38 



NOTES ON STATIONAEY ENGINES. 



by the governor which is quite satisfactory and -which is 

 well received by all. The Corliss motion appears to bo as 

 good as any ; in fact, but for the dictum oi one leading 

 aathority, it might almost have been said to bo a very good 

 one, except for the reason that it is rather too delicate in its 

 natui'e for an engine room. The question of variable cutting 

 off is a very wide one, and one which has not received all 

 the attention which it demands, notwithstanding the multi- 

 tude of patents brought out and applied. Pei'haps much of 

 this neglect is due to owners, who require an earthquake or a 

 prolonged coal famine bofoi-e they will do much. It should 

 however be borne in mind, that in almost all cases the coal 

 bill is only a small part of the total expenditure which is 

 necessary to any particular undertaking. In railways, for 

 instance, tlie expenditure on coal only equals about one 

 twenty-lifth to one-thirtieth of the total receipts, and is 

 only equal in amount to about, say, one-seventh of the sum 

 paid in dividends; so that if the whole coal bill were annihi- 

 lated, the dividend would only be increased by that amount. 

 It is to be regretted that this should be so, and chiefly is it 

 to bo regretted for the reason that though the peenniai-y 

 loss is not an extravagant one, yet every ounce of coal burnt 

 unnecessarily tends to bring nearer the time when this 

 island will again be compelled to grow its own fuel, owing 

 to the exhaustion of the coal-fields ; or perhaps, still worse;, 

 have to import coal from some outside, and perhaps, now 

 barbarian nation. This is a point which rests more par- 

 ticularly with those connected with stationary engines, 

 rather than with marine or locomotive practice, as in these, 

 there is as a rule, a certain amount of expansion adopted 

 in practice. Neither is it as a rule the large stationary 

 engines which are at fault, but rather the medium and 

 small sizes, which in the aggregate come up to a very 



