198 Implement Show at Bury St. EdmiiiKTs. 
tliey think fit, so long; as such heatev derives its heat from the exhaust steam 
only, and so long as the heated water can be brought to the feed-pumps sup- 
plied by the Society. Our object in making this sugg(!stion is to do away 
with the anomaly that now exists between the performance of the fixed engines 
and the portable engines — an anomaly largely due to the fact that nearly the 
whole of the portable engines iise feed-water heaters, while the fixed engines 
do not use them npou their trials. ' 
It will be in your recollection that on this occasion two trials were directed 
to be made with each portable engine. The first with the load equivalent to 
the nominal power of the engine ; the second with the load corresponding to 
a power 50 iier cent, in excess of the first. 
We find the relative results of these trials (except in one or two cases, for 
which we can partly account) to l)c so nearly alike, that we think only one 
trial in respect of load need in future be made, such trial to be either with the 
ordinary load or the excess load, as may be decided by the Council. 
At this trial we think it should be ]nade a condition that only one man 
should be allowed to attend to the fire, the oiling, the feed-water, the pre- 
paration of the coal (such preparation to he made while the engine is running), 
in fact, to attend to the whole work of the engine. 
At the present time we have seen as many as six men engaged in attending 
one engine ; viz., one man breaking the coals into pieces the size of small 
walnuts, another man putting these pieces on to the fire with a shovel like a 
money-scoop, another man oiling the cylinders, another oiling the bearings, 
another jmtting the feed-water into the heater by ladlefuls at a time, and 
another ready for any odd job that might arise. This clearly is a condition 
of things that could not exist in ordinary work, and we therefore think it most 
desirable that in trials also made with portable engines, the whole attendance 
for each engine should be done by one man. 
At the same time we think it imjiortant for instruction to engine-makers 
and to purchasers that the very best results to be obtained in reference solely 
to consumption of fuel should be known, and we therefore are of opinion that 
each exhibitor should be allowed to have a second trial at which he might 
employ (as he now does) as many men as he pleases. It is clear that time 
will not admit of three trials being made, two trials are the utmost that can 
be attempted ; and we are of opinion that more useful results will be obtained 
by the course we have ventured to suggest than by continuing the two trials 
at different loads as at Bury. 
We are also of opinion tliat it would be an extremely easy matter to make 
provision for taking accurately the amount of water evaporated by each boiler 
during the trial of its engine, and thereby to arrive at how much of the result 
was due to the boiler and how much to the engine. We are aware, it may be 
said, that the only thing in which the purchaser is interested is the final result 
of work done by the engine for the coals consumed, and that he is not inte- 
rested in the steps by which this result is reached ; but we are of opinion 
that this is a very narrow view to take, and that the purchaser is the person, 
above all others, interested in such details of information as are necessary to 
enable makers of engines to discover the points which need correction, and 
thus to keep up progressive improvements in the amount of work done for a 
given quantity of fuel. 
We also recommend that all brakes intended to be used should, previously 
to the trials, in addition to being put into perfect working order, be actually 
worked to a sufficient extent to overcome the effects of standing idle. 
Each brake should have appointed to it an intelligent man, thoroughly 
capable of working and regulating it with certainty. 
As soon as it is laiown what number of engines are intended for trial, the 
time necessary to make the trials should be precisely estimated, taking into 
