ERICSSON'S CALORIC ENGINE.
DESCRIPTION
OF THIE
TRIAL EXCURSION
OF TIE
CALORIC S])IP ERICSSON
FROM
THE DAILY JOURNALS OF THE CITY OF NEW YORK.
GIDEON & Co., Printers.








ERICSSONS CALORIC ENGINE.
ARTICLES
DESCRIPTIVE OF
THE CALORIC SHIP ERICSSON,
AND
OF HER TRIAL EXCURSION
OF JANUARY 12TE, 1S8J;
TAKEN FRONM
THE DAILY JOURNALS
OF THE
CITY OF NEW YORK.
WASHINGTON:
GIDEON & CO., PRINTERS.
1853.




THE CALORIC ENGINE.
In reprinting from the New York Journals the annexed articles in
relation to the Caloric Engine and its wonderful performances on the
trial trip of the ERIcsSON, we have only to say, that no invention has
ever drawn forth a simultaneous and spontaneous expression from the
public press so satisfactory and conclusive as is given in the following
pages. It is evident from the concurrent testimony of these journals,
and from the interest and enthusiasm which they manifest at the results they have witnessed, that the importance of the invention cannot
be over-estimated, and that its success has been established by the most
triumphant demonstration on record  The work of the inventor is
complete.




THE CALORIC SHIP ERICSSON..From  the Courier and Enquirer, Wednesday mornizig,  zanuary
12, 1853.
We give a large portion of our limited space to a detailed account of
-the Caloric ship Ericsson, and of the interesting proceedings which
took place on board of her yesterday, during a trip which she made
to the lower bay. It matters little whether this vessel went one mile or
-one hundred, or whether she was propelled at the rate of two miles an
hour or twenty; the great facts to be established were, first, that an,engine of considerable power could be driven by another, a better,,cheaper, and safer motor than steam; and, second, that such an engine
could be effectively used in a vessel of sufficient size to cope with the
sea. These the trip of yesterday settled beyond a doubt or a cavil.
But when we add to these that a sea steamer (for so we still call her)
of first rate size was upon her second trial, made with unfinished en-.gines, equal to only seven-twelfths of their power, very materially inferior in size to those designed for her by the inventor, propelled against
tide and wind at the rate of nine or ten miles an hour, we record one
of the most stupendous triumphs in science and mechanics which has,ever claimed the admiration of the world.
No accurate or reliable description of the Ericsson and her engine has
been published before this morning; none which could give the reader a
just idea of the plan or working of the engine. Such could only be prepared by the aid of the inventor himself, and the minute account which
we lay before our readers this morning is made up friom information,communicated to us by Captain ERICSSON himself, and is published
with the sanction of his authority.
The name given to this engine misleads the popular conception with.-regard to it. It is not a caloric engine, if that name imply that caloric
is used as a motive power. It might be better termed an atmospheric
-gine, for it is upon the elasticity and expansiveness of the air that its
-action depends.  Caloric is in no greater sense its motive power than it
is that of the steam engine. It is the very air we breathe which propels
that enormous vessel. The inventor has seized upon the viewless
winds and compelled them to do his bidding; he has harnessed the:steeds of the air to the car of commerce. He has by twenty years
patient and thoughtful working and waiting, made the most impalpable
and innocuous element of vwhich our senses are cognizant, the mighty power which is to produce the most stupendous material effects which they can,,appreciate or the mind can project. He has diminished the danger of the
traveller by sea, and ultimately by land of the mechanic, of the engineer, of all in fact who now incur the risks of steam, to an inappreciable entity, if he have not removed them altogether. Let the memory,of the Henry Clay and the Reindeer sadden the heart but for a moment, and we shall then begin to appreciate one of the benefits which




Captain ERICSSON has bestowed upon his kind. Let the merchant.
think of a vessel whose freight decks are open from stem to stern, and
which is yet propelled with the consumption of six tons of coal in
place of the fifty used by a sea steamer, and he can then justly consider one of the particular benefits which the inventor has conferred upon
commerce. But the future opens widely before us, when we begin to.
reflect upon the revolution which this invention is to achieve in comnrnerce, the mechanic arts, and domestic life; and we are compelled to
step reluctantly thus upon the very threshhold of the subject.  Weneed not commend the matter which follows these remarks to the at —
tention of our readers, for the subject is one which has justly been an
absorbing one to all intelligent minds for some days past; but we must.
say a word in praise of the modest and dignified manner in which
Captain ERIcssoN has come before the public. He has not bowed,
save in respectful courtesy, even to the omnipotent power of the press.
He, as far as our knowledge extends, has not'sought to win the goodi
will of even its humblest member; but has gone on, silently laboring,
until his project reached a perfect development which permitted him topresent it, without fear and asking no favor, to any intelligent mind.
Such a course must commend the statements which are at last placed
before the public to an unusual share of confidence and attention. Wedetain our readers no longer fromn the following account of the
TRIAL'TRIP OF THE ERICSSON.
On Tuesday morning, about half-past nine o'clock, the Ericsson,:.
with a small party of invited guests, left her moorings in the Hudson
river, and passed down into the lower bay and returned. rl'he object
of the trip was to exhibit the working of the Caloric Engines invented:
by the gentleman whose name the vessel bears. From a detailed examination of the vessel and the engine, we have prepared the follow —
ing account:
THE VESSEL.
Of the size, strength, and model of the Ericsson, we have before
spoken, and that at a time when her timbers were uncovered and opena
to the inspection of all. Consequently it will now be only necessary
to speak of them in general terms. She is 260 feet long on deck; 40;
feet beam; 271 feet hold, and 2,200 tons burthen. She has inside
wheels, which are 32 feet in diameter, with ten feet buckets. Her timbers are of the best seasoned white oak, put together and secured in the
strongest manner. Her prow is very sharp, bearing no device; her bottom
and lines are slightly curved, and on her stern are a figure of the inventor, and two allegorical figures representing the United States and Great
Britain in the act of binding a wreath of laurels around his brow. The:
whole forming a vessel of large dimensions, of unsurpassed strength,
graceful in symmetry, perfect in her proportions, and elegant in model.
Her builders, Messrs. Perine, Patterson & Stack, may well be proud
of their work. Her equipments, aside from her engines, are worthy of
particular notice. She has two masts, brig rigged, which, with the ex



~ception of the two exhaust and two smoke pipes, rather an ornament
than otherwise, are all the obstructions on the promenade deck.
The spar deck is clear fore and aft, and on it are the dining saloon,
pantry, center-house, over the engines; rooms for officers, a library
room, smoking room, and firemen and sailors' rooms in the forecastle,
-with every necessary convenience. There are four stairways communicating with the berth deck, by one of which we may as well descend,,after simply noticing that the dining room is large, with neat and tastefully arranged furniture and excellent ventilation., The berth deck is
fitted up with sixty-four state-rooms, calculated for the accommodation.of one hundred and thirty passengers.  The construction and appointments of the state-rooms areneat, with out gaudiness; as is the ladies'
boudoir, the style of architecture of which, together with all the saloons,
is gothic, and the wood-work is painted white, with chaste gilding.
1Forward of the state-rooms are rooms for the waiters.  There is a continuous passage around this deck, which is one hundred and sixty feet
long, and also thoroughly ventilated. On the after part of the saloon,,on this deck, are closets appropriated for the ship's linen. By this arrangement, the general appearance of the saloon is improved, as it terminates in a curve.  Square or sharp corners are thus avoided, in this.as in the rest of the interior of the ship. Next in descending is the.cargo deck, which is entirely clear fore and aft, and calculated to carry
between thirteen and fourteen hundred tons of freight. The hold, fore,and aft of the engines, is also calculated for carrying freight, with the
exception of a portion of the space forward of the engines, which is
imade into a comfortable room, with 12 berths, for passengers' servants.
By this arrangement accommodations are provided for a class of persons'vho have formerly had no particular place allotted to them.
THE ENGINES.
In entering the engine room of the Ericssoz, the proportions of the
various parts of the machine, compared to the steam engine, at once;strike the eye. Instead of two close cylinders of moderate dimensions,
we behold placed over the kelsons of the ship four large cylinders, open.at the top, measuring one hundred and sixty-eight inches in diameter,
-the pistons of which contain upwards of twenty-two thousand square
inches area.
Large as these cylinders might appear, yet they are two feet less in,diameter than Captain Ericsson required to give the desired speed to the;ship. So great, however, was the opposition on the part of engineers
to cylinders of that magnitude, that he was compelled to confine himself
to those of the diameter stated. This opposition is now happily annihilated; the four cylinders of the Ericsson having been cast in succession, without the slightest accident or defect; and the skilful manufacturers, Messrs. Hogg and Delamater, now offer to furnish cylinders of
any required size, cast and turned at their own risk. All practical
limits to the extension of the power, therefore, have vanished; and caloric engines may now be constructed of more than equal power to those




of our swiftest ocean steamers. Such is the progress of the arts. What
appeared impossible a year ago, is now perfectly easy of attainments:
and thus the apparent limtits of human efforts are extended step by step.
Over these immense cylinders are inverted four other cylinders, of
one hundred and thirty-seven inches diameter, supported on columns or
brackets, resting on the upper flanges of the working cylinders, before
described. The office of these upper cylinders is that of drawing in atrnospheric air, at each stroke of these pistons, through a series of valves,
applied in the latter, which air so drawn in is forced through other
valves, with receivers placed on the top of these supply cylinders. The
atmospheric air so drawn in, after being expanded by heat, furnishes
the motive power of the machine; and the peculiar mode of heating it
is the life and soul of the invention.  The four working cylinders are
divided into pairs; one pair being placed forward of the paddle shaft,
and the other aft. The power of the working pistons is transmitted to
the.paddle shaft by means of triangular beams, supported on strong pillow blocks, firmly secured between each pair of cylinders.  These cylinders are not attached to the kelsons at their lower ends; their upper
flanges alone being secured to the frame work of the engine, which is
r-emarkably simple, and rests on six iron wrought columns placed on the
bed plates of the kelsons. The attachment of the triangular beams before
mentioned to- the crank pin of the paddle shaft, is effected by means,
of two connecting rods; one for each pair of engines, working at a meant
angle of about forty-five degrees. By this happy expedient, the centre,
shaft, which gives so much trouble to our large ocean steamers, has
been entirely obviated. The stated position of the connecting rods is
such that when the one engine passes what has been termed the dead
centre, the other one acts with full power on the crank, imparting to it.
a very uniform and steady action. The connexion between the triangular beam and the working piston consists of a single link, by which
the usual parallel motion in stealn engines is superseded.  As compared to the ordinary double marine steam engine, the working parts of'
the engines of the Ericsson present a remarkable simplicity, side levers,
cross heads, and cross tails being all dispensed with, and the liability to,
fracture and derangement greatly diminished, to say nothing of the reduced frictions consequent on this simple combination. It is difficult
to describe the imposing effect produced on witnessing the operation of'
the stupendous pistons, working as they do in full view.  Our sensation on riding up and down on these huge pistons we shall not soon for(get; and altogether we regard the machinery of the Ericsson as one of
the sublimest engineering conceptions of our tines, remarkable as they
are for bold strides in mechanics. Let it not be supposed, that owing
to the large size of the cylinders, the entire machinery occupies any
great space in the ship, as these cylinders take the place of the huge
boilers of the ocean steamer.
The heaters and furnaces for heating the air previous to its entering
the working cylinders, are placed under the latter.  Tlhe fire room  is,
located between these furnaces and the coal bunkers, which extend
along each side of the engine room under the freight deck. No theat




can therefore be communicated to the coal in these bunkers, whereby
great safety is insured, more particularly as the arrangement for admitting the cold atmospheric air to the supply cylinders is such that it circulates through these fire rooms, thus keeping them at a very low temperature.
The regenerators are attached to the side of the heaters, and rest on
the bed plates. The cold air from the receivers before mentioned is
conveyed through large connecting pipes to the regenerators, the admission being regulated by appropriate valves similar to those of steam
engines. The cold air in passing the wire discs of the regenerator becomes gradually heated; so that, before entering the heaters and moving cylinders, the temperature is nearly but not quite high enough for
working; the office of the heaters being that of supplying the small
amount of heat lost during the process of transfer at each stroke of the
piston. The main supply of heat, however, is derived from the wire
discs.
Next to the simplicity and grandeur of the machinery of the Ericsson, the observer is struck with the absence of that numerous attendance of engineers and firemen demanded in the steamship. A single
fireman on duty is all that is required to feed the fires of this caloric
ship; and we may add the extraordinary fact, that so light are his duties
and so cool the fire room, that we found him performing them in a pea
jacket. As to the engineer, his duties are confined simply to tightening the kegs and lubricating of bearings and pistons, the numerous and
important duties of the steam ship engineer, on the strict performance
of which depends the safety of all on board, being wholly dispensed
with in the caloric ship.
The great objection urged against the caloric engine in regard to the
supposed injurious effect of the high temperature upon the packings of
the working pistons, we observed to be utterly unfounded. Not only
did we find them exposed to a temperature not exceeding that of boiling water, but we found the upper ends of the working cylinders so.
cold that we could apply our hands to them without discomfort.  So,
in regard to the bottoms of the heaters, which have been supposedi
liable to be burnt out by the action of the fires, we found them removed from the flues full five feet, and acted upon by a radiating heat
only, and not in contact with the burning fuel. Any over-heating
whilst the engine is in operation appears to be impossible; the difficulty,
if any exist, being to heat them rapidly enough to counteract tile cooling effect of the air which enters at each stroke of the pistons.
Among the remarkable features of this engine we noticed that the
acting mediuml is supplied just as fast as the action of the engine requires it; unlike the steam engine, in which the pressure in the boilers
is run down by working faster than is generated.  This self-sustaining
property of the caloric engine, which is almost independent of the
firemnan at the furnace, insures a remarkable regularity of action; not
the slightest change in its speed being observable for many hours.
The caloric engine, so far from being a novel invention, the work




of a day, is the result of a whole life devoted almost exclusively to its
perfection. Nor is the machinery of the Ericsson the first of its kind
which has worked satisfactorily; two other engines on a smaller scale
having been in practical operation in this city from time to time during
the last two years, without exhibiting the slightest defect, or requiring
any repairs. Captain Ericsson, after many previous trials, constructed
his first model caloric engine in London in the year 1833. This,
although it fully proved the soundness of the grand principle it embodied, had numerous practical defects, the removal of which have
occupied the best part of his time from that period until about two
years since. In that interval he constructed some nine or ten small
engines, independently of experimental apparatus in great variety; the
whole involving an expenditure of not far from one hundred thousand
dollars. The leading feature of this remarkable engine, viz., that of
employing heat over and over again for producing motive power, when
presented by Captain Ericsson to the scientific world in 1S33, was at
first repudiated by the combined scientific wisdom of England; but
after the persevering efforts of its author to make himself heard, the
celebrated Farraday, Dr. Andrew Ure, Dr. Lardner, and others, concurred in the philosophical soundness of the plan, and readily lent
their aid in convincing others of its truth.. But, with all their science,
these men could render the inventor no aid in removing the practical
imperfections which yet clogged his beautiful conception. These his
own indomitable perseverance could alone combat and finally subdue.
The great feature of the caloric engine, that which distinguishes it
from all others, is the use of the heat, once generated, again and
again. This discovery, that the amount of mechanical force produced
does not depend upon the amount of fuel consumed, is one which
entitles the inventor to the lasting gratitude of society; and the discovery, coupled with it that heat requires no appreciable time to be transferred from one material to another, is one of the most important ever
made in physical science. The most characteristic, remarkable, and
essential part of the caloric engine depends upon this latter discovery.
It is the Regenerator; an apparatus which cools and heats the air
which is expelled from and taken into the cylinder, and does this with an
expenditure of heat which may be reduced to three degrees, but which
it is of no practical utility to reduce below thirty. This Regenerator
is formed of a series of discs of wire gauze, placed with their flat surfaces together. The size of the discs in the engine of the Ericsson is
six feet by four, thus presenting a surface of twenty-four square feet
of wire gauze, so minute that upwards of one hundred millions of
cells are formed by it, by which the air that passes and repasses through
it is subdivided almost into its original particles. These Regenerators
are the lungs of this breathing engine, and they are not unlike lungs
in their construction and action. The hot air, as it is driven through
them by the descending piston, becomes cool by the time it has reached
the outermost disc, and the cold air which rushes in to supply the place
of that which was expelled becomes heated by the time it has reached




the innermost disc, and by the same heat which the expelled air gave
out. The heat is thus imparted by the air to the Regenerator, and
imparted by the Regenerator to the air, in the fiftieth part of a second.
We need make no more explanations, tell no more wonders, about this
grand and simple invention.
PROCEEDINGS ON BOARD.
After all on board had enjoyed the amplest opportunity of examining
the engine, and when the vessel's head had been turned homeward,
Captain Ericsson explained in a simple and lucid manner the workings of the wonderfill machine which they had just seen for the first
time. After he had answered in the clearest and most conclusive
manner all possible questions, Mr. Charles A. Dana rose, and expressing in a few happy and pertinent sentences the satisfaction and
pleasure which he felt on the occasion in common with all present,
offered an informal resolution which embodied the spirit of his remarks,
and which was assented to with a hearty unanimity; but it was the
general feeling, after further conversation, that so important an event
should not be allowed to pass without a more formal and deliberate
record of the convictions of those who had had the good fortune to be
present on an occasion of such absorbing and universal interest. Those
present, therefore, organized themselves into a meeting, appointing the
Hon. Henry J. Raymond chairman, and Carlos D. Stuart secretary.
After the chairman had made a few remarks, directing the attention of
those present to the object of their organization, on motion of Mr.
Richard Grant White, seconded by Professor James J. Mapes, it was
resolved that a committee should be appointed to draft resolutions expressive of the sentiments of the meeting upon the matter before it.
Mr. White, Professor Mapes, and Freeman Hunt, esq., beingappointed such committee, reported the following resolutions, which, on
motion, were passed unanimously, and directed to'be published with
the signatures of the committee:
Resolved, That this meeting of those present upon the trial trip of
the caloric ship Ericsson is no less fully and deeply impressed with
the grave importance of the subject upon which it feels called to express
a judgment, than completely aware of'the many advantages to the
public which must arise from the now incontestable success of the invention which has to-day been put into practical operation.
Resolved, That, upon thorough examination and actual observation,
we are entirely convinced that the invention of Captain Ericsson is no,
longer of questionable practicability, but from this day takes rank with
the foremost of the great and useful inventions which the world owes
to science and genius. and that it promises to surpass in efficiency any
other adjunct to the advancement of commerce and the industrial progress of the world.
Resolved, That fronm its economy, safety, and ready applicability to
all purposes requiring motive power, the caloric engine cannot fail to
minister largely to the happiness of mankind.




