From Henry Voigt (unpublished)
To the American Philosophical Society
Philada. 18 April 1788
Gentlemen

Having spent much Time and thought, as well as having tried many Experiments on Steam Engines I take the Liberty of laying before you some of my Ideas on the best Mode of creating Steam, and am Gentlemen Your humble Servant

Henry Voigt

AA hollow Globe with a worm surrounding it—one End whereof
passes in at the Bottom of the Globe—the other End of the Worm is connected with a forcing Pump to supply it with Water—on the Top of the Globe is a Pipe to convey the Steam to the Cylinder (or place of Application) having also a regulating valve—The whole Globe and Worm to be placed in a Stove formed circular so as to leave a sufficient Room all round it for Coal and a Grate at Bottom for the air—The Globe is intended as a Receiver for the Steam that it may be rarified to a greater Degree—This Mode of creating Steam was conceived by me last Summer was a twelve month &a Drawing shewn to several Persons.
BIs a Section of a Boiler of a different Construction improved
on the former plan. It consists of an inside circular Box as represented at C (steam tight) made of strong sheet Iron having at its bottom, on the outside, two Tier of spiral Pipe as shewn at D & E, and again in their places at F in the Section of the whole Boiler B. The inside of the Steam Box as represented in this Section B has 3 Shelves, or circular Sheets of Iron perforated as at I through all which (as well thro’ the Bottom of the Steam Box) one End of the uppermost Tier of the spiral pipe passes and admits the Steam to spread in the vacancy K when if any Water should be forced up through this Pipe, it will, on falling thro’ the several Cullender Shelves to the Bottom of the Steam Box, become perfectly rarified and created into Steam. L is a Passage for the Steam to the Receiver M which is a Copper Globe, on the Top of which is a Tube communicating with the Cylinder (or place of application) at the Bottom of this Globe is a bent Pipe with a Safety valve thro’ which the Water may escape if any should fall into the Globe. N is a forcing Pump to inject a Supply of warm Water from the Condensers, which are also spiral Pipes, and immerged in cold Water and have been very successfully used in Mr. Fitch’s Steam Boat. O is the outside Case—Fire Place and Chimney Pipe—of Bricks or Sheet Iron. P is thd Ash hole. Q is the Iron Legs (if the Case is made of Iron)
Fig 3  Is a Boiler of another Form. 4 is an inverted vessel like a
Tumbler bottom up—over which is another inverted vessel, so much wider as to leave about 1½ Inch Vacancy all round, but this vessel is much deeper than the inside vessel—the two bottom Edges of these vessels are flanched together, so that Water may be contained between them and cover the Top of the inner vessel entirely as shewn by the dotted Lines—they are placed over a Fire Place 5 having Fire Place 5 having a Flew all round and terminating at 6 for the Passage of the Fire and Smoke—the Inside of the innermost vessel will be heated by the Fire like an oven which will reverberate and pass under the flanched Edges and rise up the Fleu 7. on the outside of the second vessel the whole being enclosed at a proper Distance all round with brick Work or Sheet Iron as may best suit the purpose and place of fixing the Boiler, so that a thin circular sheet of Water will be between the outside and inside Fire—as seen by the dotted Line. A Forcing Pump is to be applied to supply Water as in the other Boiler which may either pass through a Worm as described in the inside of the inner vessel, or may be a single Pipe conducting to the Top between the two vessels which Top if made large enough will serve for a Receiver without a separate Receiver as in Figure B at M — and is the Pipe communicating with the Cylinder and the safety valve.
Addressed: His Excellency / Benjamin Franklin Esquire / President of the American Philosophical Society
Endorsed: Henry Voights letter and draught of a steam engine—read April 18th. 1788 O. M. T. This may be placed with Mr. Rumsey’s papers D R. Draft of Boilers for Steam Engines by Henry Voigt These papers relate entirely to Steam boats different dates.
644078 = 045-u464.html