2 
VAPOUR-BATH FOR HORSES. 
out such as to scald the animal at the place where the steam 
gained admission, thereby rendering the whole scheme abortive. 
Mr. Read, however, did not permit this failure to discourage 
him : his ever-active and persevering spirit led him on to fresh 
experiments, in one of which, in the early part of the present 
year, made at his manufactory, he succeeded in raising the tem- 
perature of the steam conducted into a canvass case or bag, in- 
tended as a bath (in which was a wooden horse) nearly to 140°. 
Although in this experiment the canvass was kept from falling in 
contact with the horse’s back or sides, by the intervention of a 
frame of basket-work, still there was a danger of scalding: added 
to which, there was required a charcoal fire at, of course, some 
expense, though that might not amount to any thing consider- 
able. 
With a perfect recollection of all that had been done by his 
lamented brother, and with a full persuasion that he had steam 
of sufficient amount on his premises at command, Mr. Wm. 
Field wanted but the receptacle — the bathing-place — to com- 
mence a fresh series of experiments. Chance threw in his way 
what his mind, save at a good deal of expense, saw but little 
prospect of realizing. Being one day at the East India Company’s 
Establishment at the docks, it struck him all at once that one 
of their boxes, used for the purpose of conveying their horses on 
board of ship, would prove the identical horse-bath he had so 
long been contemplating. One of the boxes was accordingly 
removed to Mr. Field’s infirmary, and forthwith he zealously set 
about obtaining his object. 
In order to shew by what simple, and yet effectual con- 
trivance Mr. Field was enabled to carry his project at once into 
execution, it will be necessary to state that Mr. F’s infirmary has 
— what every horse-infirmary ought to possess — a large boiler, 
for the purpose of affording a constant supply, by day and night, 
of hot water. This boiler ( a in the plate) has a metallic pipe ( c ) 
issuing from its summit, into which the steam, as it forms while 
the fire is kept up, rises and passes off (through b ) — at least as it 
did formerly — into the flue atone time, but since that, into the open 
air : the alteration having been made from the circumstance of the 
damp being found to damage the brick-work. Subsequently, it 
was suggested to Mr. Field, that this waste steam might, by 
being conducted through a worm ( h ) and condensing trough 
( g ) be rendered useful, not only as distilled water, but also in 
maintaining the temperature of the water contained in the 
trough to what is requisite as “ chilled water,” for horses in phy- 
sic and other patients. 
But Mr. Field now required the steam for a grand purpose — 