Resolved, That the peculiar adaptability to sea vessels of the new
motor presented to the world by Captain Ericsson is now fully
established, and that it is likely to prove in every respect superior to
steam for such purposes.
Resolved, That the remarkable economy of fuel necessary for its
vorking, the absence of all risk from explosion, and the low temperature throughout the ship, even in the engine and fire rooms, as
satisfactorily exhibited on this trip, are among the most prominent claims
of the caloric engine to the attention of the scientific and commercial
world.
Resolved, That in his lucid, simple, and comprehensive statement
of his theory, and description of his engine, Captain Ericsson has not
only demonstrated the beautiful completeness and perfect working of
the system which he has brought, by twenty years' elaboration, to its
present commanding position before the world, but has shown a fertility
of resource, and a ready command of his vast scientific knowledge,
which hardly less entitles him to the admiration of all who heard him.
Resolved, That in the admirable construction of the Ericsson, and
the beauty of her model, and in the perfectly successful production of
so novel and remarkable an engine, Messrs. Perrine, Patterson &
Stack, her builders, and Messrs. Hogg & Delamater, her machinists,
have shown themselves worthy coadjutors in so noble a project, so
important an invention.
Resolved, That E. W. Stoughton, esq., the tried friend and legal
adviser of the inventor, with John B. Kitching, esq., and G. B. Lamar,
esq., and others, the men who have invested their capital and lent
their influence to insure the success of this great enterprise, are entitled
to the enduring gratitude of the entire social, commercial, and industrail world.                RICH'D GRANT WHITE,
JAMES J. MAPES,
FREEMAN HUNT, Committee.
On motion of Solon Robinson, esq., seconded by Erastus Brooks,
esq., it was resolved, that in addition to the names of the officers, the
proceedings should be signed by all those present on the trip; and it
being noticed that several persons had left before the meeting was
organized, it was also resolved that a committee should be appointed
to procure the names of those gentlemen who had joined in the previous
less formal expression of the opinion embodied in these resolutions.
[It is right that we should add that this committee has almost entirely
neglected to discharge its duties. —EDs.]
HENRY J. RAYMOND, Chairman.
CARLOS D. STUART) Secretary.
Erastus Brooks,           H. L. Webb,
T. Rainey, Cincin., Ohio,  John Bigelow,
Alex. Jones,              Chas. A. Dana,
James L. Smith,           Robert S. Webb,
Rev. SamI'l A. Prime,     Hiram Fuller,




Robert Tomes,              William Young,
John E. Durivage, Gal.,    Robt. A. West,
Charles F. Briggs,        A. P. Cumings,
Charles Hale, Boston,     David Deans,
Henry G. Evans,           Joseph Barbelr,
John Armstrong,           Thomas Stack,
Solon Robinson,           C. L. Daboll,
J. K. Fisher,              Win. H. Hallock,
Augustus Maverick.
During the absence of the committee to draft the resolutions, the
meeting was addressed by the Hon. Henry J. Raymond, E. W.
Stoughton, esq., and T. Rainey, esq. After the adjournment, the day
being far advanced, Captain Lowber spread a cold collation before such
of his guests as still remained, and, as might have been expected,.
toasts were proposed, and heartily drunk, in honor of Captain Ericsson, the enterprising proprietors of the vessel, Captain Lowber, and
others present. Mr. Stoughton, Professor Mapes, and Mr. Raymond
made some very happy remarks upon the occasion; and Captain Lowber, in acknowledging the toast in his honor, said:
"I offer you, sir, my thanks for your very kind sentiments, and to
you, gentlemen, my most heartfelt acknowledgments for this graciou.
reception of the proposal of my health to them. The hoarse voice of
the sailor is more accustomed to contend with the roar and tumult of
the wind and waves than to do duty on such an occasion as this; and
yet, gentlemen, I should do injustice to you and my own feelings, did
I not congratulate you on this most auspicious day, which ensures the
success of an enterprise in which our most earnest hopes have been
Centered. I can but congratulate you upon the complete triumph of
that enterprise, and the realization of those hopes. I have stood, gentlemene, upon the deck when the elements in fury seemed about to
overwhelm the ship and obliterate mlan, yet I never looked forward to
a safe passage through such a trial with more solicitude than I have
watched the progress, and have anticipated the conclusion, of this enterprise. And when the end came, and we stood before the world in
triumph, every pulse in my firame quickened, and every artery sent
the blood through me with redoubled force. I need not say that this
is a proud day for Captain Ericsson. The mind which for twenty
years has cllerished and nurtured an idea like this, must feel more than
pride at its successful application. To him who has conceived and
executed we owe all; and it is my sincere trust that he will be fully
repaid at this day; and I doubt not that posterity will take care of a
famee that will rank with a Fulton and a Morse. I can pay, gentlemen, but a poor tribute to the father of this enterprise-the man who
furnished the sinews and reduced the ideas to a fact-the man whose
comprehensive mind encompassed its entire scope, and whose sagacious
foresight anticipated the result. Need 1 say, gentlemen, that 1 allude
to Mr. John B. Kitching?  Through opposition concealed, and sneers
-often openly expressed, he went straight on; and the end is his own




best reward, and the conscious dignity of success his best praise. And
}to those who have constructed and finished the work, they have performed their part faithfully and well. It speaks for itself, and I point
to it with pride.
" The gentlemen who constructed the hull can have the satisfaction
of knowing that a superior does not ride the waves. Gentlemen, I
will conclude with a sentiment:
1"Commerce and Justice.-Commerce, the pioneer of civilization
and the nurse of content; Justice, the handmaid. Nations and individuals alike responsible; connected, humanity must advance."
From the New York Evening Post of Wednesday, January 12.
THE ERICSSON RESPIRATOR.
We have already announced the signal success of the new motive
power discovered by Mr. Ericsson, and applied by him to the beautiful
vessel bearing his name, and we proceed to-day, in compliance with
our promise, to offer such an explanation of its principle as we hope
may prove intelligible, if not satisfactory, to our readers.
We will say, then, as preliminary to this explanation, that all the
power used in Captain Ericsson's engines is obtained from the expansion of the atmosphere by heat. He uses no water and makes no
steam, but employs the atmosphere very much as the steamers employ
water; with this difference, that instead of throwing away the heat after
it has been used as the steam engine does by condensation, he separates it from the escaping air, and used it over again in heating each
new charge of air which is supplied to his cylinders. This economy
of the heat of course results in a, corresponding economy of fuel, furnace room, and firing equipage, equal, it is supposed, to a difference,
in point of expense, of five parts in every six.
We will now give, as near as we can, the process by which this important economy is effected. We desire our figures and facts to be
understood as applying to the vessel which we visited yesterday.
The Ericsson, by carpenter's measure, rates as a 2,200 ton vessel. She is supplied with two pairs of engines, and each pair is
supplied with two "working cylinders," as they are termed, and
two "supply cylinders" inverted over them. The supply cylinders
are smaller than the working cylinders, and are filled with cold air
fromrn a reservoir over them, at every descent of the piston, which
creates a vacuum for its admission. The working cylinders, which
are immediately below the supply cylinders, and over the furnaces,
are filled by heated or rarified air, and are as much larger than the
supply cylinders as is necessary to realize the difference in force between air at its natural temperature and in a rarified state.  When the
air in the working cylinder is heated, the piston ascends and drives the
cold air out of the supply cylinder into a reservoir, where it remains
until the rarified air has exhausted its force and is expelled by the descent of the piston in the working cylinder; then, upon the ascent of
the piston again, this cold air rushes into the working cylinder, where




13
it is again rarified, and repeats the motion we have described, and multiplies the force which propels the vessel.
Before proceeding to describe the novelty of the machinery, the process by which the heat is separated from the waste air, and held in
deposite for future use, we will give a few of the more important statistics of the dimensions and capacities of the machinery we have already
described.
The diameter of each of the working cylinders is 168 inches and itsarea 22,800 square inches, about three times the area of any of thecylinders of the Collins steamers; and yet they weigh only ten tons,,
while those of the Collins steamers weigh fifteen tons.  The pressure
on these cylinders is ten pounds to the square inch, which gives an
aggregate pressure of 223,000 pounds for each cylinder. Some of our
readers may better appreciate the extent of this power if we add, what
is an ascertained fact, that a single pound of pressure upon the piston
will raise eleven tons.
The "supply cylinder" is 137 inches in diameter, and its area 14,400i
square inches.  The two pistons, the supply and the working, are
connected by eight massive wrought iron rods, which ensure a perfectly simultaneous and sympathetic motion. The power from the
piston is communicated to the crank of the paddle shaft by connecting
rods placed at an angle of forty-five degrees, and working in such a
way as to entirely dispense with the centre shaft in use in steamboats,
and obviating all inconvenience from what is technically known among:
mechanics as the -"dead centre." This appliance is also an invention
of Mr. Ericsson, and scarcely less important in its results than that
which it is our principal purpose to-day to describe; but we do not feel
at liberty to explain its principle in detail at present, as Mr. Ericsson is
desirous of securing his patent right for it in foreign countries before
exposing it to the public.  We may say of this invention, however,
that it is one which is quite sure of being as universally adopted as his.
motive power.
We will now attempt to describe the powers by which the heat is
economized.
By the side of each working cylinder is a vessel or box filled with a
collection of wire discs, like sieves, six feet by four, placed vertically
in the box. There are two hundred of these discs in each box. The
hot air on leaving the working cylinder, after performing its function by
driving the piston up, is expelled through the box of wire, which Mr.
Ericsson terms a "regenerator;" but which may be' more properly
termed a " respirator, " as our readers will perceive when they come
to appreciate its office.
In passing through the disc, the expelled air gives off all, or nearly
all, of its heat-all but about 300-to the wire, where it is held on deposite, as it were, until the process of expulsion is complete, and the valves;
open for the admission of the cold atmospheric air, which is waiting to
undergo the process of rarification.  When the valves open the cold
air rushes through the respirator, in which the heat is deposited, takes




it up, and thus enters the working cylinder almost as hot as the air which.
a moment before deposited the same heat in the reservoir, thus leaving
the furnace the moderate duty of supplying a trifling difference of only
about 30~ of temperature to the air in the working cylinder.
The capacity of these wire meshes to absorb and retain the caloric
will not be questioned by practical men when we state that the four
IC respirators " in the'" Ericsson " present a surface of over 15,000.superficial feet, while there are more than 100,000,000 of cells between the meshes. The wire in this boat is about 1-16th of an inch
in diameter, but that may be varied of course according to circumstances, as may the number of discs, both depen ding upon the amount
of heat which is sought to be deposited. The surface of wire employed
in absorbing the heat in the "Ericsson " is equal to the entire fire
surface of four of the very largest size marine steam-boilers.
By a most elaborate series of experiments, the details of which,
though exceedingly curious and instructive, we have no time to-day to
narrate, Capt. Ericsson ascertained that each particle of air occupies
just 1-30th of a second in passing quite through the disc, and in that
time undergoes a change of temperature of 4000; that is, the expelled
hot air is four hundred degrees cooler when it leaves the respirator
than when it enters it, and the cold becomes four hundred degrees
warmer when it enters the ivorking cylinder, or heating chamber, than
it was when it entered the respirator. It deserves, in this connexion,
to be borne in mind that Capt. Ericsson's patent never contemplates
a greater heat in the working cylinder than 5000. Yesterday the heat
was only about 450~.
in passing through the respirator, it is ascertained that the hot air
deposites all but about 30~ of its heat; that is, the waste or escape air
is only about 30~ warmer than when it entered the reservoir cold, and
consequently the waste heat is only about 10 per cent. on every 3000
employed, and it is this waste only which it is the function of the furnaces to repair. A greater saving might be obtained by employing a
greater number of wire discs, and some other obvious cautions, but no
practical advantage would be derived from  carrying the process of
abstraction any further.
From the New York- Evening Post of Thursday, January 13.
ERICSSON S REGENERATOR.
We gave yesterday as correct an outline as we well could, without
diagrams, of the structure of the machinery by which the " Ericsson"
is propelled, and the constitution and function of the "Regenerator,"
which is the repository of its accumulated vital forces. We showed
how, by the operation of this little machine, only ten per cent. on every.3000 of heat was wasted, and that in consequence additional heat. after
the engine was put in motion, was only required to repair this incon-;siderable waste.  We will now describe the heating apparatus.
Under each working cylinder are two furnaces, each about the size




of, if anything smaller than, the interior of an ordinary country houseoven, in which is kept up a moderate fire with anthracite coal.
The distance between the upper surface of the coals and the fire
surface of the cylinder is so great-between four and five feet-that the
heat from the coals only acts by way of radiation, there being no blaze,
and the bottom of the cylinder being entirely removed from any direct
contact with the fire.
The ordinary consumption of the four furnaces in the " Ericsson"
is six tons in twenty-four hours.  They cannot consume over seven
tons within that period. They use no blowers, nor any other artificial
auxiliaries of combustion; nor, at the highest rate of speed, will the
coal burn materially faster than when running moderately; in other
words, the cost of fuel will not increase with the speed, as in vessels
propelled by steam.
Steamers of the same tonnage as the r" Ericsson" never consume less
than fifty tons in every twenty-four hours. The Atlantic steamers take
in, for a winter voyage, twelve hundred tons. A vessel propelled by
a caloric engine, of the same tonnage, at the same rate of speed-and
unless Mr. Ericsson's whole theory be fallacious, (which no one can
believe who has seen what we saw on Tuesday,) there is no reason for
doubting that by proportionately enlarging the cylinders, an equal if
not greater speed can be obtained than any steamer has yet reachedsuch a vessel, we say, thus propelled, will require for a similar voyage
not over 140 tons of coal, or about 1,000 tons less than a steamer of
the same tonnage.
The Atlantic Steamship Companies estimate the coal for their steamers to cost them, adding the value of the space it occupies to the price
of it, $25 per ton. That makes a difference at once in the expenses of
the two vessels, resulting exclusively from the cost and transport of
fuel, of $25,000 for a single passage.
This vast bulk of coal engrosses all the best freight room in the steamships, while Captain Ericsson can stow away his 140 tons in his coal
bunkers beneath the freight deck, beside the engines, leaving all his
freight deck entirely free, and of course productive.
In this connexion it is proper to state, that the immense weight of
the coal required for the Atlantic steamers compels them to leave port
always too deep in the water, and to enter too light for their best running speed; while Mr. Ericsson's ship is no more affected by the
weight of the coal necessary for his engine, than an ordinary clipper is
affected by the fuel which it carries for consumption in the cook's
galley.
There is also an important difference between the weight of the
Ericsson's engine and steam engines of equal power.  The engine of
the Ericsson weighs about 450 tons.  The engines of our Atlantic
steamers, including the water in the boilers, which of course becomes
a part of the steamer's burthen, weigh 1,000 tons.
The power of Ericsson's engines is to be increased, not by raising
the Itemperature in the furnaces, but by enlarging the cylinders, of




