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To Peter Burt, mathematical instrument maker, for an improved steam engine. Dated 4th August, 1827
t i ' L ~ D s ~ s Improvements on Steam Engines.
37'.9
~c~..q~ecmtg the valves~ than those we have mentioned, except that it is stated t when large engines are emploved~ a separate v~/ve iS~to be used lot each of the hollow gudgeons~ 0 t ~ s . ~ A b o u ~ tbu r years since we saw, at Dock-Head, a vibrating cylinder, used in a steam engine, which had been erected some time~ and was, we were informed~ the invention of Mr. James Neville; though we have since heard that engines of this sort were erected previously~ in the vicinity of Live,'pool; but of which, however, we canno~ speak from our own knowledge. The engine at Dock-Head, had its hollow gudgeons placed about the middle of the cylinder~ its piston-rod passed out at top, in the common direction, anti the hollow g,dgeons were contrived, so as to act like cocks, in admitting or shutting oil" the steam, and in el)cuing or closing the communication with the condenser; Whidl
lattei, m e,:,ous ,, ventloI ,
much s.t, plt ed
tl~e mere v~bration of the cylinder, opened anti " ' cations~ as perfectly as the most complicated vaIve apparatus. Now, as in Mr. Burt~s engine, this last contrivance is not emnloved, we can oerceive nothin~ in it that can compensate for the ~dd'itional parts necessary for tl{e steam-tight joints aml other indispensables ~{t the gudgeons~ so as to give it any advar!tage over a common engin% since the mere saving of the connecting bar between the piston-i-od and the crank° or the beam-head~ evidently, cannot have this efl~.ct; and we should think it very unjust towards any pa. ~e~,e% if tile mere alteratinn of the position ot"a~ engine, as in this case. would permit another person, by such a simple variation, to evade the pateut-right. If such an evasion were allowed, ;~ patent f()~, ;~ pocket chronometer might be defeated by another for placing the very same machine on a table, in a horizontal, instead of a v e r tical position~ which it would assume in the [obl and the patents tbv nl~merous other engines, might, also, be rendered nugat~)ry~ by sin~ilac means; we arc, therelbre, inclined to think, that tl{e vali~liiy of Mr. Burts patent is aiti~cte(l~ by ttle patent previously obtaine[t by Mro Neville; since the alteration of the direction of the pistom rod. is the only material difference between the engine described in the specification of the former, and that cmph)ved by the latter gen.
r'~, jo~;v~v~l M,~.,1)~LA~ E~,~q.jbr improvemen[s on Slca~n Engine~, Dated I st .~kngust, t ~27 M~. M~J~)sL~ ~ steam engine, fol ~hic.h this patem was ob-~ h6~.~Cdo is el." the oseillatiil~ sort~ the g/~tt~.,;~onsel which al'e placed ~car the middic~ ~)t' the cqipositc side~ ,~t" the cvlinder~ and one ~)i !iwm beiu~,~ hollew~ I)¢t5.~. ,~cr~'~try tor~cd tht'ott@, ito aml tl~t~)z~Cl~,lho
side of tile cylinder, tu the two extremities of the t~itter, i~.to whic~ passages the steam is admitted successively~ w]dle the communica, lion with the condenser, is opened to that one of them f~'mn vehich the steam has been turned off'. These alternations are eiihcted, b,: means of a D valv% that operates in a pectdiar manner, but whirlS, fl'om the imperfect and inadequate description in the specification~ we have been unable to comprehend. Tlie whole engine is sustained by two triangular frames~ placed vertically, 'a little more than the breadth of the cylinder apart; i~t bars. placed, ae,'oss which, at a proper height,, the gudo'eonsa. work while the crank axle, to which the fly-wheel ;is appended, turns ia their upper' angles in a horizontal position, and cart'ies, als% a~ eccentric wheel that works the D valve. • The air..t)ump till tiffs en,,'ine,~ . is.. rel)resented, of an unusually, large,. size, and is mover, Iff a crank of small depth, fornied on the histmentioned axle beyond one ol7 the triangular t~rames; which causes the stroke of its piston to be much shorter than tidal of the ~pain cylinder's piston. The chief ditt'orences betweet-i this engine and the oscillating en.glnes before constructed, are stated by the patentee to cor,~sist, 1st, in the general arrangement of the parts; ~ndly~ in the tbrm of the franie by which it is supported; 3dly, in the conshuctlon of tim 17) valve and valve-box slide; 4thly, in the eccentric wheel that moves the D valve; and 5thly~ in the passages which convey the steam along ttie side of the main cylinde~-~ to its two extremities; and it is assel:tecl,., . that the. eno'ine~, lm~sesses~' the advantage of. beina,o less in welgat, m proportion to its power, titan common engmes~ of oecuo pying less spac% and of co.