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XlVII. Jin improved Method of heating Boilers; leingan 

 Account of ihn IVay in which the Fire is applied to one uf 

 the large Boilers in Messrs. Meux's Brewery. 



J. HE best method of applying fire to boilers has only very 

 lately been made a subject of inquiry ; and it may with great 

 truth l)e asserted, that till within these few years by far the 

 greater part of the fuel was entirely wasted. It was cus- 

 tomary to have a fire under the whole bottom of every boiler, 

 and the grating which carried the fire was generally made of 

 nearly the same size as the bottom of the boiler ; sometimes 

 even considerably larger. The consequence was, that the 

 principal part of the heat was discharged by the chimney 

 instead of being communicated to the contents of the boiler^ 

 and even a great quantity of the fuel was sent away, uncon- 

 sumed, in the form of dense smoke. 



Count Rumfovd's writings have tended very much to turn 

 the attention of individuals to this subject, and to econo- 

 mize the consumption of fuel. The winding flues he has 

 so strongly recommended to be put under large boilers may 

 he considered as highly preferable to the method that pre- 

 vailed so generally before ; nor in bringing forward the pre- 

 sent article have we any intention to depreciate an improve- 

 ment highly valuable in itself 5 but havmg been permitted 

 to inspect the large boilers at Messrs. Meux's, and having 

 witnessed their eflects, we think we shall render an essen- 

 tial service to people engaged in different manufacftires, in 

 which boilers on a large scale are employed, by laying be- 

 fore them the arrangements that have been adopted in set- 

 ting (as workmen term it) the boilers at their brewery, 

 vhere proper conijjarative experiments arc made in every 

 thing that regards the economy of so important a concern 

 under the direction of an able and experienced engineer, 

 nnd at an expense which would be ruinous to any under- 

 taking of less magnitude. 



In constructing a boiler two objects ought to be kept in 

 view ! first, that a lan^c portion of the heat produced by the 

 combustion of the fuel may be communicated to the boiler 

 instead of being uselessly expended by the chimney; this 

 is what is aimed at, and in some measure attained, by the 

 winding flues recommended by count Rumford : secondly, 

 that the he-it may be connnunicated to the boiler as rapidly 

 as the nature of the business may require ; this is what has 

 been attained at Messrs. Meux's, and with a less consump- 

 tion of fuel than by ai\y former arrangement, count Rum- 

 tord's not excepted. 



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