S/X WILLIAM SIEMENS, F.R.S. 8 1 



wlnVh is remarkable alike for its commercial and engineering 

 interests. 



It behoves me also to congratulate the Institution on the very 

 able and appropriate papers which have been prepared for this oc- 

 M, and to call attention to the importance attaching to them, 

 in order that we may be prepared for their discussion. Foremost 

 on the list we find a paper " On the progress effected in Economy 

 of Fuel in Steam Navigation " by a member of our body well 

 known to us for his power of grasping a subject with a view to 

 bringing out in relief its salient points. This forms an important 

 branch of the general subject of saving fuel, which in the presence 

 of ever-increasing demand and of failing supply is rapidly rising 

 into a question of the utmost national importance. The annual coal 

 production in Great Britain amounts afc present to 120 millions of 

 tons, which, if taken at 10s. per ton of coal delivered, represents a 

 money value of 60,000,000. It would not be difficult to prove 

 that in almost all the uses of fuel, whether for the production of force, 

 for the smelting and re-heating of iron, steel, copper, and other 

 metals, or for domestic purposes, fully one-half of the enormous 

 consumption might be saved by the general adoption of improved 

 appliances, which are within the range of our actual knowledge, 

 without entering the domain of purely theoretical speculation ; 

 the latter, indeed, would lead to the expectation of accomplishing 

 our ends with only one-eighth or one-tenth part of the actual ex- 

 penditure, as may readily be seen from the following figures. One 

 pound of ordinary coal develops in its combustion 12,000 (Fahr.) 

 units of heat, which in their turn represent 12,000 x 772 = 

 9,21; 4,000 ft. Ibs. or units of force, and these represent a con- 

 sumption of barely Ib. of coal per indicated horse-power per 

 hour ; whereas few engines produced an indicated horse-power 

 with less than ten times that expenditure, or say 2| Ibs. of coal. 

 Again, the heat required to raise a ton of iron to the welding 

 point of say 2,800 Fahr. requires 2240 x 2800 x 0'13 (specific 



heat) = 815,360 units of heat, which are producible by 



= 68 Ibs. of coal ; whereas the ordinary heating furnace consumes 

 more than ten times that amount. 



Taking account, however, of a saving of only 50 per cent, in the 

 actual average expenditure, we arrive at an annual money saving 



VOL. III. G 



