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THE 


7  7i 


PRACTICAL 


VOLUME  VI. 


APRIL,  1853 — MARCH,  1854. 


"  To  pass  our  time  in  the  study  of  the  Sciences,  in  learning  what  others  have  discovered,  and  in  extending  the  bounds  of  human  know- 
ledge, has,  in  all  ages,  been  reckoned  the  most  dignified  and  happy  of  human  occupations." — 'Brougham. 

"  To  avail  ourselves,  as  far  as  possible,  of  the  advantages  which  a  division  of  labour  may  afford  for  the  collection  of  facts,  by  the  industry 
and  activity  which  the  general  diffusion  of  information,  in  the  present  age,  brings  into  exercise,  Is  an  object  of  great  importance.  There  is 
scarcelv  any  well-informed  person  who,  if  he  has  but  the  will,  has  not  also  the  power  to  add  something  essential  to  the  general  stock  of  know- 
ledge, if  he  will  only  observe,  regularly  and  methodically,  some  particular  class  of  facts  which  may  most  excite  his  attention,  or  which  his 
situation  may  best  enable  him  to  study  with  effect." — Herschel. 

"  A  man,  uneducated  or  unlettered,  may  sometimes  start  a  useful  thought,  or  make  a  lucky  discovery,  or  obtain,  by  chance,  some  secret 
of  Nature,  or  some  intelligence  of  facts,  of  which  the  most  enlightened  may  he  ignorant,  and  which  it  is  better  to  reveal,  though  by  a  rude  and 
unskilful  communication,  than  to  lose  for  ever  by  suppressing  it." — Joiixsox. 


LONDON :  PUBLISHED  FOR  THE  PROPRIETORS  BY 
GEORGE    HEBERT,    88    CHEAPSIDE. 

GLASGOW!  166  BUCHANAN  STREET. 

OFFICES    OF     THE     PRACTICAL     MECHANIC'S    JOURNAL, 

(PATENT  OFFICES,) 

47    LINCOLN'S    INN    FIELDS,    LONDON,    AND    166    BUCHANAN    STREET,    GLASGOW. 

DUBLIN !   J.  M'GLASIIAN,    50   UPPEK  SACKVILLE   STREET. 
NEW    YORK!    STRINGER    AND    TOWNSEND,    225    BROADWAY. 


OFFICES  FOE. 

47  LINCOLN'S  INN  FIELDS,  LONDON, 
BRITISH  AND  FOREIGN  PATENTS 

166  BUCHANAN  STREET,  GLASGOW. 
REGISTRATION  OF  DESIGNS, 

All  Business  relating  to  Letters  Patent  may  he  transacted  at  tJiese  Offices. 

CAVEATS  ENTERED.         SEARCHES  MADE  FOR  SPECIFICATIONS,  AND  ABSTRACTS  OR  COPIES  SUPPLIED. 

SPECIFICATIONS  DRAWN  OR  REVISED.        MECHANISM  DESIGNED,  AND  DRAWINGS  MADE  BY  COMPETENT  DRAUGHTSMEN. 

PROLONGATIONS  AND  CONFIRMATIONS  SOLICITED.        DISCLAIMERS  ENTERED.        ADVICE  ON  THE  PATENT  LAWS. 

OPINIONS  ON  INFRINGEMENTS.         THE  NOVELTY  OF  INVENTIONS  ASCERTAINED. 

DESIGNS,   DEVICES,   AND  PATTERNS,    AND  THE    CONFIGURATION    OF   ARTICLES    OF    UTILITY,    PROTECTED  COMPLETELY  OR   PROVISIONALLY. 

THE  NEW  PATENT  LAW. 

The  Act  15  &  16  Vict.  cap.  83,  which  effects  the  greatest  reform  in  the  practice  of  obtaining,  and  in  the  cost  of  Letters  Patent,  is  now  in  force.  The  chief 
alterations  are— 

First:    One  grant  of  Letters  Patent  extends  over  the  whole  of  the  United  Kingdom. 

Second;  A  Preliminary  Protection  for  Sis  Months  is  given,  upon  application,  at  an  average  cost,  including  agency,  of  £10. 10s. 

Third:  The  payments  for  Letters  Patent  are  to  be  made  at  three  periods;  on  obtaining  the  grant,  and  at  the  expiration  of  Three  Years,  and  of 
Seven  Years. 
Further  information  may  be  obtained  on  applicaion  to  Messrs.  W.  &  J,  H.  JOHNSON,  as  above. 

Agent/or  Preston  and  North  and  East  Lancashire,  WM.  GILBERTSON,  40  Fiskergate,  Preston. 

Newcastle-upon-Tyne:   WM.  SHAND,  Bank  Buildings. 

Paris:    M.  ARMENGAUD,   Aini,  Rue  St.  Sebastian,  45- 

Just  Published,  price  5s., 

€jjt  %sMn'&  Bomtnl; 

BEING 

A   TREATISE    ON   THE   LAW  AND   PRACTICE   OF   LETTERS    PATENT, 

ESPECIALLY  INTENDED  FOR  THE   USE  OF  PATENTEES  AND  INVENTORS. 
BY 

JAMES  JOHNSON,  Esq.,  of  the  Middle  Temple,  and 
J.  HENRY  JOHNSON,  Solicitor  and  Patent  Agent,  47  Lincoln's  Inn  Fields,  and  Glasgow. 


w 


This  Work  has  been  carefully  compiled  to  meet  the  requirements  of  the  non-professional  reader,  the  aim  of  the  writers  being  to  place  before  the 
intending  Patentee  the  result  of  the  numerous  important  decisions  of  the  Law  Courts,  in  as  clear  a  form  as  possible,  and  totally  devoid  of  the  puzzling  legal 
technicalities  which  so  often  occur  in  treatises  of  this  nature.  The  Recent  Patent  Law  Amendment  Act  is  given,  and  the  routine  of  the  proceedings 
under  it. 

Also,  Just  Published,  price  Gd., 

51d  5llistrnrt  nf  tljE  f  alrat  Inta  taiftmrnt  M,  1852, 

WITH   OBSERVATIONS   THEREON,   FOR   THE   USE   OF   PATENTEES   AND   INVENTORS. 
By  W.  JOHNSON,  Assoc.  Inst.  C.  E.,  Editor  of  the  '  Practical  Mechanic's  Journal,'  and 
JOHN  HENRY  JOHNSON,  Solicitor,  Patent  Agents. 


Now  Ready,  complete  in  One  Volume  Cloth,   Gold  Lettered,  price  £1.  9s., 

'<%  ^rnriital  Dnmgljtsmim's  fmk  nf  Snfostrial  Dratgir; 

FORMING   A  COMPLETE   COURSE   OF 

fflfijraniiHl,  dpuRintrrinff,  aitfr  flrrjjitartnral  framing. 

Translated  from  the  French  of 

M.  ARMENGAUD,  Ain«5,  Professor  of  Design  in  the  Conservatoire  Des  Arts  et  Metiers,  Paris,  and 

MM.  ARMENGAUD,  Jeune,  and  AMOUROUX, 

Civil  Engineers, 

Re-written  and  Arranged,  with  additional  Matter  and  Plates, 

By  WILLIAM  JOHNSON,  Assoc  Inst.  C.E.,  Editor  of  the  "  Practical  Mechanic's  Journal." 

TO  WHICH  ARE  ADDED, 

SELECTIONS  FROM  AND  EXAMPLES  OF  THE  MOST  USEFUL  AND  GENERALLY  EMPLOYED  MECHANISM  OF  THE  DAY. 


GENERAL    CONTENTS. 
Linear  Drawing.  The  Cutting  and  Shaping  of  Masonry. 


The  Study  of  Projection. 

On  Colouring  Sections,  with  Applications. 

The  Intersection  and  Development  of  Surfaces,  with  Applications. 

The  Study  and  Construction  of  Toothed  Gear. 

Elementary  Principles  of  Shadows. 

Application  of  Shadows  to  Toothed  Gear 


The  Study  of  Machinery  and  Sketching. 

Odlique  Projections 

Parallel  Perspective. 

True  Perspective. 

Examples  of  Finished  Drawings  of  Machinery. 

Drawing  Instruments. 


The  Volume  contains  105  Quarto  Pages  of  splendidly-executed  Plate  Engravings,  about  60  Woodcuts,  and  200  Pages  of  Quarto  Letterpress. 

LONDON:  LONGMAN,  BROWN,  GREEN,  AND  LONGMANS. 

editor's  offices  (offices  for  patents  and  designs), 

47  LINCOLN'S  INN  FIELDS,  LONDON,  and  166  BUCHANAN  STREET,  GLASGOW. 


INDEX. 


Aerated  Water  Apparatus,  Gaillard  &  Dubois' 

"  Gazogene,"  or,           .             .             .  87 
Aerated  Water  Apparatus,  Hathieu's,           .  69 
Age  we  Live  in,  The,           .             .             .  273 
Agriculture,  with  some  account  of  his  own 
operations  at  Tiptree  Hall  Farm,  Mr. 
J.  J.  Mechi  on  British,              .             .  286 
Air  Motive  Engines,  Napier  &  Rankine's,     .  235 
American  Industrial  Capabilities,  an  Ameri- 
can Opinion  on,             .             .             .  125 
Amsterdam,  International  Society  of  Indus- 
try, Agriculture,  and  Commerce,  at,      .  54 
Angle-Iron  Shearing  and  Punching  Machine, 

Duplex  Action  of,         .             .              .  278 

Art,  Marlborough  House  Central  School  of,  269 

Arts,  Society  of,      .             .            .             .  269 

Atkins'  Self-raking  Reaping  Machine,  .  8 
Atmospheric  Impurity  with  Disease,  M'Cor- 

mac  on  the  Connexion  of  (Review),       .  239 

Axle-box,  Adam's  Railway  Carriage,            .  150 

Axle-box,  Barrans'  Railway,  .  .  245 
Axle,  French's  Railway,  .  .  .197 
Axles,  M'Connell's  Locomotive  Engines  and 

Railway,  .  .  .  .23 

B 

Bands    for    Machinery,    Pawn's  Composite 

Driving,  .  .  .  .173 

Barrow,  Ellis'  Navigator's,  .  .  .     232 

Battery,  Revolving  Gun,      .  .  .     284 

Battery,  Spriogfellow's  Pocket,         .  .     244 

Beet-root    Rasping    Machines,     Self-acting 

Feeder  for,        .  »  .  .15 

Beet  Sugar  Works,  Irish,    .  .  .28 

Bellhouse's  "  Twin "  Steam-boiler,   .  .     131 

Berdan's  Gold  Ore  Pulveriser  and  Amalga- 
mator, .  .  ,  .173 
Berriedale's  Continuous-action  Loom  for  Nar- 
row Fabrics,  Lord,        .              .             .85 
Berriedale's  Improvements  in  Brick  Machin- 
ery, Lord,                     P      y-   .            .34 
Blasting  Cartridge,  Norton's  Percussion,      78,  195 
Blast  to  Smelting  Furnaces,  On  the  Applica- 
tion of  the,       .             .            .  .71 
Block -printing  for  Calico,  Sandiford's,  89 
Blowing  and  Exhausting  Fans,  Chaplin's,    .     209 
Boat,  Astley's  Life  or  Surf,  .             .             .59 
Boat  Gear  for  Ships,  Wymer's  System  of,    .     278 
Boats,  Lipscombe's  Ships  and,          .            .     282 
Boats,  Russell's  Plan  for  Lowering  Ships',    .     256 
Boiler,  Barrans'  Cup-surface,                                160 
Boiler,  Bellhouse's  "Twin"  Steam,               .     131 
Boiler,  Cameron'3  Conical  Fire-box,               .     260 
Boiler  Explosions,  Sloan  and  Leggett's  Hy- 

drostat  for  preventing,  .  .150 

Boiler,  Glasson's  Improved  Oval  Tabular,  .  160 
Boiler,  Holcroft  and  Hoyle's  Small  Diameter 

Steam,  .  .  .  ,278 

Boiler,  Lefroy's  Combined  Gas  and  Steam,  .     189 


TAGE 

Boilers  and  Boiler  Explosions,  Fairbairn  on,  75 
Boilers,  Feed-apparatus  for  Steam,  .  170,190 
Boilers,  Harrison's  Steam-engines  and,  .       1 6 

Boilers,  Pearce's  Improved,  .  .231 

Boilers,  Shekleton's  Upright  Tubular,  .     245 

Bottles,  Scott's  Screw- stoppered,       .  .     165 

Braiding  Machine,  Booth's  Plaiting  and,  .  202 
Braiding  Machine,  Plaiting  and,       .  .     239 

Braid  Machine,  Service's  Elastic,     .  .153 

Brick  Machine,  American  Dry  Clay,  ..     242 

Brick  Machines,  Heritage's  VVater  Die  for,        280 
Brick  Machinery,  Lord  Berriedale's  Improve- 
ments in,  .  .  .34 
Brickmakiug  Machine,  Clayton's,    .             .     268 
Bricks  and  Potter)',  Elliot's  Ironstone,           .       67 
Bridge  on  the  Great  Northern  Railway,  Mr. 
Cubitt's    Description    of   the   Newark 
Dyke,                .             .             .  .98 
Bridge  overthe  Clyde  atGlasgow,  Suspension,       62 
"Brilliant,"    Madeira   Packet   Brig,  as    an 

Auxiliary  Screw  Steamer,  The,  .       52 

Brooches,  Taydor's,  .  .  .168 

Brushing  and  Cleansing  Machines,  .dough's,  15 
Buildings,  Porter's  Portable,  .  .       69 


Candles,  Palmer  v.  Wagstaff — Action  for  In- 
fringement, Palmer's,   .  .  .125 
Candlesticks  and  Lamps,  Ogilvie's,  .       67 
Candlewicks,  Card's  Manufacture  of,  .     165 
Caoutchouc,  Goodyear's   (U.S.)   Patent  for 

Vulcanizing,    .  .  .  .29 

Caoutchouc,  Johnson's  Manufacture  of,  .  161 
Capsicum  Grinding,  .  .  .     239 

Carding  Engine,  Self  Top-  stripping,  .     245 

Carpet    Manufacture,   Crossley   v.    Potter — 

Action  for  Infringement,  .  .124 

Carriage,  Gordon's  Improved,  .  .182 

Carriages  and  Wheels,  Davis',  .  •     166 

Carriages,  Emery's  Basketwork,        .  .     233 

Carriage  Windows,  The  Mechanism  of,  .  283 
Cartridge,  Norton's  Percussion  Blasting,  78,  195 
Cask-cleaning  Machine,  Davison's  Patent,  .  232 
Casks,  Robertson's  Manufacture  of,  .  .     234 

Casting-ladles,  Ironfounders',  .  ■       72 

Century  of  Inventions,  Some  Account  of  the 

Marquis  of  Worcester's,  .  5,  35 

Charcoal  Kilns,  and  Vacuum  Sugar  Pans,  .  63 
Chimney-tops  and  Flues,  Lister's,    .  .     260 

China,  a  Field  for  British  Engineering,  .     172 

Chivalry  of  Intellect,  The,    .  .  .244 

Chronometers,  Philcox'  Marine,        .  .     261 

Churn,  M'Lellan's  Emigrant's,  .  .     290 

Cinder-basket,  Walker's,      .  .  .45 

Cleopatra's  Needle,  Transport  of,      .  .       26 

Clockwork,  Millar's  Turret,  .  .117 

Clothes,  Steam  Washing  for,  .  .     149 

Coal?  What  is,       .  .  .  .172 

Coleman's  India-rubber  Springs,      .  .       97 

College,  Birmingham,  Queen's,        .  53,  196 


Colours,  Professor  Helmholtz  on  the  Mixture 

of  Homogeneous,  ,  .  .     215 

Combing  Gill  Drawing  Frame,  Lawson's,     .     173 
Combing  of  Fibrous  Materials,  Mr.  Fother- 

gill  on  the,       .  .  .  .242 

Composite  Cutting  Tools,  Renshaw's  Patent,       60 
Composite  Metal,  Chameroy's,  .  .     1 14 

Cooking  Apparatus,  Rae's  Gas-heating  and,       139 
Cooking  Range,  Little's,       .  .  .     172 

Cooling  Air  in  Tropical  Climates,  Rankine's 

Report  on  the  Means  of,  .  .     194 

Cork-cutting  by  Machinery,  >  .     179 

Cotton  for  Beds,  Elasticated,  .  .     220 

Cotton  Gin,  Burn's  Roller,  .  .  .76 

Cotton-Seed  Oil,     .  .  .  .290 

Cotton-spinning — Eccles  v.  M'Gregor — Ac- 
tion for  Infringement,  .  .  .     125 
Coupling  for  Shafting,  Hunt's  Governor  for 
Prime    Movers    and  Screw  Propellers, 
and  Spring,      ....     277 
Cranes,    James'   Weighing    Machines    and 

Weighing,        .  .  .  .42 

Crayon  Daguerreotypes,  Mayan's,    .  .45 

Crystal  Palace,  The  New,    .  .  .225 

Curiosities  of  Mechanical  Negligence,  .       54 

D 

Danks  and  Walker's  New  Cut  Nail  Machin- 
ery, .  .  .  .  .  251 
Decimal  Coinage,  Millward  on  the  (Review),  238 
Dental  Instruments,  Young's,  .  .  185 
Digger,  Samuelson's  Rotatory,  .  .111 
Distributor  and  Miner,   Davison  and  Hor- 

rocks',  ....     256 

Distributor,  Spooner's  Combined  Seed,  Man- 
ure, and  Liquid,  .  .  .  279 
Distributor,  Tasker's  Manure,  .  .  280 
Dog-cart,  Begbie's  Adjustable,  .  .141 
Drainage,  Dry  Manure  from  London,  .  148 
Drainage  of  Cities,  .  .  .  .  291 
Drainage  of  the  District  South  of  the  Thames, 

Mr.  J.  T.  Harrison  on  the,        .  .     285 

Drainage  of  Towns,  Mr.  Rawlinson  on  the,  .       51 
Drainages,    Brooks  on  the  Improvement  of 

Tidal  Navigations  and,  .  73,  74 

Draining  Level,  Weir's,        .  .  .     255 

Drain  Pipes,  Mackay's,        .  .  .      137 

Draughtsman's  Book  of  Industrial   Design, 

The  Practical  (Review),  .  .       26 

Drawing  Pen,  Kenshaw's  Secondai-v  Adjust- 
ment, .  .  .  .  .220 
Dress  and  Ornamental  Fastenings,  Taylor's,  168 
Dressing  and  Sizeing  Machines,  Bashall's,  .  210 
Drill,  Calvert's  Universal  Ratchet,  .  .  262 
Drying  Apparatus,  Chapelle's,  .  .  63 
Dublin  Winter  Garden,  .  .  .290 
"  Duncan  Hoyle"  steamer,  Direct-action  In- 
clined Engines  of  the,  .  .  .110 
Duplex  Pressure  Fan,  Chaplin's,  .  .  64 
Dyewood,  Mucklow's  Machine  for  Rasping,       188 


yrwr 


Dynamometer  for  Ploughs,   Bentall's   Self- 
registering,  •     219 


E 

Elastic  Scales  for  Thermometers,  Mackenzie 

and  Blair's, 
Electrical  Illumination.     Dr.  Watson's  Eleo 

trie  Lamp, 
Electrical   Illumination,    Dr    Watson's  Re- 

marks  on   the  Present  State  and  Pros 

pects  of  (Review), 
Electric  Induction,  Frofessor  Faraday  on, 
Electric  Clock  Apparatus,  Dr.  Lover's  "  Con 

tact  Breaker"  and, 
Electricity,  Pichon's  Method  of  Smelting  by. 
Electricity ;  Telegraphic  Longitude, 
Electric  Light,  Electrode  Adjustment  for  the. 
Electric  Light,  The, 
Electric   Semaphore   for   use   on    Railways. 

Ward  on  an,    . 
Electric  Telegraph  Company  in  Ireland,  The. 
Electric  Time  Ball  for  the  Clyde,     . 
Electro-Magnetic  Engine,  Turton's, 
Electro-Magnetic  Motive  power, 
Elliptic  Rotatory  Engine,  Duplex,   . 
Elliptic     Rotatory    Engine,      Wright     and 

Hyatt's, 
Emigrant's  Churn,  M'Lellan's, 
Engineering,  China  a  Field  for  British, 
Engineering  on  the  Thames,  Marine, 
Engineers,  R.N.,  Retiring  Pensions  to, 
Engineer's  Shaping  Machine,  Renshaw's, 
Engines  of  the  "  Duncan  Hoyle"  steamer. 

Direct-action  Inclined, 
Envelope,  Waterlow  &  Son's  American, 
Ether    Engine,    Rennie    on    the    combined 

Steam  and, 
Evaporating  and  Concentrating  Apparatus. 

Higginson's,     . 
Exhibition,  1853,  The  Great  Industrial,    129, 
Exhibition,  ]  853,  The  New  York,    .  120, 

Exhibition,  Industrial  Courts  at  the  Syden- 
ham,      .  . 
Exhibition,  Mr.  Cole  on  the  International 

Results  of  the  Great,     . 
Exhibition  of  1851,  and  Schools  of  Design 

Report  of  the  Commissioners  for  the, 
Exhibition  of  the  Royal  Academy,  The, 
Exhibitions,  Dublin,  New  York,  Edinburgl 

and  Paris,  Industrial,  . 
Exhibitions,  The  New  York  and  Moscow, 
Exhibition,  The  Society  of  Arts,      .         231, 
Express  Locomotive  on  the  London  and  North- 
western Railway,  M'Connell's,    .      180, 


G8 
57 


122 

288 

154 
257 
289 
124 
29 

218 
150 
293 
192 
265 
24 

265 
290 
172 
28 
126 
230 

110 
283 

217 

258 
153 
177 

290 

51 

25 
58 

77 
147 
255 

201 


Fabrics,  Knox's  Duplex  Pattern, 
Fan,  Chaplin's  Duplex  Pressure, 
Feed  Apparatus  for  Steam  Boilers,    . 
Ferrule  and  Safety  Valve  Lever,  Cawood  and 

Sunter's, 
Figured  Fabrics,  Cochrarte's, 
Filter,  Mill's  Combined  Refrigerator  and, 
Fire-arms,  Ncedham's  Breech-loading, 
Fire  Engines,  Shand  and  Mason's  Ship; 
Fire  Grates,  Finlay's, 
Fireproof  Laths, 

Fisheries,  Guano,  H.  Green  on  Pettut's, 
Fish  Guano,  Pettitt's  Artificial  or,   . 
Fish  Joints  for  T  P.ails, 
Fish  Manure  as  a  Substitute  for  Guano,  Mi 

J.  B.  Lawes  on, 
Flax  Gill,  Westley's  "  D," 
Flax  Plaut,  Prof.  Hodge's  Report  on  the  Gases 

evolved  in  Steeping  Flax,   and  on  the 

Composition  and  Economy  of  the,  .     193 

Flour-Mills,  Carrie's  Patent,  .  .     232 

Flushing  Apparatus,  Adamson's,      .  .     234 

"  Flyers" — Onions  v.   Crowley — Action  for 

Infringement — Manufacture  of,  .     173 

Fog-Bells  for  Steamers,  Reflecting,  .     240 

Food,  Concentrated  Articles  of,         .  .196 

Forces,  The  Parallelogram  of,  .  .144 


ICG 

04 

170 

73 
164 
256 

23 
101 

66 
284 
286 
195 
264 

287 

1S4 


Forging,  Stenson's  Improvements  in  Scrap- 
iron,  .... 

Forging-Machine,  Richards'  Metal, 

Form  in  the  Decorative  Arts.  By  M.  Dighy 
Wyatt,  Esq.,  An  Attempt  to  Define  the 
Principles  which  should  Determine,  (Re- 
view,). .... 

France,  Society  for  the  Encouragement  of  Na- 
tional Industry  in, 

French  Inventions,  Recent :  "  Safety  Paper" 
for  Preventing  Forgery — Platina-plating 
— Electric  Smelting  —  Cave's  Compen- 
sating Marine  Engines — Ornamental  In- 
crustation in  Glass, 

Fuel,  Prideaux'  Rudimentary  Treatise  on, 
(Review,)         .... 

Fuel-works  at  Blanzy,  Artificial,     . 

Furnaces,  Higgins'  Water-space  Door-frames 
for,       ..... 

Furnaces,  Jones'  Iron-refining  and  Puddling, 

Furnace,  Stevens'  Smokeless,  . 

Furniture,  Brown's  Portable,  . 


219 


262 


1G1 


256 

237 

109 

24 
81 
43 

140 


253 


173 
48 


Galvanic  Batteries,  Kukla's,  .  .     193 

Gas-burners,  Johnson's,        .  ;  .     137 

Gas-burners,  Laidlaw's,        .  .  .70 

Gas-heating  and  Cooking  Apparatus,  Rae's,  ]  39 
Gas-lights  applied  to  Ventilation,  Brown's,  91 
Gas,  Quality  of  London,       .  .         220,  2G7 

Gas  Retorts,  and  Combined  Gas  Apparatus, 

Bowers',  .  .  .  .105 

"  Gazogene,"    or    Aerated-water   Apparatus, 

Gaillard  and  Dubois',  .  .       87 

Geographical  Society,  Map-room  of  the  Royal,  148 
Geology,  Outlines  of,  VI.  and  VII.,  65,  83 

Glasgow  Agricultural  Society  and  City  Sewer- 
age, The,  ....  244 
Glass  Bottles  and  Jars,  Wilson's,  .  .  92 
Glass,  Gellee's  System  of  Ornamentation  in,  258 
Glass,  Shaw  on  the  Manufacture  of  (Review,)  48 
Gold — its  Properties,  Combinations,  Testing, 

Extraction,  and  Applications,   . 
Gold-ore  Pulveriser  and  Amalgamator,  Ber- 

dan's,  .... 

Gold-sifter,  Lambert's, 
Goodyear's    (U.S.)   Patent   for  Vulcanizing 

Caoutchouc,     .... 
Governor  for  Prime  Movers  and  Screw  Pro- 
pellers, and  Spring  Coupling  for  Shaft- 
ing, Hunt's, 
Governor  for  Steam-engines,  Luttgen's  Differ- 
ential-action,   .... 
Governor  for  Steam  engines,  Pipe  and  Ball, 
Governor,  New  Form  of  Vane, 
Governor,  Siemens'  Improved  Chronometric, 
Governor,  Steam-pressure,    , 
Grain,  Kiln-drying, 

Grape  Disease,  Dr.  A.  P.  Price  on  the  Em- 
ployment  of    the    Higher    Sulphides   of 
Calcium,  as  a  means  of  Preventing  and 
Destroying  the  Oidium  Tuckeri, 
Grape  Disease,  The  Madeira,  .  . 

Grate,  Rotatory  Fire, 
Grates,  Ferets'  Reflecting  Fire, 
Gravitation,   and  the  Doctrine  of  Ratios  to 
the  Measurement  of  the  Solar  System, 
Application  of  the  Principles  of, 
Guages,  Fife's  Steam  and  Water, 
Guano,  Pettitt's  Artificial  or  Fish,   . 
Gun  Battery,  Revolving,     . 


91 


277 

274 
150 
53 
227 
123 
106 


193 

12 

172 

173 


50 

91 

195 

284 


Hammer,  Brown's  Steam,    . 

Hammer,  Condie's  Steam,    .  . 

Harmau's  Tubular-framed  Huist,     , 

Hat,  Flanagan's  Eolian, 

Health  Committee  of  the  Borough  of  Liver- 
pool on  the  Sewerage,  Paving,  Cleansing, 
and  other  Works,  under  the  Sanatory 
Act,  Newlands'  Report  of  the  (Review,) 

Heliostat,  Forster's, 

Hoe,  Martin's  Revolving  Turnip, 

Hoist,  Harman's  Tubular-framed,     . 


133 
191 

107 
122 


213 
123 

77 
107 


PAGE 

Home  Resorts  for  Invalids,  On  the  Climate  of 
Guernsey.  By  S.  E.  Uoskins,  M.D., 
(Review,)         .  .  .  .     2G3 

Hose,  Weir's  Waterproof  Canvas,    .  .     255 

Houses,  Walker's  Portable,  .  .     1G2 

Human  Frame,  R.  D.  Hay  on  the  Geometri- 
cal Principles  involved  in  the  Construc- 
tion of  the,       .  .  .  .28 
Hydrostat  for  Preventing  Steam-boiler  Ex- 
plosions, Sloan  and  Leggett's,  .  .156 
Hydrostatic  Pressure,    Weems'    Manufacture 

of  Pipes  and  Sheets  by,  .  .     108 

I 

Illumination  and  Heating.  Dix's  Artificial,  .      44 
Inclinometer,  or  Level,  Gillespie's,    .  .       8G 

Indicator  for  Registering  Numbers,  Distance, 

and  Time,  Norton's,      .  .  .28 

Indicator,   On  the  Occasional  Oscillations  of 

the  Steam  Pressure,     .  ;  10,40 

Industrial    College   for    Artizans,    Twining's 

Notes  on  the  Organization  of  (Review,)     263 
Industrial  Courts  at  the  Sydenham  Exhibi- 
tion,    .  .  .  .  .290 
Industrial  Drawing,  Mahan's  (Review,)        .     237 
Industrial  Exhibitions,   Dublin,    New  York, 

Edinburgh,  and  Paris,  .  .       77 

Industry  in  France,  Society  for  the  Encourage- 
ment of  National,  .  .  .161 
Infringement,    Carpet  Manufacture,  Crossley 

v.  Potter,  Action  for,    .  .  .124 

Infringement,  "  Continuous  Check  Strap"  for 

Power  Looms,  Action  for,         .  .     292 

Infringement,     Cotton -spinning,     Eccles    v. 

M'Gregor,  Action  for,  .  .  .     125 

Infringement,  Holland's  Patent  Umbrellas,        245 
Infringement  —  Manufacture    of     "  Flyers," 

Onions  v.  Crowley — Action  for,  .     173 

Infringement — Manufacture  of  Steel — Heath 

v.  Smith — Action  for,  .  .     197 

Infringement— Palmer's  Candles,    Palmer  v. 

WagstafF— Action  for,  .  .     125 

Infringement — Tube   Manufacture,   Bower  v. 

Hodges,  et  Al. — Action  for,       .  .148 

Ink-bottle,  Blackwood's,       .  .  .212 

International  Society  of  Industry,  Agriculture 

and  Commerce  at  Amsterdam,  .       54 

Inventions,  and  the  effect  of  such  laws  on  the 
Arts  and  Manufactures,  Mr.  T.  Webster 
on  Laws  relating  to  Property  in  Designs 
and  Inventions,  .  .  .     287 

Inventions,  Some  Account  of  the  Marquis  of 

Worcester's  Century  of,  .  .  5,  35 

Inventions — The  Claims  of  Originators,        .     249 
Inventors,  Gallery  of,  .  .  .     268 

Irish  Engineering  Companv's  Portable  Steam- 
engine,  The,  .  " .  .  .205 
Irish  Fisheries,  ....  153 
Iron  for  Shipbuilding,  M'Gavin's  Manufac- 
ture of,  ...  .  164 
Ironfounders'  Casting- ladles,  .  .  72 
Iron  in  Scotland,  Consumption  of  Pig,  .  125 
Iron-Refining  and  Puddling  Furnaces,  Jones',  81 
Ironstone  Bricks  and  Pottery,  Elliot's,  .  67 
Iron- works,  Darling's  Malleable,      .  .180 


Jacquard  Machinery,  Houston's  Improvements 

in,  .  .  . 

Japan,  The  American  Expedition  to, 
Jet- Pump,  Thomson's^ 
Jute,  Capper's  Methud  of  Bleaching, 


53 

29 

217 

137 


Kev,  Ratchet  Brace,  and  Self-adjusting  Screw,  284 
"  Kitchener,"  Harrison,  Radclytfe,  and  Bluut's,  221 
Knitting,  Nottingham  Framework,  .     269 


Lamp,  and  on  the  invention  of  the  Safety 

Lamp,  Dr.  Glover  on  a  new  Safety,     .     286 
Lamp,  Dr.  Watson's  Electric,  .  .57 

Lamps,  Ogilvie's  Candlesticks  and,  .       67 


PAGE 

Lamps,  Thomson's  Ship,  Barrack,  aud  Tele- 
graph, .  .  .  .113 
Laths,  Fireproof,      ....      284 
Law  Amendment  Act,  1852,  Patent,             .     252 
Law  as  to  Patents  for  Inventions  in  Austria,     276 
Do.     in  Bavaria,               .             .             ..     208 
Do.    in  France,               .            .  .3 
Do.     in  the  German  States  of  the  Zollverein,  106 
Do.     in  Prussia,               .             .             .131 
Do.     in  Russia,                .            .            .227 
Do.    in  Spain,    ....     251 
Do.     in  the  United  States  of  America,     .       39 
Do.     in  Wurtemberg,      .             .  .     183 
Law  of  Patents,  Wordsworth's  Summary  of 

the  (Review,)  .  .  .  .144 

Laws,  American  Patent,       .  .  169 

Law,  The  New  Patent,         .  .  .159 

Level,  Gillespie's  Inclinometer,  or,  .  .       86 

Library  Desk,  or  Devonport,  Allen's,  .     212 

Life-Boat,  Colonel  Chesney  on  the  Tubular 

Double,  .  .  .  .217 

Life-Boat,  Hutchins',  .  .  .      22S 

Life-Boat,  Roberts',  .  .  .217 

Life  or  Surf  Boat,  Astley's,  .  59,  73 

Life  Raft,  Parratt's  Tubular,  .  .     287 

Light,    Lord   Brougham's   Experiments   and 

Observations  on  the  Properties  of,         .       98 
Lights,   Relative  Purity  and    Generation    of 

Heat  of  Artificial,         .  .  .125 

Literature,  Science,  and  Art  in  the  House  of 

Commons,        ....     126 
Locks,  Mr.  A.  C.  Hobbs  on  the  Principles 

and  Construction  of,     .  .  .     285 

Lock-Spindle.  Cavanagh's  Tubular  Adjusting,  255 
Locomotive    Engines    and    Railway    Axles, 

M'Connell's,     .  .  .  .23 

Locomotive  Engines,  M'Connell's,   .  .     186 

Locomotive  Engines,  Stubbs  and  Grylls',  .  22 
Locomotive  Expenses  on  the  Eastern  Counties 

Railway,  .  .  .  .146 

Locomotive,  Messrs.  Dodds'  "  Ysabel,"  .  150 
Locomotive  on  the  London  and  North- Western 

Eailway,  M'Connell's  Express,  180,  201 

Looms  (Action  for  Infringement),   "  Conti- 
nuous Check  Strap"  for  Power,  .     292 
Loom,  Boyd's  Noiseless  Power,         .  .     280 
Loom  for  Narrow  Fabrics,  Lord  Berriedale's 

Continuous-action,        .  .  .85 

Lubricating  Machinery,  Johnson's  Patent  for,  166 
Lubricating  Shaft-bearings,  Hick's  Method  of,  140 
Lubricator,  Little's  Self-Regulating,  .     149 

Lubricator,  Self-Acting,       .  .  .    239 

M 

Macadamized  Roads  for  Streets  of  Towns,  Mr. 

J.  Pigott  Smith  on,      .  .  .     285 

M'Dowall's  High-speed  Tension-Sawing  Ma- 
chine, .  ,  .  .33 
Madeira  Grape  Disease,  The,            .  .12 
Magnet  in  the  Useful  Arts,  The,      .  .       28 
Manure,  and  Liquid  Distributor,    Spooner's 

Combined  Seed,  .  .     279 

Manure  Distributor,  Tasker's,  .  .     280 

Manure  from  London  Drainage,  Dry,  .     148 

Marine  Engineering  on  the  Thames,  .       28 

Marine  Engines,  Cave"s  Compensating,  .  257 
Marine  Engines,  Economical,  .109 

Marine  Engines  for  Screw  -  Propulsion,  by 
Messrs.  Scott,  Sinclair,  &  Co.,  Greenock, 
Double-geared,  .  .  .1 

Marine  Memoranda — Progress  of  Screw  Pro- 
pulsion,. 146,  197,  219,  246,  267,  289 
Market,  Manchester,   Covering  the  Smith- 
field.    .             .  .     269 
Masts  and  Spars,  M'Gavin's,             .             .     208 
Mechanical  Negligence,  Curiosities  of,  .       54 
Mechanical  Powers,  The  Simple  Machines  or,       37 
Mechanical  Science   during   the   past   Year 
(1852-3),  Mr.   Fairbairn's  Addres3  on 
General  Improvements  in,         .              .191 
Mechanic's  Library,  14,  43,  66,  92,  112,  134,  160 
184,  206,  232,  258,  279 
Metals,  as  derived  from  Repeated  Meltings, 
exhibiting    the    Maximum    Point    of 


Strength,  and  the  Causes  of  Deteriora- 
tion, Fairbairn's  Report  on  the  Mechani- 
cal Properties  of,           .             .             .  217 
Metal   Working   and   Ornamentation,    with 
some  allusion  to  the  newly-discovered 
Art  of  Nature  Printing,  Mr.  W.  C.  Aitken 
on  Ancient  and  Modern,            .             .  288 
Meters,  Kennedy's  Motive  Power  and,           .  40 
Milk  as  a  Manufacturing  Ingredient,             .  77 
Milk,  Fadeuilhe's  Patent  Solidified,  .             .  55 
Milk,  Removal  of  the  Turnip  Flavour  in,      .  195 
Millstones,  Barnett's  Permeable,       .              .  155 
Millstones,  French,                .             .             .  ib. 
Mines,  Clough's  Safety  Apparatus  for,           .  213 
Mines  in  Cornwall,  Government  School  of,  .  290 
Mines,  Norcombe's  Safety  Apparatus  for,       .  214 
Mining  Borer,  Thomson's  American,              .  149 
Moral  Sanatory  Economy,  by  H.  M'Cormac, 

M.D.  (Review),            .             .             .  239 

Motive  Engines,  Napier  and  Rankine's  Air,  .  235 

Motive  Power.     J.  Anderson,           .             .  165 
Moulding  in  Metal,  Hoby  and  Kinniburgh's 

Method  of,       .             .                         .  262 
Moulding  in   Metal,  Julian  Bernard's  Me- 
thod of,            ...             .  259 
Museums,  Libraries,   and  Picture   Galleries 

(Review),         .  .  .  .49 


N 


251 


Nail  Manufacture,  The  Cut, 

Newspaper  Stamping  Machines  at  Somerset 

House,  Hill's,  ....  2 
Newspaper  Stamps  in  the  Forms,  Printing,  .  220 
New  York  Exhibition,  1853,  The,  126,  147,  177 
Norton's  Percussion  Blasting  Cartridge,  .  78,  195 
Norton's  Projectiles,  Captain,  .     28,  90,  147 

Norton's  Railway  Danger  Signals,  Captain, .     245 
Nottingham  Framework  Knitting,    .  .     269 


O 


290 
50. 


242 
218 
249 


Oil,  Cotton  Seed,     .... 

Oil,  Removal  of  the  Viscous  Constituent  of,  . 

Ores,  Mr.  Stansbury  on  Machines  for  Pul- 
verizing and  Reducing  Metalliferous,    . 

Organs,  Forster's  Improvements  in, 

Originators,  The  Claims  of, 

Oscillations  of  the  Steam  Pressure  Indicator, 

On  the  Occasional,       .  .  10,40 

Outlines  of  Geology,  VI.,     .  .  65,  83 

Ovens,    Day's    Truss    for    Supporting   the 

Crowns  of,        .  .  .  .     255 

Ovens,  Slater's  Biscuit,        .  .  .     120 

Oysters,      .  .  .  .  .153 


Paper  for  Preventing  Forgery,  Millet's  Safety, 
Paper-knotting   Machine,  Siebe's  Cylindri- 
cal,    .... 
Paper  Manufacture,  The,     . 
Paper,  Raw  Materials  for,   . 
Parallelogram  of  Forces,  The, 
Patent  Office,  Abuses  in  the  United  States 
Patent  Law  Amendment  Act,  1852, 
Patent  Laws,  American, 
Patent  Laws — Arts  and  Science — Harbours 
of  Refuge — Geological   Museum — Ord- 
nance Survey  of  Scotland — Scotch  Griev- 
ances,     ... 
Patent  Laws,  Defects  in  the  Administration 

of  the  Present, 
Patent  Laws,  Reform  in  the  American, 
Patent  Law,  The  New, 
Patents  for  Inventions,  The  Law  as  to ;  in — 

Austria,  ..... 

Bavaria,  .  .  .  • 

France,    .  .  .  . 

The  German  States  of  the  Zollverein, 

Prussia,   . 

Russia,    ..... 

Spain,      . 

United  States  of  America, 

Wurtemberg,        . 


256 

107 
292 
269 
144 
196 
252 
169 


147 

287 
292 
159 

276 
203 
3 
106 
131 

27 
251 

39 
183 


Patents,  Provisional  Protection  for  Inven- 
tions,   29,54,78,101,126,   150,  174,   198, 
221,  246,  209,  293 
Patents,  Recent  : — 

Aerated  Water  Apparatus  :  F.  Mathieu,  .  69 
Agricultural  Steain-Engines  :  W.  Allchm,  113 
Air  Motive  Engines :  J.  R.  Napier  and  W. 

F.  M.  Rar.kine,         .  .  .235 

Bleaching,  Jute:  J.  Capper  andT.  J.  Wat- 
son, ....  137 
Block-printing  for  Calico  :  R.  Sandiford,  .  89 
Block  Sheaves :  A.  Brown,  .  .69 
Blowing  and  Exhausting  Fans :  A.  Chap- 
lin, .  .  .  .209 
Boiler,  Conical  Firebox :  J.Cameron,  .  260 
Bottles,  Screw-stoppered:  J.  Scott.  .  105 
Brick  Machines,  Water  Die  for :  J.  Heri- 
tage, .  .  .  .280 
Bricks  and  Pottery,  Ironstone :  W.  G.  El- 
liott, .  .  .  .07 
Brushing  and  Cleansing :  C.  B.  Clough,  .  15 
Buildings,  Portable :  J.  H.  Porter,  .  69 
Candlesticks  and  Lamps:  G.  S.  Ogilvie,  .  07 
Candlewicks,  Manufacture  of :  N.  Card,  .  165 
Caoutchouc,  Manufacture  of :  W.  John- 
son, .  .  .  .161 
Carriages  and  Wheels :  M.Davis,  .  166 
Carriages,  Basket-work :  J.  Emery,  .  233 
Casks,  Manufacture  of:  J.  Robertson,  .  234 
Chimney  Tops  and  Flues :  R.  Lister,  .  200 
Chronometers,  Marine:  G.  Phileox,  .  261 
Cinder-basket :  M.  Walker,  .  .  45 
Clearing  Apparatus  for  Yarn  :  W.  Steven- 
son, .  .  .  .207 
Clockwork,  Turret :  C.  Millar,  .  .117 
Composite  Metal :  E.  A.  Chameroy,  .  114 
Daguerreotypes,  Crayon :  J.  E.  Mayall,  .  45 
Dental  Instruments  :  J.  A.  Young,  .  185 
Distributor,  Combined  Seed,  Manure,  and 

Licraid :  W.  C.  Spooner,       .  .     279 

Distributor,  Manure:  W.  Tasker,  .     280 

Dog-cart,  Adjustable:  J.  Begbie,  .     141 

Drain  Pipes:  G.  G.  Mackay,       .  .     137 

Dress  and  Ornamental  Fastenings:  J.  G. 

Taylor,         .  168 

Dressing  and  Sizeing  Machines :  W.  Ea- 

shall,  jun,   .  .  .  .210 

Drill,  Universal  Ratchet :  F.  A.  Calvert,  202 
Duplex  Pattern  Fabrics:  A.L.Knox,  .  161 
Evaporating  and  Concentrating  Appara- 
tus :  G.  J.  Higginson,  .  .  258 
Figured  Fabrics  :  J.  R.  Cochrane,  .  164 
Fire-arms,  Breech-loading  :  J.  Needham,  23 
Fire-Grates  :  J.  Finlav,  .  .  .66 
Flax  Gill,  "  D  "  :  W.  K.  Westly,  .  1 S4 
Flour  Mills :  J.  Currie,  .  .  .232 
Flushing  Apparatus  :  J.  Adamson,  .  234 
Forging  Machine,  Metal :  J.  H.  Johnson 

(H.  &  G.  H.  Richards),         .  .       SS 

Furnace,  Smokeless:  J.  L.  Stevens,  .       43 

Furniture,  Portable  .  A.  D.  Brown,  .     140 

Gas  Burners :  D.  Laidlaw,  .  .       70 

Gas  Burners:  J.  H.  Johnson  (M.  Mar- 

monry),        .  .  .  .137 

Gas- heating  and  Cooking  Apparatus :  W. 

F.  Rae,         .  .  .  .139 
Gas   Lights   applied   to  Ventilation :    R. 

Brown,         .  .  .  .91 

Glass  Bottles  and  Jars :  G.  Wilson,  .       92 

Guages,  Steam  and  Water  :  G.  Fife,  M.D.,  9 1 
Houses,  Portable:  R.  Walker,      .  .102 

Illumination  and  Heating  :  A.  M.  Dix,  .  44 
India-rubber  Springs  :  W.  C.  Fuller  aud 

G.  M.  Knevitt,  .  .  .103 
Iron  for  Ship-building,  Manufacture  of: 

R.  M'Gavin,  .  .  .164 

Lamps,    Ship,    Barrack,    and  Telegraph: 

M.  Thomson,  .  .  .113 

Locomotive  Engines  and  Railway  Axles  : 

J.  E.  M'Connell,       .  .  .23 

Locomotive  Engines:  J.  E.  M'Connell.  .  186 
Locomotive  Engines  :  Stubbs  and  Gryll's,  22 
Lubricating  Machinery:   J.   H.  Johnson 

(M.  Rapeaud),  .  .  .166 


VI 


PAGE 

Lubricating  Shaft  Bearings :  J.  Hick,  .  140 
Meters,  Motive  Power  and :  J.Kennedy,  4G 
Motive  Power:  J.Anderson,        .  .     165 

Moulding  in  Metal :  J.  Bernard,  .  .     259 

Moulding  in  Metal :  J.  W.  Hoby  and  J. 

Kinniburgh,  .  .  .262 

Ovens,  Biscuit:  W.  Slater,  .  .     120 

Pencils,  Ever-pointed:  R.  Pinkney,  .       70 

Plough,  Seed-sowing:  P.  Forbes,  .     112 

Power  Loom,  Noiseless :  R.  Boyd,  .     2S0 

Pj'roligneous  Acid  Retorts :  E.  Mucklow,  138 
Quarrying  Slate :  S.  F.  Cottam,  .  .       70 

Railway  Brake :  K.  Heggie,         .  .115 

Railway  Joint  Chair,  Compound  :  J.  Bell,  285 
Railways:   H.  Greaves,    .  .  .119 

Railways,  Safety  Apparatus  for :  R.  Wal- 
ker, .  .  .211 
Railway   Wheels:  T.   C.   Ryley   and   E. 

Evans,  ■  .  .  .139 

Railways,  Working :  G.Stewart,  .     168 

Hasping  Dyewood  :  E.  Mucklow,  .     188 

Regulators,  Steam  Pressure:  M.  Baxter,  67 
Roasting  Jacks :  T.  Suttie,  .  .       70 

Rolling  Wrought-iron  Wheels  :  W.  John- 
son (J.  S.  Gwynne),  .  .184 
Rotatory  Engine  and  Pump  :  T.  Elliot,  .  92 
Rotatory  Engine :  A.  Parsey,  .  .  283 
Rotatory  Engines:  C.  Harford,  .  .135 
Rotatory  Steam-Engine  :  R.  Barclay,  .  186 
Safety-valve,  Self-acting:  G.  Humphrey,  237 
Screw-jacks,  Traversing:  G.  England,  .  236 
Sewers  and  Drains,  Cleansing:  R.  Blades, 

Liverpool,     .  .  .  .114 

Shearing  Machine,  Metal :  W.  Williams, .  44 
Sheathing  Iron  Ships:  W.  Seaton,  .     140 

Shipbuilding  Templates  :  A.  Burns,  .     282 

Ships  and  Boats :  F.  Lipscombe,  .     282 

Ships'  Bottoms,   Preservation  of :   J.  E. 

Cuok,  .  .  .  .136 

Shipbuilding,  Timber :  S.  Schollick,  .     260 

Ships'  Masts  and  Spars  :  R.  M'Gavin,  .  208 
Shot,  Hollow  Expanding  Cylindro-conoi- 

dal :  J.  Norton,        .  .  .90 

Starch,  Manufacture  of:  E.  Tucker,  .       91 

Steam-Engines  and  Boilers :  J.  Harrison,  16 
Steam-Engines :  R.  Burn,  .  .       68 

Stopcocks :   H.  Wilks,      .  .  .235 

Sulphuric  Acid,  Alkalies,  and  their  Salts  : 

G.  Robb,      .  .  .         207,  208 

Tents :  R.  Lambert,         .  .  .47 

Thermometers,    Elastic    Scales   for:    W. 

Mackenzie  and  G.  Blair,       .  .       6S 

Thrashing  Machinery  :  Rev.  A.  Willison,  134 
Tubes,  Metallic ;  T.  Potts  and  J.  S.  Cuck- 

ings,  .  .  .  ,143 

Turned  Wooden  Boxes  :  W.Kendall,  .  141 
Velvet,   Dressing  and   Finishing:    F.  B. 

Frith,  .  .  .  .167 

Warp  Delivery  for  Power-looms :  C.  Par- 
ker, .  .  ,  .210 
Washing  Machine :  J.  Eldridge,  .  68 
Water-pressure  Engines :  J.Sinclair,        .     115 
Weft   Forks,    Power-loom :    Tayler  and 

Slater,  .  .  .  .121 

Weft  Forks,  Power-loom :  W.  Stevenson,  43 
Weft  Winding  Machine :  P.  Carmichael,  .  120 
Window  Fastenings:  Rev.  M.  Andrew,  .  1G7 
Windows,  Raising  and  Lowering  :  F.  Rus- 

selL  .  .  .  .236 

Window  Sash  Fastener:  W.  Westley  and 

R.  Bayliss,  .  .  .281 

Pedo-motive  Carriage,  .  .  .191 

Pencils,  Pinkney's  Ever-pointed,       .  .       70 

Pen,  Reservoir,  and  Inkholdcr,  Watkins',     -       7 1 
Perspective,  An  Illustrated  Definition  of,      .       95 
Perspective  Divested  of  all  Difficulty,  Ab- 
batt's  Principles  and  Practice  of  Linear, 
(Review),         .  .  .  .109 

Perspective,  Explained  Theoretically  and 
Practically,  Duffin's  First  Principles  of, 
(Review),         .  .  .  .238 

Perspective,  Parsey's  Science  of  Vision,  or 

Natural  (Review),        .  .  169,  189 

Perspective — Report  of  the    Commissioners 


INDEX. 

PAGE 

for  the  Exhibition  of  1851,  and  Schools 
of  Design,         .  .  .  .25 

Phosphorus  for  Lucifer  Matches,  Amorphous,     244 
Photographic  Plates  and  Illustrations  of  Mi- 
croscopic Objects  in  Natural  History, 
Dr.  Lankester  on,         .  .  .193 

Photometer,  Dr.  Price's  New,  .  .215 

Photo-printing  for  Woven   Goods,  Smith's 

Chromatic,       .  .  .  .153 

Phytoglyphy,  Branson's,      .  .  .     266 

Pipes  and  Sheets  by  Hydrostatic   Pressure, 

Weems'  Manufacture  of,  .  .108 

Plaiting  and  Braiding  Machine,        .  .     239 

Plaiting  and  Braiding  Machine,  Booth's,      .     202 
Platina  Plating,  Savard's  Method  of,  .     257 

Plough,  Forbes'  Seed-sowing,  .  .112 

Plough,  Ritchie's  Drill,        .  .  .157 

Ploughs,  Bentall's  Self-registering  Dynamo- 
meter for,  ....     219 
Ploughs,  Hill's  Wrought-iron  Skim  or  Par- 
ing,    .            .  .  .  .     157 
Polisher,    Baudet's    Continuous    Movement 

Metal,  ....         5 

Potatoes  Grown  from  Peels  (Review),  .     238 

Pouch,  Advertiser,  and  Sample  Bag,  Brem- 

ner's  Victoria,  .  .  .  .168 

Press,  Hennah  and  Bourne's  Duplex  Em- 
bossing, ....  149 
Printing  for  Calico,  Sandiford's  Block,  .  89 
Printing  for  Woven  Goods,  Smith's  Chroma- 
tie  Photo,  .  .  .  .153 
Printing  Machine,  Glover's  Polytint,  .  255 
Prizes  to  be  Given  by  the  Society  of  Arts, 

List  of  Subjects  for,      .  .  .243 

Projectiles,  Captain  Norton's,  .   28,  147,  177 

Propeller,  Sayer's  Steam-ship,  .  .158 

Propulsion,  Experiments  in  Screw,  .  53,  100 

Propulsion,  Progress  of  Screw,  146,  197,  219,  246, 

267,  289 
Propulsion,  Steam-ship,       .  .  .50 

Prussian- Blue,  .  .  .  .125 

Pulverizer,  Gray's  Parallel  Lever  Subsoil,     .     157 
Punching  Machine  of  Duplex  Action,  Angle- 
Iron  Shearing  and,      .  .  .278 
Punching  Plate-iron  of  Various  Thicknesses, 

Table  of  Pressures  Necessary  for,  .     183 

Pyroligneous  Acid  Retorts,  Mucklow's,         .     138 

Q 

Quadrature  of  the  Circle ;  a  Puzzle  for  Ma- 
thematicians, The,        .  .  .71 
Quarrying  Apparatus,  Cottam's,       .  .       70 
Queen's  College,  Birmingham,         .           53,  196 

R 

Rails,  Fish-joints  for  T,  .  .     264 

Railway  Axle-box,  Barrans',  .  .     245 

Railway  Axle,  French's,      .  .  .197 

Railway  Brake,  Heggie's,    .  .  .115 

Railway,  Crosskill's  Portable  Farm,  .     155 

Railway  Carriage  Axle-box,  Adam's,  .      150 

Railway  Danger  Signals,  Capt.  Norton's,  245,  269 
Railway,  Girard's  Water  Pressure,  .  .158 

Railway  Joint  Chair,  Bell's  Compound,         .     235 
Railway,  Locomotive  Expenses  on  the  East- 
ern Counties,    ....     146 
Railway,    Parsons'   Proposed   London   (Re- 
view), .  .  .  .238 
Railway  Point  Key  and  Signal,  Yorston's,    .     134 
Railways,  Greaves',               .             .  .119 
Railway   Signal,   Bouch's   "  Form  and  Co- 
lour," .            .            .            .             .229 
Railway  Signal,  Carrick"s  Self-acting,           .       27 
Railway  Sleeper,   Day  and  Laylee's  Semi- 
tubular  Transverse,       .             .             .     255 
Railways,  Rolling  Stock  on  British,              .     220 
Railways,  Safety  on,            .             .             .51 
Railways,  Stewart's  System  of  Working,      .     168 
Railways,  Walker's  Safety  Apparatus  for,  197,211 
Railway  Trains,  Mr.  Fairbairn  on  the  Retar- 
dation and  Stoppage  of,            .             .     242 
Railway  Wheels,  Ryley  and  Evans',             .     139 
Railway    Working    Expenses    and   Rolling 

Stock,  .  .  .  .28 


Rasping  Dyewood,  Mucklow's  Machine  for,  . 
Rasping   Machines,    Self-acting   Feeder  for 
Beet-root,        .... 
Ratchet   Brace  and  Self-Adjusting   Screw- 
Key 

Readers  and  Correspondents,    To,  32,  56,  80,  104 
128,  152,  176,  200,  224,  248,  272,  296 
Reaper  Improved,  Hussey's  American,  , 

Reaping  Machine,  Atkins'  Self-raking, 
Reaping  Machinery,  A.  Crosskill  on. 
Reaping  Machines, 

Refrigerator  and  Filter,  Mills'  Combined,     . 
Registered  Designs:  — 

Carriage  Spring,  Compound  :  J.  J.  Catter- 

son,  .... 

Door-frames  for  Furnaces,   Water-space: 

J.  Higgins,  .... 

Envelope,  American  :  Waterlow  &  Sons,  . 

Gold-sifter :   R.  Lambert  and  T.  Danby,  . 

Hat,  Eoliau  :  Flanagan  &  Co.,     . 

Ink-bottle :  Blackwood  &  Co  ,      . 

Library  Desk,  or  Devonport :  J.  W.  &  T. 

Allen,  .... 

Ornamental     Watch  -  chain     Connector  : 

Whitmore  and  Winstone, 
Pen,  Reservoir,  and  Ink-holder :  R.  Wat- 
kins,  .... 
Pouch,  Advertiser,  and  Sample  Bag,  Vic- 
toria Copper :  S.  Bremner,    . 
Tent  or  Sleeping  Cabin,   Universal :    H. 
Harrison,      .... 
Throttle  Valve :  Mills  and  Whittaker,     . 
Windows,  Universal  Safeguard  for  Clean- 
ing :  W.  Duckworth, 
Registered  Designs,  Lists  of,  32,  56,  80,  104, 128, 
152,  176,  200,  224,  248,  272,  296 
Regulators,  Baxter's  Steam  Pressure,  . 
Reviews  of  New  Books  : — 

Atmospheric   Impurity  with  Disease,  On 

the  Connection  of.  By  H.  M'Cormac, 

Decimal  Coinage,  The.     By  A.  Millward, 

Draughtsman's  Book  of  Industrial  Design, 

The   Practical.     By  Wm.  Johnson, 

C.E.,  .... 

Electrical  Illumination,  A  few  Remarks  on 

the  Present  State  and   Prospect  of. 

By  J.  J.  W.  Watson, 

Form  in  the  Decorative  Arts,  An  Attempt 

to  Define  the  Principles  which  should 

determine.    By  M.  Digby  Wyatt,     . 

Fuel,  A  Rudimentary  Treatise   on.     Bv 

T.  S.  Prideaux, 
Glass.   On   the  Manufacture  of.      By  G. 
Shaw,  .... 

Gold- Diggers  and  Buyers,  Australia  the 
Ancient  Ophir,  Hints  to  intended.  By 
G.  F.  Goble, 
Health  Committee  of  the  Borough  of  Li- 
verpool on  the  Sewerage,  Paving, 
Cleansing,  and  other  Works,  under 
the  Sanatory  Act,  Report  to  the.  By 
J  Newlands,  C.E.,  . 
Home  Resorts  for  Invalids,  on  the  Climate 
of  Guernsey.  By  S.  E.  Hoskins,  M.  D., 

F.R.S 

Industrial  College  for  Artisans,  Notes  on 
the  Organization  of  an.  By  T.  Twin- 
ing, jun.,      .... 
Industrial  Drawing.     Bv  D.  H.  Mahan, 

LL.D.,  . 

Moral  Sanatory  Economy.    By  H.  M'Cor- 
mac, .... 
Museums,  Libraries,  and  Picture  Galleries. 

By  J.  W.  Papworth, 
London  Railway,  Proposed.  By  P.  M.  Par- 
sons, C.E.,    .... 
Patents,  Summary  of  the  Law  of.     By  C. 

Wordsworth, 
Perspective  Divested  of  all  Difficulty,  The 
Principles  and  Practice  of.  By  R. 
Abbatt,  F.R.A.S.,  . 
Perspective  Explained,  Theoretically  and 
Practicallv,  The  First  Principles  of. 
By  F.  Duffin, 


188 


15 


284 


96 

8 

194 

268 

256 


143 

24 
283 

48 
122 
212 

212 

213 

71 

168 


93 


121 


67 


239 
238 


26 


122 


262 


237 


48 


264 


213 


263 


263 


237 


239 


49 


238 


144 


169 


238 


INDEX. 


Perspective,  The  Science  of  Yisiou  or  Na- 
tural.    By  A.  Parsey,  .  .169 
Potatoes  Grown  from  Peels,          .  .     238 
Smoke  Nuisance,  Strictures  on  the  Police 

Committee  and  the  Inspector  of,       .     123 
Tables  of  Circles,  Spheres,  Square,  &c  By 

Charles  Todd,  .  .  .96 

"  Water  Scheme,  Remonstrance  of  L.  D.  B. 
Gordon,  Civil  Engineer,  against  the 
adoption  of  Mr.  Bateman's  Plan  for 
carrying  out  the  Loch  Katrine,         .     238 
■\Yheat  vrith  Profit,  A  Word  in  Season,  or 

how  to  Grow,  .  .  .     238 

Working  Classes  of  Nassau,  Letters  on 
the  Condition  of  the.     By  T.  Twin- 
ing, jun ,     .  .  .  .     263 
Rifle,    Gilby"s   Breech-charging   and   Self- 
priming,          ....     226 
Roasting  Jacks,  Suttie's,      .            .  .70 
Koot-grater,  Baxter  and  Bushe's,     .  .156 
Rotatory  Engine  and  Pump,  Elliot's,  .       92 
Rotatory  Engine,  Duplex  Elliptic,  .             .       2-1 
Rotatory  Engine,  Parsey's,  .            .  .283 
Rotatory  Engines,  Harford's,            .  .135 
Rotatory  Steam  Engine,  Barclay's,  .  .186 
Rotatory  Steam  Engine,  Nicole's,     .             .     256 
Rotatory  Valve  Engine  and  its  Advantages, 

Locking  on  Locking  and  Cook's,  .     216 

Royal  Academy,  The  Exhibition  of  the,        .       58 
Royal  Institution,  The,        .  .  .     275 


Safety  Lamp,  Dr.  Glover  on  a  New,  .     286 

Safety  Valve,  Humphrey's  Self-acting,         .     237 
Safety  Valve  Lever,  Cawood  and  Sunter's 

Ferrule, 
Safety  Valve,  Water  Guage,    and   Alarum, 

Wheeler's  Combined,    .  .  .94 

Sailing  Vessels,  Brodie's  Improvements  in,     215 
Salt,  Soda  from,      .  .  .  .292 

Samuelson's  Rotatory  Digger,  ,  .111 

Sawing  Machine,  M'Dowall's   High  Speed 

Tension,  .  .  .  .33 

Sawing  Machine,  Worssam's  Deal,  .  .     230 

School  of  Mines  in  Cornwall,  Government,  .     290 
Scientific  Observations  at  Sea,         ,  .76 

Scotch  Grievances: — Patent  Laws — Arts 
and  Science — Harbours  of  Refuge — 
Geological  Museum — Ordnance  Survey 
in  Scotland,  ....  147 
Scott,  Sinclair,  &  Co.,  Greenock,  Double- 
geared  Marine  Engines  for  Screw  Pro- 
pulsion, by  Messrs.,  .  .  .1 
Scrap  Iron  Forging,  Stenson's  Improvements 

in,  .  .  .  .219 

Screw  Jacks,  England's  Traversing,  .       236 

Screw-Key,  Ratchet  Brace  and  Self-Adjust- 
ing     .  .  .  .  .     284 
Screw  Propeller,  Hunt's  Governor  for,  .     277 
Screw  Propeller,  The  lateral  Action  of  the,   .       94 
Screw  Propulsion,  by  Messrs.  Scott,  Sinclair, 
&  Co.,  Greenock,  Double-geared  Marine 
Engines  for,     ....        1 
Screw  Propulsion,  Experiments  in,  .           53,  100 
Screw  Propulsion,  Marine  Memoranda,  Pro- 
gress of,  .           146,  197,  219,  246,  267,  289 
Screw  Purchase  for  Slips,  Scott's  Continuous- 
action,            .                         .            .       258 
Screw   Steamer,  The  "Brilliant"   Madeira 

Packet  Brig,  as  an  Auxiliary,    .  .       52 

Scythe,  Boyd's  Double-action  Self-adjusting,     157 
Seed,     Manure,     and    Liquid    Distributor, 

Spooners  Combined,    .  .  .     279 

Shearing  and  Punching  Machine  of  Duplex 

Action,  Angle-Iron,      .  .  .     278 

Sewers  and  Drains,  Blades'  Method  of  Cleans- 
ing, .  .  .  .  .  114 
Sewers,  Compound,  .  .  .25 
Sewing  Machine,  Wickersham's  American,  .  181 
Shaping  Machine,  Renshaw's  Engineer's,  .  230 
Shearing  Machine,  Williams'  Metal,  .  44 
Sheathing  Iron  Ships,  Seaton's  Method  of,  .  140 
Sheaves,  Brown's  Block,  .  .  .69 
Shipbuilding  Templates,  Bums',        .             .     282 


Ship-building,  Schollick's  Improvements  in 

Timber,  .  .  .  .260 

Ships  and  Boats,  Lipscombe's,  .  .     282 

Ships'  Boats,  Russell's  Plan  for  Lowering,    .     256 
Ships'  Bottoms,  Cook's  Method  of  Preserving,     136 
Ships  for  Tonnage,   Mr.  Henderson  on  the 
Speed  and  other  Properties  of  Ocean 
Steamers,    and    on   the   Measurement 
of,        .  .  .  .         218,  240 

Ships'  Masts  and  Spars,  M'Gavin's,  .     208 

Ships,  Seaton's  Method  of  Sheathing  Iron,     .     140 
Ships'  Tables,  Sayer's  Equilibrated,  .  .173 

Ships,  Wymer's  System  of  Boat  Gear  for,     .     278 
Shot,  Norton's  Hollow  Expanding  Cylindro- 

conoidal,  .  .  .  .90 

Siemen's  Improved  Chronometric  Governor,  227 
Signal,  Bouch's  "  Form  and  Colour"  Rail- 
way, .  .  .  .  .229 
Signal,  Carrick's  Self-acting  Railway,  .  27 
Silk  Dyed  in  the  AVorm,  .  .  .28 
Simple  Machines  or  Mechanical  Powers,  The,  37 
Siphons,  Lieut.  Heathcote's  Exhausting,  .  52 
Siphons,  Self-exhausting,  .  .  .  148 
Siphons,  Exhausting,  .  .  73 
Slate,  Fireproof  Laths  of,  .  .  .  284 
Sledge  for  Carriages,  Snow,  .  .  264 
Slips,  Scott's  Continuous-action  Screw  Pur- 
chase for,  ....  258 
Sluice  Valves  for  Hydraulic  Works,  Roe's,  .  291 
Sluice  Valves,  Jennings',  .  .  .27 
Small  Diameter  Steam  Boiler,  Holcroft  and 

Hoyle's,  ....     278 

Smelting  bj'  Electricity,  Pichon's  Method  of,     257 
Smelting  Furnaces,  On  the  Application  of  the 

Blast  to,  .  .  .  .71 

Smoke,  A.  Fraser  on  the  Consumption  of,      .     266 
Smoke  Nuisance,  Strictures  on  the  Conduct 
of  the  Police  Committee  and  the  In- 
spector of  (Review),     .  .  .     123 
Soap  as  a  Vehicle  of  Art,     .             .            .     290 
Societies,  Pkoceedincs  of  Scientific: — 
British  Association  at  Hull,  The,  170,  192,  215 
Institution  of  Civil  Engineers,      27,  51,  73,  98, 
124,  145,  218,  240,  266,  285 
Institution  of  Mechanical  Engineers,  27,  97, 172, 

242 
Liverpool  Polytechnic  Society,     .  .     267 

Marlborough  House,  Department  of  Science 

and  Art,      ....     267 
Royal  Institution,  .  242,  275.  288 

Royal  Scottish  Society  of  Arts,  27,  52,  74,  145, 

267 
Royal  Society,      .  .  .98,  242 

Scientific   Department   of   the   Board  of 

Trade,  Museum  of  Practical  Geology,     267 
Society  for  the  Encouragement  of  National 

Industry  in  France,  .  .  .161 

Society  of  Arts,   .      28,  51,  145,  242,  266,  286 
Soda  from  Salt,       .  .  .  .292 

Soda  Water,  Lamplough's  Consolidated,       .     174 
Sounding,  Deep  Sea,  .  .  220,  264 

Soundings,  and  Errors  therein  from  Strata  of 
Currents,  with  Suggestions  for  their 
Investigations:  Dr.  Scoresby  on  Deep 
Sea,     .  '.  .  .  .     216 

Sowing  Plough,  Forbes'  Seed,  .  .112 

Spring,  Catterson's  Compound  Carriage,       .     143 
Spring  Protectors,  Carriage,  .  .191 

Springs,  Coleman's  India-rubber,      .  .       97 

Springs,  Fuller  and  Knevitt's  India-rubber,  .     163 
Stamping  Machines  at  Somerset  House,  Hill's 

Newspaper,      .  .  2 

Stamping  Vessels,  Salt  and  Lloyd's  Process 

for,      .  .  .  .  .       97 

Starch,  Tucker's  Manufacture  of,      .  .       91 

Steam  and  Ether  Engine,  Rennie  on  the  Com- 
bined, ....     217 
Steam  Boilers,    Hill's  Mode  of  Preventing 

Deposit  in,  .  .  .101 

Steam  Boilers,  Prevention  of  the  Deposit  in,     123 
Steam  Engine,  Barclay's  Rotatory,  .  .     186 

Steam  Engine,  Manifold  and  Lowndes'  Com- 
bined Expansion,  .  .  .     231 
Steam  Engine,  Nicole's  Rotatory,     .  .     256 


PAGE 

Steam  Engines,  Allcbin's  Agricultural,  .  113 
Steam  Engines  and  Boilers,  Harrison's,  .  16 
Steam  Engines,  Burn's,        .  .  .68 

Steam  Engines,  Pipe  and  Ball  Governor  for,     150 
Steam  Engine,  The  Irish  Engineering  Com- 
pany's Portable,  .  .  .     205 
Steamer,  Direct-action  Inclined  Engines  of 

the  "  Duncan  Hoyle,"  .  .     110 

Steamers,  and  on  the  Measurement  of  Ships 
for   Tonnage,   Mr.  Henderson   on   the 
Speed  and  other  Properties  of  Ocean,  218,  240 
Steamers,  British  and  American  Lines  of,     .     205 
Steamers,  Reflecting  Fog-Bells  for,  .  .     240 

Steamers  under  Way,  Stopping  and  Backing,  145 
Steam  Hammer,  Brown's,    .  .  .     133 

Steam  Navigation  in  Hull,  Oldham  on  the  Rise, 

Progress,  and  present  Position  of,  .     216 

Steam  Pressure  Governor,    .  .  .     123 

Steam  Pressure  Regulators,  Baxter's,  .       67 

Steam-ship  Building  under  Cover,    .  .     101 

Steam-ship  Propeller,  Sayer's,  .  .     158 

Steam-ship  Propulsion,        .  .  .50 

Steel,  Heath  v.  Smith — Action  for  Infringe- 
ment— Manufacture  of,  .  .  197 
Stall's  Patent,  .  .  .  .124 
Stopcock,  Frost  and  Co.'s  Eccentric  or  Com- 
pensating, .  .  .  .87 
Stopcocks,  Wilks',  ....  235 
Stoves,  Beuret  and  Dertelle's  Domestic,  .  159 
Stufhug-box  Gland  Adjustment,  Barlow's,  264 
Submarine  Telegraph,  The  English  and  Belgian,  77 
Sugar-Pans,  Charcoal  Kilns  and  Vacuum,  .  63 
Sugar- Works,  Irish  Beet,  .  .  .28 
Sulphuric   Acid,   Alkalies,   and    their   Salts, 

Robb's  Patents  for,        .  .  207,  208 

Sun-fish  Oil,  .  .  .  .153 

Sunk  Vessels  by  Buoyant  Gas,  Raising,  .  220 
Suspension  Bridge  over  the  Clyde  at  Glasgow,    62 


Tables   of  Circles,    Spheres,    Squares,    &c, 

Todd's  (Review),  .  .  .96 

Telegraph  Company  in  Ireland,  The  Electric,  150 
Telegraphic  Longitude,         .  .  .     289 

Telegraph,  The  English  and  Belgian  Submarine,  77 
Telescopes,  Mr.  Sollitt  on  the  Composition  and 

Figuring  of  the  Specula  for  Reflecting,  192 
Telescope,  Varley's  Graphic,  .  .215 

Templates,  Burns'  Shipbuilding,      .  .     282 

Template  for  Iron  Shipbuilders,        .  .213 

Tent,  or  Sleeping  Cabin,  Harrison's  Universal,  48 
Tents,  Lambert's,    .  .  .  .47 

Thermometers,  Mackenzie  and  Blair's  Elastic 

Scales  for,        .  .  .  .63 

Thermostat,  for  Regulating  Temperature  and 

Ventilation,  Ward  on  a  New,  .  .     217 

Thrashing  Machine,  Moffitt's  American,  .  203 
Thrashing  Machinery,  Willison's,      .  130,  134 

Throttle-valve,  Mills  and  Whittaker's,  .       93 

Tiles,  Borrie's  Cellular  Roofing,        .  .     220 

Timber  Tree,  A  New,  .  .  .290 

Time  Ball  for  the  Clyde,  Electric,    .  .     293 

Tools,  Renshaw's  Patent  Composite  Cutting,  60 
Tools,  Softening  Cast-steel  for,         .  .     214 

Tube  Manufacture — Bower  v.  Hodges  et  al. — 

Action  for  Infringement,  .  .     1 48 

Tubes,  Potts  and  Cockings'  Metallic,  .     143 

Tunnelling  and  Excavating  Machine,  Talbot's,  244 
Turbine,  M Adam's  (Belfast),  .  .13 

Turned  Wooden  Boxes,  Kendall's,  .  .141 

Turnip-cutter,  Williamson's  Double-action,  204 
Turn-tables,  Self-moving,    .  .  .93 

U 

Umbrellas  (Infringement),  Holland's  Patent,  245 


Vacuum  Sugar-Pans,  Charcoal  Kilns  and,   .       63 
Velocipede,  or  Pedo-motive  Carriage,  .     191 

Velvet,     Frith's   Machine   for    Dressing   and 

Finishing,         .  .  .  .167 

Ventilation,  Brown's  Gas-lights  applied  to,  .       91 
Viscous  Constituent  of  Oil,  Removal  of  the,        50 


INDEX. 


W  PAGE 

Warp-delivery  for  Power  Looms,  Parker's,  .     210 
Washing  for  Clothes,  Steam,  .  .149 

Washing  Machine,  Eldritlge's  Domestic,        .       68 
Watch    Chain    Connector,    Whitmore    and 

Winstone's  Ornamental,  .  .     213 

Water  Guage  and  Alaium,  Wheeler's  Com- 
bined Safety  Valve,  .  .94 
Water  Meter,  Hartin's  Cylinder,      .              .     132 
Water  Meter,  Taylor's  Improved,     .             .     212 
Water  Powei*-M'Adam's  (Belfast)  Turbine, 

The  Economy  of,  .  .  .13 

Water-pressure  Engines,  Sinclair's,  .  .115 

Water-pressure  Railway,  Girard's,    .  .     158 

Water  Scheme  —  To  the  Honourable  the 
Lord  Provost,  the  Magistrates  and 
Town  Council,  and  to  the  Water  Rate- 
payers of  the  City  of  Glasgow,  the  Re- 
spectful Remoustrauce  of  Lewis  D.  E. 


Gordon,  Civil  Engineer,  against  their 
adopting  Mr.  Bateman's  Plan  for  carry- 
ing out  the  Loch  Katrine  (Review), 

Weaving,  Stop-motion  for  Floats  in,  . 

Weft-forks,  Stevenson's  Power  Loom,  . 

Weft-forks,  Tavler  and  Slater's  Power  Loom, 

Weft-winding  Machines,  Carmichael's, 

Weighing  Machines  and  Weighing  Cranes, 
James's,  .... 

Wheat  with  Profit,  A  Word  in  Season,  or  how 
to  Grow  (Review), 

Wheelbarrow,  Captain  Wilson  on  a  New,     . 

Wheels,  Davis'  Carriages  and, 

Wheels,  Johnson's  (Gwynne's)  Method  of 
Rolling  Wrought-iron, 

Windguavd,  Feret's  Spherical, 

Winding  Engine  erected  at  Mr.  Astley's  Col- 
liery, Dukinfield,  Mr.  Fairbairn  on  a 
New,   ..... 


238 
246 
43 
121 
120 

42 

238 
218 
166 

184 
1U1 


242 


Winding-motion  for  Ring-and-travellcr  Spin- 
ning Frames,    .  .  .  .28 
Window  Fastenings,  Andrew's,                       .     167 
Window  Sash  Fastener,  Westley  and  Bayliss',     281 
Windows,  Duckworth's  Universal  Safeguard 

for  Cleaning,    .  .  .  .121 

Windows,  Russell's  Method  of  Raising  and 

Lowering,  ....  236 
Windows,  Tlie  Mechanism  of  Carriage,  .  283 
Winter  Garden,  Dublin,       .  .  .     290 

Wollaston,  Thomson's  Biographical  Account 

of  Dr.,  .  .  .  .98 

Working  Classes  of  Nassau,  Twining's  Let- 
ters on  the  Condition  of  the  (Review),      263 
Worssain's  Deal  Sawing  Machine,    .  .     230 


Yarn,  Stevenson's  Clearing  Apparatus  for,    .     207 


AND  BINDER'S  DIRECTIONS. 


Plate 

cxx. 

CXXI 
CXXII. 

cxxni, 

cxxiv. 

exxv. 

CXXVI. 

exxvn. 

exxvni. 

CXX  IX. 

exxx. 
cxxxi. 

CXXXII. 


Scott,  Sinclair,  &  Co.'s  Double-Geared  Marine  Engines, 

t!  it  it 

Practical  Draughtsman,  - 

M'Dowall's  High-Speed  Tension  Sawing-Machine, 

James'  Weighing-Machine,         - 

Dr.  Watson's  Electric  Lamp,      - 

Scott,  Sinclair,  &  Co.'s  Charcoal  Kilns, 

■'  u  -  - 

Scott,  Sinclair,  &  Co.'s  Vacuum  Sugar-Pans, 
Jones'  Refining  and  Puddling  Furnaces, 

Fearn's  Metallic  Ornamentation, 

Bower's  Gas  Retorts  and  Combined  Gas  Apparatus, 


face  Page 

Plate 

1 

CXXXIII. 

ib 

cxxxiv. 

-       20 

exxxv. 

-       33 

CXXXVI. 

-       42 

CXXXVII. 

-       57 

CXXXVIII. 

-       63 

CXXXIX. 

-       ib. 

CXL. 

-       64 

CXLI. 

-       81 

CXLII. 

-       82 

CXLIII. 

-       86 

CXLIV. 

-     105 

CXLV. 

To  face  Page 
Scott,  Sinclair,  &  Co.'s  Engines  of  the  Duncan  Boyle  Steamer,  110 


Bellhouse's  Twin  Steam-Boiler, 

Hartin's  Water-Meter,  -         .    - 

Saver's  Steam-Ship  Propeller, 

Glasson's  Oval  Tubular  Boiler, 

London  and  North-Westera  Express  Locomotive. 


Worssain's  Deal-Sawing  Machine, 

Renshaw's  Engineer's  Shaping-Machine, 

Scott's  Continuous-Action  Screw-Purchase  for  Slipa, 

Holcroft  and  Hoyle's  Small  Diameter  Steam-Boiler, 


131 

132 

158 

160 

180 

ib. 

201 

230 

231 

258 

278 

ib. 


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THE 


PRACTICAL    MECHANIC 


JOURNAL. 


DOUBLE-GEARED  MARINE  ENGINES  FOR  SCREW  PROPUL- 
SION, BY  MESSRS.  SCOTT,  SINCLAIR,  &  CO.,  GREENOCK. 

(Illustrated  by  Plates  120  and  121.) 

HE  engines  which  we  have  intro- 
duced in  our  two  leading  plates  of  the 
present  volume,  under  the  distinctive 
title  of  "  double-geared,"  are,  perhaps, 
the  most  compact  specimens  of  their 
class  in  existence,  for  the  space 
actually  occupied  by  them,  fore  and 
aft  the  ship,  is  but  12  feet  6  inches, 
although  the  cylinders  are  each  52 
inches  diameter,  with  a  power  of  250 
horses,  and  the  ship  is  2G0  feet  in 
length.  But  in  assigning  the  engines  this  high  character,  we  do 
so,  not  because  the  makers  have  contrived  to  cram  a  complex  mass  of 
machinery  into  an  unduly  limited  space,  but  because,  whilst  the  grand 
feature  of  compactness  has  been  thus  well  kept  in  view  and  secured,  the 
whole  details  have  been  combined  under  a  convenient,  workmanlike,  and 
symmetrical  form.  It  is  essentially  necessary  to  observe  this  part  care- 
fully, because  no  statement  as  to  an  extraordinary  condensation  of  parts 
can  be  said  to  he  worth  anything,  if  such  arrangement  has  been  arrived 
at  only  by  impairing  the  conveniences  of  attendance  and  efficiency  of 
action,  as  not  unfrequently  exemplified  in  marine  engines  of  an  earlier 
date.  Here,  every  weight  is  well  balanced ;  all  the  working  parts  are 
clear  and  open ;  and  the  combined  whole  is  stable,  firm,  and  well  bound 
together.  The  general  character  of  the  engines  must  be  immediately 
obviou3,  even  to  the  ordinary  observer,  from  our  two  views.  That  in 
plate  120  is  a  transverse  section  of  the  ship,  showing  the  engines  in 
complete  external  front  elevation.  Plate  121  contains  a  corresponding 
plan  of  the  engines.  The  cylinders  are  52  inches  diameter,  and  3  feet 
9  inches  stroke,  placed  diagonally  athwart  the  ship,  and  at  right  angles 
to  each  other,  whilst  the  piston-rods  project  through  the  lower  covers, 
to  allow  of  long  return  connecting-rods.  Each  cylinder  has  two  piston- 
rods  for  greater  steadiness,  their  outer  ends  in  each  case  being  keyed  into 
a  cross-head  fitted  at  each  end  with  slide-blocks,  for  working  in  a  pair  of 
inclined  open  guide-frames  bolted  to  the  bottom  cylinder  cover,  and 
supported  beneath  by  projecting  bracket-pieces,  recessed  and  bolted 
down  upon  pedestal-pieces  on  the  engine  sole-plate.  From  each  end  of 
tbi3  cross-head,  immediately  outside  the  guide-frame,  a  plain  straight 
connecting-rod  of  round  section,  passes  up  to  actuate  the  main  first- 
motion  shaft.  The  upper  ends  of  these  connecting-rods  are  jointed  to 
No.  61.— Vol.  VI. 


side  studs,  or  crank  pins,  fast  in  two  opposite  arms  of  a  pair  of  large 
spur-wheels,  which  give  motion  to  the  screw-shaft  by  means  of  a  pair  of 
corresponding  spur-pinions,  fast  on  the  shaft  beneath  a  single  pin  in  each 
wheel,  answering  for  the  two  opposite  connecting-rods  on  the  same  side 
of  the  engines.  The  main  spur-wheels  are  1 1  feet  5  £  inches  diameter,  with 
108  teeth  of  4-inch  pitch,  and  14  inches  in  breadth  on  the  face.  They 
are  keyed  on  the  extremities  of  a  common  shaft,  which  is  conveniently 
placed  in  the  angular  space  formed  by  the  two  ends  of  the  inverted 
steam  cylinders,  being  carried  in  a  pair  of  pedestals  cast  with  angular 
bracket-pieces  to  bolt  down  upon  the  cylinders.  The  plan,  plate  121, 
shows  that  the  wheels  are  equally  compactly  placed,  one  on  each  side  the 
cylinders  and  the  general  mass  of  machinery,  and  just  filling  up  the  space 
inside  the  connecting-rods.  The  pinions  on  the  screw-shaft  are  4  feet 
6  inches  diameter,  so  that  the  ratio  between  the  screw  and  the  engine's 
rate  is  2|  to  1.  By  this  arrangement,  each  piston  is  directly  coupled  to 
both  of  the  large  wheels,  and  the  increased  length  of  the  cross-heads 
which  the  plan  involves,  is  counterbalanced  by  the  effect  of  the  double 
piston-rods,  for  by  this  division  of  the  pressure,  the  cross-strain  leverage 
is  proportionately  diminished.  The  system  of  duplex  gearing  also 
insures  a  good,  substantial,  and  well-balanced  connection  of  the  first- 
motion  shaft  with  the  screw-shaft.  The  air-pumps  are  both  situated  on 
one  side  of  the  engines,  and  are  worked  from  the  connecting-rod  stud  of 
the  spur-wheel  on  that  side,  the  pump  cylinders  being  bolted  at  their 
lower  ends  by  their  foot  branches  to  the  sole-plate,  whilst  their  upper 
ends  are  connected  together  by  a  couple  of  arched  cross-pieces.  They 
are  thus  well  bolted  together  and  to  the  main  framing,  their  inter- 
mediate connecting  brackets  answering  to  carry  the  stud  centres  of  a 
pair  of  bent  levers  for  working  the  bilge  and  feed  pumps.  The  whole 
of  the  pumps  are  constructed  on  the  trunk  principle,  of  which  class  Mr. 
Humphries'  engines  of  the  Dartford  are  so  well  known  as  the  earliest 
type. 

As  the  throw  of  the  main  driving  studs  would  be  too  great  for  the 
purposes  of  the  air-pumps,  it  is  very  ingeniously  reduced  by  means  of 
an  eccentric  set  upon  the  stud,  so  as  to  bring  the  real  working  centre 
nearer  to  the  centre  line  of  the  first-motion  shaft.  One  of  the  con- 
necting-rods for  working  the  pumps  is  formed  in  one  piece,  with  the 
eccentric  ring,  and  the  other  is  jointed  to  the  ring  on  the  opposite  side  ; 
both  rods  descending  to  joint  eyes  on  the  upper  ends  of  links  which 
are  again  connected  by  bottom  joints,  in  the  recesses  of  the  plunger 
trunks  of  the  pumps.  The  same  intermediate  joints  of  the  lower  ends  of 
the  connecting-rods  also  afford  the  means  of  connection  with  the  upper 
ends  of  the  bent  levers  of  the  bilge  and  feed  pumps,  which  levers  thus 
serve  the  purpose  of  radius  bars  for  the  air-pump  rods.  The  links  for 
working  the  plunger  trunks  of  the  bilge  and  feed  pumps  are  jointed 

A 


THE  PRACTICAL  MECHANIC'S  JOURNAL. 


nearly  at  the  middle  of  the  bent  levers,  so  as  to  give  the  required  short 
stroke,  the  pumps  themselves  being  set  vertically,  one  on  each  side  the 
screw-shaft,  on  the  sole-plate. 

The  cylinder  valves  are  combinations  of  the  four-ported  class,  so  suc- 
cessfully introduced  on  the  Clyde  by  Mr.  Thomas  Wingate,  and  the 
equilibrium  valve.  With  this  arrangement,  the  engines  are  handled  with 
very  great  facility,  and  a  very  free  exhaust  is  obtained.  They  are  actu- 
ated by  a  pair  of  eccentrics  on  the  main  first-motion  shaft,  rods  from 
which  pass  upwards  to  short  levers,  on  a  pair  of  parallel  rocking  shafts, 
working  in  end  bearings  overhead.  These  bearings  are  carried  upon 
a  pair  of  parallel  arched  frame-pieces,  stretching  across  between  the  two 
valve-chests,  so  that  they  thus  bind  the  upper  ends  of  the  cylinders.  The 
rocking  shafts  are  cranked  at  their  centres,  and  have  short  connecting- 
rods  jointed  on  to  the  crank-pins,  and  extending  right  and  left  to  their 
respective  valve-spindles.  The  steam  enters  the  valve-chests 
on  each  side,  through  the  elbow  branches  opening  into  stop  or 
expansion  valve-chests  at  the  lower  corners  of  the  valve- 
casings  ;  and  the  exhaust  steam  passes  off  to  the  condenser  by 
passages  round  both  sides  of  the  cylinders.  The  condenser  is 
entirely  within  the  engine,  beneath  the  cylinders.  It  answers, 
indeed,  as  the  supporting  pedestal  for  the  cylinders,  which  are 
bolted  down  upon  it. 

The  gear  for  handling  the  engines  is  more  clearly  shown 
in  the  plan,  plate  121,  a  rocking  lever  being  fitted  to  work 
loose  on  one  of  the  parallel  rocking  shafts,  to  allow  of  both 
engines  being  started  from  the  same  platform. 

The  engines  are  intended  for  an  iron  screw  steamer,  of  1190 
tons,  o.  m.,  now  building  by  Messrs.  Scott,  Sinclair,  &  Co.,  tp 
run  between  Glasgow  and  New  York.  This  ship  will  shortly 
be  upon  her  station,  when  we  shall  duly  note  and  report  upon 
her  performances. 

HILL'S  NEWSPAPER  STAMPING  MACHINES  AT 
SOMERSET  HOUSE. 

The  ugly  faint  red  impression  which  stands  at  the  comer 
of  every  newspaper  sheet,  as  a  record  of  the  legal  penny  pay- 
ment into  the  "stamp  and  tax"  department  of  our  "  inland 
revenue,"  involves  a  much  larger  amount  of  industrial  exer- 
tion in  the  subordinate  grades  of  Government  employment, 
than  the  ordinary  newspaper  reader  generally  imagines.  The 
gigantic  power  of  the  press  of  this  country  has  necessarily 
grown  up  under,  or  rather  hand-in-hand  with,  the  circulation 
of  an  enormous  aggregation  of  individual  impressions.  The 
Times  alone,  with  its  30,000  or  40,000  daily  copies,  creates  an 
immense  demand  for  stamping  labour;  and  if  we  stop  a  mo- 
ment to  consider  the  sum  of  the  daily  and  weekly  printed 
contributions  of  only  a  few  of  the  other  leading  papers  of 
the  time,  we  shall  see  that  the  State  stamping  business  is  on 
the  grandest  scale,  and  that  busy  industry  must  be  hard  at 
work  in  the  stamping  factories  of  Somerset  House,  Edinburgh, 
Manchester,  and  Dublin.  The  weight  of  paper  stamped  daily 
at  Somerset  House,  ranges  from  some  fifteen  to  twenty  tons. 

But  as  respects  the  modes  of  performing  the  work,  the  staid  pace  of  a 
Government  Department  is  somewhat  liable  to  be  outrun  by  the  stirring 
movements  of  the  busy  world  outside.  In  these  essentially  utilitarian  days, 
so  fraught  with  "  the  trading  spirit  and  the  thirst  for  wealth,"  fresh  enter- 
prise is  continually  bursting  forth ;  new  expedients  are  continually  being 
tried,  and  every  growth  of  mechanical  contrivance  is  continually  being 
tested  and  adopted,  as  its  merits  command,  for  the  securing  further  econo- 
mical advantages,  and  higher  and  more  perfect  results.  Machinery  driven 
by  steam-power  has  long  been  employed  in  the  stamping  department  at 
Somerset  House — Sir  W.  Congreve's  compound  printing  machines,  for  im- 
pressing the  medicine  and  bank-note  stamps — and  Mr.  E.  Hill's  embossing 
machines  for  impressing  the  medallion  postage  stamps ;  but.  until  the  last 
faw  months,  all  the  newspaper  stamps  throughout  the  kingdom  have  been 
impressed  by  unaided  manual  labour.  It  is  true  that  some  attempts  have 
been  made  in  earlier  days  to  adapt  mechanical  appliances  to  this  purpose ; 
and  they  failed,  it  is  said,  not  so  much  from  any  mechanical  difficulty 
in  making  the  actual  impression,  as  from  difficulty  in  handling  the 
paper  so  as  to  bring  the  unwieldy  sheets  under  the  operation  of  the  ma- 


chine with  sufficient  rapidity,  as  well  as  removing  them  out  of  the  way 
when  stamped.  In  other  words,  the  intrinsic  action  of  the  stamping 
movement  was  less  in  fault  than  the  feeding  and  discharge  processes.  It 
is  our  business  now  to  show  how  these  difficulties  have  been  removed  by 
the  mechanical  skill  of  Mr.  Edwin  Hill,  of  the  stamp  department,  a  gen- 
tleman whose  name  is  associated  with  many  other  manufacturing  con- 
trivances of  modern  times.  That  gentleman,  assisted  by  his  son,  Mr. 
Ormond  Hill,  has  been  successful  in  getting  to  work,  in  Somerset  House, 
a  set  of  machines,  of  which  we  now  present  the  engravings.  In  these 
views,  fig.  1  is  an  external  side  elevation  of  the  apparatus,  and  fig.  2  is 
a  corresponding  vertical  section. 

The  principal  parts  of  the  machine  are,  first,  a  small  hammer-shaped 
arm,  a,  to  one  end  of  which  the  die,  n,  is  attached,  so  as  to  form  the  head 
of  the  hammer.  The  other  end  of  this  arm  has  pivots,  like  the  trunnions 
of  a  cannon — the  whole  in  shape  much  resembling  an  old-fashioned  forge- 
hammer.  When  in  action,  this  hammer-shaped  arm  turns  upon  its 
trunnions,  first  into  the  horizontal  position  laclcward,  so  as  to  present  the 


Fig.  1. 


^rtrfiTM!itTrt)j. 


face  of  the  die  upwards,  to  receive  the  ink.  It  next  turns  completely 
over  upon  its  trunnions  into  the  horizontal  position  forward,  that  is,  into 
the  position  of  a  forge-hammer  when  it  has  fallen;  and  this  last  move- 
ment brings  the  inked  face  of  the  die  down  upon  the  paper,  and  impresses 
the  stamp. 

In  order  to  give  the  arm,  a,  these  backward  and  forward  motions,  a 
segmental-toothed  wheel  is  attached  to  it.  This  wheel  gears  with  the 
teeth  of  the  toothed  sector  or  arched  head  of  the  long  lever,  c,  which 
lever,  carrying  the  tumbler  indicated  by  the  dotted  circle,  d,  is  thrown  up 
aud  down  alternately  by  the  action  of  the  cam,  e. 

The  inking  apparatus,  r,  has  but  little  peculiarity.  Its  distributing 
table,  g,  is  circular,  upon  Congreve's  plan ;  but  it  is  moved  when  re- 
quired, not  by  a  ratchet,  but  by  a  slack  band,  that  being  found  a  simpler, 
cheaper,  and  more  effective  plan.  So  long  as  the  inking  rollers  continue 
in  contact  with  the  table  it  remains  at  rest,  for  the  slight  friction  .of 
the  slack  band  is  overpowered  by  the  adhesion  of  the  ink;  but  the 
moment  the  inking  rollers,  by  passing  out  of  contact,  set  the  table  at 
liberty,  the  slack  band  partly  turns  the  table,  and  thereby  presents  a 


THE  PRACTICAL  MECHANIC'S  JOURNAL. 


new  path  for  the  rollers  to  travel  over.  The  sliding  frame,  H,  which 
carries  the  inking  rollers,  i,  is  worked  backwards  and  forwards  by  the 
lever,  j,  which  derives  its  motion  from  cranks  behind. 

The  small  table,  k,  receives  the  corners  of  the  sheets  of  paper,  one 
after  another,  for  stamping.  This  table  is  a  portion  of  an  arm,  l,  which 
has  the  same  centre  of  motion  as  the  arm,  a,  in  order  to  preserve  parallel- 
ism between  the  die  and  the  table,  notwithstanding  that  the  position 
of  the  table  may  require  adjustment.  It  is  covered  with  vulcanized 
caoutchouc,  and  is  supported  by  pillars,  l,  resting  upon  a  strong  spring, 
M,  made  to  give  way  in  case  of  any  thick  substance  endangering  the 
machine  by  getting  into  the  place  of  the  paper. 

The  beater,  x,  is  a  four-armed  wheel,  placed  just  clear  of  the  outside  of 
the  small  table,  k.  Its  arms  are  mere  bows  or  loops  of  light  whalebone. 
Its  purpose  is  to  rid  the  machine  of  the  stamped  sheet,  by  pushing  its 
corner  down  under  the  table  the  instant  it  has  received  the  stamp.  For 
this  purpose,  the  moment  the  impression  is  completed,  the  beater  wheel 
makes  a  quarter  turn,  bringing  its  upper  arm  down  upon  the  paper,  a 
little  outside  of  the  edge  of  the  small  table,  k,  and  thereby  striking  the 
corner  of  the  sheet  off  the  table,  to  make  room  for  the  corner  of  the 
next  sheet.  Whilst  the  impression  is  being  given,  the  beater  stands 
still,  and  its  looped  whalebone  arm,  which  has  just  struck  down  the 
stamped  sheet,  now  helps  to  support  the  sheet  that  is  next  presented  for 
stamping.     This  beater  is  one  of  the  most  essential  parts  of  the  machine, 

Fig.  2. 


inasmuch  as  it  effects  the  instant  removal  of  the  paper  when  stamped ; 
an  indispensable  part  of  the  operation,  the  means  of  accomplishing 
which,  however,  were  by  no  means  obvious.  It  is  worked  by  a  ratchet, 
which  derives  its  motion  from  the  die  arm  through  the  medium  of  a  pair 
of  bevel  wheels. 

A  treadle  is  attached  for  starting  and  stopping  the  machine,  which, 
when  pushed  down  by  the  boy's  foot,  depresses  one  end  of  the  lever,  k; 
the  other  end  of  which  lever,  by  lifting  the  break,  t,  releases  the  strap,  s, 
and  the  lever  at  the  same  time  forces  up  ngainst  this  strap  the  tightening 
pulley,  u:  The  treadle  is  so  hung  as  to  be  moveable  sideways,  as  well  as 
up  and  down.  When  depressed,  it  is  also  forced  by  the  foot  into  the 
lower  notch  of  the  upright  board,  v,  which,  being  fixed  upon  the  floor, 


holds  down  the  treadle.  When  the  machine  has  to  be  stopped,  the  boy 
with  his  foot  pushes  the  treadle  sideways  out  of  the  lower  notch,  upon 
which  it  at  once  rises,  being  counterbalanced  by  the  elasticity  of  the 
strap,  and  the  weight  of  the  break  and  its  rod  added  to  that  of  the 
tightening  pulley.  The  break  falls  upon  the  strap,  which  also  is  at  the 
same  moment  slackened  by  the  depression  of  the  tightening  pulley ;  the 
machine  therefore  stops,  and  the  treadle  lodges  in  the  upper  notch  of  the 
board,  v,  which  secures  it  from  accidental  depression,  as  otherwise  the 
machine  might  be  set  in  motion  dangerously,  when  intended  to  be  at 
rest.  As  the  machine  has  to  be  started  and  stopped  incessantly,  it  is 
quite  necessary  that  the  apparatus  for  this  purpose  should  be  more  than 
usually  efficient  in  its  operation. 

The  speed  of  the  machine  being  considerable,  and  its  principal  move- 
ments either  reciprocating  or  intermittent,  or  both,  great  care  has  been 
necessary  to  prevent  jolting.  The  application  of  the  .crank  secures  the 
inking  apparatus  a  smooth  motion;  and  the  curves  of  the  cam,  by  which 
the  tumbler  wheel  is  alternately  lifted  and  depressed,  are  so  traced  as  to 
give  to  the  tumbler,  whenever  it  is  moved,  a  motion  similar  to  one  swing 
of  a  pendulum,  and  therefore  free  from  jolting.  For,  to  set  a  pendulum 
in  motion,  it  is  merely  drawn  to  one  side  by  the  finger  and  thumb,  and 
then  released,  and  its  motion,  in  swinging  across  to  the  other  side,  which 
gradually  accelerates  to  the  midway  point,  then  gradually  diminishes  to 
nothing,  so  that  the  pendulum  may  be  caught  on  the  other  side  just  as 
its  motion  is  completely  exhausted;  thus  the  pendulum  neither 
receives  any  blow  at  starting,  nor  gives  any  blow  in  stopping  ; 
and  as  in  this  machine,  the  long  lever,  the  hammer,  and  the 
beater,  all  derive  their  motion  from  the  tumbler,  their  motion 
is  similarly  free  from  jolts,  both  at  the  beginning  and  the  ending 
of  each  traverse. 

The  speed  is  100  strokes  per  minute;  which,  were  it  not  for 
the  incessant  stoppings,  would  give  6000  impressions  per  hour; 
the  actual  performance,  however,  is  a  little  more  than  4000 
impressions  per  hour  for  each  machine.  Each  machine  is  at- 
tended by  two  boys,  one  of  whom  feeds,  whilst  the  other  opens 
the  reams,  and  prepares  the  paper  for  the  machine,  and  after 
stamping,  removes  it,  and  ties  it  up  again  in  reams. 

These  machines  are  now  in  regular  use  at  Somerset  House, 
where  they  obviously  add  very  much  to  the  despatch  of  business 
in  the  Stamp  Office,  and  materially  increase  the  facilities  for 
wielding  that  powerful  arm  of  public  opinion — the  newspaper. 


THE  FRENCH  LAW  RELATING  TO  PATENTS  FOR 

INVENTIONS, 

With  Notes,  by  James  Johnson  oe  the  Middle  Temple. 

Letters  patent  for  inventions  (Brevets  d'Invention)  are 
regulated  in  France  by  a  law  bearing  date  the  5th  July,  1844, 
the  material  parts  of  which  are  as  follow  : — 

1.  Every  new  discovery  or  invention,  in  any  branch  of  in- 
dustry, confers  upon  its  author,  under  the  conditions  and  for 
the  time  hereafter  mentioned,  the  exclusive  right  of  working 
the  same  for  his  own  benefit.  Such  right  is  constituted  by 
the  documents  issued  by  government,  denominated  brevets 
d' invention. 

3.  The  following  cannot  be  patented: — (1.)  Pharmaceutical 
compounds,  or  medicines  of  any  kind,  these  being  governed  by 
special  laws  and  regulations,  principally  by  a  decree  of  the 
18th  August,  1810;  (2.)  schemes  and  projects  of  credit  and 
finance. 

4.  The  duration  of  patents  shall  be  five,  ten,  or  fifteen  years: 
the  payment  in  respect  of  a  patent  for  five  years  shall  be  500 
francs  (£20.  16s.  8d.);  for  a  patent  for  ten  years,  1000  francs; 
and  a  patent  for  fifteen  years,  1500  francs.  These  sums  shall 
be  paid  by  yearly  instalments  of  100  francs,  and  the  patent  will 
expire  if  default  shall  be  made  in  payment  of  any  one  instalment. 

2.  The  following  will  be  deemed  new  discoveries  or  inventions: — 
The  invention  of  new  industrial  products,  the  invention  of  new  means, 
or  the  new  application  of  known  means,  for  the  attainment  of  an  in- 
dustrial result  or  product. 

5.  Persons  desirous  of  obtaining  a  patent  shall  deposit,  under  seal,  at 
the  office  of  the  secretary  of  the  prefecture  in  the  department  where 
he  is  domiciled,  or  in  any  other  department  where  he  may  elect  to 
be  domiciled — (1.)  His  petition  to  the  miuister  of  agriculture  and  com- 
merce; (2.)  a  description  of  the  discovery,  invention,  or  application 
forming  the  subject  of  the  proposed  patent;  (3.)  the  drawings  and 
specimens  requisite  to  the  due  comprehension  of  the  description ;  and, 
(4.)  a  memorandum  of  the  documents  deposited. 


THE  PRACTICAL  MECHANIC'S  JOURNAL. 


6.  The  petition  shall  be  restricted  to  a  single  principal  object,*  with 
the  necessary  details  and  its  proposed  applications.  It  shall  mention 
the  duration  which  the  applicant  desires  for  the  patent,  within  the  limits 
fixed  by  article  4;  and  shall  contain  no  restrictions,  conditions,  or 
reservations.  It  shall  give  a  title,  comprehending  a  summary  and 
precise  designation  of  the  subject  of  the  invention.  The  description 
must  not  be  written  in  a  foreign  language,  and  must  not  contain  altera- 
tions or  interlineations.  Words  erased  must  be  counted  and  verified: 
the  pages  and  references  marked  with  the  applicant's  initials.  It  must 
not  refer  to  other  weights  or  measures  than  those  set  forth  in  the  table 
annexed  to  the  law  of  the  4th  July,  1837,  viz.,  the  kilogramme,  the 
metre,  and  the  litre.  The  drawings  must  be  traced  in  ink,  and  accord- 
ing to  scale.  A  duplicate  of  the  description  and  the  drawings  must  be 
annexed  to  the  petition.  All  the  documents  shall  be  signed  by  the 
applicant,  or  by  his  attorney,  whose  authority  must  remain  annexed  to 
the  petition. 

7.  No  documents  will  be  received  except  on  production  of  a  receipt 
proving  payment  of  a  sura  of  100  francs  (£4.  3s.  4),  oo  account  of  the 
tax  on  the  patent.  A  proces-verbal,  prepared  without  charge  by  the 
secretary-general  of  the  prefecture  on  a  special  registry,  and  signed  by 
the  applicant,  shall  evidence  every  deposit,  and  declare  the  day  and  hour 
of  the  receipt  of  the  documents.  A  transcript  of  the  proces-verbal  shall 
be  delivered  to  the  depositor  on  payment  of  the  expense  of  the  stamp. 

8.  The  time  of  the  patent  shall  begin  to  run  from  the  day  the  docu- 
ments are  deposited,  according  to  article  5. 

9.  Immediately  after  the  registration  of  the  petition,  and  within  five 
days  from  the  date  of  the  deposit,  the  prefets  shall  transmit  the  documents, 
under  the  seal  of  the  inventor,  to  the  minister  of  agriculture  and  com- 
merce, annexing  thereto  a  certified  copy  of  the  proces-verbal  of  deposit, 
the  receipt  proving  payment  of  the  tax,  and,  if  there  have  been  one,  the 
authority  mentioned  in  article  6. 

10.  When  the  documents  shall  have  been  received  by  the  minister, 
they  shall  proceed  to  the  opening,  to  the  registration  of  the  petitions, 
and  to  the  preparation  of  the  patents,  according  to  the  order  in  which  the 
petitions  were  received. 

11.  The  patents  which  shall  have  been  applied  for  in  due  form,  shall 
be  delivered  out  without  previous  examination,  at  the  risk  and  peril  of 
the  applicants,  and  wilhout  government  guarantee  either  as  to  the 
reality,  the  novelty,  or  the  merit  of  the  invention,  or  as  to  the  fidelity  or 
accuracy  of  the  description.  A  decree  of  the  minister,  declaring  the 
formality  of  the  petition,  shall  be  delivered  to  the  applicant,  and  shall 
constitute  the  patent.  To  this  decree  shall  be  annexed  the  certified 
duplicate  of  the  description  and  the  drawings  mentioned  in  article  6, 
after  their  conformity  with  the  originals  shall  have  been  recognised  and 
established  in  case  of  need. 

The  first  copy  shall  be  delivered  free  of  charge ;  upon  every  other 
copy  applied  for  by  the  patentee  or  his  agent,  shall  be  imposed  a  tax  of 
25  francs.  The  expense  of  a  drawing,  in  case  there  be  one,  shall  be 
defrayed  by  the  person  requiring  it. 

12.  Every  application  in  which  the  formalities  prescribed  by  sections 
2  and  3  of  article  5,  and  by  article  G,  have  not  been  attended  to,  shall  be 
rejected.  Half  of  the  sum  paid  shall  be  forfeited  to  the  treasury,  but 
credit  will  be  given  to  the  applicant  for  the  whole  of  it,  if  he  again  makes 
application  within  three  months,  reckoning  from  the  date  of  the  notifica- 
tion of  the  rejection  of  his  previous  petition. 

13.  When  the  petition  for  a  patent  is  rejected  by  reason  of  the  appli- 
cation falling  under  article  3,  the  tax  shall  be  refunded. 

14.  A  royal  ordinance,  inserted  in  the  Bulletin  des  Lois,  shall  announce 
every  three  months  the  patents  issued. 

15.  The  duration  of  patents  can  only  be  prolonged  by  a  law. 

16.  The  patentee,  or  the  persons  entitled  to  the  patent,  shall  have  the 
right,  during  the  currency  of  the  patent,  to  make  alterations,  additions, 
or  improvements  in  the  invention,  by  complying,  in  lodging  the  petition, 
with  the  requisitions  of  articles  5,  6,  and  7.  These  alterations,  additions, 
or  improvements,  shall  be  proved  by  certificates  issued  in  the  same  form 
as  the  original  patent,  and  shall  have,  from  the  dates  of  the  petition  and 
grant  respectively,  the  same  effect  as  the  original  patent,  with  which 
they  will  expire.  Every  petition  for  a  certificate  of  addition  shall  be 
subjected  to  a  tax  of  20  francs.  The  certificates  of  addition  obtained  by 
any  one  person  entitled  under  the  patent,  shall  accrne  to  the  benefit  of  all. 

17.  A  patentee  who,  in  respect  of  an  alteration,  addition,  or  improve- 
ment, desires  to  take  out  a  principal  patent  for  five,  ten,  or  fifteen  years, 
in  place  of  a  certificate  of  addition  expiring  with  the  original  patent, 
must  comply  with  the  requisitions  of  articles  5,  6,  and  7,  and  pay  the 
tax  mentioned  in  article  4. 


*  Tt  lias  been  the  practice  in  England,  until  lately,  to  allow  several  distinct  inventions 
to  be  included  in  one  patent;  but  the  law  officers  of  the  Crown  have  recently  notified  their 
wish  to  discontinue  this  practice. 


18.  Only  the  patentee,  and  those  claiming  under  him,  acting  as  afore- 
said, can,  during  a  year,  obtain  a  valid  patent  for  an  alteration,  improve- 
ment, or  addition  to  the  invention  forming  the  subject  of  the  original 
patent;  nevertheless,  every  person  wishing  to  obtain  a  patent  for  an 
alteration,  improvement,  or  addition  to  a  discovery  already  patented,  may, 
in  the  course  of  the  said  year,  make  a  formal  application  to  the  minister 
of  agriculture  and  commerce,  which  shall  be  transmitted  to  him,  and 
shall  remain  deposited  under  seal.  At  the  expiration  of  the  year,  the 
seal  shall  be  broken  and  the  patent  issued ;  but  the  original  patentee 
shall  always  have  the  preference  in  respect  of  alterations,  improvements, 
and  additions,  for  which  he  himself  shall,  during  the  year,  have  de- 
manded a  certificate  of  addition  or  a  patent. 

19.  Whoever  shall  have  obtained  a  patent  for  a  discovery,  invention, 
or  application,  connected  with  the  subject  of  another  patent,  shall  have 
no  right  to  make  use  of  the  invention  previously  patented ;  and,  on  the 
other  hand,  the  proprietor  of  an  original  patent  shall  not  make  use  of  an 
invention  subsequently  patented. 

20.  A  patentee  may  assign  the  whole  or  a  part  of  his  property  under 
a  patent.  The  entire  or  partial  assignment  of  a  patent,  whether  as  a 
gift  or  for  valuable  consideration,  can  only  be  made  by  a  notarial  act,  and 
after  payment  of  the  whole  tax  mentioned  in  article  4.  No  assignment 
shall  be  valid  with  respect  to  third  parties,  until  after  registration  in  the 
office  of  the  secretary  of  the  prefecture  in  the  department  in  which  the 
deed  shall  have  been  made.  The  registration  of  assignments,  and  all 
other  acts  effecting  a  change  of  property,  shall  be  made  on  production 
and  deposit  of  an  authentic  abstract  of  the  deed  of  assignment  or  change. 
A  copy  of  every  proces-verbal  of  registration,  accompanied  by  the  abstract 
of  the  deed  above-mentioned,  shall  be  transmitted  by  the  prefeU  to  the 
minister  of  agriculture  and  commerce  in  five  days  from  the  date  of  the 
proces-verbal. 

21 .  There  shall  be  kept,  at  the  office  of  the  minister  of  agriculture  and 
commerce,  a  register,  in  which  shall  be  entered  the  assignments,  &c,  of 
each  patent ;  and  every  three  months  a  royal  ordnance  shall  announce, 
in  the  form  prescribed  by  article  14,  the  assignments,  &c,  registered 
during  the  preceding  three  months. 

22.  The  assignees  of  a  patent,  and  the  persons  who  shall  have  derived 
from  a  patentee,  or  those  claiming  under  him,  the  right  of  using  the  dis- 
covery or  invention,  shall  have  the  full  benefit  of  certificates  of  addition 
subsequently  obtained  by  the  patentee,  or  those  claiming  under  him.  On 
the  other  hand,  the  patentee,  or  those  claiming  under  him,  shall  have  the 
benefit  of  the  certificates  of  addition  subsequently  obtained  by  the  as- 
signees. Every  person  having  a  right  to  the  benefit  of  certificates  of 
addition,  may  obtain  a  copy  from  the  minister  of  agriculture  and  com- 
merce, on  payment  of  a  fee  of  20  francs. 

23.  The  descriptions,  drawings,  specimens,  and  models  of  patents 
issued,  shall  remain  deposited,  until  the  expiration  of  the  patents,  with 
the  minister  of  agriculture  and  commerce,  where  they  may  be  inspected 
by  any  one,  free  of  charge.  Any  person  may  obtain,  at  his  own  expense, 
copies  of  the  said  descriptions  and  drawings,  according  to  the  forms  laid 
down  in  the  rule  framed  under  article  50. 

24.  After  payment  of  the  second  annual  instalment,  the  descriptions 
and  drawings  shall  be  published  textually  or  by  abstracts.  At  the  be- 
ginning of  each  year  shall  also  be  published  a  list  of  the  titles  of  patents 
issued  in  the  course  of  the  preceding  year. 

25.  The  descriptions,  drawings,  and  list  published  in  pursuance  of  the 
last  article,  shall  be  deposited  in  the  office  of  the  minister  of  agriculture 
and  commerce,  and  of  the  secretary  of  the  prefecture  of  each  department, 
where  they  may  be  inspected  free  of  charge. 

26.  At  the  expiration  of  the  patents,  the  original  descriptions  and 
drawings  shall  be  deposited  at  the  Conservatoire  Royal  des  Arts  et 
Mfitiers. 

'  27.  Foreigners  nray  obtain  patents  in  France. 

28.  The  formalities  and  conditions  prescribed  by  the  present  law  shall 
be  applicable  to  patents  demanded  or  issued  under  the  last  article. 
1  29.  The  author  of  a  discovery  or  invention  already  patented  in  a 
foreign  country,  may  obtain  a  patent  in  France :  but  the  duration  of  this 
patent  shall  not  extend  beyond  that  of  the  patent  previously  obtained 
abroad.f 

30.  Patents  shall  be  null  and  of  no  effect  in  the  following  cases,  viz., 
(1.)  If  the  discovery,  invention,  or  application  is  not  new;  (2.)  if  the 
discovery,  invention,  or  application  is  not  patentable  under  article  3; 
(3.)  if  they  refer  to  principles,  methods,  systems,  discoveries,  and  theo- 
retical or  purely  scientific  conceptions,  the  industrial  applications  of  which 
are  not  shown ;  (4.)  if  the  discovery,  invention,  or  application  is  contrary 
to  the  order,  safety,  morals,  or  laws  of.  the  kingdom — without  prejudice, 
in  this  case  and  that  of  the  last  section,  to  the  penalties  which  may  be 

t  A  similar  provision  has  been  inserted  in  the  Patent  Law  Amendment  Act,  1S52. 


THE  PRACTICAL  MECHANIC'S  JOURNAL. 


incurred  by  reason  of  a  making  or  sale  of  prohibited  objects;  (5.)  if  the 
title  under  which  the  patent  has  been  applied  for,  fraudulently  indicates 
something  which  is  not  the  true  subject-matter  of  the  invention ;  (6.)  if 
the  description  annexed  to  the  patent  is  insufficient  for  carrying  the  in- 
vention into  effect ;  or,  if  it  does  completely  and  fairly  state  the  real 
methods  adopted  by  the  inventor,  (7.)  if  the  patent  has  been  obtained 
contrary  to  article  18.  Certificates  of  alterations,  improvements,  or 
additions,  not  made  dependent  upon  the  original  patent,  shall  also  be  null 
and  of  no  effect* 

31.  No  discovery  will  be  held  new,  which,  previous  to  the  date  of  the 
deposit  of  the  petition,  shall  have  received  publicity  in  France,  or  in  a 
foreign  country,  sufficient  to  enable  any  one  to  execute  it. 

32.  A  patentee  will  be  deprived  of  his  rights  under  the  following  cir- 
cumstances : — (1.)  If  he  should  fail  to  pay  the  annual  payment  before  the 
commencement  of  each  year  of  the  term  of  the  patent;  (2.)  if  he  shall 
not  put  his  invention  or  discovery  into  execution  within  two  years  from 
the  date  of  the  signature  of  the  patent,  or  if  he  shall  cease  for  the  space 
of  two  consecutive  years  to  work  the  patent — unless,  in  either  case,  he 
can  justify  his  inaction;  (3.)  if  he  introduces  into  France  objects  made 
in  a  foreign  country,  similar  to  those  protected  by  his  own  patent.  Models 
of  machines,  the  introduction  of  which  is  authorized  by  the  minister  of 
agriculture  and  commerce  in  the  case  contemplated  by  article  29,  are 
excepted  from  the  operation  of  the  preceding  paragraph. 

33.  Whoever,  in  his  trade  inscriptions,  advertisements,  prospectuses, 
marks,  or  stamps,  shall  assume  the  title  of  patentee,  without  possessing 
a  patent  issued  according  to  law,  or  after  the  expiration  of  a  patent ;  ■f  or 
who,  being  a  patentee,  shall  describe  himself  as  patentee,  or  refer  to  his 
patent,  without  adding  thereto  the  words — "  sans  garantie  da  gouveme- 
ment,"  (without  the  guarantee  of  government,)  shall  be  liable  to  a  penalty 
of  from  50  to  1000  francs.  In  case  of  a  repetition  of  the  offence,  the 
penalty  may  be  doubled. 

The  remaining  articles  of  this  law  relate  to  proceedings  for  repealing 
patents,  and  against  persons  infringing.  The  only  articles  it  seems 
necessary  to  give  at  length  are — ■ 

40.  All  attacks  upon  the  rights  of  a  patentee,  either  by  the  manufac- 
ture of  the  things  patented,  or  by  the  use  of  patented  processes,  constitute 
the  offence  of  infringement.  The  offence  will  be  punished  by  a  penalty 
of  from  100  to  2000  francs. 

41.  Those  who  shall  have  knowingly  secreted,  sold,  or  exposed  to  sale,  J 
or  brought  into  the  French  territory,  one  or  more  imitations  of  patented 
articles,  shall  be  liable  in  the  same  manner  as  a  person  guilty  of  infringe- 
ment. 

43.  In  case  of  a  repetition  of  the  offence,  the  person  guilty  of  in- 
fringement shall  be  liable  to  an  imprisonment  of  from  one  to  six  months, 
over  and  above  the  penalty  mentioned  in  articles  40  and  41.  A  repeti- 
tion will  be  established  when,  within  five  years,  a  previous  conviction 
can  be  proved  for  any  offence  against  the  present  law.  Imprisonment 
for  from  one  to  six  months  may  be  inflicted,  if  the  infringer  be  a  workman 
or  servant  who  has  worked  in  the  factory  or  business  of  the  patentee;  or 
if  the  infringer,  having  joined  a  workman  or  servant  of  the  patentee, 
obtained  a  knowledge  from  him  of  the  patented  processes. 

BAUDETS  CONTINUOUS  MOVEMENT  METAL  POLISHER. 

M.  Armand  Baudet,  a  jeweller  of  Paris,  has  lately  effected  a  consider- 
able improvement  upon  the  ordinary  barrel-polishing  machine,  as  used 
for  polishing  small  articles  of  metal  on  the  mutual  attrition  principle. 
Hitherto  the  barrel  has  been  fitted  with,  and  made  to  revolve  on,  spin- 
dles coinciding  with  the  axial  or  centre  line  of  the  barrel.  M.  Baudet 
retains  the  barrel  in  exactly  the  same  form,  but  set  diagonally  as  to  its 
spindles — so  that  the  axis  of  revolution  makes  an  angle  with  that  of  the 
barrel.  The  new  arrangement  is  represented  in  our  engraving,  in  per- 
spective elevation.  The  two  spindles,  a  6,  ."re  attached  at  opposite  edges 
of  the  barrel  ends,  an  1  the  whole  is  supportea  in  bearings,  c  c',  resting  on 
the  frame,  e,  as  in  the  ordinary  machines — being  fitted  with  fast  and 
loose  pulleys  for  driving,  and  also  a  fly-wheel  to  equalize  the  motion. 

The  articles  to  be  polished,  as  jewellery,  or  other  small  objects  in 
metal,  are  introduced  through  an  opening,  d,  in  the  position  occupied  by 
the  buhg-hole  of  an  ordinary  barrel,  a  species  of  bung  being,  of  course, 
provided  to  close  the  opening. 

M.  Baudet  recommends  that,  for  jewellery,  the  barrel  should  not  be 

*  This  article  comprises,  in  a  few  clear  words,  the  rules  which,  in  oar  English  law, 
have  to  be  laboriously  gathered  from  many  volumes.  With  the  French  law  before  us,  it 
would  not  seem  a  very  difficult  performance  to  digest  into  a  short  intelligible  code,  the 
whole  of  our  statute  and  case  law  relating  to  this  subject. 

t  Thi3  provision  seems  to  be  but  an  act  of  justice  towards  the  public,  and  might,  we 
thinlc,  be  beneficially  introduced  into  our  law. 

X  It  was  decided,  in  the  case  of  Minler  v.  Williams,  (Webster's  Pat.  Cases,  137,)  that 
the  mere  exposure  to  sale  of  a  patented  article  is  not  an  infringement. 


above  one-third  filled,  and  that  the  speed  should  be  proportionate  to  the 
diameter  of  the  barrel.  With  this  arrangement,  the  articles  under 
operation  will  partake  of  a  kind  of  duplex  or  differential  movement,  their 
own  weight  causing  them  always  to  descend  to  that  part  of  the  barrel 
which  is  lowest.  This  causes  a  traverse  from  end  to  end,  each  end  being 
alternately  raised  and  lowered  in  the  course  of  a  revolution.  This,  com- 
bined with  the  simple  rotatory  movement,  must  necessarily  turn  over 
the  articles  in  all  conceivable  directions. 

M.  Baudet's  experience  shows  that  this  machine  will  produce  the 


intended  polish  in  one-fifth  ot  one-sixth  of  the  time  required  by  the  com- 
mon method — a  very  beautiful  polish,  moreover,  being  obtained,  in  some 
cases,  as  excellent  as  that  produced  by  burnishing.  This  system  is 
obviously  applicable  to  many  of  the  industrial  arts,  being  capable  of 
variation  in  size  and  form  to  suit  many  particular  purposes. 


SOME  ACCOUNT  OF  THE  MARQUIS  OF  WORCESTER'S 

CENTURY  OF  INVENTIONS. 

I. 

Two  hundred  years  ago,  wanting  only  a  twelvemonth,  a  nobleman, 
high  among  his  order,  and  distinguished  by  his  share  in  the  vicissitudes 
of  the  time,  having  long  diversified  political  activity  with  scientific 
pursuits,  sat  down  to  task  his  recollection  for  an  outline  of  researches 
and  points  attained  to — his  former  notes  on  such  matters  having  perished 
or  been  mislaid — and  so  doing,  built  himself  a  monument  which  has 
maintained,  or  even  increased,  its  interest,  when  illustrious  birth,  fortune 
and  misfortune,  and  even  political  activity,  would  only  have  made  him 
a  cipher  on  the  pages  of  the  historian. 

The  century,  or  hundred,  selected  out  of  matters  "  by  him  tried 
and  perfected,"  seems  to  have  been  drawn  up  in  1655,  and  published 
a  few  years  after,  being  then  addressed,  in  the  first  place,  to  the  king, 
(Charles  the  Second,)  and,  secondly,  to  the  Houses  of  Parliament,  in  a 
very  prolix  and  ceremonious  preface  or  introduction ;  but  that  the  noble 
author's  character  is  otherwise  well  reputed,  it  would  suffer  with  the 
perusal  of  such  profuse  protestations  of  patriotic  ardour.  Will  they  only 
select  one  of  his  proposals,  he  and  his  possessions  are  devoted  to  its 
execution.  Recompense  is  quite  foreign  to  his  views,  although  his 
wings  are  dipt  by  his  losses  (in  the  civil  war).  No.  "  I  cannot  he 
satisfied,"  he  says,  "in  serving  my  king  and  country,  if  it  should 
cost  them  anything."  All  he  desires  in  this  life  is,  to  pay  his  debts, 
put  by  a  maintenance,  and  bestow  all  else  on  the  service,  of  the  parlia- 
ment, which  is  shown  in  some  lengthy  similes  to  be  the  steward  of  the 
sovereign — a  metaphor  that  would  be  improved  by  a  reversal.  They 
have  but  to  give  the  word, 

"  For  certainly  you'll  find  me  breathless  to  expire, 
Before  my  hands  grow  weary,  or  my  legs  do  tire." 

But  as  it  was  quite  open  to  his  lordship  to  write  letters  in  cipher,  or 
introduce  improvements  in  art  and  manufacture,  without  parliamentary 
permission,  we  must  presume  that  all  this  rigmarole  is  to  be  taken  by 
the  rule  of  contraries.  There  is  no  such  excessive  modesty  in  regard  of 
the  commodity  thus  offered  to  the  nation : — "  The  treasures  buried  under 
these  heads — both  for  war,  peace,  and  pleasure — being  inexhaustible," 
but  any  sort  of  quid  pro  quo  is  altogether  repudiated. 


THE  PRACTICAL  MECHANIC'S  JOURNAL 


The  collection  is  entitled,  "  A  Century  of  Names  and  Scantlings," 
the  former  being  briefly  enumerated  in  one  list,  and  the  outlines  stated 
in  a  second,  which,  however,  with  a  few  exceptions,  vouchsafe  the  end 
and  object  only,  not  the  means  to  be  employed ;  and  shrouding  even  the 
former  in  blank,  if  not  enigmatic  terms,  so  as  to  present  a  startling  and 
paradoxical  result.  No  systematic  order  is  adopted;  several  similar 
projects  seem  frequently  to  have  suggested  one  another  to  the  writer's 
memory,  an  important  item  or  two  being,  however,  reserved  to  give 
weight  to  the  conclusion. 

To  go  through  the  list  seriatim  is  inexpedient,  many  of  them  admit- 
ting of  an  indefinite  number  of  solutions  equally  consistent  with  the 
vagueness  of  the  terms  announced.  Taking  them,  however,  in  groups, 
irrespective  of  the  order  of  their  occurrence,  we  shall  see  the  character 
of  objects  then  deemed  worth  pursuing,  and  the  success  then  attained 
to,  or  believed  so  to  be. 

It  may  here  be  noticed,  that  a  second  edition,  varying  slightly,  was 
issued  by  the  author,  and  it  has  since  been  several  times  printed — once 
in  the  '  Harleian  Miscellany,'  for  instance,  and  also  in  the  '  Gentleman's 
Magazine,'  1748.  The  latter,  and  an  edition  by  Partington,  offer 
solutions  of  some  articles,  but  not  exhibiting  special  ingenuity  or 
research.  The  latter  volume  contains,  however,  some  curious  biographi- 
cal material.  In  reference  to'  one  of  the  Marquis'  subjects,  '  Stuart's 
Anecdotes  of  the  Steam  Engine'  is  worth  consulting ;  and  the  curious 
will  there  make  some  acquaintance,  by  the  aid  of  a  poor  engraving, 
with  his  lordship's  exterior — a  set  of  features  far  from  handsome,  and 
with  an  expression  suggestive  of  little  besides  good  nature  and  respecta- 
bility: eyes,  however,  rather  wide  apart,  are  a  phrenological  indication 
of  engineering  ability. 

The  series  is  headed  by  five  schemes  for  writing  in  cipher,  or  cryp- 
tography, as  it  has  been  called — an  art  which  has  lost  much  of  its 
dignity  as  an  accomplishment  of  the  statesman,  and  an  instrument  of 
warlike  or  diplomatic  contest,  owing,  in  some  measure,  to  a  heightened 
moral  feeling,  which — in  private  society,  at  the  post-office,  and,  to  some 
extent,  abroad — makes  that  secret  which  lies  within  a  seal.  A  recent 
instance,  however,  of  its  employment  will  be  found  in  '  Napier's  Penin- 
sular War,'  in  the  notes  to  which  a  French  dispatch  will  be  found,  and 
its  successful  rendering  by  the  lady  of  the  author,  aided,  however,  by 
knowing  subsequent  events,  and  working  at  it  deliberately  ;  and  it  is 
obvious,  that  to  baffle  an  enemy's  penetration  for  a  time  is  comparative 
efficiency.  Those  who,  for  recreation,  desire  to  estimate  the  practica- 
bility of  Worcester's  asserted  inventions  in  this  line,  are  referred  to 
'  Rees'  Cyclopaedia,'  and,  generally  speaking,  to  works  somewhat  anti- 
quated, the  subject  being  as  old  at  least  as  the  Greek  scytale,  a  strip  of 
characters  legible  only  when  wound  round  and  upon  a  particular  staff, 
while  sympathetic  inks  of  various  colours,  invisible  till  washed  with 
a  reagent,  were  familiar  to  the  Romans. 

No.  10  is  the  converse  of  the  writings  last  under  discussion — one  that 
every  one  can  read — the  "  universal  character,"  on  which  so  much 
ingenuity  has  been  spent.  The  term,  however,  has  been  carelessly 
applied  to  two  matters  considerably  different :  1st,  An  alphabet  repre- 
senting, by  a  complete  set  of  analogies,' the  sounds  composing  speech; 
as,  loudness  by  the  size  of  the  marks,  pitch  by  their  position,  articula- 
tion by  a  slight  picture  of  the  forms  assumed  by  vocal  organs ;  and, 
2dly,  An  alphabet  of  ideas  spoken  of  the  elements  combined  by  mental 
association.  The  d'fficulty  of  this  latter  is  illustrated  by  the  failure  of 
Leibnitz,  and  though  the  scope  of  the  former  is  definable,  no  degree  of 
superiority  will,  it  seems,  induce  men  to  adopt  a  change.  None  of  the 
improved  music  notations  have  obtained  so  much  as  a  hearing,  nor  have 
the  phonotypists  "  carried"  their  mere  corrections  of  the  common  alpha- 
betic characters.  In  the  language,  however,  of  science,  where  new  sets 
of  ideas  arise,  there  is  scope  for  the  construction  of  symbols.  As  to  the 
vehicle  of  common  intercourse,  the  Anglo-Saxon  tongue  seems  disposed 
to  make  itself  universal  by  driving  bqck  its  rivals.  Some  other  proposals 
for  ciphers  occur,  as  by  various  media,  by  writing  in  the  dark  (which, 
with  us,  assumes  the  useful  form  of  an  alphabet  for  the  blind),  notation 
by  smell,  taste,  and  touch,  by  the  crossing  of  weavers'  threads,  and  a 
knotted  string  (the  mode  of  ancient  Mexico),  all  sufficiently  credible  in 
fact,  however  dubious  in  value. 

No.  80  suggests  that  some  of  the  uses  of  such  inventions  were  excep- 
tionable. It  is  a  mode  of  knotting  a  glove-fringe  to  record  cards  thrown 
away  at  primero,  as  to  which  Mr.  Partington  thinks  it  "  scarcely  too 
much  to  aver,  that  taking  an  undue  advantage  of  an  opponent  savours 
very  much  of  foul  play,  if  not  of  absolute  cheating."  To  borrow  the 
address  on  the  Exhibition  consignment  from  Italy,  Mr.  P.'s  is  "  a  case 
posed  with  softness,"  nor  would  his  lordship's  ghost  probably  impugn  it 
for  being  too  unqualified.  However,  something  similar,  though  less 
complete  in  the  mode — viz.,  of  holding  the  cards — is  authorized  by 
Hoyle,  and  the  morality  is  perhaps  unaltered  by  keeping  account  out  of 


or  inside  the  head.  At  the  following  article  to  this,  we  must,  however, 
throw  up  the  defence.  Honest  ingenuity  is  not  occupied  in  devising  a 
dice-box  to  retain  at  pleasure  the  (four)  true  dice,  and  throw  out  (four) 
loaded  ones,  and  the  box  having,  moreover,  transparent  holes  (a  usual 
precaution,  it  seems,  among  gentlemen  of  the  good  old  times).  As 
notions  then  were,  however,  the  Marquis  avows  the  paternity,  and  pre- 
sents his  offspring  to  parliament  and  at  court.  Secret  communication 
includes  also  most  species  of  telegraph,  two  of  which  (one  for  night  use) 
are  projected ;  but  it  is  not  worth  while  to  conjecture  what  means 
were  intended,  out  of  a  host  which  have  been  proposed.  For  all 
stationary  lines,  electricity  has  superseded  them ;  and  for  extempore  or 
moveable  telegraphing,  no  general  plan  can  be  laid  down.  A  rule 
sooner  or  later  will  cease  to  be  a  secret,  and  new  combinations  are 
needful  for  security.  Among  such  modes,  one  distinction  is  important — 
the  writing  or  signal  may  be  plainly  blank  and  obscure,  signifying 
nothing,  or  it  may  bear  a  pretended  meaning  and  conceal  a  real  one. 
The  superiority  of  the  latter  is  obvious;  an  attempt  at  deciphering  an 
intercepted  message  may  fail,  but  it  is  still  safer  when  nothing  seems  to 
need  deciphering.  A  mere  blank  sheet  of  paper  would  excite  suspicion 
of  invisible  fluid,  but  this  would  be  covered  by  writing  a  pretended 
message  in  common  ink.  Dissimulation,  says  Lord  Bacon,  is  but  the 
skirts  of  secrecy.  It  is  matter  for  speculation,  that  while  so  much  of  the 
ingenuity  is  bestowed  on  secret  marks,  none  is  given  to  an  end  that  has 
employed  some  of  the  most  refined  art  and  artists  in  later  times — the 
security  from  forging,  involving  accurate  and  multiplied  reproduction 
of  the  model.  Coupled  with  the  preceding,  are  modes  of  secret  trans- 
mission and  conveyance.  An  old  mode  was  to  write  on  leal-metal,  and 
roll  it  up  into  an  earring,  or  on  a  bladder  to  be  blown  all  over  the  inside 
of  a  flask.  Silkworm's  eggs,  it  will  be  remembered,  were  smuggled 
into  Europe  in  a  cane,  and  the  same  story  is  told  of  the  introduction  of 
saffron.  In  the  '  Century,'  we  have  suggestions  of  hollow  spoons, 
knives,  and  forks  ;  a  comb,  too,  is  so  applied  (thanks,  we  may  suppose, 
to  the  clumsy  make  of  old  specimens,  though  a  scroll  wrapped  round  a 
pin  would  be  lodged  in  a  narrow  apartment).  Minuteness,  however,  is 
by  no  means  the  only  security  from  detection.  Papers  have  been  sewn 
between  the  messenger's  bootsoles,  and  the  famous  letter  from  Charles 
the  First,  intercepted  by  Cromwell,  would  have  travelled  safely  in  a 
saddle  but  for  a  treacherous  hint. 

The  Irishman  who  dropped  a  kettle  overboard  "  had  not  lost  it,  for  he 
knew  where  it  was,"  but  to  lock  up  a  thing  usually  secures  it  almost  as 
much  as  its  secretion.  We  have  several  suggestions  hereupon;  thus,  a 
single  small  key  locking  numerous  bolts  ;  the  smallness  of  the  key  may 
perhaps  mean  a  substitution  of  a  screw  for  a  lever,  and  several  bolls, 
shooting  in  parallel  lines,  are  sometimes  in  the  present  day  connected 
by  a  frame.  No.  72  is  a  scutcheon,  to  vary  a  lock  10,000,000  times — 
an  anticipation,  apparently,  of  the  ring-letter  padlock;  a  brilliant  inven- 
tion, yet  achieving  little  popularity,  perhaps  because  involving  the 
chance  of  inaccessibility  to  the  owner,  who  forgets  his  password,  and 
finds  his  property  so  well  secured  that  he  cannot  get  at  it  himself — 
for  the  combinations  of  only  six  letters  allow  a  range  of  more  words 
than  are  likely  to  be  thought  of  in  any  ordinary  space  of  time.  More- 
over, the  scutcheon  will  not  allow  its  fidelity  to  be  even  tampered  with, 
but  will  sound  an  alarm;  and,  however  speedy  be  the  tempter's  retreat, 
it  will  set  a  mark  on  him,  but,  it  seems,  using  him  tenderly,  as  Walton 
did  the  frog.  This  must  mean  marking  his  hand  by  nitric  acid,  for 
instance,  a  stain  as  indelible  for  the  time  as  Duncan's  blood  seemed  to 
bis  murderer.  The  modem  detector-locks  record  the  fact  of  an  attempt, 
leaving  the  author  thereof  to  conjecture;  but  Worcester's  lock,  even  if 
overpowered,  still  watches  the  depredation,  notes  down  the  number  of 
clandestine  visits,  and-,  to  a  farthing,  the  amount  of  the  abstractions. 
Partington  suggests  a' Cash-holder,  releasing  and  counting  only  one  coin 
at  a  time  ;  but  if  so,  it  would  be  needful  to  have  one  receptacle  for  each 
species  of  coin ;  and,  besides,  one  would  rather  learn  from  a  "  Chubb" 
that  the  thief  did  not,  because  he  could  not,  take  any  at  all.  No.  74, 
a  door  changing  its  way  of  opening  with  facility,  from  outwards  to 
inwards,  or  vice  versa,  or  by  halves.  A  Mr.  Hawkins  is  said  to  have  had 
some  such  plan  in  179G,  and  chaise  doors  to  have  worked  in  the  first 
alternative.  (See  '  Gent's.  Mag.'  1748.)  No.  79  locks  at  one  turn  all 
such  drawers  of  a  cabinet  as  have  been  opened,  which  would  be  easy  or 
otherwise  according  to  the  situation  of  the  drawers.  They  are  said  to 
unlock,  separately;  but  it  would  seem  an  improvement  to  deprive  them 
of  independence  in  this  respect,  equally  with  the  reverse  operation.  So 
much  for  modes  of  fortifying,  now  for  those  of  assaulting  a  lock.  Thus, 
we  have  an  engine,  portable,  to  open  any  door  with  "only  one  crack." 
Query,  however,  if  this  means  one  uttered  by  the  door.  If  not,  this  may 
bo  a  kind  of  petard,  a  contrivance  already  known  ;  but  a  violent  explo- 
sion seems  not  what  is  intended,  the  crack  rather  indicates  the  crisis  in 
wedging  or  screwing.    Gunpowder,  however,  and  the  weapons  thatemploy 


THE  PRACTICAL  MECHANIC'S  JOURNAL. 


it,  form  a  strong  section  of  the  list.  There  had  been  too  much  chance 
to  study  them — too  much  experience  of  their  effect.  One,  No.  44,  is  a 
pistol  in  the  innocent  guise  of  a  key,  the  barrel-end  being  (visibly)  no 
thicker  than  paper.  The  next  item  begins  harmlessly,  "  a  most  conceited 
tiuder-box ;"  it  will  give  you  a  light  without  thrusting  your  hand  fioni 
out  the  bedclothes.  The  ulterior  result  is,  that  voir  are  provided  with  a 
pistol.  This  seems  but  on  the  defensive,  and  unjustly  reproached  as 
"  a  good  idea"' — for  a  highwayman.  As  privacy  is  so  much  dwelt  upon, 
we  should  expect  to  meet  with  the  air-gun — a  very  ancient  notion — but 
apparently  not  worked  on  by  Lord  Worcester.  Nor  do  we  meet  with 
any  ingenuities  of  secret  defence,  the  quilting  of  James  the  First,  or 
chain  mail  of  Cromwell,  used  against  the  assassin  when  external  armour 
was  disappearing.  By  No.  8  we  are  to  point  a  cannon  as  surely  by  night 
as  by  da  v,  and  not  by  observation  previously  taken.  The  article  follows 
a  night  telegraph,  but  is  far  less  conceivable.  Within  certain  limits, 
concave  mirrors  would  throw  a  ray  of  light,  and  still  more  with  applica- 
tions as  in  our  own  times  of  electricity. 

Col.  Colt  was  not  more  desirous  of  quick  filing  than  our  author ;  but 
his  schemes,  though  more  varied  than  the  Colonel's,  were  less  fortunate 
in  obtaining  adoption.  Partington  writing,  when  "revolver"  was  no 
household  word  or  a  practical  weapon,  could  only  suggest  that  Worces- 
ter's charges  were  successively  rammed  down  the  barrel  to  a  series  of 
touch-holes,  the  locks  sliding  back  a  notch  after  firing  the  outer  charge : 
if  this  be  practicable,  it  may  have  been  among  the  suggestions,  and  are 
offered,  all  different,  and  applying  to  weapons  of  all  magnitude.  One 
actually  fired  a  cannon,  in  royal  presence,  twenty  times  in  six  minutes, 
and  so  safely,  that  butter  lay  unmelted  in  the  breach.  As  to  this  case, 
the  solution  stated  above  is  excluded  by  a  statement,  that  the  charges  to 
follow  were  six  feet  away  from  the  gun.  No  idea  then  existed  of  con- 
verting steam  to  deeds  of  mischief— of  a  column  of  bullets,  240  per 
minute — though,  for  experiment,  the  Marquis  had  burst  a  cannon  by 
sieam  power.  We  find  a  memorandum  of  a  plan  outstripping  that  in 
the  '  Century,'  for  ordnance  charged  and  discharged  simultaneously, 
twenty  times  in  two  minutes,  threefold  faster  than  the  Marquis's,  and 
approved  by  the  Royal  Society,  to  whom  it  was  shown  by  Mr.  Ellis  in 
1747.  There  are  also  two  places  for  firing  at  one  touch  any  number  of 
pieces — not  lying  together,  a  la  Fieschi.  but  as  the  broadside  of  a  ship. 
An  electric  spark  would  now  effect  this ;  and  before  that  medium  was 
familiar,  one  Bouchon  fired  100  rockets  on  such  terms  with  experimental 
success.  Other  missile  propellers  occur;  a  cross-bow  for  two  bolts  is  no 
great  matter;  nor  would  a  way  of  throwing  bombasses,  and  100  lb. 
weight  bullets,  even  to  the  distance  of  a  quarter  of  a  mile,  excite  much 
interest  at  Woolwich.  True,  it  is  by  a  spring,  and  without  sound,  to 
make  an  agreeable  surprise  to  the  besieged;  but  in  such  matters  self- 
shelter  is  subordinate  to  destruction;  and  ever  since  Isaiah,  the  battle 
of  the  warrior  has  been  with  .confused  noise.  The  mechanical  elasticity, 
as  of  twisted  ropes,  in  the  "  Scorpion,"  can  never  compete  with  that 
released  by  chemical  disunion.  No.  9  is  a  cunning  device,  a  little  article 
to  be  taken  on  board  the  enemy,  "tanquam.  aliud  agents,"  as  if  you  had 
nothing  particular  in  your  pocket ;  winding  it  up,  you  will  attach  it  judi- 
ciously to  the  ship's  timbers,  at  the  time  set  to  it,  a  week  afterwards,  it 
will  infallibly  sink  the  ship.  A  percussion  shell  and  a  watch  are  quite 
capable  of  doing  this.  How  far  strangers  have  the  entree  of  a  ship's  hold, 
and  in  war  time,  too,  is  best  known  to  the  nautical  mind.  What  follows 
is  still  more  Warnerian.  With  an  eye  probably  to  the  point  just  hinted,  he 
will  show  how  to  dive  and  fix  it — ay,  from  a  quarter  of  a  mile  off.  What 
Fulton's  submersible  ship  might  have  done  to  the  bottoms  of  our  navy 
is  conjectural ;  certain  "  carcasses,"  however,  were  actually  made  in  the 
late  war;  they  were  to  float  to  their  destination,  bide  their  time,  and 
explode ;  one  of  them  did  drift  and  burst  on  the  beach,  and  killed  some 
innocent  bystanders.  No  light  is  thrown  by  the  Gentleman's  Magazine 
on  any  of  the  preceding  matters — the  writer  opining  that  there  were 
ways  enough  of  killing  men  already.  It  may  be  a  relief,  however,  to 
learn  that  there  is  a  preventative  (No.  11)  for  the  last  engine — it  is  not 
to  come  home  to  ourselves  to  fasten  on  our  ships,  even  by  night ;  to  this 
.effect  internal  partitions  have  been  suggested,  so  that  a  single  leak  should 
■111  the  ship ;  hut  the  language  rather  intimates  that  the  evil  is  to  be 
kept  at  a  distance.  In  truth,  to  guess  the  precautions  against  it  we  must 
know  better  what  it  is.  No.  12  is  allied  to  the  last,  and  renders  any 
number  of  shot  hulled  immaterial,  be  they  between  wind  and  water;  or 
if  a  whole  plank  goes,  a  quarter  of  an  hour  is  to  see  everything  reinstated. 
This  "quarter  of  an  hour"  is  a  favourite  period  of  his  lordship's,  and 
perhaps  amounts  to  any  little  while.  In  the  matter  of  shot-holes  under 
water,  a  few  minutes  would  seem  long  enough ;  a  sheet  of  oakum  has 
been  used  for  this  purpose  externally — the  influx  of  the  fluid  pressing 
it  into  the  aperture ;  a  more  singular  suggestion  is  that  of  a  piece  of  beef 
so  placed.  No.  13  is  a  man-trap,  or  men-trap,  to  kill  or  catch  by  a  false 
deck  an  entire  boarding  party  as  soon  as  fairly  on  board.     Partington 


sees  here  a  double  deck,  with  just  room  between  for  gunpowder:  but 
in  case  of  blowing  up,  "making  prisoners"  seems  out  of  the  question, 
and  the  article  provides  for  making  all  fair  and  square  again  to  receive 
a  second  deputation.  No.  1 6,  a  bomb-proof  sailing  castle,  carrying  a  force 
of  1000  men;  but  the  bomb-proof  qualities  of  the  ships  at  Gibraltar  availed 
their  occupants  little,  nor  in  our  days  is  a  vessel  capable  of  ten  hundred 
men  an  invention ;  but  though  we  cut  our  ships  in  half  at  the  dockyard, 
we  don't  expect  each  portion  to  sail  off  on  its  own  account.  The  Marquis's 
vessel  was  thus  tripartite  ;  but  it  is  not  obvious  what  would  be  gained. 
No.  28,  a  bridge  for  a  half  mile  of  water,  carried  about  by  six  horses, 
must  be  interpreted  of  a  swimming  bridge — a  pontoon;  that  is,  in  truth, 
no  bridge  at  all,  but  a  float.  There  are  other  military  matters  offering  no 
noticeable  pretensions,  and  some  better  suited,  perhaps,  for  unwarlike 
enterprise.  No.  49  is  an  instrument  "  in  the  way  of  a  tobacco  tongs," 
(meaning  probably  the  jointed  zigzags  known  as  lazy  tongs — i.  e.  tongs 
for  the  lazy,)  whereby  to  scale  a  wall,  and  if  expedient  scale  back  again. 
This  combination  of  levers  has  been  also  applied  to  fire-escapes ;  and  we 
have  a  fellow-contrivance,  viz.,  a  very  portable  ladder  to  be  drawn  from 
a  pocket,  and  fixed  up  to  100  feet  above.  Perhaps  the  actual  ladder  was 
■of  rope,  and  hoisted  by  jointed  rods,  or  by  a  kite,  as  once  at  Pompey's 
Pillar;  and  whatever  his  modes,  the  Marquis  would  have  been  an  in- 
valuable member  of  a  corps  of  burglars. 

Inventive  art  in  its  childhood  is  addicted  to  toy  contrivance.  Bishop 
Wilkin,  not  long  before,  had  concocted  a  volume  of  such  amusements ; 
and  this  is  appropriate  to  the  preliminary  exercises  of  inventiveness.  Still 
it  was  hardly  reasonable  to  submit  to  the  parliament,  even  of  a  merry 
monarch,  a  bird  to  fly  any  way,  and  for  as  long  as  desired,  varying  the 
performance  by  hovering  and  chirping.  A  commentator  says  that  Merlin 
did  as  much,  only  that  his  bird  was  on  wires.  It  is  to  be  feared  that  the 
Marquis  also  had  wires,  by  a  mental  reservation.  However,  his  flying 
successes  were  not  confined  to  feathered  bipeds;  under  his  management 
a  boy  10  years  old  achieved  that  desideratum — Wilkins,  the  great  autho- 
rity on  this  point,  having  only  proved  that  men  ought  to  fly.  Nota  bene, 
however,  that  the  flying  took  place  in  a  barn.  No,  92  is  a  hobbyhorse 
to  ride  at  the  ring,  possessing  points  of  great  superiority,  but  which  we 
can  now  ill  appreciate.  No.  88  is  a  talking  head,  a  notion  ascribed  to 
Roger  Bacon,  but  really  dating  back  to  a  time  when  physical  knowledge 
was  the  slave  of  priestly  jugglers.  Of  more  innocent  deceptions,  the  in- 
visible girl  may  be  referred  to  as  a  better  illustration  of  this  item  than 
the  mechanical  flute-player  which  has  been  cited — it  was  an  acoustic 
trick,  not  an  articulating  machine. 

Practical  jokes  were  to  be  expected:  an  innocent  looking  chair,  clasp- 
ing with  iron  arms  the  person  who  trusts  himself  into  it — a  piece  of  fur- 
niture mentioned  by  Evelyn  among  the  notabtlia  at  the  Borghese  Palace ; 
but  it  reminds  one  of  a  less  sportive  device  in  some  old  feudal  castle — a 
chair  which  descended  a  shaft,  bearing  the  victim  from  the  banquet  to  a 
dungeon.  No.  85,  "an  untoothsome  pear;"  the  first  bite  shoots  out  a  set 
of  bolts,  that  it  can  no  more  be  extracted  from  the  mouth  than  a  reel  from 
a  bottle.  One  would  wish  it  like  the  ball  of  Phalaris,  to  be  tried  on  its 
inventor.  No.  47  is  a  ball,  which  being  thrown  into  water  exhibits  the 
true  time  by  the  depth  of  immersion ;  those  who  possess  a  watch  not  re- 
quiring a  pond,  &c,  will  hardly  set  much  store  by  this  affair — the  use  of 
fluid  for  chronometry  is  a  retrograde  movement,  A  fountain  working 
like  an  hour-glass,  and  that  can  be  turned  by  a  child — a  favourite  expres- 
sion of  the  writer's  to  denote  great  facility — will  afford  cascades  in 
variety :  snow,  ice,  and  thunder,  with  (somewhat  incongruously)  the 
chirping  and  singing  of  birds.  On  the  latter  head  some  hints  will  be 
found  in  Hero  of  Alexandria — whether  the  snow  and  ice  were  frozen 
water,  and  if  so,  how  frozen,  we  cannot  say.  No.  22  also  seems  a  piece 
of  bydrotechny — a  popular  garden  feature  with  our  ancestors,  and  many 
devices  in  which  are  probably  lost ;  a  floating  garden,  however,  which 
is  described  with  all  sorts  of  erections,  involves  no  special  novelty — re- 
quiring only,  a  critic  says,  a  very  roomy  barge. 

No.  56  is  a  contribution  to  the  annals  of  perpetual-motion  seeking :  a 
wheel,  with  16  weights  so  attached  to  the  circumference,  that  while  in 
revolution,  as  each  is  about  to  descend,  it  hangs  out  further  from  the 
centre  than  all  those  then  ascending;  the  consequence  he,  with  civil  exul- 
tation, begs  the  reader  to  judge.  Should  science,  however,  be  wanting, 
practical  proof  is  at  hand.  The  Marquis  appeals  to  actual  trial  before 
his  late,  Majesty  and  suite,  upon  apparatus  of  ample  magnitude  erected 
in  the  Tower,  the  lieutenant  whereof  being  a  producible  testimony. 
The  most  noted  of  such  efforts,  as  described  by  Gravesande,  revolved 
for  two  months,  when  the  maker  in  a  real  or  pretended  pet  destroyed  it; 
we  are  not  informed  how  Worcester's  perpetuity  came  to  an  end.  It 
may  be  noticed  that  the  problem  is  sometimes  evaded  by  applying  a 
current  of  terrestrial  magnetism,  which  certainly  will  be  as  perpetual  as 
the  apparatus  that  receives  it ;  besides  this,  by  reducing  friction  a  force 
may  be  greatly  economised — thus  a  spinning-top  has  retained  its  impulse 


8 


THE  PRACTICAL  MECHANIC'S  JOURNAL. 


for  a  remarkable  time.  The  fallacy  of  our  present  scheme  was  demon- 
strated by  Desagaliers,  and  again  some  twenty  years  back  in  the  Me- 
chanic's Magazine;  but  such  ideas  are  not  easily  "laid,"  and  the  plan 
will  probably  have  more  revivals. 

Another  machine  to  "  numerate  and  substract,  and  that  whether  sums 


or  fractions,"  would  probably  in  those  days  be  deemed  more  improbable 
than  the  last;  it  was  probably  a  simple  species  of  a  class  not  unknown 
in  ancient  times,  but  of  which  a  living  compatriot  has  given  by  far  the 
finest  example. 


ATKINS'  SELF-RAKING  REAPING  MACHINE. 

Fig.  1. 


fX, 


A  very  extraordinary  piece  of  meehauism,  rivalling  even  the  "  cop- 
ping motion  "  of  the  self-acting  mule  in  intricacy  and  beauty  of  action, 
has  been  recently  brought  over  from  America  by  Mr.  J.  S.  Wright,  of 
Chicago,  and  patented  in  this  country  by  Mr.  J.  H.  Johnson.  This  is 
a  self-acting  raker  for  reaping  and  mowing  machines,  the  invention  of 
Mr.  Jearum  Atkins,  of  Chicago,  Illinois,  originally  a  millwright,  but 
now,  and  for  some  years  past,  a  crippled  and  disabled  man.  The  entire  i 
reaper  is  represented  in  the  large  engravings  annexed,  to  which  are  added 
detailed  views  of  the  cutting- knife. 

Fig.  1  is  a  side  elevation  of  the  reaper  complete,  but  with  the  shafts 
and  front  carrying  wheels  broken  away.  Fig.  2  is  a  corresponding  end 
view  of  the  machine,  looking  on  the  raking  apparatus  from  behind; 
fig.  3  is  a  plan  of  the  cutter,  with  its  actuating  mechanism  ;  and  fig.  4 
is  a  corresponding  plan  of  the  same. 

Framcworh. — At  a  are  two  long  wooden  beams,  joined  together  at 
their  forward  ends,  and  attached  by  means  of  a  strong  iron  bolt  or  draw 
iron  to  a  pair  of  front  wheels,  similar  to  those  of  a  common  waggon,  to 
the  tongue  of  which  the  horses  are  attached  for  working  the  machine. 
b  are  two  long  bars,  attached  by  iron  bolts  to  the  under  side  of  the  beams, 
and  extending  out  at  right  angles  with  the  draft  of  the  machine,  a  dis- 
tance equal  to  the  width  of  swath  which  the  machine  is  designed  to  cut, 
and  to  the  foremost  bar  the  sickle  is  attached,  which,  being  put  in  mo- 
tion, (as  hereafter  described,)  crowds  against  and  cuts  off  the  standing 


grain.  These  bars  or  sills  support  a  platform,  made  of  boards,  and 
sheeted  with  iron  or  zinc  on  the  upper  side,  on  which  the  cut  grain 
falls,  where  it  remains  until  a  suitable  quantity  is  collected  for  a  bundle. 
c  are  two  posts,  framed  into  the  beams,  and  firmly  connected  at  their 
upper  ends  by  a  cross-bar  and  long  iron  bolts,  extending  through  from 
outside  to  outside  of  the  posts.  These  posts  are  supported  on  the  side 
next  the  forward  wheels  by  two  wooden  braces,  which  are  framed  into 
the  beams,  forming  a  part  of  the  superstructure  which  supports  the 
machinery. 

There  is  a  long  cross-bar,  d,  resting  upon  the  heads  of  the  posts, 
and  firmly  joined  to  them  by  means  of  iron  straps,  which  straps  over- 
hang the  whole  superstructure,  and  passing  down  through  the  beams, 
are  secured  by  nuts  screwed  on  the  under  side.  This  cross-bar  extends 
over  the  entire  platform,  and  is  joined  to  a  brace,  o,  which  stands  upon 
the  platform,  and  is  supported  in  an  oblique  position  by  another  brace, 
It,  the  foot  being  framed  into  the  sill  which  connects  the  long  cross  sills 
supporting  the  platform,  the  forward  end  being  pointed  and  extending 
forward  of  the  sickle,  for  the  purpose  of  separating  the  grain  to  be  cut 
from  that  which  is  to  be  left  standing. 

Sickle  Gearing. — A  is  a  strong  wooden  wheel,  turning  upon  a  cast-iron 
axle,  that  protrudes  from  the  side  of  the  post,  c,  and  supporting  one  end 
of  the  machine,  the  other  end  being  supported  by  a  wheel  of  smaller 
size. 


THE  PRACTICAL  MECHANIC'S  JOURNAL. 


A  spur  wheel,  b,  is  keyed  on  to  the  boss  of  the  -wheel,  a,  and  turns 
■with  the  wheel  by  the  forward  motion  of  the  machine.  This  wheel 
Sears  into  a  spur  pinion,  c,  ou  the  shaft,  d,  on  which  is  also  a  bevel 
wheel,  e,  which,  by  gearing  into  a  bevel  pinion,  f,  on  the  head  of  the 


perpendicular  shaft,  G,  communicates  motion  to  said  shaft,  the  lower  end 
terminating  in  a  erank,  which,  through  the  connecting-rod,  r,  communi- 
cates a  vibratory  motion  to  the  sickle,  J.  This  sickle  operates  in  a  man- 
ner similar  .to  the  sickles  of  other  reaping  machines.     On  the  perpendi- 


Fig.  2. 


cular  crank-shaft,  G,  is  a  small  cast-iron  fly-wheel,  h,  for  the  purpose  of 
steadying  the  motion  of  the  crank,  and  preventing  the  vibrations  of  the 
sickle  from  communicating  a  jarring  irregular  motion  to  the  gearing. 

fiaking  Apparatus. — Behind  the  post,  c,  opposite  the  main  travelling 
wheel,  A,  is  suspended  upon  an  iron  axle  a  bevel  wheel,  l,  which  receives 
motion  by  gearing  into  the  bevel  pinion,  k,  on  the  shaft,  d,  and  communi- 
cates motion  to  the  raking  apparatus.  In  the  same  vertical  plane  with  the 
centre  of  the  axle  of  the  wheel,  l,  and  at  a  distance  from  the  wheel,  equal 
to  one-half  its  diameter,  stands  a  vibrating  iron  post,  o,  turning  in  foot- 


step bearing,  and  secured  at  the  top  to  a  horizontal  iron  pillow  block, 
standing  out  from  the  framework.  This  post  has  a  large  opening 
through  the  centre,  but  unites  in  one  bar  at  its  extremities.  In  the 
opening  in-  the  post,  o,  and  on  the  same  horizontal  plane  with  the  axle 
of  the  wheel,  L,  is  suspended  upon  pivots,  which  pass  through  the  post 
on  either  side,  a  short  axis,  serving  as  a  fulcrum  to  the  lever,  n,  which 
lever  is  attached  to  the  wheel,  l,  by  means  of  a  socket  on  the  rim  of  the 
wheel,  into  which  the  end  of  the  lever  is  nicely  fitted,  and  in  which  it 
turns  freely  as  the  wheel  revolves. 


Fig.  3. 


v. 

f 

1  \ 

/ 

r 

1  '"-... 

..  ft-  '~ 

\ 

K 

s 

% 

Fig.  4. 


Opposite  the  wheel,  secured  in  the  other  extremity -of  the  crooked 
lever,  s,  is  a  roller,  which  turns  upon  a  pin,  and  rolls  freely  through  a 
long  opening  in  the  lever,  Q.  Two  short  horizontal  wooden  bars,  p  p,  are 
framed  into  the  post,  o,  and  connected  at  their  outer  ends  by  a  bar 
framed  across  them.  Between  these  two  bars,  the  iron  lever,  Q,  is  sus- 
No.  61.— Vol.  VI. 


pended  upon  a  short  axis,  which  rests  upon  and  is  secured  to  the  bars 
by  means  of  iron  caps  and  bolts.  To  the  outer  end  of  this  lever,  Q, 
which  is  forked,  the  rake,  k,  is  attached  by  means  of  an  iron  clasp  span- 
ning round  and  bolted  to  the  handle  or  bar  of  the  rake,  and  turns  upon 
a  long  iron  pin  which  passes  through  the  fork  of  the  lever. 


10 


THE  PRACTICAL  MECHANIC'S  JOURNAL. 


An  iron  rod,  s,  connects  the  upper  end  of  the  rake  bar  with  the  upper 
end  of  the  iron  post,  o.  This  rod  is  forked  at  both  ends,  one  end  span- 
ning the  top  of  the  post,  o,  to  which  it  is  secured  by  a  pin,  while  the 
other  end  is  secured  in  the  same  manner  to  the  upper  end  of  the  rake. 
A  steel  spring,  z,  rests  upon  and  is  riveted  to  the  oblique  part  of  the 
post,  o,  for  purposes  hereafter  described. 

To  the  cross-bar  connecting  the  bars,  p  p,  is  suspended  by  iron  hinges 
a  broad  sheet-iron  plate,  t,  furnished  with  long  teeth  on  its  lower  edge, 
that  extend  down  nearly  to  the  bed  of  the  machine.  On  the  back  of  this 
plate  is  a  small  staple  into  which  the  link,  u,  is  inserted,  the  upper  end 
being  fastened  by  a  pin  which  is  screwed  into  the  side  of  the  lever,  n. 
The  plate,  t,  is  prevented  from  turning  loosely  upon  its  binges  by  means 
of  two  coiled  springs,  v  v,  which  are  fastened  to  the  bar  to  which  it  is 
suspended,  and  pass  down  and  press  against  the  back  of  the  plate,  on  the 
side  next  to  the  link,  u,  by  which  the  link  is  kept  tight. 

Movement  and  Operation  of  the  Raker. — The  end  of  the  lever,  n,  at- 
tached to  the  wheel,  l,  moves  in  a  true  circle,  and  has  uniform  velocity, 
as  will  be  seen  by  the  uniform  turning  of  the  wheel.  It  will  also  be 
seen  that  the  portion  of  the  lever,  n,  which  extends  from  the  centre  of  the 
post,  o,  to  the  wheel,  describes  at  each  revolution  of  the  wheel  the  sur- 
face of  a  cone,  whose  depth  is  equal  to  one-half  its  base,  and  whose  apex 
is  in  the  centre  of  o. 

Let  us  now  suppose  the  bed  of  the  machine  to  be  covered  with  grain, 
and  the  raker  to  be  set  in  motion  by  turning  the  wheel,  l.  While  the 
wheel,  w,  makes  about  one-sixth  of  a  revolution,  the  position  of  the  levers,  n 
and  q,  and  of  the  rake  and  connecting-rod,  s,  will  have  changed ;  and  the 
rake  will  have  swept  across  the  entire  bed  of  the  machine,  collecting  the 
grain  into  a  compact  bundle  against  the  tooth-plate,  t.  While  this  ope- 
ration has  been  going  on,  it  will  be  seen  that  the  position  of  the  post,  o, 
has  not  been  sensibly  changed ;  but  as  the  wheel  continues  to  revolve, 
and  the  lever,  n,  is  carried  through  the  upper  part  of  its  circumference,  the 
post,  o,  with  the  whole  structure  attached  to  it,  will  be  made  to  vibrate 
through  a  quarter  of  a  circle.  The  bundle  of  grain  will  be  carried  off 
the  bed  entirely  around  behind  the  machine,  when,  by  the  continued  mo- 
tion of  the  wheel,  an  action  of  the  machinery  directly  the  reverse  of  that 
which  closed  up  the  rake  and  collected  the  grain,  causes  it  to  open  out 
its  full  length  behind  the  machine,  depositing  its  contents  on  the 
ground;  and  as  the  lever,  n,  is  carried  through  the  lower  circumference  of 
the  wheel,  l,  the  post,  o,  is  turned  back  a  quarter  of  a  circle,  the  rake 
thereby  being  made  to  swing  around  over  the  bed  of  the  machine  for  the 
similar  collection  of  a  succeeding  bundle. 

In  all  fields  of  grain,  the  quantity  which  will  be  thrown  into  the  bed 
of  the  machine  while  the  rake  is  making  one  revolution,  will  vary 
according  as  the  grain  is  heavy  or  light.  It  is  therefore  necessary  that 
the  rake  and  sheet-iron  plate,  against  which  the  grain  is  compressed, 
should  be  so  arranged,  as  that  they  will  close  sufficiently  near  to  grasp 
.■ind  hold  a  small,  or  yield  to  make  room  for  a  large  quantity.  This  ob- 
ject is  secured  by  the  springs,  v,  which  hold  the  plate  up  against  the 
rake  with  sufficient  force  to  retain  whatever  may  be  grasped  between 
them,  while,  at  the  same  time,  they  allow  the  plate  to  yield,  to  adapt 
itself  to  any  increase  of  quantity.  The  spring,  z,  is  for  the  purpose  of 
steadying  and  supporting  the  connecting-rod,  s,  as  it  approaches  the 
lower  point  of  its  descent,  and  for  preventing  that  tremulous  motion  of 
the  rake  which  would  otherwise  take  place  while  it  is  extended.  The 
link,  d,  is  for  the  purpose  of  holding  the  plate,  t,  firm  against  the  action  of 
the  springs.  It  will  also  be  seen,  that  while  the  rake,  after  having  de- 
livered its  bundle,  is  being  swung  around  for  the  collection  of  a  succeed- 
ing one,  this  link,  by  the  rising  and  falling  of  the  lever,  n,  which  takes 
place  during  the  operation,  draws  the  plate  back  towards  the  post,  o,  out 
of  the  way  of  the  grain  which  may  be  lying  on  the  platform,  and  again, 
at  the  proper  time,  lets  it  down  against  the  action  of  the  rake. 

With  reference  to  the  motion  of  the  rake  it  may  be  observed,  that  it  is 
quickest  at  those  points  where  a  quick  motion  is  most  needed,  as,  for 
instance,  while  it  is  sweeping  the  platform  to  collect  the  grain,  and 
while  opening  in  the  rear  of  the  machine  for  delivering  the  bundle. 
Again,  it  may  be  observed,  that  when  the  rake  is  nearly  closed  upon  the 
grain,  the  velocity,  which  is  no  longer  needed,  by  the  peculiar  action  of 
the  roller  which  is  fastened  in  the  end  of  the  lever,  u,  and  moves  in  the 
opening  of  the  lever,  <j,  is  exchanged  for  power  to  compress  the  grain 
and  hold  it  firmly  to  its  place,  while  it  is  being  carried  around  for  de- 
livery upon  the  ground.  This  rake  has  at  present  but  one  rate  of  mo- 
tion, but  is  designed  to  be  so  arranged  by  suitable  gearing,  as  that  it  can 
lie  made  to  take  bundles  more  or  less  frequently,  at  the  discretion  of  the 
operator.  The  machine  has  a  reel,  of  which  m  is  the  shaft  and  I  the 
wings,  suspended  over  and  in  front  of  the  sickle,  for  the  purpose  of  in- 
clining the  grain  back  towards  the  platform  preparatory  to  its  being 
cut,  and  to  bring  the  cut  grain  on  to  the  platform.  This  reel  receives 
motion  by  means  of  having  a  large  pulley,  x,  upon  its  shaft,  over 


which  a  belt  passes  from  the  pulley,  w,  on  the  outer  arm  of  the  horizon- 
tal arbour,  d. 

The  Knife — Improvement  to  prevent  Clogging. — It  is  due  to  Mr.  Atkins 
to  remark  that,  with  the  exception  of  the  knife,  and  finger-points  through 
which  the  knife  plays,  the  whole  arrangement  of  the  reaping,  as  well  as 
of  the  raking  parts,  is  original.  Mr.  Hussey's  preference  is  decidedly 
for  a  smooth  edge  and  an  acute  angle;  but  other  reaper-builders,  and 
several  farmers,  in  whose  experience  and  judgment  Mr.  Wright  places 
great  reliance,  consider  the  sickle  edge  best,  and  his  preference  just  now 
is  for  a  serrated  edge,  with  an  angle  of  about  45  degrees. 

Murray's  Bach-edged  Knife. — It  will  be  seen  that  the  knife-bar  is  on 
the  upper  side,  and  instead  of  being  placed,  as  usual,  flush  with  the  back 
edge,  it  is  in  the  middle  of  the  blade,  aud  as  far  forward  as  the  angle 
of  the  cutting  will  allow.  The  back,  too,  instead  of  being  left  straight, 
is  cut  zig-zag,  as  shown  by  the  dotted  lines,  and  each  alternate  edge  is 
beveled  the  other  way,  and  serrated. 

The  object  to  be  accomplished  is  this : — In  either  reaping  or  mowing,  a 
fibre  hangs  upon  a  finger,  and  gradually  works  to  the  tightest  place,  and 
is  fastened.  Another  and  another  works  to  the  same  plaee,  a  like  pro- 
cess being  seen  on  other  fingers,  till  the  knife  becomes  choked  and  im- 
moveable. The  Murray  knife-blades  resting  upon  the  fingers,  aud  the 
edges  front  and  rear  being  in  close  contact  with  them,  it  will  be  seen  that 
any  matter  accumulating  upon  the  fingers  will  be  picked  off  by  the  sharp 
points  of  either  the  front  or  rear  edge  of  the  knife.  It  is  impossible  to 
choke  it. 

It  is  the  invention  of  Bronson  Murray,  Esq.,  of  La  Salle  county,  Illi- 
nois. For  several  years  he  had  used  mowing  machines,  and  was  con- 
tinually troubled  with  choking  of  the  knife,  when  the  grass  was  wet 
either  by  dew  or  rain.  Three  summers  since  he  had  constantly  to  pick 
out  the  fingers  during  a  rainy  day,  when  a  new  plan  occurred  to  him, 
and  taking  his  knife  to  a  blacksmith,  he  had  triangular  pieces  cut  out  of 
the  back  edge,  and  teeth  roughly  hacked  in,  returned  to  the  mowing, 
and  has  not  since  been  troubled  with  clogging. 

It  will  also  be  observed  that  cutting  out  these  pieces  lightens  the  knife 
considerably  ;  and  being  necessarily  driven  with  high  speed,  and  the  dead- 
weight to  be  twice  overcome  at  each  stroke,  every  ounce  there  saved  is 
a  relief  to  the  team. 

Connection  of  Pitman  and  Knife-bar. — A  difficulty  has  always  existed 
in  the  flattening  of  the  bolt  which  fastens  together  the  pitman  and  knife. 
With  a  short  stroke,  high  speed,  and  several  pounds  weight  in  the  knife, 
the  bolt  does  not  long  continue  to  work  well,  being  either  flattened  or 
broken. 

To  obviate  this,  a  conical  point  of  steel  projects  from  either  side  of  the 
pitman  or  connecting-rod,  i,  about  one-fourth  of  an  inch.  The  knife-bar, 
j,  is  forked  at  the  end,  either  fork  having  in  it  a  conical  hole  steel-bushed 
to  fit  the  points  on  the  pitman.  The  forks  being  sprung  apart  to  receive 
the  conical  points  into  the  holes,  are  then  kept  together  by  a  bolt  and 
nuts,  and  as  the  knife  is  driven  back  and  forth,  they  will  spring  a  little, 
and  in  a  measure  relieve  the  blow  upon  the  points. 


ON  THE  OCCASIONAL  OSCILLATIONS  OF  THE  STEAM- 
PRESSURE  INDICATOR. 
I. 

In  applying  the  pressure  indicator  to  the  cylinder  of  a  steam-engine, 
it  not  uufrcquently  happens  that  the  pencil,  instead  of  calmly  rising 
at  the  commencement  of  the  stroke,  to  such  a  height  as  we  might  fairly 
suppose  to  be  due  to  the  pressure  of  the  steam  then  entering  the  cylin- 
der, suddenly  bounds  to  a  height  considerably  greater — often  greater, 
indeed,  than  the  height  due  to  the  pressure  indicated  at  the  same  time  by 
the  boiler-guage.  This  inordinate  leap  of  the  pencil  is  the  first  and 
greatest  of  a  series  of  oscillations  which  appear  upon  the  diagram,  as  ' 
undulations  of  continually  decreasing  amplitude,  and  increasing  breadth. 
Like  a  pendulum  moving  in  a  resisting  medium,  or  when  retarded  by  any 
other  kind  of  uniform  resistance,  every  vibration  becomes  shorter  than 
that  which  preceded  it,  till,  finally,  the  communicated  force  is  exhausted, 
and  the  motion  ceases ;  so  it  is  with  the  piston  of  the  indicator,  and 
therefore  with  the  pencil,  which  is  rigidly  attached  to  it :  it  oscillates  for  a 
time,  alternately  above  and  below  the  position  at  which  the  pressure  of 
the  steam  in  the  cylinder  would  at  the  given  instant  maintain  it ;  but 
in  every  oscillation  it  makes,  it  deviates  less  and  less  from  that  position, 
and  finally  comes  to  rest  in  it.  The  pencil,  from  that  instant,  steadily 
traces  the  curve  of  contemporaneous  pressures  within  the  cylinder; 
for  then  the  tension  of  the  spring  of  the  instrument,  and  that  of  the 
steam,  are  in  equilibrium,  and  undisturbed  by  any  other  force.  This 
state  of  things  continues  usually  throughout  the  remainder  of  the  stroke 
of  the  piston  of  the  engine,  the  tension  of  the  spring  varying  simul- 
taneously, as  the  elasticity  of  the  steam  by  expansion  becomes  less,  and 
finally  disappears  altogether  on  the  opening  of  the  eduction  valve. 


THE  PRACTICAL  MECHANIC'S  JOURNAL. 


11 


The  annexed  diagram  exemplifies  this  common,  though  duhious,  ac- 
tion of  the  instrument — often  regarded  as  the  effect  of  some  imperfection 
peculiar  to  it,  and  which  it  ought  not  to  exhibit. 
Fig.  1.  The  phenomenon  has  indeed  received  a  still  more 

significant  interpretation — no  less  than  a  whole 
and  entire  theory  of  the  steam-engine  has  been 
built  upon  it.     Mr.  Josiah  Partes'  'Percussive 


Theory '  is  still  fresh  on  the  minds  of  many  of  the  present  generation  of 
engineers,  and  stands  embalmed  for  posterity  in  vol.  iii.  of  the  'Transac- 
tions of  the  Institution  of  Civil  Engineers.'  Mr.  Parkes'  deductions 
have,  indeed,  been  regarded  as  erroneous  by  the  greater  part  of  the 
profession ;  but  although  his  theory  (as  he  calls  it)  has  been  denied  and 
abused  beyond  measure,  it  has  not  been  refuted ;  and  he  has  the  satis- 
faction of  knowing,  that,  for  twelve  years,  no  better  explanation  of  the 
facts  he  accumulated  has  been  offered.  This  is  in  itself  some  satisfaction 
for  the  humiliation  attaching  to  the  authorship  of  a  professional  blunder  ; 
it  shows,  at  least,  that  the  error  is  not  quite  elementary;  and,  after  all, 
it  may  yet  appear,  that  although  Mr.  Parkes  sadly  misconceived  the 
phenomenon  which  he  undertook  to  explain,  his  interpretation  is  still 
not  quite  destitute  of  principle. 

Mr.  Clark,  in  his  generally  excellent '  Treatise  on  Railway  Machinery,' 
has  devoted  considerable  space  to  the  elucidation  of  the  action  of  the  in- 
dicator in  its  application  to  the  locomotive ;  and  one  step  further  would 
have  given  him  the  key  to  the  true  explanation  of  the  oscillations  it 
exhibits  so  profusely  at  high  speeds.  His  discussion,  as  far  as  it  extends, 
is  a  good  example  of  practical  logic  operating  with  imperfect  premises. 
He  has  come  by  much  that  is  true,  but  not  the  whole  truth,  and  much 
that  will  he  appealed  to  in  future,  when  this  phenomenon  is  discussed. 

But,  laying  aside  what  has  been  said  and  done,  we  proceed  to  examine 
the  problem  independently,  and  unfettered  by  preconceived  hypotheses. 

Let  us  examine  it,  in  the  first  place,  by  the  light  shed  upon  it  in  the  dia- 
gram. The  pencil  of  the  indicator  is  driven  suddenly  to  a  height,  at  which 
the  tension  of  the  spring  exceeds  the  counteracting  elasticity  of  the  steam 
upon  it ;  it,  of  course,  descends  in  obedience  to  the  preponderating  pres- 
sure of  the  spring,  and  it  does  not  stop  at  the  position  in  which  the  two 
pressures  upon  it  are  equal,  but  proceeds  below  this  position  propor- 
tionally to  the  height  it  had  risen  above  it.  Again  it  ascends  from  this 
too  low  position,  at  which  its  motion  in  that  direction  was  expended, 
and  rises  to  a  height  proportionally  exceeding  that  due  to  the  steam- 
pressure  in  the  cylinder,  again  to  descend  too  low,  and  so  on,  through  a 
greater  or  less  number  of  oscillations.  In  this  way,  the  piston  (and, 
therefore,  the  pencil)  of  the  indicator  continues  to  oscillate  (nearly 
equally)  on  each  side  of  the  position  in  which  the  two  pressures  upon  it 
— the  pressure  of  the  steam  and  the  pressure  of  the  spring — are  equal, 
every  succeeding  oscillation  becoming  less,  till,  finally,  the  piston  comes 
to  rest  under  the  equilibrium  of  the  pressures  acting  upon  it.  As  long 
as  the  oscillations  of  the  piston  continue,  the  pencil  will  of  course  go  on 
tracing  an  undulating  curve  upon  the  paper,  or  rather  a  series  of  waves, 
of  continually  diminishing  altitude.  It  will  also  happen,  from  the 
nature  of  the  diagram — that  is  to  say,  from  the  relation  of  the  two  motions 
therein  co-ordinated — that  the  undulations  traced  by  the  pencil  are  not 
only  necessarily  highest,  or  of  greatest  amplitude,  at  the  commencement 
of  the  stroke :  it  does  not  yet  appear  that  this  is  necessarily  the  case ; 
but  also  that  they  are  there — as  shown  in  the  preceding  figure — narrower 
and  more  abrupt,  their  contours  approaching  to  the  vertical,  and  their 
turning  points  consisting  of  acute  angles.  These  characteristics  of  the 
lines  of  undulation  traced  by  the  pencil,  are  obviously  connected  with  the 
slow  motion  of  the  piston  of  the  engine  at  the  beginning  of  the  stroke. 
As  the  piston-velocity  increases  towards  the  middle  of  the  stroke,  the 
undulations  become  wider  and  more  rounded  at  their  extremities  ;  then- 
sides  deviate  more  and  more  from  the  vertical;  and,  finally,  they  would 
reach  their  maximum  width,  were  the  oscillations  to  continue  so  long, 
when  the  piston  of  the  engine  had  reached  the  middle  of  its  stroke.  The 
reason  of  this  is  very  easily  surmised.  The  two  motions  co-ordinated  are 
of  different  kinds.  The  vertical  motion  of  the  pencil — its  oscillations, 
so  long  as  they  contiuue,  are  uniform  motions — each  oscillation  may  be 


supposed  to  occupy  the  same  space  of  time ;  whereas  the  motion  of  the 
piston  of  the  engine  is  a  variable  motion,  accelerated  throughout  half 
the  distance,  and  retarded  in  the  remaining  half.  And  it  is  this  variable 
motion  which  in  the  diagram  is  the  abscissal  axis — the  length  horizon- 
tally; and  the  motion  of  the  piston  of  the  indicator  enters  into  the  dia- 
gram ordinately.  It  is  therefore  plain,  that  if  the  oscillations  are  performed 
in  equal  intervals  of  time,  and  the  paper  upon  which  they  are  traced  by 
the  pencil  pass  through  unequal  spaces  in  these  equal  intervals,  then 
the  undulations  must  of  necessity  appear  of  different  widths :  they  will 
be  narrowest  when  the  pencil  is  moving  slowest,  and  consequently 
broadest  towards  the  middle  of  the  stroke  of  the  piston,  when  the  paper 
is  moving  quickest. 

Taking  advantage  of  this  principle,  it  would  be  easy  to  construct  an 
instrument  by  which  the  velocity  of  the  piston,  at  all  positions  of  its 
stroke,  would  be  represented.  It  would  only  be  necessary,  for  that  pur- 
pose, to  connect  the  pencil  with  a  weighted  spring,  which,  being  set  in 
motion,  would  vibrate  isochronously,  and  the  indications  representing 
equal  intervals  of  time  would,  of  course,  vary  in  breadth  in  the  inverse 
ratio  of  the  velocity  of  the  piston :  they  would  be  broadest  when  the 
velocity  is  greatest,  and  narrowest  when  the  velocity  is  least.  A  pen- 
dulum might  also  be  substituted  for  the  spring ;  the  spring  is,  in  fact,  a 
pendulum,  in  which  the  elasticity  of  the  metal  replaces  the  external  force 
of  gravity  in  the  ordinary  pendulum.  Both  obey  the  same  law  of  uni- 
formity of  vibration,  independently  of  the  range ;  whether  the  amplitude 
be  great  or  small  within  proper  limits,  which  it  is  not  here  necessary  to 
assign,  the  time  of  oscillation  remains  the  same  for  the  same  pendulum, 
no  matter  what  the  moving  force  is,  provided  only  it  is  a  free  and  con- 
stant force. 

It  has  already  been  noticed,  that  this  phenomenon  of  oscillation  takes 
place  at  the  commencement  of  the  stroke  of  the  piston ;  and  it  may  be 
further  observed,  that  it  is  most  marked  in  the  diagrams  of  those  engines 
which  have  the  least  amount  of  cushioning,  or  in  which  the  period  of 
eduction  is  unduly  prolonged.  It  is  also  a  concomitant  of  all  cases  of 
late  induction — of  all  cases  in  which  the  steam  is  too  late  of  being  admit- 
ted into  the  cylinder,  or  when  there  is  some  amount  of  lag.  The  pheno- 
menon, in  fact,  occurs  invariably  when  the  circumstances  are  such  that 
the  steam  is  suddenly  admitted  into  a  vacuous  space;  and  the  more 
vacuous  the  condition  of  the  cylinder  then  is,  (when  the  steam  begins  to 
be  admitted,)  and  the  more  quickly  the  induction  valve  opens,  the  more 
marked  is  it;  the  oscillations  of  the  piston  of  the  instrument,  and  there- 
fore of  the  pencil,  are  proportionally  greater  in  amplitude,  and  more 
numerous;  or  it  is  longer  before  an  equilibrium  of  the  pressures  is  estab- 
lished between  the  spring  of  the  instrument  and  the  elasticity  of  the 
steam. 

Referring  to  the  preceding  figure,  it  will  be  observed  that  the  ednction 
is  continued  to  the  end  of  the  stroke ;  that  the  pencil  rises  suddenly, 
describing  the  vertical  line  from  a  to  6,  instead  of  tracing  the  dotted 
curve  from  c  to  d,  which  it  would  have  done,  had  the  eduction  ceased  at 
c,  and  the  quantity  of  vapour  then  in  the  cylinder  been  retained,  and 
made  to  serve  as  cushioning  to  the  piston.  At  the  end  of  the  stroke, 
therefore,  and  when  the  piston  of  the  engine  is  absolutely  at  rest,  the 
piston  of  the  indicator  is  at  its  lowest  position,  and  the  spring  of  the 
instrument  is  about  10  lbs.  below  its  zero  at  e.  When,  therefore,  the 
induction  valve  begins  to  open,  the  first  effect  of  the  steam  admitted  is 
to  destroy  this  vacuum,  and  to  add  its  pressure  to  that  of  the  spring ;  for 
below  the  atmospheric  line,  e  e,  the  pressure  of  the  steam  and  the  tension 
of  the  spring  act  in  the  same  direction — both  act  upwards.  But  we 
must  here  clear  our  notions  respecting  the  nature  of  the  steam-pressure. 
We  are  so  much  in  the  habit  of  employing  this  term  as  synonymous  with 
the  property  of  expansibility  of  the  fluid,  that  it  has  almost  ceased  to 
express  the  relation  of  an  effect;  we  speak  of  the  elasticity  of  the  steam, 
its  tension  and  pressure,  as  identical  phenomena,  and  regard  the  terms 
as  mutually  convertible.  This  is  at  least  inaccurate,  and  all  inaccuracy 
of  language  leads  to  confused  perception.  Like  other  gases,  as  atmo- 
spheric air,  steam  possesses  the  property  of  elasticity — it  tends  to  expand 
itself  indefinitely;  and  the  energy  with  which  that  tendency  is  mani- 
fested upon  the  surface  of  a  retaining  envelope,  is  the  tension  of  the  gas 
— which  being  known  with  reference  to  any  convenient  superficial  unit, 
as  a  square  inch,  and  expressed  in  terms  of  the  weight  necessary  and 
sufficient  to  balance  it,  is  properly  termed  the  pressure. 

This  is  the  systematic  relation  of  the  terms,  as  applied  to  a  limited 
volume  of  confined  gas ;  but  if  the  gas  were  unconfined,  as  in  the  case  of 
the  atmosphere,  we  might  neglect  altogether  its  property  of  elasticity 
in  speaking  of  its  pressure.  This  term  would  then  be  used  to  signify 
the  weight  of  a  column  of  the  fluid  on  the  unit-area  of  base.  It  is  thus 
that  the  pressure  of  the  atmosphere  is  measured  by  means  of  the  baro- 
meter, and  stated  in  terms  of  the  height  of  the  column  of  mercury  which 
it  counterpoises,  or  of  the  weight  (in  lbs.)  which  that  column  would 


12 


THE  PRACTICAL  MECHANIC'S  JOURNAL. 


have  if  its  transverse  section  were  exactly  one  square  inch.  Now,  sup- 
posing a  barometer,  at  the  time  that  its  column  stands  at  30  inches 
of  height,  (and  consequently  indicates  an  atmospheric  pressure  of  147  lbs. 
on  that  unit  of  surface,)  to  be  enveloped  by  an  air-tight  casing,  along 
with  some  portion  of  the  air  then  surrounding  it,  the  mercurial  column 
would  still  continue  to  stand  at  the  same  height  as  before,  and  no  change 
would  be  perceived  to  have  taken  place  in  the  relation  of  the  two  pres- 
sures. But  now  we  would  regard  the  pressure  as  derived  from  the  elasticity 
of  theconfinedair,  whereas  formerly  we  attributed  it  directly  to  the  weight 
of  the  column  of  atmosphere.  We  might  further  increase  the  height  of 
the  mercurial  column  by  forcing  more  air  into  the  vessel  enclosing  the 
barometer,  and  in  like  manner  diminish  it  by  extracting  air,  thereby 
producing  effects  quite  identical  in  character  with  those  we  witness  in 
the  exposed  barometer,  and  which  we  attribute,  without  hesitation,  to 
changes  of  atmospheric  pressure. 

Moreover,  if  we  look  a  little  more  closely  into  the  circumstances  of  the 
enclosed  and  exposed  barometer,  it  very  soon  appears  that  the  two  sets 
of  conditions  are  at  least  very  much  alike,  if  not  entirely  identical.  In 
both  cases  the  pressure  upon  the  mercury  is  communicated  by  a  stratum 
of  the  fluid,  which  sustains  and  is  pressed  upon  by  a  stratum  above  it, 
and  this  again  bears  the  weight  of  another  stratum  overlying  it — and 
so  on  to  the  limit  of  the  atmosphere  in  the  case  of  the  exposed  barometer, 
and  until  the  interior  surface  of  the  envelope  is  reached  in  the  case  of 
the  enclosed  barometer.  But  in  this  last  case,  the  surface  of  the  envelope 
exerts  a  pressure  exactly  equal  to  the  amount  of  pressure  which  all 
the  strata  above  it  would  exert  by  their  weight  upon  those  interposed 
between  it  and  the  surface  of  the  mercurial  cistern.  Now,  it  can  make 
here  no  difference  of  effect,  that  the  compression  is  produced  by  one  kind 
of  surface  rather  than  by  another — by  a  surface  of  iron,  rather  than  by  a 
surface  of  gas ;  the  mercury  will  still  be  submitted  to  the  same  amount 
of  pressure,  and  will  therefore  stand  in  both  cases  at  the  same  height. 

For  illustration,  let  us  suppose  a  cylinder  so  long  as  to  reach  to  the 
superior  limit  of  the  atmosphere,  the  pressure  of  the  column  of  air 
contained  in  it  will  not  differ  from  that  exerted  on  any  other 
equal  area,  as  a  square  inch.  Suppose  that  it  is  14-7  lbs.  on 
this  unit.  We  may  also  imagine  a  piston  acted  upon  by  a 
spring  to  be  situated  at  the  bottom  of  the  cylinder,  for  the  pur- 
pose of  indicating  the  pressure ;  and  further,  that  the  cylinder  is 
supplied  with  stop-cocks  at  certain  positions  above  the  piston. 
Now,  it  is  easy  to  see  that  the  entire  column  of  gas  being  in 
equilibrio,  there  would  be  no  derangement  of  that  state  produced 
by  shutting  any  one  or  all  of  the  cocks,  with  which  we  have 
supposed  the  cylinder  to  be  provided.  The  pressures  exerted  on 
the  two  opposite  sides  of  the  plug,  would  simply  be  those  which 
the  two  contiguous  layers  of  the  fluid  previously  exerted  upon 
each  other  at  that  point — the  weight  which  the  superior  part 
of  the  column  exerted  on  that  upon  which  it  rested,  and  the  reac- 
tion which  the  inferior  part  of  the  column  opposed  to  further  com- 
pression by  the  superincumbent  weight.  The  pressures  on  the 
two  sides  of  the  plug  are,  therefore,  manifestly  and  necessarily 
equal ;  and  it  is  quite  as  clear,  that  the  circumstances  of  the  part 
of  the  column  below  the  stop-cock  will  not  be  affected  by  remov- 
ing altogether  the  part  above  it.  The  only  new  condition  intro- 
duced, by  thus  annihilating  the  pressure  above  the  cock,  would 
simply  be,  that  the  plug  would  henceforth  be  required  to  sustain 
the  unbalanced  pressure ;  it  would  be  required  to  resist,  in  virtue  of 
its  position,  and  by  its  strength  alone,  a  pressure  exactly  equal 
to  that  previously  obtained  from  the  weight  of  the  superincum- 
bent column  of  gas. 

The  conclusion  then  is,  that  in  any  body  of  confined  gas,  the 
pressure  it  exerts  on  the  unit  of  area  of  the  containing  surface  is 
that  due  to  the  weight  of  a  column  of  the  gas,  having  an  equal 
area  of  base,  and  a  height  proportional  to  that  pressure  and  the 
density  of  the  gas  conjointly.  It  is  not  necessary  to  take  into 
account  the  condition,  that  in  an  open  column  of  the  gas,  ex- 
tending upwards  in  an  indefinitely  prolonged  tube,  the  density 
would  continually  diminish  more  and  more  as  it  ascended ;  it  is 
only  with  the  weight  of  the  column  we  have  to  do,  and  not 
with  the  height  to  which  it  would  reach,  if  so  circumstanced.  This 
problem  may  arise  as  a  question  of  interest  in  general  physics,  but  it 
has  no  importance  in  terrestrial  mechanics.  The  only  possible  form  in 
which  it  can  present  itself  in  this  relation,  is  in  accordance  with  the  very 
simple  hypothesis,  that  the  density  is  uniform  throughout  the  entire 
height  of  the  column,  and  the  same  as  it  is  observed  to  possess  at  the 
surface  of  the  earth.  For  example,  at  the  temperature  of  32°  F.,  a  cubic 
foot  of  atmospheric  air  weighs  0-080763  lb.  under  a  barometrical  pres- 
sure of  30  inches  of  mercury — say  15  lbs.  on  the  square  inch ;  the  height, 
therefore,  of  a  column  of  air,  of  that  temperature  and  density  through- 


out, and  exerting  that  pressure  on  the  unit  of  base,  would  accordingly 
be  26,750  feet,  (fully  five  miles,)  and  this  is  called  the  height  of  a  homo- 
geneous atmosphere.  Supposing  the  temperature  of  the  air  to  be  212° 
instead  of  32°,  the  height  of  the  homogeneous  atmosphere  would  then  be 
36,550  feet,  or  nearly  7  miles ;  and  a  homogeneous  atmosphere  of  steam  of 
this  pressure,  and  at  this  temperature,  would  have  an  altitude  of  no  less 
than  57,620  feet,  or  nearly  11  miles.  Calculations  of  this  sort  are  neces- 
sary in  questions  relating  to  the  velocity  of  sound,  &c,  but  are  merely 
illustrative  for  the  purpose  we  have  presently  in  view. 

We  have  made  reference  to  the  barometer  as  the  instrument  by  which 
the  pressure  of  the  atmosphere  is  measured ;  but  it  is  very  manifest  that 
the  column  of  mercury  by  which  the  atmospheric  column  is  balanced 
might  be  replaced  by  a  piston  and  spring,  but  for  the  mechanical  diffi- 
culty of  the  application — the  difficulty  of  maintaining  a  Torieellian 
vacuum  behind  the  piston,  which  we  so  easily  insure  above  the  mercury  in 
the  tube  of  the  barometer.  The  steam-engine  indicator  would  exactly 
answer  the  purpose,  but  for  this  difficulty ;  and  it  is  so  applied  when  used 
to  determine  pressures  lower  than  that  of  the  atmosphere :  what  it  then 
determines  is  the  extent  to  which  the  atmospheric  pressure  exceeds  the 
pressure  on  the  other  side  of  the  piston — technically,  the  degree  of  va- 
cuum. If  in  these  circumstances  the  vacuum  were  complete  or  perfect, 
it  would  consequently  indicate  simply  the  pressure  of  the  atmosphere. 
Again,  when  the  instrument  is  employed  to  measure  the  pressure  of  the 
steam,  that  of  the  atmosphere  still  enters  into  consideration;  it  then 
indicates  how  much  the  steam-pressure  acting  on  one  side  of  the  piston 
exceeds  the  atmospheric  pressure  acting  on  the  other  side  of  it. 


THE  MADEIRA  GRAPE  DISEASE. 

The  disease  which  almost  entirely  destroyed  the  grape  crop  of 
Madeira  in  1852,  first  exhibited  itself  as  a  peculiar  kind  of  mouldi- 
ness  upon  the  skin  of  the  young  fruit.     Examined  by  the  microscope, 

Fig  l. 


the  mouldiness  was  seen  to  consist  of  a  species  of  fungus,  known  to 
botanists  as  Oidium  Tuclceri.   (Berkeley.) 

Our  engraving,  fig.  1,  represents  the  fungus  in  the  shape  of  tubular 
and  round  elongated  bodies,  as  seen  in  the  field  of  the  microscope. 
Underneath  them  are  the  skin  and  part  of  the  pulp  of  the  grape.  In  the 
pulp  are  shown  several  cells,  containing,  along  with  chlorophyll,  (green 
colouring  matter,)  sometimes  rhomboidal  crystals  of  oxalate  of  lime,  A, 
and  sometimes  rhaphides,  or  acicular  crystals  of  sulphate  of  lime,  B. 

The  fungus  itself  is  composed  of  oval  vesicular  bodies,  or  cells,  placed 
end  to  end.     At  first  they  keep  distinct,  but  in  time  the  ends  become 


THE  PRACTICAL  MECHANIC'S  JOURNAL. 


13 


more  closely  united,  as  at  c,  and  at  length  the  partitions  entirely  disap- 
pear, when  a  continuous  tuhe  is  formed,  as  we  see  at  D.  Each  cell  con- 
tains numerous  spores — minute  seeds — which,  when  placed  in  a  suitable 
nidus,  produce  new  plants  like  their  parents.  In  the  centre  of  each 
cell,  and  surrounded  by  the  spores,  is  a  drop  of  oily  fluid,  the  nature'of 
which  is  not  known,  nor  the  purpose  it  serves.  A  small  degree  of 
pressure  suffices  to  hurst  a  cell,  and  let  out  the  spores.  If  a  cell  is 
placed  in  water,  the  walls  absorb  moisture,  and  swell,  and  finally  burst. 
In  fig.  2  are  shown  some  spore-cases  with  spores  inside,  and  other 
spores  that  have  made  their  escape.  The  sacs,  or  cases,  measure  in 
breadth  from  0-012  to  0-02  millimetres ;  iu  length,  from  0-028  to  0-04 
millimetres.  The  spores  measure  in  breadth  from  0'004  to  0-006 
millimetres,  and  in  leugth  from  0-004  to  0-02  millimetres. 

No  trace  of  the  fungus  has  been  found  in  the  interior  of  the  grape, 
nor  can  anything  like  a  root  be  discovered  in  or  beneath  the  skin. 
When  it  appears  on  the  leaves,  it  seems  to  remain  on  the  outer  side  of 
the  general  integument.  Hence,  since,  to  all  appearance,  only  the  more 
tender  parts  of  the  vine  were  affected — most  of  which  decayed  in  the 
natural  course  of  things,  viz.,  the  grape,  the  leaves,  and  green  shoots — 
it  is  hoped  that  the  trees  are  not  permanently  injured,  and  that,  if  there 
be  no  special  circumstances  to  develop  the  fungus,  the  vines  of  the 
present  year  will  escape  attack.  But  this  is  a  conjecture,  the  correct- 
ness or  incorrectness  of  which  a  few  months  will  establish.  In  the 
meantime,  it  must  be  admitted,  the  prospects  of  the  island  are  not  very 
bright.  On  pruning  the  plant,  it  has  been  found  that  there  is  much 
dead  wood  to  cut  away,  and  that,  in  what  remains,  there  is  an  unusually 
small  quantity  of  sap.  But  a  still  worse  fact  remains  to  be  told.  Some 
of  the  vines  near  Fuuchal  put  forth  unseasonable  fruit  during  January 
last,  and  the  disease  showed  itself  upon  the  grapes  precisely  the  same  as 
before. 

After  the  appearance  of  the  disease,  the  grape  ceased  to  increase  in 
size,  and  in  the  end  split  open,  disclosing  a  little 
Fig.  2.  stiff  pulp,  and  stones  out  of  proportion  to  the 

size  of  the  fruit.  It  is  thought  that  the  fungus, 
by  filling  up  the  pores  of  the  integument,  by 
abstracting  the  juice  of  the  interior,  and  by 
intercepting  the  rays  of  the  sun,  prevented  the 
usual  growth  of  the  grape  and  its  ripening. 
The  bursting  open  of  the  grape  may  be  accounted 
for  in  this  way:  the  moisture  of  the  skin  and 
the  nearest  layer  of  pulp  was  absorbed  by  the 
fungus,  whilst  the  stones  and  the  central  part 
of  the  pulp  grew  at  the  usual  rate,  the  disten- 
sion of  the  interior  causing  the  exterior  part  to  give  way. 

The  same  fungus  attacked  parts  of  various  other  plants,  such  as  rose 
leaves  and  pumpkins ;  and  all  the  plants  which  suffered  from  it  gave 
out  a  foetid  odour,  in  the  same  manner  as  plants  attacked  by  the  uredo 
caries,  a  fungus  which  occasions  what  is  called  stinking  rust.  Some 
persons  attribute  the  disease  to  the  excessive  dampness  of  the  period 
when  the  vines  were  putting  out  their  young  shoots,  namely,  at  the  end 
of  February,  and  through  the  month  of  March. 

It  is  a  very  singular  circumstance  connected  with  the  history  of  this 
malady,  that  not  only  were  the  vines  of  Madeira  attacked,  but  that  the 
same  disease  attacked  the  grapes  of  Spain,  Italy,  Sicily,  the  South  of 
France,  and  parts  of  Germany  and  Switzerland,  though  not  to  the  same 
extent  as  in  Madeira.  In  those  countries,  however,  the  disease  appeared 
in  the  grapes  of  1851,  whilst  nothing  of  the  kind  was  known  in  Madeira 
until  1852.  The  disease  assumed  its  severest  form  on  the  Continent  in 
the  latter  year.  The  currants  of  the  Ionian  Islands  were  quite  lost  last 
season.  Another  curious  circumstance  is,  that  the  malady  did  not  make 
its  appearance  in  Teneriffe  until  a  considerable  time  after  the  formation 
of  the  grape,  so  that  it  had  strength  to  survive  the  attack,  and  it 
yielded  the  usual  quantity  and  quality  of  wine.  At  the  Azores,  where 
the  vine  is  cultivated  only  to  a  small  extent,  the  disease  was  not  known, 
nor  was  the  orange,  the  staple  produce  of  the  island,  in  the  least  affected. 
It  is  very  difficult  to  obtain  an  estimate,  on  which  reliance  can  be 
placed,  of  the  loss  which  the  island  of  Madeira  has  sustained  by  this 
disease.  I  have  heard  the  produce  of  ordinary  years  variously  estimated 
at  from  18,000  to  25,000  pipes,  and  the  produce  of  1852  at  from  500 
to  3000  pipes.  There  is  no  doubt,  however,  that  the  wine  is  all  of  a 
very  bad  quality,  and  is  quite  unfit  for  exportation.  In  previous  years, 
about  8000  pipes  have  been  sent  out  of  the  island. 

It  seems  that  the  malady  was  first  noticed  near  Margate  in  1845,  and 
its  nature  was  then  ascertained.  In  1848,  it  was  observed  at  Versailles, 
and  soon  spread  through  the  neighbourhood  of  Paris.  That  the  fungus 
is  the  disease,  and  not  the  result  of  the  disease,  is  thought  to  be  shown 
in  various  ways.  The  disease  would  not  otherwise  have  spread  so 
rapidly  from  plant  to  plant,  and  from  country  to  country.     On   the 


Continent,  the  fungus  has  been  removed  from  individual  plants,  some- 
times by  washing,  sometimes  by  fumigation,  sometimes  by  throwing 
flowers  of  sulphur  over  the  diseased  parts,  and  in  such  cases  the  grapes 
grew  and  ripened  in  the  usual  manner. 


THE  ECONOMY  OF  WATER  POWER— M'ADAM'S  (BELFAST) 
TURBINE. 

The  following  rather  extraordinary  facts  may  be  worthy  of  the  atten- 
tion of  practical  engineers  and  mercantile  men.  They  relate  to  the 
results  of  some  experiments  made  to  find  the  useful  effect  produced  by  a 
turbine  water  wheel,  lately  erected  here  for  Messrs.  Richardson,  Sons, 
&  Owden,  designed  and  made  by  Messrs.  M'Adam  of  the  Soho  Foundry, 
Belfast.  This  establishment  consists  of  a  large  spinning  mill,  and  is 
driven  by  two  steam  engines,  in  connection  with  the  turbine  referred  to. 
The  steam  engines  are  of  themselves  quite  able  to  drive  the  whole 
works,  and  their  dimensions  are— 

Cylinder,  40  inches  diameter. 

Stroke,  7  feet. 

Speed  of  piston 336  feet  per  minute. 

Area  of  piston, 1257  square  inches  nearly. 

In  order  to  arrive  at  the  power  of  the  turbine,  the  experiments  were 
conducted  in  the  following  manner : — 

The  water  being  shut  off  from  the  turbine,  and  the  entire  works  driven 
by  the  engines  at  the  regular  speed,  a  set  of  diagrams  (No.  1)  were  taken 
off  the  engines,  and  found  to  measure  as  under : 

Engine  A  cylinder,  top,  11-31  lbs. 

"                 "-  bottom,  11-88  " 

Engine  B  cylinder,  top,  11-87     " 

"  bottom 14-08     " 

2)49-14 

Engine  A.  No.  1.— Turbine  driven  without  water. 


17-3         21-G        200  1G  11  8  G-5  51  4-2 

Mean,  11-31  lbs. 


2-8 


Engine  A,  No.  1. 


l/ 

^ 

) 

1 

J 

— 

-^ 

3-2  6 


6-1 


7-8         9'6  12-4        16-3         199        £1-3         17-2 

Mean,  11-68  lbs. 


' 

\ 

Engine 

B,  No.  1. 

t 

v.._ 

^ 

^ 

244         24  8  20         13-3  98  7-5  6-2  6-2  45  o 

Mean,  1187  lbs. 


14 


THE  PRACTICAL  MECHANIC'S  JOURNAL. 


Engine  B,  No.  1. 


\ 

"\ 



^ -- 

1 

94  11-2  15 

Mean,  14-03  lbs. 


22-2 


23 


Equal  to  an  average  pressure  on  one  cylinder  of  24-57  lbs.  per  sq.  inch ; 
and  the  area  of  the  cylinder  being  1257  square  inches,  the  absolute 
indicated  horses'  power  of  the  engines  will  be — 
Area.  Lbs.  Speed. 

1257  X  24-57  X  336       _     3Ui  h         ,  nearly,  to 

33000  -  ' 

drive  the  whole  works. 

The  next  half  of  the  experiment  was  made  by  allowing  the  water  to 
flow  through  the  wheel,  and  cutting  off  the  steam,  till  the  engines  were 
driving  at  exactly  the  same  speed  as  in  the  former  half  of  the  experi- 
ment, when  a  new  set  of  diagrams  (No.  2)  were  taken,  which  measure 
as  under: 


Engine  A,  No.  2.— Turbine  with  full  water,  11J  inches  deep. 


7-9  61  4-5  3-8 

Mean,  7-32  lbs. 

Engine  A,  No.  2. 


[ 

I 

A 

~1 

^ 

^ 

u- 

S 

i 
/ 

3-9  4'6  64  6-8  8-2  111         15S 

Mean,  7-46  lbs. 


r 

\ 

\ 

engine  1 

3,  No.  2. 

X 

__ 

i    -^j 

14-7  8'6  6  5  3-9  33  2'S  21  1-2 

Mean,  6'52  lbs. 


Engine  E,  No.  2. 


Mean,  800  lbs. 


Engine  A  cylinder,  top,   7-32  lbs. 

"  "         bottom,  7-46     " 

Engine  B  cylinder,  top,   652     " 

"  "         bottom 8-00     " 

•  

2)29-30 

Equal  to  an  average  pressure  on  one  cylinder  of  14-65  lbs.  per  sq.  inch  ; 

and  which,  reduced  to  horses'  power,  will  be — 

Area.  Lbs.         Speed. 

1257  x  14-65  x  336       ,„„,  ,         ,  ,  .   , 
=  187£  horses'  power  nearly,  exerted 

ooUULf 
by  the  engines  when  aided  by  the  turbine. 

Now,  314.|,  minus  187 J,  leaves  127  horses'  power  as  having  been 
accomplished  by  the  turbine;  and  if  we  suppose  2  horses' power  to  be 
equivalent  to  the  extra  friction  of  the  engines  when  loaded,  and  1 
horse's  power  to  drive  the  turbine  without  water,  we  still  have  124  horses' 
power  as  having  been  given  out  by  the  turbine. 

The  water  consumed. — The  water  is  derived  from  an  artificial  pond  of 
large  extent,  in  which  the  water  is  collected  during  the  night,  the  top 
level  generally  sinking  as  the  day  advances.  The  greatest  height  of  the 
fall  is  48  feet,  and  at  the  time  of  making  these  experiments  it  was  47 
feet.  The  quantity  of  water  used  was  determined  by  rules  founded  on 
experiments  made  in  Scotland  some  years  ago,  and  which  may  be  seen  in 
any  modem  book  treating  of  hydraulics. 

The  method  of  conducting  the  experiment  is  this : — In  the  tail-race 
there  is  a  board  fixed  right  across  the  race,  and  made  water-tight  at  the 
bottom  and  both  ends.  The  water  is  made  to  flow  over  the  upper  edge 
of  this  board,  and  is  confined  at  each  side  by  perpendicular  sides,  which 
reach  higher  than  the  height  of  the  overflowing  water ;  the  water,  there- 
fore, flows  over  what  is  called  a  rectangular  notch;  and,  in  the  case 
before  us,  it  was  100  inches  wide,  and  the  depth  of  the  water,  from  the 
top  of  the  board  to  the  top  of  the  water  (at  dead  level),  was  11J  inches. 

By  the  rule  above  referred  to,  11 J  inches  deep,  f.nd  100  inches  wide, 
gives  a  discharge  of  1580  cubic  feet  per  minute;  but  from  this  must  be 
deducted  the  condensing  water  from  the  engines,  &c,  which  does  not 
pass  the  turbine,  amounting,  by  measurement,  to  60  cubic  feet  per 
minute,  thus  leaving  1520  cubic  feet,  as  having  passed  through  the  tur- 
bine per  minute. 

1520  cubic  feet,  multiplied  by  62J  lbs.  (the  weight  of  one  cubic  foot  of 
water),  gives  95,000  lbs.  falling  through  47  feet,  equal  to  95,000  X  47  = 
4,465,000  lbs.,  falling  through  one  foot  per  minute ;  and  this  reduced  to 

4465000 
horses'  power  will  be    Q.jnAr,    =135  horses'  power  nearly,  without  mak- 
ing any  allowance  whatever  for  anything.     Here,  then,  we  have  135  as 
the  absolute  power  of  the  water,  and  out  of  this  we  have  124  horses' 
power  of  useful  effect.     The  per  centage  of  effect  will  therefore  stand 

_ =92  per  cent,  of  the  absolute  power  of  the  water.    75  per  cent. 

135 
is  considered  a  very  fair  result  for  the  very  best  water-wheels,  but  here 
we  have  at  least  90  per  cent,  of  the  total  weight  of  the  water  consumed ;  a 
result  far  better  than  anything  I  ever  read  or  heard  of  before,  and  which, 
I  think,  is  well  worthy  of  the  attention  of  all  parties  interested  in  the  use 
of  water  as  a  motive  power. 

In  conclusion,  I  may  mention  that  the  above  (or  similar)  experiments 
have  been  made  repeatedly  with  results  varying  but  slightly  from  the 
above,  and  in  every  case  the  greatest  care  was  exercised;  and  in  order 
to  guard  against  too  hasty  conclusions,  there  were  full  sets  of  experi- 
ments taken  on  different  days,  and  also  at  different  times  on  the  same 
day.  Robekt  Desipstek. 

Besshroolc,  Newry,  Ireland,  March,  1853. 


MECHANIC'S  LIBRARY. 

Agricultural  Chemistry,  Farmer's  Manual  of,  4s.  6d.    Normandy. 

Astronomical  Observations  with  Airy's  Zenith  Sector,  4to,  £2.  2s.,  cloth. 

Bridges,  On  the  Construction  of  Military,  3rd  edition,  21s.,  cloth.    Douglas. 

Chemistry,  Encyclopaedia  of,  2nd  edition,  21s.,  cloth.    Booth  &  Morfit. 

Domestic  Architecture,  Vol.  II.,  Svo,  21s.,  cloth.    Turner. 

Electric  Illumination.  8vo,  Is.,  sewed.    J.  J.  W.  Watson. 

Elementary  Mathematics,  Course  of,  24th  edition,  Svo,  15s.,  cloth.    Goodwin. 

Encyclopaedia  Britaunica,  Sth  edition,  edited  by  Trail,  Fart  I.,  4to,  8s. 

Euclid,  Elements  of,  12mo,  4s.,  cloth.    H.  J.  Hose. 

Gold,  Practical  Guide  to  Testing,  12mo,  Is.,  cloth.    Keates. 

Great  Exhibition,  Lectures  on  Results  of,  Second  Series,  7s.  6d.,  cloth. 

Life-Boat,  Cruise  of  the  "  Challenger,"  foolscap  8vo,  Is.,  sewed. 

Mechanical  Philosophy,  Principles  of,  Svo,  10s.  6d.,  cloth.    Tate. 

Mines,  Records  of  the  School  of,  Vol.  I.,  Part  II.,  royal  8vo,  2s.  Gd.,  cloth. 

Naval  and  Mail  Steamers  of  United  States,  4to,  50s..  half-bound.    Stuart. 

Painters'  and  Grainers'  Assistant,  3rd  edition,  12mo,  21s.,  sewed.    Barber. 

Patentee's  Manual:  A  Treatise  on  the  Law  and  Practice  of  Letters  Patent,  8vo,  5s., 

cloth.    J.  &  J.  II.  Johnson. 
Practical  Mechanic's  Journal,  Vol.  V.,  4to,  14s.,  cloth.    Johnson. 
Steam  Navy,  Letter  on  a,  8vo,  Is.,  sewed.    Captain  Hoseason. 


THE  PRACTICAL  MECHANIC'S  JOURNAL. 


15 


SELF-ACTING  FEEDER  FOR  BEET-ROOT  RASPING 
MACHINES. 
In  the  treatment  of  such  roots  and  fruits  as  the  heet,  apple,  and  po- 
tato, for  the  obtainment  of  their  saccharine  and  farinaceous  constituents, 

so  extensively 
practised  on  the 
continent,  the 
raw  productions 
are  reduced  to  a 
pulpy  condition, 
by  the  grinding 
or  rasping  effect 
of  a  series  of  saw 
blades,  set  on 
the  periphery  of 
a  rapidly- rotat- 
ing cylinder  of 
large  diameter. 
Such  matters 
have  usually 
been  fed  into  the 
rasping  ma- 
chine, by  being 
thrown  into 
chests  fitting  to 
the  rasping  face 
of  the  cylinder, 
alabourer  stand- 
ing by  to  push  up  the  pieces  to  the  saw-teeth,  by  means  of  a  pair  of 
wooden  blocks,  termed  "  pushers,"  or  "  poussoirs,"  one  being  grasped  in 
each  hand,  and  applied  alternately  to  feed  up  the  materials.  By  this 
rude  system  of  feeding,  much  time  was  lost,  whilst  the  pulpy  reduction 
was  never  accomplished  to  the  satisfaction,  as  regards  uniformity,  of  the  ad- 
vanced manufacturer.  This  was  especially  the  case  in  the  best  sugar  works, 
now  so  extensively  spread  over  the  continent ;  and  a  Magdeburg  machin- 
ist has  therefore  introduced  a  self-acting  feeder,  which  we  now  engrave. 
In  our  figure,  a,  is  a  portion  of  the  cast-iron  cylinder,  on  which  the 
saw  blades,  B,  upwards  of  200  in  number,  are  mounted,  and  kept  at  the 
required  intervals  apart  by  means  of  filling-in  pieces  of  hardwood.  The 
rotatory  feeder,  c,  is  a  deep  and  coarsely-fluted  cast-iron  cylinder,  of  the 
same  length  as  the  cutting  face  of  the  saw-drum — a  cast-iron  cover,  D, 
being  fitted  to  encircle  and  cover  in  the  greater  portion  of  the  feeding 
surface.  The  upper  portion  of  this  cover,  in  conjunction  with  the  drum 
face,  forms  a  hopper,  e,  into  which  the  roots  are  thrown,  as  the  only  feed- 
ing action  required.  The  arrows  indicate  the  direction  of  rotation  of  the 
two  revolving  parts. 

The  action  of  this  simple  but  accurate  feerler  is  plainly  obvious ;  for  as 
each  fluted  recess  comes  round,  it  contributes  its  quota  of  the  raw  sub- 
stances to  the  cutting  surfaces,  keeping  up  a  constant  and  uniform  supply. 
As  the  saw-blades  wear  shorter  by  use,  and  by  the  occasional  sharp- 
ening which  is  necessary,  the  lower  portion  of  the  feeder  cover  is  made  ad- 
justable, and  its  front  portion  is  always  kept  as  near  as  possible  to  the  saw- 
t-jeth  by  the  piece,  c,  so  as  to  prevent  the  escape  of  any  partially  unground 
matters — the  finely  reduced  pulp  only  being  permitted  to  fall  through. 

Whatever  portions  escape  past  the  feeder  ridges,  instead  of  meeting 
the  saw-teeth  fairly,  are  again  rapidly  carried  forward,  as  the  feeder  re- 
volves, for  a  second  presentation  to  the  cutters,  mixed  up  with  whatever 
fresh  deposits  have  been  made  in  the  meantime  through  the  hopper.  The 
feeder  is  driven  from  the  drum-shaft  by  means  of  a  double-speed  cone, 
making  from  20  to  60  revolutions  per  minute,  whilst  the  drum  makes 
1200.  At  this  rate  of  working,  a  drum,  40  inches  in  diameter,  20  inches 
long  on  the  face,  and  mounting  240  saws,  is  capable  of  converting  five 
tons  of  sugar  beet-roots  into  a  fine  homogeneous  pulp  per  hour.  Under 
the  old  manual  system,  reducing  half  this  quantity  could  be  got  through, 
and  that  by  no  means  well  and  uniformly  disintegrated. 

EECENT     PATENTS. 


adapted  principally  for  use  at  doorways  and  other  places,  for  brushing 
and  cleaning  boots,  shoes,  &c,  and  drawn  to  a  scale  of  about  two  inches 
to  a  foot,     a  represents  the  framework  or  standards  of  the  apparatus, 

Fig.  1.  Fig.  2. 


BRUSHING  AND  CLEANSING. 
C.  B.  Clocgh,  Tyddyn,  Mold,  Flintshire. — Patent  dated  Aug.  19,  1852. 
These  improvements  relate  as  well  to  certain  mechanical  arrange- 
ments of  rotatory  brushes  for  various  cleansing  purposes,  as  to  the  appli- 
cation of  gutta  percha,  leather,  india-rubber,  or  other  elastic  material, 
to  form  the  foundations  of  brushes,  as  well  as  for  the  rollers  employed  in 
the  apparatus. 

Fig.  1  is  a  side  elevation,  and  fig.  2  a  front  view  of  a  small  apparatus 
applicable  to  ordinary  domestic  purposes  of  brushing  and  cleaning;  but 


supporting  two  revolving  shafts,  b  and  c.  The  upper  shaft,  5,  is  the 
driving-shaft,  and  is  furnished  with  a  winch-handle,  d.  Upon  the  other 
end  of  the  shaft,  6,  a  pulley,  e,  is  keyed,  giving  motion  to  the  shaft,  c,  by 
means  of  a  gut  or  cord,  /,  passing  round  it,  and  the  small  pulley,  g,  at 

Fig. 4. 
a. 


the  cud  of  the  shaft,  e.  Upon  the 
shaft,  c,  are  keyed  two  brushes,  h 
and  i,  which,  upon  the  handle,  d, 
being  turned  by  an  attendant  or 
otherwise,  will  revolve  swiftly,  and 
thereby  brush  or  clean  boots, 
shoes,  or  other  articles  that  may  be 
held  in  contact  with  them.  Fig.  3  is 
another  construction  of  brush  (having  an  interior  set  of  brushes),  that 
may  be  employed  instead  of,  or  in  combination  with,  cither  of  the  before- 
mentioned  brushes.  Fig.  4  represents  a  section  of  a  small  apparatus,  which 
is  adapted  principally  for  the  purposes  of  laying  on,  by  continuous  brush- 
ing, paste,  gum,  colour,  paint,  tar,  varnish,  or  any  other  similar  material, 
on  to  paper  and  fibrous  fabrics,  and  for  other  similar  purposes,  a  are  the 
standards  of  the  apparatus  in  which  the  journals  or  axles  of  the  roller,  b, 
and  revolving  brush,  c,  are  mounted.  Upon  one  end  of  the  axles  of  the 
brush,  c,  a  winch-handle,  d,  is  keyed,  e  is  a  trough  or  reservoir  to  con- 
tain the  paste,  colour,  or  other  fluid  or  material  to  be  laid  on.  The  method 
of  using  this  apparatus  is  as  follows : — first,  raise  the  roller,  b,  and  place 
the  end  of  the  paper  or  fabric  between  it  and  the  brush,  c;  then  lower  the 
roller,  and  turn  the  winch-handle,  d. 


16 


THE  PRACTICAL  MECHANIC'S  JOURNAL. 


STEAM-ENGINES  AND  BOILERS. 
Joseph  Harbison  (of Philadelphia},  Oxford  Square,  London. 
Enrolled  June  8,  1852. 
The  improvements  specified  by  Mr.  Harrison  relate  to  boilers  of  the 
marine,  locomotive,  and  stationary  kinds.     Figs.  1,  2,  3,  and  4,  repre- 
sent an  arrangement  suitable  for  marine  purposes.     This  plan  does  not 

differ        externally 
'e'   '  from    boilers     now 

in  use ;  but  the  ar- 
rangement of  the 
heating  surface  va- 
ries from  the  usual 
mode,  these  varia- 
tions having  been 
made  with  a  view 
to  obtain  a  more 
efficient  kind  of  fire 
surface,  as  well  as 
to  increase  this  sur- 
face without  enlarg- 
ing the  size  of  the 
boiler.  The  fire-box 
is  carried  forward 
from  the  fire-place 
some  distance  into 
the  interior  of  the 
boiler,  to  which  it 
conforms  in  shape, 
and  is  surrounded 
with  a  water-space, 
as  shown  in  fig.  3. 
The  open  space  in 
the  fire-box  above  the  fire  is  filled  at  certain  intervals  with  horizontal  tubes, 
distributed  as  delineated  in  fig.  1,  leading  from  the  water-space  immediately 
over  the  fire-doors,  to  the  extreme  end  of  the  part  of  the  fire-box  ex- 
tending into  the  boiler.  These  tubes  have  water  covering  their  interior 
surfaces.  After  the  flame  and 
combustible  gases  have   passed 


from  the  fire  upward  and  through 
the  intermediate  spaces  between 
the  tubes  just  mentioned,  it  passes 
onward  through  a  series  of 
smaller  tubes,  which  lead  from 
the    external    fire-box    to    the 

smoke-chamber,  c,  through  the  water-space,  b.  The  smoke- 
chamber,  c,  has  a  series  of  vertical  tubes,  so  disposed  as  to  leave 
the  tubes  leading  from  the  fire-box  free  for  cleaning,  from  the 
front  end  of  the  boiler;  and  the  heating  surface  in  the  smoke- 
chamber  is  arranged  so  that  it  may  be  used  either  for  generating 
steam  by  surrounding  it  with  water,  or  the  water  from  the  boiler 
may  be  shut  off  by  shutting  the  holes  leading  from  the  water- 
space,  B,  to  the  jacket  of  the  smoke-box,  if  required.  In  the 
latter  case,  the  smoke-chamler  is  intended  to  be  used  for  drying 
or  surcharging  the  steam  previous  to  its  entering  the  cylinders  of 
the  engine ;  for  which  purpose,  the  steam-pipe,  d,  figs.  2,  3,  and 
4,  may  bo  arranged  so  as  to  bring  the  steam  from  the  steam-chamber, 
e,  to  the  top  of  the  smoke-chamber,  whence  it  is  brought  ill  contact  with 


the  interior  heated  surfaces  of  the  smoke-chamber,  and  is  discharged  in  its 
way  towards  the  cylinders  at  the  opening,  p;  or  the  opening,  p,  being 
closed,  and  the  surface  of  the  smoke-box  and  interior  vertical  tubes 
being  filled  with  water,  and  used  for  generating  steam  in  like  man- 
ner with  the  other  parts  of  the  boiler,  then  the  steam-pipe,  n,  serves 
as 'a  means  of  conveying  the  steam  from  the  top  of  the  smoke-box 
to  the  steam-chamber,  e.  After  the  combustible  gases  from  the  fire-box 
have  been  brought  in  contact  with  the  interior  surface  of  the  smoke- 
chamber  and  the  vertical  tubes  contained  therein,  they  return  again  to 
the  hack  end  of  the  boiler  through  a  series  of  tubes  which  lead  from  the 
smoke-chamber  to  the  chimney,  g,  passing  through  the  entire  length  of 
the  series  of  tubes 
first  alluded  to.  Fig  3. 

Fig.  5  shows  a 
mode  of  making  a 
fire-box  or  boiler 
stay,  which  is  in- 
tended to  be  used 
in  the  boiler  just 
described,  as  well 
as  in  all  the  other 
of  these  improved 
arrangements  of 
boilers.  This  is  in 
place  of  the  ordi- 
nary screw-stay 
for  connecting  the 
exterior  to  the  in- 
terior parts  of  the 
furnace  or  fire-box. 
This  stay  consists 
of  a  wrought  or 
cast-iron  tube,  one 
end  being  closed  so 
as  to  present  a 
rounded  end.  The 
contrary  end, 

which  forms  the 
stay,  is  turned  co- 
nical at  the  point, 
A,  and  is  made  to 

fit  steam-tight  into  a  corresponding  conical  hole  in  the  interior  of  the  fur- 
nace, either  above  or  in  the  vicinity  of  the  fire.  After  passing  through 
the  interior  sheet  of  the  furnace,  this  tube  is  prolonged  until  it  reaches 
the  interior  side  of  the  external  sheet  of  the  boiler  or  fire-box.  Directly 
opposite  this  tube,  a  hole  is  bored  through  the  exterior  place  to  allow  a 
bolt  to  pass  through,  so  as  to  draw  the  tube  tight  into  the  conical  hole, 
thereby  connecting  the  inner  and  outer  surface  of  the  fire-box,  and 
making  a  secure  stay. 
Free  circulation  is  made 
into  the  interior  of  this 
stay  by  two  ormoreholes 
made  through  the  por- 
tion of  the  tube  in  the 
water  side, which  permits 
free  ingress  of  water, 
and  egress  of  steam  in 
the  direction  of  the  ar- 
rows. The  object  in  mak- 
ing the  stay  in  this  form, 
is  to  secure  the  very  ef- 
ficient fire  surface  sur- 
rounding the  part  which 
extends  into  the  fire-box,  and  at  the  same  time  to  make  a  secure  stay, 
immoveable  at  pleasure  without  difficulty,  by  simply  unscrewing  the  bolt, 

Fig.  5. 


THE  PRACTICAL  MECHANIC'S  JOURNAL. 


17 


> 


J,  a  matter  of  much  importance  in  boiler  repairs.  The 
use  of  such  stays  enables  the  boiler  to  be  more  tho- 
roughly cleaned,  by  taking  them  out  occasionally  at  the 
points  where  mud  or  other  matter  is  most  likely  to  col- 
lect.    It  will  be  seen  that  the  tubular  stay,  above  described, 

Fig.  6. 


will  enable  them  to  be  cleaned  or  taken  out,  if  necessary.  These  tubes 
may  be  placed  in  the  intermediate  space  between  the  present  stays. 
The  ordinary  stays  may  be  removed,  and  the  new  arrangement  of  tubu- 
lar stay  used  between  each  of  these  cross  tubes,  and  at  any  other  parts 
of  the  fire-box,  either  above  or   around  the  fire,  where  it  may  be 


Fig.  7. 


Fig.  9. 


"a'J .j!U'J>/3"3UU  l>J~l*7V 


deemed  necessary.  This  arrangement  of  cross  tubes 
may  be  applied,  as  well  as  the  tubular  stay,  to  any  loco- 
motive boiler  now  in  use,  thereby  increasing  the  fire 
surface  to  a  very  considerable  extent,  at  the  part  where 
it  is  most  efficient. 

These  improvements  may  also  be  applied  to  marine 
or  other  boilers,  at  any  parts  of  the  fire-box  or  flues 


does  not  differ  so  far,  as  it  is  used  for  increasing  fire  surface,  from  the  "  teats,"  well 
known  and  long  used,  the  improvement  consisting  only  in  the  mode  of  putting  them 
in  so  as  to  make  them  act  as  a  stay. 

Figs.  6,  7,  and  8,  represent  a  boiler  as  at  present  used 
for  locomotives,  with  certain  additions  for  increasing  the 
fire  surface  in  the  fire-box.  These  additions  consist  in 
using  the  tubular  stay,  which  has  been  alluded  to  in  the 
description  of  the  new  marine  boiler,  and  in  placing  a 
series  of  tubes  fitted  with  water  across  the  fire-box  above 
the  fire.      A  series  of  screw-plugs  opposite  each  tube 


No.  61.— Vol.  VI. 


Fig.  11. 

where  it  would  be  advisable  to  in- 
crease the  fire  surface. 

Figs.  9,  10,  and  11,  show  an  ar- 
rangement somewhat  similar  to  the 
mode  of  constructing  marine  boilers, 
as  previously  described.  In  this 
case,  also,  the  external  form  of  loco- 
motive boiler  is  precisely  similar  to 
that  generally  in  use,  the  variations 
being  in  the  mode  of  getting  fire 


18 


THE  PRACTICAL  MECHANIC'S  JOURNAL. 


^ 


surface  in  the  interior  of  tbe  boiler  and  fire-box.  The  fire-box  is  extended  forward,  as  in 
the  instance  of  the  marine  boiler;  it  is  cylindrical  in  form,  as  shown  in  the  section,  until  it 
reaches  within  such  distance  of  the  tube  sheetat  the  smoke-box,  b,  as  may  be  deemed  most 
desirable.  A  series  of  tubes,  d,  d,  figs.  10  and  12,  containing  water,  leading  from  the  back 
water-space,  f,  to  the  front  water-space,  e.  These  tubes  are 
so  disposed  as  to  let  the  flame  and  combustible  gases  from  the 
furnace,  a,  pass  between  and  around  them  in  their  journey  for- 
ward to  the  end  of  the  internal  cylinder,  after  reaching  which, 
the  heat  that  may  still  remain  unabsorbed,  passes  on  through 
the  tubes,  c,  0,  which  run  through  the  water-space,  f,  f,  into 


found  that  these  tubes,  D, 


li-[|--lkil--ll-llil_iLlLJJ$/ 

J^-iiTj^J^J^^     BUB 


Fig.  20. 


the  smoke-chamber,  e,  and  up  the  chimney,  in  the  direction  of  the  arrows.  For  the  purpose  of  sup- 
porting the  tubes,  D,  d,  it  is  intended,  if  necessary,  to  connect  each  row  vertically  with  a  small  pipe 
or  pipes,  connected  with  the  water-space  surrounding  the  interior  cylinder,  thereby  adding  to  the 
means   of  circulation,   and,   at  the  same  time,  supporting  the  longitudinal  tubes.     By  experiment  it  is 

may,  in  most  cases,  be  made   so  short  that  no  stay  or  support  will  be 

needed,  whilst,   at 
Fig.  19.  the    same    time,   a 

sufficiency  of  sur- 
face can  be  brought 
in  contact  with  the 
fire  to  take  up  all 
the  heat  that  may 
be  generated.  The 
faint  lines  in  fig.  11 
show  the  arrange- 
ment of  short  flues 
leading  through  the 
water-space,  f,  f, 
into  the  smoke- 
chamber,  E.  For 
sustaining  a  more 
perfect  combustion 
of  the  gases  that 
pass  from  the  fire, 
holes  are  made  be- 
low, so  as  to  let  in 
at  pleasure  a  cer- 
tain amount  of  pure 
air,  which  will  be- 
come partially  heat- 
ed in  being  allowed 
to  circulate  be- 
tween    the    sheet- 


THE  PRACTICAL  MECHANIC'S  JOURNAL. 


19 


iron  jacket  and  the  boiler,  before  entering  the 
tubes. 

Figs.  13,  14,  15, 16,  show  an  arrangement  of 
a  locomotive  boiler,  somewhat  different  from 
the  one  last  described.  It  has  the  middle  or 
waist  part  of  the  boiler,  between  the  smoke- 
box  and  fire-box,  made  square,  with  the  cor- 
ners slightly  rounded.     The   fire-box  is   ex- 


tended forward,  also 

of  square  form,  with 

a      regular    water- 
space     surrounding 

it  within;  it  reaches 

within  a  short  dis- 
tance  of    the   tube 

sheet  at  the  smoke- 
chamber.       Instead 

of    the     horizontal 

tubes     filled     with 

water,   the  interior 

chamber  forward  of 

the  fire-box  is  filled 

with  vertical  tubes 

containing      water, 

so   arranged  as    to 

allow  the  flame  from 

the  fire  to  pass  in 

between      and      a- 

mongst  them,  until 

it   reaches   the  for- 
ward end,   when  it 

passes       off       into 

the  smoke-chamber 

through  a  series  of 

tubes      surrounded 

with  water. 

Fig.  17  shows  an 

arrangement  of  this 

boiler,  wherein  the 

tubes  leading  into 
the  smoke-chamber  are  dispensed  with,  the 
smoke  being  carried  off  through  the  curved  flue, 
a,  into  the  smoke-chamber.  If  it  is  required, 
the  square  part  of  the  prolonged  fire-box  may  be 
carried  entirely  into  the  smoke-chamber,  and  the 
entire  intermediate  space  filled  with  the  vertical 
or  cross  tubes,  thereby  dispensing  with  the  short 
flues  leading  into  the  smoke-chamber,  as  well  as 
with  the  curved  flue  last  described.     Figs.   14 


locomotive  boiler,  made  like  the  ordinary  marine  boiler,  thereby  dispensing  with 
the  usual  ash-pan,  and  admitting  a  simple  mode  of  making  a  water-grate,  by  intro- 
ducing tubes,  lengthwise  or  crosswise  of  the  fire-box,  filled  with  water,  and  con- 
necting the  opposite  water-spaces  of  the  fire-box.  In  this  arrangement  it  is 
intended  to  put  the  boiler  together  with  the  screw 
bolts,  so  that  the  back  of  the  fire-box  may  be  easily 
removed,  after  which,  by  removing  the  stays  and 
short  tubes  in  front,  the  whole  interior  fire-box 
may  be  taken  out  for  repairs. 

Figs.  13,  14,  and  15,  show  the  same  arrange- 
ment of  steam-pipe  as  is  shown  in  the  marine 


boiler.     Figs.  19,  20,21, 
and  22,  show  an  arrange- 
ment of  boiler  suited  to 
the  present  form  of  loco- 
motives— a    portion     of 
the   flame,   or  combusti- 
ble gases,   being   passed 
through  the   tubes   con- 
taining water,  by  means 
of  the  tubes  with  the  bent 
ends     connecting     them 
with   the   back   plate  of 
the  furnace,  and  leading 
thence   into   the   smoke- 
chamber.     Figs.  23,  24, 
25,  and  26  show  another 
modification  of  the  loco- 
motive boiler.      In    this 
instance   the   fire-box  is 
extended    into    the   for- 
ward part   of  the   boiler 
without  interruption,  un- 
til it  eaches  the  smoke- 
chamber,  making  a  clear 
open  space  or  single   flue,  half  round  at  the  top, 
straight   sides  and  bottom,  with   rounded  corners. 
To  obtain  the  necessary  amount  of  fire  surface  in 
this  boiler,  the  whole  interior  surface  is  studded  at 
regular  intervals  with  tubular  stays,  of  such  length 
and  diameter  as  may  be  found  most  convenient,  and 
so  distributed  as  to  bring  the  greatest  amount  of 
surface  in  contact  with  the  flame  or  heated  vapour, 
previous  to    its  reaching  the    smoke-chamber.     It 
is  intended  to  put  this  boiler  together   in  such  a 
manner  with  bolts,  as  will  enable  it  to  be  taken 


20 


THE  PRACTICAL  MECHANIC'S  JOURNAL. 


apart  without  difficulty,  after  taking  out  the  tubular  stays.  Figs.  27, 
28,  29,  30,  31,  and  32,  show  a  slight  modification  in  the  mode  of  arrang- 
ing the  water-pipes  in  the  interior  of  a  locomotive  boiler.  In  this  case, 
the  tubes  or  pipes  containing  water  are  made  much  larger  than  in  any 
previously  described;  and  the  mode  of  attaching  the  ends  of  the  tubes  is 
slightly  different,  as,  instead  of  passing  from  end  to  end  of  the  fire-box, 
they  are  in  some  cases  attached  to  cross  pipes  in  the  fire-box,  and  in 
others  are  bent  at  right  angles,  and  attached  to  the  cylindrical  part  of 


the  fire-box.  Fig.  27  shows  a  mode  of  putting  in  the  inside  flue,  so  as  to 
take  the  flame  at  any  point  of  the  tube  containing  water  that  may  be 
deemed  most  advisable.  A  small  tube,  flattened  on  one  side,  is  put  across 
the  tube  containing  water;  into  this  the  cross  tubes  are  fixed,  the  smaller 
flue  leading  to  the  smoke-box.  Fig.  29  shows  an  arrangement  for  intro- 
ducing atmospheric  air  into  the  fire-box,  and  for  heating  it  before  it  is 
allowed  to  mix  with  the  combustible  gases  evolved  from  the  fire:  two  or 
more  pipes  of  cast  or  wrought-iron,  or  of  fire-clay,  if  necessary,  are  placed 


Fig.  28. 


Fig.  31. 


Fig.  29. 


Fig.  32. 


within  the  fire-box,  extending  forwards  to  the  tube  sheet,  fitting  closely 
to  the  tubes  that  come  opposite  to  them.  Pipes  are  fitted  to  the  tubes 
leading  through  the  smoke-box  to  the  external  air,  which  are  furnished 
with  funnel-shaped  mouths,  so  that  the  forward  motion  of  the  engine,  as 
well  as  the  vacuum  caused  by  the  escape  steam,  will  cause  the  air  to  pass 
with  great  velocity  through  the  pipe  across  the  smoke-chamber,  and 
through  the  tubes  leading  from  the  smoke-chamber  to  the  fire-box,  and 
into  the  tubes  placed  in  the  fire-box.  By  passing  through  these  last- 
mentioned  tubes,  which  will  be  highly  heated,  the  atmospheric  air  will 
become  also  heated ;  and  when  mixed  with  the  combustible  gases  within 
the  fire-box,  will  cause  a  much  more  perfect  combustion  of  the  smoke  and 
gases  than  could  take  place  without  the  introduction  of  fresh  atmospheric 
air.     By  this  arrangement  of  introducing  heated  air  in  connection  with 


the  peculiar  form  of  fire-box,  whereby  more  space  is  given  for  combus- 
tion, and  a  consequent  better  mingling  of  the  oxygen  with  the  gases, 
coal  may  be  burned  in  locomotives  without  inconvenience  from  smoke, 
thereby  causing  great  economy  in  fuel.  It  is  usually  intended  to  make 
the  prolongation  of  the  fire-box  cylindrical  in  form,  and  to  prevent  it 
from  crushing  by  external  pressure ;  or  it  may  be  made  corrugated.  By 
this  means  all  stays  between  the  inner  and  outer  cylinders  may  be  dis- 
pensed with,  excepting  a  few  to  support  the  inner  cylinder  in  its  place. 

Under  the  third  head  the  patentee  describes  a  "  stationary  or  chimney 
boiler,"  intended  to  accomplish  a  more  perfect  combustion  of  the  fuel,  and 
a  consequent  consumption  of  a  greater  portion  of  the  smoke,  and  at  the 
same  time  to  dispense  with  the  very  expensive  towers  now  used  as  chim- 
neys.    Figs.  33,  34,  and  35,  show  vertical  and  horizontal  sections  of  the 


Plcde/22. 


PBA'STTIKSM,    ©BflQUSffinrSEME] 


voin 


Fi<r  C. 


FI.K     ft. 


N;JTjjjj^^ 


Fio-  K. 


rMT 


-+- 


i 
J 


Fig-.  3. 


.  -  -  7i  ffluzs  fin  /«■'-■•  . 
■    Trm  Tieldt  Ik  Glasgow 


Prmted.  iy  Macksw"  8c  Erkwx>o3_ 


THE  PRACTICAL  MECHANIC'S  JOURNAL. 


21 


chimney  boiler ;  it  is  of  circular  form  throughout,  for  facility  in  mak- 
ing, and  for  greater  strength.  The  flame  and  combustible  gases 
from  the  fire-box  or  furnace,  A,  ascend  and  in  part  pass  off  through 
the  flues,  E,  seven  in  number,  and  through  three  smaller  flues. 
The  remaining  portion  of  the  flame  passes  from  the  fire  through 
short  flues,  into  the  upper  chamber  of  the  boiler,  coming  in  con- 
tact, in  their  passage  to  the  top  of  the  boiler,  'with  the  external  sur- 
face of  the  seven  vertical  tubes,  through  which  the  flues,  b,  pass,  as 
well  as  iu  contact  with  the  three  vertical  tubes,  through  which  the 
smaller  flues  pass.  The  flame  and  gases,  after  they  reach  the  top  of  the 
inner  chamber  of  the  boiler,  are  earned  out  to  the  external  air,  through 
a  series  of  small  flues,  leading  from  the  roof  of  the  interior  chamber  to  the 
extreme  top  of  the  boiler.  For  a  more  perfect  combustion  of  the  gases 
in  the  upper  chamber,  a  series  of  jets  of  pure  air  may  be  admitted,  at 
convenient  points,  through  the  outer  diameter  of  the  boiler.  It  is  in- 
tended to  surround  the  boiler  with  a  casing,  leaving  a  small  space  between 
it  and  the  exterior  surface  of  the  boiler.  The  air  being  taken  from  the  space 
just  mentioned,  will  be  partially  heated  before  entering  the  boiler,  and 


consequently  better  adapted  for  aiding  the  combustion  of  the  gases  which 
may  have  passed  off  from  the  fire  into  the  upper  chamber.  At  any  part 
of  this  boiler,  either  in  the  fireplace  or  upper  chamber,  where  a  stay  may 


Fig.  36. 


Fig.  37. 


Fig.  33. 


T 


Fig.  34. 


Fig.  38. 


be  needed  for  connecting  the  inner  to  the  outer  plate,  it  is  intended  to 
put  one  of  the  tubular  stays,  unless  there  should  not  be  room  for  the  pro- 
jecting end.    Figs.  36,  37,  and  38,  show  another  modification  of  the  chim- 


ney  boiler.  In  this  case  the  boiler  has  a  clear  passage  to  the  external  air 
at  the  top.  It  is  circular  in  form,  for  greater  strength,  with  an  enlarge- 
ment of  the  top,  for  steam  room.    To  absorb  heat  from  the  flame  and  gases 


22 


THE  PRACTICAL  MECHANIC'S  JOURNAL. 


which  pass  upward  from  the  fire,  the  interior  of  the  boiler  is  studded  with 
tubular  stays,  so  arranged  as  to  bring  the  greatest  amount  of  fire  surface 
in  contact  with  the  flame,  previous  to  its  reaching  the  top  of  the  boiler. 
This  chimney  boiler  may  be  made  square  or  oblong  in  its  cross  section ;  in 
which  case  the  tubular  stay  may  be  used  for  increasing  the  fire  surface; 
or,  if  necessary,  the  whole  interior  may  be  filled  with  cross  tubes  filled 
with  water.  In  like  manner  the  boiler,  if  of  circular  form,  may  be 
filled  with  cross  pipes,  disposed  as  may  be  most  convenient  for  accom- 
plishing the  desired  end.  The  chimney  boiler  is  intended  to  be  put  to- 
gether with  bolts  at  the  bottom,  so  that  the  interior  may  be  taken  out,  if 
necessary,  for  repairs,  or  for  clearing  the  interior  surface  from  mud,  &c. 
In  the  foregoing  description  of  various  forms  of  boiler,  it  will  be  manifest 
that  an  effort  is  made  to  apply  the  main  portion  of  the  heat  to  the  exter- 
nal surfaces  of  tubes  filled  with  water,  instead  of  allowing  the  flame  and 
gases  to  pass  through  small  tubes,  as  is  now  generally  used  in  locomotive 
as  well  as  in  marine  boilers.  It  is  very  obvious  that  the  more  combustible 
gases  evolved  by  the  fire  are  kept  in  connection,  the  greater  the  chances 
of  active  combustion ;  whereas,  by  a  very  simple  experiment,  it  will  be 
found  that  combustion  cannot  be  kept  up  to  any  great  extent  in  a  small 
tube,  say  from  1 J  to  2  J  inches  diameter,  except  for  two  or  three  feet  after 
the  flame  first  enters  from  the  fireplace.  Beyond  four  or  five  feet,  it  is 
very  doubtful  whether  it  is  worth  while  to  carry  the  dead  weight  of  tubes 
which  are  now  used  in  the  boilers  of  locomotive  engines.  By  putting 
water  inside  the  tubes,  instead  of  around  them,  the  mass  of  combustible 
gases  are  connected  together  by  being  distributed  between  the  tubes, 
and  thereby  a  better  combustion  takes  place,  which  may  be  to  a  great 
extent  improved  by  letting  in  atmospheric  air  into  the  fire-box,  above 
the  fire  and  amongst  the  tubes.  Figs.  14  and  18  show  a  mode  of  putting 
on  the  back  sheet  of  the  fire-box  with  screw-bolts  and  planed  surfaces, 
or  packed  joints,  so  that  it  may  be  taken  off  at  pleasure,  by  taking  out 
the  stay-bolts,  giving  greater  facility  for  repairs  and  cleaning,  whilst  it 
permits  the  entire  box  to  be  taken  out  as  soon  as  the  stays.  The 
series  of  small  flues  leading  to  the  smoke-chamber  are  removed  when- 
ever these  flues  are  used.  The  section  of  a  tube  below  (fig.  27), 
shows  a  mode  of  protecting  the  upper  sur- 
faces of  the  tubes  or  other  portions  of  the 
boiler  which  contain  water,  in  which,  from  the 
great  quantity  of  steam  bubbles  which  may  be 
thrown  against  these  surfaces,  there  is  danger 
of  the  water  being  driven  away  from  them, 
causing  these  portions  to  be  thereby  burnt. 
To  remedy  this  evil,  the  patentee  places  in 
the  upper  portion  of  each  tube  containing 
water,  or  at  any  other  point  where  the  same 
difficulty  is  likely  to  arise,  a  thin  metal  shield, 
curved  in  such  a  manner,  and  fitting  so 
closely,  as  to  intercept  a  great  portion  of  the 
ascending  steam,  and  leading  it  off  towards 
the  end  of  the  water  tube;  or  in  the  other  por- 
tions of  the  boiler  not  tubular,  away  from  the 
points  of  fire  surface  where  danger  might  be 
apprehended  by  the  water  being  driven  away. 
By  extending  these  shields  through  the 
entire  length  of  the  water  tube,  and  through 

to  the  front  tube  sheet  at  the  smoke-box,  and  by  perforating  the  curved 
surface  of  the  shield  with  holes,  the  steam  will  be  discharged  in  rapid 
currents  upwards,  and  between  the  series  of  flues  leading  from  the  fire-box 
to  the  smoke-box,  which  current  will  tend  in  a  great  degree  to  keep  the 
flues  just  mentioned  from  being  coated  with  mud  or  other  incrustations. 

Claims : — 1st.  Extending  the  fire-box  into  the  boiler  in  the  manner 
hereinbefore  in  this  specification,  and  by  the  said  drawings,  substantially 
described. 

2d.  In  connection  with  such  extension,  the  placing  in  the  fire-box, 
and  extension  thereof,  a  series  of  horizontal,  vertical,  or  diagonal  tubes 
containing  water,  and  either  using  the  ordinary  flues  much  shortened, 
thereby  saving  useless  weight,  leading  from  the  fire-box  to  the  smoke- 
chamber,  or  not,  as  may  be  deemed  best,  arranging  the  parts  in  the  man- 
ner described,  or  in  any  other  manner  substantially  the  same  as  herein- 
before and  in  the  said  drawings  described. 

3d.  Using  and  adapting  the  "teats,"  well  known  to  boiler-makers,  in 
such  manner  as  to  form  tubular  stays  of  cast  or  wrought-iron,  or  any 
other  metal,  for  obtaining  fire  surface  in  the  fire-box,  or  any  other  part 
of  a  steam-boiler,  and  at  the  same  time  making  a  secure  connection 
(easily  removed)  between  the  inner  and  outer  plates  of  boiler,  as  substan- 
tially hereinbefore  described. 

4th.  Applying  tubes  of  any  given  diameter,  filled  with  water,  above 
the  fire  in  the  fire-box  of  locomotive  or  other  boilers  now  in  use,  and  as 
they  are  now  generally  made,  substantially  as  hereinbefore  described. 


5th.  The  use  of  return  flues  leading  through  the  horizontal  water 
pipes,  as  described  in  the  marine  boiler,  as  well  as  in  the  inner  flue  lead- 
ing through  the  water  tubes  of  locomotive  boilers,  to  carry  off  a  portion 
of  the  gases  to  the  smoke-chamber,  so  as  to  present  a  double  heating 
surface  to  the  water  contained  in  the  water  tubes,  whether  these  flues 
are  made  to  pass  through  the  whole  length  of  water  tube  or  not,  or  made 
so  as  to  receive  the  gases  at  any  point  throughout  the  whole  length  of 
water,  substantially  as  described. 

6th.  The  construction  of  the  chimney  boiler  substantially  as  described, 
including  the  various  modes  of  obtaining  fire  surface  by  the  use  of  ver- 
tical water  pipes,  with  or  without  inside  flues  through  them,  or  by  filling 
the  interior  chamber  above  the  fire  with  "  teats,"  serving  the  double  pur- 
pose of  giving  fire  surface  aud  making  a  secure  stay,  or  with  cross  pipes 
either  in  connection  with  the  short  flues  at  top  of  boiler  or  not. 

7th.  In  connection  with  the  extension  of  the  fire-box  into  the  hody  of 
the  boiler,  the  introduction  of  metal  or  clay  pipes,  for  the  purpose  of 
heating  the  fresh  supply  of  atmospheric  air  that  may  be  introduced  into 
the  fire-box,  and  for  distributing  this  air  amongst  the  combustible  gases 
evolved  from  the  fire,  so  as  to  cause  a  better  consumption  of  the  fuel,  and 
a  consequent  consumption  of  the  smoke  where  coal  is  used,  either  in 
locomotives  or  stationary  engines. 

By  forming  a  locomotive  boiler  with  the  prolonged  fire-box,  advantage 
may  be  taken  to  indent  the  under  side  of  boiler  so  as  to  leave  the  axle 
clear,  whilst  the  centre  of  gravity  of  the  engine  is  lowered  in  a  corre- 
sponding degree  ;  this  being  prevented  in  the  usual  form  of  boiler,  on 
account  of  the  tubes  being  in  the  way  of  such  indentation. 


LOCOMOTIVE  ENGINES. 

W.  Stdees  and  J.  I.  Grvlls,  Llanelly.- — Enrolled  December  2,  1846. 

Messrs.  Stubbs  and  Grylls'  invention  relates,  first,  to  a  mode  of  con- 
structing locomotive  boilers  with  two  tubes,  and  in  such  manner  as  to 

Fig.  l. 


allow  of  introducing  the  wheel  axle,  and  to  a  plan  for  communicating  the 
steam  power  to  the  driving  wheels  by  a  double-piston  cylinder,  on  the 
principle  first  introduced  by  Mr.  Bodmer.  The  second  head,  which  we 
shall  more  particularly  notice,  is  illustrated  by  fig.  1  of  our  engravings. 
In  that  figure,  the  two  cylinders  are  placed  underneath  the  boiler.  In 
this  engine,  four  of  the  wheels  are  connected  by  side  rods  with  the 
cross-heads  of  the  two  cylinders,  and  in  such  manner  that  each  cylinder 
drives  two  wheels,  each  cylinder  moving  a  cross-head,  and  each  cross- 
head,  by  two  connecting-rods,  moving  the  wheels,  h  is  the  fire-box, 
and  h'  is  a  tube  or  continuation  of  the  fire-box.  This  fire-box  differs 
from  those  at  present  in  use,  inasmuch  as  the  part,  h',  projects  into 
the  cylindrical  part  of  the  boiler,  two,  three,  or  more  feet,  as  may 
be  necessary.  The  object  of  this  improvement  is  to  remove  the  ends  of 
the  small  flue-tubes  to  a  distance  from  the  direct  action  of  the  fire,  and 
by  such  means3  a  saving  will  be  effected  in  their  durability.  The 
arrangement  of  cylinders  given  under  this  head  will  be  found  very 
convenient,  and,  at  the  same  time,  it  will  tend  to  prevent  side  oscillation 
in  the  locomotive  engine. 

In  fig.  2,  the  boiler  and  tube  of  the  engine  shown  is  very  similar  to 
that  described  in  respect  to  fig.  1,  with  this  important  difference,  that 
the  boiler  and  tube  are  recessed  underneath,  to  admit  of  the  lowering  of 
the  boiler,  and  yet  allow  of  employing  wheels  of  large  dimensions;  the 
diameter  of  the  wheels  shown  is  nine  feet,  but  this  part  of  the  invention 
can  be  used  with  driving  wheels  of  other  diameters,  for  the  purpose  of 


THE  PRACTICAL  MECHANIC'S  JOURNAL. 


23 


reducing  or  bringing  down  the  centre  of  gravity.     H  is  the  fire-box,  and 
tube,  h'  ;  i  is  the  recess,  and  o  is  the  axle  of  the  driving  wheel. 

Another  head  relates   to  driving   engines  by   means   of  eccentrics 
fitted  with  antifriction  rollers,  as  a  substitute  for  the  ordinary  cranks. 

Fig.  2. 


Fig.  2. 


A  mode  of  building  broad-guage  engine-boilers  with  double  bodies,  and 
plans  of  six  and  eight-wheeled  carriages,  for  producing  superior  steadi- 
ness, stun  up  the  specification. 


LOCOMOTIVE  ENGINES  AND  RAILWAY  AXLES. 

J.  E.  M-Consell,   Wolverton. — Enrolled  February  28,  1852. 

The  portions  of  Mr.  M'Connell's  invention  which  we  have  here 
selected  for  illustration,  relate,  first,  to  the  supplying  atmospheric  air  to 
the  fuel  or  flame  in  the  fire-box  of  the  boilers  of  locomotive  engines  by 
means  of  tubular  stays,  it  being  a  well-known  fact,  that  a  very  large 
proportion  of  the  gases  evolved  or  given  out  from  the  coke  is  not  burned 
for  the  want  of  a  sufficient  supply  of  oxygen.  Much  of  the  gas  so 
evolved  being  carbonic  oxide,  which  is  given  out  from  the  coke,  and  only 
requires  to  be  mixed  with  about  l-5th  of  its  whole  bulk  of  atmospheric 
air  to  produce  perfect  combustion,  being  without  this  incombustible.  The 
air  necessary  for  this  purpose  is  supplied  to  the  flame  by  means  of  tubu- 
lar stays,  a,  figs.  1  and  2,  screwed  into  the  inner  and  outer  plates,  forming 
the  water-space  of  the  boiler,  and  placed  at  convenient  distances  between 

Fig.  1. 


the  other  solid  stays,  e.  The  quantity  of  air  to  be  admitted  through  these 
several  stays  maybe  controlled  by  caps  or  valves  over  each,  to  be  acted  on 
at  pleasure  by  the  engine-driver.  Another  of  Mr.  M'Connell's  improve- 
ments consists  in  a  transverse  .indentation  of  the  water-space  of  the 
bottom  of  the  boiler,  forming  as  it  were  a  bridge  wall,  thereby  allowing 
the  centre  of  gravity  of  the  boiler  to  be  lowered.  The  extending  the 
fire-box  into  the  body  of  the  boiler,  so  as  to  shorten  the  tubes  (as  shown 
in  the  figure),  has  been  patented  by  Mr.  Joseph  Harrison,  so  that  Mr. 
M'Connell's  invention  is  confined  to  indenting  that  portion  of  the  boiler 
immediately  over  the  axles,  so  as  to  allow  the  weight  and  centre  of 


gravity  to  be  lowered  in  proportion  to  the  depth  of  such  indentation,  at 
the  same  time  doing  no  injury  to  the  boiler,  the  line  or  curve  of  inden- 
tation being  shown  by  the  letter  A. 

Another  of   Mr.  M'Connell's  improvements  consists  in  adapting  a 

peculiar  form  of  apparatus  to 

the  smoke-box  of  locomotive 

engines,    for    heating    the 

water  before  it  enters  the 

boiler     by    means    of    the 

heated         gases        passing 

through      the      smoke-box, 

and  the  exhaust  steam,  be- 
fore it  leaves  the  blast-pipe. 

The  water    is    forced  into, 

and  passes  up  the  coils  of 

pipe,  k,  fig.    1,   and  enters 

the  annular  space,  o  m,  which 

is  around  the  blast-pipe,  N, 

passing    down  the   annular 

casing,  and  into  the  boiler, 

through  the  pipe,  p.     By  this  arrangement  a  double 

object  is  effected ;  for,  by  forcing  the  water  first 

through  the  coils  of  pipe,  a  portion  of  the  heat  from 

the  heated  gases  passing  through  the  smoke-box  is 

taken  up  ;  and  as  the  water  passes  down  the  an- 
nular space  around  the  blast-pipe,  another  portion  of  heat  from  the  ex- 
haust steam  of  the  engines  is  taken  up,  thereby  saving  much  of  the 
heat  that  now  passes  into  the  atmosphere,  and  reducing  the  consump- 
tion of  coke  necessary  to  maintain  the  power  of  the  engine. 
Under  these  heads  the  patentee  claims : — 

The  supplying  atmospheric  air  to  the  fuel  or  flame,  after  it  has  left 
the  surface  of  the  fire,  by  means  of  tubular  stays  inserted  in,  and  adapted 
to,  the  fire-box,  as  described.  The  indenting  of  a  locomotive  boiler  im- 
mediately over  the  crank  axle,  substantially  as  described.  The  adapta- 
tion of  an  apparatus  so  placed  in  the  smoke-box  of  a  locomotive  boiler 
for  heating  the  water  before  it  enters  the  boiler,  both  by  the  heated 
gases  that  pass  through  the  smoke-box,  as  well  as  by  the  exhaust  steam, 
as  described. 


BREECH-LOADING   FIRE-ARMS. 
Joseph  Needham,  Piccadilly. 

Our  illustrative  figures  will  show  that  Mr.  Needham's  ingenious 
invention  is  founded  on  the  principle  of  the  "  Prussian  Needle  Gun ;" 
but  the  ignition  needle  which  he  employs, 
is  a  species  of  stout  striking  spindle.  Fig. 
1  is  a  side  elevation  of  the  lock  portion 
of  a  rifle,  and  fig.  2  is  a  corresponding 
longitudinal  section.  Figs.  3  and  4  are 
side  and  end  views  of  the  duplex  cam, 
which  works  the  needle  action  in  loading 
and  unloading,  a  is  the  barrel  of  the  rifle, 
which  is  fitted  to  the  stock,  b,  in  the  ordi- 
nary way,  by  the  tail-piece,  c,  and  slotted 
eyes,  d.  The  breeched  of  the  barrel  is 
half  cut  away  at  its  upper  side,  for  a 
short  distance ;  and  into  this  portion  of  the 
barrel  is  fitted  the  short  gun-metal  tube,  e, 
which  turns  on  the  fixed  pin,  f,  in  the  end 
of  the  barrel.  The  end  of  the  tube,  e,  has 
a  square-threaded  screw  cut  upon  it,  which 
takes  into  a  similar  internal  screw  in  the 
cap,  G.  This  cap  has  a  handle,  H,  formed 
upon  it,  for  the  purpose  of  turning  it  when 
required.  A  small  double-crown  cam,  i, 
is  screwed  into  the  inside  of  the  cap,  and 
serves  to  push  back  the  needle,  j,  as 
will  be  hereafter  described.  The  needle  is  simply  a  short  piece  of 
steel  wire,  which  fits  into  a  socket,  k,  on  the  end  of  the  notched  spindle 
or  pin,  l,  and  secured  in  its  socket  by  a  small  pinching  screw.  A  heli- 
cal spring,  m,  embraces  the  spindle,  L,  and  gives  it  the  impelling  force 
necessary  for  the  explosion  of  the  cartridge,  n.  A  feather,  o,  is  formed 
on  each  side  of  the  socket,  k,  and  these  wings  retain  the  spindle,  the 
proper  side  up,  by  sliding  in  the  slots  in  the  interior  of  the  bore  of  the 
tube,  which  contains  the  needle  apparatus.  P  is  the  "  sear,"  and  Q  the 
"  sear  spring,"  both  of  which  are  attached  to  the  moveable  tube,  e.  The 
sear  is  pressed  by  its  spring  into  a  notch  in  the  end  of  the  spindle  when 


21 


THE  PRACTICAL  MECHANIC'S  JOURNAL. 


the  latter  is  pushed  hack,  and-  retains  it  until  released  by  the  action  of 
the  trigger,  R,  which  tends  to  draw  down  the  "  sear;"  thereby  causing 
it  to  turn  on  its  fixed  centre,  s,  and  release  the  spindle,  which  is  imme- 
diately impelled  forwards  by  the  pressure  of  the  helix  against  the  socket, 

k.     The    cartridges    are 

I  I 


"I 


each  fitted  with  a  gutta 
percha  capsule,  t,  having 
a  short  tail,  u,  formed 
upon  it.  The  interior  of 
the  capsule  is  fitted  with 
a  thin  metal  disc,  slightly 
dished,  and  the  cavity 
or  cup  thereby  formed  is 


filled  with  fulminating  powder.  A  piece  is  cut  out  of  the  bottom  of 
the  capsule,  so  as  to  leave  the  fulminating  powder  free  to  be  acted  upon 
by  the  needle.     This  capsule,  by  being  made  to  fit  tightly  into  the 


to  fig.  2,  it  will  be  seen  that  the  end  of  the  cap,  g,  when  the  tube,  e,  is 
down,  projects  a  slight  distance  out  the  bore  of  the  barrel,  but,  by  means 
of  the  screw-threads  in  the  cap,  the  partial  turning  of  the  handle,  H,  causes 
the  cap  to  recede  a  short  distance,  sufficient  to  clear  it  from  the  end  of 
the  bore.  The  tube,  e,  is  now  free  to  be  turned  back  on  its  centre,  p, 
until  it  assumes  the  position  shown  in  dotted  lines  in  fig.  1.  The  cartridge 
is  then  introduced  into  the  breech  of  the  gun,  into  which  it  fits  tightly 
by  the  gutta  percha  capsule,  t  ;  the  tag,  u,  is  left  out,  as  shown,  and  the 
tube,  e,  is  shut  down  when  the  handle,  h,  is  pressed  into  its  place,  and 
retained  by  the  spring-catch,  w.  The  replacing  of  the  handle  into  its 
original  position  causes  the  end  of  the  cap,  a,  to  be  forced  tightly  into 
the  breech  of  the  barrel,  at  the  same  time  bringing  the  inclines  of  the 
double  cam,  I,  into  such  a  position  as  to  correspond  with  the  wings,  o, 
on  the  needle  socket.  The  gun  is  now 
ready  for  firing,  which  is  effected  in  the 
ordinary  manner,  by  drawing  the  trig- 
ger; the  helical  spring  then  forces  the 
needle  into  the  capsule,  which  explodes 
the  fulminating  powder  contained  in  the 
small  metal  disc.  The  tube,  E,  is  then 
opened,  as  before  described,  and  the  cap- 
^  2"  sule  removed.    In  order  that  the  turning 

:  of  the  screw-cap  may  leave  no  space  be- 

tween the  junction  edges,  they  are  cut 
obliquely,  to  correspond  with  the  screw- 
thread.  By  this  means,  when  the  end  of 
the  cap  is  forced  into  the  breech  of  the 
barrel,  the  oblique  junction  edges  of  the 
cap  and  tube  leave  no  space  for  the 
entrance  of  dirt  into  the  screw. 

Mr.  Needham  has  also  devised  several 
other  modifications  of  this  class  of  fire- 
arm, more  especially  with  the  view  of  preventing  any  gaseous  escape 
on  firing ;  but  what  we  have  already  detailed  will  be  sufficient  to  point 
out  the  general  nature  and  value  of  the  improvements. 


Fig.  2. 


REGISTERED   DESIGNS. 


WATER-SPACE    DOOR-FRAMES 
FOR  FURNACES. 


Fig.  3. 


Fig.  4. 


breech  of  the  barrel,  prevents  the  escape  of  the  gases  on  firing,  which 
would  otherwise  take  place.  After  each  shot  the  capsule  is  left  in  the 
breech,  and  must  be  removed  therefrom  by  the  small  tag  or  tail,  u,  be- 
fore another  cartridge  can  be  introduced. 
To  guard  against  accidents,  a  small  safety 
bolt,  v,  is  fitted  to  the  upper  side  of  the 
tube,  e.  The  lower  portion  of  this  bolt  is 
cut  away  on  one  side,  and  takes  into  a 
notch  on  the  upper  surface  of  the  spindle 
when  in  action ;  but,  by  simply  pushing 
the  small  arm  from  one  notch  to  another  on 
the  surface  of  the  tube,  the  peculiar  shape 
of  the  bottom  of  the  bolt  unlocks  the  end  of  the  spindle,  and  allows  it 
to  be  released  by  the  trigger. 

The  handle,  h,  of  the  cap,  q,  fits  into  a  recess  or  groove  in  the  side  of  the 
stock,  beingalmost  flush  therewith ;  it  is  retained  in  this  position  by  a  small 
sprmg-catch,  w,  fitted  into  the  side  of  the  stock.  This  catch  is  so  arranged 
as  to  release  the  handle  when  a  slight  pull  is  applied ;  but,  nevertheless, 
holds  it  sufficiently  tight  to  prevent  it  from  turning  accidentally.  To 
ettect  the  loading  of  the  gun,  the  handle,  H,  is  turned  over,  and  with  it 
the  cap,  a,  to  the  extent  of  nearly  half  a  revolution ;  this  brings  round  the 
double  cam,  i,  to  the  same  extent,  and  its  inclined  edges  pressing  against 
the  ends  of  the  wings,  o,  on  the  socket,  k,  force  back  the  needle  until  the 
end  of  the  spindle,  l,  is  caught  and  retained  by  the  sear.     On  reference 


I  for  Mr.  John  Hiogins, 
Primrose.  Iron-Works,  Oldham. 

This  is  an  application  of  the  well- 
known  principle  of  securing  the  non- 
conduction  of  heat  by  a  cool  water- 
space,  as  adopted  in  smiths'  and  fur- 
nace-tuyeres, anvils,  and,  latterly,  in 
the  side-plates  of  the  puddling  furnace, 
as  patented  by  Mr.  Jones  of  Bilston. 
Mr.  Higgins  has  represented  his  con- 
trivance under  several  forms,  as  applied  to  single  and  double  flue, 
and  Butterly  or  waggon  boilers.  Our  engraving  represents  the 
hollow  door-frame  for  a  single  flue 
boiler,  the  cover,  or  side-plate,  being 
removed  to  show  the  water-space.  A 
pipe  is  cast  on  each  side,  opening  into 
the  hollow  of  the  frame,  and  the  boiler 
feed-water  enters  by  one  of  these  pipes, 
and,  after  flowing  through  the  enclosed 
space,  passes  off  by  the  other  to  the 
boiler.  The  feed  is  thus  highly  heated  before  it  enters  the  boiler,  and, 
whilst  it  economises  the  furnace-heat,  it  relieves  the  fireman  from  the 
oppression  which  he  meets  with  at  present,  where  single  solid  frames 
only  are  used. 


CORRESPONDENCE. 


DUPLEX  ELLIPTIC  ROTATORY  ENGINE, 

As  I  have  been  much  interested  by  the  description  of  Messrs.  Wright 
&  Hyatt's  beautiful  invention,  I  have  taken  the  liberty  of  enclosing  a 
sketch  of  a  mode  of  avoiding  the  dead  points  of  the  action,  which,  I  think, 
would  be  an  improvement.     The  annexed  figure  is  a  transverse  section 


THE  PRACTICAL  MECHANIC'S  JOURNAL. 


of  the  engine  so  arranged.  It  has  two  pistons,  a,  b,  crossing  each  other 
at  right  angles,  and  passing  through  the  main  shaft,  c,  which  is  expanded 
into  a  cylinder  at  that  part.  Then  the  openings  of  the  ports  being  nar- 
row, and  carried  a  sufficient  distance  round  the  cylinder  on  each  side,  it 
appears  that  we  should  hare  an  engine  of  nearly  uniform  action,  which, 
if  I  judge  rightly,  would  combine  nearly  the  power  of  two  engines,  (one 


of  the  pistons  constantly  passing  through  the  effective  space,  d  p,  e  o, 
whilst  the  other  is  neutral,  the  steam  being  on  both  sides  of  it,)  and  with 
little  more  than  the  weight  and  friction  of  one,  and  requiring  no  fly- 
wheel. The  bearings  of  the  pistons  are  lengthened  by  passing  them 
through  the  shaft,  and  the  steam  passages  being  very  long,  are  made  pro- 
portionally narrow,  so  as  to  favour  the  retention  of  the  true  ellipticity  of 
the  cylinder.  The  shaft  is  to  be  countersunk  into  the  cylinder  ends, 
and  kept  tight  by  a  narrow  annular  packing  of  Sehiele's  antifriction  curve. 
From  some  trials  which  I  have  made,  it  seems  that  the  eccentric  piston 
will  fit  in  any  ellipse  between  the  proportions  laid  down  by  Messrs. 
Wright  &  Hyatt,  and  a  true  circle — the  shaft  being  correspondingly 
shifted  until  it  coincides  at  last  with  the  centre  of  the  circle — the  power 
similarly  decreasing  to  nil.  The  pistons  can,  therefore,  be  made  of  the 
requisite  thickness  for  strength. 

Geo.  P.  Rexshaw. 
Kottingham,  January,  1853. 


COMPOUND   SEWERS. 
I  beg  to  submit  to  you  a  proposed  section  for  a  main  sewer,  which,  it 

appears  to  me,  may  be  intro- 
duced in  some  places  with 
much  advantage.  I  am  not 
aware  that  a  section  of  the  par- 
ticular shape  has  been  noticed 
before.  It  is  intended,  you 
will  observe,  to  combine  the 
benefits  to  be  derived  from  the 
common  pipe  drain,  along 
with  the  superiority,  in  other 
respects,  of  the  large  brick 
sewer.  The  base  is  of  stone, 
and  the  stout  brick-work, 
springing  up  from  this  founda- 
tion, leaves  a  central  tapered 
sewage  passage,  terminating 
In  side  ledges  for  sustaining, 
on  one  side  a  gas,  and  on  the 
other  a  water-main.  Above 
this  level,  the  structure  is  1J 
bricks  thick,  and  the  crown  is 
one  brick. 

Perhaps  it  is  not  worth  while  to  occupy  your  space  by  attempting  any 
lengthened  description  of  this  section,  as  the  points  in  its  favour,  and 
also  against  it,  will  be  readily  seen  by  all  practical  men. 

E. 
Liverpool,  March,  1853. 

REPORT  OF   THE  COMMISSIONERS   FOR  THE   EXHIBITION 
OF  1851,  AND  SCHOOLS  OF  DESIGN. 

Ideas,  thought,  observation,  taste,  and  other  similar  themes,  have  been 

copiously  written  upon,  and  made  the  subject  of  popular  essays,  by  men 

of  the  highest  reputation  and  talent;  yet,  notwithstanding  all  their 

excellence,  if  a  clear  and  comprehensible  definition  of  either  of  them  be 

So.  61,-Vol.  VI. 


called  for,  no  one  can  give  it  in  such  a  direct  manner  as  to  show  them  to 
be  thoroughly  understood.  In  like  manner,  design  seems  to  be  an  ignis 
fatuus,  eluding  an  exposition  which  would  enable  schools  or  institu- 
tions to  be  made  certain  and  fruitful  sources  of  skill  and  taste  in  the 
ornamental,  decorative,  and  fine  arts.  In  your  review  of  the  Second 
Report  of  the  Commissioners  for  the  Exhibition  of  1851,  you  remark  that, 
"  It  is  obvious  that,  to  meet  this  need  of  the  age,  some  definite  system  of 
proceeding  must  be  struck  out;"  and  I  presume,  as  the  Government 
School  of  Design  has  been  given  up,  that  some  part  of  the  balance  from 
the  Great  Exhibition  will  be  expended  by  the  Commissioners,  or  through 
their  influence,  on  the  grand  site  of  150  acres,  "  secured  for  the  benefit 
of  the  arts  and  sciences  cultivated  by  us."  "Mr.  Warrington  Smythe, 
Professor  Edward  Forbes,  and  Dr.  Play  fair,"  show,  in  theirlectures,  "the 
immense  expenditure  (of  the  School  of  Design),  to  no  purpose,  of  time, 
and  money,  and  talent,"  &c. ;  but  in  any  future  institutions  connected  with 
the  Royal  Academy  of  Art,  or  schools  that  may  be  organized  by  parochial 
authorities  or  otherwise,  as  proposed  by  the  "  Department  of  Practical 
Art  as  the  mode  of  proceeding  for  establishing  classes  or  schools  for 
elementary  instruction  in  art,"  can  a  better  result  be  expected? 

"The  blunders  that  were  committed  by  persons  attempting  to  achieve 
things  which  the  simplest  knowledge  would  have  told  them  were  impos- 
sible to  be  accomplished.'1  So  say  the  Commissioners.  Notwithstanding 
which,  have  those  blunders,  and  the  immense  expenditure  that  attended 
them,  disclosed  a  definite  system  of  the  art  of  design,  that  can  now  be 
taught  in  classes  and  schools,  as  clearly  as  addition,  subtraction,  multi- 
plication, and  division  ?  Certainly  not ;  and  as  I  told  the  meeting  at  the 
Royal  Institution,  at  Manchester,  in  1838  (which  took  place  for  the  for- 
mation of  a  School  of  Design),  that  the  first  step  should  be  to  ascertain 
and  recognize  the  principles  and  practice  of  design,  or  any  attempt  at 
satisfactory  results  from  such  schools  would  be  as  vain  as  to  set  up 
colleges  for  the  general  production  of  Homers,  Miltons,  and  Shak- 
speares. 

The  third  section  of  the  circular  of  the  Department  of  Practical  Art 
details  "  the  duties  of  the  masters,  with  a  list  of  the  articles  and  examples 
requisite  for  teaching,"  but  they  by  no  means  constitute  the  requisite 
definite  system.  Their  circular  says,  "  My  lords  already  have  fully 
recognized  the  great  importance  of  elementary  drawing  to  all  classes  of 
the  community,"  &c,  &c.  The  qualifications  of  "  masters  appointed  to 
elementary  drawing  classes  are  expected  to  be  acquainted  with  the  works 
used  by  the  Department  of  Practical  Art  on  geometry  and  perspective," 
&c.  Now,  as  so  much  stress  is  laid  upon  elementary  drawing,  for  cul- 
tivating the  taste  of  the  community  at  large,  as  well  as  the  artisan  and 
designer;  and  they  justly  name  geometry  and  perspective,  as  the  bases 
"  for  free-handdrawing  of  the  solid  forms  used  in  the  elementary  schools," 
— how  is  it  that  these  authorities  for  the  guidance  of  national  skill  and 
taste  persist  in  teaching  geometry  and  perspective,  and  the  drawing  of 
solid  forms,  in  a  manner  at  variance  with  the  laws  of  nature,  and  the 
optical  effect  of  every  student's  eye ;  when,  for  many  years,  the  Daguer- 
reotype and  Talbotype,  or  sun  drawings,  "  have  proved  how  far  the  pencil 
of  the  draughtsman  has  been  from  the  truth,"  as  Arago  says,  and  sub- 
stantiated the  natural  principles  of  perspective  and  visual  or  optical 
geometry,  previously  published  by  me  under  the  title  of  '  The  Science 
of  Vision,  or  Natural  Perspective  ?' 

While  this  system  of  perverting  the  ideas  and  judgment  of  stu- 
dents and  the  public  is  persisted  in,  and  masters  are  bound  to  it  by 
government  authorities,  can  excellence,  or  a  general  suffusion  of  skilful 
designing,  ever  be  established  on  false  elementary  principles?  The 
system  imperatively  necessary  "  to  meet  the  need  of  the  age,"  can  only 
be  developed  upon  an  application  of  the  principles  of  abstract  geometry 
to  the  various  practical  purposes  of  trade,  ornament,  and  art ;  and  upon 
a  sound  knowledge  of  the  eyesight,  and  its  modus  operandi,  in  producing 
upon  the  mind  those  effects  or  optical  forms  which  are  imprinted,  like  sun 
drawings,  in  the  eye,  and  are  the  only  correct  and  legitimate  outlines  for 
the  drawing  of  solid  forms. 

The  eye  has  always  been  the  emblem  of  wisdom ;  and  it  is  only  by  a 
better  and  more  universal  knowledge  of  optics  and  natural  perspective, 
that  a  perfect  comprehension  of  light,  and  shade,  and  colour,  as  well  as 
correct  outline,  can  be  acquired  ;  and  the  definite  system,  so  much  desired, 
must  still  remain  a  mystery  until  the  correct  elementary  principles  are 
clearly  taught  and  instilled  into  the  mind  and  practice  of  designers  and 
artists  generally. 

It  is  not  generally  known,  that  what  is  called  and  taught  as  perspective, 
is  not  perspective  at  all,  it  having  been  treated  mathematically,  while  it 
ought  to  have  been  treated  optically,  as  the  outlines  in  the  representation 
of  solid  forms,  to  be  correct,  ought  to  be  the  effects  of  the  eye  of  the  artist, 
or  delineator.  Nothing  can  show  the  deficiency  of  science  and  art  more 
clearly  than  the  sun  drawings,  which  are  denounced  by  the  public,  and 
by  art  and  science,  as  out  of  drawing,  i.  e.,  incorrect,  because  those 

D 


26 


THE  PRACTICAL  MECHANIC'S  JOURNAL. 


delineations  converge  the  perpendicular  as  well  as  the  horizontal  lines  of 
buildings,  &e. 

From  the  public  not  having  been  taught  to  understand  this  effect  of 
every  one's  eyesight,  and  the  so-called  art  of  perspective  having  established 
a  practice  in  art  which  has  familiarized  the  public  eye  to  a  system  of 
drawing,  omitting  an  unavoidable  effect  on  the  sight  of  every  observer, 
sun  drawings,  made  by  an  instrument  constructed  on  the  principle  of 
the  human  eyesight,  for  want  of  knowing  the  true  optical  principles 
and  effect,  are  regarded  as  distortions  of  nature.  Till  this  blindness  is 
removed,  a  definite  system,  and  a  sure  practice  of  art,  cannot  be  estab- 
lished. The  subject  is  one  that  is  very  simple,  but  it  can  only  be 
known  by  a  short  practical  study  of  the  eye,  and  the  elementary  princi- 
ples of  the  art.  A  description  of  it  is  insufficient  for  the  reader  to  un- 
derstand it.  Ainsworth's  definition  in  his  dictionary  is  brief  and  correct, 
viz.,  "  Eapars  oplices  que  res  objectas  ocvlisaliter  quam  re  ipsa  sunt  repre- 
sentat,'' — "  that  part  of  optics  by  which  things  seen  by  the  eye,  are  repre- 
sented different  to  the  thing  itself" — because  the  eye  alters  the  geometri- 
cal shape,  and  gives  it  an  optical  outline,  which  is  the  perspective  and 
object  of  art  truly  to  delineate.  Any  one  knowing  the  elementary  rules 
of  true  perspective  drawing  can  produce  these  effects,  which  certainly 
establishes  a  standard  of  taste,  both  for  the  draughtsman  and  the  public, 
as  no  difference  of  opinion  can  exist  as  to  correctness,  when  the  truth  of 
the  representation  can  be  demonstrated  optically. 

As  I  am  the  author  of  the  '  Science  of  Vision,  or  Natural  Perspec- 
tive,1 it  may  be  imagined  that  I  have  a  partiality  for  my  own  views  on 
the  subject ;  but  my  theory  having  stood  the  test  of  the  severest  investi- 
gation by  men  eminently  qualified  to  detect  any  error  or  deficiency,  and 
the  subsequent  discovery  of  photographic  drawing  having  introduced  a 
new  character  into  the  fine  arts  (which  can  only  be  demonstrated  to 
be  correct  by  my  theory),  it  must  be  evident  that  I  am  justified  in 
denouncing  the  common  practice  of  teaching  spurious  perspective,  and 
am  desirous  of  pointing  out  a  definite  system  for  the  art  of  design. 
There  is  one  thing  which  has  militated  seriously 
against  the  adoption  of  the  true  principles  of  per- 
spective, viz.,  that  art  has  been  misguided  by  the 
theories  of  scinnce.  Science  knows  now  that  art  has 
been  wrong;  but  as  science  uses  perspective  in  astro- 
nomy, &c,  it  knows  it  is  wrong  too;  and  that,  if 
science  attempted  to  rectify  art,  it  would  have  to' 
rectify  itself;  and  so  the  progress  of  improvement  is 
slow,  as  those  authorities  who  are  expected  by  the  i|§ 
public  to  advance  knowledge,  as  usual,  are  silent,  and  \£ 
the  truth  awaits  its  own  recommendation  from  a  \|||j 
future  generation. 

Arthur  Parsey. 

London,  March,  1853. 

P.S. — The  Royal  Academy  has  not  had  a  Professor 
of  Perspective  for  many  years.  The  celebrated 
Turner,  R.A.,  was  the  Professor,  and  the  last  time  he 
lectured  on  the  subject,  he  left  off  in  the  middle  of 
his  lecture,  with  the  declaration  "  that  he  had  puz- 
zled himself,  was  sure  he  had  puzzled  the  students, 
and  that  he  should  give  it  up."  Since  which  time 
our  National  School  of  Art,  which  is  considered  the 
standard,  has  been  without  any  guide  on  the  great, 
first,  and  only  principles  of  pictorial  art  and  design, 
as  the  professorship  has  been  suspended  for  many  years.  My  offer  to 
deliver  a  course  of  lectures  in  the  Royal  Academy  was  respectfully 
declined,  although  the  late  John  Constable,  R.A.,  William  Etty,  R.A., 
and  R.  R.  Rainagle,  R.A.,  after  attending  my  lectures,  gave  me  testi- 
monials of  the  soundness  and  perfection  of  my  system. 


TRANSPORT  OF  CLEOPATRA'S  NEEDLE. 

I  observe,  in  your  March  number,  a  proposal  to  transport  Cleopatra's 
Needle  from  Egypt  to  England,  by  means  of  a  fir  raft,  or  caisson,  and  I 
am  induced  to  trouble  you  with  the  present  communication,  because  the 
proposal  involves  a  great  principle,  which,  if  carried  out,  would  effect  an 
important  change  in  the  timber  trade,  and  would  greatlv  tend  to  cheapen 
timber,  besides  having  various  other  good  effects.  The  principle  to 
which  I  allude  is  that  of  conveying  certain  kinds  of  timber  across  the 
seas  in  rafts,  formed  somewhat  like  ordinary  sailing  vessels,  instead  of 
in  ships.  1  suggested  the  adoption  of  this  system  in  tlie  Shipping  Gazette, 
of  28th  December,  1850.  Mr.  Elmes'  proposal  is  at  least,  on  his  part, 
a  confirmation  of  its  practicability. 

Instead  of  using  a  mass  of  stone  to  ballast  and  stiffen  the  raft,  or  log 


ship,  hardwood  might  be  placed  in  the  bottom.  And  perhaps  it  would 
be  well  to  adopt  the  custom  of  merchant  ships,  that  of  laying  the  timber 
parallel  to  the  keel,  so  that  three  or  four  iron  hoops,  or  bars,  might  be 
placed  round  the  mass  to  bind  the  whole  tightly  together — the  spaces  on 
the  sides  of  the  raft  between  these  bars  being  filled  up  with  deals,  which, 
if  nailed  at  the  ends  only,  would  not  be  much  damaged,  thus  making 
an  unbroken  and  smooth  surface  along  the  raft's  sides.  The  bow  and 
stern  would  also  have  to  be  sheathed  with  deals  in  the  same  manner,  and 
so  lessen  the  friction  of  the  water. 

Of  course  the  raft  would  approach  the  shape  of  a  ship  as  much  as  pos- 
sible, and  might  be  made  of  any  dimensions.  It  should  be  masted  and 
roughly  rigged,  like  an  ordinary  ship.  As  timber  is  of  little  value  in 
the  countries  where  it  is  grown,  the  masts  might  be  each  in  one  piece, 
and  they  would  sell  for  nearly  their  full  value  after  arrival  at  their  des- 
tination. A  raft  formed  thus  would  contain  more  timber  than  a  ship  of 
the  same  dimensions.  By  using  bars,  instead  of  bolting  the  timber  to- 
gether, little  or  none  of  the  timber  would  be  damaged. 

The  advantages  gained  over  a  ship  would  be,  that  the  whole  hire  of 
the  ship  would  be  saved;  which  would  be  so  much  the  greater,  as  freights 
have  advanced  30  per  cent,  on  last  year's  quotations.  The  only  offset 
against  this  is,  the  first  expense  of  the  iron  bars  and  outfit  of  the  raft, 
and  their  carriage  to  the  port  of  loading.  The  bars  and  outfit,  however, 
after  having  been  stripped  from  the  raft,  would  again  serve  several  times 
for  the  same  purpose. 

Sunderland,  March,  1853.  X.  Y.  Z. 


EEVIEWS  OF  NEW  BOOKS. 


The  Practical  Draughtsman's  Book  op  Industrial  Design  :  Forming 
a  Complete  Course  of  Mechanical  Engineering  and  Architectural 
Drawing. 

By  William  Johnson,  Assoc.  Inst.  C.  E. 
Parts  1,  2,  and  3.  4to.  Plates  and  Wood 
Engravings.  Longman,  Brown,  Green,  & 
Longmans,  London.     1853. 

{Illustrated  by  Plate  122.) 


The  mass  of  inquiries  for  practical  text-books,  and  plain  rudimentary 
guides  to  scientific  information,  which  so  constantly  accumulate  on  our 
desk,  strongly  indicate  the  difficulties  of  the  anxious  student,  in  his 
attempts  to  combine  that  knowledge  and  thought  which  are  at  once  the 
delight  and  the  prerogative  of  man.  Every  week  brings  us  some  task 
of  this  nature,  and  scarce  a  day  passes  over  our  head  without  some 
melancholy  illustrations  of  that  misapplied  ingenuity,  and  consequent 
waste  of  intellectual  force,  which  is  usually  traceable  to  the  lack  of  a 
little  consideration  over  a  plain-speaking  textual  guide.  It  is  true  that 
the  student  cannot  reasonably  complain  of  a  want  of  generally  instruc- 
tive matter.  The  Mechanic's  Institution  or  library  of  every  little  town 
usually  furnishes  that.  But  there  is  reason  for  lamenting  the  practically 
inaccessible  nature  of  the  great  bulk  of  specific  details,  which  every  young 
inquirer  must  primarily  endeavour  to  master.  Sound  works  are  indeed 
before  him,  but  they  are  too  often  enveloped  in  mystery,  and  mixed  up 
with  irrelevant  matter,  which  stops  the  reader  at  the  very  outset  of  his 
researches.  Connected  as  we  are  with  what  are  pre-eminently  indus- 
trial pursuits,  we  cannot  but  welcome  the  coming  of  any  honestly-dis- 
posed work,  bearing  such  a  title  as  we  have  quoted  above ;  for  its  aim 
is,  at  any  rate,  laudable,  and  it  proposes  to  fill  a  void  which  has  long 
been  felt    as  a   weighty  evil.      The  Practical  Draughtsman's  Booh  of 


THE  PRACTICAL  MECHANIC'S  JOURNAL. 


27 


Industrial  Design,  is  founded  upon  the  well-known  work  of  JIM. 
Armengaud,  and  is  brought  out  here  with  their  concurrence.  Its  pre- 
face tells  us  that — 

"  It  is  intended  to  furnish  gradually  developed  lessons  in  geometrical  drawing,  applied 
directly  to  the  various  branches  of  the  industrial  arts :  comprehending  linear  design  pro- 
per; isomemcal  perspective,  or  the  study  of  projections;  the  drawing  of  toothed  wheels 
and  eccentrics;  with  shadowing  and  colouring;  ohlique  projections;  and  the  study  of 
parallel  and  exact  perspective;  each  division  being  accompanied  by  special  applications 
to  the  extensive  ranges  of  mechanics,  architecture,  foundry-works,  carpentry,  joinery, 
metal  manufactures  generally,  hydraulics,  the  construction  of  steam-engines,  and  mill- 
work." 

It  is  to  be  comprised  within  nine  divisions,  appropriated  to  the  dif- 
ferent branches  of  industrial  design.  These  include  linear  drawing — the 
geometrical  representation  of  objects,  or  the  study  of  projections — the 
conventional  colours  and  tints  for  the  expression  of  sectional  details — 
curves,  as  helices  and  spirals — gearing  and  patterns — shading  and 
colouring — perspective — and  an  appendix  on  drawing  instruments. 

Our  composite  plate,  122,  presents  a  series  of  examples  of  the  figures 
which  have  already  appeared  in  the  three  parts  of  the  work  now  pub- 
lished ;  and  we  quote  the  following  descriptive  matter  from  the  text  of 
the  work : — 

"  To  draw  a  stone  balustrade  of  an  open-worl:  pattern,  composed  of  circular  and  straight 
ribbons  interlaced.  Jigs.  J  and  10.— Constmct  the  rectangle,  A,  B,  c,  D,  its  comers  being  the 
centres  of  some  of  the  required  circles,  which  may  accordingly  be  drawn,  with  given  radii, 
as  a  o,  c  d ;  after  bisecting  a  b  in  e,  and  drawing  the  vertical  E  G,  make  e  f  equal  to  e  a, 
and  with  f  as  a  centre,  draw  the  circle  having  the  radius,  f  a,  equal  to  a  b,  drawing  also  the 
equal  circles  at  CB.E.&c.  Draw  verticals,  such  as  gh,  tangents  to  each  of  the  circles,  which 
will  complete  the  lines  required  for  the  part  of  the  pattern,  J,  to  the  left.  The  rosettes  to  the 
right  are  formed  by  concentric  circles  of  given  radii,  asEe,  e/.  The  duplex,  fig.  J,  may 
be  supposed  to  represent  the  pattern  on  the  opposite  sides  of  a  stone  balustrade.  Where 
straight  lines  are  run  into  parts  of  circles,  the  student  must  be  careful  to  make  them  join 
well,  as  the  beauty  of  the  drawing  depends  greatly  on  this  point.  It  is  better  to  ink  in 
the  circles  first,  as  it  is  practically  easier  to  draw  a  straight  up  to  a  circle,  than  to  draw  a 
circle  to  suit  a  straight  line. 

"  To  draw  a  pattern  for  an  embossed  plate  or  casting,  composed  of  regular  figures  combined 
m  squares,  figs.lL  and  11. — Two  squares  being  given,  as  A  B  c  D  and  F  G  H  I,  concentric, 
but  with  the  diagonals  of  one  parallel  to  the  sides  of  the  other,  draw  first  the  square, 
abed,  and  next  the  inner  and  concentric  one,  ef  gh.  The  sides  of  the  latter  being  cut  by 
the  diagonals,  A  c  and  B  D.  in  the  points,  i,j,  k,  I,  through  these  draw  parallels  to  the  sides 
of  the  square,  AE.C  d,  and  finally,  with  the  centre,  o,  describe  a  small  circle,  the  diameter 
of  which  is  equal  to  the  width  of  the  indented  crosses,  the  sides  of  these  being  drawn  tan- 
gent to  this  circle.  Thus  are  obtained  all  the  lines  necessary  to  delineate  this  pattern ; 
the  relievo  and  rataglio  portions  are  contrasted  by  the  latter  being  shaded." 

Fig.  C  represents  the  beautiful  curve  of  the  oval  of  five  centres  in 
its  application  to  the  construction  of  bridges ;  and  the  objects  repre- 
sented in  figs.  D  and  D',  are  an  example  of  the  applicationof  the  parabolic 
curve. 

"They  are  called  Parabolic  Mirrors,  and  are  employed  in  philosophical  researches. 
The  angles  of  incidence  of  the  vectors,  ab,ac,  a  d,  are  equal  to  the  angles  of  reflection  of 
the  parallels,  b  b',x  d,  d  d'.  It  follows  from  this  properly,  that  if,  in  the  focus,  a,  of  one 
mirror,  bf,  the  flame  of  a  lamp,  or  some  incandescent  body  be  placed,  and  in  the  focus,  a', 
of  the  opposite  mirror,  b'  f,  a  piece  of  charcoal  or  tinder,  the  latter  will  be  ignited,  though 
the  two  foci  may  be  at  a  considerable  distance  apart ;  for  all  the  rays  of  caloric  falling  on 
the  mirror,  bf,  are  reflected  from  it  in  parallel  lines,  and  are  again  collected  by  the  other 
mirror,  b  f,  and  concentrated  at  its  focus,  a'." 

Fig.  B  practically  illustrates  the  Ionic  Volute,  and  affords  a  lesson 
as  well  upon  shading,  and  the  effect  of  shadows.  The  remain- 
ing figures  furnish  an  elevation,  plan,  and  longitudinal  section  of 
a  Spherical  joint,  for  connecting  pipes  where  play  is  required  with- 
out interfering  with  the  fluid  passage.  These  figures,  being  selected 
from  the  purely  elementary  portion  of  the  work,  are  necessarily 
amongst  the  most  unattractive. of  its  contents,  which,  however,  already 
present  some  features  of  increasing  interest.  For  example,  Plate 
10,  in  the  third  part,  contains  a  large  sheet,  printed  in  eight  colours, 
to  illustrate  the  "  application  of  colour  and  conventional  tints,"  forming 
a  peculiarly  novel  and  valuable  feature  in  works  of  this  kind.  We 
may  add,  that  each  number  contains  eight  quarto  pages  of  plates,  exe- 
cuted with  all  the  accuracy  and  beauty  of  finish  for  which  the  French 
are  so  celebrated ;  and  to  this  array  of  illustrations  is  also  added,  ex- 
amples of  finished  machine  drawings.  The  meter,  in  the  first  part, 
may  be  particularly  mentioned  as  an  excellent  specimen  of  accurate 
drawing  and  effective  engraving. 


PROCEEDINGS  OF  SCIENTIFIC  SOCIETIES. 


INSTITUTION  OF  CIVIL  ENGINEERS. 
December  21,  1852. 

This  was  the  annual  general  meeting  for  the  election  of  the  officers  of  the  Insti- 
tution, and  other  general  business.  After  reading  the  report  of  the  retiring  Council, 
the  principal  papers  read  during  the  past  session  were  recapitulated  and  com- 
mented on,  and  the  following  premiums  were  presented : — 

Telford  Medals  to  Captain  Mark  Huish,  Colonel  Sam.  Colt,  Messrs.  Braitliwaite 
Poole,  Frederick  Richard  Window,  Charles  .Coles  Adley,  Euge"rie  Bourdon  (Paris), 
Pierre  HippoVyte  Boutigny  (d'Evreux),  and  George  Frederick  White. 

Council  premiums  of  books  to  Messrs.  John  Baldry  Redman  (for  the  third  time), 
William  Thomas  Doyne,  William  Biudon  Blood,  George  Donaldson,  Christopher 
Bagot  Lane,  and  William  Bridges  Adams. 


The  resignation  of  .Mr.  J.  Miller  from  the  Council,  in  consequence  of  long- 
continued  illness,  was  accepted  with  regret ;  and,  at  the  ballot,  the  following  mem- 
bers were  declared  to  form  the  Council  for  the  ensuing  year; — James  M.  Rendel, 
President;  I.  K.  Brunei,  J.  Locke,  M.P.,  J.  Simpson,  and  R.  Stephenson,  M.P., 
Vice-Presidents;  G.  P.  Bidder,  J.  Cubitt,  J.  E.  Errington,  J.  Fowler,  C.  H. 
Gregory,  J.  Hawkshaw,  J.  R.  M'Clean,  C.  May,  J.  Penn,  and  J.  S.  Russell, 
Members;  and  T.  Brassey  and  T.  R.  Crainpton,  Associates. 

January  11,  1853. 
"  On  the  Nature  and  Properties  of  Timber,  with  Notices  of  several  Methods, 
now  in  Use,  for  its  Preservation  from  Decay,"  by  Mr.  H.  Potter  Burt. 

January  18. 

Discussion  of  Mr.  Burt's  paper  "  On  the  Preservation  of  Timber." 
January  25. 

After  the  termination  of  the  discussion  on  Mr.  Burt's  paper,  the  President 
directed  attention  to  the  Dublin  Exhibition,  and  Mr.  Roney,  who  was  present, 
solicited  the  members  for  contributions  of  exhibitable  articles. 

"  On  the  Construction  of  Fire-Proof  Buildings,"  by  Mr.  James  Barrett. 

Jn;the  lobby,  one  of  Jennings'  Sluice  Valves  was  exhibited.  The  improvement 
was  stated  to  consist  in 'simplifying  the  construction,  by  casting  the  body  and  the 
faucet  ends  in  one  piece,  thus  avoiding  the  use  of  bolts,  nuts,  and  joints.  The 
slide  was  first  fitted,  and  made  to  work  properly  on  the  body  of  the  valve;  it  was 
then  removed,  and,  with  two  gun-metal  faces,  was  turned,  ground,  and  accurately 
fitted.  The  slide,  through  which  a  small  hole  had  been  previously  drilled,  was 
again  placed  in  the  valve,  the  two  faces  were  introduced,  and  all  firmly  bolted 
together.  The  joints  of  the  faces,  which  were  dovetailed  to  the  body,  were  then 
made  with  lead,  or  with  iron  cement;  the  bolt  was  removed,  the  hole  plugged,  and 
the  valve  was  completed,  at  considerable  saving  of  time  and  cost.  These  valves 
were  stated  to  have  been  extensively  ,used  under  considerable  pressures. 

February  1. 

".On  the  Pneumatics  of  Mines,"  by  Mr.  Joshua  Richardson. 

February  8. 
Discussion  on  Mr.  Richardson's  paper. 

February  15. 
"On  the  Use  of  Heated  Air  as  a  Motive  Power,"  by  Mr.  B..  Cheverton, 

February  22. 
Discussion  on  Mr.  Cheyerton's  paper. 

March  1. 
"  On  the  Increased  Strength  of  Cast-iron  produced  by  the  Use  of  Improved 
Coke,"  by  Sir.  William  Fairbairn. 

March  8. 
"  Experimental  Investigation  of  the  Principles  of  Locomotive  Boilers,"  by  Mr. 
D.  K.  Clark. 

March  15. 
Discussion  on  Mr,  Clark's  paper. 


INSTITUTION  OF  MECHANICAL  ENGINEERS. 
Annual  General  Meeting,  Birmingham,  January  26,  1853. 

•"  On  an  Improved  Railway  Chair,"  by  Mr.  John  M'Conochie,  Wednesbury. 

"  On  Iron,  and  some  Improvements  in  its  Manufacture,"  by  Mr.  J.  D.  M. 
Stirling. 

"  Description  of  Cugnot's  Original  Invention  of  the  Locomotive  Steam-Engine 
for  .Common  Roads,"  by  Mr.  E.  A.  Cowper. 


ROYAL  SCOTTISH  SOCIETY  OF  ARTS. 

Monday,  13th  December,  1852. 

David  Stevenson,  Esq.,  F.R.S.E.,  President,  in  the  Chair. 

The  President  delivered  a  short  address  on  taking  the  chair :  after  which,  at  the 
request  of  the  Council,  William  Swan,  Esq.,  F.R.S.E.,  gave  an  exposition  of  eclipses, 
with  an  account  of  the  remarkable  phenomena  observed  at  the  total  solar  eclipses 
of  1842  and  1851. 

January  10,  1853. 

•"  On  the  Principle  of  Ascent  from  the  Centre  of  Gravity,"  by  Mr.  John  Camp- 
bell, of  Carbrook. 

"  On  the  Cause  of  Upright  Movement,  or  Ascent  from  the  Centre  of  Gravity, 
illustrated  by  the  Anti-Lunar  Tide,"  by  the  same  Author. 

"  On  a  Self-Acting  Railway  Signal,"  by  Mr.  Andrew  Carrick,  Glasgow. 

The  author  stated  that  the  signal  consists  of  a  hollow  cast-iron  column,  fifteen 
feet  high,  having  a  circular  orifice  near  the  top,  nine  inches  diameter.  This  orifice 
is  obscured  by  a  thin  copper  disc,  six  inches  diameter,  so  that  a  circle  of  daylight 
is  seen  through  the  column  during  the  day,  and  a  bright  circle  is  seen  during  dark 
by  means  of  a  lamp  and  reflector.  A  vertical  rod,  fixed  to  the  locomotive  engine, 
touches  a  lever  at  the  signal  column,  and  sets  a  pendulum  in  motion  inside  the 
column.  The  motion  of  the  pendulum  causes  the  disc  to  vibrate  across  lite  orifice, 
and  indicates  to  the  engine-driver  that  a  train  is  ahead  of  him.  The  extent  of  the 
vibration  will  enable  him  to  judge  how  far  the  said  train  may  have  run  since  it 
passed  the  signal-post.     If  the  disc  be  at  rest,   no  engine  has  passed  within  the 


28 


THE  PRACTICAL  MECHANIC'S  JOURNAL. 


''ast  fifteen  minutes.  The  author's  intention  is,  €lint  such  a  signal  should  be  placed 
near  both  ends  of  tunnels  and  curves,  where  the  engine-driver  cannot  see  far  before 
him. 

Some  discussion  arose  in  regard  to  this  proposal,  and  several  objections  were 
stated — some  of  which  resolved  themselves  into  this,  that  the  diameter  of  the  disc 
was  greatly  too  small  to  be  seen  at  a  proper  distance.  Others  had  reference  to 
the  shock  which  the  lever  would  sustain  by  the  stroke  given  by  the  -engine  while 
moving  at  a  rapid  rate;  and  others  to  the  interference  of  the  lever  with  the  loco- 
motive, should  it  be  necessary  to  run  backwards  along  the  line. 

January  24. 

"  On  the  Adaptation,  to  F.very-day  Practice,  of  the  Capillary  Tube  Method  of 
Preserving  Vaccine  Lymph,"  by  W.  Husband,  M.D. 

*'  On  a  Stop-Cock,  with  India-rubber  Tube  and  Improved  Action,"  by  Mr. 
James  Robb,  Haddington. 

"  On  an  Elastic  Self-Adjusting  Castor,"  by  the  Same. 

The  Secretary  called  the  attention  of  the  Society  to  a  notice  in  the  proceedings 
of  the  American  Association  for  the  Advancement  of  Science,  held  in  1850,  of  a 
peculiar  property  of  a  mixture  of  lard  and  rosin,  which,  in  place  of  being  harder 
than  lard,  is  much  softer,  and,  at  ordinary  temperatures,  remains  in  a  semi-fluid 
state.  It  is  stated  to  be  an  excellent  substance  for  applying  to  pistons,  and  does 
not,  like  lard,  corrode  brass-work.  The  best  mixture  is  said  to  be  three  parts  of 
lard  to  one  of  powdered  rosin,  by  zoeigkt,  stirred  together  under  a  gentle  heat. 

February  28. 

"  On  the  Initial  Velocity  of  Shot — Range  at  Different  Velocities — Eccentric 
Shot." — by  George  Lees,  LL.D. 

"  On  a  New  Process  of  Stereotype  Moulds,  with  Notices  of  the  History  and 
Results  of  the  Process  of  Stereotyping,"  by  Daniel  Wilson,  LL.D. 

Mr.  Dixon  Vallance,  Greenshields,  exhibited,  in  action,  a  working  model  of  Ins 
Condensed  Water-Pressure  Wheel,  by  which  he  endeavoured  to  show  its  superio- 
rity to  the  Overshot  Water- Wheel,  the  water  being  applied  to  it  in  both  ways. 


SOCIETY  OF  ARTS. 
Wednesday,  8th  December,  1852. 
John  Scott  Russell,  F.R.S.,  in  the  Chair. 
R.  D.  Hay,  Esq.,  of  Edinburgh,  read  a  paper  "  On  the  Geometrical  Principles 
involved  in  the  Construction  of  the  Human  Frame."     In  this  paper  the  author 
endeavoured  to  enforce  the  observations  he  has  already  made  before  the  Society, 
and  the  truth  involved  in  his  theory  of  the  natural  principles  of  beauty  developed 
in  the  human  figure;   and  to  reduce  to  geometrical  principles  certain  simple  and 
elementary  conclusions.     He  attempted  to  establish  the  occurrence  of  a  series  of 
angles  throughout  the  human  frame,  and  which  he  would  dispose  in  groups.     He 
thus  obtained  what  he  calls   "harmonious  angles;"   and  to  these  he  refers  the 
correct  proportions  of  the  human  frame,   as  well  male  as  female,  not  only  as  re- 
gards dimensions,  and  the  relative  position  of  the  centres  of  articulation,  but  also 
with  relation  to  outline  and  contour. 

Wednesday,  15th  December. 
Kobert  Stephenson,  Esq.,  M.P.,  F.R.S.,  V.P.,  in  the  Chair. 
A  paper  was  read  by  Mr.  Norton,  describing  an  "  Indicator  for  Registering 
Numbers,  Distance,  and  Time."  He  proceeded  to  detail  the  various  operations  of 
the  instrument,  which  is  a  considerable  improvement  upon  the  preceding  ones,  de- 
scribing its  effect  in  each  instance  of  the  well-known  turnstile,  &c.  He  also 
showed  another  form  of  the  contrivance,  by  which  he  was  enabled  to  set  in  motion 
a  power  that  centralized  in  one  point,  and,  at  the  same  time,  registered  the  ingress 
and  egress  from  any  number  of  stiles,  situated  at  various  distances  from  each 
other.  This  arrangement  admitted  of  instant  communication  being  made  to  each 
turnstile,  and,  consequently,  of  all  the  gates  being  locked  at  the  same  moment.  He 
likewise  explained  its  application  to  carriages  and  other  things  in  motion,  and  an 
ingenious  contrivance,  by  which  a  person  who  engaged  a  cab,  for  instance,  might 
find  the  "  fare"  indicated  according  to  the  distance  travelled.  A  lengthened  dis- 
cussion succeeded,  in  which  the  various  qualities  of  the  instrument,  under  many 
varieties  of  circumstances,  were  elicited. 


MONTHLY  NOTES. 


Marine  Engineering- on  the  Thames.— Amid  the  general  prosperity  of 
the  mechanical  and  constructive  arts,  marine  engineering  seems  just  now  to  stand 
forward  very  prominently.  One  single  firm — that  of  Messrs.  Penn  of  Greenwich — ■ 
has  just  now  eleven  pairs  of  marine  engines  in  a  forward  state.  Of  these,  the 
engines  of  the  St.  Jean  d'Acre,  100  guns,  and  650  horse  power,  are  just  finished, 
and  the  following  are  in  hand  at  the  Greenwich  works: — 400  horse  power,  for  the 
Royal  Albert,  131,  building  at  Woolwich,  and  to  be  ready  for  putting  on  board  in 
the  latter  end  of  July  ;  400  horse  power,  for  the  Royal  George,  converting  into  a 
screw  steam-ship  at  Chatham  ;  400  horse  power,  for  the  Earyalus,  50,  building  at 
Chatham  ;  400  horse  power,  for  the  C&sar,  90,  building  at  Pembroke.  All  these 
are  on  Messrs.  Penn's  duplex- trunk  principle — now  in  such  high  and  deserved 
favour — and  are  for  screw  war-vessels.  350  horse  power  trunk  engines,  similar  to 
the  engines  fitted  in  the  Tmperieuse,  for  the  Palkan  Russian  steam-frigate ;  700 
horse  power,  on  the  trunk  principle,  for  the  Himalaya,  building  for  the  Peninsular 


and  Oriental  Company,  supposed  for  the  Australian  service.  This  magnificent 
vessel  will  be  much  larger  than  the  Great  Britain,  and  her  engines  are  similar  to 
those  in  the  Agamemnon,  only  of  larger  dimensions.  400  horse  power  oscillat- 
ing engines  for  the  Vectis,  and  one  pair  of  400  horse  power  oscillating  engines  for 
the  Valetta,  both  belonging  to  the  Peninsular  and  Oriental  Company,  and  intended 
to  carry  the  m:iils  from  Marseilles  to  Malta;  400  horse  power  oscillating  engines 
for  the  Royal  Mail  steam-ship  Tamar,  building  by  Sir.  Pitcher  at  Northfleet ;  130 
horse  power  oscillating  engines  for  a  war-steamer,  building  by  Mr.  Green  for  the 
Brazilian  Government;  130  horse  power  oscillating  engines  for  a  war-steamer, 
building  by  Messrs.  Wigram  for  the  Brazilian  Government ;  50  horse  power  for 
the  Mermaid,  building  by  Messrs.  Wigram  for  the  Coast  Guard  service. 

Silk  Dyed  in  the  Worm. — In  the  course  of  speculations  upon  the  known 
curious  fact,  that  certain  colouring  matters,  when  given  to  animals  along  with  their 
food,  actually  become  incorporated  in  the  system,  and  tinge  the  bones— as,  for 
example,  in  the  purple-dyeing  of  the  living  bones  of  the  pig,  by  eating  madder— 
M.  Roulin,  a  French  philosopher,  has  cleared  his  way  for  producing  naturally-dyed 
silk.  Indigo  was  first  tried,  the  food  of  the  silkworms  being  coloured  by  this  dye, 
and  eaten  just  before  the  spinning  of  the  cocoons.  M.  Roulin  mixed  the  indigo 
with  the  mulberry  leaves,  and  at  once  obtained  blue  cocoons.  Then  casting  about 
for  a  red  matter  capable  of  being  eaten  by  the  worms  without  injury  to  them,  he 
came  upon  the  Bignonia  chica,  and  succeeded  in  obtaining  red  silk.  Thus,  this 
very  elegant  discovery,  so  long  dormant  and  useless,  now  offers  to  become  a  valuable 
point  in  art-manufacture,  and  M.  Roulin,  who  is  still  going  on  with  his  practical 
trials,  anticipates  the  early  production  of  silk,  as  secreted  by  the  worm,  of  many 
other  colours. 

Captain  Norton's  Projectiles. — Captain  Norton  has  forwarded  us  the 
following  note  for  publication '. — To-day,  Ed.  Le  Fevre,  Esq.,  fired  one  of  my  hollow 
expanding  iron  rifle-shot,  having  four  projections  on  it,  to  fit  easily  into  the  four 
grooves  of  my  rifle,  fourteen  to  the  pound  bore,  at  five  planks  of  deal,  each  an  inch 
thick,  at  the  distance  of  twenty  yards,  in  Mr.  Carey's  shooting  gallery.  The  charge 
within  the  shot  was  half  a  drachm  of  Hall's  rifle  powder,  confined  with  a  patch  of 
thin  calico  greased  on  the  side.  A  few  grains  of  gunpowder  were  first  put  into  the 
barrel,  just  enough  to  fill  the  nipple,  and  by  the  fire  to  pierce  the  centre  of  the 
calico  patch.  The  shot  penetrated  four  of  the  planks,  and  lodged  in  the  fifth 
point  foremost.  I  consider  that  the  fact  of  similarly-formed  shot  of  cast  malleable 
iron,  such  as  Mr.  Ommanney's  patent,  being  well  adapted  for  rifle  cannon,  to  be 
now  fully  established. — Cork,  \bth  March,  1853.  John  Norton. 

The  Irish  Beet-Sugar  Works. — The  Beet  Sugar  Company,  which  we  no- 
ticed some  time  ago,  as  being  established  at  Mount  Mellich,  Queen's  County,  now 
seems  really  to  prosper.  The  whole  works  have  been  rebuilt,  and  the  concern  is 
now  under  the  management  of  Mr.  Wilhelm  Hirsch,  a  gentleman  who  has  gained 
considerable  experience  in  the  continental  sugar  factories.  Within  the  last  two 
months,  he  has  sent  eighty  tons  of  sugar  into  the  Dublin  market;  and,  according 
to  the  opinion  of  the  Cork  grocers,  it  is  superior,  by  3s.  per  cwt.,  to  the  best 
imported  sugar.  Something  is  being  said  of  the  establishment  of  a  factory  in 
Cork.     This  looks  well  for  the  commercial  success  of  the  project. 

Railway  Working  Expenses  and  Rolling  Stock. — The  cost  of  uphold- 
ing and  working  the  locomotive  stock  of  the  York,  Newcastle,  and  Berwick  line, 
for  the  last  half  year,  is  £56,789.  The  consumption  of  coke  per  mile,  per  train, 
is  40*39  lbs.,  the  cost  being  l*77d.  Repairs  and  renewals  come  to  333d.  per 
mile,  and  the  total  cost  is  at  the  rate  of  7'24d.  per  mile,  per  train.  There  are  164 
engines  in  working  condition  on  the  line,  23  under  repair,  3  rebuilding,  14  requir- 
ing trifling  repairs,  and  5  working,  but  requiring  to  be  entirely  rebuilt,  making  a 
total  of  200  engines.  The  number  of  miles  run  during  the  half  year  is  1 ,9 1 6,998, 
and,  during  this  time,  £20,421  has  been  expended  on  repairing  and  rebuilding 
carriages  and  waggons.  The  engineer's  report  on  the  new  system  of  "  fish-jointing" 
the  rails — 13  miles  having  been  so  treated — is  most  satisfactory. 

Winding  Motion  for  Ring  and  Traveller  Spring  Frames.* — The 
American  invention,  known  in  this  country  as  the  "  Niagara  throstle,"  has  been 
lately  modified  and  arranged,  with  a  new  winding  motion,  by  Mr.  Kimball,  of 
Blackstone  Mills,  Massachusetts,  who  now  winds  the  yarn  on  a  bobbin,  without 
either  a  top  or  a  bottom  head.  Amongst  the  advantages  which  the  inventor 
enumerates  as  being  secured  by  his  plan  are,  the  superior  lightness  of  the  spindle, 
enabling  it  to  be  driven  at  a  more  than  ordinary  rate ;  less  cost  of  bobbins,  which 
are  also  less  liable  to  fracture;  removal  of  the  upper  head,  doing  away  with  the 
inconvenience  of  the  head  getting  rough,  and  breaking  down  the  ends ;  without  the 
bottom-head  the  bobbin  will  run  as  well  as  before,  even  if,  by  accident,  it  should 
not  go  down  on  the  "  collar" — whereas,  with  the  head,  it  would  run  over,  and 
make  bad  work;  and  it  spools  off  easier  and  better,  as  in  common  ring-spinning 
the  ends  are  apt  to  break  off,  and  get  drawn  in  under  the  heads.  Mr.  Kimball 
also  states,  that  he  has  put  the  motion  on  a  120-spindle  frame,  which  has  now- 
run  two  years — running  it  up  to  115  turns  on  the  front  roller,  No.  26  yarn,  and 
22  twist,  spinning  8  skeins  per  spindle  per  day.  In  the  same  room  are  120 
frames  of  the  ordinary  kind,  running  at  80  turns  only  of  the  front  roller,  and 
their  peiformance  is  much  inferior  to  the  new  plan.  The  bobbin,  when  filled,  has 
a  taper  at  each  end,  like  our  "  Dyer's  frames;"  that  is,  it  commences  to  fill,  with 
a  traverse  equal  to  the  whole  length  of  the  yarn  on  the  bobbin,  the  traverse  being 
gradually  shortened,  until  the  bobbin  is  full. 

The  Magnet  in  the  Useful  Arts. — One  of  the  most  recent  uses  to  which 
magnets  have  been  applied  in  the  arts  is  in  the  manufacture  of  paper.  Mobt  persons 
must  have  observed  on  the  leaves  of  books,  more  particularly  those  of  an  old  date, 
certain  offensive  marks  like  spots  of  "  ironmould."     If  we  examine  one  of  these 


*  For  previous  papors  on  the  "  Ring  and  Traveller  Throstle,"  see  pp.  177,  209,  and 
217,  of  our  third  volume. 


THE  PRACTICAL  MECHANIC'S  JOURNAL. 


29 


blemishes,  we  shall,  at  the  centre  of  it,  find  a  minute  particle  of  iron,  the  oside  of 
which,  gradually  formed  by  the  natural  moisture  of  the  paper,  has  spread  around  to 
perhaps  the  size  of  sixpence  or  even  larger.  These  iron  particles,  which  come  from 
the  machines  employed,  and  cannot  be  avoided,  are  now  removed  from  the  paper 
by  magnets  whilst  it  is  fluid  in  the  state  of  pulp.  In  many  of  the  large  manu- 
factories of  Birmingham  and  elsewhere,  powerful  magnets  have  been  recently 
brought  into  use  for  the  purpose  of  effecting  the  separation  of  the  iron  and  brass 
filings  produced  in  the  work  carried  on  :  the  filines  of  both  metals  are  afterwards 
applied  to  various  useful  purposes,  for  which  they  would  be  utterly  useless  when 
mingled  together  as  they  come  from  the  workshop :  there  is  probably  no  other 
means  by  which  they  could  be  separated.  In  some  manufactories  on  the  continent, 
and  I  believe  also  in  this  country,  where  heavy  iron  and  steel  work  is  carried  on, 
magnets  are  kept  always  at  hand  for  the  purpose  of  extracting  the  particles  of  the 
metal  which  frequently  find  their  way  into  the  workmen's  eyes.  The  tl  needle- 
grinder's  mask  "  is  the  nest  application  of  magnetism  to  be  noticed ;  and  there 
are  lessons  to  be  learned  from  the  history  of  this  invention.  Any  one  who  has 
visited  the  districts  in  which  the  needle  manufacture  is  carried  on,  needs  not  be 
reminded  of  the  deadly  effect  upon  the  workmen  of  the  process  they  are  engaged 
in.  Inhaling  all  day-long  from  their  earliest  years  an  atmosphere  impregnated  with 
the  steel-dust  given  off  from  millions  of  needles  in  the  process  of  sharpening — (one 
man  alone  can  point  ten  thousand  in  an  hour) — before  the  age  of  twenty  their 
health  is  utterly  ruined,  at  thirty  they  are  emaciated  old  men,  and  death  comes 
proportionately  early.  A  remedy  was  provided:  the  simple  plan  that  each  man  should 
wear  whilst  at  work  a  kind  of  respirator  of  steel  wire,  so  acted  upon  by  magnets,  as, 
by  the  power  of  attraction,  to  intercept  the  fatal  dust  in  its  passage  to  the  lungs. 
(Sir  John  Herschel  remarks,  that  "  by  these  masks  the  air  is  not  merely  strained 
but  searched  in  its  passage  through  them,  and  each  obnoxious  atom  arrested  and 
removed.")  Glad,  one  imagines  they  would  be,  to  take  advantage  of  the  discovery; 
but,  one  and  all,  they  refused  to  adopt  it.  They  are  intelligent  men,  and  cannot 
but  be  convinced  of  the  efficacy  of  the  invention,  for,  at  the  end  of  each  day's  work, 
the  masnets  are  found  to  be  covered  with  steel-dust,  which  otherwise  must  have 
passed  into  the  lungs;  but  still  they  will  not  adopt  it,  because  at  present  their 
wages  are  very  high,  proportionally  to  the  mischief  they  are  exposed  to,  or,  we  may 
say,  to  the  short  duration  of  their  lives,  and  they  apprehend  reduced  pay  if  their 
employment  should  be  made  a  healthy  one.  The  utility  of  the  compass-needle 
in  all  surveying  operations,  every  one  must  be  acquainted  with,  as  it  forms  an 
essential  part  of  the  theodolite.  To  the  miner  penetrating  the  recesses  of  the 
earth,  and  in  all  tunneling  operations,  it  is  almost  as  indispensable  as  to  the 
seaman.  A  recent  application  of  magnetism  is,  to  the  separation  of  iron  ore  from 
foreign  matters,  on  the  principle  described  in  reference  to  the  filings  of  metals. — 
Magnetism;  by  G.  E.  Bering,  Esq. 

Goodyear's  (U.  S.)  Patent  foe  Vulcanizing  Caoutchouc. — An  im- 
portant decision  has  just  been  given  by  the  U.  S.  Commissioner  of  Patents,  in 
the  matter  of  an  application  on  the  part  of  Charles  Goodyear,  the  assignee,  for  the 
prolongation  of  letters  patent  for  the  manufacture  of  india-rubber.  After  several 
extended  hearings,  the  Commissioner  decided  that  no  extension  of  the  term  could 
be  granted,  because  the  inventor,  Nathaniel  Haywood,  has  assigned  away  all  his 
interest  in  the  invention  before  the  issue  of  the  patent,  and,  by  the  American 
Patent  Laws,  no  extension  can  be  issued  to  any  party  but  the  inventor. 

The  Electric  Light. — The  electric  light  has  no  characters  in  common  with 
other  artificial  sources  of  illumination.  Its  brilliancy  as  obtained  from  carbon 
points,  approaches,  if  not  quite  resembles,  the  light  of  day;  its  shadows,  for  depth, 
are  equal  to  those  of  the  most  brilliant  sunlight;  and  its  difTuseness  equals  for 
effect  that  of  the  glorious  orb  itself.  Colours  which,  by  all  ordinary  lights,  change 
as  by  a  chameleon  property  their  hues,  are  seen  by  it  in  all  their  purity  of  tint  as 
in  the  broad  light  of  noon.  The  eye,  unable  to  bear  its  close  approach,  sees  it 
emanating  from  its  source  in  a  thousand  rays,  which  the  moisture  of  the  air  and 
the  imbecility  of  the  optic  nerve  render  varied  by  the  brilliant  tints  of  the  rainbow. 
For  the  distance  that  its  rays  can  travel  seen,  no  other  light  but  that  of  the  sun 
can  approach  it.  At  sea,  when  the  atmosphere  is  serene,  it  can  be  seen  as  far  as 
the  earth's  convexity  will  allow  the  visual  plane  to  extend.  A  point  of  one-tenth 
of  an  inch  radiating  the  light,  seems  at  one  mile  distant  as  a  globe  of  fire  a  foot  in 
diameter.  Through  coloured  media,  its  effects  are  grand  in  the  extreme ;  and, 
when  assisted  by  optical  aids,  it  really  seems  to  extinguish  all  other  lights  in  its 
vicinity.  Seen  through  a  large  polyzonal  lens,  it  has  been  perceived  in  all  the 
brilliancy  of  its  ordinary  unassisted  state  at  a  distance  of  thirty  miles  from  the 
place  of  exhibition.  It  requires  no  air  to  support  it,  and  burns  as  well  tinder  water 
a3  it  does  in  vacuo. — Dr.  Watson  on  Electrical  Illumination. 

The  American  Expedition  to  Japan. — A  correspondent  from  Madeira 
writes  as  follows: — "  Another  American  steam-vessel,  forming  part  of  the  expedi- 
tion to  Japan,  has  anchored  in  Funchal  Eoads,  for  the  purpose  of  taking  coal  on 
board.  The  squadron  will  consist,  I  am  told,  of  thirteen  vessels,  five  of  which  are 
steamers.  The  one  here  at  present  is  the  Powhatan^  and  she  is  the  third  that  has 
touched  at  Madeira.  Her  dimensions  are  278  feet  by  46,  and  she  is  of  2,500  tons 
burthen.  She  has  310  souls  on  board,  including  the  captain,  five  lieutenants,  three 
surgeons,  purser,  master,  and  five  midshipmen,  a  lieutenant  of  marines,  a  chief  en- 
gineer, and  five  assistants.  She  carries  nine  guns,  all  of  them  68-pounders,  and  a 
few  brass  field-pieces.  She  moves  by  paddles,  and  is  propelled  by  two  engines,  each 
of  500  horse  power,  and  these,  with  the  boilers,  &c,  weigh  altogether  about  300  tons. 
The  cylinders  have  a  diameter  of  70  inches,  and  the  pistons  a  stroke  of  10  feet. 
The  boilers  are  of  copper.  She  has  a  single  chimney  of  nine  feet  diameter.  The 
eigines  were  designed  by  Charles  H.  Has  well,  the  chief  engineer  to  the  United 
States1  navy,  and  were  constructed  last  year  at  Mehaffey's  Gosport  Iron  Works, 
Virginia.  She  has  taken  700  tons  of  coal  on  board  here,  and  she  will  coal  again 
at  the  Cape  of  Good  Hope.    She  is  not  strongly  manned,  men  having  been  obtained 


with  much  difficulty.  The  other  vessels  of  the  squadron  are  kept  back  from  the 
same  cause.  It  is  said  the  American  government  is  about  to  send  out  five  vessels 
on  a  separate  surveying  expedition  into  the  same  quarter  as  that  to  which  the 
present  expedition  is  going." 


PROVISIONAL  PROTECTIONS  FOE  INVENTIONS 

UNDER  THE  PATENT  LAW  AMENDMENT  ACT. 
6^7°  When  the  city  or  town  is  not  mentioned,  London  is  to  be  understood. 
Recorded  January  8. 
William  Henderson,  Bow-common— Improvements  in  manufacturing  sulphuric  acid 
and  copper  from  copper  ores,  reguluses,  and  matts. 


Recorded  January  15. 
.  Hippolyte  C.  Vion,  Paris— Certain  improvements  in  apparatus  for  refrigerating. 

Recorded  January  17. 
,  Adolphe  Iglesia,  Fitzroy-squ  are— Improvements  applicable  to  machinery  or  appa- 
ratus for  reeling  or  winding;  silk,  cotton,  or  other  fibrous  substances,  for  the  pur- 
pose of  measuring  or  guaging  the  same.— (Communication.) 

Recorded  J anuary  21. 
,  "William  E.  Newton,  Chancery-lane — Improvements  applicable  to  clocks  and  other 
timekeepers,  for  the  purpose  of  indicating  not  only  the  time  of  the  day,  but  the  day 
of  the  week,  the  month,  and  the  year,  which  invention  he  intends  to  denominate 
"  Hawes'  Calendar  Clock  or  Timepiece." — (Communication.) 

Recorded  January  26. 
,  Antoine  G.  Cazalat,  Paris,  and  South-street,  Finsbury — Invention,  of  a  new  baro- 
meter and  steam  guage. 

Recorded  January  28. 
,  Thomas  S.  Prideaux,  Garden-road,  St,  John's-wood — Improvements  in  the  manufac- 
ture of  iron. 

Recorded  January  29. 
.  Thomas  H.  Wilson,  Twickenham— Invention  for  securing  carriage  gates,  doors,  shut- 
ters, and  sash  casements. 

Recorded  January  31. 
David  S.  Brown,  Old  Kent-road— Improvements  in  barometers,  part  of  which  in- 
vention is  applicable  to  the  registry  of  other  fluctuations  than  those  of  baro- 
meters. 
.  Richard  Palmer,  Bideford,  Devon— An  invention  which  may  be  used  for  cutting 
turnips,  mangold-wurtzel,  carrots,  and  other  roots,  or  for  bruising  them  only,  or 
reducing  them  to  a  pulp,  and  for  mixing  them  with  meal,  as  may  be  required,  aud 
also  for  grinding  or  crushing  apples  for  cider. 
Edmund  Leach,  Rochdale— Improvements  in  the  mode  or  method  of  preparing  and 
spinning  cotton,  wool,  flax,  and  other  fibrous  substances,  and  in  the  machinery  or 
apparatus  employed  therein. 
Frederick  Lawreuce,  Pitfield-street,  William  Davidson,  Halstead,  aud  Alfred  Law- 
rence, Pitfield-street— Improvements  in  engines  to  be  worked  by  steam  or  other 
fluid. 

Recorded  February  1. 

,  Alfred  V.  Newton,  Chancery-lane— Improvements  in  block-printing  machinery.— 
(Communication.) 

Recorded  February  2. 
,  Auguste  E.  L.  Bellford,  Holborn— Invention  of  a  new  and  useful  composition  of 
matter,  termed  "metallic  oil,"  to  be  used  for  lubricating  the  axles  of  wheels  and 
the  rubbing  or  working  parts  of  steam-engines,  and  every  description  of  machin- 
ery and  apparatus,  for  softening  hemp  and  other  fibrous  substances,  preparatory 
to  spinning  the  same,  and  for  other  purposes. — (Communication.) 
,  Auguste  E.  L.  Bellford,  Holborn— Improvements  in  life-boats  and  vessels  of  a  simi- 
lar nature. — (Communication.) 
.  Auguste  E.L.  Bellford— Improvements  in  furnaces  aud  apparatus  combined  there- 
with, for  making  wrought-iron  directly  from  the  ore,  and  for  collecting  and  con- 
densing the  oxydes  or  other  substances  evaporated  in  the  process  of  deoxydizing 
iron  or  other  ores.— (Communication.) 
.  John  V.  Kiddle,  Elder-street— Improvements  in  cocks  or  taps. 

Ismael  I.  Abadie,  and  Heuri  Lauret,  Paris— An  improved  manufacture  of  parasols. 
,  Thomas  Paine,    Woolwich— Improvements  in  heels  for  boots,   shoes,   and  other 
coverings  for  the  feet. 

Recorded  February  3. 
Thomas  Spiller  and  Anthony  Crowhurst,  Red  Lion-square— Invention  for  the  pro- 
pelling steam  vessels. 
.  Manoah  Bower,  Birmingham— A  new  or  improved  apparatus  to  prevent  the  throw- 
ing up  of  mud  by  the  wheels  of  vehicles. 
,  John  Heckethorn,  Marquis-villas,  Canonbury— Invention  of  an  improved  colouring 
matter  for  coating  or  covering  the  exterior  or  interior  of  buildings,  some  of  the 
ingredients  of  which  such  colouring  matter  is  composed  being  capable  of  conver- 
sion into  size,  paste,  and  ground-colour  for  priming,  or  giving  the  first  coat  or 
covering  to  work,  intended  to  be  coloured  with  oil  paint. 
"William  S.  Wright,  Belgrave-square— An  improved  bath. 
John  Bower,  Dublin— Improvements  in  and  applicable  to  certain  descriptions  of 

engines  for  driving  piles. 
John  H.  Johnson,  47  Lincoln's-inn-fields,  and  of  Glasgow— Improvements  in  gas 

burners,  and  in  regulating  the  combustion  of  gas.— (Communication.) 
Alfred  Tylor,  Newgate-street,  and  Henry  G.  Frasi,  84  Herbert-street— Improve- 
ments in  water-closets. 
John  Crowther  and  Joseph  Alsop,  Hudders%ld— Improvements  in  baking  bread. 

Recorded  Ftbruary  4. 
William   Brown,  Birmingham — An  improvement  or   improvements    in    the  con- 
struction of  metallic  bedsteads. 
David  L.  Price,  Beaufort— Improvements  in  signalling  by  electricity  on  railway 

trams  and  railways,  and  in  the  appliances  used  therein. 
Frederick  J.  Jones,  Addle-street— Improvements  in  fastenings   for  bands,  belts, 

straps,  and  other  similar  articles. — (Communication.) 
Philip    Webley,    Birmingham— Improvements    in    repeating    pistols    and    other 

fire-arms. 
George  Winiwarter,  3S  Red  Lion-square— Certain  improvements  in  the  application 

of  explosive  compounds. 
John  Perkins,  Manchester— Improvements  in  the  treatment  of  certain  bituminous 

mineral  substances,  and  in  i.btaining  products  therefrom. 
Robert  Griffiths,  Great  O rmond-s tree t— Improvements  in  the  manufacture  of  bolts 

and  rivets. 


309.  John  Dudgeon,  42  Cornhill— Improvements   in  machinery  used  for  raising  pro- 

pellers. 

310.  Jacob  V.  Asbtrry,  Enfield— Improvements  in  railway  carriages. 

311.  William  Edgar,  Giltsptir-street— Au  improved  boot,  particularly  suitable  for  the 

use  of  emigrants  and  persons  at  sea. 

312.  George  Letts,  Northampton— Improvements  in  machines  for  cutting  and  mincing 

meat  and  other  materials  for  sausages  and  other  like  purposes,  and  for  filling  the 
prepared  skins  with  the  meat  and  other  materials  when  so  cut. 

313.  William  Walker,  Manchester— Certain  improvements  in  apparatus  to  be  employed 

for  the  purposes  of  drying. 

314.  Alfred  Woodward,  Edghaston—  Invention  of  a  double-action  vertical  lever  chum. 

315.  Alfred  Woodward,  Edgbaston— Invention  of  a  self-acting  cam  press. 
•  Recorded  February  5. 

316.  Richard    Prosser,  Birmingham — Improvements   in  the  construction    of   printing 

rollers  used  in  machines  for  printing  calicoes  and  other  substances. 

317.  Thomas  Peacock,  Ashton-under-Lyne— Certain  improvements  in  weaving  and  in 

machinery  for  weaving  hat  plush  and  other  cut-piled  fabrics. 

318.  George  Hewitson,  Bradford — Improvements  in  machinery  or  apparatus  for  mea- 

suring or  indicating  the  length  of  yarn  as  it  is  spun  or  wound  on  bobbins  or 
rollers. 

319.  Antoine  Wollowicz,  Paris— Improvements  in  primers  for  fire-arms. 

320.  John  Whitehouse  the  elder,  and  John  Whitehouse  the  younger,  Birmingham- 

Certain  improvements  in  the  manufacture  of  knobs  for  doors  and  other  like  uses, 
part  of  which  improvements  is  applicable  to  the  manufacture  of  certain  articles  of 
earthenware. 

321.  Charles  F.  Werck^hagen,  Barmen,  Prussia — Certain  improvements  in  the  manu- 

facture of  carbonate  of  soda  and  potash. 

323.  William  Crossby,  Sheffield— Invention  for  the  consumption  or  burning  of  smoke. 

324.  John  Campbell,  BowhVld,  Renfrew— Improvements  in  the  treatment  or  finishing 

of  textile  fabrics  and  materials. 

325.  Hpnry  J.  Nicoll,  Regent-street — Improvements  in  garments  for  travelling. 

326.  Alexander  Parkes,  Biu-ryPort,  Carmarthen— Improvements  in  the  separation  of  cer- 

tain metals  from  their  ores,  or  other  compounds. 

327.  Edward  Palmer,   Woodford-green,  Essex — Improvements   in   carriages  used  on 

railways. 
329.  Joseph  Cowan,  Liverpool— Improvements  in  propelling  steam  vesselB. 

liecorded  February  7. 
■  330.  William  Romaine,  Sackville-street — Improvements  in  rendering  wood  more  durable 
and  uninflammable. 

331.  William  Scott,  Robert  Brough,  James  Rinoe,  Brighton,  and  Thomas  Mann,  Stroud, 

Rochester^Improvements  in  steam-engines. 

332.  John  L.  Tabbenier,  Lorn-road,  North  Brixton — Improvements  in  the  mode  of  smelt- 

ing iron  and  other  ores,  and  in  the  manufacture  of  lime. 

333.  John  L.  Tabberner,  Lorn-road,  North  Brixton — Improvements  in  the  application  of 

granite  and  similar  substances  to  ornamenting  purposes,  and  to  the  construction 
of  buildings. 

334.  Richard  A.  Brooman,  165  Fleet-street — Improvements  in  sail  hanks  for  securing 

stay-sail  jibs  and  other  sails  to  their  proper  stays.— (Communication.) 

Recorded  February  8. 

335.  Auguste  E.  L.  Bellford,  16  Castle-street,  Holbom— Improvements  in  the  treatment 

of  bituminous  and  alsphaltic  matters,  rendering  them  applicable  to  various  useful 
purposes.— (Communication.) 

336.  Thomas  Howarth,  Rochdale— Invention  of  a  certain  improved  cement  for  closing 

steam  or  other  joints. 

337.  John  Buchanan,  Leamington— An  improved  propeller,  as  to  affixing  the  blades  in  the 

boss,  and  ailixing  the  bosses  to  the  spindle  or  centre  shaft,  and  in  the  mode  of  plac- 
ing it,  and  in  controlling,  lowering,  and  detaching  the  same. 

338.  Thomas  Allan,  Adelphi-terrace — Improvements  in  protecting  telegraph  wires. 

339.  Thomas  Allan,  Adelphi-terrace — Improvements  in  galvanic  batteries. 

Recorded  February  9. 

340.  Thomas  Reynolds,  Singleton-street,  Hoxton,  Henry  Reynolds,  Hoxton,  and  Stephen 

Reynolds,  Charles-street.  Westminster— Improvements  in  the  means  of  retarding 
the  progress  of  carriages. 

341.  Henry  Pooley,  Liverpool — Improvements  in  weighing  machines. — (Partly  a  com- 

munication.) 

342.  William  E.  Newton,  Chancery-lane— Improvements  in  machinery  or  apparatus  for 

digging,  excavating,  or  removing  earth — (Communication.) 

343.  William  Binks,  Thnperley,  and  Samuel  Bennett  and  Thomas  Storey,  Manchester — 

Certain  improvements  in  pumps,  or  apparatus  for  raising  and  forcing  fluids. 

344.  John  Little,  Glasgow— Improvements  in  lubricating  mechanism. 

345.  William  Birkett,  Bradford— Improvements  in  treating  soap-suds  or  wash-waters  in 

which  soap  has  been  used. 

346.  John  Seaward,  Poplar— Improvements  in  marine  engines. 

347.  Isaiah  J.  Machin,  Leigh-street — An  improvement  in  nut-crackers. 

348.  Charles  lies,  Birmingham— Improvements  in  pointing  wire. 

349.  John  Webster,  Ipswich— Improvements  iu  treating  animal  matters-,  and  in  manu- 

facturing manure. 

Recorded  February  10. 

350.  James  S.  Wilson,  Tavi stock-square— Improvements  in  the  construction  of  furnaces 

or  flues,  whereby  economy  in  the  use  of  fuel,  the  consumption  of  smoke  or  gases, 
and  the  utilizing  thereof  are  insured. 

351.  William  J.  Curtis,  23  Birchin-lane— An  improvement  in  candlesticks. 

352.  Charles  Cuylits,  Antwerp— Improvements  in  apparatus  for  regulating  or  governing 

the  speed  of  steam  or  other  engines.— (Communication.) 

353.  William  E.  Newton,  Chancery-lane— Improvements  in  instruments  or  apparatus  for 

facilitating  the  examination  of  various  internal  parts  of  the  human  frame.— (Com- 
munication.) 

354.  John  Hunter,  Glasgow— Improvements  in  the  manufacture  of  textile  fabrics. 

355.  William  Fulton,  Paisley- Improvements  in  the  treatment,  cleansing,  or  finishing  of 

textile  fabrics. 

356.  James  Anderson,  Auchnagie— Improvements  in  steam-engines. 

357.  William  Ball,  Ilkeston  -Improvements  in  machinery  for  producing  looped  fabrics. 

358.  Henry  M'Farlane,  Lawrence-lane— Improvements  in  machinery  lor  excavating.— 

(Communication.) 

359.  Robert  Ash,  211  High-street,  Southwark— Improvements  in  stopping  bottles  and 

other  vessels. 

360.  George  Hutchinson,  Glasgow— Improvements  in  treating  oils  and  other  fatty  matters 

361.  Charles  Breese,  Birmingham— Improvements  in  ornamenting  papier-mache,  japan, 

ned  iron,  china,  and  other  hard  or  bright  surfaces  with  gold. 

362.  Robert  Roger,  Stockton-on-Tees— Improvements  in  obtaining  motive  power. 

363.  William  Potts,  Birmingham— Improvements  in  sepulchral  and  other  commemorative 

monuments. 

Recorded  February  11. 

364.  Robert  Thomas,  Manchester— Improvements  in  machinery  or  apparatus  applicable 

to  planing,  slotting,  shaping,  grooving,  or  other  similar  purposes. 


Sir  James  Murray,  Dublin— Improvements  in  deodorizing  cod  liver  oil,  in  rendering 
it  more  agreeable  and  easier  to  use  either  by  itself  or  mixed,  and  so  as  to  be  capa- 
ble of  being  administered  in  larger  quantities,  and  with  greater  success. 

366.  Antoine  Sanguiuede,  Paris,  and  16  Castle- street,  Holborn— An  improved  clasp  or 

buckle. 

367.  William  Choppin,  London— Improvements  in  locks. 

368.  Robert  D.  Ilea,  St.  George's-road,  Southwark — Improvements  in  bits. 

Recorded  February  12. 

369.  Thomas  R.  Mellish,  Sloane-street,  Chelsea— Improvements  in  the  construction  and 

mode  of  closing  scent  and  other  bottles. 

370.  John  P.  Stanford,  Arundel-street— An  improvement  in  the  method  of  draining  dwell- 

ing-houses and  other  buildings,  and  open  and  enclosed  spaces  in  cities  and  towns 
where  sewers  and  drains  are  now  or  may  be  hereafter  constructed. 

371.  George  Winiwarter,  Red  Lion-square— Improvements  in  fire-arms. 

372.  Thomas  J.  Perry,  Birmingham— Invention  of  a  new  or  improved  method  of  construct- 

ing cornice  poles  and  picture  and  curtain  rods,  and  other  rods  from  which  articles 
are  suspended. 

373.  George  Parry,  Monmouth — Improvements  iu  blast  furnaces. 

374.  George  H.  Bursill,  Offord-road,  Barnsbury-park,  Islington— Improvements  in  operat- 

ing upon  auriferous  quarrz,  clays,  and  other  minerals,  preparatory  to  and  in  order 
to  accomplish  the  separation  of  the  gild  and  other  metals,  also  in  machinery  or 
apparatus  for  effecting  such  improvements. 

375.  George  L.  Lysnar,  85  Parke-street,  Grosvenor-square — Improvements  in  swivel  hooks 

and  such  like  fasteners. 

376.  William  Pidding,  Strand— Improvements  in  crushing,  drilling,  or  otherwise  treating 

ores,  stone,  quartz,  or  other  substances  in  mining  operations,  and  in  the  machinery 
or  apparatus  connected  therewith. 

377.  William  Pidding,  Strand — Improvements  in  the  treatment  of  oleaginous,  fatty,  or 

gelatinous  substances,  for  purifying,  decolorizing,  compounding,  or  clarifying  the 
same. 
37S.  Charles  Hadley,  Birmingham— Improvements  in  the  means  of  communication  be- 
tween the  passengers,  guard,  and  driver  of  a  railway  train,  parts  of  which  im- 
provements are  applicable  to  communicating  on  vessels. 
Recorded  February  14. 

379.  William  E.  Newton,  Chancery-lane— Improvements  in  apparatus  to  be  employed  for 

veneering  surfaces.- (Communication.) 

380.  Charles  J.  Burnett,  Edinburgh— Certain  improvements  in  apparatus  or  mechanism 

for  driving  machinery  through  the  agency  of  water. 

381.  Peter  Armand  le  Comte  de  Fontaine  Moreau,  4  South-street,  Finsbury,  and  39  Rue 

de  I'Echiquier,  Paris — Certain  improvements  in  treating  fibrous  substances.^— 
(Communication.) 

382.  Peter  Armand  le  Comte  de  Fontaine  Moreau,  4  South-street,  Finsbury,  aud  39  Rue 

de  I'Echiquier,  Paris — Improvements  in  the  mode  of  giving  flexibility  to  beds, 
sofas,  seats,  and  other  similar  articles. — (Communication.) 

383.  Peter  Armand  le  Comte  de  Fontaine  Moreau,  4  South-street,  Finsbury,  and  39  Rue 

de  I'Echiquier,  Paris — Certain  improvements  in  th3  manufacture  of  tiles  for  roof- 
ing.— (Communication.) 

384.  Jean  A.  Gervais,  4  South-street,  Finsbury — Certain  improvements  in  treating  fer- 

mentable liquids,  and  in  the  machinery  or  apparatus  employed  therein. 

385.  Francis  C.  Montis,  4  South-street,  Finsbury— An  improved  mode  of  raising  water. 

386.  Claude  J.  Lambert,  4  South-street,  Finsbury — Certain  improvements  in  the  prepara- 

tion of  bread  and  biscuits. 

Recorded  February  15. 

387.  William  Clark,  31  Chancery-lane— Improvements  in  the  manufacture  of  colours  and 

paints. — (  Communication.) 
3S8.  John  Bethell,  8  Parliament-street — Improvements  in  obtaining  copper  and  zinc  from 
their  ores. — (Communication.) 

390.  Benjamin  Greening,  Manchester — Improvements  in  machinery  for  making  fences, 

and  other  similar  articles  of  wire. 

391.  Thomas  W.  Kennard,  Duke-street,  Adelphi — Improvements  in  apparatus  for  im- 

proving the  draught  of  chimneys. 

392.  Frederick  Chinnock,  28  Regent-street,  St.  James's — Improved  means  of  securing 

axles  in  their  boxes.— (Communication.) 

393.  George  Stiff,  Brixton-hill— Certain  improvements  in  manufacturing  paper. 

394.  Adolphe  Nicole,  80  Dean-street,  Soho-square — Improvements  in  rotary  engines. 

395.  Alphonse  Rene  le  Mire  de  Normandy,  Judd-street— Improvements  in  the  manufac- 

ture of  articles  made  of  gutta  percha. — (Partly  a  communication.) 

396.  William  B.  Whitton  and  George  S.  Whitton,  18  Princes-street,  Lambeth— Improve- 

ments in  the  manufacture  of  sewer  and  other  pipes. 

397.  Joseph  and  Alfred  Ridsdale,  Minories — Improvements  in  ships'  side-lights,  scuttles, 

or  ports. 

398.  Henry  Dircks,  32  Moorgate-street — Au  improved  sewing-machine. — (Communica- 

tion.) 

399.  Henry  Francis,  West  Strand,  St.  Martin's-in-the-fi elds  —Improvements  in  instru- 

ments for  cutting  wool,  hair,  and  vegetable  matters. 
Recorded  February  16. 

400.  Henry  S.  Ludlow,  107  Red  cliff-street — An  improved  process  for  simultaneously  re- 

moving dust,  stones,  or  other  foreign  matter,  and  for  separating  the  superior  and 
inferior  grains  in  wheat,  barley,  aud  malt. 

401.  Job  Cutler,  Birmingham— Improvements  in  the  manufacture  of  spoons  and  forks,  and 

other  similar  articles  for  domestic  use. 

402.  Benjamin  Cook,  Birmingham— Improvements  in  apparatus  for  lighting  fires. 

403.  George  G,   Mackay,    Grangemouth— Improvements  in  the  construction  of  drain 

pipes. 

404.  Joseph  Skertchly,  Kingsfield,  Middlesex — Improvements  in  copying  presses. 

405.  John  Day,  Islington— Improvements  in  apparatus  for  holding  and  protecting  insu- 

lated telegraphic  wires. 

406.  Edouard  Sy,  17  Cliftord-street,  Bond-street — Improvements  in  book-binding. 

407.  John  G.  Perry,  12  Westbourn-street,  Hyde-park- gardens— Improvements  in  book- 

binding, to  facilitate  the  finding  of  places  in  books. 

408.  Charles  Sheppard,  near  Bridgend,  Glamorgan — Au  improved  stove  and  apparatus  for 

heating  air  for  blast  purposes. 

409.  Wright  Jones,  Pendleton — Improvements  in  machinery  or  apparatus  for  stretching 

woven  fabrics. 

410.  Alfred  V.  Newton,  Chancery-lane— Improvements  in  the  manufacture  of  printing 

surfaces. — (Communication.) 

Recorded  February  17. 

411.  John  C.  Brown,  Dover  Castle — Improvements  in  the  propelling  of  vessels. 

412.  William  B.  Adams,  Adam-street,  Adelphi — Improvements  in  railways. 

413.  James  Murphy,  Newport— Improvements  in  the  permanent  way  of  railways. 

414.  William  Pidding,  Strand — Improvements  in  the  treatment  and  preparation  of  saccha- 

rine substances,  and  in  the  machinery  or  apparatus  connected  therewith. 

415.  Matthias  Walker,  Horsham — Improvements  in  vessels  or  apparatus  for  containing 

and  preserving  ale,  beer,  and  other  liquors. 

416.  Charles  Gordon,  Washington,  U.  S—  An  improved  goniometric  protractor,  or  instru 

ment  for  setting  out  and  measuring  angles  and  other  geometric  figures. 


THE  PRACTICAL  MECHANIC'S  JOURNAL. 


