Shipman & Acme Engines Clippings and Notations

“These engines are patented in Canada, and manufactured exclusively by John Gillies & Co., Carleton Place, Ont.”

Clipped from

Ottawa Daily Citizen,
28 Jan 1888, Sat,
Page 5

Arnold Gillies Muirhead, 1907, aged 4, used in John Gillies Estate catalogue of gasoline engines and motor boats. 1907 [182 KB]

Clipped from

The kerosene burner worked with a pressure regulated steam jet or ejector that drew the fuel, a mixture of steam and atomized kerosene, and was delivered to the burner. As the steam pressure increased and decreased, the diaphragm type regulator throttled the steam delivery to the burner nozzle. So at the upper limit it either cut off completely or delivered steam at such a low rate it failed to produce adequate suction to the fuel line.

Canadian Illustrated News: Images in the news: 1869-1883

The pilot light was a simple wick and pot torch arrangement. If the pilot went out, it still kept spraying fuel. Though with kerosene, it probably made more of a mess than a hazard. By the time that happened, the steam would have started to go down and the engine would either slow or stop, alerting someone’s attention. Porcupine boilers don’t have much reserve steam capacity and work best when they use steam as fast as they make it. If it was working under load and you suddenly shut the steam off to the engine, the safety valve would lift in short order.

The water regulation was accomplished by a float, vary similar to a toilet tank filler, inside the water column/water sight glass arrangement. It worked a lever through a stuffing box and by means of an external lever and rod arrangement, controlled the bypass valve on the boiler feed pump.