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28 MARINE REVIEW AND MARINE SQUIRES AUTOMATIC FEED-WATER CONTROLLER. The Squires automatic feed-water controller, manufactured by the Strong, Carlisle & Hammond Co. of Cleveland, is the out- come of several years' experimenting and is offered to the public with a record of three years' operation on stationary boilers and for the past two seasons on the great lakes. The value of this de- vice lies in the fact that the main feed valve is handled by direct boiler pressure, making it positive in all its operations and allow- ing it to be opened to the full extent, thus making it unnecessary to carry an excess pressure of more than 10 or 15 lbs. for feeding. This is made possible by the introduction of the auxiliary valve, for the successful operation of which a movement of not over 1-64 in. is required, this motion being automatically produced by the expansion and contraction of the copper tubes composing the harp. There is a heavy cast water-column, connected at top and bottom with corresponding points of the boiler, the middle point of the column being placed at the height of the true water line. The top and bottom of the column are connected externally by a series of heavy copper tubes called the harp, the extreme ends of these tubes being connected in a straight line as shown. This connecting link contains the mechanism by which the force ex- erted by the expansion or contraction of the copper tubes is utilized. It consists of the valve B with three ports and a single seat connected to one end of the harp by the stub F, the valve | VALVE C a2 | i WL t FROM DOME OR TOP OF | Wo EIS" ML pipe mag AUXILIARY VALVEB || +iN.PIPE aN i N ------ ap -- PIPE Q_ "Wal. PIPE - VALVE E el PIPE! _%4iN_PIPE _____TRUE WATER LINE _y, RECORD. [July 2, builds up the boiler pressure again and closes the regy- ee cating off the water supply. For the sake of ce ness this action has been described as intermittent; it is found in practice, however, that the valves A and B will both remain open, and as a consequence there will be a steady, continuous feed, in- suring an extremely level waterline, accompanied by a continy- ous slight exhaust through S. The method here used of operating the regulating valve gives such delicate adjustment that af- ter the auxiliary valve has once been properly set, no further atten- tion is necessary. - With a uniform load the stroke of the pump is absolutely regular, showing that the feed-water is supplied exactly in pro- portion to the evaporation, and in such cases it has been found Section of Auxiliary Valve B. 'possible to detect almost no movement of the valve stem of the regulating valve. In such instances there is also a slight vapor- ous discharge at S, which continues at an even rate, showing that - the valve B is unseated during the entire operation of the boilers. There are but few working parts in the device, and these are so arranged as to be subjected to but little wear. The valve B being almost continu- ously open the pressure on its seat is rarely over 6 or 8 lbs. per square inch, and as it is not subjected to any injurious cutting, its life is practically unlimited. The harp is made very -- strong and rigid to withstand the stresses caused by its expansion and Toe 3, N. PIPE 'contraction, and the entire device is 70 BOILER OR BOTT ra | ek ME Bn my cusses ee permet = MAYBEPIPED TO ASH-P/T AND LOR MORE| General Diagram of the Device. seat being connected with the other end of the harp by two rods which are linked together by a turnbuckle. The port M of the valve B is connected by a pipe I with the regulating valve A, which controls the water supply from pump. Check valve and globe valve O are placed between A and the boiler as is customary. . Be - The operation of the valve B is effected as follows: Through the port H steam enters from the dome or top of the boiler. It is met by the plug P, which is 1-64 in. less in diameter than its chamber. Through this slight opening enough steam escapes (through port M) to soon build up full boiler pressure on top of the dia- phragm and close valve A. This shuts off the water supply completely. Evapora- tion continues in the boiler and the waterline falls. Steam fills a larger propor- tion of the copper harp than before and the left hand end (as shown in cut) expands still further. This exerts a pull which unseats the valve B, opening the lower port which seeds to the air. Pres- sure on the diaphragm is at once reli i S), and the valve A is opened by the spite: pe tensting Hirouan _ Communication with the pump being established, the waterli rises; the harp becomes cooled and ee the valve Bis eas and the exhaust through S ceases. The steam which seeps past Section of Regulating Valve A. MUST BE FREE FROM BACK PRESSURE || VALVE R The claims made for this device are: It is so constructed as to allow 2 a full opening of the feed valve; it will maintain a true waterline in surg- ing boilers, either marine or station- ary; it is simple in construction and as a consequence of this costs less for repairs and is less liable to get out of order; the operation of --_-- the controller being continuous, the greatest economy in coal con- sumption is obtained, because ad- justing itself, as it does, to - the varying demands for steam, it keeps in the boiler just the amount of water necessary to most advan- tageously make steam and no more. STEAMSHIP WAR MAY BE PENDING. It is announced that the Cunard line, which last week broke away from the North Atlantic conference, is selling through steer- age tickets to points on the European continent and that. the line may cut its steerage rates. This fact, in view of the recent with- drawal, has led many steamship men to believe that a rate war 1s contemplated by the Cunard company. Previous to the with- drawal of the Cunard line from the North Atlantic conference, an agreement was in effect that the British lines should have full Sway in the British and Scandinavian passenger business, leaving the continental business to the continental lines. Until the Scan- dinavian-American line entered the field, the Scandinavian busi- ness was heavy for the Cunard line, but since then the line's abate bas: fallen off, in announcing that it will take continental steerage passengers, therefore, it is supposed that the Cunard line considered that it has not got its share of the steerage business recently and intends to get it in the future. Be oa making a bid for the continental trade the Cunard line ae eee against the lines of the continental conference, Nort i a ic a the French, Red Star, Hamburg-American, oe aa a loyd and Holland-America lines. It is thought will th order to get the steerage trade away from these lines, it bcos ae for the Cunard company to offer rate induce- conference Se shoe took much trade from the lines in the eu € other lines would naturally cut to protect their ests. In that case, Steamship men say, the rate agreement between them would h : : . av circimetances: e to be winked at or altered to suit the As an indication of the bl in the efforts of coal ship coal, it may be noted that some thirty or more coal-] ockading of vessels encountered pers to move large quantities of lake ' eee on Tuesday of this wom aden vessels were awaiting places at the twelve coal docks of that port. With a holiday coming on Sat- urday it will be late into ne : ee xt are relieved of their cargoes, week before some of the vessels