the entrance of the eduction steam into the apparatus, where all or part of the steam becomes reduced to water, while the atmospheric or other air, gas or vapour becomes heated by the absorption of that heat, which had previously existed in the steam, together with the heat existing in the gas or vapours, which have been conducted from the fire flues surrounding the boiler, properly so called.

"The water guage a, shewn at fig. 1, on the furnace, is furnished with a piston, for the purpose of keeping it clear and transparent, and of thus shewing, by inspection, the height of water in the boiler.

66

My improvements in the construction of steam engines, properly so called, are delineated in Plate II. in which the same letters refer to the same parts of the machinery in all the figures; fig. 1, is a side elevation ; fig. 2, an end elevation; and fig. 3, a plan of the engine.

"The frame work A, A, standing on the broad base B, B, supports the crank shaft c, on which is the fly wheel D, D. The cylinder E, vibrates with the rotation of the crank F, F, and is supported at the bottom by two strong hollow journies, working on bearings G, G, situated on the base B, B. The construction of the cylinder bottom, on which the said hollow journies are formed, will be best understood by referring to figs. 4, 5, and 6, in which the steam and eduction passages are shewn. The steam from the pipe H, figs. 2 and 5, enters the hollow journey a, and proceeding through one of the passages shewn in dotted lines in the cylinder bottom 1, fig. 6, finds its way into the steam chest, shewn in section at J, in figs. 6 and 8. In fig. 8, the slide valve b, b, is also seen, but being similar in construction and operation to those in ordinary use, it will require no further description.

"After the steam has been admitted into the cylinder E, and performed its office there, it passes through the eduction passages c, c, into the jacket K, K, of the cylinder, from whence it escapes through the eduction passage in the cylinder bottom 1, fig. 6, into the eduction pipe L, figs. 1, 2, 5, 10, and 12, whence the steam is conveyed to the air heating apparatus.

"The contrivance for working the slide valves is shewn in figs. 1, 2, and 3. The lever м, on the way shaft N, is connected to the valve rod o, by means of the hinge P; another lever q, fixed on the way shaft N, is connected by a moveable joint to the rod R, which rod is attached at the lower end by a moveable joint to the bracket s, s, and held in a position oblique to the axes of the cylinder, as shewn in fig. 1. Now, as the way shaft N, has its bearings in the guides T, T, which are firmly attached to the top of the cylinder E, and consequently vibrates with it, it will be perceived that at each vibration the end of the lever Q, will be either raised or depressed, by which means the slide valve is alternately drawn up and pushed down. The bracket s, s, before mentioned, extends equally on each side of the centre of the cylinder, and has a groove through nearly its whole extent, in which the pin that connects the rod R, to the bracket s, s, is fixed in such manner that it may be slidden along from one end of the groove to the other, by means of the handle J. In this way a reverse motion may be immediately given to the engine.

"It has been before observed, that the cylinder vibrates to conform to the position of the crank, consequently a connecting rod is dispensed with, and the piston rod is connected immediately with the crank brasses u, u, fig. 9; but in order to relieve the piston rod from any lateral strain, I attach to the top of the cylinder the

guides T, T, through which the squares on the ends of the crank brasses U, U, slide freely.

"By a careful inspection of figs. 5, 6, 7, and 8, it will be perceived that the strong parts v, v, of the journies rest in bearing on the frame work, entirely independent of the steam joints formed between them, and the pipes H, and L.

"In a line with the bearings G, G, are circular openings d, d, in the frame work, into which the ends of the hollow journies extend through the accurately faced plates e, e. Against these plates, the small stuffing boxes f, f, seen on a larger scale in fig. 7, are held by means of springs g, g, the faces of the stuffing boxes being accurately ground to the plates to form a steam tight joint. The holes through the plates e, e, should be somewhat larger than the pipe ends of the journies, to allow for wearing down.

"In order to regulate the speed of the engine, I cause the throttle valve to be fully shut, at an earlier or later period of the stroke, as the case may require. To effect this, I have recourse to the following means:-as the wheel w, fixed on the main shaft c, revolves, the tappets h, h, attached to the wheel w, come in contact with a tooth on the rod i, and draw it up; the throttle valve being connected by means of the levers j, and k, and the sling, to the rod i, is thereby opened. The shutting is effected in a similar manner, that is to say, the tappets m, m, situated on arms extending from the branch x, coming in contact with the tooth on the rod i, before mentioned, push it down, and thus the valve is again closed.

The action of the two pairs of tappets h, h, and m, m, upon the rod i, will be best understood by reference to figure 11, in which it will also be seen by the dotted lines, that their relative position may be varied. This

variation is produced by the governor Y.

The barrel x,

is connected to the main shaft c, by means of the bolt n, which is made to slide freely in the groove o, and its tooth p, belonging to the bolt n, fitting the spiral groove r, in the barrel x, causes the barrel to revolve on the main shaft c, as the bolt is made to slide to and fro by the lever z, z, connected with the governor, and thus the intermediate spaces between the opening tappets h, h, and shutting tappets m, m, are varied.

"The isometrical drawing, fig. 12, exhibits one of the modes of economizing fuel in those processes of evaporation, called distillation and rectification: B, being the still heated by means of steam admitted between the still, and a case which surrounds it, and A, the pipe to admit steam for this purpose; or the still may be heated by any other means. The vapour generated from the wash contained in the still, passes along the neck o, of the still into a spirally formed passage or channel in the vessel E. The passage or channel contains atmospheric air, or any gas or vapour, or a mixture of gas or vapours, which increase or support combustion. The vessel E, is shewn with its top removed to exhibit its internal construction, and it will be observed that the atmospheric or other air, gas or vapour, which enters the apparatus E, at the tube marked D, and the vapour from the still which enters the apparatus E, through the tube c, pass through their separate and respective channels in opposite di

rections.

"The two spiral passages in the vessel E, are formed of two thin sheets of metal, or other suitable material coiled round each other, at proper distances as under, and extending throughout the whole depth of the vessel. The sheets are firmly united at their edges by soldering, or otherwise to the top and bottom, so as to be perfectly

VOL. VIII.-SECOND SERIES.

C

air tight. The tube c, forms the neck or adapting tube of the still; between the still and the refrigerating vessel H, is the worm tub of the ordinary construction, which constitutes no part of my claim.

"The mode of operation with this apparatus is as follows:

"The still being heated either by steam, admitted round it through the pipe A, or by any other means, the vapour which is generated from the wash contained in the still, passes into the vessel E, through the pipe c, near the centre of the bottom, and along the spiral passage, until it arrives at the end of that spiral passage or channel, where it passes into the worm tub at the part marked G. At the same time that the vapour from the still is entering the vessel E, as before described, atmospheric or other air, gas or vapour, is caused to enter the vessel E, through the tube or pipe D, by means of a blowing, exhausting or other proper apparatus.

"The atmospheric or other air, gas or vapour, becomes heated in its passage along the spiral channel before described, and it then escapes from the apparatus E, through the tube F, whence it is conducted in a heated state to supply the fuel, with air or gas for its combustion.

"The velocity of the atmospheric or other air, gas or vapour, through the vessel or apparatus E, must be regulated by the strength of the spirit, which it is intended to obtain by the rectification or distillation, for when strong spirit is required such a quantity of air, gas or vapour, must be forced through the apparatus E, as will cause the watery and empyreumatic particles to be condensed before they arrive at the entrance &, of the worm tub H.

"The watery and the empyreumatic particles which existed in the vapour from the still, having become con