1842.] 



THE CIVIL ENGINEER AND ARCHITECTS JOURNAL. 



41 



whole affair as a hoax, for vie are at a loss to conceive how any man, 

 woman, or child, could have seriously propounded such a project. But 

 there can be no mistake in the matter. "The half-inch circular portion 

 of the flue plate wliicli such |)in has displaced is thus made to possess 

 the faculty of transmitting as much heat as is received and absorbed 

 by nine half inches siiperticial," by which we understand, that the pin 

 has the effect of transmitting to the water nine times as much heat as 

 the half-inch disc it displaces. We care not, however, whether this 

 is or is not the precipe proportion of alleged beneticial effect. It is 

 plain, that some increased evaporative ethcacy is attributed to the 

 use of the pins, otherwise they would not be used ; and our reasoning, 

 by a mere numerical adaptation, will be found equally conclusive, 

 v9hetlier the ratio of alleged benefit be '.) to 1, or 1,00' i to O'.tO. The 

 description of the plan given in the Mechanic's Magazine is, we have 

 uo doubt, authentic. Mr. Williams is a frequent contributor to the 

 pages of that periodical, and the description of his plan which appears 

 there, carries an internal evidence of having been writtL'U by himself. 

 We have said, that the object of the spike? fixed into the iron of the 

 flues is to increase the evaporative power of the boiler. These spikes 

 will of course speedily attain the temperature of those particular parts 

 of the flue where they are inserted ; and our philosopher informs us, 

 that all the surface of these iron spikes exposed to the action of the 

 hot air proceeding from the fire is efficient heating surface. If this 

 be true, the rate of evaporation will be about the same, whether we 

 employ a great number of short spikes, or a small number of long 

 spikes, provided only that the quantity of spike surface be the same 

 in both cases; and a single spike will be as efficacious as any given 

 Dumber of spikes, provided it have a commensurate surface. It is 

 maoifest, too, that since a given quantity of spike surface is by hypo- 

 thesis of equal, or nearly equal efliciency to the same quantity of 

 ordinary Hue surface, an excellent boiler may be constructed with- 

 out any flue surface at all, the conduction of heat to the water being 

 accomplished exilusively by the agency of spikes, or by the agency 

 of a single spike. .\11 that is necessary to realize this idea, is to 

 subject sundry connected coils of rod iron to the heat of the furnace ; 

 care being taken that the one end of these connected coils is immerged 

 in some convenient vessel of water. The faculty which these coils 

 possess of receiving and transmitting heat in proportion to their sur- 

 face, will enable them to convey the whole available heating elhcacy 

 of the furnace into the water. The heat will very obligingly run 

 through the coils, after the same fashion that lightning runs through a 

 metallic conductor, and an abundance of steam will be generated at 

 the ends of the coils immerged in the water, without any boiler at all. 

 Such is the simple developiuent of this inimitable project. But it is 

 plain that the profundity of our philosopher prevents him from dis- 

 cerning the difference between elevation of temperature and quantity 

 of heat. We shall not insult any school boy, by reminding him, that, 

 rapiditv of conduction U celiris paribus simply proportional to the 

 difference of temperature between the hotter and the colder body : 

 now our philosopher says, that if a red-hot bar of iron hf. cut into two 

 unequal lengths, and, whilst maintained at a constant temperature, the 

 end of each segment of the bar be applied respectively to pans con- 

 taining water, the end of the larger segment will in the same time 

 communicate more heat to the water thin the end of the smaller seg- 

 ment. But to do this, the larger segment must be hotter than the 

 smaller segmeut, while by hypothesis its temperature is the same; 

 therefore the two bars are of equal and unequal temperatures at the 

 same lime, which is manifestly impossible. If a spike of three inches 

 long inserted in a boiler transmit more heat to the water than a spike 

 of one-eighth of an inch long of the same diameter and temperature, 

 it will be necessary to diminish the temperature of the longer spike, 

 to equalise the ipiantities of heat transmitted by the two. Of two 

 spikes, then, of one-eighth of an inch in diameter, a certain increase in 

 the length of the one is equivalent to a certain increase in temperature 

 of the other ; and it might, therefore, on our philosopher's theory, be 

 possible to generate steam, not only without a boiler, but also without 

 a fire. All that is necessary to attain thii object is, to have plenty of 

 long spikes ; for, as increase in the length of a spike is by supposition, 



equivalent to a certain increase of its temperature, a dozen long spikes 

 of a low temperature must be equivalent to a dozen short spikes of a 

 high temperature. An indefinitely long spike, therefore, cannot but 

 communicate heat to water, whatever be its temperature, provided it 

 be not at the point of absolute zero. According to the same doctrine, 

 a pint of boiling water is only half as hot as a quart of boiling water ; 

