374 TRANSACTIONS OF THE AMERICAN INSTITUTE 



American Institute, Polytech 



Mr. Jireli Bull in the cliair. 



NIC Association, ? 

 May 23, 1861. ] 



fisher's steam carriage. 



Mr, Fisher. — Since I last mentioned my steam carriage to this 

 Association, I have made alterations in it, and have, within a 

 few days, made a trial trip. It was proposed here to form a 

 small club to assist me in making these alterations, and in finish- 

 ing the carriage; but there were few who offered to join the 

 club, and I did not wish to annoy people, or mortify myself by 

 solicitations. I, therefore, have had no assistance, except fifty 

 dollars from Col. Hoe, who was so liberal as to offer it, on con- 

 dition that I would exhibit the carriage in his neighborhood 

 when it is completed. 



The effects of these alterations are, first, to lessen the noise of 

 the steam blast; second, to render the carriage more manageable 

 in crooked places; and, third, to render it proof against heat 

 and moisture — the frame, which was of wood, being now of iron, 

 and seven feet shorter than the old wooden frame. 



The means by which the steam blast is in a considerable 

 degree quieted, is that devised by Gurney, consisting in what he 

 called a blowing box, or chamber, holding five or six cylinders 

 full of steam. Into this chamber the cylinders exhaust ; and 

 the steam, instead of entering the chimney at nearly the full 

 pressure, is expanded, and flows in a comparatively steady stream, 

 like air from a smith's bellows. This device has been tried on 

 locomotives, but found to impair the force of draft ; but it has 

 the advantage of lifting fewer sparks from the fire, is in other 

 respects advantageous, and is, to some extent, used. I feared 

 that it would not give steam enough ; but was agreeably disap- 

 pointed to find that, with the door wide open, the fireman 

 reported that he could not keep the pressure below 180 pounds. 

 We were not running fairly, but had to stop for horses, and ran 

 over beds of road metal, in order to keep clear of the railway, 

 in ascending Bergen Hill ; but the stops did not help to increase 

 the pressure ; for I had found that the natural draft would not 

 raise the pressure above IGO, when the boiler is naked, and it is 

 observed that locomotives that burn coke stand for hours with- 

 out sensibly bio wing off steam, when the pressure is limited to 

 130 pounds. 