31 


417.  David  Cochrane,  Manchester— Certain  improvements  applicable  to  closing  doors. 
41S.  Thomas  C.  Og'len,  Manchester,  and  "William  Gibson,  same  place— Certain  improve- 
ments in  machinery  nr  apparatus  for  spinning  cotton  and  other  fibrous  materials. 

419.  George  L.  L.  Kufahl,  Weymouth-terrace,  City-road— Improvements  in  the  applica- 

tion of  atmospheric  currents  to  the  obtainment  of  motive  power. 

420.  "William  Hawes,  17  Montague-place,  Russell-square— Improvements  in  the  manu- 

facture and  refining  of  sugar. 

421.  Charles  Watt  Selwood-place,  Brompton,  and  Hugh  Burgess,  97  Grove-terrace,  Kent- 

ish-town — Improvements  in  coating  iron  with  copper  and  brass. 

422.  Isaac  Frost,  49  Tavistock-terrace — Improvements  in  reaping  or  cutting  crops. 

Recorded  February  18. 

423.  James  Horsfall,  Birmingham— An  improvement  or  improvements  in  the  manufac- 

ture of  piano- forte  wire,  applicable  also  to  articles  of  iron  and  steel  generally. 

424.  Peter  Madden.  Kingston,  near  Dublin— Improvements  in  propelling,  steering,  and 

regnlaring  vessels. 

425.  Charles  B.  Clough,  Tyddyn,  Mold— Certain  improved  apparatus  for  detaching  boats 

or  other  floating  vessels  from  their  moorings  or  fastenings. 

426.  William  Darling,  Glasgow — Improvements  in  the  manufacture  of  malleable  iron 

and  other  metals. 

427.  Charles  Kinder,  Chesterfield— Improvements  in  mantel  or  chimney  pieces. 

42S.  Henry  Noad,  Stratford — Improvements  in  treating  corn  or  grain,  and  obtaining  pro- 
ducts therefrom. 

Recorded  February  19. 

430.  James  C.  Wliite,  Liverpool-street— Improvements  in  fastenings  for  harness,  and 

which  nre  also  applicable  to  other  like  purposes. 

431.  Frank  C.  Hills,  Deptford,  and  George  Hills,  Lee — Certain  improvements  in  refining 

sugar,  and  in  preparing  materials  applicable  to  that  purpose. 

432.  William   R.  Dell,  Warrington — Improvements  in  the   manufacture  of  cylinders, 

coated  with  fine  wire  webbing,  for  dressing  fine  flour  by  the  process  of  gravitation 
or  sifting,  without  the  aid  of  any  internal  brushes  or  fans. 

433.  Charles  Cowper,  Chancery-lane — improvements  in  the  manufacture  of  oxide  of  zinc 

or  zinc  white,  and  in  apparatus  for  that  purpose. — (Communication.) 

434.  Charles  Nightingale.  Wardour-street,  Soho — Certain  improvements  in  drying  and 

heating  certain  substances  or  articles, 
i?o.  James  Anderson,  Auchnagie,  Perthshire— Improvements  in  obtaining  motive  power. 

436.  Pierre  A.  Toumiere,  Upper  Kennington-lane — Improvements  in  propelling. 

Recorded  February  21. 

437.  Wright  Jones,  Pendleton — Improvements  applicable  to  steam  pipes  used  for  warm- 

ing, drying,  or  ventilating.  • 

435.  Samnel  R.  Samuels  and  Robert  Sands,  Nottingham — Improvements  in  looms  for 

weaving. 

439.  John  O'Leary,  Liverpool— Certain  improved  apparatus  for  indicating  the  number  of 

passengers  entering  in  or  upon  omnibuses,  and  also  their  exit  therefrom. 

440.  Joseph  Ramage,  Manchester,  and  Thomas  Coffey,  same  place — Certain  improve- 

ments in  the  manufacture  of  chandeliers,  gas  brackets,  and  lamp  frames. 

441.  James   Mash,  Kentish-town,  and  Joseph  S.  Bailey,  Keighley — Improvements  in 

weaving  machinery  employed  iu  the  manufacture  of  textile  fabrics,  and  in  the 
manufacture  of  such  fabrics. 

442.  William  Pidding,  Strand— Improvements  in  coverings  for  the  feet  of  bipeds  or 

quadrupeds. 

443.  Richard  Farrant,  Pimlico — An  improved  chimney-pot. 

444.  Fzra  Mile-",  Soulbury,  Bucks — Improvements  in  railway  brakes. 

445.  Thomas  Bell,  Bristol,  and  Richard  Chrimes,  Rotherh am— Certain  improvements  in 

valves,  applicable  to  the  receiving  and  discharging  of  water  or  other  fluids. 

446.  Benjamin  Barton,  Old  Kent-road — An  improved  bath,  which  can  also  be  used  as  a 

life-boat. 

447.  John  C.  Pearce,  Bowling  Iron  Works,  near  Bradford — Improvements  in  steam 

boilers. 

448.  John  D.  M.  Stirling,  Larches,  near  Birmingham— Improvements  in  the  manufacture 

of  wire. 

449.  William  Wilkinson,  Nottingham— Improvements  in  the  manufacture  of  ropes,  bands, 

straps,  and  cords. 

Recorded  February  22. 

450.  James  Hudson,  Halifax,  and  Thomas  B.  Hudson,  Malton— Improvements  in  the 

manufacture  of  bricks,  tiles,  and  drain  pipes  or  tubes. 

451.  Pierre  F  Gougy,  Castle-street,  and  David  Combe,  King-street,  Middlesex — Improve- 

ments in  apparatus  for  skidding  or  stopping  wheels  of  carriages  and  other  vehicles. 

452.  George  Winiwarter,  Red  Lion-square — Improvements  in  the  manufacture  of  fire- 

arms. 

453.  John  R.  Cochrane,  Glasgow— Improvements  in  the  manufacture  or  production  of 

ornamental  or  figured  fabrics. 

Recorded  February  23. 

454.  Samuel  Beckett,  Manchester — An  improvement  or  improvements  in  mule  spindlc3, 

and  spindles  of  a  similar  description,  for  spinning  or  twisting  various  fibrous 
substances,  and  in  the  mode  of  manufacturing  and  producing  the  same. 

455.  John  Smith,  Uxbridge — Improvements  in  machinery  for  raising  and  forcing  water 

and  other  fluids. 

456.  Edwin  S.  Brookes  and  Joseph  Black,  Loughborough,  and  George  Stevenson  and 

William  Jones,  same  place — Improvements  in  machinery  for  the  manufacture  of 
looped  fabrics. 

457.  Eduard  Albrecht,  Upper  Fountain-place,  City-road— Improvements  in  apparatus  for 

transmitting  and  reflecting  light. 

458.  Reuben  Plant,  Brierley-hill,  Staffordshire— Improvements  in  safety  lamps. 

459.  Robert  Milligan,  Harden-Mills,  Bingley — Improvements  in  apparatus  for  washing 

slivers  of  wool. 

460.  Samuel  C.  Lister,  Bradford — Improvements  in  treating  soap-suds. 

461.  Asa  Willarri,  St.  John's,  New  Brunswick — Improvements  in  machi; 

turing  butter,  to  be  called  "  A.  Willard's  Butter  Machine." 

462.  Adam  C.  Engert,  Mora-place,  City-road— Improvements  in  joints  for  the  sticks  of 

parasols,  and  other  like  purposes. — (Communication.) 

Recorded  February  24. 

463.  John  Green,  New-road,  Marylebone— Invention  of  the  more  economic,  speedy,  con- 

venient, and  in  every  respect  superior  system  of  cooking  to  any  now  in  u^e,  and 
which  he  designates  "  Green's  Economical  Self-basting  Cooking  Apparatus." 
454.  William  Spence,  Chancery-lane — Improvements  in  machines  for  thrashing  and  win- 
nowing corn  and  other  agricultural  produce. — 'Communication.) 

465.  Henry  Walmsley,  Failsworth,  near  Manchester,  and  Thomas  Critchley,  same  place 

— Improvements  in  machinery  or  apparatus  for  retarding  or  stopping  railway 
tra-ns,  which  machinery  or  apparatus  is  also  applicable  as  a  signal  or  communi- 
cation from  one  part  of  a  train  to  the  other. 

466.  Peter  M'Lellan,  Bridge  of  Earn,  Perthshire— Improvements  in  thrashing  machinery. 

467.  William    Johnson,   47   Lincoln's-inn-fields,    and  Glasgow— Improvements  in   the 

treatment  or  manufacture  of  caoutchouc— (Communication.) 
469.  Thomas  De  la  Rue,  Bunhill-row— Improvements  in  producing  ornamental  surfaces 
on  paper  and  other  substances. 


hines  for  manufac- 


470.  Emile  A.  Herrmann,  New  Broad-street—  Certain  improvements  in  machinery  for 

manufacturing  woollen  cloth.— (Communication.) 

471.  James  Lawrence,  Colnbrook— Improvements  in  the  drying  or  preparation  of  malt, 

meal,  seeds,  corn,  and  other  grain. 

472.  Thomas  B.  Jordan,  New-cross,  Kent— Improvements  in  machinery  for  planing  slate. 

Recorded  February  25. 

473.  Francis  Preston,  Manchester — Improvements  in  the  manufacture  of  certain  parts  of 

machinery  to  be  used  in  preparing  and  spinning  cotton  or  other  fibrous  materials. 

474.  John  Hynam,  Finsbury — Improvements  in  the  mode  of  manufacturing  wax  or  com- 

position tapers,  and  in  the  machinery  or  apparatus  for  that  purpose. 

475.  Benjamin  Price,  Fieldgate-street,  Whitechapel— Certain  improvements  in  the  con- 

struction of  furnaces  or  flues  of  steam  boilers,  coppers,  and  other  like  vessels  for 
heating  or  evaporating  liquids. 

476.  John  Grist,  Hoxton — Improvements  in  machinery  for  the  manufacture  of  casks, 

barrels,  and  other  similar  vessels. 

477.  William  Symington,  41  Gracechurch-street — Improvements  in  preserving  milk  and 

other  fluids. 

478.  John  P.  De  la  Fons,  13  Carl tonhill— Improvements  in  applying  skids  or  drags  to 

omnibuses. 

479.  Thomas  Richardson,  Newcastle-upon-Tyne— Improvements  in  the  manufacture  of 

certain  compounds  of  phosphoric  acid. 

450.  Henry  M.  Nicholls,  39  Gower-place,  Euston-square — Improvements  in  emission  or 

reaction  engines. 

451.  Antonio  F.  Cossus,  University-street,  Middlesex— Improvements  in  filters. 

4S3.  Frederick  Goodell,  Piccadilly — An  improved  apparatus  for  the  distillation  of  rosin 
oil,  and  for  an  improved  method  of  bleaching  and  deodorizing  the  same  duringthe 
process  of  manufacture. — (Partly  a  communication.) 

Recorded  February  26. 

484.  Charles  N.  Wilcox,  Islington— Improvements  in  the  manufacture  and  application  of 

certain  extracts  obtained  from  the  elder-tree. 

485.  Jean  J.  Frechin,  Bordeaux,  France,  and  Finsbury — Improvements  in  the  construction 

of  locomotive  engines. 
4S6.  William  M.  Shaw,  Brighton— An  improvement  in  the  construction  of  locomotive 
boilers. 

487.  Joseph  Brandeis,  Great  Tower-street— Improvements  in  the  manufacture  and  refin- 

ing of  sugar. 

488.  Mark  H.  Blanchard,  Black  friars-road— Improvements  in  the  manufacture  of  pipes  of 

earthenware,  clay,  or  other  similar  materials. 

489.  William  E.Newton,  66  Chancery-lane— Improvements  in  machinery  or  apparatus 

applicable  to  wheels  or  axles  for  counting  and  indicating  the  number  of  rotations 
made  thereby. — (Communication.) 

490.  Ebenezer  Thornton,  Huddersfield — Certain  improvements  in  the  construction  and 

arrangements  of  kitchen  boilers  and  flues  for  ranges. 

491.  Hon.  James  Sinclair,  commonly  called  Lord  Berriedale,  17  Hill-street — Improve- 

ments in  weaving. 

492.  Robert  Griffiths,  Great  Ormond-street — Improvements  in  propelling  vessels. 

493.  Charles  Tetley,  Bradford— Improvements  in  obtaining  power  by  steam  and  air. 

494.  Charles  Tetley,  Bradford — Improvements  in  the  manufacture  of  bobbins. 

495.  Samuel  Varley,  Wainfleet,  Lincoln — Improvements  in  making  communications  be- 

tween the  guards  and  engine-drivers  on  railway  carriages. 

496.  Earl  of  Dundonald,  Belg rave-road — Improvements  in  producing  compositions  or 

combinations  of  bituminous,  resinous,  and  gummy  matters,  and  thereby  obtaining 
products  useful  in  the  arts  and  manufactures. 

Recorded  February  28. 

497.  Theodore  Baron  von  Gilgenheimb,  Weidenau,  Silesia — Invention  of  a  newmachine, 

with  its  adjuncts  or  other  apparatus,  to  be  used  for  agricultural  purposes. 

498.  James  Murphy,  Newport — Improvements  in  trucks,  waggons,  or  vehicles  for  railway 

purposes. 

499.  Thomas  E.  Merritt,  Maidstone— Improvements  in  railway  carriages,  and  in  con- 

necting and  disconnecting  them. 

500.  Martyn  J.  Roberts,  Gerard  s-cross,  Bucks — Improvements  in  the  manufacture  of 

mordants,  or  dyeing  materials,  which  are  in  part  applicable  to  the  manufacture  of 
a  polishing  powder. 

501.  Edward  H.  Bentall,  Heybridge — Improvements  in  harrows. 

502.  George  Duncan,  Chelsea — Improvements  in  steam  boilers. 

503.  Peter  Armand  Le  Comte  de  Fontaine  Moreau,  4  South-street,  Finsbury,  and  39 

Rue  de  1'Echiquier,  Paris — Improvements  in  drying  cigars. 

504.  Joseph  Major,  10  Little  Stanhope-street — Improvements  in  preparing  lotions,  which 

he  intends  to  call  the  "  Synovitic  Lotions." 

505.  Samuel  C.  Lister,  Manningham,  near  Bradford — Invention  of  heating  and  making 

cards. 

Recorded  March  1. 

506.  Robert  Stephenson,  jun.,  Newcastle-on-Tyne — Improvements  in  locomotive  engines. 

507.  Thornton  Littlewood  and  Charles  Littlewood,  Rochdale — Improvements  in  machin- 

ery or  apparatus  used  in  the  preparation  of  wool,  silk,  flax,  and  mohair  to 
be  spun. 

508.  John  Bethell,  Westminster — Improvements  in  preserving  wood  from  decay. 

509.  Joseph  C.  Darnell,  Limpley  Stoke,  Bradford  — Invention  of  propelling  vessels  of  all 

descriptions  that  float  on  water  that  are  capable  of  carrying  steam,  or  any  other 
engines  used  for  the  purpose  of  giving  power  to  propel  vessels,  also  for  propelling 
carriages  on  roads  to  which  engines  for  the  purpose  of  giving  power  to  work  them 
can  be  applied. 

511.  Edward  Cbarlesworth,  York— Improvements  in  bill  or  letter  holders. 

512.  William  Rowett,  Liverpool— Improvements  in  making  paddle-wheels  for  vessels 

propelled  by  motive  power,  which  is  called  "The  Cylinder  Paddle- Wheel." 

513.  Charles  Flude,  Old  Kent-road,  and  James  Waterman,  Southwark — Improvements 

in  the  application  of  heat  for  producing  evaporation,  generating  steam,  and  for 
general  heating  purposes,  and  also  in  the  economical  production  of  combustibie 
gases  for  the  purpose  of  illumination. 

514.  John  M 'Adams,  Massachusetts,  U.S. — Improvements  in  machinery  or  apparatus  for 

printing  on  leaves  of  hooks  their  designations,  numbers,  or  devices,  or  those  ot 
their  pages,  which  machinery  or  apparatus  may  also  be  used  to  advantage  for 
printing  designating  numbers  or  devices  on  various  other  articles. 

515.  Robert  L.  Bolton,  Liverpool— Invention  of  a  new  mode  of   obtaining  and  using 

power  by  explosion  ot  gases. 

Recorded  March  2. 

516.  Laurence  Hill,  junior,  Port-Glasgow — Improvements  in  the  production  of  motive 

power.— (Communication.) 

517.  Charles  II.  Hall,  Liverpool — An  improved  apparatus  for  cooking  by  gas  or  vapour. 
618.  Howard  A.  Ilolden,  Alfred  Knight,  Edward  Bull,  and  John  Banfield,  Birmingham 

— Certain  improvements  in  communicating  and  giving  signals  between  the  engine 
drivers  and  guards  on  railway  trains,  being  in  connection  with  a  mode  already 
patented  for  effecting  the  same  object. 
519.  James  Abbott,  Accrington — Certain  improvements  iu  and  applicable  to  machines 


THE  PRACTICAL  MECHANIC'S  JOURNAL. 


for  winding  yarn  or  thread,  called  "winding  machines  used  in  the  manufacture 
of  cotton  and  other  fibrous  substances." 

520.  Alexis  Soyer,  Fenchnrch-street—  Improvements  in  preparing  and  preserving  soups, 

■which  he  denominates  "Snyer's  Osmazome  Food." 

521.  Juhn  Smith,  City-road,  William  H.  Smith,  same  place,  and  Alexander  Williams, 

Great  Tower-street— Certain  improvements  in  metallic  plates,  and  in  producing 
devices  or  ornamental  patterns  thereon,  and  in  the  apparatus  and  machinery  to 
he  used  for  such  purposes. 

522.  Edward  D.  Moore,  Ilanton  Abbey,  near  Eccleshall— An  improved  mode  of  treating 

the  extract  of  malt  and  hops. 

523.  Lewis  Jennings,  Fludyer-street— An  improved  apparatus  for  regulating  the  speed  of 

machinery. 

524.  Alfred  A.  de  Reginald  Holy,  Westminster — An  improved  door  or  finger  plate. 

525.  Robert  Waddell,  Liverpool- Improvements  in  steam-engines. 

526.  Marcel  Vetillart,  Le  Mans,  France — Improvements  in  drying  yarns. 

527.  Willoughby  T.  Monzani,  Camden-town— Improvements  in  reaping  machinery. 

Recorded  March  3. 

528.  William  Clark,  Islington— Improvements  in  propelling  and  steering  vessels,  and  in 

the  anpnratus  used  therein. 

529.  James  Murdoch,  7  Staple  inn,  Middlesex— An  improved  process  for  the  manufacture 

of  iodine. — (Communication.) 

530.  Simon  O'Regan,  Belfa-t— Improvements  in  apparatus  for  consuming  smoke. 

531.  Charles  Humpage,  King's  Norton.  Worcester— Invention  for  the  application  of  cer- 

tain material*  to  the  manufacture  of  coffin  furniture. 

533.  Auguste  E.  L.  Bellford,  16  Castle-street.  Holborn— Improvements  in  locomotives, 

part  of  which  improvements  are  applicable  to  other  steam-engines.— (Communi- 
cation.) 

534.  Miii-tin  Billing,  142  High  Ilolbovn— Certain  improvements  in  metallic  bedsteads. 

535.  Samuel  Cnit,  Snring-gardens—  Improvements  in  rotating  breech  fire-arms. — (Partly  a 

communication,) 

536.  Samuel  Colt,  Spring-gardens,  Middlesex— An  improved  construction  of  blower.— 

(Communication.) 

537.  Samuel  Colt,  Spring-gardens— Improved  machinery  for  forging  metals. — (Partly  a 

communication.) 

538.  Samuel  Colt,  Spring-gardens,  Middlesex— Improvements  in  rotating  breech  fire- 

arms.— (Partly  a  communication.) 

539.  Bernard  Chaussenot  the  elder,  Paris— Improvements  in  apparatus   for  aerating 

liquids. 

540.  William  E.  Newton,  66  Chancery-lane— Improvements  in  primers  for  fire-arms. — 

(Communication.). 

541.  John  Wright,  Camberwell — Improvements  in  machinery  for  manufacturing  bags  or 

envelopes  of  paper,  calico,  or  textile  fabrics. 

542.  Thomas  Crick,  Leicester— Improvements  in  the  manufacture  of  boots,  shoes,  clogs, 

and  slippers. 

543.  James  Waterman,  Park-street — Improvements  in  treating  brewery  and  distillery 

grains  mr  the  production  of  food  for  cattle,  and  for  extracting  the  bitter  principle 
and  other  products  from  the  refuse  hops  of  breweries. 

Recorded  March  4. 

544.  John  Ilinks  and  George  Wells,  Birmingham— Invention  of  a  new  or  improved  me- 

tallic pen. 

545.  Robert  C.  Ross,  Edinburgh — An  improved  machine  or  instrument  for  cutting  files 

and  forging  metal. 

546.  George  Elliot  St.  Helen's,  Lancashire— Certain  improvements  in  manures. 

547.  Joseph  S.  Hall,  Regent-street — Improvements  in  cutting  out  parts  of  brntsand  shoes. 

548.  William  Sandilands,  Elm  Tree  Lodge,  South  Lambeth — An  improved  hopper  for  a 

piano-forte. 

549.  Samuel  II.  Huntly,  Marylebone — Improvements  in  controlling  and  regulating  the 

flow  or  pressure  of  gas. 

550.  Henry  MeEvoy,  Birmingham—  Improvement  in  covered  buttons. 

551.  George  W.  Bott,  Manchester — Improvement  in   apparatus  called  "pressers,"  era- 

plovfd  in  the  preparation  of  cotton  and  other  fibrous  materials  for  spinning. 

552.  James  Boydell,  Smethwick,  near  Birmingham.— Improvements  in  the  construction 

of  bedsteads. 

553.  John  D.  M.  Stirling,  Larches,  near  Birmingham — Improvements  in  manufacturing 

coated  metal. 

Recorded  March  5. 

554.  Marv  A.  Smith,  Marylebone— Improvements  in  the  manufacture  of  toys,  models,  and 

other  like  articles  of  ornament  or  utility. 

555.  John  Gedge,  Strand— Improvements  in  the  construction  of  fire-arms,  and  in  the  means 

of  loading  the  same. — (Communication.) 

556.  Baldwfn  F.  Weatherdon,  Chancery-lane,  and  Charles  Dealtry,  Guernsey — Improve- 

ments in  the  construction  of  certain  floating  vessels,  and  in  the  mode  of  propel- 
ling them. 

557.  Thomas  W.  Cross,  Lpeds— Invention  of  a  portable  fire-engine. 
55S.  William  Todd.  Rochdale — Improvements  in  steam-engines. 

659,  Joseph  Maudslay,  Lambeth— Improvements  in  screw  propellers  for  ships  and  other 

vessels. 
560.  Richard  A.  Bronman,  Fleet-street — Improvements  in  machinery  for  making  pipes 

and  tubes — (Communication.) 
561    John  Hirst,  junior,  Dobcross,  York,  and  William   Mitchell,  Crosland  Moor,  near 

Hudderstield— Improvements  in  stretching  labrics. 

Recorded  March  7. 

562.  Richard  Barter,  M.D,  Blarney,  Cork— Improvements  in  cutting  roots  and  other 

vegetable  substances. 

563.  William  Barrington,  Mallow,  Cork— An  improvement  in  life-boats. 

564.  James  G.  Lynde,  junr.,  Great  George-street— Invention  of  a  pressure  governor,  or 

self  acting  apparatus  for  regulating  the  flow  of  water. 

565.  Henry  Mapple,  Child's  Hill,  Hendon— Certain  improvements  in  electric  telegraphs 

and  apparatus  connected  therewith. 

566.  Andre   Cnlles,   Fhisbury  -  Certain    improvements  in  manufacturing    typographic 

characters. 

567.  Jacques  Francois  Dupont  de  Bnssac,  London,  19  Royal  Avenue-terrace,  Chelsea- 

Certain  improvements  in  paving  and  covering  places.— (Communication.) 
56S.  Godfrey  Simon  and  Thomas  Humphreys,  Pennsylvania,  U.  S.- Improvements  in 
carriages. 

569.  William  Matthews,  5  St.  James-street,  Nottingham— Improvements  in  piano-fortes. 

570.  Joseph  J.  W.  Watson,  Old  Kent-road — Improvements  in  illuminating  apparatus, 

and  in  the  production  of  light 

571.  Thomns  W.  Dodds,  Rotheiham— Improvements  in  the  treatment  and  manufacture 

of  iron  and  steel. 

572.  Charles  Parker,  Dundee-  Improvements  in  weaving. 

573.  John  Little,  Glasgow — Improvements  in  cooking  apparatus. 

674.  Thomas  W.  Dodds,  Rotherham— Improvements  in  the  manufacture  of  wheels  and 

axles. 
576.  Thomas  T.  Cbatwin,  Birmingham,  and  Robert  M'Leish,  same  place— Improvements 

in  rollers,  rods,  or  poles,  for  window  blinds,  curtains,  maps,  and  such  like  purposes. 


Recorded  March  8. 

578.  Charles  Finlayson,  Manchester— Improvements  in  apparatus  for  converting  recipro- 

cating into  rotatory  motion  for  steam-engines,  and  for  other  purposes. 

579.  Thomas  J.  Perry,  Lozells,  Warwick — A  new  or  improved  method  of  constructing 

cornice  poles,  and  picture  and  curtain  rods,  and  other  rods  from  which  articles  are 
suspended. 

550.  Thomas  Dryland,  81  Bishopsgate-street  Within — An  improved  portable  iron  stove. 

551.  Jacques  F.  Pinel,  Pall-mall— Improvements  in  deodorizing  sewage  water  and  cess- 

pools, and  in  manufacturing  manures. 

582.  Nicolas  Schmitt,  Goffontaine,  Prussia— Improvements  in  cleansing  and  separating 

ores  and  coal. 

583.  Charles  Baker,  Southampton -Improvements  in  moulds  for  the  manufacture  of 

bricks. 

585.  John  Wright,  Camberwell — Improvements  in  the  construction  of  bedsteads  and 

other  frames. 

586.  Alexander  Samuelson,  Hull — Improvements  in  the  manufacture  of  bricks  and  tiles. 

587.  Frederick  W.  Emerson,  Penzance — Improvements  in  obtaining  tin  from  ores. 

588.  James  Veevers,  Littleborough,  and  Henry  Ashworth, same  place — Certain  improve- 

ments in  machinery  or  apparatus  to  be  employed  in  the  preparing  of  cotton  and 
other  fibrous  materials  for  spinning. 

589.  Thomas  Glover,  Woodstock — A  certain  improvement  in  the  construction  of  buttons, 

and  in  the  mode  of  applying  the  same  to  gloves  and  other  articles  of  dress. 

590.  John  Colquhoun,  Paisley— Improvements  in  bleaching  or  sulphuring  silk,  woollen, 

cotton,  and  other  woven  fabrics  and  yarns. 

591.  John  J.  A.  M'Arthy,  36  Howland-street,  St.  Pan  eras— Improvements  in  gunnery 

and  projectiles,  with  pouch  for  the  latter,  which  are  adapted  for  muskets,  rifles, 
pistols,  and  heavy  cannon  for  field-pieces,  or  forts,  batteries,  ships  of  war,  and 
other  vessels. 

Recorded  March  9. 

592.  James  Kimberley,  Birmingham — A  new  or  improved  gas  stove. 

594.  Samuel  Blackwell,  Oxford-street — An  improved  strap  or  band  for  connecting  to- 
gether certain  parts  of  harness  and  saddlery,  applicable  also  to  other  purposes 
where  straps  or  bands  are  used. 

598.  William  Pidding,  Strand — Improvements  in  the  treatment  or  manufacture  of  caout- 
chouc or  gutta  percha  in  fabrics  obtainable  therefrom,  and  in  the  machinery  or 
apparatus  employed  therein. 

600.  Theophilus  J.  Nash,  202  High  Holborn — Improvements  in  churns. 

602.  Edward  Maitland  Stapley,  Lawrence-lane— Improvements  in  machinery  for  breaking 
and  dressing  flax  and  other  fibrous  materials.— (Communication^ 

604.  William  A.  Holskamp,  58  Ossulston-street,  Somerstown.—  An  improved  castor  for 
legs  of  furniture,  and  other  purposes. 

DESIGNS  FOR  ARTICLES  OF  UTILITY. 

Registered  from  9th  February,  to  10th  March,  1853. 

Henry  and  John  Gardner,  Strand, — "  Fish-tail  burners." 
Benjamin  Sawdon,  Huddersfield, — "  Portable  gas  apparatus." 
Dent,  Allcroft,  &  Co.,  Wood-street, — "  The  club-house  cravat." 
J.  Barlow,  King  William-street, — "  Spring  hat  suspender." 
J.  Baker,  Birmingham, — "  Pencil-case." 
G.  Marr,  Russell-square, — "Gas  stove." 
M.  Roth,  M.D.,  Old  Cavendish-street, — "Russian  bath." 
Hargraves,  Harrison,  &  Co,  Wood-street,— "Parasol  joint." 
E.Thornton,  Huddersfiijld, — ''Gas  retort." 

C.  B.  Curtis,  Lombard-street,— "Screw  nozzle  for  powder-canis- 
ters." 
7th,    3430    J.  Taylor  &  Sons,  Warwick-lane,—"  Syringe." 


Feb.  9th, 

3419 

10th, 

3420 

— 

34-21 

18th, 

3423 

19th, 

3424 

— 

3425 

25th, 

3426 

— 

3427 

March  3d, 

3428 

— 

3429 

DESIGNS  FOR  ARTICLES  OF  UTILITY. 

Provisionally  Registered  from  9th  February,  to  10th  March,  1853. 
Feb,    9th,      492    Hyman  Lewiston,  Mary -street,  Kingsland-road,—"  Bib  for  infants, 


Mar. 


28th, 

493 

4th, 

494 

5th, 

495 

10th, 

496 

chest-protector." 
J.  Morris,  Clapham-road, — "  Corkscrew." 
N.  Ager,  Pimlico, — "  Valve." 
A.  J.  Schott,  St.  James's, — "Drum  castanet." 
W.  G.  Haig,  New  North-road, — "  Watch  protector." 


TO  READERS  AND  CORRESPONDENTS. 

The  United  States.— We  have  frequently  alluded  to  the  way  in  which  hooks  and 
heavy  parcels  of  drawings,  &e.,  have  been  sent  to  us  from  the  United  States  without 
prepayment;  and  during  the  past  month  a  copy  of  the  Report  of  theU.S.  Commiasioners 
of  Patents  came  to  our  address  with  a  charge  of  £2. 10s.  tor  postage  upon  it.  Although 
we  place  great  value  upon  these  reports,  and  are  sensible  of  the  politeness  of  the  Com- 
missioners in  sending  them  to  us,  yet,  as  we  cannot  afford  to  accept  the  favour  at  so  high 
a  cost,  and  as  we  can  purchase  the  book  in  London  for  10s.,  we  were  compelled  to  refuse 
it.  In  future,  we  shall  be  obliged  to  our  friends  in  the  United  States  favouring  us  with 
heavy  communications,  or  with  books  for  review,  if  they  will  transmit  them  to  us  through 
our  publishers  in  New  York,  Messrs  Stringer  and  Townshend. 

J  F.— Much  more  than  the  subject  seems  really  to  deserve,  has  already  been  said.  We 
have  no  credible  particulars  by  us,  that  carry  us  in  the  least  degree  beyond  what  has 
been  long  since  clearly  elucidated.  We  shall  not  lose  sight  of  the  matter,  but  in  the 
meantime  we  can  only  refer  our  correspondent  to  the  "  Imperial  Cyclopaedia  of  Machin- 
ery," for  a  plate  and  general  description  of  the  machinery. 

H.  M.,  Stockton.— Electro-magnetism,  as  a  motive  power,  has  never  been  treated  of  in 
any  separate  work,  but  our  correspondent  may  find  much  interesting  matter  of  this  kind 
in  the  "Franklin  Journal,"  "Philosophical  Magazine,"  "  Silliman's  Journal,"  and 
others. 

Ri-Xf.jved, — "Magnetism.    A  Lecture.     By  G.  E.'Dering,  Esq." 

H.  S.,  London.— We  regret  that  we  have  been  obliged  to  postpone  this  paper  for  a 
month. 

L.  G. — We  have  been  compelled  to  keep  back  these  notes  also. 

Inquirer. — The  cause  of  his  complaint  has  entirely  arisen  from  causes  beyond  our 
control ;  hut  we  shall  shortly  give  the  set  complete,  and  on  a  more  elaborate  scale  than 
at  first  intended. 

J.  D.,  Friargate.— The  point  is  a  very  deceptive  one,  and  has  often  led  to  lengthy  dis- 
cussions, although  it  is  really  a  very  simple  affair.  Theoretically — length  makes  no  dif- 
ference—practically, however,  it  does;  because  the  deviation  of  the  hand  less  affects  the 
objectionable  angle  between  the  axis  of  the  instrument  and  its  work,  as  the  length  in- 
creases; and  the  workman's  perception  of  this  difference  is  heightened  by  the  larger 
handle  which  usually  accompanies  superior  length.  See  an  elaborate  illustrated  paper 
on  this  subject,  by  Professor  Sang,  in  a  hack  volume  of  the  Transactions  of  the  Royal 
Scottish  Socitty  of  Arts,  to  be  found,  no  doubt,  in  the  Preston  Institution  Library. 

A  Correspondent  from  Merthyr  wishes  to  know,  "what  the  viscous  constituent  of 
castor-oil  is,  and  if  by  any  means  it  can  be  removed,  so  that  the  oil  may  be  rendered  thin 
and  fit  for  lubrication."  As  to  the  other  inquiry,  see  reply  to  "  Chemicus,  Mostyu,"  in 
this  Journal,  Part  54,  last  volume. 


TIatelZJ. 


IJGlKSGa  §  IP  II II  ffi)  TTIIKISDG 

JOHN   M?  DOWALL   &   SO 

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■ 


THE  PRACTICAL  MECHANIC'S  JOURNAL. 


33 


M'DOWALL'S  HIGH  SPEED  TENSION  SAWING-MACHINE. 
By  Messrs.  J.  M'Dowall  &  Soxs,  Walkinshaio  Foundry,  Johnstone. 

(Illustrated  ly  Plate  123.) 

AVING  already  given  elaborate 
illustrations  of  Mr.  M'Dowall's 
"Wood-Planing"  Machine,*  we 
now  follow  up  our  account  of  what 
that  gentleman  has  done  for  the 
improvement  of  wood  -  cutting 
contrivances,  by  giving  a  still 
more  elaborate  plate  of  his 
recently  -  patented  sawing  ma- 
chinery. 

The  leading  essential  feature  of 
this  invention  consists  in  the  so 
arranging  sawing  machinery,  that  an  effective  amount  of  tension  may 
be  given  to  the  saw,  without  the  necessity  of  using  the  ordinary  heavy  saw- 
frame  and  buckles ;  whilst  the  machine  may  be  driven  at  a  much  higher 
velocity  than  has  been  usual  hitherto,  and  the  "  rake,"  or  "  overhang,"  of 
the  saw  may  be  easily  and  accurately  adjusted  to  suit  the  amount  of  feed 
given  to  the  timber.  By  the  existing  mode  of  procedure,  a  whole  log  or 
baulk  is  usually  cut  up  into  planks  or  boards  at  once ;  a  heavy  frame 
being  used,  with  as  many  saws  set  in  it  as  shall  give  the  required  num- 
ber of  cuts.  Loss  frequently  occurs  from  this  system,  by  reason  of  the 
impossibility  of  judging,  from  external  appearances,  as  to  the  actual  state 
of  the  heart  of  the  log,  so  that  a  number  of  boards  are  commonly  lost 
in  the  centre,  owing  to  the  log  being  spongy  or  unsound  at  the  heart. 
It  is  therefore  desirable,  in  many  cases,  such  as  when  the  timber  is  in- 
tended forpattern-making,  that  the  log  should  first  be  opened  up  the  centre, 
in  order  to  show  how  the  wood  is,  and  to  enable  the  sawyer  to  cut  it  up 
in  such  a  way  as  will  best  economise  the  material — laying  the  flat  side 
against  a  "  f^nce."  But  this  single  cut  cannot  he  economically  effected 
with  the  existing  machinery,  as  loss  would  arise  from  working  a  single 
saw  at  the  present  slow  rate  which  the  heavy  saw-frame  involves.  But 
Mr.  M'Dowall  proposes  still  to  work  in  most  cases  with  a  single  saw, 
driving  it  at  such  increased  rate  of  speed  as  will  enable  the  sawyer  to 
perform  as  much,  or  nearly  as  much  work,  as  when  using  a  series  or 
frameful  of  saws,  whilst  the  machinery  is  exceedingly  manageable,  and 
may  be  readily  adjusted  or  altered  to  suit  various  purposes. 

Our  plate,  123,  furnishes  seven  detailed  views  of  one  branch  of  Mr. 
M'Dowall's  latest  improvements  in  this  class  of  machinery — or  the  tools 
of  conversion — wherein  these  points  are  practically  carried  out.  Fig.  1 
is  a  complete  side  elevation  of  the  machine,  showing  a  baulk  of  timber 
in  the  act  of  passing  through.  Fig.  2  is  a  corresponding  front  view  at 
right  angles  to  fig.  1,  and  looking  on  the  cutting  edges  of  the  saws. 
Fig.  3  is  a  detached  elevation  of  the  upper  adjustable  tension  apparatus 
and  saw- guides.  Fig.  4  is  an  enlarged  longitudinal  section  of  one  of  the 
hand-wheel  arrangements  for  setting  the  holding-down  apparatus.  Fig. 
5  is  a  side  view,  also  enlarged,  of  the  adjustable  saw  "  buckle,"  for  varying 
the  "  rake  "  of  the  saw;  and  fig.  6  is  a  corresponding  edge  view  of  the 
same.  Fig.  7  is  a  plan  of  the  upper  saw-guides  and  adjusting  movement. 
The  main  framing,  a,  of  the  machine,  consists  of  a  pair  of  strong  cast- 
iron  columns,  connected  together  by  a  cross-beam,  and  surmounted  by 
an  entablature,  and  carried  upon  a  base  or  foundation  plate,  e.  It  is 
actuated  by  the  main  horizontal  shaft,  c,  carrying  fast-aud-loose  band 
pulleys,  d,  receiving  motion  in  the  usual  way.  This  shaft,  together 
with  many  other  details  laid  bare  in  our  engravings,  is  entirely  concealed 
beneath  the  floor,  the  level  of  which  coincides  with  the  tipper  line  of  the 
box  foundation  plate,  or  base,  e.  The  latter  has  a  short  low  projection 
cast  on  one  side,  serving  to  carry  the  two  end  pedestals  for  the  shaft,  c, 


No.  62,-Vol.  VI. 


*  Page  274,  Vol.  II.,  P.  M.  Journal. 


the  movement  of  which  is  taken  off  by  the  cone  pulley,  e,  at  one  end, 
the  pair  of  bevel-wheels,  f,  near  the  centre,  and  the  crank-pin,  o,  at  the 
opposite  end.  Two  fly-wheel  discs,  h,  are  carried  on  the  shaft,  to 
steady  the  action,  and  it  is  in  one  of  these  that  the  crank-pin,  g,  is  fixed. 
From  this  pin  a  connecting-rod,  r,  passes  up  to  a  pin  on  the  lever,  j, 
fast  on  one  end  of  a  horizontal  shaft,  arranged  to  vibrate  in  bearings  at 
K,  in  the  lower  portions  of  the  two  main  pillars,  a.  This  shaft  has  keyed 
upon  its  centre  a  double  lever,  l,  with  segmental  ends,  to  the  two  op- 
posite corners  of  which  are  attached  the  ends  of  a  pair  of  flexible  steel 
belts,  m.  These  belts  are  respectively  attached  by  coupling  joints  to  the 
two  lower  ends  of  the  pair  of  vertical  parallel  saws,  n,  the  upper  ends  of 
which  are  again  connected  by  adjustable  buckles,  o,  with  a  corresponding 
pair  of  flexible  straps  fastened  to  the  overhead  double  lever,  p.  In  this 
way  the  two  saws  are  formed  into  an  endless  belt,  which,  when  kept  up 
to  the  required  tensional  strain,  answers,  instead  of  the  common  frame,  in 
keeping  the  saws  up  to  their  necessary  steady  working  condition ;  and 
as  the  crank-pin,  g,  revolves,  it  communicates  a  rocking  movement  to  the 
lower  shaft,  carrying  the  bottom  lever,  l,  and  from  this,  through  the 
saw-belt,  to  the  upper  lever,  p,  overhead — thus  giving  the  required  alter- 
nate longitudinal  traverse  to  the  two  saws.  The  short  shaft  of  the 
upper  oscillating  lever,  p,  is  carried  in  end  bearings  in  the  vertical  slide- 
piece,  Q,  as  at  k,  in  fig.  3 — this  piece  being  fitted  to  traverse  vertically 
between  the  two  inner  faces  on  the  short  pillars,  s,  cast  together,  and 
bolted  down  as  a  single  standard  upon  the  top  of  the  entablature  of  the 
main  frame.  In  the  bottom  cross-piece  of  the  slide,  Q,  is  a  nut,  through 
which  works  the  upper  screwed  end  of  a  vertical  spindle,  carrying  a  small 
spur-wheel,  t,  at  its  lower  end — this  spindle  having  a  central  collar,  bear- 
ing on  the  fixed  portion  of  the  framing,  to  afford  a  bottom  support.  This 
wheel,  t,  has  in  gear  with  it  a  spur  pinion,  u,  on  the  top  of  the  shaft,  v, 
passing  down  to  the  lower  portion  of  the  framing,  where  it  is  connected 
by  a  pair  of  bevel  pinions,  with  a  horizontal  spindle  projecting  at  w,  to 
receive  an  adjusting  lever  key,  which  may  be  shipped  on  at  pleasure  for 
the  purpose.  By  this  means  the  attendant  can  at  once  set  the  upper 
lever,  p,  up  or  down,  to  give  the  necessary  tension  to  the  saw-belt,  by 
turning  the  spindle,  w.  The  saws  are  guided  vertically  by  upper  and 
lower  guides  on  each  side  the  main  framing.  The  upper  guides,  x,  are 
sustained  by  the  overhead  framing  to  which  they  are  bolted;  they  have 
V  groove  faces  to  receive  slide-pieces,  t,  fast  to  the  connecting  buckles. 
The  lower  ends  of  the  saws  are  similarly  guided  by  the  standards,  z, 
bolted  down  on  the  main  base  plate. 

The  hand-wheels,  a,  on  each  side,  are  for  setting  up  and  down  the 
bearing  pulleys,  b,  which  press  upon  the  baulk  in  passing  through.  The 
spindles  of  these  hand-wheels  pass  through  box-pieces,  c,  each  contain- 
ing a  helical  spring,  abutting  between  one  end  of  the  box  and  a  collar- 
piece  fast  on  the  spindle,  the  inner  projecting  end  of  which  latter  carries 
a  worm,  d,  in  gear  with  a  worm-wheel  fast  on  a  spindle,  carrying  a  spur 
pinion,  gearing  with  a  vertical  rack  on  the  upper  part  of  the  pulley- 
holder.  In  this  way,  by  turning  the  hand-wheel,  the  sawyer  can  raise 
or  lower  his  holding-down  apparatus.  The  helical  springs  allow  the 
bearing  pulleys,  b,  to  rise  a  little,  when  irregularities  occur  in  the 
baulk  surface ;  the  worms,  d,  in  such  eases,  acting  as  racks,  by  means  of 
which  the  backward  movement  of  the  worm-wheels,  due  to  the  upward 
pressure  of  the  baulk,  forces  the  springs  more  or  less  into  their  box- 
pieces. 

To  the  back  of  each  of  the  guide-pieces,  x,  is  fitted  a  smaller  guide- 
piece,  e,  formed  with  projecting  fingers,  /,  which  embrace  the  saw,  and 
steady  it  laterally  during  working ;  and  being  capable  of  vertical  ad- 
justment in  grooves  on  the  main  guide-piece,  x,  to  suit  the  various  thick- 
nesses of  wood  to  be  sawn,  the  steadying  resistance  it  affords  can  always 
be  brought  as  near  to  the  point  of  greatest  strain,  or  vibration,  as 
possible. 

The  timber  traverse  apparatus,  and  fence  and  feed  rollers,  are  carried 
on  separate  framing,  supported  by  the  four  short  pillars,  g.     This  fram- 


34 


THE  PRACTICAL  MECHANIC'S  JOURNAL. 


ing  is  set  within  the  main  pillars,  a,  and  is  steadied  by  means  of  flanges 
bolted  to  flanges,  k,  on  these  pillars. 

The  feed  details  are  different  on  each  side  of  the  machine.  The  large 
baulk,  i,  is  traversed  upon  horizontal  rollers,  whilst  the  deal,  j,  is  passed 
between  vertical  fence  and  feed  rollers,  k.  These  vertical  rollers  revolve 
in  bearings  in  slide-pieces,  1,  which  work  in  dovetail  grooves  in  the 
framing,  like  the  slide-rest  of  a  lathe.  The  inner  slide,  which  carries 
the  fence  rollers,  is  set  up  to  the  required  distance  from  the  line  of  cut 
of  the  saw,  by  the  handle  on  the  projecting  end  of  a  screw,  working  in  a 
nut  attached  to  the  under  side  of  the  slide.  The  outer  slide,  carrying  the 
feed  rollers,  is  set  in  a  similar  manner  by  a  screw,  worked  by  a  handle 
fitting  on  its  projecting  end,  n. 

There  are  three  rollers  in  each  slide,  the  middle  one  being  larger  in 
diameter  than  the  other  two.  The  three  are  geared  together  by  small 
spur-wheels  overhead,  so  as  to  work  in  concert.  Motion  is  given  to  the 
middle  rollers  by  means  of  a  horizontal  shaft,  o,  carrying  bevel-wheels 
gearing  into  corresponding  wheels  on  the  lower  projecting  ends  of  the 
roller-spindle.  The  bevel-wheels  on  the  shaft,  o,  are  fitted  to  it  with  a 
feather,  so  as  to  be  capable  of  traversing  along  it  to  suit  the  different 
positions  of  the  slides.  The  shaft,  o,  carries  a  spur-wheel,  hid  by  the 
central  part  of  the  framing,  in  gear  with  another  spur-wheel  on  the 
shaft,  q,  carrying  a  worm-wheel  worked  by  a  worm  on  the  shaft  of  the 
cone-pulley,  q,  which  last  receives  motion  from  the  corresponding  cone- 
pulley,  e,  on  the  shaft,  c.  The  shaft,  p,  also  gives  motion  to  the  feed- 
ing rollers  for  the  baulk  of  timber  on  the  other  side  of  the  machine. 
To  effect  this,  it  carries  a  spur-wheel  in  gear  with  an  intermediate  wheel, 
which  again  gears  with  a  wheel  on  the  end  of  one  of  the  two  horizontal 
rollers,  r,  carrying  the  baulk  up  to  the  saw.  The  two  rollers  are  geared 
together,  so  as  to  work  in  concert;  and  they  lie  immediately  below  the 
two  corresponding  overhead  pressure-rollers,  t,  already  described.  On 
the  shaft,  p,  is  also  a  loose  spur-wheel,  s,  in  gear  with  a  pinion  on  the 
lower  horizontal  shaft,  t,  deriving  motion  from  the  main  shaft,  c,  by 
means  of  bevel-wheel  connections.  The  spur-wheel  on  the  shaft,  p, 
which  gives  motion  to  the  horizontal  rollers,  r,  is  loose  on  that  shaft,  and 
is  formed  with  clutch-pieces  at  each  side,  fitting  into  a  corresponding 
clutch-piece  fixed  to  the  shaft,  and  to  another  fixed  to  the  spur-wheel,  s. 
Its  boss  is  formed  with  a  ring  groove,  to  receive  the  forked  ends  of  a 
bent  lever,  «,  by  means  of  which  it  can  be  made  to  gear  with  the  shaft, 
p,  or  with  the  loose  wheel,  s — sufficient  play  also  existing  to  allow  of  its 
being  out  of  gear  with  both.  The  gearing  just  described  is  so  arranged 
that  the  spur-wheel,  s,  revolves  in  a  different  direction  to  that  of  the 
shaft,  p,  and  also  at  a  quicker  rate.  It  follows  from  this,  that  when  the 
wheel  working  the  rollers  is  in  gear  with  the  wheel,  s,  the  rollers  will 
be  caused  to  traverse  back  the  baulk  of  timber,  and  at  a  quicker  rate 
than  that  required  for  the  sawing  action. 

The  speed  of  the  feed  action  is  easily  adjusted  by  means  of  the  cone 
pulleys,  e  and  g,  so  as  to  suit  the  overhang  of  the  saw,  obtained  by  the 
adjustable  buckle,  represented  on  an  enlarged  scale  in  figs.  5  and  6.  The 
end  of  the  flexible  strap  of  the  vibrating  lever  has  a  metal  plate,  i>, 
riveted  on  each  side  of  it;  these  plates  projecting  beyond  the  edge  of 
the  strap,  so  as  to  embrace  the  stout  piece  of  metal,  w,  fast  on  the  upper 
end  of  the  saw.  These  plates  are  connected  by  a  bolt — a  horizontal  slot 
being  provided  in  the  inner  one,  w,  to  allow  of  lateral  adjustment,  which 
is  effected  by  means  of  a  small  thumb-nut,  x,  working  on  a  small  screw 
jointed  at  the  opposite  end  to  the  plate,  w.  The  screw  passes  through 
an  eye  in,  and  the  nut  works  against,  the  curved  projecting  end  of  the 
slide-piece,  y,  which  is  also  secured  between  the  two  plates,  v.  The  front 
one  of  these  plates  has  cut  upon  it,  immediately  below  the  adjustment 
bolt,  a  central  line,  serving  as  an  index  for  a  graduated  scale  on  the 
plate,  w.  The  saw  is  set  to  the  required  rake,  after  loosening  the  bolt, 
by  turning  the  thumb-nut,  x,  in  either  direction,  until  the  index  line  on 
the  plate,  a,  stand  at  the  proper  point  on  the  scale,  when  the  bolt  is 
screwed  tight,  ready  for  use. 


This  descriptive  enumeration  completes  our  notes  of  the  series  of  im- 
provements in  plate  123.  But  Mr.  M'Dowall  has  also  introduced  more 
than  one  other  modification  of  his  plan  of  tensional,  frameless  saws,  as 
well  as  some  minor  arrangements  for  obtaining  a  "  silent  feed"  action  of 
peculiar  nicety  and  elegance.  These  several  improvements — the  result 
of  the  specially  devoted  attention  of  an  engineer,  who  has  unquestionably 
done  more  for  wood-working  machinery  than  any  other  individual  im- 
prover of  either  past  or  present  time — we  shall  hereafter  present  in  a 
collected  form. 


LORD  BERRIEDALE'S  IMPROVEMENTS  IN  BRICK 
MACHINERY. 

Lord  Berriedale,  who,  amongst  many  other  varieties  of  mechanical 
contrivance,  has  given  much  attention  to  clay  moulding  apparatus,  has 
introduced  a  convenient  plan  for  enabling  the  brick  or  tile  moulder  to 
clear  the  grid  or  screen  of  the  clay  chamber  during  the  action  of  the 
machine,  without  in  any  way  interfering  with  the  moulding  process,  so 
that  an  open  screen  may  be  constantly  submitted  to  the  passing  clay. 


HZ 


~\£_ 


°.r 


Fig.  1. — Side  View  of  Brick  Machine. 

This  object  is  effected  in  a  very  simple  manner,  by  adjusting  a  travers- 
ing screen  of  greater  length  than  usual  in  the  centre  of  the  clay  chamber, 
as  represented  in  our  accompanying  figures.  Fig.  1  is  a  longitudinal 
section  of  a  portion  of  a  continuous  brick-moulding  machine  fitted  with 
this  contrivance,  and  fig.  2  is  a  front  view  of  the  screen  and  its  guide 
detached.  The  clay  is  supplied  at  a  by  a  receiver  in  the  usual  way,  and 
the  crude  mass  is  traversed  along  the  chamber,  b,  by  a  broad  screw,  c, 
in  two  lengths  on  the 
same  shaft,  the  clay  being  ;  0 

finally  delivered  in  a 
continuous  length,  of  the 
section  of  the  required 
brick,  at  the  terminal 
die,  D.  The  moulding 
chamber  is  in  two  lengths, 
bolted  together,  with  an 
upper  and  lower  piece  of 
brass,  or  other  metal,  e, 
between  the  two  flanges, 
to  act  as  guides  for  the  traverse  action  of  the  screen,  f.  The  screen  is 
formed  with  top  and  bottom  V-slide  edges,  to  fit  corresponding  grooves  in 
the  guides,  and  it  is  about  twice  the  length  of  the  transverse  section  of 
the  chamber,  so  that  one-half  may  always  be  out  of  action.  The  screw- 
shaft  is  passed  through  its  centre  by  a  longitudinal  slot,  o,  through 
which,  however,  the  clay  is  prevented  from  passing  by  a  stationary  stop- 
piece,  h,  placed  u;jon  the  shaft  immediately  behind  the  screen.  This 
piece  is  shaped  to  a  double  incline  on  the  feeding  side,  so  as  to  impede 
the  passage  of  the  clay  as  little  as  possible;  and  as  it  extends  over  as 
much  of  the  slot,  g,  as  is  at  any  time  opposed  to  the  clay,  it  preserves 
the  operation  of  the  screen  uninjured. 

The  plan  of  working  is  pretty  clear  from  the  figures.  When  the 
screening  apertures  require  clearing  out,  the  attendant  has  simply  to 
draw  the  screen  plate  far  enough  to  one  side  along  its  guides,  to  present 
a  set  of  clear  openings  to  the  clay,  when  those  which  have  been  choked 
will,  of  course,  be  laid  bare  for  clearance,  bypassing  through  the  holes  a 
set  of  clearing-rods  formed  to  fit  the  spaces.  The  screen  may  then  be 
traversed  back  again  to  present  a  freshly-cleared  surface.     In  fig.  2,  the 


Fig.  2 Face  View  of  Brick  Machine. 


THE  PEACTICAL  MECHANIC'S  JOUENAL. 


35 


central  portion  of  the  screen  is  in  action,  so  that,  if  drawn  to  either  side, 
one  of  the  end  portions  will  be  put  to  use,  whilst  the  central  part  may 
be  cleared.  The  matters  detected  and  retained  by  the  screen  are 
removeahle  by  the  bottom  aperture,  J. 

Fig.  3  is  a  side  elevation  of  an  arrangement,  showing  Lord  Berriedale's 
system  of  severing  the  stream  of  clay  into  bricks,  without  any  stoppage 
of  the  exuding  material;  and  fig.  -1  is  an  end  view  of  the  apparatus. 
The  clay,  a,  is  here  issuing  in  three  distinct  lines,  to  produce  three 
separate  sets  of  bricks;  and  as  these  three  streams  are  constantly  passing 
at  a  uniform  rate,  -whilst  the  cutting  apparatus  is  stationary,  or  has  no 


Fig.  3. — Side  View  of  Cutting  Jlotion. 

horizontal  traverse,  it  becomes  necessary  to  proportion  the  rate  of  descent 
of  the  cutting  wire,  b,  to  that  of  the  clay  stream,  that  a  clsan  vertical 
cut  may  be  given,  to  produce  square-ended  bricks.  This  i§  ingeniously 
accomplished  by  giving  the  wire  a  differential  actionj  through  the 
agency  of  the  two  scroll  cylinders,  c.  These  scroll  cylinders  are  driven 
simultaneously  at  a  uniform  rate,  and  they  are  each  formed  with  a  right 

and  left  spiral  inclined 
groove,  joined  by 
straight  circumferen- 
tial portions  at  each 
end.  Into  these  grooves 
are  fitted  the  pins,  d, 
in  the  lower  ends  of  a 
pair  of  connecting-rods, 
which  pass  upwards  to 
a  cross-head,  e,  work- 
ing in  vertical  guides, 
f.  The  same  cross- 
head  also  has  hung 
to  it  a  pair  of  le- 
vers, g,  having  pins 
at  their  lower  ends, 
fitting  into  the  duplex 
inclined  grooves  of  the 
fixed  guide-pieces,  H. 
The  right  and  left  in- 
clines on  the  scroll 
cylinders,  c,  corre- 
spond to  what  may  be 
termed  the  right  and 
left  inclines  of  the 
guides,  h,  the  degree  of 
inclination  being  ex- 
actly suited  to  the  rate 
Fig.  4.— End  View  of  Cutting  Motion.  of  the  clay's  motion,  so 

that  the  wire  may  tra- 
verse as  much  forward  in  cutting,  both  up  and  down,  as  will  allow  for  the 
forward  traverse  of  the  clay.     During  the  time  a  brick  length  is  passing, 


the  cutter  remains  stationary,  as  the  plain  circumferential  portions  of 
the  grooves  in  the  cylinders,  c,  are  in  action ;  but  the  moment  the 
inclines  come  to  bear  on  the  pins,  d,  the  wire,  k,  which  is  carried  by 
the  levers,  a,  is  traversed  down  to  make  the  cut,  being  guided  along  the 
back  inclines  of  the  pieces,  h.  On  arriving  at  the  bottom,  the  plain 
grooves  at  the  lower  ends  of  the  cylinders,  c,  keep  the  wire  stationary 
until  another  brick-length  has  passed,  when  the  reverse  inclines  carry 
up  the  wire  along  the  guide  of  the  forward  incline  in  H,  so  as  to  cut 
upwards  in  the  same  manner.  The  weight,  x,  then  earries  back  the 
wire  along  the  upper  segmental  grooves  of  the  pieces,  h,  to  the  back 
position  for  a  fresh  stroke.  Lord  Berriedale  at  one  time  proposed  to 
apply  an  arrangement  of  rollers  to  the  mouth  of  the  die,  to  polish  the 
surfaces  of  the  bricks,  by  revolving  at  a  somewhat  higher  rate  than  that 
of  the  traverse  of  the  clay,  so  as  to  give  a  slight  rubbing  action ;  but 
this  plan  he  has  now  relinquished  as  more  than  doubtful.  Indeed, 
except  with  certain  qualities  of  clay,  or  with  the  clay  at  a  certain  degree 
of  moisture,  we  are  afraid  the  rollers  would  have  a  tendency  to  disin- 
tegrate and  roughen  the  surfaces. 

SOME  ACCOUNT  OF  THE  MARQUIS  OF  WORCESTER'S 

CENTURY  OF  INVENTIONS. 

II. 

No.  78,  a  watch  going  constantly  after  one  winding  up;  it  must  be 
sometimes  consulted,  and  the  oftener  the  more  true  its  response ;  as  if, 
like  a  human  being,  its  knowledge  improved  under  catechising.  Some 
have  taken  this  for  a  perpetual  motion,  and  so,  perhaps,  the  reader  was 
meant  to  do;  but  it  is  more  probably  a  watch  with  a  reserve  of  force 
charged  in  some  way  by  lifting  or  opening  it;  the  superior  accuracy 
resulting  from  frequent  use  is  perhaps  mere  generality.  It  was  included 
in  a  patent  obtained  by  the  Marquis,  and  he  says  there  that  it  may  lie 
by  several  weeks ;  and  further  describes  it  as  having  no  spring,  chain,  or 
windage  up. 

Another  item  enables  even  a  child  to  stop  a  carriage  he  is  in  at  once, 
and  goes  on  to  disclose  this  to  mean  a  mode  of  releasing  restive  horses. 
There  was  a  patent  for  this  object  in  1718,  and  also  subsequently  by 
Cook,  the  inventor  of  the  life-buoy. 

A  winding  staircase,  enclosing  another  one  in  its  nowel,  provides  for 
servants  or  secrecy,  but  ordinarily  the  central  space  affords  the  light ; 
as  at  Dover,  three  sets  of  steps  are  one  over  another,  but  occupying  the 
same  cylinder  in  point  of  horizontal  section.  Evelyn  mentions  a  French 
staircase  formed  of  four  independent  sets,  but  which  he  deems  more  re- 
markable for  cost  and  difficulty  than  utility  or  pleasure. 

A  machine  for  drawing  in  perspective  would  be  answered  to  by  the 
camera,  of  which  a  description  was  extant,  though  little  known  at  that 
time. 

In  contrast  with  the  tendencies  of  invention  in  our  day,  we  have  two 
only  assignable  to  manufacturing  art.  No.  83,  a  mill  to  rasp  hartshorn, 
a  child  doing  six  men's  work ;  a  statement  perhaps  admissible,  if  the 
mill  supplanted  grating  by  hand.  No.  87,  a  brass  mould  for  candles;  an 
invention  attributed  usually  to  the  French,  who  might  still  have  been 
the  first  to  carry  out  the  idea  ;  the  annals  of  early  candle-making  pro- 
gress, however,  are  not  easy  to  complete ;  its  later  history  is  well  reviewed 
in  the  Crystal  Palace  Jury  Report.  The  mould  was  to  enable  rapid  and 
also  superior  production — it  allowed  the  addition  of  an  ingredient  to 
the  material,  rendering  it  cheaper  and  more  permanent.  Water,  which 
Partington  suggests  as  to  precipitate  impurities  in  melting,  could  not 
lessen  the  price.  Sulphuric  acid  has  long  been  used  abroad,  and  perhaps 
thus  introduced  here  by  his  lordship,  who  probably  did  not  himself 
practise  chemical  research.  In  the  first  edition,  No.  88  was  a  coining 
machine ;  one  man,  without  noise,  knock,  or  fire,  was  in  an  hour  to  coin 
100  lbs.  The  Marquis  afterwards  displaced  it ;  perhaps  on  its  becoming 
known  that  a  fly-press,  in  lieu  of  hammering,  was  used  for  some  years 
under  Queen  Elizabeth — its  temporary  user  being  fatal  to  the  originality, 
as  its  discontinuance  to  the  apparent  value  of  the  engine.  That  No.  88 
was  a  fly-press,  however,  is  matter  of  conjecture;  such  a  machine  is  but 
comparatively  without  noise,  and  a  hydrostatic  press,  which  has  been  sug- 
gested, wants  the  alleged  speed  in  operation. 

Lastly,  as  to  mechanical  arrangements  and  sources  of  power,  four 
articles  relate  to  the  screw  of  Archimedes :  one  being  to  make  it  trans- 
parent and  not  brittle,  a  purpose  to  which  Pliny's  malleable  glass  would 
have  been  suited,  had  the  Roman  inventors  put  his  specifications  on  re- 
cord. One  Rochon,  it  seems,  in  some  measure  effected  what  is  proposed, 
by  woven  or  plaited  wire  saturated  with  clear  glue.  No.  14  is  a  sub- 
stitute for  an  axle  (capstan)  at  sea,  enabling  a  small  crew  to  weigh 
anchor,  and  in  a  confined  space ;  for  this  purpose  an  arrangement  of  an 
endless  screw  was  patented  some  time  ago.  No.  15,  a  boat  to  move  at 
pleasure  against  wind  and  tide,  or  otherwise,  having  oars  or  propellers, 


36 


THE  PRACTICAL  MECHANIC'S  JOURNAL. 


but  unhelped  by  man  or  beast.  Here,  and  in  some  other  cases,  it  is  not 
easy  to  perceive  whether  a  new  motive  force  be  intended,  or  a  conversion 
of  power  already  acting.  This,  however,  is  decidedly  not  (as  some  con- 
strue it)  an  embryo  steamer.  It  is  more  fully  described  in  a  patent  of 
1661,  quoted  by  Woodcroft  (Steam  Navigation),  which,  on  careful  perusal, 
must  be  viewed  as  an  application  of  force  supplied  by  the  wind  and  cur- 
rent; and  a  similar  converter  of  wind-power  was  invented  by  one  Desquina- 
mare.  No.  21,  a  hydraulic  apparatus  (avowedly  borrowed  from  Clavius), 
is  to  make  a  weight  that  in  ordinary  cases  takes  up  100  lbs.  to  raise  200, 
and  that  at  equal  distance  from  the  centre,  and  which,  with  some  other 
points,  is  practicable,  stipulating  only  for  time  in  proportion.  So  of  mak- 
ing 10  lbs.  move  10  tons,  as  far  on  a  level  as  itself  falls  vertically;  which 
any  suitable  machine  would  do,  unless  the  friction  were  excessive.  By 
94  a  man  shall  raise,  without  stocks,  a  500-ton  vessel — which  indeed 
he  might  do  by  the  hydraulic  press,  or  by  bags  gradually  inflated,  as  in 
raising  sunken  ships.  A  Dutch  invention  is  also  compared  with  this,  of 
a  "camel"  in  two  portions,  to  be  brought  under  at  each  side  the  ship, 
the  water  pumped  out,  and  thus  raise  it. 

The  three  concluding  articles  arc-concerned  about  the  great  invention, 
the  steam-engine ;  to  have  assisted  in  which  is  the  proudest  achievement 
of  Lord  Worcester,  but  for  the  general  principle  of  which  we  must  turn 
baek  to  No.  68.  "A  most  admirable  way  to  drive  up  water  by  fire,  not 
to  draw  or  suck  it  in  "  (a  far  less  available  mode  of  action).  He  tells  how 
he  set  about  it:  first  he  tested  the  power,  bursting  a  closed  cannon  by 
heating  the  water  within ;  then  making  his  vessels  of  good  proof,  and 
to  fill  in  succession  with  cocks,  that  as  one  is  spent  the  other  "  begins 
to  force  and  refill,"  the  water  shall  run  up  continuously  to  a  height  of 
40  feet.  It  is  not  easy  to  assign  an  exact  shape  and  form  to  this  de- 
scription — the  figure  given  by  Stuart  ('Anecdotes,'  &c.)  does  not  realize 
the  expression,  that  each  vessel  in  turn  begins  to  force  and  refill ;  in  his 
diagram,  one  would  force  and  the  other  fill  simultaneously.  Whatever 
the  apparatus,  the  aim  clearly  was  to  convert  general  expansion  into  a 
moving  column  of  fluid,  its  actual  attainment  we  will  evidence  forthwith; 
and  it  is  strenuously  maintained  to  have  been  thus  first  effected.  Hero, 
indeed,  did  raise  enough  water  by  steam-force  to  play  sundry  tricks,  and 
bis  writings  were  known  to  the  scientific  of  the  time ;  it  is  clear,  too, 
that  others  had  been  about  applications  of  steam,  as  in  pumping  and 
navigation  (see  the  patents  in  Woodcroft's  treatise — Ramsay,  for  in- 
stance, in  1630,  to  raise  water  from  low  pits  by  fire);  but  no  details 
remain  to  establish  an  accomplishment,  and  their  non-adoption,  unless 
explained,  turns  the  balance  of  presumption  against  their  success.  True, 
the  exigencies  of  the  times  left  little  leisure  for  such  speculations,  but 
historic  rule  must  be  adhered  to  in  an  account  of  discoveries,  as  in  the 
law  maxim,  the  non-apparent  is  as  if  non-existent.  There  is,  however, 
an  apocryphal  narrative  (see  Scott  Russell  on  Steam  Navigation), 
which  throws  the  Marquis,  and  all  set  up  in  competition  with  him,  into 
the  shade — a  working  steam-engine  paddling  a  ship  a  league  and  more 
an  hour ;  and  this  at  Barcelona,  before  Charles  the  Fifth,  a  good  century 
before.  Substantiate  this,  and  a  Spaniard  bears  off  the  honour  that 
America,  France,  and  Great  Britain  dispute  for.  In  reference  to  the 
present  subject,  the  most  formidable  counter-claimant  is  De  Caus,  whose 
pretensions  are  as  warmly  supported  by  his  Gallic  compatriots  as  those 
of  Papin  against  Watt  in  the  matter  of  the  condensing  engine.  His 
works  were  in  circulation  in  France  when  Lord  Worcester  was  residing 
there;  but,  in  truth,-as  he  was  some  time  in  the  employ  of  Charles  the 
First,  the  Marquis  might  well  have  acquaintance  with  his  plans.  The 
question  is — whether  these  include  the  invention  in  the  text?  De  Caus 
had  (see  '  Encyclopaedia  Britanuica')  a  mode  of  raising  water  by  expelling 
it  from  the  boiler  as  this  filled  with  the  steam ;  he  never  contemplated 
continuous  motion,  nor  is  it  probably  capable  of  such  adaptation.  The 
expression  in  the  text  above  indicates  a  boiler,  and  a  recipient  of  the 
force  there  generated.  One  vessel  of  water  rarefied,  it  says,  drives  up 
forty  vessels;  and  thus  harnessed,  steam  was,  as  we  shall  see,  actually 
put  to  work. 

No.  98  he  designates  a  "semi-omnipotent  engine."  A  model  of  this 
is  to  be  the  partner  of  his  grave.  By  No.  99,  one  lb.  raises  one  hundred 
lbs.,  the  latter  descending  with  the  usual  force.  Both  are  by  Stuart 
referred  to  the  steam-engine,  and,  in  some  sense,  the  text  confirms  him, 
describing  the  last  item  as  a  steam  water-work,  and  as  founded  on  the 
two  preceding  it;  but  the  former  is  rather  a  mechanical  combination — 
a  conversion  of  power.  The  text  says,  that  however  the  prinmm  mobile 
vary — backward,  forward,  &c. — yet  the  "  pretended  "  operation  is  con- 
stant ;  and  both  it  and  the  next  article  will  be  found  in  an  appendant 
M.S.,  (see 'Stuart,')  which  expressly  deals  with  combinations  of  what 
used  to  be  called  "  the  mechanical  powers,"  comparing  them  to  the 
compounds  of  the  nine  ciphers  in  arithmetic. 

His  last  article  is  the  crowning  one — by  which  a  child  may  raise 
water  one  hundred  feet  high  and  two  feet  (apparently  in  diameter). 


This  we  must  read  as  asserting  it  to  be  governed  by  a  child's  power;  and 
its  alleged  silent  working  accords  with  its  economy  of  repair.  A  book 
fully  to  set  it  forth  is  promised,  and  with  "  brass  plates"  of  its  structure ; 
but  the  work  never  appeared,  unless,  indeed,  it  were  swept  away  utterly 
by  Savary,  who  is  accused  either  of  plagiarism,  and  of  burning  the  copies 
of  the  store  he  had  plundered,  or,  at  least,  to  have  in  this  manner  made 
away  with  an  earlier  rival  in  the  art  of  dealing  with  steam.  If  apprecia- 
tion of  results  be  an  element  in  discovery,  the  Marquis  is  not  behindhand : 
he,  in  an  auxiliary  essay,  calls  it  the  most  stupendous  machine  in  the 
whole  world,  yet — as  steered  by  a  helm,  and  a'bit  and  bridle  (the  meta- 
phors clash  a  little) — ruled  by  a  child,  but  of  power  to  supply  the  place 
of  man,  beast,  wind,  or  mill ;  then  it  is  capable  of  employment  for 
pumping  water  away,  or  supplying  it  for  mines,  irrigation  of  land,  and 
water-works  for  towns ;  for  making  rivers  portable  (portative),  and  a 
multitude  of  other  objects  ;  for  "  whosoever  is  master  of  weight  (of 
water  raised)  is  master  of  force,  whosoever  is  master  of  water  is  master 
of  both."  Whether  his  boiler  would  have  proved  such  a  cornucopia  is 
questionable,  but  on  one  head  its  practical  success  is  now  beyond  the 
reach  of  dispute.  He  obtained  an  act  in  1663,  for  a  privilege  in  erecting 
water-works,  and  though  no  trace  of  these  is  known  in  any  English 
authority,  Stuart  has  obtained  from  the  diary  of  a  foreigner  a  notice 
clearly  in  point.  Cosmo  de  Medici,  a  visitor  here  in  1699,  was  shown 
an  engine  at  Vauxhall,  as  on  the  Marquis  of  Worcester's  design  ;  it  was 
worked  (managed)  by  one  man,  raised  the  water  forty  feet,  and  being  of 
superior  efficiency  to  another  engine  moved  by  two  horses,  must  have 
derived  its  power  from  some  artificial  source.  What  would  be  otherwise- 
thought  too  marvellous,  the  above-mentioned  inventions  account  for. 

What  now  shall  we  say  of  the  chapman,  after  looking  through  his 
wares,  which  were  set  forth  to  win  parliamentary  patronage !  In  his 
own  day,  though  attracting  notice — for  seven  committees  sat  on  bis 
water  bill — his  fortune  while  living  seems  to  have  been  that  of  the 
inventor — neglect.  His  memory  has  encountered  both  eulogy  and  con- 
tempt, the  'Century'  being  with  Lord  Orford  "an  amazing  piece  of  folly," 
and  with  Hume  "  a  ridiculous  compound  of  lies,  chimeras,  and  impossi- 
bilities." Nor,  indeed,  is  such  language  unprovoked  by  his  barely  honest 
enigmas,  the  extravagance  of  his  statements,  and  his  puffing  introduc- 
tion, the  whole  composition  redolent  of  the  busy  charlatan  ;  but  others, 
better  qualified  to  sit  in  judgment  on  scientific  questions,  have  arrested 
such  easy  indiscriminating  censure.  An  able  contributor  to  steam 
literature  calls  him  illustrious — a  man  of  genius ;  and  to  this  side,  opinions 
at  present  more  generally  incline.  Were  nineteen-twentieths  of  his 
schemes  either  trivial  or  delusive,  it  would  not  disqualify  him  from 
honourable  remembrance.  His  exaggerated  views,  his  false  theory,  bis 
credulity  in  his  perpetual  motion  and  flying  experiments,  passing  even, 
as  often  happens,  into  quackery,  are  akin  to  inventorship,  and  not  to  he 
coldly  compared  with  the  dealings  of  ordinary  routine.  It  was  by  wan- 
dering out  of  the  straight  path  that  he  came  upon  the  steam-engine, 
perceived  its  pre-eminence,  and  made  it  a  reality. 

A  still  nicer  point  to  define  is  the  degree  of  originality — of  absolute 
creation — in  reference  to  what  he  began  on,  compared  with  what  be  left. 
He  professes  not  to  set  down  the  inventions  of  other  men,  speaks  some- 
times of  experiments,  and  of  being  led  on  by  degrees.  In  his  preface, 
he  appeals  not  only  to  past  deeds,  but  to  present  capacity : — "  No  good 
spring  but  becomes  more  plentiful  by  how  much  more  it  is  drawn,  and 
the  spinner  to  weave  his  web  is  never  stinted,  but  further  enforced.' 
And  the  sincerity  of  his  attribution  of  the  success  to  himself,  is  evidenced 
by  a  document  (see  Partington's  edition),  addressed  only  to  One  whom 
none  think  to  deceive — a  thanksgiving  for  the  inspiration  that  led  him 
to  the  water-engine,  and  a  prayer  to  be  guided  in  using  it  for  his  and 
others'  good.  Many  of  the  inventions  are  such  as  his  eventful  life,  his 
military  and  political  position,  may  have  suggested  the  want  of,  and  mode 
of  satisfying.  Exile  and  imprisonment  also  had  afforded  leisure  for 
working  them  out :  there  is  a  story  of  his  watching  a  pot-lid  raised  by 
the  steam  in  his  apartment  in  the  Tower.  He  states  that  he  had  been 
engaged  in  such  pursuits  for  thirty-five  years,  and  had  at  that  time 
expended  some  ten  thousand  pounds.  Others,  it  is  true,  had  cultivated 
such  branches  of  science ;  ancient  topics  had  been  revived,  and  foreign 
ideas  introduced;  useful  art  was  more  appreciated,  and  therefore  im- 
proved. Again,  on  the  practical  side,  the  Marquis  admits  his  obliga- 
tion to  Kultoff — in  execution  only,  it  is  true ;  but,  however  strictly  we 
take  this,  he  must  constantly  have  modified  as  he  worked  out  his 
master's  instructions.  But  if  the  Marquis  only  embodied  the  theories  of 
the  day,  and  controlled  to  that  object  the  labours  of  his  workman,  he 
must,  upon  principle,  receive  the  iron  crown  of  the  inventor — the 
triumphal  honours  of  subjugating  a  province  of  natural  force  to  the 
empire  of  art.  That  he  did  construct  a  steam-engine  rests  on  under- 
signed coincidence — that  he  first  did  so,  was  publicly  affirmed  and 
uncontested. 


THE  PRACTICAL  MECHANIC'S  JOURNAL. 


37 


THE  SIMPLE  MACHINES,  OR  MECHANICAL  POWERS. 

The  simple  machines,  or,  as  they  are  commonly  termed,  the  mechanical 
powers,  are  usually  said  to  be  sis  in  number,  viz.:  1.  the  Lever;  2.  the 
Wheel  and  Axle;  3.  the  Pulley;  4.  the  Inclined  Plane;  5.  the  Wedge; 
and  6.  the  Screw.  However,  as  it  is  evident  that  the  wheel  and  axle  is 
merely  a  practical  modification  of  the  lever,  both  being  identical  in  prin- 
ciple, whilst  the  wedge  and  the  screw  are  really  inclined  planes,  many 
mechanicians  have  reckoned  but  three  powers.  That  even  the  latter 
modified  enumeration  should  have  been  countenanced  so  long  would  be 
a  matter  for  surprise,  were  it  not  probable  that  the  very  elementary 
character  of  the  case  has  prevented  men  of  elevated  theory  from  com- 
pletely investigating  it ;  while,  on  the  other  hand,  practical  men  pass  it 
over  as  unimportant.  But  as  it  is  undeniable  that  the  series  should  be 
developed  and  classified  in  an  orderly  manner,  the  following  remarks  are 
offered  with  this  view. 

The  elementary  machines,  or  mechanical  powers,  on  one  or  more  of 
which  all  machines  are  based,  appear  to  be  these  five :  1.  the  Lever ;  2. 
the  Incline ;  3.  the  Toggle,  or  knee-joint ;  4.  the  Pulley ;  and  5.  the 
Ram — of  which  latter  class,  the  hydraulic  press  (more  aptly  named  the 
Eramah  press,  after  its  inventor)  is  the  chief  representative.  The  series 
are  classed  in  order;  the  second  and  third,  and  also  the  fourth  and  fifth, 
having  a  respective  affinity,  as  we  shall  see  presently. 

The  lever  is  commonly  divided  into  three  orders,  or  classes.  The  first 
kind  is  when  the  fulcrum,  F,  fig.  1,  lies  between  the  power,  p,  and  the 
resistance,  or  weight,  e  ;  the  distance,  p  f,  being  greater  than  f  e.     A 


Fig.  1. 


Fig.  2. 


Fig.  3. 


Fig.  4. 


crow-bar,  when  applied  as  shown  in  the  first  figure,  is  a  lever  of  this 
class,  which  is  a  very  numerous  one.  Steelyards,  scissors,  and  the  re- 
verse or  vacuum  safety-valves  of  low-pressure  boilers,  are  also  good 
examples.  The  second  order  embraces  those  cases  in  which  b  lies  be- 
tween p  and  f,  as  when  a  crow-bar  is  applied,  as  shown  in  fig.  2.  Fig.  3 
represents  the  common  external  or  pres- 
sure safety-valve  of  steam-boilers,  which 
belongs  to  this  class — oars  of  boats,  nut- 
crackers, and  the  treadles  of  lathes,  as 
kf^  commonly  constructed,  &c.,  might  also  be 
J^j'  instanced.  We  now  come  to  the  third 
order,  which  it  will  be  seen  cannot  with 
propriety  be  included  as  a  power,  that  is  to  say,  as  a  means  of  overcoming 
a  greater  resistance  by  a  proportionally  prolonged  exertion. 

This  class,  of  which  the  human  arm  is  commonly  named  as  the  type, 
and  of  which  the  pendulum  of  a  clock,  fig.  4,  is  also  an  excellent 
example,  differs  from  the  second  in  the  power  being  applied 
between  the  fulcrum  and  the  resistance.  Now,  it  is  evident 
from  these  premises,  that  the  human  arm,  the  pendulum,  and 
machines  of  their  class,  are  merely  inversions  of  the  second 
order  of  levers,  in  which  the  power  and  resistance  change 
places,  the  muscle  of  the  arm  acting  disadvantageously  in 
raising  a  weight;  the  power,  p,  requiring  to  be  greater  than 
the  resistance,  e,  but  p.  moving  through  a  proportionally 
greater  space,  or  with  greater  velocity.  Hence,  levers  of  this 
class  have  been  termed  losing  levers. 

Thus  we  arrive  at  a  natural  distinction,  or  second  series, 
which  we  shall   trace  throughout,  terming  them — for  want 
of  a  better  name — mechanical  speeds,  inversions  of,  and  an- 
tagonistic to,  the  powers,  the  places  of  p  and  p.  being  simply 
H  interchanged. 

There  are,  then,  two  classes  of  power-levers  as  described 
above,  as  the  first  and  second  orders  respectively,  and  two 
corresponding  orders  of  speed-levers.  A  familiar  example 
of  the  first  order  of  speed-levers  occurs  in  the  schoolboy's 
"  cat,"  which,  as  is  well  known,  is  a  cylinder  of  wood  tapered 
at  the  ends.  When  the  end,  p,  fig.  5,  of  the  "  cat"  is  struck  a  smart 
blow  through  the  very  short  space  intervening  between  it  and  the 
ground,  as  pr  is  here  much  greater  than  p  f,  the  former,  in  its  quick 
passage  through  a  large  arc,  acquires  sufficient  momentum  to  raise  the 
toy  to  a  considerable  height  in  the  air.     The  tilt-  hammer,  and  those  used 


in  the  forging  of  bolts,  nails,  &c,  (such  as  fig.  G,)  are  other  examples, 
Scissors  with  long  proportionate  blades,  when  cutting  near  the  points, 
are  also  of  this  class  of  speed-levers,  as  distinguished  from  the  pendulum 
shown  before  in  fig.  4;  the  lever  pyrometer  for  measuring  the  expansion 
of  heated  metals,  garden  shears,  fire-tongs,  the  treadle  of  a  knife- 
grinding  machine,  which  are  speed-levers  of  the  second  order.  Bent-levers 
have  been  sometimes  enumerated  as  a  fourth  class,  but  they  may  ob- 
viously be  resolved  into  one  of  the  two  former  kinds  of  powers  and  speeds. 


Fig.  6. 


Fig.  5. 


A  claw  or  kent  hammer,  fig.  7,  in  drawing  a  nail,  illustrates  a  power 
bent-lever  of  the  first  order ;  the  hammer  of  a  house-clock,  when  raised 
by  the  pin-wheel,  fig.  8,  a  speed  bent-lever  of  the  same  class.  From  the 
nature  of  the  case,  bent-levers  of  the  second  class  cannot  be  distinguished 
from  those  of  the  first.  As  before  stated,  the  wheel  and  axle — which 
embraces  wheelwork  of  most  kinds,  and  windlasses — is  merely  a  modifi- 
cation of  the  lever.  It  has  been  aptly  termed  a.  perpetual  lever ;  and  the 
distinction  between  a  power  and  a  speed-lever  will  be  here  equally  as 
apparent  as  in  the  simple  form  ;  for  instance,  between  a  crane-movement 
and  a  walch-movement  respectively.  A  humming-top,  also,  exemplifies 
a  speed-wheel  and  axle.  The  lever  has  necessarily  a  radial  motion,  as 
distinguished  from  some  cases  of  the  other  powers;  and  unless  both 
power  and  resistance  be  applied  tangentially,  an  increasing  or  diminish- 
ing effect  will  be  obtained,  as  is  exemplified  in  the  action  of  gravity  on 
the  bent- lever  safety-valve.  This  principle,  when  judiciously  introduced, 
is  serviceable  in  overcoming  the  inertia  of  mechanism.  The  fusees  of 
watches  and  spring-clocks,  and  eccentric-toothed  gearing,  are  instances 
of  the  application  of  the  wheel  and  axle  to  produce  a  varying  effect. 

The  second  power  is  the  incline.  We  do  not  call  it  the  inclined 
plane,  because  this  would  not  apply  in  many  of  its  most  important 
applications — as  curvilinear  inclines  in  cams,  snails,  spirals,  and 
Gwyune's    Soiling  Incline    Movement,    for    example.     To    this    class 


Fig.  7. 


Fig.  8. 


Fig.  9. 


belong  edge-tools,  wedges,  &c.  A  conical  or  taper  "  drift,"  used  to 
enlarge  or  "  open"  a  hole,  is  another  illustration.  An  incline  wrapped 
round  a  cylinder,  or  cone,  generates  a  screw.  The  conical  screws  of 
augers  and  gimlets,  and  the  pointed  helices  of  cork-screws,  combine  the 
screw  with  the  direct  incline.  The  sliding  rings  employed  to  compress 
the  springs  of  rat-traps,  and  watchmaker's  sliding-tongs,  the  rudders  of 
ships,  and  vanes  or  weathercocks,  illustrate  a  radial  variety  of  the  in- 
cline, the  power  of  which  equals  the  resistance  when  the  arms  subtend 
an  angle  of  90° — increasing  to  infinity  as  they  approach  parallelism. 
Since,  from  our  premises,  an  inversion  of  a  power  becomes  a  speed — the 
positions  and  velocities  of  the  power  and  resistance  being  interchanged — 
the  contrast  between  power  and  speed  inclines  becomes  evident ;  as,  for 
instance,  in  the  motion  of  a  train  of  carriages  tip  and  down  a  slight  in- 
cline, considered  in  relation  to  the  force  of  gravity.  A  kite  rising  from  the 
ground,  the  sails  of  a  ship  and  windmill,  are  instances  of  speed  inclines, 
when  making  any  angle  less  than  45°  with  the  plane  of  their  motion. 
In  practice,  it  frequently  happens  that  the  result  is  defeated  by  the 
excess  of  load  put  upon  the  machine;  but  the  principle  is  not  impaired, 
as  will  be  illustrated  by  the  ventilators  fixed  iu  windows,  and  the  wind- 
mill toys  of  children,  which,  being  free  to  revolve  on  their  axles,  move 
at  a  much  greater  velocity  than  the  power  applied.  The  Archimedean 
drillstock,  fig.  9,  is  an  example  of  a  speed  application  of  the  screw — 


3S 


THE  PRACTICAL  MECHANIC'S  JOURNAL. 


its  uses  as  a  power  do  not  need  illustration.  The  force  may  be  applied 
either  to  the  screw  or  box,  and  either  in  the  direction  of  the  axis  or  the 
plane  of  rotation ;  giving,  in  any  case,  either  a  power  or  a  speed  according 
to  the  pitch.  Screws  are  frequently  applied  tangentially  to  screw- 
wheels  as  powers,  and  also  as  speeds ;  as,  for  instance,  in  driving  the 
shafts  of  thrashing  machines,  and  the  flies  of  musical  boxes,  at  high 
velocities.  They  are  then  termed  endless  screws  or  worms ;  or,  more 
correctly— according  to  the  systematic  nomenclature  used  by  mechani- 
cians of  the  modern  school—"  tangent  screws."  The  great  friction 
inseparable  from  the  application  of  the  incline  in  many  forms— and  on 
which  its  successful  use  in  practice,  in  preventing  retrogression  as  a  power, 
frequently  depends— interferes,  however,  in  many  cases,  with  its  advanta- 
geous application'as  a  speed  where  great  strains  exist.  The  third  power, 
the  toggle,  has  been  described  by  Moffatt,  as  the  "  machine  of  oblique 
action."  It  is  here  termed  the  "  toggle,"  from  the  "  toggle  joint"  (fig.  10), 
one  of  its  principal  and  most  energetic  applications,  and  in  accordance  with 
the  simple  names  of  the  other  powers.  Deflected  strings  (fig.  1 1 )  and  rods, 
Medhurst's  printing-press  motion  (fig.  12),  and  the  crank  movements 


Fig.  10. 


Fig. 11. 


Fig.  12. 


Fig.  13. 


applied  to  many  machines  for  shearing  and  punching  metal,  belong  to 
this  class,  which  has  many  practical  varieties.  The  bones  of  the  leg  form 
a  toggle,  jointed  at  the  knee,  which  we  exert  in  lifting.  The  crank  is,  in 
fact,  a  circular  application  of  the  toggle,  having  no  leverage  when  the 
power  is  applied  to  the  crank- pin  in  its  circle  of  rotation.  It  is  owing  to 
the  existence  of  this  power  that  thin  plates  are  so  easily  deflected  when 
flat,  and  that  two  tightly-fitting  pieces,  placed  end 
to  end,  are  simultaneously  forced,  or  "  trapped," 
into  their  places  with  facility.  This  power  is 
forcibly  applied  in  Fairbairn's  Patent  Riveting 
Machine.  A  bow  and  arrow,  fig.  13,  and  lazy- 
tongs,  fig.  14,  are  familiar  examples  of  the  applica- 
tion of  the  speed-toggle ;  the  crank  in  a  steam- 
engine,  when  approaching  the  dead  points,  is 
another  instance.  The  toggle  has  an  affinity  to  the 
incline  in  acting  obliquely,  and  in  its  circular  appli- 
cations, as  shown  in  a  screw  and  twisted  cord  re- 
spectively: each  is  frequently  used  in  practice  in 
conjunction  with  the  lever.  The  latter  is  used  by 
carpenters  to  stretch  their  saws  in  frames,  fig.  15, 
as  the  screw  is  by  smiths.  Twisted  chains  are  used 
to  draw  together  the  sidesof  a  boat,  when  this  is  necessary,  before  fixing  the 

cross  seats,  or  "  thwarts;"  and  the 
FiS- 14-  traveller  will  have  noticed  the  wire 

stays  used  to  support  the  telegraph 
posts  round  curves  in  the  railway, 
which  are  tightened  by  twisting.  A 
simple  circular  application  of  the 
speed-toggle  occurs  in  the  school- 
boy's toy,  in  which  a  perforated  disc  (commonly  a  heavy  button)  is  spun 
with  great  velocity  by  a  twisted  thread,  fig.  16,  extended  between  the 

hands,     which    are    dexterously 
*"'S- 15-  moved  a  short  space  between  each 

stroke,  the  momentum  communi- 
cated to  the  disc  having  sufficient 
power  to  wind  the  thread  up  for 
the  return.     The  Ceylonese  drill- 
stock,  fig.  17,  is  a  more  refined 
example.    The  useful  effect  of  the 
toggle,  as  a  power  and  speed,  ob- 
viously varies   between   nil  and 
infinity,  according  to  the  angular  position  of  the  parts,  and  the  direction 
in  which  the  force  is  applied ;  hence  it  is  a  most  energetic  machine, 
within  narrow  limits.     It  is   owing  to 
F'8, 16-  this  property  that  large  carriage  wheels 

(^  pass   more   easily  over  obstacles    than 

smaller  ones. 

The  fourth  element  is  the  pulley,  too 
well  known  to  need  a  detailed  description.  It  has  sometimes  been  called 
"the  flexible  cord;"  but  this  term  is  lengthy,  and,  perhaps,  less  sug- 
gestive, and  would  clash  with  one  of  the  forms  of  the  toggle  above 


described.  The  pulley  or  the  arc  seems,  in  fact,  an  inseparable  feature 
in  the  practical  application  of  this  power,  without  which  the  friction 
would  be  very  severe.  The  chief  uses  of  the  pulley  occur  in  the  rigging 
of  ships.  The  sheaves  rising  with  the  weight  are  alone  effective,  the 
others  being  merely  converters  of  the  direction  of  motion  ;  hence  it  is 
frequently  contrived  that  the  latter  should  be  in  excess.  Speed  pullevs 
are     illustrated    by    a 

clock  line,   fig.   18,   in  Fig.  17. 

which    the    descent  of 
the     weight     through    — =sChl^ES~ 
half  the   space    causes 
many  revolutions  of  the 

barrel.    But  a  power  pulley  is  exerted  whilst  winding  up.    In  the  appli- 
cations of  pulleys,  the  cords  are  always  supposed  to  be  parallel ;  otherwise, 
in  estimating  the  effect,  an  allowance  would  have  to  be  made 
for  the  influence  exerted  by  the  oblique  power  last  described.        F'B- 18. 

The  fifth  and  last  elementary  machine  in  our  list  is  the  ram, 
or,  in  its  chief  application,  the  Bramah  press.  At  first  sight 
this  would  appear  to  be  a  hydraulic  power,  or  machine;  but,  on 
investigation,  it  will  be  found  to  obtain  more  or  less  in  most 
cases  of  ramming,  stuffing,  or  packing,  as  in  stuffing  a  sack 
through  a  small  orifice  till  it  bursts.  The  highest  practical 
results  are,  of  course,  obtained  with  fluids,  because  of  the 
freedom  with  which  their  particles  are  moved — water  being 
generally  adopted  for  cheapness  and  convenience.  Fluid 
metals  would  of  course  answer  perfectly,  and  the  existence  of  this 
power  may  be  readily  demonstrated  with  a  number  of  shot.  Indeed, 
mechanics  being  the  laws  of  matter  in  motion,  the  laws  of  fluids  are, 
of  course,  one  of  its  natural  branches,  though  generally  distinguished 
from  motives  of  convenience.  In  the  stupendous  lift  of  1800  tons  at 
the  Britannia  Bridge,  the  ram  has,  in  fact,  laid  claim  to  be  considered 
the  chief  mechanical  power,  surpassing  in  its  practical  results  the  famous 
lever  of  Archimedes.  Besides,  on  close  examination,  this  power  will  be 
found  to  be  very  closely  allied  to  the  pulley — hence  our  arrangement  of 
these  two  consecutively — the  chief  difference  being,  that  the  former  acts 
by  compression,  the  latter  by  tension.  Each  is  based  on  the  division  of 
the  points  of  support;  for  the  proportionate  area  of  the  piston  in  the  Bramah 
press  represents  the  number  of  points  over  which  the  pressure  is  diffused, 
or  on  which  the  weight  rests.  The  common  syringe,  or  squirt,  illustrates 
the  speed-ram,  in  which  a  slow  motion  of  the  piston  projects  the  water, 
with  considerable  velocity,  to  some  distance,  through  a  proportionally 
narrow  orifice. 

The  useful  effect  of  any  of  the  powers  or  speeds  is  at  once  given  by 
the  law  of  virtual  velocities,  or  the  ratio  of  the  space  passed  through  by 
the  power  and  resistance  respectively — space  and  speed  being  here,  from 
the  nature  of  the  case,  convertible  terms.  This  rule,  of  course,  sup- 
poses the  absence  of  friction  and  the  interference  of  gravitation,  and 
perfect  elasticity  in  cords,  which  cannot  occur  in  practice,  and  for  which 
a  reduction  must  be  made.  The  power  of  the  pulley  is  always  equal  to 
twice  the  number  of  sheaves  rising  with  the  weight,  because  each  hangs 
on  two  supporting  lines.  If  time  and  space  permitted,  the  series  of 
elementary  machines  might  be  traced,  as  powers  and  speeds,  through 
their  differential  and  complex  modifications,  as  exemplified  in  differential 
wheelwork,  the  Chinese  windlass,  Dr.  Wollaston's  perambulator,  Shanks' 
drillstock,  Hunter's  screw,  and  others ;  but  we  trust  enough  has  been 
adduced  to  show  the  reasonableness  of  our  classification,  and  the  harmony 
which  prevails  throughout  the  distinctions  we  have  offered.  It  is  very 
possible  that,  by  pursuing  the  investigation  further,  some  new  practical 
applications  might  be  suggested,  which  have  been  hitherto  wanting  to 
complete  the  groups. 

A  beautiful  instance  of  the  differential  application  of  the  lever  may 
be  hastily  alluded  to,  occurring  in  the  crank  of  a  locomotive,  which  dif- 
fers essentially  from  its  simple 

application  to  a  fixed  engine.  FiS. 19- 

If  we  take  the  position  at  half- 
stroke,  shown  in  fig.  19,  f  is  the 
rolling  or  perpetual  fulcrum,  a 
is  the  power  applied  by  the 
piston  to  the  crank  journal,  b 
is  the  same  power  applied  by 
the  cylinder  cover  to  the 
bearing  of  the  wheel.  Now, 
as  b  p  is  greater  than  a  f,  the 

machine  must  move  forward,  the  reverse  action  taking  place  when  the 
crank  is  at  top,  and  the  proportionate  leverage  being  different.  In  the 
selection  of  our  illustrations,  we  have  given,  as  far  as  possible,  the  sim- 
plest and  most  forcible  examples,  and  those  which  we  conceived  to  be 
most  generally  understood.  G.  P.  Rekshaw,  C.  E. 


THE  PEACTICAL  MECHANIC'S  JOUENAL. 


39 


THE  LAW  OF  THE  UNITED  STATES  OF  AMERICA 
KELATING  TO  PATENTS  FOE  INVENTIONS. 

This  law  is  enunciated  by  certain  acts  of  Congress,*  by  -which  a  patent 
office,  attached  to  the  department  of  State,  was  established ;  the  chief 
officer  of  which  is  called  the  Commissioner  of  Patents.  He  has,  for  sub- 
ordinates, a  machinist  and  various  clerks.  All  patents  are  issued  in  the 
name  of  the  United  States,  and  under  the  official  seal,  signed  by  the 
secretary  of  state,  and  countersigned  by  the  commissioner.  Every 
patent  must  contain  a  short  description  or  title  of  the  invention  or  dis- 
covery, correctly  indicating  its  nature  and  design,  in  its  terms  granting 
to  the  applicant  or  applicants,  his  or  their  heirs,  administrators,  execu- 
tors, or  assigns,  for  a  term  not  exceeding  fourteen  years,f  the  full  and 
exclusive  right  and  liberty  of  making,  using,  and  vending  the  said  in- 
vention or  discovery,  referring  to  the  specifications  for  the  particulars,  a 
copy  of  which  must  be  annexed  to  the  patent,  specifying  what  the 
patentee  claims  as  his  invention  or  discovery. 

Before  an  inventor  can  apply  for  a  patent,  he  must  pay  into  the  trea- 
sury of  the  United  States — 

If  an  American  citizen,  or  an  alien  resident  for  a  year  previously 
in  the  United  States,  and  making  oath  of  his  intention  to 

become  a  citizen 30  dollars. 

If  a  British  subject,  500       " 

Any  other  person,  300       " 

The  persons  applying  for  a  patent  must  have  discovered  or  invented 
some  new  and  useful  art,  machine,  manufacture,  or  composition  of  mat- 
ter, or  some  new  and  useful  improvement  on  any  art,  machine,  manufac- 
ture, or  composition  of  matter,  not  known  or  used  by  others  before  their 
discovery  or  invention  thereof,  and  not,  at  the  time  of  the  application  for 
a  patent,  in  public  use  or  on  sale  with  their  consent  or  allowance  as 
inventors  or  discoverers. 

Application  in  writing  must  be  made  to  the  commissioner  of  patents, 
expressing  a  desire  to  obtain  an  exclusive  property  in  the  invention ;  and 
the  inventor  must  deliver  a  written  description  of  his  invention  or  dis- 
covery, and  of  the  manner  and  process  of  making,  constructing,  using, 
and  compounding  the  same,  in  such  full,  clear,  and  exact  terms,  avoiding 
unnecessary  prolixity,  as  to  enable  any  person  skilled  in  the  art  or 
science  to  which  it  appertains,  or  with  which  it  is  most  nearly  connected, 
to  make,  construct,  compound,  and  use  the  same.  In  case  of  a  machine, 
he  must  fully  explain  the  principle,  and  the  several  modes  in  which  he 
has  contemplated  the  application  of  that  principle  or  character  by  which 
it  may  be  distinguished  from  other  inventions ;  and  must  particularly 
specify  and  point  out  the  part,  improvement,  or  combination  which  he 
claims  as  bis  own  invention.  If  the  case  admits  of  drawings,  then  draw- 
ings and  written  references  must  accompany  the  specification ;  and  when 
the  invention  is  of  a  composition  of  matter,  specimens  of  ingredients,  and 
of  the  composition,  must  be  delivered.  Moreover,  when  the  invention 
admits  of  representation  by  model,  he  must  furnish  a  model  of  a  conve- 
nient size  to  exhibit  advantageously  its  several  parts.}  The  applicant 
is  likewise  required  to  affirm,  in  a  formal  manner,  that  he  verily  believes 
himself  to  be  the  original  and  first  inventor  or  discoverer  of  the  art, 
machine,  composition,  or  improvement,  and  that  he  does  not  know  or 
believe  that  the  same  was  ever  before  known  or  used. 

The  duty  being  paid,  and  the  application,  description,  and  specification 
being  filed,  the  commissioner  proceeds  to  examine  the  alleged  invention. 

If  the  commissioner  does  not  deem  the  invention  to  be  sufficiently  use- 
ful and  important,  he  is  empowered  to  reject  the  application. 

If  it  appears  to  the  commissioner  that  the  applicant  was  not  the  origi- 
nal and  first  inventor,  or  that  any  part  of  that  which  is  claimed  as  new 
had  been  previously  invented  or  patented,  or  described  in  any  printed 
publication  in  America  or  any  foreign  country  §  prior  to  the  alleged  inven- 
tion by  the  applicant,  or  that  the  description  is  defective  and  insufficient, 
he  shall  notify  the  applicant  thereof,  giving  him  briefly  such  information 
and  references  as  may  be  useful  in  judging  of  the  propriety  of  renewing 
his  application,  or  of  altering  his  specification  to  embrace  only  that  part 
of  the  invention  which  is  new. 


*  The  acts  of  which  this  paper  is  an  epitome  were  passed  July  4, 1836,  March  3, 1837 
and  March  3, 1839. 

t  It  is  usual  to  grant  a  patent  for  the  full  term  of  fourteen  years. 

X  This  regulation  might  be  beneficially  introduced  into  our  law.  In  America,  the 
models,  specimens  of  compositions,  fabrics,  and  manufactures,  received  from  applicants 
for  patent*,  are  classified  and  arranged  in  a  suitable  building,  and  are  open  to  the  exami- 
nation of  the  public.  There  are  agents  of  the  patent  office  in  the  principal  cities,  specially 
appointed  for  the  purpose  of  receiving  and  forwarding  to  the  office  all  models,  specimens, 
and  manufactures  delivered  in. 

g  This  provision  goes  beyond  our  law,  which  only  declares  a  patent  to  be  invalid  for 
want  of  novelty,  by  reason  of  a  publication  of  the  invention  in  a  printed  book,  when  the 
took  has  circol  ted  in  Great  Britain. 


If  the  applicant  shall  elect  to  withdraw  his  application,  relinquishing 
his  claim  to  the  model,  be  shall  be  entitled  to  receive  back  20  dollars, 
part  of  the  duty  paid  in.  But  if  he  shall  persist  in  his  claim  for  a  pateut, 
without  modifying  the  specification  and  claim  so  as  to  entitle  him  to  a 
patent  in  the  opinion  of  the  commissioner,  the  applicant  may  obtain  the 
decision  of  a  board  of  examiners,  composed  of  three  disinterested  persons 
appointed  for  that  purpose  by  the  secretary  of  state.  Such  board,  after 
examination  and  consideration  of  the  matter,  has  power  to  reverse  the 
decision  of  the  commissioner,  either  in  whole  or  in  part ;  and  its  opinion 
being  certified  to  the  commissioner,  he  shall  be  governed  thereby  in  the 
further  proceedings  to  be  had  on  such  application. 

If  the  application  rejected  or  withdrawn  for  want  of  novelty  be  a 
foreigner's,  he  shall  be  entitled  to  receive  back  two-thirds  of  the  duty 
paid  into  the  treasury. 

Whenever  the  commissioner  thinks  that  any  application  would  inter- 
fere with  any  other  patent  for  which  an  application  may  be  pending,  or 
with  any  unexpired  patent,  he  shall  give  notice  thereof  to  the  applicants 
or  patentees,  who,  if  dissatisfied  with  the  decision  of  the  commissioner 
on  the  question  of  priority  of  right  or  invention,  may  appeal  from  such 
decision  to  a  board  constituted  as  before  mentioned. 

An  inventor  shall  not  be  deprived  of  a  patent  by  reason  of  his  having 
previously  taken  out  a  patent  in  a  foreign  country,  and  the  invention 
having  been  published  at  any  time  within  six  months  next  preceding  the 
filing  of  the  specification  and  drawing.  No  person  will  be  debarred  from 
receiving  a  patent  by  reason  of  the  invention  having  been  patented  in  a 
foreign  country  more  than  six  months  prior  to  the  application. 

At  the  request  of  the  applicant,  the  patent  may  be  dated  from  the  time 
of  the  filing  of  the  specification  and  drawings ;  not,  however,  exceeding 
six  months  prior  to  the  actual  issuing  of  the  patent ;  and,  on  like  request, 
and  payment  of  the  duty,  his  specification  and  drawings  shall  be  filed 
in  the  secret  archives  of  the  Office,  until  he  shall  furnish  the  model,  and 
the  patent  be  issued,  not  exceeding  the  term  of  one  year,  the  applicant 
being  entitled  to  notice  of  interfering  applications. 

In  case  of  the  death  of  an  inventor  before  obtaining  a  patent,  the  right 
of  applying  for  the  patent  devolves  upon  his  executor  or  administrator,  in 
trust  for  his  heirs-at-law,  in  case  he  died  intestate ;  but  if  otherwise,  then 
in  trust  for  his  devisees. 

Every  patent  is  assignable  in  law,  either  as  to  the  whole  interest,  or 
any  part  thereof.  Assignments,  and  grants  of  exclusive  rights  under  a 
patent,  must  be  recorded  in  the  Patent  Office,  within  three  months  from 
the  execution.  The  assignee  of  an  inventor  may  have  the  patent  granted 
to  him  directly,  the  assignment  being  first  entered  on  record ;  but  the 
application  must  be  made,  and  the  specification  sworn  to  by  the  inventor, 
in  the  usual  way. 

Inventors  who  are  American  citizens,  or  aliens  resident  for  a  year  in 
the  United  States,  having  made  oath  that  they  intend  to  become  citizens, 
may,  on  paying  to  the  credit  of  the  Treasury  the  sum  of  20  dollars,  file 
a  caveat  setting  forth  the  design  and  purpose  of  his  invention,  and  its 
principal  and  distinguishing  characteristics,  and  praying  protection  of 
his  right  till  he  shall  have  matured  his  invention.  The  money  so  paid 
will  be  considered  as  part  payment  of  the  duty  payable  on  taking  out 
the  patent.  The  caveat  will  be  filed  in  the  confidential  archives  of  the 
Office,  and  preserved  in  secrecy.  Should  application  be  made  within  a 
year  for  a  patent  of  any  invention  with  which  the  one  referred  to  in  the 
caveat  may,  in  any  respect,  interfere,  the  commissioner  will  send  notice 
of  such  application  to  the  person  filing  the  caveat,  and  he  is  bound  within 
three  months  after  receiving  the  notice,  if  he  would  avail  himself  of  the 
benefit  of  his  caveat,  to  file  his  description,  specifications,  drawings,  and 
model.  If,  in  the  opinion  of  the  commissioner,  the  specifications  of  claim 
interfere  with  each  other,  then  similar  proceedings  may  be  taken  as  are 
provided  in  the  case  of  interfering  applications. 

Persons  interested  in  or  against  a  patent  are  not  precluded,  by  any 
decision  of  a  board  of  examiners,  from  the  right  of  contesting  the  same  in 
a  judicial  court. 

A  patentee  desirous  of  adding  the  description  and  specification  of  any 
new  improvement  of  the  original  invention  subsequently  made  by  him, 
may,  by  taking  proceedings  similar  to  those  required  on  making  original 
applications,  including  the  obtaining  of  the  commissioner's  approval,  and 
on  payment  of  15  dollars,  have  the  same  annexed  to  the  original  descrip- 
tion and  specification ;  and  the  same,  thereafter,  will  have  the  same  legal 
effect  as  if  embraced  in  the  original  description  and  specification. 

If  a  patent  be  inoperative  or  invalid,  by  reason  of  a  defective  or  insuf- 
ficient description  or  specification,  or  by  reason  of  the  patentee  claiming 
in  his  specification  as  his  own  invention  more  than  he  has  a  right  to  claim 
as  new,  (the  error  having  arisen  by  inadvertency,  accident,  or  mistake, 
and  without  any  fraudulent  or  deceptive  intention,)  the  commissioner, 
upon  the  surrender  to  him  of  such  patent,  and  the  payment  of  the  further 
duty  of  15  dollars,  may  cause  a  new  patent  to  be  issued  to  the  inventor 


40 


THE  PRACTICAL  MECHANIC'S  JOURNAL. 


for  the  same  invention,  for  the  residue  of  the  period  originally  granted,  in 
accordance  with  the  patentee's  corrected  description  and  specification, 
subject  to  the  examination  and  approval  of  the  commissioner.  The  effect 
will  be  as  if  such  corrected  description  had  been  filed  in  the  first  instance. 
If  the  patentee  desire  several  patents  to  issue  under  this  law,  for  dis- 
tinct parts  of  the  thing  originally  comprised  in  one  patent,  he  must  pay 
the  sum  of  thirty  dollars  for  each  additional  patent. 

A  patentee  having  erroneously  made  his  specification  of  claim  too 
broad,  may  make  disclaimer  of  such  parts  as  he  wishes  to  abandon;  and 
such  disclaimer  being  entered  of  record,  will  afterwards  be  considered  as 
part  of  the  original  specification. 

Patents,  however,  will  not  be  vitiated  where  the  inventor  has  by  mis- 
take, and  without  any  wilful  default  or  intent  to  defraud  or  mislead  the 
public,  claimed  in  his  specification  to  be  the  original  and  first  inventor  of 
any  material  or  substantial  part  of  the  thing  patented,  (clearly  distin- 
guishable from  the  other  parts,)  when,  in  reality,  he  was  not  the  first 
and  original  inventor.  In  such  a  ease]  the  patent  will  be  valid  for  so 
much  of  the  invention  as  shall  be  truly  and  bona  fide  the  inventor's  own. 
But  to  entitle  him  to  recover  costs  in  an  action  for  infringement,  he  must 
have  entered  a  disclaimer,  prior  to  the  commencement  of  the  suit,  as  to 
that  part  of  the  invention  which  was  erroneously  claimed.* 

A  patentee  desirous  of  obtaining  a  prolongation  of  his  term,  must, 
before  the  expiration  of  the  term,  pay  40  dollars  into  the  treasury,  and 
make  written  application  to  the  commissioner,  who  will  publish  in  the 
newspapers  a  notice  thereof,  and  of  the  time  and  place  when  it  will  be 
considered.  A  board,  consisting  of  the  secretary  of  state,  the  commis- 
sioner of  the  patent  office,  and  the  solicitor  of  the  treasury,  will  hear  and 
decide  upon  the  evidence  produced.  The  patentee  must  furnish  the 
board  with  a  statement  in  writing,  under  oath,  of  the  ascertained  value 
of  the  invention,  and  of  his  receipts  and  expenditure,  sufficiently  in  detail 
to  exhibit  a  true  and  faithful  account  of  loss  and  profit  accruing  to  him 
from  the  invention.  Should  it  appear  to  the  board  that  the  patentee, 
without  neglect  or  fault  on  his  part,  has  failed  to  obtain  from  the  use  and 
sale  of  his  invention,  a  reasonable  remuneration  for  the  time,  ingenuity, 
and  expense  bestowed  upon  the  same  and  its  introduction  into  use,  it  will 
be  the  commissioner's  duty  to  extend  the  patent  for  seven  years,  by 
making  a  certificate  thereon  to  that  effect.  The  benefit  of  the  extension 
will  be  enjoyed  by  assignees  and  grantees  of  the  right  to  use  the  thing 
patented,  as  far  as  their  interest  extends. 


ON  THE  OCCASIONAL  OSCILLATIONS  OF  THE  STEAM- 
PRESSURE  INDICATOR. 
II. 

Let  us  now  consider  the  circumstances  attending  the  application  of 
the  instrument — suppose  to  a  condensing  engine.  When  the  eduction 
valve  closes,  the  piston  of  the  instrument*  is  at  its  lowest  position,  in 
consequence  of  the  partial  vacuum  in  that  end  of  the  cylinder  with 
which  the  instrument  communicates.  But  usually  the  eduction  ceases 
when  the  piston  is  still  at  some  distance  from  the  end  of  its  stroke,  and 
in  consequence  the  vacuum  is  gradually  destroyed  by  the  compression 
of  the  confined  vapour,  and  the  piston  gradually  and  calmly  rises  to- 
wards its  mean  position — at  which  the  pressures  on  both  sides  of  it  are 
equal,  and  the  teusion  of  the  spring  is  zero.  Supposing  that  it  has 
arrived  at  this  position  by  the  time  the  piston  of  the  engine  has  come  to 
the  end  of  its  stroke,  and  the  induction  valve  is  beginning  to  open 
gradually,  the  piston  will  continue  to  ascend  in  the  same  steady  man- 
ner, and  the  pencil  will  transfer  to  the  paper  a  fair  and  indubitable  expres- 
sion of  the  relation  of  the  pressures ;  the  diagram  will  be  of  the  ordinary 
character,  and  will  present  no  marked  undulations. 

But  let  us  suppose,  that  instead  of  the  eduction  ceasing  some  time  he- 
fore  the  stroke  of  the  piston  is  completed,  it  is  continued  up  to  the  end 
of  the  stroke,  (as  in  the  engine  from  which  the  diagram  copied  at  the 
beginning  of  this  article  was  taken,)  and  that  the  induction  happens  also 
to  begin  when  the  engine  is  on  the  centre;  then,  in  place  of  the  slow  and 
steady  rise  of  the  piston  of  the  indicator  we  had  in  the  former  case,  it  will 
bound  upwards  under  the  excess  of  the  combined  pressures  of  the  inflow- 
ing steam  and  the  tension  of  its  spring  over  the  resisting  pressure  of  the 
atmosphere.  Referring  again  to  our  diagram,  we  observe  that  the  ten- 
sion of  the  spring  is  then  equal  to  a  pressure  of  13  lbs.  on  the  square 
inch,  and  that  the  pressure  of  the  steam  issuing  into  the  cylinder  is  at 
least  20  lbs.  above  the  vacuum  line:  the  piston  of  the  instrument  must, 
therefore,  have  been  subjected  almost  instantaneously  to  an  actual  un- 
balanced pressure  of  4J  lbs. — its  area  being  Jth  of  a  square  inch,  and 


*  This  is  much  more  literal  towards  patentees  than  the  rule  in  our  law.    In  England, 
if  part  is  bad  the  whole  is  rendered  bad,  until  the  vicious  part  is  excised  by  disclaimer. 


assuming  the  atmospheric  pressure  at  the  time  the  diagram  was  taken  to 
have  been  15  lbs. 

This  is  an  ordinary  case,  but  more  complex,  containing  more  conditions 
than  it  is  desirable  or  necessary  to  include  in  a  first  example.  We 
therefore   reserve  it  for  after   consideration,  and  Fig.  2. 

begin,  instead,  with  one  more  simple — the  simplest 
form,  indeed,  which  the  problem  assumes,  namely,  | 
that  of  a  ball  of  known  weight  attached  to  a  spriug, ! 
s,  of  known  strength,  suspended  from  a  convenient' 
point  of  support.  We  may  further  suppose,  for  a 
simplicity,  that  when  the  ball  is  in  the  position,  A,  I 
the  spring  is  not  stretched — that  it  is  then  in  its : 
normal  state,  or  that  its  tension  is  then  0;  that; 
the  weight  of  the  ball  hanging  freely  by  it  (at  rest) 
stretches  it  so  much  that  the  ball  occupies  the  posi- 
tion, c;  that  consequently,  in  this  position,  the1 
tension  of  the  spring  and  the  weight  of  the  hall  i 
are  in  equilibrium,  and  may  be  represented  by  the ! 
horizontal  line,  c  d,  containing  as  many  linear 
units  as  there  are  units  of  weight  contained  in  each 
of  the  pressures. 

Now,  let  us  suppose  that  when  the  hall  is  at  rest  in  its  first  position  at  A, 
it  is  instantaneously  abandoned  to  gravity ;  it  descends  against  the  uniform- 
ly increasing  resistance  of  the  spring,  and  by  the  time  it  has  arrived  at  c, 
it  will  have  developed  a  quantity  of  motive  work  proportional  to  the  area 
of  the  rectangle,  a  b,  a  c.  But  the  resisting  work  developed  by  the  spring 
in  the  same  interval  of  time  is  only  half  as  much,  namely,  the  quantity 
represented  by  the  triangle,  a,  c,  d.  Now  this  excess  of  motive  work  can- 
not have  been  lost,  but  is  accumulated  somewhere — in  the  moving  matter — 
by  virtue  of  the  principle  of  mechanical  equivalence  found  to  prevail  under 
all  circumstances  of  a  like  nature.  We,  therefore,  find  no  difficulty  in  con- 
cluding that  the  portion  of  motive  pressure  not  expended  in  overcoming  the 
resisting  pressure  of  the  spring,  must  have  been  employed  in  generating 
velocity  of  the  ball  itself  (and  of  the  spring  to  which  it  is  attached,  but 
which  meantime  we  may  neglect).  The  ball  will,  therefore,  not  come 
to  rest  at  c,  but  will  proceed  onwards  till  this  accumulated  work  has 
been  expended  in  stretching  the  spring  to  such  an  extent,  that  the  total 
resisting  work  is  equal  to  the  total  motive  work.  This  state  of  equili- 
brium will  be  established  when  the  areas  generated  by  the  moving  pres- 
sures are  equal — namely,  when  the  triangular  area,  a,  f,  h,  is  equal  to 
the  rectangular  area,  ab,  af;  and  this  condition  will  be  fulfilled  when 
A  c  =  c  F,  and  f  h  =  2c  d. 

From  this,  then,  it  appears  that  the  weight  which  is  sufficient  to  stretch 
the  spring  by  the  quantity,  A  c,  (which  for  simplicity  we  shall  denote  by 
/,)  being  applied  at  once,  or  instantaneously,  when  that  amount  of  elonga- 
tion has  been  produced,  exactly  twice  as  much  work  will  have  been  done 
by  the  ball  as  is  expended  upon  the  elasticity  of  the  spring ;  and  that 
work  being  accumulated  in  the  ball  and  in  the  matter  of  the  spring,  the 
ball  will  continue  to  move  onwards,  and  elongate  the  spring  yet  as  much 
more — namely,  until  the  tension  of  the  spring  has  become  equal  to  twice 
the  motive  pressure  (of  the  ball),  and  the  whole  elongation  is  A  F  =  2Z,  or 
twice  the  amount  of  elongation  which  the  weight  is  capable  of  perma- 
nently maintaining.  In  this  extreme  position  of  the  ball,  its  weight  is 
equal  only  to  half  the  reacting  pressure  of  the  spring;  it  cannot,  there- 
fore, descend  further,  for  all  the  excess  of  motive  work  accumulated  in  it 
during  its  descent  to  c — namely,  the  portion  represented  by  the  triangle, 
A,  B,  D — has  been  expended  in  overcoming  the  increased  resistance  it  en- 
counters in  falling  from  c  to  F.  In  this  space,  the  amount  of  resisting 
work  is  exactly  as  much  in  excess  of  the  motive  work  as  it  was  deficient 
in  the  first  half  of  the  descent — namely,  the  quantity  represented  by  the 
triangle,  d,  o,  h. 

But  if  the  ball  cannot  descend  below  the  position  f,  neither  can  it 
remain  at  rest  in  that  position  ;  for  it  is  there  opposed  to  a  reacting  pres- 
sure twice  as  great  as  its  weight.  It,  therefore,  immediately  begins  to 
ascend.  Nor  will  it  come  to  rest  at  the  position  c;  for  when  the  spring 
has,  in  consequence  of  its  elastic  reaction,  shortened  itself  that  much,  it 
will  have  developed  an  amount  of  motive  work  greater  by  half  than  the 
work  which  would  be  sufficient  merely  to  elevate  the  ball  through  the 
space,  pc  =  1;  it  will,  therefore,  continue  still  further  to  contract  its 
length,  until  this  excess  of  work  is  expended ;  that  is,  until,  as  before, 
the  quantities  of  motive  and  resisting  work  become  equal.  And  this 
condition  will  be  fulfilled  when  the  ball  has  arrived  at  its  first  position, 
A,  and  not  sooner. 

It  is,  then,  clear  that  the  ball  would  thus  continue  to  oscillate  for  ever 
between  the  positions  A  and  f,  equally  on  each  side  of  the  position  c,  if 
it  could  be  freed  of  the  external  influence  of  the  atmosphere,  and  if  the 
elasticity  of  the  spring  were  perfect  within  the  limits  assigned — for  all 
that  is  true  of  any  single  oscillation  between  those  limits,  is  equally 


THE  PRACTICAL  MECHANIC'S  JOTJKNAL. 


41 


true  of  every  other  in  the  same  direction,  and  therefore  of  any  num- 
ber of  oscillations  in  succession.  It  would  also  he  easy  to  show  what 
the  velocity  of  the  ball  is  at  any  instant ;  hut  this  part  of  the  problem 
is  not  essentially  necessary  for  our  immediate  purpose,  and  may, 
therefore,  be  deferred,  merely  remarking,  in  the  meantime,  that  the 
velocity  will  be  a  maximum  at  the  instant  the  ball  is  passing  through 
the  position  c,  in  either  direction  ;  for  at  that  instant  the  resisting  pres- 
sure is  equal  to  the  motive  pressure,  and  the  ball  ceases  to  acquire  velo- 
city, and  begins  to  be  retarded.  It  might  also  he  shown  that  the  velocity 
of  the  ball,  when  greatest,  is  equal  to  that  which  it  would  acquire  by 
falling  freely  through  a  height  =  JZ;  that  is,  through  a  height  equal  to 
half  the  linear  extension  of  the  spring  maintained  by  the  ball  in  a  state 
of  rest.  We  are  also  able,  in  the  same  way,  to  calculate  the  number  of 
oscillations  which  the  ball  will  make  in  a  given  time.  These  are  per- 
formed isochronously — for  the  moving  pressure  upon  the  ball  varies 
direetly  as  its  distance  at  any  time  from  the  middle  position  e,  as  in  the 
case  of  the  ordinary  pendulum;  hence  the  time  of  each  complete  oscilla- 
tion will  be  expressed  by  the  formula, 


sV^dosV*1-' 


3-1416 

and  the  number  of  oscillations  performed  in  a  second,  by  the  formula, 


6Vr  6-2S32  V  I  ' 


2  x  3-1416  V   i  ~  6-2832  V    i 

in  which  g  represents  the  velocity  which  gravity  produces  in  a  falling 
body  in  a  second  of  time,  and  /,  as  before  intimated,  is  the  range  of  the 
oscillation,  or  the  space  which  the  ball  describes  on  each  side  of  its  mid- 
dle position,  c. 

This  example  illustrates  the  action  of  the  indicator  when  it  so  happens 
that  the  steam  is  admitted  upon  it  suddenly,  and  the  pencil  is  at  zero ; 
the  spring  is  then  without  tension,  and  the  steam  column  projected  upon 
the  piston  performs  the  same  part  as  the  ball  performs  in  the  foregoing 
illustration.  It  is  not,  however,  the  entire  weight  of  the  steam  column 
which  is  to  be  considered,  but  only  its  excess  over  the  weight  of  a 
column  of  atmosphere,  of  equal  base,  sustained  on  the  other  side  of  the 
piston.  If  the  weight  of  the  steam  column  considerably  preponderates, 
and  the  admission  is  sadden,  it  is  then  clear  there  will  of  necessity  be 
more  or  less  oscillatory  motion  of  the  piston  of  the  instrument  (and 
therefore  of  the  pencil)  produced.  The  oscillations  will  in  no  actual 
case  be  so  great  as  would  be  produced  under  such  a  set  of  conditions  as 
are  here  presumed,  for  the  full  pressure  of  the  steam  is  not  applied  in- 
stantaneously, and  the  instrument  is  subject  to  frictions  of  different  kinds. 
If  the  steam  pressure  accumulates  so  gradually  that  it  never  exceeds  at 
any  instant  the  resisting  pressure  of  the  spring,  then  there  will  of  course 
be  no  oseillation  of  the  pencil  produced;  if  it  accumulates  faster,  the 
pencil  will  rise  beyond  the  height  due  to  the  statical  pressure,  and  oscil- 
late about  that  position. 

Thus,  supposing  a,  as  before,  to  denote  the  nor- 
r,g- 3-  mal  position  of  the  piston  of  the  instrument,  and 

that  the  steam-pressure  accumulates  gradually,  but 
more  rapidly  than  the  tension  of  the  spring,  as  in- 
dicated by  the  curve,  a,  k,  l,  falling  without  the 
line  of  uniform  increase  of  the  tension  of  the  spring; 
then  the  excess  of  motive  work  between  a  and  c  (at 
which  the  opposing  pressures  are  equal)  will  be 
represented  by  the  triangular  space  included  be- 
tween the  line,  ad,  and  the  curve,  a,  b,  d;  and 
consequently  the  piston  will  proceed  beyond  the 
position  c,  and  come  to  rest  at  F,  when  the  excess 
of  resisting  work  developed  by  the  spring  on  the 
piston  (represented  by  the  triangle,  n,  g,  h,)  below 
c,  has  become  equal  to  the  excess  of  motive  work 
developed  upon  it  by  the  steam  above  that  position.  But  arrived  at  the 
position  f,  the  pressure  exercised  by  the  spring  upon  the  piston  of  the 
instrument  will  exceed  that  of  the  steam  on  the  other  side  of  it  by  the 
quantity,  oh;  it  will  therefore  return,  pass  through  the  position  c,  and 
come  to  rest  at  i,  as  much  above  c  as  f  is  below  it,  and  where  the  quan- 
tities of  motive  and  resisting  work  developed  on  the  piston  are  equal. 
Practically,  of  course,  the  range  of  oscillation  will  be  considerably  less, 
as  between/and  i,  on  account  of  the  friction  of  the  instrument. 

It  rarely  happens,  when  the  steam-pressure  is  admitted  upon  the  in- 
strument, that  the  pencil  is  at  zero ;  more  commonly  the  spring  has  a 
certain  tension  on  one  side  or  other.  In  the  high-pressure  engiue,  and 
in  condensing  engines  having  a  large  amount  of  cushioning,  the  spring 
may,  at  the  instant  the  new  steam  begins  to  bo  admitted,  stand  at  the 
■  i,  in  the  preceding  figure.  It  is  easy,  however,  to  perceive, 
that  in  such  cases  exactly  the  same  explanation  applies,  and  need  not  be 

.-'-Vol.  VI. 


\. 

t 

i6  \ 

■  1            K 

a  '■ 

c 

r 

\\B 

B 
D 

i        \ 

repeated.  On  the  contrary,  the  tension  of  the  spring  may  be  negative — 
as  in  the  case  of  the  diagram  at  the  beginning  of  this  article.  It  then 
happens  that  the  pressure  of  the  spring  and  that  of  the  steam  act  at 
first  in  the  same  direction,  until  the  spring  arrives  at  its  zero;  from  that 
instant  the  two  pressures  begin  to  be  opposed,  and  to  act  in  contrary 
directions,  as  in  the  cases  discussed.  It  is  then  plain,  from  what  has 
already  been  advanced,  that  the  quantity  of  work  developed  by  the  con- 
current pressure  of  the  spring  must  be 
added  to  that  of  the  steam-pressure  in  the  Fig-  *• 

first  part  of  the  motion,  and  will  tend  to 
enlarge  the  amplitude  of  the  oscillations 
by  as  much  as  the  piston  is  primarily  be- 
yond the  zero  of  the  spring.  Construct- 
ing the  diagram :  this  quantity  is  repre- 
sented by  A  k,  and  the  inverse  tension  of 
the  spring  by  k  l,  so  that  the  work  de- 
veloped by  the  spring  on  the  piston  of  the 
instrument,  in  the  direction  of  its  motion, 
is  represented  by  the  triangle,  k,  l,  a. 
And  supposing  that  the  whole  steam-pres- 
sure represented  by  k  e'  could  be  thrown 
instantaneously  upon  the  piston,  then  the 
excess  of  motive  work,  up  to  the  position 
c,  (at  which  the  reacting  pressure  of  the 
spring  is  equal  to  the  steam-pressure,) 
would  be  represented  by  the  triangle 
r>,  l,  e',  and  the  whole  resisting  work  by 
the  triangle,  a,  c,  d.  Under  these  circum- 
stances, therefore,  the  piston  would  pass 

c  with  a  velocity  equal  to  that  which  a  heavy  body  would  acquire  in 
falling  through  half  the  height  of  c  k,  and  come  to  rest  at  f',  when  the 
excess  of  resisting  work,  represented  by  the  triangle,  d,  a',  h',  had  become 
equal  to  the  excess  of  motive  work  developed  upon  it  in  the  first  half  of 
its  travel. 

Such  a  range  as  this  will  not  take  place  in  practice,  because  the  entire 
weight  of  the  steam-pressure  cannot  be  made  to  act  upon  the  piston 
instantaneously.  The  steam-pressure,  in  the  very  worst  cases,  accumu- 
lates gradually — somewhat  in  the  manner  represented  by  the  curve, 
K,  b,  d,  referred  to  k  c  as  base — and  consequently  the  piston  will  pro- 
ceed beyond  c  only  as  far  as  f,  when  the  excess  of  resisting  work,  d,  g,  h, 
beyond  c  is  become  equal  to  the  excess  of  motive  work,  d,  l,  k,  b,  above 
it.  Nor  will  the  piston  return  to  k  when  its  motion  is  reversed,  but  will 
come  to  rest  at  a  distance,  i,  from  c,  equal  to  the  distance  of  f  from  that 
point  on  the  other  side,  so  that  c  i  =  0  f. — It  is  scarcely  necessary  to 
repeat,  that  by  steam-pressure  is  here  to  be  understood  pressure  in  excess 
of  that  of  the  atmosphere. 

That  there  may  be  no  oscillatory  movement  of  the  pencil  in  cases  of 
this  kind,  it  is  not  sufficient  that  the  steam-pressure  should  accumulate 
only  as  fast  as  the  tension  of  the  spring,  or  that  the  curve,  k,  b,  d,  should 
coincide  with  the  lines,  k  a  and  A  D ;  for  there  would  still  remain  the 
excess  of  motive  work  done  by  the  spring  upon  the  piston  in  the  space 
k  A  as  excess,  and  therefore  the  piston  of  the  instrument  would  he  carried 
beyond  its  statical  position,  c,  proportionally  far.  That  there  may  be 
no  oscillation  of  the  piston,  or  that  it  may  rest  at  c,  the  curve  represent- 
ing the  steam-pressure  must  fall  within  the  triangle,  A,  c,  D,  and  cut  off 
a  portion  of  it  equal  to  the  area  of  the  small  triangle,  a,  l,  k,  in  order 
that  the  whole  motive  work  may  be  equal  in  amount  to  the  whole  resist- 
ing work  done  upon  the  piston  up  to  its  statical  limit. 

There  yet  remains  the  case  of  the  problem,  which  Mr.  Parkes  regarded 
as  the  experimentum  cruris  of  his  hypothesis.  Mr.  Parkes  fixed  a  clamp 
on  the  spindle  of  the  piston  of  the  indicator,  so  as  to  prevent  the  piston 
descending  below  the  pressure  due  to  the  steam,  and  yet  he  found  that, 
when  the  steam  was  admitted,  the  piston  was  projected  upwards  consider- 
ably above  that  limit.  From  what  precedes,  it  is  evident  that  this  was  no 
more  than  what  was  to  be  expected  in  the  case  of  an  engine,  of  which  the 
valve  was  so  set,  that  the  ordinary  diagram  exhibited  an  oscillatory 
movement  of  the  pencil ;  that  is,  when  the  piston  of  the  instrument  re- 
mained free.  The  initial  saltation  of  the  pencil  would,  indeed,  be  some- 
what increased  by  Mr.  Parkes'  arrangement.  But,  in  general,  supposing 
the  piston  to  be  fixed  at  its  statical  position,  c,  (in  any  of  the  preceding 
figures,)  with  a  partial  vacuum  under  it,  and  that  a  column  of  steam  of 
that  pressure— more  correctly  of  that  weight — is  suddenly  admitted  upon 
it,  it  will  affect  the  piston  exactly  as  a  heavy  body  falling  through  a  space 
equal  to  that  between  the  point  of  admission  and  the  position  of  the  piston 
under  a  retarding  influence,  more  or  less  considerably,  according  to  the 
degree  of  vacuum  therein  existing  at  the  instant  of  admission.  Thus,  sup- 
posing the  pressure  of  the  steam  in  the  valve-casing  to  be  30  lbs.  on  the 
square  inch,  that  of  the  atmosphere  at  the  time  15  lbs.,  and  the  pressure  of 


42 


THE  PRACTICAL  MECHANIC'S  JOURNAL. 


vapour  within  the  cylinder  10  lbs.,  then  the  piston  of  the  indicator  (sup- 
posing it  to  have  a  square  inch  of  area)  would  be  subjected  to  the  action 
of  a  moving  pressure  of  a  column  of  steam  of  5  lbs.  (neglecting  all  fric- 
tions, and  all  expansion  of  the  steam  in  entering  the  cylinder)  falling 
through  a  height  corresponding  to  the  extent  of  vacuous  space  in  the 
cylinder.  It  will,  therefore,  have  accumulated  an  amount  of  work  re- 
presented by  bh,  and  this  work  being  suddenly  communicated  to  the  piston 
of  the  instrument  (at  rest),  must,  of  course,  cause  it  to  recede  until  it  is 
taken  up  by  the  spring. 

In  practice,  the  steam  enters  the  cylinder  gradually,  and  the  pressure 
increases  in  the  same  way,  so  that  the  work  accumulated  is  usually  much 
less  than  it  is  according  to  this  mode  of  considering  the  question ;  but  the 
principle  is  the  same,  whether  the  quantity  of  momentum  acquired  by 
the  steam  be  great  or  small :  it  will  always  cause  the  piston  to  recede 
from  its  statical  position  as  certainly  as  if  the  (surplus)  weight  of  the 
steam  column  were  concentrated  in  a  ball  of  metal,  and  allowed  to  fall 
upon  it  from  an  equivalent  height. 

There  are  several  other  circumstances  connected  with  this  problem, 
some  of  which  possess  considerable  interest  to  the  analyst,  but  our  space 
is  more  than  exhausted.  What  has  been  said  is  sufficient  to  explain  all 
the  cases  of  oscillation  which  occur  by  sudden  changes  of  pressure, 
whether  of  the  indicator  or  of  guage  columns  of  mercury,  and  we  must 
be  content  with  this  much  for  the  present. 

W.  M.  B. 


JAMES'  WEIGHING  MACHINES  AND  WEIGHING  CRANES. 
By  Messrs.  John  James  &  Co.,  Whitechapel,  London. 

{Illustrated  by  Plate  124.) 
Platform  Weighing  Machines  belong 
to  a  class  of  apparatus  which  especially 
demands  a  judicious  combination  of 
strength,  carefully  arranged  details,  and 
extreme  accuracy  and  delicacy  of  work- 
\i-    !k?SPi  '"'"  act'on-     Great   weights   and  bulky 

»     RJIfl      .^->-'  j>  masses   have  to   be  tested  by  them,   and 

the  necessities  of  commercial   transac- 
tions   imperatively  demand   that    even 
machines  of  the  longest  weighing  ranges 
should  yield  accurate  indications  in  the 
speediest   possible    manner.     The    firm 
whose  lately  patented  improvements  in 
such  mechanism  we   now  introduce   to 
the  readers   of  the  Practical  Mechanic's 
Journal,  has  long  stood  in  deservedly  high  repute  for  works  of  this  kind; 
and  we  therefore  have  little  hesitation  in  presenting  their  last  modifica- 
tions, in  illustration  of  what  a  good  modern  weigher  really  is. 

Fig.  1,  on  our  plate  124,  is  a  transverse  vertical  section  of  Mr.  James' 
new  platform  weighing  machine;  the  pillar  and  bracket  being  turned 
round  to  a  position  at  right  angles  to  the  proper  position,  so  as  to  exhibit 
the  details  in  a  clearer  view  than  would  otherwise  be  obtainable.  Fig. 
2  is  a  vertical  section,  on  a  larger  scale,  of  a  portion  of  the  steelyard 
apparatus  detached;  and  fig.  3  is  a  plan  of  the  steelyards  corresponding 
to  fig.  1.  A  is  the  supporting  platform,  which  is  carried  by  the  two  cast- 
iron  girders,  b.  These  girders  have  projecting  lugs,  c,  cast  on  their 
under  sides,  which  lugs  are  slightly  V-grooved,  and  rest  upon  the  steel- 
knife  edges,  d,  carried  by  the  short  bent  lever  arms,  e,  cast  on  the  tubu- 
lar beams,  f.  These  beams  are  fitted  with  steel  knife-edged  centres,  g, 
which  rest  upon  the  V-grooved  bracket  supports,  h.  At  i  are  somewhat 
similar  supports,  cast  in  one  piece  with  the  supports,  h,  and  serving  as 
rests  for  the  ends  of  the  girders  when  the  machine  is  not  in  use.  An 
arm,  j,  is  cast  on  the  under  side  of  each  of  the  hollow  beams,  near  the 
lower  extremity  of  which  is  fitted  a  knife-edged  steel  pivot,  k.  A  con- 
necting-rod, L,  connects  these  two  arms,  the  straps  at  its  extremities 
being  slipped  over  the  steel  centres  in  the  lever  arms,  J.  Similar  arms, 
M,  are  cast  on  the  upper  surface  of  the  hollow  beams,  and  are  also  fitted 
with  knife  edges,  k.  At  o  are  cast-iron  rods,  with  V-grooved  ends, 
which  connect  the  corresponding  opposite  arms,  m,  by  being  fitted  in 
between  their  respective  knife-edged  centres.  In  order  to  secure  the 
girders  from  longitudinal  jarring  or  displacement,  they  are  tied  by  the 
rods,  r,  to  the  fixed  brackets,  i,  a  slight  play  being  given  to  the  rods  to 
allow  of  the  ascent  and  descent  of  the  platform.  The  girders  are  retained 
in  their  proper  position  laterally  by  the  transverse  tie-rods,  Q.  The  long 
weighing  beam,  k,  is  bolted  to  an  eye  at  s,  on  one  of  the  hollow  beams, 
and  is  fitted  at  its  free  end  with  a  steel  pivot,  t,  to  which  pivot  is  hooked 
the  lower  end  of  the  long  link,  u,  and  the  latter  is  similarly  attached  at 
its  upper  extremity  to  a  pivot,  v,  on  the  end  of  the  steelyard.     The 


weights  and  steelyards,  with  the  mechanism  for  their  elevation,  are  car- 
ried by  the  cast-iron  pillar  and  bracket,  w.  The  elevation  of  the  steel- 
yard and  platform  is  effected  by  the  hand-wheel,  x,  which  works  loosely 
on  a  stud  centre  in  the  side  of  the  pillar.  On  the  boss  of  this  wheel  is 
cast  a  small  bevel  pinion,  which  gears  into  the  teeth  of  the  bevel-wheel,  t, 
keyed  on  to  the  end  of  the  shaft,  z.  This  shaft  works  in  the  fixed  bear- 
ings, a,  cast  on  the  pillar  and  bracket,  and  is  fitted  at  its  outer  end  with 
a  spur  pinion,  6,  which  gears  with  the  teeth  of  the  vertical  rack,  c.  The 
upper  end  of  this  rack  is  flattened,  and  has  a  slot  formed  in  it,  through 
which  is  forced  the  outer  end  of  the  steelyard.  Another  pinion,  d,  of  the 
same  diameter,  is  keyed  on  to  the  shaft,  z,  and  gears  into  the  vertical 
rack,  e.  This  rack  is  cast  in  one  piece  with  the  cap,/,  of  the  pillar,  and 
consequently,  as  the  rack  ascends,  the  cap,  /,  will  rise  with  it.  The  cap  is 
open  on  one  side  to  admit  the  end  of  the  steelyard  into  the  interior  of  the 
pillar,  and  on  each  side  of  this  opening  is  fitted  a  V-grooved  steel  bearing- 
piece,  g,  these  pieces  serving  as  rests  for  the  steel  pivots,  h,  forming  the 
fulcra  of  the  steelyard.  The  periphery  of  the  bevel-wheel,  y,  is  grooved 
to  receive  a  chain,  i,  and  counterweight,  j,  one  end  of  the  chain  being 
screwed  to  the  periphery  of  the  wheel.  This  counterweight  balances  the 
weight  of  the  platform,  and  thus  facilitates  its  elevation  when  requisite. 
The  steelyard  is  composed  of  two  bars,  Jc  I ;  the  one,  k,  representing  tons, 
and  the  other,  I,  indicating  cwts.  Both  these  denominations  are  read  off 
by  pointers  or  indicators  attached  to  the  respective  weights  on  one  scale, 
which  consists  of  a  T-shaped  bar,  m,  attached  at  its  ends  to  the  steelyard 
by  small  stud  pillars  and  bolts.  At  n  is  an  indicator,  attached  to  the  end 
of  the  steelyard,  to  show  whether  the  machine  is  in  or  out  of  gear,  this 
being  clearly  indicated  by  the  discrepancy  between  the  height  at  which 
the  indicator  stands,  and  that  of  the  head  of  the  rack,  c.  The  large  ton 
weight,  o,  is  fitted  with  a  scale  and  small  weight,  p,  on  its  upper  surface. 
This  weight  indicates  lbs.  The  tare  weight,  q,  is  shown  in  dotted  lines, 
and  is  contained  inside  the  body  of  the  large  ton  weight.  At  r  is  a  screw, 
which  passes  through  the  centre  of  the  tare  weight;  so  that,  by  turning 
the  milled  head,  s,  the  tare  may  be  adjusted  to  any  required  degree  of 
accuracy.  The  large  weights  are  made  with  only  one  running  wheel ;  and 
when  the  weight  is  to  be  traversed  along  its  steelyard,  the  loop-handle, 
(,  which  is  secured  to  the  upper  surface  of  the  weight,  is  first  raised  suf- 
ficiently to  release  the  small  catch  beneath  it  from  its  notch,  when  the 
weight  may  be  run  on  its  wheel  to  any  required  notch  in  the  steelyard. 
By  this  arrangement,  the  friction  and  wear  of  hanging  weights  is  entirely 
obviated.  In  order  to  raise  the  platform  from  its  rests,  i,  the  hand- 
wheel,  x,  is  turned  by  the  winch-handle  attached  to  it.  This  turns  the 
pinions,  b  and  d,  and  consequently  elevates  the  cap,/,  and  outer  end  of 
the  steelyard  simultaneously,  drawing  up  the  free  end  of  the  weighing- 
beam,  it,  and  raising  the  platform  off  its  bearings.  By  the  time  a  suffi- 
cient elevation  has  been  obtained — which  will  be  effected  in  about  four 
revolutions  of  the  hand-wheel — a  catch  in  the  side  of  the  cap,  /  has  at- 
tained a  sufficient  height  to  lay  hold  of  a  pin  in  the  side  of  the  hand- 
wheel,  holding  it  fixed  in  the  proper  position,  and  retaining  the  platform 
as  elevated.  A  weight  on  any  portion  of  this  platform  will  be  equally 
distributed  over  the  whole  surface,  being  transmitted  through  the  entire 
platform,  along  the  hollow  beams  and  connecting-rods  or  bars,  l  and  u, 
and  thence  to  the  large  weighing-beam,  k. 

Another  branch  of  the  invention  relates  to  an  improved  plan  of  stan- 
dard or  steelyard  support.  In  this  contrivance,  the  head  of  the  standard 
is  made  to  overhang  the  stem  very  considerably,  so  as  to  allow  sufficient 
space  for  the  suspension  of  large  bodies,  such  as  sacks  of  flour  and  po- 
tatoes, without  coming  in  contact  with  the  side  of  the  standard.  A  sup- 
port of  this  kind  is  of  a  very  simple  construction,  and  consists  merely  of 
a  rectangular  bar  of  wrought-iron  to  form  the  vertical  standard,  the  base 
being  made  by  simply  bending  the  lower  end  of  the  bar  into  a  circle,  or 
any  other  suitable  shape,  large  enough  to  form  a  steady  bearing  for  the 
whole  apparatus ;  the  pivot  irom  which  the  weight  is  supended  should, 
however,  be  in  the  same  vertical  line  with  the  entire  of  the  base  of  the 
standard. 

The  third  portion  of  the  improvements  relates  to  a  novel  arrangement 
of  steelyard,  wherein  two  distinct  steelyards  are  used  for  indicating 
two  separate  denominations  of  weights;  for  example,  one  steelyard  may 
serve  to  indicate  cwts.,  and  the  other  qrs.  and  lbs.  By  this  means, 
heavy  steelyard  weighing  machines  may  be  made  to  indicate  small 
weights  with  greater  accuracy  than  can  be  obtained  by  steelyards  of  the 
ordinary  construction.  By  another  arrangement,  one  steelyard  bar  may 
be  made  to  answer  the  same  purpose,  by  making  it  rather  deeper  than 
usual,  and  graduating  both  the  upper  and  lower  edge,  and  using  a  sepa- 
rate weight  for  each,  so  that  the  upper  edge  may  indicate  cwts.,  and  the 
lower  edge  qrs.  and  lbs.  By  dividing  the  steelyards  in  this  manner, 
greater  space  is  afforded  for  the  notches,  and,  consequently,  a  greater 
number  may  be  inserted,  and  therefore  greater  nicety  of  reading  is 
obtained. 


THE  PRACTICAL  MECHANIC'S  JOURNAL. 


43 


MECHANIC'S  LIBRARY. 

Colouring:,  Principles  of  Beauty  in,  Svo.,  15s  ,  cloth.    D.  R.  Hay. 

Dveing,  Manual  of  the  Art  of,12mo.,  7s.  6d.,  cloth.    J.  Napier. 

Encyclopaedia  Britannica,  Sth  edition,  Volume  I.,  Part  2,  4to.,  Ss.,  sewed. 

Euclid.  Elements  of,  Part  I.,  12mo..  Is.,  cloth,  sewed.    Law. 

Euclid's  Elements,  Book  I.,  with  Notes,  12mo.,  Is.,  cloth,  sewed.    Potts. 

Fuel,  On,  12mo»  Is.,  cloth,  sewed.    Prideaux. 

Geological  Observer,  2nd  edition,  Svo.,  ISs.,  cloth.    De  la  Beche. 

Hvdraulic  Tables,  Svo.,  9s.,  cloth.    J.  Neville. 

Industrial  Aits  of  19th  Century,  2  vols.  imp.  fol.,  £17.  17s.    M.  D.  Wyatt 

Leather  Work,  Guide  to,  12mo.,  2s.  6d.,  cloth.    Kevell. 

Microscope,  on  the  Construction  of,  Svo.,  5s.,  cloth.     Hannover. 

Natural  Philosophy,  new  edition,  ISruo.,  2s.  6d.,  cloth.    TV.  Martin. 

Optics,  "Lardner's  Cyclopaedia,"  new  edition,  foolscap  Svo.,  3s.  6d.    Brewster. 

Organic  Chemistry,  Principles  of,  Trans.,  16s.,  cloth.    Dr.  Lbwig. 

Scientific  Discovery,  Annual  of,  1S52,  crown  SvoH  7s.  6d.    D.  A.  Wells. 

Science,  Marvels  of,  4th  edition,  crown  Svo.,  7s.  6d.,  cloth.    S.  W.  Fullom. 

Stereoscope,  On  Construction  and  Use  of,  Svo.,  5s.,  cloth.    Hannover. 

RECENT    PATENTS 


POWER-LOOM  WEFT-FORKS. 
Wm.  Stevenson,  Bothesay. — Patent  dated  October  15,  1852. 

The  ordinary  weft-fork,  or  protector,  as  commonly  used  for  power- 
looms  for  stopping  the  loom  action  when  the  weft-thread  breaks,  is  sub- 
ject to  very  frequent  breakage  from  the  chance  catching  of  the  shuttle 
against  it,  as  every  loom-tackier  well  knows.  Mr.  Stevenson  remedies 
this  evil  by  so  forming  the  forks,  that  when  in  danger  of  fracture  from 
this  cause,  part  of  the  fork  may  give  way.  To  effect  this,  the  vertical 
portion  of  the  fork,  or  that  part  whereon  the  weft-thread  acts,  is  hinged 
or  jointed  to  the  body  of  the  fork ;  so  that,  on  coming  in  contact  with  the 
shuttle,  in  case  of  stoppage  of  the  latter  in  its  transit  across  the  loom, 
such  piece  may  be  thrown  up  upon  its  hinge,  and  thus  prevent  the  fork 
from  breaking.  After  such  action,  the  hinged  piece  falls  down  again  to 
its  proper  working  position,  and  the  joint  being  made  with  a  stop  on  the 
opposite  side  of  its  centre,  the  motion  of  the  piece  in  the  other  direction 
is  prevented,  and  the  fork's  action,  in  connection  with  the  working  of  the 
weft,  is  unimpaired. 

Fig.  1.  is  a  side  elevation  of  one  form  of  the  improved  weft-fork,  as  in 
working  action.  Fig.  2  is  a  plan  corresponding.  The  fixed  stud  or 
holding  stay,  A,  of  the  fork,  is  cast  with  a  wide  double  eye,  b,  for  the 
reception  of  the  flat  expanded  end  of  the  detent  lever,  c,  which  is  retained 
in  position  by  a  rivet-joint  pin  passed  through  the  lugs,  b,  of  the  double 
eye,  and  through  the  lever.  The  latter  is  thus  well  guided  laterally, 
whilst  the  expanded  portion,  b,  affords  room  for  the  reception  of  the 


Fig.  2. 

hinged  prongs,  d,  for  the  actual  weft  action.  These  prongs  are,  as  usual, 
three  in  number.  They  are  loosely  entered  into  three  corresponding 
slots  in  the  piece,  c,  and  the  single-joint  pin  already  referred  to,  secures 
them  on  their  centre  of  oscillation.  The  bottom  of  each  of  the  recesses 
or  slots  in  the  piece,  c,  is  angularly  sloped,  whilst  the  inserted  end  of 
each  of  the  prongs  is  correspondingly  angled,  or  inclined,  to  fit  to  it ; 
the  result  of  this  arrangement  is,  that  so  long  as  the  fork  works  in  its 
regular  routine  of  duty,  its  prongs  hold  the  position  assigned  to  them  by 
the  sharp  lines  of  the  figures  ;  the  passing  weft-thread  acts  upon  their 
vertical  portions,  so  as  to  elevate  the  catch,  e,  of  the  detent  lever,  clear  of 
the  stop  movement,  at  each  passage;  just  as  would  occur  with  the  ordi- 
nary fork,  because  the  incline  upon  the  prong  acts  upon  the  inclined  bot- 
tom of  its  recess  exactly  in  the  same  manner  as  would  arise  if  the  fork 
were  a  solid  one.  But,  on  the  other  hand,  if  an  intercepted  shuttle 
chances  to  be  in  the  way,  it  simply  acts  upon  the  inside  edges  of  the 
prongs,  ii,  and  elevates  them,  on  their  joint  centre,  to  the  position  de- 
lineated by  the  dotted  lines.  Thus  the  prongs  give  way ;  and  their  frac- 
ture, which  is  inevitable  with  the  common  solid  fork,  is  avoided.  Then, 
BO  soon  as  the  obstacle  is  removed,  the  prongs  fall  to  their  accustomed 
position,  and  their  regular  action  goes  on. 

A  similar  effect  is  also  obtainable  by  constructing  the  vertical  or  prong 


portion  of  the  fork  of  some  elastic  material,  which  yields  when  struck 
against  the  shuttle,  but  is  stiff  or  rigid  enough  for  the  weft  action.  This 
is  a  very  simple  and  ingenious  way  of  getting  rid  of  a  serious  objection 
in  power-loom  weaving. 


SMOKELESS  FURNACE. 
John  Lee  Stevens. — Patent  dated  October  1,  1852. 
This  is  the  earlier  of  two  patents  obtained  by  Mr.  Stevens  in  the  same 
month.  It  relates  to  an  arrangement  of  furnace  to  work  without  any 
moving  parts  whatever;  whilst  the  latter  patent,  of  October  27th,  com- 
prehends a  rather  complicated  system  of  revolving  bars.  We  mention 
this  for  the  reason  that,  about  three  months  back,  the  daily  prints  gave 


reports  of  a  statement  made  by  the  inventor  before  the  City  of  London 
Commissioners,  in  some  measure  confusing  the  details  of  the  two  plans.  Our 
engraving  represents  a  longitudinal  section  of  the  furnace  actually  fitted 
to  the  General  Screw  Steam-Shipping  Company's  vessel,  the  Earl  of  Auck- 
land, running  between  London  and  Rotterdam.  In  this  figure,  a  is  the 
first  set  of  furnace  bars,  and  b  the  second,  or  back  set;  c,  calorific  plate, 
faced  with  firebricks;  d,  bridge;  e,  furnace  flue;  f,  boiler  tubes;  G, 
funnel  flue ;  h,  furnace  door ;  i,  direction  of  the  current  of  air. 

The  inventor  has  not  interfered  with  the  previous  fastenings,  so  as  to 
risk  any  damage  to  the  boiler ;  nor  has  he  changed  the  range  of  the 
bars,  B.  The  only  alterations  from  the  ordinary  mode  being  the  reduc- 
tion of  the  thickness  of  the  bridge,  d,  and  the  addition  of  the  first  set  of 
bars,  A,  and  of  the  calorific  plate,  c;  thus  allowing  A  to  be  supplied  with 
fuel  from  b,  and  yielding  free  ingress  to  the  current  of  air,  i. 

It  will  be  seen,  that  by  this  arrangement  the  ignited  coals  voided  upon 
the  bars,  a,  constitute,  with  the  burning  fuel  on  the  bars,  B,  two  strata 
of  fire,  through  which  the  air,  rapidly  absorbing  the  caloric  in  its  passage, 
proceeds  upwards,  and  becomes  still  more  intensely  heated  between  the 
calorific  plate  and  the  bridge,  and  is  then  emitted  at  the  necessarily  high 
temperature,  where  it  effectually  intercepts  and  gives  continuous  and 
complete  combustion  to  the  gaseous  products  of  the  coal ;  its  operation 
being  only  very  partially  suspended  by  the  opening  of  the  furnace  door 
for  the  requisite  addition  of  fuel.  In  fact,  it  is  a  double  furnace,  con- 
fined strictly  to  the  limits  of,  and  cheaply  applicable  to,  any  description 
of  furnace ;  has  all  the  advantages  of  a  hot-blast  without  the  complexity 
of  any  moveable  apparatus ;  is  so  contrived  as  uniformly  to  distribute 
and  keep  up  the  heat,  as  well  as  to  increase  the  draught ;  and,  whilst 
thoroughly  curing  the  smoke  nuisance,  and  preventing  the  usual  deposit 
of  soot  in  the  flues,  it  is  said  that,  in  the  case  of  the  Earl  of  Auckland, 
it  effects  a  saving  of  from  15  to  20  per  cent,  in  the  consumption  of  fuel  ; 
and  still  greater  reductions  in  furnaces  upon  land — varying,  indeed, 
from  20  to  26  per  cent. 

Hitherto,  however,  with  the  exception  of  one  furnace  at  Northampton, 
in  which  the  fuel  is  largely  economised,  the  invention  has  been  modified 
to  meet  the  peculiar  requirements  of  furnaces  long  in  use,  and  generally 
of  defective  construction.  And  if  such  satisfactory  results  follow  its 
application  to  the  large  number  already  so  improved  in  London  and  the 
provinces,  it  is  only  reasonable  to  assume  that  more  abundant  advan- 
tages will  be  apparent  when  Mr.  Lee  Stevens  has  fairer  play  given  to 
his  invention  by  its  use  in  new  furnaces.  At  all  events,  the  simplicity 
and  universal  applicability  of  his  plan — its  economy  of  cost,  and  the 
enormous  savings  consequent  upon  its  use — with  the  unquestionable 
facts  in  his  favour,  that  are  verified  by  the  most  respectable  and  dis- 
interested testimony — must  insure  to  him  ample  remuneration  for  the 
ingenuity  evinced  in  his  invention. 


4-1 


THE  PRACTICAL  MECHANIC'S  JOURNAL. 


ARTIFICIAL   ILLUMINATION  AND  HEATING. 

A.  M.  Dix,  Salford.— Enrolled  Feb.  7,  1853. 

Mr.  Dix's  invention  relates  to  the  so  arranging,  illuminating,  and 
heating  apparatus,  that  the  gas  or  other  combustible  shall  be  consumed, 
and  the  necessary  oxygen  supplied  thereto  for  the  support  of  combus- 
tion, quite  irrespective  of  the  atmosphere  of  the  apartment  where  the 
apparatus  is  placed.       To  this  end  the  light  is  contained  in  a  close 


yessel.  having  tubes  for  the  admission  of  oxygen,  and  the  conveyance 
away  of  the  products  of  combustion,  so  that  the  vitiated  air  does  not 
mingle  with  or  contaminate  the  surrounding  atmosphere.  The  same 
contrivance  also  prevents  injury  to  the  steadiness  of  the  light,  from 
the  opening  and  closing  of  doors,  or  other  disturbances  in  the  atmo- 
sphere. It  may  also  be  applied  to  the  lighting  of  mines,  or  may 
be  used  under  water,  or  in  any  other  situation  where  an  exposed  light 
might  be  impracticable  or  dangerous,  as  the  light  can  be  sustained  in- 
dependent of  the  nature  of  the  immediately  surrounding  medium.     In 


heating  apartments,  the  closed  chamber  in  which  the  combustion  is  car- 
ried on  may  be  either  transparent  or  not,  as  preferred,  and  it  may  be 
either  plain  or  ornamental,  care  being  taken  that  the  ingress  of  fresh 
air  for  combustion,  and  the  egress  of  the  foul  or  exhausted  air  from  the 
vessel,  shall  be  duly  proportioned ;  and  it  is  to  be  here  remarked,  that 
for  heating  purposes  it  is  preferable  for  the  fresh  air  to  be  conducted 
directly  to  the  gas,  the  foul  air  circulating  in  the  vessel,  and  allowing  the 
heat  to  radiate  into  the  apartment,  and  in  cases  where  a  downward 
draught  is  required  for  the  consumed  air. 

Our  engraving  represents  the  invention  as  applied 
to  an  ordinary  pendant  gas  lamp,  the  figure  being  a 
vertical  section  of  the  upper  and  lower  portions  of  the 
lamp,  one-fourth  the  real  size,     a  is  the  closed  vessel, 
or  chamber,  in  which  the  combustion  takes  place. 
It  is  formed  of  glass  or  other  transparent  substance, 
and  ornamented  by  cutting,     n  is  the  pipe  for  sup- 
plying air  to  this  chamber.     This  pipe  terminates 
at  its  upper  end  above  the  ceiling,  c,  of  the  apart- 
ment, in  a  closed  box,  d,  which  communicates,  by 
means  of  a  pipe  or  tube,  e,  with  the  atmosphere  above 
the  roof,  or  with  the  atmosphere  of  the  roof  or  loft 
above.      f  is  the  pipe  for  the  exit  of  the  hot  air, 
communicating  also  with  the  external  atmosphere  by 
means  of  the  pipe,  G.      It  is  advisable  that  these 
two  tubes,  a  and  g,  should  terminate  at  the  same 
place — the  still  atmosphere  of  a  loft,  or  other  spare 
room,  being  preferred — and  should  open  in  the  same  direction,  in  order  that 
the  pressure  of  the  atmosphere  may  at  all  times  be  equal  upon  both  of  them. 
The  tube,  f,  is  encased  in  a  third  tube,  H,  the  space  between  the  two 
tubes,  f  and  h,  being  filled  witli  water.     At  I  is  a  small  tube  for  con- 
veying cold  water  to  the  lower  part  of  the  said  space,  andtc  is  a  similar 
tube  for  conveying  the  water  (as  it  becomes  heated)  from  the  upper  part 
of  this  space.     These  two  tubes,  i  and  K,  terminate  in  a  tank,  so  that  a 
constant  circulation  going  on,  the  water  in  the  space  between  the  two 
tubes  is  kept  cool,  this  water  being  employed  as  a  non-conductor — first, 
to  maintain  a  dissimilar  temperature  between  the  fresh  and  foul  air;  and, 
secondly,  to  preclude  the  possibility  of  any  danger  to  the  building  from 
fire.     The  foul  or  hot  air  tube  may  be  similarly  encased  throughout.    At 
l  is  the  pipe  for  supplying  the  gas,  and  to  the  lower  end  of  this  is  attached 
the  burner,  m.     The  burner  is  surmounted  by  a  glass  chimney,  n,  which 
is  connected  to  the  exit-pipe  by  a  short  sliding  tube,  o,  fitting  loosely 
into  the  lower  end  of  the  pipe,  F.    The  lower  end  of  the  tube,  o,  is  turned 
upwards,  in  order  that  any  vapour  that  may  condense  upon  the  inner 
surface  of  the  tube,  and  run  down  between  the  two  tubes,  f  and  o,  may 
lodge  there,  and  be  again  evaporated,  instead  of  passing  into  the  cham- 
ber, a.     The  stop-cock,  p,  for  admitting  or  shutting  off  the  gas,  may 
either  be  placed  in  the  chamber,  A,  or  in  any  other  convenient  situation. 
The  tube,  h,  is  connected  to  the  tube,  b,  and  thus  supported  by  means  of 
the  screws,  Q.     The  glass  chamber  is  held  in  a  metal  ring,  r,  by  means 
of  screws,  s,  and  this  ring  is  connected  to,  or  disconnected  from,  the  lower 
end  of  the  tube,  B,  by  means  of  a  bayonet  joint.     The  pipes,  e  and  g,  are 
furnished  with  throttle  valves,  or  dampers,  t,  for  regulating  the  draught ; 
and  the  pipe,  G,  is  depressed  at  g',  and  furnished  with  a  small  pipe,  u,  for 
conveying  away  any  condensed  vapour  that  may  lodge  therein. 

METAL  SHEARING  MACHINE. 

Walter  Williams,  Albion  Iron  Works,  West  Bromwich. 
Mr.  Williams' 
arrangement  of 
shearing  •  ma- 
chine acts  with  a 
direct  rectilineal 
cut.  It  is  suit- 
able for  the  hea- 
viest class  of 
work,  and  is 
creditably  dis- 
tinguished as  a 
good  combina- 
tion of  strength  and  sim- 
plicity. Fig.  1  of  our  en- 
gravings is  a  side  elevation 
of  the  machine;  fig.  2  is 
a  plan,  and  fig.  3  an  end 
view.  The  cast-iron  bed 
plate,  a,  forms  the  foun- 
dation of  the  machine,  carrying  the  duplex  guide  standard,  or  "  hous- 
ings," b,  and  the  carriages,  c.      The  moveable  shear-blade,  D,  works  in 


THE  PRACTICAL  MECHANIC'S  JOURNAL. 


45 


vertical  dovetail  slides  in  the  face  of  one  of  the  standards;  whilst  the 
fixed  blade,  e,  is  secured  to  the  face  of  the  opposite  standards  by  corre- 
sponding reverse   dovetails. 

The  actuating  slide,  f,  works  F'S.  2.— l-48th. 

through  the  carriages,  c, 
being  jointed  at  a  to  a  con- 
necting-rod passing  to  the 
pin  of  a  constantly  revolving 
crank.  The  two  standards,  H, 
are  attached  to  the  shear,  d, 
and  pass  through  the  bed 
plate,  to  embrace  the  upper 
edge  of  the  slide,  f.  To  this 
slide  they  are  connected  by 
transverse  pins  and  antifric- 
tion rollers  working  in  the 
curved  slots,  i,  in  the  slide. 
These  curved  slots  are  so  ar- 


ranged  as  to  permit  the  shear, 
d,  to  remain  open  and  station- 
ary, the  upper  portions  of  the 
slots  being  straight  and  hori- 
zontal for  this  purpose.  The 
extent  of  this  neutral  action 
is  adjustable  to  suit  the  time 


<3ij 


required  in  setting  the  plate 
to  be  cut ;  and,  similarly, 
these  slots  govern  the  crank 
throw,  and  the  amount  of 
the  shear's  elevation. 

The  standards  are  designed 
to  allow  of  shearing  plates  of 
any  length,  as  a  clear  open 

traverse  is  effectually  secured  for  the  passing  plate  during  the  shear- 
ing action.  This  action  is  pretty  obvious,  on  considering  the  effect  of 
the  crank's  revolution  upon  the  slide,  f.  As  the  latter  thus  recipro- 
cates, the  curved  portions  of  the  slots,  I,  act  upon  their  antifriction 
rollers,  and  force  the  moveable  shear  up  and  down,  giving  a  powerful 
vertical  cutting  actio  a  against  the  stationary  blade. 


Fig.  3.— l-48th. 


CINDER  BASKET. 
Matthias  Walker,  Ircnmonger,  Horsham. — Patent  dated  Oct.  1, 1852. 


Our  engraving  exhibits  this  useful  little  invention  with  its  side  and 
cover  partially  broken  away,  to  show  the  internal  arrangement.  The 
cinders  and  ashes  to  be  separated  are  shovelled  into  it  by  the  large 
end  door,  a,  and  they  thus  fall  on  the  curved  incline  grating,  e.  Then, 
•by  shaking  the  basket,  the  ashes  fall  through  the  grating,  and  may  be 
emptied  by  the  small  end  door,  c,  whilst  the  cinders  remain  in  the  basket 
for  use.  The  basket  presents  a  very  neat  exterior ;  and,  as  it  is  all 
covered  in,  no  dust  can  rise  during  the  process  of  sifting.     Resides,  it 


effects  considerable  economy  in  the  cinders.  Mr.  Walker  has  also 
patented  an  important  contrivance  applicable  to  barrels  and  other  fluid- 
containing  vessels.  This  arrangement,  which  he  terms  a  "hydrostatic 
vessel,"  consists  in  encircling  the  vessel  with  an  outer  case,  filled  with 
a  cooling  fluid,  so  that  the  actual  contents  of  the  vessel  are  well  defended 
from  atmospheric  influences,  and  are  kept  fresh,  cool,  and  at  a  uniform 
temperature. 


CRAYON  DAGUERREOTYPES. 

J.  E.  Mayall,  London. — Patent  dated  Jan.  25,  1853. 

This  invention  relates  to  an  ingenious  mechanical  arrangement  for 

carrying  out  Mr.  Mayall's  beautiful  "  crayon"  process  of  stopping  out, 

or  softening  off,  portions  of  phoforraphie  pictures.     Our  engraving  repre- 


sents a  front  view  of  the  apparatus,  complete.  It  consists  of  a  slowly 
revolving  disc,  a,  arranged  on  a  support  somewhat  like  a  fire-screen, 
and  having  a  central  opening  in  the  form  of  a  large  star.  This  disc  is 
carried  between  the  forks,  B,  of  a  framepiece,  the  stem,  c,  of  which  is 
adjustable  as  to  height  in  the  pedestal,  d.  To  keep  the  disc  in  motion, 
an  arrangement  of  clockwork  is  attached  to  the  framing,  the  actuating 
spring  being  contained  in  a  box,  e,  driving  a  spur-wheel  in  gear  with  a 
pinion,  F,  on  the  spindle  of  the  fly,  o.  The  screw  for  setting  the  disc 
up  or  down  is  at  h. 

This  apparatus  is  interposed  between  the  object,  or  sitter,  and  the 
camera;  and  the  central  portion  of  the  star  is  made  large  enough  to  ad- 
mit the  rays  from  that  part  of  the  object  which  is  to  be  shown  in  strong 
light,  whilst  the  rays  from  those  parts  which  are  to  be  gradually  shaded 
off  to  a  dark  background,  are  partially  intercepted  by  the  points  of  the 
star.  In  this  way,  the  intensity  of  the  light  is  gradually  destroyed,  and 
the  softened-off  "  crayon"  effect  is  produced.  The  apparatus  is  appli- 
cable to  every  description  of  camera,  and  by  placing  it  nearer  to,  or 
further  from  the  lens,  any  portious  of  the  image  may  he  so  softened  off. 


46 


THE  PRACTICAL  MECHANIC'S  JOURNAL. 


Fig.  l. 


MOTIVE  POWER  AND  METERS. 
T.  Kennedy,  Kilmarnock. — Enrolled  October  4,  1852. 
Mr.  Kennedy,  who  has  long  been  favourably  known — as  well  for  his 
connection  with  improvements  in  fire-arms  as  in  gas  and  water-meters 
— has  here  gained  a  further  step  in  the  latter  branch  of  invention. 
Fig.  1  of  our  sketches  is  a  front  elevation  of  his  combined  water-power 
apparatus  and  meter,  the  front  plate  of  the  cover  over  the  external 
mechanism  being  removed.  The  main  fluid-cylinder,  a,  into  which  the 
water  is  passed,  is  set  vertically  on  a  suitable 
base,  its  open  upper  end  being  covered  in 
by  a  flange  or  base  plate,  in  which  is  the 
stuffing-box  for  the  rod,  b,  of  a  duplex- 
cupped  piston  to  pass  through  from  the 
interior  of  the  cylinder.  The  projecting  end 
of  this  piston-rod  is  connected  to  a  cord 
wound  upon  the  pulley,  c,  above,  whilst  a 
similar  cord,  wound  the  reverse  way  upon 
this  pulley,  is  passed  up  and  over  a  guide- 
pulley,  d,  a  weight,  e,  being  suspended  to 
the  free  end  of  this  cord.  The  spindle  of 
the  cord-pulley,  c,  is  supported  in  suitable 
bearings  in  the  containing-case,  and  its 
axis  coincides  with  the  axial  line  of  a  four- 
way  cock,  the  plug  or  key  of  which  has 
upon  it  a  pair  of  lever-arms,  f,  each  fit- 
ted with  angular  terminal  pieces,  for  the 
weighted  tumbler,  g,  to  fall  against  in  either 
direction.  The  fluid  supply  is  derived  from 
the  pipe,  n,  terminating  in  the  shell  of  the 
four-way  cock,  from  the  two  opposite  ports 
of  which,  the  pipes,  I,  j,  pass  down  to  the 
upper  and  lower  ends  of  the  cylinder,  a, 
respectively.  The  fourth  pipe,  k,  opposite 
to  the  ingress-pipe,  is  the  discharge  passage. 
As  delineated  in  the  figure,  the  piston  is 
supposed  to  have  arrived  nearly  at  the  top 
of  its  stroke,  water  being  in  the  act  of 
flowing  into  the  cylinder  beneath  the  piston 
3  to  force  the  latter  up,  whilst  the  previous 
supply  is  passing  off  from  above  the  piston 
through  the  discharge-pipe.  Then,  as  the  piston  rises  further  up,  the 
consequent  revolution  of  the  cord-pulley  carries  round  a  catch-arm,  and 

Fig.  2. 


!  c! 


this  presses  laterally  upon  the  lever-arm  of  the  tumbler,  G,  which  works 
loosely  upon  its  spindle.  In  this  way,  as  the  piston  rises,  the  tumbler 
is  gradually  carried  round  until  it  arrives  at  the  vertical  centre-line, 


when  it  falls  over  to  the  other  side,  and,  in  falling,  strikes  upon  the 
elevated  arm,  f,  of  the  four-way  cock-plug,  thus  reversing  the  water- 
ways, and  allowing  the  water  to  pass  off  from  the  lower  end  of  the 
cylinder,  and  a  fresh  supply  to  flow  in  above  the  piston.  The  sudden 
blow  of  the  tumbler  is  taken  up  by  the  weight  falling  upon  the  alternate 
ends  of  the  traversing-piece,  L,  slung  at  each  end  by  straps  or  flexible 
connections.  When  the  piston  arrives  again  at  its  bottom  position,  the 
same  action  takes  place  in  a  reverse  direction,  and  the  tumbler  falls  the 
other  way,  to  bring  the  valve  to  the  position  first  pointed  out.  Hence 
a  continuous  reciprocatory  action  is  produced,  and  the  power  derivable 
from  the  water's  pressure  may  be  taken  off  the  apparatus  in  any  con- 
venient way,  as  by  the  spindle  of  the  cord-pulley,  the  rapidity  of  the 
change  at  the  end  of  each  stroke  being  such  as  to  obviate  serious 
objections  as  to  intermittent  motion.  The  quantity  of  fluid  discharged 
from  the  cylinder  at  each  movement  being  known,  the  apparatus  becomes 
an  indicating  meter  by  attaching  a  train  of  index-wheels  and  dial. 
Such  index  is,  in  this  example,  actuated  by  a  disc-piece  on  the  shaft  of 
the  cord-pulley,  this  disc  having  a  cam-piece,  which,  in  coming  round, 
presses  against  the  upper  end  of  a  lever  set  on  a  fixed  centre,  and  con- 
nected by  detent  catches  with  the  ratchet-wheel  of  the  train.  Thus  the 
train  moves  the  required  amount  at  each  stroke  of  the  piston,  and  the 
measurement  is  read  off  at  the  dial  front.  By  another  modification,  the 
piston-rod  terminates  in  a  toothed  rack,  in  gear  with  a  toothed  pinion, 
instead  of  the  cord-and-pulley  arrangement,  and  the  blow  of  the  falling 
tumbler  is  taken  up  by  a  frictional-traversing  buffer. 

Fig.  2  is  a  front  elevation  of  Mr.  Kennedy's  gas-meter.  The  tank,  a, 
is  fitted  up  with  a  pair  of  chambers,  b,  b',  so  as  to  form  a  species  of  duplex 
gasometer  or  gas-holder,  the  joint  being  of  the  usual  "cup  and  dip" 
form,  as  shown  at  the  dotted  portions,  c.  The  two  chambers  are  con- 
nected and  hung  together  by  the  cord  or  chain,  d,  passing  over  the 
bearing  pulleys,  e,  f,  so  that  their  motion  is  simultaneous  in  reverse 
directions.  The  gas  supply-pipe  is  at  g,  opening  into  the  lower  section,  h, 
of  the  valve-chamber,  and  in  the  position  delineated  in  the  drawings  the 
gas  is  flowing  from  this  chamber  through  the  open  valve,  i,  and  down 
the  pipe,  j,  which  passes  up  into  the  measuring  chamber,  B.  The  gaseous 
pressure  so  produced  then  gradually  elevates  the  chamber,  b,  and  at  the 
same  time  the  opposite  chamber,  b',  descends  correspondingly — its  sup- 
ply of  gas  due  to  the  previous  movement  passing  off  through  the  valve,  K, 
in  the  upper  section,  l,  of  the  valve-chamber,  by  means  of  the  pipe,  m, 
opening  into  the  chamber,  b'.  This  discharged  gas  finally  passes  off  from 
the  upper  section  of  the  chamber  by  the  pipe,  n.  This  goes  on  until  the 
arrival  of  the  chamber,  b,  at  the  top  of  its  rise — the  other  one,  b',  being 
then  at  the  bottom  of  its  traverse ;  and  the  valves  are  then  reversed  by 
the  action  of  the  pulley,  f.  The  spindle,  o,  of  this  pulley  carries  a 
toothed  pinion,  p,  gearing  with  a  segmental  toothed  rack  or  wheel,  Q, 
set  on  a  fixed  centre,  R,  and  carrying  a  crank-ann,  s,  working  between 
the  prongs  of  the  fork,  t,  fast  on  the  upper  tumbler  tube,  v.  This  tube 
oscillates  on  a  fixed  centre,  v,  and  contains  a  small  quantity  of  mercury, 
so  as  to  form  a  tumbler  of  quick  action,  by  reason  of  the  rapid  flow  of 
the  heavy  mercury  from  one  end  to  the  other,  on  the  slightest  deviation 
of  the  tube  from  the  horizontal  line.  Directly  beneath  this  upper  tum- 
bler is  a  similar  tumbler,  w,  oscillating  on  the  centre,  x,  and  linked  at  T 
to  a  connecting-piece  passing  down  into  the  valve-chamber  through  a 
simple  hydraulic  joint,  z.  The  lower  end  of  the  connecting-piece  is 
hinged  at  a,  to  a  double  lever  oscillating  on  the  centre,  6,  and  connected 
at  each  end  to  a  duplex  valve  arrangement,  so  contrived  that  there  is 
always  a  closed  and  an  open  valve  in  each  section  of  the  chamber,  the 
two  open  valves  in  the  present  case  being  i  k,  and  the  closed  ones,  c  d. 
Then,  in  tracing  the  action  of  the  apparatus  as  already  commenced,  it 
is  to  be  understood  that  the  adjustment  is  such,  that  when  the  chamber, 

b,  is  at  the  top  of  its  rise,  the  revolution  of  the  arm,  s,  on  the  segmental 
wheel,  Q,  acting  on  one  of  the  prongs  of  the  fork,  t,  causes  the  upper 
tumbler,  c,  to  fall  over  to  the  other  side  of  its  horizontal  line.  The  end, 
e,  of  the  tumbler  then  falls  sharply  upon  the  piece,  /,  on  the  lower 
tumbler,  and  thus  that  end  of  the  lower  tumbler  descends  also,  and  its 
other  end  then  draws  up  the  valve-link,  and  reverses  the  entire  set  of 
four  valves;  so  that  gas  now  enters  the  chamber,  b',  through  the  valve, 

c,  for  a  second  measurement  of  that  amount,  whilst  the  gas  already  in 
the  chamber,  b,  flows  off  through  the  valve,  d.  In  this  way  a  continuous 
flow  and  measurement  is  kept  up  with  great  uniformity — the  registra- 
tion of  the  amount  of  gas  passed  through  the  meter  being  effected  by 
connecting  a  train  of  wheels  and  an  index  to  any  convenient  movement 
of  the  apparatus,  as  to  the  segmental-wheel  action  of  the  tumblers. 
When  fitted  up  for  use,  the  whole  of  the  mechanism  is  covered  over 
by  an  upper  casing,  so  that  the  apparatus  presents  the  appearance  of  a 
simple  rectangular  case. 

Fig.  3  is  a  vertical  section  of  another  modification  of  meter,  wherein  a 
duplex-measuring  action  is  kept  up  by  still  simpler  means.     This  ap- 


THE  PRACTICAL  MECHANIC'S  JOURNAL. 


47 


paratus  consists  of  an  open  tank,  a,  in  which  is  fitted  the  long  inverted 
chamber,  b,  the  whole  forming  a  closed  receiver,  in  which  a  quantity  of 

water  is  placed.  In  this  re- 
ceiver is  also  an  open  inverted 
moveable  chamber,  c,  having 
a  central  tube,  d,  passing 
through  it;  this  tube  being 
open  at  its  upper  end,  E,  but 
closed  and  perforated  with  a 
few  small  apertures  only  at 
its  lower  extremity,  where 
also  is  attached  the  end  of  a 
slight  spindle.  This  tubular 
arrangement  forms  a  simple 
hydraulic  joint  and  means  of 
connection  of  the  working 
chambers.  The  spindle  pro- 
jects above  the  top  of  the 
chamber,  c,  and  works  up 
through  a  fixed  open-ended 
tube,  g,  fast  at  its  upper  end 
in  the  top  of  the  case,  b,  which 
tube,  the  open  tube,  d,  in  the 
case,  c,  also  surrounds  and 
works  over.  The  chamber,  c, 
is  the  essential  apparatus  of 
measurement,  and  its  spindle 
is  connected  toa  cord  or  chain, 
B,  the  end  of  which  is  passed 
over  guide-pulleys,  and  has 
a  counterweight  hung  to  it; 
this  cord  answering  also  as  a  means  of  working  the  index  apparatus.  The 
gas  enters  by  the  pipe,  k,  which  opens  into  the  hollow  of  the  chamber  c, 
above  the  interior  fluid  level.  The  discharge  takes  place  through  the 
pipe,  l,  on  the  top  of  the  case  or  chamber,  b.  This  meter  is  fitted  with 
a  valvular  apparatus,  like  that  already  described  in  reference  to  fig.  2,  As 
the  gas  passes  in  by  the  pipe,  k,  it  fills  the  chamber,  c,  which  necessarily 
rises  to  the  top  of  its  travel.  At  this  stage  the  valvular  passages  are  re- 
versed, and  the  pipe,  l,  now  becomes  the  supply-pipe,  whilst  the  discharge 
takes  place  through  the  lower  pipe,  k.  In  this  way  the  quantity  of  gas 
measured  by  the  content  of  the  chamber,  c,  is  discharged  therefrom  by  the 
descent  of  the  chamber,  and,  at  the  same  instant  of  change,  a  fresh  supply 
of  gas  enters  the  upper  part  of  the  case,  b  ;  so  that,  when  the  chamber,  b, 
has  reached  the  bottom  of  its  traverse,  another  measure  of  gas  will  have 
been  determined  by  the  space  between  the  top  of  the  chamber,  c,  and  the 
case,  b.  The  valves  are  again  reversed  at  the  bottom  of  this  stroke;  and 
thus  goes  on  a  constant  succession  of  fillings  and  emptyings  of  the 
chamber,  c,  and  the  upper  part  of  the  case,  b,  these  measurements  being 
registered  and  indicated  in  any  convenient  way,  by  an  index  worked  from 
the  cord,  h,  or  other  moving  detail. 

TENTS. 
R.  Lambert,  Liverpool. — Patent  dated  October  11,  1852. 

Fig- 1. 


tents  for  hot  climates.  Fig.  1  is  an  external  view  of  one  of  these  tentst 
complete;  fig.  2  is  a  vertical  section,  corresponding;  fig.  3  is  an  enlarged 
view  of  the  ventilating  apparatus,  detached;  and  fig.  4  is  a  correspond- 
ing section.     The  upper 

portion   of    the    tent   is  Fig. 2- 

made  of  network,  or 
other  permeable  fabric, 
sothatairmay  pass  freely 
through ;  whilst  a  cover 
is  adapted  for  closing  up 
such  open  passage  as 
required — a  head  being 
fitted  to  throw  off  rain, 
and  yet  retain  the  open 
work  for  ventilation. 
The  section  illustrates 
the  double  tent,  each  be- 
ing fitted  with  means  of 
ventilation.  Hence,  as 
there  is  a  clear  space  be- 
tween the  two  for  a  stra- 
tum of  air,  and  a  free 
outlet  by  the  ventilating 
apparatus,  the  inuer  tent, 
or  division,  is  screened 
from  the  external  heat. 
In  single  tents,  when  the 
upper  part  of  the  tent  is 

made  of  network,  a  stiff  conical  cap  is  fixed  on  the  tent-post,  so  as  to 
cover  the  opening;  this  cone  being  capable  of  shutting  down  on  the  tent 
at  pleasure.  But,  for  double  tents,  the  arrangement  in  figs.  3  and  4  is 
preferred — the  cone  being  supported  on  the  top  of  the  tent-post  by  in- 
clined standards ;  and  to  the  upper  part  of  the  cone  is  attached  a  pipe, 


Fig.  3. 


Fig.  i. 


The  improvements  in  tents,  specified  under  this  patent,  relate  to  the 
ventilation  of  such  erections  at  the  top,  and  to  the  construction  of  double 


carrying  the  axis  of  a  rotatory  cover  cap,  with  a  wind-vane.  Tho 
figures  also  show  a  lamp  suspended  beneath  the  cone.  By  these 
contrivances,  very  perfect  ventilation  is  secured. 

The  whole  arrangement  of  the  tent  is  deserving  of  much  praise 
for  its  general  excellence  even  in  the  most  minute  details ;  it  is 

just  such  a  piece  of  furniture  as  we  should  recommend  to  the  intending 

emigrant. 


i-*— 


48 


THE  PRACTICAL  MECHANIC'S  JOURNAL. 


REGISTERED  DESIGNS. 

UNIVERSAL  TENT,  OR  SLEEPING  CABIN. 
Registered  for  Mr.  H.  Harrison,  Sen.,  King's  Road,  Hoxton. 
The  "  universal  tent "  is  intended  as  a  temporary  home  for  the  newly- 
landed  emigrant,  or  for   the  permanent   occupation  of  the  wandering 


shepherd  or  gold-seeker.  Our  figure  represents  the  contrivance  in  per- 
spective, with  the  covering  partially  removed,  and  denuded  of  its  internal 
fittings.  To  the  flooring,  a,  the  side  and  end  pieces,  b,  are  secured  by 
screws ;  and  from  this,  as  a  base,  the  iron  stanchions,  c,  stand  up  and 
carry  the  horizontal  strengthening  pieces,  d.  These  pieces  rest  upon 
pins  inserted  in  the  holes  in  the  stanchions,  so  that  the  tent's  height  is 
thus  easily  adjustable.  The  sleeping  place,  or  bed  platform,  is  at  e; 
and  if  another  berth  is  wanted,  it  may  be  placed  shipwise  upon  the 
second  support  overhead.  The  hoops,  f,  support  a  waterproof  tilt, 
covering  the  whole  of  the  tent ;  and  the  top  stay-piece,  G,  secures  the 
upper  works  from  swaying  with  the  wind. 

GOLD-SIFTER. 

Registered  for  R.  Lambert  and  T.  Danbt,  Liverpool. 

Fis.  1. 


is  a  front  view,   and  fig.  3  a  plan.     It  consists  of  an  open   frame,  a, 
carrying  a  receiver,  b,  in  which  is  a  revolving  barrel,  c,  set  with  a  series 

Fig.  2. 


This  is  another  of  the  many  inventions  which  we  owe  to  the  magic 
of  golden  Australia.     Fig.   1  is  a  side  view  of  the  apparatus ;  fig.  2 


of  pins,  I),  working  in  gear  with  pins,  e,  fast  in  the  receiver.  The  pin 
shaft  is  driven  by  the  winch,  f,  fast  on  the  shaft,  g,  which  carries  a  fly- 
wheel, h.     The  other 

end  of  the  shaft  has  Vie.Z. 

a  crank,  i,  a  connect- 
ing-rod, J,  from  which 
passes  down  to  a 
pump,  k,  for  supply- 
ing water  through 
the  pipes,  l,  and 
branch,  m,  to  the 
working  chamber. 
Beneath  the  working 
chamber  is  a  box, 
containing  three  se- 
parate sieves,  n,  o,  p, 
in  a  tier,  of  graduated 
fineness,  and  made  to 
oscillate  by  a  lever 
arm  at  Q,  acted  on 
g  by  an  eccentric,  K, 
on  the  main  shaft, 
through  a  rod,  s.  On 
the  groove  beneath  is 
an  incline,  I,  for  run- 
ning the  water  away 
into  the  reservoir — 
strips  of  wood  being  set  across  it  to  arrest  any  small  particles  of  gold 
which  may  escape  through  the  sieve;  at  u  is  a  valve,  beneath  the  re- 
ceiver, for  discharging  the  agitated  mass  upon  the  sieves.  This  is  a 
very  complete  and  easily  worked  machine. 

REVIEWS  OF  NEW  BOOKS. 


On  the  Manufacture  of  Glass.  By  George  Shaw,  Esq.,  Professor  of 
Chemistry  in  Queen's  College,  Birmingham.  Bogue,  Fleet  Street. 
The  subject  here  very  carefully  entered  upon  is  one,  unquestionably,  of 
high  interest.  And  this  interest  does  not  attach  less  to  the  present  state 
of  the  manufacture  than  to  its  history,  or,  we  might  say,  to  any  particu- 
lar period  of  its  history.  When  we  glance  at  the  treasures  of  this  manu- 
facture, which  are  carefully  stored  up  in  our  various  archaeological  and 
educational  museums,  we  are  often  perplexed  to  observe  this  most  brittle 
material  surviving  in  its  perfect  form,  fragile  as  it  naturally  is,  like  those 


THE  PEACTICAL  MECHANIC'S  JOUENAL. 


49 


types  of  beauty  inteuded  to  endure  for  ever  in  "  glorious  bronze;"  and 
when  we  think  of  the  revolutions  in  art,  science,  and  civil  society,  which 
these  specimens  must  have  witnessed,  the  story  of  the  Italian  monk 
is  brought  back  upon  memory,  and  we  are  inclined  to  judge  that  it  is 
art  which  is  the  enduring,  and  the  artist  that  is  the  perishable.  The 
extreme  antiquity  of  the  material,  its  plastic  character,  the  colours 
of  every  hue,  opaque  and  transparent,  with  which  it  is  capable  of  being 
"  furnished  forth,"  form,  of  course,  elements  uniting  together  in  one 
substance  completely  unique ;  while,  in  all  its  forms,  it  stands  forth  as  a 
new  creation  at  the  hands  of  man;  for  we  can  discover  specimens  by 
searching  the  archives  of  art  alone.  No  wonder,  therefore,  that  the  con- 
tributions of  the  substance  to  the  stores  of  the  Great  Exhibition  were 
many  and  various,  and  no  wonder  that,  from  the  crystal  fountain,  to  the 
exquisitely-carved  Bohemian  glass,  the  public  attention  and  admiration 
were  simultaneously  excited.  And,  of  course,  the  substance  is  claimed 
to  be  separately  treated  of  in  this,  one  of  the  series  of  lectures  on  the 
results  of  the  great  display  of  nations. 

It  is  not  to  be  disregarded,  that  the  materials  combined  to  form  so 
beautiful  a  result,  are  to  be  found  almost  everywhere. 

Very  properly,  not  confining  himself  to  a  particular  definition  of  glass, 
Mr.  Shaw  merely  notices,  that  silicic  acid,  in  combining  with  the  oxides 
of  some  of  the  light  metals,  as  potassium  and  sodium,  as  well  as  with 
those  of  some  of  the  heavy  metals,  as  lead  and  bismuth,  forms  compounds 
or  salts,  which,  on  the  application  of  heat,  fuse  into  colourless  trans- 
parent liquids,  and  solidify,  on  cooling,  into  hard,  brittle  solids,  having 
an  amorphous  or  non-crystalline  character.  Boracic  acid,  we  are  also 
told,  forms  similar  compounds,  and  it  is  to  such  compounds  that  the 
appellation,  glass,  is  restricted. 

If  the  silicic  acid  and  bases  employed  were  pure,  the  glass  obtained 
would  be  colourless  ;  but  as  this  is  impossible,  the  glass  has  always 
some  tinge  of  colour — the  universally  contaminating  ingredients  being 
protoxide  of  iron,  which  gives  a  green  tint.  Mr.  Shaw  mention  that 
the  neutralizing  of  this  colour  constitutes  one  of  the  nicest  operations  in 
the  manufacture  of  the  finest  kinds  of  glass,  and  is  effected  by  the  intro- 
duction into  the  mixture  of  the  peroxide  of  manganese.  The  adjust- 
ment of  the  quantity,  however,  requires  very  great  care,  as  a  deficiency 
leaves  still  some  green  colour,  while  excess  gives  a  purple  tinge. 

Of  this  substance,  various  kinds  are,  as  is  well  known,  in  common 
use  :  plate  glass,  crown  glass,  and  flint  glass,  being  the  three  principal, 
if  not  really  the  only  kinds. 

Crown  glass  is  made  by  the  process  called  flushing.  The  glass  having 
been  brought  into  a  cuplike  form,  and  being  supported  on  an  axis  or 
poniU,  is  made  to  rotate  rapidly  by  the  turning  of  the  pontil.  The  ten- 
dency which  the  particles  of  a  rotating  body  have  to  fly  from  the  centre 
of  motion,  causes  the  cup  gradually  to  expand,  and  flatten  out  to  a  disc, 
every  part  of  which,  in  the  hands  of  a  very  skilful  workman,  will 
occupy  a  plane  perpendicular  to  the  axis  of  rotation. 

Flint  glass  (so  originally  called  from  one  of  its  component  parts, 
silicious  sand,  having  been  made  by  heating  flints,  and  quenching  them 
in  water  so  as  to  reduce  them  to  powder)  is  a  silicate  of  potassa  and 
lead,  while  soda  is  used  for  the  inferior  kind — baryta  sometimes  taking 
the  place  of  the  lead. 

Paste,  used  for  the  fabrication  of  artificial  gems,  is  a  silicate  of  potassa, 
with  an  excess  of  lead  as  compared  with  other  glasses. 

It  is  in  the  manufacture  of  flint  glass  that  the  arts  of  moulding, 
pressing,  cutting,  and  engraving,  are  brought  to  bear. 

The  lecturer  describes  these  various  processes  very  happily,  serving  to 
remind  us  of  every  little  detail  we  ourselves  observed,  when,  long  years 
ago,  we  delighted  to  stroll  into  a  neighbouring  "  works,"  and  watch  the 
generation  of  the  various  beautiful  forms. 

Spread  glass  is  produced  by  the  workman  first  blowing  a  somewhat 
cylindrical  figure.  This  partially-formed  cylinder  is  detached  from  the 
iron  on  which  it  was  formed,  and  the  hemispherical  end  by  which  it  was 
attached  being  removed,  there  is  obtained  a  hollow  cylinder,  of  uniform 
thickness  throughout.  A  line  drawn  with  a  diamond  down  the  interior  of 
such  cylinder  parallel  to  its  axis,  divides  it  in  the  course  of  the  line,  and, 
by  cautious  heating,  it  may  be  spread  out  to  a  flat  plate. 

Plate  glass  is  made  by  removing  the  crucible  in  which  the  glass  has 
been  fused  from  the  furnace,  pouring  the  liquid  mass  on  a  plane  surface, 
and  spreading  it  thereon  by  means  of  a  roller ;  the  sheet  of  glass  so  ob- 
tained being  afterwards  ground  and  polished. 

EnarneU  are  silicates  of  potassa  or  soda,  and  lead,  containing  also  oxide 
of  tin  or  antimony ;  the  opaque  particles  of  the  latter  body  giving  the 
required  opacity. 

The  important  process  of  annealing,  the  lecturer  describes  as 
follows ; — 

"  After  the  glass  has  been  perfectly  fused,  it  is  allowed  to  take  the  temperature  proper 
to  the  particular  manufacture  to  which  it  is  to  be  applied;  after  it  has  been  manuiac- 
Ho.  62.— Vol.  VI. 


tured,  it  has  to  be  annealed.  The  process  of  annealing  is  simply  the  slow  cooling  of  the 
manufactured  articles.  This  is  carried  on  in  annealing  ovens,  or  lears,  one  part  of  which 
is  more  strongly  heated  than  the  rest.  The  manufactured  goods  are  first  placed  in  the 
hottest  part  of  the  lear,  and  slowly  removed  to  the  cooler  part,  many  hours  being  usually 
required  to  effect  the  slow  cooling  or  annealing  of  articles  thick  in  substance.  Thin  arti- 
cles, as  figure  shades,  gas  chimneys,  require  little  annealing,  and  sometimes  are  not 
anuealed  at  all.  Glass  is  a  very  bad  conductor  of  heat;  so  much  so,  that  when  large 
masses  at  a  red  heat  are  plunged  into  water,  the  interior  of  the  mass  preserves  its  red 
heat  for  a  considerable  time,  and  when  quickly  cooled,  the  exterior  becomes  solid,  while 
the  interior  is  yet  soft ;  the  outer  solidified  portions  being  fixed,  and  incapable  of  shrink- 
ing by  the  contraction  of  the  interior  portions  as  they  cool,  the  whole  mass  is  in  a  con- 
strained condition,  the  interior  portions  of  the  mass  soliciting  the  exterior  part  to  yield, 
and  the  exterior  part  resisting  to  an  extent  dependent  on  the  figure  of  the  mass.  The 
result  of  this  condition  in  the  particles  of  unannealed  glass  is,  that  a  slight  accidental 
circumstance,  the  scratch  of  a  diamond,  or  a  minute  fracturs  of  a  portion  of  the  external 
surface,  determines  the  balance  in  favour  of  the  interior  particles,  and  the  consequent 
rupture  of  the  glass.  The  converse  action  occasions  the  fracture  of  glass.  On  the  sudden 
application  of  heat  from  the  imperfect  conducting  power  of  the  glass,  the  external  layer 
expands  before  the  beat  reaches  the  interior,  and,  by  this  expansion,  the  rupture  of  the 
interior  portions,  unable  by  their  cohesion  to  resist  the  enormous  force  by  which  the  ex- 
ternal layers  expand." 

Persons  feeling  interested  in  the  methods  adopted  for  production  of 
coloured  glass,  will  find  them  mentioned  here  with  great  particularity; 
but  our  limits  preclude  us  quoting  the  passage.  Some  very  valuable 
observations  will  also  be  found  in  a  brief  description  which  the  author 
gives  of  the  methods  by  which  the  several  contributions  of  the  coloured 
windows  were  produced. 

It  is  somewhat  singular  that  the  earliest  specimens  of  sheet  window- 
glass  which  we  possess  (twelfth  century)  were  made  by  processes  similar 
to  those  employed  at  this  day  for  the  same  purpose ;  but  the  detail  of 
the  modern  manufacture,  improved  to  perfection,  completely  eclipses  that 
of  our  ancestors.  "  In  point  of  purity  of  colour  and  beauty  of  surface," 
says  Mr.  Shaw,  "  we  must  occasionally  yield  the  palm  to  some  of  our 
continental  neighbours,  but  in  all  really  essential  qualities,  the  English 
manufacturer  has  cause  to  congratulate  himself  on  the  result  of  the 
Exhibition."  "  Generally,"  he  observes  in  another  place,  "  we  excel  our 
continental  neighbours  in  those  respects  in  which  excellency  is  dependent 
on  manufacturing  facilities  and  manipulatory  skill."  We  are  glad  to  find 
that  we  are  not  so  bad  in  this  as  in  some  other  matters ;  although  it  must 
be  observed  that  the  author's  praise  is  very  qualified. 

Although  we  have  considerably  encroached  upon  our  space,  we  cannot- 
refrain  from  extracting  the  following  passage,  which,  we  are  persuaded, 
will  be  read  by  many  of  our  readers  with  great  pleasure ;  and,  in  giving 
it,  we  must  conclude  our  lengthened  notice  of  this  short  production: — 

"If  we  admit,  as  a  canon  of  criticism  in  these  matters,  that,  in  the  application  of  any 
material  to  decorative  purposes,  those  properties  which  are  peculiar  to  the  material  in 
question  should  be  made  especially  prominent,  then  we  can  have  little  difficulty  in  decid- 
ing on  the  method  of  treatment  to  be  resorted  to  in  producing  designs  for  coloured  windows. 
Designs  (rude,  it  may  be,  but  possessing  a  charm,  which,  if  we  may  trust  the  popular 
voice,  the  more  finished  productions  of  recent  times  can  make  no  pretension  to,)  were  for 
centuries  produced  in  great  numbers,  and  with  great  facility,  by  medieval  artists ;  in 
these  productions,  that  beautiful  property,  possessed  alone  by  glass  among  the  many  solids 
used  in  the  manufacturing  arts,  namely,  transparency,  never  was  sacrificed;  and,  besides 
possessing  a  consequent  brilliancy,  rarely  approached  in  modern  times,  were  really  what 
they  were  designed  for,  windows— serving  the  purpose  of  illuminating  the  apartment  in 
which  they  were  introduced.  If  we  glance  at  the  other  extreme,  we  find  that  no  works  of 
art  of  a  high  character  ever  have  been,  and,  from  the  nature  of  the  material,  we  may 
safely  say  that  none  ever  will  be  produced.  We  may  almost  affirm  that  the  more  com- 
petent the  artist  in  the  ordinary  walks  of  art  by  whom  a  design  for  a  window  has  been 
produced,  the  more  complete  has  been  the  failure.  The  Great  Exhibition  has  done  signal 
service  to  manufacturing  art,  by  demonstrating  the  utter  hopelessness  of  producing  pictures 
in  transparent  glass ;  many,  it  is  true,  of  the  exhibited  designs  showed  an  excellence  of 
a  high  order — they  were  the  perfection  of  their  kind.  The  beautiful  figure  of  Geyling 
was,  perhaps,  (if  we  except  a  singular  oversight  in  the  drawing  of  part  of  the  figure,)  un- 
equalled by  any  rival  production  ;  the  Dante  window,  too,  was  a  superb  composition.  But 
what,  after  all  the  labour  bestowed  upon  them,  was  their  value  ?  They  were  but  trans- 
parencies, which  might  have  been  executed  in  a  material  less  fragile,  at  a  tithe  of  the 
cost  and  trouble.  They  were  glass  in  nothing  hut  their  brittleness.  A  fine  rebuke, 
whether  intended  or  not,  against  the  over-painting  of  glass,  was  administered  by  the  ex- 
hibitor of  a  muslin  transparency,  which,  during  the  Exhibition,  kept  its  place  among  the 
painted  windows,  and  was  so  undistinguishable  from  many  of  its  companions,  that  not 
one  visitor  in  ten  thousand  suspected  it  to  he  other  than  glass.  How  completely  must  all 
the  characteristics  of  glass  be  sacrificed  before  it  can  be  so  counterfeited  I" 


Museums,  Libraries,  and  Picture  Galleries,  Public  and  Private ;  their 
Establishment,  Formation,  Arrangement,  and  Architectural  Con- 
struction; to  which  is  appended  the  Public  Libraries'  Act,  1850, 
and  Remarks  on  its  Adoption  by  Mechanics  and  other  Scientific  In- 
stitutions; with  Illustrations  by  John  W.  Papworth,  Fellow  of  the 
R.I.  of  British  Architects,  &c.  &c,  and  Wyatt  Papworth,  Architect, 
Hon.  Sec.  of  the  Architectural  Publication  Society,  and  Hon.  Member 
of  the  Yorkshire  Architectural  Society.  London  :  Chapman  &  Hall. 
1853.  Pp.80. 

We  have  given  the  title  of  this  publication  in  extenso,  as  a  concise  epi- 
tome of  the  contents.  The  publication  itself  is  well-timed.  As  general 
education  enforces  itself  upon  thought,  the  public  mind  naturally  rests 
upon  the  more  prominent  and  agreeable  means  which  collections  of  objects 
of  vertu,  or  curiosity  books  and  pictures,  afford  to  help  it  on  its  way. 
And  here  we  have  laid  before  the  eye,  as  well  as  the  mind,  some  very 
clever  observations,  which  it  would  be  well  for  all  who  feel  interested 
in  the  subject  of  aesthetic  culture,  and  particularly  your  committees  in- 


50 


THE  PRACTICAL  MECHANIC'S  JOURNAL. 


trusted  with  the  launching  of  any  educational  institution  of  the  kind,  to 
get  by  heart,  or  remember.  Very  many,  very  useful  practical  suggestions 
are  thrown  out  throughout  the  work,  extraneous  to  its  more  immediate  ob- 
jects, and  here  and  there  we  can  trace  the  result  of  an  effort  to  confine 
the  attention  to  those  objects,  at  the  loss  of  some  observations  which  we 
would  wish  to  have  been  made.  The  authors  have  nearly  exhausted  the 
subject ;  and  we  cjfn  observe  that,  with  far  less  labour,  they  might  have 
produced  a  much  larger  volume.  Ten  large  and  very  well-executed 
plates  of  buildings  are  placed  at  the  end,  and  many  woodcuts  are  inter- 
spersed throughout  the  text — the  whole  being  "  got  up,"  in  the  elegant 
and  handsome  manner  for  which  even  the  ordinary  publications  of  this 
firm  have  been  for  some  time  past  renowned. 

CORRESPONDENCE. 


REMOVAL  OF  THE  VISCOUS  CONSTITUENT  OF  OIL. 

In  the  Practical  Mechanic's  Journal  for  the  present  month,  I  observe 
an  inquiry  from  a  Merthyr  correspondent,  as  to  the  removal  of  the 
viscous  constituent  of  castor  oil.  As  some  reply  to  this,  I  send  you  a 
sample  of  my  patent  mineral  oil  from  tar,  pure  and  fit  for  lubrication, 
without  any  admixture.  Its  specific  gravity  is  -970,  water  being  l'OOO. 
This  oil  will  not  act  upon  metals ;  on  the  contrary,  it  tends  to  preserve 
them.  One-fourth  mineral  oil,  mixed  with  three-fourths  castor  oil,  pro- 
duces a  good  lubricating  fluid  ;  and  a  smaller  proportion  of  mineral  oil, 
mixed  with  animal  or  vegetable  oils,  having  less  body  than  castor  oil, 
makes  such  oils  quite  equal  to  sperm. 

Glasgoio,  April,  1853.  Geo.  Shand. 

[Mr.  Shand's  sample  of  oil  is  very  clear  and  free,  resembling  ordinary 
sperm  in  general  appearance ;  but  we  are,  of  course,  without  any  infor- 
mation as  to  its  behaviour  in  use.  The  invention  being  one  of  those 
protected  under  the  new  law,  the  details  of  the  process  are  yet  unpub- 
lished. Mr.  George  Hutchison,  of  Glasgow,  has  just  made  known  his 
"  method  of  preparing  oils  for  lubricating  and  burning."  The  agent 
employed  in  this  case  is  oleic  ether,  which,  mixed  with  lard  or  tallow 
oil,  effects  the  desired  fluidity  in  those  ordinarily  thick  matters.  One 
part  oleic  ether  is  added  to  two  parts  of  neutral  tallow-oil;  but  the 
patentee  states  that  the  proportions  are  variable,  and  that  the  oxides  of 
ethyle  and  methyle  may  be  used  to  the  same  purpose. — Ed.  P.  M. 
Journal.] 


STEAM-SHIP  PROPULSION. 

May  I  beg  the  favour  of  a  space  in  your  valuable  periodical,  to  sub- 
mit to  your  readers  the  following  two  suggestions  of  mine,  relating  to 
steam- vessel  propulsion  ? 

The  first  relates  to  the  floats  of  the  common  paddle-wheels  of  such 
vessels,  and  the  second  to  the  screws.  The  object  of  the  first  suggestion 
is  to  prevent  the  jolting  and  loss  of  power  caused  by  the  inclination  of 
the  floats  on  their  entering  and  leaving  the  water,  and  consists  in  em- 
ploying floats  curved  towards  the  periphery  of  the  wheel,  so  as  to  meet 
and  leave  the  water  in  a  tangent,  thus  favouring  progression,  though  at 
some  sacrifice  in  retrogression. 

The  second  suggestion  is  for  an  alteration  in  the  thread  or  blade  of 
the  screw  propeller,  and  consists  in  forming  the  back  of  the  thread  into 
an  angle  as  acute  as  possible,  instead  of  being  perpendicular  to  the  axis ; 
the  object  of  this  being  to  prevent  the  great  resistance  of  the  water  against 
the  bach  of  the  thread.  The  benefit  of  such  form  may  not  be  readily 
admitted,  the  action  of  water  on  the  backs  of  receding  bodies  not  having, 
I  believe,  ever  received  much  attention;  but  it  is  fully  evident  that  this 
action  has  something  to  do  with  the  motion,  as  well  as  has  the  front 
action.  If  the  screw  acted  in  the  water  the  same  as  in  a  nut  or  threaded 
tube,  it  would  be  immaterial,  with  reference  to  the  action  on  the  vessel, 
whether  the  thread  were  shaped  one  way  or  the  other  at  the  back,  the 
nut  or  tube  being  already  made  for  the  passage  of  the  screw ;  but  in  the 
water  the  effect  is  very  different,  as  then  the  screw  has  to  tap  its  path  by 
forcing  the  water  away  ;  and  during  every  yard  of  progress,  whatever  be 
the  shape  of  the  screw,  a  cylindrical  yard  of  water,  equal  to  the  full 
diameter  of  the  screw,  should  be  removed  out  of  its  place  by  the  action 
of  the  back  of  the  thread,  which,  when  the  angle  is  acute,  is  much  more 
easily  done  than  when  obtuse.  It  must  be  borne  in  mind  that  the  screw 
has  two  offices  to  perform — the  front  part  pressing  one  way,  so  as  to  propel 
the  vessel,  and  the  hind  part  pressing  the  contrary  way,  so  as  to  clear 
away  the  water;  and  so  effectually  do  they  seem  to  perform  their  re- 
spective duties,  that  when  the  speed  exceeds  a  certain  limit,  the  vacuum 
is  said  to  he  observable  in  the  water. 

It  appears  that  a  fact  exists  with  respect  to  the  action  of  screws  on 
vessels,  which  I  have  never  seen  adverted  to,  and  which  ought  not  to 
escape  notice — namely,  that  they  must  tend  to  turn  the  vessel  to  one  side, 


according  to  the  inclination  of  the  thread;  but,  by  placing  the  screw  a 
little  towards  one  side  of  the  vessel,  this  defect  may  be  counteracted,  as 
it  also  may  by  employing  two  screws  reversed,  one  on  each  side. 

Lewis  Gompertz. 

[If  we  rightly  understand  our  correspondent's  first  suggestion,  we 
have  to  express  a  fear  that,  if  the  floats  were  curved,  as  he  directs,  they 
would  lift  a  great  quantity  of  water  when  emerging. 

More  is  to  be  gained  by  giving  proper  proportions  to  the  common 
radial  paddle-wheel,  than  by  adopting  any  feathering  contrivance.  The 
motion  of  the  paddle-float  is  compounded  of  two  motions — a  tangential 
motion,  due  to  the  rotation,  and  a  horizontal  motion,  due  to  the  progress 
of  the  vessel.  The  proportions  may  be  such  that  the  combination  of 
these  two  makes  the  float  enter  and  leave  the  water  edgeways,  and  the 
best  feathering  apparatus  can  do  no  more. 

With  regard  to  the  second  suggestion,  this  question  arises — which  is 
the  back  of  the  screw  blade ;  that  is,  its  hindermost  part,  considered  as  a 
receding  body?  Now,  supposing  there  is  no  slip,  the  rotation  and  the 
onward  motion  combined,  causes  the  blade  to  traverse  a  serpentine  path, 
the  width  of  which  is  equal  to  its  own  thickness ;  and,  therefore,  it  is  the 
after  edge  which  is  the  hindermost  part. 

There  have  been  several  plans  suggested  for  making  the  forward  edge 
advance  gradually — the  cutting  edge  being  inclined  to  the  axis,  and  in 
most  cases  the  conformation  is  such  as  to  make  the  blade  leave  the  water 
behind  it  in  a  similar  manner. 

If  a  screw — a  cork  screw,  for  instance — is  viewed  obliquely,  or  in  per- 
spective, one  side  appears  to  have  a  different  inclination  to  the  other. 
We  do  not  understand  our  correspondent's  last  remark,  unless  he  con- 
ceives this  difference  of  inclination  to  be  real.  It  is,  however,  only 
apparent;  and  a  screw-propeller,  if  working  in  a  medium  of  uniform 
density,  could  not  possibly  turn  the  vessel  to  either  side. 

It  is,  however,  found  that  the  screw  does  sometimes  turn  the  vessel  to 
one  side ;  but  this  is  considered  to  be  owing  to  the  difference  in  the 
density  of  the  water  at  the  higher  and  lower  portions  of  the  screw. 
Our  correspondent's  remedy  would,  doubtless,  avail  against  this. — 
Ed.  P.  M.  J.] 

APPLICATION  OF  THE 

PRINCIPLES  OF  GRAVITATION  AND  THE  DOCTRINE  OF  RATIOS 

TO  THE  MEASUREMENT  OF  THE  SOLAR  SYSTEM. 

PROBLEM : 

Given,  the  times  of  the  moon's  revolution  in  its  orbit,  and  those  of  the 
earth  in  its  orbit  and  upon  its  axis — the  former  being  sidereal,  and  the 
lateral  mean  solar;  from  them  it  is  required  to  deduce  the  circumferences 
of  both. 

operation  : 
Moon.  Earth. 

Logarithm,  seconds       =    6-373021  Logarithm,  seconds    =  49365137 

2  2 


square         =  12-746042 
X  16  feet  =    1-204120 


feet  =  13-950162 

4- 5280  ft.  =   3-722634 


miles 


=  10-227528 


do.  =   5-113764 

do.  " 

do. 

24860  miles  =  circumference  of  the  earth  " 
•    -^  3-14159  " 

7913  miles  =  earth's  mean  diameter        " 
H- 3-656" 

2164  miles  =  moon's  mean  diameter        " 
X  314159  " 


9-8730274 
1-2041200 

11-0771474 
3-7226340 

7-3545134 

3-6772567 
5-1137640 

8-7910207 

4-3955103 
0-4971499 

3-8983604 
0-5630370 

3-3353234 
0-4971499 


6799  miles  =  circumference  of  the  moon  "  "  3-8324733 

The  square  roots  of  the  quantities,  or  lines,  arising  from  the  given 
times  being  multiplied  into  each  other,  and  the  square  root  of  the  pro- 
duct extracted,  the  result  is  the  circumference  of  the  earth,  which,  being 
divided  by  3-14159,  equals  the  mean  diameter ;  the  division  of  which, 


THE  PRACTICAL  MECHANIC'S  JOURNAL. 


51 


by  the  square  root  of  the  ratio  of  the  "  times  "  of  the  earth's  revolution 
to  those  of  the  moon  in  their  respective  orbits,  equals  the  mean  diameter 
of  the  moon  ;  the  multiplication  of  which,  by  3-14159,  equals  the  circum- 
ference thereof,  as  required. 

The  ratio  referred  to,  equals  the  logarithm  of  the  times  of  the  earth's 
revolution  in  its  orbit,  minus  the  logarithm  times  of  the  moon's  revolution 
in  its  orbit,  thus — 

T         .  ,  f  earth's  times  =  7-499094 

Loganthm (  moon's  times  =  6-373021 

ratio  =1-126073 

"         square  root     =0-563037  =  3-656 

By  this  original  application  of  these  two  well-known  principles,  not 
only  the  circumferences  of  the  planets  and  the  sun,  but  their  mean  dis- 
tances, also,  from  him.  and  those  of  the  satellites  from  their  primaries, 
may  be  calculated,  of  which  I  shall  give  you  an  example  in  my  next 
communication. 

The  son  revolves  upon  his  axis  in  precisely  the  same  order  as  the 
moon,  namely,  from  left  to  right,  which  I  have  ascertained  by  observing 
two  spots,  or  openings,  on  his  disc,  apparently  not  far  distant  from  each 
other,  first  appearing  on  the  left,  and  then  gradually  advancing  until 
they  disappeared  on  the  right ;  a  fact  which,  I  thiDk,  is  not  generally 
known. 

J.   Whitfokd. 

SAFETY  ON  RAILWAYS. 

The  continuance,  and  even  increase,  of  fearful  accidents  on  railways, 
certainly  ought  to  compel  us  to  investigate  more  closely  the  causes,  and 
apply  whatever  remedies  are  attainable.  These  disasters  may  he  enu- 
merated under  the  following  heads : — 1st,  Collision  ;  2d,  Running  off  the 
line ;  3d,  Boiler  explosions ;  4th,  Fracture  of  axles ;  5th,  Fire  from 
engine  sparks ;  6th,  Cattle  getting  on  the  line  ;  and  7th,  Imprudence  in 
parties  crossing  the  line,  and  getting  in  and  out  of  carriages  when  in  mo- 
tion. Now,  all  these  evils  appear  to  me  to  be  easily  remediable.  Generally 
speaking,  collisions  might  be  prevented  by  adopting  the  plan  which  I 
have  so  long  suggested,  and  for  which — and  for  my  wheels  for  escaping 
obstacles  on  common  roads — I  gained  the  Council  Medal  of  the  Great 
Exhibition.  In  my  plan,  the  two  trains  coming  into  collision  politely 
pass  each  other,  instead  of  rudely  conflicting.  Besides  this,  bells  might 
be  fixed  at  intervals  upon  the  line,  and  be  set  ringing  for  a  certain  length 
of  time  by  means  of  clockwork,  governed  by  the  passing  trains,  so  that 
each  train  would  give  satisfactory  warning  of  its  position. 

Running  off  the  line  may  be  prevented  by  placing  a  strong  wood  or 
iron  rail  on  the  outside  of  the  main  carrying-rails,  such  secondary  or 
guard-rail  to  be  carried  up  two  or  three  feet  from  the  ground.  Boiler 
explosions  might  very  properly  be  done  away  with,  by  omitting  the 
boiler  altogether,  and  substituting  a  generator  on  Howard's  plan,  or 
heating  the  cylinders,  and  allowing  water  to  fall  thereon  in  drops,  to 
flash  into  steam.  Axle  fractures  I  would  render  harmless  by  building 
the  carriages  to  ran  within  an  inch  or  two  of  the  ground,  cranking  the 
axles  for  that  purpose.  Catching  fire  would  obviously  be  impossible  if 
the  carriages  were  of  iron,  or  if  tlie  chemical  means  already  used  to 
prevent  conflagration  in  other  situations  were  adopted.  Cattle  could 
not  get  on  the  line  if  a  fence  were  added  to  my  guard-rail,  as  proposed 
in  reference  to  the  second  head.  Individual  imprudence  in  going  on  the 
line  is  an  unmechanical  difficulty,  which  1  can  only  touch  upon  by  a 
recommendation  to  travellers  to  take  better  care  of  themselves. 

Lewis  Gompertz. 

London,  April,  1853. 

PROCEEDINGS  OF  SCIENTIFIC  SOCIETIES. 


INSTITUTION  OF  CIVIL  ENGINEERS. 
April  5,  1853. 
"  On  Locomotive  Boilers,"  by  Mr.  J.  Sewell. 

Resumption  of  discussion  oa  Mr.  D.  K.  Clark's  paper,  "  Principles  of  Locomo- 
tive Boilers." 

App.il  12. 
"  On  the  Concussion  of  Pump  Valves,"  by  Mr.  W.  G.  Armstrong. 

Apeil  19. 
"  Description  of  the  Liverpool  Corporation  Water-Works,"  by  Mr.  T.  Duncan. 

November  23,  1852. 
"  On  the  Drainage  of  Towns,"  by  Mr.  Robert  Rawlinson,  Assoc.  Inst.  C.  E. 
The  author,  believing  the  subject  of  the  drainage  of  towns  to  be  so  compre- 


hensive, that  its  full  and  complete  consideration,  within  the  limits  of  a  paper  to 
be  rend  in  one  evening,  would  be  impossible,  restricted  his  remarks  to  a  few  general 
points,  likely  to  induce  discussion  and  to  elicit  criticism,  on  former  and  present 
systems. 

The  historical  portion  was  limited  to  showing,  that  in  the  now  disinterred  ruins 
of  the  most  ancient  cities,  remains  of  drains  had  been  found,  and  the  Cloaca  Maxima 
formed  part  of  the  wonders  of  ancient  Rome. 

Politically,  the  question  of  sewerage  was  very7  urgent,  as  the  general  health  of 
the  population  influenced,  to  an  important  extent,  the  amount  of  misery,  pauperism, 
vice,  and  crime  existing  in  every  city ;  and  the  increasing  numbers,  as  shown  by 
the  census,  demonstrated  the  necessity  for  providing  for  the  extension  of  all  large 
towns.  In  1841,  the  population  of  one  hundred  and  seventeen  districts,  comprising 
the  chief  towns,  was  6,612,958  souls.  In  1851,  in  the  same  districts,  the  number 
was  7,795,95S.  Disease  had  been  rife  in  those  districts,  but  it  was  shown  that 
much  of  it  might  have  been  averted  by  timely  sanitary  precautions. 

It  was,  however,  to  the  social  effect  of  town  drainage,  that  the  attention  of 
civil  engineers  would  be  most  naturally  directed,  as  under  that  head  the  leading 
principles  of  actual  practice,  and  the  proposed  modifications,  must  be  brought  for- 
ward and  discussed. 

The  questions  of  forms,  dimensions,  fall,  cost,  &c,  of  large  and  small  sewers 
were  passed  over,  with  the  remark,  that  they  were  matters  of  detail,  to  be  fixed 
by  the  knowledge  and  experience  of  the  engineer ;  contending,  however,  that  the 
system  most  deserving  commendation  was  that  which  enabled  the  greatest  extent 
of  sewerage  to  be  well  and  cheaply  accomplished. 

The  position  of  the  outlet  would  be  governed  by  natural  local  conditions,  and 
the  dimensions  would  be  fixed  by  the  area  and  the  number  of  houses  to  be  drained. 

The  material  of  construction  was  a  question  dependent  entirely  on  experience 
and  practice;  earthenware  pipes  were,  however,  according. to  the  author's  views, 
the  most  economical  and  effective  for  all  sewers  and  drains  within  the  capacity  of 
the  material. 

It  was  contended,  that  town  sewers  could  not  receive  the  excessive  flood  waters, 
even  of  the  urban  portion  of  the  site  ■  they  should  never  receive  the  suburban 
drainage,  nor  be  combined  with  watercourses  :  they  should  be  adapted  solely  to 
remove  the  solid  and  liquid  refuse  from  the  houses ;  and  that  it  was  safer  for  the 
inhabitants  that  there  should  be  no  sewers  at  all,  rather  thau  they  should  be  of 
such  dimensions  as  to  become  places  of  deposit.  Pumping  could  be  profitably 
adopted  in  certain  situations,  where,  from  the  level,  or  the  effect  of  tidal  influence, 
the  outlet  flow  might  be  checked.  Intercepting  sewers  at  mid-level  were  approved. 
Sewers  of  minimum  dimensions  were  advocated,  in  connection  with  pumping,  and 
they  should  be  capable  of  resisting  internal  hydraulic  pressure,  in  case  of  the  water 
rising  in  them. 

November  30,  December  7  and  14. 

Discussion  of  Mr.  Rawlinson's  paper  "  On  the  Drainage  of  Towns." 


SOCIETY  OF  ARTS. 
Wednesday,  1st  December,  1S52. 
Lord  Monteagle  in  the  Chair. 
Mr.  Cole  proceeded  to  deliver  his  long-promised  discourse  "  On  the  International 
Results  of  the  Great  Exhibition."  After  attempting  to  show  that  our  recent  com- 
mercial policy  had  mainly  enabled  us  to  realise  the  cosmopolitan  character  of  the 
display  made  in  Hyde  Park,  and  exposing  the  disadvantages  likely  to  accrue  to 
those  nations  which  still  maintained  to  a  great  extent  so-called  protective  duties, 
he  remarked  that  the  value  of  a  large  idea  depended  on  its  concurrence  with  a  pub- 
lic want.  The  idea  was  promulgated,  and  all  nations  seized  the  opportunity  to 
realise  it.  The  first  international  result  pointed  out  by  the  lecturer  was  that  of 
bringing  together,  as  commissioners  and  jurors,  so  many  men  belonging  to  all  conn- 
tries  who  were  eminent  in  the  arts,  science,  and  commerce.  Such  an  assemblage, 
in  order  to  promote  the  chief  objects  for  which  civilized  nations  exist,  was,  lie  said, 
unprecedented  in  the  history  of  the  world.  The  men  of  art,  science,  and  com- 
merce had  hitherto  but  a  very  subordinate  voice  in  the  regulation  of  their  own  in- 
terests, which  had  been  too  much  left  to  the  professional  superintendence  of  their 
brethren  of  politics,  law,  and  war.  This  feature  of  the  Exhibition,  therefore,  was 
the  recognition  of  a  new  principle  of  the  highest  importance  to  the  progress  of 
mankind.  After  touching  upon  the  vast  sums  expended  by  us  in  the  wars  of  Eu- 
rope, for  the  benefit  of  the  continental  powers,  he  adverted  to  the  apparent  ingrati- 
tude of  some  of  them,  in  not  following  our  example  as  regards  free  trading.  He 
noticed  the  acquisition  of  the  Government  officials  in  aiding  the  endeavours  of  those 
who  were  promoting  with  new  zest  the  interests  of  English  art  and  science;  and 
mentioned  that  both  Earl  Granville  and  the  Earl  of  Malmesbury  had  consented  that 
Downing  Street  should  be  the  means  of  communication  between  the  Society  of  Arts 
and  similar  societies  abroad,  while  Earl  Grey  and  Sir  J.  P.ikington  had  granted 
facilities  of  the  same  kind  with  reference  to  the  colonies.  He  drew  attention  to 
the  efforts  which  are  being  made  towards  the  establishment  of  a  cheap  and  uniform 
general  system,  among  all  the  civilized  nations,  of  postal  communication,  and  which 
promise  to  be  attended  with  complete  success.  The  recent  reform  of  the  patent 
law  did  not,  of  course,  escape  notice,  and  the  principle  of  provisional  registration, 
so  highly  beneficial  to  inventors,  was  shown  to  have  been  produced  entirely  from  a 
necessary  provision  made  during  the  Great  Exhibition.  He  also  stated  that  the 
American,  Belgian,  French,  and  other  Governments,  with  our  own,  were  taking 
steps  to  render  the  specifications  of  patents  of  more  easy  access  for  consultation. 
After  noticing  the  magnificent  hospitalities  of  the  city  of  Paris  to  the  Royal  Com- 
mission, aud  suggesting  the  approaching  centenary  of  the  Society,  and  the  opening 


THE  PRACTICAL  MECHANIC'S  JOURNAL. 


of  the  Dublin  Exhibition  next  year,  as  a  proper  period  to  show  our  French  friends 
some  return  for  their  favours,  lie  stated  that  the  council  were  prepared  to  take  the 
initiative,  and  intended,  at  the  same  time,  to  take  steps  for  increasing  the  facilities 
of  travelling  abroad,  so  as  to  allow  even  artisans  to  avail  themselves  of  them.  He 
alluded  to  the  great  building  itself  as  originating  a  class  of  architecture  of  very 
peculiar  character,  and  which  must  necessarily  be  illustrative  of  the  present  moving 
age  to  all  distant  times,  Proceeding  then  to  notice  a  point  of  great  importance, 
relative  to  the  necessity  of  a  greater  knowledge  of  abstract  science  to  our  workmen, 
he  remarked  that  it  might  be  true  that  other  nations  were  advancing  more  rapidly 
than  ourselves  in  the  prosecution  of  abstract  science.  It  was  true  that,  in  many 
parts  of  the  continent,  children  were  more  generally  educated  than  our  own  in  read- 
ing and  writing ;  but  he  feared  this  education  turned  to  little  account,  as,  when 
they  became  men,  they  were  not  free  to  read  and  write  what  they  pleased,  and  it 
was  said  they  even  lost  those  accomplishments  for  want  of  practice.  He  did  not 
question  the  value  of  abstract  science,  but  abstract  science  appeared  to  him  one  only 
of  many  ingredients  which  were  necessary  for  the  prosecution  of  successful  industry. 
The  idea  of  an  international  exhibition  was  one  of  abstract  science,  but  was  in 
itself  of  no  use  without  other  favourable  circumstances  enabling  it  to  be  realized. 
As  respects  the  industrial  progress  of  tins  kingdom,  he  looked  with  no  alarm  at  the 
progress  of  abstract  science  abroad,  but  with  satisfaction,  because  he  felt  certain, 
that  in  the  present  state  of  the  world,  and  with  that  advancing  unity  of  nations,  if 
our  neighbours  produced  abstract  science,  and  if  we  wanted  it,  we  should  be  able  to 
obtain  it  from  them  on  equitable  terms,  and  turn  it  to  good  account.  He  went 
heartily  with  the  advocates  of  abstract  science,  and  would  help  all  he  could  to  en- 
able manufacturers  to  be  educated  to  understand  the  principles  on  which  their  ope- 
rations were  based;  but  he  would  do  so  for  the  merits  of  abstract  science  itself,  rather 
than  in  alarm  at  the  progress  our  neighbours  might  be  making  in  it.  The  value  of 
abstract  science  depended  on  its  practical  execution,  and  that,  he  submitted,  de- 
pended on  the  public  want  for  it.  At  present  he  saw  no  reason  to  doubt  that  we 
were  prepared  in  this  country  to  supply  well  and  cheaply  whatever  the  world 
wanted;  and  if  we  supplied  the  practical  execution,  and  our  neighbours  the  philo- 
sophical theory,  it  might,  after  all,  be  a  proper  division  of  labour  among  friends. 
The  French  were,  on  an  average,  better  educated  workmen  in  art-manufactures,  but 
themost  impressive  lessons  in  this  department  came  from  the  East;  and  in  indus- 
trial objects  we  learnt  most  from  our  American  cousins.  Mr.  Cole  then  proceeded 
to  point  out  some  of  the  chief  prospective  benefits  which  the  Exhibition,  considered 
as  an  international  display,  seemed  naturally  to  promise.  He  recommended  an 
alliance  with  the  Law  Amendment  Society,  for  the  establishment  of  an  interna- 
tional commercial  law.  He  urged  the  importance  of  an  international  system  of 
weights  and  measures,  and  coinage — a  scientific  classification  of  all  the  materials, 
instruments,  and  productions  of  human  art  and  industry — a  more  consistent  sys- 
tem of  international  commercial  tariffs  and  customs'  administration — the  abolition 
of  passports,  and  increased  facilities  for  international  intercourse — a  general  system 
of  international  copyright,  both  in  the  arts  and  in  literature,  and  an  international 
catalogue  of  printed  books.  The  last  point  he  entered  intoin  some  detail,  and  ex- 
pressed his  confidence  that  a  universal  catalogue,  on  the  plan  suggested  by  Mr. 
Dilke,  was  a  perfectly  practical  undertaking.  Mr.  Cole  concluded  his  list  of 
agendce,  the  prospective  fruits  of  the  Exhibition,  by  alluding  to  the  impulse  which 
better  education,  and  particularly  industrial  education,  was  likely  to  receive  from  it. 
Already  the  intention  existed  of  making  drawing  a  part  of  our  national  education, 
and,  in  a  few  years,  on  a  site  opposite  that  where  the  Exhibition  stood,  he  hoped 
they  would  witness  the  foundation  of  an  industrial  university,  in  the  advantages  of 
which  all  the  nations  of  the  earth  might  equally  share.  Beyond  every  result,  how- 
ever, he  trusted  that  the  Exhibition  would  tend  to  make  us  a  less  quarrelsome  and 
less  meddlesome  people  with  other  nations  than  we  have  been  accustomed  to  be, 
and  would  te;ich  us  that  our  true  policy  in  international  disputes,  should  they  un- 
fortunately arise,  is  to  stand  on  the  defensive,  and,  in  that  attitude,  to  be  content 
with  being  as  well  prepared  as  possible. 


ROYAL  SCOTTISH  SOCIETY  OF  ARTS. 
March  14,  1853. 
"  On  the  Prevalence  of  Colour-Blindness  in  the  Human  Subject,  and  the  limit 
which  it  puts  to  the  use  of  Coloured  Signals  on  Railways  at  Sea,  and  elsewhere," 
by  George  Wilson,  M.D. 

"On  a  new  Gas  Stove  for  economically  heating  Ornamental  Tools  and  Glue; 
specially  adapted  fur  D;essing  and  Fancy  Leather  Case  Makers,"  by  Mr.  John 
Kolbie  Milne. 

March  28.  . 

"  Suggestions  for  the  Prevention  of  Railway  Accidents  arising  from  Collision," 
by  J.  Stewart  Hepburn,  Esq.,  of  Colquahalzie. 

"  On  some  notices  of  attempts  to  discover  Perpetual  Motion,"  by  Daniel  Wil- 
son, LL.D.,  illustrated  with  Models. 

"  On  means  which  might  be  adopted  in  Public  Buildings  and  Dwelling-houses 
for  the  speedy  extinction  of  Fire,"  by  James  Stark,  M.D. 
April  11. 

"  On  Mechanical  and  other  Contrivances  for  Ventilation,  with  a  description  of  a 
new  method  for  Ventilating  Buildings  by  means  of  Steam  Apparatus,"  by  Robert 
Ritchie,  Esq.,  C.E. 

"  On  Cauterising  the  Dental  Nerve  bv  means  of  Electricity,"  by  W.  A.  Roberts, 
M.D.,  Edinburgh. 

"On  an  Improved  Self-acting  Railway  Signal,  constructed  so  as  to  dispense 
with  coloured  lights  at  night,"  by  William  Frueer  Rae,  Edinburgh. 

11  Description  and  Drawing  of  a  Safety  and  Alarm  Lock,"  by  Alexander 
M'Coll,  Auchtermuchty. 


MONTHLY  NOTES. 


The  "  Brilliant"  Madeira  Packet  Brig  as  an  Auxiliary  Screw - 
Steamer. 

HE  "little  Brilliant"  so  well  known 
amongst  nautical  men,  as  "  perhaps 
the  fastest  sailing  vessel  of  her  size  in 
the  world,"  has  just  sailed  on  her  first 
Madeira  trip  as  an  auxiliary  screw- 
steamer,  having  been  litted  with  a 
screw  and  engines  of  14  horsepower 
by  Messrs.  Summers,  Day,  &  Baldock, 
of  Southampton.  Previous  to  sailing, 
she  was  tried  in  Stokes'  Bay,  under 
steam  alone,  with  her  masts  and  spars 
all  standing,  and  attained  a  speed  of 
5|  knots,  or  6£  miles  an  hour.  The 
011I3*  object  of  furnishing  her  with  this 
moderate  amount  of  steam  power,  is  to  afford  her  the  means  of  self-propulsion  in 
such  calms  as  have  not  unfrequently  kept  her  for  three  or  four  days  within  sight  of 
Madeira:  and  this  power  has  been  secured  to  her  without  any  sacrifice  as  regards 
pure  sailing  qualities,  as  the  whole  of  the  added  machinery  simply  fills  up  the 
space  in  her  hold  formerly  occupied  by  shingle  ballast.  The  screw  is  fitted  with 
disengaging  gear,  so  that  it  can  be  unshipped  and  hoisted  on  deck,  or  lowered  and 
put  in  gear,  in  three  minutes.  Her  consumption  of  coal  when  on  full  steam  is  only 
rated  at  two  tons  per  day,  and  as  her  steam  will  only  be  necessary  in  occasional 
calms  or  head  winds,  her  coal-stowage  need  be  only  of  very  limited  extent. 
Indeed,  it  is  calculated  that,  under  ordinary  circumstances,  she  could  easily  take 
fuel  enough  for  an  Australian  voyage,  although  only  of  373  tens  burthen.  This 
beautiful  little  vessel — the  pride  of  sailors  and  the  boast  of  yachtsmen — was 
originally  built  as  a  yacht  for  the  Marquis  of  Donegall.  She  has  now  been  some 
years  on  the  Madeira  and  Southampton  station,  where  she  is  duly  appreciated  by  all 
Madeira  voyagers.  Her  new  power  must  serve  to  make  her  yet  more  highly  valued. 
Lieut.  Heathcote's  Exhausting  Siphons. — We  gave  a  brief  description 
of  this  effective  contrivance  in  our  February  number ;  but  what  we  then  said  will 
be  rendered  still  clearer  by  the  annexed  illustrative  figure.  This  sketch  is  intended 
to  show  the  application  of  the  siphon  to  the  two  distinct  purposes  for  which  it  has 
been  more  especially  designed.  The  vertical  centre  line  of  the  engraving  indicates 
the  existence  of  two  separate  halves  of  a  transverse  section  of  a  vessel  afloat.  On 
the  left  of  that  boundary  line,  a  water-boat  is  shown  alongside,  the  siphon  being  in 


the  act  of  taking  the  supply  of  water  for  the  tanks  in  the  hold,  without  the  use  of 
the  force-pump.  On  the  right,  the  siphon  is  extinguishing  a  fire  amongst  some 
cotton  balls,  by  the  aid  of  water,  taken  without  the  slightest  mechanical  aid,  from 
the  sea.  It  is  to  be  understood  that  the  whole  of  the  pipe  is  to  be  immersed,  in 
order  to  fill  it  with  water  ;  and  that  the  object  of  the  valve  is  to  keep  it  full  when 
again  drawn  up.  The  objections  to  the  fire-engines,  which  are  now  carried  by  all 
men-of-war,  and  generally  by  the  better  class  ot  merchant  vessels,  are  principally 
that,  being  so  much  exposed  to  casualties  of  all  kinds,  they  readily  get  out  of  order, 
and  when  required  for  use,  are  seldom  found  efficient;  that  they  require  time  to 
prepare  them,  and  hands  to  work  them,  and  that  the  supply  of  water  they  yield  is 
small  and  insufficient;  and  then,  after  all,  the  labour  is,  in  most  cases,  entirely 
thrown  away,  for  whenever  the  seat  of  the  fire  is  below  the  water-line,  a  siphon 
would  not  only  answer  the  purpose,  but  do  so  much  more  effectually  than  the 
most  powerful  fire-engine  to  be  found  in  ships.  The  fires  which  have  lately 
occurred  in  steam-vessels  have  originated,  in  nearly  every  case,  in  store-rooms,  or 
other  places  below  the  water-line;  and  there  have  been  cases  of  spontaneous  com- 
bustion in  coal-laden  vessels,  where  the  fact  of  the  coal  being  on  fire,  though  at  a 
distance  below  the  surface,  has  been  known  for  weeks  before  it  ate  its  way  up  to 
the  deck,  and  finally  burst  forth ;  but  the  short-handed  crew  having  nothing  but 
their  buckets,  and  perhaps  a  small  fire-engine  to  depend  upon  for  a  supply  of 
water,  dared  not  open  the  hatches  to  combat  with  the  flames  while  they  were  yet 
in  such  a  position,  that  could  they  have  availed  themselves  of  the  help  of  a  siphon, 


THE  PRACTICAL  MECHANIC'S  JOURNAL. 


the  vessel  might  have  been  saved.  It  is  to  furnish,  in  such  cases  as  these,  an 
auxiliary  at  once  powerful  and  simple,  that  this  invention  is  offered  to  the  public. 
Queen's  College,  Birmingham. — The  department  in  connection  with.  "Arts, 
Manufactures,  and  Commerce,"  is  now  announced,  by  advertisement,  to  be  opened 
in  May.  The  appeal  from  the  College  to  the  noble  patrons  and  friends  of  educa- 
tion, to  enable  the  Council  to  purchase  expensive  philosophical  apparatus  and 
models,  and  to  fit  np  the  Chemical  Laboratory  and  Engineering  "Workshop,  has 
been  generously  responded  to  by  the  Duke  of  Sutherland,  the  Earls  of  Dartmouth, 
Clarendon,  and  Granville,  the  Lords  Foley,  Calthorpe,  Redesdale,  Leigh,  Lifford, 
General  Vyse,  Mark  Phillips,  Esq.,  G.  Attwood,  E-q. ;  by  Messrs.  Piercy,  Dawes, 
Bagnall,  Barrows,  and  Hall,  and  other  leading  Staffordshire  iron-masters;  and  by 
Messrs.  Welch,  Armfield,  Upfill,  and  other  influential  merchants  of  the  town. 
Considering  the  present  condition  of  commercial  enterprise,  the  unrestricted  com- 
petition to  which  the  trade  and  manufactures  of  the  country  must  inevitably 
henceforth  be  exposed,  in  connection  with  the  fact,  that  systematic  education  in  arts 
and  manufactures  is  established  in  some  continental  states,  a  cogent  argument  is 
supplied  that  this  department,  under  the  powers  granted  by  the  Crown  to  the 
College,  should  be  energetically  carried  out,  and  the  recent  alarming  and  numerous 
accidents  in  shops,  mines,  manufactories,  and  railways,  must  be  allowed  to  add  still 
farther  importance  to  this  branch  of  education.  It  must  be  admitted  that  no 
town  in  the  kingdom  offers  snch  practical  advantages  as  Birmingham.  The 
Council  are  also  sanguine  in  their  expectations  that  they  shall  be  able  to  form — by 
donations  from  the  public  at  large,  of  specimens  of  mining  and  mineral  products 
of  chemical  and  pharmaceutical  products,  of  vegetable  and  animal  substances  used 
in  manufactures,  of  civil  engineering,  architectural  and  building  contrivances,  of 
manufacturing  machines  and  tools,  of  philosophical  apparatus,  of  models  and 
plastic  art — a  great  "  Central  Museum,"  accessible  to  the  artisan,  under  certain 
regulations,  and  subservient  to  the  courses  of  education  in  the  College,  in  the 
engineering,  architectural,  and  chemical  branches. 

Experiments  in  Screw  Propulsion. — The  cry  of  the  screw  being  "  still  in 
its  infancy,"  is,  as  yet,  kept  up,  and  is,  in  a  great  measure,  confirmed  by  the  many 
endeavours  at  present  making  to  bring  it  to  maturity.  Among  the  plans  which  are 
at  present  attracting  the  most  attention,  are  those  of  Griffiths  and  Sir  Thomas  Mit- 
chell, the  latter  one  handled  by  the  sounding  name  of  the  'Boomerang  Propeller.1 
Griffiths'  screw  has  been  thoroughly  tried  in  Her  Majesty's  yacht,  Fairy,  and  appears 
to  have  given  satisfaction.  The  Fairy  is  considered  the  best  screw  steam-vessel  in 
Her  Majesty's  service,  and  her  present  state  of  excellence  has  been  obtained  after 
trying,  for  the  lust  few  years,  every  kind  and  form  of  screw;  and  the  one  used  in  the 
trial  against  the  new  propeller  was  a  fine  polished  brass  one,  and  considered  the 
perfection  of  a  screw.  The  new  propeller  was  simply  a  cast-iron  one, 
and  the  first  of  the  kind  tried  against  the  Fah-ijs  screw.  The  re- 
sult of  the  trials  in  Stokes  Bay  seems  to  have  been,  that  Griffiths' 
propeller  beat  the  other  one  by  about  half  a  knot.  This  is  not 
much,  but  it  would  have  been  something  even  if  the  new  pro- 
peller had  only  equalled  the  old.  There  are  several  novelties 
in  Griffiths'  propeller,  and  it  is  difficult  to  apportion  the  results 
to  their  respective  causes.  The  chief  improvement  seems  to  be 
the  enlargement  of  the  central  boss,  it  being  made  of  one-third  the 
diameter  of  the  whole  screw.  The  experiments,  at  any  rate,  show 
that  this  does  not  lower  the  efficiency.  The  vibration  at  the 
stern,  sometimes  experienced  with  screw  vessels,  was  not  felt  with 
the  new  propeller;  bat  we  are  not  informed  if  the  Fairy  experi- 
enced any  vibration  with  her  old  screw,  and  therefore  it  is  ques- 
tionable if  any  gain  in  this  respect  can  be  attributed  to  the  new 
one.  The  blades  of  the  new  screw  are  made  to  swivel,  and  are 
somewhat  different  in  shape  from  any  before  used,  being  wider 
close  to  the  boss,  and  tapering  towards  the  outer  edge.  The- 
swivelling  is  not  new,  but  the  increased  size  of  the  boss  gives  great 
facilities  for  fitting  the  blades,  and  making  them  of  sufficient 
strength.  The  Boomerang  propeller  is  an  instrument  of  a  very 
different  character.  It  has  lately  been  tried  at  Liverpool  in  the 
Genova,  and  is  said  to  have  been  successful;  but  the  published" 
particulars  are  too  vague  for  any  opinion  to  be  formed  on  this 
point.  In  shape,  the  instrument  resembles  the  weapon  of  the 
Australian  aborigines.  Its  acting  surface  is  in  fact  helical,  and 
it  differs  from  the  common  screw,  in  having  portions  cut  awav, 
particularly  at  the  centre,  and  in  forming  a  greater  part  of  an 
entire  convolution.  On  account  of  this  latter  peculiarity,  it  re- 
quires a  much  larger  opening  in  the  dead  wood  of  the  ship,  which 
has  prevented  its  being  tried  in  its  full  integrity.  It  is  said,  how- 
ever, that  a  Liverpool  firm  is  building  a  vessel,  in  which  it  is  to  be 
tried,  fall  size.  The  Boomerang  propeller  d  ffers  very  little  from 
many  screws  patented  before  it,  such  as  Beadon's,  Haddan's,  and 
Fraisinet's.  Whilst  on  the  subject,  we  may  mention,  as  another 
instance  of  the  success  of  the  screw,  that  on  her  last  voyage 
home,  the  Glasgow  beat  the  Hermann  paddle-steamer;  the  former  arriving  in  the 
Clyde  some  hours  before  the  latter  reached  Southampton,  although  they  left  New 
York  together.  This  is  one  of  the  fairest  races  on  record,  and  exhibits  the  Clyde- 
built  screw-ship  in  a  most  favourable  comparison  with  a  full-powered  American 
steamer.  The  new  three-decker,  the  Wellington,  the  largest  man-of-war  to  which 
the  screw  has  yet  been  applied,  has  just  been  tried,  and  has  astonished  every  one 
with  the  speed  she  attained,  notwithstanding  her  comparatively  small  power.  She 
made  upwards  of  10  knots. 

Hew  Form  OF  Vane-Govep.nor. — A  novel  arrangement  of  vane-governor, 
apparently  a  modification   of  Mr.  Hick's  well-known   contrivance,   has  recently 


made  its  appearance  in  America.     It  is  not  yet  in  actual  practice,  but  our  sketch 
will  sufficiently  illustrate  the  inventor's  idea.     The  vertical  spindle,  A,  driven  by  a 

pulley,  near  its  lower  end,  has 
upon  it  a  sliding  collar-piece, 
the  boss,  B,  of  which  carries 
four  radial  arms,  each  of  which 
terminates  in  a  vertical  vane, 
c.  A  cord,  i>,  is  passed 
through  a  hole,  drilled  through 
the  slightly  conical  top  of  the 
spindle,  its  two  ends  being 
directed  angularly  downwards 
to  two  of  the  vanes,  so  as  to 
suspend  the  entire  series  of 
four  vanes.  When  the  spindle 
begins  to  run,  the  cord  winds 
muiid  it,  and  thus  elevates 
the  sliding-boss  of  the  vanes, 
until  the  latter  acquire  the 
same  rate  of  revolution  as  the 
spindle  itself;  and  whenever 
the  speed  of  the  engine,  and, 
consequently,  that  of  the 
spindle,  a,  undergoes  any 
change,  more  or  less  of  the 
cord  will  be  wound  up  ac- 
cordingly, as  the  change  is  for 
the  faster  or  slower.  The 
boss,-  B,  thus  takes  the  place  of  the  ordinary  sliding-ring  of  the  pendulum- 
go\ernor,  and,  as  it  moves  up  and  down,  its  action  is  conveyed  by  the  link,  E,  to 
the  throstle  or  expansion  valve. 

Houston's  Improvements  in  Jacquard  Machinery/. — Mr.  James  Hous- 
ton, of  Dunfermline,  has  recently  introduced  and  secured,  under  the  new  law,  a 
very  important  modification  of  the  connections  of  the  jacquard  nnd  draw-loom,  by 
which  he  dispenses  with  the  use  of  the  ordinary  leaden  or  wire  weights  employed  for 
effecting  a  uniform  tension  upon  the  harness.  Instead  of  crowding  the  loom  with  a 
mass  of  many  thousand  weights,  which  are  costly,  slow  of  action,  and  liable  to 
entangle  and  wear  out  quickly,  Mr.  Houston  adopts  elastic  cords  as  the  medium  of 
connection  of  the  harness  with  the  fixed  frame.  Fig.  1  of  our  engravings,  is  a  front 
Fig.  1.  Fig.  2. 


view  of  a  portion  of  a  loom,  showing  this  system  of  elastic  tenslonal  connection. 
Fig.  2  is  a  corresponding  edge  view,  at  right  angles  to  fig.  1.  The  tails  are 
represented  at  a,  as  descending  from  the  jacquard  action,  or  draw-loom,  overhead, 
and  passing  through  the  reed,  or  holyboard,  B,  down  to  the  fixed  cross-bar,  C, 
beneath.  The  lengths  from  i>  to  e,  respectively,  downwards  to  the  bar,  c,  are  of 
india-rubber  cord — the  two  levels,  d  and  e,  showing  that  some  tails  are  raised, 
and  others  left  behind,  according  as  the  pattern  needles  are  in  or  out  of  their 
holes  in  the  pattern  cards.  The  portion  marked  F,  above,  indicates  the  heddle 
connection.  By  this  simple  arrangement,  the  harness  is  kept  at  a  regular  tension 
under  all  circumstances  of  action,  whilst  the  reaction  and  pendulous  motion  on 


54 


THE  PRACTICAL   MECHANIC'S  JOURNAL. 


bringing  back  the  tails  is  entirely  prevented,  and  is  much  easier  on  all  the  top 
mounting  than  when  weights  are  used.  Several  looms  have  been  fitted  upon  this 
plan,  showing  marked  advantages  in  working;  and,  in  particular,  that  a  great 
increase  in  the  working  speed  has  thus  been  satisfactorily  established. 

Curiosities  of  Mechanical  Negligence. — We  have  often  heard  of  boiler- 
makers  leaving  tools  and  waste  in  boilers  after  repairs,  and  thus  burning  out 
the  bottoms;  and  we  remember  an  instance  of  a  hammer  and  chisel  being  left 
inside  a  locomotive  engine  cylinder,  so  that  the  piston  forced  off  the  cover  when 
the  engine  began  to  move.  But  a  far  more  unfortunate  incident  of  a  like  class 
occurred  last  month  in  a  steam-tug  on  the  Tyne,  where  the  foreman  engineer 
left  a  wooden  plug  in  the  stpam-pipe  of  one  of  the  hoilers  previous  to  getting  up 
steam.  The  vessel  was  the  Engineer,  and  she  was  lying  off  Tynemouth  Bar  at  the 
time,  on  a  trial  trip.  The  evidence  shows  that  two  workmen  had  been  engaged  in 
fixing  the  steam-pipe  to  the  starboard  boiler  a  few  days  before  the  trial  trip, 
and  they  had  used  a  large  plug  of  wood  to  retain  the  pipe  in  position,  and  prevent 
the  running  of  the  cement  into  the  boiler.  One  of  the  men  took  out  the  plug  when 
the  job  was  over,  but  his  foreman  instructed  him  to  replace  it  until  the  cement 
hardened.  The  men  then  went  to  another  piece  of  work,  and  the  foreman  most 
unfortunately  and  forgetfully  screwed  up  the  pipe  with  the  plug  still  in  it.  Of 
course,  when  steam  was  got  up,  something  must  give  way,  and  luckily,  under  the 
circumstances,  it  was  the  fire-tube  only  that  burst.  Had  the  boiler  fully  exploded, 
all  on  board  must  have  been  killed;  as  it  was,  nine  persons  were  severely  scalded, 
and  one  poor  fellow,  a  joiner,  was  killed.  The  foreman  escaped  with  a  reprimand. 
Indeed,  our  censures  ought  to  be  mingled  with  some  pity  for  the  self-condemning 
position  in  which  he  has  placed  himself. 

International  Society  of  Industry,  Agriculture,  and  Commerce, 
(Vereeniging  voor  VolrsvlijtJ  at  Amsterdam. — The  seeds  sown  by  the 
Great  Exhibition  in  this  country  are  constantly  up-springing.  All  nations  were 
pupils  in  that  grand  school  of  "industrial  education;"  and  the  more  apt  of  the 
students  are  now  giving  us  examples  of  their  progress.  The  United  States,  Prus- 
sia, and  other  states,  and  Ireland,  have  already  shown  what  they  can  do;  and  we 
have  now  to  include  Holland  in  the  list.  During  the  past  month,  an  active  agent, 
Mr.  J.  Siebnrgh,  has  visited  the  chief  seats  of  our  manufactures,  bringing  with 
him  detailed  statements  of  what  the  people  of  Holland  are  prepared  to  do  in  fur- 
therance of  all  objects  connected  with  "industry,  agriculture,  and  commerce,"  by 
organizing  a  comprehensive  undertaking  in  the  city  of  Amsterdam.  The  following 
extracts  from  the  prospectus  of  the  scheme,  which  Mr.  Siebnrgh  has  laid  before  us, 
will  afford  better  information  as  to  the  intentions  of  the  society,  than  we  can  give 
in  any  other  way: — 

"The  international  exhibition  of  1851,  not  only  proved  to  us  the  amazing  results 
of  the  application  of  the  sciences  upon  the  various  practical  and  technical  arts, 
agricultnre,  commerce,  and  navigation,  but  showed  us  the  immense  importance  of  a 
speedy,  well-regulated,  liberal,  and  more  scientific  intercourse  betwixt  the  different 
nations  of  the  civilized  world.  Our  society  has  been  formed  to  pursue  this  bene- 
ficial direction.  Its  object  is  to  establish  a  direct  connection  between  practical  and 
industrial  men,  both  in  this  kingdom  and  abroad,  and  to  introduce  and  diffuse  all 
foreign  discoveries  that  have  come  to  its  knowledge.  In  order  to  attain  this,  the 
society  intends — 

"  1st.  To  open  public  exhibitions  of  all  such  products  of  nature  and  of  art,  and 
such  objects  of  industry  as  will  be  found  adapted  for  the  purpose;  for  which  pur- 
pose several  large  rooms  have  been  opened,  until  a  building  for  Great  Exhibitions 
shall  be  completed. 

"  2d.  To  take  upon  itself  the  charge  of  ordering,  receiving,  and  sending  into  depot, 
or  taking  into  consignment,  all  objects  interesting  for  national  industry,  which 
may  he  either  demanded  of  the  society  or  offered  to  it. 

"  3d.  To  give  advice  and  information  in  reply  to  every  inquiry  addressed  to  the 
society,  respecting  agriculture,  industry,  and  commerce. 

"  4th.  To  take  charge  of  petitions  for  patents,  and  to  promote,  by  every  possible 
means,  the  application  of  inventions  or  discoveries  under  letters  patent. 

"The  society  has  correspondents  in  every  town  in  the  kingdom  and  its  colonies, 
with  the  view  of  thus  prumoting  its  object,  and  also  of  assisting  in  the  distribution 
of  the  articles  that  are  sent  in  for  exhibition.  It  is  under  the  immediate  distin- 
guished patronage  of  the  much-respected  Prince  Frederick  of  the  Netherlands,  and 
numbers  the  most  eminent  and  celebrated  men  in  the  country  among  its  members. 
It  is,  moreover,  favoured  by  the  high  approbation  of  his  Majesty,  King  William  III., 
and  by  the  concurrence  and  co-operation  of  the  Government  and  other  high  autho- 
rities. Premiums  are  awarded  to  all  important  objects  that  are  sent  in,  and  the 
expenses  of  conveying  such  objects  are  reimbursed.  The  society  is  also  prepared  to 
exchange  samples,  patterns,  and  models,  and  the  like,  with  other  proprietors  of 
scientific  or  technical  collections.  For  the  value  of  the  objects  seat  to  the  institu- 
tion, every  security  can  be  obtained ;  and  for  every  article  that  has  been  sold  through 
its  agency,  ready  money  will  be  paid." 

"  Extract  from  the  Regulations  for  the  Exhibition  and  the  Members. 

"  Art.  20.  All  objects  connected  with  industry  and  agriculture,  and  adapted 
thereto,  are  to  be  publicly  exhibited. 

"Ait.  21.  The  Board  of  Directors  has  the  power  of  refusing  any  particular 
object  that  may  have  been  sent  in,  and  likewise  to  fix  the  period  for  the  exhibition. 

"  Art.  22.  Those  who  have  contributed  objects,  enjoy  free  admittance  to  the 
exhibition  during  the  time  those  objects  remain  exposed. 

"  Art.  23.  No  person  may  claim  the  return  of  an  exhibited  object,  within  a 
period  of  six  weeks  from  its  arrival. 

"  Art.  24.  The  society  provides  for  the  convenient  placing  and  for  the  proper 
care  of  all  the  objects  exhibited,  and  will  be  responsible  for  damages  or  injury,  unless 
due  notice  to  the  contrary  has  been  previously  given  to  the  contributors,  by  letter, 
on  receipt  of  the  object. 


"Art-.  25.  The  contributors  are  obliged  to  specify  what  they  wish  shoull  be 
communicated  to  the  visitors  of  the  exhibition,  concerning  the  objects  that  they 
have  sent  in ;  likewise  whether  they  are  for  sale,  and  at  what  prices. 

"Art.  2G.  The  contributors  will  be  allowed  to  place,  on  their  account,  persons 
near  the  exposed  objects,  in  order  to  explain  them  or  to  set  them  in  motion,  pro- 
vided, by  so  doing,  no  injury  be  caused  to  the  other  objects.  But,  at  the  same 
time,  such  persons  must  be  approved  of  by  the  directors,  who  have  the  power  to 
refuse  their  admission. 

"Art.  27.  Without  the  special  permission  of  the  contributors,  no  one  will  bo 
allowed  either  to  make  experiments  upnu  any  object  exposed,  or  to  take  designs 
from  them. 

"  Art.  28.  Objects,  the  exhibition  of  which  might  be  useful  in  other  parts  of  the 
kingdom,  are  sent  into  such  parts,  to  the  resident  correspondents,  who,  in  such 
cases,  are  to  provide  for  suitable  localities, 

"  Art.  37.  Any  person  may  become  a  member  of  this  society  on  application  by 
letter. 

"  Art.  38.  The  members  have  free  admission  to  the  library,  the  museum  of  trade, 
and  the  exhibition. 

"Art.  45.  The  foreign  members  receive  written  communications  of  every  im- 
portant or  interesting  alteration,  or  discovery,  or  improvement,  &c.  &c.t  introduced 
into  this  country,  in  that  department  for  which  they  have  been  inscribed. 

"  Art.  48.  The  price  of  subscription  for  foreign  members  is  fixed  at  30  shillings, 
or/*18  per  annum." 

Such  is  an  outline  of  this  very  meritorious  movement.  Amongst  the  foreign  corre- 
spondents of  the  society  in  this  country,  we  find  the  names  of  William  May,  Esq., 
127  Fencburch-street,  London;  William  Johnson,  47  Lincoln's-Inn-Fields,  Lon- 
don, and  Glasgow;  Francis  Morton,  Esq.,  Liverpool;  Professor  Sullivan,  Dublin; 
Professor  Hodges,  Belfast;  and  Messrs.  Hughes  and  Bloodworth,  Manchester. 
We  shall  make  our  readers  acquainted  with  the  future  proceedings  of  the  under- 
taking, as  they  become  further  developed. 


PFvOVISIONAL  PROTECTIONS  FOR  INVENTIONS 

UNDER  THE  PATENT  LAW  AMENDMENT  ACT. 

(@T  When  the  city  or  town  is  not  mentioned,  London  is  to  be  understood. 

Recorded  January  31, 1S53. 

264.  Charles  Cattanach,  Aberdeen — Certain  apparatus  for  measuring  the  human  figure, 

and  transferring  the  said  measurement  to  cloth. 

Recorded  February  25. 
482.  John  G.  Taylor,  Cheapside — Improvements  in  ornamental  fastenings  for  dress. 

Recorded  March  1. 
510.  William  E.  Newton,  Chancery-lane— Improvements  in  capstans.— (Communication.) 

Recorded  March  3. 
532.  Robert  Barclay,  Montrose— Improvements  in  rotatory  engines  for  obtaining  motive 
power,  and  for  transmitting  aeriform  bodies  and  fluids. 
Recorded  March  7. 
575.  Augustino  Carosio,  Montague-street— Invention  of  a  hydro-dynamic  battery,  or  new 
or  improved  electro-m.iguetic  apparatus,  which,  with  its  products,  are  applicable 
to  the  production  of  motive  power,  of  light,  and  of  heat, 
Recorded  March  9. 
505.  Samuel  Blackwell,  Oxford-street— Improvements  in  saddlery  and  harness. 

596.  Frangois  Valtat  and  Francois  Marie  Rouillu,  Rue  Rambuteau,  Paris,  and  4  South- 

street,  Finsbury — Improvements  in  the  construction  of  the  combs  of  looms  for 
weaving. 

597.  Joseph  Shuttlewortb,  Stamp  End  Iron  Works,  Lincoln— Improvements  in  appen- 

dages to  portable  machines  for  thrashing,  shaking,  and  winnowing  corn. 
599.  George  Chambers,  Cheapside — Improved  means  of  gathering  cinders  and  depositing 

ashes  under  fire-grates,  securing  economy  in  fuel,  and  cleanliness  of  appearance. 
601.  George  Collier,  Halifax— Improvements  in  the  manufacture  of  carpets  and  other 

fabrics. 
603.  Henry  Ransford,  Chelsea — Improvements  in  the  manufacture  of  starch. 

605.  George  Collier,  Halifax,  and  Samuel  Thornton,  same  place— Improvements  in  spin- 

ning, roving,  doubling,  and  twisting  cotton,  worsted,  flax,  and  other  fibrous  ma- 
terials. 

606.  Frederick  W.  Campin,  Strand— Invention  of  an  instrument  for  measuring  the  steer- 

age way  of  vessels,  and  the  rapidity  of  currents  of  water  and  air,  applicable  to 
ventilating  ships  and  railway  carriages.  —  (Communication  from  Messrs. 
Owerduyn  and  Droinet.) 

Recorded  March  10. 

607.  James  Walmsley,  Scout  Newchurch,  near  Manchester — Improved  machinery  and 

arrangements  for  block  printing. 

608.  John  Powis  and  Jabus  S.  James,  Watling-street — Improvements  in  machinery  for 

slotting,  tenoning,  morticing,  grooving,  drilling,  boring,  and  vertical  planing. 

609.  Edward  T.  Bellhouse,  Manchester — Improvements  in  iron  structures. 

610.  Thomas  B.  Dodgson,  Upper  Clapton— Improvements  in  roads  or  ways,  pavements, 

and  footpaths  generally. 

611.  George  Collier,  Halifax — Improvements  in  machinery  or  apparatus  used  in  weaving 

612.  Hon.  William  E.  Cochrane,  Albany-street,  and  William  M.  Cochrane,  Kingston — 

Improvements  in  girths  or  pads  for  retaining  saddles  in  their  places. 

613.  Frangois  F.  Dumarchey,  Paris — Certain  improvements  in  making  roads  and  ways. 

614.  James  Stevens,  Southwark  Bridge-road— Improvements  in  apparatus  for  facilitating 

communications  between  the  guard  and  engineman  of  railway  trains. 

615.  Emanuel  Myers,  Ranisgate — Improvements  in  preventing  railway  engines  and  car- 

riages running  off  the  rails. 

Recorded  March  11. 

616.  Francis  Preston,  Manchester — Improvements  in  the  manufacture  of  bobbins  and 

spools. 

617.  James  Summers,  West  Cowes—  Improvements  in  certain  kinds  of  sails. 

619.  Moses  Poole,  Avenue-road— Improvements  in  apparatus  for  serving  oysters  and 

other  shell-fish. — (Communication.) 

Recorded  March  12. 

620.  John  Gilby,  Beverley— Improvements  in  fire-arms. 

621.  William  Muir,  Manchester — Improvements  in  machinery  or  apparatus  for  grinding 

edge  tools  and  other  articles. 


THE  PRACTICAL  MECHANIC'S  JOURNAL. 


55 


622.  Peter  Armand  Le  Comte  de  Fontaine  Moreau,  4  South-street,  Finsbury,  and  39  Rue 
de  l'Echiquier,  Paris— Invention  of  a  new'  or  improved  apparatus  for  filtering 
liquids. — (Comma  ni  cation. ) 

6*23.  John  F.  Heather,  Woolwich— Invention  of  an  equitable  gas-weighing  meter. 

624.  Augnste  E.  L.  Bellford,  Holborn— Improvements  in  machinery  for  cutting  standing 

crops,  and  gathering  the  same  into  sheaves  or  bundles.— (Communication.) 

626.  Thomas  Evans,  the  younger,  IS  Tooley- street,  Sou thwark—  Certain  improvements  in 

the  construction  of  steam  boilers. 

627.  George  Michiels,  llolywell-street  — Improvements  in  obtaining  oxygen  for  manufac- 

turing purposes. 

625.  Thomas    Hunt,    Leman-street— Improvements  in  the  construction  of  sights  for 

fire-arms. 

629.  Thomas  Rhodes,  Leeds — Improvements  in  the  manufacture  of  manure. 

630.  Robert  C.  Witty,  Wan dswnrfh-road— Improvements  in  the  manufacture  of  gas. 

631.  James  Murdoch,  7  Staple-inn,  Middlesex — An  improved  construction  of  portable 

voltaic  batteries. — ^Communication.) 

Recorded  March  14. 

632.  "William  Quirt  ton,  Benjamin  Qninton,  and  John  Quinton,  Birmingham— Improve- 

ments in  the  construction  and  manufacture  of  measuring  rules. 

633.  Right  Hon.  Charles  A.  Lord  Howard  de  Walden  and  Seaford,  G.C.B.-  Invention 

for  -whitening  and  cleansing  sugar  by  the  application  of  steam  and  hot  air  in  a 
centrifugal  sugar  machine.— {Communication.) 

634.  William  E.  Staite,  Manchester— Improvements  in  apparatus   for  producing  and 

applying  current  electricity,  parts  of  which  apparatus  are  applicable  for  obtaining 
and  treating  certain  chemical  products  resulting  from  electrolytic  action. 
636   Bennett  A.  Burton  and  Henry  M.  Burton,  Blackfriar's-road— Improvements  in  the 
mode  of  manufacturing  casks,  vats,  and  other  like  vessels,  and  in  the  machinery 
or  apparatus  to  be  emploved  for  such  purpose. 

635.  John  H."  Johnson,  47  Lincoln's-inn-fields,  and  of  Glasgow— Improvements  in  dyeing. 

— (Communication.) 

639.  John  Scott  jun,  Greenock — Improvements  in  the  treatment  or  manufacture  of  ani- 

mal charcoal.  • 

640.  William  Stevenson,  Johnstone,  Renfrew — Improvements  in  the  treatment  or  manu- 

facture of  textile  materials. 

641.  William  BashalL  jun.,  Preston— Improvements  in  dressing,  sizeing,  and  tape  ma- 

chines. 

Recorded  if  arch  15. 

642.  William  Morgan,  Spencer-street,  Shoreditch— Invention  for  the  manufacture  of  a 

portable  double-action  folding  chair. 

643.  Thornton  J.  Herapath— Improvements  in  treating  sewage,  and  in  manufacturing 

manure  therefrom. 

644.  Pierre  Sigisbert  L'Hernault,  and  Jean  Richard,  Paris,  and  of  16  Castle-street,  Hol- 

born—Improved  means  for  unhooking  horses,  and  impeding  or  stopping  vehicles 
on  common  roads. 

645.  Francois  Durand,  Paris,  and  16  Castle-street,  Holborn— Invention  of  an  improved 

kind  of  loom. 
645.  Joseph  Maudslay,  Lambeth— Improvements  in  screw  propellers  for  ships  and  other 

vessels. 
6!7.  Perceval  M.  Parsons,  Duke-street,  A delphi— Improvements  in  working  the  valves 

of  steam-engines. 
64S.  Ephraim  Sabel,  25   Broad-street-buildings — Improvements  in  the  construction   of 

looking-glasses,  and  in  the  apparatus  connected  therewith. — (Communication.) 

Recorded  March  16. 
649.  George  Knight,  Birmingham,  and  John  Heritage,  Warwick — An  improvement  or 
improvements  in  drying  bricks,  and  such  other  articles  as  are  or  may  be  made  of 
clay. 

651.  Charles  H.  Wild.  St.  Martin's-lane — Improvements  in  fishes  and  fish-joints  for  con- 

necting the  rails  of  railways. 

652.  William  Malins,  Savile-row— Certain  improvements  in  the  application  of  atmospheric 

propulsion  upon  railways. 

653.  Henry  B.  Fanshawe,  Arthur-street,  Old  Kent-road — Improvements  in  fire-arms. 

654.  Samnel  Colt,  Spring- gardens — Improved   apparatus  for   heating   and   annealing 

metals. 

655.  John  Oliver.  Newcastle-upon-Tyne — Improvements  in  the  manufacture  of  a  red  pig- 

ment, commonly  called  Venetian  red. 

Recorded  March  17. 

657.  John  Livesey,  New  Lenton,  Nottingham — Improvements  in  piled  and  looped  fabrics, 

in  cntting  and  finishing  such  fabrics,  and  in  the  machinery  employed  therein. 

658.  John  T.  Ashenhurst,  Upper  John-street— Improvements  in  piano-fortes. 

659.  William  Blinkhorn,  Sutton,  Lancaster — Improvements  in  the  construction  of  fur- 

naces and  annealing  kilns  employed  in  the  manufacture  of  glass. 

660.  George  Johnson,  Stockport — Certain  improvements  in  looms  for  weaving. 

661.  James  Roscow,  Bolton-le-Moors,   and  Robert  Bullongh,   same  place — Certain  im- 

provements in  machinery  or  apparatus  for  raising  water  and  other  fluids. 

662.  John  Bottomley,  Bradford — Improvements  in  the  manufacture  of  figured  or  orna- 

mented piled'  or  plushed  fabrics. 

Recorded  March  18. 

663.  Richard  Peters.  Sonthwark — An  improved  machine  for  mortising  and   tenoning, 

drilling  and  boring. 

664.  James  Tweedalef  Abraham  A.  Tweedale,  and  Samnel  Tweedale,  Rochdale— Certain 

improvements  in  machinery  or  apparatus  for  spinning  cotton  and  other  fibrous 
materials. 

665.  Paul  Cameron,  Glasgow — Improvements  in  marine  and  surveying  compasses. 

666.  William  K.  Westly,  Leeds — Improved  comb  or  gill  for  heckling,  drawing,  roving, 

and  otherwise  preparing  to  be  spun,  hemp,  flax,  tow,  silk,  wool,  and  other  fibrous 
substances. 

667.  John  H.  Johnson,  47  Lincoln' s-inn-fields,  and  Glasgow— Improvements  in  steam- 

engines. — (Communication.) 

668.  Malcolm  Baxter,  Glasgow — Improvements  in  steam-engines  and  pressure-regulating 

valves. 

669.  Richard  A.  Brooman,  166  Fleet-street — Improved  machine  for  weighing  or  measur- 

ing and  packing  spices,  drugs,  coffee,  and  like  matters.— (Communication.) 

670.  Auguate  E.  L.  Bellford,  16  Castle-street,  Holborn— Improvements  in  power-looms.— 

Communication.) 

671.  John  Ha3kett,  52  Wigmore-street,  Cavendish- square — Improvements  in  grinding 

stones  and  whetstones. — (Communication.) 
573.  Charles  Harratt,  2  Royal  Exchange-buildings — Improvements  in  strengthening  the 
masts  of  ships  and  vessels. 

674.  Robert  O.  Christian,  Havre — Certain  improvements  in  bed-hangers,  for  ships  carry- 

ing emigrant  passengers,  and  in  the  manner  of  manufacturing  them. 

675.  Robert  O.  Christian,  HavTe — Certain  improvements  in  ventilating. 

676.  Alfred  W.  Bank3, 42  Newgate-street — Improvements  in  the  manufacture  of  life-belts. 

677.  George  Eos3,  Hatton-garden— Improved  manufacture  of  lubricating  oil,  and  a  mode 

or  modes  of  applying  such  oil  to  the  purposes  of  lubrication.— (Communication.) 

678.  George  Mackay,  Buckingham-street,  Strand — Improvements  in  the  manufacture  of 

iron.—  'Communication.,) 


679.  Robert  B.  Tennent,  Gracechurch-street— Improvement  in  the  machinery  employed 
for  pulping  coffee.— (Communication.) 

Recorded  March  19. 

650.  John  Elridge,  9  Stanley-street,  Pimlico— Invention  for  washing  woollen,  linen, 

cotton,  silken,  hempen,  skin,  and  flaxen  materials  and  substances,  and  called  "  the 
rotary  washing-machine." 

651.  Joseph  Haley,  Manchester — Improvements  in  the  method  of  transmitting  commu- 

nication from  one  part  of  a  railway  train  to  another. 

652.  Henry    Bousquet,    157    Fenchurch-street— Improvements   in  the  manufacture  of 

manure. 

653.  George  Dalton,  Himley,  near  Dudley — Certain  improvements  in  smelting  or  re- 

ducing iron  ore,  iron  stone,  or  slag  or  scoria. 

654.  John  H.  Johnson,  47  Lincoln's-inn-fields,  and  Glasgow— Improvements  in  regulat- 

ing steam-engines,  and  other  prime  movers. — (Communication.) 

655.  Samuel  Radcliffe,  Oldham,  and  Knight  W.  Whitehead,  same  place— Certain  im- 

provements in  machinery  or  apparatus  for  grinding  or  setting  the  surfaces  of 
cylinders  and  rollers  employed  in  carding  engines. 

656.  Alfred  V.  Newton,  Chancery-lane — An  improved  construction  of  oil  lamp.— (Commu- 

nication.) 

Recorded  March  21. 

657.  James  Fraser,  Gracechurch-street— Improvements  in  the  manufacture  of  portable 

packages. 

6SS.  William  W.  Collins,  Buckingham-street — Certain  improvements  in  looms  for  weav- 
ing.— (Communication.) 

6S9.  Thomas  Sykes,  Castleford,  Yorkshire— Improvements  in  the  treatment  of  soapy  and 
greasy  waters. — (Communication.) 

690.  Moses  Poole,  Avenue-road,  Regent's  Park— Improvements  in  generating  steam  and 

other  vapours. — (Communication.) 

691.  Jean  M.  Durnerin,  Paris — Improvements  in  apparatus  for  extracting  liquid  out  of 

solid  substances,  specially  applicable  to  the  treatment  of  fatty  matters. 

692.  Moses  Poole,  Avenue-road,  Regent's  Park — Improvements  in  obtaining  power  where 

air  is  employed. — (Communication.) 

693.  Isaac  Taylor,  Stanford-Rivers — Improvements  in  machinery  for  printing  woven  and 

other  fabrics. 

694.  John  Barsham,  Kings ton-upon-Thames — Improvements  in  apparatus  for  communi- 

cating between  the  guard  and  engine  driver,  or  other  persons,  in  a  railway  train. 

695.  John  Brett,  Camden-town— An  improved  portable  sketching  apparatus  for  artists. 

696.  John  Stather,  Kingston-upon-Hull — Improvements  in  printing. 

Recorded  March  22. 

697.  Edwin  Maw,  Seacomhe — An  improvement  in  the  mode  of  connecting  sheets  of  corru- 

gated iron,  when  used  in  the  construction  of  roofe,  iron  houses,  and  other  purposes. 

699.  Thomas  Bouch,  Edinburgh— Improvements  in  signals. 

700.  John  H.  Johnson,  47  Lincoln's-inn-fields,  and  Glasgow — Improvements  in  the  mode 

of  smelting  iron  and  other  ores.— (Communication.) 

701.  William  Johnson,  47  Lincoln's-inn-fields,  and  Glasgow — Improvements  in  rolling  and 

shaping  malleable  metals. — (Communication.) 

702.  Nicholas  G.  Norcross,  Lowell,  U.S. — Certain  improvements  in  machinery  for  planing 

or  reducing  boards  or  timber. 

703.  Frederick  Futvoye,  Regent-street — An  improved  apparatus  to  he  employed  in  games 

of  chance. 

704.  Henry  H.  Henson,  Hampstead — An  improvement  or  improvements  in  buffers. 

Recorded  March  23. 

705.  James  Allen,  Manchester— Certain  improvements  applicable  to  the  safety-valves  of 

steam-boilers  or  generators. 

706.  John  H.  Park,  Preston,  and  Joseph  Park,  same  place — Improvements  in  water- 

closets  and  urinals. 

707.  Jean  B.  Massat,  16  Castle-street,  Holborn— Certain  improvements  in  the  manu- 

facture of  knives,  and  other  similar  handle  instruments. 

708.  Bernard  Boyle,  2  Raven-row,  Mile-End — Invention  of  a  centripetal  flange. 

709.  Hesketh  Hughes  and  William  T.  Denham,  both  of  Cottage-place— Improvements  in 

pianofortes,  organs,  seraphines,  and  other  like  musical  instruments. 

710.  William  M.  Crosland,  Beaumont-street— Improvements  in  block-making  machinery. 

711.  Antoine  F.  J.  Claudet,  Regent-street— Improvements  in  stereoscopes. 

Recorded  March  24. 

712.  Charles  W.  Siemens,  Ad elphi- terrace,  and  Joseph  Adamson,  Leeds— Improvements 

in  rotatory  fluid  meters. 

713.  John  Beaumont,  Dalton,  near  Huddersfield — Invention  of  a  new  manufacture  of 

certain  descriptions  of  woven  fabrics. 

714.  William  P.  Sharp,  Manchester— Certain  improvements  in  machinery  for  spinning 

and  doubling  cotton  and  other  fibrous  substances. 

715.  Robert  Grundy,  Hindley,  and  James  Jones,  Warrington — Improvements  in  ma- 

chinery for  preparing,  spinning,  and  doubling  cotton,  and  other  fibrous  materials. 

716.  Charles  V.  F.  de  Roulet,  Paris — Certain  improvements  in  the  manufacture  of  piled 

figured  fabrics  by  alterations  in,  and  additions  to,  looms  for  weaving,  including 
also  a  warping  machine,  with  a  method  of  reading  and  arranging  the  colours  or 
materials  for  the  patterns  of  such  figured  fabrics. 

717.  Henry  Webster,  Sheffield,  and  Edward  D.  Stones,  same  place — Improvements  in  the 

construction  of  gas  stoves. 

718.  William  Keates,  Liverpool — Improvements  in  the  manufacture  of  tubes  and  man- 

drils.—(Partly  a  communication.) 

719.  Charles  A.  Holm,  21  Cecil-street,  Strand — Improvements  in  propelling  vessels. 

720.  George  I.  Jackson  and  Henry  D.  Jackson,  46  Castle-street,  Liverpool — Improve- 

ments in  fasteners  for  buttons. 

721.  William  McNaught,  Rochdale— Certain  improvements  in  steam-engines. 

722.  William  Edie,  Dundee— Improvements  in  the  treatment  or  manufacture  of  textile 

materials. 

723.  Robert  Walker,  Glasgow— Improvements  in  working  and  increasing  the  safety  of 

railways. 

Recorded  March  26. 

724.  Erasmus  Symonds,  Great  Bell  Alley— An  improved  self-acting  plug  for  barges, 

boats,  and  other  vessels. 

726.  Robert  Hazard,  14  Lincoln's-inn-fields— Invention  of  a  Podombroslonton,  or  an  im- 
proved apparatus  for  either  sponge  or  shower  bath,  and  all  lavatory  purposes. 

728.  Thomas  Smedley,  Holywell — Certain  improvements  in  steam-boilers. 

730.  Richard  A.  Brooman,  166  Fleet-street— Improved  rag-tearing  and  separating  ma- 

chine.—(Communication.) 

731.  George  Robb,  Glasgow— Improvements  in  the  manufacture  of  sulphuric  acid,  alkalis, 

and  their  salts. 

732.  James  Worrall,  junior,  Salford — Certain  improvements  in  the  method  of  preparing, 

treating,  and  finishing,  cut,  piled,  or  raised  fustians,  and  other  similar  goods  or 
fabrics,  and  in  the  machinery  or  apparatus  connected  therewith. 

Recorded  March  28. 

733.  George  O.  Asbury,  Birmingham— An  improvement  or  improvements  in  the  manu- 

facture of  dowls  used  in  joinery. 

734.  John  G.  T.  Campbell,  13  Lambeth-hill,  Upper  Thames-street — Certain  improvements 

in  ships'  propellers. 


5G 


THE  PRACTICAL  MECHANIC'S  JOURNAL. 


735.  David  S.  Brown,  2  Alexandrian-lodge,  Old    Kent-road— Certain  improvements  in 

engines  to  be  worked  by  steam,  or  any  other  elastic  fluid,  which  invention  also 
includes  the  apparatus  for  generating  such  steam,  or  other  elastic  fluid. 

736.  Augustin  C.  Bernard  and  Jacques  M.  P.  A.  de  St.  Roman,  4  South-street,  Finsbury 

— An  improved  mode  of  giving  publicity. 

737.  Thomas  J.  Perry,  Lozels,  near  Birmingham— Improvements  in  printing. 

733.  John  Scott,  jun.,  and  George  W.  Jaffrey,  both  of  Greenock— Improvements  in  steam- 
engines. 

739.  Samuel  Fox,  Deepcar,  near  Sheffield— An  improvement  in  the  frames  of  umbrellas 
and  parasols. 

741.  George  E.  Dering,  Lockleys— Improvements  in  the  manufacture  of  certain  salts  and 

oxides  of  metals. 

Recorded  March  29. 

742.  Samuel  Bayliss,  Old  Broad-street— Improvements  in  the  construction  of  ships  and 

vessel  s 

743.  James  Webley,  Birmingham— Improvements  in  the  construction  of  repeating  or 

revolving  and  other  pistols  and  fire-arms. 

744.  Luke  Smith,  Little  borough,  and  Matthew  Smith,  Heywood— Improvements  in  ma- 

chinery for  weaving  and  printing. 

745.  Thomas  Hill,  Southampton— Certain   improvements  in  springs,  and   also  in    the 

modes  of  their  application  to  railway  engines  and  carriages. — (Communication.) 

746.  Samuel  Newton,  Stockport— Invention  of  a  self-acting  friction  break,  to  be  applied 

to  engines,  carriages,  and  waggons  used  on  railways. 

748.  Robert  Heath,  Betley — Improvements  in  railway  breaks  and  signals. 

749.  Isaac  Rider,  Bristol— Improvements  in  cocks  for  drawing  off  beer  or  other  liquids. 
760.  Lawrence  F.  Keogh,  Liverpool— Improvement  in  looms  for  weaving. 

751.  John  Gray,  Glasgow— Improvements  in  the  application  of  heat  for  baking. 

752.  William  Henham,  East  Peckham— Improvements  in  ploughs. 

755.  John  Pym,  Pimlico— Improvements  in  the  permanent  way  of  railways. 

756.  George  Shaw,  Allen-street,  Sheffield — Improvements  in  the  manufacture  of  knives 

and  forks. 

757.  Julian  Bernard,  Guildford-street,  Russell-square — Certain  improvements  in  boots, 

shoes,  and  clogs.,  and  in.  the   machinery  or  apparatus  and  materials  conaected 
therewith. 
75S.  John  C.  Haddan,  29  Bloomsbury-square— Improvements  in  railway  carriages. 

Recorded  March  30. 

759.  Martin  Billing,  Birmingham— Invention  of  a  new  or  improved  method  of  construct- 

ing the  walls  of  houses,  hothouses,  and  other  buildings,  which  said  method  is  also 
applicable  to  the  construction  of  fences. 

760.  William  Henham,  East  Peckham— Certain  improvements  in  regulatingthe  draft  in 

chimneys  and  other  outlets  for  smoke,  air,  and  vapours. 

762.  James  Bowron,  South  Shields— Improvements  in  the  manufacture  of  crown,  sheet, 

plate,  and  bottle  glass. 

763.  Christopher  Nickels,  York-road — Improvements  in  weaving  narrow  fabrics. 

764.  Robert  Dalglish,  Glasgow— Improvement  in  dyeing. 

765.  John  C.  Ramsden,  Bradford— Improvements  in  looms  for  weaving. 

766.  Joseph  X.  Villiet,  aine*,  Boulevard  du  Temple,  Paris,  and  4  South-street,  Finsbury 

— Certain  improvements  in  the  production  of  aerated  liquids. 

767.  James  Houston,  Dunfermline — Improvements  in  weaving. 

768-  James  Worrall,  junior,  Salford — Certain  improvements  in  the  method  of  preparing, 
treating,  and  finishing  certain  textile  fabrics  called  cords,  thicksets,  velveteens, 
and  beaverteens. 

769.  Lot  Faulkner,  Cheadle— Certain  improvements  in  the  method  of  obtaining  motive 

power. 

Recorded  March.  31. 

770.  William  A.  P.  Aymard,  4  South-street,  Finsbury — Certain  improvements  in  apply- 

ing to  illuminating  the  extract  of  bituminous  products  of  coal,  peat,  and  lignites, 
and  in  rectifying  and  depurating  the  essences  and  greasy  matter  from  coal. — 
(Communication  from  P.  J.  Salomon,  Paris.) 

771.  Joseph  Rylands,  Kingston-upon-Hull — Improvements  in  yards  and  spars  of  ships 

and  other  vessels. 

772.  Robert   M'Gavin,   Glasgow — Improvements   in    the  construction  of  ships'  masts, 

yards,  booms,  and  in  spars. 

773.  George  Hanson,  Huddersfield,   and   David  Chadwick,    Salford — Improvements  in 

apparatus  for  measuring  gas,  water,  and  other  fluids,  which  improvements  are 
also  applicable  for  obtaining  motive  power. 

774.  John  Radcliffe,  Bradford— Improvements  in  looms  for  weaving. 

Recorded  April  1. 

775.  George  F,  Wilson,  Belmont, Vauxhall,  and  James  F.  Lee,  same  place— Improvements 

in  the  manufacture  of  night-lights  and  their  cases. 

776.  George  F.   Wilson,   Belmont,    Vauxhall— Improvements   in   treating   certain  oily 

matters,  and  in  the  manufacture  of  oil. 

777.  Bartholomew  Brittain,  Waterloo-road,  Surrey— Improvements  in  the  means  of  sup- 

porting or  retaining  bedsteads  or  other  articles  of  furniture  in  their  proper  posi- 
tions. 

779.  William  Crofts,  Nottingham-park — Improvements  in  weaving. 

780.  Jonathan  Saunders,  St.  John's-wood — Improvements  in   the  manufacture  of  rail- 

way tyres. 

781.  Henry  Spencer,  Henry  Tattersall.  and  Hugh  Simphson,  Rochdale— Certain  improve- 

ments in  machinery  or  apparatus  for  preparing  and  spinning  cotton  and  other 
fibrous  materials. 

782.  Robert  E.  Peterson,  Tottenham-court-road— An  improved  piston.— (Communication.) 

783.  George  F.  Wilson,  Belmont,  Vauxhall— Improvements  in  the  manufacture  of  cloths, 

and  in  the  preparation  of  wool. 

784.  George  F.  Wilson,  Belmont,  Vauxhall— Improvements  in  treating  certain  greasy 

matters,  and  in  the  manufacture  of  candles. 

785.  George  F.  Wilson,  Belmont,  Vauxhall— Improvements  in  the  manufacture  of  night- 

lights,  and  in  apparatus  to  be  used  therewith. 

Recorded  April  2. 

787.  George   Holcroft  and  William  J.  Iloyle,  Manchester— Certain  improvements  in 

steam-engines. 

788.  George  Robb,  Glasgow— Improvements  in  the  manufacture  of  sulphuric  acid,  alkalis, 

and  other  salts. 

789.  Nicolas  Barthelemy,  Paris -Improvements  in  apparatus  for  sharpening  razors. 

790.  Alhion  R.  Snelling,  Tottenham— An  improved  emigrants'  habitation  cart. 

791.  Christopher  G.  Roseukilde,  Christiansand— Improvements  in  window  sash  fasten- 

ings. 

792.  Frederick  W.  Mowbray,  Bradford— Improvements  in  doubling  wool  and  other  fibrous 

substances. 

Recorded  April  4. 

793.  William  E.  Newton,  66  Chancery-lane—  Improvements  in  engines  to  be  worked  by 

air  or  gases. — (Communication.) 

794.  James  Findlow,  Manchester  -  Improvements  in  beds  or  couches  for  sick  persons, 
79o.  Joseph  Falin,  Liverpool— Improvements  in  apparatus  applicable  to  evaooration  and 

distillation. 


796.  William  E.  Newton,  66  Chancery-lane— Improvements  in  producing  plates  or  sur- 

faces which  maybe  used  as  printing  or  embossing  surfaces,  or  as  door  plates, 
dial,  or  number  plates,  or  other  plates  or  surfaces  bearing  inscriptions  or  devices 
of  various  kinds.— (Communication.) 

797.  William  B.Johnson,  Manchester—  Improvements  in  steam-engines,  and  in  apparatus 

connected  therewith. 

798.  Robert  W.  Siever,  Upper  Holloway,  and  James  Crosby,  Manch ester—  Improvements 

applicable  to  looms  for  the  manufacture  of  textile  fabrics. 

799.  Jesse  Ross,  Keighley,  York,  and  Thomas  R.  II.  Ross,  Leicester— Certain  improve- 

ments in  machinery  or  apparatus  for  combing  wool,  cotton,  silk,  flax,  and  other 
suitable  fibrous  materials. 

800.  George  H.  Brockbank,  Crawley-street,  Oakley-square— Improvements  in  horizontal 

piano-fortes. 

801.  William  Walker,  Leeds— Improvements  in  drying  malt. 

802.  Moses  Poole,  Avenue-road,  Regent's-park — Improvements  in  winding  silk  from  the 

cocoon. — (Communication.) 

803.  Francis  Steigewald,  Munich— Improvements  in  the  manufacture  of  glass  and  porce- 

lain. 

804.  Charles  May,  Great  George-street— Improvements  in  machinery  for  manufacturing 

and  rolling  iron. 

805.  Francis  Steigewald,  Munich — Improvements  in  heating  furnaces. 

806.  Autoine  Burq,  Paris— Invention  of  certain  instruments,  apparatus,  and  articles,  for 

the  application  of  electro-galvanic  and  magnetic  action  for  medical  purposes. 

807.  John  Lawson,  Biggar — Improvements  in  the  suspension  and  management  of  ships' 

boats. 

808.  Alfred  V.  Newton,  66  Chancery-lane — An  improved  construction  of  self-inking  stamp- 

ing apparatus. — (Communication.) 

Recorded  April  5. 

S10.  William  Mavity,  Birmingham— A  new  or  improved  method  of  manufacturing  letters 
and  figures  to  be  used  as  printing  type,  lettering  for  sign  and  window-boards,  and 
other  such  like  purposes. 

812.  George  Purcell,  Cork — A  new  method  of  adjustment  in  (he  art  of  printing,  by  means 
of  certain  combinations  of  various  sized  spaces  and  quadrats. 

814.  James  Long,  Gorleston,  Norfolk — An  improved  method  of  setting  up  and  adjusting 
ships'  rigging  of  all  tonnage. 

816.  Joseph  Haley,  Manchester— Improvements  in  machinery  or  apparatus  for  forging, 
stamping,  and  cutting  iron  or  other  substances ;  which  machinery  or  apparatus  is 
commonly  called  a  "  Steam  Hammer." 

818.  William  Johnson,  47  Lincoln's-inn-fields,  and  Glasgow — Improvements  in  weaving, 
and  in  the  machinery  employed  therein. — (Communication.) 

820.  John  Thomas,  Caen,  France — Improvements  in  apparatus  for  the  manufacture  of  gas 
and  coke. 

Recorded  April  6. 

822.  Edward  Simons,  Birmingham — Improvements  in  telegraphing  or  communicating 
signals. 

824.  James  J.  Pratt,  Long  Eaton,  Derby — Certain  improvements  in  stockings. 

826.  Henry  A.  Jowett,  Saivley,  Derby — Improvements  in  apparatus  for  heating,  which 
improvements  are  particularly  applicable  for  generating  steam  or  evaporating 
solutions,  and  may  be  applied  for  heating  purposes  generally. 

828.  William  Johnson,  47  Lincoln's-inn-fields,  and  Glasgow — Improvements  in  the  pro- 
duction of  ornamental  surfaces  in  glass,  porcelain,  metals,  and  similar  materials. — 
(Communication.) 

830.  Samuel  Denison  and  Henry  D.  Dcnison,  Leeds — Improvements  in  rating,  break- 
ing, and  scutching  flax,  hemp,  and  other  fibrous  matters* 

Recorded  April  1, 

832.  William  A.  P.  Aymard,  South-street,  Finsbury — Certain  improvements  in  the  pre- 
paration for,  and  application  to  the  manufacture  of  candles,  and  other  purposes,  of 
certain  fatty  and  resinous  bodies  or  substances.— (Communication,) 

834.  John  Grist,  New  North-road,  Islington — Improvements  in  machinery  for  the  manu- 
facture of  casks,  barrels,  and  other  similar  vessels. 

836.  William  H.  Wells,  Edward  Mann,  and  John  Harmann,  all  of  Wandsworth— Im- 
provements in  grinding  wheat  and  other  grain. 

838.  Colin  Mather,  Salford — Improvements  in  power-looms. 

840.  Frederick  Le  Mesurier,  Pau,  Basses  Pyr^no"es,  France — Improvements  in  apparatus 
for  measuring  and  indicating  a  given  period  of  time. 

842.  Christopher  Nickels,  York-road,  Lambeth — Improvements  in  machinery  for  masti- 
cating, kneading,  or  grinding  india-rubber,  gutta  percha,  and  other  matters. 


Feb.  11th, 

3422 

Mar.  lltli, 

3431 

16th, 

3432 

21st, 

3433 

23d, 

3434 

24th, 

3435 

30th, 

3436 

— 

3437 

31st, 

3438 

— 

3439 



3440 

April   5th, 

3441 

6th, 

3442 

7th, 

3443 

— 

3444 

13th, 

3445 

14th, 

3446 

DESIGNS  FOR  ARTICLES  OF  UTILITY. 

Registered  from  11th  March  to  14th  Api-il,  1853. 

C.  Plodgson  and  J.  Stead,  Salford, — "  Self-adjusting  tongs  for  gas 
fitters." 

W.  Brooks,  Aldgate, — "  Sausage-machine." 

G.  Clark,  Kingston-on-HulI, — "  Seamless  block  boot." 

G.  Dowler,  Birmingham, — "Inkstand." 

Brooker  and  Son,  Edmonton, — "  Carriage-step  and  cover." 

J.  J.  Catterson,  Islington,— "Carriage-spring." 

D.  J.  L.  B.  Vandenborch,  Bruxelles, — "  Extending  table." 
W.  Duck  and  W.  Wilson,  London-road, — '"High-pressure  cock." 
W.  J.  Clapp,  St.  James's, — ''Hollow  and  solid  bullet-mould." 
J.  Cawood  and  J.  Sunter,  Derby, — "  Valve-lever  and  ferrule." 
J.  Skudder,  Deptford, — "  Gold-diggers'  dwelling." 
Mrs.  Groom,  Walworth,  -"  Abdominal  belt." 
Man>h  Brothers  and  Co.,  Sheffield,— "  Table-knife." 
J.  Fryer,  Charing-cross,— "  Despatch-box." 
J.  C.  Gunn,  Edinburgh, — "Collar  for  pipes." 
J.  Paterson,  Wood-street,-  "  Shirt  front." 
F.  J.  Jones,  Addle-street, — "  Buckle." 


DESIGNS  FOR  ARTICLES  OF  UTILITY. 

Provisionally  Registered  from  18th  March,  to  8th  April,  1S53. 
Mar.  ISth,      497    J.  Bagnall  and  S.  Limebeer,  St.  Pancras— " Portable  house." 
29th,      498    F.  H.  Elwin,  Camden-town,— "  Gun  and  shot." 
April    5th,      499     S.  Harris,  Houndsditch,—"  Shirt." 

8th,      500    J.  Simons,  Birmingham, — "  Writing-case  and  taper-stand." 

TO  READERS  AND  CORRESPONDENTS. 

Winter's  Patent  Paddle.— This  is  very  ancient.  See  Kibble's  Patent,  amongst 
others. 

Received. — "Proposed  London  Railway  between  the  City  and  the  West,"  by  P.  M. 
Parsons.—"  Decision  in  the  Great  India-Rubber  Case  of  Charles  Goodyear."—"  Speech 
of  the  Hon.  Daniel  Webster  in  the  Great  India-Rnbber  Suit." 

C.  G..  Ayr. — Any  respectable  bookseller  will  procure  the  work;  the  "  P.  M.  Journal" 
agent,  for  instance. 


Plate  L'S. 


tElieTTBiDS 


I)R   WATSOI. 


Vol.  17. 


naKa  pfl 


PATENTEE,   LONDON. 


THE  PRACTICAL  MECHANIC'S  JOURNAL. 


57 


ELECTRICAL  ILLUMINATION.— DR.  WATSON'S  ELECTRIC 

LAMP. 

(Illustrated  by  Plate  125.) 

LECTRICAL  illumination  is  undeniably 
one  of  the  "  modern  instances  "  of  the 
nineteenth  century.  It  is  now  more 
than  a  mere  scientific,  though  scarcely 
yet  a  really  commercial  fact.  And 
its  pursuit  well  deserves  the  atten- 
tion which  it  has  received,  for  the 
phenomena  developed  in  it  are  as 
attractively  striking  in  the  estimation 
of  the  philosophical  inquirer,  as  are 
its  prospective  practical  results  in  that 
of  the  whole  human  race.  Voltaic 
electricity,  which  we  have  studied  so  much — and  of  which,  in  spite  of 
the  combined  exertions  of  many  labourers  through  years  of  unceasing 
toil,  we  yet  know  so  little — has  presented  no  feature  more  likely  to  con- 
tribute to  the  best  interests  of  mankind,  than  its  production  of  artificial 
light.  None  has  enlisted  more  experimentalists,  and  certainly  none  has 
so  well  kept  up  the  primarily  excited  interest  in  the  face  of  so  many 
failures.  It  has  all  along  played  the  part  of  the  ignis  fataus,  constantly 
remaining  beyond  our  reach — whilst  it  yields  all  the  allurements  of 
promised  successes  necessary  for  giving  piqunncy  to  the  pursuit.  It 
waits  long,  but  its  turn  comes;  for  every  little  fact  laid  bare  by  indi- 
viduals, who  are  singly  weak,  is  turned  to  good  account  in  that  union 
which  gives  strength  to  isolated  inquiries. 

The  wonderfully  brilliant  character  of  the  electric  light  is  known  to 
every  one.  Its  production  on  the  lecture  table,  or  in  a  street  lamp,  for  an 
hour  or  two's  effective  display,  is  no  novelty.  It  differs  from  all  other 
artificial  lights  in  the  fact  of  its  exact  reproduction  of  the  light  of  day; 
and  all  this  arises  from  the  simple  combustion  of  two  pieces  of  charcoal  in 
contact  with  the  poles  of  a  galvanic  battery.  These  carbon  points  have 
received  the  name  of  "  electrodes."  When  they  are  placed  in  the  line  of 
the  battery  wire,  they  are  first  to  be  brought  into  actual  contact,  and  then 
very  gradually  separated,  when  a  brilliant  stream  of  light  is  passed.  Sir 
H.  Davy  has  shown  that,  with  a  very  powerful  battery,  the  light  will 
pass  through  the  great  length  of  four  inches.  When  the  light  has  been 
kept  up  for  a  few  minutes,  a  transfer  of  particles  takes  place  from  one 
pole,  or  charcoal  point,  to  the  other ;  and  after  a  while,  a  cavity  is  per- 
ceptible on  one  of  the  charcoals  corresponding  exactly  to  a  convexity  on 
the  opposite  point.  The  gradual  combustion  of  the  transferred  particles 
continually  increases  the  distance  through  which  the  current  has  to  pass ; 
and  as  the  current's  power  of  so  passing  is  limited  to  the  strength  of 
the  battery,  the  light  is  necessarily  extinguished  when  the  hiatus  pre- 
ponderates. 

Again,  the  actual  battery  current  varies  very  considerably  in  work- 
ing; and  hence,  if  the  poles  remain  at  a  steady  distance  of  separa- 
tion, the  steadiness  of  the  light  must  be  vitiated  from  this  cause  alone. 
In  none  of  the  earlier  mechanical  combinations  for  reducing  the  philoso- 
phical experiment  to  practical  use,  was  any  expedient  introduced  as  a 
remedy  for  these  vitiating  effects ;  and  all  that  has  been  done,  up  to  the 
present  time,  has  been  the  adaptation  of  mechanical  arrangements  for 
the  gradual  and  uniform  approximation  of  the  charcoal  points  by  clock- 
Hence,  with  such  arrangements,  the  points  steadily  approach 


wo:k. 


each  other  during  the  action  of  the  light,  wholly  irrespective  of  the 
strength  of  the  passing  current;  so  that  nothing  is  gained  by  the  device, 
seeing  that  there  is  no  concerted  connection  between  the  state  of  the 
current  and  the  traverse  of  the  points.  It  is  here  where  Dr.  Watson's 
invention  comes  in  with  important  advantage.  By  this  newly-patented 
arrangement,  the  electric  current  is  itself  made  the  regulating  agent  of 

Vo.  63.— Vol.  VI.  ° 


the  light,  just  as  Watt's  rotatory  pendulum  watches  every  minute  varia- 
tion in  the  speed  of  the  steam-engine,  and,  unassisted,  applies  the  neces- 
sary remedial  action,  for  at  once  bringing  about  the  intended  understand- 
ing between  the  speed  and  the  work. 

The  substitution  of  a  magnet  for  the  clockwork  movement  was  the 
most  important  step  towards  the  reduction  of  the  electric  light  to  prac- 
tical use  ;  but,  hitherto,  the  perfection  of  uniform  action  attainable  by 
the  judicious  management  of  this  magnetic  movement  has  been  utterly 
missed.  Permanent  magnets,  indeed,  cannot  grapple  with  the  difficul- 
ties of  the  case;  an  electro-magnet,  which  shall  be  either  an  actively 
attracting  body,  or  a  dull  powerless  piece  of  iron,  accordingly  as  the 
electric  current  is  present  or  absent,  alone  supplies  the  automatic  princi- 
ple required  for  obtaining  a  steady  light.  But  this  is  not  all — for  many 
mechanical  difficulties  present  themselves  in  setting  the  electro-magnet 
to  work  as  a  perfect  regulating  adjustment  for  the  movement  of  the 
electrodes.  These  difficulties  Dr.  Watson  has  most  ingeniously  over- 
come, and  he  is  now  enabled  to  burn  his  lamp  for  any  consecutive  num- 
ber of  hours;  whilst,  within  the  lamp  itself,  he  has  a  means  of  increas- 
ing or  diminishing  the  light ;  the  light  is  restrained  to  one  point,  and  is 
therefore  adapted  for  ordinary  reflectors ;  and  no  previous  adjustment  is 
necessary  for  lighting  at  any  time^  when  the  electrodes  have  been  once 
fixed. 

Our  plate,  125,  contains  a  side  elevation,  partially  in  section,  of  this  lamp, 
as  arranged  for  the  table  and  domestic  use.  In  this  lamp  an  electro-mag- 
net, a,  is  fixed  in  the  base,  and  rendered  magnetic  by  a  wire  which  enters 
at  n — theotherendof  the  coil  of  the  magnet  being  in  connection  with  the 
lamp's  base.  The  armature,  c,  of  the  magnet  is  attached  to  the  lower  end  of 
the  rod,  d,  which  again  is  connected  at  its  upper  end  with  the  longer  arm, 
e,  of  an  overhead  lever.  This  lever  works  on  a  fixed  centre,  f,  and  its 
opposite  arm  terminates  in  a  fork,  g,  whilst  a  slight  blade-spring,  h,  serves 
to  keep  the  end,  e,  of  the  lever  constantly  elevated  when  the  magnet  is 
not  in  action.  The  fork,  G,  embraces  a  collar,  i,  consisting  of  two  semi- 
cylindrical  pieces  of  brass,  hinged  to  each  other  at  their  base,  j,  and  made 
to  grasp  the  vertical  spindle,  k,  by  the  ascending  action  of  the  fork  upon 
the  conical  sides  of  the  collar.  The  spindle,  k,  is  fitted  with  a  socket,  L, 
in  which  is  a  tightening  screw  for  holding  the  upper  electrode,  m;  whilst 
the  lower  electrode,  n,  is  inserted  in  the  stationary  socket,  o,  on  the  base 
beneath.  This  socket  is  fitted  into  the  top  of  the  main  stand,  p,  which 
also  carries  a  binding  screw,  for  connection  with  one  pole  of  the  battery. 
The  dark  parts  of  the  figure  represent  the  insulated  points  of  the  appa- 
ratus. Two  flexible  wires,  Q,  connect  the  top  of  the  lamp  with  the  upper 
electrode,  through  the  binding  screw,  k,  in  the  top  of  the  spindle,  k,  and 
this  completes  the  battery  connection,  as  far  as  regards  the  actual  light 
apparatus. 

As  the  correct  working  of  the  lamp  depends  on  the  adjustment  of 
the  arc,  or  striking  distance  between  the  poles,  Dr.  Watson  has  intro- 
duced the  apparatus  indicated  at  s,  consisting  of  a  collar  piece,  or  boss, 
capable  of  turning  round  on  a  shoulder  on  the  upper  portion  of  the 
pillar,  t,  through  which  pillar  the  rod,  d,  of  the  armature,  c,  is  passed. 
This  boss  is  formed  internally  with  a  screw-thread,  working  upon  a  cor- 
responding thread  on  a  tubular  piece  within,  so  that,  on  turning  the  boss, 
the  screw  action  elevates  the  tube,  and  the  latter  carries  up  the  bracket, 
u,  and  with  it  the  lever,  e,  g.  Thus,  by  turning  this  boss,  s,  in  either 
direction,  the  armature,  c,  suspended  from  the  lever,  is  made  to  approach 
to,  or  recede  from,  the  poles,  and  thus  diminish  or  increase  the  inductive 
power;  and  the  portion  of  the  pillar  above  the  boss  being  slotted,  to 
allow  the  lever  to  pass  through,  the  lever's  play  is  restrained  within  cer- 
tain determined  limits.  The  action  of  the  lower  pole  of  the  lamp  is 
this: — The  current  which  induces  the  magnetic  power  in  the  magnet,  A, 
also  brings  into  action  the  electro-magnet,  y,  w,  before  it  passes  to  the 
general  body  of  the  lamp.  The  electro-magnet,  w,  attracts  the  arma- 
ture, x,  which  is  attached  to  a  curved  lever,  capable  of  horizontal  motion 
on  the  stud  pillar,  y,  but  restrained  from  connection  with  the  magnet, 


58 


THE  PRACTICAL  MECHANIC'S  JOURNAL. 


■whilst  induction  is  not  going  on,  by  the  spring,  z.  At  the  opposite  end 
of  this  bent  lever  is  a  spring-catch,  a,  gearing  with  a  ratchet-wheel,  b, 
which  it  turns,  on  being  acted  upon  by  the  magnetic  induction.  This 
ratchet-wheel,  5,  is  fast  on  the  end  of  a  slotted  tubular  piece,  c,  which 
works  in  a  footstep,  d,  in  the  base  of  the  stand.  This  tubular  piece,  c, 
passes  up  the  centre  of  the  fixed  external  tube,  e,  which  has  an  internal 
screw-thread  upon  it,  and  is  therefore,  in  reality,  a  long  nut.  In  this 
nut  is  fitted  the  short  externally  screwed  piece,/,  which  is  entered  upon 
the  tubular  spindle,  c,  and  connected  with  it  by  a  feather  projecting  into 
its  groove.  In  this  way,  as  the  ratchet,  6,  is  turned,  the  short  screw,/, 
is  compelled  to  traverse  along  its  internal  screw-thread,  and  a  propeller 
piece,  g,  on  the  front  of  the  screw,  /  pushes  forward  the  electrode,  n, 
through  the  tube,  c,  in  which  it  is  entered,  and  through  the  socket,  o. 
This  ingenious  movement,  which  will  be  recugnised  as  one  extensively 
adopted  in  existing  mechanical  contrivances,  is  similar  to  that  equally 
ingeniously  employed  by  Mr.  Pinkney  in  his  continuous  or  ever-pointed 
pencil.  The  electrode  in  Dr.  Watson's  arrangement  answers  to  the  lead 
in  that  of  Mr.  Pinkney,  as  described  in  another  part  of  these  pages. 

Thus,  the  action  resulting  from  the  magnetic  operation  of  the  magnet, 
A,  induces  a  similar  consequence  in  the  action  of  the  magnet,  w,  with 
the  exception  that,  in  the  latter  case,  the  movement  is  an  ascending, 
instead  of  a  descending  one.  Hence,  by  the  simultaneous  action  of  both 
poles,  the  centre  of  the  light  is  constantly  kept  at  the  same  level,  so  that 
it  will  unvaryingly  correspond  with  the  focal  line  of  a  reflector.  In  the 
light-action  of  the  lamp  itself,  the  electric  current,  in  passing  through 
the  magnet,  a,  attracts  the  armature,  b,  thereby  drawing  down  the  end, 
b,  of  the  overhead  lever,  and  elevating  the  collar,  r,  and  spindle,  k  ;  and 
the  electrodes  are  thus  retained  at  a  proper  distance  asunder,  so  long  as 
a  sufficient  amount  of  attraction  exists  between  the  magnet  and  arma- 
ture to  keep  the  latter  down.  Should  any  non-conducting  matter  obstruct 
the  passage  of  the  electricity  through  the  arc,  the  induction  of  the  mag- 
net at  once  ceases,  and  the  spring,  ii,  coming  into  action,  forces  up  the 
end,  E,  of  its  lever,  causing  the  opposite  end  to  relax  its  grasp  upon  the 
collar,  i.  The  spindle,  k,  then  necessarily  slides  downwards,  and  re- 
establishes contact  between  the  electrodes,  the  requisite  arc  being  in- 
stantly re-formed  by  the  attraction  of  the  armature,  as  before. 

The  late  public  displays  of  the  lamp  which  we  have  engraved,  have 
satisfactorily  established  the  correctness  of  the  inventor's  conceptions. 
The  power  which  is  capable  of  lighting  up  the  night  with  all  the  splen- 
dour of  open  day — carrying,  indeed,  the  brightness  of  sun-light  into  the 
innermost  recesses  of  darkness — is  now  permanent,  steady,  and  unflick- 
ering.  It  has  ceased  to  be  a  useless  wonder  of  brief  existence,  in  enter- 
ing upon  a  fixed  routine  of  servitude  under  the  sovereignty  of  man. 

What  we  have  described  forms  but  a  part  of  Dr.  Watson's  inventions, 
which  are  now  being  brought  before  the  public  by  the  "  Electric  Power 
and  Colour  Company."  These  improvements — comprehending  a  superior 
system  of  battery,  the  production  of  valuable  pigment  colours  from  the 
battery  action,  a  pure  electrode,  the  desulphurization  of  coke,  and  the 
manufacture  of  an  innocuous  and  commercially  valuable  bleaching  liquid 
— we  shall  reserve  for  a  future  paper. 

In  maturing  the  beauties  of  the  present,  Dr.  Watson  has  given  us  a 
glimpse  of  the  splendour  to  be  realized  from  the  future.  To  that  future 
must  we  now  look  for  the  elevation  of  what  has  been  hitherto  considered 
an  intellectual  toy — to  a  lofty  niche  of  universal  usefulness — for,  "by  the 
side  of  the  pleasure  derived  from  knowledge  already  attained,  there  sub- 
sists, not  unmixed  with  melancholy,  the  longing  of  the  aspiring  spirit, 
still  unsatisfied  with  the  present,  after  regions  yet  undiscovered  and 
unopened.  Such  longing  draws  still  closer  the  link  which,  by  ancient 
and  deep-seated  laws  of  the  world  of  thought,  connects  the  material  with 
the  immaterial,  and  quickens  the  interchange  between  that  which  the 
mind  receives  from  without,  and  that  which  it  gives  back  from  its  own 
depths."* 


THE  EXHIBITION  OF  THE  ROYAL  ACADEMY. 
The  paintings  this  year  are  far  above  the  average.  It  is  significant  to 
observe  that  this  is  owing,  not  so  much  to  talent  and  genius  which  have 
for  years  been  approved,  as  to  the  successful  efforts  of  our  rising  artists. 
When,  indeed,  a  great  worker  hangs  back  for  a  year,  as  Sir  Edwin  Land- 
seer  and  olhers  did  in  the  past  season,  it  is  expected  that  he  should  come 
forward  with  something  extraordinary  to  make  up  for  the  pleasure  he 
debarred  us  of;  yet,  when  we  notice  the  unwearied  industry  of  the  com- 
parative youngsters  in  the  arts,  and  find  them  gradually  increasing  the 
number,  and  bettering  the  quality  of  their  productions,  it  is  easy  to  trace 
that  the  great  merit  of  this  exhibition  is  due  to  the  influence  of  the 
secondary  rather  than  of  the  primary  bodies.  The  total  number  of 
works  is  1465,  of  which  1302  are  from  the  easel.  The  President  of  the 
Academy  presents  two  of  these  to  notice.  "  Ruth  sleeping  at  the  feet 
of  Boaz,"  and  "Violante,"  neither  of  them  greatly  attractive :  the  former, 
nevertheless,  a  very  pleasing  picture.  Our  distinguished  animal  painter 
has  four  pictures — all  of  excellence.  The  principal  ones  are  called 
"  Night "  and  "  Morning;"  being  a  fight  between  two  stags  by  moon- 
light, ending  at  break  of  day  in  the  death  of  one,  and  a  dying  condition 
in  the  other.  There  are  two  points,  however,  which  are  neither  in 
good  thought  nor  taste.  The  painter  has  made  a  very  grave-looking 
frog  a  conspicuous  spectator  of  the  night  combat,  and  he  has  had  the 
affectation  of  placing  the  scene  of  the  long  struggle  and  destruction  in 
the  very  same  little  pool  of  water,  which  was  not  necessary  for  his 
subject,  and  is  beyond  all  hounds  of  probability.  The  buck  on  the 
right,  in  the  first  picture,  is  a  masterpiece  of  power,  and  so  is  the  fox  in 
the  second  picture ;  but  the  presence  of  the  latter  rather  subtracts  from 
the  horror  meant  to  be  conveyed  in  the  more  carnivorous  bird  lingering 
after  its  coming  prey.  The  "Children  of  the  Jlist,"  represented  by  six 
deer  in  a  mist,  is  very  happily  conceived,  and  as  happily  executed. 
"  Twins  " — twin  lambs  and  twin  shepherd  dogs — is  rather  a  fine  than 
a  pleasant  picture,  although  the  lamb  on  the  left  is  brought  upon  the 
canvas  in  a  marvellous  way.  David  Roberts  has  five  pictures  of  very 
unequal  merit,  and  much  in  his  usual  style.  "The  Cathedral  of  St. 
Stephen,  Vienna,"  is  a  noble  subject,  but  very  carelessly  painted,  which 
is  not  all  that  can  be  said  against  "Venice;"  for  here  we  have  not  only 
carelessness  but  positive  error — in  drawing  and  in  colour.  Whoever  has 
been  at  Venice  will  know  that  the  Great  Campanile  is  not  approaching  even 
to  red  in  local  colour,  and  that  the  facade  of  the  Ducal  Palace  has  something 
more  recommendable  to  notice  than  rough  diamond  markings  over  it.  The 
artist  could  scarcely  have  looked  at  the  buildings.  "  A  Street  in  Verona  " 
is  better,  but  not  as  it  should  come  from  Roberts.  This  single  work 
might  well  have  occupied  him  all  the  time  he  has  taken  in  painting  the 
others,  including  "The  Inauguration  of  the  Great  Exhibition."  "Beth- 
lehem, looking  towards  the  Dead  Sea,"  is  a  redeeming  work  of  this  great 
artist,  and  shows  upon  what  subjects  he  might  best  excel,  and  where 
alone  a  just  fame  may  be  found  subsisting  in  the  coming  time,  when  a 
picture  will  be  considered  a  painting,  and  not  a  rough  sketch.  Stanfield 
shows  two  works  only.  "  The  Victory,  with  the  body  of  Nelson  on 
board,  towed  into  Gibraltar,"  and  "  An  affray  in  the  Pyrenees  with  Con- 
trabandistas,"  both  of  high  and  rare  merit,  and  showing  all  his  wonted 
excellence  of  treatment.  In  the  former,  however,  the  two  boats  in  a  line 
on  the  right  give  a  formality  to  the  picture  which  we  should  like  to  have 
seen  away.  It  is  nevertheless  a  grand  wot k.  The  latter  is  like  a  re- 
miniscence of  the  old  scene  painter  at  Drury  Lane ;  but  the  sky-effect 
is  simply  menstrous,  for  no  such  a  sky  ever  was.  Uwins,  the  friend  of 
our  boyhood,  comes  forth  literally  in  shining  colours.  "  The  Thorny  and 
the  Flowery  Path,"  is  his  single  contribution,  and  reminds  one  of  a  class 
of  productions  rapidly  passing  away.  The  colouring  of  this  picture  is 
unequalled  in  the  Acadenry.  Mr.  Cooke  again  charms  us  with  some  of 
his  carefully-drawn  personifications  (if  we  may  so  call  them)  of  Venice. 
As  we  turn  the  eye  from  these  productions  to  the  very  different  sub- 
jects of  the  "  Zuyder  Zee — Fishing  Craft  returning  to  Port,"  and  "  The 
Pier  and  Bay  of  St.  Ives,  Cornwall,"  it  is  impossible  Dot  to  be  struck 
with  the  versatility  of  talent  and  admirable  drawing  universally 
shown  by  this  gentleman.  His  Venetian  subjects  differ  much  among 
themselves,  and  they  are  all  completely  distinct  from  his  paintings  of 
Dutch  and  English  scenery — and  yet  how  excellently  treated !  To  those 
who  know  the  climate,  "  San  Pietro  in  Castello,  Venice,  and  the  Julian 
Alps,  on  a  November  even  ng,"  is  like  a  coloured  photograph,  and  might  be 
coupled  with  those  nameless  beauties  which  are  observed  by  the  genuine 
artist  scattered  about  in  nature,  and  are  drawn  together  by  him  into  his 
particular  work.  We  scarcely  know  vrhich  of  his  pictures  to  admire 
the  most,  for  each  confirms  the  fame  he  has  acquired,  and  proves  that 
the  honours  of  the  Academy,  but  lately  accorded  to  him,  have  been 
bestowed  most  worthily.  We  would  particularly  claim  attention  to  his 
"  San  Georgia,  Maggiore,  and  the  Salute,  Venice,  with  fishing-craft  of 
Chioggia,  and  of  the  Lagune" — than  which  there  is  not  a  more  careful 


THE  PRACTICAL  MECHANIC'S  JOURNAL. 


59 


study  among  all  the  pictures  here  exhibited.  The  characteristic  sail  of 
many  colours  makes  us  feel,  as  well  as  see,  that  it  is  Venice  before  us, 
■while  the  tackling  of  the  boat  in  the  foreground  (if,  by-the-by,  it  be 
proper  to  call  it  foreground  to  a  water  scene) ,  and  the  multitudinous  con- 
tents of  the  hold,  are  painted  only  as  Mr.  Cooke  can  paint  such  things. 
Mr.  Cope  bv  no  means  pleases  us  this  year.  In  "The  Mother's  Kiss," 
the  left  of  the  child's  face  is  quite  out  of  drawing.  "  Mother  and  Child" 
is  not  a  picture  which  such  an  artist  should  exhibit,  although  the  hand  of 
the  mother,  in  this  miniature,  is  exquisitely  rendered  both  in  form  and 
colour.  His  more  ambitious  subject  of  ';  Othello  Relating  his  Adven- 
tures," attracts  regard  only  from  its  unconventional  treatment.  None 
of  his  other  three  pictures  are  worthy  of  this  artist.  Mr.  C.  Landseer 
gives  a  somewhat  new  reading  of  "  The  Iron  Mask."  Another  single 
contribution  by  an  R.A.,  very  carefully  coloured,  and  in  many  parts 
more  than  making  up  for  our  Ios-,  in  this  respect,  of  Etty.  A  very  fine 
picture  of  "  Waterloo,"  by  Mr.  George  Jones,  merits,  as  it  cannot  fail  to 
attract,  great  interest.  It  is  full  of  matter  for  the  artist  and  the  philo- 
sopher. Mr.  Ansdell.  the  rising  Landseer,  exhibits  what  may  be  done 
by  genius  coupled  with  industiy.  No  English  artist  has  risen  more 
rapidly  and  worthily  in  public  estimation  than  this  gentleman ;  and  both 
of  the  pictures  he  exhibits,  one  of  which  has  already  been  engraved, 
stamp  him  for  future  honours,  such  as  his  brethren  of  the  craft  may  be- 
stow. Mr.  E.  M.  Ward,  this  year,  has  two  subjects,  each  of  high  his- 
torical interest,  finely  conceived,  and  finely  painted.  We,  however, 
prefer  that  of  "  The  Executioner  tying  YVishart's  Book  around  the  neck 
of  Montrose  at  the  time  of  his  Execution,"  to  "Josephine  Signing  the 
Act  of  Divorce,"  which  latter,  it  is  fair  to  say,  seems  to  be  the  general 
favourite.  Mr.  Ward,  we  see,  cannot  fail  to  be  among  the  next  R.  A.s, 
as  Mr.  Millais  and  Mr.  Ansdell  must  succeed  them.  Mr.  W.  J.  Grant 
also  deserves  great  praise  for  his  "  Incident  which  led  to  the  Great  Re- 
formation"— a  very  sweet  picture.  Mr.  M'Innes  deserves  similar  eulogy 
for  his  very  interesting  subject  of  "  Metastasio,  when  a  child,  discovered 
by  Gravina,  singing  extemporaneous  verses  in  the  streets  of  Rome." 
Mr.  Lance's  "  Fruit,"  as  usual,  says,  "  Come,  eat  me."  How  is  it  that 
this  artist  is  not  in  the  Academy?  Our  old  favourite,  Stark,  and  his 
son,  contribute  several  very  pleasant  scenes.  The  latter  is  improving; 
he  has  only  to  work — work — work — to  be  among  the  best  of  them.  Mr. 
Hannah  is  among  the  lazy  ones ;  we  trust  it  is  not  his  health  that  de- 
prives us  of  more  than  one  subject — "  The  Tete  a  Tete" — from  his  easel, 
very  nicely  painted.  An  interior  of  Rosslyn  Chapel,  showing  the 
Apprentice  Pillar,  by  Mr.  Swarbreck,  deserves  notice,  for  the  treatment 
of  the  architectural  detail.  It  ought  to  have  had  a  better  place  than  the 
floor.  Mr.  Millais  this  year  completely  outruns  all  his  eo-pre-Eaphaelites. 
Both  his  pictures  are  owning  first  places  in  public  estimation.  "  The 
Order  of  Release,  1651,"  and  "  The  Proscribed  Cavalier,"  are  great 
improvements  on  the  painted  veins  of  leaves,  which  never  can  be  painted. 
We  are  rejoiced  to  see  Mr.  Millais  rising  into  the  region  of  the  highest 
art.  Is  it  impossible  to  turn  an  English  Raphael,  who,  uniting  the 
drawing  of  Urbino  with  the  grace  of  Ooreggio  and  the  colour  of  Rubens, 
shall  superadd  the  impression  of  healthy  sentiment  ?     We  answer,  No. 

It  is  very  remarkable,  that  there  is  not  one  of  all  the  pictures  illus- 
trating "  Uncle  Tom's  Cabin"  worthy  of  the  least  regard — many  of  them, 
indeed,  outrage  all  propriety ;  and  the  only  wonder  is,  how  they  found 
places  on  the  walls. 

Sir  W.  C.  Ross's  miniatures,  as  well  as  those  of  Mr.  Thorburn,  display 
their  well-known  excellence.  The  family  of  the  Right  Hon.  H.  Labouehere, 
M.P.,  by  the  latter,  is  one  of  his  best  works — a  very  charming  group, 
indeed,  of  three  little  girls. 

The  other  portraits  comprise  several  very  admirably  painted  by  Sir 
J.  W.  Gordon,  and  those  of  Mazzini,  Richard  Cobden,  Sir  Charles  Napier, 
Walter  Savage  Landor,  the  Duke  and  Duchess  of  Montpensier,  the  Arch- 
bishop of  Canterbury,  the  Marquis  of  Anglesea,  Sir  James  Clark,  George 
Dawson,  Sir  David  Brewster,  William  Hamilton,  Edward  Forbes,  Mr. 
Brockedon,  Sir  Harry  Smith,  Power  (the  sculptor  of  the  Greek  Slave),  the 
Rajah  of  Coorgh,  the  Countess  Gigliucci  (Madame  Clara  Novello),  by 
Mr.  W.  W.  Scott,  very  exquisitely  designed;  Mr.  Webster,  R.A.,  by  the 
same  artist,  a  faithful  portrait,  and  others. 

The  architectural  designs  show  nothing  remarkable,  with  the  excep- 
tion of  Mr.  Falkener's  Pompeian  Studies,  which  are  novel  and  interesting. 
There  are  likewise  but  very  few  fine  specimens  of  art  among  the 
sculpture  and  models.  Monti  has  another  veiled  figure,  which,  no  doubt, 
will  receive  many  admirers.  Looking  at  the  one  side  (which  is  veiled) 
of  the  face,  the  deception  is  more  striking  than  that  encountered  in  the 
celebrated  Veiled  Vestal  of  the  Great  Exhibition.  Mr.  MacDowell's 
"  Day  Dream"  is  the  chef  d'eeuvre.  A  bust  of  her  Majesty,  by  Mrs. 
Thornycroft,  also  merits  admiration,  for  its  elegant  and  truthful  treatment. 
There  are  also  busts  of  Albert  Smith,  Samuel  Rogers,  and  Douglas 
Jerrold,  and  of  his  Eminence  Cardinal  Wiseman. 


ASTLEY'S  LIFE  OR  SURF  BOAT. 

An  important  contribution  to  the  science  of  life-boat  building  has  just 

been  made  by  P.  H.  Astley,  Esq.,  of  Stratford,  Essex,  who  is  now  actively 

and  meritoriously  engaged  in  disseminating  a  knowledge  of  bis  plans 

throughout  the  country.    The  model  boat  constructed  by  the  inventor  is 

F«.  1. 


twenty-seven  feet  long,  nine  feet  beam,  three  feet  eight  inches  deep,  and 
is  capable  of  carryingfifty  persons  with  safety.  Ourengravingexhibitsfour 
detailed  views  of  the  boat.  Fig.  1  is  a  side  elevation ;  fig.  2,  a  longitudinal 
section ;  fig.  3,  a  reversed  plan;  and  fig.  4,  a  tranverse  section.  Her  bot- 
tom is  formed  with  a  hollow  central  chamber,  A,  running  from  stem  to 


Fig.  2. 


stern ;  the  width  of  this  chamber,  or  cone,  as  Mr.  Astley  terms  it,  being 
three  feet  eight  inches  amidships,  and  the  depth  from  the  bottom  of  the 
keels  to  the  centre,  three  feet.  With  this  in  the  middle,  she  has,  of  course, 
two  keels,  b,  eight  inches  deep,  converging  from  the  centre  towards  each 
end,  where  they  join.  This  cone,  being  filled  with  air,  imparts  a  far  greater 


amount  of  floatingpower  than  has  been  otherwise  attainable  by  any  previ- 
ous system ;  and  whilst  she  cannot  be  turned  over  by  any  ordinary  means, 
neither  can  she  be  sunk,  even  if  her  sides  should  be  stove  in  or  cut  down 
to  her  flooring,  as  the  great  buoyant  air-cone  would  remain  perfect.  The 
compression  of  the  external  atmosphere  causes  the  cone  to  act  as  a  sucker, 

and  hence  arises  the  great  holding  power 
Fisr.  4.  which   prevents   her   from   canting   or 

turning  over,  whenever  she  touches  the 
water — no  matter  how  crowded  she  may 
be.  This  cone  has  also  another  beauti- 
ful effect,  for  by  it  the  boat's  buoyancy 
may  be  nicely  modified  to  any  point. 
For  this  purpose  a  stop-cock  is  fitted  at 
0,  in  the  head  of  the  cone,  so  that  air 
may  be  pumped  in  to  drive  out  the 
water ;  or  conversely,  water  may  be 
admitted  to  ballast  the  boat.  When  filled  with  water,  she  draws  only 
twenty  inches,  so  that,  as  long  as  the  cone  holds,  she  cannot  go  down. 
Although  obviously  built  for  safety  alone,  and  with  many  bad  points  as 
regards  sailing,  the  boat  now  at  Deal  has  done  fourteen  miles  under  two 
hours  in  a  rough  sea.  The  projecting  ribs,  d,  on  each  side  are  buffers ;  and 
beneath  these  is  a  hand  rail,  or  rope,  to  afford  an  external  hold.  We 
hope  to  see  the  invention  very  widely  adopted,  when  its  merits  become 
more  fully  known. 


60 


THE  PRACTICAL  MECHANIC'S  JOURNAL. 


RENSHAW'S  PATENT  COMPOSITE  CUTTING  TOOLS. 

INCE  we  noticed  Mr.  Renshaw's  inven- 
tion in  our  part  for  February 
last,  we  have  prepared  a  few 
additional  remarks  for  the 
elucidation  of  some  further 
points  in  connection  with  the 
subject.  Its  essential  features 
consist,  as  will  be  remembered, 
in  the  combination  of  the 
ordinary  circular-cutting  mo- 
tions and  arrangements  of 
the  lathe,  with  the  rectilinear 
action  of  the  planing  or  shap- 
ing machine,  or  their  deriva- 
tives. The  composite  prin- 
ciple may  be  applied  to  most  of  the  machine  tools  used  in  the  different 
branches  of  useful  and  ornamental  manufactures,  so  as  to  open  out  a  new 
field  in  the  arrangement  of  constructive  machinery.  Thus,  in  the  case 
of  the  lathe,  for  example,  it  is  applicable  not  only  to  the  execution  of 
the  various  kinds  of  plain  work  which  we  have  instanced  in  our  former 

Fig.  1. 


notes,  but  also  to  the  beautiful,  though  subservient,  branch  of  complex 
or  geometrical  turning.  For  instance,  if  the  sliding  bar  carrying  the 
slide-rest  be  worked  by  an  unadjustable  crank-pin,  working  in  a  slot  in  the 
end  of  the  bar,  or  by  changeable  cams,  the  revolutions  of  the  crank 
being  proportioned  to  those  of  the  lathe  mandrel  by  the  interposition  of 
the  ordinary  change-wheels  of  the  lathe,  most  of  the  varieties  of  work 
hitherto  produced  only  by  complicated  and  isolated  kinds  of  lathes  may 
be  executed — as  eccentric,  elliptical,  swash,  rose,  cycloidal,  and  others ; 
the  tools,  cutters,  or  drills  being  applied  either  to  edges  or  surfaces,  or 
angularly,  by  the  adjustment  for  the  fast  headstock,  while  to  vary  the 
pattern  it  is  simply  necessary  to  alter  the  proportions  of  the  wheels. 

Comprehensiveness  is  a  prominent  feature  in  this  invention ;  some 
of  the  individual  parts,  like  the  machines  themselves,  serving  for  several 
uses,  and  thus  favouring  simplicity  ;  so  that  a  lathe,  embracing  the  above 
functions,  for  instance,  may  still  possess  the  steadiness  and  convenience 
necessary  for  the  ordinary  plain  work  of  the  amateur.  The  engineer 
and  mechanist  do  not  require  these  ornamental  curves,  but  each  may 
introduce  the  system  of  change-wheels  in  conjunction  with  the  com- 
posite lathe,  or  cutting  tools  for  various  uses,  besides  the  ordinary  ones  of 
sliding,  screw-cutting,  and  boring,  as  for  finishing  cams,  snails,  spirals,  and 
volutes  of  various  kinds,  for  barrelling  and  tapering  work,  whether  circu- 
lar or  rectilinear,  and  for  planing  dovetails,  V's,  and  other  angular  work. 


Fig.  2. 


To  explain  this,  let  fig.  1  represent  the  princi- 
pal gearing  of  a  composite  lathe,  in  which  a  re- 
presents the  main  driving-shaft,  actuating  the 
mandrel,  n,  of  the  lathe  by  means  of  a  pinion,  c, 
which  can  be  slid  out  of  gear  by  a  clutch;  n,  back  gearing  for  slow 
speed,  as  usual;  e,  screw-wheel  and  tangent-screw,  with  intermittent 

ratchet-motion  feeding  in  either  direc- 
tion; a,  guide-screw;  h,  grooved  shaft 
for  actuating  the  transverse  slide  of 
the  slide-rest  by  intermediate  gearing; 
i,  the  same,  for  moving  the  vertical 
slide;  k,  reversing-screvv,  correspond- 
ing to  the  pitch  of  the  guide-screw ; 
L,  grooved  shaft,  in  connection  with 
the  differential  or  barrelling  motion, 
which  is  attached  to  the  vertical  slide, 
and  consists  of  a  segmental  screw- 
wheel,  embracing  a  motion  of  about 
60°,  gearing  with  a  tangent-screw  on 
the  shaft,  l.  The  segment  has  a  radial 
slot,  in  which  an  adjustable  crank-pin 
is  fixed,  the  crank-pin  being  attached 
to  the  bearings  of  the  screw  for  moving 
the  vertical  slide,  by  means  of  a  con- 
necting-rod—the bearings  of  the  screw,  which  slide  in  dovetails,  and  con- 
sequently the  vertical  slide  being  thus  affected  by  the  eccentricity  of  the 
crank-pm.  The  shafts,  a,  h,  and  i,  and  screws,  g  and  k,  are  connected 
by  a  system  of  wheels,  the  arrangement  of  which  is  clearly  shown  in  the 
end  view,  fig.  2;  but  g,  h,  i,  and  k,  may  be  disconnected  'from  their  re- 


spective wheels  at  pleasure  by  clutches  or  frictional  nuts,  a,  g,  b,  i,  and 
l,  also  project  at  the  end  to  the  right-hand  of  fig.  1,  so  as  to  carry  change- 
wheels  when  necessary,  and  h  and  i  have  intermittent  ratchet-feeding 
movements  at  the  opposite  end,  similar  to  that  at  e,  for  working  the  tan- 
gent-screw. All  these  are  worked  by  the  reversing  Lar  in  connection  with 
the  screw,  k.  An  ordinary  reversing  movement,  m,  is  interposed  between 
the  guide-screw,  e,  and  its  driving-wheel,  for  reversing  the  motion  in 
sliding  and  screw-cutting.  When  the  lathe  is  used  for  surfacing,  this 
reversing  motion  is  better  applied  on  the  driving-shaft,  a.  Hand  adjust- 
ments, not  shown  in  the  figure,  are  applied  to  the  boxes  of  the  guide- 
screw,  g,  and  of  the  screws  of  the  vertical  and  transverse  slides  of  the 
slide-rest.  A  composite  lathe  thus  geared  may  be  applied  to  all  the  ordi- 
nary descriptions  of  work.  For  sliding,  boring,  and  screw-cutting,  the 
mandrel  is  worked  by  the  pinion,  c,  whilst  change- wheels  connect  A 
with  g.  The  height  of  the  tool  for  turning  is  conveniently  adjusted  by 
the  vertical  slide  of  the  slide-rest.  Suppose  it  is  desired  to  stop  the  lathe 
at  any  particular  point  when  the  attendant  is  absent,  the  screw,  z,  is 
put  in  gear  by  its  clutch,  and  by  means  of  the  detent  stop-movement, 
which  we  explained  in  our  former  description,  it  stops  the  lathe  at  the 
precise  point,  by  throwing  the  belt  off  the  fast  pulley  on  the  end  of  a, 
which  travels  with  considerable  rapidity.  If  it  be  required  to  turn  a 
long  cone  of  greater  taper  than  can  conveniently  be  done  by  traversing 
the  following  headstock,  the  cutting-tool  is  set  over  the  work  by  raising 
the  vertical  slide  by  its  hand  adjustment,  whilst  g  and  i  are  also  con- 
nected by  change-wheels,  so  that  the  slide  rises  or  falls  with  the  cut.  If 
a  connecting-rod  is  to  be  barrelled,  the  crank-pin  of  the  differential  appa- 
ratus is  adjusted  for  eccentricity  to  suit  the  rise  of  the  sweep,  and  r.  Is 
connected  with  g  by  the  change-wheels,  to  spread  the  arc  over  the  required 
length.     The  barrelling  may  be  used  in  conjunction  with  the  taper  ad- 


THE  PRACTICAL  MECHANIC'S  JOURNAL. 


61 


justments,  as  will  be  evident  to  the  practical  mechanic.  The  same  parts 
apply  equally  to  rectilinear  cutting-,  whether  parallel  or  taper,  in  all 
directions  of  the  cube,  and  for  barrelling  in  a  vertical  plane,  the  pinion, 
c,  being  disconnected  with  the  mandrel,  and  the  feed  being  applied  by 
the  intermittent  ratchet  motions.  For  cutting  the  hollows  of  connecting- 
rods,  &c.  an  intermittent  revolving  motion  is  given  to  the  tool  by  a  tan- 
gent-screw movement  as  usual,  but,  in  addition,  applying  to  cranks  and 
levers  held  on  the  face  chuck ;  or,  instead  of  the  latter  movement,  the 
work  may  be  set  eccentrically,  the  hollows  being  then  worked  by  the 
tangent-screw  movement  in  connection  with  the  mandrel. 


Fig.  3 


Edge-cams,  snails,  volutes,  of  spiral  curvature,  with  any  number  of 
rises,  or  compounds  of  circular  and  spiral  arcs,  of  which  fig.  3  gives 
examples,  may  be  accurately  shaped  or  planed  on  the  edges  by  connecting 
the  tangent-screw  with  the  transverse  slide  of  the  slide-rest  during  the 
reciprocating  action  of  the  cntting-tool,  by  means  of  change-wheels.  To 
do  this  in  the  present  tool,  the  ratchet-feed  movements  of  e  and  i  are 
put  in  gear,  i  being  prevented  from  moving  the  vertical  slide  by  sliding 


S^C§x<C$$C>^l 


41 


the  pinion,  x,  out  of  gear  by  means  of  an  eccentric,  whilst  i  and  h  are 
connected  by  change-wheels.  In  the  same  way,  face-cams  and  other 
forms  may  be  shaped  by  varying  the  connections. 

Angular  and  diagonal  work  in  any  position  may  also  be  worked  in  this 
lathe,  without  tilting  the  tool,  by  means  of  the  same  set  of  change- 
wheels.  To  explain  this,  we  may  observe  that  any  angle,  such  as  b  a  c, 
fig.  4,  may  be  produced,  by  setting  one  of  the  slides  to  move  through  the 


space,  b  c,  or  sine  of  the  angle,  whilst  the  other  slide  traverses  the  cosine, 
a  b.    To  apply  this  practically,  any  two  of  the  slides,  actuated  by  G,  H,  and 
I,  are  connected  by  the  propor- 
tionate wheels,  whilst  the  third  Fig.  6. 
gives  the  cutting  motion   in 
the  remaining  direction  of  the 
cube.     To  reverse  the  angle, 
a   subsidiary  wheel  is   intro- 
duced into  the  pair  of  change- 
wheels. 

In  many  cases  a  crank 
movement  is  convenient,  in 
addition  to  the  guide-screw 
planing  movement,  to  work 
short  strokes  with  rapidity ; 
while  the  guide-screw  serves 
for  longer  ranges,  and  also  to 
adjust  the  slide-rest.  The 
crank  disc  is  then  driven  by  a 
bevil  pinion  on  the  shaft,  a, 
the  connecting-rod  being  at- 
tached to  one  of  the  bearings 
of  the  guide-screw,  which  is 
made  to  slide  similarly  to  the 
barrelling  movement. 

Fig.  5  represents  a  compo- 
site lathe,  or  shaping  machine, 
constructed  on  the  mode  of  the 
ordinary  planing  machine,  and  designed  tor  accurately  finishing  the 
pieces  forming  the  framings  of  marine  and  other  engines  at  one  sea- 
ting, but  also  applicable  to  a  variety  of  other  work,  as  it  combines  th : 
powers  of  the  lathe  with  the  ordinary  drilling,  boring,  planing,  slot- 
ting, and  shaping  machines.  The  work  is 
placed  or  traversed  between  the  upright 
standards,  a  a,  as  in  the  ordinary  planing 
machine,  whilst  a  vertical  cutting  action 
may  be  given  to  the  slide-rest  and  bead- 
stock,  carrying  the  lathe  mandrel,  by  two 
connecting-rods,  b  b,  actuated  by  crank  discs 
beneath  the  bed,  and  balanced,  if  necessary. 
The  connecting-rods  are  adjustable  for  length 
by  means  of  a  cross-shaft,  c,  actuating  a  screw- 
wheel  and  screw  in  each ;  d  is  the  tangent- 
screw  motion,  as  usual,  and  e  is  a  slide  to  re- 
gulate the  eccentricity  of  the  tool  during  turn- 
ing and  planing  hollows,  which  may  be  auto- 
matically fed,  when  requisite,  by  an  eccentric, 
not  shown  in  the  figure.  A  screw,  F,  gives 
the  cross  motion,  and  another  at  the  back 
of  the  slide,  e,  which  it  actuates,  adjusts 
the  mandrel  in  a  vertical  plane.  By  the  dia- 
gonal principle  we  described,  the  octagonal 
recesses,  or  seats,  for  plummer-block  brasses, 
and  other  angular  work,  may  be  executed  with 
precision. 

Fig.  6  represents  a  convenient  form 
of  bed.  The  bed-chuck  applies  to  the  side, 
as  used  for  holding  plummer  blocks,  whilst 
their  soles  are  planed.  A  second  chuck 
(dotted)  may  be  superposed  for  fixing  work 
vertically ;  and  a  slide  may  be  added  to  draw 
up  the  work,  which  may  then  project  between 
the  bearers  of  the  bed.  For  long  works,  a  bed- 
chuck  is  used  at  each  end.  Levers,  also,  may 
be  passed  between  the  bed,  by  means  of  a 
diametric  slide  on  the  face-chuck,  when  re- 
quisite. 

The  arrangements  of  these  tools  may  be 
varied  to  suit  any  kind  of  work,  and  according 
to  the  judgment  of  the  maker. 
In  a  future  number,  we  shall  give  tables  of  the  settings  for  the  various 
motions  for  workshop  use.  The  details  which  we  have  already  given, 
obviously  furnish  the  elements  for  a  most  extensive  range  of  modifica- 
tions of  constructive  mechanism ;  and  we  think  they  may  be  characterised 
as  affording,  at  least,  the  germs  of  many  conveniences  long  wanted  by  the 
practical  mechanic,  as  well  as  others,  to  which  these  aids  will  naturally 
lead  him. 


62 


THE  PRACTICAL  MECHANIC'S  JOURNAL. 


SUSPENSION  BRIDGE  OVER  THE  CLYDE  AT  GLASGOW. 
Fig.  1. 


5-8th  inch  =  10  feet. 


Fig. 


The  unfortunate  and  costly  failure  of  the  chain  bridge,  which  was 
some  time  ago  partially  erected,  as  a  means  of  communication  for  foot 
passengers  between  the  leading  thoroughfare — Portland  Street,  on  the 
southern  side  of  the  Clyde,  and  the  main  body  of  Glasgow,  on  the  north 
— is  now  matter  of  engineering  history.  The  causes  of  failure,  proxi- 
mate and  remote,  may  be  stated  under  two  heads — primarily,  an  Admi- 
ralty regulation  ;  secondarily,  defective  construction.  The  Admiralty 
commissioners  sternly  decided  that  the  bridge  should  be  of  a  single  span  ; 
and  hence,  as  the  lines  of  streets,  running  parallel  with  the  river  on  each 
side,  left  very  little  available  space,  it  was  necessary,  in  the  absence  of 
any  other  plan  to  obviate  the  difficulty,  to  bring  the  chains  down  from 
the  tops  of  the  towers  at  very  unequal  angles.  Then,  again,  instead  of 
good  hewn  masonry,  the  contractor  gave  his  towers  a  fair  exterior,  but 
filled  them  up  with  a  marrow  of  loose  rubble — so  that,  when  the  chains 
were  carried  across,  and  additionally  weighted  with  the  iron  girders  for 
the  roadway,  the  towers  at  once  gave  unequivocal  signs  of  failure.  The 
stones  of  which  the  towers  were  built  crushed  away  at  the  joints  on  the 
sides  next  the  river,  where  the  chains  passed 
off  at  a  moderate  angle,  compared  with  that 
on  the  landward  sides.  The  works  were 
then  stopped,  demolished,  and  commenced 
again  de  novo,  under  the  superintendence 
of  Mr.  Leslie  of  Edinburgh,  who  appears  to 
have  assumed  that  the  requirements  of  the 
case  were  to  be  fully  met  by  a  mere 
strengthening  of  the  original  design.  Dur- 
ing the  agitation  of  the  question  as  to  re- 
building, Messrs.  Bell  &  Miller,  of  Glasgow, 
proposed  to  rectify  the  matter  in  a  more 
effectual  manner,  by  assimilating  the  angles 
of  the  chains  on  the  two  sides  of  the  piers ; 
and  although  their  plan  has  not  been 
adopted,  we  have  engraved  it  as  a  good 
illustration  of  what  may  be  done  in  cases 
of  similar  difficulty, 
iig.  1  of  our  engravings  is  a  longitudinal  elevation  of  one  of  the 
towers,  as  modified  according  to  Messrs.  Bell  &  Miller's  designs;  fig.  2 
is  a  corresponding  front  elevation  of  the  cast-iron  quadrant  framework, 
as  seen  from  the  street ;  and  fig.  3  is  a  vertical  section  of  a  tower,  to 
illustrate  a  mode  of  strengthening  the  masonry  by  central  stay  castings. 
The  additional  details  amount  to  nothing  more  than  a  couple  of  cast-iron 
frames,  of  quadrant  form,  connected  transversely  by  an  arched  girder. 
The  dotted  lines  in  fig.  1  show  the  existing  sharp  angle  of  the  landward 
chains;  and  the  full  lines  and  pendant  chains  on  the  same  side  illustrate 


the  reduction  of  this  angle,  by  carrying  the  chains  to  the  apex  of  the 
quadrant  framework.  This  framework  is  carried  on  a  strong  founda- 
tion, extended  towards  the  street  side,  and  the  chains,  leaving  the  tower 
at  the  same  angle  on  each  side,  are  carried  down  over  the  standard  and  into 
the  ground,  to  the  anchoring  plates  beneath  the  surface.  The  objection- 
able cross  strain  is  thus  entirely  removed  from  the  tower,  as  it  is  carried 
by  the  quadrants  right  into  the  foundations.  The  addition  of  these  qua- 
drants to  solid-built  towers  would  furnish  ample  strength ;  but  to  make 
sure  on  this  head,  the  plan  given  in  fig.  3 
might  be  adopted.  This  would  take  a  part 
of  the  strain  from  the  masonry  above  the 
roadway,  and  transfer  it  to  the  solid  work 
beneath,  through  the  iron  columns  built  in 
the  masonry,  and  resting  on  a  transverse 
girder,  stretching  across  the  pier,  at  the  level 
of  the  roadway.  The  tops  of  these  columns 
are  connected  by  another  girder,  to  take  off 
the  strain  from  the  arch,  and  over  this  girder 
the  chain  saddles  are  fixed. 

This  plan  would  undoubtedly  have  ren- 
dered the  work  quite  secure ;  but  we  should 
still  have  preferred  the  plan  of  oscillating 
pillars,  suggested  to  us  some  time  ago  by 
Mr.  Stehlin,  a  young  Swiss  engineer.*  This 
plan,  which  was  mentioned  to  us  before  the 
Portland  Street  bridge  was  at  all  discussed, 
consists  in  the  so  arranging  the  supporting 
pillars  of  the  chains,  that  they  may  oscillate 
on  bottom  centres.  Each  pillar  is  composed 
of  a  pair  of  cast-iron  side  standards,  connected 
transversely  by  an  arched  cross-beam,  so  as 
to  form  an  open  frame.  The  bases  of  the 
standards  are  made  with  an  eye,  so  that  they 
may  be  keyed  upon  a  single  horizontal  shaft, 
working  in  two  inside  and  two  outside  bear-  ~™*»»-sjsiwgjga 

ings,  just   beneath  the  ground  level.      The 

suspending  chains  are  simply  jointed  to  bolts  on  the  tops  of  the  stan- 
dards. Thus,  as  the  pillars  can  oscillate  freely  on  their  bottom  centres, 
the  tensional  strain  is  at  once  conducted  to  the  ground,  and  unequal 
chain  angles  have  little  or  no  objectionable  tendency.  Such  a  bridge 
would  have  a  remarkably  light  and  graceful  appearance,  whilst  the 
freedom  of  action  in  the  pillars  would  insure  security,  so  long  as  the 
actual  tensional  strength  of  the  materials  would  endure. 

*  See  illustrated  description,  p.  108,  Vol.  II.,  P.  M.  Journal. 


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THE  PEACTICAL  MECHANIC'S  JOURNAL. 


