182 



THE CIVIL ENGINEF^R AND ARCHITECT'S JOURNAL. 



[May, 



The coiiMimption of aiitliracite was only .'iicnt: altlioii{rli a large portion 

 was wasted from the fire-bars being; too wije apart for the economical nsc 

 ef this fuel. The eni^ine would have used upwards of 7\ cwt. of c »ke for 

 the same journey, with the same load." 



Tim trial «itli locomotives, tlifii, imist be con^idereil <|iiile c.incln>iive 

 and the next object most deserving the attention of practical men, is the 

 application of anthracite to llie m.irine enjjincs of sea-going steam vessels. 

 Wl)en it is considered that .'iO per cent, at least is saved in the stov\age 

 hy this description of fuel, the importance of this subject will be at once 

 made nianit'est, and there can be little doubt thtit with certain trifling 

 alterations, in the construction of the boiler and furnace, llie object may 

 be attained. 



It is not stiprising' tliat, considering the importance which lias of 

 late years been attached to every means of economising fuel, the aften- 

 tion of scientiiic and practical men should have been directed to various 

 methods for accomplishing this object, and numerous alterations and 

 improvements liave been effected in the furnaces and boilers of steam 

 engines, by -whicli the heat given forth by combustion has been made 

 more available, but much remains yet to be done, as a very large quan- 

 tity of heat is logt from ; the smoke which is wasted, the licat which 

 liasses up the chimney, and from tlie imperfect manner in which coal 

 is generally consumed. 



An ingenious invention for intercepting and returning to the boiler- 

 fire a large portion of the heat which would otlierwi»e pass up the 

 chimney and be dissipated, was brought into notice in England a few 

 years ago, by a German named SchauHelen. and was denominated 

 " Schaulfelen's Hot-air Furnace Feeder." 'I'lie invention consists in 

 tlie use of a number of metal pipes or tubes open at the bottom, but closed 

 at the top. These jiipes are placed in a vertical position in the chimney, 

 and the air in passing through them becomes he;led from the current 

 of hot air passing up the chimney, and in this state i.s supplied to the 

 tire, all ingress of cold air being carefully excluded by means of closely 

 fitting iron plates attached to the ash-pit. 



With respect to the amount of saving in fuel effected by this appara- 

 tus, it is stated by the inventor as varying from 20 to 2.') per cent., when 

 in good working order, and its advantages are not entirely confined to 

 a saving of part of the heat which would otherwise escape up the 

 chimney, but moreover a more intense heat in tlie lire-place is 

 maintained, and consequently a more complete combustion of the fuel 

 and smoke takes place. 



Another invention of great simplicity for the economy of fuel, and 

 the prevention of smoke, is described in the HJining Hi'i-ieii- of August 

 .■31, \H3S. The process consists merely in the intn-.duction into the 

 fmnace of steam in small quantities, through a tube taken from the 

 boiler, and discharged over the fuel at any convenient place. The end 

 of the tube should be formed with a fan-shaped termination, perforated 

 with minute apertures, so as to throw the steam in small jpis down upon 

 and over the tire. One effect produced is lln- ohxoliil,'' prrn'/i/io)i nf 

 xmo/,e: another, the operation of tlie fire is fully doubled, and the steam 

 einployed itself censumeil. The employment of steam also greatly 

 increases the draft of the chimney. 



"It is held by competent authorities, that lib of Newcastle coal 

 (supposing the whole of the heat omitted by its combustion was 

 made available), shoidd drive off' in steaiu 14lbs o/' water. This how- 

 ever, is very far beyond what is actually done in practice, by oidinary 

 steam-engine boilers. Indeed it is foiuid by exjierience to recpiirs .as 

 much as lib of coal to convert into steam 4 to Olbs of water, Gib heini; 

 considered a high product. Hy means of Mr. Ivison's method how"- 

 ever, it is found that au aveiage of 13lbs. of water are evaporated by 

 lib. of ordinary .Scotch coal, tiius more than doubling the results here- 

 tofore obtained, and consequently effecting a savingof upwards of M 

 per cent of fuel." — Minim/ Jitiini; August. :il, 18:i8. 



Our great source of loss of heat and, consequently of fuel, in most 

 large establishments where steam power is extei'isively employed, 

 arises iVoiii the radiation of heat which is constantly taking place from 

 the boiler, where, as is mo-.t frequently the case, no means are adopted 

 tor preventing it. When we consider the largo surface that is exposed by 

 each steam-engine boiler, and that I'loiu this there is continually going 

 on a powerful radiation of heat into the surrounding atmosphere, it is 

 evident that the loss from this source alone, must be immense. If, 

 therefore, this large body of heat can, by any means, be intercepted 

 and returned to the boiler, it is clear that there will be a saving of all 

 that fuel which was reipiired to raise that heat in order to disperse 

 it again. The method of doing this is simple, and attended with very 

 little expense. All that is nece.«.sary to be done is to surround the 

 boiler with a jacket or casing of wood or brick, leaving a space of a 

 fcvv inches between it and the boiler, to be tilled with some substance 

 which is a slow conductor of heat. The material that has been em- 

 ployed for this purpose, is a mixture of sawdust and ashes, rammed in 

 so as to lay dose to every part of the boiler; and where this system 



is carried to its full extent, which is in the large puinpiiig engines, 

 used in the mines in Co'uwall, not only the boiler, but also the cylin- 

 der and the steam-pipes, are, in the Cornish engines, completely encased 

 uitli some non-conducting material, which renders the engine and 

 boiler-houses as cool .as the interior of a dwelling-house, where there 

 are only ordinary tires, — a sure proof that little or no heat is lost by 

 radiation. 



