as a Vehicle for transporting Heat. 335 



for them would be useful, he told me that it was 

 intended that they should be covered, and that coverings 

 would be provided for them. 



The vertical steam-tubes^ by which the steam passes 

 down from the horizontal steam-conductors into the cop- 

 pers, are all constructed of lead ; and are from -| of an 

 inch to 2j inches in diameter, being made larger or 

 smaller according to the sizes of the coppers to which 

 they belong. These steam-tubes all pass down on the 

 outsides of their coppers, and enter them horizontally at 

 the level of their bottoms. Each copper is furnished 

 with a brass cock, for letting off its contents; and it is 

 rilled with water from a cistern at a distance, which is 

 brought to it by a leaden pipe. The coppers are all 

 surrounded by thin circular brick walls, which serve not 

 only to support the coppers, but also to confine the 

 heat. 



The rapidity with which these coppers are heated by 

 means of steam is truly astonishing. Mr. Gott assured 

 me that one of the largest of them, containing upwards 

 of 1800 gallons, when filled with cold water from the cis- 

 tern, requires no more than half an hour to heat it till 

 it actually boils ! By the greatest fire that could be 

 made under such a copper, it would hardly be possible 

 to make it boil in less than an hour. 



It is easy to perceive that the saving of time which 

 will result from the adoption of this new mode of ap- 

 plying heat will be very great ; and it is likewise 

 evident that it may be increased almost without limita- 

 tion, merely by augmenting the diameter of the steam- 

 tube. Care must, however, be taken, that the boiler be 

 sufficiently large to furnish the quantities of steam 

 required. The saving of fuel will also be very consid- 