16
which we shall speak presently. An enlargement of the cylinders of
course would involve an increase of weight.
But this increase would not be considerable, as the power increases
directly as the squares of the diameters of cylinders, so that by doubling
their diameters the power is increased in compound proportion. But
we need hardly say that this does not involve any proportionate increase of weight either to the cylinder or to the engine.
[Now, we have shown that the motive power of one of the first class
Atlantic steamers, at this season of the yearWeighs 1,200 + 1,000                                 2 --  2200 tons.
That of the Ericsson propeller of the same class, at the
outside    -                                         800 tons.
Difference  -     -       -      -      -   1,400 tons,
or, at the ordinary rates of freight in these steamers, an equivalent to
more than $20,000.  Add to this the cost of the extra coal, which, at
$5 per ton, would amount to say $5,000, making an aggregate difference in the expense of the motive power of over $25,000 on each passage, independent entirely of the differences in the original cost of the
machinery, and of its wear and tear and repairs, which, a slight inspection will be enough to satisfy any intelligent observer, must be in
scarcely a less proportion favorable to the Ericsson patent.
Nor is the economy of this invention, for it is an invention, or a series
of inventions, rather than a discovery, confined simply to the articles of
fuel and machinery. It does not require anything like the number of
firemen and engineers that swarm on steam vessels of a similar class.
The " Ericsson" cannot find employment for more than one engineer,
one fireman, and one coal trimmer, at a time. The engineer has little
to do except to lubricate the bearings of the machinery, and the fireman to attend four double furnaces, which require but little more attention or trouble, and no more skill, than the ordinary house furnaces
in our private dwellings.
On the other hand, the engineers, firemen, and coal trimmers of our
first-class Atlantic steamers number over fifty persons, many of whom
receive high rates of wages.
By this saving of help and equipage in directing the motive power,
one of Ericsson's ships may be fully manned by fewer persons, and of
course at less expense, than one of our clipper ships of the same tonnage.
It is worthy of special notice that, as the cylinders are fed from the
atmosphere, an opening is left all around them from the bottom of the
ship to the upper deck, through which there is a constant circulation of
fresh air down to the lowest depth of the engine room. From 50 to 70
tons weight of air are emptied into this great reservoir every hour, and
we found it as cool, standing immediately beside the fires, as upon the
main deck. In the summer this should naturally be the coolest part of
the ship.
W~e have already intimated that the power of these engines depends
upon the size of the cylinder. The original plan of the " Ericsson'




contemplated a cylinder of sixteen feet diameter, but no founder would
attempt to cast one so large, at the time the Ericsson's machinery was
building. The largest cylinder which it was then supposed could be
made was one of fourteen feet diameter, and such an one was accordingly furnished for the Ericsson, though only powerful enough for a
ship of about two-thirds her tonnage. The experience of Messrs. Hogg
& Delamater, who cast these cylinders for the Ericsson, however, has
satisfied them of the perfect practicability of casting a cylinder of twenty
feet diameter, and we heard one of the firmn state publicly, on Tuesday,
that he would guarantie as many cylinders of those dimensions as he
could have orders -for.
That, of course, settles the question as to the practicability of multiplying the power of these engines indefinitely, and, of course, the speed of
the vessels in which they may be placed. The "Ericsson," with only
about two-thirds the power which is due to her tonnage, has made ten
revolutions a minute, which is equivalent to ten miles an hour. No
attempt has yet been made to ascertain the highest speed which she is
capable of attaining with her present machinery. Nor would such an
experiment reveal anything not already demonstrated by the simple fact
that a vessel of two thousand tons burden has been propelled through
the water by an engine which consumes but six tons of coal in twenty
hours, at the rate of ten, or even nine, or eight miles an hour. It is obvious to any man of ordinary understanding that the power, and of
course the speed, may be increased almost indefinitely by enlarging the
cylinders. The formula of increase, Capt. Ericsson states, to be as the
square of the diameter.
There are many other aspects of this wonderful invention which we
should have-been glad to present to our readers; we should also have
been gratified with an opportunity of paying some more suitable tribute
to the masterly genius who has worked outthis great problem of mechanics, and to the sagacious, liberal-minded, and brave men who.stood
by him with their open purses during all his long struggle with the practical obstacles to the realization of his theory, which bristled along his
path. Some future time we hope to do our part in securing for thenm
the honor which is their due. For the present, want of time and space
both, compel us to leave the subject with the simple expression of our
conviction, that the employment of heated air as a motive power by
Capt. Ericsson, marks an era in the history of mechanism only less mo-.
mentous and revolutionary than that which commenced with the first
application of steam to a similar purpose.
F-rom the N. Y. National Democrat.
THE BREATHING SHIP.
The Evezningz Mllirror has the credit of giving the above appropriate
name to the first ship put in motion by the new:motor, developed by
the-genius and perseverance of the Americanized Swede, Capt. Erics2




son. This ship, the Ericsson, made its second experimental trip yesterday, having on board representatives of the leading journals of this
city, as also editors from Buffalo, Boston, and Cincinnati. Among the,
party, we noticed Freeman Hunt, of the Mlerchants' Magazine;
Messrs. Raymond and Maverick, of the Times; Mr. Dana, of the
Tribune; Bigelow, of the Post; White, of the Courier and Enquirer; Erastts Brooks, of the Express; West, of the Commercial; M.
S. Beach, of the Sun; Young, of the Albion; Col. Fuller, of the
Mirror; Seaver, of the Buffalo Courier; Hale, of the Boston Advertiser, and editors of the Sunday Courier, Dispatch, -c. Many other
persons, eminent in the walks of science, commerce, and the arts, were
also on board.
The Ericsson hoisted anchor at a little past nine, a. m., and was
going down the bay in fine style, as the Baltic came up. A cannon
salute and cheers from the latter vessel as she passed, were answered
by a corresponding salute from the " breathing ship."  Capt. Ericsson
was on board, the observed of all.  The vessel was under command
of Capt. Lowber, a veteran commander, too well known to the New
York press and the Amnerican public to require eulogy at our hands.
The party on board, after an hour's examination of the noble shipthan which a stronger and finer in model was never built-and its
machinery, partook of a handsomely served breakfast. After breakfast
and a further inspection of.the ship, the party assembled in the after
cabin, and listened to a brief, but clear and simple explanation, of the
principle of the caloric engine, by Capt. Ericsson, during which he
answered every sort of objection that could be raised or suggested, (and
there were skeptics on board,) and alluded somewhat to his trials in the
course of perfecting anl idea which first occupied his mind some twentyseven years ago.
We have neither space nor time this morning to report his explanations, (illustrated by a hastily constructed model,) but he triumphantly
demonstrated the perfection of his idea, in so far as machinists had
been able to answer his wants, and utterly upset every objection raised.
By the time he had concluded, the vessel had returned to the city
and anchored, having made an average of 9 miles per hour, against
wind and tide on the downward passage.
Every one on board, so far as we could learn, was thoroughly satisfied with the complete success of the Ericsson, and a unanimous expression of that satisfaction was moved by Mr. Dana, of the Tribune,
and carried. Upon suggestion, the numerous party was resolved into
a formal meeting, to give more definite expression to the sense of those
who had so fully witnessed the triumph of the greatest development of
modern times.
During the absence of the committee to draft the abovre resolutions,/,eloquent speeches were made by MJr. Stoughton, the legal counsel of
the  Breathing Ship' company, Mr. Raymond and others, in which
the doubts, ridicule, &c., which Capt. Ericsson has had to combat,
were well set forth. After this unanimous acceptance of the commit*For the resolutions, see pages 9 and 10 ante.




19
Ltee's report, the company satedown to a cold collation, at which wit,.eloquence, and champagne flowed freely. At three o'clock, the party
broke up and went on shore, proud, we are certain, that the genius of
man had been able to walk the ocean in a vast ship, propelled with
the air on which we all depend for daily life.
Compelled to be brief, we can only add, that the Ericsson measures'260 feet in length of deck, and 40 feet in breadth of beam; her depth.of hold is 27 feet, and her burthen 2,200 tons. Like the Arabia, of
the Cunard line, she has but two masts; and like our swiftest clippers,:she is extremely sharp in the prow. She has no figure-head. Her.stern presents the device of two figures, allegorical representations of
the United States and Great Britain placing a wreath around the brow
-of the inventor. She requires but 6 tons of coal in 24 hours, and but.one day and one night engineer and fireman. The work of her engi-.neer, in fact, is mainly greasing machinery, and small at that. The
Ericsson has cost about $320,000, and consiilerink her saving, in every
respect, she may, as a type of her class, be set down as at least one-third cheaper than a steam vessel of the same power and capacity.
Accidents from explosion, &c., are out of the question. The Ericsson
is furnished simply, but neatly throughout, and has as pure air, owing,to her capital ventilation, as that of the open sky. She was built by
Perrine, Patterson & Stack, and the chief capitalists engaged in her.constiuction were John B. Kitching, esq., Mr. Lamar, president of:the Bank of the Republic, and others whose names we did not learn.
These gentlemen, with Mr. Stoughton, Capt. Lowber, and others who
have, from their first examination of a working caloric engine, entered
freely and nobly into the support of Capt. Ericsson in building this magnificent trial ship, deserve the warmest praise. They have one arple
reward in living to see the'' humbug air ship" thus proudly triumphant.
It is a little curious that one of those'"blue-eyed nations of the
North," that were erst the freebooters and pirates of commerce, should
finally contribute, through Ericsson, the greatest meed to peaceful, civilized colnmerce, tle world has yet dreamed of. Ericsson has done this.
Hie has built a ship that can breathe itself over the ocean, and his prin-,ciple only needs slight extension in portions of machinery, heretofore
not possible, but now easy of access, to render the caloric ship not only
the cheapest, and the only safe from explosions, but also the fastest
-vessel on the great waters. We feel proud that the United States has
had the honor of sending forth the trial " breathing ship," and that
Captain Ericsson, a Swede by birth, is an American citizen by adoption. The New World has accepted his grand idea, and will reap the
harvest of it, giving him a fortune and a fame the world can neither
rob him of nor refuse to endorse. Sweden, with her Linnweus, Brahe,
Swedenborg, Ericsson, Tegner, Berzelius, and Lind, may well exult
over her record of genius, her illustrious names.  In ten vears, we predict, steam will be only a venerable remembrance.




From the ~New York Express of January 12.
THE USE OF A NEW ELEMENT.
The unbelieving world will hardly be prepared:for the record of the
triumph of the Ericsson ship-a vessel which has twice moved at the
rate of nine and ten miles the hour without the use of sails or steam!
There have been so many predictions of failure, so many alleged signs;
of failure, so many doubts, and so much ridicule cast upon the whole:
enterprise, that perhaps even now it requires -something akin to moral
courage to tell the world that this great enterprise has at last been sue-.
cessful.  But seeing what we have seen, and sailing on board a ship:
propelled by a new power, it would be rank injustice to tile invenbtor,.
to the capitalists who have shown confidence -in the enterprise, and to,
the public who have most to hope from the invertion, longer to doubt
success. In the beginning it;ought perhaps to be enough to state that
this Ericsson vessel has been once to:Sandy Hook:and back again, and
once, as yesterday, some twelve or thirteen miles out.and back:; that
she has made her nine anrd ten nmiles the hour; that she has;consumedB
only at the rate of six tons of coal in the twenty-four hours, and that
sheehas demonstrated the great fact, that a new motive power can be?
capplied to machinery on sea and ltand.,
Our reporter has elsewhere given,the -capacity of the new ship, which,,
by the way, is asbeautiful in her model, and as perfectin her, building,..
as she is novel in her machinery; but there: are:some things connected:
wih this enterprise which deserve a more public -notice.
In the first place, Capt. Ericsson has -perfect faith in his invention,
and the capitalists who have expended three hundred:thousand dolla.s
in bringing the experiment to perfection, have so much faith in its entire success, that they are ready to-day to -provide the ways and means.
for laying the keels of five other vessels.
In the second place. the only drawback to the complete success of
the first vessel, viz,, the doubt as to a power sufficient to make as good
time as first class steamers, will be removed by the discovery of the
means to muake cylinders of any reasonable capacity. There has hith —
erto been a limit upon this power, and cylinders of fourteen feet, which
is the size of those on board of the Ericsson ship, have before been
deemed extraordinary; but Messrs. Hogg and Delamater, machinists
in this city, are ready to build cylinders of sixteen, twenty, and twentyfour feet, which is far beyond any thing which has hitherto beenmade:.
With cylinders of sixteen feet diameter, Mr. Ericsson is sure- of obtaining all that is desirable in the way of power and.speed, and such cylinders will be put into the new ships.
For twenty years the idea of propelling vessels mainly by air hasbeen the darling object of Captain Ericsson's life; and now behold the:
full realization of his wishes. He conceived this idea in England, and
it has been realized in the United S.tates. This floating palace upon
the water is the full fruition of a long and burning hope.  Difficulties
of a practical character have from time to time arisen; but one by one




:they have been overcome, until promise has become reality. The
breathing ship, with lungs, respiratory organs, and every visible sign.of vitality, has had her day of trial, and her hour of victory.  We
think it would be wrong longer to doubt the success of the experiment,
or that there is to be a revolution in the power of locomotion.
This new ship, when wholly completed, for she is not nearly finished
in her machinery now, will make a voyage southward, and after that,probably a voyage to England; first, to convince the magnates of the
land at Washington that there is something new under the sun; and
-secondly, to show John Bull that the motto of Brother Jonathan still
is"; that something can be done as well as others."
The Ericsson is one of the most beautiful ships afloat in our waters,
Dboth as regards her model, strength, interior arrangements, and deco-,rations. Her mnodus operandi, or working power, consists, as our
readers are well aware, of the expansive qualities of air by mleans of
being heated. The arrangement of her cylinders, four in number, is..such that the air within the lower cylinder is heated to such a degree
Aas to impart twice its volume. Each of the four lower cylinders are
14 feet in diameter, under which the heat is applied, by means of
which the air expands and raises the piston; directly above these are,another set of cylinders, called supply cylinders, each about 10 feet int.diameter, the pistons of which are connected with the lower cylinders,'and rise and fall alternately with the piston of the former. The cold.air is admitted into the lower cylinder through what is called a regene-rator, which is simply a number of thicknesses of wire cloth, so packed
together, embracing a surface of 6 by 12 feet, as to measure somne 24
inches in thickness. This regenerator, or myriad of wire meshes, is.also the medium through which the heated air passes off, after having
raised the piston of the lower cylinder up, and thus opened the valves
which permitted the escape of the heated air. This regenerator ab-:sorbs, if we may so speak, the heat from the air as it passes off, and
the iron meshes, in like manner, impart a similar degree of heat to the
-cold air, which is thus made to pass from the supply into the working
For lower cylinder. A regenerator is attached to the side of each cvlin-der, and is, in many respects, the crowning point of excellence of this
invention; for, when the air once becomes heated, it not only, by its
-own expansive power, moves up a ponderous piston, but, having done
that, passes off through the regenerator, leaving nearly all its heat in
-the wire meshes, to be imparted to the cold air which is then allowed
to rush in. The amount of heat under the bottom  of the lower,cylinder necessary to produce 12 pounds pressure of air to the square
inch (the average amount of pressure intended to be used by Captain
Ericsson) is only about 380 degrees, which is furnished to all four of
these cylinders by the consumption of the trifling quantity of six tons.of coal in twenty-four hours. The appearance of the. machinery is
the most beautiful of any we have examined; and the operation of the
pistons, as they passed up and down, thus imparting power and mCo



