2D 



THE CIVIL ENGINEER AND ARCHITECTS JOURNAL. 



[January, 



EVAPORATIVE POWDER OF TURF, COMPARED WITH THAT 

 OF COAL.* 



The following results, as to the comparative effective poster of turf and 

 coal, are deriveil from the working of the Lansilawue, one of ths steamers of 

 the Inland Xavigasion Company which ply upon the Shannon with goods 

 and passengers. I'hcy have been kindly placed in my hands for my present 

 object, by Mr. C. \V. Williams. Before the use of turf was introduced there 

 was burned in a week, which comprises forty-nine hours of work, twenty- 

 four tons of coal, which, costing on an average at Killaloe 13». per ton, 

 amount to 18/., or 7s. 5d. per hour. To do the same work at present, burn 

 ing nothing but turf, there are consumed per week 31.? boxes of turf, which, 

 at 7rl. per box, costs 9/. 12s. 7d., or 3s. lid. per hour of work — but a shade 

 more than half the cost with coal. The engines of the Lansdowne are con- 

 densing, of thirty-eight inches and a half diameter, and three feet and a half 

 stroke. The usual velocity is twenty-five strokes per minute. 



The bo.x of turf contains twenty cubic feet ; not very closely packed. It 

 weighs about Si cwt. ; so that the ton weight of turf costs about 3s. 6d. The 

 weight of 315 ho.xes is hence fifty-five tons and a quarter, and the practical 

 value of the turf is to that of the coal as 24 to 55^, or as 43 to 100. It is 

 interesting to consider the influence which the substitution of turf for coal 

 in the Shannon steamers has on the population residing near its banks. In 

 the year 1839 there was no turf burned, and the coals consumed on board 

 the company's boats amounted to 3,108 tons. In 1843 there were burned 

 but 724 tons of coal, although the amount of trade was much increased. 

 The quantity of turf consumed was upwards of 7,000 tons, which, at 3s. Gd. 

 per ton, gives an expenditure of more than 1,200/. distributed in wages of 

 labour, by which almost the entire cost of the turf is made up. The equi- 

 valent quantity of coals would have cost above 1,800/., so that at the same 

 time the Company saved 600/. a-year. 



Those remarkable facts are well exhibited in a letter written hv Jlr. 

 Williams to the Board of Admiralty, which is subjoined, as it illustrates 

 some additional circumstances. Mr. WiUiams's estimate of the saving is 

 greater than mine, for, in the preceding analysis of the results, I have taken 

 coal at a lower price than is assumed in his letter. The reason is, that it 

 has fallen since those results were obtained, and I have calculated from what 

 the price is, whereas he calculated from what it was at the time quoted : — 

 " 6, Princes Street, Cavendish Square, July 21st, 1843. 



" Sir, — I have had the honour to receive your letter of the 12th instant, 

 addressed to tlie Secretary of the City of Dublin Steam Packet Company, 

 inquiring, for the information of the Lords Commissioners of the Ailmiralty, 

 the proportionate duration of turf to coal in the Company's boats which 

 ply up the Shannon from Limerick, to which I beg to give the fullowln" 

 reply, derived from experience of the boats on that river. 



" The Lansdowne, a steamer with two engines 3S^ inch cy- 

 linders, at 3 ft. 6 in. stroke, consumed upon an average 120 

 tons of coal per month, running daily (except Sunday) a dis- 

 tance of forty-six miles, at 18s. per ton, covering expenses . £103 



"The same duty is done with 1419 boxes of turf of twenty 

 cubic feet, about 250 ton weight, at 7d. per box 41 7 9 



Difference in the cost of the fuel per month .... £60 12 3 



"2. The difference iu weight is, therefore, as two of turf to one of coal, 

 and on the Shannon the difference in price is less than one-half that of coal. 



" 3. Its proportionate duration may be estimated by the quantity required, 

 compared with coal to perform the same duty, that being double its weight ; 

 its duration in the furnace is half that of coal. 



"4. From recent experiments with turf in the experimental boiler in the 

 Company's yard at Liverpool, it is found that turf can only be profitably 

 used when it is of the quality that is obtained in good seasons. If bad or 

 damp, its evaporative power is reduced one-third and more. To improve 

 tlie evaporative power of this fuel, however, results have shown that an 

 addition of 40 per cent, of a preparation of turf by an improved method, 

 which I have been engaged upon for some years, will render it cheaper than 

 coal used with bad turf, or than coal burned alone ; and that the same per 

 tentage of this prepared fuel added to good turf, greatly increases its eva- 

 porative power, with a very trifling addition to the cost. 



" From these facts it is evident that turf may he used advantageously in 

 localities where it al)ounds, and where there is an aljsence of coal. Care, 

 however, must be taken that the furnace bars are lowered, not only to admit 

 a greater bulk of fuel, but also to prevent too great a volume of air passing 

 in the ash-pit, and then through the bars. I may add also, that in burning 

 turf it is highly essential that air be admitted in the air chamber behind the 

 bridge, in consequence of the rapidity with which tlie gases from this kind 

 of fuel fly off. If it be e.xcluded there upon the common furn.ice principle 

 the weight and bulk of fuel will be increased, tlie evaporative power reduced, 

 and the cost proportionably greater. 



" It will give me much pleasure to furnish you with any further inform- 

 ation in my power. 



" I have the honour to be. Sir, your obedient humble servant, 



"To Sidney Herbert, E.«q., Admiralty.'' C. W. Willums. 