~ting less in inaterials and workmanship° O u s . ~ W e cannot perceive any material superiority of this engine, over other oscillating engines" that we have seen, which possess-. ed all the advantages that the patentee has enumerated~ as apper~ raining to his engine, nor, indeed, does there appear much dilFerence between them, except in the disposition of the valves fro' leguhtting the communlcationsbetween the main cylinder, anti the boiler and condenserj which~ in point of simplicity, at least, was exceeded t)v an engine of this sort, constructed by Mr. James Neville, which we saw at Dock-Head, about lb~ar years ago, and which we imve notice([ in our observations on Mr. Iturt's engine, in the precedhJg article. In the specification of this patent, no verbal description of the parts of the engine is attenlpted; and nothing more is given, than a. reference to the drawing amiexed to it, which consists only of the mere outlines of l)lans and sections; in which those of the ft'ame and of the dilI'erent parts of the engine are so intcrniixed, as, in some parts, to be unintelligible to any persmes i perhaps, but those who were concerned in its construction; and this, unfortunatcty~ happens to be so much the cask in the part relative to the D valve~ in which the chief distinction between this engine, and others of the ~aine sort, lies, that we nwn our inability to cumIn'd~end it. W e do not mean to censure the use of
On Calico Printing,
38 l
0'ccasions, considering them very sufficient tbr most Subjects of simple nature~ but when complicated figures are to be t@reSenied~ and sections of tubes, cylinders, and otl~er apparatus, sm{~e pae!i~%f which are hotlow~ while others project in various degrees~ anti where several perttons of an engtne cress others in numerous dtreettons a~d at dill?rent distances, we think mere outlines quite inadequa:te to produce fair and distinctly intelligible ideas of the. objects; especially when they are unaccompanied by full explanatmns; ~Ib,
ztn Essay on Catico Printing. [Extracted from Parke's Chemical Essays,] Beoc~iNo to be excused for tile irrev,ularity of the preceding digres~ sions, I must not forget to reve,'t to that other kiM of discharge.. work~ which I have engaged to describe, and which I will now attempt, as concisely as is consistent with perspicuity and correctness. Here, the agent which is employed, is the citric,, acid, and this" "is used in various states of concentratmn, accordm~ to the purpose to which it is to be applied~ and the strength of the ground intended to be discharged. It is chletly employed, fi~r the production of white figures upon self-eoloured grouuds~ produced by madder and ~undry other dyes. For this intention, the acid, in whatever state of" concentration it may be, is mixed with eifller gum, or with flourt)aste,:~ to a proper consistency for the block, the plate, or the cylinder, and from thence it is transferred to the piece; and wherever it attaches, the mordant, whether iron or alumine, is discharged, and a delicate white arises in its stead.f The acid here referred to, is produced fi'om the iuice of limes or lemons; and, formerly, it was not employed b~ tl~e calico-printer~ until it had been reduced to the ut host I:~uint o}" concentration, and appeared in a crystalline form. Even then, it was not thought uufticiently pu 'e, but was dissolved again, and redissolved and recrystalllzed, until it became as white and 1)ellucid as any other pure ;alt in a crystallized state~ and was then, generally, sold fur S6s. the pound,~at which high price, it could only be elr[ployed on the best stylus of work. Now, liowever, it is o[tener used in the brown, or first state of crystallization~ and some of the larger printers puro chase lime juice, and concentrate it themselves; and in many cases they use it largely, both Nr discharge and resist-work, without crys~ ~allizing if. More on this subject may be seen in the Essay on Citric Acid, which was written with tile hope of renderiug an essenWhen c~tric acid is used for resist-work, it is alw'~ysmixed with gum scne.gal end pipe-clay. The clay gives it a greater body, and, likewise~acts mechanlcally as a rcs~stcr. "t"It should be understood, dmt the dlsch~a'ge is printed upon the mordants bctbre the goods arc d) ed. In t~sing citric acid for thi~ purpose, a portion of one of the mineral acids i~. ~(mletimes mixed with it.