63 


CHAPELLE'S  DRYING  APPARATUS. 
This  invention,  patented  in  this  country  by  Mr.  J.  H.  Johnson,  on 
behalf  of  M.  Chapelle.  a  French  engineer,  consists  of  an  arrangement  of 
hollow  rotatory  cylinders,  to  the  interior  of  which,  furnace  heat  is  supplied 
by  a  revolving  joint  at  one  end,  whilst  a  jet  of  water  is  similarly  led  in 
at  the  other,  for  the  purpose  of  diffusing  and  equalizing  the  heat.  Our 
engraving  represents  a  longitudinal  section  of  one  of  these  cylinders  in 
working  order.  The  cylinder,  x,  is  of  cast-iron,  having  end  discs,  e, 
screwed  on  to  close  it  up.  These  discs  have  hollow  bearings  or  central 
trunnions  cast  upon  them,  and  fitted  to  revolve  in  brasses  carried  by 
the  standards,  c.  To  the  extremity  of  one  of  these  trunnions  is  attached 
the  bent  pipe,  d,  which  opens  into  the  dome,  e,  of  the  furnace  beneath, 
which  is  fitted  with  fire-bars,  f,  and  a  door,  g.  This  furnace  supplies 
the  heat  required  for  drying.  Two  valves,  or  dampers,  H,  n',  are  fitted 
into  the  pipe,  d,  so  that  the  flame  may  be  either  directed  into  the  cylin- 
der, a,  or  through  the  chimney,  i.  When  the  apparatus  is  to  be  used,  the 
valve,  H,  is  opened,  and  the  damper,  h',  closed,  so  that  the  whole  of  the 
flame  and  heat  mny  pass  through  the  cylinder.  The  extremity  of  the 
other  trunnion  is  attached  to  the  pipe,  j,  which  is  similarly  fitted  with  a 
valve,  k,  to  regulate  the  passage  of  flame  and  gas  into  the  flue,  l,  beneath, 
to  a  second  cylinder  arranged  like  the  first.  A  small  tube,  m,  is  sup- 
ported in  the  interior  of  this  trunnion,  and  serves  to  supply  the  interior 
of  the  cylinder  with  a  small  stream  of  water.  This  may  be  effected  either 
by  having  a  reservoir  placed  above  the  apparatus,  or  by  a  pipe,  n,  outside 
the  trunnion,  in  connection  with  a  reservoir  or  ordinary  cistern.  By 
means  of  a  stop-cock,  or  plug,  o,  screwed  into  the  copper  junction-piece,  p, 
which  unites  the  tube,  m,  with  the  pipe,  x,  the  supply  of  water  may  be  regu- 
lated or  stopped  when  necessary  ;  or,  in  place  of  water,  a  jet  of  steam  may 


m 


be  introduced  in  conjunction  with 
the  flame  and  gases.  By  this  means 
the  water,  which  enters  the  cylin- 
ders in  very  small  quantities,  is 
spread  over  their  interior  surfaces, 
and,  becoming  more  or  less  heated 
by  the  flame,  imparts  a  regular 
beat  to  the  sides  of  the  cylinders, 
and  thereby  dries  the  paper  or 
other  fabric  passed  over  it,  regularly  and  evenly  over  the  whole  of 
its  surface.  The  water  is  allowed  to  escape,  at  each  revolution  of  the 
cylinder,  by  the  pipe,  Q,  which  is  fitted  with  a  stop-cock,  to  be  opened 
either  by  hand  or  by  the  movement  of  the  cylinder  itself,  which,  in  its 
revolution,  may  be  made  to  bring  the  handle  of  the  cock  in  contact 
with  a  fixed  motion,  and  so  allow  the  water  to  escape  into  the  cast-iron 
receiver,  e,  which  serves  also  as  a  base  plate,  to  which  the  cylinder  sup- 
ports are  bolted.  A  lotatory  movement  is  given  to  the  cylinder  by  a 
pulley,  or  spur-wheel,  9,  keyed  on  to  the  trunnions.  To  prevent  the 
trunnions  from  being  overheated,  a  stream  of  water  and  oil  is  allowed  to 
pa§3  over  them.  Instead  of  employing  a  furnace  and  heating  the  cylin- 
der by  direct  contact  with  the  flame,  hot  air  may  be  applied  externally ; 
for  this  purpose  it  will  be  necessary  to  employ  a  heater,  consisting  of 
the  stove,  e,  and  a  number  of  pipes  similar  to  the  one  shown  at  u,  through 
which  pipes  the  flame  must  pass  on  its  way  to  the  chimney;  and  as  their 
external  surfaces  will  be  well  heated,  the  air,  which  will  have  acquired 
an  elevated  temperature,  will  enter  the  cylinders,  and  mix  with  the  jut 
of  water,  in  a  manner  similar  to  the  flame  and  gases  before  described. 

What  we  have  described  refers  to  one  arrangement  of  heating  cylin- 
der only ;  but  in  the  application  of  the  system  to  extensive  factories, 
it  is  intended  to  fit  up  a  series  of  such  cylinders,  the  heat  being  passed 
fsorn  one  to  the  other  throughout  the  range.  If  paper  is  to  be  dried  in 
this  way,  the  cylinders  are  disposed  side  by  side,  and  parallel  to  each 


other;  and  the  web  of  paper,  as  fast  as  it  is  produced,  is  passed  over 
the  combined  cylinders,  commencing  with  the  last,  or  least  heated  one, 
and  thence  passing  to  the  rest,  which  gradually  increase  in  heat,  until 
the  first  one  heated  directly  from  the  furnace  is  arrived  at.  When 
applied  for  other  purposes,  the  manufacturer  will  readily  see  what  varia- 
tions are  necessary. 

CHARCOAL  KILNS  AND  VACUUM  SUGAR  PANS. 

By  Messes.  Scott,  Sinclaie,  &  Co.,  Greenock. 

{Illustrated  Iji  Plates  126-7-8.) 

^ITHIN  the  porous  woody  net- 
work of  cells,  in  the  gigantic 
grass,  Saccharum  officinarmn, 
or  sugar-cane,  lies,  well  shield- 
ed and  concealed,  a  watery 
fluid,  which  is  the  nucleus 
of  what  may  reasonably  be 
termed  one  of  the  most  neces- 
sary luxuries  of  human  exist- 
ence. This  enormous  "  grass" 
is  a  perennial,  resembling  an 
immense  reed,  throwing  up  a 
stem  of  from  one  to  two  inches 
in  diameter,  and  reaching 
the  towering  height  of  16  or  17  feet,  the  whole  length  of  which  is 
made  up  of  a  succession  of  knots  or  joints,  surmounted  by  a  flower 
branch  as  an  apex.  This  plant  is  divisible  into  three  distinct  kinds 
— the  Creole,  indigenous  to  India,  but  now  transplanted  into  Sicily, 
the  Canary   Islands,  the  Antilles,  and  South   America;    the  Batavian, 

or  striped  species,  a  native  of 
Java,  and  principally  used  for  the 
manufacture  of  rum ;  and  the 
Otaheite,  now  spread  over  the  West 
Indies  and  South  America.  It 
is  the  saccharine  juice  of  this  plant, 
expressed  from  the  solid  stems  by- 
passing between  powerful  rollers,  that 
furnishes  the  solid  crystal  matter,  now 
of  universal  use  as  a  sweetener  of  a 
large  proportion  of  our  food.  The 
juice  is  obtained  by  cutting  down  the 
stems,  and  carrying  them  at  once  to 
the  sugar-mill,  usually  a  simple  but 
massive  combination  of  three  squeez- 
ing rollers.  The  negro  attendants 
pass  the  canes  evenly  through  these 
rollers,  and  the  expressed  juice  is 
caught  in  a  retaining  cistern,  whilst 
the  stems,  left  nearly  dry  by  the 
process,  become  what  is  technically 
known  as  "megass,'' forming  aclear,  sharp, burning  fuel,  admirably  suited 
for  producing  the  heat  required  in  the  sugar  manufacture.  The  juice  so 
obtained  is  then  clarified  or  defecated,  by  boiling  with  milk  of  lime;  and 
when  the  scum  is  removed,  it  is  filtered,  and  the  cleansed  syrup  is 
boiled,  to  evaporate  the  aqueous  paticles,  and  leave  the  solid  raw  sugar 
behind.  This  process  produces  only  crude  raw  sugar;  and  it  is  with  a 
portion  of  the  apparatus  for  the  refining  and  whitening  of  this  product, 
that  we  have  now  to  concern  ourselves. 

Raw  or  muscovado  sugar,  as  imported  into  this  country,  is  contami- 
nated with  many  impurities,  and,  after  some  preliminary  treatment,  it 
is  passed  in  a  state  of  solution  through  bag  filters,  charged  with  deep 
strata  of  bone-black,  or  animal  charcoal.  This  finally  cleanses  the 
sugar,  and  the  syrup  is  reduced  to  the  granulating  or  crystallizing 
pitch,  by  evaporation  in  Howard's  well-known  vacuum  pan.  For  every 
100  tons  of  manufactured  sugar,  about  five  tons  of  animal  charcoal  are 
consumed;  and  as  the  refining  material  is  an  expensive  item  in  the  sugar 
manufacture,  strict  attention  must  be  paid  to  the  economics  of  its  em- 
ployment. With  this  view,  the  spent  charcoal,  holding  within  it  the 
gross  impurities  of  which  it  has  deprived  the  syrup,  is  reburned,  to  carry 
off  such  impurities,  and  fit  it  for  subsequent  filtering  use.  It  is  this 
rehurning  process  which  Messrs.  Scott,  Sinclair,  &  Co.  have  so  success- 
fully improved,  in  their  new  arrangement  of  charcoal  kilns  or  retorts, 
delineated  in  our  plates  12G-7-8. 

The  drawings,  by  which  we  illustrate  these  improvements,  were  taken 
from  the  actual  kilns  erected  at  the  refining  works  of  Messrs.  Hall 
and  Boyd,  of  Londun.  In  this  arrangement,  provision  is  made  for  the 
cooling  of  the  charcoal  by  a  continuous  process,  without  the  use  of 
water,  so  that  the  charging  and  discharging  of  the  material  goes  on 


64 


THE  PRACTICAL  MECHANIC'S  JOURNAL. 


uniformly  and  continuously,  whilst  the  quality  of  the  reburaed  char- 
coal is  greatly  improved. 

Fig.  1,  on  plate  12G,  is  a  half  elevation  and  half-longitudinal  section 
of  the  kiln.  Fig.  2  is  a  transverse  sectional  elevation  of  the  hot-air 
chamber — one-hnlf  showing  the  charcoal  pipes,  with  the  coolers,  and  the 
hot  and  cold  air  flues,  whilst  the  other  half  represents  the  opposite  side  of 
the  hot-air  chamber,  with  the  pipes  removed,  and  showing  only  the  ex- 
haust flues  and  supporting  columns.  Fig.  1,  on  plate  127,  is  a  corre- 
sponding plan  of  the  apparatus,  partially  in  horizontal  section;  and  fig. 
2  is  a  complete  horizontal  section  at  a  lower  line. 

The  kiln  is  arranged  with  a  series  of  vertical  charring  tubes,  A,  sur- 
rounded by  fire  or  hot-air  flues,  b.  These  tubes  are  the  charring  retorts, 
into  which  the  charcoal  is  put  to  be  burned.  Immediately  beneath  these 
retorts  is  a  second  set,  c,  of  smaller  bore,  which  act  as  the  coolers. 
These  are  also  set  vertically,  and  the  axis  of  each  is  coincident  with 
that  of  a  corresponding  retort.  The  further  details  are  pretty  evident 
from  the  plates.  In  the  plan,  fig.  1,  of  plate  127,  the  division,  a,  re- 
presents the  top  plate  of  the  kiln,  with  the  cover  removed,  and  exposing 
the  guard  plate.  The  next  division,  b,  is  a  plan  of  the  bottom  plate  of 
the  kiln,  with  the  brickwork  taken  ofF  it.  Division  c,  is  the  top  plate 
with  the  cover  on  ;  and  the  fourth,  d,  is  a  horizontal  section,  showing  the 
fire-bars,  hot-air  and  exhaust  flues,  flue  door,  and  retorts.  Fig.  2,  on  the 
same  plate,  is  a  horizontal  section  through  the  ashpit,  the  front  portion 
showing  the  coolers,  odd  air  flues,  and  the  columns  for  supporting  the 
kiln ;  the  back  part,  showing  the  ashpit  door  and  the  columns,  which, 
besides  supporting  the  kiln,  serve  also  to  convey  the  smoke  to  the 
chimney  through  the  dotted-line  flues.  The  retort  furnace  is  at  D ;  E  is 
the  cover  plate;  f  are  the  exhaust  flues;  g,  the  cold-air  flues;  h,  the 
columns ;  and  i,  the  main  flues  ;  j,  the  flue  door,  with  a  small  central  door 
in  it  for  examining  the  state  of  the  retorts  when  in  action  ;  at  k  is  the 
ashpit  door,  which  is  kept  shut,  so  that  all  the  cold  air  for  supplying  the 
furnace  must  pass  through  the  coolers  and  cold-air  flues,  so  as  to  cool 
the  charcoal  in  the  coolers,  whilst  it  is  burning  in  the  retorts. 

When  a  charge  has  been  burned,  the  attendant  opens  a  slide  in  the 
bottom  of  each  retort,  and  so  discharges  about  one-third  of  the  charcoal 
in  it  down  into  the  cooling  tube  below.  When  this  is  done,  the  cooling 
tube  being  filled,  or  nearly  so,  the  tube  is  shut  up,  and  its  contents  are 
then  rapidly  cooled  by  an  external  circulation  of  cold  air  along  the  pas- 
sages to  which  we  have  referred.  The  upper  portion  of  the  partially 
emptied  retort  then  receives  a  fresh  supply  of  the  unburned  charcoal,  to 
fill  up  the  vacuum  in  it,  and  thus  the  operation  goes  regularly  on 
throughout  the  whole  series  in  the  kiln.  A  good  current  is  always  kept 
up  round  the  cooler  tubes,  and  the  air,  thus  partially  heated,  is  thence 
passed  up  to  the  retort  furnaces  above. 

Fig.  1,  on  plate  128,  is  a  longitudinal  section  of  part  of  a  sugarhouse, 
showing  a  front  view  of  a  vacuum  pan,  heater,  and  pump.  Fig.  2  is  a 
transverse  section  of  the  house,  representing  a  side  elevation  of  tlie  same 
parts,  with  the  addition  of  the  condenser.  The  vacuum  pan,  a,  rests 
on  an  upper  floor  of  the  building,  as  shown  by  the  horizontal  dotted 
lines — the  two  lower  lines  in  each  of  which  cases,  represent  the  upper 
and  lower  edges  of  the  beams  carrying  the  joists.  The  pan  is  formed 
in  the  usual  manner,  with  an  external  steam-chamber  heated  by  steam 
led  along  the  pipe,  n.  At  c  is  a  manhole  door,  the  cover  of  which  is 
ground  steam-tight  on  its  seat ;  a  conical  plug,  d,  being  fitted  on  for  the 
admission  of  air  when  running  off.  A  swnn-neeked  pipe,  e,  forms  the 
connection  between  the  pan  and  the  condenser,  p ;  a  branch,  g,  being 
made  on  its  lower  side  for  conveying  the  sugar  to  the  safe,  n,  in  case  of 
excessive  ebullition.  The  condenser,  p,  has  an  enlarged  chamber,  i,  in 
the  interior  of  which  is  the  rose  communicating  with  the  cold-water 
pipe,  j,  a  manhole  door  being  fitted  on  at  this  part  for  access  to  the  rose. 
To  govern  the  connection  between  the  vacuum  pump,  k,  and  the  pan,  a 
screw  stop-valve  is  fitted  at  L,  on  the  top  of  the  pipe,  M,  leading  to  the 
pump  beneath.  This  pump,  which  has  a  loot-valve,  K,  hot  well,  o,  and 
discharge  pipe,  p,  is  worked  by  the  continuously  revolving  shaft,  q,  and 
crank,  r.  The  main  steam-pipe,  taking  steam  from  the  boiler  to  the 
vacuum  pan,  is  at  s,  a  screw  stop-valve  being  fitted  at  t,  whence  a 
branch  passes  to  the  worm  inside  the  pan.  The  direct  steam  is  supplied 
to  the  pan  by  the  small  branch,  v  ;  and  at  v  is  the  barometer;  w,  the 
thermometer;  and  x,  the  "proof-stick."  The  pan  is  charged  with  the 
liquor  or  syrup  by  the  cock,  r,  on  the  top ;  at  z  is  the  pipe  for  carrying 
off  the  water  of  condensation  from  the  steam  space  surrounding  the  pan ; 
and  the  smaller  pipe,  a,  performs  the  same  office  for  the  internal  worm. 
The  discharging  is  effected  by  the  slide-valve,  b,  worked  by  the  lever,  c. 
Beneath  is  the  "heater,"  d,  heated  by  a  steam-jacket,  like  the  vacuum 
pan,  by  the  pipe,  e,  the  water  of  condensation  being  led  off  by  the  pipe,/. 
The  heater  is  emptied  by  the  cock,  g,  beneath  which  is  the  basin  and 
stand,  h.  At  i  is  the  lens  through  which  the  boiling  action  is  watched 
by  the  operator. 


The  limits  of  our  present  paper  obviously  do  not  permit  of  our  going 
into  a  minute  detail  of  the  process  of  refining ;  but  the  foregoing  de- 
scription will  be  sufficient  to  show  the  latest  improvements  upon  this 
very  interesting  branch  of  industry. 

CHAPLIN'S  DUPLEX  PRESSURE  FAN. 

The  common  fan  has  hitherto  been  narrowly  limited  in  its  practical 
application  as  a  blower,  by  its  great  deficiencies  as  a  pressure  producer. 
For  soft,  diffused  blasts,  or  for  the  mere  exhausting  of  aeriform  bodies, 
its  simplicity  has  insured  for  it  an  almost  universal  adoption.  But  for 
such  great  pressures  as  the  blast  furnace  requires,  something  more  is 
necessary — more  even  than  a  dangerously  high  rate  of  working  can  by 
any  possibility 

afford.       It    is  Fig.1. 

this  defect 
which  Mr. 

Chaplin  seeks 
to  remedy.  He 
combines  two 
fans  in  one,  and 
with  a  single 
spindle,  driven 
by  a  central 
band-pulley, he 
takes  in  air  by 
one  case,  and 
conveys  it  in 
its  compressed 
condition  into 
the  second, 
whence  it  is 
finally  dis- 

charged at  a 
much  higher 
pressure  than  a 
single  fan  can 
give;  whilst  he 
encounters  no 
difficulty  in  his 
speed  of  run- 
ning. Fig.  1  of 
our  engravings 
is  a  vertical 
section  of  the 
fan,  and  fig.  2 
is  a  plan  com- 
plete. The  sole 
plate,  A,  with 
which  is  cast 
the  underneath 
air-passage,  b, 
forming  the 
communication 
between  the 
two  fan  cases, 
c,  D,  carries  the 
entire  appara- 
tus. Each  fan 
case  is  cast 
with  one  side 
on,  and  bolted 
down  upon  the 

sole-plate; 
whilst  the  in- 
ner sides,  e,  are 

loose  and  sepa-  rig.  2. 

rately      bolted         — 

on.  The  spindle,  driven  from  the  central  pulley,  p,  is  supported  on  one 
side  by  a  bearing,  g,  cast  on  the  inside  of  the  vertical  portion  of  the  pas- 
sage, b, — this  passage  being  in  one  piece  with  the  side-plate  of  that  fan. 
The  bearing,  h,  for  the  opposite  end  of  the  spindle  is  on  a  separate  cross- 
piece,  attached  across  the  central  induction  aperture. 

In  this  particular  example,  three  blades  are  used  in  each  fan,  the 
arms  being  forged  in  one  piece  and  the  blades  riveted  to  them  The 
arrows  show  the  direction  of  the  currents.  The  air  is  first  taken  into 
the  larger  fan,  c,  in  the  usual  manner ;  and  in  its  partially  compressed 
state,  it  is  discharged  tangentially  from  the  tips  of  the  blades,  and  con- 
ducted along  the  inclined  passage,  n,  as  shown  in  dotted  lines  in  fig.  2. 


THE  PRACTICAL  MECHANIC'S  JOURNAL. 


65 


This  passage  conveys  the  a:r  into  the  inner  central  side  opening  in  the 
smaller  fan,  d,  from  the  case  of  which  it  is  finally  discharged  by  a  tan- 
gential passage  in  the  usual  way.  By  this  plan,  the  duplex  action  affords 
a  high  degree  of  pressure ;  amounting — as  deduced  from  the  inventor's 
tests — to  very  nearly  double  the  pressure  attainable  by  a  common  fan, 
running  at  the  same  circumferential  rate. 

OUTLINES    OF   GEOLOGY. 
VI. 

SECOXDART  EPOCH  (cOXCLUDEd). 

Cretaceous  Svstem. — In  this  system  we  find  a  return  to  deep-sea 
formations,  indicating  a  great  subsidence  of  land  subsequent  to  the 
formation  of  the  Wealden.  It  extends  over  a  large  part  of  the  south- 
eastern portion  of  England,  commencing  on  the  outside  edge  of  the 
Oolitic  system.  Its  most  northern  point  in  England  is  on  the  east  coast, 
between  Flamborough  Head  and  Scarborough.  Thence,  proceeding 
south,  it  lies  between  the  oolite  on  the  west,  and  the  marshy  lands  of 
Yorkshire  and  Lincolnshire,  till  the  Wash  is  nearly  reached,  having, 
during  this  part  of  its  course,  a  south-eastern  direction.  Across  the 
Wash,  it  commences  again  at  the  north-eastern  point  of  Norfolk,  spread- 
ing ont  along  the  northern  coast  of  that  county.  It  now  takes  a  south- 
westerly course,  being  bounded  on  the  west  by  the  oolite,  and  on  the 
east  by  tertiary  strata,  which  oceupy  the  whole  coast-line  of  this 
part  of  England.  Devizes  stands  nearly  in  the  middle  of  the  band, 
which  is  there  much  narrower  than  in  its  upper  part.  South  of  Devizes, 
the  beds  widen  out  so  as  to  occupy  a  large  area  in  Wiltshire  and  Hamp- 
shire. Salisbury  Plain  is  part  of  this  area.  It  is  not  a  plain,  in  the 
ordinary  sense  of  the  word,  but  a  high  undulating  down,  or  moor, 
stretching  about  twenty-five  miles  from  east  to  west,  and  fifteen  miles 
from  north  to  south.  Its  greatest  elevation  is  775  feet.  From  this 
main  trunk,  three  branches  diverge — one  almost  due  east  from  Basing- 
stoke, by  Guildford,  Reigate,  and  Maidstone,  to  the  coast,  which  it 
occupies  from  a  point  south  of  Dover  to  Margate.  Here  are  seen  the 
famous  chalk  cliffs,  from  which  is  supposed  to  be  derived  the  name 
Albion.  The  second  limb  begins  about  Winchester,  and  proceeds  in  a 
direct  line  to  Beachey  Head.  It  is  between  these  two  limbs,  the  elevated 
parts  of  which  are  known  as  the  North  and  South  Downs,  that  the 
Wealden  system  is  situated.  The  third  limb  is  much  shorter  than  the 
others.  It  proceeds  in  a  kind  of  zig-zag  from  Salisbury  to  the  coast  of 
Dorsetshire.  The  Hampshire  basin,  which  forms  part  of  the  deposits  of 
the  next  epoch,  is  situated  between  the  second  and  third  limbs ;  and 
another  largo  portion  of  the  deposits  of  the  same  epoch  (to  which  the 
London  basin  belongs)  is  situated  between  the  North  Downs  and  the 
main  trunk. 

The  two  chief  members  of  the  Cretaceous  system — namely,  the 
green  sands  and  the  chalk — are  very  different  from  each  other,  both  in 
mineral  composition  and  in  physical  character.  The  chalk  forms  ranges 
of  hills,  with  a  peculiarly  soft-flowing  outline,  for  the  most  part  little 
wooded,  but  affording  excellent  sheep  pasture.  The  green  sand  is  com- 
monly spread  out  at  the  foot  in  a  narrow  band,  in  a  few  cases  rising 
into  round  bills,  which  are  as  high,  or  higher,  than  the  chalk,  but 
generally  forming  much  lower  tracks,  covered  with  heath  and  brake. 
Its  outcrop  (the  line  where  it  comes  ont  from  under  the  upper  series)  is 
in  some  places  several  miles  distant  from  the  base  of  the  chalk  hills,  and 
at  others  near  their  foot.  An  outlying  portion  of  the  green  sand  occurs 
on  the  borders  of  Dorsetshire  and  Devonshire,  separated  from  the  other 
portions  of  the  Cretaceous  system  by  the  oolite  and  lias.  It  there  forms 
the  range  of  Blackdown  hills,  and  also  caps  another  range — the  Halidon 
hills — which  approaches  close  to  the  granite  of  Dartmoor.  The  Black- 
down  hills  furnish  whetstones;  and,  what  is  remarkable,  out  of  one 
hundred  and  fifty  species  of  fossil  remains  which  have  been  discovered 
in  these  beds,  ninety  are  not  known  to  occur  elsewhere  in  England. 
The  green  sand  consists  generally  of  ferruginous  brown  or  green  sand, 
with  local  deposits  of  limestone.  The  Kentish  limestone,  or  rag,  is  a 
well-known  calcareous  member  of  the  series.  In  the  upper  series,  the 
gault  is  the  first  bed.  It  is  a  stiff  blue  clay,  sometimes  used  for  making 
bricks.  The  lower  part  of  the  bed  abounds  in  iron  pyrites.  It  almost 
always  divides  the  lower  and  upper  green  sand,  and  maintains  the 
same  mineral  character  throughout.  At  Folkstone,  it  forms  a  cliff 
(fall  of  fossils)  about  120  feet  high,  resting  on  the  lower  green  sand. 
Above  the  gault  occurs  the  upper  green  sand,  which  varies  very 
much  in  thickness  ;  in  some  places  (the  vale  of  Wardour,  for  instance) 
rising  into  a  narrow  ridge  of  from  50  to  60  feet  in  thickness.  Pro- 
ceeding northwards  from  this  point,  it  gradually  declines  to  a  thick- 
ness of  a  few  feet  only.  It  is  considerably  developed  at  the  foot  of  the 
North  Downs,  between  Godstone  and  Reigate,  and  is  there  quarried  for 

So.  63/— Vol.  VI. 


firestone,  which  also  occurs  in  some  other  localities.  Next  to  the  upper 
green  sand,  and  immediately  under  the  chalk,  occur  beds  of  a  cretaceo- 
argillaceous  character,  known  as  chalk-marl,  sometimes  coloured  green 
by  silicate  of  iron,  or  red  by  oxide  of  the  same  metal.  Above  this  bed 
occurs  the  chalk,  the  lowest  part  of  which  is  usually  distinguished  as 
being  harder  than  the  upper  part,  and  without  flints,  which  are  abun- 
dant in  the  latter,  as  dark-coloured  nodules  disposed  in  layers.  Chalk 
is  a  nearly  pure  carbonate  of  lime.  The  origin  of  the  flint  nodules  is  not 
clearly  made  out.  In  some  cases,  the  siliceous  matter  has  gathered 
round  sponges  ;  in  others,  it  is  composed  almost  entirely  of  the  remains 
of  microscopic  animals,  which,  however,  also  occur  very  abundantly  in 
the  white  chalk.  Siliceous  aggregations  are  not  peculiar  to  the  chalk, 
but  occur  in  parts  of  the  mountain  limestone  and  oolite.  Moreover, 
similar  siliceous  matter  makes  its  appearance  in  the  chalk  of  Ireland  and 
the  Continent  in  layers. 

The  organic  remains  of  the  Cretaceous  system  are  numerous.  Saurian 
reptiles  continue,  some  new  genera  making  their  appearance.  Fish  also 
occur ;  of  Placoids,  between  thirty  and  forty  species  ;  of  Ganoids,  between 
fifteen  and  twenty  species  ;  of  Ctenoids,  three  species ;  and  of  Cycloids, 
ten  species.  This  is  the  first  appearance  of  the  two  latter  groups, 
which  have  scales  not  enamelled.  Ammonites  are  conspicuous  in  this 
system,  measuring  sometimes  four  feet  in  diameter.  These  curious 
fossils  make  their  appearance  almost  in  the  earliest  fossiliferous  rocks, 
and  continue  throughout  the  secondary  epoch,  attaining  their  maximum 
of  development  in  the  chalk,  and  ceasing  with  it.  Hamites,  Scaphites, 
Baculites,  and  Belemnites,  are  other  forms  of  cephalopodous  shells 
which  occur  in  the  Cretaceous  system.  Zoophytes  are  abundant,  and 
some  of  them  nearly  allied  to  existing  deep-sea  genera.  Foraminifera — 
an  order  of  small  conchiferous  molluscs,  some  living  species  of  which  are 
very  destructive  to  timber — occur  in  abundance  among  the  chalk  beds. 
One  group  of  shells  (Rudistes)  discovered  in  the  chalk  are  unlike  any 
known  forms.  Certain  remains  discovered  in  the  chalk  at  Maidstone 
were  attributed  by  Professor  Owen  to  a  bird  which  he  named  Cimiliornis 
Diomedeus,  but  other  investigators  believe  them  to  belong  to  a 
Pterodactyl. 

In  the  slates  of  Glarus  (Switzerland),  attributed  to  the  Cretaceous 
period,  the  remains  of  Litliornes  vulturinus,  a  British  eocene  fossil, 
have  been  discovered.  Foot-prints  of  birds  are  also  common  in  America, 
in  strata  assigned  to  different  parts  of  the  secondary  epoch.  Chalk 
occurs  in  Ireland  (Antrim)  covered  by  basalt.  No  part  of  the  system 
is  found  in  Scotland. 

The  following  is  a  summary  of  the  animal  creation  during  the  whole 
secondary  epoch,  which  closes  with  the  Cretaceous  period: — 

Mammalia. — The  first  appearance  of  this  the  highest  class  of  animals, 
occurs  in  the  Oolitic  period,  where  three  marsupial  animals  have  been 
found.  No  traces  of  the  class  occur  in  any  subsequent  member  of  the 
secondary  epoch. 

Birds. — No  certain  traces  of  birds  in  any  British  strata  of  the  secondary 
epoch  ;  but  they  occur  in  other  countries. 

Reptiles. — So  numerous,  and  of  such  gigantic  proportions,  are  the 
reptiles  of  this  epoch,  that  it  has  been  designated  "  the  age  of  reptiles." 
Reptiles  appear  to  have  commenced  at  a  time  immediately  preceding  the 
secondary  epoch,  and  with  forms  resembling  that  of  the  lizard.  To 
these  followed  animals  of  the  orders  Chelonia  (turtle,  tortoise,  &c), 
Batrachia  (frog,  toad,  &c),  Sauria  (lizards),  and  Enaliosauria.  The 
last  order  (of  which  Ichthyosauri  and  Plesiosauri  afford  the  type)  is  not 
represented  in  the  present  day.  The  Enaliosauria  terminated  with  the 
Cretaceous  period,  and  some  of  the  strangest  forms  of  Sauria,  such  as 
Megalosaurus,  Iguanodon,  Pterodactylus,  are  seen  no  more,  the  crocodile 
being  the  representative  of  the  order  in  more  recent  periods. 

Fish. — The  greater  number  of  fossil  fishes  belonging  to  the  secondary 
epoch  are  of  the  Placoid  and  Ganoid  types,  but  at  the  end  of  that  period, 
Ctenoid  and  Cycloid  fishes  make  their  appearance. 

Articulata. — The  Tricobite  form  of  Crustacea,  so  abundant  in  the 
Palaeozoic  epoch,  had  become  extinct  before  the  commencement  of  the 
next  epoch,  giving  place  to  other  forms.  The  Cretaceous  system  is 
most  fertile  in  animals  of  this  sub-kingdom ;  the  new  creation  resem- 
bling the  lobster,  crab,  and  shrimp  of  the  present  day.  Some  species  of 
the  class  Cirrhapoda  occur  in  the  oolite. 

Mollusca. — With  the  secondary  epoch  commenced  a  new  series  of 
Cephalopoda.  All  the  Palfeozoic  genera  were  extinct  except  the  Nautilus, 
which  comes  down  to  the  present  day  as  a  reminiscence  of  an  ancient 
world.  The  first  remains  of  cuttle-fish  resembling  existing  species  | 
occur  in  the  lias.  Belemnites  appear  for  the  first  time,  and  are  very 
abundant.  Towards  the  end  of  the  epoch  they  become  less  abundant. 
Hamites  are  abundant  (chiefly  in  the  gault).  Scaphites  become  a  pro- 
minent genus.  Turrilites,  Baculites,  and  Ptychoceras,  are  characteristic 
of  the  latter  half  of  the  secondary  epoch.     But  the  Ammonites  are  the 


66 


THE  PRACTICAL  MECHANIC'S  JOURNAL. 


most  remarkable  order  of   new  creations.      They  begin,  attain  enor- 
mous size  towards  the  end  of  the  epoch,  and  then  disappear. 

Gasteropoda  and  Conchifera  begin  to  take  the  place  of  the  Cephalo- 
poda and  Brachiopoda,  as  these  wane  or  disappear.  Numerous  Gas- 
teropoda, and  some  of  recent  genera,  occur  in  the  oolitic  rocks. 

Kadiata. — Of  this  sub-kingdom,  the  class  Echinodermata  is  well  re- 
presented, all  the  orders  being  those  of  existing  seas.  The  order  Echi- 
nida  appears  for  the  first  time,  and  in  greater  abundance  than  in  the 
present  seas. 

A  few  species  of  Nautilus  are  the  only  representatives  of  testaceous 
cephalopoda,  which  survive  to  the  tertiary  epoch.  Brachiopoda  are 
feebly  represented  in  the  secondary  epoch  as  compared  with  the  Palaeo- 
zoic. Most  of  the  characteristic  genera  of  the  latter  disappear.  Tere- 
bratula,  Lingula,  and  Orbicula,  and  some  other  genera  survive. 

Zoophytes  of  this  epoch  are  generally  very  different  from  those  of 
the  oldest  epoch.     They  occur  abundantly  during  the  Oolitic  and  Creta- 
^.-eeous  periods.     Sponges  and  Foraminifera  are  abundant. 

'Th£  following  table  shows  the  number  of  species  of  plants  (with  the 
families)  which  existed  during  the  secondary  period. 

JV*  Trias  to  YVTealden.  Cretaceous. 

Algas 3  — 

Calamarias, 1    — 

Filices 48  1 

Selagineoe, 1    — 

Zamiae, 32   3 

Coronarice, 1    — 

Principes, 4  — 

Conifera? 9 2 

Uncertain, 3  — 

Gkooraphical  Distribution  of  Secondary  Rocks. — On  referring  to 
M.  Bone's  map,  we  see  that  the  rocks  of  the  secondary  epoch  are  not 
distributed  over  large  areas  of  the  earth's  surface,  but  occur  in  many 
places  in  all  the  great  continental  divisions. 

MECHANIC'S  LIBRARY. 

Agricultural  Engineering,  Vol.  III.,  12mo„  Is.     Andrews. 
Carpentry,  Elementary  Principles  of,  4th  edition,  4to.,  42s.    Tredgold. 
Coal-Gas,  On  the  Manufacture  of,  2d  edition,  4to.,  31s.  6d.,  cloth.    Clegg. 
Chemical  Phrase-Book,  in  English  and  German,  18mo.,  6s.    Johns. 
Chemical  Field  Lectures  for  Agriculturists,  4s.  6d.,  cloth.     Stockhardt. 
Drawing-Book,  First,  folio,  7s.  6d.t  cloth.     Hannah  Bolton. 
Map-Making,  Manual  of,  3d  edition,  12mo.,  2s.,  cloth.     A.  Jamieson. 
Non-Metallic  Elements,  Lectures  on  the,  foolscap  Svo.,  5s.  6d.    Faraday. 
Scientific  Dialogues,  new  edition,  G.  Walker,  foolscap  Svo.,  6s.,  cloth.    Joyce. 

E  E  C  E  N  T    PATENTS. 


FIRE-GRATES. 

John  Finlat,  Ironmonger,  Glasgoio. — Patent  dated  October  1,  1852. 

Fis.  1. 


Mr.  Fmlay,  whose  sound  practice  in  many  improvements  connected 
with  lighting,  heating,  and  ventilation,  have  frequently  found  a  place 
in  our  pages,  has  here  produced  a  most  effective  plan  for  the  general 


improvement  of  domestic  fire-grates.  The  special  objects  which  he  has 
had  in  view,  in  the  present  instance,  are  to  be  thus  summed  up: — 1st, 
efficiency  of  draught;  2d,  superior  radiation  of  heat;  3d,  the  accurate 
and  easy  adjustment  of  the  regulating  details  for  modifying  the  draught 
and  the  combustion  of  the  fuel,  and  the  prevention  of  smoke. 

Fig.  1  is  a  front  elevation  of  a  domestic  fire-grate,  arranged  to  meet 
these  requirements;  fig.  2  is  a  transverse  vertical  section  correspond- 
ing.    In  this  arrangement  a  single  overhanging  draught  door  is  formed 
at  the  back  of  the  grate,  and  hinged 
by  its  bottom,  or  near  its  lower  edge.  FlS' 2' 

This  door  is  so  contrived,  that  when 
fully  open,  to  allow  of  the  greatest 
possible  extent  of  air  passage  to  the 
chimney,  it  inclines  backwards,  from 
its  bottom  joint,  towards  the  chimney, 
or  the  wall  in  which  the  grate  is 
placed;  and  when  the  door  is  fully 
closed,  to  shut  off  all  chimney  draught, 
its  upper  edge  inclines  forward,  from 
its  bottom  joint,  towards  the  room. 
This  door  regulates  the  main,  or,  what 
may  be  termed,  the  front  direct  draught 
into  the  flue  or  chimney,  the  smoke  and 
heated  air  passing  off  from  the  fire- 
place by  the  upper  portion  of  the  door. 
But  the  door  is  adapted  as  well  for 
furnishing  a  means  of  back  draught, 
or  secondary  air  passage,  at  a  lower 
level,  by  which  means  any  thick  green 
smoke  is  at  once  conveyed  off  from  the 
level  of  the  surface  of  the  coals  in  the 
grate  to  the  flue,  by  a  short  route,  so 
as  to  keep  the  fuel  clear  of  smoke,  to 
aid  the  draught,  and  to  prevent  the 
chance  of  such  thick  heavy  smoke  get- 
ting into  the  apartment  to  be  heated.  This  back  draught  is  obtained 
by  hinging  the  lower  edge  of  the  door  to  the  fixed  portion  of  the 
back  of  the  grate,  at  or  near  the  level  of  the  surface  of  the  burning 
fuel,  by  means  of  a  horizontal  joint,  or  centre-pin,  beyond  which 
joint-pin  the  lower  edge  of  the  door  is  slightly  prolonged,  so  as  to 
form  a  secondary  regulating  door  or  valve.  The  door  thus  becomes  a 
double  lever,  the  upper  side,  or  main  portion,  being  arranged  to  close  by 
moving  forward ;  whilst  the  lower  edge  beneath  the  joint  similarly  closes 
its  narrower  duct  or  passage,  by  the  consequent  backward  motion. 
Suitable  means  being  provided  for  the  escape  of  the  dense  smoke,  through 
the  lower  opening,  into  the  flue,  whatever  smoke  so  passes  escapes  up 
the  chimney  behind  the  main  portion  of  the  door;  and  any  heated 
gases  or  air  so  passing,  thus  produce  radiant  heat,  by  acting  on  the  door 
from  behind.  This  duplex  arrangement  of  door  thus  opens  and  closes 
both  passages  simultaneously,  and  any  regulation  of  the  main  door 
correspondingly  adjusts  that  for  the  lower  back  draught;  and  a  means 
is  afforded  by  it,  of  taking  off  the  sluggish  smoke  at  once,  from  a 
green  or  fresh  fire,  so  as  to  give  the  smoke  no  chance  of  escaping  into 
the  room.  The  adjustment  of  the  draught  door  may  be  effected  in  vari- 
ous ways ;  as,  for  example,  by  a  notched  catch-rod  hinged  to  the  door, 
and  contrived  to  be  available  from  the  front  of  the  door,  or  side  of  the 
grate — the  notches,  or  detents,  working  over  a  fixed  stop  behind  the 
grate  ;  or,  instead  of  this  arrangement,  the  adjusting-rod,  or  lever,  may 
be  formed  with  an  undulating  edge,  or  with  rounded  notches,  so  that 
a  weight  huug  on  the  end  of  the  lever,  or  a  spring  either  in  the 
lever  itself  or  detached,  may  hold  the  door  at  any  determined  undu- 
lation. By  this  plan,  mere  pressure  on  the  door  will  adjust  it  either  way, 
without  attending  to  the  lever  or  catch-rod ;  or,  instead  of  this  plan, 
the  door  may  be  set  on  a  friction  joint  centre,  adjustable  to  give  any 
required  degree  of  frictional  hold,  to  retain  the  door  at  any  angle  at  which 
it  may  be  set.  Frictional  side  pressure,  by  a  spring,  may  also  be  used  for 
the  same  end,  so  as  to  give  a  noiseless  plan  of  adjustment,  with  simple  and 
easily  manageable  details.  The  overhanging  door,  a,  is  in  this  case  hinged 
at  b,  by  a  pair  of  side  pivots,  which  rest  in  recesses  in  a  hinge  support,  c, 
one  on  each  side  of  the  grate,  n,  being  the  prolongation  of  the  dour  be- 
low the  joint,  or  suspension,  to  form  the  back  draught.  As  arranged  in 
fig.  2,  the  draught  door  is  full  open,  and  the  main  draught  current  passes 
off  in  the  direction  of  the  arrow,  e,  in  front  of  the  door,  to  the  chimney  ; 
whilst  the  back  draught,  or  secondary  current,  passes  through  the 
smaller  aperture,  f,  and  escapes  to  the  chimney  also  along  the  space,  o, 
between  the  back  of  the  draught  door  and  the  front  of  the  stationary 
inclined  back  plate,  u.  To  the  upper  edge  of  this  back  plate  is  fastened 
a  hinge-piece,  i,  to  which  is  loosely  jointed  the  rod,  or  link,  j,  formed 


THE  PRACTICAL  MECHANIC'S  JOURNAL. 


67 


with  undulaiory  notches  on  its  lower  edge.  This  link,  which  acts  as  the 
detent  for  the  door,  projects  forward,  and  rests  upon  the  upper  edge  of  the 
door,  so  that  when  the  latter  is  drawn  forward  by  the  ornamental  pro- 
jection, k — to  the  position,  for  example,  indicated  by  the  dotted  lines,  L — 
its  loose  end  bears  upon  the  door,  and  retains  it  at  the  desired  angle.  In 
this  way  the  domestic  may  easily  adjust  the  door  to  any  extent  of  open- 
ing, as  a  slight  pressure  in  either  direction  will  cause  the  upper  edge  of 
the  door  to  slip  along  the  detent  undulations  to  the  intended  posi- 
tion. The  dotted  door,  e,  also  illustrates  the  mode  in  which  any  change 
in  its  position,  correspondingly  affects  the  back  or  secondary  draught 
aperture. 

A  most  important  effect  of  this  arrangement  of  grate  is,  that,  by  the 
agency  of  the  back  draught,  the  great  mass  of  the  smoke  is  drawn 
through  the  incandescent  fuel  in  the  grate,  in  passing  to  the  small 
escape-door.  In  other  words,  instead  of  the  smoke  passing  up  in  all 
directions  over  the  top  of  the  fire,  it  is  actually  drawn  off  horizontally, 
or  nearly  so,  and  must  of  necessity  be  exposed  to  a  large  burning  fuel- 
surface  before  it  leaves  the  grate.  Thus,  the  smoke  cannot  play  about 
the  fire,  and  be  dispersed  into  the  room  by  chance  diffusive  atmospheric 
currents.  Indeed,  it  is  supposed  that  at  least  one-third  more  smoke  is 
actually  consumed  in  this  grate  than  in  the  common  one. 

CANDLESTICKS  AND  LAMPS. 

G.  S.  Ogii.vte,  Stapkton,  Somerset—Patent  dated  Nov.  9,  1852. 

Mr.  Ogilvie's  invention  consists  of  a  simple  application  of  metal  or 

india-rubber  springs  to  portable  lamps  and  candlesticks,  for  retaining  the 

loose  accessaries  thereof — such  as  the  snuffers  and  extinguisher — in  their 

assigned  positions.      Our  engraving  represents  one  of  the  inventor's 

candlesticks  in  side  ele- 
vation. At  A  is  a  short 
metal  socket,  soldered 
to  the  lower  portion  of 
the  cylindrical  stem,  b, 
of  the  candlestick  ;  and 
to  this  socket  is  at- 
tached the  short  tube, 
c,  containing  a  metal 
catch,  d,  which  has  a 
slightly  convex  surface, 
fitting  into  a  corre- 
sponding indentation  in 
the  supporting  shank, 
E,  of  the  extinguisher. 
Two  small  discs  or 
plugs,  f,  of  india-rubber, 
are  fitted  within  the 
socket,  A,  and  tube,  c,  and  serve  as  the  spring  to  nip,  and  thus  hold  the 
extinguisher  shank  in  the  position  shown  in  the  figure.  A  small  button 
or  disc,  G,  having  a  rounded  surface,  is  fitted  loosely  into  the  inner  ex- 
tremity of  the  fixed  socket,  A,  and  projecting  slightly  beyond  the  end  of 
it;  and  when  the  tube,  o,  is  fastened  into  its  socket,  the  elastic  plugs 
inside  exert  a  pressure  against  the  button,  g,  and  catch,  d,  simultaneously, 
tending  to  force  each  of  them  outwards.  On  inserting  the  snuffers  into 
their  retaining  slot  in  the  base  of  the  candlestick  stem,  the  projecting 
button,  g,  presses  against  the  side  of  the  box  portion  of  the  snuffers,  and 
thus  nips  them,  so  as  to  prevent  their  falling  out,  although  readily  yield- 
ing to  permit  of  their  removal  when  necessary.  The  extinguisher  is 
held  in  a  somewhat  similar  manner — the  hollow  in  the  shank,  e,  fitting 
on  to  the  convex  surface  of  the  catch,  d.  Mr.  Ogilvie  has  explained 
several  varieties  of  catches  on  this  general  principle,  all  of  which  are  use- 
ful ingenuities. 

IRONSTONE  BRICKS  AND  POTTERY. 
\T.  G.  Elliott,  Bllm-orth. — Patent  dated  October  5,  1852. 
Although  the  "slag"  or  refuse  cinder  of  the  iron  manufacture  accu- 
mulates at  the  rate  of  some  three  tons  for  every  ton  of  iron  that  is  made, 
and  although  the  ironmaster  is  involved  in  serious  expenses  for  the  re- 
moval and  permanent  deposit  of  the  useless  material,  hardly  anything  has 
yet  been  done  to  turn  it  to  profitable  account.  It  is  true,  that  limited 
uses  have  been  f  mnd  for  it  in  Dr.  Thomson's  application  of  it  for  cop- 
per smelting,  and  as  the  nucleus  of  Mr.  Cuninghame's  agricultural  and 
fictile  materials,  but  neither  of  these  employments  has  yet  in  any  way 
affected  the  case.  Now,  however,  a  third  and  more  extensive  vent  has 
been  found  by  Mr.  W.  G.  Elliott  of  Blisworth,  who  uses  the  troublesome 
material  for  the  manufacture  of  bricks,  tiles,  and  pipes.  In  pursuing 
[his  manufacture,  the  patentee  satisfactorily  argues  that  iron  may  be 
piofitably  made,  even  on  a  small  scale,  by  using  the  slag  as  it  runs  from 


the  furnace,  instead  of  throwing  it  away,  and  covering  up  good  ground 
with  it.  The  coals  and  materials  involved  in  the  manufacture  of  the 
iron  are  obviously  chargeable  to  that  account,  and  it  is  assumed  that  the 
labour  and  general  costs  of  the  removal  of  the  slag,  as  at  present,  will 
nearly  pay  for  the  moulding  it  into  bricks.  The  turns  at  the  blast  fur- 
naces are  12  hours  each;  and  in  a  furnace  doing  full  work,  there  are  four 
men  and  sometimes  two  horses,  with  boys,  constantly  employed  in  the 
removal  of  the  slag,  which  comes  to  300  tons  a  week.  Mr.  Elliott  is  at 
present  engaged  in  the  establishment  of  his  system  for  working  the 
Northamptonshire  ironstone.  There  does  not  appear  to  be  any  valid 
reason  why  the  plan  should  not  be  most  successful:  the  bricks  are  of 
excellent  quality;  their  manufacture  introduces  a  double  course  of 
economy,  and  the  raw  material  is  cheap  and  inexhaustible.  As  regards 
the  last  question,  the  best  evidence  is,  that  8,000,000  tons  of  slag  were 
produced  and  thrown  away  in  1851. 

STEAM-PRESSURE  REGULATORS. 
Mr.  Baxtek,  Glasgow. — Patent  dated  March  18,  1853. 


The  convenient 
and  accurate  re- 
gulation of  fluid 
pressure  is  a  most 
important  point 
in  nearly  all  ma- 
nufacturing oper- 
ations. Where 
steam  is  em- 
ployed, for  ex- 
ample, the  boiler 
pressure  for  the 
prime  mover  is 
usually  far  too 
great  for  use  in  a 
variety  of  minor 
processes,  in 

which  steam  acts 
either  as  a  means 
of        developing 

heat  or  power.  Some  contrivance  must  obviously  be  resorted  to,  for 
bringing  down  the  initial  pressure  to  an  available  point,  and  for  retain- 
ing it  at  such  determined  standard,  regardless  of  the  variations  occur- 
ring in  the  original  reservoir  of  power. 

Mr.  Baxter's  ingenious  contrivance  furnishes  a  means  of  doing 
this  with  very  simple  and  easily  adjustable  mechanism.  It  is  repre- 
sented in  vertical  section  in  the  annexed  figure,  as  adapted  for 
steam  purposes.  It  is  placed  in  the  line  of  the  steam  pipe  which 
conducts  the  steam  to  be  regulated;  the  high  pressure  from  the  boiler, 
for  instance,  being  brought  in  by  a  side  branch,  a,  where  it  enters 
between  a  bottom  lift-valve,  b,  and  a  plunger  or  piston,  c,  both  of  the 
same  area,  and  both  fast  on  one  spindle,  or  connected  to  each  other,  so  as 
to  move  together.  The  valve,  b,  guards  the  exit  at  the  bottom  of  this 
valve-chamber,  whilst  the  piston,  c,  working  freely,  but  steam-tight, 
through  a  stuffing-box  in  the  top  of  the  chamber,  similarly  closes  the 
passage  in  that  direction.  A  link,  d,  connects  the  piston  to  an  over- 
head lever  set  on  a  stud  centre  at  e,  and  having  an  adjustable  weight,  r, 
hung  over  its  opposite  end,  whilst  behind  the  fixed  centre  is  a  hooked 
end  to  receive  a  counterweight. 

The  steam  being  admitted  between  the  two  equal  areas  of  the  piston 
and  valve,  presses  upwards  and  downwards  with  equal  force.  Then,  on 
loading  the  weighted  lever  to  the  intended  point,  the  balance  between 
the  two  areas  of  the  piston  and  valve  is  destroyed,  and  steam  passes  off 
through  the  valve,  n,  and  the  discharge  branch,  g,  at  a  diminished  pres- 
sure, exactly  corresponding  to  the  weight  placed  on  the  lever.  Hence 
any  pressure  less  than  that  in  the  original  steam-chamber,  or  the  pipe,  a, 
is  readily  obtainable,  this  reduced  pressure  being  variable  with  the 
greatest  facility,  by  sliding  the  weight,  f,  back  or  forward  upon  its 
lever. 


68 


THE  PRACTICAL  MECHANIC'S  JOURNAL. 


Fig.  2. 


DOMESTIC  WASHING  MACHINE. 

J.  Eluidqe,  London. 

Mr.  Elridge  proposes  to  supersede  manual  labour  in  the  very  tedious 
operation  of  clothes-washing,  by  supplying  each  family,  say  up  to  fifteen 

persons,    with    a 
F>"1-  small    apparatus, 

24  inches  by  21, 
and  14  inches 
deep.  Fig.  1  is 
a  view  of  the 
complete  ma- 
chine, and  fig.  2 
is  a  detail  of  the 
actual  operating 
portions  de- 

tached. In  using 
this  contrivance, 
the  tub,  a,  is  half 
filled  with  warm 
water,  of  the 
usual  tempera- 
ture, with  the 
addition  of  the  necessary  amount  of  soap ;  then  one  end  of  the  article,  b, 
to  be  washed,  is  placed  under  the  cord  of  the  cylinder,  c,  and  this  cord  is 
drawn  tight  by  a  slip-knot,  so  as  to  fasten 
the  clothes  to  the  cylinder.  When  this  is 
done,  the  winch-handle,  d,  is  turned  round, 
back  and  forwards,  about  five  turns  each 
way;  and  this  movement  produces  a  con- 
tinuous rotatory  rubbing  and  thumping 
action  with  the  friction  lever,  e,  which  rises 
and  falls  on  the  clothes  on  the  cylinder. 
The  arms,  p,  of  the  lever  turn  on  stud  centres 
in  the  sides  of  the  tub,  and  a  gentle  pres- 
sure may  thus  be  given  to  the  rubbing  action,  whilst  the  handle  is  being 
turned.  The  machine  may  obviously  be  made  of  different  sizes,  to  suit 
the  family  requirements;  but  the  ratio  we  have  given  is  the  one 
adopted  by  the  patentee.  He  states  that  an  inexperienced  girl  is  able  to 
wash  witli  it  as  many  blankets  in  three  hours,  as  would  take  fourteen 
hours  in  the  hands  of  a  professional  washer. 


STE  AM-ENG  I  N  E  S. 

R.  Burn,  Edinburgh. 

The  steam-engine  described  under  this  specification,  and  figured  in 
the  accompanying  engraving,  was  specially  designed  for  driving  the 

patentee's  "  Roller  Cotton  Gin  "* 
for  long-stapled  cotton.  A  simple 
and  economical  prime  mover  has 
long  been  wanted  for  sending  abroad 
with  these  machines,  as  skilled 
labour  is  not  easily  obtainable  in 
the  cotton-growing  countries,  and 
building  materials  are  very  costly. 
The  engine-house  is  usually  a  mere 
pit,  laid  with  stout  logs  to  carry  the 
engine,  and  covered  with  a  slight 
shed  to  shield  the  working  parts 
from  the  weather.  In  our  sketch, 
the  cylinder,  a,  is  cast  in  one  piece 
with  the  sole  plate,  b,  which  may 
I  be  either  vertical  or  horizontal. 
The  piston-rod,  c,  works  through  a 
stuffing-box  in  the  cylinder  cover, 
at  the  end  farthest  from  the  crank- 
shaft, and  carries  a  cross-head,  d, 
with  a  pair  of  parallel  side-rods,  e, 
running  back  alongside  the  cylin- 
der to  a  corresponding  cross-head, 
f.  This  cross-head  has  keyed  into 
it  one  end  of  a  rod,  o,  the  other  end 
of  which  works  in  a  guide,  h,  whilst 
at  i  a  connecting-rod  is  jointed  to  it,  and  passed  thence  to  the  crank,  j. 
1  hus  the  arrangement  may  be  called  a  reverse  steeple-engine. 


•  See  engraving  and  description  in  our  »  Monthly  Notes,"  of  the  present  part. 


ELASTIC  SCALES 

W.  Mackenzie  &  G.  Blair, 

This  peculiarly  elegant  inven- 
tion relates  to  the  printing  gradu- 
ated scales  for  thermometers  and 
other  instruments  of  measure- 
ment, on  sheets  of  elastic  sub- 
stances, such  as  vulcanized 
caoutchouc,  with  the  intention 
that  such  scale  surfaces  may  be 
elongated,  or  allowed  to  con- 
tract, at  pleasure,  to  assistin  their 
adjustment  to  varying  lengths 
comprehended  between  any  two 
fixed  points.  The  lines  of  gra- 
duation, with  theircorresponding 
references,  are  set  up  in  type, 
and  impressions  are  then  taken 
from  this  form  upon  the  elastic 
sheets,  either  when  the  latter 
are  slightly  elongated  or  in  their 
natural  condition  of  tension. 
According  to  the  ordinary  con- 
struction of  thermometers,  the 
scales  must  be  made  expressly 
to  suit  each  mercurial  tube,  in 
order  to  insure  even  approximate 
accuracy ;  but  by  Messrs.  Mac- 
kenzie &  Blair's  system,  any 
number  and  variety  of  scales  and 
tubes  may  be  at  once  adjusted 
to  each  other  with  equal  accu- 
racy, without  any  special  indi- 
vidual selection.  That  is  to  say, 
any  two  fixed  points,  as  the 
freezing  and  boiling  points,  be- 
ing determined  and  marked  upon 
the  tube,  the  elastic  scale  may 
be  stretched  to  bring  the  freezing 
and  boiling  graduations  thereon 
to  correspond  exactly  with  the 
tube  marks;  and  if  the  elastic 
material  is  of  uniform  width, 
thickness,  and  elasticity,  all  the 
intermediate  graduations  will  be 
found  to  agree  with  their  cor- 
responding lines  of  mercurial 
traverse  in  the  tube.  Vulcinized 
caoutchouc  is  not  materially 
affected  by  thermal  or  atmo- 
spheric changes;  and  when  soil- 
ed, it  may  be  washed.  The 
adoption  of  the  elastic  scales  is 
also  of  very  great  advantage,  in 
admitting  of  the  enlargement  of 
the  number  of  index  references 
beyond  what  is  conveniently 
possible  by  the  ordinary  system 
of  construction.  The  annexed 
figure  represents  a  thermometer 
scale  of  this  kind,  as  arranged 
with  a  greatly  enlarged  series  of 
fixed  points,  in  order  to  render 
the  instrument  of  superior  value 
for  chemical,  meteorological,  and 
manufacturing  purposes.  Pa- 
rallel bands  of  the  elastic  material 
answer  sufficiently  well  for  most 
purposes;  but  when  extreme 
accuracy  is  required,  the  pieces 
are  cut  so  as  to  be  broader  or 
narrower  in  the  middle,  accord- 
ing as  they  are  to  be  drawn  out 
or  suffered  to  contract  after 
printing.  When  this  contriv- 
ance is  applied  to  thermometers, 
the  imprinting  plate  may  be  ex- 


FOR  THERMOMETERS. 
Qlasgow. — Patent  dated  Oct.  5,  1852. 

ABBREVIATIONS. 

an.,  annual ;  &.,  boils ;  d  ,  day  ;  fr.,  freezes  i 
m  .  melts ;  max  ,  greatest  i  min.,  lowest  ■ 
Int.,  mean  temperature;  sA.in  the  shade; 
a.,  summer;  tf,  winter;  th  s;ir,  tint  or  ther- 
mal springs ;  F.  v..  force  of  vapour  in  inches 
of  mercury.  Note -The  monthly  tem- 

perature adjusted  to  the  latitude  of  London. 

Satd.  brixb  boils  - 

Wat.  Dead  Sea  boils 

820- 

Phosphoms  distils 

F.V  3240  (Dalt.)  _ 

Water b  bar.81  in 

Water  boils 

210- 

Water  boils,  Madrid 

Water  b.  Bennevi 
Wat.  b.Heas,  Pyren 

200- 
DistiUers'  3d  mish 
Water  b.,  Bogota  _ 
Water  bolls,  Quito, 

190- 
Water  b.,  Mt.  Blanc 
Brewers'  3d  mash  - 

EistiLUrs'  2d  mash 
180" 


Pr.  spirit  boils  _ 

Alcohol  boils 

170- 

Carlsbad  th.  springs 
P.V.  10  06  (Dalton )- 

F.V.  9-91  (Dalton) 

160- 

Wisbadenth  spring! 

Albumen  coapnl  — 
P.V.  8U1  (Dalton) 

150- 
Phosphorus  innamei 

Wart,  when  drawn  — 
Mai.  sun  lit  ,  Bene; 
Ammonia  b.  140— 
Aix-la-Chap.tti  spr 

Margaric  acid  m  — 
Sana  Afric.  deserts 

130- 

Max.  Sin  Hi  Engl 
Iod.  subl  rapidly  — 
Nero's  Bath,  Naples 

120- 

Alhamath.spr  Spain 

Bath   tli.  springs     : 

Thermopylae  th  sp. 

Fever  heat 

110- 
Birds'  blood  heat 

Feverish  heat  — 

Quadrupeds'  bluod  fit. 

100- 

Human  blood  ht, 

Sulphuric  ether  b.  — 
Ala.r  ht  shade,  Engl. 

90- 

Madras  m  t ,   June 
Madras  m  s  t.  _ 
Mean  sun  ht.,  July 
Mean  sun  heat,  June 

80~ 
Pekin  in  s  t, 
Madras  m  w.t 
Mean  sun  ht.,  Mat/ 

Acetic  ferm.  begins 

70- 

AUOUST  mdt. 

JUNE  mdt.  _ 

Mean  sunlit ,  Oct. 

Agreeable 
SEP  ni.d.L  6CH 
Edinburgh  ro  t>  t 

Temperate 

Mean  suit  ht-,  JVov 

World  m  t  50- 

Deep  spring  water 
NOVEMB.   mdt_ 
Mean  ;Hn  ht.,  Jan. 
DECEMBER  mdt 
London  raw  t    40— 

Edinburgh  ip.w.i, 
Olive  oil  congeals  _ 

Milan  Jan,  ra  t. 

Water  freezes 

Milk  fr  30- 

Vineg.ir  freezes 

Blood  freezes  — 
Pekin  m  w.t 

20- 

SplUbergra.an.t. 
Oil  of  turpent.  fr.  "" 
F.V.  01QU  (Dalton) 

10- 

Alcohol.l+wat.Sfr. 

Satd   brink  fr.  ~~ 

Sulphcacf.-(1837tJ> 

0- 

Siberia  m.w  t. 

Max  cold  England  _ 

,\li;l    Mpiu-'i-alll 

Proof  spirit  fr. 

-10- 

Mixt  snow6+jall2 

At  Glasgow,  17SU 


-225 
sp.  pr.  1211 
-Alum  ■>*>-f-wnt,4fib. 
Sulphur  melts 

-215 

bar.  29  8  Inches 
zi  bar.  27  74  inches 
ij-205 

^  Water  b.,  St   Reml 
-Bis2+ld.l+tinlm. 
Wat  b.,  Mexico  cily 

-195 
Sodium  fuses 

—  Wat.  b„  Mt.  Etna 
Water  b.,  Antisana, 

-185 

Mn.r.  malt  kiln  heat 

—  Brewers'  '2d  mash 
P.V.  1452  (Dalton) 

-175 

sp.  gr.  0798 

—  Sulphur  sublimes 
Brewers'  1st  mash 


-165 

ialkai 


Balkan  tb.sp.Turkey 

—  Acetic  ether  boils 
Stearic  acid  melts 

-155 

F.V.7ei  (Dalton) 

—  Pyroxilic  spirit  b. 
Distillers'  1st  mash 
-145 

Bees'  wax  melts 

— Min.  malt-kiln  heat 

Potassium  fuses 

-135 

F.V.  460  (Dalton) 

—  Vineg.dist  in  vac. 

Tallow  meltslNich.) 

-125 

F.V  350(Dnlton) 

—  Mux.  t.  Bengal.sh. 
Bisulphuret  carb.  b. 
-115 

Spermaceti  molts 
— Stearine  melts 
Heat  of  Incubation 

.(.r  Phosphor  in. 
Pleasant  Bath 

—  F  V.  1-86  (Vie) 
Butter  melts 

-95 

at  Lond  July  fi, 1846 

—  Pine  pits,  raiirniff 
Acetic  ferm.  ceases 

-85 

Mean  sun  ht.,  August 

_  Equator  m  aft  t. 

Jamaica  man.t. 
Sydney  m.t .  Feb. 
-15  Mean  sun  ht  Sep. 
Rome  ra  s  t. 

Vinous  ferm  rapid 
"JULY.  mdt. 
Water  boils  in  vac. 
-65         Paris  m  s.t. 
Mean  sun  ht.,  April 

London  m.s.t. 

MAY,  mdt. 
Mean  sun  ht  .  Ma*'fh 

55  OCT.  m.d.t. 

Pine  pita,  winter 

APRIL,  mdt, 
~  Mean  sun  ht.,  Feb. 
Mean  sun  ht.,  Deo 
—45       MAR  mdt. 
FEBRUARY,  mdt. 
_  Bolt,  deep  lakes 

Max  density  wat. 
JANUARY,  mdt 
—35  Paris  Jan,  m.t. 
F.V  0  20  (Ure) 

—  Alcohol  b.  in  vac. 
Sea  water  freezua 


—  Strong  winks  fr. 
Petersburg,  ra  w  t. 
~1**  Quebec  m  w.t. 
Sweden  m  w  t 

-  Lond.  Feb.11.1847 
Lend.,  Feb.  11, l&W 


Labrador  m.w  t. 
-Snow  1  + salt  1 

Lond,,  Dec.  24, 1796 

-5 

or  Alcoh.l  +  wat  1, 

-  Atcoh2+wat.lfr. 

+  mux.  iirmn,  1. 


THE  PRACTICAL  MECHANIC'S  JOURNAL. 


69 


actly  adapted  to  the  irregularities  of  the  expansion  in  different  fluids, 
and  all  the  impressions  taken  from  it  will  be  obviously  applicable  to  any 
thermometer  in  which  that  particular  fluid  is  used,  to  whose  law  or  de- 
termined rate  of  expansion  the  original  plate  has  been  adapted.  Few 
thermometer  tubes  possess  a  perfectly  uniform  bore;  and  hence,  in 
such  instances,  the  indications  of  the  mercurial  column  are  vitiated. 
But  the  elastic  scale  supplies  a  remedy  for  this  evil,  as  the  bands  may 
be  cut  broader  or  narrower  at  the  different  points,  corresponding  to  the 
variations  in  the  tube,  so  that  the  differential  expansion  and  contraction 
may  coincide  with  the  differential  nature  of  the  rise  and  fall  of  the  mer- 
curial column.  Our  illustrative  figure,  which  is  an  impression  from  an 
actual  scale-plate,  shows  how  largely  the  patentees  have  added  to  the 
reference  range  of  the  common  thermometer  scale. 


AERATED  'WATER  APPARATUS. 

F.  MiTHiEr;,  Holborn,  London. — Patent  dated  September  23,  1852. 

This  is  an  improvement  upon  the  very  useful  French  invention  now 
so  highly  valued  in  this  country,  as  a  means  of  preparing  aerated  bever- 
ages of  various  kinds,  in  small  quantities,  for  domestic  consumption.    The 


general  principle  of  such  machines  is  well  known.  On  a  neat  pedestal 
is  placed  a  large  and  a  small  oval  vessel  of  glass,  the  small  one  at  the 
bottom  being  arranged  to  bold  the  powders,  whilst  the  upper  large  one  is 
filled  with  water.  A  small  quantity  of  water  is  then  allowed  to  flow  down 
amongst  the  powders,  and  the  resultant  gas  then  rises  and  aerates  the 
water  above.  The  ordinary  apparatus  is  re- 
presented in  fig.  1,  the  two  vessels  being  sur- 
rounded with  wire  or  cane  netting,  to  prevent 
injuries  from  the  casual  fracture.  Fig.  2  is  an 
external  view,  and  fig.  3  a  vertical  section  of 
one  of  M.  Mathieu's  improvements.  In  this 
arrangement,  the  upper  vessel  is  surrounded  by 
an  external  shell  or  vessel,  so  as  to  leave  a  space 
between  the  two  for  the  reception  of  cold  water, 
freezing  mixture,  or  ice,  as  delineated  in  fig.  3, 
this  chamber  being  covered  over  by  a  vase  lid. 
This  forms  an  excellent  refrigerator.  Another 
branch  of  the  invention  relates  to  an  elegant 
plan  of  protecting  the  glass  containing  vessels. 
This  is  done  by  depositing  metal  upon  the  glass, 
in  any  suitable  open  ornamental  figure,  by  means 
of  the  electrotype  process.  Fig.  3  is  an  eleva- 
tion of  the  patentee's  improved  filter.  It  con- 
sists of  porous  stone,  shaped  to  represent  an 
ordinary  bottle,  but  mounted  with  metal  at  its 
upper  part.  This  filter  is  extremely  rapid  in 
action.  When  placed  in  a  reservoir  of  water, 
or  in  a  stream,  the  water  quickly  filters  through 
its  sides,  and  furnishes  the  interior  with  a  clean 
and  pure  supply.  This  little  contrivance  promises  to  be  a  most  useful 
convenience. 


PORTABLE   BUILDINGS. 

J.  H.  Pouter,  Birmingham. — Patent  dated  November  5,  1852. 
The  improvement  introduced  under  Mr.  Porter's  present  patent,  re- 
lates to  the  construction  of  the  uprights,  or  supports,  of  portable  houses, 
so  as  to  secure 
lightness       and 
simplicity  of  de- 
tails.   Our  illus- 
tration      repre- 
sents horizontal 
sections  of  a  cor- 
ner-post   and   a 
plain    wall-post 

of  this  kind.  Each  consists  merely  of  the  wooden  pil- 
lar, a,  down  the  sides  of  which  are  secured  the  curved 
strips  of  corrugated  iron,  d.  These  metal  strips  are 
formed  by  simply  cutting  a  plate  of  corrugated  iron  longitudinally  down 
every  alternate  corrugation  by  a  pair  of  circular  shears.  For  the 
corners,  the  iron  strips  are  bent  a  little  more,  to  suit  the  angle.  Mr. 
Porter  also  proposes  to  construct  the  roofs  of  buildings  on  the  same 
principle — the  main  rafters  being  similarly  fitted  with  strengthening 
plates  of  metal.  It  is  intended,  also,  to  apply  this  principle  in  the  con- 
struction of  fences  of  corrugated  iron,  or  planking.  Such  a  contrivance 
obviously  affords  great  strength  at  an  economical  rate — results  which 
the  inventor  has  arrived  at,  after  long  practical  experience  in  this  pecu- 
liar branch  of  construction. 

BLOCK  SHEAVES. 
Archibald  Brown,  Glasgow. — Patent  dated  October  4,  1852. 
Hitherto  the  bushes  of  ships'  blocks  have  always  been  attached  to  the 
wood  of  the  sheave,  by  lateral  rivets  passing  through  the  bush  and  into 
the  sheave.  Mr.  Brown  makes  a  much  neater  piece  of  work,  whilst  he 
avoids  splitting,  and  introduces  an  element  of  economy,  by  fastening  the 
bush  in  position,  by  pouring  melted  block-tin  or  lead  round  the  bush 
when  entered  into  the  sheave.     Fig.  1  is  a  side  view  of  a  sheave  so  fitted, 

Fig.l.  Fig.  2. 


and  fig.  2  is  a  transverse  section  to  correspond.  A  hole,  somewhat  larger 
than  the  diameter  of  the  bush,  a,  is  first  cut  out  of  the  centre  of  the  sheave, 
and  the  bush,  which,  in  this  example,  is  octagonal  in  transverse  section, 
to  prevent  revolution  in  its  seat,  is  then  placed  in  the  centre  of  the  aper- 
ture, and  the  molten  metal,  B,  is  poured  into  the  annular  space  surrounding 
it.  As  shown  in  fig.  1,  the  hole  in  the  sheave  is  square,  so  that  the  metal 
seat,  b,  cannot  revolve  in  the  sheave,  neither  can  this  metal  seat  move 
laterally,  by  reason  of  a  central  recess,  or  annular  groove,  c,  which  is  cut 
in  the  sheave,  and  receives  the  retaining  metal,  where  the  latter  is  poured 
in;  thus  forming  a  retaining  band  or  zone  upon  the  outside  of  the  seat. 
Similarly,  lateral  motion  is  prevented  between  the  bush,  A,  and  the  metal, 
b,  by  slightly  recessing  the  external  surface  of  the  bush  in  the  centre,  as 
shown  in  the  section,  fig.  2.  The  sheave  is  finished  up  to  a  flush  surface, 
by  turning  down  the  superfluous  metal,  so  as  to  present  a  clean  face  on 
each  side.  It  is  obvious  that  the  same  system  of  holding  may  be  carried 
out  with  various  sections  of  bushes ;  and  Mr.  Brown  shows  several  other 
modifications  for  this  purpose. 

He  also  shows  another  plan,  wherein  the  bush  flanges  bear  firmly  upon 
the  wood  in  the  hole,  so  that  a  firm  connection  is  established  between 
the  sheave  and  its  hush,  and  the  melted  metal  or  composition  is  then 
poured  in,  to  fill  up  the  internal  space  surrounding  the  bush,  and  lock 
up  the  latter  in  its  seat.  The  superior  neatness  and  efficiency  of  these 
sheaves  is  plainly  apparent. 


TO 


THE  PRACTICAL  MECHANIC'S  JOURNAL. 


ROASTING  JACKS. 
T.  Sl-ttie,  Greenock— Patent  dated  October  13,  1852. 
Mr.  Suttie's  invention  relates  to  the  application  of  water-power  for 
turning  the  slowly-revolving  apparatus,  technically  known  as  a  "jack," 
employed  for  producing  the  rotation  of  meat  during  the  roasting  process. 
The  improved  apparatus  takes  the  form  of  a  mantel-piece  clock.  This 
is  fitted  up  on  the  kitchen  chimney-piece,  and  contains  a  small  breast 
water-wheel,  worked  by  the  flow  of  water  from  a  small  pipe.     Fig.  1  is 

Fig. 1. 


an  elevation  of  a  kitchen  range  so  fitted  up,  and  showing,  also,  Mr. 
Suttie's  previous  invention  of  a  boiler  with  central  flues.  Fig.  2  is  a 
front  sectional  elevation  of  the  jack  movement  detached,  on  a  larger 
scale,  and  showing  the  actuating  water-wheel.     Fig.  3  is  an  external 

!■■'=•  *•  Fig.  3. 


edge  view  at  right  angles  to  fig.  2.  It  consists  merely  of  the  flat  cir- 
cular case,  a,  just  large  enough  to  receive  the  bucket,  or  overshot  water- 
wheel,  b,  the  shaft  of  which  projects  at  the  front  of  the  case,  and  carries 
a  bevel  pinion,  c,  gearing  with  a  bevel-wheel,  d,  on  a  vertical  spindle 
revolving  in  the  bracket  bearings,  e.  This  spindle  has  a  universal 
joint-piece,  f,  at  its  lower  end,  for  connection  with  the  adjustable  sus- 
pension link,  g,  for  the  meat.  The  water  for  working  the  apparatus  is 
supplied  by  the  pipe,  n,  which  enters  the  case  near  the  bottom,  and 
sweeps  round  the  wheel  inside,  finally  delivering  its  gentle  stream  of 
water  into  the  buckets  of  the  wheel  at  J.  The  waste,  or  used  water,  falls 
down  into  the  bottom  of  the  c:\se,  and  flows  off  by  the  wide  waste-pipe, 


k,  and  a  small  sliding  door  is  fitted  at  l,  for  the  removal  of  dry  solid 
accumulations  in  the  case. 

By  this  little  apparatus,  an  excellent  motive  power  is  obtained,  at 
once  cheap,  noiseless,  and  easily  governable  by  the  adjustment  of  the 
fluid  flow. 


EVER-POINTED  PENCILS. 
Robert  Pinkney,  Long  Acre,  London. — Patent  dated  October  13,  1852, 
Mr.  Pinkney's  very  ingenious  and  useful  invention  is  an 
improvement  upon  the  more  modern  class  of  "  ever-pointed" 
pocket  pencils,  which  has  succeeded  the  original  costly 
pencil  of  Mordan.  Our  engraving  represents  the  new  pencil 
in  longitudinal  section.  It  consists  of  a  main  outer  shell, 
or  tube,  a,  of  wood,  ivory,  or  other  material,  having  an  in- 
ternal screw-thread  along  its  entire  length.  To  this  pro- 
longed nut  is  fitted  the  short  externally  screwed  piece  of 
metal,  n,  a  pin,  c,  from  which  projects  into  a  longitudinal 
slot  in  a  central  tube,  H,  of  small  bore,  running  throughout 
the  length  of  the  pencil.  One  end  of  this  tube  is  fast  in  the 
adjusting  head,  n,  at  the  upper  end  of  the  pencil,  this  head 
being  loosely  inserted  in  a  plain  socket  in  the  end  of  the 
shell.  The  other  end  of  the  tube,  H,  turns  loosely  in  a  bear- 
ing, e,  screwed  into  the  opposite  end  of  the  shell.  The 
marking  lead  is  in  one  long  piece,  extending  from  the  point, 
j,  through  the  ivory  or  metal-holding  point,  f,  and  up 
through  the  tube,  H.  On  the  front  end  of  the  screw,  B,  is  a 
small  projection,  termed  the  "propeller,"  fitting  into  the 
interior  of  the  tube,  or  lead-holder,  H,  and  in  contact  with 
the  extreme  after-end  of  the  lead.  The  result  of  this  clever 
contrivance  is,  that,  on  turning  the  head,  i>,  the  lead  is  gra- 
dually screwed  forward  to  the  required  marking  distance ; 
for,  as  the  screw,  b,  must  turn  along  with  the  tube,  H,  it 
follows  that  the  screw  must  traverse  along  the  internal 
screw-threads  of  the  shell,  A.  This  movement  is  allowed 
for  by  the  slot  in  the  tube,  H ;  and  the  lead  is  therefore 
pushed  directly  forward  by  the  propeller  pressure  due  to  the 
screw  traverse.  Such  a  pencil  presents  a  smooth  exterior 
from  end  to  end;  and  whilst  it  is  much  pleasanter  to  use 
than  the  ordinary  one  with  external  projections,  it  is  adjust- 
able with  the  greatest  facility. 


GAS  BURNERS. 

D.  Laidlaw,   Glasgow. — Patent  dated  October  11,  1852. 

Instead  of  iron,  brass,  or  porcelain,  ordinarily  used  as  the 
raw  material  of  gas  burners,  Mr.  Laidlaw  uses  such  metals 
or  alloys  as  are  easily  fusible,  as  tin,  or  tin  and  regulus  of  an- 
timony. The  metal  is  cast  or  moulded  to  the  required  form  of 
burner,  or  nearly  so,  in  metal  or  other  moulds,  so  contrived, 
with  cores  or  mandrels,  that  the  bore  of  the  burner  may  be 
formed  in  the  act  of  casting,  leaving  the  actual  egress  aper- 
tures for  the  gas  to  be  drilled ;  and  either  the  main  bore 
alone,  or  the  smaller  egress  apertures  for  the  gas,  also,  may 
be  so  produced  in  this  way ;  or  the  actual  egress  openings  for 
the  gas  at  the  point  of  combustion,  may  be  formed  by  subse- 
quent drilling  or  cutting  in  the  usual  manner.  By  this  means 
the  burners  may  be  produced  entirely  by  casting,  or  so  as  to 
requireonly  aslightamountof  labour  andattention  subsequently.  By  this 
system  of  manufacture,  the  burners  are  produced  with  uniform  accuracy, 
whilst  the  materials  of  which  they  are  made  are  not  liable  to  be  acted  on, 
either  by  the  gas  itself,  or  by  the  humidity  of  the  atmosphere.  Any  metal 
or  composition  capibleof  being  cast  with  facility  in  this  manner,  in  separate 
moulds,  and  possessing  the  advantages  of  freedom  from  oxidation  and 
deposit,  may  be  used ;  and,  for  some  purposes,  the  orifice  and  portion 
exposed  to  the  flame  is  gilt  or  plated,  or  otherwise  treated,  with  a  defen- 
sive coating  of  gold,  silver,  or  other  metal  or  material,  as  a  preserva- 
tive covering.  For  example,  according  to  our  modification,  a  nib,  made 
of  glass,  china,  or  other  incorrodible  substance,  is  inserted  into  the  top 
of  the  burner,  so  as  to  protect  the  body  thereof,  whether  such  burner  is 
made  according  to  the  general  improvements,  or  according  to  the  old 
process.  The  invention  promises  to  effect  a  most  important  improve- 
ment in  gas  fittings. 

QUARRYING   SLATE. 
S.  F.  Cottam,  Manchester. — Patent  dated  Oct.  18,  1852. 
The  resistless  force  of  hydrostatic  pressure  has  found  a  new  applica- 
tion in   Mr.  Cottam's  invention,  which  is  simply  the  adaptation  of  an 
ordinary  hydrostatic  press  for  detaching  blocks  or  slabs  of  slate  from 


THE  PRACTICAL  MECHANIC'S  JOURNAL. 


71 


the  quarry  bed.  This  adaptation  may  be  effected  in  many  ways,  of 
which  the  patentee  presents  two  modifications  in  his  specification.  From 
these  we  have  selected  the  one  illustrated  by  our  sketch.  The  press,  A,  is 
1  lid  horizontally  in  a  recess  made  to  receive  it,  on  the  surface  of  the  quarry 
above  the  level  of  the  excavation,  the  head  of  the  rain,  b,  being  made  to 
bear  against  the  inner  face  of  the  top  of  the  slab,  c,  to  be  detached,  whilst 


the  water  cylinder  abuts  against  the  back  end  of  the  recess.  The  work- 
ing pump,  d,  is  placed  back  out  of  the  way,  on  the  nearest  convenient 
level,  and  a  connecting  pipe,  e,  is  led  from  it  in  the  usual  way.  In  the 
other  plan,  the  entire  pressure  apparatus  is  set  on  the  floor  of  the  quarry, 
and  a  recess  is  cut  out  in  the  quarry  face,  beneath  the  slab  to  be  taken 
out.  The  press  is  entered  into  this  recess,  and  the  ram,  which  works 
upwards,  carries  a  wedge  point  for  splitting  off  the  stone.  For  largo 
works,  the  plan  offers  some  important  advantages. 


REGISTERED  DESIGN. 


PEN,  RESERVOIR,  AND  INK 
HOLDER. 

Rerjistered  for  Mb.  R.  Watkixs, 
London. 

The  aim  of  Mr.  Watkins,  in  this  design, 
is  to  enable  a  pen  to  hold  as  much  ink  as  will 
write  a  long  letter,  and  thus  save  the  trouble 
of  dipping  and  refilling.  Fig.  1  is  a  side  view 
of  the  pen  and  its  reservoir ;  fig.  2  is  a  view  at 
right  angles  to  fig.  1,  showing  the  back  of  the 
reservoir  as  it  lies  under  the  pen  ;  and  fig.  3 
is  a  longitudinal  section,  corresponding  to  fig.  1, 
The  plan  offers  some  advantages  in  point  of 
neatness  in  writing.  The  ink  is  supplied  to 
the  chamber,  a,  by  entering  it  between  the 
chamber,  or  reservoir,  and  the  pen,  thus  pre- 
serving the  pen  in  a  clean  condition ;  and  as 
the  inkstand  will  thus  be  little  in  request,  it 
may  be  kept  covered  over  to  keep  the  ink  clear 
and  fluid. 


CORRESPONDENCE. 


ON  THE  APPLICATION  OF  THE  BLAST  TO  SMELTING 

FURNACES. 

It  is  a  serious  question  as  to  whether  the  increase  of  quantity  in  the 

yield  of  blast  furnaces,  resulting  from  the  introduction  of  the  hot-blast, 

has  not  been  more  than  compensated  for  by  the  deterioration  of  the  qua- 

This  has  not  yet  been  answered  to  the  satisfaction  of  large  con- 


litv. 


sumers  of  iron.  If  a  certain  ratio  between  the  quantity  and  quality  of 
iron,  produced  from  a  determined  mass  of  ore,  really  exists,  and  if,  in  pro- 
portion as  the  yield  is  reduced,  the  quality  is  increased,  the  point  at  once 
assumes  a  plain  commercial  aspect.  In  that  case,  the  manufacturer's 
object  would  be,  to  work  his  furnaces  sc  that  the  yield  and  quality  should 
be  such  a3  would  take  best  in  the  market ;  and  he  would  naturally  be 
disponed  to  go  to  the  utmost  verge  in  obtaining  quantity,  so  that  the 
quality  be  still  good  enough  to  preserve  his  position  as  a  seller.  lam, 
however,  of  opinion,  that  there  is  not  necessarily  any  connection  between 
quality  arid  quantity;  and  my  present  object  is  to  point  out  the  causes 
of  deterioration,  and  to  suggest  an  application  of  blast,  by  which  both 
i  y  and  quality  may  be  obtained. 
It  will  be  readily  understood,  that,  in  the  cold-blast  furnaces,  the  part 


immediately  opposite  the  tuyeres  is  not  the  seat  of  the  most  intense  heat; 
for  the  admitted  air  must  absorb  a  portion  of  the  furnace  heat,  and  thus 
lower  the  temperature  in  that  neighbourhood.  This  weakens  the  oxidiz- 
ing power  of  the  atmosphere,  through  which  the  liquid  metal  falls  to  the 
hearth,  where  it  is  protected  by  a  covering  of  cinder;  and  while  acquiring 
the  heat  necessary  for  its  action  upon  the  furnace  contents,  it  becomes 
somewhat  diffused,  and  acts  with  purifying  effect  upon  the  materials  in 
the  upper  part. 

Not  so  with  the  hot-blast.  The  heat  of  the  entering  air  must  increase 
the  rapidity  of  its  action  upon  the  combustible  materials  in  the  furnace. 
Its  intense  effect,  which  may  account  for  the  superior  yield,  is  confined 
to  one  part,  for  the  oxygen  thus  supplied  is  speedily  consumed,  and  the 
heat  is  insufficiently  diffused  throughout  the  furnace.  The  impurities 
contained  in  the  coke  and  ore  are  not  driven  off;  hence  portions  of  the 
foreign  matters  are  incorporated  with  the  iron  made  on  the  hot-blast  prin- 
ciple. 

By  heating  the  air,  also,  its  oxidizing  power  is  increased,  and  hence 
the  metal  is  somewhat  oxygenized  in  passing  into  the  hearth,  and  its 
quality  is  therefore  injured. 

The  general  inferiority  of  hot,  in  comparison  with  cold-blast  iron,  then, 
seems  to  be,  the  concentration  of  the  smelting  process  in  one  part  of  the 
furnace,  and  the  intense  oxidizing  power  of  the  atmosphere  through 
which  the  liquid  metal  passes  on  its  way  to  the  hearth.  The  remedy 
which  I  propose  is,  the  admission  of  a  graduated  blast  at  different  alti- 
tudes*— three  separate  parts,  for  example — instead  of  directing  the  air 
all  to  one  place,  as  at  present. 

The  prospective  results  of  my  plan  are — the  oxygen  would  be  more 
generally  diffused  through  the  furnace,  the  temperature  of  the  upper 
part  of  which  would  be  increased ;  the  excess  of  oxygen  which  could 
be  supplied  in  this  way  would  unite  with  the  impurities — 'as  sulphur,  for 
instance,  contained  in  the  coke  and  ore — and  carry  them  off  in  the  gaseous 
form.  From  the  superior  temperature  of.  the  upper  part  of  the  furnace, 
the  flux  and  ore  would  become  more  thoroughly  mixed  in  descending 
through  the  furnace;  the  ore  would  he  gradually  fluxed,  so  that  the  blast 
need  not  be  so  intense  below  the  point  of  greatest  heat,  and  thus  its 
oxidizing  influence  would  be,  in  a  great  measure,  avoided.  Finally,  it  is 
probable  that  a  fan-blast  might  be  substituted  for  the  existing  cumbrous 
blowing  machinery. 

May,  1853.  P. 


THE  QUADRATURE  OF  THE  CIRCLE; 
MATHEMATICIANS. 

Make  A  B  C  a  right  angle 
diameter 


A  PUZZLE  FOR 


B 

= 

i 

C 

= 

a" 

D 

= 

1 

E 

= 

1 

T 

h' 

= 

l 
T2 

Join  A  -C,  A  D,  A  E,  and  draw  through  F  a  straight  line,  cutting  A  E 
and  A  C,  so  that  H  G  =  E  D. 

Then  2B  G  +  F  G  =     *""       I""_1  whence  may  be  derived  the  square. 
i 
Otherwise, 

Make  B  C  =  £  diameter ; 

BD=i        " 
D  I  =  |        " 
I  J  =  i        » 
Divide  G  D  and  D  J  in  K  and  L,  so  that  C  K,  K  D,  D  L,  L  J,  are 

the  differences  between  the  terms  of  a  harmonical  descending  series,  and 
bisect  B  £  or  I  L  in  M. 

Then  B  M  =  F  G,  or  2B  C  +  B  M  =   JLi1^! 


Gla.igoio,  May,  1853. 


FCTUI.IS. 


*  [Mr.  Andrew  Barclay,  of  Kilmarnock,  pntonted  this  system  of  working  in  lSSO.^  It 
has  not  yet  been  brought  into  use,  although  it  obviously  possesses  features  of  sufficient 
importance  to  warrant  a  trial.— Ed.  P.  M.  Journal^ 


72 


THE  PRACTICAL  MECHANIC'S  JOURNAL. 


IRONFOUNDERS'  CASTING-LADLES. 

I  have  to  apologise  for  again  troubling  you,  by  resuming  the  subject 
of  ironfounders'  casting-ladles;  but  another  fatal  accident  at  Mr.  Gris- 
sell's  Foundry,  together  with  the  remarks  of  Mr.  Slight,  which  appear 
to  me  to  show  how  little  the  subject  is  understood  even  by  those  who 
should  be  practically  acquainted  with  it,  induce  me  to  think  that  a  more 
detailed  explanation  of  my  views,  and  of  the  manner  in  which  these 
have  been  arrived  at,  may  be  of  some  service. 

I  would,  in  the  first  place,  observe,  that  the  plan  described  by  Mr. 
Slight  appears  to  be  both  simple  and  safe,  and,  when  employed  in  con- 
nection with  moulding-boxes  specially  adapted  to  it,  must  be  very 
efficient.  The  trouble,  however,  of  providing  a  firm  support  for  the  ladle, 
particularly  in  loam-work,  where  the  runners  are  made  with  sand,  some- 
times on  a  level  with  the  floor,  and  -at  others  considerably  elevated, 
besides  occurring  in  every  variety  of  shape  and  position,  will,  I  am  sorry 
to  believe,  be  a  hinderance  to  its  general  adoption.  Whilst  testifying 
to  its  merits  where  arrangements  are  made  to  adapt  the  moulding-boxes 
and  runners  to  it,  I  must  be  allowed  to  question  whether  the  cost  of 
these  arrangements  would  not  be  greater  than  that  of  a  ladle,  applicable 
to  almost  every  case,  and  capable  of  pouring  from  either  lip.  Though  I 
do  not  attach  much  importance  to  the  capability  of  pouring  from  either 
side,  still  cases  often  occur  where  it  would  be  a  great  advantage.  Nor 
do  I  consider  that  my  ladle  is  applicable  to  every  conceivable  case,  or 
that  it  is  safer  than  the  ordinary  screw-geared  ladle,  when  all  its  parts 
are  made  strong  enough — a  precaution,  without  which  Mr.  Slight's  is 
also  unsafe ;  and  it  was  the  object  of  my  first  communication  to  give 
proportions  that  would  insure  sufficient  strength. 

1  regret  that  your  able  correspondent  should  have  expressed  an 
opinion  in  reference  to  the  power  to  turn  the  ladle,  which,  coming  from 
him,  is  likely  to  have  some  influence  in  preventing  the  adoption  of 
measures  of  safety.  That  the  means  proposed  are  safe,  ho  tacitly  allows. 
Indeed,  the  first  of  his  remarks  conveys  the  idea  that  they  are  super- 
fluously so.  It  is  very  true,  that  the  ladle  may  be  so  hung  as  to  require 
very  little  power  to  turn ;  but  can  it  be  so  hung,  consistently  with  safety? 
It  must  be  remembered,  that  it  is  not  the  moving  and  turning  of  a  solid, 
of  a  fixed  form,  which  is  under  consideration,  but  of  a  vessel  containing 
a  fluid  body,  assuming  new  forms,  and  changing  the  relation  of  its 
centre  of  gravity  to  the  centre  of  motion  during  the  turning  of  the  ladle. 
If  it  were  convenient  or  determined  on  to  make  ladles  in  the  form  of 
regular  solids — as  of  a  sphere,  for  example,  or  a  horizontal  cylindrical 
segment,  having  the  journals  in  the  axis  of  the  figure,  and  the  deficient 
portion  of  the  figure  compensated  for  by  counterweights — then  the  fluid 
metal  might  be  practically  considered  as  stationary,  with  the  ladle  or 
outside  casing  gradually  revolving  from  under  it,  without  other  obstruc- 
tion than  the  slight  friction  of  the  fluid  mass  against  the  interior  of  the 
vessel.  Such  a  ladle  could  never  capsize,  for  the  centre  of  gravity  of  its 
contents  would,  under  all  circumstances,  be  in  a  direct  line  below  the 
centre  of  motion.  A  balanced  hemispherical  ladle  would,  I  believe,  be 
the  safest  aHd  most  easily  managed  of  any  that  could  be  made;  but 
thinking  that  its  great  size,  compared  with  its  capacity,  together  with 
other  minor  objections,  would  prevent  its  general  adoption,  I  did  not 
before  propose  it,  but  sought  to  make  a  ladle  that  should  be  about  an 
average  of  the  shapes  most  in  use,  and  at  the  same  time  be  safely 
worked.  With  the  view  of  obtaining  data  for  calculations,  I  constructed 
an  experimental  vessel,  G  inches  in  diameter,  and  the  same  in  depth, 
having  arrangements  for  fixing  the  journals  at  any  desired  position. 
These  were  §  inch  in  diameter,  and  rolled  upon  steel  edges.  To  one  of 
the  journals  was  fixed  a  vertical  arm,  with  a  sliding  weight  to  balance 
the  ladle  ;  and  on  the  other  was  fixed  a  pulley,  of  6  inches  diameter,  from 
the  periphery  of  which  was  hung,  by  a  thread,  a  small  vessel  to  contain 
shot,  by  means  of  which  the  turning  power  was  obtained — the  vessel, 
of  course,  being  balanced.  The  fluid  employed  was  water.  The  con- 
tents of  a  vessel  of  such  a  form  can  only  be  in  equilibrium  in  some  parti- 
cular position,  depending  upon  the  placing  of  the  journals. 

When  the  journals  were  fixed  in  such  a  position  that  the  ladle  had  no 
tendency  to  capsize,  but  returned  to  its  vertical  position  as  soon  as  the 
turning  power  was  removed,  to  whatever  extent  it  might  be  turned,  it 
required  increasing  accessions  of  shot  to  turn  up  the  ladle  until  ^ffths  of 
its  contents  were  poured  out,  and  from  this  point  it  required  decreasing 
accessions  until  emptied.  When  the  journals  were  fixed  lower  down, 
the  vessel,  when  nearly  full,  was  unstable  or  top-heavy,  and  required  in- 
creasing retarding  power  to  prevent  its  capsizing  whilst  a  certain  quan- 
tity was  being  poured  out.  After  this,  a  decreasing  retarding  power  was 
required  for  a  certain  distance  ;  and  then  again,  an  increasing  turning 
power  until  another  certain  point  was  reached ;  after  which,  a  decreas- 
ing turning  power  was  necessary  to  empty  it.  The  lower  the  journals, 
the  greater  the  amount  of  retarding  power  required,  and  the  less  that  of 


the  turning  power.  When  the  journals  were  fixed  at  a  point  jjths  of  the 
vessel's  deptli  from  the  top,  the  power  required  to  retard  and  that  to  turn 
it  were  equal — namely,  g'jth  of  the  weight  of  the  entire  contents  of  the 
ladle ;  and  this  was  found  to  be  the  least  power  that  would  work  it, 
either  backwarks  or  forwards,  whatever  was  the  position  of  the  journals. 
If  they  were  so  placed  that  less  power  was  required  to  retard,  more  was 
necessary  to  turn  up,  and  vice  versa. 

I  need  scarcely  state  that  the  relative  amounts  of  power  required  will 
vary  with  different  forms  of  vessels,  the  elliptical-mouthed  ladles  requir- 
ing less  than  the  cylindrical.  A  tried  experiments  with  different  forms 
of  ladles  in  the  manner  above  described,  and  propose  it  as  a  cheap  prac- 
tical plan  for  determining  the  position  of  the  journals  for  any  form  of 
ladle:  of  course,  in  calculating  from  data  obtained  in  this  way,  allow- 
ances must  be  made  for  friction,  and  for  other  contingencies. 

Another  point  of  great  importance  to  be  considered  is,  the  difference  in 
the  amount  of  retarding  power  required,  according  to  the  velocity  of  the 
stream.  Thus,  the  width  of  this  stream,  in  one  case,  may  not  be  -r,0th 
what  it  is  in  another;  and  the  greater  the  width  the  greater  the  velocity 
and  momentum,  and  the  greater  the  preponderance  on  that  side  the 
centre  of  motion,  and  consequently,  also,  the  greater  the  retarding  power 
required.  When  all  these  items  are  taken  into  account,  I  think  it  will 
be  allowed  that  much  more  power  is  required  than  that  barely  necessary 
to  "overcome  the  friction  of  the  gudgeons." 

To  obtain  data  on  which  to  form  a  general  rule,  it  is  necessary  to  take 
the  averages  of  several  quantities,  such  as  the  relative  weight  of  the  ladles 
and  linings  to  that  of  their  contents — the  relative  diameter  of  the  journal 
to  that  of  the  ladle,  &c. 

I  need  not  go  over  all  the  calculations  necessary,  but  merely  state  the 
result.  I  have  estimated  all  probable  resistance  at  '06  of  the  weight  of 
the  contents  of  the  ladle,  acting  at  a  distance  from  the  centre  of  motion 
equal  to  the  radius  of  the  latter,  and  have  calculated,  and  experimeu tally 
proved,  the  relation  of  the  power  as  transmitted  to  the  teeth  of  the  wheel 
to  the  power  applied  at  the  handle.  From  these  calculations,  I  deduce 
the  following  approximate  rule : — When  the  form  of  the  ladle,  the 
pitch  and  diameter  of  the  screw,  and  the  length  of  the  handle,  are  the 
same  as  those  given  in  my  former  communication,  multiply  the  contents 
of  the  ladle  in  lbs.  by  -06,  divide  the  product  by  the  ratio  of  the  diameter 
of  the  screw-wheel  to  the  diameter  of  the  ladle,  multiply  the  quotient 
by  '078,  and  the  product  will  be  the  power  in  lb<.  required  at  the  handle. 
The  power  applied  to  a  handle  of  the  kind  described  cannot  much  exceed 
60  lbs.,  which  is  the  utmost  that  two  ordinary  men  can  steadily  apply  at 
the  speed  usually  required.  To  ascertain  this,  the  following  experiment 
was  made:  a  light  wooden  disc,  18  in.  in  diameter,  was  keyed  on  to  the 
socket  end  of  a  pouring  key,  12  feet  long,  which  rested  on  a  horizontal 
bar  to  avoid  friction ;  the  other  end  of  the  key  was  supported  by  the  left- 
hand,  and  the  handle  turned  by  the  right,  whilst  a  cord,  to  sustain 
weights,  was  wound  upon  the  peripheryof  the  disc.  From  12  to  15  lbs.  was 
all  that  could  be  raised  continuously,  and  at  any  moderate  velocity,  with 
ease ;  and  from  25  to  30  lbs.  was  the  utmost  that  could  be  raised  during 
4  or  5  revolutions  with  any  degree  of  regularity.  More  power  than  this 
could  be  applied  by  means  of  a  cross-handle  on  the  end  of  the  key,  but 
then  a  support  for  the  key  would  be  required,  and  the  men  would  have 
to  be  close  to  the  ladle,  following  its  motions,  and  changing  their  posi- 
tion to  correspond.  This  objection  is  great,  and  well  obviated  in  the 
plan  described  by  Mr.  Slight;  and  I  have  endeavoured  to  obtain  the 
game  end  by  constructing  the  long  pouring  key  with  a  universal  joint. 

If  the  power  required  by  the  foregoing  rule  exceeds  60  lbs.,  it  is  obvious 
that,  if  we  adhere  to  a  system  comprehending  uniformity  of  proportion, 
which  is,  on  many  accounts,  advisable,  we  must  apply  an  additional 
wheel  and  screw,  to  reduce  the  amount  of  power  required.  There  are  two 
objections  to  increasing  the  size  of  the  wheel  much  above  '8  of  the  ladle's 
diameter.  In  the  first  place,  it  would  be  very  inconvenient  in  practice, 
and  the  wheel  would  be  very  liable  to  damage  if  it  projected  beyond,  or 
even  reached,  the  bottom  of  the  ladle ;  and,  secondly,  it  would  expose  the 
top  of  the  wheel,  the  screw,  and  its  bearings,  to  the  heat.  To  be  most 
efficient,  the  wheel  should  be  as  large  as  possible ;  but,  I  believe,  it  will  be 
found  to  be  inconvenient  if  it  exceeds  the  proportions  proposed.  Now, 
if  we  take  an  example,  say  a  5  ton  ladle,  and  work  it  by  the  rule,  we 

have  5  tons  =  1100  lbs.,  and  ^ X  '078  =  64-35  lbs.,  the 

power  to  be  applied  at  the  handle,  This  capacity  of  ladle  is  taken  as 
the  limit  for  one  wheel,  because  about  60  lbs.  is  the  most  that  can  be 
applied  at  one  handle  by  two  men.  I  do  not,  by  any  means,  assume 
that  this  is  the  actual  power  required  under  ordinary  circumstances ;  but 
it  is  what  may  sometimes  be  required,  as  before  stated.  The  limit  for  two 
wheels  will  be  found,  by  the  rule,  to  be  10  tons  ;  but  as  the  proportion 
of  metal  that  may  probably  set  to  the  ladle  is  less  than  for  5  tons,  and 
as  the  handles  are  to  be  worked  simultaneously  by  a  connecting-link, 


THE  PRACTICAL  MECHANIC'S  JOURNAL. 


73 


and  more  power  can  bo  conveniently  applied  on  an  emergency,  I  have 
set  the  limit  at  12  tons. 

To  a  easual  observer  it  may  appear  paradoxical,  that  a  ladle  should 
require  so  great  an  amount  of  power  to  insure  perfect  command  over  it, 
whilst  large  ladles  without  gearing  are  daily  being  worked  by  one  or 
two  men,  and,  to  all  appearance,  with  great  ease ;  but  as  far  as  my 
experience,  as  well  as  that  of  others,  goes,  all  these  easily- worked  ladles 
have  their  journals  more  or  less  too  low ;  and  the  real  fact  of  the  case  is, 
that  instead  of  the  friction  of  the  journals  being  the  only  resistance  to  be 
overcome,  this  very  resistance  is  in  many  cases  a  preventer  of  accidents, 
the  tendency  to  capsize  due  to  the  want  of  equilibrium  being  retarded 
in  its  action  by  this  friction  of  the  journals,  until  sufficient  metal  be 
poured  out  to  restore  equilibrium.  It  may  be  considered  an  advantage 
to  have  a  ladle  capable  of  being  turned  up  so  easily ;  but  let  it  be  re- 
quired, as  is  not  unfrequently  the  case,  to  stop  the  pouring,  perhaps  just 
at  the  moment  of  greatest  tendency  to  capsize,  it  will  then  be  found,  that 
just  in  proportion  to  the  ease  with  which  the  ladle  can  be  poured,  will  be 
the  difficulty  of  stopping  and  righting  it.  This  is  a  purely  practical 
objection  to  easily-poured  ladles ;  for  it  is  far  from  uncommon  to  pour 
two.  three,  or  even  more  moulds  at  different  runners  out  of  the  same 
ladleful. 

What  has  been  said  respecting  ladles  worked  by  hand,  applies  equally 
to  geared  ladles  having  their  journals  low,  as  in  most  cases.  The  lower 
the  journals  are  placed  (within  certain  limits),  the  easier  will  the  ladle 
be  poured,  because  its  tendency  to  capsize  will  be  greater— and  this 
preponderance,  however  great  it  may  be,  must  be  supported  by  the  teeth 
of  the  wheel,  minus  the  friction  of  the  journals — and  the  easier  the 
operation  of  pouring,  the  more  difficult  will  it  be  to  work  it  back. 

With  regard  to  the  objection  urged  against  the  four  suspension-rods, 
I  must  observe  that,  for  reasons  before  stated,  a  similar  motion  seems  to 
me  to  he  necessary.  A  sufficient  support,  also,  must  be  provided  for 
the  shafts  of  the  pinion  and  screw-wheel.  If  I  could  have  devised  a 
simpler  and  more  efficient  support,  I  should  not  have  proposed  the  two 
outside  rods,  which  are  not  intended  as  suspenders,  but  merely  as  sup- 
ports to  the  shafts.  The  two  inside  rods  are  to  be  made  sufficiently 
strong  to  carry  the  whole  load,  and  to  resist  their  share  of  the  lateral 
strain.  I  have  hitherto  thought  it  quite  possible  to  make  journals  so 
strong,  and  to  fix  them  so  securely,  that  "  bending,  jamming  in  the  eyes, 
and  the  inevitable  break  down,"  were  quite  out  of  the  question,  unless 
they  became  red-hot.  As,  however,  I  had  never  heard  of  this  taking 
place,  I  did  not  anticipate  the  objection,  to  meet  which,  should  it  be  at 
all  likely  to  occur,  it  would  be  better  rather  to  increase  than  decrease 
the  number  of  rods ;  for,  admitting  the  possibility  of  the  journals  bending 
or  getting  out  of  line,  it  must  be  in  the  direction  of  the  weight,  and 
consequently  their  outer  ends  will  be  raised,  and  lie  oblique  in  the  eyes 
of  the  side  rods,  the  wheels  will  be  thrown  out  of  their  vertical  machi- 
nery, and  if  forced  to  turn  by  powerful  machinery,  the  result  depicted 
might  ensue.  There  is  no  arrangement  against  which  similar  objections 
cannot  be  raised;  but  in  this  case  it  really  appears  to  me  that  the  thing 
objected  to  is  actually  a  preventive  of  the  derangement,  the  possibility 
of  which  occasions  the  objection.  Further,  supposing  the  journals  be- 
came red-hot  close  to  the  ladle,  they  would  only  bend  at  the  hottest 
place,  and  thereby  simply  crank  the  journals  inside  the  suspending-rods, 
and  I  do  not  think  that  would  accomplish  the  "  inevitable"  breakdown. 
On  the  whole,  then,  and  after  reconsideration,  I  hold  the  advantage  to 
lie  with  the  "  four  suspenders." 

In  conclusion,  I  would  express  a  hope  that  further  consideration  may 
be  given  to  the  subject  by  others,  and  that  some  safe  principle  may  be 
determined  on,  and  generally  adopted. 

£lachi;all,  1853.  Hector  Short. 

EXHAUSTING  SIPHONS. 

In  your  Journals  of  last  February  and  May,  I  perceive  notices  of  a 
siphon  for  watering  ships,  patented  by  Lieutenant  James  A.  Heathcote, 
Indian  Navy. 

I  think  it  only  fair  that  the  public  should  be  reminded,  that  the  first 
application  of  the  siphon  to  the  watering  a  ship  from  a  tank  vessel,  was 
by  Lieutenant  W.  Rodger,  who  submitted  his  plan  to  the  Admiralty  in 
November,  1816;  in  consequence  of  which,  a  siphon  was  constructed  in 
Plymouth  yard,  in  1817,  under  his  superintendence.  It  was  tried  on  board 
the  Queen  Charlotte,  at  Portsmouth,  November  18,  1818,  and  on  board  the 
Impreg-nable,  at  Plymuuth,  on  the  30th  of  the  same  month ;  the  siphon,  on 
the  latter  occasion,  delivering  27J  tons  per  hour,  in  the  middle  tier. 

Lieutenant  Heathcote  appears  to  have  improved  on  the  method  of 
exhausting  the  air,  which  is,  as  far  as  I  can  perceive,  the  only  difference 
between  his  plan  and  that  of  Lieutenant  Rodger. 

Soidhgea,  May,  1853.  Horace  J.  Rockwell. 

No.  63.-VOL.  VI. 


ASTLEY'S  LIFE-BOAT.* 

Hitherto  the  great  points  aimed  at  in  life-boats  have  been  merely  dis- 
placement of  water,  and  the  qualification  of  righting  when  accidentally 
turned  over.  But  in  my  air-chamber,  or  cone-boat,  the  case  is  very  dif- 
ferent, for  it  possesses  many  other  peculiar  properties.  It  would  be 
next  to  impossible  to  turn  over  my  boat  by  any  power  which  will  over- 
turn ordinary  boats.  My  opinion  is,  that  the  great  importance  laid  upon 
the  righting  qualities  of  boats,  has  caused  other  more  important  parti- 
culars to  be  quite  overlooked.  Many  persons  find  fault  with  my  boat  as 
being  deficient  in  speed  ;  others — and  good  authorities  too — say,  "  We 
never  mind  speed  in  a  life-boat,  provided  we  get  safety.''  It  has  also 
been  suggested,  that  if  the  cone  were  to  get  injured,  the  boat  would 
cease  to  be  safe.  For  this  casualty  I  have  provided  two  remedies  :  one 
is,  the  placing  an  inflated  india-rubber  cushion  inside  the  upper  part  of 
the  cone.  This  cushion  would  be  about  10  feet  long,  and  it  would  follow 
the  shape  of  the  cone,  being  capable  of  being  inflated  from  the  inside  of 
the  boat  at  pleasure.  My  other  means  of  safety  consists  in  making  the 
cone  double — that  is,  with  an  intermediate  space — one  cone  being,  in 
fact,  inverted  over  the  other.  One  cone  might  thus  be  stove  in  without 
hurting  the  boat  in  the  least. 

P.  H.  ASTLEY. 

Stratford,  Essex,  May,  1853. 


CAWOOD  AND  SUNTER'S  FERRULE  AND  SAFETY-VALVE 
LEVER. 

I  think  the  little  contrivance,  represented  in  the  annexed  sketches,  is 
well  worthy  of  a  place  in  your  columns,  more  especially  as  many  of  your 
correspondents  have,  from  time  to  time,  introduced  the  subject  of  im- 
proved or  isochronous  spring-balances.  It  is  the  registered  invention 
of  Messrs.  Cawood  and  Sunter  of  Derby.  With  it,  it  is  impossible  to 
lock  the  safety-valve  down  by  screwing  the  adjusting  nut,  and  the  valve 
will  continue  to  blow  off  freely,  although  the  nut  is  screwed  fast  down  ; 
and  when  the  boiler  is  up  to  its  maximum  working  pressure,  that  pres- 
sure cannot  be  unthinkingly  increased, 
as  with  the  ordinary  apparatus.  The 
main  figure  is  a  side  elevation  of  a 
spring-balance  and  part  of  lever  thus 
fitted.  Beneath  are  three  detached 
views  of  the  ferrule,  and  at  the  bottom 
a  section  and  plan  of  the  lever  end. 
The  ease  with  which  the  common 
valve  may  be  tampered  with,  is  a  great 
objection;  and  although  lock-up  valves 
and  tell-tale  indicators  have  had  their 
day,  the  rule  with  builders  now  seems 
to  be,  to  have  two  common  valves  at 
different  parts  of  the  boiler.  Here  we 
have  the  danger  of  over-screwing — 
to  remedy  which,  a  ferrule  was  intro- 
duced between  the  end  of  the  lever 
and  the  top  of  the  balance.  Still, 
boilers  would  blow  up,  even  with  this 
precaution ;  and,  on  examination,  it 
was  found  to  be  no  precaution  at  all, 
and  that,  as  some  balances  were  made, 
it  was  still  possible  to  screw  down  the 
lever  so  hard  on  the  top  of  the  ferrule  as  to  make  it  nearly  a  fixture. 
Messrs.  Cawood  and  Sunter's  improvement  completely  remedies  this  ob- 
jection ;  and,  after  a  series  of  trials,  the  Midland  Railway  Company  have 
ordered  all  their  engines  to  be  fitted  up  in  this  way. 

J.  F. 

May,  1853.  n 

PROCEEDINGS  OF  SCIENTIFIC  SOCIETIES. 


INSTITUTION  OF  CIVIL  ENGINEEES. 
November  9,  1852. 
James  Meadows  Rendel,  Esq.,  President,  in  the  Chair. 
This  was  the  First  Meeting  of  the  Session. 
The  paper  read  was  "  On  the  Improvement  of  Tidal  Navigations  and  Drain- 
ages,"  by  Mr.   W.  A.   Brooks,   Mem.   Inst.  C.  E.    The  object   of  the  com- 
munication was  chiefly  to  elicit  observations  from  members,  and  the  narration 
of  facts  which  might  be  usefully  employed  hereafter,  in  an  investigation  into  the 
laws  which  govern  the  flux  and  reflux  of  the  tide  in  estuaries.     The  author, 

*  See  also  page  59  in  the  present  number.  k 


74 


THE  PRACTICAL  MECHANIC'S  JOURNAL. 


after  alluding  to  the  impediments  to  improvement,  arising  from  the  popular 
prejudice  against  such  constructions  as  would  appear,  by  their  bulk,  to  diminish 
the  space  for  the  tidal  water,  proceeded  to  show,  with  how  little  reason  the 
hackneyed  phrases,  "  encroachment  upon  navigation,"  and  "  abstraction  of  tidal 
water,"  were  applied,  indiscriminately,  to  works  which  the  experience  of  engineers 
pointed  out  as  adapted  to  ameliorate  the  flow  and  ebb  of  tidal  waters. 

He  then  showed  that  •estuaries  were  of  two  classes.  The  first  and  best  kind 
were  bounded  by  shores,  gradually  receding  from  each  other  as  they  approached 
the  ocean,  with  their  navigable  channels  bearing  a  large  proportion  to  the  full 
breadth  of  the  stream  at  high  water,  as  in  the  case  of  the  Thames,  &c. 

The  second  and  inferior  kind  had  tortuous  channels,  of  uncertain  and  varying 
capacities,  and  with  great  disproportion  between  their  relative  widths  at  low  and 
at  high  water. 

The  first  class  afforded  perfect  drainage  to  the  country,  on  account  of  their 
capacious  low  water  channels,  in  which  the  declination  of  surface  was  very  gentle.: 
the  transmission  of  the  tidal  wave  was  therefore  quick,  and  it  was  able  to  turn 
early,  and  attain  a  head  to  overcome  the  ebb,  so  that  the  interval  of  stagnation,  or 
rest  at  sea,  was  very  short,  which  last  was  the  best  test  for  the  general  good  state 
of  a  navigation.     At  the  mouths  of  such  rivers  there  were  rarely  any  bars. 

The  features  of  the  second  class  of  estuaries  were  directly  opposed  to  those  of 
the  first  class ;  the  body  of  water  was  generally  divided  into  several  tortuous 
streams  at  low  water,  their  capacity  being  greatly  disproportioned  to  the  width  of 
the  bed,  which  offered  an  undue  resistance  to  the  flow  and  the  ebb.  There  was 
great  fall,  and  consequent  rapid  loss  of  height  in  the  tidal  column,  which  caused 
a  considerable  interval  of  rest  between  the  currents  of  the  flood  and  the  ebb,  during 
which  period  a  great  amount  of  deposit  took  place.  Numerous  other  features,  and 
their  results,  were  carefully  poiivted  out,  and  reasoned  on. 

The  best  means  were  then  described  for  promoting  the  natural  action  of  the 
tidal  water  in  rivers  of  good  condition,  so  as  to  combine  the  most  efficient  drainage 
of  the  country,  with  the  best  state  of  the  navigable  channel.  The  Mississippi  was 
then  given  as  an  instance  of  the  effect  of  a  large  volume  of  water,  densely  charged 
with  alluvial  matter,  falling  into  the  nearly  tidcless  Bay  of  Mexico, — producing  a 
delta  of  great  extent,  and  so  diminishing  the  depth  of  the  harbours,  as  to  prevent 
vessels  of  any  considerable  tonnage  from  frequenting  the  coast.  This  led  to  the 
enunciation  of  the  axiom,  that  in  the  improvement  of  rivers  of  the  second  class, 
although  the  river  walls  might  not  be  raised  above  the  level  of  half  tide,  they  would 
suffice  to  determine  the  future  condition  of  the  bed  of  the  estuary,  behind  and 
parallel  with  them,  as  the  conversion  of  those  reclaimed  spaces  into  land  was 
simply  a  question  of  time,  and  of  the  amount  of  alluvial  deposit  brought  down  by 
the  floods.  Thus,  by  this  system,  the  same  effect  would  be  eventually  produced, 
as  by  enclosing  the  space  with  full-tide  walls,  it  being  impossible  to  keep  open  the 
rear  space  as  receptacles  for  tidal  water. 

The  tendency  to  deposit,  in  consequence  of  the  formation  of  breakwaters,  in 
certain  situations,  was  fully  considered,  with  the  question  of  the  difference  between 
the  relative  times  of  high  water,  as  affording  a  true  test  of  the  condition  of  a  river. 
This  latter  view  should  be  received  with  caution,  as  the  only  certain  test  was  the 
condition  or  progress  of  the  tidal  wave  throughout  the  entire  period  of  the  flow. 
Thus  the  tidal  wave  would  pass  more  quickly  through  a  broad  and  straight  reach, 
after  the  sands  were  covered,  although  its  progress  might  have  been  very  slow  in 
the  earlier  stage  of  the  tide,  in  consequence  of  the  opposition  of  the  sandbanks, 
which  would  form,  -for  the  nascent  flow,  a  restricted  and  tortuous  course,  through 
a  reach  which,  at  high  water,  might  appear  well  adapted  for  the  ready  transmission 
of  the  tidal  column. 

The  Author  then  described  the  broad  principles  of  bis  own  practice,  in  training 
the  current  of  a  river,  to  be  based  chiefly  on  the  construction  of  full  tide  timber 
groynes,  or  jetties,  at  right  angles  to  the  intended  new  line  of  river  frontage. 
These  structures,  raised  at  a  cost  of  from  twelve  to  thirty  shillings  per  running 
foot,  had  been  aptly  designated,  by  Sir  W.  Cubitt,  "  as  the  scaffolding  for  forming 
the  new  line  of  shore;"  and  as  "making  so  much  more  land,  and  bringing  the 
shore  to  the  form  represented  by  a  line  drawn  through  the  ends  of  the  groynes." 
In  practice  it  tfvas  found,  that  whilst  the  spaces  between  these  groynes  afforded  a 
locality  for  the  deposit  of  the  alluvial  soil  held  in  suspension,  their  action  was  also 
to  produce  a  deepening  of  the  main  channel  of  the  bed  of  the  river  at  a  much  less 
cost,  than  by  the  construction  of  parallel  rubble  walls.  In  fact,  the  latter  should 
not  be  built  until  the  groynes  had  completed  their  work  of  raising  the  acquired 
land  between  them,  to  the  level  of  the  bed  on  which  the  rubble  walls  were  to  be 
placed. 

By  adopting  these  means,  there  was  scarcely  a  river  whose  navigable  capacity 
might  not  be  greatly  increased,  without  any  excessive  outlay;  aiding,  at  the  same 
time,  the  general  drainage  of  the  district,  which  it  was  remarked  had  been  lament- 
ably neglected  in  many  of  the  schemes  promulgated  for  the  improvement  of  rivers. 
November  16. 

Discussion  of  Mr.  W.  A.  Brooks'  paper  "  On  the  Improvement  of  Tidal  Navi- 
gations and  Drainages." 

It  was  contended  that  the  use  of  groynes  was  advisable,  as  a  means  for  the 
regulation  of  the  sectional  area  of  the  channel,  which  could  only  be  accurately  de- 
fined by  practical  experience.  In  some  cases  it  would  be  better  to  combine  them 
with  training  walls,  on  opposite  sides  of  the  river.  It  was  not  considered  that  two 
classes  sufficed  to  distinguish  the  differences  existing  between  rivers,  and  that  their 
several  characteristics  and  circumstances  must  be  minutely  studied,  to  determine 
the  mode  of  treatment.  The  Wye  and  the  Avon  were  quoted  as  rapidly  rising 
rivers,  and  yet  being  without  bars  at  their  mouths  ; — to  which  it  was  replied,  that 
those  streams  were  not  cases  in  point;  that  they  were  mere  tributaries,  whose 
mouths  were  traversed  and  swept  clear  by  the  rapid  current  of  the  Severn  ;  and 
that  this  latter  river  illustrated  the  position  assumed,  as  there  was  a  great  loss  of 


tidal  range  between  Beachley  and  Framilode,   the  channel  wandering  through  a 
range  of  shoals. 

The  successful  improvements  executed  at  the  entrance  of  Newhaven  harbour,  by 
Mr.  Stevens,  were  alluded  to. 

The  treatment  of  the  Dee  by  groynes,  and  the  Clyde  by  training  walls,  was 
examined,  and  it  was  argued  that  the  inconveniences  experienced  in  the  former 
case,  from  the  washing  out  of  deep  pools  at  the  points  of  the  groynes,  must  be 
attributed  to  the  injudicious  extension  of  those  structures,  whence  the  navigation 
was  too  violently  contracted,  the  freshes  flowing  over  them,  and  removing  the  de- 
posit from  between  them.  Kennie's  report  on  the  Clyde,  in  1807,  showed,  that 
the  irregularity  of  depth  at  the  points  of  the  groynes  previously  erected  by  Gol- 
borne,  was  not  anywhere  12  inches  more  than  elsewhere  in  the  channel.  With 
reference  to  the  wide  expanse  or  "  pouch  "  form  of  the  Mersey,  above  Liverpool, 
which  it  was  urged  was  of  utility  in  scouring  the  bar  on  the  ebb,  it  was  contended, 
that  the  main  body  of  water  would  pass  off  with  the  early  ebb,  without  producing 
any  beneficial  effect;  and  it  was  shown,  that  in  that  part  the  loss  of  tidal  range 
was  considerable,  from  the  great  expanse  covered  at  high  water,  but  which  was 
shoal  at  low  water. 

The  improvements  of  the  Thames,  by  the  removal  of  the  shoals  and  the  con- 
struction of  training  walls,  were  described,  and  it  was  suggested,  that  it  might  be 
beneficial  to  use  groynes  in  the  bays  which  had  produced  the  shoals  now  in  course 
of  removal. 

Fully  admitting  the  impossibility  of  generalizing  in  river  engineering,  it  was 
still  urged  that  there  was  more  similarity  between  cases  than  was  generally 
understood,  and  attention  was  directed  to  the  inevitable  effect  arising  from  the 
conflicting  action  between  the  ebb  and  flood-tides  at  the  mouths  of  rivers,  having 
a  rapid  rise  of  their  low-water  surface  near  tjieir  mouths,  which  invariably  produced 
bars,. 

It  was  suggested  that  the  treatment  of  some  special  river  should  be  submitted 
to  the  Institution,  in  order  to  afford  an  opportunity  for  a  continuation  of  the  dis- 
cussion of  this  interesting  topic. 

After  the  meeting,  Mr.  Doull,  jun.,  exhibited  a  model  of,  and  described  a  system, 
proposed  by  Mr.  James  Forbes,  for  lowering  and  raising  ships'  boats,  and  also  the 
construction  of  a  cylindrical  ship  life-boat,  which  latter,  it  was  contended,  ap- 
proached nearer  than  any  other  .construction,  the  qualities  considered  requisite  for 
a  boat  of  that  class. 

The  cylindrical  life-boat  was  30  feet  long,  8  feet  wide,  and  2  feet  deep — wonld 
carry  with  ease  sixty  persons,  with  provisions  for  a  week  in  the  air-tight  seats — 
could  not  be  upset  or  swamped — could  be  pulled  either  end  foremost — was  steered 
with  an  oar— had  extra  buoyancy  in  water-tight  compartments,  and  was  so  con- 
structed, that  a  hole  might  be  knocked  into  one  or  more  divisions  without  danger 
to  the  whole — was  fully  stowed  with  masts,  sails,  oars,  and  everything  complete, 
so  as  to  be  always  ready  for  use  on  any  sudden  emergency. 

When  folded  up,  it  was  perfectly  cylindrical,  and,  on  reaching  the  water,  opened 
out,  and  could  in  a  minute  be  made  a  stiff  boat;  and  the  dimensions  could  be 
modified  to  suit  any  vessel. 

The  apparatus  for  lowering  the  boats  consisted  of  two  davits,  with  tubular  stems, 
down  which  the  ropes  passed,  through  sockets  in  the  bulwarks,  to  a  drum,  on  which 
they  were  coiled  so  as  to  be  easily  wound  up  by  a  wheel  and  pinion,  with  the 
exercise  of  very  little  power,  and  in  lowering,  a  friction-break  could  be  used  with 
great  advantage.  By  this  means  the  boat  would  swing  out  very  easily,  as  the 
davits  could  turn  entirely  round  ;  and  it  would  be  nearly  impossible  that  a  boat 
could  be  swamped  in  the  heaviest  sea,  or  under  circumstances  of  the  greatest  dif- 
ficulty. The  cylindrical  form,  and  jts  lightness  of  construction,  would  enable  a 
boat  of  this  sort  to  be  put  over  the  bulwarks  by  six  men,  without  tackle  of  any 
kind,  and  by  merely  cutting  a  lashing  when  in  the  water,  it  would  fall  open, 
when  all  the  stores,  &c,  would  be  found  made  fast  within,  and  ready  for  use. 
April  26,  1653. 

"  Observations  on  Salt  Water,  and  its  application  to  the  Generation  of  Steam," 
bv  Mr.  J.  B.  Huntington. 

Mat  3. 

"  Description  of  the  Chesil  Bank,  Portland,"  by  Mr.  J.  Coode. 
Mat  10. 

The  evening  was  devoted  to  the  discussion  of  Mr.  Coode's  paper. 
Mat  17. 

"  On  the  Caloric  Engine,"  by  Mr.  C  Manby. 

"  On  the  Principle  of  the  Caloric  or  Hot-Air  Engine,"  by  Mr.  J.  Leslie. 

"  On  the  Conversion  of  Heat  into  Mechanical  Effect,"  by  Mr.  C.  W.  Siemens. 


ROYAL  SCOTTISH  SOCIETY  OF  ARTS. 

April  -25,  1853. 

tl  On  a  Method  of  Communication  between  the  Guards  and  Engine  Driver  of  a 
Railway  Train,  available  also  for  Passengers,"  by  the  Rev.  Wni.  Mitchell,  Raefield, 
Portobello. 

"  On  a  New  Plan  of  a  Railway  Signal,  and  of  Communication  between  the 
Engine  Driver  and  Guards,"  by  Mr.  Daniel  Erskine,  Engineer,  Musselburgh. 

"  On  Railway  Inclines,  and  on  the  Improvement  of  the  Locomotive  Engine,  for 
enabling  jt  to  ascsnd  Steep  Inclines,"  by  J.  Stewart  Hepburn,  Esq.,  of  Colquhalzie. 

"  New  Designs  for  Iron  Roofs  of  great  clear  span,  with  the  Results  of  Calcula- 
tions made  with  a  view  to  compare  these  with  the  best  forms  at  present  in  use," 
by  Robert  Henry  Bow,  Esq.,  C.E.,  Edinburgh. 

"  Method  of  Escape  from  a  Ship  in  Distress,  particularly  for  Females  and 
Children,"  by  Mr.  Alex.  M'Coll,  Auchtermuchty. 


THE  PRACTICAL  MECHANIC'S  JOURNAL. 


75 


ON  BOILERS  AND  BOILER  EXPLOSIONS. 
By  W.  Fairbaikn,  Esq.,  F.R.S.* 

Various  notions  are  entertained  as  to  the  causes  of  boiler  explosions,  and  scien- 
tific men  are  not  always  agreed  as  to  whether  they  arise  from  excessive  pressure 
due  to  the  accumulation  of  heat,  or  to  some  other  cause,  such  as  the  explosion  of 
hydrogen  gas,  generated  by  the  decomposition  of  water  suddenly  thrown  on  heated 
plates,  of  which  we  have  an  exceedingly  indefinite  conception.  That  of  the  de- 
composition of  water  is,  I  believe,  a  somewhat  prevalent  opinion,  but  I  apprehend 
it  cannot  be  the  invariable  cause,  inasmuch  as  in  that  case  we  must  assume  the 
boiler  to  be  nearly  empty  of  water,  and  the  plates  over  the  furnace  red  hot. 

It  is  not  unreasonable  to  suppose,  that  a  force  of  such  sudden  origin,  and  so 
immediate  and  destructive  in  its  effects,  should  suggest  the  presence  of  an  explosive 
mixture ;  bnt  I  think  it  will  be  difficult,  if  not  impossible,  to  account  for  the  accu- 
mulation of  a  sufficient  quantity  of  hydrogen  without  the  presence  of  oxygen  and 
other  gases,  in  then;  due  proportions,  to  form  an  explosive  compound.  Now,  as 
these  equivalents  cannot  be  generated  all  at  once  by  the  simple  decomposition  of 
water  (admitting  for  the  moment  that  the  water  is  decomposed),  we  must  look  for 
some  other  cause  for  the  fatal  and  destructive  accidents  which,  of  late  years,  have 
been  so  prevalent. 

In  treating  of  this  subject,  I  hope  to  show  not  only  what  are  the  probable  causes 
of  explosion,  bnt,  what  appears  equally  important,  what  are  not  the  causes.  So 
many  theories  (some  of  them  exceedingly  problematical)  have  been  brought  for- 
ward on  the  occasion  of  disastrous  explosions,  that  it  requires  the  utmost  care  and 
attention  to  circumstances  before  they  are  generally  admitted.  To  acquire  satis- 
factory evidence  as  to  the  precise  condition  of  the  boiler  and  furnaces  before  an 
explosion  is  next  to  impossible,  as  most  frequently  the  parties  in  charge,  and 
from  whose  mismanagement  and  neglect  we  may,  in  many  cases,  date  the  origin  of 
the  occurrence,  are  the  first  to  become  the  victims  of  their  own  indiscretion,  and 
we  can  only  judge  from  the  havoc  and  devastation  that  ensues  as  to  the  immediate 
cause  of  the  event. 

From  this  it  follows  that,  in  many  of  the  explosions  on  record,  few,  if  any,  of  the 
real  circumstances  of  the  ease  are  made  known,  and  we  are  left  to  draw  conclusions 
from  the  appearances  of  the  ruptured  parts,  and  the  terrific  consequences  which  too 
frequently  follow  as  a  result.  This  want  of  evidence  as  to  the  precise  condition  of 
a  boiler,  with  all  its  valves  and  mountings,  preceding  an  explosion,  is  mnch  to  be 
regretted,  as  it  causes  a  degree  of  mystery  to  surround  the  whole  transaction  ;  and 
the  vague  and  sometimes  inaccurate  testimony  of  witnesses,  bnt  too  often  baffles 
all  attempts  at  research,  and  creates  additional  cause  of  alarm  to  all  those  exposed 
to  the  occurrence  of  similar  dangers. 

In  the  discussion  of  this  subject,  I  shall,  however,  endeavour  to  trace,  from  a 
number  of  examples  in  which  I  have  been  personally  engaged,  and  from  others 
which  have  come  to  my  knowledge,  the  causes  which  have  led  to  the  disastrous 
effects. 

In  my  attempts  to  ascertain  facts  by  a  course  of  reasoning  which  I  shall  have  to 
f  jllow  in  this  investigation,  I  could  wish  it  to  be  understood  that  it  is  not  my  in- 
tention to  raise  doubts  and  fears  in  the  public  mind,  calculated  to  arrest  the  pro- 
gress of  commercial  enterprise,  or  to  cripple  the  energies  of  mechanical  skill.  On 
the  contrary,  I  am  most  anxious  to  promote  the  advancement  of  the  useful  arts, 
to  increase  our  confidence  in  the  application  of  increased  pressure,  and  to  secure, 
within  moderate  bounds,  the  economical  and  useful  employment  of  one  of  the  most 
powerful  agents  ever  known  in  the  history  of  practical  science.  My  object  in  this 
inquiry  will,  therefore,  be  to  enlarge  our  sphere  of  action  by  a  more  comprehensive 
knowledge  of  the  subject  on  which  it  treats ;  to  induce  greater  caution  along  with 
improved  construction  ;  and  to  insure  confidence  in  all  those  requirements  essential 
to  the  public  security. 

For  the  attainment  of  these  objects,  it  will  be  necessary  to  divide  the  subject 
into  the  following  heads : — 

1st,  Boiler  explosions  arising  from  accummulated  internal  pressure ; 

2d,  Explosions  from  deficiency  of  water ; 

3d,  Explosions  produced  from  collapse ; 

ith.  Explosions  from  defective  construction ; 

5th,  Explosions  arising  from  mismanagement  or  ignorance  ;  and 

SUi,  The  remedies  applicable  for  the  prevention  of  these  accidents. 

1st,  Boiler  explosions  arising  from  accummulated  internal  pressure. — In  nine 
cases  out  of  ten,  a  continuous  increasing  pressure  of  steam,  without  the  means  of 
escape,  is  probably  the  immediate  cause  of  explosion ;  in  some  instances  it  arises 
from  deficiency  of  water,  but  accidents  of  this  kind  are  comparatively  few  in  num- 
ber, as  we  often  find,  in  tracing  the  causes,  that  they  have  their  origin  in  undue 
pressure,  emanating  from  progressive  accumulation  of  steam  of  great  force  and 
intensity.  Let  us  take  an  example — to  some  of  which  I  am  able  to  refer — and  we 
shall  find  that  a  boiler,  under  the  inflneuces  of  a  furnace  in  active  combustion  (as 
the  recipient  of  heat),  will  generate  an  immense  quantity  of  steam,  and  nnless  this 
is  carried  off  by  the  safety-valve,  or  the  usual  channels  when  generated,  the  greatest 
danger  may  be  apprehended  by  the  continuous  increase  of  pressure  that  is  taking 
place  within  the  boiler.  Suppose  that,  from  some  cause,  the  steam  thus  accumu- 
lated does  not  escape  with  the  same  rapidity  with  which  it  is  generated  ;  that  the 
safety-valves  are  either  inadequate  to  the  full  discharge  of  the  surplus  steam,  or 
that  they  are  entirely  inoperative,  which  is  somelimes  the  case,  and  we  have  at 
once  the  cine  to  the  injurious  consequences,  which,  as  a  matter  of  fact,  are  sure  to 
follow.  The  event  may  be  procrastinated,  and  repeated  trials  of  the  antagonist 
forces  from  within,  and  the  resistance  of  the  plates  from  without,  may  occur  with- 
out any  apparent  danger ;   but  these  experiments,  often   repeated,  will  at  length 

•  See  page  115,  Vol.  IV. 


injure  the  resisting  powers  of  the  material,  and  the  ultimatum  will  be  the  arrival 
of  the  fatal  moment,  when  the  balance  of  the  two  forces  is  destroyed,  and  explosion 
ensues.  How  very  often  do  we  find  this  to  be  the  true  cause  of  accidents  arising 
from  extreme  internal  pressure,  and  how  very  easily  these  accidents  might  be 
avoided  by  the  attachment  of  proper  safety-valves  to  allow  the  steam  to  escape,  and 
relieve  the  boiler  of  those  severe  trials  which  ultimately  lead  to  destruction  !  If  a 
boiler,  whose  generative  power  be  equal  to  100,  be  worked  at  a  pressure  of  10  lbs. 
on  the  square  inch,  the  area  of  the  safety-valves  should  also  be  equal  to  100,  in 
order  to  prevent  a  continuous  increase  of  pressure;  or  in  case  of  the  adhesion  of 
any  of  the  valves,  it  is  desirable  that  their  areas  should,  collectively,  be  equal  to 
100.  If  two  or  more  valves  are  used,  100  or  120  would  then  be  the  measure  of 
outlet.  Under  these  precautions,  and  a  boiler  so  constructed,  the  risk  of  accident 
is  greatly  diminished ;  and'  provided  one  of  the  valves  is  kept  in  working  order, 
beyond  the  reach  of  interference  by  the  engineer,  or  any  oilier  person,  we  may 
venture  to  assume  that  the  means  of  escape  are  at  hand,  irrespective  of  the  tem- 
porary stoppage  of  the  usual  channels  for  carrying  off  the  steam. 

So  many  accidents  have  occurred  from  this  cause — the  defective  state  of  the 
safety-valves — that  I  must  request  attention  whilst  I  enumerate  a  few  of  the  most 
prominent  cases  that  have  come  before  me.  In  the  year  1845,  a  tremendous  ex- 
plosion took  place  at  a  cotton-mill  in  Bolton.  The  boilers,  three  in  number,  were 
situated  under  the  mill,  and  from  unequal  capacity  in  the  safety-valves,  and  even 
those  imperfect,  as  they  were  probably  fast,  a  terrific  explosion  of  the  weakest  boiler 
took  place,  which  tore  up  the  plates  atong  the  bottom,  and  the  steam  having  no 
outlet  at  the  top,  not  ouly  burst  out  the  end  next  the  furnace,  demolishing  the 
building  in  that  direction,  but  tearing  up  the  top  on  the  opposite  side,  the  boiler 
was  projected  upwards  in  an  oblique  direction,  carrying  the  floors,  walls,  and 
every  other  obstruction  before  it ;  ultimately  it  lodged  itself  across  the  railway 
at  some  distance  from  the  building.  Looking  at  the  disastrous  consequences  of 
this  accident,  and  the  number  of  persons — from  sixteen  to  eighteen — who  lost 
their  lives  on  the  occasion,  it  became  a  subject  of  deep  interest  to  the  commu- 
nity that  a  close  investigation  should  immediately  be  instituted,  and  a  recom- 
mendation followed,  that  every  precaution  should  be  used  iu  the  construction  as 
well  as  the  management  of  boilers. 

The  next  fatal  occurrence  on  record  in  this  district  was  a  boiler  at  Ashton- 
under-Lyne,  which  exploded  under  similar  circumstances,  uamely,  from  exces- 
sive interior  pressure,  when  four  or  five  lives  were  lost ;  and  again,  at  Hyde, 
where  a  similar  accident  occurred  from  the  same  cause,  which  was  afterwards 
traced  to  the  insane  act  of  the  stoker  or  engineer,  who  prevented  all  means  for 
the  steam  to  escape  by  tying  down  the  safety-valve. 

There  was  a  boiler  exploded  at  Malaga,  in  Spain,  some  years  since,  and  my 
reason  for  noticing  it  iu  this  place  is  to  show,  that  explosions  may  be  appre- 
hended from  other  causes  than  those  enumerated  in  the  divisions  of  this  inquiry, 
and  that  is  incrustation.  Dr.  Ritterbrandt  says,  in  a  paper  read  before  the 
Institution  of  Civil  Engineers,  by  an  eminent  chemist,  Mr.  West,  "  that  a  sud- 
den evolution  of  steam,  under  circumstances  of  incrustation,  is  no  uncommon 
occurrence."  In  several  instances  I  have  known  this  to  be  the  case,  particularly 
in  marine  boilers,  where  the  incrustation  from  salt  water  becomes  a  serious 
grievance,  either  as  regards  the  duration  of  the  boiler,  or  the  economy  of  fuel. 

If  it  were  supposed,  as  Dr.  Ritterbrandt  observes,  that  the  boiler  was  in- 
crusted  to  the  extent  of  half  an  inch,  it  would  at  once  be  seen  that  nothing  was 
more  easy  than  to  heat  the  boiler  strongly,  even  to  a  red  heat,  without  the 
immediate  contact  of  water.  Under  these  circumstances,  the  hardened  deposits 
being  firmly  attached  to  the  plates,  and  forming  an  imperfect  conductor  of  heat, 
would  greatly  increase  the  temperature  of  the  iron ;  and  the  great  difference  of  tem- 
perature thus  induced  between  the  material,  and  the  greater  expansibility  of  the 
iron,  would  cause  the  incrustation  to  separate  from  the  plates,  and  the  water 
rushing  in  between  them  would  generate  a  considerable  charge  of  highly  elastic 
steam,  and  thus  endanger  the  security  of  the  boiler. 

These  phenomena  were  singularly  exemplified  in  the  Malaga  explosion,  which 
is  thus  described  by  Mr.  Hick : — "  I  have  ascertained  that  a  very  thick  incrus- 
tation of  salt  was  found  on  the  lower  part  of  the  boiler,  immediately  over  the 
fire,  and,  so  far  as  it  extended,  the  plates  appear  to  have  been  red  hot,  thereby 
much  weakened,  and  hence  the  explosion.  The  ordinary  working  pressure  of 
the  boiler  is  130  lbs.  per  square  inch,  and  perhaps  at  the  time  of  the  explosion 
very  much  above  that  pressure,  as  there  was  only  one  small  safety-valve  of  two 
and  a  half  inches  diameter.  The  boiler  was  only  two  feet  six  inches  diameter, 
and  twenty  feet  long." 

Incrustation,  exclusive  of  being  dangerous,  is  attended  with  great  expense 
and  injury  to  the  boiler  by  its  removal.  In  the  case  of  the  Transatlantic,  Ori- 
ental, or  other  long  sea-going  vessels — even  after  the  use  of  brine-pumps,  blow- 
ing out,  &c. — a  very  large  amount  of  incrustation  is  formed,  and  cousiderable 
sums  of  money  are  expended  each  voyage  to  remove  it. 

Other  explosions,  of  a  more  recent  date,  are  those  which  occurred  at  Bradford 
and  Halifax.  They  are  still  fresh  in  the  recollection  of  the  public  mind,  and 
are  so  well  known  as  not  to  require  notice  in  this  place. 

I  cannot,  however,  leave  this  part  of  the  subject  without  reverting  to  an  ac- 
cident which  occurred  on  the  Lancashire  and  Yorkshire  Railway,  which  had  its 
origin  in  the  same  cause — excessive  internal  pressure.  This  accident  is  the 
more  peculiar,  as  it  led  to  a  long  mathematical  disquisition  as  to  the  nature  of 
the  forces  which  produced  results  at  once  curious  and  interesting.  The  conclu- 
sions which  I  arrived  at,  although  practically  right,  were,  however,  considered  by 
some  mathematicatly  wrong,  as  they  were  firmly  combated  by  several  eminent 
mathematicians;  and  notwithstanding  the  number  of  algebraic  formulas,  and 
the  learned  discussions  of  my  friends  on  that  occasion,  I  have  been  unable  to 
change  the  opinions  I  then  formed  to  others  more  conclusive. 


7(5 


THE  PRACTICAL  MECHANIC'S  JOURNAL. 


The  accident  here  alluded  to  occurred  to  the  "  Irk  "  locomotive  engine,  which 
in  February,  1845,  blew  up,  and  killed  the  driver,  stoker,  and  another  person 
who  was  standing  near  the  spot  at  the  time.  A  great  difference  of  opinion  as 
to  the  cause  of  this  accident  was  prevalent  in  the  minds  of  those  who  witnessed 
the  explosion,  some  attributing  it  to  a  crack  in  the  copper  fire-box,  and  others 
to  the  weakness  of  the  stays  over  the  top — neither  of  these  opinions  were,  how- 
ever, correct,  as  it  was  afterwards  demonstrated  that  the  material  was  not  only 
entirely  free  from  cracks  and  flaws,  but  the  stays  were  proved  sufficient  to  resist 
a  pressure  of  150  to  200  lbs.  on  the  square  inch.  The  true  cause  was  after- 
wards ascertained  to  arise  from  the  fastening  down  of  the  safety-valve  of  the 
engine  (an  active  fire  being  in  operation  under  the  boiler  at  the  time),  which 
was  under  the  shed,  with  the  steam  up,  ready  to  start  with  the  early  morning 
train. 

The  effect  cf  this  was  the  forcing  down  of  the  top  of  the  copper  fire-box  upon 
the  blazing  embers  of  the  furnace,  which,  acting  upon  the  principle  of  the 
rocket,  elevated  the  boiler  and  engine,  of  20  tons  weight,  to  a  height  of  30  feet, 
which,  in  its  ascent,  made  a  somerset  in  the  air,  passed  through  the  roof  of  the 
shed,  and  ultimately  landed  at  a  distance  of  60  yards  from  its  original  position. 
The  question  which  excited  most  interest,  was  the  absolute  force  required  to 
fracture  the  fire-box,  its  peculiar  properties  when  once  liberated,  and  the  elas- 
tic or  continuous  powers  in  operation,  which  forced  the  engine  from  its  place  to 
an  elevation  of  30  feet  from  the  position  on  which  it  stood.  An  elaborate  ma- 
thematical discussion  ensued,  relative  to  the  nature  of  these  forces,  which  ended 
in  the  opinion  that  a  pressure  sufficient  to  rupture  the  fire-box,  was,  by  its  con- 
tinuous action,  sufficient  to  elevate  the  boiler,  and  produce  the  results  which 
followed.  Another  reason  was  assigned,  namely,  that  an  accumulated  force  of 
elastic  vapour  at  a  high  temperature,  with  no  outlet  through  the  valves,  having 
suddenly  burst  upon  the  glowing  embers  of  the  furnace,  would  charge  the  pro- 
ducts of  combustion  with  their  equivalents  of  oxygen,  and  hence  explosion 
followed.  "Whether  one  or  both  of  these  two  causes  were  in  operation  is  prob- 
ably difficult  to  determine  ;  at  all  events,  we  have  in  many  instances  precisely 
the  same  results  produced  from  similar  causes,  and  unless  greater  precaution  is 
used  in  the  prevention  of  excessive  pressure,  we  may  naturally  expect  a  repe- 
tition of  the  same  fatal  results. 

The  preventives  against  accidents  of  this  kind  are  well-constructed  boilers  of 
the  strongest  form,  and  duly  proportioned  safety-valves,  one  under  the  imme- 
diate control  of  the  engineer,  and  the  other,  as  a  reserve,  under  the  keeping  of 
some  competent  authority. 

2nd.   Explosions  from  deficiency  of  wafer. 

This  division  of  the  subject  requires  the  utmost  care  and  attention,  as  the 
circumstance  of  boilers  being  short  of  water  is  no  unusual  occurrence.  Immi- 
nent danger  frequently  arises  from  this  cause,  and  it  cannot  be  too  forcibly 
impressed  upon  the  minds  of  engineers,  that  there  is  no  part  of  the  apparatus 
which  constitutes  the  mountings  of  a  boiler  which  require  greater  attention — 
probably  the  safety-valves  not  excepted — than  that  which  supplies  it  with 
water.  A  well-constructed  pump  and  self-acting  feeders — when  boilers  are 
worked  at  a  low  pressure — are  indispensable ;  and  where  the  latter  cannot  be 
applied,  the  glass  tubular  guage  tteam  and  water  cocks  must  have  more  than 
ordinary  attention. 

In  a  properly-constructed  boiler,  every  part  of  the  metal  exposed  to  the  direct 
action  of  the  fire  should  be  in  immediate  contact  with  the  water,  and  when 
proper  provision  is  made  to  maintain  the  water  at  a  uniform  height  and  depth 
above  the  plates,  accidents  can  never  occur  from  this  cause. 

Should  the  water,  however,  get  low  from  defects  in  the  pump,  or  any  stoppage 
of  the  regulating  feed-valves,  and  the  plates  over  the  furnace  become  red  hot, 
we  then  risk  the  bursting  of  the  boiler,  even  at  the  ordinary  working  pressure. 
We  have  no  occasion,  under  such  circumstances,  to  search  for  another  cause, 
from  the  fact  that  the  material  when  raised  to  a  red  heat  has  lost  about  five- 
sixths  of  its  strength,  and  a  force  of  less  than  one-sixth  will  be  found  amply 
sufficient  to  bear  down  the  plates  directly  upon  the  fire,  or  to  burst  the  boiler. 

When  a  boiler  becomes  short  of  water,  the  first,  and  perhaps  the  most  natural, 
action  is,  to  run  to  the  feed-valve,  and  pull  it  wide  open.  This  certainly 
remedies  the  deficiency,  but  increases  the  danger,  by  suddenly  pouring  upon 
the  incandescent  plates  a  large  body  of  water,  which,  coming  in  contact  with  a 
reservoir  of  intense  heat,  is  calculated  to  produce  highly-elastic  steam.  This 
has  been  hitherto  controverted  by  several  eminent  chemists  and  philosophers; 
but  I  make  no  doubt  such  is  the  case,  unless  the  pressure  has  forced  the  plates 
into  a  concave  shape,  which,  for  a  time,  would  retard  the  evaporization  of  the 
water  when  suddenly  thrown  upon  them.  Some  curious  experimental  facts 
have  been  elicited  on  this  subject,  and  those  of  M.  Boutigney  and  Professor 
Bowman,  of  King's  College,  London,  show  that  a  small  quantity  of  water  pro- 
jected upon  a  hot  plate  does  not  touch  it;  that  it  forms  itself  iuto  a  globule, 
surrounded  by  a  thin  film,  and  rolls  about  upon  the  plate  without  the  least 
appearance  of  evaporation.  A  repulsive  action  takes  place,  and  these  phenomena 
are  explained  upon  the  supposition  that  the  spheroid  has  a  perfectly  reflecting 
surface,  and  consequently  the  heat  of  the  incandescent  plate  is  reflected  back 
upon  it.  What  is,  however,  the  most  extraordinary  in  these  experiments  is 
the  fact,  that  the  globule,  whilst  rolling  upon  a  red-hot  plate,  never  exceeds  a 
temperature  of  about  20-4°  of  Fahrenheit ;  and,  in  order  to  produce  ebullition,  it 
is  necessary  to  cool  the  plate  until  the  water  begins  to  boil,  when  it  is  rapidly 
dissipated  in  steam. 

The  experiments  by  the  committee  of  the  Franklin  Institute  on  this  subject, 
give  some  interesting  and  useful  results.  That  committee  found  that  the  tem- 
perature of  clean  iron,  at  which  it  vaporized  drops  of  water,  was  334°  Fahren- 
heit.    The  development  of  a  repulsive  force,  which  I  have   endeavoured   to 


describe,  was,  however,  so  rapid  above  that  temperature,  that  drops  which  re- 
quired but  one  second  of  time  to  disappear  at  the  temperature  of  maximum 
vaporization,  required  152  seconds  when  the  metal  was  heated  to  395°  of 
Fahrenheit.  The  committee  goes  on  to  state  that — "  One  ounce  of  water  intro- 
duced into  an  iron  bowl  three-sixteenths  of  an  inch  thick,  and  supplied  with 
heat  by  an  oil-bath  at  the  temperature  of  546°,  was  vaporized  in  fifteen  seconds, 
while  at  the  initial  temperature  of  507°,  that  of  the  most  rapid  evaporization 
was  thirteen  seconds." 

The  cooling  effect  of  the  metal  is  here  strikingly  exemplified  by  the  increased 
rapidity  of  the  evaporization,  which,  at  a  reduced  temperature  of  38°,  is  effected 
in  thirteen  instead  of  fifteen  seconds. 

This  does  not,  however,  hold  good  in  every  case,  as  an  increased  quantity  of 
water,  say  from  one-eighth  of  an  ounce  to  two  ounces,  thrown  upon  heated 
plates,  raised  the  temperature  of  its  vaporation  from  460°  to  600°  Fahrenheit; 
thus  clearly  showing  that  the  time  required  for  the  generation  of  explosive 
steam,  under  these  circumstances,  is  attended  with  danger,  and  it  may  be  doubted 
whether  the  ordinary  safety-valves  may  not  be  wholly  inadequate  for  its  escape. 

Numerous  examples  may  be  quoted  to  show  that  explosions  from  deficiency 
of  water,  although  less  frequent  than  those  arising  from  undue  pressure,  are  bv 
no  means  uncommon ;  they  are,  nevertheless,  comparatively  fewer  in  number, 
and  the  preventatives  are  good  pumps,  self-acting  feeders  (when  they  can  be 
applied),  and  all  those  conveniences,  such  as  water-cocks,  water-guages,  floats, 
alarms,  and  other  indicators  of  the  loss  and  reduction  of  water  in  the  boiler. 

MONTHLY  NOTES. 


Burn's  Roller  Cotton  Gin, — Mr.  Burn's  original  arrangement  of  roller  gin, 
for  seeding  and  cleansing  cotton,  has  met  with  some  discussion  in  our  earlier  pages.* 
The  sketch  now  presented  embodies  the  inventor's  latest  improvements.     It  con- 


sists of  a  pair  of  18-inch  smooth  metal  rollers,  A,  weighted  in  the  usual  manner 
by  a  pair  of  levers,  and  driven  at  a  high  speed  by  gearing  in  connection  with  the 
band,  b.  The  seed  cotton  is  fed  into  the  machine  by  the  hopper,  c,  and  cylinder, 
D,  to  a  card-cloth,  E,  which  carries  the  cotton  right  up  to  the  rollers.  In  passing 
through  these  rollers  at  a  rapid  rate,  the  seeds  are  cleared  off  it  without  injury  to 
the  staple,  the  clean  cotton  being  carried  away  by  the  brush-fan,  F,  whilst  the  seed 
falls  from  the  card-cloth,  and  collects  under  the  machine.  The  weight  on  the  roll- 
ers is  of  course  adjusted  to  suit  the  character  of  the  cotton  to  be  cleaned.  If  the 
cotton  is  a  rough  woolly  kind,  the  inventor  hangs  about  7  lbs.  on  the  levers  of  the 
machines  he  makes;  but  smooth  black  seed  cotton  does  with  less  weight.  Before 
being  ginned,  seed  cotton  should  be  well  dried,  by  spreading  it  in  the  sun ;  and  it  is 
of  the  utmost  consequence  that  it  should  be  kept  from  dew  and  moisture,  either  by 
storing  it  in  sheds,  or  covering  it  by  matting  during  the  night,  that  the  seed  may 
be  hard.  Mr.  Burn  states,  that  if  his  machine  is  worked  by  manual  labour,  its 
rate  can  hardly  ever  be  too  great,  as  it  gives  out  its  best  effect  at  a  high  rate.  It 
turns  out  a  very  fine  staple  of  the  class  of  cotton  required  by  the  Manchester  spin- 
ners for  spinning  high  numbers.  This  cotton  is  the  produce  of  the  black  seed,  and 
is  the  same  as  that  grown  at  Port-Natal  and  Mnreton  Bay,  Australia — the  largest 
supply,  however,  being  derived  from  America.  The  material  in  use  for  testing  the 
machines  is  imported  from  Charleston,  costing  2d.  per  lb.,  two-thirds  of  the  mass 
being  seed,  and  of  no  value,  but  for  manure.  The  rest  is  clean  cotton,  worth  from 
9d.  to  Is.  6d.  per  lb. 

Scientific  Observations  at  Sea. — Lord  Wrottesley  has  just  effectively 
argued  in  the  House  of  Lords,  on  the  subject  and  with  the  same  views  which  we 
briefly  expressed  in  August  last,  in  discussing  Professor  Smyth's  "  Meteorological  an  d 
Astronomical  Notices,"  in  reference  to  the  making  use  of  the  vast  number  of  nautical 
observations  lying  dormant  at  our  service.  It  appears  that  a  correspondence  has 
been  going  on  between  the  British  and  United  States  Governments,  as  to  a  com- 
prehensive scheme  for  improving  the  art  of  navigation,  the  Americans  having  most 
praiseworthily  taken  the  initiative  in  this  very  important  movement,  by  begging 
the  co-operation  of  our  Government  towards  the  development  of  the  scheme.  The 
Royal  Society  was  at  once  referred  to  for  its  opinion ;  and  hence  Lord  Wrottesley, 


■  Pages  176  and  232,  Vol.  II. 


THE  PRACTICAL  MECHANIC'S  JOURNAL. 


77 


as  an  active  member,  and  an  indefatigable  labourer  in  the  ranks  of  science,  has 
spoken  out  upon  the  subject  in  the  House  of  Peers.  To  go  a  little  further  back 
and  deeper  into  the  question,  we  may  state  that,  in  1S42,  it  occurred  to  Lieutenant 
Maury,  the  director  of  the  National  Observatory  at  Washington,  that  the  masters 
of  American  vessels  would  be  able  to  furnish  valuable  contributions  to  the  stock  of 
scientific  knowledge,  by  noting  in  their  log-books,  in  addition  to  the  usual  entries, 
all  phenomena  which  they  might  observe  at  sea.  The  object  of  this  undertaking 
was  not  only  to  augment,  for  the  benefit  of  commerce  and  navigation,  the  general 
stock  of  knowledge  with  regard  to  the  winds  and  currents  of  the  sea,  but  to  obtain 
the  means  of  investigating  the  laws  of  atmospherical  and  oceanic  circulation,  and 
advancing  the  science  of  meteorology  generally.  A  scheme  for  taking  these  obser- 
vations was  submitted  by  Lieutenant  Maury  to  the  Bureau  of  Ordnance  and 
Hydrography,  and  approved  of;  and  an  account  of  the  mode  of  procedure,  with 
some  of  the  results  which  had  flowed  from  itr  were  given  in  a  letter  addressed  by 
the  secretary  of  the  Royal  Society  to  the  Government.  Detailed  instructions  were 
given  to  all  American  shipmasters  upon  clearing  from  the  Custom-house,  accom- 
panied by  a  request  that  they  would  transmit  to  the  proper  office,  on  their  return 
from  their  voyages,  copies  of  their  logs,  as  far  as  related  to  these  observations,  with 
a  view  to  their  being  examined,  discussed,  and  embodied  m  charts  of  the  winds  and 
currents,  and  in  the  compilation  of  sailing  directions  to  every  part  of  the  globe. 
For  a  long  time  these  instructions  were,  to  a  great  extent,  unheeded ;  but  the  pub- 
lication, in  1 S4S,  of  a  few  observations,  which  tended  to  show  the  existence  of  shorter 
routes  to  Rio  and  other  South  American  ports  than  had  hitherto  been  followed, 
satisfied  the  more  intelligent  shipmasters  that  there  really  was  something  in  the 
scheme.  Since  that  time,  the  captain  of  nearly  every  American  ship  has  given  at- 
tention to  the  subject.  At  the  present  time,  there  are  nearly  a  thousand  masters  of 
ships  engaged  in  making  these  observations,  and  they  receive  gratis  in  return  the  charts 
of  the  winds  and  currents,  and  the  sailing  directions  which  are  founded  upon 
them,  corrected  np  to  the  latest  period.  During 
the  short  period  the  system  has  been  in  operation, 
the  results  to  which  it  has  led  have  proved  of 
great  importance  to  the  interests  of  navigation 
and  commerce.  The  routes  to  many  of  the  most 
frequented  ports  in  different  parts  of  the  globe  have 
been  materially  shortened — that  to  San  Francisco, 
in  California,  by  nearly  one-third.  A  system 
of  north-westerly  monsoons  in  the  equatorial 
regions  of  the  Atlantic,  and  on  the  west  coast  of 
America,  has  been  discovered ;  a  vibratory  motion 
of  the  trade-wind  zones,  and  with  their  belts  of 
calms  and  their  limits  for  every  month  of  the 
year,  has  been  determined ;  the  course,  bifurca- 
tions, limits,  and  other  phenomena  of  the  great 
Gulf  Stream,  have  been  more  accurately  defined; 
and  the  existence  of  almost  equally  remarkable 
systems  of  currents  in  the  Indian  Ocean,  on  the 
coast  of  China,  and  on  the  north-western  coast  of 
America,  and  elsewhere,  have  been  ascertained. 
The  noble  Lord  very  properly  remarked,  on  the 

present  occasion,  that "  nothing  less  than  a  great  number  of  observations  will  suffice 
to  make  men  of  science  masters  of  the  subject,"  and  strongly  urged  the  necessity 
of  our  combining  to  forward  Lieutenant  Maury's  most  excellent  system.  Earl 
Granville,  and  Lords  Colchester  and  Monteagle,  severally  spoke  on  the  subject,  which 
u  dropped,"  after  a  statement  from  Earl  Granville  that  the  Government  claimed  the 
right  to  see  that  the  money  granted  for  such  purposes  was  judiciously  expended, 
and  therefore  they  had  abstained  from  granting  aid  to  scientific  investigations,  which 
might  be  more  fitly  carried  on  by  private  means.  So  far,  therefore,  Lord  Wrottesley 
can  scarcely  be  said  to  have  taken  anything  by  his  motion,  although  the  undertak- 
ing which  he  has  espoused  is  exactly  such  a  one  as  ought  to  be  conducted  by  the 
Government,  for  individual  attempts  must  ever  be  isolated,  and  therefore  useless. 

The  English  axd  Belgian-  Submarine  Telegraph. — Great  Britain  is 
now  additionally  linked  to  the  European  Continent.  At  20  minutes  before  1  p.m., 
on  the  6th  of  May,  1853,  a  practical  announcement  was  made  that  Dover  and 
Middlekerke  were  united  by  an  invisible  telegraphic  line,  and  that  the  European  and 
American  Submarine  Telegraph  Company  had  thereby  furnished  a  means  of  in- 
stantaneous communication  between  England  and  Belgium.  The  actual  line  which 
has  been  laid  down,  was  made  by  Messrs.  Newall  of  Gateshead.  It  consists  of 
six  copper  wires,  insulated,  by  the  Gutta  Percha  Company,  with  a  double  covering  of 
the  very  remarkable  material  which  the  Wharf  Road  Works  have  so  successfully 
and  so  universally  introduced.  The  gutta  percha,  laid  into  a  rope,  is  served  with 
spun  yarn,  and  then  covered  over  with  twelve  iron  wires.  This  gives  a  cable  of 
greater  strength  than  that  of  a  first-rate  man-of-war,  being  capable  of  standing  a 
strain  of  50  tons.  When  coiled  in  the  hold  of  the  William  Hult  screw  steamer, 
which  took  it  across  channel,  the  ma-s  was  51  feet  in  external  diameter,  28  feet 
inside  the  coil,  and  4  feet  6  inches  high.  Its  length  is  70  miles  ;  weight,  500 
tons;  and  cost,  £33,000.  With  the  aid  of  some  experienced  naval  men  from  the 
Government,  the  laying  down  was  most  successfully  accomplished  on  the  day  we 
have  mentioned — the  proceedings  being  conducted  after  a  fashion  apparently  so 
matter-of-fact,  that  the  work  might  almost  be  looked  upon  as  a  common  and  well- 
practised  affair.  The  only  peculiar  precaution  of  the  occasion,  was  the  carrying 
the  compass  on  board  a  separate  tug,  which  vessel  also  kept  the  cable  steamer 
steady  on  her  course,  by  obviating  the  difficulties  of  steering  the  larger  vessel.  At 
our  end,  the  line  is  laid  into  a  case  in  the  cliff  at  St.  Margaret's,  South  Foreland. 
At  Middlekerke,  on  the  Belgian  shore,  it  i3  passed  into  a  coast-guard  hut.  Thus 
London  and  Belgium  are  now  within  speaking  distance. 


Milk  as  a  Manufacturing  Ingredient. — Milk  now  possesses  other  offices 
besides  the  production  of  butter  and  cheese,  and  the  flavouring  of  tea.  It  has 
made  its  way  into  the  textile  factories,  and  has  become  a  valuable  adjunct  in  the 
hands  of  the  calico-printer  and  the  woollen  manufacturer.  In  the  class  of  pigment- 
printing  work,  which  is  indeed  a  species  of  painting,  the  colours  are  laid  on  the 
face  of  the  goods  in  an  insoluble  condition,  so  as  to  present  a  full,  brilliant  face. 
As  a  vehicle  for  effecting  this  process  of  decoration,  the  insoluble  albumeu  obtained 
from  eggs  was  always  used,  until  Mr.  Pattison,  of  Glasgow,  found  a  more  econo- 
mical substitute  in  milk.  For  this  purpose,  buttermilk  is  now  bought  up,  in  large 
quantities,  from  the  farmers;  and  the  required  insoluble  matter  is  obtained  from  it 
at  a  price  far  below  that  of  the  egg  albumen.  This  matter  the  patentee  has  called 
"  lactarine."  A  second  application  of  the  same  article,  milk,  has  just  been  deve- 
loped, by  causes  arising  out  of  the  recent  high  price  of  olive  oil.  Oil  having  risen 
from  £40  to  £70  a  ton,  the  woollen  manufacturers  are  now  using  the  high-priced 
article,  mixed  with  milk.  This  mixture  is  said  to  answer  much  better  than  oil 
alone,  the  animal  fat  contained  in  the  globules  of  the  milk  apparently  furnishing 
an  element  of  more  powerful  effect  upon  the  woollen  fibres,  than  the  pure  vegetable 
oil  alone. 

Martin's  Revolving  Turnip  Hoe. — Our  perspective  sketch  of  this  most 
efficient  implement  will  materially  aid  the  reader's  comprehension  of  our  earlier 
unillustrated  description.*  It  will  cut  or  hoe  out  turnips  for  being  singled,  as  is  now 
done  by  hand-hoeing,  on  either  flat  or  ridge ;  whilst  it  can  work  two  or  more  rows 


at  once,  and  to  any  width.  The  plants  may  also  be  left  at  any  distance  apart.  A 
man  and  boy  and  one  horse  can  do  ten  or  twelve  acres  a  day  on  twenty-seven  inch 
work — cutting  the  land  to  any  required  depth. 

Industrial  Exhibitions,  Dublin,  New  York,  Edinburgh,  and  Paris. 
— Whilst  the  Irish  Industrial  Exhibition  is  putting  forth  its  beauties,  and  being 
toned  down  to  the  condition  of  a  universal  school,  and  whilst  the  American  collec- 
tion is  rapidly  following,  we  have  notes  of  preparation  of  an  Edinburgh  Exhibition 
in  1854,  and  actual  official  announcements  of  a  Parisian  one  in  1 S55.  In  reference 
to  this  last,  the  following  has  just  been  issued  by  the  Board  of  Trade  Department 
of  Science  and  Art: — "  The  Lords  of  the  Committee  of  Privy  Council  for  Trade 
have  received  a  communication  from  the  Secretary  of  State  for  Foreign  Affairs, 
transmitting  a  copy  of  a  letter  from  Count  Walewski,  the  French  Ambassador  at 
the  Court  of  London,  in  which  it  is  announced  that,  by  a  decree  of  the  8th  of 
March  last,  his  Majesty  the  Emperor  has  ordered  that  a  Universal  Exhibition  of 
Agricultural  and  Industrial  Products  shall  take  place  in  Paris  on  the  1st  of  May, 
1855.  The  French  Ambassador  states,  that  exhibitors  of  those  countries  who 
answer  to  this  appeal  will  meet  with  every  requisite  facility,  both  as  regards  the 
Customs'  regulations,  and  the  reception,  arrangement,  and  security  of  their  pro- 
ducts, in  the  Palace  of  Industry.  A  later  decree,  which  will  be  communicated 
without  delay,  will  determine  and  specify  the  conditions  of  the  Universal  Exhibi- 
tion, the  rules  under  which  goods  will  be  exhibited,  and  the  different  kinds  of 
products  which  will  be  admitted.  Count  Walewski  expresses  a  hope,  on  behalf  of 
the  Government  of  his  Imperial  Majesty,  that  the  British  Government  will  do  all 
in  their  power  to  direct  the  attention  of  British  manufacturers  to  the  intended 
Exhibition  of  1855,  and  that  they  will  answer  to  the  invitation  which  is  now 
addressed  to  them  with  the  same  ardour  as  the  French  manufacturers  responded 
to  the  invitation  of  England  in  1851.  In  accordance  with  the  request  of  the  Earl 
of  Clarendon,  my  Lords  desire  to  give  the  widest  publicity  to  this  measure,  in 
order  that  no  effort  may  be  spared  in  furtherance  of  the  intentions  of  the  Emperor 
of  the  French  as  regards  the  Exhibition  of  British  agriculture  and  industry. — 
Henry  Cole  and  Lyon  Playfair  (Joint  Secretaries),  Marlborough-house, 
10th  May,  1853." 


»  Page  282,  Vol.  V. 


78 


THE  PRACTICAL  MECHANIC'S  JOURNAL. 


Norton's  Percussion  Blasting  Cartridge. — Captain  Norton  has  been 
most  successful  in  the  application  of  his  new  "  percussion  cartridge,"  for  blasting 
the  roots  of  large  trees,  which  withstood  all  attempts  at  blowing  up  by  a  fusee  and 
tamping.  He  goes  to  work  in  this  way: — A  trinngle  is  made  of  three  tall  larch 
spars  placed  over  the  root  to  be  blasted,  a  hole  being  bored  by  an  auger  an  inch  and 
a  quarter  in  diameter  into  the  most  "  gnarled  and  unwedgeable"  part  of  the  root; 
a  gouge  rimer  is  good  to  use  after  the  auger,  as  it  clears  away  the  rough  interior, 
and  admits  the  cartridge  freely.  About  three  inches  deeper  than  the  centre,  a  plug 
of  iron  of  the  same  diameter  of  the  auger,  and  an  inch  and  a  half  long,  or  a  small 
round  stone,  is  forced  into  the  bottom  of  the  hole,  so  as  to  prove  a  solid  foundation; 
this  plug  and  steel  pillar  being  almost  always  found  at  the  bottom  of  the  riven 
block.  The  cartridge,  with  a  percussion-cap  on  each  end  of  its  steel  pillar,  is  then 
dropped  in,  and  rests  on  the  iron  foundation  ;  a  rammer  of  iron,  of  nearly  the  SMme 
diameter  as  the  auger,  and  about  four  inches  longer  than  the  depth  of  the  hole,  so 
as  to  project  about  four  inches,  is  then  inserted,  and  may,  or  may  not,  rest  on  the 
head  of  the  cartridge.  A  block  of  wood,  about  60  pounds  weight,  suspended  by  a 
strong  cord  vertically  over  the  projecting  head  of  tin  rammer,  is  then  allowed  to 
fall  on  it,  when,  by  the  momentum  or  blow,  the  explosion  takes  place,  and  in  no 
one  instance  out  of  more  than  a  hundred  trials  has  the  rammer  been  blown  out,  or, 
as  military  engineers  term  it,  "  gunning"  occurred.  In  one  instance  the  cartridge 
was  made  of  tin,  so  as  to  be  waterproof,  and  when  it  was  inserted,  and  the  rammer 
placed  over  it,  water  was  poured  in,  the  explosion  was  perfect;  this  was  to  demon- 
strate the  blasting  of  rocks  under  water  lying  in  the  way  of  navigation.  The 
charge  of  powder  in  these  cartridges  is  about  an  ounce  of  Hall's  powder ;  it  is  pro- 
bable that  the  fourth  part  of  the  powder  used  in  the  present  manner  of  blasting 
will  be  found,  by  this  method,  to  be  sufficient.  Professors  of  the  Royal  Queen's 
College,  and  many  of  the  students,  were  present.  Captain  Norton's  ambition  is 
the  removing  of  the  forests  on  the  banks  of  the  Amazon,  Orinoco,  and  their  tribu- 
taries, thus  destroying  the  prolific  wet  nurse  of  all  malaria ;  also,  the  forests  of 
Canada,  the  United  States,  New  Holland,  New  Zealand,  and  thus  removing  the 
great  obstructions  to  the  cultivation  of  land  in  all  countries  j  the  rousting  out  of 
snakes  and  nuggets  in  New  Holland  and  California;  and  for  removing  large  blocks 
of  wood  found  in  bogs,  which,  on  account  of  their  great  weight,  and  the  sofc  nature 
of  the  bog,  neither  cart  nor  car  can  be  used  for  removing,  but  which,  when  shattered 
by  the  cartridge,  can  be  taken  away  by  men,  or  boys,  in  small  pieces;  and  the  re- 
moving of  blocks  of  ice,  impeding  the  navigation  of  the  Arctic  seas.  In  a  later 
experiment,  the  object  was  to  remove,  by  one  blast,  the  largest  forest  tree  while 
standing  in  a  growing  state,  where  timber  is  so  thick  and  dense,  as  not  only  to  be 
valueless  and  pestiferous,  but  a  great  obstruction  to  the  cultivation  of  the  land,  as 
in  America  and  New  Holland.  Mr.  O'Brien,  of  Castle  White,  near  the  Queen's 
College,  Cork,  having  kindly  given  Captain  Norton  permission  to  operate  on  a  large 
old  poplar  tree,  three  feet  in  diameter  near  the  root,  a  hole  was  bored  horizontally 
within  two  feet  of  the  ground,  and  the  cartridge  and  iron  bolt  (which  bolt  does  the 
duty  of  the  most  perfect  tamping)  being  inserted,  a  heavy  block  of  wood  suspended 
from  a  large  iron  nail,  struck  into  the  trunk  of  the  tree,  was  drawn  by  a  long  cord 
attached  to  it,  about  a  foot  from  the  projecting  head  of  the  bolt,  and  then  let  go, 
so  as  to  strike  it  like  a  pendulum  or  the  knocker  of  a  hall  door,  when  the  instant 
explosion  rent  the  trunk  of  the  tree,  and  caused  it  to  fall  by  the  pull  in  the  direction 
chalked  out  for  it  by  a  rope  attached  to  an  upper  branch  of  the  tree.  The  effect  of 
this  percussion  cartridge  is  like  that  of  the  rifle  percussion  shell,  the  iron  bolt 
acting  like  the  breeching  of  the  shell. 

PROVISIONAL  PROTECTIONS  FOR  INVENTIONS 

UNDER  THE  PATENT  LAW  AMENDMENT  ACT. 

(S?- When  the  city  or  town  is  not  mentioned,  London  is  to  be  understood. 

Recorded  November  23,  1852. 

823.  Auguste  E.  L.  Bellford,  1G  Castle-street,  Holborn— Improvements  in  drying  furnaces. 

— (Communication.) 

Recorded  February  24, 1853. 
46S.  Charles  Flude,  Old  Kent-road— Improvements  in  the  production  of  spirit,  and  in  the 
stills  and  apparatus  employed  therein. 

Recorded  March  8. 
5S4.  Samuel  C.  Lister,  Bradford— Improvements  in  machinery  used  in  washing  wool. 

Recorded  March  12. 
C25.  Nicholas  A.  E.  Millon  and  Leopold  Mouren,  Algiers— Certain  improvements  in  the 
treatment  of  corn  and  other   grains,  and   more  especially  in  all  that  concerns 
washing,  drying,  grinding,  curing,  and  preserving  them. 
Recorded  March  16. 
G56.  Edward  Nickels,  Albany-road,  Cambenvell— Improvements  in  preparing  lubricating 
matters. — (Communication.) 

Recorded  March  18. 
672   George  R.  Lucas,  Dron6eld — Improvements  in  the  method  of  raising  water  and  other 
materials  from  mines. 

Recorded  March  22. 
698.  Samuel  M'Cormick,  14  Fleet-street,  Dublin— Improvements  in  manufacturing  screws, 
bolts,  spikes,  and  rivets,  and  other  similar  articles,  and  in  the  machinery  or  appa- 
ratus used  for  such  manufacture,  parts  of  which  machinery  are  applicable  for 
forming  screw-threads,  mouldings,  and  ornaments  on  metal. 
Recorded  March  28. 
740.  George  E.  Dering,  Lockleys,  Hertford— Improvements  in  preserving  or  preventing 
decomposition  in  vegetable  and  animal  substances  and  matters. 
Recorded  March  29. 
747.  Henry  L.  Corlett,  106  Summer-hill,  Dublin— Improvements  in  railway  waggons. 

Recorded  April  1. 
778.  John  Smedlcy,  Matlock,  Derby — Improvements  in  machinery  or  apparatus  for  open- 
ing, cleaning,  blowing,  or  scutching  animal  wool,  cotton,  or  other  fibrous  substances 
or  materials. 


Recorded  April  6. 
809.  William  W.  Sleigh — An  invention  for  the  production  of  motive  power,  which  he 

entitles  "  the  counteracting  reaction  motive  power  engine." 
811.  Edmond  S.Stanley,  Sloane-street— An  improvement  in  the  manufacture  of  soda  ash, 

or  carbonate  of  soda,  from  common  salt. — (Communication.) 
813.  John  O'Connor,  Limerick— An  invention  for  the  manufacture  of  coke  from  raw 

peat. 
815.  Smith  Flanders,  Wingham,  Kent— Certain  improvements  in  the  construction  of 

ploughs. 
817.  William  Pidding,  Strand— Improvements  in  the  manufacture  of  woven,  textile,  or 

other  fabrics,  and  in  the  machinery  or  apparatus  connected  therewith. 
819.  Thomas  Carr,  Chowbent,  Lancashire— Improvements  in  nails  and  other  fastenings, 

and  in  the  machinery  or  apparatus  employed  in  the  manufacture  thereof. 
821.  William  Pidding,  Strand— Improvements  in  the  preparation  or  treatment  of  twine 

or  other  threads,  or  cuttings  of  paper  or  other  waste,  for  the  production  of  useful 

and  ornamental  articles. 

Recorded  April  6. 

823.  Frederick  A.  Gatty,  Accrington,  Lancaster— Improvements  in  printing  or  producing 
colours  on  textile  fabrics. 

825.  Henry  Leachman,  13  Compton -terrace,  Islington1—  Improvements  in  the  manufacture 
of  iron. — (Communication.) 

827.  William  Radford,  Buckingham-street,  Middlesex— Improvements  in  the  construction 
of  metallic  beams  or  bracings,  and  metallic  sheets  or  plates,  applicable  to  the 
building  of  ships  and  other  structures,  where  lightness  and  strength  are  re- 
quired. 

829.  William  Johnson,  47  Lincoln's-inn-fields,  and  Glasgow — Improvements  in  the  manu- 
facture of  safety  paper.— (Communication.) 

Recorded  April  7. 

831.  John  F.  Heather,  Woolwich — Invention  of  a  pneumometer  for  determining  the  den- 
sities or  specific  gravities  of  gases. 

833.  William  Morgan,  Birmingham— Improvements  in  paper  and  cardboard  cutting 
machines. 

635.  Frederick  W.  Mowbray,  Bradford — Improvements  in  apparatus  used  in  preparing 
and  combing  wool,  and  other  fibrous  materials. 

837.  Edward  L.  Bryan,  Hoxton — Improvements  in  warming  and  ventilating  rooms  and 
buildings. 

839.  Robert  P.  Clark,  Lambton  Collieries,  Durham — Improvements  in  machinery  for 
loading  and  unloading  colliers,  and  other  ships  and  vessels. 

841.  Leopold  J.  Green,  Leatherhead,  Surrey — Improvements  in  axletree  boxes. 

843.  William  Fuller,  Jermyn-street— Improvements  in  ice  pails  or  apparatus  for  refri- 

gerating. 

Recorded  April  8. 

844.  George  F.Goble,15GreatFish-street-hill — Improvements  in  safety  valves  for  steam 

boilers  and  gas  chambers. 
845  William  F.  Smith,  Manchester— An  improvement  in  certain  vessels  or  utensils  for 
heating  liquids. 

846.  William  Moseley,  32  Cumberland-terrace,  Regent' s-park—  Invention  of  a  new  method 

of  railway  traction,  to  be  called  a  pony  railway. 

847.  George  Humphrey,  Brighton — An  improved  self-acting  safety  valve,  for  locomotive, 

marine,  and  other  steam  boilers. 

848.  Alexander  S.  Braden,  High-street,  Islington— Improvements  in  apparatus  for  roast- 

ing coffee,  cocoa,  and  other  vegetable  matters,  and  for  cooling  the  same  when 
roasted. 

849.  Jean  J.T.  Pratviel, Paris— An  improved  machine  for  doubling,  twisting,  and  reeling 

fibrous  substances. 

850.  Patrick  F.  Flanagan,  Liverpool — Improvements  in  the  manufacture  of  hats   for 

yachting  and  general  purposes, 

851.  Henry  O.  Robinson,  43  Moorgate -street— Improvements  in  machinery  for  crushing 

sugar  canes. 

852.  George  Herbert,  Summer-hill,  Dartford — Improvements  in  constructing  and  mooring 

light  vessels,  buoys,  and  other  similar  floating  bodies. 

853.  Joshua  Farrar,  Marsden— Improvements  in  the  treatment  of  flax,  line,  grasses,  and 

other  fibrous  substances. 

854.  Stephen  Taylor,  New  York — Improved  machinery  for  weaving  seamless  goods. — 

(Communication.) 

Recorded  April  9. 

855.  George  F.  Goble,  15  Fish-street-hill— Improvements  in  machinery  to  be  actuated  by 

water  or  air. 

857.  Herbert  Taylor,  Mark-lane— Improvements  in  ornamenting  surfaces  or  fabrics  ap- 

plicable to  various  useful  purposes,  such  as  for  covers  of  furniture,  imitation 
tapestry,  carpets  or  hangings.— (Communication.) 

858.  Adolphe  M.  A.  Iglesia,  Russell-place,  Fitzroy-square— Improvements  in  producing 

ornamental  glass  surfaces. 

859.  William  P.  Cresson,  George-street,  Portman-square — Improvements  in  lathes  and 

parts  connected  therewith,  for  the  purpose  of  reducing  and  smoothing  the  sur- 
faces of  certain  metal  wares.— (Communication.) 

Recorded  April  11. 
S60.  John  B.  Gibson,  Leicester-square — Improvements  in  saddlery  and  harness. 

861.  John  F.  Boake,  Dublin,  and  John  Reily,  same  place— Improvements  in  signal  posts 

for  railways  and  apparatus  connected  therewith. 

862.  Robert  B.  Ruggles,  New  Jersey,  and  Lemuel  W.  Serrell,  New  York — Improvements 

in  machinery  for  beating  gold  and  other  laminae  of  metal. 

863.  Robert  Garrard  and  John  Garrard,  Lomau-street,  S  outh  war  k— Improvements  in 

bonnets. 

864.  William    Urquhart,    Lincoln's-inn-fields — Improvements    in    the    manufacture    of 

printers'  type,  and  other  articles  used  in  letter-press  printing. 

865.  William  R.  Palmer,  New  York— Improvements  in  the  construction  and  arrange- 

ment of  machines  for  the  application  of  horse  power,  which  he  designates  as 
"  Palmer's  improved  horse  power." 

866.  William  R.  Palmer,  New  York— Improvements  in  machines  for  thrashing  seeds  and 

grains,  and  for  cleaning  them  from  the  straw  and  chaff  atter  they  are  thrashed, 
which  he  designates  as  "Palmer's  American  seed  and  grain  thrasher  and 
winnower." 

867.  Hugh  Donald,  Johnstone,  Renfrew— Improvements  in  machinery  for  cutting  and 

uniting  metals. 

868.  William  M.  Campbell,  Glasgow— Improvements  in  earthenware  kilns. 

869.  Donald  Nicoll,  Rpgent-street — Improvements  in  garments,  and  in  sewing  or  uniting 

the  seams  of  the  same. 

Recorded  April  12. 

870.  Samuel  Russell  and  Robert  M.  M'Turk,  Sheffield — Improvements  in  metallic  handles 

for  table  cutlery,  daggers,  and  such  like  instruments. 

871.  Henry  Blake,  Brighton — Improvements  in  railway  wheels. 

872.  Richard  A.  Brooman,  166  Fleet-street — Improvements  in  grinding  and  pulverizing 

gums,  gum  resins,  and  other  drugs  and  articles  of  similar  character. — (Com- 
munication.) 


THE  PRACTICAL  MECHANIC'S  JOURNAL. 


79 


873.  Alexander  Turiff,  Paisley— Improvements   in  the   prevention  of    accidents    on 

railways. 
674.  Henry  W,  Harman,  North-fleet  Dockyard— Improvements  in  steam-engines. 
S73.  James  Taylor,  Carlisle,  Isaac  Brown,  same  place,  and  John  Brown,  Oxford-street^ 

Improvements  in  the  manufacture  or  production  of  charred  peat. 

876.  Angnste  Mondollot,  Paris — Improvements  in  filling  vessels  with  aerated  waters,  and 

the  apparatus  employed  therein.— (Communication.) 

877.  Downes  Edwar-ds,  Douglas,  Isle  of  Man — Improvements  in  signal  apparatus  for 

railways. 

87S-  Thomas  Greenwood,  11  Little  Alie-street,  GoodmanVfields— Improvements  in  .eva- 
porating saccharine  fluids. 

879.  Kichard  G.  Pigot,  5  George-street,  Greenwich — Improvements  in  caltraps  for  mili- 
tary purposes. 

8S0.  Francois  F.  Yerdie,  Lorette,  France — Certain  improvements  fci  welding  cast-steel 
with  iron,  steel,  cast-iron,  and  other  metals. 

881.  Robert  J.  Kaye,  Bury,  Lancaster,  and  John  O.  Openshaw,  Roachmount,  near  Bury 

— Improvements  in  obtaining  motive  power  by  electro-magnetism. 

882.  Eliza  Cunnington,  Devizes— Improvements  in  the  decoration  of  furniture  panels  and 

other  surfaces. 

SS3.  John  Smith,  Bartholomew-close — An  improved  mode  of  suspending  carriage  bodies. 

884.  Alfred  V.  Newton,  66  Chancery-lane — Improvements  in  steam  boilers,  and  in  the 
mode  of  supplying  the  same  with  water. — (Communication.) 
Recorded  April  13. 

885-  Alexander  E.  D.  K.  Archer,  City-road — Improvements  in  apparatus  for  applying 
metallic  capsules. 

8S6.  Nathaniel  Clayton  and  Joseph  Shuttleworth,  Stamp  End  Ironworks,  Lincoln — An 
improvement  in  portable  and  locomotive  steam-engines. 

887.  George  Elliot  and  William  Russell,  St.  Helen's,  Lancaster — Improvements  in  the 
manufacture  of  alkali. 

SSS.  "William  Pearce,  Arlington-street,  Myddelton-square — Improvements  in  the  con- 
struction of  locomotive  engines,  parts  of  which  improvements  are  applicable  to 
other  engines. — (Communication.) 

8S9.  Thomas  Edwards,  Birmingham — Improvements  in  steam-engines. 

690.  James  Noble,  Leeds — Improvements  in  preparing  cotton  and  other  fibres. 

891.  Douglas  Hebson,  Liverpool — Improvements  in  working  the  air-pumps  of  steam- 
engines. 

692.  Francis  Burden,  Belfast— Improvements  in  treating  rovings  for  spinning. 

893.  "William  R.  Bowditch,  Wakefield — Improvements  in  purifying  water. 

894.  James  Noble,  Leeds — Improvements  in  preparing  cotton  and  other  fibres. 

895.  Charles  Clifford,  Inner  Temple-lane — Improvements  in  apparatus  for  lowering  boats 

evenly,  and  preventing  them  filling  with  water. 
Recorded  April  14. 

896.  John  Hinks  and  George  "Wells,  Birmingham— An  improvement  or  improvements 

in  certain  kinds  of  boxes. 

897.  Thomas  L.  Preston,  Birmingham — An  improvement  or  improvements  in  cutting 

out  and  piercing  metals. 
890.  Constant  J.  Dumery,  Castle-street,  Holborn— Improvements  in  the  manufacture  of 
paste  and  enamel  buttons. 

900.  Charles  Lowe,  Sheepy  Hall,  Leicester—  Improvements  in  mills  for  grinding  wheat 

and -other  grain. 

901.  John  fJhadwick,  Manchester,  and  Thomas  Dickins,  Middleton — Improvements  in 

the  production  of  raw  and  thrown  silk. 

902.  John  Bethell,  Parliament-street— Improvements  in  the  manufacture  of  flax. 

903.  William  Laycock,  Birkenhead — Improvements  in  the  manufacture  of  metallic  and 

other  casks  and  vessels. 

904.  Joseph  Adamson,  Leeds— Improvements  in  flushing  apparatus  and  in  water-closets. 

907.  Alfred  Guy,  Upper  Kosoman-street — Invention  of  an  improved  filter. 

908.  Charles  Green  and  James  Newman,  Birmingham — Improvements  in  the  manufac- 

ture of  wheels. 

909.  Robert  Wyburn,  Taunton — Improvements  in  the  construction  of  easy  chairs. 

910.  William  Ogden,  Oldham— Certain  improvement  or  improvements  applicable  to  card- 

ing-engines,  used  for  carding  cotton,  wool,  and  other  fibrous  materials. 

911.  "William  J.  T.  Jones,  Pimlico — Improvements  in  steam-engine  governors. 

912.  David  Zenner,  Newcastle-upon-Tyne— Improvements  in  the  treatment  of  ores  and 

other  substances  containing  metals,  to  obtain  products  therefrom,  and  the  appara- 
tus used  therein. 

913.  Alexander  Crichton,  Liverpool — Improvements  in  the  fitting  of  bilge  pumps  and 

injection  cocks  of  iron  steamers  and  sailing  vessels. 

914.  Francois  M.  A.  Sermys,  Brussels— Improvements  in  tanning. — (Communication.) 

915.  Jean  B.  Maniquet,  Paris — Certain  improvements  in  machinery  or  apparatus  for 

winding,  cleaning,  doubling,  twisting,  and  spinning  silk,  cotton,  wool,  flax,  hemp, 
and  other  filamentous  materials. 

916.  George  Titterton,  Margaret-street,  Cavendish-square — Improvements  in  brushes. 

Recorded  April  15. 

917.  William  Wilkinson,  Nottingham — An  improvement  or  improvements  in  ropes,  cords, 

lines,  twines,  and  mill  bandings. 

918.  William  Allen  and  William  Murrell,  Pimlico — Improvements  in  the  mode  or  modes 

of  cleansing  bottles  or  other  similar  articles. 

919.  John  Lewthwaite,  Halifax— Improvements  in  rollers  or  mountings  for  blinds,  maps, 

and  other  like  articles. 

920.  William  E.  Newton,  66  Chancery-lane — Improvements  in  treating  refuse  silk  waste, 

and  in  conyerting  it  into  a  valuable  product. — (Communication.) 
Recorded  April  16. 

921.  Phillip  Davis,  Whitechapel-road— An  improved  mode  of  constructing  the  breasting 

to  the  revolving  drums  or  beaters  of  thrashing  machines. 

922.  Samuel  Bayliss,  Old  Broad-street— Improvements  in  consuming  or  preventing  smoke 

and  heating  liquids. 

924.  Jean  M.  Soachon,  Paris — Improvements  in  the  manufacture  and  purification  of  gas 

for  illumination,  and  certain  products  therefrom,  and  in  apparatus  for  that  pur- 
pose. 

925.  Joseph  Cooke,  Birmingham — New  or  improved  machinery  for  cutting  or  shaping 

corks  and  bungs. 

926.  George  A.  Cator,  Selby— Improvements  in  machinery  for  preparing  flax,  hemp,  and 

other  vegetable  fibrous  substances,  forscutching,.or  other  manufacturing  processes. 

927.  Isaac  Simpson,  Preston — Improvements  in  machinery  for  covering  wire,  silk,  cotton, 

linen,  wool,  or  any  other  flexible  material,  with  wire,  piate,  silk,  cotton,  linen, 
wool,  or  any  other  flexible  material. 

928.  Henry  Wilks,  Rotherbam — Improvements  in  cocks. 

Recorded  April  18. 

930.  James  Begbie,  Haddington— Improvements  in  the  construction  of  wheeled  carriages. 

931.  Richard  F.  Stnrges,  Birmingham— Invention  of  a  new  or  improved  apparatus  for 

making  vegetable  and  other  infusions  and  solutions. 

932.  Joel  Watts,  Battersea-fields — Improvements  in  the  construction  of  pistons  of  steam 

and  other  engines,  applicable  also  to  force  pumps  and  lifting  pumps. 

933.  William  M'Naughton,  Aberdeen — Improvements  in  printing  yarns  or  worsteds  for 

weaving  carpeta,  also  in  printing  carpets,  woollen,  silk,  cotton,  and  other  textile 
fabrics  or  fibrous  substances. 


935.  William  Fawcett  and  Francis  B,  Fawcett,  Kidderminster — Certain  improvements  in 

the  manufacture  of  carpets. 

936.  James  S.  Scarlett,  Norwood,  Surrey,  and  William  S.  Passmore,  Brixton — Invention 

of  the  application  of  a  certain  mineral  to  lamps,  in  lieu  of  cotton  or  other  wicks. 

937.  Jean  J.  Gonin,  Paris— Improvements  in  disengaging  silk  of  its  gum. 

Recorded  April  19. 

938.  Frangois  G.  Sicardo,  South-street,  Finsbury — Invention  of  a  new  rotary  steam-engine. 

939.  Thomas  Newr.y,  Birmingham — Improvements  in  fastenings  for  articles  of  dress. 

941.  Lambert  A.  Beauvain,  Upper  Charlotte  street,  Fitzroy  square — Improvements  in 

machinery  for  obtaining  wool,  silk,  and  fibres  from  fabrics,  and  rendering  them 
suitable  to  be  again  employed. 

942.  John  Chatterton,  Birmingham— Improvements  in  coating  tubes. 

944.  John  Fuller,  Kennington — Improvements  in  galvanic  batteries. 

945.  Christian   Bohringer  and  Gustavus  Clemm,  Mannheim  and  Heilbronn,  Wurtem- 

berg — Improvements  in  the  manufacture  of  soda  and  potash. 

946.  Thomas  Day,  Birmingham — Improvement  in  the  manufacture  of  boots  and  shoes, 

whereby  great  ease  is  secured  to  the  wearer. 

948.  Edward  Vivian,  Torquay,  Devon— Improvements  in  thermometers. 

949.  Andrew  Blair,  Maryhill — Improvements  in  propelling  yessels. 

Recorded  April  20. 

950.  John  Smeth-urst,  Manchester — An  improved  plan  for  packing  yarn  and  other  ma- 

terials. 

951.  Samuel  Weight,  Cheltenham — Improvements  in.ventilating  mines,  sewers,  or  drains, 

ships,  buildings  generally,  and  other  localities. 

952.  Emile  Chapuis,  fils,  St.  Mary  Axe — An  improved  apparatus  for  the  diffusion  of 

light,  to  be  called  the  "  Myriastratic  Reflector." 

953.  Henry  M'Evoy,  Birmingham — Certain  improvements  in  the  construction  and  manu- 

facture of  door  bolts. 

954.  Thomas  C.  Foster,  Strand — An  improved  reaping  machine. 

955.  Richard  A.  Brooman,  166  Fleet-street— Improvements  in  inhaling  tubes. — (Commu- 

nication.) 

956.  Richard  A,  Brooman,  Fleet-street— Improvements  in  reaping  and  gathering  ma- 

chinery.—(Communication.) 

957.  Sir  William  S.  Harris,  Plymouth — Improvements  in  lightning  conductors  for  ships 

and  vessels. 

Recorded  April  21. 

958.  Anthony  Deale,  Hampstead-road-r-In  vent  ion  of  ocean  floats,  which  are  designed  to 

save  lives  and  light  treasures  from  shipwreck. 
960.  Charles  Reeves,  junior,  Birmingham — An  improvement  or  improvements  in  swords. 

962.  Henry  Carr,  East  Retford — Certain  improvements  in  the  construction  of  railways. 

963.  James  Petrie,  Rochdale — Certain  improvements  in  steam-engines. 

964.  Philip  Harris,  Chatham— Certain  improvements  in  fire-arms. 

965.  William  Robjohn,  Islington — Improved  meter  for  measuring  and  indicating  the 

measure  of  liquids. 

966.  William  H.Johnson,  Granville,  Massachusetts— Invention  of  sewing  cloth,  leather, 

and  other  materials. 

967.  William  E.  Newton,  GQ  Chancery-lane— Improvements  in  machinery  for  bending 

wood  or  other  materials.— (Communication.) 
Recorded  April  22. 

968.  Thomas  F.  Finch,  Worcester— Improvements  in  buttons.. 

969.  James  Davis,  Hemel-Hempstead — Improvements  in  the  manufacture  of  thrashing 

machines. 

970.  William  Sager,  Seacombe,  Chester — Certain  improvements  in  machinory  or  appara- 

tus for  propelling  vessels. 

971.  William  Hunter,  Glasgow — Improvements  in  cutting  and  planing  wood  and  other 

substances. 

972.  William  Asquith  and  Joseph  Asquith,  Leeds— Invention  of  cleansing,  preening,  and 

removing  wool  flocks,  waste,  and  refuse  from  the  cards,  teazles,  cylinder,  raising 
gig,  and  machinery  used  in  the  dressing  of  woollen  cloths. 

973.  William  Beard,,Cannon-street — Improvements  in  needles  and  in  the  manufacture  of 

the  same. 

974.  Cyprien  M.  T.  du  Motay,  Paris— Improvements  in  preparing  oils,  and  in  apparatus 

for  burning  the  same. 

975.  Jerome  A.  Drieu,  Bowden,  Chester—  Improvements  for  cutting  the  pile  of  velvet, 

yelveteens,  and  other  piled  fabrics. 

Recorded  April  23. 

976.  Edward  O.  Aston  and  George  Germaine,  Mill-wall— Improvements  in  compositions 

for  coating  wood,  metal,  and  other  materials  exposed  to  the  action  of  sea-water  or 
the  weather. 

978.  Thomas  Knowles,  Newton— Improvements  in  the  machinery  or  apparatus  for  pick- 

ing warps. 

979.  Frederick  J.  Wilson,  Chelsea — An  improved  wheelbarrow. 

982.  James  Geddes,  CMasgow — Improvements  in  oars. 

983.  William  Johnson,  47  Lincoln's-inn-tields,  and  Glasgow — Improvements  in  machinery 

for  combing  wool  or  other  fibrous  materials.— (Communication.) 

984.  James  Napier,  Partick — Improvements  in  separating  certain  metals  from  their  ores 

and  alloys,  and  for  obtaining  certain  products  therefrom. 

985.  George  F.  Wilson,  Belmont,  William  H.  Hatcher,  Old  Kent-road,  and  John  Jack- 

son, Southville — Improvements  in  apparatus  for  manufacturing  moulded  candles. 

986.  Richard  Johnson,  Manchester — Improvements  in  machinery  or  apparatus  for  draw- 

ing wire. 

Recorded  April  25. 

987.  Edward   O'Connell,   Bury,  Lancaster— Improvements  in  the   mode  or  method  of 

feeding  infants  and  invalids,  and  in  apparatus  connected  therewith. 

988.  Henry  E.  Hoole,  Sheffield— Invention  of  a  self-acting  speed  regulator  and  safety 

break  for  railway  carriages. 
.989.  Charles  L.  Desbordes,  Paris-  Improvements  in  instruments  for  measuring  the  pres- 
sure and  temperature  of  air,  steam,  and  other  fluids. 

990.  John  Chatterton,  Birmingham— An  improvement  or  improvements  in  covers  for 

waggons,  carts,  and  other  vehicles. 

991.  Robert  Davies,  Birmingham — Invention  of  an  agricultural  reaping  machine. 

992.  William  Tillie,  Glasgow,  and  John  Henderson,  same  place  —  Improvements  in 

printing  shirting  fabrics. 

993.  James  Emery,  Preston— Improvements  in  the  construction  of  gigs,  dog-carts,  and 

other  vehicles. 

994.  William  Johnson,  47   Lincoln's-inn-fields,  and  Glasgow — Improvements  in  the 

means  of  retarding  and  stopping  railway  trains, — (Communication.) 

995.  Julian  Bernard,  Guildford-street,  Russell-square— Improvements  in  casting  metals, 

and  in  moulding  or  forming  other  materials. 
Recorded  April  26. 

996.  Isaac  B.  Sheath,  Birmingham— Certain  improvements  in  fire-arms. 

997.  Jacques  E.  JoflYiaud,  Paris— Certain  improvements  in  machinery  or  apparatus  for 

washing  earths  containing  gold  extracted  from  the  bottoms  of  rivers  or  other 
waters. 

998.  George  K.  Geyelin,  Camden- town— Improvements  in  the  manufacture  of  white 

oxide  of  zinc. 


80 


THE  PRACTICAL  MECHANIC'S  JOURNAL. 


1001.  John  Pym,  Pimlico—  Improvements  in  building  materials. 

1002.  Auguste  and  Jean  Le  Roy  and  Eugene  Pavy,  Paris— Improvements  in  the  produc- 

tion of  lace  and  other  fabrics. 

1003.  Uriah  Scott,  Cam  den-town— Improvements  in  the  manufacture  of  tubular  rods  and 

rings  for  furniture. 

1004.  Moses  Poole,  Avenue-road,  Regent's-park— Improvements  in  the  manufacture  of 

porcelain  and  like  wares. — (Communicatio  .) 
Recorded  April  27. 

1005.  William  Johnson,  Famworth— Improvements  in  machinery  forpreparing  and  spin- 

ning cotton  and  other  fibrous  substances. 

1006.  Frederick  G.  Underhay,  "Well-street,  Gray's-inn-road  —  Improvements  in  reaping 

and  mowing  machines. 

1007.  George  F.  de  Fonveille,  Marseilles— Invention  of  a  filtering  machine,  which  acts 

under  water,  and  is  applicable  to  the  filtering  of  all  liquids. 

1008.  Benoist  M.  A.  Langlois,  Paris— Improvements  in  instruments  to  he  applied  to  the 

chimneys  of  gas  burners.— (Partly  a  communication.) 
1010.  John  Hetherington,  Manchester,  and  John  Dugdale,  jun.,  and  Edward  Dugdale, 
Blackburn— Improvements  in  constructing  and  applying  models  or  patterns  for 
moulding,  preparatory  to  casting  iron,  brass,  and  other  metals  for  various  pur- 
poses. 

1012.  Riehard  Howson,  Manchester — Certain  improvements  in  weavers'  harness. — (Com- 

munication.) 

1013.  John  H.Johnson,  47  Lincoln's-inn-fields,  and  Glasgow — Improvements  in  apparatus 

for  sustaining  bodies  in  the  water. — (Communication.) 

1014.  Joseph  W.  Gale,  Woburn-place,  Russell-square — Improvements  in  the  permanent 

way  of  railways. 

1015.  William  Johnson,  47  Lincoln's-inn-fields,  and  Glasgow — Improvements  in  machinery 

or  apparatus  for  marking,  ruling,  or  ornamenting  surfaces.— (Communication.) 

1016.  George  Turner,  Wands  worth-road,  and  Robert  Holloway,  Old  Kent-road — Improve- 

ments in  the  manufacture  of  unfermented  bread,  which  improvements  are  also 
applicable  to  other  purposes  as  a  substitute  for  yeast. 

1017.  George  Critchley,  Cheltenham— An  improved  apparatus  forregulating  the  heat  and 

supply  of  water  in  hot-water  apparatus. 

1018.  Joseph  Palin,  Liverpool,  and  Robert  W.  Sievier,  Upper  Holloway— Improvements 

in  distillation,  and  in  apparatus  connected  therewith,  which  apparatus  is  also 
applicable  to  other  purposes,  in  which  substances  are  to  be  treated  by  the  assist- 
ance of  a  vacuum. 

1019.  Samuel  Groves,  Great  Marlborough -street,  Regent-street — Improvements  in  pneu- 

matic apparatus  for  pumping  or  forcing  air. 

1020.  James  A.   Bruce,  Coleraine— -Certain  improvements  in  the    construction  of  hay 

racks,  and  other  apparatus  or  apparatuses  to  contain  fodder  for  horses  and  other 
cattle,  and  also  in  the  method  or  methods  of  fastening  horses  or  other  cattle,  to 
prevent  their  overcasting. 

1021.  Thomas  Culpin,  Greenwich— Improvements  in  steam  boilers  and  in  the  appendages 

thereto. 

1022.  Wellington  Williams,  Gutter-lane — Invention  of  a  new  combination  of  materials 

suitable  for  the  manufacture  of  boxes,  cases,  trays,  and  other  like  articles. 

1023.  William  Keid,  University-street— Improvements  in  apparatus  for  testing  the  insu- 

lation of  electric  telegraph  wires. 

1024.  Richard  J.  Gatling,  Indianopolis.  U.S.— An  invention  for  distributing  power  to 

machine  shops,  factories,  and  other  places. 

1025.  John  F.  Kingston,  Maryland,  U.  S. — Improvements  in  galvanic  or  voltaic  batteries. 

1026.  William  F.  Thomas,  Bayswater — Improvements  in  apparatus  for  sowing  orstitch- 

ing. 

Recorded  April  28. 
1028.  Joseph  Hetherington,  Manchester — Certain  improvements  in  reels  for  reeling  or 
winding  yarns. 

1030.  Edward  Bird,  Birmingham — An  improvement  or  improvements  in  the  construction 

of  certain  kinds  of  vehicles. 

1031.  James  Berry,  Harwich,  near  Bolton,  and  Thomas  Booth,  Chorley—  Improvements 

in  machinery  or  apparatus  for  printing  or  staining  woven  fabrics  and  paper. 

1033.  William  H.  Sitwell,  Sydenham— Improvements  in  projectiles  for  cannon  and  fire- 

arms. 

1034.  Sir  John  S.  Lillie,  South-street,  Finsbury— Improvements  in  roads,  floors, footways, 

and  other  like  surfaces. 

1035.  William  A.  Gilbee,  Finsbury — Improvements  in  apparatus  for  heating.— (Commu- 

nication.) 

1036.  Thomas  Revis,  Stockwell,  Surrey— Improved  single  seed  drilling  or  dibbling  ma- 

chinery, 

Recorded  April  29. 

1037.  George  T.  Day,  Binghfieldhill,  Be1,  ks— Improvements  in  travelling  packages. 

1038.  Thomas  Pennell,  Birmingham— Improvements  in  the  construction  of  revolving  or 

repeating  fire-arras,  and  in  loading  the  same. 

1039.  Charles  A.  Joubert,  Paris,  Leon  J.  Tricas,  and  Jules  C.  Kohler,  same  place— Im- 

proved busks  for  stays. 

1040.  Robert  Davison,  Mark-lane,  and  James   S.  Horrocks,  Heaton-Norris— Certain  im- 

provements in  the  means  of  conveying  and  distributing,  or  separating,  granular 
and  other  substances. 

1041.  Thomas  C.  Banfield,  Queen-square — Invention  of  machinery  for  cutting  or  chopping 

roots,  planks,  or  other  similar  substances.— {Communication.) 

1042.  Thomas  C.  Banfield,  Queen-square— Invention  for  drying  and  preserving  vegetable 

or  other  saccharine  plants.-— (Communication.) 

1043.  Jacques  S.  Vigoureux,  Rheims,  France— Certain  improvements  in  the  combing  of 

wool  and  other  fibrous  materials. 

1044.  James  Macpherson,  Manchester — Certain  improvements  in  looms  for  weaving. 

1045.  Colin  Mather,  Salford— Improvements  in  apparatus  used  in  bleaching. 

1046.  Henry  Witthaff,  Manchester—  Improvements  in  filters.— (Communication.) 

1047.  Oliver  P.  Drake,  Massachusetts— A  new  or  improved  apparatus  for  vaporizing 

benzole,  or  other  suitable  volatile  hydro-carbon,  and  mixing  it  with  atmospheric 
air,  so  that  the  mixture  may  be  burnt  for  the  purposes  of  illumination  or  other- 
wise. 

1048.  John  Kealy,  Oxford-street— Improvements  in  machinery  for  mowing. 

104J.  James  Bristow,  Bouverie-street,  and  Henry  Attwood,  Blackfriars- road— Improve- 
ments in  the  means  of  consuming  smoke. 

Recorded  April  30. 

1050.  Charles  Adams,  Lillington-street— Invention  of  a  new  arrangement  of  valves,  for  the 

supply  of  water  to  and  from  cisterns  and  other  receptacles,  and  for  a  new  float- 
valve. 

1051.  Barnabas  Barrett,  Ipswich — Improvements  in  the  treatment  of  natural  and  artifir 

cial  stone,  and  of  articles  composed  of  porous  cements  or  plaster,  lor  the  purpose 
of  hardening  and  colouring  the  same. 

1052.  John  Smith,  Ashton,  Warwick— An  improvement  in  machines  for  cutting  chaff, 

straw,  gorse,  and  other  similar  substances. 

1053.  Weston  G  rimshaw,  Moseley,  Antrim— Certain  improvements  in  slubbing  and  roving 

frames  for  preparing  for  spinning  cotton,  flax,  and  other  fibrous  substances. 
Recorded  May  2. 

1054.  John  Balmforth,  William  Balmforth,  and  Thomas  Balmworth,  Clayton— Improve- 

ments in  steam-hammers. 


1055. 
1057. 

1058. 

1059. 

1060. 

1061. 

1062. 
1063, 
1064. 
1065. 

1066. 
1067. 

1008. 

1069. 
1070. 
1071. 


John  Smith,  Ashton,  Warwick— An  improved  flooring  cramp  and  lifting  jack. 

Henry  C.  Jennings,  Great  Tower-street — Improvements  in  the  manufacture  of 
soap. 

John  F.  Kingston,  Carrol,  Maryland,  U.S.— Improvements  in  reaping  and  mowing 
n  machinery. 

Edwin  Heywood,  Glashum,  near  Kcighley — Improvements  in  apparatus  for  actuat- 
ing and  regulating  the  throttle  valves  of  steam-engines. 

James  Reeves,  Bridgwater-gardens — Improved  machinery  fin*  forging,  stamping, 
crushing,  or  otherwise  treating  metals,  ores,  and  other  similar  materials. 

George  Morton,  Bolton,  and  William  H.  Langshawe,  same  place— Certain  improve- 
ments in  stretching,  dressing,  and  finishing  cotton  and  linen  yarns  or  threads, 
and  in  the  machinery  or  apparatus  connected  therewith. 

Auguste  E.  L.  Bellford,  Holborn — Improvements  in  the  extraction  and  manufacture 
of  sugar  and  of  saccharine  matters.— (Communication.) 

Daniel  Reading,  Minories — Improvements  in  beariugs  for  axles,  and  in  axle- 
boxes  and  bushes. 

Francois  Monfiant,  Haymarket — Improvements  in  lubricating  materials. — (Com- 
munication.) 

Auguste  E.  L.  Bellford,  Holborn — Improvemeuts  in  sawing  machines  for  slitting 
or  re-sawing  plank  and  other  timber,  by  means  of  circular  saws. — (Communi- 
cation.) 

Ambroise  M.  C.  C.  Faure,  Holborn— Certain  improvements  in  the  manufacture  of 
geographic  and  other  maps. 

Christian  Radunsky,  Cock  spur-street — Certain  improvement*  in  electro-yoltaic 
apparatus. — (Communication.) 

Mark  Newton,  Tottenham — Certain  improvements  in  the  construction  of  carriages, 
and  in  the  means  of  preventing  the  overturning  of  the  same  when  horses  take 
fright. — (Communication.) 

Joseph  T.  Wood,  Strand— Improvements  in  the  manufacture  of  boxes,  such  as  have 
been  hitherto  made  of  pasteboard. 

Honore  Mane,  Strand— Improvements  in  steam-engines. 
Recorded  May  3. 

Thomas  Claridge,  Bilston,  Stafford— Invention  of  new  or  improved  machinery  for 
cutting  or  shearing  metals. 


C2&"  Information  as  to  any  of  these  applications,  and  their  progress,  may  behad  on  appli- 
cation to  the  Editor  of  this  Journal, 

DESIGNS  FOR  ARTICLES  OF  UTILITY. 

Registered  from  Uth  April  to  lOtk  May,  1853. 

G.  Simons,  Birmingham,—"  Writing-case  and  taper-stand." 
Simcox,  Pemberton,  &  Sons,  Birmingham,—"  Picture  suspending 

apparatus." 
J.  Harper,  Cambridge, — "  Stay- fastening." 
J.  Lee  &  Co.,  Birmingham, — "  Crowbar.1' 
W.  G.  Davis,  Bideford, — "  Ladies'  supporter." 
T,  Young,  Poplar, — "  Emigrants'  companion." 
W.  Pope  and  Son,  Edgeware-road, — "  Chimney  valve-seat." 
3.  Budge,  St.  Pancras, — "  Clack-box  and  feed-pipe  for  locomotives." 
W.  W.  Woodhill,  Birmingham, — "Door-fastener." 
J.  Smith,  Birmingham, — "  Metallic  pen." 

Stock  and  Sous,  Birmingham, — "  Water-closet  and  service-box." 
D.  Salomons,  Great  Cumberland-place, — "Railway  and  steam-boat 
signal." 


April  15th,  3447 

—  344S 

3449 

16th,  3450 

—  3451 
19th,  3452 

—  3453 
25th,  3454 
29th,  3455 
30  th,  3456 

May  7th,  3457 

10th,  3458 


April  16th, 

601 

— 

502 

— 

Boa 

27tll, 

504 

28lh, 

505 

30th, 

508 

May   9th, 

507 

— 

BOH 

12th, 

509 

— 

510 

DESIGNS  FOR  ARTICLES  OF  UTILITY. 

Provisionally  Registered  from  16th  April  to  12th  May,  1853. 
E.  Maw,  Seacombe, — "Metal  plate-clip." 
W.  Baddeley,  Islington, — "Oar." 
J.  E.  Boyd,  Lewisbam, — "  Hat-cone." 
D.  Harcourt,  Birmingham, — "Model-stand." 
F-  Arnold,  Barnsbury, — "Bookbinding." 
C.  Osborne,  Camberwell, — "  Skein-wheel." 
J.  Steiuer,  Birmingham, — "  Dress-fastener." 
H.  Bridger,  Chelsea, — "  Boot-seraping  and  brushing  machine." 
S.  Myddleton,  London, — "Gumming  machine." 
C.  Osborne,  Camberwell, — "  Expansive  winder." 

TO  READERS  AND  CORRESPONDENTS. 

A  Modeller. — A  very  good  composition  is  made  thus:— Pure  and  finely-levigated 
whiting  is  mixed  up  into  a  paste  with  glue,  in  the  proportion  of  five  parts  of  the  powder 
to  one  of  the  glue  solution.  To  this  paste  a  little  Venetian  turpentine  is  added,  to  destroy 
any  brittle  tendency;  and,  to  aid  the  working  up,  a  little  linseed  oil  is  occasionally  added 
to  the  compound,  which  will  receive  any  desired  colouring  matter.  When  warmed,  this 
substance  answers  well  for  modelling  or  pressing  into  moulds,  linseed  oil  being  necessary 
to  prevent  sticking.    After  cooling,  it  becomes  quite  hard. 

A  Subscriber  will  see  that  we  have  anticipated  his  wishes. 

M.  W.  W.  (Merthyr  Tydvil,)— We  have  referred  his  inquiry  to  the  engineer  in  ques- 
tion. 

Amsterdam. — Special  instructions  are  wanted. 

Books  Received.—"  Clegg  on  Coal  Gas,  2d  edition." — "  Wordsworth's  Summary  of  the 
Law  of  Patents." — "  The  Prairie  Farmer,  Chicago,  U.S.,  for  April  and  May." 

W.  B. — His  communication  is  in  preparation. 

J.  P.— See  Fiucham's  Works.  We  are  not  acquainted  with  any  separate  treatise  on 
Iron  Ship-building.  Mr.  Russell's  wave-line  system  is  described  in  many  works.  Search 
the  pages  of  the  back  volumes  of  the  Practical  Mechanic's  Journal. 

T.  T. — The  formula  will  not  apply  for  such  excessive  speeds.  Separate  calculations 
must  be  made  for  these  cases.  Theoretically  speaking,  the  resulting  width  is  enough 
for  so  high  a  rate.  No  one  ever  calculated  the  band  for  the  spindle  of  a  spring  machine 
running  at  5  or  6,000  revolutions,  the  reason  being  that  the  power  actually  transmitted 
through  one  foot,  for  instance,  is  almost  inappreciable.  We  are  obliged  for  our  corre- 
spondent's attention,  as  it  is  certainly  a  point  yet  to  be  examined. 

Taylor's  Trunk  and  Luting  Apparatus  for  the  Screw  Propeller.— We  have  re- 
ceived the  following  communication  from  Mr.  J.  J.  O.  Taylor,  the  inventor  and  patentee 
of  the  trunk  or  well-hole  and  lifting  apparatus  for  the  screw  propeller: — 

"  In  the  Imperial  Cyclopedia  of  Machinery,  Part  VI.,  pages  32,  33,  and  34,  there  is  a 
statement  calculated  to  do  me  considerable  injury,  if  allowed  to  remain  uncontradicted— 
viz.,  that  Mr.  F.  p.  Smith  is  the  inventor  of  the  well-hole  or  trunk  and  lifting  apparatus  for 
the  screw  propeller ;  and  I,  therefore,  shall  feel  obliged  by  your  giving,  in  your  next  num- 
ber, my  unqualified  contradiction  to  such  an  assertion.  I  am  well  known  to  be  the  only 
inventor  and  patentee  of  the  trunk  and  lifting  gear— an  invention  and  patent  which, 
after  due  examination  by  the  Privy  Council,  their  Lordships  have  consented  to  extend 
several  years  beyond  the  original  grant. 

"  18  Bucklersbury,  May  20, 1853."  "  J.  J-  O.  Taylor." 


Flaiel29. 


BEFQKIDK]©  S  [PUDIDIMQKKg  [FQDBKlMlIi 

J.JONES,   PATENTEE. 


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siffnsiDKi©  a  [piro®yKi©  FOJiifiei^sfis, 

J.JONES,  PATENTEE. 


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' 


:  noi  avrd    ' 


THE  PRACTICAL  MECHANIC'S  JOURNAL. 


81 


JONES'  IEON  REFINING  AND  PUDDLING  FURNACES. 
(Illustrated  by  Plates  129  and  130.) 
"  The  ores  of  iron  are  scattered  over  the  crust  of  the  globe  with  a  beneficent  profusion, 
proportioned  to  the  utility  of  the  metal;  they  are  found  under  every  latitude,  and  every 
zone ;  in  every  mineral  formation,  and  are  disseminated  in  every  soil.  Every  person 
knows  the  manifold  uses  of  this  truly  precious  metal :  it  is  capable  of  being  cast  in 
moulds  of  any  form ;  of  being  drawn  out  into  wires  of  any  desired  strength  or  fineness ; 
of  being  extended  into  plates  or  sheets;  of  being  bent  in  every  direction;  of  being 
sharpened,  hardened,  and  sofcened  at  pleasure.  Iron  accommodates  itself  to  all  our 
wan:s,  our  desires,  and  even  our  caprices;  it  is  equally  serviceable  to  the  arts,  the  sci- 
ences, to  agriculture  and  war;  the  same  ore  furnishes  the  sword,  the  ploughshare,  the 
scythe,  the  pruning-hook,  the  needle,  the  graver,  the  spring  of  a  watch,  or  of  a  carriage, 
the  chisel,  the  chain,  the  anchor,  the  compass,  the  cannon,  and  the  bomb.  It  is  a  medi- 
cine of  much  virtue,  and  the  only  metal  friendly  to  the  human  frame." — Uee. 

ONG  and  tedious  are  the  processes  through  which  the  crude 
ironstone,  dug  from  the  deposit  beds  of  nature,  must  pass, 
before  the  refractory  mineral  is  fitted  for  the  bulk  of  its  prac- 
tical applications.     It  must  be  roasted,  smelted,  remelted, 
refined,  puddled,  hammered,  squeezed,  and 
rolled,  before  it  attains  the  ductile  condition 
of  even  a  raw  bar ;  and  a  further  nice  pro- 
cess of  steel  conversion   is  necessary  to 
bring  it  to  the  condition  involved  in  the 
manufacture  of  a  vast  variety  of  articles, 
from  a  scythe,  or  pair  of  shears,  to  a  needle. 
The  machinery  and  the  general  process  of 
smelting,  or  the  first  running  of  the  com- 
paratively pure,  but  crude  metal,  from  its  earthy  matrix,  have  been  fre- 
quently discussed  in  these  pages.    Such  information  is  to  be  found  in  the 
several  papers  on  "Budd's  Blast  Furnaces,"  arranged  for  economising  the 
escape  gases  (page  12,  Vol.  II.);   "Calcination  of  the  Ore  by  the  Waste 
Gases  at  the  Coltness  Furnaces,"  by  Mr.  Houldsworth  (page  4,  Vol.  V.); 
and  the  "Arrangement  of  the   Materials  and  the  Application  of  the 
AVaste  Gases  in  Blast  Furnaces,''  by  Mr.  Blackwell  (page  250,  Vol.  5); 
and  several  other  dissertations  of  more  or  less  note.     We  now  go  a  step 
further  in  describing  and  illustrating  the  most  recent  improvements  in 
the  great  secondary  process  of  "refining"  and  "puddling"  the  cast 
metal,  for  the  purpose  of  imparting  to  it  the  important  quality  of  mallea- 
bility, so  that  it  may  be  worked  between  laminating  rollers,  or  under  the 
hammer  of  the  smith,  and  fashioned  by  pressure  and  impact,  into  a  thou- 
sand shapes,  just  as  the  molten  mass  is  primarily  shaped  and  moulded  as 
it  flows  from  the  furnace.     To  accomplish  this,  the  broken  pig  metal,  as 
it  is  fonnd  in  the  rough  open  moulds  of  the  smelter,  is  placed  in  a  sepa- 
rate small  heated  chamber  or  "  refinery,"  where  it  is  slowly  melted  in 
contact  with  coke,  or  charcoal,  and  kept  for  some  time  at  an  elevated 
temperature,  for  the  removal  of  a  portion  of  the  impurities,  prior  to  treat- 
ment in  the  puddling  furnace.    The  metal  so  refined  is  then  run  off  from 
this  chamber  and  allowed  to  cool ;  and  in  thi3  partially  purified  state,  it 
is  placed  in  a  reverberatory  furnace,  where  it  is  softened  and  worked  up 
by  the  puddler  into  lumps,  or  heavy  plastic  masses,  to  be   afterwards 
worked  under  the  steam  hammer,  or  "  shingled"  and  rolled  out  into  bars 
or  plates. 

The  improvements  which  are  now  before  us,  are  those  of  Mr.  Joseph 
Jone3,  of  Bilston,  Stafford,  an  iron  maker  of  considerable  experience. 
They  consist — 1st,  of  the  application  of  a  cooling  current  of  water  to  a 
water-space  chamber,  or  series  of  troughs  encircling  the  heated  mass  in 
the  puddling  furnace,  so  that  the  material  of  which  the  furnace  is  com- 
posed, is  kept  cool,  and  comparatively  uninjured  during  the  puddling 
and  working  operation. 

2d,  The  combination  of  the  refinery  with  the  puddling  furnace  by 
pipes  or  ducts  passing  between  the  two,  so  that  the  refined  metal  may 
flow  directly  from  the  refining  chamber  on  to  the  puddling  hearth,  dis- 
pensing with  all  the  ordinary  labour,  waste  of  material,  and  loss  of  time 
in  the  removal. 

3d,  The  connecting  the  refinery  furnace  flue  with  a  chimney  or  stalk, 
No.  &t— VoL  VI. 


for  the  purpose  of  carrying  off  the  heated  air  and  sparks  from  the  refin- 
ery, and  facilitating  the  operations  of  the  workmen. 

4th,  The  carrying  a  flue  from  the  refinery  furnace  into  the  flues  of  a 
steam-boiler,  so  that  the  otherwise  waste  heat  of  the  refinery  may  be 
made  available  for  generating  steam. 

Fig.  1,  on  plate  129,  is  a  longitudinal  elevation  of  two  of  Mr.  Jones' 
puddling  furnaces  combined  together,  and  fitted  up  in  this  way,  nTith 
the  refinery  attached.     Fig.  2  is  a  corresponding  vertical  section  of  the 
same,  and  fig.  3  is  a  horizontal  section  or  plan.     Fig.  1,  on  plate  130,  is 
a  sectional  elevation  of  a  duplex  puddling  furnace,  as  arranged  to  be 
worked  in  connection  with  a  single  refinery,  not  shown  in  the  figure;  and 
fig.  2  is  a  horizontal  section  of  the  same,  showing  the  refinery  ducts  as 
broken  away.     Fig.  3  is  a  sectional  elevation  of  a  refinery  furnace  com- 
bined with  a  steam-boiler,  which  is  built  into  a  flue  communicating  with 
the  discharge  flue  of  the  furnace,  the  refining  heat  thus  serving  for  both 
purposes.    Figs.  4  and  5  are,  respectively,  vertical  and  horizontal  sections 
of  the  water-space  furuace-door ;  and  figs.  6  and  7  are  similar  sections 
of  a  sliding  damper  of  the  like  construction.    The  cooling  water  is  con- 
ducted to  the  furnace  shell  by  the  vertical  pipes,  A,  in  communication  with 
a  cold  water  reservoir,  conveniently  placed  for  the  purpose.     The  water 
enters  in  its  cold  state  into  the  trough,  or  water-space,  B,  at  the  back  of 
the  flue  jamb-plates,  e,  as  well  as  into  the  water-space,  d,  behind  the 
bridge  jamb-phites,  e.     From  the  space,  b,  the  fluid  passes  into  the 
water-space,  f,  between  the  flue  bridge  plates,  thence  into  the  space,  g, 
set  near  the  back  wall  plate  of  the  furnace,  and  it  is  finally  discharged 
into  the  tank,  H,  under  the  bottom  plates  of  the  furnace.     The  water- 
supplied  to  the  space,  d,  passes  to  the  space,  i,  between  the  fire  bridge 
plates,  and  thence  into  the  space,  j,  near  the  back  wall  plates  of  the  fur- 
nace.    After  passing  through  this  course,  the  heated  current  is  finally 
received  as  before,  by  the  bottom  tank,  h.     By  this  contrivance,  the 
whole  of  the  parts  exposed  to  the  intense  heat  of  the  puddling  process, 
are  effectually  kept  cool,  as  the  passing  current  surrounds  every  part  of 
the  containing  shell,  and  carries  off  the  excess  heat  by  a  constant  uniform 
action  before  any  evil  effect  can  arise.     The  refinery  into  which  the  raw 
pig-iron  is  put,  iu  a  broken  state,  for  melting,  is  at  k.    It  is  blown  by 
tuyeres,  l,  on  two  opposite  sides,  in  the  usual  way,  and  as  the  metal  is 
melted  and  refined,  it  is  run  out  direct  into  the  two  puddling  furnaces,  by 
the  inclined  side  pipes,  or  ducts,  m.    In  this  way  the  metal  is  at  once  con- 
veyed to  the  puddling  hearths,  without  the  slightest  additional  trouble. 
The  two  puddling  furnaces  are  of  the  usual  reverberatory  kind,  and  their 
grates,   n,   are   supplied  with   coals   in  the   ordinary  manner,  the  iron 
being  worked  through  a  side  opening  governed  by  a  balanced  sliding 
door,  o.     The  flues  from  both  furnaces  pass  into  the  central  or  inter- 
mediate chimney,  p,  carried  on  cast-iron  framing.    The  entire  furnace  is 
encased  in  massive  iron  plates,  stayed  together  across  the  top  transversely 
by  tension  rods,  and  the  fixed  guide-piece,  Q,  for  the  operating  door  is 
cast  with  side  lugs,  r,  fitting  into  corresponding  recesses  cast  on  the  main 
frame  plates,  a  bolt  being  put  through  from  the  upper  side,  in  each  case, 
to  bind  the  whole  together. 

The  duplex-furnace,  figs.  1  and  2  on  Plate  130,  is  constructed  in  a 
similar  way,  the  only  difference  being,  that  a  furnace  with  a  central 
division  is  placed  at  one  end  of  the  arrangement,  and  the  single  refinery 
at  the  othev,  with  the  chimney  between.  The  cold  water  is  brought 
down  from  above  to  the  cooling  cells,  A,  b,  c,  d,  as  before.  The  water 
from  the  division,  a,  passes  along  and  through  the  division,  e,  and 
thence  to  the  next  one,  p,  forming  a  part  of  the  central  division — finally 
falling  into  the  trough,  G.  On  the  other  side,  the  water  from  the  section, 
b,  flows  into  the  space,  n,  and  thence  into  the  central  one,  i,  from  which 
it  finds  its  way  into  the  tank,  g,  as  before.  Similarly,  the  water  from 
the  division,  d,  passes  through  the  contiguous  spaces,  j  and  F,  to  the 
receiving  tank,  and  that  from  the  space,  c,  escapes  into  the  same  recep- 
tacle when  it  has  traversed  the  two  divisions,  k  and  i.  The  refinery, 
supplies   its   melted   metal  to   the  puddling  furnace  by  the  two   side 


82 


THE  PRACTICAL  MECHANIC'S  JOURNAL. 


ducts,  m,  embracing  the  central  brick-work.  This  forms  a  very  compact 
arrangement. 

The  combination  of  the  refinery  with  an  elevated  main  stalk  is  not 
represented  in  the  plates.  It  consists  simply  in  carrying  up  a  short  flue 
directly  from  the  refining  hearth,  this  flue  terminating  in  the  bottom  of  an 
inclined  flue  branch,  the  other  end  of  which  opens  into  the  side  of  the 
detached  chimney,  to  give  a  strong,  clear  discharge  of  the  products  of 
combustion.  Fig.  3,  on  Plate  130,  represents  a  refinery  of  similar  build, 
with  a  partially  inclined  overhead  flue,  A,  conveying  the  heated  matters 
into  the  flues  surrounding  the  vertical  hemispherically-ended  boiler,  b. 
After  winding  well  round  the  exterior  of  the  lower  part  of  the  boiler, 
the  current  is  directed  through  a  central  flue  in  the  boiler,  and  finally 
off  by  the  bottom  flue,  c,  to  the  chimney.  This  affords  a  very  convenient 
means  of  economizing  the  escape-heat  of  the  refinery,  without  any  addi- 
tional details  of  importance. 

In  the  details,  figs.  4  and  5,  A  is  the  outer  case  of  the  water-space 
furnace  door,  having  two  vertical  ducts  at  its  upper  part  to  convey  the 
cold  water.  The  space,  b,  contains  the  water,  being  furnished  with  two 
spouts,  c,  entering  the  slots  or  duets  in  the  outer  case,  and  thus  a  stream 
of  water  may  be  kept  running  through  the  space,  c,  from  a  pipe  branch- 
ing from  the  pipes  already  referred  to  as  taking  the  water  to  the  furnace- 
spaces.  Such  pipe  is,  of  course,  fitted  with  joints,  so  as  to  allow  of  its 
being  moved  out  of  the  way  when  the  door  is  to  be  shifted,  or  a  flexible 
pipe  may  be  adapted  to  permit  of  this  action.  The  water  enters  at  one 
of  the  spouts,  c,  and  flows  off  by  the  other,  so  as  to  present  a  constantly 
changing  fluid  stratum  to  the  heated  plates.  The  sliding  damper  is 
represented  in  similar  views,  figs.  6  and  7.  Here,  a  is  the  external  shell 
of  the  damper,  and  b  is  the  water  space  in  the  interior.  The  water  is 
introduced  by  the  pipe,  c,  and  carried  away  by  the  opposite  one,  D. 

By  these  arrangements,  a  most  complete  preventive  system  is  put  in 
force  to  secure  every  exposed  part  of  the  furnace  from  liability  to  injury 
from  the  intense  heat  of  the  puddling  process,  and  as  this  very  desirable 
end  is  attained  by  means  of  the  simplest  nature,  the  invention  is  to  be 
regarded  as  a  most  valuable  expedient  for  economizing  the  cost  of  manu- 
facture, and  saving  the  time  which  would  otherwise  be  wasted  iu  effect- 
ing repairs. 

These  improvements  have  been  in  use  at  the  Moukland  Iron  Com- 
pany's Works  in  Scotland  for  the  last  twelve  months,  and  the  great 
economy  and  ease  of  working  which  they  have  introduced,  has  led  to 
eager  inquiries  for  the  new  plans  at  many  other  iron-works. 

THE  LAW  OF  HOLLAND  AND  BELGIUM  AS  TO  PATENTS 
FOR  INVENTIONS. 

Patents  for  inventions  in  Holland  and  Belgium  are  regulated  by  a  law 
promulgated  in  January,  1817,  and  by  another  law  made  in  August, 
1827,  when  both  countries  were  united  under  one  sovereign.  They  still 
remain  in  force  in  the  two  kingdoms,  notwithstanding  their  subsequent 
separation.  The  earlier  law  sets  out  with  declaring  that  patents  are 
not  to  prejudice  other  parties,  and  that  they  shall  be  invalid  when  the 
patented  invention  had  been  previously  in  use  in  the  kingdom.  Patents 
maybe  obtained  for  five,  ten,  or  fifteen  years.  The  government  charges 
are,  respectively,  317  francs,  635  francs,  and  1270  francs.  A  patent 
obtained  for  five  or  ten  years  may  be  prolonged,  sufficient  reason  being 
shown,  to  the  full  term  of  fifteen  years ;  but  as  such  prolongations  are 
not  easily  obtainable,  it  is  better  to  apply  for  a  duration  of  fifteen  years 
at  first. 

A  patent  obtained  for  an  imported  invention  will  expire  with  the 
patent  obtained  in  respect  of  the  same  invention  in  the  foreign  country, 
and  the  invention  must  be  exercised  in  the  kingdom. 

It  secures  to  the  patentee  the  exclusive  right  of  manufacturing  and 
selling  throughout  the  kingdom,  or  of  licensing  others  to  make  and  sell, 
objects  to  which  the  patent  refers.  Also,  the  right  of  proceeding  in  the 
courts  of  law  against  persons  guilty  of  infringing  the  patent. 

Whenever  a  patent  is  demanded,  an  exact  detailed  description  must 
be  deposited,  under  seal,  of  the  object  or  secret  for  which  a  patent  is 
sought,  accompanied  by  the  necessary  plans  and  designs  (in  duplicate), 
samples  or  patterns.  This  description  will  not  be  published  until  after 
the  expiration  of  the  patent. 


A  petitioner,  when  he  lodges  his  petition,  is  required  to  give  an  under 
taking  to  accept  the  patent,  if  granted ;  to  pay  the  dues  within  three 
months;  and  to  submit,  in  the  event  of  not  fulfilling  this  undertaking,  to 
have  the  patent  annulled,  and  the  invention  made  public. 

In  Belgium,  when  the  application  is  in  respect  of  an  imported  inven- 
tion, the  petition  must  declare  whether  the  invention  has  or  has  not  been 
patented  in  a  foreign  country,  giving  the  exact  date  and  duration  of  the 
foreign  patent  (if  there  be  one),  and  the  name  of  the  patentee,  and  pro- 
ducing proof  of  the  accuracy  of  the  statements  made. 

A  patent  will  be  void  (1.)  if  it  appears  that  the  petitioner  has  wilfully 
omitted  to  describe  any  part  of  his  secret,  or  has  given  a  fraudulent  ex- 
planation in  his  specification  :  (2.)  if  it  appears  that  the  subject  of  the 
patent  has  been  described  in  some  printed  and  published  work  :  (3.)  if 
the  patentee  shall  not  put  his  invention  into  practice  within  two  years 
of  the  grant,  unless  there  are  special  reasons,  of  which  the  government 
will  judge :  (4.)  if  the  patentee  should,  after  obtaining  his  patent,  obtain 
a  patent  in  any  other  country:*  (5.)  if  it  appears  that  the  patented 
invention  is  dangerous  in  its  nature  or  application  to  the  security  of 
the  kingdom  or  its  inhabitants.  Should  a  patent  be  pronounced  null 
on  any  of  these  grounds,  so  much  of  the  tax  as  is  proportionate  to  the 
time  which  it  may  have  to  run  will  be  returned. 

Persons  applying  for  patents  must  deliver,  at  the  Secretariat  of  the  pro- 
vincial government,  a  petition  to  the  king,  containing  a  general  statement 
of  his  demand,  his  name  and  domicile,  and  the  term  for  which  he  seeks  a 
patent.  This  will  be  forwarded  to  the  minister  of  the  interior  within 
ten  days  from  the  date  of  the  deposit.  The  petition  is  then  presented  to 
the  king,  with  the  commissary-general's  report.  If  doubt  is  felt  as  to 
the  propriety  of  granting  a  patent,  the  king  may  take  the  opinion  of  the 
Royal  Institution  of  the  Netherlands,  or  of  the  Royal  Academy  of  Sciences 
at  Brussels.  The  patent  contains  a  description  of  the  invention  ;  it  in- 
dicates the  rights  granted  to  patentees,  and  expressly  announces  that 
the  government  in  no  wise  guarantees  the  priority  or  the  merit  of  the 
invention.  When  the  patent  is  in  respect  of  an  invention  already  pa- 
tented in  a  foreign  country,  it  shall  also  state  that  the  government  does 
not  guarantee  the  truth  of  the  petitioner's  assertion  as  to  the  duration  of 
the  foreign  patent;  and  shall  direct  that  the  objects  protected  by  the 
patent  shall  be  made  in  the  country. 

Where  a  patentee  has  invented  an  improvement,  he  may  obtain  a 
patent  of  addition  for  the  term  for  which  the  original  patent  has  to  run, 
or  he  may  apply  for  a  new  patent  in  the  same  manner  as  if  he  were 
applying  for  an  independent  invention. 

Another  person  may  obtain  a  patent  for  improvements  on  an  inven- 
tion already  patented,  but  in  such  a  case  the  second  patentee  shall  have 
no  right  to  use  the  invention  of  the  first  patentee  without  his  permission, 
nor  shall  the  first  patentee  make  use  of  the  patented  improvement  with- 
out the  second  patentee's  license.  But  mere  alterations  in  form  or  pro- 
portion, nor  ornaments,  cannot  be  patented  as  improvements. 

In  Belgium,  the  description  lodged  on  applying  for  a  patent  for  an 
improvement  or  addition,  must  distinctly  indicate  in  what  the  improve- 
ment consists,  and  in  what  the  addition  differs  from  the  original 
invention. 

Government  makes  no  charge  on  patents  of  addition,  where  the  im- 
provement strictly  relates  to  the  patent  previously  taken  ;  but  all  sums 
due  in  respect  of  the  former  patent,  must  be  paid  before  application  is 
made  for  a  patent  of  addition. 

Before  a  patentee  can  transfer  his  patent,  either  wholly  or  in  part,  he 
must  obtain  the  royal  license,  and  the  instrument  of  transfer  must  be 
registered  at  the  Secretariat  of  the  provincial  government.  The  tax  on 
a  transfer  is  about  18  francs.  Persons  succeeding  by  inheritance  to  the 
rights  of  a  patentee  must  likewise  register  their  title. 

On  the  expiration  or  nullification  of  a  patent,  the  commissary-general 
of  instruction  shall  publish  the  patented  invention,  unless  there  are 
reasons  of  a  political  or  commercial  nature  which  induce  him  to  refrain 
from  publishing  it;  in  which  case  he  reports  to  the  king,  who  decides  as 
to  the  publication. 

The  law  directs  that  the  commissary-general  shall  send  the  patent, 
when  signed  by  the  king,  to  the  governor  of  the  province  where  the 
patentee  is  domiciled,  and  that  the  patentee  shall  be  entitled  to  receive 
the  instrument  on  producing  a  receipt  lor  the  tax.  But  of  late  years  the 
patentee  is  required  to  pay  oniy  about  ten  per  cent,  of  the  tax  in  the 
first  instance,  and  he  gives  an  undertaking  to  pay  the  remainder  within 
two  years. 

A  register  of  patents  and  assignments  is  kept  by  the  commissary- 
general,  which  is  open  to  the  inspection  of  all  persons  desirous  of  apply- 
ing for  patents. 


*  This  absurd  regulation  is  got  rid  of  in  practice  by  the  patentee  taking  the  foreign 
patents  in  another  name,  aud  then  having  them  transferred  to  him. 


THE  PRACTICAL  MECHANIC'S  JOURNAL. 


83 


OUTLINES  OF  GEOLOGY. 
VII. 

TERTIARY  EPOCH. 

ORE  and  more,  as  geological  history 
approaches  to  the  present  times,  do 
the  records  increase  in  number, 
■whilst  they  are  written  in  a  language 
less  foreign  to  us.  The  story  they 
tell  is  both  strange  and  perplexing. 
At  the  close  of  the  secondary 
epoch,  the  internal  skeleton  of  the 
earth's  crust  had  been  nearly  com- 
pleted, though  some  of  its  features 
■were  still  wanting,  for  the  principal 
mountain-chains  of  Europe  existed 
not  in  their  present  form.  The 
Alps,  Pyrenees,  Carpathians,  and 
Apennines,  were  all  elevated  to  their 
present  height  during  the  tertiary 
epoch,  though  they  may  have  existed  as  lower  ranges  in  an  antecedent 
epoch.  The  Mediterranean  knew  not  its  present  bounds,  but,  continuous 
with  the  North  Sea,  the  Indian  Ocean,  and  the  Atlantic,  circulated  freely 
among  the  islands  of  which  Europe  and  a  part  of  Asia  then  consisted. 
The  great  desert  of  Africa  lay  beneath  its  waters.  India  was  a  trian- 
gular island,  cut  off  from  the  Himalayas  by  a  wide  channel.  An  inland 
sea  occupied  Central  Asia,  Asia  itself  being  separated  from  the  Scandi- 
navian continent  (of  Sweden,  Norway,  and  part  of  Russia)  by  a  broad 
arm  of  the  Northern  Ocean. 

In  the  New  World,  South  America  was  the  most  below  its  present 
growth.  The  great  Andean  chain,  however,  occupied  the  same  range 
which  it  does  at  present,  though  its  height  was  probably  less.  What 
is  now  Brazil  appeared  as  a  large  island,  to  the  north  of  which  land  had 
begun  to  rise  from  the  sea ;  but  the  Atlantic  and  Pacific  Oceans  com- 
municated with  each  other  by  an  open  channel,  where  the  isthmus  of 
Panama  now  is. 

Looking  only  at  the  British  islands,  the  physical  changes  of  the 
tertiary  epoch  were  not  great.  The  newest  rocks  in  our  island  consist 
of  the  London  and  Hampshire  basins,  and  of  low  lands,  near  the  coast. 
It  is  certain,  however,  that  considerable  changes  of  level  must  have 
occurred  in  some  places,  with  little  or  no  addition  to  the  dry  land :  for 
instance,  in  North  Wales,  where  recent  shells  are  found  at  a  height 
in  one  place  (Moel  Trefaen)  of  1630  feet  above  the  sea.  The  whole 
western  coast  of  Britain  appears  to  have  undergone  a  gradual  elevation 
during  the  tertiary  epoch.  This  elevating  movement  may  be  traced 
from  the  Shetland  isles,  where  it  amounts  to  about  250  feet,  to  the 
south  coast  of  England,  the  maximum  of  elevation  being  that  in  North 
Wales,  from  which,  proceeding  southwards,  it  gradually  declines  to 
about  60  feet.  On  the  eastern  coast  of  the  island  there  is  evidence  of 
slight  depression  having  occurred  in  recent  times.  The  following  table 
shows  the  rocks  of  the  tertiary  epoch  as  they  occur  in  Britain  : — 


British. 


Foreign. 


Recent  Deposits — 
Comprising  raised  beaches,  peat  bogs,  sub-    Similar  appearances  in   Northern  Europe, 
merged   forests,    deposits    in   caverns,        Siberia,  and  America, 
shell  marks. 

Pleistocene,  or  Drift  Period— 

1.  Upoer  gravel  and  sand. 

2.  Till. 

3.  Mammaliferons  crag. 

4.  Fresh  water,  sand,  and  gravel. 


Similar,  or  eqnivalent  beds,  occur  in  various 
parts  of  Northern  Europe  and  America; 
also  in  Sicily,  and  over  large  tracts  in 
South  America. 


Pliocene — 
Red  crag. 


Miocene — 
Coralline  crag. 


Eocene— 

1.  Flnvio-marine  beds. 

2.  Barton  clays. 

3.  Bagshot  and  Bracklesham  sands. 

4.  London  clay  and  Bognor  beds. 

5.  Plastic  and  mottled  clays,  sands, 

shingles. 


Loess  of  the  Rhine. 
Subappenine  beds. 
Brown  coal  (of  Germany). 
Belgian  tertiaries  fcrag). 
Sivalik  beds  of  Northern  India,  supposed  to 
be  contemporaneous. 

Touraine  and  Bordeaux  beds. 
Upper  part  of  Molasse  of  Switzerland. 
Vienna  basin. 

Equivalent  beds  in  Europe,  Asia,  North 
Africa,  and  North  America. 

Paris  basin.  Central  France.  Molasse  of 
Switzerland  (lower  beds).  Belgian  ter- 
tiaries. Various  beds  in  Western  Asia 
and  India,  and  in  North  and  South 
America. 

Nummulitic  beds. 


the  series,  which  is  not  the  case  with  the  upper  divisions.     Moreover,  it 
is  the  only  part  which  is  much  developed  in  England. 

By  the  following  arrangement,  the  equivalent  beds  of  the  London, 
Hampshire,  and  Paris  basins  are  shown  : — 

London.  Hampshire.  Paris. 

Av.  thick,  in  ft. 

Millstones  and  clays, 80 

Upper  freshwater  marls  ] 

and  limestones 

Gypseous  series, J-150 

Av.  thick,  in  ft.  Lower  freshwater  marls  | 


Fluvio-marine  and  fresh- 
water series, 350 

Av.  thick,  in  ft.  Barton  clays 300 

Bagshot  sand, 400    Bracklesham  sands, 700 

London  clay, 350    Bognor  beds, 250 


and  limestones J 

Gres  de  Beauchamp, 50 

Calcaire     grossier,      and 

glaucorie  grossiere, 100 

Sables  inferieurs  (part,).. .100 
,  60 


The  lowest,  or  eocene,  tertiary  is  well  distinguished  from  the  rest  of 


Mottled  clay  and  sand SO    Mottled  clay  and  sand,. .150    Argile  plastique,. 

830  1750  540 

One  of  the  peculiarities  of  these  tertiary  strata,  is  the  alternation  of 
freshwater  and  marine  beds.  In  this  peculiarity  the  English  and 
French  beds  agree.  Moreover,  the  lowest  beds  in  each  agree  in  mineral 
composition.  The  most  interesting  part  of  the  Paris  beds — the  gypseous 
strata — are  absent  from  the  British  series.  They  consist  of  beds  of 
siliceous  limestone  and  white  and  green  marls  and  gypsum,  which 
appear  to  be  chiefly  of  freshwater  origin,  and  are  full  of  organic  remains. 
The  lower  part  of  the  gypsum  beds  abounds  in  the  remains  of  extinct 
quadrupeds. 

Looking  beyond  the  basins  of  Northern  Europe,  there  are  numerous 
beds  belonging  to  the  early  part  of  the  same  epoch,  which  are  very 
interesting.  An  extensive  formation,  distinguished  by  containing  an 
abundance  of  the  genus  Nummulites — shells  supposed  to  have  belonged 
to  the  order  of  foraminiferous  Cephalopoda;  they  resemble  coins,  and 
vary  in  size,  from  that  of  a  crown-piece  to  microscopic  smallness  — has 
been  shown  by  Sir  R.  Murchison  to  belong  in  part  to  the  eocene  tertiary 
period,  though  formerly  placed  in  the  cretaceous  system.  It  has  been 
traced  through  a  great  part  of  Europe  and  Asia,  its  northernmost  ridge 
on  the  north  flank  of  the  Carpathians  being  identifiable  with  its  south- 
ernmost known  limb  in  Cutch,  and  its  western  masses  in  Spain  and 
Morocco  being  similar  to  those  of  the  Bramahpootra.  In  the  Swiss 
Alps,  it  occurs  at  an  elevation  of  10,000  feet.  The  middle  tertiary 
series  is  little  seen  in  Britain.  It  consists  of  calcareous  sands,  lime- 
stones, and  marls,  which  occur  in  thin  beds  on  the  coast  of  Suffolk  and 
Norfolk.  The  part  of  these  deposits,  known  as  coralline  crag,  occupies 
an  area  of  about  twenty  miles  in  length,  and  three  or  four  miles  in 
breadth,  between  the  rivers  Aide  and  Stour. 

The  newer  tertiary  period  is  principally  represented  in  England  by 
the  red  crag  of  Norfolk,  Suffolk,  and  Essex.  It  consists  of  a  thin  bed  of 
ferruginous  gravel,  abounding  in  fossil  remains.  More  recent  than  this 
bed  appear  deposits  which  are  assigned  to  what  is  called  the  drift  period 
— the  pleistocene  tertiary  period  of  some  authors.  This  is  a  very  re- 
markable, but  as  yet  imperfectly  understood,  period  in  the  earth's 
history.  The  following  arrangement  of  the  British  beds  of  this  period 
has  been  made  by  Prof.  E.  Forbes: — 

1.  Glacial  beds. — Sands,  gravels,  and  clay  maris,  often  stratified. 

2.  Till. — Unstratified  clays  and  gravels  with  boulders,  common  in  the 
valley  of  the  Clyde,  and  many  other  parts  of  the  British  islands. 

3.  Mammaliferous  or  Norwich  crag. — Fossiliferous  sands,  shingles,  and 
loam,  partly  of  freshwater  origin. 

4.  Freshwater  beds. — Sands,  marls,  and  gravels. 

The  most  remarkable  circumstance  connected  with  these  beds  is,  the 
indication  they  afford  of  a  great  change  of  temperature  between  the  time 
of  their  accumulation  and  that  of  the  deposit  of  the  lower  tertiary. 
The  fauna  and  flora  of  the  eocene  tertiary  is,  in  its  general  character, 
tropical,  while  the  drift  period  requires  for  its  explanation  the  supposition 
of  icebergs  floating  over  parts  of  what  is  now  the  dry  land  of  Britain. 

The  number  of  localities  in  England  alone  where  drift  beds  occur  is 
very  numerous.  These  consist  generally  of  worn  fragments  of  hard 
rock,  varying  in  size  from  many  cubic  yards  to  the  smallest  pebble. 
Towards  the  base,  these  fragments  are  less  rounded  than  those  of  the 
higher  beds,  and  they  are  associated  with  clay.  The  rocks  on  which 
the  larger  fragments — boulders  or  erratic  blocks — repose,  bear  marks  of 
having  been  scored,  scratched,  or  sometimes  polished,  by  the  attrition  of 
the  masses  which  have  passed  over  them,  the  lines  being  traceable 
sometimes  over  large  tracts.  The  appearance  thus  presented  recalls  the 
striations  made  by  the  motion  of  glaciers  down  some  of  the  valleys  of 
Switzerland.  In  some  cases,  the  drifted  matter  appears  to  have  been 
derived  from  the  rocks  in  the  immediate  neighbourhood.  Thus,  the 
gravel  of  the  neighbourhood  of  London  consists  principally  of  flints  from 
the  chalk. 

But  in  the  middle  and  northeni  parts  of  England,  the  masses  of  rock 


84 


THE  PRACTICAL  MECHANIC'S  JOURNAL. 


consist  principally  of  granite  or  other  crystalline  rock,  which  must  have 
come  from  a  distance,  and  can  frequently  be  traced  to  particular  parts  of 
the  Cumberland  mountains.  Blocks,  many  of  them  of  great  magnitude, 
can  be  traced  from  these  mountains  in  three  directions.  They  proceed 
northward  by  the  vale  of  Eden  to  Carlisle.  They  also  proceed  south- 
ward between  the  western  side  of  the  Pennine  chain  and  the  sea  to  the 
valley  of  the  Trent,  whence  they  continue  to  the  plains  of  Cheshire  and 
Staffordshire,  and  are  found  even  in  large  masses  in  the  vale  of  the 
Severn.  "  The  large  quantity  of  detritus  from  the  Cumbrian  mountains,'1 
says  Mr.  Phillips,  "  which  has  been  drifted  to  the  south  on  the  western 
side  of  the  high  mountain  border  of  Yorkshire  and  Derbyshire,  has  gone 
across  the  drainage  of  the  Lune,  Wyre,  Ribble,  Mersey,  and  Weaver, 
into  and  beyond  the  drainage  of  the  Trent,  the  Dee,  and  the  Severn. 
Not,  in  any  instance,  have  they  overstepped  to  the  east  the  mountain 
barrier  [of  the  Pennine  chain]  ;  but  they  lie  up  against  it  in  enormous 
quantity,  and  in  the  most  inextricable  confusion,  not  to  be  explained  by 
anything  like  the  action  of  the  sea  on  its  coasts,  even  during  the  most 
violent  storms."  But  these  erratic  blocks  have  even  crossed  the  Pennine 
chain.  The  passage  of  this  chain  appears  to  have  been  made  at  Stain- 
moor,  where  the  height  of  the  chain  (14,000  feet  above  the  sea)  is  com- 
paratively low.  Granite  from  three  localities  appears  to  have  passed 
over  this  point,  namely,  from  an  elevation  on  Shap  Fells,  about  1,500  feet 
high,  from  Carrock  Fell,  2,200  feet,  and  from  Kirby  Stephen,  which  is 
only  500  feet  above  the  sea.  Having  crossed  the  Pennine  ridge,  the 
blocks  proceed  through  Yorkshire  over  the  Hambleton  hills,  to  the  foot 
of  the  chalk  hills  and  the  Humber ;  in  some  places,  granite  from  Shap 
Fells  is  even  found  on  the  moors  near  Scarborough,  Flamborough,  and 
places  beyond  the  chalk  range.  Detritus  from  the  Cumbrian  district 
may  also  be  traced  along  the  Tyne  to  near  its  mouth. 

These  curious  facts,  regarding  the  drift  deposits  of  England,  by  no  means 
stand  alone.  A  great  part  of  Northern  Europe  and  North  America  is  strewed 
with  blocks  so  similar  in  character,  as  to  imply  a  similar  history.  The 
European  district  extends  from  the  western  islands  of  Scotland  to  the  flanks 
of  the  Ural  mountains,  and  from  the  mountains  of  Scandinavia  to  Central 
Germany  and  Poland.  In  America,  boulders  have  been  traced  to  a  dis- 
tance of  1,500  miles  from  the  parent  rock,  from  which  they  are  now  sepa- 
rated by  plains,  valleys,  and  mountains.  The  case  of  boulders  on  the 
flanks  of  the  Jura  is  a  striking  case  of  the  phenomenon  under  notice. 
It  appears,  by  comparing  these  boulders  with  the  rocks  of  the  Swiss 
Alps,  that  they  have  been  conveyed  from  various  parts  of  the  chain  quite 
across  the  plain  of  Switzerland,  and  dropped,  as  it  were,  on  the  flanks  of 
the  Jura — those  which  proceeded  from  the  most  northern  part  of  the 
Alpine  range,  resting  on  the  most  northern  part  of  the  Jura  mountains ; 
and  so  in  regular  order.  By  some  authors  it  has  been  conjectured,  that 
glaciers,  such  as  now  exist  in  some  of  the  upper  valleys  of  Switzerland, 
formerly  stretched  as  far  as  the  Jura  chain  ;  but  the  theory  which  has 
obtained  most  adherents  is,  that  the  boulders  in  question  were  masses 
floated  off  in  icebergs  from  the  parent  rock,  and  dropped  when  the  ice- 
bergs had  stranded.  The  same  explanation  is  applied  now  to  all  cases 
of  erratic  rocks.  Beds  of  drift,  consisting  of  sands,  clays,  and  gravel, 
occur  in  Scotland  and  Ireland,  sometimes  having  a  thickness  of  300  feet. 
These  deposits  frequently  occur  at  an  elevation  of  some  hundred  feet 
above  the  level  of  the  sea.  It  remains  to  notice  deposits  later  than  the 
drift.  These,  even  in  the  British  isles,  are  very  heterogeneous,  and  can 
with  difficulty  be  distinguished  from  the  vegetable  soil  which  lies  above, 
and  the  underlying  beds  of  the  older  period.  They  consist  of  raised 
beaches,  peat  bogs,  and  accumulations  at  the  mouths  of  rivers.  In  the 
valley  of  the  Rhine,  in  Russia,  in  North  and  South  America,  and  in  other 
parts  of  the  world,  deposits,  probably  of  the  recent  period,  are  abundant, 
and  sometimes  occupy  extensive  areas. 

ORGANIC    REMAINS    OF    THE    TERTIARY    EPOCH. 

Of  the  conclusions  arrived  at  by  an  examination  of  the  fossil  remains 
of  the  tertiary  epoch,  the  most  remarkable  is  that  of  a  change  from  a 
tropical  to  an  arctic  climate,  having  occurred  between  the  eocene  and 
later  periods.  We  shall  mention  some  of  the  facts  which  lead  to  this 
inference.  Sixteen  species  (extinct)  of  Mammalia  have  been  found  fossil 
in  British  eocene  strata,  (see  Johnston's  Physical  Atlas.)  These  belong 
to  twelve  genera,  nearly  all  extinct — a  macacus  (monkey),  a  didelphis 
marsupial  animal,  a  large  serpent,  and  numerous  species  of  tusks,  occur 
among  these  fossils.  The  remains  of  Mammalia  belong  chiefly  to  the 
order  Pachydermata,  the  representatives  of  which  are  now  only  found  in 
much  warmer  regions  of  the  world.  In  the  lowest  beds  of  the  Paris  basin, 
the  evidence  in  favour  of  a  warm  temperature  is  even  stronger  than  in 
England.  With  members  of  the  orders,  Pachydermata,  Carnivora,  Marsu- 
pialia,  and  Rodentia,  occur  remains  of  tortoises,  and  crocodiles,  and 
gigantic  serpents.  Among  the  remains  of  fish,  there  occur  many  mem- 
bers of  existing  genera;  but  three  extinct  genera  appear  belonging  to 
a  family  now  almost  confined  to  the  southern  seas,  one  genus  of  a  family 


only  found  recently  between  the  tropics,  and  five  genera  of  a  family 
which  is  almost  confined  to  the  Mediterranean.  The  same  inference  is 
suggested  by  the  forms  of  molluscous  animals. 

In  regard  to  the  flora  of  this  period,  "  the  researches  of  Mr.  Bower- 
bank  in  the  London  clay,"  says  Professor  E.  Forbes,  (Johnston's  Physi- 
cal Atlas,)  "  have  made  known  a  vast  number  of  vegetable  remains,  and 
have  given  us  as  complete  an  idea  of  the  vegetation  of  our  area,  during 
the  eocene  period,  as  we  have  of  its  carboniferous  flora.  Our  eocene 
flora  appears  to  have  been  comparable  with  that  now  existing  in  tropical 
regions  of  the  East.  Remains  of  palms,  leguminous  plants,  and  cypress- 
like conifera,  especially  characterise  it."  The  following  catalogue  of 
all  the  British  eocene  fossils  yet  known  is — according  to  a  recent  cata- 
logue— ■ 


Crustacea, 4 

Cirrhopoda, 3 

Annelida, 11 

Foraminifcra, 8 

Echinodermata, 5 

Zoophytes 4 

Plants, 100 


Mammalia 14 

Birds 1 

Reptiles, 14 

lishes 97 

Gasteropoda  and  Cepha- 
lopoda,   267 

Conchif'era  and  Brachio- 
poda, 235 

It  appears,  then,  that  the  high  temperature  which  existed  in  England 
during  the  carboniferous  epoch,  continued  to  as  late  a  period  as  the  com- 
mencement of  the  tertiary  epoch.  Now,  the  organic  remains  of  the 
miocene  and  pliocene  periods  are  of  a  mixed  character,  indicating  an 
approximation  to  that  cold  temperature,  which  must  have  prevailed  in 
the  more  recent  pleistocene  epoch.  Thus,  of  the  340  species  of  Mol- 
lusca  which  occur  in  the  coralline  crag  of  the  miocene  period,  73  are 
recent  British  species.  "  The  general  character  of  the  fauna  of  this 
epoch,"  says  Professor  E.  Forbes,  (Physical  Atlas)  "  is  Lusitanian. 
Zoophytes  abound,  including  many  southern  genera."  In  the  pliocene 
beds  of  Britain,  260  species  of  Testacea  have  been  discovered,  of  which  60 
are  recent  British  species.  Between  the  eocene  and  the  pleistocene 
period?,  appear  to  have  lived  many  peculiar  quadrupeds,  and  some  of 
gigantic  size.  Such  was  the  dinotherium,  the  largest  terrestrial  mammal 
of  which  any  record  has  remained.  The  remains  of  this  animal  occur 
most  abundantly  at  Epplesheim,  in  Hesse  Darmstadt,  but  are  found 
in  other  parts  of  Europe.  This  animal  must  have  resembled  the  tapir, 
but  in  size  it  greatly  exceeded  it.  It  possessed  two  enormous  tusks  in 
the  lower  jaw,  curved  downwards,  like  thosein  the  upper  jawof  the  walrus. 

The  remarkable  deposits,  forming  part  of  the  Sewalik  bills,  between 
the  Himalayas  and  the  upper  part  of  the  Ganges,  belong  to  this  period. 
Remarkably  perfect  and  abundant  fossils  of  Pachydermata,  Carnivora, 
Ruminantia,  and  Quadrumana,  and  remains  of  crocodiles  and  tortoises, 
different  from  those  now  inhabiting  those  regions,  have  been  discovered, 
along  with  others,  identical  with  species  now  existing  in  the  country. 
Finally,  we  appear  to  reach  a  maximum  of  cold.  The  fossils  found  in 
the  British  marine  pleistocene  are  chiefly  remains  of  Molluscs.  They 
are  all  either  living  British  species,  now  chiefly  found  within  the  Celtic 
region ;  or  such  as,  though  still  living  within  our  seas,  are  only  abundant 
in  the  boreal  region  ;  or  such  as  are  extinct  in  our  seas,  but  still  survive 
in  the  arctic  regions,  or  on  the  coasts  of  boreal  America.  A  few  southern 
forms,  which  do  not  now  range  to  our  seas,  accompany  them.  The  fauna 
of  the  glacial  beds,  including  the  mammaliferous  crag,  consists  of  above 
170  species  of  marine  animals,  chiefly  Mollusca."  The  quadrupeds  of 
this  period  appear  to  have  been  numerous.  Many  of  them  belong  to  the 
order  Pachydermata,  which  is  contrary  to  what  might  have  been  ex- 
pected. The  bones  of  these  animals  occur  plentifully  in  the  drift  gravel 
of  England,  Scotland,  and  Ireland.  They  have  also  been  found  in  caverns, 
which,  most  probably,  were  the  haunts  of  some  of  their  number  when 
alive.  One  of  the  most  remarkable  discoveries  of  this  kind  was  in  Kirk- 
dale  Cave,  Yorkshire.     The  following  bones  have  been  enumerated: — 

Carnivora. — Hyaena,  felis,  bear,  wolf,  fox,  weasel. 

Pachydermata. — Elephant,  rhinoceros,  hippopotamus,  horse. 

Ruminantia. — Ox ;  three  species  of  cervus. 

Rodentia. — Hare,  rabbit,  water-rat,  mouse. 

Birds. — Raven,  pigeon,  lark,  duck,  snipe. 

Hyaenas'  teeth  and  bones  were  found  in  great  abundance,  and  their 
excrement  also  occurred.  Some  of  the  bones,  too,  bore  the  marks  of 
hyaenas'  teeth — so  that  the  cave  is  concluded  to  have  been  a  den  of 
hyaenas. 

The  following  is  the  table  of  species  of  British  fossil  Mammalia  of  the 
pleistocene  and  recent  periods  together,  according  to  Professor  Owen. 
(See  Physical  Atlas:) — 

Cheiroptera, 2  Pachydermata, 8 

Insectivora, 3  Ruminantia,  11 

Carnivora, 12  Cetacea, 5 

Rodentia, 10 


THE  PRACTICAL  MECHANIC'S  JOURNAL. 


85 


One  of  the  most  remarkable  animals  of  the  latter  part  of  the  tertiary- 
epoch  was  the  elephas  primigeneus,  or  mammoth,  remains  of  which  are 
found  in  Europe  (England  and  elsewhere),  Asia,  and  America,  but  espe- 
cially in  Siberia,  where  it  has  been  found  entombed  in  ice,  so  as  to  pre- 
serve its  fleshy  parts  almost  entire.  The  occurrence  of  remains  of  ele- 
phants in  so  great  abundance  in  high  latitudes,  while  at  present  they 
are  nearly  confined  to  the  tropics,  is  a  curious  discovery,  and  is  not  yet 
thoroughly  explained.  The  mastodon,  also,  of  an  elephantine  type, 
occurs  in  northern  Europe,  among  the  remains  of  this  period,  although 
it  is  more  frequently  found  in  North  America..  As  a  general  rule,  the 
same  differences  occur  between  the  fossil  tertiary  remains  of  the  two  con- 
tinents of  America  and  Europe,  which  exist  between  their  living  repre- 
sentatives. Thus,  to  the  mammoth  elephant  of  Europe  and  northern 
Asia,  corresponds  the  megatherium  in  America.  Of  this  animal,  which 
exceeded  in  bulk  the  largest  rhin  ceros,  Dr.  Buckland  says — "  With  the 
head  and  shoulders  of  a  sloth,  it  combined  in  its  legs  and  feet  an  admix- 
ture of  the  characters  of  the  ant-eater,  the  armadillo,  and  the  chlamy- 
phoras."     It  probably  was  coated  with  armour,  like  the  armadillo. 

In  regard  to  the  flora  of  the  tertiary  period,  the  tropical  character  of 
the  eocene  vegetation  has  already  been  adverted  to.  "  We  have  few 
data,"  says  Professor  E.  Forbes  (Physical  Atlas),  "  to  judge  of  the  Brit- 
ish miocene  flora  ;  but  we  have  every  reason  to  believe,  that  during  the 
pliocene  epoch  it  resembled  that  now  found  in  the  south  of  Europe,  and 
that  during  the  pleistocene  it  was  composed  of  arctic  and  antarctic  spe- 
cies, such  as  now  live  in  the  most  northern  districts  of  Europe,  and  a 
few  of  which  still  remain  with  us,  surviving  on  the  summits  of  the  Scot- 
tish and  Welsh  mountains,  which  once  were  islands  in  the  ice-bound 
pleistocene  ocean."  On  the  whole,  therefore,  the  fossil  fauna  and  flora 
of  the  latest  tertiary  support  the  view,  entertained  on  other  grounds, 


that  Great  Britain  was  for  a  time,  shortly  preceding  the  historic  period, 
surrounded  or  covered  by  an  arctic  sea,  although  the  prevalence,  about 
that  time,  of  forms  of  quadrupeds,  now  restricted  to  warm  parts  of  the 
earth,  remains  for  more  complete  explanation. 

As  we  advance  from  the  glacial  period  of  our  country,  and  approach 
the  confines  of  history,  a  peculiar  interest  is  given  to  geological  research, 
by  the  expectation  of  discovering  human  remains  among  the  fossil  bodies ; 
and  such  hopes  have  not  been  entirely  disappointed,  though  the  precise 
period  to  which  the  human  remains  yet  discovered  belong  is  not  clearly 
made  out.  They  occur  in  northern  Europe  in  bone  caverns,  along  with  the 
remains  of  animals  now  extinct.  In  Brazil,  the  remains  of  a  race  of  human 
beings,  unlike  the  present  tribe,  have  been  discovered ;  and  in  the  island  of 
Guadeloupe,  a  human  skeleton  has  been  found  in  some  recent  limestone 
rock.  As  to  the  bone  forming  part  of  a  human  pelvis,  which  was  found 
associated  with  the  remains  of  extinct  quadrupeds  in  the  mammoth  ravine, 
near  Natchez,  Lyell  could  not  meet  with  any  evidence  as  to  its  position  in 
the  cliff.  He  believes  it  waspicked  up  in  the  bed  of  the  stream,  which  would 
simply  imply,  that  it  had  been  washed  out  of  the  cliffs.  If  found  in  situ  at 
the  base  of  the  precipice,  its  age  would  probably  exceed  100,000  years.  It 
may,  however,  have  been  dislodged  from  some  old  Indian  grave,  near  the 
top — in  which  case,  it  may  only  have  been  5,  10,  or  20  centuries  old. 

Professor  Sedgwick  forcibly  depicts  the  obscurity  of  the  period  of  the 
earth's  history,  immediately  preceding  the  historical  era,  by  saying,  that 
at  this  place  "  a  leaf  has  been  torn  out  from  nature's  record."  That  the 
lost  leaves  will  be  partly  recovered,  when  changes  in  the  earth's  crust 
shall  bring  to  the  surface  records  now  buried  beneath  the  ocean,  can 
hardly  be  doubted.  Whatever  gaps  may  then  remain,  will  probablynot 
appear  greater,  when  seen  from  a  distance,  than  those  which  separate 
anterior  epochs  in  the  geological  history  of  the  globe. 


LORD  BERRIEDALE'S  CONTINUOUS  ACTION-LOOM  FOR  NARROW  FABRICS. 

Fig.  1.  Fig.  2. 


This  loom,  invented  and  patented  by  Lord  Berriedale,  is  intended  for 
manufacturing  narrow  goods  of  all  kinds,  such  as  tapes,  ribbons,  and 
other  goods,  where  each  loom  contains  an  extended  series  of  shuttles  or 
weft-conductors,  working  in  a  continuous  line,  and  all,  or  most  of  them, 
in  action  at  once,  upon  its  separate  line  of  fabric.  In  weaving  such 
fabrics  in  the  ordinary  manner,  the  whole  set  of  shuttles  must  always  be 
stopped  whenever  the  weft  thread  of  any  single  one  breaks,  or  whenever 
it  is  necessary,  from  any  cause,  that  one  or  more  shuttles  should  be 
stopped  or  removed.  Now,  in  Lord  Berriedale's  loom,  the  shuttles  are 
so  arranged,  that  any  one  of  them  may  be  stopped  and  taken  out,  with- 
out disturbing  the  rest,  or  stopping  the  loom.  This  is  accomplished  by 
adapting  a  species  of  detached  duplex  race  for  each  individual  shuttle, 
one  above  the  other,  the  upper  one  only  being  actually  used  for  the 
traverse  of  that  particular  shuttle  therein,  whilst  the  lower  one  is  con- 
trived for  the  periodical  entry  therein  of  the  next  shuttle  on  each  side  of 
the  particular  one  which  is  stopped.  So  long  as  the  whole  of  the  shuttles 
are  in  regular  work  with  unbroken  threads,  the  series  works  just  as  in 
the  ordinary  way;  that  is,  the  whole  line  traverses  a  certain  distance 
across  the  line  of  goods — the  first  shuttle  filling  up  the  place  left  by  the 
second,  and  the  second  that  of  the  third,  and  so  on  throughout  the  series. 
Bal  when  any  given  shuttle  is  to  be  stopped  and  removed,  the  particular 
race  or  guide  of  that  shuttle  is  made  to  ascend  by  a  spring  detent  action, 
BO  that  the  intended  shuttle  shall  be  carried  up  out  of  the  line ;  whilst 
the  snrne  movement  obviously  carries  up  the  lower  or  duplicate  race  into 
the  line  of  shuttles  to  afford  a  place  for  the  reception  of  the  contiguous 
shuttle  on  each  side  of  the  one  removed,  as  they  alternately  come  across 
from  each  side.  The  whole  of  the  other  shuttles  still  continue  to  weave, 
whilst  the  elevated  or  disarranged  shuttle  maybe  removed  by  the  attend- 
ant, and  reinserted  in  its  race  when  again  ready  for  work.     When  so 


inserted,  the  duplex  race  is  made  to  descend,  and  the  removed  shuttle  is 
thus  brought  back  to  its  line  of  action.  It  is  obvious  that  the  weaver 
must  watch  an  opportunity  both  at  the  removal  and  return  of  the  shuttle, 
so  that  the  loom's  action  may  not  be  interfered  with  in  any  way. 

The  annexed  engravings  illustrate  the  shuttle  action  under  different 
circumstances.  Fig.  1  is  a  front  view  of  a  portion  of  a  loom  lathe,  as  broken 
away  at  each  end,  showing  the  duplex  races  down,  as  they  are  whilst  all 
is  going  right  in  the  weaving.  Fig.  2  is  a  similar  detail,  with  one  of  the 
races  carried  up  for  the  removal  of  a  shuttle,  a  is  the  lathe,  carrying 
the  series  of  narrow  reeds,  b,  one  for  each  line  of  the  fabric ;  and  at  c  D 
are  the  intermediate  duplex  shuttle  races,  capable  of  a  short  vertical 
movement  on  guide  spindles  on  the  lathe  behind.  Each  race  is  suspended 
from  the  upper  bar  of  the  lathe  by  an  elastic  band,  e,  whilst  at  the  bottom 
side  it  has  a  spring  detent,  f,  to  catch  and  hold  it  down  when  made  to 
descend  to  the  position  shown  in  fig.  1.  The  shuttles  are  at  g,  working 
along  the  upper  line  of  the  duplex  races,  the  whole  set  being  thrown  at 
once,  so  that  each  gives  way  to  its  neighbour,  as  they  all  simultaneously 
pass  from  one  race  into  the  next.  When  a  weft  thread  breaks,  the  weaver 
presses  forward  a  small  spring-stop  in  the  loom  frame,  and  at  the  next 
forward  stroke  of  the  lathe,  this  stop  strikes  the  detent,  f,  and  liberates 
that  particular  race.  The  spring,  e,  now  at  once  carries  up  the  duplex 
race  to  the  position  of  the  one  marked  H,  in  fig.  2,  and  the  defective 
shuttle  is  thus  carried  clear  of  the  working  line,  and  may  be  slipped  out 
at  the  end  of  its  race  for  renewal ;  whilst,  at  the  same  time,  the  lower  line 
of  the  race,  D,  takes  the  place  just  left  by  the  upper  one,  and  affords  room 
for  the  other  shuttles  as  before.  This  invention  is  now  in  active  opera- 
tion on  a  great  many  looms  in  the  works  of  Messrs.  James  Chadwick 
and  Brother,  Eagley,  and  Messrs.  I.  &  N.  Philips  &  Co.,  Tean  Hall. 

The  increase  of  production  by  this  loom  is  full  7J  per  cent. 


80 


THE  PRACTICAL  MECHANIC'S  JOURNAL. 


GILLESPIE'S  INCLINOMETER  OR  LEVEL. 
The  "  Inclinometer"  is  a  simple  contrivance,  originally  devised  by 
W.  Gillespie,  Esq.  of  Torbanehill,  Linlithgowshire,  for  the  purpose  of 
facilitating  the  formation  of  a  drain  to  carry  off  the  water  from  the  foun- 
dations of  his  house.  The  circumstances  of  the  case  demanded  especial 
exactness  and  uniformity  of  slope,  and  the  quantity  of  water  to  be 
removed  was  very  considerable ;  for  on  going  down  2  J  feet,  it  was  found 
that  the  house  was  actually  standing  on  a  hydrostatic  bed.  This  accu- 
mulation of  moisture  was  to  be  discharged  by  a  drain,  sunk  direct  5J 
feet  at  the  very  door-step.  Commencing  at  such  a  depth,  it  was,  of 
course,  essential  to  guide  the  slope  with  accuracy,  so  as  to  preserve  the 
outfall  at  the  other  extremity;  and  it  was  evident  that  any  misdirection 
might  endanger  the  house  by  causing  the  unpleasant  result  of  back- 
water. During  the  progress  of  the  work,  Mr.  Gillespie  being  dissatisfied 
with  its  appearance,  conceived  the  idea  of  the  apparatus  which  we  now 
engrave,  and  the  working  model  of  impromptu  construction,  at  once  set 
the  matter  right.  The  instrument,  which  is  made  by  Messrs.  Young, 
Peddie,  &  Co.,  of  Edinburgh,  and  is  now  in  established  use,  is  nothing 
more  than  a  parallelogram  of  timber  and  a  plummet,  in  combination. 
Our  sketch  shows  it  as  pointing  out  the  slope  of  a  line  of  drain  pipes. 
From  the  nature  of  the  parallelogram,  A,  b,  u,  d,  it  is  obvious  that  the  top, 
A,  d,  must  be  parallel  with  the  base,  b,  c;  and  to  show  the  deviation  of 
the  upper  of  these  coinciding  slopes  from  the  level,  the  instrument  is 


provided  with  the  means  of  determining  what  the  true  level  is.  It  has 
a  duplicate  top,  a  e,  hinged  to  the  angle,  a.  The  other  extremity  of  this 
duplicate  top  being  a  little  protracted,  is  formed  into  the  well-known 
T  square  by  insertion  through  a  slit  (in  which  a  slight  range  is  given  to 
accommodate  the  working  of  the  implement)  of  a  depending  limb,  e  f,  at 
right  angles  to  a  e.  f.  p  is  graduated  downwards  for  several  inches  in 
sixteenths  of  an  inch.  The  face  of  the  depending  limb  is  likewise 
grooved  for  the  reception  of  a  plummet,  gh,  or  pendulum  of  wire  playing 
upon  its  graduated  front.  A  quadrant,  k,  moved  by  turning  the  ratchet- 
pin,  l,  is  employed  to  elevate  or  depress  the  duplicate  top  spar,  a  e,  until 
the  plummet  rests  from  its  oscillations,  in  exact  accordance  with  a  ver- 
tical line  drawn  down  the  face  of  the  T  square.  This  shows  the  top 
spar,  a  e,  to  have  been  adjusted  to  the  proper  level.  On  the  other  side 
of  the  implement,  behind  the  ratchet  pin,  will  be  found  an  inverted  pinch 
or  pressing  screw,  by  turning  which  backwards,  the  implement  is  set, 
and  the  square  top  fixed  on  the  horizontal  or  true  level. 

The  limb,  a  e,  being  now  upon  the  level,  whilst  the  limb,  A  d,  still 
continues  to  indicate  the  slope,  the  difference  intervening  betwixt  the 
level  and  the  slope  is  necessarily  denoted  on  the  graduated  scale,  which 
being  fixed  upon  the  inner  edge  of  the  plummet  style,  measures  the 
exact  rate  of  slope  to  which  the  instrument  is  applied,  u  is  a  slight 
telescope  for  extending  the  range  of  the  level.     By  means  of  it,  the  out- 


fall or  depth  of  slope  can  be  determined  throughout  any  distance  within 
the  scope  of  vision,  and  the  heights  of  objects  may  be  measured  where 
their  distances  can  be  ascertained,  mn  is  an  extra  base  bar,  protracting 
the  slope,  and  giving  the  rate  of  it  with  greater  certainty  of  precision. 

The  practical  drainer,  or  road-maker,  will  require  no  further  explana- 
tion from  us,  to  see  how  intimately  this  contrivance  bears  upon  their 
respective  employments. 

FEARN'S  IMPROVEMENTS  IN  ORNAMENTING  METALLIC 
SURFACES. 
(Illustrated  by  Plate  131.) 
Under  the  title  of  "  Improvements  in  Ornamenting  Metallic  Surfaces, 
and  in   the   Machinery  and  Apparatus  to  be   employed  therein,"  Mr. 
Thomas   Fearn,  the  electro-metallurgist  of  Birmingham,  has  recently 
patented  a  series  of  valuable  arrangements  for  producing  pressed,  en- 
graved, or  embossed  designs  on  metallic  surfaces,  such  as  tubes,  rods,  or 
strips,  and  other  details  by  mechanical  means.     The  peculiar  apparatus 
which  he  employs  is  fully  delineated  in  our  Plate  131,  where  fig.  1  is  a 
plan  of  the  machine ;  fig.  2,  a  side  elevation  corresponding ;  fig.  3,  a 
horizontal  section ;  fig.  4,  a  vertical  section  ;  fig.  5,  a  plan  of  the  under- 
side of  the  drum  or  box ;  fig.  6,  a  section  of  the  same  part ;  fig.  7,  a  plan 
of  the  plate  carrying  the  bearings  for  the  rollers;  fig.  8,  an  elevation  cor- 
responding ;  figs.  9  and  10,  views  of  the  rollers  and  their  bearing  blocks 
as  arranged  to  produce  spiral  devices;  and  fig.  11,  the 
same  when  intended  for  patterns  running  in  a  direct 
line. 

The  outer  casing  of  this  machine,  which  is  intended  to 
apply  to  metal  tubes  and  rods,  consists  of  a  cylindrical 
box  or  drum,  as  delineated  in  figs.  1  and  2,  having  an 
aperture,  f,  through  the  centre.  Inside  this  box,  is 
fixed,  by  means  of  screw  pins  passing  through  the  whole, 
a  plate  of  brass  of  the  form  shown  at  figs.  7  and  8,  and 
at  b,  figs.  3  and  4.  The  thickness  of  this  latter  plate 
is  equal  to  the  inside  depth  of  the  casing,  and  it  also 
has  an  aperture  through  the  centre,  corresponding  ex- 
actly with  that  in  the  outer  casing;  and  on  its  upper 
side,  any  desired  number  of  grooves,  c,  figs.  7  and  8,  are 
cut  to  a  depth  of  about  two-thirds  of  its  thickness,  and 
radiating  from  the  centre  to  the  circumference.  Into 
these  grooves  are  fitted  the  short  steel  bars,  or  bearing 
blocks,  shown  in  fig.  11,  in  which  are  hung  small  wheels, 
H.  secured  by,  and  revolving  upon,  pins  bearing  in  the 
sides  of  the  blocks.  On  the  peripheries  of  these  wheels, 
suitable  patterns  are  either  cut  in  relief  or  engraved, 
according  to  the  design  required  to  be  produced  on  the 
tube  or  rod.  These  bars,  or  bearing  blocks,  with  the 
wheels  hung  within,  are  then  laid  in  the  grooves,  c,  fig. 
7,  the  wheels  towards  the  centre  of  the  machine,  and 
the  cover  of  the  outer  casing  screwed  on  by  the  screw 
pins,  a,  fig.  1.  If  a  tube  is  to  be  operated  on,  a  rod  of 
steel  tapered  at  one  end,  is  inserted  into  the  tube,  and 
acts  as  a  mandrel.  One  end  of  the  tube  is  then  also 
slightly  tapered,  and  placed  in  the  aperture  in  the  centre 
of  the  machine,  f,  fig.  1,  where  it  is  received  between 
the  converging  rollers,  which  are  then  driven  home  to 
the  tube  by  means  of  the  screws,  d,  passing  through  the  rim  of  the  box, 
and  bearing  in  the  opposite  ends  of  the  blocks  carrying  the  rollers.  By 
these  screws  the  pressure  is  regulated,  and,  consequently,  the  depth  of 
the  impression  required  in  the  tube  is  modulated.  The  pins,  e,  are  now 
screwed  down  on  the  bars  to  keep  them  steady. 

The  machine  is  afterwards  taken  to  a  common  draw-bench,  and  the 
tube  is  drawn  through.  This  action  causes  the  rollers  to  rotate,  im- 
pressing on  the  surface  of  the  tube  the  design  that  may  be  cut  or 
engraved  on  their  peripheries.  The  tube,  on  leaving  this  machine, 
presents  a  wrinkled  appearance,  and  to  remove  this,  it  is  passed  through 
an  ordinary  draw-plate,  which  smoothes  the  surface,  and  at  the  same 
time  sharpens  the  impression.  When  it  is  required  to  produce  a  pattern 
running  spirally  round  the  tube,  the  patentee  slits  the  bars  of  steel 
which  bear  the  engraving  rollers,  at  such  an  angle,  that  the  wheels  must 
rotate  in  a  slanting  direction,  as  shown  in  figs.  9  and  10.  Thus  the  de- 
sign is  carried  spirally  round  the  tube.  This  inclination  of  the  wheels 
gives  a  rotatory  motion  to  the  machine,  and  therefore,  whilst  thus  operat- 
ing, it  is  necessary  to  fix  it  on  a  metal  disc,  which  is  fitted  on  to  a  second 
disc,  having  a  projecting  collar,  round  which  it  rotates  whilst  the  tube  is 
being  drawn  through. 

These  are  the  operations  requisite  for  engraving,  pressing,  or  em- 
bossing designs  on  any  kind  of  metal  tubes,  and  it  is  evident  that 


■it,131. 


BO ITMILD©  ®Mi\B0iIMlJW3©}L 


Fig.  ]. 


T.FEARN.     PATENTEE, 
BIRMINGHAM. 


Vol.  VI 


- 


" 


unveil  bv  ,1  1',-iitmlm     Paris 


THE  PRACTICAL  MECHANIC'S  JOURNAL. 


87 


the  same  process  will  answer  equally  well  for  metal  rods,  the  mandrel 
in  that  case  heing  of  course  dispensed  with.  For  the  purpose  of  pro- 
ducing the  same  ornamentation  on  strips  of  metal,  Mr.  Fearn  employs 
a  somewhat  differently  constructed  machine,  though  acting  on  the  same 
principle.  Between  two  standards,  or  holsters,  is  hung  a  long  plain  roller, 
parallel  to  which,  a  series  of  the  bars  or  blocks,  with  their  rollers  attached, 
are  hung  in  a  trough,  or  hollow.  The  distance  of  these  engraving  rollers 
from  the  plain  roller,  is  regulated  by  screw  pins  at  the  heads  of  the  blocks, 
as  in  the  machine  shown  in  our  plate  ;  and  their  relative  distances  are 
governed  by  regulating  screws  acting  on  their  sides,  so  that  having  im- 
pressed one  series  of  designs  by  drawing  a  strip  between  the  plain  roller 
and  the  engraving  rollers — the  strip  being  kept  in  position  by  small 
grooved  wheels  at  the  sides — the  operator  can  alter  the  position  of  the 
engraving  rollers,  and  passing  the  strip  through  again,  he  can  produce 
another  series  of  designs  between  those  already  engraved.  This  may  be 
repeated  as  often  as  may  be  desired,  and  hence  a  most  extensive  series 
of  designs  may  be  produced  by  a  proper  system  of  management. 


GAILLARD  &  DUBOIS'  "GAZOGENE," 
WATER  APPARATUS. 


OR  AERATED 


We  now  present  another  novelty  in  aerated  water  apparatus,  just  in- 
troduced by  Messrs.  Gaillard  &  Dubois,  of  Paris.  The  main  features  of 
this  arrangement  consist  in  the  employment  of  three  distinct  chambers, 
or  receptacles,  one  being  for  the  water  to  be  aerated,  a  second  to  contain 
the  effervescing  powders,  and  a  third  to  retain  a  small  quantity  of  pure 
water,  which,  after  the  apparatus  is  closed,  is  allowed  to  fall  upon  the 
powders,  thereby  causing  the  evolution  of  the  carbonic  acid  gas.     Fig.  1 

represents  one  mo- 
Fig-  1-  dification  of  this 
ingenious  appara- 
tus. The  water,  or 
other  liquid  to  be 
aerated,  is  contain- 
ed in  a  glass  bottle, 

a,  of  elegant  shape, 
and  formed  with 
a  wide  cylindrical 
neck,  to  which  a 
metal  collar  piece, 

b,  is  cemented. 
This  collar  is  bored 
out  to  receive  the 
long  cylindrical 
glass  vessel,  c,  like 
a  chemical  test- 
tube  in  shape,  sup- 
ported by  a  metal 
collar,  cemented  to 
its  upper  open  end, 
and  fitting  into  a 
recess  in  the  collar, 
b.  Above  this,  the 
collar,  n,  is  bored 
out  conically,  to 
receive  a  conical 
lid,  d,  which  is 
screwed  down  by 
the  cap -piece,  e, 
the  joint  beingren- 

dered  hermetic  by  the  introduction  of  a  ring  of  leather  or  caoutchouc 
between  the  conical  surfaces.  The  lid,  o,  has  a  central  opening,  into 
which  is  cemented  the  small  glass  vessel,  f,  resembling  a  hollow 
stopper  from  it3  shape  and  position.  It  is  fitted  with  a  conical  plug, 
the  spindle.  <;,  of  which  passes  through  a  small  stuffing-box  at  the  top. 
and  has  a  button  attached  outside.  The  stuffing  employed  is  a  disc  or 
washer  of  leather  or  caoutchouc,  which  is  compressed  by  the  screw-cap, 
h.  Into  one  side  of  the  collar,  b,  is  screwed  a  species  of  siphon  cock, 
I,  consisting  of  a  plug-valve,  opened  by  the  pressure  of  the  finger  on 
the  external  button,  .j,  and  closed  by  the  action  of  a  helical  spring.  The 
passage  of  this  valve  communicates  with  a  tube,  k,  of  small  bore,  reach- 
ing nearly  to  the  bottom  of  the  vessel,  a.  On  the  opposite  side  is 
another  similar  tube,  i.,  descending  to  a  like  depth,  and  terminating 
above  in  a  small  rose,  .ind  in  communication  with  the  vessel,  c,  in  which 
the  gas  is  evolve'!.  The  manner  of  proceeding  in  using  this  apparatus 
is  as  follows.  The  cap,  e,  is  unscrewed,  and  the  three  vessels  are  sepa- 
rated, when  the  largest,  a,  is  filled  to  nearly  seven-eighths  of  its  capacity 
with  the  liquid  to  be  aerated.     The  bicarbonate  of  soda  and  tartaric 


Fig.  2. 


acid,  or  other  powders  for  producing  the  gas,  are  now  put  into  the  tubular 
vessel,  c,  which  is  then  put  into  its  place  in  the  vessel,  A.  The  vessel,  g, 
is  next  filled  with  pure  water,  and  the  plug  being  tightly  closed,  it  is 
placed  in  position,  and  the  whole  screwed  together  again.  When  it 
is  wished  to  set  the  matters  in  action,  the  plug  spindle,  g,  is  depressed, 
and  the  water  descends  upon  the  effervescing  powders,  and  the  gas 
evolved  in  consequence  finds  its  way  by  the  tube,  l,  to  the  water  below, 
impregnating  it  and  passing  through  it,  so  as  to  exert  a  pressure  on  its 
surface,  which,  when  the  cock,  i,  is  open,  forces  it  up  through  the  tube, 
k,  and  out  by  the  spout,  m,  into  the  glass,  n,  placed  to  receive  it. 

In  another  modification  of  the  apparatus,  repre- 
sented in  fig.  2,  the  chamber,  a,  in  which  the  car- 
bonic acid  gas  is  generated,  and  corresponding  to 
the  tube,  c,  in  fig  1,  is  placed  between  the  two 
other  vessels,  b  and  c,  instead  of  within  the  larger 
one.  It  has  metal  collar  pieces  above  and  below, 
by  means  of  which  it  is  screwed  to  the  vessels, 
b  c,  leather  or  caoutchouc  washers  being  em- 
ployed to  render  the  joints  tight.  The  gas, 
when    generated,   finds    its  way  down  the   tube, 

D,  which  has    a  cross  slit   at   the    top,  too  fine, 
however,  to  allow  any  water  to  get  down.    The 
tube,  D,  is  enclosed  in  a  second  tube, 
e,    of   larger   bore,   both   tubes  reach- 
ing   almost    to     the   bottom,  of    the 
vessel,  b.     The   last  -  mentioned  tube, 

E,  is  in  connection  with  the  siphon- 
cock,  f,  and  the  pressure  of  the  gas 
forces  the  liquid  up  the  annular  space 
between  the  tubes,  d  and  e,  and  out 
by  the  cock,  when  the  last  is  open. 
It  will  be  observed  that  the  plug  in  the 
uppermost  chamber,  c,  opens  upwards 
instead  of  downwards,  as  in  the  modi- 
fication, first  described.  Either  of  these 
methods  will  answer  the  purpose,  and 
the  inventors  also  propose  some  other 
plans  for  opening  the  communication 
between  the  water  receptacle  and  that 
for  the  powders.  According  to  one  of 
these,  a  loose  valve  opening  upwards  is 
used,  connected  by  wires  to  a  flat  ring, 
which  comes  in  contact,  say,  with  the 
top  of  the  vessel,  c,  in  fig.  1,  when  the 
apparatus  is  screwed  together,  and  is 
thereby  caused  to  rise  and  permit  the  water  to  pass  through.  Again,  a 
simple  clack-valve  may  be  adopted,  which  may  be  opened  by  a  wire  pro- 
jecting up  from  beneath,  and  raising  it  when  the  apparatus  is  screwed 
together. 

FROST  &  CO.'S  ECCENTRIC  OR  COMPENSATING  STOP-COCK. 

Messrs.  Frost,  Noakes,  and  Vincent,  the  well-known  brass-founders 
of  Whitechapel,  are  now  making  stop-cocks  which  they  have  lately 
patented  under  the  name  of  "  eccentric  or  compensating  " — the  points 
of  advantage  being  the  prevention  of  all  external  leakage,  whilst  the  in- 

Fig.  1.  Fig.  2. 


tcrior  surfaces  compensate  for  their  own  wear.  Fig.  1  is  an  external, 
and  fig.  2  a  sectional  elevation  of  this  stop-cock;  fig.  3  is  a  horizontal 
section,  and  fig.  4  is  a  separate  elevation  of  the  plug.  The  cock  is 
represented  as  shut.     The  shell,  a,  is  a  wide  cylindrical  chamber  of  con- 


88 


THE  PRACTICAL  MECHANIC'S  JOURNAL. 


sidcrable  diameter,  compared  to  the  pipe  or  water-way  on  which  it  is 
placed.  The  plug,  n,  does  not  pass  through  the  bottom  of  the  chamber, 
its  spindle  simply  working  in  a  recess,  or  species  of  footstep-bearing,  c, 
so  that  leakage  is  impossible  at  that  part.  The  upper  end  of  the  plug- 
spindle  passes  through  a  stuffing-box,  d,  in  the  cover,  e,  which  is 
screwed  on  to  the  chamber.  The  plug  itself  is  in  the  form  of  a  cylin- 
drical segment,  having  its  curved  surface  turned  eccen- 
tric to  the  axis  of  the  spindle,  and  the  part  of  the  internal         Fig.  *• 

surface  of  the  chain- 
Fig-  3.  ber,  against  which  it 
works  in  closing  the 
outlet  passage,  f,  is 
also  turned  out  ec- 
centrically to  corre- 
spond. It  follows 
from  this  arrange- 
ment that  the  sur- 
faces do  not  touch 
until  the  outlet  is 
just  closed,  so  that  the  wear  is  reduced  to  a  minimum, 
and  what  little  there  is  is  compensated  for  by  the  form  of 
the  parts,  since,  when  the  surfaces  are  at  all  worn,  it  will  be  merely 
necessary  to  turn  the  plug  round  a  little  further  to  obtain  a  perfect  clos- 
ing. A  circular  projection  or  stop,  G,  is  formed  on  the  plug,  and  a 
corresponding  stop  is  formed  in  the  side  of  the  chamber,  a  ;  these  are  to 
prevent  the  plug  from  being  turned  too  far  round  when  opened,  and  so 
impede  the  flow  of  the  liquid.  The  side  of  the  chamber  opposite  to  the 
plug,  when  opened,  is,  moreover,  scooped  out  to  give  a  freer  passage. 

The  arrangement  obviously  affords  a  full  clear  water-way,  whilst  the 
contact  surfaces  are  peculiarly  well  disposed  for  the  prevention  of  une- 
qual wear. 

RECENT    PATENTS. 


METAL  FORGING  MACHINE. 
J.  H.  Johnson,  47  Lincoln's  Inn  Fields,  and  Glasgow.- 
December  22,  1852. 


-Patent  dated 


Fig.  l. 


This  machine  has  been 
patented  in  this  country 
on  behalf  of  the  American 
inventors,  Messrs.  H.  and 
G.  H.  Richards.  In  it 
are  accomplished  all  the 


Fig.  2. 


necessary  movements  of  heating,  holding,  carrying  forward,  turning, 
and  hammering,  or  striking,  pieces  of  metal  being  forged,  or  worked, 
into  any  desired  shape.  The  face  of  the  hammer,  or  forging  instru- 
ment, has  a  peculiar  curvilinear  movement  given  to  it  for  the  purpose 
of  "drawing"  the  piece  of  metal  under  treatment ;  whilst  the  swages, 
or  shaping  dies,   carried  on  the  lower  side  of  the  hammer,  have  such 


a  form  and  position  with  relation  to  each  other,  that  the  heated  bar, 
placed  between  them  and  the  anvil,  is  made  to  assume  a  shape 
approaching  nearer  and  nearer  to  the  shape  of  the  finished  article 
at  each  successive  blow  of  the  hammer  and  traverse  of  the  heated  bar. 
Each  bar,  or  piece  of  heated  metal,  is  earned  by  a  tubular  holder,  and 
is  made  to  revolve  partially  at  each  stroke  of  the  hammer,  this  motion 
being  effected  by  a  rack  and  tappet  movement,  or  other  convenient 
arrangement.  The  heat  is  derived  from  a  small  furnace  fitted  under  the 
bars  on  a  level  with  the  anvil,  so  that  the  pieces  of  metal  are  kept  hot 
during  the  forging  operation.  The  stand  which  holds  the  burs  has  a 
forward  intermittent  movement  given  to  it  by  means  of  a  rack  and 
differential  worm ;  and  the  face  of  the  hammer  is  made  up  of  a  series  of 
swages,  or  shapers,  arranged  to  act  consecutively  upon  the  bars — one 
swage  striking  the  bar  in  one  place,  and  the  next  a  little  further  on  in 
the  bar,  the  swages  being  placed  diagonally  along  the  hammer-face. 
The  hammer  is  worked  by  cranks  on  an  overhead  shaft,  and,  to  give  the 
required  curvilinear  movement  to  the  hammer-face  for  "  drawing,"  the 
hammer  is  supported  by  two  pins,  allowing  it  to  turn  slightly  on  its  centres. 
When  an  article  is  to  be  forged  flat,  or  thicker  in  one  direction  than  the 
other,  the  swages  are  alternately  long  and  short  to  suit  the  two  sizes. 

Fig.  1  of  our  engraving  is  a  perspective  elevation  of  the  machine 
complete,  and  fig.  2  is  a  transverse  vertical  section  to  correspond.  The 
machine  is  carried  on  a  solid  base-plate,  a,  on  which  are  set  two  parallel 
horizontal  bars,  n,  secured  to  each  other  transversely  by  ties.  On  the 
top  of  each  bar  is  a  rail,  or  rib,  shaped  to  fit  into  a  groove  on  the  lower 
side  of  the  moveable  platform,  or  table,  c.  Over  this  table,  are  placed 
two  transverse  guides,  n,  parallel  to  each  other,  and  fitted  to  receive  the 
ends  of  the  sliding  table,  e,  allowing  the  latter  to  traverse  to  and  fro  at 
right  angles  to  the  direction  of  the  length  of  the  platform,  c.  Along 
one  side  of  the  table,  E,  is  a  stand,  or 
rest,  f,  bolted  firmly  down,  and  perforated 
laterally  to  receive  the  ends  of  the 
cylindrical  holders,  g,  allowing  them  to 
turn  freely.  Each  of  these  holders  is  bored 
out  through  its  axis  to  hold  the  bar  of 
metal  to  be  worked,  the  bar  being  se- 
cured to  its  holder  by  a  set-screw.  Each 
of  the  holders  is  furnished  with  a  handle, 
in  which  there  is  a  slot  for  a  pin,  at- 
tached to  the  horizontal  rod,  h,  to  enter; 
this  rod  is  placed  so  as  to  traverse  in 
guides,  which  may  be  fastened  to  the  end 
of  the  stand.  One  end  of  the  rod,  h,  is  bent 
upwards,  and  jointed  to  an  inclined  con- 
necting-rod, placed  directly  above  F. 
Upon  the  sliding-table,  e,  there  is  also 
placed  a  stand,  which  supports  a  rocking- 
shaft  carrying  two  leaves,  or  teeth,  j,  the 
length  of  the  leaves,  in  the  direction  of 
the  length  of  the  rockiug-shaft  being  de- 
termined with  reference  to  the  dis- 
tance that  the  sliding-table,  e,  is 
required  to  traverse.  Upon  one  end 
of  the  rocking-shaft,  an  arm,  k,  is 

attached,  extending  a  short  distance  upwards,  and  having  at  its  upper 
end  a  pin,  which  enters  a  slot  in  the  inclined  connecting-rod.  A  bent 
stand  is  secured  to  the  bed  of  the  machine  to  support  the  fixed-rack,  i,. 
This  rack,  which  is  made  of  plate-iron,  and 
is  nearly  as  long  as  the  machine,  has  a 
long  slot,  or  opening,  which  is  furnished 
with  cams,  or  teeth,  both  upon  its  upper 
and  lower  edges,  the  teeth  being  of  such 
number  and  form,  and  so  placed  with  reference 
to  each  other,  as  to  act  in  any  required  manner 
upon  the  leaves,  J.  To  the  horizontal  tra- 
versing platform,  c,  there  are  affixed  two  or 
more  upright  standards,  which  support  a  bar, 
upon  the  top  of  which  a  rack,  u,  is  bolted,  and 
the  teeth  of  the  rack  are  so  placed  as  to 
receive  the  tooth,  n,  of  a  worm-wheel  which 
is  attached  to  the  shaft,  o.  One  section  of 
the  tooth  is  placed  upon  the  wheel  in  a 
spiral  direction,  in  such  a  manner  as  to  give  a  progressive  motion,  by  its 
action  upon  the  rack,  to  the  platform,  c,  during  one  part  of  its  revolu- 
tion ;  the  other  part  of  the  tooth,  or  worm,  being  placed  parallel  with 
the  sides  of  the  wheel,  allows  the  rack  and  platform  to  stand  still  during 
the  remainder  of  its  revolution.  Motion  is  given  to  the  hammer  by 
means  of  vertical  rods,  connected  to  the  crank-shaft.     The  hammer,  p, 


THE  PRACTICAL  MECHANIC'S  JOURNAL. 


80 


is  so  placed  as  to  act  upou  one  end  of  the  bar  of  heated  iron,  q,  which 
passes  through  the  centre  of  the  holder,  each  having  a  separate  bar. 
The  sliding-platform,  o,  which  supports  the  bar -holders,  is  so  placed, 
that  the  ends  of  the  bars,  Q,  may  be  exposed  to  the  heat  of  a  fire,  e, 
placed  at  one  end  of  the  machine,  the  surface  of  the  fire  being  at  about 
the  same  level  as  the  face  of  the  anvil  upon  which  the  bars  are  forged. 
The  bars  may  be  advanced  towards  the  fire,  or  withdrawn  from  it,  by 
turning  a  screw,  which  moves  the  table  back  and  forward,  the  position 
thus  given  to  the  table  being  such  as  to  allow  the  proper  length  of  the 
heated  ends  of  the  bars  to  be  brought  under  the  action  of  the  hammer. 
At  each  end  of  the  hammer  there  is  a  sliding-piece,  upon  the  outer  side 
of  which  there  are  two  vertical  grooves,  adapted  so  as  to  fit,  and  move 
freely  upon  the  two  vertical  guide-bars,  which  are  securely  fastened  to 
the  frame  of  the  machine.  At  each  end  of  the  hammer,  there  is  a  round 
hole,  fitted  to  receive  a  round  pin  projecting  from  the  end  of  the 
hammer,  and  properly  secured  in  the  sliding-guide.  The  hammer  and 
guide,  being  thus  attached  to  each  other,  will  traverse  the  same  distance 
while  rising  and  falling,  whilst,  at  the  same  time,  the  face  of  the 
hammer,  or  the  face  of  a  swage,  attached  to  the  bottom  of  the  hammer, 
will  have  an  alternate  motion  to  the  right  and  to  the  left,  at  each  revolu- 
tion of  the  cranks.  If  preferred,  the  pin  may  be  firmly  fixed  in  the 
end  of  the  hammer,  and  left  free  to  turn  slightly  in  the  sliding-guide. 
If  the  pin  be  placed  nearer  to  the  top  of  the  hammer,  the  deviation  of  the 
bottom  or  face  of  the  hammer,  when  at  its  lowest  point,  from  a  horizon- 
tal line  will  be  greater:  if  placed  lower,  it  will  be  diminished. 

The  extent  of  this  deviation  from  a  horizontal  line,  as  well  as  the 
shape  of  the  curve,  described  by  a  marking-point  projecting  from  the 
end  of  the  hammer,  will  also  depend  upon  the  position  of  the  crank,  with 
reference  to  its  centre  of  motion.  It  will  also  be  observed,  that  the  ex- 
tent of  the  rocking  motion  to  and  fro  is  greater  when  the  pin  is  near  the 
top  of  the  hammer,  and  less  when  it  is  near  the  bottom.  Therefore,  by 
changing  the  position  of  the  pivot,  the  drawing  action  of  the  hammer, 
or  swages,  can  be  increased  or  diminished.  The  face  of  the  anvil,  which 
is  about  the  same  length  as  the  hammer,  may  be  horizontal,  or  it  may 
be  inclined  from  the  front  to  the  back,  or  inclined  in  the  opposite  direction, 
the  direction  of  this  slope  serving  to  increase  or  diminish 
the  drawing  action  of  the  hammer.  The  series  of  bars, 
Q,  being  heated  to  the  proper  temperature,  the  machine 
is  started,  and  the  revolution  of  the  wheel,  n,  moves 
the  rack  and  platform  in  the  direction  of  the  arrows. 
As  the  rocking-shaft  moves  forward,  the  bottom  leaf,  j, 
comes  in  contact  with  one  of  the  teeth,  on  the  lower 
part  of  the  fixed  rack,  l,  by  which  the  shaft  is  turned 
a  -short  distance,  and,  by  means  of  the  arm,  k,  the 
connecting-rod  above,  the  rod,  H,  and  bar-holder  arm, 
the  holders  and  the  heated  bars  are  turned  one  quarter 
round.  While  the  bars  are  being  turned  in  this  way, 
the  hammer  is  rising,  the  tooth,  x,  no  longer  acts  upon 
the  rack,  the  platform  stops,  and  the  hammer  des- 
cends upon  the  heated  bars.  As  the  hammer  rises,  the 
platform  moves  forward,  the  upper  leaf,  j,  comes  in 
contact  with  the  upper  rack-teeth,  and  the  bar  is  turned 
one  quarter  round  in  the  opposite  direction,  in  readiness 
for  the  next  blow  of  the  hammer.  In  case  the  section 
of  the  article  to  be  forged  is  not  quadrangular,  the 
heated  bar  is  turned  more  or  less,  as  required,  instead  of 
being  turned  one  quarter  round,  as  above  described. 
After  the  whole  series  of  bars,  or  rods,  have  been  operated  upon,  it  becomes 
necessary  to  move  the  sliding  platform  back  to  its  first  position,  in  order 
that  the  bar3,  Q,  may  be  again  heated  at  the  fire.  This 
may  be  effected  by  raising  the  driving-wheel  out  of  gear 
with  the  rack,  and  sliding  the  platform  back  by  hand; 
or  the  direction  of  the  motion  of  the  wheel  may  be  re- 
versed, whilst  it  remains  in  gear  with  the  rack,  to  produce 
the  same  effect.  Previous  to  sliding  the  platform  back, 
the  inclined  connecting-rod  must  be  detached  from  the  arm, 
k.  in  order  that  the  leaves,  j,  may  he  placed  nearly  horizon- 
tal, so  that  they  may  pass  between  the  rack-teeth. 

The  form  and  use  of  the  swages,  by  which  the  article  to 
be  forged  is  gradually  drawn  out,  and  brought  to  the  re- 
quired form,  by  the  successive  blows  of  the  hammer,  is  now 
to  be  explained.  In  forging  the  handle  of  a  square  file, 
tapered  uniformly  to  a  point,  swages,  attached  to  the  lower 
side  of  the  hammer,  are  used,  the  prominent  parts  of  which 
are  not  in  a  line  with  each  other,  but  are  placed  diagonally,  in  such  a 
manner  that  the  heated  bar  is  struck  by  the  first  face,  by  which  it  is 
■•lightly  drawn,  or  extended.  The  bar  is  then  turned  one  quarter  round, 
a. id  is  moved  opposite  to  the  second  face,  where  it  receives  another 
No.  64.— Vol.  VI. 


blow;  and  so  on,  throughout  the  series  of  swages,  each  of  which  brings 
it  nearer  to  the  required  tapered  form,  until  it  receives  the  last  blow, 
upon  its  extreme  point,  from  the  face  of  the  last  swage. 

The  diagonal  line,  upon  which  the  faces  of  the  swages  are  placed,  will 
differ,  as  to  its  direction,  with  reference  to  the  parallel  sides  of  the  ham- 
mer, according  to  the  rapidity  with  which  the  drawing  is  to  be  effected. 
In  case  the  article  forged  is  to  be  cut  off  after  receiving  the  last  blow,  a 
cutter  is  added  to  the  series  of  swages  for  this  purpose,  and  a  suitable 
cutter  is  placed  below  it  upon  the  anvil.  It  will  be  noticed,  that  if 
the  forged  article  is  cut  off,  the  cut  will  not  be  perfectly  square,  as  the 
cutter  partakes  of  the  peculiar  curvilinear  motion  of  the  hammer,  to 
which  it  is  attached ;  but  if  the  article  is  required  to  be  cut  off  square, 
the  cutter  may  be  fastened  to  the  sliding-guide,  which  is  placed  between 
the  end  of  the  hammer  and  the  vertical  guide-bars. 

BLOCK-PRINTING  FOR  CALICO. 
R.  Sandifoed,  Tottington  Lower  End,  Bury. — Patent  dated  Nov.  15, 1852. 
Mr.  Sandiford's  invention  is  more  especially  intended  for  printing 
handkerchiefs,  when  two  or  more  colours  are  used,  its  object  being  to 
facilitate  the  manual  operation  of  block-printing,  and  insure  perfect 
"  register/'  The  mechanism  consists  of  a  printing  table,  with  an  elastic 
surface  of  the  usual  kind,  carried  on  a  frame  which  also  supports  the 
colour  sieves,  one  at  each  end,  if  two  colours  are  used.  The  printing 
blocks  are  connected  together  by  a  frame,  so  as  to  be  capable  of  lifting 
together,  and  they  are  attached  to  the  frame  by  four  parallel  links  set  on 
fixed  centres,  the  length  of  each  link  being  equal  to  half  the  distance  of 
the  centre  of  the  sieve,  from  the  centre  of  the  printing  table.  With  this 
arrangement,  the  blocks  are  so  adjusted,  that  whilst  one  is  in  the  act  of 
printing,  the  other  is  being  furnished  with  colour.  The  printer  himself 
has  merely  to  lift  the  blocks  alternately  from  one  sieve  to  the  other,  and 
back  again,  whilst  two  mixers  supply  the  sieves  with  colour,  and  a  boy 
winds  up  the  fabric  as  it  is  printed.  The  perfect  "registering"  of  the 
pattern  is  secured  by  the  action  of  the  parallel  links,  the  peculiar  steadi- 
ness of  hand  hitherto  indispensable,  being  thus  rendered  quite  unne- 
cessary. 


Fig.  1   of  our  engravings  is  a  longitudinal    section   of   the   appara- 
tus, as  contrived  for  printing  with   two  blocks.     Fig.  2  is  a  plan  cor- 


responding. The  main  framing  consists  of  the  standards  a,  supporting 
the  stone  printing  table,  b,  the  upper  surface  of  which  is  covered  with 
a  blanket,  or  other  elastic  material.  The  frame,  a,  also  carries  the 
boxes,   c,    in   which    the    floating    sieves,    d,   are   placed ;    e,   are   the 


90 


THE  PRACTICAL  MECHANIC'S  JOURNAL. 


blocks,  formed  of  light  bars,  instead  of  being  solid,  and  connected  to- 
gether by  a  hand-rail,  /,  by  means  of  which,  also,  they  are  lifted  when 
required;  at  g,  are  the  parallel  links  connected  to  the  blocks,  and 
capable  of  moving  upon  the  fixed  centres,  h,  attached  to  the  frame,  a. 
The  roller  upon  which  the  calico  is 
wound,  before  printing,  is  shown  at  i; 
h  are  tension  rollers,  and  I  is  a  roller 
(furnished  with  pins  upon  its  surface), 
by  means  of  which  the  cloth  is  wound 
forward  as  it  is  printed.  This  roller,  I, 
may  be  turned  by  means  of  a  winch 
handle  at  one  end,  or  in  any  other  con- 
venient manner,  and  may,  if  desired 
be  connected  with  an  index  for  ascer- 
taining and  indicating  the  number  of 
impressions  of  the  pattern  or  design,  or 
the  length  of 
cloth  print- 
ed. One 
block,  e,  is 
represented 
as  printing 
the  design, 
and  the  ci- 
ther as  fur- 
nishingitself 
with  the  red 
colour  in  the 
right  hand 
sieve;  and  it 

is  clear  that  if  the  blocks  are  ra'sed 
by  means  of  the  hand-rail.  f.  and  moved 
towards  the  left,  until  the  block,  e,  rests 
upon  the  left-hand  sieve,  containing  the 
blue  colour,  the  other  block  will  then 
be  printing  the  red  colour.  The  move- 
ments of  the  blocks  and  links  describe 
an  arc  of  about  180°,  as  represented 
by  the  dotted  lines  in  fig.  1.  Another 
mollification  is  shown  in  the  plan,  fig.  3, 
where  the  invention  is  represented  as 
adapted  for  printing  with  four  I  lucks, 

each  of  the  four  sides  of  the  table  being  furnished  with  a  sieve  and  a 
block.  In  this  arrangement,  it  will  be  seen  that  the  blocks  are  not  con- 
nected together,  but  are  provided  with  two  links  each  —  the  fixed 
centers  of  the  links  being  exactly  in  the  centre  between  the  table 
and  the  sieve.  E:ich  block  is,  in  this  instance,  worked  separately,  but 
the  parallel  links  act  exactly  in  the  same  manner  as  in  the  preceding 
case.  All  the  parts  are  lettered  to  correspond  to  the  preceding  figures. 
By  the  use  of  what  are  commonly  called  "  spring  tubs,"  instead  of  the 
sieves  in  both  the  arrangements,  a  very  great  variety  of  colours  may 
be  printed  with  ease,  accuracy,  and  expedition. 

HOLLOW  EXPANDING  CYLINORO-CONOIDAL  SHOT. 
Capt.  John  Norton,  Cork. — Patent  dated  Dscemher  2,  1852. 

FiK- 1-  Capt.  Norton,  well  known 

for  his  numerous  improve- 
ments in  gunnery  and  projec- 
tiles, and  as  the  undoubted 
originator  of  the  "  elongated 
rifle  shot,"  commonly,  but 
improperly,  designated  under 
an  unimportant  modification, 
as  the  "  minie"  shot,  has  in- 
troduced, under  this  patent,  a 
shot  of  great  simplicity  and 
value,  which,  without  any 
complication,  carries  its  own 
charge  within  itself,  and  ex- 
pands most  effectively  in  the 
act  of  firing. 

The   charge    is    composed 
of  a  safe  fulminating  powder 
and   common   gunpowder,  in 
about  equal  proportions.    Va- 
rious fulminates  may   be  used;   the  fulminate  being  first  put  into  the 
hollow  of  the  shot,  and  a  circular  piece  of  thin   tissue   paper  is  then 


placed  over  it;  after  this,  the  gunpowder  is  put  in,  and  over  that  is 
fastened  a  circular  patch  or  disc  of  thin  linen  or  calico,  greased  with 
a  preparation  of  bees'  wax,  spermaceti,  and  oil ;  or,  instead  of  this, 
oxide  of  zinc  and  hogs'  lard  may  be  used ;  and  the  charge  may  be  wholly 
of  gunpowder,  instead  of  a  compound  of  fulminates.  The  patch  en- 
closes the  base  of  the  shot,  and  goes  half  way  up  its  sides.  The  shot 
may  be  of  various  shapes,  but  it  is  preferred  to  make  it  cylindro- 
conoidal  or  elongated,  somewhat  like  an  acorn.  The  entire  charge 
used  is  within  the  shot,  and  the  fire  from  the  percussion  cap  of  the 
piece  penetrates  the  centre  of  the  greased  patch,  and  fires  the 
charge.  In  using  this  projectile  with  the  common  rifle,  a  few  grains  of 
ine  gunpowder  are  put  into  the  piece,  besides  the  ball  charge,  merely  to 
fill  the  nipple,  and  ensure  firing;  but  with  Norton's  improved  model  rifle 
cannon,  the  nipple  being  in  the  centre  of  the  breach,  the  percussion  cap 
sends  its  fire  direct  into  the  centre  of  the  retaining  patch,  and  fires  the 
charge,  without  other  assistance.  On  firing,  the  explosion  expands  the 
shot,  to  fill  up  the  bore  of  the  piece,  or  the 
grooves  of  the  rille;  or,  for  rifled  cannon,  the 
shot  may  have  rifle  projections  to  begin  with, 
so  that  the  explosion,  on  firing,  may  entirely 
fill  up  the  grooves. 

Figure  1  of  our  engravings  is  a  side  eleva- 
tion of  the  improved  shot,  drawn  to  the  full 
size;  and  fig.  2  is  a  longitudinal  section  of 
the  same,  to  correspond.  In  this  example, 
the  cylindro-conoidal  shot,  a,  of  wrought- 
iroir,  is  formed  with  a  conical  chamber,  b,  to 
receive  the  charge,  which  is  represented  by 
the  dotted  mass,  o  e.  The  part  marked  o,  in 
the  narrow  end  of  the  conical  chamber,  is 
the  fulminating  substance  ;  and  this  portion  of  the  charge  is  then  shut 
in,  or  divided  iff,  by  the  thin  partition,  d,  of  thin  tissue  paper.  The 
gunpowder,  e,  is  then  filled  in  over  this  partition,  and  the  entire 
internal  charge  is  finally  secured  by  the  external  cover-piece,  of  thin 
linen  or  calico,  f.  This  cover  is  prepared  with  a  waterproof  compo- 
siiion  of  bees'  wax,  spermaceti,  and  neats'-foot  oil,  or  oxide  of  zinc 
and  hogs'  lard;  and  it  forms  a  secure  lid  across  the  mouth  of  the 
shot,  being  made  very  considerably  larger  than  the  area  of  the  shot's 
section,  so  as  to  embrace  the  cylindrical  part,  where  it  is  tied  on  at 
G  by  a  separate  thread,  the  cylindrical  part  of  the  shot  being  slightly 
recessed,  or  reduced  in  diameter  at  this  point,  to  give  a  better 
hold.  In  this  shot  the  percussion  fire  from  the  nipple  of  the  piece 
penetrates  right  through  the  fabric  of  the  charge  cover,  and  the 
consequent  internal  explosion  expands  the  shot,  or  containing  shell, 
so  as  to  fill  up  the  bore  of  the  piece  to  the  greatest  nicety.  The  shot 
is  rifled  by  being  flattened  off  at  four  sides;  but  it  is  equally  obvious 
that  the  desired  effect  will  be  secured  as  well  in  smooth  bore  Bhoot- 
ing.  The  base  of  the  shot  being,  as  it  were  plastic,  is  not  liable  to 
fracture,  but  at  once  fully  accommodates  itself  to  the  bore  of  the  piece. 
The  charge  within  the  shot  may  he  level  with  the  base  or  open  end  of 
the  cylinder,  or  it  may  project  slightly  beyond  this  line,  as  the  calico 
covering  may  be  pierced  through  the  touch-hole,  like  other  cartridges. 
These  shots,  or  modifications  of  them,  may  be  made  of  malleable  cast- 
iron,  or  wrought-iron ;  or,  for  small  arms,  they  may  be  made  of  lead,  by 
mechanical  pressure.  And  instead  of  charging  each  shot  loosely,  the 
charge  may  be  put  in,  in  the  form  of  a  cartridge,  when  it  is  to  be  fired. 
The  annular  groove  at  i,  on  the  conoidal  part  of  the  shot,  is  intended  for 
the  spring  tongs  to  lay  hold  of  in  drawing  the  shot. 

When  intended  for  small  arms,  the  shot  is  made  of  lead,  without  any 
external  rifle  projections,  as  the  internal  explosion  causes  the  soft  metal 
to  expand  well  into,  and  fill  up  the  rifle  grooves  of  the  piece.  But  for 
rifled  cannon,  the  shot  has  proper  rifle  projections  upon  it,  to  fit  easily 
into  the  rifle  grooves,  malleable  cast-iron  being  employed,  so  that  the 
expansion  fills  up  the  grooves  very  accurately  ;  and  instead  of  carrying 
the  cover-piece,  f,  up  the  sides  of  the  shot,  it  may  be  tied  down  into  an 
annular  groove,  close  to  the  base  or  open  end  of  the  shot. 

In  using  malleable  cast-iron  for  rifle  cannon  shot,  Capt.  Norton  proposes 
to  adopt  Mr.  Ommaney's  process,  leaving  the  conoidal  head  of  the  shot 
hard,  like  common  cast-iron ;  whilst  the  after  cylindrical  part  possesses 
the  complete  malleability  so  necessary  for  the  perfect  expansion  on  fir- 
ing. In  speaking  of  this  system  of  projectiles,  Capt.  Norton  compares 
the  action  to  that  of  a  bow  and  arrow,  the  rifle  being  the  bow,  and  the 
cylindro-conoidal  shot  the  arrow,  or  rather  arrow-head,  or  missile  of  mo- 
dern warfare.     This  is  a  very  apt  assimilation. 

The  gallant  inventor  is  still  energetically  pursuing  bis  courses 
of  experiments;  and  his  shot,  we  hope,  will  shortly  form  a  part  of 
every  soldier's  ammunition,  and  be  found  in  every  rifleman's  cartouche- 
box. 


THE  PRACTICAL  MECHANIC'S  JOURNAL. 


91 


STEAM  AND  WATER  GUAGES. 
G.  Fife,  M.D.,  Newcastle-upon-Tyne.— Patent  dated  November  5,  1852. 

Dr.  Fife's  invention  consists  in  combining  a  water  guage,  pressure 
indicator,  and  alarm,  in  one  apparatus.  We  have  engraved  the  arrange- 
ment by  -which  this  is  effected.     Fig.  1  is  a  lateral  elevation  partially  in 

section,  and  fig.  2  is  a  see- 
i-:  -  i  Fie.  2.  tion  at  right  angles  to  fig.  1, 

hut  showing  the  water  guage 
In  elevation.  At  a  a  are 
the  branch  cocks  communi- 
cating with  the  boiler  in  the 
usual  manner,  and  having 
between  them  the  water 
guage  pipe,  is,  fitted  with  a 
glass  or  talc  f.ice.  This 
glass  face  is  protected  from 
the  effects  of  undue  pres- 
sure, and  rendered  tight  by 
strips  of  vulcanized  india 
rubber,  in  the  manner 
already  adopted  for  windows. 
To  the  upper  end  of  the 
water  guage  pipe,  is  screwed 
the  cylindrical  casing,  e, 
inside  which,  at  its  lower 
end,  is  fitted  a  small  accu- 
rately bored  cylinder  or  tube 
in  communication  with  the 
top  of  the  water  guage  pipe, 
and  consequently  with  the 
boiler.  In  this  inner  cylin- 
der a  steam  tight  piston,  d, 
works,  carrying  on  its  upper 
side  a  long  slotted  piece,  e, 
terminating  in  a  guide 
spindle,  f,  passing  through 
the  screw-cap,  G-.  One  side 
of  the  slot  in  the  piece,  e,  is 
formed  into  a  rack  and 
gears  with  a  small  pinion, 
h,  on  a  transverse  spindle, 
passing  through  the  side  of 
the  casing  and  carrying  an 
indicating  finger,  i,  in  front 
of  a  graduated  dial  in  a  small 
flat  cylindrical  case,  j,  pro- 
tected by  a  glass  face.  In- 
side the  casing,  c,  above  the 
slotted  piece,  e,  and  abutting 
against  a  collar  framed  on  the 
end  of  this  piece,  is  a  helical 
spring,  k,  the  other  end  of 
which  abuts  against  the  in- 
side of  the  screw-cap,  g. 
This  spring  serves  to  regu- 
late the  movement  of  the  pis- 
1-SiIi.  ton,  and  causes  it  to  descend 

on  a  decrease  of  the  pressure 
aciing  on  the  under  surface  of  the  piston.  It  is  obvious  that,  by  means 
of  the  rack  and  pinion,  the  pressure  will  always  be  accurately  indicated 
on  the  graduated  dial.  Should  the  pressure  become  too  great  the  eon- 
sequent  rising  of  the  piston,  n,  will  uncover  a  lateral  outlet  in  the  cylinder 
opposite  the  tube,  l,  which  communicates  with  the  alarm  whistle,  m,  and 
in  consequence  the  steam  will  rush  through  and  sound  this  whistle, 
thereby  calling  attention  to  the  state  of  the  boiler.  A  small  pipe  and 
stopcock,  are  fitted  to  the  lower  end  of  the  water  guage  pipe,  at  K,  for 
blowing  off  and  clearing  the  pipes.  The  contrivance  is  convenient  and 
well  suited  for  its  purpose. 

MANUFACTURE  OF  STARCH. 
E.  Tlxkf.r,  Belfast. — Patent  dated  6th  December,  1852. 
Mr.  Edward  Tucker  of  the  extensive  "  Royal  Exhibition  Prize  Starch 
and  Glue  Works,"  Waring  Street,  Belfast,  is  the  patentee  of  these  im- 
provements, which  relate  essentially  to  the  application  of  certain  salts, 
both  alone  and  in  combination  with  mineral  acids,  for  the  more  effective 
separation  of  the  pure  starch  from  the  glutinous  and  other  foreign  mat- 


ters with  which  the  starch  itself  is  originally  combined;  as  well  as  to 
the  neutralising  the  injurious  effects  of  the  vegetable  acids  generated  in 
the  process  of  starch  making,  and  the  increase  of  the  produce  of  good 
starch  from  a  given  quantity  of  wheat.  By  the  same  means,  Mr.  Tucker 
is  also  enabled  to  render  any  pure  water  suitable  for  starch  making, 
although  in  its  natural  state  such  water  may  be  ill  adapted  for  this 
purpose. 

After  the  wheaten  meal,  or  reduced  grain,  has  been  submitted  to  the 
usual  process  of  fermentation,  and  has  been  washed,  to  separate  the  bran 
from  the  rest  of  the  elements  of  the  treated  substance,  the  starchy  liquor 
is  run  into  a  receiver  or  vat,  where  it  is  allowed  to  remain  for  about  the 
space  of  thirty-six  hours  for  precipitation.  The  supernatant  liquor  is 
then  run  off  or  removed,  and  the  precipitate  is  broken  up.  Then  a  solu- 
tion of  sulphate  of  soda,  or  Glauber's  salts,  in  boiling  water,  is  prepared, 
in  the  proportion  of  about  twelve  pounds  weight  of  the  salt  to  one  ton  of 
the  wheat  under  treatment,  and  after  cooling  down,  this  solution  is 
poured  into  the  precipitated  starch,  and  the  vat  being  filled  up  witli 
water,  the  entire  contents  are  thoroughly  mingled  and  incorporated  by 
stirring.  The  mass  is  then  allowed  to  stand  for  twenty-four  or  thirty 
hours  perfectly  quiescent.  In  the  subsequent  process,  technically  known 
as  the  "  fine  shift,"  when  the  water  and  slimes  are  removed,  the  operator 
employs  another  solution  of  the  same  salt,  but  in  smaller  proportion — 
about  three  pounds  weight  being  applied  to  the  produce  of  one  ton  of 
wheat.  At  this  stage  is  also  used,  in  combination  with  the  sulphate  of 
soda,  a  portion  of  sulphuric  acid,  in  the  porportion  of  about  one  quart  of 
the  acid  to  the  produce  of  four  tons  of  wheat.  The  acid,  in  a  diluted 
state,  is  poured  gradually  into  the  vat,  and  the  latter  is  then  nearly 
filled  up  with  fresh  water,  the  whole  contents  being  thoroughly  mixed 
by  agitation.  When  the  starch  has  been  precipitated,  it  is  finished  and 
prepared  for  sale  and  use  in  the  usual  way. 

Although  Mr.  Tucker  prefers  to  use  the  materials  and  the  proportions 
which  we  have  described,  he  slates  that  he  has  found  sulphate  of  mag- 
nesia, muriate  of  soda,  and  other  salts  and  acids,  available  for  a  similar 
purpose.  This  general  process  renders  all  pure  w  iter  suitable  for  manu- 
facturing starch,  however  soft  and  unsuitable  it  maybe  originally.  The 
pure  starch  is  also  better  separated  from  the  glutinous  constituent  of  the 
grain,  whilst  the  manufactured  starch  is  superior  in  purity,  sweetness, 
strength,  fineness  of  texture,  and  whiteness,  as  compared  with  all  starch 
made  in  the  usual  way,  and  the  yield  is  greatly  increased. 

GAS-LIGHTS  APPLIED  TO  VENTILATION. 

R.  Biiown,  Manchester. — Patent  dated  October  20,   1852. 

The  object  of  Mr.  Brown's  invention  is  to  obtain  an  efficient  ventila- 
tion of  buildings  and  apartments  through  the  agency  of  the  heat  generated 
by  the  gas-lights  employed  for  illumination.     The  engraving  represents 


a  section  of  the  arrange- 
ments adopted  for  this 
purpose.  Through  an 
opening  in  the  ceiling, 
a,  of  the  apartment,  a 
tube,  n,  of  considerable 
bore,  is  entered,  one  end 
conveying  the  vitiated 
air  and  heated  gases  to 
the  outer  atmosphere, 
and  the  other  projecting 
a  little  below  the  level  ^**-"v^>— -•^.-.r-^^^*" 

of  the  ceiling.  The  gas  pipe  enters  at  i  no  side,  and  is  bent  so  as  to 
hang  perpendicularly  in  the  centre  of  this  tube,  and  carrying  an  annular 
burner  at  iis  lower  extremity.  The  burner  is  surrounded  by  the  glass 
chimney,  i>,  which  is  supported  by  its  top  on  the  metal  cone  piece,  e, 
secured  to  the  lower  extremity  of  the  tube,  b,  by  screws.  The  whole  is 
further  surrounded  by  a  hemispherical  glass  shade,  f,  having  its  mouth 
uppermost,  and  its  upper  edges  only  a  few  inches  below  the  level  of  the 
ceiling.  This  shade  is  attached,  at  its  upper  edge,  to  a  metal  ring,  by 
means  of  screws,  and  is  hinged  to  a  second  ring,  a,  firmly  fixed  to  the 
tube,  n,  by  radial  arms.  The  cord,  n,  is  for  lowering  the  outer  shade  to 
the  position  indicated  by  the  dotted  line,  for  the  purposes  of  lighting  or 


92 


THE  PRACTICAL  MECHANIC'S  JOURNAL. 


cleaning,  and  a  highly-polished  metal  reflector  is  added  at  i,  to  increase  the 
effect  of  the  light.  As  the  obvious  effect  of  this  arrangement,  the  current 
caused  by  the  gas  flame  will  take  the  direction  of  the  arrows.  The  air 
will  be  drawn  in  from  the  highest  and  most  vitiated  strata  in  the  apart- 
ment, and,  passing  through  the  flame,  will  be  carried  off  along  the  tube,  n, 
whilst  an  inlet  for  fresh  air  must  be  provided  at  some  low  part  of  the 


ROTATORY  ENGINE  AND  PUMP. 

Thomas  Elliot,  Soho  Foundry,  Preston. 

This  contrivance,  which  is  intended  for  the  threefold  purpose  of  a 
moiive  engine,  a  pump,  and  a  meter,  reminds  us  of  Mr.  Davies'  gas 
exhauster.*  Its  outer  case  consists  of  a  couple  of  short  horizontal  cylin- 
ders, set  together  and  joined  at  a,  with  a  free  opening  between  them. 
Each  section  is  bored  out  to  a  true  cylindrical  working  surface,  to  receive 
the  two  elliptical  pistons,  d,  which  are  set  and  connected  to  work  in 
concert  with  their  major  and  minor  axes  at  right  angles,  just  like  the 
old  differential  plan  of  "  elliptical  wheels,"  for  causing  one  uniformly 
rotating  shaft  to  actuate  a  second,  in  gear  with  it,  at  a  variable  rate ; 
that  is  to  say,  their  working  surfaces  keep  in  constant  contact  with  each 

Fipr.  1.  FU».  2. 


other  during  the  revolution;  and  to  keep  up  a  steam-tight  action  on  the 
interior  of  the  working  chambers,  spring  packing  pieces,  c,  are  let  into 
the  contact  ends.  As  arranged  for  working  as  a  steam-engine,  the  steam 
enters  by  the  curved  branch,  i>,  at  the  top,  and  finds  it  way  into  one  or 
other  of  the  curved  side  ports,  just  as  the  regulator  slide-valve  may  be 
set;  this  slide,  with  its  spindle  passing  out  through  a  stuffing-box  in  the 
valve  chest,  being  the  only  detail  required  by  the  attendant  for  starting, 
stopping,  and  reversing.  The  pistons  revolve  with  their  ends  in  con- 
tact with  internal  set  up  plates,  and  the  shafts  of  each  pass  out  trans- 
versely through  these  plates,  and  through  the  outside  case,  and  each 
carries  a  short  crank,  e,  so  that  the  two  may  be  geared  together  without 
toothed  wheel-work.  This  is  simply  and  ingeniously  effected  by  link- 
ing each  crnnk-pin  to  one  arm  of  a  bell-crank  lever,  f,  working  loose 
upon  a  stationary  stud  centre.  Spur  wheels  may,  of  course,  be  used 
instead  of  this  crank  and  connecting-rod  plan,  but  the  latter  is  far  pre- 
ferable, as  it  works  smoothly  and  at  any  possible  speed.  As  represented 
in  fig.  2,  the  regulator  is  closing  both  thoroughfares ;  but  on  shifting  it 
either  way,  the  steam  passes  clown  the  open  port,  enters  the  cases,  and 
urges  round  the  two  pistons,  whilst  the  used  steam  exhausts  up  the 
opposite  thoroughfare,  and  escapes  through  the  covered  port  and  the 
hollow  of  the  valve  into  the  exhaust  branch,  G.  Stuffing  boxes  only  are 
required  in  the  external  shell  or  cylinder,  as  corresponding  gland  pieces 
are  cast  on  the  outsides  of  the  set  up  plates  for  the  shafts  to  pass  through; 
and  to  keep  the  pistons  tight,  a  ring  of  india-rubber  is  passed  all  round 
the  peripheries  of  the  set  up  plates. 

The  patentee  possesses  a  working  model  running  at  2,000  revolutions 
per  minute ;  and  he  states  that,  as  speed  is  no  object  in  this  engine,  the 
"  common  road  locomotive''  has  now  a  fair  chance  of  really  coming  into 


*  Page  2G6,  Vol.  II.,  P.  M.  Journal. 


use  by  its  aid.  For  factory  purposes,  he  would  ramify  the  steam  pipes 
through  the  different  storeys,  and  place  a  separate  engine  in  each  room, 
doing  away  with  all  continuous  shafting. 


GLASS  BOTTLES  AND  JARS. 

George  Wilson,  York. — Patent  dated  20th  November,  1852. 

The  object  of  this  invention  is  to  simplify  the  operation  of  manufac- 
turing glass  bottles  and  jars,  with  externally  screwed  necks  to  receive  a 
capsule  stopper.  The  patentee  produces  the  required  effect  in  the  act  of 
forming  the  bottle,  by  means  of  the  apparatus  represented  in  our  engrav- 
ings.    Pig.  1  is  a  sectional  elevation,  and  fig.  2  a  plan  of  it.     On  the 


base  plate,  a,  a  cylindrical  box,  b,  is  bolted,  inside  which  is  placed  the 
mould,  c,  which  shapes  the  lower  part  of  the  bottle,  and  forming  a  con- 
tinuation of  this  mould  are  a  pair  of  dies,  d,  carried  by  the  horizontal 
levers,  e,  which  are  hinged  together,  and  work  on  a  centre  pin  attached 
to  the  standard,  f.  The  opposite  ends  of  the  levers,  e,  are  connected  by 
cross  rods,  g,  to  a  rocking  frame,  ii,  oscillating  on  pins  working  in  the 


bearings,  i,  attached  to  the  base  plate.  To  the  front  end  of  the  rocking 
frame  a  tread  plate,  j,  is  bolted,  by  means  of  which  the  workman  draws 
down  the  levers,  e,  at  the  same  time  closing  them  firmly  together  by  the 
powerful  action  of  the  cross  straps,  g.  An  adjustable  stop  pin,  k,  is  fitted 
to  the  hinder  and  heavier  end  of  the  rocking  frame  to  prevent  it  from 
being  depressed  too  far.  The  glass  blower  proceeds  in  the  ordinary  man- 
ner, gathering  a  ball  of  molten  glass  on  the  end  of  his  tubular  iron  rod, 
and  introducing  it  into  the  mould,  the  levers,  e,  being  apart.  He  then 
closes  the  dies  by  the  action  of  his  foot,  and  blows  out  the  glass  until  it 
takes  the  form  of  the  mould,  when  he  allows  the  dies  to  separate,  and 
withdraws  the  bottle,  and  finishes  it  in  the  usual  manner. 


MECHANIC'S  LIBRARY. 

American  Engineer's  Assistant,  4to.,  28s.,  cloth.    O.  Byrne. 

Encyclopaedia  Britnnnica,  Vol.  II.,  Part  I.,  4to.,  8s.,  sewed. 

Lunar  Theory,  Elementary  Treatise  on  the,  8vo.,  5s.  6d.,  cloth.    Godfray. 

Marble  Mason's  Assistant,  sq.,  Is.,  cloth.    W.  II.  Wyeth. 

Naval  and  Mail  Steamers  of  United  States,  2d  edition,  £2. 10s.    Stuart- 

Photography,  On  the  Art  of,  4th  edition,  12mo.,  6s.,  cloth.    II.  C.  Snellin?. 

Practical  Brass  and  Ironfounder's  Guide,  foolscap  Svo.,  5s.,  cloth.     Larkin. 

Tables  of  Areas  of  Circles  &c,  2d  edition,  6s.,  cloth.    Todd. 


THE  PRACTICAL  MECHANIC'S  JOURNAL. 


93 


REGISTERED   DESIGN. 


THROTTLE  VALVE. 

Registered  for  Messrs.  Hills  &  Whtttaker,  Engineers,  Oldham. 

This  valve  is  a  combination  of  the  old  "  butterfly"  disc,  with  the 
equilibrium  arrangement,  forming  a  very  neat  contrivance  for  throttling 
purposes,  as  it  gives  a  clear  steam  way,  whilst  it  is  worked  with  the 

greatest  possible  ease.  Our  engrav- 
ing represents  it  in  vertical  section. 
The  steam  is  supposed  to  be  entering 
by  the  branch,  A,  into  the  cylin- 
drical shell,  e,  cast  with  the  line  of 
pipe,  and  covered  in  with  top  and 
bottom  caps,  to  form  a  complete  valve 
chest.  In  the  centre  of  this  chest 
is  the  cylindrical  brass  chamber,  c, 
cast  solid  all  round,  with  the  excep- 
tion of  an  opening  on  the  discharge 
side,  and  fitted  in  at  top  and  bottom 
by  stationary  brass  discs,  n,  slotted 
through  all  round  with  radial  steam- 
ways,  e.  These  discs  are  covered 
externally  by  moveable  discs,  f, 
screwed  upon  the  spindle,  r.,  and  per- 
forated to  correspond  with  the  sta- 
tionary discs.  The  shell,  c,  is  supported  in  the  inner  projecting  branch 
of  the  discharge  passage,  so  that  when  the  shifting  discs  are  turned 
partially  round,  the  openings,  e,  are  brought  into  correspondence,  and 
the  steam  passes  through  them  on  each  side,  as  pointed  out  by  the  arrows. 
This  fills  the  chest,  c,  and  the  steam  thence  passes  off  along  the  branch 
to  the  right.  The  spindle,  g,  is  passed  out  through  a  stuffing-box  in  the 
top  plate  of  the  outer  shell,  fur  connection  with  the  governor  in  the  usual 
way. 

CORRESPONDENCE. 


SELF-MOVING  TURN-TABLES. 

The  object  of  the  following  contrivance  is  to  shorten  the  time  required 
for  turning  locomotives,  and  to  relieve  the  driver  and  fireman  from  the 
labour  of  working  the  turn-table.  It  has  also  a  decided  advantage,  in 
point  of  cost,  over  plans  where  water  power  is  employed,  since  the  mo- 
tive agent  is  the  locomotive  itself. 

In  the  accompanying  drawing,  A,  fig.  1,  is  the  turn-table,  which  only 


The  channel  in  which  the  carriage,  i,  runs  is  inclined  downwards  close 
to  the  table,  and  when  the  locomotive  reaches  that  point,  as  shown  by 
the  dotted  lines,  the  carriage,  i,  descends  and  gets  free  from  it ;  but  being 
formed  with  an  inclined  top,  it  does  so  very  gradually.  When  it  is  quite 
clear,  the  weight,  no  longer  receiving  support  from  the  rope,  f,  com- 
mences to  descend ;  but  before  it  passes  through  more  than  an  inch,  its 
palls  will  catch  the  links  of  the  chain,  c,  so  that  the  weight  will  be 
suspended  on  the  chain ;  and  as  soon  as  the  engine  and  tender  are  on 
the  table,  and  it  is  set  free,  it  will  turn  during  the  descent  of  the  weight. 
The  same  action  will  obviously  draw  back  the  carriage,  i,  ready  for 
another  stroke. 

Near  the  bottom  of  the  well,  e,  and  above  the  lower  guide-pulley, 
some  elastic  material  should  be  interposed  to  receive  the  fall  of  the 
weight,  if  it  should  by  any  accident  be  let  go.  The  rope,  f,  also,  should 
have  a  portion  of  its  length  elastic,  to  soften  the  shock  of  the  first  con- 
tact of  the  locomotive  with  the  carriage,  i.  From  the  peculiarity  of  the 
links  the  endless  chain  must  be  put  on  without  a  twist,  and  the  guide- 
pulleys  should  be  formed  with  sockets,  that  the  links  may  lie  square  upon 
their  peripheries. 


May,  1853. 


Kenneth. 


ff       tf^KS 


Fig.  1. 

differs  from  those  in  use  from  being  without  the  hand  gear.  It 
has  a  large  pulley,  b,  keyed  on  its  main  spindle,  actuated  by  an 
endless  chain,  c,  which  passes  over  a  guide-pulley,  and  thence 
through  a  weight,  n,  and  round  a  second  guide-pulley  at  the 
bottom  of  a  well,  e.  The  chain  then  returns  up  over  a  third 
gnide-pulley,  not  shown,  and  back  again  to  the  pulley,  b.  The 
links  of  this  chain  are  of  the  peculiar  section  shown  in  fig.  2, 
being  square  at  one  end,  so  as  to  form  a  species  of  ratchet  chain. 
The  weight,  d,  through  a  central  opening  in  which  the  chain 
passes,  is  fitted  with,  say,  four  pairs  of  palls,  to  catch  upon  the 
square  ends  of  the  chain  links,  so  that  in  descending  the  weight 
carries  the  chain  along  with  it,  and  thereby  turns  the  table,  being  suffi- 
ciently great  to  overcome  the  friction  when  the  engine  and  tender  are  on 
it.  In  being  drawn  up,  the  weight  will  obviously  pass  over  the  chain 
without  moving  it,  owing  to  the  peculiar  form  of  link.  The  palls  should 
be  so  arranged,  one  pair  above  the  other,  that  the  weight  may  not  possi- 
bly fall  more  than  an  inch  in  any  case.  The  weight,  r>,  has  attached 
to  it  a  rope,  f,  which  passes  over  a  guide-pulley,  o,  and  thence  over  a 
return  pulley,  a,  between  the  rails  on  which  the  locomotive  approaches. 
It  is  there  attached  to  a  small  carriage,  i,  running  along  a  channel 
formed  for  it  between  the  rails.  This  carriage  is  so  placed  as  that  a 
projection  on  the  smoke-box  of  the  locomotive  shall  come  in  contact 
with  it,  and  carry  it  forward  towards  the  turn-table.  This  action  will 
obviously  draw  up  the  weight,  u,  ready  to  turn  the  table  by  its  descent. 


[Mr.  G.  P.  Eenshaw,  of  Nottingham,  has  also  turned  his  attention  to 
this  subject;  and,  as  a  sequel  to  our  correspondent's  proposition,  we  ap- 
pend engravings  of  Mr.  Renshaw's  design.  Fig.  1  is  a  plan  of  a  portion  of 
a  turn-table  with  the  actuating  apparatus  attached.  Fig.  2  is  a  detailed 
side  view,  showing  the  apparatus  for  working  the  endless  screw  move- 
ment, a  is  the  table ;  b,  two  rollers  mounted  on  shafts,  turning  in 
bearings,  or  otherwise  the  shafts  may  rest  on  anti-friction  wheels,  if 
desirable.  The  rollers  are  so  disposed,  that  when  the  locomotive  engine 
is  run  on  to  the  table,  the  driving-wheels  of  such  engine  can  be  placed 
in  contact  with  the  top  of  the  peripheries  of  such  rollers,  and  so  as 
to  rest  on  them.  To  give  the  driving-wheels  a  tendency  to  rest  on 
the  top  of  such  peripheries,  the  shafts  are  placed  a  little  out  of 
line.  One  of  the  rollers  is  attached  by  a  universal  joint  to  a  shaft,  D, 
having  an  endless  screw,  e,  adapted  to  a  worm-wheel,  F  (shown  by 
dotted  lines),  the  latter  being  connected  with  the  usual  gearing  by 
which  the  turn-table  is  actuated.  The  shaft,  r>,  is  also  connected  with 
a  lever,  a,  and  the  latter  by  a  shaft,  h,  with  a  detent,  i.     To  the  detent, 

I,  a  weighted  lever,  j, 
is  attached  by  a  joint, 
and  so  arranged  as  to 
be  capable,  by  the  ac- 
tion of  gravity,  of 
throwing  the  endless 
screw,  e,  in  and  out  of 
gear  with  the  worm- 
wheel,  f,  by  moving 
the  shaft,  H,  and  lever, 
g.  The  detent,  i,  falls 
at  intervals  into  re- 
tire  fixed   structure  sur- 


cesses,  or  notches,  in 

rounding  the  table,  one  of  these  being  shown  at 
k,  whenever  the  line  of  railway  upon  the  table 
coincides  with  the  lines  communicating  with  the 
same.  It  is  so  arranged  that  when  the  detent,  i, 
is  raised  out  of  the  recesses,  k,  the  endless  screw, 
E,  is  thrown  into  gear  with  the  worm-wheel,  f, 
by  the  intervening  shaft,  h,  and  lever,  a;  and 
contrariwise  when  the  detent,  i,  falls  into  the 
recesses,  k,  the  endless  screw  is  thrown  out  of 
gear  with  the  worm-wheel.  The  action  is  as 
follows: — a  bar  or  other  impediment  being  thrust  in  the  way  of  the 
spokes  of  the  roller,  b,  or  the  revolution  of  the  same  being  otherwise 
prevented,  the  locomotive  engine,  with  or  without  the  tender  attached, 
is  run  on  to  the  table,  as  in  fig.  1,  the  driving-wheels  of  the  engine  being 
made  to  rest  on  the  rollers,  b  ;  the  engine  is  then  fixed  in  this  position 
by  the  application  of  the  brakes  on  the  tender,  or  by  scotches.  Next, 
the  weighted  lever,  j,  is  thrown  aside  to  the  position  as  dotted,  so  as,  by 
the  action  of  gravity,  to  raise  the  detent,  i,  out  of  the  recess,  k,  and  to 
throw  the  endless  screw,  e,  into  gear  with  the  worm-wheel,  f.  This 
being  done,  motion  is  communicated  by  the  locomotive  to  its  driving- 
wheels,  which,  by  their  insistent  weight,  cause  the  revolution  of  the 
rollers,  b  ;  and,  by  means  of  the  endless  screw,  worm-wheel,  and  other 
appendages,  cause  the  revolution  of  the  turn-table  with  its  superincum- 
bent locomotive.  Before  the  turning  has  been  completely  accomplished, 
the  weighted  lever,  j,  is  thrust  over  to  the  opposite  side,  and,  when  the 
lines  of  railway  coincide,  the  detent,  i,  is  forced  into  the  recess,  k,  thereby 


94 


THE  PRACTICAL  MECHANIC'S  JOURNAL. 


fixing  the  turn-table,  and  at  the  some  time  throwing  the  endless  screw, 
E,  out  of  gear  with  the  worm-wheel,  f.    The  turning  being  accomplished, 


Fig.  1. 