tion to the crank and shaft, and moving a paddle-wheel on either
side, of 32 feet in diameter, ten times around in each successive minute, was a wonder that well might tax our credulity to believe in its
reality, but such was nevertheless the fact.
There was much pleasant speaking upon the occasion, which. came
at intervals on the return to the city, and after the vessel was at anchor.
Captain Ericsson delighted the company with his lucid explanations,,
accompanied by a diagram of the machinery. He had an answer for
every inquiry, and seemed to remove every doubt. The great idea of"
his invention, as explained by him, was the use of heated air over
and over again, and by this means the use of six tons of fuel was.
made to answer the purpose of fifty tons in an ordinary steamship.
The space occupied by the coal bunks in the old steamers would,
nearly cover the space occupied by the cylinders in the new ships, and.
the space now occupied by the coal bins or bunks would be nearly all
saved.
Capt. E. begged that all who had doubts would submit them, and:.
that all who had questions to put would ask them. Many were the
inquiries made, but we heard not one which did not appear to be satisfactorily responded to. Indeed, we have hever heard any thing moreclearly illustrated than the diagrams of the machinery.
At the close, and when the vessel was off Governor's island, Mr.
Dana, of the Tribune, proposed a resolution of thanks to the inventor
for the pleasure and instruction which had been imparted by his explanations. Mr. D. thought the triumph a complete one; and such, he
felt sure, was the judgment of all on board. The resolution was:
adopted with hearty unanimity.
Professor Mapes spoke of Capt. Ericsson and his invention as having done that which marked an era in the progress of natural science,,
second only in importance to that, the fame of which is identified with
the name of Isaac Newton.
E. W. Stoughton, esq., counsel for Capt. E., and the best friend of
the enterprise, also spoke in high terms of the inventor and the liberal merchants who had provided the ways and means to prosecute theenterprise. Conspicuous among their names were J. B. Kitchings,.
Mr. Lamar, President of the Bank of the Republic, Mr. Hutchings,,.
and others.
After this, a more formal meeting was announced, H. J. Raymond,.
esq., in the chair, and C. D. Stuart secretary. The chair addressed
the company at length upon the importance of the work in hand, and
the triumph of genius seen in such an enterprise. Messrs. Solon
Roberts, Stoughton, Fisher, Erastus Brooks, Jones, and others, also,
spoke favorably of the great achievement. In the mean time a committee, consisting of Messrs. White, Mapes, and Freeman Hunt, reported resolutions, &c.
We offer no elaborate report of the remarks made because they were
mainly social and private, and as nothing but an examination of the:




ship, which now lies off the Battery, can give a just conception of the
character of the machinery, we cannot well give in detail to the reader
what this vessel really is. Economy itl fuel, economy in space, economy in manual labor, and economy in the expense of machinery, are
the great things accomplished by this invention; and if there is not
enough, there is what perhaps ought to be valued more than all the
rest, economy in human life. Firemen are no longer to descend as if
to the regions below, there to be roasted alive. The engineer is not
necessary to watch a score of stove cocks and valves, upon whose regulation depends the safety of thousands of lives. Neither fire nor smoke
is seen or felt, and there is no more danger in being blown up on board
of such a vessel than in a sailing ship. Perfect safety from explosion
is certain, and perfect neatness and quiet are attainable, which is no
small consideration to those who have been kept from  crossing the
ocean by the bad odour and danger of our sea-going steamers. Instead
of the pipes belching forth their fire and smoke, and dark as the workshops of Vulcan and Pandemonium can make them, the four pipes of
the Ericsson are white as porcelain, and this is symbolical of the neatness which may be observed.
If, then, we are to cross the ocean in perfect safety without the aid
of steam or sails, and with more than four-fold economy of fuel and
room, and labor, who will not bless the name of Ericsson. Commerce
has a deep interest in this question, but the great subject of safety from
the perils of the ocean is one perhaps which we can all more fully appreciate.
Promn the Commercial Advertiser.
All on board, and there were those among them who entertained
very serious doubts of the-success of the enterprise, and were, we judge,
interested in steamships, acknowledged that every objection was proved
to be groundless, and that the thing was done. Indeed there was no
taking any other ground, seeing that we were airing, it at nine miles
an hour.
From the Evening Post.
It demonstrated that a vessel of that tonnage, and one yet larger, may
be propelled at the rate of our first class steamers, with six tons of coal
for every twenty-four hours, burned in furnaces which could not be
forced to consume more than seven, that being about one-sixth of the
amount required for vessels of the same class propelled by steam.
It also demonstrated that the furnaces and engines could be managed
with one-fifth the amount of help required for steamers, without any
risk from explosion, at very trifling cost for wear and tear of mlachinery, originally costing only about two-thirds, at the outside, of the cost
of the condensing engines.
Capt. Ericsson on this occasion made the first explanation which he
has ever made, except to a very limited number of confidential friends,




of the principle upon which his peculiar power is obtained. It was
given with a degree of clearness and precision which, almost as much
as the ship which was under'him, demonstrated its author's genius.
Every one was satisfied and delighted, and addresses and resolutions of
the most enthusiastic character were adopted.
We trust that some scientific report of the operation of the machinery may at once be laid before the public. Whether it be or not, we
shall endeavor to give some notion of what we saw to-morrow.
Mean time, we feel that it is no presumption in us, though little conversant with machinery, to say that Captain Ericsson's success is absolute
and unconditional.
He has accomplished all he ever proposed to accomplish; he has accomplished all which he has been esteemed a visionary for attempting.
14om the N. Y. Mirror of Wednesday evening', Jan. 12, 1853.
THE BREATHING SHIP.
But a few centuries ago the Scandinavian, from his barbarous empire
on the north seas, was a freebooter of commerce, a piratical sea-king,
plundering surrounding nations and tribes at will. Many a heavy and
bloody blow he gave our own fatherland. His rude galleys braved the
stormiest coasts, and he shouted his battle song defiant to the world.
What a change! The freebooter is become in time one of the bravest
and proudest in the path of peaceful commerce, and in the development
of world-blessing science and art. To atone for the devastations of the
Sigdurds and Erics of other days, one Eric's-son, in our day, has given
to the descendants of the nation his forefathers plundered, the noblest
and grandest agent yet applied to facilitate the enterprise, abbreviate
the labor, and increase the industrial capacity of the world.
We allude to the application of the atmosphere we breathe, as a
motive power, to propel the mightiest ships over the ocean, and, in due
time, to displace steam from its now passing empire, for all purposes
of motive power, on both sea and land. This application, almost free
of cost beyond machinery, and that one-third less expensive and bulky
than steam machinery of the same power, Captain Ericsson, the inventor of propellers, of tubular boilers for locomotives, and the builder
of some hundred steamers, has accomplished. He has completely
accomplished and triumphantly demonstrated it by a trial experiment
with a ship of 2,200 tons burthen, a magnificent craft in model and
finish, which yesterday made its second trip in our waters.
The mighty idea, after twenty-five years of patient elaboration, has
come forth from the brain of Ericsson complete, save that the machinery
is not yet finished, and its cylinders are two feet less in diameter (none.
larger could be cast at the time) than was desired to give the experimental ship the power and speed of a steamer of the same size.
We feel it a high honor to have stood on the deck of the Ericsson,




side by side with her inventor, on her first public trial trip. As the
Baltic came steaming up, dashing wreaths of foam from her prow,
and we passed her in the Ericsson, quietly breathing her course down
the bay, we felt our pulses leap, and our heart thrill, with a proud
sense that, brave as steam might be, we had a braver and safer steed,
and that the large glory of Fulton was at length eclipsed by the star of
Ericsson.
The Baltic boomed forth her cannon, and an eager crowd lining her
decks watching our strange ship, without sign of smoke, steam, or sail,
made the air ring again and again with their cheers. Our cannon and
shouts responded. The steamer passed inland, as though conscious of
her coming fate; while the "breathing ship," quietly contracting and
expanding her lungs, passed seaward, as though she, too, was conscious of her opening and magnificent destiny.
We are proud to have been one of the party, numbering about one
hundred representatives of art, science, invention, and the press, who
yesterday witnessed the perfect triumph of Captain Ericsson's "breathing ship."  Skepticism has no longer a loop to hang a doubt on.
Ericsson has demonstrated his problem; he has breathed a ship, by
force of atmospheric pressure, nine miles an hour, against wind and
tide. The thing is done, we saw it done, and it will continue to be
done, only more rapidly, until something safer, purer, and cheaper
than God's air can be found.
We shall give no elaborate report of yesterday's triumph trip of the
Ericsson. The party went on board of her at 9 a. mn., and she breathed
down the bay, and back again, passing the incominig Baltic, as we have
said, and at half-past 12 her trip was complete. Enough for her
triumph, and for the triumph of her inventor, Captain Ericsson, her
commander, Captain Lowber, and the capitalists and counsel, Messrs.
Kitching, Lamar, Hutchings, Stoughton, &c., who have nobly forwarded the experiment, that she averaged nine miles an hour, half of'the time against wind and tide, and laboring under the disadvantage
of unfinished machinery, and imperfect cylinders.
The success could not have been more glorious and perfect. It was
sufficient triumph too for her builders, Perrine, Patterson and Stack,
and her engine makers, Hogg and Delamater. A nobler or stronger
ship does not float, and more simple, ingenious, aind perfect machinery
could not be desired. During the trip, after an examination of all parts
of the ship, the company sat down to a handsomely served breakfast.
Immediately thereafter Capt. Ericsson assembled the party in the
after cabin, and, with the aid of a simple diagram, explained the operation of his atmospheric engine, meeting and confuting every possible objection that could be raised. He courted objections.  We give
a glance at his most interesting explanation.
Mr. E. said the chief principle involved in the operation of this engine was that of using the same heat over and over again. This was
effected in a very simple way, through the intervention of what is
~ called a "regenerator" between the valves anid cylinder, which is no



26
thing more or less than a mass of?yth inch wire compactly interwoven,
the whole containing 24 square feet. Upon the heated air passing
through this, the caloric is absorbed, and the cold air, in returning, is
again heated nearly enough to continue the motion of the engine. Seventy-five tons of air are drawn through the 100,000,000 meshes of the wire
each hour. The resistance to its passage is almost imperceptible.  In its
passage through the meshes the air is instantaneously heated to 4000,
as rapid as the electric flash. The wires are not oxidized by the process.
There is a pair of cylinders on either side of the shaft, each composed
of two sections; the upper, called the supply cylinder, which is 137 inches in diameter, and the lower, or working cylinder, having a diameter of 168 inches, or 14 feet.  The atmospheric air is admitted fromn
above in what is termed the receiver, and circulates between the two
sections through side pipes, in which is the "regenerator."  Consequently, the pressure above and below, leaving out of view the increased area of the working cylinder, is the same. A pair of these
cylinders is placed each side of the shaft.  The power can be increased
by enlarging the diameter of the cylinder. It was originally intended
to have the cylinders of the Ericsson 16 feet in diameter, instead of 14,
as at present, but it was thought to be impossible to make them. The
increased size would nearly double the power, and give a speed equal
to that of any ocean steamer.
Twelve pounds pressure is used to the square inch, and this cannot
be exceeded without increasing the temperature, which is objectionable. The furnace'fires are five feet from the bottom of the cylinder.
One of these furnace bottoms will last five years. Anthracite is the
best fuel, as it makes no flame. The cylinder above the fires is 1I
inch in thickness, but is so arched as to have great strength.  Even
were it to break, the contents of the cylinder would pass off harmlessly.
There is consequently no expensive steam boiler to be frequently renewed, and no liability to explosion. If the engineer got asleep, the
engine would only stop.
The engine in the E. is of 600 horse power, and not more than 7
tons of coal per day can possibly be consumed. In a steamship of the
same power 60 tons per day would be a low calculation.  Mr. Ericsson stated further, that this ship was started before she was finished,
because it was said to be a dead failure, and the effect was prejudicial
to the interests of those concerned with him in the enterprise. But the
results had far exceeded his anticipations. But half a pound to the
square inch was necessary to start the engines. The weight of the
crank alone was sufficient to do this.
As to the comparative expense of running a breathing ship at a high
or low rate of speed, Mr. E. stated that it was about as cheap, as far as
the engine was concerned, to run ten miles per hour as less.
Mr. E. then proceeded to answer various objections which had been
urged' relative to the "packing" and "oxidation" of the cylinder, &c.,
which lie did to the satisfaction of all; and individuals, who had pre



27
vionsly been incredulous as to the probable success of the Ericsson,
acknowledged that all doubt on their part was dissipated. Mr. Ericsson stated thatffor twenty-five years he had been maturing this invention. Many difficulties had presented themselves, but time only was
required to remove them. Prof. Faraday, Alex. Ure, and others, had
long since predicted its success, and he now saw no practical defect in
the engine. It would last much longer than the ship-the cylinder
bottom was the only part that could wear out.
The current expense of running it he had not estimated, but the dif —
ference would be not more than one-fifth compared with the steam
engine. The original cost of the engine would also be less. He was
quite certain that it would ultimately be applied to locomotion on land,
and to various domestic purposes. Its simplicity is one of its most valuable qualities, the number of parts being not more than I to 20 cornpared with those of the steam engine. The wheels are 32 feet in
diameter; the buckets 101- long and 20 inches wide. They are much
narrower than usual, but placed closer together. They leave the water
very easily. The stock of piston is six feet.
The engine occupies less space than the ordinary one, and is regarded as well adapted to naval vessels, as a clear space (in the E. of 10
feet) is left on either side of it, which would allow room for the management of guns. In the E., the state rooms are continued throughout
the entire length of the vessel, and number 64. There are, besides,
ample decks for freight, as but little room is required for coal.
To meet the objection, that the new motor would swelter and burn
everything on board, it is only necessary to say that, much to the
chagrin of Capt. Ericsson, it has been found necessary to heat the ship
by steam —this being the only steam used. The ventilation is as free
and pure as under the open sky. The fire-manz yesterday found a
heavy pea-jacket comfortable. Capt. E. is now making a condensing
apparatus for the conversion of salt water to fresh, during long voyages,
for washing, drinking, &c., capable of producing from 300 to 400 galIons of pure water per day. He will thus do away; not only with
large coal-bunkers, but water tanks, and a voyage may be prolonged
to almost any desired extent.
During the trip yesterday but one fireman and one engineer were
employed. The duty of the former is little else than to grease the cylinder to prevent chafing, and to see that the bearings don't get hot.
Mr. E. said his appropriate name was "'greaser. "  The fireman has to
see that the coal don't burn out.
At the close of Capt. Ericsson's explanation, which elicited repeated
and hearty applause, and called forth a wish that he might be induced
to give a public lecture on the subject, Mr. Dana, of the Tribune, rose
to express the sentiments and satisfaction of the company, highly conmplimenting Capt. Ericsson and the gentlemen associated with him.
Following Mr. Dana's move, a formal expression of the sense of the
company was proposed, and a meeting was organized by appointing
H. J. Raymond to the chair and C. D. Stuart secretary.




The chair addressed the company at length upon the importance of
the work in hand, and the triumph of genius seen in such an enterprise. Messrs. Solon Robinson, Stoughton, Fisher, Erastus Brooks,
Jones, and others, also spoke favorably of the great achievement. 1n
the mean time a committee, consisting of Messrs. White, Mapes,
and Freeman Hunt, reported resolutions, which were unanimously
adopted;.
In consequence of a desire to communicate with their papers, several
-editors of evening and other journals were obliged to leave before the
final resolution, which accounts for the absence of their names.  We
regret this, and we are certain they regret it also.
At the close of these proceedings, the party sat down to a cold colla-.tion, at which eloquence, wit, and champagne circulated freely.
Speeches appropriate to the occasion were made by Erastus Brooks,.esq., Mr. Raymond, Prof. Mapes, Mr. Stoughton, the legal adviser of
the Ericsson Company, and a gentleman to whom that noble enterprise owes much, Capt. Lowber, and others.  Capt. Ericsson, responding to a personal toast, said he "could make no speech, but he could
and would thank the company, the press, and all who had aided him,
from the bottom of his heart!"  It was a right joyous and pride inspiring scene.
The "Breathing Ship" is a fixed fact. The Americanized Swede
(an adopted citizen) Capt. Ericsson, has given to the New World the
glory of initiating the new motor that is to do away with steam. High
honor to Ericsson and the New World. High honor, too, to that fair
Sweden, of the "blue-eyed nations," whose Gustavus, Charles the
Twelfth, Swedenbotg, Linnaeus, Brahe, Berzelius, Tegner, Ericsson,
and Lind. have blazoned her genius to the world, and cast a radiance
on the record of noble and immortal names.
Fromn the N. Y. Tribune, Wednesday, January 1.2.
THE NEW MOTIVE POWER.
We were present yesterday at the second trial trip of the Caloric ship
Ericsson; and are prepared to say without hesitation or reserve, and
not merely on our own judgment, but on that of every gentleman in the.company, that it proved utterly and beyond the possibility of doubt the
existence of a new motive power as sure and efficient as steam, while.it is free from all danger of accident, and is vastly cheaper and more
manageable. The demonstration is perfect. The age of Steam is
closed; the age of Caloric opens. Fulton and Watt belong to the
Past; Ericsson is the great mechanical genius of the Present and the
Future.
The caloric engine is no hasty product. Twenty-five years ago
*For the resolutions, see pages 9 and 10 of this pamphlet.




