1818.] Construction of Fire-places to Steam Boilers. 51 



respect to the correctness of the facts, there is strong internal 

 evidence for placing great confidence in them. It is accompa- 

 nied by an accurate map, in which the course of the hurricane is 

 noted, and all the woods and houses marked on which it wrecked 

 its fury. 



-Article V. 



On the Construction of Fire-places to Steam Boilers. By John 

 and Philip Taylor, Civil Engineers. 



72, Upper White Cross-street, 

 GLNTLEMEN, May 6, 1818. 



The annexed sketch exhibits the construction which we have 

 lately used in the erection of fire-places to steam boilers, and 

 which seems to combine some advantages, so as, perhaps, to 

 render it worthy a place in your journal ; at the same time we are 

 aware that there is little in it that can be called absolutely new. 



We were desirous in the first place to remove the fuel from the 

 possibility of actual contact with the bottom of the boiler, which 

 sometimes happens from the carelessness of the men, and stillmore 

 to avoid, if possible, the injury accruing from the sudden influx of 

 large portions of cold air from frequent opening of the fire door. 

 The contraction caused by this sudden diminution of the heat, is 

 apt, in some cases, to disturb the joints of the plates, where high 

 degrees of temperature are used, and to render them leaky. 



We have avoided both these evils, by removing the fire from 

 under the bottom of the boiler, and placing it, as in the drawing, 

 in a furnace, at one end, whence the flame reverberates 

 through a flue passing under the vessel to be heated. As the 

 cold air, which may at times be admitted, comes first into 

 immediate contact with a mass of heated brickwork, and is 

 mixed before it passes through the opening into the flue, by 

 which the whole is, as it were, wiredrawn together, and so 

 united as to render the changes, of temperature more gradual. 



The front of the furnace is provided with an inclined hopper, 

 as shown in Plate LXXXI, which is to be kept full of coal at all 

 times, preventing the passage of any air that way, and the 

 fuel may be occasionally pushed forward into the furnace with- 

 out much breaking through it. This mode of feeding boiler 

 fire-places lias been used before, and with advantage, and parti- 

 cularly where the coal is of such a quality as not to cake much, 

 in which case it has been found that it supplies the consumption 

 for a long time with very little trouble, and without the admission 

 of cold air. With Newcastle coal it will not go on so regularly, 

 but acts very well with a little assistance. 



The hopper is made of cast iron ;. but the lower part of it, 



d 2 