GOODYEAR'S 


the  revolution  of  the  rollers  is  temporarily  prevented,  and  the  engine 
may  then  be  run  off  the  table  as  usual.     In  any  case  a  friction  brake 

may  be  substituted  to 


Fig.  2. 


ously  be  adapted  to  traverse  tablcs.- 


temporarily  prevent  the 
revolution  of  the  rol- 
lers. For  turning  cou- 
pled engines,  a  pair  of 
rollers  may  be  em- 
ployed under  each  driv- 
ing-wheel, partially  or 
wholly  connected  with 
tlie  actuating  mechan- 
ism of  the  turn-table. 
To  provide  for  turning 
coupled  engines,  in 
which  the  position  of 
the  driving-wheels  is 
not  adapted  to  the  dis- 
tance between  the  rol- 
lers, hand-gearing  in 
the  usual  form  may  be 
applied  to  the  same 
table,  so  that  such  table 
may  be  worked  either 
automatically  or  by 
hand,  as  convenient. 
Any  or  all  of  these  im- 
provements may  obvi- 
Eo.  P,  M.  Journal.] 


THE  LATERAL  ACTION  OF  THE  SCREW  PROPELLER. 

Your  correspondent,  Lewis  Gompertz,  refers  to  the  action  of  the  screw 
upon  steam  vessels.  If  a  screw  steamer  floats  perfectly  upright  with 
the  screw  at  rest,  she  will  be  slightly  lopsided  upon  its  being  set  in  mo- 
tion, caused  by  the  reation  upon  the  vessel.  If  the  order  is  to  '  go  ahead,' 
her  starboard  side  will  slightly  rise,  and  port  side  lower ;  and  upon  go- 
ing astern  her  port  side  will  rise.  The  effect  is,  however,  veiy  slight. 
Upon  a  rough  calculation,  the  effect  of  the  screw  upon  H.  M.  S.  Aga- 
memnon, going  ahead,  would  be  the  same  as  placing  a  weight  of  16  cwt. 
on  the  deck,  close  to  the  larboard  bulwarks.  I  have  not  seen  the  screw 
of  the  above-named  ship,  but  of  course  conclude  it  to  be  a  right-handed 
one. 

Clifford's  Inn,  June,  1853.  Tuo.  Moy. 


(U.S.)  PATENT  FOR  VULCANIZING 
CAOUTCHOUC. 

Your  notice  in  the  April  number  of  your 
Journal,  under  the  head  of  "  Goodyear's  (U.S.) 
Patent  for  Vulcanizing  Caoutchouc,"  though 
right  in  the  main,  might  yet  mislead.  It 
was  not  the  patent  for  vulcanizing  which  was 
refused  an  extension,  but  it  was  a  patent  for  the 
combining  of  sulphur  with  caoutchouc,  and  is 
commonly  known  here  as  the  sulphur  patent. 

Thus  the  combination  of  sulphur  with  caout- 
chouc was  invented  by  Nathl.  Hayward,  and 
assigned  to  Charles  Goodyear,  and  by  him 
patented  in  1839  ;  this  is  the  patent  which  the 
commissioners  refused  to  extend. 

The  vulcanizing  process  was  invented  by 
Charles  Goodyear — patented  in  1844,  and  the 
patent  was  reissued  in  1849.  It  is  for  a  triple 
compound  of  caoutchouc,  sulphur,  and  white 
lead,  subjected  to  a  high  degree  of  artificial  heat. 

After  the  expiration  of  the  sulphur  patent  (in 
September  next),  there  will  be  another  nice 
point  for  tlie  lawyers,  as  to  whether  caoutchouc 
and  sulphur,  cured  by  steam  heat,  will  be  any 
infringement  of  Goodyear's  patent  of  1849,  it  be- 
ing alleged  that  Goodyear  was  not  the  first  dis- 
coverer of  the  use  of  steam  heat  for  this  purpose. 
Geo.  M.  Knevitt. 

New  Tori;,  April,  1853. 


WHEELER'S  COMBINED  SAFETY  VALVE, 
WATER  GUAGE,  AND  ALARUM. 

In  boilers  fitted  up  with  this  contrivance,  the  engine  attendant  is  pre- 
vented from  tampering  with  the  important  appendages  on  which  the 
safety  of  all  steam  boilers  so  much  depends,  whilst  all  complication  of 
levers  and  stuffing-boxes  is  done  away.  It  is  entirely  self-acting,  and 
the  engineer  has  no  communication  with  either  of  the  indicators  when  in 
action.  The  sketch  exhibits  the  arrangement  ill  vertical  section.  At  a, 
is  a  perforated  dome,  for  the 
escape  of  the  blow-off  steam, 
and  beneath  this  dome  is  a 
valve,  b,  on  the  top  of  a  cham- 
ber, c,  containing  the  main 
safety  valve,  n,  resting  on  a 
flat  face,  to  prevent  sticking. 
This  valve,  d,  is  weighted 
by  the  cast  -  iron  ball,  E, 
linked  to  the  valve  tail.  The 
shell  containing  these  valves 
has  a  side  branch  at  F,  for 
conducting  steam  into  a  small 
chamber  beneath  the  whistle, 
o.  When  the  steam  gets 
higher  than  the  point  neces- 
sary to  blow  the  whistle,  the 
accumulated  pressure  lifts  the 
valve,  r,  and  opens  an  escape 
through  the  dome  above.  At 
h,  is  a  brass  rod  working  with 
its  upper  end  entered  into  a 
glass  tube  above,  the  lower 
end  having  a  copper  ball  float, 
j,  resting  on  the  boiler  water 
surface.  This  rod  carries  a 
small  ball  or  a  pin  working 
freely  between  the  prongs  of 
a  lever,  k,  the  other  end  of 
which  is  fast  on  the  plug  of  a 
stop-cock,  governing  a  steam 
way  through  the  pipe,  l,  be- 
tween the  safety  valve  cham 
ber  and  the  whistle.     As  this 

float  rises  or  falls  two  inches  either  way,  it  admits  steam  from  the  boiler 
to  act  on  the  whistle,  and  thus  gives  notice  of  derangement  of  the  water 
level.     The  brass  indicator,  m,  of  the  glass  tube,  the  perforated  dome,  a, 


THE  PRACTICAL  MECHANIC'S  JOURNAL. 


95 


and  tlie  whistle,  g,  are  all  the  parts  exposed  to  the  eye,  the  remainder  of 
the  details  being  concealed  in  the  steam  chamber.  The  apparatus  is  in- 
tended to  work  either  with  the  valves  alone,  or  with  the  whistle  alone, 
or  with  the  two  combined. 

Oxford,  June,  18o3.  T.  Wheeler. 

AN  ILLUSTRATED  DEFINITION  OF  PERSPECTIVE. 

As  a  misunderstanding  of  perspective  still  very  generally  prevails,  and 
so  many  cheap  educational,  as  well  as  more  commanding  works,  are  being 
introduced  into  general  circulation,  embracing  this  important  subject, 
the  sound  or  unsound  principles  of  which  publications  will  be  relied 
on  by  those  purchasers  who  desire  to  become  acquainted  with  useful 
knowledge,  I  hope  to  do  a  public  service  by  giving  a  simple  and  com- 
prehensible illustrated  definition  of  the  science  of  perspective. 

The  art,  or  practice,  of  perspective  can  only  be  acquired  from  working 
all  the  rules  of  the  genuine  science,  as  more  than  the  character  of  the 
subject  cannot  be  communicated  by  description  and  illustration. 

I  have  long  since  laid  down  and  published  ultimate  rules  for  every 
case  in  rectilinear  and  curvilinear  representation,  which  any  one  may 
acquire,  without  the  aid  of  a  master,  from  my  work,  entitled  the  "  Science 
.if  Vision,  or  Natural  Perspective."  The  misunderstanding  of  perspective 
arises  from  the  two  principles  of  optical  and  geometrical  representation 
being  confounded  with  each  other.  The  skill  of  producing  correct 
sections  (in  any  direction)  of  any  solid  form  is  the  fundamental  know- 
ledge of  an  experienced  draughtsman,  in  every  branch  of  mechanics,  arts, 
:nd  science;  and,  in  the  first  place,  I  shall  refer  to  the  diagram,  exclu- 
sively, as  the  means  of  producing  the  geometrical  shape  or  outline  of  any 
s-ction  required. 

Suppose  a  piece  of  wood  to  be  of  the  shape  of  figure  1,  and  it  should  be 


required  to  he  cut  through  the  sections,  d  c,fg,  h  i,  k  1,  what  would  be 
the  exact  geometrical  outline  of  these  cuts  ?  The  first,  d  c,  would  be  like 
the  figure  m,  and  the  others  \ikem,  o,  p,  (fig.  3.)    My  simple  plan  produces 

Fig.  3. 


the  same  geometrical  figure  (without  vanishing  points)  of  the  perpen- 
dicular section,  de,  as  that  produced  by  the  usual  theoiy  of  the  only 
section  allowed  in  perspective;  and  this  coincidence  proves  its  mathe- 
matical accuracy.  If  the  other  sections,  fg,  hi,  k  I,  of  fig.  2,  oblique  to 
this  ground-line,  dc,  be  each  drawn  in  separate  diagrams,  at  right  angles 
to  other  ground  lines,  as  this  section  is,  the  current  methods,  with 
vanishing  points,  and  mine,  without  vanishing  points,  prove  the  mathe- 
matical accuracy  of  them  also.  It  is  a  simplification  of  the  usual 
method  of  finding  accurate  geometrical  sections,  and  being  done  without 


vanishing-points,  within  the  space  of  the  drawing-board,  it  is  extremely 
convenient  for  practice,  and  effects  a  saving  of  time  and  drawing 
instruments. 

These  geometrical  sections  show,  that  the  parallel  lines  of  the  object 
represented  foreshorten  and  converge  in  every  direction  of  geometrical 
representation;  and  these  fundamental  characters,  arising  from  angularity 
of  position,  is  the  cause  of  these  effects  (inseparable  from  the  vision), 
which  will  explain  why  there  cannot  be  such  a  theory  as  parallel 
perspective. 

By  observing  the  outlines  of  the  geometrical  sections,  mnop,  it  will 
be  seen,  that  irrespective  of  perspective  or  vision,  d  e  being  a  section 
parallel  to  the  upright  edges  of  the  object,  and  perpendicular  to  a  con- 
ventional ground  line,  that  the  perpendiculars  of  the  representation,  m, 
are  parallel  uprights ;  that  the  section,  f  g,  being  oblique  to  that  ground 
line,  the  fig.  n  converges  downwards ;  that  the  figure  of  section,  h  i, 
diverges  downwards,  or  converges  upwards;  and  the  same  with  the 
section,  hi. 

Foreshortening  and  convergence  are  inherent  principles  in  sectional 
geometrical  representation,  but  have  never  been  recognised  as  inherent 
principles  in  perspective  representation.  "  He  that  hath  eyes  to  see,  let 
him  see."  When  fixed  on  the  situation  of  the  lines,  de,  fg,  hi,  kl, 
these,  and  all  other  sections,  form  in  the  eye,  at  a,  a  figure  like  n,  and 
do  not  appear  like  their  geometrical  shapes,  except  the  eye  changes  its 
place,  and  views  them  from  as  many  different  points,  stu,  perpendicular 
to  the  centre  of  each  sectional  line ;  and  it  is  remarkable,  that  the  only 
one  of  these  perpendiculars  which  directs  itself  to  the  eye  at  a,  is  the 
equalized  section,  fg,  forming  the  right  base  of  an  isosceles  and  axis  of 
vision,  and  therefore  must  be  the  only  true  plane  of  the  picture  for  faith- 
fully representing  objects  as  seen  by  the  eye,  which  has  always  been  the 
proposed  object  of  the  art  of  perspective. 

Suppose  a  solid  cube,  and  an  eye  (fig.  2)  to  be  placed,  so  that  the 
distances  from  a,  or  place  of  the  eye,  to  the  corners  of  the  cube,  make  an 
identical  pyramidal  form,  as  the  piece  of  solid  wood,  which  may  be 
modelled  by  attaching  fine  threads  to  seven  of  the  comers,  and  bringing 
them  to  a  point,  according  to  my  original  invention  for  giving  ocular 
evidence  of  geometrical  sectioning  and  perspective  by  models.  By  per- 
forating outlines,  drawn  like  mnop,  on  card-board,  and  passing  the 
strings  through  the  points  at  the  end  of  each  line,  and  bringing  them  to 
a  point  at  the  defined  distance,  these  figures  will  all  lie  in,  and  fit  the 
sections,  d  e,  fg,  h  i,  k  I,  without  bending  any  of  the  threads  out  of  the 
straight  line,  giving  thereby  ocular  proof  of  the  perfect  accuracy  of  the 
art  of  sectioning  geometrically.  The  acquirement  of  the  easy  practical 
rule  for  sectioning,  in  any  case,  annihilates  intricacy  and  difficulty. 

To  understand  perspective  representation,  and  clearly  to  comprehend 
the  difference  between  that  and  geometrical  representation — if  the  eye 
be  placed  at  the  point,  a,  every  one  of  these  strung  sections  will  coincide 
with  each  other,  appear  alike,  and  exactly  cover  all  the  lines  or  edges  of 
the  cube.  As  they  are  all  unlike  geometrically,  but  all  look  alike  to  the 
eye  at  a,  we  must  refer  to  the  eye  for  a  reason  for  making  unlike  things 
appear  alike,  and  find  that  it  arises  from  the  position  of  the  object,  or 
cube,  relative  to  the  vision,  which  can  receive  from  it  but  one  effect,  or 
outline,  with  the  affixed  data.  These  distances  from  the  ends  of  the 
lines  of  the  cube  are  all  unequal,  but  are  equalised  by  the  construction 
of  the  eye  (the  effects  of  which  the  mind  ought  to  conform  to),  in  hori- 
zontal and  transverse  directions  through  the  axis  of  vision,  and  the 
image,  or  apparent  figure  of  the  object,  is  defined  on  the  plane,  posterior 
surface,  of  the  iris,  which  is  the  true  seat  of  vision.  For,  as  all  the  lines 
from  an  object  cross  through  a  point,  a,  in  the  eye,  and  the  spherical 
form  of  the  eye  makes  the  rays,  ag,  a  r,  of  equal  length,  the  inverted 
image  made  on  that  part  in  the  eye  is  reflected  on  the  iris,  which  always 
adjusts  itself  parallel  to  the  chord,  g  r,  which  is  always  parallel  with  the 
section,  fg,  at  right  angles  to  the  axis  of  vision,  and  the  inverted  intake 
is  described  upon  it  by  inverted  reflection,  in  the  same  position  as  the 
object  looked  at. 

As  the  angles  of  these  threads  are  always  the  same  at  the  point,  a, 
although  the  points  in  the  sections  are  so  differently  apart  geometricallv — 
on  account  of  the  angles  being  identical,  the  image  in  the  eye  of  all  of 
them  will  be,  like  the  image  out  of  it,  formed  on  the  section,  fg.  This 
optical  section  may  always  be  readily  distinguished,  and  found  bv 
equalising  the  distances,  g  a,  fa,  which  give  the  section  parallel  to  the 
plane  of  the  iris,  or  natural  plane  of  the  picture,  if  accurately  represented 
on  a  plane  surface. 

For  want  of  the  distinction  being  made  between  optical  and  geometri- 
cal representation,  has  arisen  all  the  mystery  and  misapprehension  of 
this  valuable  knowledge.  And  as  the  theory  and  practice  of  perspective 
still  stands,  and  is  still  fostered  on  rising  genius,  the  onlv  section  for 
which  rules  are  given  is  the  geometrical  one,  de,  or  that  which  is  per- 
pendicular to  a  real  or  imaginary  ground  line,  b  c,    (fig.  2.)      If  any 


96 


THE  PRACTICAL  MECHANIC'S  JOURNAL. 


student  requires  to  define  any  other  section  than  this  conventional  per- 
pendicular one,  there  are  no  common  rules  in  any  work  extant  for  doing 
so;  so  that  they  are  imperfect,  in  a  practical  business  point  of  view,  and 
sadly  limit  the  usefulness  of  sectioning,  irrespective  of  the  scientific  im- 
portance of  exact  or  natural  perspective  in  science  and  the  fine  arts. 

It  is  singular  that  such  eminent  mathematicians,  as  Dr.  Brook  Taylor, 
Dr.  Malton,  the  learned  Jesuits,  and  so  many  distinguished  foreigners, 
should  all  of  them  confine  the  rules  of  perspective  to  one  geometrical 
section  (out  of  the  many  that  may  be  cut),  and  which  is  not  at  right 
angles  to  the  axis  of  vision,  although  that  is  properly  made  an  imperative 
condition  of  their  theories,  and  which  can  only  be  carried  out  by  the 
optical  section,  f  g. 

Natural  perspective,  which  alone  demonstrates  the  truth  of  photogra- 
phic representation,  or  sun-drawing,  and  accounts  for  the  foreshortening 
and  convergence  of  perpendiculars,  makes  so  great  a  change  in  the 
theories  of  art  and  science,  which,  being  only  interesting  and  beneficial 
to  artists  and  scientific  men,  a  rapid  advancement  cannot  be  expected 
(especially  as  old  theorists  never  give  way  and  promote  improvements), 
as  the  population  generally  do  not  want  the  knowledge  themselves  for 
the  purposes  of  their  avocations,  although  so  much,  in  reality,  depends 
on  skill  and  talent,  originating  from  such  knowledge,  and  which  pro- 
duces that  improvement  and  variety,  so  universally  demanded  for  the 
benefit  nf  commercial  enterprise,  and  for  the  gratification  of  the  luxury 
of  wealth. 

The  science  of  optics  has  never  been  properly  treated.  There  is  no- 
thing wrong  in  the  geometry,  when  considered  in  the  abstract,  but  as 
they  are  not  the  principles  of  vision,  the  advantages  of  perspective  and 
a  practical  theory  have  never  been  known  to  science  or  art. 

Newtonian  science  says — "  Optics  is  that  part  of  natural  philosophy 
which  treats  of  vision,  and  the  various  phenomena  of  visible  objects,  by 
rays  of  light,  reflected  from  mirrors,  and  transmitted  through  lenses, 
which  constitute  the  subject  of  the  most  delightful  science  of  optics." 
"  The  principal  things  considered  are,  the  rays  of  light;"  "  the  glasses 
by  which  things  are  reflected  and  refracted;"  the  theorems,  or  laws,  re- 
lating to  the  formation  of  the  image  thereby ;"  "  the  nature  of  vision, 
and  the  structure  of  the  eye ;"  and  "  the  structure  and  use  of  the  prin- 
cipal optical  instruments." 

The  chief  stress  is  laid  upon  rays  of  light,  and  their  geometrical  action 
on  lenses  and  mirrors,  instead  of  the  optical  effects  on  the  eye.  We 
may  be  over-philosophical,  if  we  limit  the  understanding  to  a  secondary 
part  of  an  important  subject. 

"  The  angle  of  incidence  is  equal  to  the  angle  of  reflection  geometri- 
cally; but  philosophy,  which  has  an  eye  to  see  with,  knows  there  is  no 
such  law  in  the  rays  and  reflectors  without  vision,  which  creates  the 
angles  of  incidence  and  reflection,  for  the  rays  fall  perpendicular  to  the 
surface  of  the  reflector,  without  any  angle,  when  there  is  no  spectator  in 
the  case.  As  the  eye  moves,  the  angles  of  incidence  and  reflection  alter, 
and  follow  its  creative  law;  but  as  the  science  of  optics  is  treated  with- 
out this  primary  consideration,  no  one  sees  beyond  their  nose.  The 
theorems,  or  laws,  relating  to  the  formation  of  the  images  of  objects,  are 
laid  down  by  the  laws  of  light  and  glasses,  and  not  by  the  eye.  The 
nature  of  vision  and  structure  of  the  eye  is  only  introduced  to  corrobo- 
rate the  theorems  of  rays  and  reflectors,  but  it  would  have  led  to  less 
mystery,  and  more  useful  knowledge,  if  the  converse  had  been  the  course 
pursued,  and  that  the  action  of  light,  lenses,  and  reflectors,  had  been 
made  only  useful  to  explain  the  theoretical  and  practical  formation  of 
the  visible  images. 

True  philosophy  bows  respectfully  to  the  sound  geometrical  principles 
of  the  abstract  science  of  optics,  but  has  no  respect  for  its  practicability; 
for  it  is  only  the  skeleton  of  that  beautiful  figure,  which,  in  its  full  and 
perfect  form,  rises  before  us,  adorned  with  taste  and  judgment,  on  our 
gaining  a  practical  knowledge  of  natural  perspective. 

This  knowledge  has  been  proved  to  science  for  many  years,  and  since 
its  publication  waggon  loads  of  paper  have  been  printed  and  circulated 
with  the  known  deficiencies  and  uselessness  of  unoptical  perspective ; 
and  when  truth  prevails,  the  wonder  will  be,  how  scientific  authorities, 
so  highly  honoured  in  society,  could  sanction  the  diffusion  of  such  im- 
practicable science,  without  vindicating  a  perfect  theory,  and  promoting 
a  knowledge  essential  to  genius,  luxury,  and  commerce. 

Arthur  Parsey. 

HUSSEY'.S  AMERICAN  REAPER  IMPROVED. 

The  following  account  of  my  latest  improved  reaper  may,  perhaps, 
be  interesting  to  the  readers  of  the  Practical  Mechanic's  journal,  the 
pages  of  which  publication  have  presented  so  many  different  examples  of 
this  class  of  machinery  to  public  inspection.  I  shall  best  explain  the  new 
arrangements  by  going  a  little  into  the  details  of  the  two  former  patents, 


obtained  since  1851.  It  will  be  remembered,  that  in  the  machine  which 
I  sent  to  the  Great  Exhibition,  the  cutter-rod,  on  which  the  blades  are 
fixed,  works  in  a  groove  formed  by  the  platform-bar  behind,  and  in  front, 
by  a  small  rod  riveted  to  the  guards,  or  fingers,  and  by  the  fingers  at 
the  bottom,  the  blades  being  fixed  on  the  top  of  the  cutter-rod.  The 
experienced  difficulty  in  this  plan  was,  that  whilst  the  choking  matter, 
which  was  forced  into  the  slots  of  the  fingers,  found  a  ready  escape  on 
the  upper  side  of  the  blades — that  on  the  lower  side  was  arrested  by  the 
permanent-rod,  in  front  of  the  cutter-rod — there  being  no  escape  for  it, 
except  by  the  way  it  got  in,  and  to  get  out  under  the  cutter-rod  was  im- 
possible. 

In  my  patent  of  July  last,  this  was  changed,  and  the  cutter-rod  re- 
moved from  the  under  to  the  upper  side  of  the  blades,  whilst  the  perma- 
nent-rod, forming  the  front  of  the  groove,  was  dispensed  with.  The 
choking  matter  on  the  under  side  of  the  blade  now  escapes  freely  into 
the  vacancy  occupied  before  by  the  cutter-rod  ;  and,  should  it  incline  to 
remain  there,  short  spurs  may  project  downwards  from  the  under  side  of 
the  blades,  to  keep  the  space  clear.  Another  difficulty  in  the  exhibition 
machine  was  felt  in  crossing  ridge  and  furrow.  The  main  driving  wheel 
being  between  the  sills,  the  bar  of  the  cutting  apparatus  must  neces- 
sarily be  secured  to  the  sills,  either  behind  or  before  the  wheel,  thus  in- 
evitably bringing  the  cutters  against  a  ridge,  when  the  main  wheel  sank 
into  a  furrow.  The  remedy  for  this  is  described  in  my  specification  of 
October  last.  The  main  wheel  is  placed  outside  the  sills,  allowing  the 
cutting  bar  to  be  secured  to  the  sill  in  a  position  within  the  circum- 
ference of  the  main  wheel,  and  bringing  the  cutters  nearly  into  a 
line  with  the  main  axle,  so  that  in  crossing  ridge  and  furrow,  both 
the  wheel  and  the  cutters  may  rise  and  fall  together.  By  placing 
the  driving  wheel  outside  the  sills,  the  clay  accumulating  upon  it  in  wet 
weather,  cannot  choke  the  toothed  gearing,  which  is  now  securely  pro- 
tected. Again,  when  going  parallel  with  the  furrows,  in  bringing  the 
cutters  to  cut  near  the  ground,  that  part  of  the  cutter-bar  near  the  wheel 
would  drag  the  ground  when  the  wheel  ran  in  a  furrow.  An  offset  is 
now  made  in  the  cutter-bar,  allowing  the  sills  to  be  several  inches  above 
the  line  of  the  cutters.  The  improvements,  described  under  my  patent 
of  November  last,  are — tnat  instead  of  the  former  plan,  where  the  cutters 
were  supported  and  guided  whilst  vibrating,  by  the  guards  or  fingers, 
they  are  now  supported  by  projections  from  the  platform-bar,  and  do  not 
necessarily  touch  the  fingers,  allowing  the  choking  matter  an  easier 
escape  under  the  blades.  The  size  and  shape  of  the  blades  are  as 
before,  but  each  has  a  central  hole  made  through  it,  say  1£  inch  long 
and  £  inch  wide.  The  object  of  this  is  the  prevention  of  choking,  by 
the  passage  of  the  square  edges  of  the  apertures  across  the  fingers, 
clearing  out  the  choking  matter  as  fast  as  it  is  forced  in  by  the  blade 
action.  According  to  another  plan  for  the  same  purpose,  an  indentation 
is  made  on  one  side  of  the  blade — a  corresponding  projection  being  pro- 
duced on  the  other  side,  either  by  pressing  or  swaging — just  as  paper  is 
embossed  between  a  die  and  its  matrix,  or  counterpart.  This  indenta- 
tion may  be  about  l-16th  inch  deep,  and  as  it  has  square  edges,  these 
parts  will  operate  on  the  choking  matter  in  the  same  way  as  the  holes — 
as  the  angular  edges  of  the  projections,  or  swells,  will  have  a  clearing 
effect  on  the  other  side.  The  advantage  of  this  plan  is,  that  instead  of 
weakening  the  blade  by  cutting  metal  out  of  it,  additional  strength  is 
actually  given  in  the  fact  of  changing  the  plane  of  its  surface,  as  in  flut- 
ing or  reeding.  Besides  this,  the  indentation  may  be  carried  nearer  to 
the  p  int  of  the  blade  than  the  hole.  The  cutter  is  of  cast  metal,  so 
that  the  spurs  or  supporters  of  the  blades  may  be  cast  on  and  form  part 
of  the  bar. 

June,  1853.  Obed.  Hussey. 

REVIEWS  OF  NEW  BOOKS. 


Tables  of  Circles,  Spheres,  Squares,  &c.  By  Charles  Todd,  Engi- 
neer. London  :  Longman,  Brown,  Green,  &  Longmans,  1853.  Pp. 
114.     Second  Edition. 

The  first  edition  of  this  useful  assistant  to  mechanics  and  engineers 
was  published  so  far  back  as  1826  ;  and  the  present  one  is  issued  in  con- 
sequence of  its  being  long  out  of  print,  whilst  it  has  been  much  sought 
for — numerous  applications  having  been  made  to  the  author  for  a  second 
edition.  We  cannot  give  a  better  idea  of  the  value  of  the  work  than 
that  conveyed  by  this  brief  sketch  of  its  history.  Such  a  book  will 
work  its  way  independently  of  the  appreciating  critic,  and  in  spite  of  the 
fault-finder. 

The  author  says  very  truly  that — 

"  Works  of  this  kind  have  now  become  so  essential,  that  it  is  almost  impossible  to  get 
through  the  ordinary  routine  of  business  without  their  aid. 

*  *  *  *  *  "It  has  ever  been  considered  a  desirable  ob- 

ject to  facilitate  the  practice,  as  well  as  the  acquisition  of  knowledge.    Hence  the  dili- 


THE  PRACTICAL  MECHANIC'S  JOURNAL. 


97 


gence  with  which  many  eminent  men  have  laboured,  especially  among  mathematicians, 
to  furnish  the  world  with  calculations  and  tables,  to  insure  correctness  with  facility  to 
those  persons  whose  circumstances  will  not  allow  them  to  spend  much  time  and  pains  in 
the  mathematical  department  of  their  respective  vocations.  But  among  the  many  and 
various  productions  of  this  kind,  we  do  not  find  any  presenting  mechanics  or  artisans  in 
general  with  tables  of  the  areas  and  circumferences  of  circles,  at  least  on  a  plan  and  in  a 
size  sufficiently  extensive  and  convenient  to  be  of  general  utility,  notwithstanding  daily 
experience  evinces  the  indispensable  necessity  nf  such  a  work;  for  the  transaction  of 
business  has  now  become  of  such  an  urgent  nature,  that  numbers  of  individuals  find  it 
necessary  to  be  furnished,  either  in  the  desk  or  memorandum  book,  with  written  tables 
of  this  kind,  which  have  cost  them  a  great  sacrifice  of  their  valuable  time,  and  yet  these 
tables  have  been  neither  so  correct  nor  comprehensive  as  to  afford  them  the  aid  desired." 

Some  idea  may  be  formed  of  the  comprehensiveness  of  the  tables,  when 
it  is  stated  that  we  have  the  areas  and  circumferences  of  circles  for  dia- 
meters advancing  by  sixteenths  of  an  inch,  as  well  as  by  tenths  of  an 
integer;  the  solidities  and  superfices  of  spheres  for  diameters  advancing 
by  eighths  of  an  inch,  and  by  tenths  of  an  integer;  and  the  areas  and 
diagonals  of  squares  for  sides  advancing  by  eighths  of  an  inch.  To  these 
are  added  a  very  useful  table  of  specific  gravities,  and  a  record  of  some 
important  experiments  on  different  qualities  of  iron. 

The  author  also  explains  his  method  of  calculating  the  tables,  by  which 
a  vast  amount  of  labour  appears  to  be  saved. 

PROCEEDINGS  OF  SCIENTIFIC  SOCIETIES. 


INSTITUTION  OF  MECHANICAL  ENGINEERS. 
April  27,  1S53. 

"On  Coleman's  India-Rubber  Springs  for  Railways,"  by  Mr.  W.  G.  Craig,  of 
Newport. 

"We  have  already  noticed  this  ingenious  invention.— See  plates  107-8,  page  154, 
Vol.  Y.,  Practical  Mechanic  s  Journal.  Mr.  Craig's  deductions,  as  to  their  advan- 
tages, are  as  follow  : — 

1st,  Reduction  of  Dead  Weight. — This  item  is  more  extensive  than  appears  at 
first  sight,  since  the  reduction  of  weight  is  not  confined  to  the  springs  themselves, 
but  extends,  in  a  greater  or  less  degree,  to  a  variety  of  other  parts  of  the  engine, 
carriage,  or  waggon,  on  account  of  the  smoothness  of  their  action.  This  is  par- 
ticularly advantageous  in  the  case  of  cast-iron,  whose  liability  to  fracture  consists, 
not  so  much  in  the  weight  it  has  to  carry,  as  its  inability  to  resist  strains,  jerks, 
and  concussions ;  these  are,  however,  nearly  altogether  deadened  by  the  use  of 
these  springs,  so  that  a  motion  uniformly  smooth  and  steady  takes  the  place  of  one 
that  is  very  injurious  to  railway  plant,  especially  to  engines;  and  as  the  working 
portions  of  an  engine  are  made  extra  strong,  with  a  view  to  resist  the  concussions 
they  are  subject  to  with  steel  springs,  it  follows  that  when  these  are  no  longer 
allowed  to  operate,  they  may  be  made  lighter,  without  in  the  least  impairing  their 
efficiency.  The  reduction  in  the  springs  themselves  is, however,  considerable;  and 
the  weight  thus  gamed  is  valuable,  particularly  in  the  case  of  waggons,  where  it 
becomes  available  for  tonnage.  The  amount  of  this  reduction  of  weight  varies,  as 
shown  by  the  following  table,  but  may  be  taken  on  an  average  at  from  3^  to  5  cwt. 
per  engine,  and  the  same  for  waggons. 

COMPARATIVE  WEIGHT  OF  INDIA-RUBBER  AND  STEEL  SPRINGS. 


"Weight  of  Springs. 

India 
Rubber. 

Steel. 

Reduction 
in  Weight. 

Engine-Bearing  Springs. 

Cwt. 

Cwt. 

Cwt. 

H 

Engine  Hydro-Pneumatic  Springs. 

7 

si 

H 

Tender-Bearing  and  Draw  Springs. 

2| 

u 

H 

Carriage-bearing,  Drawing,  and  Buffing  Springs... 

4J 

9| 

n 

Wagzon -bearing,  Drawing,  and  Buffing  Springs... 

Si- 

8| 

« 

2dly,  Steadiness  of  Motion. — This  has  been  referred  to  before,  and  it  may  be 
added  that  the  great  steadiness  of  the  engines  with  the  India-rubber  springs  is  the 
surprise  of  every  one  who  has  witnessed  their  performance  upon  the  imperfect  road 
on  which  they  are  worked. 

3dly,  DuroMlity. — Although  sufficient  time  may  not  have  elapsed  to  test  the 
absolute  durability  of  these  springs,  yet  during  the  time  they  have  been  in  use,  in 
consequence  of  the  heaviness  of  the  work,  if  deterioration  had  commenced  ever  so 
slightly,  it  would  have  been  observable  ;  but  in  a  large  number  of  the  India-rubber 
cylinders  that  were  examined,  aftfr  being  at  work  for  various  periods,  varying  from 
four  to  six  month?,  in  both  engines,  carriages,  and  waggons,  in  no  instance  was 
the  Brightest  alteration  visible  from  the  dav  in  which  they  were  first  used,  nor  the 

No.G1.-Vol.  VJ. 


slightest  permanent  contraction  in  length,  or  expansion  in  diameter  perceptible  :  it 
may,  therefore,  be  inferred  that  their  durability  far  exceeds  anything  hitherto  ap- 
plied to  the  same  purpose,  and  is  fully  equal  to  any  reasonable  expectation  or 
requirement.  The  specimens  before  the  meeting  have  been  in  use  for  the  last  five 
and  six  months,  and  corroborate  this  statement.  The  weight  on  each  pair  of  the 
engine  springs  is  from  4^-  to  9^  tons. 

4thly,  Saving  in  Repairs. — The  simple  construction  of  these  springs  renders  it 
almost  impossible  for  any  injury  to  happen  to  them,  consequently  little  or  no  re- 
pairs are  needed.  As  stated  before,  the  cost  of  repairing  the  steel  springs  of  fifteen 
engines  for  six  months  was  £251.  9s.  9d.  The  cost  of  repairing  the  India-rubber 
springs  of  fourteen  engines  during  the  last  six  months  was  only£l.  18s.  The  sav- 
ing in  the  cost  of  repairs  is  not  confined  to  the  springs  alone,  but  the  engine  itself, 
the  carriages  and  waggons  to  which  they  are  applied,  and  even  the  permanent  way, 
share  the  advantage.  It  is  found  that  fewer  chairs  are  broken,  fewer  rails  (plates 
rather)  are  bent,  less  grease  and  oil  is  used  for  the  bearings,  and  the  cost  of  main- 
taining the  waggons  is  reduced  when  India-rubber  is  used.  It  is  inferred,  with  a 
considerable  degree  of  probability,  that  from  the  absence  of  any  jerk  upon  the 
axles,  the  tendency  of  the  iron  to  become  crystallized  or  altered  in  its  nature,  and 
suddenly  fracturing  so  often  complained  of,  and  which  has  produced  so  many  serious 
accidents  upon  railways,  will,  by  the  use  of  these  springs,  be  nearly  overcome,  and 
the  axles  remain  perfect  for  a  much  longer  period,  more  especially  as  under  the 
India-rubber  springs  they  show  no  tendency  to  heat. 

5thly,  Cost. — The  question  of  first  cost  does  not  properly  belong  to  this  paper, 
but  it  will  be  sufficient  to  state  that  a  well-constructed  India-rubber  spring  ought 
not,  in  any  case,  to  exceed  the  cost  of  a  steel  spring  of  equal  strength  ;  but  on  the 
hvdro-pneumatic  principle  it  will  be  found  to  be  considerably  cheaper,  especially  for 
engines,  amounting  on  an  average  to  twenty  per  cent,  saving  on  the  old  plan. 

The  foregoing  remarks  have  been  made  chiefly  with  reference  to  bearing  springs, 
but  they  apply  equally  to  both  buffer  and  draw  springs ;  and  in  proportion  to  the 
extent  in  which  India-rubber  is  used  in  place  of  steel,  does  the  improvement  in 
the  rolling  stock  become  apparent,  and  the  benefits  resulting  from  its  use  more 
strongly  developed.  The  pneumatic  buffers,  it  is  considered,  have  been  subjected 
to  a  peculiarly  severe  test,  few  railways  in  the  kingdom  possessing  such  disadvan- 
tageous circumstances.  Almost  every  other  description  of  buffer  had  been  tried 
previously  with  the  same  want  of  success,  until,  from  repeated  failures,  the  attempt 
to  obtain  a  permanent  buffer  was  almost  abandoned  in  despair,  and  solid  blocks  of 
wood  were  substituted  for  them  in  many  instances.  With  these  buffers,  however, 
no  failure  has  taken  place,  nor  in  any  instance  has  their  elasticity  diminished  in 
the  slightest  degree.  In  the  accompanying  table,  the  deflection  of  this  description 
of  buffer  and  the  several  kinds  of  springs,  under  different  weights,  is  shown. 

TABLE  OF  DEFLECTION  OF  SPRINGS. 


Engine 

Single 

Engine 
Triple 

Engine 
Hydro- 

Waggon 

Buffer 

Draw- 

Load. 

Spring. 

Spring. 

Pneumatic. 

Spring. 

Fig,  1, 

Fig.  2. 

Fig.  7. 

Fig.  3. 

Fig.  6. 

Fig.  9. 

Ins. 

Ins. 

Ins. 

Ins. 

Ins. 

Ins. 

£  ton. 

fl 

i 

1 

B 

7 

A 

1 

1st    " 

i 

I 

H 

4 

H 

2d     " 

3 

S 

X 

4 

5 

"ft" 

3 
"ff 

l 

3d     " 

3 

"ff 

1 

* 

__3 

5 

4th   " 

8 
S 

1 

1     . 

A 

— 

1 



5th   " 

s 

A 

— 

_n 



6th   « 

3 

•s 

— 

A 



Before  the  application  of  India-rubber  draw  springs  to  the  engines  and  tenders, 
the  couplings  were  frequently  breaking,  and  also  the  frame  ends  ;  but  since  their 
adoption  nothing  of  the  kind  takes  place.  Such  are  the  advantages  of  these  springs 
that  their  adoption  promises  to  become  general,  and  it  will  be  shortly,  without 
doubt,  as  rare  to  meet  with  a  waggon  unprovided  with  a  draw  spring,  as  it  was  for- 
merly to  meet  with  one. 

In  working  15,000  miles,  the  cost  of  repairs  is  found  to  be  reduced  in  the  en- 
gines using;  India-rubber  springs,  in  corresponding  engines  of  the  two  classes,  from 
5|d.  to3|d.  per  mile,  and  from  7d.  to  3£d.  per  mite. 

"  On  Railway  Axle  Lubrication,"  by  Mr.  W.  B.  Adams,  London. 

"  On  a  New  Lubricating  Material,"  by  Mr.  John  Lea,  London. 

"  On  Messrs.  Cox  &  Wilson's  Portable  Single -Acting  Steam  Engine,"  by  Mr. 
T.  T.  Chellingworth. 

After  the  meeting,  Messrs.  Salt  and  Lloyd,  of  Birmingham,  exhibited  speci- 
mens of  a  new  process  for  raising  or  stamping  vessels,  formed  from  sheets  of  iron, 
tin,  and  brass,  by  which  greater  economy  and  rapidity  are  obtained  than  by  the  ordi- 
nary process.  A  heavy  ram  of  1  ^  tons  weight  is  raised  by  steam-power  a  sjort 
distance,  of  about  a  foot,  between  guides,  having  the  convex  die  attached  to  the 
under  side  of  the  ram,  and  the  concave  die  or  matrix  is  secured  to  the  bottom  of 
the  frame  as  in  ordinary  stamping  ;  the  edges  of  the  flat  metal  plate  to  be  raised 
or  stamped  are  then  forcibly  held  down  upon  the  matrix  by  a  metal  ring  pressed 
down  by  eccentrics,  whilst  the  blow  is  struck  by  the  ram  falling  and  driving  the 
die  through  the  ring  into  the  matrix,  which  it  tits  accurately,  the  pressure  of  the 
ring  on  the  edges  of  the  metal  plate  being  so  adjusted  as  to  allow  the  plate  to  draw 
uniformly  into  the  required  form  without  the  edges  becoming  puckered ;  the  metal 
is  stamped  cold. 


9S 


THE  PRACTICAL  MECHANICS  JOUliNAL. 


LOYAL  SOCIETY. 
June  16,  1853. 
"  Experiments  and  Observations  on  the  Properties  of  Light,"  by  Lord  Brougham, 
F.R.S.  The  noble  author  appears  to  be  as  indefatigable  as  ever  in  his  researches 
in  this  most  interesting  matter.  On  the  present  occasion,  he  said  lie  considered 
Newton's  experiments  to  prove  that  the  fringes  formed  by  inflexion,  and  bordering 
the  shadow  of  all  bodies,  are  of  different  breadths,  when  formed  by  the  homo- 
geneous rays  of  different  bands,  to  be  the  foundation  of  his  theory,  and  would  be 
conclusive  if  the  different  rays  were  equally  bent.  But  experiments  were  shown 
to  prove  that  this  different  flexibility  really  exists,  and  this  had  not  been  remarked 
by  Newton.     A  most  interesting  discussion  followed. 


INSTITUTION  OF  CIVIL  ENGINEERS. 

May  24,  1853. 

James  Meadows  Rendel,  Esq.,  President,  in  the  Chair. 

"  Description  of  the  Newark  Dvke  Bridge,  on  the  Great  Northern  Railway," 
by  Mr.  J.  Cubitt. 

This  bridge,  for  carrying  the  railway  across  a  navigable  branch  of  the  river 
Trent,  near  Newark,  was  described  as  being  erected  at  a  point  where  the  line  and 
the  navigation  intersect  each  other,  at  so  acute  an  angle,  that  although  the  clear 
space,  measured  at  right  angles,  between  the  abutments,  was  only  97  feet  6  inches, 
the  actual  span  of  the  girders  was  240  feet  6  inches. 

The  structure  consisted  of  two  separate  platforms,  one  for  each  line  of  rails, 
carried  upon  two  pairs  »f  Warren's  trussed  girders,  each  composed  of  a  top  tube 
strut,  of  cast-iron,  opposing  horizontal  resistance  to  compression,  and  a  bottom 
tie,  of  wrought-iron  links,  exerting  tensile  force  ;  these  were  connected  vertically, 
by  alternate  diagonal  struts  and  ties,  of  cast  and  wrought-iron  respectively,  divid- 
ing the  length  into  a  series  of  fuurteen  equilateral  triangles,  whose  sides  were  18 
feet  G  inches  long. 

The  top  tubes  rested  upon  the  apices  of  equilateral,  or  A  frames,  fixed  on  the 
abutments,  and  each  pair  of  girders  were  connected  by  a  horizontal  bracing,  at  the 
top  and  bottom,  leaving  a  clear  width  of  13  feet  for  the  passage  of  the  trains. 

Each  tube  was  composed  of  twenty-nine  cast-iron  pipes,  of  l^-inch  metal  and 
13j  inches  diameter  at  the  abutment  ends,  increasing  to  18  inches  diameter  with 
2|-inches  metal  at  the  centre  of  the  span, — the  ends  of  the  pipes  being  accurately 
turned  and  fitted,  so  as  to  give  exact  contact  of  the  surfaces,  where  they  were 
connected  together  by  bolts  and  nuts. 

The  lower  tie  consisted  of  wrought-iron  links  8  fret  6  inches  long,  of  the  uniform 
width  of  9  inches,  but  varying  in  number  and  thickness,  according  to  the  tensile 
strain  to  which  each  portion  was  subjected  ;  the  abutment  portions  having  each 
four  links  of  9  inches  by  1  inch,  and  the  centre-piece  fourteen  links  of  9  inches 
by  l  inch. 

The  diagonal  tie  links  varied  from  9  inches  by  -}£  inch  to  9  inches  by  J  inch, 
and,  in  order  to  accord  with  the  relative  strains,  were  distributed  in  groups  of 
four,  for  the  first  three  lengths  from  the  ends,  and  then  in  couples  for  the  next 
four  lengths  on  each  side  of  the  centre. 

The  cast-iron  diagonal  struts  had  a  section  resembling  a  Maltese  cross,  the  area 
being  in  proportion  to  the  compressive  force  to  which  they  were  subject. 

The  bearing-pius  at  all  the  intersections  were  5^-  inches  diameter,  carefully 
turned  and  fitting  into  bored  holes. 

The  links  of  the  lower  tie  were  supported,  in  the  middle  of  each  length,  by  a 
pair  of  wrought-iron  rods,  1£  inch  diameter,  suspended  from  each  side  of  a  joint- 
pin  traversing  the  top  tube ;  and  by  means  of  nuts  and  washers  they  could  be 
made  to  bear  a  portion  of  the  weight  of  the  platform  of  the  bridge. 

The  trusses  were  so  arranged,  that  all  the  compressive  strains  were  received 
by  the  cast-iron,  and  all  the  tensile  force  was  exerted  by  the  wrought-iron ;  the 
proportions  being  such,  that  when  the  bridge  was  loaded  with  a  weight  equal  to 
1  ton  per  foot  run,  which  considerably  exceeded  that  of  a  train  entirely  composed 
of  the  heaviest  locomotive  engines  used  on  the  Great  Northern  Railway,  no  strain 
could  exceed  5  tons  per  square  inch  of  section. 

The  total  weight  of  metal  in  each  pair  of  girders,  composing  the  bridge,  was 
244  tons  10  cwts.,  of  which  138  tons  5  cwts.  were  cast-iron,  and  10G  tons  5  cwls. 
wrought-iron,  which,  with  50  tons  for  the  platform,  &c,  made  the  total  weight  of 
each  bridge  204  tons  10  cwts.,  or  589  tons  for  the  whole  structure  ;  and  the  cost, 
exclusive  of  the  masonry  of  the  abutments,  and  of  the  permanent  rails,  but  includ- 
ing the  staging  for  fixing  and  putting  together  and  the  expense  of  testing,  was 
£11,003. 

In  a  series  of  experiments  to  test  the  stability  of  a  pair  of  the  trussed  girders,  at 
the  works  of  Messrs.  Fox,  Henderson,  &  Co.,  where  they  were  constructed,  the 
following  results  were  obtained  : — 

With  a  weight  of  44G  tons  regularly  distributed,  which  was  equal  to  1^  ton  per 
foot  run,  plus  the  weight  of  the  platform,  rails,  &c,  lowered  seriatim  on  the 
thirteen  compartments,  the  ultimate  deflection  at  the  centre  was  nearly  6£  inches. 

With  a  weight  of  31G  tons,  equal  to  1  ton  per  foot  run,  plus  the  weight  of  the 
platform,  &c,  as  before,  the  ultimate  deflection  at  the  centre  was  4^  inches. 

When  the  bridge  was  fixed  in  its  place,  a  train  of  waggons,  lo:ided  up  to  1  ton 
per  foot  run,  extending  the  whole  length  of  the  platform,  causad  a  centre  deflection 
of  2|  inches. 

The  deflection  caused  by  two  heavy  goods  engines,  travelling  fast,  and  slowly, 
was  2\-  inches ;  and  that  produced  by  a  train  of  five  of  the  heaviest  locomotive 
engines  used  on  the  Great  Northern  Railway,  was  2^  inches  in  the  centre. 

The  proportions  of  the  several  parts  of  the  structure  were  originally  given  by 
Mr.  C  II.  Wild,  and  had  been  only  slightly  modified  by  the  author  during  the 
execution  of  the  work. 


BIOGRAPHICAL  ACCOUNT  OF  DR.  YVOLLASTON. 
By  Thomas  Thomson,  M.D. 

William  Hyde  Wollaston,  one  of  the  most  eminent  chemists  that  Britain  has 
produced,  was  born  on  Gth  of  August,  17G6.  He  belonged  to  a  Staffordshire 
family,  distinguished  for  several  centuries  for  their  successful  cultivation  of  science. 
The  well-known  work,  entitled  "  The  Religion  of  Nature  Delineated,"  was  the 
production  of  his  great-grandfather.  His  father,  the  Rev.  Francis  Wollaston,  of 
Chapelhurst,  in  Kent,  was  an  astronomer.  He  made  an  extensive  catalogue  of  the 
northern  circumpolar  stars.  He  was  the  author  of  ten  papers,  chiefly  astronomical, 
which  appeared  in  the  Philosophical  Transactions  between  17G9  and  1796. 

Dr.  Wollaston  was  one  of  seventeen  children,  all  of  whom  lived  to  the  age  of 
manhood.  His  mother  was  Althea  Hyde,  of  Charterhouse  Square,  London.  He 
was  born  at  East  Dereham,  a  village  about  sixteen  miles  from  Norwich.  After  tho 
usual  preparatory  education  he  went  to  Cambridge,  and  entered  at  Caius  College, 
where  he  made  great  progress.  He  did  not  graduate  in  arts,  but  took  the  degreo 
of  M.B.  in  1787,  when  he  was  twenty-one  years  of  age.  In  1793  he  took  the  de- 
gree of  M.D.,  being  of  the  age  of  twenty-seven.  At  Cambridge  he  resided  till 
17S9,  devoting  himself  chiefly  to  astronomy — a  taste  which  be  probably  imbibed 
from  his  father.  He  was  chosen  a  fellow  of  Caius  College  soon  after  taking  his 
degree,  and  this  fellowship  he  retained  till  his  death. 

After  acquiring  the  requisite  preliminary  knowledge,  he  settled  at  Bury  St. 
Kdmund's,  in  Suffolk,  as  a  physician.  But  his  success  as  a  practitioner  was  so  bad, 
that  he  soon  after  left  that  place  and  went  to  London.  Soon  after,  a  vacancy  occurred 
in  St.  George's  Hospital,  and  Dr.  Wollaston  and  Dr.  Pemberton  started  as  candi- 
dates for  the  office  of  physician.  Dr.  Wollaston  was  particularly  ill  qualified  for 
canvassing,  and  almost,  as  a  matter  of  course,  was  unsuccessful.  This  want  of 
success  he  took  so  much  to  heart,  that  he  renounced  the  practice  of  medicine,  and 
declared  to  his  friends  that  he  would  never  write  another  prescription.  Indeed,  he 
never  liked  the  profession  ;  nor  was  it  well  suited  to  his  peculiar  turn  of  mind. 
He  turned  his  attention  to  science,  and  having  discovered  a  method  of  welding  the 
grains  of  platinum  into  metallic  bars,  became  a  manufacturer  of  this  metal  on  an 
extensive  scale,  and  gradually  acquired  a  handsome  fortune. 

He  has  been  accused  of  avarice,  but  apparently  without  reason.  His  brother 
wrote  him  to  request  him  to  apply  to  the  Ministry  of  the  time  being,  for  some  situa- 
tion (probably  in  the  church)  on  which  he  had  set  his  heart.  Dr.  Wollaston  replied 
that  he  had  never  applied  for  anything  for  himself,  and  could  not  think,  therefore, 
of  applying  for  another.  But,  continued  Dr.  Wollaston.  if  the  enclosed  bill  be  of 
any  service  to  you,  you  are  perfectly  welcome  to  it.  This  enclosure  was  a  bank 
bill  for  £10,000. 

He  was  elected  a  member  of  the  Royal  Society  in  the  year  1793,  and  soon 
became  one  of  the  most  active  and  distinguished  members  of  that  scientific  body. 
He  and  Davy  became  the  two  secretaries;  and  Dr.  Wollaston  contributed  no  fewer 
than  thirty-nine  papers,  which  were  published  in  succession  in  the  Philosophical 
Transactions;  fourteen  of  these  were  upon  chemical  subjects,  ten  on  subjects  con- 
nected with  optics,  the  remaining  fifteen  on  miscellaneous  subjects. 

Dr.  Wollaston  enjoyed  uninterrupted  health  for  many  years ;  but  about  two 
years  before  his  death,  which  happened  on  the  22d  of  December,  1828,  at  the  age 
of  sixty-two,  he  was  afflicted  with  a  disease  of  the  brain.  After  death,  it  appeared 
that  the  portion  of  the  brain  from  which  the  optic  nerve  arises  was  occupied  by  a 
large  tumour.  In  spite  of  this  extensive  cerebral  disease,  Dr.  Wollaston's  faculties 
remained  unclouded  to  the  last.  His  powers  of  vision  were  exceedingly  perfect.  I 
have  seen  him  write  on  paper  and  upon  glass  in  so  small  a  hand,  that  it  seemed  to 
be  merely  a  single  fine  drawn  across  ;  but  when  examined  by  a  microscope  it 
assumed  the  form  of  regular  letters,  distinctly  visible  and  easily  read.  This  power 
he  retained  to  the  last.  When  he  was  nearly  in  his  last  agonies,  one  of  his  friends 
having  observed,  loud  enough  for  him  to  hear,  that  he  was  not  at  that  time  con- 
scious of  what  was  passing  around  him,  he  made  a  sign  for  a  pencil  and  paper, 
which  were  given  him.  He  wrote  down  some  figures,  and  after  casting  up  the  sum 
returned  them.     The  account  was  right. 

In  the  June  before  his  death,  he  was  proposed  as  a  member  of  the  Astronomical 
Society  of  London  ;  but  according  to  the  rules  of  that  Society  he  could  not  have 
been  elected  before  the  last  meeting  for  the  year.  When  the  Society  met  in  Nov., 
1828,  the  alarming  situation  of  his  health,  and  the  great  probability  of  his  dis- 
solution previous  to  the  December  meeting,  induced  the  council  at  once  to  recom- 
mend to  the  assembled  members  a  departure  from  the  established  rule,  and  that 
the  election  should  take  place  at  that  sitting.  This  was  done,  and  received  the 
unanimous  sanction  of  the  meeting,  which  insisted  on  dispensing  with  even  the 
formality  of  a  ballot.  Dr.  Wollaston  then,  within  a  few  days  of  his  death,  acknow- 
ledged this  feeling  and  courteous  act  by  presenting  the  Society  with  a  valuable 
telescope  which  he  greatly  prized.  It  originally  belonged  to  his  father,  and  had 
been  subsequently  improved  by  the  application  to  it  of  an  invention  of  his  own,  the 
triple  achromatic  object-glass — a  device  on  which  astronomers  set  great  value. 

At  the  death  of  Sir  Joseph  Banks,  Dr.  Wollaston  was  chosen  as  interim  presi- 
dent, from  the  time  of  that  death,  to  the  30th  November  of  the  same  year,  which 
was  the  usual  time  for  the  election  of  the  president.  Not  a  few  of  the  members 
were  anxious  that  he  should  have  succeeded  Sir  Joseph  Banks  as  president,  but  he 
peremptorily  refused  to  allow  himself  to  be  put  on  the  list  of  candidates.  Hie  con- 
sequence was,  that  Sir  Humphrey  Davy  was  choseu  to  fill  that  important  office 
"without  opposition. 

Towards  the  latter  part  of  1828,  Dr.  Wollaston  became  dangerously  ill  of  the 
disease  of  the  brain  of  which  he  died.  Finding  himself  unable  to  write  out  an 
account  of  such  of  his  discoveries  and  inventions  as  he  was  reluctant  should  perish 
with  him,  he  spent  his  numbered  hours  in  dictating  to  an  amanuensis  an  account  of 
some  of  the  most  important  of  them. 


THE  PRACTICAL  MECHANIC'S  JOURNAL. 


d'J 


The  chief  of  these  is  indisputably  his  method  of  rendering  platinum  malleable, 
which  he  hud  practised  for  many  years  upon  so  large  a  scale,  that  he  is  said  to  have 
cleared  thirty  thousand  pounds  by  that  process  alone.  He  had  ascertained  the  fact 
that  platinum,  like  iron,  is  capable  of  being  welded.  Hence  he  inferred  that  it 
might  be  converted  into  a  metallic  rod  or  plate,  susceptible,  by  skilful  hammering, 
of  being  converted  to  vessels  of  any  shape  or  size  required.  As  it  is  capable  of 
resisting  the  greatest  heat  of  our  furnaces,  and  is  not  acted  upon  by  the  reagents 
employed  in  chemical  experiments  and  analysis,  its  immense  importance  in  chemi- 
cal researches  became  at  once  obvious. 

But  native  platinum  is  a  compound  or  mixture  of  eight  different  metals.  It  was 
necessary  to  get  rid  of  these  foreign  bodies  before  converting  platinum  into  bars. 
He  dissolved  crude  platinum  in  nitro-nmriatic  acid,  filtered  and  precipitated  the 
platinum  by  sal-ammoniac  The  yellow  precipitate  was  carefully  washed,  and 
heated  very  cautiously  in  a  black-lead  crucible,  to  drive  off  the  sal-ammoniac.  The 
grey  residue  is  platinum.  It  is  rubbed  to  powder  by  the  hand,  and  then  triturated 
by  a  wooden  pestle  in  a  wooden  mortar,  care  being  taken  to  do  nothing  that  would 
polish  the  edges  of  the  platinum  powder,  because  that  would  prevent  the  welding 
process  from  taking  place.  The  powder  is  now  put  into  a  brass  mould,  filled  with 
water,  taking  care  that  no  vacuities  are  left.  The  top  of  the  powder  is  covered 
first  with  paper  and  then  with  cloth,  and  it  is  then  compressed  with  the  force  of  the 
hand  by  a  wooden  plug.  After  this,  a  circular  plate  of  copper  is  placed  on  the 
top,  and  it  is  exposed  to  a  very  violent  pressure  in  a  horizontal  press.  It  is  then 
put  into  a  charcoal  6re  and  heated  to  redness,  to  drive  off  the  water. 

The  ingot  of  platinum  thus  formed  is  placed  upon  an  earthen  stand,  about  2g 
inches  above  the  grate  of  a  wind  furnace.  The  ingot  is  placed  on  its  end,  and  is 
exposed  for  twenty  minutes  to  the  highest  temperature  that  can  be  raised  in  the 
furnace.  It  is  now  placed  on  an  anvil,  and  struck,  while  hot,  on  the  top  with  a 
heavy  hammer,  so  as  at  one  heating  effectually  to  close  the  metal.  It  must  never 
be  struck  on  the  sides,  which  would  cause  it  to  crack.  Ey  this  hammering  it  is 
brought  into  the  state  of  a  perfect  ingot  fit  for  all  purposes. 

During  Dr.  Wollaston's  experiments  on  crude  platinum,  he  discovered  a  new 
metal,  to  which  he  gave  the  name  of  palladium,  or  new  silver.  In  the  year  1S03, 
he  drew  up  a  statement  of  the  most  remarkable  and  characteristic  properties  of 
palladium.  This  statement,  together  with  some  specimens  of  the  metal,  was 
exhibited  in  the  windows  of  some  shops  in  London,  without  the  least  hint  of  who 
the  discoverer  was,  or  from  what  source  the  metal  was  obtained.  This  very 
uncommon  mode  of  exhibiting  a  chemical  discovery,  naturally  led  Mr.  Chenevix 
to  suspect  that  the  pretended  new  metal  was  nothing  else  than  an  artificial 
compound  of  seme  metals  previously  known.  He  purchased,  accordingly,  all  the 
specimens  of  palladium  exhibited  in  London  for  sale;  and  after  an  elaborate  and 
laborious  course  of  experiments,  drew  up  a  paper  on  the  subject,  in  which  he 
showed  that  it  was  an  amalgam  of  platinum,  or  a  compound  of  mercury  and 
platinum.  This  paper  was  read  at  a  meeting  of  the  Royal  Society,  and,  unless  I 
am  mistaken,  Dr.  Wollaston  himself  was  the  person  that  read  it  to  the  Society. 

Chenevix's  paper  was  not  only  read  to  the  Royal  Society,  but  published  in  their 
Transactions  for  1803,  without  any  information  afforded  that  the  metal  called 
palladium  had  been  discovered  and  examined  by  Dr.  Wollaston.  On  taxing  Dr. 
Wollaston  with  cruel  and  unhandsome  conduct  for  not  intrusting  the  secret  to  Mr. 
Chenevix,  he  assured  me  that  he  had  done  all  in  his  power  to  convince  Chenevix 
that  he  was  mistaken — that  he  had  written  him,  assuring  him  that  he  himself  had 
repeated  Mr.  Chenevix's  experiments  and  found  them  inaccurate,  and  that  he  him- 
self was  satisfied,  from  careful  examination,  that  palladium  was  a  distinct  metal. 
I  have  no  doubt  that  Wollaston's  statement  is  correct,  but  think  that  he  ought 
not  have  allowed  Mr.  Chenevix  to  publish  his  paper,  without  betraying  the 
secret  of  the  discovery  of  palladium,  and  the  reasons  which  induced  him  to  believe 
thiit  palladium  was  a  peculiar  metal.  Chenevix  had  been  occupied  at  the  rate  of 
fourteen  hours  a  day  for  nearly  a  quarter  of  a  year.  It  is  not  surprising  that  he 
was  not  likely  to  yield  to  a  set  of  experiments  differing  from  his  own.  But  the 
effect  of  Dr.  Wollaston's  conduct  was  to  destroy  the  chemical  reputation  of  Chenevix, 
and  put  an  end  to  the  chemical  career  of  one  of  the  most  active  and  laborious 
chemists  of  his  time. 

In  the  Philosophical  Transactions  for  1804,  Dr.  Wollaston  published  an  account 
of  the  properties  of  palladium,  and  pointed  out  the  mistake  into  which  Chenevix 
had  fallen.  In  the  same  paper  he  described  the  properties  of  another  new  metal 
which  he  had  found  in  crude  platinum,  and  to  which  he  gave  the  name  of  rhodium. 

Ir  will  be  worth  while  to  take  a  short  review  of  Dr.  Wollaston's  chemical  papers, 
published  in  the  Philosophical  Transactions,  that  we  may  see  the  discoveries  for 
which  chemistry  is  indebted  to  him. 

1.  The  earliest  of  these  discoveries,  though  the  last  given  to  the  chemical  world, 
was  the  method  of  rendering  platinum  malleable  and  ductile.  It  furnished  practi- 
cal chemists  with  a  most  important  utensil,  to  which  chemistry  is  indebted  fur  the 
great  decree  of  perfection  to  which  chemical  analysis  of  minerals  has  reached. 
Everybody  now  can  analyse  a  mineral  with  tolerable  accuracy ;  but  before  Dr  Wol- 
laston supplied  a  platinum  crucible,  the  analysis  of  the  simplest  mineral  was  a  work 
attended  with  great  labour,  and  a  great  waste  of  time. 

All  the  great  improvements  in  chemistry  were  preceded  by  the  discovery  of  cer- 
tain utensils,  which,  when  applied  to  chemistry,  developed  a  new  series  of  impor- 
tant facts.  The  pneumatic  apparatus  contrived  by  Cavendish  and  Priestley,  led 
to  the  discovery  and  examination  of  numerous  elastic  fluids  which  had  hitherto 
ped  the  attention  of  chemists.  Dr.  Wollaston's  platinum  crucibles  speedily 
brought  the  art  of  analysing  minerals  to  a  state  of  perfection.  The  discovery  of 
the  Galvanic  battery,  and  the  decomposing  power  of  electricity,  led  Davy  to  the 
discovery  of  the  constitution  of  the  fixed  alkalies,  alkaline  earths,  and  earths  pro- 
per, which  had  previously  been  considered  as  simple  substances.  The  simplifi- 
cation and  perfection   by  Liebig  of  the  apparatus  contrived  by  Gay-Lussac  and 


Thenard  for  the  analysis  of  vegetable  bodies,  led  immediately  to  the  examination 
of  an  immense  number  of  substances  of  vegetable  origin,  and  the  discovery  of 
numerous  interesting  and  important  bodies  which  had  hitherto  escaped  the  atten- 
tion of  chemists. 

2.  It  is  well  known  to  every  individual  who  takes  any  interest  in  chemical  in- 
vestigations, that  what  is  called  Dalton's  atomic  theory  was  made  known  to  the 
public  about  the  year  1804.  According  to  that  theory,  every  simple  substance  is 
an  atom  having  a  determinate  weight.  Bodies  combine  either  atom  to  atom,  or 
an  atom  of  one  with  a  certain  number  of  atoms  of  another.  At  that  time  chemists 
were  in  possession  of  hardly  any  accurate  analyses  of  salts,  or  of  chemical  com- 
pounds in  general.  Mr.  Dalton  founded  his  theory  on  the  analysis  of  two  gases, 
namely,  protoxide  and  deutoxide  of  azote ;  the  first  consisting  of  a  certain  quantity 
of  azote  united  with  a  determined  weight  of  oxygen,  the  second  of  the  same 
quantity  of  azote  united  to  twice  as  much  oxygen.  The  first  of  these  he  considered 
as  a  compound  of  one  atom  of  azote  with  one  atom  of  oxygen,  and  the  second  of 
one  atom  of  azote  united  with  two  atoms  of  oxygen. 

In  the  year  1S08,  I  supplied  Mr.  Dalton  with  two  instances  of  similar  combina- 
tions, namely : — ■ 

1.  Oxalate  of  potash.  2.  Oxalate  of  strontian. 

Binoxalate  of  potash.  '  Binoxalate  of  strontian. 

After  the  perusal  of  my  paper  on  oxalic  acid,  Dr.  Wollaston  read  a  paper  to  the 
Royal  Society  on  super-acid  and  sub-acid  sultsy  which  was  published  in  the  Philo- 
sophical Transactions  for  1S0S.  In  this  paper  he  gives  six  examples  of  similar 
combinations,  namely:  — 


1.  Carbonate  of  potash. 
Bicarbonate  of  potash. 

2.  Carbonate  of  soda. 
Bicarbonate  of  soda. 

3.  Sulphate  of  potash. 


Bisulphate  of  potash. 
4.  Oxalate  of  potash. 
Binoxalate  of  potash. 
Quadroxalate  of  potash. 


3.  About  the  beginning  of  the  present  century,  Mr.  Hatchett  discovered  a  new 
metal  in  a  mineral  from  America,  a  specimen  of  which  was  in  the  British  Museum. 
To  this  uew  metal  he  gave  the  name  of  columbb.tm.  Soon  after  Mr.  Hatchett's 
discovery,  a  metallic  substance  was  detected  in  Sweden  by  Mr.  Ekeberg,  differing 
from  every  other  with  which  he  was  acquainted.  This  new  metal  he  distinguished 
by  the  name  of  tantalum.  The  discovery  of  Hatchett  was  made  known  to 
the  public  in  the  Philosophical  Transactions  for  1802,  and  that  of  Ekeberg  in  the 
memoirs  of  the  Swedish  Academy  of  Sciences  for  1802. 

In  the  year  1S09,  Dr.  Wollaston  procured  specimens  of  the  Swedish  mineral  con- 
taining tantalum,  and  of  the  mineral  in  the  British  Museum  containing  colu?nbium, 
extracted  a  little  of  the  oxide  of  tantalum  from  the  one,  and  of  the  oxide  of  colum- 
bium  from  the  other,  and  by  a  very  ingenious  comparison  of  the  two,  demonstrated 
that  both  oxides  are  identical,  and  that  columbium  and  tantalum  constitute  one 
and  the  same  metal.  These  results  were  published  by  Wollaston  in  1809,  in  the 
Philosophical  Transactions,  and  exhibit  a  very  satisfactoiy  display  of  his  mode  of 
experimenting  on  a  minute  scale,  and  of  the  sagacity  which  enabled  him  to  draw 
the  proper  conclusions  from  very  simple  premises. 

4.  Dr.  Wollaston's  discovery  regarding  titanium  ought  not  to  be  passed  over  in 
silence.  Titanium  is  the  name  given  by  Klaproth  to  a  new  metal  discovered  by 
Mr.  Gregor  in  the  valley  of  Menachan  in  Cornwall,  and  called  on  that  account 
menachine.  Mr.  Gregor  published  an  account  of  his  discovery  in  1791.  In  the 
year  1795,  Klaproth  discovered  a  new  metal  in  a  mineral  at  that  time  distinguished 
by  the  name  of  red  schorl,  to  which  he  gave  the  name  of  titanium.  And  in  1797 
he  made  a  comparative  set  of  experiments  on  the  menachine  of  Gregor  and  his  own 
titanium,  by  which  he  established  the  identity  of  these  two  metals  with  each  other. 
All  attempts  to  reduce  the  oxide  of  titanium  to  the  metallic  state  failed,  if  we 
except  the  small  quantity  of  metallic  titanium  extracted  by  Vauquelm  and  Hecht 
in  1796,  and  the  subsequent  method  of  reducing  the  oxide  to  the  metallic  state 
contrived  by  Liebig  in  1831,  and  deduced  by  him  from  Henry  Rose's  experiments 
on  ammonio-chloride  of  titanium. 

Red  cubes  having  the  metallic  lustre,  are  occasionally  discovered  in  the  slag  of 
the  hearths  of  the  great  iron  smelting-houses,  so  abundant  in  this  neighbourhood 
and  in  Wales.  These  cubes  were  examined  by  Dr.  Wollaston  in  1 S22,  and  shown 
to  possess  the  characters  of  titanium  in  the  metallic  state.  He  found  the  cubes  to 
consist  of  metallic  titanium  of  the  specific  gravity  of  5*3,  and  to  be  hard  enough  to 
scratch  rock  crystal. 

Such  was  the  state  of  our  knowledge  of  these  cubes  of  metallic  titanium,  as  was 
supposed,  when  Wohler  published  an  elaborate  set  of  experiments  on  them  in  the 
year  1850.  He  showed  that  they  always  contained  graphite  mechanically  mixed. 
By  a  very  ingenious  but  complicated  set  of  experiments,  Wohler  showed  that  the 
metallic  cubes  of  supposed  titanium  were,  in  fact,  composed  of  titanium,  azote,  and 
carbon,  in  the  proportions — 

Titanium, 78*00 

Azote, 1S-11 

Carbon, 3*89 

The  carbon  was  combined  with  azote,  constituting  cyanogen,  while  the  remainder 
of  the  azote  was  united  with  the  titanium,  constituting  an  azotide.  The  crystals, 
according  to  these  experiments,  are  composed  of — 

Cyanide  of  titanium, IG'21 

Azotide  of  titanium, 83*79 


1  Atom  cyanide  of  titanium. 
3  Atoms  azotide  of  titanium. 


100*00 


100 


THE  PRACTICAL  MECHANIC'S  JOURNAL. 


In  the  year  1823,  when  Dr.  Wollaston's  paper  was  published,  the  science  of  che- 
mistry was  not  far  enough  advanced  to  enable  him  to  make  a  complete  and  satis- 
factory analysis  of  this  very  remarkable  compound. 

The  next  paper  of  Dr.  Wollaston  which  I  shall  notice,  was  inserted  in  the  Philo- 
sophical Transactions  for  1S14,  and  was  entitled  a  "  Synoptical  Table  of  Chemical 
Equivalents."  It  had  been  observed  by  Richter,  that  when  solutions  of  two  neutral 
salts  which  decompose  each  other  are  mixed,  the  new  salts  formed  are  always  equally 
neutral.  Thus,  if  9  parts  of  sulphate  of  soda  be  mixed  with  16'25  parts  of  nitrate  of 
barytes,  the  two  neutral  salts  will  be  converted  into  10-5  parts  of  nitrate  of  soda  and 
14'5  of  sulphate  of  barytes,  the  sulphate  of  barytes  will  precipitate,  and  the  nitrate 
of  soda  will  remain  in  solution.  Richter  found  this  law  to  hold  in  all  the  cases  tried, 
and  thence  inferred  that  the  ratios  of  saturation  of  acids  and  bases  were  always  the 
same.  Thus,  4  by  weight  of  soda  will  just  saturate  5  of  sulphuric  acid,  6'75  of  nitric 
acid,  7'25  of  arsenic  acid,  4'5  of  phosphoric  acid.  Dr.  Wollaston  explained  this  re- 
markable property  by  means  of  the  atomic  theory  of  Dalton.  Acids  and  bases  unite 
atom  to  atom,  or  one  atom  of  the  one  with  one  or  two  or  more  atoms  of  the  other. 
He  showed,  by  a  most  laborious  investigation,  that  the  same  law  holds  in  all  chemical 
combinations.  Metals  combined  with  one,  two,  or  more  atoms  of  oxygen  to  form 
oxides,  with  two  or  more  atoms  of  sulphur  to  form  sulphurets.  Every  body  has  a 
peculiar  atomic  weight.  This  he  determined  iu  a  very  considerable  number;  drew 
up  a  table  of  atomic  weights,  referred  to  oxygen  as  unity,  and  transferring  them  to 
a  sliding  scale,  enabled  the  practical  chemist  to  see  at  once  the  weight  of  any  body 
necessary  to  saturate  an  atom  of  any  other.  These  scales  were  exposed  to  sale, 
and  at  one  time  were  very  common  in  laboratories.  But  the  vast  uumber  of  names 
upon  the  scale,  made  it  difficult  to  discover  the  name  wanted,  and  on  that  account 
they  have  gradually  gone  out  of  use. 

6.  In  the  year  1813,  a  paper  by  Dr.  Wollaston  was  published  in  the  Philoso- 
phical Transactions,  giving  an  account  of  a  very  ingenious  mode  of  showing  the 
cold  induced  in  water  by  evaporation.  To  the  apparatus  used,  he  gave  the  name 
of  cryophorus.  It  consisted  of  a  glass  tube  about  one-eighth  of  an  inch  in  dia- 
meter, terminating  at  each  extremity  in  a  glass  ball  about  one  inch  in  diameter. 
This  tube  was  bent  at  a  right  angle  about  half  an  inch  from  each  ball.  One  of 
these  balls  should  contain  a  little  water.  This  water  is  boiled  till  all  the  air  is 
driven  out  of  the  balls  and  tube.  The  tube  is  now  hermetically  sealed,  and  allowed 
to  cool.  The  water  is  then  collected  in  one  ball,  while  the  other  at  the  distance  of 
the  tube  is  plunged  into  a  freezing  mixture.  By  this  contrivance  the  vapour,  as  it 
rises  from  the  water,  is  condensed,  and  thus  the  evaporation  from  the  water  is 
continued  unabated.  The  cold  generated  by  this  evaporation  is  so  great,  that  in  a 
few  minutes  the  water  in  the  remote  bulb  is  converted  into  ice. 

7.  There  is  still  a  paper  of  Dr.  Wollaston's  to  be  noticed.  I  mean  his  examina- 
tion of  urinary  calculi.  It  was  published  in  the  Philosophical  Transactions  for 
1797,  and  was  indeed  the  first  of  his  publications.  One  species  of  urinary  calculi 
had  been  examined  by  Scheele,  who  showed  that  it  was  composed  of  a  peculiar 
acid  substance  which  exists  in  urine,  on  which  account  it  got  the  name  of  uric 
acid  calculus.  Dr.  Wollaston  analysed  four  new  species  of  calculus,  and  deter- 
mined the  composition.     These  were  : — 

1.  Fusible  calculus.  This  calculus  before  the  blow-pipe  fused  into  an  opaque 
white  glass.  It  is  a  mixture  of  phosphate  of  lime,  and  ammonia-phosphate  ol 
magnesia.  2.  Mulberry  calculus.  So  called  by  surgeons,  because  it  has  a  brown 
uneven  surface,  having  some  resemblance  to  a  mulberry.  It  consists  essentially  of 
oxalate  of  lime.  3.  Bone-earth  calculus.  It  has  a  brown  colour,  and  a  smooth 
surface.  It  consists  essentially  of  phosphate  of  lime,  and  differs  from  bone-earth 
by  containing  no  carbonate  of  lime.  4.  In  1810,  Dr.  Wollaston  discovered  a  new 
calculus,  to  which  he  gave  the  name  of  ctjstic  oxide  calculus.  5.  Gouty  concre- 
tions, composed  of  urate  of  soda. 

8.  Such  is  a  meagre  catalogue  of  Dr.  Wollaston's  chemical  papers  published  in 
the  Philosophical  Transactions  ;  there  is  still  another  notice  by  him  which  deserves 
to  be  stated. 

Dr.  Marcet,  at  the  time  of  his  death,  was  occupied  with  a  set  of  experiments  to 
determine  the  quantity  of  salt  in  the  Mediterranean  Sea,  and  with  endeavouring  to 
account  for  the  constant  influx  of  the  Atlantic  Ocean  by  the  Straits  of  Gibraltar, 
without  any  sensible  increase  of  the  specific  gravity.  He  had  applied  to  Captain 
William  Henry  Smyth,  who  was  engaged  in  surveying  part  of  that  sea,  to  supply 
him  with  water  at  great  depths  from  that  sea.  Dr.  Marcet  dying  before  he  received 
the  water  expected,  Captain  Smyth  gave  to  Dr.  Wollaston  three  bottles  from  the 
bottom  of  the  sea,  and  at  different  distances  from  the  Straits  of  Gibraltar.  The 
first  two  specimens  were  taken  from  680  miles,  and  450  miles  from  the  Straits,  at 
the  depths  of  450  and  400  fathoms,  contained  water  of  the  usual  specific  gravity, 
namely,  1-0294  and  1-0295.  But  the  third,  taken  50  miles  from  the  Straits,  and 
at  a  depth  of  670  fathoms,  had  a  specific  gravity  of  1-1288.  The  first  two  con- 
tained 4  per  cent,  of  salt,  the  last  17"3  per  cent.  It  is  clear  from  this,  that  an 
under  current  outward,  if  of  equal  breadth  and  depth  with  the  current  inward  at 
the  surface,  would  carry  as  much  salt  below  as  is  brought  in  above,  although  it 
moved  with  \  part  of  velocity,  and  would  thus  prevent  any  increase  of  salt  in  tin- 
Mediterranean  beyond  what  exists  in  the  Atlantic. 

The  remaining  papers  by  Wollaston  in  the  Philosophical  Transactions  amount 
to  twenty-five.  They  are  on  various  subjects,  all  ingenious,  and  each  containing  a 
new  fact. 

Dr.  Wollaston's  Papers  in  Philosophical  Transactions. 

1.  On  Gouty  and  Urinary  Concretions,  vol.  87,  p.  386,  1797. 

2.  On  Double  Images  by  Atmospherical  Refraction,  vol.  87,  p.  239,  1800. 

3.  Experiments  on  the  Chemical  Production  and  Agency  of  Electricity,  vol. 
87,  p.  427,  1801. 

4.  A  Method  of  Examining   Refractive  and  Dispersive  Power  by  Prismatic 
Reflection,  p.  365, 1S02. 


5.  On  Oblique  Refraction  of  Iceland  Crystal,  p.  381,  1802. 
C.  Quantity  of  Horizontal  Refraction,  &c.,  p.  1,  1803. 

7.  On  a  New  Metal  (palladium)  in  Platina,  p.  419,  1804. 

8.  On  the  Discovery  of  Palladium,  p.  316,  1S05. 

9.  On  the  Force  of  Percussion,  p.  13,  1806. 

10.  On  Fairy  Rings,  p.  133,  1807. 

11.  On  Superacid  and  Subacid  Salts,  p.  9G,  1808. 

12.  On  Platina  and  Native  Palladium  from  Brazil,  p.  189,  1S09. 

13.  Identity  of  Columbium  and  Tantalum,  p.  246,  1809. 

14.  Description  of  a  Reflective  Goniometer,  p.  253,  1809. 

15.  On  the  Duration  of  Muscular  Action,  p.  2,  1810. 

16.  On  Cystic  Oxide,  p.  223,  1810. 

17-  On  the  Non-existence  of  Sugar  in  the  Blood  of  persons   labouring  under 
Diabetes  Mellitus,  p.  90,  1811. 

18.  Crystals  of  Carbonate  of  Lime,  Bitter  Spar,  and  Iron  Spar,  p.  159,  1812. 

19.  On  a  Periscopic  Camera  Obscura,  &c,  p.  370,  1812. 

20.  On  the  Elementary  Particles  of  certain  Crystals,  p.  51,  1813. 

21.  Method  of  Freezing  at  a  Distance,  p.  71,  1813. 

22.  Drawing  very  fine  Wires,  p.  114,  1813. 

23.  Single  Lens  Micrometer,  p.  119,  1813. 

24.  Synoptic  Scale  of  Chemical  Equivalents,  p.  1,  1814. 

25.  On  Cutting  Diamonds,  p.  265,  1816. 

26.  On  Native  Iron  in  Brazil,  p.  281,  1816. 

27.  Cutting  Rock  Crystal  for  Micrometers,  p.  126,  1820. 

28.  Sounds  Inaudible  to  certain  Ears,  p.  306,  1820. 

29.  Concentric  Adjustment  of  Triple  Ohject-Glass,  p.  32,  1822. 

30.  On  the  Finite  Extent  of  the  Atmosphere,  p.  89,  1822. 

31.  On  Metallic  Titanium,  p.  17,  1823. 

32.  Magnetism  of  Metallic  Titanium,  p.  400,  1823. 

33.  On  the  Semi-decussation  of  the  Optic  Nerves,  p.  222,  1824. 

34.  Apparent  direction  of  the  Eye  in  a  Portrait,  p.  247,  1824. 

35.  Method  of  making  Platinum  Malleable,  p.  1,  1829. 

36.  Microscopes  Double,  p.  9,  1S29. 

37.  Comparing  the  Light  of  the  Sun  and  Fixed  Stars,  p.  29,  1829. 

38.  Water  in  the  Mediterranean,  p.  29,  1829. 

39.  Differential  Barometer,  p.  133,  1829. 


MONTHLY  NOTES. 


Experiments  in  Screw  Propulsion.— In  continuation  of  our  notes  on 
this  subject,*  we  have  to  record  the  following  experiments : — The  Cadiz,  a  new 
iron  steamer  of  950  tons  and  220  nominal  horse  power,  built  by  Messrs.  Tod  and 
Macgregor,  and  belonging  to  the  Peninsular  and  Oriental  Company,  was  fitted 
with  a  Griffith's  screw,  and  tried  at  the  measured  mile,  at  Stoke's  Bay,  on  the  lGth 
June.  Of  ten  runs  made  with  the  screw,  at  various  pitches,  the  most  successful 
showed  a  superiority  of  a  quarter  of  a  knot  over  the  common  screw,  whilst  the 
vibration  was  very  much  lessened.  What,  however,  has  most  elated  the  friends  of 
screw  propulsion  has  been  the  repeated  success  of  the  Bengal,  whose  first  voyage, 
considered  beyond  praise,  has  been  even  outstripped  by  her  second.  It  appears, 
indeed,  as  a  correspondent  of  the  Times  remarks,  that  "  the  days  of  paddlebox 
steamers  are  numbered,"  and  the  most  inveterate  supporters  of  the  paddle  are 
beginning  to  change  their  minds.  The  Peninsular  and  Oriental  Company  are 
gradually  adopting  the  screw  in  their  large  fleet,  to  the  entire  exclusion  of  the 
paddle.  This  step  was  first  contemplated  when  the  Bombay,  Madras,  Formosa, 
and  one  or  two  others,  proved  successful.  The  Bengal  was  constructed  as  a  final 
experiment,  and  we  need  not  wonder  that  the  triumph  she  has  achieved  has 
brought  the  company  to  a  decision.  What  steamers  they  still  have  on  the  prin- 
ciple now  beginning  to  be  called  "  old-fashioned,"  are,  for  the  most  part,  to  be 
allowed  to  wear  out;  but  even  such  of  these  as  are  of  a  suitable  shape,  and  are 
worth  altering  and  repairing,  are  to  he  changed  into  screw  steamers.  The  Had- 
dington, of  1,600  tons,  is,  it  is  said,  to  be  so  metamorphosed,  being  in  need  of 
repairs.  The  Himalaya,  of  3,500  tons,  lately  launched,  intended  to  be  a  paddle- 
boat  when  commenced,  was  subsequently  altered  to  a  screw.  Amongst  those  in 
progress,  all  screws,  are  the  Simla,  of  2,600  tons;  the  Candia,  2,200  tons;  the 
Peru,  2,200  tons;  the  Nubia,  2,200  tons;  and  the  Colombo,  1,900  tons.  A 
comparison  of  the  cost  and  expenses  of  the  Bengal,  with  those  of  paddle-steamers 
of  similar  class,  will  give  reasons  for  preference  of  the  former,  much  more  appre- 
ciable by  the  commercial  mind  than  mere  scientific  considerations.  The  Bengal  is 
of  the  same  size  as  the  Orinoco,  Parana,  and  Magdalena,  2,250  tons,  belonging 
to  the  Royal  Mail  Steam-packet  Company,  and  carrying  the  West  India  mails. 
These  vessels  have  engines  of  750  horses'  power,  whilst  the  Bengal,  with  470,  or 
about  two-thirds  of  this,  has  reached  a  greater  speed  than  any  of  them.  The 
Bengal  has  a  very  great  advantage  with  regard  to  fuel,  requiring  but  45  tons  per 
day,  whilst  the  three  West  Iudia  boats  consume  from  85  to  90  tons.  A  reduction 
in  the  amount  of  fuel,  besides  diminishing  that  item  of  cost,  brings  with  it  a  gain 
in  the  freight ;  for  the  Bengal  could  carry  600  to  700  tons  of  cargo,  instead  of  the 
mere  250  or  300  tons,  which  the  West  India  steamers  are  capable  of  taking,  in 
addition  to  their  1,200  tons  of  coals.  The  Bengal  cost,  it  is  said,  about  £70,000, 
whilst  the  Orinoco  cost  from  £95,000  to  £100,000  ;  and,  in  addition  to  all  this, 
is  to  be  considered  the  difference,  in  wear  and  tear,  in  favour  of  the  screw  vessel. 
With  facts  like  these  before  thein,  we  cannot  be  surprised  that  the  attention  of 
men  of  capital  and  enterprise  is  at  the  present  moment  so  strongly  attracted  to 
the  new  system  of  propulsion.     On  the  18th  June,  Sir  Thomas  Mitchell's  Booni- 

*  Page  53,  Vol.  VI.,  Practicul  Mechanic's  Journal. 


THE  PRACTICAL  MECHANIC'S  JOURNAL. 


101 


enmu  propeller  was  again  tried  in  the  Conflict.  The  instrument  employed  on  a 
previous  trial  had  been  made  too  weak,  and  broke  almost  at  starting.  On  the 
last  occasion  no  such  casualty  happened,  and  a  speed  of  9^  knots  was  the  average 
result,  of  eight  runs  at  the  measured  mile,  in  Stoke's  Bay.  The  numbers  of  revo- 
lutions averaged  G3|  This  speed  is  said  to  be  somewhat  above  that  obtained  in 
the  Conflict  with  a  common  screw.  The  diminution  of  the  vibration  of  the  vessel 
was  remaikable.  The  experiment  was,  in  fact,  decided  in  favour  of  the  new  pro- 
peller. The  trials  in  Commodore  Martin's  squadron  show  that  the  Conflict  is  far 
from  being  a  fast  vessel,  either  under  steam  or  canvas;  and  it  is  considered  that, 
with  vessels  of  finer  lines,  proportionately  better  results  will  be  obtained  with  the 
Boomerang.  It  has  continued  to  be  successful  in  the  Genova,  whose  experimental 
trip  we  have  already  recorded,  this  vessel,  on  her  voyage  home  from  Quebec  to 
Liverpool,  having  averaged  a  knot  an  hour  more  thau  she  had  ever  previously 
done  with  a  common  screw.  The  attention  of  the  public  has  also  lately  been 
called  to  another  and  newer  system  of  screw-propulsion,  the  invention  of  Mr. 
Burch,  whose  beautiful  models  have  been  much  admired.  The  invention  is  an 
improvement  on  Griffith's  arrangement.  The  centre  of  the  propeller  is  occupied 
by  a  large  dmm.  The  lines  of  the  ship  are  made  to  run  into  the  periphery  of 
this  drum,  and  continue  beyond  it,  finally  merging  into  the  stern-post,  so  that  the 
ship  is  in  the  shape  of  a  cone  at  that  part.  The  blades,  of  course,  project  outside 
the  drum,  and  the  water  is  acted  on  in  an  unbroken  state,  as  it  flows  in  straight 
lines  along  the  ship's  side,  without  winding  in  under  the  run,  or  impinging  upon  a 
central  globe,  as  in  Griffith's  plan.  The  arrangement  is,  in  fact,  the  carrying  out 
of  a  suggestion,  in  reference  to  Griffith's  screw,  made  in  our  own  columns  a  few 
mouths  back.*  Mr.  Burch  has  hit  upon  a  very  ingenious  plan,  of  reducing  the 
friction  between  the  surfaces  of  the  central  drum,  and  the  casing  in  which  it  works. 
A  small  pipe,  communicating  with  the  atmosphere  at  its  upper  end,  opens,  at  its 
lower  end,  near  the  centre  of  the  surfaces  to  be  lubricated ;  and  it  is  expected  that 
the  centrifugal  action  will  draw  down  the  air,  so  as  to  interpose  a  film  between 
the  surfaces.  The  quantity  must,  however,  be  so  regulated,  that  none  shall  pass 
out  into  the  water  on  which  the  blades  are  acting;  otherwise,  some  of  their  effect 
will  be  lost.  The  size  of  the  central  drum  allows  of  the  introduction  of  mechanism 
for  swivelling  the  blades,  and  even  of  drawing  them  entirely  within  the  drum. 
The  principle  posses>es  several  good  points,  but  the  proportion  of  the  cones  in  the 
models  appeared  much  exaggerated.  We  understand  the  models  are  on  their 
way  to  the  New  York  Exhibition. — Since  these  notes  were  written,  a  further  set 
of  experiments  have  been  made  with  Griffith's  screw.  The  object  was  to  test  the 
new  screw  under  both  steam  and  canvas,  the  wind  on  the  previous  occasion  not 
having  been  sufficiently  strong  to  use  the  sails.  The  first  trial  was  made  with 
the  angle  of  the  blades  set  at  a  coarse  pitch,  when  the  engines  made  22£  revolu- 
tions with  the  fore  and  aft  sails  set.  In  this  manner  the  Cadiz  went  from  South- 
ampton docks  to  Stoke's  Bay — a  distance  of  14  miles — within  the  hour,  aud 
subsequently  ran  the  measured  mile,  with  a  light  breeze,  as  follows: — 

Revolutions.         Steam.         Vacuum.  Time.  Speed. 

1st  Run,        .        .     22*  102  lbs.  26£  4' 54"  12245 

2d  Run,         .        .      22$  10  26J  5' 30"  10909 

Mean  speed,  11  577  knots  per  hour. 

With  the  same  angle  of  screw,  she  made  five  knots  under  canvas  alone  ;  and 
aftei  wards,  with  the  screw  feathered,  she  pave  a  precisely  similar  result. 

Shand  and  Mason's  Ship  Fire-Engines. — Messrs.  Shand  and  Mason,  of 
the  Blackfriars'-road,  London,  have  recently  introduced  a  novel  form  of  ship's  fire- 
engine,  combining  the  essentials  of  simplicity,  easy  management,  and  cheapness, 
with  all  the  efficiency  of  action  for  which  this  firm  has  long  been  celebrated.  The 
pump  barrels,  which  are  of  gun  metal,  and  the  air  vessel  and  clacks,  are  bolted 
down  to  a  c;ist-iron  sole  plate,  fixed  inside  a  wooden  case,  and  the  two  ends  of  this 
case  are  so  hinged  at  the  bottom  that,  when  the  engine  is  required  for  use,  these 
ends  may  be  turned  down  to  he  flat  on  deck.  During  working,  the  sailors  place 
their  feet  upon  the  ends  so  turned  down,  and  thus  keep  the  pump  steady.  When 
cut  of  action,  the  working  barrels  are  unshipped,  and  placed,  with  the  hose, 
suction-pipe,  and  other  appurtenances,  inside  the  box,  and  the  ends  of  the  box 
being  closed,  the  whole  forms  a  compact  piece  of  ship  furniture  of  easy  transport. 

Prevention  of  the  Deposit  in  Steam-boileks. — Accident,  it  is  said, 
has  revealed  to  Mr.  Ira  Hill,  an  American  engineer,  a  very  simple  plan  of  pre- 
venting the  deposition  of  lime,  on  the  inner  surfaces  of  steam-boilers.  Every 
engine-man  is  acquainted  with  the  evils  and  annoyance  arising  from  the  presence 
of  the  very  refractory  sulphate  of  lime ;  and  it  may  therefore  be  interesting  for 
them  to  know,  that  one  or  two  shovelfuls  of  oak  sawdust  thrown  into  the  boiler, 
removes  the  whole  difficnlty,  although  the  boiler  water  is  strongly  impregnated 
with  lime.  With  such  an  addition,  Mr.  Hill  has  always  found  his  boiler  quite 
smooth  and  clean  as  if  just  oiled.  What  the  theory  of  action  is,  whether  it  is  that 
the  depositing  lime  attaches  itself  to  the  floating  particles  of  wood,  or  whether  the 
tannic  acid  in  the  wood  has  anything  to  do  with  the  case,  in  forming  with  the  lime 
a  salt  which  will  not  adhere  to  the  iron,  is  yet  to  be  ascertained.  Tiie  expedient 
aro=e  from  throwing  in  some  sawdust  to  stop  a  leak. 

Steam-Ship  Building  under  Cover. — We  sometime  ago  engraved  and 
described  a  building-slip  roof,  erected  at  Messrs.  T.  &  W.  Smith's,  St.  Peter's  Dock- 
yard, Newcastle,!  as  a  good  example  likely  to  be  quickly  followed.  Since  that  time 
the  system  has  been  largely  adopted,  and  amongst  others,  Messrs.  Tod  &  M'Gregor 
of  Glasgow  have  resolved  to  build  under  cover.  The  cover  or  house  which  they 
have  contracted  for,  is  to  be  a  modification  of  the  crystal  palace,  being  covered  with 
glass  and  gas-lighted.  Under  this  erection  several  first-class  ocean  going  steamers 
may  be  built  at  once,  the  men  all  working  full  time  with  every  comfort,  whatever 
may  be  the  state  of  the  weather  outride.  The  extent  of  the  building  may  in  some 
'e  be  guessed  at,  when  we  state  that  it  is  to  cost  £12,000. 

*  Page  2C1,  Vol.  V.  t  See  Page  130,  Vol.  IV.,  Practical  Mechanic's  Journal. 


I 

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mi 

1!' 

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■ft!i.!;i! 

lif 

Feret's  SPHERICAL  Wind-Guard.— M.  Feret  of  Marseilles  has  lately  pro- 
posed to  cure  the  evils  attendant  upon  smoking  chimneys,  by  the  use  of  a  simple 
arrangement  of  a  duplex  spherical  or  ball-shaped  cover  for  the  chimney  top.  Our 
engraving  represents  the  contrivance, 
with  its  outer  shell  in  vertical  section. 
The  part,  A,  rests  on  the  open  end  of  the 
chimney,  and  over  this  part  is  a  sphere, 
B,  fitted  with  a  loose  adjustable  lid,  c, 
and  having  lateral  or  side  apertures  for 
the  discharge  of  the  smoke.  This  inner 
sphere,  b,  is  covered  by  an  outer  case, 
d,  which  has  an  open  top  and  bottom, 
and  rests  by  its  lower  edge  upon  brack- 
ets on  the  outside  of  the  inner  sphere, 
so  that  there  is  a  complete  annular 
thoroughfare  between  the  two  casings. 
If  a  side  wind  strikes  the  outer  case, 
the  sphere  deflects  the  aerial  current 
into  two  sections,  an  upper  one  pass- 
ing over  the  top,  and  a  lower  one 
descending  the  reverse  way.  This 
improves  the  chimney  draught,  and 

causes  the  smoke  to  pass  freely  off  through  the  lateral  openings  in  the  inner  sphere, 
and  thence  out  of  the  outer  case  either  above  or  below.  In  the  same  way  a 
"blow-down"  is  deflected  by  the  spherical  contour  of  the  case,  whilst  the  smoke 
gets  away  at  the  annular  passage  beneath. 

PROVISIONAL  PROTECTIONS  FOR  INVENTIONS 

UNDER  THE  PATENT  LAW  AMENDMENT  ACT. 
^°When  the  city  or  town  is  not  mentioned,  London  is  to  be  understood. 

Recorded  March  14. 

635.  John  O'Leary,  Liverpool — Improvements  in  chests  for  the  use  of  emigrants,  whereby 
they  are  also  made  applicable  to  other  purposes. 

637.  John  H.Johnson,  47  Lincolu's-inn-fields,  and  Glasgow — Improvements  in  the  ap- 
plication of  porcelain  and  similar  materials  to  ornamenting  purposes. — (Commu- 
nication.) 

Recorded  April  14. 

905.  Thomas  Haigh,  Halifax— Invention  for  the  cleansing  of  pans  and  other  culinary 
utensils. 

90G.  John  W.  Duncan.  G rove-en d-road,  St.  John's  Wood — Certain  new  combinations  of 
gutta  percha  with  other  materials,  and  the  method  of  applying  such  for  use. 

Recorded  April  19. 
940.  "William  Hale,  Chelsea — Invention  of  a  new  kind  of  fire-arms. 
943.  Frederick  H.  Smith,    Southwark— Improvements  in  apparatus  for  cleansing  the 

interior  of  tubular  boilers  and  other  hollow  articles. 
947.  Edward  Vivian,  Torquay— Improvements  in  cases  for  containing  hats  in  churches 
and  similar  situations. 

Recorded  April  21. 

959.  Thomas  Dunn,  Pendleton,  near  Manchester — Certain  improvements  in  and  appli- 
cable to  boilers  or  apparatus  for  generating  steam,  and  in  apparatus  connected 
therewith. 

Recorded  April  23. 

Frederick  Tompkins,  Manchester— Improvements  in  the  mode  or  method  of  em- 
bossing and  finishing  woven  fabrics,  aud  in  the  machinery  or  apparatus  employed 
therein. 

Henry  Honldsworth,  Manchester — Improvements  in  machinery  used  for  combing 
cotton,  silk,  silk  waste,  flax,  tow,  wool,  and  other  fibrous  substances. 
Recorded  April  27. 

James  Dinning,  Southampton — Certain  improvements  in  wash-stands  and  baths, 
part  of  which  improvements  are  also  applicable  to  table  fountains. 

Alfred  G.  Anderson  and  John  B.  Anderson,  Great  Suffolk-street,  Southwark— Im- 
provements in  the  treatment  of  certain  saponaceous  compounds  obtained  in  the 
manufacture  of  soap. 

Recorded  April  28. 

John  Hetherington,  Manchester— Certain  improvements  in  machinery  for  combing 
cotton,  wool,  silk  waste,  flax,  tow,  and  other  fibrous  substances. 

Peter  Fairbairn,  Leeds— Improvements  in  machinery  for  drawing,  roving,  and 
spinning  flax,  hemp,  and  other  fibrous  substances. 


977. 
9S1. 

1011. 
1027. 

1029. 
1032. 

1056. 

1072. 

1073. 
1074. 
1075. 

1076. 

1077. 

1078. 

1079. 

1080. 

1081. 


1082. 
1083. 


Recorded  May  2. 

James  Greenwood,  New  Accrington — An  improvement  in  fixing  mordants  on  fabrics. 
Recorded  May  3. 

George  T.  Holmes,  Norwich— Improvements  in  thrashing  machines  and  apparatus 
connected  therewith  for  shaking  the  straw,  riddling,  winnowing,  and  dressing  the 
corn. 

Robert  W.  Swinburne,  South  Shields — Improvements  in  the  manufacture  of  glass. 

George  F.  Goble,  Fish-street-hill— Improvements  in  locks. 

Richard  Qiiin,  Pentonville— Improvements  in  the  manufactureof  cases  for  jewellery. 
or  optical  and  other  instruments,  miniatures,  and  other  articles. 

Severin  V.  Bonneterre,  Paris— Certain  improvements  in  machinery  for  manufactur- 
ing screws. 

Edward  T.  Bainbridge,  St.  Paul's  Churchyard — Improvements  in  obtaining  motive 
power. 

Louis  Cornides,  Charing-cross— Improvements  in  treating  certain  ores  and  mineral* 
for  the  purpose  of  obtaining  products  therefrom. 

Thomas  Chambers  and  John  Chambers,  Thorncliffe,  near  Sheffield— Certain  im- 
provements in  kitchen  sinks. 

Frederick  Arnold,  Barnsbury— Certain  improvements  in  binding  or  covering 
books. 

William  E.  Newton,  66  Chancery-lane— Improvements  in  hot-air  furnaces  for  heat- 
ing buildings,  some  of  which  improvements  are  applicable  to  other  furnaces.— 
(Communication.) 

Frederic  Lipscombe,  Strand—  Improvements  in  propelling  vessels. 

William  E.  Newton,  66  Chancery-lane — Improved  machinery  or  apparatus  for  dress- 
ing millstones.— (Communication.) 


102 


THE  PRACTICAL  MECHANIC'S  JOURNAL. 


Recorded  May  4. 
10S4.  George  Cell,  Inchmichael,  Perth— Invention  of  a  new  machine  for  several  agricul- 
tural purposes. 

1085.  Edward  Walmsley,  Heaton  Norris— Improved  modes  of  preventing  accidents  aris- 

ing from  an  insufficient  supply  of  water  in  steam  boilers. 

1086.  Cornelius  A.  Jaquin,  40  Monkwell-street — Improvements  in  the  manufacture  of 

covered  buttons  made  by  dies  and  pressure. 

1087.  Charles  Videgrain,  Paris,  and  16  Castle-street,  Hoi  born— Certain  improvements  in 

the  treatment  and  preparation  of  certain  natural  or  artificial  stones,  to  render 
them  applicable  to  various  useful  and  ornamental  purposes. 

1088.  Jean  E.  Giannetti,  Paris,  and  16  Castle-street,  Iloibnrn — Invention  of  applying  the 

ascensional  force  of  balloons  to  various  useful  purposes. 

1089.  Thomas  Masters,  Oxford-street — Improvements  in  apparatus  for  freezing,  cooling, 

and  churning. 

1090.  John  II.  Hutchinson.  Grantham— Improvements  in  ventilating  bricks. 

1091.  Edmund  J.  Ockenden,  the  elder,  and  Edmund  J.  Ockenden,  the  younger,  Brighton- 

Improvements  in  valves  and  stop-cocks. 

1092.  James  E.  Cooke,  Greenock — An  improved  composition  for  coating  and  preventing 

the  decay  of  exposed  surfaces. 

1093.  Jean  P..  Verdun  and  Jean  B.  Mertens,  Paris— Certain  improvements  in  the  con- 

struction of  celestial  and  terrestrial  globes. 

1094.  John  S.  Russell,  Great  George-street,  Westminster — Improvements  in  marine 

steam  engines. 

1095.  Charles  Goodyear,  25  Avenue-road,  St.  John's  Wood— Improvements  in  combining 

India  rubber  with  certain  metals. 

1096.  Thomas  Taylor,  Manchester — Improvements  in  apparatus  for  measuring  and  for 

governing  the  flow  of  water  and  other  liquids. 

1097.  William  E.  Newton,  66  Chancery-lane— Improvements  in  apparatus  for  rolling 

iron. — ("Communication.) 

1098.  William  E.  Newton,  66  Chancery-lane — Improvements  in  the  treatment  of  fibrous 
and  other  substances,  for  the  purpose  of  ascertaining  the  quantity  of  moisture 
contained  therein. -(Communication  from  M.  Joseph  L.  Rogeat,  Lyons.) 

1099.  James  Walker,  Bow— Improvements  in  turn  tables  used  for  railway  and  other 
purposes. 

Recorded  May  5. 

1100.  William  Moore,  Duke-street,  Lambeth— Improvements  in  furnaces. 

1101.  Joseph  D.  Holdforth,  Leeds— Improvements  in  machinery  for  combing  or  dressing 
silk  and  other  fibrous  substances. 

1103.  John  Rawe,  jun.,  Lemaile,  near  Wadebridge— Invention  for  propelling  vessels  and 

other  vehicles  in  the  water. 

1104.  Joel  Livsey,  Bury — An  improvement  in  looms  for  weaving. 

1105.  Jean  C.  Stiffel,  31  Poultry — Improvements  in  machinery  for  crushing  auriferous 

quartz,  and  amalgamating  the  gold  therefrom.— (Communication  fiom  H.  Berdan, 
New-York.) 
1106. — Matthias  E.  Bonra,  Cray  ford — Improvements  in  saddlery  and  harness. 

1107.  John  Whitley,  Sfapleford— Improvements  in  warp  machinery  for  producing  orna- 

mented and  textile  fabrics. 

1108.  John  Hetherington,  Manchester— Improvements  in  preparing  cotton,  wool,  flax, 

silk,  and  other  fibrous  substances  for  spinning. 

1109.  Thomas  S.  Prideaux,  St.  John's  Wood — Improvements  in  propelling  vessels. 

1110.  Thomas  Fearntey,  Bradford — Improvements  in  steam  boilers. 

Recorded  May  6. 

1112.  Charles  W.  Bell,  Manchester — Improvements  in  carriage  springs. 

1113.  Thomas  Murray,  Marygold,  Berwickshire — Invention  of  a  new  machine  or  imple- 

ment for  hoeing,  cutting,  and  otherwise  operating  upon  turnips,  or  other  agricul- 
tural produce. 

1114.  George  Dowler,  Birmingham — Improvements  in  boxes  for  containing  and  igniting 

matches. 

1115.  Augustus  Brackenbury,  Camden  Town. — Improvements  in  precipitating  the  muriate 

of  soda  from  its  solutions  in  water. 

1116.  John  R.  Danks  and  Bernard  P.  Walker,  Wolverhampton— Improvements  in  ma- 

chinery or  apparatus  for  the  manufacture  of  nails. 

1117.  James  E.  A.  Gwynne,  Essex  Wharf,  Essex-street,  Strand — Improvements  in  the 

treatment  or  manufacture  of  peat  and  other  substances  to  be  used  as  fuel. 

1118.  John  T.  Stroud,  Birmingham— Improvements  in  the  valves  of  pressure  lamps,  and 

in  lamp  burners. 

1119.  George  W.Jacob,  Dalston — An  improved  manufacture  of  metallic  covers  or  seals 

for  bottles,  jars,  and  other  like  vessels,  and  in  applying  or  affixing  them. 

1120.  Peter  Armand  Le  Comte  de  Fontaine  Moreau,  Paris,  and  4  South-street,  Finsbury 

— Certain  improvements  in  the  manufacture  of  hat  plush. — (Communication.) 

1121.  Christopher  Nickels,  York-road,  Lambeth — Improvements  in  machinery  for  masti- 

cating, kneading,  or  grinding  india-rubber,  gutta  percha,  and  other  matters. 

1122.  William   Longmaid  and    John   Longmaid,    Beaumont- square — Improvements   in 

treating  waste  products  obtained  in  smelting,  and  otherwise  treating  ores  and 
minerals,  and  in  producing  a  valuable  product  or  products  therefrom. 

1123.  Mariano  Riera,  29  Boulevart  St.  Martin,  Paris — Certain  improvements  in  fire-arms. 

1124.  Francesco  Capeccioni,  16  Castle-street,  Holborn — Certain  improvements  in  the 

manufacture  of  candles. 

Recorded  May  7. 

1125.  James  Nichol,  Edinburgh— Improvements  in  bookbinding. 

1126.  Christopher  R.  N.  Palmer,  Am  well — A  new  and  improved  mode  of  communicating 

or  signaling  between  the  guards  and  engine  drivers  on  a  railway  train,  also  ap- 
plicable to  other  purposes. 

1127.  John  Pullman,  17  Greek-street,  Soho  -  Improvements  in  the  manufacture  of  losh, 

or  oil-dressed  leather. 
112S.  Henry  Warner,  Joseph  Haywood,  and  William  Cross,  Louehborongh — Improve- 
ments in  machinery  used  in  the  manufacture  of  frame-work  knitting. 

1129.  Hesketh    Hughes,    Cottage-place,    City- road— Improvements    in    machinery   for 

weaving. 

1130.  William  Boggett,  St.  Martin's-lane,  and  George  B.  Petit,  Lisle-street — Improve- 

ments in  apparatus  for  healing  by  gas. 

1132.  Alexander  Chaplin,  Glasgow — Improvements  in  the  construction  of  ships  and  boats. 

1133.  George  England,  New  Cross,  Surrey — Improvements  in  screw  jacks. 

Recorded  May  9. 

1134.  Edward  B.  Beaumont,  Barnsley,  York — Certain  improvements  in  the  mode  of  con- 

structing dwelling-houses  or  other  buildings,  and  in  peculiar  shaped  bricks  and 
tiles  to  be  used  for  the  purpose. 

1135.  John  Fisher,  Liverpool — Improvements  in  machinery  for  propelling  vessels,  and 

in  the  mode  of  manufacturing  the  same. 

1136.  David  Law  and  John  Inglis,  Glasgow — Improvements  in  moulding  or  shaping 

metals. 

1137.  John  H.  Johnson,  47  Lincoln' s-inn-fi elds,  and  Glasgow — Improvements  in  machi- 

nery for  combing  and  preparing  wool,  and  other  fibrous  materials. — (Communi- 
cation.) 
113S.  John  H.  Johnson, 47  Lincoln's-inn-fields,  and  Glasgow— Improvements  in  coating  or 
plating  vessels,  and  other  articles,  for  the  better  resistance  of  the  action  of  acids 
and  suits, — (Communication.) 


1139.  Peter  Wright,  Dudley— Improvements  in  the  construction  or  manufacture  of  tew- 

irons, 

1140.  Thomas  Quaife,   Battle — Improvements  in  the  manufacture  of  watches,   watch- 

cases,  and  in  tools  and  apparatus  employed  therein. 

Recorded  May  10. 

1142.  James  Brown,  2  Bridge-terrace,  Canal-road — An  improvement  in  anchors. 

1143.  John  Clapham,  Thomas  Clapham,  and  William  Clapham,  Keighley—  Improve- 

ments in  moulding  and  casting  iron  pipes. 

1144.  Thomas  Murray,  Mary  gold,  Berwick— Certain  improvements  in  breaks  or  drags  for 

wheeled  carnages,  and  in  adapting  the  carriages  for  the  application  and  use  of 
such  breaks. 

1145.  Gregory  Kane,  Dublin — Invention  of  the  construction  nf  portable  houses  or  por- 

tions thereof,  out  of  parts,  which  may  be  used  for  other  purposes. 

1146.  Octavius  H.  Smith,  Bedford-square,  ami  Youngs  Parfrey,  Pinilico— Improvements 

in  the  manufacture  of  carriage  wheels. 

1147.  Robert  Brown,  58  Waterloo- road,  Liverpool — Improvements  in  lifting  and  forcing 

water  and  other  fluids. 
114S.  George  Tillett,  Kentish  Town — Improvements  in  the  manufacture  of  metal  bed- 
steads. 

1149.  George  Roberton  and  Alexander  Roberton,  Bradford— Improvements  in  apparatus 

for  drying  and  finishing  woven  fabrics. 

1150.  William  Johnson,  47  Lincoln-inn-fields,  and  Glasgow — Improvements  in  machinery 

or  apparatus  for  sewing. — (Communication  from  William  Wickersham,  Lowell, 
U.S) 

1152.  Alexander  Chaplin,  Glasgow — Improvements  in  apparatus  for  the  transmission  of 

aeriform  bodies. 

1153.  George  S.  Buchanan,  Glasgow — Improvements  in  the  treatment  or  finishing  of 

textile  fabrics. 

Recorded  May  11. 

1154.  Samuel  Russell,  Sheffield— Improvements  in  handles  for  razors. 

1155.  Jacob  Brett,  Hanover-square— Improvements  in  electric  telegraph  apparatus. — 

(Partly  a  communication.) 

1156.  Marie  P.  F.  Mazier,  Aigle,  France— Invention  of  a  machine  for  cutting  and  reaping 

corn,  corn  crops,  and  other  plants. 

1157.  Samuel  C.  Lister,  Manniughara,  Yorkshire— Improvements  in  treating  and  pre- 

paring, before  being  spun,  wool,  cotton,  and  other  fibrous  materials, 
115S.  John  Crabtree  and  Livesey  Scott,  Hey  wood — Certain  improvements  in  machinery 

1159.  Henry  P.  Burt,  2  Charlotte-row— Improvements  in  portable  houses. 

for  preparing  and  spinning  cotton  and  other  fibrous  substances. 

1160.  Richard   Edmondson,  Blackburn — Certain  improvements  in  the  manufacture  of 

covered  corded  textile  fabrics,  and  in  machinery  to  be  used  for  that  purpose, 
being  applicable  either  to  hand  or  power. 

1161.  John    Mottram,   Liverpool — Improvements  in  machinery  for  washing  ores,   and 

separating  metals  from  earth  or  other  compounds. 

1162.  Thomas  P.  Jordeson,  Lewisham-road,  New  Cross,  Kent-  Certain  improvements  in 

rafting  timber  and  other  goods. 

1163.  John  Bottom  ley,  Bradford— Improvements  in  the  manufacture  of  textile  fabrics. 

1164.  William  Bradbury  and  Frederick  M.  Evans,  Whitefriars— Improvements  in  taking 

impressions  and  producing  printing  surfaces. — (Communication.) 

1165.  Alfred  Bird,  Birmingham — Improvements  in  the  means  of  communicating  between 

guards  or  persons  and  the  engine-driver  of  a  railway  train. 

1106.  Julien  F.  Belleville,  Paris— Improvements  in  propelling. 

1107.  Edmund  Whitaker,  Rochdale,  and  James  Walmsley,  the  younger,  Smithy  Bridge, 

near  Rochdale— Improvements  in  the  manufacture  of  pipes,  tiles,  bricks,  and 
slabs  from  clay. 
11G8.  John  L.  Stevens,  63  King  William-street— An  improved  fastener  for  flowers  and 
shrubs. 

1169.  George  Bell,  Powell-street— Improvements  in  obtaining  liquid  cement  and  pig- 

ments or  paints. 

1170.  Abraham  Matthews,  Denby-street,  Pimlico— Improvements  in  disengaging  boats 

from  ships  or  other  vessels. 

1171.  William  Bull,  Battersea— Improvements  in  direct  acting  steam  engines  with  fixed 

cylinders. 

Recorded  May  12. 

1172.  George  F.  Goble,  15  Fish-street-hill— Improvements  in  propelling  vessels  and 

carriages,  parts  of  the  machinery  therein  employed  being  also  applicable  to 
other  like  purposes, 

1173.  James  Parkes,  Birmingham — Invention  of  a  new  or  improved  stop-cock  for  regu- 

lating the  flow  of  gases. 

1174.  Martin  W.  O' Byrne  and  John  Dowling,  2  Raquct-court,  Fleet-street — Improve- 

ments in  the  manufacture  of  mangles. 

1175.  Joseph  Denton,  Prestwieh — Improvements  in  machinery  or  apparatus  for  manu- 

facturing looped  terry,  or  other  similar  fabrics. 

117G.  Joseph  Sawte  1,  Newport— Improvements  in  economizing  fuel,  by  rendering  avail- 
able the  heat  from  coke  ovens,  and  applying  the  same  to  the  heating  of  air-kilns, 
stoves,  ovens,  and  to  the  generation  of  steam. 

1177.  Julian  Bernard.  Gnildford-street,  Russell-square,  and  Edward  T.  Bellhou.se,  Man- 
chester— Improvements  in  pressing  and  in  extracting  fluids. 

Recorded  May  13. 

117S.  Charles  Pooley,  Manchester — An  improved  mode  of  feeding  machines  for  opening, 
cleaning,  blowing,  and  scutching  cottons,  and  other  fibrous  substances. 

1179.  Joseph  S.  Eidmans,  Lacey-terrace,  Kennington-road— Certain  improvements  in 
umbrellas  and  parasols. 

11S0.  John  Arrowsmith,  Bilston,  Staffordshire— Invention  of  a  new  or  improved  turn- 
table. 

1181.  George  Bertram,  Edinburgh— Improvements  in  the  manufacture  of  paper. 

1182.  George  Stiff,  Minerva  cottage,  Brixton-hill — An  improved  construction  of  printing 

machine. 

1183.  William  Thomas,  Cheapside— Improvements  in  weaving  narrow  fabrics  for  binding. 

1184.  Charles  Tetley,  late  of  Bradford,  but  now  of  Skiuner-strcet — Improvements  iu  ro- 

tatory engines. 
11S5.  Robert  S.  Bartlett,  Redditch — Improvements  in  sewing  machines. 

1186.  Richard  A.Brooman,  166  Fleet-street — Improvements  in  the  manufacture  of  hats. — 

(Communication.) 

1187.  Edward  T.  Bellhouse,  Manchester — Improvements  in  steam  boilers. 

1188.  John  Knowles,  Manchester,  and  Edward  T.  Bellhouse,  same  place— Certain  im- 

provements in  the  manufacture  of  articles  of  marble. 

Recorded  May  14. 
11S9.  Richard  Eades,  Birmingham  — Invention  of  a  new  or  improved  metallic  wheel. 

1190.  George  F.  Russell,  9  Duke-street,  Adelphi — Invention  of  an  apparatus  for  disengag- 

ing, lowering,  and  raising  ships'  boats. 

1191.  George  Coppock,  Heaton  Norris— Certain  improvements  in  looms  for  weaving. 

1192.  John  Browne,  Upper  Charlotte-street— Improvements  in  the  construction  of  chim- 

neys or  flues,  and  in  appartus  for  increasing  draught,  consuming  smoke,  or  utiliz- 
ing the  same. 

1193.  James  Higgin,  Manchester— Improvements  in  printing  or  dyeing  woven  or  textile 


THE  PRACTICAL  MECHANIC'S  JOURNAL. 


103 


f  ilmcs,  and  in  the  manufacturing  of  certain  substances  to  be  used  in  the  arts  or 
processes  of  dyeing  find  printing. 

1194.  Thomas  S.  Holt,  Manchester— Improvements  in  steam-engines,  which  improve- 

ments are  also  applicable  to  the  machinery  or  apparatus  connected  to  steam- 
boilers. 

1195.  Moses  Poole,  A  venue-road,  Regent's-park — Invention  of  a  new  or  improved  machine 

for  pegging  boots  or  shoes. — (Communication  from  Edward  L.  Norfolk,  U.S.) 

1196.  Herman  D.  Mertens,  Margate — Improvements  in  preparing  materials  to  be  em- 

ployed in  making  beer  and  other  beverages.— (Communication.) 

1197.  William  J.  Warner,  King-street,  Soho — Improvements  in  dry  gas-meters. 

119S.  Francis  M.  Jennings,  Cork — Improvements  in  treating  wool,  silk,  feathers,  and 
other  animal  matters,  for  softening  and  otherwise  improving  the  quality  of  the 
same. 

1199.  John  O'Keefe,  Liverpool — Improvements  in  the  manufacture  of  watch  cases. 

1200.  Stephen  Garrett,  16  Tauu ton-place,  Bermondsey— Improvements  in  the  preparing 

and  tanning  of  skins,  hides,  or  pelts  of  animals. 

1201.  Peter  Armand  Le  Comte  tie  Fontaine  Moreau,  4  South-street,  Finsbury—  Certain  im- 

provements in  steam-boilers.— (Communication.) 

1203.  John  D.  Brady,  Cambridge-terrace — Improvements  in  knapsacks. 

1204.  Robert  W.  Swinburne,  South  Shields — Improvements  in  appparatus  or  machinery 

to  be  used  in  the  manufacture  of  glass. 

1205.  Eugene  Eolt,  St.  John's  "Wood— Certain  improvements  in  pianofortes.  . 

Recorded  May  16. 

1206.  Jean  J.J.  Jarain,  Gerard-street,  and  Alexander  Symons,  Strand — Certain  improve- 

ments in  the  manufacture  of  boots  and  shoes. 

1207.  Jean  E.  Barse,  Paris — Improvements  in  the  manufacture  of  grease  or  composition 

for  lubricating  the  axles  and  moving  parts  of  machinery. 
120S.  Thomas  Richardson,  Newcastle-upon-Tyne — Improvements  in  the  manufacture  of 
certain  compounds  containing  phosphoric  acid. 

1209.  Robert  Boyd,  Paisley — Improvements  in  weaving. 

1210.  William  L.  Tizard,  Aldgate  High-street— Improvements  in  dredging  machines. 

1211.  Moreton  H.  Phillips,  Shrewsbury — An  improved  gun. 

1212.  George  Jones,  Birmingham — Improvements  in  ventilating  mines. 

Recorded  May  17. 

1214.  Charles  J.  Pownall,  Addison-road — Improvements  in  the  preparation  and  treat- 

ment of  flax  and  other  similar  vegetable  fibres. 

1215.  John  L.  Stevens,  63  King  William-street — Improvements  in  grates  and  stoves. 

1216.  Joseph  Webb,  Mayfi eld-terrace,  Dalston — Improvements  in  rotatory  engines. 

1217.  James  T.  G.  Vize  telly,  Peterborough-court,  and  Henry  Richard  Vizetelly,  Gough- 

square — Improvements  in  printing  machines. — (Communication.) 

1218.  Samuel  Ecclesand  James  Eccles.  Kensington,  Philadelphia — Certain  improvements 

in  power-looms  for  weaving  figured  fabrics. 
Recorded  May  18. 

1220.  Charles  Cowper,  20  Southampton-buildings,  Chancery-lane — Improvements  in  ma- 

chinery for  combing  and  preparing  wool  and  other  fibrous  substances. — (Com- 
munication.) 

1221.  Christopher  R.  N.  Palmer,  Amwell,  Hertford — An  improved  mode  and  apparatus 

for  working  the  machinery  in  factories  and  ships,  in  connexion  with  the  steam 
engines  or  steam  power  now  used  therein. 

1222.  John  Haskett,  52  Wigmore-street — Improvements  in  anchors,  to  be  called  the 

"Ferdinand  Martin  Safety  Anchor."— (Communication.) 

1223.  Bernard  P.  Walker,  Wolverhampton,  and  James  Warren,  Mile  End-road — Im- 

provements in  the  manufacture  of  iron. 

1224.  Wharton  Rye,  Collyhurst,  near  Manchester — Certain  improvements  in  kitchen 

ranges  or  fire-grates. 

1225.  Charles  Clarkson,  9  A  very-row.  Lower  Grosvenor-street — An  improved  duster  or 

dusting  brush,  painting  brush,  and  all  other  description  of  brushes,  the  handle  of 
which  passes  through  the  centre,  and  the  hair  or  bristles  are  bound  or  tied 
round  it. 

1226.  Richard  Thompson,  3  Finsbary-chambers,  Bloomfield-street— Invention  for  making 

perforated  building-stone. 

1227.  John  Ryan,  Liverpool-street— Invention  of  an  apparatus  for  purifying  liquids  in  a 

ready  and  economical  manner. 

1228.  John  Barsham,  Kiugston-upon-Thames — Improvements  in  drying  bricks,  peat,  and 

other  articles. 

1229.  John  Barsham.  Kingston-upon-Thames — Improvements  in  charring  peat  and  other 

vegetable  substances,  and  in  burning  lime. 

1230.  Edward  T.  Simpson,  Wakefield— Improvements  in  the  manufacture  of  manure. 

1231.  George  Sant,  Norton  Lodge,  Mumbles,  Swansea — Improvements  in  clocks  or  time- 

keepers. 

1232.  William  Gossage,  Widnes,  Lancashire— Improvements  in   the  manufacture  of  1 

alkali  from  common  salt. 

1233.  John  Oakey,  Rlackfriars-road — Improvements  in  reducing  emery,  glass,  and  other 

like  substances. 

1234.  Benjamin  Newton,  Brighton — Improvements  in  the  manufacture  of  mats. 

1235.  Job  Allen,  Bower-street — Improvements  in  communicating  intelligence. 

1236.  Edward.  Briggs,  Castleton  Mills,  near  Rochdale— Improvements  in  the  manufacture 

of  pile  fabrics,  and  in  the  machinery  or  apparatus  employed  therein. 
Recorded  May  19. 

1237.  Samuel  Wright,  24  Church-street,  Shoreditch — Invention  for  making  a  gas,  steam, 

air,  or  liquid  safety-tap. 
1238-  Thomas  Grahame,  Wellingborough,  Northampton— Improvements  in  the  manufac- 
ture of  covering  materials  for  houses  and  other  structures  and  surfaces. 

1239.  William  E.  Newton,  66  Chancery-lane— Improved  machinery  or  apparatus  appli- 

cable for  pumping  water,  and  supplying  steam  boilers  with  water,  and  maintain- 
ing the  water  therein  at  a  nroper  level.— (Communication.) 

1240.  John  Hippisley,  Stoneaston,  Somersetshire — Improvements  in  steam-engines  suit- 

able for  agricultural  purposes,  and  to  locomotion  on  common  roads. 

1241.  John  A.  Gilbert,  Clerkenwell — An  improvement  in  canisters. 

1242.  Joseph  Wainwright,  Heap,  near  Bury—  Certain  improvements  in  apparatus  for 

regulating  or  governing  the  speed  of  steam-engines, 

1243.  John  T.  Manifold,  Charle3  S.  Lowndes,  and  John  Jordan,  Liverpool — Improve- 

ments in  the  method  of  extracting^the  juice  from  the  sugar  cane. 
1244   William  Fulton,  Paisley — Improvements  in  the  treatment  and  scouring  or  cleans- 
ing of  textile  fabrics 

1245.  Charles  De  Bergue,  Dowgate-hill — Improvements  in  the  permanent  way  of  rail- 

ways, and  also  in  chairs,  and  in  sleepers  for  permanent  way. 
Recorded  May  20. 

1246.  St.  Thomas  Baker,  King's-road.  Chelsea— Improvements  in  revolving  shutters. 

1217.  Charles  Cowper,  Kensington — Improvements  in  steam  boilers. 

1218.  Edward  J,  SchoIIick,  Aldingham  Hall,  Ulverstone— Improvements  in  obtaining 

motive  power. 
1349,  Samuel  Schollick,  Ulverstone — Improvements  in  ship-building. 

1250,  Henry  Gilbert,  Kensington— Improvements  in  apparatus  for  cleaning  boots  and 

shoes. 

1251.  Augusts  E.  L.  Bellford,  16  Castle-street,  Holborn— Improvements  in  rotary  engines 


to  be  driven  by  steam  or  any  vapour,  fluid,  or  g;is,  and  in  boilers  or  generators  to 
be  used  in  generating  steam  or  gas  for  driving  the  aforesaid  or  other  engines,  or 
for  other  purposes.— -(Communication,) 

1252.  Thomas  I.  Dimsdale,  Kingston,  near  Dublin — Improvements  in  purifying  coal  gas 

and  in  disinfecting  sewage  or  other  fetid  matters,  and  in  absorbing  noxious 
gaseous  exhalations. 

1253.  Edward  H.  Bentall,  1 1  eybridge— Improved  machinery  or  apparatus  for  measuring 

and  indicating  the  power  exerted  by  engines,  and  also  the  force  required  to  pro- 
pel machinery,  carriages,  or  ploughs. 

1254.  William  C.  Thornton,  Cleckheaton— Improved  machinery  for  making  wire  cards. 

Recorded  May  21. 

1255.  George  Carter,  JMottingham,  Kent— Improvements  in  the  manufacture  of  fire-light- 

ers, and  in  machinery  connected  therewith. 

1256.  John  Blair,  Manchester — An  invention  for  the  application  of  steam  power  to  the 

working  of  railway  breaks. 

1257.  Joseph  Betteley,  Liverpool — Improvements  in  anchors. 

1259.  Louis  G.  D.  B.D.  Ducayla,  Bordeaux,  France— An  improved  manufacture  of  artifi- 
cial fuel. — (Communication.) 

1261.  George  Marriott,  Hull — Improvements  in  the  manufacture  of  fire-lighters. 

12G2.  Auguste  E.  L.  Bellford,  16  Castle-street,  Holborn — Improvements  in  navigable  ves- 
sels to  be  employed  in  all  waters,  and  to  be  propelled  or  impelled  by  sails,  steam 
power,  or  other  means. — (Communication.) 

Recorded  May  23. 
12G3.  Samuel  A.  Carpenter,  Birmingham— Invention  of  a  new  or  improved  elastic  webbing 
or  fabric. 

1264,  Evan  Evans,  Birmingham — An  improvement  or  improvements  in  castors  for  fur- 

niture. 

1265.  Adolphe  A.  Girouard,  Paris,  and  16  Castle-street,  Holborn — Certain  improvements 

in  paving  and  generally  in  covering  surfaces  with  asphaltic  and  other  similar 
materials. 
1236.  William  Simson,  Edinburgh — Improvements  in  locks. 

1267.  Auguste  E.  L.  Bellford,  16  Castle-street,  Holborn — An  improved  method  of  treating 

flax  and  hemp,  whereby  they  are  brought  to  such  a  state  that  they  may  be  carded, 
spun,  and  woven  by  machinery,  such  as  is  now  employed  in  the  manufacture  of 
cotton  and  wool  into  yarn  and  cloth. — (Communication.) 

1268.  Amed<±e  Uevy,  73  Grosvenor-street,  Grosvenor-square — Improvements  in  storing 

and  preserving  grain. — (Communication.) 

1269.  John  H.  Browne,  Arthur's  Seat,  Aberdeen— Improvements  in  apparatus  for  bottling 

or  supplying  vessels  with  fluids. 

1270.  Paul  Hannuic  and  Gustave  Collasson,  43  Rue  de  la  Victoire,  Paris— Improvements 

in  the  treatment  of  oil. 

1271.  Henry  Turner,  19  Wilson-street,  Limehouse — Invention  of  a  new  mode  of  applying 

hydraulic  power  to  windlasses,  for  weighing  anchors  and  lifting  heavyweights. 

1272.  John  11.  Johnson,  47  Lincoln's- inn-fields,  and  Glasgow— An  improved  forge  ham- 

mer— (Communication  from  Jean  Schmerber.) 

1273.  John  H.  Johnson,  47  Lincoln's-inn-fields,    and  Glasgow — Improvements  in  the 

construction  of  pipe  and  other  junctions. — (Communication  from  Laforest  and 
Bondeville,  Reims,  France.) 

1274.  William  J.  Since,   Bethnal-green-road,    George   B.   Mather,   Derby,   and   Philip 

Wood,  Stratford — Invention  of  a  new  apparatus  for  raising  and  forcing  water  or 
other  fluids. 

Recorded  May  25. 

1275.  William  Babb,  Gray's-inn-road — Improvements  in  the  manufacture  of  hair  trim- 

mings. 

1276.  William  Babb,  Gray's-inn-road — Improvements  in  the  manufacture  of  hats,  caps, 

and  bonnets. 

1277.  William  Church,  Birmingham  — Invention  of  a  new  or  improved  sight  for  cannons 

or  other  ordnance. 

1278.  George  I.  Higginson,  Meeting-house-lane,  Dublin — Improvements  in  machinery  or 

apparatus  for  evaporating  or  concentrating  liquids. 

1279.  Frederick  Russell,  Clarence-gardens,  Regent's  Park — Improvements  in  raising  and 

lowering  windows,  shutters,  blinds,  and  similar  appendages. 

1280.  James  Lovell,  Glasgow — Improvements  in  heating  and  ventilating. 

1282.  Louis  A.  Deverte,  Argenteuil,  near  Paris,  and  16  Castle-street,  Holborn — An  im- 
proved machinery  for  combing  wool. 

12S3.  Samuel  S.  Hall,  Circus,  Minories — Improvements  in  the  means  of  preventing 
railway  carriages  running  off  the  rails. — (Communication.) 

1284.  Pierre  T.  Bundervoet,  Ghent,  Belgium — Improvements  in  shutters.— (Communi- 

cation.) 

1285.  William  E.  Newton,  66  Chancery-lane--Improvement  in  the  generation  of  steam. 

— (Communication.) 

1286.  Jonathan  D.  Carr  and  John  Carr,  Carlisle— An  improved  construction  of  oven. 

Recorded  May  26. 

1288.  Alexander  Porecky,  Bishopsgatc-street  Within — Improvements  in  the  manufacture 

of  umbrellas  and  parasols. 

1289.  Thomas  Singleton,  Over  Darwen,  Lancashire — Improvements  in  looms. 

1291.  George  Simpson,  Manchester — Improvements  in  weighing  machines. 

1292.  William  Racster,  M.A.,  Woolwich— Invention  of  central  action-buffers  and  spring- 

guides  for  traversing- rods, 

1293.  Charles  Cowper,  20  Southampton  buildings,  Chancery-lane — Improvements  in  the 

manufacture  of  iron. — (Communication.) 

1294.  William  Warcup.Lyndhurst  Villa,  Coronation-road,  Bristol— Improvements  in  the 

construction  of  springs  for  carriages,  and  similar  purposes. 

1295.  Alphonse  E.  le  M.  de  Normandy,  Judd-street— Improvements  in  regulating  the 

pressure  of  steam. 

1296.  Jonathan  Saunders,  St.  John's  Wood— Improvements  in  the  manufacture  of  railway 

and  other  wheel  tyres. 

1297.  Theophilus  Westhorp,  West  India-road,  Poplar— Improvements  in  the  manufac- 

ture of  oakum. 
1298-  William  J.  Harvey,  68  South-street,  Exeter— Improvements  in  fire-arms. 

1299.  John  Box,  27  Rue  Pepinit-re,   Brussels— Improvements  in   supplying  water  to 

steam-engine  boilers. — (Partly  a  communication.) 

1300.  William    Weatherley  and  William  Jordan,  Chartham— Improvements  in  the 

stuffing-boxes  of  piston-rods. 

1302.  Julius  A.  Roth,  Philadelphia— Improvements  in  the  mode  of,  and  machinery  for, 

treating  the  fibres  of  flax,  hemp,  China  grass,  and  other  analogous  substances 
preparatory  to  spinning. — (Partly  a  communication.) 
Recorded  May  27. 

1303.  William  Ilenham,  East  Peckham — Certain  improvements  ir.  ploughs. 

1304.  Samuel  S.  Shipley,  3  Fowkes- buildings,  Tower-street— Improvements  in  cases  or 

receptacles  for  containing  a  composition  shaving  soap  or  other  articles. 

1305.  Claude  Arnoux,  Paris,  and  4  South-street,  Finsbury— Certain  improvements  in  the 

construction  of  locomotives. 

1306.  Aristide  M.  Servan,  Philpot-lane— Improvements  in  treating  fatty  matters  to  ren- 

der them  suitable  for  tin*  manufacture  of  candles. 

1307.  John  L.  Stevens,  62  King  William  street— Improvements  in  furnaces. 


104 


THE  PRACTICAL  MECHANIC'S  JOURNAL. 


1308.  Alexander  Kmller,  Dundee— An  improved  machine  for  the  manufacture  of  confec- 
tions, including  all  kinds  of  comfits  known  by  the  trade  as  pan  goods. 

1310.  William  H.  Bentley,  Bedford— Improvements  in  locks  and  keys,  parts  of  which  are 

applicable  to  window  sashes  and  doors. 

Recorded  May  2S. 

1311.  lllingworth  Butterfield,  Bradford— Improvements  in  and  applicable  to  looms  for 

weaving. 

1312.  William  Smith,  10  Salisbury-street,  Adelphi— Certain  improvements  in  the  ma- 

chinery for  and  method  of  making  and  laying  down  submarine  and  other  tele- 
graph cables,  which  machinery  is  also  applicable  and  is  claimed  for  the  making 
of  ropes  and  cables  generally. 
1315.  Richard  A.  Brooman,  166  Fleet-street— Improvements  in  abdominal  supporters,— 
(Communication.) 

Caleb  Hill,  Cheddar,  Somerset— Improvements  in  the  construction  of  stays. 

Frangois  Francillon,  Futeaux,  Fiance— Improvements  in  dyeing  and  printing  silk, 
wool,  and  other  animal  fibres. 

Daniel  Batenian,  Low  Moor,  near  Bradford— Improvements  in  carding  wool  and 
other  fibrous  substances,  and  in  the  manufacture  of  cards  for  that  purpose. 

Christopher  Binks,  Albert  Villa,  North  Woolwich,  Kent— Improvements  in  mann- 
lacturing  chlorine,  and  in  obtaining  certain  salts  and  other  useful  products  from 
the  residual  matters  of  lush  manufacture. 

William  W.  Marston,  New  York— Improvements  in  breech-loading  fire-arms,  and 
in  cartridges  for  use  with  such  arms. 

Alfred  W.  Sanderson,  Cable-street,  Lancaster— Improvements  in  preparing  effer- 
vescing powders. 

Recorded  May  30. 


1316. 
1317. 

1318. 

1319. 

1320. 
1323. 

1327. 

132S. 

1329. 

1331. 

1332. 
1333. 

1334. 
1335. 
1336. 
1338. 


1341, 
1342. 


1345 
1316 


134=. 
1349. 
1350. 
1351. 
1352. 
1353. 
1354. 
1355. 
1.156. 
1357. 
1358. 

1359. 
1360. 


1362. 
1303. 


1366. 
13(37. 

1368, 


John  Macdonald,  13  Henry-street,  Upper  Kennington-lane,  Van xli all— Improve- 
ments in  and  applicable  to  lamps,  also  applicable  to  apparatus  for  lighthouse 
signal  purposes,  part  of  the  invention  applicable  for  other  useful  purposes. 

Francis  W.  Wymer,  Newcastle-on-Tyne — Improvements  in  raising  and  lowering 
ships'  boats,  and  in  the  apparatus  connected  therewith. 

Julian  Bernard,  Guildford-street,  Russel-square— Improvements  in  obtaining  differ- 
ential mechanical  movements. 

John  C.  Bothams,  Vine  Cottage,  Londonderry- road,  Surrey— Improvements  in  con- 
densing steam  engines. 

Richard  A.  Brooman,  Fleet-street— Improvements  in  fire-arms. — f Communication.) 

John  G.  Appold,  Wilson-street,  Finsbury-square — Invention  of  a  new  construction 
of  screw  propeller. 

Recorded  May  31. 

William  Brookes,  73  Chancery-lane — Improvements  in  stoves  and  grates,  or  fire- 
places.— (Communication.) 

William  F.  Shoebridge,  Thanies-cottage,  East  Greenwich,  Kent — Improvements  in 
the  manufacture  of  drain  pipes. 

George  Goodlet,  Lei th -Improvements  in  engines  to  be  worked  by  steam,  air,  or 
air  and  water  combined. 

William  E.  Newton,  66  Chancery-lane— An  improved  construction  of  hand  stamp. 
— (Communication.) 

Recorded  June  1. 

Joseph  Moms,  Astwood  Bank,  near  Redditch,  Worcester— An  improvement  or  im- 
provements in  the  manufacture  of  envelopes  for  needles. 

Edward  Wilkins,  60  Queen's-road,  Walworth — Improvements  in  pots  and  vessels 
for  the  growth  and  cultivation  of  plants. 

Alfred  Hard  wick,  Chatham-street,  Liverpool— Improvements  in  propelling  vessels. 

Thomas  Aitken,  Bury,  Lancashire — Improvements  in  furnaces  for  steam  boilers  and 
other  purposes. 

Jaijues  L.  Lemaire-Daimtf,  Paris,  and  16  Castle-street,  Holborn — Certain  improve- 
ments in  play  arms,  such  as  play  cannons,  pistols,  and  guns. 

Maxwell  Scott,  Birkenhead,  Chester — Improvements  in  propelling. 

James  Stocks,  jun  ,  Ovenden,  Halifax,  York — Improvements  in  looms  for  weaving. 

Recorded  June  2. 
William  Knowles,  Bolton-Ie-Moms,  Lancashire — Improvements  in  machinery  for 

warping  and  beaming  yarns  or  threads. 
Joseph  Whitworth,  Manchester— Improvements  in  machinery  for  cutting  and  har- 
vesting corn,  grass,  and  other  crops. 
Joseph  Whitworth,  Manchester — Improvements  in  machinery  for  perforating  or 

punching  paper,  card,  and  other  materials. 
John  R.  Johnson,  Stanbrook-cottage,  Hammersmith— Improvements  in  the  manu- 
facture of  type  and  articles  used  in  letter-pre^s  printing. 
William  Thorold,  Norwich— Improvements  in  the  construction  of  portable  houses, 

and  in  machinery  for  raising,  moving,  and  lowering  the  same. 
Richard  L.  Hattersley,  Keighley,  York — Improvements  in  machinery  for  forging 

iron  and  other  metals. 
William  II.  Smith,  Gloucester-row,  Walworth — Improvements  in  the  manufacture 

of  parchment. 
Antoiiie  R.  C.  M adore"  and  Daniel  Neuberger,  Paris,  and  16  Castle- street,  Holborn 

— Certain  improvements  in  the  manufacture  of  shirts. 
Ilesketh  Hughes  and  William  T.Denham,  City-road — Improvements  in  machinery 

for  weaving. 
Robert  S.  Barleet,  Redditch,  Worcester— Improvements  in  the  manufacture  of 

needles. 
Nicholas   M.   Cummins,  Cork,  and    John  De  Cock  Kern  feck,  Beliast — Improved 

machinery  for  removing  the  seed  from  flax  and  other  plants,  and  breaking  the 

bolls  or  pods. 
William    Boyd,    Belfast — Improved   apparatus    for   manufacturing   chlorine   or 

chlorides. 
William  E.  Newton,  66  Chancery-lane— Improvements  in  the  manufacture  of  soles 

for  boots,  shoes,  and  other  coverings  for  the  feet. — (Communication.) 

Recorded  June  3. 
,  William  W abler,  22  Myddleton-stroet,  Clerkenwell—  Invention  for  lithographic 
printing,  being  a  self-acting  lithographic  printing  machine,  to  be  propelled  by 
band,  steam,  or  other  motive  power. 

Jean  Durandeau,  jun.,  Paris,  and  Castle-street,  Holborn — Certain  means  of  obtain- 
ing marks  and  designs  in  paper. 

Ferdinand  L.  Gossart,  Paris,  and  16  Castle-street,  Holborn — Invention  of  a  system 
of  permanent  circulation  of  caloric,  intended  to  produce  and  overheat  steam,  gas, 
and  liquid. 

James  S.  Wilson.  Tavistock -pi  ace,  Russell-square — Invention  of  a  machine  or  appa- 
ratus for  digging  or  raising  earth,  and  applicable  to  agricultural  or  engineering 
purposes. 

Isaiah  Kendrick,  Southwark— Improvements  in  steam-boilers. 

Th-mias  B.  Daft,  Isle  of  Man— Improvements  in  inkstands. 

Richard  Bobbins,  Dunchurch,  Warwick— Certain  improvements  in  mills  for  grind- 
ing wheat  and  other  grain. 

James  Hayes,  Elton.  Huntingdon— Improved  machinery  for  raising  and  stacking 
straw,  hay,  corn,  and  other  agricultural  produce. 


1370. 

1371. 


1373. 
1374. 

1377. 
1378. 

1379. 

1380. 

1381. 

13S2. 

ias3. 

1384. 
1385. 

13S6. 
1387. 
13S9. 
1391. 
1393. 

1395. 
1396. 
1397. 
1398. 

1401. 


1403. 
1404, 


William  E.  Maude,  Liverpool — Improvements  in  carriages.— (Communication.) 

William  E.  Maude,  Liverpool— Improved  apparatus  for  steering  ships. — (Commu- 
nication.) 

Recorded  June  4. 

Carol  F.  Lenz,  Berlin,  and  52  Great  Titchfield-street — Invention  of  a  mechanism 
of  a  new  construction,  having  as  its  end  the  prevention  of  the  loss  of  force  caused 
till  now  by  friction,  to  diminish  the  oiling  till  now  necessary,  and  to  prevent  the 
heating  of  the  axle-trees  in  revolving.— (Partly  a  communication.) 

William  Bradburn,  Shiffnal,  Salop — Improved  manufacture  of  greases  and  oils. 

Joseph  Gyde,  Tooley-street,  Southwark— Improvements  in  mills  and  apparatus  for 
grinding  and  dressing  corn  and  various  substances. 

Henry  J.  Betjemann,  545  New  Oxford-street — Improvements  in  chairs. 

Edward  B.  Beaumont,  Woodhall,  Barnsley — Certain  improvements  in  bricks  or 
tiles. 

Joseph  Burch,  Crag  Hall,  near  Macclesfield— Certain  improvements  in  fans, 
blasts,  or  blowing  apparatus. 

William  Dray,  Swan-lane,  London-bridge— An  improved  method  of  driving 
shafting. 

Benjamin  Biram,  Wentworth — Improvements  in  working  and  ventilating  mines. 

Thomas  R.  Nash,  Leigh-street — Improvements  in  filters. 

Christian  Schiele,  Oldham— Improvements  in  pressure-indicators. 

John  Whitehead,  Preston — Improvements  in  manufacturing  pipes  or  hollow  articles 
from  plastic  materials. 

Thomas  Richbell,  Lambeth — Improvements  in  the  application  of  slate  for  building 
purposes. 

Recorded  June  6. 

George  Carter,  Nottingham,  Kent,  and  George  Marriott,  Hull — Improvements  in 
the  manufacture  of  white  lead. 

Joseph  Gundry,  Bridport— A  certain  improvement  in  the  manufacture  of  fishing 
and  other  nets. 

Anthony  B.  B.  Von  Rathen,  Wells-street— Improvements  in  the  mode  of,  and  in 
engines  for,  applying  motive  power. 

Christopher  Nickels,  Albany-road,  Caraberwell,  and  James  Hobson,  Leicester — Im- 
provements in  weaving. 

Henry  Wigglesworth,  Newbury— Improvements  in  connecting  together  or  coupling 
railway  carriages. 

Recorded  June  7, 

Henry  G.  Rwe,  Albeit  G.  Andrew,  and  William  II.  Andrew,  Sheffield — Improve- 
ments in  the  mode  of  fastening  the  handles  of  table  knives  and  forks. 

Frederick  Lipscombe,  233  Strand — Improvements  in  the  construction  of  ships  and 
boats. 

Edward  Lavender,  Deptford— Improvements  in  the  manufacture  of  fuel,  and  in  ma- 
chinery connected  therewith. 

Alfred  V.  Newton,  66  Chancery-lane— Invention  of  a  novel  construction  of  appara- 
tus to  be  used  as  a  chest-expander  and  as  a  uterine  or  abdominal  supporter. — 
(Communication.) 

Robert  B.  Cousens,  50  Haliford-street,  Islington — Improvements  in  the  manufacture 
of  casks  or  wooden  vessels. 

Recorded  June  8. 

Frederick  L.  II.  Danchell,  Elm  Grove-villas,  Acton  Green,  and  William  Startin, 
Heathfield-terrace,  Turnham  Green — An  improved  mode  of  obtaining  auriferous 
deposits  from  the  beds  of  livers  and  lakes,  and  from  pits  containing  water. 

George  Tillett,  Kentish  Town— Improvements  in  portable  houses  and  buildings. 

John  Hnrrocks,  jun.,  and  James  D.  Horrocks,  Piccadilly — Improvements  in  the 
manufacture  of  detonating  or  percussion  caps. — (Communication.; 


(J§?"  Information  as  to  any  of  these  applications,  and  their  progress,  may  he  had  on  ap- 
plication to  the  Editor  of  this  Journal. 

DESIGNS  FOR  ARTICLES  OF  UTILITY. 


May  17th,    3459 


18th, 

3160 

19th, 

3461 

20th 

3462 

21st 

3463 

23d 

3464 

25th 

3465 

23th 

3466 

31  St, 

3467 



3468 

— 

3469 

June  1st, 

3470 

3d, 

3471 

4rh, 

3472 

10th, 

3473 

11th, 

3474 

— 

3475 

15th, 

3476 

Registered  from  17  th  May  to  15th  June,  1853. 
Humphreys  and  Thirst,  Chelsea,—"  Flap  and  drain-mouth  for 

sewers." 
J.  Mackay,  Drogheda,— ;'  Tubular  boiler  fire-box." 
Thornton  and  Son,  Birmingham,—"  Lamp." 
J.  W.  and  T.  Allen,  Strand.—"  Writing-desk." 
G.  Burt,  Birmingham,— "Tallow-lamp." 
W.  Battley  and  J.  Rivett,  Northampton, — "  Clover-rubber." 
T.  Ottewill,  Barnsbury,— "Camera." 
G.  Turner  and  T.  Mitchell,  Bradford,  — "  Spring-machine  fly 

assister." 
R.  W.  Winfield,  Birmingham,— Gas-burner." 
Mills  and  Whittaker,  Oldham,—"  Throttle- valve." 
J.  D.  Brady,  Hyde-park,— "  Knapsack." 

J.  G.  Reynolds,  City-road, — "  Arca-proteos,  or  emigrant's  house. 
J.  Gillott,  Birmingham,—"  Pen-holder." 
C.  A.  and  T.  Fergusson,  Poplar, — "Hawse-plug." 
P.  Tait,  Limerick,— "Shirt." 

H.  Olden,  Birmingham, — "  Silk  preserver  for  work-tables." 
F.  Edwards,  Poland-street, — "'Heat-conductor." 
A.  Sliarland  and  J.  Gotley,  Bristol, — "  Pressure-pump." 


DESIGNS  FOR  ARTICLES  OF  UTILITY. 

Provisionally  Registered  from  13th  May  to  11th  June,  1853- 

May  13th,  511  T.  E.  Moore,  Great  Titchfield-street,—"  Double  punch.' 

ISth,  512  P.  Moxham,  Granard,— "  Paddle-wheel." 

20th,  513  J.  G.  Reynolds,  City-road,—"  Arca-proteos." 

23d,  514  C.  De  Bergue,  Dowgate-hill,— "  Railway-bar." 

—  515  C  De  Bergue,  Dowgate-hill—"  Railway-fastener." 
2Sth,  516  T.  Bourne,  Smithfield,— "Buckle." 

June  1st,  517  W. Parsons,  Chelsea,— "Floor-cramp." 

9th,  518  J.  Ellisdon,  Liverpool,—"  Reclining  chair." 

11th,  519  W.  Duckworth,  Liverpool,— "  Window-guard." 

—  520  Flanagan  &  Co.,  Liverpool, — "Hat." 


TO  READERS  AND  CORRESPONDENTS. 

T.  S.  S.  (Liverpool.)— The  process  is  still  a  secret,  although  many  speculations  have 
been  afloat  upon  it. 

T.  A.— We  do  not  see  that  the  publication  of  his  note  would  lead  to  anything  but  a 
private  controversy,  with  which  the  world  has  nothing  to  do. 

Received.— "Tlie  new  Equilateral  Triangular  Telegraph."  By  II.  Dempster.— "  CI -gg 
on  Coal  Gas."—"  Ellet  on  the  Mississippi  and  Ohio  Rivers." 


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THE  PRACTICAL  MECHANIC'S  JOURNAL. 


105 


BOWER'S  GAS  RETORTS  AND  COMBINED  GAS  APPARATUS. 
(Illustrated  hj  Plate  132.) 
LTHOUGH  the  benefits  derivable  from  the 
modern  system  of  gas  illumination  are  so 
obvious,  and  have  been  so  pointedly  felt  in 
all  but  the  most  exceptional  situations,  we 
have  still  to  regret  that  the  offered  advan- 
tages have  been  strangely  disregarded  in 
many  of  their  most  important  applications. 
The  complete  introduction  of  gas 
illumination  into  private  dwellings, 
is  even  yet  strongly  opposed  by 
ancient  and  ill-founded  prejudices; 
but,  as  in  all  other  cases  of  miscon- 
ception, this  difficulty  is  vanishing 
as  the  world  grows  older,  and  its  inhabitants  gather  wisdom.  The  gas 
engineer,  then,  must  follow  up  his  gradual  accessions  of  points  of  advan- 
tage, by  smoothing  down  whatever  real  objections  there  may  be  in  his 
way.  He  has  got  a  cheap  material  to  deal  with ;  he  must  see  that  it  is 
pure  and  fit  for  developing  that  brilliancy  of  illumination  which  it  is  un- 
doubtedly capable  of  affording,  without  at  the  same  time  entailing  any 
unhealthy  consequences,  or  such  inconveniences  as  the  generation  of  a 
disagreeably  high  temperature,  or  the  discoloration  of  furniture  and 
architectural  enrichments.  Much  of  the  responsibility  rests  in  reality 
upon  the  consumer,  who  too  often  forgets,  in  the  splendour  of  the  illu- 
minating power  at  his  command,  that  he  is  overtaxing  his  ventilating 
resources,  by  heedlessly  introducing  a  light  several-fold  more  effective 
than  his  former  inconvenient  oil-lamp,  or  still  more  troublesome  array 
of  candles,  without  taking  into  account  the  necessarily  increased  acces- 
sion of  heat  which  his  prodigality  has  involved.  But  even  here  he  has 
a  wide  margin  ;  for,  according  to  the  most  recent  experiments  as  given 
in  another  page  of  our  present  impression,  if  we  suppose  the  heat  gener- 
ated by  the  burning  of  a  tallow  candle  to  be  represented  by  100,  that 
evolved  from  London  coal  gas,  furnishing  a  corresponding  equivalent  of 
light,  stands  no  higher  than  47.  With  the  same  comparison,  London 
cannel  gas  gives  32,  whilst  the  Lesmahagow  hydrocarbon  gas  is  rated 
at  no  more  than  19.  Similarly,  when  tallow  generates  10T  of  carbonic 
acid,  the  ordinary  London  coal  gas  gives  only  5. 

No  amount  of  care  at  the  head-quarters  of  the  gasmaker  can  possibly 
make  up  for  domestic  negligence  at  the  scene  of  consumption  ;  but  it 
ought  to  require  a  faint  show  of  argument  indeed,  from  us,  to  satisfy 
even  prejudiced  observers,  that,  with  the  most  trifling  attention,  no 
house  can  be  so  efficiently  and  economically  lighted  in  every  room, 
from  the  kitchen  to  the  saloon  and  boudoir,  as  by  the  ordinary  gas  which 
is  to  be  found  in  every  town.  If  we  are  to  make  exceptions  to  this  asser- 
tion, we  admit  them  only  in  the  case  of  small  isolated  manufactories,  or 
country  seats,  which  may  be  commercially  inaccessible  to  the  approach 
of  the  pipes  from  the  public  gas  manufactories.  It  is  for  such  excepted 
situations  that  the  apparatus,  delineated  in  our  Plate  132,  has  been 
devised.  That  contrivance  is  the  patented  invention  of  Mr.  George 
Bower,  of  the  Vulcan  Foundry,  St.  Neot's,  Huntingdonshire,  and  its 
object  is  to  bring  a  compact  and  easily  manageable  coal  gas  apparatus 
within  the  reach  and  government  of  every  owner  of  a  private  house,  or 
factory,  whom  position  may  have  hitherto  condemned  to  use  the  inferior 
sources  of  light. 

In  this  arrangement,  the  retort  in  which  the  coal  is  placed  is  made 
with  projecting  triangular  surfaces,  so  that  the  coal  to  be  distilled  is 
exposed  to  an  enlarged  heated  area,  and  is,  therefore,  more  rapidly  carbon- 
ized than  in  a  retort  of  the  ordinary  kind,  whilst  the  production  is  in- 
creased. In  the  complete  apparatus,  the  hydraulic  main,  washer  or 
scrubber,   and  condenser  and    purifier,    are   all   combined  within    one 

arrangement,  so  as  to  insure  a  degree  of  compactness  and  simplicity 
No.  65.— Vol.  VI. 


unattainable  in  disconnected  apparatus.  Fig.  1  on  our  plate,  132,  is  a 
longitudinal  side  elevation  of  the  combined  apparatus.  Fig.  2  is  an 
end  view  at  right  angles  to  fig.  1.  Fig.  3  is  a  vertical  longitudinal  sec- 
tion of  the  apparatus.  Fig.  4  is  a  plan  of  the  whole.  Fig.  5  is  an  end 
elevation  of  the  mouth  of  the  improved  retort.  Fig.  6  is  a  longitudinal 
section  of  the  retort,  as  broken  away  at  the  central  portion.  And  fig.  7 
is  a  transverse  section  of  the  retort.  The  base  of  the  apparatus  forms 
the  hydraulic  main,  a,  the  line,  E,  representing  the  level  of  the  deposited 
tar.  The  gas  is  supplied  to  this  receiver  by  the  dip-pipe,  c,  which  pro- 
ceeds directly  from  the  retort  ascension-pipe.  The  condenser  is  deline- 
ated at  d,  having  five  vertical  plates,  e,  dipping  into  the  fluid  beneath, 
and  alternated  with  four  other  plates,  f,  attached  to  the  top  of  the  con- 
denser, and  hanging  down  to  the  level  of  the  top  of  the  hydraulic  main. 
The  dipping  plates,  e,  being  left  free  or  open  at  the  top,  a  clear  but  cir 
cuitous  passage  is  left  for  the  gas,  as  indicated  by  the  arrows,  the 
entry  to  the  several  divisions  being  at  a,  and  the  point  of  exit  at  H. 
Hence  the  gaseous  current  passes  along  the  bottom  to  the  division,  i, 
up  which  it  passes,  and  again  descends  as  at  J,  over  the  top  of  the 
washer,  or  scrubber,  K.  In  the  bottom  of  this  washer,  or  scrubber, 
is  a  small  pipe,  l,  to  take  off  the  deposit  of  tar  and  water  from  the 
washer  to  the  hydraulic  main.  The  partially  cleansed  gas  then 
passes  on,  as  at  M,  to  the  bottom  of  the  purifier,  N,  whence  the  gas 
escapes  by  the  outlet  branch,  o,  to  the  gas-holder.  Siphon  traps,  r  Q, 
are  fitted  at  each  end  of  the  base,  and  the  pipes,  es,  take  the  surplus 
tar  to  the  tar  well.  The  entire  contents  of  the  hydraulic  main  may  be 
drawn  off  by  the  pipe,  T,  which  is  attached  to  a  plate  capable  of  removal 
when  the  hydraulic  main  wants  cleaning  out.  Access  to  the  purifier 
and  washer  is  obtained  by  the  moveable  lids  or  covers,  v  v;  the  coke  in 
the  scrubber,  or  washer,  may  be  washed  by  water  conveyed  therein 
through  the  pipe,  w.  In  this  way  the  whole  of  the  apparatus  for  the 
treatment  of  the  gas,  as  it  comes  from  the  retorts,  is  effectively  com- 
bined within  the  limits  of  a  single  solid  base.  In  figs.  5,  6,  and  7,  the 
enlarged  bottom-heating  surface  of  the  retorts  is  shown  at  a,  the  ridge 
surfaces,  e,  furnishing  a  large  area,  as  compared  with  the  ordinary  form 
of  retort.  These  ridges  are,  in  this  instance,  two  in  number,  and  they 
extend  from  end  to  end  of  the  retort,  but  are  beveled  off  downwards  at 
c,  at  the  mouth,  for  the  convenience  of  charging ;  but  such  ridged 
bottoms  may  be  made  of  various  other  forms. 

The  compactness  and  simplicity  of  this  apparatus  are  clearly  obvious 
from  our  Plate,  which  represents  the  special  construction  adopted  by  the 
inventor  for  all  purposes,  where  a  maximum  of  100  lights  is  required. 
The  corrugated  or  ridged  retort  bottom  is  applicable,  of  course,  in  all 
manufactories.  By  its  use,  it  is  stated  that  small  coal  may  be  carbonized 
in  one-fourth  less  time  than  at  present,  by  reason  of  the  addition  of  some 
thirty-five  per  cent,  more  heating  surface,  in  comparison  with  the  flat 
bottom.  This  modification  necessarily  effects  a  saving  not  only  in  time, 
but  in  wear  and  tear  and  labour,  as  well  as  in  first  cost,  for  the  works 
need  not  be  on  so  large  a  scale  as  would  be  necessary  under  the  common 
arrangement.  A  saving  of  labour  is  also  effected  by  the  arrangement  of 
the  retorts,  which  are  so  contrived  that,  when  one  is  worn  out,  it  may  be 
replaced  without  disturbing  a  single  brick. 

The  results  of  Mr.  Bower's  improvements  will  be  more  forcibly  felt, 

when  it  is  remembered  that  the  price  of  coals  does  not  give  the  cost  of 

gas;  for  the  labour,  interest  on  capital,  and  depreciation,  form  the  chief 

items  of  expenditure,  and  whatever  system  will  effect  the  greatest  saving 

in  these  points,  will  produce  the  cheapest  gas.     Practical  men  also  tell 

us,  that   the  quicker  a  charge  is  worked  off,  the  better  is  the  gas; 

and  the  arrangement  before  us  is  undoubtedly  entitled  to  considerable 

credit  on  this  head  alone.     Mr.  Bower  has  been  experimenting  more  or 

less  in  gas-making  for  the  last  two  years,  during  which  time  he  has 

tried  nearly  every  possible  plan  of  producing  artificial  light,  and  his 

conclusion  is,  that  coal  alone  is  the  best  material  for  the  purpose.     In 

coal  gas,  the  combination  of  hydrogen  and  carbon  is  such,  that  a  similar 

O 


106 


THE  PRACTICAL  MECHANIC'S  JOURNAL. 


one  cannot  be  effected  with  these  constituents  when  in  separate  forms. 
It  is  true  that  water,  which  is  really  costless,  will  produce  an  illuminat- 
ing gas  when  decomposed,  and  its  hydrogen  carbonized ;  but  the  cost  of 
this  decomposition  in  wear  and  tear  and  labour  alone,  for  the  produc- 
tion of  the  hydrogen — one  only  of  the  elements  of  which  coal  gas  is 
made  up — is  actually  more  than  that  of  highly  illuminating  gas  produced 
from  pure  coal.  In  considering  the  late  attempts  at  the  production  of 
resin,  oil,  or  hydrocarbon  gas,  Mr.  Bower  decidedly  denies  their  capa- 
bility of  competing  with  coal  as  gas-producing  substances,  even  giving 
coal  a  range  of  price  up  to  50s.  a  ton. 

We  cannot  but  regard  the  results  of  Mr.  Bower's  labours  as  carrying 
the  art  to  which  he  has  devoted  himself,  a  considerable  step  forward  in 
the  march  of  practical  improvement — such  a  step  as  promises  to  be  firm 
enough  to  afford  a  good  base  for  further  and  more  striking  advances;  for 
it  is  the  fruit  of  that  "  new  philosophy  which  never  rests,  which  has 
never  attained,  and  which  is  never  perfect.  Its  law  is  progress.  A  point 
which  yesterday  was  invisible,  is  its  goal  to-day,  and  will  be  its  starting- 
post  to-morrow." 

THE  LAW  OF  PATENTS  FOR  INVENTIONS  IN  THE 
GERMAN  STATES  OF  THE  ZOLLVEREIN. 

The  German  confederation  is  composed  of  thirty-eight  States,  and  of 
these  twenty- Ave  have  formed  a  Trade  League,  known  as  the  Zollverein. 
The  States  of  this  League  are  the  following:— 

Kingdoms  of  Prussia,  Bavaria,  Saxony,  Hanover,  and  Wurtcmburg. 

Grand  Duchies  of  Baden,  Hesse,  and  Saxe-Weimar-Esenach. 

Electorate  of  Hesse. 

Duchies  of  Saxe-Cobourg-Gotha,  Saxe-Mciningen-Hildburgbausen, 
Saxe-Altenburg,  Nassau,  Anhalt-Dessau,  Anhalt-Bernburg,  Anbalt-Coe- 
then. 

Principalities  of  Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt,  Schwarzburg-Sonders- 
hausen,  Hohcnzollern-Hechingen,  Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen,  Waldecb, 
and  the  two  branches  of  the  house  of  Reuss. 

Landgraviate  of  Hesse-Homburg. 

City  of  Frankfort  on  the  Maine. 

These  States  have  agreed  upon  a  general  system  of  law  with  regard 
to  letters  patent,  and  this  was  embodied  in  a  convention,  dated  2lst 
September,  1842,  which  was  ratified  the  29th  June,  1843.  The  terms  of 
this  convention  override  the  particular  laws  of  the  States,  and  hence  it  will 
be  well  to  set  out  the  convention  before  referring  to  the  particular  laws. 
It  is  expressly  reserved  to  each  State,  to  regulate  the  issuing  of  letters 
patent  as  it  thinks  fit,  whether  for  original  or  for  imported  inventions, 
upon  all  points  as  to  which  the  convention  is  silent. 

Article  1. — Patents  shall  only  issue  in  respect  of  such  inventions  as 
are  new  and  original.  Inventions  already  in  use,  or  known  in  any 
manner  whatever,  within  the  limits  of  the  League  are  not  patentable  ; 
and  especially  those  which  have  been  so  described  in  words,  or  by  figures, 
in  books  published  in  Germany  or  abroad,  that  competent  persons  may 
carry  them  into  effect. 

Each  State  must  decide  for  itself,  as  to  the  novelty  and  originality  of 
inventions  sought  to  be  patented. 

A  patent  having  been  granted  to  a  subject  of  any  State  of  the  League, 
no  patent  for  the  same  invention  can  be  taken  out  in  any  other  State, 
except  by  the  original  inventor,  or  the  person  lawfully  succeeding  to  his ' 
rights. 

Art.  2. — Subject  to  the  preceding  regulations,  patents  may  issue  for 
improvements  in  inventions  already  patented  or  known,  provided  that 
the  improvement  is  real  and  original;  but  no  prejudice  shall  thereby 
be  occasioned  to  the  patentee,  and  the  patentee  of  the  improvement  shall 
have  no  claim  to  share  in  the  profits  of  the  original  patentee. 

Art.  3. — A  patent  confers  no  right  upon  the  patentee  to  forbid  the 
importation  of  articles  similar  to  those  patented,  or  the  sale  of  such 
imported  articles.  Neither  shall  the  patentee  have  any  right  to  forbid 
the  use  of  imported  articles,  except  only  when  they  are  machines  or 
manufacturing  or  industrial  instruments,  and  not  general  articles  of  trade 
used  by  the  public. 

Art.  4. — Every  government  in  the  League  has  authority  to  grant,  by 
patent,  within  the  limits  of  its  jurisdiction,  the  exclusive  right  of  making 
and  executing  any  particular  article ;  and  also  the  exclusive  right  of 
applying  both  a  new  process  of  manufacture,  and  new  machines  or  instru- 
ments of  manufacture,  so  that  the  patentee,  as  long  as  he  possesses  the 
patent,  may  prevent  any  one  else  from  using  the  patented  article  or  pro- 
cess, except  when  it  has  been  obtained  from  him. 


Art.  5. — Each  State  of  the  Zollverein  will  treat  the  subjects  of  the 
other  States  as  its  own  subjects,  both  as  regards  the  granting  of  patents, 
and  the  protection  of  the  rights  thereby  obtained;  but  the  grant  of  a 
patent  in  one  State,  shall  not  ground  any  right  to  a  patent  in  any  other 
State. 

Whether  an  invention  is  or  is  not  patentable  in  any  one  State,  is  a 
question  to  be  determined  solely  by  that  State,  which  is  not  to  be  bound 
in  this  respect  by  the  decisions  of  other  States. 

A  patent  granted  by  any  giveu  State,  confers  no  right  beyond  the 
limits  of  that  State. 

Art.  6. — If,  after  the  grant  of  a  patent,  it  is  made  to  appear  that  the 
invention  is  destitute  of  novelty  and  originality,  the  patent  shall  be 
forthwith  annulled.  When  the  invention  was  previously  known  only 
to  a  few  persons  who  kept  it  to  themselves,  the  patent  shall  be  valid  as 
regards  all  other  persons,  if  there  are  no  other  causes  affecting  its  validity. 

Art.  7. — Every  grant  of  a  patent  shall  be  forthwith  made  known  in 
the  official  journals,  with  a  statement  of  its  object,  the  name  and  residence 
of  the  patentee,  and  the  duration  of  the  patent.  And  in  the  same  way 
the  prolongation  of  a  patent,  or  its  determination  before  the  expiration  of 
the  term  originally  granted,  shall  be  published. 

Art.  8. — At  the  end  of  every  year,  the  several  governments  of  the 
States  shall  send  to  each  other  correct  abstracts  of  patents  granted  in 
that  year. 

KILN-DRYING  GRAIN. 

It  is  not  generally  known,  or  at  least  it  is  not  fully  understood  by 
general  observers,  that  the  existing  system  of  drying  grain  in  kilns,  pre- 
paratory to  grinding  into  flour,  involves  one  of  the  most  unhealthy  of 
manufacturing  operations.  The  cleansed  grain,  when  denuded  of  its 
chaff  and  other  impurities,  must  be  thoroughly  dried,  or  indeed  crisply 
baked,  in  order  to  bring  it  into  the  right  condition  for  being  ground ;  for 
the  grinding  process  is  really  a  crushing  and  abrading  action,  the  indivi- 
dual grains  being  reduced  by  a  compound  squeezing  and  rubbing  motion, 
so  as  to  shell  out  the  kernels  into  flour,  and  clear  them  from  their  con- 
taining husk.  Hence,  uuless  the  grain  is  highly  dried,  the  stones  would 
merely  flatten  the  husk  without  detaching  the  flour,  and  the  peculiar 
sharpness  of  the  grinding  surfaces  would  very  soon  be  lost,  by  the  filling 
up  of  the  cutting  interstices  with  the  soft  half-plastic  mass.  The  pro- 
cess universally  followed  in  this  country,  in  this  "  kiln  drying,"  is  this  : 
— The  clean  grain  is  evenly  spread  out  upon  a  room  floor,  composed  of 
minutely  perforated  tiles — the  holes  being  run  through  the  thickness  of 
the  tile — so  that  when  the  latter  is  laid  flat  down  to  form  a  flooring  or  pave- 
ment, a  free  passage  is  afforded  for  a  multitude  of  minute  streams  of  hot 
air  from  heated  flues  beneath  the  apartment.  Then,  as  the  grain  cannot 
be  spread  very  thinly,  owing  to  the  great  area  it  would  cover,  the  atten- 
dants are  obliged  to  enter  the  kiln,  and  turn  over  the  grain  layer  almost 
continuously.  Whilst  this  is  going  on,  a  cloud  of  fine  sharp  impalpable 
dust  rises  from  the  grain,  and  attacks  all  the  vulnerable  parts  of  the 
workman  in  a  most  disagreeable  manner.  But  it  is  on  the  lungs  that 
this  insidious  enemy  preys  most  savagely.  It  gradually  kills,  and  stout 
hale  fellows  are  soon  reduced  to  a  condition  from  which  they  can  never 
recover,  by  this  inhalation  of  dust,  which  we  might  suppose  it  would  be 
so  easy  to  repress.  But  it  is  not  so,  under  the  present  system.  Can  we 
not  devise  a  better  one?  Both  steam  and  heated  air,  properly  applied, 
seem  to  afford  the  means  of  drying  grain,  without  the  necessity  of  the 
workman  exposing  himself  for  a  single  instant  to  the  deleterious  atmo- 
sphere which  he  is  at  present  forced  to  brave. 

Viewing  the  matter  in  this  way,  Mr.  Sylvester  Marsh,  of  Chicago, 
U.S.,  has  made  extensive  experiments  with  heated  air  as  the  drying  me- 
dium, and  he  has  been  thereby  induced  to  embody  his  ideas  in  an  actual 
working  kiln  of  large  size,  now  in  operation.  He  forces  hot  air  through 
the  grain  by  air-pumps,  worked  by  a  steam-engine.  The  grain  is  spread 
out  to  a  depth  of  four  inches  on  a  sheet-iron  plate,  of  about  twenty  feet 
in  diameter,  and  thickly  perforated  with  small  holes.  The  plate  is 
carried  on  brick  walls,  five  feet  in  height,  arranged  to  enclose  a  wide 
space  between  them  beneath  the  grain.  This  recess  contains  a  stove, 
with  an  extensive  ramification  of  flue-pipes  attached,  so  as  to  form  a 
powerful  heating  chamber  for  the  cold  air,  which  is  pumped  into  it  from 
without.  As  the  air  is  thus  forced  in,  it  becomes  well  heated,  and,  in 
its  efforts  to  escape,  it  passes  up  through  the  perforated  plate,  and  thus 
acts  with  a  powerful  drying  effect  upon  the  mass  of  grain  above.  The 
plan  is  said  to  be  successful,  but  a  difficulty  is  at  once  apparent  to  us  in 
it.  There  is  no  agitating  action,  and  we  do  not  see  how  any  air-blast, 
however  powerful,  can  make  up  for  this  essential  want.  Indeed,  with 
the  exception  of  the  idea  of  forcing  the  air  through  the  mass,  the  system 
differs  little  from  our  own  bad  plan.  Besides,  there  is  the  inconvenience 
of  the  holes  getting  filled  up. 


THE  PRACTICAL  MECHANICS  JOURNAL. 


107 


Another  idea,  of  considerably  older  date,  has  been  patented  in  this 
country  by  Mr.  Bethell,  for  the  preservation  of  grain  of  various  kinds, 
but  it  seems  to  us  to  be  capable  of  adaptation  in  the  kiln-drying  process, 

with  some  minor  modifications. 
In  this  arrangement,  which  is 
represented  in  vertical  section  in 
the  annexed  figure,  the  effects  of 
dried  steam  and  mechanical  agi- 
tation are  combined.  It  consists 
of  a  rectangular  case,  A,  in  which 
are  placed  a  set  of  endless  cloths, 
e,  mounted  on  rollers,  c,  which 
are  made  to  revolve  at  a  constant 
uniform  rate.  The  grain  to  be 
dried  is  fed  into  the  apparatus 
through  a  hopper,  d,  in  the  bot- 
tom of  which  is  a  small  fluted 
roller,  e,  for  the  purpose  of  keep- 
ing up  a  constant  and  regular 
supply,  the  grain  being  made  to 
fall  from  the  discharge  aperture 
of  the  hopper,  on  to  the  highest 
of  the  endless  cloths.  Then, 
as  this  cloth  slowly  traverses  forward,  the  grain  so  supplied  is  carried  to 
the  opposite  side  of  the  box,  and  here  it  falls  over  the  carrying  roller,  on 
to  a  second  cloth,  moving  in  the  reverse  direction.  In  this  manner  the 
grain  is  carried  several  times  back  and  forward  across  the  apparatus, 
until  it  ultimately  falls  into  a  delivering  spout,  f.  As  the  grain  passes 
through,  a  current  of  dried  or  surcharged  steam,  diluted  if  necessary 
with  air,  is  admitted  into  the  case  by  the  pipe,  G.  The  steam  and  other 
matters  escape  through  the  overhead  pipe,  H.  This  contrivance  is 
simple,  and  the  miller  will  see  that,  whilst  it  removes  all  objection  as  to 
the  health  of  the  workman,  it  materially  economizes  the  cost  of  the  pro- 
cess. 

HARMANS  TUBULAR-FRAMED  HOIST. 
An  excellent  system  of  framework  for  large  hoisting  machinery,  such 
as  is  suitable  for  dry  docks,  the  erecting  shops  of  engineers,  and  quarries, 

Fig.l 


has  just  been  designed  by  Mr.  H.  W.  Harman,  C.  E.  of  Northfleet  dock- 
yard; taking  advantage  of  the  important  points  of  strength  and  lightness 
involved  in  tubular  or  cellular  wrougbt-iron  framing,  as  contrived  for 


traversing  in  extensive  works.  The  framing  consists  of  two  parabolic 
arches,  built  of  wrougbt-iron  plates,  riveted  together,  the  arches  being  made 
to  converge  at  their  apices, 

where    they    are    united  Fig.  2. 

by  wrought-iron  plates. 
This  forms  a  species  of 
pyramidal  erection,  sup- 
ported on  four  expanding 
legs,  or  standards,  span- 
ning the  dock,  or  the  ob- 
ject to  be  lifted,  with  two 
legs  on  each  side,  con- 
nected transversely  by 
hollow  beams  or  junction 
pieces.  These  hollow 
beams  also  form  chain 
lockers.  The  actual  me- 
chanism of  elevation,  as 
the  common  "  crab,"  or 
other  lifting  movement,  is 
conveniently  carried  on 
the  transverse  beams, 
whilst  the  hoisting  blocks 
are  hung  from  the  crown 
of  the  arch  of  the  main 
framing,  and  are  at  all 
times  protected  from  the 
weather.  Our  engravings 
exhibit  a  "great wrought- 
iron  traversing  dock- 
crane,"  constructed  on 
this  system,  to  lift  100 
tons  over  a  span  of  90 
feet.     Fig._  1   is   an   end 

elevation  of  the  crane,  as  erected  over  a  steam-ship  dock,  shown  in 
transverse  section.  Fig.  2  is  a  corresponding  side  view  of  the  crane. 
It  is  carried  on  a  rail  of  a  peculiar  construction,  laid  along  each  parallel 
edge  of  the  dock,  each  of  the  four  legs  being  carried  thereon  by  a  pair  of 
traversing  wheels,  set  in  brackets,  forming  the  supporting  feet,  and  con- 
nected by  trussed  tension-rods  extending  from  one  leg  to  the  other.  The 
whole  of  the  interior  is  easily  accessible  for  repair,  and  the  men  ascend 
by  a  ladder-way  up  the  legs,  to  the  platform  on  which  the  crabs  are 
fixed,  and  this  way  is  continued  up  to  the  blocks  above. 

It  is  obvious,  that  whilst  this  system  of  crane  affords  every  advantage 
in  point  of  stability  and  strength,  it  is  worked  with  great  facility,  both 
in  its  traversing  and  hoisting  movements,  and  its  operative  details  are 
most  conveniently  and  compactly  disposed. 

SIEBE'S  CYLINDRICAL  PAPER-KNOTTING  MACHINE. 

This  is  not  a  machine  for  tyeing  knots  in  paper,  as  its  name  might 
apparently  imply,  but  a  contrivance  for  the  separation  of  the  "  knots" 
and  foreign  matters  from  the  fluid  pulp  from  which  paper  is  made.  It  is 
the  invention  of  Messrs.  Siebe,  Steiner,  &  Mannbardt,  of  Denmark  Street, 
Soho,  and  is  intended  to  remove  the  several  objectionable  points  in  the 
old  knotting  machines — of  their  allowing  the  smaller  knots  and  other 
extraneous  matter  to  fall  through — their  keeping  back  the  long  stuff — 
the  difficulty  of  removing  the  knots  from  the  surface  of  the  strainer — 
and  the  danger  of  thereby  forcing  part  of  the  same  through. 

Among  the  advantages  which  the  new  machine  possesses,  is  the  tho- 
rough manner  in  which  it  separates  the  knots  and  other  injurious  sub- 
stances from  the  pulp,  forcing  the  latter,  of  any  required  fineness,  through 
the  sieves  or  strainers;  and  that,  although  it  possesses  great  forcing 
power,  the  length  of  the  stuff  is  in  no  way  destroyed ;  from  which  it 
follows,  that  a  much  stronger  paper  is  produced,  with  a  smaller  loss  of 
stuff,  than  by  any  previous  mode  of  straining  pulp ;  also,  the  ease  with 
which  the  knots  may  be  removed  from  the  strainers,  without  stopping 
the  machine,  or  even  the  danger  of  breaking  the  paper,  and  without  any 
loss  of  stuff;  and  lastly,  that,  without  the  loss  of  much  time  or  trouble, 
the  dividers  can  be  altered  so  that  a  finer  or  coarser  paper  can  be 
made. 

In  our  engravings,  fig.  1  represents  a  longitudinal  elevation  of  a  com- 
plete machine,  taken  partly  in  section ;  fig.  2  is  a  horizontal  or  top  view 
of  the  same — portions  in  both  being  removed,  to  show  the  internal  con- 
struction of  the  operating  parts.  At  A  are  the  strainers  or  sieves,  com- 
posed of  brass  or  other  metal  rings,  to  the  number  of  forty  or  more,  as  may 
be  required,  smooth  on  the  inner  surface,  but  beveled  and  wedged  on 
their  outside  periphery.     The  requisite  number  of  these  rings  are  drawn 


108 


THE  PRACTICAL  MECHANIC'S  JOURNAL. 


together  by  vertical  rods,  with  screws  and  nuts,  which  are  passed  through 
all  the  corresponding  holes  of  the  series  of  rings,  which  are  so  com- 
pressed as  to  form  a  cylindrical  vessel,  the  passage  for  the  pulp  between 


the  rings  being  formed  by  thin  plates  or  washers,  called  dividers,  put 
upon  the  vertical  rods  between  each  separate  ring.  On  the  thickness 
of  these  dividers  depends  the  fineness  of  the  paper  to  be  made ;  for, 
according  to  the  widtli  of  the  space  between  the  rings,  so  will  the  pulp 
be  more  or  less  strained,  and  consequently  the  paper  be  of  a  finer  or  coarser 
quality. 

These  strainers — in  this  instance  three — are  inserted  and  fixed  in  the 
like  number  of  rings,  d,  made  fast  by  screws  to  the  bottom  of  the  pulp 
chest,  c;  a  fan,  b,  as  shown  in  fig.  2,  is  placed  within  each  strainer,  the 
pivot  of  its  axle  at  the  bottom  being  supported  in  a  socket,  inserted 
in  the  bottom  of  the  pulp  chest,  and  the  upper  part  of  the  axle,  turning 

Fig.  2. 


in  a  bearing  in  the  longitudinal  bar,  e,  fixed  along  the  top  of  the  chest. 
The  covers  or  hoppers,  F,  for  conducting  the  rough  pulp  into  the  strain- 
ers, are  placed  over  the  same,  and  suitable  machinery  applied  to  give  the 
fans  reciprocating  movements  on  their  axes. 

The  long  horizontal  shnfr,  g,  has  the  necessary  cranks  formed  on  it, 
which  cranks  are  severally  connected  by  rods,  n,  to  the  ends  of  the  re- 
spective levers,  i,  on  the  tops  of  the  fan  shafts.  The  driving  power  being 
applied  to  the  pulley,  j,  to  actuate  the  gear-work,  the  fans,  b,  will  be  put 
in  rapid  vibratory  motion  on  their  axes;  and  as  they  reciprocate,  they 
agitate  the  pulp,  which  is  now  allowed  to  pour  from  above  the  machine 
into  the  hoppers,  p.  Thus,  by  the  centrifugal  force  of  the  fans,  the  pulp 
is  forced  laterally  through  the  space  between  the  rings  of  the  strainers 
into  the  pulp  chest,  leaving  the  knots  and  other  injurious  substances  to 
fall  to  the-  bottom  of  the  interior  of  the  strainers,  whence  they  may  be 
drawn  off  at  intervals,  whilst  the  machine  is  at  work,  by  means  of  slide 
valves,  worked  by  levers  attached  to  the  handles,  k,  at  the  end  of  the 
machine. 

In  order  to  prevent  the  pulp  from  settling  at  the  bottom  of  the  chest, 
after  it  has  passed  through  the  strainers,  perforated  flap  agitators,  l, 
within  the  chest,  are  employed ;  these  are  moved  by  a  suitable  gear- 
work,  attached  to  the  end  of  the  crank,  which  causes  them  to  vibrate 
sufliciently  to  keep  the  pulp  well  mixed,  without  making  a  rough  surface. 
It  will  he  of  course  understood,  that  as  the  chest  fills,  the  strained  pulp 
will  flow  over  the  edge  of  the  chest  into  the  wire-cloth  as  usual. 


Fig.l 


WEEMS'  MANUFACTURE  OF  PIPES  AND  SHEETS  BY 
HYDROSTATIC  PRESSURE. 

The  very  marked  success  which  has  attended  the  carrying  out  of  this 
valuable  invention,  has  induced  us  to  add  to  our  former  short  notice*  a 
more  detailed  description,  assisted  by  engravings  of  the  apparatus. 

Fig.  1  is  a  sectional  elevation  of  the  modification  employed  by  Mr. 
Weems  in  the  manufacture  of  block -tin,  lead,  and  composite  metal  pipes. 
The  machine  is  entirely  independent  and  self-contained,  the  hydrostatic 
pressure  cylinder,  a,  resting  directly  on  the  floor,  without  any  other  fixtures. 
This  chamber  is  cast  open  at  the  top,  and  closed  in  with  a  bored  cover,  held 
down  by  set  screws,  the  large  water  pressure  ram,  n,  working  water-tight 
through  this  cover,  which  is  fitted  with  a  dished  or  cup  leather  ring  for 
preventing  the  escape  of  water.  The  upper  part  of  this  water-chamber 
has  also  a  deep  projecting  rib-piece  cast  on  each  side,  and  notched  or 
recessed  longitudinally  at  regular  intervals,  to  receive  the  lower  ends  of 
the  main  wrought-iron  tension  rods,  c,  which  pass  upwards,  and  are  simi- 
larly inserted  in  corresponding  notched  ribs,  cast  on  the  two  opposite 
sides  of  the  main  resisting  cross-head,  o,  overhead.  The  water-chamber 
and  cross-bead  are  further  connected  by  two  vertical  side-pillars,  situated 
between  the  chamber  topand  the  lower  side  of  the  cross-head,  and  recessed 
longitudinally  to  admit  the  tension  rods.  In  this  manner  a  very  firm 
connection  of  the  main  details  of  the  machine  is  obtained  by  simple 
means,  both  ends  of  the  tension  rods  having  solid  heads,  so  that,  wh^n 
the  rod  ends  are  heated  and  slipped  laterally  into  their  grooves  in  the  main 
castings,  the  contraction  consequent  on  cooling  causes  the  heads  to  form 
firm  bearings  to  hold  up  the  water-chamber  and  cross-head  firmly  against 
the  ends  of  their  side  pillars.  The  interior  of  the  water-chamber  is  lined 
with  brass  or  copper,  the  escape  of  water  behind  which  is  prevented  by 
cup  leathers  at  top  and  bottom,  and  the  lower  end  of  the  main  pressure 
ram  being  expanded  or  formed  as  a  piston,  it  has  a  pair  of  cup  leathers 
as  packing  for  the  upper  and  lower  sides.  The  port  for  the  admission 
of  the  water  from  the  force-pumps  is  at  e,  and  a  second  port  is  formed 
above  at  f,  for  pumping  in  water  above  the  piston  portion  of  the  ram,  for 
the  purpose  of  returning  it  downwards  when  the  charge  ofmet.nl  is  ex- 
hausted. The  metal,  as  block-tin  or  lead,  to  be  used  in  forming  the  pipe, 
is  contained  in  the  traversing  chamber  or 
receiver,  o,  which  rests  on  the  top  of  the 
water  pressure  ram,  b,  and  is  held  down 
thereon  by  a  ring  of  bolts.  These  bolts 
have  their  heads  inserted  laterally  into 
suitable  holding  slots  round  the  bottom  of 
the  metal  receiver,  whilst  their  lower  ends 
pass  through  a  ring,n,  and  are  secured  by 
nuts  beneath, — this  .ring  being  in  two 
halves,  and  clamped  into  a  ring  groove 
formed  round  the  head  of  the  ram.  The 
cylindrical  core  bar,  J,  acting  as  the 
mandrel  for  shaping  the  pipe's  bore,  is 
placed  accurately  concentric  with  the 
axial  line  of  the  metal  receiver.  The 
fixed  tubular  piece,  or  stationary  ram,  k, 
carrying  the  die  or  external  shaping  ring, 
is  formed  with  a  flange  at  its  upper  end, 
by  which  it  is  attached  by  the  ring  of  bolts 

to  the   under  side  of  the  cross-head,  d. 

The  external  diameter   of    this   tubular 

piece  is  slightly  smaller  than  the  bore  of 

the  metal  receiver,  g,  and  its  lower  end  is 

made  with  a  shoulder,  fitting  exactly  to 

the  bore  of  the  receiver.     This  shoulder, 

in  conjunction  with  the  inner  ring  of  steel, 

formstheresistingpressure  surface  against 

the  metal   in  the   receiver.     The  actual 

shaping  surface  of  this  die  ring  is  an  inner 

shoulder,  turned  out  of  the  ring,  the  bore 

of  this  shoulder  being  just  as  much  larger 

than  the  diameter  of  the  core  bar,  j,  as  the 

thickness  of  metal  of  the  intended  pipe,  r,, 

requires.     The  actual   operation   of  this 

machine  is  similar  to  that  of  existing  ma- 
chines of  this  class.     In  commencing  to 

work,  the  ram,  *,  is  let  down  to  the  bottom 

of  its  cylinder,  and  the  top  of  the  metal 

receiver,  g,  is  then  clear  of  the  die  above. 

In  this  state  the  receiver  is  charged  with  its  supply  of  lead  or  tin,  and 

the  ram,  b,  being  then  forced  upwards  by  the  pumping  action,  the  sur- 
*  Page  282,  Vol.  V.,  Practical  Mechanics  Journal. 


THE  PRACTICAL  MECHANIC'S  JOURNAL. 


109 


face  of  the  contained  metal  becomes  powerfully  pressed  against  the  die  ; 
and  having  no  other  means  of  escape,  it  exudes  in  the  form  of  a  pipe,  l, 
through  the  narrow  annular  outlet  between  the  core  bar,  J,  and  the 
shoulder  of  the  die  ring.  But  the  essential  distinctive  feature  of  this 
system  of  construction  is,  that  the  core  bar  is  fixed  in  the  metal  receiver, 
and  therefore  travels  with  it,  along  with  the  contained  metal,  so  that 
there  is  no  actual  frictional  contact  except  at  the  point  of  escape  of  the 
exuding  metal ;  and  the  shaping  die  is  pressed  merely  against  the  sur- 
face of  the  mass  of  metal,  so  that  just  so  much  of  the  mass  of  metal  is 
caused  to  ooze  through  or  between  the  die  and  core,  as  will  produce  the 
amount  of  pipe  due  to  each  increment  of  motion  of  the  die,  without,  in 
any  way,  disturbing  the  rest  of  the  metal,  or  giving  rise  to  any  frictional 
effect  elsewhere. 

In  the  core  bar,  j,  in  fig.  1,  a  small  passage  will  be  observed  dotted 
in,  entering  at  one  side,  passing  up  the  interior  of  the  bar  to  near  the 
end,  and  then  returning  and  passing  out  at  the  other  side.  This  passage 
is  for  the  circulation  of  a  stream  of  cold  water,  to  prevent  the  bar  be- 
coming too  hot,  when  the  metal  acted  upon  is  of  a  nature  requiring  it  to 
be  worked  in  a  highly-heated  state. 


Caw 


The  machine,  as  constructed  to  manufacture  sheets  of  lead  or  other 
metals,  is  represented  in  sectional  elevation  in  fig.  2.  The  hydrostatic 
pressure  cylinder,  a,  formed  in  the  same  way  as  in  the  other  machine, 
rests  upon  an  open  hasp,  and  has  fitted  in  it  the  large  ram,  e,  on  the 
top  of  which  the  centre  piece,  c,  rests,  by  a  base  flange  being  bound 
or  held  in  one  mass  with  the  ram  and  the  metal  receiver,  d,  by  a  ring 
of  bolts  passing  through  a  flange  on  the  receiver,  and  entering  a  ring 
let  into  a  groove  in  the  top  of  the  ram.  In  this  way  an  annular  space 
is  formed  for  the  reception  of  the  metal  to  be  shaped,  between  the  out- 
side of  the  species  of  core  piece,  c,  and  the  interior  of  the  metal  receiver, 
d.  The  metal  receiver  is.  in  this  case,  bored  truly  out  to  the  outside 
diameter  of  the  intended  tube,  which  is  made  prior  to  flattening  out  in  a 
sheet,  so  that  the  interior  of  the  metal  receiver  is,  in  effect,  the  exterior 
shaping  die  for  the  pipe  ;  whilst  the  pipe's  bore  is  determined  by  the  ex- 
terior of  the  core  ring,  recessed  into  and  screwed  against  the  end  face  of 
the  fixed  tubular  core  piece,  F.  This  fixed  core  die  is  entered  upon  a 
shoulder  on  the  upper  end  of  the  main  centre  tension  bar,  G,  and  is  held 


down  by  a  clamping  collar  ring,  h,  made  in  two  halves,  to  embrace  a 
turned-out  portion  near  the  head  of  the  bar.  This  bar  is  passed  down 
through  the  centre  piece,  c,  the  ram,  n,  and  the  bottom  of  the  hydrostatic 
chamber,  a,  below  which  it  is  secured  by  a  clamping  collar,  h, — a  thin 
wedge  being  placed  beneath  the  end  of  the  bar,  to  support  and  adjust  it 
whilst  the  parts  are  being  erected.  In  this  way,  when  lead  or  other 
metal  is  supplied  to  the  receiving  space,  e,  the  upward  pressure  of  the 
ram,  b,  causes  such  metal  to  exude  in  the  form  of  a  pipe,  J,  between  the 
core  ring  and  the  interior  of  the  receiver,  r>.  The  metal  so  tubularly 
shaped  may,  therefore,  either  be  used  as  a  pipe  of  large  bore,  or  it  may 
be  cut  open  longitudinally  by  a  stationary  knife,  and  gradually  opened 
out  by  a  wedge  and  passed  over  a  guide  roller,  and  thence  between  a 
pair  of  nipping  rollers,  being  finally  wound  up  at  l,  in  its  completely 
flattened  sheet  state.  When  the  thickness  of  the  sheet  is  to  be  altered, 
the  core  die,  r,  is  released  and  lifted  up,  and  the  shaping  ring  is  removed 
by  taking  out  its  holding  screws,  A  ring  of  larger  or  smaller  diameter 
is  then  substituted,  just  as  a  sheet  of  thinner  or  thicker  substance  may 
be  wanted.  Again,  when  the  bore  of  the  pipe  is  to  be  changed,  the  re- 
ceiver and  core  die  are  both  to  be  removed,  and  larger  or  smaller  details 
of  the  same  kind  substituted. 

Various  forms  of  receivers  and  pistons,  or  compressing  details,  are  also 
proposed  for  the  purpose  of  making  flat  sheets  direct  by  compression, 
without  first  making  tubular  pieces;  the  important  principle  kept  in  view, 
in  all  cases,  being,  as  we  before  remarked,  the  concentration  of  the  power 
employed  upon  the  exact  point  of  formation  of  the  pipe  or  sheet,  the 
material  not  being  subjected  to  the  slightest  friction  at  any  other  part. 

Mr.  Weems'  machinery  is  now  in  successful  operation  at  the  Chester 
Lead  Works  of  Messrs.  J.  Walker,  Parker,  &  Co. ;  one  machine  making 
block-tin  and  composition  pipes,  from  J  inch  up  to  1  inch  bore  ;  and 
another,  making  lead  pipes  from  1  inch  up  to  5.  Similar  machinery  is 
also  being  fitted  up  at  the  works  of  Messrs.  Newton,  Keates,  &  Co.,  in 
Glasgow,  and  those  of  Messrs.  Blackett  &  Co.,  of  Newcastle ;  and  Messrs. 
Haldaue  &  Eae,  of  Edinburgh,  also  have  a  foreign  commission  of  a  like 
nature. 

ARTIFICIAL  FUEL-WORKS  AT  BLANZY. 

The  cheapness  of  good  natural  fuel,  in  most  parts  of  this  country,  has 
hitherto  restrained  our  manufacture  of  all  kinds  of  artificial  fuel  within 
very  narrow  limits.  Still,  the  practicability  of  working  up,  into  a  valu- 
able fuel,  the  small  coal  and  coal  dust  resulting  from  mining  operations, 
has  at  various  times  occupied  the  attention  of  engineers ;  and  several 
manufactories,  such  as  Wylam's,  Warlich's,  and  Bell's,  now  produce 
large  quantities,  but  principally  for  marine  purposes.  For  such  a  use, 
really  good  fuel  of  the  kind  possesses  several  advantages.  It  burns 
freely  and  with  little  smoke,  and  is  easily  stowed  away.  But  as  coal 
rises  in  price — and  we  have  just  now  a  foretaste  of  such  a  change — the 
artificial  production  must  have  a  better  chance  of  adoption;  for,  by  work- 
ing up  the  accumulations  of  minute  fragments  of  coal  now  at  the  pit 
mouths,  some  check  may  be  brought  forward  against  extravagant  prices, 
whether  resulting  from  circumstances  connected  with  the  colliers  them- 
selves, increased  consumption,  or  expensive  carriage  to  remote  districts. 
It  is  now  more  than  fif- 
teen years  since  M.  E.  *''=•  !• 
Marsais,  engineer,  and 
director  of  the  coal  mines 
of  St.  Etienne,  in  France, 
put  in  practice  a  most 
ingenious  plan  of  thus 
economizing  coal  dust. 
His  system  has  since 
been  extensively  used 
both  in  this  country  and 
in  France.  Our  illus- 
trations exhibit  the  whole 
process,  as  adopted  at  the 
coal  mines  of  Blanzy. 
The  coal  dust  is  submit- 
ted, in  the  first  place,  to  a  thorough  washing  in  a  tank,  a,  fig.  1.  This 
tank  is  fitted  with  a  horizontal  perforated  diaphragm,  b,  beneath  which 
it  communicates,  by  a  large  pipe,  o,  with  a  pump,  d,  of  rough  and 
simple  construction. 

The  tank  being  two-thirds  filled  with  water,  the  coal  dust  is  spread 
over  the  diaphragm,  b,  and  the  pump  piston  is  set  in  motion.  An  alter- 
nate movement  is  thereby  given  to  the  water,  and  the  coal  dust  is  tho- 
roughly washed,  earthy  matter,  schist,  and  pyrites,  falling  to  the  bottom 
of  the  tank.  When  sufficiently  cleansed,  the  coal  dust  is  taken  out  and 
dried,  and  a  fresh  charge  is  put  into  the  cistern ;  and,  when  necessary, 
the  matters  deposited  at  the  bottom  of  the  tank  are  taken  out  by  a 


110 


THE  PRACTICAL  MECHANIC'S  JOURNAL. 


lateral  opening-,  and  the  water  is  removed.  The  coal  dust,  washed  and 
dried,  is  then  passed  between  grooved  rollers,  to  reduce  it  to  a  uniform 
size  of  grain. 


v,  of  the  pitch  boiler,  v,  is  opened,  and  the  pitch  descends  by  the  pipe,  y, 
and  falls  into  an  elongated  dish,  n,  formed  on  the  top  of  the  rake,  h,  and 
communicating  with  channels  passing  to 
each  extremity  of  the  rake.  These  chan- 
nels are  cut  above  the  prongs  of  the  rake,  so 
that  the  pitch  runs  clown  upon  the  latter,  and 
is  thereby  mixed  with  the  coal  dust  in  a  very 
uniform  manner.  When  sufficiently  impreg- 
nated, the  material  is  taken  out ;  to  facilitate 
which,  a  couple  of  stationary  curved  scrapers, 
t  f,  are  let  down  into  the  receptacle,  H ;  the 
continued  revolution  of  the  latter  gathers 
all  the  material  in  front  of  the  scrapers,  and 
when  in  the  proper  position,  a  couple  of  traps, 
s,  in  the  receptacle  are  opened,  and  the 
material  is  allowed  to  fall  into  the  pits,  p, 
whence  it  is  taken  out  by  the  doors,  Q. 

The  material,  still  in  a  heated  state,  is  put 
into  cast-iron  moulds,  and  submitted  to  a 
hydrostatic  pressure  equal  to  45,000  lbs. 
This  pressure  produces  a  compact  and  solid 
mass,  and  when  required  for  use,  the  cakes, 
or  bricks,  are  broken  up  in  the  same  man- 
ner as  ordinary  coal.  This  fuel  is  now  ex- 
tensively employed  in  the  steamers  on  the 
Rhone  and  Saone. 


The  material  is  afterwards  mixed  with  seven  or  eight  per  cent,  of 
pitch,  in  a  heated  state,  and  for  this  purpose  the  apparatus  represented 
in  our  engravings,  figs.  2  and  3,  is  employed. 

It  consists  of  a  furnace,  of  which  a  is  the  ash-pit,  and  b  the  grate ; 
the  fuel  is  introduced  by  the  door,  c,  whilst  the  air  necessary  for  com- 
bustion is  admitted  by  the  door  of  the  asb-pit.  The  flames  and  heated 
gases  pass  through  the  flue,  de,  to  the  chamber,  p,  and  thence  off  by 
the  flue,  g.  In  the  chamber,  f,  is  a  circular  cast-iron  receptacle,  H,  for 
the  material  to  be  operated  upon,  and  this  revolves  upon  a  central  pivot, 
i,  and  wheels,  j,  at  the  circumference,  being  actuated  by  a  piuion,  r, 
gearing  with  teeth  upon  the  rim.  A  rake,  h,  is  fixed  across  the  centre 
by  overhead  rods  and  bolts.  The  pitch  is  melted  in  a  boiler,  v,  heated 
by  the  flue,  d. 

The  operation  is  as  follows  : — The  coal  dust,  washed,  dried,  and  ren- 
dered of  uniform  grain  as  described,  is  introduced  into  the  receptacle,  u, 
by  the  door,  o,  fig.  3,  the  latter  revolving  all  the  time,  so  that  the  coal 


DIRECT-ACTION   INCLINED   ENGINES 
op  the  "DUNCAN  HOYLE"  STEAMER. 

By  Messrs.  Scott,  Sinclair,  &  Co.,  Greenock. 
(Illustrated  by  Plate  133.) 

OT  long  ago,  in  presenting  our  elabo- 
rate plates  of  Messrs.  Scott,  Sinclair, 
&  Co.'s  "  Double-geared  Marine  En- 
gines,"* as  since  fitted  to  the  Clyde, 
we  illustrated  what  may  fairly  be 
considered  as  the  latest  improve- 
ment in  geared  engines  for  screw 
steamers.  And  we  arenot  quite  alone 
in  our  opinion  in  this  matter;  for,  in 
addition  to  the  Glasgow  and  New 
York  steamer  Clyde,  precisely  the 
same  engines  have  since  been  fitted 
to  the  JEbro  for  the  Barcelona  and 
Liverpool,  and  the  Scindian  for  the 
Bombay  stations.   We  now  perform 
a  similar  service,  as  regards  engines  for  general  river  purposes — whether 
in  direct  connection  with  paddles,  or  as  geared  screw  engines — in  our  Blate 
133,  which  represents  an  elevation  and  plan  of  the  com- 
bined engines  of  the  Duncan  Hoyle  paddle-ship,  now  em- 
ployed in   the  Australian  coasting  trade,  between  Mel- 
bourne, Geelong,  and  Launceston. 

The  Duncan  Hoyle  was  built  by  Messrs.  John  Scott  & 
Sons,  of  Greenock,  a  firm  as  well  and  favourably  known 
in  connection  with  the  past  history  and  modern  practice 
of  naval  architecture,  as  is  that  of  Messrs.  Scott,  Sin- 
clair, &  Co.  with  marine  engineering.  This  vessel  mea- 
sures "200  tons,  her  length  is  145  feet,  breadth  18  feet, 
depth  9  feet;  and  her  engines,  to  which  we  are  now 
directing  attention,  are  of  90  nominal  horse  power.  The 
two  steam  cylinders  are  each  37  inches  diameter  and  3 
feet  stroke,  placed  diagonally  fore  and  aft  the  ship,  and 
nearly  at  right  angles  to  each  other — the  amount  of  diver- 
gence from  the  true  right  angle  being  a  trifling  extent 
due  to  the  local  necessities  of  the  bull.  They  occupy  a 
space  on  the  vessel's  floor  of  15  feet  fore  and  aft,  by  5 
feet  6  inches  transversely — leaving  ample  room  on  each 
side  of  this  latter  narrow  dimension  for  coal-boxes,  the. 
cook's  galley,  and  general  fittings.  A  single  stout  sole- 
plate  carries  everything  but  the  crank-shaft.  This  plate 
is  cast  with  inclined  face  ends,  to  which  each  cylinder  is 
bolted  by  corresponding  flanges.  The  pistons  each  carry 
two  piston-rods,  disposed  in  the  same  vertical  plane, 
and  working  through  corresponding  stuffing-boxes  in 
dust  is  spread  uniformly  over  it.  the  stationary  rake,  /intending  also  to  pro-  ]  the  upper  cylinder  covers,  the  outer  projecting  ends  of  the  rods  being 
duce  this  effect.   When  the  temperature  has  reached  about  200",  the  valve,  I  .  See  Practical  Mechanic's  Journal  for  April,  1853. 


rlatelJd.  yni  yr 

MESS??  SCOTT,  SINCLAIR  &  C?  vo°'  ¥1' 

GREENOCK. 


' 


■?  &  26 


I 


H 1- 


Feet 


THE  PRACTICAL  MECHANIC'S  JOURNAL. 


Ill 


connected  by  short  transverse  cross-heads.  The  entablatures  carry- 
ing the  crank-shaft  are  supported  on  eight  wrought-iron  pillars : 
four  inclined  ones,  springing  two  and  two  on  each  side,  from  eyes  cast 
on  the  upper  ends  of  the  cylinders,  and  adjusted  in  cutter  sockets  in 
the  lower  side  of  the  entablatures ;  and  four  central  vertical  ones, 
similarly  standing  up  from  the  top  of  the  air-pump,  between  two 
steam  cylinders.  The  short  inclined  cross-heads,  connecting  the 
piston-rod  ends,  are  attached  to  the  parallel  motion  guide  blocks  for  the 
piston  action,  by  means  of  horizontal  transverse  pieces,  the  combined 
cross-head  being,  in  fact,  of  cruciform  shape.  It  is  these  latter  cross- 
bars which  form  the  communication  with  the  crank,  and  are  the  real 
working  cross-heads  for  the  connecting-rod  action.  Each  engine  has 
two  connecting-rods,  the  details  on  each  side  being  precisely  the  same, 
except  that  one  pair  of  connecting-rods  works  inside  or  between  the 
other,  the  two  sets  being  set  in  corresponding  positions  on  the  hori- 
zontal cross-heads  to  suit ;  all  the  four  rods  pass  directly  to  a  single 
long  crank-pin,  their  upper  joint  ends  being  strung  upon  the  pin,  with 
the  air-pump  eccentric  in  the  centre,  as  best  shown  in  the  plan  view. 
The  inclined  cylinder  columns  are  turned  and  finished  up  to  carry  the 
piston-rod  guide  blocks,  and  they  are  thus  "  contrived  a  double  debt  to 
pay."  The  blocks  are  really  T-socket  pieces,  cast  in  brass  in  two  halves, 
and  bored  out  together  in  two  directions,  at  right  angles  to  each  other; 
so  that,  when  clamped  with  bolts  upon  the  cross-head  ends  in  one 
line,  and  the  guide  columns  on  the  other,  they  form  very  efficient  guide 
bearings. 

The  steam-cylinder  slides  are  on  reverse  sides  of  the  cylinders  in  re- 
lation to  their  position  in  the  ship.  The  slide  valves  are  each  worked 
by  a  single  reversing  eccentric,  set  on  the  crank-shaft  immediately  out- 
side each  entablature — the  weight  of  the  valves  being  balanced  by 
short  weighted  levers,  carried  on  studs  on  the  entablatures,  and  linked 
to  the  valve  spindles.  The  disengagement  of  the  valves,  and  the  revers- 
ing actions,  are  accomplished  by  the  four  lever  handles  represented  in 
the  elevation  on  our  plate. 

A  single  air-pump  answers 
for  both  cylinders.  It  stands 
upon,  and  is  recessed  into,  the 
centre  of  the  sole-plate,  which 
is  cast  with  the  condenser  in 
it ;  and  the  pump-rod  is  guided 
by  a  cross-head,  carrying  guide 
blocks,  fitting  between  the 
two  pairs  of  vertical  columns. 
From  this  cross-head,  a  con- 
necting-rod passes  up  to  a 
large  eccentric  on  the  crank- 
pin,  the  throw  of  which  is  re- 
duced, to  suit  the  air-pump 
stroke,  by  setting  the  eccen- 
tric so  as  to  bring  the  actual 
working  centre  nearer  to  the 
axial  line  of  the  crank-shaft. 
This  will  be  recognized  as 
the  same  ingenious  expedient 
which  is  adopted  in  the  Clyde's 
engines.  The  feed  and  bilge 
pumps  are  worked  from  the 
air-pump  cross-head,  and  they 
thus  very  conveniently  oc- 
cupy the  space  beneath  the 
entablatures. 

We  have  ourselves  a  strong 
feeling  in  favour  of  the  oscil- 
lating engine  for  most  ma- 
rine and  river  purposes;  but  we  admit  the  existence  of  some  force,  in 
what  the  designer  of  the  Duncan  Hoyle's  engines  urges  on  behalf  of 
this  fixed-cylinder,  direct-action  arrangement.  He  claims  an  especial 
feature  of  superiority,  on  the  ground  that  the  weight  is  better  distributed, 
covering  a  large  surface  of  the  vessel's  bottom ;  whilst  all  the  parts  are 
firmly  and  rigidly  hound  together,  so  that  no  one  part  can  yield  from 
another.  For  this  latter  reason,  the  loose-working,  jingling  action,  not 
uncommon  in  old  oscillators,  can  never  arise  in  the  engines  now  before 
us. 

Captain  Kincaid,  the  owner  of  the  Duncan  Hoyle,  gives  a  most 
favourable  account  of  her  performances  since  she  left  this  country,  and 
particularly  as  a  sea-boat,  for  she  went  out  under  canvas  only.  She  is, 
no  doubt,  at  the  present  moment,  proudly  fulfilling  her  destiny,  in 
enlarging  the  boundaries  of  European  civilization.  For  "  the  paddle- 
wheel,"  says  Thackeray,  in  relating  his  steaming  into  Smyrna  harbour, 


"  is  the  grent  conqueror.  Wherever  the  captain  cries,  '  Stop  her,'  Civi- 
lization stops,  and  lands  in  the  ship's  boat,  and  makes  a  permanent 
acquaintance  with  the  savages  on  shore.  Whole  hosts  of  crusaders  have 
passed,  and  died,  and  butchered  here  in  vain.  But  to  manufacture 
European  iron  into  pikes  and  helmets,  was  a  waste  of  metal.  In  the 
shape  of  piston-rods  and  furnace-bars,  it  is  irresistible;  and  I  think  an 
allegory  might  be  made,  showing  how  much  stronger  commerce  is  than 
chivalry,  and  finishing  with  a  grand  image  of  Mahomet's  crescent  being 
extinguished  in  Fulton's  boiler." 


SAMUELSON'S  ROTATORY  DIGGER. 

UDGING  from  the  determined  manner  in 
which  farmers  and  agricultural  imple- 
ment-makers have  adhered,  for  so  many 
centuries,  to  that  poetical  antique, — but 
most  superficial  and  unserviceable  con- 
trivance, the  plough,  it  might  very  natu- 
rally be  assumed,  that  there  was  some 
virtue  in  this  system  of  shallow  paring 
and  slicing  the  soil.  It  was  only  when 
some  superior  observer  hinted  at  the  vast 
difference  between  the  product  of  the 
market-gardener's  spade-worked  patch, 
and  that  of  the  old-fashioned  plough- 
furrowed  farm,  that  the  sovereignty  of 
the  plough  was  laid  open  to  discussion. 
Then  came  experimental  competition 
trials,  and  elaborate  tabular  statements, 
showing  that  although,  inch  for  inch,  spade  labour  was  triumphant,  yet 
the  productive  gain  was  more  than  swallowed  up  by  the  costs  of  so 
much  manual  labour.     So  we  went  on  year  by  year,  giving  premiums 


for  curious  intricacies  of  ploughs;  and  we  still  kept  on  turning  over 
sheets  of  earth  of  some  five  inches  thick,  to  be  turned  back  again  a  few 
months  later,  or,  at  the  best,  to  be  tortured  into  something  like  tilth,  by 
cross  ploughing,  rolling,  grubbing,  or  ban-owing.  Then  we  had  un- 
wieldy steam-ploughs,  some  with  the  weighty  engine  going  along  with 
the  massive  ploughing  machinery,  and  producing  deeper  ruts,  with  its 
wheels,  than  it  furrowed  out  with  the  share ;  or  we  set  a  couple  of 
engines,  one  on  each  side  of  a  field,  and  hauled  a  plough  back  and  for- 
ward by  an  intermediate  chain. 

All  this  was  very  wrong.  If  a  human  being  to  every  spade  did  not 
pay,  the  matter  was  not  much  mended  by  the  more  complex  applications 
of  steam  power  to  the  ploughing-machine.  The  disintegrating  principle 
was  undoubtedly  right ;  but  steam  was  harnessed  to  it  prematurely.  Now 
we  have  another  and  more  satisfactory  looking  scheme,  in  Mr.  Samuel- 
son's  horse  power   digger,   which   we   here   engrave  as   in   operation. 


112 


THE  PRACTICAL  MECHANIC'S  JOURNAL. 


This  machine,  which  is  the  invention  of  Mr.  B.  Samuelson,  of  the  Bri- 
tannia Works,  Banbury,  consists  of  a  simple  frame,  running  on  a  couple 
of  wheels,  and  resembling  an  ordinary  field  roller.  The  weight  and 
traction  combined,  as  the  apparatus  is  traversed  over  the  land,  causes  a 
series  of  digging  forks  or  prongs  to  dig  into  the  earth  ;  and  thus,  with 
five  or  six  horses,  according  to  the  state  of  the  soil  under  operation,  two 
men  are  enabled  to  work  down  to  something  like  eight  or  ten  inches 
over  a  width  of  three  feet,  thoroughly  pulverizing  the  soil,  to  the  extent 
of  five  or  six  acres  a  day. 

The  perspective  sketch,  fig.  1,  will  give  some  idea  of  the  appearance 
of  the  digger  in  the  field;  and  the  diagram,  fig.  2,  will  serve  to  eluci- 

Fig.  2. 


date  its  mechanical  details.  There  is  really  very  little  mechanism  about 
it.  The  running  wheels  are  merely  for  carrying  the  apparatus  at  the 
proper  level ;  and  as  the  rotat- 
ing forks  penetrate  into  the 
earth,  their  depth  of  entrance  is 
adjusted  by  a  handle,  geared  to 
a  pinion,  working  into  a  seg- 
mental toothed-rack  on  the 
framework.  Perhaps  it  would 
be  better  to  call  it  a  forking 
machine,  as  the  digging  axle 
carries  a  series  of  independent 
pronged  bosses,  twelve  teeth 
in  each.  These  prongs  are  of 
comparatively  slender  steel,  and 
they  are  so  curved  and  shaped 
as  to  penetrate  the  soil  pretty 
freely,  by  the  mere  weight  of 
the  framing.  As  the  prongs 
come  round,  they  bring  up  the 
soil,  and  let  it  fall  backward, 
in  a  well-pulverized  and  mixed 
state,  like  the  backwater  from 
a  paddlewheel ;  and,  to  keep 
them  well  cleaved  of  earth,  each 

circle  of  prongs  works  between  a  corresponding  set  of  stationary  clearing 
teeth  on  the  frame.  In  the  particular  machine  to  which  wc  refer,  there  are 
seven  of  these  sets  of  prongs,  each  six  inches  apart  on  their  axle ;  the  iron 
bosses  are  twelve  inches  in  diameter,  and  four  or  five  inches  in  width,  the 
teeth  being  ten  inches  long.  These  bosses  are  put  together  in  halves 
with  bolts,  so  as  to  fasten  the  teeth  securely ;  and  between  the  bosses  are 
loose  heavy  washers,  for  facilitating  the  working  and  cleansing  of  the 
machine. 

In  a  late  trial  near  Banbury,  the  ground  was  a  friable  calcareous  lonm, 
pretty  stony,  and  lying  fallow,  after  an  autumnal  ploughing,  with  here 
and  there  some  couch-grass  upon  it.  After  the  passage  of  the  machine, 
the  pedestrian  sank  in  the  soil,  as  he  walked,  up  to  two  or  three  inches ; 
and  on  testing  it  with  a  walking-stick,  it  showed  a  looseness  down  to 
eight  or  nine  inches.  In  one  case,  five  and  a  half  acres  were  thus  forked, 
with  six  horses,  in  6f  hours.  Owing  to  the  simplicity  of  its  construc- 
tion, it  is  not  so  expensive  as  to  be  beyond  the  reach  of  the  occupier  of 
farms -of  medium  size ;  indeed  it  is  already  coming  into  very  general  use 
in  England,  and  has  been  introduced  into  Scotland  by  the  Messrs.  Wil- 
son of  Berwick.  The  Royal  Agricultural  Society  of  England,  at  their 
recent  meeting  at  Gloucester,  acknowledged  its  merits  by  the  award  of 
their  silver  medal. 

MECHANIC'S  EIBRARY. 

Architectural  Drawing-Book,  illustrated.    London.    8vo.,  2s.    R.  S.  Burn. 

Architecture,  Rudimentary — Styles,  Is.  6d.   Bury. 

Arts,  Manufactures,  and  Mines,  Dictionary  of,  4th  edition,  2  vols.,  £3,  cloth.   Dr.  Ure. 

Astronomy,  Illustrated.    London.    8vo„  2s.,  cloth.    J.  R.  Hind. 

Electric  Science,  8vo.,  2s.,  cloth.    F.  C.  Bakewell. 

Experimental  Philosophy,  Elements  of,  Svo.,  4s.,  cloth.    J.  Hogg. 

Geology,  Principles  of,  9th  edition,  8vo.,  ISs.,  cloth.     Sir  C.  Lyell. 


Gold,  Lectures  on,  2d  edition,  post  8™.,  2s.  6d.,  sewed. 

Gold  Mining  and  Assaying,  2d  edition,  foolscap  Svo.,  2s.  6d.,  cloth.    Phillips. 

Literary  and  Scientific  Institutions,  Essay  on,  8vo.,  5s.,  cloth.     Hole. 

Locomotive  Engine,  new  edition,  12mo.,  4s.  6d.,  cloth,    Z.  Colburn. 

Magnetism  of  Ships,  &c,  foolscap  8vo.,  5s.,  cloth.    W.  Walker. 

Marbling  Book-edges  and  Paper,  Art  of,  foolscap  Svo,  10s.  6d„  cloth.     Woolnougb. 

Mathematics,  Contributions  to,  royal  Svo.,  7s.  6d.,  cloth.    W.  Shanks. 

Physical  Science,  Harmonies  of,  12nm.,  5s.,  cloth.     Dr.  Hinds. 

Practical  Geometry,  2d  edition,  8vo,,  2s.,  cloth,    R.  S,  Bum. 

Water  Colours,  Hints  for  Sketching  in,  Svo.,  Is.,  sewed,    llatton. 


11  E  C  E  N  T    PATENTS. 


SEED  SOWING  PLOUGH. 
Peter  Forbes,  Shetlleston,  Glasgow. — Patent  dated  November  13,  1852. 
This  ingenious  and  valuable  invention  relates  to  the  combination  of  a 
simple  sowing  apparatus  with  a  common  plough,  in  such  manner  that 
the  three  several  operations  of  ploughing,  or  forming  the  furrow,  the 
dropping  of  the  seed,  and  the  covering  over  of  the  seed  with  earth,  may 
be  all  simultaneously  accomplished,  without  involving  either  additional 
horses  or  attendance.  A  short  transverse  shaft  is  placed  in  suitable  hear- 
ings across  the  plough,  just  behind  the  mould-board,  and  this  shaft  is  fitted 
with  a  plain  running  wheel  to  work  along  the  earth  in  the  bottom  of  the 
furrow,  in  the  track  of  the  sole  shoe.  This  shaft  projects  on  one  side, 
and  lias  fast  on  such  projection  a  small  toothed  pinion  revolving  in  the 
bottom  of  a  seed-holder,  suited  for  all  kinds  of  grain  or  seeds,  and  formed 
with  a  proper  seed  discharge  aperture.  The  seed  is  dropped  just  behind 
the  line  of  the  mould-board,  and  immediately  it  is  dropped  part  of  the 
furrow  is  undermined  by  a  secondary  cutter  or  small  mould-board,  and  made 
to  fall  over  in  conjunction  with  a  portion  of  the  previous  furrow,  and  cover 


up  the  deposited  seed.  When  the 
plough  finishes  a  furrow,  the  plough- 
man lifts  up  the  actuating  runner  from 
— *  the  furrow  bottom  by  a  small  lever, 

Fig.  2.  the  wheel  being   retained   when   so 

lifted  by  a  suitable  detent.  This  lifting  action  shuts  off  the  discharge 
of  the  seed  from  the  holder  until  the  plough  is  turned  and  entered  for  a 
second  furrow,  when  the  lowering  of  the  wheel  again  opens  the  seed 
discharge,  and  the  operation  goes  on  as  before.  The  arrangement  is 
capable  of  application  to  all  kinds  of  ploughs,  and  may  be  used  at  any 
time  of  the  year. 

Fig.  1  of  our  engravings  is  a  side  elevation,  partially  sectioned,  of  a 
plough  as  fitted  up  for  seed  sowing  in  this  way.  Fig.  2  is  a  plan  of  the 
same,  corresponding  with  one  form  of  seed-box  represented  in  dotted 
lines.  Fig.  3  is  a  plan  of  a  modification  of  the  sowing  apparatus  as  con- 
trived for  sowing  potatoes,  or  comparatively  large  articles ;  and  fig.  4  is 
a  transverse  vertical  section  of  the  same. 

The  large  wheel,  a,  running  in  the  bottom  of  the  furrow,  is  fast  on  the 
short  transverse  shaft,  b,  carried  at  one  end  in  the  slotted  bearing,  c,  on 
the  main  beam  of  the  plough,  and  resting  at  the  opposite  end  in  a  plate 
fast  to  the  outside  of  the  seed-sower;  on  the  external  projecting  end  of 
the  shaft,  n,  is  an  adjustable  toothed  wheel  or  grooved  pulley,  E,  work- 
ing in  the  bottom  of  the  seed-box  or  holder,  P,  through  which  box  the 
shaft  is  passed.  This  box  has  a  sliding  door  fitted  to  it,  so  as  to  be 
capable  of  partially  closing  or  shutting  up  the  seed  discharge  aperture 
at  pleasure ;  and  it  is  attached  to  the  plough  by  means  of  the  hinged 
plate,  i,  which  is  attached  to  a  corresponding  piece  of  angle  iron, 
which  may  be  set  back  or  forward  on  the  perforated  plate,  K.  At  z,  is  a 
small  guide-cutter  attached  to  the  plate,  k,  just  in  front  of  the  dropping 
seed,  the  line  of  which  is  thus  marked  out  in  the  earth.     As  the  plough 


THE  PRACTICAL  MECHANIC'S  JOURNAL. 


113 


Fig.  3. 


traverses  the  field,  the  main  mould  hoard,  m,  turns  up  the  earth  in  the 
usual  way,  and  the  seed  drops  in  the  line  of  the  inner  face  of  the  newly- 
exposed  earth,  as  marked  by  the  piece,  l.  Immediately  that  the  seed  has 
been  thus  deposited,  the  secondary  cutter,  or  mould  board,  n,  follows  on, 
and,  undermining  the  earth,  covers  up  the  Seed.  At  o  is  the  handle  by 
which  the  ploughman  regulates  the  implement  at  the  end  of  his  furrow. 
This  handle  is  on  the  end  of  a  lever  turning  on  a  stud  centre,  P,  in  the 
main  beam,  the  other  end  of  the  lever  having  a  fork,  q,  embracing  the 
shaft,  b.  Whilst  the  sowing  operation  is  going  on,  this  lever  handle 
stands  up,  as  represented  in  fig.  1 ;  hut,  when  the  sowing  is  to  be  stopped, 
the  attendant  depresses  the  handle,  and  fastens  it  beneath  a  catch  on  one 
of  the  plough  stilts,  and  this  elevates  and 
holds  up  the  wheel,  A,  by  traversing  the 
inner  end  of  the  shaft  in  the  slotted  bearing, 
c.  This  angular  movement  of  the  shaft  is 
allowed  for  at  the  seed  apparatus,  by  the 
hinge  in  the  piece,  i.  At  the  same  time, 
the  elevation  of  the  shaft,  b,  lifts  the  forked 
end  of  the  lever,  e,  embracing  the  shaft. 
This  lever  turns  on  a  stud  centre,  s,  and 
is  slotted  longitudinally  to  carry  the  rod  of 
the  valve,  t,  so  that,  as  the  shaft  rises,  this 
valve  covers  over  the  seed  aperture,  h,  and 
stops  the  discharge  until  the  shaft  is  again 
lowered.  Various  forms  of  sowers  may  be 
attached  to  the  plough,  which  is  thus  capable 
of  ploughing  or  turning  up  the  earth  in  any 
condition,  and  depositing  the  seed  at  the 
same  time.  When  potatoes  or  larger  seeds 
are  to  be  sown,  the  apparatus  shown  in 
figs.  3  and  4  is  substituted  for  the  sower 
which  has  been  described.  In  this  arrange- 
ment, the  shaft,  b,  has  placed  upon  it  a 
bevel  wheel,  u,  gearing  with  a  corre- 
r'S-  ■*.  sponding  wheel,  v,  fast  on  the  lower  end 

of  a  vertical  spindle,  w,  supported  in  bearings  in  the  plough  framing. 
The  upper  end  of  this  spindle  is  passed  through  a  flat  disc  of  metal,  x, 
perforated  with  a  single  hole,  y,  and  this  disc  is  stationary,  the  spindle 
revolving  freely  through  it,  and  immediately  above  it  is  a  similar  disc, 
z,  fast  on  the  spindle,  and  perforated  with  a  ring  of  apertures,  a,  each  of 
the  same  distance  from  the  centre  of  motion  as  the  hole,  v,  in  the  sta- 
tionary disc.  Each  hole  in  the  upper  disc  has  a  shallow  collar,  and  as 
the  plough  traverses  over  the  field,  an  attendant  deposits  the  seed 
potatoes  individually  in  the  holes,  a,  as  they  come  round  in  the  spindle's 
revolution.  Then,  as  each  of  the  holes,  a,  passes  over  the  corresponding 
hole,  t,  beneath,  it  follows  that  each  potato  is  dropped  through  the  hole, 
t,  and  thence  through  the  channel,  b,  into  the  furrow  just  made  by  the 
plough,  as  each  individual  hole,  a,  comes  over  the  hole,  r.  In  this  way, 
by  substituting  discs  with  various  "  pitches"  of  holes,  the  seeds  may  be 
dropped  at  various  determined  distances  asunder  in  the  furrow,  whilst 
the  seeds  so  dropped  may  be  covered  over  by  the  secondary  mould  board, 
as  already  described. 

We  have  inspected  various  growing  crops — beans,  turnips,  and  wheat 
— sown  by  this  machine,  in  Lanarkshire,  and  the  regularity,  luxuriance, 
and  clear  appearance  of  the  plants  were  perfectly  obvious.  The  wheat, 
indeed,  is  considerably  further  advanced  than  any  other  crop  in  the 
neighbourhood. 

AGRICULTURAL  STEAM-ENGINES. 
W.  Ai.lcjiix,  Globe  Works,  Northampton. — Patent  dated  Dec.  9,  1852. 
Mr.  Allchin's  improvements  relate  to  the  so  arranging  certain  details 
of  agricultural  and  other  steam-engines,  that  a  great  portion  of  the  loss 
ordinarily  sustained  from  the  radiation  of  the  heat,  and  the  condensation 
due  to  exposure  to  the  atmosphere,  maybe  prevented.  In  adapting  this 
invention  to  a  tubular  boiler  of  the  locomotive  agricultural  class,  the  barrel 
portion  of  the  boiler,  containing  the  flue  tubes,  is  totally  encircled  by  an 
annular  steam  jacket,  or  external  steam  casing,  taking  the  place  of  the 
usual  cleading.  This  steam  space  is  kept  supplied  with  steam  by  a  pipe,  led 
either  from  the  exhaust  passage  of  the  engine,  or  direct  from  the  boiler. 
In  the  special  example  given  by  Mr.  Allchin,  the  waste  steam  is  used  for 
this  purpose — the  actuating  cylinder  of  the  engine  being  set  in  an  overhead 
case,  on  the  top  of  the  firebox,  from  which  case  a  branch  pipe  conveys 
the  used  steam  direct  to  the  enveloping  casing.  The  bulk  uf  the  exhaust 
steam  passes  away  to  the  engine  chimney,  to  aid  the  draught  in  the 
usual  manner.  The  cylinders  and  valves  are  wholly  covered  in  by  their 
casing;  and  as  the  waste  steam  is  exhausted  into  the  interior  of  the 
casing,  all  the  parts  requiring  to  be  kept  hot  are  thus  well  enveloped  in 
Ho.  65.— VfL  VI. 


the  heated  vapour,  and  the  loss  by  radiation  and  condensation  is  mate- 
rially reduced;  and  this  system  of  economizing  fuel  and  steam  affects  as 
well  the  top  of  the  outside  fire-box,  which  is  kept  warm  by  the  steam 
cylinder  chamber  set  thereon. 

SHIP,  BARRACK,  AND  TELEGRAPH  LAMPS. 
Mitcuel  Thomson,  Surgeon,  B.N. — Patent  dated  Oct.  5,  1852. 
We  have  already  recorded  the  good  services  by  which  Mr.  Thomson 
has  so  creditably  distinguished  himself  in  the  improvement  of  shipping 
lights,  and  in  particular  in  the  arrangement  of  his  "  slush  lamp  for  night 
signals,  and  the  decks  and  messes  of  ships."  *  In  this  patent  he  has 
embodied    all    his    recent    improvements,  Fig.  2. 

which  have  been  brought  out  in  the  course 
of  a  long-continued  series  of  actual  sea 
trials — of  candle  lamps  suitable  for  lighting 
ships  and  barracks,  and  for  telegraphic 
night  signals — more  especially  when  the 
sailors  are  using  salt  provisions.  His  aim 
has  been  to  secure  a  simple  and  easily  man- 
ageable light  apparatus,  which  shall  rea- 
dily consume  oil  or  fat,  and  economize  the 
hitherto  waste  fat  derived  from  the  provi- 
sions of  the  sailor  in  cooking.  Fig.  1  of  our 
engravings  is  an  external  view  of  a  ship's 
candle  lamp  of  this  kind.  Fig.  2  is  a  longi- 
tudinal section  of  the  lamp.  Fig.  3  is  a 
vertical  section  of  a  telegraphic  night  signal 
lamp  on  a  larger  scale,  or  a  portable  hand 
lamp  of  the  same  kind.  Fig.  4  is  a  plan, 
and  figs.  5, 6,  and7,  are  separate  details  of  the 
wick-tube  and  holder  detached.  At  a  b  are 
two  metal  tubes  or  cylinders  screwed  toge- 
ther at  c,  serving  also  to  connect  the  candle 
lamp  to  the  bottom  of  the  lantern,  and 
forming  the  main  body  of  the  lamp.  Within 
the  lower  cylinder,  b,  is  the  freely-sliding 
cylinder,  d,  which  is  fitted  with  a  leather 
packing,  e,  at  its  upper  extremity.  This 
packing  fits  tightly  into  the  bore  of  the 
upper  cylinder,  a,  thereby  forming  a  piston 
for  the  purpose  of  pushing  up  the  grease  or  fat,  F.  This  piston  is  actuated 
by  the  spindle,  G,  and  cord,  n,  or  by  an  ordinary  rack  and  pinion.  The 
material  proposed  to  be  consumed  in  these  lamps  is  ordinary  fat  oil,  or  the 
refuse  fat  obtained  on  board  ship  from  the  liquor  in  which  the  salt  provi- 
sions have  been  boiled,  and  known  to  the  sailors  as 
"  slush."  Before  burning  in  the  lamp,  the  "  slush" 
is  clarified,  and  freed  entirely  from  all  saline  particles, 
by  washing  with  boiling  water.  It  is  put  into  the 
lamp  in  a  cold  state,  like  tallow,  the  upper  cylinder 
being  forcibly  pressed  down  into  the  fat,  and  being 
entirely  filled  with  it,  forms  a  candle ;  this  cylinder 
is  then  screwed  on  to  the  lower  one,  b,  and  as  the 
upper  surface  of  the  fat  is  consumed,  a  fresh  supply 
is  brought  to  the  wick,  i,  by  winding  up  the  piston, 
e.  A  number  of  these  slush-holders  may  be  kept 
ready  filled,  to  be  screwed  on  to  the  lower  cylinder 
of  the  lamp  as  fast  as  they  are  emptied.  A  tightly- 
fitting  cap,  j,  is  attached  by  a  pin  and  bent  slot  to 
the  bottom  of  the  lamp,  to  catch  the  drippings,  in 
case  oil  should  be  used  instead  of  fat.  The  peculiar 
arrangement  of  the  piston  for  supplying  the  fat  as  it 
is  consumed,  and  the  construction  of  the  wick-holder,  Fig.  4. 

form  the  principal  features  of  the  invention;  and  consist,  in  the  first 
place,  of  a  piston,  as  before  described,  and  a  wick-tube  holder,  k,  as  at  fig. 
5.  This  consists  of  a  flat  chamber,  having  a  circular  dished  piece  of 
metal,  l,  soldered  to  its  upper  edge.  The  sides  of  this  chamber  are  per- 
forated at  m,  to  admit  of  the  passage  of  the  melted  fat,  or  oil,  to  the  in- 
ternal wick.  The  wick  itself  is  composed  of  several  twisted  strands  of 
cotton,  and  is  contained  in  the  wick-tube,  K,  shown  in  its  place  in  the 
chamber,  k,  in  the  section,  fig.  6,  and  detached  at  fig.  7.  This  tube  is 
also  perforated  at  its  sides ;  but  it  is  made  with  an  opeu  bottom,  to  admit 
the  grease  more  freely  to  the  wick  which  it  contains,  o  o,  are  two  side 
wires,  which  arc  only  required  when  the  grease  or  oil  contains  impurities, 
and  which  are  pulled  up  a  short  way  when  the  lamp  is  lighted,  in  order 
that  they  may  be  heated  by  the  flame,  and  consequently  melt  the  grease 
below,  which  is  in  immediate  contact  with  the  wick.  In  trimming  the 
*  Page  34,  Part  L.,  Practical  Mechanic's  Journal. 


114 


THE  PRACTICAL  MECHANIC'S  JOURNAL. 


lamp,  the  new  wick  is  well  oiled,  or  greased,  before  insertion  into  the 
wick-tube,  in  order  that  there  may  be  no  difficulty  in  lighting  it  when 
required.  In  the  small  telegraphic  signal  lamp,  or  hand  lamp,  figs.  3 
and  4,  the  use  of  a  grease  propeller,  or  piston,  is  dispensed  with,  tbe 
tube,  A,  being  merely  filled  with  fat,  and  the  wick-tube  holder,  b,  pushed 
into  it.     The  cap,  c,  is  then  screwed  on,  and  the  wick-tube,  d,  with  its 


wick,  is  put  into  its  place  in  tbe  bolder,  b.  Figs.  8,  9,  and  10,  are 
separate  details  of  a  wick-tube  holder  and  wick-tube  of  a  horse-sboe 
form,  but  made  on  precisely  the  same  principle  as  the  other  burners. 

It  will  be  obvious  that  these  lamps  may  be  used  with  great  economy, 
and  that  they  are  equally  applicable  to  the  decks  and  holds  of  ships,  and 
to  signaling  purposes,  and  may  be  made  of  various  forms,  according  as 
they  are  wanted,  for  hand  or  fixed  lamps.  The  lamp  shown  at  figs.  1 
and  2  is  intended  to  be  screwed  into  a  ship's  deck  lantern,  and  may  be 
used  in  the  ship's  tops,  decks,  or  cabins. 


Fig. 12. 


Fig. 13. 


Fig.  14. 


Fig.  11  is  a  vertical  section  of  another  modification  of  a  portable  lamp 
for  naval  and  military  officers.  In  this  arrangement  a  pinion  and  band 
is  added,  for  the  supply  of  the  grease ;  a 
being  the  pinion,  b  the  band,  and  c  tbe 
slush  case. 

Fig.  12  is  a  section  of  a  slush-cleanser, 
to  be  used  where  there  are  no  boilers  or 
coppers.  The  cleansing-rod  is  at  a,  work- 
ing down  into  the  cleansing  cylinder,  b, 
through  the  lid,  c.  Three  washings  are 
sufficient,  the  grease  being  allowed  to  cool 
on  the  water's  surface. 

Fig.  13  is  a  grease-warmer  for  cold  cli- 
mates. The  grease-holder,  a,  is  placed 
within  the  hot-water  receiver,  b,  the  water 
for  which  is  supplied  at  c. 

Our  last  illustration,  fig.  14,  is  a  com- 
plete external  elevation  of  a  neat  adaptation 
of  the  apparatus  to  a  candle  lamp.  This  lamp 
will  obviate  the  necessity  of  purchasing 
candles  or  using  oil,  as,  by  means  of  it,  any 
amount  of  light  may  be  obtained  from  the 
combustion  of  ordinary  fat,  such  as  kit- 
chen "  drippings,"  and  it  will  also  readily 
burn  oil,  tallow,  or  lard.  It  will  burn  for 
a  night  without  snuffing,  and  has  neither 
smoke  nor  smell. 

A  variety  of  official  reports  have  been 

made  at  the  request  of  the  Admiralty  and 

Horse  Guards,  with  reference  to  the  use  of 

this  light  for  army  and  navy  purposes,  all  of  which  have  been  most 

satisfactory. 


COMPOSITE  METAL. 
E.  A.  Chanekoy,  Par«. — Patent  elated  January  3,  1853. 
This  invention  relates  to  an  ingenious  system  of  manufacturing  a 
commercially  valuable  metallic  compound,  possessing  the  several  pro- 
perties or  qualities  of  solidity,  hardness,  facility  of  soldering,  melting  at 
low  temperatures,  and  tractability  in  moulding  to  any  required  form, 
whilst  its  nature  is  peculiarly  unchangeable.  As  the  base  or  chief  in- 
gredient of  this  compound,  Mr.  Chameroy  employs  pounded  or  reduced 
iron  ore,  or  reduced  cast-iron,  or  other  metal  difficult  of  fusion.  Such 
matters  are  squeezed  or  pressed  together  into  a  solid  mass,  which  is  then 
soldered,  so  as  to  incorporate  the  particles  well  together,  by  the  use  of 
one  or  more  metals  easily  fusible  at  low  temperatures,  such  as  tin,  lead, 
zinc,  and  bismuth ;  and,  in  order  to  prepare  this  compound  metal,  the 
patentee  employs  a  furnace  fitted  with  a  damper  for  the  regulation  of  the 
heat  at  pleasure,  and  on  this  furnace  is  placed  a  cauldron,  or  metal  re- 
ceiver, to  hold  the  materials.  One  part  of  some  very  fusible  metal,  either 
a  mixture  of  lead  and  tin,  or  any  other  metallic  compound  possessing  the 
property  of  fusion  at  low  temperatures,  and  of  tinning  over  or  soldering 
a  metal  less  easy  to  fuse,  is  now  placed  in  this  cauldron,  and  melted.  To 
this  molten  metal  is  then  added  about  four  parts  of  the  pounded  iron  or 
pounded  cast-iron,  steeped  in  a  solution  of  ammonia  or  chlorine,  or  other 
preparation  capable  of  cleansing  tbe  metal.  The  mass  is  now  well  mixed 
together,  so  that  the  particles  of  iron  may  be  well  tinned  all  over,  taking 
care  to  regulate  the  fire,  so  that  oxidation  shall  not  ensue.  When  so 
treated,  the  mass  is  fit  for  use,  and  it  may  be  poured  into  moulds  for 
being  shaped  into  a  variety  of  articles;  such,  for  example,  as  statues, 
columns,  candelabra,  fountains,  and  the  like;  as  well  as  into  cylinders, 
fly-wheels,  pulleys,  and  other  details,  ordinarily  cast  in  moulds.  As  this 
compound  melts  and  cools  down  very  rapidly,  moulds  composed  of  cast- 
iron,  copper,  or  other  hard  metal  may  be  used,  so  that  the  articles  cast  in 
this  way  may  be  turned  out  smooth  and  sharp,  without  requiring  to  be 
subsequently  dressed.  And  as  the  metal  is  also  malleable,  it  may  be  cast 
into  plates  of  any  required  thickness,  and  then  passed  between  rollers 
for  mechanical  reduction,  in  the  manner  of  rolling  out  ordinary  boiler 
plates.  Such  plates  are  principally  intended  for  roofing  houses,  and  for 
general  covering  purposes ;  but  they  may  also  be  employed  in  the  manu- 
facture of  tubes,  tanks,  and  sheets  for  various  uses.  The  crude  metal 
may  also  be  run  into  pigs,  in  the  usual  way,  and  sold  in  that  state  for 
the  usual  casting  or  other  manufacturing  purposes. 

CLEANSING  SEWERS  AND  DRAINS. 
R.  Blades,  Surveyor,  Liverpool. — Patent  dated  December  16,  1852. 
Mr.  Blades'  invention  relates  to  the  method  of  facilitating  the  removal 
from  sewers  and  drains  of  obstructions,  such  as  mud,  silt,  sand,  and  other 
solid  or  insoluble  deposits,  which  cannot  be  readily  removed  by  the  ordi- 
nary process,  commonly  called  "  flushing."  In  order  to  facilitate  this 
operation,  in  the  first  place,  the  patentee  provides  the  sewers  and  drains 
with  manways  or  openings,  placed  at  certain  suitable  distances  apart,  in 
order,  when  requisite,  to  allow  of  ready  access  to  any  particular  point. 
When  it  has  become  necessary  to  cleanse  any  part  of  the  sewer,  the  man- 
ways,  both  above  and  below  that  part,  must  be  opened.  A  small  inflated 
bladder  or  float,  of  any  suitable  form  or  material,  is  then  to  be  placed  in 
the  water  at  the  upper  opening,  and  floated,  by  means  of  the  stream 
or  current  in  the  sewer  or  drain,  down  to  the  lower  opening.  This 
said  bladder  or  float  is  attached  to,  and  carries  with  it,  a  small  line 
formed  of  Manilla  grass,  hemp,  silk,  or  other  suitable  light  substance, 
and  thus  a  communication  is  established  between  the  two  openings 
or  manways.  By  means  of  this  line,  or  by  means  of  a  stronger  one 
attached  thereto,  one  end  of  a  chain  of  suitable  strength  is  next  drawn 
through.  This  said  chain  is  then  to  be  passed  round  a  pulley,  and 
drawn  upwards  through  tbe  opening  or  manway,  where  it  is  to  be  at- 
tached to  a  "crab"  winch,  or  other  suitable  lifting  apparatus,  which 
may  be  worked  either  by  manual  labour  or  mechanical  power.  Suitable 
ploughing,  dredging,  or  excavating  tools,  are  then  to  be  attached  to  the 
said  chain,  and  drawn  through  the  sewer  by  means  of  the  winch,  followed 
by  buckets,  scrapers,  and  sweeping  brushes.  The  mud,  or  other  deposit, 
is  thus  loosened  and  carried  down  to  the  lower  opening,  whence  it  can 
be  raised  in  buckets,  or  by  any  other  suitable  means;  after  which  the 
sewer  or  drain  may  be  "  flushed  "  or  cleansed  with  water,  in  the  usual 
manner.  In  the  event  of  any  sewer  becoming  entirely  obstructed,  or 
"  silted  up,"  a  communication  between  the  two  manways  must  be  estab- 
lished by  means  of  a  jointed  rod,  constructed  of  cane  or  wire,  forced 
through  the  upper  stratum  of  the  silt,  which,  teing  the  last  deposit,  is 
the  most  penetrable  portion,  and  a  line  must  then  be  floated  through,  as 
above  described ;  and  a  communication  being  thus  established,  the  cleans- 
ing operations  will  proceed  as  in  tbe  former  instance. 


THE  PRACTICAL  MECHANIC'S  JOURNAL. 


115 


WATER  PRESSURE  ENGINES. 
James  Sinclair,  Stirling. — Patent  dated  October  30,  1852. 
The  extension  of  the  constant  supply  and  gravitation  pressure  system 
of  water-works  for  large  towns,  has  given  us  a  new  and  economical 
means  of  obtaining  a  mechanical  power  suitable  for  avast  number  of  the 
everyday  occupations  of  life,  which  have  hitherto  been  dependent  upon 
unaided  human  force.  A  large  proportion  of  towns  can  now  boast  of 
possessing  a  never-failing  water  supply  at  pressures  of  50  or  100  pounds 

per  square  inch.  And  at  Stirling,  a  town  peculiarly  well  circumstanced 
as  regards  the  relative  levels  of  the  localities  of  the  reservoirs  and  the 
inhabitants'  houses,  an  average  pressure  equal  to  about  450  feet  is  main- 
tained. The  superior  capabilities  of  such  pressures  have  not  been  lost 
upon  Mr.  Sinclair,  who  has  carefully  worked  out  a  simple  plan  of  motive 
engine,  now  rapidly  finding  favour  amongst  all  classes  who  require 
power  for  aught  beyond  the  mere  domestic  concerns  of  life.  The 
engines  which  he  has  already  erected  are  of  the  oscillating  kind,  the 
trunnions  being  at  the  bottom  of  the  cylinder,  and  answering  for  the 
iDgress  and  egress  of  the  actuating  water,  which  is  governed  in  its 
action  by  the  oscillation  alone.  This  class  of  engine  is  also  available  as 
a  steam  or  air  engine,  but  when  used  as  a  hydraulic  machine,  the  work- 
ing piston  is  composed  of  two  disc  plates,  one  of  which  has  an  eye  to 
embrace  the  piston-rod,  round  which  rod  is  put  a  vulcanized  india-rubber 
ring,  and  over  that  again,  one  or  more  rings  of  leather.  The  leather 
rings  are  on  the  outside  of  the  more  elastic  material,  and  the  two  sections 
of  the  piston  being  then  screwed  together,  the  end  compression  forces 
out  the  leather  from  the  centre,  against  the  interior  of  the  cylinder. 

_  Fig.  1  of  our  engravings  is  a  side  elevation  of  a  duplex  engine  of  this 
kind;  and  fig.  2  is  a  corresponding  view  at  right  angles  to  fig.  I,  with 
the  cylinder  in  section.  The  engine  is  entirely  portable,  being  carried 
on  the  base  plate,  a,  on  which  are  bolted  down  the  two  vertical  trian- 
gular frame  standards,  b,  these  standards  having  bearings,  c,  in  their 
upper  ends,  to  carry  the  main  crank  driving-shaft,  d.  At  each  project- 
ing end  of  this  shaft  is  a  crank,  e,  the  two  cranks  being  set  at  right 
angles  to  each  other  on  the  shaft,  which  also  carries  a  broad-rimmed 
fly  wheel,  f,  from  which  the  motive  power  of  the  engine  may  be  taken 
by  a  band  passed  over  it  in  the  usual  way.  The  plate,  a,  has  also  bolted 
down  npon  it  the  hollow  valvular  trunnions,  g,  which  are  cast  with  pro- 
jecting base  flanges  for  the  purpose.  Each  trunnion  is  cast  with  two 
ring  flanges,  h,  and  the  portion  between  these  flanges  is  accurately 
turned  and  fitted  for  the  oscillation  thereon,  of  the  working  cylinder,  i. 

Fig.  I. 


the  trunnion,    being  fitted  thereto  to  work  fluid-tight,  by  being  first 
bolted  together,  and  then  bored  out  to  the  required  size  of  aperture.   The 


The  cylinder  is  cast  open,  at  both  ends,  and  its  lower  end  is  filled  up  by 
a  piece  of  met il,  j.  screwed  inside  it,  up  to  an  external  shoulder.  This 
piece  ha3  side  flanges,  k,  formed  upon  it,  for  bolting  to  similar  flanges 
on  the  bottom  cap,  i..     These  two  pieces  thus  form  an  eye  to  encircle 


trunnion  is  cast  with  an  internal  angular  division,  forming  an  isolated 
chamber,  m,  extending  from  end  to  end  of  the  trunnion,  as  an  open 
thoroughfare  in  the  line  of  the  pipes,  n,  o,  whilst  it  has  two  lateral  aper- 
tures, p,  Q,  as  ingress  ports  from  the  trunnion-valve  to  the  cylinder. 
These  two  ports  correspond,  when  necessary,  with  the  two  ports  leading 
to  the  top  and  bottom  of  the  cylinder  respectively.  The  remaining  por- 
tion of  the  hollow  in  the  trunnion  forms  a  similarly  continuous  chamber, 
e,  open  at  its  inner  end  into  the  pipe,  s,  but  closed  at  its  opposite  end  by 
the  flange-piece,  h.  As  represented  in  the  figures,  one  cylinder  is  on  its 
dead  centre,  and  the  other,  which  is  the  one  shown  in  section,  is  at  its 
half  stroke.  The  actuating  water  is  supplied  by  the  pipe,  N,  governed 
by  a  stopcock,  and  this  conducts  the  water  into  the  outer  end  of  the 
chamber,  si,  in  the  first  trunnion,  and  through  it,  and  through  the  inter- 
mediate pipe,  o,  into  the  inner  end  of  the  opposite  trunnion.  By  this 
means  the  chamber,  o,  in  each  trunnion,  is  kept  constantly  full  of  water 
at  the  working  pressure,  at  whatever  angle  the  cylinder  may  stand.  In 
the  position  delineated  in  fig.  2,  the  water  is  passing  from  the  chamber, 
M,  into  the  thoroughfare  leading  to  the  upper  side  of  the  piston.  At  the 
same  time  the  other  ingress  port  is  closed,  by  being  brought  opposite  the 
solid  portion  of  the  piece,  j,  on  the  cylinder  bottom,  whilst  the  fluid, 
which  has  previously  done  its  duty  in  forcing  up  the  piston,  is  escaping 
from  the  lower  end  of  the  cylinder  through  the  opposite  port  in  the 
piece,  J,  and  the  corresponding  port,  q,  in  the  trunnion,  into  the  larger 
or  exhaust  division,  k,  of  the  trunnion,  the  opposite  exhaust  port  of  the 
trunnion  being  meanwhile  closed,  by  being  also  brought  opposite  the 
solid  portion  of  the  piece,  J.  Then,  as  the  exhaust  passage,  k,  is  open 
to  the  pipe,  s,  the  waste  water  passes  off  through  this  pipe,  and  flows 
away  at  its  central  branch.  The  piston-rod,  u,  is,  in  each  case,  jointed 
to  its  crank-pin,  v,  by  a  solid  eye,  having  an  adjusting  screw,  w,  on 
the  top. 

The  engine  from  which  our  drawings  were  taken,  has  worked  the 
printing  machinery  at  the  Stirling  Observer  Office  for  a  very  consider- 
able time  in  a  most  satisfactory  manner,  both  as  regards  smooth  action 
and  economy. 


RAILWAY  BRAKE. 

R.  Hegoie,  Kirkcaldy. — Patent  dated  Nov.  22,  1852. 
This  invention  consists  in  a  novel  arrangement  of  railway  brakes, 
enabling  the  engine  driver  to  bring  up  his  train  almost  instantaneously, 
by  the  simultaneous  engagement  of  an  entire  series  of  brakes,  one  on 
each  carriage  or  waggon  in  a  train.  One  means  of  carrying  out  this  plan 
is  represented  in  the  engravings. 


116 


THE  PRACTICAL  MECHANIC'S  JOURNAL. 


Fig.  1  is  a  longitudinal  section  of  a  locomotive  engine  tender  as  fitted 
up  -with  a  brake  apparatus.  Fig.  2  is  a  similar  section  of  a  common 
waggon  as  an  example  of  the  plan  of  fitting  the  carriages  forming  the 
body  of  the  trains.  In  fig.  1,  the  leading  axle,  a,  of  the  tender  has 
keyed  upon  its  longitudinal  centre  a  small  eccentric,  e,  as  a  continuous 
worker,  during  the  transit  of  the  train.  A  plain  rod  passes  back  from 
this  eccentric,  beneath  the  tender  frame,  and  is  hinged  by  a  common  eye 
at  c,  to  the  lower  end  of  a  lever  which  is  hung  from  a  joint  stud,  p,  in 
the  tender  frame.  Nearly  midway  between  these  two  joints,  a  catch  is 
hinged  at  e,  upon  a  loose  stud  joint  in  the  lever,  and  it  is  further  sus- 
pended by  an  adjusting  rod,  f,  connected  to  its  free  end,  and  passing  up- 
wards to  the  enginemau's  foot-plate  or  platform  above.     At  g  is  a  central 

Fig. 1. 


longitudinal  brake  rod,  fitted  at  the  hind  end  of  the  tender,  with  a  buuer 
head,  h,  and  carried  in  the  bracket  bearing  guides,  i,  bolted  to  the  fram- 
ing. A  portion  of  this  rod  is  squared,  and  is  serrated  or  cut  with  a  line 
of  ratchet  teeth  at  j,  on  its  upper  side,  and  with  these  teeth  the  catch, 
e,  is  engaged  or  disengaged  at  pleasure,  by  lowering  or  raising  the  sus- 
pending rod,  f,  whilst  immediately  in  front  of  this  catch  is  a  loose  detent, 
k,  jointed  to  a  stud  on  the  frame,  and  suspended  by  its  free  end  from  the 
engineman's  hand  lever,  r.,  on  the  tender  above.  By  this  contrivance, 
when  the  engineman  puts  his  hand  lever,  l,  into  the  position  shown,  and 
lowers  the  suspending  rod,  f,  of  the  catch,  E,  to  the  like  position,  the 
reciprocatory  action  of  the  eccentric  rod  will  gradually  urge  forward  the 
rod,  g,  in  the  direction  of  the  arrow,  by  a  rapid  succession  of  minute 
movements,  due  to  the  ratchet-tooth  action  which  we  have  described  ;  the 
rod,  g,  being  prevented  from  returning  after  each  stroke,  by  the  stop 
action  of  the  detent,  k.  Both  the  catch,  e,  and  the  detent,  k,  may  be 
worked  from  the  same  adjusting  lever,  l.  On  the  front  end  of  the  rod,  g, 
is  an  adjustable  collar,  m,  between  which  and  thebracket,  i,  at  that  end, 
is  a  helix,  x,  encircling  the  rod,  and  contrived  so  as  to  prevent  concussion 
in  the  rod  when  it  is  acted  upon  longitudinally  from  the  train  end.  The 
opposite  end  of  the  rod,  g,  has  also  a  similar  collar,  o,  with  a  longer  helix, 
r,  abutting  between  it  and  the  bracket,  i,  on  that  end.  Near  the  centre 
of  the  rod,  a,  is  another  collar,  q,  with  a  helix,  n,  abutting  between  it  and 
the  moveable  cross-head,  s,  working  against  a  forked  lever,  t.  At  u  is  a 
lever,  fast  on  a  short  transverse  shaft,  v,  set  in   fixed  bearings  in  the 


Y,  has  also  an  opposite  corresponding  block,  d,  similarly  suspended,  and 
linked  by  a  horizontal  rod,  e,  to  the  hindmost  of  the  two  blocks,  x.  Simi- 
larly, a  link,  /,  is  jointed  by  one  end  to  the  crank  pin  of  the  lever, 
and  passes  to  the  lever,  g,  on  a  cross  shaft,  h,  carrying  a  second  pair  of 
duplex  cams,  i,  each  precisely  like  the  first.  This  second  cam  fits  in  be- 
tween another  pair  of  brake  blocks,  j,  respectively  fitting  to  the  central 
and  trailing  wheels  of  the  tender;  and  from  the  foremost  of  these  two 
blocks,  a  link,  h,  passes  to  the  hindmost  block,  I,  fitted  to  the  outside  of 
the  hindmost  wheel.  In  this  way,  the  whole  six  wheels  of  the  tender 
are  made  to  act  as  brakes.  It  is  on  the  cross  shaft,  between  the  two 
hindermost  wheels,  that  the  forked  lever,  t,  is  keyed,  and  it  is  through 
this  lever  that  the  brake  action  of  the  whole  of  the  blocks  is  commu- 
nicated to  the  wheels. 
When  a  collision  is  ap- 
prehended, the  engineman 
puts  the  traverse  appara- 
tus of  the  rod,  g,  into 
action  in  the  manner 
which  we  have  described ; 
and  as  the  rod  is  thus 
passed  forward  in  the  di- 
rection of  the  arrow,  it 
overcomes  the  reactive 
pressure  of  the  helix,  p, 
and  presses  through  the 
elastic  medium  of  the 
helix,  n,  upon  the  upper 
end  of  the  forked  lever,  t, 
embracing  the  rod,  g. 
The  result  of  this  is,  that 
the  two  sets  of  duplex  cams,  w  t,  are  caused  to  turn  partially  round, 
and  bring  their  prominences  to  bear  against  the  backs  of  the  blocks, 
xj,  whilst  the  links,  ek,  similarly  draw  their  blocks,  d  I,  into  frictional 
contact  also.  This  speedily  stops  the  train's  motion  ;  and  when  the 
frictional  action  is  to  be  relieved,  the  engineman  puts  his  ratchet  move- 
ment out  of  gear,  when  the  reaction  of  the  spring,  p,  at  once  presses 
back  the  rod,  g,  and  reverses  the  cams,  which  by  their  hooks  now 
draw  all  the  blocks  out  of  action,  and  clear  of  the  wheels  ;  and  if  this 
arrangement  is  to  be  followed  up  throughout  the  train,  the  buffer  head,  n, 
of  the  brake-rod,  g,  is  made  to  coincide  with  another  rod,  carried  in  central 
bear-ings  beneath  the  first  carriage  in  the  train,  and  this  rod  again  bears 
against  a  third  rod  on  the  next  carriage,  and  so  on  throughout  the  train. 
In  this  way,  each  rod  having  a  brake  apparatus  of  its  own,  the  traverse 
of  the  tender  rod  puts  the  whole  series  of  brakes  into  action  throughout 
the  entire  train,  springs  being  added  in  each  case  to  relieve  the  brakes 
when  their  action  is  no  longer  wanted. 

Fig.  2  represents  a  convenient  and  effective  arrangement  of  duplex 
brake  action  capable  of  working  by  pressure  in  both  directions,  and,  con- 
sequently, suitable  for  carriages  and  waggons  which  run  indiscriminately, 
either  end  first.  The  main  actuatingbrake  rod,  a,  is  carried  in  bearings, 
u,  beneath  the  carriage  framing,  at  a  level  corresponding  with  all  the 
other  rods  in  the  train,  so  that  the  buffer  heads,  c,  may  all  work  fairly 
together.  This  rod  has  near  each  end  an  adjustable  collar,  d,  with  a 
helix,  e,  encircling  the  rod,  and  abutting  between  the  collar  and  the 


framing,  and  carrying  at  the  part  opposite  or  between  the  first  and 
s  cond  wheel,  on  each  side,  a  duplex  cam,  w.  This  cam,  on  each  side  of 
the  tender,  fits  in  between  the  external  surfaces  of  a  pair  of  brake  blocks, 
x— one  for  each  wheel,  y  z.  These  blocks  are  suspended  by  link  pieces 
from  the  stud  centres,  a  b,  in  the  framing,  and  on  the  back  of  each  is  a  hook, 
c,  fitting  to  a  circumferential  flange  on  each  cam,  so  that  the  back  action 
uf  the  cam  may  at  once  relieve  them  from  the  wheels.     The  front  wheel, 


bearing  n,  so  as  to  give  reverse  spring  actions  to  suit  either  direction  of 
motion.  The  centre  of  the  brake  rod  carries  a  species  of  duplex  cross- 
head,  f.  embracing  the  upper  forked  end  of  the  lever,  g,  which  also  em- 
braces the  rod,  a.  This  lever,  g,  is  fast  on  a  central  cross-shaft,  car- 
ried in  bearings  in  the  waggon-framing,  and  having  near  each  end  of  it 
a  slotted  disc,  i,  set  in  the  line  of  the  waggon  wheels.  This  disc,  in 
cacli  case,  is  slotted  curvilinearly,  in  four  sections,  J,  k,  and  into  each  of 


THE  PRACTICAL  MECHANIC'S  JOURNAL. 


117 


these  slots  is  fitted  the  stud-pin,  i.,  Ji,  of  the  four  connecting  links,  u,  o, 
and  the  opposite  ends  of  each  pair,  n,  o,  respectively,  are  jointed  to  eyes 
on  the  back  of  the  brake-blocks,  p,  q.  These  blocks  are  suspended  iu 
the  usual  way  by  links  hung  to  the  framing  at  k,  s;  and  the  lower  portions 
of  the  blocks  carry  eyes,  t,  u,  for  connection  by  the  links,  v,  w,  to  corre- 
sponding eyes  on  the  two  outer  brake-blocks,  x,  t.  With  this  arrangement, 
if  the  actuating  strain,  whether  arising  from  the  mechanical  brake  action 
of  fig.  1,  or  a  casual  concussion,  is  in  the  direction  of  the  arrows  on  the  rod, 
a,  the  traverse  of  the  cross-head,  f,  which  has  on  each  side  a  spring- 
pressure  helix,  z,  pushing  forward  the  top  of  the  lever,  g,  will  put  all  the 
brakes  into  action  through  the  medium  of  the  links,  o,  of  the  disc,  r.  For, 
as  this  disc  turns  iu  the  direction  of  its  arrow,  the  ends  of  the  slots,  k, 
will  press  forward  the  studs,  >r  si,  of  these  links ;  whilst,  at  the  same 
time,  the  other  studs,  l  l,  will  slide  freely  through  their  slots.  Similarly, 
when  the  pressure  comes  iu  the  reverse  direction,  the  relative  actions  of 
the  curvilinear  slots  and  the  links  will  be  reversed,  and  the  brakes  will  be 
brought  equally  well  into  action,  without  any  strain  or  dislocation  of 
parts.  The  brakes  are  always  brought  easily  and  effectively  into  contact 
with  their  wheels,  by  the  action  of  the  intermediate  helices,  z,  and  when 
not  intended  to  he  down,  the  brakes  are  relieved  by  the  helices,  e. 

TURRET  CLOCKWORK. 
Chaeles  JIii.lab,  Dundee. — Patent  dated  December  2,  1852. 
According  to  this  invention,  a  jet  or  minute  stream  of  water  is  em- 
ployed for   the   actuation  of  clockwork,    chimes  of   bells,   and  similar 


Tig.  3. 


mechanism,  instead  of  the  usual  weights  or  springs,  the  water  being 
conducted  upon  the  buckets  of  a  small  water-wheel,  the  shaft  of  which 


is  geared  with  the  hour  and  minute  hands,  or  connections  of  the  clock. 
After  leaving  the  first  bucket-wheel,  the  water  flows  over  a  second  but 
larger  wheel  of  a  similar  kind,  connected  so  as  to  drive  the  quarter  de- 
partment. The  water  thence  goes  to  a  still  larger  wheel  in  gear  with  the 
hour-ringing  action.  Finally,  the  current  flows  off  to  a  cistern  for  use  in 
ringing  the  alarm  bell,  as  may  be  necessary.  The  bell  is  fixed  with  its 
mouth  uppermost,  and  it  is  contrived  so  that  two  distinct  tones  may  be 
obtained    from 

it  —  one       by  Fig.  2. 

striking  on  the 
lip,  and  the 
other  by  strik- 
ing about  two- 
thirds  down  the 
side.  The  ar- 
rangement for 
ringing  the 
bell,  oi-  bells,  at 
any  given  time, 
is  this: — There 
is  a  disc  in  con- 
nection with 
the  hour  or  mi- 
nute spindle, 
so  reduced  in 
motion  as  to  re- 
volve once  in 
t  w  e  n  t  y-f  o  u  r 
hours;  and  on 
the  edge  of  this 
disc  are  wedge- 
shaped  reces- 
ses, arranged 
to  suit  the  time 
for  ringing.  In? 
to  these  reces- 
ses the  point  of 

a  lever  falls,  when  the  disc  revolves  to  the  time  required;  and  this  lever 
is  connected  with  the  discharge  of  the  cistern  already  referred  to;  so 
that,  at  the  period  intended,  the  valve  is  opened,  and  water  allowed 
to  flow  from  the  cistern  over  a  water-wheel  connected  in  turn  with  the 
tilt  hammers  of  the  bells,  The  plug,  or  cistern  valve,  is  acted  on  from 
below,  and  on  the  lip  of  the  plug,  inside  the  cistern,  is  a  siphon,  whose 
shorter  leg  is  made  to  suit  the  intended  time  of  bell-ringing;  thus  fur- 
nishing a  definite  time  to  start,  and  also  to  stop — such  time  being  variable 
at  pleasure.  When  a  certain  regular  supply  of  water  is  not  attainable 
at  all  times — as  in  towns — a  small  cistern  is  necessary,  above  the 
highest  bucket-wheel.  It  is  to  be  remarked,  that  this  arrangement, 
which  is  applicable  to  the  generality  of  turret  or  other  clocks,  is  a  per- 
petual mover,  so  long  as  it  is  supplied  with  water,  and  it  is  not  necessary 
that  the  works  should  be  as  high  as  the  dials,  but  they  should  never 
be  lower  than  ten  or  twelve  feet  above  the  waste-water  pipe  of  the 
building. 

Fig.  1  of  our  engravings  is  a  side  elevation  of  the  works  of  a  turret 
clock  arranged  in  this  way. 

Figs.  2  and  3  are  an  elevation  and  plan  of  the  wheel-work  regulating 
the  tolling  movement;  and  fig.  4  is  a  section  of  the  cistern  and  valve 
arrangement  for  the  same  movement.  Figs.  5  and  6  are  a  side  view  and 
plan  of  the  water-wheel  and  works  for  the  tolling  movement;  and  fig.  7 
is  an  elevation  of  the  bell  with  its  hammers.  The  works  are  chiefly 
contained  between  two  cast-iron  frame-pieces,  a,  whilst  the  actuating 
water-wheels  are  between  the  inner  of  these  two  frame-pieces,  and  a 
third  behind.  The  water  is  brought  by  the  pipe,  n,  from  the  spout 
of  which  it  falls  into  the  buckets  of  the  uppermost  water-wheel,  E. 
On  the  shaft  of  this  wheel  is  a  spuivwheel,  f,  gearing  with  a  pinion 
on  the  shaft,  g,  which  is  calculated  to  make  one  revolution  in  the  hour, 
and  reaches  to  one  of  the  clock  faces,  whilst  it  communicates  its  motion  by 
means  of  bevel-wheels  to  corresponding  shafts,  H,  n,  to  the  two  clock 
faces  on  either  side  of,  and  at  right  angles  to,  the  first ;  and  again,  another 
set  of  bevel  wheels  at  i  give  motion  to  the  shaft,  which  passes  to  the  face 
opposite  to  the  first.  The  shaft,  g,  is  connected  by  a  series  of  wheels 
with  a  pendulum  escapement,  in  the  usual  manner. 

The  water  which  actuates  the  wheel,  e,  is  caught  in  the  cistern,  e', 
supported  on  the  stays  connecting  the  frames,  b  and  c,  together.  From 
this  cistern  the  water  descends,  by  a  suitable  spout,  to  the  second  water- 
wheel,  .t,  which  actuates  the  movement  for  striking  the  "  quarters." 
With  the  exception  of  the  motive  power  and  method  of  applying  it,  the 
arrangements  here  are  similar  to  those  usually  adopted.    A  wheel,  g',  on 


118 


THE  PRACTICAL  MECHANIC'S  JOURNAL. 


the  shaft,  a,  which  makes  one  revolution  per  hour,  has  four  equidistant 
pins  upon  it,  which,  in  succession,  acting  upon  the  lever,  k,  release  the 
wheels  below.  Then  the  water  which,  during  the  previous  quarter  of 
an  hour,  has  been  accumulating  from  the  cistern,  e',  above,  in  the  buckets 
of  the  second  water-wheel,  j,  turns  it,  and  also  the  spur-wheel,  m,  by 


means  of  the  spur-wheel,  l,  on  the  shaft  of  the  former,  and  a  pinion  on  the 
shaft  of  the  latter.  The  spur-wheel,  m,  has  pins  on  each  side  to  actuate 
the  levers,  n,  these  last  communicating  by  means  of  wires  with  the  two 
bell-hammers,  giving  the  well-known  double  stroke  indicating  the 
"  quarters."  The  shaft  of  the  spur-wheel,  m,  carries  the  usual  notched 
disc,  m',  for  regulating  the  number  of  strokes,  whilst  the  spur-wheel,  m, 
also  actuates  the  usual  vane-wheel,  o,  for  making  the  motion  uniform. 
The  notched  disc  carries  a  single  pin,  ?n,  which,  at  every  fourth  quarter, 
acting  on  the  lever,  p,  releases  the  lowest  set  of  wheels,  comprising  the 
hour-striking  movement.  The  water  from  the  wheel,  J,  is  collected  in 
the  cistern,  j'.  It  descends  from  this  by  a  spout,  and  falls  upon  the 
lowest  water-wheel,  q,  accumulating  in  the  buckets  during  the  intervals 
between  striking,  until  the  lever,  p,  releases  the  wheels,  which  are  set  in 
motion  by  the  large  spur-wheel,  it,  on  the  shaft  of  the  water-wheel,  q, 
driving  a  pinion  on  the  shaft  of  the  spur-wheel,  s.    The  latter  carries  pins 

Fig.  5. 


for  actuating  the  lever,  t,  communicating  with  the  hammer  which  strikes 
the  hours.  By  means  of  an  intermediate  pinion  and  spur-wheel,  the 
spur-wheel,  s,  drives  the  fan-wheel,  u,  and  also  actuates,  in  the  usual 
manner,  the  notched  disc,  v,  for  regulating  the  number  of  strokes  for 
each  hour. 


The  water  from  the  wheel,  Q,  is  collected  in  the  cistern,  q',  and  passes 
thence  by  a  spout  to  the  cistern  for  supplying  the  water  to  the  tolling 
movement.  This  movement  is  more  especially  intended  for  periodical 
tolling;  as,  for  example,  at  half-past  five  o'clock  each  morning,  and  at 
ten  o'clock  each  evening.  It  is  regulated  in  the  following  manner: — 
The  shaft,  A,  which  is  one  of  the  four  shafts  carrying  the  hour  hands,  and 
corresponding,  for  example,  to  the  shaft,  g,  in  fig.  1,  is  so  geared  with  the 
shaft  of  the  large  disc,  d,  as  to  cause  this  to  make  one  revolution  in  the 
twenty-four  hours.  The  disc,  n,  has  notches,  c,  situated  on  its  periphery, 
to  correspond  with  the  times  at  which  the  tolling  is  intended  to  take  place. 
The  frame  which  contains  this  portion  of  the  wheel-work,  as  also  that  for 
driving  the  motion  of  the  minute-hand  from  that  of  the  hour-hand  shaft, 
A,  represented  as  immediately  behind  the  clock  face,  carries  a  vibrating 
lever,  d,  capable  of  a  slight  adjustment  by  means  of  the  thumb-screw,  e. 
The  free  end  of  this  lever,  which  is  forked,  has  a  cross-pieoe  which  falls 
into  the  notch,  c,  on  the  disc,  when  this  comes  under  it,  and  it  also  com- 
municates by  the  cord  or  wire,  f,  with  the  valve  lever,  g,  of  the  cistern 
below.  The  lever,  a,  has  a  weight  hung  to  the  end,  to  which  the  wire 
is  attached,  so  that  when,  by  reason  of  the  notch,  c,  on  the  disc,  b,  com- 
ing under  the  end  of  the  lever,  d,  this  descends,  and  the  cord  or  wire  is 
slackened,  the  weight  brings  down  the  lever,  g,  and  raises  the  valve,  g', 
which  gives  egress  to  the  water  in  the  cistern,  n.  To  the  lip  of  the 
valve,  g',  is  attached  a  siphon,  M,  the  object  of  which  is  to  equalize  the 
flow  of  the  water,  and  to  make  the  tolling  stop  at  once  when  the  level 
of  the  water  gets  below  the  mouth  of  the  siphon,  and  without  the  risk  of 
any  chance  stroke  taking  place  from  the  accumulation  of  small  quantities 
of  water  from  leakage,  since  the  water  cannot  again  obtain  egress  from 
the  cistern  until  its  level  has  reached  the  top  of  the  siphon.  To  prevent 
the  tolling  from  taking  place  on  Sundays,  a  small  pinion  on  the  shaft 
of  the  disc,  b,  drives  a  spur-wheel  on  the  stud  centre,  i,  calculated  to 

Fig.  G. 


make  one  revolution  per  week;  to  the  boss  of  this  spur-wheel  is  fixed 
a  small  balanced  lever  with  a  segmental  end,  J,  so  set  as  to  come  under 
a  pin  on  the  end  of  the  lever,  D,  on  the  Sundays,  and  keep  the  end  of  the 
lever  from  falling  into  the  notches,  c,  of  the  disc,  b,  and  thereby  pre- 
venting the  tolling  of  the  bells.  An  additional  arrangement  is  also  pro- 
vided for  setting  the  tolling  movement  in  action  when  required,  as  before 
the  church  service,  for  instance,  and  on  any  extraordinary  occasion. 
For  this  purpose  the  cistern,  h',  is  provided  with  a  second  valve,  k, 
which  can  be  opened  by  the  lever,  i,,  actuated  by  hand  from  below  by 
a  cord  or  wire,  or  by  the  clock  itself,  if  required.  The  valves,  a'  and  k, 
open  into  the  upper  enlarged  part  of  the  pipe,  n,  which  conveys  the  water 
to  the  wheel,  o,  for  actuating  the  tolling  movement.  The  arrangements 
here  are  similar  to  those  already  described;  the  shaft  of  the  water- 
wheel,  o,  has  fixed  on  it  a  double  disc-wheel,  p,  carrying  eight  pins, 
four  of  which  project  on  each  side  to  raise  the  ends  of  the  levers,  Q,  R, 
to  the  opposite  ends  of  which  are  attached  wires  communicating  with 
the  tolling  hammers.  The  shaft  of  the  water-wheel,  o,  also  carries  a  large 
spur-wheel,  s,  which  actuates  the  fan-wheel,  t,  by  means  of  an  interme- 
diate pinion  and  spur-wheel.  The  bell,  u,  is  kept  stationary,  instead  of 
being  moveable,  as  is  generally  the  case.  It  is  firmly  attached  to  a  cross 
beam,  v,  in  the  steeple,  and  has  its  mouth  uppermost.  The  object  of  the 
first  of  these  arrangements  is  to  do  away  with  the  excessive  vibration 
caused  by  the  motion  of  the  heavy  mass  of  metal  in  the  ordinary  system, 
as  also  to  reduce  the  amount  of  power  required ;  and  the  object  of  invert- 
ing the  bell  is  to  enable  the  sound  to  be  heard  to  a  greater  distance.  The 
hammers  to  give  the  "  quarter  "  strokes  are  at  w  and  x,  and  are  actuated 


THE  PRACTICAL  MECHANIC'S  JOURNAL. 


119 


by  the  levers  represented  at  i»,  in  fig.  1 ;  the  first  hammer  striking  the  bell 
at  the  lip,  and  the  second  striking  it  considerably  lower  down,  by  which 
means  two  very  different  sounds  are  obtained.  The  hammer,  y,  is  for 
striking  the  hours,  and  is  actuated  by  the  lever,  t,  in  fig.  1,  and  the 
hammers,  z,  z,  are  for  tolling,  and  are  actuated  by  the  levers,  q,  r,  in 
figs.  4  and  5.  The  first  is  situated  at  the  lip,  and  the  second  lower 
down,  and  is  necessarily  much  heavier  than  the  other.  Each  hammer  is 
hung  in  suitable  bearings,  so  as  to  remain  well  clear  of  the  bell  by  its 
own  weight,  and  in  striking  is  first  tilted  up  away  from  the  bell,  and 
when  the  cord  which  does  this  is  let  go,  the  hammer  falls  against  the 
bell  by  its  own  weight,  and  then  resumes  its  original  position.    By  these 


means  much  less  power  is  required  to  give  the  stroke,  even  though  the 
hammers  are  more  than  double  the  weight  of  those  commonly  used, 
whilst  the  sound  elicited  is  much  clearer  and  fuller  than  that  produced 
by  the  ordinary  appliances. 


RAILWAYS. 
Hugh  Greaves,  Civil  Engineer,  Manchester. — Patent  dated  Nov.  13, 1852. 

Mr.  Greaves,  whose  "  Iron  Surface-packed  Sleepers "  we  some  time 
ago  noticed,  *  as  prominent  objects  in  the  Great  Exhibition  of  1851, 
brings  forward  four  different  heads  of  improvement  under  this  patent : — 
A  mode  of  forming  firm  end  junctions  of  the  rails;  a  new  joint  chair;  a 
rail  to  be  used  on  inclines,  or  situations  where  great  wear  occurs ;  and  a 
new  crossing  support. 

Fig.  1  represents  a  side  elevation  of  the  new  mode  of  supporting  and 
fastening  the  bridge  rail  at  the  joints,  and  fig.  2  is  a  corresponding  trans- 
Fig.  1. 


ver3e  section  of  the  same  :  A  are  the  bridge  rails,  which   are  bolted  or 
riveted  at  b,  to  the  wrought-iron  supporting  girder,  o.     This  girder  rests 

*  Page  S4,  Vol.  IV.,  Practical  Mechanic's  Journal. 


Fig.  2. 


Fig.  3. 


at  its  extremities  on  the  chocks  of  wood,  d,  and  is  firmly  secured  to  the 
transverse  sleepers,  e,  by  the  bolts, 
f,  which  are  screwed  at  their  lower 
ends  into  the  metal  plates,  g,  be- 
neath. The  supporting  girders  may 
consist  merely  of  an  inverted  bridge 
rail,  and  the  internal  space  between 
the  rail  and  girder  may  he  filled 
with  wood,  to  deaden  the  sound  and 
render  the  junction  more  firm. 

Fig.  3  is  an  elevation  of  another 
mode  of  supporting  bridge  rails  at 
the  joints  to  prevent  their  lipping. 
In  this  arrangement,  the  joint  is 
placed  immediately  over  the  transverse  sleeper,  A,  which  is  recessed  at 
its  upper  surface  to  receive  the  supporting  girder,  b.  The  rails,  c,  are 
riveted,  or  otherwise  secured,  by  their  flanges  to  the  supporting  girder, 
and  the  whole  is  firmly 
secured  to  the  sleeper 
by  the  bolts,  d,  which 
pass  through  the  sleep- 
ers, and  are  screwed  into 
the  metal  plates,  e,  be- 
neath them.  Fig.  4  is 
a  side  elevation  of  a 
compound  joint  chair, 
formed  of  three  chairs, 

a,  cast  in  one  piece,  the 
base,  or  bearing  surface, 

b,  being  cast  at  an  angle,  to  fit  the  angular  sleeper,  c.     The  centre  por- 
tion of  this  compound  chair  coincides  with  the  joint  of  the  rail.     Pins  or 
screw-bolts  may  be  employed  for  securing  the  chairs  to  the  sleeper.     By 
this  means,  a  better  hold  is  ob- 
tained on  the  ends  of  the  rails,  Fig.  4. 

which  are,  consequently,  held 
more  securely,  and  a  good  and 
firm  joint  is  thereby  formed.   Fig. 

5  is  a  transverse  section  of  a  rail, 
showing  the  mode  of  securing  and 
supporting  it  at  the  junctions. 
The  ends  of  the  rails,  a,  are  sup- 
ported by  the  sleeper  chair,  which 
is  composed  of  wrought  and  cast- 
iron   combined.      b  is  a   curved 

plate  of  malleable  iron,  formed  with  three  openings  in  the  centre  to  admit 
three  chairs,  which  are  cast  on  the  girder.  Lugs  or  bars,  f,  are  cast 
upon  the  girder,  and  overlap  at  their  extremities  the  edges  of  the  curved 
plate,  thereby  preventing  it  from  spread- 
ing when  supporting  a  heavy  load.  The 
chairs  are  introduced  through  the  open- 
ings in  the  plate  from  the  under  side, 
and  the  rails  are  then  inserted  into  the 
chairs,  and  secured  therein  by  keys  or 
wedges,  in  the  ordinary  manner.     Fig. 

6  is  a  transverse  section  of  a  portion  of 
a  permanent  way,  and  shows  the  im- 
provements in  the  employment  of  wood 
for  railway  sleepers.  By  this  arrange- 
ment, instead  of  employing  one  block  of  wood,  running  across  from  one 
rail  to  another,  Mr.  Greaves  uses  two  separate  short  sleepers,  a — the 
guage  and  tilt  of  the  rails  being  preserved  by  the  tie-bars,  b.  The 
rails  are  supported  at  the 
joints  on  a  girder  of  wrought- 
iron,  or  a  piece  of  rail,  c.  The 
chairs  may  be  cast  in  one 
piece  with  the  supporting 
girders,  c,  or  otherwise  se- 
cured to  them ;  and  two 
chairs  may  be  employed  at 
the  joint,  so  that,  when  one 
key  is  backed  to  take  out 
the  rail,  the  other  one  will 
remain  undisturbed.  The  girder  or  piece  of  rail  may  rest  at  the  ends  on 
two  loose  chairs. 

The  patentee  also  shows  sections  of  two  shallow  bridge  or  flat-bot- 
tomed rails,  riveted  together  at  their  flanges,  the  internal  space  being 
filled  with  wood,  to  deaden  the  sound  and  take  off  the  lateral  strain  from 
the  rivets.     A  portion  of  this  space  may  be  employed  for  the  insertion 


Fig.  5. 


120 


THE  PRACTICAL  MECHANIC'S  JOURNAL. 


Fig.  7. 


are  so  arranged,  that  their  respective  junctions  shall  not  coincide — that 
is  to  say,  that  the  junctions  of  the  lower  set  of  rails  are  overlapped  by 
the  upper  rails,  and  vice  versa. 

Fig.  7  represents  a  transverse  section  of  two  rails  joined  longitudinally, 
and  fastened  together  in  the  chairs.  A  piece  of  metal,  a,  is  inserted  at 
the  joints,  through  which  bolts  or  rivets  are  passed,  to  prevent  vertical 
displacement.  This  description  of  rail  is  particu- 
larly applicable  for  stations,  or  on  inclines,  and 
jv  other  places,  so  as  to  economise  the  wear  and  tear 
'of  the  tyres  of  the  rolling  stock,  by  bringing  into 
i  action  the  outer  portion  of  the  tyre,  c,  and  thereby 
saving  the  travelling  portion,  d,  at  those  places 
I  where  the  tyres  are  exposed  to  the  heaviest  work ; 
[  or,  in  place  of  two  rails,  one  broad  rail  may  be  em- 
ployed. The  respective  joints  of  these  double  rails 
are  overlapped  by  the  rails  themselves.  In  secur- 
ing the  rails  at  the  points  or  crossings,  the  rails 
are  held  by  chairs,  which  are  carried  by  trans- 
verse rails.  These  rails  may  be  carried  by  sur- 
face-packed sleepers,  and  may  be  of  the  bridge 
section,  the  space  inside  serving  as  a  receptacle  for  the  connecting-rods 
for  working  the  points. 

WEFT  WINDING  MACHINE. 

Peter  Carmichael,  Dundee. — Patent  dated  November  19,  1852. 

Mr.  Carmichael's  invention  embraces  three  several  heads : — A  variable 

spindle  movement  for  securing  the  uniform  velocity  of  the  yarn,  and  the 

balancing  the  power  required  for  driving  the  machinery;  a  means  of 

giving  a  variable  movement  to  the  guides  for  laying  on  the  yarn  on  the 

Fiff.  1. 


pirns;  and  the  application  of  a  lever  for  regulating  the  hardness  of  the 
winding,  and  for  stopping  the  spindles  when  full.  The  pirns  or  cops 
being  usually  filled  with  yarn  by  conical  winding,  an  important  element 
of  irregularity  of  speed  in  the  hank  or  bobbin  from  which  the  yarn  is 
wound  is  here  introduced.  Hence  a  series  of  tugs  or  pulls  are  given  to 
the  yarn  as  it  passes  from  the  small  to  the  large  end  of  the  cone  ;  and,  at 
the  same  time,  the  yarn  is  built  too  soft  upon  the  small  end  of  the  cone, 
rendering  it  very  liable  to  slip  off,  and  cause  waste  and  bad  work  in 


weaving.  These  evils  Mr.  Carmichael  very  ingeniously  removes,  by 
means  of  the  mechanism  which  we  nave  engraved.  Fig.  1  is  an  end 
elevation  of  his  improved  winding  machine.  Fig.  2  is  a  partial  plan  cor- 
responding. The  machine  is  actuated  by  the  fast  and  loose  pulleys,  a,  and 
from  their  shaft  motion  is  communicated  through  the  pair  of  bevel  wheels, 
b,  to  the  longitudinal  shaft,  c,  running  the  whole  length  of  the  machine, 
and  carrying  the  series  of  disc  plates,  d.  The  spindles,  with  their  pirns, 
E,  are  driven  by  pulleys  or  washers  of  leather,  f,  kept  true,  and  stiffened 
by  iron  washers,  one  on  each  side  of  the  leather,  and  these  drivers,  with 
their  spindles,  receive  their  revolving  motion  by  contact  with  the  disc 
plates,  d.  The  spindles,  e,  are  made  in  two  parts:  the  part  on  which 
the  driver  is  fixed  has  only  the  revolving  motion,  and  is  made  hollow; 
the  other  part  has  also  the  revolving  motion,  and  is  made  to  slide  back 
into  the  hollow,  being  driven  by  a  key  sliding  in  a  groove. 

Next,  to  effect  the  variable  motion  of  the  spindles  upon  the  cross  shaft 
is  a  spiral,  o,  giving  motion,  by  a  spiral  wheel,  to  the  shaft,  h,  upon 
which  are  fixed  hearts  or  cams,  i,  giving  a  uniform  traversing  speed  to 
the  carriers  or  sliding  bars,  j,  which  bars  carry  the  shaft,  c,  and  disc 
plates,  d,  and,  at  the  same  time,  move  the  bevel  wheel,  b,  through  the 
same  space  on  the  cross  shaft,  keeping  it  always  in  gear  with  its  pinion. 
By  this  traversing  motion  of  the  disc  plates,  the  large  and  small  diameters 
of  which  correspond  proportionally  with  the  large  and  small  diameters 
of  the  cone  of  the  pirn,  the  velocity  of  the  pirn,  or  spindle,  alternately 
increases  and  diminishes,  and  the  power  is,  at  the  same  time,  balanced; 
for  when  the  large  diameter  of  the  disc  is  driving  the  one  spindle,  the 
small  diameter  is  driving  the  opposite  one,  and  so  on  alternately. 

The  next  point  to  be  described  is  the  finger  or  guide,  k,  which  feeds 
or  guides  the  thread,  and  lays  it  evenly  on  the  pirn.  This  guide  has  to 
travel  the  exact  distance  of  the  length  of  the  cone  on  the  pirn,  and  it  has 
also  to  travel  quicker  or  slower  as  the  motion  of  the  spindle  is  quicker  or 
slower.  This  is  effected  by  a  peculiar-shaped  heart  or  cam  on  the  shaft, 
h,  shown  at  i. ;  this  heart  gives  a  suitable  traverse  motion  to  the  bars,  M, 
on  which  are  fixed  the  longitudinal  bars,  n,  carrying  the  fingers,  k. 

The  remaining  point  to  be  described  is  that  of  the  levers,  o,  for  regu- 
lating the  hardness  of  the  laying  on  of  the  yarn,  and  also  for  stopping 
the  spindles  when  the  pirns  are  full.  They  are  attached  to  the  spindles 
by  sliding-rods,  p,  moving  parallel  with  the  spindles,  and  connected  to 
them  by  the  forked  ends,  Q,  of  upright  studs,  embracing  collars  upon  the 
spindles.  The  levers  are  jointed  upon  the  studs,  R.  As  the  pirn  fills, 
the  spindles  and  levers  are  pushed  back  by  the  filling  on  of  the  yarn,  and 
the  inclined  plane  upon  the  lever,  seen  at  s,  is  made  of  such  a  shape  as 
the  resistance  of  its  rising  up  the  incline  shall  just  give  the  requisite 
hardness  to  the  laying  on  of  the  yarn  on  the  pirn,  which  is  a  very  essen- 
tial point.  When  the  pirn  is  full,  it  has  pushed  back  the  lever,  o,  to  the 
extreme  end  of  the  inclined  plane,  when  the  lever  drops  and  brings  a 
projecting  point,  t,  in  contact  with  a  wedge  attached  to  the  top  of  the 
stud,  u,  which  carries  the  spindle-driver,  and  removes  the  driver  from 
contact  with  the  disc  plates,  d,  and  then  the  spindle  stops. 

The  mode  of  operation  is  as  follows : — An  empty  pirn  being  attached 
to  the  end  of  the  thread  by  the  attendant,  she  then  lays  hold  of  the  lever, 
o,  and  pulls  it  forward  along  with  the  spindle,  until  a  cross  thread  on  the 
end  of  the  spindle  comes  into  a  notch  for  it  in  the  head  of  the  pirn,  when 
the  pirn  is  set  in  motion,  and  goes  on  without  farther  attention  until  it 
is  full,  when  the  lever  drops,  and  the  spindle  stops.  The  attendant  then 
removes  the  full  pirn,  and  replaces  it  with  an  empty  one,  and  so  on. 


BISCUIT  OVENS. 
William  Slater,  Carlisle. — Patent  dated  Dec.  1,  1852. 

Carlisle,  the  great  seat  of  the  biscuit  manufacture,  has  here  furnished 
us  with  a  most  important  improvement  in  the  apparatus  for  baking. 
This  contrivance,  which  is  now  in  full  operation  at  the  extensive  biscuit 
works  of  Mr.  Slater,  has  been  devised  for  baking  all  articles  of  this 
class,  as  well  as  bread,  and  even  earthenware,  by  traversing  them 
through  a  heated  earthenware  tube.  This  tube  forms  the  oven ;  it  is  of 
considerable  length  ;  and  the  biscuits  or  other  articles  are  slowly  tra- 
versed through  it,  from  end  to  end,  at  such  a  rate  as  will  allow  of  the 
baking  being  completed  during  the  passage.  The  biscuits  are  carried 
on  trays,  set  on  travelling  chains ;  or  the  trays  may  be  made  into  an 
endless  web  or  chain.  The  oven  is  thus  entirely  self-acting,  and  the 
baking  articles  demand  no  attention  whatever  from  the  attendants, 
whilst  the  system  involves  superior  economy  and  better  baking.  A 
pyrometer,  or  heat  indicator,  is  also  attached  externally,  so  that  the 
attendant  can  regulate  the  heat  with  very  great  facility. 

The  object  of  such  improvements  is  to  reduce  the  cost  of  baking,  and 
to  improve  the  appearance  of  the  baked  articles ;  and  the  apparatus  is 
applicable  as  well  to  the  baking  of  clay,  or  earthenware  articles,  as  to 
bread  or  biscuits. 


THE  PRACTICAL  MECHANIC'S  JOURNAL. 


121 


Fig.  1  of  our  engravings  is  a  longitudinal  section  of  the  oven,  as 
more  especially  contrived  for  baking  biscuits ;  and  fig.  2  is  a  transverse 
section.  The  earthenware  baking  tube  or  retort,  A,  which  is  the  actual 
baking  chamber,  is  shaped  somewhat  like  a  gas  retort,  and  is  of  con- 
siderable length — from  sixteen  to  twenty-four  feet  being  the  length 
which  Mr.  Slater  finds  convenient  and  effective.  This  tube  is  set  in 
brickwork,  like  a  steam  boiler,  and  it  is  heated  by  the  furnace,  e,  which 
is  supplied  with  fuel  in  the  usual  way.  The  direct  radiant  heat  of 
the  fuel  is  received  by  the  overhead  brick  or  clay  arch,  d,  and  the 
heat  and  gases  pass  off  from  the  grate  along  the  bottom  flue,  c,  in 
the  direction  of  the  arrow,  running  hence  along  beneath  the  tube,  A. 
At  e  are  side  or  lateral  passages,  branching  off,  from  the  furnace  and 
main  bottom  flue,  into  the  side  and  overhead  flues,  f  g,  between  the  out- 
side of  the  clay  tube,  a,  and  the  interior  of  its  surrounding  mass  of  brick- 
work, so  that  the  tube,  a,  is  thus  completely  enveloped  in  a  heated 
medium.  After  traversing  all  the  flue  lengths,  the  heated  current  finally 
passes  off  through  the  chimney,  h.  The  baking  tube  is  open  from  end 
to  end,  and  is  covered  in  at  these  entrances  by  iron  plates,  I,  slotted 
through,  to  admit  the  endless  carrying  band  or  chain,  j,  to  pass  through. 
This  band  or  chain  is  carried  upon  two  external  rollers  or  pulleys,  k,  set 
at  the  required  level  outside  the  tube,  a,  both  the  upper  and  lower 
lengths  of  the  chain  being  passed  right  through  the  whole  length  of  the 
tnbe,  and  supported  therein  by  an  upper  and  lower  line  of  bearing  rol- 
lers, l.  This  carrying  chain  may  be  formed  in  various  ways.  It  may 
either  be  composed  of  two  parallel  endless  chains,  with  carrying  trays 
laid  across,  or  of  a  series  of  trays  so  connected  as  to  form  an  endless 
chain  ;  or  an  endless  web  of  wirecloth  may  answer  the  same  purpose. 
One  of  the  pulleys,  k,  being  made  to  revolve  at  the  required  rate,  by 
means  of  any  convenient  prime  mover,  the  chain  with  the  biscuits,  or 
articles  to  be  baked,  laid  on,  is  traversed  through  the  tube,  the  unbaked 
articles  being  deposited  upon  the  chain  at  one  end,  and  carried  directly 
through  and  out  at  the  other,  the  speed  of  movement  being  proportioned, 
so  that  the  articles  shall  be  baked  to  the  required  extent  in  the  transit. 
The  baking  heat  is  of  course  derived  from  all  sides  of  the  heated  tube, 
a;  and  this  heating  power  is  capable  of  nice  regulation,  by  means  of 
dampers,  suitably  disposed  in  the  flues.  The  pyrometer,  or  heat  indi- 
cator, consists  of  a  copper  rod,  m,  stretched  along  the  upper  side  of  the 

Fig.  1. 


tube.  It  is  fixed  at  the  back  end,  but  its  other  end  is  loose,  and 
passes  freely  through  the  plate,  i,  at  that  end.  Here  it  is  connected  to 
a  stout  helical  spring,  contained  in  the  box,  p,  and  contrived  so  as  to 
hold  the  rod,  st,  in  a  high  state  of  tension,  the  spring  being  protected 
from  the  heat  of  the  box,  which  is  lined  with  loam  or  sand,  or  is  made  of 
baked  wood.  The  end  of  the  rod  has  a  transverse  pin  attached  to  it, 
and  this  pin  works  through  a  longitudinal  slot  in  the  box,  being  made 
to  act  upon  an  arrangement  of  multiplying  levers,  terminating  in  an 
index-hand,  e,  pointing  to  the  degrees  of  temperature,  marked  upon  the 
outside  of  the  plate,  i.  In  this  way  the  expansion  and  contraction  of  the 
rod,  5i,  points  out  the  variations  in  the  temperature,  by  the  corresponding 
movements  of  the  hand  over  its  indicating  scale.  To  support  the  rod, 
m,  pendant  links  are  either  hung  from  the  roof  of  the  oven,  or  two 
other  metal  rods  are  passed  through  the  oven,  a  few  inches  apart,  in  a 
parallel  line,  such  rods  having  a  series  of  cross  bearers  at  intervals, 
capable  of  movement  upon  the  longitudinal  rods.  The  latter  are  fixed 
by  one  end,  and  moveable  at  the  other,  like  the  rod,  m.  In  marking  the 
heat  graduations  on  the  scale,  the  details  are  first  set  up,  and  the  position 
of  the  index-hand  is  then  marked  off  whilst  the  oven  is  cold,  the  tem- 
perature of  the  oven  being  taken  by  a  thermometer.  This  is  the  zero  of 
the  indicator.  The  heat  is  then  brought  up,  and  the  temperature  is 
",.-Vol.  VI. 


again  marked  as  before,  the  rest  of  the  gradations  being  marked  in  the 
usual  manner  of  marking  thermometric  scales. 


POWER-LOOM  WEFT  FORKS. 

Taylee  and  Slatee. — Patent  dated  October,  23,  1582. 

These  improvements  in  a  well-known  little  instrument,  are  designed 
to  lessen  its  liability  to  fracture;  to  render  it  more  easy  of  repair  in  case 
of  accidental  injury;  and  to  improve  its  working  qualities.  With  these 
views,  the  patentees  make  the  stock  or  detent  lever,  a,  of  their  improved 
fork  (represented  iu  profile  in  fig.  1,  and  in  plan  in  fig.  2)  of  annealed 
malleable-iron,  in  a  separate  piece  from  the  prongs  or  fingers,  rrr. 
The  latter  are 
of  steel  wire, 
tapered  to- 
wards the 
points,  and  po- 
lished so  that 
their  surfaces 
present  no 
roughness  to 
which  the 
loose  filaments 
of  the  weftmay 
adhere.  These 
prongs  are  in- 
serted in  holes 
drilled  in  the 
stock  for  their 
reception,  and 
riveted  so  that 
a  broken  prong 
can  be  easily  removed  and  replaced  by  a  new  one. 

The  pivot,p,  on  which  the  fork  is  suspended  in  the  stand  is  placed  rather 
higher  than  usual,  relatively  to  the  other  parts  of  the  apparatus,  so  that 
the  centre  of  gravity  of  the  whole  being  further  removed  from  the  point 

of  suspension,  the  stability  of  its 
equilibrium  is  increased,  and  it 
more  readily  regains  and  retains 
its  position  after  disturbance.  By 
this  means  the  resilient  or  dancing 
motion  of  the  fork,  so  embarras- 
sing where  looms  are  run  at  a  high 
speed,  is  obviated. 

Instead  of  the  prongs  being 
turned  downwards  suddenly,  so 
as  to  make  nearly  a  right  angle, 
which  form  renders  forks  of  the 
ordinary  construction  peculiarly 
weak  and  liable  to  fracture  at  that 
point,  they  are  brought  round  to 
the  vertical  direction  by  a  slow 
curvature,  forming  a  sort  of  bow, 
as  at  o,  which  renders  them  as 
strong  at  that  point  as  in  any 
other  part. 

The  wire  which  serves  as  the  pivot  on  which  the  fork  is  suspended  in 
the  stand  is  not  secured  by  being  riveted  at  its  ends,  but  is  retained  in 
its  place  by  a  small  pin,  m,  which  is  inserted  at  right  angles  to  the 
pivot  wire,  in  such  a  manner  as  to  pass  partly  into  the  side  of  it.  The 
head  of  the  pin,  m,  is  left  slightly  projecting,  so  as  to  allow  it  to  be  easily 
withdrawn  by  the  aid  of  a  pair  of  pliers,  when  the  fork  can  beat  once 
removed  from  the  stand  for  the  purpose  of  being  repaired,  or  cleaned 
from  accumulated  dirt  or  fly. 

Notwithstanding  these  advantages,  the  facility  and  cheapness  of  its 
construction  are  such  as  to  entail  no  augmentation  of  the  usual  cost. 


REGISTERED    DESIGN. 


UNIVERSAL  SAFEGUARD  FOR  CLEANING  WINDOWS. 

Registered  for  Me.  W.  Duckworth,  Architect,  Liverpool. 

This  is  a  little  contrivance  for  safely  supporting  servants  when  clean- 
ing the  external  sides  of  windows.  Fig.  1  is  a  transverse  vertical 
section  of  the  safeguard  as  applied  to  a  window,  and  fig.  2  is  a  cor- 
responding plan.    It  consists  of  an  iron,  A,  bent  frame,  round,  and  ter- 


122 


THE  PRACTICAL  MECHANIC'S  JOURNAL. 


minating   iu  screwed  portions,  b,  -which  are  passed  through  the  open 
space  of  the  window  into  the  house,  support 
Fig.  1.  heing  derived  from  the  two  inclined  stays,  c, 

abutting  by  their  lower  ends  against  the  ex- 
terior of  the  house  wall,  d.  Each  end,  b,  has 
a  sliding-piuce,  e,  passed  upon  it,  as  an  inside 
retaining  abutment,  and  these  slides  are  ad- 


justed as  holding-pieces,  by  the  nut  levers,  f.  By  screwing  up  these 
levers,  f,  the  frame  is  securely  held  against  the  wall,  and  a  wire-work 
guard-frame,  g,  being  set  on  the  top  of  the  frame  platform,  H,  the  opera- 
tor is  securely  held  whilst  he  cleans  the  window,  j. 

EOLIAN  HAT. 
Registered  for  Messrs.  Flanagan  &  Co.,  York  Chambers,  Liverpool. 
The  rather  fantastic  name,    "  Eolian   Hat,"   has  been  given  to  the 

new  design  of  which  our  en- 
FiB-  !•  gravings,  figs.  1  and  2,  respec- 

tively show  an  external  eleva- 
tion and  vertical  section.  The 
object  is  to  fit  the  hat  more 
comfortably  to  the  head,  by 
forming  a  soft  rim  in  it  where 
the  head  enters. 

The  body,  a,  of  the  hat  is 
unaltered,  except  that  it  is 
moulded  with  an  external  an- 
nular air-channel,  b,  standing 
up  a  short  distance  above  the 
brim.  In  other  terms,  the 
mouth  of  the  hat  is  made  a 
little  wider  or  larger  than  is  usual,  and  this  channel  answers  as  a 
receptacle  for  air,  to  act  as  an  elastic  fitting  cushion.     This  recess  may 

be    partially   filled   with  cork 


Fig.  2. 


shavings,  or  other  light  ma- 
terial, or  it  may  contain  air 
alone.  It  is  covered  in,  air- 
tight on  the  inner  side,  by  a 
flexible  band,  c,  glued  down 
to  the  body,  an  opening  being 
left  to  the  external  air. 

In  this  way,  a  completely 
encircling  air-chamber  is 
formed  to  embrace  the  head, 
and  make  an  easy,  pleasant  fit; 
all  that  appears  externally  is  the 
band-like  projection  which  con- 
tains the  elastic  fitting  piece. 


REVIEWS  OF  NEW  BOOKS. 


A  Few  Remarks  on  the  Present  State  and  Prospects  of  Electrical 
Illumination.  By  Joseph  J.  VV.  Watson.  8vo.  Pp.  32.  London  : 
Saunders  &  Stanford.     1853. 

Gaily  decked  out  in  red  and  pink,  with  the  revived  antique  thick 
covers,  and  sprinkled  over  with  red  initial  words  to  its  paragraphs,  this 
handsome  little  hook  tells  an  interesting  story  under  a  most  attractive 
guise.  In  addition  to  the  title  recorded  above,  the  frontispiece  goes  on 
to  say,  "  with  a  Description  of  the  Author's  Patented  Inventions  in 
Galvanic  Batteries  and  Electric  Lamps."  As  far  as  the  actual  lamp  is 
concerned,  we  have  already  discharged  our  office,  in  respect  to  Dr. 
Watson's  productions,  in  our  engraving  and  description  of  his  very  suc- 


cessful lamp,  given  in  our  June  part ;  but  we  have  yet  to  follow  the 
author  for  awhile  in  his  detail  of  the  earlier  stages  of  the  improvements, 
and  the  actual  results  arrived  at  in  the  other  ramifications  of  the  plans. 

In  all  galvanic  arrangements  hitherto  existing,  the  gain  to  the 
operator  is  electricity,  and  nothing  more.  The  solid  working  products 
are  valueless.  But  Dr.  Watson — with  whom,  we  ought  to  remark, 
was  at  this  time  associated  Mr.  Thomas  Slater,  an  ingenious  mecha- 
nician and  inventor  in  the  same  pursuits — set  himself  the  task  of 
extending  the  galvanic  scale,  and  obtaining  electricity  from  untried 
sources,  with  the  view  of  producing  matters  which  should  be  commer- 
cially valuable,  in  addition  to  the  essential  product  of  eleetricity.  This 
attempt  failed,  and  it  was  then  determined  on  to  try  the  effect  of  new 
exciting  agents,  or  "  electrolytes,"  and  the  result  was  the  opinion  that, 
"  if  we  have  not  accomplished  all,  we  have  at  least  made  such  strides 
towards  improvement,  that  the  commercial  world  need  not  now  fear  the 
introduction  of  an  old  natural  force  in  a  new  and  useful  dress  of  art." 

The  new  battery  has  received  the  name  of  "chromatic."  It  is  a 
colour-maker,  and  by  the  introduction  of  no  more  than  five  substances, 
it  produces  "  a  hundred  valuable  pigments,  transcending,  by  a  great 
per  centage,  the  original  value  of  the  articles  contributing  towards  their 
production."  These  colours  are  not  compounded  of  the  working  products ; 
they  are  developed  in  the  actual  generation  of  electricity,  whilst  the 
employed  substances  act  peculiarly  in  giving  "  constancy"  of  effect. 

It  is  the  Maynooth  battery  which  is  employed,  and  its  value  as  an 
electric  light-maker  is  improved  in  this  way  : — 

"  Pmssiate  of  potash,  or,  as  it  is  known  to  chemists,  ferrocyanide  of  potassium,  gives 
with  the  salts  of  iron  a  most  splendid  blue  pigment— Prussian  blue,  which,  when  pure, 
is  of  the  greatest  value.  In  the  Maynooth  battery  we  employ  the  prussiate  of  potash 
thus : — To  the  iron  cell  we  add  prussiate  of  potash,  and  to  the  zinc  cell  also  the  same 
salt,  although  we  restrict  the  quantity  greatly,  for  reasons  which  need  not  be  described 
here,  but  which,  to  those  having  any  acquaintance  with  the  nature  of  galvanic  arrange- 
ments, will  be  at  once  apparent.  Our  products  are  Prussian  blue,  of  a  quality  and  colour 
equal,  and,  as  we  have  been  disinterestedly  informed  by  those  dealing  in  the  article,  far 
superior  to  any  in  the  market.  Our  other  product  is  a  peculiar  blue  pigment,  of  a  colour 
resembling  and  closely  vying  with  the  artificial  ultramarines.  This  pigment,  from  its 
chemical  constitution,  as  proved  by  our  analyses,  we  have  termed  the  ferroprussiate  of 
zinc." 

Mr.  Callan's  modification  of  Smee's  battery  is  also  employed,  and  the 
colour  products  are  in  this  case  chrome-yellows,  the  result  of  the  addi- 
tion of  bichromate  of  potash,  the  depth  and  tint  of  the  pigments  being 
varied  with  the  proportion  of  tlie  added  salt; — 

"  This  platinized  lead  battery  is  about  15  times  as  powerful  as  a  common  Wollaston 
battery  of  the  same  size.  A  cast-iron  battery  is  a  little  less  powerful  than  the  platinized 
lead  one,  but  it  is  cheaper  in  its  first  erection,  since  the  iron  plates  do  not  require  to  be 
platinized.  Three  platinized  lead  batteries,  excited  by  a  solution  of  nitre  and  sulphuric 
acid,  or  three  cast-iron  batteries  excited  by  nitrous  and  sulphuric  acid,  will  afford  the 
most  brilliant  light,  equal,  at  least,  to  300  wax  candles;  whilst  it  requires  160  cells  of 
Daniers  constant  battery,  or  250  of  the  ordinary  Wollaston  battery,  to  effect  the  same 
object.  Three  of  the  lead  or  iron  batteries  will  occupy  just  one-sixth  the  space  occupied 
by  Daniel's  arrangement,  and  one-twelfth  of  what  is  occupied  by  Wollaston's." 

A  splendid  blue  pigment — resembling  the  better  description  of 
"  smalts" — is  also  male  in  a  new  arrangement  of  the  Wollaston  battery, 
by  adding  prussiate  of  potash.  Then,  as  prussiate  of  potash  gives  a 
blue  colour  with  iron,  and  chromate  of  potash  a  yellow  colour  with  zinc, 
it  follows  that,  if  these  salts  are  added  in  a  battery  of  iron  and  zinc,  the 
colour  produced  will  be  a  green.  And  by  adding  prussiate  of  potash  to 
the  lead  battery,  a  white  pigment  of  great  body  is  made,  and  this  will 
not  blacken  when  exposed  to  sulphuretted  hydrogen.  If  chromate  of 
potash  alone  is  added  to  the  iron  battery,  a  deep  brown  is  made  ;  and  if 
lime  is  added  with  chromate  of  potash  to  the  lead  battery,  a  brilliant 
red  of  good  body  results.  The  working  fumes  are  also  turned  to  account, 
nitrate  of  potash  and  sulphuric  acid  being  made  out  of  them, 

A  "  postscript,"  which  the  author  has  introduced  in  a  second  edition 
of  his  book — the  cover  of  which,  by  the  way,  appears  to  have  been 
deeply  blued  by  the  contents  of  one  of  the  batteries — is  devoted  to  a 
consideration  of  "  costless  electricity."  Here  he  discusses  the  operation 
of  the  battery  in  electrotypising,  as  well  as  in  desulphurising  coke  on 
the  patented  principle  of  Mr.  Church  of  the  Phcenix  Gas  Works,  a 
process  hitherto  unpractised  from  want  of  a  cheap  power. 

A  solution  of  common  salt,  decomposed  in  the  battery,  produces  a 
highly  innoxious  bleaching  liquid — hypochlorite  of  soda ;  or  the  chlorine 
may  be  separated  and  absorbed  by  water,  caustic  soda  remaining  in  the 
vessel  in  which  the  salt  was  decomposed.  Common  salt  is  obtainable  at 
£1  a  ton,  and  caustic  soda  and  chlorine  are  respectively  worth  £12 
and  £15  a  ton.  Fifty  tons  of  salt,  when  decomposed  by  the  battery, 
furnish  thirty-two  tons  of  soda  and  thirty-six  tons  of  chlorine;  hence  salt 
costing  £50  is  transmuted  into  matter  producing  £920. 

Dr.  Watson  winds  up  his  remarks  with  some  general  notes  on 
galvanic  power  as  a  motor,  but  of  this  more  may  be  said  hereafter.  As 
regards  the  conveyance  of  electricity  to  ranges  of  lamps,  we  are  told 
that  "  an  electric  main,  a  quarter  of  an  inch  in  diameter,  will  convey  as 
much  light-affording  material  as  a  six-inch  gas  main." 


THE  PRACTICAL  MECHANIC'S  JOURNAL. 


123 


The  only  drawbacks  to  the  perusal  of  this  very  interesting  volume, 
are  certain  obscurities  of  phraseology,  and  occasional  crudities  of 
expression.  If  our  readers  will  push  resolutely  through  these  diffi- 
culties, they  will  find  Dr.  Watson  a  valuable  guide,  where  a  guide  is 
really  needed. 


Strictures  on  the  Conduct  of  the  Police  Committee  and  the  In- 
spector of  Smoke  Nuisance  :  being  a  Letter  addressed  to  Robert 
Stewart,  Esq.  of  Omoa,  Lord  Provost  of  Glasgow,  by  One  of  Four 
Hundred.     Glasgow:  J.  M'Leod,  1852.     Pp.15. 

Nebuchadnezzar  dreamed  dreams  wherewith  his  spirit  was  troubled ; 
and  be  called  upon  the  wise  men,  not  only  to  interpret  the  dreams,  but  to 
discover  what  they  were,  saving,  "  The  thing  is  gone  from  me ;  if  ye 
will  not  make  known  unto  me  the  dream,  with  the  interpretation  there- 
of, ye  shall  be  cut  in  pieces." 

A  dream  has  been  dreamt,  in  more  modern  days,  of  clear  skies,  un- 
tainted with  the  fumes  of  power-giving  coal;  and,  with  a  despotism 
somewhat  parallel,  has  the  interpretation,  or  realization  thereof,  been 
demanded.  The  writer  of  the  local  pamphlet  before  us,  however,  does 
not  profess  to  be  the  Daniel  in  this  case,  but,  as  the  mouthpiece  of  the 
"  wise  men,"  remonstrates  with  the  modern  Nebuchadnezzars  on  the  un- 
reasonableness of  their  demands. 

Manufacturers  are  told  to  consume  their  smoke,  whilst,  as  yet,  the 
consumption  of  smoke  is  a  problem  unsolved.  Our  Four  Hundredth 
man  is  by  no  means  desirous  of  continuing  the  nuisance,  if  it  can  be 
avoided  by  reasonable  means ;  but  he  complains  of  the  modus  operandi 
of  the  Glasgow  Police  Committee  and  Inspector  of  Smoke  Nuisance,  in 
pursuit  of  an  object  most  laudable  in  the  sight  of  every  one  "  who  has 
any  regard  for  pure  air  and  clean  linen." 

With  regard  to  doing  away  with  the  smoke  nuisance,  it  Is  very  evi- 
dent that  more  can  be  accomplished,  by  care  and  attention  on  the  part  of 
the  fireman  or  stoker,  than  by  the  adoption  of  any  peculiar  specific.  We 
would,  therefore,  call  the  attention  of  manufacturers,  and  coal  burners 
generally,  to  this  point — referring  to  our  former  observations  on  the  sub- 
ject, when  noticing  Mr.  Buchanan's  pamphlet.* 


CORRESPONDENCE. 


FORSTER'S  HELIOSTAT. 

The  accompanying  sketch  represents  an  instrument,  the  design  of 
which  occurred  to  me  some  time  since,  when  using  Gambey's  "  Helio- 
stat."f  The  object  of  the  common  contrivance,  hitherto  in  use,  is  to 
keep  the  sun's  light  steady  on  a  particular  point,  in  order  that  its  pheno- 
mena may  be  the  more  easily  observed.  It  contains  an  adjustment, 
whereby  the  light  can  be  thrown  on  any  point  in  the  plane  of  the  meri- 
dian ;  but  my  im- 
proved apparatus  rec- 
,**tifies  an  important 
defect  in  the  earlier 
arrangement,  as  in  it 
the  light  may  be 
thrown  on  any  point 
whatever.  On  a  small 
pedestal  stand  is  placed 
a  short  level  in  the 
plane  of  the  meridian, 
and  carrying  a  gradu- 
ated are  whereby  the 
instrument  is  set  The 
reflecting  mirrors  are 
carried  by  a  long  bal- 
anced rod,  attached  by 
a  universal  joint  to 
the  stand.  The  mirror 
which  receives  the  di- 
rect rays  of  the  sun  is 
capable  of  adjustment 
to  any  angle,  with  the 
aid  of  a  small  quad- 
rant attached  to  it. 
This  mirror  is  made  to 
revolve  once  in  twen- 
ty-four hours,  about 
the  axis  of  the  rod,  by  means  of  clockwork,  contained  in  a  small  box, 

*  See  page  41,  Vol.  V.,  Practical  Mechanic's  Journal. 
t  See  Pouillet'B  "  Cours  de  Physique  Experimentale." 


forming  a  continuation  of  the  rod.  The  second  mirror,  which  receives 
the  rays  reflected  by  the  first,  is  attached  by  a  universal  joint,  in  the 
line  of  the  rod's  axis,  to  a  bracket  extending  round  from  the  non-revolv- 
ing part  of  the  rod. 

In  using  the  instrument,  the  level  is  first  adjusted  in  the  plane  of  the 
meridian,  and  the  main  rod  is  set  at  an  angle  with  it,  equal  to  the  lati- 
tude of  the  place.  The  angle  of  the  first  minor  is  then  made  equal  to 
one-half  the  complement  of  the  sun's  declination  at  the  time,  as  obtained 
from  the  Nautical  Almanac,  and  the  mirror  is  turned  from  its  present 
position  15°  for  every  hour,  before  or  after  noon;  the  clockwork  is 
then  set  agoing. 

The  principles  of  its  operation  will  be  obvious.  The  main  rod  being 
parallel  with  the  axis  of  the  earth,  the  sun  will  describe  a  uniform  course 
about  it,  and  the  angle  the  sun's  rays  make  with  it  will  be  constant, 
being  equal  to  the  complement  of  the  declination.  The  sun's  rays  will 
consequently  always  be  reflected  in  the  direction  of  the  rod's  axis,  and 
any  required  direction  may  then  be  given  them  by  means  of  the  second 
mirror. 

R.  Forster,  Jun. 
Dublin,  July,  1853. 

PREVENTION  OF  THE  DEPOSIT  IN  STEAM  BOILERS. 

In  the  Practical  Mechanic's  Journal  for  July,  mention  is  made  of  a 
plan  for  preventing  the  deposit  in  steam  boilers,  by  Mr.  Ira  Hill,  who 
uses  oak  sawdust  for  this  purpose.  I  can  vouch  for  the  value  of  the 
preventive,  as  I  have  practised  a  similar  method  for  some  years  with 
perfect  success.  Our  water  here,  when  used  clean  from  the  reservoirs, 
deposits  a  very  fine  coating  of  sulphate  of  lime.  A  few  years  ago  we 
put  up  a  new  steam-engine,  and  this  caused  us  to  make  entirely  new 
arrangements  for  our  boiler-water  supply.  We  then  took  the  water 
from  the  clean  reservoir,  as  well  as  from  some  catch-water,  after  being 
used  for  washing  prints.  This  washing-water  was,  of  course,  more  or 
less  charged  with  colouring  matter  or  dye  drugs,  such  as  madder,  sumach, 
logwood,  and  quercitron  bark ;  and  we  now  find,  after  using  this  col- 
oured water  for  several  years,  that  the  boilers  are  as  free  from  deposit, 
and  as  beautifully  clean,  as  the  first  day  of  their  working.  In  fact,  I 
think  they  are  now  in  better  order  than  ever,  as  the  plates  are  quite 
smooth  and  black.  Of  course,  we  require  to  blow  off  and  clean  from 
time  to  time,  as  a  flocky  precipitate  forms  in  the  boiler  bottom ;  but  this 
is  easily  swept  out  with  a  common  broom.  This  deposit  is,  I  presume, 
a  partly  chemical  and  partly  mechanical  combination  of  the  colouring 
matter,  with  sulphate  of  lime.  I  was  led  to  this  idea  from  having, 
some  years  ago,  pumped  up  the  wash-wheel  water  from  the  dye-house, 
and  mixed  it  with  a  mineral  water  pumped  from  a  coal  mine,  expecting 
to  improve  the  quality  by  the  mixture.  The  water  was  afterwards 
filtered.  I  was  glad  to  find  a  marked  improvement  from  this  combina- 
tion of  the  two  impure  waters— the  one  charged  with  colour,  and  the 
other  with  sulphate  of  iron  and  sulphate  of  lime.  There  was  an  im- 
mense deposit  in  the  reservoir  where  the  mixture  was  left  to  settle. 

James  Bevan. 

Selljield  Print-  Works,  Boclidalc,  July,  1853. 


STEAM-PRESSURE  GOVERNOR. 

Could  you  suggest  a  good  plan  for  making  the  variation  of  steam 
pressure — say  of  one  or  two  pounds  per  square  inch — throw  on  and  off  a 
small  driving  belt?  There  are  many  ways  in  which  it  may  be  accom- 
plished, but  you  may  possibly  be  able  to  give  me  a  better  one  than  any 
I  can  think  of.  The  working  pressure  in  the  boilers  is  37  pounds ; 
therefore,  with  this  as  a  standard,  I  want  to  be  able  to  shift  a  belt  on  or 
off,  or  engage  or  disengage  a  clutch,  with  a  varying  range  of  one  or  two 
pounds  steam  pressure. 

C.  Bltth. 

Tay  WorJcs,  Dundee,  July,  1853. 

[As  our  correspondent  remarks,  there  are  several  ways  of  doing  what 
he  wants.     There  is,  perhaps,  nothing  simpler  than  this: — 

Let  him  fit  up  a  continually  revolving  spindle,  carrying  a  small  cam 
or  eccentric,  working  freely  within  an  open  frame,  the  two  acting  sides 
of  which  are  set  a  little  out  of  the  same  plane.  This  cam  frame  must 
form  part  of  a  rod  passing  to  the  belt  forks,  or  to  the  clutch,  as  the  case 
may  be  ;  so  that  when  the  frame  is  drawn  to  the  right,  it  may  set  on  the 
belt ;  or  if  to  the  left,  it  may  throw  it  off ;  and  it  must  be  capable  of  a 
slight  lateral  motion,  so  as  to  bring  either  side  into  the  same  plane  as 
the  revolving  cam.  Connect  this  frame  in  any  simple  manner  with  the 
float  or  peg  of  a  mercurial  guage,  so  that,  when  the  column  stands  at 
37  pounds  pressure,  the  float  may  hold  the  frame  in  the  centre  of  its 


124 


THE  PRACTICAL  MECHANIC'S  JOURNAL. 


traverse.  Then,  on  the  rising  or  falling  of  the  mercury,  the  action  will 
shift  the  frame,  so  as  to  bring  one  or  other  of  the  planes  into  a  line  with 
the  cam  ;  and  as  the  latter  comes  round,  it  will  draw  it  to  one  side,  and 
so  shift  the  strap. — Ed.  P.  M.  Journal.] 


ELECTRODE  ADJUSTMENT  FOR  THE  ELECTRIC  LIGHT. 
I  have  been  greatly  interested  in  Dr.  "Watson's  electric  lamp,  as  given 
in  a  recent  plate  in  the  Practical  Mechanic's  Journal ;  and  I  now  venture 

to  send  you  a  sketch  of 
an  arrangement  of  my 
own  for  a  similar  pur- 
pope.  My  plan  is,  I  think, 
quite  as  efficient  as  Dr. 
Watson's,  whilst  the 
details  are  simpler  and 
cheaper. 

Fig.  1  is  a  partially 
sectioned  elevation,  cor- 
responding to  that  given 
in  your  plate.  It  is  one- 
fourth  the  real  size ; 
Fig.  2  is  an  enlarged 
detail  in  plan  of  the  up- 
per adjustment  bracket ; 
and  fig.  3  is  a  horizon- 
tal section  of  the  lower 
adjustment. 

The  electro  -  magnet 
is  at  a;  and  its  arma- 
ture, b,  which  is  beneath, 
is  shown  in  contact,  so 
that  the  brass  rod,  c, 
passing  through  the 
centre  of  the  magnet,  is 
in  its  elevated  position. 
The  rod  thus — bymeans 
of  the  bell-crank  lever, 
n,  bearing  against  the 
loose  sliding-bar,  e — 
holds  the  main  vertical 
sliding-rod,  p,  in  a  fixed 
position.  The  armature, 
b,  is  screwed  on  to  the 
lower  end  of  its  link-rod, 
0]  so  as  to  admit  of  easy 
IsBj  adjustment ;  and  it  is 
connected  by  a  link  on  its  lower  side,  with  the  shorter  arm  of  the  double 
lever,  G,  the  opposite  longer  arm  of  which  has  a  spring  catch,  h,  jointed 
to  it,  and  arranged  to  work  in  the  finely  toothed  sliding  ratchet-piece,  j. 

This  ratchet  terminates,  as   also 

F'g.2.  does  the  upper  sliding-rod,  f,  in  a 

steel  or  platinum  spring  clip,  k. 

The  loose  overhead  bar,  e,  works  in 

small  guide  eyes,  L,  on  the  bracket, 

m,  and  this  bracket  slides  down 

with   stiff  friction  upon  the  main 

pillar,  n.     The  detailed  sections, 

and  the  following  explanation  of  the  action,  will,  I  think,  make  the  whole 

quite  clear  to  all  who  have  examined  your  large  plate.     When,   from 

the  consumption  of  the  electrodes,  the  distance  between 

their  points  is  increased  so  much  as  to  stop  the  current, 

the  spring,  o,  draws  down  the  armature,  b,  and  lifts  the 

ratchet  at  the  same  time  that  the  upper  sliding-rod,  f, 

is  released.     The  electrodes  thus  simultaneously  approach 

each  other,  and  the  requisite  distance  being  attained,  the 

consequent   instantaneous   renewal  of  the  current  fixes 

them  both  by  the  upward  jerk  of  the  armature. 

Henry  Torton. 
Burton-on- Trent,  July,  1853. 

PROCEEDINGS  OF  SCIENTIFIC  SOCIETIES. 
INSTITUTION  OF  CIVIL  ENGINEERS. 
Premiums — Session,  1852-53. 
The  Council  of  the  Institution  of  Civil  Engineers  have  awarded  the  following 
Premiums : — 

1.  A  Telford  Medal,  to  John  Coode,  M.  Inst.  C.E.,  fur  his  "  Description  of  the 
Chesil  Bank." 


Fig.  3. 


2.  A  Telford  Medal,  to  Daniel  Kinnear  Clark,  for  his  "  Experimental  Investi- 
gation of  the  Principles  of  Locomotive  Boilers." 

3.  A  Telford  Medal,  to  William  Alexander  Brooks,  M.  Inst.  C.E.,  for  his  paper 
41  On  the  Improvement  of  Tidal  Navigation  and  Drainage." 

4.  A  Telford  Medal,  to  John  Barker  Huntingdon,  Assoc.  Inst.  C.E.,  for  his 
paper  entituled,  "  Observations  on  Salt  Water,  and  its  application  to  the  generation 
of  Steam." 

5.  A  Telford  Medal,  to  Henry  Potter  Burt,  Assoc.  Inst.  C.E.,  for  his  paper 
"  On  the  nature  and  properties  of  Timber,  with  notices  of  several  methods  now  in 
use  for  its  preservation  from  decay." 

6.  A  Telford  Medal,  to  Thomas  Duncan,  Assoc.  Inst.  C.E.,  for  his  "  Descrip- 
tion of  the  Liverpool  Corporation  Water  Works." 

7.  A  Telford  Medal,  to  Charles  William  Siemens,  for  his  paper  "  On  the  Con- 
verison  of  Heat  into  Mechanical  Effect." 

8.  A  Telford  Medal,  to  Benjamin  Cheverton,  for  his  paper  "  On  the  use  of 
Heated  Air  as  a  Motive  Power." 

9.  A  Telford  Medal,  to  James  Barrett,  Assoc.  Inst.  C.E.,  for  his  paper  "  On  the 
construction  of  Fire-Proof  Buildings." 

10.  A  Council  Premium  of  Books,  suitably  bound  and  inscribed,  to  Joshna 
Richardson,  M.  Inst.  C.E.,  for  his  paper  "  On  the  Pneumatics  of  Mines." 

11.  A  Council  Premium  of  Books,  suitably  bound  and  inscribed,  to  William 
George  Armstrong,  Assoc.  Inst.  C.E.,  for  his  paper  "  On  the  Concussion  of  Pump 
Valves." 

12.  A  Council  Premium  of  Books,  suitably  bound  and  inscribed,  to  Robert 
Rawlinson,  Assoc.  Inst.  C.E.,  for  bis  paper  "  On  the  Drainage  of  Towns." 

13.  A  Council  Premium  of  Books,  suitably  bound  and  inscribed,  to  James 
Sewell,  for  his  paper  on  "  Locomotive  Boilers." 


MONTHLY  NOTES. 


Carpet  Manufacture. — Crossley  v.  Potter. — Action  for  Infringe- 
ment.— In  the  year  1S42,  Mr.  Thomas  Thompson,  of  Coventry,  ohtained  a  patent 
for  "  certain  improvements  in  weaving  figured  fabrics,"  and  this  grant,  which 
has  since  passed  into  the  hands  of  Messrs.  Crossley,  the  eminent  carpet  manufac- 
turers of  Halifax,  formed  the  subject  of  the  present  action.  The  counsel  for  the 
defendant,  who  is  another  large  manufacturer  at  Darwen,  called  Mr.  Thompson, 
the  original  patentee,  who  proved  that  the  machinery  invented  by  him  was  for  the 
improved  manufacture  of  carriage  lace,  and  that  at  the  time  he  discovered  it  he 
knew  nothing  of  carpet-making,  nor  was  it  in  his  mind.  It  further  appeared 
that,  having  made  the  discovery,  and  taken  out  a  patent,  he  sold  it  to  Messrs. 
Payne,  by  whom  a  specification  (under  which  the  plaintiff  claimed)  was  prepared, 
extending  the  original  patent  to  improvements  in  the  manufacture  of  carpets. 
This  specification  Mr.  Thompson  decliired  to  sign  at  first,  under  the  impression 
that  he  would  be  called  on  to  verify  it,  on  oath,  as  being  all  his  own  invention;  but 
being  undeceived  on  that  point,  he  eventually  signed  it  for  the  consideration  of 
£50.  He  now,  however,  stated,  that  all  the  subject-matter  so  specified  was  not 
his  invention.  Under  these  circumstances,  the  Chief  Baron  expressed  himself  to 
be  of  opinion  that,  if  the  jury  gave  credit  to  this  testimony,  the  patent  was  not 
worth  a  farthing.  If,  at  the  time  of  the  invention,  Mr.  Thompson  knew  nothing 
about  carpets,  but  invented  a  new  machine  for  improvements  in  the  manufacture 
of  carriage  lace  only,  a  specification  subsequently  prepared  by  a  patent  agent, 
embodying  slight  additions,  extending  the  patent  to  machines  for  making  carpets, 
could  not  be  supported.  On  the  plea,  therefore,  that  no  specification  of  Thomp- 
son's invention  was  duly  enrolled,  and  on  that  denying  the  infringement,  which 
went  to  the  whole  action,  he  should  direct  a  verdict  for  the  defendants,  supposing 
the  jury  believed  Mr.  Thompson's  evidence.  After  some  discussion  and  further 
evidence,  the  jury  intimated  that  they  were  all  agreed  in  giving  credit  to  Mr. 
Thompson's  evidence,  and  thereupon  a  verdict  was  taken  for  the  defendants,  Mr. 
Atherton  having  tendered  a  bill  of  exceptions  to  the  ruling  of  the  Chief  Baron. 

Stoll's  Patent. — This  was  an  application  to  the  Lord  Chancellor  to  affix  the 
Great  Seal  to  a  patent,  applied  for  by  Mr.  John  James  Stoil,  a  Swiss  gentleman, 
for  "  improvements  in  the  manufacture  of  boots  and  shoes,  and  similar  articles, 
and  in  machinery  used  therein,  entitled,  Metallic-toothed  and  Wedged  Seams,  and 
Waterproof,  Elastic,  Indented  Stitches,"  and  was  opposed  by  Mr.  Julian  Bernard, 
the  patentee  of  several  inventions  relative  to  the  manufacture  of  boots  and  shoes 
by  machinery,  upon  the  ground,  that  so  much  of  the  invention  as  related  to  water- 
proof, elastic,  indented  stitches,  was  an  infringement  of  Mr.  Bernard's  patents,  and 
that  another  portion  of  the  patent  petitioned  for,  being  the  use  of  rollers  for  com- 
pressing leather  for  the  soles  of  boots  and  shoes,  in  place  of  hammering  the  same, 
was  not  novel,  as  Mr.  Brunei  had  used  rollers  for  a  similar  purpose.  The  petiiion 
of  Mr.  Stoll  had  been  opposed  at  the  earlier  stage  of  opposition,  before  the  Solicitor- 
General,  Sir  Richard  Bethell,  who  had  given  the  following  written  decision  upon 
the  matter: — "  From  the  very  imperfect  manner  in  which  these  inventions  have 
been  explained,  and  the  non-exhibition  of  any  specimens  or  models,  I  have  had 
considerable  difficulty  in  arriving  at  a  satisfactory  conclusion ;  but  on  an  examina- 
tion of  the  specifications,  I  am  of  opinion,  that  the  third  article  or  paragraph  in 
Stoll's  specification  describes  a  mode  of  manufacturing  which  would  be  an  infringe- 
ment of  Bernard's  patent,  of  July,  one  thousand  eight  hundred  and  fifty-two,  and 
I  cannot  therefore  allow  Stoll's  patent  to  proceed  with  this  (third)  article  of  the 
specification.  I  have  some  doubt  whether  there  may  not  be  infringements  in  other 
respects,  but  the  very  insufficient  explanations  on  both  sides  have  not  enabled  me 
to  arrive  at  any  satisfactory  conclusion,  except  as  to  the  third  article. — Richard 
Betuell — Lincoln's  Inn,  April  23rd,  1853." — Mr.  Bernard,  who  has  devoted 


THE  PRACTICAL  MECHANIC'S  JOURNAL. 


125 


several  years  to  the  perfection  of  the  machinery  and  processes  patented  by  him, 
and  who  has  expended  a  very  large  sum  of  money  in  carrying  them  out,  was  very 
naturally  dissatisfied  with  this  singular  decision,  and  accordingly  caused  the  oppo- 
sition to  be  entered  at  the  Great  Seal.  The  case  came  before  the  Lord  Chancellor 
on  the  2oth  May,  when  Mr.  Schomberg  appeared  fur  the  petitioner,  and  Mr.  Bag- 
galay  for  Mr.  Bernard.  The  petitioner,  however,  alleging  that  he  had  not  bad  time 
to  answer  affidavits  lodged  by  Mr.  Bernard,  the  case  was  adjourned.  When  the 
matter  came  on  before  his  Lordship  again,  on  the  11th  June,  it  was  ordered  to 
stand  over,  to  give  the  Lord  Chancellor  an  opportunity  of  seeing  Frofessor  Wood- 
croft,  and  directing  him  to  inspect  the  specifications  of  both  parties,  and  to  report 
whether  Stoll's  patent  was  an  infringement  of  Mr.  Bernard's  patents  in  any,  and 
what  respects.  Professor  Woodcraft  having  made  his  report,  the  matter  again 
came  on  before  the  Lord  Chancellor  on  the  9th  July,  when  his  Lordship  dismissed 
the  petition  altogether,  on  the  ground  that  three  of  the  heads  were  infringements 
of  Mr.  Bernard's  patents,  and  a  fourth,  the  rolling  leather,  was  not  new,  being,  as 
alleged  by  the  opposing  party,  the  invention  of  Brunei.  Mr.  Schomberg  applied, 
at  a  later  period  of  the  day,  to  have  the  patent  sealed  for  the  metallic  toothed  and 
wedged  seams  only ;  but  his  Lordship  refused  to  entertain  the  application,  and,  in 
consequence,  Mr.  Stoll  altogether  loses  his  patent.  The  occurrence  of  cases  of 
this  nature  must,  we  think,  impress  the  authorities  with  the  importance  of  the 
judgment  of  the  law  officers  being  aided  by  the  experience  of  gentlemen  who  have 
devoted  themselves  to  scientific  pursuits.  In  this  case,  the  Solicitor-General — 
having  received,  by  the  way,  seven  pounds  for  the  trouble — in  giving  his  opinion, 
expresses  doubts  whether  other  points  are  not  infringements.  Without,  however, 
taking  the  trouble  to  obtain  better  evidence  upon  those  points,  the  fiat  for  the 
patent  was  signed  by  him,  and  the  parties  were  thus  compelled  to  go  to  a  higher 
tribunal,  and  to  incur  heavy  expenses,  for  the  satisfactory  settlement  of  the  ques- 
tion, whilst  the  matter  was  finally  determined,  upon  the  report  of  Professor  Wood- 
croft,  the  Assist  ant- Commissioner  of  Patents,  whose  evidence  was  just  as  accessible 
in  the  earlier  as  in  the  later  stage.  When  the  appointment  of  Assistant-Commis- 
sioner was  conferred  upon  Mr.  Woodcraft,  the  public  might  well  have  expected 
that  his  well-known  scientific  attainments,  and  great  experience  in  patent  business, 
would  be  adopted  in  the  arrangement  of  matters  of  this  nature  generally,  without 
increased  expense  to  patentees,  the  fees  paid  for  oppositions  being  so  high,  more 
particularly  as,  under  the  new  law,  the  opposing  party  is  taxed  with  an  additional 
payment  of  £2 ;  the  fees  payable  by  both  sides,  on  an  opposition,  being  £9,  in 
place  of  £6.  155,  under  the  old  law.  At  present,  however,  this  is  not  the  case, 
and  consequently,  many  cases  similar  to  Mr.  Stoll's  may  be  anticipated. 

Palmer's  Candles. — Palmer  v.  Wagstaff. — Action  for  Infringe- 
ment.— An  action  has  just  been  tried  in  the  Court  of  Exchequer,  before  the 
Chief  Baron,  for  the  recovery  of  compensation  in  damages,  on  account  of  an  alleged 
infringement  of  a  patent  for  making  candles  with  plaited  wicks.  Mr.  Palmer,  the 
plaintiff,  who  is  the  well-known  "candle-lamp"  maker,  obtained  the  patent  in 
question  in  1844,  hut  only  made  a  few  dozens  of  the  candles,  and  has  not  since 
acted  upon  it,  except  for  the  purposes  of  the  present  trial,  nor  has  he  ever  sent 
the  candles  so  made  forth  to  the  world.  The  Chief  Baron,  in  leaving  the  case  to 
the  jury,  said  that,  in  legal  language,  it  was  a  fraud  on  the  law  of  patents  for  any 
person  to  take  out  a  patent  with  a  view  to  the  obstruction  of  improvements  by 
another.  That  was  just  the  case  where  a  man  was  proved  to  have  taken  out  a 
patent,  and  never  to  have  published  it  to  the  world,  either  by  his  own  act  of 
manufacturing  the  article  under  its  specification,  or  by  granting  licenses  to  others 
to  carry  out  the  improvement  which  the  invention  so  patented  was  said  to  have 
produced.  One  object  of  the  invention  was  the  production  of  a  candle  with  a 
plaited  wick,  so  that  it  would  not  require  to  be  snuffed ;  but  it  would  appear,  that, 
prior  to  the  patent,  there  had  been  candles  made  which  possessed  the  same  quality. 
Well,  then,  this  patent  had  been  taken  out,  had  never  been  acted  upon  or  pub- 
lished to  the  world  by  the  patentee,  and  then,  some  years  afterwards,  when  an 
improvement,  in  respect  of  plaited  wicks  to  candles,  was  put  forth  by  the  defen- 
dant, he  came  down  upon  him  with  this  action  for  damages.  The  jury  would  say 
whether  any  damage  could  have  been  sustained  by  a  man  who  had  never  done 
anything  under  the  patent,  with  the  exception  of  obtaining  and  enrolling  it.  The 
jary,  interrupting,  said  they  had  for  some  time  arrived  at  the  conclusion,  that  the 
plaintiff  had  not  sustained  any  damage.  The  Chief  Baron  then  said,  that  being 
their  opinion,  all  they  would  have  to  do  would  be  to  consider,  whether  they  were 
satisfied  that  the  candle  made  by  the  defendant  was  similar  to  that  proposed  to  be 
made  under  the  plaintiff's  specification.  If  it  was,  then  they  ought  to  give  some 
damages.  A  farthing  or  40s.  would,  perhaps,  satisfy  the  issue.  Upon  that  issue 
the  jury  at  once  returned  a  verdict  for  the  plaintiff — damages,  one  farthing. 

Cotton  Spinning. — Ecclesp.  M'Gregor Action  for  Infringement. 

— This  was  an  action  for  the  alleged  infringement  of  a  patent,  obtained  by  Mr.  Eccles, 
of  Walton,  near  Preston,  in  1845,  for  a  mule.  The  evidence  referred  back  to  Mr. 
Roberts'  patent  for  a  "  self-actor,"  in  1830,  and  showed  that,  on  the  expiration  of 
his  patent  in  1844,  the  plaintiff  directed  his  attention  to  the  matter,  and  in  1845 
obtained  a  patent  for  the  machine  which  he  now  claimed  as  his  invention,  and  the 
idea  and  form  of  which  he  alleged  to  have  been  copied  by  the  defendant.  It  was 
said  that  the  plaintiff's  machine  was  an  improvement  on  that  of  Roberts,  in  conse- 
quence of  the  introduction  of  a  different  mode  of  applying  the  force  to  a  chain 
which  affected  the  rapidity  of  the  movement  of  the  wheels,  and  that,  whereas  by 
Roberts'  machine  the  movement  sometimes  became  slower  towards  the  end  of  the 
operation,  with  the  machine  made  by  the  plaintiff  it  became  faster.  In  plaintiff's 
mule,  a  radial  bar  and  fixed  drnm  is  used  to  regulate  the  motion  of  the  spindles, 
with  relation  to  the  varying  size  of  the  "  cop."  The  same  advantage  was  obtained 
by  the  machine  constructed  by  the  defendant,  which  differed  little  in  its  form  and 
in  the  arrangement  of  the  various  parts  from  that  of  the  plaintiff,  but  which  some 
of  the  witnesses  decidedly  preferred.     The  question  in  substance  was,  whether  the 

VVTTt  ~~  " 


two  machines  were  not  reproductions  of  Roberts'  invention,  with  but  a  slight  dif- 
ference in  the  application  of  one  well-known  power  to  remedy  a  well-known  defect 
such  application  not  being  in  either  of  them  the  proper  subject  of  a  patent.  The 
defendant  denied  the  novelty  and  the  usefulness  of  the  plaintiff's  invention.  Much 
conflicting  evidence  resulted  ;  but  the  defendant  succeeded  in  adducing  some  strong 
points  to  show  that  the  plaintiff  had  not  usefully  applied  his  own  invention ;  and, 
in  fact,  that  he  had  borrowed  from  the  improved  mules  of  other  parties.  Lord 
Campbell  left  it  to  the  jury  to  say,  whether  the  plaintiff's  invention  was  new  and 
useful,  and  whether  the  defendant  had  infringed  it.  The  jury  found  their  verdict 
on  all  the  issues  for  the  defendant. 

Relative  Purity  and  Generation  of  Heat  op  Artificial  Lights. 

The  following  table  has  been  compiled  by  Professor  Frankland,  for  the  correction 
of  the  serious  popular  misconceptions  as  to  the  relative  objections  to  the  varieties 
of  artificial  light : — 

Quantity  of  carbonic  acid  and  heat  generated  per  hour,  by  various  sources  of  light 
equal  to  twenty  sperm  candles : — 


Carbonic  acid. 

Tallow, Cubic  feet  10-1  

Wax ^     fi.q 

Spermaceti, j      °  6  

Sperm  oil  (Carcel's  lamp), 6'4  

London  gases  (coal), 5'0  

Manchester  gas, 4*0  

London  gas  (Cannel), 3"0  

Boghead  hydro-carbon  gas, 2-6   

Lesmahagow  hydro-carbon  gas 2*5  


Heat. 
.  100 

.     82 

.  63 
.  47 
.  32 
32 
!  19 
,     19 


Professor  Frankland  adds: — "The  two  objections  most  frequently  advanced 
against  the  use  of  gas  in  dwelling-houses,  are  the  deterioration  of  the  air  by  the 
production  of  carbonic  acid,  and  the  evolution  of  so  much  heat  as  to  render  the 
atmosphere  oppressively  hot.  It  will  be  seen,  from  the  comparison  exhibited,  that 
in  these  respects  even  the  worst  descriptions  of  coal  gas  are,  for  an  equal  amount 
of  light,  superior  to  all  other  illuminating  materials ;  whilst,  with  the  better 
descriptions  of  gas,  three  or  four  times  the  amount  of  light  may  be  employed  with 
no  greater  atmospheric  deterioration." 

Prussian  Blue. — This  beautiful  colour  was  originally  brought  to  light  in 
Berlin,  and  hence  it  is  occasionally  called  "  Berlin  blue."  Its  manufacture  exhi- 
bits a  steady  growth,  of  most  remarkable  rapidity  of  increase.  The  annual  pro- 
duction in  this  country  for  the  last  twenty-seven  years  being — 

From   1825  to  1830,  about       10  tons. 
"       1830  to  1835,       "          40     " 

"  1835  to  1840,  "  200  " 
"  1840  to  1845,  "  700  " 
"      1845  to  1850,       "       1040     " 

And  the  present  annual  manufacture  is  about  2000  tons.  The  price  of  the  best 
is  from  3s.  6d.  to  4s.  a  pound,  or  £255  per  ton. 

Consumption  of  Pig-Iron  in  Scotland. — The  following  statement  shows 
the  actual  rate  of  increase  in  the  consumption  of  pig-iron  in  Scotland,  as  made  out 
by  a  comparison  of  the  respective  first  half  years  of  1852  and  1853 : — 

1852.  1853. 

In  the  wrought-iron  manufacture, 60,000     80,000 


In  iron-fonndries : — 

Lanarkshire, 52,000 

Other  Western  Counties,  20,500 

Eastern  Counties, 6,000 

North  of  the  Forth 7,000 


56,000 

24,000 

6,500 

8,500 


85,500     95,000 


Increase  of  consumption  in  1853 : — 

In  malleable  iron-works, 20,000 

In  iron-foundries, 9,500 

Total,  about 29,000  tons. 

An  American  Opinion  on  American  Industrial  Capabilities. — The 
American  people,  of  all  others,  possess  mechanical  traits  of  character  which  have 
and  are  destined  to  make  them  the  most  wonderful  nation  on  the  globe.  They  are 
not  contented  to  copy  or  to  follow  in  the  footsteps  of  their  mother-country ;  their 
conceptions  and  developments  are  emphatically  their  own.  While  England  builds 
ships  from  Newton's  formula  of  the  curve  of  least  resistance,  Americans  construct 
them  from  the  formula  of  error  and  trial,  as  developed  at  Cowes.  Americans 
project  and  complete  railroads  of  great  magnitude  without  any  apparent  effort ; 
but  English  engineers  must  first  have  the  relation  of  the  ordinates  of  the  greatest 
curve  and  the  nature  of  the  highest  grades  considered  by  the  Royal  Society,  before 
the  first  steps  are  taken.  They  become  alarmed  if  the  pressure  of  the  steam  upon 
their  boats  reaches  a  few  pounds  above  the  elasticity  of  the  atmosphere,  while  we 
delight  and  glory  to  listen  to  the  escape  of  the  blue  vapour  under  the  enormous 
pressure  of  150  or  200  pounds.  They  made  nails  by  units,  until  the  Americans 
taught  them  the  art  of  manufacturing  per  thousand.  They  made  pins  by  hand, 
until  American  mechanics  discovered  a  method  of  performing  manual  labour  by 
machinery.     They  spun  upon  Arkwright's  patents  until  Danforth  and  Thrope 


126 


THE  PRACTICAL  MECHANIC'S  JOURNAL. 


(Americans)  produced  greater  inventions.  They  fought  the  battles  of  Marston 
Moor  and  Waterloo  with  the  arms  of  a  former  age,  which  are  now  being  super- 
seded by  the  inventions  of  Colt,  Porter,  and  other  Americans.  And  thus  we  could 
continue  to  add  proof  of  what  we  first  asserted,  that  the  Americans  possess 
mechanical  traits  of  the  highest  grade;  and  it  will  be  found,  upon  examination, 
that  their  extraordinary  success  as  a  nation  emanates,  in  a  great  measure,  from 
these  developments.  The  substitution  of  motive  power  for  physical  labour  lias 
been  carried  to  a  greater  extent  in  this  than  in  any  country  in  the  world,  and  this 
is  universally  admitted  to  be  the  greatest  lever  of  civilization  that  mankind  has 
ever  been  able  to  bring  to  their  aid.  America,  at  the  present  time,  has  employed 
motive  power  move  than  equivalent  to  all  the  physical  labour  of  the  human  family 
combined.  In  the  great  magazine  of  nature,  there  slumbers  a  power  which  the 
American  mind  is  now  awaking  into  existence,  which  is  able  and  will  perform  in 
time  all  the  labour  and  drudgery  to  which  the  miserable  of  mankind  are  now  sub- 
jected.— The  Mechanic. 