1 have already noticed, that from ray own inquiries the best turf niav be 

 had in the turf districts for 3s. 6d. per ton, and as it is a fuel that will never 

 be drawn far for any industrial use, we may take 4s. per ton as the practical 



* From the " Industrial Resources of Ireland," 



value of turf well dried within the range of the central counties. At the 

 price, and allowing it 44 per cent, of the calorific effect of coal, the horse 

 power should cost 6d. per day, that is, one-fourth cheaper than coal. Mr. 

 Williams, using the same sort of fuel as is employed at the corn mill, and 

 paying 6(7. per box, but drying it w^ll, found that, with a large working 

 wagon boiirr there were 3-87 lb. of water evaporated per pound of tnrf, 

 and that it cost 3s. 7d. to evaporate 100 cubic feet of water. Now this is at 

 the rate of 5|c/. per horse power per working day. When the turf was 

 burned in the furnace without Mr. Williams's peculiar mode of effecting 

 perfect combustion, the cost per horse was G^d., coinciding with the result 

 which I have derived from other sources. 



From all these examples, it may be decisively con^udcd, that in Ireland 

 the horse power of steam costs per day in fuel : — 



Using coals, whether British or native . . 7J(/. 



Using turf, properly dried Cd. 



Using turf in Mr. Williams's mode . . . b^d. 



COLOURED DECORATIONS. 



At a meeting of the Decorative Art Society, on November 26th, a paper 

 " On Chromatic Decorations," was read by Mr. E.Cooper. He commenced 

 with a chronological review of various modes of applying or using colour in 

 Egypt, and on the continent of Europe, from remote times to the end of the 

 17th century. In referring to the stupendous and richly-decorated remains 

 of temples and porticoes in Egypt, he commented on the dull and opaque 

 colours, contrasted with mat and burnished gold (laid on in leaves) which 

 are found therein, and also upon mummy cases ; he described the coloured 

 intaglios on the walls, and the painted ceilings of deep azure, studded with 

 stars in the temple of .\Iedeenet Haboo, at Thebes ; he exhiljitcd drawings 

 of Egyptian ornament of excellent design, and remarked that no progressive 

 improvement in decorative art is discernible in these works. 



The temples of Greece were then noticed, where colour was applied to 

 capitals, frieze, entablatuie, and the backgrounds of the tympanum ; also on 

 the ogee mouldings, where honeysuckle, egg, and other enrichments were 

 painted or stencilled ; and it was observed that, although no remains have 

 been discovered, it was reasonable to infer, from the eminent state of plastic 

 art, tliat contemporary pictorial art had arrived at considerable perfection, 

 and the names of some Greek artists were given, on the authority of Phnv 

 and Qniutilian. After some remarks on the vases of Greece, and 'the mural 

 decorations of the sepulchres of Etruria, he directed especial attention to the 

 ma^riilicent baths, or therma;, of Titus, at Rome (erected a. d. 70), and 

 (referring to the illustrations by M. Ponce), he observed that the fresco 

 paintings found there display, in the grouping, drawing, and management of 

 drapery, a refined feeHng and knowledge of art ; and in his remarks on the 

 colour used, he observed that the decorations were executed, most probablv 

 by Greek artists. ' ' 



The decorations of Pompeii and Herculanenm, being of the same period, 

 were then described ; hut, as might be supposed, from their being proviacisl 

 towns, they would be found inferior in execution and splendour to those of 

 the capital. The arrangement on the walls, of masses of black, red, and 

 white, exhibited a principle which was commented on at some length; and 

 it was also remarked, that these examples do not afford an absolute crite- 

 rion by which to estimate the perfection of the arts of that or the preceding 

 age. Passing over several centuries, he next noticed the eaily efforts of 

 Christian art, remaining to us in the mosaics of the churches and palaces of 

 Italy ; and after some remarks on the productions of Ciniahue, Giotto, and 

 Leonardo da Vinci, he entered upon a consideration of the decorative works 

 of Michael Angelo and [Japhael. 



In this period of Italian art, the anachronisms and disregard of relative 

 proportion, in the parts composing arabesque or grotesque decorations, were 

 especially noticed, as well as the enrichments, similarity in design and 

 colouring, existing between the works of Kaphael and his school, and those 

 in the baths of Titus, before alluded to, and which were discovered at this 

 time : a striking instance was exhibited, in the decorations at .Mantua, by 

 Giniio .'Joniano, and Andrea Montagna. (See Gruner, plate 24, and olate 5 

 of the Baths.l • 



The magnificent decorations hy the Venetians were next described, in 

 which massive mouldings richly carved and gilt, divided the surface of ceil- 

 ings and walls ; the coffers or panels being filled with paintings by Titian, 

 Tintoretto, &c., produced a gorgeous effect. The decorations of the ceiling 

 of the sacristy attached to the Duomo, or cathedral at Venice were said to 

 he worthy of recommendation, on account of durability and splendour, for 

 open colonnades in this country (such as at the Royal li.xchange) ; the back 

 grounds were of vitrified gold, aud exhibit all the beauty of ancient mosiac 

 combined with the harmonious colouring and beautiful ornamint of the six! 

 teentb century. This century witnessed the rise and decline of fine art in 

 Italy, and in the following one, although we meet with some good artificers, 

 they were mere copyists and mannerists, and not great artists. 



In discussion, the terms arabesque, grotesque, moresque, &c., were argued- 

 the modes of lighting, and the principles of gravilation of colours oil 

 walls of apartments were commented on, and a regret expressed that deco- 

 rations in the houses of nobility are not sufficiently known or accessible to 

 the inspection of decorators and artists. 



