616 TRANSACTIONS OF THE 



there will be an amoimt equivalent to 14,000 pounds pressure on 

 all the internal parts of the boiler exposed to the effects of steam ^ 

 it will be allowed that no precaution should be neglected to save 

 life and property exposed to this terrible agent. We all know 

 that the joints are far w^eaker than the solid plates, as the latter 

 will stand 70,000 pounds to the inch, when the former will not 

 bear 35,000 pounds; plates put on spirally, and double riveted^ 

 may bear 50,000 pounds or more, being much stronger. A great 

 saving of fuel may be made by keeping your boiler well covered 

 with metal, such as copper, or iron, wrapped around it in such a 

 manner as to permit a free circulation of radiated heat to circu- 

 late between the loose wrapper and the boiler. It is far better to 

 pump partially heated water into the boiler than cold, as there is 

 much less strain. Steam should never be allowed to escape in 

 the atmosphere, but rather be returned into the suction pipe and 

 condensed. As many varieties of stone coal form clinker in the 

 furnace, which can only be removed by putting out the fires, I 

 would recommend that orifices be left at the sides of the fur- 

 naces, above the clinker formations, each plugged with an iron 

 bar, that at proper intervals might be pushed through to support 

 the fire, while the others are being removed and cleaned. This 

 would prevent all delay, and render it unnecessary to stop the 

 engine. 



Smoke should never be permitted to escape, as it carries much 

 valuable gas with it; all of which by a simple arrangement, that 

 I could invent in five minutes, might be saved for the purpose of 

 increasing power. 



A law should be passed making it incumbent upon railroad 

 companies, to use coal instead of wood, the waste ot which latter 

 material on railroad locomotives is immense, for example : the 

 Hudson Kiver company burned last year nearly 75,000 cords, by 

 equalizing temperature, we may burn coal, get rid of smoke, save 

 trouble and expense, and secure speed. They should also do away 

 with the use of that rotten, breaking, cracking, inelastic substance 

 known as gum, for springs, and use the steel elliptic, which gives 

 a steady delightful swing to the car, instead of the short sea sick 

 motion of the India rubber. 



Some scientific gentlemen should invent an improvement in the 

 construction of steam engine governors, which are of little service 

 now in case of accident. Suppose for instance the gearing gives 

 way, what is the consequence? the throttle valve is immediately 

 opened to its fullest extent, and the steam is thrown in full force 