Retiring  Pensions  to  Engineers,  R.N. — We  are  extremely  gratified  to  be 
able  to  announce  the  issue  of  an  Order  in  Council,  for  setting  right  the  engineers 
of  the  navy,  on  a  point  which  has  all  along  been  utterly  neglected.  This  is  the 
question  of  superannuation  allowances,  which  the  recent  order  determines  as  fol- 
lows:— Inspectors  afloat  are  to  receive  from  £130  to  £180;  chief  engineers,  who 
have  served  twelve  years  in  that  rank,  £100  to  £130;  after  six  years,  £85  to 
£105,  and  after  three  years,  £75  to  £90;  assistant-engineers,  after  twenty  years' 
service,  from  £50  to  £60,  and  after  three  years  from  £40  to  £50. 

Literature,  Science,  and  Art,  in  the  House  of  Commons. — A  recent 
pamphlet,  entitled  Parliamentary  Reform — Educational  Franchise — has  awakened 
the  long  slumbering  question  of  a  more  adequate  representation  of  pure  intellect 
in  our  legislative  councils.  Of  the  three  great  interests — manufactures  and  com- 
merce, agriculture,  and  education  and  intelligence — it  would  be  absurdly  unneces- 
sary to  point  out  the  weakest,  as  regards  parliamentary,  and,  consequently, 
progressive  influence.  The  brief  production  to  which  we  have  referred,  conveys  a 
proposition  for  supplying  the  undeniable  want.  The  nameless  author  proceeds  by 
recommending  the  establishment  of  certain  "  educational  qualifications"  for  the 
creation  of  electors ;  and  he  comes  first  to  divinity,  law,  and  physic;  then  to  re- 
tired and  half-pay  officers.  These  are  followed  by  "learning  and  education" — 
under  which  head  he  includes  "all  who  have  passed  an  examination  for  the  degree 
of  B.A.  at  Oxford  or  Cambridge;  all  professors  and  graduates  of  the  University 
of  London — an  increasing  class;  all  professors  and  graduates  of  the  Scotch  Uni- 
versities; all  graduates  of  Durham  and  St.  David's;  and  all  certificated  school- 
masters— an  increasing  class."  An  eighth  class  is  to  be  composed  of  adepts  in 
"  literature,  science,  and  art,"  including  Fellows  of  the  Royal  Societies  of  London 
and  Edinburgh ;  Fellows  of  other  societies,  possessing  certain  distinctions;  Fel- 
lows of  Architectural  and  Engineering  Institutes;  Royal  Academicians;  commit- 
tee-men of  the  British  Association ;  existing  presidents  or  acting  secretaries  of 
certain  other  institutions;  and  members  of  the  Royal  Society  of  Literature,  "or 
of  a  Literary  or  Authors'  Institute,  should  such  be  formed."  He  thus  proposes 
to  produce  some  90,000  electors,  and  apportions  to  them  70  M.P.s— these  mem- 
bers being  returned  from  certain  districts,  by  the  aggregate  votes  of  a  general 
fusion  of  the  scientific  and  general  educational  electors  of  each  locality.  He 
assigns  these  members  thus: — 6  to  Middlesex,  6  to  Lancashire,  6  to  Yorkshire, 
3  to  Surrey,  2  to  Devonshire,  2  to  Somersetshire,  1  to  Cumberland  and  West- 
moreland, 1  to  Huntingdonshire,  Cambridgeshire,  and  Rutlandshire,  1  to  Here- 
fordshire and  Monmouthshire,  and  28,  in  the  whole,  to  the  remaining  counties  of 
England — numerical  population  being  the  basis  of  the  calculation  throughout. 
This  makes  56  for  England  altogether;  and  of  the  remaining  14,  11  are  allotted 
to  Scotland,  and  3  to  "Wales.  The  70  representatives  thus  arising  are  to  be  sub- 
stituted for  70  of  the  existing  ones,  who  are  to  be  withdrawn  from  the  House;  so 
that  the  actual  number  meeting  at  St.  Stephens  will  remain  as  at  present.  The 
idea  is  a  laudable  one ;  but  it  is  not  difficult  to  foresee  many  practical  objections 
to  the  project. 

The  New  York  Exhibition. — After  many  serious  and  vexatious  delays,  this 
industrial  display  has  at  length  been  opened.  The  inauguration  only  took  place 
on  the  15th  of  July,  so  that  we  are  unable  to  furnish  any  notes  upon  it  until  the 
appearance  of  our  September  part.  Meanwhile,  we  give  the  following  notice  just 
issued  by  the  directors : — "  It  is  proper  that  it  should  be  known  that,  in  order  to 
afford  ample  scope  for^the  inventive  talent  and  skill  of  our  countrymen  in  machinery 
and  agricultural  implements,  we  have  increased  the  size  of  the  building  by  adding 
nearly  one-fourth  to  its  area  beyond  what  was  originally  contemplated,  so  that  we 
have  now  for  the  purposes  of  exhibition  two  hundred  thousand  square  feet,  or  nearly 
five  acres.  Not  limiting  their  plans  to  a  display  merely  curious  or  attractive,  the 
directors  have  organized  a  department  of  mineralogy  and  geology,  in  which  some 
of  the  best  scientific  talent  of  the  country  has  been  employed ;  and  the  foundation 
is  thus  laid  of  a  most  valuable  national  collection  of  the  mineral  resources  of  the 
country.  The  directors  had  hoped  to  open  the  Exhibition  at  an  earlier  period ; 
but  the  novelty  and  intricacy  of  the  style  of  construction,  and  the  high  standard  of 
architectural  beauty,  which  it  has  been  the  object  of  the  Association  to  attain,  have 
produced  delay,  and  it  has  been  impracticable  for  the  directors,  notwithstanding 
their  utmost  vigilance,  and  their  most  earnest  desire,  to  announce  the  opening  at  an 
earlier  day.  In  regard  to  the  general  character  of  the  Exhibition,  the  result  pro- 
mises to  be  most  gratifying  and  not  unworthy  of  the  confidence  manifested  towards 
it  by  the  Government  of  the  United  States — a  confidence  which  has  elicited  a  cor- 
dial response  from  the  Governments  of  foreign  countries.  It  will,  unquestionably, 
be  the  most  attractive  and  interesting  collection  of  the  works  of  art,  the  results  of 
science,  and  the  productions  of  industry,  that  has  ever  yet  been  made  in  this  coun- 
try, and  will  tend  to  increase  the  active  emulation  of  the  age  in  every  branch  of 
intellectual  development.     The  sole  charge  of  the  interior  of  the  building,  its  divi- 


sion, arrangements,  classification,  and  police,  has  been  confided  to  two  officers  of 
the  navy  of  the  United  States,  Captains  S.  F.  Dupont  and  C.  H.  Davies ;  and  the 
sanction  of  the  Government  given  to  the  appointment  of  these  gentlemen,  who 
have  so  much  distinguished  themselves  in  the  special  services  in  which  they  have 
been  employed,  affords  proof  of  the  confidence  reposed  and  the  interest  felt  by  the 
highest  authorities  of  the  country  in  the  general  objects  of  the  enterprise.  These 
gentlemen  have  organised  their  department  as  follows: — J.  M.  Batchelder,  Secre- 
tary of  the  Superintendent;  Samuel  Webber,  Arrangement  of  Space  and  Classifi- 
cation;  Professor  B.  Silliman,  Jun.,  Mineralogy  and  Chemistry;  B.P.Johnson, 
Agricultural  Implements;  Joseph  E.  Holmes,  Machinery;  Edward  Vincent,  Tex- 
tile Fabrics;  Felix  Piatti,  Sculpture."  Our  own  Exhibition  in  Dublin  is  now  in  full 
and  successful  working  order,  and  we  shall  give  our  impressions  of  it  next  month 
also. 


PROVISIONAL  PROTECTIONS  FOR  INVENTIONS 

UNDER  THE  PATENT  LAW  AMENDMENT  ACT. 

IfiST  When  the  city  or  town  is  not  mentioned,  London  is  to  be  understood. 

Recorded  February  5- 
322.  Andre"  M.  Massonnet,  Paris,  and  16  Castle-street,  Holborn — Certain  improvements 
in  alloys  of  metals,  and  of  other  substances,  and  also  in  the  application  of  the 
same  to  various  useful  purposes. 

Recorded  March  30: 
761.  Louis  M.  Lombard,  Paris— Improvements  in  obtaining  motive  power. 

Recorded  April  2. 
786.  Sir  James  C.  Anderson,  Bart.,  Fermoy,  Ireland— Improvements  in  locomotive 
engines. 

Recorded  April  18. 
934.  Hans  W.  Allen,  98  Great  Portland-street,  London,  and  19  Montpellier  Terrace, 
Cheltenham — Invention  of  a  furnace,  which  he  calls  the  "Vestal  Furnace,"  for 
carbonization  of  peat  or  turf,  or  other  substances. 

Recorded  May  7. 
1131.  Conrad  W.  Finzel,  Bristol — An  improvement  in  refining  sugar. 

Recorded  May  10. 
1141.  Frederick  Lipscombe,  233  Strand— Improvements  in  obtaining  motive  power. 
1151.  John  II.  Johnson,  47  Lincoln's-inn-fields,  and  Glasgow — Improvements  in  machinery 
or  apparatus  for  effecting  agricultural  operations. — (Communication.) 

Recorded  May  21. 

1258.  William  Chisholm,  Holloway,  Middlesex— Improvements  in  the  purification  of  coal 
gas  for  the  purposes  of  illuminating  and  heating,  and  obtaining  by  the  ingre- 
dients used  there  for  manures,  salts  of  ammonia,  and  sulphur. 

1326.  George  Wells,  15  Upper  East  Smithfield — Invention  for  the  combination  of  mate- 
rials for  making  a  more  perfect  fabric  for  suction-hose,  mill-bands,  harness,  and 
for  all  other  similar  purposes  to  which  the  same  may  be  applied. 

Recorded  May  26^ 
1301.  John  Nurse,  Crawford-street,  Bryanstone-square — Impraved  mechanism  for  fasten- 
ing and  unfastening  doors,  applicable  especially  to  the  doors  of  carriages. 
Recorded  May  27. 
1309.  William  W.  Bonney,  West  Brompton — Improvements  in  machinery  for  raising  a 
pile  or  flue  by  abrasion  on  linen,  cotton,  silk,  and  other  fabrics. 

Recorded  May  2S. 

1313.  Ebenezer  Nash,  Duke-street,  Lambeth,  and  Joseph  Nash,  Thames-parade,  Pimlico 
— Improvements  in  the  manufacture  of  wicks. 

1321.  Edward  D.  de  Boussois,  Paris — Improvements  in  preventing  incrustation  of  steam 
boilers. 

Recorded  May  30. 

1325.  Joseph  Brown,  71  Leadenh all-street—  An  invention  for  the  improvement  of  elas- 
tic spring  beds,  mattresses,  cushions,  and  all  kinds  of  spring  stuffing  fo.  uphol- 
stery work  generally,  making  them  lighter  and  more  portable. 

Recorded  June  1. 
1343.  John  W.  Thomson,  Forest-hill,  Sydenham— Improvements  in  heating  hot-houses, 
hot-beds,  pits,  conservatories,  houses,  churches,  and  other  buildings. 

Recorded  June  3. 
1364.  James  Mayelston,  Elloughton,  York— Certain  improvements  in  the  manufacture 
and  refining  of  sugar. 

Recorded  June  6. 
1390.  Frederick  Lott,  9  B I oomfi eld-place,  Pimlico— Improvements  in  cartridges. 
1392.  Delabere  Barker,  Douglas-road,  Islington — Certain  improvements  in  the  manufac- 
ture of  blinds,  shades,  and  other  screens,  from  glass,  and  other  vitrious  sub- 
stances ;  also,  in  the  method   or  methods   of   raising,  lowering,   folding,   and 
regulating  such  blinds,  shades,  and  other  screens. 

Recorded  June  7. 

1394.  George  B.  C.  Leverson,  12  St.  Helen's-plaee— Invention  of  anew  application,  con- 
struction, and  arrangement  of  springs  for  carriages,  and  such  like  purposes. — 
(Communication.) 

Recorded  June  9. 

1405.  George  Bott,  Birmingham — Invention  of  a  new  or  improved  method  of  preventing 

collisions  on  railways. 

1406.  Henry  B.  Barlow,  Manchester — Improvements  in  machinery  for  spinning,  doubling, 

and  twisting  cotton  and  other  fibrous  substances. — (Communication.) 

1407.  George  W.  Garrood,  Maldon,  Essex — Improvements  in  propelling  vessels. 

1409.  Claude  Arnoux,  Paris,  and  4  South-street,  Finsbury— Invention  of  a  new  system  of 

towing  and  traction. 

1410.  William  Muir,  Manchester— Improvements  in  turning-lathes,  a  part  of  which  im- 

provements is  applicable  toother  useful  purposes. 

1411.  Joseph  Smith,  Bradford — Certain  improvements  in  machinery  for  preparing  and 

spinning  wool,  hair,  silk,  flax,  and  other  fibrous  substances. 

1412.  Joseph  Smith,  Bradford — Certain  improvements  in  combing  wool  and  other  fibrous 

substances. 

1413.  Edward  Maniere,  Bedford-row,  Middlesex— Improvements  in  the  manufacture  of 

paper. 


1414.  William  Brookes,  73  Chancery-lane— Improvements  in  treat1  Ig  fabrics  suitable  for 

floor  cloths,  covers,  and  such  like  articles.— (Communication.) 

1415.  William  Brookes,  73  Chancery-lane — Improvements  in  the  manufacture  of  boxes 

and  other  hollow  receptacles.— {Communication.) 

1416.  James  R.  Napier,  Lancefield,  Glasgow,  and  William  J.  M.  Rarikine,  Rutherglen 

— Improvements  in  engines  for  developing  mechanical  power  by  the  action  of 
heat  on  air  and  other  elastic  fluids. 

Recorded  June  10. 

1417.  Auguste  Chesneau,  Leicester — Invention  of  anew  method  of  obtaining  steam  power. 

1419.  Josiah  Moore.  Clerkenwell<CIose,  Middlesex— Improvements  in  respirators. 

1420.  Samuel  Frankham,  Greenland-place,  Judd-street,  Middlesex— An  improved  con- 

struction of  coupling  joint  applicable  to  pipes,  vessels  of  capacity,  and  other  like 
uses. 

1421.  Alfred  V.  "Newton,  -66  Chancery-lane— An  improvement  in  spinning  machinery. — 

(Communication.) 

1422.  Richard  A.  Brooman,  166  Fleet-street— Improvements  in  the  manufacture  of  paper. 

(Communication.) 

1423.  Joseph  Westwood  and  Robert  Baillie,  Poplar,  Middlesex— Improvements  in  the 

construction  of  iron  ships. 

Recorded  June  11. 

1424.  Christopher  Nickels,  Albany-road,  Surrey,  and  James  Hobson,  Leicester — Improve- 

ments in  the  manufacture  of  carpets  and  other  piled  fabrics. 

1425.  Christopher  Binks.  Albert  Villa,  North  Woolwich— Improvements  in  dryers  and 

in  preparing  drying  oils  for  paints,  varnishes,  and  other  uses. 

Recorded  June  13. 

1426.  Hugh  O'Connor,    Frederick- street,  Limerick— Invention  for  digging  the  soil  by 

means  of  machinery  wi  th  horse  power. 

1427.  William  H.  Smith,  Bloomsbury,  Middlesex— Improvements  in  the  permanent  way 

of  railways. 
142S.  William  Smith,  Sheffield — Improvements  in  the  mode  of  manufacturing  metallic 
handles  for  knives  and  forks,  backs  for  razors,  bows  for  scissors,  and  the  rela- 
tive parts  of  sach  like  instruments. 

1429.  John  Marsh,  Theophilus  Marsh,  James  Marsh,  and  Walter  Marsh,   Sheffield — 

Improved  mode  of  fastening  the  handles  of  table  knives  and  forks. 

1430.  Joseph  Spencer,  Bilston — A  new  or  improved  cupelo. 

1431.  Thomas  J.  Perry,  Birmingham — Improvements  in  raising  and  lowering  Venetian 

and  other  blinds,  applicable  also  to  the  raising  and  lowering  of  other  bodies. 

1433.  William  D.  Paine,  Lambeth,  and  George  A.  Paine,  Clark'smews,  Marylebone — 

Improvement  in  the  construction  of  steam-boilers,  and  in  steam-boiler  furnaces. 

1434.  Gonsal  A.  H.  J.  Fremin,  Paris,  and  4  South-street,  Finsbury — Certain  improve- 

ments in  the  construction  of  steam-boats. 

1435.  Robert  Hopkins,  Manchester— Improvements  in  machinery  or  apparatus  for  cutting 

and  shaping  cork-wood  and  other  similar  substances. 

1436.  Joseph  Webb,  Mayneld-terrace,  Dalston— Improvements  in  obtaining  motive  power. 

Recorded  June  14. 

1437.  William  G.  Craig,  Newport,  Monmouth— Improvements  in  axle-boxes,  guides,  and 

bearings  of  locomotive  engines  and  carriages,  parts  of  which  improvements  are 
applicable  to  the  bushes  and  bearings  of  machinery. 
143S.  Robert  W.  Sievier,  Upper  Holloway,  and  James  Crosby,  Manchester — Improve- 
ments in  looms  for  weaving. 

1439.  Joseph  H.  Penny  and  Thomas  B.  Rogers,  New  York— A  new  and  useful  improve- 

ment in  the  manner  of  constructing  machinery  for  propelling  vessels  and  other 
machinery,  which  they  terra  a  crank  propeller. 

1440.  John  H.  Johnson,  47  Linfoln's-inn-fields,  and  Glasgow — Improvements  in  railway 

brakes. — (Communication  from  Francis  A.  Stevens,  United  States.) 

1441.  Thomas  Richardson,  Newcastle-upon-Tyne— Improvements  in  the  manufacture  of 

certain  salts  of  magnesia,  and  a  red  colouring  matter. 

1442.  Joseph  L.  Talabot,  Paris,  and  John  D.  M.  Stirling,  Birmingham— Improvements 

in  the  manufacture  of  irou. 

1443.  Alfred  V.  Newton,  66  Chan  eery -lane— An  improved  mode  of  manufacturing  cast 

steel.— (Communication.) 

Recorded  June  15. 

1444.  George  Burstall,  Fenchurch-street — Improvements   in  the  bleaching  of  oils  and 

fats,  and  in  machinery  and  apparatus  connected  therewith. 

1445.  Arthur  Parsey,  3  Crescent- place,  Burton  crescent — A  revolving  engine,  to  be  worked 

by  steam,  air,  gases,  or  water. 

1446.  Thomas  Butterworth,  Meanwood,  Yorkshire — Invention  of  a  machine  for  plough- 

ing land,  harrowing,  and  crushing  clods  at  one  operation. 
1448-  Alexander  Robertson,  Holloway,  Middlesex — Improvements  in  vessels  or  cases  for 
storing  and  preserving  edible  substances. 

1449.  Charles  W.  Williams,  Liverpool— Improvements  in  the  manufacture  of  sheet -iron, 

and  of  iion  plates  used  for  boilers,  vessels,  buildings,  and  other  like  purposes. 

1450.  John  Macintosh,  Pall  Mall  East — Improvements  in  the  construction  of  portable 

boats  or  vessels  and  buoys. 

1451.  Jules  Dehau,  39  Rue  Pigale,  Paris— Improvements  in  the  manufacture  of   yarn, 

and  fabricating  articles  therefrom. 

1452.  Jules  Dehau,  Paris — Improvements  in  the  manufacture  of  woven  fabrics,  yarn, 

cordage,   ropes,  paper,   and  pasteboard,  by  the  application  of  a  material  not 
hitherro  used  in  Great  Britain  for  such  purposes. 

1453.  James  Dilkes  and  Edward  Turner,  Leicester— Improvements  in  door-springs. 

1454.  John  J.  Payne,  Upper  King-street,  Bloomsbury — Certain  improvements  in  axles. 

1455.  William  Gossage,  Widness,  Lancashire— Improvements  in  obtaining  certain  saline 

compounds  from  solutions  containing  such  compounds. 

1456.  John  Elliott,  Oak-lane,  Limehouse,  and  John  Brown,  same  place — Improved  ma- 

chinery for  making  rivets,  spikes,  and  screw  blanks. 

1457.  Timoh-on  Z.  L.  Maurel,  Paris,  and  16  Castle-street,  Holbom—  Certain  improvements 

in  horological  alarms. 

Recorded  June  16. 

1458.  William  Eaddeley,  13  Angell-terrace,  Islington— An  improved  label  damper. 

1459.  Edward  Walmsley,  Heaton  Norris,  Lancaster,  and  John  Holmes,  Manchester — Im- 

provements in  and  applicable  to  steam-engines. 

1460.  William  H.  G.  Field,  Kennington— Certain  improvements  in  the  construction  of 

barges  and  vessels,  and  in  the  mode  of  steering. 

1461.  William  Christopher,  Euston-sqaare,  and  GustavusGidley,  Robert-street,  Hoxton— 

Improvements  in  abstracting  sulphur  and  other  matters  from  vulcanized  India- 
rubber. 

1462.  John  Blair,  Newmilns,  Ayrshire— Invention  of  a  new  and  improved  method  of 

catting  lappet  cloths  or  other  similar  fabrics. 

1463.  James  W.  Gibson,  120  Longacre.— A  new  method  of  pavement  teuding  to  se- 

cure the  evenness  of  the  road  and  proper  adhesion  to  the  foot. 

1465.  Jo-eph  Ilsley,  Lisbon — Improved  telegraphic  apparatus. 

1466.  Richard  A.  Brooman,  166  Fleet-street — Improvements  in  machinery  for  sawing 

stone  and  marble. — (Communication.; 


1467.  Peter  A.  Le  Comte  de  Fontaine  Moreau,  39  Rue  de  l'Echiquier,  Paris,  and  4  South- 
street,  Finsbury — An  improved  process  for  preserving  milk,  and  its  application 
to  several  organic  products,  and  alimentary  substances. — (Communication.) 

1469.  Clinton  Roosevelt,  New  York — Invention  for  reducing  the  friction  of  the  journals 

of  railway  and  other  carriages,  which  is  also  applicable  to  the  journals  of  ma- 
chine ry. 

1470.  Robert  M.  Glover,  Newcastle-upon-Tyne,  M.D. — Improvements  in  the  production 

of  chlorine,  and  for  the  manufacture  of  black  oxide  of  manganese. 

1471.  Benjamin  Finch,  Dublin  —  Improvements  in  apparatus  for  supplying  water  to 

steam  boilers. 

1472.  Joseph  Warren,  Maldon — Improvements  in  ploughs. 

1473.  Solomon  Solomon,  Aldgate,  and  Samuel  Mills,  St.  George' s-in-the-East — Improve- 

ments in  axle-boxes  for  locomotive  engines,  railway  and  other  carriages,  appli- 
cable to  the  hearings  of  machinery. 

Recorded  June  17. 

1474.  Edward  Rod  gers,  Livsey-street,  Manchester — An  improvement  in  looms  forweaving. 

1475.  Christopher  Waud,  Edward  Waud,  and  William  Busfield,   Bradford,  York — Im- 

provements in  preparing  wool  and  other  fibrous  substances. 

1476.  Auguste  E.  L.  Bellford,  16  Castle-street,  Holborn — Improvements  in  machinery  for 

pulverizing  and  washing  quartz  or  ore,  and  for  amalgamating  the  gold  contained 
therein. — (Communication.) 

1477.  Auguste  E.  L.  Bellford,  16  Castle-street,  Holborn — Improved  stove  or  kiln. 

147S.  Robert  Lister,  Scotswood,  Northumberland — I  mprovements  in  chimney  tops  or  flues. 
1479.  Henry  Bleasdale  and  Joseph  Bleasdale,  Chipping,  Lancaster— Improvements  in 
working,  tilling,  or  preparing  land. 

1481.  John  Piddington,  Brussels — Improvements    in  obtaining  infusions  and  decoctions, 

and  in  vessels  or  apparatus  employed  therein. — (Communication.) 

Recorded  June  IS. 

1482.  William  Hill,  Aberdeen — Improvements  in  ship  building. 

1483.  Henry  Bessemer,  Baxter  house,  Old  St.  Pancras  road — Improvements  in  the  manu- 

facture of  waterproof,  or  partially  waterproof,  fabrics. 
14S4.  Henry  Saunders,  Yeovaney  Staines — Improvements  in  drying  grass  and   other 

crops. 
14S6.  Edgar  Breffit,  Castleford,  York— Improvements  in  the  manufacture  of  glass-house 

pots. 

1458.  Thomas  Adamson  and  William  Adamson,  Sunderland — Improvements  in  pumps. 

1459.  James  Heginbottom  and  Joseph  Heginbottom,  Ovenden,  York — Improvements  in 

spinning. 

1490.  James  Shanks,  St.  Helen's,  Lancaster— Improvements  in  the  manufacture  of  alkali 

from  common  salt. 

1491.  John  M.  Hyde,  1  Quay,  Bristol — Improvements  in  steam-engines,  and  the  produc- 

tion of  steam  for  the  same. 

1492.  William  A.  Gilbee,  4  South-street,  Finsbury,  and  Paris — Invention  of  a  new  mode 

of  ornamenting  stuffs  and  paper. — (Communication.) 

1493.  James  Worral,  jun.,  Salford,  Lancaster — Certain  improvements  in  machinery  or 

apparatus  for  washing,  bleaching,  and  dyeing  fustians,  beaverteeus,  cantoons, 
satteens,  twills,  and  other  textile  fabrics. 

1494.  John  C.  Richardson,  Lilly-hill,  near  Manchester — Certain  improvements  in  ma- 

chinery or  apparatus  for  winding  yarn. 

1495.  John  C.  Richardson,  Lilly-hill,  near  Manchester— Certain  improvements  in  looms 

for  weaving, 

1496.  George  Robinson,  Manchester — Certain  improvements  in  apparatus  for  roasting 

and  desiccating  coffee,  cocoa,  and  chicory. 

1497.  Samuel  Schofield,  Oldham— Certain  improvements  in  machinery  or  apparatus  for 

preparing  and  spinning  cotton  and  other  fibrous  materials. 

1498.  George  Young,  Neath,  South  Wales— Improvements  in  grinding  wheat  and  other 

grain. 

Recorded  June  20. 

1499.  Charles  Crickmay,  Handsworth,  Stafford — Improvements  in  the  construction  of 

fire-arms. 

1500.  John  Paul,  Manchester — Invention  of  colouring  paper  on  the  surface. 

1501.  Robert  Midgley,   Northowram,  York — Improvements  in  preparing  and  finishing 

certain  worsted  yarns,  aud  in  apparatus  employed  therein. 

1502.  Hiram  Barker,  Manchester,  and  Francis  Holt,  same  place — Improvements  in  ma- 

chinery and  apparatus  for  grinding  and  turning  metals. 

1503.  William  Bogget,  St.  Martin' s-lane,  and  George  B.  Pettit,  Lisle-street — Invention 

of  improvements  in  dioptric  refractors. 

1504.  William  Hodgson  and  Henry  Hodgson,  Bradford — Improvements  in  machinery  for 

spinning  wool,  hair,  silk,  flax,  and  other  fibrous  substances. 

1505.  John  W.  Perkins,  Narrow-street,  Limehouse— Improvements  in  the  manufacture 

of  artificial  manure. 

1506.  William  E.  Newton,  66  Chancery-lane — Improved  machinery  for  drilling  or  boring 

rocks,  or  other  hard  substances. — (Communication.) 

1507.  William  E.  Newton,  66  Chancery-lane — An  improved  manufacture  of  handles  for 

knives  and  other  similar  articles. — (Communication.) 

1508.  Charles  L.  Defever,  Steenbrugge  les  Bruges,  Belgium — An  improved  preparation 

for  lubricating  machinery. 

1509.  Richard  Cornelius,  Old  Town-street,  Plymouth — Improvements  in  the  construction 

of  churns  for  producing  butter. 
1511.  Allan  Macpherson,  Brussels— Improvements  in  disinfecting  sewers  or  other  drains, 
and  in  converting  the  contents  thereof  to  useful  purposes. 

1513.  Pacifique  Grimaud,  Paris,  and  4  South-street,  Finsbury— Invention  of  a  new 

Eerogaseous  drink,  which  he  calls  "  Grimaudine." 

1514.  Henry  Blatin,  Paris,  and  4  South-street,  Finsbury — Improvements  in  buckles. 

Recorded  June  21. 

1515.  Charles  Cowper,  Chancery-lane — Improvements  in  the  manufacture  of  cards,  or 

substitutes  for  cards  for  the  Jacquard  loom. — (Communication.) 

1516.  Joseph  Newton,  Ickwell,  Bedford — Improved  apparatus  for  heating  buildings,  ap- 

plicable also  to  horticultural  purposes,  and  to  hatching  and  rearing  poultry  aud 
game. 

1517.  Thomas  Wilson,  Manchester — Improvements  in  screens,  or  machinery  for  cleaning 

wheat  and  other  grain. 

1518.  John  Drummond,  Edinburgh— Invention  of  a  reaping  machine. 

1519.  Juste  Giret,  Paris,  and  4  South-street,  Finsbury — Certain  improvements  in  artifi- 

cial and  malleable  stones,  and  in  the  apparatus  to  be  used  for  such  purposes. 

1520.  John  Leach,  Over  Darwen,  Lancaster — Improvements  iu  looms  for  weaving. 

Recorded  June  22. 

1521.  John  H.  Noone,  53  Salisbury-street,  Portm  an -market—  An  improved  method  of 

stopping  railway  trains  and  preventing  railway  accidents. 

1522.  Frederick  Ayckbourn,  99  Guildford-street,  Russell-square — Improvements  in  the 

manufacture  of  waterproof  fabrics. 

1523.  Francis  Huckvale,  Choice-hill,  Chipping  Norton — Improvements  in  hand  hoes. 

1524.  William  Geeves,  New  Wharf-road,  Caledonian-road,  Middlesex— Improvements  in 

the  manufacture  of  bricks. 


123 


THE  PRACTICAL  MECHANIC'S  JOURNAL. 


1525.  Charles  Topham,  Hoxton,  Middlesex-   Improvements  in  apparatus  for  measuring 

liquids,  gases,  and  other  elastic  fluids,  and  for  regulating  the  flow  thereof,  which 
apparatus  may  also  be  applied  to  the  obtaining  of  motive  power. 

Becorded  June  23. 

1526.  George  L.  Stocks,  Limehouse-hole,  Poplar,  and  Thomas  "Watson,  49  Buttesland- 

street,  Hoxton— Improvements  in  the  construction  of  ships'  square  sails,  and 
in  the  method  of  reefing  the  same. 

1527.  Noel  N.  du  Chastaingt,  Paris,  and  4  South-street,  Finsbury— An  improvement  in 

bread-making. 

1528.  James   Burrows,  Wigan— Certain   improvements  in   the  construction  of  steam- 

boilers  or  generators,  and  in  the  arrangement  of  furnaces  connected  therewith. 

1529.  James  Burrows,  Wigan— Certain  improvements  in  the  formation  of  such  metallic 

plates  as  are  required  to  be  conjoined  by  rivetting  or  other  similar  fastening. 

1530.  Thomas  W.  Dodds,  Rotherham — Improvements  in  the  manufacture  of  riles,  rasps, 

and  other  edge  tools  usually  made  of  steel. 

1532.  Joseph  Aspinall,  Liverpool,  and  16  Castle-street,  Holborn— Invention  of  a  self- 

adjusting  stamp. — (Communication.) 

1533.  Masta  J.  Cooke,  Newcastle-on-Tyne  -  An  improved  mill  and  apparatus  for  crushing 

and  grinding  bones,  grain,  and  other  compounds. 

Becorded  June  24. 

1534.  Joshua  Horton,  jtin.,  Brierly-hill,  Staffordshire— Improvements  in  steam-boilers. 

1535.  Joseph  Rock,  jun.,  Birmingham — Improvements  in  spring  or  clasp-knives,  appli- 

cable to  such  other  articles  as  shut  or  close  after  the  manner  of  clasp-knives. 

1536.  Noble  C.  Richardson,  South  Shields— Invention  of  an  improved  capstan. 

1537.  George  S.  Sidney,  Brixton-road,  Surrey — Improvements  in  jugs  or  vessels  for  con- 

taining liquids. 

1538.  John  Webster,  Ipswich — Improvements  in  the  distillation  of  fatty  and  oily  matters. 

1540.  John  H.  Johnson,  47  Lincoln's-inn-fields,  and  Glasgow — Improvements  in  obtain- 

ing motive  power.— (Communication  from  Messieurs  Guichene'  and  BurgaUt.) 

1541.  John   H.  Johnson,  47   Lincoln's-inn-fields,  and  Glasgow— Improvements   in  the 

production  or  manufacture  of  flour. — (Communication  from  M.  Buiroz.) 

1542.  John  H.  Johnson,  47  Lincoln's-inn-fielda,  and  Glasgow— Improvements  in  machi- 

nery or  apparatus  for  cutting  paper  and  similar  materials.— (Communication 
from  M.  Pfeiffer. 

1543.  James  M'Connell,  Hazeldean,  Renfrewshire — Improvements  in  the  consumption  or 

prevention  of  smoke. 

1544.  John  Lyle,  Glasgow — Improvements  in  the  manufacture  of  figured  or  ornamental 

fabrics. 

1545.  Henry  Goodall,  Derby— Improved  machinery  or  apparatus  for  grinding  or  levi- 

gating various  substances. 

1546.  Leon  Vails,  Paris— Improvements  in  the  production  of  printing  surfaces.— (Com- 

munication.) 

Becorded  June  25. 

1547.  Daniel  IlHngworth,    Alfred  Illingwortb,   and  Henry  Illingworth,  Bradford— Im- 

provements in  machinery  or  apparatus  for  combing  wool,  cotton,  flax,  silk,  and 
other  fibrous  substances. 

1549.  John  E.  Lightfoot,  Accrington— An  improvement  in  the  manufacture  of  certain 

colouriug  matter  to  be  used  in  dyeing  and  printing. 

1550.  George  J.  Mackelcan,    Gloucestershire — Improvements   in    winnowing   or    corn- 

dressing  machines. 

1551.  Alfred  Sandoz,  Switzerland— Invention  of  an  instrument  or  apparatus,  which  he 

terms  a  solar  watch. — (Communication  from  the  inventor,  Philipe  H.  M.  Doret, 
Switzerland.) 

Becorded  June  27. 

1552.  Robert  Harlow,  Stockport — Improvements  in  constructing  and  working  valves  for 

baths,  washstands,  and  other  purposes. 

1553.  Richard  A.  Brooman,  166  Fleet-street — Improvements  in  printing  or  in  producing 

designs  and  patterns  on  stuffs  and  fabrics. — (Communication.) 

1554.  William  Fairclough,  Stockport— Certain  improvements  in  looms  for  weaving. 

1555.  John  Mason,  Rochdale,  and  Luke  Ryder,  same  place — Improvemeuts  in  machinery 

or  apparatus  for  preparing  and  spinning  cotton  and  other  fibrous  substances. 

1556.  Alfred  V.  Newton,  66  Chancery-lane— Improved  apparatus  for  manufacturing  resin 

oil. — (Communication.) 

1557.  George  French,  Bandon — Improvements  in  axles  or  axletrees. 

Becorded  June  28. 

1558.  John  J  arm  an,  Manchester — Improvements  in  apparatus  for  measuring  corn,  pulse, 

seeds,  or  other  produce,  usually  sold  by  dry  measure. 

1559.  Carlo  Minasi,  Camden  Town,  Middlesex — Improvements  in  concertinas. 

1560.  Alexander  Brown,  Glasgow — Improvements  in  the  manufacture  of  cotton  fabrics 

for  ladies'  under-dresses. 

1561.  Auguste  E.  L.  Bellford,  16  Castle-street,  Holborn— Improvements  in  steam-boilers. 

—(Communication.) 

1562.  Auguste  E.  L.  Bellford,  16  Castle -street,  Holborn— Improvements  in  magneto- 

electric  machines.— ( Communication.) 

1563.  John  H.  Johnson,  47  Lincoln's-inn-fields,  and  Glasgow— Improvements  in  turning 

over  the  leaves  of  books,  music,  and  engravings,  and  in  the  apparatus  for  efiectr 
ing  the  same. — (Communication  from  Claude  Desbeaux,  Paris.) 
Becorded  June  29. 

1564.  Thomas  E.  Irons,  Arbroath— Improvements  in  the  manufacture  of  lasts,  and  in 

machinery  connected  therewith,  parts  of  which  machinery  are  also  applicable  to 
other  like  purposes  of  eccentric  turning. 

1565.  Frederick  Steiner,  Hyndburn,  near  Accrington,  Lancaster— Improvements  in  the 

manufacture  of  wooden  rollers  or  cylinders. 

1566.  Peter  A,  le  Comte  de  Fontaine  Moreau,  4  South-street,  Finsbury,  and  Paris— Im- 

provements in  the  construction  of  furnaces. — (Communication.) 

1567.  John  Patterson,  Beverley,  York— Improvements  in  machines  for  reaping  and  mow- 

ing corn,  grass,  and  other  crops. 

1568.  Robert  M.  Sievier,  Manchester — Improvements  in  the  manufacture  of  piled  fabrics 

and  in  machinery  for  effecting  the  same. 

1570.  George  A.  Biddell,  Ipswich— Improvements  in  apparatus  for  cutting  vegetable  and 

other  substances. 

1571.  Pierre  A.  de  S.  S.  Sicard,  Paris— Improvements  in  apparatus  for  facilitating  the 

raising,  moving,  and  breaking  up  oi  sunken  vessels  and  other  submerged  sub- 
stances. 

1572.  James  Tatlow,  "Wirksworlh,  Derbyshire,  and  Henry  Hodgkinson,  same  place — 

Improvements  in  smallware  looms. 

1573.  Lemuell  AY.  Wright,  Chalford,  Gloucester— Improvements  in  the  permanent  way 

of  railways. 

Becorded  June  30. 

1574.  Elias  R.  Handcock,  58  Pall  Mall— Certain  improvements  in  mechanism  to  decrease 

friction  in  propelling  machinery,  and  to  compensate  for  the  wear  thereof,  and  to 
strengthen  the  driving  parts. 
157.5.  Auguste  E.  L.  Bellford,  16  Castle-street,  Holborn — Improvements  in  the  construc- 
tion of  submarine  or  subaqueous  tunnels  or  ways. — (Communication.) 


1576.  Williams  Rice,  Boston,  Lincolnshire— Improvements  in  harness  for  horses  and 

other  animals,  and  in  the  manufacture  of  springs  for  the  same. 

1577.  Joseph  Webb,  Mayfield  Terrace,  Dalston,  Middlesex— Improvements  in  obtaining 

and  applying  motive  power. 

1578.  George  S  terry,  Worcester — An  improved  method  of  producing  designs  and  patterns 

in  wood. 

1579.  Andrew  P.  Howe,  Mark-lane — Invention  of  an  engine  meter  or  instrument  for  in- 

dicating the  number  of  strokes  of  an  engine.— (Communication.) 
15S0.  Edward  Davies,  Gothenburg,  Sweden — Improvements  in  machinery  or  apparatus 
for  carding  and  otherwise  preparing  cotton  or  other  fibrous  materials  to  be  spun, 
and  also  for  cleaning  or  stripping  cards  used  in  the  said  operations. 

1581.  William  C.  Spooner,  Eling  House,  near  Southampton — Improvements  in  drills  for 

agricultural  purposes. 

1582.  William  Tasker,  Andover,  Hants— Improvements  in  drills  for  agricultural  pur- 

poses. 

Becorded  July  1. 

1583.  Richard  Bradley  and  William  Craven,  Wakefield— Improvements  in  the   mould- 

ing, forming,  and  compressing  of  clay  for  the  manufacture  of  bricks,  tiles,  and 
other  earthenware. 
15S4.  Philip  Hart,  Brierly-hill,  Stafford— Improvements  in  the  manufacture  of  coke. 

1586.  George  Parsons,  West  Lambrook,  Somerset — Improved  machinery  for  thrashing, 

winnowing,  and  dressing  corn,  grain,  and  seeds. 

1587.  Edward  C.  Shepard,  Trafalgar-square,  Middlesex — Improvements  in  magneto-elec- 

tric apparatus,  suitable  for  the  production  of  motive  power  of  heat  and  of  light. 
— (Communication.) 

Becorded  July  2. 
15S8.  John  Rollinson,  Kingswinford,  and  William  Rollinson,  Brierley-hill,  Staffordshire 
— Invention  of  a  new  or  improved  apparatus  for  preventing  explosions  in  steam 
boilers. 

1590.  Lemuell  W.  Wright,  Chalford,  Gloucester— Improvements  in  machinery  or  appa- 

ratus   for  reducing  and  pulverising  gold  and  other  metalliferous   quartz  and 
earths,  and  in  separating  metal  therefrom. 

1591.  Edward  C.  Shepard,  Trafalgar-square,    Middlesex — Improvements  in  the    manu- 

facture of  gas — (Communication.) 

1592.  Richard  A.  Brooman,  166  Fleet^street— Certain  machinery  for  converting  canut- 

chouc  into  circular  blocks  or  cylinders,  and  for  manufacturing  the  same  into 
sheets. — (Communication  from  Francois  Peroncel,  Paris.) 

1593.  Richard  A.  Brooman,  166  Fleet-street— Improvements  in  impregnating,  saturating, 

or  coating  threads,  yarns,  and  fabrics  with  metal,  which  process  the  inventor 
terms  metallic  dyeing. — (A  communication  from  Charles  Depoully,  Paris.) 

Becorded  July  4. 
1595.  Gabriel  D.  Fevre,  Paris,  and  16  Castle-street,  Holborn— An  improved  vessel  to  be 
used  for  the  purposes  of  infusion  and  decoction,  heating  liquids,  and  melting 
glutinous  substances. 

1597.  George  F.  Parratt,  Piccadilly — Improvements  in  portable  bridges,  rafts,  or  pon- 

toons. 

Becorded  July  5. 

1598.  Henry  Meyer,  Manchester — Certain  improvements  in  looms  for  weaving. 

1599.  Marcus  Davis,  52  Gray's-inn-lane — Improvements  in  carriages,  scaffoldings,  and 

ladders,  which  scaffoldings  and  ladders  are  used  as  carriages. 

1600.  Decimus  J.  Tripe,  Commercial-road,  East — Improvements  in  locks. 

1601.  John  Fall,  Chorlton-upon-Medlock,  Manchester— Improvements  in  the  treatment 

of  certain  oils. 

1602.  Nathan  Pollard,  Bowling,  near  Bradford — An  improvement  in  machinery  for  draw- 

ing wool  and  other  staple. 

1603.  Alfred  V.  Newton,  66  Chancery-lane — Improved  machinery  for  printing. — (Com- 

munication.) 

1604.  George  Mackay,  Buckingham-street,  Strand — Improvements  in  the  manufacture  of 

glass. — (Communication.) 

1605.  Moses  Poole,  Avenue-road,  Regent's  Park — An  improved  quartz-crushing,  pulver- 

izing, and  amalgamating  machine. — (Communication.) 

1606.  George  A.  Biddell,  Ipswich— Improvements  in  apparatus  for  crushing  grain,  seeds, 

or  pulse. 

Becorded  July  6. 

1607.  Thomas  Newey,  Garbett-street,   Birmingham — Improvements  in  fastenings  for 

wearing  apparel. 

1608.  Peter  Erard,  Marseilles,  France,  and  4  South-street,  Finsbury— Certain  improve- 

ments in  steam  boilers. 

1609.  Peter  A.  Le  Comte  de  Fontaine  Moreau,  4  South-street,  Finsbury— Improvements 

in  typographical  printing  presses. — (Communication.) 

1610.  John  Hood,  Glasgow,  and  William  Hood,  same  place — Improvements  in  the  treat- 

ment or  manufacture  of  ornamental  fabrics. 

^^"  Information  as  to  any  of  tlw.se  applications,  and  their  progress,  may  be   had  on  ap- 
plication to  the  Editor  of  this  Journal. 


DESIGNS  FOR  ARTICLES  OF  UTILITY. 


June  16th,  3477 

20th,  3478 

2Sth,  3479 

July     1st,  3480 

—  3481 

5th,  3482 

6th,  3483 

7th,  3484 

9th,  3485 


13th,    3487 


Beg istered  from  16th  June  to  13tk  July-,  1853. 

T.  J.  Perry,  Birmingham, — "  Sash-fastener." 
W.  Duck  and  W.  Wilson,  London-road, — "  High-pressure  cock." 
J.  Parkes  &  Son,  Birmingham,—"  Sun-dial  rule." 
J.  R   Murphy  and  P.  Murphy,  Dublin,— "Chair  and  Couch." 
D.  M'Lareu  and  J.  S.  Oliver,  Edinburgh,—"  Bedstead-joint." 
T.  De  la  Rue  and  Co.,  Finsbury,— "Calendar." 
J.  Hutton,  Burton-crescent, — "Pencil-case." 
J.  S.  Stroud,  Birmingham, — "  Electric  gas-burner.  " 
F.  Dent,  Strand, — "Annular  fountain -reservoir    for    liquid  com- 
passes." 
J.  Peakman,  Birmingham,—"  Shutter-fastener." 
Barnard  and  Bishop,  Norwich, — "Poultry  feeding-trough." 


DESIGNS  FOR  ARTICLES  OF  UTILITY. 

Provisionally  Begistered  from  \7th  June  to  13tk  July,  1853. 
June  17th,  521  W.  Redgrave,  Croxley-green  —  "Dress-preserver." 
July  13th,    522    W.  Stretton,  Hackney-road,— "Garden-engine." 

TO  READERS  AND  CORRESPONDENTS. 

M.  R.— The  matter  is  under  consideration;  but  we  are  yet  without  the  facts  formerly 
mentioned. 
L.  G. — We  shall  take  an  early  opportunity  of  setting  this  right, 
H.  H. — We  will  publish  his  sketch  next  month. 


THE  PRACTICAL  MECHANIC'S  JOURNAL. 


129 


THE  GREAT  INDUSTRIAL  EXHIBITION,  1853. 

"  The  present  jreneration  finds  itself  the  heir  of  a  vast  patri- 
mony of  science,  and  it  must  needs  concern  us  td  know  the 
steps  by  which  these  possessions  were  acquired,  and  the  docu- 
ments by  which  they  are  secured  to  us  and  our  heirs  for  ever." 
— Whkwell. 

HE  Green  Isle  of  the  West,  this  year, 
boasts  a  new  and  an  overpowering  attrac- 
tion, in  addition  to  her  many  alluring  charms 
of  lake  and  mountain.  To  the  well-appreci- 
ated beauties  of  her  varied  landscape,  she  has 
at  length  added  a  still  more  dazzling  attribute, 
which,  splendid  though  it  is,  is  yet  to  be  re- 
garded less  for  its  magnificence  of  to-day,  than 
for  its  depth  of  promise  for  a  bright  and  lengthened 
morrow. 

Ireland,  William  Dargan,  and  the  Dublin  Exhibition,  are  the  three 
names  which  go  to  make  up  the  grand  feature  of  the  year  1853.  It  was 
a  noble  design,  the  conception  of  this  bazaar  of  industry  in  the  capital  of 
a  country  so  long  torn  by  internal  conflicts,  and  saddened  by  social  mis- 
eries ;  it  was  a  still  nobler  project,  as  the  unaided  undertaking  of  the 
children  of  the  soil;  but  it  was  noblest  of  all  in  the  fact,  that  a  single 
Irish  commoner  —a  veritable  "  captain  of  industry,"  who  had  toiled  his 
way  up  from  the  base  to  the  summit  of  his  profession — should  have  ven- 
tured upon  the  entire. responsibility  of  so  vast  an  experiment.  The  early 
history  of  the  scheme — in  which  the  munificence  of  Mr.  Dargan  plays  so 
prominent  a  part — has  been  already  chronicled  wherever  a  newspaper  is 
produced.  But  it  is  nevertheless  fitting,  that  at  least  an  epitome  of  it 
should  be  placed  on  record  in  the  pages  of  the  Practical  Mechanic's 
Journal. 

For  the  last  25  years,  the  Eoyal  Dublin  Society  has  itself  held  trien- 
nial exhibitions  of  manufactures,  the  last  of  which  occurred  in  1850. 
Prior  to  the  one  for  1853  falling  due — namely,  in  June,  1852,  Mr.  Dar- 
gan wrote  to  the  Society  as  follows : — 

,:  Mr.  Dargan  understanding  that  the  year  1853  will  be  the  year  for 
holding  the  Triennial  Exhibition  of  Manufactures  of  the  Royal  Dublin 
Society,  and  being  desirous  of  giving  such  Exhibition  a  character  of 
more  than  usual  prominence,  and  to  render  it  available  for  the  manu- 
factures of  the  three  kingdoms,  proposes  to  place  the  sum  of  twenty 
thousand  pounds  in  the  hands  of  a  Special  Executive  Commitee,  on  the 
following  conditions : — 

"  1st.  That  a  suitable  building  shall  be  erected  on  the  lawn  of  the 
Eoyal  Dublin  Society. 

"2nd.  That  the  opening  of  the  Exhibition  shall  not  be  later  than 
June,  1853. 

"3rd.  That  a  special  Executive  Committee  shall  be  nominated  by 
three  gentlemen  on  the  part  of  Mr.  Dargan,  to  be  named  by  him,  and  by 
three  gentlemen  to  be  selected  by  the  Council  of  the  Eoyal  Dublin 
Society  from  that  boly. 

"4th.  That  Mr.  Dargan  shall  have  the  nomination  of  the  Chairman,  De- 
puty Chairman,  and  of  the  Secretary  of  the  Special  Executive  Committee. 

"  5th.  That,  at  the  termination  of  the  Exhibition,  the  building  shall 
be  taken  by  Mr.  Dargan,  and  shall  become  his  property  at  a  valuation 
by  competent  persons. 

"6:h.  That  if,  after  payment  of  all  expenses,  the  proceeds  of  the 
Exhibition  do  not  amount  to  £20,000,  with  interest  thereon  at  5  per  cent., 
Mr.  Dargan  shall  receive  the  proceeds,  less  all  expenses  incurred. 

"If  the  proceeds,  after  payment  of  all  expenses,  amount  to  £J0,000, 
with  interest  thereon  at  5  per  cent.,  Mr.  Dargan  is  to  receive  £20,000i 
and  interest  at  5  per  cent.  If  the  proceeds,  after  payment  of  all  expenses, 
exceed  the  sum  of  £20,000,  with  interest  thereon  at  5  per  cent.,  the 
Executive  Committee  is  to  have  the  disposal  of  the  surplus. 

"  The  amount  of  the  valuation  of  the  building  is  to  be  considered  as 
cash  paid  to  Mr.  Darjan." 
Ko.es.— vol.  vi. 


On  receiving  this  liberal  proposal,  the  Society  at  once  accepted  it — 
a  committee  was  formed,  officials  were  appointed,  and  plans  for  the 
building  were  advertised  for.  The  result  was,  that  the  executive  com- 
mittee, assisted  by  Messrs.  Miller,  Hemans,  and  Lanyon,  selected  the 
plans  submitted  by  Mr.  now  Sir  John  Benson,  the  arrangements,  as 
originally  adopted,  being  afterwards  modified  by  the  addition  of  the 
northern  and  southern  halls.  In  September,  1852,  Mr.  Dargan,  finding 
that  the  anticipated  wants  of  the  Exhibition  would  far  more  than  mono- 
polise the  whole  of  the  allotted  space,  proposed  a  further  advance  of 
£6,000;  and  in  February,  1853,  he  agreed  to  enlarge  the  building  by 
additional  erections  round  the  front  court  and  the  agricultural  exhibition 
yard,  placing  yet  a  further  sum  of  £14,000,  or  a  total  aggregate  of 
£40,000,  at  the  disposal  of  the  committee.  Since  this  time,  the  works 
have  been  so  modified  and  enlarged,  that  Mr.  Dargan  has  actually  ex- 
pended upwards  of  £100,000  upon  the  undertaking. 

William  Dargan,  the  distinguished  parent  of  the  Great  Industrial 
Exhibition,  is  a  native  of  the  county  of  Carlow,  which  district,  however, 
he  had  quitted  some  time  before  he  came  at  all  prominently  before  the 
world  in  his  professional  character.  His  first  public  introduction  may 
indeed  be  dated  from  the  time  of  making  the  great  Chester  and  Holyhead 
road  under  Telford,  where  he  was  associated  with  the  present  Sir  John 
M'Neill,  then  a  pupil  of  Telford.  This  important  undertaking  necessarily 
drew  forth  Mr.  Dargan's  practical  talents  as  an  engineering  constructor, 
and  led  to  his  being  intrusted  with  many  other  great  projects  of  that 
day.  His  first  notable  work  in  Ireland  was  the  branch  of  the  Grand 
Canal  between  Philipstown  and  Kilbeggan ;  and  he  was  afterwards 
selected  as  the  best  man  for  the  Dublin  and  Howth  road.  But  more 
gigantic  enterprises  now  fell  to  his  lot,  and  he  commenced  what  may  be 
called  his  really  active  career,  by  making  the  Dublin  and  Kingston 
Railway — the  earliest  of  all  the  Irish  lines,  and  one  which,  if  rated  by 
the  standard  of  that  day,  must  be  admitted  to  be  no  ordinary  work.  His 
good  work  and  punctual  execution  now  fairly  determined  his  position, 
and  he  became  the  contractor  for  the  40  miles  of  Ulster  Canal,  between 
Lough  Erne  and  Belfast.  After  these  performances  came  the  Ulster,  the 
Dublin  and  Drogheda,  and  the  Great  Southern  and  Western  railways, 
in  all  of  which  he  was  most  extensively  concerned.  The  Great  Southern 
and  Western,  and  the  Midland  Great  Western  lines,  are  his  most  con- 
spicuous performances  ;  but  as  he  has  constructed  nearly  all  the  railways 
which  Ireland  possesses,  having  got  through  more  than  600  miles  of 
such  work,  an  Irish  railway  history  must  be  written  before  his  construc- 
tive undertakings  can  be  enumerated. 

Mr.  Dargan  has  now  amassed  a  splendid  fortune,  and,  along  with  it, 
an  undying  name  for  probity  and  professional  skill.  He  is  an  agricul- 
turist of  some  pretensions,  and  supports  the  character  successfully  at  the 
various  exhibition  meetings  of  the  country.  He  is  a  flax-grower,  and 
has  expended  a  large  amount  of  capital  in  establishments  for  the  manu- 
facture of  that  staple  fibre.  He  is  a  home  sugar  manufacturer,  and 
Merrion  Square  contains  some  brilliant  samples  of  what  he  has  lent  his 
aid  to  produce  from  the  beet- root.  He  is  a  converter  of  peat  bog,  and  his 
operations  may  soon  be  expected  to  tell  upon  the  face  of  what  have 
hitherto  been  Ireland's  most  neglected  spots.  Well  does  he  deserve  the 
highest  regards  of  us  all,  and  well  may  every  visitor  to  the  Exhibition 
look,  with  admiring  approval,  upon  the  statue  of  its  founder.  For  "  it 
is  a  noble  object  to  test,  by  actual  experiment,  to  what  extent  the  in- 
genuity and  skill  of  the  nations  of  the  earth  have  corresponded  to  the 
intentions  of  their  Creator,  and  to  improve  the  advantages  which  each 
country  can  offer  the  other  in  supplying  the  wants,  and  adding  to  the 
happiness  of  mankind."* 

The  general  classification  of  the  exhibited  articles  closely  resembles 
that  of  the  Exhibition  of  1851 ;  and  although  the  building  presents  an 
external  appearance  very  unlike  its  great  prototype,  the  internal  arrange- 


Sir  It.  Peel's  Speech  on  the  Great  Exhibition,  1831. 


130 


THE  PRACTICAL  MECHANIC'S  JOURNAL. 


nients  forcibly  recall  the  memories  of  the  vast  Glass  Palace.  As  in  it,  a 
great  feature  is  made  of  a  central  domed  hall,  the  most  conspicuous  objects 
in  which,  are  the  Baron  Marochetti's  equestrian  statue  of  the  Queen ; 
Jones'  colossal  statue  of  Mr.  Dargan;  Messrs.  Ferguson  and  Miller's 
fire-clay  or  terra-cotta  fountain;  M.  Andre's  cast-iron  fountain;  Messrs. 
Chance's  fixed  dioptric  lighthouse  apparatus;  with  catadioptric  zones  on 
Fresnel's  system ;  the  jacquard  looms  of  Messrs.  Pim  and  Messrs.  R. 
Atkinson  &  Co.,  Messrs.  Todd,  Burns,  &  Co.,  and  Messrs.  Keely  and 
Leach  ;  Messrs.  Price's  stately  palm-tree  case  of  candles  ;  Mr.  Grubb's 
equatorial  telescope  ;  and  the  respective  organs  of  Messrs.  Telford  and 
Bevington  in  the  end  galleries.  Messrs.  Ferguson  and  Miller's  fountain, 
24  feet  in  height,  is  really  a  noble  work.  It  was  made  at  the  Heath- 
field  Works,  near  Glasgow,  from  the  general  design  of  Messrs.  Baird  and 
Thomson,  the  architects,  the  figures  being  by  Mossman,  a  Glasgow 
sculptor,  and  the  ornament  by  Mr.  J.  Steel.  To  the  right  of  this 
central  hall  is  a  long  range,  in  which  are  located  the  productions  of 
the  Zollverein,  Prussia,  France,  Belgium,  and  the  Indian  collection 
— this  is  the  south  hall ;  and  beyond  it  again  are  the  fine  arts,  rae- 
diceval,  and  furniture  halls.  From  the  last,  access  is  obtained  to  an 
almost  interminable  range  of  agricultural  machinery,  in  the  court-yard 
of  the  Royal  Dublin  Society's  House ;  and  a  circular  sweep  from  this 
portion  contains  locomotive  mechanism,  and  models  of  various  kinds,  and 
brings  us  into  another  straight  range  filled  with  stained  glass,  and  a 
splendid  array  of  carriages.  Hence  a  passage  brings  us  back  into  the 
main  body  of  the  building,  on  the  side  of  the  north  hall,  before  which 
we  pass  chemical,  naval,  and  railway  machinery,  and  arrive  at  the  north 
hall,  amongst  iron  and  general  hardware,  manufactures  from  silk  and 
wool,  and  from  mineral  substances.  Outside  this  again,  on  the  extreme 
north,  is  a  long  and  narrower  range  filled  with  machinery  in  motion. 

In  this  section,  the  main  object  is  a  beautifully  finished  50  horse 
high-pressure  direct-action  double  steam-engine,  ordered  from  and  built 
by  Messrs.  Fairbairn  of  Manchester,  for  driving  a  main  shaft,  240  feet 
in  length,  carried  on  pedestal  pillars  along  the  centre  of  the  division. 
The  whole  of  this  mechanism  is  deserving  of  the  highest  praise,  as  an 
example  of  good,  well-finished  work.  Close  to  Mr.  Fairbairn's  engines, 
and  standing  across  the  hall,  is  a  double-cylinder  beam-engine,  con- 
structed by  Messrs.  Grendon  &  Co.  of  Drogheda,  on  the  duplex  expan- 
sive principle  of  Mr.  M'Naught.  It  is  a  fair  piece  of  good  substantial 
work,  but  without  any  pretensions  to  finish.  The  same  makers  have 
also  a  small  four-horse  engine  on  the  elevated  end  of  the  machinery 
court,  where  it  was  placed  for  driving  the  printing  machine  of  the 
Illustrated  News.  A  portable  three-horse  engine  is  also  exhibited  by  Mr. 
G.  M.  Miller,  the  superintending  engineer  of  the  Great  Southern  and 
Western  Railway.  It  is  fitted  up  with  a  boiler,  and  works  a  three-throw 
water-pump,  the  whole  being  an  example  of  what  is  in  actual  use  on 
the  railway.  The  workmanship  is  excellent.  Various  other  steam- 
engines  are  also  exhibited  by  Mr.  Shekleton  of  Dundalk,  the  Irish 
Engineering  Company,  Simpson  and  Shipton,  Mr.  C.  Lawrence,  Mr.  R. 
Turner,  and  Messrs.  James  Watt  &  Co.  Mr.  E.  Rourke  of  Carlow  has 
also  undertaken  the  practical  illustration  of  the  hydraulic  ram,  as  adapted 
for  raising  water  to  the  tops  of  houses  by  the  action  of  a  neighbouring 
streamlet.  The  little  apparatus  is  in  working  trim,  so  that  the  value  of 
this  ingenious  contrivance  may  be  easily  comprehended.  The  Illustrated 
News  printing  machine  is  not  at  work,  hut  its  place  is  supplied  by  Messrs. 
Gunn  and  Cameron's  Exhibition  Expositor  machine,  which  is  hard  at 
work,  printing  a  respectably  illustrated  newspaper,  entirely  devoted  to 
critical  and  descriptive  notices  of  the  Exhibition  itself.  Of  the  other 
printing  machinery  in  this  quarter,  the  double-acting  platten  machine 
of  Messrs.  Courtney  and  Stephens  is  curious,  from  the  fact,  that  the  platten 
itself  is  stationary — the  type  table  having  the  requisite  vertical  traverse 
for  giving  the  impression,  in  addition  to  the  usual  horizontal  traverse  for 
inking  and  feeding. 

A  most  attractive  feature  in  the  "  machinery  in  motion,"  is  to  be 


found  in  the  steam  confection  apparatus  of  Messrs.  Graham,  Lemon, 
and  Co.  The  rapid  wholesale  way  in  which  the  sweetmeats  are  made, 
constantly  interests  large  bodies  of  onlookers.  A  similar  attraction  also 
exists  at  the  end  of  the  court,  where  the  "  potter's  wheel "  of  the  Messrs. 
Kerr  of  Worcester  initiates  general  observers  into  the  mysteries  of  the 
porcelain  manufacture,  for  which  Worcester  is  so  celebrated.  Mr.  Fair- 
bairn's great  shaft  actuates  a  long  file  of  machines  on  each  side.  Amongst 
these  are  some  good  planing  machines,  lathes,  and  drills,  by  Sharp, 
Stewart,  &  Co.  of  Manchester,  and  Messrs.  Lewis  of  the  same  place. 
Messrs.  M.  Samuelson  &  Co.  of  Hull  have  a  capital  specimen  of  a  hydro- 
static seed-oil  press,  with  a  double  kettle  for  heating  the  seed,  and  a 
table  engine  for  working  the  press.  The  whole  of  the  machinery  here  is 
excellently  arranged,  and  forms  an  excellent  school  for  those  who  visit 
the  "  machinery  in  motion  "  in  the  character  of  inquiring  students. 

In  "  agricultural  and  horticultural  machines,"  the  Exhibition  is  par- 
ticularly rich.  All  the  principal  English  makers  are  in  strong  force, 
and  many  very  excellent  machines  of  Irish  manufacture  are  mingled 
with  them.  The  rival  reapers,  and  Mr.  Samuelson's  digger,  as  engraved 
in  our  last  number,  are  great  sources  of  attraction.  A  model  of  a  farm- 
steading  by  Mr.  Adair  of  Bellegrove,  Queen's  county,  and  modelled  by 
Mr.  John  Anderson  of  Dublin,  is  a  most  interesting  contribution.  It 
represents  the  offices  for  1,000  acres,  with  accommodation  for  20  horses 
and  300  head  of  cattle,  the  machinery  being  actuated  by  an  eight-horse 
steam-engine.  The  plans  of  concentrated  farm-yards  of  Mr.  D.  Watson 
of  Newtownsandes,  Kerry,  are  equally  interesting. 

Amongst  thrashing  machines,  that  by  the  Rev.  Mr.  Willison  of  Dun- 
donald  involves  the  most  recent  novelty.  In  arranging  this  machine, 
Mr.  Willison  started  with  the  principle,  that  a  blow  of  a  certain  momentum 
must  be  given  to  the  grain  to  produce  the  desired  effect,  this  momentum, 
in  the  case  of  a  revolving  body,  being  measured  by  the  space  passed 
through  by  the  beater  in  a  given  time.  Thus,  in  the  instance  of  two 
drums,  the  one  3  and  the  other  lj  feet  in  diameter,  the  smaller  one 
would  require  to  revolve  at  double  the  speed  of  the  greater,  to  give 
the  same  effect.  In  examining  many  varieties  of  existing  machines,  he 
found  the  thrashing  speeds  ranged  between  very  wide  extremes — the 
surface  of  some  drums  moving  at  the  rate  of  90  feet  per  second,  whilst 
others  were  as  low  as  50  feet — showing  that  there  is  much  more  of  guess- 
work than  of  calculation  in  their  construction. 

From  these  observations,  Mr.  Willison  was  induced  to  believe  that  a 
speed  of  60  feet  would  answer  well  in  a  satisfactorily-built  machine  • 
and  he  further  concluded,  that  by  giving  a  reciprocal  blow — that  is, 
striking  the  grain  on  both  sides — as  good  an  effect  would  be  secured  at 
a  speed  of  only  30  feet.  But  the  difficulty  was,  how  to  apply  the  blow  to 
the  best  advantage,  as,  in  the  common  machine,  the  stroke  is  given  at  a 
great  expense  of  power.  The  straw  is  struck  at  right  angles,  and  by 
far  the  greater  part  of  the  force  is  lost  in  bending  the  straw. 

Eut  this  is  not  all,  for  loss  further  occurs  from  the  thrashed  or  cleared 
straw  remaining  in  contact  with  the  striking  spars  of  the  drum;  and 
when  the  straw  is  long,  as  every  farm  labourer  knows,  the  machine  is, 
for  this  reason,  often  rendered  almost  immoveable.  The  first  point  was 
met,  in  the  new  invention,  by  using  two  fiat  beaters,  slightly  crossing 
each  other's  circle  of  rotation ;  and  the  second,  by  the  introduction  of 
straw-clearers.  An  error  was  at  first  committed  in  making  the  striking 
edges  of  the  beaters  too  thick  or  blunt ;  but  experiment  soon  showed 
that  these  parts  cannot  be  too  sharp,  provided  they  do  not  actually  cut 
the  straw. 

The  action  was  now  satisfactory ;  but  the  machine  was  very  heavy 
to  drive.  The  crossing  of  the  striking  edges  was  at  this  time  5  inches, 
and  examination  showed  that,  at  certain  points  of  revolution,  both  ed"es 
touched  the  straw  at  once,  thus  causing  a  double  bend,  and  pressing  the 
straw  in  opposite  directions.  The  blades  were  then  narrowed  from  14 
to  10  inches,  and  the  crossing  was  gradually  reduced  to  1  inch.  This 
alteration  lightened  the  resistance   very  much,  whilst   the   thrashing 


opiate  134. 


\j^\ 


MESS??      EDW?    T.  BELLHOUSE    &    C9     ENGINEERS, 
MANCHESTER. 


/;,/.  // 


^^ 


scut 


I  mill* 


"■ ' 


I  Fee 

■•  Ifnkwoaiti 


THE  PRACTICAL  MECHANIC'S  JOURNAL. 


131 


effect  was  improved ;  for,  as  all  grain  projects  from  the  straw,  it  admits 
of  being  struck  in  a  line  parallel  with  the  straw ;  and  the  nearer  to  this 
line  the  stroke  can  he  applied,  by  so  much  is  power  saved.  But  as  the 
straw  must  be  struck  more  or  less,  it  is  necessary  that  it  should  be  left 
free  at  one  end,  to  flv  off  when  the  stroke  is  given,  in  order  to  prevent 
the  occurrence  of  any  rubbing  action  ;  aud  the  effect  of  this  is,  that  the 
grain,  which  is  the  heavier  mass,  does  not  retreat  so  fast  as  the  straw, 
and  it  is  thereby  placed  in  a  better  position  to  be  struck  off  by  the 
beaters.  The  exhibited  machine  was  made  by  Mr.  M'Cartney,  the 
well-known  Ayrshire  machinist.  It  is  fully  illustrated  and  described  in 
another  part  of  the  present  pages. 

The  carriage  division,  as  we  have  already  stated,  makes  a  very  bril- 
liant display.  Chief  amongst  the  examples  in  this  class  is  the  dress- 
coach,  built  by  Messrs.  J.  Hutton  &  Sons,  of  Dublin,  for  her  Majesty. 
It  is  a  finely-modelled  and  particularly  well-finished  specimen  of  the 
art.  The  national  Irish  car  figures  under  every  conceivable  variety. 
That  by  Messrs.  Killinger,  besides  being  a  departure  from  the  common 
form,  as  regards  the  passengers'  seats,  has  a  spice  of  the  "  Hansom  "  about 
it,  the  driver  being  perched  upon  a  light  seat  at  the  very  rear  of  the  vehicle, 
whilst  the  reins  stretch  forward  over  the  centre  of  the  car  body,  between 
the  two  rows  of  occupants.  Each  side  is  divided,  to  form  two  distinct 
seats — an  arrangement  much  more  comfortable  than  the  open  side. 
Mr.  Bianconi's  "  fly  mail  car"  is  interesting  for  many  reasons — and  not 
the  least  from  its  being  the  carriage  employed  by  the  eminent  mail  con- 
tractor, for  conveying  mails  and  passengers  in  nineteen  Irish  counties. 
But  we  must  defer  our  general  details  until  another  month  supplies  us 
with  further  space. 

Every  one  who  has  paid  but  slight  attention  to  the  progress  of  scien- 
tific invention  and  research,  must  have  been  often  reminded  how  much 
real  discoveries  are  choked  up  by  hollow  assumptions — how  many  errors 
must  be  submitted  to  profound  reasoning,  before  the  honest  truth  can 
be  elicited.  And  this  continually  becomes  more  striking  as  new  depart- 
ments arise,  and  as  science  develops  new  capabilities ;  for  history  is, 
indeed,  breathless  in  keeping  up  with  fact ;  and  our  rapid  transitions  from 
the  base  of  yesterday's  formation  to  the  elaborated  structure  of  to-day, 
leaves  but  little  time  for  the  expansion  of  those  large  thoughts  which 
lead  to  just  discrimination.  But  a  practically  illustrative  exhibition  like 
the  present,  in  giving  us  whatever  there  may  be  of  encouraging  signs 
in  the  passing  times,  furnishes,  not  sentiments,  but  facts — not  mere 
fictions  of  opinion,  but  substantial  results.  In  such  a  collection,  then, 
the  observer  may  calmly  deliberate,  weigh,  examine,  and  consider  what 
is  practicable  and  what  is  not;  for  he  is  in  a  field  where  he  can  easily 
separate  what  has  been  said,  from  what  really  and  truly  is.  He  will  see 
in  it  vivid  "  illustrations  of  the  difference  between  the  philosophy  of 
thorns  and  the  philosophy  of  fruit — the  philosophy  of  words  and  the 
philosophy  of  works" — and  be  enabled,  in  most  things,  to  compute  the 
proportion  between  the  means  and  the  end.  Above  all,  let  him  endeavour 
to  attain  a  true  conception  of  the  mission  of  this  great  school,  remember- 
ing that  "  knowledge  is  a  blessing  to  the  soul ;  and  not  merely  a  toy  for 
amusement,  or  a  tool  for  gain." 

THE  LAW  OF  PATENTS  FOR  INVENTIONS  IN  PRUSSIA. 

The  law  of  Prussia  with  respect  to  patents  is  regulated  by  an  order  of 
the  Cabinet,  dated  the  27th  September,  1815,  and  by  certain  explanatory 
additions  subsequently  issued,  a  summary  of  which  is  now  given,  except 
so  far  as  relates  merely  to  the  process  of  obtaining  a  patent. 

By  the  letter  of  the  law,  only  subjects  of  Prussia  can  obtain  patents, 
but,  in  practice,  foreigners  are  allowed  to  apply  to  the  Minister  of  the 
Interior,  either  directly  or  through  their  ambassadors;  aud  when  it 
appears  that  the  applicant  would  be  entitled,  if  a  subject,  to  the  patent 
polished,  be  may  acquire  the  right  of  citizenship  in  the  prescribed  man- 
ner, or  he  may  transfer  his  rights  to  a  subject  of  Prussia,  in  whose  name 
the  patent  can  be  taken  out. 

Patents  are  granted  not  only  for  original  inventions  and  improvements 
made  in  Prussia,  but  also  for  imported  inventions  and  improvements. 


In  applying  for  the  patent,  an  exact  description  of  the  invention,  either 
in  writing,  or  by  models  and  designs,  and,  if  possible,  in  all  these  ways, 
must  be  sent  in.  A  patent  will  not  be  granted  for  less  than  six  months, 
or  for  a  longer  period  than  fifteen  years ;  the  usual  terms,  however,  are 
for  five,  six,  or  eight  years.  Generally,  it  extends  to  the  whole  monarchy, 
but  this  is  optional  with  the  Finance  Minister.. 

The  patent  will  be  invalidated  if  the  invention  is  not  put  into  operation 
within  six  months  of  the  grant.  This  article  of  the  law  is  indulgently 
construed  by  the  government ;  but  it  is  necessary  to  lay  before  it  some  proof 
that  the  invention  was  put  into  execution  within  the  time  limited,  other- 
wise the  patent  will  be  lost. 

A  patentee  will  not  be  allowed  to  prohibit  any  other  person  who  has 
previously  made  a  similar  invention  or  improvement  to  that  patented, 
from  making  use  of  his  invention. 

The  patentee  of  a  process  of  manufacture  may  prohibit  the  use  of  his 
process  by  others  within  the  kingdom  ;  but  he  cannot  prohibit  the  manu- 
facture of  similar  articles  by  another  process;  nor  can  he  prohibit  the 
importation  of  such  articles,  whether  made  by  the  patented  process  or 
not. 

The  patentee  of  a  machine  or  mechanical  contrivance  may  prohibit  its 
use  by  other  persons,  whether  it  shall  have  been  made  within  the  country 
or  abroad.  Nevertheless  the  Customs'  department  shall  have  no  control 
over  the  importation  of  machines  similar  to  those  patented,  the  patentee 
being  left  to  enforce  his  rights  in  a  court  of  justice. 

A  patent  cannot  be  obtained  for  the  mere  application  of  a  contrivance 
or  process  of  construction  already  known,  to  purposes  whereto  it  has  not 
previously  been  applied,  this  not  being  deemed  a  new  invention ;  nor  can 
a  patent  be  obtained  for  a  contrivance  or  process  known  to  have  been 
already  applied  to  similar  purposes. 

When  an  invention  has  been  described  in  published  works,  either 
native  or  foreign,  or  when  models  of  it  have  been  publicly  exhibited  in 
Prussia,  it  ceases  to  be  new,  and  cannot  be  patented.  Even  when  the 
description  was  published,  and  the  model  exhibited  by  the  inventor  him- 
self, still  he  will  be  precluded  from  obtaining  a  patent  subsequently. 

Patents  for  imported  inventions  are  only  allowed  when  they  have  not 
become  known  in  the  country  by  means  of  published  works  or  other 
means ;  if  so  known  it  will  be  no  ground  for  a  patent  that  the  applicant 
is  the  first  importer  and  user  of  the  invention. 

Patent  rights  may  be  transferred  from  one  person  to  another. 

The  examination  of  the  application  for  a  patent  belongs  to  the  Board 
of  Trade,  and  is  limited  to  an  inquiry  into  the  novelty  and  originality  of 
the  invention,  without  reference  to  its  utility,  except  in  the  case  where  it 
professes  to  be  an  improvement  on  previous  contrivances  or  processes. 
If  the  claim  is  allowed,  the  applicant  will  be  informed  in  what  the  novelty 
and  originality  of  the  invention  were  conceived  to  consist,  and  whether 
it  is  patentable  in  respect  of  all  its  parts,  or  only  in  respect  of  some,  or 
simply  in  respect  of  their  combination,  the  parts  separately  not  being 
new  and  original.  The  invention  is  then  described  in  the  official  journals 
of  government.  Any  one  desiring  information  as  to  whether  he  will  be 
guilty  of  an  invasion  of  the  patent  by  proceeding  in  a  certain  manner, 
may  apply  to  the  Finance  Minister  on  the  subject. 

If  it  should  appear  that  the  invention  is  destitute  of  novelty  and 
originality,  the  patent  is  vitiated,  and  this  will  be  set  forth  in  the  grant 
itself.  The  government  wiD  not  undertake  to  preserve  any  of  the 
secrets  of  the  patentee. 


BELLHOUSE'S  "TWIN"  STEAM  BOILER. 
(Illustrated  by  Plate  134.) 

The  firm  of  Edward  T.  Bellhouse  &  Co.,  of  the  Eagle  Foundry, 
Manchester,  whose  enterprising  exertions  in  bringing  forward  valuable 
novelties  in  engineering  construction  have  already  drawn  from  us  many 
approving  remarks,  is  now  introducing  a  new  arrangement  of  steam 
boiler,  which  promises  to  be  an  important  acquisition  to  the  employers 
of  mechanical  power.  The  boiler  is  of  the  "  twin"  kind — that  is,  two 
distinct  steam  generators  are  combined  together,  to  work  as  one  boiler, 
the  two  being  placed  side  by  side,  with  a  central  tubular  chamber  be- 
tween them.  It  is  this  intermediate  flue  which  forms  the  distinguishing 
feature  of  the  contrivance,  the  smoke  and  heated  air  from  the  two  gene- 
rators being  passed  through  this  chamber,  on  their  way  from  their  re- 
spective furnaces,  to  the  chimney. 

According  to  one  modification  of  the  patentee's  plans,  the  two  boilers 
are  cylindrical,  with  internal  furnaces,  from  which  the  smoke  passes 
right  through  the  central  flue  of  each  boiler,  and  out  at  the  back  end, 
into  a  main  cross  flue,  connecting  the  two  boiler  flues.  Here  the  two 
gaseous  currents  join,  and  the  combined  current  then  returns  to  the  fur- 
nace end  of  the  boilers,  through  the   intermediate  chamber  of  tubes. 


132 


THE  PRACTICAL  MECHANIC'S  JOURNAL. 


This  chamber  may  either  be  built  up  of  brickwork  or  of  boiler  plate, 
just  as  the  boiler  is  fixed,  or  independent;  and  it  is  formed  by  placing 
the  two  boilers  wide  enough  asunder,  to  leave  the  required  space  between 
them,  the  top  and  bottom  of  the  space  being  covered  in  by  any  suitable 
arrangement.  Such  central  chamber  is  filled  up  with  a  series  of  short 
transverse  tubes,  forming  cross  water-way  connections  between  the  two 
boilers.  In  this  way  the  return  current  imparls  its  heat  to  an  extended 
water-tube  surface,  and  on  the  arrival  of  the  current  at  the  front  end  of 
the  boiler,  it  diverges  to  one  side — to  the  left,  for  example— and  passes 
through  a  suitable  cross  flue  beneath  the  boiler  on  that  side.  This  con- 
ducts the  current  into  an  external  longitudinal  flue,  surrounding  a  great 
portion  of  the  outer  tide  and  bottom  of  the  boiler,  and  running  back 
again  to  the  further  end  of  the  boiler.  From  this  point  the  current 
enters  another  bottom  cross  flue,  opening  into  a  corresponding  external 
longitudinal  flue,  along  the  right-band  boiler,  which  flue  finally  opens 
into  the  chimney  flue  at  the  furnace  end. 

Our  Plate,  134,  with  its  subsidiary  wood  engravings,  will  make  the 
plans  pretty  clear.  Fig.  1,  on  the  plate,  is  a  front  end  elevation  of  the 
duplex  boiler,  as  erected  in  brickwork ;  fig. 
2  is  a  transverse  vertical  section  corre- 
sponding, the  section  being  taken  through 
the  two  furnaces,  the  brickwork  and  flues, 
and  the  overhead  steam-chest;  fig.  3,  the 
wood  engraving  in  the  body  of  the  descrip- 
tion, is  a  longitudinal  section  of  the  ar- 
rangement, taken  through  the  intermediate 
chamber,   the  external   flues,    waterways, 

Fi;.  3. 


and  the  steam-chest;  and  fig.  4  is  a  sectional  plan  to  correspond.  Both 
these  latter  views  are  drawn  to  a  scale  of  one-half  the  corresponding 
views  in  the  plate. 

The  two  boilers  or  generators,  a,  are  of  the  common  cylindrical,  tubu- 
lar class,  with  internal  furnaces  and  Hues,  is,  running  right  through  them 

Tig.  4. 


from  end  to  end.  They  are  set  in  a  brick  foundation,  c,  suitable  flues 
being  formed  in  the  walls  of  brickwork,  to  answer  for  the  special  arrange- 
ments of  the  combination.  Each  boiler  is  fired  separately,  through  the 
usual  end  furnace  doors,  d,  and  the  gaseous  products  pass  off  from  each  set 
of  furnace  bars  in  the  direction  of  the  arrows,  the  two  currents  meet- 
ing and  forming  into  one,  in  the  main  end  transverse  flue,  e,  in  the  brick- 
work.    This  combined  current  then  turns  again  towards  the  front  of 


the  boiler,  passing  directly  through  the  intermediate  chamber  of  tubes, 
f,  which  chamber  is  formed  on  its  two  walls  by  the  contiguous  surfaces 
of  the  boilers,  A,  and  on  its  top  and  bottom  by  an  overhead  arch,  o,  of 
brickwork,  and  the  mass  of  the  brickwork  base.  The  short  tubes,  n, 
which  cross  the  space  between  the  two  boilers,  are  water-spaces,  being 
open  at  each  end  into  the  respective  boilers,  beneath  the  water-line 
therein;  thus;  the  heated  current  being  intercepted  by  this  arrange- 
ment of  tubular  water-spaces,  a,s  it  traverses  the  intermediate  chamber, 
imparts  its  heat  to  an  extended  heating  area.  The  tubes  are  disposed 
in  two  rows,  sloping  at  reversed  angles  from  one  boiler  to  the  other,  to 
aid  the  internal,  circulation  and  the  passing  away  of  the  steam.  This 
central  thoroughfare,  f,  then  conveys  the  current  of  heat  and  gaseous 
products  to  the  front  end  of  the  boiler,  where  it  diverges,  as  at  i,  de- 
scending into  a  short  transverse  flue,  j,  passing  beneath  the  generator  on 
that  side.  This  conveys  the  current  into  the  external  longitudinal  flue, 
K,  surrounding  and  covering  in  a  great  portion  of  the  outer  side  and 
bottom  of  that  generator;  and  this  flue,  k,  then  forms  the  duct  for  the 
traverse  of  the  current  a  second  time  to  the  far  end  of  the  boilers.  Hav- 
ing reached  this  part,  the  current  next  enters  another  bottom  transverse 
flue,  L,  beneath  the  hack  end  of  the  intermediate  chamber  or  cell,  f,  and 
through  this  short  flue  the  current  enters  the  external  longitudinal  flue, 
m,  of  the  opposite  generator,  precisely  similar  to  the  before-mentioned 
external  flue,  K.  In  this  way,  this  latter  generator  is  well  heated  exter- 
nally, like  the  former  one ;  and  as  the  flue  runs  all  the  way  back  to  the 
furnace  end  of  the  boiler,  the  current  finally  passes  off  along  it,  and 
through  the  short  branch,  n,  to  the  chimney.  With  a  boiler  so  contrived, 
the  whole  of  the  large  flue  area  in  the  centre  of  the  boiler  is  well  exposed 
to  the  direct  heat  of  the  furnaces;  and  the  greatest  possible  portion  of 
the  external  boiler  surface  is  similarly  acted  upon,  and  heated  after  the 
current  leaves  the  central  passage,  whilst  the  possession  of  this  central 
chamber  admits  of  the  perfect  commingling  of  the  gaseous  products  of 
combustion,  and  the  obtainment  of  a  greatly  increased  heating  area,  from 
the  arrangement  of  the  pipes  therein.  The  two  generators,  thus  equally 
and  uniformly  heated,  furnish  each  its  own  supply  of  steam,  through  the 
overhead  vertical  pipes,  o,  to  the  horizontal  steam-chest,  p.  Any  num- 
ber of  such  generators  may,  of  course,  be  combined  together,  securing 
all  the  advantages  of  a.)  intermediate  flue-cell  between  each. 

Messrs.  Bellhouse  h,  ve  also  another  plan,  where  the  boiler  is  inde- 
pendent, the  combined  furnace  returning  along  the  centre  tube  ch  imber, 
and  then  passing  down  beneath  the  front  end  of  one  boiler,  and  proceed- 
ing to  the  chimney-flue  direct.  The  flue  arrangement,  and  the  direction 
of  the  currents,  may  be  variously  modified,  to  take  advantage  of  the 
essential  feature  of  the  central  chamber  tubes. 


IIARTIN'S  CYLINDER  WATER-METER. 
(Illustrated  by  Plate  135.) 

This  meter,  which  is  an  American  invention,  is  a  simple  arrangement 
of  a  cylinder  and  piston,  fitted  up  with  slide-valves,  for  the  ingress  and 
exit  of  the  water  to  be  measured;  the  cylinder,  which  is  the  actual  mea- 
suring vessel,  being  filled  at  each  stroke  of  the  piston,  after  which  the 
slide-valve  is  reversed,  when  the  water  escapes,  and  a  fresh  supply  is 
admitted  on  the  opposite  side  of  the  piston.  This  action,  therefore,  keeps 
up  a  reciprocatory  movement  of  the  piston,  and  the  registration  of  the 
measured  fluid  is  effected  by  a  counter  attached  to  the  valve-spindle,  and 
actuated  by  the  slide  movement. 

Fig.  1,  on  Plate  135,  is  a  sectional  elevation  of  the  meter  complete; 
fig.  2  is  a  corresponding  end  view  of  the  meter;  and  fig.  3  is  a  plan. 
At  A  is  a  wooden  or  metal  base-frame  for  supporting  the  cylinder  and 
working  parts  of  the  apparatus.  The  cylinder,  b,  is  carried  by  the  two 
vertical  supporting  brackets,  c,  and  is  fitted  with  a  slide-valve,  D,  and 
piston,  e,  screwed  on  to  the  piston-rod,  f.  This  rod  passes  through  a 
stuffing-box,  G,  in  each  end  of  the  measuring  cylinder,  and  has  a  short 
adjustable  arm,  h,  screwed  to  it  near  its  outer  extremity  by  a  pinching 
screw,  i.  The  lower  end  of  this  arm  is  fitted  with  a  stud-pin,  j,  which 
works  in  the  longitudinal  slotted  rod,  k.  This  rod  slides  in  the  fixed 
bearings,  i.,  which  are  bolted  to  the  main  vertical  portion  of  the  framing. 
The  outer  extremity  of  the  slotted  rod  is  connected  by  a  short  link,  m, 
with  the  lower  end  of  the  vertical  weighted  tumbling  lever,  n,  working 
on  a  fixed  stud  centre,  o.  The  upper  end  of  this  lever  is  guided  in  its 
movements  by  the  segmental  guide-plates,  p,  which  are  carried  by  a  pillar, 
q,  bolted  to  the  main  framing.  The  slide,  d,  is  contained  in  the  cham- 
ber, R,  which  is  furnished  with  an  inlet-pipe,  s,  and  the  spindle  of  the 
slide  is  jointed  at  t,  to  one  end  of  the  adjustable  connecting-rod,  u.  The 
opposite  end  of  this  rod  is  jointed  to  the  segmentally-slotted  plate,  v,  in 
which  works  a  stud-pin,  w,  fitted  into  the  lever.     The  slot  on  this  seg- 


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THE  PRACTICAL  MECHANIC'S  JOUENAL. 


133 


mental  plate  is  rather  shorter  than  the  traverse  of  the  pin  in  the  lever, 
so  that,  when  the  lever  is  caused  to  oscillate  or  vibrate,  a  certain 
amount  of  traverse  is  given  to  the  slide,  d.  The  movement  of  the  lever, 
s,  is  effected  by  the  traverse  of  the  stud-pin  in  the  slotted  rod,  K,  the  slot 
in  this  rod  being  shorter  than  the  stroke  of  the  piston;  and  consequently, 
when  the  pin  arrives  at  the  end  of  the  slot,  the  further  traverse  of  the 
piston  slides  the  rod,  k,  in  its  bearings,  and  thereby  turns  the  lever,  N,  on 
its  fixed  centre,  o.  The  registration  of  the  fluid-flow  is  effected  by  the 
ratchet-wheel,  x,  actuated  at  every  stroke  of  the  slide  by  the  palls,  y, 
fitted  to  the  T  piece,  z,  which  is  secured  to  the  connecting-rod  of  the 
valve-spindle. 

In  measuring  fluids  by  this  meter,  the  matter  to  be  measured  enters 
by  the  inlet-pipe,  s,  into  the  chamber,  e,  whence  it  passes  along  the 
open  port,  a,  into  the  corresponding  end  of  the  cylinder,  b.  The  pressure 
of  the  fluid  forces  the  piston  to  the  opposite  end  of  the  cylinder,  thereby 


causing  the  pin,  j,  to  traverse  along  the  slotted  rod,  k,  and  move  it  in  the 
direction  of  the  arrow.  This  movement  of  the  rod  reverses  the  lever,  n, 
which  effects  the  movement  of  the  slide,  d,  by  means  of  the  stud-pin,  w, 
and  slotted  link,  v.  By  this  means,  the  port,  b,  is  opened  suddenly,  and 
the  fluid  is  allowed  to  enter  the  opposite  end  of  the  cylinder,  thereby 
forcing  the  piston  back  again,  and  consequently  expelling  the  fluid  which 
was  contained  above  the  piston  ;  this  fluid  escapes  by  the  egress  port,  c, 
which  is  now  in  communication  with  the  inlet  thoroughfare,  a.  A  hollow 
zone  or  belt  is  cast  round  the  cylinder,  and  forms  the  outlet  for  the  fluid 
which  pours  into  the  source-pipe  through  the  branch-pipe,  d,  cast  in  one 
piece  with  the  cylinder.  By  fitting  a  moveable  false  bottom  or  end  to 
the  cylinder,  so  as  to  be  capable  of  adjustment  by  an  external  screw  or 
other  movement,  the  capacity  of  the  cylinder  may  be  regulated  to  the 
greatest  nicety,  by  simply  screwing  or  setting  in  or  out  the  internal  false 
bottom. 


BROWN'S  STEAM  HAMMER. 


This  hammer,  the  invention  of  Mr.  AY.  Brown  of  Chapel  Hall,  near 
Glasgow,  involves  several  ingenuities  of  improvement  upon  the  well- 
known  tool  of  Mr.  Nasmyth.  It 
is  suitable  for  all  the  varieties 
of  work  to  which  such  tools  are 
usually  applied  ;  but,  as  used  for 
forging,  it  consists  of  a  pair  of 
opposite  or  reverse  side  stand- 
ards, set  vertically  in  the  same 
plane,  their  upper  contiguous 
edges  being  set  so  as  to  afford 
a  vertical  guide  for  the  hammer  * 
or  ram  motinn.  This  hammer 
consists  of  a  long  narrow  cylin- 
der, bored  at  its  upper  end,  and 
closed  in  at  the  top  by  a  bla 
flange,  whilst  it  is  grooved  vet 
call}'  down  each  side,  to  slide 
guide-pieces  on  the 
standards,  and  its 
lower  unbored  end 
has  attached  to  it 
the  hammer  face. 
A  portion  of  this 
long  cylinder  is 
slotted  longitudi- 
nally through  from 
side  to  side,  and 
through  this  slot, 
which  must  be 
fully  equal  to  the 
greatest  traverse  of 
the  hammer,  a  hori- 
zontal bar  ispassed, 
the  two  ends  of  this 
bar  being  secured 
to  the  framing.  To 
the  centre  of  this 
bar  is  atlached  the 
lower  end  of  a  long 
bar,  of  cylindrical  section,  and  turned  to  fit  the  cylinder's  bore,  being 
set  to  project  up  into  the  cylinder,  its  upper  end  terminating  just  within 
the  cylinder's  closed  end,  when  the  hammer  is  down.  The  upper  end  of 
this  bar,  or  fixed  piston  as  it  may  he  termed,  is  fitted  with  an  elastic  ring 
as  a  packing.  And  this  piston  is  bored  through  longitudinally,nearly  from 
end  to  end;  but  its  lower  end  is  closed,  and  the  supplying  steam-pipe 
enters  this  bore  laterally  at  the  lower  end,  so  that  the  actuating  steam 
is  thus  conducted  up  the  bore,  and  out  at  the  clear  open  end  of  the  piston, 
to  act  against  the  blank  fl-inge  end  of  the  cylinder.  By  this  arrange- 
ment, as  the  driving  steam  is  supplied  through  the  fixed  piston,  it  presses 
against  the  closed  cylinder  end  or  top,  and  thus  raises  the  cylinder  in  its 
slides,  and  canies  up  the  hammer  face.  Then,  when  the  steam  is  allowed 
to  exhaust  back  through  the  piston  on  a  change  of  the  valves,  the 
hammer  falls  and  works  in  the  usual  manner.  The  steam  is  supplied 
through  an  equilibrium  or  balanced  piston  valve,  so  contrived  by  propor- 
tioning the  respective  diameters  of  the  piston  and  its  rod,  that  the  steam 
pressure  shall  itself  open  the  steam  inlet  to  the  hammer  cylinder,  when 
the  valve  is  nnaced  upon  by  the  proper  mechanical  movement.  The 
spindle  of  this  piston  valve  is  jointed  to  a  short  crank-lever,  fast  on  a  long 
vertical  spindle,  which  is  set  to  oscillate  in  top  and  bottom  bearings  on 


Fig: 


the  frame,  and  carries  an  opposite  or  reverse  lever,  adjustable  at  any 
given  height  upon  the  spindle,  whilst  its  free  end  has  a  pulley  arranged 

to  bear  against  an  incline  or 
cam-piece  on  the  hammer 
cylinder.  The  lower  end  of 
this  long  spindle  carries  a 
short  pin  or  stop-piece,  capa- 
ble of  engagement  with  the 
hooked  end  of  a  small  spring 
detent,  which  always  bears 
upon  the  stop;  and  this 
spring  detent  is  connected 
with  a  second  long  vertical 
spindle,  capable  of  a  slight 
lateral  traverse  to  the  extent 
of  the  detent  itself,  and  car- 
ried upon  a  fixed  stud  centre 
by  a  short  lever  arm.  This 
lateral  traversing 
spindle  is  actuated 
periodically,  by  an 
oscillating  catch 
hung  on  a  stud  in 
the  side  of  the  cy- 
linder, and  kept 
turned  upwards 
by  a  very  slight 
spring.  Then, when 
the  steam  has  ele- 
vated the  hammer 
to  the  required 
height,  the  incline 
on  the  cylinder 
shuts  off  the  steam, 
and  opens  the  ex- 
haust port,  by 
pressing  upon  the 
pulley  lever  arm 
on  the  oscillating 
spindle  working 
the  valve.  The  hammer  then  falls,  and  the  sudden  stop  of  the  falling 
mass  causes  the  momentum  of  the  oscillating  catch  on  the  cylinder  to 
overcome  its  supporting  or  antagonistic  spring,  and  presses  the  heel  of 
the  catch  against  the  lateral  traversing  spindle.  This  motion  then 
releases  the  spring  detent  from  the  stop  on  the  oscillating  valve-actuat- 
ing spindle,  and  the  steam  pressure  therefore  again  opens  the  induction 
valve  for  the  succeeding  elevating  stroke.  By  this  plan  the  steam  is 
prevented  from  gaining  access  to  the  cylinder  during  the  hammer's  fall, 
whilst  it  is  again  admitted  at  the  precise  moment  of  intended  elevation, 
whatever  may  be  the  amount  of  traverse  or  the  momentum  of  the  blow. 
The  rate  of  working  is  modified  by  a  stop  valve  on  the  steam-pipe,  and  a 
similar  valve  on  the  exhaust-pipe  softens  the  fall  of  the  hammer  more  or 
less  as  required,  and  the  amount  of  hammer  traverse  is  regulated  by 
adjusting  the  pulley  lever  on  the  oscillating  valve  spindle,  high  or  low, 
so  as  to  be  acted  on  sooner  or  later  by  the  incline  on  the  cylinder. 

Our  engravings  represent  a  hammer,  slightly  modified  from  the  fore- 
going description,  the  working  apparatus  being  overhung  to  one  side. 
Fig.  1  is  a  front  view  of  the  hammer,  l-36th  real  size;  fig.  2  is 
a  side  elevation  at  right  angles  to  fig.  1,  the  upper  portion  of  the 
working  mechanism  being  represented  in  vertical  section ;   and  fig.  3 


134 


THE  PRACTICAL  MECHANIC'S  JOURNAL. 


is  a  horizontal  section  of  the  main   gearing.     The  frame  consists  of  the 
two  standards,  a,  each  having  overhung    sides,  and  supporting  flanges 

to  support  and  guide  the  steam 
cylinder,  b,  set  over  the  solid  sta- 
tionary piston-rod,  c.  The  steam 
enters  the  cylinder  through  the  port, 
d,  and  exhausts  by  the  corresponding 
passage,  e;  each  of  these  passages 
having  an  adjustable  slide-valve,  so 
that  both  the  steam  admission  and 
exhaust  may  be  easily  regulated. 
From  the  piston-valve,  f,  the  steam 
passes  through  the  branch-pipe,  o, 
and  thus  enters  the  side  of  the 
fixed  piston-rod,  through  the  centre 
of  which  it  passes  by  the  thorough- 
fare, h,  so  as  to  reach  the  cylinder 
end,  above  the  piston  packing.  The 
balanced  valve-spiudle  is  linked  at  j,  to  a  crank  on  the  spindle,  k, 
carrying  the  second  lever,  L,  the  pulley  of  which  bears  upon  the  incline, 
m,  on  the  steam  cylinder.  The  bottom  detent  apparatus  is  at  n,  and 
the  second  long  spindle  is  at  o;  r-  being  the  oscillating  catch  on  the 
steam  cylinder. 

The  additional  valve  on  the  exhaust  pipe,  enables  the  hammerman  to 
vary  the  rate  and  power  of  the  blows  quite  irrespective  of  the  height  to 
which  the  hammer  may  be  raised,  and  the  addition  of  a  small  discharge 
cock  upon  the  steam-pipe,  at  any  part  above  the  piston-valve,  serves  to 
carry  the  water  of  condensation  clear  away  from  the  work,  an  important 
advantage  which  no  other  hammer  possesses.  The  contrivance  is  well 
suited  for  working  boring  tools  for  mining  purposes  ;  and  it  will  also 
answer  for  pumping,  and  for  giving  motion  to  various  kinds  of  machinery, 
in  addition  to  its  legitimate  office  of  hammering. 


MECHANIC'S  LIBRARY. 

Architecture  c-f  France,  Domestic,  folio,  63s.,  cloth.    Cluton. 

Designs,  Suggestions  in,  4to,  16s.,  cloth.    Luke  Limner. 

Dublin  Exhibition,  Illustrated  Catalogue  ol,  royal  4to,  10s.,  cloth,  gilt. 

Encyclopaedia  Britannica,  8th  edition  I  in  21  vols.),  Vol.  2  ,  4to,  cloth.    24s. 

Industrial  Movement  in  Ireland,  7s.  6d..  cloth.    J.  F.  Macguire,  M.P. 

Locks,  On  the  Construction  of,  Is.  6d.    Tomlinson. 

Masting  and  Rigging  of  Ships,  Is.  6d.     R.  Kipping. 

Photography.  Practice  of,  crown  8vo.,  4s.  6d.,  cloth.    P.  H.  Delamotte. 

Timber  Merchant's  Assistant,  32mo,  Is.  Gd.,  cloth.    \V.  LI.  Wveth. 


YORSTON'S  RAILWAY  POINT  KEY  AND  SIGNAL. 

We  have  recently  seen,  on  the  Belfast  and  Ballymena  Railway,  a  use- 
ful little  safety  contrivance,  contrived  by  Mr.  Alexander  Yorston,  the 
locomotive  engineer  of  the  line,  for  insuring  the  safe  management  of 
the  points  or  switches.  In  this  apparatus,  a  short  shaft  is  laid  beneath 
the  line  of  rails  in  a  horizontal  direction,  and  at  right  angles  to  the 
points,  this  shaft  being  capable  of  travers- 
ing in  suitable  guides,  and  having  at  each 
line  of  shifting-rail  a  pair  of  lugs,  or  pro- 
jections, standing  up,  one  on  each  side  of 
the  rail,  so  as  to  hold  the  sliding  and  switch 
rails  from  opening  on  the  passage  of  a  train. 
One  projecting  end  of  this  shaft  has  upon  it 
a  curved  lever,  carrying  at  its  upper  end  a 
signal  disc,  which  answers  at  the  same  time 
as  a  weight  to  keep  the  shaft  so  set,  that 
its  lugs  will  always  be  vertical  to  retain  the 
rails,  this  effect  being  accomplished  by  the 
bearing  of  the  weight  over  to  one  side,  in 
consequence  of  the  bend  near  the  lower  end 
of  the  lever.  A  lamp  may  also  be  attached 
to  this  disc  lever.     By  this  arrangement, 


whenever  the  lever  stands  upright,  the  lugs  take  up  a  similar  position 
and  hold   the  rails,  so  that  the  points  cannot  possibly  spring,  neither 


can  the  signal  lever  be  elevated  to  indicate  "safety "or  closed  points 
when  the  points  are  open,  or  partially  open,  as  the  inside  lug  is  left 
long   enough   to  catch  the  under  side  of  the  rail  under 
such  circumstances,  and  thus  hold  the  shaft  from  turn-         F'R- 2- 
ing,  and  the  lever  from  being  raised.      Hence,  the  en- 
gine-driver always  knows  how  the  points  are,  when  at 
a  considerable  distance   from  them,  and  he  is  indepen- 
dent of  chance  missetting  of  the  points  by  the  attendant. 

Fig.   1  of  our  engravings  is  a  front  elevation  of  the 
apparatus,  with  the  signal  up  and  points  closed;  fig.  2  is 
a  corresponding  end  elevation ;  and  fig.  3  shows  the  signal 
down  and  the  points  open;  a  is  the  shaft  laid  beneath" the 
points,  and  carrying  the  projections,  e— embracing  the 
rails  or  points — the  inside  lug  being  left  long  enough  to 
catch  the  under  side   of   the  rails  when  the  points  are 
open.      The  weighted  signal  disc   is  at  c,  on  the  bent 
lever,  r>.     The  shaft  works  in  two  eyes,  E,  on  the  sleeper, 
f,  carrying  the  points.     The  portion,  o,  in  fig.  3,  shows 
the  section  of  the  points;   a   I?'tid 
may  either  be  applied  to  the  signal, 
or    the    attendant    may   give    the 
signal    by    holding    up    the   lamp 
when  the  main  line  is  right ;  or  by 
putting   the   lamp  on   the   ground, 
facing  the  train  when  it  is  going 
into  the  sideing,  leaving  both  hands 
at  liberty  to  hold  the  points. 

By  the  adoption  of  this  invention,  Mr.  Yorston  provides  security  for  the 
main  line,  as  it  is  impossible  for  the  tongue  or  switch-rail  to  spring  open 
whilst  a  train  passes,  even  at  the  highest  rate  of  running.  Besides  this, 
the  signal  will  always  give  the  driver  timely  warning  when  the  points 
man  is  going 

toturnhimin-  Fig.  3. 

to  the  sideing, 
without  leav- 
ing room  for 
any  doubt  on 
the  subject ; 
and  this  is  a 
most  essential 
feature,  when 

it  is  remembered  that  the  attendant  sometimes  inadvertently  turns  the 
points  the  wrong  way.  With  the  key  and  signal,  this  mistake  cannot  pos- 
sibly occur,  seeing  that  the  man  must  put  the  signal  down  before  he  can 
open  the  points;  and  then  the  driver,  finding  the  signal  off,  will  at  once 
slacken  speed,  or  stop  if  necessary,  before  he  reaches  the  points.  The  plan 
is  also  very  suitable  for  roadside  stations,  where  the  porter  or  station- 
master  can  always  see  from  the  platform  if  his  points  are  all  right,  and, 
with  the  key  and  signal,  they  require  no  holding.  We  believe  the  plan 
is  quickly  spreading  to  many  other  lines  of  railway. 


RECENT    PATENTS. 


THRASHING  MACHINERY. 

Rev.  A.  Wili.ison,  Manse  of  Dundonald,  Ayrshire.  —  Patent  dated  Oct.  2, 

1852. 

In  the  common  thrashing  machine,  hitherto  in  use,  for  separating 
grain  of  various  kinds  from  the  straw,  the  essential  feature  of  the  sepa- 
rating or  beating  apparatus  consists  of  a  rotatory  cylinder,  usually  known 
as  the  "  dram,"  such  drum  being  a  cylinder,  either  open  or  enclosed,  and 
fitted  with  projecting  beaters,  or  striking  arms  or  vanes,  placed  longi- 
tudinally upon  the  cylinder,  in  relation  to  the  axis  thereof.  Such  a  re- 
volving drum  is  contrived,  so  that  its  projecting  arms  shall  strike  the 
grain  or  substance  undergoing  the  thrashing  action,  as  it  passes  through 
or  between  the  rollers.      Mr.  Willison's  invention  relates — 

1st.  To  the  substitution  for  the  drum  of  a  species  of  flattened  beater, 
revolving  on  a  horizontal  or  other  shaft,  and  giving  the  grain  two  dis- 
tinct strukes,  or  thrashing  blows,  at  each  revolution  of  the  shaft.  This 
beater  is  placed,  like  the  common  drum,  immediately  behind  the  rollers 
of  the  thrashing  machine,  and  with  its  shaft  set  either  above  or  below 
the  horizontal  line  of  entry,  or  passage,  between  the  rollers,  so  as  to  give 
grain  either  upward  or  downward  strokes.  This  beater  may  be  made  of 
various  forms ;  but  its  general  feature  is  that  of  a  flat  rectangular  hoard 
or  vane,  attached  to  a  shaft,  as  delineated  in  figs.  2  and  3,  in  our  engrav- 
ings annexed.  But  it  may  also  be  made  duplex,  so  as  to  give  four 
strokes,  instead  of  two,  at  each  revolution. 


THE  PRACTICAL  MECHANIC'S  JOURNAL. 


135 


2d.  To  the  arrangement  of  thrashing  machines,  wherein  skeleton 
cylinders  or  drums,  or  plain  rollers,  are  placed  immediately  behind  the 
beater  just  described,  and  in  close  contact  with  such  beater,  for  the  pur- 
pose of  preventing  the  latter  from  being  entangled  with  the  issuing 
straw.     Such  cylinders  or  rollers  are  termed  the  straw-clearers.     They 


may  be  made  of  various  forms;  but  it  is  preferred  to  be  cylindrical,  of 
the  same  length  as  the  beaters,  and  revolving  in  the  same  direction. 

3d.  To  the  arrangement  of  thrashing  machines,  wherein  one  beater, 
with  its  corresponding  straw-clearer,  is  placed  above  the  horizontal  line 
of  traverse  of  the  unthrashed  grain  into  the  machine,  between  the  feed- 
rollers  thereof  and  another  beater,  with  its  straw-clearer  beneath  the  said 


horizontal  line.  By  this  plan,  whilst  the  straw-clearers  are  so  placed  that 
they  are  kept  apart  from  each  other,  to  allow  the  thrashed  straw  to  pass 
off  between  them,  the  striking  edges  of  the  revolving  beaters  are  made 
to  cross  above  and  below  the  said  horizontal  line,  in  order  to  strike  off 
the  grain.  When  two  beaters  are  used  in  this  manner,  they  are  so 
geared  together  as  to  work  at  right  angles  to  each  other — that  is,  their 
respective  shafts  are  geared  together  in  such  manner,  that  the  four  strik- 
ing edges  on  the  two  beaters  shall  strike  the  grain  alternately.  By  this 
contrivance,  the  unthrashed  grain,  as  it  passes  between  the  rollers,  is 
struck  both  upwards  and  downwards  alternately,  before  passing  off  be- 
tween the  straw-clearers. 

This  thrashing  machine  may  be  actuated  in  various  ways ;  but,  for  the 
purpose  of  adapting  it  to  manual  or  human  labour,  the  arrangement  repre- 
sented in  fig.  1  is  adopted.  In  that  plan,  a  fly-wheel  shaft,  with  a  double 
crank  thereon,  is  employed  as  the  first  motion,  such  shaft  being  worked 
by  the  pressure  of  the  feet  of  the  attendant  upon  a  pair  of  treadles,  con- 
nected to  the  two  cranks.  With  such  an  arrangement,  the  attendant 
who  feeds  the  machine  with  the  unthrashed  grain  may  actuate  it  at  the 
same  time,  the  motion  being  conveyed  from  a  large  band  pulley  on  the 
crank  shaft  to  the  moving  details  of  the  machine.  By  this  means  a 
single  attendant  accomplishes  the  whole  process  of  thrashing;  but  he 
may  be  assisted,  if  necessary,  by  a  second  hand  turning  a  winch  on  the 
end  of  the  crank  shaft.  The  separation  of  the  grain  from  the  straw  is 
thus  effected  more  economically,  and  with  a  less  expenditure  of  power 
than  hitherto,  by  reason  of  the  unthrashed  grain  being  struck  on  both 
sides  alternately. 

Fig  1  is  a  perspective  elevation  of  one  form  of  the  thrashing  machine, 
as  arranged  to  be  worked  by  human  power;  fig.  2  is  a  front  elevation 
of  the  beating  apparatus  detached,  together  with  the  actuating  and  con- 
necting gearing  thereof;  and  fig.  3  is  a  corresponding  side  view  of  the 
same. 

The  framing  of  the  machine  is  an  ordinary  rectangular  erection,  hav- 
ing a  platform,  a,  at  one  end,  with  an  adjustable  seat,  b,  for  an  attend- 
ant, who  feeds  the  unthrashed  grain  into  the  machine,  and  at  the  same 
time  aids  the  thrashing  action  with  bis  feet.  He  accomplishes  the  latter 
result  by  working  the  two  treadles,  c,  which  are  linked  to  a  pair  of 
cranks  on  the  first  motion  winch-shaft,  d,  which  is  mainly  turned  by  a 
separate  attendant.  This  first  motion  shaft  carries  a  small  pulley,  e, 
from  which  a  cross  band,  F,  passes  to  a  pulley  on  the  end  of  the  lower 


fluted  feed-roller  spindle,  G.  The  same  shaft  also  carries  a  large  pulley, 
n,  from  which  an  open  band  passes  to  a  pulley,  i,  on  the  end  of  the 
shaft  of  the  upper  beater,  j ;  this  shaft  having  upon  it  a  spur-wdreel,  k, 
gearing  with  a  similar  wheel,  i.,  on  the  shaft  of  the  lower  beater,  m.  In 
this  way  the  two  beaters  simultaneously  revolve  at  the  same  rate,  but 
in  reverse  directions.  The  shaft  of  the  upper  beater  has  also  a  pulley,  s, 
upon  it,  with  an  open  band  passing  from  it  to  the  pulley,  o,  on  the  end  of 
the  shaft  of  the  large  upper  straw-clearing  roller  or  cylinder,  p.  The 
lower  roller,  q,  is  similarly  driven  by  a  pulley,  r,  on  the  bottom  beater 
shaft,  by  a  band  passing  to  the  pulley,  s,  on  the  roller  shaft. 

Thus,  as  the  grain  is  fed  in  upon  the  upper  platform,  it  is  drawn  for- 
ward by  the  grooved  rollers, g,  and  carried  directly  into  contact  with  the 
pair  of  beaters,  j  m  ;  and  as  these  beaters  revolve  at  a  high  rate,  they 
alternately  strike  the  grain  upwards  and  downwards.  Each  edge  of  the 
beaters  crosses  the  horizontal  line  of  traverse  of  the  straw  to  a  short  ex- 
tent 'variable  at  pleasure),  as  it  comes  round,  in  its  progress  of  revolu- 
tion; so  that,  as  the  unthrashed  grain  passes  along,  the  grain  is  most 
effectually  separated  or  struck  off  from  the  straw,  by  the  alternate  and 
opposed  actions  of  the  beater  edges.  The  beaters  are  keyed  on  their 
respective  shafts,  so  as  to  work  constantly  at  right  angles  to  each  other, 
this  position  being  retained  by  gearing  the  beater  shafts  together  with 
equal  toothed-wheels.     Hence  the  two  beaters  work  into  each  other,  as 


it  were,  like  wheel-teeth,  and  subject  the  grain  to  a  most  severe  thrash- 
ing action  in  passing  through.  As  the  grain  is  detached,  it  falls  down, 
clear  of  the  machinery,  into  its  proper  receptacle,  at  the  bottom  of  the 
casing  of  the  machine  ;  whilst  the  cleared  straw  passes  off  to  the  back  of 
the  machine,  between  the  two  constantly  revolving  rollers,  r  q. 


ROTATORY  ENGINES. 

C.  Harford,  Windsor. — Patent  dated  Nov.  25,  1852. 

This  ingenious  engine  is  directly  founded  upon  that  of  Mr.  Galloway, 
as  patented  by  him  in  1846,  the  essential  improvement  being  in  the  mode 
of  admitting  the  steam  to  the  acting  cells  or  chambers.  Mr.  Harford 
admits  the  steam  from  the  interior  of  a  revolving  trunnion,  and  through 
a  series  of  radial  ports  or  thoroughfares,  formed  in  the  cylinder  ends, 
an  annular  piece  of  metal  being  fitted  within  such  trunnion,  with  por- 
tions of  this  ring  cut  away  at  the  localities  corresponding  with  the  ra- 
dial ports,  for  the  steam  to  pass  through.  'This  internal  ring  is  capable 
of  lateral  expansion  by  the  longitudinal  pressure  of  two  disc  plates,  the 
circumferential  edges  of  which  are  beveled  off,  or  conical,  and  made  to  fit 
into  the  ring,  the  latter  being  also  beveled,  to  correspond.  By  this  con- 
trivance, the  pressure  of  the  actuating  steam  is  made  to  move  the  cylinder, 


13G 


THE  PRACTICAL  MECHANIC'S  JOURNAL. 


piston,  and  shaft,  slightly  in  the  direction  of  the  engine's  axis,  whenever 
the  steam  is  let  on ;  and  this  action  opens  all  the  induction  ports,  and 
simultaneously  closes  all  the  exhaust  ports,  with  the  exception  of  those 
in  connection  with  that  part  of  the  cylinder  with  which  the  piston  is  in 
contact.  Such  of  the  chambers  as  are  not  in  contact  with  the  piston  are 
filled  with  high-pressure  steam,  to  act  as  a  spring,  or  elastic  equipoise, 
for  retaining  the  piston  firm  up  against  the  working  side  of  the  cylinder. 

Fig.  1  is  a  longitudinal  section  of  the  improved  engine;  and  fig.  2  is 
an  end  elevation,  at  right  angles  to  fig.  1,  but  with  the  front  end  cover- 
plate  removed,  portions  of  the  details  being  shown  in  section. 

The  entire  engine  is  carried  upon  the  open  rectangular  framing,  a, 

Fig. 1. 


cast  hollow,  to  serve  as  steam  and  exhanst  ways.  On  tins,  as  a  foun- 
dation, are  bolted  down  the  two  fixed  pedestal  trunnion-bearings,  b,  in 
which  the  whole  of  the  moving  parts  are  supported.  Each  of  these 
pedestals  has  an  external  stuffing-box,  through  which  the  main  first 
motion,  or  engine  shaft,  c,  is  passed.  Each  pedestal  has  also  cast  upon 
it  a  circular  disc,  set  eccentrically  as  regards  the  axial  line  of  the  main 
shaft,  and  having  a  ring  of  bolts  set  round  its  periphery,  and  entered 
into  the  edge  of  an  external  annular  casing,  d,  which  forms  the  outer 
shell  of  the  main  rotatory  stuffing-box  of  the  engine.  Inside  this  piece, 
n,  is  a  brass  gland,  E,  capable  of  being  set  up  by  a  set  screw,  to  act  upon 
the  stuffing-box  packing,  between  the  inside  of  the  outer  shell  and  the  exte- 
rior of  the  hollow  revolving  trunnion,  f.   This  forms  the  main  stuffing-box, 

Fig.  2. 


the  bottom  end,  as  it  were,  being  produced  by  a  shoulder  in  the  shell,  D, 
at  which  part  is  inserted  a  piece  of  brass,  o,  as  a  bearing  surface.  The 
trunnion  is  cast  in  one  piece  with  the  end  disc-plate,  H,  of  the  engine; 
and  the  details  being  exactly  the  same  on  each  side  of  the  engine,  the 
central  portion  of  the  steam  chamber  or  cylinder,  j,  is  bolted  up  between 
these  two  end  discs,  the  working  steam  chamber  being  thus  made  up 
of  these  three  details,  connected  by  annular  flanges  and  bolts.  The 
inner  face  end  of  the  piece,  b,  has  bolted  to  it  a  brass  disc,  k,  cut  out  on 
one  side,  to  admit  the  main  shaft.  A  similar  disc,  l,  is  also  set  up  against 
the  end  face  of  the  steam  piston  ;  and  the  two  contiguous  circumferen- 
tial edges  of  these  discs  are  beveled,  or  shaped  conically,  to  correspond 
to  an  expanding  brass  ring,  m.  This  ring  is  cut  away  on  its  lower  side, 
to  afford  the  necessary  steam-ways,  whilst  its  upper  solid  side  blocks  up 


the  upper  ports,  leading  to  the  steam  chamber.  Unlike  Galloway's  en- 
gine, this  engine  is  contrived  so  that  both  its  cylinder  and  piston  shall 
revolve.  In  other  respects,  the  internal  cells,  as  at  n,  of  the  chamber, 
and  the  corresponding  rounded  projections,  o,  of  the  piston,  are  arranged 
precisely  the  same  as  in  Galloway's  engine.  In  this  instance  there  are 
six  cells,  and  consequently  six  radial  ports  in  connection  with  them. 
Each  of  the  radial  ports  opens,  at  the  entrance  end,  into  the  interior  of 
the  trunnion,  p,  outside  the  ring,  m;  and  after  radiating  outwards  in  the 
line  of  the  disc's  plane,  the  port  terminates  in  a  bend  at  p,  in  correspon- 
dence with  a  thoroughfare,  Q,  in  the  steam  chamber,  terminated  by  a 
central  division,  r.  From  this  thoroughfare,  a  lateral  branch,  as  at  s, 
forms  the  communication  between  it  and  each  cell  of  the  chamber,  the 
only  difference,  as  regards  the  two  opposite  sides  of  the  engine,  being, 
that  these  lateral  ports  are  set  in  reverse  directions  on  the  sides  of  the 
prominences  forming  the  cells.  In  this  way  steam  may  be  admitted 
from  either  side,  accordingly  as  the  engine  is  to  revolve  in  one  direction 
or  the  other,  the  ports  being  steam  and  exhaust  ways  by  turns.  The 
arrows  on  the  left  of  fig.  1,  indicate  the  direction  of  the  passage  of  the 
working  steam  from  the  boiler,  when  the  engine  is  revolving  in  the 
direction  pointed  out  in  fig.  2;  and,  similarly,  the  arrows  on  the  right  of 
fig.  1,  point  out  the  exhaust  course  of  the  used  steam.  The 
boiler  is  in  connection  with  the  base  frame,  a,  and  the  hollow 
in  such  frame  conducts  the  influx  working  steam  up  through 
a  port  above,  and  thence  into  the  open  outer  end  of  the 
trunnion.  Here  its  pressure,  acting  upon  the  end  of  the  pis- 
ton, t,  causes  it  to  move  slightly  upon  the  shaft,  c,  to  which  it 
is  connected  by  a  key.  This  movement  necessarily  removes  the  expand- 
ing wedge  pressure  from  the  ring  piece,  m,  so  as  to  leave  a  space  all 
round  it  for  the  passage  of  the  working  steam.  The  steam  then  passes 
round  about  this  ring,  and  enters  the  cells  of  the  working  chamber  suc- 
cessively. This  causes  a  peculiar  differential  eccentric  revolution  of 
both  the  piston  and  its  chamber,  owing  to  the  steam  pressure  in  the 
constantly  widening  or  expanding  cells,  u,  as  the  prominences  of  the 
piston  work  through  them.  Whilst  this  is  going  on,  the  steam  from 
each  cell  is  successively  exhausted,  as  each  thoroughfare  comes  round  to 
the  cut-out  portion  of  the  brass  ring  on  that  side ;  for  the  steam  pres- 
sure from  the  opposite  side,  which  has  slackened  the  ring,  si,  has  cor- 
respondingly expanded  the  opposite  ring,  by  the  lateral  wedge  action 
of  the  discs,  so  that  the  upper  solid  side  of  the  ring  is  pressed  against 
the  converging  ends  of  the  steam  ports,  leaving  only  those  open  for  ex- 
haustion where  the  ring  is  cut  away  for  the  purpose.  Hence  the  escape 
steam  passes  off,  through  the  trunnion  on  that  side,  to  the  thoroughfare 
on  the  base  frame.  Whilst  the  engine  is  working,  the  upper  ports,  as  t, 
are  all  kept  full  of  the  steam  at  the  high  working  pressure,  so  as  to 
balance  and  resist  the  working  strain  from  beneath. 


PRESERVATION  OF  SHIPS'  BOTTOMS. 
J.  E.  Cook,  Greenock.— Patent  dated  Dec.  29,  1852. 

Mr.  Cook's  invention  relates  to  the  manufacture,  application,  and  use 
of  a  novel  composition  or  mixture  for  coating  the  bottoms  of  ships  and 
boats,  and  other  surfaces  exposed  to  fouling,  oxidation,  and  decay.  Such 
composition  is  made  up  of  the  following  ingredients : — Gum  shell-lac, 
gum  seed-lac,  gum  gamboge,  gum  arabic,  gum  benzoin,  red-lead,  white 
oxide  of  zinc,  and  French  verdigris,  all  mixed  or  dissolved  in  spirits  of 
wine,  or  wood  spirit,  of  a  strength  of  about  60  degrees  over  proof.  The 
proportions  of  these  several  matters  which  are  prepared,  are — shell-lae, 
two  pounds  weight;  seed-lac,  half  a  pound;  gamboge,  half  a  pound; 
gum  arabic,  half  a  pound;  gum  benzoin,  half  a  pound;  red-lead,  one 
pound  ;  spirits  of  wine,  or  wood  spirit,  one  gallon.  In  making  this 
mixture,  the  several  gums  are  first  dissolved  in  the  spiritous  ingredients, 
to  form  a  rich  varnish.  Red-lead  is  then  added  in  a  mortar,  by  degrees. 
The  vessel's  bottom,  or  other  surface  to  be  coated  and  protected,  is  first 
well  cleansed,  and  then  this  composition  is  brushed  on  like  paint.  When 
dry,  a  second  coating  is  similarly  laid  on,  and  allowed  to  harden  like  the 
first.  The  surface  so  treated  is  then  brushed  over  again  with  a  second 
composition,  based  upon  the  one  already  described.  In  making  up  this 
second  composition,  there  is  added  one  pound  and  a  half  of  white  oxide 
of  zinc,  and  one  pound  and  a  half  of  French  verdigris.  The  verdigris 
is  previously  made  up  into  a  strong  solution  with  spirits  of  wine  ;  and 
whilst  the  red-lead  of  the  first-mentioned  composition  and  the  white 
oxide  of  zinc  are  added,  a  measure  of  eight  gills  o^  the  verdigris  solu- 
tion is  mixed  up  with  the  mass,  by  degrees,  in  a  mortar.  Two  coatings 
of  this  secondary  composition  are  laid  on  the  previously  treated  surface, 
and  this  completes  the  operation. 

This  system  of  treatment  answers  well  for  all  exposed  surfaces,  whe- 
ther iron  or  wood,  and  the  composition  is  especially  serviceable  for  pro- 


THE  PRACTICAL  MECHANIC'S  JOURNAL. 


137 


tecting  the  bottoms  of  ships.  It  effectually  resists  damp,  and  protects 
iron  from  oxidation,  whilst  it  secures  either  iron  or  wooden  ships  from 
foaling  in  a  very  perfect  manner. 

This  composition  is  rapidly  coming  into  use ;  for  it  is  a  most  effectual 
preservative,  whilst  it  contains  no  ingredient  at  all  injurious  to  the  coated 
surface. 

BLEACHING  JUTE. 

J.  Capper,   Old  Brompton,  and  T.  J.  Watsok,  Fulham  Eoad. 

Patent  dated  Jan.  12,  1853. 

In  their  process  of  purifying,  attenuating,  and  bleaching  jute,  and 
other  vegetable  fibres,  the  patentees  first  boil  or  scald  them  in  a  chemi- 
cal solution,  composed  of  any  of  the  following  substances,  namely:  soda, 
carbonate  of  soda,  chloride  of  soda,  muriate  of  soda,  oxide  and  hydrate  of 
soda,  carbonate  of  potassa,  chloride  of  potassa,  bitartrate  of  potassa, 
nitrate  of  potassa,  oxide  of  potassa,  hydrate  and  hydrated  oxide  of  potassa, 
carbonate  of  ammonia,  nitrate  of  ammonia,  sulphate  of  magnesia.  These 
chemicals  are  used  in  the  following  proportions  : — One  hundred  and  forty 
pounds  of  any  of  them  are  dissolved  in  from  half  a  tun  to  two  tuns  of 
water  for  every  ton  of  jute,  or  other  vegetable  fibre,  to  be  acted  upon. 
In  this  solution,  which  is  called  the  steeping  bath,  is  placed  the  jute  or 
other  vegetable  fibre,  to  boil  or  scald  for  two  hours ;  and  at  the  expira- 
tion of  that  time  it  is  removed,  and  suspended  upon  laths  or  ropes,  to 
drain  off  the  water.  It  is  then  transferred  into  a  bleaching  bath,  pre- 
pared by  the  admixture  of  560  pounds  of  chloride  of  lime,  soda,  or  mag- 
nesia, in  two  tuns  of  cold  water  for  every  ton  of  jute,  or  other  vegetable 
fibre,  intended  to  be  bleached.  In  this  solution  the  material  is  allowed 
to  remain  for  twenty-four  hours;  it  is  then  withdrawn,  washed  in  water, 
and  dried,  and  is  then  ready  for  the  market.  With  some  portions,  how- 
ever, when  greater  purity  is  required,  after  removing  it  from  the  bleach- 
ing bath,  it  is  steeped  for  two  hours  in  an  acidulated  bath,  composed  of 
either  sulphuric  or  muriatic  acid,  in  the  proporlion  of  two  pounds  of  acid 
to  one  tun  of  cold  water.  An  acidulated  bath  may  be  employed  as  a 
steeping  bath,  instead  of  the  various  chemicals  previously  alluded  to, 
composed  of  either  muriatic,  fluoric,  or  sulphuric  acids,  in  the  proportion 
of  sixty-five  pounds  of  either  acid,  mixed  with  two  tuns  of  water  for 
every  ton  of  jute, or  other  vegetable  fibre,  to  be  acted  upon.  In  this  bath 
the  fibrous  material  is  steeped  for  twenty-four  hours,  then  drained,  and 
placed  in  the  bleaching  bath,  and  treated  as  before  described. 

The  jute,  or  other  vegetable  fibre,  after  removal  from  the  steeping 
bath,  may  be  suspended  upon  laths  or  rods,  in  a  room  prepared  fur  the 
purpose,  exposed  to  the  action  of  chlorine  of  gas  for  six  hours  previous 
to  its  being  placed  in  the  bleaching  bath.  The  jute,  when  exposed  to 
the  action  of  the  gas,  should  be  thoroughly  damp. 

The  steeping  bath  may  be  employed  without  heat,  but  in  that  case 
the  jute  will  require  to  be  steeped  for  twenty-four  hours,  when  it  is  with* 
drawn,  drained,  and  placed  in  the  bleaching  bath  for  another  twenty- 
four  hours,  and  is  subsequently  washed  either  with  cold  water  or  the  acid 
solution,  and  dried  as  before  described. 


DRAIN-PIPES. 

G.  G.  Mackay,    Grangemouth  Coal  Company,   Scotland. — Patent  dated 

February  16,  1853. 

According  to  this  invention,  earthenware  drain-pipes  are  made  in  two 

distinct  halves  or  segments,  divided  longitudinally  along  the  centre,  the 

junction  edges  being  "  stepped,"  so  as  to  overlap  each  other  slightly, 

Fig.  1.  Fig.  2. 


and  form  a  secure  joint.  Segmental  bricks  may  be  used  for  a  similar 
purpose  instead  of  half  pipes,  and  the  transverse  sectional  area  may  be 
of  any  required  shape.  By  the  adoption  of  this  plan  of  construction,  a 
great  saving  of  labour  is  effected  in  the  necessary  excavations  for  the 
So.  66.— Vol.  VI. 


Fig.  1. 


drains,  as  well  as  in  laying  the  pipes  therein,  whilst  it  enables  drains  of 
large  size  to  be  laid  very  expeditiously. 

Fig.  1  represents  a  transverse  section  of  a  circular  drain  with  a  flat 
sole,  as  constructed  according  to  these  improvements;  and  fig.  2  is  a 
longitudinal  section  of  a  portion  of  a  pipe  corresponding.  Each  pipe  is 
made  up  of  a  series  of  segmental  pieces,  A  ;  a  line  of  which  is  used  for  the 
upper  longitudinal  halves,  and  a  line  for  the  lower  halves,  the  longitu- 
dinal junction  being  along  the  line,  b  b.  The  vertical  lines,  c,  formed 
by  the  end  abutting  edges  of  the  individual  segments  of  the  upper  and 
lower  tier,  are  so  set,  as  regards  each  other,  that  they  shall  "  break 
bond"  with  each  other,  each  line  of  junction  in  the  upper  half  or  section 
being  opposed  to  a  solid  part  in  the  lower  line.  By  this  means  a  strong 
and  well-connected  pipe  is  produced.  The  longitudinal  junction  edges 
are  formed  with  shoulders  or  stepped  surfaces,  as  at  b,  d,  in  the  trans- 
verse section,  fig.  1,  and  this  prevents  any  lateral  dislocation  of  the  indi- 
vidual details.  The  drain,  represented  in  fig.  1,  is  precisely  the  same  as 
regards  its  plan  of  build  and  construction.  For  all  drains  of  large  size, 
this  arrangement  answers  most  completely ;  for  the  system  of  connection 
is  a  strong  one,  whilst  the  larger  of  the  drains  is  unencumbered  with 
huge  masses  of  earthenware,  which  are  difficult  to  lay,  and  liable  to 
fracture, 

GAS-BURNERS. 
J.  H.  Johnson,  London  and  Glasgow. — Patent  dated  Feb.  3,  1853. 

This  invention,  communicated  by  M.  Marmonry  of  Paris  to  the  British 
patentee,  embodies  both  an  improved  form  of  burner,  and  a  new  system 
of  regulating  the  gaseous  flow  thereto  by  means  of  a  diaphragm  valve, 
placed  either  within  the  tube  which  conveys  the  gas  to  the  burner,  or 
within  the  burner  itself. 

Figs.  1  and  2  of  the  engravings  represent 
a  vertical  section  and  corresponding  plan 
of  the  improved  burner,  drawn  to  a  scale 
of  three  times  the  natural  size.  The  ordi- 
nary Manchester  burner  is  composed,  as  is 
well  known,  of  a  short  cast-iron  tube,  closed 
at  one  end,  and  having  two  converging 
cylindrical  perforations  formed  in  it  for  the 
egress  of  the  gas.  The  modification  con- 
sists simply  in  the  employment  of  four 
perforations,  b,  in  place  of  only  two,  as 
commonly  used.  By  this  arrangement, 
the  gas  is  thoroughly  distributed  through 
the  four  apertures,  thereby  taking  up  a 
sufficiently  large  quantity  of  air  for  effect- 
ing its  perfect  and  total  combustion,  and, 
consequently,  giving  a  much  more  power- 
ful and  brilliant  light  for  a  certain  quantity 
of  gas. 

Fig.  3  is  a  vertical  section  of  this  improved 
burner,  with  the  tube  and  regulator  at- 
tached, and  drawn  full  size.  Fig.  4  is  a 
vertical  section  of  a  burner  with  regulator 
attached,  slightly  different  in  form.  Fig. 
5  is  an  enlarged  vertical  section  of  the 
regulator  detached ;  and  fig.  6  is  a  plan  of 
the  same,  with  the  diaphragm  removed. 
The  burner,  A,  is  fitted  in  the  ordinary 
manner  to  the  upper  end  of  the  tube,  b, 
which  is  screwed  internally  at  its  lower 
extremity  to  receive  the  regulator,  c.  This 
regulator  consists  of  a  small  metal  plug,  d, 
fitted  with  a  disc,  /,  of  caoutchouc,  or 
other  suitable  flexible  material.  This  disc 
overhangs  the  four  apertures,  g  g,  in  the 
upper  portion  of  the  plug,  through  which 
the  gas  passes  on  its  way  to  the  burner. 
The  action  of  this  regulator  is  as  follows  : 
supposing  the  gas  to  be  at  its  ordinary  Fig.  2. 

pressure,  the  diaphragm  will  not  be  sensi- 
bly acted  upon ;  but  should  the  pressure  increase  to  an  undue  extent, 
the  impinging  of  the  gas  against  the  under  side  of  the  diaphragm,/,  will 
elevate  it,  and  cause  it  to  come  in  contact  either  with  the  sides  of  the  small 
chamber  in  which  it  is  enclosed,  or  with  the  mouth  of  the  tube,  b,  thereby 
reducing  the  supply  until  the  pressure  diminishes,  when  the  elasticity  of 
the  diaphragm  will  cause  it  to  assume  its  normal  position.  This  dia- 
phragm may  be  made  either  slightly  bent  downwards,  as  shown  at  fig. 
5,  or  perfectly  horizontal. 


138 


THE  PRACTICAL  MECHANIC'S  JOURNAL. 


Fig.  7  represents  the  application  of  a  guard  or  cap,  a,  to  a  burner,  to 
prevent  the  entrance  of  dust,  or  other  foreign  matter,  into  the  perfora- 
Fis.  3.  Fig.  5.  Fig.  i. 


Fig.  6. 

tions  of  the  burner  when  not  in  use.    The  diaphragm,  g,  of  the  regulator, 

c,  consists  of  a  disc  of  very  thiu  and  pliable  metal,  such  as  tinfoil.     It 

F-jj  7.  Flg.8.  Fig.  10. 


the  disc.  Fig.  8  is  a  vertical  section  of  another  arrangement  of  burner, 
somewhat  similar  to  the  burner  first  described ;  and  fig.  9  is  a  plan  of 
the  upper  part  of  the  burner,  which  is  divided  into  two  smaller  burners, 
6  5,  the  faces  of  each  being  inclined  slightly  towards  each  other,  in  order 
that  the  two  jets  of  gas  may  converge,  and  form  one  large  flame.  The 
interior  of  the  burner  has  two  small  chambers,  u  u,  drilled  obliquely 
within  it,  such  chambers  forming  the  bores  of  the  two  small  burners,  b  b, 
and  thus  constituting  one  large  combined  burner.  The  central  angular 
portion  of  the  burner  between  the  two  chambers,  serves  to  direct  the 
current  of  gas  evenly  into  each,  without  materially  destroying  its  velo- 
city or  pressure.  Figs.  10  and  11  represent,  in  section  and  plan,  a 
burner  of  a  similar  construction,  with  the  exception  of  the  application  of  a 
third  jet,  of  the  ordinary  "bat's  wing"  construction,  which  is  interposed 
between  the  burners — making,  in  all,  three  converging  jets  of  gas. 


is  perforated  in  the  centre,  and  is  passed  over  the  top 
of  the  plug  of  the  regulator.  A  small  screw,  d',  with 
an  overhanging  head,  is  then  inserted  into  the  top  of 
the  plug,  thereby  preventing  the  displacement  of 


PYROLIGNEOUS  ACID  RETORTS. 

Edward  Mucklow,  Bury. — Patent  dated  Dec.  28,  1852. 

Mr.  Mucklow's  retorts  are  especially  designed  for  use  in  the  process 
of  distilling  pyroligneous  acid  from  spent  dyewoods,  sawdust,  tanners'- 
bark,  chips,  and  other  refuse,  or  disintegrated  ligneous  substances ;  but 
they  are  also  applicable,  with  but  slight  variation,  for  the  distillation  of 
the  like  products  from  billets,  branches,  or  logs  of  wood.  The  retort 
may  be  either  cylindrical  or  rectangular,  and  it  is  set  perpendicularly. 
The  fire  may  be  either  applied  externally  or  internally.  If  the  fire  is  to 
be  applied  externally,  the  retort  is  closed  at  both  ends ;  and  hi  the  centre 
of  the  same,  a  hollow  perforated  cylinder,  or  a  cylinder  of  cones,  is 
placed,  leaving  a  space  between  it  and  the  outside  of  the  retort.  In  this 
space  the  wood  is  placed.  If  the  wood  is  in  small  particles,  as  sawdust 
or  spent  dyewood,  this  space  should  not  much  exceed  6  or  8  inches,  in 
order  to  secure  the  perfect  charring  of  the  wood  all  through  ;  but  if  the 
retort  is  intended  to  distil  from  billets  of  wood,  which  do  not  lie  so  closely, 
the  space  may  be  increased,  according  to  the  nature  of  the  material  under 
operation. 

The  perforated  cylinder  may  be  formed  in  a  variety  of  ways,  but  the 
method  which  the  patentee  prefers,  especially  in  distilling  sawdust  and 
spent  dyewood,  is  to  construct  it  by  placing  a  series  of  conical  metal  or 
earthenware  rings,  one  above  the  other — these  rings  being  provided 
with  small  projections,  in  order  to  keep  them  at  a  little  distance  from 
each  other.  This  peculiar  mode  of  construction  prevents  the  possibility 
of  the  perforations,  or  openings,  becoming  clogged  or  closed  by  the  small 
particles  of  wood.  In  the  central  space,  which  is  enclosed  by  the  per- 
forated cylinder,  may  be  placed  pipes,  through  which  cold  water  is 
caused  to  circulate.  The  wood  is  placed  in  the  retort  in  a  moist  state, 
and  the  top  of  the  retort  is  then  closed  and  "  luted"  down.  Upon  heat 
being  applied  to  the  exterior  of  the  retort,  the  vapours  evolved  from  the 
wood  pass  through  the  perforations,  or  between  the  conical  rings,  into 
the  inner  space,  and  are  partially  condensed,  by  coming  into  contact 
with  the  cold-water  pipes.  The  product  thus  obtained  falls  to  the 
buttom  of  the  cylinder,  and  passes  off  through  a  pipe,  provided  for  that 
purpose;  or  the  whole  of  the  condensing  process  may  be  carried  on 
outside  the  retort.  If  the  fire  is  to  be  applied  internally,  a  fire-flue  must 
extend  up  the  centre  of  the  retort.  Around  this  flue  is  the  space  for 
the  wood,  enclosed  by  the  perforated  cylinder  or  the  conical  rings,  which 
must  be  inverted,  and  outside  is  the  condensing  space,  enclosed  by  the 
exterior  of  the  retort.  The  principal  feature  of  the  invention  is,  that 
the  vapours  arising  from  the  destructive  distillation  of  the  wood  do  not 
come     into     contact 

with  the  heated  sur-  Fig.  1. 

face  of  the  retort,  but 
pass  off  immediately 
into  a  comparatively 
cool  space ;  and  thus 
the  great  consequent 
waste  is  prevented, 
and  much  more  acid, 
and  considerably  more 
naphtha  or  pyroxilic 
spirit,  is  obtained. 
The  annexed  figures 
represent  both  of  the 
above  arrangements, 
drawn  to  a  scale  of 

about  1§  inch  to  a  foot.  Fig.  1  represents  a  vertical  section  of  the 
improved  retort,  enclosing  the  space,  A,  in  which  the  wood  is  placed. 
At  b  are  a  series  of  conical  rings,  placed  one  upon  the  other,  and 
kept  apart  by  means  of  small  projections,  o,  shown  also  in  the 
detached  views  of  one  of  the  rings,  fig.  2.  These  rings  are  held 
steady,   and  kept  in   their  places,  by  means  of  the  vertical  rods,  d, 


THE  PRACTICAL  MECHANIC'S  JOURNAL. 


139 


Fis.2. 


passing  through  holes  in  the  rings,  which  form  a  perforated  cylinder, 
and  enclose  a  central  space,  E.     At  p  is  the  pipe  through  which  the 

acid  passes  off  to  the  condenser.  It 
will  he  seen  that,  owing  to  the  conical 
form  and  peculiar  arrangement  of  the 
rings,  b,  it  is  impossible  for  the  spaces 
between  them  to  become  clogged  or 
choked  with  the  sawdust ;  and,  conse- 
i  quently,  upon  heat  being  applied  to  the 
exterior  of  the  retort,  the  vapour  that 
arises  immediately  passes  upwards,  be- 
tween the  rings,  into  the  space,  E, 
whence  it  is  conveyed  away  through 
the  pipe,  f,  and  thus  it  does  not  become 
deteriorated  or  wasted,  as  heretofore, 
by  coming  into  contact  with  the  heated 
surface  of  the  retort.  Fig.  3  is  a  verti- 
cal section  of  the  retort,  as  arranged  for 
the  internal  application  of  the  fire.  A 
is  the  fire-flue,  extending  up  the  centre 
of  the  retort,  and  b  is  the  wood  space 
surrounding  the  same,  and  enclosed  by 
the  conical  rings,  c,  whieh  in  this  in- 
stance are  inverted.  These  rings  are  supported  and  kept  asunder  in  the 
same  manner  as  in  the  preceding  arrangement,     d  is  the  condensing 


y  * 


^u 


space,  and  e  the  cold-water  pipes,  enclosed  by  the  exterior  case  of  the 
retort,  p.     At  g  is  the  pipe  through  which  the  acid  passes  off. 


RAILWAY  WHEELS. 

T.  C.  Rvley  and  E.  Evans,  Saigh  Foundry,  Wigan. 
Patent  dated  January  17,  1853. 
Messrs.  Ryley  &  Evans'  improvements,  although  principally  relating 
to  the  wrought-iron  wheels  of  railway  plant,  are  also  applicable  in  the 
construction  of  fly-wheels,  drums,  and  other  articles  of  the  wheel  class. 
Such  wrought-iron  wheels  have  hitherto  been  formed  by  first  roughly 
forging  or  rolling  the  ends  of  a  bar  of  sufficient  length  into  the  requisite 
segmental  form.  The  bar  is  then  bent  into  a  triangular  form,  so  that  the 
two  extremities  come  together,  forming  a  segment  of  the  nave,  whilst  the 
middle  part  of  the  bar  forms  a  segmental  portion  or  arc  of  the  inner  rim 
of  the  required  wheel.     A  sufficient  number  of  these  segments  thus 


j     :    ~T^= 


Fig.  2. 

formed,  being  suitably  arranged  and  heated  in  a  furnace,  the  whole  is 
welded  into  a  solid  wheel.  In  forming  or  constructing  wrought-iron 
wheels  in  the  above  manner,  a  very  great  amount  of  time  and  labour  was 
necessarily  expended  in  filing  or  otherwise  fitting  the  said  segmental 
parts  to  form  the  nave,  so  as  to  make  a  sufficiently  close  and  accurate 
joint  previous  to  welding.  And  the  present  improvements  consist,  first, 
in  so  rolling  the  spoke  iron,  that  the  ends  which  are  to  form  the  nave  shall 
be  of  a  thickness  sufficient  to  admit  of  their  being  reduced  by  means  of 
suitable  cutting  machinery;  or  of  being  compressed  at  once,  by  hydrostatic 
or  other  mechanical  pressure,  into  the  exact  segmental  form  required  to 
constitute  a  portion  of  the  nave — when  bent  and  the  ^nds   brought 


Fig.  3. 


together — without  the  necessity  of  any  subsequent  operation  of  filing  or 
otherwise  fitting.  A  second  portion  of  the  invention  consists  in  cutting 
or  pressing  the  ends  of  the  spokes  into  the 
requisite  segmental  form ;  and  a  third  relates 
to  the  use  of  suitable  cutting  or  pressing 
machinery  for  effecting  this  object.  The 
bars  may  be  formed  in  various  ways,  but  the 
method  which  the  patentees  prefer,  as  being 
the  readiest  and  most  economical,  is  as  fol- 
lows : — A  bar  of  iron  is  rolled  of  any  con- 
venient length — so  as  to  form  as  many 
spokes  in  one  bar  as  practicable — hav- 
ing suitable  thickened  parallel  parts,  or 
"  swells,"  at  proper  intervals  apart,  accord- 
ing to  the  dimensions  of  the  wheel  to  be 
formed.  A  bar  thus  rolled  is  represented  at 
fig.  1,  A  being  the  bar,  and  b  the  thickened  parts,  or  "swells."  These 
said  parallel  swells,  b,  are  then  subjected  to  compression  in  moulds  or 
dies,  and  they  are  thus  reduced  to  the  double  wedge  shape,  as  represented 
at  c,  in  fig.  2.  If  the  dies  are  accurately  formed,  a  bar  thus  produced, 
when  cut  at  the  dotted  line,  c,  and  each  piece  bent  into  the  proper  trian- 
gular form,  and  the  eight  segments  placed  together,  will  form  awheel  as 
shown  at  fig.  3,  the  joints  at  the  nave  requiring  no  further  fitting  pre- 
vious to  welding. 


GAS  HEATING  AND  COOKING  APPARATUS. 
W.  F.  Rae,  Edinburgh. — Patent  dated  November  15,  1852. 
According  to  one  of  the  many  modifications  of  gas-heated  apparatus, 
detailed  by  Mr.  Rae,  the  stove  consists  of  a  pair  of  vertical  cylinders 
placed  concentrically — one 
within  the  other,  leaving  an 
annular  space  between  the 
two — the  two  cylinders  being 
attached  to  a  base,  perforated 
to  admit  air.  The  top  of  the 
cylinders  is  covered  over 
with  a  diaphragm  of  wire- 
gauze,  or  other  porous  or 
perforated  material  —  over 
which  diaphragm  is  either  a 
single  or  double  dome-shaped 
top,  carrying  a  vessel  for 
holding  water,  the  dome  being 
for  the  purpose  of  causing 
the  heated  air  to  issue  later-, 
ally  from  the  stove.  The  gas- 
burners  may  be  placed  either 
within  the  inner  cylinder,  or 
between  the  two,  the  burner 
being  either  a  perforated 
tube,  or  an  arrangement  of 
fan,  union  jet,  fish-tail,  bats- 
wing  burners,  or  burners  of 
a  similar  class.  When  the 
burners  are  placed  in  the 
inner  cylinder,  the  air  to  be 
warmed  may  be  taken  either 
from  the  apparatus  contain- 
ing the  stove,  or  a  communi- 
cation may  be  opened  up 
between  the  exterior  cylin- 
der and  the  outer  atmosphere. 
If  the  burners  are  in  the  an- 
nular space  between  the  two 
cylinders,  the  inner  one  may 
communicate  with  the  open 
air,  whilst  the  vitiated  cur- 
rent is  carried  off  by  a  pass- 
age from  the  external  cylin- 
der. Beneath  the  gas- 
burners  a  reflector  is  placed. 
In  applying  the  invention  to  heating  water  for  baths  or  reservoirs, 
three  cylinders  are  used,  one  within  the  other,  the  innermost  cylinder 
having  a  series  of  short  horizontal  open-ended  pipes  passed  through  it. 
The  water  in  the  bath  circulates  through  two  pipes,  one  connected  to  the 
top,  and  the  other  to  the  bottom  of  the  apparatus.  The  gas  is  con- 
sumed in  a  chamber  beneath  the  cylinders,  and  the  heated  air  passes 


HO 


THE  PRACTICAL  MECHANIC'S  JOURNAL. 


off  up  through  the  inner  cylinder,  and  between  the  outer  and  the  middle  one. 
For  cooking-stoves,  the  chambers  are  also  constructed  with  an  external 
air-space,  that  is,  one  rectangular  chamber  is  placed  inside  another, 
slightly  larger,  the  inner  chamber  being  divided  by  shelves.  The  gas- 
burners  are  placed  beneath  the  inner  chamber,  a  curved  or  other  overhang- 
ing cover  being  above  them,  whilst  a  space  is  left  between  the  top  of  this 
cover  and  the  bottom  of  the  inner  chamber,  to  allow  the  heated  air  to  pass 
through  and  afterwards  up  between  the  two  chambers,  and  off  by  a  suitable 
discharge-pipe  in  the  external  chamber.  A  reflector  is  placed  behind  the 
burners,  such  reflector,  as  well  as  the  lining  of  the  inner  chambers,  being, 
by  preference,  of  enamel.  Above  the  chambers  is  a  double  top,  divided 
into  compartments,  in  which  gas  is  burnt,  for  boiling  and  other  cooking 
operations,  and  on  the  top  a  boiling  and  steaming  apparatus  may  be 
placed,  heated  by  a  pipe  or  pipes  from  the  stove  beneath. 

Our  engraving  represents  an  external  elevation,  partially  sectioned, 
of  a  domestic  or  warming  stove,  complete.  It  consists  of  an  open 
rectangular  base,  A,  set  upon  ornamental  feet  riveted  to  it;  and  on 
this  base  is  bolted  down  the  moulding  piece,  b,  carrying  the  external 
cylinder,  or  main  shell,  c,  of  the  stove.  To  the  base  is  also  attached  the 
cross-piece,  d,  from  which  spring  brackets,  E,  to  hold  the  internal  cylin- 
der, F ;  and  on  this  cross-bar  is  also  attached  the  concave  reflector,  o. 
The  top  of  the  internal  cylinder  terminates  in  an  open  cone,  h;  and 
beneath  this  cone,  it  has  a  series  of  holes,  i,  in  it,  to  form  a  communica- 
tion between  the  interior  of  the  inner  cylinder,  and  the  annular  space 
between  the  two  cylinders.  The  outer  cylinder  is  also  open-topped,  but 
it  is  covered  in  by  a  permeable  diaphragm,  and  this  again  is  covered  by 
an  ornamental  cover-piece,  l,  secured  by  catches,  so  as  to  be  removeable, 
and  having  an  expanded  open  lower  side.  Over  this  cover  is  a  hollow 
air-chamber,  n,  bolted  down  to  the  cover,  L,  and  supporting  the  open 
vase,  o,  as  the  finish  at  the  top.  Access  to  the  burners  is  obtained  by 
a  bottom  side  door,  fitted  with  a  talc  window  in  the  centre,  a  correspond- 
ing hole  being  cut  iu  the  inner  cylinder  to  suit.  The  gas  enters  to  the 
burners  by  the  pipe,  it,  turning  up  by  an  elbow  in  the  centre  of  the  inner 
cylinder,  to  carry  the  three  branches  for  the  three  burners,  s.  This 
compound  gas-burner,  when  lighted  up,  heats  the  air  in  the  inner  cylin- 
der, and  from  this  the  outer  cylinder  becomes  heated,  whilst  air  passes  up 
from  below,  both  through  the  inner  cylinder  and  the  annular  space. 
The  air  thus  heated  passes  of  laterally  from  the  top  by  the  expanded 
cover,  l,  whence  it  is  diffused  over  the  apartment. 

Amongst  the  other  apparatus  is  a  gas-cooking  stove,  in  the  firm  of  a 
rectangular  chamber,  with  an  air-space  all  round,  and  fitted  up  with  layers 
or  stories  of  shelves,  heated  by  a  range  of  burners  in  the  bottom  of  the 
structure,  all  the  burners  being  protected  from  overhead  drip  by  curved 
screens.  A  second  pipe  passes  up  to  convey  gas  to  burners  on  the  top, 
for  boiling  and  steaming.  A  third  plan  relates  to  a  simple  means  of 
heating  water  for  baths,  whereby  a  few  burners  or  jets  keep  up  a  con- 
stant hot-water  circulation  in  the  bath  reservoir. 


SHEATHING   IRON   SHIPS. 

W.  Seaton,  Albemarle  Street,  London. — Patent  dated  Oct.  1,  1852. 

Mr.  Seaton's  intention,  in  this  contrivance,  is  to  show  how  iron  ships 
may  be  coppered  with  the  same  ease  and  facility  as  wooden  ones.  The 
object  is  twofold — the  preservation  of  the  iron  from  oxidation,  and  the 
prevention  of  fouling  from  the  growth  of  sea-weed,  barnacles,  or  animal- 


9 


' ' '  ^  : ' : 


cula?.     To  gain  these  points,  the  ship  is  planked  with  suitable  timber, 
from  the  water-mark  downwards,  the  planking  being  2^  or  3  inches 

Fig.  2. 


■■  -•■   -    !       1? 


thick,     The  rivets  or  bolts  for  holding  on  this  planking  are  countersunk 
externally,  and  the  heads  are  covered  up  with  wood  plugs  and  marine 


glue.  Felt  is  also  interposed  between  the  wood  and  iron,  to  give  a  more 
secure  combination.  Fig.  1  is  a  section  of  part  of  a  vessel  so  treated;  A 
being  the  iron  shell,  and  b  the  oak  sheathing,  held  on  by  countersunk 
rivets,  c.  Fig.  2  is  a  similar  section,  wherein  the  sheathing  is  bound 
down  by  bolts  and  nuts.  This  system  affords  an  easy  means  of  copper- 
ing the  ship,  in  addition  to  its  other  important  qualification  of  defence 
from  direct  mechanical  injuries. 

LUBRICATING  SHAFT  BEARINGS. 
John  Hick,  Bolton-le-Moors. — Patent  dated  Jan.  12, 1853. 

This  invention  applies  to  the  lubrication  of  all  horizontal  shafts  and 
axles,  and  consists  of  the  following  simple  contrivance  : — At  or  near  the 
centre  of  the  brass,  and  at  right  angles,  or  nearly  so,  to  the  axis  of  the 
shaft,  a  groove  or  recess  is  formed,  both  in  the  upper  and  lower  halves, 
so  as  to  extend  all  round  the  journal  of  the  shaft.  The  lower  part  of 
this  recess  forms  a  receptacle  for  containing  oil,  the  upper  level  of  which 
should  at  all  times  be  below  the  lower  surface  of  the  revolving  shaft 
to  be  lubricated.  There  is  also  a  small  horizontal  groove  or  channel 
formed  in  the  step,  opposite  to  the  centre  line  of  the  shaft,  and  parallel 
to  it,  extending  to  within  a  short  distance  of  the  back  and  front  of  the 
pedestal.  The  oil  is  placed  in  the  lower  part  of  the  recess,  and  it  is 
supplied  to  the  journal  of  the  revolving  shaft  by  means  of  a  metal  ring, 
which  is  placed  loosely  thereon.  The  ring  being  somewhat  larger  in 
diameter  than  the  shaft,  the  upper  portion  of  the  ring  bears  upon  the 
shaft,  whilst  the  lower  portion  dips  into  the  oil  in  the  recess ;  and  as  the 
ring  revolves  by  frictional  contact  with  the  journal,  it  supplies  the  oil 
continually  to  the  journal  of  the  shaft,  and  the  continued  revolution  of 
the  shaft  thus  oiled  necessarily  supplies  the  lubricating  liquid  to.  the 
working  surface  of  the  step. 

Fig.    1   of  Fig.l. 

our  engrav- 
ings is  a  ver- 
tical section 
of  a  pedestal 
so  arranged, 
and  fig.  2  is 
a  plan  of  the 
same  detail, 
with  the  cap 
and  upper 
brass  re- 
moved. At 
a  is  the  shaft 
to  be  lubri- 
cated, and  b  is  the  body  of  the  pedestal ;  c  is  the  cap  of  the  pedestal ;  d, 
the  lower  brass  or  step ;  and  e,  the  upper  brass.  It  will  be  observed 
that  each  of  these  brasses  is  formed  at  its  centre  with  a  groove  or  recess, 


Fig.  a. 


that 
the       lower 
stjp  forming 
a  vessel  for 
the  oil,  and 
that   in   the 
upper      one 
extending 
completely 
through  the 
same,  so  that 
a  fresh  sup- 
ply    of    oil 
may  be    in- 
troduced, 

without  removing  the  upper  step,  by  merely  raising  the  cap,  g.  There 
is  also  a  small  horizontal  groove,  h,  formed  half  in  the  upper  and  half 
in  the  lower  step,  parallel  to  the  centre  line  of  the  shaft,  and  extend- 
ing to  within  a  short  distance  of  the  back  and  front  of  the  pedestal,  i  is 
the  ring  for  supplying  the  oil  to  the  shaft.  This  ring  may  either  be 
solid  or  in  two  or  more  pieces,  connected  together  as  shown  in  the  figures. 
As  the  shaft  revolves,  the  ring  revolves  with  it,  and  thus  supplies  the 
oil  to  the  shaft,  the  continued  revolution  of  which,  aided  by  the  groove, 
supplies  the  lubricating  liquid  to  the  working  surface  of  the  step. 

PORTABLE  FURNITURE. 
A.  D.  Brown,  Glasgow.— Patent  dated  Dec.  29,  1852. 

This  is  the  practically  good  invention  of  an  experienced  cabinetmaker. 
It  relates  to  the  so  constructing  chairs,  and  other  articles  of  furniture. 


THE  PRACTICAL  MECHANIC'S  JOURNAL. 


141 


that  they  may  be  packed  in  separate  pieces  within  a  small  compass,  for 
easy  stowage  and  conveyance,  whilst,  at  the  same  time,  great  strength 
is  insured  at  the  junctions,  and  peculiar  facilities  are  afforded  for  taking 
down  and  rebuilding,  or  fitting  up  at  pleasure.  As  applied  to  chairs,  the 
plan  consists  in  the  adaptation  of  wedge  or  dove-tail  joints,. or  modifica- 
tions thereof,  of  metal,  to  the  junction  ends  of  the  seat-frame  and  tops 
of  the  legs,  the  socket  being  on  one  piece,  and  the  corresponding  projec-. 
tion  on  the  other ;  so  that  a  firm  joint  connection  is  easily  made,  by  slip- 
ing  the  corresponding  surfaces  into  gear.  The  same  arrangement  is 
obviously  suited  for  other  articles  of  furniture,  such  as.  wash-stands, 
toilet-tables,  stools,  and  other  articles. 

The  chief  illustration  given  by  the  patentee,  is  that  of  a  drawing-. 
room  chair.     In  constructing  chairs  in  this  way,  the  tops  of  the  front 

legs  and  the   back   standards  have 
Fig.  i.  Fig.  2.  each  a  projecting   dove-tail  wedge- 

piece,  A,  of  brass,  slightly  sunk  into 
the  wood,  and  screwed  down  from 
the  face.  These  dove-tail  wedge- 
pieces  are  set  with  their  narrow  ends 
up,  so  that  the  two. side  pieces  of  the 
frame  are  capable,  of  easy  connec- 
tion from  the  top  side.  Each  end  of 
the  side  pieces  has  a  corresponding 
sunk  dove-tail  wedge-piece,  b,  dove- 
tailed also  externally,  and  sunk  to 
its  full  depth  in  the  wood,  and  secured 
by  screws,  like  the  others.  These 
pieces,  as  shown  in  elevation  and 
transverse  section,  in  figs.  1,  2,  3, 
and  4,  are  put  into  their  recesses  in 
the  wood  from  beneath ;  and  as  they 
do  not  reach  quite  through  the  frame- 
piece,  no  mark  is  left  on  the  top  of 
the  frame.  The  dove-tail,  or  sec- 
tional wedge,  thus  prevents  lateral 
separation,  whilst  the  longitudinal 
wedge  admits  of  tightening  up,  by 
pressing,  or  gently  striking  the  side 
pieces  from  above.  This  binds  the  whole  seat-frame  well  together,  when 
wanted  for  use ;   but  when  wanted  for  conveyance,  the  parts  are  easily 


\X 


U        L 


1 


separated  into  six  se- 
can  be  stowed  away 
arms  are  to  be  put  on 
same  system  is  pursued, 
course,  two  dove-tail 
end,  for  the  seat-frame 
ing  the  tops  of  tables 
each  top  of  the  latter 
dove-tail  wedge-pieces, 
side  of  the  table  has 
tions  ;  so  that  the 
tached,  by  sliding  it 
ing  or  gearing  the 
the  feet  or  legs,  the 
surrounded  with  projeet- 
the  horizontal  section, 
sunk  pieces,  f,  on  the 
of  the  leg3. 


-■  o         o 

11 


parate  details,  which 
with  facility.  When 
the  chairs,  precisely  the 
each  arm  having,  of 
connections,  one  at  each 
and  back.  In  fasten- 
on  to  their  pedestals, 
has  one  or  more  sunk 
D,  fig.  5,  and  the  undar 
corresponding  projec- 
top  can  be  easily  at- 
laterally  when  insert- 
wedges.  And  to  attach 
base  of  the  pedestal  is 
ing  dove-tails,  e,  as  in 
fig.  6,  corresponding  to 
upper   inner  face  ends 


of  the  angular  pieces  which  we  have  engraved.  Furniture  of  all  kinds, 
made  on  this  principle,  is  now  quickly  coming  into  use;  and,  being 
peculiarly  suited  for  export  purposes,  large  quantities  have  found  their 
way  abroad. 

TURNED  WOODEN  BOXES. 
W.  Kendall,  Blawith,  Lancashire. — Patent  dated  Jan.  24,  1853. 
This  is  a  simple  and  economically  rapid  plan  for  hollowing  or  cutting 
out  solid  wood  into  boxes,  or  other  receptacles  of  a  like  class.  The  appa- 
ratus consists,  in  general  form,  of  a  horizontal  spindle,  carrying  a 
species  of  chuck,  which  is  fitted  with  a  projecting  circular  guage,  of  the 
size  of  the  outside  of  the  box  to  be  hollowed.  In  the  centre  of  the  chuck 
and  guage  is  a  cutter  made  up  of  a  small  tool,  fitted  into  a  second  revolv- 
ing chuck,  in  such  way  as  to  permit  a  small  portion  only  of  the  cutting 
edge  to  project.  The  wood  blank,  out  of  which  the  boxes  are  formed,  is 
turned  in  a  separate  lathe,  to  the  diameter  required  for  the  boxes,  and  is 

Fis.  1.. 


of  any  conveniently  manageable  length,  so  as  to  be  capable  of  producing 
several  boxes.  This  blank  is  placed  with  its  axis  coincident  with  the 
axis  of  the  cutter  sp'ndle,  and  it  is  urged  longitudinally  forward  by  a 
runner,  its  end  being  inserted  in.  the  guage,  whilst  the  revolving  cutter 
scoops  out  the  wood.  This  forms  the  hollow  of  the  box,  and  the  piece  so 
hollowed  is  then  severed  from  the  blank  by  a  circular  cross-cutting  saw. 

Fig.  1  is  a  side  elevation  of  one  form  of  this  apparatus,  and  fig.  2  is  an 
end  elevation  of  the  hollow  guage  with  the  chuck  and  cutter  in  posi- 
tion. 

The- machine  consists  of  the  spindle  or  mandrel,  a,  driven  by  the  fast 
and  loose  pulleys,  b,  and  carried  at  one  end  in  the  journal  bearing,  c,  of 
the  front  standard,  and  at  the  other,  on  an  adjustable  centre  in  the  hack 
standard,  n.  The  two  standards  are  cast  in  one  piece  with  the  base,  e, 
like  an  ordinary  lathe  head-stock,  the  whole  of  the  cutting  details  being 


fflg.  6. 


Mr.  Brown  exhibits  several  other  modifications  of  his  useful  contriv- 
ance, pointing  out  that  conical  sockets  and  pins  may  be  adopted  instead 


carried  upon  the  front  projecting  end  of  the  spindle  overhanging  the 
front  standard,  where  a  plain  metal  disc,  f,  is  screwed  upon  the  spindle 
end.  From  this  disc,  two  parallel  bars,  o,  project  outwards,  to  carry  the 
guide-disc  socket,  H,  into  which  the  blank,  as  dotted  in  at  i,  is  entered 
in  turning.  The  mandrel,  J,  for  carrying  the  cutter,  is  entered  into  the 
projecting  end  of  the  spindle,  a;  and  as  it  overhangs  its  bearing  very  con- 
siderably, it  is  supported  externally  by  the  disc  piece,  k,  carried  by  the 
pillars,  Q.  The  cutter,  l,  which  may  be  of  various  forms  to  suit  the  par- 
ticular work  to  be  done,  is  fastened  down  to  a  hollow  in  the  mandrel,  by 
a.  screw  clamp,  m;  with  this  arrangement,  the  blank,  i,  properly  guided, 
is  slowly  traversed  forward,  as  indicated  by  the  arrow,  in  the  direction 
of  tb,e  axis,  of  the  mandrel;  and  this  action  is  continued  until  the  required 
depth  of  cut  is  obtained,  as  the  cutter,,  l,  works  or  cuts  its  way  down  into 
the  centre  of  the  end  wood.  The-  eutter  and  its  position,  as  regards  the 
centre  of  revolution,  are  so  arranged  as  to  cut  the  hollow  to  the  required 
guage  of  box,  as  must  be  obvious  to  the  practical  turner.  The  articles  so 
turned  or  cut  out,  are  then  drawn  off  the  blanks,  and  the  operation  goes 
on  until  the  blank  is  expended.  Various  hollow  articles  may  he  thus 
made,  the  polishing  and  finishing  thereof  being  separate  final  processes. 

ADJUSTABLE  DOG-CART. 
James  Begbie,  Haddington. — Patent  dated  April,  18,  1853. 

This  invention   comprises— amongst   several    improvements  in  the 
details  of  construction  of  wheeled  carriages  in  general — a  simple,  effi- 


142 


THE  PRACTICAL  MECHANIC'S  JOURNAL. 


cient,  and  convenient  contrivance  for  adjusting  the  bodies  of  vehicles  of 
the  "dog-cart"  class  back  and  forward,  to  suit  the  number  of  passengers 
carried. 

Figs.  1  and  2  of  our  engravings  are  a  side  and  end  elevation  of  a  dog- 


cart constructed  on  this  principle.  It  differs  little  in  outward  appearance 
from  ordinary  vehicles  of  this  class.  The  body,  a,  is  supported  on  a 
couple  of  iron  cross-bars,  b,  which  are  fixed  to  the  shafts,  c.  The  body 
is  capable  of  a  back  and  forward  traverse  across  the  bars,  u,  and  is 


Fig.  1. 


held  down  to  them  by  iron  straps,  d,  forming  slots,  in  which  the  bars 
move,  antifriction  rollers  being  fitted  to  them  at  the  points  of  support. 
The  cross-bars,  n,  have  also  external  collars,  e,  to  prevent  the  body  from 
moving  on  them  sideways.  The  adjusting  movement  is  obtained  in  the 
following  manner: — Towards  the  front  end  of  the  under  side  of  the  body, 
and  supported  in  suitable  bearings  fixed  thereto,  is  a  small  worm-wheel, 
f,  actuated  by  a  worm,  the  spindle,  o,  of  which  passes  up  between  the 

Fig.  2. 


two  front  seats,  where  it  is  worked  by  a  small  crank-handle,  n.  To  the 
worm-wheel,  f,  is  fixed  a  crank,  i,  connected  to  the  hindmost  cross-bar, 
b,  by  a  link,  j.  It  follows  from  this  arrangement,  that,  according  as  the 
handle,  h,  is  turned  in  one  direction  or  the  other,  a  pushing  or  drawing 
action  is  exerted  by  the  crank,  and  the  body  of  the  vehicle  is  pushed 
forward  from,  or  drawn  back  up  to,  the  cross-bar.  An  index-finger,  k, 
is  fixed  to  the  carriage  body  at  one  side,  and  a  corresponding  scale  is 
painted  on  the  shaft,  c,  to  show  the  proper  adjustment  for  one,  two, 
three,  or  four  passengers. 

A  second  of  Mr.  Begbie's  improvements  consists  in  the  arrangements 
of  the  springs.  According  to  the  ordinary  system,  the  springs  of  such 
vehicles  are  made  of  a  strength  calculated  for  the  weight  of  four  passen- 


gers, and  the  eonsequence  is,  tliat  when  there  are  only  one  or  two 
passengers  they  do  not  act,  the  light  weight  having  no  effect  upon  them, 
and  the  jolting  is,  in  consequence,  almost  as  severe  as  if  there  were  no 
springs  at  alL  To  remedy  this  defect,  Mr.  Begbie  applies  a  couple  of 
springs  in  the  usual  way,  but  makes  them  much  lighter,  and  adds  a 
third  spring,  L,  bolted  by  its  centre  to  the  axle,  and  lying  across  the 
vehicle.  The  ends  of  this  spring  are  not 
attached  to  the  shafts,  but  are  free,  and,  FiS-  S- 

when  the  vehicle  is  empty,  are  about 
three  inches  below  the  shafts.  Vulcan- 
ized india-rubber  cushions  are  fixed  to 
the  shafts  where  the  ends  of  the  addi- 
tional springs  strike,  to  soften  concus- 
sion and  avoid  noise.  It  is  obvious  that, 
when  there  are  but  one  or  two  passen- 
gers, the  body  of  the  carriage  will  be 
borne  up  by  the  light  springs,  which  will 
be  fully  efficient  in  this  state  of  matters ; 
but  when  the  load  is  increased,  the  addi- 
tional spring  has  to  assist  in  sustaining  it,  since  the  body  will  neces- 
sarily sink  down  until  in  contact  with  it. 

Mr.   Begbie   also  forms  the  spokes  of  the  wheels  of  uniform  sec- 
tion throughout.     The  form  of  section  he  prefers   is  the  lozenge,  and 
he   fits   the   spokes   into   a   cast-iron  nave 
without  shoulders,  giving  them  almost  their  Fig.  4. 

entire  sectional  size  as  far  in  as  they  reach. 
Fig.  3  is  an  elevation,  and  fig.  4  a  section  of 
the  nave,  showing  the  form  of  spoke  and  the 
manner  of  fitting  it  into  its  socket.     The 
form  of  the  spoke  obviously 
affords    great    facilities    in 
construction,  whilst   it  in- 
volves a  much  less  waste 
of  material,  etill  presenting 
an  appearance  quite  equal  to  the  form  ordi- 
narily used.      In  fig.   4  is  also  shown  the 
method  of  securing  the  nave  upon  the  end 
of  the  axle.    A  nut,  m,  with  a  beveled  collar, 
is  screwed  on  the  end  of  the  axle,  the  collar 
retaining  the  wheel  in  its  place,  whilst  the 
end  of  the  nave  is  covered  in  by  a  neat  screw-cap,  n.     Hollow  spaces, 
o  p,  are  cast  in  the  nave  to  retain  lubricating  matter. 

Carriages  of  this  kind  have  long  been  favourably  regarded  for  their 
lightness  and  general  convenience,  and  Mr.  Begbie's  improvements 
must  undoubtedly  add  considerably  to  their  other  advantages. 


THE  PRACTICAL  MECHANIC'S  JOURNAL. 


143 


METALLIC  TUBES. 

T.  Potts  and  J.  S.  Cookings,  Birmingham. — Patent  dated  Jan.  17,  1853- 

This  curious  contrivance  relates* — under  its  first  head — to  a  mode  of 
mating  locomotive  engine  boiler  tubes,  wherein  the  power  necessary  for 
the  reduction  of  the  thickness  of  the  metal,  and  the  lengthening  of  the 
tube,  Is  applied  in-  a  direct  manner,  whilst  the  mandrel,  used  for  sup- 
porting the  external  pressure,  may  be  easily  withdrawn.     Fig.  1  is  an 

end  elevation  of  a 
Fig.  1.  Fig.2.  "  billet,"  or  origi- 

nal nucleus,  which 
is  primarily  cast 
for  the  production 
of  a  finished  tube^ 
and  figs.  2,  3,  and 
4  illustrate  the  va- 
rious after  stages  of 
the  manufacture. 
Figs.  5  and  6  are 
side  and  end  views 
of  the  triple  roll 
arrangement  em- 
ployed in  the  re- 
duction ;  and  fig.  7 
is  a  detail,  showing 
another  form  of 
rolls  worked  in  the 
sameframing.  Fig. 
8  is  a  transverse 
section  of  a  novel 
form  of  calico- 
printing  roller,  de- 
scribed under  the  second  head  of  the  invention. 

In  using  this  apparatus,  the  rollers,  figs.  5  and  6,  being  set  for  the 
first  operation,  the  heated  billet  is  put  on  a  mandrel,  and  passed  through 
the  rolls,  b,  b.  It  is  then  passed  through  the  rolls,  fig.  7,  still  being  in 
the  heated  state,  and  it  then  assumes  the  sectional  form  of  fig.  2.  This 
latter  operation  has  the  effect  rather  of  increasing  the  circumferential 
dimension  than  the  length  of  the  embryo  tube,  and  the  mandrel,  c,  may 
thus  be  removed  with  very  great  facility.  The  next  operation,  as  illus- 
trated in  figs.  3  and  4,  is  similar  to  that  just  described;  and  the  process 
is  carried  on  in  these  stages  until  the  metal  is  reduced  to  the  necessary 
tenuity,  and  the  tube  brought  to  the  length  intended.  The  top  rolls  are 
screwed  down  closer  at  each  operation,  and  the  metal  is  heated  as  may 
be  required.     The  final  operation  is  the  reduction  of  the  section,  fig.  4, 


Fig.  3. 


Fig.  4. 


rollers  refers  to  the  production  of  the  inside  projecting  piece,  which,  in 
the  old  process,  has  always  been  a  very  tedious  point.  By  the  new 
plan,  a  fiat  piece  of  copper  of  the  required  length,  width,  and  thickness, 
is  taken  as  the  raw  material  of  the  roller,  and  its  opposite  parallel  edges 
are  planed  to  the  contour,  a,  fig.  8.  This  flat  piece  of  metal  is  then 
brought  to  the  tubular  form,  first  by  a  hammer  and  swages,  and  then 
by  drawing  or  rolling,  until  the  two  edges  come  together,  so  as  to  hold 
the  inserted  piece  of  metal,  b,  which  is  separately  drawn  to  correspond 
to  the  indented  edges,  a.  The  piece,  b,  is  further  secured  in  position  by 
soldering,  and  as  it  is  desirable  to  get  the  junctions  as  smooth  as  possible, 
the  roller  is  subsequently  drawn  through  a  collar,  to  close  it  well.  The 
third  head  relates  to  the  application  of  tubular  copper  wire  fur  tele- 
graphic communication,  tubing  being  also  used  for  joining  such  wires 
together.  In  effecting  such  junctions,  the  patentees  take  a  short  piece 
of  tube,  ten  inches  in  length,  for  example,  the  interior  of  such  tube 
being  fitted  to  the  exterior  of  the  long  lengths.  Then  the  two  ends  of 
Fig..  7.  Fig.  8. 


the  main  tube  being  laid  together,  the  outer  piece  is  put  over  them  at 
the  joint,  and,  with  a  pair  of  pliers,  the  wire  and  junction-tube  are 
squeezed  together,  a  neck  being  formed  in  one  or  two  places  by  turning 
the  parts  during  the  nipping  operation.  In  this  way,  by  the  substitu- 
tion of  hollows  for  solid  wire,  a  great  saving  is  effected  in  the  amount  of 
raw  material  used  for  telegraphic  connections. 


REGISTERED   DESIGN. 


to  that  of  the  required  cylindrical  tube,  and  this  is  done  at  a  common 
draw  bench,  with  the  metal  in  a  cool  state. 

The  modification   introduced  in   the  manufacture  of  calico-printing 


COMPOUND  CARRIAGE  SPRING. 
Registered  for  Mr.  J.  J.  Cattersoh,  C.E.,  London. 
This  spring  is  very  beautifully  contrived  for  securing  great  elasticity 

and  ease  of  movement.  Fig.  1  is 
a  side  view  of  the  spring,  and 
fig.  2  a  plan  corresponding.  The 
bar,  a,  is  the  fixture,  forming  the 
means  of  communication  from  the 
carriage  frame  through  the  spring 
to  the  axle.  The  compound  spring 
itself  consists  of  four  separate 
springs,  b,  c,  and  D.  The  two 
springs,  b,  are  fixed  to  the  bar,  a, 
at  such  a  distance  apart  as  to  ad- 
mit of  the  spring,  c,  playingbetween 
them.  The  spring,  c,  is  fixed  to 
the  bar,  a,  and  is  connected  to 
the  spring,  d,  by  a  shackle,  e. 
The  springs,  b,  are  also  connected 
by  another  shackle,  f,  to  the 
spring,  d,  which  is  attached  to  the 
axle,  G,  of  the  carriage.  The 
springs,  b,  are  fixed  between  two 
plates,  which  are  united  by  four 
bolts  and  nuts.  The  whole  is  fixed 
to  the  bar,  a,  by  two  bolts  and  nuts. 
The  lower  plate  is  notched  out  to 
receive  the  end  of  the  spring,  c, 
when  the  spring  is  depressed  to 
its  greatest  extent,  and  a  block  of 
wood  is  placed  between  the  springs, 
b,  and  serves  as  a  packing  to  keep 
them  in  their  proper  positions.  The  spring,  c,  is  fitted  tightly  into  a  clip 
with  a  packing  piece  of  wood,  and  the  clip  is  secured  to  the  bar,  a,  by  a 
screw  forged  with  it,  and  provided  with  a  nut.     A  small  recess  is  made 


144 


THE  PRACTICAL  MECHANIC'S  JOURNAL. 


in  the  bottom  of  the  bar,  a,  so  that,  by  screwing  up  the  nut,  the  spring 
is  firmly  pressed  up  to  the  bar.  The  spring,  c,  is  further  secured  by 
another  bolt  and  nut  passing  through  it,  and  passing  through  the  plate 
and  bar. 

In  comparing  the  "  compound"  spring  with  the  common  springs,  the 
relations  stand  thus : — 

In  the  ordinary  elliptic  spring — taking  each  length  to  be  one  foot — 
we  have  four  lengths  of  one  foot  each,  or  four  feet  of  spring.  In  "three- 
fourth  elliptic  and  cross"  springs,  there  is  also  an  aggregate  of  four  feet ; 
and  in  "  telegraph"  springs  we  have  still  the  same ;  whereas,  in  the 
compound  spring,  there  are  two  lengths  of  one  foot  each  =  two  feet  and 
two  lengths  of  two  feet  each  —  four  feet,  or  six  feet  in  all — showing  50 
per  cent,  of  spring,  in  favour  of  Mr.  Catterson's  invention.     And  this  is 

Fig.  l. 


Fig.  2. 

gained,  not  by  increasing  the  number  of  lengths,  but  by  doubling  the 
length  of  two,  so  as  to  secure  superior  ea«e.  The  ease,  indeed,  is  equal 
to  that  of  a  c  spring.  The  cost  of  the  new  spring  is  less  ;  and  no  perch- 
pole  is  required,  so  that  carriages  may  be  built  as  low  as  the  necessary 
clearance  of  the  road  will  allow  ;  and  there  being  no  perch-pole,  the 
front  wheels  lock  completely  round.  A  complete  model  of  the  spring  is 
at  the  Polytechnic  Institution. 


REVIEWS  OF  NEW  BOOKS. 


Summary  op  the  Law  op   Patents.       By  Charles  Wordsworth,   Esq., 
Barrister-at-Law.     London :  Benning  &  Co.     Pp.  140. 

When  a  man  opens  up  a  new  path  in  technical  literature,  those  who 
are  interested  in  the  subject  are  generally  too  well  pleased  to  find  it 
adopted  as  a  theme  for  dissertation,  to  judge  severely  of  the  mode  of  its 
treatment.  All  after-comers,  however,  in  the  same  department,  are 
expected  to  contribute  some  special  service — deeper  investigation  into 
the  theory  and  principles  of  the  matter,  or  more  complete  practical  detail, 
or  a  more  convenient  arrangement  and  clearer  exposition  of  matter  already 
acquired.  All  this  has  been  done  for  patent  law.  The  general  prin- 
ciples have  been  canvassed,  as  may  be  seen  in  the  blue  books  and  parlia- 
mentary reports, — the  practice  has  been  explained  by  men  of  ability  and 
experience,  and  popular  manuals,  more  or  less  meritorious,  have  repeat- 
edly appeared.  But  in  neither  point  of  view  can  the  present  work  be 
admitted  to  commendation  ;  the  general  rules  and  maxims  are  inaccu- 
rate, or  so  defective  as  to  be  equally  misleading ; — thus  the  duty  of  the 
specification  is  defined  to  be  the  instruction  of  the  public  after  the  expiry 
of  the  term,  the  more  immediate  function  of  defining  the  frontier  lines  of 
the  patentee's  privileges  being  omitted.  The  idea  that  Watt  retained  a 
monopoly  of  steam-engine  building  for  thirty  years  after  his  patent,  be- 
cause he  worded  his  specification  unintelligibly,  is  amusing.  It  is  as  if  a 
man  professed  ignorance  of  the  form  of  a  hippopotamus,  because  he  had 
never  read  Buffon,  while  he  might  seethe  reality  at  the  Zoological  Gardens. 
And  the  misapprehension  is  the  less  tolerable,  as  involving  a  revival  of 
the  reproaches  and  opposition  to  the  great  mechanician,  which  well  nigh 
repaid  the  benefits  conferred  on  his  country,  with  ruin  to  himself.  His 
compeer  in  the  ranks  of  ntility,  Arkwright,  perhaps  deserved  his  perse- 
cutions ;  but  his  case  is  not  well  employed  in  the  present  work  to  show 
that  surplusage  in  a  description  vitiates — a  doctrine  very  ungermane 
to  English  jurisprudence ;  a  material  qualification  is  omitted,  surplusage 
thrown  in  to  mislead  is  fraud,  and  fraud  does  vitiate.  The  author  might 
with  advantage  have  perused  Mr.  Sweet's  caution  to  persons  meddling  in 
patent  matters  with  regard  to  the  word  principle ;  he  lays  down  that  the 
subject  of  the  grant  may  be  a  principle,  or  a  machine  embodying  a  prin- 
ciple :  from  the  collocation  of  the  two  things,  we  presume  that  the  former 


means  a  principle  not  embodied,  a  doctrine  that  will  not  stand  in  court  or 
in  the  agent's  office  either ;  and,  as  to  the  latter,  the  author  imagines  that 
some  machines  embody  no  principle  or  law  of  nature,  but  act  fortuitously, 
or  because  they  cannot  help  it. 

Much  of  the  text  consists  of  brief  rules,  as  undeniable  as  .proverbs  in 
conversation,  but  equally  indefinite  in  application,  and  equally  useless. 
Thus,  in  speaking  of  the  claim  for  an  extension  of  term,  want  of  adequate 
remuneration  is  very  truly  introduced ;  in  fact  it  is  rather  the  qualification, 
than  one  among  them,  but  no  aid  is  afforded  in  forming  an  estimate  of  its 
amount.  The  inventor,  indeed,  can  easily  satisfy  himself  of  the  insuffi- 
ciency of  his  reward  ;  the  question  is,  whether  the  Privy  Council  partici- 
pate in  his  impression.  So  in  reference  to  the  test  of  inventorship,  it  is 
laid  down  that  your  idea  is  not  to  be  taken  from  a  book,  or  suggested 
by  another  person ;  but,  it  is  added,  that  the  point  turns  on  niceties, 
readily  appreciated  by  practitioners,  but  not  easily  expressed  in  a  few 
words. 

The  statement  regarding  the  nature  of  an  infringement,  page  39,  im- 
plies that  the  courts  of  law  and  equity  differ  as  to  whether  unconsciousness 
of  trespassing  excuses  the  infringement  in  point  of  fact;  but  general  prin- 
ciple should  have  suggested  that  you  can  hardly  be  allowed  to  use  another 
man's  property  on  the  ground  of  mistaking  it  for  your  own ;  and  an  exami- 
nation of  the  more  recent  trial  of  the  same  case  would  have  cleared  up  the 
apparent  anomaly,  which  arose  from  confusing  the  defendant's  conscious- 
ness of  moral  dishonesty  with  his  knowledge  from  ordinary  sources  as 
one  of  the  public,  that  carbon  and  manganese  are  a  notorious  equivalent 
for  carburet  of  manganese.  If  his  experiment  first  proved  this,  he  was 
a  legitimate  inventor. 

With  reference  to  practical  forms,  the  petition  for  a  prolongation  (in 
which  all  mention  of  the  substantial  merits  is  omitted)  is  of  more  remote 
interest  to  the  inventor,  than  the  process  of  a  disclaimer,  of  which  no 
notice  is  taken  ;  and  though  the  forms  of  pleadings  given  are  delightfully 
simple,  it  is  to  be  feared  that  no  authoritative  restrictions  will  long  with- 
hold that  class  of  documents  from  running  to  seed.  At  another  part, 
Beard's  title  is  quoted  at  full  length ;  but  though  ultimately  sustained,  it 
is  a  peculiarly  bad  model  for  imitation,  and  the  moral  deducible  from  it,  is 
the  huge  trouble  and  expense  to  which  an  ill-selected  title  may  sometimes 
lead. 

The  work  appears  compact,  but  it  is  not  compendious ;  this  quality  can 
only  exist  with  wider  acquaintance  with  a  subject.  Thus  the  question, 
much  debated  at  one  time,  about  an  exclusive  license  (Rotheroe  v.  May), 
derived  its  interest  from  the  now  omitted  proviso  respecting  patent  part- 
nerships, which  that  kind  of  license  successfully  evaded.  The  larger 
portion  of  the  volume  consists  of  official  rules,  and  acts  of  parliament,  a 
compact  copy  of  which  may  sometimes  be  useful,  but  the  modern  prac- 
tice of  converting  such  an  assemblage  of  statutes,  by  the  appendage  of  a 
few  crude  remarks,  into  the  form  of  an  original  treatise,  however  frequent, 
is  always  to  be  reprobated. 


CORRESPONDENCE. 


THE  PARALLELOGRAM  OF  FORCES. 

The  geometrical  demonstration  of  the  composition  and  resolution  of 
forces,  by  means  of  the  parallelogram,  or,  more  correctly,  by  the  triangle, 
is  well  known;  but  much  difficulty  has  been  met  with  in  applying 
it  to  some  particular  cases — the  action  of  oblique  forces,  for  example. 
Thus,  in  "  Warr's  Dynamics"  will  be  found  an  intended  demonstration 
of  loss  of  power  from  oblique  action,  in  certain  positions  of  the  connect- 
ing-rod of  a  steam-engine,  the  same  reasoning,  of  course,  applying  to  the 
loss  of  power  in  the  crank,  about  which  there  has  been  so  much  discus- 
sion from  time  to  time.  Again,  in  some  recently  published  investiga- 
tions on  the  action  of  the  screw  propeller,  it  is  stated  that  the  pressure 
of  the  blade  upon  the  water  may  be  resolved  in  two  directions — one 
parallel,  and  the  other  perpendicular  to  the  shaft.  The  former  of  these 
alone,  it  is  added,  is  efficient  in  overcoming  the  resistance  to  the  vessel's 
motion,  the  latter  being,  therefore,  it  is  to  be  .supposed,  lost.  If  this 
is  the  fact,  the  paddle-wheel  need  not  sink  into  oblivion  just  yet,  for 
there  is,  at  any  rate,  no  such  loss  of  power  with  it. 

I  would  suggest  that  the  cause  of  these  fallacious  deductions  consists 
in  considering  the  acting  power  as  a  magnitude  of  one  dimension.  Now, 
motive  power  never  can  be  such ;  it  is,  in  fact,  a  magnitude  of  three 
dimensions ;  but  when  time  is  taken  as  unity,  it  may  be  treated  geo 
metrically  as  one  of  two.  We  ought  therefore  to  employ  surfaces,  and 
not  mere  lines. 

To  make  my  meaning  more  intelligible,  I  will  treat  the  case  of  the 
screw  propeller  according  to  the  proposed  method. 


THE  PRACTICAL  MECHANIC'S  JOURNAL. 


145 


Let  abc  represent  the  screw  blade,  the  axis  being  supposed  to  be 
vertical.     Let  the  direction,  velocity,  and  intensity  of  the  acting  force 

be  represented 
by  the  parallelo- 
gram, e  b  c  D,  or 
e  bc(7,  e  b  being 
the  velocity  per 
unit  of  time,  and 
Ed  the  intensity. 
The  pressure  on 
the  water  will  be 
at  right  angles 
to  the  blade,  and 
will  be  repre- 
sented by  the 
parallelogram, 
b  c  p  G,  as  de- 
termined by  a  very  obvious  construction.  Again,  the  resistance  to 
the  same  elementary  portion  of  the  blade  will  be  represented  by  the  pa- 
rallelogram, b  c  h  i,  or  b  c  h  i,  b  i  being  the  corresponding  velocity,  as 
determined  on  the  principle  of  the  inclined  plane;  or  by  the  triangle 
usually  applied  to  the  resolution  of  forces,  and  b  c'  the  consequent 
intensity. 

From  the  parallelogram,  b  c  hi,  by  a  construction  similar  to  the  pre- 
vious one,  we  obtain  the  parallelogram  representing  the  action  of  this 
resistance  at  right  angles  to  the  blade,  and  it  will  be  found  to  coincide 
with  the  parallelogram,  bcp  g,  representing  the  pressure  of  the  blade 
upon  the  water,  due  to  the  acting  force  represented  by  the  parallelo- 
gram, Bed e.  Now,  the  parallelogram,  bc'Ai,  is  obviously  equal  to 
BcdE — thus  showing  that  the  resistance  accounts  for  all  the  acting 
force. 

The  case  of  the  crank,  or  oblique  connecting-rod,  may  be  treated 
in  the  same  manner.  In  the  more  complicated  case  of  the  screw,  both 
power  and  resistance  acting  obliquely,  the  intermediate  parallelogram, 
B  c  F  6,  is  required ;  but  in  the  other  cases  it  is  not. 

I  would  remark  that  this  diagram  proves  nothing;  but  neither  does 
the  diagram  hitherto  employed. 

Such  diagrams,  as  well  as  all  algebraical  formula;,  are  but  methods  of 
representing  what  we  suppose  to  be  facts,  in  a  manner  and  form  en- 
abling us  to  arrive  at  a  better  estimation  of  them — they  but  describe  in 
a  more  precise  and  comprehensible  language. 

The  method  here  proposed  may  be  appropriately  termed  as  "  of  the 
parallelogram  of  forces;"  whilst  the  old  method  should  simply  be  called 
that  "  of  the  triangle  of  velocities  or  pressures." 

Goosequill.  . 
Glasgow,  July,  1853. 

STOPPING  AND  BACKING  STEAMERS  UNDER  WAY. 

Having  been  lately  placed  in  certain  peculiar  circumstances  on  board  a 
steamer,  I  am  anxious  to  learn  yonr  opinion  on  the  following  point  in  refer- 
ence thereto: — A  steam-ship  is  running  with  fore  and  main  square  sails  set, 
with  a  light  wind  and  sea,  at  eleven  miles  an  hour,  her  dimensions  being 
thus — tonnage,  1,945 ;  length,  225  feet ;  beam,  35  feet ;  draught  of  water 
aft,  16  feet  10  inches;  forward  draught,  16  feet;  diameter  of  paddle- 
wheels  over  tip  of  floats,  27  feet;  number  of  floats,  17;  surface  of  each 
float,  36  feet;  diameter  of  cylinders,  75  inches;  length  of  stroke,  7  feet; 
steam  pressure,  12  lbs. ;  the  engines,  direct-action  ones,  in  good  work- 
ing condition.  Under  these  circumstances,  in  what  time  could  the  vessel 
be  brought  to  a  stand?  and  when  could  the  engines  be  started  to  go 
astern,  supposing  the  order  to  be  given  to  stop  and  go  astern  in  the 
shortest  possible  time,  all  sail  being  taken  in  at  the  time  ? 

Auyiut,  1853.  W.  S.  S. 

PROCEEDINGS  OF  SCIENTIFIC  SOCIETIES. 


ROYAL  SCOTTISH  SOCIETY  OF  ARTS. 

Thi3  Society  held  an  extraordinary  meeting  in  their  Hall  in  George  Street, 
Edinburgh,  on  Monday,  11th  July,  1853 — Daniel  Wilson,  LL.D.,  Vice-President, 
in  the  chair. 

The  following  communications  were  made : — 

Dr.  Lees  read  a  Renew  of  the  different  Theories  of  the  cause  of  the  Antilunar 
Ti.le  held  by  different  Philosophers.     By  John  Campbell.  Esq.,  F.R.S.E. 

Commnnieati'.n  of  a  method  of  Preserving  Butter,  Cheese,  Ham,  &c,  in  a  fresh 
state  during  a  Voyage,  when  exported  to  warm  Climates,  as  practised  in  Holland, 
but  not  generally  known.     By  Mr.  Malcolm  M'Callum,  Cannon  Street,  Leitli. 

D*--cription  and  Drawing  of  the  Torriceilium,  a  proposed  self-acting  Instrument 
for  effecting  a  more  perfect  Vacuum  than  the  Air- Pump.  By  Mr.  P.  Macf'arlane, 
Cotnrie. 

No.  e«.— vol.  vi. 


SOCIETY  OF  ARTS. 
99tii   Session.— June   10,  1853. 
Distribution  of  Phizes. 
The  prizes  fiir  the  session  were  formally  distributed  on  this  day,  in  the  presence 
ot  a  crowded  assemblage  of  interesting  visitors.     The  fallowing  is  the  list : — 

THE    ISIS    GOLD    MEDAL. 

Mr.  William  Clerichew,  of  Ceylon,  for  his  improvements  in  the  Curing  of 
Coffee. 

THE    ISIS    MEDAL. 

Mr.  James  Tavlor,  of  Elgin,  for  his  Essay  on  the  Cotton  Manufactares  of  India. 
Admiral   Sir  Henry  Hart,   of   Greenwich,  for   his   mode   of   Curing  Smoky 
Chimneys. 

Mr.  J.  Rock,  jun.,  of  Hastings,  for  his  new  Carriage  Spring. 

THE    SILVER    MEDAL. 

Mr.  Joshua  Rogers,  of  133  Bunhill-row,  for  his  Shilling  Box  of  Water  Colours. 

Mr.  John  Cronmire,  1 0  Cottage-lane,  Commercial-road  East,  for  his  Half-crown 
Box  of  Mathematical  Instruments. 

Mr.  Henry  Weekes,  A.R.A.,  for  his  Essay  on  the  Fine  Arts  department  of  the 
Great  Exhibition. 

Mr.  F.  C.  Bakewell,  for  Lis  Essay  on  the  Machinery  of  the  Great  Exhibition. 

Mr.  R.  G.  Salter,  for  his  Method  of  Flushing  Sewers. 

Mr.  V.  Vaughan,  of  Maidstone,  for  his  Machine  for  putting  up  Chimney- 
pieces. 

THE    SOCIETY'S   MEDAL. 

Mr.  W.  Bollaert,  for  his  Essay  on  the  use  and  preparation  of  Salt. 

Mr.  H.  Owen  Husskison,  for  his  Essay  on  the  use  and  preparation  of  Salt. 

Mr.  John  Dalton,  of  Hdlingworth,  for  his  Double  Register  Calico-Printing. 

Mr.  G.  Scholes,  of  Landport,  for  his  Slide  Motion  Indicator. 

Mr.  G.  Edwards,  for  his  Improved  Portable  Photographic  Camera. 

Mr.  J.  Toynbee,  F.R.S.,  for  his  Artificial  Tympanic  Membrane. 

Mr.  W.  Wood,  for  his  improved  method  of  Teaching  Music  to  the  Blind. 

Mr.  A.  Claudet,  for  his  Essay  on  the  Stereoscope,  and  its  application  to  Photo- 
graphy. 

Mr.  Joseph  Hopkins,  of  Worcester,  for  his  mode  of  giving  Equatorial  Motion 
to  Telescopes. 

Mr  G.  Jennings,  for  his  improvements  connected  with  the  Drainage  of  Houses. 

Mr.  H.  J.  Saxby,  of  Miletown,  Sheerness,  for  his  new  Lock.     (And  £10.) 

Mrs.  A.  Thomson,  of  New  Bond-street,  for  Four  Drawings  in  Outline. 

Mr.  W.  Stones,  of  Queenhithe,  for  his  Essay  on  the  Manufacture  of  Paper. 

M.  C.  Shepherd,  jun.,  of  Leadenhull-street,  for  his  improvements  in  Electric 
Clocks. 

The  Rev.  W.  T.  Kingsley,  of  Cambridge,  for  his  discoveries  in  Photography. 

The  Very  Rev.  the  Dean  of  Hereford,  for  his  Essay  on  Self-supporting  Schools. 

Mr.  James  Hole,  of  Leeds,  for  his  Essay  on  the  History  and  Management  of 
Literary,  Scientific,  and  Mechanics'  Institutions.    (And  £50.) 

THE  THANKS  OF  THE  SOCIETY. 

Dr.  Robinson,  of  Newcastle,  for  his  Improved  Safety-Lamp  for  Miners. 

Mr.  Jonas  Bateman,  for  his  Improved  Life-Boat. 

Dr.  Stolle,  of  Berlin,  for  his  Essay  on  the  Manufacture  of  Sugar. 

Dr.  Cumin,  of  Bath,  for  his  Specimens  of  Paper  from  Sugar-cane  Refuse. 

Dr.  Lloyd,  of  Warwick,  for  his  Samples  of  Paper  made  from  the  Refuse  of  Cow- 
houses. 

Professor  Jack,  of  New  Brunswick,  for  his  Essay  on  the  Decimal  System  of 
Weights  and  Measures. 

INSTITUTION  OF  CIVIL  ENGINEERS. 

Session  1853-4. 

Subjects  for  Premiums. 

The  list  of  subjects  on  which  the  Council  invite  communications  for  premiums, 
for  the  ensuing  session,  comprehends  the  following  new  heads.  The  numbers 
attached  to  each  represent  their  position  in  the  list : — 

7.  The  history  and  practical  results  of  Timber  and  Iron  Piling  for  Foundations, 
with  notices  of  mechanical  modes  of  driving. 

11.  The  forms  and  dimensions  of  Journals  of  Machine  Shafts,  Axles,  &c,  with 
the  best  Composition  for  the  linings  of  bearings,  and  the  most  approved  methods 
of  lubricating. 

23.  Improvements  in  the  Manufacture  of  Iron  for  Rails  and  Wheel  Tyres,  hav- 
ing special  reference  to  the  increased  capability  of  resisting  lamination  and  abra- 
sion. 

24.  On  the  Cost  of  Maintenance  of  the  Permanent  Way ;  noticing  the  principal 
systems  in  use  for  the  last  ten  years,  and  the  depreciation  of  the  Rolling  Stock  of 
Railways. 

27.  On  the  Construction  of  Catch-water  Reservoirs  in  Mountain  Districts,  for  the 
supply  of  Towns,  or  for  manufacturing  purposes. 

No's.  15,  24,  27,  and  39  of  last  year's  list,  as  printed  at  page  240  of  our 
Volume  V.,  are  expunged.    These  alterations  make  up  the  list  for  the  year. 

The  communications  must  be  forwarder!,  on  or  before  the  30th  of  January,  1854, 
to  the  house  of  the  Institution,  No.  25  Great  George  Street,  Westminster,  where 
any  further  information  may  be  obtained. 


146 


THE  PRACTICAL  MECHANIC'S  JOURNAL. 


MONTHLY  NOTES. 


Progress  of  Screw-Propulsion. — Marine  Memoranda. — The  Eastern 
Steam  Navigation  Company  has  now  published  its  proposed  arrangements  in  full 
detail.  The  fir.it  ship,  to  be  ready  in  eighteen  months,  has  been  contracted  for 
with  Messrs.  James  Watt  &  Co.,  and  Messrs.  Scott  Russell  &  Co.,  the  hull  to  be 
built  on  the  Thames  by  the  la!  ter  firm,  and  the  engines  at  Soho.  The  dimensions 
and  power  of  the  ships  are  intended  to  be  as  follows,  viz. : — length,  680  feet ; 
breadth,  83  feet;  depth,  58  feet,  with  screw  and  paddle  engines,  aggregate  nominal 
horses-power,  2,600.  The  conditions,  indi-pensable  to  expeditious  and  regular 
steam  voyages  from  England  to  Australia  or  India,  and  which  the  ships  must  be 
calculated  to  fulfil,  are — 1.  That  they  shall  not  be  obliged  to  stop  at  any  place  by 
the  way  to  take  in  coal,  stoppages  for  coal  not  only  causing  great  debiy  by  the 
time  required  for  coaling,  but  compelling  the  vessels  to  deviate  widely  from  the 
best  route,  in  order  to  touch  at  the  necessary  coaling  stations.  2.  In  avoiding  the 
delay  of  coaling  on  the  voyage,  the  ships  will  also  escape  the  great  cost  of  taking 
coals  at  a  foreign  station.  Coals,  on  the  Indian  and  Australian  route,  cost  on  the 
average,  including  waste  and  deterioration,  four  or  five  times  as  much  per  ton  as  in 
this  country.  The  present  ships  will  take  their  whole  amount  of  coals  for  the 
voyage  from  near  the  pit's  mouth,  at  a  rate  not  exceeding,  for  the  best  quality, 
12s.  to  14s.  per  ton.  On  the  voyage  of  existing  steamships  to  Australia  or  India 
and  home,  the  consumption  amounts  to  from  4,000  to  G,000  tons;  the  cost  of 
which  would  supply  15,000  to  20,000  tons,  if  taken  on  board  at  some  port  in 
immediate  communication  with  the  coal-field.  But  these  ships  will  carry,  besides 
their  own  coals,  upwards  of  5,000  tons  measurement  of  merchandise,  and  will 
have  500  cabins  for  passengers  of  the  highest  class  with  ample  space  for  troops 
and  lower-class  passengers.  These  the  Company  will  not  only  be  able  to  carry  at 
rates  much  smaller  than  those  by  any  existing  steamships,  but  with  an  unprece- 
dented amount  of  room,  con, fort,  and  convenience,  which  the  great  size  of  the 
vessels  will  afford.  In  thus  increasing  the  size  of  the  ships,  the  directors  believe 
they  are  also  obtaining  the  elements  of  a  speed  heretofore  unknown ;  and  if  here- 
after coals  applicable  to  the  purposes  of  steam  can  be  supplied  from  the  mines  of 
Australia,  their  carrying  capacity,  both  for  cargo  and  passengers,  will  be  propor- 
tionately increased.  The  great  length  of  these  ships  will,  undoubtedly,  according 
to  all  present  experience,  enable  them  to  pass  through  the  water  at  a  velocity  of 
15  knots  an  hour,  with  a  smaller  power,  in  proportion  to  their  tonnage,  than  ordi- 
nary vessels  now  require  to  make  10  knots.  It  is  thought  that,  by  this  great 
speed,  combined  with  the  absence  of  stoppages,  the  voyage  between  England  and 
India,  by  the  Cape,  will  be  reduced  to  from  30  to  33  days,  and  between  England 
and  Australia  to  33  to  36  days.  The  hulls  of  the  ships  will  be  of  iron,  and  of 
more  than  usual  strength.  The  whole  of  their  bottoms,  and  up  to  six  feet  above 
the  water-line,  will  be  double,  and  of  a  cellular  construction,  so  that  any  external 
injury  will  not  affect  their  tightness  or  safety.  The  upper  deck  will  also  be 
strengthened  on  the  same  principle,  so  that  each  ship  will  be  a  complete  beam — 
similar  to  the  tube  of  the  Britannia  Bridge.  The  vessels  will  be  divided  into  ten 
completely  separate  water-tight  compartments,  and,  as  the  intermediate  spaces  are 
sufficient  in  such  ships  being  erich  GO  feet  in  length,  to  afford  a  convenient 
arrangement  of  separate  saloons  and  cabins,  the  bulkheads  can  be  carried  com- 
pletely to  the  upper  deck,  giving  an  efficiency  to  the  system  of  compartments 
which  has  not  yet  been  attainable.  Separate  sets  of  engines,  each  with  several 
cylinders  and  separate  boilers,  will  be  applied  to  work  the  screw,  distinct  from 
those  working  the  paddle-wheels,  so  that,  in  the  event  of  temporary  or  even  per- 
manent derangement  of  any  one  of  the  engines,  or  of  either  the  paddle-wheels  or  of 
the  screw,  the  other  engines  and  propellers  would  still  be  available,  and  the  only 
result  would  be  a  proportionate  diminution  of  speed  and  consumption  of  fuel,  thus 
rendering  the  chances  of  any  serious  delay  almost  infinitely  remote. 

The  Great  Britain,  fitted  with  Griffiths'  screw,  has  given  12  J  knots  with  18  revo- 
lutions of  her  engines — Captain  Claxton  remarking,  u  If  circumstances  had  permit- 
ted of  her  being  run  to  leeward,  I  have  no  kind  of  doubt  whatever  that  she  would 
have  gone  over  fourteen  knots,  or  sixteen  miles  and  a  third.  With  the  same  screw, 
fixed  perpendicularly,  and  the  ship  close  hauled,  she  went  ten  knots,  to  my  very  great 
astonishment,  and  that,  I  believe,  of  every  nautical  man  on  board;  while,  with  the 
screw  disconnected  and  revolving,  her  speed  was  not  quite  so  great,  thereby,  ap- 
parently, showing  that  Griffiths'  screw  need  never  be  disconnected,  a  matter  of 
first-rate  importance  to  auxiliary  steam  navigation." 

The  Rajah,  screw  steam-collier,  belonging  to  the  Peninsular  and  Oriental  Com- 
pany, has  also  been  fitted  with  Griffiths1  screw,  and  her  trial-tests  give  an  increase 
of  speed  of  a  quarter  of  a  knot,  with  six  revolutions  less  of  the  engines. 

In  the  subsequent  trials  of  the  Boomerang  screw  in  the  Conflict,  the  average  of 
six  of  her  runs  was  9  378  knots,  with  65};  revolutions  of  the  engines.  This  result 
being  equal  to  about  two-thirds  of  a  knot  over  the  performance  of  the  Conflict's 
own  propeller,  Sir  Thomas  Mitchell,  the  inventor,  is  said  to  have  challenged 
Griffiths1  to  do  as  much  with  the  same  vessel.  The  propeller  used  in  the  Conflict 
was  made  by  Messrs.  Taylor  &  Co.,  of  Birkenhead,  and  is  an  excellent  piece  of  work. 

Late  trials  with  the  Miranda,  screw  steam-sloop,  showed  a  rate  of  10*75  knots, 
the  maximum  rate  of  her  engines  being  29.  The  water  was  very  smooth  at  the 
time,  and  the  wind  in  force  about  5.  The  screw  was  propelled  about  three  times 
the  velocity  of  the  engines  by  gearing,  which  worked  remarkably  well.  Her  draught 
of  water  was — forward,  12  feet  3  inches,  and  aft,  12  feet  6  inches.  The  upper 
blade  of  the  screw  was  about  one  foot  above  the  water.  The  rate  of  10' 75  knots 
is  considered  a  remarkably  high  speed  for  an  auxiliary  power  at  such  light  immer- 
sion. It  is,  therefore,  confidently  expected,  that  her  speed  will  not  be  materially 
diminished  when  at  deep  immersion,  after  she  has  received  all  her  stores  and 
armament. 


15129 


A  new  screw,  which,  fur  want  of  a  better  distinguishing  name,  has  been  called  the 
"  spiral  propeller" — the  invention  of  Mr.  Scott,  of  the  Tranmere  Foundry,  Liver- 
pool— has  been  tried  in  the  steamer  Weaver^  borrowed  from  the  trustees  of  the 
Duke  of  Bridgewater  for  the  purpose.  She  was  pitted  against  the  Countess  of  Elks- 
mere,  and  during  two  trips  between  Liverpool  and  Runcorn,  the  Weaver  was  beaten 
by  12  minutes.  But  the  Weaver's  economy  of  furl  was  shown  to  be  16  per  cent. 
superior.  The  spiral  propeller  is  formed  on  the  principle  of  obtaining  as  much 
propelling  surface  on  the  outer  edge  of  the  blade  as  possible,  at  the  same  time 
allowing  the  greatest  liberty  near  the  centre,  so  as  to  offer  the  least  resistance  in 
the  passage  of  the  screw  through  the  water.  The  propeller  has  two  blades,  some- 
thing resembling  the  blades  of  the  old-fashioned  screw,  with  a  piece  cut  out  of 
each,  thus  giving  them  the  shupe  of  an  elbow,  being  diametrically  opposed  to 
Griffiths',  where  the  outer  edge  has  the  least  surface. 

In  paddle-ships,  great  interest  is  just  now  excited  by  the  Vectis  and  the  Valetta,  of 
the  Peninsular  and  Oriental  Company.  These  vessels,  supposed  to  he  by  far  the 
fastest  steamers  of  their  class  in  the  world,  have  been  built  on  the  new  diagonal  prin- 
ciple, by  two  rival  shipwrights,  the  Valetta  by  Mare  of  Blackwall  (designed  by  Mr. 
Waterman,  jun.),  the  Vectis,  by  White  of  Cowes,  They  are  of  precisely  the  same 
size  and  tonnage,  and  are  both  supplied  with  machinery  of  equal  power,  each  being 
fitted  with  Penn's  oscillating  engines  of  400  horses-power,  Lamb  and  Sumner's  flue 
boilers,  and  feathering  puddle-wheels.  Such  being  the  case,  and  the  only  differ- 
erence  in  the  vessels  being  those  introduced  by  the  respective  builders  in  reference 
to  the  shape  and  form  of  the  vessels  under  the  water-line,  the  task  of  deciding 
which  builder  has  produced  the  form  best  calculated  for  speed,  with  the  same  pro- 
pelling power,  has  been  an  interesting  and  curious  one.  Both  ships  are  950  tons, 
and  400  horses-power,  and  both  are  built  on  the  recently  patented  principle  of 
Messrs.  White,  noticed  by  us  a  short  time  back.*  When  fiist  tried,  the  Valetta 
crossed  between  Southampton  and  Cherbourg  in  4 \  hours;  but  afterwards,  at  the 
measured  mile  in  Stoke's  B:iy,  the  following  was  the  return  : — 

1st  run  in  3  minutes  44  seconds,  equal  to  16*071  knots. 
2nd      "     4        "       20       "  "        13*846      " 

Giving  an  average  of  14-958,  say  nearly  15  knots,  equal  to  over  17  miles  an  hour. 
Subsequently,  four  runs  were  made  with  the  Vectis,  as  follows: — 
min.  sec.  Average. 

1st  run  in   3     40,  equal  to  16*363  knots.  >     ,.,..„,      , 

2nd     «       4     26|         "        13-533     "      /   14  J48  kn0,s- 

3rd      "       3     47,         "        15-805     "     \ 

4th      "       4     10,         "        14-400     "     j 

The  average  of  the  four  runs  being  15-038  knots,  equal  to  17'414  statute  miles 
per  lionr.  A  small  alteration  was  then  made  in  the  trim  of  the  vessel,  with  the 
object  of  floating  her  a  little  more  by  the  head,  and  two  additional  ruus,  under 
these  circumstances,  exiiibited  as  fulluws : — 

min,  sec.  Average. 

5th  run  in  3     55,  equal  to  15-319  knots.)     ..  ...  ,      . 

6th  »  3  57,  "  15-190  "  /  15  2oi  knoU 
Contrasted  with  the  speed  of  the  Valetta,  the  result  is  in  every  way  favourable  to 
the  Vectis,  showing  a  difference  on  the  mean  of  the  four  runs,  in  favour  of  that 
ship,  of  0-080  knots,  and  of  the  six  runs,  of  0-122  knots  per  hour;  while,  if  the 
two  most  favourable  runs  of  the  Vectis  be  placed  against  the  two  quickest  runs  of 
her  consort,  the  difference  in  the  favour  of  the  former  vessel  would  he  0-29G,  or 
nearly  one-third  of  a  statute  mile  an  hour.  The  palm  of  success  must  therefore, 
unquestionably,  he  given  to  the  Cowes  ship.  At  the  same  time,  it  should  be 
stated,  that  the  Valetta  on  her  trial  made,  on  the  average,  about  three-quarters  of 
a  revolution  less  per  minute  than  the  engines  of  the  Vectis.  It  is  expected  that 
the  two  vessels  will  make  the  run  between  Malta  and  Marseilles  in  about  50  hours. 
The  Valetta  has,  indeed,  made  the  run  in  47  hours,  the  shortest  time  in  which 
any  vessel  ever  ran  6G0  miles  under  steam.  The  well-known  Banshee  never  did  it 
in  less  than  51  i  hours.  Reduced  to  statute  miles  per  hour,  the  Valetta's  per- 
formance is  16*36  miles — for,  let  it  be  remembered,  continuous  work. 

The  African  Mail  Steam  Company  has  adopted  Welsh  anthracite  coal  in  the 
packet-ship  Faith.  As  the  ordinary  draught  is  quite  unequal  to  the  task  of  burn- 
ing this  fuel,  a  large  steam-pipe  is  connected  with  the  boiler  steam-chest,  and 
brought  down  in  front  of  the  furnaces,  so  that  the  engineer  can  admit  a  powerful 
steam-jet  to  his  burning  fuel.  With  coal  of  this  class,  the  steam-jet  produces  a 
very  intense  heat,  with  great  rapidity.  The  proprietors  expect  to  effect  consider- 
able economy  by  the  use  of  this  fuel. 

Locomotive  Expknses  on  the  Eastern  Counties  Railway. — The 
number  of  miles  run  by  the  trains  on  this  line,  during  the  last  half-year,  was 
1,625,274  ;  the  cost  of  working,  £67,309 ;  and  the  miles  of  railway  worked,  43-1  J. 
And  in  the  corresponding  period  of  1850,  1,185,628  miles  were  run;  the  cost  of 
working,  £85,070;  and  the  length  of  railway  worked,  327}  miles.  Showing  an 
increase,  in  the  length  of  railway  worked,  of  106J  miles;  in  the  number  of  miles 
run,  of  439,646  miles;  and  a  decrease  in  the  working  expenses,  of  £17,761.  The 
average  cost  of  working,  in  the  half-year  ending  the  4th  of  July,  1850,  was  1722c?. 
per  mile  per  train,  including  1389o!.  for  locomotive  power;  and  in  the  half-year 
ending  the  4th  of  July  last,  the  cost  of  working  was  9'94oI.  per  mile  per  train, 
including  ISSd.  for  locomotive  power.  Comparing  the  cost  of  working  per  mile 
per  train  in  1850,  with  that  of  1853,  a  saving  of  £49.306  is  shown  on  the  half- 
year  ending  the  4th  of  July  last.  The  increase  in  the  number  of  miles  run  by  the 
trains  over  that  of  the  half-year  ending  the  4th  of  July,  1852,  was  152,161  miles, 
attended  by  an  actual  decrease  of  expenditure  of  £894. 


See  page  17D,  Vol.  IV.,  Practical  Mechanic's  Journal. 


THE  PRACTICAL  MECHANIC'S  JOURNAL. 


147 


The  New  York  Exhibition — The  Exhibition  at  Moscow. — Our  last 
reports  from  New  York  inform  us  that,  although  opened,  the  American  Exhibition 
is  still  in  an  incomplete  state.  The  articles  are  divided  into  31  classes,  very 
sli^htlv  modified  from  the  arrangement  laid  down  by  us  in  1851.  One  of  the 
mott  important  of  the  contributions  is  a  new  printing  press,  which  prints  from  un- 
cut paper,  rolling  from  a  cylinder,  and  cuts  and  folds,  with  perfect  regularity,  30,000 
copies  per  hour.  There  is  no  counteraction  in  the  process,  and  consequently  no 
time  lost  in  returning  motion.  Both  sides  are  printed  at  the  same  time,  and  30,000 
per  hour  is  a  low  estimate,  since,  by  increasing  the  speed,  they  can  be  printed  as 
fast  as  paper  or  cloth  can  be  unrolled  from  a  cylinder.  The  inventor  declares  that 
he  can  print  a  mile  of  newspaper  as  fast  as  a  locomotive  can  traverse  a  railway. — 
There  is  also  a  thrashing  machine,  which,  with  four  horse  power,  thrashes;  cleanses 
from  smut,  winnows,  measures,  and  bags,  from  1,000  to  2,000  bushels  of  grain 
per  day. —  Complaints  are  made  that  the  directors  have  allotted  very  large  spaces, 
in  some  of  the  most  prominent  localities  in  the  building,  for  the  display  of  articles 
of  the  most  trivial  description. — The  Moscow  Exhibition  has  just  closed,  with  what 
has  there  been  deemed  success.  Wl  at  that  success  amounts  to  is  measurable  by 
the  fact,  that  there  were  in  all  563  exhibitors,  whose  contributions  were  viewed 
by  a  total  of  35,000  visitors. 

"  Captain  Norton's  Recent  Experiments  with  Projectiles. — After  the 
late  regatta  at  Cork,  Captain  Norton  exhibited  two  of  his  projectiles  in  a  boat  in 
the  deep  part  of  the  river,  one  being  his  submarine  percussion  petard,  as  applied  to 
the  destruction  of  sharks.  It  was  constructed  of  paper  made  waterproof,  having  a 
brick  about  four  pounds  weight  attached  to  its  lower  end,  to  cause  the  ignition  of 
the  charge  of  powder  by  the  sudden  pull  on  the  cord  which  held  the  upper  part 
of  the  petard ;  the  cord  was  of  the  length  required  for  the  depth  the  petard  was  to 
explode  in,  being  six  feet;  the  sudden  pull  of  the  weight  attached,  caused  the  per- 
cussion which  ignited  the  charge,  on  the  petard  being  allowed  to  fall  into  the  water. 
This  petard,  in  all  its  varieties,  can  be  adjusted  (literally)  on  the  hair  or  feather- 
spring  guard.  The  other  projectile  was  a  paper  hand-grenade,  also  waterproof, 
which  exploded  at  the  bottom  of  the  deep  water,  by  means  of  Pickford's  safety  fuze, 
primed  at  its  upper  end  with  a  paste  made  of  mealed  gunpowder  and  spirits  of 
wine.  This  was  to  demonstrate  how  fuze  hand-grenades  may  be  safely  used  for  house 
defence.  The  annexed  engraving  represents  this  contrivance  as  bung  in  situ,  a 
is  an  inclined  tube,  supposed  to  be  fixed  in  the  wall  of  a  house,  immediately  over 
the  door ;  1  is  a  hand-grenade,  fully  charged,  which  is  suspended  by  a  loop  of 

twine,  4,  or  fusible  wire, 
passing  through  the  cap,  2, 
of  the  fuze,  from  a  nail,  5, 
fixed  within  the  tube.  The 
end,  3,  or  the  quick-match 
being  lighted,  the  twine  or 
wire  will  be  almost  instantly 
consumed,  when  the  gren- 
ade will  descend  by  its  own 
weight  down  the  tube,  into 
the  midst  of  the  storming 
party.  Instead  of  one  such 
grenade,  there  may  be  a 
whole  battery  placed  over- 
head. The  windows,  tt»o, 
may  be  protected  in  the 
same  way  as  the  doors; 
and  a  house  so  protected 
would  be  impregnable  for 
the  few  hours  while  it  would 
be  necessary  to  stand  out 
before  daylight  and  assist- 
ance arrived.  The  fuze 
may  be  lighted  by  a  taper 
or  port-fire;  but  Captain 
Norton  recommends,  as  the 
simplest  and  readiest  way, 
the  application  of  a  Iucifer-match  to  the  end  of  the  quick-match,  3,  in  the  same 
manner  as  lighting  the  wick  of  a  candle.  This  may  be  effected  also  by  pulling  a  wire, 
in  the  same  manner  as  a  bell- wire  or  cord  is  pulled.  One  of  Palmer's  Vesuvians  is 
a  still  more  sure,  certain,  and  comfortable  way  of  igniting  the  fuze,  which  may  be 
a  slip  of  Pickford's  safety  fuze,  in  length  about  three  inches ;  and  this  may  be 
inserted  either  in  a  plug  of  wood  or  cork,  fitting  closely  the  orifice  in  the  grenade. 
Houses  protected  by  these  means  would  each,  become  a  little  fortress,  and  greatly 
disconcert  an  invading  enemy.  In  Spain,  it  was  comparatively  easy  to  clear  the 
country  parts  of  the  enemy,  because  there  were  few  houses  to  defend,  almost  all 
the  inhabitants  preferring  to  live  in  towns  and  villages ;  but  when  the  British  army 
invaded  the  south  of  France,  that  country  was  well  studded  with  strong  and  well- 
built  gentlemen's  and  farm-houses,  and  it  was  no  easy  matter  to  drive  the  French 
soldiers  and  other  defenders  out  of  them,  although  they  were  not  provided  with 
hand-grenades. 

"Coming  events  cast  their  shadows  before." 

Two  facts  adapted  to  the  present  TIMES. — At  the  clo^e  of  the  Cork  Harbour 
Regatta,  Captain  Norton  caused  his  submarine  petard,  or  catamaran  percussion 
.  in  the  character  of  the  great  sea-serpent,  to  be  fired  about  six  inches  under 
water  against  a  bulkhead  suspended  in  front  of  the  Yacht  Battery  landing-place. 
The  gatekeeper  of  the  Queen's  College  be  ng  previously  instructed,  inserted  the 
percussion  cartridge  into  the  iron  mouth  of  the  serpent ;  he  then  seized  him  by  the 


waist,  and  pushed  him  against  the  bulkhead,  when  the  serpent,  being  somewhat 
out  of  temper  from  such  usage,  spit  fire  and  smoke.  The  fangs  of  the  serpent,  or 
the  percussion  head  of  the  cartridge,  are  at  the  Cork  Harbour  Yacht  House.  The 
select  committee  at  Woolwich,  in  their  letter  of  the  31st  May  last,  reported  to  the 
present  Master-General  of  the  Ordnance,  that,  "from  the  information  which  they 
possess  regarding  this  petard,  they  do  not  consider  it  applicable  to  the  service." 
It  is  the  same  percussion  petard  that  Captain  Norton  practically  exhibited  some 
months  ago  at  Haulbowline,  in  the  presence  of  Admiral  Purvis,  Captain  Quinn,  &c, 
when,  with  a  cartridge  charged  with  two  ounces  of  Augendre's  gunpowder,  a  plank 
of  oak  seven  inches  and  a  half  thick  was  rent  in  pieces.  At  the  close  of  the  regatta 
yesterday,  Captain  Norton  also  caused  the  representation  of  a  loaded  ammunition 
waggon  to  be  exploded,  by  firing  into  it  one  of  his  malleable  iron  rifle  fire-shots,  or 
spinsters,  the  robes  of  which  were  of  calico,  boiled  in  a  solution  of  nitre  and  vinegar. 
This  being  fired  from  his  rifle  of  the  same  bore  as  the  present  military  rifle,  viz., 
fourteen  to  the  pound— the  object  being  to  demonstrate,  from  this  comparative 
delicate  instrument,  that  rifle  cannon,  with  similarly  formed  rifled  shot,  cast  on 
Mr.  Ominanney's  pinciple  of  malleable  iron,  may  be  introduced  into  the  British 
service.  The  committee  at  Woolwich,  in  their  letter  of  the  30th  June  last, 
reported  to  the  Master-General,  that  "they  do  not  see  sufficient  probability  of 
your  shot  being  of  practical  use  to  the  service,  to  justify  their  recommending  experi- 
ments being  made  with  them  at  the  public  expense."  This  shot  will  take  full 
effect  on  an  ammunition  waggon  at  the  distance  of  twelve  hundred  yards,  as  was 
proved  more  than  a  year  ago  at  the  Pigeon  House  sands,  near  Dublin,  by  J.  C. 
Han  nig  ton,  Esq.,  and  is  fully  described  in  the  Practical  Mechanic's  Journal  of 
July  last;  also,  in  Captain  Norton's  Pamphlet.  Captain  Norton  then  fired  one  of 
his  fuze  hand-grenades,  made  of  water-proof  paper,  having  Pickford's  fuze  inserted, 
instead  of  the  ordinary  wooden  fuze,  at  a  depth  of  six  feet  under  water;  this 
was  similar  to  the  grenade  fired  under  water,  at  the  Upper  Lee  Regatta,  and  fre- 
quently from  on  board  the  river  and  Queenstown  steamers. 

Patent  Laws — Arts  and  Science— Haruours  of  Refuge— Geolo- 
gical Museum — Ordnance  Survey,  in  Scotland. — In  the  "  Statement  of 
Certain  Scottish  Grievances,"  just  issued  by  the  "  National  Association  for  the 
Vindication  of  Scottish  Rights,"  we  find  the  following:  — 

Patent  Laws. — The  terms  of  the"  Patent  Law  Amendment  Act"  have  not 
been  complied  with  as  regards  Scotland,  in  so  far  that  the  copies  of  plans  and 
specifications  of  patents,  which  it  was  therein  enacted  should  be  transmitted  to 
and  registered  in  Edinburgh,  have  (although  frequently  applied  for)  never  been 
sent;  and  now,  on  pretence  of  the  expense  and  trouble  of  copying  t lie  said  plans 
and  specifications,  tlie  bill  has  been  altered,  so  as  to  deprive  the  Scottish  people 
of  all  opportunity  of  inspecting  those  documents ;  and  in  actions  before  the 
Scottish  courts,  regarding  the  infringement  of  patents,  copies  of  those  papers 
must,  like  everything  tjlse,  be  obtained  from  London,  at  a  much  greater  expense 
than  they  could  be  had  for  at  home. 

Arts  and  Science. — The  sums  already  granted  to  the  British  Museum  and 
National  Gallery,  for  buildings  and  purchase  of  pictures  and  antiquities,  amount 
to  upwards  of  -£3,000,000.  Almost  the  only  sum  Scotland  has  ever  received  for 
a  purpose  somewhat  similar,  is  one  of  £15,000,  towards  the  erection  of  a  building 
on  the  Mound  of  Edinburgh.  The  other  £10,000  required  for  its  erection  was 
derived  from  the  funded  property  of  the  Scottish  Board  of  Manufactures.  Last 
year  £15,000  was  grunted  to  the  College  of  Physicians,  London,  for  the  purpose 
of  enlarging  their  theatre;  and  a  few  weeks  ago  additional  grants  of  £28,000  for 
the  British  Museum,  and  £44,000  for  the  National  Gallery,  were  voted  and 
passed.  The  Royal  Society,  Dublin,  receives  an  annual  grant  of  upwards  of 
£6,300. 

Harbours  of  Refuge. — With  a  large  and  increasing  commerce,  Scotland  has 
only  one  harbour  of  refuge  upon  her  extensive  coast.  On  our  eastern  shore,  which 
is  rocky,  dangerous,  and  stormy,  are  the  important  seaports  of  Leith,  Dundee, 
Aberdeen,  and  Montrose,  yet  from  Berwick  to  Wick  there  is  not  a  single  harbour 
of  refuge.  On  our  western  shore,  where,  by  the  number  of  bays  and  deep  salt  lochs, 
they  are  less  required,  we  have  one,  viz.,  the  harbour  of  Port-Patrick.  This  has 
been  constructed,  not  with  any  regard  for  the  commerce  of  our  merchants,  or  the 
lives  cf  our  mariners,  bat  simply  for  the  safety  of  the  Irish  steamers,  and  the 
transmission  of  the  Irish  mails.  Jn  the  Pentland  Firth,  the  shores  of  which  are 
covered  with  wreck-wood  from  Duncansby  to  Dunnett,  there  is  not  an  available 
harbour,  although  the  government  are  in  possession  of  a  report  from  their  own 
surveyor  pointing  out  the  existing  suitable  harbour  of  Gills,  which  might  be 
rendered  completely  efficient  lor  a  trifle.  Along  the  dangerous  coast  of  Kincardine 
and  Aberdeen,  such  harbours  of  refuge  are  imperatively  required  for  our  Baltic 
shipping  during  the  prevalent  and  stormy  eastern  gales.  The  harbour  of  Aberdeen 
is  one  of  the  most  dangerous  on  the  coast,  as  the  recent  wreck  of  the  "  Sutherland" 
steamer  can  testify.  Scotland  possesses  about  30,000  merchant  seamen  ;  she  has 
4,000  vessels  under  sail,  and  178  steamers,  making  an  aggregate  of  540,000  tons. 
In  1851,  24,661  ships  from  all  parts  of  the  world,  whose  gross  tonnage  amounted 
to  2,658,905  tons,  entered  the  ports  of  Scotland  ;  therefore,  it  is  imperative  that 
we  should  have  harbours  of  refuge,  and  that  this  matter,  so  deeply  affecting  our 
shipping  interests,  should  be  forced  upon  the  country.  The  estimated  cost  of  the 
breakwater  and  other  works  at  Jersey  was  £1,000,000  ;  Kingston  Harbour,  Dublin, 
cost  £819,000;  while  the  whole  sum  given  to  Scotland  in  1840,  to  build  piers  and 
harbours,  was  £238!  By  a  Parliamentary  return,  just  published,  it  appears  that 
the  following  are  the  estimates  for  rive  harbours  of  refuge  now  constructing  in 
England:— Dover,  £245,000;  Harwich,  110,000  ;  Alderney,  £020,000;  Jersey, 
£700,000  ;  Portland,  £588,959  ;  making  a  total  of  £2,203,959,  For  Holyhead, 
£91,270  has  just  been  voted  by  parliament;  and  to  repair  the  Scottish  harbour 
of  Port-Patrick,  for  the  use  of  the  Irish  steamer?,  £2,556  have  been  given.  In  the 
face  of  such  facts  as   these,  the  quiescence  of  the  Scottish  people  is  somewhat 


143 


THE  PRACTICAL  MECHANIC'S  JOURNAL. 


remarkable.  In  the  Admiralty  report  on  the  Glasgow  Waterworks  Bill,  it  is 
stated  that  "between  the  Humber  and  the  Firth  of  Cromarty  there  is  no  other 
harbour  or  sheltered  anchorage  into  whiih  large  ships  of  war  can  safely  run  for 
shelter  or  rendezvous,  other  than  the  Firth  of  Forth,  and  more  particularly  in  the 
reach  above  Queensferry,  where  the  shelter  is  complete ;  but  as  the  Kirth  of 
Cromartv  is  away  from  any  important  interests,  the  Firth  <>f  Forth  must  be  con- 
sideied  the  only  war-port  north  of  the  Humber,  and  therefore  a  most  fitting  place 
for  n  naval  arsenal."  It  is  further  stated,  that  "  Lieutenant  Cudlip,  R.N.,  who 
has  made  an  excellent  survey  and  chart  of  the  Forth  from  Queensferry  to  Stirling 
Bridge,  has  stated,  that  on  some  occasions  he  has  counted  as  many  as  300  vessels 
at  the  anchorage  off  St.  Margaret's  Hope,  either  taking  shelter  or  wind-bound 
there  ;  and  it  is  the  most  important  harbour  for  men-of-war  on  the  east  coast  of 
Great  Britain." 

Geological  Museum. — Museums  of  geology  have  been  established  in  London 
and  Dublin,  and  a  grant  of  £18,000  per  annum  has,  for  many  years  past,  been 
given  to  these  museums.  The  royal  engineers  are  now  employed  in  a  geological 
survey  of  England  and  Ireland,  and  transmit  to  those  museums  plans  and  sections 
of  the  strata  of  different  localities,  together  with  specimens  of  the  minerals.  No 
such  museum  has  been  established  in  Edinburgh;  no  such  survey  of  Scotland  has 
taken  place  as  yet.  In  the  early  part  of  last  year,  the  Lord  Provost,  Magistrates, 
and  Council  of  the  city  of  Edinburgh,  addressed  a  memorial  to  the  Lords  Commis- 
sioners of  Her  Majesty's  Treasury,  setting  forth  that,  from  various  sources,  the 
present  distinguished  professor  of  natural  history  had  been  enabled  to  collect  geo- 
logical specimens  sufficient  to  fill  a  museum  of  much  greater  extent  than  the  present 
extensive  museum  of  natural  history.  These  specimens  include  one  of  the  most 
valuable  collections  for  a  geological  museum  which  is  to  be  found  in  the  United 
Kingdom.  But,  for  want  of  accommodation,  these  are  piled  up  in  cellars  and  attics, 
where,  of  course,  the  public  can  have  no  access  to  them.  Some  idea  may  be  formed 
of  the  extent  and  value  of  that  portion  of  the  collection,  which  cannot  now  be 
exhibited  for  want  of  room,  from  the  following  enumeration  of  specimens  at  present 
so  laid  aside  in  cellars  and  attics: — 1.  Nearly  the  whole  of  the  great  geological 
geographical  collection,  consisting  of  upwards  of  22,000  specimens.  2.  About 
4,000  specimens  of  the  mineralogies!  collection.  3.  About  10,000  specimens  of 
organic  remains.  4.  A  valuable  collection  of  rare  quadrupeds,  many  of  them  of 
the  larger  and  most  important  species,  which  cannot  be  prepared  for  want  of 
room.  5.  A  collection  of  4,200  birds.  6.  A  collection  of  500  fishes  and  400 
reptiles.  7.  A  collection  of  nearly  800  skeletons  and  crania  of  mammals,  birds, 
reptile-*,  and  fishes.  8.  A  collection  of  500  invertebrate  animals.  9.  A  collection 
of  3,000  specimens  of  recent  shells,  so  important  fur  practical  geology.  10.  Besides 
the  above,  there  are  many  interesting  collections  made  during  the  voyages  of  Captain 
Ross,  Captain  Parry,  Lord  Byron,  Sir  John  Richardson,  Captain  Scoresby,  and 
Captain  Fitzroy,  presented  to  the  museum  by  the  Lords  of  the  Admiralty,  none  of 
which  are  at  present  accessible  to  the  public,  or  even  to  the  scientific  inquirer, 
solely  from  the  want  of  room  to  exhibit  them. 

Ordnance  Survey. — The  history  of  the  ordnance  survey  is  a  history  of  injustice 
and  neglect  towards  Scotland,  and  of  partiality  towards  England  and  Ireland. 
The  ordnance  survey  of  England  was  commenced  in  1791,  and  was  continued, 
without  interruption,  until  completed,  at  the  expense  of  ,£750,000.  The  survey 
of  Ireland  was  begun  in  1824,  and  its  progress  was  so  rapid  that,  hy  1845,  the 
whole  country  had  been  surveyed,  and  the  map  engraved  and  published,  at  an 
expense  of  £880,000.  The  survey  of  Scotland  was  commenced  in  1809,  but  was 
almost  immediately  suspended,  in  order  that  the  persons  then  engaged  in  it  might 
be  employed  in  carrying  forward  the  subordinate  triangulation  required  for  the 
detail  maps  of  England.  The  survey  of  Scotland  was  not  proceeded  with  until 
1814,  when  the  triangulation  was  resumed,  and  continued  until  1823,  when  it 
was  again  interrupted,  the  instruments  employed  upon  it  being  required  to  com- 
plete the  survey  of  England.  It  was  then  again  abandoned  for  15  years.  In 
183S  it  was  reamed,  and  has  struggled  on  until  now.  The  sum  expended  on 
the  Scottish  sui  vey,  during  the  last  44  years,  averages  about  £2,500  per  annum.  The 
Parliamentary  Report,  published  in  1S52,  states  that  "Scotland,  as  regards  its 
geography,  is  behind  all  the  countries  of  civilized  Europe."  The  map  of  Ireland 
was  engraved  in  Dublin,  giving  Ireland  the  benefit  of  the  whole  £880,000 ;  the 
map  of  England  was  engraved  in  Snuthampton,  giving  her  the  benefit  of  the  whole 
£750,000,  The  map  of  Scotland  is  being  engraved  in  England.  Amongst  much 
that  is  frivolous,  there  are  some  grievances  in  these  matters. 

Self- Exhausting  Siphon. — A  novel  and 
convenient  form  of  siphon,  for  drawing  off  fluids 
of  all  kinds,  without  the  necessity  of  any  pre- 
paratory air  exhaustion,  has  been  simultaneously 
invented  by  Mr.  J.  A.  Coffey,  the  pharmaceu- 
tical engineer  of  London,  and  Professor  Lover  of 
Dublin.  The  annexed  sketch  exhibits  this  simple 
contrivance.  An  elastic  bag,  B,  is  fitted  to  the 
siphon  tube,  and  when  the  instrument  is  to  be  put  in 
operation,  the  user,  placing  a  linger  on  the  lower  end, 
a,  of  the  tube,  presses  the  bag,  b.  The  air  then 
passes  out  of  the  tube  through  the  fluid,  c,  in  the 
vessel  above,  and,  on.  removing  the  pressure  from 
the  bag,  b,  the  siphon  at  once  commences  to 
run.  The  experimentalist,  who  is  accustomed  to  the 
use  of  siphons,  will  at  once  see  the  convenience  in- 
volved in  this  modification. 

Map-Room  of  the  Royal  Geographical  Society. — An  important  proposi- 
tion, in  reference  to  the  practical  value  of  the  labours  of  the  Royal  Geographical  Society, 
has  just  been  made  in  the  House  of  Commons  by  Mr.  Hume.     The  hun.  member 


stated  that  a  petition  was  presented  on  the  13th  May  from  the  Royal  Geographical 
Society,  praying  for  rooms  to  accommodate  the  society.  Among  the  various  scien- 
tific societies  which  existed,  there  was  none  more  calculated  to  be  useful  than  the 
Geographical  Society,  in  a  country  where  the  knowledge  to  which  that  society  ap- 
plied itself  was  such  as  Englishmen,  above  all  others,  ought  to  possess.  Their 
commerce  extended  to  every  part  of  the  world;  they  had  colonies  in  almost  every 
part  of  the  globe,  yet  they  had  no  continuous  plans  of  their  colonies,  though  here 
and  there  they  had  excellent  maps;  and,  taking  the  department  as  a  whole,  they 
were  inferior  to  France  and  to  Prussia — such  instruction  being  given  in  the  latter, 
and  such  statistical  information  communicated,  as  made  a  man  acquainted  with 
his  own  country.  He  had  never  spoken  on  the  subject  to  any  menber,  either  of  the 
last  or  of  the  present  government,  who  had  not  acknowledged  the  importance  of 
the  department.  The  Royal  Geographical  Society  had  14,000  or  15,000  maps  ; 
in  ten  or  twelve  different  cases,  discoveries  had  first  met  the  public  eye  under  its 
auspices  ;  the  Emperor  of  Austria  had  supplied  them  with  a  complete  set  of  the 
maps  of  that  country ;  and,  having  an  ample  supply  of  maps,  they  were  perfectly 
willing  to  give  every  facility  to  the  public  at  large  for  obtaining  what  information 
these  could  atford.  Their  request  was,  he  thought,  a  reasonable  one — that  the 
public  might  assist  them  either  with  apartments,  or  with  a  sum  sufficient  to  enable 
them  to  obtain  proper  apartments.  Other  societies  had  apartments  which  were 
supplied  by  the  public;  and,  when  parliament  were  prepared  to  spend  so  much  on 
education,  he  did  not  think  that  £500  a  year — the  utmost  outlay  sought  for  the 
Geographical  Society — could  he  regarded  as  ill  applied.  The  petition  to  which  he 
referred  was  signed  by  Sir  R.  J.  Murchison  and  Lord  Ellesmere,  the  president  and 
vice-president  of  the  society.  In  reply  to  this  urgent  solicitation,  the  Chancellor 
of  the  Exchequer  stated  that  he  was  not  prepared  to  say,  on  the  instant,  what 
steps  it  might  be  advisable  to  adopt  in  the  matter,  and  that  there  were  considera- 
tions which  rendered  it  a  difficult  matter  to  treat  the  case  apart  from  that  of  other 
societies,  but  that  a  favourable  view  would  be  taken  of  it,  with  the  intention  of 
granting  reasonable  aid  for  the  purpose  mentioned. 

Metallic  Tube  Manufacture. — Bower  v.  Hodges  et  al. — Action  for  In- 
fringement.— This  was  au  action  on  a  covenant  to  pay  a  royalty  of  £4.  10s.  per 
ton  for  the  license  to  use  a  patent  for  making  metal  tubes,  known  as  Prosser's 
patent.  In  March,  1840,  Mr.  Prosser  obtained  a  patent  for  an  improvement  in 
the  manufacture  of  iron  tubes,  and  a  license  to  use  the  patent  on  payment  of  a 
royalty  of  £4.  10s.  per  ton  was  granted  by  him  to  a  Mr.  Palmer  ;  he  also  granted 
a  license  to  the  defendant,  Mr.  Selby,  who  was  formerly  in  partnership  with  the 
plaintiff,  but  subsequently  with  the  other  defendant,  Mr.  Hodges,  and  the  defen- 
dants were  sued  as  licensees.  Several  models  were  exhibited  in  court,  and  Mr. 
Prosser  and  the  foreman  of  the  Birmingham  Patent  Iron  Tube  Company  were 
called  as  witnesses.  Mr.  Prosser's  process  dispensed  with  the  necessity  for  braz- 
ing the  iron  tubes  used  for  locomotives  and  for  other  purples,  and,  in  the  construc- 
tion of  gas  tubes  and  gun  barrels,  the  tubes  were  necessarily  constructed  shorter,  and 
the  iron  was  necessarily  thicker  before  than  since  his  invention.  Mr.  Prosser's  pro- 
cess consists  of  three  or  four  grooved  wheels,  in  combination  with  a  trumpet  mouth- 
piece ;  and  the  mode  of  manufacture  is  to  take  the  iron  from  the  furnace,  which  is 
within  six  feet  of  the  machine,  and  thrust  it,  while  in  a  welding  state,  into  the 
trumpet  mouth,  and  the  revolving  wheels  then  fashion  the  pipe  with  much  more 
rapidity  and  certainty  than  could  otherwise  be  done.  The  defendants,  it  appeared, 
used  two  wheels  only  in  combination  with  the  trumpet  mouth-piece;  and  as  it  was 
proved  that  a  two-wheel  roller  machine  alone  was  as  old  as  7  817,  and  that  the 
trumpet  mouth-piece  was  used  by  itself  on  a  draw-bench  for  turning  up  the  "skelp" 
before  Mr.  Prosser's  invention,  it  was  contended  that  the  combination  of  the  mouth- 
piece with  the  two  wheels  rendered  the  machine  used  by  the  defendants  different 
in  principle  from  Mr.  Prosser's;  and,  therefore,  that  no  royalties  had  become  due. 
For  the  plaintiff  it  was  contended,  that  the  principle  of  both  mai  bines  was  the 
same.  The  Chief  Justice,  in  summing  up,  said,  that  several  import  mt  questions 
would  be  reserved  for  the  consideration  of  the  Court  of  Error,  but  tht  simple  ques- 
tion for  them  was,  whether  the  defendants'  machine  was  the  same  as  Pior-ser's 
machine;  he  (the  learned  judge)  had  been  concerned  in  eases  relating  to  this 
patent,  and  had  had  occasion  to  witness  the  operation.  It  was  originally  difficult 
and  expensive  to  make  metal  pipes;  the  plough  iron  originally  was  bent  into  a 
"skelp,"  and,  by  placing  a  mandrel  under  it,  was  hammered;  the  brazing,  also, 
was  an  imperfect  operation,  and  the  ingenuity  of  mechanists  was  exercised  to  over- 
come these  difficulties.  Sometimes  a  tilt-hammer  was  used,  acting  on  a  "  swage ;" 
then  Messrs.  Jones  and  James,  and,  subsequently,  Mr.  Russel,  used  a  roller;  then 
fallowed  the  beautiful  invention  of  Mr.  Whitehouse;  the  furnace  was  close  bv,  and 
the  "  skelp,"  in  a  heated  state,  was,  by  means  of  the  draw-bench,  drawn  through 
an  instrument  called  a  scorpion,  and  the  circumferential  pressure  produced  the  tube. 
Mr.  Prosser's  invention  followed  that.  The  learned  judge  then  described,  from  the 
evidence,  the  nature  of  Mr.  Prosser's  machine,  and  of  that  used  by  the  defendants,  and 
left  the  simple  question  mentioned  above  to  the  jury.  The  damages  were,  by  arrange- 
ment, settled  at  about  £2,900,  subject  to  a  bill  of  exceptions.  The  ruling  excepted 
to  was,  that — 1.  If  the  defendants'  machine  was  substantially  the  same  as  Prosser's 
machine,  the  plaintiff  was  entitled  to  the  verdict.  2.  That  it  was  immaterial 
whether  the  machine  used  by  the  defendants  was  new  or  old  at  the  date  of  Prosser's 
patent.  3.  That  the  patent  did  not  restrict  the  use  of  the  trumpet-mouth  for 
making  "skelps"  only.  4.  That  the  defendants  were  liable  for  making  tubes  by 
Prosser's  machine. — The  jury  fuund  their  verdict  for  the  plaintiff. 

Dry  Manure  from  London  Drainage. — A  bill  for  establishing  the  Great 
London  Drainage  Company  is  at  present  before  the  House  of  Commons.  It  pro- 
vides for  the  construction  of  two  main  sewers  of  enormous  calibre,  to  carry  the 
drainage  of  the  metropolis  to  the  neighbouring  marshes,  where  it  is  to  be  converted 
into  a  marketable  dry  manure.  An  annual  production  of  100,000  tons,  capable  of 
use  by  agriculturists  instead  of  the  more  costly  guano,  is  looked  for  undtr  this  pro- 


THE  PRACTICAL  MECHANIC'S  JOURNAL. 


149 


ject.  The  expense  of  the  works,  which,  it  is  assumed,  must  otherwise  be  borne  by 
the  public,  is  taken  at  £900,000,  on  which  the  promoters  demand  a  guarantee  of 
three  per  cent,  for  25  years.  The  scheme  gives  us  some  hope  that  we  are  on  the 
brink  of  finding  out  how  rich  we  are  in  fertilizing  products  at  our  own  doors,  with- 
out depending  upon  Ichaboe  or  Peru. 

Thomson's  American  Mining  Borer. — The  operation  of  boring  a  deep 
narrow  hole  in  the  earth  for  testing  mineral  resources,  or  the  construction  of 
Artesian  wells,  is  one  of  the  most  tedious  and  expensive  of  engineering  works. 
Very  great  depths  are  required,  with  very  little  room  to  get  to  them.  Clay  and  sand 
choke  up  the  boring  instrument,  whilst  rock  robs  it  of  its  penetrating  edge,  and 
turns  it  into  a  mere  Hunt  log.  The  further  the  bore  proceeds,  the  more  the  diffi- 
culties increase.  The  rods  attain  a  fearful  weight,  with  a  correspondingly  greater 
liability  to  break  or  become  disorganized,  and  the  clearing  out  of  the  tool  becomes 
more  troublesome.  The  common  practice  in  this  country  is  to  bore  on  the  auger 
principle,  varying  the  tool  from  a  screw  point  for  loose  soil,  to  a  chisel  edge  for 
rock.  The  Chinese  adopt  a  simpler  plan.  They  use  a  weight  armed  with  a  cutter 
and  suspend  it  from  an  overhead  triangle  by  a  rope,  with- 
out any  rods  at  all.  With  this  they  pound  their  way  into 
the  earth,  merely  twisting  the  rope  about  to  increase  the 
effect  and  prevent  wedging.  It  is  on  this  latter  principle 
that  Mr.  Thomson,  of  Philadelphia,  has  worked  out  his  new 
borer.  Our  engraving  represents  it  as  boring  through  rock. 
The  drilling-chisel,  A,  is  attached  to  the  end  of  the  heavy 
cylindrical  iron  bar,  B,  of  about  five  feet  in  length.  The  top 
of  the  bar  has  a  swivel-piece,  c,  for  connection  with  a  four- 
feet  bar,  d,  of  a  square  inch  in  section,  passed  through 
an  elliptical  blade-spring,  e,  and  hung  to  the  rope  at  i\ 
The  spring  is  composed  of  four  blade-pieces  about  18  inches 
long,  and  curved  to  fit  to  the  sides  of  the  bore.  A  metal 
disc  forms  the  top  and  bottom  of  the  spring,  the  upper  one 
having  a  square  hole  for  the  bar,  r>,  to  work  through,  whilst 
the  lower  one  has  a  round  hole  for  the  same  purpose.  The 
upper  end  of  this  bar,  D,  has  a  twist  of  about  a  quarter  turn 
upon  it,  and  it  carries  an  adjustable  stop,  g,  set  within  the 
spring.  In  operating  with  this  apparatus,  all  that  is  ne- 
cessary is  to  elevate  it  about  18  inches  at  each  stroke,  by 
hauling  up  the  rope,  the  spring  remaining  stationary  in  the 
bore,  whilst  all  else  moves  up.  Thus,  the  ascent  of  the  bar, 
D,  causes  the  cutter  to  twist  partially  round  upon  its  axis, 
by  reason  of  the  traverse  of  the  twisted  part  of  the  bar 
through  the  upper  disc  of  the  spring.  In  its  elevated 
position,  the  stop,  G,  comes  near  the  top  of  the  spring,  when 
the  rope  is  slackened  for  the  free  fall,  and  the  cutter,  a,  then 
falls  directly  in  the  position  of  its  actual  suspension  at  the 
movement,  as  turned  partia'ly  round — that  is  to  say,  the 
cutter  itself  has  no  return  twist,  although  the  bar,  d,  goes 
back  to  the  point  whence  it  started.  This  arises  from  there 
being  no  friction  upon  the  swivel  in  the  descent,  although  in 
the  ascent  the  frictional  drag  here  is  sufficient  to  carry 
round  the  bar,  b.  At  the  succeeding  elevation,  the  cutter  goes 
a  degree  further  round  its  circle,  and  the  spring  is  gradually 
carried  down  the  bore  as  the  bole  deepens.  This  simple 
borer  acts  very  satisfactorily — the  extent  of  the  turn,  or  the 
pitch  of  the  cutter  stroke,  being  easily  variable  by  shift- 
ing the  stop,  g,  up  or  down,  to  give  more  or  less  twist. 
In  a  recent  test,  the  borer  was  passed  through  30  feet  5 
i:    inches  of  hard  gneiss  rock — a  dav's  work,  at  a  depth  of  9 

.^§s«$s$^   feet  in  the  rock)  being  6  feefc  6  in*!ies 

Steam- Washing  for  Clothes. — At  the  St.  Nicholas  Hotel,  New  York,  is 
now  to  be  seen  a  very  complete  system  of  steam-washing  clothes  on  the  grand 
scale,  by  which  the  articles  are  washed  and  dried,  ready  for  the  ironer  in  less  than 
half  an  hour.  All  the  washing  of  the  hotel,  amounting  to  from  3,000  to  5,000 
pieces  daily,  is  performed  by  one  man  and  three  women.  The  machine  which 
thev  use  consists  of  a  strong  wooden  cylinder,  four  feet  diameter,  and  four  and  a 
half  feet  long,  mounted  on  a  frame,  so  as  to  be  driven  by  a  band  on  one  end  of  the 
shaft.  This  shaft  is  hollow,  with  pipes  so  connected  with  it,  that  hot  or  cold 
water,  or  steam,  can  be  introduced,  at  the  option  of  the  person  in  charge.  The 
cylinder  being  half  full  of  water,  a  door  at  one  end  is  opened,  and  300  to  500 
pieces  of  clothing  are  thrown  in,  with  a  suitable  quantity  of  soap,  and  an  alkaline 
fluid,  which  assists  in  dissolving  the  dirt  and  bleaching  the  fabric,  so  that  clothes, 
after  being  washed  in  this  manner,  increase  in  whiteness,  without  having  the 
texture  injured.  When  the  cylinder  is  changed,  it  is  put  in  motion  by  a  small 
steam-engine,  and  made  to  revolve  slowly,  first  one  way  a  few  revolutions,  and 
then  the  other,  by  which  the  clothes  are  thrown  from  side  to  side,  in  and  out  and 
through  the  water.  During  this  operation,  the  steam  is  let  in  through  a  double- 
mouthed  pipe — somewhat  of  the  shape  of  the  letter  X — which  has  one  mouth  in 
and  one  mouth  out  of  water;  the  steam  entering  the  water  through  the  immersed 
end,  and  escaping  through  the  other,  by  which  means  it  is  made  to  pass  through 
the  clothes,  completely  cleansing  them  in  fifteen  or  twenty  minutes.  The  steam  is 
now  cut  off,  and  the  hot  water  drawn  through  the  waste  pipe,  and  then  cold  water 
introduced,  which  rinses  the  articles  in  a  few  more  turns  of  the  cylinder.  They 
are  now  suffered  to  drain  until  the  operator  is  ready  to  take  them  out,  when  they 
are  put  into  the  drying  machine,  which  runs  like  a  millstone:  and  its  operation 
may  be  understood  by  supposing  that  millstone  to  be  a  shallow  tub,  with  wire 
network  sides,  against  which  the  clothes  are  placed,  when  it  is  put  in  rapid  motion. 


The  air  passing  in  a  strong  current  into  the  top  and  bottom  of  the  tub,  and  out  of 
the  sides,  carries  all  the  moisture  with  it  into  the  outside  case,  whence  it  runs 
away.  The  length  of  time  requisite  to  dry  the  clothes  depends  upon  the  rapidity 
of  the  revolving  tub.  If  it  should  run  3,000  revolutions  in  a  minute,  five  to  seven 
minutes  would  be  quite  sufficient.  When  there  is  not  sufficient  steam  to  run  the 
dryer  with  that  speed,  it  requires  double  that.  In  washing  and  drying,  there  is 
nothing  to  injure  the  fabric.  Ladies'  caps  and  laces  are  put  up  in  netting  bags, 
and  are  not  rubbed  by  hand  or  machine,  to  chafe  or  tear  them  in  the  least,  but  are 
cleansed  most  perfectly.  It  can  readily  be  imagined  what  a  long  line  of  wash- 
tubs  would  be  required  to  wash  5,000  pieces  a-day,  and  what  a  big  clothes-yard  to 
dry  them  in ;  while  here  the  work  is  done  by  four  persons,  who  only  occupy  part 
of  a  basement  room,  the  other  part  being  occupied  by  the  mangle  and  ironing  and 
folding  tables.  Adjoining  are  the  airing-frames,  which  are  hung  with  clothes,  and 
then  shoved  into  a  room,  steam-pipe  heated,  when  they  are  completely  dried  in  a 
few  minutes. 

Hennah  &  Bourne's  Duplex  Embossing  Press. — This  pre=s,  the  inven- 


tion of  Mr.  E.  Hennah  of  Lon- 
great  simplicity  and  conveni- 
of  all  spring  movements,  it 
in  working.  The  engraving 
The  embossing  mandrel  or 
extremity,  is  squared  to  work 
tical  brackets,  b,  screwed 
ated  by  the  central  lever- 
carries  a  toothed  segment,  D, 
teeth  on  the  upper  side  of  the 
ported  on  a  stud  centre  in 
screwed  down  to  the  stand, 
counterpart  dies,  or  forces ;  and 
on  drawing  the  lever  back  and 
vertically  between  the  acting 
ment  in  one  direction  obviously 
other. 


don,  possesses  a  duplex  action  of 
ence ;  whilst,  from  the  absence 
is  very  little  liable  to  derangement 
represents  it  in  side  elevation. 
slide,  A,  carrying  a  die  at  each 
Bteadily  in  eyes  in  the  short  ver- 
down  to  the  stand.  It  is  actu- 
handle,  C,  the  lower  end  of  which 
working  in  corresponding  rack 
mandrel,  the  lever  being  sup- 
an  intermediate  bracket,  also 
The  end  brackets,  E,  carry  the 
thus  the  embossing  takes  place 
forward,  the  paper  being  inserted 
surfaces.  The  embossing  move- 
returns  the  oppo  site  die  in  the 


Little's  Self-Regulating  Lubricator. — This  lubricator,  lately  introduced 
by  Mr.  John  Little,  of  the  "  Crystal  Palace"  Ironmongery  Establishment,  Glasgow, 
affords  an  easy  and  exact  means  of  supplying  oil  or  cooling  fluids  to  machinery  in 
motion,  in  a  regular  and  uniform  manner,  and  in  direct  accordance  with  the  wants 
of  the  frictional  surfaces,  in  relation  to  variations  in  the  speed  of  working,  with- 
out any  extraneous  attention  whatever.  Our  illustration  represents  the  apparatus 
in  vertical  section.  The  oil,  or  other  lubricating 
matter,  is  supplied  to  a  suitable  reservoir, 
fitted  with  a  strainer  for  detecting  foreign 
matters,  and  in  the  bottom  of  this  reservoir  are 
one  or  more  valves,  guarding  passages  in  com- 
munication with  the  rubbing  surfaces.  Each 
valve  is  connected  to  a  short  lever,  hinged  ver- 
tically to  the  bottom  of  the  reservoir,  and  fitted 
with  a  spring  tending  to  retain  the  valvular 
passage  closed.  The  whole  may  be  unscrewed 
from  the  inside  of  the  cup,  for  cleaning,  if 
necessary.  In  the  upper  part  of  the  reservoir 
is  a  short  horizontal  spindle,  carrying  a  cam, 
or  actuating  pin,  for  each  valve — the  pin  in  each 
case  being  contrived  to  press  laterally,  when 
required,  against  the  upper  end  of  the  valve 
lever.  One  end  of  this  horizontal  shaft  projects 
out  at  the  side  of  the  reservoir,  and  carries  a 
pendulum  lever,  which  is  worked  at  each  revo- 
lution of  the  shaft  to  be  lubricated,  by  a  pin 
or  other  projection  on  such  shaft,  or  by  such 
other  means  as  the  special  movement  may  ren- 
der necessary.  Thus,  as  the  working  action 
goes  on,  the  reciprocatory  action  of  the  pendu- 
lum works  the  valve  levers  correspondingly,  and  elevates  the  valve  at  each  move- 
ment, so  as  tc  permit  a  small  quantity  of  oil  to  pass  through  to  the  rubbing  sur- 
faces. Then,  to  regulate  the  quantity  really  discharged  through,  a  small  adjustable 
stopcock,  or  valve,  is  placed  in  the  supply-pipe  beneath,  a  spindle  passing  from 
such  valve  to  a  position  suitable  for  the  attendant,  an  index  scale  and  hand  being 
fitted  up  to  show  the  extent  of  discharge  opening.  If  cooling  mixtures,  such  as 
sulphur,  or  other  cooling  compounds,  are  to  be  applied,  they  may  be  kept  in  a 
separate  division  in  the  reservoir,  having  a  pipe  communicating  with  the  oil  dis- 
charge-pipe, so  that  they  can  be  supplied  along  with  the  u>ual  lubricating  matter 
as  required.  In  the  figure,  the  chamber,  A,  contains  the  oil,  and  in  its  bottom  is 
the  pipe,  B,  passing  to  the  journal,  this  pipe  having  in  it  a  stopcock,  the  spindle, 
C,  of  which  runs  along  beneath  the  bottom  of  the  reservoir,  and  carries  the  finger, 


150 


THE  PRACTICAL  MECHANIC'S  JOURNAL. 


Fig.  2. 


D,  to  show  the  extent  of  opening  for  the  olenginous  flow.     The  working  valve  is  at 

E,  and  as  the  lever,  F,  presses  laterally  on  the  upper  end  of  the  valve-spindle,  as 
the  shnft,  G,  is  partially  turned  by  the  vibration  of  the  pendulum,  H,  the  valve  is 
slightly  lifted,  and  allows  the  oil  to  pass  down  to  the  bearing.  In  this  way,  a  full, 
regular  supply  of  oil  is  given  to  journals  of  any  size,  whilst  the  amount  may  be 
adjusted  with  the  greatest  nicety  without  any  waste;  and  the  supply  starts,  and  is 
cut  off,  with  the  motion  of  the  machinery  itself. 

Adams'  Railway  Carriage  Axle-Box. — In  an  interesting  paper,  recently 
read  by  Mr,  \V.  B.  Adams  before  the  Institution  of  Mechanical  Engineers,  the 

author  brought  forward  the  two  forms  of 
Fig.  1.  axle-box  which  we  now  engrave.     Fig.  1 

is  a  longitudinal  section  of  an  axle-box, 
showing  as  well  a  mode  of  applying  move- 
able journals  to  axle-ai  ms,  either  new  or 
old.  Thus  the  journal,  A,  may  be  forged 
down  to  a  taper,  with  the  object  of  ex- 
tending the  distance  of  the  bearing  from 
the  wheel,  or  of  increasing  the  diameter 
of  the  axle  bearing.  The  moveable  bear- 
ing, u,  may  be  of  wrought-iron,  or  cast-iron 
well  got  up,  and  case-hardened.  In  this 
way,  manufacturers  might  be  enabled  to 
supply  a  superior  class  of  axle-box  and 
bearing  at  a  cheap  rate:  and  railway 
companies  might  thus  cheaply  replace 
their  axles,  when  rendered  unsafe  by  long 
vibration  in  running.  The  hollow  axle, 
fig.  2,  would  be  equally  well  suited  fur 
this  arrangement.  A  conical  tube  of 
blocked  leather,  c,  is  secured  to  the  box 
lip  by  an  elastic  ring,  d,  similar  to  a 
key-ring,  and  clipped  to  the  axle  by  a 
second  ring,  e.  Both  the  spring  cone 
and  the  leather  cone  have  free  action,  for  accommodating  any  irregular  movement 
of  tile  box,  preventing  loose  wear  between  them,  the  metal  plate,  and  the  leather. 

Pipe  and  Ball  Governor  for  Steam  Engines. — Messrs.  Cox  and  Wilson, 
of  the  Oxford  Works,  are  now  making  portable  oscillating  steam-engines  of  a  very 
simple  and  economical  class,  the  piston  being  a  solid  plunger,  directly  jointed  to 
the  crank-pin,  whilst  the  cylinder  oscillates  on  trunnions,  which  are  in  themselves 
the  steam  ways.  In  these  engines,  the  peculiar  governor  shown  in  section  in  our 
annexed  sketch  is  used.  It  consists  simply  of  a 
cast-iron  or  brass  ball,  a,  placed  in  the  steam-pipe, 
B  C,  which  brings  the  steam  from  the  boiler.  At 
the  governing  point  of  this  pipe  it  is  tapered  and 
i  curved  upwards,  a  stop  being  set  at  C,  to  prevent  the 
ball  from  getting  so  high  upas  to  stick  fast.  The 
action  of  the  governor  is  this  : — As  the  steam  rushes 
along  the  pipe,  on  its  way  from  the  boiler  to  the 
actuating  cylinder,  it  carries  the  ball  along  with  it,  and,  as  the  latter  ascends,  it 
necessarily  diminishes  the  area  of  the  pipe  through  which  the  steam  has  to  pass  ; 
and  the  higher  the  ball  rises  in  the  curve,  the  greater  must  be  this  reduction  of 
thoroughfare,  and  the  greater  must  be  the  steam  pressure  in  its  effect  in  counter- 
acting the  ball's  gravity.  This  governor  has  been  in  use  some  time  on  a  half-horse 
power  engine  at  the  Oxford  Works,  and  it  regulates  the  engine  so  well,  that,  when 
all  the  work  is  thrown  off,  it  will  not  allow  the  engine  to  run  more  than  90  revolu- 
tions per  minute. 

Messrs.  Dodds'  "  Ysabel"  Locomotive. — The  well-known  "  Lickey  In- 
cline," on  the  Birmingham  and  Gloucester  line — a  gradient  of  1  in  37  for  upwards 
of  two  miles— has  just  been  the  scene  of  a  set  of  valuable  experiments  with  a  new 
locomotive,  built  by  Messrs.  Dodds  &  Son,  of  the  Holmes  Engine  and  Railway 
Works,  Rotherham,  for  the  railway  of  Isabella  II.,  from  Santander  to  Alar  del 
Rey.  The  experiments  were  conducted  under  the  superintendence  of  Mr.  Stalvies, 
tbe  locomotive  manager  at  Bromsgrove.  The  load,  at  first,  wns  made  up  of  trucks 
and  coke  wagons,  six  in  all,  weighing  45  tons  12  cwt.  3  qrs  ,  exclusive  of  engine 
or  tender.  Starting  with  the  load  from  the  Bromsgrove  station,  at  the  foot  of  the 
incline,  the  two  miles  one  furlong  were  surmounted  in  twelve  minutes  twelve 
seconds;  the  speed  of  the  engine  increasing  from  forty-two  to  sixty-six  strokes  per 
minute,  without  slipping,  although  there  was  at  the  time  a  drizzling  rain.  The 
load  was  then  reduced  to  29  tons  4  cwt.  1  qr.,  equal  to  the  weight  of  the  passen- 
ger train  the  engine  will  have  to  encounter  when  on  its  duty.  With  this  load 
the  engine  started,  as  before,  from  the  bottom  of  the  inclined  plane,  and  ascended 
in  seven  minutes  five  seconds,  being  at  the  rate  of  eighteen  miles  per  hour;  the 
strokes  of  the  engine  also  increasing,  and  no  slipping.  The  engine  has  four  wheels 
coupled,  four  feet  six  inches  in  diameter,  weighing,  with  its  complement  of  water, 
nineteen  tons ;  the  cylinders  fourteen  and  a  quarter  inches  diameter,  twenty  inches 
stroke.  It  is  fitted  with  the  patent  wedgc-e.Npansive  motion,  and  is  so  constructed 
that  the  cylinders,  with  the  whole  of  the  machinery,  is  attached  to  the  frame  com- 
plete, independently  of  the  boiler,  so  that  the  boiler  can  be  attached  or  removed  in 
a  few  hours,  the  only  joints  having  to  be  made  being  the  steam-pipe  and  the  two 
feed-pump  connections.  The  boiler,  therefore,  is  free  for  expansion  and  contrac- 
tion. There  are  only  two  eccentrics,  instead  of  four,  and  the  moving  parts  are 
eight  to  thirty,  as  compared  with  the  4'  link  motion."  The  engine  is  also  entitled 
to  great  commendation,  from  its  great  simplicity  of  arrangement,  and  the  means 
of  disconnection  for  easy  transport  over  a  mountainous  cuuntry,  no  one  part  being 
more  than  6  tons  in  weight  when  detached.     The  tender,  containing  970  gallons, 


weighed  5  tons  17  cwt. ;  blast  pipe,  3|  inches  diameter,  137  tubes,  1 J  inches 
diameter,  11  feet  3  inches  long.  Such  a  test,  with  an  engine  never  intended  for 
running  up  inclines  of  this  class  with  a  load,  cannot  but  be  regarded  as  eminently 
successful. 

The  Electric  Telegraph  Company-  of  Ireland. — The  recent  report  of 
this  Company  fully  details  the  progress  of  the  operations,  and  shows  a  very  favour- 
able state  of  affairs.  An  act  of  incorporation  has  been  obtained,  and  the  proceed- 
ings thus  far  have  consisted  in  laving  a  double  line  of  wire  between  Dumfries  and 
Portpatrick,  a  distance  of  73  miles;  also  from  the  Dublin  Exhibition,  through  the 
streets  of  that  city,  to  Glasnevio,  and  a  considerable  distance  on  the  road  to 
Dro^heda,  towards  Belfast;  and  likewise  from  Belfast  to  Lisburn,  HilUborouph, 
and  Dromore.  A  new  submarine  cable  is  in  preparation  for  the  line  from  Port- 
patrick to  Donaghadee;  and  the  whole  outlay  thus  far  incurred  on  all  the  works  of 
the  Company,  including  preliminary  expenses,  is  under  .£30,000. 

PROVISIONAL  PROTECTIONS  FOR  INVENTIONS 

UNDER  THE  PATENT  LAW  AMENDMENT  ACT. 

i&F  When  the  city  or  town  is  not  mentioned,  London  is  to  be  understood. 

Recorded  April  26. 

1000.  John  C.  Haddan,  Chelsea— Improvements  in  the  manufacture  of  cartridges,  and  of 

wads  or  wadding  for  fire-arms. 

Recorded  May  21. 

1260.  Henri  J.  Scouteten,  Metz,  France,  and  16  Castle  street,  Holborn— An  improved  plas- 
tic compound,  applicable  to  various  ornamental  and  useful  purposes. 

Recorded  May  28. 
1322.  Henry  C.  Hill,  Kingsland-road  —  Improvements  in  machinery  and  apparatus  for  the 
manufacture  of  hats,  caps,  and  bonnets. 

Recorded  May  30. 
1330.  William  Green,  Islington— Improvements  in  treating  or  preparing  yarns  or  threads. 

Recorded  June  4. 
1375.  John  Chishnlm,  Holloway,  Middlesex— Improvements  in  the   production  or  manu- 
facture of  artificial  manures. 

Recorded  June  6. 
13SS.  John  W.  Friend,  Southampton— An  improved  method  of  measuring  and  registering 
the  distance,  run  by  ships  and  boats  proceeding  ilm-ugh  the  water,  which  is  also 
applicable  to  measuring  and  registering  tides  and  currents. 

Recorded  June  7. 
1399.  Alexander  M'Dougall,  Manchester— Iiuprovcu. cuts  in  the  manufacture  of  potash 
and  soda  ash. 

Recorded  Junr.  10. 
1418.  Henry  E.  Syinouds,  Scacombe,  near  Liverpool— Improvements  in  preserving  meat. 

Recorded  June  16. 
1468.  Peter  A.  Le  Comte  de  Fontaine  Moreau,  Paris,  and  4  South-street,  Finsbury— Im- 
provements in  the  preparation  of  certain  vegetable  and  alimentary  substances. 
— (O  ommunication.) 

Recorded  June  17. 

14S0.  James  Hogg,  jun.,  Edinburgh— Improvements  in  the  application  and  combination 
of  glass,  porcelain,  stoneware,  earthenware,  terra-cotta,  composition  in  plaster, 
of  the  kind  called  scagliola,  and  majolica  ware. 

Recorded  June  18. 

14S5.  Guy  Hanningfon,  Hol1and-pl«ce,  Denmark-street,  Surrey— Improvements  in  pro- 
ducing railwav  and  other  tickets  and  cards. 

1487.  Jacques  F.  Dupont  de  Bussac,  36a,  Upper  Charlotte-street,  Fitzroy-sqnare— An 
improved  mode  of  making,  with  iodine  and  its  compounds,  in  combination  with 
substances  containing  extractive  principles,  various  elementary  combinations.— 
(Communication.) 

Recorded  June  20. 

1510.  Robert  Galloway,  Cartmell,  Lancashire —Improvements  in  manfacturing  and 
refining  sugar. 

1512.  Joseph  Skertchly,  jun.,  Kingsland,  Middlesex,  and  Ansty,  Leicestershire— Improve- 
ments in  the  application  of  baths  to  articles  used  for  resting  the  human  body. 
Recorded  June  23. 

1531.  Peter  A.  Le  Comte  de  Fontaine  Moreau,  4  South-street,  Finsbury,  and  Paris— A 
new  distilling  apparatus.— (Communication.) 
Recorded  June  29. 

1569.  John  Imray,  Bridge-road,  Surrey— Improvements  in  obtaining  motive  power. 
Recorded  July  4. 

1594.  Charles  de  Bergue,  Dowgate-hill— Improvements  in  the  manufacture  of  railway 
wheels. 

1596.  Francois  Mathieu  de  Amezaga,  Bordeaux— A  method  of  obtaining  motive  power, 
aud  certain  machinery  or  apparatus  employed  therein. 

Recorded  July  6. 

1611.  William  W.  Cook,  Bolton— Improvements  in  the  manufacture  of  woven  or  textile 

fabrics. 

1612.  Peter  Gaskell,  Manchester— Improvements  in  elastic  springs. 

1613.  Thomas  W.  Kennard,  Duke-street,  Adelphi— Improvements  in  iron  bridges. 

1614.  James  Bradshaw  n.nd  Thomas  Dawson,  Blackburn- An  improved  shuttle  skewer. 

1615.  Robert  A.  Rust,  Regent-street-  An  improvement  in  piano-fortes. 

1616.  John  Woodward,  Plait-street—  An  apparatus  for  curling  hair. 

1617.  William  E.  Newton,  66  Chaucery-Iane—  Improvements  in  locks  and  latches.— (Com- 

munication.) 

Recorded  July  7. 

1618.  Henry  Bate.  3  Newhampstead-road,  Kentish  Town— Invention  of  a  new  fire-escape, 

which  lie  denominates  the  "Ignevador." 

1619.  James    Cheethanij  junior,   Manchester— Improvements  in  machinery  for  cutting 

fustians,  velvets,  and  other  similar  fabrics. — (Communication.) 

1620.  Auguste  E.  L.  Bell  ford.  16  Castle-street,  Holborn— Improvements  in  logs  for  indi- 

cating the  speed  of  ships  and  other  vessels.- (Communication.) 

1621.  Alexander  A.  Croll,   East  India-road— Improvements  in  apparatus   used   in  the 

manufacture  of  gas. 


THE  PRACTICAL  MECHANIC'S  JOURNAL. 


151 


1622.  Christopher  Vanx.  Brixton,  Surrey— Improvements  in  floating  breakwaters. 

1623.  John  K.  Stuart,  Glasgow— Improvements  in  hats  and  other  coverings  for  the  head. 

Becorded  July  8. 

1621.  Benjamin  Dangerfield,  "West  Broomwich,  Staffordshire,  and  Benjamin  Dangerfield, 
junior,  same  place Improvements  in  constructing  and  fixing  the  rails  of  rail- 
ways. 

1625.  Louis"  Cornides,  4  Trafalgar-square — Improvements  in  treating  certain  ores  and 

minerals,  for  the  purpose  of  obtaining  products  therefrom. 

1626.  William  Marsden.  junior,  Longridge,  Lancashire,  and  Samuel  Roscow,  same  place 

— Certain  improvements  in  looms  for  weaving. 

1627.  William  Maddick,  Manchester — An  improved  mode  of  treating  madder  and  mun- 

jeet,  by  which  the  quality  of  the  colouring  matter  contained  in  those  substances 
is  greatly  improved,  and  its  application  to  dyeing  and  printing  much  facilitated. 
162S.  William  Robertson,  Rochdale— Improvements  in  machinery  or  apparatus  for  pre- 
paring, spinning,  and  doubling  cotton,  wool,  and  other  fibrous  substances. 

1629.  Jacob  Brett;  Hanover-square — Improvements  in  photography. 

1630.  Louis  Brunier,  21  Norfolk-street,  Strand— Improvements   in  obtaining  power  by 

compressed  air. 

1631.  Stephen  M.  Saxby,  Brussels  -Improvements  in  apparatus  for  lowering  ships' boats, 

and  for  holding  and  letting  go  tackle. 

1632.  Moses  Poole,  Avenue-road,  Re  gent' s-p  ark— Improvements  in  the  manufacture  of 

printing  rollers. 

1633.  Philippe  P.  de  St.  Charles,  Fulham— Improvements  in  apparatus  for  measuring 

and  indicating  the  distance  travelled  by  cabs  and  other  vehicles. 

1634.  James  Parkes,  Birmingham,  and  Samuel  H.  Parkes,  same  place — Improvements 

in  the  manufacture  of  certain  drawing  or  mathematical  instruments,  also  in 
packing  or  fitting  the  same  in  their  cases,  which  said  improvements  in  packing 
or  fitting  are  also  applicable  to  the  packing  or  fitting  of  other  articles. 

Recorded  July  9. 

1635.  Thomas  Restell,  Strand — Improvements  In  walking-stick  umbrellas,  applicable  also 

to  pan  sols. 

1636.  Ewald  Riepe,  Finsbnry-squnre — Improvements  in  the   manufacture   of  turret  or 

clock  tower,  and  such  like  bells.— (Communication.) 

1637.  Ewald  Riepe,  Finsbury- square — Improvements  in  moulds  for  steel  castings. — (Com- 

munication.) 
163S.  Henry  H.  Peppin,  New  Bond-street — An  improved  joint  for  umbrella  and  parasol 
sticks. — (Communication.) 

1639.  Jean  T.  Boule,  Paris,  and  Francois  Cailland,  same  place— Improvements  in  com- 

posing and  distributing  type. 

1640.  Frederick  Meyer,  Paradise-street,  Lambeth— Improvements  in  the  manufacture  of 

candles  and  night-lights. 

1641.  Pierre  A.  Tourniere,  St.  George's-road,  Surrey,  and  Louis  N.  De  Mekenheim,  Bir- 

mingham— Improvements  in  the  manufacture  of  soap  and  washing  paste,  and  of 
the  materials  used  therein. 

1642.  Mark  Sprott,  junior,  Garnkirk,  Lanarkshire,  and  Robert  Denham,  same  place — Im- 

provements in  the  manufacture  of  pipes  or  hollow  articles  from  plastic  materials. 

1643.  George  P  Renshaw,  Nottingham — Improvements  in  cutting  and  shaping. 

1644.  William  Skinner,  jnn.,  Glasgow — Improvements  in  windows,  shutters,  and  appa- 

ratus connected  therewith. 

Recorded  July  11. 

1645.  George  Ager,  Witham,  Essex— An  apparatus  for  holding  and  turning  over  the 

leaves  of  music  or  music-books. 

1646.  Peter  Fairbairn,  Leeds— Improved  machinery  for  heckling  flax,  hemp,  china-grass, 

and  other  fibrous  materials. 

1648.  Fabian  Wrede,  Stockholm— Improvements  in  gas  and  air  engines. 

1649.  Henry  B.  Hopwood,  184  St.  George-street  East,  Weilclose  square — Improvements 

in  ships'  ports  or  scuttles. 

1650.  George  Dalton,  Lymington— Improvements  in  reverheratory  and  other  furnaces. 

Recorded  July  12. 

1652.  Joseph  B.  Finnemore,  Birmingbam — Improvements  in  sofa  springs,  useful  for 

spring-stuffed  upholstery  work  generally,  and  in  the  adaptation  thereof  to  mat- 
tresses. 

1653.  William  Levesley,  Sheffield— An  improved  method  of  making  table-knife  blades. 

1654.  Patrick  Cowan.  Skinner-street — Improvements  in  gas-fittings. 

1655.  John  H.  Johnson,  47   Lincoln's-inn-fields,   and  Glasgow — Improvements   in   the 

preparation  of  glycerine,  and  in  its  applications. — ^Communication.) 
1656-  Andrew  Burns,  Glasgow — Improvements  in  constructing  iron  ships,  boats,  boilers, 
and  orher  metallic  structures. 

1657.  Martin  Samuelson,  Hull— Improvements  in  the  manufacture  of  bricks  and  other 

articles  from  plastic  materials. 

1658.  James  Fletcher,  Facit,  near  Rochdale— Certain  improvements  in  machinery  used 

for  spinning,  doubling,  and  winding  cotton,  wool,  flax,  silk,  and  other  fibrous  mate- 
rials. 

1659.  William  F.  Snowden,  Wevmouth— An  improved  mangle. 

1660.  Nesserwanjee  Ardaseer,  Bombay — A  method  of  driving  shafting,  so  as  to  obtain  two 

revolutions  of  a  screw  or  other  shafc  to  one  revolution  of  a  driving  shaft,  or  to 
obtain  the  converse  result. 

Recorded  July  13. 

1661.  Henry  M.  Grover,  Hitcham  Rectory,  Buckinghamshire— A  new  method  of  finding 

and  indicating  the  measurements  of  the  sines  and  cosines  of  the  arcs  of  circles 
or  other  peripheries. 

1663.  Thomas  H.  Bakewell,  Dishley,  Leicestershire — Improvements  in  ventilating  mines. 

1664.  William  Williams,  82  Fetter-lane — Improvements  in  electric  telegraphic  instru- 

ments. 

1665.  John  L.  Tabberner,  Lorn-road,  North  Brixton— Improvements  in  the  manufacture 

of  iron. 

1666.  Frederick  Ransome,  Ipswich — Improvements  in  the  manufacture  of  artificial  stone 

and  similar  wares, 

1668.  Alfred  Fryer,  Manchester— Certain  improvements  in  the  construction  of  apparatus 

for  reburning  animal  charcoal. 

Recorded  July  14. 

1669.  William  Needham,  Smallbury- green,  and  James  Kite,  younger,  Princes-street, 

Lamheth— Improvements  in  machinery  and  apparatus  for  expressing  liquid  or 
moisture  from  substances. 

1670.  Sir  Richard  Brown,  Chelsea— Improvements  in  coffins,  catacombs,  sarcophaguses 

and  cenotaphs.  °        ' 

1671.  Au^'ustino  Carosio,   M.D.,  Upper  Montague-street — A  new  or  improved  electro- 

magnetic apparatus,  which,  with  its  products,  is  applicable  to  the  production  of 
motive  power. 

1672.  William  Henderson,  Bow-common — Improvements  in  the  construction  of  furnaces 

for  the  purpose  of  obtaining  products  from  ores. 

1673.  Richard  A,  Brooman,  166  Fleet-street— Improvements  in  the   manufacture    of 

anvils. — (Communication.) 


1G74.  Andre  L.  J.  Lechevalier,  St.  Andre,  Regent's- park — Certain  improvements  in  pack- 
ing goods,  so  as  to  increase  the  facility  and  safety  of  their  transmission  from 
place  to  place. 

1G75.  George  Humphery,  Brighton — Improvements  in  regulating  the  supply  of  water 
for  water-closets. 

1676.  Robert  S.  Bartleet,  Rcdditch— Improvements  in  the  manufacture  of  sewing  machine 

needles. 

1677.  John  Yule,  Glasgow — Improvements  in  rotatory  engines. 

167S.  William  Little,  Strand— Improvements  in  the  manufacture  of  lubricating  matters. 
1679.  Benjamin  Looker,  jun.,  Kingston-on-Thames — Improvements  in  the  manufacture 
of  bricks. 

Recorded  July  15. 

1GS0.  Jame3  Nasmyfh,  Patricroft,  near  Manchester— Certain  improvements  in  the  ma- 
chinery and  apparatus  employed  in  rolling  plates  and  bars  of  iron  and  other 
metals. 

1CS1.  George  Gowland,  Liverpool — Improvements  in  certain  nautical  and  surveying 
instruments. 

1652.  Robert  Gordon,  Heaton  Norris,  Lancashire— Improvements  in  furnaces  used  with 

steam-boilers,  for  the  purpose  of  consuming  smoke  and  economising  fuel. 

1653.  Henry  J.  D'Huart,  France,  and  16  Castle-street,  Holborn — Certain  improvements 

in  the  manufacture  of  pottery. 

1655.  Charles  Liddell,  Abingdon-street,  Westminster— Improvements  in  moving  boats  on 

canals  and  rivers. 

1656.  Henry  Nathan,  Birmingham,  and  Solomon  Eisner,  Exeter — An  improvement  in 

spectacle  and  reading-glasses  and  pebbles. 

1657.  Henry  Bessemer,  Old  St.  Pancras-road — Improvements  in  the  process  of  refining 

and  manufacturing  sugar. 
16SS.  Charles  Guodyear,  Avenue-road,  St.  John's  Wood — Improvements  in  spreading  or 
applying  india-rubber,  or  compositions  of  india-rubber,  on  fabrics. 

1689.  Henry  Bessemer,  Old  St.  Pancras-road — Improvements  in  the  manufacture  and 

treatment  of  bastard  sugar,  and  other  low  saccharine  products,  such  as  are 
obtained  from  molasses  and  scums. 

1690.  Charles  Goodyear,  Avenue-road,  St.  John's  Wood— Improvements  in  the  manufac- 

ture of  brushes,  and  substitutes  for  bristh's. 

1691.  Henry  Bessemer,  Old  St.  Pancras-road — Improvements  in  the  manufacture  and 

refining  of  sugar. 

1692.  Isaac  Taylor,  Stanford  Rivers,  Essex — Improvements  in  machinery  for  printing. 

1693.  Charles  Goodyear,   Avenue-road,   St.  Johu's  Wood — Improvement's  in  the  manu- 

facture of  pens,  peucils,  and  instruments  used  when  writing,  marking,  and 
drawing. 

1694.  Charles  Goodyear,  Avenue-road,  St.  John's  Wood — Improvements  in  preparing 

india-rubber. 

1695.  Charles  Goodyear,  Avenue-road,   St.  John's  Wood— Improvements  in  the  manu- 

facture of  beds,  seats,  and  other  hollow  flexible  articles  to  contain  air. 

1696.  Jean   B.  Jelie,  Alost,  Belgium — Improved  machiuery  for  dressing  or  polishing 

thread. 

Recorded  July  16. 

169S.  Edmund  R.  Fayerman,  Shaftesbury-crescent — A  method  of,  and  instrument  for, 
keeping  time  in  music. 

1G39.  Henry  Lamplough,  G ray' s-inn- lane — Improvements  in  the  preparation  and  manu- 
facture of  certain  effervescing  beverages. 

1700.  Jacques  Rives,  Paris — Improvements  in  trusses  for  the  cure  or  alleviation  of  hernia. 

1701.  Benjamin  Burrows,  Leicester — Improvements  in  Jacquard  apparatus. 

1702.  James  Naylor,  Hulme,  n?ar  Manchester— Improvements  in  lamps. 

1703.  Samuel  Colt,  Spring-gardens — Improved  machinery  for  boring  metals. — (Partly  a 

communication.) 

1704.  Marie  G.  A.  E.  le  Coat  de  KervtSguen,  Paris — An  improved  construction  of  wheel 

for  motive  power  and  propelling  purposes. 

1705.  John  W.  Duncan,  Grove-end-road,  St.  John's  Wood — Improvements  in  adhesive 

soles  and  heels  for  boots  and  shoes,  and  in  apparatus  used  for  preparing  and 
applying  the  same. 

Recorded  July  18. 

1706.  Isaie  Alexandre,  Birmingham — Improvements  in  metallic  pens  and  penholders. 

1707.  William  Boggett,    St.  Martin's-lane,  and  William   Smith,  Margaret-street — Im- 

provements in  machines  for  cleaning  and  polishing  knives. 

1703.  Peter  Armand  le  Comte  de  Fontaine  Moreau,  4  South  street,  Finshury,  and  Paris — 
A  new  mode  of  equilibrating  indefinitely  the  weight  of  atmospheres. — (Commu- 
nicated.) 

1709.  Thomas  Wood  and  George  Wade,  Sowerby-bridge,  Yorkshire— Improvements  in 
machinery  or  apparatus  for  opening,  cleaning,  carding,  or  otherwise  preparing 
cotton,  or  other  fibrous  materials  to  be  spun. 

Recorded  July  19. 

1712.  Peter  A.  le  Comte  de  Fontaine  Moreau,  4  South-street,  Finsbury,  and  Paris— A 

new  mode  of  fastening  buttons  to  garments,  and  an  improved  button,  and  also 
in  machinery  for  manufacturing  the  same.— (Communication.) 

1713.  Richard  Dart  and   Edward  Silverwood,   12   Bed  ford -street,   Covent-garden — The 

adaptation  of  loom  machinery  to  the  purposes  of  embroidery  for  badges  worn  by 
the  police,  railway  officials,  and  other  officers,  and  which  require  a  succession  of 
figures. 

1714.  Charles  Breese,  Birmingham — A  method  of  forming  designs  and  patterns  upon 

papier  mache,  japanned  iron,  glass,  metal,  and  other  surfaces. 

Recorded  July  20. 

1715.  John  Robison,  66  Coleman-street— A  new  or  improved  apparatus  for  making  tea 

and  coffee,  and  other  infusions  or  decoctions  for  chemical  and  other  purposes. 

1716.  Moses    Poole,  Avenue-road,    Regent's-park — Improvements  in  gas   regulators. — 

(Communication.) 

1717.  Edwin  D.  Smith,  Hertford-street,    May  Fair— Improvements  in  crushing  and 

washing  ores  and  earths. 

1718.  James  S.  Norton  and  Henry  J.Borie,  New  Park-street,  Southwark— Improvements 

in  the  manufacture  of  tiles  and  stairs  from  plastic  materials. 

1719.  John  D.  Goodman,  Birmingham — Improvements  in  lanterns. 

1720.  Philippe  Poirier  de  St.  Charles,  Fulham— Improvements  in  stopping  and  starting 

vehicles. 

1721.  Alexander  Cochran,  Kirkton  Bleachworks,  Renfrewshire— Improvements  in  finish- 

ing muslin  and  other  fabrics. 

1722.  James   Mills,    Lower  Brook-street,   Grosvenor-sqnare— Improved   machinery  for 

propelling  carriages. 

Recorded  July  21. 

1721.  William  Birkett,  Manningham  Mills,  Bradford— A  method  of  cleansing  or  purifying 
and  treating  soap-suds  or  wash-waters,  so  as  to  fit  them  to  be  again  used  for  tbe 
washing  of  wools  and  other  similar  matters. 

1725.  Simeon  C.  Mayer,  Paris,  and  16  Castle-street,  Holborn— An  improved  domino 
bearer. 


152 


THE  PRACTICAL  MECHANIC'S  JOURNAL. 


1726.  William  Thorn,  Cnllyhnrst,  near  Manchester — Certain  improvements  in  machinery 
for  finishing  and  embossing  plain  and  fancy  woven  fabrics. 

172S.  Edward  Cockey,  Henry  Cockey,  and  Francis  C.  Cockey,  Frome,  Somersetshire— 
Improvements  in  the  manufacture  or  production  of  cheese. 

Recorded  July  22. 

1729.  James  Murdoch,  7  Staple-inn — An  improvement  in  stamping  or  shaping  metals.— 

(Communication.) 

1730.  Alexander  I.  Austen,  Trinity-place,  Wands  worth -road,  Surrey — Improvements  in 

the  apparatus  used  in  the  manufacture  of  mould  candles. 

1731.  Thomas  Gray  and  John  Reid,  Newcastle— An  improved  mode  of  manufacturing 

files  and  rasps. 

1732.  John  Gillam,  Woodstock,  Oxford— Improvements  in  apparatus  for  cleansing  and 

separating  corn,  grain,  and  other  seeds. 
1733-  George  Spencer,  12  Manor-road,  Walworth,  Surrey — Improvements  in  springs  for 
carriages. 

1734.  Mary  Ann  Rylands,  Kingsfon-upon-Hull— Improvements  in  yards  and  spars   of 

ships  and  other  vessels.— (A  communication  from  her  late  husband,  Joseph  Ry- 
land.) 

Recorded  July  23. 

1735.  Charles  W.  Man  by,  3  Grove-villas,  Finchley—  An  improved  shaving-brush,  to  be 

called  "the  Traveller's  Patent  Shaving-brush." 

1736.  William  Huntley,  Rns\varp,  near  Whitby— Improvements  in  engines  worked  by 

steam,  air,  or  fluids. 

1737.  Augnste  B.  Lalande,  Bordeaux,  and  16  Castle-street,  Holborn— Certain  improved 

means  for  preventing  accidents  on  railways. 

1738.  Frederick  Warner  and  John  Lee,  Jewin-street — Improvements  in  water-closets 

and  urinals. 

1739.  John  Hall,  Bedford — An  improved  mangle. 

1740.  James  M.  Napier,  York-road,   Lamheth,  Surrey— Improvements  in  letter-press 

and  other  raised  surface  printing  machines. 

1741.  Samuel  Barlow,  jun.,  Stakehill,  and  John  Pendlebnry,  Crumpsall,  Lancashire— Cer- 

tain improvements  in  machinery  and  apparatus  for  bleaching  or  cleansing  textile 
fabrics  or  materials. 

Recorded  July  25. 

1742.  Joseph  B.  Howell,  Sheffield,  and  William  Jamieson,  Ashton-under-Lync— An  im- 

provement or  improvements  in  the  manufacture  of  saws. 

1743.  Joseph  A.  Furst  de  Rostin,  4  South-street,  Finsbury— A   new  mode  of  construct- 

ing floating  bodies. 

1744.  Alexander  Clark,  Gate-street,  Lincoln's-inn-fields — Improvements  in  regulating  the 

speed  and  indicating  the  power  of  steam  and  other  motive  power  engines. 

1745.  William  Ireland,  Leek,  Staffordshire— Improvements  in  the  mode  or  method  of 

melting  or  fusing  iron  or  other  metals,  and  in  the  apparatus  employed  therein. 

1746.  James  Collins,  Oxford— Improvements  in  the  manufacture  of  paper. 

1747.  Robert  Bitten,  D.irtford.  Kent  —  Improvements  in  apparatus  for  ascertaining  and 

indicating  the  supply  of  water  in  steam  boilers. 

174S.  Warren  de  la  Rue,  Bunhill-row,  Middlesex -Means  of  treating  and  preparing  cer- 
tain tar  or  naphtha,  a -id  applying  products  thereof. 

1749.  John  Ferguson,  Heath  lield  Brick  and  Pottery  Works,  Glasgow— Improvements  in 
kilns  for  baking  or  burning  clay. 

1751.  William   E.    Newton,   66  Chancery  lane— Improved   machinery  or  apparatus  for 

stopping  cables.— (Communication.) 

1752.  Alfred  V.  Newton,  66  Chancery-lane— An  improved  manufacture  of  cutting  tools.— 

(Communication.) 

Recorded  July  26. 

1753.  John  Diwson,  Linlithgow— A  new  instrument  or  apparatus  for  the  purpose  of  pre- 

venting fraud  in  drawing  off  liquids. 

1754.  Frederick  Cole,  159  High-street,  Camden  Town — An  improvement  of  the  litho- 

graphic press. 

1755.  Frederick  Cole,  159  High-street,  Camden  Town— Facilitating  and  improving  the 

process  of  inking  in  printing. 

1756.  Alfred  W.  Money.  Chudleigh,  Devonshire — An  improved  bridle. 

1757.  Thomas  Banks,  Derby,  and   Henry  Banks,  Wednesbury— Improvements  in  appa- 

ratus for  retarding  and  stopping  railway  trains,  which  improvements  are  also 
applicable,  to  vehicles  travelling  on  common  roads. 

1758.  Thomas  Buxton,  Mai  ton,  Yorkshire  -An  improved  mill  for  grinding. 

1759.  Farnham   M,  Lyte,  Flnrian,  Torquay,   Devonshire — Improvements  in  obtaining 

iodide  of  potassium  when  treating  certain  metals. 

1760.  Joseph  Barrans,  Peckham-lane,  Deptford— Improvements  in  steam  hoilers. 

1761.  John  Giblett,  Trowbridge,  Wiltshire — Improvements  in  the  manufacture  of  wool- 

len cloth  and  other  fabrics. 

1762.  Lansing  E.  Hopkins,  New  York— An  invention  for  the  manufacture  of  hat  bodies 

of  fur  and  other  like  substances. 

1763.  Alfred  W.  Warder,  1  Sydney-street,  Brompton— Improvements  in  gas  stoves. 

Recorded  July  27. 

1764.  Frincis  Arding,  Uxbridge — Improvements  in  thrashing  machines. 

1765.  John  ICnowles,  Manchester — Certain  improvements  in  looms  for  weaving. 

1766.  Peter  Armand  le  Comte  de  Fontaine  Moreau,  4  South-street,  Finsbury.  and  Paris 

— Certain  improvements  in  the  manulacture  of  tiles  for  roofing.— (Communica- 
tion.^ 

1767.  Ange  Louis  du  Temple  de  Beaujeu,  Paris,  and  4  South  street,  Finsbury—  Improve- 

ments in  rotatory  engines. 

Recorded  July  23. 

1768.  Edward  Herring,  Sonthwark — Improvements  in  the  manufacture  of  sulphate  of 

quinine. 

1769.  Charles  Cummins,  14S  Leadenhall  street— Improving  clock  escapements. 

1770.  John  F.  Stanford,  9  Arundel-street,  Middlesex — An  improvement  in  the  method  of 

draining  dwelling-houses  and  open  and  enclosed  spaces  in  cities  and  towns, 
where  sewers  and  drains  are  now  or  may  he  hereafter  constructed. 

1771.  Thomas  Forster,   Streatham,  Surrey— Improvements  in  the  manufacture  of  boots 

and  shoes. 

1772.  Benjamin  C.  Brodie,  junior,  13  Albert-road,  Regent's-park— Improvements  in  treat- 

ing or  preparing  black-lead. 

Recorded  July  29. 

1773.  Theodore  Dethier,  Pimlico — An  improved  machine   for  mortising,  drilling,  and 

boring. 

1774.  Griffith  Jarrett,  London— Improvements  in  machinery  or  apparatus  for  stamping 

or  printing  coloured  surfaces. 

1775.  James   Edward   M  Connell,    Wolverton,   Buckingham— Improvements   in    steam 

engines  and  boilers  for  marine  purposes. 

1776.  James   Mackay,  Aigburth,  near   Liverpool — Improved  apparatus  for  propelling 

vessels. 

1777.  William  E.  Newton,  BG  Chancery  lane— Improvements  in  depositing  metals  or 

alloys  of  metals. — (Communication.) 


1778.  William  Wild,  Salford — Improvements   in   machinery  or  apparatus  for  covering 

rollers  used  in  the  manufacture  of  cotton,  and  other  textile  materials,  with 
leather,  cloth,  or  other  substances. 

Recorded  July  30. 

1779.  William  T.  Henley,  St.  John-street-road— Improvements  in  modes  of  protecting 

wires  for  telegraphs. 

1780.  George  K.  Douglas,  Chester — Certain  improvements  in  the  permanent  way  of  rail- 

ways. 

1781.  William  W.  Cook,  Bolton— Improvements  in  the  manufacture  of  woven  fabrics,  and 

in  the  apparatus  employed  therein. 

1782.  George  Ambler,  Settle,  West  Riding — Certain  improvements  in  machinery  for  pre- 

paring for  spinning  cotton,  wool,  and  other  fibrous  substances. 

1783.  Patrick  Ramsay,  Glasgow— Improvements  in  the  construction  of  tents. 

1785.  Peter  Armand  le  Comte  de  Fontaine  Moreau,  4  South  street,  Finsbury,  and  Paris— 

An  improved  method  of  producing  an  ilectric  current. — (Communication.) 

Recorded  August  1. 

1786.  John  Buchanan,  Leamington  Priors,  Warwick—  Improvements  in  propelling  vessels. 

1787.  Henry  Cadell,  Dalkeith— A  reaping  machine. 

1790.  John  Gray,  Rotherhithe— Improved  apparatus  for  consuming  smoke. 

1791.  Philipp  Sclmffer  and  Frederick  Schiiffer,  Brewer-street— An  improvement  in  travel- 

ling bags. 

1792.  James  P.  Tracy,  Salisbury,  and  John  II.  Tracy,  Old  street-Improvements  in  cut- 

ting, reaping,  and  gathering  machines. 

1793.  JohnS.Perring,  Bury,  Lancaster— Improvements  in  the  permanent  way  of  railways. 

1795.  Augustus  R.  Pope,  Massachusetts— A  new  and  useful  or  improved  eleciro-magne'tic 

alarm  apparatus,  to  be  applied  to  a  door  or  window,  or  both,  of  a  dwelling-house 
or  other  building,  for  the  purpose  of  giving  an  alarm  in  case  of  an  attempt  to 
open  said  door  or  window. 

1796.  Robert  Griffiths,  69  Mornington-road,  Regent's-park— Improvements  in  the  manu- 

facture of  rivets  and  holts. 

1797.  Charles  May,  Great  George-street— Improvements  in  the  manufacture  of  bricks. 
179S.  Richard  Holme,  Kitigston-upon-IInll— Improvements  in  the  manufacture  of  gas. 

1799.  Henry  P.  Vaile,  Ashchurch,  Tewkesbury — Improvements  in  reaping  machinery. 

Recorded  August  2. 

1800.  John  Bothams,  Gravesend — Improvements  in  the  manufacture  of  wheel  tyres  for 

locomotive  engines  and  other  carriages. 
1S02.  William  Perks,  jun.,  Birmingham — A  new  or  improved  tap  for  drawing  off  liquids. 
1806.  Peter  Armand  le  Comte  de  Fontaine  Moreau,  4  South  street,  Finsbury,  and  Paris— 

An  improved  mode  of  regulating  the  electric  light.— (Communication.) 


QSF  Information  as  to  any  of  th»se  applications,  and  their  progress,  may  be  had  on  ap- 
plication to  the  Editor  of  this  Journal 


DESIGNS  FOR  ARTICLES  OF  UTILITY. 

Registered  from  14(A  July  to  IQth  July,  1853. 


July  14th,  3488 

16th,  3489 

18th,  3490 

19  th,  3491 

25th,  3492 

—  3493 
26th,  3494 

—  3495 
28th,  3496 

—  3497 


J.  J.  Welch  and  J.  S.  Margetson,  Cheapside, — "  Brace." 

W.  Sharman,  Melton  Mowbray,—"  Rake." 

G.  R.  Macnalley,  P.  Whitchurch,  and  G.  R.  Macnalley,  jun., — 
Camden-town, — "  Flushing-pan  closet." 

J.  Cole,  Holborn, — "  Case  and  stand." 

Cowley  and  Madeley,  Walsall, — "  Tap.'* 

J.  Barlow,  King  William-street, — "  Meat  screen." 

J.  Warner  and  Son,  Jewin-crescent, — "  Grinding  part  of  taps." 

J.  Coxter,  Graf  ton-street,— "  Scarificator." 

J.  Purdy  and  J.  Young,  Commercial-road  East, — "  Carriage- 
handle." 

Captain  Collinridge,  Brompton, — "  Cygnet-hook." 


DESIGNS  FOR  ARTICLES  OF  UTILITY. 

Provisionally  Registered,  2\st  July,  1853. 

July  21st,      523    W.  Peplow,  Stafford,—"  Boot  or  shoe." 

—        524    W.  Redgrave,  Rickmansworth, — "  Swimming  armlet." 


TO  READERS  AND  CORRESPONDENTS. 

Received. — "  Lectures  Developing  a  New  Philosophy  of  Physics,"  by  Robert  Forfar. 

W.  D.,  Manchester. — Let  him  look  again  at  the  diagram,  and  compare  the  text  with  it 
a  little  more  can-fully.  The  question  of  "  two  iixed  partitions"  does  not  affect  the  point 
at  all ;  it  is  the  differential  nature  of  the  two  &■  ting  surfaces  which  we  have,  to  consider. 
Whilst  the  high-pressure  steam  is  acting  directly  from  the  boiler  upon  the  outside  or 
top  of  the  small  piston,  the,  outside  of  the  large  piston  being  open  to  the  condenser,  and 
there  being  a  constant  vacuum  between  the  two — it  ought  to  be  clear  to  him,  that  this 
direct  steam  action  on  the  small  area  receives  the  advantage  of  the  intermediate  vacuum, 
because  the  large  piston  is  balanced  by  a  vacuum  on  both  sides  of  it.  So  much  for  this 
movement.  In  returning,  the  intermediate  vacuum  still  remaining,  the  contents  of  the 
small  cylinder  exp?.nd  into  the.  large  one,  and  motion  obviously  ensues  from  the  steam- 
pressure  advantage  on  the  side  of  the  large  piston;  and  it  ought  to  be  equally  obvious, 
that  the  intermediate  vacuum  must  give  its  help  to  the  large  piston,  in  aid  oi'  this  stroke, 
because  the  two  end  steam-pressures  are  the  same;  and,  therefore,  the  larger  area  gains. 
Our  correspondent  apparently  forgets,  in  his  laudable  endeavour  to  account  for  the 
vacuum  "  exerting  its  power,  first  on  one  side,  and  then  on  the  other,"  that,  in  one  posi- 
tion, there  is  full  steam-pressure  on  the  small  piston,  whilst  there  is  a  vacuum  on  the 
corresponding  side  oi  the  large  one;  and  in  the  reverse  position,  that  the  pressures  per 
square  inch,  on  these  suriaces,  are  precisely  the  same,  the  intermediate  vacuum  remain- 
ing unchanged. 

G.  S.,  Mazas.— We  cannot  -.understand  this  inquiry;  there  is  no  such  patent 

A  Regular  Subscriber,  Liverpool. — There  are  various  patents  in  existence  for  differ- 
ent kinds  ot  cement,  but  the  firm  in  question  possesses  no  patent  fur  exclusive  manufac- 
ture of  what  is  generally  known  by  the  term  our  correspondent  uses.  The  original 
patent  has  long  since  expired. 

Enquirer,  Aberdeen.— There  is  certainly  no  loss  of  power.  The  theory  itself  is  new 
to  us;  and  more  than  this — it  is  baseless. 


THE  PEACTICAL  MECHANIC'S  JOURNAL. 


153 


THE  GREAT  INDUSTRIAL  EXHIBITION,  1853. 
II. 

"  A  government  wiser  than  man's  has  provided,  in  the  constant  exertion  of  talent,  for 
the  increase  of  onrrace,  and  maintains  a  proportion  between  our  wants  and  our  progress. 
Everv  round  we  rise  in  the  ladder  leads  to  a  higher;  but  our  step  is  limited,  or  we 
should  outstrip  onr  needs  by  too  prodigious  a  stride,  and  encroach  on  the  rights  of  a 
future  age."— Quarterly  Review. 

IRISH   FISHERIES,  SUNF1SH  OIL,  AND  OYSTERS. SERVICE'S    ELASTIC  BRAID  MA- 
CHINE.  SMITH'S    CHROMATIC    PHOTO-PRINTING  FOR  WOVEN   GOODS. PROF. 

LOVER'S  CONTACT-BREAKER  AND  ELECTRIC  CLOCK  APPARATUS. FADEUILHE's 

SOLIDIFIED  MILK. CKOSSKILL'S  PORTABLE  FARM-RAILWAY;  BARNETT'S  PER- 
MEABLE FLOUR-DRESSING  MILLSTONE  ;  FRENCH  MILLSTONES. SLOAN  AND  LEG- 

OETT'S  HYDROSTAT. GWYNNNE'S  CENTRIFUGAL  PUMP. MESSRS.  BARTER  AND 

BCSHE'S  RAW-ROOT  GRATER. MESSRS.  RITCHIE'S  EXPANDING  MOULD-BOARD 

DRILL   PLOUGH. MESSRS.  HILL'S    EXPANDING   HORSE-HOE    FOR  TURNIPS. ■ 

MESSRS.  GRAY'S    PARALLEL    LEVER  SUBSOIL  PULVERISER. BOYD'S    DOUBLE- 
ACTION  SELF-ADJUSTING  SCYTHE. 

.,  INCE  our  last  month's  notes  on  tlie  Irish  collec- 
tion, fortune  has  more  than  smiled  upon  it. 
Royalty  has  visited  it,  and  its  pecuniary  re- 
ceipts have  mounted  up  to  a  point  even  beyond 
its  promoters'  fondest  anticipations.  With  so 
pleasant  a  subject  for  reflection,  we  may  all 
the  more  satisfactorily  resume  our  examination 
of  the  show. 

The  department  allotted  to  models  and  ap- 
paratus connected  with  the  Irish  Fisheries  is 
extremely  interesting,  indicating,  as  it  does,  that  some  real 
attempts  are  being  made  to  take  due  advantage  of  Ireland's 
vast  fishing  resources.  Neglect  and  mismanagement  of  the 
fishing  grounds  and  their  produce,  have  all  along  existed  to 
an  incredible  extent.  All  this  comes  out,  as  we  examine 
the  subject  in  connection  only  with  what  the  Exhibition 
lays  before  us.  The  history  of  the  harpoon,  for  instance,  shown, 
by  the  Inspecting  Commissioners  of  Fisheries,  as  the  instrument 
(  for  taking  sunfish  on  the  Galway  coast,  lets  out  the  curious  fact, 
&y  that  although  this  peculiar  fish,  which  visits  the  coast  in  large 
quantities  in  summer,  and  yields  an  oil  particularly  valuable  for  chemical 
and  other  purposes,  has  been  so  little  looked  after  and  cared  for,  that  the 
Claddaghmen  have  actually  sold  its  oil  at  the  price  of  common  train  oil. 
All  Irish  travellers  who  have  journeyed  as  we  have  done,  by  Macroom, 
Bantry,  Glengariffe,  and  Kenmare,  must  well  remember  the  noble  river 
Kenmare,  which  opens  up  before  them  after  the  wild  and  circuitous  ascent, 
and  the  tunnelled  pass,  dividing  the  counties  of  Cork  and  Kerry.  Here 
is  a  magnificent  river,  with  the  finest  possible  harbour  and  fishing  capa- 
bilities, supporting  a  mere  hamlet  on  its  margin.  The  wonder  is,  that  it 
has  not  grown  into  a  famous  seaport  town  in  spite  of  itself.  But  on 
this  very  spot  the  notable  discovery  has  only  just  been  made,  that 
oysters  may  be  grown  with  profit.  Now,  indeed,  the  gentleman  who 
has  established  oyster  beds  there  admits,  that  the  space  they  cover  is 
becoming  twice  as  valuable  to  him  as  the  best  land  in  the  district. 

Messrs.  Ashworth,  who  have  recently  become  the  proprietors  of  some 
Galway  fisheries,  have  added  a  valuable  chapter  to  the  Exhibition  volume, 
in  the  shape  of  some  cases  illustrating  the  modem  system  of  producing 
salmon  by  artificial  means.  This  is  the  first  experiment  of  the  kind  in 
Ireland ;  and  the  success  of  the  Messrs.  Ashworth  has  instigated  the 
Tay  proprietors  in  Scotland  to  go  and  do  likewise. 

A  model  of  a  screw  steamer,  fitted  out  as  a  fishing  smack,  with  suitable 
carrying  wells,  is  another  very  important  contribution.  It  is  from  the 
designs  of  Mr.  Saunders  of  Billingsgate,  and  has  been  put  in  practice  by 
Mr.  Howard,  the  great  fisherman  of  the  northern  sea,  for  the  convey- 
ance of  lobsters  and  other  fish,  of  which  large  quantities  have  hitherto 
been  rendered  useless  by  the  detention  of  sailing  vessels  in  contrary 
winds. 

Mr.  W.  Service,  of  Rutland  Terrace,  Hornsey  Road,  contributes  the 
ingenious  "  machine,  with  new  stop-motion,  for  making  elastic  braid," 
shown  in  perspective  in  fig.  1.  As  pointed  out  by  its  catalogue  name 
this  apparatus  is  employed  for  making  a  narrow  elastic  braid,  for  such 
purposes  as  parasol  clips,  encircling  bands,  and  other  little  contrivances 
where  elasticity  is  necessary.  It  is  the  first  machine  capable  of  making 
an  elastic  braid  of  two  distinct  colours,  to  form  a  striped  figure.  Such 
braids  are  well  adapted  for  embroidering  children's  dresses,  and  they  are 
also  suitable  for  edging  "  set  figure"  patterns.  Being  flexible,  and  of 
any  thickness,  such  braid  will  work  in  any  desired  angular  form.  An 
important  improvement  in  the  present  machine  is,  its  possession  of  a 
Xo.  67.- Vol,  VI. 


means  of  stopping  when  a  thread  breaks,  as  in  the  power-loom  with  the 
"  weft  protector,"  or  when  the  bobbins  are  empty.  In  the  old  machines, 
when  anything  of  the  kind  occurs,  the  motion  of  the  entire  machine  is 
arrested,  the  strap  being  compelled  to  slide  off  the  driving  pulley  as  it 
best  could.  Such  a  crude  arrangement  is,  of  course,  very  destructive 
in  its  effect  upon  the  driving  strap,  whilst  loss  of  time  occurs  in  picking 
up  and  rearranging  the  disengaged  belt.  But  by  the  adoption  of  the 
general  system  used  in  power-loom  weaving — that  is,  obtaining  the 
actuating  motion  from 
the  working  threads, 
and  conveying  such 
motion  to  the  prime 
mover — a  perfect  self- 
acting  plan  of  working 
is  introduced.  In  the 
actual  arrangement,  a 
falling  weight  is  al- 
lowed to  come  in  con- 
tact with  a  stop  in 
connection  with  the 
driving  pulley  when 
the  thread  breaks,  and 
this  throws  a  driving 
clutch  out  of  gear,  the 
starting  lever  at  the 
side  of  the  machine  be- 
ing thrown  forward  at 
the  same  time.  To 
start  the  machine  when 
the  broken  end  is  set 
right,  the  starting  lever 
is  pushed  back,  when 
the  driving  pulley  is 
at  once  connected  with 
the  machine,  and  the 
braiding  goes  on  as  be- 
fore. 

Amongst  the  printed 
fabrics  are  some  beauti- 
fully coloured  goods, 
the  tinting  on  which  is 
entirely  executed  by 
the  chemical  action  of 
light.  This  novel  and 
elegant  invention  is  by 
Mr.  R.  Smith,  of  Black- 
ford, Perthshire,  who 
styles  the  process, 
"  Chromatic  Photo- 
Printing."  The  prin- 
cipal colours  which  he 
produces  are  red,  yel- 
low, purple,  blue,  white, 
and  green.  In  this 
new  application  of  the 
actinic  rays  of  light  by 
Mr.  Smith,  for  printing 
and  dyeing,  or  rather 
staining,  textile  fab- 
rics, the  cloth,  whe- 
ther composed  of  animal  or  vegetable  fibres,  is  first  steeped  in  a  che- 
mical solution,  then  dried  in  the  dark,  and  finally  exposed  to  the 
effects  of  light,  just  as  the  photographer  treats  paper  in  the  calotype 
process.  The  parts  which  are  to  form  the  pattern  are  protected  by 
pieces  of  darkened  paper,  or  negative  photographs,  flowers,  leaves  of 
plants,  or  other  objects,  as  may  be  required  for  the  device,  attached  to 
a  plate  of  glass.  The  time  necessary  to  secure  the  proper  effect  varies 
from  two  to  twenty  minutes,  according  to  the  special  nature  of  the  pro- 
cess and  the  subject  in  hand;  and  after  the  exposure,  the  portion  of  the 
fabric  which  has  been  thus  treated  is  removed,  to  undergo  the  "  fixing" 
operation ;  that  is,  to  destroy  the  evanescent  nature  of  the  newly- 
produced  tints,  and  bind  them  down  as  "  fast  colours."  AVhilst  this 
secondary  process  goes  on,  a  new  blank  portion  is  exposed  to  the  light, 
and  thus  the  printing  is  effected  in  a  continuous  manner ;  a  number  of 
the  chromatic  photo-printing  machines  being  ranged  side  by  side,  and 
superintended  by  a  single  operator. 

It  has  been  shown  by  the  trials  already  made,  that  the  light  of  even 
a  cloudy  winter  day  is  sufficiently  powerful  for  the  purpose.     Specimens 

II 


154 


THE  PRACTICAL  MECHANIC'S  JOURNAL. 


of  exceeding  beauty  have  been  taken  so  late  as  four  o'clock  on  a  January 
afternoon— more  time,  of  course,  being  necessary  than  with  a  bright  and 
sunny  summer  sky. 

To  obtain  a  pale  blue  or  white  figure  upon  a  blue  ground,  the  inven- 
tor employs  solutions  of  citrate  or  tartrate  of  iron,  and  ferro-cyanide  of 
potassium,  the  cloth  being  afterwards  steeped  in  a  dilute  solution  of 
sulphuric  acid.  Browns  and  buffs  are  obtained  from  a  solution  of 
bichromate  of  potash,  the  excess  of  the  salt  in  the  parts  not  acted  upon 
by  the  light  being  afterwards  either  washed  out — leaving  such  portions 
white — or  decomposed  by  a  salt  of  lead,  forming  a  yellow  chromate  of 
lead.  By  combining  these  two  processes  with  the  use  of  madder,  log- 
wood, and  other  dye-stuffs,  a  great  variety  of  tinting  is  obtainable. 
Fig.  2  represents  this  chemical  printing-machine  in  perspective.      It 


consists  of  a  simple  rectangular  frame,  fitted  up  like  a  plain  table, 
having  at  one  end  a  beam,  A,  on  which  the  prepared  cloth  is  wound. 
From  this  beam  the  cloth  passes  in  the  direction  of  the  arrow,  beneath 
a  glass  plate,  b,  on  which  the  pattern  is  formed,  in  the  manner  we  have 
described,  by  a  combination  of  transparent  and  opaque  portions.  After 
each  length  has  been  exposed  to  the  pattern  action  of  the  light,  it  is 
passed  onwards,  and  thence  round  the  guide-rollers,  c,  D,  into  the 
trough,  e,  containing  the  solution  for  developing  the  impression,  either 
pure  water,  an  acidulous  solution,  or  a  solution  of  ferro-cyanide  of  potas- 
sium being  employed,  to  suit  the  sensitive  preparation  of  the  fabric. 
The  piece  is  drawn  through  the  developing  trough  by  the  pair  of  nipping 
rollers,  f,  worked  by  a  winch-handle,  and  it  is  finally  deposited  in  the 
water-trough,  o,  for  being  washed,  to  complete  the  process.  At  h  is  a 
cushion,  composed  of  deal-board  and  several  folds  of  flannel,  and  a  spring 
is  placed  beneath  each  corner  of  the  cushion-board,  in  order  to  keep  the 
prepared  fabric  well  up,  in  close  contact  with  the  lower  surface  of  the 
pattern-glass.  To  the  centre  of  this  cushion-board  is  attached  the  end 
of  a  lever,  working  on  the  fulcrum,  j. 

When  the  machine  is  organized  for  working,  a  portion  of  the  cloth  is 
exposed  to  the  light  passing  through  the  pattern-glass ;  and  so  soon  as 
the  exposed  surface  becomes  white  or  brown,  just  as  may  result  from 
the  particular  sensitive  preparation  in  use,  the  pressure  lever  is  raised, 
and  the  cloth  is  drawn  through  by  its  nipping  rollers,  carrying  away 
the  part  with  the  embryo  pattern  upon  it,  and  bringing  forward  a  new 
length,  to  be  similarly  treated.  This  is  continued  until  the  whole 
length  of  the  piece  has  been  ornamented,  in  the  gradual  steps  which  we 
have  explained. 

In  the  most  recent  trials,  this  system  of  printing  has  been  worked 
out  on  the  full  scale  of  the  printfield,  and  whole  dresses  have  been  orna- 
mented by  it  with  facility  and  success,  natural  objects  being  impressed 
upon  the  goods  in  the  loveliest  colours  obtainable  by  art. 

In  addition  to  these  light  prints,  Mr.  Smith  exhibits  a  piece  of  calico, 
rendered  fire-proof,  by  a  new  chemical  process  of  his  own.  The  details 
of  the  treatment  are  a  secret,  but  the  routine  is  simply  the  washing  of 
the  goods  in  water,  holding  a  protective  powder  in  solution.  If  expense 
does  not  stand  in  the  way,  this  fire-proofing  process  ought  to  come  into 
general  use,  as  affording  satisfactory  security  against  the  accidental 
catching  fire  of  children's  and  ladies'  dresses.  The  treatment  does  not 
at  all  affect  the  texture  or  colours  of  the  fabrics.  Mr.  Smith  is  also  the 
exhibitor  of  a  series  of  interesting  specimens  of  photography,  obtained 
by  the  Prussia-type  and  Irio-type,  the  manipulatory  details  of  which 
branches  of  art-manufacture  have  already  appeared  in  our  pages.* 

*  See  pages  202  and  222,  Vol.  I.,  Practical  Mechanic's  Journal. 


A  most  interesting  collection  of  educational  models  is  shown  by  Dr. 
Lover  of  Dublin,  a  philosophical  preceptor,  to  whom  the  youth  of  our 
times  are  largely  indebted.  In  his  working  model  of  the  electric  clock 
he  has  a  novel  "contact-breaker,"  which  we  have  engraved  at  fig.  3. 
In  that  illustration,  the  vessel,  A,  supplied  by  the  stopcock,  b,  and 
fitted  with  an  overflow-passage,  c,  filters  water  into  the  chamber,  D, 
beneath,  containing  a  float-valve,  E,  which  retains  the  water  constantly 
at  the  same  level.  A  glass  case,  F,  screens  the  whole  of  the  working 
mechanism  from  dust  and  ex- 
ternal influences.  On  opening  Fig- 3. 
the  stopcock,  o,  at  the  bottom 
of  the  vessel,  d,  the  strain  of 
water  upsets  the  tilting- 
bucket,  h,  bring- 
ing its  platinum 
pin,  i,  in  contact 
with  the  platinum, 
j,  on  the  base  be- 
low, thus  making 
contact.  This  is 
the  position  which 
we  have  chosen 
in  our  figure ;  and 
as  matters  now 
stand,  contact  is 
broken  by  the 
now  upper  divi- 
sion of  the  bucket 
getting  filled. 
This  double  ope- 
ration can  be  made 
to  occupy  exactly 
a  minute.  The 
arrows  indicate 
that  a  current  of  voltaic  elec- 
tricity can  be  established  each 
minute,  and  thus  an  electric 
clock  can  be  easily  set  in 
action.  The  simplest  electric 
clock  movement,  the  original 
invention  of  Mr.  Bain,  is  re- 
presented in  fig.  4.  An 
electro-magnet,  a,  being  set  in  action  by  galvanic  contact,  its  arma- 
ture, B,  is  attracted  towards  it,  turning  on  the  fixed  centre,  c,  and 
thus  the  pallet,  d,  is  pushed  over  one  tooth  of  the  ratchet-wheel,  e, 
of  60  teeth.  When  contact  is  broken  for  the  intermittent  suspension 
of  the  electric  action,  the  spring,  f,  of  uniform  tension,  draws  back 
the  armature,  and  at  the  same  instant  pulls  the  ratchet-wheel  one 
tooth  forward,  in  the  direction  of  the  arrow.  Dr.  Lover's  contact- 
breaker  effects  this  every  minute.  To  the  axis  of  the  ratchet-wheel  is 
connected    the 

movement  of  a  F'S-  *• 

clock,  indicat- 
ing hours  and 
minutes,  and 
he  thus  pos- 
sesses a  perfect 
time-measurer, 
without  the 
encumbrances 
of  pendulum, 
weights, spring, 
or  balance- 
wheel.  It  is, 
perhaps,  hardly 
necessary       to 

mention,  that  intermediate  electric  clocks  may  all  he  actuated  at  the 
same  instant,  for  the  purpose  of  establishing  uniform  time  in  localities 
distantly  sundered. 

Dr.  Lover  has  also  contrived  another  novel  contact-maker  for  electro- 
magnetic machines,  where  rapid  action  is  essentially  necessary.  This 
is  given  in  fig.  5,  where  a  small  "Barker's  mill,"  or  reaction  water- 
pressure  wheel,  a,  has  a  hinged  piece  of  platinum  foil,  B,  attached  to  the 
under  side  of  one  of  its  lower  arms.  As  the  mill  revolves  on  its  vertical 
spindle,  the  platinum,  b,  touches  platinum  pins,  c,  set  in  an  ivory  circle 
in  the  path  of  the  arms ;  and  these  pins  are  alternately  connected  with 
d  and  e,  so  that  two  electro-magnets  can  be  kept  in  alternate  action, 
removing  the  usual  defect  of  having  the  contact-breaker  on  the  machine 


THE  PEACTICAL  MECHANIC'S  JOURNAL. 


155 


itself. 


The  curious  pump-like  action  of  the  heart,  is  also  well  illus- 
trated by  Dr.  Lover  in  a  novel 


Fig 


^r 


manner. 

In  "  Substances  used  as 
food,"  M.  V.  B,  Fadeuilhe, 
of  Newington  Crescent,  Lon- 
don, shows  samples  of  "Pa- 
tent solidified  milk,  the  grated 
substance  of  solidified  milk, 
and  the  graters"  used  in  the 
manufacture.  Some  of  the 
grated  powder  is  now  before 
us,  and  we  have  made  excellent 
cream  and  milk  from  it,  by  the 
mere  addition  of  boiling  water. 
The  reduction  of  milk  to  a 
solid  condition,  and  the  extrac- 
tion of  all  gross  and  corrupti- 
ble matter,  so  as  to  enable  the 
essence  of  the  article  to  be  pre- 
served for  a  length  of  time,  has 
been  a  difficult  task,  and  has  en- 
gaged the  close  attention  of  many  inventors.  M.  Fadeuilhe,  indeed,  tells 
ns  that  he  has  spent  seven  years  upon  it.  The  raw  material,  cows'  milk, 
is  one  of  the  most  delicate  animal  substances,  requiring  peculiarly  care- 
ful treatment  for  its  purification  and  solidification,  to  make  it  capable  of 
resisting  the  effects  of  variable  climates,  with  a  facility  of  liquefaction 
in  a  sweet,  nutritious  state,  after  long  keeping.  The  grand  agent  in 
the  transformation  by  M.  Fadeuilhe's  process  is  steam-heat,  combined 
with  agitation,  the  chief  point  being  the  nice  regulation  of  the  heat 
at  the  different  stages  of  the  process.  The  plan  of  a  portion  of  M. 
Fadeuilhe's  works,  fig.  6,  is  sufficient  to  indicate  the  general  arrange- 

Fis.  6. 


ment  of  the  simple  mechanism  which-  he  employs.  The  steam-boiler,  a, 
occupying  a  comer  of  the  building,  is  fitted  with  two  pipes,  b,  c — the 
first  passing  to  the  safety  valve,  and  the  second  to  supply  the  range  of 
heating  and  agitating  pans,  f.  These  pans  are  wide  vessels,  fitted  with 
a  common  rotatory  agitator,  resembling  that  used  in  the  paper  manu- 
facture; and  after  the  milk  has  been  properly  heated  and  worked  in 
this  way,  the  fluid  is  discharged  by  the  valve,  d.  When  the  milk 
happens  not  to  be  quite  fresh,  or  to  be  the  production  of  a  newly-calved 
cow,  the  operator  discovers  that  something  is  wrong  at  the  second 
heating,  when  the  heat  reaches  160°  or  170°  Fahrenheit,  for  it  invari- 
ably curdles.  Such  milk,  or  milk  rendered  unwholesome  from  any 
other  cause,  cannot  be  solidified,  so  that  here  is  an  effectual  check  upon 
the  use  of  an  improper  material. 

The  perfect  preservation  of  the  solid  matter  in  an  available  form,  and 
the  almost  instantaneous  liquefying  power,  is  to  be  attributed  to  the 
separation  and  complete  extraction  of  the  grume,  a  thick  viscid  matter, 
always  present  in  milk,  and  the  removal  of  which  has  been  the  cause  of 
so  much  trouble.  The  whey,  or  thin  serous  part,  is  got  rid  of  by  evapo- 
ration, after  the  primary  purification  of  the  milk ;  and  all  that  is  neces- 
sary after  that,  is  the  nice  regulation  of  the  heat  and  agitation,  to  secure 
the  required  solidity.  The  exhibited  specimens  are  in  the  form  of  firm 
tablets,  one  pound  of  which  contains  eight  pints  of  milk.     To  reduce 


these  solid  masses  for  use  as  required,  the  inventor  uses  a  rotatory 
cylinder  grater,  the  steel  points  of  which  bring  the  cake  into  a  condition 
resembling  sago  flour,  but  of  a  creamy  tint.  Thus,  a  large  supply  of 
the  solid  milk  may  be  gradually  used,  whilst  the  mass  from  which  the 
consumed  portions  are  taken  is  left  unimpaired.  The  new  material  is 
in  use  both  in  the  English  and  French  navies,  and  Sir  Edward  Belcher's 
Arctic  expedition  has  been  supplied  with  it.  A  report,  obtained  at  the 
instance  of  the  French  Government,  states  explicitly  that  the  solid 
material  possesses  all  the  properties  of  cows'  milk,  with  a  very  slight 
addition  of  gum  and  sugar. 

Mr.  Crosskill  of  Beverley,  as  usual,  occupies  a  large  area  of  exhibition 
space.  His  "  portable  farm-railway,"  made  of  red  deal,  edged  with 
iron,  in  15  feet  lengths,  of  30  inch  guage,  is  amongst  the  most  useful 
articles  in  the  collection.  It  is  evidently  a  good  practical  thing  for 
conveying  manure  to,  and  taking  green  crops  off,  the  land.  In  taking 
turnips  off  with  it,  100  yards  clears  a  quarter  of  an  acre,  the  turnips 
being  gathered  for  six  yards  on  each  side  of  the  rails.  Each  truck 
carries  10  or  15  cwt.  of  turnips,  and  when  one  spot  is  cleared,  two  boys 
can  shift  the  line  100  yards  further  on,  and  lay  it  ready  for  use,  in  ten 
minutes.  Hussey's  and  Bell's  reapers  are  here  side  by  side,  but  we  have 
already  described  both.  Mr.  Crosskill  also  brings  forward  Bamett's 
permeable  millstones,  as  capable  of  dressing  a  great  portion  of  the  flour 
during  the  actual  grinding  process.  Fig.  7  is  a  sketch  of  this  stone. 
As  soon  as  the  grinding  has  commenced,  the  fine  flour  which  is  liberated 
passes  over  a  set  of  radial  wire-gauze  openings  in  the  lower  stone,  and 
the  coarser  particles  are  thus  separated  from  the  finer  ones.  In  the 
upper  stone,  a  series  of  openings  are  so  arranged,  and  furnished  with 
air-boxes,  facing  the  direction  of 

the  stone's  revolution,  that  the  Fig.  7. 

external  air  is  forced  down  upon 
the  grinding  surfaces,  to  cool 
the  meal,  and  facilitate  the 
passing  of  the  superfine  flour 
through  the  wire-work  in  a  cool 
state.  The  inventor  alleges  that 
he  can  thus  separate  a  superfine 
flour  from  ordinary  wheat,  from 
one  to  two- thirds  being  delivered, 
ready  dressed,  into  the  bag,  the 
rest  being  ready  for  immediate 
dressing. 

Messrs.   Kay  and   Hilton,   of 
Liverpool,  are  also  exhibitors  of 

some  capital  French  burr  runner  millstones,  built  after  the  plans  of  G. 
Mullin,  Esq.,  of  Gilford,  Down,  and  John  Steel,  Esq.,  Cork.  Mr.  Mullin's 
"  Ring  millstone"  has  been  already  engraved  at  page  38,  Part  50,  of 
this  Journal. 

By  far  the  best  millstones,  used  in  this  or  any  other  country,  are  made 
of  French  materials ;  hence  the  examples  of  this  manufacture,  in  the 
French  section  of  the  building,  command  especial  attention.  Four 
stones  are  shown  by  Messrs.  Gaillard,  as  the  produce  of  the  quarries  at 
La  Fertfi-sous-Jouarre.  The  stones  from  the  valley  of  the  Marne  have 
the  credit  of  performing  more  work,  and  turning  out  better  and  whiter 
flour  than  any  others.  They  are  purely  siliceous  in  composition,  and 
slightly  tinged  with  ferruginous  matter;  they  are  now  exported  to  every 
part  of  the  world  where  the  British  system  of  grinding  is  followed. 
Formerly,  great  pains  were  taken  to  extract  enormous  stones  from  the 
quarry  beds,  to  be  used  either  as  monolith  grinders,  or  two  or  three  only, 
combined  into  one,  in  a  very  rude  manner,  open  faces  being  selected  to 
grind  upon,  instead  of  the  modern  artificial  furrows.  The  grand  im- 
provement of  cutting  furrows  in  the  grinding  faces,  in  such  way  as 
to  improve  the  grinding  action,  without  interfering  with  the  centri- 
fugal effect,  is  an  English  invention,  introduced  only  forty  years  ago. 
Hence  the  uncertainty  attending  the  use  of  porous  or  partially  cellular 
stones  was  removed ;  and  the  French  makers  gradually  improved  upon 
the  idea,  by  building  up  together  small  fragments  of  stone  of  equal 
hardness,  so  as  to  insure  a  good  grinding  surface  throughout — this 
being  unattainable  in  large  masses,  where  softer  and  more  porous 
parts  frequently  occur  alongside  the  border  areas.  The  makers  thus 
contrived  to  get  composite  stones,  each  increment  of  the  surface  of 
which  was  of  the  same  grain,  hardness,  porosity,  and  colour ;  and  as 
the  manufacture  grew  up  to  be  an  important  branch  of  industry,  the 
niceties  of  suiting  the  materials  to  the  peculiarities  of  the  country 
where  the  stones  were  to  be  used,  the  special  system  adopted  by 
the  millers,  and  even  the  character  of  the  grain  to  be  reduced,  were  all 
carefully  attended  to.  Thus  it  is  that  the  millstone  manufacture  has 
become  a  precise  art.  In  building  such  stones,  the  workman  selects  a 
solid  centre-piece,  or  eye-stone;  and  round  this  he  sets  his  choice-selected 


-5§5#P§^i§|?S^ 


156 


THE  PRACTICAL  MECHANIC'S  JOURNAL. 


masses,  previously  bound  together,  and  fixes  the  whole  with  plaster  of 
Paris,  such  accuracy  being  observed  in  the  fittings,  that  the  entire  struc- 
ture hardly  exhibits  a  joint.     The  smith  then  encircles  the  stoue  with  a 

Fig.  S. 


passed  through  a  stuffing-box,  in  the  outside  of  the  front  plate,  enclosing 
the  steam  chamber ;  and  on  this  shaft  is  keyed  a  lever,  n,  having  a  pin 
resting  on  the  cam,  b,  and  fitting  into  the  groove  in  the  collar,  d.  As 
the  shaft,  A,  revolves,  the  cam,  b,  coming  in  contact  with  the  pin,  raises 
the  pin  to  the  highest  point,  lifting  the  grooved  collar,  with  the  slides,  c, 
and  the  cam,  e,  and  relieving  the  indicator  from  the  weight  of  the  piece, 
m.  As  the  cam,  b,  still  moves,  the  arm,  n,  and  grooved  collar  fall 
gently,  until  the  edge  of  the  weight,  M,  again  touches  one  of  the  steps  of 
the  indicator,  thus  making  the  position  of  the  cam,  e,  dependent  upon 
the  elevation  or  depression  of  the  float.  The  notched  slides,  0  p,  are 
fitted  to  work  freely  in  a  chamber  cast  through  the  apparatus,  and  are 
screened  from  the  steam.  They  are  so  connected  with  the  supply-valve, 
R,  governing  the  communication  between  the  two  branches,  b'  and  c',  of 
the  feed-pipe,  that  when  p  is  pushed  in  by  the  cam,  e,  the  valve  is 
opened ;  and  when  o  is  pushed  in,  the  valve  is  closed.  The  slides  are 
connected  by  a  piece,  t,  on  a  wedge  centre,  to  cause  one  slide  to  come 
out  in  proportion  as  the  other  is  pushedin.  The  water-level  is  shown 
high  in  the  figure.  If  it  falls  at  each  succeeding  revolution  of  the  shaft, 
A,  the  weight,  m,  will  rest  on  a  higher  notch  of  the  indicator,  causing  the 
cam,  E,  to  rise  accordingly.  This  gradually  presses  in  the  slide,  p,  until 
the  supply-valve,  k,  is  wide  open ;  and  if  the  water  still  continues  to  fall, 
the  cam,  e,  is  raised  still  higher,  pressing  in  the  slide,  u ;  and  this  slide, 
through  the  catch,  v,  and  boss,  w,  causes  the  hammer,  a',  to  strike  a  bell 
behind  the  apparatus,  to  alarm  the  engineman.  If  the  attendant  then 
does  not  apply  a  remedy,  the  cam,  e,  is  elevated  still  more,  to  press  in 
the  stem,  y,  and  sound  the  whistle,  z,  when  the  supply  is  restored,  the 
float  rises,  and  the  parts  assume  their  original  position. 

Messrs.  Gwynne,  Son,  &  Co.  have  a  clear  field  for  the  exhibition  of 
their  excellent  centrifugal  pump.  It  is  in  constant  operation,  and  does 
an  amazing  amount  of  work  with  a  comparatively  small  expenditure  of 
power.  The  exhibited  pump  discharges  1400  gallons  per  minute.  As 
another  application  of  centrifugal  force,  Messrs.  Rotch,  Finzel,  &  Co. 
show  their  centrifugal  sugar  machine,  for  separating  the  crystals  of 
sugar  from  the  molasses  and  watery  particles  of  the  sirup. 

The  patent  root-grater,  by  Dr.  Barter,  of  Blarney,  and  Mr.  Bushe, 


Fig.  10. 


retaining  hoop  of  wrought-iron,  put  on  hot,  so  as  to  fit 
tightly  on  cooling.  The  dresser  then  reduces  the  yet  un- 
even surface  to  a  plane ;  and  the  furrow-cutter  follows  the 
dresser,  first  setting  off,  and  then  cutting  out,  the  grooves 
which  are  to  produce  the  sharp  cutting  edges.  The  eye 
is  then  completed,  and  the  running  stone  balanced,  to  be  of 
equal  weight  all  round,  cavities  being  left  for  the  insertion  of 
lead,  when  the  stone  is  started  in  work,  so  that  it  may  run 
with  perfect  steadiness.  A  second  hoop  of  cold  iron  is  then 
added  to  give  further  strength,  and  the  stone  is  left  to  dry. 
M.  Roger,  a  French  maker  of  repute,  produces  annually  some  500  mill- 
stones, and  an  immense  number  of  the  inferior  or  burr  stones — all  exca- 
vated from  the  valley  of  the  Marne. 

Messrs.  Sloan  &  Leggett's  "  Hydrostat  for  preventing  steam-boiler 
explosions,"  is  the  production  of  the  well-known  Empire  Iron  Works, 
New  York.  Its  power  of  preventing  explosions  is  limited  to  the  keep- 
ing the  boiler  water  at  a  constant  level,  or  within  an  allowably  small 
range.  But  it  thus  goes  to  the  very  marrow  of  the  most  fertile  source 
of  these  casualties.  It  does  not  supersede  the  usual  feed-pumps,  but  is 
itself  placed  between  the  pumps  and  the  boiler,  as  a  safe  regulating 
valve.  Fig.  8  is  a  vertical  section  of  the  contrivance,  as  fitted  up  for 
use  outside  a  steam-boiler.  The  vertical  shaft,  a,  driven  by  the  engine, 
revolves  about  four  times  a  minute,  carrying  round  with  it  the  cam,  b, 
in  which  are  two  curved  openings,  having  two  slides,  c,  attached  to  the 
grooved  collar,  n,  passed  through  thein.  The  lower  ends  of  these  slides 
carry  a  second  cam,  e,  loose  on  the  shaft ;  to  the  copper  float,  f,  is  fas- 
tened a  composition-metal  blade,  o,  having  a  flange  on  each  side,  serving 
as  a  guide  in  passing  through  the  slotted  rest,  H,  fast  to  the  interior  of 
the  casing,  i,  which  forms  the  steam  and  water  chamber,  k,  with  its  water 
and  steam  connections,  d'  e'.  The  dotted  line  across  the  float,  f,  indicates 
the  water-level,  the  float  bidding  the  indicator,  G,  with  its  lowest  step 
opposite  the  edge  of  the  weight,  si ;  a  shaft,  forming  part  of  this  weight,  is 


of  Lismore,  is  a  useful  machine  for  reducing  roots  of  all  kinds.  The 
inventors,  themselves  agriculturists  on  the  large  scale,  having  become 
impressed  with  the  advantages    to  be  derived  from  using  raw  instead 


Fig.  11. 


iiiii — _._  _; 

of  cooked  roots  for  feeding  stock  and  poultry,  have  devised  this  means 
of  pulping  vegetable  matter,  so  as  to  be  available  for  such  a  system  of 
feeding.      Fig.  9  is  an  external  side  elevation  of  the  apparatus;    and 


THE  PRACTICAL  MECHANIC'S  JOURNAL. 


157 


Fig.  12. 


towards  the  cutting  surfaces. 


fig.  10  is  an  end  elevation  to  correspond.  Fig.  11  is  a  face  view  of  the 
cutting  disc ;  and  fig.  12  represents  the  cutting  edge  of  the  knives.  It 
consists  of  a  heavy  metal  wheel,  a,  with  six  arms,  mounted  upon  a  shaft, 
B,  and  having  on  each  side  an  iron  disc,  c,  with  cutting  surfaces  facing 
outwards.  The  discs  are  connected  together  transversely  by  six  iron 
rods,  one  passing  through  each  arm  of  the  wheel,  and  riveted  to  the  disc 
on  each  side.  These  rods  are  sis  inches  long,  so  as  to  leave  on  each  side 
of  the  wheel,  between  the  wheel  and  the  disc,  a  space  sufficiently  wide 
to  allow  the  pulp  to  fall  away  when  formed.  The  wheel  and  discs,  thus 
combined,  form  a  drum,  capable  of  being  driven  by  end  winch-handles 
on  the  shaft,  Er  running  in  bearings  on 
the  timber  frame,  D,  the  drum  being 
bounded  on  each  side  by  a  feeding  hop- 
per, e,  each  of  which  has  a  side  opening 
The  cutting  disc,  No.  1,  fig.  11,  is  armed 
with  12  steel  knives,  f,  riveted  to  the  disc — a  portion  of  the  disc  under 
each  knife  being  cut  away,  to  allow  the  root,  when  cut,  to  pass  away 
laterally  through  the  disc.  This  cutting  action  severs  the  roots  into 
long  pieces,  of  a  section  i  inch  by  J ,  suitable  for  feeding  sheep.  The 
other  disc,  No.  2,  contains  18  rows  of  cutters,  forming  an  aggregate  col- 
lection of  above  150  cutting  surfaces.  The  cutters  are  formed  by  punch- 
ing square  holes  in  the  iron,  and  then  cutting  the  iron  through  at  the 
two  corners  of  the  hole,  and  turning  it  up,  filing  the  edges.  This  se- 
condary disc  pulps  or  shreds  the  roots  into  shavings,  J  inch  wide,  of  the 
thickness  of  a  shilling,  fit  for  pigs,  horses,  and  fowls.  Major  Eushe  has 
made  a  very  successful  experiment  in  feeding  pigs  with  his  raw  pulp — 
the  economy  of  the  plan  comes  out  very  strongly.  The  grater  has  de- 
servedly obtained  a  first-class  medal  from  the  Royal  Irish  Agricultural 
Society,  at  the  Killarney  Show,  in  August  last. 

Messrs.  W.  &  J.  Ritchie,  of  the  Implement  Works,  Ardee, 
Louth,  have  a  most  satisfactory  collection  of  agricultural 
machines,  consisting  of  a  "  farm-cart,  with  harvest-frame  and 
improved  locker;  six-drillcorn-sowingmachine,  with  self-acting 
coulters;  two-horse  swing  plough  and  subsoil  plough;  drill 
plough,  with  improved  mode  of  expanding  and  contracting  the 
mould-boards ;  and  a  new  machine  for  ribbing  wheat,  oats, 
and  barley." 

The  adjustment  as  to  expansion  and  contraction  of  the  mould-boards 
in  the  drill  plough,  is  neatly  and  conveniently  managed  by  a  small 
winch-handle  on  a  short  screw  spindle,  running  longitudinally  between 
the  stilts,  directly  before  the  ploughman.  This  screw  has  a  nut  fitted 
upon  it,  from  which  a  connecting-rod  passes  at  an  angle,  on  each  side, 
to  the  inner  face  of  each  mould-board. 


which  the  traction  passes,  is  jointed,  and  so  fitted  to  the  after-part, 
carrying  the  knives,  that  on  the  attendant  throwing  his  weight  upon 
the  stilts  or  handles-,  the'  latter  turn  on  the  hind  pair  of  wheels  as  a 
centre,  and  lift  the  knives  clear  up,  for  turning  or  otherwise.  In  their 
"  expanding  horse-hoe  for  turnips,"  a  contrivance  is  added  for  enabling 
the  workman  to  alter  the  width  of  the  knives  without  stopping.  This 
may  be  effected  instantaneously,  without  the  adjustment  of  any  screws 
or  pins,  by  the  mere  drawing  the  handles  apart,  or  bringing  them  closer 
together,  the  knives  being  set  upon  the  front  ends  of  the  handle-levers 
themselves.  Fig.  14  exhibits  the  hoe  complete,  and  shows  how  perfect 
is  the  command  which  the  operator  possesses  over  the  cutting  details. 
By  the  new  expansion  movement,  he  can  avoid  any  sudden  irregularity 
in  the  ridge  or  drill,  or  in  the  horse  track,  as  readily  as  if  he  were  hand- 
hoeing.  A  small  Norwegian  harrow  is  fitted  behind,  for  throwing  out 
the  weeds  removed  by  the  hoe.  The  continuous  wrought-iron  fencing, 
shown  by  this  firm,  allows  of  any  point  being  taken  away  in  five-yard 
lengths,  and  put  in  again,  without  disturbing  the  rest.  The  top  bar  of 
this  fence  is  of  §th*  round  iron,  and  it  is  connected  to  each  side  of  the 
junction  standard  by  a  double  ferrule  on  the  standard,  through  each 
side  of  which,  and  the  corresponding  end  of  the  rail-bar,  a  small  key  is 
passed,  to- form  the  connection;  the  lower  bars,  of  1  x  J  inch  flat  iron, 
set  edge  upwards,  the  lengths  being  connected  at  the  junction  standards 
by  overlapping  joints — one  end  being  straight,  and  the  other  cranked,  to 
fit  to  it — whilst  both  are  passed  through  the  mortise  in  the  standard 
without  requiring  any  pins. 

Fig.  15. 


Fig.  13  explains  the  arrangement  much  clearer  than  our  description. 
With  this  contrivance  the  ploughman  has  only  to  turn  his  adjusting 
handle  back  or  forward,  as  the  case  may  be,  to  traverse  the  nut  along 
its  screw,  and  thus  widen  or  narrow  the  drilling  path. 

The  "  wrought-iron  skim  or  paring  ploughs,"  of  Messrs.  E.  Hill  and 
Co.,  of  Brierley  Hill  Iron  Works,   Stafford,   are  powerful,  well-made 


Fig.  14. 


Fig.  16. 


implements,  capable  of  working  from  1  j  to  8  inches  deep,  over  three  or 
four  acres  a-day,  with  a  pair  of  horses.     The  front  portion,  through 


Messrs.  J.  Gray  &  Co.,  of  Uddingstone,  Glasgow,  appear  in  the  cata- 
logue as  extensive  exhibitors,  but  their  productions  are  not  to  be  found  in 
the  building.  Their  "parallel  lever  subsoil 
pulveriser,"  fig.  15,  however,  did  reach  the 
Killarney  Show  of  the  Royal  Irish  Agricul- 
tural Society,  and  carried  off  the  gold  medal 
of  that  institution.  It  is  a  three-tined  im- 
plement ;  these  tines  or  pulverisers  being 
set  diagonally  in  the  frame,  with  the  arms 
of  the  first  and  last  inserted  in  horizontal 
mortises   in  the   frame-bar,   so  that  their 

path  can  be  widened  or  narrowed  at  pleasure  to  the  required  breadth 

of  furrow.     The  sketch  shows  how  simply  this  is  done ;   the  central 

tine  is  mortised  directly  through  the  frame-bar,  whilst  the  other  two 

have  each  a  bent  arm  passed  through  the  bar  from  opposite  sides,  for 

lateral  adjustment. 

The  "  double-action,  self-adjusting  scythe," 

of  Mr.  Boyd  of  Lower  Thames  Street,  London, 

claims  some  notice  as  an  efficient  improvement 

upon  the  old  implement.      It  is  delineated  as 

folded  up  in  fig.  16.      Instead  of  being  fastened 

at  a  determined  angle  like  the  common  scythe, 

the  blade  is  adjustable  upon  its  handle,  by  a 
very  simple  modification  of  a 
friction  joint.  The  friction  joint 
is  provided  with  a  serrated  boss 
at  each  end  of  the  parts,  a  and 
B.     The  end  of  the  part,  A,  fits 

into  a  corresponding  serrated  piece  on  a  shaft, 

which  is  fitted  on  the  end  of  the  handle  by  nuts 

and  screws.     The  heel  of  the  blade  has  also  a 

serrated  boss,  into  which  the  end,  b,  fits ;  and 

when  once  screwed  together,  the  several  parts 

cannot  possibly   get   disarranged.      The   blade 

can  thus  be  easily  set  at  any  angle,  enabling 

the  mower  to  cut  either  field  or  lawn  grass  with 

the  same  scythe,  whilst  this  adjustment  allows 

also  of  the  grass  being  cut  at  from  one  to  six 

inches  from  the  roots,  either  with  an  inclined 

or  upright  position  of  the  body.     The  facility  of  closing  up  like  a  knife 

is  a  great  advantage,  as  concerns  portability. 


