584 TRANSACTIONS OF THE 



able error. Surely I have one, and the most effective portion of the sieam 

 generator hangs down like a stalactite into it, and it develops itself in a 

 hollow, pierced slab which forms the top of the furnace. From this furnace 

 top twenty-four tubes pass through those which are pendant in the combus- 

 tion chamber, while seve7ity-six others commence and finish their course in 

 the drum, the whole one hundred opening into the smoke connection. 



By this means I am enabled to obtain such '■'■enormous and mmBual''^ 

 proportions (as they are described by Mr. Isherwood), and, I may add, 

 such enormous safety too in the superheating of the steam. 



My method of effecting this universally desired object, should, one would 

 think, be adopted by all with alacrity; but its simplicity, economy, safety 

 and efficiency are qualities which will, for a time, prevent it; for, however 

 paradoxical it may appear, complication and other bad qualities always 

 obtain the predominance at first, in the physical as well as in the moral 

 world, as has been again and again exemplified in every important inven- 

 tion which has benefited mankind. 



But time will show that not only this, but also my method of " applying 

 and condensing steam,'''' whereby a recuperative supply of distilled water 

 is available to make up for the boiler waste, and thereby increase the 

 evaporation and durability thereof by preventing the possibility of scale 

 forming therein, must eventually take the place of the present unphilosoph- 

 ical methods now in use. " So mote it be." 



THOMAS PKOSSER, A. M. 



Mr. Fisher denied any intention of underraing Mr. Prosser's boiler. 

 He considered all the statements in relation to it in the paper as strictly 

 correct, and believed Mr. Prosser to be the inventor, though others have 

 patented it. 



Mr. Montgomery stated that he had devoted his whole life to the subjecl 

 of generating steam, and had reduced all his experience into the construc- 

 tion of his boiler. Recently he was compelled to go into the testimony of 

 experts, in order to get his patent renewed, and these experts, though 

 anxious to favor other forms of boiler, were compelled to prove that only 

 from 1 lb. to 5^ lbs. of water were converted into steam for each 1 lb. of 

 coal in ordinary boilers, while in his they proved that 10| lbs. were the 

 average. The boilers of the City of Glasgow evaporate 2 lbs. of water 

 for one of coal ; the Vigo, 6 lbs. ; the Engineer, 3^ lbs. His boiler is 

 claimed to be the only one in which water is evaporated upon strictly 

 chemical principles. The water receives most heat where it is hottest, and 

 less where the water is coldest. He stated that Professor Reuwick has 

 seen the products of combustion enter the boiler at 2OO0* F., and leave at 

 140'^, having parted with so much heat. With this boiler the La Fayette 

 makes the voyage to Europe in 12 days, burning 12 tons of coal per day^ 

 while the City of Glasgow uses 40 tons of fuel per day, and takes 14 days 

 to make the trip. 



The subject of the evening being now called for, 



Mr. Fisher read an able paper on steam locomotion through cities. 