37'.9
~c~..q~ecmtg the valves~ than those we have mentioned, except that it is stated t when large engines are emploved~ a separate v~/ve iS~to be used lot each of the hollow gudgeons~ 0 t ~ s . ~ A b o u ~ tbu r years since we saw, at Dock-Head, a vibrating cylinder, used in a steam engine, which had been erected some time~ and was, we were informed~ the invention of Mr. James Neville; though we have since heard that engines of this sort were erected previously~ in the vicinity of Live,'pool; but of which, however, we canno~ speak from our own knowledge. The engine at Dock-Head, had its hollow gudgeons placed about the middle of the cylinder~ its piston-rod passed out at top, in the common direction, anti the hollow g,dgeons were contrived, so as to act like cocks, in admitting or shutting oil" the steam, and in el)cuing or closing the communication with the condenser; Whidl
lattei, m e,:,ous ,, ventloI ,
much s.t, plt ed
tl~e mere v~bration of the cylinder, opened anti " ' cations~ as perfectly as the most complicated vaIve apparatus. Now, as in Mr. Burt~s engine, this last contrivance is not emnloved, we can oerceive nothin~ in it that can compensate for the ~dd'itional parts necessary for tl{e steam-tight joints aml other indispensables ~{t the gudgeons~ so as to give it any advar!tage over a common engin% since the mere saving of the connecting bar between the piston-i-od and the crank° or the beam-head~ evidently, cannot have this efl~.ct; and we should think it very unjust towards any pa. ~e~,e% if tile mere alteratinn of the position ot"a~ engine, as in this case. would permit another person, by such a simple variation, to evade the pateut-right. If such an evasion were allowed, ;~ patent f()~, ;~ pocket chronometer might be defeated by another for placing the very same machine on a table, in a horizontal, instead of a v e r tical position~ which it would assume in the [obl and the patents tbv nl~merous other engines, might, also, be rendered nugat~)ry~ by sin~ilac means; we arc, therelbre, inclined to think, that tl{e vali~liiy of Mr. Burts patent is aiti~cte(l~ by ttle patent previously obtaine[t by Mro Neville; since the alteration of the direction of the pistom rod. is the only material difference between the engine described in the specification of the former, and that cmph)ved by the latter gen.
r'~, jo~;v~v~l M,~.,1)~LA~ E~,~q.jbr improvemen[s on Slca~n Engine~, Dated I st .~kngust, t ~27 M~. M~J~)sL~ ~ steam engine, fol ~hic.h this patem was ob-~ h6~.~Cdo is el." the oseillatiil~ sort~ the g/~tt~.,;~onsel which al'e placed ~car the middic~ ~)t' the cqipositc side~ ,~t" the cvlinder~ and one ~)i !iwm beiu~,~ hollew~ I)¢t5.~. ,~cr~'~try tor~cd tht'ott@, ito aml tl~t~)z~Cl~,lho
side of tile cylinder, tu the two extremities of the t~itter, i~.to whic~ passages the steam is admitted successively~ w]dle the communica, lion with the condenser, is opened to that one of them f~'mn vehich the steam has been turned off'. These alternations are eiihcted, b,: means of a D valv% that operates in a pectdiar manner, but whirlS, fl'om the imperfect and inadequate description in the specification~ we have been unable to comprehend. Tlie whole engine is sustained by two triangular frames~ placed vertically, 'a little more than the breadth of the cylinder apart; i~t bars. placed, ae,'oss which, at a proper height,, the gudo'eonsa. work while the crank axle, to which the fly-wheel ;is appended, turns ia their upper' angles in a horizontal position, and cart'ies, als% a~ eccentric wheel that works the D valve. • The air..t)ump till tiffs en,,'ine,~ . is.. rel)resented, of an unusually, large,. size, and is mover, Iff a crank of small depth, fornied on the histmentioned axle beyond one ol7 the triangular t~rames; which causes the stroke of its piston to be much shorter than tidal of the ~pain cylinder's piston. The chief ditt'orences betweet-i this engine and the oscillating en.glnes before constructed, are stated by the patentee to cor,~sist, 1st, in the general arrangement of the parts; ~ndly~ in the tbrm of the franie by which it is supported; 3dly, in the conshuctlon of tim 17) valve and valve-box slide; 4thly, in the eccentric wheel that moves the D valve; and 5thly~ in the passages which convey the steam along ttie side of the main cylinde~-~ to its two extremities; and it is assel:tecl,., . that the. eno'ine~, lm~sesses~' the advantage of. beina,o less in welgat, m proportion to its power, titan common engmes~ of oecuo pying less spac% and of co.