424 Atkinson's Experiments on heating by hot Water. 



From the tendency of hot water to rise to the surface, and 

 to descend in cooling, Mr. Atkinson conceived that it would 

 travel to a certain extent horizontally, by having a pipe at 

 the top of a boiler for the hot water to run along from, and 

 another underneath to return the water in cooling to the bot- 

 tom of the boiler. 



The annexed figure {Jig- 164.) was explained to me as 

 follows : — a is supposed to be a boiler fixed in brickwork at 



.gs^sj 





164 



the end or middle of a house ; b, the upper pipe for conduct- 

 ing the hot water from the boiler to the reservoir (d) ; c, the 

 lower pipe for conducting the cooling water from the reser- 

 voir (d) back again to the boiler (a) to be reheated ; d, a metal 

 reservoir at the extreme end of the house ; or, instead of such 

 a reservoir, the two pipes may be connected with an elbow or 

 metal box, as shown by e. 



It was supposed that water heated in the boiler (a) would 

 flow along the upper pipe (b) to the reservoir (d), and in cool- 

 ing would return from d back to the bottom of the boiler [a) 

 through the lower pipe (c). 



At the time this was explained to me, it was settled that I 

 should make a tin model to try the experiment, but Mr. At- 

 kinson being otherwise engaged, he did not furnish me with a 

 correct drawing and dimensions for the model till the latter 

 end of that year (1822), when I furnished him with a model. 

 The boiler and reservoir were each 6 in. square, the pipes 

 1 in. diameter, and 6 ft. long. Upon trying the model, the 

 hot water flowed so rapidly from the boiler to the reservoir, 

 and appeared so likely to answer, that the pipes were extended 

 to 15 ft. in length, and the hot water was found to flow 

 rapidly to that extent, and there was every reason to think 

 that it might be extended to a considerable distance. When 

 this experiment was made, the model was tried with one pipe 

 only, but that did not answer.* 



* Mr. Turner, of the Horticultural Society, and myself were present 

 when this experiment was made by Mr. AtkinsOn, and it has since beea 

 proved that Mr. Turner had mentioned it to different persons. 



