ENPages
p. 4
Lewiston Aug. 5 N.Y.
23
Increase A. Lapham
Shippingsport (Ohio Falls) Kentucky
From D Lapham
Receaved August 28. 1827
Welland Canal
p. 1
Shippingsport Oct 21. 1827.
Dear Brother
In my last letter I promised you a description of the Steam Engine; but I do not profess to be acquainted with all of it's parts, or capable of giving a good discription of it. I supposed you would read with great pleasure a discription of this "masterpiece of human skill" writen by your brother who is in the midst of fifty of them, consisting of all the improvements from the oldest & most complex, to the newist and most simple; from the power of about 60 horses Down to that of one and a half. And more particularly as you have not had a good oportunity of examining one. However if this should not be the case you can pass it over without read.
[drawing of steam engine parts labeled with letters]
The steqm engine consists of a hollow cylinder a,b,c,d, in which is the moveable heads. attached to the piston rods. The other end of this piston rod or is attached to the shackle bar or pitman which turns this chank. The cylander must be as long as the stroke and larger or smaller according to the power required. A tube called the side pipe runs from each end of this cylinder to a box called the steam chest
[drawing of steam chest, parts labeled with letters)
another opening in the bottom of this chest leads to the escape pipe, these openings are at e,m,& n. e & m open to the cylinder through the pipe and n opens to the escape pipe. This chest and side pipe is represented in fig 1 by blm & ll. In the chest is a valve in the form of a square basin with it's bottom upwards. This valve d is large enough to cover two holes at once and of coarse it is always over the middle hole n and one of the others; one of the holes being always open.
In figure 1. you will see the valve with the rod attached which is attached at n to an iron lever whos fulcrum is at o. A wheel is attached to the center of the rotary motion; one half of this wheel has a radius longer than the other half; this difference must be equal to the distance the valve is to move. this wheel is placed in an iron square frame. a rod is attached to this frame and to the lower end of the lever at p. Now if this turns it is ?
p. 2
[Left Page] evident that the iron frame will move backwards and forwards and produce the same movement on the valve. h is the fly wheel g is the crank & is the shaccle bar.
Steam is generated in a Boiler and conveyed to the steam chest at a in fig 2 and the same pressure that is produced in the Boiler is on all parts of the steam chest. Now it is evident that as the valve now stands in fig. 1 the steam will pass through the opening m and down the side pipe of figure a and into the cylinder at e figure 1. which would drive the pistern head to the other end of the cylinder. this produces half of a revolution of the fly wheel which pushes the valve to the other side of the chest. the pressure being the same in the steam chest the steam will pass through the opening e and into the cylinder which produces the backward stroke of the pistern. The cylinder being filled with steam at each stroke it is evident that I must find its way out as often; for this purpose the valve is made hollow underneath the steam, (supporting the pistern going from right to left.) will pass up the tube g fig. 2 and through the opening e now it is under the valve and now what becomes of it? why it goes down through the opening in which leads to the escape pipe. This is a description of the most simple form of high pressure steam engine. There are many modes of construction but the principle now are the high & low. Should you like my description of this high pressure engine I shall feel it a duty to give a description of the low high pressure with Perkens theory of bursting boiler ? I shall keep a copy of the letter and if there is any part of it that is not sufficiently explained upon notice there of I will endeavor to correct them.
You want some buckeyes as you seem to have some doubts as to the specific name I will give some explanation taken from Dr. Drakes Cincinnati Thw Common Buckeye is not Eglobra but E. pavia of Sine E. Pavia Sutea of Michaux and E flava. There ar two species here. the other is called E maxima by Dr. Drake from
[Right page] to being the largest of the genius and having no name. It differs from E. pavia by the following characteristics: flowers larger, corolla commonly red, rarely orange_ the lateral petals last subtend, concave and enclosing the corolla: Stamina shorter than the petals and concealed: Capsules smooth: leaves larger than E. pavia declining lanceolate wedged toward towards the base, unequally serrate, and generously villous underneath. It frequently rises to the height of 100 feet and the diameter of 4. I have not yet seen this species to know it but will now hunt for it in my walks and procure seeds of both species if required.
We are all well but have not received a letter from you for some time which makes us somewhat uneasy if you have got the fever and ague and write crooked letters you had better get Barret to assist you in this duty. (signed) Your affectionate brother Increase Lapham
To D. Lapham Esq. Welland Canal U.C.
p. 1
[Large Diagrams of Sock Gates Figure 1 & Figure 2]
Plan to Prevent Sock Gates from floating where the Tide water on fresh nets rise above their tops.
There is to be a bar of iron, A fig 1 & 2, 3 inches by 2 lets into the masonry between the courses as it is carried up, with an eye in its outer extremity 2 inches in diameter, so placed that the centre of the eye, will be in the center of the hollow coin: this bar is to be bolted to the wall similar to the common fastenings at the top of the gates. Four of these bars will be required, one near the bottom, one at one three fourths of the height of the hollow groin post.
A mortice is to be made in the back side of the heel post, to receive that part of the bar A which projects from the wall. This mortice will be as long as the distance through which the gate moves and the width of the bar. and as thick perpendicular as the height of the same bar.
A screw bolt B, of such length as will reach from the center through the post in the direction of the arms of the gate with a tendon on its upper side is put through the post, and the tendon catches into the eye of the bar A. In order to put in
