New Patents and Mechanical Inventions, [May 1, 



stantly becomes steam, exerting a very 

 great expansive force, ■which, acting 

 upon the working-piston within the cy- 

 linder of two inches diameter, placed 

 horizonfaliy, causes it to perform its 

 stroke of twelve inches. The recipro- 

 cating motion of the piston works a 

 rotatory valve, which alternately opens 

 and shuts the induction and eduction 

 passages, by which, as in other en- 

 gines, the steam, after exerting its force 

 upon the piston, escapes to the con- 

 denser, but witii this peculiar circum- 

 stance attendant, viz. the condensa- 

 tion is effected under a pressure of 

 seventy pounds upon the inch. The 

 operation of generating and of con- 

 densing the steam is so instantaneous, 

 that, when the engine is in full work, 

 the piston performs about two hundred 

 and fifty strokes per minute ; and the 

 motive force thus produced is, by 

 means of the piston-rod, communicated 

 to the crank and fly-wheel of the en- 

 gine, and thence, as a moving power, 

 to other machinery. Tlie space occu- 

 pied by the engine and all its appen- 

 dages, does not exceed an area of six 

 by eight feet, though its power is cal- 

 culated at ten horses, and it is con- 

 sidered that no part of the apparatus 

 would require enlargement (except 

 the working cylinder) for an engine of 

 50-horsepower; the consumption of fuel 

 is only about two bushels per day. The 

 perfect safety from any disastrous con- 

 sequences attendant upon an acciden- 

 tal explosion, have been fully proved, 

 by bursting the apparatus several times 

 in the presence of many persons. The 

 circumstance of retaining the heated 

 ■water in the generator, under a consi- 

 derable pressure, and only allowing it 

 to assume the form of steam after it 

 has escaped from the generator, pre- 

 cludes the possibility of exploding that 

 vessel ; as the water, however much 

 its temperature may be raised, is, 

 while in the form of water, almost non- 

 elastic ; and the small quantity of 

 steam generated from time to time in 

 the induction-pipe, for the purpose of 

 working the piston, could not, in the 

 event of an explosion, then be attended 

 w ith any extensive consequences ; but, 

 to prevent the possibility of any such 

 accident, a copper bulb is introduced 

 in a part of the steam-pipe, which is 

 calculated to burst at one thousand 

 pounds' pressure, while the engine is 

 intended to work from five to seven 

 hundred, and the whole is proved to 

 sustain a force of two thousand pounds 



npoi^ 



359 



cularly in reference to the casting or 

 making of bottles such as are used to 

 contain wine, beer, porter, cider, or 

 other liquids. By this invention tiie 

 circumference and diameter of bottles 

 are formed nearly cylindrical, and their 

 heiglits determined, so as to contain 

 given quantities of a wine or beer gal- 

 lon-measure, with a great degree of 

 regularity or conformity to each otiier. 

 And all the bottles made after this me- 

 thod present a superior neatness of 

 appearance, and a regularity of shape, 

 for convenient and safe stowage, which 

 cannot by other means be so well at- 

 tained. 



The drawings appended to the spe- 

 cification, contain five figures, embrac- 

 ing the whole of the machinery, with 

 the mould, to be sunk in a pit, or 

 placed in any more convenient part of 

 the glass-house, for const;tnt operation. 

 The necessary changes of diameter, or 

 shape of circumference, are efl'ected by 

 changing the moulds. The diflercnee 

 of height is accomplished by affixing a 

 Saturn's ring within the bottom of the 

 mould, whereon is sunk the name of 

 the manufacturer, and figures denot- 

 ing the proportion of a gallon which 

 the bottle is designed to contain. 



Perkins's New Steam Engine. 

 Mr. Perkins's new invention is dis- 

 tinguished by the subversion of esta- 

 blished theories, the vast reduction of 

 expense in the article of fuel antici- 

 pated, and the extremely high pres- 

 sure at which the engine is proposed to 

 be worked with perfect safety ; but he 

 has realized all that he promised, and 

 has, by experiment, demonstrated, that 

 the engine will perform with the ad- 

 vantages which he anticipated. The 

 generator, in place of a boiler, and 

 containing about eight gallons, is a 

 cylindrical vessel made of gun-metal, 

 about three inches thick, and closed 

 at both sides : it is placed upright in 

 the middle of a cylindrical furnace, and 

 filled with water. This water is sub- 

 jected to a very great pressure, and, 

 under those circumstances, is heated 

 by the surrounding fire to a very high 

 temperature. A valve is introduced 

 in the top of the generator, and loaded 

 with a weight equal to the pressure 

 within. An injecting-punip is now 

 employed to force a small quantity of 

 water into the generator, which dis- 

 places a corresponding quantity of 

 heated water from the generator; this 

 passes iut» the induction-pipe, and in- 