29
Ericsson conceived the idea. For twenty-five years he has been engaged: in elaborating and perfecting it. In 1833 he propounded it to the
scientific world at London. Men of the highest authority, such men-as
Farady and Brunel, pronounced it good, and predicted its triumph.
Butt there were practical difficulties. The principle was clear; not so
itsapplication. Those difficulties have had to be overcome gradually,.
one by one. Since the first model engine of five-horse power was constructed, the inventor has built some twelve or thirteen others, in each
making some improvement, removing some obstacle. Two years since
his invention was complete. No hindrance remained to be vanquished.
He- was ready to submit the new motive power to the test of trial on the,
largestscale. Fortunate beyond other great inventors, at every step he
had found means to go forward. And now came.the final demonstration.
For.that means were also found. Enlightened capitalists came forward,
and examined, and were convinced. The funds were furnished. It
was determined to bring out the machine on a scale unprecedented in
the history of inventions. The Ericsson, asplended ship-of 2,200 tons.>,
was-constructed, the machinery built and put on board. The public
trial has taken place at the earliest possible moment, if anything, too
soon.for perfect justice to the invention. Though the engine was un-.
finished and unable to perform all the work for which it is designed,
yet, as many unfavorable rumors had been put in circulation, such as
that it could not move the ship from the dock, that the wheels had to
be-turnted by hand, that it was but a vast humbug, with others of the
-same sort; in order to silence these assertions, and relieve the owners
from the sneers and imputations-to which they were subjected, as having thrown away-their money on a delusion, it was determined to anticipate the time of bringing out the ship, and to submit the caloric engine
to public inspection, even in its present imperfect state, and with the certainty that it could not exhibit its whole power.
This was first done in the trial trip of last week, when only the in-.
ventor, owners and crew, of the ship were present. Her performance on
that occasion we have recorded. Yesterday a second trial was made.'This was for the special satisfaction of the members of the press. Representatives were present from all, or nearly all, the journals of the
city, including several of the editors-in-chief of the respective papers.
The:party was taken from Whitehall at about half past 9 in a small
steamer. It was nearly 10 when the Ericsson was put in motion.
With the tide and a light breeze against her, she ran down beyond the
Narrows, a distance of some ten mniles; the tide was also against her in
returning; the run each way was accomplished in about an hour and
a quarter, making her average speed about eight miles an hour against
the tide.
The time on the passage down was spent in discussing an excellent
breakfast, and in examining the engine. The first thing in the engine
which strikes the observer, is the magnitude of the cylinders. These
are fourteen feet in diameter, six feet more than those of the
Collins' steamers.  There are four in the Ericsson, standing in a




30
fore-and-aft line; two before and two abaft the shaft, and working in
pairs upon it. From the base of the cylinders to the submit-is about
thirty feets. Each cylinder is double, consisting of what is called a
working cylinder and a supply cylinder; the latter being on top and
united with the other, though. of inferior diameter. The working cylinder has the furnace under it; in it the active force of the machine is
developed in the form of air expanded by heat. The supply cylinder
is always cold. The working cylinder is 14 feet in diameter; the piston
which plays in it has a superficies of 22,300 square inches. The supply
cylinder is 11 feet 7 inches in diameter, and the area of its piston is
14,500 square inches. These pistons are joined by powerful iron rods.
The stroke is 6 feet. On the under side of the upper piston are valves,
through which the supply of fresh air is drawn after the machine is put
in motion. Over the supply cylinder is a reservoir in which the upward, motion of the piston compresses the air, which passes in there
through valves. The connexion between the reservoir and working
cylinder is by a large pipe running from the former to the base of the
Latter. The engine is set in motion by pumping cold air into the reservoir, by hand or otherwise.
From the reservoir, through a valve at the bottom of the large connecting pipe, the compressed air is admitted into the working cylinder over
the furnace. Here it is instantly heated, and by its expansion drives up
the piston, and at the same time compresses the air in the ply cylinder,
and forces it into the reservoir. Then another valve in the connecting
pipe opens, and the hot air is let off into the atmosphere. This removes
the pressure that has driven the piston up, when its own weight brings
it down again, and the escape valve closes. Then the supply valve
opens again, and lets the cold air in over the furnace; it is heated, and
so the process goes on.
But the great feature of the invention is yet to be described. This is
the apparatus by which the main part of the heat which expands the
air in the working cylinder is saved, and made to do duty over and over
again.  This it is that produces the astonishing economy of fuel, which
is one of the great characteristics of the invention. In a steam engine
the heat is used but once; it passes away, and therefore has to be perpetually renewed. In the caloric engine it is economized. This is an
immense advantage. The apparatus is formed of iron wire, Ig of an inch
in diameter, woven into a web dense enough for the holes or meshes to
occupy half the surface. Fifty thicknesses, or disks, of this wire cloth are
used in each pipe connecting the reservoir and working cylinders. Each
disk is 6 feet long and 4 wide, and contains halfa million of meshes. They
are placed close together in the pipe, between the working cylinder and
the two valves which let in the new air and let out that which has been
used. Thus all the air which comes in passes through the meshes of the
wires, as does all that goes out. Here lies the wonder of the invention.
The heated air in going out leaves its heat in these wires, and the cold air
in comingin takesit up again. In the engines of the Ericsson the air which
comes out is but 30~ hotter than the atmosphere, though before passing




through the wires it was 384~ hotter. Even these 30~ might be saved,
says Captain Ericsson, by increasing the number of wire disks; but itis
practically unnecessary.   This apparatus is called the regenerator.
Though the principle of it is essentially the same as that of Davy's
Safety Lamp, the glory of its application to mechanical purposes is
Captain Ericsson's for ever.
As we said, there are four of these double cylinders, four working and four supply. Accordingly there are four furnaces, ingeniously
arranged, and set without any extraordinary outlay of brick, such as has
been reported. In these a'small fire is kept up with anthracite coal,
which is preferable to other fuel, because it does not blaze-only its
radiating heat is employed.  From the grate to the apex of the cylinderbottom, which is arched of course, there is a distance of five feet.  The
cylinder-bottom  is Ui inches think.  Before the engine is put in motion it may get to a brown heat, but at that distance it cannot get hotter.. As soon as the cold air is let in, it cools much below that point.
Thus there is no danger either of fusion, cracking, or oxydizing of the
cylinder-bottom, all of which have been predicted by the sceptical.  A
cylinder-bottom will last five years, as long as a steatn boiler; or if it
gives out, can be easily replaced.  The difference in the cost of replacing cylinder-bottonms and steam-boilers would, in a large ship, be
from thirty to forty thousand dollars in favor of the former.
The piston in the working cylinder is made six feet deep from top to
bottom, concave underneath to fit the cylinder-bottom, and flat at the
top. The top as well as the sides are of iron, but the space between is
filled with gypsum and charcoal, non-conductors of heat.  Thus while
the bottom has the temperature of the hot air in the cylinder, the top
is perfectly cool.  The heat there is barely sufficient to keep the tallow
used for lubrication in a fluid state, not to burn it.  In fact one can
stand upon it as it plays up and down, and many gentlemen amused
themselves yesterday by riding there. This enables the engineer at
any time to grease just the part of it which he may desire; when the
ship is careening for instance, and the friction of the piston is all on one
side, that side can be directly lubricated.  This is a point of great practical importance, which cannot be attained in a steam  engine.  Nor is
there any danger of burning the packing, for it is at the top of tile piston, and never comes within less than'six feet of the fire.
The cylinders act in pairs, and in each pair the action is reciprocating;
that is to say, as the piston goes up in one, it goes down in the other.
The pressure for which the caloric engine is calculated, is 12 lbs. per
square inch; and to obtain this it is necessary to heat the air to 3840.
By raising the air to 450~, a pressure of 15 lbs. could be obtained, but
12 is sufficient for practical purposes, and more convenient to matiage.
Capt. Ericsson is of opinion that that will be retained as the maximum
pressure by future builders of engines.  Yesterday, owing to the unfinished state of the machine, and especially of the valves, it was impossible to get more than 8 lbs. pressure.  With that, nine or ten revo..
lutions were obtained per minute.  The full number of revolutions to




be had from the Ericsson's engines is reckoned at 12, and at that rate
it is calculated that she will make from ten to twelve miles an hour.
This is the utmost that is hoped from her, and we think rather more
than will be obtained. Her engines are not powerful enough to make
her a competitor in speed with the fast Collins or Cunard steamers. For
that she must have larger cylinders. The means of increasing power
is to enlarge the diameter of the cylinders. When these engines were
built, Capt. Ericsson desired to have cylinders of sixteen feet, but no
establishment would undertake to cast them, and fourteen were the
largest he could get. Now, Messrs. Hogg & Delamater are ready to
make them of any size required, at their own risk.
The smoothness with which the engines worked w6as remarkable.
Captain Ericsson said that   lb. pressure was enough to move thenm.
The amount of friction he finds very much less than he anticipated.
The coal consumed:by the whole four furnaces is at the rate of six tons
in twenty-four hours; seven tons is the utmost limit of their consumption. The engineer and one fireman suffice to tend the whole mechanism. There is no unpleasant smell as aboutsteam machinery. There
are two smoke pipes and two pipes to carry off the escaped air. These,
pipes are twelve feet above the deck and thirty inches in diameter,
They are painted white, with a: gilt rim at the top; but there is not
smoke enough to sully them. The amount of air passing through the,
four cylinders in an hour is from fifty to seventy-five tons. This-keeps
the ship perfectly ventilated. It was cool and pleasant-in the immediate vicinity of the furnaces.
The Ericsson is a beautiful ship as she sets on the water; a lovelier
model one would not wish to see. She is 260 feet long on deck; 40
feet beam; depth of hold  27; diameter of wheel 32 feet; length of
buckets 10g-. With ballast in her, as at present, she draws 17 feet;w.ater. Her bottom is moderately sharp, and she is one of the strongest
vessels in the port. The hull was built by Messrs. Perrine, Patterson
& Stack, of Williamsburgh, and the engines by several builders, under
the oversight of Capt. Ericsson himself.
It is not necessary here to add any reflections on the consequences to
flow from this great invention. As we have already said, we do not
think the Ericsson will prove a fast ship. But the new motive power
is as well established with nine miles an hour as with ninety. Larger
cylinders will be put into other ships, and speed will be attained which
will leave steam as much behind as it is now surpassed in economy,
safety, and convenience. In this mighty revolution, the palm of honor
belongs to the inventor; but no little credit is due to the gentlemen who
have joined him in bringing out the caloric engine on such a scale, proinilnent amsong whom we may name Mdlessrs. Edwin W. Stoughton and
John B. Kitching. Nor do we desire to conceal a satisfaction which
our country men will universally feel, that the new motive power hae
been brought out in the United States.




33
From the New York Tribune, January 13, 1853.
HOT AIR AS A MOTOR.
There is no good reason for the scepticism with which the announcement of Captain Ericsson's final success is still received in some influ-.ential quarters. There is nothing essentially improbable in what he
claims, and what all intelligent men, who have examined the subject,
believe that he has accomplished. He professes to use a very simple
and well-known agency, namely, the expansive power of air, acted
upon by heat. That there is such a power no one can deny. It is as
familiar as the power of water when similarly acted upon.'We know
that steam is used to drive machinery; why, then, refuse to admit that
hot air may be used for the same purpose? Or at least why reject,
without examination, the testimony of so many judicious and coolminded men, who have looked at the matter, and affirm that the hot'air engine is actually built and ready to work, with greater cheapness
than steam, and perfect safety? Why should our great steamboat
owners and shipping merchants longer persist in the notionthat the
whole thing must be entirely a delusion?
After all, there is nothing surprising in the continued doubt. The,grander the character of a novel principle or newly discovered agency,
the more certainly do the mass of men receive it with distrust. We.accept the news of failure without hesitation, but the intimations of
success we are slow to confide in. Had the journals reported that
Captain Ericsson had abandoned the hot air engine in despair, everybody would have believed it; but when told that it is triumphant, that
it answers every glowing anticipation of its author, we doubt, and
~doubt, and refuse to be convinced, till we can refuse no longer. It is
too good to be true, is our instinctive reflection. The triumphs of'genius and science are held to be impossible till they are achieved.
We recollect that Morse's telegraph was long pronounced impossible,.and too good to be true.
The mechanism by which Captain Ericsson controls the expansive
-power of hot air is marked by all the originality and simplicity of
cgenius. As is the case with most great inventions, the wonder is not
that it should accomplish the end, but that it was not sooner hit upon.
In studying the machine, each part is found so perfectly adapted to its
purpose, discharging its function with such economy and certainty, the
principles are so clear and the arrangements so felicitous, that it seems
rather a spontaneous creation, than the product of long years of laborious thought and gradual improvement.  The supply cylinder or.great air pump, charging itself with air from the atmosphere, through
its valves, as the descending stroke of its piston leaves a vacuum; the
reservoir of compressed air kept full by the upward stroke of the same
piston; the valve that opens and allows this compressed air to rush into
the heater; the regenerator which takes the heat from the air that
-passes out, to restore it to that which goes in, thus using the same heat
3




34
over and over again; the cut-off, which intervenes at just the right mo-t
scent, closes the valve that admits the compressed air into the heater;,,
the contrivances for confining the heat to its place, and enabling engineers and firemen to work conveniently and in comfort; all these features are so beautiful, so free from complicated contrivances, and so
admirable in every respect, that it is impossible for the mind to grasp,
them in all their relations without satisfaction and delight. Here indeed is the production of masterly genius, to which science is ancillary
and nature obedient. It has lately been said that for a general to think
rapidly and wisely on the field of battle, to use every circumstance and
anticipate every consequence, amid the rustle of bullets and the horrors of carnage, is a great intellectual demonstration, and it is true.
But how much greater and nobler the intellectual action which contends with the elemental forces, and in conquering endows man with a.
new mechanical agent such as this! It is intenser, keener, more comprehensive, more sublime, more intrepid, prolonged through years and
conferring a sweeter joy, better laurels, and a more immortal fame. It.
has another merit. It is a steppingto grander inventions hereafter. It
is a new and permanent advance toward the entire dominion of man
over nature.
To Captain Ericsson personally it can be a matter of very little consequence whether the incredulity of the world is prolonged a little
further or not. He is sure that the true merits of his invention will
presently receive a universal recognition. It will be admitted for all
it is worth. Its benefits will be enjoyed, and his recompense of honorwill not be withheld. A power which by its greater cheapness supplants steam, while it is free from all danger, and can be adapted to~
perform the simplest domestic and agricultural labor, is sure of a ready
and grateful adoption.  But we should like to see a little more cordiality toward it on the part of those most largely interested in navigation and commerce.
Hot air as a motor will produce a deep and far-reaching change in
human affairs. It will enrich and emancipate the poor, without injuring any.  The revolution will be peaceful and happy, and for that
reason all the more profound and sure. But when it is fairly accom —
plished we shall not wonder at it.  It will seem only natural.  Man,
will use it as but a part of his birthright, and as the assurance of larger'
inventions and more beneficent science to come.
From the New  Yorkh Daily Times.
NAVIGATION.
TRIAL TRIP OF THEE CALORIC SHIP ERICSSON.
Complete success of the experiment.
The success of the new motor invented by Captain Ericsson was
yesterday exhibited for the first time in presence of a select company