158 


THE  PRACTICAL  MECHANIC'S  JOURNAL. 


GIEARD'S  WATER  -PRESSURE  RAILWAY. 

A  novel  system  of  railway  propulsion — wherein  direct  fluid-pressure 
is  employed  as  the  actuating  agent — has  just  been  submitted  to  the  world 
by  M.  L.  D.  Girard,  a  civil  engineer  of  Paris.  The  propelling  power  is 
derived  from  a  continuous  water-pipe  laid  along  the  line,  and  charged 
with  water  under  either  a  head  or  artificial  pressure.  This  fluid-main 
is  laid  down  in  the  central  space  of  the  line,  between  the  two*  pairs  of 

Fig.  l. 


rails,  and  at  intervals,  along  the  line,  it  communicates  with  the  motive 
apparatus,  which  simply  consists  of  a  series  of  apertures  at  which  the 
water  escapes,  a  particular  direction  being  given  to  it  by  appropriate 
channels.  These  water-jets  act  upon  a  series  of  curved  buckets,  similar 
to  those  of  a  water-wheel,  but  arranged  in  a  straight  line  under  the 
carriage,  and  receiving  the  water  at  the  sides. 

Our  engravings  will  render  the  details  of  the  apparatus  more  intelli- 
gible, fig.  1  being  a  vertical  section,  and  fig.  2  a  plan  of  the  arrange- 
ment. Water  is  conveyed  under  pressure  through  the  main,  A,  extend- 
ing along  the  entire  length  of  the  railway,  and  is  made  to  act  upon  a 

Fig.  2. 


framework,  b,  carried  longitudinally  in  the  centre  of  the  carriage,  below 
the  axles,  to  which  it  may  be  suspended  by  loose  brackets,  s.  A  series 
of  cells  are  formed  in  this  propeller  frame,  similar  to  the  buckets  of  a 
"water-wheel,  and  the  motion  is  produced  in  precisely  the  same  manner  as 
in  that  prime  mover,  except  that  the  motion  of  the  buckets  is  rectilinear, 
instead  of  circular.  At  intervals  along  the  line,  side  branches,  c  c,  are 
fitted  to  the  water-main,  communicating  on  each  side  with  the  discharge 


ducts,  1 1,  fitted  with  appropriate  valves,  worked  by  levers,  11,  carried  in 
brackets  upon  the  discharge  apparatus.  These  valves  are  worked  by  a 
system  of  levers,  travelling  with  and  upon  the  carriage.  The  conductor, 
or  train-driver,  actuates  the  whole,  by  means  of  the  lever,  l,  upon  the 
end  of  a  horizontal  shaft,  the  other  extremity  of  which  cai-ries  a  duplex 
lever,  a,  to  either  extremity  of  Which  are  attached  the  rods,  T.  Before 
proceeding  further,  we  must  mention  that  the  propeller  frame  upon  the 
carriage  is  divided  horizontally  into  two  compartments,  in  which  the 
curved  cells  are  set  in  reverse  directions;  the  lower  one, 
we  shall  say,  being  calculated  for  the  advance,  and  the 
upper  one  for  the  retrogression  of  the  carriage.  The 
efflux  ducts,  t,  are  also  in  duplicate;  that  on  one  side  of 
the  propeller  frame  acting  upon  the  lower  compartment, 
and  that  on  the  other  acting  upon  the  upper  one — the 
two,  of  course,  lying  in  opposite  directions,  as  seen  in 
the  plan,  fig.  2.  Returning  to  the  valve  arrangement, 
it  is  to  be  observed,  that  when  the  lever,  a,  is  horizontal, 
the  rods,  T,  will  be  clear  of  the  levers,  I,  on  both  sides. 
If,  however,  the  lever,  o,  is  depressed  to  the  left,  as  on 
the  left-hand  side  of  the  figures,  the  rod,  t,  on  that 
side  will  come  in  contact  with  the  end  of  the  lever,  I, 
and  open  the  corresponding  discharge  ducts,  causing  the 
carriage  to  be  propelled  in  the  direction  of  the  arrow. 
The  rod,  t,  is  set  in  an  inclined  position,  so  as  to  act 
gradually  upon  the  valve  lever,  l't  and  it  is  also  fitted 
with  a  slight  spring,  to  insure  the  perfect  opening  and 
shutting  of  the  valve.  After  the  passage  of  the  carriage, 
the  valves  are  shut  by  a  similar  mechanical  arrangement, 
so  that  no  water  may  be  uselessly  expended.  The  large 
valve,  M,  worked  by  the  levers,  Q,  are  for  shutting  off  the  communication 
of  the  main,  a,  with  the  branches,  c,  when  repairs  are  required.  The  water 
that  remains  in  the  discharge  apparatus  may  then  be  let  out  at  the  screw 
plugs,  u,  into  the  lateral  ducts,  which  serve  also  to  carry  off  the  spent 
water  from  the  propelling  apparatus.  When  the  repairs  are  completed, 
the  cock,  o,  is  opened,  putting  the  two  sides  of  the  valve,  m,  in  communi- 
cation, so  as  to  take  the  pressure  off  the  latter  before  opening  it.  Air 
vessels,  k,  are  provided  to  reduce  the  concussion  produced  by  suddenly 
opening  and  shutting  the  discharge  ducts. 

M.  Girard  proposes  to  place  the  propelling  apparatus  at  intervals  of 
300  feet  along  the  line,  placing  them  closer  together  near 
stations  and  upon  inclines,  so  as  to  give  more  command 
over  the  motions  of  the  train  at  these  places.  In  regu- 
lating the  speed  of  the  trains,  the  conductor  will  work 
the  lever,  L,  so  as  to  open  the  ducts,  or  to  pass  without 
opening  them  ;  or,  again,  he  can  open  the  ducts  upon  the 
retrograde  side,  so  as  to  retard  or  stop  the  forward  motion, 
or  reverse  it,  as  may  be  necessary.  Many  of  our  readers 
will  be  reminded,  by  the  perusal  of  this  article,  of  the  now 
forgotten  scheme  of  a  "  hydraulic  railway"  by  Mr.  Shuttle- 
worth. 

SAGER'S  STEAM-SHIP  PROPELLER. 
{Illustrated  by  Plate  136.) 
The  new  propeller — of  which  we  present  seven  detailed 
views  in  Plate  136 — is  the  invention  of  Mr.  W.  Sager,  of 
Seacombe,  near  Liverpool. 

Fig,  1  is  a  side  view  of  a  steamer  fitted  with  four  sets  of 
the  propelling  floats,  involving  four  paddles  each  ;  that  is, 
eight  separate  floats  on  each  side  of  the  ship.  Fig.  2  i9 
a  plan  of  the  ship,  showing  the  actuating  engines  as 
geared  with,  and  driving  the  whole  sixteen  floats.  The 
detail,  fig.  3,  represents  a  single  float,  with  its  imme- 
diate actuating  apparatus  attached,  as  about  to  dip  into 
the  water  in  its  propelling  action.  Fig.  4  is  a  corre- 
sponding detailed  view,  showing  the  float  at  its  bottom- 
stroke,  or  in  full  perpendicular  action  upon  the  water. 
Fig.  5  represents  the  float  as  it  appears  during  its  with- 
drawal from  the  water  for  a  fresh  stroke.  Fig.  6  is  a 
fourth  position,  the  float  being  on  its  upper  centre,  as 
it  appears  in  passing  clear  through  the  air  from  the 
position,  fig.  5,  to  give  its  succeeding  impulsive  stroke;  and  fig.  7  is  a 
front  elevation  of  the  float,  with  its  propelling  details,  as  fitted  to  the 
ship's  side,  a  part  of  the  vessel  being  shown  in  transverse  section. 

The  propelling  power  is  primarily  obtained  from  a  pair  of  reversed 
horizontal  steam-cylinders,  A,  supplied  with  steam  from  a  boiler,  b,  set 
between  the  two  cylinders.  The  piston-rods  of  these  cylinders  work  in 
reverse  directions,  and  they  are  connected  directly  to  cranks  on  the  pair 


THE  PRACTICAL  MECHANICS  JOURNAL. 


159 


of  parallel  shafts,  c,  passing  right  across  the  ship.  These  two  crank- 
shafts work  the  whole  of  the  floats,  by  passing  through  the  sides  of  the 
vessel  at  d,  and  being  thence  connected  to  the  two  central  floats  of  the  range 
on  each  side.  The  four  floats,  thus  driven  by  direct  connection,  are  coupled 
to  the  remaining  twelve  by  links  and  studs,  so  as  to  give  the  entire  set 
a  simultaneous  propelling  action.  Eaeh  paddle,  or  float,  e,  is  securely 
clamped  to  the  lower  forked  ends  of  a  pair  of  parallel  guide-rods,  F, 
which  rods  are  formed  with  joint-eyes,  e,  for  connection  with  the  long 
intermediate  crank-pin,  h,  connecting  the  two  cranks,  i.  The  upper 
ends  of  the  guide-rods,  f,  work  through  guide-sockets  or  collars,  J, 
arranged  ta  swivel  or  work  on  stud-bearings,  carried  by  the  transverse 
fixed  rail,  K,  projecting  across,  between  the  exterior,  L,  of  the  vessel, 
and  the  interior  of  the  propeller  wing,  or  cover  case,  m.  The  inside 
crank  of  eaeh  of  the  first-motion  floats  is  keyed  on  the  external  pro- 
jecting end,  d,  of  the  actuating  shaft,  whilst  the  corresponding  external 
crank  has  its  boss  bored  to  turn  freely  upon  a  stud-pin,  n,  in  the  interior 
of  the  paddle-box. 

It  is  now  evident,  that  if  the  driving  crank  revolves  in  the  direction  of 
the  arrow,  the  float — partaking  of  a  movement  made  up  from  the  com- 
pulsory circular  traverse  of  the  eyes,  o,  in  the  guides,  F,  combined  with 
the  restraining  action  of  the  swivel  collars,  j — is  made  to  dip  obliquely 
into  the  water,  as  at  fig.  3.  This  is  the  commencement  of  the  action. 
The  onward  revolution  of  the  crank  then  causes  the  float  to  press  back 
upon  the  water,  as  in  fig.  4,  rise  up  from  the  water  in  an  oblique  direc- 
tion, as  in  fig.  5,  and  finally  pass  forward  again  above  the  water,  as  in 
fig.  6.  Thus  the  float  enters  and  leaves  the  water  obliquely,  opposing 
no  undue  resistance  in  going  in,  giving  its  full  vertical  effect  when  fairly 
immersed,  and  emerging  again  without  any  backwater. 

When  several  floats  are  coupled  together  in  the  manner  we  have 
shown,  the  connections  are  the  same  throughout,  the  action  of  the  impel- 
ling shaft  being  conveyed  in  each  case,  throughout  the  range  of  move- 
ments, by  the  parallel  links,  o.  As  in  figs.  1  and  2,  the  two  sets  of  floats 
on  each  side  of  the  vessel  are  so  set  in  relation  to  each  other,  that  whilst 
one  set  is  at  its  full  propelling  stroke,  the  other  is  inert,  so  as  to  equalize 
the  result. 

The  inventor  points  out  the  fact,  that  this  propeller  possesses  a  pecu- 
liar facility  for  "  unshipping,"  as  all  the  floats  may  easily  be  turned  round 
and  set  fast,  clear  of  the  water,  when  the  vessel  is  to  sail  under  canvas 
only.  He  also  suggests  the  application  of  this  plan  of  propulsion  to  small 
craft,  employing  manual  labour  in  this  way,  instead  of  using  a  bank  of 
oars. 

THE  NEW  PATENT  LAW. 

The  following  "  Act  to  amend  certain  Provisions  of  the  Patent  Law 
Amendment  Act,  1852,  in  respect  of  the  Transmission  of  certified 
Copies  of  Letters  Patent  and  Specifications  to  certain  Offices  in  Edin- 
burgh and  Dublin,  and  otherwise  to  amend  the  said  Act,"  received  the 
Royal  assent  on  the  20th  of  August,  1853 : — 

Whereas  it  Is  expedient  to  amend  certain  provisions  of  the  Patent  Law  Amend- 
ment Act,  18t>2,  in  respect  of  the  transmission  of  certified  copies  of  letters  patent 
and  specifications  to  certaio  offices  in  Edinburgh  and  DuMin,  and  otherwise  to 
amend  the  said  act :  Be  it  therefore  enacted  by  the  Queen's  most  excellent  Ma- 
jesty, by  and  with  the  advice  and  consent  of  the  Lords  spiritual  and  temporal,  and 
Commons,  in  this  present  Parliament  assembled,  and  by  the  authority  of  the  same, 
as  follows: 

I.  Section  thirty-three  of  the  said  Act,  and  such  part  of  section  twenty-eight  of 
the  said  Act,  as  directs  that  in  case  reference  is  made  to  drawings  in  any  specifica- 
tion deposited  or  filed  under  the  said  Act,  an  extra  copy  of  such  drawings  should  be 
left  with  such  specification,  shall  be  repealed. 

II.  The  commissioners  shall  cause  true  copies  of  all  provisional  specifications 
left  at  the  office  of  the  commissioners  to  be  open  to  the  inspection  of  the  public,  at 
such  times,  after  the  date  of  the  record  thereof  respectively,  as  the  commissioners 
shall  by  their  order  from  time  to  time  direct. 

IIL  A  trne  copy,  under  the  hand  of  the  patentee  or  applicant,  or  agent  of  the 
patentee  or  applicant,  of  every  specification  and  of  every  complete  specification, 
with  the  drawings  accompanying  the  same,  if  any,  shall  be  left  at  the  office  of  the 
commissioners  on  filing  such  specification  or  complete  specification. 

IV.  Printed  or  manuscript  copies  or  extracts,  certified  and  sealed  with  the 
seal  of  the  commissioners,  of  letters  patent,  specifications,  disclaimers,  memoranda 
of  alterations,  and  all  other  documents  recorded  and  filed  in  the  commissioners' 
office,  or  in  the  office  of  the  Court  of  Chancery,  appointed  for  the  filing  of  specifica- 
tions, shall  be  received  in  evidence  in  all  proceedings  relating  to  letters  patent  for 
inventions  in  all  courts  whatsoever  within  the  United  Kingdom  of  Great  Britain 
and  Ireland,  the  Channel  Islands,  and  Lie  of  Man,  and  her  Majesty's  Colonies 
and  Plantations  abroad,  without  further  proof  or  production  of  the  originals. 

V.  Certified  printed  copies,  under  the  seal  of  the  commissioners,  of  all  specifica- 
tions and  complete  specifications,  and  fac-simile  printed  copies  of  the  drawings 
accompanying  the  same,  if  any,  disclaimers,  and  memoranda  of  alterations  filed  or 
hereafter  to  be  filed  under  the  said  Patent  Law  Amendment  Act,  shall   be  trans- 


mitted to  the  office  of  the  director  of  Chancery  in  Scotland,  and  to  the  enrolment 
office  of  the  Court  of  Chancery  in  Ireland,  within  twenty-one  days  after  the  filing 
thereof  respectively,  and  the  same  shall  be  filed  in  the  office  of  Chancery  in  Scot- 
land and  Ireland  respectively,  and  certified  copies  or  extracts  from  such  documents 
shall  be  furnished  to  all  persons  requiring  the  same,  on  payment  of  such  fees  as 
the  commissioners  shall  direct ;  and  such  copies  or  extracts  shall  be  received  in 
evidence  in  all  courts  in  Scotland  and  in  Ireland  respectively,  in  all  proceedings 
relating  to  letters  patent  for  inventions,  without  further  proof  or  production  of  the 
originals. 

VI.  Where  letters  patent  have  not  been  sealed  during  the  continuance  of  the 
provisional  protection  on  which  the  same  is  granted,  provided  the  delay  in  6uch 
sealing  has  arisen  from  accident,  and  not  from  the  neglect  or  wilful  default  of  the 
applicant,  it  shall  be  lawful  for  the  Lord  Chancellor,  if  he  shall  think  fit,  to  seal  such 
letters  patent  at  any  time  after  the  expiration  of  such  provisional  protection,  whe- 
ther such  expiration  has  happened  before  or  shall  happen  after  the  passing  of  this 
Act,  and  to  date  the  sealing  thereof  as  of  any  day  before  the  expiration  of  such  provi- 
sional protection,  and  also  to  extend  the  time  for  the  filing  of  the  specification 
thereon  ;  and  where  the  specification,  in  pursuance  of  the  condition  of  any  letters 
patent,  has  not  been  filed  within  the  time  limited  by  such  letters  patent,  provided 
the  delay  in  such  filing  has  arisen  from  accident,  and  not  from  the  neglect  and 
wilful  default  of  the  patentee,  it  shall  be  lawful  for  the  Lord  Chancellor,  if  he  shall 
think  fit,  to  extend  the  time  for  the  filing  of  such  specification,  whether  the  default 
in  such  filing  has  happened  before  or  shall  happen  after  the  passing  of  this  Act: 
Provided  always,  that,  except  in  any  case  that  may  have  arisen  before  the  passing 
of  this  Act,  it  shall  not  be  lawful  for  the  Lord  Chancellor  to  extend  the  time  for 
the  sealing  of  any  letters  patent,  or  for  the  filing  of  any  specification,  beyond  the 
period  of  one  month. 

VII.  And  whereas  doubts  have  arisen  whether  the  provision  of  the  Patent  Law 
Amendment  Act,  1852,  for  the  making  and  sealing  new  letters  patent  for  a  fur- 
ther term,  in  pursuance  of  her  Majesty's  order  in  council,  in  the  cases  mentioned 
in  section  forty  of  the  said  Act,  extends  to  the  making  and  sealing  of  new  letters 
patent,  in  the  manner  by  such  Act  directed,  where  such  new  letters  patent  are 
granted  by  way  of  prolongation  of  the  term  of  letters  patent,  issued  before  the 
commencement  of  the  said  Act:  And  whereas  it  is  expedient  that  such  new  let- 
ters patent,  granted  by  way  of  prolongation,  shall  be  granted  according  to  the  pro- 
visions of  the  said  Patent  Law  Amendment  Act.:  Be  it  declared  and  enacted,  that 
where  her  Majesty's  order  of  council,  for  the  sealing  of  new  letters  patent,  shall 
have  been  made  after  the  commencement  of  the  said  Act,  the  said  provision  of  the 
said  Act  for  making  and  sealing,  in  manner  aforesaid,  of  new  letters  patent,  shall 
extend,  and  shall,  as  from  the  commencement  of  the  said  Act,  be  deemed  to  have 
extended,  to  the  making  and  sealing,  in  manner  aforesaid,  of  new  letters  patent 
for  a  further  term,  as  well  where  the  original  letters  patent  were  made  before,  as 
where  such  original  letters  patent  have  been  issued  since  the  commencement  of  the 
said  Act. 

VIII.  This  Act,  and  the  Patent  Law  Amendment  Act,  1852,  shall  be  construed 
together  as  one  Act. 


MESSES.  BEURET  AND  DERTELLE'S  DOMESTIC  STOVES. 

This  French  invention  comprehends  a  series  of  improvements  as 
regards  the  several  points  of  reduced  cost  of  construction,  increased  capa- 
bility of  cooking  effect,  and  economy  of  fuel.  Our  engravings  repre- 
sent, in  fig.  1,  a  vertical  longitudinal  section;  in  fig.  2,  a  transverse 
vertical  section ;  and  in  fig.  3,  a  horizontal  section,  of  a  stove  of  the 
new  class. 

The  entire  stove  is  formed  of  cast-iron  plates,  so  shaped  as  to  clasp 

Fig.*. 


together,  thereby  requiring  neither  riveting  nor  screwing  together. 
The  fire-box,  a,  is  at  one  end  of  the  stove,  and  the  fire-bars,  n,  are  made 
separate,  or  in  couples,  so  as  to  be  removcable  separately.  The  flames 
and  gases  pass  iu  the  direction  of  the  arrows,  through  the  flues  and 
various  compartments  of  the  stove,  being  divided  into  two  currents,  one 
of  which  takes  a  downward  course,  as  at  a,  passing  under  and  heating 


160 


THE  PRACTICAL  MECHANICS  JOURNAL. 


the  chamber,  d.  An  open  grating  may  be  placed  in  the  bottom  of 
the  grating  here,  so  that  the  articles  to  be  cooked  may  receive  the 
direet  action  of  the  flames,  as  in  broiling  and  frying ;  and  this  arrange- 
ment is  claimed  by  the  inventors  as  a  peculiar  novelty.  The  flames  and 
gases  then  pass  on  to  the  chamber  containing  the  boiler,  n,  entirely 
enveloping  the  latter,  and  finally  reaching  the  smoke-box,  f,  and  passing 
off  up  the  chimney,  a.  The  other  current  takes  an  upward  direction, 
as  at  b,  and  the  flames  spread  themselves  through  the  space,  l,  and 

over  the  entire  under  sur- 
Fig.2.  face  of   the  top-plate,  h, 

which  is  provided  with 
apertures  of  various  forms 
for  pans,  covers  being 
placed  over  them  on  the 
removal  of  the  pans.  This 
current  then  unites  itself 
in  the  boiler-chamber 
with  the  first  one,  or  a 
more  direct  route  to  the 
chimney  may  be  ob- 
tained by  opening  the 
damper,  m.  A  second 
damper,  n,  is  provided  in 
the  chamber,  d,  to  carry 
off  the  vapours  from  the 
meat ;  or  the  diaphragm, 
k,  being  removed,  it  will  allow  the  flames  to  draw  directly  through 
from  below,  when  broiling  or  frying  is  the  process  in  hand. 

When  required,  the  flames  and  smoke  may  pass  directly  through  an 
aperture  in  the  division  plate,  o,  to  the  chimney.  This  aperture  is  pro- 
vided with  a  valve,  p,  worked  by  means  of  the  external  button,  c,  and 
spindle,  d. 

At  one  side  of  the  fire-box  is  a  vertical  grating,  i,  and  a  door,  j,  which 
opens  down  to  a  horizontal  position,  as  a  support  for  articles  to  be  roasted 
at  the  grating. 

Suitable  adjustable  inlets  for  air  are  provided  both  above  and  below 

Fig.  3. 


the  bars,  n,  and  the  ashes  are  caught  in  the  removeable  pan,  s,  resting 
upon  the  bottom  plate,  t.  A  dripping-pan,  s',  is  also  constructed,  to  be 
placed  under  the  chamber,  d. 

The  entire  arrangement  is  very  simple,  and  appears  well  calculated  to 
attain  the  desired  object. 


GLASSON'S  IMPROVED   OVAL   TUBULAR  BOILER. 
(Illustrated  by  Plate  137.) 

A  peculiar  arrangement  of  steam  boiler,  fitted  with  flue-tubes  of  oval 
or  elliptical  transverse  section,  has  just  been  patented,  and  is  now  being 
introduced  by  Mr.  Josiah  Glasson,  of  the  Soho  Foundry,  Birmingham. 
Our  Plate  137  exhibits  the  invention  under  two  separate  modifications — 
one  having  vertical  flue-tnbes,  with  the  boiler  water  circulating  through 
them ;  whilst  the  other  is  a  boiler  of  the  ordinary  kind,  but  fitted  with  the 
oval  tubes  instead  of  the  usual  cylindrical  ones.  Fig.  1,  on  the  plate,  is 
a  vertical  longitudinal  section  of  the  vertically-tubed  boiler ;  fig.  2  is  a 
corresponding  vertical  section  at  right  angles  to  fig.  1,  showing  the  three 
fire-places  in  end  view ;  and  fig.  3  is  a  horizontal  section  of  the  boiler. 
The  tubes  are  arranged  in  boxes,  or  cells,  and  the  end,  top,  bottom,  and 
sides  of  each  box  are  beveled  inwards,  to  allow  the  box  being  tightly 


wedged  into  a  socket  by  bolts  at  the  end,  a.  By  merely  unscrewing  the 
bolts,  the  box  may  be  withdrawn  and  repaired,  or  replaced  by  duplicates, 
at  any  time.  In  the  second  or  horizontal  tube  arrangement,  fig.  4  is  a 
front  sectional  elevation,  and  fig.  5  is  a  vertical  longitudinal  section  of 
the  boiler,  at  right  angles  to  fig.  4.  Fig.  6  represents  a  few  of  the  tubes 
in  transverse  section  on  a  larger  scale  ;  and  fig.  7  exhibits  a  similar  group 
of  flattened  cylindrical  tubes.  In  the  elliptical  tube  arrangement,  a  clear 
spa.ee  of  l£  inch  is  left  round  the  tubes,  with  a  free  passage,  of  §  inch 
between  the  rows.  Mr.  Glasson  claims  an  advantage  of  an  increase  of 
at  least  25  per  cent,  of  heating  surface  over  the  common  cylindrical 
tube,  whilst  they  are  as  easily  fixed  in  the  tube  plates  as  the  ordinary 
tube. 

On  a  first  examination  of  this  boiler,  a  question  naturally  arises  as  to 
how  boiler-makers  are  to  obtain  tubes  of  the  new  section;  but  we  find 
that  tube-makers  are  readily  disposed  to  make  them  as  cheaply  as  those 
of  the  old  form.  Another  point  for  consideration  is,  the  best  mode  of 
making  the  necessary  holes  in  the  tube-plates ;  but  Mr.  Glasson  states 
that  he  effects  this  very  simply,  and  that  he  can  turn  out  a  tube-plate 
with  the  oval  holes  quite  as  quickly  as  one  with  round  ones.  By  increas- 
ing the  circumference  of  the  tube,  in  changing  to  the  new  form,  the  area 
is  correspondingly  diminished,  involving  a  reduction  in  the  tube's 
length.  F'or  instance,  common  tubes  of  3  inches  external  diameter,  or 
2J  inches  internally,  are  made  from  6  feet  to  6  feet  6  inches  long, 
the  outer  circumference  being  9'42,  and  the  area  5-93  inches  ;  now  the 
oval  tube  of  9'625  inches  circumference  has  an  area  of  only  4'5  inches, 
and  the  lengths  being  proportioned  to  the  areas,  the  oval  tube  must  only 
be  5  feet  long,  in  comparison  with  the  6  feet  6  inches  round  tube.  But 
it  may  be  urged,  that  tubes  have  hitherto  been  made  much  too  short — so 
much  so,  as  to  allow  a  great  proportion  of  the  heat  to  escape  as  waste 
into  the  chimney.  Some  proof  of  this  is  to  be  found  in  the  fact,  that  2J 
inch  tubes  are  usually  5  feet  8  inches  long,  their  area  being  no  more  than 
3'97  inches,  or  really  G"58  inch  less  than  the  oval  tube.  But  if  the  new 
tubes  must  be  shortened,  we  thereby  shorten  the  boiler,  which,  in  very 
many  cases,  would  add  materially  to  the  convenience  of  arrangement. 
The  engineer  has  a  shorter  fire  to  stoke,  less  space  is  occupied  in  the 
ship,  and  a  less  weight  of  water  is  earned,  whilst  the  heating  surface 
is  at  least  kept  up  to,  if  not  in  excess  of,  that  obtained  by  the  round 
tube. 

MECHANIC'S  LIBRARY. 


Algebra,  Cassell'e  Elements  of,  post  8vo.,  Is.  6d.,  sewed.    Professor  Wallace. 
Bacon's  Essays,  Universal  Library,  royal  6vo.,  Is.,  sewed. 
Builder's  Perpetual  Guide,  8vo.,  4s.,  cloth,  gilt.    W.  Thome. 
Chemistry  no  Mystery,  foolscap  8vo.,  3s.  6d.,  cloth.    Dr.  Scoffern. 
Foliage  and  Foreground  Draining,  lland-book  of,  12mo.,  6s.    Barnard. 
Science,  Marvels  of,  5th  edition,  illustrated,  7s.  6d.,  cloth.    S.  W.  Fullom. 
Tidal  Rivers,  Conservation  and  Improvement  of,  7s.  6d.,  cloth.    Calver. 
Useful  Arts,  Cyclopaedia  of,  Vol.  I.,  royal  8vo.,  21s.    Tomlinson. 


BARRANS'  CUP-SURFACE  BOILER. 

The  peculiar  form  of  boiler,  illustrated  by  the  three  annexed  figures,  is 
the  invention  of  Mr.  Joseph  Barrans,  of  New  Cross,  London,  who  has 
designated  the  plan  by  the  title,  "  Cup-surface,"  from  the  cup  or  cavern- 
ous form  of  portions  of  the 

heating  surface.     Fig.  1  is  Fig.  1. 

a  longitudinal  section  of  part 
of  a  locomotive  engine 
boiler,  showing  the  fire-box 
complete,  with  the  fire-box 
end  of  the  barrel  or  boUet 
cylinder,  and  the  barrel 
tubes ;  fig.  2  is  a  transverse 
section  ;  and  fig.  3  is  a  sec- 
tional plan  of  the  fire-box 
alone.  The  cups,  a,  are 
what  may  be  called  "  thim- 
ble" pieces,  let  into  the  walls 
of  the  fire-box,  with  their 
solid  convex  ends  projecting 
into  the  water-spaces,  and 
intervening  between  the 
stay-bolts,  c.  The  mouths, 
or  reverse  open  ends  of  these 

cups,  are  riveted  or  screwed  into  the  inside  copper  box,  so  as  to  pre- 
sent their  cavities  to  the  direct  action  of  the  fire;  or,  instead  of  being 


Plate  137. 


Vol.  17. 


J.  CLASSON,  ENGINEER.  SOHO  FOUNDRY. 
B  IE  MIX  &HAM. 


Tig.  3. 


'---.---,-    5--.  >.--.  - 


^ 


fc=  ^r 


Fig.  4. 


Fi£.5. 


Pig.  6. 


S  calfe 


<  2^     >    <    2l  > 


SCALE  FOR  FIGS  G.&  7.     2  '.".s  -   j  F00T. 


■  ■    . 


THE  PRACTICAL  MECHANIC'S  JOURNAL. 


161 


thus  made  in  separate  pieces  for  subsequent  attachment,  the  whole  of  the 
cups  may  be  shaped  out  of  the  fire-box  plate, 
Fig.  2.  whether  the  material  is  copper,  as  in  the  case 

of  locomotives,  or  wrougbt-iron,  as  in  sta- 
tionary or  marine  boilers.  In  all  other  re* 
spects,  the  boiler  is  of  the  ordinary  form  and 
arrangement,  with  barrel  flue- tubes,  b,  passing 
from  the  fire-box  tube  plate  to  the  smoke- 
box. 

The  inventor  also  makes  another  boiler  on 
the  same  general  principle,  for  stationary  pur- 
poses, and  fitted  with  a  "  double  communicat- 
ing  smoke-burning   fire-box."     This  duplex 
box  consists  of  two  short  inside  boxes,  sur- 
rounded by  one  external  case,  and  set  a  short 
distance  asunder  in  the  length  of  the  box,  the 
connection  between  the  two  being  by  a  set  of 
short  tubes.     Both  of  these  inside  boxes  are 
cupped  in  the  way  we  have  described ;  and 
the  barrel   flue-tubes — for  the  entire   boiler 
resembles  the  locomotive  plan  in  this  respect — pass  from  the  usual  tube 
plate  in  the  second  box,  through  the  cylindrical  boiler  shell,  as  usual. 
Of  course,  the  first  box  only  can  contain 
fuel,  the  products  of  combustion  passing 
from  it,  through  the  connecting  tubes,  to 
the  secondary  box,  and  thence,  through  the 
main  barrel  flue-tubes,  to  the  smoke-box. 

The  obvious  aim  of  Mr.  Barrans  has  been 
the  extension  of  the  direct  heating  surface, 
without  encumbering  himself  with  an  un- 
wieldy fire-box,  whilst  he  has  also  had  in 
view  the  disposition  of  the  parts  in  such 
manner,  that  the  heat  should  be  retained 
well  up  to  its  work.  His  success  is  indi- 
cated in  the  returns  of  some  experiments  now  before  us,  showing  that 
some  30  or  40  per  cent,  of  heating  area  is  gained  by  the  new  arrange- 
ment, and  that  about  one-third  more  water  per  pound  of  coke  is  eva- 
porated, than  is  usual  in  common  boilers.  A  small  boiler  is  in  regular 
work  at  the  Railway  Foundry,  New  Cross,  evaporating  from  11  to  13 
pounds  of  water  per  pound  of  coke. 


SOCIETY  FOR  THE  ENCOURAGEMENT  OF  NATIONAL 
INDUSTRY  IN  FRANCE. 

This  Society  offers  the  following  prizes,  to  be  competed  for  in  the  years 
1854,  1855,  1860,  and  1865  :— 

CHEMICAL  ARTS. 
Subjects  for  prizes  in  the  year  1854. 

The  manufacture  of  ammonia  and  ammoniacal  salts  for  agricultural 
purposes. — Prize,  6,000  francs.     (£240.) 

The  economical  manufacture  of  fuel  from  turf  for  domestic  and  manu- 
facturing purposes. — Prize,  3,000  francs.     (£120.) 

(Particulars  and  samples  to  be  sent  in  prior  to  December  31,  1853. 
Adjudication  of  prizes  to  take  place  between  June  and  December, 
1854.) 

Subjects  for  prizes  in  the  year  1855. 

The  economical  production  of  oxygen  gas  as  a  means  of  obtaining  high 
temperatures  for  industrial  purposes. — Prize,  6,000  francs.      (£240.) 

The  discovery  of  a  process  for  determining  the  capabilities  of  hydraulic 
cements  or  mortars  in  resisting  the  action  of  sea-water. — Prize,  2,000 
francs.      (£80.) 

Essay  on  mortars  already  employed,  or  proposed  to  be  employed,  in 
marine  constructions.  —Prize,  2,000  francs.      (£80.) 

(Papers  to  he  sent  in  prior  to  December  31, 1854.  Adjudication  of 
prizes  to  take  place  between  June  and  December,  1855.) 

Subject  for  a  prize  in  the  year  1865. 

The  discovery  of  a  means  of  manufacturing,  with  artificial  materials, 
and  by  an  economical  process,  hydraulic  mortars,  capable  of  totally  resist- 
ing the  action  of  sea-water  during  at  least  ten  years. — Prize,  10,000 
francs.     (£400.) 

(Papers  to  be  sent  in  prior  to  December  31, 1864.  Adjudication  to 
take  place  between  June  andTJecember,  1865  ■> 

No.  68.— Vol.  VI. 


ECONOMICAL  ARTS. 
Subjects  for  prizes  in  the  year  1854. 
A  treatise  giving  an  account  of  the  various  kinds  of  materials  natu- 
rally or  artificially  incombustible. — Prize,  2,000  francs.     (£80.) 

New  processes,  new  kinds  of  materials,  or  new  manners  of  construction, 
capable  of  resisting  fire. — Prize,  3,000  francs.     (£120.) 

(Papers  to  be  sent  in  prior  to  December,  31,  1853.     Adjudication 
of  prizes  to  take  place  between  June  and  December,  1854.) 

AGRICULTURE. 

Subject  for  a  prize  in  the  year  1855. 

The  determination  of  the  action  and  influence  of  water  upon  the  growth 

of  trees,  and  upon  the  formation  and  quality  of  the  wood  under  different 

systems  of  irrigation,  either  with  rain  or  spring  water. — 1st  prize,  3,000 

francs.     (£120.)     2d  prize,  2,000  francs.     (£80.) 

(Papers  to  be  sent  in  prior  to  December  31,  1854.     Adjudication  to 
take  place  between  June  and  December,  1855.) 

Subject  for  a  prize  in  the  year  1860. 
The  determination  of  the  influence  of  different  modes  of  treatment  in 
the  growing  of  timber  in  a  given  soil. — 1st  prize,  3,000  francs.    (£120.) 
2d  prize,  2,000  francs.     (£80.) 

(Papers  to  be  sent  in  prior  to  December  31,  1859.     Adjudication  to 
take  place  between  June  and  December,  I860.) 

EXTRAORDINARY  PRIZES. 

1.  Founded  by  Madame  the  Princess  of  Galitzin. 

On  the  evils  attending  the  universal  consumption  of  the  potato  as  an 
article  of  food. — Prize,  1,000  francs.     (£40.) 

(Papers  to  be  sent  in  prior  to  December  31,  1853.     Adjudication, 
June  to  December,  1854.) 

2.  Founded  by  M.  the  Marquis  of  Argenteuil  (to  he  given  every  six 
years).     ! 

The  most  useful  discovery  as  affecting  the  progress  of  French  industry. 
—Prize,  12,000  francs.     (£480.) 

3.  Founded  by  M.  Bapst  (to  be  given  every  ten  years). 

Rewards  specially  intended  for  poor  mechanics. — 1,500  francs.    (£60.) 

4.  The  gift  of  M.  Christofle  (to  be  given  each  year).  To  three  classes 
of  poor  inventors. — 1,000  francs.      (£40.) 

5.  Medals  for  foremen  and  workmen  (to  be  given  each  year). 
Twenty-five  bronze  medals,  each  to  be  accompanied  with  books  to  the 
value  of  50  francs — in  all  1,500  francs.      (£60.) 

6.  Rewards  for  the  pupils  of  the  industrial  schools  (to  be  given  each 
year).  Books,  drawings,  models,  or  instruments,  for  15  individuals — 
in  all  500  francs.      (£20.) 

RECENT  PATENTS. 


MANUFACTURE  OF  CAOUTCHOUC. 

W.  Johnson,   Civil  Engineer,  London  and  Glasgow. 

Patent  dated  February  24,  1853. 

As  in  many  other  most  valuable  improvements  in  india-rubber  manu- 
facture, this  important  invention  is  a  contribution  from  the  United 
States,  where  it  is  now  being  most  successfully  worked  out.  Its  object 
is  the  preparation  of  the  raw  juice  or  milk  of  the  caoutchouc  tree,  in  such 
manner  that  it  shall  remain  in  a  fluid  state,  without  deterioration ; 
together  with  the  after  treatment  of  the  fluid  matter,  for  the  production 
of  a  new  article  or  raw  material  of  manufacture.  Shortly  after  the  milk 
or  juice  is  collected,  it  is  strained,  and  has  then  added  to  it  a  quantity  of 
the  concentrated  liquor  of  ammonia,  or  other  ammoniacal  matter,  or  any 
combination  of  nitrogen  and  carbon.  The  mixture  is  then  well  mixed, 
when  it  will  remain  in  a  white  fluid  state,  capable  of  transportation  and 
use,  as  a  preserved  material,  if  kept  in  air-tight  receptacles.  For  the  pro- 
duction of  a  new  article  of  manufacture  from  this  composition,  it  is  run 
out  on  a  suitable  surface,  and  submitted  to  slow  evaporation.  This 
gradually  solidifies  the  layer  so  poured  out,  and  the  mass  becomes  a  new 
article  of  manufacture,  very  elastic  and  tough  and  transparent,  and  suit- 
able for  all  the  ordinary  uses  of  caoutchouc,  as  well  as  many  others 
not  yet  in  existence. 

The  milk  is  collected  by  tapping  the  trees  in  the  ordinary  manner, 
the  liquid  so  obtained  being  permitted  to  flow  into  suitable  vessels  of 
clay.  When  the  liquid  is  collected,  and  before  it  has  time  to  sour  from 
atmospheric  exposure — that  is  to  say,  within  about  three  hours  from  the 
time  that  the  liquid  is  produced — it  is  strained  through  a  cloth  into  a  clean 
tin  or  glass  vessel.    "When  this  is  done,  concentrated  liquor  of  ammonia,  or 


1G2 


THE  PRACTICAL  MECHANIC'S  JOURNAL. 


ammonia  in  any  other  form,  or  compounded  to  produce  a  like  result,  or 
any  combination  or  compound  of  nitrogen  and  carbon,  is  added  to  the 
liquid  or  juice,  in  the  proportion  of  about  one  fluid  ounce  of  the  liquor  of 
ammonia,  to  every  pound  weight  of  the  juice.  In  this  mixture,  the  con- 
centrated liquor  of  ammonia  is  preferred  as  the  added  ingredient.  After 
this  admixture,  the  composition  is  thoroughly  mixed  up,  so  as  to  be 
perfectly  incorporated.  The  composition  so  produced  is  still  a  liquid 
under  exposure  to  the  atmosphere,  and  its  colour  remains  equally  as  white 
as  when  drawn  from  the  tree.  In  this  state  it  may  then  be  put  up  in 
air-tight  cases  or  vessels  for  transportation,  or  after  use,  tin  cases  or  glass 
bottles  being  used  by  preference  for  this  purpose.  When  thus  treated 
and  packed,  the  mixture  may  be  preserved  for  any  reasonable  length  of 
time,  and  it  may  be  conveyed  to  any  part  of  the  world,  whilst  it  still 
retains  its  liquid  state  and  pure  white  colour,  suitable  for  manufacturing 
purposes,  and  in  many  respects  far  superior  to  the  smoked  or  common 
india-rubber  of  commerce. 

For  the  production  of  a  new  and  original  article  of  manufacture  from 
this  substance,  it  is  poured  or  run  on  to  plates  of  glass  or  polished  metal, 
or  glazed  paper  or  other  suitable  receiving  surface,  of  the  desired  size  and 
form.  In  this  condition  it  is  subjected  to  slow  atmospheric  evaporation, 
either  in  the  open  air,  or  at  the  ordinary  atmospheric  temperature,  or  at 
a  temperature  of  from  75  to  100  degrees  of  Fahrenheit.  By  this  treat- 
ment, the  liquid  portion  of  the  spread  out  mass  is  dissipated,  leaving 
behind  it  a  solid  mass,  very  elastic  and  tough,  and  comparatively  trans- 
parent or  translucent,  and  possessing  properties  distinct  from  all  other 
known  substances. 

PORTABLE  HOUSES. 

Robert  Walker,  Glasgow. — Patent  dated  Nov.  19,  1852. 

The  houses  built  on  the  principle  involved  in  this  patent,  are  peculi- 
arly suited  for  the  dwellings  and  stores  of  emigrants.     In  building  such 

Fig. 1. 


houses,  a  rectangular  base  frame  is  first  laid  down,  and  upon  this  frame, 
as  a  foundation,  cast-iron  pillars  are  bolted  down  at  the  four  corners,  and 
at  other  regular  intervals — the  spaces  between  such  pillars  being  always  so 
proportioned  and  arranged,  that  each  four  contiguous  ones  shall  compre- 


Fig.2. 


hend  an  equal-sided  square  area  throughout  the  structure.  Every  pillar  is 
grooved  or  slotted  vertically  down  four  opposite  sides,  so  that  suitable 
boards  may  oe  passed  with  their  ends  down  such  grooves,  one  above  the 
other  edgewise,  to  form  the  walls  and  partitions  of  the  building.     Such 


Fig.  3. 


boards  are  tongued  and  grooved  like  common  flooring,  the  groove  being 
always  turned  downwards,  in  order  to  prevent  the  lodging  of  rain  therein. 
In  this  way,  a  cheap  house  is  obtainable  with  little  trouble — an  order 
for  such  a  house  being  simply  for  a  certain  number  of  pillars,  and  their 
corresponding  number  of  flooring  boards,  each  pillar  being  exactly  the 
same,  whilst  each  board  is  of  the  same  length  and  cannot  be  transposed, 
variations  only  occurring  at  doors  and  windows;  and,  owing  to  the 
pillars  having  four  grooves,  the  dimensions  of  the  house  may  be  extended 
to  any  amount,  and  cross  partitions  may  be  put  in  to  subdivide  the  rooms. 
The  window-frames  are  of  cast-iron,  grooved  all  round  their  outer  edges, 
in  order  that  the  ends  and  edges  of  the  contiguous  boards  may  be  inserted 
therein.  The  doorways  are  also  formed  with  a  similarly  grooved  frame, 
the  two  halves  of  the  hinges  being  cast  on  one  side  of  the  frame,  and  the 
lock-staple  on  the  other.  The  other  halves  of  the  hinges  are  of  wrought- 
iron,  and  are  fast  to  the  door,  these  halves  carrying  the  joint-pins  for 
insertion  into  the  halves  on  the  frame.  The  roof  is  either  of  corrugated 
iron,  angular  or  rounded,  or  it  may  be  made  of  thin  flooring  beards,  bent 
to  the  required  arch,  and  screwed  down  at  each  end — the  weather  cover- 
ing being  simply  asphalted  felt  in  sheets,  or  layers  of  waterproofed  paper  or 
canvas.  Various  other  coverings  may  also  be  adopted  over  the  top  of  the 
boards  or  other  support.  Although  cast-iron  pillars  are  deemed  prefer- 
able to  timber  ones,  it  is  obvious  that  timber  ones,  similarly  grooved,  may 
be  used  as  the  supports  for  the  boarding.  The  wooden  walls,  or  the  side 
boarding  of  houses  of  this  class,  have  perfect  freedom  of  expansion  and 
contraction  vertically.  Fig.  1  is  a  front  elevation  of  one  of  these  build- 
ings ;  and  fig.  2  is  a  sectional  plan,  showing  its  internal  divisions ;  fig.  3 
is  a  horizontal  section  of  one  of  the  pillars  detached ;  and  fig.  4  is  a 
side  elevation  of  another  arrangement  of  pillar  and  wall  boarding.  The 
rectangular  timber  frame,  a,  forms  the  base  of  the  erection,  carrying  the 
four  corner  pillars,  b,  and  the  intermediate  pillars,  c,  eleven  pillars  being 
required  in  this  particular  example.  Each  pillar  is  grooved  longitudinally 
on  all  the  four  sides,  as  at  d,  to  receive  the  wall  boards,  e,  which  are 
tongued  and  grooved  to  joint  to  each  other.  Boards  so  prepared  are 
passed  into  the  grooves  of  the  pillars  from  the  tops  of  the  latter,  before 
the  roof  is  on,  the  board  to  form  the  base  of  the 
wall  being  first  passed  down,  with  its  ends  in  the 
grooves  of  two  neighbouring  pillars.  This  board 
is  passed  down  to  the  bottom,  and  it  is  followed  by 
a  succession  of  others,  until  the  wall  space  is  filled 
up  to  the  eaves.  And  in  order  to  render  the  inser- 
tion of  the  boarding  of  easy  accomplishment, 
whether  the  roof  or  upper  frame  is  on  or  off,  the  tops 
of  the  pillar  grooves  are  left  open  laterally,  to  the 
breadth  of  a  single  board,  so  that  the  boards  can  be 
passed  in  from  the  side.  The  cast-iron  window- 
frames,  f,  are  grooved  all  round  to  receive  the  ends  and  edges  of  the  boards 
in  which  the  windows  are  placed;  and  each  internal  wooden  frame,  h, 
in  which  the  glass  is  placed,  is  retained  in  position  when  closed  up  verti- 
cally by  the  back  and  front  flanges,  i,  J,  on  the  cast-iron  holding  frames. 
On  each  side  of  the  wooden  frame  is  a  pivot,  capable 
of  oscillation  in  an  eye  on  the  iron  frame,  a  button  or 
fastener  being  fitted  on  to  hold  the  window  up  against 
its  frame  bearings  when  closed ;  and,  to  add  a  little 
effect  to  the  windows,  each  is  surmounted  by  an  outside 
cornice,  tt,  of  wood.  The  cast  iron  door  frame,  o,  in  the 
main  front,  or  external  wall,  is  similarly  grooved  on  the 
top  and  two  sides,  to  hold  the  ends  of  the  boards, 
the  two  halves  of  the  hinges  being  cast  on  the  frame  on 
one  side,  whilst  the  other  side  is  cast  with  the  lock- 
staple  upon  it.  The  corresponding  halves  of  the  hinges 
are  of  wrought-iron,  and  are  screwed  or  otherwise 
attached  to  the  wooden  door,  s ;  the  door  is  also  sur- 
mounted by  a  simple  ornamental  cornice,  like  the  win- 
dows. 

In  the  engravings,  the  main  external  walls  have 
five  windows  in  the  aggregate.  The  entrance  door,  s, 
opens  into  a  large  dining  or  common  room,  t,  from  which 
two  doors,  u,  v,  on  the  left,  open  into  two  separate  apart- 
ments, w,  x.  These  apartments  are  formed  on  precisely 
the  same  principle  as  the  main  walls  already  described, 
and  it  is  for  the  purpose  of  forming  such  minor  divi- 
sions that  the  pillars  are  all  cast  with  four  opposite 
grooves,  so  that  boarding  may  be  placed  to  radiate  on  all 
the  four  sides  of  the  pillars,  if  required ;  and  by  this  means,  houses  of 
this  kind  can  be  remodelled  at  any  time  by  transposing  or  adding  partition 
walls. 

When  all  the  necessary  boards  am  put  in,  a  top  frame,  y,  of  timber  is 
laid  on  the  pillars,  the  finish  at  this  part  being  produced  by  an  orna- 


Fig.  4. 


THE  PKACTICAL  MECHANIC'S  JOURNAL. 


163 


mental  strip,  z.  Upon  the  two  parallel  sides  of  this  frame,  T,  are  laid 
edge  boards,  a,  convex  on  their  upper  edges,  to  suit  the  convexity  of  the 
tongned  and  grooved  boarding,  o,  forming  the  roof.  This  roof  consists 
simply  of  a  set  of  boards  bent  to  the  required  curve,  and  screwed  or 
otherwise  fastened  down  at  their  ends,  c,  and  along  the  pieces,  a,  and 
down  to  cross  joists,  the  finish  at  the  extreme  upper  edges  being  by  the 
ornamental  boardings,  e.  Instead  of  arranging  the  pillars  with  narrow 
grooves,  as  described,  wider  ones,  as  at  a,  in  fig.  4,  may  be  used.  In 
such  case,  plain  boards,  b,  are  inserted  in  the  grooves  and  passed  down 
angularly — one  resting  upon  the  other,  and  forming  a  firm  wall,  nails 
or  pins  being  passed  transversely  through  the  contiguous  edges,  to  bind 
the  boards  together  laterally.  This  arrangement  allows  of  the  whole 
wall  moving  by  expansion  aud  contraction  vertically,  and  thus  prevents 
injury  from  splitting  or  tearing.  "When  internal  partitions  are  adopted, 
the  pillars  are  cast  with  additional  narrow  grooves  to  receive  their 
boarding.  Such  lining  leaves  a  space  between  it  and  the  outer  main  wall, 
so  as  to  form  a  non-conducting  air-space,  preserving  the  house  at  an 
equable  temperature,  warmer  in  winter  and  cooler  in  summer,  than 
when  a  single  wall  only  is  used. 


,  INDIA-RUBBER  SPRINRS. 

W.  C.  Fuller  and  G.  M.  Kxevitt,  Bucldersbury,  London. — Patent  dated 
6th  October,  1852. 
Mr.  Fuller,  who  is  well  known  as  a  very  early  and  successful  inventor 
of  caoutchouc  and  other  springs,  has  in  this  iustance  applied  himself  to 
the  introduction  of  india-rubber  springs  for  common  road  carriages. 
Two  plans  are  here  elaborated.  One  is,  that  in  which  the  elastic  effect 
is  obtained  by  the  compressive  power  of  the  load  upon  a  ring  or  series 
of  rings  of  india-rubber,  like  those  first  applied  by  Mr.  Fuller  under  his 
patent  of  1845,  for  railway  purposes  ;  the  other  consists  of  the  extension 
of  a  strap,  or  a  combination  of  straps,  of  various  thicknesses,  interwoven 
in  certain  parts  with  canvas,  and  secured  by  metal  plates,  so  as  to  form 
a  spring  for  the  suspension  of  the  carriage  body. 

The  chief  difficulty  to  be  overcome  in  applying  india-rubber  in  this 
way,  has  been  that  of  obtaining  'an  efficient  means  of  securing  the 
wheels  and  axles  in  their  position,  allowing  of  a  free  vertical  action  in 
the  spring  itself,  whilst  sufficient  strength  is  preserved  for  resisting  the 
strain  and  concussion  of  travelling.  This  has  been  overcome  in  some 
arrangements,  by  passing  iron  stays  under  the  axle,  and  fixing  them  at 
each  end  to  the  carriage  body — a  contrivance  especially  suited  for  the 
heavier  class  of  vehicles.  The  india-rubber  itself  scarcely  weighs  one- 
tenth  of  a  common  steel  spring,  and,  even  with  the  additional  ironwork, 
the  new  spring  dispenses  with  from  one-half  to  two-thirds  of  the  weight 
hitherto  necessary. 

Fig.  1  is  a  side  view  of  a  cart  or  waggon  spring  of  this  class :  A  is  part 
of  the  side  framing;  b  is  a  stay-iron  fixed  by  bolts  at  each  end,  and  passing 

under  the  axle,  c ;  at  d 
Fig.l.  are   two  upright   bolts 

which  pass  through  the 
framing,  and  are  secured 
by  nuts  to  the  stay-iron, 
B,  at  their  lower  ex- 
tremity ;  e  is  a  plate  of 
wrought  or  cast-iron 
which  clips  the  axle  or 
axle-bed,  and  is  firmly 
bolted  thereto.  This 
plate,  of  which  a  plan 
i3  shown  beneath,  has  two  parallel  sockets  to  receive  the  upright  bolts,  d, 
so  as  to  work  freely  upon  them,  and  thereby  keep  the  axle  in  its  proper 
position,  allowing  a  perpendicular  motion  to  the  body  of  the  carriage. 
At  f  are  the  india-rubber  rings,  placed  between  the  body  and  the  axle- 
plate,  e,  and  kept  in  their  position  by  the  bolts,  d. 

Fig.  2  is  a  similar  view  of  another  modification.  At  A  is  the  side 
framing,  as  before ;  b  is  a  front  stay-iron,  secured  to  the  framing  by  a 

scroll-iron,  c,  and 
Fig- 2.  bolted  to  the  axle, 

by  clips,  as  a 

-^~"  — ^-  steel  spring  usu- 

~rS  ~5f^T"  'Bwg*  ally  is ;  d  is  a  tie- 

r.  ^-- — - — ■>_  „  -jk,i.-g>  ^s^^c      rod  working  on  a 

similar  scroll-iron 
behind,  and,  pass- 
ing through   the 
-  upturned  end   of 

the  stay-iron,  b,  is  secured  thereto  by*anut  and  screw  with  a  thin  ring 
of  india-rubber,   which  allows   of  the   requisite   motion  upwards   and 


downwards.  The  spring  is  formed  of  a  single  or  double  ring  of  india- 
rubber,  f.  Where  a  double  ring  is  used  with  this  stay-iron,  the  separat 
ing  plate  should  be  fixed  to  the  centre  pin  or  bolt,  which  will  then  work 
upwards  and  downwards  as  the  compression  takes  place,  the  object  being 
to  give  greater  freedom  of  motion  than  if  the  bolts  were  fixed,  and  to 
correct  the  slight  deviation  there  would  otherwise  be  from  a  perpen- 
dicular action. 

Fig.  3  shows  a  spring  with  an  elliptic  stay-iron.     A  is  the  side-fram- 
ing, as  before;  b,  an  elliptic  stay-iron,  fixed  thereto  by  bolts  at  each  end, 
and  passing  un- 
der the  axle ;  at  Fig.  a 
care  two  jointed 
tie-rods,  secured 
at  each  end  by 
means  of  a  nut 
and  screw ;     at 
d  are  two  small 
rings   of    india- 
rubber,     which, 
by  their  elasti- 
city, tighten  tb3 
rods,  and  allow 

of  a  flexible  motion  upwards  and  downwards,  and  also  to  a  slight  extent 
laterally ;  e  is  the  axle,  which  is  bolted  to  the  centre  part  of  the  tie- 
rods,     c.      The 

weight    of    the  Fig.  4. 

body  is  suspend- 
ed to  the  axle,  e, 
by  means  of  the 
perpendicular 
bolt,  F,  which 
passes  through 
the  stay-iron  and 
india-rubber  rings,  g  g,  terminating  with  a  nut  and  screw. 

The  situation  of  the  rings,  G  G,  may  be  sometimes  varied  with  advan- 
tage— as,  for  instance,  by  placing  them  above  the  axle,  and  on  each  side 
of  it,  using  two 

lighter  columns  Fig.  5. 

instead  of  one. 
It  may  also  be 
advisable,  in 
some  cases,  in- 
stead of  the  tie- 
rods,  c,  to  use  a 
strong     leather 

strap,   of  the   whole   length,   which,   by   its  flexibility,  will  supersede 
the    necessity  of  joints,  the  tension  being  regulated,  as  before,  by 
the  compression  of  the  india-rubber  rings  at 
each  end.  Fls' 

In  fig.  4,  the  side-frame,  A,  carries  the  two 
scroll  irons,  b,  for  holding  the  duplex  levers,  c, 
the  elastic  rings,  D,  being  here  set  beneath  the 
axle,  e,  and  acted  on  by  the  lever-pressure 
from  above. 

In  fig.  5,  the  same  letters  are  used  as  in 
the  last  example;  the  spring-rings,  d,  are 
set  on  a  bar  beneath  the  ends  of  the  acting  le- 
vers, c. 

Fig.  6  is    an  elastic 
shackle,     so    contrived,  Fig.  7. 

that     the    elastic     ring 
serves   as    a    substitute 


for  the  cross-springs  of 
the  carriage,  a  is  the 
eye  of  the  ordinary 
steel  spring,  as  seen 
from  behind;  the 
shackle,  c,  being  sus- 
pended from  this  eye, 
and  carrying  a  round 
plate  for  the  elastic 
ring,  e.  A  bolt  passes 
through  the  centre,  to 
connect  the  ring,  e,  with 
the  bottom  eye,  b,  of  the 
span  iron,  n. 

Fig.  7  is   a  similar  arrangement,  wherein  the  india-rubber  rings,  E, 


serve  as  a  substitute  for  the  cross  spring. 


1G4 


THE  PRACTICAL  MECHANIC'S  JOURNAL. 


FIGURED  FABRICS. 
J.  R.  Cochrane,  Manufacturer,  Glasgow. — Patent  dated  February  12, 1853- 

The  simple  modification  of  manufacturing  routine,  introduced  by  Mr. 
Cochrane  under  this  patent,  promises  to  bear  most  importantly  upon  the 
economics  of  the  "  lappet "  fabric  manufacture,  or  figured  goods,  wherein 
the  device  is  formed  by  laying  the  "  whip,"  or  pattern  threads,  upon  the 
surface,  and  binding  them  down  with  weft  threads.  Such  yarn  or  figure 
threads  have  hitherto  been  always  beamed  on  rolls  previous  to  weaving, 
the  rolls  being  attached  to  the  loom,  and  the  yarn  taken  therefrom  as 
required  in  the  weaving  action.  But  in  this  arrangement  the  cops  of 
"whip"  yarn  are  takeu  directly  to  the  loom,  and  arranged  in  creels  or 
suitable  holding  frames,  and  the  yarn  is  thus  unwound  directly  from  the 
;ops  as  the  weaving  proceeds.  Thus  the  usual  intervening  processes 
which  the  whip  undergoes,  between  the  spinning  and  weaving,  are  dis- 
pensed with,  and  whilst  the  intrinsic  cost  of  the  process  is  lessened,  the 
production  of  waste  is  also  reduced.  Or,  by  another  mode,  the  bobbins  of 
yarn,  as  filled  from  the  cops  in  the  ordinary  manner,  are  taken  to  the 
loom,  and  held  there  in  a  suitable  frame  instead  of  the  cops  ;  and  in  both 
cases,  whether  the  cops  or  bobbins  are  applied  in  this  way,  each  line  or 
frame  of  threads  is  passed  round  a  paced  roller,  so  as  to  give  an  equal 
uniform  tension  to  all  the  threads  during  the  weaving  action,  or  the 
pacing  may  be  effected  under  various  other  modifications.  The  tension 
roller  may  be  paced  or  furnished  with  a  friction  apparatus  by  any  of  the 
ordinary  modes.  . 

Fig.  1  is  a  portion  of  a  longitudinal  elevation  of  the  cop-holder  at  the 
back  of  the  lappet  loom,  and  fig.  2  is  a  corresponding  end  view  or  trans- 
verse section.  The  creel  is  composed  of  four  standards,  A,  arranged  with 
suitable  base  pieces,  b,  and  bound  together  by  transverse  pieces,  c,  and 
top  metal  bars,  d,  whilst  near  the  base  is  a  perforated  board,  e,  for  hold- 
ing the  cops.  This  holder,  e,  is  notched  out  at  its  four  corners,  so  that 
it  may  be  slipped  into  or  removed  from  the  retaining  standards  at  pleasure. 
In  commencing  to  work  with  this  apparatus,  the  board,  E,  is  taken  out, 
fur  the  convenience  of  arranging  the  cops  therein  in  due  order,  as 
delineated  in  the  drawings.  The  filled  frame  is  then  reinserted,  and  the 
loose  longitudinal  bar,  f,  is  placed  with  its  ends  in  the  holding  staples,  o. 
Immediately  over  the  range  of  cops  are  three  guide-pin  bars,  h,  resting 
by  their  ends  upon  the  cross  pieces,  c,  the  guide  pins  or  studs  being  set  to 
project  off  from  the  bars  in  a  horizontal  direction.  These  bars  are 
covered  over  with  a  layer  of  rough  cloth,  or  other  frictional  material, 
and  each  thread  of  the  yarn,  as  wound  off  from  the  individual  cops,  is 


Fig.  t. 


passed  round  its  corresponding  bar,  and  between  the  guide  pins,  directly 
over  the  cop  in  each  case.  Thence  the  thread  passes  round  a  corre- 
sponding overhead  guide  roller,  i,  three  of  which  are  set  in  au  inclined 
row,  with  their  end  spindles  turning  in  notched  bearings  in  the  plates,  d  ; 
and  after  this  second  frictional  turn,  the  thread  proceeds  direct  to  the 
weaving  action  of  the  loom,  where  it  is  interwoven,  to  form  the  intended 
device,  in  the  usual  manner.  The  rollers,  i,  are  not  plain  cylinders,  but 
are  "barrelled,"  or  tapered  from  the  centre  towards  each  end,  for  the 
purpose  of  assimilating  the  tension  upon  the  threads  throughout  the 
whule  line.     For  it  is  found  in  weaving  with  the  ordinary  plain  cylinder, 


that  those  lines  of  yarn  near  the  centre  of  the  piece  are  liable  to  become 
tighter,  or  to  be  strained  to  a  higher  degree,  than  those  yarns  which  are 
nearer  the  selvages.  But  by  tapering  the  roller  in  this  way,  the  central 
threads  pass  over  a  larger  circumference  of  roller  than  thfe  selvage 
threads,  and  hence  the  tendency  is  to  slacken  the  central  threads  and 
tighten  the  outside  ones. 

Fig.  3  is  a  longitudinal  elevation  of  another  modification  of  the  appa- 
ratus,   as    fitted     to 

weave   the    "  whip  "  Fig-  3. 

yarn  from  bobbins 
filled  from  the  cops 
by  the  usual  anterior 
winding  process.  The 
parts,  a,  are  portions 
of  the  back  part  of 
of  the  common  loom 
framing,  with  the 
main  warp  beam,  d, 
fitted  thereon  in  the 
usual  way.  Between 
the  frame  standards, 
a  horizontal  bar,  c,  is 
fitted  in  to  carry  two 
vertical  pillar  pieces, 
d,  which  are  bolted 
on  to  the  bar,  c,  to 
carry  the  bobbin  creel 
frame,  e.  The  bob- 
bins are  arranged  on 
spindles  in  rows  in 
the  usual  way,  and 
each  individual  bob- 
bin is  paced,  by  a 
blade  spring,  p, 
screwed  by  one  end 
to  the  creel,  and 
pressing  by  its  free 
end  upon  the  thread 
wound  upon  the 
bobbin.  From  this 
series  of  bobbins,  the 

threads  pass,  as  at  G,  direct  to  the  weaving  action  of  the  loom,  as  in  the 
former  example.  Or,  instead  of  this  individual  pacing,  the  lines  of 
threads  may  be  passed  round  rollers  in  the  manner  already  described, 


MANUFACTURE  OF  IRON  FOR  SHIP-BUILDING. 
Robert  M'Gavin,    Glasgow. — Patent  dated  October  21,   1852. 

Mr.  M'Gavin's  ingenious  invention  has  for  its  object  the  prevention  of 
the  adhesion  of  barnacles,  and  other  animal  matters  or  formations,  to  the 
bottoms  and  exposed  surfaces  of  iron  ships  when  afloat.  He  accom- 
plishes this  end  by  adding  to,  or  mixing  in,  the  iron,  of  which  the  ships 
are  to  be  built,  a  small  proportion  of  arsenic.  This  admixture  may  be 
effected  either  when  the  iron  is  in  a  state  of  fusion,  or  at  any  other  suit- 
able and  convenient  stage  in  the  manufacture  of  the  metal,  such  as  in 
the  puddling  or  blooming  processes,  when  the  metal  is  soft  and  plastic. 
The  effect  of  such  admixture  with  the  iron  is,  that  the  resultant  gradual 
feeble  solution  of  the  poisonous  matter  in  the  water  destroys,  or  prevents, 
the  adhesion  of  all  barnacles  and  marine  animal  productions  of  every 
kind;  and  thus  no  hold  is  afforded  for  the  foreign  matters  which  ordi- 
narily cling  to  the  fundamental  animal  formations. 

By  adding  the  poisonous  matter  to  the  mass  of  metal  during  the  pro- 
cess of  the  manufacture  of  such  metal,  the  latter  becomes  thoroughly 
incorporated  with  the  poisonous  ingredient,  so  that  the  whole  of  the  ex- 
posed iron  of  which  a  ship  is  built  retains  its  poisonous  qualities  until 
actually  worn  out,  instead  of  losing  such  qualities  by  surface  wear.  In 
practice,  it  has  been  found  necessary  to  add  as  much  of  the  ordinary 
white  or  yellow  arsenic  of  commerce,  as  the  iron  will  fairly  receive  with- 
out suffering  any  deterioration  in  its  quality.  This  necessary  amount 
of  arsenic  varies  from  two  to  five  per  cent,  of  the  iron,  accordingly  as  the 
quality  of  the  latter  varies.  It  is  preferred  to  effect  the  admixture  of 
the  poisonous  matter  in  the  puddling  furnace,  the  addition  being  made 
just  before  the  metal  begins  to  boil;  or,  instead  of  this  routine,  the 
poisonous  matter  may  be  placed  between  the  metal  blocks  before  the 
latter  are  heated  for  the  rolling  process.  By  pursuing  this  last  plan, 
little  or  no  loss  of  the  arsenic  ensuJK.  The  patentee  also  finds  it  neces- 
sary to  sprinkle  the  outside  plate,  whilst  it  is  red-hot,  with  a  little 


THE  PRACTICAL  MECHANIC'S  JOURNAL. 


165 


arsenic  in  addition,  this  sprinkling  to  be  performed  before  completing 
the  rolling — as,  for  example,  before  the  last  two  entrances  to  the  rollers. 
The  poisoned  plates  are  then  well  cleaned  with  strong  acid,  and  are 
scrubbed  with  holystone,  and  immersed  in  a  mixture  of  arsenic  and 
spelter,  tin,  lead,  or  zinc.  It  is  obvious  that  this  system  of  treatment  is 
applicable  to  the  metal  employed  in  various  details  concerned  in  naval 
construction. 

Iron  plates  treated  in  this  way  have  been  tested  by  immersion  in  sea 
water,  as  well  as  by  building  them  into  the  hulls  of  sea-going  ships, 
with  the  most  favourable  results. 


MOTIVE  POWER. 

Jajtes  Anderson,  Auchnagie,  Perthshire. — Patent  dated  Feb.  19, 1853. 

Mr.  Anderson's  invention  relates  to  prime  movers,  or  motive  power 
apparatus,  wherein  air,  gases,  or  vapours  are  used  as  the  motive  means. 
The  air  or  other  matter  to  be  employed  for  obtaining  power  is  primarily 
condensed  or  compressed  to  a  considerable  extent,  and  during  this  com- 
pression or  condensation,  a  jet  of  cold  water,  or  other  suitable  and  con- 
venient agent,  is  employed  to  cool  or  reduce  the  temperature  of  the  air 
or  body  being  compressed.  Such  treatment  economises  the  mechanical 
power  employed  in  the  compression,  by  absorbing  the  evolved  heat ;  and 
when  the  compression  has  been  proceeded  with  to  the  required  extent, 
heat  is  applied  to  the  compressed  body,  so  as  to  increase  its  elastic  force, 

Fi 

SI 


and  render  it  more  fit  for  motive  purposes,  on  its  expansion  in  the  act  of 
actuating  the  engine  or  motive  machine  in  which  it  is  employed. 

It  is  intended  that  such  condensed,  and  subsequently  heated  and  elas- 
ticated body,  or  medium,  shall  be  worked  in  the  ordinary  manner,  in  any 
motive  machine — as  a  common  steam-engine,  for  example — the  essential 
object  of  the  invention  being  the  economic  obtainment  of  a  convenient 
motive  force  or  elastic  body,  for  use  in  any  machine,  where  an  elastic 
medium  is  applicable  as  a  prime  mover. 


SCREW-STOPPERED  BOTTLES. 

Joseph  Scott,  Glasgow. — Patent  dated  Jan.  28,  1853. 

This  is  a  contrivance  for  improving  upon  the  old,  ineffective,  and  very 
inconvenient  system  of  closing  bottles  by  corking,  Mr.  Scott  cuts  or 
moulds  a  screw-thread  on  the  inner  surface  of  the  bottle  neck,  or  opening, 
at  the  time  of  moulding  the  neck  ;  and  into  this  screwed  neck  he  fits  a 
correspondingly  screwed  stopper  of  wood,  glass,  earthenware,  or  other 
convenient  material.  This  stopper  is  formed  with  a  suitable  head  to 
facilitate  adjustment,  and  its  entering  portion  is  screwed  externally,  to 
correspond  with  the  internal  screw  in'  the  neck — whilst  beneath  the 
expanded  head  is  a  groove,  containing  an  annular  jointing  piece  of  some 
soft  or  elastic  material,  as  gutta  percha,  india-rubber,  canvas,  or  other 
substance.  In  this  way,  when  the  stopper  is  screwed  into  the  bottle, 
this  elastic  surface  bears  down  on  the  end  surface  of  the  neck,  and  pre- 
1. 


Fig.  3. 

serves  a  tight  junction.  Such  stoppers  are  easily  screwed  in  and  out, 
whilst  they  are  always  present  for  use,  and  will  last  as  long  as  the  bottle. 
Fig.  1  represents  a  complete  external  elevation  of  a  wine  bottle,  as  in 
the  act  of  being  finished,  with  the  shaping  instrument,  or  shears,  being 
just  drawn  out.  Fig.  2  is  a  similar  elevation,  partly  in  section,  with  the 
shears  in  the  act  of  forming  the  mouth,  or  bottle  neck,  internally  and 
externally.  Fig.  3  is  an  end  view  of  a  portion  of  the  instrument,  show- 
ing the  engaging  and  disengaging  catch  for  the  screw  spindle  ;  and  fig. 
4  is  a  longitudinal  section  of  the  neck  of  the  bottle,  with  the  stopper  in 
its  place,  on  a  larger  scale.  The  shears  only  differ  from  those  in  use,  and 
well  known  to  the  bottle  manufacturer,  as  far  as 
regards  the  central  spindle  for  forming  the  interior 
of  the  mouth  of  the  bottle.  The  two  outside  shaping 
pieces,  a,  are  jointed  to  a  socket  piece,  b,  loose  on 
the  central  rod,  c,  which  shapes  the  interior  of  the 
mouth,  and  has  a  screw-thread  cut  upon  it  for  that 
purpose  at  D,  where  it  is  slightly  tapered.  The 
shear  arms  are  kept  extended  by  springs,  e,  fixed  to 
the  piece,  e,  whilst  they  are  prolonged  beyond  the 
joint,  b,  and  are  bent  inwards  to  embrace  a  small 
ratchet  wheel,  f,  fixed  on  the  end  of  the  screw  spindle, 
c.  The  shears  are  further  kept  in  position  by  a 
cross-piece,  g,  the  ends  of  which  work  in  slots  in 
the  shears,  and  these  are  prevented  from  beinn- 
brought  too  close  together  by  shoulders  on  the  cross-piece.  The  bottle, 
H,  having  been  blown  in  the  usual  way,  and  being  separated  from 
the  punty,  a  small  quantity  of  semifluid  glass  is  taken  upon  the  neck 
to  form  the  mouth,  the  bottle  being  held  by  its  bottom  end.  The 
workman  then  introduces  the  screw,,  v,  into  the  neck,  and  when  entered 
up  to  the  shoulder,  i,  he  closes  the  shears,  A,  and  turns  the  bottle  round 


Fig.  2. 

rapidly  on  his  knee,  the  rotation  forming  the  smooth  outside  of  the  mouth, 
whilst  the  pressure  forces  the  glass  into  the  thread  of  the  screw,  r>,  as 
represented  in  fig.  2.  The  closing  of  the  shear's,  a,  upon  the  bottle 
releases  the  small  ratchet  wheel,  f,  upon  the  end  of  the  rod  or  spindle,  c, 
so  that  this  spindle  revolves  with  the  bottle,  and  the  rotation,  conse- 
quently, does  not  affect  the  formation  of  the  screw  upon  the  interior  of 
tire  bottle  neck.  When  the  shears  are  allowed  to  open,  their  opposite 
shorter  ends  close  upon  the  ratchet  wheel,  f,  and  the  rod,  c,  with  its 
screwed  end,  d,  may  then  be  unscrewed  from  the  bottle's  mouth,  leaving 
a  perfect  screw-thread  therein.  The  stopper,  A,  in  these  views,  is  formed 
with  an  external  screw-thread,  corresponding  to  the  internal  one  in  the 
mouth  of  the  bottle,  B ;  and  beneath  the  expanded  head  is  a  ring,  c,  of 
india-rubber,  gutta  percha,  or  other  elastic  substance,  let  into  an  annular 
groove  in  the  head,  and  forming  a  tight  joint. 

MANUFACTURE  OP  CANDLEWICKS. 
N.  Cabd,  Manchester. — Patent  dated  January  12,   1853. 

Mr.  Card's  invention  consists  in  first  tightly  doubling  two  or  more 
single  threads  together  into  a  strand,  then  doubling  two  or  more  of  these 
strands  together  into  a  cord  or  thread,  two  being  preferred,  and  after- 
wards twisting  together  as  many  of  these  said  cords  or  threads  as  will 
produce  a  wick  of  the  required  thickness.  By  the  use  of  this  improvement 
he  produces  a  much  more  even,  firm,  and  compact  candlewick,  than  by 
the  ordinary  method  of  manufacture.  The  wick  thus  produced  is  free 
from  loose  fibres,  and  will  also  preserve  a  more  upright  position  whilst 
burning  than  one  of  the  ordinary  construction ;  and  being  more  open 
than  the  common  candlewick,  it  presents  a  series  of  channels  for  the 
passage  of  the  tallow,  or  other  inflammable  matter,  as  well  as  air  to  the 
flame,  during  the  process  of  combustion ;  thereby  effecting  a  more  per- 


ICG 


THE  PRACTICAL  MECHANIC'S  JOURNAL. 


feet  ignition,  and  also  a  considerable  economy  both  in  the  wick  and  in 
the  surrounding  material,  as  the  candle  will  give  more  light  and  yet 
burn  much  slower  than  one  with  a  wick  of  the  ordinary  construction. 

LUBRICATING  MACHINERY. 

J.  H.  Johnson,  London  and  Glasgow. — Patent  dated  January  26,  1853. 

This  lubricator,  the  communicated  invention  of  M.  Rapeaud,  of  Paris, 
is  more  especially  intended  for  railway  axles,  but  it  answers  as  well  for 
shafts  in  general.  In  it,  the  oil  is  applied  to  the  journal  surface  by  a 
small  roller  or  cylinder,  revolving  within  the  oil  reservoir,  and  pressed 
against  the  journal  by  the  combined  action  of  the  displaced  oil,  or  the 


Fig. 1. 


Fig.  2. 


buoyant  power  of  the  floating  cylinder,  and  the  weight  of  a  small  coun- 
terpoise. Fig.  1  is  a  transverse  section  of  a  railway  axle-box  of  this 
class,  and  fig.  2  is  a  corresponding  longitudinal  section,  the  axle  being 
in  its  place. 

At  a  is  the  journal  of  the  axle  to  be  lubricated ;  it  is  retained  in  its 
place  in  the  axle-box,  b,  by  the  brass,  c,  fitted  over  its  upper  surface. 
The  lower  surface  of  the  journal  is  kept  in  continual  contact  with  the 
lubricating  cylinder  or  roller,  d,  which  is  pressed  against  it  by  the  com- 
bined power  of  the  displaced  oil  in  the  reservoir,  and  the  two  weighted 
levers,  p.  These  levers  oscillate  on  the  fixed  centre,  g,  and  abut  at  one 
of  their  extremities,  n,  beneath  the  ends  of  the  axle,  i,  of  the  lubricat- 
ing cylinder.  The  axle  of  the  cylinder  is  guided  and  kept  in  position 
by  the  vertical  slots  in  the  partitions  of  the  oil  reservoir.  In  order  that 
the  lubricating  cylinder— which  may  be  made  of  wood,  or  of  very  thin 
sheet  metal — may  take  up  a  sufficient  quantity  of  oil  to  effect  the  proper 
lubrication  of  the  journal,  its  outer  circumference  is  surrounded  by  a 
piece  of  felt,  or  other  soft  and  absorbent  material.  The  oil  reservoir  is 
cast  in  one  piece,  and  is  composed  of  four  compartments,  k,  which  are 
connected  by  suitable  openings  in  the  partitions  of  the  interior.  It  is 
connected  to  the  axle-box  by  two  bolts,  which  enter  the  bolt-holes,  l, 
and  thus  retain  it  firmly  against  the  under  side  of  the  axle-box — the 
latter  projecting  a  short  distance  inside  the  reservoir,  to  prevent  any 
accidental  loss  of  oil  over  the  edge  when  in  motion.  A  channel  is  formed 
in  the  bottom  of  the  reservoir,  which  slopes  slightly  towards  the  front 
of  the  axle,  that  the  waste  or  impure  oil,  which  sinks  to  the  bottom, 
may  be  run  off  occasionally  by  the  opening  for  that  purpose  at  N.  The 
oil  is  introduced  into  the  reservoir  through  the  lid,  p,  kept  open  or  shut, 
as  the  case  may  be,  by  the  blade-spring.  The  revolution  of  the  journal 
transmits  a  corresponding  rotatory  movement  to  the  cylinder,  r>,  which 
thereby  gives  a  constant  supply  of  clean  oil  to  the  part  to  be  lubricated, 
the  waste  oil  sinking  into  the  channel. 

The  patentee  shows  additional  modifications  of  lubricators,  but  our 
engravings  indicate  the  principle  of  the  contrivance. 


DUPLEX  PATTERN  FABRICS. 
A.  L.  Knox,  Glasgow. — Patent  dated  Nov.  5,  1852. 
By  this  system  of  manufacture,  various  kinds  of  ornamental  fabrics — 
such  as  shawls,  ladies'  dresses,  and  what  are  technically  known  as 
"  zebras" — may  be  woven  with  a  totally  distinct  and  perfect  pattern  on 
each  side  or  surface  of  the  piece.  The  invention  may  be  carried  into 
effect  either  by  the  Jacquard,  or  simple,  or  other  pattern  or  figuring 
mounting;  but  when  the  Jacquard  is  used,  the  pattern  cards  are  so  punched 
with  pattern  holes,  that  each  individual  card  may  indicate  or  produce  two 
distinct  devices  in  the  loom ;  and  the  result  of  the  interweaving  of  the 
weft  threads  is,  that  a  duplex  pattern  fabric  is  produced,  showing  two 
accurate  figures,  with  the  peculiarity  that  no  two  colours  shall  be  oppo- 
site to  each  other,  or  occupy  the  same  spaces  on  the  two  sides  of  the 


piece.    A  similar  effect  may  be  produced  by  other  monntings,  as  must  be 
evident  to  the  practical  weaver  ;  and  instead  of  producing  two  figured 
surfaces,  it  is  to  be  understood  that  one  side  may  be  woven  as  a  plain 
coloured  piece,  whilst  the  other  bears  an   ornamental  figure  in  two  or 
more  colours,  so  that  the  wearer  of  the  dress  may  have  a  choice  either  of 
wearing  two  patterns  in  the  same  dress,  reversible  at  pleasure,  or  a  plain 
coloured  dress  at  one  time,  and  a  figured  one  at  another.     The  essential 
feature  of  this  invention  then  is,  that  by  it  the  same  weft  thread  produces 
two  distinct  figures  or  devices,  one  on  each  side  of  the  fabric ;  that  is, 
that  the  weft  is  caused  to  appear  on  either  of  the  two  sides  of  the  piece, 
as   required  by  the  design,  or  it  is  retained,  as  it  were,  in  the  centre 
of  the  fabric's  thickness,  and  kept  out  of  view  until  wanted.     In  manu- 
facturing fabrics  of  this  class,  the  designer  employs  two  or 
more  designs,  taking  care  that  the  colour  used  to  produce 
the  design  on  one  side  of  the  goods,  is  not  arranged  to  be 
brought  into  play  on  the  corresponding  part  of  the  other 
side.     And  in  cutting  the  cards,  or  lashing  the  "  simple"  for 
the  first  side  of  the  piece,  the  colours  in  the  pattern  are  cut 
or   lashed   in   the   usual  manner;    but,    in   arranging   the 
opposite  side,  these  colours  are  left  out  at  the   parts  corre- 
sponding with  those  where  the  same  colours  come  in  on  the 
first  side.     For  example,  if  red  is  the  colour  to  be  cut,  all 
the  red  that  appears  in  this  first  pattern  is  actually  cut ; 
but  the  red  appearing  on  the  second  pattern  is  left,  and 
all  the  space  intervening  is  cut  as  red,  thereby  throwing 
the  red,  when  not  wanted  to  form  the  pattern  on  either  side, 
between  the  two  pattern  surfaces. 
The  whole  of  the  ties  and  connections  of  the  harness,  of  whatever  kind 
the  harness  may  be,  are  arranged  either  as  in  the  ordinary  system  of 
weaving  figured  goods,  or  by  tying   the  harness  for  the  warp  used  on 
each  side ;  the  peculiarity  of  the  invention  being  the  system  adopted 
in  primarily  arranging  the  governing  mechanism  of  the  pattern  or  device, 
so  that  a  distinct  pattern  may  appear  on  each  surface  of  the  piece,  the 
respective  coloured  threads  being  successively  made  to  appear  on  the  two 
opposite  sides  of  the  piece,  or  kept  in  the  centre  thereof,  accordingly  as  the 
pattern  on  either  side  demands  the  presence  or  absence  of  the  colours  in 
question. 

CARRIAGES  AND  WHEELS. 
Maecus  Davis,  London. — Patent  dated  October  1,  1852. 

The  improvements  specified  under  this  patent  are  now  being  intro- 
duced to  the  world  through  the  agency  of  the  "  Silent  Wheel  Works," 
Gray's  Inn  Lane,  a  manufactory  which,  if  rightly  named,  is  a  worthy 
novelty  in  the  noisy  metropolis.  The  construction  of  carriage  wheels 
will  he  considered  a  question  of  no  little  importance,  when  it  is  known 
that  contractors  charge  £6  per  annum  for  keeping  a  pair  of  safety-cab 
wheels  in  repair,  and  £13  per  annum  for  a  pair  of  omnibus  wheels.  The 
spokes  of  Mr.  Davis'  wheels  are  of  tubular  metal,  set  in  a  wooden  or  iron 
nave,  by  means  of  a  screw-thread  formed  upon  the  inn  cr  end  of  the  spokes ; 
or  the  metal  for  the  nave  may  be  cast  round  these  screws,  so  as  to  combine 
the  radially-disposed  spokes  into  one  mass ;  or,  further,  the  nave  ends  of 
the  spokes  may  be  retained  in  position  by  a  collar  driven  upon  the  nave, 
carrying  sockets  for  the  spokes.  One  of  these  tubular  spokes  serves  as  an 
oil  reservoir,  the  oil  being  conveyed  from  the  spoke,  through  a  suitable  hole 
in  the  nave  and  axle-box,  to  the  rubbing  surfaces,  without  the  necessity  of 
disengaging  any  of  the  parts.  The  outer  rim,  connecting  the  outer  ends  of 
the  spokes,  is  also  tubular,  and  this  rim  is  embraced  by  the  outer  forked  end 
of  the  spoke,  a  transverse  pin  being  passed  through  to  connect  the  parts. 
To  render  the  wheels  easy  of  motion  and  "  silent,"  Mr.  Davis  encircles  the 
rim  with  vulcanized  india-rubber,  in  the  form  of  a  tube — the  elastic  tube 
being  actually  entered  upon  or  over  the  rim,  just  like  a  glove  and  finger 
— or  a  number  of  elastic  rings  may  be  threaded  upon  the  rim  to  produce 
the  same  result ;  soft  materials,  such  as  pasteboard,  cloth,  or  canvas,  being 
combined  or  not  with  the  caoutchouc,  as  more  or  less  deadening  effect  is 
to  be  given.  By  another  modification,  Mr.  Davis  uses  flat  bar-iron, 
curved  to  a  circle,  such  circular  piece  of  metal  being  attached  to  the 
spokes,  so  that  the  narrow  edge  works  upon  the  road,  the  broad  flat 
surface  being  parallel  with  the  carriage  side.  Elastic  materials  are 
also  combined  in  this  plan  of  wheel,  and,  for  light  carriages,  one  rim 
only  is  used ;  "but,  for  heavier  ones,  two  are  employed,  wood  or  buffalo 
horn  being  inserted  between  the  two,  and,  to  strengthen  large  wheels, 
metal  bars  are  passed  across,  from  spoke  to  spoke,  as  lateral  stays. 

The  seat  for  the  fare,  or  the  footboards,  in  the  carriages  known  as 
"  Davis'  measuring  and  indicating  cabs,"  the  patentee  contrives  so  as  to 
rise  when  the  fare  leaves  them,  by  means  of  springs  below,  or  tensional 
india-rubber  straps  at  the  sides.  When  the  fare  sits  down,  the  descent  of 
the  seat  causes  the  indicator  index  to  move  to  zero,  by  means  of  a  cord  or 


THE  PRACTICAL  MECHANIC'S  JOURNAL. 


167 


other  communication,  at  the  same  time  putting  the  indicator  wheelwork 
into  gear.  As  it  often  occurs,  also,  that  the  fare  leaves  the  vehicle  for  a 
short  time,  as  when  mating  a  call,  before  finally  discharging  his  cab,  and 
it  is,  consequently,  necessary  that  the  index  should  not  return  to  zero 
at  each  getting  out,  a  projection  is  contrived  on  the  door,  in  such  a  man- 
ner as,  when  open,  to  keep  the  seat  or  footboard  depressed,  so  that,  when 
the  same  fare  is  coming  in  again,  the  driver  must  allow  the  door  to 
remain  open,  as,  on  shutting  it,  the  seat  or  footboard  would  be  released 
and  spring  up,  and,  on  the  re-entrance  of  a  fare,  the  index  would  point 
to  zero,  as  before. 

The  inventor  next  describes  a  contrivance  for  sheltering  the  driver  in 
bad  weather,  consisting  of  a  framework,  to  be  set  at  any  convenient 
height  over  him  on  such  occasions,  but  ordinarily  to  be  let  down  upon 
his  seat,  and  sat  over  by  him.  It  is  further  proposed  to  warm  the 
vehicle  by  steam  or  hot  air,  by  means  of  a  small  stove,  placed  near  the 
driver's  seat,  or  at  any  other  convenient  part. 

Amongst  other  applications,  Mr.  Davis  employs  his  wheels  in  the 

construction  of  fire-escape  lad- 
ders, as  represented  in  the 
annexed  sketch.  When  the 
ladder  is  not  tilted  up  against 
the  wall,  the  wheels  serve  to 
convert  it  into  a  carriage,  the 
two  lower  ends  acting  as 
shafts,  to  which  a  horse  may 
be  harnessed.  The  side  pieces, 
or  shafts  of  the  ladder,  are 
made  tubular,  and  in  pieces 
capable  of  forming  any  re- 
quired length.  To  the  top 
rundle  a  pulley  is  fitted,  over 
which  is  passed  a  cord  run- 
ning down  to  the  axle  of  the 
wheels,  which  acts  as  a  winch 
when  the  ladder  is  placed 
against  the  wall;  the  other 
end  of  the  cord  is  to  be  at- 
tached to  a  basket  or  carriage 
sliding  up  and  down  the  lad- 
der shafts,  as  on  rails,  an 
arrangement  which  affords  a  simple  means  of  raising  and  lowering 
heavy  articles  to  and  from  the  upper  stories  of  houses. 


WINDOW  FASTENINGS. 

Rev.  Matthew  Andrew,  Hyde,  Chester. — Patent  dated  Jan.  21, 1853. 

The  sash-windows  of  dwelling-houses  are  fitted  up  by  Mr.  Andrew  with 
a  self-acting  arrangement,  so  contrived,  that,  on  the  closing  of  the  window, 
the  separate  sash  portions  are  drawn  into  close  contact  with  each  other,  pre- 
venting the  occurrence  of  draught  and  the  usual  disagreeable  shaking  of 
the  sashes.  One  sash  is  furnished  with  an  inclined  plane  or  projection, 
over  which  an  inclined  loop  or  staple  falls  upon  the  closing  of  the  win- 
dow, the  action  of  these  two  inclined  planes  bringing  the  two  sashes  of 
the  window  into  close  contact.  The  staple  is  provided  with  a  small 
spring-bolt,  which  shoots  into  a  catch  or  notch,  formed  upon  or  in  the 
inclined  projection — thus  securing  the  two  sashes  until  the  bolt  is  with- 
drawn by  hand.  Or,  if  preferred,  the  spring-bolt  may  be  attached  to 
the  inclined  projection,  with  the  catch  or  notch  upon  the  staple.  This 
is  all  the  apparatus  that  is  necessary,  provided  the  sashes  have  no  tra- 
verse sash-bars,  or  other  similar  transverse  projection.  Where  the  re- 
verse is  the  case,  it  is  necessary  that  the  projecting  staple  and  its  appen- 
dages should  be  mounted  upon  slides,  being  so  constructed  and  acted 
npon  by  a  spring,  as  to  slide  back  out  of  the  way  upon  passing  any  of 
these  sash-bars,  but  returning  to  its  original  position  immediately  after 
having  passed  them. 


DRESSING  AND  FINISHING  VELVET. 
F.  B.  Frith,  Salford— Patent  dated  November  12,  1852. 

The  apparatus  described  by  Mr.  Frith  is  intended  for  dressing,  "ma- 
chining," and  finishing  velvets,  velveteens,  cords,  beaverteens,  and 
similar  fabrics,  by  the  agency  of  a  spirally-grooved  finishing  roller,  the 
revolution  of  which,  in  contact  with  the  cloth,  reduces  the  pile,  nap,  or 
other  surface,  to  a  uniform  length,  whilst  it  imparts  to  it  a  lustrous 
texture.  The  finishing  and  dressing  is  effected  right  and  left  across  the 
piece,  whilst  the  nap  is  finally  laid  the  length  or  finished  way  of  the 


goods.  Mr.  Frith  also  applies  a  rapidly  revolving  roller,  or  "  velure," 
covered  with  plush  or  velvet,  for  straightening  the  face  of  the  goods; 
and  a  third  head  comprehends  the  adaptation  of  rollers  and  guide-rails 
for  passing  the  goods  over,  whilst  they  are  held  at  a  proper  state  of 
tension  by  a  weighted  card-roller. 

Fig.  1  is  an  end  elevation  of  the  dressing  apparatus,  and  fig.  2  is  a 
plan  of  the  machine. 

The  framework,  A,  supports  the  first  motion  shaft,  E,  on  which  is  the 

Eig.l. 


Fig.  2. 

driving-pulley,  c.  This  shaft  carries  a  spur-pinion,  d,  driving  a  large 
wheel,  e,  which  again  is  in  gear  with  another  pinion,  f,  keyed  upon  the 
shaft  of  the  grooved  roller,  g.  This  roller  may  either  be  grooved  spirally, 
as  we  have  represented  it,  or  it  may  have  spiral  ribs  formed  round  it  from 
end  to  end.  It  is  covered  with  a  layer  of  stone,  glass,  metal,  or  other 
material,  of  which  the  "  pegs,"  employed  in  the  common  process  of 
finishing  by  hand,  are  usually  made.  The  main  shaft  also  carries  a 
pulley,  h,  for  driving  the  "  velure,"  or  straightening  roller,  i ;  and  it  has, 
besides,  a  pinion  in  gear  with  the  large  wheel,  m,  on  the  spindle  of  the 
wire  card-roller,  n.     On  the  other  end  of  this  roller,  n,  is  fixed  a  pulley, 


1G8 


THE  PRACTICAL  MECHANIC'S  JOURNAL. 


o,  driving  a  roller,  r — upon  which  the  velvet,  or  other  fabric,  is  wound — 
by  means  of  a  crossed  strap  passing  round  the  pulley,  q.  A  bar  of  bees- 
wax, e,  is  employed  for  waxing  the  pile  of  the  fabric,  and  this  may  be 
raised  as  required  by  means  of  the  screws,  s.  The  roller,  T — which  is 
also  covered  with  wire-card — has  a  strap,  u,  over  one  end  of  which  a 
weight  is  suspended.  This  roller  acts  as  a  drag  upon  the  cloth,  and 
assists  the  guide-rails  and  rollers  to  keep  the  fabric  at  a  proper  state  of 
tension,  in  contact  with  the  grooved  roller  and  the  "  velure."  At  v  are 
tension-rollers,  and  w  are  tension-rails.  The  fabric  to  be  operated  upon, 
after  passing  over  and  under  two  or  more  tension-rails  detached  from 
the  machine,  passes  over  and  under  the  first  two  tension-rollers,  v,  then 
under  the  weighted  card-roller,  t,  and  over  and  under  the  first  two 
tension-rails,  w.  The  fabric  then  passes  over  the  wax,  e,  and  subse- 
quently over  the  grooved  roller,  G,  being  kept  in  contact  with  about 
half  the  diameter  of  the  latter  by  passing  under  two  tension-rails.  The 
fabric  next  passes  over  the  third  tension-roller,  partly  round  the  card- 
roller,  and  over  the  "  velure,"  or  straightening  roller,  i.  It  finally 
passes  under  the  main  driving-shaft,  and  thence  to  the  roller,  r,  upon 
which  it  is  wound. 

DEESS  AND  ORNAMENTAL  FASTENINGS. 

J.   G.  Tatloe,    Glasgow. — Patent  dated  February  25,   1853. 

Mr.  Taylor,  who  is  the  originator  and  patentee  of  a  great  variety  of  the 
best  dress  fastenings  at  present  in  use,  has  here  increased  the  number, 
by  adding  some  judicious  improvements  in  brooch  and  other  fastenings 
of  a  like  character.     Fig.  1  is  a  side  view  of  a  brooch,  to  which  one  of 


the  new  safety  fastenings  is  attached.  Here  the  usual  retaining  pin,  a, 
has  its  point  passed  into  a  spring  detent,  b,  furmed  as  indicated  in  figs. 
2  and  3,  whilst  the  butt  of  the  pin  is  entered  through  a  guide  socket,  c, 
turning  on  a  stud  joint,  r>,  a  holding  ring  being  attached  at  E.  At  p  is 
a  collar  piece  on  the  pin,  and  between  this  collar  and  the  inside  edge  of 
the  guide,  c,  is  a  helix  or  coil  of  wire,  a,  upon  the  pin  as  a  spring.  When 
the  pin,  A,  is  sprung  into  its  catch,  b,  its  point  cannot  of  course  he  with- 
drawn therefrom  laterally ;  whilst,  to  prevent  longitudinal  disengagement, 
the  helical  spring,  g,  always  keeps  the  pin  forward  in  its  socket — and  this 
continues  until  the  ring,  e,  is  drawn  by  hand  to  compress  the  spring,  g. 

Fig.  4. 


The  spring  catcb,  n,  for  bolding  the  pin's  point,  when  entered  into  the 
dress  for  use,  as  shown  in  edge  view  in  figs.  2  and  3,  consists  of  either 
one  or  two  flat  pieces  of  metal,  soldered  to  the  setting  at  g,  and  having 
the  ends  bent  over  together  at  h,  through  which  junction  the  pin's  point 
is  pressed,  when  it  is  to  be  engaged. 

Fig.  4  is  a  side  view  of  a  holding  pin,  wherein  the  actual  retaining 
pin,  a,  is  bent  round  by  an  intermediate  coil,  b,  from  the  opposite  parallel 
piece  of  metal,  c.     This  piece,  a,  forming  the  butt  of  the  pin,  has  a  flat 

Fig.  5. 


» '.~»mtiimiiMii  it"  inii:»TniiirtniBi|BF : 


open  catch,  d,  jointed  to  it  at  E ;  and  when  the  point  of  the  pin  has  been 
entered  into  the  dress,  it  is  sprung  into  the  open  end  of  the  catch,  n, 
which  is  capable  of  turning  on  its  centre,  e,  to  bring  it  into  the  plane  of 
the  two  pieces  of  wire,  a,  c.  This  holds  the  pin  secure;  but  when  it  is 
to  be  released,  it  is  sprung  back,  and  the  catch,  d,  is  then  turned  over 
upon  its  joint,  so  as  to  clear  the  pin's  point. 


Fig.  5  is  an  edge  view  of  a  brooch  or  ornament,  in  which  the  retaining 
pin,  a,  is  hinged  upon  a  stud  joint,  b,  set  transversely  in  the  setting,  so 
that  the  pin  may  swing  round  in  a  plane  parallel  with  the  back  of  the 
brooch,  and  thus  its  point  can  be  entered  laterally  into  a  narrow  opening 
in  an  elastic  detent  piece,  0,  fast  on  the  setting.  Disengagement  cannot 
ensue  in  this  instance,  until  forcible  pressure  is  applied  laterally  to  the 
point,  to  clear  it  through  its  narrow  spring  entrance  in  the  catch,  c. 
Various  other  plans,  evincing  a  nearly  equal  amount  of  ingenuity,  are 
also  specified  by  Mr.  Taylor.  They  will  all  be  acceptable  to  the  wearers 
of  articles  of  the  class  to  which  they  refer. 

WORKING  RAILWAYS. 
G.  Stewaet,  Ennislcillen. — Patent  dated  Jan.  7,  1853. 

Under  this  invention,  Mr.  Stewart  arranges  the  rails  of  railways,  and 
the  wheels  of  the  locomotive  engines  and  carriages  running  thereon,  so  that 
such  rolling  stock  may  be  taken  up  and  down  inclines,  with  greater 
safety  and  security  than  at  present;  whilst  superior  facilities  are  afforded 
for  stopping  the  movement  of  such  rolling  vehicles  at  pleasure,  and  for 
enabling  the  locomotive  to  start  with  a  train  without  serious  risk  of 
slipping  on  the  rails.  He  accomplishes  these  several  ends  by  indenting 
or  forming  teeth  on  the  flanges  of  the  engine  or  carriage  wheels,  for 
gearing  with  similar  teeth  or  indentations,  on  racks  either  laid 
alongside  the  permanent  rails,  or  forming  part  of  such  rails.  Such 
teeth  may  be  of  various  shapes  and  sizes,  to  suit  the  varying  gradients 
of  the  line. 

In  the  instance  which  he  gives,  the  rails,  which  may  be  either  of 
cast  or  wrought-iron,  are  formed  for  continuous  bearings;  and  the 
toothed  rack  portion,  which  is  on  the  inner  side  of  each  rail,  is  either 
rolled  upon  the  rail,  cast  upon  it,  or  formed  and  laid  down  separately. 
The  teeth  are  angular,  like  ordinary  ratchet  teeth,  so  that  they  may  work 
very  freely,  whilst  great  strength  is  secured  in  them.  The  teeth  on  the 
wheel  are,  of  course,  exactly  similar,  being  cut  or  otherwise  formed  on  the 
flange.  With  this  system  of  working,  the  driving  wheels  have  a  firm  hold 
upon  the  rails,  so  that  the  trains  are  under  more  perfect  command  than  at 
present,  as  slippingcan  hardly  occur  in  starting;  whilst,  when  the  brakes 
are  put  down  fur  stopping,  the  frictional  hold  upon  the  wheels  will  give 
a  superior  retarding  effect,  by  reason  of  the  inclines  of  the  working  of  the 
wheel  teeth  in  those  of  the  fixed  rack  teeth.  And  when  the  system  is 
carried  out  throughout  the  entire  train,  the  brakes  will  act  equally  well 
on  each  pair  of  wheels,  as  the  same  retarding  power  will  be  available  in 
each  wheel.  It  is  to  be  understood,  that  the  fixed  teeth  will  only  be 
required  at  certain  determined  places  on  the  line — such  as  at  stations 
where  heavy  loads  have  to  he  started  on  greasy  surfaces,  and  at  inclines, 
where  the  inclination  tells  practically  upon  the  tractive  adhesion  ;  and  by 
making  the  teeth  of  the  peculiar  form  described,  facilities  are  afforded 
for  their  entering  into  gear  without  jar,  at  the  parts  where  the  fixed  teeth 
commence — the  teeth  at  such  parts  being  slightly  lowered  for  the  same 
purpose. 

REGISTERED  DESIGN. 


VICTORIA  COPPER  POUCH,  ADVERTISER,  AND 

SAMPLE  BAG. 

Registered  for  Me.  Samuel  Bremneb,   Carlisle. 

This  little  contrivance  affords  a  ready  and  convenient  means  of  neatly 
folding  up  copper  change  and  other  small  articles,  whilst  it  answers  as 
Fig.  L  Fig.  2. 


a  means  of  advertising.     Fig.  1  represents  the  paper  blank,  as  cut  out 
ready  for  folding  up  ;  and  fig.  2  is  a  view  of  the  folded  pouch,  with  the 


THE  PRACTICAL  MECHANIC'S  JOURNAL. 


1G9 


entrance-flap  open.  The  paper  is  so  cut  that  it  forms  the  front,  a,  and 
back,  b,  in  a  sinele  piece,  which,  being  open  at  one  end,  and  slightly 
pressed  at  the  sides,  gives  a  spring  to  the  overlap,  c,  causing  it  to  open 
freely  for  the  insertion  of  its  contents ;  and,  when  closed,  it  has  a  very 
neat  appearance.  As  a  copper  pouch  and  advertiser,  it  is  peculiarly 
adapted  for  the  retail  tradesman,  as  a  ready  receptacle  for  copper;  and 
having  a  design  in  front,  containing  the  name,  profession,  and  address 
of  the  advertiser,  it  forms  an  effective  advertisement.  Being  adhe- 
sive all  round  the  inside  of  the  overlap,  from  end  to  end — leaving  a 
small  outer-lap,  which  is  non-adhesive,  to  facilitate  opening — it  answers 
as  a  sample  bag.  It  is  also  suitable  for  paying  wages  on  the  large  scale, 
as  it  facilitates  the  clerk's  operations,  and  renders  him  less  liable  to  error, 
more  especially  by  having  each  pouch  properly  numbered,  the  receiver 
of  the  money  having  also  a  corresponding  number. 

REVIEWS  OF  NEW  BOOKS. 


The  Principles  and  Practice  of  Linear  Perspective  divested  op  all 
Difficulty.  By  Richard  Abbatt,  F.R.A.S.  London:  Longman, 
Brown,  Green,  and  Longmans.     1853.     Pp.  84.     Woodcuts. 

The  Science  of  Vision,  or  Natural  Perspective,  &c,  &c.  By  Arthur 
Parsey.     London :  Longman  &  Co.     1840.     Pp.  142.     Plates. 

Much  has  been  written  about  perspective — so  much,  indeed,  and  of  so 
contradictory  a  nature — that  the  study  of  it  has,  in  consequence,  been 
classed  amongst  the  difficulties  of  artistical  accomplishments.  A  host 
of  partial  rules  have  been  given,  which,  from  their  isolated  character, 
and  want  of  connection  with  any  general  principle,  have  rather  confused 
than  assisted  the  student,  and  most  people  are  content  to  rely  entirely 
upon  their  own  ocular  impressions,  endeavouring  to  make  the  drawing 
on  the  paper  look  something  like  the  object  it  is  intended  to  represent  in 
nature  or  art.  And  yet  there  should  be  no  difficulty  or  uncertainty  about 
it :  it  is  based  upon  pure  mathematical  principles,  and  every  problem  or 
question  arising  in  connection  with  it,  is  capable  of  the  clearest  possible 
solution  or  demonstration,  just  as  is  the  simplest  proposition  to  be  found 
in  Euclid's  Elements. 

The  impression  formed  upon  the  eye  by  any  object  or  point,  is  sup- 
posed to  travel  from  one  to  the  other  in  straight  lines.  This  assumption 
is  all  that  is  required  to  constitute  the  study  a  mathematical  one.  For 
a  picture  to  be  a  correct  representation  of  any  object,  it  is  necessary  that 
the  rays  of  light  should  come  from  the  several  parts  of  the  picture  to  the 
eye  of  the  spectator,  under  the  same  circumstances  of  direction,  strength 
of  light,  colour,  and  shade,  as  from  the  corresponding  parts  of  the  real 
object.  A  picture  may  be  drawn  upon  a  surface  of  any  form,  so  that 
these  conditions  are  fulfilled.  The  actual  outline  of  the  object  as 
pictured,  therefore,  depends  upon  the  form  of  this  surface,  as  well  as 
upon  the  form  and  position  of  the  object  itself;  it  is  almost  uni- 
versally considered  to  be  a  vertical  plane.  Starting  from  these  pre- 
mises, Mr.  Abbatt  proceeds  to  lay  down  the  more  general  deductions, 
and  to  explain  the  simplest  methods  of  construction  applicable  to  all 
imaginable  cases,  and  this,  too,  in  a  manner  clear  and  intelligible  to  those 
at  all  conversant  with  Euclid.  Indeed,  as  stated  in  the  title-page,  the 
matter  is  "  divested  of  all  difficulty,"  and  further  commendation  is  un- 
necessary. 

We  now  turn  to  Mr.  Parsey's  book.  We  have  already  given  a  portion  of 
the  title  of  this  work,  but,  as  it  is  somewhat  amusing,  we  here  supply  it  in 
extenso: — "  The  Science  of  Vision,  or  Natural  Perspective ;  containing  the 
true  language  of  the  eye,  necessary  in  common  observation,  education,  art, 
and  science ;  constituting  the  basis  of  the  art  of  design,  with  practical 
methods  for  fore-shortening  and  converging,  in  every  branch  of  art;  the 
new  elliptical  or  conic  sections,  laws  of  shadows,  universal  vanishing 
points,  and  the  new  optical  laws  of  the  camera  obscura,  or  daguerreotype: 
also,  the  physiology  of  the  human  eye,  explaining  the  seat  of  vision  to  be 
the  iris,  and  not  the  retina."  Opposite  to  this  title  is  a  frontispiece  with 
this  inscription — "  This  plate  is  a  copy  of  the  first  picture  ever  drawn 
with  optical  accuracy." 

As  might  be  expected  from  his  title,  Mr.  Parsey  will  have  it  that  all 
other  teachers  of  perspective  but  himself  are  wrong.  His  book  is,  in 
fact,  written  for  the  sole  purpose  of  proving  that  he  is  right.  According 
to  common  rules,  vertical  lines  are  always  represented  as  vertical.  Mr. 
Parsey  say3  they  should  converge ;  but  he  premises  his  arguments  by 
begging  the  very  question  at  issue.  According  to  common  rules,  the 
plane  of  the  picture  is  always  supposed  to  be  vertical ;  and  if  Mr.  Tarsey 
will  attentively  consult  Mr.  Abbatt's  book,  he  will  find  it  mathematically 
proved  that  in  this  case  the  lines  should  not  converge  ;  or,  if  he  will  take 
the  trouble  to  measure,  on  a  vertical  pane  of  glass,  the  apparent  dimen- 
sions of  any  object  with  vertical  sides,  situated  beyond,  he  will  arive  at 
No.  68.— Vol.  VI. 


the  same  result.  Mr.  Parsey,  however,  in  various  cases,  supposes  the 
plane  of  the  picture  not  to  be  vertical;  in  which  cases,  the  direction 
of  the  lines  will  be  different,  as  any  one  at  all  acquainted  with  the 
subject  will  allow — and  Mr.  Parsey  might  have  saved  himself  the 
labour  spent  in  proving  it.  His  book  would  have  been  written  to 
some  purpose,  if  the  author  had  given  a  valid  reason  for  making  the  plane 
of  the  picture  not  vertical.  It  seems  to  us  a  mere  matter  of  choice  or 
convenience,  whether  the  plane  of  the  picture  be  vertical  or  not.  Mr. 
Parsey  would  have  a  different  position  of  the  plane  for  each  individual 
picture.  Imagine  the  effect  upon  a  picture  gallery,  the  pictures  standing 
forward  from  the  walls  in  every  conceivable  variety  of  position ;  im- 
agine the  labour  and  calculation  requisite  in  the  picture-hangers,  and  the 
care  necessary  to  give  each  picture  its  appropriate  inclination.  We  cer- 
tainly think  the  common  uniform  plan  is,  to  say  the  least,  the  more  con- 
venient. Mr.  Parsey  lays  a  great  stress  upon  the  equalizing  of  the  rays 
of  light — that  is,  the  so  disposing  the  plane  of  the  picture,  that  lines 
drawn  from  the  top  and  bottom  of  it  to  the  eye  shall  be  equal.  If  we 
are  really  to  equalize  the  rays,  we  must  make  our  drawings  upon  hol- 
low spheres,  the  eye  being  supposed  the  centre  ;  we  cannot  equalize  the 
lines  from  a  plane — the  line  drawn  perpendicularly  from  the  eye  to  the 
plane  is  the  shortest,  and  all  the  rest  vary  in  length.  Are  the  rays  of 
light  equal  when  we  look  at  any  natural  object  ?  Why,  then,  should  we 
seek  to  equalize  them  in  the  picture  ?  Were  we  to  draw  upon  spheres, 
we  should  require  to  draw  in  curvilinear  perspective,  which  has  also  been 
proposed  as  the  correct  method ;  but  it  is  so  only  when  the  surface  of  the 
picture  is  spherical.  As  before  said,  the  outline  of  the  pictured  object 
depends  upon  the  position  and  form  of  the  picture  surface.  Mr. 
Parsey  brings  forward  the  fact,  of  the  lines  in  daguerreotype  pictures 
being  convergent;  but  there  is  not  the  slightest  argument  deducible 
from  this  in  favour  of  his  views,  since  the  daguerreotype  camera  may  he 
disposed  so  as  to  make  the  lines  converge  or  not  at  pleasure. 

As  to  the  back  of  the  iris  being  the  seat  of  vision,  and  receiving 
the  image  reflected  by  the  retina,  we  leave  the  question  to  the  physio- 
logists, but  we  doubt  if  they  will  be  prepared  to  admit  Mr.  Parsey's 
conclusions.  We  always  understood  that  the  seat  of  vision  was  in  the 
brain,  and  that  the  eye  was  but  an  instrument  for  transmitting  the  ex- 
ternal impressions.  It  is  indeed  supposed  that  there  is  no  coloured 
image  formed  in  the  eye,  because  the  retina  is  black ;  and  we  know,  that 
in  a  common  camera  no  picture  will  be  seen  upon  a  black  piece  of  paper. 
This  being  the  case,  Mr.  Parsey's  theory  seems  to  totter  to  the  ground 
at  once. 

CORRESPONDENCE. 


AMERICAN  PATENT  LAWS. 

In  part  62  of  the  Practical  Mechanic's  Journal,  you  have  given  an 
excellent  synopsis  of  the  American  Patent  Law;  but  the  article  is  slightly 
in  error,  where  it  is  stated  that  an  applicant  can  refer  a  disputed  case  to 
a  Board  of  Examiners.  The  Act  of  1839,  Sect.  11  and  12,  repealed  so 
much  of  the  previous  Acts  as  related  to  a  Board  of  Examiners,  and  re- 
enacted  that  all  appeals  from  the  decision  of  the  Commissioner  be  referred 
to  the  Chief  Justice  of  the  district  Court  of  the  United  States,  for  the 
district  of  Columbia. 

New  York,  1853.  G.  M.  K. 

ECONOMICAL  MARINE  ENGINES. 

Will  you,  or  any  of  your  readers,  be  kind  enough  to  explain,  or  refer 
me  to  any  explanation,  if  such  has  been  given,  of  the  following  from 
Bourne  on  the  screw? — 

"  I  have  already  mentioned,  that  if  the  power  of  any  given  vessel  he 
doubled,  her  speed  will  be  increased  nearly  in  the  proportion  of  the  cube 
root  of  1  to  the  cube  root  of  2.  A  vessel,  therefore,  which  maintains 
a  speed  of  10  knots  with  any  given  power,  will  maintain  a  speed  of  12J 
knots  with  twice  the  power.  I  proposed  that  the  power  of  all  the 
companies'  vessels  running  on  important  lines  should  be  doubled, 
wherever  the  usual  speed  did  not  exceed  10  knots  an  hour. 

"  Now,  this  duplicature  of  the  power  I  proposed  to  accomplish  without 
touching  the  existing  engines  at  all,  and,  as  I  have  already  mentioned, 
I  proposed  to  apply  a  screw  in  the  stern  of  the  vessel,  which  was  to 
be  driven  by  separate  direct-acting  engines  of  its  own.  The  screw 
engines  would  not  have  had  either  air-pumps  or  condensers  ;  but  the 
steam  from  the  boilers  was  to  enter  the  screw  engines  first,  and  after 
having  given  motion  to  them,  would  have  passed  into  the  paddle 
engines,  where  it  would  have  been  condensed  in  the  usual  manner. 

"  By  this  arrangement,  the  steam  would  have  been  used  twice  over, 
and  twice  tlte  amount  of  emjine  power  would  have  been  exerted  in  the  hour, 
without  any  increase  in  the  consumption  of  coal." 

Y 


170 


THE  PRACTICAL  MECHANIC'S  JOURNAL. 


It  appears  to  me,  under  these  circumstances,  that  steam-boat  com- 
panies would  best  study  their  own  interest,  if,  in  future  cases,  after  hav- 
ing determined  upon  the  amount  of  power  they  intend  putting  into  a 
boat,  they  were  to  halve  it — in  fact,  make  condensing  engines  of  half  the 
power  necessary ;  making  up  the  other  half  by  putting  in  a  pair  of  high- 
pressure  engines,  as  both  engines  will  work  with  the  same  amount  of 
steam  which  one  pair  alone  would  require;  and  consequently,  according 
to  Bourne,  "  without  any  increase  in  the  consumption  of  coal,"  the  afore- 
said companies  would  save  50  per  cent,  of  coal  in  all  new  boats. 

Brummagem. 

[The  statement  to  which  our  correspondent  refers,  certainly  reads  ab- 
surdly enough.  Translated  into  plain  language,  it  amounts  to  nothing 
more  than  a  rather  florid  recommendation  of  the  expansive  system.  It  is 
to  be  lamented  that  the  author  did  not  say  so,  instead  of  over-labouring 
his  text  with  matter  quite  foreign  to  the  point. — Ed.  P.  M.  Journal.] 

FEED  APPARATUS  FOR  STEAM-BOILERS. 

The  annexed  sketch  represents  a  side  elevation  of  an  apparatus  which 
I  have  contrived  for  supplying  boilers  with  water,  in  a  continuous  man- 
ner, when  under  working 
pressure,  without  pumping 
or  overhead  cisterns.  It 
consists  of  a  steam  and 
water  chamber,  a,  set  edge- 
wise alongside  the  boiler  to 
be  supplied,  and  having  a 
shaft,  b,  passing  horizontally 
through  it,  and  driven  at  a 
slow  rate.  This  shaft  carries 
a  cellular  disc,  or  wheel,  c, 
with  recesses,  D,  all  round 
its  periphery,  which  is 
turned  true  to  fit  to  the  cor- 
respondingly curved  internal 
surface  of  the  chamber,  a. 
The  chamber  is  rounded  only 
on  one  side,  where  the  suction- 
pipe,  e,  enters  from  the  feed- 
water  reservoir,  so  that  the  frictional  contact  of  the  disc  is  confined  to  that 
side.  The  sides  of  the  disc  work  quite  free  of  the  case.  At  F  is  a  small 
pipe,  forming  a  communication  between  the  upper  part  of  the  chamber 
and  the  steam-space  of  the  boiler  ;  and  at  g  is  a  similar  pipe,  opening 
from  the  lower  part  of  the  chamber  into  the  water-space  of  the  boiler. 
The  internal  pressure  is  thus  balanced ;  and  it  will  be  seen  that,  as  the 
wheel,  c,  slowly  revolves,  it  continually  fills  its  cells  or  buckets,  d, 
from  the  water-pipe,  E ;  and  the  water  so  taken  in  is  then  left  in  the 
chamber,  whence  it  flows  into  the  boiler,  up  to  the  level  at  which  it 
stands  in  the  chamber.  Such  a  feeder  will  require  no  attendance,  as, 
when  the  water  gets  above  the  wheel,  it  will  take  in  no  more. 

Henry  Huck. 
Holme,  Burton,  Westmorland,  Sept.,  1853. 

PROCEEDINGS  OF  SCIENTIFIC  SOCIETIES. 


THE  BRITISH  ASSOCIATION  AT  HULL. 

September  7. 

Mr.  W.  Hopkins,  M.A.,  President. 

The  proceedings  were  opened  by  a  meeting  of  the  general  committee — Colonel 
Sabine_  presiding.  The  report  of  the  council  showed  that  active  steps  had  been 
taken  in  reference  to  a  plan  by  which  the  transactions  of  different  scientific  socie- 
ties might  become  part  of  one  arranged  system,  and  the  records  of  facts  and  phe- 
nomena be  rendered  more  complete,  more  continuous,  and  more  systematic  than  at 
present. 

The  committee  established  for  procuring  a  telescope  of  large  optical  power,  for 
the  observation  of  the  southern  nebulae,  have  decided  on  the  nature  and  size  of  the 
instrument;  and  hopes  are  entertained  that  the  necessary  funds  will  be  included  in 
the  next  parliamentary  estimates. 

The  following  gentlemen  have  accepted  office  for  the  year: — 

Section  A.— President,  the  Dean  of  Elv,  F.R.S. ;  Vice-Presidents,  W.  R. 
Grove,  Esq.,  F.R.S. ;  Col.  Sabine,  F.R.S. ;  Rev.  Dr.  Scoresby,  F.R.S. ;  Professor 
Stokes,  F.R.S. ;  Secretaries,  Professor  Stevelly  ;  Benjamin  Blaydes  Haworth,  Esq.; 
J.  D.  Sollitt,  Esq. ;  J.  Welsh,  Esq. 

Section  B.— Presi.lent,  J.  F.  W.  Johnston.  M.A.,  F.R.S.,  Professor  of  Chemistry, 
Durham;  Vice-Presidents,  Dr.  Faraday,  F.R.S.;  Rev.  Wm.  Vernon  Harcourt, 
F.R.S.  ;  Dr.  Andrews,  F.R.S. ;  Dr.  Daubeny,  F.R.S. ;  J.  P.  Gassiot,  Esq.,  F.R.S.; 
Secretaries,  Professor  Robert  Hunt;  Thomas  J.  Pearsall,  Esq.,  F.C.S.;  Henry 
Spence  Blundell,  Esq.  t      i>  '  i 

Section  C— President,  Professor  Sedgwick,  F.R.S. ;    Vice-Presidents,  James 


Smith,  Esq.  ;  H.  E.  Strickland,  Esq.,  F.R.S.,  &c. ;  Secretaries,  Piofessor  Harkness, 
F.G.S. ;  W.  H.  Dykes,  Esq. ;  W.  Lawton,  Esq. 

Section  D. — President,  C.  C.  Babington,  M.A.,  F.R.S. ;  Vice-Presidents,  G. 
A.  Walker  Arnott,  LL.D.,  Professor  of  Botany,  University  of  Glasgow ;  Sir  W. 
Jardine,  Bait.,  F.R.S.E. ;  Secretaries,  E.  Lankester,  M  D.,  F.R.S.;  Robert 
Harrison,  Esq. ;  H.  Munro,  Esq. 

Section  E. — President,  Robert  G.  Latham,  M.D.,  F.R.S. ;  Vice-Presidents, 
Captain  Sir  J.  C.  Ross,  R.N.,  F.R.S.;  Right  Hon.  Lord  Londesborough,  F.R.S.; 
John  Conolly,  M.D.,  F.E.S.  ;  Col.  Chesney,  F.R.S.;  Secretaries,  Richard  Cull, 
Esq. ;  Norton  Shaw,  M.D. ;  Rev.  H.  W.  Kemp,  B.A. 

Section  F. — President,  James  Heywood,  Esq.,  M.P.,  F.R  S. ;  Vice-Presidents, 
Thomas  Tooke,  Esq.,  F.R  S. ;  F.  G.  P.  Neison,  Esq. ;  Secretaries,  William  New- 
march,  Esq. ;  Edward  Cheshire,  Esq. 

Section  G.— President,  William  Fairbairn,  Esq.,  C.E.,  F.R.S. ;  Vice-Presidents, 
Professor  Hodgkinson,  F.R.S.  ;  George  Rennie,  Esq.,  C.E.,  F.R.S.  ;  James 
Walker,  Esq.,  LL.D.,  C.E.,  F.R.S.;  Secretaries,  James  Oldham,  Esq.,  C.E., 
M.I.C.E.  j  James  Thomson,  Esq.,  A.M.,  C.E. ;  Wm.  Sykes  Ward,  Esq.,  F.C.S. 

The  invitations  already  given  by  Liverpool  and  Glasgow  for  the  next  two  meet- 
ings were  renewed  ;  and  Gloucester  also  extended  its  hospitality  in  a  similar  way. 

From  the  treasurer's  account,  we  find  that  the  past  year's  expenditure  has  been 
£1489,  leaving  a  balance  in  favour  of  the  Association  of  £227.  IDs.  lid. 

abstract  op  the  president's  address. 

Astronomical  research  still  continues  to  prove  to  us  how  much  more  populous  is 
that  portion  of  space  occupied  by  the  solar  system,  than  was  suspected  only  a  few 
years  ago.  Between  the  23d  of  June,  1S52,  and  the  6th  of  May,  1853,  nine  new 
planets  were  discovered,  of  which  seven  were  found  since  the  last  meeting  of  the 
Association  ;  and  we  have  no  reason  to  suppose  that  we  have  yet  approximated  to 
the  whole  number  of  these  minor  planetary  bodies.  All  those  which  have  been 
recently  recognized  appear  like  stars  of  magnitude  not  lower  than  the  eighth  or 
ninth,  and  are,  consequently,  invisible  to  the  naked  eye.  The  search  for  them  has 
now  assumed,  to  a  considerable  extent,  a  more  systematic  form,  by  a  previous  map- 
ping of  the  stars  up  to  a  certain  magnitude,  and  contained  within  a  belt  of  a  few 
degrees  in  breadth  on  either  side  of  the  ecliptic.  This  mapping  of  the  ecliptic  stars, 
from  the  eighth  to  higher  magnitudes,  is  still  comparatively  limited  ;  nor  has  the 
length  of  time  during  which  any  one  portion,  perhaps,  of  the  space  has  been  thus 
mapped,  been  sufficiently  great  to  insure  the  passage  through  it,  within  that  time, 
of  any  planet  whose  period  is  as  long  as  the  possible  periods  of  those  which  may 
yet  remain  unknown  to  us. 

There  would  seem  to  be  a  tendency  in  the  human  mind  to  repose  on  the  con- 
templation of  any  great  truth  after  its  first  establishment.  Thus,  after  the  undis- 
puted reception  of  the  theory  of  gravitation,  and  the  complete  explanation  which 
it  afforded  of  the  planetary  motions,  men  seemed  to  think  little  of  any  further 
revelations  which  the  solar  system  might  still  have  to  make  to  us  respecting  its 
constitution,  or  the  physical  causes  which  it  calls  into  operation.  The  recent  dis- 
covery, however,  of  so  many  planets,  shows  how  imperfectly  we  may  yet  be 
acquainted  with  the  planetary  part  of  the  system ;  and  the  continual  discovery  of 
new  comets  seems  to  indicate  that  in  this  department  still  more  remains  to  be  done. 
These  curious  bodies,  too,  may  possibly  have  to  reveal  to  us  facts  more  interesting 
than  any  which  the  planets  may  still  have  in  reserve  for  us.  The  experience  of 
these  latter  bodies,  if  I  may  so  speak,  is  more  limited,  and  their  testimony,  conse- 
quently, more  restricted.  But  they  have  already  told  us  a  noble  tale.  In  moving, 
as  they  do,  in  exact  obedience  to  the  law  of  gravitation,  and  thus  establishing  that 
law,  they  have  affirmed  the  highest  generalization  in  physical  science  which  it  has 
been  accorded  to  the  human  mind  to  conceive.  At  the  same  time,  the  approxi- 
mate circularity  of  their  orbits  prevents  their  passing  through  those  varied  condi- 
tions to  which  comets  are  subjected.  Thus,  while  the  latter  obey,  in  common  with 
the  planets,  the  laws  of  gravitation,  they  frequently  present  to  us,  in  their  apparent 
changes  of  volume,  form,  and  general  character,  phenomena,  the  explanation  of 
which  has  hitherto  baffled  the  ingenuity  of  astronomers.  One  of  the  most  curious 
of  these  phenomena  has  been  recently  observed  in  Biela's  comet.  This  comet  has 
a  period  of  about  six  years  and  a  half,  and  has  been  observed  a  considerable  num- 
ber of  times  on  its  periodical  return  to  the  neighbourhood  of  the  sun.  It  appeared 
in  November,  1 845,  and  in  the  following  January  the  phenomenon  alluded  to  was  ob- 
served for  the  first  time.  The  comet  had  become  divided  into  two  distinct  parts, 
with  separate  nuclei.  Sometimes  the  one  and  sometimes  the  other  appeared  the 
brighter  till  their  final  disappearance.  A  complete  discussion  of  all  the  observa- 
tions which  have  been  made  on  these  comets  during  their  last  and  previous  appear- 
ances, is  now  in  progress  by  Professor  Hubbard  of  the  Washington  Observatory.  The 
distance  between  the  two  nuclei  was  much  increased  on  their  last  appearance. 
Judging  from  the  apparent  absence  of  all  influence  and  sympathy  between  these 
bodies,  it  would  seem  that  their  physical  divorcement,  though  without  known  pre- 
cedent, is  final  and  complete. 

Stellar  Astronomy  continues  to  manifest  a  vigour  and  activity  worthy  of  the 
lofty  interest  which  attaches  to  it.  Bessel  had  made  a  survey  of  all  stars,  to  those 
of  the  ninth  magnitude  inclusive,  in  a  zone  lying  between  45°  of  north,  and  15°  of 
south  declination.  Argelander  has  extended  this  zone  from  80°  of  north  to  31" 
of  south  declination.  It  comprises  more  than  100,000  stars.  Last  year  was 
published  also  the  long-expected  work  of  M.  F.  G.  W.  Struve,  containing  a  cata- 
logue of  stars  observed  by  him  at  Dorpat,  in  the  years  1822 — 43.  They  are 
principally  double  and  multiple  stars,  which  had  been  previously  micrometrically 
observed  by  the  same  distinguished  astronomer.  Their  number  amounts  to  2874  ; 
the  epoch  of  reduction  is  1830. 

Notices  have  been  brought  before  us,  from  time  to  time,  of  the  nebulas  observed 
through  Lord    Rosse's  telescope.     Almost  every  new  observation  appears  to  con- 


THE  PRACTICAL  MECHANIC'S  JOURNAL. 


171 


firm  the  fact  of  that  curious  tendency  to  a  spiral  arrangement  iu  these  nebulous 
masses,  of  which  mention  has»so  frequently  been  made. 

No  one  has  contributed  more  to  the  progress  of  Terrestrial  Magnetism,  during 
the  last  few  years,  than  my  distinguished  predecessor  in  this  chair.  Formerly,  we 
owed  theories  on  this  subject  much  more  to  the  boldness  of  ignorance  than  to  the 
just  confidence  of  knowledge;  but  from  the  commencement  of  the  systematic  ob- 
servations which  Col.  Sabine  has  been  so  active  in  promoting,  this  vague  and  use- 
less theorizing  ceased,  to  be  succeeded,  probably  ere  long,  by  the  sound  speculative 
researches  of  those  who  may  be  capable  of  grappling  with  the  real  difficulties  of  the 
subject,  when  the  true  laws  of  the  phenomena  shall  have  been  determined.  Those 
laws  are  coming  forth  with  beautiful  precision  from  the  reductions  which  Col. 
Sabiue  is  now  making  of  the  numerous  observations  taken  at  the  different  magnetic 
stations ;  and  it  would  seem  that  some  of  the  curious  phenomena  of  magnetism 
which  have  hitherto  been  regarded  as  strictly  terrestrial,  are  really  due  to  solar  and 
lunar,  as  much  as  to  terrestrial  magnetism.  It  is  beautiful  to  trace  the  delicate 
influences  of  bodies  so  distant,  producing  phenomena  scarcely  less  striking,  either 
to  the  imagination  or  to  the  philosophic  mind,  than  the  more  obvious  phenomena 
which  originate  in  the  great  luminary  of  our  system. 

New  views,  which  have  lately  sprung  up  respecting  the  nature  of  heat,  are  highly 
interesting  theoretically,  and  important  in  their  practical  application,  inasmuch  as 
they  modify,  in  a  considerable  degree,  the  theory  of  the  steam-engine,  the  air- 
engine,  or  any  other  in  which  the  motive  power  is  derived  immediately  from  heat ; 
and  it  is  correct  theory  alone  which  can  point  out  to  the  practical  engineer  the  de- 
gree of  perfection  at  which  he  may  aim  in  the  construction  of  such  machines,  and 
which  can  enable  him  to  compare  accurately  their  merits  when  the  best  construction 
is  arrived  at.  The  new  theory  not  only  asserts  generally  the  convertibility  of  he:it 
into  mechanical  effect,  and  the  converse,  but  also  more  definitely,  that  whatever  be  the 
mode  of  converting  the  one  into  the  other — and  whether  heat  be  employed  to  pro- 
duce mechanical  effect,  or  mechanical  force  be  employed  to  produce  heat — the  same 
quantity  of  the  one  is  always  the  equivalent  of  the  same  quantity  of  the  other. 
This  theory  is  in  perfect  harmony  with  the  opinions  now  very  generally  entertained 
respecting  radiant  heat.  Formerly,  light  and  heat  were  regarded  as  consisting  of 
material  particles  continually  radiating  from  luminous  and  heated  bodies  respec- 
tively ;  but  it  may  now  be  considered  as  established  beyond  controversy,  that  light 
is  propagated  through  space  by  the  vibrations  of  an  exceedingly  refined  ethereal 
medium,  in  a  manner  exactly  analogous  to  that  in  which  sound  is  propagated  by 
the  vibration  of  the  air,  and  it  is  now  supposed  that  radiant  heat  is  propagated  in 
a  similar  manner. 

Many  years  ago,  Gay-Lussac  made  an  ascent  in  a  balloon  for  the  purpose  of 
making  observations  on  the  air  in  the  upper  regions  of  the  atmosphere;  but  it  is 
only  very  recently  that  systematic  observations  of  this  kind  have  been  attempted. 
Last  autumn,  four  balloon  ascents  were  made  by  Mr.  Welsh,  under  the  guidance  of 
the  distinguished  aeronaut,  Mr.  Green.  Attention  was  chiefly  directed  to  the  de- 
termination of  the  pressure,  temperature,  and  moisture  of  the  air  at  different  alti- 
tudes. The  decrease  of  temperature  in  ascending  was  very  irregular,  being  changed 
even  in  some  cases  to  an  increase;  but  the  mean  result  gives  a  decrease  of  1Q 
Fahr.  for  every  348  feet  of  ascent,  agreeing,  within  5  or  6  feet,  with  the  result  ob- 
tained by  Gay-Lussac.  An  immense  contribution,  of  which  brief  mention  was 
made  by  my  predecessor,  has  been  made  within  the  last  few  years  to  this  science, 
by  the  publication  of  Prof.  Dove's  Isothermal  Maps,  giving  us  the  temperature  of 
the  lowest  portion  of  the  atmosphere  (that  which  determines  the  climate  of  every 
region)  for  nearly  alL  accessible  points  of  the  earth's  surface.  These  maps  present 
a  great  number  of  isothermal  lines — x.  e.,  lines  passing  through  all  those  places 
which,  at  an  assigned  period  of  the  year,  have  the  same  temperature,  each  line  in- 
dicating a  particular  temperature,  differing,  by  a  few  degrees,  from  those  of  the 
adjoining  lines.  We  may  easily  conceive  how  a  great  ocean  current  of  warm 
water  from  the  tropics  may  affect  the  temperature  of  the  atmosphere  in  the  colder 
regions  into  which  it  may  penetrate  ;  but  it  is  only  since  the  publication  of  these 
maps  that  we  have  had  any  adequate  idea  of  the  extent  of  this  influence,  or  been 
able  to  appreciate  the  blessings  conferred  on  the  shores  of  north-western  Europe, 
and  especially  on  our  own  islands,  by  the  gulf-stream.  This  great  current,  though 
not  always  under  the  same  name,  appears,  as  you  are  probably  aware,  to  traverse 
the  Atlantic  in  a  north-westerly  direction,  till  it  reaches  the  West  India  Islands 
and  the  Gulf  of  Mexico.  It  is  then  reflected  by  the  American  coast,  and  takes 
a  north-easterly  direction  to  our  own  shores,  extending  beyond  Iceland  into  the 
North  Sea.  It  is  to  the  enormous  mass  of  heated  water  thus  poured  into  the 
colder  seas  of  onr  own  latitudes  that  we  owe  the  temperate  character  of  our  climate  ; 
and  the  maps  of  M.  Dove"  enable  us  not  only  to  assert  distinctly  this  general  fact, 
but  also  to  make  an  approximate  calculation  of  the  amount  to  which  the  tempera- 
ture of  these  regions  is  thus  affected. 

My  predecessor  in  his  address,  informed  us  of  an  application  made  to  our 
Government  by  that  of  the  United  States,  to  adopt  a  general  and  systematic  mode 
of  observing  phenomena  of  various  kinds  at  sea,  such  as  winds,  tides,  currents,  &c, 
which  may  not  only  be  of  general  scientific  interest,  but  may  also  have  an  impor- 
tant bearing  on  navigation.  The  plan  proposed  by  Lieut.  Maury,  and  adopted  by 
the  American  Government,  is  to  have  the  required  observations  regularly  made  by 
the  commanders  of  vessels  sent  out  to  sea.  I  am  happy  to  be  able  to  state  to  you, 
that  our  Admiralty  have  given  orders  for  similar  observations  to  be  made  by  those 
who  have  command  of  English  vessels ;  and  we  trust  also  that  proper  persons  will 
be  appointed,  without  delay,  for  the  reduction  of  the  mass  of  observations  which 
will  thus  soon  be  accumulated. 

The  science  of  geology  may  be  regarded  as  comprising  two  great  divisions — the 
physical  and  the  pal  aeon  tological  portions.  The  former  may  be  subdivided  into 
its  chemical  and  dynamical  branches.  The  chemical  department  has  never  made 
any  great  pr.  gre3s,  though  abounding  in  problems  of  first-rate  interest — such,  for 


instance,  as  the  formation  of  coal,  the  segregation  of  mineral  matter  constituting 
mineral  veins  of  all  descriptions,  the  processes  of  the  solidification  and  crystalliza- 
tion of  rocks,  of  the  production  of  their  jointed  and  laminated  structure,  and  many 
others.  Interesting  experiments  are  not  altogether  wanting  on  points  such  as 
these,  but  not  sufficient  to  constitute,  as  far  as  I  am  aware,  a  positive  foundation 
and  decided  progress  in  this  branch  of  the  science.  The  dynamical,  or,  more  strictly, 
the  mechanical  department  of  the  science,  has  received  a  much  larger  share  of 
attention. 

One  favourite  subject  of  speculation  in  the  physical  branch  of  geology  has  been, 
at  all  times  since  the  origin  of  the  science,  the  state  of  the  interior  of  our  planet, 
and  the  source  of  the  high  temperature  observed  at  all  considerable  depths  beneath 
its  surface.  The  terrestrial  temperature,  at  a  certain  depth  in  each  locality,  (about 
80  feet  in  our  own  region,)  remains  constant  during  the  whole  year,  being  sensibly 
unaffected  by  the  changing  temperature  of  the  seasons.  The  same,  of  course,  holds 
true  at  greater  depths;  but  the  lower  we  descend  the  greater  is  this  invariable 
temperature,  the  increase  being  proportional  to  the  depth,  and  at  the  rate  of  1° 
Fahr.  for  about  every  60  or  70  feet.  Assuming  this  rate  of  increase  to  continue 
to  the  depth  of  50  miles,  we  should  arrive  at  a  temperature  about  twice  as  great 
as  that  necessary  to  fuse  iron,  and  sufficient,  it  is  supposed,  to  reduce  nearly  the 
whole  mass  of  the  earth's  solid  crust  to  a  state  of  fusion.  Hence  the  opinion 
adopted  by  many  geologists  is,  that  our  globe  does  really  consist  of  a  solid  shell, 
not  exceeding  40  or  50  miles  in  thickness,  and  an  interior  fluid  nucleus,  maintained 
in  a  state  of  fusion  by  the  existing  remains  of  the  heat  to  which  the  whole  terres- 
trial mass  was  originally  subjected.  The  above  estimate,  however,  of  the  thickness 
of  the  earth's  solid  crust,  entirely  neglects  the  possible  effects  of  the  enormous  pres- 
sure to  which  the  terrestrial  mass,  at  any  considerable  depth,  is  subjected.  It  has 
been  for  the  purpose  of  ascertaining  the  effects  of  great  pressure  that  Mr.  Fairbairn, 
Mr.  Joule,  and  myself,  have  undertaken  the  experiments  in  which  we  have  for 
some  time  been  engaged  at  Manchester.  At  present  our  experiments  have  been 
restricted  to  a  few  subsLances,  and  those  of  easy  fusibility  ;  but  I  believe  our  appa- 
ratus to  be  now  so  complete  for  a  considerable  range  of  temperature,  that  we  shall 
have  no  difficulty  in  obtaining  further  results.  Those  already  obtained  indicate  an 
increase  in  the  temperature  of  fusion  proportional  to  the  pressure  to  which  the  fused 
mass  is  subjected.  In  employing  a  pressure  of  about  13,000  lbs.  to  the  square 
inch  on  bleached  wax,  the  increase  iu  the  temperature  of  fusion  was  not  less  than 
30p  Fahr. — about  one-fifth  of  the  whole  temperature  at  which  it  melts  under  the 
pressure  of  the  atmosphere.  We  have  not  yet  ascertained  the  degree  in  which  the 
conductive  power  of  any  substance  may  be  increased  when  solidified  under  great 
pressure.  This  point  we  hope  to  investigate  with  due  care,  and  also  to  determine 
the  effects  on  substances  thus  solidified,  with  respect  to  their  density,  strength, 
crystalline  forms,  and  general  molecular  structure. 

Some  of  the  most  interesting  of  recent  discoveries  in  organic  remains  are  those 
which  prove  the  existence  of  reptilian  life  during  the  deposition  of  some  of  our  oldest 
fossiliferous  strata.  An  almost  perfect  skeleton  of  a  reptile  belonging  to  the  Batra- 
chians  or  Lacertians  was  lately  found  in  the  old  red  sandstone  of  Morayshire. 
The  remains  of  a  reptile  were  also  discovered  last  year  by  Sir  Charles  Lyell  and  Mr. 
Dawson  in  the  coal  measures  of  Nova  Scotia,  and  a  batrachoil  fossil  has  also  been 
recognized  in  Britisii  coal  shale.  But  the  most  curious  evidence  of  the  early  ex- 
istence of  animals  above  the  lower  orders  of  organization  on  the  face  of  our  globe, 
is  that  afforded  by  the  foot-prints  discovered  a  short  time  ago  in  Canada  by  Mr. 
Logan  on  large  slabs  of  the  oldest  fossiliferous  rocks,  those  of  the  Silurian  epoch. 
After  these  discoveries,  few  geologists  will  perhaps  be  surprised  should  we  hereafter 
find  that  higher  forms  of  animal  life  were  introduced  upon  the  earth  during  this 
early  period,  than  have  yet  been  detected  in  its  sedimentary  beds. 

Many  of  you  will  be  aware  that  there  are  two  theories  in  geology,  which  may  be 
styled  the  theories  of  progression  and  of  non-progression  respectively.  The  for- 
mer asserts  that  the  matter  which  constitutes  the  earth  has  passed  through  con- 
tinuous and  progressive  changes,  from  the  earliest  state  in  which  it  existed  to  its 
actual  condition  at  the  present  time.  The  theory  of  non-progression^  on  the  cou- 
trary,  recognizes  no  primitive  state  of  our  planet  differing  essentially  from  its 
existing  state  ;  the  only  changes  which  it  does  recognize  being  those  which  are 
strictly  periodical,  and  therefore  produce  no  permanent  alteration  in  the  state  of 
our  globe.  With  reference  to  organic  remains,  the  difference  between  these  theories 
is  exactly  analogous  to  that  now  stated  with  reference  to  inorganic  matter.  Each 
successive  discovery,  like  those  which  I  have  mentioned,  of  the  remains  of  animals 
of  the  higher  types  in  the  older  rocks,  is  regarded  by  some  geologists  as  an  addition 
to  the  cumulative  evidence  by  which  they  conceive  that  the  theory  of  non-progres- 
sion will  be  ultimately  established ;  while  others  consider  the  deficiency  in  the 
evidence  required  to  establish  that  theory  as  far  too  great  to  admit  the  probability 
of  its  being  supplied  by  future  discovery.  Nor  can  the  theory  derive  present  sup- 
port, it  is  contended,  by  an  appeal  to  any  properties  of  inorganic  matter,  or  physical 
laws,  with  which  we  are  acquainted.  Prof.  W.  Thomson  has  recently  entered  into 
some  very  interesting  speculations  bearing  on  this  subject,  and  suggested  by  the 
new  theory  of  heat  of  which  I  have  spoken.  The  beat  of  a  heavenly  body  placed 
under  the  same  conditions  as  the  sun,  must,  it  has  been  said,  be  ultimately  ex- 
hausted by  its  rapid  emission.  This  assertion  assumes  the  matter  composing  the 
sun  to  have  certain  properties,  like  those  of  terrestrial  matter,  with  respect  to  the 
generation  and  emission  of  heat ;  but  Prof.  Thomson's  argument  places  the  sub- 
ject on  better  grounds,  admitting,  always,  the  truth  of  the  new  theory  of  heat. 
That  theory  asserts,  in  the  sense  which  I  have  already  stated,  the  exact  equiva- 
lence of  heat  and  motive  power  ;  and  that  a  body,  in  sending  forth  heat,  must  lose 
a  portion  of  that  internal  motion  of  its  constituent  particles  on  which  its  thermal 
state  depends.  Now  we  know  that  nu  mutual  action  of  these  constituent  particles 
can  continue  to  generate  motion  which  might  compensate  for  the  loss  of  motion 
thus  sustained.     This  is  a  simple  deduction  from  dynamical  laws  and  principles, 


172 


THE  PRACTICAL  MECHANIC'S  JOURNAL. 


independent  of  any  property  of  terrestrial  matter  which  may  possibly  distinguish  it 
from  that  of  the  sun.  Hence,  then,  it  is  on  these  dynamical  principles  that  we 
may  rest  the  assertion,  that  the  sun  cannot  continue,  for  an  indefinite  time,  to  emit 
the  same  quantity  of  heat  as  at  present,  unless  his  thermal  energy  be  renovated 
from  some  extraneous  source.  The  same  conclusion  may  be  applied  to  all  other 
bodies  "in  the  universe,  which,  like  our  sun,  may  be  centres  of  intense  heat ;  and 
hence,  recognizing  no  adequate  external  supplies  of  heat  to  renovate  these  existing 
centres  of  heat,  Prof.  Thomson  concludes  that  the  dispersion  of  heat,  and,  conse- 
quently, of  physical  energy,  from  the  sun  and  stars  into  surrounding  space,  with- 
out any  recognizable  means  of  reconcentration,  is  the  existing  order  of  nature.  In 
such  case,  the  heat  of  the  sun  must  ultimately  be  diminished,  and  the  physical  con- 
dition of  the  earth  therefore  altered,  in  a  degree  altogether  inconsistent  with  the 
theory  of  non-progression. 

If  we  are  to  found  our  theories  upon  our  knowledge,  and  net  npon  our  ignorance 
of  physical  causes  and  phenomena,  I  can  only  recognize,  in  the  existing  state  of 
things,  a  passing  phase  in  the  material  universe.  It  may  be  calculated  in  all,  and 
is  demonstmbly  so  in  some  respects,  to  endure  under  the  action  of  known  causes, 
for  an  inconceivable  period  of  time  ;  but  it  has  not,  I  think,  received  the  impress 
of  eternal  duration  in  characters  which  man  is  able  to  decipher.  The  external 
temperature  and  physical  conditions  of  our  own  globe  may  not,  and  probably  can- 
not, have  changed  in  any  considerable  degree  since  the  first  introduction  of  organic 
beings  on  its  surface  ;  but  I  can  still  only  recognize  in  its  physical  state,  during  all 
geological  periods,  a  state  of  actual  though  of  exceedingly  blow  progression,  from 
an  antecedent  to  some  ultimate  state,  on  the  nature  of  which  our  limited  powers 
will  not  enable  us  to  offer  any  conjecture  founded  on  physical  research.  The 
theories,  even,  of  which  I  have  been  speaking,  may  probably  appear  to  some 
persons  as  not  devoid  of  presumption  ;  but,  for  many  men,  they  will  ever  be  fraught 
with  deep  speculative  interest;  and,  let  me  add,  no  charge  of  presumption  can 
justly  lie  against  them,  if  entered  upon  with  that  caution  and  modesty  which  ought 
to  guide  our  inquiries  in  these  remote  regions  of  physical  science. 


INSTITUTION  OF  MECHANICAL  ENGINEERS. 
July  27,  1853. 

"  On  an  Improved   Governor  for  Steam   Engines,"  by  Sir.  C  W.  Siemens,  of 
London. 

"  On  Hollow  Railway  Axles,""  by  Mr.  J.  E.  M'Connell,  of  Wolverton. 

"On  an  Improved  Railway  Joint  Chair,"  by  Mr.  R.  S.  Nurris,  of  Warrington. 

MONTHLY  NOTES. 


RoTATonx  Firr-Grate. — The  very  elegant  grate  which  we  have  here  illus- 
trated, is  the  recently  patented  invention  of  Mr.  M.  S.  Kendrick  of  Birmingham. 
The  patent  embraces  the  making  a  grate  separate  from  the  back  of  the  fireplace; 


making  such  grates  portable  and  to  rotate;  making  the  back  of  the  fireplace, 
which  is  immediately  behind  the  grate,  of  a  concave  form,  and  with  a  reflecting 
surface ;  and  fitting  such  grates  in  stoves  for  use  with  portable  chimneys.  The 
actual  fuel-holder  is  ingeniously  made  in  the  form  of  a  vase  of  open  fretwork,  and 
its  base  is  furnished  with  a  short  vertical  stud  or  spindle,  on  which  it  has  liberty  to 


revolve  in  a  supporting  socket,  so  as  to  present  any  required  side  to  the  open  room 
The  concavity  of  the  grate  back  is  so  situated,  that  the  focal  line  is  coincident  with 
the  top  of  the  vase ;  it  may  either  be  of  fireclay,  earthenware,  or  cast-iron — glazing 
or  enamelling  being  resorted  to  when  cast-iron  is  not  used — so  that  the  heat  may 
be  properly  reflected.  The  smoke  passes  off  through  a  hole  in  the  back  of  the 
upper  part  of  the  concavity;  an  arrangement  which  improves  the  draught  very 
considerably,  as  the  tendency  to  rarefaction  of  the  air  immediately  in  the  neigh- 
bourhood of  the  concavity,  speedily  carries  off  sluggish  vapours.  Mr.  Kendrick 
also  shows  his  grate  as  adapted  for  public  buildings,  instead  of  a  stove.  The 
elegant  vase-holder  is  preserved  throughout  all  the  several  modification?. 

Little's  Cooking  Range. — A  very  efficient  apparatus,  suitable  either  as  a 
kitchen  range  or  a  ship's  galley,  has  recently  been  provisionally  protected  under 
the  new  law,  by  Mr.  John  Little  of  Glasgow.  It  consists  of  a  casing  of  cast  or 
wrought-iron,  lined  internally  with  fire  bricks  or  clay,  forming  the  oven  or  cooking 
chamber.  In  a  convenient  part  of  this  is  placed  the  fire-grate,  either  divided  off 
from  the  oven  by  a  partition  or  wire-screen,  or  entirely  left  open.  The  oven  is 
thus  heated  by  the  fire  being  inside,  or  partially  inside,  of  the  oven  or  cooking 
chamber.  The  casing  is  formed  with  a  double  top,  the  intervening  space,  forming 
the  flue  partitions,  being  so  placed  as  to  direct  the  heat  to  all  parts,  and  finally  to 
the  chimney,  situated  at  a  convenient  part  of  the  top  or  end  of  the  range,  which  is 
fitted  with  a  damper  in  the  usual  way ;  or  the  casing  may  have  only  a  single  top 
without  a  flue,  and  the  fire  may  have  only  one  part  or  the  whole  of  it  brought  into 
contact  with  the  oven.  The  fire  thus  placed  within,  or  partially  within,  the  oven 
or  cooking  chamber,  has  a  slide  to  lessen  the  heat  when  required,  or  to  protect  the 
oven  from  dust.  A  boiler,  or  hot  closet,  which  may  be  subdivided,  is  so  placed 
as  to  be  heated  either  from  the  flue  or  from  the  fire.  The  smoke  is  carried  off  by 
a  chimney,  a  damper  being  inserted  for  regulating  the  heat  in  the  usual  way. 

China  a  Field  for  British  Engineering. — What  a  country  for  railways, 
canals,  gas  companies,  water  companies,  and  all  sorts  of  investments  !  The  Chinese 
pay  most  admirably.  The  people  have  always  been  ready  to  adopt  whatever  improve- 
ments the  jenlousy  of  their  Tartar  rulers  permitted  them  to  import ;  and  it  appears, 
on  the  authority  of  Jesuit  and  other  writers  two  hundred  years  ago,  that  aversion  to 
change  is  not  an  original  element  of  the  Chinese  character.  We  shall  have  steamers 
without  end  on  the  great  rivers  before  long,  with  Chinese  engineers,  and  with 
Chinese  engines.  The  amount  of  internal  travelling  in  China  is  such,  that  we  are 
assured  by  those  who  have  managed  to  penetrate  into  the  interior,  that  there  are 
continuous  streams  of  travellers,  on  horse,  on  foot,  and  on  litters,  from  Canton  to 
the  great  wall,  some  fifteen  hundred  miles;  in  many  parts  so  crowded  as  to  impede 
one  another,  and  even  in  the  mountain  passes  so  numerous,  as  to  leave  no  traveller 
out  of  sight  of  others,  before  and  behind.  Among  these  are  long  lines  of  mer- 
chandise. What  a  case  of  railway  traffic !  Our  children  may  see  Chiua  as  much 
a  network  of  railways  as  England  itself. — Times. 

What  is  Coal? — The  Torbane  Hill  coal  estate,  in  Linlithgowshire,  will  long 
be  intimately  connected  with  this  question.  The  actual  details  of  the  extraordinary 
trial,  of  which  it  was  the  cause,  are,  in  themselves,  a  remarkable  subject  for  com- 
ment, quite  as  peculiar,  indeed,  as  the  primary  question  leading  to  the  contest. 
The  plaintiffs  in  the  case  were  the  Messrs.  Russell,  coalmasters,  of  Falkirk;  and 
the  defendants  were  Mr.  W.  Gillespie — the  inventor  of  the  *'  Inclinometer,"  illus- 
trated in  our  July  part — and  his  wife,  as  heiress  of  the  estate.  The  record  showed 
that,  by  a  contract  for  a  lease,  entered  into  in  1850,  it  was  agreed  that  the  plain- 
tiffs should  grant  to  the  defendants  a  lease  of  "the  whole  coal,  ironstone,  iron  ore, 
limestone,  and  fire-clay,  but  not  to  comprehend  copper  or  any  other  minerals"  in 
the  estate,  for  a  period  of  twenty-five  years,  at  certain  royalties  for  the  first  year, 
and  £300  a  year  or  the  royalties,  at  the  option  of  the  plaintiffs,  every  year  after- 
wards. The  defendants  were,  of  course,  to  incur  all  the  working  expenses;  no  fixed 
rent  being  exigible  for  the  first  year,  for  which  period  the  royalties  on  the  produce 
actually  raised  should  alone  be  paid.  But  when  coal  or  iron  was  found  in  a  pro- 
fitably workable  condition,  a  formal  lease  was  to  be  entered  into.  On  this  the 
defendants  entered,  and  are  still  in  possession;  but  no  formal  lease  has,  so  far,  been 
executed.  The  allegations  of  the  plaintiffs  were  to  the  effect,  that  although  coal, 
ironstone,  and  clay  had  been  met  with  in  workable  condition,  the  defendants  had 
confined  their  operations  to  the  working  of  an  argillaceous  bituminous  mineral, _ 
which  had  not  been  let  to  them,  and  formed  no  part  of  the  agreement.  Prior  to 
the  date  of  the  action,  19,000  tons,  of  22^  cwts.  to  the  ton,  of  such  mineral  had 
been  so  raised  and  disposed  of  as  "gas  coaL"  But  the  substance  in  question  was 
of  far  greater  value  than  ordinary  coal,  or  any  other  of  the  minerals  specified  in  the 
agreement;  nor  could  it  be  classed  as  coal,  its  chemical  and  mineralogical  constitu- 
tion and  qualities  being  essentially  unlike  those  of  common  coal.  That  prior  to 
the  agreement  no  such  substance  was  known,  and,  therefore,  that  the  plaintiffs 
could  not  have  let  a  mineral  of  which  they  had  no  cognisance.  For  the  defendants, 
it  was  alleged  that  they  had  entered  upon  the  land  with  the  view  of  finding  what 
is  known  as  "  Boghead  coal,"  believing  that  the  Torbane  Hill  strata  were  the  same 
as  on  the  adjoining  Boghead  estate.  That  the  mineral  which  they  had  met  with 
and  raised  was  really  of  a  class  similar  to  the  Boghead  mineral,  and,  consequently, 
that  they  had  only  raised  what  they  had  covenanted  to  pay  for.  The  important 
question  then  was,  whether  the  mineral  in  dispute  was  or  was  not  conl.  For  the 
plaintiffs,  Messrs.  Austen,  Anderson,  Brande,  Ro^e,  Dr.  Anderson,  Wilson,  Cooper, 
and  others,  were  examined  as  scientific  evidence.  For  the  defendants,  Messrs. 
Johnson,  Kamsay,  Hoffmann,  Fyfe,  Maclagan,  Gregory,  Frankhind,  Dickinson, 
and  others  appeared.  It  was  this  evidence  which  gave  so  peculiar  a  colour  to  the 
proceedings  We  never  read  anything  so  utterly  conflicting  as  the  analyses  and 
details  which  formed  the  cross-fire  between  the  two  bauds  of  witnesses.  After 
their  respective  statements  had  been  heard,  and  after  the  addresses  of  the  counsel 
on  both  sides,  the  Lord  Piesident  summed  up — if  an  attempted  digest  of  irrecon- 
cileable  statements  can  be  called  a  summing  up — saying  that  the  jury  were  to 


THE  PRACTICAL  MECHANIC'S  JOURNAL. 


173 


determine  whether  the  substance  in  question  fell  within  the  term  whole  coal  in  the 
demise,  for  it  was  not  pretended  that  it  came  within  any  other  terms  specified 
in  it.  On  the  one  side  there  were  four  geologists,  who  gave  it  as  their  opinion 
that  it  was  not  coal,  and  five  on  the  other  side  who  said  it  was  coal,  all  speaking 
with  perfect  sincerity,  according  to  what  they,  as  geologists,  classed  as  coal.  Men 
of  the  highest  reputation  in  geology  and  chemistry  had  been  examined,  but  they 
differed  very  much  in  opinion.  On  one  side  there  were  five  of  the  most  eminent 
chemists,  who  had  applied  all  their  skill  and  energy  to  find  ont  whether  it  was 
coal  or  not,  and  who  had  expressed  themselves  as  clearly  of  opinion  that  it  was  not 
coal,  while  ten,  equally  eminent,  on  the  other  side,  were  of  a  diametrically  opposite 
opinion.  Is  this  substance,  then,  a  coal  or  not,  in  the  ordinary  language  of  those 
who  deal  in  it,  and  of  the  country?  because,  to  find  a  scientific  definition  of  it, 
after  what  has  been  brought  to  light  for  the  last  five  days,  would  be,  he  said,  in- 
deed a  difficult  thing.  In  five  minutes  the  jury  returned  a  verdict  for  the  defen- 
dants, thus  establishing  that,  in  their  opinion,  the  mineral  was  really  coal.  That 
this  was  a  jnst  and  honest  verdict  we  fully  and  entirely  believe.  It  appears  to  us 
that  the  Torbine  mineral  is  simply  a  more  gaseous  kind  of  cannel  than  we  are 
accustomed  to  meet  with.  No  doubt  it  possesses  other  minor  peculiarities,  bat 
none  that  are  not  recoiicileable  with  the  assumption  that  the  stratum  is  simply 
coal  in  a  transitionary  stite.  The  most  that  can  reasonably  be  said  is,  that  a 
peculiar  and  unlooked-for  hardship  is  entailed  upon  the  unlucky  proprietor,  who  is 
receiving  a  few  pence  per  too  as  royalty  upon  what  sells  in  the  market  at  some- 
thing like  four  times  the  price  of  common  coal,  paying  a  similar  low  royalty.  But 
this  may  be  the  fate  of  any  speculation,  and  it  seems  a  pity  to  have  pursued  so 
desperate  a  course  as  the  attempted  proof  that  the  mineral  was  not  coal.  But 
what  are  we  to  think  of  the  unqualified  contradictions  of  the  leading  men  who 
furnished  the  scientific  evidence  ?  Does  that  chapter  of  the  trial's  history  read 
like  a  hint  that  mere  laboratory  experimentalists  are  of  little  avail  in  industrial 
practice;  that  theories  are  the  night  soap-bubbles  with  which  the  grown-up  chil- 
dren of  science  amuse  themselves,  or  does  it  suggest  something  worse? 

Reflecting  Fiee-Geates. — The  peculiar  form  of  domestic  fire-grate,  illus- 
trated in  the  accompanying  engravings,  is  the  invention  of  M.  Feret  of  Dieppe,  who 
has  devised  it  with  the  idea  that  the  actual  receptacle  of  the  burning  fuel  might  be 

Fig.  1.  Fig.  2, 


made  the  reflector  fur  directing  the  beat  into  the  apartment.  Fig.  1  is  a  Front 
view  of  such  a  grate  in  its  plainest  form,  and  fig.  2  is  a  transverse  section  to  cor- 
respond. The  fuel  rests  on  grate-bars,  a,  in  the  usual  manner,  these  bars  being 
set  in  the  reflector,  r,  which  may  be  made  up  of  right-lined  surfaces  ;  or  it  may  be 
a  hemispherical  or  differentially  curved  cavity,  the  smoke  and  heated  air  being 
directed  forward  along  the  upper  side  of  the  reflector,  towards  the  external  or  front 
surface  of  the  wall  in  which  the  grate  is  placed.  Thence  the  current  passes 
directly  upwards  through  the  thoroughfare,  c,  and  proceeds  to  the  flue.  Such  a 
shape  might  possibly  have  some  effect  where  a  very  bright,  clear,  burning  fuel  is 
used;  and  in  sunny  France,  the  brisk  wood  fires  would  not,  perhaps,  have  a  very 
severe  sullying  effect  upon  the  original  brilliancy  of  the  mirror-like  reflector.  But  in 
our  dark  country  of  coal,  the  carbonaceous  deposits  would  soon  rob  it  of  all  power 
of  heat  reflection. 

Manufacture  of  "  Fly  frs."— Onions  v.  Crowley:  Action  for  In- 
fringement.— This  action,  tried  at  the  South  Lancashire  Summer  Assizes,  was  for 
the  recovery  of  damages  for  an  alleged  infringement  of  a  patent,  obtained  by  Mr. 
Onions  in  1851,  for  the  manufacture  of  fivers  from  cast-iron,  subsequently  an- 
nealed. A  considerable  amount  of  evidence  was  adduced  on  both  sides ;  and, 
amongst  the  rest,  Mr.  Fletcher's  patent  of  1845,  for  "  casting  flyers  of  malleable 
iron  and  other  metals,"  was  quoted.  On  this  Mr.  Webster,  for  the  plaintiff,  com- 
mented on  what  he  called  the  absurdity  of  "  casting  malleable  iron."  This  was  a 
sad  betrayal  of  a  lack  of  workshop  knowledge  on  the  part  of  the  learned  counsel. 
The  terms  "ca«t  malleable,"  or  "malleable  cast"  iron,  are  well  understood  terms 
in  the  vocabularies  of  old  mechanics — meaning  nothing  more  nor  less  than  an- 
nealed cast-iron.  The  defendant's  evidence  went  to  show  the  total  absence  of  novelty 
in  the  matter;  and  the  jury  took  this  view  of  it,  by  finding  fur  the  defendant. 

Bbbdaji's  Gold  Ore  Pulveriser  and  Amalgamator. — A  novel  contribu- 
tion to  an  already  long  list  of  gold-working  machinery  has  ju.st  made  its  appearance 
in  this  country,  under  tl»e  au-pices  of  its  inventor,  Mr.  Berdan,  of  the  Novelty  Iron 
Works,  New  York.  The  contrivance  is  the  re-sult  of  long  and  deep  coi^sideration 
of  a  difficult  subject,  Mr.  Berdan  having  actually  commissioned  two  engineers  to 


proceed  to  California,  and  there  witness  the  realities  of  the  case,  and  bring  back 
material  ideas  on  which  to  devise  an  efficient  machine  for  pulverising,  washing,  and 
amalgamating.  The  pulverising  process  is  effected  in  a  large  hemispherical  iron 
vessel,  rotating  on  an  inclined  spindle,  and  having  within  it  a  weighty  iron  sphere, 
connected  by  a  pivot  and  bearings  set  in  an  inclined  position  loose  upon  the  central 
spindle  of  the  basin,  in  such  a  manner  that  its  gravity  causes  it  constantly  to 
maintain  the  lowest  possible  position  in  the  bas-in,  whilst  its  axis  of  rotation, 
owing  to  the  pivot  connection,  is  inclined  to  that  of  the  basin.  And  although  its 
motion  is  due  to  that  of  the  latter,  it  is  not  a  mere  rolling,  but  a  species  of  spiral 
rubbing  action,  which  is  found  to  be  very  effective  in  reducing  the  ore.  The  basin 
is  made  to  revolve  by  suitable  gearing,  a  ring  of  teeth  being  cast  or  fitted  on  the 
outside  of  it  for  this  purpose.  A  quantity  of  mercury  lies  in  the  bottom  of  the 
basin,  and  the  ore  is  reduced  to  powder  entirely  beneath  its  surface,  so  that  the 
particles  of  gold  are  brought  into  immediate  contact  with  the  mercury,  whilst  the 
earthy  matter  rises  to  the  surface,  and  is  washed  away  by  water  running  through 
the  basin,  and  kept  in  a  constant  state  of  agitation  by  the  motion  of  the  latter. 
As  heat  considerably  strengthens  the  affinity  of  the  mercury  for  the  gold,  a  furnace 
is  employed  in  connection  with  the  apparatus.  This  is  of  a  conical  shape,  and 
rests  by  its  lower  smaller  end  on  a  collar  upon  the  basin  spindle,  just  above  the 
step.  This  machine  is  so  vast  an  improvement  upon  those  previously  employed, 
that  whilst  they  only  extracted  from  30  to  40  per  cent,  of  the  gold  in  a  given 
quantity  of  quartz,  the  most  searching  chemical  analysis  has  been  unable  to  detect 
any  gold  remaining  in  the  "tailings,"  or  worked  matter,  from  Mr.  Berdan's 
machines,  and  these  are,  moreover,  very  profitably  employed  in  reworking  the 
tailings  from  other  machines.  In  fact,  in  the  words  of  an  American  contemporary, 
the  yield  of  the  gold  regions  may  be  considered  as  more  than  doubled  by  this 
machine. 

Lawson's  Comeing-Gill  Drawing  Frame. — The  flax  machine  to  which  we 
have  given  this  name,  is  the  invention  of  Mr.  Edward  Lawson,  the  machinist,  of 
Leeds.  It  consists  of  the  combination  of  what  is  known  as  "Heilmaun's  combing 
machine,"  with  the  "screw-gill,"  or  "circular-gill,"  drawing  head.  Instead  of 
taking  the  combed  flax  sliver  as  it  comes  from  the  machine,  and  putting  it  at 
this  stage  into  a  can,  or  winding  it  upon  a  bobbin,  Mr.  Lawson  takes  the  sliver 
from  each  head,  and  passes  them  at  once  through  the  screw  or  circular-gill  draw- 
ing frame,  collectively.  By  this  treatment,  the  sliver  is  rendered  more  even,  and 
it  holds  together  much  better  than  the  undrawn  sliver.  The  drawing  head  is 
placed  in  the  position  occupied  by  the  last  delivery  rollers,  and  is  driven  by  the 
same  shaft,  or  by  gearing  from  the  main  shaft ;  the  speed  being  of  course 
arranged  so,  that  the  drawing  apparatus  shall  take  up  the  sliver  as  fust  as  it  is 
delivered  by  the  operating  rollers. 

Composite  Driving  Bands  for  Machinery. — Mr.  TV.  Paton,  a  rope  manu- 
facturer of  Johnstone,  is  now  making  what  we  have  termed  "  composite  driving 
bands,"  made  up  of  a  series  of  cotton  bands  or  cords,  to  work  as  a  substitute  for 
the  common  leather  or  gutta  perch  a  bands,  at  present  employed  for  all  kinds  of 
pulley  gearing.  He  takes  the  common  cylindrical  cotton  banding,  such  as  is  used 
for  the  various  drum  and  spindle  movements  in  cotton-mills,  and  sews  or  other- 
wise attaches  several  parallel  lengths  of  this  material  together,  so  as  to  produce  a 
flat  driving  band,  resembling  the  ordinary  flat  ropes  for  mining  purposes.  Various 
classes  of  simple  banding  or  cordage  may  be  used  as  the  nucleus  from  which  to 
make  these  composite  bands,  but  the  common  cotton-mill  banding  is  preferable,  as 
well  for  its  cheapness  as  its  efficient  driving  action.  The  round  strands,  when 
fastened  together  side  by  side  as  we  have  described,  are  rolled  flat,  giving  to  the 
finished  band  a  transverse  section,  resembling  that  of  the  common  leather  strap. 

Equilibrated  Ships' Tables. — A  curious  contrivance  has  been  lately  patented 
by  Mr.  John  Sayers,  of  Poplar,  in  connection  with  ship  furniture,  such  as  tables, 
and  apparatus  for  supporting  loose  articles.  With  an  ordinary  table,  the  sea-going 
passenger  constantly  runs  the  risk  of  unshipping  his  teacup,  or  losing  sight  of 
his  newly-charged  cover  at  the  dinner-table,  from  the  lurching  of  the  vessel.  Mr. 
Sayers  mitigates  this  evil,  by  arranging  his  tables  so  that  their  supporting  surfaces 
shall  always  maintain  their  horizontal  level.  Fig.  1  of  our  engravings  represents 
an  end  view  of  a  ship's  dining-table,  so  fitted  as  placed  fore  and  aft ;  and  fig.  2  is 

Fig.  1.  Fig.  2. 


a  transverse  section  of  the  table  disposed  athwart  ship.  At  a  are  small  tables,  or 
platforms,  supported  at  each  end  on  hinge  joints,  B,  attached  to  the  table  framing ; 
and  to  the  undersides  of  these  tables,  a,  are  attached  the  vertical  pieces,  C,  sliding 
freely  through  boles  in  the  fixed  top  of  the  table  framing,  and  resting  on  the  ends 
of  the  angular  suspension  pieces,  d,  beneath.  These  suspension  pieces  are  carried 
on  hinge  pieces,  E,  fast  to  the  under  side  of  the  ordinary  table  top.  From  the 
centre  of  the  suspension  pieces,  d,  arms,  F,  project  downwards  to  carry  the  weight, 
G.  It  is  evident  that  the  surfaces,  a,  which  are  the  supporting  platforms  for  the 
loose  articles  in  u*e,  are  thus  ke|<t  at  their  exact  level  under  all  circumstances  of 
the  ship's  motion,  just  as  the  common  lamp  or  compass  is  sustained  upon  its  univer- 
sal joint. 


174 


THE  PRACTICAL  MECHANIC'S  JOURNAL. 


Consolidated  Soda  Water. — A  curiosity  in  saline  drinks — termed  by  the 
inventor,  M.  Lamplouj;h,  the  consulting  chemist  of  Mecklenburg  Terrace,  Gray's 
Inn  Road,  "  consolidated  soda  water" — has  just  made  its  appearance.  Aerated, 
or  gassed,  water  is  common  enough,  but  not  so  real  soda  water.  51.  Lamplough, 
however,  now  gives  us  the  true  article,  in  the  very  portable  condition  of  a  ready- 
prepared  powder,  from  which  we  cau  always  obtain  an  "effervescing  pyretic  saline" 
draught  of  unvarying  quality.  A  small  bottle,  with  a  cork-fitted  stopper,  holds 
twenty-four  such  draughts,  in  the  shape  of  a  powder,  a  teaspoonful  of  which, 
mingled  in  a  glass  of  water,  disengages  a  greater  amount  of  carbonic  acid  gas  than 
is  producible  by  any  ordinary  means.  The  powder  is,  indeed,  carbonic  acid  gas 
solidified,  a  substance  being  added  for  the  perfect  preservation  of  the  gas.  So  con- 
venient a  means  of  obtaining  a  cool  effervescing  fluid  carries  its  own  recommenda- 
tion with  it. 

PROVISIONAL  PROTECTIONS  FOR  INVENTIONS 

UNDER  THE  PATENT  LAW  AMENDMENT  ACT. 

(gf  When  the  city  or  town  is  not  mentioned,  London  is  to  be  understood. 

Recorded  March  26. 

727.  Alexander  Prince,  4  Trafalgar-square,  Charing-cross— Improvements  in  carriages. 

— (Communication.) 

Recorded  May  18. 
1219.  George  Underwood,  Stichill,  Roxburghshire — Improvements  in  preparations  from 

sulphate  of  iron,  to  be  employed  as  medicines. 

Recorded  May  26. 

1290.  Edward  White,  Ipswich,  Suffolk — Improvements  in  arrangements  for  supplying 
water  to  towns  and  other  places. 

Recorded  May  28. 

1314.  George  Harriott,  Islingham,  Frindsbury — Improvements  in  agricultural  imple- 
ments employed  in  crushing  and  rolling  land,  and  in  frames  for  the  name. 

1324.  John  II.  Johnson,  47  Lincoln's-inn-fields,  and  Glasgow — Improvements  in  remov- 
ing the  gummy  or  glutinous  matter  from  textile  and  other  materials.— (Commu- 
nication from  Messrs.  Alcan  and  Limet,  Paris.) 

Recorded  May  31. 
1337.  Hesketh  Hughes  and  William  T.  Denham,  Cottage-place,  City-road— Improvements 
in  pianofortes. 

Recorded  July  13. 
1667.  Arnold  Morton,  Cockerill's-buildings,  Bartholomew-close  —  Improvements  in  the 
manufacture  of  paints,  pigments,  and  materials  for  house  painting,  paper  stain- 
ing, and  decorative  purposes  generally. 

Recorded  July  15. 
1697.  William  E.  Newton,  66  Chancery-lane — Improvements  in  machinery  or  apparatus 
for  digging,  excavating,  or  removing  earth.— (Communication.) 

Recorded  July  18. 

1710.  Samuel  Perks,  1  Walbrook— Improvements  in  the  construction  of  portable  metallic 
folding  bedsteads,  chair-bedsteads,  chairs,  sofas,  couches,  settees,  and  such  like 
articles  for  the  use  of  emigrants  and  others,  and  part  of  which  improvements  are 
applicable  to  ordinary  bedsteads,  sofas,  couches,  chairs,  and  such  like  articles  in 
general. 

Recorded  July  21. 

1723.  John  Lilley,  Thingwall,  Chester— Invention  for  separating  the  refuse  vegetable 
matter  contained  in  the  stalk  and  leaves  of  the  plantain  species,  and  also  trees 
grown  in  tropical  climates  from  the  fibrous  material  of  the  sr.me,  in  order  that 
the  latter  may  be  manufactured  into  ropes  or  cordage,  and  for  other  purposes,  for 
which  hemp  and  flax  are  used. 

Recorded  July  26. 

1750.  Charles  F.  Speiker,  New  York — Improvements  in  generating  and  fixing  ammonia. 

Recorded  August  1, 

1788.  John  Smeeton,  Limehou.se,  Middlesex  —  Improvempnts  in  the  manufacture  of 
tablets  and  dial-plates,  applicable  to  showing  the  distances  of  carriages  travel- 
ling, barometers,  compasses,  and  time-pieces. 

Recorded  August  2. 
1801.  John  Griffiths,  Stepaside,  Saunderfoot,  near  Tenby,  Pembroke— Certain  improve- 
ments in  steam-engines. 

1803.  William  L.  Anderson,  Norwood,  Surrey — An  improved  propeller,  and  method  of 

driving  the  same. 

1804.  William  H.  Clarke,  20  Great  Marlbnrongh-street— Improvements  in  the  manufac- 

ture of  a  composition  resembling  papier  mache'  and  carton  pierre,  and  applicable 
to  the  same  purposes  to  which  papier  mache  and  carton  pierre  are  applied,  parts 
of  which  invention  may  also  be  applied  to  the  construction  of  ships  and  boats, 
and  rooting.— (Communication.) 

1805.  Antnine  J.  Quiuche,  Paris,  and  16  Castle-street,  Holborn — An  improved  apparatus 

for  measuring  distances  travelled  over  by  vehicles. 

1808.  Matthias  E.  Boura,  Crayford,  Kent—Improvements  in  supplying  ships  or  other 

vessels  with  water,  air,  or  ballast. 

1809.  George  Richardson,  Gutter-lane,  Cheapside — Improvements  in  stoves  for  warming 

or  heating  buildings. 

Recorded  August  3. 

1810.  Thomas  Atkins,  Oxford— Improvements  in  transmitting  power  and  communicating 

motion  to  agricultural  implements. 

1811.  Joseph  C.  Daniell,  Bath — An  improvement  or  improvements  in  preparing  food  and 

litter  for  cattle,  pigs,  and  other  animals. 

1812.  John  Slack,  Manchester— Improvements  in  reeds  for  looms. 

1813.  William  E.  Newton,  Chancery-lane— Improved  machinery  for  cutting  card-board, 

paper,  and  other  similar  materials. — (Communication.) 
1S15.  William  S.  Roden  and  William  Thomas,  Ebbw  Iron  Works,  Monmouth— Improve- 
ments in  rolling  metals. 

1816.  John  Macintosh,  Pall-mall— Improvements  in  the  construction  of  bridges  viaducts, 

and  other  like  structures. 

1817.  Aristide  M.  Servan,  8  Philpot-lane-  Improvements  in  the  manufacture  of  soap. 

1818.  James  Billings,  8  Luton-place,  George-street,  Greenwich— Improvements  in  roofing 

buildings. 

1819.  John  dimming,  Glasgow— Improvements  in  printing  shawls,  handkerchiefs,  piece 

goods,  paper-hangings,  and  similar  materials,  and  in  the  apparatus  connected 
therewith. 


Recorded  August  4. 

1820.  William  Hickson,  Carlisle— Improvements  in  canal  and  river  navigation,  and  in 

vessels  to  be  used  in  such  navigation,  and  in  the  mode  of  propelling  the  same. 

1821.  Charles  H.  Snell,  Triangle,  Hackney — Improvements  in  the  manufactifre  of  soap. 

1822.  George  Armitage,  Bradford— Improvements  in  the  construction  of  presses, 

1823.  Charles  B.  Clough,  Tyddyn,  Flint — Improvements  in  machinery  or  apparatus  for 

washing,  scouring,  cleansing,  or  steaming  woven  fabrics,  either  in  the  piece  or 
garment,  also  felts  or  fibrous  substances,  and  corn,  roots,  seeds,  or  similar  matters. 

1824.  Richard  B.  Roden,  Abersycham  lion  Works,  near  Newport,  Monmouthshire— Im- 

provements in  rolling  iron  and  all  other  malleable  metals  and  alloys. 

1825.  Thomas  Moss,  24  Gainford-street,  Islington — Improvements  in  printing  bank  notes, 

cheques,  bills  of  exchange,  and  other  documeuts  requiring  like  security  against 
being  copied. 

1826.  Barthelemy  Louis  Frangois  Xavier  Fle*chelle,  Paris — Certain  improvements  in  the 

means  of  carrying,  bedding,  and  bathing  the  injured,  ill,  or  invalid  persons. 

1827.  George  F.  Wilson,  Belmont,  Vauxhall,  and  Alexander  I.  Austen,  Trinity-place, 

Wandswortli-road — Improvements  in  the  apparatus  used  in  the  manufacture  of 
mould  candles. 

Recorded  August  5. 

1828.  Joseph  Lallemand,  Besangon,  France— Invention  of  the  manufacture  of  paper  from 

peat 

1829.  William  Smith  and  Thomas  Philips,  Snow-hill,  Middlesex— An  improved  boiler. 

1830.  Richard  Peters,  Southwark — An  apparatus  or  machine  for  ascertaining  the  distance 

traversed  by  cabs  and  other  vehicles. 

1832.  Edward  T.  Bellhouse,  Eagle  Foundry,  Manchester — Improvements  in  fire-proof 

structures. 

1833.  William  Garforth  and  James  Garforth,  Dukinfield,  Chester— Improvements  in 

machinery  or  apparatus  for  manufacturing  bricks. 

1834.  Robert  Hunt,  Cottage-place,  Greenwich — An  improved  tile,  and  an  improved 

method  of  making  tiles. 

1835.  James  L.  Norton,  8  Holland-street,  Blackfriars — Improvements  in   obtaining  wool 

from  fabrics  in  a  condition  to  be  again  used. 

1836.  William  E.  Newton,  66  Chancery-lane— Improvements  in  the  process  of  coating 

cast-iron  with  other  metals,  and  the  alloys  of  other  metals.— (Communication.) 

Recorded  August  6. 

1837.  Martin  Z.  Just,  Manchester— Improvements  in  machinery  in  hulling  and  dressing 

paddy  or  rice. — (Communication.) 

1838.  John  Hughes,  34  Great  George-street — Improvements  in  building  or  forming  struc- 

tures under  water,  or  below  the  surface  of  the  ground. 

1839.  John  Marten,  High-street,  Marylebone — An  improved  shade  for  gas-burners  and 

lamps. 

1840.  Auguste  E.  Loradoux  Bellford,  16  Castle-street,  Holborn— Improvements  in  the 

combination  of  glass  with  iron  or  other  metals,  to  serve  for  the  construction  of 
flocrs,  walls,  roofs,  or. parts  thereof,  or  of  windows  for  buildings,  and  also  of  trans- 
lucent pavements,  lights  for  subterranean  apartments,  and  for  any  purpose  for 
which  a  translucent  medium  possessing  great  strength  is  desirable.— (Commuui- 
cation.) 

1841.  Richard  B.  Martin,  Suffolk-street,  Haymarket — An  improved  plate-warmer. 

1842.  Henry  Southan,  Gloucester— Improvements  in  ploughs. 

1843.  Robert  Morrison,  Newcastle-upon-Tyne— Improvements  in  apparatus  for  forging, 

shaping,  and  crushing  iron  and  other  materials,  and  for  driving  piles. 

1844.  Peter  A.  Ie  Comte  de  Fontaine  Moreau,  4  South-street,  Fiusbuiy,  and  Paris— Im- 

provements in  transmitting  power.— -{Communication.) 

1845.  John  Green,  10  Queenhithe — Improvements  in  printing  machinery. — (Communica- 

tion.) 

Recorded  August  8. 

1846.  Richard  Christy  and  John  Knowles,  Fairfield,  Lancashire — Improvements  in  the 

manufacture  of  terry  cloth,  or  other  woven  fabrics  having  looped  surfaces,  and 
in  the  machinery  or  apparatus  connected  therewith. 

1847.  William  E.  Newton,  66  Chancery-lane — Improvements  in  horse-shoes. — (Commu- 

nication.) 

1848.  William  Hickson,  Carlisle— Improvements  in  the  application  of  heat  for  baking 

and  drying  purposes,  and  in  the  generation  of  steam. 

1849.  Moses  Poole,  Avenue-road,  Regent's-park — Improvements  in  regulating  the  flow  and 

pressure  of  gas  and  othy  fluids. — (Communication.) 

Recorded  August  9. 

1850.  Thomas  Y.  Hall,  Newcastle-upon-Tyne — Improvements  in  combining  glass  with 

other  materials. 
1852.  William  Rowan,  of  John  Rowan  &  Sons,  Belfast — Improvements  in  looms  for  weav- 
ing, and  apparatus  connected  therewith. 

1854.  Louis  II.  Bruck,  Mark-lane — Improvements  in  the  construction  of  tunnels,  sewers, 

drains,  pipes,  tubes,  channels,  and  other  like  conduits,  for  hydraulic  or  pneuma- 
tic purposes. 

1855.  William  Baines,  Coverdale-terrace,  near  Birmingham — Improvements  in  railways. 

Recorded  August  10. 

1856.  Henry  Peters,  Birmingham  — Improvements  in  pens  and  penholders. 

1857.  George  Parsons,  West  Lambrook — Improvements  in  steam-engines  and  boilers. 

1858.  James  Burden,  Stirling— An  improved  cock  or  tap. 

1859.  John  G.  Taylor,  Glasgow— Improvements  in  desks,  work  boxes,  dressing  cases,  tea 

caddies,  and  similar  articles,  and  in  the  arrangements  and  fittings  thereof. 

1860.  Jean  P.  A.  Galibert,  Paris,  and  4  Trafalgar-square — An  improved  domestic  tele- 

graph. 

1862.  Thomas  MacSweny,  America- square — Improvements  in  the  construction  of  ships 

and  vessels. 

Recorded  August  11. 

1863.  Samuel  Hall,  16  Chadwell-street,  Pentonville— Improvements  in  furnaces. 

1865.  David  Mushet,  Coleford,  Gloucestershire,  and  Edwin  Whele,  Shiffual,  Salop— Im- 
provements in  propelling  steam  vessels  or  other  vessels. 
1S66.  John  Rnsbbury,  Wolverhampton,  Stafford— A  new  or  improved  lock. 

1867.  Joseph  B.  Finnemore,  Easy-row,  Birmingham,  and  Edwin  D.  Chattaway,  Camden- 

street,  Birmingham — Improvements  in  apparatus  for  ascertaining  or  registering 
the  number  of  persons  travelling  by  omnibuses  or  other  vehicles,  or  who  may 
have  entered  in,  or  passed  by  out  of,  or  through  any  particular  place,  vehicles, 
or  bui  Iding.  during  any  given  period. 

1868.  Thomas  Dewsnup,  Manchester — Improvements  in  obtaining  motive  power. 

1869.  Thomas  K.  Hall,  Crewe— Certain  improvements  in  forge  hammers. 

1870.  Richard  F.  Brand,  Willow-walk,  Bermondsey— Certain  improvements  in  fire-arms 

and  ordnance. 

1871.  .Henry  P.  Stephenson,  Thurloe- place,  West  Bromp ton — Improvements  in  the  con- 

struction of  suspension  bridges. 

1872.  Henry  M.  Naylor,  111  Montpelier-row,  Bloomshury,  Birmingham — Improvements 

in  affixing  postage  and  other  stamps. 

1873.  John  D.  Dunnicliffe,  Hyson-grcen,  and  John  W.  Bagley,  Radford,  Nottinghamshire 

—Improvements  in  the  manufacture  of  lace  fabrics. 

1874.  George  Deards,  Harlow,  Essex — Improvements  in  lamps. 


THE  PKACTICAL  MECHANIC'S  JOURNAL. 


175 


1575.  Thomas  F.  Newell,  Cloak-lane,  Queen-street,  Cheapside— Improvements  in  machin- 

ery for  numbering  the  pages  of  books  and  documents. — (Communication.) 

1576.  "William  Longmaid,  Beaumont-square,  Mile-end — Improvements  in  the  manufac- 

ture of  manure. 

1577.  Hugh  L.  Pattison,  Scots  House,  near  West  Boldon,  Gateshead— Improvements  in 

the  recovery  of  sulphur  from  alkali  waste. 

Recorded  August  12. 

1S7S.  Samuel  Adams,  West  Bromwich,  Staffordshire — A  new  or  improved  apparatus  for 
regulating  the  supply  of  water  to  steam  and  other  boilers,  applicable  also  to  re- 
gulating the  supply  of  liquids  to  vessels  and  reservoirs  in  general. 

1S79.  Louis  Y.  Caneghem,  6  Conduit-street,  Regent-street,  and  Paris — Improvements  in 
fastening  corsets  by  a  mechanical  busk. 

1550.  James  Strong,  Smethwick,  Staffordshire— Improvements  in  furnaces  for  smelting 

ironstones  and  ores. 

1551.  Thomas  Turner  and  John  F.  Swinburn,  Birmingham — Improvements  in  sights  for 

rifles. 

1552.  Edward  Lavender  and  Robert  Lavender,  Deptford— An  improved  apparatus  for 

preparing  the  materials  employed  in  the  manufacture  of  certain  composition  fire- 
lighters. 

1553.  Read  Holliday,  Huddersfield — Improvements  in  lamps,  and  in  lanterns  used  there- 

with. 

1554.  Richard  A.  Brooman,  166  Fleet-street— Improvements  in  the  manufacture  of  fuel. 

— (Communication .) 

1555.  Richard  A.  Brooman,  IBS  Fleet-street — Certain  new  compounds,  which  may  be 

employed  for  mouldings,  frames,  and  many  purposes  to  which  wood,  papier 
mache\,  plaster,  gutta  percha,  and  other  like  substances  are  applicable. — (Commu- 
nication.) 

1556.  Richard  A.  Brooman,  166  Fleet-street — A  method  of  obtaining  impressions  from 

dies,  and  other  engraved  and  figured  surfaces,  by  stamping  or  pressure. — (Com- 
munication.) 

1557.  Richard  A.  Brooman,  166  Fleet-street— A  method  of  producing  castings  in  mal- 

leable iron. — (Communication.) 
1SS9.  Thomas  Allan,  Adel phi- terrace,  Westminster— Improvements  in  electric  conduc- 
tors, and  in  the  means  of  insulating  electric  conductors. 

1590.  William  L.  Tizard,  Aldgate — Improvements  in  the  construction  of  thermometers 

and  other  like  indicators. 

1591.  William  Aldred,  Manchester,  Richard  Fenton,  Prestwich,  and  William  Crone, 

Salford,  Lancashire — Certain  improvements  in   separating  or  recovering  the 

wool  from  cotton  and  woollen,  or  other  similar  mixed  fabrics,  whereby  the  wool 

is  rendered  capable  of  being  again  employed. 
1893.  Horatio  Wareham,  Fenton,  Staffordshire — Certain  improvements  in  inlaying  or 

ornamenting  earthenware  vessels. 
1991.  Robert  S.  Bartleet,  Redditch,  Worcestershire — Improvements  in  apparatus  used 

in  sewing. 

Recorded  August  13. 

1S95.  Frederick  Lipscombe,  Strand— Improvements  in  evaporating. 

1896.  John  C.  Boond,  Manchester— Certain  improvements  in  Jacquard  apparatus. 

1897.  John  Perkins,  Manchester — Improvements  in  the  manufacture  of  oils. 

1898.  George  Peel,  Manchester,  and  Robert  Brownhill,  same  place — Improvements  in 

air-pump  buckets,  and  in  valves  for  steam-engines  and  other  purposes. 

1899.  Chandos  W.  Hoskyns,  Wroxhall,  Warwickshire — Improvements  in  the  application 

of  steam  to  cultivation. 

1901.  John  Gwynne,  Essex-wharf,  Essex-street,  Strand,  and  James  E.  A.  Gwynne,  same 

plaee — Improvements  in  the  preparation  or  manufacture  of  fuel. 

1902.  John  Gwynne,  Essex-wharf,  Essex-street,  Strand,  and  James  E.  A.  Gwynne,  same 

place — Improvements  in  the  preparation  of  beet-root,  for  the  manufacture  of 
sugar,  which  improvements  are  also  applicable  to  the  preparation  of  other 
vegetables. 

1903.  John  H.  Johnson,  47  Lincoln's-inn-fields,  and  Glasgow— Improvements  in  dyeing, 

or  colouring  textile  fabrics  and  materials,  and  in  the  machinery  or  apparatus 
connected  therewith.— (A  communication  from  Emile  Weber,  Mulhouse,  France.) 

1904.  John  H.  Johnson,  47  Lincoln's-inn-fields,  and  Glasgow— Improvements  in  the 

manufacture  or  treatment  of  gutta  percha,  and  in  the  application  thereof. — (Com- 
munication from  Louis  F.  A.  Deseille,  Paris.) 
19^5.  Edward  J.  Scott,  Glasgow — Improvements  in  the  manufacture  of  boots  and  shoes. 

1906.  Hesketh  Hughes,  Cottage-place — Improved  method  of  producing  cut  and  fancy 

patterns  in  velvets,  silks,  and  other  textile  fabrics. 

Recorded  August  15. 

1907.  Joseph  L.  Talabot,  Paris,  and  John  D.  M.  Stirling,  Larches,  near  Birmingham — 

Improvements  in  the  manufacture  of  cast-steel. 

1905.  Alexander  Dalgety,  Florence-road,  Deptford— Improvements  in  rotatory  steam- 

engines. 

1909.  George  E.  Dering,  Lockleys — Improvements  in  electric  telegraphs. 

1910.  Archibald  Douglass,  Norwich— Improved  machinery  for  stitching,  backstitching, 

and  running. 

1911.  Richard  A.  Brooman,  166  Fleet-street — A  method  of,  and  machinery  for,  reducing 

wood  and  other  vegetable  fibres  to  pulp,  applicable  to  the  manufacture  of  paper, 
pasteboard,  millboard,  papier  mach^,  mouldings,  and  other  like  purposes. — (Com- 
munication.) 

Recorded  August  16. 

1912.  James  Stewart,  St.  Paul's-road,  Cambden-square — Improvements  in  piano-fortes. 

1913.  Benjamin  Rankin,  College-street,  Islington—  Improvements  in  propelling  vessels. 

1914.  Edward  Finch,  Bridge-works,  Chepstow,  and  Charles  Lamport,  Workington— Im- 

provements in  the  masts  and  rigging  of  ships. 

1915.  Joseph  Martin,  Liverpool— Improvements  in  mills  for  grinding  corn  and  other 

grain. 

1916.  John  Atherton,  Preston,  and  James  Abbott,  Accrington — Certain  improvements 

in  and  applicable  to  machines  for  winding  yarn  or  thread,  called  winding  ma- 
chines, used  in  the  manufacture  of  cotton  and  other  fibrous  substances. 

1917.  Peter  Foxcroft,  Salford— Certain  improvements  in  machinery  or  apparatus  for 

doubling  cotton  and  other  fibrous  materials. 

1918.  George  Richardson,  Shoreditch — Improvements  in  railway  signals,  and  in  the 

means  of  preventing  accidents  upon  railways,  and  in  the  apparatus  connected 
therewith. 

1919.  William  Hunt,  Leebrook  Chemical  Works,  near  Wednesbury,  Stafford— Certain 

improvements  in  manufacturing  sulphuric  acid. 

1920.  Alfred  V,  Newton,  66  Chancery-lane — Improvements  in  the  distillation  and  puri- 

fication of  rosin  oil. — (Communication.) 

Recorded  August  17. 

1921.  John  Heritage,  Warwick — An  improvement  in  the  manufacture  of  bricks,  pipes, 

tiles,  coping,  and  snch  other  articles  as  are  or  may  be  moulded  in  clay. 
19*22.  Samuel  Perkes,  1  Walbrook— Improvements  in  the  construction  of  cocks,  and  such 

like  articles. — (Communication.) 
1924.  Thomas  C.  Ogden,  Manchester,  and  William  Gibson,  same  place — Improvements 

in  machinery  or  apparatus  for  preparing,  doubling,  and  twisting  cotton  and 

other  fibrous  materials. 


1925.  Thomas  Kirkwood,  Edinburgh — Improvements  applicable  to  ventilation  and  other 

purposes. 
1927.  George  L.  Fuller,  13  St.  Mary's-road,  Peckhara — Improvements  in  steam-engines. 
192S.  Joseph  H.  Mortimer,  1  Chester-place,  Old  Kent-road — Improvements  in  lamps. 

Recorded  August  18. 

1929.  Robert  Clough,  Liverpool— Improvements  in  the  construction  of  ships  and  other 

vessels. 

1930.  David  Chalmers,  Manchester — Improvements  in  machinery  or  apparatus  for  cut- 

ting the  pile  of  woven  fabrics. 

1931.  David  Harkes,   Mere,  Chester  — Improvements  in  machinery  or  apparatus  for 

mowing,  reaping,  or  other  similar  purposes. 

1932.  Alexis  Pige,  Greek-street,  Soho — Improvements  in  locks,  and  their  keys. — (Com- 

munication.) 

1933.  William  Symes,  Pimlico — An  improved  fruit-cleaning  machine. 

1934.  Jean  Larmanjat,  Paris,  and  16  Castle-street,  Holborn — Certain  improvements  in 

obtaining  motive  power. 

1935.  Peter  Fairbaim,  Leeds — Certain  improvements  in  heckling  machines. 

1936.  William    Curtain,  Retreat-place,   Homerton — Improved   machinery  for  printing 

textile  fabrics,  oil-cloths,  leather,  paper-hangings,  and  other  similar  fabrics  or 
materials. 

1937.  William  Cornelius,  Panton-street,  Haymarket— Improvements  in  gilding  porcelain, 

glass,  and  such  like  materials.— (Communication.) 

1938.  Auguste  M.  M.  de  Bergevin,  Paris — Improvements  in  the  manufacture  of  coke, 

and  in  the  apparatus  connected  therewith,  and  in  treating  the  products  obtained 
therefrom. — (Communication  from  Monsieur  G.  L.  E.  Buran,  Paris.) 

1939.  Thomas    Hughes,    Birmingham — Improvement   or   improvements   applicable  to 

writing-slates,  pocket  and  memorandum  hooks,  and  other  such  like  articles. 

Recorded  August  19. 

1940.  Frederick  W.  A.de  Fabeck,  8  Portland-road — Invention  for  the  construction  of 

viaducts,  bridges,  lintels,  beams,  girders,  and  other  horizontal  structures  and 
supports. 

1941.  Alfred  Lutwyche,  Birmingham— An  improved  mode  of  manufacturing  steel  or  other 

metallic  pens. 

1942.  Charles  Watt,  15  Sel wood-place,  Old  Brompton,  and  Hugh  Burgess,  7  Percy-street, 

Bedford-square — Improvements  in  disintegrating  and  pulping  vegetable  sub- 
stances. 

1943.  George  Heyes,  Bolton — Improvements  in  looms. 

Recorded  August  20. 

1944.  James  Kimberley,  Birmingham — Improvement  or  improvements  in  raising  and 

lowering  various  kinds  of  window  blinds,  and  in  opening  and  closing  window 
and  other  curtains,  applicable  also  to  the  raising  and  lowering,  or  winding  and 
unwinding,  of  maps  and  other  sheets  or  articles,  and  to  the  closing  of  doors. 

1946.  Jean  B.  Polaillon  and  Francois  Maillard,  both  of  Lyons — Improvements  in  the 

manufacture  of  starch. 

1947.  Robert  M.  Sievier,  Louviers,  France,  now  in  Manchester — Improved  machinery 

for  the  manufacture  of  terry  or  cut-pile  fabrics,  parts  of  which  are  applicable 
to  the  weaving  of  other  fabrics. 

Recorded  August  22. 

1950.  William  Schmollinger,  Gracechurch-street,  and  Edward  G.  Smith,  Lambeth— Im- 

provements in  the  means  of  converting  reciprocating  or  rectilinear  motion  into 
rotatory  motion. 

1951.  Samuel  Lomas,  Manchester — An  improved  silk-cleaner. 

1952.  John  Steven,  Edinburgh — An  improved  axle-box  for  railway  carriages  and  waggons. 

1953.  Auguste  E.  L.  Bellford,  16  Castle-street,  Holborn— Improvements  in  the  manu- 

facture of  certain  mineral  oils  and  paraffine. — (Communication.) 

1954.  Victor  E.  Warmont,  Neuilly,  France— Improvements  in  dyeing  and  ornamenting 

skins,  fabrics,  and  other  substances. 

1955.  Frederick  Osbourn,  Albion-street,  King's-cross — Improved  machinery  for  cutting 

woven  and  other  fabrics. 

Recorded  August  23. 

1956.  Charles  Cowper,  Southampton-buildings,  Chancery-lane — Improvements  in  the 

permanent  way  of  railways. — (Communication.) 

1957.  William  Brown,  Glasgow— Improved  mode  of  obtaining  volatile  products  from 

bituminous  coals,  and  other  bituminous  substances. 

1958.  Moses  Poole,  Avenue-road,  Regent's-park — Improvements  in  crushing  and  pulver- 

izing quartz  and  other  substances.— (Communication  from  T.  B.  Smith,  Taunton, 
Massachusets.) 

1959.  James  Webster,  Leicester — Improvements  in  pressure  guages. 

1960.  Thomas  C.  Medwin,  Blackfriars-road— Improvements  in  steam-engine  boilers. 

1961.  William  Rettie,  Aberdeen— Improved  construction  of  submarine  lamp. 

1963.  John  Whiteley,  Stapleford— Improvements  in  warp  machinery  for  the  manufacture 

of  textile  fabrics. 

1964.  William  Mann,  Stepney— Improvements  in  the  purification  of  gas,  and  in  the  treat- 

ment of  the  material  used  in  such  purification. 

1965.  William  M'Leish,  Battersea— Invention  of  a  machine  for  destroying  weeds. 

Recorded  August  24. 

1966.  Auguste  E.  L.  Bellford,  16  Castle-street,  Holborn— Improvements  in  fire-arms.— 

(Communication.) 

1967.  Benjamin  H.  Hine  and  Anthony  J.  Mundella,  Nottingham,  and  Thomas  Thom- 

son, same  place — Improvements  in  machinery  for  the  manufacture  of  textile  and 
looped  fabrics. 

1969.  Thomas  Foster,  Manchester— Certain  improvements  in  machinery  or  apparatus  ap- 

plicable to  etching  or  engraving  upon  plain,  cylindrical,  or  other  surfaces. 

1970.  Thomas  Hill,  Glasgow— Improvements  in  the  manufacture  of  hollow  pipes  or  arti- 

cles from  plastic  materials. 

1971.  George  Pollard,  64  Watling-street,  and  George  Mumby,  Hunter-street,  Brunswick- 

square,  Midd'esex — Improvements  in  machinery  or  apparatus  for  the  manufac- 
ture of  envelopes. 

1972.  Alfred  A.  de  R.  Hely,  Cannon-row,  Westminster— Certain  improvements  relative 

to  shades  or  chimneys  for  lamps,  gas,  and  other  burners. 

1973.  Alfred  Swonnel,  Kingston-on-Thames— Improved  construction  of  tie  for  neckcloths 

and  neck  ribbons,  applicable  also  to  neck  ribbons  of  caps  and  bonnets. 

1974.  Edward  Heard,   Regent-street,   Lambeth — A  certain   mixture  or  composition  of 

chemical  agents  for  rendering  sea-water  fit  for  washing,  and  for  softening  hard- 
water  for  similar  purposes. 

1975.  Charles  C.Banks,  Clapham— Improvements  in  lubricators. 

Recorded  August  25. 

1976.  Alfred  B.  Thompson,  Richmond— A  new  or  improved  spring-door  hinge.— (Com- 

munication.) 

1977.  William  Austin,  27  Holy  well-street— Improvements  in  the  manufacture  of  blocks 

of  plastic  materials  for  building  purposes. 


17G 


THE  PRACTICAL  MECHANIC'S  JOURNAL. 


1978.  John  Shaw,  Manchester,  and  Joseph  Steinthal,  same  place— An  improved  manu- 

facture of  artificial  manure, 

1979.  George  Davis,  London— Certain  apparatus  for  distinguishing  genuine  from  counter- 

feit coin. 

1980.  Richard  A.  Brooman,  166  Fleet-street— Invention  of  machinery  for  digging,  break- 

ing, and  trenching  land.— (Communication.) 

Recorded  August  26. 

1981.  Richard  A.  Brooman,  166  Fleet-street— Improvements  in  the  treatment  of  wool  and 

silk,  and  in  machinery  for  preparing  silk  so  treated.— (Communication.) 

1982.  Eugenede  Varroc, Great  Chesterfield-street— Certainmeans  ofdeprivingcaoutchouc 

of  all  unpleasant  odour,  and  of  imparting  to  it  various  agreeable  perfumes. 

1983.  Robert  Wilson,  Glasgow— Improvements  in  the  treatment  or  finishing  of  textile 

fabrics. 

1984.  William  Watson,  junior,  Leeds— Improvements  in  apparatus  for  manufacturing 

prussiate  of  potash. 

Recorded  August  27. 

1985.  Richard  Roberts,  Manchester— Improvements  in  the  construction  of  casks    and 

other  vessels. 

19S6.  Alexander  L.  Bargnano,  New  York,  now  Hotel  de  Versailles,  Leicester-place— Im- 
provements in  the  manufacture  of  paper  and  pasteboard. 

1987.  William  Hargreaves,  Bradford— Improvements  in  machinery  for  preparing  and 
combing  woo!,  hair,  flax,  silk,  and  other  fibrous  substances, 

1968  Charles  W.  Lancaster,  New  Bond-street— A  method  of,  and  machinery  for,  manu- 
facturing or  producing  certain  descriptions  of  gun  and  pistol  barrels. 

1989.  James  Hill,  Stalybridge— Certain  improvements  in  machinery  used  for  spinning, 

doubling,  and  winding  cotton,  wool,  flax,  silk,  and  other  fibrous  materials. 

1990.  Rodolphe   Helbronner,  Spring-terrace,  Vauxhall-walk,  Lambeth— Invention  of  a 

chemical  light,  and  apparatus  for  manufacturing  the  same. 

1991.  John  D.  M.  Stirling,  Larches,  near  Birmingham — Improvements  in  the  manufac- 

ture of  rails  and  parts  of  railways,  and  tyres  of  railway  wheels. 

1992.  Henri  G.  Collier,  Paris— Improvements  in  rotary  pumps. 

1994.  Alfred  V.  Newton,  66  Chancery-lane— Improved  construction  of  steam-hammer.— 

(Communication.) 

1995.  George  Robinson,  Newcastle-upon-Tyne— Novel  application  of  the  slags  or  refuse 

matters  obtained  during  the  manufacture  of  metals. 

1996.  Edward  Lacy,  Handsworth,  and  William  Wilkinson,  Nottingham— A  new  descrip- 

tion of  cloth  or  fabric,  applicable  to  most  purposes  to  which  woven  and  knitted 
fabrics  are  applied. 

1997.  Josiah  Hornblower,  Poplar— Improvements  in  machinery  for  steering  vessels. 

Recorded  August  29. 

1998.  John  Foss,  15  Aldgate— Improvements  in  printing  apparatus. 

1999.  Adolph  Berend,   3   Fen  church-buildings  —  Improvements  in  instantaneous  light 

apparatus.— (Communication.) 

2000.  Joseph  Cundy,  21  Victoria-road,  Kensington— Improvements  in  kitchen  ranges 

and  cooking  apparatus. 

2001.  Edward  P.  Gribbon— Improvements  in  window  frames  and  sashes. 

2003.  Peter  A.  Le  Comte  de  Fontaine  Moreau,  4  South-street,  Finsbury,  and  Paris- 
Certain  improvements  in  the  production  of  electricity.— (Communication.) 

Recorded  August  30. 

2005.  John  Bald,  Carsehridge  Distillery,  Alloa,  and  Charles  Maitland,  same  place — 
Improvements  in  distilling. 

2007.  Charles  Goodyear,  Avenue-road,  St.  John's  Wood— Improvements  in  combining 

india-rubber  with  other  matters  for  writing,  marking,  and  drawing. — (Partly  a 
communication.) 

2008.  Charles  Goodyear,  Avenue-road,  St.  John's  Wood— Improvements  in  rules,  gra- 

duated scales,  and  measuring  instruments. 

2009.  Charles  Goodyear,  Avenue-road,  St.  John's  Wood— Improvements  in  the  manu- 

facture and  ornamenting  or  coating  of  articles,  wheu  compounds,  containing 
india-ubber,  are  used. 

2010.  Joseph  Cundy,  21  Victoria-road,  Kensington — Improvements  in  gas  stoves. 

2011.  James  Picciotto,  Crosby-square— Improvements  in  burning  and  reburning  animal 

charcoal. — f  Communication.) 

2012.  Alfred  V.  Newton,  66  Chancery-lane— An  improved  process  of  dyeing,  part  of 

which  process  is  also  applicable  to  bleaching. — (Communication.) 

2013.  William  E.  Newton,  66  Chancery-lane— Improved  machinery  for  cleaning  bran  or 

other  offal  obtained  during  the  manufacture  of  flour. — (Communication.) 

2014.  William  E.  Newton,  66  Chancery-lane— Improved  machinery  for  cleaning  grain 

and  seeds.— (Commuuication.) 

Recorded  August  31. 

2015.  Ezra  W.  Burrows,  Pentonville — Improvements  in  the  construction  of  cranes  and 

other  machines  for  raising  heavy  bodies. 

2016.  Astley  P.  Price,  Margate,  Kent— Improvements  in  treating  wash  waters  contain- 

ing soap,  oils,  saponified  or  saponifiable  materials,  and  in  obtaining  products 
therefrom. 

2017.  Thomas  Dawson,  King's  Arras  Yard,  and  Thomas  Restell,  Strand— Improvements 

in  fishing-rods. 

2018.  Grignnn  Meusnier,  Paris — Improvements  in  carriage-clocks. 

2019.  Edward  Smith,  Love-lane — An  improved  mode  of  manufacturing  carpets. 

2020.  William   E.  Newton,  66  Chancery-lane  —  Improved  machinery  for   reaping   and 

gathering  corn,  grain,  and  other  agricultural  produce. — (Communication.) 

2021.  William  E.  Newton,  66  Chancery-lane— Improved  machinery  for  making  barrels 

and  other  casks. — (Communication.) 

2022.  William  B.  Johnson,  Manchester — Improvements  in  steam-engines,  and  in  appa- 

ratus connected  therewith. 

2023.  Henry  J.  Iliffe  and  James  Newman,  Birmingham — Improvements  in  the  manu- 

facture of  buttons. 

2024.  John  P.  Grazebrook,  Audnam,  Stourbridge — Improvements  in  the  working  barrels 

of  pumps,  which  improvements  are  also  applicable  to  lining  other  metallic  tubes. 

2025.  Richard  A.  Brooman,  166  Fleet-street— An  improvement  in  paddle-wheels.— (Com- 

munication.) 

Recorded  September  1. 

2026.  John  Macintosh,  12  Pall-mall— Improvements  in  breakwaters. 

2027.  Robert  Oxlaod,  Plymouth— Improvements  in  the  manufacture  of  manure. 

Recorded  September  2. 

2028.  John  Hinks  and  George  Wells,  Birmingham,  and  Frederick  Dowler,  same  place- 

New  or  improved  machinery,  to  be  used  in  the  manufacture  of  metallic  pens  and 
penholders. 

2029.  John  Tayler,  Manchester,  James  Griffiths,  Wolverhampton,  and  Thomas  Lees, 

Stockport — Certain  improvements  in  steam-boilers,  and  in  apparatus  applicable 
thereto,  and  to  be  used  therewith. 

2030.  Barthelemy  Auric,  Grenelle,  France,  and  16  Castle-street,  Holborn— New  applica- 

tion of  sulphate  of  lime  to  the  fabrication  of  the  mosaics  and  incrustations,  and 
for  any  new  processes  of  coloration  of  certain  varieties  of  this  substance. 


2031.  James  P.Pritchett,  younger,  York— Improvements  in  window  sashes  and  shutters. 

2032.  Augustino  Carosio,  Connaught-square — Improvements  in  obtaining  power  by  the 

aid  of  an  electric  current,  for  motive  and  telegraphic  purposes. 

2033.  John  Sibley  and  Thomas  Sibley,  Ashton-under-Lyne — Improvements  in  machinery 

or  apparatus  for  cutting  discs  or  circles  out  of  plates  or  sheets  of  metal  or  other 
substances. 

2034.  William  Ashton,  Manchester,  and  William  B.  Harvey,  Salford— Certain  improve- 

ments in  machinery  or  apparatus  for  manufacturing  braid. 

Recorded  September  3. 

2035.  John  T.  Jewiss  and  Daniel  Jewiss,  Horsleydown — An  improvement  in  furnaces. 

2036.  Ebenezer  Dobbell,  Hastings — Improvements  in  clocks  or  timekeepers,  and  parts 

connected  therewith. 

2037.  Thomas  Walker,  Birmingham— Improvements  in  rotary  engines,  to  be  worked  by 

steam  or  other  fluid. 

2038.  Albert  Nagles,  Ghent,  Belgium— Certain  improvements  in  machinery  or  apparatus 

for  washing,  bleaching,  dunging,  and  dyeing  woven  fabrics. 

2039.  Gage  Stickney,  Hanover-street,  Pimlico — Au  improved  construction  of  blower. — 

(Communication.) 

2040.  Gage  Stickney,  Hanover-street,  Pimlico — Improved  machineiy  for  forging  metals. 

— (Commuu  ica  t  ion .) 

Recorded  September  5. 


2041. 
2043. 
2044. 

2045. 
2046. 

2047. 

2048. 
2049. 
2050. 
2051. 
2052. 
2053. 

2055. 
2056. 
2057. 
2058. 
2059. 
2060. 
2061. 
2062. 


John  Doyle,  17  Cambridge-street,  Paddington— Invention  of  the  waterproofing  of 
boots  and  shoes. 

John  Smalley,  Bishopgate,  Lancashire,  and  Washington  Smirk,  Ince — An  im- 
proved in  railway  carriage  axles. 

John  H.  Johnson,  47  Lincoln' s-inn-fields,  and  Glasgow — Improvements  in  the 
manufacture  of  stays  or  corsets. — (Communication  from  Adolphe  G.  Geresme, 
Paris .) 

William  E.  Newton,  66  Chancery-lane — Improved  machinery  in  weaving  terry 
fabrics.  —(Communication.) 

William  E.  Newton,  66  Chancery-lane— Improvements  in  breech-loading  guns. — 
(Communication.) 

Recorded  September  6. 

Thomas  B.  Upfill,  Birmingham,  and  William  Brown,  same  place — An  improve- 
ment or  improvements  applicable  to  metallic  bedsteads,  couches,  chairs,  and 
such  other  articles  as  are  or  may  be  used  for  sitting,  lying,  or  reclining  upon. 

Lemuel  W.  Wright,  Charlford,  Gloucestershire — Improvements  in  reaping  and 
gathering  machines. 

Andre"  Calles,  Southwark-square,  Surrey — Improvements  in  manufacturing  typo- 
graphic characters. 

John  Kerfoot,  Lower  Darwen,  Lancashire — Improvements  in  machinery  for  spin- 
ning cotton  or  other  fibrous  substances. 

Henry  Wilkinson,  Tottenham-mews— Improvements  in  the  construction  of  air- 
furnaces,  parts  of  which  improvements  are  applicable  to  other  furnaces. 

James  Davis,  Low  Furness  Iron  Works,  near  Ulverstone,  Lancashire,  and  Robert 
Ramsay,  same  place— An  improved  engine  to  be  worked  by  steam,  air,  or  water. 

Thomas  Pope  and  Edward  Button,  Birmingham — Improvements  in  buttons,  and 
which  improved  buttons  they  propose  to  designate  by  the  name  of  '  Buffalo 
Buttons.' 

Recorded  September  7. 

Isaac  Smith,  Birmingham,  and  Alfred  Sommerville,  same  place — Improvements 
in  metallic  pens  and  pen-holders. 

Joseph  Alsop,  Huddersfield,  and  Edward  Fairbairn,  Kirklers  Mills,  Mirfield,  York- 
shire— Improvements  in  baking  bread. 

John  G.  Fletcher,  Accrington,  Lancashire,  and  William  Peel,  same  place— Im- 
provements in  looms  for  weaving. 

David  Law,  Glasgow,  and  John  Inglis,  same  place — Improvements  in  moulding  or 
shaping  metals. 

William  J.  Smith,  Stretford,  Lancashire— Certain  improvements  in  buttons  or  other 
such  fastenings,  and  in  applying  or  affixing  them  to  wearing  apparel. 

Weston  Grimshaw,  Morsley,  county  Antrim,  and  Ellis  Rowland,  same  place — Im- 
provements in  the  manufacture  of  bricks. 

George  E.  Ashton,  Middlesex — Converting  certain  refuse  materials  into  yarn,  for 
the  manufacture  of  woven  and  other  fabrics. 

Benjamin  Hustwayte,  Hockley -street,  Homerton,  and  Richard  J.  P.  Gibson,  Up- 
per Brunswick-street,  Hackney— An  improved  composition  or  compositions 
applicable  to  the  manufacture  of  bricks,  tiles,  and  other  moulded  articles. 


(SSf"  Information  as  to  any  of  these  applications,  and  their  progress,  may  be  had  on  appli- 
cation to  the  Editor  of  this  Journal. 


DESIGNS  FOR  ARTICLES  OF  UTILITY. 

Registered  from  lift  August,  1853,  to  14th  Sept.,  1853. 

J.  R.  Murphy  and  P.  Murphy,  Dublin, — "  Reclining  chair." 

S.  Bremner,  Carlisle, — "  Bag  or  pouch." 

T.  D.  Mills,  Pentonville,— "Filter." 

C.  Palmer,  Islington, — "  Cobbler." 

J.  Cooper,  Birmingham, — "  Joiner's  brace." 

S.  Van,  Kilburn  Priory, — "Pin-case." 

W.  and  W.  Field,  Redditch,— "  Needle-casket." 

Cox  and  Wilson,  Oldham, — "  Steam-engine  cylinder." 

T.  H.  andG.  F.  Busbridge,  East  Mailing,— "Paper-roller." 

J.  Sheldon,  Birmingham, — "  Letter-balance." 

T.  Turner  and  J.  F.  Swinburne,  Birmingham,—"  Tail-pin  breech." 

Doulton  and  Watts,  Lambeth,— "Jar." 

W.  Aston,  Birmingham, — "  Button." 

J.  W.  Jones  and  W.  Westley,  Holborn, — "  Antigropelos." 

TO  READEB.S  AND  CORRESPONDENTS. 

A  Subscribes. — No  such  patent  was  ever  obtained.  It  is  the  fashion  for  many  makers 
to  advertise  their  productions  as  "  Patent  Machines;"  and  in  this  instance  it  is  quite  pos- 
sible that  the  firm  referred  to  has  been  working  out  the  patent  of  another  party. 

G.  B.— An  engine  of  this  kind  is  now  being  engraved. 

A  Subsckiber. — We  regret  the  necessity  of  our  stating  that  there  is  no  special  work 
on  this  subject.    Whatever  published  matter  is  in  existence,  is  in  a  scattered  state. 

A.  C,  Oldham. — We  believe  the  work  is  published  by  Mr.  Bogue  of  Fleet-street.  Our 
correspondent's  bookseller  will  easily  procure  it  through  his  agent. 

A.  K.— We  think  our  correspondent  will  find  what  he  proposes  at  page  277,  Part  LX, 
of  this  Journal, 

L.G.  — We  have  a  large  mass  of  notes  to  consider  yet. 

Querist.—  Yes,  if  you  can  get  a  connecting- rod  that  will  always  be  parallel  to  itself. 


August  11th, 

3498 

18th, 

3499 

19th, 

3500 

23d, 

3501 

25th, 

3502 

26th, 

3503 

30th, 

3504 

31st, 

3505 

Sept.    3d, 

3506 

6th, 

3507 

8th, 

3508 

10th, 

3509 

12th, 

3510 

14th, 

3511 

THE  PRACTICAL  MECHANIC'S  JOURNAL. 


177 


THE  NEW  YORK  EXHIBITION,  1853. 
"  Every  ship  that  comes  to  America  got  its  chart  from  Columbus ;  every   novel  is  a 
debtor  to  Homer;  every  carpenter  who  shaves  with  a  fore-plane  borrows  the   genius  of 
a  forgotten  inventor.    Life  is  girt  all  round  with  a  zodiac  of  sciences — the  contributions 
of  men  who  have  perished,  to  add  their  point  of  light  to  our  sky." — Esteeson. 

1EWED  as  an  industrial  school,  the 
American  Exhibition  can  only  now  be 
said  to  be  fairly  organized,  although 
its  labyrinths  of  world- wide  productions 
were  nominally  thrown  open  so  far 
back  as  the  middle  of  July,  a  date,  by 
the  way,  very  far  in  arrear  of  that  ori- 
ginally promised  and  intended  by  the 
leaders  of  the  enterprize.  But  it  is 
now  needless  to  discuss  the  question 
of  such  very  obvious  unpunctuality. 
The  meagre  results  of  the  undertak- 
ing contrast  too  strongly  with  the 
vastness  of  the  promises  so  prominently 
held  out  to  us,  to  render  necessary  any 
animadversion  on  our  part.  It  is  per- 
haps enough  to  be  able  to  say  that  the 
Exhibition  has  entered  upon  its  practi- 
cal career,  whilst  we  touch  as  lightly 
as  may  be  upon  its  defects,  and  accord  an  equally  fair  share  of  praise  to 
whatever  it  possesses  of  meritorious  realities. 

The  Exhibition  building  stands  in  Reservoir  Square,  close  to  the  dis- 
tributing reservoir  of  the  great  Croton  Water-works,  its  ground  plan 
being  that  of  a  Greek  cross,  which  is  overshadowed  by  a  central  dome. 
The  length  of  each  diameter  of  the  cross  is  365  feet,  and  the  width  of 
the  arms  149  feet.  But  although  the  edifice  is  cruciform,  the  actual 
ground  plan  is  octagonal,  the  angles  of  the  cross  being  filled  up  by 
intermediate  stories,  24  feet  high.  In  general  appearance,  it  bears  a 
strong  resemblance  to  our  own  Hyde  Park  building,  being  made  up  of 
a  system  of  iron  columns,  and  girders,  and  glass,  the  combination  of 
which  will  be  understood  from  the  following  description,  given  in  the 
lUvMrated  Beeord  of  the  Exhibition,  a  remarkably  well  illustrated  publi- 
cation, issued  by  Messrs.  Putnam : — 

"The  columns  divide  the  interior  into  two  principal  avenues  or 
naves,  each  41  feet  and  5  inches  wide,  with  aisles  54  feet  wide  upon 
either  side.  The  intersection  of  the  naves  leaves  in  the  centre  a  free 
octagonal  space  100  feet  in  diameter.  The  columns  still  further  sub- 
divide the  aisles  and  the  triangular  intervals  between  the  arms  of  the 
cross,  into  square  and  half-square  compartments  of  27  feet  on  the  side. 
The  aisles  are  covered  with  galleries  of  their  own  width,  and  they  are 
united  to  each  other  by  broad  connections  at  the  extremities  of  the  naves. 
The  naves  are  carried  above  the  roofs  of  the  galleries  to  admit  light,  and 
are  spanned  by  16  semicircular  arches  of  cast-iron,  which  are  40  feet 
and  9  inches  in  diameter,  and  placed  at  a  distance  of  27  feet  from  each 
other. 

"The  number  of  cast-iron  columns  upon  the  ground  floor  is  190. 
They  are  21  feet  high  above  the  floor,  octagonal,  and  8  inches  in  dia- 
meter; the  thickness  of  the  sides  varies  from  half  an  inch  to  one  inch. 
The  cast-iron  girders,  3  feet  wide,  of  which  the  longest  are  26  feet  and 
4  inches,  and  those  of  wrought-iron,  40  feet  and  9  inches  long,  are  indi- 
cated by  the  dotted  lines.  The  first  tier  of  girders  sustain  the  floors  of 
the  galleries,  and  brace  the  structure  in  all  directions.  They  are  united 
to  the  columns  by  connecting  pieces  3  feet  4  inches  high,  which  have 
the  same  octagonal  shape  as  the  columns,  and  flanges  and  lugs  to  be 
bolted  together.  The  number  of  girders  in  the  first  tier  is  252.  The 
second  story  contains  148  columns  17  feet  and  7  inches  high,  which  rest 
on  those  below  them,  and  have  the  same  shape.  They  receive  a  second 
series  of  girders  numbering  160,  which  support  the  roofs  of  the  aisles. 
They  also  receive  the  semicircular  arches  of  the  naves.  All  the  roofs 
are  supported  upon  arches  or  upon  girders,  by  means  of  wrought-iron 
inverted  trusses,  which  receive  the  angle  iron  purlins  of  the  rafters ;  the 
latter  are  made  of  strips  of  wood  inclosed  between  iron  sides.  The  roofs 
are  uniformly  constructed  of  boards,  matched  together  and  covered 
with  tin. 

No.  69.— Vol.  VI. 


"  The  dome,  noble  and  beautiful  in  its  proportions,  is  the  chief  archi- 
tectural feature  of  the  building.  Its  diameter  is  100  feet,  and  its  height 
to  the  springing  line  is  nearly  70  feet,  and  to  the  crown  of  the  arch  123 
feet.  It  is  the  largest,  as  well  as  almost  the  only  dome  hitherto  erected 
in  the  United  States.  To  our  untravelled  countrymen  it  may  be  an 
instructive  example  of  the  beauty  and  fine  architectural  effect  of  which 
this  structure  is  capable,  although  its  dimensions  are  trivial  when  com- 
pared with  the  majestic  domes  of  the  Pantheon  or  St.  Peter's,  or  those 
other  wonderful  erections  of  classic  and  mediaeval  times  when  architec- 
ture was  a  passion,  and  united  with  religious  enthusiasm  to  produce  the 
triumphs  of  the  art.  The  dome  is  supported  by  24  columns,  which  rise 
beyond  the  second  story,  and  to  a  height  of  62  feet  above  the  principal 
floor.  The  system  of  wrought-iron  trusses  which  connects  them  toge- 
ther as  the  top,  and  is  supported  by  them,  forms  two  concentric  poly- 
gons, each  of  16  sides.  They  receive  a  cast-iron  bed-plate,  to  which  the 
cast-iron  shoes  for  the  ribs  of  the  dome  are  bolted.  The  latter  are  32  in 
number.  They  are  constructed  of  two  curves  of  double  angle-iron, 
securely  connected  together  by  trellis-work.  The  requisite  steadiness 
is  secured  by  tie-rods,  which  brace  them  both  vertically  and  horizon- 
tally. At  the  top,  the  ribs  are  bolted  to  a  horizontal  ring  of  wrought 
and  cast-iron,  which  has  a  diameter  of  20  feet  in  the  clear,  and  is  sur- 
mounted by  the  lantern.  As  in  the  other  roofs  of  the  building,  the 
dome  is  cased  with  match  deal  and  tin  sheathing.  Light  is  com- 
municated to  the  interior  through  the  lantern,  and  also  in  part  from 
the  sides,  which  are  pierced  for  thirty-two  ornamental  windows.  These 
are  glazed  with  stained  glass,  representing  the  arms  of  the  Union  and 
of  its  several  States,  and  form  no  inconsiderable  part  of  the  interior  de- 
coration. 

"  The  external  walls  of  the  building  are  constructed  of  cast-iron  fram- 
ing and  panel-work,  into  which  are  inserted  the  sashes  of  the  windows 
and  the  louvers  for  ventilation.  The  glass  is  one-eighth  of  an  inch 
thick,  and  was  manufactured  at  the  Jackson  Glass  Works,  N.  Y.,  and 
afterwards  enamelled  by  Cooper  &  Belcher,  of  Camptown,  N.  J.  The 
enamel,  with  which  the  whole  of  it  is  covered,  is  laid  upon  the  glass  with 
a  brush,  and  after  drying,  is  subjected  to  the  intense  heat  of  a  kiln,  by 
which  the  coating  is  vitrified,  and  rendered  as  durable  as  the  glass  itself. 
It  produces  an  effect  similar  to  that  of  ground  glass,  being  translucent, 
but  not  transparent.  The  sun's  rays,  diffused  by  passing  through  it, 
yield  an  agreeable  light,  and  are  deprived  of  that  intensity  of  heat  and 
glare  which  belongs  to  them  in  this  climate.  In  the  absence  of  a  similar 
precaution  in  the  Crystal  Palace  of  Hyde  Park,  whose  roofs,  as  well  as 
walls,  were  inclosed  with  transparent  glass,  it  was  found  necessary  to 
cover  the  interior  of  the  building  with  canvas,  to  produce  the  required 
shade. 

"  At  each  angle  of  the  building  there  is  an  octagonal  tower,  8  feet  in 
diameter  and  76  feet  in  height.  These  contain  winding  stairways,  which 
lead  to  the  galleries  and  roofs,  and  are  intended  for  the  use  of  the  officers 
and  employees  of  the  Association.  Twelve  broad  staircases,  one  on  either 
side  of  each  entrance,  and  four  beneath  the  dome,  connect  the  principal 
floor  with  the  gallery.  The  latter  are  circular  in  part,  and  consist  of 
two  flights  of  steps,  with  two  landing-places.  The  flooring  of  the  gal- 
leries is  made  of  closely-matched  planks,  while  those  forming  the  floor 
of  the  first  story  are  separated  by  narrow  intervals,  in  the  same  manner 
and  for  the  same  purpose  as  in  the  London  building.  Over  each  of  the 
principal  entrance  halls,  the  galleries  open  upon  balconies,  which  afford 
ample  space  for  placing  flowers,  vases,  and  statues  for  decoration.  Above 
the  balconies,  the  ends  of  the  naves  are  adorned  with  large  fan-lights, 
corresponding  to  the  semicircular  arches  within.  On  each  side  of  the 
entrances  there  are  ticket  offices,  and  adjacent  to  them  rooms  are  pro- 
vided for  the  officers  of  the  Association,  telegraph,  &c. 

"  The  rapid  and  unexpected  increase  of  the.  applications  of  exhibitors, 
induced  the  Association  to  erect  a  large  addition  to  the  building  already 
described.  It  consists  of  two  parts,  of  one  and  two  stories  respectively, 
and  occupies  the  entire  space  between  the  main  building  and  the  reser- 
voir. Its  length  is  451  feet  and  5  inches,  and  its  extreme  width  is  75 
feet.  It  is  designed  for  the  reception  of  machinery  in  motion,  the  cabi- 
nets of  mining  and  mineralogy,  and  the  refreshment  rooms,  with  their 
necessary  offices.  The  second  story,  which  is  nearly  450  feet  long,  21 
feet  wide,  and  extends  the  whole  length,  is  entirely  devoted  to  the  exhi- 
bition of  pictures  and  statuary.  It  is  lighted  from  a  skylight,  419  feet 
long,  and  8  feet  and  6  inches  wide. 

"The  colours  employed  on  the  exterior  and  interior  are  mixed  in 
oil,  the  base  being  the  white  lead  manufactured  by  the  Belleville  Com- 
pany. The  exterior  presents  the  appearance  of  a  building  constructed 
of  a  light-coloured  bronze,  of  which  all  features  purely  ornamental  are 
of  gold. 

"  The  interior  has  a  prevailing  tone  of  buff,  or  rich  cream-colour,  which 
is  given  to  all  the  cast-iron  constructive  work.     This  colour  is  relieved 

z 


178 


THE  PRACTICAL  MECHANIC'S  JOURNAL. 


by  a  moderate  and  judicious  use  of  the  three  positive  colours,  red,  blue, 
and  yellow,  in  their  several  tints  of  vermilion,  garnet,  sky  blue,  and 
orange  (certain  parts  of  the  ornamental  work  being  gilt),  to  accord  with 
the  arrangement  of  colours  employed  in  the  decoration  of  the  ceilings. 
The  only  exceptions  to  the  use  of  oil  colours  are  the  ceiling  of  the  Ame- 
rican lean-to  and  the  dome ;  these  decorations  are  executed  in  tempera 
on  canvas. 

"  The  effect  of  the  interior  of  the  dome  (designed  by  Sr.  Monte  Lilla) , 
is  particularly  splendid.  The  rays  from  a  golden  sun,  at  the  centre, 
descend  between  the  latticed  ribs,  and  arabesques  of  white  and  blue, 
relieved  by  silver  stars,  surround  the  openings. 

"  The  building  is  supplied  with  gas  and  water  in  every  part.  The 
gas  is  designed  for  the  use  of  the  police  in  protecting  the  property  by 
night,  but  is  so  arranged,  that  should  it  be  deemed  expedient  to  open 
the  building  in  the  evenings,  there  will  be  ample  light.  The  water  is 
accessible  at  numerous  points,  with  conveniences  for  drinking,  and  also 
for  the  attachment  -of  hose  in  case  of  fire. 

"  The  whole  quantity  of  iron  employed  in  the  construction  amounts 
to  1,800  tons;  of  which  300  tons  are  wrought,  and  1,500  tons  cast-iron. 
The  quantity  of  glass  is  15,000  panes,  or  55,000  square  feet.  The 
quantity  of  wood  used  amounts  to  750,000  feet,  board  measure. 

The  total  area  occupied  by  the  building,  amounts  to  249,691  square 
feet,  or  5|  acres. 

In  the  official  catalogue,  we  find  the  objects  to  be  divided  into  31  classes, 
on  a  plan  very  similar  to,  and  evidently  based  upon  that  of  the  Great 
Exhibition,  1851. 

The  following  are  the  countries  whence  the  articles  so  divided  are  sup- 
plied:— 1,  United  States ;  2,  Great  Britain  and  Ireland;  3,  Zollverein 
and  Germany;  4,  Belgium;  5,  France;  6,  Switzerland ;  7,  Holland;  8, 
Austria;  9,  Italy;  10,  British  Colonies — British  Guiana,  Newfound- 
land, Prince  Edward's  Island;  11,  Sweden  and  Norway;  12,  Mexico;  13, 
Turkey ;  1 4,  Hayti ;  and  each  country  has  its  own  set  of  31  classes,  as 
far  as  its  productions  have  warranted  the  classification. 

The  entire  charge  of  the  interior  of  the  building  is  in  the  hands  of 
Capt.  Dupont  and  Capt.  Davis,  of  the  American  Navy,  who  have  made 
the  following  executive  appointments: — John  M.  Batchelder,  secretary 
of  the  superintendents ;  George  W.  Matsell,  chief  of  police  ;  Samuel  Web- 
ber, arrangement  of  space  and  classification ;  Professor  B.  Silliman,  jun., 
department  of  mineralogy  and  chemistry ;  Joseph  E.  Holmes,  director 
of  machinery;  B.  P.  Johnson,  director  of  agricultural  implements; 
Felix  Piatti,  director  of  sculpture ;  Edward  Vincent,  director  of  textile 
fabrics ;  G.  P.  Putnam  &  Co.,  publishers  of  the  official  catalogue  and 
record — all  which  seem  to  have  given  unmitigated  satisfaction  to  the 
public. 

Of  the  leading  attractions  which  strike  the  observer  on  entering,  and 
taking  a  sweeping  glance,  are — the  Baron  Marochetti's  equestrian  statue 
of  Washington ;  Kiss's  well-known  amazon  group,  in  bronze ;  Carew's 
statue  of  Daniel  Webster;  Phalon's  Cologne  fountain;  a  series  of  life- 
boats ;  Holme's  centrifugal  fountain  ;  Putnam's  printing  presses,  and  a 
collection  of  sewing  machines ;  Kinney's  statue  of  Ethan  Allen ;  a  pal- 
metto tree  in  iron ;  the  New  York  hatter  (Genin's)  show-case ;  Levy's 
marble  mantels  and  baptismal  font;  Thorswalden's  group  of  Christ  and 
the  apostles  ;  and  Barlow's  planetarium. 

In  United  States,  Class  5,  "  machines  for  direct  use,"  we  find  126  arti- 
cles entered  in  the  catalogue.  In  this  collection  is  a  very  interesting 
example  of  a  rotatory  eteam-engine,  constructed  on  the  simple  plan 
patented  by  Mr.  J.  S.  Gwynne;  and  Messrs.  Sloan  &  Leggett's  "  Hydros- 
tat,"  illustrated  in  our  last  number.  A  double-cylinder  engine,  made  at 
the  Lawrence  Machine  Shop,  works  the  Exhibition  machinery ;  and  a  60 
horse  engine,  by  Corliss  &,  Nightingale  of  Providence,  Rhode  Island, 
actuates  the  machinery  in  the  Machine  Arcade — both  fair  specimens  of 
American  work.  Gwynne's  centrifugal  pump,  to  throw  1,000  gallons 
per  minute,  is  also  shown  by  the  Union  Power  Company  of  New  York. 
The  same  section  includes  a  great  variety  of  peculiarly  light  carriages 
of  all  kinds,  many  of  them  most  elaborately  finished.  In  "  machinery 
and  tools  for  manufacturing  purposes,"  the  Tritish  visitor  cannot  but 
regard  with  peculiar  interest  the  model  of  Eli  Whitney's  cotton  gin, 
patented  in  1793,  which  has  performed  for  the  American  cotton  planters 
what  the  combined  exertions  of  our  own  Arkwright,  Crompton,  and 
Watt,  have  done  for  the  British  manufacturers;  nor  can  he  fail  to  be 
struck  with  the  wonderful  development  of  ingenuity  in  the  great  variety 
of  sewing  machines  which  this  division  presents  to  us,  as  the  result  of  a 
forced  direction  to  mechanical  expedients,  consequent  upon  a  scarcity  of 
manual  labour ;  indeed,  this  must  be  strongly  felt  on  looking  over  any 
single  department  of  the  American  productions.  Everywhere  we  behold 
the  same  sign,  the  course  of  which  we  shall  endeavour  partially  to  trace 
in  our  renewed  examinations  of  this  first  Transatlantic  Congress  of  In- 
dustrial Art. 


CORK-CUTTING  BY  MACHINERY. 

The  manufacture  of  corks  in  any  other  way  than  by  hand-cutting, 
has  hitherto  been  a  direct  failure.  The  process  is,  indeed,  one  of  those 
whose  apparent  simplicity  blinds  us  to  the  perception  of  many  difficul- 
ties, which  show  themselves  only  in  the  workshop  itself.  But  these  dif- 
ficulties have  at  length  been,  in  the  main,  overcome,  in  the  apparatus 
invented  by  Mr.  R.  B.  Cousens,  of  Halliford  Street,  London,  a  gentleman 
who  has  previously  distinguished  himself  in  several  other  grades  of  me- 
chanical contrivance.  The  essential  details  of  Mr.  Cousens'  machinery 
are  represented  in  our  annexed  engravings,  as  divested  of  all  extraneous 
fittings. 

Fig.  1  is  a  side  elevation,  partially  in  section,  of  the  working  mechan- 
ism, one-eighth  the  real  size.     Fig.  2  is  a  corresponding  end  view.     A 

Tig.l. 


is  the  cutting  knife, 
which  is  straight-edged 
and  horizontal,  having  a 
horizontal  reciprocating 
motion  inparted  to  it  on 
the  head,  b,  by  the  action 
of  a  rocking  lever  and 
connecting-rod.  From 
the  reciprocating  motion 
of  the  knife,  are  derived 
the  movements  by  which 
the  pieces  of  cork  to  be 
cut  are  fed  into  the  ma- 
chine, cut  into  the  re- 
quired form,  and  released 
when  finished,  the  mode 
of  operation  being  as  fol- 
lows : — The  hopper  being 
filled  with  "  quarters," 
some  of  which  fall  into 
the  pan  through  an 
aperture,  the  attendant, 
whose  business  it  is 
to    feed    the     machine, 

takes  a  single  quarter  from  the  pan  with  his  right  hand,  and  places  it  upon 
the  brass  rest,  c,  which  is  screwed  to  the  upper  extremity  of  the  feeding- 
arm,  d.  The  surface  on  which  the  cork  is  placed  is  inclined  at  an  angle 
of  45  degrees  to  the  centre  line  of  the  feeding-arm,  and  the  back  or 
crest  of  a  cork  being  placed  in  the  direction  of  the  rest,  c,  in  fig.  2,  one 
of  the  flat  sides  rests  upon  the  inclined  surface,  and  the  opposite  flat  side 
is  therefore  parallel  to  the  face,  E,  of  the  guaging  index,  f.  Should  the 
surface  of  the  cork  and  that  of  the  guaging  index  happen  to  be  level 
with  each  other,  that  quarter  is  correctly  guaged,  and  needs  no  addi- 
tional adjustment.  If,  then,  the  knife,  a,  be  supposed  to  be  travelling 
in  the  direction  contrary  to  that  of  the  arrow  in  fig.  1,  the  arm,  g,  fig.  2, 
which  is  attached  to  the  knife-block,  and  travels  with  it,  strikes  the  bent 
lever,  h,  along  with  it;  and  the  feeding-arm,  0,  is  then  moved  into  such 
a  position,  that  the  axis  of  the  quarter  is  in  juxtaposition  with  the  axis 
of  the  holders,  i  j.  That  arm  of  the  bent  lever,  h,  which  is  in  contact  with 
the  feeding-arm,  d,  terminates  in  a  spring;  so  that,  when  the  feeding- 
arm  is  stopped  by  the  stop,  k,  on  the  slide-head,  l,  (which  occurs  when 
the  knife  is  within  about  one  inch  of  the  end  of  its  stroke,)  the  spring 
will  yield  to  the  progress  of  the  knife,  and  permit  the  completion  of  the 
stroke,  so  that  the  cork-holders,  i  j,  may  be  brought  into  action.  When 
a  cork  is  cut — that  is  to  say,  just  prior  to  the  completion  of  the  stroke  in 


THE  PRACTICAL  MECHANIC'S  JOURNAL. 


170 


the  direction  of  the  arrow,  fig.  1 — the  tappet,  m,  on  the  knife-block,  n, 
strikes  the  small  lever,  o,  thereby  lifting  the  weighted  arm  of  a  bell-crank 
lever,  and  throwing  out  the  holder-arm,  p ;  so  that  the  pall,  Q,  catches 
into  one  of  the  ratchet  teeth  on  the  slide-head,  l,  and  thus  causes  the 
holders,  i  J,  to  remain  separated  for  the  reception  between  them  of  the 
succeeding  quarter.  Now,  supposing  them  to  be  thus  separated,  and  the 
feeding-arm,  with  the  quarter  resting  upon  its  upper  extremity,  to  have 

been  drawn  into 
its  second  posi- 
tion by  the 
spring  lever,  h, 
as  above  de- 
scribed, the 
knife  performs 
the  remaining 
one  inch  of  its 
stroke,  and  in 
that  space  the 
tappet,  e,  lifts 
the  pall,  q,  by 
striking  the  up- 
right arm,  s,  and 
the  weighted 
lever  imme- 
diately closes 
the  holders  upon 
the  quarter 
which  is  thus 
held  at  its  ex- 
tremities. The 
holder,  j,  carried 
by  the  lever,  p, 
is  cupped  on  its 
face ;  so  that  the 
end  of  the  quar- 
teris  penetrated 
to  a  short  depth 
by  the  project- 
ing ring-shaped 
edge,  the  end  of 
the  cork  and 
bottom  of  the 
cup  being  in 
contact.  This 
holder  may  be 
screwed  to  the 
end  of  a  short 
axis  or  spindle, 
revolving  in 
suitable  bear- 
ings, as  shown, 
in  fig.  1 ;  or  it 
may  be  firmly 
fixed  to  the  ex- 
tremity of  the 
arm,  p,  in  which 
case,  the  cork, 
when  being  cut, 

will  revolve  upon  the  ring  of  the  cupped  face,  as  any  harder  substance 
would  upon  the  centre  of  an  ordinary  lathe.  The  holder,  i,  is  the 
driving  holder,  and  is  screwed  to  the  axis  of  a  small  pinion,  t,  which 
pinion  is  made  to  revolve  by  the  action  of  the  toothed  sector,  u,  which 
sector  performs  a  partial  revolution  upon  a  stud.  The  sector  has  a 
projecting  finger,  v,  (fig.  2,)  which,  by  the  tension  of  the  spring,  w, 
presses  upon  the  upper  edge  of  the  inclined  bar,  x,  which  bar  is  firmly 
attached  to  the  knife-block,  x,  and  travels  with  it.  The  piece  of  cork  hav- 
ing been  fed  into  the  machine,  and  the  holders  having  grasped  it  at  its 
extremities,  the  cutting  stroke  of  the  knife  then  commences  in  the  direc- 
tion of  the  arrow,  allowing  the  feeding-arm,  d,  to  resume  its  first  posi- 
tion, as  shown  in  fig.  2,  by  the  action  of  the  spring,  y;  and  the  knife 
having  penetrated  the  cork  from  end  to  end,  the  finger,  v,  at  this  mo- 
ment resting  upon  the  inclined  bar  at  x',  begins  to  be  lifted  ;  so  that 
when  the  extremity  of  the  incline  has  arrived  at  the  finger,  the  pinion, 
T,  and  with  it  the  driver,  i,  and  the  cork,  will  have  performed  one  revo- 
lution, and  the  knife  will  have  cut  the  cork  to  the  required  shape.  Dur- 
ing the  completion  of  the  knife's  stroke  in  the  direction  of  the  arrow, 
the  tappet,  M,  separates  the  holders,  and,  at  the  commencement  of  the 
return  stroke,  the  friction  of  the  knife  upon  the  surface,  of  the  cork  forces 


it  from  the  driver,  i,  to  which  it  usually  clings,  and  causes  it  to  fall  into 
a  receptacle  beneath. 

In  the  foregoing  description  of  the  general  action  of  the  machine,  we 
have  supposed  the  quarter  to  have  been  of  such  a  thickness  as  to  require 
no  adjustment  of  the  apparatus  to  accord  with  it;  but  the  chief  novelty 
in  the  invention  is,  that  the  contrivance  whereby  whatever  may  be  the 
thickness  of  each  succeeding  quarter  taken  from  the  hopper,  the  position 
of  the  quarter,  with  reference  to  the  parts  of  the  machine  already  de- 
scribed, it  will  be  so  regulated  as  to  be  at  once  accurately  centered  and 
brought  within  such  a  distance  of  the  edge  of  the  knife,  vertically,  that 
whether  it  be  a  large  or  a  small  quarter,  the  largest  cork  possible,  of  a 
circular  section,  will  be  produced  therefrom,  only  the  same  thickness  of 
shaving,  measuring  on  the  flat  sides,  being  taken  from  every  sized 
quarter. 

The  lower  extremity  of  the  feeding-arm,  d,  is  attached  to  one  end  of 
the  lever,  z,  the  other  end  of  that  lever  having  its  centre  of  motion  on 
the  back  plate,  at  a.  The  lever,  z,  has  resting  upon  its  upper  edge  the 
toe  of  a  sliding  stem,  i,  which  stem  carries  the  slide-head,  i.,  and  with  it 
the  lever,  p,  with  the  holder,  j,  the  sector,  u,  with  the  finger,  v,  and  also 
the  pinion,  T,  and  driver,  i.  At  c  are  two  stays,  screwed  into  the 
back  plate,  b,  for  the  purpose  of  supporting  the  bar,  d,  which  bar  sup- 
ports the  brass  plate,  e,  of  the  guaging  index,  p,  and  also  the  stop  and 
guide,/,  of  the  feeding-arm,  n.  The  lever,  z,  rests  upon  the  eccentric, 
<7,  whose  centre  of  motion  is  on  the  continuation  of  the  back  plate,  the 
eccentric  being  moved  at  will  by  means  of  the  lever,  h,  the  handle  of 
which  the  attendant  always  retains  in  the  left  hand.  Now,  supposing 
a  quarter  to  be  taken  from  the  pan,  and  placed  upon  the  brass  rest,  c, 
in  such  a  position  that  one  of  its  flat  sides  is  upon  the  inclined  surface 
of  the  rest,  while  the  opposite  flat  side  is  parallel  to  the  surface,  E,  of  the 
guaging  index,  p,  the  crust  or  "  back"  of  the  quarter  being  towards  the 
c',  fig.  3 ;  and  supposing  the  upper  side  of  the  quarter,  when  so  placed, 
to  stand  above  the  surface,  e,  then  it  will  be  seen,  that  if  the  lever,  A,  be 
moved  in  the  direction  of  the  arrow  in  fig.  2,  both  the  stem,  6,  with  its 
attachments,  and  the  feeding-arm,  d,  with  the  quarter,  will  be  made  to 
descend  through  spaces  whose  relative  proportions  will  be  as  the  dis- 
tances a — 1  and  a — 2,  on  the  lever,  z ;  at  the  same  time,  by  the  descent  of 
the  slide-head,  l,  and  the  carriage  of  the  sector,  u,  and  pinion,  t,  motion 
is  communicated  to  the  small  lever,  i,  and  the  guaging  index,  f,  is 
thereby  slightly  raised ;  and  when  the  face,  e,  of  the  guaging  index  and  the 
corresponding  surface  of  the  quarter  are  thus  brought  flush  with  each  other, 
the  whole  apparatus  is  in  proper  adjustment,  by  reason  of  the  simulta- 
neous movements  described,  as  resulting  from  the  action  of  the  lever,  h. 

The  principle  of  action  of  these  parts  of  the  apparatus  will  be  under- 
stood by  reference  to  fig.  3,  where  A  is  a  section  of  the  knife,  and  c  is 
the  cork-rest,  attached  to  the  feeding-arm.  Now,  keeping  in  mind  that 
the  knife-edge  does  not  alter  its 
position  vertically,  and  supposing 
the  quarter  to  be  infinitely  small, 
the  knife-edge  represents  every  part 
of  that  quarter,  and  the  under  sur- 
face of  the  knife,  and  the  part,  N,  of 
the  cork-rest,  together  with  the  axis 
of  the  cork-holders,  would  be  col- 
lected together  at  s ;  but,  if  a  quar- 
ter of  appreciable  dimensions  be 
taken,  and  we  suppose  the  exact 
square,  o  o,  p  K,  to  be  the  section 
thereof,  it  will  be  seen  that,  to  centre 
that  square  upon  the  holders  with 
such  precision  as  to  cut  out  its  in- 
scribed circle,  the  cork-rest;  c,  must 
be   made  to   descend  through   the 

space,  s  K,  the  ho'.ders  must  descend  through  the  space,  s  t;  and 
at  the  same  time,  the  guaging  index  must  ascend  through  the  space, 
sq.  Now  the  side  of  a  square,  or  the  diameter  of  its  inscribed  circle, 
which  is  the  same  thing,  being  to  the  diagonal  as  5  is  to  the  square 
root  of  50 — that  is  to  say,  very  nearly  as  5  is  to  7 — it  follows  that,  if 
we  call  s  u  =  5,  then  qk  =  7,  uk  and  s  q  being  each  equal  to  1  ; 
consequently,  sk  (the  descent  of  the  cork-rest)  will  be  5  +  1  =  6; 
st  (the  descent  of  the  holders)  will  be  f  =  25 ;  and  sq  (the  ascent  of 
the  guaging  index)  will  be  1.  Therefore,  the  distances,  a — 1  and  a — 2,  on 
the  lever,  z,  fig.  2,  being  as  25  to  6,  and  the  arms  of  the  small  lever,  i, 
being  as  2'5  to  1,  every  quarter,  whatever  its  thickness,  will  be  accu- 
rately guaged  and  centered. 

In  this  description,  the  section  of  the  quarter  has  been  supposed  to  be 
an  exact  square,  and  the  object  has  been  supposed  to  be  tlu;  production 
of  a  circular  section,  whose  diameter  is  precisely  equal  to  the  side  of  the 
square.     But  it  being  necessary,  in  practice,  to  cut  the  shaving  of  some 


Fig.  2. 


180 


THE  PRACTICAL  MECHANIC'S  JOURNAL. 


slight  thickness  at  the  flat  sides,  o  q  and  k  p,  to  produce  that  effect,  the 
knife  is  set  down  a  little  in  the  direction  of  the  centre,  t,  so  that  the  line 
of  shaving  would  be  represented  by  the  inner  dotted  circle.  Moreover, 
it  being  necessary  to  remove  a  somewhat  greater  thickness  of  shaving 
from  that  side  of  the  cork,  o  R,  usually  called  the  "  belly,"  in  practice, 
the  rest,  c,  is  set  down  a  little  upon  the  feeding-arm,  in  the  direction  of 
the  line,  r  v ;  so  that  the  side,  o  R,  will  be  represented  by  the  dotted  line 
parallel  thereto,  the  back  of  the  cork  standing  up  in  excess  towards  c'. 

In  the  drawings,  to  which  reference  has  been  made,  the  apparatus  is 
represented  in  the  position  requisite  for  cutting  the  quarters  into  cylin- 
ders. When  it  is  required  to  cut  a  conical  instead  of  the  cylindrical 
form,  the  set  screws,  j,  are  loosened,  and  the  back  plate,  which  hangs 
upon  the  pivot,  k,  is  canted,  so  that  the  cupped  holder,  j,  is  more  ele- 
vated than  the  holder,  i,  their  axial  line  forming  an  acute  angle  with  the 
knife-edge.  When  canted  to  the  required  angle,  the  back  plate  is  again 
set  fast  by  means  of  the  screws. 

The  knife  is  kept  sharp  by  passing  it,  every  stroke,  between  two  circu- 
lar stones,  I,  fig.  1,  which  are  made  to  revolve  in  contrary  directions,  by 
means  of  catgut,  m,  passing  to  them  below  the  pulley,  n. 

Machines  of  this  class  are  now  in  successful  operation  in  London, 
their  rate  of  action  being  24  revolutions  per  minute,  producing  10  gross, 
or  1440  corks  per  hour. 

DARLING'S  MALLEABLE  IRON-WORKS. 

The  illustration  accompanying  the  present  article  represents  a  ground 
plan  of  a  novel  arrangement  of  wrought-iron  works,  recently  patented 
by  Mr.  W.  Darling,  of  Glasgow.     The  improvements  involved  in  the 


new  system  refer  ns  well  to  the  mode  of  actuating  the  rolls  and  working 
mechanism,  as  to  the  disposition  of  the  puddling  furnaces.  Instead  of  the 
ordinary  gearing,  Mr.  Darling  arranges  his  machinery  so,  that  the  engine 
or  prime  mover  works  at  a  higher  rate  than  the  rolls ;  so  that  a  small 
engine  maybe  employed  with  a  steadier  and  more  efficient  rolling  action 
than  at  present,  whilst  the  cost  of  the  machinery  is  lessened.  The  fur- 
naces are  disposed  semicircularly  in  plan,  the  flues  of  the  entire  series 
being  all  made  to  converge  to  a  single  central  chimney,  in  such  man- 
lier that  the  smoke  ducts  shall  be  of  uniform  length  throughout  the  set, 
each  furnace  thus  working  alike.  And  to  aid  the  chimney  draught,  the 
waste  steam  from  the  engine  is  conducted  into  the  central  stalk,  just  as  is 
lone  in  locomotives.     The  common  chimney  is  placed  at  the  centre  point, 


from  which  the  semicircular  plan  of  the  furnaces  is  struck  out;  and  as 
the  several  converging  flues  pass  over  the  space  included  by  the  semi- 
circle, advantage  is  taken  of  the  heating  power  of  such  flues,  by  placing 
a  set  of  boilers  above  them.  At  present,  the  puddling  or  heating  fur- 
naces— where  open-buming,  non-caking  coal  is  used — can  only  be  worked 
with  coal  of  a  large  unbroken  size ;  but  Mr.  Darling  makes  them  capable 
of  working  with  culm,  or  small  coal,  by  adopting  moveable  furnace  bars, 
such  as  Juckes'  or  Bodmer's,  whereby  dross  may  be  effectually  con- 
sumed. 

Our  engraving  represents  a  general  plan  of  the  works,  arranged  as  a 
forge,  and  plate  or  sheet  mill,  a  is  a  double  engine,  the  two  steam  cylin- 
ders, b,  being  laid  horizontally  side  by  side,  on  a  cast-iron  foundation,  c, 
with  their  cranks,  d,  at  right  angles  to  each  other.  The  connecting-rods 
and  slide  blocks  are  arranged  in  the  ordinary  manner  of  horizontal  direct- 
action  engines,  the  driving  cranks  being  fast  on  the  opposite  ends  of  the 
first  motion  shaft,  carrying  the  fly-wheel  and  driving  pinion,  e.  The 
spur  pinion,  o,  gears  directly  with  a  large  spur  wheel,  h,  fast  on  a  shaft, 
running  in  bearings  on  the  foundation  plate,  and  fitted  with  ratchet  coup- 
lings on  each  end,  for  coupling  right  and  left  with  the  lines  of  rolls,  a. 
The  steam  cylinders,  B,  being  of  small  diameter  and  stroke,  are  capable 
of,  and  arranged  for,  being  driven  at  a  high  speed,  so  as,  in  the  first  place, 
to  insure  regularity  of  movement  in  themselves,  as  the  prime  movers  of 
the  machinery ;  and  this  advantage  is  further  improved  by  the  reduction 
of  the  rate,  in  communicating  it  to  the  rolls  by  the  intermediate  gearing. 
The  machinery  is  thus  rendered  cheap,  light,  and  easily  manageable, 
whilst  any  sudden  shocks  or  irregularities  in  the  rolling  resistance  are 
very  much  diminished  in  passing  through  the  several  working  details.  The 
puddling  and  heating  furnaces,  H — in  this  instance,  fourteen  in  number — 
are  disposed  semicircularly  round  a  central  stalk,  at  a  convenient  dis- 
tance from  the  hammering  and  rolling  machinery.  These  furnaces, 
which  are  supplied  with  materials  by  means  of  the  straight  line  of  rails, 
i,  worked  in  conjunction  with  the  semicircular  line,  J,  by  means  of  ad- 
justable points,  without  turn-tables,  are  all  worked  from  the  outside  por- 
tion of  the  semicircle  which  they  describe,  their  flues,  k,  all  converging 
to  the  central  chimney  or  stalk,  L.  By  this  arrangement  every  furnace 
will  work  alike,  as  each  has  the  self-same  extent  of  draught-passage, 
and  each  is  the  same  distance,  or  nearly  so,  from  the  working  machin- 
ery ;  and  the  draught  of  the  whole  is  aided  by  bringing  the  waste  or  used 
steam  from  the  engine,  A,  through  the  pipe,  m,  for  discharge  into  the 
chimney  as  a  draught  jet.  The  radial  or  converging  flues,  k,  are  also 
made  to  economize,  or  utilize,  their 
otherwise  waste  heat,  by  placing  steam 
boilers,  N,  upon  them.  The  bottoms  of 
these  boilers  are  thus  exposed  to  the 
direct-carried  heat  of  the  flues ;  and  as 
they  are  all  connected  together  by  a 
semipoligonal  range  of  pipes,  o,  and  suit- 
able steam  chests  and  stop  valves,  the 
whole  series  is  combined  to  furnish  the 
steam  required  for  the  works  at  a  very 
economical  cost,  whilst  any  one  boiler 
may  be  disconnected  from  the  rest  at 
pleasure.  On  one  side,  the  range  of  steam 
pipes  terminates  in  a  line  of  pipe,  p,  con- 
veying the  steam  to  the  rolling  engine ; 
and  on  the  other,  it  similarly  ends  in  a 
line  of  pipe,  Q,  taking  steam  to  the  steam 
hammer,  e.  The  waste  steam  from  tho 
hammer  cylinder  is  also  economized,  by 
conveying  it  into  the  engine  wastepipc, 
s,  for  improving  the  chimney  draught. 
The  puddling  or  other  furnaces,  in  them- 
selves, may  be  arranged  according  to 
any  of  the  improved  modern  plans,  with 
the  exception,  that  in  localities  where 
open  burning,  non-caking  coal  is  used 
as  the  puddling  or  heating  fuel,  the  firebars  are  moveable,  instead  of 
being  fixed,  as  atpreseut. 

A  pair  of  separate  heating  furnaces  are  also  shown  in  the  plan  at  t. 
It  is  undoubted,  that  the  sound  practical  improvements  here  developed 
must  materially  affect  the  future  construction  of  wrought-iron  works, 
where  opportunities  arise  for  the  entire  remodelling  of  existing  plans. 

M'CONNELL'S  EXPRESS  LOCOMOTIVE 

ON  THE  LONDON  AND  NORTH-WESTERN  RAILWAY. 

{Illustrated  by  Plates  1 12,  138,  and  139.) 

We  gave  the  external  longitudinal  elevation  of  this  engine  in  our  part 

57,  for  December  last.     We  now  add  two  transverse  sections  to  corre- 


cTlah'JJ8. 

J.JE.M?   fOXXELL 


fL  ©  ©  ®  ?A  D  -J  ]  7  i 

PATEKTEE.WOLYERTON 


- 


Vol.  U 


'ThiUlSfJ. 


J.E.MC  COX 


PATENTEE ,  WOLVERTOX 


Vol.  VI 


THE  PEACTICAL  MECHANIC'S  JOURNAL. 


181 


spond;  and  next  month  we  shall  give  the  longitudinal  section  to  complete 
the  series.  Of  the  two  illustrations  in  the  present  part,  Plate  138  is 
a  transverse  section,  one  half  through  the  barrel  of  the  boiler,  at  the 
steam  dome,  showing  the  sectional  area  of  the  innermost  expanded 
portion  of  the  inside  fire-box ;  the  other  half  section  is  taken  at  a  point 
above  the  crank  axle,  where  the  narrow  neck  of  the  inside  fire-box 
occurs.  Plate  1 39,  also  furnishes  two  distinct  half  sections ;  one  through 
the  smoke-box,  cylinder,  and  blast  pipe ;  and  the  other  through  the  fire- 
box in  the  line  of  the  safety  valve. 


Fig.  1. 


WICKEESHAM'S  AMEPJCAN  SEWING  MACHINE. 

This  machine,  which  is  the  invention  of  Mr.  W.  Wickersham  of 
Lowell,  State  of  Massachusetts,  and  patented  in  this  country  by  Mr. 
W.  Johnson,  C.E.,  is  calculated  to  sew  either  a  chain  stitch  with  a  single 
thread,  or  a  stitch  or  plegma  frmed  of  two  threads,  and  so  that  the 
loops  of  one  of  the  threads  shall  alternately  pass  through  or  be  inter- 
locked with  those  of  the  other,  as  seen  in  fig.  1 ;  in  which  a  and  b  may 
be  supposed  to  represent  a  section  of  two  layers  of  cloth  to  be  sewed 
together;  c  and  d,  the  two  threads.  The  loops  of  the  thread,  c,  are  seen 
at  e,  e,  whilst  those  of  the  thread,  d,  are  at  f,  f.     In  plegma-stitch 

sewing,  as  represented  in  fig.  1,  the 
loops  of  one  thread  serve  to  bind 
those  of  the  other  in  the  cloth,  so  as 
to  prevent  either  thread  from  being 
unravelled  or  drawn  out  of  the  cloth. 
By  this  improved  mode  of  sewing  cloth, 
or  of  forming  sewing  by  the  inter- 
looping  of  two  threads,  so  that  the 
loops  shall  be  entirely  on  one  side  of 
the  cloth,  the  great  objection  to  the  ordinary  chain  stitch,  on  account 
of  the  ease  with  which  it  unravels,  is  overcome. 

Fig.  2  of  our  engravings  represents  the  machine  in  vertical  section  ; 
fig.  3  is  a  second  vertical  section  at  right  angles  to  fig.  2 ;  fig.  4  is  a  view 
of  the  under  side  of  the  machine,  seen  as  inverted ;  and  fig.  5  is  a  view  to 
the  needle  as  detached  and  drawn  to  a  larger  scale.  The  machine 
consists  of  a  frame  or  table,  A,  to  which  a  hollow  arm,  B,  is  fixed,  and 
made  to  extend  above  and  over  the  upper  surface  of  the  table.  This 
arm  supports  the  needle-  slide,  or  carrier,  c,  which  is 

a  rod  or  bar  of  metal  made  FiS- 2-  to  slide  freely  up  and  down 


vertically,  and  is  jointed 
upper  arm  of  a  bent  lever, 
a  fulcrum,  e.  The  move- 
effected  by  means  of  a 
the  driving-shaft,  o,  the 
a  projection  upon  it,  being 
the  cam,  which  is  formed 
movements  to  the  needle- 
tends  down  from  the  lower 
is  formed  as  represented 
consists  of  a  hook,  H,  in 
there  is  a  small  slide,  I, 
down  in  a  groove  formed 
When  brought  down  upon 
lower  end  closes  the  en- 


to  the  extreme  end  of  the 
D,  that  plays  vertically  on 
ment  of  the  lever,  d,  is 
grooved  cam,  f,  fixed  on 
lower  end  of  the  lever,  or 
entered  into  the  groove  of 
so  as  to  impart  the  proper 
carrier.  The  needle  ex- 
end  of  the  carrier,  c,  and 
in  side  view,  fig.  5.  It 
connection  with  which 
arranged  to  work  up  and 
in  the  shank  of  the  needle, 
the  top,  k,  of  the  hook,  its 
trance  of  the  latter ;  and  as 


the  slide,  i,  is  so  moved  down  on  the  hook  previous  to  its  upward  move- 
ment through  the  cloth,  the  hook  is  prevented  from  catching. 

In  connection  with  the  hook,  or  needle,  two  thread-guides,  or  carriers, 
l,  m,  are  employed,  consisting  of  curved  arms,  or  thin  blades  of  steel, 
respectively  projecting  from  two  vertical  shafts,  n,  o.  An  arm  extends 
it  right  angles  from  each  of  the  shafts,  and  carries  a  small  projection  or 


stud,  entered,  one  above  and  the  other  below,  into  the  groove  of  a  cam, 
p,  fixed  on  the  driving-shaft,  a.  A  movement  is  imparted  by  the  cam,  p, 
to  each  thread-carrier,  causing  it  at  the  proper  time  to  lay  its  thread 
across  the  hook  of  the  needle  after  the  latter  has  been  moved  down 
through  the  cloth. 

Fig.  3. 


The  threads,  Q,  proceed  from  bobbins,  R,  suitably  placed.  Each 
thread,  before  it  is  passed  through  the  eye  or  hole  of  its  thread-guide  or 
carrier,  is  passed  through  an  eye  or  hole  made  through  one  end  of  a 
draft-spring,  s,  the  object  of  the  draft-springs  being  to  draw  their 
respective  threads  into  the  cloth,  and  to  keep  them  always  straight,  so 
that  the  thread-carriers  may  throw  the  threads  into  the  hook  of  the 
needle. 

Fig.  4. 


The  needle-slide  has  a  small  projection,  t,  extending  from  the  upper 
part,  and  lying  between  two  spring-plates,  which  are  made  to  grasp  the 
projection  between  them.  There  is  also  a  small  pin  passed  through  the 
needle-slide  somewhat  below  the  projection,  t.  The  pin  works  within 
a  notch  formed  in  the  needle-carrier,  the  whole  being  arranged  so,  that, 


182 


THE  PRACTICAL  MECHANIC'S  JOURNAL. 


Fig.  5. 


during  its  descent,  the  needle  will  pass  down  entirely  through  the 
cloth,  and  far  enough  to  carry  the  top  of  its  hook  a  short  distance  below 
the  lower  edge  of  the  cloth ;  the  spring-plates,  however,  will  grasp  the 
projection,  T,  with  sufficient  force  to  prevent  the  slide  from  descending 
with  the  needle,  until  the  top  of  the  slide  abuts  against  the  top  of  the 
notch  of  the  needle-carrier.  As  soon  as  this  takes  place,  the  needle- 
slide  will  be  moved  downwards,  and  pass  through  the  cloth,  but  not 
so  far  as  the  top  of  the  hook  of  the  needle.  The  needle  may  then  be 
said  to  be  opened,  so  that  a  thread  may  be  laid  in  its  hook  by  one  of  the 
thread-guides.  The  needle  is  next  raised  upwards,  and  will  pass  upwards 
independently  of  the  needle-slide,  which  is,  in  the  meantime,  held  down 
by  the  action  of  the  spring-plates,  until  the  lower  end  of  the  slide  is  met 
by  the  ascending  hook  of  the  needle,  or  until  the  lower  side  of  the  notch 
of  the  needle-carrier  is  brought  up  against  the  pin  in  the  top  of  the  slide. 
When  this  takes  place,  the  needle  is  closed,  so  that  the  hook  can  pass 
freely  upwards  through  the  cloth  and  the  loop  without  catching  either. 
The  needle-slide  afterwards  rises  upwards  with  the  needle,  until  the  up- 
ward movement  of  the  latter  ceases.  When  the  downward  movement  of 
the  needle  next  takes  place,  the  spring-plates  cause  its  slide  to  remain 
stationary  until  the  needle-hook  descends  away  from  it,  and  until  the  upper 
part  of  the  notch  of  the  sliae  strikes  against  the  top  of  the  needle-slide, 
when  the  needle-slide  will  move  downwards  with  the  needle  as  before. 
The  mechanism  for  feeding  the  cloth  under  the  needle 
with  an  intermittent  movement  may  be  thus  described : — 
The  cloth  rests  on  the  top  of  the  table,  and  whenever  the 
needle  is  raised  out  of  the  cloth,  the  latter  is  moved  for- 
wards a  distance  equal  to  the  length  of  each  stitch,  the 
cloth  remaining  at  rest  while  the  needle  is  in  it.  For  this 
purpose,  a  propeller,  u,  is  provided,  consisting  of  a  plate 
of  metal  made  rough,  or  formed  with  teeth  on  its  lower 
side.  This  rests  on  the  top  of  the  cloth,  and  partly  around 
the  needle.  This  propeller  is  at  each  stitch  pushed  forward 
by  a  wedge-piece,  actuated  from  the  bent  lever,  d,  by 
means  of  the  smaller  lever,  v,  oscillating  on  the  centre,  w  ; 
after  which  it  is  raised  by  the  same  lever,  v.  Whilst  the 
propeller  is  raised,  the  cloth  is  held  down  by  another  simi- 
lar but  unroughened  plate,  actualike  manner. 

During  the  operation  of  the  machine,  the  needle  is  made 
to  pass  down  through  the  cloth,  having  its  hook  a  short 
distance  from  the  lower  end  of  the  needle-slide,  which  is 
also  carried  down  through  the  cloth.  One  of  the  thread- 
guides  is  next  moved  so  as  to  carry  its  thread  into  the 
opening  of  the  hook,  so  that,  on  the  rising  of  the  needle,  the  thread  will 
be  drawn  up  through  the  cloth  in  the  form  of  a  loop.  The  needle  next 
descends  through  the  loop  thus  formed,  the  needle-slide  remaining 
stationary  until  the  hook  is  open,  when  it  descends  with  the  needle  as 
before,  and  the  other  thread-guide  is  in  its  turn  moved  so  as  to  lay  its 
thread  into  the  opening  of  the  hook.  The  needle  again  rises  and  forms 
a  new  loop,  drawing  the  thread  through  the  cloth  and  through  the  loop 
just  previously  formed.  In  this  way  the  sewing  operation  is  performed 
with  two  threads,  one  serving  as  a  binding  thread  to  the  other. 

GORDON'S  IMPROVED  CARRIAGE. 
In   the  carriage  division  of  the  Dublin  Exhibition,  a  very  important 
improvement,  in  reference  to  the  fore  carriage  of  four-wheeled  vehicles, 
is  brought  forward  by  the  Rev.  J.  F.  Gordon  of  Downpatrick,  aided  by 

the  constructive 
Fig.  l.  talent    of    Mr. 

R.  T.  Lithg&w, 
the  carriage 
builder  of  that 
town.  This  im- 
provement is  in- 
tended to  obviate 
the  very  usual 
complaints  as  to 
the  impractica- 
bility of  bring- 
ing the  hind 
and  front  wheels 
of  carriages 
nearer  to  each 
other,  in  conse- 
quence of  the 
large  circle  described  by  the  front  wheels  and  axle  in  moving  from  the 
centre,  as  well  as  the  want  of  facility  in  turning.  The  peculiarity  of 
Mr.  Gordon's  modification  is,  that  instead  of  the  front  wheels  requiring 
about  40  inches   from  the  centre  of   the  axle  to  turn,   they  are  en- 


abled to  turn  a  full  quadrant,  and  one-eighth  of  the  remainder;  and 
the  circle  thus  described  has  a  radius  of  only  7J  inches  instead  of 
40,  enabling  the  front  and  hind  wheels  to  be  brought  from  28  to  30 
inches  nearer  each  other  than  in  the  ordinary  plan ;  the  carriage 
being  drawn  with  at  least  a  third  greater  ease.  And  when  the  wheel" 
are  turned  to  the  extreme  end  of  the  lock  or  stop,  the  points  of  the 
shoeing  in  contact  with  the  ground,  are  in  precisely  the  same  position  as 
if  going  straight  forward,  so  that  overturning  is  impossible.  Our  engrav- 
ings exhibit  the  improvements  in  three  separate  details.  Fig.  1  is  an 
outline  of  the  body,  showing  the  fore  carriage  action ;  fig.  2  is  a  corre- 
sponding  plan ; 

and  fig.   3  is  a  Fig.  2. 

plan  of  the  fore 

and   hind  axles  / 

combined.  In 
fig.  1,  A,  are  iron 
stays,  attaching 
the  body  to  the 
fore  carriage ; 
and  b  is  the 
upper  joint  cor- 
responding to 
the  joint  on  the 
axle ;  c  are  the 
jaws  of  the  axle ; 
d  is  a  case- 
hardened  bolt, 
an  inch  in  dia- 
meter ;  upon 
which  bolt  the 
arrangement 
mainly  depends, 
as  the  wheel 
turns  at  a  point 
immediately  at 
the  back  of  the 
nave.      E  is  the 

spring,  and  f  the  front  pole  socket;  o  is  the  joint  end  of  the  connectin 
rod  which  moves  the  carriage  in  making  its  turnings,  as  represented 

Fig.  3. 


fig.  2;  h  is  the  end  of  the  futchell,  connected  to  the  shaft  by  a  joint ; 
and  I  is  a  stay,  cranked  over  the  axle  joint,  to  which  the  spring  is  bolted. 


THE  PRACTICAL  MECHANIC'S  JOURNAL. 


183 


In  fig.  2,  A  are  the  disc  joints  at  the  back  of  the  wheels  upon  the  front 
axle,  and  b  is  the  hare  axle,  a  wheel,  c,  being  shown  upon  the  axle  on 
the  other  side;  d  is  the  wheel  plate;  e  are  the  joint  ends  of  the  rod, 
enabling  the  front  wheel  to  follow  the  direction  of  the  horse.  The  dotted 
lines  indicate  the  position  which  the  front  wheels  would  occupy,  if  turn- 
ing from  the  centre,  as  in  the  common  plan.  In  fig.  3,  A  is  an  iron  perch, 
attaching  the  front  and  hind  axle  by  bands.  The  entire  fore  carriage  is 
of  wTonght-iron,  and  the  wheel  plate,  futchells,  futchell  stays,  splinter 
bar,  and  front  pole  socket,  are  all  in  one  piece.  The  Exhibition 
carriage  is  very  creditable  to  the  town  of  Downpatrick. 

_ , 

TABLE  OF  PRESSURES  NECESSARY  FOR  PUNCHING 
PLATE-IRON  OF  VARIOUS  THICKNESSES. 

The  following  table  exhibits  the  results  of  a  series  of  expe^ 
riments  made  some  time  ago  at  the  Great  Western  Steam-Ship 
Works,  Bristol,  for  the  purpose  of  determining  the  actual  pres- 
sure necessary  for  perforating  wrought-iron  plates  of  various 
strengths.  The  trials  were  conducted  in  the  most  careful  man- 
ner by  Mr.  John  Jones,  the  inventor  of  the  Cambrian  engine, 


the  lever  punching-press  delineated  in  the  annexed  diagram  being  used 
for  the  purpose. 

The  first  lever,  a,  is  6  feet  6  inches  long,  with  its  fulcrum  6  inches 
from  one  end,  so  that  its  leverage  is  as  12  to  1.  The  second  lever,  E,  is 
12  feet  long,  with  one  arm  of  2  feet,  making  5  to  1.  Hence  the  gain  in 
leverage  =  12  X  5  =  60  times ;  so  that  1  cwt.  on  the  scale  is  equal  to 
3  tons  on  the  punch.  The  punching  weights  are  hung  on  the  scale-pan, 
c,  and  at  d  is  a  back  balance. 


=  E 

1 

Thic. 

of 

Plate 

"Weight  in 

Pressure 

on  the     E 

=  Thic. 
Ph      of 
■S  Plate 

Weight  in 

Pressure 

on  the     S 

§  Thic. 
i<     of 
3  Plate 

Weight  in 

Pressure 

on  the 

g  =  Thi 
«£     of 
5-s  Pla 

c'      Weight  in 

Pressure 

on  the 

«i 

the  Scale. 

Punch.            = 

the  Scale. 

Punch.           g 

the  Scale. 

Punch. 

the  scale. 

Punch. 

Inc 

Wire 
Gua. 

Cwt 

qrs.  lbs. 

Ton.  cwt. 

qrs.  lhs.  I 

oc.  Inch. 

Cwt 

qrs.  lbs. 

Ton.  cwt. 

qrs.  lbs.  In 

c.  Inch. 

Cwt. 

jrs.  lbs. 

Ton.  cwt 

qrs.  lbs. 

Inc.  Inc 

l.  Cwt. 

qrs.  lbs. 

Ton.  cwt. 

qrs.  lbs 

1 

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THE  LAW  AS  REGARDS  PATENTS  FOR  INVENTIONS  IN 
THE  KINGDOM   OF  WURTEMBERG. 

A  royal  ordinance,  dated  the  5th  of  August,  1836,  regulates  the  law  in 
Wurtemberg,  and  the  effect  of  it  is  given  in  the  following  paragraphs. 

The  government  grants  patents  for  the  invention  of  a  new  article,  a 
new  machine,  or  a  new  process  of  manufacture,  as  well  as  to  the  importer 
of  a  new  invention  from  abroad,  if  such  invention  is  protected  by  patent 
in  the  country  from  which  it  i3  imported.  The  applicant  must  give  in 
a  statement  of  his  abode,  or  of  the  place  where  he  desires  to  establish 
the  trade  or  manufacture  founded  on  his  invention,  and  he  must  set  forth 


a  full  description  of  his  invention,  accompanied  by  the  drawings,  models, 
or  patterns,  requsite  to  the  intelligibility  of  the  same,  especially  describ- 
ing the  particulars  wherein  the  invention  differs  from  others  already  in  use. 
The  application  will  be  refused,  1,  if  the  invention  be  in  any  way  dis- 
countenanced by  the  law ;  2,  if  a  patent  has  already  been  granted  for  a 
similar  invention ;  3,  if  the  invention  has  already  been  brought  into  use 
in  the  country.  '  The  government  will  not  graiit  a  patent  for  a  longer 
term  than  ten  years.  An  exclusive  privilege  for  a  longer  term  can  only 
be  obtained  by  means  of  a  special  act  of  the  legislature.     When  a  patent 

*  Punch  broke.  J  Die-and-punch  broke.  J  Die  broke,  §  Punch  bent  and  die  broke. 
||  A  piece  of  §  bar  iron,  very  soft,  and  too  narrow  for  a  true  punch.  ^  Machine  would  not 
allow  of  a  stronger  piece  being  punched. 


_ 


184 


THE  PRACTICAL  MECHANIC'S  JOURNAL. 


has  been  obtained,  in  tbe  first  instance,  for  a  shorter  term  than  two  years, 
it  may  be  prolonged  to  the  full  term,  provided  the  patentee  makes 
application  before  the  commencement  of  the  last  year  of  the  original 
term,  or,  in  the  case  of  a  patent  for  an  imported  invention,  before  the 
termination  of  the  first  half  of  the  original  term. 

The  description  of  the  invention  delivered  along  with  the  petition,  can 
only  be  seen  by  a  resident  citizen  of  Wurtemberg,  and  only  when  be 
can  show  an  interest  sufficient  to  entitle  him  to  the  inspection,  and  on 
his  giving  security  for  the  non-infringement  of  the  patent  during  its 
existence.  An  inspection  will  only  be  permitted  after  the  time  allowed 
for  applying  for  a  prolongation  has  elapsed.  All  applications  for  an  in- 
spection are  advertised  before  they  are  granted,  in  order  to  give  the 
patentee  an  opportunity  for  opposing  them. 

An  annual  tax  is  imposed  on  patents,  varying  from  five  to  twenty 
florins  (7s.  4d.  to  £1.  13s.  4d.),  the  first  instalment  being  paid  on  the 
delivery  of  the  patent,  and  tbe  others  at  the  commencement  of  each  year 
of  the  term. 

Patents  can  be  transferred  by  the  patentee  to  others,  or  he  can  allow 
others  to  participate  in  the  working  and  profits.  In  case  of  the  patentee's 
death  before  the  expiration  of  the  term,  his  rights  pass  to  his  legal  repre- 
sentatives. 

A  patent  for  an  improvement  on  an  invention  already  patented,  is 
entirely  limited  to  that  improvement,  and  gives  the  patentee  no  rights 
over  the  original  invention.  On  the  other  hand,  the  improvement  com- 
prised in  the  later  patent,  is  protected  as  against  the  original  patentee. 

An  infringement  of  the  patentee's  rights,  either  by  directly  manu- 
facturing without  his  consent  the  objects  protected  by  the  patent,  or  by 
exposing  to  sale  the  results  of  such  manufacture,  or  by  importing  similar 
objects  from  abroad,  will  be  punished  by  a  forfeiture  of  the  manufactured 
objects,  and  payment  for  all  the  articles  previously  disposed  of,  will  be 
enforced  at  the  selling  prices. 

A  patent  will  not  be  granted,  or,  if  granted,  will  be  considered  invalid, 
if,  before  the  deposit  of  the  description,  another  person  has  already 
applied  for  a  patent  for  the  same  invention,  and  has  lodged  the  various 
requisites  previously  mentioned;  or  if  the  invention  has  been  in  public 
use,  either  in  Wurtemberg  or  abroad,  unprotected  by  patent,  or  has 
been  described  in  some  printed  publication,  or  if  the  description  contains 
any  material  concealment,  or  misrepresentation,  or  if  another  citizen 
proves  that  the  invention  was  originally  made  by  him,  and  has  been 
improperly  appropriated  by  the  patentee  or  applicant.  When  tbe  inven- 
tion has  been  already  made,  but  kept  secret  by  another  person,  the 
patent  will  be  good  except  as  against  that  person. 

A  patent  will  become  void  if  the  invention  has  not  been  carried  into 
effect,  in  the  country,  within  two  years  of  the  grant,  or  if  a  suspension 
in  carrying  it  into  effect  has  taken  place;  unless,  in  either  case,  suffi- 
cient reason  can  be  adduced  for  not  proceeding  under  the  patent.  It 
will  also  be  void,  when  the  exercise  of  the  patented  trade  is  removed 
to  a  foreign  country,  or  there  is  anything  contrary  to  law  in  the  manu- 
facture. A  patent  for  an  imported  invention  will  become  void,  also,  if 
the  patent,  or  one  of  the  patents,  protecting  the  invention  abroad,  has 
become  invalid  at  the  term  of  the  grant  in  Wurtemberg. 

THE  MECHANIC'S  LIBRARY. 

Architecture  of  the  Farm,  Plates  4to.,  £2  2s.,  cloth.    J.  Starforth. 

Engineer's  and  Mechanic's  Pocket  Book.  6s.  6d,  tuck.    Haswell. 

Figure  Drawing,  Guide  to,  with  Illustrations,  crown  8vo.,  Is.    Hicks. 

Mechanical  Drawing,  Drawing  and  Perspective,  (Chambers'  Educational  Course 

Books  1.  to  3.,)  Is.  6d. 
Sailing  Boat,  with  Engravings,  crown  8vo.,  10s.  6d.  cloth.    H.  C.  Folkard. 
Sciences,  Comtes'  Philosophy  of,  (Bohn's  Scientific  Library,)  5s.    Lewes. 
Stones  of  Venice,  Vol.  III.,  "The  Fall,"  Illustrated,  £t  lis.  6d.,  cloth.    J.  Kuskin. 


RECENT    PATENTS. 


ROLLING  WROUGHT-IRON  WHEELS. 

W.  Johnson,  Civil  Engineer,  London  and  Glasgow. — Patent  dated 
March  22, 1853. 

This  is  the  communicated  invention  of  Mr.  J.  S.  Gwynne,  the 
ingenious  American  engineer.  It  relates  to  a  peculiar  novel  system  of 
rolling  and  shaping  malleable  metals,  bearing  more  especially  upon  the 
manufacture  of  wrought-iron  railway  wheels,  wheel  tyres,  railway  bars, 
cylinder  and  valve  covers,  boiler  ends  or  heads,  as  well  as  flat  plates, 
discs,  and  cones.  In  forming  solid  railway  wheels  by  this  system,  a 
table,  revolving  horizontally  upon  a  set  of  conical  bearing-rollers,  is 
used,  this  table  having  a  central  recess  in  it  to  receive  the  lower  shaping 
die  for  one  side  of  the  wheel  to  be  rolled.  This  die  surface  corresponds 
in  sectional  outline  with  the  outline  of  one  side  or  face  of  the  wheel,  and 


it  has  a  central  pin  standing  up  to  form  the  axle-hole  in  the  wheel  boss- 
Itis  upon  this  die  that  the  mass  of  metal  to  be  rolled  is  laid,  such  mass 
being  squeezed  on  the  upper  surface,  to  form  the  opposite  sectional 
outline  of  the  wheel,  by  a  pair  of  horizontal  rollers  set  with  their  axes  in 
one  line,  but  revolving  in  opposite  directions.  These  rollers  are  driven 
from  their  outside  ends  furthest  from  the  centre  of  the  apparatus,  their 
inner  ends  being  brought  close  together  at  a  point  coinciding  with  the 
centre  of  motion  of  the  revolving  wheel  and  die  apparatus.  Thus,  to 
accomplish  the  required  shaping  effect,  the  two  rollers  of  this  pair  are 
exact  counterparts  to  each  other,  and  are  each  shaped  so  that  their  lon- 
gitudinal sections  coincide  with  the  sectional  contour  of  the  radius  of  the 
wheel.  In  this  way,  when  the  apparatus  is  set  in  motion,  with  a  mass 
of  iron  laid  in  it,  the  combined  effect  of  the  rollers  and  die  shapes  the  two 
sides  or  faces  of  the  wheel,  whilst  the  tyre  or  running  surface  is  formed 
by  the  circumferential  pressure  of  two  or  more  vertical  rollers  shaped 
to  the  required  tyre  section.  In  this  way,  a  finished  wheel  is  rolled  at 
one  operation  by  the  combined  roller  and  die  actions.  By  another 
modification,  the  circumferential  shaping  rollers  are  dispensed  with,  and 
the  rolling  surface  of  the  wheel  is  shaped  by  forcing  the  malleable  metal 
into  an  annular  recess  surrounding  the  table  carrying  the  bottom  revolv- 


ing die ;  or  no  table  need  be  used,  if  three  or  more  horizontal  rollers  are 
suitably  disposed  above  and  below  the  metal  to  be  rolled,  such  rollers 
being  set  to  radiate  from  the  wheel's  centre,  the  tyre  surface  being 
formed  with  circumferential  rollers  as  before.  All  kinds  of  malleable 
metal  may  be  manufactured  by  this  system — the  dies  or  rollers  being 
suitably  modified  for  their  special  purposes ;  copper  still-bottoms,  buffer- 
plates,  and  tubes  may  be  thus  made. 

According  to  the  modification  represented  in  the  figure,  tbe  vertical  rol- 
lers for  shaping  the  tyre  of  the  wheel,  a,  are  dispensed  with,  the  proper 
form  being  given  to  this  part  by  the  table,  c,  the  outer  edge  of  which  rises 
above  the  die-plate,  B,  and  is  moulded  to  the  required  contour  as  at  h  ; 
and  the  rollers,  e,  have  shoulders  upon  them,  so  as  to  meet  the  table,  c, 
at  the  extreme  outer  edge  of  the  flange  of  the  wheel. 

Several  other  modifications  have  been  worked  out  upon  the  basis  of  this 
contrivance,  the  applications  of  which  are  extremely  numerous. 


"D"  FLAX  GILL. 

W.  K.  Westlv,  Leeds.— Patent  dated  March  18,  1853. 

Mr.  Westly's  "  D"  Gill  derives  its  name  from  the  figure  described  by 
its  fallers  or  combs  in  their  working  course.  Both  sides  of  the  fallers 
are  furnished  with  combs  or  gill-teeth,  each  individual  comb  on  each 
faller  acting  alternately  upon  the  material  to  be  treated.  The  fallers 
are  traversed  forward  by  spiral  traversers  or  screws,  in  the  ordinary 
manner ;  but  as  they  each  arrive  at  the  end  of  their  forward  traverse, 
they  are  successively  disengaged  from  their  conducting  spirals  by  the 
descent  of  a  tooth  projecting  from  the  interior  of  a  revolving  ring,  or  an- 
nular toothed  wheel,  one  such  ring  being  fitted  at  each  end  of  the  line 
of  fallers,  just  inside  the  spirals.  As  the  various  fallers  are  in  this  way 
successively  thrown  out  of  connection  with  their  traversers,  they  are 
severally  carried  back  for  a  new  action,  by  the  onward  progress  of  the 
tooth  hereinbefore  mentioned,  along  a  semicircular  guide,  beneath  the 
spirals,  when  they  are  again  engaged  with  the  fibrous  stream  and  with 
the  spirals.  In  order  to  prevent  the  fallers  from  being  carried  entirely 
round  with  the  revolving  rings,  a  small  fixed  incline  is  made  to  project 
slightly  inside  each  ring,  so  that  as  the  fallers  are  brought  against  the 
incline,  they  are  each  pushed  off  the  actuating  tooth,  and  left  free  to  be 
carried  in  a  direct  line  upon  their  guide  rails,  by  the  spiral  traversers. 
The  number  of  internal  teeth  in  the  revolving  rings  or  wheels  must 


THE  PRACTICAL  MECHANIC'S  JOURNAL. 


185 


obviously  be  regulated  to  suit  tbe  pitcb  and  speed  of  the  spirals,  so  that 
as  each  ialler  arrives  at  the  end  of  its  traverse,  it  may  be  duly  removed 
by  its  allotted  tooth .  It  is  thus  obvious  that  the  course  of  the  fallers 
is  that  of  a  direct  straight  line  and  a  semicircle  combined,  and  that  the 
comb  which  is  iu  action  during  one  traverse  along  the  spirals,  goes  out 


of  action  during  the  next  traverse,  and  so  on  throughout  the  action. 
Our  illustration  represents  the  invention  in  detail,  as  founded  upon  the 
"  screw-gill,"  patented  in  1833  by  Mr.  Westly,  in  conjunction  with  Mr. 
Lawson,  the  machinist  of  Leeds. 

This  is  a  vertical  longitudinal  section  of  the  working  mechanism  of  the 


improved  gill  or  drawing  frame.  The  drawing  and  pressing  rollers  are 
at  A,  B,  the  rollers,  c,  behind,  being  the  detaining  rollers.  The  spiral  tra- 
versers or  screws,  d,  which  actuate  the  gill  combs,  e,  work  in  end  bearings 
in  the  side  standards  of  the  framing,  being  actuated  by  two  pairs  of  bevil- 
wheels,  f,  from  the  cross  shaft,  o.  This  cross  shaft  is  driven  by  the  train  of 
spur  gearing,  H,  shown  in  dotted  lines,  from  the  front  drawing  roller  spin- 
dle, a,  the  opposite  end  of  which  spindle  carries  fast  and  loose  driving  pul- 
leys, whence  the  whole  of  the  movements  are  derived.  The  duplex  arrange- 
ment of  the  comb-bars  or  fallers,  e,  is  such,  that  one  line  of  comb-teeth, 
as  shown  at  e,  being  on  each  side  of  each  bar,  and  each  bar  being  re- 
versed on  every  traverse,  it  follows,  that  the  combs  act  alternately  in 
carrying  forward  the  treated  material.  The  revolving  rings,  i,  are,  in 
this  instance,  modifications  of  "  mangle  wheels,"  as  commonly  used  in 
textile  machinery,  each  wheel  having  internal  projections  or  teeth,  j, 
upon  it,  for  acting  at  stated  periods  upon  the  fallers,  e.  These  wheels 
are  supported  and  retained  in  position  by  the  rollers  or  anti-friction  pul- 
leys, K,  on  each  side  of  the  machine.  In  order  to  give  motion  to  the 
ring  or  mangle-wheels,  the  8pur  pinion,  o,  in  each  case,  is  keyed  fast 
upon  its  transverse  shaft,  which  shaft  is  actuated  at  the  required  rate  by 
means  of  the  wheels,  p,  from  the  shaft,  g.  The  spur  pinion,  o,  has  on 
each  side  of  it  an  anti-friction  pulley,  loose  on  the  shaft,  the  two  pulleys 
in  each  arrangement  being  set  to  embrace  the  pinion  closely.  Although 
loose  on  the  shafts,  these  pulleys  rotate  with  the  shafts,  but  at  a  slightly 
different  velocity,  as  the  diameters  of  the  pulleys  are  slightly  different 
to  the  pitch  line  diameter  of  their  pinion. 

Within  each  of  the  rings  or  mangle  wheels  is  fitted  a  semicircular 
guide-plate,  q,  and  the  horizontal  upper  edges  of  these  plates  serve  as 
supports  for  the  gills,  during  their  forward  traverse,  when  in  real  work. 
At  e  are  fixed  inclined  stops  for  entering  the  gills  into  the  threads  of  the 
screws,  as  the  gills  commence  their  forward  traverse.  The  action  of 
this  machine  is  this : — The  gills  are  carried  along  the  upper  edges  of  the 
guide-plates,  q,  in  the  direction  of  the  arrows,  by  the  spiral  traversers  or 
screws,  i>;  but  as  each  successive  gill  arrives  at  the  termination  of  its 
traverse  along  the  upper  edges  of  the  guide  plates,  it  is  carried  down  out 
of  the  screw  threads  by  the  descent  of  one  (on  each  side)  of  the  projections 
or  teeth,  j,  in  the  revolving  rings.  The  gill  is  then  directed  into,  and  car- 
ried along  between  the  lower,  curved,  or  semicircular  edges  of  the  guide- 
plates  and  the  interior  surfaces  of  the  mangle  wheels.  When  the  gill 
arrives  at  the  beginning  of  the  screws  again — that  is,  at  the  back  of  the 
machine — it  i3  disconnected  from  the  projections,  j.  by  coming  in  con- 
tact with  the  fixed  inclined  stops,  p.,  which  now  force  the  gill  off  the  act- 
ing edges  of  the  teeth,  and  place  it  in  a  position  to  be  carried  along  by 
the  screws,  as  before  described.  The  spiral  traversers  may  either  be 
single  or  multi-threaded  screws. 

This  very  elegant  contrivance  preserves  all  the  merits  of  the  screw- 
No.  69.— Vr.l.  VI. 


gill,  whilst  it  avoids  the  essential  defects  of  that  arrangement.  The 
cams  of  the  screw-gill  require  peculiar  nicety  of  adjustment,  which, 
however,  is  rapidly  deranged  by  wear  and  tear,  and  the  hammering  ac- 
tion upon  the  fallers.  Compared  to  a  given  length  of  screw-gill,  the 
number  of  fallers  in  a  "  D"  gill  is  reduced  by  one-half,  and  the  number 
of  spirals  to  one-fourth,  and  a  peculiarly  smooth  action  is  secured. 

DENTAL  INSTRUMENTS. 
J.  A.  Youno,  Glasgow. — Patent  dated  April  2,  1852. 

The  object  of  this  invention,  patented  and  introduced  in  practice  by 
Mr.  J.  A.  Young,  of  the  firm  of  A.  S.  Young  and  Son,  Buchanan  Street, 
Glasgow,  is  the  production  of  a  set  of  forceps  which  shall  act  as 
efficiently  and  painlessly  as  possible ;  and,  for  this  end,  nine  forceps  are 
proposed  as  sufficient  for  all  exigences,  the  teeth  being  removed  by  them 

Fig.  1. 


Fig.  2. 

rather  through  insinuation  than  direct  force.  In  these  instruments,  the 
heads  of  the  beaks  are  opened  at  an  angle  sufficient  to  allow  the  operator 
to  see  the  tooth  upon  which  he  is  engaged.  The  handles  are  so  curved, 
and  the  beaks  so  inclined  to  the  bodies  of  the  instruments,  that  they  may 
be  freely  moved  in  any  direction ;  and  the  beaks  embrace  the  roots  only, 
so  that  as  these  parts  are  always  more  or  less  wedge-shaped,  the  forceps 
act  as  highly  polished  inclined  planes  upon  a  moveable  wedge,  often 
effecting  their  object  by  lateral  pressure  alone. 

2  A- 


186 


THE  PRACTICAL  MECHANIC'S  JOURNAL. 


Fig.  1  of  our  engravings,  is  a  side  view,  half-size,  of  a  portable  forceps, 
the  beaks,  b,  being  rernoveable  from  the  handles,  a.     Fig.  2  is  a  plan  of 

the  forceps ;  and  the  remaining 
three  details  between  these  two 
figures,  are  respectively  a  longi- 
tudinal section  of  the  head  and 
joint,  showing  the  spring  catch,  c, 
for  the  retention  of  the  beak ;  an 
end  view  of  the  beaks ;  and  the 
head  with  the  beaks  removed. 
Fig.  3  is  a  view  of  the  inside  of 
a  beak  for  the  extraction  of  the 
^^  upper  molars  of  the  right  side  ; 
and  fig.  4  is  a  similar  view  of  the 
same  part  as  suited  for  the  left 
side,  the  outside  of  the  palatine 
beak  being  shown  at  n,  and  part  of  the  inside  of  the  outer  beak,  at 
e.  Fig.  5  is  a  view  of  a  beak  of  one  of  the  forceps,  the  groove  in  the 
acting  face  being  highly  polished,  as  a  wedge  extracting  surface. 
Fig.  6  is  a  plan  of  fig  4.  Fig.  7  is  a  plan  of  both  beaks,  the  same  as 
fig.  5 ;  but  arranged  immoveably,  and  fig.  8 
is  a  plan  of  the  same  arrangement  as  in 
fig.  4. 

In  Mr.  Young's  portable  instruments, 
any  pair  of  beaks  may  be  adjusted  in  one 
pair  of  handles,  so  that  peculiar  portability 
is  secured ;  for  by  this  means  a  full  set  of 
forceps,  with  their  collateral  adjuncts,  can 
be  fitted  in  a  small  pocket  case.  The 
patentee's  specification  embraces  many 
minor  details,  which  render  his  nine  forceps  capable  of  meeting  all 
emergences. 

A  very  beautiful  set  of  these  instruments,  made  by  Messrs.  Hilliard 
and  Chapman  of  Glasgow,  was  shown  at  the  Dublin  Exhibition  ;  and  a 
still  more  complete  scries  have  been  contributed  to  the  Society  of  Arts 
Exhibition,  for  the  present  season. 


LOCOMOTIVE  ENGINES. 

J.  E.  M'Connell,    Wolverlon. — Patent  dated  December  2,  1852. 

The  first  branch  of  Mr.  M'Connell's  invention  refers  to  the  supplying 

steam  to  the  burning  fuel  in  locomotive  fire-boxes,  through  tubular  stays, 

as  well  as  to  the  admission  of  heated  air  from  the  smoke-box  into  the 


Fig.  7. 


Fig.  8. 


Fig.  1. 


Fig.  2. 


fire-box,  or  steam  and  hot  air  combined.  The  second  portion  of  the  in- 
vention comprehends  the  several  forms  of  fire-boxes  shown  in  figs.  1,  2, 
and  3  of  our  engravings.  Fig.  1  is  a  transverse  section  of  an  arrange- 
ment of  fire-box,  in  which  the  back,  or  extended  portion  of  it,  is  furnished 
with  a  series  of  water  passages  or  ducts,  a,  which  have  three  openings; 
one  connected  with  the  inside  of  the  mid-feather,  p.,  another  with  the 
side  of  the  fire-box  at  c,  and  the  third  opening  into  the  top  of  the  same 


at  i).     By  this  arrangement,  the  water  has  a  free  circulation,  and  the 
globules  of  steam  ascend  vertically  to  the  surface.     The  heating  surface 
is,  in  this  way,  materially  increased,  as  the  flame  and  heated  air  of  the 
fire  must  necessarily  play  round  or  strike  against  the  outsides  of  the 
water-ducts,  A,  on  its  way  to  the  boiler  tubes.     By  another  modification, 
the  triangular  water-spaces,  A,  may  be  reversed,  with  a  somewhat  similar 
result,  one  of  the  arms  or  branches,  in  this  case,  being  vertical.     Fig.  2 
is  another  arrangement  for  effect- 
ing the  same  purpose,     a  are  flat  Fig.  3. 
water  chambers,  riveted   to   the 
sides  of  the  mid-feather,  b;  and 
c  are  similar  chambers,  riveted  to 
the  sides  of  the  extended  portion 
of  the  fire-box,  running  into  the 
barrel  of  the  boiler.     The  cham- 
bers, a  and  c,  may  overlap  each 
other,   as   shown   by  the   dotted 
lines,  one  being  placed  a  short 
distance  behind  the  other,  thereby 
retarding   the   heated   air  in  its 
passage  to  the  tubes.     The  cham- 
bers, a,  allow  the  water  and  glo- 
bules of  steam  to  circulate  from 
the  mid-feather  through  the  top 
of  the  fire-box,  and  the  chambers, 
c,  allow  the  globules  of  steam  to 
pass  from  the  sides  of  the  boiler 
to  the  surface  of  the  water  above 
the  fire-box. 

Fig.  3  is  a  third  arrangement, 
in  which  flat  hollow  chambers, 
a  a,  are  riveted  to  the  top  and 
sides  of  the  fire-box,  and  sides  of 
the  mid-feather,  B,  and  are  thus 
suspended  from  the  roof  of  the 
fire-box,  partially  interrupting 
the  passage  of  the  heated  air,  the  globules  of  steam  ascending  to  the 
surface  of  the  water  above  the  fire-box.  With  these  arrangements, 
coke  or  any  other  fuel  may  be  employed  in  the  fire-boxes  of  locomotive 
engines,  and  anthracite  coal,  which  is  ordinarily  of  difficult  combustion, 
may  be  burned  with  facility  in  this  way.  A  further  modification  is  also 
given,  wherein  the  fire-box  has  a  single  central  mid-feather,  combined 
with  an  arched  top  of  the  inside  fire-box.  By  this  contrivance,  stays 
for  the  fire-box  top  are  quite  unnecessary,  as  the  arched  form  affords  all 
the  strength  required,  whilst  the  engine  is  thus  rendered  lighter  and 
stronger  than  common  engines.  In  another  plan,  three  mid-feather 
water-spaces  are  similarly  arranged  in  an  arched  top  fire-box,  so  as  to 
afford  increased  heating  surface.  Here  the  centre  mid-feather  extends 
from  top  to  bottom  vertically,  but  the  two  outside  ones  are  sloped  off  to 
avoid  the  two  fire-doors. 

ROTATORY  STEAM-ENGINE. 

R.  Barclay,  Montrose. — Patent  dated  March  3,  1853. 

This  engine — which  is  to  be  regarded  as  an  important  step  in  the  im- 
provement of  direct  rotatory  prime-movers — consists  of  an  external  fixed 
cylinder,  set  with  its  axis  horizontal,  with  the  main  driving-shaft  passing 
through  its  centre.  Tiiis  cylinder  or  case  contains  a  smaller  hollow  piston 
disc  or  ring,  set  eccentrically  to  the  main  axis,  and  well  fitted  to  roll  steam- 
tight  round  the  interior  of  the  outer  chamber,  the  actual  line  of  contact 
between  the  two  being  kept  steam-tight,  as  they  work  together,  by  being 
pressed  well  into  contact  by  an  internal  wheel  or  roller.  This  roller  is 
carried  on  the  pin  of  a  short  crank  on  the  main  shaft,  the  length  of  this 
crank  being*  regulated  by  the  diameter  of  the  internal  roller,  and  the 
thickness  of  the  disc  of  the  rolling  piston,  round  the  inside  of  which  the 
inner  roller  rolls.  A  parallel  block  of  metal,  of  the  same  width  as  the 
revolving  ring  or  piston,  is  fitted  to  slide  vertically  between  the  two  end 
covers  of  the  fixed  cylinder,  and  has  a  stuffing-box  to  admit  of  free,  hut 
steam-tight,  movement.  The  lower  end  of  this  piece  of  metal,  which 
acts  as  the  steam  abutment,  rests  in  a  shallow  groove  in  a  block  fitting 
to  the  periphery  of  the  rotatory  piston  beneath.  The  steam,  or  other 
actuating  medium,  is  supplied  by  a  port  on  one  side  of  the  abutment  into 
the  eccentric  annular  space  between  the  interior  of  the  fixed  outer  case 
and  the  internal  rolling  disc  piston,  and  the  latter  is  thus  compelled  to 
roll  round  the  interior  of  the  outer  cylinder,  carrying  with  it  its  internal 
roller,  which,  being  attached  to  the  crank,  thus  communicates  a  rotatory 
motion  to  the  main  shaft ;  after  performing  its  work,  the  waste  steam 
passes  off  by  an  outlet  on  the  other  side  of  the  abutment.     To  make  the 


THE  PRACTICAL  MECHANIC'S  JOURNAL. 


187 


engine  double-acting,  so  as  to  get  rid  of  the  dead  point,  a  second  abut- 
ment and  set  of  ports  may  be  added.  When  the  main  shaft  is  made  to 
drive  the  rest  of  the  parts,  the  engine  becomes  a  pump  or  exhausting 
apparatus. 

Fig.  1  is  a  sectional  elevation  of  the  engine,  taken  transversely  through 
the  main  shaft,  and  fig.  2  is  an  external  view  at  right  angles  to  fig.  1. 
The  steam  cylinder,  a,  is  cast  with,  or  supported  upon,  the  two  vertical 
pillars  or  standards.  E,  springing  from  the  base  or  foundation-plate,  c,  and 
is  bored  truly  out,  and  has  open  ends,  covered  in  by  the  two  end  flanges 
or  covers,  d,"  bolted  on.     The  main  driving-shaft,  E,  passes  horizontally 
through  the  centre  of  this  cylinder,  being  carried  on  each  side  by  bear- 
ings in  external  bracket-pieces,  f,  bolted  on  to  the  end  covers  of  the 
cylinder  across  the  central  openings,  g,  in  those  covers.     Outside  each 
cover  is  an   eccentric,  h,  keyed 
fast  on  the  shaft,  and  fitted  with 
working  rings  of  brass  in  the 
usual    manner,    rods,    i,    being 
passed  down  from  each  eccentric 
ring,  and  jointed,  at  J,  to   the 
two  opposite   ends  of  a  bottom 
cross-head,  k.     This  cross-head 
is   fitted    on    a   turned    pin,  l, 
formed  on  the  lower  end  of  the 
abutment,   and   a  spring,  v,   is 
interposed    between  the   cross- 
head  and   the   shoulder  of  the 
abutment.     The   diaphragm,  or 
moveable    abutment,    s,   works 
through   a  vertical   steam-tight 
slot  in  the  cylinder  at  o,  having 
a  stuffing-box  and  gland,  m,  on 
the  underside  of  the  foundation 
plate.     On  one  side  or  end,  also, 
of  the  main  shaft,  e,  is  the  fly- 
wheel, p,  for  steadying  the  move- 
ment.    In   the    interior   of  the 
main  working  cylinder,  A,  is  a 
smaller  open-ended  cylinder  or 
ring,  q,  acting  as  the  working 
piston  of  the  engine.     This  pis- 
ton-ring is  accurately  turned  to 
a  cylindrical   form   both   inside 
and  out,  and  its  outer  surface  is 
arranged  to  bear  closely  on  one 
side,  at  any  given  time,  against 
the  interior  of  the  stationary  cy- 
linder, a,   with  liberty   to  roll 
round   upon   such   interior   sur- 
face,   without    any    sliding    or 
slipping   action    whatever,    and 
being  quite  steam-tight  throughout  its  rolling  movement,  whilst  the  ends 
of  the  ring  or  piston  are  made  to  work  equally  tight  against  the  interior 
surfaces  of  the  end  covers.    As  this  piston-ring  rolls  round  in  its  working 
course,  it  carries  along  with  it  the  internal  crank  lever  arm  or  bracket, 
r,  which  is  keyed  fast  upon  the  main  shaft,  this  bracket,  e,  being  mounted 
with  three  wheels  or  rollers,  s,  t,  u,  to  form  the  connection  between  the 
interior  of  the  piston,  q,  and  the  driving-shaft.    The  main  central  roller, 
T,  works  freely  upon  a  stud-centre,  v,  in  a  brass  accurately  fitted  into  a 
longitudinal  slot  in  the  crank-arm,  e.     The  underside  of  this  brass  bears 
upon  a  layer  of  india-rubber,  or  other  elastic  material  or  spring,  w,  in  the 
supporting  slot,  the  ordinary  wedge-adjustment,  x,  being  fitted  into  the 
piece,  K,  beneath  the  elastic  bed,  for  the  purpose  of  setting  up  the  wheel, 
t,  with  a  greater  or  less  elastic  pressure,  against  the  interior  of  the 
piston.     When  thus  fitted,  the  wheel,  t,  has  a  uniformly  elastic  pressing 
action  upon  the  interior  of  the  piston,  so  that  the  rolling  action  is 
extremely  smooth,  and  the  contact  surfaces  are  kept  well  up  together 
throughout  the  revolution.     The  object  of  the  two  side-wheels,  s  and  u, 
which  are  carried  respectively  on  stud-centres,  y,  z,  set  in  the  brackets, 
a.  h,  of  the  crank  lever,  e,  is  the  reception  of  the  pressure  of  the  rolling 
piston,  q,  and  the  communication  of  such  pressure  to  the  main  shaft,  e. 
Thus,  in  one  direction  of  the  engine's  revolution,  the  side-wheel,  s, 
receives  the  actuating  pressure  of  the  rolling-piston,  q,  and  it  is  this 
wheel,  at  that  time,  which  is,  in  reality,  the  means  of  communication 
between  the  rolling-piston  and  the  shaft.     Were  there  no  side-wheels,  it 
is  obvious  that  the  central  wheel,  t,  would  furnish  the  required  means  of 
connection,  but  with  the  subsidiary  wheels,  the  central  one  is  relieved 
from  this  angular  strain,  and  answers  simply  as  the  rolling  abutment 
for  the  steam  pressure.     On  the  engine  being  reversed,  the  opposite 


side-wheel,  u,  bears  the  rotatory  pressure  in  a  similar  way.  The  steam, 
or  other  actuating  medium,  is  supplied  to  the  engine  through  a  thorough- 
fare, c,  which  has  its  opening  at  d,  in  the  base  of  one  of  the  supporting- 
pillars,  b.  This  thoroughfare  conducts  the  steam  into  the  interior  of  the 
slide-valve  chest,  e,  through  the  port,/,  in  the  working  face  of  the  chest. 
The  slide-valve  in  this  chest  is  simply  employed  for  reversing  the  direc- 
tion of  rotation  of  the  engine,  or  cutting  off  the  steam  altogether.  It  is 
connected  to  a  spindle,  working  through  a  stuffing- 
box,  h,  in  the  end  of  the  valve-chest,  and  is  so  contrived, 
that  its  single  cup  chamber  shall  be  adjustable  to  cover 
up  two  ports  in  the  valve-chest  face.  That  face  has  four 
ports,  i,  j,  7c,  f,  in  it.  The  first  one,  i,  to  the  right  of  fig.l, 
communicates,  by  the  dotted  thoroughfare,  I,  with  the  inte- 


rior of  theworking  cylinder  at  m,  on  the  corresponding  side  of  the  traversing 
abutment,  N.  The  next  port, /in  the  line,  opensinto  the  eduction  thorough- 
fare, n,  for  the  escape  of  the  waste  or  used  steam  down  through  the  base 
of  the  left-hand  column,  b,  at  o.  The  third  port,  7c,  opens  through  the 
passage,  p,  into  the  steam  cylinder,  to  the  left  of  the  traversing  abut- 
ment, N,  at  q ;  whilst  the  fourth  port,  as  I  have  already  shown,  com- 
municates with  the  steam-boiler,  or  other  source  of  power,  through  the 
thoroughfare,  c,  the  boiler  steam-pipe  being  connected  at  d.  According 
to  the  indications  of  the  several  arrows,  the  slide-valve  is  adjusted  so  that 
its  cup  or  hollow  shall  cover  over  the  two  right-hand  ports,  i,  j,  whilst  the 
other  two,  1c  and  /,  are  open  to  the  steam  supplied  to  the  interior  of  the 
valve-chest.  The  consequence  of  this  arrangement  is,  that  the  steam, 
entering  through  the  port,/,  from  the  boiler,  descends  through  the  next 
port,  7c,  and  passes  thence  into  the  working  cylinder  through  the  passage, 
p,  to  the  right  of  the  abutment,  N.  Then  as  the  abutment  is  in  close 
contact  at  its  upper  edge  with  the  exterior  of  the  piston,  q,  whilst  its 
two  edges  work  steam-tight  against  the  inner  faces  of  the  two  end  covers 
of  the  cylinder,  the  inflowing  steam  necessarily  acts  effectively  upon 
that  portion,  r,  of  the  piston  between  the  abutment  face,  and  the  point  of 
rolling  contact,  s,  of  the  exterior  of  the  piston,  and  the  interior  of  the 
working  cylinder.  The  consequence  of  this  pressure  is,  that  the  piston, 
q,  is  compelled  to  roll  round  the  interior  of  the  cylinder,  a,  and  thus  carry 
round  with  it  the  main  shaft,  e,  the  piston  having  no  real  centre  to  turn 
upon  itself,  but  being  suspended,  as  it  were,  between  the  prominent  por- 
tions of  the  wheels,  s,  t,  u,  and  the  interior  of  the  steam-cylinder.  As 
the  piston  rolls  forward  in  this  way,  the  eccentrics,  h,  upon  the  shaft, 
being  so  set  for  the  purpose,  gradually  bear  up  the  abutment  to  keep  its 
upper  edge  in  contact  with  the  necessary  piston  surface,  until  the  piston, 


188 


THE  PRACTICAL  MECHANIC'S  JOURNAL. 


having  rolled  round,  again  begins  to  descend,  when  the  eccentrics  bring 
the  abutment  down,  still  keeping  it  in  contact  with  the  piston's  periphery, 
until  the  top  of  the  abutment  coincides  with  the  interior  of  the  steam- 
cylinder,  when  the  piston  can  roll  clear  round,  or  over  it,  and  the  revo- 
lution is  completed.  All  this  time,  while  the  fresh  steam  is  entering  and 
acting  in  the  space,  t,  in  the  cylinder,  the  used  steam  of  the  previous 
stroke  is  escaping  from  the  opposite  space,  u,  to  the  exhaust  thorough- 
fare, z,  whence  it  passes  through  the  port,  i,  into  the  cup  of  the  slide- 
valve.  And  as  this  cup  also  covers  the  port,  j,  the  exhaust  current  goes 
direct  to  the  latter  port,  and  finally  emerges  at  e.  As  the  abutment, 
N,  rises  again  at  the  passage  round  of  the  piston,  the  full  pressure  steam 
obviously  acts  as  before  in  impelling  round  the  piston  from  the  right  side 
of  the  abutment.  But  if  the  reverse  motion  is  required,  then  the 
engineer  reverses  the  position  of  the  slide-valve,  and  covers  up  in  con- 
nection with  each  other,  the  two  central  ports,  j,  k,  whilst  the  two 
external  ports  are  left  open.  In  this  state  of  the  valve,  the  influx  steam 
from  the  boiler,  flowing  in  from  the  port,  /,  passes  down  through  the 
first  port  i,  and  thus  enters  the  steam -cylinder  on  the  reverse,  or  left  side, 
of  the  abutment,  so  as  to  urge  round  the  piston  and  its  shaft  in  the 
opposite  direction,  the  exhaust  steam  meanwhile  flowing  off  from  the 
right  side  of  the  abutment  through  the  passage,  7;,  into  the  cup  of  the 
slide,  and  thence  down  the  port,  j,  to  the  exhaust  discharge,  o.  In  this 
way,  the  steam  is  made  to  act  for  either  direction  of  revolution  with  an 
almost  continuous  effect,  the  abutment,  n,  being  made  to  follow  exactly 
the  corresponding  portion  of  the  periphery  of  the  piston,  q,  at  all  parts  of 
the  revolution  ;  and,  to  aid  in  the  exact  fitting  of  the  abutment,  a  blade- 
spring,  v,  is  fitted  to  the  cross-head,  K,  so  as  to  afford  a  means  of  clastic 
connection  between  the  abutment  and  the  piston.  In  the  special 
arrangement  which  is  delineated  in  the  drawings,  the  packing  of  the 
end  working  surfaces  is  effected  by  means  of  metallic  packing  rings, 
one  on  each  side,  and  each  bevilled  on  the  inner  side,  to  correspond  to 


similar  bevilled  edges  on  the  piston.  The  central  wheel,  t,  is  a  double 
one,  or  has  a  deep  central  groove  all  round  it,  so  that  the  other  two  wheels, 
s,  u,  may  work  down  within  it  quite  freely. 

Instead  of  the  arrangement  of  rolling  piston  with  supporting  wheels,  as 
has  been  hitherto  referred  to  herein,  a  similar  result  may  be  obtained  by 
means  of  a  crank  on  the  shaft  only.  In  this  case,  the  piston  must  have 
an  actual  centre  of  its  own,  through  which  centre  the  pin  of  a  crank 
formed  in  the  driving-shaft  is  made  to  pass,  the  radius  of  the  crank  being 
made  to  correspond  with  the  intended  amount  of  eccentricity  of  the 
piston.  By  this  simple  modification,  the  revolving  piston  may  be  retained 
in  close  rolling  contact  with  the  interior  of  the  steam-cylinder,  just  as 
already  described. 


RASPING  DYEWOOD. 
E.  Mucklow,  Bury,  Lancashire. — Patent  dated  Dec.  28,  1852. 

In  the  ordinary  process  of  cutting  or  reducing  dyewoods,  preparatory 
to  the  extraction  of  the  colouring  matter  therefrom,  the  solid  log  is 
usually  pressed  forward  longitudinally,  by  means  of  a  rack  and  pinion, 
against  a  series  of  quickly  revolving  cutters,  or  rasps;  and  as  these  cutters 
sever  the  wood  in  a  downward  direction,  the  consequence  is,  that  the 
lower  edge  or  portion  of  the  wood  is  left  uncut,  and  by  the  continuous 
motion  of  the  machine  is  forced  downwards  until  it  is  dragged  off  by  the 
friction  of  the  cutting-wheel  against  the  stonework,  on  which  the  feed- 
box  of  the  machine  rests,  causing  considerable  loss  of  power  and  waste, 
as  these  uncut  portions  or  splinters  require  to  be  carefully  separated  from 
the  remainder  by  hand-sifting.  Mr.  Mucklow's  invention  is  designed  to 
prevent  this  waste  and  loss  of  time;  and  it  consists  in  the  application  of  a 
stationary  bar  or  knife,  which  is  to  be  placed  at  an  angle  of  about  45° 
immediately  below  the  lower  edge  of  the  log  of  dyewood  under  operation, 


Fig.  2. 


and  which  thus  acts  as  the  lower  blade  of  a  pair  of  shears,  and  so  causes 
the  wood  to  be  cut  clean  through,  leaving  no  uncut  portion  or  splinters. 
Fig.  1  represents  a  side  elevation,  and  fig.  2  is  a  front  view  of  the 
machine.  At  A  is  an  inclined  trough  or  box,  in  which  the  log  of  wood 
to  be  operated  upon  is  placed.  This  trough  is  supported  upon  suitable 
framework,  b,  and  is  furnished  with  a  sliding  piston,  c,  which  is  placed 
behind  the  log  of  dyewood,  and  is  kept  steady  by  means  of  grooves  in 
the  side  of  the  box.  The  face  of  the  piston  is  provided  with  points  or 
spikes,  which  project  into  the  upper  end  of  the  log,  thus  securing  it  in 
its  place,  and  preventing  the  upper  end  from  rising.  The  piston  is  also 
furnished  with  a  toothed  rack,  d,  which  moves  upon  a  friction-roller,  e. 
The  rack  is  actuated  by  means  of  a  toothed  pinion,  f,  which  is  mounted 
upon  a  transverse  shaft,  g.  At  one  end  of  the  shaft,  a,  a  worm-wheel, 
H,  is  keyed,  being  driven  by  means  of  a  worm,  i,  upon  the  shaft,  k.    The 


cutting-wheel,  l,  is  furnished  with  a  series  of  inclined  knives,  m,  and  is 
keyed  upon  a  shaft,  N,  which  revolves  in  the  direction  of  the  arrow.  At  o 
is  a  stationary  knife,  the  upper  surface  of  which  is  brought  to  a  cutting 
ed^e,  and  projects  slightly  in  front  of  the  trough,  A,  immediately  under 
the  extreme  edge  of  che  log  of  dyewood  under  operation.  The  action  of 
the  apparatus  is  as  follows  :— A  log  of  dyewood  being  laid  in  the  inclined 
trough,  the  machinery  is  set  in  motion,  and  the  piston  descends,  and  the 
spikes  upon  the  surface  of  the  latter  takes  firm  hold  of  the  upper  end  of 
the  lof  As  the  piston  descends  still  further,  it  forces  the  log  forward 
until  the  lower  end  comes  in  contact  with  the  revolving  cutters,  which 
reduce  the  log  to  the  required  disintegrated  state,  the  stationary  knife,  o, 
causing  the  wood  to  be  cut  clean  through,  and  preventing  the  lower  edge 
of  the  same  from  becoming  chipped  or  splintered  off  as  heretofore,  by  the 
downward  action  of  the  revolving  knives  or  cutters. 


THE  PRACTICAL  MECHANIC'S  JOURNAL. 


189 


COEEESPONDENCE. 


COMBINED  GAS  AND  STEAM  BOILER. 

The  accompanying  sketches  represent,  in  fig.  1,  a  vertical,  and,  in  fig. 
2,  a  horizontal  section  of  a  proposed  boiler  and  furnaces,  in  which  all  the 
gaseous  products  of  the  combustion  of  the  fuel  will  be  discharged  into 

the  bottom  of  the  boiler,  and 
Fis-  l-  thence   pass,   rising   through 

the  water — in  which  all  the 
impurities    they    may   carry 
from  the  furnace  will  be  depo- 
sited— saturated  with  steam, 
through  the  steam  chest  into 
the  steam  cylinders;  the  mole- 
cules of  the  gases  serving  as 
the  convectors  of  the  caloric 
into  the  water,  instead  of  ra- 
diating   it,    as    at     present, 
through  the  plates  and  tubes 
of  the    boiler.     The    advan- 
tages attributed  to  this  are, 
economy  of  fuel,  resulting  in 
two  ways — namely,  in  an  ab- 
solutely greater   quantity  of 
caloric  being  generated  from 
a  given  quantity  of  fuel,  and 
in  the  saving  of  that  portion 
of  it  which  at  present  passes 
up  the  funnel  in  combination 
with  the  gases,  both  in  the 
latent  and  sensible  form.     A 
saving  in  the  cost  of  the  ap- 
paratus, due  to  a  reduction  of 
weight  and  size,  and  increased 
durability.     The  size  will  be 
diminished  from  the  smaller 
quantity  of  coal  to  be  burnt, 
and  from  the  greater  rapidity 
of  its  combustion.     The  dur- 
ability will  be  much  increased, 
as  no  part  of  the  boiler  is  ex- 
posed to  the  direct  action  of 
the  furnaces.     And  as  prob- 
ably nine-tenths  of  the  whole 
of  the   elastic   bodies   which 
pass  through    the   cylinders 
will   be   steam,  condensation 
will  still  be  applicable,  with 
advantage,  under   the  condi- 
tion  of  using    a    larger   air- 
pump  than  is  necessary  at  present. 
A  careful  analytical  investigation  which  I  have  made,  and  which  has 
been  printed  as  an  Appendix  to  Mr.  A.  Gordon's  Tract  on  the  Fumific 
Propeller,  gives  2'630'767  lbs.,  raised  one  foot,  as  the  measure  of  the 
elastic  force  of  the  gases  into  which  1  lb.  of  anthracite  coal  is  decom- 
posed by  combustion — after  deducting  the  equivalent  of  the  air  pumped 
in  to  sustain  that  combustion — on  the  assumption  that  the  whole  caloric 
developed  by  the  combustion  is  retained  by  the  gases.     Now,  although 
by  far  the  larger  part  of  the  caloric  will  be  expended  in  the  generation 
of  steam — the  gases  simply  conveying  it  into  the  water — still,  since  the 
volume  of  these  gases  is  more  than  three  times  that  of  the  air  which  is 
necessary  for  their  generation,  under  the  same  temperature  and  pres- 
sure, and  all  the  caloric  developed  must  be  either  retained  by  the  gases, 
or  taken  up  by  the  water,  in  either  case  contributing  to  the  total  elastic 
force  generated  and  utilized,  a  considerable  increase  of  power  over  that 
now  realized  may  confidently  be  expected.     The  stoke  pipes  of  the 
furnaces,  A,  are  each  intersected  by  a  sliding  water-filled  door,  e,  com- 
municating with  the  boiler  by  two  small  pipes,  working  in  stuffing- 
boxes.     These  doors  will  be  so  fitted  to  the  chamber  in  which  they 
slide,  as  to  prevent  the  escape  of  any  of  the  gases  from  the  furnace  into 
the  air.     In  fact,  the  greater  the  excess  of  the  gaseous  pressure  in  the 
furnace  over  that  of  the  atmosphere  without,  the  more  tightly  will  the 
sliding-door  be  jammed  against  the  part  of  the  boiler  on  which  it  rests. 
Each  of  the  furnaces  is  capable  of  being  stoked  separately  and  indepen- 
dently of  the  others;  and  during  this  operation,  combustion  in  that 
furnace  will  be  suspended  by  the  supply  of  oxygen  being  cut  off,  whilst 
the  other  furnaces  continue  in  full  operation.     In  the  engravings,  one 


Fig.  2. 


furnace  is  represented  as  opened  for  the  purpose  of  stoking,  the  floating 
ball-valve,  c,  closing  the  gas-pipe ;  and  the  supply  of  air  is  cut  off  by 
closing  the  small  pipe  which  connects  the  circular  air-pipe,  d,  feeding  all 
the  furnaces,  with  the  furnace  which  is  being  stoked. 

H.  M.  Lefkot, 


London,  1853. 


Naval  Instructor,  H.M.S.  Impregnable. 


PARSEY'S  SCIENCE  OF  VISION,  OR  NATURAL  PERSPECTIVE. 

As  a  reply  to  your  review  of  my  work  on  perspective,  in  the  Practical 
Mechanic's  Journal  for  October,  I  have  to  offer  the  following  remarks,  at 
the  same  time  requesting  the  attention  of  your  readers  to  the  illustrated 
definition  of  perspective,  given  in  your  Journal  for  July,  at  page  95. 

In  the  first  place,  you  give  unqualified  commendation  to  Mr.  Abbatt's 
work  on  the  authority  of  his  title  page,  stating  that  "  the  matter  is  di- 
vested of  all  difficulty,"  maintaining,  from  custom  only,  "that  perspec- 
tives should  always  be  made  on  a  vertical  plane,"  which  is  certainly  not 
a  valid  reason. 

If  my  book  had  been  "  attentively  consulted,"  it  would  have  been 
seen  that  I  have  therein  fully  elucidated  this  material  question,  and,  on 
the  optical  principles  of  the  art,  demonstrated  the  problem  by  pure  mathe- 
matics. Besides,  the  investigation  of  the  Manchester  Architectural  So- 
ciety, reviews,  and  the  testimonies  of  Royal  Academicians,  the  testimonial 
of  the  Rev.  J.  B.  Reade,  nephew  of  Professor  Farish,  author  of  Isoine- 
trical  Projection,  says — "  I  have  much  pleasure  in  bearing  testimony  to 
the  value  of  your  work  on  the  Science  of  Perspective.  The  substitution 
of  the  lateral  view,  for  the  vanishing  points  of  the  old  system,  is  as  new 
as  it  is  valuable.  And  the  substitution  of  the  right  plane  for  the  vertical 
plane  of  the  old  system,  has  so  many  advantages,  that  you  may  safely  cal- 
culate upon  its  universal  adoption  by  the  draughtsmen  of  a  future  gene- 
ration. That  the  present  is  a  prejudiced  race,  appears  from  this — that 
while  they  constantly  converge  parallel  horizontal  lines,  they  cannot 
tolerate  the  convergence  of  parallel  perpendiculars.  You  will  do  them 
good  service  by  teaching  them  the  use  of  their  eyes." — 8th  Oct.,  1836. 

The  "  common  rule"  of  all  the  authors  of  representing  objects  upon 
a  supposed  vertical  plane,  has  been  the  cause  of  all  the  difficulty  and  im- 
practicability of  this  theory;  and,  with  all  books  founded  on  that  restric- 
tion, draughtsmen  must,  as  you  say,  "  be  content  to  rely  on  their  own 
ocular  impressions,  to  make  the  drawing  on  the  paper  look  something 
like  the  object  it  is  intended  to  represent  in  nature  or  art." 

I  am  inaccurately  represented  as  supposing  the  plane  of  the  visible 
picture  to  be  not  vertical.  On  reference  to  my  work  it  will  be  found 
that  I  do  not  suppose  or  assume  anything,  but  give  physical  reasons  for 
my  rules,  and  demonstrate  them  by  pure  mathematics.  Misrepresenta- 
tion is  not  fair  nor  just  criticism,  and  is  alike  injurious  to  the  author  as  it 
is  detrimental  to  the  advancement  of  practical  skill  and  knowledge.  The 
delusive  illustration  of  looking  through  a  pane  of  glass,  to  which  I  am 
so  kindly  advised  to  resort,  will  be  found  to  be  fully  exposed  in  the  78th 
page  of  my  book.  And  if  the  reviewer  will  place  his  eye  level  with  the 
lowest  horizontal  bar  of  a  lofty  window,  he  will  arrive  at  the  result,  that 
as  the  upper  part  of  the  window  is  farther  from  his  eye  than  the  lower 
part,  the  sides  of  the  window  will  converge,  and  all  the  vertical  lines 
seen  through  it  will  correspondingly  converge  to  a  vertical  axial  line  in 
the  centre;  just  the  same,  and  on  the  same  pure  mathematical  principles 
that  are  recognized  in  horizontal  lines  with  the  same  adjustment.  What 
there  is  difficult  to  comprehend  in  this,  I  cannot  conceive,  or  why  simi- 
lar causes  of  foreshortening  and  convergence  from  obliquity  of  position, 
of  horizontal  and  vertical  surfaces,  should  not  be  treated  upon  the  same 
pure  principles  of  optics  and  mathematics. 

When  illustrating  the  subject  before  the  mathematical  section  of  the 
British  Association  for  the  Advancement  of  Science,  Professor  Forbes 
put  a  stop  to  any  quibbling  discussion,  by  rising  and  saying — "  he  felt 
sure  that  every  one  who  had  heard  Mr.  Parsey  must  have  thoroughly 
understood  him,  and  every  one  must  be  perfectly  satisfied  of  the  truth 
of  his  principles." 

With  respect  to  Daguerreotype  pictures,  or  sun-drawings,  I  challenge 
anv  authority  to  prove  them  to  be  otherwise  than  correct  and  accurate,  ac- 
cording to  the  optical  principles  of  the  human  eye,  representing  things  as 
we  see  them,  unless  the  true  effect  is  destroyed  by  the  mal-adjustment  of 
the  lenses  of  the  camera,  for  which  opticians  are  employed,  as  the  ob- 
served natural  convergence  is  not  understood.  Arago  said,  sun-drawings 
"  show  how  far  the  pencil  of  the  draughtsman  has  been  from  the  truth." 
As  in  the  denunciation  of  my  theory  of  the  iris  being  the  organic  seat 
of  vision,  the  learned  commentator  disclaims  being  a  physiologist,  it 
would  have  been  as  well  if  he  had  let  the  qustion  alone,  as  he  shows  a 
want  of  knowledge  of  the  anatomy  as  well  as  physiology  of  the  eye, 
because  he  says  "the  retina  is  black."     I  never  saw  a  black  retina! 


190 


THE  PRACTICAL  MECHANIC'S  JOURNAL. 


He  says — "  We  always  understood  the  seat  of  vision  was  in  the  brain. 
The  brain,  or  something  in  it,  is  the  seat  to  which  all  the  impressions  of 
all  the  senses  are  transmitted,  through  the  channel  of  the  nerves.  My 
eye  receives  an  impression  on  looking  at  an  object — that  figured  impres- 
sion on  the  organs  of  vision  is  transmitted ;  and  it  is  that  defined  impres- 
sion which  it  is  my  business,  as  a  rational  man  and  an  artist,  to  copy  on 
paper  as  accurately  as  the  faculty  transmits  it  to  my  brain. 

As  for  coloured  images — if  I  could  put  a  retina  under  a  hyaloid  mem- 
brane, and  a  choroid  coat  under  the  retina  and  pigmentum  nigrum,  with 
such  a  camera  I  could  show  my  friend  a  coloured  image,  as  I  can  do  with 
an  eye,  which  I  cannot  make. 

As  Euclid's  elements  are  tersely  referred  to,  it  may  be  instructive,  as 
well  as  amusing,  to  inform  the  untutored,  that  Euclid  established  his 
pure  mathematical  elements  on  optical  observation,  and  thereby  defined 
the  angles  and  distances  by  which  he  could  restore  the  landmarks, 
when  washed  away  by  the  overflowing  of  the  Nile,  and  prevent  any 
dispute.  From  the  same  optical  source  he  defines  the  square  or  rec- 
tangular surface,  the  trapezoid,  and  the  trapezium.  Thus  the  eye  is 
equally  distant  from  the  four  corners  of  the  square,  and  all  the  angles 
are  alike,  isosceles,  when  the  eye  is  opposite  to  the  centre,  and  it  then 
appears  a  square.  When  the  eye  is  placed  opposite  the  centre  of  a 
side,  two  isosceles  angles,  of  unequal  heights,  and  two  obtuse  angles 
are  formed,  and  the  square  base  appears  a  trapezoid.  When  the  eye 
is  placed  so  that  the  distances  from  the  four  corners  of  the  square 
are  unequal,  and  all  the  angles  are  oblique,  but  unequal,  then  it 
appears  a  trapezium.  Study  mathematics  and  perspective  by  this 
standard,  and  there  can  be  no  difficulty  or  difference  of  opinion. 

Foreshortening  of  length,  as  well  as  the  convergence  of  the  breadth  of 
vertical  surfaces,  has  only  been  admitted  into  the  common  theory  of 
perspective,  as  regards  a  horizontal  direction,  although  these  effects  are 
always  seen  under  an  oblique  angular  view — and  true  Euclidian  mathe- 
maticians demonstrate  that  with  the  same  data,  the  geometrical  direction 
of  the  originating  surface  cannot  diversify  the  optical  configuration. 
The  grounds  on  which  I  maintain  that  I  am  right,  and  that  other  authors 
are  wrong,  are,  that  besides  their  theory  being  contrary  to  the  pure 
principles  of  optics  and  the  physiology  of  vision,  the  restriction  of  repre- 
sentation to  one  plane  is  an  incomplete  mathematical  system,  and  must 
remain  so  until  the  practical  rules  which  I  have  given  for  every  con- 
ceivable mechanical  section  are  recognised  and  adopted.  My  imputation 
against  all  authors  on  perspective  is — not  that  they  are  wrong  mathe- 
matically in  their  own  abstract  case,  but  that  they  are  wrong  in  not 
making  it,  according  to  the  meaning  of  the  term,  an  optical  or  visual 
art,  and,  as  a  mathematical  manual,  being  incomplete  and  impractical  for 
the  general  purposes  of  art  and  science.  .  -p 

3  Crescent-Place,  Burton  Crescent,  October,  1853.         ABTnnK  *  *™EY- 

[If  it  were  our  practice,  as  reviewers,  to  take  for  granted  what 
authors  say  in  their  title  pages,  Mr.  Parsey  would  have  met  with  a  very 
different  treatment  at  our  hands,  and  we  regret  that  his  experience  of  this 
has  proved  so  unpleasant  to  him.  We  have  looked  through  our  review 
in  vain  for  the  assertion  that  "  perspectives  should  always  be  made 
on  a  vertical  plane,  giving  custom  as  a  valid  reason."  We  merely 
said  it  seemed  the  most  convenient,  whilst  we  stated  that  correct  per- 
spectives could  be  drawn  on  any  plane.  The  purely  mathematical 
deductions  in  Mr.  Parsey's  book  are  correct;  but  we  repeat  that  this 
is  not  the  question.  What  we  seek  for  in  vain  in  the  treatise  is,  a 
valid  reason  for  equalizing  the  extreme  rays  of  the  picture  object, 
when  the  corresponding  rays  from  the  original  object  are  not  equal. 
Why  should  not  the  plane  be  always  vertical  ?  Mr.  Parsey  may  deem 
it  a  refinement  to  have  the  plane  of  the  picture,  always  perpendicular 
to  the  axis  of  the  eye ;  but  he  does  not  demonstrate  the  impossibility 
of  drawing  in  correct  perspective  on  a  vertical  or  any  other  plane. 
We  said  that  Mr.  Parsey  supposed  the  plane  to  be  not  vertical,  because 
he  starts  by  making  it  not  vertical  without  a  valid  reason,  and  proceeds 
to  argue  the  question  of  convergent  verticals  on  the  grounds  we  can- 
not grant.  Our  author's  chief  mistake  seems  to  lie  in  his  miscon- 
ception of  the  business  of  an  artist,  which  he  says  "  is  to  copy  on  paper, 
as  accurately  as  the  faculty  transmits  it  to  the  brain,  the  impression 
figured  upon  the  organs  of  vision."  Let  Mr.  Parsey  see  if  this  agrees 
with  the  definition  of  a  picture  given  at  the  commencement  of  the  se- 
cond paragraph  of  the  review ;  or  let  him  point  out  where  that  defini- 
tion is  incorrect.  A  true  picture  is  not  necessarily  the  actual  appearance 
of  an  object  as  perceived  by  the  eye ;  it  is  something  contrived  to  give 
the  same  appearance  to  the  eye  as  the  object  it  represents.  The  appear- 
ance to  the  eye  is  different  from  the  object  itself.  If,  then,  we  make  the 
picture  an  "  accurate  copy"  of  that  appearance,  such  picture  will  present 
to  the  eye  a  third  appearance  different  from  itself— that  is,  from  the  ap- 
pearance of  the  object  it  is  intended  to  represent  —and  it  will  consequently 


be  an  incorrect  representation.  Thus,  in  the  experiment  of  looking 
through  the  vertical  window,  the  sides  of  the  window  will  converge,  or, 
more  correctly,  will  appear  to  converge  precisely  as  described  ;  but  the 
sides  of  a  vertical  drawing,  though  actually  parallel,  would  also  appear 
to  converge  under  similar  circumstances  ;  so  that  if  they  and  the  ver- 
ticals drawn  within  them  were  made  actually  convergent,  they  would 
appear  more  convergent  than  drawn,  and  therefore  too  convergent. 

We  do  not  profess  to  account  for  the  favourable  opinion  of  Mr.  Parsey's 
system,  held  by  Professor  Forbes  and  others,  though  the  actual  point  on 
which  the  question  turns  might  be  very  easily  overlooked,  in  so  plausible 
an  argumentative  scheme,  by  those  who  did  not  thoroughly  investigate 
the  subject.  Very  little  is  gained  by  calling  in  the  assistance  of  the 
Rev.  J.  B.  Reade,  who  says  that,  "  whilst  the  present  prejudiced  race 
constantly  converge  parallel  horizontal  lines,  they  cannot  tolerate  the 
convergence  of  parallel  perpendiculars."  They  would  err  in  tolerating 
converging  perpendiculars,  or  rather  verticals,  because  these  are  origi- 
nally parallel  to  the  plane,  as  are  also  parallel  horizontals  sometimes, 
in  which  case  the  latter,  likewise,  should  not  converge  in  the  picture.  Be- 
sides, the  grand  fundamental  principle,  that  the  more  distant  objects  or 
spaces  appear  less,  is  not  lost  sight  of;  for  the  parallel  verticals  of  the 
vertical  picture  seem  to  become  convergent,  in  travelling  to  the  eye,  in 
exactly  the  same  proportion  as  the  vertical  lines  of  the  original  object 
similarly  become  convergent  in  appearance.  Mr.  Parsey  complains  of 
two  defects  in  the  ordinary  system  ;  the  plane  is  not  situated  as  it  ought 
to  be  with  regard  to  the  eye,  and  the  verticals  are  not  made  to  converge ; 
but  does  not  one  of  these  peculiarities  neutralize  the  other — does  not  the 
position  of  the  plane  make  the  verticals  appear  to  converge? 

With  regard  to  Daguerreotype  pictures,  opticians  need  not  seek  to 
alter  the  lenses  for  the  correction  of  the  convergent  lines. — for  this  may  be 
done  by  slightly  altering  the  position  of  the  recipient  plate.  The  con- 
vergence, or  otherwise,  of  the  lines,  depends  upon  the  position  of  the 
plate  in  relation  to  the  lines  upon  the  original  object.  If  viewed  from  a 
proper  point,  all  the  Daguerreotype  pictures  with  convergent  lines  would 
appear  correct ;  and  we  suspect  that  all  pictures  drawn  on  Mr.  Parsey's 
principles  would  require  to  have  eye-pieces  fixed  in  front  of  them,  to  con- 
fine the  eye  to  the  exact  point  from  which  the  picture  should  be  viewed,  as 
in  the  case  of  the  distorted  pictures  described  in  the  "  Boy's  Own  Book." 

The  retina,  though  not  black  itself,  has  the  pigmentum  nigrum  imme- 
diately behind  it — still  that  would  not  affect  its  reflecting  capabilities ; 
but  we  think  there  are  several  difficulties  in  the  way  of  Mr.  Parsey's 
theory ;  we  have  been  told  that  it  was  found  by  experiment,  that  a  very 
bright  light  indeed  scarcely  produced  any  luminous  image  on  the  retina 
of  an  eye  in  its  natural  state. — The  Reviewer.] 

FEED  APPARATUS  FOR  STEAM  BOILERS. 

Having  seen,  in  the  Practical  Mechanic's  Journal,  of  last  month,  an 
apparatus  for  feeding  boilers  under  pressure,  without  pumping,  or  the 
use  of  overhead  cisterns,  I  beg  permission  to  offer  a  few  remarks  on  that 
apparatus,  referring  as  well  to  a  contrivance  which  we  have  adopted 
here  for  a  like  purpose. 

Mr.  Huck  informs  us  that  he  requires  no  pumping,  nor  any  overhead 
cistern ;  but  he  must  certainly  have  some  means  of  supplying  the  water 
to  the  chamber,  if  the  source  is  a  well,  as  is  usual.  And  I  am  inclined 
to  think  that,  if  he  has  no  overhead  cistern,  he  has  a  cistern,  the  bottom 
of  which  is  on  a  level  with  the  inlet-pipe  of  the  feed-chamber.  Our 
apparatus  can  be  worked  without  such  a  cistern,  but  it  is  better  to  have 
one,  or  a  few  feet  of  fall.  In  my  diagram,  A  is  the  steam  boiler,  above 
which  is  a  separate  chamber,  b  ;  a  feed-pipe,  c,  being  fitted  up  to  connect 
the  boiler  and  receiver.  This  feed- 
pipe has  a  valve  at  d,  opening  into 
the  boiler;  or  instead  thereof,  a  cock, 
E.  When  the  chamber,  b,  is  filled 
with  steam,  which  is  afterwards  con- 
densed, a  vacuum  will,  of  course,  be 
formed  in  it,  if  all  the  joints  are  tight. 
Then,  on  opening  the  cock,  f,  in  a 
pipe  leading  from  the  chamber,  b,  to 
the  well,  the  chamber  will  become 
filled  with  water.  The  cock,  f,  Is 
then  to  be  closed,  and  e  and  g  opened, 
when,  owing  to  the  balance  of  the 
internal  pressure,  the  water  in  the 
chamber,  b,  will  find  its  way  down  the  pipe,  c,  into  the  boiler.  We  find 
this  contrivance  to  work  very  well ;  but  it  is  more  particularly  adapted 
for  boilers  which  are  not  employed  in  working  steam-engines. 

James  Willocghby. 

Central  Foundry,  Plymouth,  October,  1853. 


£Z2& 


THE  PRACTICAL  MECHANIC'S  JOURNAL. 


101 


PEDO-MOTIVE  CARRIAGE. 

This  velocipede  has  been  specially  designed  to  secure  extreme  light- 
ness and  speed  of  travelling.  Fig.  1  is  a  side  view  of  the  carriage,  and 
fig.  2  is  a  plan ;  fig.  3  is  a  detail  of  the  chain  connecting-rod  action ;  and 

Fig.  1. 


call  your  attention  to  the  fact,  that  Mr.  Brown's  hammer  is  no  new  in- 
vention, as  it  comes  under  the  claim  of  my  patent  steam  hammer  of 
1846.  Having  learned  that  Mr.  Brown  was  making  a  model  steam 
hammer,  which,  from  the  description  given  me,  I  at  once  concluded 
came  under  my  patent,  I  wrote  him  a  friendly  letter,  on  the  21st  Feb- 
ruary, 1852,  describing  my  claim,  and  stating 
that  I  would  protect  my  patent  right,  as  I  had 
already  done  with  a  similar  steam  hammer, 
patented  in  1847,  by  Mr.  Wilson,  the  talented 
engineer  of  the  LoWmoor  Iron  Company.  The 
claim  of  my  patent  covers  every  variety  of  steam 
hammer  where  the  piston,  or  pistons,  are  fix- 
tures, with  the  steam  introduced  into  the  ham- 
mer or  cylinder.  And  although  I  have  only 
adopted  one  form  out  of  the  various  arrange- 
ments at  my  command,  and  from  the  success  of 
the  form  of  hammer  I  manufacture  here,  I  have 
no  inducement  to  adopt  any  other  arrange- 
ment. 

I  trust  these  remarks,  written  with  the  best 
feeling  towards  you  and  your  able  Journal, 
will  meet  with  the  attention  which  the  subject 
deserves ;  as  I  feel  that  I  have  merely  to  call 
your  attention  to  the  facts  already  stated,  to 
receive  that  justice  which  I  claim  as  my  due. 

John  Condie. 
Govan  Iron  WorJcs, 
Glasgow,  October,  1853. 


Fig.  2. 

fig.  4  is  a  separate  view  of  the  crank-shaft  bearings.     It  is  composed  of 
a  light  wrought-iron  frame,  A,  supported  on  two  hind  driving  wheels  and 
a  single  front  running  wheel.     The  driv- 
FlS- 3-  ing  wheels  are  fast  upon  their   double 

crank-axle;  and  motion  is  communi- 
cated to  them  by  the  pair  of  foot-boards, 
e,  which  are  of  lancewood,  and  spring 
about  three-fourths  of  an  inch  under  the 
weight  of  a  mau  at  the  point  of  action. 

The  place  of  a  connecting-rod  is  sup- 
plied by  a  chain,  having  at  its  centre  a 
species  of  double  spring-link.  The  tra- 
veller is  thus  buoyantly  sustained,  and 
is  comparatively  unaffected  by  the  rough- 
ness of  the  roads.  The  light  front  wheel 
is  embraced  hy  a  forked  arm,  the  spindle 
of  which  turns  round  in  two  guides 
overhead;  and  the  spindle  carries  a 
cross-piece,  from  the  ends  of  which  two 
cords  proceed  to  the  hands  of  the  pas- 
senger, for  guiding  purposes.  In  wet 
weather,  a  thin  sheet-iron  splasher  can 
be  readily  adapted  to  the  large  pair  of 
wheels,  and  temporarily  bolted  to  the  in- 
side of  the  frame.  The  cross  stay,  c,  can 
be  easily  formed  into  a  seat;  but  the 
weight  of  the  body  affords  the  best  effect, 
when  accompanied  by  the  least  muscular 
exertion.  The  radius  of  the  cranks 
being  3  inches,  and  the  large  wheels  5 
feet  diameter,  I  think  fourteen  miles  an 
hour  might  be  easily  attained  by  this  ma- 
chine on  a  level  road. 
Burton-on- Trent,  October,  1853.  Henry  Tueton. 


Fig.  i. 


CONDIE'S  STEAM-HAMMER. 

On  my  return  from  the  country,  my  attention  has  been  called  to  an 
article  in  your  well-conducted  Journal,  of  last  month,  on  the  subject  of  a 
stearn  hammer,  stated  to  be  the  invention  of  Mr.  William  Brown,  of 
Chapelhall,  near  Glasgow.     My  present  object  in  writing  to  you  is  to 


CARRIAGE-SPRING  PROTECTORS. 

The  following  proposal  is  made  with  a  view 

to  prevent  too  great  a  load  injuring  the  springs 

of  a  vehicle,  and  also  to  protect  them  from  too 

heavy   a   shock.      I  propose  to  use  a  curved 

surface  on  each  side  of  the  springs,  instead  of 

the  stop  commonly  used,  so  that  the  shock  or 

load,  when  too  heavy,  may  he  transferred  from  the  ends  of  the  springs 

nearer   to  the  axle,  thus  reducing  the  leverage,  and  consequently  the 

strain.      The  superiority  of  the  curved  surfuce  over  the  stop  is  proved 

by  the  fact,  that  when  once  the  load  or  shock  is  sufficient  to  force  the 

stop    into    contact 

with     the     spring,  r!S-  *■ 

the  functions  of  the 
spring  are  super- 
seded altogether ; 
whereas  the  curved 
surface  is  only 
forced  so  far  into 
contact  with  the 
spring  as  to  estab- 
lish an  equilibrium, 
with  the  advantage 
of  doing  so  gradually. 
Fig.  1  represents 
this  principle  applied 
to  a  truck,  where  the 
proposed  curved  pro- 
tecting surface  is  re- 
presented by  the  dot- 
ted lines  attached  to 
the  under  side  of  the 
framing.  Fig.  2  re- 
presents it  applied  to 
elliptic  springs.  It 
is  here  suspended 
from  the  ends  at  an 
equal  distance  from 

the  upper  and  lower  Fig-  2. 

springs. 

