (equal to 8s.). I threshed, as a trial, 400 mandelu, and required 9 cwt. of coal 

 bricks from Funfkirchen, which cost about 1 fl. 5 kr. per cwt., altogether say 

 9 fl. 50 kr. I ground 144 cwt. of corn, and wanted 24 cwt. of the same coal 

 (peat coal), which cost per cwt. Ifl. 95kr. =25fl. 20kr. 'Therefore for the 

 same work in the one case (*. e.,.for threshing), 20 cwt. straw was equal to 



9 cwt. coal; therefore Icwt. straw=0"45cwt. coaL At the mill I was able 

 to do more work with coal, but even here the proportion of 40 cwt. straw to 



10 cwt. coal, say 1 cwt. straw to 0-45 cwt. of coal, is favourable enough to show 

 that in employing your engine, 1 cwt. straw is like 0'36 cwt. of coal, in the 

 average, or in regard to price, 1 cwt. straw, 10 kr. = 2^d.; 0"36 coal, 38 kr. = %d. 

 The coal cost, therefore, nearly four times as much as the straw for the same 

 work. 



" ' My engine enjoys, as I state with pleasure, a great reputation in the 

 whole district, so that I never am obliged to look after, or ask the parties for 



