Topic starter
16/02/2007 8:20 pm
Hello:
I am new to this forum and may not have done my research properly but have not found a thread that told me how these whistles were made. Some of the big ones must have been cast like the bells were--out of bronze?
I see that the Sprague was supposed to have the largest one--was that the boat with a 380 pounder on it? Was there a well known whistle factory
for the boats?
I have just gotten done writing a book [historical fiction] on steamboats running the Upper Missouri but wanted to be sure of my facts before putting it in print. Sorry if I am rehashing something already gone over on this forum. Just want the info so I can be correct.
Dave
16/02/2007 8:57 pm
Steam whistles were made of all sorts of materials. Lunkenheimer made them of cast brass. The Belle of Louisville's whistle tubes are cast iron. All that is needed is a steam resistant tube and a narrow jet of steam to blow at it. There were a number of whistle manufacturers including Lonergan, Star Brass Mfg. Co., Nathan, American Steam Gauge Co., Lunkenheimer, and a few dozen others. There was a even a whistle made of a nail keg. At the Tell City Whistle Blow we had a huge wildcat whistle made from a rivetted domestic hot water tank. As a fellow historical fiction writer, my best advice is write anything you wish and remember the burden of proof is on the accuser.
In 1932, or thereabout, Captain L. B. McBride built a boat named Kenova. The day before the trial run he told his deckhands that they would not be able to run her without a whistle. The next morning there were about twenty of them on hand, while factory owners all over Louisville wondered where theirs went. A three barrel whistle was fitted. The leftover whistles were thrown into the hull and forgotten. They were discovered about twelve years later by Chief Charlie Dietz, who went into the hull to repair something.
Topic starter
17/02/2007 12:53 am
Mr. Bates:
Thank you for your quick reply!!
I certainly enjoyed the answer!!
Dave
17/02/2007 3:14 pm
I moderate a group all about steam whistles and their design at http://groups.yahoo.com/group/steam-whistles We have interactive spreadsheets in our Files that relate factors such as scale, cutup and slit width to operating pressure and working length (not simply the bell length) to frequency. We have a file explaining the needed terminolgy as well as links to patents and other pertinent information.
A growing number of members are now successfully designing their own whistles, both plainbell and chime, as a result. If you want to learn more about steam whistles, this is the place to find out.
[QUOTE=David Lloyd;3806]Hello:
I am new to this forum and may not have done my research properly but have not found a thread that told me how these whistles were made.