Of  course  the  curve  may  be  varied,  to  come  in  contact  with  the  spring 
at  any  part  required,  according  to  the  intended  use  of  the  vehicle. 

Springs  may  thus  be  made  less  rigid  than  usual,  so  as  to  be  more  elas- 
tic without  a  load;  the  curved  surfaces  shortening  the  length  of  the 
springs  under  a  load,  they  will  still  be  elastic  enough,  without  endanger- 
ing their  strength. 

Kenneth. 
October,  1853. 


192 


THE  PRACTICAL  MECHANIC'S  JOURNAL. 


TURTON'S  ELECTRO-MAGNETIC  ENGINE. 

My  two  sketches  annexed,  represent  a  simple  arrangement  which  I 
have  designed  for  the  application  of  electro-magnetic  energy  for  the  pro- 
duction of  rotatory  motive  power.  Fig.  1  is  a  side  elevation,  and  fig.  2 
a  corresponding  end  view  of  the  apparatus.  A,  A,  are  two  large  electro- 
magnets alternately  reversible  by  any  of  the  already  known  means,  and 
acting  upon  the  oscillating  armature,  e,  which  armature  is  keyed  on 
firmly  in  the  centre  of  the  wei.gh-bar,  c,  at  each  end  of  which  are  fixed  the 
right-angled  arms,  d.     These  arms,  by  means  of  four  jointed  straight 


Fig.  2. 


pieces  steeled  at  the  ends,  act  upon  the  ratchet  roller,  E,  which  is  also  of 
steel  and  keyed  on  to  the  fly-wheel  shaft. 

The  straight  pieces  slightly  differ  in  their  respective  lengths,  so  that 
if  one  be  not  always,  another  will  nearly  be  in  contact  with  a  tooth, 
and  light  springs,  at  the  back  of  each,  keep  them  always  close  to  the 
roller.  This  action  is  the  same  as  that  employed  in  Messrs.  Harrison's 
"  Infinitesimal  taking  up  motion  for  power-loom,"  as  described  at  page 
94,  Vol.  V.  of  the  Practical  Mechanic's  Journal. 

The  action  of  the  apparatus  is  obvious ;  the  slight,  but  powerful 
oscillating  movement  of  the  weigh-bar  in  either  direction,  produces  a 
thrust  in  the  same  direction  upon  the  teeth  of  the  ratchet  roller,  and  the 
lines  of  these  forces  have  the  advantage  of  being  nearly  always  at  right 
angles  to  the  centre  of  rotation.  The  fly-wheel  should  make  about  100 
revolutions  per  minute,  and  the  power  of  the  magnets  may  be  easily 
checked  by  a  small  governor,  influencing  the  Rev.  F.  Lockey's  well- 
known  water  regulator. 

Henry  Tcrton. 

Burton-on- Trent,  October,  1853. 

PROCEEDINGS  OP  SCIENTIFIC  SOCIETIES. 


THE  BRITISH  ASSOCIATION  AT  HULL. 
Section  A. — Mathematical  and  Physical  Science. 

THURSDAY. 

"  Continuation  of  Report  on  Luminous  Meteors,"  by  the  Rev.  Prof.  Powell. 

"  On  the  Composition  and  Figuring  of  the  Specula  for  Reflecting  Telescopes," 
by  Mr.  Sollitt. — The  writer  commenced  by  stating  that  he  had  given  his  atten- 
tion to  this  subject  for  years,  and  that  he  was  more  than  ever  convinced  of  its 
importance  by  the  decided  conclusion  to  which  facts  had  led  him,  that  reflectors, 
when  once  well  and  carefully  made,  were  far  less  apt  to  deteriorate  than  refractors. 
In  order  to  be  intelligible  to  the  Section,  it  was  necessary  for  him  to  go  over  some 
ground  familiar  to  the  public  since  the  researches  of  Lord  Rosse,  Mr.  Lassell,  and 
Mr.  Nasmyth.  He  stated  that  he  considered  it  to  be  a  matter  of  prime  impor- 
tance, that  the  copper  and  tin  should  be  used  in  exact  atomic  proportions.  He, 
following  the  numbers  given  by  Berzelius,  used  the  following  proportions : — Copper, 
32;  tin,  174.  Lord  Rosse's  are,  copper,  32;  tin,  14-9.  As  the  metal,  when 
thus  composed,  was  very  hard,  brittle,  and  difficult  to  work,  he  found  that  he 
could  render  it  capable  of  reflecting  white  light  equally  well,  if  not  better,  and  at 
the  same  time  of  taking  a  very  uniform  and  beautiful  polish,  by  introducing  a 
little  nickel  in  place  of  the  tin, — and  the  following  proportions  he  found  on  trial 
best: — Copper,  32;  tin,  15'5  ;  nickel,  2.  He  also  found  the  introduction  of  a 
very  small  quantity  of  arsenic  useful  in  preventing  the  oxidation  of  the  tin  when 


melting.  Silver,  as  used  by  Mr.  Lassell,  he  also  found  excellent;  but  he  was 
against  the  use  of  fluxes,  as  most  injurious.  The  author  passed  over  the  casting 
and  grinding  with  very  slight  notice  ;  but  dwelt  on  the  composition  and  figuring 
of  the  polisher  as  of  great  importance.  The  composition  as  used  by  him  was  pitch 
and  resin,  and  a  small  admixture  of  flour  was  found  useful.  The  surface  he 
grooved  with  concentric  equidistant  circular  grooves,  and  not  in  parallel  and 
cross  grooves,  as  used  by  Lord  Eosse  and  Mr.  Lassell.  These  concentric  grooves  ho 
crossed  by  radial  grooves,  widening  as  they  receded  from  the  centre,  so  as  to  be 
bounded  by  curved  outlines.  By  giving  proper  form  and  dimensions  to  these 
curves,  the  parabolic  form  could  be  most  accurately  given  to  the  speculum  in  the 
process  of  polishing.  The  form  of  the  curved  outlines  of  these  radial  grooves  he 
found  should  be  parabolic.  He  concluded  by  stating  the 
importance  of  not  having  the  speculum  too  thin,  and  of 
using  proper  precautions  in  mounting  and  supporting  it, 
to  avoid  any  chance  of  the  form  being  altered. 

Dr.  Scoresby  regretted  that,  having  been  in  another 
Section,  he  had  not  heard  the  early  part  of  the  com- 
munication of  Mr.  Sollitt ;  but  he  rather  thought  Lord 
Rosse  used  concentric  grooves  in  his  polisher,  as  well  as 
parallel  and  cross  grooves. 

Prof.  Stevelly  confirmed  the  accuracy  of  this  state- 
ment, and  added  that  his  memory  was  quite  clear  that 
Lord  Rosse  considered  it  very  important  to  use  the  copper 
and  tin  in  atomic  proportions,  and  said,  in  his  papers  on 
it,  that  uniformity  of  composition  could  not  otherwise  be 
hoped  for.  He  also  recognized  the  importance  of  using 
thick  specula ;  the  last  which  he  had  cast  being  not  less 
than  five  inches  thick.  He  also  had  used  and  recom- 
mended resin  to  be  used,  to  harden  the  pitch  and  flour 
for  a  purpose  which,  by  experience,  he  had  learnt  to  be 
important.  Lord  Rosse  had  also,  by  the  several  motions 
and  adjustments  which  he  had  contrived  for  the  speculum 
and  the  polisher,  reduced  the  figuring  of  the  speculum  to 
an  almost  certain  function  of  time;  so  that,  after  the 
speculum  had  been  a  certain  number  of  hours  under  the 
action  of  the  polisher,  he  was  well  assured  that  the  proper 
figure  had  been  attained.  Prof.  Stevelly  oriefly  described 
these  motions  and  adjustments;  and  stated  that  the 
actual  result  was,  an  enormous  circular  disc  of  six  feet 
aperture,  without  crack  or  flaw,  and  of  a  splendid  uniform  polish,  and  reflecting 
light  from  objects  of  a  perfectly  natural  tint. 

Mr.  Varley  said  he  had  found  that  the  use  of  a  little  zinc  in  the  composition  of  the 
speculum  metal  took  from  it  the  liability  to  tarnish,  which  he  had  found  so  annoy- 
ing. He  expressed  regret  that  Lord  Rosse  found  it  impossible  to  avoid  micro- 
scopic pores  in  the  construction  of  his  speculum  ;  his  own  experiments  had  led  him 
to  hope  they  might  be  avoided. 

Mr.  Lassell  said,  if  he  had  heard  Mr.  Sollitt  correctly,  he  had  said  that  he  used 
silver  in  the  composition  of  his  speculum  metal ;  now  this  was  a  mistake,  as  he 
used  no  silver  in  its  composition.  As  to  the  proper  proportion  of  tin  to  be  used 
with  the  copper,  he  believed  it  to  be  impossible  to  give  an  unvarying  rule,  as  the 
copper  of  commerce  was  very  irregular  in  its  quality  and  purity.  He  found  the  best 
mode  to  be  to  add  nearly  the  quantity  of  tin  known  to  be  required,  which  generally 
was  from  14  to  15  parts  tin  to  32  copper ;  and  then,  weighing  a  small  portion  of 
that  alloy,  add  to  it  by  slow  degrees  known  weights  of  tin,  and,  assaying  it  from 
time  to  time  by  the  simple  test  of  dropping  it  into  water  as  soon  as  it  acquired  a 
certain  brittleness  and  brilliancy  of  fracture,  easily  to  be  recognized  by  practice, 
then  adding  in  the  same  proportion  to  the  whole  alloy.  He  did  not  experience  the 
difficulty  from  pores  which  had  been  alluded  to,  aud  he  was  not  aware  that  Lord 
Rosse  complained  of  it.  His  mode  of  casting  most  assuredly  gave  the  portion  of 
the  speculum  which  was  to  be  ground  and  polished  free  from  them. 

Mr.  Varley  said,  up  to  a  certain  proportion  of  tin  the  brilliancy  and  perfection  of 
the  reflecting  power  of  the  alloy  seemed  to  improve,  although  its  brittleness  also 
increased  ;  but  beyond  a  certain  limit  the  tin  did  not  appear  any  longer  to  com- 
bine with  the  alloy,  for  he  had  seen  it  in  the  process  of  cooling  squeezed  out,  as 
it  were,  leaving  the  texture  of  the  alloy  spongy. 

"  On  the  Surface  Temperature  and  Great  Currents  of  the  North  Atlantic  and 
Northern  Oceans,"  by  the  Rev.  Dr.  Scoresby. 

"  On  Dynamical  Sequences  in  Cosmos,"  by  W.  J.  M.  Waterston. 


"  On  Magnetic  Phenomena  in  Yorkshire,"  by  J.  Phillips. 

"  On  New  Laws  of  Magnetic  and  Diamagnetic  Induction,"  by  Professor  Plucker, 
of  Bonn. 

"  On  the  Distribution  of  Electrical  Currents  in  the  Rotating  Disc  of  M.  Arago," 
by  Professor  Matteucci. 

"  On  the  Magnetism  of  Rotation  in  Masses  of  Crystallized  Bismuth,"  by  M. 
Matteucci. 

"  On  the  Magnetism  of  Rotation  developed  in  very  small  Insulated  Metallic  Par- 
ticles," by  M.  Matteucci. 

"  On  the  Elasticity  of  Stone  and  Crystalline  Bodies,"  by  E.  Hodgkinson. 

"  Observations  on  the  Density  of  Saturated  Vapours  and  their  Liquids  at  the 
Point  of  Transition,"  by  J.  J.  Waterston. 

"  On  a  Law  of  Mutual  Dependence  between  Temperature  and  Mechanical  Force," 
by  J.  J.  Waterston. 


THE  PRACTICAL  MECHANIC'S  JOURNAL. 


193 


Section  B. — Chemical  Science. 

THURSDAY. 

"  On  the  Chemical  Action  of  the  Solar  Radiations,"  by  Mr.  R.  Hunt. 

"  On  the  Employment  of  the  higher  Sulphides  of  Calcium  as  a  Means  of  Pre- 
venting and  Destroying  the  Oidium  Tuckeri,  or  Grape  Disease,"  by  Dr.  Astley  P. 
Price. —  Of  the  many  substances  which  have  been  employed  to  arrest  the  devas- 
tating effects  of  this  disease,  none  appear  to  have  been  so  pre-eminently  successful 
as  sulphur,  whether  employed  in  the  state  of  powder  or  flowers  of  sulphur,  or  by 
sublimation,  in  houses  so  affected.  Notwithstanding  the  several  methods  described 
for  its  application  to  the  vines,  I  am  not  aware  that  any  had  been  offered  in  1851, 
when  these  experiments  were  instituted,  by  which  sulphur  might  be  uniformly 
distributed  over  the  branches,  and  be  there  deposited  in  such  a  manner  as  to  be  to 
some  extent  firmly  attached  to  the  vine.  Three  houses  at  Margate,  in  the  vicinity 
of  the  one  hi  which  the  disease  first  made  its  appearance  in  England,  having  been 
for  the  space  of  five  years  infected  with  the  disease,  and  notwithstanding  the 
employment  of  sulphur  as  powdered  and  flowers  of  sulphur,  no  abatement  in  its 
ravares  could  be  discovered, — I  was  induced  to  employ  pentasulphide  of  calcium, 
a  solution  of  which  having  been  found  to  act  in  no  way  injuriously  to  the  young 
and  delicate  shoots  of  several  plants,  was  applied  to  the  juices  in  a  dilute  con- 
dition; the  object  in  view  being,  that  the  compound  should  be  decomposed  by 
carbonic  acid,  and  that  the  excess  of  sulphur  should  be  deposited  with  the  carbonate 
of  lime  in  a  uniform  and  durable  covering  on  the  stems  and  branches  of  the  vines. 
This  was  adopted,  and  although  but  few  applications  were  made,  the  stems 
became  coated  with  a  deposit  of  sulphur,  and  the  disease  gradually  but  effectually 
diminished,  insomuch  that  the  houses  are  now  entirely  free  from  any  trace  of 
disease,  or  symptoms  of  infection.  The  young  shoots  are  in  no  way  injured  by  its 
application,  and  the  older  wood  covered  with  this  deposit  of  sulphur  continues 
exceedingly  healthy.  This  was,  we  believe,  the  first  employment  of  the  higher 
sulphides  of  calcium  as  a  vehicle  for  the  application  of  sulphur  to  the  stems  and 
foliage  of  diseased  vines.  Specimens  were  exhibited  from  vines  which,  in  1851, 
were  covered  with  disease,  and  which  have,  since  the  autumn  of  that  year,  received 
no  further  treatment.  The  vines  in  the  immediate  neighbourhood,  and  adjoining 
one  of  the  bouses,  are  covered  with  the  disease,  but,  notwithstanding  their  close 
proximity,  no  indication  of  the  disease  has  at  present  been  detected  in  either  of  the 
three  houses. 

11  On  the  Effect  of  Salphate  of  Lime  upon  Vegetable  Substances,"  by  Chevalier 
Claussen. 

11  On  Crystals  from  the  Sea-coast  of  Africa."  by  J.  Pearsall. 

"  On  the  Chemical  Constitution  of  the  Humber  Deposits,"  by  J.  D.  Sollitt. 

FRIDAY. 

The  Rev.  T.  Exley  read  a  paper  "  On  the  Cause  of  the  Transmission  of  Electricity 
along  Conductors  generally,  and  particularly  as  applied  to  the  Electric  Telegraph." 

Prof.  Andrews  described  a  simple  instrument  for  graduating  glass  tubes.  The 
divisions  admit  of  being  varied  in  length  to  the  i?jj,uo  of  an  inch. 

"  On  the  Origin  and  Composition  of  a  Mineral  called  Rotten-stone,"  by  Prof. 
Johnston. 

TUESDAY. 

"  On  the  Properties  and  Composition  of  the  Cocoa  Leaf,"  by  Professor  Johnston. 

"  Description  of  some  New  Kinds  of  Galvanic  Batteries,"  invented  by  Mr.  Kukla' 
of  Vienna. — The  combination  used  in  one  of  these  is  antimony,  or  some  of  its  alloys' 
for  a  negative  plate,  with  nitric  acid  of  specific  gravity  1"4,  in  contact  with  it,  and 
unamalgamated  zinc,  for  a  positive  plate,  with  a  saturated  solution  of  common  salt 
in  contact  with  it.  A  small  quantity  of  finely  powdered  peroxide  of  manganese  is 
put  into  the  nitric  acid,  which  is  said  to  increase  the  constancy  of  the  battery.  The 
alloys  of  antimony  which  Mr.  Kukla  has  experimented  with  successfully,  are  the 
following: — Phosphorus  and  antimony,  chromium  and  antimony,  arsenic  and  anti- 
mony, boron  and  antimony.  These  are  in  the  order  of  their  negative  character, 
phosphorus  and  antimony  being  the  most  negative.  Antimony  itself  is  less  nega- 
tive than  any  of  these  alloys.  The  alloys  are  made  in  the  proportions  of  the  atomic 
weights  of  the  substances.  All  these  arrangements  are  said  by  Mr.  Kukla  to  be 
more  powerful  than  when  platinum  or  carbon  is  substituted  for  antimony  or  its 
alloys.  In  this  battery  a  gutta-percha  bell-cover  is  used  over  the  antimony,  and 
resting  on  a  flat  ring  floating  on  the  top  of  the  zinc  solution ;  this  effectually  pre- 
vents any  smell,  and  keeps  the  peroxide  of  nitrogen  in  contact  with  the  nitric 
acid  solution. — When  a  battery  of  twenty-four  cells  was  used,  Mr.  Kukla  found 
that,  in  the  third  and  twenty-first  cells,  pure  ammonia  in  solution  was  the  ulti- 
mate result  of  the  action  of  the  battery;  but  only  water  in  all  the  others.  This 
experiment  was  tried  repeatedly,  and  always  with  the  same  result. — A  battery  was 
put  into  action  for  twenty-four  hours;  at  the  end  of  that  time  the  nitric  acid  had 
lost  thirteen-twentietbs  of  an  ounce  of  oxygen,  and  one  quarter  of  an  ounce  of 
zinc  was  consumed.  Now,  as  one  quarter  of  an  ounce  of  zinc  requires  only  O'OG 
of  an  ounce  of  oxygen  to  form  oxide  of  zinc,  Mr.  Kukla  draws  the  conclusion,  that 
the  rest  of  the  oxygen  is  converted  directly  into  electricity  ;  and  this  view,  he  says, 
is  confirmed  by  the  large  amount  of  electricity  given  out  by  the  battery,  in  pro- 
portion to  the  zinc  consumed  in  a  given  time.  In  the  above  battery,  each  zinc 
plate  had  a  surface  of  forty  square  inches.  The  addition  of  peroxide  of  manganese 
does  not  increase  the  effect  of  the  battery,  but  it  makes  it  more  lasting — the  per- 
oxide of  nitrogen,  formed  in  the  bell-cover,  taking  one  atom  of  oxygen  from  the 
peroxide  of  manganese;  this  is  evident  from  only  the  oxide  of  manganese  being 
found  in  the  battery  after  a  time.  In  the  salt  solution  no  other  alteration  takes 
place  than  what  is  caused  by  the  oxide  of  zinc  remaining  in  a  partly  dissolved 
state  in  the  solution.  For  this  battery,  Mr.  Kukla  much  prefers  porous  cells,  or 
diaphragms  of  biscuit  ware,  as  less  liable  to  break,  and  being  more  homogeneous 
Xo.  60.— Vol.  VI. 


in  their  material  than  any  other  kind.  This  battery  is  very  cheap,  antimony  being 
only  5d.  per  lb.,  wholesale,  and  the  zinc  not  requiring  amalgamation. — The  second 
arrangement  tried  by  Mr.  Kukla  was  antimony  and  amalgamated  zinc,  with  only 
one  exciting  solution,  viz.,  concentrated  sulphuric  acid.  This  battery  has  great 
heating  power,  and  the  former,  great  magnetizing  power;  it,  however,  rapidly  de- 
creases in  power,  and  is  not  so  practically  useful  as  the  double  fluid  battery,  which 
will  exert  about  the  same  power  for  fourteen  days,  when  the  poles  are  only  occa- 
sionally connected,  as  in  electric  telegraphs.  Certain  peculiarities  respecting  the 
ratio  of  intensity  to  quantity,  when  a  series  of  cells  is  used,  have  been  observed, 
which  differ  from  those  remarked  in  other  batteries.  Mr.  Kukla,  on  directing 
his  attention  to  the  best  means  of  making  a  small  portable  battery  for  physiologi- 
cal purposes,  has  found  very  small  and  flat  Crui-kshank  batteries,  excited  by  weak 
phosphoric  acid  (one  of  glacial  phosphoric  acid  to  twenty  of  water),  to  be  the  best. 
Phosphoric  acid  being  very  deliquescent,  and  forming  with  the  zinc,  during  the 
galvanic  action,  an  acid  phosphate  of  zinc.  A  battery  of  this  description  does  not 
decrease  in  power  very  materially  until  it  has  been  three  hours  in  action. 

"  Report  on  the  Gases  evolved  in  Steeping  Flax,  and  on  the  Composition  and 
Economy  of  the  Flax  Plant,"  by  Professor  Hodges. — The  investigations  directed 
by  the  Association,  at  the  Belfast  meeting,  with  respect  to  the  gases  evolved  in  the 
steeping  of  flax,  and  the  composition  of  flax  straw,  are  in  progress,  and  will  be 
reported  at  the  next  meeting.  The  gases  of  the  fermenting  vat  have  been  ana- 
lyzed by  the  methods  of  Professor  Bunsen,  and  have  been  found  to  consist  of  car- 
bonio  acid,  hydrogen,  and  nitrogen.  No  sulphuretted  hydrogen  has,  in  any  case, 
been  detected.  Several  analyses  of  the  proximate  constituents  of  the  dressed  fibre 
and  of  its  inorganic  ingredients  have  been  made,  which  show  that  a  considerable 
amount  of  the  nitrogenized  and  other  constituents  of  the  phint  are  retained  in  the 
fibre  even  after  steeping  and  dressing  have  removed  the  structures  unsuitable  for 
textile  purposes. 

"  On  the  Causes,  Physical  and  Chemical,  of  Diversities  of  Soils,"  by  Professor 
Johnston. 

"Note  on  the  Advantages  arising  from  the  Purification  of  Coal  Gas,  by  the 
application  of  Water  in  an  instrument  called  '  The  Scrubber/  "  by  G.  Lowe. 

Section  C. — Geology  and  Physical  Geography. 

THURSDAY. 

11  On  some  of  the  Physical  Features  of  the  Humber,"  by  J.  Oldham. 

"Notices  and  Observations  on  the  Humber,"  by  T.  Thomson. 

"On  the  Waste  of  the  Holderness  Coast,"  by  G.  G.  Kemp. 

"  On  the  Character  and  Measurements  of  Degradation  of  the  Yorkshire  Coast," 
by  Dr.  J.  P.  Bell. 

"  On  the  Remains  of  the  Hippopotamus,  found  in  the  Aire  Valley  Deposit, 
near  Leeds,"  by  H.  Denny. 

"  On  the  Comparative  Richness  of  Auriferous  Quartz  extracted  at  different 
Depths  from  the  same  Lode,"  by  Dr.  J.  Blake. 

Section  D. — Zoology  and  Botany,  including  Physiology. 

THURSDAY. 

11  Notices  of  some  Living  Aquatic  Birds  at  Santry  House,  near  Dublin,"  by 
W.  C.  Domville. 

"  On  some  Discoveries  relative  to  the  Chick  in  Ova,  and  its  Liberation  from 
the  Shell,"  by  Dr.  Horner. 

"  Notice  of  the  Reproduction  of  the  Lower  Extremities  in  a  Warm-blooded 
Animal,"  by  Mr.  Allis. 

"  On  the  Utricular  Structure  of  the  Endochrome  in  a  Species  of  Conferva,"  by 
Prof.  Allman. 


"  On  the  Morphology  of  the  Pycnogonidse,  and  Remarks  on  the  Development 
of  the  Ova  in  some  Species  of  Isopodous  and  Amphipodous  Crustacea,"  by  Spence 
Bate. 

Mr.  J.  D.  Sollitt  read  a  paper,  prepared  by  himself,  in  conjunction  with  Mr. 
R.  Harrison,  "  On  the  Diatomaceae  found  in  the  Vicinity  of  Hull." 

"  On  the  Structure  of  Bursaria,  a  Genus  of  Infusorial  Animalcules,"  by  Prof. 
Allman. 

"  On  the  Nature  of  Ciliary  Motion,"  by  P.  Duncan. 

"  On  a  Species  of  Priapulous,  a  genus  of  Echinoderms  belonging  to  the  Family 
Sipunculidse,"  by  Prof.  J.  Phillips. 

"  On  the  Structure  of  the  Freshwater  Polyp,  Hydra  viridis"  by  Prof.  Allman. 

TUESDAY. 

"  On  Preserving  the  Balance  between  Vegetable  and  Animal  Organisms  in  Sea- 
water,"  by  R.  Warrington. 

"  On  a  New  Species  of  Cometes,  a  Genus  of  Humming-birds,"  by  J.  Gould. 

"  Note  on  the  Habits  of  Fish,  in  relation  to  certain  Forms  of  Medusae,"  by  C. 
W.  Peach. 

"  On  the  Pentasulphide  of  Calcium  as  a  Remedy  for  Grape  Disease,"  by  Dr. 
Astley  Price. 

"On  a  method  of  Accelerating  the  Germination  of  Seeds,"  by  R.  Hunt. 

"  Report  on  the  Vitality  of  Seeds,"  by  H.  E.  Strickland, 

"  On  the  Partridges  of  the  Great  Water-shed  of  India,"  by  H.  E.  Strickland. 

"  On  the  connection  between  Cartilage  and  Bone,"  by  Dr.  Redfern. 

"  On  the  Artificial  Breeding  of  Salmon  in  the  Swale,"  by  J.  Hogg. 

"  On  Photographic  Plates  and  Illustrations  of  Microscopic  Objects  in  Natural 
History,"  by  Dr.  Lankester. — The  object  of  the  author  was,  to  draw  attention  to 
photography  as  a  means  of  procuring  accurate  copies  of  objects  of  natural  history, 


194 


THE  PRACTICAL,  MECHANIC'S  JOURNAL. 


more  especially  of  those  only  seen  by  the  microscope.  The  disadvantage  of  draw- 
ings in  natural  history  was,  that  they  more  often  represented  the  views  of  the  author 
than  correct  delineations  of  the  object.  This  was  so  much  the  case  with  drawings 
nf  microscopic  objects,  that  the  representations  of  different  observers  of  the  same 
thing  could  hardly  be  recognized  as  similar. 

"Notes  on  the  Growth  of  Symphytum  officinale  in  the  Botanical  Gardens  of  the 
Royal  Agricultural  College,"  by  Professor  Buckman. 

Section  E. — Geography  and  Ethnology. 

THURSDAY. 

"  On  Iceland,  its  Inhabitants  and  Language,"  by  J.  Hogg. 

"  On  the  Production  of  Gold  in  the  British  Islands,"  by  J.  Calvert. 

"On  Oceanic  Currents  of  the  Atlantic  and  Pacific,"  by  A.  G.  Findlay. 

"  On  the  Manners  and  Customs  of  the  Jakutes,"  by  Prince  Emanuel  Gahtzin. 

MONDAY. 

H  A  Sketch  of  the  Progress  of  Discovery  in  the  Western  Half  of  New  Guinea, 
from  the  year  1828  up  to  the  present  time,"  by  G.  Windsor  Earl. 

14  On  the  Popular  Theory  of  an  Arctic  Basin.  Is  it  true  ?"  by  the  Rev.  Dr. 
Scoresby. 

"  On  the  Traces  of  a  Bilingual  Town  (Danish  and  Anglo-Saxon)  in  England," 
by  Dr.  R.  G.  Latham. 

"  On  the  dialects  North  and  South  of  the  Humber  compared,"  by  C.  Beckett. 

"  On  Contributions  to  the  Ancient  Geography  of  the  Arctic  Regions,"  by  Pro- 
fessor Rafns. 

TUESDAY. 

"  Notes  on  a  Journey  to  the  Balkan,  or  Mount  Hxmus,  from  Constantinople," 
by  Lieut. -General  Jochrnus. 

"  On  the  Interior  of  Australia,"  by  A.  Petermann. 

"  Notes  of  an  Excursion  to  the  Supposed  Tomb  of  Ezekiel,"  by  T.  K.  Lynch. 
Section  F. — Statistics. 

THURSDAY. 

"  Statistics  of  the  Produce  of  the  Northern  Whale  Fisheries  from  1772  to  1852," 
by  H.  Munroe. 

"On  Decimal  Coinage,"  by  T.  W.  Rathhone. 

"  The  Results  of  the  Census  of  Great  Britain  in  1851,  with  a  Description  of 
the  Machinery  and  Processes  employed  to  obtain  the  Returns,"  by  E.  Cheshire. 

"  Electoral  Statistics  of  the  United  Kingdom,"  by  J.  Edwards. 

MONDAY. 

"  Summary  of  the  Census  of  Switzerland,"  by  Professor  P.  Chaix. 

"  On  Excessive  Emigration  and  its  Reparative  Agencies  in  Ireland,"  by  Mr. 
Locke. 

11  Suggestions  for  an  Improved  System  of  Currency  and  Banking,"  by  Mr. 
Bennoch. 

"  On  the  Education  of  the  Poor  in  Liverpool,"  by  Dr.  Hume. 

Section  G. — Mechanical  Science. 

THURSDAY. 

"  Introductory  Arldress  on  General  Improvements  in  Mechanical  Science  during 
the  past  year,"  by  W.  Fairbairn. — The  first  subject  noticed  by  Mr.  Fairbairn  was 
Ericsson's  Caloric  Engine,  from  which  so  much  had  been  expected.  It  was  con- 
structed, he  said,  on  the  same  principle  as  the  air-engine  nf  Dr.  Stirling,  invented 
ten  years  ago,  the  chief  difference  being,  that  the  air  in  Ericsson's  engine  is  passed 
through  wire  gauze  to  take  up  the  heat,  instead  of  through  plates  of  iron.  The 
great  objection  to  the  engine  appeared  to  be,  that  two-thirds  of  the  power  were 
wasted  in  passing  the  air  through  the  gauze;  and  though  it  might  be  premature 
to  pronounce  an  opinion  before  the  results  of  the  improvements  lately  effected 
were  known,  yet,  if  so  much  of  the  power  was  required  for  taking  up  the  heat,  Air. 
Fairbairn  could  not  hut  think  it  must  prove  a  wasteful  expenditure  of  fuel.  The 
improvements  that,  during  the  last  year,  had  been  made  in  the  application  of  the 
screw  propeller,  were  opening  a  new  era  in  the  history  of  our  war  and  mercantile 
navy,  of  which  the  recent  review  at  S pithead  might  be  considered  an  indication. 
We  were  now  in  a  state  of  transition  between  the  paddle  and  the  screw,  and  he 
had  no  doubt  that,  in  the  progress  of  time,  great  improvements  would  be  made  in 
the  construction  of  the  engines,  and  in  their  applicability  to  the  work,  which  would 
materially  economize  space  and  power  in  our  steam-vessels.  Mr.  Fairbairn  next 
'  alluded  to  the  construction  of  an  immense  steam-vessel,  which  had  been  under- 
taken by  Mr.  Brunei  and  Mr.  Scott  Russell,  of  such  vast  dimensions  that  it  would 
stretch  over  two  of  the  largest  waves  of  the  Atlantic,  and  would  thus  obtain  a  steadi- 
ness of  motion  which  would  be  a  preventive  against  sea-sickness.  This  mammoth 
steamer  is  to  be  CSO  feet  long,  with  a  breadth  of  beam  of  83  feet,  and  a  depth  of  58 
feet.  The  combined  power  of  the  engines  would  be  that  of  2,600  horses.  The  ship 
is  to  be  built  of  iron,  with  a  double  bottom  of  cellular  construction,  reaching  six  feet 
above  the  water-line,  ai.d  with  a  double  deck,  the  upper  and  the  lower  parts  being 
connected  together  on  the  principle  of  the  Britannia  tubular  bridge,  so  that  the 
ship  will  be  a  complete  beam.  It  would  thus  possess  the  strength  of  that  form  of 
construction,  and  not  be  liable  to  "  hogg,"  or  break  its  back,  as  had  been  the  case 
with  other  ships  of  great  length.  The  double  bottom  would  be  a  means  of  increased 
safety  in  other  ways,  for,  if  by  any  accident  the  outer  shell  were  broken,  the  inner 
one  would  prove  effectual  to  keep  out  the  water.  As  an  additional  security, 
however,  it  was  divided  into  ten  water-tight  compartments.  The  ship  would  be 
propelled  by  paddles  and  by  a  screw,  which  would  be  worked  by  separate  sets  of 
engines,  so  that  if  any  accident  occurred  to  the  machinery  of  one,  the  other  would 
be  in  reserve.     He  said  he  had  no  doubt  that,  if  properly  constructed,  this  ship 


would  answer  the  expectations  entertained  of  its  capabilities  and  strength,  and 
that  it  would  form,  when  completed,  the  most  extensive  work  of  naval  architecture 
that  had  ever  been  constructed.  The  next  subject  to  which  Mr.  Fairbairn 
adverted,  was  the  improvements  making  in  the  locomotive  department  of  railways, 
particularly  to  an  engine  constructed  for  the  southern  division  of  the  North- 
western Railway,  from  the  designs  of  Mr.  M'Connell,  which  was  the  most  power- 
ful locomotive  that  had  yet  been  made  for  the  narrow  guage.  The  peculiarity  of 
construction  consisted  in  the  great  length  given  to  the  fire-box,  in  which  the 
greatest  amount  of  steam  is  always  generated,  and  in  the  comparative  shortness  of 
the  tubes,  which  were  only  half  the  usual  length.  The  steam  generated  by  this 
boiler  was  sufficient  for  any  engine  of  700  horse  power.  The  engine  was  intended 
for  an  express  train  that  would  complete  the  distance  from  London  to  Birmingham 
in  two  hours.  In  manufacturing  machinery  there  had  also  been  great  activity  and 
progress  during  the  past  year  ;  and  it  was  gratifying,  Mr.  Fairbairn  observed,  to 
find  accompanying  this  improvement  in  machinery  a  most  prosperous  condition  in 
the  working  classes  engaged  in  those  manufactures — a  prosperity  which  had  never 
been  equalled  within  his  experience.  He  attributed  this  prosperous  state  of  things 
to  the  combined  operations  of  improvements  in  machinery,  and  the  removal  of 
commercial  restrictions.  The  improvement  which,  he  more  especially  noticed  was 
that  of  a  new  combing  machine  of  French  invention,  applicable  alike  to  cotton,  to 
flax,  and  to  wool.  It  combs  the  fibre  instead  of  carding  it,  a  number  of  small 
combs  being  applied  in  succession  to  the  cotton  or  flax,  by  which  means  a  much 
finer  yarn  can  be  produced  from  the  same  material  than  is  possible  by  the  former 
processes.  As  evidence  of  the  present  activity  and  enterprise  in  manufacturing 
industry,  Mr.  Fairbairn  mentioned  the  erection  of  a  mammoth  alpaca  woollen 
manufactory,  by  Mr.  Salt,  of  Saltaire,  near  Bradford,  which  was  550  feet  long.  50 
feet  wide,  and  six  stories  high,  besides  offices,  warehouses,  and  various  other  buildings 
connected  with  it.  Their  steam-engines  to  drive  the  machinery  would  be  equal  to 
1200  horse  power,  and  the  factory  would  employ  upwards  of  3000  hands.  The 
cost  of  the  whole  would  be  upwards  of  £300,000,  and  the  enterprise  was  that  of  a 
single  individual.  Mr.  Fairbairn  concluded  his  resume  of  manufacturing  progress 
by  noticing  the  improvements  introduced  by  Prof.  Crace  Calvert,  of  Manchester, 
in  the  process  of  smelting  the  iron,  by  previously  removing  the  sulphurous  vapour 
from  coal  and  coke.  The  results  had  proved  most  satisfactory,  the  strength  of  the 
iron  produced  by  this  process  being  about  40  per  cent,  greater  than  that  made  in 
the  ordinary  way. 

11  Report  of  the  Committee  appointed  in  1852,  to  prepare  a  Memorial  to  the 
Hon.  East  India  Company  on  the  Means  of  Cooling  Air  in  Tropical  Climates,"  by 
W.  J.  Macquorn  Rankine. — In  the  absence  of  Mr.  Rank'me,  one  of  the  Secretaries 
read  the  Report,  which  was  founded  on  experiments  with  apparatus  invented  by 
Prof.  Smyth,  described  by  him  at  a  previous  meeting  of  the  Association.  The 
principle  of  the  invention  consists  in  cooling  the  air  by  expansion.  The  air  at  the 
temperature  of  the  atmosphere  is  first  compressed  in  a  bell-receiver,  and  the  heat 
generated  by  this  compression  is  lowered  by  passing  the  air  through  a  number  of 
tubes  immersed  in  water,  by  which  means  it  acquires  in  its  compressed  state  the 
normal  temperature  of  the  atmosphere — say  90°  of  Fahrenheit.  The  air  then 
passes  into  another  inverted  bell-receiver,  where  it  is  expanded  to  the  ordinary 
pressure  of  the  atmosphere,  and  during  this  expansion  it  absorbs  so  much  heat 
that  the  temperature  is  reduced  to  60°.  It  is  then  admitted  into  the  room  to  be 
ventilated.  The  compression  of  the  air  during  the  experiments  in  the  first  cylinder 
was  equal  to  3T20  inches  of  mercury  per  square  inch  above  the  pressure  of  the 
atmosphere,  and  the  refrigerator  exposed  a  cooling  surface  of  1100  square  feet, 
which  was  considered  sufficient  to  reduce  the  temperature  of  the  air  in  passing 
through  the  tubes  to  that  of  the  atmosphere,  viz.  90°.  The  Report  stated  that, 
by  means  of  this  apparatus,  66,000  cubic  feet  of  air  per  hour  might  be  cooled  from 
90°  to  60°,  by  a  steam-engine  of  one  horse  power,  which  is  required  to  raise  and 
depress  the  bell-receiver.  The  advantage  of  cooling  the  air  by  mechanical  means 
instead  of  by  evaporation,  was  stated  to  be  the  avoidance  of  aqueous  vapour  with 
which  the  air  is  injuriously  charged  by  the  evaporating  process. 

"On  Reaping  Machinery,"  by  A.  Crosskill. — Mr.  Crosskill  gave  an  historical 
account  of  the  invention  of  reaping  machines,  from  their  use  by  the  Romans  and 
Gauls  to  the  present  time  ;  with  a  view  to  show,  that  though  reaping  machines 
had  not  been  brought  prominently  to  notiee  before  the  Great  Exhibition,  such 
implements  had  long  since  been  invented,  and  that  the  reaping  machines  of  Messrs. 
M'Cormack  and  Hussey  were  constructed  on  the  same  principles  as  those  which 
had  been  previously  made  in  this  country.  Among  other  English  inventions  of 
reaping  machines,  he  mentioned  one  by  Mr.  Smith  of  Deanston,  in  1812,  which, 
from  time  to  time,  underwent  improvements,  and  in  1835  it  worked  very  success- 
fully at  the  meeting  of  the  Highland  Agricultural  Society.  After  that  trial  it  was 
laid  aside,  as  British  farmers  did  not  encourage,  and,  during  the  redundance  of 
labour,  did  not  want  such  machines.  In  1822,  Mr.  Ogle,  of  Remington,  near 
Alnwick,  invented  a  reaping  machine,  which  appears  to  have  served  as  a  model  for 
Mr.  M'Cormack,  as  his  machine  is,  in  almost  every  particular,  the  s;tme  as  Mr. 
Ogle's,  a  description  of  winch  was  published  in  1826.  The  same  circumstances 
which  prevented  the  adoption  of  Mr.  Smith's  reaping  machine,  also  caused  Mr. 
Ogle's  to  be  laid  aside;  though  in  America,  where  labour  is  scarce,  and  the  stalk 
of  the  corn  more  blender  and  dry,  and  therefore  better  adapted  for  the  action  of 
mechanical  cutters,  M'Cormack's  reaper  was  soon  in  extensive  demand.  It  was 
stated  by  Mr.  Crosskill,  that  about  2000  of  M'Cormack's  machines  are  annually 
sold  in  the  United  States,  and  that  Hussey 's  is  in  nearly  equal  request  in  that 
country.  The  celebrity  acquired  by  those  machines  in  the  Great  Exhibition,  induced 
Mr.  Bell,  of  Scotland,  who  had  gained  a  prize  in  1829  from  the  Highland  Agri- 
cultural Society  for  a  reaping  machine,  to  bring  his  invention  again  into  the  field. 
In  1852  he  contested  with  Mr.  Hussey  at  the  meeting  of  the  Highland  Society  at 
Perth,  and  carried  away  the  prize  ;  and  his  reaping  machine  had  proved  victorious 


THE  PRACTICAL  MECHANIC'S  JOURNAL. 


105 


on  several  subsequent  trials.  It  was  to  this  invention  that  Mr.  Crosskill  particu- 
larly directed  the  attention  of  the  Section.  It  differs  in  several  essential  points 
from  those  of  M'Cnnnaek  and  Hussey.  In  the  first  place,  the  machine  id  pro- 
pelled before  the  horses,  which  are  harnessed  to  a  pole  in  the  centre  of  the  machine, 
and  not  on  one  side  ;  in  the  nest  place,  the  cutters  act  like  large  double-edged 
scissors,  which  clip  the  corn  as  the  machine  is  propelled  into  it ;  and.  a  further 
advantage  is,  that  it  gathers  the  corn  after  it  is  cut  without  requiring  a  man  to  rake 
it  off,  wliich  is  necessary  in  the  two  other  machines.  The  arrangement  of  the  self- 
acting  gatherer  consists  of  an  endless  band  of  canvas,  on  to  which  the  corn  falls  as  it 
is  cut,  and  it  is  then  thrown  on  one  side  by  a  continuous  motion  of  the  canvas  as 
the  machine  advances.  With  this  machine,  Mr.  Crosskill  stated,  one  acre  and  a 
half  of  corn  per  hour  may  be  cut  with  two  horses  and  one  man  to  drive  them. 

In.  the  discussion  which  ensued,  Mr.  Samuelson,  the  maker  of  M'Cormack's 
machines,  admitted  that  Bell's  reapers  cut  the  corn  better  than  M'Cormack's,  and 
that  the  saving  of  the  hard  work  required  from  a  man  was  an  important  advantage ; 
but  the  draught  of  M'Cormack's  machines,  he  said,  is  lighter,  and  they  are  less 
cistly.  It  was  stated,  that  the  cost  of  Mr,  Bell's  reaper  is  double  that  of  Mr. 
M'Cormack's  or  Mr.  Husky's,  the  one  being  £40,  the  other  £20.  Mr.  Crosskill 
stated,  in  reply  to  questions  respecting  the  difficulties  encountered  in  the  use  of 
reaping  machines  when  the  corn  is  laid,  that  there  is  no  difficulty  in  cutting  and 
gathering  laid  corn,  if  the  machines  meet  it  inclined  towards  them,  so  that  it  may 
fall  on  the  gathering  board  as  it  is  cut. — Models  of  the  three  machines  were 
exhibited. 


MONTHLY  NOTES. 


Pettttt's  Artificial  or  Fisn  Guano. — The  offer  by  the  Royal  Agricultural 
Society  of  a  prize  of  £1,000  for  an  artificial  fertiliser,  as  an  economical  substitute  for 
guano,*  has  met  with  a  reply — if  not  in  the  letter,  at  least  in  the  spirit  of  the  original 
-  __'  -.-tion — in  Mr.  Edwin  Pettltt's  "  Fish  Guano."  It  is  well  known  that  not  only 
is  there  a  deficiency  of  a  really  good  guano,  but  that  there  is  an  immense  sile 
carried  on  with  various  inferior  descriptions,  as  well  as  fictitious  articles,  having 
little  in  common  with  the  real  thing  hut  the  name.  These  facts,  and  the  contem- 
plation of  the  very  depressed  state  of  the  Colonial,  Irish,  and  Scotch  fisheries,  have 
led  to  the  invention,  since  patented  by  Mr.  Edwin  Pettitt,  C.E.,  of  an  artificial 
guano,  possessing  all  the  fertilising  properties  of  the  best  Peruvian,  and  which  prac- 
tical results  have  since  stamped  with  as  high  a  commercial  value. 

Guano,  properly  so  called,  is  simply  fish,  which,  having  undergone  decomposition 
in  the  stomach  of  the  sea  bird,  is  deposited  on  the  barren  islands  of  the  Pacific  to 
dry.  Mr.  Pettitt's  patent  guano  is  also  simply  fish,  which,  having  been  decomposed 
by  chemical  solvents,  is  dried  by  artificial  means.  Desirous  of  rigidly  testing  the 
actual  value  of  his  production,  Sir.  Pettitt  has  made  various  manures,  and  sub- 
mitted them  for  analysis  and  practical  trial  to  some  of  the  first  chemists  and  agri- 
cultural men  of  the  day.  The  annexed  table  shows  the  general  result  as  compared 
wild,  various  real  guanos  : — 

Comparative  Analyses  of  various  Guanos. 


>ff.i.**ure- m.-.™ _ 

Organic  matter. - 


K-«rthy  pbo6pbales„  -  ■ 

Alkaline  &alu,  <fcc, 


>*  - 

Si— 

s= 

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Si 

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?:* 

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? 

5 

< 

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3 

fe 

£ 

P- 

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So.  2. 

Xo  3 

4M 

2  10 

68  36 

72  SO 

05  ><l 

none 

4.1* 

23  20 

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1,60 

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— 

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£ 

p 

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2197 

23.74 

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4872 

47  JB 

41.1.1 

10.10 

101 

]  II 

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2109 

V'f" 

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It  20 


No.9.;Nn  in. 
iet.«  o  I  J7.« 

141* 
280 
69  43 


60  2U 
IAS 


So.il. 

1447 
7.85 

14  4-7 
29  54 
y3B7 


1(J.7«|  12.901  1SW|  14.B4     1541       y.'-u      6.47]     4-68  1     2J|f       0.76      0.47 


The  bearing  of  this  tabulated  statement  will  be  understood,  when  it  is  remembered 
that  the  present  standard  for  valuing  manures  is,  that  every  pound  weight  of 
ammonia  appearing  on  analysis  is  worth  6d-  ;  every  pound  of  super-phosphate 
of  lime,  |d.  As  to  the  question,  whether  the  raw  material— fish — can  be  obtained 
in  sufficient  quantities  for  the  establishment  of  a  manufacture,  the  patentee  goes  at 
once  to  Ireland  in  support  of  his  position;  but  he  has  also  been  at  some  pains  in 
gathering  statistics  on  the  coasts  of  England,  Newfoundland,  Labrador,  and  the 
peat  Norwegian  fisheries.  It  is  a  fact,  tliat  fish  may  be  bought  at  the  established 
fisheries  on  the  English  coast,  where  labour  is  dear,  population  great,  and  mooev 
plentiful — where  the  market  for  eatable  fish  is  large,  and  seemingly  never  over- 

*  Practical  Mechanic's  Journal  for  January  last. 


stocked,  at  a  price  which  has  justified  persons  of  capital  and  judgment  in  embark- 
ing in  the  business,  namely,  30s.  per  ton.  Hundreds  of  shiploads  of  fishy  matter 
may  be  obtained  from  the  colonies  of  British  North  America,  and  from  the  LnfiV 
den  Islands  in  Norway,  for  little  more  than  carriage.  That  abundance  of  fish  for 
the  purpose  may  be  found  on  the  coasts  of  Ireland,  appears  from  a  large  and  ela- 
borate blue  book  prepared  for  the  House  of  Commons,  on  the  subject  of  Irish 
fisheries,  in  the  year  1836,  corroborated  by  evidence  collected  from  gentlemen  in 
the  Coast  Guard  service,  and  others  resident  in  Ireland  at  the  present  time.  It 
appears  from  the  printed  evidence,  that  the  whole  western  coast  of  Ireland  swarms 
with  fish.  That  seals  abound — now  useless,  except  for  skin  and  liver.  That 
whales  annually  visit  the  cuast,  and  many  thousands  of  large  sunfish,  or  basking 
sharks,  from  20  to  40  feet  long,  are  now  useful  for  their  livers  only.  That  thousands 
of  barrels  of  the  waste  of  the  fisheries — the  most  nitrogenous  part — are  annually 
thrown  away  at  the  curing  stations.  That  there  are  44  000  Irish  fishermen  who 
have  not  more  than  half  a  year's  employment.  That  from  the  wonderful  ^pro- 
ductiveness of  fish,  it  is  practically  impossible  to  exhaust  the  British,  much  less  the 
Irish  Atlantic  waters.  That  trawl  boats  usually  throw  overboard  dead  fish,  weight 
l£  or  2  tons  for  every  1  ton  now  taken  to  shore.  That  there  is  no  doubt  of  the 
fish  being  obtainable  on  the  Irish  west  coast — say  Galway — at  a  less  price  than 
30s.  per  ton,  at  which  price  large  quantities  can  be  secured.  And  although  the 
manufacturer  can  afford  to  give  £2.  10s.  for  each  ton  of  fish,  it  is  not  to  be  sup- 
posed that  it  will  cost  so  much  for  some  time  to  come,  if  bought  with  judgment, 
and  properly  collected.  It  is  proposed  to  establish  several  stations  at  Sligo,  Ciif- 
den,  West  port,  or  Galway,  and  in  other  places  where  the  piers  and  harbours  of  the 
Government  Commissioners  were  erected,  with  suitable  plant  to  each.  This  would 
be  of  a  remarkably  simple  description.  Competent  agents  at  these  stations  would 
make  it  their  business  to  receive  every  description  of  fish  brought  to  them  at  a 
regular  contract  price,  to  encourage  the  fishing  population  to  resort  to  their  depots 
as  a  sure  and  ready  cash  market  for  every  description  of  fish.  If  needful,  they 
should  be  provided  with  carrier-boats,  to  accompany  the  fishing  fleets  to  sea,  and 
collect  the  waste  and  uneatable  produce  on  the  fishing  ground  itself.  This  plan, 
which  has  been  well  received  by  the  English  maritime  population,  may  be  well 
imagined  to  he  a  boon  to  that  of  Ireland.  The  expenditure  by  the  State  in  aid  of  the 
Irish  fisheries,  since  the  commencement  of  the  century,  has  amounted  to  £250,000; 
but  as  the  Government  could  not  supply  the  population  with  money  to  purchase 
the  fish  when  caught,  the  plan  failed  to  do  any  lasting  good.  Supposing  each  ton 
of  fish  to  cost  £2,  the  expense  is  estimated  as  follows: — To  make  fifty  tons  of 
manure,  allowing  30  per  cent,  loss  in  weight  of  water — 

100  tons  offish,  at  £2  per  ton, £200  0  0 

Chemicals, 17  10  0 

Labour,   10s.  per  ton  on  the  finished  article — say  50 

tons, 25  0  0 

Divide  by  50)    242  10     0 

Cost  tn  manufacturer  of  a  manure  saleable  at  market 

for  £9  on  an  average, £4  17     0 

The  great  loss  by  desiccation  might  be  economically  obviated,  and  most  profitably  in 
a  commercial  point  of  view,  by  partially  drying  the  fish  by  a  suitable  process,  and 
then  adding  pulverized  peat  charcoal.  Weight  is  gained  in  this  manner,  and  a 
very  valuable  manure  produced,  fit  for  the  drill,  but  lower  in  quality,  not  being  so 
concentrated.  It  would  appear  that  the  difference  between  £9.  and  £4.  17s., 
namely,  say  £4.  3s.,  is  ample  to  provide  for  the  expenses  of  trade,  interest  on 
capital,  depreciation  of  plant,  and  ultimate  "profit."  Mr.  Pettitt  has  not  claimed 
the  £1,000  prize,  for  the  very  satisfactory  renson  that  he  is  not  prepared  to  give 
an  article  worth  £9  a  ton  for  £5,  the  price  stipulated  by  the  society. 

Removal  of  the  Turnip  flavour  in  Milk  — Mr.  Shilling,  of  the  Glas- 
nevin  Model  Farm,  treats  his  milk  in  the  following  manner,  for  the  removal  of  the 
nauseous  turnipy  flavour.  He  reduces  a  small  quantity  of  saltpetre  to  powder,  and 
then  pours  upon  it  as  much  water  as  will  just  dissolve  it.  Of  such  a  saturated 
solution,  he  takes  a  wine  glassful  for  ten  quarts  of  milk,  the  saltpetre  being  placed 
in  the  pail  before  commencing  to  milk.     The  result  is  peculiarly  successful. 

Percussion  Blasting  Cartridge. — Since  the  previous  reports  on  Capt. 
Norton's  several  explosive  contrivances,  the  gallant  inventor  has  considerably 
extended  his  valuable  experiments,  and  the  Master  General  of  the  Ordnance  having 
instructed  Captains  Hadden  and  Synge,  of  the  Royal  Engineers,  to  examine  the 
blasting  cartridges,  a  most  satisfactoiy  inquiry  has  taken  place  at  Spike  Island, 
Cork.  In  boring  horizontally,  or  with  a  downward  inclination,  clay  may  be 
met  with  in  the  narrow  fork  between  the  limbs  of  the  block,  but  boring  through 
this,  solid  timber  is  again  entered  in  the  opposite  limb.  After  the  hole  is  bored 
with  the  auger,  its  entrance  should  be  widened  for  one-third  the  way  with  a  rimer 
— this  admits  of  the  iron  rammer  being  placed  in  its  proper  position,  when  the 
blow  from  the  fallen  block  above  will  impel  it  perfectly  air-tight  on  the  head  of 
the  cartridge.  By  causing  the  wooden  block,  suspended  by  a  rope,  or  supported 
on  an  inclined  plane,  to  strike  the  iron  rammer  in  a  slight  degree  obliquely,  a  section 
of  the  root  of  a  tree,  or  of  a  rock,  can  be  separated  in  the  direction  required  in  like 
manner,  and  more  efficiently  than  by  the  powerful  leverage  of  a  long  crowbar, 
because  the  severing  power  of  the  explosion  and  leverage  of  the  iron  rammer  act 
simultaneously.  In  blasting  rocks  either  above  or  below  water,  a  cylindrical  plug 
of  deal,  or  other  wood,  about  three  inches  long,  and  the  same  diameter  as  the  bore, 
may  be  used,  the  plug  having  on  its  lower  end  a  broad-headed  iron  nail  of  conical  form, 
this  will  be  driven  into  the  plug  by  the  force  of  the  blow  above,  and  the  explosion 
of  the  cartridge  bt-low,  thus  forming  a  perfect  condensed  tamping — the  tamping 
and  cartridge  may  be  all  iu  one,  thus  making  one  action  or  motion  instead  of  two. 


196 


THE  PRACTICAL  MECHANIC'S  JOURNAL. 


The  cartridge  may  Lave  but  one  percussion  cap,  and  that  at  its  lower  end,  which 
need  not  be  put  on  till  it  is  to  be  used.  They  can  be  packed  for  carriage  with 
perfect  safety,  and  may  be  made  water-proof  by  a  coating  of  Japan  varnish,  such 
as  is  used  in  varnishing  iron  and  other  metal.  In  blasting,  in  the  ordinary  way 
with  a  clay,  ponded  brick,  or  sand  tamping,  if  a  misfire  occurs,  it  is  necessary  to 
remove  the  tamping,  in  order  to  insert  a  fresh  fuze  or  priming,  but  with  the  per- 
cussion cartridge,  if  a  misfire  takes  place,  it  is  only  necessary  to  drop  a  short  cartridge 
upon  the  one  that  missed  fire,  and  the  ignition  of  the  upper  cartridge  will  also  fire 
that  below  it.  The  percussion  appliance  fitted  into  the  wooden  head,  or  tamping, 
of  the  cartridge,  and  charged  with  the  composition  that  lucifer  matches  are  primed 
with,  is  the  same  as  that  for  the'rifle  percussion  shell,  illustrated  by  diagram  13 
in  Col.  Beamish's  appendix  to  Col.  Chesney's  lecture  on  fire-arms ;  also,  in  the 
Practical  Mechanic's  Journal  for  February  last,  and  in  Captain  Norton's  pamphlet. 
The  head  of  the  cartridge  is,  in  fact,  a  wooden  percussion  shell,  striking,  or  being 
struck,  "point  foremost."  The  percussion  head,  or  wooden  tamping,  may  be 
charged  by  dropping  a  few  heads  of  Bell's  lucifers  into  the  hollow  chamber,  then 
pouring  over  them  about  a  drachm  of  gunpowder;  the  wooden  plug,  fitting  air 
tight,  is  then  inserted,  projecting  about  an  inch  ;  the  blow  on  the  plug  ignites  the 
charge,  bursts  the  tamping,  and  fires  the  cartridge,  something  on  the  principle 
of  the  brass  tube  and  piston  for  igniting  the  German  amadu,  or  tinder.  In  order 
to  prevent  the  block  from  falling  off  the  head  of  the  iron  rammer,  a  deep  hoop 
of  sheet-iron  is  secured  to  its  lower  end,  so  that  it  falls  on  the  iron  rammer  like 
an  extinguisher,  or  inverted  bucket.  Another  modification  of  the  cartridge,  by 
which  it  is  fired  in  the  centre,  is  this — half  the  charge  of  powder  is  poured  into  the 
hole  bored  in  the  root  of  a  tree  or  a  rock,  a  small  pill-box,  about  the  size  of  a 
hazel  nut,  and  containing  half  a  dozen  lucifer  heads  of  Bell's  matches,  together 
with  a  little  fine  gunpowder  and  pounded  glass,  is  dropped  on  the  gunpowder,  the 
remainder  of  the  powder  of  the  required  charge  is  then  poured  in,  and  the  blow  of 
the  iron  or  wooden  rammer  crushes  the  pellet,  and  fires  the  charge,  something  after 
the  manner  of  the  pellet  in  the  percussion  shell  explained  by  diagram,  No.  5,  in 
Captain  Norton's  pamphlet.  The  experiments  were  carried  on  without  using  a 
triangle  for  suspending  the  wooden  block,  and  in  place  of  it,  the  iron  rammer  had 
the  block  fixed  on  its  head,  a  steel  pin  passed  through  the  iron  rammer,  and  sup- 
ported it  in  the  bore  of  the  rock;  a  rope  was  attached  to  the  pin,  and  when  the 
men  retired  to  a  safe  distance,  the  man  who  held  the  rope  drew  out  the  pin,  when 
the  rammer,  falling  on  the  head  of  the  cartridge,  fired  it ;  this  is  a  more  simple  way 
of  causing  the  rammer  to  fire  the  cartridge,  than  that  of  the  triangle.  After  a 
series  of  experiments  it  is  found  that,  for  blasting  rocks,  it  is  best  to  place  over  the 
powder  charge  a  plug  of  deal  of  the  same  diameter  as  the  bore,  and  about  three 
or  four  inches  long,  having  its  lower  end  hallowed  out  for  about  an  inch  and  a  half, 
and  of  a  cone  form,  a  broad-headed  iron  tack  or  nail  is  fixed  in  the  centre  of  its 
upper  end,  the  lower  percussion  cap  of  the  short  cartridge  rests  on  the  head  of  this 
tack  ;  the  length  of  the  short  cartridge  is  about  a  quarter  of  an  inch  more  than 
the  diameter  of  the  bore,  and  the  fire  from  the  short  cartridge  is  sure  to  pass 
between  the  sides  of  the  plug  and  the  rock,  and  to  fire  the  powder  charge  below 
the  plug  or  wooden  tamping.  In  blasting  timber,  such  as  the  large  roots  of  trees, 
no  plug  or  tamping  is  necessary ;  the  percussion  pill-box  is  in  this  case  used  instead 
of  the  short  percussion  cartridge,  the  iron  rammer  fitting  air-tight,  doing  the  duty 
of  a  tamping.  The  iron  or  steel  pillar  is  no  longer  used  in  forming  the  cartridge 
or  blasting  charge.  In  using  the  short  percussion  cartridge,  a  blow  is  required  to 
ignite  it,  but  in  using  the  percussion  pill-box  a  crush  is  sufficient  to  ignite  it.     In 

this  latter  case  a 
plank  of  timber 
raised  at  one  end 
about  four  inches 
above  the  head  of 
the  iron  rammer, 
and  then  allowed 
to  fall  on  it,  will 
fire  the  percussion 
mixture,  and  ex- 
plode the  blasting 
charge.  The  phlo- 
gistic pill-box,  with 
its  quill  -  guard, 
which  has  proved 
so  efficient  for 
blasting  tree  roots 
— seems  well  suited 
for  firing  the  charge 
in  a  submarine  per- 
cussion petard — 
by  the  crush  or 
pressure  against  a 
ship's  side,  whether  the  action  arises  from  a  wave,  the  tide,  an  ocean  current,  or 
a  "gentle  zephyr."  In  using  it,  the  wooden  end  is  placed  over  the  blasting  charge, 
the  phlogistic  pills  being  a  mixture  of  lucifer  composition,  pounded  glass,  and  gun- 
powder, prepared  by  Mr.  O'Connell  of  Little  Cross  Street,  Cork.  The  percussion 
cartridge  is  indeed  a  modification  of  the  inventor's  rifle  shell,  as  well  asof  thespherical 
percussion  shell.  The  annexed  diagrams  represent  the  phlogistic  cartridge  and 
phlogistic  pill-box,  in  very  full  detail.  Fig.  1  is  a  longitudinal  section  of  the  short 
cartridge  with  its  wooden  tamping;  2  is  the  top  or  bottom  of  the  short  cartridge; 
3,  wooden  tamping,  with  iron  tack;  4,  steel  pin  of  short  cartridge;  5,  short 
cartridge ;  6,  percussion  tamping,  charged ;  7,  percussion  tamping,  not  charged ; 
8,  percussion  plug  with  quill-guard ;  9,  section  of  phlogistic  pill-box,  with  quill- 


gnard ;  10,  phlogistic  pill-box,  with  pounded  glass  at  the  bottom  ;  11,  wooden  head 
of  pill-box,  with  quill-guard,  and  tipped  with  lucifer  composition. 

Abuses  in  the  United  States  Patent  Office. — The  following  paragraph 
appears  in  the  Wall  Street  (New  York)  Journal: — n  Serious  and  just  causes  of 
complaint  exist  against  this  office.  They  appear  to  arise  through  the  inefficiency 
and  ignorance  of  the  Examining  Corps.  The  examiners  have  almost  unlimited 
power  as  judges,  jurors,  and  counsel,  upon  the  genius  and  toil  of  the  poor  inventors. 
They  exercise  it  without  discrimination,  and  wield  it  without  judgment,  and  in  the 
most  wilful  ignorance  or  misconception  of  the  spirit  and  intent  of  Congress  in  the 
laws  it  framed,  and  the  office  it  by  them  established,  to  promote  the  useful  arts 
and  sciences.  The  equity  of  those  laws  was  to  afford  aid  and  protection  to  inven- 
tors. The  practice  of  the  examiners  is  to  give  them  the  least  possible  of  either, 
and,  on  the  contrary,  to  throw  all  possible  obstacles  in  their  way.  The  intention 
of  Congress  was  to  encourage  invention,  by  granting  the  inventor  letters  patent 
for  any  useful  and  novel  machine,  and  to  construe  liberally  the  result  of  his  labour 
of  months  or  years,  so  as  to  give  him  such  protection  by  patent,  wherever  that 
useful  novelty  was  plausibly  apparent.  The  action  of  the  servants  or  examiners 
the  inventor  employs  and  pays,  is  to  reject  and  contemn  his  labour,  under  any 
phase  in  which  it  may  be  presented.  And  so  they  refer  him  to  previous  inven- 
tions wholly  different  and  distinct,  or  to  some  old  and  rare  work,  obtainable,  per- 
haps, only  in  the  Patent  Office  library,  and  when  read,  found  to  contain  nothing 
relevant  to  the  invention  at  issue." 

Concentrated  Articles  of  Food. — One  of  the  most  interesting  of  the 
foreign  contributions  to  the  Great  Exhibition,  1851,  was  the  "American  Meat 
Biscuit"  of  Mr.  Gail  Borden,  who  has  been  most  successful  in  combining  the  best 
wheaten  flour  with  the  nutriment  of  the  finest  beef,  in  the  form  of  a  dry,  brittle 
cake,  quite  inodorous,  and  capable  of  remaining  good  for  an  unlimited  period.  To 
use  this  biscuit  as  a  soup,  all  that  is  necessary  is  hot  water  and  seasoning.  A 
pound  of  the  prepared  substance  contains  the  essence  of  five  pounds  of  beef,  mixed 
with  half  a  pound  of  flour;  so  that  a  single  ounce,  grated  down  in  a  pint  of  water, 
produces  a  rich,  nutritious  soup.  It  is  said,  indeed,  on  satisfactory  evidence,  that 
ten  pounds  of  the  substance  will  support  a  healthy  working  man  in  full  condition 
for  a  month.  Since  the  appearance  of  Mr.  Borden's  invention,  an  establishment  has 
been  put  in  operation  by  another  American,  at  Hinesburgh,  Vermont,  U.  S.,  for  the 
preparation  of  potatoes  in  a  preserved  condition.  The  prepared  article  is  termed 
"  Brinsden's  Imperishable  Potato;"  and  it  is  made  by  first  stripping  the  roots  of 
their  skins,  the  solid  matter  of  the  potato  being  then  reduced  to  pulp  and  dried. 
The  mass  is  then  broken  up,  so  as  to  resemble  that  essentially  American  dish, 
"  hominy,"  in  which  condition  it  occupies  one-sixth  only  of  the  original  bulk  of  the 
roots.  It  is  then  packed  in  canisters  for  sale.  These  two  articles,  with  M.  Fade- 
uilhe's  "  Solidified  Milk,"  form  a  triad  of  very  satisfactory  improvements  m  concen- 
trated articles  of  food. 

Queen's  College,  Birmingham. — We  beg  to  call  attention  to  the  following 
extract  from  the  report  presented  to  the  annual  meeting  of  the  governors  of  this 
institution,  at  which  the  Right  Hon.  Lord  Lyttelton  presided,  in  reference  to  the 
all-engrossing  subject  of  the  day — industrial  education: — Your  Council  cannot 
record  the  complete  organization  of  the  engineering  department,  without  drawing 
attention  to  the  great  and  growing  need  of  such  industrial  education  as  may,  by 
its  efficient  administration,  be  supplied  within  your  walls.  One  of  the  most 
striking  results  of  the  great  and  increasing  facilities  of  communication,  and  of  the 
wonderful  improvements  of  machinery,  is  the  equalization  of  districts,  and  even 
nations,  as  to  facilities  of  manufacturing  production.  The  time  has  gone  by  when 
a  branch  of  industry  can  be  confined  to  that  locality  which  may,  from  natural 
advantages,  have  given  it  birth.  The  railway,  and  steam  applied  to  locomotion, 
place  the  raw  materials  everywhere  within  the  reach  of  the  enterprising  capitalist, 
no  less  than  it  furnishes  him,  on  the  locality  of  his  own  choosing,  with  the  power 
and  appliances  of  working  up  that  material  into  the  finished  product.  Nothing, 
therefore,  now  remains  as  the  certain  source  of  superiority  in  manufactures,  except 
the  intelligence  and  skill  which  may  be  brought  to  bear  upon  them.  The  nation 
which  converts  the  raw  material  into  the  finished  article,  with  the  clearest  insight 
into  the  scientific  laws  concerned,  and  in  the  strictest  conformity  with  them,  will 
assuredly  be  henceforth  in  the  ascendant.  It  was  made  manifest  by  the  Great 
Exhibition  of  1851,  that  we  had,  to  say  the  least,  no  superiority  over  foreign 
countries  in  these  important  particulars.  The  lead  we  have  hitherto  maintained 
in  manufacturing  industry  has  been  due  to  other  causes — to  our  capital,  to  our 
laborious  and  numerous  population  of  handicraftsmen,  and  to  the  natural  resources 
of  our  island.  Great  though  these  elements  of  superiority  certainly  are,  they  do 
not  of  themselves  secure  us  from  successful  competition ;  they  may,  they  certainly 
will,  be  neutralized,  and  at  last  overcome,  by  any  who  shall  surpass  us  in  assiduous 
cultivation  of  science  in  its  practical  applications.  Your  Council,  therefore,  think, 
that  the  necessity  for  an  improved  industrial  education  of  those  who  are  to  be 
employed  in  civil  and  military  engineering,  architecture,  and  the  higher  branches 
of  manufactures,  is  evident.  That  the  acquisition  of  such  knowledge  is  also  held 
by  those  best  in  a  position  to  judge,  to  be  most  urgent,  may  be  inferred  from  the 
anxiety  manifested  in  the  highest  quarters  to  establish  and  encourage  schools  of 
the  kind  in  question.  "When,  therefore,  your  Council  propose  to  offer,  in  the  en- 
gineering department,  an  education  which  shall  not  only  discipline  and  invigorate 
the  intellect  generally,  but  call  out  those  faculties,  and  impart  that  knowledge, 
which  have  to  be  exercised  in  the  arts  of  industry,  and  shall,  conjointly  with  the 
theory,  make  practice  also  familiar,  by  models,  apparatus,  and  workshops,  they 
feel  that  they  are,  as  becomes  the  comprehensive  plans  of  your  institution,  doing 
their  part  to  improve  a  branch  of  education  hitherto  most  inadequately  cultivated 
in  this  country,  though  plainly  important  to  the  national  welfare,  and  absolutely 
essential  to  the  continued  prosperity  of  this  town  and  district.  Believing  that  our 
intelligent  merchants  and  manufacturers  are  fully  alive  to  the  necessities  of  the 


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197 


case,  Tour  Council  look  forward  with  confidence  to  obtaining  every  encouragement 
and  support  in  this  part  of  their  undertaking,  and  to  a  great  accession  of  students, 
now  that  the  department  is  brought  into  full  operation. 

"Walker's  Safety  Apparatus  for  Railways. — We  have  examined  some 
very  satisfactory  working-models  of  this  invention.  It  is  intended  to  give  the 
power  of  stopping  an  advancing  train  independently  of  the  driver.  For  this  pur- 
pose, a  long  curved  lever  is  fitted  to  the  locomotive,  at  any  convenient  part,  near 
the  level  of  the  road.  This  lever  is  in  communication  with  the  shut-off  valve, 
whistle,  or  brake  apparatus;  and  it  is  actuated  by  means  of  a  stop-piece  on  the 
road,  which  is  caused  to  rise  up  in  the  path  of  the  lever,  when  the  train  is  to  be 
stopped.  The  mechanism  for  elevating  the  stop  is  intended  to  be  worked  by  the 
signal-cords,  and  in  conjunction  with  the  signals  already  in  use,  near  stations  and 
junctions.  The  invention  does  not  stop  here,  but  also  comprises  an  arrangement, 
to  be  employed  upon  the  entire  length  of  the  railway,  whereby  each  train  prevents 
a  following  "train  from  approaching  too  near.  In  addition  to  the  lever  already 
alluded  to,  the  locomotive  carries  a  fixed  bar,  which  acts  upon  a  stop-piece  on  the 
road,  and,  by  depressing  it,  causes  the  elevation  of  a  stop-piece  a  certain  distance 
in  the  rear,  the  stop-pieces  being  suitably  connected  for  that  purpose.  These 
stop-pieces  are  to  be  placed  at  certain  intervals  along  the  line,  so  that  if  a  train 
were  approaching  within  a  less  distance,  the  stop-apparatus  would  bring  it  to  a 
stand.  The  mechanism  is  such  that,  on  the  train  in  advance  reaching  a  second 
stop,  the  first  will  be  depressed ;  so  that  there  is  only  one  stop  up  at  a  time,  and 
a  following  train  can  pass  freely  so  long  as  there  is  a  single  stop  between  it  and 
the  train  in  advance.  "We  shall  shortly  give  a  more  detailed  description  of  this 
invention,  with  illustrations. 

French's  Railway  Axle. — This  is  an  arrangement  of  a  divided  or  sectional 
axle,  with  the  two  halves  connected  together  at  the  centre  of  the  axle's  length,  as 
in  our  diagram,  representing  the  joint  in  longitudinal  section.     It  is  by  Mr.  George 

French  of  Bandon,  near  Cork,  who  has 
thus  endeavoured  to  obtain  a  steady-work- 
ing axle,  which  shall  at  the  same  time 
permit  each  wheel  to  act  independently. 
~3  The  junction  end  of  the  half-axle,  a,  is 
$\^  formed  with  a  swell,  B,  and  a  reduced 
projection,  c,  recessed  into  a  corresponding 
hollow  in  the  end  of  the  other  half-axle,  d. 
The  latter  section  has  an  expanded  socket, 
E,  embracing  the  swell,  b,  and  a  loose 
socket  piece,  f,  is  entered  upon  the  end, 
A,  for  bolting  up  to  clamp  the  two  together.  Thus,  on  sharp  curves,  the  two 
wheeU  may  run  freely  each  as  it  lists. 

Manufacture  of  Steel — Heath  v.  Smith  :  Action  for  Infringement. 
— This  was  an  action  on  the  prolonged  patent  of  Mr.  J.  M.  Heath,*  originally  ob- 
tained in  1839,  for  a  process  of  casting  steel  by  the  use  of  carburet  of  manganese. 
Sir  Fitzroy  Kelly,  for  the  defendant,  said  that  he  thought  he  should  be  able  to 
prove  thtt  Mr.  Heath  had  taken  out  his  patent  for  one  thing,  and  brought  his  claim 
for  another.  He  said  that  the  manufacture  of  carburet  of  manganese  was  not 
known  before  he  made  his  experiments.  He  need  scarcely  tell  them,  that  when  a 
man  took  out  a  patent,  he  must  explain  intelligibly  what  the  invention  was.  Mr. 
Heath,  after  having  taken  out  his  patent,  proceeded  to  make  his  cast-steel  by  his 
new  process  for  upwards  of  six  months,  but  the  article  thus  manufactured  was  so 
worthless  that  it  was  never  even  brought  into  the  market.  This  was  succeeded, 
some  time  afterwards,  by  another  article,  made  by  a  totally  different  process,  which 
certainly  did  make  some  improvement  in  the  manufacture  of  cast-steel.  The 
learned  counsel  went  on  to  argue  that  the  alleged  infringement  had  not  occurred, 
as  the  defendant  made  his  cast-steel  with  ingredients  totally  differing,  in  their  pro- 
portions, from  Mr.  Heath's  specification,  and  that  the  use  of  oxide  of  manganese 
and  carbon  was  resorted  to  previous  to  Mr.  Heath's  patent.  Sir  Fitzroy  Kelly 
concluded  by  quoting  a  passage  from  Dr.  Lardner's  Cyclopaedia,  published  in  1831, 
eight  years  before  the  date  of  Mr.  Heath's  patent,  in  which  the  use  of  carbon  and 
manganese,  in  the  manufacture  of  steel,  was  mentioned.  Several  witnesses  were 
then  called  to  prove,  that  black  oxide  of  manganese  and  carbon  had  been  used  in 
casting  steel,  some  years  prior  to  the  date  of  Mr.  Heath's  patent. — Sir  Alexander 
Cockbum  replied.  The  question  for  their  decision  was,  whether  the  process  carried 
on  by  the  defendant  was  really  an  infringement  of  the  patent.  The  question 
simply  was,  did  the  defendant,  in  his  manufacture  of  cast-steel,  make  use  of  car- 
buret of  manganese  ?  If  they  were  to  believe  the  statements  of  his  own  witnesses, 
it  was  most  certainly  the  case. — His  Lordship  summed  up,  directing  the  jury  to 
find  for  the  defendant,  on  the  evidence  of  the  witnesses,  who  proved  that  they  had 
used  oxide  of  manganese  and  carbon,  in  the  manufacture  of  cast-steel,  before  the 
date  of  Mr.  Heath's  patent. — The  jury,  accordingly,  found  a  verdict  for  the  defend- 
ant on  the  fourth  issue,  and  for  the  plaintiff  on  the  other  issues.  The  effect  of  the 
verdict,  however,  was  generally  in  favour  of  the  defendant.  The  question  as  to 
the  validity  of  the  patent,  after  being  referred  from  several  legal  tribunals,  is  at 
present  before  the  House  of  Lords.  If  decided  in  favour  of  the  patentee,  the 
Sheffield  steel  manufacturers  will  probably  have  to  pay  over  some  thousands,  by 
way  of  compensation. 

Progress  of  Screw-Propulsion — Marine  Memoranda. — It  will  be 
remembered  by  our  nautical  readers,  that  among  tlie  points  of  novel  detail  in  the 
America  yacht,  as  discussed  at  the  time  of  the  excitement  originally  caused  by  her 
fine  sailing  performances,  was  the  fact  of  her  being  fitted  with  cotton  sails,  instead 
of  common  canvas.  Many  advantages  have  been  enumerated  by  the  Americans 
in  favour  of  cotton  for  this  employment,  and  the  idea  has  now  been  extended  to  a 

*  See  Practical  Mechanic's  Journal  for  March  last. 


much  wider  application,  in  the  hardly  less  celebrated  vessel,  the  Sovereign  of  the 
Seas,  which  has  succeeded  the  Flying  Cloud,  as  the  American  nautical  wonder  of 
the  day.  In  the  Sovereign  of  the  Seas,  the  ropes  of  the  entire  running  rigging  are 
also  of  cotton,  which  appears  to  be  capable  of  receiving  a  more  intense  twist, 
whilst  it  is  less  liable  to  injury  from  frictional  action  than  hemp.  The  cotton 
ropes  are  extremely  smooth — an  advantageous  feature,  long  since  developed  in 
textile  manufactories,  where  cotton  bands  are  so  extensively  used — and  they  run 
with  great  ease  through  the  blocks.  The  first  cost  is  obviously  much  less  than 
that  of  hemp.  Another  feature  of  economy  arises  from  their  possessing  consider- 
able value  as  old  material,  when  worn  out  on  board  ship. 

The  Valetta,  Peninsular  and  Oriental  paddle-steamer,  continues  to  sustain  her 
reputation.  Since  we  lately  wrote  of  her  performances,  she  has  made  the  Malta 
and  Marseilles  run,  660  miles,  in  46  hours,  giving  an  average  of  14 J  knots  per 
hour. 

A  very  satisfactory  experiment  has  been  made  at  Woolwich,  with  the  view  of  adopt- 
ing iron  for  use,  iu  the  shape  of  deck  nails  and  bolts,  in  naval  construction,  instead  of 
copper  and  composition  metals.  The  trials  have  originated  with  a  patent  obtained  by 
Messrs.  Watt  and  Burgess,  for  coating  and  tipping  iron  nails  with  copper,  so  as  to 
combine  the  strength  and  cheapness  of  iron  with  the  preservative  properties  of  the 
more  costly  metals.  The  first  set  of  experiments  were  made  with  a  view  of  ascer- 
taining if  the  iron  received  any  injury  by  the  process.  The  coated  iron  was 
placed  in  the  proving-machine,  and  stood  the  full  strain  of  ordinary  iron  of  the 
same  dimensions,  and  in  some  instances  it  showed  that  an  increase  of  strength  had 
been  obtained.  It  was  also  bent  double  by  cold  hammering,  but  it  did  not  appear 
to  be  injuriously  affected.  The  next  series  of  experiments  were  made  with  refer- 
ence to  the  possibility  of  separating  the  copper  from  the  iron.  On  the  bolts  tipped 
with  copper  being  placed  in  the  hydraulic  proving-machine,  it  was  impossible,  by 
any  strain,  to  separate  the  copper  from  the  iron,  the  copper,  in  every  instance, 
breaking  in  the  solid.  Deck  nails  and  bolts,  tipped  at  one,  and  also  at  both  ends, 
were  then  driven  into  African  oak,  the  bolts  being  clenched  in  the  usual  way,  and 
no  separation  or  tearing  off  of  the  copper  occurred.  Two  blocks  of  African  oak  were 
then  fastened  together  by  bolts  tipped  at  both  ends,  and  then  clenched.  The  logs 
were  subsequently  separated  by  driving  wedges  between  them,  which  had  the  effect 
of  drawing  the  clenches  through  the  rings,  while  the  adhesion  of  the  iron  and 
copper  remained  perfect.  The  last  experiment  was  again  repeated,  with  the  ex- 
ception that  one  of  the  bolts  used  was  all  copper.  On  driving  the  wedges,  the 
compound,  or  iron  coated  with  copper  bolt,  held  fast,  but  the  copper  one  drew 
through  the  rings. 

The  ocean  trial  of  anthracite  fuel  in  the  African  Steam  Navigation  Com- 
pany's Ship  Faith,  which  we  announced  last  month,  has  answered  so  well,  that 
the  fuel  is  now  being  used  on  an  extensive  scale.  On  her  last  trip,  the  Faith 
took  150  tons  of  Welsh  anthracite,  and  managed  it  extremely  well  with  the  aid  of 
her  furnace  steam-jets.  She  now  takes  out  500  tons  of  the  same  fuel  for  her 
voyage  to  the  west  coast  of  Africa.  The  consumption  of  anthracite  is  nearly  one- 
third  less  than  that  of  other  coal ;  and  as  360  tons  of  anthracite  can  be  stowed 
in  the  space  which  320  tons  of  ordinary  coal  usually  take,  it  is  reasonably  assumed 
that  the  new  fuel  must  be  of  great  general  benefit  in  steam  navigation. 

The  issue  of  a  Parliamentary  Report  on  the  existing  means  of  communication  between 
London  and  Dublin  has  caused  some  interest,  from  the  magnitude  of  the  reforma- 
tory machinery  which  it  proposes.  The  mail  service  here  is  at  present  performed 
by  the  Dublin  Steam  Packet  Company,  who  have  an  unexpired  term  of  contract 
of  seven  years  yet  to  run,  with  a  bounty  of  £25,000  a-year.  The  mode  in  which 
the  service  has  all  along  been  performed  is  justly  censurable,  both  as  regards  speed 
and  accommodation,  the  defence  of  the  Company  being,  that  whilst  the  Govern- 
ment was  its  own  mail-carrier,  at  a  cost  of  £70,000  a-year,  the  present  subsidy  is 
hardly  more  than  one-third  of  that  sum.  The  time  occupied  at  present  in  tra- 
versing the  distance  between  the  two  capitals  is  14  or  15  hours.  The  committee 
to  whom  we  owe  the  report  now  before  us,  propose  to  do  it  in  11  hours,  and  they 
state  that  plans  have  been  submitted  whereby  a  still  quicker  passage  may  be 
effected.  To  carry  out  these  views,  a  line  of  four  boats,  costing  £120,000  each, 
is  to  be  established.  These  boats  are  to  be  3,000  tons  burthen,  1,400  horse-power, 
and  capable  of  running  25  miles  within  the  hour;  and  the  important  evil  of  sea- 
sickness is  to  be  removed  by  the  stability  which  will  arise  from  a  length  of  400 
feet,  and  a  breadth  of  40  feet.  This  gigantic  scale  of  operations  sounds  very 
well,  and  would  appear  to  indicate  prosperity  of  an  overwhelming  kind.  But 
when  we  turn  to  the  actual  traffic  statements,  we  find  that,  whilst  the  number  ot 
first  and  second  class  passengers,  in  1S44,  was  122,760,  there  were  no  more  in 
1852  than  135,784,  or  an  increase  of  but  13,024,  even  in  the  face  of  all  the 
splendid  railway  facilities  provided  in  the  interval.  During  four  months  of  the 
year,  there  is  a  partial  crush  of  passengers;  but  for  the  remaining  eight  months, 
the  average  number  of  passengers  conveyed  by  the  railway  company's  boats  is  only 
32,  and  by  the  Dublin  Steam  Packet  Company,  24  or  25.  How,  then,  are  these 
enormous  steamers  to  be  worked,  with  anything  like  even  a  bare  supporting  return  ? 
There  cannot  be  any  reasonable  doubt  as  to  the  general  adoption  hereafter  of  steam- 
ships of  immeasurably  greater  tonnage  than  anything  now  in  existence;  and  it  is 
to  be  expected  that  the  smooth  motion  of  such  enormous  floating  towns  will  entice 
many  more  sea-going  passengers  than  the  small  craft  of  our  own  immediate  times. 
The  introduction  of  such  vessels  will,  indeed,  form  a  new  and  splendid  era  in  the 
history  of  marine  locomotion;  but  is  the  Dublin  and  Holyhead  line  in  a  condition 
to  receive  them  ? 

A  late  trial  of  the  Fairy,  with  Griffiths'  screw,  for  six  runs  along  the 
measured  mile,  gave  a  mean  result  of  12*4G3  knots  per  hour,  with  hardly  any 
vibration.  This  was  an  increase  of  3-10ths  of  a  knot,  upon  the  last  trial  with 
the  same  screw,  but  at  a  different  pitch,  both  blades  being  at  9  feet  Bh  inches.  This 
trial  was  to  enable  Mr.  Griffiths  to  determine  which  was  the  best"  pitch  for  this 


198 


THE  PRACTICAL  MECHANIC'S  JOURNAL. 


screw  to  be  worked  with,  and  the  result  determined  him  to  fix  it  at  tli.it  above 
given,  as  the  best,  considering  the  power  used  fur  the  speed  obtained,  with  ease  of 
motion.  Mr.  Murray,  the  superintending  engineer  of  Portsmouth  dockyard,  will 
now  cast  a  screw  with  these  improvements  before  his  eyes,  to  compete  with 
Griffiths*. 

The  New  York  and  Australian  Steam  Navigation  Company  has  just  placed 
the  Golden  Age  steamer  on  the  Australia  and  Panama  station,  with  the  intention 
of  eventually  running  her  between  Australia  and  San  Francisco.  Externally,  she 
resembles  the  Collin's  liners.  Her  dimensions  are—  length,  2S5  feet ;  breadth,  43 
feet  G  inches;  depth  of  hold,  32  feet ;  and  2,8G1  tons  register.  She  has  a  beam 
engine  of  somewhat  peculiar  construction,  with  a  diameter  of  cylinder  of  85  inches, 
and  12  feet  stroke.  But  the  boilers  constitute  the  ejreat  novelty.  They  are  each 
40  feet  in  length,  and  are  fitted  up  with  furnaces  at  each  end,  the  smoke-funnel 
ascending  from  the  centre.  By  this  arrangement  it  is  claimed  that  economy  in 
both  space  and  fuel  is  gained,  and  the  truth  of  the  proposition  is  very  evident,  as  far 
as  regards  space.  There  are  eight  furnace  doors  at  each, end  of  the  boilers.  The 
hull  of  the  ship  was  built  by  Mr.  \V.  H.  Brown,  of  New  York.  The  lower  frames 
are  of  live  oak,  and  the  top  frames,  of  locust  and  cedar.  The  entire  hull  is  double 
diagonally  braced  with  iron  bars  five  inches  wide  by  three  quarters  of  an  inch 
thick,  and  four  feet  apart.  She  is  ceiled  with  eight-inch  plank,  the  bilge  kelsons 
are  14  inches  square,  and  planked  outside  with  six-inch  plank;  13  kelsons  run 
the  whole  length  of  the  ship.  The  Golden  Age  has  accommodation  for  1,200 
passengers  of  all  classes,  the  steerage  alone  being  fitted  up  for  the  accommodation 
of  GOO.  Two  of  the  saloons,  of  which  there  are  three,  one  above  the  other,  are 
panelled  in  rose,  satin,  and  zebra  woods;  with  crimzon  and  gold  plush  and  rich 
hangings,  and  adorned  with  mirrors.  In  the  upper  saloon  the  same  general 
arrangements  prevail,  although,  in  place  of  the  satin-wood  pannelling,  the  sides  are 
finished  in  white  and  gold.  In  this  ?a!oon  are  two  "  family  rooms,"  one  finished 
in  gold,  the  other  in  blue,  with  lace  curtains,  mirrors,  drawers  and  closets.  The 
company  propose  to  construct  five  more  vessels  of  a  similar  class. 

The  voyage  out  to  Port  Philip  performed  by  the  General  Screw  Steim  Company's 
ship  Argo,  must  be  considered  as  the  most  successful  one  ever  accomplished  in 
connection  with  Australian  steam  navigation.  It  occupied  only  G5  days,  four  days 
of  which  were  consumed  in  coaling  at  St.  Vincent's,  giving  61  days  as  the  total 
period  under  steam  and  canvas.  The  overland  route  has  thus  been  completely 
beaten  by  the  Argo. 

Since  leaving  Queenstown,  several  trials  of  sailing  and  steaming  have  taken 
place  with  the  channel  fleet.  One  under  all  plain  sail,  of  four  hours'  duration, 
showed  the  following  result:  — 

St.  Jean  d'Acre  beat  Puke  nf  Wellington,  1.8S0  yards. 

"  "     Highflyer 2,145 

"  "     Amphi'on, 4.680       " 

"  "     London 6.548       " 

0  "    Prince  Regent, 7,462       " 

This  trial  was  on  a  wind.  In  a  trial  off  the  wind,  in  a  fresh  breeze,  heavy  weather, 
starboard  studding-sails  set,  the 

St.  Jean  d'Acre  beat  Duke  of  Wellington,    1.020  yards. 

"  "     London 1,850       " 

"  "    Prince  Regent, 4,770       " 

The  St.  Jean  d'Acre  and  the  Dnke  beat  all  the  others,  and  the  Arrogant  was  last 
in  a  trial  of  the  frigates.  On  the  6th  the  Cruiser  joined  the  fleet.  Subsequently 
the  Duke,  St.  Jean  d'Acre,  and  Arrogant  had  a  trial  of  steaming.  It  was 
impossible  to  get  steam  up  in  the  St.  Jean  d'Acre  to  more  than  12lbs.,  in  conse- 
quence of  which  the  Duke  headed  her  about  400  yards  in  a  run  of  15  miles,  light 
wind  on  the  bow,  force  3.  The  Duke  and  Acre  had  another  trial  of  steaming  and 
sailing  by  the  wind;  average  speed  10^  knots.  The  St.  Jean  d'Acre  was  fast 
gaining  on  the  Duke,  when  the  engines  of  the  latter  stopped,  and  the  trial  was 
put  an  end  to.  The  St.  Jean  d'Acre  was,  at  the  time,  making  59  revolutions, 
having  201b.  pressure  on  her  boilers.  A  final  trial  of  Sir  T.  Mitchell's  bomemng 
propeller  has  now  been  made  with  the  Conflict,  at  the  measured  mile  in  Stukes  Bay. 
The  weather  was  fine  ;  force  of  wind  1.  The  average  speed  of  sis  runs  was  9*913 
knots  per  hour.  The  average  of  the  second  and  third  runs  was  10  076  knots. 
The  attainment  of  10  knots  an  hour,  within  a  small  fraction,  with  so  heavy  a  ship 
as  the  Conflict,  is  regarded  as  a  convincing  proof  of  the  sound  principle  of  Mitchell's 
propeller,  especially  when  it  is  remembered  that  all  the  trials  on  board  the 
Conflict  have  been  made  with  a  mutilated  bomerang  to  suit  the  construction  of 
that  vessel.  One-third,  at  least,  of  the  working  surface  of  the  bomerang  has  been 
sacrificed  to  this  necessity. 


PROVISIONAL  PROTECTIONS  FOR  INVENTIONS 

UNDER  THE  PATENT  LAW  AMENDMENT  ACT. 
AST  When  the  city  or  town  is  not  mentioned,  London  is  to  be  understood. 
Recorded  May  25. 
1281.  William  Baner,  Munich.  Bavaria  -  Improvements  in  the  construction  of  vessels  to 
be  used  chiefly  at  various  depths  under  the  surface  of  the  water,  and  in  machin- 
ery or  apparatus  connected  therewith,  for  propelling,  balancing,   and  steering 
the  same,  and  for  carrying  on  operations  of  various  kinds  on  or  under  the  surface 
of  the  water  from  within,  upon  objects  without  such  vessels. 

Recorded  July  1. 
15S5.  John  Getty,  Liverpool-Certain  improvements  in  ship-building. 

Recorded  July  11. 
1031.  Felix  L.  Bauwens,  Pimlico— Improvements  in  the  manufacture  of  candles. 


Recorded  August  10. 
1S64.  William  E.  Newton,  66  Chancery-lane— Improved  preparation  or  composition  to  be 
applied  to  pigments,  fur  the  purpose  of  facilitating  the  drying  of  the  same. — (Com- 
munication.) 

Recorded  August  2. 

1807.  Mead  T.  Raymond,  25  Clement' s-lane,  Lombard-street— Improvements  in  apparatus 

for  retarding  and  stopping  trains  of  carriages  on  railways. 

Recorded  August  12. 

1S92.  Daniel  I.  Picciotto,  8  Crosby-square— Improvements  in  weaving,— (Communication 

from  Chevalier  G.  Bonelli,  Turin.) 

Recorded  August  20. 

1948.  William  Vanghan,  Storkport,  and  John  Scattergood,  ITeaton  Nnrris,  Lancashire — 

Certain  improvements  in  machinery,  apparatus,  or  implements  for  weaving, 

Recorded  August  23. 

1962.  Thomas  Herbert,  Nottingham,  and  Edward  Whitaker,  same  place— Improvements 

in  warp  machinery  employed  in  the  manufacture  of  purled  and  other  fabrics. 

Recorded  August  24. 
198S.  George  Culverhouse,  Hull— Improvements  in  manufacturing  compost  or  manure. 

Recorded  August  29. 
2002.  Peter  A.  le  Comte  de  Fontaine  Moreau,  4  South-street,  Finsbury,  and  Paris — 
Improvements  in  apparatus  for  heating. — (Communication.) 
Recorded  September  8. 

2063.  Simpson  G.  Pape,  34  Gloucester  Crescent,  Camden  Town— Brace  ends,  being  a  new 

suspender  for  trowsers,  breeches,  and  drawers. 
20G4.  James  G.  Lynde,  jun.,  37  Great  George-street,  Westminster— A  pressure-governor, 

or  self-acting  apparatus  for  regulating  the  flow  of  water. 
2066.  John  T).  Brunton,  Truro,  Cornwall — An  improved  wind-guard  or  chimney-top. 
20G7.  John  Petrie,  jun.,  Rochdale,  Lancashire— Improvements  in  cans,  or  vessels,  used 

for  applying  oil  or  other  lubricating  material  to  machinery. 

2068.  James  Coate,  19  Marylebone-street,  Regent-street — Improvements  in  tooth,  nail, 

and  hair-brushes. 

2069.  James  Burrows,  Haigh  Foundry,  near  Wigan.  Lancashire — Certain  improvements 

in  the  formation  or  construction  of  rolled  metallic  pi  ites. 

2070.  William  Hall,  Colliery,  Castlecomer — Improvements  in  the  conversion  of  peat  into 

charcoal. 

2071.  Peter  A.  le  Comte  de  Fontaine  Moreau,  4  South-street,  Finsbury,  and  Paris— Cer- 

tain improvements  in  lighting  for  consuming  the  carbon  escaping  combustion  in 
ordinary  flames. — (Communication.) 

Recorded  Sept.  9. 

2073.  Philip  Grant,  and  John  Doherty,  Manchester — Improvements  in  the  mode  or'method 

of  cutting  and  finishing  brass-rule  and  wood  reglet,  used  in  the  art  or  process  of 
letter-press  printing  and  other  similar  purposes,  and  in  the  machinery  or  appa- 
ratus employed  therein, 

2074.  John  H.  Johnson,  47  Lincoln's-inn-ficlds,  and  Glasgow — An  improved  apparatus 

for  facilitating  the  acquirement  of  the  art  of  reading.— (Communication  from 
Messrs.  Nicolas  C  heron  and  Florimond  N.  Tallempin,  Paris.) 

2075.  Edwin  Lumby,  Halifax,  Yorkshire,  and  Zacchceus  Sugden,  same  place — Improve- 

ments in  needles  or  wires  used  in  the  manufacture  of  carpets,  looped  pile  fa- 
brics, and  velvets. 

2076.  Michael  L.  Parnell,  Strand — Improvements  in  the  construction  of  locks. 

2077.  James  Martin,  Faversham,  Kent — Improvements  in  locks. 

2078.  John  Doyle,  17  Cambridge-terrace,  Paddington— Invention  of  the  better  ventilation 

of  field  tents  and  marquees. 

2079.  Isaac  L.  Bell,  Newcastle-upon-Tyne— Improvements  in  the  manufacture  of  sul- 

phuric acid. 

2080.  Charles  Askew,  27i  Charles- street,  Hampstead-road—  Improvements  in  baths. 
20S1.  Cyprien  M.  T.  du  Motay,  and   Edmnnd  L.  Duflos,  2  Rue  Drouot,  Paris — Improve- 
ments in  the  mode  of  bleaching  fibrous  and  other  substances. 

2082.  Jonathan  Amory,  Boston,  U.  S.— Improvements  in  furnaces. 

2083.  James  Childs,  Gilst -n-road,  Brompton — Improvements  in  the  manufacture  of  mate- 

rials to  render  them  suitable  as  substitutes  for  mill-board  and  such  like  uses. 

2084.  Henry  Woodhead,  Kingston-upon-Hull — Improvements  in  spinning  machinery. 

2085.  Ernest  A.  Gouin,  110  Avenue  de  Clichy,  Batignolles,  Paris— Improvements  in 

looms  or  weaving  machines,  applicable  to  the  weaving  of  cotton,  silk,  flax,  hemp, 
wool,  or  any  other  fibrous  substances,  by  means  of  which  improvements  the 
warp  threads  are  unwound  more  regularly  from  the  warp  roller,  and  the  cloth  or 
tissue  taken  up  with  more  regularity,  at  the  same  time  without  straining  the 
warp  thread,  and  by  means  of  a  peculiar  motion  in  releasing  the  tension  on  the 
■warp  thread  he  is  enabled  to  give  an  elastic  or  back  motion  to  the  warp,  which 
permits  of  all  inelastic  fibrous  substances  to  be  woven  upon  the  power  loom,  and 
in  case  the  weft  thread  should  break,  the  loom  can  continue  in  motion  without 
the  cloth  roller  continuing  to  take  up,  or  without  detriment  to  the  tissue. 
20S6.  A.  V.  Newton,  66  Chancery-lane — An  improved  manufacture  of  gas  burner  and  gas 
regulator.— (( "oni  muni  cat  ion.) 

2087.  Robert  Drew,  Bath,  and  John  Bayliss,  Birmingham— Improvements  in  stay  and 

other  like  fastenings. 

Recorded  September  10. 

2088.  William  C.  Forster,  84  Hatton-garden,  Ilolborn — An  improved  manure. 

2089.  Arthur  Warner,  34  Dorset-place,  Dorset-square — Invention  of  the  application  of  the 

fibrous  part  of  the  palm-tree  and  leaf,  to  arts  and  manufactures. 

2090.  John  D.  Brunton,  Truro,  Corawall— An  improved  apparatus  for  separating  gold 

or  silver  from  their  ores  or  other  matters,  by  amalgamation. 

2091.  Stopford  T.  Jones,  11  Trigton-tenace,  Clapham-road— Improvements  in  propelling 

floating  vessels,  and  in  the  mode  of  applying  the  propellers. 

2092.  John  Grist,  Islington — An  Improved  stave  jointing  or  shaping  machine. 

2093.  Edwin  Scragg,  Buglawton,  Cheshire — Improvements  in  steam-engines. 

2094.  Edmund  Leyland,  St.  Helen's,  Lancashire — Improvements  in  apparatus  for  the 

manufacture  of  6ulph  iric  acid. 

2095.  Thomas  W.  Gilbert,  Limehouse— Improvements  in  sewing  sails  and  other  articles. 

2096.  Charles  Jacob,  6  Ingram-court,  Fenchurch-street— Improvements  in  the  manufac- 

ture of  lime. 

2097.  Robert  Tronson,  Chamber  of  Commerce,  Liverpool — Improvements  in  ventilating 

and  preventing  spontaneous  combustion  in  ships  and  other  vessels  laden  with 
coal,  culm,  or  cinders. 

2098.  Thomas  Metcalf,  19  High-street,  Camden  Town — Improvements  in  portable  chairs 

and  tables. 

2099.  John  Webster,  Ipswich— Improvements  in  the  treatment  of  fatty  and  oily  matters, 

to  render  them  suitable  for  the  manufacture  of  candles. 

2100.  John  Ward,  Saville-house,  Leicester-square,  and  Edward  Cawley,  24  Stanley-street, 

Chelsea — Improvements  in  chairs,  couches,  and  tables. 

2101.  Joseph  Maiks  and  John  Howarth,  Massachusetts,  United  States— Certain  new  and 

useful  improvements  in  machinery  or  apparatus  for  operating  the  brakes  of 
train  of  railway  carriages. 


THE  PRACTICAL  MECHANIC'S  JOURNAL. 


109 


2102.  Jules  F.  Chack.  Castle-street— Improvements  in  machinery  for  cutting  veneers. — 

(Communication.) 

Recorded  September  12. 

2103.  William  Weild,  Manchester— Improvements  in  lathes  and  in  apparatus  connected 

therewith,  for  cutting,  turning,  or  boring  wood,  metal,  or  other  substances. 

2104.  John  W.  Child.  Halifax,  York,  and  Robert  Wilson,  same  place— Improvements  in 

valves  and  pistons. 

2105.  John  H.  Johnson,  47  Lincoln's-inn-fields.  and  Glasgow — Improvements  in  the  trans- 

mission of  motive  power,  being  an  improved  substitute  for  the  crank.— (Commu- 
nication from  Jean  Lassere  and  Edmond  Heusschen,  Paris.) 

2106.  Edward  R.  Turner,  Ipswich— Improvements  in  grinding-mills  for  farm  and  other 

purposes- 

2107.  John  Lilley,  junior,  Jamaica-terrace,  Limehouse — Improvements  in  mariners' 

compasses. 
210S.  Joseph  Maudslay,  Lambeth— Improvements  in  boilers  and  furnaces  for  generating 
steam. 

2109.  John  Robison,  Coleman-street,  and  William  Jackson,  Leman-street,  Middlesex — 

Improvements  in  furnaces  for  effecting  the  consumption  of  smoke. 

2110.  Alfred  V.  Newton.  66  Chancery-lane — An  improved  manufacture  of  printing  blocks 

and  cylinders. — (Communication.) 

2111.  Louis  A.  Brocot,  Pan's — An  improved  construction  of  astronomical  calendar. 

2112.  Charles  Cannon,  27  Dance-street,  Liverpool— Improved  machinery  for  obtaiuing 

motive  power. 

2113.  Alfred  V.  Newton,  66  Chancery-lane — Improved  machinery  for  crushing  and  grind- 

ing mineral  aud  other  substances. — (Communication.) 

Recorded  Septerriber  13. 

2114.  Thomas  H.  Ewbank.  Sonth-square,  GravVinn— Improvements  in  the  manufacture 

of  terry  or  looped  fabrics,  and  in  machinery  for  producing  the  same. 

2115.  Charles  F.  Adams,  and  William  Gee,  23  Middle-street,  Cloth  Fair,  and  George  Davis, 

8  Bath-street,  Newgate-street— Invention  for  the  application  of  the  process  of 
lithographic  and  zincograrhic  printing  of  words,  patterns,  designs,  and  marks  on 
metal,  glass,  wood,  and  other  hard  and  unyielding  substances  in  sheets,  slabs, 
or  flat  pieces,  with  or  without  the  intervention  of  paper  or  other  flexible  ma- 
terial. 

2116.  Henry  Dubs,  Tnlcan  Foundry,  near  Warrington— Improvements  in  the  method  of 

forging  or  manufacturing  iron  and  steel. 

2117.  Adolphns  Sington,  Manchester — Certain  improvements  in  machinery  or  apparatus 

for  grinding  or  setting  doctors,  used  in  calico  and  other  similar  printing  ma- 
chinery.—("Communication.) 
211S.  Alexander  Allan,  Crewe,  Cheshire — Improvements  in  locomotive  and  other  boilers 
for  generating  steam. 

2119.  James  H.  Dickson,   Evelyn -street,  Lower-road,  Deptford— Improvements  in  ma- 

chinery or  apparatns  for  the  preparation  of  flax  and  similar  fibrous  material. 

2120.  Jacob  Behrens,  Bradford — Improvements  in  the  manufacture  of  zinc. — (Communi- 

cation.) 

2121.  William  Smith,  Little  Woolstone,  Bucks — Improvements  in  implements  for  tilling 

and  preparing  land  for  crops. 
2122    Emerson  Goddard,  New  York— Improvements  in  machinery  for  cutting  stone. 

2123.  Moses  Poole,  Avenue-road,  Regent' s-park  -Improvements  in  apparatus  and  means 

for  removing  matters  or  heat  from  currents  of  air,  gases,  or  vapours,  or  from 
liquids,  and  for  communicating  matters  or  heat  to  the  same.— (Communication.) 

2124.  Richard  Laming,  Millwall,  Poplar— Au  improved  process  for  purifying  gas. 

Retarded  September  14. 

2125.  John  Wakefield.  Dublin,  and  James  Baskerville,  same  place — Improvements  in 

and  applicable  to  valves,  for  reciprocating  engines  driven  by  steam  or  other  elas- 
tic fluids. 

2126.  John  Wilson,  Manchester — Improvements  in  and  applicable  to  machines  for  print- 

ing fabrics. 

2127.  Philip  Webley,  Birmingham— Improvements  in  repeating  pistols  and  other  fire- 

arms. 
2123-  John  Timmis,  Stafford — Improvements  in  safety  valves  for  boilers. 

2129.  Alexander  Wallace,  Glasgow,  and  George  Galloway,  same  place— Improvements  in 

the  construction  of  portable  articles  of  furniture. 

2130.  John  J.  G.  Collins,  Philadelphia.  U.  S.— Certain  improvements  in  steam-engines. 

2131.  John  H.  Johnson,  47  Lincoln's-inn-fields,  and  Gla<£ow — Improvements  in  sewing 

machines. — (Communication  from  Mesdames  Adrienne  Elizabeth  Figuier  and 
Euphrasie  Che>aul',  Paris.) 

2132.  James  H'girin.  Manchester — Improvements  in  burning  certain  fluids  for  the  pur- 

pose of  obtaining  heat. 

2133.  Charles  T.  Hook,  Tovil  House,  Maidstone,  Kent— Improvements  in  the  manufac- 

ture of  pulp. 

2134.  Richard  D.  Kay,  Bank-terrace,  Accrington — Improvements  in  block-printing. 

2135.  Moses  Po^le,  Avenue-road,  Regent' s-park — Improvements  in  machinery  for  sepa- 

rating flour  shorts  and  dustings  from  bran,  as  it  comes  from  the  bolting  appara- 
tus.— 'Communication.) 

2136.  George  Spencer,  6  Cannon-street  West — Improvements  in  supporting  rails  of  rail- 

way*. 

2137.  Jacob  Behrens,  Bradford — Improvements  in  generating  steam  in  steam  boilers. — 

(Communication.) 
2133.  Thomas  Swingler,  Litchchurch,  Derbyshire — Improvements  in  the  permanent  way 
of  railways. 

2139.  William  Nash.  Burslem,  Staffordshire— An  improved  mode  of  manufacturing  china 

and  earthenware  articles  on  the  lathe. 

Recorded  September  15. 

2140.  Charles  White.  Pimlico — Improvements  in  the  blocks  for  block-printing. 

2141.  E!iez**r  Edwards,  Birmingham — A  new  or  improved  gas  stove. 

2142.  Thomas  Browning.  Pendleton,  Lancashire — Improvements  in  machinery  or  appa- 

ratus for  washing,  scouring,  or  cleansing  woven  fabrics,  either  with  plain  or  pile 
foee*. 

2143.  Henry  Krant,  Zurich,  Switzerland — Improvements  in  tools  or  implements  to  he 

used  fin1  boring  or  cutting  rock  or  other  hard  substances,  for  the  purpose  of 
blostiog. 

2144.  Thorn  a.-,  W.  Keates,  Chatham-place,  Black  friars — Improvements  in  the  distillation 

of  turpentine  and  other  resinous  substances,  and  their  products. 

2145.  Harvey  Milliard,  Glasgow — Improvements  in  apparatus  for  cleaning  table  cutlery. 

2146.  Ludwig  F.  H.  C.  Knuth,  Old  Bailey — Improvement  in  the  manufacture  of  purses, 

cigar-cases,  reticules,  bags,  tobacco-pouches,  and  other  similar  articles. 

2147.  Henry  Jeannerer,  Great  Titchfield-street— Improvements  in  machinery  for  digging 

and  tilling  land. 
2143.  Hoses  Poole,  Avenue-road,  Regent's  Park— Improvements  in  distributing  printers' 
type. — (Connnnnieation.) 

2149.  Sydney  Smith,  Hyson  Green  Works,  near  Nottingham — Improvements  in  govern- 

ors for  steam-engines-. 

2150.  John    Uarsliam,   KinL'sr<vn-upon-Thames— Improvements  in  the  manufacture  of 

bricks,  tiles,  and  blocks. 


Recorded  September  16. 

2151.  Francis  Higginson,  65  King  William-street,  London-bridge — Certain  improvements 

in  the  means  of  setting  in  motion  and  propelling  ships,  vessels,  and  boats  of 
every  description,  upon  seas,  rivers,  canals,  and  inland  waters. 

2152.  David  Mushet,  Coleford,  Gloucestershire — Improvements  in  steam-engine  boiler 

and  other  furnaces. 

2153.  William  S.  Icely,  Bromley — Improvements  in  mpchanical  telegraphs. 

2154.  Henry  Meyer,  Manchester — Improvements  in  looms  for  weaving. 

2155.  William  Carron,  Birmingham — An  improvement  or  improvements  in  signalling  or 

communicating  intelligence. 
2157.  Andrew  Barclay,  Kilmarnock— Improvements  in  arranging  and  working  mining 
engines. 

2155.  Andrew  Barclay,  Kilmarnock — Improvements  in  lubricating  shafts  or  revolving 

metallic  surfaces. 

2159.  Alexander  Thomson,  Glasgow,  and  David  Lockerbie,  same  place — Improvements 

in  kilns  for  baking  and  burning  articles  in  earthenware. 

2160.  John  Adcock,  Mai  1  borough-road,  Dalstou — An  improved  apparatus  for  measuring 

the  distance  travelled  by  vehicles. 

2161.  Baldwin  F.  Weatherdon,  Chancery-lane,  and  Matthew  S.  Hooper,  Sydenham,  Kent 

— Certain  improvements  in  railway  signals. 

Recorded  September  17. 

2162.  Thomas  E.  Lilly,  Birmingham— Improvements  in  certain  kinds  of  carriages. 

2163.  Arthur  J.  Baker,  51  Burton-crescent— Strengthening  vessels  of  limber  and  iron. 

2164.  Jonathan   Burton,  Crawsbaw-Booth,   Lancashire — Improvements   in  shuttles  for 

weaving,  the  whole  or  part  of  which  are  applicable  to  skewers  used  in  winding 
and  reeling  machines. 

2165.  Richard  Litherland,  Liverpool,  and  Thomas  Picton,  Toxteth  Park,  near  Liverpool — 

An  improved  mode  of  manufacturing  brushes,  and  in  machinery  for  applying 
the  same  to  the  purposes  of  polishing  and  cleaning. 

2166.  Christopher  Nickels,  York-road,  Lambeth,  and  Kalph  Selby,  same  place — Improve- 

ments in  the  manufacture  of  flexible  tubes  and  bands,  and  in  covering  wire. 

2167.  Henry  C.  Jennings,  S  Great  Tower-street — Improvements  in  treating  and  bleach- 

ing resinous  substances. 
21GS.  Baron  Henry  de  Bode,  S  Albert-street,  Camden-road — Improvements  in  the  manu- 
facture of  wheels. 

2169.  Richard  A.  Brooman,  166  Fleet-street — Improvements  in  the  manufacture  of  soap 

aud  saponaceous  compounds.— (Communication.) 

Recorded  September  19. 

2170.  Edward  Thomas,  Belfast— An  improvement  in  the  construction  of  looms  for  weaving. 

2171.  Charles  Collins,  Hartford.  Connecticut,  United  States — The  manufacture  by  machin- 

ery of  tubes  from  leather  or  other  suitable  flexible  substances,  chiefly  for  cover- 
ing the  drawing  rolls  of  spinning  machinery,  but  also  applicable  to  other  pur- 
poses. 

2172.  William  L.  Anderson,  Norwood,  Surrey — Improvements  in  propelling  ships  and 

other  vessels. 

2173.  John  Stephens,  Richmond,  Surrey — Improvements  in  obtaining  motive  power  by 

the  aid  of  air,  steam,  and  other  expansive  gases, 

2174.  Thomas  Restell,  Strand— Improvements  in  opening  and  closing  ventilating  louvres. 

Recorded  September  20. 

2175.  Samuel  Walker,  jun.,  Birmingham — New  or  improved  machinery  for  manufac- 

turing thimbles. 

2176.  Robert  Fletcher,   Birmingham,  and  John   Smith,  same  place — Improvements  in 

fire-arms,  and  discharging  the  same. 

2177.  Henry  Walker,  Gresham-street — Improvements  in  the  modes  or  means  of  stopping 

or  retarding  vehicles  used  on  railways. 

2178.  John  L.  Beloud,  Samuel  C.  Beloud,  and  George  Guyatt,  Greek-street— Improve- 

ments in  shears. 

2179.  Aristide  M.  Servan,  Philpot-lane— Improvements  in  distilling  fatty  and  oily  matters. 

2180.  Moses   Poole,    Avenue-road,    Regent' s-park— Improvements   in  life-preservers.— 

(Communication.) 

2181.  Ferdinand  Potts,  Birmingham— Improvements  in  the  manufacture  of  taper  tubes, 

ard  in  the  apparatus  connected  therewith. 

2182.  William    Stoekil,   Long-lane,   Surrey — A  new  or  improved  method   of  blocking 

leather  used  in  the  manufacture  of  boots. 

2183.  Stephen  Neal,  Manchester,  William  B.  Jerrold,  Inner  Temple,  and  Conrad  Mont- 

gomery, Cornhill— Improvements  in  machinery  for  the  manufacture  of  casks 
and  barrels. — (Communication,) 

2184.  Henry  Needham,  Wardour-street — Improvements  in  revolving  fire-arms. 

2185.  Joseph  Gibbs,  Abingdon-street — Improvements  in  the  treatment  of  minerals,  for 

the  purpose  of  separating  impurities  therefrom, 

Recorded  September  21. 

2156.  George  Peabody,  Warn  ford-court— Improved  machinery  for  dressing  and  warping 

yarns.— (Comm  unication.) 

2187.  Alfred  V.  Newton,  66  Chancery-lane — An  improved  method  of  forming  seams  and 

ornamental  stitching,  and  in  machinery  for  effecting  such  operation,  part  of 
"which  machinery  is  applicable  to  the  forming  of  other  seams  and  stitches. — 
(Communication.) 

2188.  Alfred  V.  Newton,  66  Chancery-lane — An  improved  mode  of  constructing  steam- 

boilers,  applicable  also  in  part  to  the  construction  of  condensers. — (Communi- 
cation.) 

Recorded  September  22. 

2189.  Thomas  Smedley,  Holywell,  Flintshire— An  improved  railway  train  signal,  com- 

municating between  the  guard  and  engine  driver. 

2191.  Frederick  C.  Calvert,    Manchester— Certain   improved  processes  for  separating 

emery  from  other  matters. 

2192.  Peter  R.  Arrowsmith,  Bolton-le-Moors,  Lancashire,  and  James  Newhouse,  same 

place — Certain  improvements  in  machines  for  spinning  and  doubling. 

2193.  Edward  Oldfield,   Sal  ford— Certain  improvements  in  machinery  for  spinning  and 

doubling. 

2194.  Thomas  W.  Walker,  Hanley,  Staffordshire— Certain  improvements  in  the  manu- 

facture of  crates  made  of  wood  for  the  use  of  potters. 

2195.  George  White,  5  Laurence  Poultney-lane— An  improvement  in  paddle-wheels. 

2196.  Samuel  A.  Bunettink,  Cheapside— An  improved  construction  of  coal-box. 

Recorded  September  23. 

2197.  James  Leetch,  Birmingham— An  improved  method  of  constructing  breech  loading 

fire-arms. 

2198.  Charles  Alexander,  373  Albany-road,  Camberwell— A  certain  manner  of  preparing 

marquetry  and  all  other  kinds  of  inlaid  work,  in  veneers  of  various  thicknesses, 
and  for  fixing  the  same  to  walls  and  ceilings  of  whatever  kind,  and  in  or  upon 
floors  of  wood,  stone,  or  metal,  and  for  rendering  such  floors  water  and  fir*; 
proof. 


200 


THE  PRACTICAL  MECHANIC'S  JOURNAL. 


2199.  Auguste  E.  L.  Bellford,  16  Castle-street,  Holborn — Invention  of  the  application  of 
tlie  extract  of  the  pine  and  other  trees  of  the  fir  tribe  to  dyeing  and  colouring 
purposes.— (Communication  from  Nicolas  P.  Gunion,  Lyons.) 

2?no.  Robert  Vavvill,  30  Iligh-Ousegate,  York — An  improved  mortising  machine. 

2201.  William  Dan  tec,  5  New  Quay,  Liverpool— Improvements  in  purifying  water. 

Recorded  September  24. 

2202.  James  G.  Jones,  Islington— Certain  improvements  in  the  means  of  conveying  sig- 

nals or  intelligence  from  one  part  of  a  railway  train  to  another. 

2203.  Hiram  Tucker,  Massachusetts,  U.  S.— A  new  and  useful  improvement  in  the  art  or 

process  of  applying  colours  to  a  surface  by  means  of  a  liquid. 

2204.  Alexander  Dalgety,  76  Florence-road,  Deptford — Improvements  in  lathes. 

2205.  William  Farmer,  High-street,  Fulham— Improvements  in  apparatus  for  preserving 

provisions. 

2206.  Charles  E.  Austin,  Rookwoods",  Stroud— An  improved  reaping,  gathering,  and  bind- 

ing machine. 

2207.  Charles   Maitland,  Alloa,    Clackmannanshire,  and  William  Gome,   Rosemains, 

Cranston,  Midlothian— Improvements  in  apparatus  for  heating  water  or  other 
liquids. 

Recorded  September  26. 

220,9.  James  Smith,  Law  Hill,  Perthshire — Improvements  in  scythes. 

2210.  Joseph  Ellisdon,  London— Improvements  in  chairs,  whereby  they  are  rendered 

more  portable,  and  can  be  converted  into  other  useful  articles  of  household  furni- 
ture. 

2211.  Henry  Winter,  Castle-street,  Holborn — An  improvement  in  trousers,  to  supersede 

the  use  of  braces,  which  improvement  is  applicable  to  other  articles  of  apparel. 

2212.  William  A.  Biddell.  Great  Sutton-street,  Middlesex — Improvements  in  alarums  and 

signals,  to  be  used  in  or  on  railways,  ships,  houses,  buildings,  plantations,  or 
other  places,  for  the  purpose  of  giving  audible  or  visible  signal  in  cases  of  danger 
or  alarm. 

2213.  Francis  F.  Clossman,  16a  Park-lane,  Hyde-park,  Middlesex— The  production  and 

application  of  certain  materials  to  be  employed  in  the  manufacture  of  textile  fa- 
brics, and.  for  other  purposes. 

Recorded  September  27. 

2214.  Robert  Popple,  Beverley— Improvements  in  machinery  for  slubbing,  roving,  and 

spinning  cotton  and  other  fibrous  substances. 

2216.  William  P.  Sharp,  Manchester,  John  Hill,  jun.,  and  William  Martin,  same  place — 

Improvements  in  machinery  for  spinning  and  doubling  cotton  and  other  fibrous 
substances. 

2217.  Isaac  Bury,  Lower  Mosley-street,  Manchester,  and  William  Green,  Islington— Im- 

provements in  treating,  stretching,  or  finishing  textile  fabrics,  and  in  machinery 
or  apparatus  for  effecting  the  same. 

2218.  Robert  Brisco,  Low  Mill  House,  St.  Bees,  Cumberland,  and  Peter  S.  Horsman,  St. 

John's,  Beckermet,  same  county— Certain  improvements  in  the  preparation  of 
flax  and  other  vegetable  fibrous  substances. 

Retarded  September  28. 

2219.  Moses  Poole,  Avenue-road,  Regent's-park— Improvements  in  the  manufacture  of 

pulp  for  paper  makers — (Communication.) 

2220.  Louis  D.  Girard,  Paris — Certain  improvements  in  hydraulic  engines. 

2221.  John  Barsham,  Kingston-upon-Thames— Improvements  in  the  manufacture  of 

bricks,  tiles,  and  blocks. 

2222.  John  II.  Johnson,  47  Lincoln's-inn-fields,  and  Glasgow— Improvements  in  machin- 

ery  or  apparatus  for  cutting  paper— (Communication  from  Monsieur  Poirier, 
Paris.) 

2223.  William  Hiekson,  Carlisle— Improvements  in  machinery  for  the  manufacture  and 

packing  of  bread  or  biscuits. 

2224.  Joseph  F.  Van  Waesberghe,  Lokeren,  Belgium — Improved  manufacture  of  artifi- 

cial vinegar. 

2225.  Willisim  E.  Newton,  66  Chancery-lane — Improved  machinery  for  cutting  metal  or 

other  substances.— (Communication.) 

2226.  Thomas   Askie,   Little   Britain,   London— Improvements    in    the  construction   of 

churns,  which  improvements  are  also  applicable  to  other  agitating  or  Stirling 
apparatus. 

2227.  Jean  A.  Labat,  junior,  Bourdeaux,  and  16  Castle-street,  Holborn— An  improved 

system  of  stoppering  vessels  and  bottles. 

2228.  Michel  O.  B.  Lesage,  Paris,  and  16  Castle-street,  Holborn— Certain  improvements 

in  hydraulic  engines. 

Recorded  September  29. 

2229.  John  Phillips,  Birmingham— Improvements  in  shaping  metals. 

2231.  Francois  J.  Raux,  Montmartre,  France— Improvements  in  railway  brakes. 

2232.  James  Griffiths,  Wolverhampton— Certain  improvements  in  steam  engines. 

2233.  Thomas  W.  Kennard,  Duke-street,  Adelphi — Improvements  in  constructing  piers 

and  foundations  underwater. 

2234.  Hiram  Berdan,  New  York,  now  of  Cornhill,  London — Invention  of  a  machine  for 

collecting,  preserving,  and  therebv  preventing  the  loss  of  mercury,  in  the  process 
of  amalgamating  metals,  and  for  the  more  perfect  and  economical  washing,  sepa- 
rating, and  amalgamating  of  auriferous  and  other  ores. 
Recorded  September  30. 

2235.  Peter  A.  le  Comte  de  Fontaine  Moreau,  4  South-street,  Finsbury,  and  Paris— Im- 

provements in  treating  certain  exotic  plants  for  the  production  of  a  fibrous  sub- 
stance, known  in  commerce  by  the  name  of  vegetable  silk. — (Communication.) 

2236.  James  Willis,  Wallingford,  Berks — Improvements  in  gig  harness. 

2237.  Juhn  H.  Johnson,  47  Lincoln's-inn-fields,  and  Glasgow — Improvements  in  appara- 

tus for  throwing  out  ropes  or  lines,  for  the  better  preservation  of  life  and  pro- 
perty.— (Communication  from  Mous.  D'Houdetot,  Havre.) 

2238.  John  Plant,  Beswick,  Lancashire — Improvements  in  the  manufacture  of  textile 

fabrics. 

2239.  Robert  Brisco.  Low  Mill  House,  St.  Bees,  Cumberland,  and  Peter  S.  Horsman,  St. 

John's,  Beckermet,  same  county -Certain  improvements  in  machinery  for  heck- 
ling flax,  hemp,  China  grass,  and  other  fibrous  substances. 

2240.  John  Taylor,  Princes-square,  Middlesex — An  improvement  in  the  treatment  or 

preparation  of  skins.— (Communication.) 

Recorded  October  1. 
2243.  John  Summcrscales,  and  Benjamin  Bancroft,  Keighley,  York — Improvements  in 

shuttles  employed  in  weaving  textile  fabrics. 
2245.  Th' mas  Woodcock,  Pultney- terrace,  Islington.— Improved  machinery  for  carving, 

cutting,  chiselling,  and  engraving. 
2247.  Jean  M.  Letestu,  Paris— Certain  improvements  in  propelling  ships  and  vessels. 
2249.  Isaac  Ambler,  Mnuningham,  near  Bradford,  York — Improvements  in  preparing  or 

combing  wool  and  other  fibrous  substances. 
2251.  Robert  Halliwell,  Bol  ton -le- Moors,  and  William  Johnson,  Farnworfh,  Lancaster — 

Improvements  in  machinery  for  spinning  and  doubling  cotton  and  other  fibrous 

substances  and  for  grinding-cards. 

Recorded  October  3. 
2253.  Michael  Dwyer,  Unity-place,  Samuel-street,  Woolwich,  Kent,  and  James  Brown, 
2  Bridge-terrace,  Mile-end,  Middlesex — An  improvement  in  anchors. 


2255.  William  J.  Thomson,  North  Shields— Improvements  in  heating  reverberatory  and 
other  furnaces. — (Communication .) 

2257.  James  Leadbetter,  and  William  Wight,  Halifax,  York— Improvements  in  machin- 
ery or  apparatus  for  raising  fluid  and  solid  substances. 

2259.  Alfred  S.  Jee,  6  John-street,  Adelphi — Improvements  in  the  construction  of  rails 
for  railways. 

Recorded  October  4. 

2261.  Peter  R.  Jackson,  Salford,  Lancaster — Improvements  in  machinery  for  manufactur- 
ing hoops  and  wheels. 

2263.  Henry  J.  Jordan,  Berners-steet,  Middlesex— An  improved  medicine  for  the  cure  of 
venereal  affections,  which  he  denominates  "the  Triesemar." — (Communication.) 

2265.  William  Crofts,  Derby-terrace,  Nottingham-park — Improvements  in  weaving. 

2267.  Nevil  Smart,  Merton,  Surrey — Improvements  in  the  manufacture  of  bricks. 

2269.  William  Gnssage,  Widnes,  Lancaster — Improvements  in  obtaining  certain  saline 
compounds  from  solutions  containing  such  compounds. 
Recorded  October  5. 

2271.  Joseph  Holmes,  Portsea,  Hampshire— Improvements  in  soldiers'  or  mess  canteens' 
and  other  articles  for  containing  food. 

2373.  John  Wright,  Rochester,  Kent — Improvements  in  apparatus  to  facilitate  the  land- 
ing and  embarking  of  passengers  from  steam  boats,  and  other  vessels. 

2275.  Henry  J.  Betjemin,  New  Oxford-street,  Middlesex— Improvements  in  apparatusfor 
fixing  capsules  on  the  necks  of  bottles,  and  other  vessels. 

2277.  Samuel  L.  Worth,  293  Ox  ford -street,  and  Agmond  D.  V.  Canavan,  Fitzroy-street— 
An  improved  polishing  and  brightening  surface. 

2279.  John  Mason,  Rochdale,  Lancaster — Improvements  in  preparing  cotton  for  spinning 
and  in  machinery  or  apparatus  for  effecting  the  same. 

Recorded  October  6. 
2281.  John  Milner,  Stratford,  Essex— Improvements  in  steam-engines. 
2283.  Joseph  H.  Cary,  Norwich — An  improved  pianoforte  action  for  upright  pianofortes. 
2285.  Manual  Fernandez  de  Castro,  Madrid— Improved  means  of  preventing  accidents 

on  railways. 
2287.  Henry  Goddard,  Castle  Gate,  Nottingham— Improvements  in  stoves  and  kitchen 

ranges. 
2289.  John  Rubery,  Birmingham— Improvements  in  the  manufacture  of  umbrella  and 

parasol  furniture.— (Communication.) 

Recorded  October  7. 
2291.  George  Ellins,   Droitwich,  Worcestershire  —  New  or  improved  machinery  for 

thrashing  or  separating  the  stem  and  husk  from  the  grain  or  seed  of  wheat, 

barley,  flax,  and  other  plants. 
2293.  James  Bullough,  Accringtoti,  Lancashire,  John  Walmsley  and  David  Whittaker, 

Blackburn,  same  county— Improvements  in  machinery  or  apparatus  for  warping 

and  sizing,  or  otherwise  preparing,  yarns  or  warps  to  be  woven. 


(BT  Information  as  to  any  of  these  applications,  and  their  progress,  may  be  had  on  appli- 
cation to  the  Editor  of  this  Journal. 


Sept. 


Oct. 


DESIGNS  FOR  ARTICLES  OF  UTILITY. 

Registered  from  22d  Sept.,  1853,  to  6tk  Oct.,  1853. 

Thomas  Cowburn,  Bolton-le-moors,— "  Oscillating  safety-valve." 
William  Collimore,  Brighton,— "  Crotchet  Cotton  Reel-holder." 
Thomas  Brindley,  Finsbury, — "  Spring  Bible  aud  Prayer-case." 
Joseph  Chant,  Bridgewater, — "Rib  or  tooth  of  crushing- roller." 
James  Barlow,  King  William-street,— "  Cinder-sifter." 
James  Mellor,  Macclesfield, — "A  stock." 
James  Mellor,  Macclesfield, — "  Cravat." 
F.  L.  Bauwens,  Pimlico,— "  Lamp  candlestick." 


22a, 

3512 

23(1, 

3513 

24th, 

3514 

26th, 

3515 

2Rth, 

3516 

1st, 

3517 

— 

351S 

6th, 

3519 

DESIGNS  FOR  ARTICLES  OF  UTILITY. 

Provisionally  Registered  from  1st  August,  1853,  to  20th  Sept.,  1S53. 

John  Bentham,  Chorley,  Lancashire, — "  Segment  spring  light." 
Duncan  Sinclair,  Oxford-street,  and  John  Masson,  Chapel-place, 

— "  Rudder  and  steering  apparatus." 
S.  G.  Pape,  Camden-town, —  "  Drawers." 
S.  G.  Pape,  Camden-town, — "Trousers." 

William  Collinmore,  Brighton, — "  Crotchet  cotton  reel-holder." 
Alfred  Sommerville,  Birmingham.—"  Regulating-pen  and  holder.' 
S.  G.  Pape,  Camden-town, — "  Under  vest." 
Robert  Aitchison,  Holloway, — "  Winding-machine." 
Thomas  Brindley,  Finsbury, — "  Spring  Bible  and  Prayer-case." 


August   1st, 

525 

8th, 

526 

11th, 

527 

— 

528 

Sept    15th, 

629 

16th, 

530 

17th, 

531 

— 

532 

20th, 

633 

TO  READERS  AND  CORRESPONDENTS. 

A  Subscriber,  Liverpool. — Mr.  W.  Aspdin  has  just  specified  a  patent  for  "  the  manu- 
facture of  Portland  and  other  cements  from  alkaline  waste." 

W.  S. — We  cannot  understand  his  proposition  very  well ;  but  we  may  as  well  inform 
him  at  once  that  his  aim  is  quite  hopeless. 

A  Correspondent  wishes  to  know  "  What  is  the  best  purpose  to  which  charcoal  dust 
can  be  put,  and  the  process  it  has  to  undergo?" 

H.  C,  Langton  Cottage. — We  have  not  been  able  to  reply  to  this  note,  in  consequence 
of  no  further  address  being  given  us. 

W.  G.  E.-We  shall  have  some  notes  on  this  next  month. 

F.  R.  S.  (Practical  Draughtsman.)—  As  to  the  first  question— Where  the  constant  num- 
ber 525  comes  from — we  have  simply  to  refer  to  the  page  preceding  that  so  voluminously 
quoted,  paragraph  333.  The  rule  will  obviously  apply  to  all  diameters,  but  a  little  more 
must  be  allowed  for  friction  in  small  pumps.  As  to  the  second  remark,  if  Mr.  S. 
had  gone  over  the  calculation,  he  would  have  seen  that  the  result,  "5  feet  6  inches,"  was 

V"225 
obviously  equals   6  inches  only. 

This  will  be  duly  noticed  in  the  "  Errata,"  on  completing  the  work.  Also,  for  "  a  mini- 
mum of  50  feet,  and  a  maximum  ot  80  feet  per  second,"  in  page  108,  paragraph  334,  read, 
"  per  minute." 

J.  P.,  New  York.— The  papers  are  published  in  the  Transactions  of  the  Institute.  If 
our  correspondent  cannot  meet  with  them  elsewhere,  we  shall  be  glad  to  send  him  a  spare 
copy  of  our  own. 

Received.—"  Report  of  the  Health  Committee  of  the  Borough  of  Liverpool,"  by  James 
Newlands,  C.E.— "  Palmer's  Patent  Thrashing  Company." — "  Industrial  Drawing,"  by 
D.  H.  Mahan. — "  A  Rudimentary  Treatise  on  Fuel,"  by  T.  S.  Prideaux.— "  On  the  Safety 
Lamp,"  by  T.  Y.  Hall. — "Potatoes  grown  from  Peels." — "  The  Decimal  Coinage,"  by  A. 
Milward,  Esq. 


'fl,,/,   /M 


i;|  Li  TOOT  raiTM  IDSPISIES® 

J.E.M?CONNEU,    PATENTEE,    WOLVERTON. 


m\i 


Vol.  1 7 


~r-  -     -      "   ---  .  ■  ■  ■■■■.  ..-.:•. 


THE  PRACTICAL  MECHANIC'S  JOURNAL. 


201 


M'COXNELLS  EXPRESS  LOCOMOTIVE  ON  THE  LONDON 

AND  NORTH-WESTERN  RAILWAY. 

(Illustrated  hj  Plates  112,  138,  139,  and  140.) 

"Though  animal  organization  is  beyond  the  constructive  skill  of  man,  he  takes  the  ele- 
ments existing  in  nature,  and,  by  new  combinations,  gets  new  power.  He  discovers  in  his 
raw  materials  unexpected  properties,  until  soda  and  sand  are  converted  into  a  crystal 
palace,  and  water,  coal,  and  stonv  ore,  into  a  train  which  rushes  with  the  might  of  au 
earthquake,  and  the  velocity  of  the  wind.  He  devises  fresh  applications  of  machinery, 
and,  in  the  creations  of  his  ingenuity,  finds  a  servant  and  a  master.'7 — Quarterly  Beview. 

H  E    longitudinal     section, 

"  Plate   140,    completes    our 

series  of  four  engravings  of 

this   fine   locomotive  —  and 

furnishes,  in   itself,  a  very 

clear  idea  of   the  essential 

features  of  peculiarity  which 

Mr.  M'Connell  has  combined 

ill  arranging  what  may  fairly 

be  termed  a  first-class  ex- 


press engine. 

The  specification  which 
accompanied  the  elevation, 
in  Part  LVII.  of  this  Journal, 
has  already  supplied  an  outline  of  the  general  construction  of  the  en- 
gine. But  the  sectional  view  now  before  us,  brings  out  more  strikingly 
the  several  points  of  the  extraordinary  extension  of  the  inside  fire-box 
into  the  barrel  of  the  boiler — together  with  its  great  central  water-space, 
or  mid-feather;  the  upward  recessing  of  the  boiler's  barrel  and  the  corre- 
sponding curvature  of  the  inside  box  for  the  play  of  the  cranks ;  the 
short  flue-tubes,  comprehended  between  this  forward  or  extended  fire- 
box tube-plate,  and  the  smoke-box;  the  steam-heating  chest  in  the 
smoke-box,  for  drying  the  steam  on  its  way  from  the  steam  dome  to  the 
cylinders;  with  Mr.  Coleman's  india-rubber  block  springs,  and  the 
tubular  leading  and  trailing  axles. 

The  inside  fire-box  projects  4  feet  9  inches  into  the  barrel  of  the 
boiler;  but  the  mid-feather  stops  2  feet  short  of  this  distance,  leaving  an 
undivided  "  combustion  chamber,"  or  mixing  space,  for  the  gases,  pre- 
paratory to  their  entering  the  tubes  in  the  barrel.  This  gives  260  square 
feet  of  direct  heating  surface  in  the  fire-box,  which  area,  added  to  that 
of  the  303  flue-tubes,  which  are  7  feet  in  length  and  If  inch  in  diameter, 
makes  1,200  square  feet  as  the  entire  heating  surface  of  the  boiler. 

The  pistons  are  of  wrought-iron,  the  body  being  forged  in  one  piece 
with  the  rod ;  and  in  this  way,  one-third  of  the  usual  weight  is  saved. 

The  only  other  point  of  importance  which  we  have  not  hitherto  de- 
tailed is,  the  smoke-box  heater,  for  drying  the  steam  prior  to  its  passage 
into  the  cylinders.  For  this  purpose,  a  flat  steam  chamber  is  fitted 
into  the  smoke-box,  so  as  to  stand  a  short  distance  clear  of  the  tube- 
plate.  This  chamber  forms  the  conducting-pipe  for  the  steam  from  the 
collecting  dome  to  the  valve-chests  of  the  cylinders ;  and  as  it  is  stayed 
across  by  tubular  stays,  corresponding  to  the  boiler  tubes,  it  follows  that 
the  heated  air  and  gases  from  the  latter  pass  through  the  chamber  tubes 
on  entering  the  smoke-box.  Besides  this,  as  the  chamber  is  enveloped 
in  the  heat  of  the  smoke-box.  what  would  otherwise  be  waste  is  econo- 
mically employed  in  drying  the  steam. 

The  hollow  axles,  as  now  made  in  large  quantities  by  the  Patent  Shaft 
and  Axletree  Company,  are  made  from  a  set  of  segmental  bars,  rolled 
with  over-lapping  angles,  so  that,  when  built  together  ready  for  welding, 
they  form  a  complete  cylinder,  about  1  \  times  the  finished  diameter.  This 
cylinder  of  loose  bars  is  temporarily  held  and  kept  in  its  tubular  form  by 
a  screw  clip,  and  each  end  being  put  into  the  furnace,  a  partial  weld  is 
produced,  and  the  clip  is  then  removed.  The  entire  tube  is  then  placed 
in  the  furnace,  and  when  at  a  welding-beat  it  is  passed  through  a  series 
of  rollers,  each  provided  with  a  fixed  egg-shaped  mandril.     The  rolls  are 

arranged  with  reversing  clutches,  so  that,  as  soon  as  the  axle-tube  has 
No.  69.—  Vol.  VI. 


been  drawn  clear  through,  the  motion  is  reversed,  and  the  axle,  which 
has  been  drawn  on  to  the  mandril-rod,  is  again  drawn  back  through  the 
same  roll  opening.  In  this  way  a  diminishing  set  of  rolls  brings  the 
tube  down  to  the  right  size,  and  it  is  then  taken  to  a  hammer  and  planished 
between  semicircular  swages  over  its  entire  surface.  During  this  oper- 
ation, a  jet  of  water  is  made  to  play  upon  it,  enabling  the  workman  to 
detect  any  unsoundness  in  the  welding,  by  the  unerring  test  of  ine- 
quality of  colour.  From  the  hammer  'the  tube  is  passed  to  the  circular 
saws,  where  it  is  cut  to  the  proper  guage  of  length,  and  the  end  journals 
are  finally  formed  upon  it  by  heating  and  hammering  upon  an  internal 
mandril.  The  journals  may  also  be  made  by  rolling  between  two  tables, 
or  by  two  sets  of  three  rollers,  running  vertically,  and  set  to  nip  the  tube 
at  the  necessary  distance  from  shoulder  to  shoulder. 

In  illustration  of  the  saving  in  dead  weight,  secured  by  the  adoption 
of  tubular  axles,  let  us  suppose  a  railway  to  have  upon  it  15,000  car- 
riages and  waggons,  each  running  an  average  yearly  distance  of  10,000 
miles.  The  actual  reduction  in  weight,  per  vehicle,  taking  the  two  solid 
axles  at  5  cwt.,  would  be  1 J  cwt.  with  the  hollow  axles;  and  this,  taken 
over  one  mile  per  annum  of  the  given  stock,  would  be  11,250,000  tons. 
Then,  assuming  the  cost  of  locomotive  power  to  be  \&..  per  ton  per  mile, 
we  have  a  saving  of  £1 1,700  per  annum  on  this  direct  head  alone. 

In  testing  the  comparative  strength  of  the  hollow  and  solid  axles,  as 
regards  their  resistance  to  transverse  strain,  the  hollow  axles  have  come 
out  peculiarly  triumphant.  Each  axle  was  supported  on  heavy  cast-iron 
blocks,  4  feet  11  inches  apart,  representing  the  ordinary  rail  support.  A 
cast-iron  block,  weighing  18  cwt.,  was  then  let  fall  on  the  centre  of  the  axle, 
from  a  height  of  12  feet,  when  the  extent  of  bend  was  measured.  The  axle 
was  then  turned  half  round,  to  give  a  similar  blow  on  the  opposite  side,  to 
bend  it  in  the  reverse  direction.  Under  this  treatment,  a  three  years'  old 
solid  axle,  3J  inches  in  diameter  at  the  centre,  and  4J  inches  at  the  ends, 
was  bent  8J  inches  by  the  first  blow — was  nearly  straightened  by  the 
second  or  reverse  blow — bent  10  inches  at  the  third — and  was  broken 
square  across  at  the  centre  by  the  sixth  blow.  A  new  solid  axle,  of  the 
same  dimensions,  was  bent  9f  inches  by  the  first  blow,  and  broke  close  to 
the  centre  at  the  fifth  blow.  A  new  hollow  axle,  4j|  inches  in  diameter 
throughout,  was  bent  5  inches  by  the  first  blow,  then  nearly  straight- 
ened by  the  second,  and  was  bent  5  inches  again  by  the  third.  The 
ninth  bent  it  A\  inches,  and  the  tenth  only  1-|.  Up  to  the  fifteenth,  it 
was  bent  alternately  to  distances  varying  from  2  to  3£  inches.  It  stood 
unbroken  up  to  the  29  th  blow,  when  it  was  fractured  two-thirds  through, 
and  bent  9i  inches.  The  practical  working  of  these  tubular  axles,  as 
shown  in  the  express  engines,  as  well  as  on  various  other  lines  of  rail- 
way, has  been  most  successful  in  every  respect.  The  same  may  be  said 
of  Mr.  Coleman's  india-rubber  springs,  which  are  remarkable  for  their 
lightness,  durability,  ease  of  working,  and  compactness. 

To  secure  all  the  contemplated  advantages  of  engines  like  these,  we 
must  remodel  our  permanent  ways.  As  the  road  exists  at  present,  it  is 
simply  impossible  to  run  the  London  and  Birmingham  two  hours'  expresses 
with  any  reasonable  degree  of  safety.  Hence  the  operations  of  the  new 
engines  have  so  far  been  confined  to  the  ordinary  work  of  the  line,  in  which 
their  performances  with  heavy  trains  have  been  remarkably  successful. 
When  tried  against  the  two  best  engines  of  the  northern  division  of  the 
line,  Heron  and  Prince  of  Wales — long  tube  boilers — this  engine,  No.  300, 
took  its  load  of  34  carriages  at  an  average  rate  of  36'39  miles  per  hour, 
attaining  54  miles  per  hour  at  its  greatest  speed.  The  two  opposition 
engines,  working  together,  and  having  30  per  cent,  more  heating  sur- 
face, and  42  per  cent,  more  tractive  power,  attained  an  average  speed  of 
no  more  than  34  miles  per  hour,  with  a  maximuru  of  48  miles,  the  com- 
bined consumption  of  fuel  being  three  pounds  per  mile  more  than  that  of 
No.  300. 

The  express  engine  weighs  28  tons  empty,  and  about  31  tons  with  coke 
and  water.  The  2,000  gallons  of  water,  and  the  two  tons  of  coke,  which 
the  tender  carries,  are  sufficient  for  a  GO  miles  journey. 


202 


THE  PRACTICAL  MECHANIC'S  JOURNAL. 


BOOTH'S  PLAITING  AND  BRAIDING  MACHINE. 

Tbis  ingenious  machine  is  the  recently  patented  invention  of  Messrs. 
Adam  and  John  Booth,  the  machinists  of  Manchester,  who  hare  so 
modified  the  original  plaiting  aud  braiding  machine,  as  to  make  it  appli- 

Fig.  1. 


-IS^El 


cable  for  the  manufacture  of  strong  webs  of  material  suitable  for  door  or 
floor  mats.  The  stout  webs  produced  in  this  way  consist  of  several 
strands  or  cords  of  hemp,  plaited  or  braided  together,  like  the  common 
plain  or  fancy  braid.  But,  to  make  it  stouter  and  more  durable,  so  as  to 
meet  the  heavy  wear  to  which  matting  is  subjected,  Messrs.  Booth  intro- 


duce one  or  more  additional  strong  cords  or  strands  inside  the  plaited 
strands,  thus  materially  strengthening  each  separate  web.  The  com- 
mon braiding  apparatus  cannot  effect  tbis,  nor  can  it  work  such  strong 


Fig.  3. 


fabrics  as  these  mattings.        To  accomplish  these  points,  the  patentees 
make  the  spindles  of  the  roses,  or  revolving  discs,  tubular,  introducing 


Fig.  4. 


two  vertical  tubes,  to  permit  the  additional  strands  to   pass  through 
them,  whilst  the  ordinary  braiding  actions  are  going  on. 

Fig.  1  represents  a  front  elevation  of  the  improved  machine.  Fig.  2 
is  a  side  view  of  the  same.  Fig.  3  is  a  plan;  and  fig.  4  is  a  view  of  a  flyer 
and  spindle,  such  as  are  usually  employed  for  braiding  and  plaiting,  but 
on  an  enlarged  scale,  and  altered  to  meet  the 
present  requirements,  a  is  the  framing,  and  b 
are  the  pulleys  which  drive  the  shaft,  c,  on 
which  is  keyed  the  bevil-wheel,  d,  turning  the 
bevil-wheel,  e,  upon  the  vertical  shaft,  p.  At 
the  bottom  of  this  shaft,  p,  is  the  spur-wheel,  g, 
working  into  the  spur-wheel,  h,  which  turns  a 
similar  wheel,  i.  These  two  latter  wheels  are 
keyed  upon  the  tubular  spindles,  k.  l  are  the 
roses  or  discs,  which  carry  the  spindles  and 
flyers,  m,  the  strands  from  which,  as  well  as  the 
strengthening  guts  or  cords,  s,  are  passed  be- 
tween the  pulleys,  o,  constituting  the  resistance 
to  the  torsion  of  the  strands  and  webs  when  the 
roses  are  turned,  and  thus  forming  the  braid, 
which  is  then  carried  from  the  pulleys,  o,  over 
the  guide-pulley,  p,  and  over  the  conical  drum, 
Q,  driven  by  means  of  the  worm-wheel,  r,  and 
worm,  s,  on  the  vertical  shaft,  p.  The  whole  of 
the  movements  are  derived  from  the  fast  and 
loose  pulleys,  the  strap  fork  of  which,  together 
with  the  starting  lever,  is  represented  in  figs. 
1  and  2. 

The  ordinary  braiding  operation,  as  uninfluenced  by  Messrs.  Booth's 
modifications,  is  clearly  delineated  in  the  figures. 


THE  PRACTICAL  MECHANIC'S    JOURNAL. 


203 


MOFFITT'S  AMERICAN  THRASHING  MACHINE. 

One  of  the  most  important  of  the  industrial  curiosities  in  the  New- 
York  Exhibition,  which  we  have  promised  ourselves  the  pleasure  of 


noticing  at  some  length,  is  a  thrashing  machine  invented  by  Mr.  John 
R.  Moffitt,  of  Piqua,  Ohio,  U.S.,  and  since  brought  to  this  country  by 
the  patentee  and  his  partner,  Mr.  E.  H.  Knight,  of  Cincinnati.  Our  en- 
graving represents  the  machine,  or  "  grain  separator,"  as  the  Americans 

not  inaptly  term  it,  in 
longitudinal  section.  It 
consists  of  an  irregular 
timber  framing,  A,  having 
at  one  end  the  usual 
inclined  feed-opening,  u, 


for  the  reception  of  the  unthrashed  grain  to  be  operated  upon.  As 
the  grain  is  fed  in  here,  the  straw  is  caught  by  the  thrashing  cylinder — 
the  teeth,  c,  of  which  act  in  concert  with  similar  teeth  on  the  interior 
corresponding  surface  of  the  concave  portion,  d,  of  the  casing.  From 
the  sphere  of  this  cylinder,  or  thrashing  drum,  the  straw  is  delivered  on 
to  an  endless  travelling  apron  or  carrier,  e.  This  carrier  is  slightly  in- 
clined from  the  horizontal,  and  as  it  conveys  the  straw  upwards  and 
onwards,  its  open  bars  allow  of  the  loosened  grain  and  chaff  to  fall 
down  into  the  well  of  the  machine ;  and  for  this  purpose,  part  of  the 
concave  case,  d,  is  open-barred  as  a  separating  platform.  The  carrier  is 
composed  of  wooden  rods,  connected  by  the  metal  links  represented  in 
our  figure,  and  the  peculiar  motion  imparted  to  it  materially  assists  the 
separating  operation.  This  straw-carrier  is  actuated  by  a  pinion  or 
sparred  cylinder,  f,  gearing  with  catches  on  the  inner  side  of  the  metal 
links  of  the  straw-carrier;  and  it  runs  over  fixed  guide-rollers,  o,  against 
which  the  inner  catches  of  the  metal  links  come  in  contact  during  the 
traverse  motion.  It  is  the  striking  action  of  the  catches  upon  these 
rollers  which  gives  the  necessary  shaking  action  to  the  carrier,  for  the 
separation  of  whatever  grain  and  chaff  may  be  carried  over  along  with 
the  straw.  The  grain  and  chaff  pass  from  the  thrashing  cylinder  and 
the  shaker  into  the  well,  h,  of  the  machine,  whence  they  are  conveyed 
by  the  revolving  screw  traverser,  j,  down  the  board,  K,  into  the  "  slat " 
riddle,  l,  which  is  formed  like  a  partially-closed  Venetian  blind.  The 
grain  itself  passes  through  this  riddle,  and  all  the  refuse  is  blown  over 
beyond  it  by  the  blast  of  the  fan,  m.  The  grain  is  finally  discharged  at 
either  side  of  the  machine  at  pleasure.  Any  imperfectly  thrashed  mat- 
ters are  collected  in  a  trough,  N,  at  the  end  of  the  shaking  shoe,  and  are 
conveyed  upwards  and  backwards  by  a  screw,  o,  and  ultimately  thrown 
into  the  feed-opening  of  the  thrasher  for  secondary  treatment. 

Whilst  the  work  performed  by  this  machine  amounts  to  the  largest 
quantity  that  can  be  handled  by  one  gang  of  men,  it  is  remarkable  for 
two  essential  points — the  thorough  separation  of  the  grain  and  chaff 
from  the  straw,  and  the  subsequent  cleanly  separation  of  the  grain  from 
the  chaff.  This  machine,  which  has  lately  been  in  operation  on  Mr. 
Mechi's  farm,  Tiptree  Hall,  Essex,  was  driven  by  a  steam-power  of  four 
horses ;  and  it  thrashed  a  stack  of  32  quarters,  or  256  bushels  of  wheat 
in  four  hours— cleaning  the  grain  in  perfect  readiness  for  market. 
When  afterwards  tried  upon  barley,  it  thrashed  56  quarters,  or  448 
bushels  in  six  hours,  the  grain  being  turned  out  clean  and  ready  for 
malting,  or  sale. 

When  in  operation  at  Tiptree,  it  was  visited  by  a  large  number  of 
farmers  and  machinist*,  who  were  surprised  to  find  that  it  did  not  break 
or  injure  the  grain — for  out  of  the  56  quarters  of  barley,  not  a  grain  seemed 
to  be  divided.  Five  farmers  who  were  present  at  the  trial  purchased 
their  seed-wheat  from  the  machine.  Mr.  Mechi  himself  states,  that  the 
barley  thrashed  by  it,  although  grown  on  poor  land,  sold  for  45s.  a 
quarter  for  malting;  and  he  adds,  that  ten  quarters  were  turned 
out  by  it  in  seventy-three  minutes — that  its  powers  outstrip  all  the 
exertions  of  the  feeder* — and  that,  by  enlarging  it  and  quadrupling  its 


attendants,  thirty  or   forty  quarters  might  be  thrashed  by  it  within 
the  hour. 

It  weighs  12}  cwt.  without  its  wheels  and  driving  gear,  and  can 
be  made  in  America  for  £23. 


THE  LAW  AS  TO  PATENTS  FOR  INVENTIONS 
IN  BAVARIA. 

The  law  in  Bavaria  Proper  is  regulated  by  a  royal  ordinance,  bearing 
date  the  10th  of  February,  1842 ;  and  in  that  part  of  the  kingdom  known 
as  the  Palatinate  and  Rhenish  Bavaria,  it  is  regulated  by  certain  French 
decrees  of  1790  and  1791.     First,  as  to  Bavaria  Proper: — 

Patents  will  be  granted  for  discoveries,  inventions,  or  improvements 
in  trade,  whether  such  be  a  new  manufactured  article,  or  a  new  instru- 
ment of -manufacture,  or  a  new  process,  provided  that  (1.)  the  invention 
or  improvement  is  new  and  original,  and  (2.)  is  of  such  importance  as  to 
promise  being  of  general  utility.  Patents  for  imported  inventions  or 
improvements  will  be  granted  when  new  and  original,  and  when  a  patent 
has  been  procured  in  the  country  whence  the  invention  or  improvement 
has  been  brought ;  but  a  Bavarian  patent  for  an  imported  invention  will 
expire  at  the  same  time  as  the  patent  in  the  foreign  country. 

When,  after  the  grant  of  a  patent,  it  appears  that  the  invention  is 
without  novelty  and  originality,  or  has  been  described  in  published 
works,  either  German  or  foreign,  in  such  a  way  that  competent  persons 
might  carry  it  into  effect,  the  patent  will  be  rendered  void. 

Persons  desiring  to  obtain  patents  must  present  a  petition  to  the 
Minister  for  the  Home  Department,  and  must  therein  distinctly  state 
the  petitioner's  name,  profession,  dwelling,  and  legal  domicile,  the  general 
features  of  the  invention  or  improvement  in  its  essentials,  and  whether 
he  requires  an  exclusive  right  for  the  manufacture  of  an  article,  or  for 
the  application  of  new  machinery,  or  for  the  application  of  a  new  process ; 
lastly,  the  length  of  time  for  which  he  demands  a  patent.  A  full  and 
exact  description  of  the  invention  or  improvement,  and  of  the  mode  in 
which  it  is  to  be  carried  into  effect,  must  accompany  the  petition ;  and, 
when  necessary,  drawings,  models,  or  patterns  must  be  annexed.  It 
must  be  stated,  in  clear  and  precise  terms,  what  part  of  the  invention  is 
claimed  as  new  and  original.  In  case  of  an  imported  invention,  either 
the  original  patent,  or  an  authenticated  copy,  must  accompany  the 
petition. 

Patents  will  be  refused,  if  it  shall  appear  that  the  invention  cannot  be 
carried  into  effect  without  injury  to  the  public  health  and  safety,  or  with- 
out danger  to  the  commonweal,  or  without  infringing  the  law.  They 
will  also  be  refused  if  the  pretended  invention  is  not  new  and  original ; 
also  if  a  patent  for  the  same  invention  has  been  previously  granted  in 
Bavaria;  also  if  a  patent  for  the  invention  has  been  obtained  in  some 
other  of  the  states  of  the  Zollverein,  and  the  applicant  in  Bavaria  is  not 
the  inventor  or  his  representative. 

The  utmost  term  for  which  a  patent  will  be  granted  is  fifteen  years; 


204 


THE  PRACTICAL  MECHANIC'S  JOURNAL. 


Fig.  1. 


if  granted  in  the  first  instance  for  a  shorter  period,  it  may  be  prolonged 
until  the  full  term  of  fifteen  years  is  complete. 

A  patent  confers  no  power  of  preventing  the  importation  of  objects  of 
a  kind  similar  to  those  patented,  or  the  sale  of  such  imported  objects,  nor 
even  the  use  of  similar  objects  not  obtained  from  or  with  the  consent  of 
the  patentee,  except  in  the  case  of  patents  for  new  processes  of  manufac- 
ture, or  for  new  articles,  or  for  new  manufacturing  machines. 

A  patentee  of  an  improvement  will  not  be  allowed  to  prejudice  the 
holder  of  a  previous  patent.  A  patentee  has  the  power  of  transferring 
his  interest  to  another  person,  and,  in  case  of  the  patentee's  death,  his 
rights  pass  to  his  heirs.  Priority  of  application  for  a  patent  will  deter- 
mine the  right  to  it,  when  several 
persons  make  application  about  the 
same  time. 

A  patent  will  be  void. if  it  should 
appear  that  there  were  circumstances 
existing  at  the  time  of  the  grant  which 
would  have  prevented  its  issuing 
— if  it  should  appear  that  the  patented 
invention  is  not  new  and  original, 
or  has  been  previously  publicly  known 
(except  in  the  case  of  its  having 
been  known  to  a  few  persons  only, 
and  then  it  will  be  in  full  force  as 
against  all  other  persons) — if  any 
essential  part  of  the  invention  or  im- 
provement was  not  described  or 
was  misdescribed  —  if  the  patentee 
should  make  no  use  of  the  invention 
within  three  years,  or,  the  patent 
being  granted  for  less  than  six  years, 
if  he  should  make  no  use  of  the 
invention  within  the  first  half  of  that 
period  —  or,  being  a  patent  for  an 
imported  invention,  if  he  should  make 
no  use  of  the  invention  within  one 
year — if  the  patentee  should  suspend 
the  execution  of  the  patented  in- 
vention for  two  consecutive  years. 
A  patent  for  an  imported  invention 
will  be  void  as  soon  as  the  patent  in 
the  foreign  country  expires. 

A  register  of  patents  is  ordered  to 
be  kept,  which  may  be  consulted  by  all  persons  interested.     After  the 
expiration  of  a  patent,  the  description  of  the  invention  will  be  published 
by  the  Government,  if  deemed  useful  to  the  commercial  interests  of  the 
country. 

The  Government  charges  upon  a  patent  depend  upon  the  number  of 
years  for  which  it  is  granted.  On  a  patent  for  one  year,  they  amount 
to  5  florins  (about  10s.  6d.);  2  years,  10  florins;  3  years,  15  florins;  4 
years,  20  florins;  5  years,  25  florins;  6  years,  35  florins;  7  years,  45 
florins;  8  years,  55  florins;  9  years,  G5  florins;  10  years,  75  florins;  11 
years,  95  florins;  12  years,  125  florins  ;  13  years,  105  florins;  14  years, 
205  florins;  15  years,  275  florins. 


delay.  At  the  expiration  of  a  patent,  or  in  case  of  its  invalidity,  the 
inventor's  description  will  be  made  public,  and  the  invention  will  be  free 
to  every  one. 

Only  one  principal  object  can  be  included  in  a  single  patent.  Mere 
changes  of  form  or  proportion,  and  ornaments,  are  not  patentable  inven- 
tions. 

MESSRS.  WILLIAMSON'S  DOUBLE-ACTION  TURNIP-CUTTER. 

This  very  efficient  turnip-cutter — a  modified  improvement  upon  the 
original  invention  of  Mr.  Gardner  of  Banbury — is  the  production  of 

Fig.  3. 


The  French  decrees,  which  declare  the  law  as  to  patents  in  the  Pala- 
tinate and  Rhenish  Bavaria,  were  issued  at  a  time  when  these  districts 
were  in  the  power  of  France.  They  have  never  been  abolished,  and  still 
remain  in  force.     They  are  to  the  following  effect : — 

The  applicant  for  a  patent  must  forward  to  the  office  of  the  secretary 
of  his  department  a  statement  of  his  claim,  and  whether  he  claims  in 
respect  of  an  originator  an  imported  invention  or  improvement;  and  he 
must  deposit,  under  seal,  an  exact  description  of  the  principles,  methods, 
and  processes  of  which  the  discovery  consists,  accompanied,  if  necessary, 
by  drawings  and  models.  Patents  are  granted  for  five,  ten,  or  fifteen 
years,  at  the  option  of  the  patentee ;  the  last-mentioned  term  cannot  be 
extended,  except  by  a  legislative  decree.  Patents  for  imported  inven- 
tions will  not  be  valid  after  the  expiration  of  the  patent  in  the  country 
from  which  they  are  brought. 

A  patentee  may  either  work  the  patent  himself,  or  license  others  to 
carry  it  into  execution.  Patents  are  transferable  like  other  personal 
property. 

Patents  will  become  invalid,  if  the  inventor,  in  describing  the  inven- 
tion, conceals  the  true  method  of  carrying  it  into  effect,  or  if  he  shall  use 
in  his  own  manufactory  processes  which  he  has  not  described,  or  if  the 
invention  had  been  previously  described  in  printed  and  published  books, 
or  if  the  inventor  shall  fail  to  carry  his  invention  into  effect  within  two 
Tears  from  the  date  of  his  patent,   there  being  no  good  reason  for  the 


Messrs.  Williamson,  Brothers,  of  Stainton  Mills,  Kendal.  It  involves 
the  use  of  two  classes  of  reducing  knives  or  cutters,  one  being  adapted 
for  slicing  roots  for  cattle,  and  the  other  for  cutting  them  into  small  pieces 
suitable  for  feeding  sheep.  Fig.  1  of  our  engravings  is  a  side  elevation 
of  the  machine,  with  the  cutting  details  in  partial  section ;  fig.  2  is  a 
longitudinal  section  of  the  cutting  cylinder  detached ;  and  fig.  3  is  a  front 
elevation   at   right  angles  to  fig.   1,  with  a  part   of    the   feed-hopper 


Fig.  2. 


broken  away. 

The  cutting  knives  project  from 
the  surface  of  a  cast-iron  cylinder 
fast  on  a  horizontal  spindle,  run- 
ning in  end  bearings  on  the  top  of 
a  rectangular  cast-iron  frame,  and 
actuated  by  a  winch-handle  on  one 
end;  or,  when  horse,  steam,  or 
water  power  Is  available,  this 
handle  is  replaced  by  a  small  band- 
pulley.  A  portion  of  the  arc  of  the 
cylinder,  behind  each  individual 
cutting  edge,  is  removed,  so  that, 
as  the  pieces  of  turnip  are  severed, 
they  pass  into  the  interior  of  the 
cylinder,  and  thence  fall  away 
down  the  discharging  shoot,  in 
front  of  the  machine,  to  the  proper 
receptacle  for  them. 

There  are  two  sets  of  each  sort  of  knives  fixed  opposite  to  each  other ; 
the  slicing  knives  fronting  in  one  direction,  and  the  strip  knives — of 
which  there  are  fifteen  in  each  set — in  the  other.  The  former  are 
brought  into  action  by  the  left-hand,  and  the  latter  by  the  right-hand 
motion  of  the  driving-handle.  As  delineated  in  our  illustrated  figures, 
the  small  knives  are  disposed  angularly  upon  the  cylinder;  and  the 
slicing  knives  are  also  so  shaped,  that,  by  coming  gradually  into  opera- 
tion, they  prevent  all  risk  of  the  unequal  working  strain  which  would 
arise  if  they  were  fixed   in  one  line.     The   turnips  are  fed   into  the 


THE  PRACTICAL  MECHANIC'S  JOURNAL. 


205 


machine  bv  an  overhead  hopper,  grated,  to  allow  stones  and  dirt  to  fall 
through.  From  this  hopper  the  roots  roll  on  to  the  cylinder,  and  are 
rapidly  cut  by  the  revolving  knives,  the  strips  severed  by  the  small 
knives  being  J  by  J  inch,  and  the  slices  produced  by  the  reverse  action 
being  4  inch  thick.  The  framing  is  composed  of  a  couple  of  plain  open 
cast-iron  standards,  stayed  across  by  tie-rods,  and  bound  together  as  well 
at  the  top  ;  and  the  front  plate  is  so  curved  as  to  give  the  least  possible 
extent  of  play  to  the  roots  whilst  they  are  under  the  knives,  otherwise  the 


cut  would  be  jagged  and  uneven,  and  would  consume  a  much  greater 
working  power.  In  the  larger  scale,  fig.  2,  the  section  through  the 
cylinder  shell  shows  the  shape  of  the  strip  knives  and  the  flanges  to 
which  they  are  fixed,  as  well  as  an  external  sheet  of  iron,  used  to  steady 
and  support  them  when  working.  A  slide  is  placed  below  the  hopper 
to  guide  the  turnips  to  the  forward  side  of  the  cylinder.  The 
general  arrangement  and  workmanship  are  extremely  creditable  to  the 
makers. 


THE  IRISH   ENGINEERING   COMPANY'S  PORTABLE  STEAM-ENGINE. 


This  "  vertical, 
direct-acting,  port- 
able, high  -  pres- 
sure steam-engine 
and  boiler,  com- 
plete in  one  bed- 
plate "  —  as  de- 
scribed in  the 
Dublin  Exhibition 
Catalogue,  —  was 
erected  in  the  Ex- 
hibition Buildings, 
for  driving  the  Ex- 
hibition Expositor 
printing  -  machine. 
We  represent  the 
engine,  in  fig.  l,in 
full  front  view, 
with  its  boiler  at- 
tached alongside  ; 
and  in  fig.  2,  in 
corresponding  side 
elevation,  showing 
the  boiler  behind 
the  engine.  The 
engine  cylinder,  a, 
4J  inches  diame- 
ter, and  12  inches 
stroke,  is  bolted 
down  erect  upon 
the  side  of  the 
plain  base-plate,  p.. 
and  in  front  of  th 
pair  of  vertical 
standards,  c.  These 
standards  are  open  inclined  frame-pieces,  bound  together  transversely 
by  tie-rods,  and  carrying  bearings  at  their  upper  ends,  for  the  reception 
of  the  crank-shaft,  d,  on  the  overhanging  end  of  which  is  the  fly-wheel,  e. 


The  cylinder  stuff- 
ing-box gland  is 
screwed  into  the 
cover,  without 

bolts,  and  the  pis- 
ton-rod works 
through  this  direct 
to  the  crank  above, 
through  the  inter- 
vention of  a  forked 
connecting-rod,  F, 
jointed  by  a  cross 
*s  pin  to  the  piston- 
rod,  which  is  guided 
by  a  bracket  on  the 
front  standard.  The 
governor  is  con- 
veniently placed  in 
the  centre  of  the 
space  between  the 
two  standards,  and 
directly  beneath 
the  axial  line  of  the 
shaft,  d,  i  rom  which 
it  is  driven  by  a 
pair  of  bevil  pin- 
ions. The  boiler,  g, 
is  of  the  vertical 
tubular  kind,  with  a 
hemispherical  top. 
The  arrangement 
altogether  is  well 
adapted  for  fixed 
work  in  agricul- 
tural and  manu- 
facturing operations  where  space  is  limited,  as  the  base-plate  measures 
only  5  feet  3  inches  X  3  feet  6  inches.  It  is  the  production  of  the 
Company's  Works  in  Seville  Street,  Dublin,  and  is  creditably  made. 


BRITISH  AND  AMERICAN  LINES  OF  STEAMERS. 

The  following  forms  part  of  an  article  which  appeared  a  short  time 
since  in  the  Bevue  des  Deux  Mondes,  the  leading  literary  periodical  of 
Paris : — 

Wherever  human  activity  extends,  Great  Britain  and  the  United 
States  are  creating  lines  of  steam-boats,  by  which  the  means  of  inter- 
course are  multiplied  and  rendered  easy,  regular,  and  rapid.  The  At- 
lantic, the  South  Sea,  the  Indian  Ocean,  the  Australian  seas,  are  ploughed 
in  every  direction  by  these  wonderful  vessels,  which  brave  all  obstacles 
— currents,  winds,  hurricanes,  and  calms.  The  paddles  of  the  French 
steamers  visit,  as  yet,  but  the  waves  of  the  Mediterranean. 

The  English  and  American  steamers  of  the  present  day  traverse  the 
waters  of  the  Atlantic  and  Pacific  oceans,  the  Mediterranean  and  the 
Indian  seas.  The  different  lines  are  conducted  by  several  powerful  com- 
panies, possessing  large  capitals,  and  assisted  by  contributions  from  the 
state. 

In  the  month  of  April,  1838,  the  Great  Western  and  the  Siriut,  the 
first  steamers  which  ventured  to  cross  the  Atlantic,  quitted  Bristol  and 
Cork.  The  Great  Western  found  but  seven  passengers  courageous 
enough  to  accompany  her.  Towards  the  end  of  1838,  the  English  Gov- 
ernment took  measures  for  establishing  regular  communication  between 
the  United  States  and  England,  and  concluded  with  Mr.  Cunard  an 
arrangement,  by  which  it  was  stipulated  that  he  should  provide  a 
bi-monthly  transit  between  Liverpool  and  Halifax,  in  consideration  of  an 
annual  payment  of  £45,000.     Four  steamers,  of  1200  tons  burden,  and 


400  horse  power,  were  provided,  and  the  line  was  opened  in  1840.  In 
1849,  by  a  new  agreement,  a  departure  of  steamers  to  Boston  or  New 
York  was  organized,  weekly,  except  during  the  four  winter  months, 
when  the  departures  were  to  be  only  bi-monthly  ;  and  the  annual  pay- 
ment was  increased  to  £145,000.  The  old  vessels  were  replaced  by 
others  of  from  1800  to  2000  tons  burden,  and  from  650  to  800  horse 
power.  Finally,  in  1852,  the  annual  grant  became  £186,000.  In  a 
recent  investigation,  Mr.  Cunard  declared  that  the  value  of  the  capital 
engaged  in  the  undertaking  amounted  to  £1,000,000.  The  service  is 
carried  on  with  the  greatest  regularity,  and  the  company,  under  the 
stimulus  of  American  competition,  is  constantly  advancing  its  improve-, 
ments.  The  steamers  which  it  builds  are  constructed  of  an  increased 
tonnage,  and  provided  with  more  powerful  engines. 

In  1840,  the  Admiralty  signed  a  contract  with  the  Royal  West  India 
Mail  Steam-packet  Company,  for  the  conveyance  of  letters  to  the  West 
Indies  and  the  Brazils.  The  annual  payment  was  fixed  at  £240,000 
for  the  maintenance  of  14  steamers,  of  400  horse  power,  and  of  4  sailing 
vessels,  of  100  tons.  These  vessels  visit  the  most  important  ports  of  the 
West  Indies,  and  the  coast  of  America.  The  contract  was  renewed  in 
1852  for  eleven  years,  in  consideration  of  an  annual  grant  of  £270,000. 

The  line  between  Chagres  and  Valparaiso  is  conducted  by  a  third  com- 
pany, the  Pacific  Ocean  Steam  Navigation  Company,  established  in  1840. 
It  expended  two-thirds  of  its  capital  in  six  years,  although  its  ships  were 
exempt  from  all  imposts  in  the  ports  of  the  American  Republic,  and  had 
obtained  from  the  ■commencement  the  monopoly  of  the  carriage  of  letters. 
A  first  contract  with  the  Admiralty,  signed  in  1846,  granted  to  it  an 


20G 


THE  PRACTICAL  MECHANIC'S  JOURNAL. 


annual  payment  of  £20,000,  which  was  ultimately  doubled,  for  a 
bi-monthly  service,  effected  by  means  of  four  vessels,  of  400  horse 
power. 

The  first  undertaking  of  the  Peninsular  and  Oriental  Company  was 
the  establishment,  in  1837,  of  a  monthly  service  between  England  and 
the  principal  ports  of  Portugal,  Cadiz,  and  Gibraltar,  for  which  it  received 
an  annual  payment  of  £29,600.  In  1839  it  undertook  to  convey  the 
English  despatches  direct  to  Alexandria,  touching  at  Gibraltar  and  Malta. 
Four  years  later,  in  consideration  of  a  payment  of  £160,000  a  year,  it 
established  the  lines  to  India  and  China.  By  the  last  contract,  dated  26th 
Feb.,  1852, it  received  from  theTreasurythe  sum  of  £199,600  for  the  ser- 
vice of  the  numerous  lines  to  the  coast  of  Portugal  and  Spain,  the  Medi- 
terranean, the  Black  Sea,  the  Indian  Ocean,  Indian  Archipelago,  and 
Australia.  The  enumeration  of  these  lines  and  their  different  branches 
would  occupy  too  much-space;  we  can  only  point  out  the  extent  and 
importance  of  the  lines  under  the  management  of  the  Peninsular  Com- 
pany, and  state  the  fact,  that  it  possesses  actually  27  vessels  afloat,  11 
upon  the  stocks,  4  steamers  serving  for  stores,  and  that  the  property  thus 
employed  amounts  to  the  enormous  sum  of  two  millions. 

Three  other  companies  have  the  management  of  the  regular  lines 
from  Southampton  to  the  west  coast  of  Africa,  to  Sydney  and  to  Calcutta, 
by  the  Cape  of  Good  Hope.  Their  vessels  visit  all  the  English  colonies 
of  the  Atlantic  Ocean  and  the  Indian  Sea. 

Such  is  a  summary  of  the  lines  of  steam  communication  assisted  by 
the  Treasury.  The  total  amount  paid  to  these  companies  reaches  nearly 
£800,000. 

The  lines  as  yet  established  by  the  Government  of  the  United  States 
are  much  less  numerous.  Only  three  regular  lines  exist  at  present  be- 
tween the  United  Slates  and  Europe:— 1st,  The  Collins  line,  from  New 
York  to  Liverpool,  which,  after  many  disasters,  was  forced  to  solicit  an 
increased  contribution  from  Congress,  and  now  receives  33,000  dollars 
per  voyage.  2dly,  That  from  New  York  to  Bremen,  touching  at  South- 
ampton, which  receives  from  the  Government  10,666  dollars  per  voyage. 
3dly,  That  from  New  York  to  Havre,  touching  at  Cowes,  which  only 
receives  12,500  dollars  per  voyage.  The  contractors  for  the  two  latter 
lines  have  declared  the  sums  placed  at  their  disposal  to  be  quite  insuffi- 
cient. By  an  act  passed  on  the  31st  August,  1852,  Congress  authorized 
the  Government  to  conclude  a  new  contract,  which  stipulated  for  an 
increased  payment,  an  increase  in  the  number  of  voyages,  and  the  sub- 
stitution of  the  port  of  Antwerp  for  that  of  Havre,  as  the  point  of 
destination  for  the  third  line.  In  addition  to  these  transatlantic  com- 
munications, the  United  States  possess  a  regular  line  of  steamers  from 
Charleston  to  the  Havonnah,  from  New  York  to  Chagres,  from  Panama 
to  San  Francisco;  and  the  Government  proposes  shortly  to  establish  new 
lines  from  Boston  to  Halifax,  and  from  New  Orleans  to  Vera-Cruz,  touch- 
ing at  Tampico. 

Although  the  Americans  are  far  behind  the  English  in  the  creation 
of  lines  of  steam-packets,  they  have  made  immense  progress  during  the 
last  five  years.  In  1848,  the  sum  advanced  by  the  state  for  the  trans- 
atlantic lines  hardly  exceeded  100,000  dollars;  in  1852  it  reached 
1,896,250  dollars.  Congress  is  always  ready  to  come  forward  for  the 
encouragement  of  private  enterprise;  it  is  impelled  to  this,  not  only  by  a 
regard  to  commercial  interests,  but  by  a  spirit  of  rivalry  with  Great  Bri- 
tain ;  and  public  opinion  becomes  very  strong  in  the  United  States  when- 
ever there  is  a  question  of  multiplying  postal  intercourse,  of  encouraging 
commerce,  strengthening  its  commercial  navy,  or,  above  all,  of  contend- 
ing with  the  English. 

It  is  clear,  from  the  experience  of  England  and  the  United  States, 
that  such  lines  of  steam  navigation  cannot  be  maintained  without  hav- 
ing recourse  to  the  state.  The  first  attempts  to  carry  on  this  branch  of 
industry  independently,  met  with  nothing  but  failure.  And  even  with 
the  sums  grantrjd  under  existing  contracts,  considerable  as  they  seem 
at  a  first  glance,  do  the  companies  derive  any  profit  ?  Are  they  what  is 
commonly  called  successful  ?  As  far  as  the  American  companies  are 
concerned,  there  is  no  doubt  but  that  their  yearly  amount  shows  a  defi- 
cit, since  the  Government  and  Congress  have  recently  been  obliged  to 
increase  the  grant  to  the  line  of  Collins,  and  since  the  companies,  hav- 
ing the  management  of  the  lines  to  Havre  and  Bremen,  urgently  solicit 
further  assistance.  As  to  the  English  companies,  the  question  is  much 
easier  of  solution.  If  we  were  to  judge  from  the  dividend  of  8  per  cent, 
paid  annually  by  the  Peninsular  Company  to  its  shareholders,  and  not 
including  the  sums  expended  in  insurance,  which  form  a  separate  account, 
we  might  suppose  that  the  capital  employed  in  steam  navigation  was 
amply  remunerative;  but  the  lines  to  the  United  States  and  the  West 
Indies  are  far  from  producing  such  brilliant  results.  It  was  shown,  on 
an  official  inquiry,  that  from  1842  to  1848  the  dividends  had  scarcely 
exceeded  on  an  average  3  per  cent. 

Certainly  no  one  will  dispute  the  necessity  of  making  the  state  bear 


a  part  of  the  expense  of  steam  communication.  In  point  of  fact,  the 
sum  really  granted  is  not  so  great  as  at  first  appears,  since  the  Govern- 
ments of  England  and  the  United  States  have  reserved  to  themselves  the 
amount  paid  in  postage  on  the  whole  correspondence  carried  on  by  means 
of  the  steam-packets.  The  sum  thus  paid  is  considerable.  Mr.  Cunard 
stated  in  1851,  before  a  committee  of  inquiry,  appointed  by  the  House 
of  Commons,  that  from  the  line  between  Liverpool  and  New  York  alone, 
the  Treasury  received,  on  account  of  postage,  the  sum  of  £140,000.  The 
director-general  of  the  post-office  of  the  United  States  declared,  in  the 
report  of  1852,  that  the  postage  of  letters  carried  by  the  vessels  of  the 
company,  Cunard  and  Collins,  had  yielded  to  the  Treasury,  in  1851-52, 
the  sum  of  463,615  dollars.  Thus,  in  some  cases,  the  postal  revenue 
covers  a  great  part  of  the  grant. 

The  advantages  to  the  nation  are  likewise  very  apparent,  when  we 
consider  the  impetus  given  to  commerce,  and  the  consequent  increase  in 
the  receipts  of  the  different  branches  of  indirect  taxation,  especially  at 
the  custom-house.  During  the  year  1851,  the  merchandise  imported 
from  Europe  to  America,  by  the  lines  of  Liverpool,  Havre,  and  Bremen, 
paid  to  the  custom-house  of  New  York  £1,560,000  in  entrance  dues.  A 
great  part  of  this  merchandise,  consisting  mostly  of  articles  of  luxury, 
would  doubtless  not  have  been  imported,  if  the  orders  could  not  have 
been  executed  more  promptly  than  by  the  sailing  vessels.  To  justify 
the  increase  solicited  in  the  amount  of  their  grant,  the  contractors  for 
the  line  from  Bremen  to  New  York  have  pointed  out,  that,  since  the 
establishment  of  the  line,  the  importations  from  Germany  to  the  United 
States  have  increased  from  three  million  dollars  to  ten  millions — -that  is  to 
say,  have  tripled.  In  England  the  results  have  been  the  same,  as  may 
be  seen  from  a  statement  of  Mr.  Anderson,  a  member  of  Parliament  and 
director  of  the  Peninsular  Company,  before  a  commission  of  inquiry  as  to 
the  steam  navy.  '  Some  years  ago,'  says  Mr.  Anderson,  '  a  supplement- 
ary grant  was  solicited  of  the  Chancellor  of  the  Exchequer,  to  establish  a 
communication  between  London  and  Constantinople,  which  should  reduce 
the  length  of  the  voyage  from  24  to  13  hours.  After  some  hesitation  the 
increase  was  granted,  and  in  a  few  years  the  exportations  from  England 
to  Turkey  increased  by  more  than  £1,200,000.  In  1848,  the  steamers 
of  this  line  exported  from  Southampton  merchandise  to  the  value  of 
£1,000,000  ;  and  the  Greek  merchants,  who  are  chiefly  engaged  in  this 
traffic,  declare  that  this  increase  is  to  be  attributed  to  the  creation  of  lines 
of  steam-boats,  which  allow  of  an  increased  employment  of  capital,  and 
assure  the  arrival  of  the  merchandise,  destined  for  different  markets,  by 
a  stated  time.'  By  exact  calculations,  Mr.  Anderson  showed  that  the 
above  increase  of  exportations  to  Turkey,  procured  for  the  Exchequer, 
by  means  of  indirect  taxation,  an  increased  receipt  of  £120,000.  The 
other  lines  established  by  England  have  exercised  an  equal  influence 
on  commerce  and  on  the  revenue ;  they  have  immensely  encouraged  the 
production  of  manufactured  articles,  which,  without  them,  would  not 
have  found  such  advantageous  markets  abroad. 

The  large  amount  of  the  grants  is  justified  by  the  fact,  that  the  trans- 
atlantic companies  have  not  restricted  themselves  to  the  execution  of  the 
onerous  clauses  of  their  contracts,  as  to  the  distribution  and  frequency 
of  the  transits  which  they  engaged  to  effect.  They  have  not  hesitated 
spontaneously  to  enlarge  their  operations,  to  extend  their  line,  increase 
the  number  of  their  voyages,  and,  in  a  word,  to  give  the  public  more  than 
they  were  bound  to  do.  For  example,  Cunard's  Company,  which  had 
only  contracted  for  a  bi-monthly  transit  during  the  winter,  has  organized 
weekly  voyages  throughout  the  year.  In  the  same  way,  the  Peninsular 
Company  has  established  several  lines  which  were  not  expressly  stipu- 
lated for ;  and  the  increased  expense  has  been  voluntarily  supported  by 
the  contractors,  without  further  contribution  from  the  Treasury. 


THE  MECHANICS  LIBRARY. 


Agricultural  Chemistry,  8vo.,  6s.  6d.,  cloth.    Liebig. 

Coal  Mines,  their  Danger,  &c,  8vo.,  3s.  6d.,  cloth.    J.  Mather. 

Daguerreotype,  American  Hand-Book  of  the,  4s.  6d.,  cloth.    Humphrey. 

Elementary  Mechanics,  Part  II.,  "  Dynamics,"  5s.,  cloth.    H.  Goodwin. 

Encyclopaedia  Biitannica,  8th  edition,  Vol.  III.,  4to,  24s.,  cloth. 

Inorganic  Chemistry,  Hand-Book  of,  third  edition,  5s.  6d.    Gregory. 

Magnetism  and  Electricity,  Researches  in,  8vo.,  6s.  6d.    Reichenbach. 

Microscope,  Curosities  of  the,  square,  6s.  6d.    Rev.  J.  H.  Wythes. 

Microscope,  On  the,  Highley's  Scientific  Library,  Illustrated.  5s.,  sewed.     Scbacht. 

Microscopist,  second  edition,  post  8vo.,  6s.,  cloth.    Rev.  J.  H.  Wythes. 

Microscopical  Science,  Quarterly  Journal  of,  Vol.  I.,  8vo.,  17s.,  cloth. 

Mineralogy,  Manual  of,  post  8vo.,  6s.,  cloth.    J.  Nicliol. 

Natural  Philosophy,  Hand-Book  of,  third  course,  16s.  6d.    Dr.  Lardner. 

Organic  Analysis,  Hand-Book  of,  12rao.,  5s.,  cloth.    J.  Liebig. 

Patent  Mode  of  Reefing  Topsails,  royal  8vo.,  3s.  6d.,  cloth.    Cunningham. 

Plane  Co-ordinate  Geometry,  post  8vo.,  3s.  6d.,  cloth.    Rev.  W.  Scott. 


THE  PRACTICAL  MECHANIC'S  JOURNAL. 


207 


RECENT  PATENTS. 

CLEARING  APPARATUS  FOR  YARN. 
TV.  Stevexson,  Manager  for  Messrs.  Houstoun  cG  Co.,  Johnstone. 
Patent  dated  March  14,  1853. 
This  simple  contrivance  relates  to  an  arrangement  of  an  adjustable 
apparatus,  to  be  fitted  to  spinning,  twisting,  reeling,  and  winding,  and 
other  machinery  employed  in  textile  manufactures,  for  clearing  the 
threads  or  yarn  from  knots,  loose  fibres,  or  foreign  adhering  substances. 
It  consists,  under  one  modification,  of  a  duplex  plate,  suitably  slotted 
or  notched,  to  receive  the  yarn,  and  permit  the  free  passage  through 
of  the  latter,  whilst  the  edges  of  the  slits  detain  the  objectionable 
matters.  The  two  plates  are  laid  one  upon  the  other,  and  when  the 
slits  in  each  plate  coincide,  the  yarn  has  a  full  wide  opening  to  pass 
through — that  Is  to  say,  the  apparatus  will  clear  a  coarse  thread.  But 
■when  a  finer  thread  is  under  treatment,  or  when  the  thread  is  to  be 
nipped  tighter,  or  to  be  more  stringently  acted  upon,  by  this  cleansing 
process,  the  attendant  traverses  one  plate  longitudinally  upon  the  other, 
so  as  to  bring  the  series  of  slits  out  of  a  direct  or  parallel  line  with  each 
other.  This  movement  obviously  diminishes  the  width  of  the  slit,  and 
by  this  means  a  single  apparatus  is  mide  to  answer  for  any  variety  of 
yarn,  as  the  openings  may  be  set  to  any  width  less  than  that  of  the  actual 
slits  in  each  plate.  The  invention  is  obviously  applicable  to  various 
kinds  of  work,  and  is  suitable  for  effecting  the  clearance  of  all  kinds  of 
yarn.  This  general  plan  of  clearer  may  be  modified  in  various  ways. 
For  example,  the  apparatus  may  consist  of  two  or  more  holding  bars,  on 
whicii  are  attached  slips  of  metal,  the  clearing  surface  being  thus  com- 
posed of  two  adjustable  slips;  and  the  attendant  has  simply  to  traverse 
the  bars,  to  widen  or  narrow  the  whole  of  the  interstices  at  once. 

Fig.  1  of  the  engravings  is  a  side  or  end  elevation,  in  isolated  detail, 
of  the  actual  operating  parts  of  a  winding  frame,  as  employed  for  wind- 
ing yarn  from  the  cop  or  pirn,  on  to  bobbins,  in 
the  ordinary  process  of  textile  manufacture ;  but 
modified  and  fitted  up  according  to  Mr.  Steven- 
son's plans.  Fig.  2  is  an  enlarged  side  view  of 
one  modification  of  adjustable  clearer  detached, 
with  a  corresponding  edge  view  of  the  same  be- 
neath ;  and  fig.  3  is  a  back  reversed  or  interior 

view  of  the 
F'B- 1.  same        ar- 

rangement 
of  clearer. 
The  conti- 
nuous cylin- 
der or  drum, 
A,  actuates 
the  line  of 
spindles,  E, 
by  means  of 
a  series  of 
endless 
bands ;  and 
the  bobbins, 
c,  of  the  line 
of  spindles, 
wind  up  or 
transfer  the 
yarn,  d,  from 
the  station- 
ary line  of 
cops,  e,  at 
the  back  or 

central  portion  of  the  frame.  It  is  in  its  passage  between  these  two 
holders — the  cop  and  the  bobbin — that  the  cleansing  action  occurs.  As 
the  yarn  leaves  the  cop,  it  passes  through  or  over  suitable  guides,  and 
thence  over  the  top  of  the  wooden  bar,  f,  covered  with  some  coarse  ma- 
terial, to  give  a  "drag"  to  the  passing  threads;  thence  the  yarn  passes 
immediately  through  the  clearer  plnte,  g,  and  round  other  suitable  guides, 
to  the  bobbin.  In  this  particular  plan  of  clearer,  that  apparatus  is  com- 
posed of  the  two  separate  parts,  h  i,  laid  together  in  a.  parallel  line,  and 
adjustable  by  the  thumb-screw  spindle,  ,t.  The  main,  wide  front  plate,  H, 
is  slotted  out  on  its  upper  edge,  pretty  widely  at  intervals,  as  at  k,  to 
suit  the  intervals  of  the  lines  of  yarn  being  wound,  the  two  parallel 
edges  of  each  of  these  slots  being  slightly  inclined,  or  expanded,  in  the 
direction  of  the  yarn's  passage.  This  front  plate  is  attached,  by  stiff 
friction,  to  the  other  parallel  plate,  I,  by  means  of  adjustable  screws,  L, 
in  the  plate,  H,  and  passed  through  short  slots  in  the  opposite  plate.  This 
opposite  or  inner  plate,  I,  has  in  it  sloes  or  notches,  M,  considerably  wider 


than  those  in  the  plate,  H,  and  these  wider  notches  fit  over,  or  embrace 
the  square  pieces  or  projections,  sr,  which  are  either  cast  on,  or  attached 
to,  the  inner  side  of  the  plate,  H,  these  square  pieces,  n,  being  arranged 
to  lie  in  the  same  plane  as  the  plate,  i,  whilst  one  edge  of  each  piece 
coincides  with  the  centre  line  of  each  slot  in  the  plate,  h.  A  small 
bracket  holder,  o,  is  attached  to  one  end  of  the  plate,  i,  to  form  a  fixed 
bearing  or  abutment  for  the  collar  journal  of  the  thumb-screw  spindle,  J, 
the  screwed  portion  of  which  is  passed  through  a  tapped  eye,  or  nut- 
piece,  p,  fast  on  the  corresponding  end  of  the  plate,  h.     The  result  of 


Fig.  3. 

this  arrangement  is,  that  the  attendant,  by  turning  the  screw,  j,  in  either 
direction,  traverses  the  plates  upon  one  another,  to  widen  or  narrow  the 
cleansing  slits,  as  may  be  required.  For  although  the  openings  in  the 
plate,  H,  remain  constant  to  the  same  width — which  must  be  greater 
than  is  ever  required  for  the  cleansing  operation — yet  the  traversing 
movement  brings  the  acting  edge  of  each  piece,  N,  nearer  to,  or  further 
from,  the  opposite  parallel  edge  of  the  wider  slot  in  the  piece,  i ;  and  thus 
the  cleansing  slots  are  all  adjusted  in  the  same  plane,  as  if  they  were 
simply  made  in  a  single  flat  plate. 

Mr.  Stevenson  also  shows  his  apparatus  applied  to  a  reel ;  and  he  further 
illustrates  his  contrivance  under  another  form,  consisting  of  two  flat  plates, 
each  being  slotted  through  on  one  edge,  with  a  series  of  narrow  cuts. 
The  two  plates  are  attached,  alongside  each  other,  by  screws  and  slots ; 
and  the  necessary  adjustment  for  varying  the  clearing  pitch  is  accom- 
plished by  a  thumb-screw  spindle,  fitted,  as  already  explained,  in  refer- 
ence to  the  other  figures.  When  the  plates  are  so  Set,  with  regard  to 
each  other,  that  their  slots  all  coincide,  the  clearing  edges  are  then 
obviously  at  their  widest  distance  asunder,  and  the  coarsest  thread  for 
which  the  clearer  has  been  constructed  will  pass  freely  through.  On 
the  contrary,  the  more  the  slots  are  made  to  clear  each  other,  or  come 
out  of  their  even  parallel  line,  by  so  much  will  their  thoroughfare  be 
narrowed,  to  suit  a  comparatively  fine  thread.  In  each  of  these  two  ex- 
amples, the  clearing  slots  are  formed  at  the  points  of  springing  of  the 
arched  curves,  Q,  on  one  or  both  of  the  plates,  as  may  occur,  under  the 
special  modification  used.  The  object  of  this  is,  that  when  an  end 
breaks,  or,  from  any  other  cause,  a  thread  has  to  be  passed  laterally 
into  its  clearing  slot,  it  will  first  press  upon  this  rounded  or  inclined  sur- 
face, Q,  and  then  slide  off  into  its  allotted  slot.  Instead  of  being  arched 
or  curved,  these  parts  may,  of  course,  be  angular  or  shaped,  with  a  du- 
plex incline,  so  as  to  cause  the  threads  to  glide  freely  into  their  slots. 

SULPHURIC  ACID,  ALKALIES,  AND  THEIR  SALTS. 
G.  Robb,  Glasgow. — Patent  dated  March  26,  1853.. 

In  making  sulphuric  acid  according  to  this  invention,  the  vapour  of 
sulphurous  acid  is  passed  over  peroxide  of  iron,  mingled  with  heated  air, 
and  the  result  of  this  process  is  sulphuric  acid. 

Then,  to  produce  sulphate  of  soda,  the  vapour  of  sulphurous  acid  is 
passed,  along  with  heated  air  and  steam,  over  a  mixture  of  common  salt 
and  peroxide  of  iron.  Another  branch  of  the  invention  relates  to  the 
production  of  sulphuret  of  sodium,  for  the  manufacture  of  carbonate  of 
soda.  This  is  accomplished,  by  mixing  the  materials  for  the  production 
of  the  sulphuret  of  sodium  with  sulphuret  of  calcium,  or  soda  waste,  so 
that  the  sulphuret  of  sodium  becomes  workable  on  the  large  scale,  by 
being  rendered  innoxious  in  its  effects  upon  the  apparatus  employed  in 
the  process. 


208 


THE  PRACTICAL  MECHANIC'S  JOURNAL. 


In  employing  peroxide  of  iron  for  the  production  of  sulphuric  acid,  the 
patentee  uses,  by  preference,  the  pyrites  cinder,  resulting  from  the  com- 
bustion of  iron  pyrites,  as  commonly  produced  in  the  manufacture  of  sul- 
phuric acid  at  present.  The  pyrites  cinder  is  first  reduced  to  small  pieces, 
or  to  a  state  of  powder,  and  in  this  condition  it  is  placed  in  a  furnace  or 
kiln.  Round  this  kiln  are  ranged  a  set  of  pyrites  burners,  such  as  are 
commonly  used  by  sulphuric  acid  makers ;  and  these  burners  are  so  ar- 
ranged, that  all  the  products  of  combustion  effected  in  them  may  pass 
into  the  kiln  containing  the  pyrites  powder.  Common  pyrites  is  depo- 
sited in  these  burners,  and  roasted  in  the  ordinary  manner,  highly-heated 
atmospheric  air  being  at  the  same  time  admitted  at  the  bottom  of  the 
pyrites  kiln.  By  this  arrangement,  the  vapour  of  sulphurous  acid,  and 
the  oxygen  of  the  atmosphere,  being  simultaneously  brought  into  con- 
tact with  the  pyrites  in  the  kiln,  which  pyrites  is  kept  at  a  dull  red 
heat,  the  resultant  combination  forms  sulphuric  acid. 

In  making  sulphate  of  soda,  by  passing  the  vapour  of  sulphurous  acid 
over  peroxide  of  iron  and  common  salt,  mixed  together,  and  kept  at  a 
dull  red  heat,  the  patentee  prefers  to  use  the  spent  cinder  from  pyrites 
burners.  Such  spent  pyrites  cinder  is  reduced  to  a  powder,  and  the 
common  salt  is  mingled  with  such  powder,  and  this  compound  is  then 
placed  in  such  a  kiln  or  chamber  as  has  been  already  described ;  the 
sulphurous  acid  is  then  passed  through  the  heated  materials,  producing 
sulphate  of  soda.  In  manufacturing  carbonate  of  soda,  the  patentee  first 
produces  a  sulphuret  of  sodium,  and  then  decomposes  such  material  by 
the  action  of  carbonic  acid.  The  common  sulphate  of  soda  is  in  this 
process  decomposed  by  the  action  of  suitable  carbonaceous  materials,  in 
a  kiln  or  common  furnace.  The  ordinary  materials  for  the  production 
of  sulphuret  of  sodium  are  mixed  with  sulphuret  of  calcium,  or  soda 
waste,  so  that  the  operator  is  enabled,  by  this  admixture,  to  make  the 
sulphuret  of  sodium  on  the  large  commercial  scale,  as  that  substance  is, 
by  this  treatment,  rendered  innoxious  in  its  effects  upon  the  apparatus 
employed  in  the  manufacture,  both  as  regards  the  furnaces  or  operating 
chambers,  and  the  necessary  iron  tools  of  the  workmen. 


SULPHURIC  ACID,  ALKALIES,  AND  THEIR  SALTS. 
George  Robh,  Glasgow. — Patent  dated  April  2,  1853. 

This  invention  relates  to  the  manufacture  of  sulphuric  acid,  sulphate 
of  soda,  sulphate  of  potash,  and  sulphurets  of  sodium  and  potassium,  and 
their  carbonates,  so  as  to  secure  superior  economy  in  the  several  pro- 
cesses. In  making  sulphuric  acid,  the  vapour  of  sulphurous  acid  is 
passed  over  or  in  contact  with  the  peroxide  of  iron,  manganese,  or  other 
metals,  with  or  without  the  addition  of  clay  or  alumina,  mingled  with 
heated  air,  and  this  produces  sulphuric  acid.  But,  in  order  to  obtain  the 
essentially  necessary  superior  heat,  carbonic  oxide  in  a  state  of  com- 
bustion, or  the  products  of  combustion  of  any  clear,  bright,  burningbody, 
are  passed  through  the  materials,  so  as  to  insure  a  superior  result.  To 
produce  sulphates  of  soda  and  potash,  the  sulphurous  acid  is  passed  along 
with  heated  air  and  steam  over  a  mixture  of  common  salt  or  chloride  of  po- 
tassium and  peroxide  of  iron,  manganese,  or  other  oxide,  with  or  without 
clay  or  alumina,  as  hereinbefore  mentioned ;  the  direct  heat  of  any  clear 
burning  body,  as  hereinbefore  mentioned,  being  also  used  in  this  part  of 
the  process.  In  making  the  sulphurets  of  sodium  and  potassium  for  the 
production  of  the  carbonates  of  soda  and  potash,  the  sulphates  of  soda 
and  potash  are  mixed  with  the  sulphates  of  lime,  baryta,  strontia,  mag- 
nesia, or  other  sulphates,  or  the  sulphurets  of  these  bodies,  or  soda  waste, 
either  individually  or  mixed.  The  carbonic  acid  gas  may  be  obtained 
from  the  carbonate  of  soda  or  potash,  which  has  been  made  with  carbonic 
acid  gas  by  a  process  of  combustion. 

In  employing  oxide  of  iron  for  the  production  of  sulphuric  acid,  Mr. 
Robb  uses,  by  preference,  the  pyrites  cinder  resulting  from  the  com- 
bustion of  iron  pyrites,  as  commonly  produced  in  the  manufacture  of 
sulphuric  acid  at  present.  When  oxide  of  manganese  is  used,  any  of 
the  ordinary  manganese  ores  of  commerce  may  be  thus  employed:  the 
pyrites  cinder,  or  oxide  of  manganese,  is  first  reduced  to  a  coarse  powder, 
and  it  is  then  commingled  with  about  from  one-fifth  to  one-tenth  of  its 
weight  of  common  clay  or  argillaceous  earth;  or,  instead  of  this  added 
matter,  alumina  may  be  used ;  the  compound  so  made  is  then  made  up 
into  a  paste  with  water,  when  it  may  be  moulded  into  balls,  bricks,  or 
suitable  manageable  masses.  As  the  special  nature  of  the  incorporated 
materials  necessarily  varies  occasionally,  the  proportions  stated  are  also 
equally  variable;  and  in  some  instances  it  is  preferred  to  mix  a  quantity 
of  ground  coke  or  charcoal,  or  small  coal,  in  the  mass,  so  that,  as  this 
carbonaceous  addition  burns  out  in  the  subsequent  calcination  of  the 
balls,  the  masses  will  be  left  in  a  more  highly  porous  condition,  and  better 
suited  for  the  purpose  intended.     Such  bricks  or  masses  are  then  dried 


in  a  common  stove,  until  they  are  hard  and  difficult  of  fracture.  In  this 
state  they  are  placed  in  a  furnace  resembling  an  ordinary  limekiln,  or, 
what  is  technically  known  in  Scotland,  as  a  "drawkiln."  Round  this 
kiln  are  ranged  a  set  of  pyrites  burners,  such  as  are  in  ordinary  use  by 
sulphuric  acid  makers.  "  These  burners  are  so  arranged,  that  all  the  pro- 
ducts of  the  combustion  effected  in  them  may  pass  into  the  composition 
kiln.  Common  pyrites  is  deposited  in  these  burners,  and  roasted  in  the 
usual  manner,  highly  heated  atmospheric  air  being  at  the  same  time 
admitted  at  the  bottom  of  the  composition  kiln.  By  this  arrangement, 
the  sulphurous  acid  vapour  and  the  oxygen  of  the  atmosphere  being 
simultaneously  brought  into  contact  with  the  composition  masses  or 
bricks  at  a  dull  red  heat,  the  resultant  combination  forms  sulphuric  acid. 
During  this  process,  carbonic  oxide,  or  other  cheap  combustible  gas,  may 
be  advantageously  introduced  at  different  parts  of  the  composition  kiln, 
so  that  the  kiln  may  be  still  better  heated  throughout ;  the  admission 
of  surcharged  or  superheated  steam  is  also  advantageous.  And  instead 
of  using  pyrites  in  this  way,  as  the  source  of  sulphurous  acid,  the  patentee 
uses  as  well  sulphur,  sulphuretted  hydrogen,  or  artificial  sulphuret  of 
iron ;  or  the  sulphurous  acid  employed  may  be  obtained  from  any  known 
source.  In  making  sulphate  of  soda  by  passing  sulphurous  acid  over 
oxide  of  iron,  or  manganese  and  common  salt  mixed  together,  and  re- 
tained at  a  dull  red  heat,  the  preferable  oxide  of  iron  is,  as  already 
described,  the  spent  cinder  from  pyrites  burners — or  manganese,  which 
may  be  used  over  and  over  again,  may  be  similarly  employed ;  the  salt 
and  oxide  are  made  up  into  balls  or  bricks  with  clay  or  alumina,  and 
such  masses  are  introduced  into  a  kiln,  such  as  already  described,  passing 
the  sulphurous  acid  through  them.  Any  artificial  mode  of  heating  may 
be  used,  but,  in  the  case  of  pyrites,  this  is  unnecessary.  The  whole  of 
the  common  salt  is  readily  decomposed  in  this  way.  If  steam  or  moisture 
is  admitted  into  the  kiln  along  with  atmospheric  supply,  muriatic  acid 
is  given  off.  But  if  the  air  and  the  materials  are  thoroughly  dry, 
chlorine  gas  is  evolved  by  the  process. 

In  manufacturing  carbonate  of  soda,  a  sulphuret  of  sodium  is  first 
produced,  and  this  is  then  decomposed  by  the  action  of  carbonic  acid. 
The  ordinary  sulphate  of  soda  is,  in  this  process,  decomposed  by  the  action 
of  suitable  carbonaceous  materials  in  a  kiln  or  common  furnace  ;  but  there 
is  added  to  the  sulphate  of  soda  a  portion  of  sulphate  of  barytes,  or  stron- 
tia, or  lime,  or  magnesia,  or  other  sulphate  or  sulphuret ;  or  a  mixture  of 
these  said  materials ;  or  ordinary  vat  waste  from  the  alkali  makers, 
mixed  with  one  or  other  of  these  compounds.  By  the  agency  of  such 
additions,  the  operator  obtains  a  sulphuret  of  sodium,  which  does  not 
corrode  the  furnace  or  the  iron  tools  nearly  so  rapidly,  as  when  the 
sulphate  of  sodium  is  decomposed  by  itself  with  carbonaceous  materials  ; 
and  it  is  with  this  object  that  these  mixtures  are  used.  The  result  of 
this  process  is,  that  an  easily  lixiviable  mass  is  obtained;  and  the 
residium  may  be  continuously  used  over  and  over  to  assist  in  the  decom- 
position of  fresh  sulphate  of  sodium.  Such  sulphuret  may  be  decomposed 
by  the  action  of  bicarbonate  of  soda,  according  to  the  process  patented 
by  Mr.  J.  Wilson  in  the  year  1840.  But  Mr.  Robb  especially  uses  the 
bicarbonate  of  soda  as  a  source  of  carbonic  acid,  for  effecting  the  decom- 
position of  sulphuret  of  sodium,  placing  the  bicarbonate  of  soda  in  a 
separate  vessel  or  chamber,  and  generating  the  carbonic  acid  by  the 
agency  of  heat.  The  bicarbonate  may  be  produced  by  causing  the 
common  carbonate  of  soda  to  absorb  the  products  of  the  combustion  of 
carbonaceous  materials.  In  practising  this  process,  the  sulphuretted 
hydrogen  evolved  may  either  be  turned  into  sulphurous  acid,  for  the 
production  of  sulphuric  acid ;  or  its  sulphur  may  be  recovered  by  heating 
it  to  redness,  or  by  passing  it  into  a  chamber  where  it  meets  with 
sulphurous  acid. 


SHIPS'  MASTS  AND  SPARS. 
R.  M'Gavin,  Glasgow. — Patent  dated  March  31,  1853. 

Mr.  M'Gavin's  important  invention  relates  to  the  so  combining 
wrought-iron  and  timber  in  the  construction  of  the  masts  and  spars  of 
ships,  that  great  strength  may  be  secured,  with  economy  in  first  cost, 
and  a  reduction  in  weight  and  bulk.  In  building  a  mast  or  spar  on  this 
principle,  the  core  or  main  centre  is  made  of  wrought-iron,  of  cruciform 
transverse  section,  by  taking  one  long  plate  of  iron  of  a  breadth  equal  to 
the  requirements  of  the  intended  spar,  and  attaching  two  other  plates 
at  right  angles  thereto,  one  on  each  side,  along  the  centre.  These  two 
additional  plates  are  each  of  half  the  breadth  of  the  main  single  plate, 
the  attachment  or  combination  being  effected  by  rolling  or  shaping  an  angle 
on  one  edge  of  each  of  the  two  narrow  plates,  so  that  the  whole  can  be 
riveted  together.  The  four  spaces  thus  left  between  the  four  projecting 
edges  or  wings  of  the  skeleton  mast  or  spar,  are  then  filled  in  with  pieces 
of  wood,  glued  up  together  with  marine  glue,  or  other  adhesive  substance ; 


THE  PRACTICAL  MECHANIC'S  JOURNAL. 


209 


and  the  whole  being  hooped  round  with  malleable  iron  hoops  or  rings,  a 
light  and  strong  structure  is  produced  at  a  moderate  cost. 

Fig.  1  of  the  engravings  is  an  external  elevation  of  the  lower  or 
"  step"  end  of  a  ship's  mast  of  this  kind ;  and 
F'S- 1  fig.  2  is  a  horizontal  section  of  the  mast. 

In  constructing  a  mast  in  this  way,  a  long 
main  central  plate,  A,  is  first  rolled  and  pre- 
pared to  suit  the  required  dimensions  of  the 
mast,  the  width  of  the  metal  being  consider- 
ably less  than  the  diameter  of  the  finished 
mast,  b  b  are  the  two  additional  side  pieces 
necessary  to  make  up  the  intended  cruciform 
section  of  this  wrought-iron  core.  Each  of 
these  pieces,  b,  has  an  angle,  c,  rolled  along 
one  edge,  so  that,  when  the  two  pieces  are 
disposed  on  opposite  sides  of,  and  at  right 
angles  to,  the  main  plate,  a,  rivets  can  be 
passed  through  the  angle  pieces,  B,  and 
through  the  main  plate,  along  the  centre  line 
of  the  latter,  to  combine  the  three  pieces  into 
one  frame  piece  or  core.  The  four  spaces  or 
divisions,  d,  are  now  filled  up  with  wood,  and 
the  whole  is  bound  together  by  the  iron  hoop,  e, 
so  as  to  form  a  mast  of  completely  solid  cross 
section.  The  wood  so  filled  in,  is  not  relied 
upon  as  a  direct  means  of  supporting  strength, 
its  essential  office  being  the  filling  up  of  the 
divisional  spaces  to  form  a  solid  mass,  and 
Fig.  2.  prevent  the  buckling  of  the  plates  of  the  core. 

For,  as  the  presence  of  a  solid  body  between 
each  two  divisional  pieces,  or  wings,  a,  b,  prevents  either  of  such  wings 
from  swerving  out  of  its  normal  plane,  it  follows  that  each  plate,  A,  b,  is 
disposed  in  the  best  possible  manner  to  meet  lateral  strains.  That  is  to 
say,  all  lateral  strain  is  directed  through  each  plate,  in  a  line  parallel  with 
the  plane  of  such  plate,  where  there  is  the  greatest  resisting  depth  of  metal. 
Hence,  the  filling-in  wood  may  be  in  short  small  pieces — as,  provided  the 
wood  is  sound,  such  short  pieces,  when  well  joined  by  marine  glue  or 
otherwise,  so  as  to  leave  no  objectionable  openings  along  their  contact 
surfaces,  are  quite  as  efficient  as  longer  ones. 

Various  means  may  be  adopted  for  effecting  the  junction  of  the  con- 
stituent pieces  of  the  wrought- iron  core.  For  example,  a  double  angle, 
or  T  edge,  may  be  rolled  or  formed  on  the  edge  of  each  of  the  side  pieces, 
instead  of  the  single  angle;  or  the  pieces  may  be  left  entirely  without 
flanges,  separate  angle-irons  being  riveted  to  one  edge  of  each  separate 
side  piece — such  angle  pieces  being  then  riveted  by  their  other  free  flange 
to  the  main  plate.  In  making  yards,  the  longitudinal  central  portions  of 
the  iron-plates  are  made  of  a  superior  width,  so  as  thebetter  to  resist  lateral 
strain ;  or,  instead  of  this  widening  of  the  metal,  its  thickness  may  be  in- 
creased by  a  gradual  swell  towards  the  centre,  either  rolled  in  the  plates, 
or  made  by  the  addition  of  separate  tapered  pieces  to  the  main  backbone 
pieces.  Such  a  system  of  constructing  masts  and  spars  is  suitable  for  a 
great  variety  of  works,  and  especially  for  the  jibs  of  cranes,  where  a  com- 
bined longitudinal  and  lateral  resistance  is  required.  As  regard  its  use  in 
shipbuilding,  this  invention  is  one  of  the  most  valuable  improvements  of 
modern  times,  as  it  will  most  materially  reduce  the  weight,  dimensions, 
and  cost  of  all  large  masts.  Experimental  tests  have  shown,  that  it  is 
almost  impossible  to  break  a  properly  made  mast  of  this  kind ;  and 
hence  it  appears,  that  the  enormously  thick  masts  hitherto  used  for  large 
vessels,  will  be  replaced  by  others  of  far  more  modest  and  manageable 
dimensions. 


BLOWING  AND  EXHAUSTING  FANS. 

Alexasdee  Chaplin,  Glasgow. — Patent  dated  May  10,  1853. 

Mr.  Chaplin's  practically  valuable  invention  relates  to  the  arrange- 
merrt  of  what,  under  an  earlier  modification,*  we  have  already  named  a 
"  Duplex  Pressure  Fan,''  whereby  a  high  degree  of  pressure  is  attain- 
a!  Ie  with  alow  rate  of  working,  whilst  the  details  are  simple  and  easily 
adjustable,  and  not  liable  to  injury  in  working.  In  this  arrangement, 
i" o  fan-cases  are  combined  in  each  fan  or  blower,  a  single  actuating 
spindle  being  passed  directly  through  the  axial  lines  of  the  two  cases, 
which  are  thus  coincident,  space  being  left  between  the  two  cases  to 
■e  the  central  driving-pulley  on  the  spindle.  The  fan-boxes  or 
■  are  each  cast  with  one  side  on,  the  other  side  being  a  loose  plate, 

and  attached  separately.     Each  case  has  its  own   fan,  both  fans  being 

'  r    •;  65,  Practical  Mechanic's  Journal  for  June,  1853. 
Xo.ra.-v<,i.  \  i. 


fast  on  the  same  single  spindle,  and  each  having  three  arms  forged,  or 
cast,  in  a  single  piece  with  the  boss,  the  sheet-iron  vane-blades  being 
riveted  on  to  the  arms;  but  other  numbers  of  arms  may  be  used.  The 
fan-bosses  are  fastened  on  to  the  shaft  by  square  shoulders,  with  a  tight- 
ening nut,  and  the  spindle  is  carried  in  bearings  in  cross  bars,  fast  to 
the  inner  contiguous  faces  of  the  two  cases.  The  air  is  taken  by  one 
of  the  fan-cases  through  the  usual  central  apertures  or  induction  pas- 
sages, when  the  fan  is  used  for  exhausting,  and  it  is  delivered  by  a  tan- 
gential passage  at  the  periphery,  in  a  direction  at  a  right  angle  to  the 
fan's  axial  line.  This  air  is  then  conveyed  diagonally  across,  by  a  com- 
municating passage  under  the  sole-plate,  to  a  central  side-opening  in  the 
inner  face  of  the  second  case;  and  the  fan,  in  this  case,  then  finally  expels 

Fig.  1. 


the  air  through  its  tangential  opening.  In  this  way  the  duplex  action 
affords  a  superior  degree  of  pressure,  whilst  the  fan  runs  steadily,  from 
its  being  driven  by  a  central  pulley.  The  moving  parts  and  bearings 
may  be  easily  removed  without  disturbing  the  sole-plate,  or  inner  cheeks, 
or  side-plates ;  and,  except  where  a  high  pressure  is  desired,  half  the 
ordinary  amount  of  speeds  and  gearing  may  be  dispensed  with.  By  a 
simple  arrangement  and  modification  of  valves  and  passages,  this  im- 
proved blower  is  capable  of  effecting  the  double  process  of  blowing  and 
exhausting  at  the  same  time ;  or,  on  the  other  hand,  as  an  exhauster,  it 
may  be  contrived  to  exhaust  with  the  whole  of  its  power,  as  derived 
from  its  duplex  action. 

Fig.  1  of  our  engravings  is  a  plan  of  the  fan,  and  fig.  2  a  transverse  ver- 
tical section,  a  is  the  primary  or  supplying  fan,  which  takes  in  the  air 
to  be  transmitted;  and  b  is  the  increased  pressure  or  transmitting  fan. 
Both  fans  are  of  the  same  diameter,  but  the  supplying  one  is  rather 
wider  than  the  discharger;  and  the  two  cases  are  bolted  down  on  the 
same  level,  c  d,  with  a  single  sole-plate,  a  stiffening  connection  being 
provided  at  the  upper  end  in  a  cross  rod,  e.  A  single  spindle,  r,  actuates 
the  combined  apparatus,  a  band  or  strap  pulley,  G,  being  fast  on  an  enlarged 
central  portion  of  this  spindle,  so  as  to  enable  the  actuating  power  to  be 
communicated  at  the  centre  of  the  apparatus,  and  thus  insure  steadiness 
of  working.  The  spindle,  P,  is  carried  near  one  end,  in  a  long  bearing, 
h,  in  a  cross  bracket,  i,  bolted  to  the  inside  of  the  fan-plate,  or  cheek. 
Outside  this  bearing  is  a  square  shoulder,  or  seat,  J,  on  which  the  boss, 
k,  of  the  vanes,  or  fan-arms,  is  fitted,  the  setting-up  adjustment  being 
effected  by  the  frictional  bending  nut,  r.,  on  the  spindle  end.  The  vanes, 
or  fan-blades,  M,  are  riveted  to  the  solid  arms  of  the  boss,  K.  When  at 
work,  as  a  duplex  action  blower,  the  air  to  be  transmitted  enters  on  each 
side  of  the  case  of  the  fan,  A,  by  the  two  opposite  central  apertures,  n  ; 
and  as  it  is  compressed  by  the  vane  action,  the  air  so  taken  in  then  descends 
through  the  bottom  thoroughfare,  o,  and  enters  a  bottom  cross  passage, 
p,  beneath  the  fan  sole-plate.  The  passage,  p,  may  bo  prolonged 
downwards,   to    afford  a  better  passage  for  the  air  across.     This  pas- 

2D 


210 


THE  PRACTICAL  MECHANIC'S  JOURNAL. 


sage,  p,  conducts  the  air  current  into  the  ascending  thoroughfare, 
q,  which  has  an  opening  at  its  upper  part,  in  direct  communication 
with  the  central  induction-opening  in  the  pressure  discharging  fan- 
case,  b.  This  secondary  fan-case  is  constructed  in  a  manner  very 
similar  to  the  first  one,  except  that  its  inner  plate,  or  cheek,  r,  has 
cast  upon  it  the  passage,  q,  in  which  again  is  cast  the  long  spindle 
bearing,  s.  It  has,  besides,  no  open  communication  with  the  exter- 
nal atmosphere,  the  only  aperture  in  the  case,  on  one  side,  being  that 
which  is  in  connection  with  the  passage,  q;  whilst,  on  the  other  or 
outer  side,  there  is  merely  a  door  or  slide,  t,  for  oiling  and  examination. 
The  spindle  bearings  are  kept  in  a  well-lubricated  condition  by  oil  receiv- 
ers, u,  filled  with  loose  cotton  or  other  soft  material,  suitable  for  giving 
out  the  oil  slowly  to  the  bearing  surfaces.  The  vanes  and  fan  spindle  are 
the  same  at  this  side  of  the  apparatus,  as  the  corresponding  parts  already 
referred  to.  The  air,  conducted  into  the  secondary  case,  b,  in  the  man- 
ner which  has  been  explained  by  the  passage,  Q,  now  receives  a  second- 
ary pressure  from  the  action  of  the  revolving  vanes  on  this  side ;  and  in 
this  condition  it  is  now  expelled  from  the  case,  b,  through  the  bottom 
tangential  paesage,  v.  In  this  manner  a  high  pressure  is  ob- 
tainable with  a  slow  rate  of  revolution  of  the  fan  spindle,  as  the 
_.    „  second  fan,  b, 

takes  up  the 
air  at  what- 
ever pressure 
may  be  de- 
veloped in  the 
first  fan,  A ; 
Rml  hence  this 
initial  pres- 
sure in  the 
second  fan  is 
increased,  in 
proportion  to 
the  effect  ex- 
ercised upon 
it  in  the  se- 
cond fan,  so 
as  to  give  a 
much  supe- 
rior final  pres- 
sure. The 
adoption  of 
the  separate 
loose  cheeks 
in  the  fan- 
tases,  with 
the  arrange- 
ment of  the 
cross  bracket, 
i,  affords  pe- 
culiar facilities  for  erection  and  removal,  or  examination.  For  when 
the  cross  bracket,  i,  is  taken  out,  the  whole  of  the  working  parts  may 
be  at  once  separated,  as  required,  without  disturbing  the  fixed  or  sta- 
tionary portions  of  the  apparatus. 

Instead  of  using  this  fan  for  merely  obtaining  a  high  blowing  or 
forcing  pressure,  the  primary  fan,  a,  may  alone  be  used  as  a  single-action 
blower.  To  effect  this,  the  stop-valve,  w,  governing  the  bottom  passage, 
r,  between  the  two  fans,  is  closed;  and  the  air  still  being  taken  in  by 
the  two  opposite  central  ports,  K,  it  is  expelled  under  a  single-action 
pressure  through  the  pipe,  x,  which  is  only  attached  to  the  apparatus 
when  it  is  to  be  employed  in  this  manner.  Then,  when  the  process  of 
exhausting  is  to  be  carried  on  simultaneously  with  this  blowing  action, 
by  the  instrumentality  of  the  second  fan,  b,  the  valve,  w,  being  still 
kept  closed,  the  additional  pipe,  y,  is  to  be  connected  to  the  cross  pas- 
sage, p,  or  to  any  part  of  the  induction  passage  of  the  secondary  fan. 
When  so  arranged,  air  may  be  drawn  or  exhausted  from  any  desired 
quarter  through  this  pipe,  v,  and  discharged  from  the  case,  n,  at  v;  or, 
if  the  exhausted  matter  is  offensive,  the  discharged  current  may  be  con- 
veyed out  of  the  way  through  an  extension  pipe.  If,  again,  it  is  in- 
tended to  provide  for  a  duplex-action  exhaust,  with  the  full  power  of  both 
fans,  the  intermediate  valve,  w,  in  the  connecting  passage  between  the 
two  cases,  is  opened,  and  the  central  opening  in  the  inside  cheek  of  the 
case,  a,  is  closed.  At  the  same  time,  the  exhaust  pipe,  y,  must  be 
put  in  communication  with  the  central  opening  in  the  outer  cheek  of  the 
fan-cases.  In  this  way,  the  entire  undivided  power  of  the  appara- 
tus will  be  employed  in  exhausting,  the  exhausted  air  being  taken  in 
at  the  outside  central  aperture  in  the  case,  a,  and  conveyed  away  through 
the  tangential  discharge  thoroughfares  of  both  fans. 


PPfilltiK 


WARP  DELIVERY  FOR  POWER-LOOMS. 
C.  Parker,  Dundee. — Patent  dated  March  7,  1853. 

Mr.  Parker's  contrivance  relates  to  the  construction  of  power-looms 
in  such  manner  that  the  delivery  of  the  warp  from  its  carrying  beam  or 
roller,  may  be  effected  in  a  continuously  uniform  and  regular  manner, 
during  the  whole  weaving  operation,  quite  irrespective  of  the  varying 
diameter  of  the  warp-beam,  consequent  upon  the  gradual  withdrawal 
therefrom  of  the  warp  as  the  weaving  proceeds.  To  obtain  this  effect, 
the  warp-beam  is  arranged  to  rest,  through  the  actual  mass  of  wound- 
up or  beamed  warp,  upon  a  roller,  which  is  driven  at  a  continuously 
uniform  speed  of  revolution,  through  the  intervention  of  gearing  in  con- 
nection with  the  main  crank  or  tappet  shaft.  This  roller,  so  driven, 
communicates  its  motion  to  the  warp-beam  by  frictional  contact ;  and 
as  the  periphery  of  this  driving  roller  always  passes  through  equal  spaces 
in  equal  increments  of  time,  it  necessary  follows  that  it  will  communi- 
cate a  uniform  surface  velocity  to  the  warp-beam,  whether  the  latter 
is  full  or  nearly  empty ;  the  warp-beam  having  liberty  to  sink  down 
upon,  and  approach  to  its  actuating  roller,  as  the  warp  is  unwound. 
The  result  of  this  arrangement  is,  that  when  the  working  speed  of  the 
driving  roller  is  once  adjusted,  it  will  cause  the  warp  to  be  delivered 
from  the  beam  to  the  weaving  details  at  a  regular  rate,  until  the  beam 
is  quite  emptied,  thus  doing  away  witli  the  usual  dragging  of  the  warp- 
beam,  and  mitigating  the  severity  of  the  strain  upon  the  warp  threads. 

Our  engraving  represents  a  vertical  transverse  section  of  the  warp- 
beam  and  its  driving  roller,  as  thus  fitted 
in  a  loom.  The  warp-beam,  a,  has  the 
two  ends  of  its  spindle  entered  into  verti- 
cally-slotted pieces,  on  the  inner  side  of 
each  end  standard  of  the  framing,  so  that 
the  mass  of  beamed  warp  rests  fairly  upon 
the  roller,  b,  beneath,  the  beam  having 
full  liberty  to  traverse  a  short  distance 
vertically  by  the  working  of  its  spindle 
through  its  slotted  guides.  The  roller, 
b,  is  driven  at  a  uniform  rate  by  gearing 
from  the  tappet  shaft,  and  as  its  frictional 
contact  with  the  beamed  warp  causes  the 
beam,  a,  to  revolve,  the  line  of  warp 
threads,  c,  passes  off  inside  the  roller,  b, 
wrapping  nearly  round  it  on  the  lower 
side.  Thence  the  threads  pass  up  out- 
side the  roller,  and  clearing  the  warp- 
beam,  to  the  horse,  or  whip  bar,  D,  whence 
they  pass  directly  to  the  pointof  weaving. 

A  loose  pulley  is  fitted  on  each  end  of 
the  warp-beam  spindle,  and  over  each  of 
these  pulleys  is  hung  a  cord,  e,  one  end 
of  which  is  secured  to  a  stud  in  the 
framing,  whilst  the  opposite  free  end  is 
linked  to  an  adjustable  weighted  lever. 
The  object  of  this  contrivance  is  the 
production  of  a  satisfactory  downward 
pressure  for  keeping  the  beamed  warp 
well  in  contact  with  its  roller,  and  pre- 
vent all  chance  of  slipping;  there  being  no  "drag"  whatever  upon  the 
warp,  inasmuch  as  the  warp-beam  is  forcibly  carried  round  by  the 
frictional  roller  action,  against  whatever  amount  of  friction  may  arise 
from  the  action  of  the  weighted  pulleys.  When  the  warp  has  to  be 
taken  back  at  any  time,  the  weaver  accomplishes  the  movement  by 
working  a  foot  lever  in  connection  with  the  disengaging  movement  of 
a  pair  of  bevil-wheels  in  the  line  of  gear  between  the  tappet  shaft  and 
the  roller,  n.  As  long  as  the  weaver's  foot  presses  this  lever,  the  bevil- 
wheels  remain  out  of  gear;  but  when  the  pressure  is  removed,  a  coiled 
spring,  connected  with  the  lever,  forces  the  wheels  into  gear  again.  By 
this  plan,  the  weaver  can  allow  any  number  of  weft  threads  to  go  into 
the  cloth  before  delivering  any  warp ;  and  this,  in  many  cases,  will 
supersede  taking  back  altogether. 

DRESSING  AND  SIZEING  MACHINES. 

W.   Bashall,  Jun.,  Preston. — Patent  dated  March  14,  1853. 

Mr.  Bashall's  useful  contrivance  relates  to  the  application  of  lubricat- 
ing matter  to  cotton  and  other  yarn,  or  warp  threads,  after  such  threads 
have  passed  through  the  sow  or  dressing  trough  of  dressing,  sizeing,  or 
tape  machines,' in  the  ordinary  process  of  dressing,  sizeing,  or  preparing 
the  warps  for  being  woven ;    the  object  of  such  treatment  being  the  ren- 


THE  PRACTICAL  MECHANIC'S  JOURNAL. 


211 


dering  the  yarn  or  warp  threads  more  open,  softer,  and  less  wiry  than 
warps  treated  in  the  ordinary  manner ;  and  the  removal  of  the  usual 
harshness  in  such  threads,  as  well  as  the  commonly  experienced  ten- 
dency of  the  individual  threads  to  become  matted,  or  adhere  together. 
The  suhstance  applied  to  the  threads  in  carrying  out  this  system  of  pre- 
paration is  oil,  or  any  conveniently  obtainable  oleaginous  or  greasy 
matter.  Such  lubricating  or  softening  substance  is  applied  to  the  threads 
by  means  of  a  roller,  partially  immersed  in  the  lubricating  matter,  and 
arranged  so  that  it  shall  revolve  in  contact  with  the  threads,  and  trans- 
mit the  determined  quantity  of  the  lubricating  matter  to  the  threads  in 
a  continuously  uniform  manner.  The  matter  employed  is  applied  to  the 
threads,  after  the  latter  have  passed  through  the  usual  dressing  or  size- 
ing  trough,  or  through  the  finishing  rollers,  or  after  passing  over  the 
drying  cylinders.  This  system  of  treatment  is  applicable  in  the  pre- 
paration of  warps  by  any  of  the  machines  now  commonly  in  use.  For 
the  finer  yams,  the  common  dressing  machine  may  be  used ;  but  Mr. 
Bashall  has  adapted  the  process  in  his  own  works,  to  what  is  known 
by  manufacturers  as  "  Hornby  and  Kenworthy's  patent  sizeing  or 
dressing  machine." 

In  using  these  improvements  in  the  latter  machine,  a  transverse 
trough  or  receiver  is  fitted  up  across  the  framing  of  the  machine,  close 
to  the  drying  cylinders,  such  trough  having  in  it  the  oil  or  other  lubri- 
cating matter  which  is  to  be  employed.   Immediately  over  and  dipping  into 


this  lubricating  trough  is  a  transverse  roller,  carried  in  suitable  end  bear- 
ings in  the  framing,  and  actuated  by  gearing  from  any  convenient  move- 
ment of  the  m  aehine,  so  as  to  rotate  at  the  speed  determined  by  the  operator. 
Then,  as  the  warp  emerges  from  the  dressing  troughs,  it  passes  over  or 
round  the  heated  drying  cylinders  in  the  usual  manner ;  and  after  leaving 
such  drying  surfaces,  the  threads  pass  over  the  top  or  upper  side  of  the 
revolving  oil-distributing  roller,  and  are  thus  suitably  saturated  with 
the  oily  matter.  The  warp  then  passes  off  from  the  machine,  and  is 
otherwise  treated  in  the  usual  way.  The  oil  trough  is  kept  supplied 
with  its  contained  fluid  by  a  separate  reservoir,  conveniently  disposed  in 
an  open  space  in  the  machine  framing,  a  pipe  from  which  reservoir  has 
an  adjustable  valve  in  it,  so  that  the  flow  can  be  set  by  hand  to  the 
amount  required  during  working.  And  in  order  that  the  oleaginous 
supply  may  be  accurately  suited  to  the  wants  of  the  warp  at  all  times, 
the  stopping  mechanism,  whereby  the  dressing  or  sizeing  operation  is 
started  and  suspended,  has  suitable  connections  attached  to  it  in  such 
manner,  that  when  the  machine  is  stopped,  the  line  of  warp  threads  is 
elevated  from  contact  with  the  lubricating  roller  or  surface ;  and  when 
the  machine  is  again  put  in  motion,  the  starting  mechanism  similarly 
brings  down  the  line  of  warp  threads  to  bear  against  the  lubricating 
roller.  The  same  movement  is  also  connected  with  the  oil-supply  pipe 
from  the  reservoir,  so  that,  when  the  machine  stops,  all  waste  of  oil  is 
prevented. 


SAFETY  APPARATUS  FOR  RAILWAYS. 
Robest  Walker,  Glasgow. — Patent  dated  March  24,  1 853. 
Fie.  1. 


Fig.  2. 


Mr.  Walker's  contrivance,  which  we  briefly  noticed  last  month,  is 
now  fully  illustrated  in  the  annexed  engravings — fig.  1  being  a  side 
elevation,  and  fig.  2  a  plan  of  a  portion  of  a  railway,  fitted  up  with 
the  apparatus,  and  having  a  locomotive  in  action  upon  it.  The 
arrangement,  which  is  in  this  instance  self-acting,  is  placed  at  suitable 
intervals  of  a  quarter  er  half  a  mile  for  example,  along  the  line,  and  the 
engine,  a,  is  represented  aa  in  the  act  of  passing  over  it.  At  nis  an  upright 
catch-piece,  working  vertically  between  friction  pulleys,  in  a  cast-iron  cas- 


ing, c,  lying  between  and  below  the  surface  of  the  rails,  d.  The  catch-piece, 
B,  is  connected  by  the  double-armed  lever,  e,  and  a  short  link,  to  a  disc  or 
crank  on  the  short  transverse  spindle,  p.  This  spindle  passes  beneath  a 
second  catch-piece,  o,  similar  to  the  catch-piece,  b,  but  in  the  rear  of  the 
latter.  A  small  cam,  H,  is  fast  on  the  spindle,  and  is  so  adjusted  that, 
when  the  catch-piece,  n,  is  depressed,  it  shall,  by  means  of  the  connections 
described,  be  caused  to  turn  round,  and  lift  up  the  catch-piece,  G.  The 
cam,  ii,  is  of  such  a  shape  that,  when  elevated,  no  downward  pressure  can 


212 


THE  PRACTICAL  MECHANIC'S  JOURNAL. 


cause  it  to  turn ;  and  it  therefore  keeps  the  catch-pieee,  g,  up,  until 
acted  upon  by  the  lever,  e.  The  first  catch-piece,  E,  is  placed  near  the 
left-hand  rail,  for  example,  whilst  the  other  one,  o,  is  placed  near  the 
other,  or  right-hand  rail.  For  the  purpose  of  depressing  the  catch-piece 
B,  a  rod,  i,  is  fitted  to  the  under  side  of  the  engine.  This  rod  has  a 
gently  curved  shape,  so  as  to  come  upon  and  depress  the  catch-piece  in 
a  gradual  manner.  A  second  rod,  k,  is  fitted  to  the  engine,  in  a  position 
to  come  in  contact  with  the  catch-piece,  a.  This  rod  is  connected  by  a 
joint,  L,  to  the  fore  end  of  the  engine,  whilst  at  the  other  end  it  is  jointed 
to  the  vertical  rod,  m,  which  communicates  with  the  regulator  valve, 
whistle,  or  brake  gear,  or  with  all  these  at  the  same  time.  The  rods,  i 
and  K,  are  each  curved  at  both  ends,  so  as  to  act  equally  well  in  which- 
ever direction  the  engine  is  proceeding.  It  will  thus  be  seen  that  the 
engine,  a,  in  passing  over  the  apparatus,  will,  by  means  of  the  fixed  bar, 
I,  depress  the  catch-piece,  b,  and,  as  a  consequence,  raise  the  catch-piece, 
o,  in  the  rear;  so  that,  if  a  second  engine  be  following,  the  rod  upon  it, 
corresponding  to  K,  will  come  in  contact  with  the  catch-piece,  a,  and, 
by  means  of  the  rod,  m,  the  steam  will  be  cut  off,  so  as  to  bring  the 
engine  to  a  stand.  The  catch-piece,  o,  will  remain  elevated  until  the 
engine,  a,  reaches  the  next  safety  apparatus ;  but  in  order  that  it  may 
not  remain  elevated  longer  than  this,  a  third  catch-piece,  N,  is  placed 
immediately  behind  the  next  apparatus.  This  catch-piece,  N,  is  con- 
nected by  a  cord  or  wire,  o,  with  the  first  catch-piece,  b,  in  such  a 
manner,  that  when  the  latter,  b,  is  depressed,  the  former,  n,  will  be  ele- 
vated, and  vice  versa.  Thus  the  engine,  passing  over  b,  will  have 
depressed  it,  and  elevated  N ;  but  on  reaching  the  latter,  this  will,  in  its 
turn,  be  depressed,  and  the  other  one,  n,  consequently  elevated.  The 
elevation  of  the  catch-piece,  b,  however,  causes  the  depression  of  the 
catch-piece,  o,  as  already  shown ;  so  that,  on  the  arrival  of  the  engine  at 
N,  the  catch-piece,  o,  will  cease  to  be  elevated,  and  a  succeeding  engine 
will  be  ablo  to  pass  it  unimpeded.  At  p  is  a  catch-piece  of  the  second 
apparatus,  and  corresponding  to  o.  It  is  shown  elevated,  this  indicating 
that  the  engine  in  advance  of  the  one,  A,  has  not  yet  reached  the  third 
apparatus ;  so  that  on  reaching  p,  the  engine,  a,  would  be  stopped. 
When  necessary,  the  mechanism  may  be  actuated  by  band,  by  pulling 
the  cord,  o,  in  either  direction.  When  this  means  of  stopping  trains  is 
employed  near  stations,  and  at  other  places,  where  great  care  is  required, 
the  spindle,  r,  of  the  cam,  n,  which  serves  to  elevate  the  catch-piece,  a, 
has  fixed  upon  it  a  pulley,  Q,  round  which  passes  the  cord  or  wire  rope, 
n.  This  cord  passes  on  one  side  over  a  small  guide  pulley,  s,  and  is 
attached  to  a  counterweight,  t,  which  stretches  it,  and  binds  it  tightly 
upon  the  pulley,  Q,  and  also  brings  tho  pulley  back  to  its  normal  posi- 
tion, when  the  other  end  of  the  cord  is  released.  This  other  end  of  the 
cord  is  attached  to  a  hand  lever,  it,  under  the  control  of  the  signalman, 
and  is  precisely  similar  to  the  apparatus  at  present  in  use  for  actuating 
signals  at  a  distance.  'When  the  signalman  wishes  to  stop  an  advancing 
train,  he  draws  the  lever,  u,  towards  him.  This  action  turns  the  spin- 
dle, f,  by  means  of  the  cord,  and  with  it  the  cam,  n,  consequently  ele- 
vating the  catch-piece,  a.  This  catch-piece  acts  on  the  stop-rod  on 
the  engine  in  the  manner  already  described,  and  causes  the  stoppage  of 
the  train.  Where  this  last-described  arrangement,  for  use  near  stations, 
is  employed,  tho  remainder  of  the  self-acting  mechanism  may  be  dis- 
pensed with ;  and  the  cords  and  other  gear,  already  fitted  up  for  actuat- 
ing signals,  can,  at  very  slight  expense,  be  adapted  to  work  the  safety 
apparatus  in  conjunction  with  the  signals,  and,  in  this  case,  as  well  as 
in  all  cases  where  the  stopping  apparatus  is  not  fitted  continuously 
along  the  line,  each  train  may  be  provided  with  a  catch-piece,  which  the 
guard  can  deposit  at  a  short  distance  in  the  rear  of  the  train,  in  case  of 
accident  or  stoppage.  Or,  according  to  another  of  the  plans  specified  by 
Mr.  Walker,  a  series  of  disconnected  adjustable  catch-pieces  may  be 
fitted  at  intervals  along  the  line,  so  that,  in  case  of  accident,  the  guard 
can  go  to  the  nearest  one  and  raise  it,  so  as  to  stop  a  following  train. 


to  allow  the  hinged  stationery  rack  to  turn  down  when  necessary.  This 
done,  and  the  top  pushed  back,  the  whole  may  be  secured  by  a  lock  on 
the  front  drawer.     The  ink  range  is  attached  to  the  back  rack,  and  is 

Fig.l 


REGISTERED  DESIGNS. 


LIBRARY  DESK,  OR  DEVONPORT. 

Registered  for  Messrs.  J.  W.  &  T.  Allen,  West  Strand,  London. 

As  an  article  of  furniture,  this  very  elegnnt  and  convenient  desk  is 
similar  to  an  ordinary  Devonport;  but,  as  a  desk  proper,  it  is  a  very  great 
improvement  upon  all  previous  contrivances  of  its  class.  Fig.  1  is  a 
perspective  view  of  the  desk  complete,  with  its  top  opened  for  use.  Fig. 
2  is  a  detached  view  of  the  top  as  closed  down.  At  the  back  is  a  closing 
rack,  containing  articles  of  stationery,  arranged  in  compartments ;  and 
immediately  in  fiont  of  this  is  a  tray,  containing  two  inkstands,  taper, 
and  lights,  with  all  the  usual  cells  for  the  minor  adjuncts  of  the  desk. 
The  actual  writing  top,  in  front,  is  capable  of  gliding  forward  far  enough 


suspended  on  pivots,  so  that  it  constantly  maintains  a  horizontal  posi- 
tion. Down  the  sides  are  drawers  for  papers.  In  this  arrangement, 
everything  is  most  conveniently  presented  to  the  writer;  and  when  the 

Fig.  2. 


articles  are  not  in  use,  they  can  be  closed  at  once  within  the  desk  at  one 
operation,  assuming  their  former  position  when  required,  without  de- 
rangement.    The  desk  is  22  inches  square,  and  32  inches  high. 

INK-BOTTLE. 

Registered  for  Messes.  Blackwood  &  Co.,  Long  Acre,  London. 

Our  engraving  represents  this  bottle  as  made  in  glass,  to  be  used 
instead  of  the  common  stoneware  bottles.  The  makers'  object  has  been 
the  carrying  out  the  principle  of  their  larger  clean-conducting  spouted 
bottles,  down  to  inkholders  of  the  smallest  size.  Like  the  spouted  bottle, 
this  little  contrivance  effects  a  clean  satisfac- 
tory pouring  discharge  into  any  inkstand;  and 
it  may  itself  be  used  as  an  inkstand,  the  aper- 
ture presenting  an  inclination  suited  to  the 
position  of  the  pen  when  taking  a  dip. 

The  bottle,  from  which  we  have  made  our 
drawing,  contains  a  new  bluish-black  writing 
fluid,  lately  invented  by  Mr.  Pinkney,  of 
Messrs.  Blackwood's  firm.  This  fluid,  unlike 
common  ink,  is  not  a  precipitate  kept  up  in 
suspension  by  gummy  matter,  but  is  a  true 
chemical  solution,  which  flows  freely  from  the  pen,  and  improves  by 
atmospheric  exposure  in  tho  inkstand.  It  brings  with  it  a  great  deal 
of  comfort  to  the  writer. 


THE  PRACTICAL  MECHANIC'S  JOURNAL. 


213 


ORNAMENTAL  WATCH-CHAIN 
CONNECTOR. 

Registered  for  Messrs.  Whitmore  and  Winstone, 
Manufacturing  Jewellers,  Union  Court,  Old 
Broad  Street,  London. 

This  pretty  little  toy  is  an  improvement  upon 
the  ordinary  transverse  key  attached  to  the  end 
of  watch-chains,  for  connection  with  the  button- 
hole of  the  waistcoat.  Our  engravings  represent 
it  full  size.  Fig.  1  is  an  external  view  of  the 
connector  complete;  fig.  2  is  a  longitudinal 
section  to  correspond.  Externally,  it  is  a 
miniature  umbrella,  the  closing  ring,  a,  for  the 
cover  of  which,  is  fitted  with  a  small  link  for  the 
chain  attachment.  The  handle,  n,  ornamented 
by  an  inserted  stone  or  jewel,  has  a  screwed 
shoulder  for  insertion  in  the  body  piece,  and  the 
inner  projecting  part  is  contrived  to  answer  as  a 
pencil-case,  or  toothpick.  The  opposite  end,  c, 
is  the  winding-up  key  for  the  watch. 


REVIEWS  OF  NEW  BOOKS. 


Retort  to  the  Health  CosrurrrEE  cr  the  Borough  of  Liverpool,  ox 
the  Sewerage,  Paving,  Cleansixg,  and  other  Works,  under  the  Sana- 
tory Act.     By  James  Newlands,  CE.     Pp.  60.     Liverpool.     1853. 

The  report  in  April,  1851,  of  Mr.  Newlands,  the  able  and  indefatigable 
borough  engineer  of  Liverpool,  afforded  us  a  more  than  ordinarily 
good  opportunity  of  discussing  the  question  of  sanatory  measures  in  large 
towns.*  The  pages  now  before  us  are  no  less  suggestive ;  we  find  from 
them  that,  in  the  two  years  comprehended  between  April  1851,  and 
April  1853,  nearly  14  miles  of  sewers  have  been  constructed  in  Liverpool, 
making  nearly  31  miles,  as  the  aggregate  of  construction  since"  the 
passing  of  the  sanatory  act.  And  to  bring  the  matter  still  more  boldly 
out,  the  author  gives  us  an  elaborate  table,  showing  the  total  cost,  cost 
per  lineal  yard,  and  the  average  cost  per  lineal  yard,  of  these  works.  An 
analysis  of  this  statement  stands  thus : — 

Sewer,  3  feet  6  inches,  by  2  feet  3  inches,  cost „ £113  per  yard. 

"      3  feet,  by  1  foot  10  inches,  0  14  11       " 

12  inch  pipe,  cost  Ss.4id.;  and  9  inch  pipe,  6s.  l^d.  per  yard. 

These  works  have  been  carried  into  some  of  the  most  unhealthy  dis- 
tricts of  the  town,  where  the  beneficial  results  may  be  expected  to  be 
particularly  strongly  marked  ;  and  it  is  worthy  of  attention,  that  in  most 
cases  the  owners  of  property  have  shown  their  appreciation  of  the  benefit 
conferred  on  them,  by  availing  themselves  of  the  construction  of  the 
sewers,  and  draining  their  houses,  without  even  requiring  the  usual 
notice.  This  is  a  healthy  state  of  affairs,  of  which,  we  are  afi  aid,  few 
other  towns  can  boast. 

As  regards  the  cleansing  of  sewers,  Mr.  Newlands  commends  the 
process  recently  patented  by  Mr.  Blades,  the  surveyor  for  the  north 
district,  as  described  by  us  in  August  last.  The  experimental  tests  of 
the  plan  are  thu3  stated: — 

"  Each  yard  of  sewer,  on  an  average,  contained  of  loads  of  silt,  -29 ;  and  rennired  in  day's 
labonr  of  a  man  to  cleanse  it,  -113,  and  in  actual  time,  032  days— while,  by  the  old  plan 
each  yard  of  sewer  containing  the  same  amount  of  silt,  required  of  a  man's  time  3  days' 
and  occupied  in  cleansing,  -1  day.  Or  to  make  the  matter  more  plain  by  an  example-— 
Suppose  a  sewer  is  100  yards  in  length,  silted  up  to  the  depth  of  1  ft.  6  in.  Then  by  the 
old  process,  the  cleansing  of  it  would  occupy  3  men,  10  days ;  and  by  the  new  process  it 
would  occupy  11  men  $  of  a  day. 

"  The  power  which  the  new  apparatus  gives  of  employing  many  men  together  and  of 
rapidly  finishing  the  work,  is  a  most  material  advantage,  and  this,  with  its  'obvious 
economy  when  compared  with  the  former  mode  of  cleansing,  will,  I  think  insure  its 
general  adoption."  ' 

_  The  Liverpool  experience  in  paving  has  led  to  the  general  substitu- 
tion of  square  sets  for  builders,  and  "  macadam,"  the  system  most 
expensive  in  first  cost,  being  found  there,  as  elsewhere,  to  be  the  cheapest 
and  most  satisfactory  in  the  end.  What  Mr.  Newlands  says  on  this 
subject,  may  be  consulted  with  advantage  by  all  who  are  interested  in  the 
question  of  how  our  street-ways  ought  to  be  constructed.  The  pam- 
phlet, which  heare  prominent  marks  of  care  in  its  arrangement,  isfurnished 
with  a  good  index,  a  feature  too  often  overlooked  in  books  of  far  higher 
pretensions. 


*  Page  229,  Part  XLVI.,  Practical  Mechanic's  Journal. 


CORRESPONDENCE. 

CLOUGH'S  SAFETY  APPARATUS  FOR  MINES. 
The  accompanying  sketches  represent  my  proposed  plans  for  arresting 
the  chance  fall  of  buckets  in  mine  shafts,  from  the  breaking  of  the 
suspending  ropes.  I  am  told  by  parties  in  this  quarter,  that  it  is  useless 
to  attempt  the  introduction  of  any  such  precautionary  measures,  for  the 
reason  that  mine  proprietors  would  run  their  ropes  too  long,  and  hence 
increase  the  risk  of  failure.  But  it  seems  to  me,  that  on  the  same  prin- 
ciple we  might  remove  all  the  drag-chains  from  our  carnages  and 
waggons,  for  fear  the  poles  and  harness  should  be  kept  in  work  too 
long. 

Fig.  1  is  a  vertical  section  of  a  shaft — say  of  7  feet  diameter — with 
a  bucket,  a,   suspended  in  it.       If  the   rope,'  e, 
should  break,  spiral  or  other  springs,  c,  in  the  side 
of  the  bucket,  would  force  out  the  iron  levers  of 
the  third  order,  d,  and  cause  the  rectangular  points, 
at  their  upper  ends,  to  enter 
the   joints  of   the  bricks   or 
stones  of  the  shaft  wall,  so  as 
to  arrest    the     bucket's    fall. 
The  levers  are  guided  in  their 
movements       by      horizontal 
slotted  projections,  set  diame- 
trically opposite  to  each  other 
on  the  bucket. 

Fig.  2  is  another  contrivance 
for  the  same  object.  Here,  if 
the  suspending  rope,  A,  should 
fail,  the  india-rubber  springs. 
b,  would  come  into  operation, 
and,  by  their  reactionary 
spring,  cause  the  two  crossed 
beams  or  spars,  c,  to  close  or 
collapse.  In  other  words,  these 
spars  would  turn  upon  their 
central  joint  pin,  D,  and  the 
points,  e,  on  the  lower  ends  of  the  spars  would  then  enter  the  wall.  The 
dotted  lines  indicate  this  movement,  and  show  how  the  bucket  would 
remain  suspended  from  the  upper  end  of  the  spars,  the  ropes  or  chains 
passing  freely  through  rings  or  slots.  I  am  satisfied  that  no  safety 
contrivance  can  work  properly  without  a  spring  somewhere.  Mr. 
Norcombe  of  Heavitree  states  that  his  safety  bar  will  turn  by  its  own 
gravity.  It  might  do  so,  perhaps,  before  the  bucket  reached  the  bottom 
of  the  shaft ;  but  the  jerk  at  that  time  would  be  so  excessively  violent, 
as  to  throw  every  man  out  of  the  bucket. 

C.  Butlek  Ci.ough. 

Tyddyn,  Mold,  November,  1853. 


TEMPLATE  FOR  IRON  SHIPBUILDERS. 

As  shipbuilders  are  now  quite  sensible  of  the  benefits  derivable  from 
templating  the  plates  in  iron  vessels,  I  beg  to  submit  to  you  a  plan  of 
template,  which  I  shall  have  much  pleasure  in  seeing  in  the  Practical 
Mechanic's  Journal.     Fig.  1  is  a  side  view  of  the  apparatus  complete. 

Fig. 1. 


It  is  designed  with  a  special  view  to  lightness,  and  with  as  few  parts  as 
possible,  to  be  adjusted  in  applying  it  to  the  side  of  a  vessel.  The  parts 
between  the  holes  in  the  two  main  frames  are  cut  out,  thus  necessitating 
the  use  of  a  double  pin  for  marking  off  the  plates.  The  frame  is  fitted 
to  an  adjustable  apparatus,  the  ends  somewhat  resembling  the  common 
workshop  compasses,  with  quadrant  and  screw  for  receiving  the  frame 
when  set.  There  is  a  longitudinal  bar  for  varying  the  piece  for  insert- 
ing the  holes  in  frames.     It  is  jointed  at  one  end,  but  left  loose  at  the 


214 


THE  PRACTICAL  MECHANIC'S  JOURNAL. 


other ;  but  when  the  frame  is  set,  it  is  fixed  by  a  bolt,  like  all  the  other 
connections.  The  middle  pins  are  double,  jointed  at  one  end  to  the  frame, 
and  screwed  together  with  two  bolts  in  each. 

Fi    2  It  is  obvious  that  this  con- 

trivance will  answer  only  for 
one  pitch  of  rivet-holes.  To 
make  a  universal  template,  I 
propose  to  slot  out  the  frame 
pieces  for  their  entire  length,  the 
holes  being  represented  by  a 
short  hollow  tube,  with  a  hole 
corresponding  to  the  size  of  the 
rivet  wanted.  This  is  shown 
in  figs.  2  and  3,  where  the  short 
tubes  have  each  an  end  collar  on 
one  side,  and  a  nut  screwed  on 
Flg' 3-  the  other,  with  two  slots  to  un- 

screw by.  The  sides  of  the  frame  might  be  set  out  into  various  pitches, 
so  that  the  workman  would  simply  require  to  unscrew  the  bolts  to  fix 
them  at  the  desired  pitch. 

John  G.  Winton. 
Glasgow,  November,  1853. 


SOFTENING  CAST-STEEL  FOR  TOOLS. 

Would  you  be  good  enough  to  state,  in  the  Practical  Mechanic's  Journal, 
how  cast-steel  maybe  softened,  so  as  to  be  workable  into  tools  of  various 
kinds  ?  Several  different  plans  have  been  tried,  but  none  have  yet  suc- 
ceeded satisfactorily.  F  S  T) 

November,  1853. 


NORCOMBE'S  SAFETY  APPARATUS  FOR  MINES. 

The  annexed  sketch  represents  my  simple  apparatus,  which  I  have 
recently  introduced,  for  the  prevention  of  mine  accidents,  from  the 
failure  of  ropes  or  chains.  It  consists  of  a  safety- 
bar,  A,  either  of  wood  or  of  tubular  iron,  about  9 
inches  in  diameter,  and  17  feet  in  length,  for  a 
shaft  12  feet  by  9  feet.  The  diagonal  measure- 
ment of  such  a  shaft  will  be  15  feet  6  inches,  and 
the  additional  1  foot  6  inches  will  prevent  the  bar 
from  turning  in  the  shaft.  To  the  upper  end  of 
this  safety  bar,  a  heavy  iron  band  or  collar,  b,  is 
attached,  a  link  being  added  for  connecting  this 
part  to  the  main  bucket  rope  or  chain,  c,  by  the 
small  chain,  n.  At  the  centre  of  the  bar  is  an 
iron  eye,  e,  capable  of  turning  easily  in  any  direc- 
tion; and  through  this  eye,  the  main  supporting 
chain,  c,  is  passed.  A  small  iron  bar,  F,  is  fas- 
tened at  right  angles  to  the  main  chain ;  and  on 
this  cross-piece  the  eye,  e,  rests,  keeping  the 
safety-bar  in  its  place.  At  o  is  the  safety-chain, 
securely  fastened  to  the  bucket  at  h,  the  upper 
end  being  fastened  to  the  bar,  A,  at  i,  at  a  distance 
of  three  feet  from  the  centre.  The  lower  end  of  the 
bar,  a,  is  armed  with  a  sharp  iron  or  steel  point,  k. 
When  in  action,  the  heavy  upper  end  of  the  bar 
has  a  tendency  to  fall,  but  is  prevented  from 
coming  down  by  the  small  chain,  d.  But  should 
the  main  chain  or  rope  break,  the  suspended 
weight  at  once  comes  upon  the  safety-chain,  o ;  and 
as  the  connection  of  this  chain  with  the  bar  is  at  a 
point,  three  feet  from  the  centre  of  the  latter,  this 
arrangement,  aided  by  the  weighted  end,  B,  gives 
the  bar  a  tendency  towards  a  horizontal  position. 
Hence  the  spike,  k,  catches  in  the  side  of  the 
shaft,  and  the  bar,  a,  becomes  wedged  tight  in  it, 
and  supports  the  bucket. 

E.  S.  Nokcombe. 

Heavitree,  October,  1853. 


THE  REV.  J.    BKODIE'S  IMPKOVEMENTS   IN  SAILING   VESSELS. 

The  first  part  of  these  improvements,  which  I  have  lately  patented,  consists  in 
employing  two  or  more  vessels,  joined  together  at  the  side,  but  placed  at  such  a 
distance  from  each  other  as  will  secure  their  stability  as  floating  bodies,  and  allow 
the  water  they  displace  to  pass  freely  between  them.     One  or  more  of  these  vessels 


must,  be  of  such  a  size  and  form  as  to  contain  the  crew  by  which  they  are  navi- 
gated, with  such  portion  of  the  cargo  to  be  carried  as  may  be  desirable,  while  one 
or  more  may  be  of  smaller  dimensions,  and  be  principally  designed  to  serve  the  pur* 
pose  of  giving  stability  to  the  others.  The  vessels  are  connected  together  by  means 
of  spars  or  beams  of  wood,  or  rods  or  bars  of  iron. 

The  second  part  of  the  invention  consists  in  building  vessels  of  such  a  form  as  to 
avoid  the  ordinary  curvature  of  the  sides  and  bottom,  and  to  substitute,  in  lieu 
thereof,  a  formation  of  the  sides  and  bottom,  relatively  disposed  in  such  a  manner 
as  to  form  an  angle,  the  one  with  the  other — that  is  to  say,  the  bottom  being  flat, 
or  nearly  flat,  and  the  sides  rising  from  it  in  a  straight  line,  or  nearly  so.  Also, 
these  vessels  have  their  stem  and  stern  so  formed  as  to  be  sharp  in  their  horizon- 
tal section. 

The  third  part  of  the  invention  consists  in  the  adapting  and  applying  to  ves- 
sels, whether  of  the  form  above  described  or  not,  a  moveable  stem  or  cutwater, 
fitted  to  the  fore  part  or  bows  of  the  vessel,  in  such  a  manner  as  to  admit  of  its 
being  raised  out  of  its  place,  and  lowered  down  again,  when  circumstances  re- 
quire. 

Stability. — Twin  vessels  will  evidently  possess  a  far  greater  degree  of  stability 
than  any  single  vessel  would  have.  They  are  placed  at  such  a  distance  from  each 
other,  as  may  permit  the  water  displaced  by  the  bows  to  pass  freely  between  them. 
It  is  to  the  neglect  of  this  important  consideration,  that  we  are  to  attribute  the 
failure  of  the  attempts  that  have  hitherto  been  made  to  make  double  vessels  really 
useful.  A  smaller  boat,  or  a  log  of  wood,  may  be  suspended  on  spars  stretched  out 
to  leeward,  like  the  outriggers  of  native  boats  or  prahus  of  India.  These  out- 
riggers, however,  are  only  useful  when  the  vessel  is  under  sail.  They  will  impede 
the  rowing  of  the  boats,  and  afford  but  little  security  when  the  sea  is  rough.  The 
author's  first  idea  was  to  employ  one  or  two  outriggers,  to  give  stability,  while  the 
rowers  sat  in  a  boat  between  them ;  but  a  very  little  consideration  enabled  him  to 
see  that  a  mere  outrigger  would  not  effectually  serve  the  purpose. 

Advantages  of  a  similar  kind  will  result  from  the  employing  vessels  with  flat 
bottoms  and  perpendicular  sides.  When  we  examine  the  build  of  ordinary  boats, 
we  find  that  their  shape,  when  viewed  endways,  resembles  the  letter  V.  Their 
sides,  therefore,  form  an  acute  angle  with  the  water.  The  sides  of  ships  are  more 
nearly  perpendicular ;  but  whenever  they  have  the  wind  a-beam,  and  lie  over  before 
it,  a  similar  remark  may  be  made  in  regard  to  the  angle  which  is  formed  between 
their  bottom  and  the  surface  of  the  water.  A  wave  coming  against  tbem  in  such 
circumstances  acts  as  a  wedge,  and  its  force  tends  to  raise  the  windward  side  of  the 
vessel,  and  turn  it  over.  When  the  bottom  is  flat,  and  the  sides  perpendicular, 
the  wave  has  no  tendency  to  overturn  the  vessel ;  its  force  is  expended  in  dashing 
against  the  side,  and  making  it  move  a  little  to  leeward. 

Buoyancy. — This  object  is  more  especially  desirable  in  life-boats.  It  is  in  general 
attained  by  having  air-tight  chambers,  or  pieces  of  cork,  in  the  sides.  In  boats  of  the 
construction  now  contemplated,  it  is  proposed  to  have  the  narrow  parts,  near  the  stern 
and  bow,  divided  into  air-tight  compartments,  and  the  whole  bottom  filled  with 
layers  of  cork ;  so  that,  with  an  ordinary  complement  of  men,  the  top  of  the  cork 
inside  may  be  level  with  the  surface  of  the  water  without.  The  advantage  of  this 
arrangement  arises  from  its  offering  no  obstruction  to  the  progress  of  the  vessel, 
which  cork  must  do  in  any  other  position. 

Speed. — To  give  speed  in  rowing  boats,  length  of  side,  to  allow  room  for  the 
oars,  is  the  first  requisite ;  and  a  sharp  bow,  and  such  a  form  of  vessel  as  shall 
offer  little  resistance  to  the  wind  and  waves,  is  the  next.  Ordinary  life-boats  are 
made  so  broad,  in  order  to  give  them  stability,  and  have  so  much  space  occupied 
with  cork  and  air-tight  compartments  above,  that  they  offer  a  very  great  resist- 
ance to  a  head  wind  and  opposing  billow.  The  plan  now  proposed  unites  together 
two  narrow  boats,  with  sharp  bows,  so  that  there  is  ample  length  of  side  for  row- 
ing, and  little  resistance  a-head. 

In  sailing  vessels,  the  larger  the  sail  that  can  be  carried  with  safety,  the  greater 
the  speed.  Vessels  constructed  on  the  plan  proposed  can  carry  a  spread  of  canvas 
much  greater  than  any  other  vessel  of  equal  burden  could  bear. 

Strength. — Strength  is  requisite  for  many  objects ;  two  of  them  may  be  more 
especially  referred  to. 

When  a  vessel  rests  on  a  sand-bank  or  rock,  so  that  the  miJdle  is  supported 
while  the  ends  are  unsupported,  or  vice  versa,  when  the  ends  are  supported  and 
the  middle  part  is  left  hollow  below,  there  is  a  strain  which  tends  to  break  the 
vessel  in  two ;  and,  for  resisting  this  strain,  it  is  of  the  highest  importance  that 
the  sides  should  be  made  as  strong  as  possible.  This  strain  is  exactly  similar  to 
that  which  an  ordinary  beam,  employed  in  carpenter  work,  has  to  bear,  or  to  that 
which  tubular  bridges  have  to  sustain.  Experience  has  abundantly  shown  that 
beams,  and  more  especially  tubes,  with  a  flat  bottom  and  perpendicular  sides,  are 
far  stronger  than  circular  or  rounded  ones.  Vessels  of  the  common  construction 
are  round,  and  consequently  weak;  made  in  the  form  now  proposed,  they  are 
square,  and  consequently  strong.  Ordinary  vessels,  moreover,  must  be  made  in 
great  part  of  cross  wood ;  of  the  form  now  suggested,  the  timbers  are  straight,  and 
the  planking  is  bent  only  in  one  direction. 

The  other  object  for  which  strength  is  more  especially  required,  is  for  resisting 
the  shock  that  is  produced  by  a  vessel  striking  any  obstacle  in  its  way.  When 
vessels  of  the  ordinary  form  come  against  a  rock,  or  similar  obstruction,  the  whole 
strain  of  their  impetus  must  be  borne  by  the  part  of  the  bottom  which  is  struck; 
and  that  part,  being  possessed  of  no  greater  strength  than  the  rest,  gives  way  at  once, 
and  a  leak  is  formed.  When  a  vessel  with  a  flat  bottom  strikes  any  obstacle,  it 
will  be  the  angle  or  corner,  formed  by  the  bottom  and  sides,  that  has  to  bear  the 
shock,  and  in  that  corner  the  strength  of  the  vessel  may  be  said  to  be  concen- 
trated. 

Stowage  and  Draught  of  Water. — These  are,  in  many  cases,  objects  of  import- 
ance, and  it  is  very  evident  that  a  square  box  is  more  convenient  for  packing  goods 


THE  PRACTICAL  MECHANIC'S  JOURNAL. 


215 


than  a  round  one,  and  that  a  flat-bottomed  vessel  will  draw  less  water,  in  propor- 
tion to  its  burden,  than  one  of  the  ordinary  form. 

Preservation  of  Life. — Of  a  largish  s;ze,  fastened  with  iron  rods,  as  diagonal 
stays  above,  and  covered  with  a  strong  netting  between  the  boats,  a  vessel,  such  as 
has  been  described,  would  form  a  life-boat,  in  the  ordinary  sense  of  the  term,  possess- 
ing many  advantages.  It  will  have  great  stability,  buoyancy,  and  ample  room  for 
rowers,  while  it  will  be  easily  moved  through  the  water,  in  consequence  of  the 
smallness  of  the  resistance  which  it  offers  to  the  wind  and  waves.  The  passen- 
gers taken  from  a  wreck,  if  too  numerous  to  be  received  into  the  boats,  may  re- 
main lashed  to  the  netting ;  and  though  they  will  of  course  be  wetted  by  the  waves, 
the  time  during  which  they  will  be  thus  exposed  must  be  brief,  as  no  long  space 
can  elapse  ere  a  sharp-built  boat,  running  before  the  wind,  reaches  the  shore.  If 
thought  advisable,  a  sail  can  be  employed  without  hazard.  Life-boats  of  the  ordi- 
narv  construction  are  so  unwieldy,  that  it  is  almost  impossible  to  row  them  against 
wind  and  tide,  and,  when  under  sail,  are  the  most  dangerous  craft  that  could  well 
be  contrived,  as  experience  has  painfully  shown. 

Of  a  smaller  size,  and  fitted  with  sails,  it  will  form  a  safe  and  commodious  boat, 
either  for  piloting  or  fishing.  If  provided  with  a  deck  between  the  middle  trans- 
verse beams,  the  steadiness  of  its  motion,  the  rapidity  of  its  sailing,  and  its  great 
stability  in  the  water,  will  make  it  very  eligible  as  a  pleasure  boat.  When  we 
take  into  consideration  the  number  of  lives  that  are  annually  lost,  in  consequence 
-»t  the  upsetting  of  boats,  there  seems  reason  to  hope  that  the  advantage  which 
would  result  from  this  employment  of  the  invcution  would  be  very  great. 

When  made  so  that  the  boats  can  be  easily  taken  asunder,  and  put  "together 
again,  which  can  be  done  by  a  very  simple  arrangement,  the  invention  will  form 
a  very  convenient  and  effective  life-boat  for  ships  to  carry  with  them.  The  boats, 
when  separate,  in  moderate  weather  and  ordinary  circumstances,  could  stand  close 
to  the  bulwarks,  and  would  take  up  little  room.  On  the  appearance  of  danger, 
they  could  be  drawn  nearer  each  other,  and  bolted  together  in  a  few  minutes,  and 
then  launched  overboard,  without  fear  of  swamping;  and  being  capable  of  bearing 
a  sail,  those  who  escaped  from  the  wreck  would  not  be  left  to  toss  about,  perhaps 
tor  days  or  weeks  together,  at  the  mercy  of  the  waves. 

Fig.  1  represents  a  method  of  giving  stability  and  buoyancy  to  ordinary  ships' 
boats,  by  means  of  a   fruine  of  wood,  formed  by  two  stout  planks,  which  are 

fastened  together  by  means  of  two  spars  of 
a  more  slender  form,  which  cross  them  dia- 
gonally. The  dotted  lines  represent  two 
boats  united  together,  by  being  lashed,  or 
otherwise  secured  to  the  frame.  A  quan- 
tify of  cork  on  the  top  of  the  frame  com- 
pletes the  arrangement,  which  will  thus 
possess  both  buoyancy  and  stability.  If  the 
\  boat  be  made  flat  in  the  bottom,  and  placed 
on  the  deck  of  the  vessel  immediately  behind 
the  steersman,  with  the  frame  fastened  down 
to  the  vessel  by  means  of  ties  or  screws,  the 
other  boat  (an  ordinary  ship's  boat)  might 
be  hauled  up  to  the  other  end  of  the  beams, 
and  again  let  down,  in  the  same  way  that 
buats  are  usually  hung  at  the  stern  of  ves- 
sels. In  case  of  shipwreck,  by  loosening  the 
fastenings,  the  boats  and  frame  would  fall 
together  into  the  sea,  and,  with  ordinary 
precaution,  might  be  made  available  for 
rescuing  the  passengers  and  crew. 

Figs.  2,  3,  and  4,  are  intended  to  illustrate  a  still  more  simple  contrivance. 
Fig.  2  represents  two  seats,  like  those  with  which  the  decks  of  steamers  are 
usually  supplied.     Iustead,  however,  of  the  seats  here  represented  being  merely 

benches    for    sitting 


Fig.  2. 


Fig.  3. 


on,  they  are  boxes 
filled  with  cork,  16 
inches  deep,  by  as 
many  broad,  and  10 
or  12  feet  in  length. 
On  the  top  of  these 
boxes  are  seats, 
formed  of  1|  or  2 
inch  plank,  divided 
into  lengths  of  5  or 
G  feet,  according  to 
the  length  of  the 
box  which  they  cover. 
These  seat-boards  are 
fastened  to  the  top 
of  the  box  by  means 
up  pivot  hinges,  which  allow  them  to  slide  round  upon  it.  They  are  also  pro- 
wded.  with  screws,  which  fit  into  sockets  fastened  to  the  top  and  sides  of  the  box. 
When  danger  threatens,  these  screws  are  loosened,  the  seats  turned  round,  as 
shown  in  fig.  3,  and  then  the  two  boxes  are  united  as  in  fig.  4-  The  spaces  left 
open  between  tbe  boards  are  covered  with  netting.  The  chief  recommendation 
of  thi3  contrivance  is  its  simplicity,  and  the  consequent  ease  with  which  it  may 
be  applied  to  the  object  for  which  it  is  designed.  To  place  two  light  boxes  oppo- 
site to  each  other,  to  unfasten  a  few  screws,  to  turn  round  the  seating  planks,  to 
ther,  to  hook  on  the  netting — which,  of  course,  must  be  kept 
ready  fiistened  to  the  back  of  the  boxes — to  fasten  the  screws  into  their  sockets, 


and  to  heave  the  whole  fabric  overboard,  would  be  but  the  work  of  a  minute  or  two. 
Whether  it  fall  on  the  one  side  or  the  other,  its  buoyancy  and  stability  will  be  the 
same.  Two  men  could  easily  cast  it  into  the  sea,  while  in  the  water  it  could  sup- 
port the  weight  of  ten;  and  though  some  may  hesitate  to  call  it  a  boat,  it  will 
form  a  vessel  that  could  carry  a  sail  with  safety,  in  circumstances  in  which  no 
ordinary  boat  could  live. 

J.  Bkodie. 
Moniemail,  Cupar-Fife,  Nov.,  1853. 

PROCEEDINGS  OF  SCIENTIFIC  SOCIETIES. 


THE  BPaTISH  ASSOCIATION  AT  HULL. 

Section  A. — Mathematical  and  Physical  Science, 
toesday. 

"  On  the  Mixture  pf  Homogeneous  Colours,"  by  Professor  H.  Helmholtz. — The 
author  published,  a  year  ago,  experiments  on  the  mixture  of  homogeneous  coloured 
light,  which  seemed  to  prove  that  there  are  only  two  colours  in  the  solar  spectrum 
capable  of  being  combined  into  white — namely,  yellow  and  indigo.  He  has  re- 
peated these  experiments,  following  another  method,  similar  to  that  lately  described 
by  M.  Foucault,  for  obtaining  larger  fields  equally  dyed  with  the  mixture  of  two 
homogeneous  colours,  and  has  found  that  there  are  more  pairs  of  complementary 
colours  in  the  spectrum.  These  colours  are  situated  at  both  ends  of  the  spectrum  : 
on  one  side,  from  red  up  to  a  yellow  shade,  a  little  greenish ;  on  the  other  side, 
from  violet  up  to  a  blue  shade,  also  a  little  greenish.  The  shades,  however,  in  the 
middle  of  the  spectrum,  in  which  the  green  preponderates,  cannot  give  white  with 
any  other  homogeneous  colour.  Their  complement  is  purple,  and  must  be  com- 
pounded by  violet  and  red.  The  complementary  colour  of  red  is  greenish  blue — of 
orange,  sky  blue — of  yellow,  indigo — of  greenish  yellow,  violet.  The  author  found, 
moreover,  that  the  complementary  colours  are  arranged  in  the  spectrum  in  a  most 
irregular  manner.  As  the  breadth  of  the  differently  coloured  bands  in  prismatic 
spectra  depends  not  only  on  the  wave-length,  but  on  the  substance  of  the  prism, 
he  refers  the  following  results  to  interferential  spectra,  where  the  distance  of  two 
colours  is  proportional  to  the  difference  of  their  respective  wave-lengths.  If  you 
pass  with  an  equal  velocity  through  the  different  colours  of  such  a  spectrum,  the  shade 
is  altered  very  slowly  at  both  its  extremities,  in  the  red  and  violet,  but  in  those  parts 
where  the  complements  of  red  and  violet  are  placed,  in  the  greenish  yellow  and  green- 
ish blue,  the  shade  alters  very  rapidly,  so  that  the  distance  of  extreme  red  and 
golden  yellow  is  about  ten  times  greater  than  the  distance  of  their  complementary 
colours,  greenish  blue  and  sky  blue.  The  author  observed  two  circumstances  in 
these  experiments,  which  had  prevented  him  in  his  former  experiments  from  finding 
other  complementary  colours  than  yellow  and  indigo.  At  first,  according  to  the 
peculiar  distribution  of  complementary  shades  in  the  spectrum,  the  said  colours 
were  able  to  give  a  larger  white  spot  than  the  others.  Secondly,  it  appeared  to  be 
very  difficult  to  the  human  eye,  which  is  not  quite  achromatical,  to  find  and  to 
keep  the  right  focal  length  for  objects  illuminated  by  two  kinds  of  homogeneous 
rays  of  very  different  refrangibility.  Indigo  and  yellow  are  of  less  different  refran- 
gibility  than  any  other  pair  of  homogeneous  complementary  colours,  and  are  there- 
fore easily  combined.  Others,  as  red  and  greenish  blue,  on  the  contrary,  are  united 
in  the  same  field  of  the  retina  with  great  difficulty.  Finally,  the  author  gave 
some  remarks  on  the  best  method  for  bringing  the  whole  variety  of  colours  into  a 
system.  He  stated  that  Newton's  coloured  disc  appeared  to  be  the  most  simple 
and  complete  manner.  Some  points,  however,  are  to  be  changed.  First,  not  only 
the  seven  principal  colours  of  Newton  must  be  arranged  on  the  margin  of  the  disc, 
but  the  whole  definite  number  of  them  existing  in  the  spectrum,  so  that  comple- 
mentary colours  are  placed  in  the  opposite  ends  of  the  same  diameter.  Secondly, 
the  two  ends  of  the  spectrum  cannot  meet  together,  but  must  be  separated  by  an 
interval,  where  the  complementary  colour  of  the  green  shades,  namely,  purple,  is 
to  be  intercalated.  The  commonly-received  theory  of  three  principal  colours,  in- 
cludes a  restriction  of  Newton's  method  contradictory  to  the  author's  former  expe- 
riments. 

"  Meteorological  Observations  made  at  Hull,1'  by  T.  W.  Lawton. 

"  On  Parhelia  observed  at  St.  Ives,"  by  J.  K.  Watts. 

"  Meteorological  Summary,  for  1S52,  of  Observations  at  Huggate,  Yorkshire.1' 
— "  Continuation,  across  the  Country,  of  the  Thunder  and  Rain  Storm,  which 
commenced  in  Herefordshire  on  September  the  4th,  and  terminated  on  the  York- 
shire "Wolds  on  September  the  5th,  1S52." — "  Notice  of  a  terrific  Thunder-Cloud 
on  the  Wolds,  September  the  26th,  1S52."     By  the  Rev.  T.  Rankine. 

"  Suggestions  on  Medical  Meteorology,"  by  J.  Day. 

"  Description  of  his  Graphic  Telescope,"  by  C.  Varley. — The  author  drew  atten- 
tion to  the  imperfections  and  difficulties  experienced  in  using  the  Camera  Lucida, 
and  then  exhibited  and  described  his  instrument.  The  stand  of  it  united  great 
portability  with  complete  steadiness;  and  the  instrument  itself,  which  had  some- 
thing of  the  appearance  of  a  telescope,  could  be  adjusted  so  as  to  focus  the  image 
exactly  at  the  spot  where  the  pencil  was  to  delineate  it,  and  the  direct  view  of  the 
point  of  the  pencil  easily  caused  to  trace  the  picture  to  be  drawn.  The  object-end 
also  of  the  instrument  could  be  turned  round,  so  as  to  place  on  the  paper  any  por- 
tion of  the  landscape  before  the  author  which  he  wished  to  delineate;  or,  if  his 
object  were  to  take  the  inside  of  a  building,  he  could  take  the  ceiling,  or  roof,  floor, 
or  any  portion  of  the  sides  at  pleasure. 

"  On  a  New  Photometer,"  by  Dr.  Price. — The  author,  by  arranging  two  inclined 
mirrors  in  a  box,  contrived  to  reflect  the  standard  light  and  tbe  light  to  be  mea- 
sured, so  as  to  cross  each  other  at  a  piece  of  ground  glass  or  oiled  paper  on  the 
top  of  the  box ;  then  it  was  easy,  he  asserted,  to  adjust  the  distance  of  the  stand- 
ard light,  so  as  to  make  the  two  reflected  lights  appear  equally  intense;  and  then, 


21G 


THE  PKACTICAL  MECHANIC'S  JOURNAL. 


on  the  common  principle,  the  illuminating  power  of  the  li^ht  to  be  estimated  could 
be  calculated. 

"  On  Deep  Sea  Soundings  and  Errors  therein,  from  Strata  of  Currents,  with 
Suggestions  for  their  Investigations,"  by  Dr.  Scoreshy. — He  set  out  by  observing, 
that  the  subject  of  deep  sea  soundings  was  one  which  lately  had  become  of  great 
interest,  inasmuch  as  recent  soundings  had  tended  to  show  that  there  were  profun- 
dities in  the  sea  much  greater  than  any  elevations  on  the  surface  of  the  earth,  for 
a  line  had  been  veered  to  the  extent  of  seven  miles.  He  believed  the  first  sound- 
ings beyond  a  mile  were  made  by  himself,  when  quite  a  youth,  in  the  Arctic  re- 
gions. Since  then,  in  1S49,  her  Majesty's  ship  Pandora  bad  obtained  soundings 
in  the  North  Atlantic,  at  2,OG0  fathoms.  Capt.  Basnet,  in  1 848,  in  the  North 
Atlantic,  got  soundings  at  3,250  fathoms.  In  1849,  Lieut.  Walsh,  of  the  United 
States  Navy,  got  soundings  at  5,700  in  the  North  Atlantic.  But  a  much  greater 
depth  had  been  obtained  by  Captain  Denham  in  the  South  Atlantic.  In  1852,  he 
got  soundings  at  7,706  fathoms.  After  the  line  had  been  let  out  to  that  depth,  it 
came  to  a  pause.  It  was  then  raised  a  little,  and  then  let  out  'again,  when  it  came 
to  a  stop  at  precisely  the  same  point.  The  line  used  was  a  silk  one,  one-tenth  of 
jua  inch  in  diameter,  weighing  about  one  pound  to  every  hundred  yards,  the  plummet 
weighing  about  nine  pounds,  and  being  about  eleven  inches  long.  These  were  per- 
haps very  favourable  circumstances;  but  there  were  considerations  connected  with 
all  deep  sea  experiments,  which  rendered  these  results  extremely  doubtful,  and  not 
only  doubtful,  but  in  some  cases  actually  erroneous.  This  arose  from  the  action  of 
what  he  had,  in  a  previous  paper,  spoken  of  as  the  strata  currents  of  the  ocean — that 
was,  currents  flowing  beneath  each  other,  in  different  wavs,  as  he  had  shown  in  the 
case  of  the  Gulf-stream  and  tho  Polar  current.  It  would  be  evident  that,  in  the 
case  of  a  sounding,  where,  as  with  Capt.  Denham,  a  light  lead  required  nine  hours, 
twenty-four  minutes,  and  forty-five  seconds  to  run  out,  the  action  of  these  currents 
would  affect  the  length  of  the  line  run  out,  and  the  sounding  could  not  be  relied 
upon.  If  the  sea  were  a  stationary  body,  or  if  its  currents  were  uniform  move 
ments  of  the  entire  mass  of  waters  from  the  surface  to  the  bottom,  then  the  lead 
might  lie  fairly  expected  to  take  a  direct  and  perpendicular  course  downw-irds.  But 
if,  in  the  place  of  sounding,  strata  currents,  so  prevalent  in  the  sea,  should  be  mu- 
lling in  different  directions,  or,  what  would  have  the  same  effect,  if  one  stratum  of 
water,  say  a  superficial  stratum,  should  be  in  motion,  and  the  main  body  below  at 
rest,  no  correct  results  could  be  derived.  Dr.  Scoresbv  proceeded  to  show,  illus- 
trating his  argument  with  diagrams,  that  under  such  circumstances  the  line  would 
be  carried  away  by  the  under  current,  so  as  to  make  a  bend,  which,  at  great  depths, 
might  go  to  the  extent  of  miles.  He  had  repeatedly  noticed  this  effect  when  in 
tho  Arctic  seas,  in  his  youth,  hunting  the  whale,  and]  by  noticing  it,  had  been  able 
to  strike  many  second  harpoons,  where  the  other  whale  fi-hers  had  been  at  fault. 
He  had  noticed,  that,  after  a  fish  was  struck,  say  at  the  edge  of  the  ice,  it 
had  dived  in  an  oblique  direction  under  it,  carrying  out  line  for  a  quarter  of  an 
hour  or  twenty  minutes,  when  there  would  be  a  tension  of  from  half-a-ton  to  a  ton 
on  the  line,  and  then  pause  for  a  short  time.  Then  the  fish  would  "  take  line" 
again,  as  if  under  the  ice,  and  perhaps  come  up  a-stern  of  the  fast  boat.  There 
could  be  no  doubt  that  the  second  pulling  out  was  owing  almost  entirely  to  the  re- 
sistance of  the  water.  But  if  the  boat  was  in  clo'ar  water,  and  run  until  tho  pause, 
then  her  head  woidd  perhaps  incline  to  the  right  or  left.  The  boats  then  went  a- 
hcad  of  her ;  but  he,  instead  of  doing  so,  had  always  gone  to  perhaps  treble  the  angle 
of  inclination,  and  had,  for  the  most  part,  been  rewarded  by  his  close  proximity  to 
the  fish  when  it  rose.  Well,  then,  all  circumstances  showed  that  the  currents  of 
the  sea  had  very  considerable  influence  on  the  line  when  let  out;  and  he  came  then 
to  the  consideration  of  a  plan  for  the  determination  of  the  surface  and  relative  strata 
currents.  No  doubt,  broad  determinations  as  to  great  and  decided  currents  and 
proximate  results,  by  means  of  multiplier!  observations  on  currents  of  moderate 
velocities,  were  derivable  from  the  ordinary  pii  i  ess;  but  for  really  satisfactory  re- 
sults, far  more  accurate  and  conclusive  processes  need  to  be  instituted.  And  it 
would  be  well  deserving,  he  thought,  of  an  enlightened  Government  of  a  maritime 
country,  especially  to  employ  smaller  war-vessels  and  officers  in  investigations  on 
the  subject,  for  which  modes,  he  believed,  might  be  made  available,  calculated  to 
yield  much  useful  and  interesting  information.  Two  leading  processes  appeared  to 
him  as  being  applicable  to  these  determinations: — First.  rh°  planting  in  particular 
positions  of  inquiry  in  the  ocean,  from  an  attendant  vessel,  buoys  with  flags,  kept 
ijO  their  places  by  a  resisting  apparatus  be|pw  the  surface,  which  might  be  denomi- 
nated a  current  measurer,  and  determining,  after  a  night's  action,  for«instaricc,  the 
changes  of  their  position  from  celestial  observations.  Then,  secondly,  placing  a 
small  boat  upon  the  water  during  a  calm,  with  the  current  apparatus,  for  the  deter- 
mination of  the  relative  set  of  strata  currents.  The  current  measurer  attached  to, 
and  suspended  by  a  small  wire,  run  off  a  reel  fixed  in  the  how  of  a  boat,  might  be 
lot  down  to  various  depths  in  succession,  with  a  register  thermometer  attached  at 
eaeii  new  depth,  when  the  motion  of  the  boat  and  its  direction,  as  shown  by  the 
position  of  a  surface  float  or  buoy,  would,  after  but  short  intervals  of  time,  indicate 
proximately  the  relative  motion  of  the  surface  water,  and  the  water  at  the  several 
depths  of  the  resisting  apparatus  below. 

Dr.  Buist  said,  that  Dr.  Scoresby  had  given  so  much  in  the  way  of  introduction 
to  what  was  proposed  to  have  been  said,  that  the  accident  that  prevented  the  in- 
struments from  being  exhibited  on  Saturday,  when  the  paper  on  currents,  which 
they  were  meant  to  illustrate,  was  read,  was  almost  a  fortunate  one.  Dr.  Scoreshy 
had  described  the  only  means  hitherto  resorted  to  for  ascertaining  the  existence  and 
character  of  submarine  currents;  and  the  same  cause  that  tended  to  render  deep 
sea  soundings  uncertain,  made  the  ascertainment  of  submarine  currents  by  the  old 
methods  most  unsatisfactory.  Dr.  Buist  then  exhibited  and  explained  the  new  cur- 
rent njeasurer.  As  any  attempt  at  a  minute  description,  without  a  diagram,  would 
be  next  to  unintelligible,  it  may  be  stated  generally,  that  the  instrument  resembled 
a  common  weathercock  turned  upside  down,  and  which,  on   being  lowered  by  a 


wire  to  any  depth,  took  the  direction  of  the  current.  '  It  was  furnished  with  a 
compass,  the  needle  of  which  was  clamped  at  the  proper  time  by  a  second  wire, 
when  a  bladed  wheel,  like  that  of  a  patent  log,  or  of  a  ventilator,  was  allowed  to 
revolve  for  a  minute,  and  worked  like  a  gas-meter,  by  an  endless  screw,  into  a 
toothed  wheel ;  and  when  the  whole  was  drawn  up,  it  indicated  the  direction  and 
velocity  of  the  current  at  any  given  depth.  He  stated  that  superficial  currents  were 
on  a  large  scale,  and,  from  on  board  ships,  best  ascertained  by  what  was  termed 
bottle  logs,  or  slips  of  paper  enclosed  in  a  bottle  thrown  overboard  every  day  at  noon, 
indicating  the  ship's  place,  or  anything  desired  to  be  known  regarding  her.  One  of 
these  was  exhibited  in  the  form  of  a  common  receipt-book,  where  all  the  formal 
part  was  printed  in,  and  the  captain  had  only  to  fill  it  up  with  writing;  counter- 
foils were  left  in  the  book,  containing  a  record  of  the  information  thus  cast  on  the 
waters — these,  amongst  other  things,  serving  afterwards  to  indicate  what  propor- 
tion of  tho  log  had  been  picked  up,  what  lost  sight  of.  It  was  eminently  expe- 
dient, and  occasioned  very  little  trouble,  to  put  a  notice  on  this  of  the  principal 
adventures  the  ship  might  have  met  with.  Had  this  been  always  done,  the  his- 
tory of  the  voyage  of  many  vessels  that  had  perished  at  sea  might,  up  to  a  certain 
point,  have  been  ascertained.  Dr.  Buist  also  explained  other  instruments,  and 
then  gave  an  account  of  a  hail-storm  in  India,  in  the  Peshawur  district,  by  which 
eighty-four  persons,  and  upwards  of  three  hundred  head  of  cattle,  were  killed. 

Mr.  Monday  exhibited  and  described  a  model  of  a  Self-registering  Thermo- 
meter. 

Section  E. — Geography  and  Ethnology/- 

WEDNESDAY. 

"On  certain  Places  in  the  Pacific,  in  Connexion  will'  the  Groai  Circle  Sailing," 
by  the  Rev.  G.  C.  Nicolay. 

"  On  a  Second  Journey  to  St.  Lucia  Bay,  and  the  Adjacent  Country  in  South- 
East  Africa,"  by  R.  W.  Plante. 

"On  certain  Localities,  not  in  Sweden,  occupied  by  Swedish  Populations;  and 
on  certain  Ethnological  Questions  connected  with  the  Coasts  of  Livonia,  Estbonia, 
Courlaud,  and  Gothland,"  by  G.  L.  Latham. 

Section  F. — Statistics, 

TUESDAY, 

Mr.  Cheshire  read  a  communication  from  lady  Benlbam,  widow  of  the  late 
Brigadier-General  Sir  Samuel  Bentham,  on  certain  statements  contained  in  a  com- 
munication to  the  Statistical  Section  at  Belfast,  in  September,  1852,  entitled, 
"  Satisfies  of  Portsea  and  Portsmouth  Dockyard,"  published  in  the  quarterly  Jour-' 
nals  of  the  Statistical  Society  in  June  and  September  of  the  present  year,  in  which 
her  ladyship  corrected  a  few  inaccuracies  relating  to  the  dockyard. 

"  An  Analytical  View  of  Railway  Accidents  in  this  Country  and  on  the  Conti- 
nent of  Europe,  in  the  twelve  years  from  1840  to  1852,"  by  F.  G.  P.  Neison. 

"  Statistics  relative  to  Nova  Scotia  in  1851,"  by  E.  Cheshire. 

The  Rev.  F.  P.  Morris  recited  some  facts  bearing  on  "  Practical  and  Scientific 
Education." 

Section  G. — Mechanical  Science. 


"  The  Rise,  Progress,  and  Present  Position  of  Steam  Navigation  in  Hull,"  by 
J.  Oldham. — In  this  paper,  Mr.  Oldham  took  a  retrospective  survey  of  the  applica- 
tion of  steam  power  to  the  propulsion  of  ships,  with  a  view  to  prove  that  Hull  has 
taken  a  prominent  part  in  the  introduction  and  improvement  of  the  invention.  In 
1787,  experiments  were  made  in  Hull,  by  Messrs.  Furnace  and  Ashton,  which 
resulted  in  the  construction  of  a  steamboat  worked  with  paddles,  that  attracted  the 
attention  of  the  Prince  Regent,  by  whom  the  boat  was  purchased,  but  it  was  soon 
afterwards  maliciously  burnt.  In  1814,  the  first  steamboat  on  the  Humber  was 
established  to  run  from  Hull  to  Gainsborough.  It  was  called  the  Caledonia,  and 
it  accomplished,  under  favourable  circumstances  of  the  tide,  fourteen  miles  an 
hour.  The  first  sea-going  steamboat  sent  from  Hull  was  in  1821  ;  and  it  was 
suppose  1  to  be  the  first  steamboat  that  plied  on  the  east  coast  of  England.  The 
sea-going  steamers  that  are  now  connected  with  the  port  of  Hull,  have  an  aggregate 
tonnage  of  9139,  and  2749  horse  power.  The  tonnage  of  the  river-boats  is 
2218,  with  1135  horse  power.  The  other  steamboats  coming  to  Hull  have  a 
buithen  of  5909  tons,  and  2236  horse  power.  There  are  altogether  80  steam- 
boats trading  with  Hull,  of  which  number  15  are  propelled  by  the  screw. 

A  discussion  arose  on  the  respective  merits  of  the  inventors  of  steam  navigation, 
and  the  priority  of  their  inventions ;  in  which  discussion  Mr.  Fairbairn,  Mr. 
Bayley,  and  Mr.  Thomson  took  part.  Mr.  Fairbairn  said,  he  saw  the  Caledonia 
enter  South  Shields,  and  that  it  was  the  fi;-st  steamboat  in  the  North  after  Henry 
Bed's  on  the  Clyde.  Bell,  it  was  stated,  got  the  idea  of  his  engine  from  Syming- 
ton, and  he  made  propositions  to  our  Government,  and  to  Napoleon  during  the 
temporary  peace,  for  applying  the  principle  to  war  ships;  but  the  plan  was 
as  such  a  means  of  propelling  ships  was  considered  to  be  impracticable. 
In  reference  to  Fulton's  claim  to  be  the  original  inveutor  of  steam  propulsion,  Mr. 
Fairbairn  said  that  Fulton  had  most  probably  seen  an  account  of  Symington's 
experiments,  but  there  could  be  no  doubt  that  he  had  the  precedence  in  bringing 
out  steamboats  in  1807,  and  afterwards  more  successfully  in  1810,  when  his  steam- 
boat was  at  work  on  the  Hudson. 

"  A  brief  Description  of  Locking  &  Cook's  Petitory  Valve  Engine,  and  its 
Advantages,"  by  G.  Locking. — In  this  engine,  a  metal  disc,  with  three  apertures, 
slowly  rotating  on  a  flat  surface,  with  corresponding  openings  connected  with  the 
boiler  and  the  cylinders,  supplies  the  place  of  the  ordinary  slide  valves.  Rotary 
motion  is  given  to  the  valve  by  a  vertical  shaft,  on  which  there  is  a  pinion  that  is 
worked  by  a  cog-wheel  on  the  shaft  of  the  engine.     The  two  bearing  surfaces  are 


THE  PRACTICAL  MECHANIC'S  JOURNAL. 


217 


ground  steam-tight,  and"  an  outer  easing  serves  to  confine  the  steam,  as  in  the 
common  slide  valve.  The  advantages  said  to  be  gained  by  this  arrangement  are 
the  diminution  of  friction,  and  a  more  ready  means  of  cutting  off  the  steam  and 
reversing  the  engine.  As  the  rotary  valve  has  a  continuous  slow  motion,  the 
inconvenience  and  friction  occasioned  by  the  rapid  reciprocating  action  of  the  slide 
valve  is  avoided.  Among  other  advantages  of  this  contrivance,  it  was  stated  that 
it  cost  less,  is  less  liable  to  get  out  of  order,  and  occupies  less  room.  Mr.  Cook, 
the  inventor,  is  a  working  mechanic  in  Hull. 

Mr.  Fairbaim,  Mr.  Roberts,  Mr.  Hancock,  and  other  gentlemen,  expressed 
themselves  favourably  of  the  invention,  and,  at  the  conclusion  of  the  business,  the 
members  of  the  Section  paid  a  visit  to  Messrs.  Locking  and  Cook's  works,  to 
inspect  a  steam-engine  constructed  on  this  principle  in  action. 

11  On  a  new  Thermostat  for  Regulating  Temperature  and  Ventilation,"  by  W. 
Sykes  "Ward. — This  apparatus  consists  of  a  series  of  flat  circular  hollow  cases, 
about  one  foot  in  diameter  and  one  inch  deep,  attached  together  in  their  centres. 
Each  case  contains  a  small  quantity  of  sulphuric  ether,  which  is  readily  affected 
by  change  of  temperature.  The  cases,  comprising  about  six,  are  suspended  one 
under  the  other!  and  to  the  lowest  one  is  attached  a  weight  by  a  cord  that  passes 
over  an  eccentric  pulley.  On  an  increase  of  temperature  the  ether  expands,  and 
the  weight  falls  down,  and  it  is  drawn  up  again  by  the  pressure  of  the  atmo- 
sphere on  the  external  discs  of  the  cases  wheu  the  air  is  cooled.  By  connecting 
the  weight  with  the  ventilators  of  a  conservatory,  or  other  building,  the  tempera- 
ture can  he  thus  regulated  to  any  required  degree  by  a  previous  adjustment  of  the 
apparatus. 

"  On  a  Compound  Safety  Valve,1'  and  "  On  an  Improved  Tubular  Boiler,"  by 
James  Hopkinson. 

MONDAY. 

*'  On  the  Tubular  or  Double  Life-Boat,"  by  Col.  Chesney. — This  life-boat,  in- 
vented by  Mr.  H.  T.  Richardson,  was  one  of  those  that  competed  for  the  Northum- 
berland prize;  and  after  the  award  of  the  prize  to  Mr.  Beeching,  of  Yarmouth, 
Mr.  Richardson  had  a  boat  constructed  on  his  own  model,  and  challenged  the  prize- 
bearing  boat  and  all  others  to  a  trial  on  the  sea.  The  boat  is  formed  of  two  tubes 
of  tinned  iron,  40  feet  long  by  2|  in  diameter,  and  tapering  at  the  ends.  An  iron 
framework  unites  the  two  tubes,  which  are  divided  into  water-tight  compartments, 
occupied  by  air-tight  bags,  and  the  whole  is  surrounded  by  a  cork  fender.  Seats 
fur  the  rowers  and  passengers  are  placed  above  the  framework.  Col.  Chesney 
stated  that  this  boat  had  undergone  several  severe  experimental  trials  at  Plymouth 
with  great  success;  and  he  expressed  his  conviction  that  it  cannot  be  upset. 

The  discussion  on  this  subject  was  adjourned  to  the  following  day,  when  Mr. 
R.  Roberts  described  a  life-boat  of  his  invention.  It  consists  of  an  iron  shell,  with  a 
hollow  keel,  made  wide  enough  to  admit,  the  feet  of  persons  sitting  in  the  lower 
part.  The  sides  of  the  boat  are  to  be  lined  with  two  water-tight  compartments, 
and  there  is  to  he  a  hood  at  the  stern,  also  containing  air  vessels,  to  assist  the  boat 
in  righting  itself  in  case  it  should  be  capsized.  It  is  proposed  to  propel  the  boat 
by  spiral  vane  propellers,  to  be  worked  by  persons  standing  on  the  platform.  The 
advantage  which  Mr.  Roberts  claimed  for  his  boat  was,  that  the  weight  was  placed 
very  low,  and  the  buoyant  air-vessels  above,  by  which  means  it  would  be  prevented 
from  capsizing. 

A  model  of  another  life-boat,  which  is  intended  to  be  placed  at  Spurn  Point  by 
the  Trinity  House,  was  exhibited  by  the  Mayor.  It  is  to  be  constructed  of  wood, 
and  the  buoyant  chambers  are  to  be  under  the  seats. 

In  the  discussion  that  ensued,  objections  were  raised  to  the  double  life-boat,  on 
account  of  the  weight  being  placed  so  high,  and  the  difficulty  of  working  it ;  whilst 
Mr.  Roberts'  boat  was  objected  to  as  being  complicated  in  its  arrangements,  and 
containing  no  provision  for  the  escape  of  water  when  iilled. — Capt.  Kater,  Capt. 
Calver,  and  other  nautical  men,  expressed  doubts  whether  any  of  the  life-boats 
recommended  would  sufficiently  answer  the  purposes  required  of  them. 

"  On  some  recent  Improvements  in  Machines  for  Tilling  Land,"  by  B.  Samuelson. 

"  Experimental  Researches  to  determine  the  Strength  of  Locomotive  Boilers,  and 
the  Causes  which  lead  to  their  Explosion,"  by  W.  Fairbairn. — These  experiments 
were  undertaken  in  consequence  of  the  explosion  of  a  locomotive  boiler  in  the  en- 
gine-house of  the  North- Western  Railway  Company  at  Manchester,  by  which 
several  persons  were  killed,  and  a  great  part  of  the  roof  of  the  engine-house  was 
destroyed.  The  immediate  cause  of  the  accident  was  the  carelessness  of  the  engine- 
driver,  who  had  screwed  down  the  safety-valve  to  stop  its  noise  whilst  he  was  talk- 
ing to  a  companion,  and  had  forgotten  to  unscrew  it.  In  twenty-five  minutes 
from  the  time  the  valve  was  closed  the  boiler  burst.  The  Government  Inspector 
who  examined  the  wreck  of  the  engine,  was  of  opinion  that  the  stays  had  been  de- 
fective, and  that  the  boiler  had  not  been  sufficiently  strong  for  its  work.  Mr. 
Fairbairn,  on  the  contrary,  thought  that  all  the  parts  had  been  strong  enough  to 
resist  six  times  the  ordinary  working  pressure,  and  that  the  explosion  could  not  have 
been  produced  by  the  accumulated  generation  of  steam  till  it  had  arrived  at  a  pres- 
sure of  at  least  300  lbs.  on  the  square  inch.  In  consequence  of  this  difference  of 
opinion,  a  series  of  experiments  were  instituted  to  determine  the  real  causes  of  the 
explosion,  and  to  register  those  facts  for  future  guidance,  in  guarding  against  such 
Catastrophes. 

"  On  an  Experimental  Apparatus  constructed  to  determine  the  Efficiency  of  the 
Jet  Pump,  and  a  Series  of  Results  obtained,"  by  J.  Thomson. — Mr.  Thomson  last 
year  gave,  in  this  Section,  an  account  of  a  machine  which  he  had  contrived,  for  the 
purpose  of  raising  water  from  beneath  the  lowest  available  level  of  discharge,  by 
mean3  of  a  supply  of  other  water  coming  from  a  higher  level.  This  machine  he 
designated  a  jet  pump,  because  it  raised  water  by  the  action  of  a  jet ;  and  it  had 
at  first  been  intended  chiefly  to  empty  the  pits  of  his  vortex  water-wheels,  or  other 
submerged  turbines,  when  access  to  them  is  required  for  inspection  or  repairs. 
During  the  progress  of  the  trials,  however,  which  were  made  of  it  for  this  purpose, 
No.eD--Vol.VI. 


it  soon  gave  indications  of  having  much  more  extensive  uses,  and  of  being  likely  to 
prove,  in  certain  cases,  an  advantageous  machine  for  draining  swampy  land  or  shal- 
low lakes.  The  cases  of  this  kind  for  which  its  employment  was  contemplated 
are,  those  in  which  the  low  ground  to  be  drained  happens  to  have,  adjacent  to  its 
margin,  streams  or  rivers  descending  from  higher  ground.  With  a  view  to  deter- 
mining its  efficiency  and  its  applicability  in  any  particular  cases  of  this  kind,  Mr. 
Thomson  had  recently  constructed  an  experimental  apparatus,  in  which  a  jet  pump 
could  be  made  tu  act,  subject  to  great  variations  in  the  ratio  of  the  height  of  lift 
to  the  height  of  fall,  and  which  was  suited  for  indicating  accurately  the  quantity 
of  water  lifted,  and  the  height  of  the  lift,  corresponding  to  each  quantity  of  water 
allowed  to  fall  through  any  given  distance  within  the  working  range  of  the  appa- 
ratus. 

"  On  Improvements  in  Machinery  for  Grinding  Corn,"  by  W.  Crosskill. 


"  On  the  Combined  Steam  and  Ether  Engine,"  by  G.  Rennie. — Mr.  Rennie,  after 
noticing  the  many  attempts  that  have  been  made  to  employ  spirituous  vapour  as  a 
motive  power,  described  a  successful  invention  by  M.  Dutromblet,  for  the  combina- 
tion of  ether  vapour  and  steam,  which  is  now  applied  in  propelling  a  ship  from 
Marseilles  to  Algiers.  There  are  two  cylinders,  of  different  diameters,  into  one  of 
which  ether  vapour  is  admitted,  and  into  the  other  steam,  the  two  motive  agents 
being  kept  entirely  distinct.  The  steam-engine  acts  on  the  condensing  princi- 
ple, and  the  heat  given  out  by  the  steam,  when  admitted  into  the  condenser,  is 
employed  to  vaporize  ether  contained  in  surrounding  chambers.  As  ether  boils  at 
a  temperature  of  100°,  at  which  water  is  condensed  very  efficiently,  the  act  of 
condensing  one  fluid  vaporizes  and  gives  expansive  power  to  the  other;  and  by 
using  the  ether  vapour  in  a  separate  cylinder,  and  again  condensing  it  in  tubes 
cooled  by  sea  water,  a  double  action  is  obtained.  Mr.  Rennie  had  been  requested 
to  investigate  the  efficiency  of  the  engine,  and  for  that  purpose  he  made  a  voyage  in 
the  vessel  from  Marseilles  to  Algiers,  and  back,  accompanied  by  his  son.  The 
steam-boiler  is  adapted  only  for  an  engine  of  thirty  horse  power;  and  during 
the  return  voyage  Mr.  Rennie  placed  the  coals  under  lock  and  key,  so  that  he  might 
ascertain  exactly  the  quantity  consumed.  The  result  of  his  investigations  was, 
that  by  the  additional  action  of  the  ether  vapour  there  was  a  saving  of  from  60  to  70 
per  cent. ;  and  the  amount  of  gain  had  been  reported  by  a  French  commission,  ap- 
pointed to  examine  the  engine,  at  74  per  cent.  The  loss  of  ether  by  leakage  did 
not  exceed  in  value  one  franc  per  hour  during  the  voyage,  and  that  might  be  greatly 
reduced  by  improved  construction  in  the  machinery.  The  French  Government 
have  paid  the  inventor  a  very  large  sum  for  the  invention  ;  and  there  are  now  seve- 
ral ships  in  course  of  construction  to  be  propelled  by  engines  of  this  kind ;  one  of 
which  is  to  be  1500  tons  burthen,  and  the  engines  are  to  be  of  150  horse  power. 
Mr.  Rennie  said  that  arrangements  are  made  for  dispelling  the  ether  vapour  that 
escapes,  so  that  there  is  no  danger  of  its  ignition. 

Mr.  Taylor,  jun.,  the  son  of  the  engineer  by  whom  the  engine  had  been  con- 
structed, stated  that  there  are  several  defects  in  it,  which  experience  had  pointed 
out,  that  would  be  remedied  in  those  about  to  be  constructed,  so  as  to  attain  still 
better  results.  The  surface  of  the  condenser  would  be  considerably  enlarged  in 
future  engines. — Mr.  Sykes  Ward  observed,  that  good  ether  does  not  corrode  iron ; 
therefore  no  objection  to  its  employment  could  arise  from  that  cause. — Mr.  Fair- 
bairn said  that  2  J  lb.  of  coal  per  horse  power  are  consumed  in  the  best  Lancashire 
engines,  worked  expansively,  whilst  the  steam-boats  on  the  Humber  burn  about 
10  lb.  of  coal  per  horse  power;  and  as  it  appeared  from  Mr.  Rennie's  report  of 
the  working  of  the  combined  steam  and  ether  engine,  that  the  duty  was  greater 
than  that  of  the  best  Lancashire  steam-engines,  the  advantage  of  the  combined 
action,  compared  with  that  of  the  marine  engines  on  the  Humber,  was  very 
important. 

"  Report  on  the  Mechanical  Properties  of  Metals,  as  derived  from  repeated 
Meltings,  exhibiting  the  maximum  Point  of  Strength  and  the  Causes  of  Deteriora- 
tion," by  W.  Fairbairn, — The  experiments  on  which  this  report  was  founded  were 
undertaken  at  the  request  of  the  British  Association.  Mr.  Fairbairn  said  that  it 
was  generally  supposed  that  the  strength  of  iron  was  deteriorated  after  three  or 
four  meltings,  but  the  results  of  his  experiments  proved  that  opinion  to  be  erro- 
neous. The  metal  experimented  on  was  Eglinton  hot-blast  iron,  and  the  quantity 
was  one  ton.  In  melting  the  iron,  the  proportions  of  coke  and  flux  were  accu- 
rately measured,  and  proper  precautions  were  taken  to  prevent  any  difference  in 
strength  from  variations  in  cooling  and  casting.  The  metal  was  run  into  bars  one 
inch  square,  lengths  of  seven  feet  were  supported  on  two  points,  and  weight  was 
applied  in  the  centre  till  the  bars  broke.  It  was  found  that  the  strength  of  the 
iron  bars  increased  up  to  the  twelfth  melting,  after  which  it  diminished,  and  at 
each  successive  melting  deteriorated  rapidly.  The  breaking  weight  at  the  com- 
mencement was  4031b.,  and  the  deflection  of  the  bar  before  breaking  was  lj  inch  , 
at  the  twelfth  melting  the  breaking  weight  was  725  lb.,  and  the  deflection  If  inch  ; 
at  the  thirteenth  melting  the  bar  broke  with  a  weight  of  671  lb. ;  at  the  fifteenth, 
with  391 ;  at  the  sixteenth,  with  363  lb. ;  and  at  the  seventeenth,  with  330  lb. 
At  that  point  the  experiments  were  discontinued,  as  the  quantity  of  iron  had  been 
so  far  diminished  by  waste  and  by  reserving  specimen  bars,  that  no  further  trials 
would  have  been  satisfactory.  Mr.  Fairbairn  exhibited  specimens  of  the  bars  at 
the  various  meltings.  The  fracture  of  the  iron  in  the  latter  experiments  presented 
a  marked  change.  In  the  fifteenth  melting  there  was  a  bright  rim,  like  silver,  sur- 
rounding the  interior,  which  was  of  the  usual  crystalline  structure.  This  bright 
silvery  fracture  extended  in  the  sixteenth  and  seventeenth  specimens,  till  it 
pervaded  the  mass,  which  then  resembled  cast-steel.  Mr.  Fairbairn  said  he 
intended  to  have  the  different  specimens  analyzed,  to  ascertain  if  the  iron  had 
undergone  change  in  its  chemical  constituents,  as  well  as  in  the  arrangement  of  its 
molecules. 

2  E 


218 


THE  PRACTICAL  MECHANIC'S  JOURNAL. 


"  An  Account  of  some  recent  Improvements  in  the  Manufacture  of  Rivets,"  by 
M.  Samuelson. 

"On  Certain  Improvements  in  the  Construction  of  Steam-Ships,  Life-Boats,  and 
otlier  Vessels;  also  in  Steam-boilers,  Propellers,  Anchors,  Windlasses,  and  in  Me- 
tallic Casks,"  by  R.  Roberts. — The  improvements  in  life-boats  proposed  by  Mr. 
Roberts  were  noticed,  with  the  description  of  other  life-boats,  in  Monday's  proceed- 
ings; the  other  inventions  comprised  in  this  paper  have  been  previously  described. 

WEDNESDAY. 

"  On  an  Electric  Semaphore  for  use  on  Railways,"  by  W.  Sykes  Ward. — The 
object  of  the  communication  was  to  show  that  a  semaphore,  consisting  of  a  disc, 
might  be  constructed  to  make  a  partial  revolution,  so  as  to  take  different  positions, 
exhibiting  three  distinct  signals;  and  that  its  motion  might  be  regulated  by  elec- 
tro-magnets, worked  by  a  continuous  supplemental  battery,  of  which  the  circuit  is 
opened,  closed,  and  changed  by  an  electro-dynamic  coil,  which  is  moved  by  means 
of  a  current  communication  -from  a  distant  station,  through  a  single  wire.  Thus, 
what  is  mechanically  effected  at  a  distance  of  about  half  a  mile,  may,  by  the  pro- 
posed apparatus,  be  effected  at  any  required  distance,  and  at  any  number  of  sta- 
tions simultaneously. 

"  On  a  new  Wheelbarrow,"  by  Capt.  F.  Wilson. — In  this  barrow  the  wheel  is 
placed  under,  and  is  sunk  into  the  bottom ;  so  that  the  weight  rests  on  the  wheel 
and  not  on  the  hand,  aud  there  is  less  oscillation.  By  means  of  this  barrow,  it 
was  stated  that  twice  the  usual  weight  ean  be  wheeled. 

A  discussion  then  followed  on  the  paper  by  Mr.  R.  Roberts,  "  On  certain  Im- 
provements in  the  Construction  of  Steam-Ships,  Life-Boats,  and  other  Vessels ; 
also  in  Steam-boilers,  Propellers,  Anchors,  Windlasses,  and  in  Metallic  Casks," 
read  on  a  former  day. 

Mr.  Forster  (of  the  firm  of  Messrs.  Forster  &  Andrews,  organ-builders,  in  this 
town)  gave  a  description  of  certain  improvements  in  organ  machinery,  more  par- 
ticularly connected  with  the  pneumatic  lever,  whereby  greater  facility  would  he 
given  to  the  organist.  He  also  introduced  several  pieces  of  machinery,  likely  to 
cause  a  complete  revolution  in  the  structure  of  that  part  of  the  instrument;  others 
relative  to  the  prevention  of  noise  and  friction,  which  latter  had  hitherto  been  an 
obstacle  in  the  elasticity  of  the  touch.  During  the  subsequent  discussion,  Mr. 
Forster  said,  the  late  Mr.  Booth,  of  Wakefield,  invented  and  applied  the  pneumatic 
lever  to  organs  for  aiding  in  obtaining  wind,  in  1823;  but  the  lever  for  the  keys  was 
not  known  till  1831,  when  Mr.  W.  Hamilton,  of  Edinburgh,  and  Mr.  Barker,  an 
Englishman,  residing  in  Paris,  simultaneously  made  the  application. — Rev.  W.  V. 
Harcourt  stated,  that  the  organ  there  was  so  heavy  to  play,  that  the  most  admired 
anthems  could  only  be  got  once  or  twice  a  year.  The  improvements,  he  believed, 
would  obviate  that  difficulty.  He  had  seen  Dr.  Camitlge  in  a  complete  state  of 
exhaustion  from  the  manual  labour  some  of  those  performances  required. — The 
Chairman  complimented  Mr.  Forster  on  the  improvements  exhibited. 

"On  an  Improved  Indicator  for  Steam-Boilers,  and  on  a  Safety  Valve  forSteam- 
Boilers,"  by  J.  Hopkinson. 

At  the  conclusion  of  the  business,  the  President  took  a  brief  review  of  the  com- 
munications which  had  been  made,  particularly  adverting  to  the  reaping  machines, 
the  disc  valve  for  steam-engines,  the  combined  steam  and  ether  engine,  and  the 
contrivances  for  facilitating  water  supply. 


INSTITUTION   OF    CIVIL   ENGINEERS. 
November  8,  1853. 

"  On  the  Speed  and  other  Properties  of  Ocean  Steamers,  and  on  the  Measure- 
ment of  Ships  for  Tonnage,"  by  Mr.  A.  Henderson.  The  two  subjects  were  com- 
bined, for  the  purpose  of  affording  facility  for  their  discussion. 

After  alluding  to  a  paper  brought  before  the  Institution,  in  1847,  by  the  same 
author,  in  which  the  fallacy  of  using  registered  tonnage  and  nominal  horse-power, 
as  the  index  of  the  capabilities  or  speed  of  steamers  was  shown,  by  a  comparison 
of  (heir  relative  proportions  and  elements  of  resistance  with  the  steam-power 
employed,  the  present  paper  referred  to  a  tabular  form,  containing  copious  details 
of  dimensions  and  of  general  information,  as  to  the  form,  proportions,  and  speed 
realized  by  ocean  steamers,  compiled  from  documents,  emanating  from  the  depart- 
ment of  the  Surveyor  of  the  Navy,  and  from  returns  made  to  Parliament  by  the 
Post-office  and  Admiralty  ;  showing  that,  between  the  years  1845  and  1851,  on 
an  aggregate  mail  service  of  1,271,000  miles,  the  speed  realized,  only  averaged 
7*945  knots  per  hour,  which  was  far  short  of  the  speed  generally  supposed  to  be 
maintained  by  mail  steamers  ;  the  highest  speed  being  8^  knots  per  hoar,  between 
Marseilles  and  Alexandria,  by  H.  M.  mail  packets,  and  the  lowest  7J  knots  per 
hour,  between  Ceylon  and  China,  by  contract  steamers- 
Reference  was  then  made  to  a  tabular  statement,  published  by  the  committee  on 
steam  communication  with  India,  showing  the  station  of  each  steamer,  including 
six  packets  of  the  Indian  navy,  running  upwards  of  325,000  miles,  at  a  speed  of 
8'082  knots  per  hour,  and  eleven  contract  steamers  of  the  Peninsular  and  Oriental 
Company,  running  above  533,720  miles,  and  averaging  7*972  knots  per  hour. 
By  the  same  table,  the  speed  of  the  iron  steamer  Ptk'm  was  shown  to  be  7*733 
kmtts  per  hour;  the  older  timber  steamers,  Lady  Mary  Wood  and  Braganza, 
realizing  only  7*378  knots  and  7*249  knots  per  hour  respectively. 

Some  observations  were  offered  on  the  various  proportions,  forms,  and  resistance 
of  ocean  steamers,  and  the  difficulty  of  obtaining  a  fair  criterion  of  relative  effi- 
ciency; with  suggestions,  that  the  information  might  be  obtained  by  recording  the 
particulars  required  in  the  columns  of  a  table,  similar  to  the  one  which  was  ex- 
hibited, from  which  it  appeared,  that  the  proportions  of  vessels  varied  from  five 


and  a  quarter,  to  eight  times  their  breadth  to  their  length.  That  the  length  of 
the  five  steamers  realizing  8J  knots  per  hour,  averaged  less  than  six  times  their 
breadth,  while  that  of  those  which  realized  less  than  1\  knots,  averaged  upwards 
of  seven  and  a  half  times  their  breadth. 

Reference  was  made  to  the  Oronooco,  one  of  the  largest  new  steamers,  the  par- 
ticulars of  which  afforded  much  useful  information,  and  which,  if  similarly  col- 
lected from  other  sources,  and  deposited  in  the  archives  of  the  Institution,  would  be 
most  valuable,  as  the  subject  was  daily  becoming  of  greater  interest  and  impor- 
tance. 

The  second  part  of  the  paper  was  "  On  the  Measurement  of  Ships." 
By  the  old  law,  or  builder's  measurement,  the  length  (less  3-5ths  of  the  breadth) 
multiplied  by  the  breadth,  and  the  product  by  half  the  breadth,  and  divided  by  94, 
gave  the  registered  tonnage.  By  an  act  passed  in  1836,  and  amended  in  1845,  a 
rule  was  adopted,  based  on  the  internal  measurement  of  eleven  breadths  and  four 
depths,  taken  at  three  sections,  the  divisor  3,500  giving  the  registered  tonnage. 

It  was  contended,  that  the  present  register  of  particulars,  by  omitting  the  depth, 
gave  less  information  than  the  old  register ;  that  calculations  of  tonnage  deduced 
from  internal  measurement,  must  show  discrepancies  of  ten  or  even  fifteen  per  cent, 
between  the  computed  tonnage  of  timber  and  of  iron  ships,  of  the  same  size  or  ex- 
ternal bulk ;  therefore  it  had  become  necessary  to  introduce  a  method  of  compu- 
tation, deduced  from  both  internal  and  external  measurement,  so  as  to  combine 
the  capacity  for  stowage,  and  the  weight  or  the  load,  and  the  displacement.  The 
principle  being  to  ascertain  the  external  bulk  and  internal  space  in  cubic  feet,  and 
to  deduce  from  the  mean  of  these,  by  the  use  of  a  factor,  30,  31,  or  32,  a  register 
of  tonnage  approximating  to  the  old  law,  chiefly  for  statistical  purposes  ;  the  ex- 
ternal and  internal  dimensions  in  cubic  feet  giving  the  only  correct  definition  of 
the  size,  capacity,  and  resistance  of  a  vessel. 

In  1S49,  the  tonnage  committee,  including  Mr.  Parsons  and  Mr.  Moorsom, 
reported  that  the  equitable  basis  for  charges  was  that  of  the  entire  cubical  contents, 
measured  externally,  adopting  a  mode,  originated  by  Mr.  Parsons,  of  taking  curves 
of  areas  of  vertical  sections,  measured  externally  to  the  height  of  the  upper  deck; 
but  these  views  were  opposed,  on  the  ground  that  iron  vessels  had  much  greater 
internal  capacity  than  timber  vessels  of  the  same  external  measurement,  and  also 
on  the  assumption,  that  light  or  measurement  goods  exceeded  in  amount  heavy 
goods,  or  dead  weight ;  whereas,  from  the  trade  returns,  No.  51,  of  1850,  it  ap- 
peared, that  of  the  total  imports  and  exports,  amounting  to  10,760,217  tons, 
there  were  7,483,214  tons  of  heavy  goods,  and  3,277,003  tons  of  light  merchan- 
dise ;  thereby  showing  that  a  system,  combining  external  and  internal  measure- 
ments, would  be  the  most  equitable. 

Mr.  Moorsom  proposed  a  mode  of  computing  the  internal  capacity,  without  the 
aid  of  diagrams  or  curves  of  areas,  and  of  ascertaining  the  tonnage  by  dividing  by 
100,  as  more  convenient.  This  new  rule  did  not,  however,  give  the  burtheu  the 
vessel  would  carry,  but  merely  the  tonnage  for  an  assessment  of  dues. 

From  both  these  propositions,  the  author  of  the  paper  dissented;  considering  it 
inexpedient  to  alter  the  present  law,  except  to  obtain  a  rule  that  should  secure  a 
correct  mensuration  and  description  of  all  kinds  of  vessels,  so  recorded  on  paper,  as 
to  give  the  size,  form,  and  construction  of  the  vessel.  The  plan  he  proposed 
would  afford  the  means  of  correcting  the  measurement  of  sections,  and  would  give 
facilities  for  forming  a  scale  of  displacement,  and  curves  of  internal  areas,  from 
which  the  weight  of  cargo,  or  capacity  for  light  goods,  could  be  obtained.  Vessels 
being  sold,  and  often  freighted,  at  a  price  based  on  their  bulk  and  capacity,  and 
the  materials,  fittings,  masts,  sails,  and  engines,  being  all  more  or  less  regulated  by 
these  two  qualities,  it  was  expedient  they  should  both  be  recorded  on  the  builder's 
certificate,  to  be  used,  whenever  required,  by  the  officers  usually  employed  in  sur- 
veying ships,  provided  the  mode  of  measurement  and  record  was  properly  defined, 
exemplified  by  plans,  and  authorized  by  law. 

The  practicability  of  effecting  this  was  shown,  by  the  exhibition  of  a  pro  forma 
certificate  of  survey  of  a  vessel,  such  as  was  proposed  to  be  substituted  for  the 
usual  builder's  certificate,  now  required  for  registry;  the  directions  for  the  mea- 
surement of  the  sections,  and  for  striking  the  curves  of  areas,  were  given,  and  ex- 
emplified by  diagrams,  together  with  the  rule  and  the  processes  of  computing  the 
external  bulk  and  the  internal  space;  the  displacement  and  registered  tonnage 
being  thus  given  for  three  several  vessels,  built  of  timber  only,  of  wood  planking 
and  iron  frames,  and  entirely  of  iron ;  showing  greater  internal  capacity  of  the 
two  latter,  as  compared  with  the  former. 

By  a  specification  of  the  materials  for  these  three  vessels,  the  weight  of  the  hull 
of  a  timber  ship  was  shown  to  be  184  tons,  that  of  iron  148  tons,  and  of  iron 
frames  and  wood  planking  158  tons,  the  latter  being  represented  as  an  arrangement 
of  materials,  by  which  the  author  proposed  to  obtain  the  lightness  and  capacity  of  an 
iron  ship,  without  the  danger  of  corrosion  and  of  undue  action  on  the  compasses. 

These  propositions,  like  Mr.  Moorsom's,  had  been  submitted  to  the  Board  of 
Trade,  with  the  view  of  suggesting  the  reorganization  of  the  tonnage  commiftee, 
and  the  addition  of  members  connected  with  shipping  and  with  scientific  societies, 
so  as  to  promote  free  discussion  and  the  diffusion  of  information,  and  to  olitain 
experience,  conducing  to  the  improvement  of  the  mercantile  marine,  fishing-boats 
and  life-boats. 

The  necessity  for  the  co-operation  of  all  engaged  in  maritime  enterprise,  was 
urged  from  the  experience  of  the  limited  improvement,  hitherto  made  in  fishing- 
boats  and  life  boats,  reference  being  made  to  the  circumstances  of  the  failure  of 
the  prize  model  life-boat ;  concluding  with  a  proposition  that  the  Admiralty 
should  provide  each  coast  guard  station  with  one  of  their  model  life-boats,  and 
that  a  mercantile  marine  association  should  be  formed,  for  the  prevention  of  loss 
from  shipwreck,  an  end  which  could  only  be  attained  by  the  improvement  of  the 
forms  and  fittings  of  vessels  and  boats. 


THE  PRACTICAL  MECHANIC'S  JOURNAL. 


219 


MONTHLY  NOTES. 


Progress  of  Screw  Propulsion. — Marine  Memoranda. — We  last 
month  recorded  the  very  successful  performance  of  the  Argo,  General  Screw  Steam 
Company's  ship,  on  her  outward  voyage  to  Port-Philip.  Since  that  time,  her 
homeward  trip  has  extended  the  good  opinions  of  her  qualifications.  What  she  has 
done  is  best  told  in  the  fact,  that  she  has  m;ide  a  voyage  round  the  world  in  the 
short  space  of  five  months  and  19  days,  and  of  this  time  upwards  of  sis  weeks 
were  spent  in  Australia.  The  actual  time  under  steam  and  canvas  has  been  only 
121  days;  the  total  distance  run  out  and  home  has  been  27,900  miles ;  giving  an 
average  per  day  of  nearly  23l)  miles,  or  slightly  over  9^-  miles  per  hour.  Steam 
power  has  only  been  used  as  an  auxiliary, 
when  the  winds  happened  to  be  light  or  ad- 
verse. The  consumption  of  coals  during  the 
■whole  passage  has  therefore  only  amounted 
to  2,105  tons,  of  which  845  tons  were 
expended  outward,  and  1,260  tons  home- 
ward, giving  an  average  of  rather  more  than 
17  tons  per  diem.  Owing  to  these  ships 
being  fully  rigged,  the  greatest  advantage 
can  at  all  times  be  taken  of  favourable  winds, 
and  the  steam  power  is,  during  these  circum- 
stances, completely  dispensed  with.  In  the 
present  voyage,  with  fair  winds  and  with  all 
canvas  set,  the  Argo  has  made  13  and  14 
knots  an  hour  for  days  together,  and  close- 
hauled  11  to  12  knob,  in  both  cases  with 
the  screw  feathered.  The  Argd's  feathering 
apparatus  seems  to  have  answered  particu- 
larly well,  no  appreciable  impediment  having 
occurred  when  under  canvas  alone. 

Something  is  being  said  of  a  steamer,  at 
present  being  built  at  New  York,  to  cross  the 
Atlantic  in  less  than  a'  week.  Mr.  Norris, 
of  Philadelphia,  is  her  constructor,  and  he 
guarantees  six  days1  voyages  even  in  winter. 
Her  engines  and  boilers  are  on  the  same 
general  plan  as  those  of  the  Cunard  and 
Collins  lines;  but  the  engine  power,  in  pro- 
portion to  the  hull  tonnage  and  draught  of 
water,  is  to  be  five  times  greater  than  in  any 
steamer  uow  afloat.  Her  draught  of  water 
is  only  6  feet  6  inches. 

The  splendid  performances  of  the  Flying  Cloud,  and,  after  her,  the  Sovereign  of 
the  Seas,  have  acted  as  a  powerful  incentive  to  further  exertions  on  the  part  of  their 
builder,  Donald  Maekay.  The  Flying  Cloud,  on  one  occasion,  sailed  374  geogra- 
phical miles  in  the  twenty- four  hours;  then  the  Sovereign  of  the  Seas  bedimmed 
this  triumph,  by  accomplishing  430  miles  in  the  same  time.  But  the  Great  Re- 
public, a  still  larger  ship,  is  intended  to  do  still  greater  things.  She  is  4,000  tons 
burden,  and  in  her  construction  1,500,000  feet  of  hard  pine  have  been  used,  2,056 
tons  of  hard  oak,  336£  tons  of  iron,  and  56  tons  of  copper  for  bolts,  exclusive  of 
sheathing.  She  will  spread  16,000  yards  of  canvas,  with  four  masts.  A  new 
feature  on  board  is  a  steam-engine  of  15  horse  power;  this  is  intended  to  do  all 
the  heavy  work  of  the  ship,  such  as  hoisting  in  and  discharging  cargo,  setting  up 
rigging,  hoisting  topsail ;  it  is  also  connected  with  an  apparatus  for  distilling  fresh 
water  from  salt  water.  It  will  also  diminish  the  number  of  men  required  to  work 
the  ship,  her  crew  consisting  of  only  100  men  and  30  boys.  The  keel,  for  60  feet 
forward,  is  gradually  raised  from  a  straight  line,  and  curves  upwards  into  an  arch,  so 
that  the  gripe  of  the  fore  foot  is  the  arc  of  a  circle,  and  not  angular,  like  other  ves-r 
sels.  The  lines  are  concave  forward  and  aft,  up  to  a  few  feet  above  the  load-dis- 
placement line;  the  side3  are  arched,  something  like  a  man-of-war,  but  not  so 
much  in  proportion  to  her  size  ;  the  stern  is  semi-elliptical  in  form,  and,  instead  of 
bulwarks,  the  outline  of  her  spar-deck  is  protected  by  a  rail,  supported  by  turned 
oak  stanchions.  She  has  four  complete  decks,  and  four  houses  on  her  spar-deck 
erected  for  the  use  and  comfort  of  the  crew.  Her  mainmast  and  foremast  are  44 
inches  in  diameter,  the  raainyard  28  inches,  and  120  feet  long,  carrying  a  sail  120 
feet  square.  She  is  just  now  fitting  out  for  sea,  and  nautical  men  will  look  with 
interest  for  her  log. 

An  accident,  powerfully  illustrative  of  the  necessity  of  fitting  governors  to  screw- 
propeller  engines,  occurred  the  other  day  at  Plymouth,  on  board  the  Agamemnon. 
This  vessel  was  steaming  at  the  time,  outside  the  Sound,  for  the  purpose  of  testing 
her  Griffiths'  eerew.  "When  two  miles  from  the  breakwater,  steaming  8^-  knots, 
and  making  45  revolutions  per  minute,  something  gave  way  below,  and  the  revolu- 
tions seemed  to  be  suddenly  increased  to  1,000  or  more  per  minute.  The  shock  is 
described  to  have  been  similar  to  that  of  an  earthquake.  The  funnel  appeared  to 
jump  from  its  place,  and  so  excessive  was  the  vibration,  that  every  one  expected 
the  masts  would  go  over  the  side,  and  the  boilers  were  momeutarily  expected  to 
burst.  At  this  critical  juncture,  Mr.  Langley,  with  great  nerve  and  coolness,  threw 
open  the  valves,  gradually  stopped  the  engines,  and  thus  saved  the  valuable  ma- 
chinery from  tearing  itself  to  pieces,  and  injuring,  if  not  destroying,  the  noble  vessel 
herself.  Sbe  was  immediately  put  under  canvas,  and  returned  to  the  Sound.  On 
aabseqaent  examination,  it  appeared  that  the  main  shaft  was  broken  just  within 
the  fans — in  all  probability  from  a  defect  in  the  rnetal.  A  diver  went  down  and 
made  an  inspection  again  on  Thursday  morning.     It  seems  to  be  a  subject  for  con- 


sideration, whether  experiments  of  this  kind  should  not  be  confined  at  first  to  ships 
of  less  size  than  the  Agamemnon,  which  is  in  all  other  respects  complete  for  sea 
service. 

Bentall's  Self-Registering  Dynamometer  for  Ploughs. — This  ap- 
paratus, specially  contrived  for  testing  the  draught  of  ploughs,  is  shown  in  perspec- 
tive, complete,  in  our  annexed  sketch.  It  consists  of  an  iron  frame  on  four  travel- 
ling wheels,  a  strap  from  the  nave  of  one  of  which  drives  a  pulley  on  one  end  of  a 
metal  disc  spindle.  This  disc,  which  revolves  in  a  vertical  plane,  acts  as  a  driver 
for  a  small  surface-wheel,  bearing  by  its  periphery  upon  the  disc  face,  and  capable 
of  being  traversed  nearer  to  or  further  from  the  disc's  centre.  The  pull  of  the 
horses,  in  drawing  the  plough,  compresses  a  pair  of  helical  springs,  and,  by  means 
of  a  connection  between  these  springs  and  the  edge-wheel  of  the  disc,  a  constant 


relation  is  preserved  between  the  actual  compression  of  the  springs,  and  the  dis- 
tance of  the  edge-wheel  from  the  centre  of  the  disc.  Hence  the  wheel  is  driven 
faster  or  slower,  just  as  the  draught-spring  compression  is  greater  or  less.  The 
edge-wheel  spindle  carries  a  worm,  working  into  a  worm-wheel  on  a  cross  shaft, 
carrying  a  drum,  and  it  is  this  drum  which  carries  the  diagram  paper  for  the  trac- 
ing pencil,  Motion  is  given  to  this  pencil  in  a  direction  parallel  to  the  axial  line 
of  the  dram,  by  means  of  a  screw  on  the  disc  spindle,  and  the  motion  in  this  direc- 
tion indicates  the  length  of  furrow  drawn.  The  two  motions  combined  cause  the 
pencil  to  describe  a  diagonal,  showing  the  variations  of  the  draught  during  the 
experiment,  the  traced  line  becoming  more  nearly  parallel  with  the  axis  of  the 
drum  as  the  draught  is  less.  A  brass  wheel,  with  a  graduated  edge,  also  revolves 
with  the  drum,  to  indicate  the  draught  in  stones,  when  a  determined  length  of  fur- 
row is  drawn,  In  this  arrangement  of  dynamometer,  no  special  means  are  neces- 
sary for  obviating  the  vibratory  motion  commonly  interfering  with  the  action  of 
instruments  of  this  class.  The  power  which  moves  the  drum  acts  uniformly  in  one 
direction,  and  the  only  effect  produced  on  the  drum  by  variation  of  draught,  is 
simply  increase  or  diminution  of  speed.  The  instrument  is  indeed  its  own  tell-tale 
throughout  its  entire  working. 

Stenson's  Improvements  in  Scrap-Iron  Forging. — An  important  im- 
provement upon  the  process  of  working  up  scrap-iron  is  now  in  active  operation  at 
the  "Patent  Iron  Scrap  Forge  Works,  Northampton,"  under  the  active  superin- 
tendence of  Mr.  Stenson,  the  patentee.  In  this  establishment,  the  scraps  and 
cuttings  of  w  rough  t-iron,  collected  from  all  parts  of  the  country,  are  worked  up  in 
the  puddling  furnace  into  puddled  balls,  from  which  the  primary  rolling  process 
produces  rough  or  puddled  bars.  Such  bars  are  then  cut  up  into  short  lengths, 
and  the  several  pieces  are  laid  one  upon  the  other,  to  form  a  "  pile,"  with  a 
series  of  which  the  puddling  furnace  is  now  charged.  "When  these  piles  are  at  a 
welding  heat,  they  are  severally  withdrawn,  and  rolled  out  into  bars  for  use,  or  for 
cutting,  and  repiling,  and  rolling,  as  may  be  intended.  According  to  this  general 
process,  the  welding  hot  piles  have  to  be  conveyed  a  considerable  distance  through 
the  cold  air  to  the  rolls,  and  hence  oxidation  of  the  welding  surfaces,  and  cooling 
of  the  mass,  render  the  metallic  junction  of  the  parts  very  imperfect.  Mr.  Sten- 
son removes  this  difficulty,  by  fitting  a  mechanical  hammer  to  the  door  of  each  of 
his  puddling  furnaces,  in  such  manner  that  he  can  apply  a  hammering  weld  to  the 
pile  at  the  moment  that  the  mass  leaves  the  furnace.  In  the  actual  arrangements, 
which  we  have  seen  at  work  in  Northampton,  the  hammer  movement  is  derived 
from  an  overhead  counter-shaft,  driven  by  the  rolling-mill  engine.  On  this  shaft 
is  a  short  end-crank,  from  which  a  rod,  carrying  a  lifting  catch — like  the  "  plug- 
frame"  of  old-fashioned  steam-engines — descends  to  a  stud  on  the  hammer  lever, 
which  works  on  an  end  stud  centre,  carried  by  the  furnace  side-plates.  This  rod 
is  not  confined  to  a  mere  vertical  traverse  action.     It  has,  at  its  lower  end,  a 


220 


THE  PRACTICAL  MECHANIC'S  JOURNAL. 


spring  link,  which  constantly  tends  to  press  it  up  to  a  stationary  bearing  pulley,  as 
a  fulcrum  on  which  to  oscillate.  When  the  furnace  door  is  raised  for  the  with- 
drawal of  a  welding  pile,  the  latter  is  drawn  upon  an  anvii  on  a  level  with  the 
heating  floor,  and  just  outside  the  door,  and  the  hammer  lifting-rod  pushes  back 
an  engaging  catch,  and  permits  the  hammer  to  fall  upon  the  heated  pile,  striking 
one  or  more  blows  at  pleasure.  This  produces  a  most  effectual  weld,  so  that, 
when  rolled  out,  tiie  ends  of  the  piled  pieces  do  not  get  overdrawn,  as  is  usually 
the  case.  This  feature  alone  is  of  some  value  in  the  process,  as  the  working  of  the 
ends,  one  over  the  other,  ordinarily  involves  the  cropping  of  about  a  foot  of  the 
rough  ends  at  the  shears  to  get  a  clean  bar.  The  general  quality  of  the  iron  made 
in  this  way  is  said  to  be  improved  by  some  20s.  a  ton.  The  "iron  sand,"  from  the 
sea-coast  of  New  Zealand,  is  about  to  receive  a  working  test  at  the  Northampton 
forge.  This  material,  which  is  found  in  great  abundance  on  the  sea-coast,  is  a 
titanic  protoxide  of  iron,  highly  magnetic,  of  great  density,  and  contains  70^  per 
cent,  of  iron.  lb  is  expected  that  it  will  be  turned  to  account  as  a  raw  material 
for  Sheffield  steel. 

Borie's  Cellular  Rooting  Tiles. — Messrs.  Norton  and  Borie,  whose 
successful  efforts  in  the  manufacture  of  cellular  bricks  were  substantially  re- 
warded by  the  Great  Exhihition  jury,  in  1851,  have  now  established  extensive 
works  in  this  country  for  the  construction  of  brick  and  tile  machinery  of  all  kinds. 
Since  we  examined  their  productions  in  the  French  department  of  the  Exhibition,* 
their  cellular  system  has  been  elaborated  to  a  still  greater  extent,  and  amongst 
other  novelties  they  have  introduced  tubular  or  hollow  roofing  tiles.     These  tiles 

are  made  both  with  closed  and 
open  ends.  Our  illustration 
represents  the  latter  class,  as 
they  lie  upon  the  roof,  holes  be- 
ing run  through  the  thickness 
of  the  tile,  just  as  in  a  brick. 
Such  tiles  are  excellent  non- 
conductors, so  that  the  sun's  rays 
haveverylittlepoweruponthem, 
as  the  external  surface  only  be- 
comes heated,  further  trans- 
mission of  heat  being  inter- 
cepted by  the  stratum  of  air 
inside.  They  are  also  effi- 
cient ventilators,  admitting 
the  external  air  in  the  safest  manner,  In  streams  running  upwards  in  the  direction  of 
the  roofs  slope.  Besides  these  advantages,  they  possess  a  further  one  in  dimin- 
ished liability  to  leakage ;  for,  if  the  outer  plate  gets  fractured,  there  is  still  the 
inner  one  to  carry  off  the  rain.  The  upright  partitions  give  great  strength,  whilst 
a  roof  so  covered  is  lighter  than  any  other.  The  manufactory,  "  Union  Works, 
New  Park  Street,  Southwark  Bridge,  London,"  is  organized  on  the  most  extensive 
scale  for  the  production  of  all  varieties  of  clay-working  machines. 

Deep  Sea  Sounding. — Hitherto  a  continuous  series  of  deep  sea  soundings 
has  been  rendered  difficult  by  the  fact,  of  each  sounding  costing  the  exploring  ship 
a  new  line,  for  however  strongly  the  line  has  been  made,  when  once  out,  it  has 
never  been  recovered.  But  Lieut.  Maury  has  adopted  a  simple  plan  for  avoiding 
this  loss,  by  contriving  a  detaching  apparatus  for  his  sounding  weight,  so  that  on 
reaching  the  bottom  the  line  may  easily  be  drawn  up.  A  hole  is  drilled  through 
a  04  lb.  or  heavier  shot,  sufficiently  large  to  admit  of  a  rod  of  about  three-quarters 
of  an  inch  in  diameter.  This  rod  is  about  12  or  14  inches  in  length,  and,  with  the 
exception  of  about  1^  inch  at  the  bottom,  perfectly  solid.  At  the  top  of  the  rod 
are  two  arms  extending,  one  from  each  side.  These  arms  being  upon  easily  acting 
hinges,  are  capable  of  being  raised  or  lowered  with  very  little  power.  A  small 
branch  extends  from  the  outside  of  each  of  them,  which  is  for  the  purpose  of  hold- 
ing, by  means  of  rings,  a  piece  of  wire  by  which  the  ball  is  swung  to  the  rod.  A 
piece  of  rope  is  then  attached  by  each  end  to  the  arms,  to  which  again  is  joined  the 
sounding  line.  The  ball  is  then  lowered  into  the  water,  and  upon  reaching  the 
bottom  the  strain  upon  the  line  ceases,  and  the  arms  fall  down,  allowing  the  bail 
to  detach  itself  entirely  from  the  rod,  which  is  then  easily  drawn  in — the  drilled 
portion  being  discovered  to  be  filled  with  a  specimen  of  that  which  it  has  come  in 
contact  with  at  the  bottom. 

Printing  Newspaper  Stamps  in  the  Forms. — The  red  penny  stamp  has 
disappeared  from  the  lower  corner  of  the  "  Times"  newspaper,  and  the  words  "The 
Times  newspaper  one  penny,"  are  now  printed  in  common  ink  at  the  upper  left- 
hand  corner  of  the  title-page.  Mr.  C.  B.  Clough,  of  Tyddyn,  Mold,  lays  claim  to 
the  origination  of  this  simple  but  important  change.  His  proposal  was  to  insert 
the  die  of  the  government  stamp,  in  the  form  with  the  rest  of  the  type,  like  a  wood- 
cut, the  actual  number  of  impressions  thrown  off  being  registered  on  a  dial  attached 
to  the  press,  as  in  a  railway  ticket  machine.  This  is  exactly  what  is  now  being 
done  in  the  "Times"  office.  It  is  really  marvellous  that  the  troublesome  and 
expensive  system  of  the  separate  stamping  at  Somerset  House  should  have  been 
practised  60  long.  Until  lately,  even  this  roundabout  process  was  performed  by 
hand.  It  is  only  quite  recently  that  Mr.  De  la  Kue's  ingenious  mechanical  stampers 
have  been  introduced. 

Raising  Sunk  Vessels  by  Boutant  Gas. — An  ingenious  mode  of  raising 
sunk  vessels,  patented  in  this  country  by  Mr.  J.  H.  Johnson  for  the  inventor,  Mr. 
foreman,  of  New  York,  has  just  been  successfully  tried  in  that  city.  The  inventor's 
plan  is  to  generate,  by  a  simple  process,  a  cheap  gas,  which  is  passed  down  through 
flexible  tubing  to  "camels,"  or  buoyant  reservoirs,  attached  to  the  vessel  to  be 
raised.     In  the  New  York  experiments,  a  weight  of  3  tons  was  raised  30  feet  in 


'  See  page  219,  part  46,  vol.  4,  Practical  Mechanic's  Journal. 


40  seconds.  If  flexible  gas  receivers  or  bags  are  used  instead  of  the  common  wooden 
camels,  the  entire  apparatus  for  lifting  a  tolerably  large  vessel  can  be  stowed  in  a 
box  of  6  feet  cube.  In  some  cases,  the  hold  or  'tween  decks  of  the  sunk  vessel 
itself  may  be  made  to  answer  as  the  gas  receiver,  by  making  a  hole  in  the  vessel's 
bottom  for  the  outflow  of  the  contained  water  as  the  gas  enters,  with  the  upper 
portion  as  nearly  air-tight  as  possible.  The  contrivance  is  also  suitable  for  military 
pontoons.     A  company  has  been  started  to  carry  out  the  plans  in  America. 

Elasticated  Cotton  for  Beds A  company  has  been  organized  in  the 

United  States,  for  giving  a  peculiar  elasticity  to  cotton  in  its  loose  unmanufactured 
state,  and  the  results  of  the  operations  promise  to  create  a  large  demand  for  the 
raw  material  in  quite  a  new  direction.  It  is  as  a  material  for  beds  that  this  cotton, 
so  prepared,  is  particularly  intended,  cotton  costing  in  America  from  6  to  10  cents 
a  pound,  against  feathers  at  from  40  to  GO  cents.  The  purity  of  cotton,  and  its 
entire  freedom  from  all  offensive  odours,  are  points  in  its  favour  in  other  respects, 
so  that  the  elasticated  cotton  must  inevitably  come  into  common  use.  The  articles 
at  present  made  from  it  are  termed  felt  mattresses.  In  a  domain  known  as  la 
Prairie  de  Humboldt,  not  far  from  Breslau  in  Silesia,  is  a  factory  where  the  leaves 
of  the  Pinus  Sylvestris  are  converted  into  a  textile  wool.  The  process  is  a 
chemical  one,  the  invention  of  M.  de  Pannelvitz,  the  head  inspector  of  forests, 
producing  a  long  filamentous  substance,  which  has  been  termed  "wood  wool," 
and  is  capable  of  being  curled,  felted,  and  spun  like  animal  wool.  The  leaves  are 
stripped  from  the  trees  every  two  years.  When  gathered,  heat  is  applied  to  them,  in 
conjunction  with  certain  chemical  reagents,  and  the  resinous  matter  which  holds  the 
constituted  fibres  together  is  thus  dissolved  out.  The  fibres  can  then  be  separated, 
when  they  are  washed  and  classed  as  coarse  or  fine.  The  coarse  is  applied  to  the 
same  purpose  as  the  elasticated  cotton,  the  filling  of  mattresses ;  the  finer  kind  is 
used  as  wadding.  As  a  wadding  for  quilted  coverlets,  the  pine-wool  answers 
admirably,  and  it  is  regularly  used  in  the  Austrian  hospitals,  where  the  aromatic 
odour  emitted  by  it  has  been  found  to  be  pleasant  and  beneficial.  It  also  prevents 
the  harbouring  of  parasitic  insects.  The  liquid  residuum  of  the  boiling  operation 
exercises  a  very  salutary  influence  as  a  bath,  and  a  bathing  establishment  has 
accordingly  been  added  to  the  manufactory.  Finally,  advantage  is  taken  of  the 
production  of  oils  and  acids,  and  a  resinous  fuel,  in  still  further  economizing  the 
pine. 

Renshaw's  Secondary  Adjustment  Drawing-Pen. — Our  illustration 
annexed,  represents  a  modification  of  the  common  drawing-pen,  submitted  to  us 
by  Mr.  G.  P.  Renshaw.  In  it,  the  screw,  A,  adjusts  the  back-line  width,  as 
usual ;  and  the  additional  one,  B,  sets  the  face-line.    The  spring  is  a  little  stronger 


than  usual,  and,  when  the  artist  wants  a  fine  line,  he  grasps  the  pen  correspondingly 
harder.  The  inventor  states  that  this  plan  of  working  soon  becomes  a  habit.  His 
own  experience  proves  that  much  time  may  be  saved  by  its  adoption. 

Quality  of  London  Gas. — Dr.  Letheby's  last  report  to  the  Commissioners 
of  Sewers,  on  the  illuminating  qualities  of  the  Great  Central  Gas  Consumers' 
Company's  gas,  as  deduced  from  120  different  experiments,  shows : — 1.  When 
the  gas  has  been  burnt  from  an  argand  of  15  holes,  according  to  the  Act  of  Par- 
liament directions,  it  has  furnished  a  light  which,  on  the  average,  has  been  equal 
to  139  sperm  candles,  or  15'9  wax,  each  consuming  120  grains  of  combustible 
matter  per  hour.  2.  When  the  gas  has  been  burnt  from  a  batwing  jet  at  the 
rate  of  4  cubic  feet  per  hour,  its  light  has  been  equal  to  that  of  9-6  sperm  candles, 
or  10'3  wax ;  and  when  consumed,  from  the  same  jet,  at  the  rate  of  five  cubic  feet 
per  hour,  its  average  luminosity  has  been  equal  to  that  of  11-8  sperm,  or  13-5  wax. 
These  results  show  that  the  gas  has  been  of  good  illuminating  power ;  in  fact,  they 
prove  that  it  has  been  rather  more  than  31  per  cent,  better  than  that  required  by 
the  Act  of  Parliament.  The  chemical  quality  of  the  gas  has  been  of  an  average 
description. 