of invited guests. By the courtesy of the inventor, the trial trip was
confided mainly to the consideration of the press of this city, and a
few gentlemen whose scientific abilities render them  amply qualified
to pronounce judgment upon a project fraught with such momentous
results. The company scarcely exceeded fifty in number, and abundant opportunity was affordedfor a minute and careful investigation
into the principles involved in the construction of the caloric engine.
The trip was most satisfactory, and its results conclusive. The success
of the new principle may be deemed certain, and there are no doubts
which can now be suggested which may not readily be removed. The
performance of the engine, during the entire trip down the bay and
returning, was such as to exceed the most sanguine anticipations of the
gentleman in whose name the vessel has made her first: appearance.
Against wind and tide, with the machinery inl but imperfect order, the
ship made ten knots an hour with ease. Her motion is steady, her
machinery compact, and her appointments superb.  Of the power
by which she is propelled we must speak at length, believing that
this first success of the principle in its practical application is to nark
a new era in navigation, and perhaps produce a speedy revolution
of the marine of the world. No mechanical event since the time of'
Fulton has promised so well for the interest of mankind as the enterprise now so happily inaugurated by Ericsson.
The Ericsson lies at anchor off the Battery, in full view of admliring
throngs, to whom she is an object of profound interest. The company
of yesterday reached her by means of a small steamer provided for the
purpose. At a few minutes past 9 o'clock, the anchor of the Ericsson
was hoisted, her head was turned to the Narrows, and we sped down
the bay at a uniform rate of ten knots against wind and tide. The
appearance of the ship at this time, as, with every thing trim and taut,
she made her first bow to the public, was remarkably attractive. The
company were all in high spirits, and the trip was agreeably accomplished. The ship, having reached a point about nine and a half
miles from the city, tacked and wore away toward her anchorage at
the Battery; the guests on board, meanwhile, doing ample justice to
the generous cheer provided by the officers. The ship again cast
anchor at noon, having accomplished the trip out and back-a distance
of nearly twenty miles-in about two hours and a half. It should be
observed that it was not intended on this occasion to exhibit the sailing
qualities of this vessel; so that this rate of speed should be considered
rather as the minimum than the maximum of her capability. Capt.
Ericsson proposed only to demonstrate at this time the possibility of
producing effective motion; a promise which he has very fully redeemed. The unavoidable imperfections of the machinery, although
trifling, are still such as to prevent any remarkable exhibition of speed.
The existence of the new power is fully demonstrable by the fact of
motion. Speed is but a secondary consideration.
On the way down the bay we had the fortune to exchange compliments with the Collins steamship Baltic, which reached port at noon,




on her return trip from  Liverpool. As the two noble vessels passed
each other, they saluted, and the welkin rang responsive to the plash
of the waves against the wheels, as the explosion of the guns and the
shouts and cheers of the passengers and guests were wafted from one
to the other. The scene was striking, and the coincidence noteworthy
and remarkable. Steam, in one of its most noble personifications,
politely doffed its hat to its new antagonist, and Caloric returned the
compliment with interest.  The meeting of the craft was an event to
-be remembered. The Ericsson sailing quietly down the Narrows,
the Baltic whizzing with all the paraphernalia and bustle of the
steamship —the one with no perceptible motive power, the other bearing
marks of hard usage, and a fight with the elements well won, but still
strong and lusty-made up an interesting tableau, which the eye
could not choose to rest upon without somewhat of a prophetic vision.
The company on board the Ericsson, availing themselves of the invitation of Capt. Ericsson and Capt. Lowber, spent an hour in examining the machinery and appointments of the ship. They descended
to the fire rooms-down small ladders, past which corpulent gentlemen
could not hope to penetrate —up impracticable landings, and through
the intricate passages of the vessel, and varied the exercise by riding
upon the head of the working cylinder of the engines, passing up and
down the cylinder with the imotion of the piston, and finding the temperature in this place-the hottest of the premises-cool and parlorlike. The sensation of a ride upon the piston of a first-class marine
engine, without damage to person or property, was certainly novel and
attractive.
Curiosity satisfied, and the minutie of the engines having been examined with satisfaction, the guests retired, by invitation, into the saloon, where Capt. Ericsson, in compliance with the generally expressed
wish of the comnpany, and in accordance with his own desire to impart
all possible information in regard to the peculiarities of his invention,
gave a very lucid and succinct explanation of the principles which he
has applied, aided by a small model of the engines. The readers of
the Daily Times have already been apprised, by former articles in our
columns, of the leading characteristics of the new motor; but the importance of the subject seems to demand, in this connexion, a still more
complete and detailed description of the mode by which the caloric
engine performs its work. We avail ourselves of Capt. Ericsson's
plain narrative to complete the sketches given before.
Capt. Ericsson, in explaining the power of his engines commenced
with the furnaces at the base of the lower pairs of cylinders, showing
that a very small quantity of fuel is requiredl, and that the attendance
of many hands is needless. To produce the power, he remarked, we
first pump into the receivers, by hand, a volume of cold air. This air,
injected by force pumps, is made to pass down a tube leading from the
supply cylinder to the working cylinder below, and enters the lower
chamber by forcing up the piston. The pistons in the cylinders having
a corresponding action, this upward motion presses more air from the




upper cylinder into the lower, and the action continues until the required elevation of the pistons is obtained. The air passing through the
regenerator of the engine, is rendered capable of that degree of expansion which is necessary to the operation of the machinery, and of which
we shall come to speak hereafter. The cylinders are peculiar in their
construction. They consist of two pairs, and are placed, not side by
side, as in the ordinary marine engine, but longitudinally in the vessel.
Into each cylinder is fitted a piston corresponding exactly to its own
diameter, but so arranged as always to operate simultaneously with the
larger piston of the working cylinder. The dimensions of these cylinders, it should be mentioned, are as follows: the working cylinders,
168 inches each in diameter; supply cylinders, 137 inches diameter;
length of stroke, six feet. The air passing through the cylinder to
produce the desired effect upon the pistons, is compelled to receive its
caloric in advance by the action of the regenerator. A series of wirenettings, placed side by side, to the thickness of twelve inches, presents
a metallic surface of 15,000 square feet, in which are contained upwards
of 100,000,000 of meshes —minute cells, through which the air is
forced, and in which it imbibes or parts with caloric to the amount of
4500.  The maximum temperature which is requisite for doubling the
volume of atmospheric air is 480~, of which 300 are afforded by the
furnace, and the residue by the regenerator.  It was ascertained by
careful experiment that air will acquire or evolve heat very rapidly
when placed in contact with a metallic surface. This action is instantaneous.  The minute subdivision of the cells attained by the construction of the regenerator of the caloric engine, produces the full
effect of this simple law of nature. As the volume of air taken in by
the action of the cylinders passes through this contrivance, it takes up
continual additions of heat, increasing in temperature as it approaches
the furnace, and when it is admitted to act upon the cylinder, it is with
such expansive force that the piston is driven up with great power, carrying with it the corresponding piston of the upper cylinder; while the
air, having performed its duty, now returns into the regenerator, is deprived of its heat, save about 300, and is ejected into the air nearly as
cold as when it entered; the loss of heat being but 300 out of 4800
previously absorbed. It will thus be observed that the loss of power is
very small, compared with that of the steam engine, where the escape
and waste of material is very great. The cylinders being connected
by a walking beam, the centre shaft of the steam engine is done away
with, and the action of the engine is reciprocating. As one pair of
pistons ascends, the other in consequence descends, and the reverse;
so that a continual reciprocating motion is given to the machinery
operated by the cylinders, producing a steady revolution of the paddle
shaft.
The explanations of Capt. Ericsson were frequently interrupted by
queries respecting important principles adopted in the construction of
the engine, a few of which we note.




Q. What are the relative degrees of heat in the upper and lower
surfaces of the regenerator?
A. The first layer of wire is very hot, but the temperature decreases
as the distance from the furnace is increased.
Q. What is the superficial area of the regenerator?
A. Six feet by four, or twenty-four square feet.
Q. What is the amount 6f resistance to the air as it passes through
the regenerator?
A. Only one-half of the space occupied by the regenerator is pierced
for the meshes. The resistance will be about one-half of an ounce to
the square inch.
Q. What is the diameter of the wire?
A. About one-sixteenth of an inch.
Qa. What is the number of meshes to the square inch?
A. About five or six.
Q. What quantity of air is taken in by the cylinders when in full
operation?
A. When the ship is under full headway, the engine making 13
strokes per minute, the cylinders take in 75 tons of air per hour.
Capt. Ericsson-resuming.  As to the objections which have been
raised to the application of this principle of heated air, I must make
some explanation. It has been objected, first, that our packing will
burn out. Now, the piston is a hollow chamber, six feet deep, filled
with plaster of Paris and charcoal, a non-conducting medium, which
prevents it from becoming so heated as to endanger any thing. The
lower side of this piston is exposed to all the heat of the furnaces, while
its upper surface is almost cold. The reason why it is so cool, is because of the non-conducting quality of the packing. So far, therefore,
from the packing being liable to burn out, it is not even hot; you may
put the hand upon any part of the cylinder.
Q. What is the method of oiling the machinery?
A. The lubrication of the pistons is easily effected by the peculiar
conformation of the cylinders. The cylinder is not hot enough to
prevent free access to any part of the piston, and the machine might
grease itself; but it so happens that the engineer has nothing to co.
[Laughter.] The engineer, in short, is nothing but the ".greaser."
[Renewed laughter.] The pistons do not chafe, and hence there is
little or no friction. If the ship careens, and it is necessary to lubricate the pistons more on one side, the engineer meets the want and
applies the remedy where it is needed. The temperature of the fire
room also, as gentlemen will have noticed, continued the Captain, is
very low. The men are now firing in their pea-jackets.
Q. What is the amount of cold air drawn into the cylinders in a
given time?
A. An average of 60 to 70 tons per hour.
Q. What is the amount of power obtained in this vessel, and at what
rate do you estimate the power of the caloric engine?




39
A. Twelve pounds to the square inch is the highest degree of presssure which we deem it advisable to employ, and even less than this is
"sufficient for ordinary purposes. As the pistons are 22,000 square
inches in area, a pressure of 10 pounds for the square inch gives
-220,000 pounds of mechanical force. If it be deemed advisable to
obtain an augmentation of force, it is only necessary to enlarge the
cylinders, and thus augment the power.  We now know that we can
make cylinders large enough to supply any want. My original calculation (added Capt. Ericsson,) was to use cylinders of 16 feet diameter,
but it was deemed impracticable to exceed at first the present dimen-,sions of 14 feet. Were I to build the engine anew, I should adhere
to my original plan, and make the larger cylinders each 16 feet. The
feasibility of the enlargement of the cylinders isnow so well established,
that a house in this city, Messrs. Hogg & Delamater, the builders of
these engines, will now engage to furnish cylinders of twentyfeet di~nameter, and to bore them at their own risk.  [Great applause.]  Were
we able to introduce cylinders of 20 feet, we should be able to surpass
anything that floats upon the ocean, and the effect of the improvement
would be extraordinary. The enlargement of the cylinders would not
cause them to occupy a much greater space in'the ship, so that there
would be no appreciable loss in room; and the larger the cylinder, it
will give more power. In other words, the power of the engine is in
proportion to the square of the diameter of the cylinders. [Applause.]
There is another objection which has been urged. It has been said
that the application of dry heat will produce the effect of burning out
the furnaces, but it is obvious to the most careless spectator that this
-can never happen, because the fire is removed to a distance of five feet
from the bottom of the cylinders, and the fuel used is anthracite. We
Adon't want flames, because we operate simply by radiated heat. We.tmight make the bottom of the cylinders red hot, but the most common
trouble is, that they cannot be made hot enough. There is a radical
difference between the caloric engine and the steam engine in this respect. The action of heat upon our cylinders produces no ill effects,
and it is only necessary to replace the furnace when it shall become
unfit for use; though that contingency occurs but rarely; whereas, in
the steam engine, in four years the boiler is destroyed, and must be"
entirely replaced. Nothing of this kind being required in this engine,
there being no boiler to be corroded, the saving is very great, perhaps
$30,000 to $40,000 every four years in a large ship. I have built
several engines since I started the plan of this, and have known some
of them to last for four years without a renewal of the furnaces.
Q. What is the thickness of the bottom of the cylinder?
A. One and a half inch.
Q. Do you find no trouble from oxydation?
A. None whatever. There is a slight red oxyde formed; but it is so.slight as to be of no trouble. The oxygen is all consumed in the fire,,and no residuum is left to occasion oxydation of the cylinders.




C. Could wood be used to fire the furnaces, as in vessels navigating
the Mississippi river?
A. Wood would hardly answer; it would consume too quickly, and.
the boats would be obliged to fall back upon coal.
Q. What amount of coal do you consume per day?
A. O)n an average, from five to six tons; it would be almost impossible to consume more than six tons. The steamships consume forty
to fifty tons daily. There is accordingly a great saving here.
Q. What is your opinion of coke as a fuel?
A. It would answer admirably.
Q. Does the extent of the power depend upon the degree of heat or
the size of the cylinder, or are both indifferently increased?
A. We increase the size of the cylinder to obtain an augmentation
of heat.
Q. How high is the power of this vessel?
A. About six hundred horse-power.
Q. Can the power be applied to small machines?
A. Undoubtedly. I made a machine a foot in diameter which ran,
with half horse-power. The principle is of easy application.
Q. In what ratio does the increase of the diameter of the cylinder
increase the power?
A. Just the same as the increased area of the piston.
Q. Are you perfectly satisfied with this trip as a first trial?
A. It has exceeded my highest anticipations.  With the lowpressure which is now employed, the engine has already effected more,
than I had any reason to anticipate.  [Cheers.]
Q. In regard to the amount of friction, what is it?
A. The amount of friction is less than that of any other engine.
Q. What amount of pressure is required to commence operations?
A. So little that a half pound pressure to the square inch is sufficient.
to give motion to the whole.
Q. What is the number of valves?
A. Thirty-six in each piston.
Q. Is it any cheaper to run at a moderate rate of speed?
A. It is somewhat so; the amount of resistance of the water beingas the square of the velocity.
Q. Is there any difficulty in keeping the piston valves in order?
A. None. If any thing gets out of order, there is a man-hole in the.
top of the supply-cylinder, so that a man goes in with a light, looks
about, remedies the evil, comes out, and shuts the door behind him,
and there is an end of it. [Laughter.]  In the steam engine, on the
contrary, whenever the valves are deranged, we must take off the head,,
weighing some five tons, then wait three hours for the engine to cool.
~Not so here.
Q. How long a time do you take to pump in the air for starting?
A. A very few minutes.
Q. What would happen if the engines were neglected?
A. The worst would be that the machinery would stop.




Q. How long since did this idea occur to you?
A. It has been cherished for twenty years. In 1833, I brought out
in IPondon my first model caloric engine, which ran with five horse
power; and since that time I have built twelve or thirteen such
machines.
Q. Do you remember the name of the British reviewer who com —
mented favorably upon your invention about that time?
A. Nearly all the English mechanical journals of the day discussed
the subject. Professor Faraday, however, and Dr. Andrew Ure, regarded my enterprises favorably. When the subject was first agitated,
it was denounced as involving, among other things, the " chimera of
perpetual motion," but experiments caused some of these doubts to be
removed. Mr. Faraday was much interested, and lectured upon the
new principle before crowded audiences at the Royal Institution. For
nearly twenty years, therefore, I have pondered on this invention.
During all this time, I have never been at a loss for means, (applause,)
and on reaching New York and making representations to your capitalists, I met with a number of merchants, supported by other gentlemen of capital, who afforded me ample opportunity of testing the caloric principle on this large scale. (Cheers.)  The thing is accomplished; there is no remaining difficulty in the way which cannot be met;
there is no doubt that cannot be answered. The principle has been
tested long enough to prove that it is reliable, feasible and successful.
(Cheers.)
Q. Will you state what is the relative cost of the caloric ship and
steamships?
4A. The cost will be about two-thirds that of the steamships; that
is, there will be a saving of one-third in expense.
Q. What is the ratio of expense as regards the employment of engineers and firemen?
A. About in the proportion of I to 5.
This ended the explanations and their accompanying colloquies.
We have sketched briefly and rapidly from recollection of the salient
points of a very interesting and instructive discussion.
An expression of the sentiments of the company seeming to be appropriate to the occasion:
Mr. Charles A. Dana, of the Tribune, made a few remarks, alluding very happily to the clearness and pointedness of the illustrations
given by Captain ERIcssoN of his new invention. The time had
come when the wants of commerce called for more safe and trustworthy
agents. The genius of Captain ERICSSON has inaugurated a revoltution in the world of business. All classes are looking anxiously forward to this event, and the world will hail the success of this important
enterprise as the commencement of a new and prosperous era in history. The Press is especially indebted to Captain ERICSSON for the opportunity he has afforded its members, not to criticise, but to examine
his wonderful invention; and the representatives of that body will cherish a gratifying recollection of the triumph.they have witnessed this
day, and the prospect which opens brightly upon the future.




