ERICSSON'S CALORIC STEAM-SHIP.

Lyttelton Times, Volume III, Issue 135, 6 August 1853, Page 9

ERICSSON'S CALORIC STEAM-SHIP.

The New York correspondent of the Times communicates the following facts respecting this'subject: "The American journals seem to have united in so universal and indiscriminate a chorus of praise of the Ericsson caloric engine that I have deemed it necessary to investigate the subject with some care, and I give you the result. In a recent letter I spoke of this application of caloric as anew motive power. Such it was alleged to be, but. such it is not. Upwards of 20 years ago it was introduced into England by Caldwell, the father of the present chief engineer of the Cunard steamer Arabia. He made many practical experiments with caloric, demonstrated it to be a motive power, and finally rejected it as being- utterly incompetent to effect what had already been achieved by steam. I have not been able to find in our

libraries any record of the experiments of Caldwell in this matter ; but I have seen persons who either witnessed those experiments or were made fully aware of them twenty years ago. " Caloric, as a motive power, is not even new in this country. It was long ago tried by Bennett, a distinguished American engineer. The only important difference between his application of it and the recent application by Ericsson is the wire gauze which the latter has introduced, through which the heat passes. There are hundreds of witnesses and indubitable records to this effect. Moreover, Bennett is now constructing an engine on his own original plan, which is deemed certain to accomplish more than has yet been accomplished by the Ericsson. But, if caloric were entirely new as a motive power, and if it were an original discovery of Mr. Ericsson himself, would ,it be worth the trouble of putting in practice ? Certainly not, unless its efficiency can be developed to a much greater degree than Ericsson has been able to develope it up to the present time. " A practical inquiry here arises. How long would it take a steamer to go to England with the highest speed that was reached on the trial trip of the Ericsson, even provided the power he got could be permanently maintained? It would require at least 16 days ; but it is a very doubtful matter whether, constructed as his engine is, that power could be maintained for any considerable length of time. His ship has not yet, under the most favourable circumstances, been able to maintain in still water the power she got (at the maximum) three hours. She is represented to burn 600 lb. of coal per hour. The maximum of her speed on her last and most satisfactory trial trip was, from the showing of her friends, only about 7 miles an hour. She was gone for two hours and three quarters, and the distance steamed, as they allege, was only 18 miles. Now, unship the paddles or floats from the Ericsson, and any tugboat of 100 horse power in the port of New York would tow her faster than she has ever yet gone. " Another inquiry. In increasing her speed to reach the rate of sailing of the Baltic or the Arabia, would not the Ericsson be compelled to increase in more than a pro rata degree the consumption of fuel? For instance, we put forth 2000 horse power with three tons of coal per hour in the best marine engines of this country. If it requires but three tons per hour to put forth the -power of 2000 horses, it will require ouiy 300 pounds to put forth 100 horse power per hour. This would call for a consumption of only three tons and a half of coal per day, while Mr. Ericsson's engine, to drive the boat at the same speed, requires 600 pounds per hour, or six tons per day. I deem this to be a demonstration, and it proves that there is not as much motive power gained by the same quantity of coal on the caloric system as there is by steam. " I have thus given you the result of my investigations, and I have done so with more confidence, since I know that the most experienced American engineers and commanders of our steam ships are of the same opinion. There will be plenty of time to show that I am wrong. I might add one point, which will be found a very difficult one to get over, even conceding that what I have stated as facts are not facts, or even that my entire scope of reasoning is unsound. The Ericsson has not yet made on either of her two trial trips higher actual steaming speed than seven miles, or seven and a quarter at the outside, per hour. Now, every raarine engineer kuows that this speed can be got up with almost any engine by a very small consumption of fuel, while all engineers are equally aware that in increasing that speed the pro rata of the consumption of fuel to the speed reached is constantly increasing. "To illustrate:—A steamer which by the consumption of one ton of coal per hour easily makes ten miles, fpds it difficult by the use of double that quantity to increase her speed even 20 per cent, while, by increasing the quantity four-fold, she can, under no circumstances, attain anything like the same proportion of speed. The Cnnard or Collins steamers found that they c<>uld make 12 miles an hour with ease by the consumption of less than two tons per hour; whereas, to add one mile per hour to this speed required a consumption of almost twice that quantity of fuel. It would hardly be extravagant to say, that the fastest trips the Collins or Cunard steamers have yet made have, in every instance, cost them several thousand dollars for every hour they hare cut off frpm tfyeir pussa?

ges. Our best engineers are now prepared by actual demonstration to show that Mr. Ericsson's vessel, fine as her model is, and beautifully as her engines work, cannot, under any circumstances, no matter what amount of coal they consume, approach the speed of'our best ocean steamers. Nor could she now go to England at the highest rate of speed she has reached, carrying coal enough to get there, and leave any room for freight. If this is so, the whole thing is a humbug."

It is highly expedient that those gentlemen who are seeking the suffrages of the electors for seats in the General Assembly should be pledged, in the event of their return, to proceed to Auckland. There seems to exist but little doubt that the Governor intends convening the Assembly at that place for reasons which, he hopes, may give a preponderating influence to the Government party. It behoves the Southern Provinces to thwart this attempt by securing by every means in their power the attendance of their Representatives at Auckland ; if they do not, they will be outvoted, and the seat of Government permanently fixed at the most ineligible spot in New Zealand. We extract from the Independent some pertinent remarks on this subject. The question of raising a subscription to charter a vessel has been mooted here, and we entertain no doubt it will be entertained should our Representatives be called upon to proceed to Auckland. " The reason," says the Independent, " assigned for holding the first meeting of the General Assembly at Auckland is, that it was originally intended that the General Council should meet alternately at Wellington and Auckland, and that the Council, having been held at Wellington last, ought now to be removed to Auckland. Why Auckland and Wellington are alone to be considered in the matter we are at a loss to divine. Why should the people of Nelson, Canterbury, and Otago be put to the inconvenience of attending the Assembly at Auckland, any more than the Auckland people should attend the Assembly if convened at Otago? Anew order of things is about to,be established in New Zealand, and the most central point, for the convenience of the various settlements, should be chosen for the meeting of the General Assembly ; for we are convinced that it will be almost a matter of impossibility for members from Otago and Canterbury to attend the Assembly if it is convened at Auckland. But the intentions of Sir George Grey are so very transparent, that they will deceive no one. The members from the South will be unable to attend the Couucil if convened at Auckland, and being almost sure of getting a majority at Auckland, from the military influence at the north, Sir George would be sure to carry any measure he deemed necessary to prevent any investigation into his past administration of the affairs of this colony. It remains to be seen, whether this dodge will be tamely submitted to by the Southern Settlements. We would suggest that a subscription fund be set on foot for the purpose of defraying the extra expenses which members elected to the [Representative Assembly may be put to by attending the Council if held at Auckland. The first measure that should come under the consideration of the Assembly would be the fixing the future place of the meeting of the Council, and until that question was decided, all others ought to be deferred."