No. 151.] 179 



It is known, that but a a few years since, to a first class river 

 boat, it took sixty or seventy cords of pine wood to run them from 

 this city to Albany; now it requires but twelve or fifteen tons of an- 

 thracite coal, at about the same cost per ton, as was the cost of wood 

 per cord. 



And still, who has not observed the prodigal use, we might say 

 waste of fuel in the elements of combustion, thrown out from the 

 top of a smoke pipe of a steam engine. 



We look for further improvements in steam boilers, by which this 

 comparatively small quantity will be reduced yet to one half of the 

 present quantity, and give in proof of this assertion, that it is not an 

 unusual thing to find land engines giving 100 horse power per day, 

 by a consumption of two tons only; estimating a river boat at 350 

 horse power, continued for eight or nine hours a trip, we should not 

 consume more than seven and a half tons. 



We have happily got rid of the shower of sparks at the top of 

 our smoke pipes; the next step in the march of improvement in 

 steam boat engines, is to get rid of the glimner of heated gases, 

 and the green sulphurous blaze at the same point. 



Another class of machines in this connection, are the machines 

 for machinists use; that is, machines to make machines with. The 

 most important of which are turning lathes; this is an old invention, 

 but the lathe of fifty or sixty years ago was a hand tool, mostly 

 used by millwrights. 



At this time there are at least one hundred varieties of lathes; to 

 these we may name, the invention of machines for drilling, boreing 

 and planeing, of the greatest importance in the construction of heavy 

 machinery, the tooth cutting machine, &c. &c. 



Answering to the secondary WMnts of man, we may mention im- 

 provements in machinery used in the art preservative of all arts, 

 printing. Cylinder presses of enormous expedition, embossing pres- 

 ses, book cutting machines, inking machines, card presses, and type 

 making machines; and in a kindred branch, machinery for making 

 paper in a continuous sheet, so conveniently useful for electro tele- 

 graphic purposes; paper ruling machines, and machines of great in- 

 genuity for waiting by the blind; a superb specimen of which, was 

 exhibited at the late fair of the American Institute by Mr. Thurber 



