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Re: Engine and boiler went through a building fire

Posted: Tue Jun 22, 2021 5:10 am
by DetroiTug
Thats certainly an early Whitney boiler. Cylinders in the same covering with the boiler to combat thermal loss. His patent application for his ''Motorette'' steam carriage had the same configuration.

That is quite an acquisition you made, hopefully you're successful restoring it.

Ron

Re: Engine and boiler went through a building fire

Posted: Tue Jun 22, 2021 1:52 pm
by tom1356
DetroiTug wrote:
Tue Jun 22, 2021 5:10 am
Thats certainly an early Whitney boiler. Cylinders in the same covering with the boiler to combat thermal loss. His patent application for his ''Motorette'' steam carriage had the same configuration.

That is quite an acquisition you made, hopefully you're successful restoring it.

Ron
Hi Ron,

George got the idea from Sylvester Roper. Roper's car had a boiler jacketed head. So did Roper's machine shop engine.
George only made two of the triangle compound engines, both in 1900. The second one was bigger for Mauntauk.
I traded four small George Eli Whitney engines to a museum to acquire Ida F.
When she is restored I will build a replica 31 foot hull for her.
I live four house down shore from where George lived. I will steam her on the same lake George did.
I also have 1882 Olive. Named for his mother. The first marine engine George built for himself and the one he used to run his machine shop.
I also have George's pride and Joy. The small bronze triple with three different valve gear he made for MIT.

This is George in 1934 in the Ida F. in front of the store at Chase's Grove.

Re: Engine and boiler went through a building fire

Posted: Tue Jun 22, 2021 4:20 pm
by DetroiTug
"George got the idea from Sylvester Roper. Roper's car had a boiler jacketed head. So did Roper's machine shop engine.''

Keep in mind though, they weren't the only two people working with steam vehicles at that time. Only one of Ropers vehicles that I know of used the boiler jacketed cylinders, his 1863 carriage or velocipedes did not. His 1868 carriage did.

Out of all the subsequent 70 or so steam carriage makers, none of them that I know of perpetuated this design feature. Obviously it was discovered that simply insulating and cladding the cylinders yielded equal performance. It's not certain that Whitney incorporated it per his patent application, into his Motorette, as the surviving example has been altered significantly.

Whitney was a very brilliant steam man and machinist in his own right. He was a Boston tech (MIT) graduate.

Here is my current 1901 Conrad restoration status:

Re: Engine and boiler went through a building fire

Posted: Tue Jun 22, 2021 4:24 pm
by DetroiTug
One pic per post

Re: Engine and boiler went through a building fire

Posted: Tue Jun 22, 2021 8:45 pm
by tom1356
DetroiTug wrote:
Tue Jun 22, 2021 4:24 pm
One pic per post
Ron,

She is a beauty. I am a sucker for nickle plating. How long until she is done?

Best,
Tom

Re: Engine and boiler went through a building fire

Posted: Tue Jun 22, 2021 8:55 pm
by tom1356
DetroiTug wrote:
Tue Jun 22, 2021 4:20 pm

It's not certain that Whitney incorporated it per his patent application, into his Motorette, as the surviving example has been altered significantly.
He did incorporate it.
From a letter by George.

Re: Engine and boiler went through a building fire

Posted: Tue Jun 22, 2021 10:41 pm
by DetroiTug
Oh ok, my new tidbit for today, thanks for sharing that. Thats out of the steam car pioneers book by John Bacon. I read that about ten years ago and forgot that part of the Whitney letter, which I thought was the best part of that book.

Ron

Re: Engine and boiler went through a building fire

Posted: Tue Jun 22, 2021 11:20 pm
by tom1356
DetroiTug wrote:
Tue Jun 22, 2021 10:41 pm
Oh ok, my new tidbit for today, thanks for sharing that. Thats out of the steam car pioneers book by John Bacon. I read that about ten years ago and forgot that part of the Whitney letter, which I thought was the best part of that book.

Ron
Ron,

It is good to meet a fellow fan of George's. It is a shame he is not better known.
I have never seen another one of his cards. I thought you might like to see one.

Best
Tom

Re: Engine and boiler went through a building fire

Posted: Wed Jun 23, 2021 1:01 am
by DetroiTug
That's cool. He was definitely a key player in the early American car. And yes very few people in the steam vehicle hobby pay him any regard, outside of that hobby, even fewer. Don't know who he is or seem to care.

Glad the shows are going again this year, have a few lined up.

Ron

Re: Engine and boiler went through a building fire

Posted: Wed Jun 23, 2021 2:01 pm
by fredrosse
Thanks for this information about these later steam pioneers, great history that should be remembered. Interesting that Richard Trevithick, an earlier steam pioneer (early 1800s) promoted high pressure steam, as well as having the engine cylinder surrounded by the boiler. His demo rail locomotive (named "catch me who can") was the first rail system to have paying customers. That was about 100 years before Whitney' time.

In the late 1700s-early 1800s, James Watt would have his engines running at a few PSIG, and condensing was required to get any useful power. Watt was concerned about boiler failures, and refused to go to higher pressure. Another relatively unknown steam genius, William Murdock, worked with Watt and built some high pressure engines in the late 1700s. It is amazing that this technology was worked up before much in the way of machine tools was available.