 and as to a spoonful — why a spoonful of boiling water can only exist 

 in the shape of ice. We should be sorry to deprive Mr. Charles Wye 

 Williams of the credit of a project which involves such important and 

 reasonable deductions. 



We can foresee, that to all we have said it will be verj- triumphantly 

 objected by our philosopher and his satellites, "The accuracy of the 

 doctrines you impugn has been demonstrated by experiment." We 

 crj- your mercy, gentlemen; that is certainly a poser : yet, tlmugh we 

 cannot fail to be convinced by such an argument, we unhappily are not 

 converted. We retain certain qualms and conscientious scruples, 

 which ilisenable us to embrace the creed of onr philosopher; yet we 

 cannot be insensible to his extraordinary merits as an experimentalist, 

 whereby he has obtained results such as no one else is able even to 

 verify. Upon this part of the subject we refrain from enlarging, 

 seeing that ive do not possess the power of manufacturing facts ad 

 libitum. 



Some of this gentleman's partisans, who happen to possess sense 

 enough to see the absurdity of his spike-boiler theorv, have offered 

 another explanation. The hot air, in its passage through the flues, 

 say they, quickly gives out the heat originally resident in its upper 

 stratum. The upper stratum of air is therefore comparatively cool, 

 whilst the air in the central part of the flue is exceedingly hot. The 

 spikes, they contend, by virtue of the impediment they offer to the 

 passage of the hot air, create eddies within the flue, which mingle the 

 two strata, and facilitate the absorption of the heat. But it is a fallacy 

 to suppose that two strata of air, of great difference in temperature, 

 can continue in juxtaposition, with the heavier stratum uppermost. 

 And even were the case otherwise, the employment of spikes rivetted 

 into the boiler is not essential, to produce the desired effect. Any 

 other equally impeding substances would be equally beneficial : and 

 tire brick would answer just as well as iron or copper. The expla- 

 nation fails ; yet it has the m<»rit — a n^'gative one certainly — of being 

 unattended with glaring inconsistency ; and it manifests the extremely 

 reputable desire on the part of this gentleman's attendants to moderate 

 the wildness of his speculations, and to insanify him with a few grains 

 of common sense. But it all will not do ; madmen will sometimes elude 

 or overpower their keepers, and perform their antics before every 

 passer-by: and this gentleman will write and will print, whatever 

 may betide. It would be hopeless to attempt the extinction of 

 the cacoithes of a being that will rather stand in the pillory than 

 remain unnoticed. 



Let us proceed to consider the smoke-preventive plan. From what 

 we gather from this gentlennn's book, and from circulars and adver- 

 tisements, we conclude that his invention for the extinction of smoke 

 is founded upon a principle difl'ering entirely from that of all lire-ex- 

 isting |)lans : that instead of endeavouring to bitru smoke, as others 

 have vainly attempted to do, he aims at prcrailiiig tht /otmatin-i of 

 smoke, and that hence arises the unprecedented efficacy of his plan. 

 The distinction is certainly an important one ; and the chemical views 

 which indicate the superiority of the smokc-pievenlive principle aro 

 indisputably correct, .is will be apparent from the following remarks : — 

 "The combustion of smoke, as an obvious means of economizing 

 fuel, has been frequently tried, and the attempt as frequently relin- 

 quished. The great waste resulting from smoke, the product of 

 imperfect combustion, which must be estimated not merely in tiio 

 proportion of its unconsumed carbon, but .\lso in regard to the heat 

 which becomes latent in its formation, and is dissipated with it in the 

 atmosphere; and the many inconveniences which are consequent on 

 its production, are such as to render it expedient that all schemes pro- 

 fessing considerable economy in fuel should make the removal of these 

 defects their st irting point. Many plai.s have therefore been devised, 

 and some of them of considerable ingenuity, for burning that smoke 



