The 1893 Duryea Automobile In the Museum of History and Technology — John Shaqi
The 1893 Duryea Automobile In the Museum of History and TechnologyBerkebile, Donald H.
History
The 1893 Duryea Automobile In the Museum of History and Technology
Berkebile, Donald H.
Duryea automobile
At this point, Frank and Markham felt that the carriage was anything but
satisfactory. While they were trying to decide what steps should be
taken next, Frank added one last improvement to the engine. Fearing that
the uncooled cylinder might suffer damage from the excessive heat, he
constructed a copper water jacket in two halves, drew them together
around the cylinder with clamping rings and soldered the seams. Asbestos
packing sealed the end joints where the jacket contacted the cylinder.
Thinking back, Frank does not recall that he ever used a water tank with
this engine, though he does remember adding water through the upper
jacket opening. The engine was run only for a few brief periods
following this addition.
Obviously this collection of patchwork could not fulfill their needs for
an engine. First, it would be next to impossible to start if the body
was placed on the running gear, as the flywheel then would be
practically inaccessible. The absence of rings on the piston caused a
further loss of power to the already overloaded engine. The flywheel was
too light. The absence of any form of governor left the operator with no
control over the engine speed. Ignition was poor, partly owing to the
hot-tube arrangement, and partly to the excessive distance between the
engine and the carburetor. Frank wrote his brother Charles on February
6[17] that in his opinion the mixing chamber was so far from the engine
that the gasoline could not be drawn into the cylinder as liquid, and it
was too cold to vaporize and go in as gas. Thus he had difficulty in
getting the engine started. When it did start the explosions were
unmuffled. Less important to him than these defects, however, was the
awkward and unsightly wooden engine mount.
Description of the Automobile
Sometime in the early part of March, Frank convinced Markham that he
could construct a new and practical engine, using only previously tried
mechanical principles.[18] Drawing up new plans for this engine, he took
them to Charles Marshall who began work on the patterns for the new
engine castings. After the patterns had been delivered to the foundry,
Frank left Springfield for a short vacation in Groton, Connecticut,
where he visited with his fiancée. On May 17, 1893, several weeks after
his return to Springfield, they were married.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account