Another proof of the efficacy of this system is, that even after the 

 engine has been standing still for 1-2 hours, very little heat is lost, and 

 if it is necessaiy to start it s iddenly, as in case of emergency, .scarcely 

 any time is lost in raising the steam, and one fourth the fuel only is 

 reipiired ; vvhereas in the common engines and boilers, where every 

 vessel containing steam is exposed to the atmos|)here, it takes from 

 ■JO minutes to half an hour, firing hard, to ra.se the steam to the 

 requisite pressure. 



It would occupy too much time, and swell these remarks to too incou- 

 viMiient a length, were I to enter into the details of all the inventions 

 that have been proposed for economising fuel, although many of them 

 are of great value, .as their general adojition sufliciently testilies; whilst 

 others, either from the complexity of their parts, or their general inappli- 

 cability, have soon fallen into disuse. It is hoped, however, that 

 sufficient has been said in this paper, to point out the great im- 

 portance of the subject, and to show, that however much may have 

 lieen hitherto done, iniicli yet remains to be done, before we can con- 

 fidently state that the whole inherent virtue residing in one pound 

 weight of coal or other fuel, is made available. 



FREDERICK S. PEPPERCOBNE. 



l.j, Buckingham-street. Adelphi. 

 April, 8 1839. 



PUBLIC COMPETITIONS. 



nOV.VI. INSTITLTIi OF URITISII AnCIIITF.CTS. 



E.rtrnet from Report of the Committee appointed to consider the subject of 

 Public Competitions for Archite ctural Desiyns. Laid before the Special 

 General Meetiny, held 'lUh January, IS.'JO. 



The Committee .appointed on tln'Otli October, 1838, to consider the subject 

 of Public I'ompetitions for Arc-Iiiteetnral Desipis. beg leave to report. 



The ai'ginneuts advanced in fhvour of" competition are sufficiently forcible. 

 Emulation is said to be the soul of i-xcelleiice in the arts and sciences — the 

 recognised talents of the elder professor are supposed to tie maintained in 

 activity and progressive improvement, and liis employers to he prolecteil 

 from tile routine manner, which security in public patronage and private 

 praiiice are too apt to produce : — while an opportunity is atfordecl to the 

 \onng aspirant, to lake that place in public estimation to which his talents 

 may entitle liiiu. 



The formation of llie programme, np-in whicli conipetilors are required to 

 frame their designs, becomes tlie first essential point for consideration, and a 

 deficiency on this point Is perhaps the most general evil in the present system. 

 The precise objects to be attained, the most desirable means of attaining them, 

 the circumstances tliat must control the plan with regard to the site .and other 

 localities, the sum of money to be expended, and many other particulars of 

 which every case of compciitiou brings its own, are seldom ascertained and 

 settled, so as to lay the groundwork of well-defined instructions upon which 

 competitors may proceed. When the decision is to be made, the judges dis- 

 coTcr for the first time, that they have been ignorant of their own intentions ; 

 their loose and ill digested instructions are abandoned altogether, and the 

 architect, who has acted with the greatest good faith in adhering to them, is 

 the first to be deprived of his reward. In .another view of the ease, an 

 architect, who may have suggt>sted a design not reconcileable with the crude, 

 undigested, and perhaps contradictory preconceptionscast into the programme, 

 may virtually eichide himself from the competition, and his employers from 

 the adoption of his ideas. 



When we consider architecture as a combinatiim of science and art 

 requiring great experience and taste, t.^gctlicr with tlic imiiortaut essential 

 in its professors, ^if cliaracter and cttriduct in the execution of their works — - 

 when wc ci>iisidcr the variety nf attaiiimciil necessary for the production of 

 an architectural design, it is nipt too mucli to expect some corresponding 

 (|ualilii-alioiis, together with deep and patient consideration, on the part of 

 those, who take upon themselves to sit in judgment upon it. 



Td rem/ a /)/«;; is admitted by the most practised to be the result of 

 great experience and knowledge. To pursue the cine through the labyrinth 

 of icluiography, and to follow out arrangcnient and ecoiK.niy uf space, and 

 tlie coinbination of convenience and beauty, require not only great intelli- 

 cciii c and discrimination, but a long course (pf analogous study. Even 

 the exiiericnccd jirofessor must go through the whole subject minutely. 

 How often does any scruple vx doubt of their own loniiietency embarrass 

 a committee ajipointed to judge of nrchitcctural designs? Do tUey con- 

 sider aiiv further ipialillcation necessary, when tliey hare assumed to theni- 

 selvis the iiiuletined and Mattering attribute of tailed 



Again, it is well known to experienced architects how difficult it is to form 

 a correct iudgment upon designs on different scales and in different styles of 

 drawing — and yet committees do not hesit.ate to .select a deign, without sus- 

 pecting it in the slightest degree, that they may hijve been captivated by the 



