35 2 TtMEHRI. 
number of megass backers or box-men required ; 4th, 
pays for itself in a grinding; 5th, no power and no gear- 
ing required ; 6th, absolutely « automatic" ; 7th, gives a 
constant, regular feed which greatly facilitates perfect 
combustion ; 8th, prevents cold air entering the furnace 
mouth. 
MARKED CHARACTERISTIC OF THE "AUTOMATIC 
FIREMEN." 
1st, a hopper so arranged that when the furnace is 
sufficiently supplied with megass, the megass isau to- 
matically caused to pass on to the other furnaces ; each 
taking automatically a quantity equal to that burnt ; 2nd, 
A. B. C. simplicity. 
Through the kindness of the Hon. W. CRAIGEN, any 
one interested in megass firing can see the above stated 
fa6ls borne out in practice on the first estate to adopt 
these automaticfire men. 
There, Mr. DAWSON tells me, two men now do the work 
that previously required fourteen, in other words the estate 
now has twelve able bodied men at liberty for other work, 
the result being that besides a dire6l saving of at least 
$26 00 per week in labour, two-thirds of this is saved 
entirely by the automatic firemen. The photograph will 
give a good idea of the apparatus in full work, and the blue 
prints will show the styles adopted for various carriers. 
Many contrivances have been used hitherto such as 
mechanical stokers, flaps, and other means by which 
mqgass and air can be supplied to the furnaces of steam 
bojler's for the purpose of obtaining good combustion, all 
of which have been found more or less imperfedl. 
By this statement I do not mean that any particular 
method of firing will produce any more heat from a 