Similar remarks followed from  Messrs. Solon Robinson, James 3
Mapes, H. J. Raymond, E. W. Stoughton, and others, and the guests
dispersed-only, as it afterward appeared, to reassemble in due form
for the passage of the customary resolutions which end off and smooth
the last scenes of steamer trial trips.
There can be no better place to introduce a subject which attracted
general attention in this interim  "between meetings."   The freight
deck of the Ericsson is not the least among her beauties. The method,of construction of the engine, and the small amount of fuel required to
feed the furnaces, produces a remarkable economy in the stowage capacity of the ship. The amount of freight that may be received will
be 1,400 tons.  The freight deck, strongly secured from  accidents, is
roomy and cleanly. It is perfectly clear from stem to stern, in consequence of the small space occupied by the machinery of the ship, and
affords, beside the freighting space proper, storerooms and recesses, always useful for the stowage of precious articles. The coal hold is below the freight deck, and is abundantly spacious to contain the entire
mass of fuel required for the outward and return voyages of the ship.
It is ascertained that the vessel will be able to carry her coals for the
longest trips out and back, even should the voyage be extended beyond
the customary route of our packet steamers.  The  steamships can
carry a supply sufficient only for a single trip.
Of the internal arrangements for the comfort of passengers, it is only
necessary to say that the saloons, state-rooms, and appurtenances are,of the best stamp. No ship sailing out of this port will surpass the.Ericsson in beauty and completeness of interior appointments.  Curled
hair mattresses, the daintiest of linen, with marble stands, gilt ornaiments, and carpets of the newest pattern, compose the furniture of the
state rooms.  Gothic entrances open into the cabins; the chairs and sofas
-are covered with crimson plush; the carved-work is of the most chaste,and elegant pattern; and a carpet design, representing the flag of Ameri-ca embowered in the midst of forest foliage, lends a sort of enchantment
to the understanding of the passer-by.  The saloon, forward and aft,
are heated by the customary appliances.  A neat little bi'ou is the ladies' boudoir in the after cabin —a semi-circular apartment, elegantly
finished and very retired.
The complete dimensions of the Ericsson are as follows:
Length between perpendiculars....................~............  250 feet.
Breadth of beam...............,.......................    40 feet.
Depth of hold...............................26 ft. 6 in.
Tonnage, register measure.......................1,903 tons.
Working cylinders, (diameter of each,)............       168 inches.
Working cylinders, length of stroke..................       6 feet.
Supply. cylinders, (diameter of each,)...                     137 inches.
Supply cylinders, length of stroke................ feet.
Chimneys, two in number, (diameter).............              30 inches.
Ventilating tubes, two in number, corresponding to the chimneys, (diameter,)................................................   30 inches.
Paddle wheels, (diameter).......................................  32 feet..Paddle-wheel buckets............................................   10 ft. 6 in.
The owners of the vessel are a company of gentlemen of wealth and




43
influence, among whom is John B. Kitching, esq., a prominent merchant of this city. Her builders were Messrs. Perrine, Patterson &
Stack, of Williamsburg; the engines were constructed by Messrs. Hogg
& Delarnater, of New York.
The destination of the Ericsson is yet undecided. In fact, some
time must necessarily elapse before she can be made ready for a seavoyage. We append a list of her officers, so far as they are appointed:
Captain-zA. B. LOWBER.
First Mate-HENRY C. BACON.
Second Mate-THOMAs DORSAN.
Third MIUate-JAMES H. KITCIINCG.
Surgeon-Dr. A. A. LIrNEs.
MEETING OF THE GUESTS.
At the suggestion of several gentlemen present, for the purpose of
making some more formal expression of opinion concerning the trip, a
meeting was organized, of which, on motion of Mr. Stoughton, Mr.
H. J. Raymond was appointed chairman, and C. D. Stuart, secretary.
Mr. R. G. White moved that a committee of three be appointed to prepare and report resolutions expressing the sense of the meeting. The
motion was adopted, and the chair appointed R. G. White, esq.,
Prof. J. J. Mapes, and Mr. Freeman Hunt on the committee. After
they had withdrawn for the performance of the duty assigned them, E.
W. Stoughton, esq., made some remarks upon the practical difficulties
encountered in the prosecution of this work-the objections raised, and
the ridicule indulged by various parties interested in business projects
which might be injured by the success of this invention, and the noble
manner in which a few men had come forward with money and personal aid to carry it on. Mr. Raymond made some remarks upon this
case, as an illustration of the extreme difficulty with which anything
new, no matter how true or important it may be, forces itself upon public attention, and is finally admitted into the recognised order of things;
of the vast importance of Captain Ericsson's invention; of the true nobility of character evinced by those who had faced obloquy, and risked
their wealth in carrying forward this great experiment; and of the just
appreciation by Captain Ericsson of the true function of the Press, in
not asking its judgment, or its aid, in advance of success, but in simply
soliciting-its attention to the question, after everything had been done,
and the machine constructed, whether its performances were successful or not. Erastus Brooks, esq., followed in some very felicitous remarks upon the importance of the invention to the world and the general progress of science. Several other gentlemen also spoke, until the
committee returned, and Mr. White, on its behalf, reported the following resolutions:*
The company, upon the invitation of Captain Lowber, then sat
down to a bountiful lunch which he had provided. After this had
*For resolutions, see Courier 84 Enquirer's article.




been despatched, Mr. Raymond proposed Captain Lowber's health,
speaking of him as a noble specimen of a noble class, the ship captains
of our port, and as entitled to special credit for the manliness with
which he had devoted himself to the realization of the grand idea of
this new motive power. Captain Lowber replied in a very handsome
speech, thanking the company for the honor done him, and declaring
his full conviction in the entire success and certain triumph of the caloric engine.
The health of the inventor of the Magnetic Telegraph was next
drank, which Mr. Sidney E. Morse acknowledged. Capt. Ericsson's
health came next, and was received with long and loud applause. In reply; he declared that he could not make a speech, that he should not try,
and that he had only to express his cordial thanks for the compliments
paid him. Prof. Mapes was toasted, and made a speech full of humor,
both in matter and in manner. E. W. Stoughton, esq., responded to
a complimentary toast, and in closing gave the health of those gentlemen who had so promptly and generously furnished the money for the
construction of the Ericsson.  Mr. Hutchinson, being designated as
one of the persons alluded to, said that when he was applied to by a
friend to aid this enterprise he thought but little of it, until he was told
that if the experiment should succeed there would be an end to steamboat eaxplosions. Upon that hint, he said he subscribed $10,000, feeling that any experiment which promised to put an end to the dreadfull
scenes of death by steam we are almost daily called to witn ess, deserved
to be aided by every man who had friends to love, or sympathies for
the sufferings of his fellow men. He said he had thought but little
more about it; he had paid his money cheerfully, been laughed at a
good deal by his friends, which he had borne with a good deal of philosophy, and began to think now that his turn for laughing was not very
farotff. Mr. Hutchinson's remarks were received with warm applause.
After he had concludedl, Mr. Raymond proposed his health, as that of
the Merchant who cared more for human life than for ten per cent.;
which was responded to with hearty acclamations.
Flrom the New York Daily Times of Wednesday, Jan. 12.
THE CALORIC SHIP ERICSSON.
The introduction of a new motive power into the economy of life is
an event of far more importance to the world than any political incident however startling, or however vast the interests it may seem to involve. Changes of dynasties, the transformation of civil governments,
the rearing or the razing of empires, are transitory and trifling in the
interests they affect, compared to the discovery of a new power, and its
successful introduction as an ally and an agent in that great war which
it is the mission of man evermore to wage with nature. We look,
therefore, upon those columns of this morning's Times which record




the result of yesterday's experimental trip with the caloric ship Ericsson, as announcing a more important fact than has been brought to the
knowledge of the world since the discovery of steam; the fact, namely,
that the trial was entirely satisfactory, the experiment perfectly successful, and that heated air stands by the side of evaporated water, among
the active forces by which man is hereafter to subdue nature to his
uses and his will.
If this were the expression of an opinion upon a scientific subject, it
might justly be deemed arrogant and worthless.  Comparatively few
men are competent to pronounce such judgments upon such topics;
and those are the very men who would do it with cautious hesitation.
But our task is simply to record a fact-as patent and unmistakeable
as the rising of the sun; and that fact involves the whole case.  Whene
Fulton saw the wheel of his small ship turned round by steamr, he
knew, and all who saw it with him knew, that steam as a ship-propelling power was established. How costly it would prove, how fast it
would drive a vessel, how dangerous it might be-these were minor
considerations to be settled afterwards. The fact of its power, and of
its applicability to the work of driving ships, was the great fact just then
of paramount importance to the world. Heated air has passed through
that samle ordeal, and has achieved at least an equal triumph. Forty
or fifty gentlemen-intelligent, disinterested, unprejudiced-were invited on board the Ericsson, not to give scientific opinions, nor to pronounce judgment upon scientific theories; but to look at an engine
driven by heated air, and to observe, as a matter of fact, whether it
went or not.  And it did most unquestionably go!  That immense
ship was driven against wind and tide, by machinery far from complete
or perfect in its construction, at a steady rate of ten miles an hour; and
without referring at all to anything farther, in that fact alone the principle finds its complete and triumphant vindication.  The use of caloric as a propelling power is no longer a theory-no longer an experiment; it is a fixedfact.
And yet that fact, transcendant as it is, includes but a s&mall part of
the advantages and merits of the invention. Unless we are very gteatly deceived, there can be no doubt whatever, that heated air thus applied, will be found far cheaper, and infinitely safer, than steam. O0
board the Ericsson the air is heated to a temperature of 450 degrees,
giving a working power of twelve pounds to the square inch.  This
degree of heat is maintained by the use of six tons of coal a day-without unduly heating the metal of the cylinders or furnaces-leaving the
fireman's room, amply ventilated as it is, cool and comfortable; and
with cylinders fourteen feet in diameter, giving a power equal to that
of the largest and swiftest steamer afloat.  Captain Ericsson, therefore,
proposes never to seek a higher degree of heat; but the power of the
engine can be indefinitely augmented by increasing the dimensions of
the cylinder-the power being in proportion to the square of the cylinder's diameter.  It has been pronounced impossible to construct a
cylinder 14 feet across; but as it has been done, the objection loses




weight; and Messrs. Hogg & Delamater, the builders of these engines,
declare their readiness to make, and to warrant, as many as may be
ordered twenty feet in diameter.  Any desirable increase of power,
therefore, may readily be attained by the easy process of increasing the
size of the cylinder; and that is done at comparatively slight cost
without greatly increasing the space occupied, and at a very trifling addition to the working expenses.
There are very many persons whose interests will be injuriously
affected by the introduction of this new agent.  It is natural that they
should be reluctant to believe in its feasibility; that they should be fertile in objections, distrustful of evidence, and obstinate in unbelief.
But they cannot alter the fact. Anti they will most effectually protect
at once their interests and their reputation, by adjusting themselves to
the new power and the changes it must effect, rather than by quarreling with it, and disputing its existence.  Caloric ships will very soon
take larger cargoes, at less fieight, with lower rates of insurance, than
steamers; and that process once commenced, the inevitable result will
be close at hand. For one thing alone, if there were no other to recommend it, every man living should hail the advent of this new
power with sincere rejoicing.  It is free from  danger.  Explosions
are impossible. No human life can be lost through its agency. It is
as harmless as the air we breathe.  In this fact, aside from its econorlical advantages, the world may find abundant reason to welcome its
introduction as one of the greatest boons ever conferred on the human
race.
OFrom the New York Sun of January 12.
TRIAL TRIP OF THE ERICSSON.
At nine o'clock yesterday morning some fifty or sixty gentlemen,
about half of whom are connected with the press of this city, met on
board a small steamer at the Government barge office, pier No. 1, East
river, and were thence taken to the caloric ship Ericsson, for the purpose of witnessing her performances during a short trial trip down the
bay.  The ship has already been described at some considerable length
in our columns.  She is all that could be wished for in- model and
decorations. Her graceful appearance, while at anchor or in motion,
during the last few days, has been the theme of general remark, and
the internal decorations are equally deserving of notice.  She is chastely, conveniently, and prettily, but yet not expensively, fitted up; is
calculated for comfort and use, and not for mere glitter and show.
The engines were, of course, the principal attraction to the excursionists, as they will also be to our readers, and we shall be excused for at
once entering into a partial description of them.
The advantages claimed for engines constructed on the plan and
size of the Ericsson over the steam engines in use, are



1st. A saving of from six-sevenths to seven-eighths of the fuel consumed.
2d. A saving of from four-fifths to five-sixths of the labor required in
managing.
3d. A saving of at least ninety per cent. in wear and tear.
4th. Increased facilities for examining into every part of the machinery, and correcting derangements when they occur.
5th. In simplicity of arrangement and ease of management.
6th. Perfect immunity from explosion, and additional security from
fire.
On arriving upon the Ericsson's decki and passing through the engine room while the ship was moving down the bay, our attention was
particularly drawn to the absence of all bustle or confusion among the
men employed on board. In fact, we might almost say there were no
men employed, for, save the half dozen sailors on the deck, it was a difficult matter to find one.  Those immense engines were entirely controlled and cared for by two men —one fireman and one engineer —
and they did not seem particularly busy either.
The shifting bar which starts, stops, and reverses the engines, might
easily be managed by a mere child, and that is the only part which
needs the engineer's attention. He has no try-cocks to examine, no,
water-level to keep watch of-nothing to do, except to put on the tallow or other necessary lubricating compound now and then. The fireman, too, is a man of leisure. He has eight furnaces to be looked
after, and they are by no means such ones as are ordinarily in use for
steam engines. Each of them contains a slow or dead fire, which requires renewing with coal only once in two or three hours. His cares
and labor are those of a man who has to keep eight ordinary coal stove
fires going, nothing more.
The engine-room is a model for-coolness and ventilation. The firemlan, instead of being stripped to the skin, may, and yesterday did,
work there with his pea-jacket on. The air which supplies the engine
comes down through open hatches into the engine-room, and, having
been drawn into the supply cylinder, is afterwards ejected through two
of the four pipes above the deck, the other two pipes being the smoke
pipes from the furnaces.
The machine itself was, very happily, compared to an immense
breathing monster, by some of the gentlemen on board; and the idea
is well borne out by the fact. The regenerator may be said to perform
the office of the lungs, and then we indeed have the heaving chest and
the sinewy limbs before us. Calling it a "Caloric Engine," however,
seems to us a misnomer. It is, in effect, an "atmospheric" or "air
engine," inasmuch as it is operated by means of air, as the steamengine is by steam.
And here let us turn aside to make a remark on another subject.
Some years ago the idea was broached, and to some extent experiments
were tried, of ejecting air through perforations in the hull of a vessel,
with a view to diminish the friction of the water. How far this was




successful, or " whether the game is worth the powder or not,'" we
cannot say, but if there be anything in it, Captain Ericsson might turn
his exhaust air to most excellent purpose in that direction.
The result of the trial trip as to speed is not a point of very great
importance at the present time, inasmuch as the engines cannot be considered as in anything like perfect operation. It will be quite enough
for intelligent mechanics to know that any motion at all is produced,
particularly as the cylinders are of two feet less diameter than Captain
Ericsson intended and wished they should be; it being found impossible to induce foundrymen to undertake larger ones. On starting the
engines, the number of revolutions of the wheel per minute was about
nine and a half, and during the entire trip they varied from eight and
three-quarters, to nine and three-quarters, and the speed through the
water was at the rate of between eight and nine miles per hour.
The ship left her anchorage opposite Pier No. 1, North river, and
proceeded down to the Narrows, turning about at a short distance beyond Fort Diamond, and returning to her anchorage again; being absent in all about two hours and a half. Starting on the last of the flood
tide and returning on the first of the ebb, she had tide against her both
ways, lessening her speed, (except through the water,) an average of
about one and a half or two miles per hour. The whole distance performed through the water was not far from twenty-two miles.
We can no longer call the Ericsson an experiment.  It is an establishedfact, and one which must stand out as such in all future time.
The invention, thus far, is more triumphant than that of Fulton with
his steamboat; even more triumphant, after considering the known disadvantages under which Fulton labored. The use of heated air is
not, to be sure, a new thing to inventors. Many have tried it, and one
or two have been partly successful. But this, instead of detracting
from, rather adds to, the merit of Captain Ericsson. He alone has
persevered to the end, and after twenty years of trial and experiment
has been rewarded by the fullest success. No one conversant with the
attempts and failures of most enterprises can examine the Ericsson in
all its parts, without pronouncing her the miracle of the age; for such
they must consider the construction of so large and fine a ship, complete
in all its parts, moved by a power hitherto unknown in all practical
respects. It is indeed a miracle of enterprize for any man, or set of
men, to undertake so gigantic an experiment on little more than mere
theory.  Yes, it is a triumph, and a grand one; one of which our
whole country must ever feel proud.
During the trip down the bay an excellent repast was served, a breakfast, to which full justice was done.  On the return, Captain Ericsson
very lucidly explained, with a working model and diagram, the operation of the engines, and satisfactorily replied to all the objections raised
by the company, as to the working of its different parts. During these
explanations the deepest interest was manifested by all present, and
none failed to understand fully the whole subject.
After this a meeting was organized, H. J. Raymond, esq.; in the




