THE IRRIGATION AGE. 



437 



SIMPLIFYING THE GAS ENGINE 



MODERN manufactur- 

 ing involves many 

 carefully elaborated proc- 

 esses as the raw material 

 develops into the finished 

 product, and armies of 

 inventors and designers 

 pile improvement upon 

 improvement. Unfortu- 

 nately, in many instances, 

 this march of progress 

 tends rather to compli- 

 cate than to simplify the 

 methods of production, 

 until the modern manager 

 or superintendent finds 

 himself encumbered with 

 more details than he can efficiently handle. 



The developments which have taken place in 

 the past few years in the design of oil engines have 

 brought that prime mover to such a state of per- 

 fection that it can be regarded as fully reliable. In 

 very many instances this convenient source of 

 power may be made to show considerable saving 

 in power cost and labor of power plant operation 

 and management. 



The Bessemer Gas Engine Company, of Grove 

 City, Pa., has developed a type of oil engine em- 

 bodying some original features, by means of which 

 they have sought to secure the utmost degree of 

 economy of fuel which may be obtained in this 

 type of power, unit without employing those aids 

 to efficiency which would tend to greatly increase 

 plant charges and to lessen reliability. 



The general design of the engine, which works 

 on the two cycle principle, has much in common 

 with that of the modern automatic steam engine. 

 The driving parts are fully enclosed and run in an 

 oil bath, assuring copious and unfailing lubrication. 

 The connecting rod thrust is borne by a crosshead 

 fitted with adjustable bronze shoes. The design of 

 the crank shaft bearings is novel, combining, as it 

 does, the virtues of the four-part box with the sim- 

 plicity and rigidity of the two-piece bearing shell. 



The scavenging air does not pass through the 

 crank case, but is compressed in the crank end of 

 the cylinder instead, the latter being isolated from 

 the crank case by a stuffing box. This leaves the 

 designer free to construct the engine bed for its 

 normal functions only, without the necessity of con- 

 triving means for making it air-tight at the bear- 

 ings, as well. 



Inlet and exhaust valve gear, as well as valves 

 in the combustion chamber, are conspicuous by 

 their absence. The makers claim that no loss of 

 efficiency results as a consequence of this simplifi- 

 cation, loss of fuel at the ports being avoided, as 

 the fuel is not injected until the firing point is 

 reached, long after the ports are closed. 



The 'fuel pump is operated by an eccentric car- 

 ried by a shaft governor of the inertia type, which 



A gas engine that has much in common with the modern automatic 

 steam engine. 



determines the eccentric 

 throw and consequently 

 the pump stroke to suit 

 the load imposed upon 

 the engine. No "bumper" 

 is used to get the neces- 

 sary short injection angle, 

 the pump being coupled 

 directly to the eccentric 

 rod by means of a small 

 crosshead. Short injec- 

 tion, constant in both 

 timing and duration, is 

 accomplished by mechani- 

 cal control of the fuel 

 pump suction valve, this 

 being always open except 

 for the short interval during which discharge to the 

 cylinder takes place. For priming- the pump, novel 

 and simple mechanism is provided for operating 

 the fuel pump plunger by hand without disconnect- 

 ing from the driving rod. 



Water feed to the combustion chamber is 

 handled by a small pump also under governor con- 

 trol. This pump is mounted in the fuel pump 

 housing and driven from the fuel pump crosshead 

 through a short reversing lever. The fulcrum of 

 this lever is adjustable as to position, and by this 

 means the proportion of water to oil may be set. 

 Once set, this proportion is maintained for any load 

 by the governor. 



The governor itself is of rather peculiar design, 

 having been devised particularly to meet the con- 

 ditions imposed upon it. 



The fuel injection is entirely automatic and 

 requires no adjustment. 



The engine will operate satisfactorily on a 

 broad range of fuels without change in adjustment. 

 This range includes the lighter as well as the 

 heavier grades of fuels from alcohol and gasoline 

 to the heavier gas oils, fuel oils and residuals sold 

 for internal combustion engine use. 



OREGON IRRIGATORS TO MEET 



The fourth annual session of the Oregon Irri- 

 gation Congress will meet in Portland, Ore., Jan. 7, 

 8 and 9. The officers are : President, Asa Thom- 

 son, of Echo ; vice-presidents, J. W. Brewer, of 

 Portland; J. R. Blackaby, of Ontario, and W. Lair 

 Thompson, of Lakeview; secretary, Fred N. Wal- 

 lace, of Laidlaw. 



OPEN ALL KLAMATH LANDS 



All the lands withdrawn from entry under the 

 Klamath irrigation project in Oregon and California 

 will be thrown open for settlement December 30. 

 The Reclamation Service estimates call for the irri- 

 gation of more than 200,000 acres of land in this 

 project by 1920, but it is stated that all land now 

 offered is "dry farming" land. 



