ENGINES, FIRE, STEAM. The Clapp cf Jones Steam Fire-Engive, manufactured by the Clapp & Jones Manufacturing Co., of Liaison, N. V., is illustrated in Figs. 1 and 2. This is a piston-engine presenting many points of novelty and interest. Sectional views of the boiler are given in Figs. 1 and 2, Fig. 1 being a vertical section through the center.
Fig. 2 is a sectional cut on a horizontal line, one half being through the stemn-chanibers the other half is through the fire-box, just below the lower tube-sheet.
Like letters on both cuts refer to the same parts: as is the outside shell, which extends the whole length of the boiler; 6 b is the fire-box sheet, which is less in length, it going only to the lower tube-sheet ; c is the lower tube-sheet, showing all the tube-holes; the heavy line circles show which lire used for the coil-tubes in the tire-box; the others are for the smoke-tubes ; 1.1 is the upper tithe-sheet, which has holes only for the smoke-tnbes ; e ee are the smoke, or draft tubes, which also answer another very important purpose—that of dry ing and superheating the steam. These are usually made of copper or iron. F 1' are the sectional coil-tuhes, the main feature of this boiler. They are in the form of a spiral coil. the spiral bend Icing enough to leave room for live others of the same size het ween, so that there are six of these coils in each circular row. The number of rows is determined by the size of the boiler and the amount of steam required. G 0 is the ornamental dome; yg is the smoke bonnet and pipes for concentrating the hot escaping products of combustion for the purpose of making a draft of air through the fuel. At H are the grate-bars, / the fine-door, and J J is the water-line.
The arrows marked Ii show the direction of the circulation when working with the fire in the fire-box ; those marked L show the direc tion of it when on the heater, which is direct ly opposite. The outside pipe connected at about the water-line is the outlet from the heater, and the inlet to the boiler, which car ries the heated water over the crown-sheet, where, as it gets cooler, it enters the coils and then the leg, and from there to the pipe near the bottom of the boiler. The pipe leads to the heater, so that the water is kept moving just in proportion to the heat given it. Any kind of a heater can be used with the same result. 111 shows the pipe and valve that brings the hot water from the heater. _N is the pipe and valve that leads from the boiler to the heater. The valve in .31 is a stop and check combined. The pipe in _AT has a trip valve that is worked by hand or made auto matic, as desired.
We illustrate in Fig. 3 one form of Clapp & Jones engine, known as a village engine, or No. 5. It is made direct-acting, without crank or fly-wheels, and is claimed to be the lightest double engine made. Its weight is but 4,000 lbs., and capacity 400 gallons per min. The dimensions are as fol lows: Steam-eylinders, in X 7in. stroke ; pumps. 41 in. X 7 in. stroke number of streams, from 1 to 3 ; length, 10 ft. 4 in., including horse-pole. 21 ft.—with hand-pole, 16 ft. 4 in. ; height, 8 ft. 54- in. ; extreme width with hand-pole, 5 ft. 1 in.—with horse-pole, 6 ft. 6 in. This engine will throw a 11-in. stream from 230 to 260 ft.
The pumps in these engines arc of copper and tin, to avoid corrosion and have a frictioniest metal plunger, requirin; no packing and rubber valves. From a number of reports of tests witted by the manufact.
urers, the following are selected. Trial at Washington, I). C., Nov. 15, 1889, of a second-class double-working engine at the river-front in the United States Navy-Yard; The needle on steam-gauge moved in 2+ min. after lighting fire: 5 lbs. steam in 3} min.; 10 lbs. steam in 4 min.; 15 lbs. steam in min.; 25 lbs. steam in 5 min.; :30 lbs. steam in 6 min., when engine started, taking suction from river. The following is of interest as showing the performance of the engine under conditions of actual use. The occasion was a large fire in a saw-mill at Portland, Oregon. The engineer in charge of the machine reports: We were called in service on Friday morning, July 25, 1890. at 11 o'clock, and the engine was run steady, with three streams attached, the steam registering 100 to 110 lbs., and the water pressure from 90 to 100 lbs., until Saturday, Aug. 2, 1890, at 10 o'clock 31., thus making a total of 191 hours, or 1 hour less than 8 days. This was not all : the water was forced up an inclined hank through 2,400 ft. of hose, two lines of 750 ft., and one line of 900 ft., and the nozzle-tips were as follows ; 1 of 1g in.; 1 of 1+ in.; and 1 of 1 in. The average revolutions were 270 per min. The engine worked smooth ly and regularly." 7'he La Prance Steam Fire-Eirgine, made by the La France Fire-Engine Co., of Elmira, N. Y., is represented in Figs. 4, 5. 6, 7, and 8. This is a piston-engine of novel and improved construction ; the boiler being a special feature of importance. Fig. 4 is a vertical section of the entire apparatus. Fig. 5 is is sectional view of a cluster or " nest " of water-tubes, comprising 9 lf-in. tul)es, connected by right and left threads to inalleable-iron "headers." Fig. 0 is a view of the water " header" at top of Pig. 5, which screws into the crown-sheet. Fig. 7 is a Yiew of the " water-ring " at bottom of Fig. 5, which connects with leg of boiler. The crown-sheet L is placed below the top of the fire-Lox sheet, as shown at /). The " water-nests" are suspended in the fire-box, as at K. The top "header" ./ is serewed through the crown-sheet, and so arranged that the lateral dis charge-openings are :3a. at iove the crown-sheet, as shown ut Jr The hot t(1111 " water-rings " are each connected with the bottom of the boiler by means of nipples and elbows, its shown at le. By this arrangement a great extent of water-surface is exposed to the heat without ob structing the smoke-flues or weakening the crown-sheet with numerous openings. The smoke Hues A are arranged to encircle the "nest-headers," making a direct draft for the flame through the "nest." They pass directly through the boiler to the stack above, passing near the top of the boiler through the diaphragm-sheet A. The openings in this sheet are slightly larger than the smoke-flues, leaving an annular space through which the steam passes to the space above, that serves as a steam-drain, whence the steam-pipe carries it to the engine. This causes the steam to pass in films in contact with the hot flues, at once superheating the steam and keeping the tops of the flues in the moisture, preventing burning and leaking. Above the crown-sheet a ring 1, of L-shaped cross-section, is attached to the inner surface of the boiler-shell, forming a receptacle B for mud and other impurities in the water, which are car ried upward by the natural circulation of the water. Mud-plugs are provided for and washing the space B.