- Email: [email protected]
The petroleum trials at woolwich
From the London Mechanics' 3%ag~zine~August~ 1867.
THE PETROLEUMTRIALS AT WOOLWICH, ~Im ]~ICItAI~DSONhas just concluded a series of experiments with the petrolemn furnace at Woolwicb. In these trials pure petroleum was not used, only a small quantity of shale oil, which did extremely well in the first trials. In the late trials, napthaline, creosote (country and town-made, the latter mixed with salt), and residuum tar and grease, were chiefly employed. The trial proved that all the heavy tars and residuum, town-made creosote and napthaline made too much smoke, and required too large an expenditure of steam to use with them. The tar left an ash on the surface of the grate several inches deep. In the late trial, a superheater for the steam was introduced, but both it and the retorts connected with it were nearly destroyed by the flame. It appears that the common service boiler requires more attention than was at first considered necessary to adapt it for burning liquid fuel. It seems, too, that the fuel should be either pure American petroleum, with or without the spirit, or clear British shale oil. The late trial has been considered satisfactory; and from a tabulated statemeat, which, Mr. Richardson states, was made by the authority of the dock-yard engineer, we learn that the highest evaporation of water per one pound of' fuel, with coal, was 7"53; whilst the lowest~ with petroleum, was 12"02, the highest being 13"0. : ;
:From tim I,ondon 3Iechanies' Magazine, Auff,ust~ 1867.
THE AMERICAN LIFE-RAFTg~NONPAREIL." A DA~IN~ adventure has been performed by the crow of an American life'raft. These gallant fellows, three in number, brought over the raft from New York in forty-three (lays. No better evidence oould be afforded of the utility of this invention for purposes of saving life at sea. The raft is only 24: feet long and 12½ feet broad, has two masts, and consists of three cylinders, pointed at each end, united together by canvas connections, having no real deck, and is strengthened by oards, slipped under strong iron neck-pieces, the whole kept togethe}" y lashing. A water-proof cloth, hung over a boom, closed, at euoh end " aeeommodatmn, " two at a time, " • , .affords sleeping and the third keeplag watch. This is fixed on a strong locker, in which the provisions are kept. The raft lay-to seven times fi'om stress of weather, and the last vessel spoken was the John Chapman, a week since, from hieh they were given a fowl, whieh ds still alive and we!t. They ave arrived with thirty gallons of water to spare. T h e y h a d no chronometer on board, and sailed by dead-reekoningi and eor, ~ectod their position by vessels they spoke. There is • s~aaller raft
~ ~
THE PETROLEUMTRIALS AT WOOLWICH, ~Im ]~ICItAI~DSONhas just concluded a series of experiments with the petrolemn furnace at Woolwicb. In these trials pure petroleum was not used, only a small quantity of shale oil, which did extremely well in the first trials. In the late trials, napthaline, creosote (country and town-made, the latter mixed with salt), and residuum tar and grease, were chiefly employed. The trial proved that all the heavy tars and residuum, town-made creosote and napthaline made too much smoke, and required too large an expenditure of steam to use with them. The tar left an ash on the surface of the grate several inches deep. In the late trial, a superheater for the steam was introduced, but both it and the retorts connected with it were nearly destroyed by the flame. It appears that the common service boiler requires more attention than was at first considered necessary to adapt it for burning liquid fuel. It seems, too, that the fuel should be either pure American petroleum, with or without the spirit, or clear British shale oil. The late trial has been considered satisfactory; and from a tabulated statemeat, which, Mr. Richardson states, was made by the authority of the dock-yard engineer, we learn that the highest evaporation of water per one pound of' fuel, with coal, was 7"53; whilst the lowest~ with petroleum, was 12"02, the highest being 13"0. : ;
:From tim I,ondon 3Iechanies' Magazine, Auff,ust~ 1867.
THE AMERICAN LIFE-RAFTg~NONPAREIL." A DA~IN~ adventure has been performed by the crow of an American life'raft. These gallant fellows, three in number, brought over the raft from New York in forty-three (lays. No better evidence oould be afforded of the utility of this invention for purposes of saving life at sea. The raft is only 24: feet long and 12½ feet broad, has two masts, and consists of three cylinders, pointed at each end, united together by canvas connections, having no real deck, and is strengthened by oards, slipped under strong iron neck-pieces, the whole kept togethe}" y lashing. A water-proof cloth, hung over a boom, closed, at euoh end " aeeommodatmn, " two at a time, " • , .affords sleeping and the third keeplag watch. This is fixed on a strong locker, in which the provisions are kept. The raft lay-to seven times fi'om stress of weather, and the last vessel spoken was the John Chapman, a week since, from hieh they were given a fowl, whieh ds still alive and we!t. They ave arrived with thirty gallons of water to spare. T h e y h a d no chronometer on board, and sailed by dead-reekoningi and eor, ~ectod their position by vessels they spoke. There is • s~aaller raft
~ ~