AUTOMOBILES. 



backs is the amount of space that the mechanism 

 occupies. If it is crowded too close, it is hard 

 to get at it for repairs. 



An automobile having several improvements 

 over any now in the market of its type is shown 

 herewith. 



The engine is mounted directly on the rear 

 axle. It is driven by steam, which is generated in 

 a boiler composed of copper tubes, which has no 

 shell or expanded joints, 

 and no joints of any kind 

 are in the heat of the fire. 

 The greatest damage that 

 could happen with this 

 boiler would be the burst- 

 ing of one of the tubes, 

 which could be replaced 

 easily by a new one while 

 on the road, and in a few 

 minutes. It would also 

 take a pressure of more 

 than 1,500 pounds per 

 square inch of area to 

 burst the tube, so there 

 is very little danger from 

 this cause. The bursting 

 of the tube would not in- 

 jure the vehicle proper, 

 and is not dangerous to 

 life. In this design the 

 water is fed to the boiler 

 automatically, whether 

 the vehicle is moving or 

 not. The steam is con- 

 densed, and the water is 

 used over and over, thus 

 saving the heat, keeping 

 the boiler cleaner from 

 scale and sediment, and 



preventing all noise from escaping steam. It also 

 allows a much smaller water-tank to be used. 

 Kerosene oil is used for fuel. It is gasified and 

 burned under blast, which is automatically main- 

 tained and governed by the pressure of steam in 

 the boiler. By the use of kerosene, the cost of 

 operation is reduced more than 50 per cent, as 

 compared with gasoline. 



This machine has a 21 -horse-power engine, and 

 weighs complete but 1,200 pounds. It will run 

 100 miles without replenishing either fuel or 

 water. For local traffic the tanks could be made 

 much smaller and the engine of much less power, 

 thus saving much of the space which is now filled 

 with mechanism. This machine is being made by 

 the Manhattan Automobile Company, of New 

 York city, and is one of the best of its type. 



The Gas-Engine Automobile. This type of 

 machine is well adapted for long journeys and 

 high speed. There is less mechanism than in the 

 steam-machine, but this type has serious defects 

 that offset in a great measure its other advan- 

 tages. The mechanism of the propelling parts 

 includes a gas-engine, a carbureter or vaporizer 

 for changing the liquid gasoline into gas, a spark- 

 ing device to ignite the gas in the cylinders of the 

 engine, a gasoline-tank to hold the fuel, an elec- 

 tric battery to furnish the electricity for the 

 sparking device,, a w r ater-tank, a pump to circulate 

 the water around the gas-engine cylinder to keep 

 it from becoming too hot, a device to cool the 

 water after it becomes hot from the engine, a 

 friction-clutch to transmit the power from the 

 engine to the axle of the vehicle, the differential 

 gear, the reverse mechanism, and the change-speed 

 device whereby the speed of the vehicle can be 

 altered. It must also have the steering-device, 

 brakes, etc., common to all automobiles. It will 



be seen that there is considerable mechanism to 

 be kept in order. 



The gas-engine generally used in automobile 

 practise is known as the Otto type tour-cycle 

 engine. This engine uses a mixture of gas and 

 air, which is compressed in the cylinder and then 

 exploded, creating the power, which is transmitted 

 to the crank-shaft through the connecting-rod of 

 the engine, and to the fly-wheel, which is mounted. 



MANHATTAN STEAM AUTOMOBILE. 



on the crank-shaft. This shaft is very heavy, and 

 the fly-wheel is very much heavier than those 

 used in steam-engines, for the following reason: 

 When the gas is admitted into the engine cylinder 

 the piston is drawn back, drawing in its supply 

 of the explosive mixture of air and gas; then 

 the movement of the piston is reversed, compress- 

 ing the mixture; the mixture is then ignited by 

 the electric spark, and the explosion instantly 

 follows, forcing out the piston and transmitting 

 the power through the connecting-rod, crank, and 

 shaft to the fly-wheel, where it is stored by reason 

 of the wheel taking up the motion and pow r er. 

 The fly-wheel now has become the propelling 

 power, and forces the piston back through the 

 cylinder, thus expelling the carbonic-acid gases or 

 products of combustion. It is then drawn back 

 by the fly-wheel, drawing in a new gas mixture, 

 and again reverses its movement, compressing the 

 gas mixture, and is again exploded by the electric 

 spark, thus giving new momentum to the fly- 

 wheel. It will be seen from this that the engine 

 gives but one power stroke in every four strokes, 

 and that the other three strokes of the piston are 

 absorbing a portion of the power that is stored in 

 the fly-wheel by the power stroke. 



The gas-engine has a governor, so the engine 

 runs at a constant speed, and to have the auto- 

 mobile run at different speeds the gearing is 

 changed by moving one of the controlling levers. 

 There are usually three speeds at which a gas 

 automobile, when operating on this principle, 

 runs. 



There is another way of governing gas-engines 

 for automobile work which has come into more 

 general use, and that is to throttle the explosive 

 mixture, and also by changing the lead of the 

 spark. Either of these ways will give good re- 