~ting less in inaterials and workmanship° O u s . ~ W e cannot perceive any material superiority of this engine, over other oscillating engines" that we have seen, which possess-. ed all the advantages that the patentee has enumerated~ as apper~ raining to his engine, nor, indeed, does there appear much dilFerence between them, except in the disposition of the valves fro' leguhtting the communlcationsbetween the main cylinder, anti the boiler and condenserj which~ in point of simplicity, at least, was exceeded t)v an engine of this sort, constructed by Mr. James Neville, which we saw at Dock-Head, about lb~ar years ago, and which we imve notice([ in our observations on Mr. Iturt's engine, in the precedhJg article. In the specification of this patent, no verbal description of the parts of the engine is attenlpted; and nothing more is given, than a. reference to the drawing amiexed to it, which consists only of the mere outlines of l)lans and sections; in which those of the ft'ame and of the dilI'erent parts of the engine are so intcrniixed, as, in some parts, to be unintelligible to any persmes i perhaps, but those who were concerned in its construction; and this, unfortunatcty~ happens to be so much the cask in the part relative to the D valve~ in which the chief distinction between this engine, and others of the ~aine sort, lies, that we nwn our inability to cumIn'd~end it. W e do not mean to censure the use of
On Calico Printing,
38 l
0'ccasions, considering them very sufficient tbr most Subjects of simple nature~ but when complicated figures are to be t@reSenied~ and sections of tubes, cylinders, and otl~er apparatus, sm{~e pae!i~%f which are hotlow~ while others project in various degrees~ anti where several perttons of an engtne cress others in numerous dtreettons a~d at dill?rent distances, we think mere outlines quite inadequa:te to produce fair and distinctly intelligible ideas of the. objects; especially when they are unaccompanied by full explanatmns; ~Ib,
ztn Essay on Catico Printing. [Extracted from Parke's Chemical Essays,] Beoc~iNo to be excused for tile irrev,ularity of the preceding digres~ sions, I must not forget to reve,'t to that other kiM of discharge.. work~ which I have engaged to describe, and which I will now attempt, as concisely as is consistent with perspicuity and correctness. Here, the agent which is employed, is the citric,, acid, and this" "is used in various states of concentratmn, accordm~ to the purpose to which it is to be applied~ and the strength of the ground intended to be discharged. It is chletly employed, fi~r the production of white figures upon self-eoloured grouuds~ produced by madder and ~undry other dyes. For this intention, the acid, in whatever state of" concentration it may be, is mixed with eifller gum, or with flourt)aste,:~ to a proper consistency for the block, the plate, or the cylinder, and from thence it is transferred to the piece; and wherever it attaches, the mordant, whether iron or alumine, is discharged, and a delicate white arises in its stead.f The acid here referred to, is produced fi'om the iuice of limes or lemons; and, formerly, it was not employed b~ tl~e calico-printer~ until it had been reduced to the ut host I:~uint o}" concentration, and appeared in a crystalline form. Even then, it was not thought uufticiently pu 'e, but was dissolved again, and redissolved and recrystalllzed, until it became as white and 1)ellucid as any other pure ;alt in a crystallized state~ and was then, generally, sold fur S6s. the pound,~at which high price, it could only be elr[ployed on the best stylus of work. Now, liowever, it is o[tener used in the brown, or first state of crystallization~ and some of the larger printers puro chase lime juice, and concentrate it themselves; and in many cases they use it largely, both Nr discharge and resist-work, without crys~ ~allizing if. More on this subject may be seen in the Essay on Citric Acid, which was written with tile hope of renderiug an essenWhen c~tric acid is used for resist-work, it is alw'~ysmixed with gum scne.gal end pipe-clay. The clay gives it a greater body, and, likewise~acts mechanlcally as a rcs~stcr. "t"It should be understood, dmt the dlsch~a'ge is printed upon the mordants bctbre the goods arc d) ed. In t~sing citric acid for thi~ purpose, a portion of one of the mineral acids i~. ~(mletimes mixed with it.