EXPLANATION AND INTERPRETATION OF THE COPPER PLATE. A. The fire place.
B. A big copper boiler 11 feet in diameter at its widest part, 2/3 full of water, the steam, when boiling, enclosed in its dome-shaped upper part.
C. A metal cylinder, 9 feet long, and 36 inches in diameter.
D. The pipe through which the steam is allowed to pass from the boiler up into the cylinder.
E. The regulator, which opens and shuts the pipe D in the boiler, thus regulating the entire movement of the machine, which regulation takes place when the way for the steam to rise and enter into the cylinder is opened, and, when the steam has risen, again closes the steam so that it may be condensed through the spurting of cold water, which creates a vacuum, whereupon the piston is instantaneously pressed downwards by the atmosphere or the weight of the air.
F. A valve, loaded with a certain weight, which allows the steam to escape from the boiler when the steam gets to strong.
G. Two taps from which, when opened, can be seen how much water there is in the boiler, in such a way that if the steam is coming from the upper one and water from the lower one this will indicate that there is a proper amount of water in the boiler.
H. A pipe with a valve to allow the steam to escape when it gets too strong, and when the machine is stopped.
I.K.A valve, provided with its cup and its pipe, through which the boiler is fed with warm water coming from the cylinder.
L. The piston formed of a disk attached to a strong iron rod, which is linked to one end of the great beam; this disk closely fits the interior of the cylinder, round the rim of the disk is put thick felt upon which is always kept cold water to a height of 6 inches for the sake of preventing the air--which presses with a power equal to a weight of 21575 skålpund, or 53 skeppund 18 lisp [-und] 15 skalp [-und] victualie, on the disk--from forcing itself between the disk and the cylinder, thus causing the great beam to follow the movements of the piston, which movements can not take place unless the pump-rods with the water-columns--or whatever load may be attached to the other end of the beam--are raised to a height equal to the depth to which the piston is pressed down into the cylinder.
The weight which has to be raised must be proportionate to the power with which the air is pressing upon the area of the piston and thus forcing it down, for it must be borne in mind that the velocity will always be proportionate to the relation between the power and the load.
M. The injection-pipe or the water-spring-pipe which conducts the cold water to the cylinder, and which spurts it into the same at every stroke of the machine--very much like a fountain.
N. The injection-tap and the means to open and shut it, worked by:
O. A catch-arm, in the shape of a F, which is moved up and down by the movements of the machine.
P. The balance which opens in the same way the regulator or communication-pipe between the boiler and the cylinder.
Q. A beam called the ladder attached by a chain to a quadrant at the side of the great beam and consequently following the vertical movements of the beam, thus opening and shutting the regulator by means of the balance, and the injection tap by means of three adjustable iron pins. When the steam is rushing into the cylinder and pressing the great beam upwards, one of these pins catches that part of the balance which is very like a C and thus causes the steam to be shut up in the cylinder. The other iron pin in its turn presses the nether part of the balance, which consists of the handle and is very like an S, and the regulator is thereby opened and the steam allowed to rush into the cylinder; the vacuum, which existed previously to this, is now instantaneously destroyed and the great beam is pushed up again, because the steam or the air, highly rarefied through the heat, presses against the bottom of the piston just as much as the atmosphere presses on the piston from above.
R. A bar with a notch that drops the so called lifting-jack F which by means of the weight attached to the other end opens the injection tap, whereupon a vacuum is again created without delay and instantaneously in the cylinder, by the cold water, spurting into the cylinder and falling back like a heavy rain, thus condensing the steam or robbing the air, highly rarefied by the heat, of its expanding power, so that it shrinks and is unable to withstand the weight of the atmosphere upon the piston, which is then hastily pressed down, whereupon the third pin shuts again the injection-tap before the regulator is reopened, and again allows the steam to enter the cylinder, in which a constant alternation of heat and cold takes place.
S. A wooden lid on the boiler, through which it is possible to get into it when necessary.
T. The sinking or waste-pipe and the valve at the end through which the injection-water and the water that may have been leaking past the edges of the piston, is drawn off.
V. A pipe for drawing off the water from the piston when it rises above the rim of the cylinder.
W. A pipe conducting water to the puffing or snifting valve.
X. A valve, called the snifting or puffing valve, because the steam expels the air which steals into the cylinder with the injection-water when it is allowed to enter the cylinder.
Y. The valve of the sinking-pipe, which is placed under the level of the water in a box of wood for the purpose of preventing air getting through the pipe into the cylinder when the water spurts out of the valve at every stroke of the machine, and a vacuum is created.
Z. A tap which furnishes the piston with water from the reservoir or water-basin G.
a.a.a.a. For great beams, each made out of 6 beams, which are firmly joined together and support the second floor. Between these the cylinder is firmly fixed.
b.c.d.e. The floor of the first story.
f. The chimney.
g. The reservoir or water-tank, which the machine constantly keeps filled with water, by means of a force-work or pump which forces water 45 feet from the water-level of the basin S up to this tank.
h.h. The great beam, 30 feet long, made of 6 pine-balks, firmly joined together, with their quadrants of oak; on one of the said quadrants within the house is a strong iron-chain 4 inches thick, on which the piston-rod is hooked fast.
i. At the other end of the beam is also a chain with a hook at the end to which is attached a fork carrying the pump-rods which are fastened and firmly locked to the fork by an iron-lock and linked to all the pump rods in the mine.
k. A portion of the circle or a quadrant on the big beam 7 1/2 feet from the axis, from which hangs a strong iron-chain, formed very much in the same way as a watch-chain, with a rod, weighing, together with the weights that are hooked on, 10 skeppund; at the end of this same rod is attached the piston-disk of the force pump.
m.m. The force pump of oak with a metal pump-barrel 8 inches in diameter.
l. The big pump with its launder which conveys the water, drawn by the machine from the mine, into the adjoining mine-lake.
m.m.m. The foundation whereupon the whole building on the mine shaft hangs and rests.
p.p.p.p. The furnace room which may be reckoned as a fourth floor.
r. The over-flow gutter and pipe from the reservoir, through which the water, which the force-work draws in abundance, is carried away, as the reservoir would else flow over and flood the house. Now remains only to describe:--firstly the power; secondly, the effect or efficacy; thirdly, the usefulness or for what purpose this our fire- and air-machine has been and can be used; and finally, fourthly, the durability of this machine compared to all other artifices.
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