S.A. Maison Beer
Société Anonyme Maison Beer, Jemeppe, Belgium
Founded in 1855 by Charles Beer, and expanded by his sons Charles, Sylvain and Julien.
1880 Description of an experimental engine for the Ecole des Mines, Liège. It was shown working at the Brussels Exhibition. The design brief was very demanding. For example, the rates of opening and closing the steam and discharge valves was to be capable of being varied within certain limits; the lead at admission and at exhaust was to be variable; any degree of compression, from zero to the whole stroke, to be possible; the cut-off to be arranged so as to be controlled either by the governor or by hand; the cut-off to be variable throughout the whole stroke; the engine to be fitted with reversing gear; the cylinder to be so arranged that it could be removed, if required, and another, with some other system of valves and gearing, substituted for it; all the changes mentioned above to be capable of being carried out easily and quickly. This is not an exhaustive list.[1]. The attached drawing indicates the complexity of the valve arrangement.
1880 Description of Beer's 'revolving trestle crane'.[2]