chair, and a committee appointed to draft resolutions. Many excellent
and timely remarks were made by Messrs. Raymond, Stoughton, (the
legal counsel, and on this occasion the representative of the proprietors
of the vessel,) Erastus Brooks, Professor Mapes, Dr. Jones, and others,
after which the following resolutions, presented by the committee
appointed for the purpose, were adopted. [See pages 9 and 10 ante.]
From the New York Herald.
THE CALORIC SHIP ERICSSON.
Successful trial trip-General description of the Ship —Another great
conzmercial enterprise.
In the great commercial and shipping circles of the world nothing
has excited more interest of late than the novel discovery and enterprise of Captain Ericsson, by which steam, as a motive power, is to
be supplanted by caloric, or heated air; and nothing but the successful
application of the actual test could remove the skepticism with which,
generally, the project has been viewed. This test has, however, at
length been furnished, and now all doubts of the practicability and
importance of the invention are dispelled. The ship Ericsson, constructed on the new principle, made her trial trip, on Tuesday morning, down the bay of New York, and from the complete triumph with
which the experiment was attended, there need now be no hesitation
in acknowledging caloric as a great natural element adapted to locomotion, destined to work a complete revolution in navigation, and to confer an inestimable benefit on mankind.
The Ericsson was put under caloric early on Tuesday morning, and
started from Williamsburg between 9 and 10 o'clock. At 9 h. 55 m.
she passed the flagstaff on Governor's Island, and at 10 h. 36 m. and
30 seconds she was abreast Fort Diamond, thus making a distance of
seven and three-eighths miles in thirty-four minutes and thirty seconds. From thence she proceeded down the bay, rounded to below
Spithead buoy at 11 h. 21 m., and there anchored in consequence of
a snow squall. She returned on Wednesday, and anchored off the
Battery at 2 o'clock in the afternoon. The distance between the stated
points on Governor's Island and Fort Diamond being accurately known
by triangulation to be seven miles six hundred and sixty yards, the
speed attained was as stated about fourteen miles an hour.  The consumption of fuel is ascertained to be only six English tons per twentyfour hours, a saving, as compared with steamships, of more than
eightyper cent. As the ship draws 16 feet 10 inches on an even keel,
this performance at a first trial has astonished all concerned in the enterprise.
The great idea which had for more than twenty years been ripening
in the brain of the inventor, but which, from the incredulity and opposition le encountered among men of capital in his own native country,
4




60
in England, and in America, he had-been unable to realize, has thus
been substantiated as a real entity. It was fortunate for Captain Erics-'
son, and for the world, that one of our own enterprising; merchants,
John B. Kitching, esq., who appreciated and relied on his talent and
genius, determined at all risks to enable him to make the experiment
on a scale worthy of the magnitude of the issue. For this purpose the
latter furnished half of the capital necessary for the enterprise, and disposed among his acquaintances of the remainder of the stock. By this
means, and regardless of expense, the clipper ship, whose first performance we have recorded. was built at the yard of; Perrine, Patterson &
Stack, and fitted up with enginery on the caloric principle, under the
immediate direction and supervision of Captain Ericsson. The vessel
measures 260' feet in length of deck, and 40 feet in, breadth of beam;
her depth of hold is 27 feet, and her burden 2,200 tons. Like the
Arabia, of the Cunard line, she has but two masts, and like our swiftest clippers, she is extremely sharp in the prow. She has no figurehead. Her stern presents the device of two figures, allegorical representations of the United States and Great Britain placing a wreath
around the brow of the inventor. She had been originally named the
Caloric, but in compliment to the genius who planned her, her name
was changed to the Ericsson. This was considered by Captain Ericsson a high tribute to himself, but the flattering device which was placed
upon the stern without his knowledge overwhelmed him with emotion,
and we are told that when he first saw it he wept like a child. The
Ericsson presents a very handsome and unique appearance, from the
four white funnels which rise some ten or twelve feet over the promenade deck, and which somewhat resemble Ionic pillars without the
capital. They are thirty inches in diameter, and are supported by
octagon pedestals, also white. Two of these columns, or pipes, carry
off the air from the engine, and the other two serve as chimneys.
Around their tops they are ornamented with gilt rings and mouldings.
These gilt ornaments are now, after ten days' firing, perfectly bright.
Entering the spar-deck, the absence of any crank hatches, and a clear
deck for two hundred feet on each side of the deck-house, attract the
eye. The berth-deck likewise presents an unbroken line, with staterooms along the entire ship, and passages between the fore and aft saloons on both sides.
As a model of naval architecture, there is not a vessel in our splendid
merchant marine that can compete with the Ericsson for graceful proportions and symmetry of build. All who have seen her concur in
the expression of admiration of this beautiful ship, and in their opinion
of her superior sailing qualities, independent of any aid from her machinery.
For obvious reasons, those interested in the undertaking have observed great caution and jealousy to prevent any knowledge of the construction of her machinery, &c., from getting abroad.  To guard
against this, portions of it were made at various places- New York,
Philadelphia, West Point, &c.-from plans and specifications furnished




51
by the inventor.  So perfect and true were his calculations, that every
piece of the machinery thus made fitted in with the utmost exactitude,
so that, to give the language of one of the persons engaged in it, a sheet
of tissue paper could not be put in between the joints.  This circumstance, in itself, speaks well for the great engineering skill of its constructor.
The same jealous caution was observed in permitting strangers on board.
The exclusion of all outsiders has been very rigidly enforced, so that
the hundreds whose curiosity brought them to visit her were forced to
content themselves with a distant inspection.  Thus, up to the present
time, no correct description of her has appeared in type; and we therefore feel confident that that which we now present to our readers in relation to this remarkable vessel, will be read with an interest proportionate to the invention, of which the Ericsson is the first embodiment.
Let the reader, therefore, accompany us as we are chaperoned throughout the ship by her gallant and polite commander, Capt. A. B. Lowber, to whose ability and experience as a navigator she has been well
confided.
Let me first show you, says our guide, the freight deck, and then we
will ascend and examine her in detail. To the freight deck, therefore,
we descended, and were pointed out its capacity, extending as it does
some 260 feet.  It is entirely free from obstruction of every kind, excepting only a space along the middle, which contains the cylinders,
enclosed within strong bulkheads. None of its room is to be devoted,
as in steamers, to the carrying of coal, which is stowed away in sufficient quantity each side of the engine. It is calculated thus to carry
1,400 tons of teas, or other light merchandise; or, if engaged in the Australia or California trade, it is well adapted for accommodating some four
or five hundred passengers. A ventilator on a new principle, and connected with the machinery, extends to this deck. About midships there
is a sort of square enclosure, which, we learned, communicated only
with the main deck, and which has been fitted up for the female servants of cabin passengers. This is a great improvement on the present plan, which makes little or no provision for this class of travellers.
We found this room neatly and comfortably furnished, with twelve or
fourteen berths, and conveniences for bandboxes and the various et
ceteras of waiting women.
From  the freight deck we ascend by a wide stairway to the main
deck. This is occupied from stem to stern by sixty state rooms; those
in the aft cabin fitted up with two berths each, and those in the forward cabin with three.  We inspected the latter portion first, and were
struck with the elegance and taste with which it was fitted up.  We
were immediately reminded of the motto, which we saw in a conspicuous position on the board, "everything in its place, and a place for everything," and we felt the conviction that this maxim was not lost sight
of in the construction and fitting up of the ship. The state rooms communicate direct with the saloon by a gothic arched door, which opens
on every two rooms. They are richly carpeted, and are lighted by
day with deck and side lights, and by night with a three-sided lamp,




so fitted in the panelling as to furnish a light at the same time to two
rooms and the saloon. These lamps are provided with a lock, and are
to be in charge of one of the employees. The berths are handsomely
fitted up; the mattresses are composed of the best curled hair; and the
bed clothes are also of the whitest and finest texture, and marked with
the word Ericsson in red letters. A marble slab wash basin and appurtenances belong to each room; and on the side opposite the berths is a
sort of day sofa, which answers the very necessary use of a receptacle
for soiled clothes and boots. A small bronzed framed mirror, with a
pivot which permits it to be turned in every direction, completes the
furniture of these apartments.  We must not forget to mention that a
fine room is also fitted up here for the accommodation of the waiters
connected with the vessel, who are obliged on other ships to stow themselves away under the tables and elsewhere.  Fourteen double berths
are provided for them, and all the conveniences of water pipes, wash
basins, mirrors, &c.
The forward cabin saloon is very handsomely furnished, and presents a chaste appearance, from the gothic style of the doors which
open into the state rooms, and from  its general decorations.  The
chairs and sofas are covered with crimson plush, and are of the neatest pattern.  The carpets are of a very rich and beautiful material,
the design representing the American flag interspersed with forest
foliage, &c. The panels are painted white, shaded with a light tinge
of purple, and decorated with gilding. The device round the cornices,
on raised gilded work, represents Neptune in his chariot, drawn by
sea monsters.  In fact, the only point of distinction between the aft
and forward cabins is, that the rooms of the latter are fitted up with an
extra berth; and if it were judged advisable to have a uniformity of
price for passage, the plan could be easily carried into execution, it
being only requisite to take aw~ay the third berth from each of the forward cabin state rooms. For the saloon, there is a steward's pantry
amidships, provided with neat delph, glass, cutlery, &c., and communicating by a dumb waiter with the kitchen.
The state rooms of the after cabin, which is merely separated from
the other by passage doors, are in no respect different, except in the
numbers of berths, from those we have just described. They range
along each side of the deck, the central space being occupied with the
machinery, to which several doors admit an entrance.  These doors
have a circular pane of glass, to allow passengers to witness the working of the machinery. A barber shop is fitted up in the state room
through which the shaft runs, the corresponding room on the opposite
side being used as a storeroom.  The saloon is larger, and furnished
perhaps in a more expensive style, than the forward cabin, but the
character of the furniture and fittings is precisely the same. This
saloon is heated by a hot air apparatus, and ventilated by the same
means as is the freight deck, except that here the ventilator is shut in
by a stained glass frame. Hot and cold air can be supplied to any
part of the vessel from the engine. The peculiar construction of the




ship, and comparatively small room occupied by the machinery, afford
an inner promenade round the whole course of the cabins, extending
some five hundred feet. On the upper deck the space between the
cabins and the side of the vessel is some twelve feet wide, extending
also round the ship.
The ladies' boudoir in the after cabin is a handsome semi-circular
apartmlent, furnished with great elegance, and richly carpeted.  It is
entered from the main saloon by two doors, on opposite sides; round
the bend of the room a sofa is arranged, with a marble slab table in
fiont of it. There are besides in the room several ottomans and luxurious arm chairs, covered with rich crimson plush, and the walls are
ornamented with mirrors. There is also a neat library fitted up in this
room, with mirror doors, the lower part of it being reserved for a medicine chest. The apartment is one of the most chaste and elegant
we have ever seen assigned to the purpose of a ship.
From  the main cabin there are four stairways to the upper deck.
Here is the dining hall for the aft cabin passengers. This is a fine
well lighted room, painted in imitation of oak, having mirrors and
windows in each alternate section of panels.  There are several bookcases in the room, which is also supplied with comfortable sofas.
Leading fromrn it forward, we come upon a small circular apartment,
containing a glass case for the ship's plate, &c., and here, also, is the
main pantry, a room for the storekeeper to issue wine, and a watertank with filter, capable of holding one hundred and five gallons.
The remainder of this deck, forward, is occupied in kitchen, steward's
rooms, officers' mess, &c.; and aft is a smoking room for the first
cabin passengers, with a fine comfortable wheel-house, in which is a
place for stowing ammunition, &c.
One of the greatest peculiarities in the fitting up of this ship is the
absence of all angularities, and one cannot but admire the skill with
which every available spot is adapted to the best use, while all arrangements are of the most regular kind. Nor in the attention to the comfort
of the passengers has the comfort and well being of the sailors and firemen been overlooked; the forecastle is neatly fitted up with berths,
water pipes, basins, mirrors, library, &c., and on the larboard side the
like accommodations have been provided for the firemen.
Having arrived thus far in our gratifying inspection of the Ericsson,
we were led to that portion assigned to the machinery. This part is
characterized by the same neatness, and exhibits the same proofs of
superior skill and management, as are observable throughout every other
part of it. Apart from the main principle, the distinguishing feature of
the engines of the Ericsson consists in dispensing with the centre shaft,
whilst at the same time two pairs of working cylinders are employed,
imparting a continuous rotary movement, as in the double marine steam
engine. The arrangement by which Captain Ericsson attains this desirable uniform action presents one of the most elegant mechanical
combinations ever produced. Each pair of working cylinders, with
their appropriate supply cylinders, are placed parallel to the ship's cen



654
tre line; one pair forward of, and the other abaft, the-paddle shaft. The
supply cylinders being inverted and placed at some distance above the
working cylinders, with their open ends presented to the open ends of
the working cylinders, a space is formed between the two, which contains a triangular lever for transmitting the vertical energy of the working
pistons to the crank of the paddle shaft by a diagonal movement.  The
mean angle of their diagonal being about forty-five degrees abaft the
vertical plane of the paddle shaft in the aft engine, and forty-five degrees forward of that place in the forward engine, it is obvious that the
forces of the two engines will be exerted nearly at right angles to each
other. Hence the double cranks, and the objectionable centre shaft of
the marine steam engine, are obviated; a single crank placed in the
middle of the caloric ship serving to transmit, in a perfect manner, the
continuous rotary motion required in turning paddle wheels for ocean
purposes. In further comparing the machinery of the Ericsson with
the double marine steam engine, it will be found that the four side levers
have disappeared; the cross heads and cross tails likewise; nor are
the four side rods to be found; and, above all, the absence of the parallel motion, with their nicely-adjusted joints and levers for converting
the curved movements into straight ones, claim attention. In place of
all these parts will be found simply a triangular lever for each engine,
with a link and connecting rod for transmitting the power of the pistons
to the crank of the paddle shaft. Again, the four huge boilers of the
ocean steamer give place to four small furnaces, erected under the working cylinders. Force-pumps, brine-pump, safety-valves, &c., and the
network of connecting pipes, which fill the bottom of the ocean steamer,
have all disappeared; and in place of gauge-cocks, brine-gauges, injection valves, &c., &c., calling for incessant vigilance on the part of
many minds and hands at once, a single handle attached to the valve
gear of the engines regulates at the will of a single mind the movements
of a caloric ship. Starting, stopping, backing, and checking being ef-fected by this single handle, without any regard to particular conditions,
so essential in working the engines of the ocean steamer. The arrangement of the caloric ship being such that the required air for the enginesfrom 50 to 70 tons weight per hour-has to pass through the fire rooms
before entering the supply cylinders, it has been found in the Ericsson
that the temperature is actually too low for the comfort of the firemen.
As an engineering achievement, the machinery of the Ericsson is
very far ahead of anything afloat. The engineer, who beholds four open
cylinders, each of 168 inches in diameter, with their pistons of upwards
of twenty-two thousand superficial inches area, moving up and down in
sight, through a space of six feet, can best appreciate the greatness of
that achievement. To the ordinary observer, the movement of the
whole machine is wonderful. And we cannot but feel extremely gratified that the caloric principle was introduced to the world on a scale so
colmmensurate with its importance, and that our metropolis has the honor
of initiating it.