Rolling  Stock  on  British  Railways. — The  total  number  of  locomotive 
engines  on  railways  in  the  united  kingdom  is  3,942,  being  about  one  locomotive  to 
every  two  miles  of  railway;  the  number  of  first-class  carriages  2,413,  capable  of 
holding  49,226  passengers;  the  number  of  second-class  carriages  3,413,  capable  of 
holding  124,703  persons;  the  number  of  third-class  carriages  2,954,  capable  of 
holding  121,807  persons;  the  number  of  composite  carriages  1,114,  capable  of 
holding  35,239  persons;  and  the  number  of  other  carriages  1,470,  capable  of 
holding  4,231  persons— making  together  11,364  carriages,  capable  of  holding 
335,206  passengers.  The  number  of  horse-boxes  is  1,547,  capable  of  holding 
4,547  horses;  the  number  of  cattle-waggons  7,127,  capable  of  holding  76,690 
head  of  cattle.  The  number  of  carriage  trucks  is  1,561.  Of  the  3,942  locomo- 
tive engines,  3,221  are  used  on  railways  in  England  and  Wales,  527  on  railways 
in  Scotland,  and  194  on  railways  in  Ireland.  Of  the  2,413  first-class  carriages, 
1,967,  capable  of  holding  40,005  persons,  are  on  railways  in  England  and  Wales; 
346,  capable  of  holding  6,252  persons,  on  railways  in  Scotland  ;  and  100,  capable 
of  holding  2,969  persons,  on  railways  in  Ireland.  Of  the  3,413  second-class  car- 
riages, 2,846,  capable  of  holding  104,811,  are  on  railways  in  England  and  Wales; 
396,  capable  of  holding  10,930  persons,  on  railways  in  Scotland;  and  171,  dp- 
able  of  holding  8,962  persons,  on  railways  in  Ireland.  Of  the  2,954  third-class 
carriages,  2,204,  capable  of  holding  93,235  persons,  are  on  railways  in  England 
and  Wales;  545,  capable  of  holding  17,743  persons  on  railways  in  Scotland;  and 
210,  capable  of  holding  10,S29  persons,  on  railways  in  Ireland.     Of  the  1,114 


THE  PRACTICAL  MECHANIC'S  JOURNAL. 


221 


composite  carriages,  S'22,  capable  of  holding  26,635  persons,  are  on  railways  in 
Eoglaud  and  Wales;  210,  capable  of  holding  4,S±6  persons,  on  railways  in  Scot- 
land; and  82,  capable  of  holding  3,75S  persons,  on  railways  in  Ireland.  Of  the 
1,470  other  carriages,  1,305,  capable  of  holding  2,961  persons,  on  railways  in  Eng- 
land and  Wales;  101,  capable  of  holding  820  persons,  are  on  railways  in  Scot- 
land; and  64,  capable  of  holding  450  persons,  on  railways  in  Ireland.  Of  the 
1,547  horse-boxes,  1,282,  capable  of  holding  3,751  horses,  are  on  railways  in 
England  and  Wales;  162,  capable  of  holding  4S6  horses,  on  railways  in  Scotland- 
and  103,  eapable  of  holding  310  horses,  on  railways  in  Ireland.  Of  the  7,127 
cattle-waggons,  5,S92,  capable  of  holding  67,310  head  of  cattle,  are  on  railways 
ing  England  and  Wales ;  745,  capable  of  holding  5,423  cattle,  on  railways  in 
Scotland ;  and  490,  capable  of  holding  3,954  cattle,  on  railways  in  Ireland.  The 
nnmber  of  carriage  trucks  on  railways  in  England  and  Wales  is  1,311,  in  Scot- 
land 165,  and  in  Ireland  85. — On  the  broad,  or  7-feet  guage  lines,  the  working 
stock  consists  of  239  locomotive  engines;  197  6rst-elass  carriages,  capable  of  ac- 
commodating 5, S80  persons ;  259  second-class  carriages,  capable  of  holding  17,150 
persons;  71  third-class,  capable  of  holding  4,632  persons  ;  and  44  composite  car- 
riages, capable  of  holding  2,029  persons ;  16S  horse-boxes,  capable  of  holding  647 
horses:  1,492  cat  tie-waggons,  capable  of  holding  11,699  cattle;  230  carriage  trucks, 
and  103  vans. — On  the  narrow,  or  4-feet  8i  inch  guage  lines,  in  England  and 
Wales  the  working  stock  consists  of  2,982  engines;  1,770  first-class  carriages, 
capable  of  holding  34,125  persons;  2,578  second-class  carriages,  capable  of  hold- 
ing 87, C61  persons:  2,133  third-class  carriages,  capable  of  holding  88,603  per- 
sons: 778  composite  capable  of  holding  24,606  persons;  1,202  other  carriages, 
capable  of  holding  2,961  persons;  1,114  horse-boxes,  capable  of  holding  3,104 
horses ;  4,440  cattle  waggons,  capable  of  holding  55,620  head  of  cattle ;  and  1,081 
carriage  trucks.  They  are  all  narrow  guage  lines  of  4  feet  8J  inches  in  Scotland ; 
the  guage  of  railways  in  Ireland  is  5  feet  3  inches. 

Hakrisox.  Kadclyffe,  &  Bltjnt's  "Kitchexere." — Amongst  the  im- 
portant novelties  in  domestic  fittings,  shown  at  the  Dublin  Exhibition,  is  an 
excellent  and  economical  "  Kitchenere,"  made  by  Messrs.  Harrison,  RadclyfTe,  & 
Blunt,  of  the  Eagle  Foundry,  Leamington.  Our  engraving  represents  this  range 
in  front  perspective  elevation..  It  consists  of  a  hot-plate,  A,  whereon  a  number  of 
vessels  may  be  conveniently  kept  boiling,  whilst  the  heated  surface  also  answers  as 
an  ironing-stove.  On  one  side  is  a  well-ventilated  and  spacious  wrought-iron 
roaster,  b,  with  moveable  shelves,  draw-out  stand,  double  dripping-pan,  and  meat 


Ftand ;  and  this  roaster  is  at  once  convertible  into  an  oven  by  closing  the  valves,  C 
On  the  other  side  is  a  wrought-iron  boiler,  D,  with  brass  tap  and  steam-pipe.  In 
the  centre  is  an  open  fire  for  roasting,  and  general  domestic  purposes ;  this  is  fitted 
with  an  ash-pan,  e.  Above,  are  round  and  square  gridirons;  whilst  a  set  of 
ornamental  coves,  with  plate  warmer  attached,  make  the  range  complete.  The 
beat  from  the  fire  is  most  economically  applied — the  currents  having  to  pass  all 
round  the  oven,  and  behind,  and  up  the  hides  of  back  boiler,  before  they  can  escape. 
We  have  before  us  other  forms  of  the  arrangements,  on  a  still  more  extensive 
neste.  By  the  aid  of  one  fire,  three  cooking  ovens  may  be  heated  on  each  side, 
in  addition  to  the  supplying  steaming  closets  from  the  boiler. 

PROVISIONAL  PROTECTIONS'  FOR  INVENTIONS 

UNDER  THE  PATENT  LAW  AMENDMENT  ACT. 
<§?*  When  the  city  or  town  is  not  mentioned,  London  is  to  be  understood. 
Recorded  June  16. 
M6&  Jffles  A.  A.  Dumonlin,  Paris,  and  16  Castle-street,  Holbora— An  improved  instru- 
ment for  measuring  and  tracing. 


Recorded  August  1. 
1794.  Samuel  C.  Lister,  Manningham,  Yorkshire—  Improvements  in  machinery  for 
washing  wool  and  hair. 

Recorded  August  5. 
1S31.  William  Smith  and  Thomas  Phillips,  Suowhill— An  improvement  in  gas  stoves 

Recorded  August  9. 
1S51.  Thomas  Y.  Hall,  Newcastle-upon-Tyne— Improvements  in  safety-limps,  part  or 
parts  of  such  improvements  being  applicable  to  the  consumption  or  prevention 
of  smoke,  and  for  the  purposes  of  ventilation  generally. 

Recorded  August  10. 
1861.  Alexander  Prince,  4  Trafalgar-square,  Chariug-cross— Invention  of  a  press,  appli- 
cable to  the  several  purposes  of  lithography,  autography,  typography,  chromo- 
lithography,  or  printing  in  colours,  copperplate  printing,  cylinder  printing,  em- 
bossing, and  copying  letters.— (Communication.) 

Recorded  August  12. 
1888.  William  L.  Tizard,  Aldgate — Invention  of  a  new  combination,  or  new  combi nations 
of  materials  suitable  for  buildings  and  other  structures,  and  parts  thereof,  and 
machinery  for  producing  the  same. 

Recorded  August  IT. 
1923.  Felix  A.  V.  Delarbre,  9  Broad-street  Buildings — Certain  improvements  in  treating 

fibrous  substances. 
1926.  Thomas  Grimsley,  Oxford — Improvements  in  machinery  for  the  manufacture  of 

bricks,  tiles,  pipes,  and  pottery. 

Recorded  August  20. 
1949.  Alexander  Cunninghame,  Glasgow — Improvements  in  the  manufacture  or  produc- 
tion of  alkalies  and  their  salts,  or  alkaline  salts. 

Recorded  August  27. 
1993.  Samuel  Taylor,  53  King-street,  Manchester— Improvements  in  apparatus  for  gene- 
rating and  applying  carbonic  acid  gas. 

Recorded  August  30. 
2006.  Charles  Goodyear,  Avenue-road,  St.  John's-wood — Improvements  in  the  manufac 
ture  of  waterproof  fabrics. 

Recorded  September  5. 
2042.  John  Clare,  jun.,  Liverpool — Improvements  in  the  construction  of  iron  houses,  ves- 
sels, masts,  spars,  smoke  funnels,  boilers,  cylinders,  beams,  and  other  like  struc- 
tures or  articles. 

Recorded  September  6. 
2054.  Alfred  Sommerville  and  Charles  Twigg,  Birmingham  —  Improvements  in  pen- 
holders, and  which  said  improvements  are  applicable  to  the  manufacture  of  um- 
brella and  parasol  sticks,  cornice  poles,  and  other  such  like  articles. 

Recorded  September  8. 
2065.  Robert  Harrington,  Witham,  Essex— Improvements  in  umbrellas  and  parasols. 

Recorded  September  9. 
2072.  Jonas  Radford,  Cheltenham — Improvements  in  clocks  or  time-keepers. 

Recorded  September  16. 
2156.  Francis  B.  Newton,  Manchester — Improvements  in  the  mode  or  method  of  cutting 
and  making  up  garments,  so  as  partially  to  dispense  with  seams  or  sewing. 

Recorded  October  1. 

2242.  Charles  Coates,  Sunnyside,  Lancashire — Improvements  in  coupling  pipes,  and  other 
articles,  and  in  apparatus  connected  therewith. 

2244.  Edward  Davies,  Bradford — Improvements  in  carrier-combs,  to  be  used  in  combing 
wool,  cotton,  silk,  flax,  or  other  fibrous  substances. 

2246.  John  Hendry,  Glasgow — Improvements  in  ovens  and  apparatus  for  baking. 

2248.  Samuel  Murland,  Castlewellan,  Ireland— Certain  improvements  in  machinery  for 
preparing  linen  yarn. 

2250.  Adolplie  Drevelle,  Halifax,  Yorkshire — Improved  apparatus  to  be  used  in  connec- 
tion with  looms  for  weaving. — (Communication  from  Messrs.  Ryo  and  Praxel, 
Roubaix,  France.) 

2252.  William  Brown,  Bradford — Improvements  in  apparatus  used  in  washing  wool  and 
other  fibrous  material. 

Recorded  October  3. 

2254.  John  W.  Baxter,  Mistley,  Essex— Certain  improvements  in  shipbuilding. 

2256.  James  Coleman,  4  South-street,  Finsbury — Improvements  in  the  construction  of 

compasses. 
2258.  William  H.  Wilding,  Chesterfield-street — Improvements  in  propelling  machinery. 
2260.  William  Crofts,  Derby-terrace,  Nottingham-park — Improvements  in  weaving. 

Recorded  October  4. 

2262.  William  Peace,  Haigh,  near  Wigan — Invention  of  hewing  and  excavating  coal, 
cai  nel,  and  other  minerals,  strata,  and  substances,  by  certain  machinery  and 
appliances  thereto. 

2264.  John  Norton,  Cork — Improvements  in  firing  explosive  compounds. 

2266.  Joseph  T.Dodge,  St.  Astell,  Cornwall—  Improvements  in  the  formation  and  arrange- 
ment of,  and  mode  of  rigging  and  working  the  sails  of  yachts,  ships,  and  other 
vessels. 

2268.  Daniel  T.  Shears,  Bankside,  Southwark — Improvements  in  brewing. 

2270.  James  L.  Norton,  Ludgate-hill — Improvements  in  instruments  or  apparatus  for 
measuring  and  indicating  the  distance  travelled  by  carriages,  and  in  the  means 
of  transmitting  motion  thereto  from  the  running  wheels. 

Recorded  October  5,. 

2274.  James  T.  Wilson,  Falkirk— Improvements  in  the  manufacture  of  alum. 

2280.  William  L.  Tizzard,  Aldgate— Improvements  in  thermometers  and  other  like  indi- 
cators. 

Recorded  October  6. 

2282.  Julius  Schonemann,  89  Great  Portland-street,  Middlesex — Invention  of  new  con- 
struction of  weighing-machines. — (Communication.) 

2286.  Alfred  E.  Hargrove,  York,  and  Ralph  Richardson,  Hartlepool — Improvements  in 
machinery  or  apparatus  for  printing. 

2288.  William  Geeves,  New  Wharf-road,  Caledonian-road — Improvements  in  the  manu- 
facture of  bricks. 

Recorded  October  7. 

2292.  William  Ellis,  Sheffield— Improvements  in  the  manufacture  and  in  the  ornament- 
ing of  china,  porcelain,  and  pottery  wares. 


222 


THE  PRACTICAL  MECHANICS  JOURNAL. 


2294.  James  Ferguson,  Glasgow,  and  James  Lillie,  same  place — Improvements  in  trousers 

and  similar  articles  of  dress. 

2295.  John  II.  Johnson,  47  Lincoln's-! nn-fields,  and  Glasgow— Improvements  in  appa- 

ratus for  compressing  or  rarefying  air  or  other  elastic  fluids.— (Communication 
from  Germain  Sommeiller,  Turin.) 

2296.  Joseph  Porter,  Salford,  Lancashire — Improvements  in  machines  for  drilling  or 

boring  metals  or  other  substances. 

2297.  John  Onions,  3  Park-terrace,  and  Samuel  Bromhead,  Marlborough  Estate,  both  of 

Peckham,  Surrey — Certain  improvements  in  steam-engine  boilers. 

2298.  William  J.  Matthias  aud  Thomas  Bailey,  Seckforde-street,  Clerkenwell— Improve- 

ments in  obtaining  power  by  mechanical  means. 

2299.  Thomas  Lambert,  Short-street,  Newcut,  Lambeth— Improvements  in  ships'  water- 

closets. 

2300.  Robert  J.  Corlett,  Monmouth — Improved  machinery  for  preparing  or  scutching 

flax,  and  other  fibrous  materials  requiring  such  an  operation. — (Communication 
from  Mr.  Benjamin  Delattre,  Setques,  France.) 

2301.  Francis  Whitehead,  Crayford,  Kent,  and  William  Whitehead,  same  place — Im- 

provements applicable  to  lanterns,  lamps,  lamp-shades,  aud  reflectors,  for  re- 
flecting, concentrating,  or  diffusing  light. 

Recorded  October  8. 

2302.  Alexander  E.  D.  K.  Archer,  1  Wharf-road,  City-road— Improvements  in  apparatus 

for  applying  metallic  capsules. 

2304.  Henry  Kraut,  Zurich,  Switzerland — Improvements  in  stands  for  casks  and  barrels. 

2305.  Joseph  Denton,  Prestwitch,  near  Manchester— Improvements  in  looms  for  weaving. 

2306.  H.  Dubs,  Vulcan  Foundry,  Warrington — Certain  improvements  in  the  manufacture 

of  wheels  and  tyres,  and  also  in  the  construction  of  furnaces  employed  in  such  or 
similar  manufactures. 

2307.  William  Wilkinson,  Nottingham — Improvements  in  protecting  telegraph  wires. 

2308.  George  L.  Smartt,  Enfield,  Middlesex— Improvements  in  vessels  for  preserving 

leeches  and  fish  alive. 

2309.  William  Potts,  Birmingham — Improvements  in  mantelpieces. 

2310.  Henry  R.  Plimpton  and  James  L.  Plimpton,  Massachusetts,  U.S. — Invention  of  a 

new  and  useful  article  of  furniture,  to  serve  the  purposes  of  a  bedstead,  a  toilet 
table,  or  a  washstand  and  a  writing  desk. 

2311.  Charles  May  and  James  Samuel,  Great  George-street,  Westminster — Improve- 

ments in  joining  the  ends  of  the  rails  of  railways. 

2312.  Henry  Clayton,  Upper  Park-place,  Dorset-square — Improvements  in  the  manufac- 

ture of  bricks  and  tiles. 

2313.  William  E.  Newton,  66  Chancery-lane— Improvements  in  fire-arms  and  cartridges. 

— (Communication.) 

Recorded  October  10. 

2314.  Robert  J.  Maryon,  37  York-road,  Lambeth— Improvements  in  the  construction  of 

anchors. 

2315.  Henry  Uawson,  Leicester,  and  Thomas  Whitehead,  same  place— Improvements  in 

regulating  the  flow  of  air  to  steam-boiler  furnaces. 

2316.  George  F.  Wilson,  Belmont,  Vauxhall — Improvements  in  treating  wool  and  fabrics 

composed  of  wool. 

2317.  George  F.  Wilson,  Belmont,  Vauxhall— Improvements  in  the  manufacture  of 

candles  and  night-lights. 

2318.  George  F,  Wilson,  Belmont,  Vauxhall— Improvements  in  the  manufacture  of 

6oap.  , 

2319.  Frederick  Warner,  Crescent,  Jewin -street,  and  John  Shotton,  same  place— Im- 

provements in  the  manufacture  of  large  hells. 

2320.  Richard  A.  Brooman,  166  Fleet-street — Improvements  in  railway  switches. — (Com- 

munication.) 

2321.  Hugh  L.  Pattinson,  Scot's  House,  near  Gateshead— Improvements  in  the  manu- 

facture of  sulphuric  acid. 

Recorded  October  11. 

2322.  James  Knowles,  Eagley  Bank,  near  Bol to n-Ie- Moors,  Lancaster — Improvements  in 

machinery  for  regulating  the  velocity  of  steam-engines,  and  other  motive  power 
engines. 

2323.  Henry  Kemp,  Bar kam -terrace,  Southwark — Certain  Improvements  in  the  prepara- 

tion of  wood  for  sheathing  ships,  as  a  substitute  for  copper  and  other  metals, 
also  in  house,  ship,  and  pier  building,  &c. 

2324.  William  Wilkison,  Nottingham — Improvements  in  bands,  belts,  and  straps. 

2325.  Louis  A.  F.  Demoulin,  Paris — Improved  apparatus  applicable  to  carriages  on  com- 

mon roads,  for  the  prevention  of  accidents,  and  increasing  the  power  of  loco- 
motion. 

2326.  William  Beardmore,  Deptford,  and  William  Rigby,  Glasgow— Certain  improve- 

ments in  steam-engines. 

2327.  David  Dick,  Paisley — Improvements  in  the  manufacture  of  flexible  tubes  or  pipes. 
2329.  James  Worral,  jun.,  Salford,  Lancashire — Certain  improvements  in  the  method  of 

dyeing  fustians  and  other  textile  fabrics,  and  in  the  machinery  or  apparatus 
connected  therewith. 

2331.  James  H.  Nalder,  Alvescott,  Oxfordshire,  and  John  T.  Knapp,  Clanfield,  same 

county — Improvements  in  winnowing  or  dressing  corn. 

2332.  William  M.  Campbell,  Glasgow — Improvements  in  earthenware  kilns. 

2333.  James  Harris,  Hanwell— Improvements  in  apparatus  for  heating  water  and  other 

fluids. 

2334.  William  H.  Muntz,  Massachusetts — Improvement  in  paddle-wheels  for  navigable 

vessels. 

2335.  James  Webster,  Leicester— Improvements  in  water  guages  for  steam-bnilers. 

2336.  John  F.  Porter,  Bessborough-street— Improvements  in  the  moulding  of  bricks,  and 

other  arfc'esof  like  materials. 

2337.  Bernard  Couvan,  Fenchurch-street—  Improvements  in  giving  signals  on  railways. 

Recorded  October  12. 

2338.  George  F.  Goble,  15  Fish- street-hill— Improvements  in  apparatus  for  signalizing 

and  stopping  railway  trains. 

2339.  John  Morison  and  Daniel  Hum,  Norton  Fol gate— Improvements  in  the  manufac- 

ture of  nose-bags. 

2341.  Patrick  Clark  and  Alexander  Clark,  Gate-street,  Lincoln's-inn-fields-^Improve- 

ments  in  revolving  shutters  and  other  closures  for  portable  and  other  buildings. 

2342.  Thomas  Smith,  Lambeth — An  improved  method  of  making  pipes. 

2343-  Edine  J.  Mauniene",  Reims,  France — Improvements  in  the  treatment  of  lignite  or 
wood  coal,  aud  in  obtaining  various  useful  products  therefrom. 

2345.  Henry  Mapple,  Child's-hill,  Ilendon,  and  Daniel  M.  Mapple,  16  Sidney-street,  Is- 

lington— Invention  for  electric  telegraphic  purposes,  being  an  improved  printing 
and  signal  electric  telegraph,  with  electric  alarum  attached. 

2346.  George  Bradley,  Castleford,  Yorkshire  —Improvements  in  stoppers  or  covers  for 

bottles,  and  in  the  tools  or  apparatus  for  manufacturing  the  same. 

2347.  James  Higgins  and  Thomas  S.  Whitwoith,  Salford— Improvements  in  machinery 

or  apparatus  for  spiuuingand  doubling  fibrous  materials. 
231S.  Charles  S.  Jackson,  Cannon-street — Improvements  in  preserving  seeds,  potatoes, 

and  other  roots. 
2349.  John  Gihsou,  Bloomfield-road,  Paddiugton — Improvements  in  fixing  tyre  on  railway 

wheels. 


2350.  Charles  S.  Jackson,  Cannon-street— Improvements  in  preserving  timber  aud  other 

vegetable  matters. 

2351.  Richard  Jones  and  Charles  J.  Jones,  Ipswich— Improvements  in  fire-arms. 

Recorded  October  13. 

2352.  Henry  W.  Butterworth,  Philadelphia— An  improved  supplemental  reflux  valve  for 

steam-engines. — (Communication.) 

2353.  William  M.  Campbell,  Glasgow— Improvements  in  potters'  or  earthenware  kilns. 

2354.  Robert  Popple,  Beverley,  York,  and  Henry  Woodhead,  Kingston-upon-Hull— Im- 

provements in  machinery  for  slabbing,  roving,  and  spinning  cotton  and  other 
fibrous  substances. 

2355.  John  Elce,  Manchester — Improvements  in  machinery  for  preparing  and  spinning 

cotton  and  other  fibrous  substances. 

2356.  William  Robinson,  Manchester — Improvements  in  machinery  or  apparatus   for 

manufacturing  or  forging  iron  or  other  metals  into  screw  bolts,  nuts,  rivets,  pins, 
studs,  or  other  similar  articles. 

2357.  Sir  John  S.  Lillie,  4  South-street,  Finsbury — Improvements   in  machinery  for 

breaking  stones  and  other  hard  substances. 

2358.  John  T.  Way,  Holies-street,  Cavendish-square — Improvements  in  making  and  re- 

fining sugar,  and  in  treating  saccharine  fluids. 

2359.  Abraham  Pope,  81  Edgware-road,  Middlesex— Improvements  in  furnaces. 

2360.  Joseph  Piper,  Shoreditch,  Middlesex — Improvements  in  apparatus  for  affixing  ad- 

hesive stamps  and  labels. 

2361.  Charles  L.  A.  Meinig,  103  Leadenhall-street— Improvements  in  galvanic  batteries. 

2362.  Thomas  Grahame,  Hatton-hall,  Wellingborough — Improvements  in  building  ships 

aud  other  vessels. 

Recorded  October  14. 

2365.  Samuel  Bromhead,  Marlborough  Estate,  Peckham,  Surrey— Improvements  in  emi- 
grants' and  other  portable  houses  and  erections,  and  hinges  of  metal  suitable  to 
all  purposes  requiring  hinges. 

236S.  Andrew  M'Lean  and  William  F.  Rae,  Edinburgh — Improvements  in  apparatus 
for  the  manufacture  of  aerated  liquids. 

2367.  William  Ridgway,  Hanley,  Stafford— Improvements  in  the  construction  of  ovens 

and  kilns. 

2368.  Mary  Ann  Davy,  Homerton,  and  Ann  Taylor,  Islington,  both  in  the  county  of 

Middlesex — Improvements  in  the  mechanical  application  of  brushes. 

2369.  William  Palmer,  Brighton— Certain  improvements  in  ventilating. 

2370.  William  E.  Newton,  66  Chancery-lane — Improved  machinery  for  preparing  and 

combing  wool.— (Communication.) 

2371.  John  Farrell,  Stangate,  Surrey — Improved  means  of  insulating  wire. 

2372.  Hon.  Frederick  W.  Cadogan,  Hertford-street,  May-fair  —  Improvements  in  the 

means  of  obtaining  telegraphic  communications  applicable  to  armies  in  the  field. 

2373.  Auguste  E.  L.  Bellford,  16  Castle-street,  Holborn— Improvements  in  drying  grain, 

flour,  timber,  fruit,  vegetables,  and  other  substances. — (Communication.) 

Recorded  October  15. 

2374.  Richard  Gill,  Culcheth,  near  Leigh,  Lancaster— Improvements  in  weaving  single 

and  double  fabrics. 

2375.  Charles  Coates,  Sunnyside ,  near  Rawtenstall,  Lancaster — Improvements  in,  and 

applicable  to,  looms  for  weaving. 

2376.  Frederick  S.  Thomas,  17  Cornhill— Improvements  in  the  construction  of  railway 

carriages. 

2377.  Benjamin  Price,  Fieldgate-street,  Whitechapel  —  Certain  improvements  in  the 

means  of,  or  apparatus  for,  reducing  the  quantity  of  smoke  from  the  furnaces  of 
boilers,  coppers,  pans,  and  other  like  vessels. 

2378.  JohnH.  Johnson,  47  Lincoln's-iun-fields,  and  Glasgow— Improvements  in  the  manu- 

facture of  iron. — (Communication.) 

2379.  Buckley  Royle  and  William  M.  Chell,  Manchester— A  certain  method  of  treating 

silk  waste  arising  from  winding,  warping,  and  weaving  silk,  aud  rendering  it 
capable  of  being  spun  or  otherwise  employed. 

2382.  Thomas  Woodcock,  Bavnsbury- road— Improved  means  of  cutting,  carving,  engrav- 

ing, piercing,  or  embossing  metallic  or  other  surfaces. 

2383.  John  Peary,  Salisbury-crescent — Improved  means  of  preventing  accidents  on  rail- 

ways. 
23S4.  Alexander  M'Dougull,  Manchester— Improvements  in  the  process  of  obtaining  fatty 
matters  from  products  arising  in  the  manufacture  of  glue  and  other  gelatinous 
substances. 

2386.  George  Laurie,  New  York,  U.  S. — Improvements  in  the  manufacture  of  artificial 

teeth  and  gums. — (Communication  from  Johu  Allen,  Cincinnati.) 

2387.  Augustus  Applegath,  Dartford— Improvements  in  printing  and  embossing  pa;jer, 

with  a  view  to  prevent  forgery. 

Recorded  October  17. 
23S8.  George  F.  Chantrell,  Liverpool —  Improved  apparatus  applicable  to  the  manufac- 
turing and  revivification  of  animal  or  vegetable  charcoal,  and  other  useful  pur- 
poses. 

2390.  John  M.  Dunlop,  Manchester — Improvements  in  machinery  or  apparatus  for  press- 

ing goods,  applicable  also  to  raising  or  removing  bodies. 

2391.  William  S.  Low  and  John  Barnes,  Rawtenstall,  Lancaster— An  improved  shuttle 

to  be  used  in  looms  for  weaving. 

2392.  Capper  Pass,  Bedminster,  Somerset—Improvements  in  the  manufacture  and  refin- 

ing of  copper. 

2393.  Ellen  Jones,  Palace-street,  Pimlico— Improvements  in  steam-engine  governors. — 

(This  is  the  same  invention  as  that  for  which  letters  patent  were  granted  to  her 
late  husband,  on  the  14th  April  last.) 

2394.  Samuel  C.  Lister,  Bradford— Improvements  in  combing  cotton  and  wool. 

2395.  John  P.  de  la  Fons;  Carlton-hill,  St.  John's  Wood— Improvements  in  apparatus  for 

measuring  and  indicating  the  distance  travelled  by  a  carriage. 

2396.  Augustus  Applegath,  Dartford— Improvements  in  letter-press  printing  machinery. 

2397.  John  J.  Haite  and  William  Leach,  New  Coventry-street— Improvements  in  the 

pistons  of  certain  valved  instruments. — (Communication.) 

Recorded  October  18. 

2398.  George  Price,  Wolverhampton— A  new  or  improved  method  of  communicating  be- 

tween the  guard  and  driver  of  a  railway  train. 

2399.  George  L.  Stocks,  Limehouse  Hole,  Poplar— Improvements  in  ships'  jackstays  for 

masts  and  gaffs  for  fore  and  aft  sails. 

2400.  Charles  P.  D'Azene,  35  Essex-street,  Strand— Improvements  in  the  method  of  ren- 

dering sea  \vater  fit  for  drinking,  and  all  purposes  where  fresh  water  is  ordinarily 
used. 

2401.  Alphonse  D.Noel,  Chancery-lane— Improvements  in  the  manufacture  of  zinc  white. 

— (Communication  from  Louis  P.  Geslin.) 

2402.  John  H.  Johnson,  47  Lincoln's-inn-fields,  and  Glasgow— Improvements  in  raising 

or  supporting  heavy  bodies,  for  the  better  preservation  of  life  and  property. — 
(Communication  from  Yelland  Foreman,  U.  S.) 

2403.  Cornelius  Nicholson,  3  New  Broad-street— An  apparatus  for  avoiding  collisions  of 

trains  on  railways. 
2405.  Isaac  Hartas,  Wrelton  Hall,  Yorkshire— Improvements  in  machinery  for  cutting 
turnips  and  other  roots. 


THE  PKACTICAL  MECHANIC'S  JOURNAL. 


223 


Recorded  October  19. 
240S.  John  W.  Child,  Halifax,  and  Robert  Wilson,  Low  Moor  Iron  Works,  York— Im- 
provements in  regulating  motive  power  engines. 

2409.  John  Norton,  Cork — Improvements  in  fire-arms. 

2410.  William  Roy,  sen.,  Cross  Arthurlie,  Renfrewshire— Improvements  in  printing  tex- 

tile fabrics  and  other  surfaces. 

2411.  Robert  Shaw,  Glasgow — Improvements  in  writing  instruments. 

2412.  George  Collier,  Halifax— Improvements  in  the  manufacture  of  carpets  and  other 

fabrics. 

2413.  William  Little,  Strand — Improvements  in  typographic  printing. 

2414.  Charles  Barraclough,  Halifax — Improvements  in  tbe  manufacture  of  carpets  and 

other  fabrics. 

2415.  James  Barton,  Robert-street,    Hampstead-road  —  Improvements   in  fittings  for 

stables.  . 

2416.  William  Watt,  Glasgow — Improvements  in  the  preparation  of  flax  and  other 

fibrous  substances. 

2417.  Thomas  Thompson,  Much  Park-street,  Coventry— Improvements  in  machinery  for 

weaving  carpets,  coach  lace,  and  velvet. 
241S.  Alexis  Dussuc,  33  Grove-place,  Brompton— An  improved  machine  for  digging  and 

cultivating  land. 
2419.  William  Binns,  Leeds— An  improvement  in  the  treatment  or  finishing  of  woollen 

and  worsted  fabrics. 

Recorded  October  20. 

2421.  William  Russell,  Birmingham— An  improvement  or  improvements  in  the  manufac- 
ture of  copper  tubes. 

2423.  John  France,  North  Wharf-road,  Paddington— An  improved  morticing  machine. 

2424.  John  B.  Burney,  Battersea— Improvements  in  the  prevention  of  smoke  in  steam- 

boilers. 

2425.  Gustave  Gourgas,  Paris — Improvements  in  buffer  traction  or  suspension  springs 

for  railway  carriages,  trucks,  tenders,  or  locomotives, 

2426.  Julius  A.  Roth,  Philadelphia,  U.  S.— Improvements  in  the  bleaching  and  drying  of 

fibres  or  fibrous  materials,  part  of  which  improvements  is  applicable  to  the 
drying  of  woven  and  other  textile  manufactures. 

2427.  William  Melville,  Burntisland,  Fife — Improvements  in  apparatus  for  drawing  EhipB 

oat  of  water. — (Communication.) 

Recorded  October  21. 

2429.  John  H.  Johnson,  47  Lincoln's-inn-fields,  and  Glasgow — Improvements  in  appa- 

ratus for  sustaining  bodies  in  the  water.— -{Communi cation.) 

2430.  John  H.Johnson,  47  Lincoln's-inn-fields,  and  Glasgow — Improvements  in  the  treat- 

ment or  manufacture  of  gutta  percha,  and  in  the  applications  thereof. — (Commu- 
nication from  Jaques  Lefevre,  Paris.) 

2431.  Christopher  Cross,  Farnworth,  Lancaster,  and  James  Crosby,  Manchester— Im- 

provements in  machinery  or  apparatus  for  weaving. 
2433.  James  Warburton,  Addingham,  Yorkshire — Improvements  in  preparing  rape-seed 
oil. — (C  omm  nni  cation.) 

2435.  Jean  F.  F.  Challeton,  Paris,  and  16  Castle-street,  Holborn—  Certain  improvements 

in  carbonizing  and  distilling  peat,  coal  wood,  and  other  animal,  vegetable,  and 
mineral  substances. 

2436.  Pierre  M-  Fouque,  Louis  R.  Hubert,  and  Vincent  E.  D.  Ie  Marneur,  Paris,  and  16 

Castle-street,  Holborn — Invention  of  a  fortune-rudder,  in  bronze. 

2437-  Samuel  Lloyd,  yr.,  Wednesbury,  Stafford — Improvements  in  the  construction  of 
turntables. 

243S-  James  Greenbank  and  Samuel  Pilkington,  Withnell,  Lancaster — Improvements  in 
machinery  for  spinning  cotton  and  other  fibrous  substances. 

2439.  Henry  Cook,  Devonshire-terrace,  and  Augustus  Cook,  Upper  Berkeley- street — Im- 
provements in  the  means  of  communication  between  guards,  engine-drivers,  or 
passengers  in  or  on  railway  trains. 

Recorded  October  22. 

2441.  Harry  Bentley,  Salford— Improvements  in  steam-boilers,  and  in  the  method  of  set- 
ting or  fixing  the  same. 

2142.  John  Baily,  113  Mount-street,  Grosvenor-square— Invention  for  the  cure  of  the 
roup  and  other  diseases  in  fowls  and  poultry. 

2443.  Jean  F.  Mermet,  23  Red  Lion-street,  Holborn — An  elastic  spring,  contained  in  a 

cylindric  tube  or  tabular  case,  the  lid  of  which  moves  down  and  up  according  to 
the  pression. 

2444.  Thomas  Connell,  Cork— An  improved  safety  apparatus,  and  method  or  means  of 

signalling,  to  be  used  on  railways  in  cases  of  danger  or  emergency. 

2445.  Thomas  Walker,  Pimlico— An  improved  railway  break. 

2446.  Hume  Greenfield,  Old  Cavendish-street — Improvements  in  obtaining  power  by 

carbonic  acid  gas. — (Communication.) 

2447.  John  H.  Johnson,  47  Lincoln's-inn-fields,  and  Glasgow — Improvements  in  mills  for 

grinding. — (Communication  from  Messrs.  Fromont  and  Son,  Chartres,  France.) 

Recorded  October  24. 
244S.  Henry  Kraut  Zurich,  Switzerland— Improvements  in  apparatus  for  regulating  the 
temperature  of  stoves  and  furnaces,  and  of  water,  air,  or  other  fluids,  contained 
in  vessels  or  chambers,  the  strength  of  spirituous  liquors  and  of  chemical  mix- 
tures, and  the  hygrometric  state  of  the  air  in  buildings,  rooms,  &c. 

2449.  Thomas  Stainton,  South  Shields— Improvements  in  steering  apparatus. 

2450.  James  D.  Young,  Westminster — Improvements  in  casting. 

2451.  Charles  Brewster,  Dunmow,  Essex — Improvements  in  printing  machinery — (Com- 

munication.) 
2453.  Alexander  Hett,  Stoke  Newington— Certain  improved  means  or  arrangements  for 
the  prevention  of  Bmoke  and  the  economizing  of  fuel  in  furnaces. 

Recorded  October  25. 
2455.  Thomas  Sammerfield,  Birm  ingbam — Improvements  in  the  construction  and  manu- 
facture of  windows. 

2457.  Jean  B.  Verdun,  Paris,  and  4  South-street,  F in sbury— Improvements  in  the  con- 

struction of  globes. 

2458.  John  Fordred,  Dover,  Kent,  and  Thomas  Boyle,  Forest  Gate,  Essex— Improvements 

in  daylight  reflectors,  and  in  apparatus  to  he  used  in  connection  therewith. 

2459.  John  1).  Brady,  Cambridge- terrace,  Hyde-park— Invention  of  an  appendage  to 

knapsacks. 

2460.  Alfred  Cnrti3.  Sarratt  Mills,  Herts,  and  Bryan  Donkin,  yr.,  Bermondsey,  Surrey 

— Improvements  in  machinery  for  cutting  rags,  rope,  fibrous,  and  other  sub- 
stances. 

2461.  Joseph  Beasley,  junior,  Smethwick — Improvements  in  the  construction  and  ar- 

rangement of  puddling  furnaces,  which  improvements  are  also  applicable  to  other 
furnaces  used  in  the  generation  of  steam. 

24*53.  Alfred  V.  Newton,  Chancery-lane— An  improved  construction  of  printing  press.— 
(Communicated.) 

3464.  David  Bogue,  Fleet-street— Improved  mode  of  producing  printing  surfaces.— (Com- 
munication.) 

2465.  William  Bottomley,  North  Bierley — Improved  machinery  forhand  and  power  loom 
weaving,  and  especially  applicable  to  weaving  figured  fancy  and  checked  goods, 
with  any  number  of  picks,  by  Jacquard  engines. 


2466.  Charles  Goodyear,  Avenue-road,  St.  John's  Wood — Improvements  in  the  manufac- 

ture of  hoots  and  shoes. 

2467.  Weston  Grimshaw,  Mossley,  Antrim — Improvements  in  steam  boilers. 

Recorded  October  26. 

2469.  Edward  Austin,  Pembroke  Cottages,  Caledonian-road— Improvements  in  surveying 

and  raising  sunken  vessels,  and  in  apparatus  used  therein,  and  in  lifting  vessels 
over  bars  and  other  obstructions. 

2470.  George  G.  Woodward,  Lesswels,  near  Kidderminster — Improvements  in  the  manu- 

facture of  carpets. 

2471.  Richard  Heyworth,  Crosshall,  near  Chorley,  and  Thomas  Battershy,  same  place — 

Certain  improvements  in  looms  for  weaving. 

2472.  George  H.  Palmer,  Sheffield — Improvements  in  the  construction  of  air-furnaces  for 

the  fusion  of  steel  and  other  metals,  and  for  economising  fuel. 

2473.  Edward  J.  Hughes,  Manchester — Improvements  in  machinery  or  apparatus  for 

sewing  or  stitching. 

2474.  William  Penrose,  Landore  Silver  Works,  near  Swansea — Improvements  in  the  re- 

duction of  silver  ores  by  mixture  with  other  materials. 

2475.  Downes  Edwards,  Douglas,  Isle  of  Man— Improvements  in  signal  apparatus  for 

railways. 

2476.  Patrick  B.  O'Neil,  39  Rue  Miromenil,  Pai*is— Improvements  in  screw  wrenches. — 

(C  om  muni  cation .) 

2477.  Freiderich  L.  H.  Danchell,  Elm-grove-villas,  Acton-green,  and  William  Startin, 

Heathfield-terrace,  Turnham-green — Improvements  in  obtaining  and  applying 
motive  power. 

2478.  Uriah  Lane,  North-street,  Brighton— Improvements  in  measuring  and  indicating 

time. 

2479.  Romain  Jolly,  Gaillon,  France— Improvements  in  dyeing. 

2450.  Thomas  Dunn,  Windsor  Bridge  Iron  Works,  Pendleton,  near  Manchester,  and 

William  Gough,  21  Old  Compton-street,  Soho — Improvements  in  the  manufac- 
ture of  veneers,  and  in  machinery  and  apparatus  connected  therewith. 

2451.  James  T.  G.  Vizetelly,  Peterborough-court — Improvements  in  producing  plates  for 

printing  purposes,  by  which  the  manipulatory  proeess  of  engraving  is  super- 
seded.— (Partly  communicated.) 

Recorded  October  27. 

2482.  Ame^e  F.  Esmond,  Birmingham— Improvements  in  the  manufacture  of  certain 

kinds  of  metallic  vessels. 

2483.  Thomas  S.  Blackwell,  Cranbrook— Improvements  in  apparatus  for  signalizing  and 

stopping  railway  trains. 

2454.  Richard  Richards,  Paddington— Improvements  in  apparatus  for  indicating  water  in 

the  holds  of  vessels. 

2455.  Thomas  Dawson,  King's  Arms-yard — An  improved  case  or  cover  for  umbrellas, 

which  can  also  be  worn  as  a  garment. 

2487.  William  Vaughan,  Stockport,  John  Scattergood,  Heaton  Norris,  and  Charles  Grim- 

shaw, Brinnington — Certain  improvements  in  healds  or  harness  for  weaving,  and 
in  the  method  of,  and  machinery  or  apparatus  for,  fabricating  the  same. 

2488.  Robert  Bishop,  Edinburgh — Improvements  in  steam  and  water  valves. 

2489.  Henry  Dolby,  56  Regent-street — Improvements  in  embossing  presses. 

2491.  Jean  M.  A.  B.  Lemonier,  Quai  St  Leonard,  Liege,  Belgium— Invention  of  a  new 

system  of  weaving  by  hand. 

2492.  Edward  Loysel,  Paris— An  improved  coffee-pot. 

2493.  Joseph  Guraey,  St.  James's-street— An  improved  mode  of  treating  waterproof 

fnbrics. 
2194.  Richard   A.  Brooman,   166  Fleet- street— Improvement's  in  the  manufacture  of 
coloured  and  ornamented  fabrics.— (Communication.) 

Recorded  October  28. 

2495.  Malcolm  Maclaren,  Johnstone — Improvements  in  fire-places,  grates,  or  furnnces. 

2496.  Aristide  M.  Servan,  8  Philpot-lane — Improvements  in  treating  phormium  tenax, 

flax,  and  other  vegetable  fibrous  matters. 

2497.  John  Johnson,  Over  Darwen — Improvements  in  looms  for  weaving  terry  and  other 

similar  fabrics. 

2498.  John  W.  Wilkins,  Ludgate-hill— Improvements  in  obtaining  power  by  electro- 

magnetism. 

Recorded  October  29. 

2500.  James    Nasmyth,  Patricroft — Improvements   in  the    pistons  and  piston-rods  of 

steam  hammers  and  pile  drivers,  and  in  the  parts  in  immediate  connection 
therewith. 

2501.  Edwin  D.  Smith,  7  Hertford-street,  May-fair— An  improvement  in  the  construction 

of  railway  carriages,  whereby,  in  the  event  of  collision,  the  crushing  of  the 
carriages  will  be  prevented. 

2502.  Peter  O.  Bernard,  Rood-lane— An  improved  case  or  hamper  for  carrying  wine, 

spirits,  and  other  liquids  in  bottle. 

2503.  Richard  A.  Brooman,  166  Fleet-street— Improvements  in  machinery  for  dressing 

flax,  hemp,  and  other  like  fibrous  substances. — (Communication.) 

2504.  George  J.  Gladstone,  10  Brunswick-terrace,  Blackwall— Improvements  in  appara- 

tus for  ascertaining  and  indicating  the  depth  of  water  in  the  hold  of  a  ship  or 
vessel. 

2505.  Andrew  Maclure,  Walbrook— Improvements  in  lithographic  printing  presses. 

2506.  Wil'iam  Betts,  1  Wharf-road,  City-road— Certain  improvements  in  machinery  for 

manufacturing  metallic  capsules. 

Recorded  October  31. 

2507.  John  T.  Wright,  Edwin  P.  Wright,  and  William  Asbury,  Birmingham— An  im- 

provement or  improvements  in  mill-banding. 

2508.  Joseph  Haley,  Manchester— Improvements  in  machinery  or  apparatus  for  cutting, 

boring,  and  shaping  metals  and  other  substances. 

2509.  Edward  G.  Banner,  Cranhamhall— Improvements  in  obtaining  and  applying  motive 

power. 

2510.  Christian  Gb'ethel  and  Charles  M.  Zimmerman,  Philadelphia— Improvements  in 

stereoscopes. 

2511.  Felix  P.  Rovcre,  4  Wellington-street,  Strand— Improvements  in  joints  for  tubular 

drains. 

2512.  Perceval  M.  Parsons,  Duke-street,  A delphi— Certain  improvements  in  the  switches 

and  crossings  of  railways. 

2513.  John  Gray,  Dublin— Invention  of  a  self-acting  flushing  apparatus  applicable  to 

sanitary  purposes. 

2514.  George  Hamilton,  Paisley— Improvements  in  spreading  or  distributing  starch, 

gum,  and  other  semifluid  matters. 

2515.  Anthony  P.  Coubrough,  Blanefield,  Stirling— Improvements  in  printing  textile 

fabrics  and  other  surfaces. 

2516.  John  Brown,  Darlington— Improvements  in  the  construction  of  waggons. 

2517.  Damiano  Assanti,  Upper  Berkeley-street— A  new  or  improved  cooling  and  freezing 

mixture. 

2518.  Richard  Restell,  Croydon— Improvements  in  warming  conservatories,  greeuhouses, 

and  other  buildings. 

2519.  Celestin  Pechoin  and  Eugene  P.  Barades,  La  Chapelle,  St.  Denis,  France1— Im- 

provements in  utilizing  the  saponaceous  matters  contained  in  the  waste  waters 
of  woollen  and  other  manufactories. 


224 


THE  PRACTICAL  MECHANIC'S  JOURNAL. 


Recorded  November  1. 

2521.  John  Crowley,  Sheffield— Improvements  in  the  construction  of  ovens  and'furnaces. 

2522.  Samuel  Lomas,    Manchester— Improvements  in   machinery  for    spinning    and 

doubling  silk. 

2523.  James  Hansor,  Wandsworth -road— Improvements  in  the  manufacture  of  illuminat- 

ing gas. 

2524.  Mark  Newton,  Tottenham— Certain  improvements  in  the  construction  of  carnages, 

and  in  the  means  of  preventing  the  overturning  of  the  same  when  horses  take 
fright.— (Communication.) 

2525.  Arthur  Elliott,  West  Houghton,  Lancaster -Improvements  in  looms  for  weaving. 

2526.  John  Whitehead  and  Thomas  Whitehead,  Leeds — Certain  improvements  in  cut- 

ting-tools, and  in  the  working  of  iron,  brass,  and  other  metals,  and  wood,  and 
other  materials. 

2527.  Henry  Taylor,  Queen-street — An  improved  chair  bedstead. 

2528.  James  Chesterman,  Sheffield— Improvements  in  hardening  and  tempering  steel, 

and  in  grinding,  glazing,  buffing,  and  brushing  steel  and  other  metallic  articles. 

2529.  William  R.  Palmer,  New  York,  U.  S. — Improvements  in  the  construction  of  spike 

thrashing-machines,  whereby  all  liability  to,  and  danger  of,  accident  in  their  use 
is  removed  and  prevented. 

2530.  Joseph  Bauer,  Captain  to  his  Majesty  the  Emperor  of  Austria's  57th  Regiment  of 

Foot,  a  native  of  Vienna,  in  Austria,  presently  in  garrison  at  Prague,  in  Bohe- 
mia—Invention for  cultivating  and  digging  the  soil  by  means  of  a  steam-digging 
and  harrowing  machine. 

2531.  James  Heywood,  Ratcliffe  Bridge,  Lancaster— Certain  improvements  in  machinery 

or  apparatus  for  printing  yarns. 

2533.  Robert  Archbutt,  King's-road,  Chelsea— Improvements  in  wood-cutting  machinery  t 

Recorded  November  2. 

2534.  William  Taylor,  Newport  Pagnel— Invention  for  stopping  of  bottles  containing 

aerated  liquids. 

2535.  Frederick  A.  Gatty,  Accrington,  Lancaster — An  improved  bath  for  heating  and 

distilling. 

2536.  Edwin  D.  Smith,  7  Hertford-street,  May-fair— Invention  of  a  new  bufier-break  for 

railway  carriages. 

2537.  William  A.  Gilbee,  4  South-street,  Finsbury— An  improved  apparatus  for  levelling. 

— (Communication.) 

2538.  Edward  Ward,  Potton— An  improvement  in  carriage  axles. — (Communication.) 

2539.  William  Maltby,  Camberwell— An  improved  system  or  arrangement  for  preventing 

collisions  or  accidents  on  railways. 

2540.  Brand  Willis  and  John  Musto,  Mile-End— Improvements  in  rotatory  pumps. 

2541.  Frederick  Lipscombe,  233  Strand — Improvements  in  obtaining  steam  power,  and 

in  regulating  the  same. 

2543.  Henry  Brierly,  Chorley,  Lancaster— Improvements  in  machinery  or  apparatus  for 

spinning  and  doubling  cotton  and  other  fibrous  substances. 

2544.  James  Howard,  Bedford— Improvements  in  horse-rakes  and  harrows. 

2545.  Richard  E,  Hodges,  South  amp  ton- row,  Russell-square— An  improvement  in  fasten- 

ing the  ends  of  springs  made  of  india-rubber. 

2546.  Charles  lies,  Birmingham — Improvements  in  metal  bedsteads. 

Recorded  November  3. 

2547.  Peter  M'Gregor,   Manchester — Improvements  in  machinery  for  spinning  and 

doubling. 

2548.  William  Wood,  126  Chancery-lane  —  Invention  for  abstracting  and  condensing 

smoke  arising  from  steam-engines  and  other  furnaces,  and  obtaining  a  supply  of 
air  for  supporting  the  combustion  of  the  fuel  in  such  furnaces,  thereby  snpersed- 
ingthe  necessity,  of  chimney  shafts  and  funnels. 

2549.  John  Moffat,  Birmingham — An  improvement  or  improvements  in  candlesticks.— 

(Partly  a  communication.) 

2550.  Charles  Reeves,  jun.,  Birmingham— An  improvement  or  improvements  in  the  ma- 

nufacture of  swords,  bayonets,  and  sword  bayonets. 

2551.  Thomas  Irving,  Dalton,  Yorkshire— Improvements  in  preparing  wool  for  spinning. 

2552.  Bryan  E.  Duppa,  Malmaynes  Hall,  Kent— Improvements  in  colouring  photogra- 

phic pictures. 

2553.  William  Patterson,  Edinburgh— Improvements  in  chairs. 

2555.  George  Duncan,  John  Boyd,  and  John  Barker,  Liverpool— Improvements  in  casks, 

and  in  machinery  or  apparatus  for  the  manufacture  of  casks. 

2556.  Ebenezer  Goddard,  Ipswich — Improvements  in  gas-burners. 

2557.  Joseph  H.  Tuck,  Pall-mall — Improved  machinery  for  obtaining  and  applying  mo- 

tive power,  and  for  raising  and  forcing  fluids. 
Recorded  November  4. 

2559.  George  Nasmyth,  3  Brabant-court,  Philpot-lane— Improvements  in  the  construction 

of  steam-boiler  and  other  furnaces. 

2560.  William  Hindman,  Manchester — Improvements  in  the  construction  of  steam-boilers, 

and  in  the  mode  or  method  of  fixing  the  same. 

2561.  William  G.  Ginty,  Manchester— Improvements  in  the  mode  of  manufacturing  the 

combustible  gases  resulting  from  the  decomposition  of  water  or  steam,  and  in  the 
construction  of  apparatus  connected  therewith. 

2562.  William  Crosland,  Hulme,  Lancaster — Improvements  in  apparatus  for  governing 

the  speed  of  steam  and  other  motive  power  engines. 

2563.  William  Rackster,  Woolwich — Improvements  in  the  construction  and  arrangement 

of  the  burring  apparatus  of  railway  carriages,  and  in  the  mode  of  applying  the 
buffer  and  draw-springs  to  such  carriages. 

2564.  William  E.  Newton,  66  Chancery-lane— Improved  machinery  for  crushing  ores, 

and  separating  therefrom  gold,  silver,  or  other  metals  contained  therein.— (Com- 
munication.) 

2565.  John  H.  Higginbottom,  Ashby-de-la-Zouch,  Leicester— Improvements  in  water- 

closets,  and  in  the  apparatus  connected  therewith. 

2566.  Henry  Pratt,  Boughton-street,  Worcester— Improvements  in  kneading  dough,  and 

which  said  improvements  are  also  applicable  to  the  kneading  or  beating  of  clay, 
loam,  or  other  plastic  materials. 

2567.  William  Foster,  Lister-place,  Bradford— Improvements  in  looms  for  weaving. 

2568.  John  H.  Johnson,  47  Linoln's-inn-fields,  and  Glasgow— Improvements  in  the  manu- 

facture of  malleable  iron,  which  improvements  are  also  applicable  to  the  manu- 
facture of  other  malleable  metals. — (Communication  from  Clement  Desormes, 
Lyons.) 

Recorded  November  5. 

2569.  John  Smith,  Albion  Works,  Bradford — Improvements  in  millstones  for  grinding 

corn,  seeds,  or  minerals. 

2571.  Samuel  Harrison,  Crewe,  Chester — Improvements  in  and  applicable  to  steam- 

engines. 

2572.  John  Hyde,  Sheffield— Improvements  in  furniture  castors. 

2573.  Charles  Carr  and  William  K.  Horsley,  Sedghill,  Northumberland— Improvements 

in  steam  machinery  and  pumps  for  lilting  water  from  mines  and  other  places. 

2574.  Robert  W.  Jearrad,  17  Upper  Ecclestou-place— Improvements  in  steam-boiler  and 

other  furnaces. 

2575.  John  Rubery,  Birmingham — Improvements  in  the  manufacture  of  open  caps  for 

sticks  of  umbrellas  and  parasols. 

2577.  William  B.  Johnson,  Manchester — Improvements  in  steam-engines,  and  in  appa- 
ratus for  indicating  the  pressure  of  steam. 

2578-  Edwin  Kcsterton,  Long-acre— Improvements  in  springs  for  carriages. 


Recorded  November  7. 

2579.  Henry  Pershonse  and  Timothy  Morris,   Birmingham — An  improvement  or  im- 

provements in  the  deposition  of  metals  and  metallic  alloys. 

2580.  John  Todd,  Fish-street-hill — Improvements  in  the  spindles  and  bearings  of  lathes 

and  drilling  machines,  and  in  other  spindles  and  bearings. 

2581.  Marino  L.  J.  C.  V.  Falconi,  4  South-street,  Finsbury,  and  Paris — Invention  of  a 

certain  composition  for  the  preservation  of  the  dead. 

2583.  Jonathan  Grindrod  and  Alexander  Hunter,  Liverpool — Improvements  in  steam- 

engines. 

2584.  Henry  Wiglesworth,  Newbury,   Berks — Improvements  in  connecting  together  or 

coupling  railway  carriages. 

2585.  Robert  Rough  ton,  Woolwich — An  improvement  in  steam-boilers,  which  is  appli- 

cable to  other  vessels,  for  containing  compressed  air,  vapour,  or  gas. 

2556.  Thomas  Walker,  Birmingham — Improvements  in  signal  apparatus  for  the  preven- 

tion of  accidents  on  railways. 

2557.  Alfred  V.  Newton,  66  Chancery-lane — Certain  improved  means  for  preventing  the 

fraudulent  abstraction  of  property. — (Communication.) 

Recorded  November  8. 

2588.  John  Onions  and  Samuel  Bromhead,  Marlborough  Estate,  Peckham— Certain  im- 

provements in  machinery  used  in  the  manufacture  of  paper  and  papier  macho". 

2589.  John  Gardiner  and  William  W.  Wynne,  Great  Marlow,  Buckingham— An  im- 

proved construction  of  gas  stove. 

2590.  Edmond  H.  Graham,  Maine,  TJ.  S. — Improvements  in  fire-arms. 

2591.  Humphrey  Chamberlain,  Kempsey,  near  Worcester— Improvements  in  the  manu- 

facture of  bricks  and  tubes  or  tiles. 

2592.  George  F.  Parratt,  27  Victoria-street,  Pimlico— Improvement  in  life-rafts. 

2593.  Edward  L.  Hayward,  196  Blackfriars-road— Improvements  in  the  roses  of  door  and 

other  locks. 

2594.  John  H.  Johnson,  47  Lincoln's-inn-fields,  and  Glasgow — Improvements  in  machin- 

ery for  combing  and  preparing  wool  and  other  fibrous  materials^— (Communica- 
tion from  Henri  J.  A.  Paris,  Paris.) 

Recorded  November  9. 

2596.  Benjamin  Dangerfield  and  Benjamin  Dangerfield,  jun.,  West  Bromwich,  Stafford 

— Improvements  in  the  construction  of  steam-boilers. 

2597.  Thomas  Dunn  and  Joseph  Dunn,  Pendleton,  Lancaster,  and  James  Bowman,  Plais- 

tow,  Essex— Improvements  in  machinery  for  raising,  moving,  and  lowering 
heavy  bodies. 

2598.  Jerome  A.  Drieu,  Patricroft,  Lancaster— Improvements  in  machinery  for  cutting 

velveteens  and  certain  other  fabrics,  to  produce  a  piled  surface. 

2599.  John  Brown,  Darlington— Improvements  in  coke  ovens. 

2600.  William  Dicks,  Floore,  Northampton— Improvemeuts  in  wheels  for  carriages. 


t^**  Information  as  to  any  of  these  applications,  and  their  progress,  may  be  Jiad  on  appli- 
cation to  the  Editor  of  this  Journal. 


DESIGNS  FOR  ARTICLES  OF  UTILITY. 

Begisleredfrom  VWi  Oct.,  1853,  to  9(4  Nov.,  1853. 


Oct.  17th,  3520 

24th,  3521 

26th,  3522 

27  th,  3523 

—  3524 

—  3525 
28th,  3526 
31st,  3527 

Nov.  8th,  3528 

9th,  3529 


W.  James.  Bishops^ate-street, — "  Rolling-bar  for  making  nails." 

J.  Bennett,  Cheapside,— "Locomotive  regulator." 

S.  Green,  Lambeth, — "  Closet-pan." 

L.  M.  Fiolet,  Finsbury, — "  Siphon  pipe." 

H.  M.  Cumberland,  Coleman-street, — "  Bracelet  page." 

G.  Chambers  &  Co.,  Cheapside, — "  Pocket  companion." 

Devey  and  Dale,  Shoe-lane, — "Ball-valve." 

Flanagan  &  Co.,  Liverpool, — "  .aEolian  hat." 

C.  Gammon,  Bloomsbury, — "Collar-case." 

S.  Twist  and  W.  Morris,  Birmingham, — "  Eilliard  table." 


Oct.  3d, 

534 

6th, 

535 

12th, 

588 

18th, 

537 

20th, 

538 

Nov.  1st, 

539 

3d, 

540 

— 

541 

4th, 

542 

5th, 

543 

DESIGNS  FOR  ARTICLES  OF  UTILITY. 

Provisionally  Registered  from  3d  October,  1853,  to  5th  November,  1853. 

J.  J.  Bennett,  Dover, — "Locomotive." 

A.  P.  Poole,  Cannonbury, — "  Shirt," 

J.  E.  Boyd,  Thames-street, — "  Scythe," 

J.  Franckling,  Addle-street, — "  Belt-clasp." 

C.  B.  Young,  Sutton,—"  Slab." 

S.  Messenger,  Birmingham, — "Connecting-link." 

J.  Walker,  London-bridge, — "  Bullet." 

J.  G.  Reynolds,  City-road, — "Emigrants'  table." 

C.  Gammon,  Bloomsbury, — "Collar-case." 

J.  Walker,  London-bridge, — "Rifle-sight." 


TO  READERS  AND  CORRESPONDENTS. 

Montgomery. — The  power  to  be  obtained  from  such  a  hydraulic  engine,  depends 
entirely  upon  the  actuating  power  of  the  stream  working  it.  Mr.  Sinclair's  eng:ue 
requires  a  very  considerable  head  pressure,  and  we  should  think  that  all  artificial  modes 
of  obtaining  such  elevations  would  be  inapplicable.  The  engine,  like  all  other  movers, 
will  answer  for  any  kind  of  work.  Its  power  is,  of  course,  dependent  on  its  size,  and  the 
amount  of  head  pressure.  The  inventor  is  the  proper  party  to  give  the  several  details 
wanted.  Neither  Mr.  Rourke's  nor  Mr.  M'Glashan's  machine  has  appeared  in  this 
Journal. 

E.  P.,  Rio  de  Janeiro.— Letters  received  and  forwarded. 

Constant  Reader,  Penzance. — We  can  fully  sympathize  with  our  correspondent  in 
this  grievance.  In  small  figures,  it  is  extremely  difficult  to  make  the  letters  distinct; 
and  although  we  do  not  say  it  with  the  view  of  covering  the  engraver's  defects,  we  think 
we  may  fairly  challenge  comparison  with  any  existing  works  of  a  similar  character. 

Young's  Dental  Instruments—  In  our  illustrated  notice  of  these  instruments  last 
month,  we  were  in  error  as  to  the  maker.  The  credit  attached  to  the  mechanical  production 
of  the  new  forceps,  belongs  to  Mr.  W.  B.  Hilliard,  of  148  Buchanau  Street,  Glasgow. 

W.  M. — His  views  ought  to  be  addressed  to  the  publisher. 

L.  H.  S. — All  the  inventions  to  which  he  refers  are  quite  new,  and  are  of  course  not  yet 
practically  known. 

Charcoal  Dust. — The  following  is  in  reply  to  our  note  last  month.  It  refers  to  only 
one,  but  a  very  obvious  application: — Ironfouuders  use  large  quantities  of  charcoal, 
ground  very  fine.  It  is  worth  from  £8  to  £10  per  ton  here.— James  Willoughby,  Central 
Foundry,  Plymouth." 

Received.— "  Programme  of  Astronomical  Lectures  at  the  Edinburgh  University, 
1853-4." — "Remonstrance  against  Mr.  Bateman's  Plan  of  Supplying  Glasgow  with 
Water,"  by  L.  D.  B.  Gordon,  C.E.— "  Colt  on  Revolving  Chamber  Breeched  Fire  lron6." 


THE  PRACTICAL  MECHANIC'S  JOURNAL. 


225 


THE  NEW  CRYSTAL  PALACE. 

NOTHER  hour  —  another  age."  So 
might  we  invent  a  proverb,  and  all 
certain  history  would  justify  the 
expression.  Thought  hy  thought 
does  progress  run  along  the  cen- 
turies ;  and  rising  higher,  or  stretch- 
ing wider,  at  every  step  the 
boundaries  of  the  infinite  be- 
P  come  more  defined,  and  that 
which  was  esteemed  but  a 
superstructure  becomes  an  im- 
perishable foundation.  Truly 
and  eloquently  did  the  sage  of 
old  write  and  tell  us  how  "  Hon- 
ourable age  is  not  that  which  standeth  in  length  of  time, 
nor  that  which  is  measured  by  number  of  years,"  but  that 
'•  Wisdom  is  the  grey  hair  unto  men,  and  an  unspotted 
life  is  old  age."  It  is  thus  we  must  reckon  as  we  take  stock  of  the 
accumulated  treasures  of  the  world ;  and,  by  reckoning  thus,  the  proverb 
we  have  improvised,  startles  us  with  its  awakening  truth. 

The  hallowed  festival  which  we  have  just  celebrated,  reminds  us  of  the 
most  pleasing  proof  we  can  adduce.  When  the  jargon  of  logomachy 
had  severed  the  unity  of  the  noblest  religion  upon  the  earth,  and  teachers 
of  the  divine  law  were  disputing  among  themselves  with  the  greatest 
rancour  and  animosity — when  the  mass  of  the  intelligent  of  the  congre- 
gation were  attracted  from  attention  to  the  affairs  of  another  life,  by  the 
incomprehensible  controversies  which  met  their  ears  in  the  solemn 
temple  of  their  God — when  these  disputes  and  these  controversies  had 
lasted  a  time — another  hour,  and  all  became  changed — and  changed  for 
ever!  One  came  among  them  whom  they  knew  not;  one  who  sat  in 
their  midst,  and  heard  them,  and  asked  them  questions.  Upon  those 
who  listened,  another  age  supervened  —  not  suddenly,  it  is  true,  but 
quietly  and  certainly.  The  colour  of  the  time,  though  perceived  darkly 
and  dimly  at  first,  gradually  tinted  with  its  glorious  hue  the  succeeding 
years,  until  all  Europe  confessed  the  faith  promulgated  at  the  door  of  the 
Holy  Sepulchre. 

Again,  when  man  had  exhausted  his  many  means  of  exhibiting  both 
his  belief  and  unbelief  of  the  sacred  dogmas  of  his  new  religion — when 
the  burning  thirst  for  power  had  well  nigh  secured  the  grasp  of  power, 
and  form  again  took  the  place  of  substance,  and  ceremonial  of  the  hidden 
life  of  the  heart — in  a  lowly  home  of  Saxony,  a  time-piece  was  sounding 
which  was  destined  to  visit  all  the  then  existing  and  all  future  corrup- 
tion with  its  own  punishment,  and  to  make  the  desert  blossom  as  the 
rose.  Another  hour  sounded,  and  civilized  man  begau  to  live  a  new  life, 
in  which  even  the  larger  portion  have  not  yet  advanced  to  years  of  dis- 
cretion ;  but  still  it  is  come,  and  we  in  our  own  beloved  country  have 
reason  to  rejoice  daily  that  it  has  come. 

Again,  in  other  things,  less  lofty,  indeed,  but  scarcely  less  interesting 
to  us,  as  applicable  to  men's  business  and  labours,  if  we  listen  ever  so 
inattentively,  we  can  occasionally  hear  the  great  clock  of  ages  striking 
another  hour,  ushering  in  another  imperfectly  conceived  and  wonderful 
age.  It  was  heard  thus  striking  when  that  young  Englishman,  trying 
to  apply  the  visibly  wasted  powers  of  nature  to  "the  good  of  man's 
estate,"  in  his  dull  and  silent  chambers  of  Gray's  Inn,  started  up  from 
»he  mystical  book  he  was  reading,  and,  pacing  his  room  with  pleasurable 
perturbation,  hunted  down  the  grand  new  thought  that  had  glanced 
across  his  mental  vision.  Nature  herself  was  nature's  storehouse,  wherein 
to  find  her  treasures,  and  not  the  false  pictures  of  her  as  man  had  drawn 
them.  Tku  hour  has  not  done  striking  yet.  It  sounds  no  uncertain 
chime — it  booms  forth  no  unknown  tongue.  He  that  can  spell,  may 
read  it.     It  forms  the  manuscript  diary  of  our  life  — the  romance  of  our 


brightest  being.  It  is  the  mighty  missionary,  confined  in  his  duties  to 
no  place,  to  no  time,  crying  out,  not  "Give,  give,"  like  the  daughters 
of  the  horseleech,  but  persuading  all,  with  a  countenance  of  beauty  and 
a  voice  of  melody  and  power,  to  come  in  and  receive  of  its  bounty.  Its 
arguments  are  visible — tangible.  Does  not  hundred-handed  steam  pro- 
claim its  own  mighty  worth  ?  Has  not  the  silent  electric  wire  a  speech 
of  telling  sweetness?  Is  not  the  "  pencil"  of  light  (happily  named  !)  a 
kindly  master  of  art?  While  the  results  of  chemical  study  are  being 
wrought  into  the  very  frame  of  social  happiness.  It  may  be  that,  as  the 
poet  sings — ■ 

"  There  hath  passed  away 
A  glory  from  the  earth." 

But  it  is  only  a  change — a  change  from  one  glory  into  many  others ;  and 
in  both,  the  spirit  that  is  weak  and  the  spirit  that  is  strong,  there  is  a 
capacity  to  participate  and  enjoy — a  yearning  to  collect  and  to  distribute 
the  precious  things  that  physical  science  has  not  only  given,  but  to 
which  it  also  clearly  points.  It  has  made  art  its  foster-brother  indeed  ; 
and,  active  with  all  modern  and  ancient  virtues,  it  is  gradually  linking 
the  whole  human  family  into  one,  having  the  same  end,  and  means  in 
common  to  attain  it.  True,  it  may  be  that  the  poet,  too  earnestly 
desiring  its  complete  accomplishment,  with  his  eye  "  in  a  fine  frenzy 
rolling,"  may  view  coming  ages  in  the  field  of  the  present  time,  and,  as 
is  his  wont,  reflect  his  own  serenity  upon  all  the  hordes  of  mankind. 
If,  however,  nothing  better,  this  must  be  considered  merely  as  a  harm- 
less amusement.  He  sees  the  consummation  of  another  mighty  revolu- 
tion in  the  earth,  as  the  business-man  of  our  times  sees  the  meaner  oc- 
currence of  a  reformation  of  a  municipality  or  a  university.  It  is,  how- 
ever, beginning  to  be  confessed  by  all,  that  great  works  have  been  done, 
are  being  done,  and  will  be  done — the  labours  of  our  fathers  will  be 
eclipsed  by  ourselves,  and  we  shall  be  outran  in  the  race  by  our  own 
descendants.  There  is  no  doubt  of  this  at  all.  It  is  unavoidable  as 
ancient  Fate — it  is  uncontrollable  as  modern  Hope. 

And  is  it  but  an  uncertain  glimmering  of  his  true  relation  to  these 
things  that  is  caught  by  the  reflective  practical  mechanic  ?  He  has  but 
to  look  aside,  and  demonstrations  of  moment  object  themselves  to  him. 
He  finds  that  he  is  not  a  mere  passing  observer.  In  the  midst  of  it  all, 
and  analyzing  with  intuition  what  he  sees  before  him,  he  is  prided  to 
believe  himself  to  be  not  merely  a  part  of  it  only,  but  the  solid  founda- 
tion of  it  all  likewise. 

It  is  the  conviction  of  this  which  makes  him  watch  with  interest  every 
little  onward  step,  and  it  is  this  which  compels  him  to  regard,  with  in- 
terest of  the  highest  kind,  the  first  single  great  public  establishment  con- 
ceived and  executed  purposely  to  enlarge  the  general  bounds  of  human 
achievement,  by  showing,  in  an  instructional  manner,  all  that  has  been 
accomplished;  and  thus,  ever  more  and  more,  suggesting  to  the  working 
mind  things  that  are  to  he  done.  Such  an  establishment  is  The  New 
Crystal  Palace. 

We  could  have  wished  the  name  of  the  institution,  likely  to  become 
so  popular,  to  have  been  a  little  less  connected  with  the  brilliant,  but 
ephemeral,  display  of  1851.  We  apprehend  the  new  society  will  lose 
much  every  way  by  this  name.  It  will  receive  a  tinge  of  perish- 
ableness  from  it,  while  it  will  be  capable  of  showing,  as  in  a  mask  only, 
most  of  the  pleasing  realities  that  met  the  eye  in  Hyde  Park.  Hence 
will  arise,  even  in  the  best  wishers  of  the  prosperity  of  the  concern,  a 
sentiment  by  no  means  healthy,  coupled,  at  the  same  time,  with  a  pre- 
dominant idea  of  the  absence  of  verisimilitude — a  want  of  truth.  How- 
ever this  may  be,  if  the  ideas  of  the  promoters  be  carried  out  to  a  measure 
of  fifty  per  cent,  of  their  published  intentions — and  they  certainly  have, 
as  yet,  given  us  every  reason  to  believe  that  their  intentions  will  be 
more  than  realized — a  very  great  work,  indeed,  will  have  been  com- 
menced before  the  end  of  the  present  year.  To-day  will  the  mighty  cob- 
wub-dome  receive  its  last  survey,  previous  to  the  contractors  for  the 
building  handing  it  over  to  the  painters  and  decorators.     When   these 


226 


THE  PRACTICAL  MECHANIC'S  JOURNAL. 


have  accomplished  their  task,  then  will  the  walls  and  counters  begin  to 
receive  their  varied  and  valuable  stores  of  natural  and  artificial  produc- 
tions.   Waggon-loads  upon  waggon-loads  must,  we  know,  be  exhaustedj 
and  panteehnica  emptied,   before  the  vast   area,    so   delicately 
covered,  shall  cry  "  Enough,  enough  ;"  and  it  will  be  a  strange 
thing,  indeed,  if  the  simple  and  common,  as  well  as  the  intricate, 
marvels  of  mechanism  have  not  a  large  space  devoted  to  them. 
We  have  been  informed  that  the  directors,  with  a  wise  foresight, 
have  remembered  the  principal  attractions  of  the  Great  Exhibi- 
tion, and  have  taken  these  as  the  cue  for  their  own  higher  efforts. 
If  this  be  true,  the  New  Crystal  Palace  will  be  more  popular  in 
its  examples  of  mechanism.than  was  its  elder 
sister,  constantly  crowded  as  her  own  little 
storehouse  of  such  instruments  usually  was. 
So  instructive  a  school  of  mechanical  art 
will  never  before  have  existed.     This  alone 
will  be  sufficient  to  render  the  immense  un- 
dertaking worthy  in  the  eyes  and  hearts 
of  our  readers. 

But  mechanical  art  is  ostensibly  to  be 
only  one  of  many  departments  of  art  which 
are  to  subserve  the  purposes  of  this  gigantic 
national  society.  Notwithstanding  this,  the  practical  mechanism  of  our 
day  will  be  admirably  illustrated — at  least,  it  is  the  intention  of  the  direc- 
tors that  it  should  so  be.  There  were  many  patent  defects,  in  this  respect, 
in  the  first  and  Inst  grand  assemblage  relating  to  the  subject.  Matters 
were  not  put  before  the  eyes,  as  imperatively  required,  in  an  educational 
form — in  such  a  form  that,  while  they  attract,  they  should  teach — in 
s'uch  a  form  as  that,  while  we  are  looking  at  them,  we  are  learning,  and 
learning,  not  with  the  pain  of  forced  abstraction,  but  by  the  very  means 
of  our  delight.  There  are  few  such  methods  as  yet  in  practice ;  but  any 
one  who  has  carefully  studied  the  art  of  teaching,  as  he  has  daily  pre- 
sumed to  be  the  teacher,  of  children  especially,  knows  how  much  more 
easily,  as  well  as  satisfactorily,  is  knowledge  communicated  in  this  way. 
We  heartily  congratulate  our  young  friends  upon  the  prospect  of  the  open- 
ing of  this  new  school  for  them.  And  if  the  directors  shall  continue  to 
deserve  the  praise  which  they  are  challenging  to  themselves,  we  doubt 
not  that  the  education  of  the  practical  mechanic,  in  no  part  of  the  British 
Isles,  will,  after  a  time,  be  consi.-^rcd  complete,  until  he  has  passed  some 
months  within  the  New  Crystal  Palace.  We  cannot  help  looking  forward 
to  a  time  when  professors  in  this  particular  department  will  be  established 
there,  surrounded  immediately,  as  they  will  be,  by  a  complete  museum 
of  mechanical  apparatus  ;  where  regular  lectures  shall  be  delivered,  and 
grades  of  honour  attainable,  which 
shall  be  coveted  as  greedily  as  any 
honours  now  within  the  grasp  of 
the  youthful  aspirants  in  our  com- 
mon profession.  Such  a  scheme  as 
this,  noble  as  it  would  be,  cannot 
he  out  of  the  purview  of  men  who 
nre  entitled  to  the  highest  sympa- 
thy and  respect  for  everything  they 
have  yet  done  towards  fulfilling 
their  promises  within  the  precincts 
of  the  unrivalled  building,  which 
has  been  now  made  ready  for  their  purposes  by  the  practical  mechanic 
alone. 

And  so,  bidding  them  farewell  for  a  season,  we  wish  their  project  a 
"  Happy  New  Year !  " 

GILBY'S  BUEECII-CIIARGIXG  AND  SELF-PRIMING  RIFLE. 
This   new  arm,  which  has   been   patented   by  the  inventor,  Mr.  J. 
Gilby,  of  Beverley,  throughout  Europe  and  America,  is  assumed  to  pos- 
sess the  following  advantages: — 


Fig.  1. 


\nt.  Peculiar  facility  for  rapid  charging  at  the  breech,  either  with 
flask  and  ball,  or  with  cartridge. 

2d.  Superior  strength,  with  accuracy  and  security  in  firing. 

3d.  Freedom   from   fouling,   until   after 
very  long  and  rapid  shooting. 

4th.  Maybe  used  cither  without"  patches" 
over  the  ball,  as  well  as  with  them. 
a    /     MSB  ^"J"   Is  as  light  and  handy  as  a  common 

rifle,  and  balances  better  in  the  hand,  and, 
of  course,  requires  no  ramrod. 


Gth.  Being  simple,  and  easily  managed,  it  is  equally  well  adapted  for 
sporting  or  military  purposes. 

Fig.  1  of  our  engravings  is  a  side  external  elevation  of  the  rifle  lock, 
with  portions  ofthe  stock  and  barrel;  and  fig.  2  is  a  corresponding  longi- 
tudinal section  ofthe  same  parts. 

A  breech-case,  a,  occupies  a  great  part  of  the  space  usually  taken 
up  by  the  forestock,  connecting  the  stock  and  barrel  as  firmly  as  if 
these  parts  were  in  a  single  solid  piece.  The  fastening  to  the  barrel  is 
effected  by  transverse  steel  bolts,  whilst  a  breech-plate,  b,  secures  it  to  the 
stock  above  and  a  trigger-plate,  o,  below.  The  breech  is  detached  from 
the  barrel,  and  lias  a  joint  at  its  end,  d,  the  bore  of  the  breech  being  slightly 
larger  than  that  of  the  barrel.  At  its  fore  end  is  a  loop,  e,  having  a 
rounded  projection,  which  works  against  a  spring-catch,  f;  so  that, 
when  the  breech  is  shut  down,  after  charging,  the  spring-catch  enters 
the  loop,  and  thus  holds  the  breech  in  security. 

In  rifles  of  large  bore,  a  steel  bolt, 
Fig-2-  passing   through    the  loop,   and  com- 

pletely across  the  breech- case,  is 
substituted  for  this  "  catch,"  and, 
therefore,  in  no  case  can  the  breech  be 
shifted  during  the  discharge.  A  spring. 
G,  with  a  roller  attached  to  it,  is  fastened 
to  the  under  side  of  the  breech,  to 
throw  the  latter  up  for  charging;  and 


it  is  readily  liberated,  when  required,  by  a  stud  and  pin  on  the  left  side 
of  the  breech-case,  working  against  the  catch  or  bolt,  and  moved  by  the 
left  hand,  as  the  rifle  is  held  in  the  usual  manner. 

The  ends  of  the  barrel  and  breech  are  cut  at  similar  angles,  so  that 
the  fitting  surfaces  are  brought  into  direct  and  actual  contact  round  the 
entire  circumference  of  the  bore.  The  gaseous  escape  during  discharge 
is  very  slight;  but,  to  carry  it  off,  a  groove  is  cut  in  the  inner  circumfer- 
ence of  the  breech-case,  round  the  junction  ofthe  barrel  and  breech,  and 
an  aperture  is  left  in  the  bottom  ofthe  breech-case,  opening  into  an 
escape  tube,  fastened  along  its  under  side.     By  this  means,  the  "foul- 


THE  PRACTICAL  MECHANIC'S  JOURNAL. 


227 


ing,"  so  often  complained  of  in  breech-charging  guns,  is  effectually  pre- 
vented. 

The  lock  is  situated  on  the  left  side  of  the  rifle,  and  the  tumbler-pin 
is  brought  through  the  stock,  so  that  the  hammer  occupies  its  usual 
position.  This  leaves  room  for  the  priming  apparatus,  which  fills  the 
space  commonly  assigned  to  the  lock.  But  when  no  primer  is  required, 
the  breech-charging  principle  alone  being  applied  in  the  piece,  the  lock 
obviously  occupies  its  usual  position. 

At  h.  in  the  stock,  is  a  metal  tube,  of  a  bore  sufficiently  large  to  ad- 
mit the  caps,  running  along  it  end  to  end,  with  a  spiral  spring,  J,  inside, 
to  force  them  forward  as  required.  This  tube  is  inserted  at  the  butt  end 
of  the  stock,  and  is  continued  far  enough  to  reach  up  to  the  detent,  k, 
which  moves  on  a  pin  at  i.,  and  is  forced  up  by  the  spring,  m.  At  n  is  a 
small  connecting-rod,  passing  through  the  breech-case,  and  acted  on  by 
a  shoulder  or  projection  on  the  joint  of  the  breech  at  o,  when  the  breech  is 
shut  down,  forcing  the  detent  down  at  the  same  time.  A  hole  in  the 
part  of  the  detent,  just  opposite  the  end  of  the  tube,  H,  now  receives  a  cap, 
forced  into  it  by  the  spiral  spring  in  the  tube.  Thus  the  store  of  caps  is 
closed  against  the  influence  of  the  weather;  and  in  this  position  they 
remain  until  they  are  brought  up,  one  by  one,  by  the  action  of  the  prim- 
ing apparatus  ;  and  the  nipple  is  projected  into  them  as  they  arrive,  by 
the  upward  motion  of  the  breech,  so  that  the  latter  is  primed  by  its  own 
movement.  After  charging,  the  breech  is  again  shut  down  in  its  place, 
carrying  with  it  the  cap  just  put  on.  The  primer  is  more  especially 
adapted  for  rifles  of  a  bore  above  40,  but  it  is  capable  of  use  in  smaller 
pieces. 

THE   LAW  OF  PATENTS  FOE  INVENTIONS  IN   RUSSIA. 

The  law  as  to  privileges  for  inventions  in  Russia  was  declared  by  an 
imrerial  decree  of  the  17th  of  June,  1812. 

The  privilege  granted  for  inventions  in  arts  and  manufactures  is 
founded  upon  a  certificate  (obtained  on  presenting  a  petition  to  the 
Government,  accompanied  by  a  full  description  of  the  invention),  which 
certificate  will  state  that  the  invention  therein  mentioned  was  presented 
in  due  time  to  the  Government,  as  the  property  of  the  person  named 
therein. 

The  Government  does  not  guarantee  that  the  invention  belongs  to 
the  person  who  makes  the  application ;  it  only  certifies  what  are  the 
peculiar  properties  of  the  invention  when  it  is  presented. 

The  privilege  granted  by  the  Government  dues  not  prevent  other  per- 
sons from  proving,  in  legal  form,  that  the  invention  therein  mentioned 
does  not  belong  to  the  person  who  presented  it. 

Until  the  ownership  of  the  invention  is  contested,  the  person  to  whom 
the  privilege  was  granted  has  a  right — 

1.  To  the  absolute  property  in  the  invention  for  the  specified  time. 

2.  To  use  the  invention  himself,  and  to  sell  its  results  to  the  public,  or 

to  transfer  the  privilege  to  another  person. 

3.  To  prosecute  persons  infringing  the  privilege  in  the  courts  of  law, 

and  to  recover  an  indemnity  for  the  loss  sustained  by  the  infringe- 
ment. 

4.  To  treat  as  an  infringement  the  miking  of  articles  in  a  similar 

manner  with  small  and  unessential  differences. 

The  person  applying  for  a  patent  privilege  shall  deliver  to  the  Govern- 
ment an  exact  description  of  his  invention,  with  all  essential  details,  and 
the  mode  of  carrying  it  into  effect;  and  also,  the  necessary  plans  and 
drawings,  not  keeping  back  anything  requisite  to  be  known. 

No  patent  privilege  will  be  granted  when  such  an  exact  and  detailed 
description  shall  not  have  been  delivered. 

No  patent  privileg :  will  be  granted  for  inventions  which  are  likely  to 
injure,  or  not  to  benefit,  the  state  or  individuals. 

Inventions  made  in  foreign  countries  maybe  patented  in  Russia  when 
no  detailed  description  has  been  published,  and  when  they  have  not  been 
already  introduced  into  the  empire. 

A  patent  for  an  imported  invention  will  have  the  same  validity  as 
one  granted  fir  an  invention  made  in  Russia,  until  it  is  shown  that  the 
invention  had  been  brought  into  use  before  the  grant,  or  that  it  had  been 
lescribed  in  published  books  or  papers,  in  such  a  way  that  it  could  have 
been  carried  into  effect  without  the  patentee's  description. 

Patent  privileges  for  original  inventions  are  granted  for  three,  five,  or 
ten  years  (the  extreme  limit),  at  the  option  of  the  applicant;  for  im- 
ported inventions  the  longest  period  is  six  years.  The  Government 
charges  amount,  on  patents  for  original  inventions  for  three  years,  to  300 
rubles  (£15),  for  five  years  to  500  rubles  (£25),  and  for  ten  years  to 
1,500  rubles  ''£75);  whilst,  in  the  case  of  imported  inventions,  the 
Government  charges,  in  respect  of  a  four  years'  patent,  are  800  rubles, 
in  respect  of  a  five  years'  patent,  1,000  rubles,  and  in  respect  of  a  six 
years'  patent,  1,200  rubles. 


A  patent  will  be  void  when  it  is  shown  to  the  proper  tribunal  that  the 
invention  has  been  already  practised  in  Russia,  or  that,  at  the  time  of 
the  presentation  of  a  petition  for  a  patent,  it  had  been  previously  de- 
scribed in  books  or  periodicals  published  in  Russia  or  elsewhere,  so  that 
it  might  have  been  carried  into  effect  without  further  description.  It 
will  also  be  void  where  it  is  impossible  to  arrive  at  the  promised  result 
by  following  the  directions  of  the  patentee. 

In  case  of  the  absence  of  the  inventor,  the  person  applying  for  the 
patent  must  be  duly  authorized  by  power  of  attorney,  and  this  person 
will  have  to  give  a  written  engagement  for  payment  of  the  money  due 
to  Government. 

No  prolongation  of  the  term  originally  granted  can  be  obtained.  For 
improvements  in  a  patented  invention,  a  new  patent  must  be  applied 
for.  A  patent  for  an  imported  invention  expires  at  the  same  time  as  the 
patent  in  the  country  from  which  the  invention  was  brought.  An 
invention  for  which  a  patent  lias  been  obtained,  must  be  carried  into 
effect  within  one  quarter  of  the  space. of  time  for  which  the  patent  was 
granted.  "  >  »  ' 


SIEMENS'  IMPROVED  CHRONOMETE1C  GOVERNOR. 

The  ordinary  rotatory  pendulum,  or  Watt's  centrifugal  governor,  is  a 
very  imperfect  regulator,  pf.'the.  stearn-engine's  action.  In  fact,  it  dots 
not  regulate,  but  rather  moderates  the  velocity;  for  it  cannot  prevent  a 
permanent  change  in  the  engine's  rate,  when  a  permanent  change  occurs 
in  the  load  ;  and  it  can  only  moderate  the  permanent  change  in  velocity, 
because  its  influence  upon  the  throttle-valve  is  essentially  dependent 
upon  a  change  in  the  angular  position  of  the  pendulums,  which  change 

Fig. 1. 


is  produced  only  by  permanent   increase  or  decrease  in  the  engine's 
rate. 

Another  defect  is,  that  it  cannot  begin  to  act  upon  the  regulating 
valve,  until  after  the  engine's  rate  has  undergone  a  material  variation  ; 


228 


THE  PRACTICAL  MECHANIC'S  JOURNAL. 


for,  at  the  instant  of  the  removal  of  a  part  of  the  driven  load,  the  pen- 
dulums are  still  in  equilibrium,  and  it  is  only  by  aggravation  of  the  evil 
that  they  acquire  power  enough  to  overcome  the  valve's  friction.  Then, 
in  checking  the  effect  of  this  loss  of  time  before  the  governor  really  acts, 
the  valve  is  moved  too  far  in  the  opposite  direction,  and  hence  arise  end- 
less fluctuations  in  the  velocity. 

The  most  notable  of  the  attempts  at  a  remedy  for  these  defects,  is  the 
" chronometric  governor"  of  Messrs.  C.  W.  and  W.  Siemens,  who  have 
applied  their  ingenious  arrangement  to  a  great  many  engines  since  1845. 
This  contrivance  is  composed  of  two  essential  parts — the  chronometer 
and  the  differential  movement  forming  the  connecting  link  between  the 
chronometer  and  the  engine,  and  being  the  part  producing  the  necessary 
effect  upon  the  steam-valve.  The  chronometer  is  required  to  possess 
these  properties : — 

1st.  To  measure  the  time  by  a  continuity  of  motion,  in  contradistinc- 
tion to  the  vibrating  pendulum,  which  deals  it  out  in  units. 

2d.  Possession  of  sufficient  momentum,  or  instantaneous  power,  for 
overcoming  resistance  and  acting  upon  the  valve. 

3d.  The  allowance  of  great  fluctuations  in  its  maintaining  power, 
without  suffering  its  speed  to  alter. 

4th.  The  derivation  of  its  maintaining  power  from  the  engine,  whilst 
it  is  yet  affected  uniformly  by  the  engine,  just  as  a  domestic  clock  de- 
rives its  maintaining  power  from  a  falling  weight. 

The  delicacy  of  the  details,  and  the  expense  of  constructing  the  chro- 
nometric governor,  as  originally  designed,  have  hitherto  impeded  its 
general  introduction  as  a  regulator;  and  the  inventors  have,  therefore, 
modified  the  apparatus  to  the  form  shown  in  figs.  1  and  2  of  our  annexed 
engravings. 

Fig.  1  is  a  sectional  elevation  of  the  improved  governor;  and  fig.  2  is 
a  plan,  with  the  valve  alone  in  section.  The  connection  with  the  engine 
is  by  means  of  the  vertical  spindle,  a,  which  may  be  supposed  to  repre- 
sent the  ordinary  main  centre  spindle  of  the  common  governor.  It 
works  up  through  an  eye  in  the  bearing  bracket  for  the  chronometric 
arrangement,  and  has  upon  its  upper  end  a  pair  of  opposed  or  reversed 
bevil-wheels,  b,  c,  forming  a  differential  quadruple  wheel  combination 
with  the  other  two  wheels,  d,  e.  The  last  two  wheels  are  entered  upon 
the  two  ends  of  a  short  spindle,  through  an  eye,  in  the  centre  of  which 
the  spindle,  a,  is  passed.  The  bottom  wheel,  c,  of  the  set,  has  a  set  of 
four  eyes  upon  its  lower  side,  forming  stud  joints  for  four  links,  f,  which 
are  attached  to  the  inner  sides  of  the  four  segmental  iron  blocks,  g,  con- 
tained in  the  interior  of  the  friction  case,  h.  The  connection  of  the  dif- 
ferential movement  with  the  regulating  valve,  J,  is  through  the  link-rod, 
K,  one  end  of  which  is  jointed  to  a  crank  lever  standing  out  at  l,  from 
the  cross  spindle  of  the  two  wheels,  d,  e,  the  other  end  being  jointed  at 
M,  to  the  valve  lever.  The  valve  spindle  also  carries  a  weighted  lever, 
n.  The  upper  wheel,  b,  is  fast  on  the  spindle,  A,  going  at  62  revolutions 
per  minute,  the  opposite  wheel,  c,  being  loose  on  the  same  spindle.  The 
other  two  vertical  wheels,  d  and  e,  gearing  with  the  horizontal  pair,  are 
also  loose  on  their  short  cross  spindle.  Thus,  as  the  engine  drives  round 
the  spindle,  A,  the  wheel,  b,  upon  it,  drives  the  two  wheels,  D,  E,  in  reverse 
directions,  and  these  two  drive  the  bottom  wheel,  c. 

Those  who  arc  acquainted  with  the  old  form  of  chronometric  governor 
will  be  at  no  loss  to  see  the  important  improvements  secured  in  the  new 
one.  On  the  engine  being  put  in  motion,  the  weight,  n,  on  the  valve 
spindle  lever  accelerates  the  rate  of  the  friction  block,  or  "  fly-wheel " 
arrangement,  g,  until  the  centrifugal  force  of  the  segmental  blocks  ex- 
ceeds their  gravity,  and  causes  them  to  traverse  outwards.  At  this 
instant  they  come  in  contact  with  the  interior  of  the  casing,  n,  and  as 
they  revolve  at  a  considerable  speed,  the  friction  thus  generated  absorbs 
the  excess  of  maintaining  weight  applied.  Stops,  o,  are  provided  for  the 
restraint  ot  the  lever,  l,  on  each  side. 

Experiment  has  shown  that  this  governor  will  permanently  support 
lj  cwt.  on  the  throttle-valve  lever,  and  it  possesses  the  important  ad- 
vantage of  working  well  at  an  angle,  so  that  it  is  suitable  for  marine 
engines.  Its  great  power  would  also  enable  it  to  act  upon  the  lever  of 
an  adjustable  screw  propeller,  the  pitch  of  which  it  would  thus  be  enabled 
to  regulate,  so  as  to  maintain  the  engine  at  a  uniform  rate,  independent 
of  the  vessel's  speed.  The  throttle-valve  represented  in  our  figures  has 
its  spindle  entirely  relieved  from  the  steam  pressure,  the  steam  being 
made  to  enter  from  opposite  sides,  as  shown  by  the  arrows. 

The  best  illustration  of  the  perfection  of  this  governor's  action  is 
given  in  the  fact,  that  where  applied  to  a  fifty-horse  engine,  sawing  16- 
inch  baulks  into  sleepers,  the  work  coming  and  going  suddenly  with  the 
commencement  and  finish  of  each  saw-cut,  the  rate  of  the  engine 
varied  no  more  than  one  stroke  per  minute  on  35  strokes,  as  the  regular 
working  rate.  Tins  ingenious  regulator  has  now  abetter  chance  of  get- 
ting into  cv  Ty-day  use;  for  there  is  nothing  delicate  about  it,  and  its 
ist  is  certainly  not  in  the  way. 


HUTCHINS'  LIFE-BOAT. 

IFE-BOAT  building  has  latterly  been  the 
subject  of  a  vast  amount  of  experimental 
research ;  but  of  all  this  practical  exa- 
mination, great  good  must  undoubtedly 
be  worked  out ;  for,  under  the  operations 
of  so  many  separate  inquirers,  we  may 
surely  anticipate  that  time  will  bring  us 
effective  combinations  of  many  essen- 
tially good  points,  hitherto  isolated  and 
useless.  The  present  Exhibition  at  the 
Society  of  Arts  has  brought  together  many  hints  for  the  purpose,  and 
from  these  we  have  selected  the  boats  designed  by  Mr.  W.  llutchins,  ol 
Croom's  Hill,  Greenwich,  as  illustrative  examples  of  the  latest  attempts 
at  improvement. 

Our  fig.  1  represents  a  ship's  boat,  of  ordinary  build,  as  fitted  with  the 

Fig.  1. 


inventor's  metal  keel,  and  air-tight  floor  above  the  water  line,  with  tubes 
for  shipped  seas  to  pass  through.  The  discharge  apertures  of  these 
tubes,  six  in  number  on  one  side,  are  represented  in  the  view  before  us  ; 
and  above  them  is  a  dotted  line,  indicating  the  floor,  the  boat  being 
well  careened  over,  to  show  the  wide  keel.  It  is  calculated  that  the 
long-boat  of  a  thousand-ton  ship,  built  on  this  principle,  of  gutta  percha. 
would  save  fifty  hands. 

Fig.  2  is  a  plan  of  the  keel  alone.     For  a  boat  35  feet  long,  it  would  be 


about  18  inches  wide  at  midships,  and  running  down  to  the  usual  width 
at  each  end.     By  this  plan  of  construction,  the  weight  of  ballast  is  well 
distributed,  without  necessitating  the  use  of  a  deep  keel,  which  would 
endanger  the  boat's  safety  in  taking  a  shallow  beach  in  a  heavy  sea. 
Fig.  3  is  an  internal  view  of  the  boat,  as  lying  on  the  sand,  showing 


Fig.  3. 


the  discharging  tubes,  which  are  fitted  with  valves  opening  downwards 
— the  air-tight  locker  on  each  side — and  the  bulkheads  and  air-tight  sec- 
tions at  the  stem  and  stern. 

Fig.  4  is  a  transverse  section  of  the  boat,  in  explanation  of  her  air- 
tight lockers  and  end,  her  floor  and 
discharge  tubes,  keel,  and  bilges  as 
deep  as  the  keel. 

Our  initial  figure  shows  the  boat 
under  storm  canvas,  with  the  mizen 
well  forward,  that  she  may  not  re- 
quire an  out-rigger  for  the  mizen- 
sheet.  That  something  must  be 
done  in  the  way  of  producing  boats 
worthy  of  the  dignity  involved  in 
the  appellation  "  life  "-boats,  is  pain- 
fully obvious,  from  the  fact  that  three  of  the  Northumberland  Prize 
boats  have  capsized  under  canvas,  drowning  the  chief  pnrt  of  their  crews. 
In  these  boats,  the  ballast,  which  was  water  confined  in  a  case  running 
inside  from  stem  to  stern,  evidently  afforded  insufficient  leverage.  In 
the  case  of  the  Tenby  boat,  on  turning  over  under  canvas,  she  would  not 
right  until  the  fore  halyards  were  let  go,  and  the  sail  taken  in.     Besides 


THE  PRACTICAL  MECHANIC'S  JOURNAL. 


229 


this,  the  boatmen  admit  that  they  cannot  pull  her  against  a  heavy  sea 
and  head  wind.  A  life-boat,  to  be  a  reality,  ought  to  be  so  constructed 
as  to  be  able  to  beat  to  windward  under  canvas  in  a  gale,  without  the 
slightest  chance  of  capsizing;  and  the  deposition  of  the  ballast  along 
the  keel,  instead  of  inside,  offers  a  great  assistance  towards  such  a  result, 
especially  in  boats  which  must  not  draw  too  much  water.  Boats  for 
steamers  and  large  ships,  it  is  asserted  by  the  inventor,  might  be  con- 
structed on  this  principle,  so  as  to  be  always  ready  for  use;  and,  if  built 
of  gutta  percha,  they  would  run  little  risk  of  being  damaged  by  coming 
in  contact  with  floating  wreck,  or  getting  dashed  against  the  ship's  side 
in  launching. 


BOUCHS  "FORM  AND  COLOUR"  RAILWAY  SIGNAL. 

The  numerous  railway  accidents  which  occur,  either  from  "  colour 
blindness"  on  the  part  of  the  engine-drivers  and  look-out  men,  or  from 
the  general  want  of  distinctive  features  in  the  signals  themselves,  have 
induced  Mr.  T.  Bouch,  C.E.,  of  Edinburgh,  to  turn  his  attention  to  some 


sy3tem  of  signals,  which  should  combine  form  and  colour  images,  and 
thus  present  the  clearest  possible  indications  of  what  is  intended  on  the 
part  of  the  station-keepers.  Our  illustrations  very  clearly  show  the  inge- 
nious contrivances  which  Mr.  Bouch  has  adopted  in  working  out  his  plans. 


Hi" 


Fig.  1  is  a  front  elevation  of  a  signal  of  the  improved  kind,  as  arranged 
in  what  may  be  termed  its  primary  position,  presenting  a  plain  white 
disc  to  the  view  of  the  engine-driver,  indicating 
that  the  line  is  clear,  and  therefore  that  the  train  Fi?- 3- 

may  safely  proceed.  Fig.  2  is  a  corresponding 
side  view  of  the  signal  at  right  angles  to  fig.  1. 
Fig.  3  is  a  detached  front  view  of  the  actual  signal 
portion  alone,  representing  the  indicating  appara- 
tus in  its  second  position,  to  show  that  a  passinr  i 
train  must  proceed  with  caution,  a  square  green 
disc  being  displayed  for  this  purpose.  Fig.  4  is 
a  similar  detached  view  of  the  disc-signalling 
details,  wherein  two  distinct  red  discs  are  exhi- 
bited, to  indicate  danger. 

The  signal  is  constructed  in  its  general  de- 
tails on  the  same  plan  as  the  common  apparatus. 
It  consists  of  a  stout  wooden  pillar,  a,  carrying 
horizontal  side  brackets,  E,  in  which  brackets 
are  plain  eyes,  to  receive  the  parallel  vertical 
iron  rod,  c.  This  main  post,  a,  is  fitted  with  a 
ladder,  r>,  and  platform,  e,  in  the  usual  way,  for 
the  ascent  of  the  signalman  ;  and  its  inner  front 
face  carries  a  stationary  circular  disc,  p,  with  a 
red  face,  pointing  in  the  reverse  direction  to  the 
train's  motion.  The  long  adjusting  rod,  c,  is 
passed  freely  through  its  plain  eyes  in  the 
brackets,  n,  having  liberty  both  to  rotate  and 
traverse  longitudinally  therein,  a  collar  being 
on  the  lower  end  of  the  rod,  to  prevent  it  from 
traversing  too  high  at  any  time.  This  rod  is 
surmounted  by  a  circular  signal  disc,  h,  coloured 
white  on  one  side,  as  shown  in  fig.  1,  and  red  on 
the  other,  as  in  fig.  4.  Beneath  this  disc,  the 
rod  also  carries  a  second  disc,  i,  of  a  square  or 
rectangular  shape,  and  checked  or  half-entered 
into  the  upper  disc,  n,  forming  one  piece  with  it. 
These  details,  with  the  ordinary  lamp,  j,  on  the 

apex  of  the  rod,  c,  form  the  entire  signalling  apparatus.  The  front  face 
of  the  timber  post,  A,  has  also  bolted  to  it,  lower  down,  a  spiral  guide- 
piece,  or  curved  incline,  k,  held  at  its  two  ends,  e, 
in  a  fixed  position.  This  spiral  piece  embraces 
the  rod,  c ;  and  an  adjustable  arm,  it,  standing 
out  at  right  angles  from  the  rod,  carries  a  small 
pulley,N,upon  its  outer  end,  bearing  upon  the  edge 
of  the  incline  as  a  support,  a  small  handle,  o, 
being  fitted  up  with  a  catch,  as  shown  in  dotted 
lines,  for  manual  adjustment.  Or,  when  the 
signal  is  to  be  actuated  from  a  distance,  by  cords 
or  ropes,  in  the  usual  way,  the  common  signal 
wire-rope  is  passed  round  a  pulley,  keyed 
on  near  the  lower  end  of  the  rod,  a.  An  addi- 
tional lamp,  Q,  may  be  attached  to  the  red  face 
of  the  upper  disc,  h,  as  a  security  against  dan- 
ger, arising  from  colour  blindness,  or  an  inability 
fairly  to  distinguish  different  colours.  When  the 
signal  is  in  its  first  position,  as  delineated  in  figs. 
1,  2,  and  3,  the  circular  disc,  having  its  white 
face  towards  the  approaching  train,  completely 
covers  or  conceals  the  fixed  red  disc,  r,  on  the 
wooden  pillar,  from  view ;  whilst  the  green  disc, 
i,  being  turned  with  its  edge  towards  the  coming 
train,  is  also  invisible.  Under  these  circum- 
stances, then,  the  engine-driver,  seeing  only  the 
white  face,  or  a  single  round  disc,  knows  that 
the  line  is  clear  for  his  journey.  But  if,  from  any 
cause,  "  caution"  is  to  be  signalled,  the  signal- 
man, either  by  his  wire-rope  and  pulley,  or  the 
adjusting  handle,  o,  turns  the  rod,  c,  one  quarter 
round  upon  its  axis.  Then,  as  the  arm,  m,  is  fast 
on  the  rod,  c,  it  goes  round  with  it;  and  in  the 
traverse  of  the  pulley,  n,  over  the  incline,  k,  the 
rod,  c,  is  caused  to  rise  up  through  its  bracket 
bearings,  so  as  to  bring  the  signal  discs  into 
their  second  position,  as  represented  in  fig.  3. 
The  circular  red  and  whitefaced  disc  is  now  turned 
with  its  edge  towards  the  train,  and  is  therefore 

invisible ;  whilst  the    rectangular  green   disc,   i,  faces  the  train,    and 
covers  up  or  conceals  the  fixed  red  disc,  F,  entirely  from  the  driver's  view ; 


230 


THE  PRACTICAL  MECHANIC'S  JOURNAL. 


so  that,  as  the  look-out  on  the  train  sees  only  the  green  disc,  he  at  once 
knows  that  he  must  run  slowly  and  with  care.  If  "  clanger"  is 
to  be  signalled,  for  the  purpose  of  stopping  the  train,  the  signalman 
turns  the  rod,  c,  another  quarter  round;  the  resulting  traverse  of  the 
arm,  m,  over  the  spiral  guide,  k,  carries  the  rod  still  further  upwards  in 
its  bearings,  bringing  the  signal  discs  into  their  third  position,  fig. 
4.  The  circular  disc,  n,  having  thus  been  turned  a  full  half  round,  now 
presents  its  red  face  towards  the  train  ;  and  its  increased  elevation, 
due  to  the  spiral  guide  action,  having  brought  it  to  a  higher  level 
than  that  of  the  stationary  disc,  f,  the  engine-driver  now  sees  two  sepa- 
rate red-faced  discs  of  circular  shape,  forming  a  very  striking  "  stop  "  sig- 
nal. On  reversing  the  action  of  the  rod,  c,  the  discs  are  obviously 
brought  back  into  their  normal  position,  as  in  figs.  1,  2,  and  3. 

For  night-work,  the  lamp-signals  will  act  in  this  manner: — In  the 
first  position,  the  lamp,  j,  on  the  top  of  the  rod,  c,  will  give  a  white  light, 
indicating  "  all  clear;"  whilst  the  lower,  or  secondary  lamp,  q,  is  screened 
by  the  circular  disc,  n.  In  the  second  position,  when  the  rod,  c,  is  turned 
one-fourth  round,  the  upper  lamp,  j,  has  a  new  branch  brought  forward 
to  throw  out  a  green  light,  indicating  "  caution,"  the  secondary  lamp,  Q, 
being  still  shaded.  In  the  third  position,  the  third  branch  of  the  compound 
lamp,  j,  will  give  out  a  red  light,  whilst  the  single  secondary  lamp,  q,  is 
now  brought  to  hear,  and  gives  a  similar  red  lights  both  in  the  direction 
of  the  approaching  train.  In  this  case,  should  the  look-out  be  affected 
with  colour  blindness,  he  will  yet  be  put  on  his  guard  by  the  appearance 
of  two  distinct  lights,  indicating  danger. 

The  superior  degree  of  safety  attending  the  use  of  these  signals  must 
soon  lead  to  their  general  adoption.  They  are,  indeed,  already  at  work 
on  several  lines  of  railway,  under  Mr.  Bouch's  charge. 

DEAL  SAWING-MACHINE. 
By  Messrs.  Woussam  and  Co.,  King's  Road,  Chelsea. 
(Illustrated  by  Plate  141.) 
The  deal  sawing-machine,  delineated  in  the  two  views  on  our  Plate 
141,  embodies  all  the  latest  improvements  by  the  makers,  and,  in  parti- 
cular, a  novel  feed  motion,  recently  patented  by  Mr.  Archbutt,  of  Messrs. 
Worssam's  firm.  Fig.  1  on  our  plate  is  a  complete  side  external  eleva- 
tion of  the  machine,  showing  a  deal  in  the  act  of  passing  through.  Fig. 
2  is  a  corresponding  front  view,  at  right  angles  to  fig.  1,  with  the  saws 
in  edge  view.  The  main  framing  consists  of  a  pair  of  lower  vertical 
standards,  a,  bolted  down  to  a  stone  foundation,  and  carrying  two  upper 
standards,  b,  bolted  on  by  intermediate  flanges,  to  form  continuous 
pillars.  The  whole  of  the  movements  are  worked  from  the  fast  and  loose 
band  pulleys,  c,  fast  on  the  projecting  end  of  the  horizontal  shaft,  D,  car- 
ried by  an  end  bearing  on  the  stone  foundation,  and  a  second  bearing  in 
the  base  of  one  of  the  standards.  This  shaft,  which  is  fitted  with  a  small 
fly-wheel,  to  steady  the  motion,  has  on  its  inner  end  a  crank  disc,  e,  from 
the  face-pin  of  which  a  connecting-rod,  f,  passes  upwards  to  the  saw 
frame.  The  end  view  shows  that  the  machine  is  duplex,  taking  in  two 
deals,  the  working  frame  being  divided  down  the  middle,  so  that  the 
upper  end  of  the  actuating  connecting-rod  is  jointed  to  the  centre  of  the 
frame,  thus  saving  height,  without  interfering  with  the  efficient  action 
of  the  machine.  The  slide-pieces,  a,  of  the  frame,  are  guided  in  the  sta- 
tionary eyes,  ii;  and  on  the  opposite  side  of  the  standards  are  two  parallel 
spindles,  i,  carrying  adjustable  lever  pressure  pulleys,  j,  for  bearing  up 
against  the  timber  to  the  fence  in  passing  through.  These  spindles  are 
grooved,  to  allow  of  the  setting  up  or  down  of  the  pulley-holders;  and  the 
requisite  set-up  is  accomplished  hy  the  hand-wheels,  K,  set  on  screw 
spindles,  passed  through  nut  levers  on  the  upper  ends  of  the  spindles,  i, 
spring-boxes,  L,  being  fitted  to  the  framing,  to  secure  the  necessary  elas- 
tic action  in  working.  The  holding-down  pulleys  are  at  m,  in  adjustable 
eye-pieces  above  the  timber,  the  bearing  pressure  being  obtained  from 
the  weights,  n,  hung  to  the  free  ends  of  a  pair  of  pressure  levers,  o.  These 
levers  are  suspended  from  fixed  stud  centres,  p,  and  links,  Q,  pass  up- 
wards from  them  to  the  pulley  holders,  sliding  in  slotted  guides  above. 
This  pressure  keeps  the  deal  well  down  upon  the  feed  chain,  B,  which  is 
carried  at  one  end  upon  a  stationary  pulley,  s,  and  at  the  other  upon  a 
similar  pulley  on  the  spindle,  t,  of  the  large  ratchet-wheel,  v.  Each 
sawing  action  has,  of  course,  a  separate  chain  and  pulley  arrangement, 
and  both  are  worked  from  the  eccentric,  v,  on  the  first  motion  spindle,  d; 
a  rod,  w,  from  which  passes  up  to  a  ratchet-lever,  x,  working  the  ratchet- 
wheel,  u.  The  exterior  working  edges  of  the  bearing  surfaces  or  edges 
of  the  chains,  it,  are  serrated,  so  as  to  obtain  a  hold  upon  the  timber;  and 
as  the  eccentric,  v,  revolves,  it  actuates  the  ratchet-wheel,  u,  and 
through  it  the  chains,  k,  thus  feeding  the  deals  steadily  up  to  the  cut. 
This  ingenious  movement  forms  a  very  efficient  feed,  without  involving 
the  use  of  anything  more  than  the  simplest  mechanism,  and  fewest  pos- 
sible working  parts. 


RENSIIAW'S  ENGINEER'S   SHAPING  MACHINE. 

(Illustrated  by  Plate  142.) 

HAPING  machines  proper  are  thus  named,  in  contradis- 
tinction to  ordinary  lathes,  planers,  and  drills,  which  can 
only  accomplish  one  regular  class  of  operations,  whereas  the 
shaper,  in  viilue  of  its  combination  of  the  powers  and  move- 
ments of  all  the  simple  tools,  is  capable  of  working  out 
differentially-curved  and  other  complex  figures,  in  addition 
to  its  individually  simple  cutting  movements.  Machine 
tools  of  this  class  are  becoming  more  or  less  indispensable  in 
all  mechanical  engineering  establishments  of  superior  pre- 
tensions, where  work,  deemed  impossible  a  few  years  ago,  is 
now  being  executed  with  all  the  ease  and  precision  which  formerly  alone 
attended  the  simplest  constructive  processes.  To  Mr.  Renshaw,  of  Not- 
tingham, much  is  owing  for  his  recent  suggestions  in  this  elevated  range 
of  workmanlike  contrivance;  and  our  Plate  142  will  illustrate  how  far 
he  has  carried  the  perfection  of  details  into  the  minutest  crevices  of  his 
schemes. 

This  plate  represents  a  side  elevation  of  a  composite  slotting  and 
shaping  machine  tool,  with  self-acting  gearing,  as  adapted  for  the  entire 
finishing  of  large  cranks,  levers,  wheels,  and  other  work,  ordinarily  de- 
pendent upon  the  efforts  of  several  tools.  This  particular  example  is 
more  especially  intended  for  slotting  and  shaping  heavy  work  of  consi- 
derable length,  and  serves,  besides,  as  a  complete  vertical  lathe  for  boring 
and  turning  large  wheels,  the  outsides  of  cylinders,  and  other  articles,  as 
well  as  the  self-acting  shaping  out  of  curved  surfaces,  which  cannot  be 
so  turned  in  the  common  lathe. 

The  main  frame  consists  of  a  plain  stout  column,  a,  cast  with  a  rec- 
tangular base  for  bolting  down,  along  with  the  rest  of  the  stationary 
groundwork,  upon  the  base  line,  b  c.  The  upper  part  of  this  column 
has  cast  upon  it  upper  and  lower  projecting  bracket  arms,  d,  to  carry  the 
vertical  cutting  slide,  e,  in  dovetail  faces,  motion  being  given  to  the  slide, 
when  slotting,  by  the  connecting-rod,  f,  jointed  at  one  end  to  a  stud-bolt 
in  the  slide,  and  at  the  other  to  an  adjustable  stud-pin  in  the  grooved  face 
of  the  crank  disc,  o,  fast  on  one  end  of  the  shaft,  H.  Motion  is  communi- 
cated to  the  entire  machine  by  the  fast  and  loose  pulley  movement,  i,  the 
first  motion  shaft  of  which  is  carried  in  the  pedestal  bearings,  j,  and  carries 
a  cone  pulley,  k,  driving  the  corresponding  cone,  i,,  upon  the  shaft,  M. 
By  means  of  a  sliding  clutch,  this  cone  movement  is  made  to  actuate 
the  spur  pinion,  n,  at  pleasure,  thus  giving  motion  to  the  large  spur 
wheel,  o,  on  the  upper  shaft,  p.  On  this  shaft  also  is  an  eccentric  oval 
wheel,  Q,  driving  a  corresponding  oval  wheel,  it,  fast  on  the  back  end  of 
the  crank  disc  shaft,  ii,  which  passes  through  the  head  of  the  column. 
This  equalizes  the  motion,  or  makes  the  traverse  uniform,  and  effects 
the  quick  return  of  the  cutter  after  each  cutting  stroke,  as  in  the  com- 
mon planing  machine. 

The  other  motions  are  actuated  by  a  pulley,  s,  on  the  end  of  the  cone, 
L,  a  strap  from  which  pulley  passes  to  a  pulley  on  the  long  shaft,  t, 
which  is  geared  to  the  mandril,  passing  vertically  through  the  socket, 
u,  with  intervening  wheels  to  vary  the  speed ;  and  a  cross  shaft,  v,  con- 
nected with  a  large  horizontal  inverted  bevil  wheel,  concealed  beneath 
the  face-chuck,  w,  in  such  a  manner  as  to  allow  for  the  various  motions 
and  adjustments  of  the  latter. 

At  x  is  the  traversing  or  bed  slide,  on  which  the  saddle,  y,  of  the 
table  moves;  and  z  is  a  superincumbent  piece,  capable  of  being  tilted  by 
means  of  screws,  and  having  the  socket,  u,  descending  into  a  pit  in  the 
foundation,  so  as  to  lower  the  face  of  the  chuck  for  the  reception  of  heavy 
work.  Beneath  the  face-chuck  is  a  slide,  a,  attached  directly  to  the 
mandril. 

A  contrivance,  b,  is  introduced  for  raising  the  mandril  when  the 
machine  is  used  for  turning,  allowing  it  then  to  revolve  freely,  whilst  it 
can  be  let  down  solid  for  slotting.  The  face-chuck,  w,  is  connected 
with  the  inverted  bevil  wheel  before  mentioned,  by  projecting  clutches, 
so  that  the  wheel  is  not  affected  by  the  raising  of  the  mandril.  The 
piece,  a,  is  graduated  on  its  circumference  for  prismatic  and  angular 
shaping. 

The  tool  slide,  c,  can  be  screwed  on  in  two  positions  at  right  angles, 
and  at  different  heights;  it  gives  a  fine  adjustment  for  circular  cutting, 
being  removed  when  the  tool  cuts  rectilinearly. 

The  various  feeds,  which  are  entirely  self-acting,  are  worked  thus: — 
The  shaft,  v,  is  moveable  longitudinally  by  a  spiral  groove,  so  that  when 
the  back  bevil  wheel,  for  driving  the  mandril  for  circular  cutting,  is 
thrown  out  of  gear,  a  screw  wheel  at  its  near  end  may  be  connected  with 
the  tangent  screw,  d,  giving  a  feeding  motion  for  shaping  circular  works, 
as  the  bosses  of  cranks,  by  rectilinear  cuts.  This  tangent  screw  is  worked 
from  a  rod,  e,  actuated  by  a  face-groove  cam  on  the  main  shaft,  n,  and 
having  a  screw-adjusting  and  reversing  movement.     The  cam  is  also 


o 


y 

QnJ] 
[LtJ] 


si 

6n 


THE  PRACTICAL  MECHANIC'S  JOURNAL. 


231 


connected  with  a  shaft,  f,  giving  the  other  two  intermittent  feeds  required 
for  rectilinear  cutting,  with  the  crank  motion,  g,  in  action — namely,  those 
for  the  slides,  x  and  a. 

The  continuous  feeds,  g  and  h,  are  driven  by  a  belt,  i,  with  cone 
pulley,  and  suitable  intervening  arrangements  for  disconnecting  the 
parts,  and  a  peculiar  method  is  contrived  for  reversing  the  continuous 
traversing  feed  at  g.  For  this  purpose,  the  actuating  worm-shaft  carries 
a  right  and  left-threaded  worm-wheel  opposed  to,  or  reversed,  as  regards 
each  other.  This  compound  worm  is  fitted  to  a  corresponding  duplex 
worm-wheel,  so  that  either  the  right  or  the  left  thread  may  be  put  in 
gear.  This  plan  is  also  suitable  for  other  purposes,  and  particularly  as  a 
substitute  for  the  motion  commonly  used  in  rack  lathes;  being  cheaper, 
as  dispensing  with  three  spur-wheels,  and  more  convenient,  as  the  whole 
of  the  hand-gear  can  thus  be  carried  on  the  rest-saddle. 

The  machine  is  thus  complete  for  turning  and  boring,  as  well  as  for 
slotting  and  shaping,  circular,  rectilinear,  and  prismatic  work;  and  by 
tilting  the  table,  taper  and  angular  work  of  each  class  maybe  executed; 
so  that  a  great  number  of  the  most  common  parts  of  machinery  may  be 
completely  finished,  when  once  adjusted  and  fixed  on  the  face-plate. 
It  unites,  indeed,  all  the  solidity  and  convenience  of  the  respective  de- 
tached machines  of  the  engineer's  workshop.  The  arrangement  of  the 
table  is  also  more  convenient  than  that  of  the  common  slotting  machine. 
In  the  latter,  as  the  circular  or  worm  feed  is  above  both  the  rectilinear 
slides,  it  is  necessary  to  shift  the  work,  when  it  is  wished  to  place  it 
eccentric,  for  instance,  in  consecutively  paring  the  bosses  of  a  crank ;  in 
the  present  tool  this  is  accomplished  by  placing  the  slide,  a,  at  the  top, 
this  position  not  interfering  with  its  self-acting  feed. 

The  machine  is  also  capable  of  turning  round  and  hollow  surfaces,  by 
the  addition  of  a  screw-wheel,  Jc,  on  the  main  shaft,  n,  connected  at 
pleasure  by  means  of  a  rod,  I,  and  change-wheels,  m,  borrowed  from  a 
screw-cutting  lathe,  with  the  continuous  self-acting  feed  at  i,  the  re- 
quired arc  being  obtained  by  the  adjustment  of  the  crank-pin  in  the 
disc,  g.  When  this  cnrvilinear  motion  is  put  in  gear  during  the  revolu- 
tion of  the  work  on  the  mandril,  the  machine  assumes  all  the  functions 
of  that  rare  engine,  the  spherical  lathe;  and  as  the  extra  parts  are  few 
and  simple,  and  do  not  at  all  interfere  with  the  solidity  of  the  tool,  and 
are,  besides,  capable  of  working  all  curves  between  a  straight  line  and 
a  hemisphere,  convex  or  concave,  and  their  combinations,  new  uses  will 
easily  suggest  themselves.  It  is  shown  in  the  act  of  facing  a  cylinder 
cover  with  a  compound  curvilinear  self-acting  cut. 

When  the  work  is  of  very  large  diameter,  and  revolves,  the  turner  sits 
on  a  cross  plank. 

THE  SOCIETY  OF  ARTS  EXHIBITION. 

The  "  Collection  of  Articles  Invented,  Patented,  or  Registered,  since  Oc- 
tober, 1852."  forming  the  fifth  of  the  very  excellent  exhibitions  of  the 
Society  of  Arts,  has  been  opened  since  the  appearance  of  our  last  number, 
and  we  are  glad  to  find  that  its  reputation  achieved  in  previous  years, 
has  not  in  any  way  receded  in  the  present  one. 

The  Catalogue  tells  us  that  the  room  contains  231  articles.  These  are 
divided  under  the  six  heads  of — ■ 

1 .  Motive  Machines,  including  Railway  Mechanism. 

2.  Manufacturing  Machines  and  Tools. 

3.  Building  Contrivances  and  Materials,  and  Kaval  and  Military  Me- 
chanism. 

4.  Philosophical  Instruments  and  Hardware. 

5.  Agricultural  Implements  and  Saddlery. 

6.  Miscellaneous,  including  Articles  for  Personal  and  Domestic  use. 

In  the  first  Class,  Mr.  J.  C.  Pearce,  of  the  Bowling  Iron-Works,  York- 
shire, contributes  four  drawings,  illustrative  of  his  late  improvements  in 
steam  boilers.  In  these  boilers,  arrangements  are  made  for  the  purpose 
of  causing  the  heat  first  to  take  effect  as  near  as  may  be  on  the  sur- 
face of  the  water,  and  then  to  traverse  the 
tubes  lower  down,  finally  acting  upon  the  bot- 
tom and  outside  of  the  boiler,  prior  to  passing 
off  to  the  chimney. 

Fig.  1  is  a  longitudinal  section  of  a  por- 
tion of  a  tube,  showing  Mr.  Pearce's  mode  of 
fastening  the  flue-tube  ends  to  the  tube  plates 
of  his  boilers.  A  short  tube  or  ferrule,  a, 
is  soundly  welded  upon  each  end  of  the  tube, 
so  as  to  form  strong  end  collars,  and  these 
enlargements  are  then  turned  down  slightly 
in  the  lathe,  to  fit  accurately  to  the  hole 
in  the  tube  plate.  When  properly  ad- 
i  m  the  tubs  relates,  the  projecting  edges  of  the  collars  are  riveted 
Hiked  over  with  the  band  hammer,  as  at  n.     As  to  the  breadth 


FiK.  1. 


and  thickness  of  these  collars,  1J  inch  by  3-lGth  inch  answer  for  ordi- 
nary tubes,  the  outsides  of  the  collars  being  3-8th  inch  larger  than  the 
bodies  of  the  tubes.  This  system  of  fixing  materially  strengthens  the 
tube  ends,  preventing  them  from  splitting,  and  at  the  same  time  allow- 
ing free  passage  for  the  heated  current.  Such  tubes  may  also  be  put  in 
from  either  end  of  the  boiler,  whilst  they  are  as  easily  withdrawn, 
without  reference  to  the  presence  of  scale  on  their  external  surfaces. 
The  same  inventor  exhibits  a  mode  of  protecting  the  glass  guage  tubes 
of  boilers,  by  casting  soft  metal,  such  as  tin  or  lead,  upon  the  tubes,  leav- 
ing a  longitudinal  slot  in  each  case,  through  which  to  see  the  position  of 
the  water  level. 

Mr.  Ramsbottom,  the  locomotive  superintendent  of  Longsight,  near 
Manchester,  exhibits  a  15-inch  locomotive  engine  piston,  embodying 
some  good  points.  The  packing-rings  in  it  are  originally  made  10  per 
cent,  larger  in  diameter  than  the  piston,  and  they  are  therefore  kept  well 
up  in  working  contact  with  the  cylinder  by  their  own  elasticity.  This 
15-inch  one  weighs  84  lbs.  The  first  pair  put  to  work  have  performed 
18,000  miles. 

Messrs.  Manifold  and  Lowndes,  of  Liverpool,  have  a  drawing  of  their 
"  Combined  Expansion  Engine."  This  is  a  clever  modification  of  Woolf 's, 
or  the  double-cylinder  expansion  engine,  wherein  the  high  and  low  pres- 
sure cylinders  are  combined  together,  to  act  at  right  angles  to  each  other 
on  one  crank.  This  arrangement  enables  each  cylinder  to  help  its  neigh- 
bour over  the  dead  centres,  the  relative  powers  of  the  high  and  low  pres- 
sure cylinders  being  so  proportioned,  that  each  shall  give  out  the  same 
amount  of  power,  to  secure  uniformity  of  motion  and  strain.  Thus  all 
the  acknowledged  economy  of  the  double-cylinder  expansion  process  is 
secured,  in  combination  with  that  uniformity  of  action  hitherto  unattain- 
able in  engines  of  this  class. 

Messrs.  J.  Bourne  &  Co.,  of  Glasgow,  are  represented  by  the  "  Con- 
choidal  Marine  Propeller"  of  Mr.  C.  A.  Holm.  The  novelty  of  this 
contrivance  consists  in  a  peculiar  combination  of  curved  surfaces,  or 
spoon-shaped  edges  of  the  blades,  the  object  of  the  inventor  being  to 
concentrate  and  direct  the  propelling  current  at  the  circumference,  in 
such  a  manner  that  it  shall  be  delivered  in  a  line  parallel  with  the  pro- 
peller's axis,  and  prevent  loss  from  centrifugal  slip. 

Messrs.  W.  and  J.  H.  Johnson,  of  Lincoln's-Inn-Fields,  exhibit  eight 
very  -large  mounted  finished  sheets  of  engineering  drawings,  including  in 
this  section  most  elaborately  executed  views  of  the  "  Austrian  Prize  Loco- 
motive '  Bavaria,' "  as  made  by  Herr  Maffei,  from  the  designs  of  Mr. 
Joseph  Hall  for  the  Semmering  Railway,  and  Mr.  M'Connell's  "  Express 
Locomotive  on  the  London  and  North-Western  Railway."  Also,  Bell- 
house's  "  Twin  Steam-Boiler,"  Scott,  Sinclair,  &  Co.'s  "  Double-geared 
Marine  Engines  for  Screw  Propulsion,"  and  the  "  Engines  of  the  Duncan 
Hoyle  Screw  Steamer,"  by  the  same  makers.  In  division  2,  the  same 
exhibitors  have  Mr.  J.  Jones'  "Iron  Refining  and  Puddling  Furnaces," 
Messrs.  J.  James  &  Co.'s  "  Weighing  Machine,"  Mr.  Fearn's  "Metallic 
Ornamentation,"  and  a  valuable  collection  of  "  Engineer's  Tools," 
including  Shanks'  "  50  Ton  Slotting  Machine,"  M'Dowall's  "  High 
Speed  Tensional  Sawing  Machine,"  and  two  of  Mr.  Eenshaw's  ex- 
cellent "Engineer's  Shaping  Machines;"  Mr.  Bridson's  "Washing 
Machine  for  Textile  Fabrics,"  Mr.  Bower's  "  Gas  Retorts  and  Combined 
Gas  Apparatus,"  Mr.  Glasson's  "  Oval  Tube  Boiler,"  and  Messrs.  Scott, 
Sinclair,  &  Co.'s  "  Charcoal  Kilns  and  Vacuum  Sugar  Pans." 

Several  gold-producing  machines  are  prominent  objects  in  this  divi- 
sion. The  "Self-adjusting  Screw  Bolts"  of  Mr.  G.  W.  Nicholson,  of 
Pendleton,  are  intended  to  prevent  the  straining  and  breaking  to  which 
ordinary  bolts  are  in  some  degree  liable.  This  is  accomplished  by 
making  the  under  surface  of  the  nut  and  the  bolt-head  of  a  convex 
form,  using  concave  washers,  which  adjust  themselves  to  the  inequa- 
lity or  obliquity  of  the  surfaces  being  bound  together.     .. 

Messrs.  Purbrick  and  Yeates,  of  Tunbridge,  contribute  the  patent  Sugar 
Pans  of  Mr.  R.  B.  Purbrick,  who,  in  his  arrangement,  secures  superior 
rapidity  of  evaporation.  The  pans  present  a  larger  area  of  effective 
heating  surface  than  usual,  and  they  possess  several  other  practically 
important  features  which  the  sugar-boiler  will  duly  appreciate.  The 
pans  are  made  by  Messrs.  Blyth,  of  Limehouse. 

In  Class  4,  Messrs.  W.  and  J.  H.  Johnson  contribute  a  drawing  of 
Dr.  Watson's  "  Electric  Lamp,  of  continuous  and  automatic  action," 
showing  all  the  details  of  that  elegant  contrivance. 

In  Class  5,  Mr.  Wilson's  "  Patent  Cottage  Allotment"  and  "Navi- 
gator's Barrows,"  as  made  by  Mr.  George  Ell,  of  the  New  Road,  are 
creditable,  as  well  for  their  mechanical  construction  as  for  their  original 
design. 

Fig.  2  is  a  longitudinal  section  of  one  of  these  barrows.  The  wheel 
or  "trundle"  is  placed  under,  and  is  recessed  into  the  bottom  of  the  bar- 
row, the  internal  projection  being  covered  over  by  a  piece  of  curved  sheet- 
iron,  boxed  in  with  wooden  side-pieces.  With  this  position  of  the  wheel,  the 


232 


THE  PRACTICAL  MECHANIC'S  JOURNAL. 


weight  of  the  contained  load  is  thrown  upon  the  wheel,  instead  of  being 
earned  between  the  hand  and  the  wheel,  as  in  the  common  barrow,  thus 
relieving  the  labourer's  arms.  The  sinking  of  the  body  over  the  wheel 
also  brings  the  weight  nearer  to  the  ground,  and  diminishes  the  working 
oscillation.  The  handles  are  attached  quite  separately  from  the  body, 
and  they  are  set  on  at  a  considerable  angle,  so  as  to  reduce  the  lift  in 


■ 

wheeling.  Where  nicety  is  required  in  wheeling,  as  in  going  over  a 
plank,  a  brass  knob  is  set  on  the  top  of  the  front  board,  at  the  middle, 
so  as  to  be  directly  in  the  line  of  the  wheel,  and  serve  as  a  guide;  and  to 
prevent  the  dirt  from  clogging  the  wheel  cover,  a  scraper  is  attached 
behind  the  wheel. 

In  Class  0,  the  "  Patent  Cask-cleaning  Machine"  of  Mr.  R.  Davison,  of 
Mark-lane,  attracts  attention,  from  the  efficiency  of  the  very  simple  means 
adopted  for  cleansing  brewers'  casks  from  all  internal  adhesive  matter, 
without  resorting  to  the  destructive  and  expensive  process  of  unheading. 
Fig.  3  is  a  side  elevation  of  the  cleanser  complete,  with  the  cask  being 
operated  upon  in  section.  The  system  adopted  by  Mr.  Davison  consists  in 
the  giving  continuous  rotation  to  the  cask,  as  held  in  an  open  frame,  in 
a  direction  at  right  angles  to  its  axial  line,  whilst  it  is  also  made  to  re- 
volve upon  its  own  axis  in  the  frame,  by  a  most  ingeniously  contrived 
movement  of  a  weighted  or  pendant  lever,  and  an  endless  screw.     The 

framing  in  each 
Fis-3-  case  consists  of 

a  pair  of  open 
standards,  A, 
bolted  down  to 
wooden  bearers 
on  the  floor,  over 
the  top  of  an 
open  drain  grat- 
ing, b.  These 
standai'ds  are 
formed  with 
bearings,  to  re- 
ceive the  end 
journals,  form- 
ing the  trans- 
verse axis  of  the 
open  frame,  c,  in 
which  the  foul 
cask,  Displaced 
for  cleansing. 
The  journals,  e, 
at  the  two  oppo- 
site ends  of  the 
frame,  c,  an- 
swer as  the  ma- 
jor axis  of  the 
frame  and  cask, 
their  bearings 
beingin  an  outer 
secondary  frame 
piece,  shown  in 
section,  and  sus- 
pended from  the 
minor  axis  of 
the  movement. 
Thus  these  two 
frames  furm  a 
species  of  uni- 
versal joint,  the 
outer  one  re- 
volving       only 

upon  the  minor  axis,  whilst  the  inner  one  partakes  of  a  movement  com- 
pounded of  that  revolution  and  the  revolution  upon  its  own  immediateaxis. 


The  outer  frame  carries  at  one  end  a  bracket-piece,  to  form  bearings 
for  a  worm  or  endless  screw-spindle,  f,  to  which  is  attached  a  weight,  o, 
fast  on  the  spindle.  The  worm  gears  with  a  worm-wheel,  h,  fast  on  the 
major  axial  spindle,  E,  of  the  inner  frame,  c. 

The  cleansers  are  placed  in  a  row  on  the  ground,  alongside  a  wall,  I, 
to  which  brackets  are  bolted,  to  carry  a  continuous  overhead  shaft,  fitted 
with  chain  pulleys,  j.  Each  of  these  pulleys  has  an  endless  chain  pass- 
ing down  to  a  corresponding  pulley  on  the  carrying  spindle  of  the  appa- 
ratus ;  so  tint,  as  the  whole  revolves,  the  secondary  rotation  of  the  cask 
upon  its  own  axis  is  obtained  from  the  pendulous  action  of  the  weight, 
G,  in  holding  back  the  worm,  which  thus  causes  the  rotation  of  the 
wheel,  H.  The  cask,  therefore,  revolves  in  every  possible  direction,  and 
the  cleansing  fluid  in  the  interior  has  its  effect  powerfully  increased  by 
the  spiked  chain,  k,  suspended  from  the  bung,  the  angular  surfaces  of 
the  chain  being  made  to  act  upon  every  portion  of  the  cask.  The  cost 
of  this  cleansing  is  no  more  than  about  one  halfpenny  per  cask. 

We  shall  return  to  the  consideration  of  this  most  interesting  collection 
next  month. 

MECHANIC'S  LIBRARY. 


Agriculturist's  Almanac,  Scottish,  1S54, 12mo.,  Is.,  cloth,  sewed.    Morton. 
Agriculture,  Essays  on,  post  Svo.,  5s.    Gisborne. 
Builder's  Price  Book,  1854,  8vo.,  4s.,  sewed.     SUyring. 
Chemistry,  Hand-Book  of,  8vo.,  15s.,  cloth.    Abel  and  BInxam. 
Euclid's  Elements,  new  edition,  iholscap  8vo.,  3s.  6d.,  cloth.    Ebrington. 
Gold  Rocks  of  Great  Britain  and  Ireland,  8vo.,  10s.  6d.,  cloth.     Calvert. 
Inorganic  Analysis,  Hand-Book  of,  by  Hofmann,  6s.  6d.    Wohler. 
Literary  and  Scientific  Register,  1854,  ISmo.,  3s.  (3d.,  tuck.    Gutch. 
Mathematical  Course  for  the  University  of  London,  9s.    Kimber. 
Million  of  Facts,  new  edition,  crown  Svo.,  12s.,  cloth.    Sir  R.Phillips. 
Ordnance  School,  Examination  Papers  of,  8vo.,  5s.  6d.,  cloth. 
Photography,  Guide  to,  crown  8vo.,  2s.,  sewed.    W.  H.  Thornthwaite. 
Positive  Philosophy,  translated  by  H.  Martineau,  2  vols.,  16s.     Comte. 
Practical  Astronomy,  Introduction  to  Elements  of,  7s.    Christie. 
Rural  Architecture,  12mo.,  Is.,  sewed.    J.  Sanderson. 

Science.  Marvels  of,  Illustrated,  6th  edition,  post  8vo  ,  6s.  6d.,  elMh.     S.W 
Tree-Lifter,  2d  edition,  Svo.,  12s.,  cloth,  coloured.    G.  Greenwood. 


RECENT  PATENTS. 


Fig.  1. 


FLOUR  MILLS. 

John  CurmiE,  Glasgow. — Patent  dated  October  21,  1852. 

The  efficient  mingling  of  cold  air  with  the  grain  as  it  passes  between 
the  grinding  surfaces  of  millstones,  is  one  of  the  most  important  of  the 
modem  improvements  in  grinding.  The  operating  surfaces  are  thus 
kept  cool,  and  the  production  is  materially  increased,  whilst  the  qua- 
lity of  the  flour 
is  very  superior 
to  that  pro- 
duced in  the  old 
way.  It  is  this 
feature  which 
holds  a  promi- 
nent place  in 
Mr.  Carrie's  in- 
vention. 

Fig.  1  of  our 
engravings  is  a 
vertical  section 
of  one  of  his 
millstone  ar- 
rangements, 
showing  how 
the  cooling  air 
is  mingled  with 
the  grain  before 
it  passes  to  the 
grinding  sur- 
faces. For  this 
purpose  he  uses 
two  grain  feed- 
pipes, a,  diverging  downwards,  like  a  forked  branch  of  a  trie,  from  the 
narrow  bottom  discharge  opening  of  the  hopper,  n,  the  revolving  feed- 
spindle,  c,  being  passed  up  from  the  main  spindle,  d,  through  a  joint- 
hole  in  the  fork,  into  the  main  feed-pipe,  receiving  the  grain  from  the 
hopper.  After  diverging  downwards,  until  tbey  reach  the  upper  surface 
of  the  fixed  stone,  e,  the  two  feed-pipes  pass  vertically  through  a  pair  of 
holes  made  directly  through  the  upper  stone,  and  set  diametrically,  one 
on  each  side  the  eye  of  the  stone.    An  annular  portion  of  the  under  surface 


THE  PRACTICAL  MECHANIC'S  JOURNAL. 


233 


of  this  stone,  extending  far  enough  to  reach  the  feed  apertures  opening 
through  it,  is  bevilled  slightly  upwards  from  the  outer  side  of  these 
holes  towards  the  eye,  so  as  to  leave  a  narrow  space  hetween  the  two 
stones  at  this  part,  for  the  free  entry  of  the  grain  and  air,  and  pre- 
cluding the  chance  of  the  commencement  of  the  grinding  action,  before 
the  air  has  fully  reached  the  acting  surfaces.  The  eye  of  the  upper 
fixed  stone,  between  the  two  feed-pipes,  is  covered  over  with  a  metal 
disc,  G,  passed  over  the  feed-spindle,  and  capable  of  adjustment  at  any 
required  height  above  the  eye  as  a  valve.  The  grinding  surface  of 
the  lower  running  stone,  h,  is  perfectly  flat  throughout,  and  its  eye 
at  the  grinding  level  is  covered  over  by  a  metal  plate,  f,  with  a  central 
aperture  round  the  feed-spindle,  g,  for  the  passage  through  of  a  portion 
of  the  air.  In  this  way,  part  of  the  air  may  be  discharged  at  the  eye  of 
the  upper  stone,  and  part  down  through  the  eye  of  the  runner  beneath, 
whilst  the  main  body  of  the  air  goes  along  with  the  grain,  and  is  dis- 
charged with  the  grained  material  at  the  periphery  of  the  stones.  By 
this  contrivance  the  entire  surface  of  both  stones  is  kept  encircled  by  a 
constantly  changing  air-bath  or  current,  for  the  air,  escaping  at  the  eye 
of  the  upper  stone,  is  directed  by  the  valve  disc  over  its  entire  surface, 
whilst  that  from  the  bottom  of  the  lower  eye  passes  over  the  whole  bottom 
surface  of  the  runner,  between  it  and  the  bottom  base  plate,  l.  This 
has  a  ventilating  effect ;  for  on  the  upper  edge  of  the  iron  casing,  J,  which 
surrounds  the  lower  running  stone,  and  supports  the  upper  fixed  stone, 
is  placed  an  annular  disc  of  wire-cloth,  K,  covering  over  the  annular 
space  left  between  the  periphery  of  the  stones,  and  the  interior  of  the 
casing.  This  wire-cloth  stands  a  short  distance  above  the  level  of  the 
grinding  surfaces,  and  from  its  periphery  a  light  wooden  casing,  L,  springs 
upwards,  surrounding   the  upper  stone,  and  bevilled   inwards  at  some 

distance      above      the 
Fis  2-  stone's  surface.     Thus 

there  is  a  current  of 
cold  air  passing  from 
the  runniug  eye  up  out- 
side the  stone  and  inside 
the  casing.  There  it 
meets  the  heated  cur- 
rent from  the  grinding 
surfaces  at  right  angles, 
and  breaking  this  heated 
current,  whatever  grain- 
ed material  is  held  in 
suspension,  falls  hack 
within  the  bottom 
casing,  whilst  the  heat- 
ed air  passes  off  through 
the  wire-cloth,  again 
meeting  at  right  angles 
with  a  cool  current  from 
the  upper  side  of  the 
top  stone,  which,  in 
conjunction  with  the 
bevilled  top  of  the 
upper  case,  still  further  separates  the  suspended  flour,  and  aids  the  ven- 
tilation. Another  modification  of  stones  relates  to  the  combination  of 
three  or  more  separate  stones,  instead  of  two,  as  hitherto  used.  In  this 
plan,  which  is  represented  in  fig.  2,  the  central  stone,  a,  is  the  runner,  the 
upper  and  lower  ones,  B,  c,  being  fixed,  so  that  the  grinding  is  performed 
both  between  the  under  surface  of  the  upper  stone  at  d,  and  the  upper 
surface  of  the  central  runner — and  between  the  under  surface  of  the 
latter,  and  the  upper  surface  of  the  bottom  fixed  stone  at  e.  The  grain 
is  fed  through  the  pipe,  F,  into  the  hopper,  o,  through  the  adjustable  feed- 
passage  into  the  pipe,  h.  Hence  the  supply  for  the  upper  grinding 
surfaces  passes  out  by  the  inclined  lateral  opening,  i,  into  the  hollow 
space,  J,  in  the  npper  stone,  forming  the  lower  part  of  the  eye  thereof. 
Here  it  falls  on  to  the  disc,  k,  and  is  directed  to  the  grinding  surfaces. 
The  supply  of  grain  for  the  lower  or  secondary  grinding  action  passes 
out  at  the  bottom  of  the  pipe,  h,  into  the  eye  of  the  runner,  a,  and  thence 
proceeds  to  the  grinding  surface.  The  upper  stone  is  supported  by  side 
brackets,  these  brackets  being  carried  on  the  lower  annular  casing,  l, 
bolted  down  to  the  floor.  The  bottom  stone  is  sunk  in  a  casing,  m,  re- 
cessed into  the  floor  or  platform,  being  steadied  laterally  by  an  annular 
piece  of  metal  level  with  the  floor,  whilst  it  rests  on  adjusting  bolts, 
n,  beneath.  The  spindle  driven  by  gearing  from  below,  rests  in  an 
adjustable  balanced  footstep.  It  is  fitted  to  the  runner  by  a  Eyne  made 
on  the  "  balance"  principle.  The  top  of  the  spindle  is  spherically  shaped 
as  at  o,  being  passed  through  the  collar  disc,  p,  and  fitted  into  a  spherical 
recess  in  the  under  side  of  the  Eyne,  Q,  connected  to  the  stone,  a.  In 
thig  way,  as  the  connection  between  the  spindle  and  the  stone  is  entirely 
No.  70.- VoL  VI. 


formed  by  this  ball  and  socket,  no  derangement  can  arise  from  the 
spindle  and  runner  getting  out  of  truth. 

Fig.  3  is  a  vertical  section  of  the  "  balance  Ryne,"  on  a  larger  scale. 
A  is  the  base  plate,  and  b  the  lower  running  stone,  driven  from  above 
by  the  main  spindle,  i,  which  passes  down  through  the  centre  of  the 
adjustable  tubes  of  the  feed-hopper,  and  terminates  in  a  convex  foot. 
This  foot  rests  in  a  concavity  in  the  top  of  the  disc  piece,  d,  which  has 
formed  upon  the  centre  of  its  lower  surface  a  spherical  journal  or  step 
piece,  resting  in  a  brass  carried  in  the  top  of  the  adjustable  block,  e. 
The  bottom  of  the  spindle  has  a  transverse  piece,  j,  forged  upon  it,  and 
arranged  to  gear  into  slots  in  a  projection  standing  up  from  the  upper 
face  of  the  disc  piece,  D,  so  that  the  spindle  cannot  revolve  without  carry- 
ing this  disc  with  it.  This  disc  is  secured  vertically  to  the  upper  disc 
of  the  Ryne  by  bolts  passed  up  from  below,  and  it  is  adjustable  laterally 
by   set    screws    passed  Fi    3 

through  the  vertical 
arms  of  the  Kyne,  c,  and 
bearing  against  the 
disc's  periphery.  These 
vertical  arms  terminate 
in  an  annular  piece,  from 
which  projections  pass 
intocorrespondinginter- 
nal  slots  in  the  lower  end 
of  the  eye  of  the  stone. 
A  large  box  piece,  k,  is 
firmly  wedged  into  the 
eye  of  the  runner  from 
above,  covering  up  the 
whole  of  the  Ryne  appa- 
ratus, and  this  box  piece 
has  an  upper  collar  upon 
it,  through  which  side 
bolts,  l,  are  passed. 
These  bolts  pass  as  well 
through  the  feed-cup 
piece,  M,  and  finally  bear 
upon  the  spindle  which 
passes  through  the  cup 
piece  and  into  the  box. 
By  this  arrangement 
the  full  benefit  of  the 
universal  joint  connec- 
tion is  obtained,  as  the 
bolts  admit  of  exact 
lateral  adjustment,  and 
the  stones  will  work 
accurately,  even  if  they 
should  get  out  of  truth 
with  the  spindle.  The 
bottom  block,  e,  rests  on  the  top  of  the  screw  bolt,  f,  which  works  in  a  brass 
nut,  the  latter  carrying  a  notched  disc,  G,  for  turning  by  the  adjusting 
lever,  h.  The  forked  end  of  this  lever  embraces  and  is  jointed  to  a  loose 
ring  by  a  pin  on  each  side,  so  that  the  lever  may  be  engaged  and  dis- 
engaged from  the  notches  in  the  disc  at  pleasure.  In  this  way,  as  the 
disc  is  fast  to  the  brass,  the  attendant,  by  urging  round  the  lever  when 
engaged  in  one  of  the  notches,  can  screw  up  the  spindle  and  thus  raise 
the  block,  o,  as  may  be  required.  This  movement  resembles  that  of  a 
ratchet-drill,  wherein  a  few  short  strokes,  and  a  succession  of  engage- 
ments with  the  disc  notches,  give  a  considerable  power  of  traverse. 
The  block,  e,  is  capable  of  being  fixed  by  a  set  screw,  passed  through 
the  projecting  bottom  collar  of  the  base  plate. 

Many  of  these  improvements  are  now  at  work,  at  the  patentee's 
extensive  and  well-arranged  "  City  of  Glasgow  Grain  Mills." 


BASKET-WORK  CARRIAGES. 

James  Emery,  Preston. — Patent  dated  April  25,  1853. 

Mr.  Emery,  whose  ingenious  wicker-work  "  skips"  have  already  been 
noticed  in  this  Journal,  substitutes  cane  and  wicker-work  for  wood  in  the 
bodies  of  gigs,  dog-carts,  and  other  vehicles,  in  a  very  efficient  manner. 
Our  sketch  is  a  perspective  view  of  such  a  dog-cart  body.  The  frame,  a, 
of  the  vehicle  is  of  the  usual  construction ;  but,  instead  of  being  filled  up 
with  wooden  panels,  these  are  replaced  by  strong  cane-work,  or  combined 
cane  and  wicker-work  walls,  as  at  b.  In  constructing  this  kind  of 
frame-work,  strong  vertical  canes,  c,  are  let  into  holes,  and  fixed  to  the 
top  and  bottom  horizontal  pieces  of  the  frame.  At  certain  intervals,  iron 
rods,  d,  are  used  in  place  of  the  canes,  to  increase  the  strength,  and  also 

2G 


234 


THE  PRACTICAL  MECHANIC'S  JOURNAL. 


to  bind  the  frame  firmly  together,  the  rods  passing  through  the  frames, 
and  having  a  head  at  one  end,  whilst  they  are  riveted  upon  washers  at 
the  other  cud.  Horizontal  cross  canes  or  willows  are  interwoven  with 
the  uprights,  D,  as  at  c;  and  where  willows  are  used,  this  interweaving 


may  be  mndc  to  produce  any  pattern  or  device,  such  as  is  met  with  in 
other  kinds  of  wicker-work.  The  splash-board,  e,  is  composed  of  cane 
and  wicker-work,  combined  in  a  similar  manner.  He  further  binds  the 
shafts  of  vehicles  in  general  with  cane,  as  at  F,  in  order  to  strengthen 
and  defend  them,  and  prevent  them  from  splitting.  In  constructing 
carts  and  other  heavy  vehicles,  he  uses  an  inside  lining  of  boarding,  so 
that  they  may  be  used  for  any  purpose. 

FLUSHING  APPARATUS. 
Joseph  Adamson,  Engineer,  Leeds. —  Patent  dated  April  14,  1853. 
Our  illustration  of  the  improvements  comprehended  under  this  patent, 
is  a  vertical  section  of  a  self-acting  flushing  cistern,  which  Mr.  Adamson 
employs  for  flushing  sewers  and  other  passages.  The  receiver  or  cistern, 
a,  has  at  one  end  a  fixed  siphon,  n,  of  the  entire  width  of  the  cistern, 
and  contracted  slightly  at  its  lower  discharge  orifice,  o,  opening  into  the 
reservoir  or  funnel  mouth,  d,  on  the  top  of  the  vertical  conducting  pipe,  e. 
This  pipe  communicates  with  the  locality  to  be  flushed  at  the  periodical 

discharges  of  the 
flushingcistern.  The 
latter  is  suspended  on 
a  pair  of  knife-edged 
or  slightly  rounded 
pivots  carried  by  the 
bracket  supports,  a. 
These  pivots  are  set 
a  little  out  of  the  cis- 
tern's centre — this 
eccentricity  being 
counterbalanced,  to  a  certain  extent,  by  the 
weighted  portion,  n,  on  the  shorter  end.  When 
the  cistern  is  full,  the  weight  of  the  water  on  the 
larger  overhanging  surface,  overbalances  the 
weighted  end  of  the  cistern,  and  causes  it  to  turn 
on  its  centre  to  the  position  indicated  in  our 
figure.  This  action  charges  the  siphon,  and  there- 
by enables  the  latter  to  draw  off  the  water  in  the 
cistern  for  the  flushing  discharge.  This  flow 
obviously  continues  until  the  weight  of  water  at 
one  end  of  the  cistern  is  so  much  reduced,  as  to  be 
overbalanced  by  the  dead  weight  at  the  other  end,  when  the  cistern 
regains  its  original  horizontal  position  on  the  stop,  j. 

By  this  system,  a  regular  periodical  discharge  may  be  kept  up,  the 
action  being  regulated  by  the  quantity  of  water  allowed  to  flow  into  the 
flusher.  In  water-closets,  the  patentee  proposes  to  combine  the  flushing 
cistern  and  basin  in  one  vessel. 


MANUFACTURE  OF  CASKS. 
J.  Robertson,  Glasgow. — Patent  dated  November  15,  1852. 

In  making  ensks  and  other  wooden  vessels,  according  to  this  invention, 
the  rough  staves  are  first  steamed  in  the  usual  way,  to  cause  pliability  ; 
and  then,  in  order  that  the  irregularities  or  bends  in  the  wood  may  be 
nullified,  the  stave  is  screwed  up  by  its  flat  side  against  a  fixed  bearing 
surface,  or  against  rollers,  so  that,  when  passed  into  the  sawing-machine, 
the  wood  may  be  accurately  cut — a  self-acting  arrangement  being  em- 
ployed in  connection  with  these  retaining  or  flattening  screws,  for  the  pur- 
pose of  slackening  off  these  holding  details,  as  each  approaches  to  the 


cutting  edge.  At  the  same  time,  a  series  of  cutters  is  arranged  to  work 
on  the  exposed  side  of  the  stave,  for  the  purpose  of  dressing  that  surface 
to  the  form  required.  The  staves,  so  prepared,  are  then  conveyed  to  a 
second  machine,  where  they  are  held  flat  down  by  screws  on  a  travers- 
ing table,  moving  in  the  line  of  curve  intended  to  be  given  to  the  edges 
of  the  staves.  As  the  stave  moves  forward,  it  is  first  sawn  on  the  edge 
by  a  circular  saw,  to  take  off  the  "  overwood  "  to  the  required  curve, 
and  it  then  comes  against  a  set  of  rotatory  cutters  to  finish  the  surface. 
At  the  same  time  a  set  of  cutters  work  over  the  top  of  the  stave,  on  its 
flat  surface,  for  shaping  such  surface  as  required.  Then,  when  this  flat 
side  and  one  edge  have  been  so  shaped,  the  stave  is  reversed,  and  the 
other  side  and  edge  are  similarly  treated.  Several  staves  may  be  simul- 
taneously worked  in  this  way.  And  the  staves  so  prepared,  or  indeed 
in  their  rough  state,  may  be  planed  or  shaped  off  evenly  by  passing  them 
upon  or  over  a  table,  beneath  a  roller  or  pressing  guide,  which  shall  act 
upon  the  stave  so  as  to  flatten  down  its  irregularities,  whilst  a  rotatory 
or  other  cutter  is  set  to  work  above  the  stave  surface,  immediately  that 
the  stave  emerges  from  its  pressing  roller,  and  whilst  still  flattened  down 
by  such  roller.  When  the  staves  are  piled  together,  or  when  the  "  cask 
is  raised,"  the  upper  ends  of  the  staves  being  surrounded  by  a  hoop,  the 
mass  of  staves  is  put  into  a  press,  to  compress  the  bilge  of  the  cask,  and 
bring  together  the  bottom  or  opposite  loose  ends  of  the  staves. 

Our  illustrations  represent  the  second  machine  in  Mr.  Robertson's  series. 
Fig.  1  is  a  longitudinal  elevation  of  the  machine,  and  fig.  2  is  a  corre- 

Fig.  1. 


sponding  plan,  the  framing  being  broken  away  in  both  views.  The  fram- 
ing consists  of  a  single  long  curved  or  segmental  table,  a,  slotted  down  the 
centre,  and  supported  on  two  end  standards  on  the  floor.  Upon  this 
segmental  table  is  set  the  traversing  carriage,   b,  which  has  four  sup- 


porting pulleys,  r>.  set  on  stud  centres,  to  run  upon  projecting  rail  ribs 
on  the  upper  surface  of  the  table.  These  pulleys  are  carried  in  the  four 
side  brackets,  e,  bolted  to  the  table,  and  serving  also  to  carry  the  four 
bottom  pulleys,  f,  bearing  against  rail  strips  on  the  lower  side  of  the 
edge  flanges  of  the  table,  as  well  as  four  other  horizontal  pulleys,  g, 
bearing  against  the  external  parallel  edges  of  (he  table  flanges.  By  this 
arrangement,  the  carriage,  E,  is  accurately  guided  upon  its  table,  both 
vertically  and  horizontally.  The  partially  prepared  staves,  g,  are  now 
laid,  several  together,  upon  the  surface  of  the  table,  b,  being  firmly  held 
down  thereon  by  the  hand-wheel  screws,  h,  working  through  bracket 


THE  PRACTICAL  MECHANIC'S  JOURNAL. 


235 


nuts,  bolted  to  the  carriage  surface.  The  circular  saw,  I,  for  taking 
off  the  "  overwcod  "  from  the  stave  edges,  is  driven  by  the  pulleys,  j, 
provision  being  made  for  setting  the  saw  up  to  its  cut  by  the  hand-wheel, 
k,  actuating  a  traverse  screw  arrangement.  As  this  saw  revolves  at  the 
required  speed,  the  pile  of  blanks  is  traversed  up  against  it  by  hand,  or 
in  any  other  convenient  way,  and  the  rough  edges  of  the  staves  are  thus 
taken  off  to  the  curve  of  the  table,  a,  which  coincides  with  that  intended 
to  be  given  to  the  staves.  After  leaving  the  saw,  the  sawn  surfaces  of 
the  staves  are  immediately  submitted  to  the  action  of  the  rotatory  disc- 
cutters,  l,  driven  at  a  high  velocity  by  the  band  pulleys,  m,  being  car- 
ried on  a  separate  standard,  s.  This  completes  the  shaping  of  the 
"  gored  "  staves  on  one  edge  ;  and  whilst  this  action  is  going  on,  a  se- 
cond disc-cutter,  which  is  not  represented  in  the  figure,  may  be  arranged 
to  shape  the  upper  flat  surface  of  the  exposed  stave.  This  contrivance, 
which  is  only  conveniently  applicable  when  a  single  stave  is  treated  at 
once,  is  to  be  carried  into  effect  by  disposing  a  separate  standard  along- 
side the  machine,  to  carry  a  vertical  spindle,  having  upon  it  a  horizontal 
cutting-disc.  When  one  edge  and  the  top  have  thus  been  treated,  the 
stave  is  reversed,  and  the  opposite  surfaces  are  then  similarly  shaped, 
and  this  completes  the  process.  The  essential  advantage  of  this  arrange- 
ment of  holding-down  screws  is,  that  whatever  twist  may  be  in  the 
staves  is  taken  out  of  them  for  the  time  being,  whilst  the  cutting  action 
proceeds,  so  that  an  accurate  plane  surface  is  secured,  quite  irrespective 
of  such  twist,  and  the  pieces  then  return  to  their  shape  on  being  re- 
leased. 

Mr.  Robertson  has  long  been  creditably  distinguished,  not  only  as  an 
inventor,  but  also  as  a  practical  worker-out  of  cask-making  machinery. 
Several  extensive  factories  are  now  in  operation  on  his  plans,  and  these 
must  now  derive  considerable  benefit  from  the  modifications  which  we 
have  here  described. 

STOP-COCKS. 

nESRY  Wilks,  Brassfounder,  Bot/ierham. — Patent  dated  April  16,  1853. 

This  invention  relates  to  a  means  of  effi- 
ciently lubricating  the  barrel  and  plug  surfaces 
of  stop-cocks,  to  prevent  grooving  and  setting 
fast,  as  well  as  to  the  lining  the  barrels  of  such 
cocks  with  some  soft  and  easily  compressible 
material,  as  leather,  gutta-percha,  or  lead. 

Fig.  1  is  a  longitudinal  section  of  a  self- 
lubricating  steam-cock  of  this  kind.  A,  b,  are 
the  inlet  and  outlet  nozzles  of  the  cock,  and 
c  is  the  conical  plug,  which  is  cast  hol- 
low, for  the  double  purpose  of  lightness,  and 
to  allow  of  the  internal  upward  pressure  of  the 
steam  within  the  chamber,  d,  keeping  the  plug 
tight  when  the  cock  is  opened.  The  upper  and 
solid  portion  of  the  plug  has  a  passage,  e,  drilled 
vertically  within  it,  which  passage  diverges  at 
f  into  two  smaller  ones,  g,  opening  into  the 
barrel  of  the  cock.  A  nut  and  washer,  H,  serve 
to  retain  the  plug  in  its  proper  place.  To  the 
upper  or  square  end  of  the  plug  is  screwed  an 
oil-cup,  i,  the  outlet  of  which  corresponds  ex- 
actly with  the  vertical  passage,  e,  in  the  plug. 
The  lower  portion  of  the  oil-cup  is  expanded  at  j,  to  form  a  base,  which 
expansion  serves  to  retain  the  small  lever  or  handle,  k,  on  the  square 
Fig  o.  head  of  the  plug. 

Fig.  2  is  a  similar  section  of  a 
lined  gas-cock,  the  part  a  being  the 
inserted  lining,  the  use  of  which 
obviates  the  necessity  of  grinding 
the  working  surfaces. 


Fig.  I- 


AIR  MOTIVE  ENGINES. 


J.  E.  Napier  and  Wl  J.  M.  Rakk- 
ine,  Glasgow. — Patent  dated  June 
9,  1853. 

Thi3  is  another  attempt  at  the  development  of  an  economical  motive 
agent,  on  the  principle  of  that  with  which  the  name  of  Ericsson  has 
been  so  often  heard  in  late  years.  Our  sketch  represents  a  vertical 
section  of  one  of  the  air  receivers,  as  communicating  with  the  upper 
portion  of  the  actual  working  cylinder,  a  precisely  similar  apparatus 
being  arranged  to  work  in  connection  with  the  lower  end  of  the  main 


cylinder.  The  chamber,  a,  has  within  it  a  plunger,  b,  fitted  with  a  set 
of  vertical  rod-shaped  plungers,  c,  which  slide  inside  the  closed  tubes,  d, 
in  the  water-tank,  e.  Two  rods,  F,  give  the  requisite  traverse  to  the 
plunger,  which  has  a  central  circular  opening,  g,  filled  with  wires  or 
loose  strips  of  metal.  A  pipe,  h,  forms  the  communication  between  the 
receiver  and  the  top  of  the  cylinder.  At  I,  is  a  heat  screen,  composed 
of  a  series  of  rod-shaped  plungers,  j,  working  loosely  within  the  closed 
tubes,  k.  These  plungers  are  fitted  upon  a  perforated  plate,  L,  which 
receives  a  traverse  movement  from 
a  central  rod,  m.  The  tubes,  K,  are 
contained  within  the  closed  chamber, 
n,  heated  by  a  furnace,  the  flame 
and  heated  air  entering  by  the  flue, 
o,  and  flowing  off  by  the  flue,  p,  to 
the  chimney. 

When  the  plunger,  b,  is  lowered 
in  the  receiver,  a,  it  sends  the  air 
through  the  passage,  G,  to  the  top 
of  the  receiver,  and  into  the  tubes,  d, 
in  the  water  tank,  so  that  such  heat 
as  may  have  reached  it  from  the 
flame  will  now  be  abstracted.  At  the 
same  time,  the  plunger  of  the  corre- 
sponding apparatus  for  the  lower 
part  of  the  cylinder,  will  be  lifted 
to  the  top  of  its  traverse,  sending 
the  air  out  of  the  upper  tubes,  and 
the  upper  portion  of  the  body  of  the 
receiver,  down  through  the  central 
permeable  mass,  or  passage.  The 
heat  screen,  i,  is  also  lifted  and 
dropped,  the  effect  being  that  the 
air  in  the  lower  part  of  the  receiver, 
a,  is  made  to  circulate  rapidly  over 
the  surface  of  the  rods,  J,  and  through 
the  heated  tubes,  k,  thus  taking 
up  a  certain  quantity  of  heat.  The 
consequent  expansion  of  this  heated 

air  then  produces  pressure  through  the  passage  leading  to  the  top  of 
the  cylinder,  so  as  to  act  upon  the  working  piston. 

During  the  end  of  the  down  stroke  and  the  commencement  of  the  up 
stroke  of  the  piston,  the  heat  screen  lies  at  the  bottom  of  the  receiver. 
The  plunger,  b,  descends,  and  the  air,  with  the  exception  of  a  trifling 
quantity,  passes  through  the  permeable  mass,  G,  giving  out  a  large  portion 
of  its  sensible  heat  to  the  wires  therein,  the  rest  of  the  heat  beiug 
abstracted  by  the  water  in  the  tank,  e.  During  the  end  of  the  up  stroke 
and  the  beginning  of  the  down  stroke,  the  plunger,  b,  rises,  the  air 
descends  through  the  passage,  o,  and  takes  up  from  the  wires  the 
greater  pail  of  its  sensible  heat,  formerly  lost. 

During  the  first  half  of  the  down  stroke,  the  heat  screen  is  raised  and 
dropped,  and  the  air,  by  circulating  over  the  rods,  j,  and  through  the 
heated  tubes,  k,  acquires  the  rest  of  the  sensible  heat  necessary  to  ele- 
vate its  temperature,  and  also  the  latent  heat  necessary  to  expand  it. 
This  completes  the  routine  of  operations  in  the  receiver  connected  with 
the  upper  end  of  the  cylinder.  The  movements  for  the  other  end  are 
precisely  the  same. 

COMPOUND  RAILWAY  JOINT  CHAIR. 
J.  Bell,  Portobello. — Patent  dated  December  14,  1852. 
Mr.  Bell's  compound  chair  consists  of  two  ordinary  chairs  cast  in  one 
piece,  the  connection  being  by  an  extended  intermediate  portion  of  such 
a  form  as  to  fit  to  and  support  the  bottom  and  both  sides  of  the  rail.  It 
is  more  particularly  applicable  for  joints,  and  when  so  used,  the  ends  of 
the  two  contiguous  rails  are  slipped  through  the  chairs  into  the  hollow 
of  the  intermediate 
portion.  Our  en- 
graving represents 
the  chair  in  plan, 
with  the  rails  and 
keys  removed.  The 
intermediate  piece, 
A,  is  in  the  form  of 
along  trough,  one 
side,  b,  of  which 
runs  right  through  . 

from  end  to  end  across  the  chairs,  whilst  the  other,  c,  is  somewhat 
shorter.     The  inner  surfaces  of  these  ledges,  b,  c,  are  made  to  fit  to  the 


236 


THE  PRACTICAL  MECHANIC'S  JOURNAL. 


Bides  of  the  rail ;  and  the  jaws,  d,  of  the  end  chairs  are  set  back  far 
enough  to  leave  room  for  the  usual  wooden  keys  to  bind  the  rail  in  its 
place.  It  is  thus  pretty  obvious,  that  the  intermediate  trough-piece 
answers  as  a  fish-joint. 

RAISING  AND  LOWERING  WINDOWS. 

F.  Russell,  Clarence  Gardens,  Regents  Park,  London. — Patent  dated 
May  25,  1853. 

The  object  of  Mr.  Russell's  invention  is  the  facilitating  the  raising  and 
lowering  of  windows,  shutters,  and  blinds,  whilst  means  are  provided  for 

Fig.  1. 


retaining  them  at  any  required  height.  Our  illustrations  exemplify  the 
plan  as  adapted  for  carriages.  Fig.  1  is  an  internal  elevation  of  a  car- 
riage door,  from  which  the  lining  is  removed.  Fig.  2  is  an  external  ele- 
vation, with  the  panelling  removed;  and  figs.  3,  4,  and  5,  are  separate 
transverse  sections  of  the  door.  The  inside  of  the  carriage  door  is 
furnished  with  two  tassels,  one  of  which  is  connected  to  the  lowering 
cord,  a,  whilst  the  other  is  attached  to  the  elevating  cord.  The  lowering 
cord,  A,  is  passed  under  the  pulley,  b,  inside  the  door,  and  is  attached  to 
the  end  of  the  short  lever,  c,  which  is  hinged  to  the  bottom  of  the 
window-frame,  d.  This  lever  stands  out  at  an  angle  when  the  window 
is  up  ;  but  on  tightening  or  drawing  the  cord,  a,  the  lever  raises  the 
bottom  of  the  wiudow-frame  over  the  fence-rail,  and  assumes  a  perpen- 


Fi*  2. 


Fig  3. 


dicular  position.  The  elevating  band,  E,  passes  down  the  inside  of  the 
door-frame,  round  the  pulley,  F,  and  over  the  roller,  o,  whence  it 
proceeds  downwards  to  the  bottom  of  the  window,  where  it  is  secured 
to  a  metal  plate,  h.  The  Motional  arrangement  for  retaining  the  win- 
dow stationary  consists  of  an  endless  cord,  i,  of  catgut,  or  other  strong 
material,  and  is  attached  to  the  metal  plate,  H,  on  the  bottom  of  the 
window-frame,  having  been  previously  passed  two  or  three  times  round 
the  roller,  o,  for  the  purpose  of  increasing  the  drag  or  friction.  An 
india-rubber  band,  J,  is  attached  to  the  bottom  of  the  window-frame.  It 
is  passed  over  the  roller,  o,  and  is  finally  secured  to  the  inside  of  the 
door  panels.  This  band  is  for  the  purpose  of  counterbalancing  the 
weight  of  the  window,  and  facilitating  its  elevation. 

The  contrivance  is  a  very  great  convenience,  which  will  be  appre- 
ciated by  none  more  than  those  who  indulge  in  long  journeys  in  railway 
carriages.  It  is  the  property  of,  and  is  now  being  introduced  by,  Messrs. 
Pearce  &  Countze,  the  eminent  carriage-builders  of  Long  Acre. 

TRAVERSING  SCREW-JACKS. 

G.  England,  Hatcham  Iron-  Works,  New  Cross,  London. — Patent  dated 
May  7,  1853. 

This  is  an  improvement  upon  the  well-known  and  useful  "  traversing 
screw-jack,"  made  by  Messrs.  England  for  many  years  back,  and  now 
in  such  general  use  for  all  railway  purposes.  In  the  new  plan,  the  ele- 
vating screw  is  actuated  by  combined  bevil  and  spur  gearing,  very  effec- 
tively arranged  for  obtaining  convenient  ohanges  in  the  actuating 
motion. 

Fig.  1  is  a  sectional  elevation  of  the  jack,  and  fig.  2  is  a  correspond- 
ing plan.  The  wrought-iron  bid  plate,  a,  of  the  apparatus  has  an  elevated 
portion,  n,  formed  upon  it,  and  upon  this  the  barrel,  c,  is  secured  to  the 
horizontal  sliding  brass,  d,  by  the  angle  iron,  e,  which  is  riveted  to  it. 
The  sliding  brass,  d,  has  two  projecting  lugs,  p,  formed  upon  its  under 
side,  acting  as  traversing  nuts  for  the  horizontal  screw,  a,  which  is  forged 
with  square  ends,  h,  for  the  reception  of  a  ratchet-handle.  This  screw 
rests  in  the  ends  of  the  raised  portion,  b,  of  the  bed  plate,  and  gives  the 
requisite  horizontal  traverse  to  the  body  of  the  jack.     The  elevating 


screw,  i,  is  contained  inside  the  barrel,  c,  and  it  has  a  claw,  j,  forged  on 
its  lower  extremity.  The  actuating  nut,  k,  of  this  screw  is  formed  in 
one  piece  with  the  bevil-wheel,  L,  and  works  freely  in  the  upper  portion 
of  the  barrel,  c,  which  has  a  collar  at  m  forged  upon  it,  to  support  the 


FiK.l. 


Fig.  2. 


nut.  The  horizontal  bevil-wheel,  L,  is  actuated  by  the  compound  bevil 
and  spur  wheel,  N ;  the  arbor  or  spindle,  o,  of  which  works  in  the  wrought- 
iron  bracket,  p,  screwed  at  Q  to  the  side  of  the  barrel,  c,  its  upper  portion 


THE  PEACTICAL  MECHANIC'S  JOURNAL. 


237 


being  supported  by  the  piece,  R,  to  which  it  is  bolted  at  s,  and  which  is 
fitted  loosely  over  the  collar  of  the  elevating  screw,  i.  The  inner  end  of 
the  arbor  works  in  the  side  of  the  barrel,  and  projects  into  a  groove 
in  the  nut,  k,  thereby  holding  it  in  its  place.  The  wheel,  N,  is  driven 
by  a  spur  pinion,  t,  the  arbor,  u,  of  which  works  in  the  bracket,  p,  and  in 
a  boss  on  the  side  of  the  barrel,  c.  The  horizontal  traversing  motion  is 
given  by  a  ratchet-handle,  as  before  described,  which  is  fitted  on  to 
one  of  the  square  ends  of  the  screw,  g.  When  a  powerful  lift  is  re- 
quired, an  actuating  handle  is  fitted  to  the  square  end  of  the  arbor,  u,  the 
motion  being  transmitted  from  the  pinion,  t,  through  the  compound  bevil 
and  spur  wheel,  u,  and  thence  to  the  bevil  wheel  and  nut,  l  and  k. 
Should  a  quick  motion  be  required,  the  handle  is  fixed  to  the  arbor 
of  the  compound  wheel,  N,  when  the  speed  will  be  increased  in  pro- 
portion to  the  difference  between  the  diameters  of  the  wheel,  n,  and 
pinion,  t. 


SELF-ACTING  SAFETY-VALVE. 
G.  Humphrey,  Brighton. — Patent  dated  April  8,  1853. 

This  is  a  most  ingenious  modification  of  the  common  lever  or  steel- 
yard safety-valve,  for  the  purpose  of  preventing  accidents  from  over- 
loading, by  nullifying  the  effect  of  any  additional  weight  or  pressure 
beyond  the  proper  working  arrangement  which  may  be  applied  to  the 
lever.  This  is  accomplished  by  the  slight  addition  of  a  helical  spring 
to  the  short  arm  of  the  lever,  as  shown  in  the  annexed  section  of  a  valve, 


where  a  is  the  spring-case,  cast  in  one  piece  with  the  valve  seat.  The  helix 
contained  in  this  case  is  passed  upon  a  short  pendant  link,  b,  hinged  to 
the  lever  above,  the  lower  end  of  the  coil  abutting  against  a  nut  screwed 
upon  the  link  end.  A  nut,  c,  is  fitted  to  the  top  of  the  spring-case,  for 
the  adjustment  of  the  spring  pressure,  a  collar  being  fitted  beneath  the 
head  of  this  nut,  to  prevent  the  latter  from  being  screwed  too  hard  down, 
or  beyond  a  certain  determined  point.  At  D  is  a  prop  for  the  longer  arm 
of  the  lever.  The  reaction  of  the  spring  thus  measures  the  holding-down 
force  of  the  valve,  irrespective  of  any  interference  with  the  lever  action. 
And  if  the  lever  is  too  heavily  loaded  on  its  longer  arm,  the  prop,  d,  acts 
as  a  supporting  fulcrum,  and  relieves  the  valve  of  all  the  additional 
pressure. 

REVIEWS  OF  NEW  BOOKS. 


Industrial  Drawing:  Comprising  the  Description  and  Uses  of  Drawing 
Instruments,  the  Construction  of  Plane  Figures,  the  Projections  and 
Sections  of  Geometrical  Solids ;  Architectural  Elements,  Mechanism, 
and  Topographical  Drawing ;  with  Remarks  on  the  Method  of  Teach- 
ing the  Subject.  For  the  use  of  Academies  and  Common  Schools. 
By  D.  H.  Mahan,  LL.D.,  Professor  of  Civil  Engineering,  &c.  &c,  in 
the  United  States'  Military  Academy.  20  Plates.  New  York :  John 
Wiley.  1852.  Pp.  156. 

The  want  of  a  comprehensive  treatise  on  mechanical  drawing,  which, 
on  our  side  of  the  water,  has  made  itself  heard,  and  found  a  supply  in 
the  "  Practical  Draughtsman's  Book  of  Industrial  Design,"*  and  similar 
works,  has  likewise  been  felt  by  our  transatlantic  brethren ;  and  we 
have  before  us  good  proof  that  they  are  not  much,  if  at  all,  behind  us  in 
the  promptitude  and  efficacy  of  the  relief  provided.  An  idea  of  the  gen- 
eral character  of  the  work  cannot  be  better  conveyed  than  in  the  author's 
own  words : — 

"  There  is  no  person,  whatever  his  profession,  but  at  times  has  need 
of  drawing,  as  an  auxiliary,  to  render  his  ideas  perfectly  intelligible  to 
others.  The  necessity  of  this  art  to  the  engineer,  carpenter,  mason, 
and  mechanic,  is  too  obvious  to  be  dwelt  upon.  Without  its  aid,  they 
would  be  entirely  unable  to  conceive  understandingly  any  plan  of  a 

*  Sec  page  26,  Vol.  VI.,  Practical  Mechanic's  Journal. 


structure  in  any  degree  of  a  complex  character,  and  still  less  to  carry  it 
satisfactorily  into  execution.  Industrial  drawing,  as  the  term  is  under- 
stood in  this  work,  will  supply  this  want.  It  is,  in  fact,  to  the  artisan 
of  every  class,  what  writing  is  to  all,  except  in  being  more  comprehen- 
sive and  succinct,  rendering  the  forms  and  dimensions  of  the  most  com- 
plex objects  at  once  to  the  eye  within  a  narrow  space,  and  that  by  a 
short-hand  process,  in  which  no  detail,  however  minute,  is  omitted ;  an 
operation  which,  if  it  could  be  performed  at  all  by  an  ordinary  written 
description,  could  hardly  fail  of  being  confused,  and  would  certainly,  in 
such  cases,  demand  great  labour  on  the  part  of  the  writer,  and  be  an 
equally  tedious  one  to  the  reader. 

"  The  work,  with  the  exception  of  the  chapter  on  topography,  has 
been  confined  to  instrumental  drawing ;  and  it  will  be  seen  that  it  sup- 
poses, on  the  part  of  the  student,  a  certain  acquaintance  with  technical 
scientific  language  or  definitions.  The  omission,  for  the  most  part,  of 
these  definitions  was  rendered  necessary,  to  bring  the  cost  of  the  work 
within  the  range  of  that  of  ordinary  school-books,  in  order  that  its  chief 
object,  as  a  work  of  elementary  instruction,  might  not  be  defeated.  Any 
want  of  acquaintance  with  such  terms  can  be  readily  supplied  by  an 
intelligent  teacher,  as  occasion  may  require,  by  oral  explanations ;  or 
still  better,  by  large  diagrams  of  the  plane  figures  referred  to,  and  mo- 
dels of  the  other  objects  placed  before  the  pupil  during  the  lesson. 

"  The  best  method  of  conveying  instruction  on  this  subject,  the  ob- 
ject of  which  is  not  to  deal  with  abstract  reasoning  on  which  it  is  based, 
but  to  furnish  the  most  simple  means  of  mastering  its  difficulties,  and 
applying  it  to  the  many  practical  purposes  of  which  it  is  susceptible,  is 
the  oral." 

It  will  thus  be  seen  that  the  work  is  especially  intended  for  oral  in- 
struction, which  is  undoubtedly  the  most  efficient  and  rapid,  when  aided 
by  private  study  on  the  part  of  the  pupil.  Viewed  in  this  light,  the 
work  is  all-sufficient;  and  beyond  thi3  it  will  be  exceedingly  useful  to 
the  practical  draughtsman,  for  the  problems  and  applications  discussed 
are  exceedingly  numerous ;  and  an  occasional  reference  to  the  direct 
method  of  constructing  this  or  that  figure,  which  may  present  more  than 
ordinary  difficulties,  will  save  him  a  great  deal  of  time,  which  might 
otherwise  be  lost  in  wading  through  the  suggestions  of  a  dim  and  blun- 
dering memory. 

The  plates  are  printed  on  an  extra  size  of  paper,  so  as,  when  unfolded, 
to  lie  quite  clear  of  the  letterpress  pages — a  great  convenience  for  refer- 
ence, and  one  which  we  are  sorry  now  so  seldom  to  see.  It  is  a  point 
in  which  modern  publishers  would  do  well  more  frequently  to  copy  their 
predecessors  of  the  last  century. 

A  Rudimentary  Treatise  on  Fuel,  particularly  with  reference  to 

Revebberatoby  Furnaces.    By  T.  Sym.es  Prideaux.    London :  Weale. 

1853.  Pp.  128. 

The  subject,  on  which  the  above  title  promises  useful  information,  is 
of  undoubted  importance ;  for,  as  the  author  remarks  in  the  introduc- 
tion, "  the  question  of  consumption  of  firing  lies  at  the  root  of  the  cost 
of  production."  It  was  therefore  with  considerable  interest  we  took  up 
the  book,  and  commenced  exploring  its  pages.  We  expected  to  find  a 
full  and  circumstantial  account  of  the  present  theory  and  practice  in  the 
employment  of  fuel,  for  the  production  of  heat,  in  the  various  industrial 
processes  in  which  its  agency  is  needed — such  an  account,  in  fact,  as 
might  be  looked  for  in  a  rudimentary  treatise.  Our  readers  will  judge 
that  we  were  somewhat  disappointed,  when  we  tell  them  that  we  found 
the  work  to  be  entirely  devoted  to  the  discussion  and  recommendation 
of  new  systems  of  constructing  and  working  furnaces,  invented  by  the 
author,  and  as  yet  not  generally,  if  at  all,  put  in  practice.  We  would 
not  deny  any  man  the  right  of  writing  a  book  to  recommend  his  inven- 
tions to  the  public ;  nor  do  we  wish  it  to  be  inferred  that  the  systems  here 
recommended  are  without  merit,  for  the  facts  and  reasoning  here  put  forth 
with  some  ability  plead  the  contrary ;  but  we  do  protest  against  calling 
such  a  work  a  Rudimentary  Treatise.  This  misappellation  may  be  assumed 
to  wrong  both  author  and  publisher ;  for  who,  desirous  of  learning  the  par- 
ticulars of  Mr.  Prideaux's  new  systems,  will  think  of  looking  for  them  in 
rudimentary  treatises;  or  who,  in  search  of  general  rudimentary  know- 
ledge, will  not  feel  disappointed  with  such  an  example  of  the  series,  and 
be  led,  in  consequence,  to  question  the  utility  of  applying  at  the  same 
source  for  similar  information  on  other  subjects  ? 

Setting  aside  the  fault  alluded  to,  the  book  is  well  worthy  the  perusal 
of  all  fuel  consumers.  The  author  shows  a  thorough  acquaintance  with 
his  subject,  and  brings  to  bear  upon  it  what  it  has  hitherto,  for  the  most 
part,  wanted — a  clear  insight  into  the  chemical  laws,  relations,  and  con- 
ditions concerned. 

Suggestions  of  improvement,  called  forth  by  an  investigation  and  ex- 
amination such  as  the  subject  has  received  from  Mr.  Prideaux,  demand 
serious  attention. 


238 


THE  PRACTICAL  MECHANIC'S  JOURNAL. 


u  It  is  unquestionable,"  as  our  author  remarks,  "  that  the  manufac- 
ture of  iron  lias  hitherto  borrowed  less  from  science,  and  is  in  a  ruder 
and  more  barbarous  state,  than  our  other  manufactures,  and  it  is  equally 
unquestionable,  that  such  a  state  of  things  will  not  be  allowed  to  con- 
tinue. Why  are  'refinements  and  niceties'  introduced,  carried  out,  and 
adopted,  in  other  departments  of  production  ?  Is  it  to  gratify  a  longing 
for  the  ideal  in  those  engaged  in  them,  or  as  a  question  of  £.  s.  d.  ?  In 
short,  when  we  view  the  keen  spirit  of  enterprise  and  competition  which 
leads  manufacturers  in  other  departments  to  seek  to  increase  their  pro- 
fits, by  every  expedient  for  cheapening  production,  which  the  improved 
chemical  and  mechanical  knowledge  of  the  day  places  within  their  reach, 
it  is  puerile  to  suppose  that  the  iron  trade  is  to  prove  an  isolated  excep- 
tion to  a  general  rule,  and  remain  exempted  from  the  operation  of  the 
same  principles.  The  shadow  will  not  tarry  on  the  dial  for  the  slug- 
gard ;  and  those  who  will  not  read  the  signs  of  the  times,  but  choose  to 
persist  in  working  by  the  rule  of  thumb,  will  be  taught  its  insufficiency 
by  their  balance  sheets." 


The  Decimal  Coinage  :  A  Letter  to  the  Right  Hon.  the  Chancellor  of 
the  Exchequer,  advocating,  as  a  preliminary  step,  the  issue  of  a  Five- 
farthing  Piece.  By  A.  Millward,  Esq.  Pp.  48.  London :  G.  Bell. 
1853. 

The  author,  as  a  traveller,  has  had  "  the  advantage,  not  only  of  know- 
ing, by  experience,  the  relative  convenience  of  different  currencies,  but 
also  of  judging  how  a  new  system  may  be  introduced  with  the  least 
amount  of  annoyance ;  because  he  has  been  in  the  habit  of  passing  from 
the  currency  of  one  country  to  that  of  another,  and  has  thus  been  made 
to  feel  where  the  shoe  pinches;"  and  he  advocates,  as  the  first  definite 
step,  the  issue  of  a  "five-farthing"  piece,  in  such  quantity  as  to  give 
one  of  these  new  coins  to  every  two  or  three  existing  halfpence.  The 
pages  contain  a  very  clear,  practical  exposition  of  the  case,  the  details 
of  which  our  interested  readers  will  best  understand  from  the  work 
itself. 


Potatoes  Grown  from  Peels.  Pp.  60.  Cork :  Bradford  &  Co. 
This  is  a  reprint  of  a  series  of  interesting  letters,  from  the  active  pen 
of  C.  B.  Newenham,  Esq.,  of  Dundanion  Castle,  Cork,  originally  pub- 
lished in  the  Cork  Constitution.  It  is,  perhaps,  enough  for  us  to  state, 
that  the  author  makes  out  his  case  most  convincingly.  Were  this  not 
quite  so  clear  from  the  pages  before  us,  we  could  yet  bear  effective  tes- 
timony on  the  subject — from  our  having  both  seen  the  potatoes  growing 
in  the  Dundanion  Castle  gardens,  and  discussed  the  cooked  root  at  the 
author's  table. 


To  the  Honorable  toe  Lord  Provost,  the  Magistrates  and  Town 
Council,  and  to  the  Water-rate  Payers  of  tee  City  of  Glasgow, 
the  Respectful  Remonstrance  of  Lewis  D.  B.  Gordon,  Civil 
Engineer,  against  their  adopting!  Mr.  Bateman's  Plan  for  Carey- 
ing  out  the  Loch  Kateine  Water  Scheme.     Pp.  16.     1853. 

In  1845,  the  author,  in  conjunction  with  Mr.  L.  Hill,  discovered  that 
Loch  Katrine  was  "  the  only  available  source  of  supply  of  pure  water,  in 
unlimited  quantity,  within  reach  of  Glasgow,  commercially  speaking." 
The  scheme  Mr.  Gordon  then  proposed,  and  now  again  advocates,  assumes 
the  possibility  of  bringing  this  unlimited  supply  along  an  aqueduct  to  a 
reservoir  close  to  Glasgow,  at  an  expense  of  £247,000,  against  Mr. 
Bateman's  estimate  of  £487,000,  for  conducting  the  water  through  iron 
pipes  to  a  reservoir  at  Milngavie,  some  seven  miles  from  the  city. 
Hence  the  appearance  of  this  pamphlet,  as  a  "  remonstrance"  against 
what  its  author  conceives  to  be  a  needless  outlay  of  capital. 


Proposed  London  Railway,  to  afford  Direct  Railway  Communication 
between  the  City  and  Westminster,  and  all  the  Western  Suburbs. 
By  P.  M.  Parsons,  C.E.  London:  W.  S.  Johnson.  Pp.  29. 
Lithographic  Plates. 

This  pamphlet  recommends  itself  by  the  earnestness  and  straight- 
forwardness with  which  the  subject  is  discussed,  and  by  the  evidences 
of  laborious  investigation  to  which  the  author  has  submitted  the  project 
in  all  its  bearings.  The  object  of  Mr.  Parson's  proposed  plan  is,  to 
furnish  "  aconnecting  link  to  unite  the  termini  of  the  various  metropolitan 
railways,  and  at  the  same  time  afford  them  access  to  the  heart  of  London, 
which  has  long  been  an  admitted  desideratum,  and  a  line  that  would 
effect  this,  and  at  the  same  time  give  a  like  accommodation  to  the 
principal  suburbs,  would  be  of  still  greater  importance." 

Thfi  proposed  railway  possesses  many  advantages,  and  we  regret  that 


our  space  will  not  permit  us  to  transfer  the  more  interesting  portions  of 
the  pamphlet  to  our  pages.  The  estimated  cost  of  the  line  is  some- 
thing short  of  three  millions  sterling,  and  on  this  capital  a  revenue  of 
nearly  10  per  cent,  is  considered  certain.  There  are,  doubtless,  many 
things  to  be  said  both  for  and  against  the  plan;  but  in  this  it  is  not 
unlike  all  plans  with  similar  objects,  and  the  revenue  promised  ought  at 
least  to  invite  inquiry  into  its  merits 


The  First  Principles  of  Perspective,  Explained  Theoretically  and 
Practically,  in  a  Course  of  Easy  Studies,  designed  for  Self-Tuition  and 
the  use  of  Teachers.  By  Felix  Duffin.  London :  E.  &  F.  N.  Spon. 
1853.     Pp.  32.     Lithographic  Plates. 

Mr.  DufEn  has  added  another  to  the  multitudinous  treatises  on  per- 
spective, but  we  doubt  we  can  hardly  say  that  he  has  thereby  increased 
our  knowledge  on  the  subject.  Neither  do  we  find  that  he  has  improved 
on  previous  authors,  by  a  better  development  of  the  science,  or  a  more 
convenient  arrangement  of  his  materials.  He  has  condensed,  without 
simplifying.  There  are  almost  as  many  systems  of  drawing  in  perspective, 
as  there  are  teachers  of  it,  each  with  peculiarities  which  habitual  use 
has  made  the  artist  view  as  simpler  or  more  expedient  than  other  methods. 
Mr.  Duffin  gives  a  method  for  finding  the  "vanishing  points  in  a  per- 
spective picture,  consisting  in  defining  their  distances  from  the  centre  of 
the  picture  by  means  of  tangents.  He  draws  a  semicircle,  the  radius 
of  which  is  equal  to  the  distance  of  the  picture  from  the  eye,  and  sets  off 
a  line  at  the  ends  of  the  diameter,  and  at  right  angles  to  it,  and  on  this 
line  is  to  be  marked  off  the  tangents  that  are  required.  Supposing  it  is 
required  to  find  the  vanishing  point  of  a  horizontal  line,  lying  at  an 
angle  of  30°  with  the  plane  of  the  picture,  the  tangent  of  the  complement 
of  the  angle  of  30°,  that  is,  the  tangent  of  60°,  must  be  taken  as  the 
distance  of  the  vanishing  point,  from  the  centre  of  the  picture  on  the 
horizontal  line.  Now,  why  not  adopt  the  more  obvious  and  simpler  plan 
of  drawing  a  tangent  to  the  semicircle  parallel  to  the  diameter,  so  that, 
by  drawing  a  line  from  the  centre  of  the  circle  at  the  original  angle,  it 
will  at  once  cut  off  the  necessary  length  on  the  tangent?  Mr.  Dufnn's 
system  will  assuredly  confuse  the  student  by  the  number  of  processes 
necessary,  and  by  the  obvious  multiplication  of  lines  and  angles.  As  to 
the  second  plan,  its  connection  with  the  principles  are  direct  and  obvious, 
but  it  is  simply  the  old  well-known  method  with  the  addition  of  a  semi- 
circle, which  is  not  of  the  slightest  use. 

In  his  introduction,  Mr.  Duffin  says,  "  the  plea  of  expediency  in  refer- 
ence to  the  representation  of  objects,  as  they  are  not  or  cannot  appear,  is 
evidently  an  absurdity."  This  cannot  refer  to  drawing  incorrectly  in 
perspective,  for  no  plea  can  be  urged  for  doing  a  thing  incorrectly,  and 
we  presume  that  "  geometrical  projections,"  or  what  are  more  commonly 
known  as  "  mechanical  drawings"  are  here  alluded  to.  If  so,  Mr.  Duffin 
betrays  some  looseness  of  conception  as  to  the  use  of  such  drawings. 
Mechanical  drawings  represent  things  as  they  are,  but  do  not  profess 
to  show  them  as  they  appear;  they  are  not  generally  intended  for 
pictures,  but  as  records  of  the  measurements  of  the  details  of  machinery, 
for  which  purpose  they  are  drawn  to  a  scale.  Thus,  their  office  is 
totally  distinct  from  that  of  perspectives,  and  one  which  the  latter  cannot 
fulfil. 

Mr.  Duffin  is  his  own  illustrative  artist,  but  we  regret  to  say  that  the 
work  gains  nothing  in  consequence;  for  whilst  the  letterpress,  paper, 
and  general  getting-up  are  unexceptionable,  the  plates  are  what  an 
ordinary  practical  lithographer  would  hesitate  to  send  forth  to  the  public. 


A  Word  in  Season;  or,  How  to  Grow  Wheat  with  Profit.  Addressed 
to  the  Stout  British  Farmer.  Tenth  Edition.  8vo.  Pp.  52.  London : 
Eidgway.     1852. 

This  little  pamphlet,  which  has  run  through  so  many  editions,  is  the 
now  acknowledged  performance  of  the  Rev.  S.  Smith,  vicar  of  Lois 
Weedon,  Northamptonshire,  an  ardent  agriculturist,  a  hearty  friend  to 
the  labourer,  and  a  disciple  of  Jethro  Tull.  In  his  latter  character,  he 
first  gives  us  a  "  comparative  estimate  of  the  practice  of  Jethro  Tull  on 
the  growth  of  wheat :" — 

"  The  principle  of  Tull,  in  his  tillage  for  wheat,  was  to  pulverize  the  soil  effectually  to 
the  bottom  of  the  staple,  in  order  that  every  particle  of  the  mould  might  be  impregnated 
with  the  fertilizing  substances  of  the  atmosphere,  whatever  they  were ;  and  that  the  roots 
of  the  plant,  at  the  same  time,  might  be  enabled  with  ease  to  permeate  the  loosened  earth, 
and  so  take  up  the  food  thus  placed  within  their  reach. 

"  To  attain  his  object,  he  divided  his  field  by  broad  and  deep  furrows— as  deep,  that  is, 
as  the  staple  would  permit,  and  no  deeper— into  lands  about  six  feet  wide.  In  the  centre 
of  each  land  he  drilled  his  seed  in  two  rows  about  ten  inches  apart,  thus  leaving  an  inter- 
val of  about  five  feet  between  each  double  row.  Then,  when  the  plant  was  up,  came  a 
very  nice  and  difficult  operation.  After  closing  up  the  furrow,  he  ploughed  the  who], 
interval,  with  the  exception  of  six  or  eight  inches,  for  a  winter  fallow,  taking  the  last  slier 
within  three  or  four  inches  of  the  wheat,  and  leaving  that  standing  on  a  ridge  about  eigh- 


THE  PRACTICAL  MECHANIC'S  JOURNAL. 


239 


teen  inches  wide,  with  a  deep  furrow  on  each  side.  Thus  it  remnined  during  winter.  At 
spring  another  equally  nice  and  difficult  operation  succeeded.  He  cast  back  the  soil,  thus 
fertilized  by  exposure,  against  the  tender  wheat,  and  restored  the  broad  furrow  in  the 
centre  of  the  interval.  Then,  duriog  summer,  as  often  as  the  nature  and  state  of  the  soil 
required  it,  he  horse-hoed,  or  rather  ploughed  it  away  from  the  wheat,  and  then  back  to  it 
again,  retiring  farther  and  farther  from  the  spreading  roots  as  the  season  advanced,  and 
operating  for  the  last  time  afterthe  wheat  had  just  gone  out  of  flower. 

"  The  process  succeeded  to  admiration.  The  well-stirred  soil  had  become  impregnated 
with  the  elements  of  fertility.  The  roots  had  been  enabled  to  take  up  their  nourishment. 
The  straw  exposed  to  the  sun  and  air.  hardened  and  stood  well  up,  except  in  very  peculiar 
seasons.  The  ears  became  unusually  bulky,  the  grain  large.  And  Tull  calculated  that 
thus,  without  manure,  on  the  same  acre  of  land,  he  gained,  year  after  year,  for  several 
years,  a  profit  much  larger  than  that  of  farmers  in  the  common  mode  of  farming." 

But  Tull's  system  passed  away.  Was  there,  then,  a  flaw  in  this  brilliant 
theory  ?  Mr.  Smith  replies  that  all  was  right  as  concerned  root  crops ; 
but  in  corn  all  was  wrong.  There  were  too  many  practical  difficulties  of 
culture — a  too  great  nicety  of  execution  was  required ;  and  here  our 
author  steps  in  with  his  remedy  for  the  defective  practice  of  so  admirable 
a  theory.     He  says : — 

li  I  divide  my  field  into  lands  five  feet  wide.  In  the  centre  of  each  land  I  drop  or  drill 
my  seed  in  triple  rows  one  foot  apart,  thus  leaving  a  fallow  interval  of  three  feet  between 
each  triple  row.  "When  the  plant  is  up,  I  trench  the  intervals  with  the  fork,  easily  tak- 
ing my  spits  about  three  inches  from  the  wheat,  and  at  spring  and  during  summer  I 
clean  them  with  the  blades  of  the  sharp-cutting  horse-hoe,  and  keep  them  open  with  the 
tines  of  the  scuffler.  Every  year,  in  short,  I  trench  and  cultivate  two  and  a  half  feet  out 
of  the  five  for  the  succeeding  crop,  and  leave  the  other  two  and  a  half  for  that  which  is 
growing. 

"  One  moiety  of  each  acre  is  thus  in  wheat,  and  the  other  moiety  fallow ;  and  the 
average  yield  of  that  half  acre  is  3-i  bushels,  grown  without  difficulty  or  danger  in  the 
execution,  and  surpassing  the  average  yield  of  a  whole  acre  on  the  common  plan. 

"It  will  here  be  seen  at  a  glance  how  I  differ  from  Tull  in  practice — how  the  fork  takes 
the  place  of  the  plough,  and  does  better  work  in  a  narrower  compass — how  the  fallow  is 
reduced  from  four-fifths  of  the  land  to  only  one-half— and  how,  in  consequence,  the  pro- 
duce is  more  than  doubled  at  once." 

We  cannot  follow  the  author  through  the  rest  of  his  deductions,  which 
are  set  forth  in  terms  of  golden  promise.  The  scientific  agriculturist 
would  better  appreciate  a  visit  to  Lois  Weedon,  where  he  may  see  what 
spade  labour  has  done  on  a  moderately  small  scale,  and  inspect  a  reaper 
specially  contrived  for  this  system  of  wheat  growing. 


Moral  Sanatory  Ecoxosiy. — By  Henry  M'Cormac,  M.D.     Pp.   150. 
8vo.     London:  Longmans.     1853. 

Ox    THE    CoXXEXIOX    OF     ATMOSPHERIC    IMPURITY    WITH     DISEASE.       Same 

Author.     Pp.  8.     8vo.     Belfast :  Greer.     1852. 

Dr.  M'Cormac's  force,  eloquence,  persevering  research,  devotion  to 
his  subject — and  that  subject  a  vitally  serious  one — ought,  and  must,  in- 
deed, induce  our  more  thoughtful  readers  to  bestow  some  consideration 
on  these  pages.  Every  line  in  them  is  full  of  meaning,  and  deserves  to 
be  read  and  weighed  with  as  much  care  as  the  author  has  evidently  be- 
stowed in  writing  it.  Each  of  the  twelve  chapters — "  Female  degrada- 
tion, employment,  education,  household  culture,  criminal  management, 
physical  training,  clothing,  food,  drink,  air,  drainage,  and  prevention  of 
disease" — into  which  the  dissertation  on  "  Moral  Sanatory  Economy" 
is  divided — furnishes,  in  its  individual  self,  a  weighty  study.  To  this 
we  can  only  incite  and  direct  the  reader — we  cannot  accompany  his  foot- 
steps. We  shall  content  ourselves  with  quoting  the  following  passage 
from  the  second  of  the  works  which  we  have  named  : — 

"  Short  of  atmospheric  purity,  consumption  is  not  less  frequent  in  warm  climates  than 
in  cold.  Intercurrent  pneumonia  and  pleuritis  will  be  less  frequent,  not  so  phthisis. 
Those  warm  climates  in  which  consumption  is  really  less  frequent  than  in  cold,  derive 
the  comparative  immunity  simply  from  the  people  being  forced  by  the  great  heats  to  live 
more  in  an  unpolluted  atmosphere.  If  the  inhabitants  of  Great  Britain  and  Ireland 
would  but  consent,  day  and  night,  to  live  in  a  pnre  untainted  atmosphere,  it  would  put  a 
total  close  to  the  ravages  of  consumption.  It  is  not  sending  people  to  warm  climates  that 
averts  or  cures  consumption.  It  is  sending  them  to  pure  air,  in  so  far  as  they  are  so  sent, 
that  does  so,  and  this  only.  To  confine  consumptive  persons  in  close,  heated  apartments, 
is  bnt  to  hasten  the  ravages  of  their  disease.  On  the  contrary,  they  should  live  as  much 
as  possible  in  the  open  air.  Let  us  keep  the  consumptive  in  pure,  fresh  air,  and  we  shall 
at  once  realize  a  Pan,  a  Nice,  a  Madeira,  better  than  any  Pan,  or  Nice,  or  Madeira,  with- 
out fresh  air.  And  better  still,  let  us  live  in  a  pure,  unadulterated  atmosphere,  or  in  air 
equally  pure  as  the  open,  unadulterated  atmosphere,  and  we  shall  have  no  consumption 
whatever  1  It  is  quite  illusory  to  think  of  curing  the  consumptive  by  means  of  food,  or 
even  medicine,  without  the  amplest  access  to  the  free,  fresh  air.  An  ounce  of  oxygen  is 
worth  tons  of  fish-oil  or  iodine,  or  any  amount  of  wire  air-sieves  for  mouth  or  nostril, 
without  oxygen ! 

"  The  dirt  and  sordes  amid  which  the  poor  so  habitually  live,  bespeak  sufficient  condem- 
nation. The  senses  take  alarm,  and  sympathy  and  horror  are  in  unison  with  our  best 
judgments.  These  monitors,  however,  are  at  fault  in  the  dwellings  of  the  rich.  There, 
perfumes  regale  the  nostrils,  rich  hangings  solace  the  eye.  Nevertheless,  it  is  undoubted 
that  atmospheric  impurity  in  the  dwellings  of  the  rich,  however  it  may  fail  to  obtrude 
itself  on  the  senses,  is  only  inferior  in  virulence  and  destructiveuess  to  what  it  proves  in 
the  dwellings  of  the  poor.  That  it  is  so,  let  the  dreary  catalogue  of  persons  of  all  classes, 
yearly  swept  away  in  these  islands  by  consumption,  declare!  The  remedy  for  this  de- 
fective state  of  things  is  the  improved  condition  of  our  domestic  atmosphere.  In  a  trea- 
tise, styled  "  Jloral  Sanatory  Economy,"  I  have  pointed  out  various  means  of  securing 
this  important  consummation.  I  would  here,  however,  signalise  an  error  of  some  im- 
portance—namely, that  ventilation  does  not  signify  mere  draughts.  People  hate  draughts, 
and  justly.  There  should  be  ventilation;  but  as  regards  cold-air  ventilation,  and  warm- 
air  ventilation  alike,  there  should  be  no  appreciable — certainly  no  appreciably  inju- 
rious or  disagreeable  draughts.  It  is  one  of  the  very  great  advantages  of  French 
casements,  that  they  open  completely  at  pleasure,  so  as  to  yield  a  perfect  mass  of  fresh 
air.  irrespective  of  draughts.  They  permit  windows  also  to  be  cleaned  from  the  inside 
without  nsk,  and  at  the  same  time  insure  copious  and  most  desirable  supplies  of  lJght. 
It  would  be  very  easy,  however,  to  make  our  common  casements,  which  now  only  open 
one-half,  open  completely,  and  draw  down  as  well.  In  other  respects,  coupled  with  per- 
fect purity  of  the  domestic  atmosphere,  there  should  he  warm  fires,  warm  clothing,  and 
the  amplest  supplies,  during  the  cold  season,  of  masses  of  air  heated  to  a  moderate  tem- 
perature." 


CORRESPONDENCE. 


SELF-ACTING  LUBRICATOR. 

The  accompanying  sketch  represents  my  automatic  lubricator  in 
vertical  section.  The  cup,  A,  has  a  spindle  passing  through  it,  on  one 
end  of  which  spindle  is  a  pendulum,  c,  with  its  cylindrical  socket,  D,  in 
section,  to  show  the  spiral  riband  or  clutch,  E,  which  it  embraces. 

The  spiral  riband  or  clutch  is  made  truly  cylindrical  to  fit  the  spindle, 
and  it  rests  without  being  fixed  on  the  washer,  f,  on  the  outer  end  of  the 
spindle.  The  inner  end  of  the  clutch,  e,  is  fastened  to  the  inner  end  of 
the  socket,  d,  as  shown  at  g.  Within  the  cup  there  is  another  spiral 
riband  or  clutch,  h,  which 
is  fastened  to  the  inside  of 
the  cup,  at  j.  Within  the 
cup  the  spindle  carries  a 
roller  and  bucket-wheel,  k, 
cast  in  one  piece,  and  fastened 
to  the  spindle  by  a  pin  passed 
transversely  through  the 
boss ;  at  l  is  an  oil  cup  or 
bucket,  the  supporting  link 
of  which  is  fastened  to  the 
bucket-wheel  by  a  screw. 

To  understand  the  action 
of  the  apparatus,  let  us  sup- 
pose these  engines  to  be  in 
motion.  The  pendulum,  c, 
is  then  caused  to  oscillate, 
and,  whilst  receding,  the 
clutch,  f,  grasps  the  spindle 
tight,  and  by  its  friction 
carries  the  spindle  round 
with  it.  When  the  pen- 
dulum returns,  the  clutch,  n,  grasps  the  spindle  and  keeps  it  from 
returning,  whilst  the  clutch,  e,  relaxes  and  slips  easily  over  the  spindle. 
After  a  few  vibrations,  the  bucket,  h,  comes  round,  and  empties  itself 
over  the  roller,  k,  and  thence  the  oil  flows  down  the  tube,  M,  to  the 
journal  or  surface  to  be  lubricated. 

I  have  had  this  lubricator  working  all  this  "  navigation,"  on  hoard  the 
Russian  Imperial  Post  Steam-Ship  Vladimer,  and  1  find  it  works  much 
better  than  the  rest  of  our  cups,  which  are  made  with  the  ratchet-wheel, 
and  it  does  not  require  one-fourth  of  the  repairs. 

R.  S.  Thomson. 

Cronstadt,  Russia,  November,  1853. 

CAPSICUM  GRINDING. 

Can  any  of  your  readers  inform  me  whether  there  is  any  machine  in 
existence  for  grinding  capsicum  into  red  pepper?  In  some  places,  a 
pestle  and  open  mortar  are  used,  but  the  fine  dust  arising  during  the 
process  of  trituration  is  highly  injurious  to  the  eyes. 

A.  B.  C. 


PLAITING  AND  BRAIDING  MACHINE. 

No  doubt  you  can  understand  the  feeling  of  disappointment  which  an 
inventor  must  experience,  when  he  finds  that  a  long-cherished  scheme 
has  been  developed  at  an  earlier  period  by  other  parties.  Such,  sir,  is  the 
case  as  regards  Messrs.  Booth's  braiding  machine,  described  in  the  Decem- 
ber number  of  the  Practical  Mechanic's  Journal,  in  as  far  as  the  tubular 
spindles  are  concerned.  Braiding  machines  with  tubular  spindles  have 
been  worked  here  for  several  years ;  and  a  machine  of  precisely  the  same 
form  as  that  of  Messrs.  Booth — namely,  a  &-bobbin  russia — has  been 
regularly  worked,  but  on  a  lighter  material — principally  silk,  with  a 
vulcanized  india-rubber  core.  Indeed,  the  machine  contributed  by  my- 
self to  the  Dublin  Exhibition,*  although  making  a  different  braid,  was 
furnished  with  hollow  spindles. 

I  make  these  remarks  with  no  other  intention  than  the  removal  of  an 
erroneous  impression,  that  braiding  machinery,  although  yet  in  its  in- 
fancy, has  only  just  arrived  at  the  "  hollow  spindle"  period  of  its 
growth.  Wji.  Service. 

Rutland  Terrace,  Hornney  Road,  London, 
December,  1853. 

*  Page  153,  Practical  Mechanic's  Journal  for  October  last. 


240 


THE  PRACTICAL  MECHANICS  JOURNAL. 


REFLECTING  FOG  BELLS  FOR  STEAMERS. 

I  beg  to  suggest,  through  the  medium  of  the  Practical  Mechanic's 
Journal,  the  following  means  of  preventing  collisions  at  sea.  It  is  well 
known,  that  if  a  sounding  body  be  placed  in  the  focus  of  a  parabola 
formed  of  any  material  capable  of  reflecting  sound,  the  issuing  rays  will 
proceed  in  a  direction  parallel  to  the  axis  of  the  parabola.  Now,  it  is 
quite  a  common  practice,  on  board  steamers,  to  ring  bells,  so  as  to  inform 
other  vessels  in  the  neighbourhood  of  what  is  near  them.  But  it  is  often 
the  case  that  a  ship  in  the  very  path  of  a  steamer,  and  hearing  the  fog 
bell,  is  unable  to  clear  a  steamer,  from  ignorance  of  the  course  steered 
by  the  steamer. 

To  remedy  this,  I  propose  to  place  a  large  parabolic  reflector  athwart 
ship,  so  as  to  act  in  the  direction  of  the  keel  line,  and  just  abaft  the 
fog  bell.  When  the  bell  is  struck  under  these  circumstances,  the  re- 
flected vibrations  will  proceed  right  ahead,  so  as  to  give  the  best  pos- 
sible notice  of  the  steamer's  approach;  and  this  plan,  it  must  be  remem- 
bered, will  cause  the  bell  to  be  heard  at  a  greater  distance  than  at 
present.  James  Meikle. 

Strathaven,  December,  1853. 

PROCEEDINGS  OF  SCIENTIFIC  SOCIETIES. 


INSTITUTION  OF   CIVIL   ENGINEERS. 

November  15,  23,  and  29,  1853. 

The  discussion  upon  the  paper  on  "  Ocean  Steamers,"  by  Mr.  Andrew  Hender- 
son, Assoc  C.E.,  was  commenced  by  quoting  from  an  article  in  the  Edinburgh 
Journal,  by  Professor  Tenant,  of  St.  Andrew's,  the  dimensions  of  some  of  the 
large  ships  built  by  the  ancients ;  whence  it  appeared,  that  a  ship  constructed  by 
Ptolomceus  Philopater,  was  420  feet  long,  56  feet  broad,  and  72  feet  high  from 
the  keel  to  the  prow ;  and  was  manned  by  four  thousand  rowers,  four  hundred 
servants,  and  two  thousand  eight  hundred  and  twenty  marines. 

Hiero,  King  of  Syracuse,  caused  to  be  built,  by  Archias,  the  Corinthian  ship- 
wright, under  the  supervision  of  Archimedes,  a  vessel  which  appeared  to  have  been 
armed  for  war,  and  sumptuously  fitted  for  a  pleasure  yacht,  and  yet  was  ultimately 
used  to  carry  corn ;  the  dimensions  were  not  recorded,  but  as  there  were  twenty 
banks  of  oars  and  three  masts,  the  timber  for  the  mainmast,  after  being  in  vain 
sought  for  in  Italy,  being  brought  from  England,  and  the  cargo  was  sixty  thousand 
measures  of  corn,  besides  vast  quantities  of  provisions,  &c.,  for  the  crew,  the  dimen- 
sions must  have  exceeded  those  of  any  ships  of  the  present  day  :  indeed,  Hiero, 
finding  that  none  of  the  surrounding  harbours  sufficed  to  receive  his  leviathan, 
loaded  it  with  corn,  and  presented  the  vessel,  with  its  cargo,  to  Ptolemy,  king  of 
Egypt ;  and  on  arriving  at  Alexandria,  it  was  hauled  ashore,  and  nothing  more  was 
recorded  respecting  it. 

Taking  these  dimensions  as  the  basis  for  calculating  the  tonnage  by  the  old  law, 
or  builders'  measurement,  and,  in  accordance  with  the  report  of  the  late  Tonnage 
Committee,  taking  the  average  tonnage  of  ships  as  amounting  to  twenty-seven 
hundredths  of  the  external  bulk,  measured  to  the  medium  height  of  the  upper  deck, 
the  burthen  and  cubic  content  of  these  vessels  would  be : — 

Tonnage.        External  Bulk. 

Ptolomceus  Philopatcr's  ship  =    6,445  tons,     830,700  cubic  feet. 

Noah's  ark =  11,905    ...    1,580,000        do. 

And  contrasted  with  these  few  modern  ships: — 

Great  Western =  1,242     ...        161,100         do. 

Great  Britain =3,445     ...       446,570         do. 

Arctic  (American  packet)...    =  2,7J5     ...       356,333         do. 

Himalaya =3,528     ...       457,332         do. 

And,  calculating  by  the  same  rules,  taking  the  dimensions  given  in  the  prospectus 
of  the  Eastern  Steam  Navigation  Company,  their 

Proposed  iron  ship =  22,942  tons,  2,973,593  cubic  feet. 

It  was,  however,  stated  that  this  vessel  was  intended  to  be  10,000  tons  register, 
which  might  be  correct,  if  it  was  built  on  the  cellular  system,  and  was  measured 
internally  by  the  present  law.  This  latter  example  was  only  given,  to  demon- 
strate the  advantage  of  adopting  the  proposed  system,  of  nsing  the  mean  of  ex- 
ternal and  internal  measurement,  as  the  basis  of  the  calculation  of  the  tonnage, 
and  of  recording  all  the  dimensions,  and  the  scale  of  burthen  on  the  certificate  of 
survey. 

The  first  point  then  considered,  was  the  effect  of  heavy  seas  upon  vessels  of  400 
to  600  feet  long.  The  waves  of  the  Atlantic  were  stated,  by  some  captains  of 
American  "  Liners,"  to  attain  an  elevation  of  about  20  feet,  with  a  length  of  160 
feet,  and  a  velocity  of  25  to  30  miles  per  hour. 

Dr.  Scoresby,  in  his  paper  on  "Atlantic  Waves,"  gave  about  the  same  mean  eleva- 
tion for  the  waves,  in  rather  a  hard  gale  ahead ;  on  one  occasion,  with  a  hard  gale 
and  heavy  squalls,  some  few  waves  attained  a  height  of  43  feet,  with  a  length  of 
nearly  600  fei-t,  and  a  velocity  exceeding  30  miles  an  hour.  Other  authorities 
assumed  even  more  than  those  heights  and  distances. 

The  amount  of  strength  to  resist  the  impact  of  such  waves,  must  vary  with  the 
length  and  size  of  a  ship,  and  the  materials  of  which  it  was  constructed;  and  as 
the  experience  of  the  Britannia  Bridge  showed,  that  a  weight  of  460  tons,  at  a 
velocity  of  30  miles  per  hour,  could  be  borne  by  a  cellular  tube  of  460  feet  span,  it 


was  demonstrated  that,  by  the  use  of  iron,  almost  any  amount  of  strength  could 
be  given  to  a  vessel ;  and  as  stability  could  be  imparted  by  proper  proportions, 
efficient  vessels  could  be  built  of  any  dimensions,  as  had  been  exemplified  by  the 
Great  Britain,  which,  after  remaining  ashore  on  rocks  for  several  months,  had 
been  got  off  without  serious  injury.  There  were,  however,  objections  to  the  use  of 
iron  alone  for  vessels ;  therefore  many  other  systems  had  been  essayed,  such  as  all 
English  oak,  pine  of  large  scantling,  three  thicknesses  of  diagonal  planking,  and 
iron  framing  with  stout  planking — this  last  combination,  with  the  addition  of 
fore  and  aft  ties  and  water-tight  bulkheads,  was  advocated  for  efficiency  and 
economy. 

The  proportions  of  about  six  breadths  for  the  length  were  insisted  upon,  and  it 
was  noticed  that  these  were  given  as  the  dimensions  of  Noah's  ark,  as  recorded  in 
Holy  Writ. 

The  effect  of  heavy  waves  upon  vessels  of  great  length  was  discussed,  particu- 
larly when  in  the  trough  of  the  sea,  and  without  sufficient  "  way  on"  to  enable  the 
rudder  to  act ;  under  such  circumstances,  it  was  suggested  that  there  might  be  a 
bow  rudder,  and  a  propeller  so  placed  as  to  assist  the  action  of  the  helm  in  bring- 
ing the  vessel  round. 

The  innovations  proposed  by  Mr.  Roberts,  and  illustrated  by  his  models,  were 
examined. 

An  examination  was  made  of  the  project  for  transmitting  letters  between  Holyhead 
and  Dublin,  at  a  speed  of  22 J  statute  miles  per  hour; — of  that  for  communicating 
between  New  York  and  Liverpool  in  six  days,  at  an  average  speed  of  22  nautical 
miles  per  hour  ; — and  for  steaming  to  Calcutta  and  back,  without  re-coaling,  tra- 
versing a  distance  of  about  25,000  nautical  miles,  at  an  average  speed  of  15  nau- 
tical miles  per  hour ;  using  elaborate  calculations  and  tabulated  results,  based  on 
the  duty  performed  by  H.  M.  S.  Rattler  with  a  given  power,  and  under  known 
conditions. 

Objections  were  raised  to  accepting  7  J  knots  per  hour  as  the  data  for  the  present 
average  rate  of  speed  of  ocean  steamers ;  it  was  urged  that  such  an  average  must 
have  been  derived  from  the  voyages  of  steamers  of  old  date,  and  without  regard  to 
the  later  results  deduced  from  the  performances  of  the  Cunard  and  the  Collins 
lines  of  steamships. 

The  propriety  of  taking  tho  Rattler  as  a  model  steamer  was  questioned, 
especially  as  the  data  were  not  given  for  selecting  that  vessel,  it  being  argued  that 
the  Rattler  had  not  performed  a  series  of  long  voyages,  under  every  variable  line 
of  immersion,  or  under  such  changes  of  weather  and  states  of  the  sea,  as  to  furnish 
data  for  such  important  deductions. 

The  advantage  of  increasing  the  proportion  of  length  to  breadth  was  apparent, 
if  it  was  admitted  that  the  cargo-bearing  capacity  of  a  vessed  was  thus  augmented, 
without  materially  affecting  her  direct  resistance  through  the  water ;  supposing  her 
midship  section  to  remain  unaltered.  The  proper  proportion  of  length  to  breadth 
for  an  efficient  ocean  steamer  was,  however,  an  intricate  question.  Taking  the 
Wave  Queen  as  an  example :  the  length  of  that  vessel  had  been  stated  to  be 
thirteen  times  her  beam  ;  now  such  proportions  might  answer  well  for  the  river 
Thames,  and  a  great  speed  might  be  attained,  but  such  a  vessel  would,  under  cer- 
tain circumstances,  be  unfit  to  navigate  the  British  Channel.  The  same  might  be 
said  of  the  American  river  steamers,  which  were  reported  to  have  attained  almost 
fabulous  rates  of  velocity ;  but  such  proportions  as  theirs,  if  attempted  in  ocean 
steamers,  would  only  induce  failure  and  loss  of  the  vessels  in  heavy  gales  in  the 
open  ucean. 

It  was  contended,  that  the  statement  of  a  supposed  wave  pressure  of  85,000  tons 
of  water,  or  even  of  40,000  tons,  to  which  it  had  since  been  reduced,  by  a  modified  esti- 
mate, was  inadmissible ;  it  would  be  manifestly  impossible  for  any  vessel  to  withstand 
such  impact  from  a  body  of  water ;  and  if  the  position  was  admitted,  it  must  be 
evident  that  any  of  the  ordinary  coasting  steamers  would  constantly  be  liable  to 
a  pressure  of  1,000  to  1,500  tons,  which  would  suffice  to  utterly  destroy  them. 

The  comparison  of  the  qualities  for  safe  riding,  when  lying-to,  between  a  line-of- 
battle  ship  and  a  privateer,  was  not  to  the  point,  as  the  former  was  encumbered  by 
the  enormous  weight  of  her  armament,  and  by  her  top-hamper ;  in  short,  the  whole 
misconception  had  arisen  from  confounding  the  wave  of  oscillation  with  that  of 
translation  :  this  was  exemplified  by  the  case  of  a  disabled  vessel ;  so  long  as  she 
remained  afloat  she  was  comparatively  safe,  but  as  soon  as  she  touched  the  ground, 
and  the  wave  of  oscillation  became  one  of  translation,  6he  was  immediately  knocked 
to  pieces  by  the  impact  of  the  waves. 

Next,  as  to  the  proportions  of  6  to  1,  which  had  been  derived  from  as  ancient  a 
type  as  Noah's  ark ; — now,  as  far  as  was  known,  as  that  construction  had  not  been 
designed  either  for  sailing  or  steaming,  but  only  to  float  with  a  very  large  cargo,  it 
afforded  no  analogy  for  vessels  built  for  speed,  however  propelled ;  and,  in  fact, 
modern  fast-sailing  vessels  had  abandoned  those  proportions,  which  had  only  been 
perpetuated  by  the  old  tonnage  laws,  under  which  merchant  vessels  were  enabled 
to  be  constructed  to  carry  enormous  cargoes,  but  they  were  unable  to  attain  any 
considerable  speed.  It  was  further  argued,  that  as  steam  propulsion  was  employed,  the 
analogy  became  still  less  apparent ;  and,  as  an  instance  of  the  advantage  of  length- 
ening ships,  the  case  of  the  vessels  belonging  to  the  North  of  Europe  Steam  Navi- 
gation Company  was  mentioned.  The  City  of  Norwich,  183  feet  long,  26  feet 
beam,  471  tons  burthen,  and  200  H.P.,  could  carry,  as  cargo,  220  head  of  cattle, 
at  a  speed  of  10  knots  per  hour,  but  she  rolled  considerably  with  a  beam  sea; 
whilst  the  Tonniny,  222  feet  long,  27  feet  beam,  734  tons  burthen,  and  200  H.P., 
carried  360  head  of  cattle,  at  a  speed  of  12  knots  per  hour ;  she  was  a  remarkably 
easy  vessel,  and  had  proved  her  sea-worthy  qualities  by  coming  safely  round  the 
coast  of  Scotland  during  the  late  gale  in  September.  Thus,  with  the  same  engine 
power,  by  merely  altering  the  proportions  from  7  to  1  to  8  to  1,  nearly  60  per 
cent,  more  cargo  space  was  obtained,  and  2  knots  per  hour  were  gained  in  speed, 
with  improved  sea-going  qualities.     It  must  be  remarked,  also,  that  the  relative 


THE  PRACTICAL  MECHANIC'S  JOURNAL. 


241 


proportions  of  the  Tonning  were  almost  identical  with  those  of  the  proposed  iron 
vessel  for  the  Eastern  Steam  Navigation  Company. 

Taking  the  Wave  Queen  as  an  extreme  case,  her  length  being  213  feet,  with  15 
feet  beam,  and  proportions  of  13  to  1,  with  a  draught  of  water  of  only  5  feet,  and 
comparing  her  performances  with  those  of  the  Christiana — a  good  vessel,  about  170 
feet  long,  and  with  abont  the  proportion  of  6  to  1 — it  was  found,  that  whilst  the 
latter,  in  a  moderate  head-sea,  continually  shipped  the  waves,  the  former,  in  a 
similar  sea,  was  perfectly  dry.  This  evidence  was  given  from  the  personal  expe- 
rience of  the  speaker. 

The  Wave  Queen  had  since  been  running  between  Newhaven  and  Dieppe,  and  it 
was  to  be  expected,  indeed  it  had  been  predicted,  that,  from  local  circumstances 
connected  with  the  entrance  of  the  harbour  at  Newhaven,  she  would  meet  with 
some  casualty.  She  was  not  stranded  in  consequence  of  any  inefficiency  in  the 
power  of  the  rudder  ;  but  after  a  very  bad  passage  across  tbeChannel,  in  the  trough 
of  the  sea,  which  was  running  very  high,  she  arrived  off  Newhaven,  when  there 
was  scarcely  depth  of  water  over  the  bar  for  her  to  cross,  she  touched  the  ground 
heavily,  and  hung  by  her  "heel;"  a  beam  sea  catching  her  at  the  same  moment, 
swung  her  round,  and  threw  her  broadside  on  the  beach,  where  all  the  passengers 
were  safely  landed.  It  was  a  good  proof  of  the  strength  that  could  be  given  to 
iron  ships,  that  though  she  was  thrown  broadside  on  the  shore  by  the  waves  of 
translation,  she  was  safely  got  off  and  brought  round  to  the  Thames  without 
material  damage. 

As  to  the  elaborate  calculations  entered  into,  with  respect  to  the  three  great 
navigation  projects ; — before  admitting  the  correctness  of  those  results,  it  must  be 
clearly  understood  that  the  Rattler,  which  had  been  used  as  the  type,  was  built 
during  the  most  depressed  period  (scientifically)  of  construction  in  H.  M.  Dock- 
yard. Her  dimensions  were  176  feet  long  by  32  feet  6  inches  beam — a  propor- 
tion of  about  oh  to  1 ;  and  from  what  had  been  published,  it  must  be  evident  that 
she  had  just  performed  what  might  have  been  anticipated  from  such  proportions. 
At  the  time  of  the  construction  of  the  engines  of  the  Rattler,  marine  engineers 
had  scarcely  adopted,  and  rarely  practised,  the  use  of  the  steam  at  a  certain 
amount  of  pressure  and  expanding  in  the  cylinder,  whereby  such  a  vast  economy 
in  the  consumption  of  fuel  was  now  realized.  Now,  if  the  calculations  of  fuel 
required  for  long  voyages  were  based  upon  the  old  scale  of  consumption,  instead 
of  the  present  rate,  which,  in  good  ships,  did  not  exceed  3^  lbs.  per  real  H.P.,  the 
deductions  from  the  calculations  must  be  still  more  unacceptable. 

It  was  then  contended,  that  all  arguments  based  upon  calculations  of  the  speed 
and  other  qualities  of  such  a  type  must  be  utterly  fallacious.  It  had  been  shown 
what  increase  of  speed  and  of  carrying  qualities  had  been  produced  by  lengthening 
the  Tonning,  without  increasing  her  power,  and,  by  analogy,  it  was  only  reasonable 
to  presume,  that  if  the  proportions  of  the  Rattler  had  been  altered  from  5^  to  1, 
to  nearly  8  to  1,  there  would  have  been  a  still  more  striking  amelioration,  and  she 
would  have  been  a  more  trustworthy  type  for  the  calculations  and  arguments  as  to 
the  practicability  of  constructing  and  of  commercially  working  large  ships.  It  was 
argued,  that  with  all  these,  and  many  other  examples  to  the  contrary,  it  was  evi- 
dently incorrect  to  attempt  to  assume  that  6  to  1  was  the  best  proportion  of  vessels 
of  any  kind. 

The  advantages  of  employing  a  smaller  number  of  large  ships,  rather  than  a 
greater  number  of  small  ships,  for  a  given  trade,  especially  for  long  voyages,  was 
beginning  to  be  generally  admitted  by  shipowners.  A  return  was  published  in 
the  Times  of  November  22d,  1853,  copied  from  the  Liverpool  Albion  of 
November  21st,  which  presented  the  results  of  that  experience  in  a  remarkable 
form. 

"  The  following  table  shows  the  average  number  of  days  occupied  on  the  passage 
by  the  vessels  of  different  tonnage,  ranging  from  200  tons  upwards,  despatched 
from  Liverpool  to  Australia,  in  the  years  1852  and  1853 : — 


Under  200  tons 

From    200  to    300  tons 

—  300  to    400  — 

—  400  to    500  — 

—  500  to    600  — 

—  600  to    700  — 

—  700  to    800  — 

—  800  to    900   — 

—  900  to  1000  — 

—  1000  to  1200  — 

—  1200  and  upwards 


1852. 


1853. 


age  number 
of  days. 
137 

Average  number 

of  days. 

133 

122 

122 

123 

113 

118 

112 

113 

112 

107 

103 

108 

101 

103 

100 

102 

95 

96 

91 

91 

90 

"  From  the  above  table  it  will  be  seen,  that  in  almost  every  instance  the 
average  i3  in  favour  of  the  largest  ships,  the  GOO-ton  ships  having  an  advantage  of 
24  days  on  the  average  in  1852,  over  the  200-ton  ships,  and  the  1,200-ton  ships 
having  an  advantage  of  22  days  over  the  GOO-ton  ships.  In  1853,  also,  it  will  be 
seen  that  the  results  are  much  the  same." 

It  must  be  evident,  that  for  each  length  of  voyage  and  description  of  trade, 
there  wa3  a  particular  size  of  vessel  that  would  be  most  suitable;  and,  indeed,  as 
in  most  other  engineering  works,  the  circumstances  of  the  traffic  would  of  them- 
selves mainly  determine  the  proportions  of  the  structure.  Take,  for  example,  the 
No.  70.— Vol.  VI. 


trade  between  England  and  America,  as  originally  opened  by  the  Great  Western; 
that  vessel,  at  first  designed,  although  much  the  largest  ship  of  her  day,  was  of 
the  smallest  size  by  which  such  a  trade  could  be  conducted  ;  and  her  length  was 
actually  increased,  during  her  construction,  to  a  point  then  generally  considered 
dangerous. 

Since  that  period,  all  vessels  on  that  station  had  been  successively  augmented 
in  dimensions  as  the  trade  increased ;  but  even  those  vessels  were  too  small  for 
the  Australian  voyage  of  25,000  miles,  and  the  necessity  of  increasing  the  length 
was  shown,  by  calculating  how  much  coal  would  require  to  be  carried  beyond  that 
needed  for  an  American  voyage,  in  order  to  do  the  Australian  or  the  Indian 
voyage  equally  well.  Such  calcluation  demonstrated,  that  a  vessel  similar  to  the 
Great  Western  would  require  to  be  lengthened  to  520  feet  to  accomplish  that 
voyage.  This  argument  showed,  that  the  conditions  of  the  case  compelled  the 
adoption  of  vessels  of  extraordinary  length  for  steam  voyages  of  extraordinary 
distances. 

Then,  as  to  the  commercial  question :  the  merchants  engaged  in  the  Indian  and 
Australian  trade  had  calculated,  from  the  data  afforded  by  their  own  business, 
what  amount  of  freight  and  passengers  would  require  accommodation,  and  it  was 
found  that  the  quantity  was  greater  than  could  be  received  by  the  ship  just  calcu- 
lated. The  dimensions,  therefore,  required  to  be  enlarged,  to  meet  the  demand  of 
the  existing  trade.  Thus  the  traffic  itself  did  actually  fix  the  dimensions  of  the 
proposed  large  class  of  vessels. 

As  to  the  mechanical  strength  of  such  vessels,  there  was  no  difference  of  opinion 
on  that  point  among  engineers,  provided  the  structure  was  of  iron.  Ships  of  wood, 
on  the  contrary,  were  limited  in  size  by  the  nature  of  the  material,  which  was 
grown,  and  not  manufactured,  and  therefore  the  produce  was  of  limited  size ; 
whereas  plates  of  iron  could,  on  the  other  hand,  be  rolled  of  any  required  dimen- 
sions. It  must  be  observed,  also,  that  the  strength  of  wood  across  the  fibre  was 
so  small,  that  two  planks  could  not  be  so  united  as  to  be  equally  strong  in  all 
directions  j  whilst  two  plates  of  iron,  riveted  together,  were  of  nearly  uniform 
strength. 

Further,  as  to  the  resistance  of  large  vessels  to  waves ;  it  was  evident  that  the 
waves  of  the  Atlantic,  being  of  the  same  size,  whether  the  vessel  was  small  or 
large,  their  proportional  magnitude  would  be  decreased  as  the  size  of  the  vessel  was 
increased,  so  that  the  large  ship,  in  a  gale,  would  merely  encounter  waves  of  the 
same  proportional  size  as  a  ship  of  half  the  dimensions,  in  half  a  gale  ;  and  it 
should  be  remarked,  that  the  largest  ships  which  had  been  proposed  were  only 
double  the  lineal  dimensions  of  existing  vessels. 

As  to  the  impact  of  waves  upon  ships,  it  should  be  remembered  that  a  vessel 
riding  on  a  wave  became,  virtually,  a  part  of  that  wave,  and  moved  along  with  it, 
as  the  mass  of  water,  displaced  by  its  bulk,  had  previously  moved.  The  large 
Atlantic  waves,  observed  by  Dr.  Scoresby,  did  not  strike  the  ship,  but  made  her  rise 
and  fall  in  a  gentle  oscillation,  each  of  which  lasted  16  seconds,  a  period  of  too 
long  duration  to  admit  of  any  approximation  to  violent  collision  between  bodies. 

It  was  only  the  small  wind  waves,  or  crests,  which  moved  at  a  different  velocity 
from  that  of  the  ship,  and  the  proposed  vessels  were  so  much  higher  out  of  the 
water  than  the  observed  altitude  of  these  waves,  that  the  decks  would  probably 
never  be  more  than  wetted  by  the  spray. 

It  was  explained  that  H.  M.  S.  Rattier  had  been  assumed  as  a  type,  or  good 

example,  of  locomotive  efficiency,  because  the  formula  — — ^- — 'i—-  gave  the 

Indicated  H.P. 
highest  result  of  any  steamer  examined  by  that  rule.     It  would  be  seen  that  the 
formula  merely  embraced  the  relations  of  velocity,    displacement,   and  working 
power. 

It  was  stated  that  a  vessel  which,  from  any  fault  of  construction,  or  from  im- 
perfect steering  power,  was  liable  to  fall  off  into  the  trough  of  the  sea,  would,  in 
that  position,  be  liable  to  fearful  accidents;  and  instances  were  cited  of  two  vessels, 
of  800  tons  and  1,200  tons  respectively,  being  struck  by  waves  which  had  carried 
away  all  the  upper  works,  and  swept  the  decks  clear.  These  practical  facts  were 
given  to  show  that  the  gentle  oscillation  of  heavy  waves  must  be  received  with 
some  qualification.  In  answer  to  this,  it  was  explained,  that  in  a  storm  there 
were  generally  two  sets  of  waves,  the  long  low  oscillating  wave,  and  the  smaller 
waves,  which  were  much  shorter,  rising  under  the  action  of  the  wind.  It  was 
these  short  waves  which  struck  the  smaller  vessels  with  so  much  force,  when  they 
g-it  on  the  crest  of  a  large  one;  but  the  deck  of  a  very  large  ship  would  be  too  high 
for  such  wind  waves  to  break  upon  it,  except  as  spray. 

Returns  were  presented  of  the  performances  of  a  number  of  paddle-wheel  ocean 
steamers  for  a  period  of  22  years,  tending  to  prove  how  greatly  the  velocity  had 
been  increased.  This  was  shown  to  have  arisen  from  the  augmented  size  and  better 
build  of  the  vessels,  with  greater  power  of  engines  and  other  engineering  improve- 
ments. These  tables  showed  the  necessity  of  a  careful  selection  of  the  period  from 
which  a  mean  average  of  velocity  was  deduced;  for  example,  the  Hugh  Lindsay, 
H.  E.  I.  Co.'s  steamer,  gave,  in  1830,  a  mean  average  of  5i  knots  per  hour; 
whereas  the  best  of  the  Cunard  and  of  the  Collins  Hues  of  steamers  gave  a  mean 
average  of  12^  knots  per  hour  for  the  last  three  years. 

In  winding  up  the  discussion,  the  dimensions  were  given  of  a  great  raft  ship, 
called  the  Baron  of  Renfrew,  which  was  built  at  Quebec  in  the  year  1825,  by  the 
late  Mr.  Charles  Wood,  of  Port-Glusgow.  Her  extreme  length  was  304  feet ;  extreme 
breadth,  61  feet;  clear  depth,  34  feet;  registered  tonnage,  5,294i  tons;  and  cargo 
of  timber,  8,500.  The  draft  of  water  at  the  end  of  the  voyage,  when  water- 
logged, was  31  feet.  She  had  four  masts,  and  the  sails  of  a36-gun  frigate.  Her 
greatest  inclination  under  press  of  sail  was  about  20  degrees.  Her  greatest  speed 
before  she  became  water-logged,  but  with  19  feet  of  water  in  the  hold,  was  Si- 
knots,  which  was  reduced  to  6  knots  when  she  was  quite  full  of  water.  She  made 
'  2H 


242 


THE  PRACTICAL  MECHANIC'S  JOURNAL. 


the  passage  from  Quebec  to  the  Isle  of  Wight  in  48  days.     It  was  due  to  Mr. 
Charles  Wood  to  mention  this  daring  innovation  at  so  early  a  period. 
December  6. 
"On  the  Drainage  of  the  District  south  of  the  Thames,"  by  Mr.  J.  T.  Uarrison. 

December  13. 
Continuation  of  discussion  on  Mr.  Harrison's  paper. 


INSTITUTION  OF  MECHANICAL  ENGINEERS. 

October  26. 

C.  Beyer  in  the  Chair. 

"On  the  New  Pumping  Engines  at  the  Birmingham  Water- Works,"  by  W.  S. 
Garland,  Soho. 

"  On  an  Escape  Water- Valve  and  a  Governor  for  Marine  Engines,"  by  R.  Wad- 
dell,  Liverpool. 

"  On  an  Improved  Coking  Crane  for  Supplying  Locomotive  Engines,"  by  J. 
Ramsbottom. 

"  On  an  Improved  Turn-Table,"  by  S.  Lloyd. 

"  On  an  Improved  Apparatus  for  Preventing  Explosions  of  Steam  Boilers,"  by 
J.  Rollinson,  Brierley  Hill, 

December  7. 
W.  Fairbairn  in  the  CnAiR. 

A  special  meeting  was  held  this  day  at  Manchester.  The  attendance  was  par- 
ticularly good,  and  there  seemed  to  be  a  very  general  opinion,  that  it  would  be 
desirable  to  hold  frequent  meetings  of  the  society  in  Manchester  and  other  towns 
of  mechanical  importance.  Being  the  centre  of  a  district  eminently  distinguished 
for  its  extraordinary  progress  in  the  mechanical  arts,  Manchester  has  a  claim  upon 
the  society  not  to  be  disregarded ;  and  it  is  obvious  that  much  good  would  acrue 
to  the  institution  from  the  facility  which  such  meetings  would  afford  for  practical 
illustration,  by  machines  and  models  not  easily  removeable  to  a  distance.  The 
first  paper  read  and  discussed  was — 

"  On  a  New  Winding  Engine,  erected  at  Mr.  Astley's  Colliery,  Dukinfield,"  by 
Mr.  Fairbairn.  This  engine  draws  coal  from  one  of  the  deepest  pits  on  record.  In 
a  few  months,  the  shaft  will  have  been  carried  down  to  G50  yards.  The  engine 
was  stated  to  be  one  of  the  largest  of  its  class,  having  a  GO-inch  cylinder,  with 
8  feet  stroke;  and  the  very  great  speed  of  22^  miles  an  hour  was  obtained  in 
drawing  the  coal  up  the  pit,  a  load  of  32  cwt.  being  drawn  up  from  the  bottom  of 
the  pit  to  the  surface  in  one  minute. 

"On  Mr.  Taylor's  Improved  Water  Meter,"  by  Mr.  B.  Fothergill.  One  of  the 
meters  was  exhibited  in  operation.  Particulars  were  given  of  various  experiments 
that  had  been  made  with  the  meter  under  different  pressures,  and  with  different  velo- 
cities of  discharge,  from  which  it  appeared  that  the  meter  registered  the  quantity  of 
water  accurately,  under  extreme  variation  both  of  quantity  and  pressure.  The  meter 
was  stated  to  have  been  found  very  useful  in  measuring  the  quantity  of  water  eva- 
porated by  steam-engine  boilers,  to  ascertain  the  economy  of  their  working. 

"  On  the  American  Dry  Clay  Brick-Machine,"  by  Mr.  E.  Jones,  of  Liverpool. 
The  machine  was  self-feeding,  and  made  the  bricks  complete  by  one  process,  ready 
at  once  for  burning,  without  requiring  the  ordinary  slow  process  of  drying  pre- 
viously ;  it  was  capable  of  making  25,000  bricks  per  day,  and  effected  a  very  im-, 
portant  economy  in  the  expense  of  manufacture,  and  also  by  enabling  the  manufac- 
ture to  he  carried  on  during  the  whole  year.  One  of  these  machines  was  stated  to 
be  in  efficient  operation  at  Kirkdale,  near  Liverpool. 

"  On  the  Combing  of  Fibrous  Materials,"  by  Mr.  B.  Fothergill.  The  author 
described  the  various  progressive  improvements  in  combing,  and  the  important 
changes  recently  effected  by  the  introduction  of  Heilmann's  machine;  by  means  of 
which  the  breaking  of  the  long  fibres  was  prevented,  and  the  different  lengths  of 
fibre  were  separated  and  assorted  in  the  process  of  combing,  so  that  great  unifor- 
mity and  perfection  were  obtained ;  besides  which,  the  process  was  carried  out  so 
much  more  completely  than  by  the  former  machines,  that  an  important  proportion 
of  the  material  that  was  formerly  rejected  as  useless,  was  now,  by  further  combing, 
made  valuable. 

"  On  the  Retardation  and  Stoppage  of  Railway  Trains,"  by  Mr.  Fairbairn. 
This  paper  described  several  plans  for  increasing  the  power  of  stopping  railway 
trains,  and  more  particularly  one  invented  by  Mr.  Newall,  for  applying  simulta- 
neously the  breaks  to  the  wheels  of  every  carriage  in  the  train ;  this  could  be  done 
instantaneously,  either  by  the  guard  or  the  engine-driver,  by  releasing  the  springs 
in  the  carriages  that  hold  up  the  breaks,  which  were  all  in  communication  with  a 
rod  running  the  whole  length  of  the  train.  The  particulars  of  experiments  were 
given  that  had  been  tried  with  this  apparatus  on  the  East  Lancashire  Railway, 
which  showed  a  great  increase  of  the  power  for  stopping  the  train,  giving  the 
means  of  stopping  within  a  considerably  shorter  distance  than  with  the  ordinary 
breaks. 


ROYAL  INSTITUTION. 

December  5,  1853. 

W.  Pole,  F.R.S.,  in  the  Chair. 

The  Secretary  announced  that  Professor  Faraday  would  deliver  a  course  of  lec- 
tures in  the  Christmas  vacation  on  voltaic  electricity  (adapted  to  a  juvenile  audi- 
tory), and  that  courses  of  lectures  by  Professors  Tyndall,  Wharton  Jones,  and 
Miller,  would  be  given  on  the  Tuesdays,  Thursdays, *and  Saturdays  before  Easter. 
It  was  also  stated  that  the  Friday  evening  meetings  would  commence  on  the  20th 
of  January,  1854. 


ROYAL    SOCIETY. 

December  5. 
At  the  anniversary  meeting  to-day,  the  Earl  of  Ross,  as  President,  occupied  the 
chair,  and  delivered  his  annual  address.  After  this,  the  Copley  Medal  was  pre- 
sented to  M.  Dove,  of  Berlin,  for  his  work  on  the  distribution  of  heat  over  the 
earth's  surface. — Mr.  Charles  Darwin,  the  eminent  naturalist,  also  received  the 
Royal  Medal,  for  his  works  on  natural  history  and  geology. 


SOCIETY   OF    ARTS. 
November  16,  1853. 

At  this,  the  first  meeting  of  the  hundredth  session,  Mr.  Hany  Chester,  Chair- 
man of  the  Council,  presided,  and  delivered  the  opening  address,  after  which  the 
company  separated  for  the  examination  of  the  "  Models  and  Drawings  of  Articles 
of  Utility,  invented,  patented,  and  registered  since  October,  1852." 
November  23. 
T.  Hoblyn  in  the  Chair. 

"  On  Machines  for  Pulverizing  and  Reducing  Metalliferous  Ores,"  by  C  F. 
Stansbury.  The  author  first  considered  the  conditions  in  which  gold  presented 
itself  in  the  various  localities  where  it  was  found.  He  then  proceeded  to 
describe  the  chief  sources  of  supply  in  later  times.  He  said  that,  notwith- 
standing the  extensive  distribution  of  gold,  and  the  great  desire  of  man  to  become 
possessed  of  it,  the  methods  which  human  invention  had  up  to  this  time  devised 
for  the  purpose  of  obtaining  it  had  been  but  partially  successful.  The  processes 
for  securing  gold  might  be  divided  mainly  into  washing,  smelting,  and  amalgama- 
tion. By  washing,  was  meant  every  process  which  depended  for  its  efficacy  upon 
the  superior  specific  gravity  of  the  precious  metal,  as  compared  with  the  substances 
with  which  it  was  mixed.  The  process  of  smelting  was  not  thought  to  be  appli- 
cable to  the  wants  of  gold-seekers  of  the  present  day.  That  of  amalgamation 
involved,  of  course,  the  previous  reduction  of  the  ore  to  a  finely-divided  state,  in 
which  alone  the  mercury  could  seize  upon  the  gold  and  secure  it;  and  the  great 
object  hitherto  had  in  view  had  been,  to  produce  machinery  capable  of  bringing 
the  rock  to  such  a  state  of  powder,  as  to  allow  the  mercury  to  be  brought  into 
complete  contact  with  every  particle  of  the  precious  metal.  This  had  been  attempted 
by  means  of  machinery  for  crushing,  stamping,  and  grinding.  In  stamping  ma- 
chinery, there  was  a  great  loss  of  power  by  friction.  In  the  "  Mexican  Raster," 
or  "  Arrastra"  of  California,,  the  grinding  was  effected  by  the  dragging,  or 
rubbing,  o  stone  mullers  over  a  bedstone  of  hard  granite,  enclosed  by  a  wooden 
tub.  This  process  was  of  course  slow,  and  the  friction  great.  In  the  old  Chilian 
mill,  large  and  heavy  cast-iron  wheels  moved  round  in  a  trough  over  the  ore  to 
he  operated  upon.  A  large  quantity  of  quicksilver  was  placed  in  the  bottom  of  the 
trough,  and  warer  was  supplied  at  the  top.  The  ore  was  ground  by  the  double  action 
of  rolling  and  grinding.  This  mill  was  the  best  of  all  the  old  contrivances  for  reducing 
gold  ore,  as  it  pulverized,  washed,  and  amalgamated  by  one  and  the  same  operation. 
In  Mr.  Cochrane's  crushing  machine,  the  wheels  of  the  Chilian  mill  were  replaced 
by  balls,  worked  by  the  pressure  of  a  revolving  dome  of  iron  placed  above  them. 
The  idea,  though  ingenious,  was  defective,  as  the  friction  between  the  balls  and  the 
dome  would  be  equal  to  the  work  done  ;  and  as  the  basins  remained  horizontal,  the 
ore,  after  being  pulverized,  had  to  be  amalgamated  in  a  separate  apparatus.  The 
only  process  which  seemed  hitherto  to  have  answered  all  the  conditions  necessary  to 
an  amalgamating  apparatus,  was  what  was  called  at  the  diggings  the  miner's  assay 
— a  method  employed  at  the  mines  for  determining  the  value  of  ores  which  it  was 
proposed  to  work.  In  this  process  the  mortar  and  pestle  were  employed.  Mercury 
was  put  in  the  mortar,  the  ore  to  be  tested  was  thrown  in,  and  covered  with  hot 
water,  when  the  operation  commenced.  The  pulverization  was  perfectly  effected 
by  the  rolling  and  grinding,  or  rubbing  action  of  the  spherical  end  of  the  pestle; 
the  mercury  was  kept  at  the  point  of  crushing  in  the  bottom  of  the  mortar,  and 
was  kept  heated  by  the  boiling  water.  Here,  then,  were  all  the  necessary  condi- 
tions— perfect  pulverization  and  instant  amalgamation  by  pure  and  hot  mercury. 
On  a  large  scale,  the  cost  of  heating  sufficient  water  to  attain  this  result  would,  of 
course,  be  a  practicable  difficulty.  In  Mr.  Berdan's  machine,  the  principles  of  the 
miner's  assay  were  closely  followed,  while  the  expensive  process  of  heating  water 
in  large  quantities  was  avoided.  The  novel  features  of  the  machine  consisted  in 
the  arrangement  of  an  inclined  revolving  basin,  in  connection  with  balls  of  corre- 
sponding size  and  weight,  producing  a  rolling  and  grinding  motion,  which  it  was 
believed  had  never  heretofore  been  attained,  and  in  the  heating  of  the  mercury, 
which  had  never  previously  been  attempted  on  a  large  scale.  The  peculiarities  of 
the  invention  did  not  consist  in  the  use  of  balls  and  basins,  but  in,  1st,  the  inclin- 
ing of  the  shaft  on  which  the  basin  revolved,  which  kept  the  mercury  always  at  the 
crushing  point,  and  caused  the  balls  to  work  by  gravity;  2d,  the  production  of  a 
combined  rolling  and  grinding  action  by  the  contact  of  the  balls;  and,  3d,  the  addi- 
tion of  heat  to  the  mercury  by  means  of  the  furuace  below  the  basin. 

One  Hundredth  Session,  1853-54, 
subjects  for  premiums. 
The  list  of  subjects  on  which  the  Council  invite  communications  for  premiums  for 
the  ensuing  session,  comprehends  the  following  new  heads.     The  numbers  attached 
to  each  represent  their  position  in  the  list : — 

CLASSES  I.  TO  IV. —  raw  materials. 

1.  The  best  essay  on  the  existing  methods  and  most  recent  contrivances  for 
crushing  and  dressing  hard  rocks,  containing  metalliferous  ores  or  native  metals. 

2.  An  account  of  the  details  of  copper  ore,  fuel,  and  the  make  of  copper,  in  the 
different  places  where  this  metal  is  produced. 


THE  PRACTICAL  MECHANIC'S  JOURNAL. 


243 


5.  An  account  of  the  manufacture  of  tin,  and  of  recent  discoveries  of  new  sources 
of  supply. 

8.  An  account  of  the  hest  proportions  for  the  production  of  the  compound  metal 
bronze,  and  the  preparation  of  bronze  washes. 

11.  An  account  of  the  manufacture  of  useful  products  from  peat. 

12.  The  best  essay  on  the  chemical  composition  of  rocks,  the  changes  which  they 
have  undergone,  and  are  now  undergoing,  especially  iu  relation  to  those  which  are 
used  for  building  and  other  similar  purposes. 

13.  The  best  essay  on  the  properties,  geological  distribntion,  and  working  of 
flag,  slate,  and  other  stones  used  for  paving. 

15.  The  best  account  of  the  methods  of  manufacturing  ultramarine,  and  for  the 
best  specimen  produced  in  Great  Britain. 

1 7.  The  preparation  of  any  colour,  applicable  to  the  japanned  surfaces  of  papier 
mache,  that  shall  be  free  from  the  brightness  (or  glare)  of  the  varnished  colours 
now  used,  but  vet  possess  the  same  degree  of  hardness  and  durability. 

18.  The  preparation  of  certain  light  colours  to  be  used  in  enamelling  or  japan- 
ning slate  or  iron,  that  will  stand  the  action  of  heat  from  the  fire  without  blistering 
or  discoloration,  and  be  sufficiently  hard  to  resist  scratches. 

19.  A  new  and  effective  mode  of  protecting  fine  iron  castings  from  corrosion 
when  exposed  to  the  atmosphere,  without  loss  of  sharpness,  the  clogging  up  of 
small  parts,  and  the  other  evil  consequences  of  paint,  and  without  destroying  the 
natural  colour  of  the  metal,  as  in  galvanizing. 

24.  An  essay  on  the  modes  of  treating  and  preparing  spices  for  the  market. 

26.  The  discovery  of  any  new  sources  of  supply  of  food,  either  by  importation 
or  by  the  extraction  of  nutritious  matter  from  substances  hitherto  deemed  unavail- 
able. 

27.  An  account  of  the  gums  of  commerce,  and  particularly  of  such  as  are  used 
in  manufactures. 

30.  An  essay  on  the  various  fluids  used  for  lighting,  with  their  relative  degrees  of 
illuminating  power,  portability,  and  cost,  and  their  comparative  liability  to  acci- 
dent. 

32.  Improvements  in  the  dye  of  woollen  cloths,  whereby  the  colour  may  be  ren- 
dered permanent,  and  capable  of  resisting  acids ;  to  be  cheaper  than  wood  or  indigo. 

33.  An  essay  on  the  nature  aud  properties  of  dyes,  in  their  application  to  silk 
and  other  fabrics. 

39.  The  best  samples  of  ornamental  woods  from  New  Zealand  or  any  other  Bri- 
tish colonv,  suitable  for  the  manufacture  of  furniture. 

40.  The  discovery  of  an  economic  substitute  for  the  teazels  used  in  raising  the 
face  or  the  nap  of  cloth. 

42.  The  importation  from  any  British  possession  in  Africa,  of  not  less  than  20 
pounds  of  silk  proper  for  manufactures. 

44.  A  method  of  preparing  an  engine  size  for  the  use  of  papermakers,  superior 
to  any  now  in  use. 

45.  The  best  account  of  the  mode  in  which  size  from  sea-weed  is  prepared  and 
used  by  the  Chinese. 

Nos.  1,  8,  9,  11,  12,  13,  14,  21,  22,  23,  26,  28,  29,  30,  31,  37,  and  39,  of 
last  year's  list,  as  printed  at  page  240  for  January  last,  are  expunged. 

CLASSES  V.  TO  X. — MACHINERY. 

46.  An  account  of  recent  improvements  in,  or  applications  to,  the  furnaces  of 
steam-engine  boilers,  for  the  consumption  or  prevention  of  smoke,  without  increas- 
ing the  expense  of  working. 

47.  An  account  of  improvements  in  the  furnaces  of  manufactories,  especially  in 
glassworks,  ironfoundries,  and  the  like,  for  the  consumption  or  prevention  of  smoke. 

51.  A  cheap  and  simple  mechanical  register,  not  liable  to  get  out  of  order,  to 
be  attached  to  cabs  and  other  vehicles,  so  as  to  measure  and  indicate  correctly  the 
distances  travelled. 

52.  Improvements  in  the  construction  and  furnishing  of  public  conveyances  suit- 
able to  the  streets  of  London. 

56.  An  account  of  the  machines  at  present  in  use,  and  for  any  improvements  in 
the  same,  for  sewing  garments  and  other  articles. 

57.  The  best  and  most  economical  mode  of  cutting  out  boots  and  shoes  by  ma- 
chinery, so  as  to  effect  a  saving  of  time  and  material. 

58.  The  best  paper-ruling  machine. 

60.  The  invention  of  a  simple  machine,  by  which  plates  of  cold  iron,  say  7  feet 
by  3  feet,  and  from  £th  to  J  inch  thick,  may  be  readily  cut,  either  lengthwise  or 
across,  in  equal  parts,  or  in  any  other  proportion  that  may  be  required. 

61.  The  successful  application  of  machinery  to  the  manufacture  of  the  separate 
parts  of  cheap  clocks. 

62.  An  account  of  recent  improvements  in  the  manufacture  of  sugar  from  beet- 
root iu  Great  Britain  and  Ireland,  and  of  the  results  obtained. 

65.  The  best  design  and  working  drawings  of  a  model  house,  suitable  to  the 
zeneral  requirements  of  the  industrial  classes,  and  of  the  furniture  and  modes  of 
fitting  such  dwellings,  with  estimates  of  cost. 

66.  The  best  essay,  illustrated  by  actual  experiments,  on  the  fittest  material 
for  the  walls  and  ceilings  of  rooms  intended  for  lectures  and  similar  purposes,  and 
also  on  the  best  form  thereof. 

67.  Improvements  in  the  employment  of  gas  for  domestic  purposes,  especially 
for  heating,  ventilating,  and  cooking,  with  the  cost  and  results  thereof. 

68.  The  application  of  electricity  to  the  discharge  of  fire-arms. 

71.  The  invention  of  a  marine  barometer,  which  shall  fulfil  all  the  conditions 
necessary  to  make  it  a  good  and  reliable  instrument,  and  be  sold  at  a  moderate 
price. 

72.  The  invention  of  an  anemometer,  for  measuring  the  force,  velocity,  and  direc- 
,f  the  wind  at  sea. 


73.  A  good  speculum  ani,  which,  with  facility  of  introduction,  shall  afford 
the  means  of  exposing  a  considerable  surface  of  mucous  membrane,  and  applying 
escharotics. 

Nos.  41,  42,  48,  49,  61,  53,  54,  55,  56,  57,  58,  59,  G2,  63,  64,  65,  and  67,  of 
last  year's  list,  are  expunged. 

CLASSES  XI.  TO  XXIX. — MANUFACTURES. 

Textile  Fabrics. 

74.  An  essay  on  wools — the  manner  of  rearing  and  feeding  the  sheep,  and  im- 
provements in  preparing  the  material  for  use. 

75.  A  more  economic  method  of  employing  gold  and  silver  in  woven  fabrics. 

76.  An  account  of  improvements  in  the  methods  of  transferring  the  pattern 
from  the  original  design  to  the  cards  of  the  Jacquard  loom. 

77.  The  successful  application  of  some  new  means  (as  electricity,  for  instance) 
for  producing  ornamental  designs  in  woven  fabrics,  which  shall  be  cheaper  and 
easier  of  application  than  those  at  present  employed. 

78.  An  account  of  the  methods  at  present  practised  in  France  for  dyeing  and 
dressing  morocco  leather. 

79.  The  best  mode  of  dressing  kid  and  calf  kid,  for  the  upper  leathers  of  boots; 
the  improvements  required  are,  strength  of  the  grain  and  a  good  firm  black  dye. 

80.  The  best  specimen  of  paper,  not  less  than  1  cwt.,  produced  either  wholly 
or  in  part  from  new  materials,  such  materials  not  being  more  costly  than  those 
now  used,  with  full  particulars  as  to  the  manufacture. 

81.  The  best  essay  on  the  preparation  of  paper  for  India,  and  hot  climates  gen- 
erally. 

82.  The  best  method  of  colouring  paper  in  the  pulp  with  indigo,  and  with  greens 
of  various  hues,  the  colours  not  liable  to  be  affected  by  gas. 

83.  Improvements  in  the  manufacture  of  transparent  papers. 

84.  The  best  method  of  glazing  paper  in  the  web. 

86.  The  invention  of  a  means  of  copying  letters,  by  which  the  inconvenience  at 
present  attending  the  use  of  the  "  style"  may  be  obviated,  and  both  the  original 
and  the  copy  shall  be  permanent. 

88.  The  best  mode  of  finishing  the  edges  of  machine-made  bobbin  lace  (in  imita- 
tion of  pillow  lace),  so  as  to  supersede  the  use  of  a  separate  pearl  edge,  usually 
sewn  on. 

90.  A  ready  mode  of  taking  casts  of  the  feet,  which  may  be  used  as  lasts  for 
making  boots  and  shoes. 

Nos.  74,  76,  77,  78,  and  79,  are  expunged. 

Metallic,  Vitreous,  and  Ceramic  Manufactures. 

91.  The  construction  of  moulds  without  seams  or  joints  for  metal  casting,  in 
the  round,  or  in  relief. 

92.  The  production  of  castings  in  iron,  equal  in  sharpness  and  delicacy  of  sur- 
face to  those  now  imported  from  Berlin. 

93.  Improvements  in  letter  locks,  which  shall  prevent  the  combinations  being 
ascertained  by  any  other  means  than  working  out  the  entire  system  of  changes. 

96.  The  best  specimen  of  figure-chasing  in  silver,  out  of  the  solid  plate,  suitable 
for  medallions,  vases,  &e. ;  combining  good  execution  and  workmanship,  with  taste 
and  judgment  in  the  selection  of  the  design. 

97.  The  best  original  design  or  exact  copy  of  a  good  piece  of  ancient  glazing  in 
plain  glass,  in  which  the  lead  lines  give  the  geometrical  pattern. 

98.  The  best  specimen  of  a  cistern  for  household  purposes,  made  of  glass  in  one 
piece,  and  capable  of  holding  not  less  than  80  gallons. 

99.  A  cheap  quality  of  glass,  in  which  coarseness  and  want  of  transparency 
are  not  regarded,  applicable  for  drains,  water-pipes,  sinks,  shelves  for  larders, 
dairies,  &c 

100.  The  best  account  of  the  causes  of  the  defects  in  flint  glass,  with  the  means 
which  have  been  employed  to  remedy  the  same,  accompanied  by  suggestions  for  the 
improvement  of  the  manufacture. 

101.  The  best  specimens  of  glass  for  chemical  use,  capable  of  resisting  a  high 
degree  of  heat  without  softening,  aud  not  liable  to  break  from  changes  of  tem- 
perature. 

102.  The  best  specimen,  in  imitation  of  Venetian  or  ancient  glass,  of  a  useful 
jug,  drinking  glass,  or  dish ;  every  specimen  must  be  left  exactly  as  finished  by  the 
glass-blower. 

105.  The  best  copy  of  some  work  of  Italian  art,  containing  one  or  more  human 
figures,  painted  on  china,  of  a  superficies  of  not  less  than  64  square  inches. 
Nos.  83,  86,  87,  88,  89,  90,  91,  and  92,  are  expunged. 
Miscellaneous  Manufactures. 

110.  A  means  of  imparting  additional  firmness  and  tenacity  to  the  clay  used  for 
modelling,  without  diminishing  its  plasticity. 

111.  A  means  of  rendering  the  plaster  used  for  casts  less  absorbent  and  more 
adhesive,  so  as  to  facilitate  its  use  for  repairing  purposes. 

112.  The  best  means  of  utilizing  refuse  ores,  refuse  coal,  and  impure  approxima- 
tions to  coal. 

113.  The  best  means  of  turning  to  useful  account  slag,  in  a  coarse,  refined,  or 
combined  state. 

Nos.  97,  99,  103,  and  104,  are  expunged. 

CLASS  XXX. — FINE  ARTS. 

117.  The  best  specimen  of  modelling  and  medal  die  sinking.  An  impression 
from  the  die,  and  the  original  model  to  be  sent  to  the  Society. 

118.  The  best  design  for  a  flower  trough  or  vase,  ornamented  in  has  relief,  and 


244 


THE  PRACTICAL  MECHANIC'S  JOURNAL. 


capable  of  being  cast  from  a  mould  iu  one  piece,  and  of  being  produced  in  terra- 
cotta. 

119.  The  best  cheap  set  of  plain  vases  in  china,  earthenware,  or  terra-cotta, 
suitable  for  mantel-piece  ornaments. 

120.  The  best  cheap  set  of  plain  vases  in  glass,  suitable  for  mantel-piece 
ornaments. 

121.  A  table  cover,  showing  the  best  and  simplest  design,  and  manufactured  in 
either  wool,  damask,  felted,  or  oil  fabrics. 

122.  The  most  simple  and  elegant  three  or  five  light  gas  chandelier,  suitable  for 
a  drawing-room. 

123.  A  candle  lamp,  showing  the  best  and  simplest  design,  and  capable  of  adap- 
tation to  the  different  sizes  of  candles. 

124.  The  best  cheap  ornamental  bracket,  in  one  material. 

125.  The  best  cheap  ornamental  bracket,  in  two  or  more  materials. 

126.  The  best  design  for  a  pair  of  entrance  doors,  with  open-work  cast-iron 
panels. 

127.  The  most  simple  and  elegant  fender  and  set  of  fire-irons. 

128.  The  best  series  of  four  outline  drawings  in  illustration  of  Longfellow's 
poem,  "Building  the  Ship." 

129.  The  best  series  of  four  outline  drawings  applicable  to  ornamental  purposes, 
and  illustrative  of  acts  of  mercy. 

130.  The  best  series  of  four  botanical  and  structural  drawings  of  a  forest-tree. 

131.  The  best  series  of  four  botanical  and  structural  drawings  of  one  of  the 
Ceralia. 

Nos.  106,  107,  and  108,  are  expunged. 

All  communications  and  articles  intended  for  competition  must  be  delivered  to 
the  Secretary,  at  the  Society's  house,  free  of  expense,  on  or  before  the  31st  of 
March,  1854.  This  restriction,  as  to  the  date  of  receipt,  does  not  apply  to  those 
articles  of  colonial  produce  which  were  not  in  last  year's  list. 

Successful  candidates  will  be  communicated  with  on  or  before  the  14th  of  June, 
1854.  Unrewarded  communications  and  articles  must  be  applied  for  at  the  close 
of  the  Session,  between  the  14th  of  June  and  the  5th  of  July,  1854,  after  which 
date  the  Society  will  no  longer  be  responsible  for  their  return. 

MONTHLY  NOTES. 


The  Chivalry  of  Intellect. — The  King  of  Bavaria  has  just  done  that 
which  will  earn  for  him  the  grateful  acknowledgments  of  men  of  science  and  letters 
throughout  the  whole  world.  He  has  founded  an  order  of  intellectual  chivalry, 
under  whose  banners  are  to  be  gathered  the  foremost  leaders  of  authorship,  art, 
science,  and  music.  The  designation  by  which  this  noble  congress  is  to  be  known 
is  the  "  Order  of  Maximilian  the  Second"  and  the  original  Forty  lofty  names 
have  already  been  selected  for  it.  They  bear  the  name  of  chevaliers  or  knights ; 
and  their  decorations  consist  of  a  gold  cross,  enamelled  in  dark  blue,  with  a  white 
edge,  framed  with  a  garland  of  laurel  and  oak,  and  surmounted  by  a  regal  crown, 
each  of  the  corners  having  four  rays,  with  the  King's  effigy  in  a  central  crowned 
escutcheon,  and  the  motto  "  Maximilian  II.,  King  of  Bavaria."  The  reverse 
bears  the  symbol  of  the  branch  of  pursuit  to  which  the  holder  belongs.  "When 
will  the  science  and  literature  of  our  country  meet  with  such  distinctive  marks? 

The  Glasgow  Agricultural  Society  and  City  Sewerage. — An  im- 
portant movement  has  been  made  by  the  Glasgow  Agricultural  Society,  in  offering 
a  prize  of  fifty  pounds  for  the  "  best  essay  on  the  means  for  most  economically  and 
effectively  collecting,  storing,  conveying,  and  distributing,  as  manure  for  land,  the 
soil  sent  off  by  the  sewerage  of  the  city  of  Glasgow."  It  is  intended  to  bring  for- 
ward by  this  means  the  most  practicable  plans  by  which  to  secure  the  efficient 
cleansing  of  Glasgow,  combined  with  the  most  economical  system  of  applying  the 
collected  matters  to  agricultural  purposes.  With  this  view,  the  Society  has  very 
properly  intimated  that  all  the  competing  schemes  must  be  specially  devoted  to  the 
sanatory  improvement  of  the  city. 

Tunnelling  and  Excavating  Machine. — Mr.  Talbot,  an  American  engi- 
neer, has  just  successfully  introduced  a  rotatory  steam  tunnelling  machine,  which 
Loes  through  the  hardest  of  earth's  crusts  with  great  ease,  doing  away  entirely  with 
the  slow  processes  of  hand  boring  and  blasting.  The  action  is  a  compound  cutting 
and  crushing  one,  produced  by  revolving  steel  discs,  set  to  act  in  successive  series, 
and  each  describing  segments  of  circles  running  from  the  centre  to  the  edge  of  the 
cutting,  with  a  gradual  movement  round  the  main  common  centre — the  steam- 
engine  constantly  acting  to  push  forward  the  entire  machine  in  a  line  coincident 
with  the  axial  line  of  the  cutting.  In  a  late  practical  exhibition  of  the  powers  of 
the  borer,  the  visitors  were  astonished  to  find  that,  when  cutting  into  rock  obliquely, 
the  working  action  was  perfectly  uniform,  the  arms  and  cutting  discs  engaged  upon 
the  solid  hard  rock  going  through  their  work  as  if  they  were  merely  working  in  air. 
An  excavation  17  feet  in  diameter  was  cut  at  the  rate  of  18  inches  per  hour,  four 
men  only  being  required  as  attendants,  two  of  them  devoting  their  attention  exclu- 
sively to  the  engine.  The  weight  of  the  machine,  exclusive  of  its  engine  and  boiler, 
is  75  tons. 

Amorphous  Phosphorus  for  Lucifer  Matches. — The  dreadful  disease 
generated  amongst  the  operative  makers  of  lucifer  matches,  from  the  use  of  com- 
mon phosphorus — as  in  the  case  of  the  painter's  cholic  from  the  use  of  white-lead 
— has  naturally  excited  the  close  attention  of  scientific  chemists  for  some  years; 
but  only  now  has  anything  satisfactory  been  done  in  the  way  of  a  remedy.  Schrot- 
ter's  amorphous  phosphorus— now  a  discovery  some  years  old — seems  to  have 
reached  the  eviL     The  amorphous  phosphorus  is  totally  unlike  the  ordinary  sub- 


stance, as  well  in  external  appearance  as  in  its  chief  characteristics  of  action.  If 
is  not  soluble  in  sulphuret  of  carbon — it  is  not  poisonous — exhales  no  objectionable 
fumes  in  the  atmosphere — nor  does  it  ignite  by  the  usual  friction,  nor  in  contact 
with  iodine.  It  is  only  when  mixed  with  certain  other  matters  that  it  explodes. 
Mr.  Albright's  patent  of  1851  has  at  length  reduced  the  new  material  to  a  com- 
mercially workable  condition.  In  this  process,  the  common  phosphorus  is  placed 
in  a  glass  vessel,  inside  a  closed  one  of  iron,  from  which  a  pipe  passes  to  a  vessel 
containing  water.  The  cast-iron  vessel  is  placed  in  a  sand  bath,  which  again  is 
inside  a  metallic  bath,  to  which  the  operating  heat  is  applied.  Moderate  heat 
causes  the  dislodgment  of  bubbles  from  the  vessel  containing  the  phosphorus,  these 
bubbles  igniting  on  coming  into  the  air.  AVhen  the  bubbles  cease  to  flow,  the 
temperature  is  raised  to  500°  Fahr.,  and  it  is  kept  at  this  point  until  the  amor- 
phous condition  is  acquired.  After  this  the  material  is  cooled  down,  and  is  then 
levigated  under  water  and  strained,  being  finally  purified  by  spreading  in  thin 
layers  on  heated  iron  or  leaden  plates.  The  change  in  the  phosphorus  is  very 
peculiar.  Originally  it  is  transparent,  and  of  a  pale  yellow  or  white  colour,  and  so 
combustible  that  it  must  be  kept  under  water.  But  the  heating  changes  it  to  a 
soft  opaque  consistence,  which,  when  pulverized,  produces  an  uncrystalline  powder, 
of  a  red  colour,  and  incapable  of  combustion  at  a  lower  heat  than  482°  Fahr. 
Messrs.  Sturges,  of  Birmingham,  and  Messrs.  Dixon,  of  Newton  Heath,  near 
Manchester,  are  now  using  the  new  phosphorus,  chlorate  of  potash  being  used  as 
the  mixing  material. 

Stringfellow's  Pocket  Battery. — This  is  an  ingenious  arrangement  for 
supplying  a  continuous  stream  of  electric  fluid  for  medical  purposes,  and  it  espe- 
cially recommends  itself  by  its  extreme  portability,  and  by  the  convenient  manner 
in  which  it  can  be  applied.  A  battery  of  sufficient  power  for  most  purposes  is 
contained  in  a  holder  no  larger  than  a  lady's  card-case,  as  shown  in  fig.  1,  and 
it  owes  its  comparative  compactness  to  contrivances  by  which  an  immense  number 
of  minute    surfaces   of 

suitable  metals  are  ar-  Fig.  1. 

ranged  so  as  to  induce 
the  voltaic  action.  Fig. 
2  represents  a  portion  of 
a  battery,  the  whole  con- 
sisting of  the  repetition 
of  this  "  element,"  and 
being  unlimited  as  to 
size.  In  making  this 
"  element,"  a  narrow 
strip  of  thin  zinc  is 
bound  round  with  a  flat 
copper  wire,  some  non- 
conducting substance, 
as  cotton,  silk,  or  gutta 
percha,  being  interposed 
between  the  two  metals. 
At  each  end  of  the  ele- 
ment, short  lengths  of 
flat  copperwireare  made 
to  project,  and  these  are 
soldered  to  the  ends  of  the 
zinc  plate  of  the  adjacent 
element.  Any  metals  ca- 
pable of  inducing  voltaic 
action  may  be  used,  and 
the  inside  strip  may  be 
covered  by  the  outer  me- 
tal in  a  variety  of  ways. 
We  have  before  us  spe- 
cimens of  various  ar- 
rangements. In  one  of 
these,  rows  of  transverse 
slots  are  cut  out  of  the 

enveloping  metal.  In  another  are  holes,  like  perforated  window  blinds;  whilst  in 
a  third,  the  outside  metal  is  in  the  form  of  wire-gauze,  which  last  is  said  by  the 
inventor  to  act  very  well.  The  elements  are  soldered  together  in  sets  of  ten  or 
eleven  each,  and  two  or  more  of  these  sets  are  hinged  together  to  form  a  battery. 
At  each  end  of  the  battery  is  fixed  a  small  socket — one  being  the  positive  pole, 
and  made  of  gold  ;  the  other  the  negative,  and  made  of  silver.  These  sockets  pro- 
ject through  holes 

provided  for  them  Fig.  2. 

in  the  case,  and  it 
is  to  them  that  the 
conductor  cords  are 
attached  by  a  com- 
mon clasp.  These 
cords  have  a  fine 
metal  wire  twisted 

up  with  them,  and  covered  by  an  external  braiding  of  silk  or  mohair,  Thpy  ter- 
minate in  small  metal  plates,  which  are  provided  with  slots  at  the  back  tor  the 
introduction  of  a  tape  to  bind  them  to  the  body.  The  battery  is  excited  by  being 
slightly  moistened  by  dilute  acetic  acid,  and  the  conductor  plates  are  wetted  and 
applied  at  the  parts  between  which  it  is  wished  to  pass  an  electric  current.  The 
battery,  in  its  neat  case,  may  be  carried  in  the  pocket,  or  worn  about  the  person  io 
any  convenient  manner. 


THE  PRACTICAL  MECHANIC'S  JOURNAL. 


245 


Self  Top-Stripping  Carding  Engine. — There  is  now  at  work,  at  the 
Merrimack  Mills.  Lowell,  U.S.,  a  cotton  carding  engine,  which  effects  "top-strip- 
ping" in  a  ven-  perfect  manner.  The  new  movements  are  applied,  in  this  instance, 
to  an  engine  built  expressly  for  the  purpose,  the  main  cylinder  being  four  feet  in 
diameter  by  three  feet  wide,  and  having  28  tops.  The  stripping  action  is  effected 
by  a  segment  which  passes  over  the  tops,  carrying  machinery  for  deliberately  pick- 
ing up  each  top,  stripping  it,  and  then  returning  it  to  its  place,  each  alternate  top 
being  stripped  as  the  segment  works  through  its  traverse.  Of  course,  in  such  an 
arrangement,  a  great  array  of  separate  movements  is  necessary;  but  the  inventor, 
Mr.  George  Wellman,  after  many  years'  labour,  has  succeeded  in  reducing  the 
combined  action  to  great  simplicity  of  details,  and  the  engine  now  works  most  satis- 
factorily, and  produces  far  greater  uniformity  of  carding  than  is  possible  in  the 
manual  process.  The  invention  has  been  patented  in  this  country  by  Mr.  J.  H. 
Johnson,  of  Lincoln's  Inn  Fields. 

Shkkleton's  Upright  Tubular  Boilers. — Mr.  J.  Shekleton,  of  the 
Dundaik  Iron  Works,  is  now  making  a  simply  arranged  boiler  of  this  class,  possess- 
ing some  important  points  as  regards  economy  of  fuel.  The  boiler  is  little  more 
than  a  common  cylinder  set  on  end,  without  any  brickwork,  being  merely  carried 
on  a  neat  metal  base  frame.  The  furnace,  with  its  fire-bos,  is  completely  surrounded 
with  water,  the  lower  ends  of  the  vertical  tubes  opening  into  the  top  of  the  fire- 
box ;  whilst  the  upper  ends  similarly  open  into  a  smoke-box  in  the  top  of  the 
boiler's  barrel,  whence  a  conical  chamber  extends  to  the  chimney  flue.  Two  of 
these  boilers  have  been  at  work  in  Mr.  Shekleton's  works  for  three  years ;  and  one 
is  now  working  at  the  Lead  Mines,  Castleblaney,  burniug  tuif.  Considerable 
economy  is  manifested  in  both  applications, 

Barrans'  Railway  Axle-Bos. — The  end  wear  of  railway  journal  bearings 
is  a  serious  evil,  most  deeply  felt  by  all  superintendents  of  rolling  stock.  When 
such  wear  takes  place,  it  brings  with  it  an  amount  of  lateral  play,  which  involves 
side  swerviog  and  excessive  oscillation  in  the  carriages.  Mr.  Joseph  Barrans,  of 
New  Cross,  London,  remedies  these  objectionable  points  by  the  introduction  of  an 
end  bearing  piece,  adjusted  so  as  to  work  just  clear  of  the  axle  end,  so  that  lateral 
motion  is  impossible ;  and  he  also  adds  a  grit-shield,  to  keep  out  all  foreign  matters 

from  the  working  surfaces. 
The  engraving  represents 
such  an  axle-box  in  longi- 
tudinal section,  where  A 
is  the  axle  journal,  and  B 
its  bearing,  c  being  the 
adjustable  filling  or  end 
stop-piece.  This  piece  of 
metal  is  kept  in  position 
by  a  transverse  bolt,  D, 
passed  through  a  slot  in 
the  filling  piece,  and  the 
nut,  e,  secured  in  its  place 
by  a  second  nut  above  it. 
The  nut,  e,  is  notched  to 
fit  to  corresponding  notches 
on  the  piece,  C,  so  that 
all  is  held  perfectly  secure, 
whilst  an  easy  means  of 
adjustment  is  afforded  by  slackening  off  the  nut,  F,  and  slipping  the  notched  faces 
as  required,  by  the  wear  of  the  brass,  g,  let  into  and  pinned  upon  the  piece,  c. 
A  boss,  h,  is  cast  on  the  front  of  the  axle-box,  for  the  rilling  piece,  c,  to  work 
through.  At  I  are  the  oiling  holes;  and  J  is  the  wooden  grit-shield  fitted  into  a 
guide  groove  in  the  box.  The  plan  has  been  some  time  at  work  on  the  South- 
Eastern,  and  London,  Brighton,  and  South  Coast  lines,  with  the  best  success.  In 
addition  to  the  particular  modification  of  axle-box  which  we  have  engraved,  Mr. 
Barrans  employs  several  other  arrangements  for  the  same  end.  In  one  of  these 
plans,  the  end  set-up  piece  of  steel  is  adjusted  to  the  outer  end  of  the  axle  by  a 
cotter  wedge,  with  screw  and  nut,  like  the  adjustment  of  an  ordinary  connecting- 
rod.  In  another,  the  set-np  piece  is  itself  a  wedge;  the  adjustment  being  effected 
by  an  underneath  set  screw.  And  a  third,  and  extremely  neat  contrivance,  is  that 
of  a  set  screw,  set  into  the  axle-box  from  the  outside,  aua  pressing  up  the  set-up 
piece  in  the  box,  in  the  line  of  the  axle. 

Holland's  Patent  Umbrellas  (Infringement). — This  action,  in  the 
Court  of  Queens  Bench,  was  for  the  recovery  of  damages  for  an  alleged  infringe- 
ment of  patents  obtained  by  Mr.  Henry  Holland,  of  Birmingham,  in  1840  and 
1851,  for  improvements  in  umbrellas  and  parasols.  The  defendant  is  Mr.  Thomas 
Fox,  who  is  engaged  in  the  same  business  in  Sheffield.  The  plaintiff's  patents 
were  for  improvements  in  the  manufacture  of  the  ribs  and  stretchers  used  in  um- 
brellas and  parasols,  and  of  the  joints  or  bits  by  which  the  stretchers  were  attached 
to  the  ribs,  and  to  the  runner  on  the  stick.  These  ribs  and  stretchers  were  made 
of  iron,  and  were  in  the  form  of  perfect  cylindrical  tubes,  and  were  said  to  combine 
the  quality  of  strength  with  those  of  lightness  and  flexibility. 

The  articles  manufactured  by  the  defendant  were  said  by  the  plaintiff  to  have 
been  made  upon  the  same  principle,  except  that,  instead  of  being  perfect  cylinders, 
they  were  imperfect,  the  edges  not  being  closed  or  united  together.  They  were 
constructed  somewhat  on  the  principle  adopted  in  the  Britannia  tubular  bridge ; 
and  it  was  said  by  the  defendant  that  this  mode  of  construction  was  not  only  a  new 
and  different  principle  from  that  adopted  by  the  plaintiff,  but  combined  the  requisite 
qualities  of  strength,  flexibility,  and  lightness  in  a  much  greater  degree  than  was 
done  by  the  plaintiff's  invention. 

The  plaintiff  relied  upon  two  breaches;  and  in  the  result  the  jury  found,  as  to 
one,  in  favour  of  the  plaintiff;    and,  as  to  the  other,  in  favour  of  the  defendant. 


The  effect  of  this  finding  was,  that  the  defendant  had  infringed  the  patent  which 
was  shortly  about  to  expire,  but  that  he  had  not  infringed  the  more  recent  patent. 
Captain  Norton's  Railway  Danger  Signals. — As  a  means  of  communi- 
cation between  the  guards  and  drivers  of  railway  trains,  Captain  Norton  suggests  a 
whistle,  which,  as  he  remarks,  "is  as  old  as  the  days  when  the  Bible  was  written, 
having  been  used  for  signalling  in  time  of  war."  This  is  a  whistling-bolt,  or  arrow 
without  feathers,  to  be  shot  from  a  steel  cross-bow  by  the  guard  of  the  train,  a  few 
yards  in  a  direct  line  over  the  head  of  the  driver  of  the  engine,  he  having  a  shield 
or  screen  behind  him,  reaching  a  foot  above  his  head.  No  arm,  ancient  or  modern, 
is  more  correct  in  aim  than  the  cross-bow — witness  the  exploit  of  William  Tell ;  also 
of  the  man  at  Liverpool,  who,  for  a  wager,  a  few  years  ago,  as  appeared  in  the  pub- 
lic papers,  broke  a  glass  tumbler  placed  on  the  head  of  another  man,  at  the  dis- 
tance of  twenty  yards ;  he  repeated  this  feat  several  times.  The  guard  of  a  rail- 
way train  can  place  the  bow  on  the  roof  of  the  carriage  in  his  front,  in  a  position 
marked  out,  so  that  every  shot  will  follow  the  same  track,  without  the  necessity  of 
raising  the  bow  to  his  shoulder  or  taking  any  aim.  The  Chinese  have  a  very 
ingenious  cross-bow,  with  a  magazine  for  its  bolts,  which  fall  into  their  places  in 
succession ;  the  lever  is  moved  like  the  handle  of  a  pump,  so  that  the  action  of 
shooting  is  like  that  of  pumping;  and  such  a  plan  is  just  what  is  wanted  in  this 
case.  The  indefatigable  Captain  has  not  been  contented  with  the  mere  suggestion, 
but  he  has  put  the  whistling  contrivance  into  actual  practice,  using  it  as  a  rifle 
shot,  with  a  rifle  of  the  same  bore  as  the  present  military  rifle.  When  firing  the 
piece  so  charged,  he  distinctly  heard  the  whistle  throughout  the  entire  flight  of  the 
missile,  900  yards.  The  idea  is  taken  from  the  Chinese  whistling  arrow.  The 
guard  of  the  train  may  fire  this  whistling  rifle-shot  from  a  short  rifle,  loading  at 
the  breech,  and  using  a  small  charge  of  powder — the  shot  having  a  grooved  "  sabot," 
is  for  a  rifle  loading  at  the  muzzle ;  the  shot  with  the  plain  "  sabot"  is  for  a  rifle 
loading  at  the  breech — the  rifle  grooves  in  this  latter  being,  of  course,  formed  by 
the  shot  passing  through  the  rifles  of  the  barrel.  The  double  flute-like  whistle 
caused  by  the  opposing  air  on  the  front  and  sides  of  the  shot,  will  solve  the  pru- 
blem  so  long  agitated,  as  to  what  distance  of  the  shot's  flight  is  the  rotatory  mo- 
tion continued.  Fig.  1  represents  the  shot  with 
its  plain  sabbt  detached,  drawn  half  the  real  size.  ! 

The  sabbt  is  of  limewood,  or  other  tough  sub- 
stance; this,  elongated  to  twelve  inches,  becomes 
the  shaft  of  the  whistling  arrow,  or  detonating 
bolt ;  a  simple  bolt  or  blunt-headed  arrow  may 
be  shot  by  the  guard  of  the  train  against  a  Chi- 
nese gon?,  placed  behind  and  above  the  head  of  the  driver  of  the  engine.  Differ- 
ent sounds  may  be  produced,  according  to  the  matter  the  head  of  the  arrow  or  bolt 
is  made  of.  The  whistle  is  nothing  more  than  a  hollow  cylindro-conoidal  shot, 
with  the  lateral  hole  to  admit  the  opposing  rush  of  air,  formed  in  the  conoidal  part, 
so  as  to  catch  the  air,  just  as  the  hole  in  a  flute  receives  wind  from  the  player's 
lips.  The  inventor  has  also  tried  further  experiments.  Thus,  a  rod  of  iron,  eight 
feet  high,  was  fixed  vertically,  and  on  the  top  of  it  was  tied  a  paper  bag,  containing 
a  pound  of  blasting-powder  mixed  with  sawdust ;  a  slip  of  slow-match  was  lighted 
like  a  cigar  with  a  Vesuvian,  and  quickly  drawn  up  by  a  cord,  so  adjusted  as  to 
enter  the  bag  of  powder  and  explode  it.  The  flash  from  the  powder  would  resemble 
lightning,  or  the  blowing  up  of  an  ammunition  waggon,  so  as  to  be  seen  far  and 
wide.  Captain  Norton  proposes  to  have  Bengal  and  other  lights  attached  to  the 
top  of  the  iron  rod,  which  may  be  instantly  raised  to  its  position,  like  the  guard  of 
a  carving-fork  ;  the  fire  of  the  powder  igniting  the  lights,  the  flash  would  attract 
and  the  lights  would  fix  attention.  After  this,  a  small  paper  bag  of  gunpowder, 
having  a  cord  passing  through  it,  with  the  attached  slow-match  ignited,  was 
thrown  by  the  hand  upwards  into  the  air ;  when  the  bag  reached  the  length  of  the 
cord,  the  lighted  match  entered  and  exploded  the  powder.  The  inventor's  fric- 
tional  appliance  will  also  answer  this  purpose,  and  even  more  readily,  for  it  re- 
quires no  previous  preparation,  neither  damp  nor  rust  can  affect  it,  nor  impair  its 
perfect  efficiency ;  the  burr-headed  wire-pin  used  in  it  may  be  doubled  in  form  like 
the  letter  U,  to  insure  greater  certainty  of  fire ;  the  cord  can  also  be  doubled. 
Capt.  Norton  is  preparing  a  balista  with  a  steel-wire  spring,  which  shall  throw  a 
bag  of  powder  to  the  height  of  fifty  feet,  or  more,  into  the  air,  and  instantly  ex- 
plode it  by  the  above-mentioned  means.  Fig.  2  is  a  sketch  of  Capt,  Norton's  fog- 
signal — half  size.  The  apparatus  is 
a  small  piece  of  seasoned  wood,  such 
as  ash  or  elm,  having  a  chamber 
drilled  into  it,  to  receive  about  three 
drachms  of  Hall's  rifle-powder, 
stopped  with  a  wooden  plug  glued 
in  ;  a  small  touch-hole  on  the  side 
receives  a  quill,  charged  like  that  for 

firing  cannon  by  percussion,  but  more  simple  in  its  construction.  The  fault  of  the 
fog-signal  at  present  in  use  is,  that  the  tin-case  containing  the  charge  of  powder  is 
rent  by  the  crush  of  the  wheel  of  the  engine — the  percussion  powder,  or  other  pow- 
der, is,  in  consequence,  not  conjimd  when  its  explosion  takes  place.  The  part  con- 
taining the  reporting-charge  should  not  be  rent,  but  only  flattened  or  spread  out 
by  the  crush  of  the  wheel  of  the  engine.  The  paper-case  of  this  signal  is  of  the 
same  form  as  that  of  a  squib  or  port-fire ;  it  may  be  made  fire-proof  by  a  solution 
of  alum,  and  water-proof  by  a  coating  of  paint  or  varnish.  A  proof  of  its  endur- 
ing efficiency  is,  that  if  run  over  by  the  wheels  of  a  light  carriage,  it  only  flat- 
tens or  spreads  out,  but  does  not  burst,  therefore  do  part  of  the  powder-charge  is 
lost;  and  if  it  is  afterwards  placed  on  the  rail,  and  the  engine  allowed  to  pass  over 
it,  it  will  certainly  explode ;  this  has  been  repeatedly  proved.  The  inventor  recom- 
mends a  charge  of  a  mixture  of  chlorate  of  potash  and  sulpburet  of  antimony, 
equal  parts,  with  a  little  coarse  emery  powder  added,  to  cause  the  friction  on  the 


24G 


THE  PRACTICAL  MECHANIC'S  JOURNAL. 


rail  by  the  pressure  of  the  wheel  of  the  engine,  which  causes  the  explosion  of  the 
mixture  confined  within.  The  coarse  emery  powder,  with  a  little  of  the  mixture, 
may  be  enclosed  in  a  small  paper  bag,  and  placed  in  the  centre  within  the  case. 
The  ends  of  the  cate  are  stopped  with  thin  pieces  of  cork  glued  in.  The  part  A 
is  a  leaden  clip  for  fastening  to  the  rail. 

Stop  Motion  fou  "  Floats  "  in  Weaving. — Mr.  Singleton,  of  Over-Darwen, 
has  devised  a  self-acting  loom  stop-motion,  for  preventing  the  occurrence  of  what 
are  technically  known  as  "  floats,"  or  open  places  in  the  piece  being  woven,  hitherto 
a  great  difficulty  in  the  way  of  every  weaver.  A  pointed  finger  is  so  arranged 
near  the  surface  of  the  newly-woven  cloth,  that,  on  the  formation  of  any  open  part, 
the  point  passes  through  the  piece.  This  brings  the  finger  or  detector  into  such 
a  position,  that  it  may  be  acted  upon  by  the  beat-up  stroke  of  the  reed.  A  traverse 
movement  is  thus  communicated  to  the  operating  finger  piece,  and  the  latter  being 
set  to  act  in  concert  with  the  usual  stop-motion  or  shifting  action  of  the  driving 
band  of  the  loom,  the  loom  is  at  once  brought  to  a  stand,  so  that  the  weaver  can 
remedy  the  defect  in  his  piece. 

Progress  of  Screw  Propulsion — Marine  Memoranda. — The  Orion, 
originally  intended  to  be  an  80-gun  sailing  vessel,  has  been  lengthened  at  Chatham, 
to  mount  90  guns,  like  the  Agamemnon,  and,  like  that  ship,  she  is  now  to  have  a 
set  of  Messrs.  Penn's  oscillating  engines,  of  600  horse  power.  The  Repulse  has 
gone  through  a  similar  course  of  alteration  at  Pembroke,  and  is  to  have  engines  of 
600  horse  power,  by  Messrs.  Maudslay.  The  Pylades,  60,  frigate,  building  at 
Sheemess,  is  to  be  fitted  with  engines  of  350  hor.-e  power,  by  Messrs.  Penn,  simi- 
lar to  those  in  the  Euryalua,  50,  built  at  Chatham.  The  Curacoa,  50,  frigate, 
building  at  Pembroke,  is  to  be  fitted  with  engines  of  350  horse  power,  by  Messrs. 
Maudslay.  The  Harrier  sloop,  building  at  Pembroke,  is  to  be  fitted  with  engines 
of  100  horse  power,  by  Humphry's,  Tennant,  and  Dyke.  The  Falcon,  16,  build- 
ing at  Pembroke,  and  the  Fawn,  16,  building  at  Deptford,  are  to  be  fitted  with 
engines  of  100  horse  power  to  each,  by  Miller,  Ravenhill,  Salkeld,  &  Co.  The 
Hornet  sloop,  building  at  Deptford,  is  to  be  fitted  with  engines  of  60  horse  power, 
by  Bolton  and  Watt.  The  Swallow,  8,  and  the  Ariel,  8,  both  building  at  Pem- 
broke, are  to  be  fitted  with  engines  of  60  horse  power,  by  Miller,  Ravenhill, 
Salkeld,  &  Co.  The  engines  of  these  vessels  are  all  adapted  for  screw  propellers. 
Thus  the  navy  of  1854  will  be  strengthened  to  the  amount  of  two  90-gun  screw 
ships;  two  50-gun  steam  frigates,  equal  to  the  Imperieusc;  three  16-gun  steam 
sloops;  and  two  8-gun  steam  sloops. 

The  great  advantages  possessed  by  the  anthracite  or  stone  coal  of  Wales  over 
the  bituminous  kinds  for  steam  purposes,  has  of  late  been  so  fully  acknowledged, 
that  the  West  Indian  Royal  Mail  Steam  Company  have  been  induced  to  take  a 
colliery  in  Pembrokeshire,  for  the  purpose  of  supplying  their  large  steamers  with 
anthracite  coal.  In  Pembrokeshire  and  Carmarthenshire,  this  species  is  found  in 
the  greatest  abundance.  It  has  been  tried,  and  found  to  answer,  and  will  now  be 
brought  into  more  general  use,  as  at  Llanelly  several  large  screw  steamers  have 
been  taking  in  a  supply  for  steam  purposes.  The  Earl  of  Cawdor  lately  stated  in 
public,  that  the  vast  impulse  that  steam  communication  had  given  to  commerce 
had  developed  the  advantages  derivable  from  the  anthracite  of  Wales,  and  that  it 
would  daily  come  more  into  use  for  steam  purposes. 

Hitherto  the  Dublin  consumers  of  sea-borne  coal  have  had  to  rely  for  their  sup- 
plies upon  the  means  of  conveyance  afforded  by  some  half-dozen  captains  of  colliers, 
whose  proceedings  keep  up  the  price  of  the  fuel  to  a  seriously  high  point.  Just 
now,  however,  screw-steamers  are  being  called  in  to  do  away  with  this  monopoly. 
The  Dublin  factors  have  arranged  with  Belfast  builders  for  the  fitting  out  of  four 
large  screw-ships  to  carry  on  the  trade  between  the  ports  of  Whitehaven  and  Dub- 
lin, so  that  we  shall  shortly  hear  of  the  screw  being  instrumental  in  the  reduction  of 
one  of  the  most  important  articles  of  consumption  in  the  Irish  capital. 

The  sailing  of  the  clipper  ship  Matilda  Wattenbach,  and  the  American  steamer 
Golden  Age,  within  a  day  of  each  other,  for  Australia,  is  lonked  upon  with  much 
interest,  as  affording  the  means  of  deciding  whether  clipper  sailers  or  well-appointed 
steamers  are  the  best  adapted  for  carrying  the  mails  between  England  and  the  Aus- 
tralian colonies. 

The  Brilliant,  auxiliary  screw  clipper  brig,  which  we  noticed  a  few  months  back 
a*  having  been  altered  from  her  original  character  ot  a  sailing  vessel,  to  render  her 
more  suitable  for  the  Southampton  and  Madeira  passenger  trade,  has  been  with- 
drawn from  that  station,  where  she  was  such  a  universal  favourite.  Her  destina- 
tion is  now  the  Brazils,  and  she  has  just  sailed  with  passengers  and  cargo  for 
Pemambuco  and  Bahia,  still,  however,  touching  at  Madeira.  It  will  be  remem- 
bered that  she  was  built  as  a  yacht  by  Messrs.  White  &  Cowes. 

Mr.  Maxwell  Scott  has  been  addressing  the  Liverpool  Polytechnic  Society  in 
reference  to  a  screw  propeller  of  his  invention.  It  is  considered  by  many  parties 
that  the  propelling  action  of  the  screw  is  entirely  derived  from  the  outer  part  of 
the  screw,  and  that  the  part  near  the  boss  is  an  impediment  or  cause  of  loss. 
Mr.  Scott  removes  a  great  portion  of  this  inner  part,  leaving  only  a  part  at  the 
entering  end  of  the  screw,  sufficient  to  form  an  arm  for  the  support  of  and  con- 
nection to  the  boss  of  the  outer-acting  portion  of  the  blade.  This  is  all  very  well, 
if  the  arm  does  not  require  to  be  so  increased  in  dimensions  in  order  to  give  suffi- 
cient strength,  as  to  otfer  of  itself  a  greater  impediment  than  the  original  entire 
blade.  Another  portion  of  Mr.  Scott's  invention  possesses,  we  think,  much 
more  practical  value.  This  is  a  method  of  manufacturing  the  screw.  The 
arms  and  boss  are  of  wrought-iron ;  the  arms  are  turned,  and  of  sufficient 
strength  relative  to  the  screw  shaft;  the  blades  are  cast,  with  holes  partly  through, 
;tnil  afterwards  bored  out  to  receive  the  turned  part  of  the  arms  ;  thus,  they  easily 
turn  round  when  required.  Now,  supposing  we  have  to  make  a  screw  for  a  vessel, 
we  determine  upon  the  diameter  and  pitch  we  think  best.  The  screw  being  made, 
we  fix  it  on  the  arms  by  means  of  a  cotter.  The  vessel  is  then  tried,  and  if  the 
engines  go  to")  fast,  we  put  her  on  the  gridiron,  alter  the  pitch,  and  take  a  note  of 


the  results,  until  we  arrive  at  the  pitch  most  suitable,  which  being  found,  we  then 
fix  the  blades  permanently  to  the  arms,  and  then  we  possess,  in  every  particular,  the 
best  screw  we  can  have  for  the  vessel.  There  are  other  advantages  gained  by  this 
mode  of  manufacturing  the  screw — namely,  1st.  The  screw  is  much  lighter  and 
stronger.  One  of  the  screw  steamers  in  the  Mediterranean  trade  constantly  broke 
her  propelling  shaft  whilst  driving  a  screw  of  tbirty-nine  cwt. ;  since  then,  a  screw 
having  been  made  for  her  of  twenty-seven  cwt.,  it  is  found  her  propeller  shaft  now 
does  its  work  properly.  In  a  heavy  head  sea,  the  effect  of  a  heavy  screw  falling 
in  the  water  is  rather  startling,  and  has  a  tendency  to  shake  and  strain  the  vessel, 
more  especially  at  the  stern-post;  this  we  may  readily  conceive,  when  we  call  to 
mind  the  numerous  instances  in  which  screw  steamers  return  to  port  leaky. 
2d.  The  screw  can  be  made  suitable  to  the  vessel,  so  as  to  obtain  the  best  result 
out  of  her,  as  in  the  case  of  the  Conflict.  This  steamer  has  been  in  commission 
some  years  with  an  unsuitable  pitch,  and  must,  therefore,  have  expended  uselessly 
a  great  amount  in  fuel,  with  an  Unsatisfactory  result  as  to  speed.  3d.  That  in  case 
of  a  portion  of  a  blade  being  broken,  another  blade  can  be  easily  put  in  its  place 
without  the  necessity  of  removing  the  shaft.  4th.  That  in  case  of  having  the 
screw  to  lift  through  a  well  hole,  as  adopted  in  the  royal  navy,  the  shaft  could  be 
made  in  one  piece  with  the  arms,  the  blades  brought  close  down  to  the  shaft,  thus 
saving  the  weight  of  the  boss,  and  by  being  made  in  three  pieces  could  be  readily 
removed.  The  patent  propeller  has  been  tried  on  several  vessels — in  the  Lucifer^ 
an  increase  of  speed  of  l£  miles  per  hour  was  gained,  with  a  reduction  of  11 
strokes  of  the  engine  per  minute.  In  the  Weaver,  which  plies  from  Runcorn  to 
Northwich,  and  where  it  is  in  permanent  use,  it  was  more  fully  tried,  and  gained 
an  increase  of  speed  with  a  reduction  of  40  revolutions  of  screw  per  minute,  ac- 
companied with  a  saving  of  nearly  15  per  cent,  of  fuel,  shown  by  the  month's 
returns,  besides  the  saving  in  wear  and  tear  of  machinery. 


PROVISIONAL  PROTECTIONS  FOR  INVENTIONS 

UNDER  THE  PATENT  LAW  AMENDMENT  ACT. 
5@r  When  the  city  or  town  is  not  mentioned,  London  is  to  he  understood. 

Recorded  August  9. 
Henry  des  Moutis,  16  Castle-street,  Holborn,  and  Paris — An  improved  system  of 


1S53. 


2272, 
2278. 


publicity. 


Recorded  October  5. 


2407, 

2428, 
2432, 

2454, 


2  -,20. 
2532 


2542. 

2554. 
2558. 

2570 


Alexander  Turriff,  Paisley— Improvements  in  retarding  apparatus  for  the  preven- 
tion of  accidents  on  railways. 

Henry  Stevens,  Trafalgar-square— Improvements  in  the  preparation  of  vegetable 
substances,  for  the  purpose  of  preserving  the  saine. — (Communication.) 

Recorded  October  11.  ' 

John  C.  Sharp,  Paisley—  Improvements  in  retarding  apparatus  for  the  prevention 
of  accidents  on  railways. 

Recorded  October  12. 
Robert  W.  Waithman,  Bcntham-lmuse,  Yorkshire— Improvements  in  apparatus  for 
applying  paint,  varnish,   and  other  liquid  substances,  and  also  for  cleaning  car- 
riages, bhips,  roadways,  houses,  and  other  buildings. 

Recorded  October  14. 
William  Jones,  Porches  ter-street — Invention  of  a  certain  chemical  compound  or 
compounds  applicable  as  a  remedy  for  cuts,  scalds,  burns,  wounds,  aud  accidents 
of  a  similar  nature,  to  which  the  same  can  or  may  be  applied. 
Recorded  October  19. 
Peter  A.  le  Comte  de  F.  Moreau,  4  South-street,  Finsbury,  and  Paris— An  im- 
proved composition  to  be  applied  in  substitution  of  bone  and  horn. — (Communi- 
cation.) 

Recorded  October  20. 

Jonathan  Woofenden,  Belfast— Improvements  in  power-looms  for  weaving. 

Recorded  October  21. 
James  G.Marshall  and  Peter  Fairbairn,  Leeds— Improvements  in  machinery  for 
combing  flax,  tow,  wool,  aud  other  fibrous  substances. 
Recorded  October  24. 
Charles  F.  Blunt,  19   Montague-place,    Russell-square— An  improved    artificial 
fossil  coal  fuel,  which  he  desires  to  denominate  "  Blunt's  DiamondCoal  Fuel." 
Recorded  October  27. 
William  M'Naughton,  Manchester— Improvements  in  printing  yarns  or  worsteds 
for  weaving  carpets,  also  in  printing  carpets,  woollen,  silk,  cotton,  and  other  tex- 
tile and  felted  fabrics  or  fibrous  substances. 

Recorded  October  28. 
William  Thompson,  6  Clayton-street,  Lambeth— An  invention  for  instantaneously 
extinguishing  conflagrations  in  ships'  holds,  warehouses,  and  other  buildings. 
Recorded  November  1. 
John  Bottomley,  Bradford— Improvements  in  ornamenting  textile  fabrics. 
Thomas  S.  Bale,  Caul  don-place,  Stafford,  and  Daniel  Lucas,  Stoke-upon-T  rent- 
Improvements  in  ornamenting  the  materials  of,  and  articles  manufactured  in, 
pottery,  as  bricks,  tiles,  slabs,  &c,  and  also  in  glass,  slate,  stone,  and  other  plas- 
tic substances. 

Recorded  November  2. 
Benjamin  Butterworth,  C alder-cottage,  near  Rochdale— Improvements  in  combin- 
ing oil  with  other  liquids  for  the  obtahiment  of  a  new  lubricating  compound.— 
(Partly  a  communication-,) 

Recorded  November  3. 
Peter  Hindle,  Ramsbottom,  Lancaster— Improvements  in  power-looms  for  weaving. 

Recorded  November  4. 
James  Scott,  Shrewsbury— An  improved  apparatus  for  shifting  carriages,  waggons, 
engines,  and  other  vehicles  on  railways  and  tramways. 
Recorded  November  5. 
John  B.  Nicklin,  Bartholomew-lane— Improved  gelatinous  or  glutinous  compounds 
for  lubricating  railway  and  other  machinery. 


THE  PRACTICAL  MECHANIC'S  JOURNAL. 


247 


Recorded  November  10. 

2601.  James  Atkins,  Birmingham — An  improvement  or  improvements  in  ash-pits  for 

grates. 

2602.  'William  Pidding,  Tachbrook-street— Improvements  in  the  manufacture  of  fabrics 

made  of  silk,  cotton,  wool,  flax,  hemp,  straw,  grasses,  fibres,  mohair,  and  other 
hair,  spun  glass,  and  enamelled,  glazed,  or  plain  wire,  and  in  the  application  of 
some  of  these  materials,  and  also  in  the  machinery  or  apparatus  connected  with 
such  manufacture. 

2603.  "William  Rodger,  9  Shawfi eld-street,  Chelsea— Improvements  in  anchors. 

2604.  James  Stevens,  Darlington  Works,  Southwark  Bridge-road — Improvements  in  the 

steps  or  bearings  of  the  axles  or  shafts  of  gas  meters. 

2605.  Samuel  M.  Folsom,  Massachusetts,  U.  S. — A  new  or  improved  instrument  for  iron- 

ing clothes  or  various  other  articles. — (Communication.) 

2606.  Peter  Arnraud  Le  Comte  de  Fontaine  Morean,  4  South-street,  Finsbury,  and  Paris 

— Improvements  in  preventing  accidents  on  railways,  also  in  shifting  and  lifting 
railway  carriages.— (Communication.) 

Recorded  November  11. 

2607.  William  Parker,  Birmingham — Improvement  or  improvements  in  bearings  for 

machinery. 
26*08.  Solomon  Sturm,  Carpenter's-bnildings,  and  Vienna — Invention  of  machinery  for  the 
manufacture  of  optical  lenses. 

2609.  Alexandre  A.  V.  Sarrazin  de  Montferrier,  4  South-street,  Finsbury,  and  Paris — In- 

vention of  a  new  rotatory  steam-engine. 

2610.  Edward  G.  Banner,  Cranham-hall,  Essex— Improvements  in  saddlery  and  harness. 

2611.  Henry  Walker,  Gresham-street  West— Improvements  in  means  of  communication 

from  one  part  of  a  railway  train  to  another. 

2612.  James  Willis,  Wallingford,  Berks — Improvements  in  buckles. 

2613.  Richard  Dryburgh,  Leith — Improvements  in  the  means  of  holding  staves  while 

being  cut. 

2614.  William  Steel,  Glasgow — Improvements  in  machinery  or  apparatus  for  mashing 

malt. 

2615.  John  Piatt,  Old  bam— Certain  improvements  in  apparatus  or  machines  for  forging, 

drawing,  moulding,  or  forming  spindles,  rollers,  bolts,  and  various  other  articles 
in  metal. 

2616.  Henry  Kilshaw,  Birch,  near  Middteton,  and  Richard  Hacking,  Bury,  Lancaster — 

Certain  improvements  in  machinery  or  apparatus  for  spinning  cotton  and  other 
fibrous  substances. 

2617.  Abel  Easton,  Bamard's-inn — An  improved  lamp. 

261S.  Abel  Easton,  Barnard's-inn— Invention  of  a  liquid  chemical  compound  for  the  pro- 
duction of  artificial  light. 

2619.  James  H.  Dickson,  Evelyn -street;  Deptford — Improvements  in  the  process  of  pre- 
paring flax  or  similar  fibrous  material,  and  rendering  it  fit  for  spinning  and 
weaving. 

2621.  Joban  M.  Levien,  Davies-street,  Grosvenor-square  —  An  improved  construction  of 

expanding  table, — (Communication.) 

Recorded  November  12. 

2622.  Stephen  Barker,  Birmingham  —  An  improvement  or  improvements  in  shaping 

metals. 

2623.  Francois  A.  Delande,  4  South-street,  Finsbury,  and  Paris— Invention  of  a  new  me- 

tallic composition. 

2624.  Henry  Kilshaw,  Birch,  near  Middleton,  and  Richard  Hacking,  Bury,  Lancashire — 

Improvements  in  machinery  or  apparatus  to  be  employed  in  the  preparation  of 
cotton  and  other  fibrous  substances  for  spinning. 

2625.  John  Gedge,  4  Wellington-street,  Strand — Improvements  in  the  means  of  consum- 

ing or  otherwise  preventing  the  escape  of  smoke  from  flues  or  other  smoke  vents. 
— (Communication.) 

2626.  John  Gedge,  4  Wellington-street,  Strand— Improvements  in  the  manufacture  of 

metallic  compounds.— (Communication.) 

2627.  William  Austin,  27  Ilolywell-street — Improvements  in  the  manufacture  of  casks. 
2628-  Thomas  De  la  Rue,  Bunhill-row — An  improvement  in  the  manufacture  of  paper. 

2629.  William  Austin,  27  Holywell-street— Improvements  in  apparatus  for  trapping  pas- 

sages into  sewers  or  drains. 

2630.  Constant  Busson,  Paris— Certain  improvements  in  finger-keyed  musical  instru- 

ments. — (C  ommuni  cation.) 

Recorded  November  14. 

2631.  John  S.  C.  Hill  and  Edwin  Cottrill,  Birmingham— An  improvement  or  improve- 

ments in  stamps  and  presses,  a  part  or  parts  of  which  improvements  maybe 
applied  to  other  purposes. 

2632.  William  Hadfield,  Manchester — Certain  improvements  in  looms  for  weaving, 

2633.  Samuel  F.  Cottam,  Manchester —  Improvements  in  machinery  for  spinning,   doub- 

ling, and  reeling  cotton,  and  other  fibrous  substances. 

2634.  Henry  Willis,  Manchester-street — Improvements  in  the  construction  of  organs  and 

free-reed  instruments. 

2635.  Alexander  Cuninghame,  Glasgow — Improvements  in  the  manufacture  or  produc- 

tion of  sulphuric  acid. 

2636.  Matthew  Gray,  Glasgow — Improvements  in  weft  forks  for  power-looms. 

2637.  Anthony  P.  Coubrough,  Blanefield,  Stirling —  Improvements  in  bleaching  appa- 

ratus. 

2839.  William  Smith,  Man chline,  Ayrshire — Improvements  in  ruling  ornamental  figures. 

264<).  Michael  Fitzgerald,  Sorrel  Island,  Clare — An  improved  means  or  method  of  com- 
municating between  different  parts  of  a  railway  train. 

2641.  Charles  De  Bergue,  Dowgate-hill — An  improvement  or  improvements  in  machinery 

or  apparatus  for  removing  patterns  from  moulds  for  castings. 
Recorded  November  15. 

2642.  John  J.  Catterson,  Islington— Improvements  in  carriage  springs. 

2643.  Charles  E.  Blank,  Trump-street— Improvements  in  winding  yarn  into  hanks. — 

CCommnnication.) 

2644.  John  LfddelL  Glasgow — An  improvement  or  improvements  in  power-loom  weaving. 

2645.  John  Cameron  and  James  Napier,  Lougbor,  Glamorgan — Improvements  in  obtain- 

ing gold  and  silver  from  ores,  alloys,  or  compounds,  containing  such  metals. 

2646.  John  H.  B.  Thwaites  and  William  B.  Herapath,  Bristol  —  Improvements  in  the 

manufacture  of  quinine  and  other  alkaloids. 
2617.  Adrien  Delcambre,  Paris— Improvements  in  machinery  for  distributing  type. 
2648.  Joseph  Fry,  19  Cannon-street  West  —  Improvements  in  preparing  solvents  for 

india-rubber  and  gutta  percha,  and  in  rendering  waterproof  fabrics  free  from 

odour. 

Recorded  November  16. 
2649  Peter  A.  Halkett,  of  the  Albany — Improvements  in  apparatus  for  lifting  and  lower- 
ing ships  and  other  heavy  bodies,  either  submerged  or  otherwise. 

2650.  John  Ellerthorpe,  Kingston-on-Hull — Invention  for  retarding  and  stopping  rail#ay 

trains  and  railway  carriages. 

2651.  James  W.  Wayte,  Ga'e-street,  Lin  col  n's-inn -fields—  Certain  improvements  in  self- 

feeding  furnaces. 

2652.  John  R.  Musgrave,  Robert  Mu3grave,  and  James  Musgrave,  Belfast — Improvements 

in  hot-air  stoves. 


26o3.  Philip  Hill,  Gravel-house,  Coggleshall,  Essex— Improvements  in  weaving  plush 

and  other  piled  fabrics.— (Partly  a  communication.) 
2654.  John  Runald,  Paisley— Improvements  in  fixing  colours  on  yarns  and  cloths. 
2635.  John  H.Johnson,  47  Lincoln's-imi-fields,  and  Glasgow— Improvements  in  thrashing 

machines,  and  in  apparatus  connected  therewith.— (Communication  from  Mons 

Lotz,  Nantes.) 
David  Pratt,  Birmingham— Certain  mechanical  arrangements  for  raising  thimbles, 

the  same  to  be  worked  by  steam,  water,  or  other  power,  thereby  superseding 

hand  labour. 
John  Ferguson,  Heathfield,  Lanarkshire— Improvements  in  furnaces  and  fireplaces, 

and  in  the  prevention  of  smoke. 
William  F.  Greenfield,  Ipswich— Improvements  in  communicating  from  one  part 

of  a  railway  train  to  another. 
Thomas  Jackson,  Commercial-road,  Pi mlico— Improvements  in  the  manufacture  of 

hats. 
James  Bristow,  Bouverie-street,  and  Henry  Attwood,  Holland-street— An  improved 

mode  of  constructing  marine  boilers. 


2656. 

2657. 
265S. 
2659. 
2660. 

2660. 
2661. 

2662. 

2663. 
2664. 
2G65. 
2666. 
266S. 
2670. 
2671. 

2G72. 
2673. 
2674. 
2675. 

2676. 
2677. 
2678. 

2679. 

2680. 
2681. 
2682. 


2684, 
2685. 


2687. 


2690. 
2691, 
2692, 


2694, 
2695 


2698, 

2699. 
2700. 
2702. 

2703. 

2704. 

2705. 


Recorded  November  17. 

Thomas  Bourne,  West  Smithfield— Improvements  in  the  construction  of  buckles. 

George  Carter,  Mottingham,  Kent— Improvements  in  the  construction  of  steam- 
engine  boiler  and  other  furnaces. 

John  Clare,  jun.,  Liverpool— Improvements  in  the  manufacture  of  bar  and  sheet 
metals,  in  machinery  connected  therewith,  and  in  the  application  of  such  metals 
to  various  useful  purposes. 

George  Dugmore  and  George  H.  Millward,  Birmingham— A  new  or  improved  me- 
thod of  signalling  or  communicating  between  trains  on  railways. 

Solomon  Abraham  and  Samuel  V.  Abraham,  Lisle-street— Invention  for  communi- 
cating information  or  directions  to  persons  in  charge  of  railway  trains. 

William  Asbton,  Manchester— Certain  improvements  in  machinery  or  apparatus 
for  manufacturing  braid. 

John  Banfield,  Birmingham— Invention  of  a  double-acting  railway  signal  for  pre- 
venting collisions  or  accidents  on  railways, 

Charles  Burton,  4S7  New  Oxford-street— Certain  improvements  in  hand  and  draught 
carriages  for  common  roads. 

Augustus  J.  Hoffstaedt,  Albion-place— An  improved  mode  of  preparing  the  colour 
known  as  artificial  ultramarine. 

Robert  Griffiths,  444  Strand— Improvements  in  propelling  vessels. 

Recorded  November  18. 

Patrick  F.  Keogh  and  William  A.  Wilson,  Liverpool—  An  improvement  in  steam- 
engines. 

Percival  M.  Parsons,  Duke-street,  Adelphi— Improvements  in  railway  and  other 
carriages  and  vehicles. 

Alfred  Guy,  32  Upper  Rosomon-street,  Clerkenwell  —  Invention  of  a  portable 
water-oloset,  with  water  supply  without  the  action  of  pump. 

Charles  Fernihough  and  James  Feruihough,  Victoria  Iron  Works,  Dukinfield, 
Chester — Improvements  in  machinery  or  apparatus  for  wringing  or  twisting, 
glossing,  stretching,  and  drying  silk,  cotton,  wool,  flax,  and  other  fibrous  ma- 
terials. 

Thomas  Holmes,  Pendleton— Improvements  in  ventilating  drying  stoves. 

James  Gall,  junior,  Edinburgh— Improvements  in  electro-magnetic  engines. 

Ame'dee  F.Remond,  Birmingham— Improvement  or  improvements  in  the  construc- 
tion of  steam  boilers  or  generators. 

William  Taylor,  16  Park-street,  Gloucester-gate,  Regent's -park— Improvements  in 
anchors. 

James  Melville,  Roebank  Works,  Lochwinnoch,  Renfrew — Improvements  in  print- 
ing textile  fabrics  and  other  surfaces. 

Jean  B.  Clavieres,  Paris,  and  4  South-street,  Finsbury— An  improved  mode  of 
giving  publicity. 

Moses  Poole,  Avenue-road,  Reg  en  t's-park— Improvements  in  surface  condensers, 
and  in  evaporaters  and  heaters  for  steam-engines.— (Communication.) 

Patrick  B.  O'Neill,  Paris — An  improvement  in  the  manufacture  of  perforated 
buttons. — (Communication.) 

John  H.  Brown,  Aberdeen — Improvements  in  the  manufacture  of  artificial  skins. 

Henry  R.  Cottam,  1a  Sussex-terrace,  Hyde-park- gardens — Improvements  in  the 
construction  of  portable  houses. 

James  Rice,  Foley-place,  and  William  Matthews,  Portugal-street— Improvements 
in  instruments  for  taking  and  applying  vaccine  matter. 

Richard  S.  Norris,  Warrington,  and  Ebenezer  Talbott,  Crewe— An  improvement  or 
improvements  in  the  manufacture  of  iron. 

Recorded  November  19. 

James  Harris,  Hanwell — Improvements  in  apparatus  for  beating  water  and  other 
fluids. 

Moses  Poole,  Avenue-road,  Regent's-park — Improvements  in  breech -loading  fire- 
arms, and  in  cartridges  for  use  with  such  fire-arms.— (Communication.) 

William  Austin,  27  Ilolywell-street,  Westminster— Improvements  in  the  manu- 
facture of  tiles  and  tubes. 

Ellis  Rowland,  Mossley,  near  Belfast — Improvements  in  apparatus  to  be  applied  to 
a  railway  truck  or  carriage,  to  enable  a  guard  or  person  to  sound  a  whistle,  and 
when  necessary  to  put  such  truck  or  carriage  in  motion  independent  of  the  loco- 
motive engine. 

Thomas  I.  Dimsdale,  Dublin — Invention  for  the  use  and  preparation  of  certain  solid 
and  liquid  substances  for  the  defecation,  purification,  and  decolonization  of  sac- 
charine juices  and  sirups  or  solutions,  and  for  neutralizing,  decomposing,  and 
absorbing  noxious  and  fetid  gases. 

John  G.  Potter  and  Robert  Mills,  Darwen — Certain  improvements  in  the  manu- 
factureof  carpets. 

Emanuel  Wharton,  Birmingham— Improvements  in  the  manufacture  of  railway 
wheels. 

Henry  Daniell,  St.  Austell,  Cornwall— Certain  improvements  in  apparatus  for  dry- 
ing clay. 

Richard  F.  Brand,  South-terrace,  Willow-walk,  Bennondsey — Improvements  in 
fire-arms  and  ordnance. 

Recorded  November  21. 

Walter  H.  Tucker  and  William  R.  Reeves,  Tiverton — Improvements  in  locks. 

John  Scott,  junior,  Greenock— Improvements  in  steering  vessels. 

Henry  Wiglesworth,  Newbury,  Berks— Improvements  in  pistons. 

Sir  John  S.  Lillie,  4  South-street,   Finsbury— Improvements  in  apparatus  for  the 

production  of  carburetted  hydrogen  gas.— (Communication.) 
Robert  J.  Sibbald,  Paddington,  Edge-hill,  West  Derby— An  improved  mode  of 

communicating  from  vessels  to  the  shore,  or  from  one  vessel  to  another. 
Augustus  Radcliffe,  Chichester-place,  King's-cross — An  improved  construction  of 

glazier's  diamond. 
John  Cashmore,  Bevis-marks— An  improved  mode  of  communicating  signals  on 

railways. 


248 


THE  PRACTICAL  MECHANICS  JOURNAL. 


2709. 
2711. 


2713. 

2714. 

2715. 

2716. 
2717. 

2718. 
2719. 

2720. 
2721. 


2722. 
2723. 

2724. 

2725. 

2726. 

2727. 

272S. 
2729. 

2730. 

2731. 

2732. 
2733. 

2734. 
2735. 

2736. 
2737. 
2738. 
2739. 
2740. 

2742. 
2743. 

2744. 

2745. 

2746. 
2747. 

2748. 

2750. 

2751. 

2752, 

2753. 
2754. 

2755. 

2756. 
2757. 

2758. 

2759. 
2760. 
2761. 


Accorded  November  22. 

"William  Greaves.  Leeds — Invention  of  an  indicator  alarum,  applicable  to  railways 
and  railway  trains. 

Alexander  Bain,  Paddington — An  improvement  in  cases  for  holding  cards. 

Alfred  Bird,  Birmingham — Certain  improvements  in  apparatus  to  be  employed  for 
the  purpose  of  communicating  signals  on  railway  trains  and  railways,  which  im- 
provements are  also  applicable  to  other  similar  purposes. 

Frederick  Meyer,  Paradise-street,  Lambeth — Improvements  in  treating  fatty  and 
oilv  matters,  to  render  them  applicable  for  the  manufacture  of  candles  and  night- 
lights. 

Frederick  Levick,  CwmCelyn  and  Blaina  Iron  Works,  Monmouthshire — Improve- 
ments in  machinery  for  raising  coal  and  minerals  from  collieries  and  mines. 

Frederick  Meyer,  Paradise-street,  Lambeth — Improvements  in  bleaching  oils  and 
fats. 

Charles  Ramsay,  North  Shields— Improvements  in  ships'  and  other  pumps. 

William  Pegg,  Leicester— Improvements  in  instruments  for  cutting  out  parts  of 
garments  and  other  articles,  and  in  grinding  and  sharpening  cutters  for  the 
same. 

Francis  Arding,  Albert  Iron  Works,  Uxbritlge — Improvements  in  machinery  for 
cutting,  splitting,  and  bruising  vegetable  substances. 

Benjamin  Burleigh,  Great  Northern  Railway,  King's  Cross — Improved  railway 
crossings,  as  adapted  to  the  double-headed  rail  and  the  ordinary  rail  and  chair. 

Recorded  November  23. 

Henry  R.  Abraham,  11  Howard -street,  Strand— Improvements  in  coffins  and  in 

hearses,  and  improvements  in  receptacles  for  coffins  for  their  transmission. 
Charles  F.  Stansbury,  17  Cornhill— Invention  of  an  apparatus  to  be  attached  to 
a  drill  for  sowing  grain  or  other  seeds  for  the  purpose  of  mingling  guano  or 
other  pulverized  manure  with  the  grain  or  seed  to  be  sown,  and  depositing  it  in 
the  ground  at  the  same  time  with  the  seed,  thereby  greatly  diminishing  the 
quantity  of  guano  or  other  manure  required  to  produce  the  best  fertilizing 
effects.-— (Communication.) 

Jnhn  F.  Empson,  Birmingham— Improvements  in  the  manufacture  of  wire. 

John  Hill,  sen.,  and  John  Hill,  jun.,  both  of  Manchester — Improvements  in  ma- 
chinery for  winding,  doubling,  and  spinning  silk. 

Joseph  Amos,  Bristol— Improvements  in  preparing  wood  to  be  employed  in  the 
manufacture  of  casks  and  other  vessels  for  containing  liquids. 

John  Timewcll,  Duke-street,  St.  James' — Improvementsin  cutting  or  shaping  ma- 
terials to  be  employed  in  the  manufacture  of  articles  of  dress. 

James  Dilks,  Parliament-street,  Nottingham— Improvements  in  bands  for  binding 
more  effectually  than  heretofore,  packets  or  parcels  of  lace,  and  other  articles. 

Edward  Wilkius,  60  Queen's-row,  Walworth — An  improvement  or  improvements 
in  draining  land. 

William  B.Johnson.  Manchester — Improvementsin  steam-engines. 

John  D.  Brady,  Cambridge-terrace — An  improved  mode  of,  or  a  new  arrangement 
of,  straps  for  slinging  knapsacks. 

Thomas  W.  Kinder,  Dublin— Improvements  in  the  construction  of  the  permanent 
way  of  railways. 

Recorded  November  24. 

James  Lovell,  Glasgow — Improvements  in  the  application  of  heat  to  various  useful 
purposes. 

David  Chalmers,  Manchester — Improvements  in  railway  breaks  and  signals. 

Hugh  Mason,  Ashton-under-Line,  and  John  Jones,  Manchester— Improvements  in 
machinery  or  apparatus  for  doubling,  twisting,  and  spooling  woollen,  cotton,  and 
other  yarns. 

Stephen  Holman,  Colney-hatch,  Middlesex— An  improved  construction  of  double- 
action  pump. 

Alfred  V.  Newton,  66  Chancery-lane— Invention  of  a  novel  construction  of  appara- 
tus to  be  used  as  a  chest-expander,  and  as  a  uterine  or  abdominal  supporter.— 
(Communication.) 

Evan  M.  Richards,  Swansea — Improvements  in  feed  plates  to  be  used  for  oxidizing 
had,  and  refining  silver  and  lead. 

Samuel  C.  Lister,  Manningham,  Bradford — Improvements  in  combing  wool,  cotton, 
and  other  fibrous  material. 

Elmer  Townsend,  Massachusetts,  U.S.— New  and  useful  improvements  in  machin- 
ery for  sewing  cloth  or  other  material. — (Communication.) 

William  Jones,  Kilney-cottage,  Swansea — Improvements  in  the  manufacture  of 
bricks. 

Daniel  L.  Banks,  Liverpool— Improvements  in  rotatory  engines. 

Recorded  November  25. 

Davidson  Nichol,  Edinburgh — Improvements  in  the  manufacture  of  envelopes. 

John  Berry,  Manchester— Improvements  in  the  machinery  or  apparatus  for  manu- 
facturing wire-fencing. 

William  Calder,  Glasgow — Improvements  in  the  treatment  and  finishing  of  threads 
or  yarns. 

William  L.  Brook  and  Charles  Brook,  jun.,  Meltham  Mills,  near  Huddersfield — Cer- 
tain improvements  in  preparing,  dressing,  finishing,  and  winding  cotton  and 
linen  yarn  or  threads,  and  in  the  machinery  or  apparatus  connected  therewith. 

Alexander  Drew,  Glasgow — Improvements  in  ornamenting  woven  fabrics  and  other 
surfaces. 

John  II.  Johnson,  47  Lincoln's-inn-fields,  and  Glasgow — Improvements  in  carding- 
engines,  for  carding  cotton  and  other  fibrous  materials.---(Comniuni cation  from 
George  Wellman,  Lowell,  U.S.) 

John  II .  Johnson,  47  Lincoln's-inn-fields,  and  Glasgow — Improvements  in  the  pro- 
duction of  printing  surfaces. — (Communication  from  Auguste  Feldetrappe,  Paris.) 

Auguste  E.  L.  Bellford,  16  Castle-street,  Holborn — Improvements  applicable  to  pens 
and  pencils  tor  writing  or  drawing.— (Communication.) 

Auguste  E.  L.  Bellford,  16  Castle-street,  Holborn— Improvements  in  rotary  engines. 
— (Communication.) 

Charles  C.  A.  Grenier,  16  Castle-street,  Holborn— Improvements  in  the  preparation 
of  paints  for  buildings  and  other  uses. 

Enoch  Wilkinson  and  William  Rye,  Oldham— Improvements  in  power-looms. 

Emmanuel  Barthelemy  and  Tony  Petitjean,  Upper  John-street,  and  Jean  P.  Bour- 
quin,  Newman-street — Improved  means  of  ornamenting  glass. 
Recorded  November  26. 

Joseph  Wormald,  Vauxhall,  and  George  Pollard,  York-road,  Lambeth— An  im- 
proved pipe  wrench. 

William  C.  Moat,  Strand— An  improved  truss. 

Joseph  Stenson,  Northampton— Improvements  in  the  manufacture  of  iron. 

Georges  E.  Gazagnaire,  16  Castle-street,  Holborn— Improvements  in  the  manufac- 
ture of  nets  for  fishing  and  other  purposes. 

Hippolyte  Coutte  and  Jean  M.  Hammerbacher,  16  Castle-strret,  Holborn,  and  Paris 
—  An  improved  machine  for  washing  linen  and  other  textile  fabrics. 

Jules  Roth  and  Henri  Dauner,  16  Castle-street,  Holborn— An  improvement  in 
cards  for  carding. 

Auguste  E.  L.  Bellford,  16  Castle-street,  Holborn— Certain  improvements  in  strain- 
mill  saws.—  (Communication.) 


2762.  Louis  Cornides,  4  Trafalgar- square,  Chsring-cross — Invention  for  combining  gela- 

tine with  certain  other  substances,  and  colouring  the  same,  so  as  to  produce  va- 
rious objects  capable  of  resisting  atmospheric  influences. 

2763.  Thomas  Chambers  and  John  Chambers,  Thomcliffe  Iron  Works,  near  Sheffield- 

Certain  improvements  in  kitchen  sinks. 

2764.  Joseph  S.  Rousselot,  Nimes,  France— An  improved  application  of  magneto-electri- 

city for  driving  machinery,  and  for  neutralizing  the  impulsive  force  of  machinery 
in  motion. 

2765.  Joseph  M.  H.Perodeaud,  35  Rue  Godot  de  Mauroy,  Paris— An  improved  mode  of 

treating  peat  for  the  conversion  of  the  same  into  an  artificial  coal,  which  may 
be  used  in  that  state,  or  afterwards  reduced  to  coke. 

Recorded  November  28. 

2766.  William  Prirchard,  Clerkenwell— Improvements  in  buffers  for  diminishing  the 

shock  in  the  collision  of  railway  trains. 

2767.  John  Walmsley,  Accrington,  and  John  Ingham,  Blackburn,  Lancaster— Improve- 

ments in  looms. 

276S.  Prix  C.  J.  B.  Sochet,4  South-street,  Finsbury,  and  Paris— Improvements  in  obtain- 
ing motive  power  by  means  of  heated  gases. 

2769.  Robert  H.  Nicholls,  Bedford— Improvements  in  hoeing  and  otherwise  cultivating 
land. 

2772.  Alexander  Macomie,  6  Percy-street,  Marylebone— Invention  of  an  ornamental  piece 
of  furniture,  shaped  like  a  vase,  constructed  to  contain  or  form  a  writing  and 
drawing  desk. 

2774.  Samuel  Hurrell,  New  North-street— Improved  machinery  for  measuring  and  wind- 

ing or  rolling  fabrics. 

Recorded  November  29. 

2775.  Patrick  Kelly,  West-street,  Drogheda— An  improved  apparatus   for  cultivating, 

preparing,  and  treating  land,  and  for  sowing  seeds. 

2778.  Auguste  E.  L.  Bellford,  16  Castle-street,  Holborn— Improvements  in  fire-arms.— 

(Communication.) 

2779.  Joseph  Moore,  Lincoln — An  improvement  in  or  addition  to  ploughs. 

2780.  James  A.  Manning,  Inner  Temple— Improvements  in  the  treatment  of  sewerage 

and  other  polluted  liquids,  and  the  products  thereof. 


S§r*  Information  as  to  any  of  these  applications,  and  their  progress,  may  be  had  on  appli- 
cation to  the  Editor  of  this  Journ  al. 


Nov.  I6fb, 

3530 

18th, 

3331 

— 

3532 

22d, 

3533 

23d, 

3534 

2Gth, 

3535 

Dec.  2d, 

3536 

3d, 

3537 

7th, 

S538 

8th, 

3539 

9th, 

3540 

10th, 

3541 

DESIGNS  FOR  ARTICLES  OF  UTILITY. 

Registered  from  16th  Nov.,  1853,  to  9th  Dec,  1853. 

H.,  J.,  and  P.  Nichol,  Regent-street—"  Paletot  or  coat." 

Edward  Morris,  Birmingham — "  Sugar-mould." 

Chas.  Symons,  Prince's-street,  Fitzroy-square— "  Table-bedstead." 

A.  R.  Cunningham,  Kensington—"  Candlestick." 

George  Brewer,  Hackney,  and  Charles  Suffell,  Long-acre—"  Flexible 
tube  self-acting  level." 

J.  Yates,  Whitechapel — "Blocking-machine." 

J.  Paterson,  Wood-street — "  Balmoral  tie." 

T.  Barnes  and  W.  Johnson,  Lancaster — "  Bobbin." 

J.  Lingard,  Sheffield—"  Knife-handle." 
ww    E.  Reynolds,  Derby — "  Link-motion." 
3540    Dent,  Alcroft,  &  Co.,  Wood-street — "  Commercial  purse." 

E.  Green,  Wakefield—"  Chimney-top." 


TO  READERS  AND  CORRESPONDENTS. 

Kukla's  Galvanic  Batteries. — We  are  requested  to  state,  that  the  author  of  this 
paper,  as  given  in  our  report  of  the  British  Association  proceedings,  p.  123,  for  November 
last,  is  Mr.  Walenn,  of  Duke  Street,  Adelphi. 

A.  Pabsey. — We  must  again  refer  to  the  definition  of  perspective,  given  in  our  review 
in  October.  It  has  not  been  shown  to  be  incorrect.  A  valid  argument  against  the  use  of 
the  vertical  plane  should  demonstrate  that  such  use  does  not  accord  with  the  definition. 
What  Mr.  Parsey  advances  is  u  n  satis  facto  ry  in  this  respect. 

Huck's  Feed  Apparatus  for  Boilers. — In  reference  to  Mr.  Willonghby's  remarks  on 
this  contrivance,  Mr.  Huck  writes  as  follows: — "There  are  several  minor  details  in  my 
apparatus  which  I  omitted,  simply  because  they  were  of  themselves  clearly  obvious. 
Without  in  any  way  wishing  to  detract  from  the  merits  of  Mr.  Willoughby's  invention,  I 
have  to  state,  that  I  experimented  upon  an  arrangement  on  the  same  principle  as  his 
about  two  years  ago."  Mr.  Huck  accompanies  his  notes  with  a  sketch,  which  we  have  not 
engraved,  as  it  is  identical  in  principle  with  that  of  Mr.  Willoughby. 

J.  M. — If  our  correspondent  will  favour  us  with  drawings  and  actual  details  of  his  im 
proved  plans,  we  shall  be  glad  to  consider  them. 

R.  D.  K.— Mr.  Cookings,  26  Anne-street,  Birmingham,  is  the  proper  party  to  apply  to. 

E.  B.—  Next  month.. 

J,  C. — The  engravings  are  being  made. 

Newspaper  Stamping  Machines.— We  find  that  the  introduction  of  the  penny  stamp 
into  the  form  at  the  Times  Office,  was  first  officially  suggested  by  Mr.  E.  Hill,  in  1848, 
and  the  idea  was  then  formally  entertained  by  the  authorities;  but  its  practical  adoption 
at  that  time  was  stopped  by  legal  difficulties.  These  difficulties,  however,  whether  real 
or  imaginary,  have  since  been  overcome,  and  the  question  being  revived  some  months  ago, 
the  plan  was  finally  put  in  operation.  The  mechanical  stampers  in  use  at  Somerset 
House  are  also  the  invention  of  Mr.  E.  Hill.  (See  our  illustrated  notice  of  them  in  April 
last.)    Thus  much  by  way  of  correction  of  our  last  month's  note,  p.  220. 

C.  J.  W.,  Norwich. — Our  correspondent  is  quite  at  liberty  to  carry  out  the  plan  he  pro- 
poses, as  the  detail  in  question  cannot  be  validly  claimed. 

D.  II.  L.,  Buenos  Ayres.— We  are  at  a  loss  as  to  his  meaning.  What  is  the  object  to 
be  gained  by  this  system  of  classification,  aud  on  what  principle  are  the  divisions 
arrived  at? 

A.  C. — There  is  no  modern  work  on  this  special  manufacture.  See  lire's  Dictionary  of 
Arts,  &c. 

Steam  Boiler  Incrustations. — A  correspondent  wishes  to  know  what  have  been  the 
results  of  the  use  of  muriate  of  ammonia  in  steam  boilers  for  the  prevention  of  incrusta- 
tions. 

J.  B.,  Deptford. — (Practical  Draughtsman.)— Our  friend  is  slightly  fastidious.  The 
plates  are  printed  on  damp  paper,  which  shrinks  on  drying.  This  will  occasion  the  dis- 
crepancy complained  of.  Further,  we  don't  find  J.  B.'s  table  correct.  He  makes  the  scale 
on  Plate  XXII.,  3  per  cent,  short,  and  that  of  fig.  7,  Plate  I.,  1  per  cent,  short.  On  com- 
paring these  two  together,  we  do  not  see  the  slightest  difference  between  them.  It  is 
possible,  however,  that  his  copy  may  have  shrunk  rather  more  than  usual. 

Received.—"  Practical  Remarks  on  Railways  and  Permanent  Way,"  by  W.  B.  Adams 
—"Hints  to  Intending  Gold  Diggers  and  Buyers,"  by  G.  F.  Goble— "The  Safety  Lamp, 
for  the  use  of  Coal  Miners,"  by  T.  V.  Hall— "Chemistry,  Theoretical,  Practical,  and  Ana- 
lytical, as  applied  and  relating  to  the  Arts  and  Manufactures,"  by  Dr.  S.  Muspratt. 


THE  PRACTICAL  MECHANIC'S  JOURNAL. 


249 


THE  CLAIMS  OF  ORIGINATORS. 

TATESMEN  hold  that  there  is  no  quality 
more  precious,  in  a  national  point  of  view, 
than  individual  speculation — not  on  the  Stock 
Exchange,  but  mental  speculation,  looking 
through  the  present  to  that  which  is  looming 
in  the  future.  There  are  pseudo-statesmen 
who  disregard  this,  and  treat  all  such  specu- 
lators as  visionaries,  and  proclaim  their  belief 
in  nothing  but  the  "practical"  —  not  the 
possible  and  useful  practical,  but  the  actual 
existing  practice,  which  is  often  not  useful, 
and  most  commonly  not  so  useful  as  some  other  practice  yet 
to  come.  Such  men  proceed  on  the  assumption  that  all  useful 
knowledge  has  been  gained,  and  that  all  proposers  of  change  are  positive 
nuisances  to  society.  They  are  the  Galileo  crushers  of  modern  times, 
hut  they  are  perhaps  honest  in  their  belief. 

There  is  yet  another  class  of  men,  sent  into  the  world  for  some 
wise  purpose,  who  act  as  a  drag-wheel  on  all  progress  but  their  own, 
and,  at  the  same  time,  are  unconsciously  impeding  themselves.  "  There 
is  no  speculation  in  their  eyes."  Arriving  at  a  position  in  society  with- 
out originality,  they  would  fain  check  all  originality  which  they  can. 
not  appropriate  to  themselves.  This  is  the  class  of  people  who,  from 
time  to  time,  seek  to  destroy  the  law  of  patents,  and  to  keep  up  the 
law  of  partnership — who,  in  short,  try,  by  all  means  in  their  power, 
to  make  themselves  permanent  in  their  practice,  and  prevent  all  others 
from  attaining  a  similar  practice,  save  by  their  own  processes. 

The  word  patent  is  generally  understood,  or  rather  misunderstood, 
to  mean  a  mere  monopoly.  But  it  means  more.  A  patent  of  nobility 
is  a  monopoly,  but  nobody  disputes  it,  for  it  harms  no  one,  and  is 
supposed  to  be  conferred  for  some  personal  merit.  But  there  are  patent 
monopolies,  which  are  so  in  the  invidious  sense,  a  patent  in-eqtiity — 
that  is,  an  open  wrong,  taking  rights  without  corresponding  duties — 
such  monopolies  as  are  granted  to  Spanish  governors — in  short,  the  right 
of  levying  black  mail.  The  third  kind  of  patent  is  the  monopoly  granted 
for  fourteen  years,  in  consideration  of  making  patent  or  clear  to  the 
public,  an  original  speculation  of  an  inventor's  mind  in  a  practical  form. 
Against  this  last  kind  of  patent  there  testified  before  the  Committee  of 
the  House  of  Lords,  during  the  last  agitation  for  the  amendment  of  the 
law,  eight  persons — two  of  them  sugar  refiners,  two  civil  engineers,  one 
barrister,  one  merchant,  one  lieutenant-colonel,  and  one  member  of  Par- 
liament. 

When  witnesses  give  testimony  in  a  court  of  justice,  the  credibility  of 
their  testimony  and  the  possibility  of  bias  are  duly  weighed.  When 
opinions  are  given,  it  is  essential  to  inquire  into  the  position  and  capa- 
city of  the  opinion-giver.  In  a  question  of  laws  affecting  national  pro- 
gress, we  should  be  inclined  rather  to  the  opinion  of  a  statesman  than  to 
that  of  a  civil  engineer.  The  position  of  the  statesman  cannot  be  affected 
by  considerations  of  whether  one  individual  or  another  prospers  by  inven- 
tion ;  the  position  of  the  engineer  may  be  seriously  affected — it  may  be 
a  question  of  rivalry  even. 

There  are  two  opposite  opinions  given— by  a  statesman  who  ranks 
amongst  the  highest  minds  of  the  community,  John  Stuart  Mill ;  and  an 
engineer  who  has  prescribed  the  mode  in  which  many  millions  of  the 

money  of  the  community  has  been  expended.      Mr.  Mill  says "  If 

the  system  of  patents  were  abandoned  for  that  of  rewards  by  the  state 
the  best  shape  that  this  could  assume  would  be  that  of  a  small  temporary 
tax  imposed,  for  the  inventor's  benefit,  on  all  persons  using  the  inven- 
tion. No  limit  can  be  set  to  the  importance,  even  in  a  purely  productive 
and  material  point  of  view,  of  mere  thought.  Intellectual  speculation 
must  be  looked  upon  as  a  most  influential  part  of  the  productive  labour 
of  society." 

No.  71.— Vol.  VT. 


The  engineer  says — "  If  there  were  no  patent  laws,  I  think  a  man 
would  think  over  his  invention  a  little,  get  it  into  a  shape  to  do  him 
credit,  and  then,  if  he  had  a  good  master,  he  would  show  it  to  him;  and, 
if  he  thought  he  could  make  anything  of  it,  be  would  give  the  man  a 
pound  or  two,  which  would  be  really  earned,  instead  of  hundreds  being 
dreamed  of,  but  never  touched." 

That  is  to  say,  the  speculative  man,  with  his  ideas,  should  be  kept, 
like  a  milch  cow,  to  be  drained  at  the  option  of  the  master,  and  seek  in 
the  condition  of  a  helot,  for  the  master's  benefit  and  repute.  This 
engineer  would  have  kept  Mr.  Watt  chained  up  in  a  corner,  to  he  used 
when  required. 

This  engineering  opinion  is  based  on  no  logic  whatever,  but  it  very 
fairly  represents  the  existing  practice.  People  work  for  money  and 
repute,  and  occasionally  for  philanthropy.  And  repute  is  but  another 
word  for  money.  The  sham  is  set  up,  and  gains  the  repute  from  the 
unthinking,  and  also  the  money,  and  the  reality  is  pushed  into  a  corner. 
This  it  is  that  explains  Mr.  Whitworth's  report  of  the  greater  progress 
in  the  American  Union.  The  original  man  here  buys  and  keeps  his 
situation  on  which  his  bread  depends,  by  paying  away  his  brain  in  black 
mail.  In  the  States,  the  original  man  exchanges  away  a  portion  of  his 
brain  for  a  moneyed  partner,  and  springs  to  the  state  of  masterdom.  It 
is  this  oppression — this  forced  sale  of  brain  for  a  mess  of  pottage,  like 
buying  land  from  the  Indians  with  beads — that  drives  across  the  Atlan- 
tic many  an  intelligent  workman  with  a  master  mind,  to  swell  the 
growth  of  American  invention. 

It  is  a  very  common  thing  for  men  of  narrow  mind  who  hold  a  posi- 
tion, to  be  desirous  of  attaining  fame  for  qualities  which  they  do  not 
possess.  It  is  almost  ludicrous  to  watch  them,  and  observe  to  what  small 
and  contemptible  things  they  will  lay  claim  when  they  know  there  is 
no  recorded  disproof — how,  in  an  uncertainty,  they  will  lie  by,  waiting 
to  claim  success,  or  to  throw  the  obloquy  of  failure  on  a  subordinate. 
Why  is  this  ?  Simply  that  they  are  misfitted  to  their  occupations,  and 
live  in  a  state  of  unhappy  anxiety,  in  fear  of  being  tripped  up.  Apti- 
tudes are  born  with  a  man,  and  there  is  no  greater  curse  through  life 
than  when  the  brain  of  a  lawyer  is  forced  along  the  grooves  of  a 
machine. 

The  objectors  to  patents  are — manufacturers  who  possess  a  monopoly 
in  their  great  capital  and  established  trades.  They  can  keep  down  any 
competition,  save  that  of  a  better  article  they  are  not  allowed  to  make, 
by  reason  of  a  patent  monopoly  in  a  rival's  hands,  who  can  undersell 
them,  or  give  a  better  article.  Had  they  the  power,  the  public  would  not 
obtain  the  better  article.  They  would  not  have  improved  themselves, 
and  would  have  impeded  others.  A  Manchester  manufacturer  once 
remarked,  "  We  never  make  improvements  till  profits  get  to  be  wire- 
drawn." 

So  much  are  patents  bated  by  capitalist  manufacturers,  that  a  practice 
has  obtained  of  late  years  of  seeking  to  neutralize  them,  by  buying  them 
up  and  quashing  them — depriving  the  public  of  their  use,  if  use  they 
have.  They  thus  obtain  a  monopoly,  not  for,  but  against  the  public  be- 
nefit. They  would  rather  not  have  had  the  patents  at  all.  The  member 
of  Parliament  who  gave  evidence  against  patents  was  pi'ecisely  in  this 
position.  Without  the  protection  of  a  patent,  no  one  would  have  em- 
barked in  opposition  to  a  powerful  company,  and  the  company  buys  off 
the  opposition  and  competition,  to  the  loss  of  the  public.  More  than  one 
public  company  is  in  this  position ;  and  the  allegation  is,  that  they  are 
obliged  to  buy  up  the  patent,  in  order  to  he  enabled  to  use  some  minute 
portion.  But  the  numbers  bought  prove  that  not  the  utility  was  desir- 
able, but  the  opposition  dreaded. 

There  are  other  classes  of  persons — generally  in  easy  circumstances 
— who  object  to  patents  as  an  injustice  to  the  public  and  to  individuals. 
They  say  that  principles  are  public  property,  and  ought  not  to  be  mono- 
polized. True,  but  the  monopoly  is  granted  in  consideration  of  making 
patent  and  useful,  an  unnoticed  principle,  by  its  application. 


250 


THE  PRACTICAL  MECHANIC'S  JOURNAL. 


But  it  is  granting  a  monopoly  to  A  which  B  might  have  discovered 
to-morrow,  or  has  already  discovered  in  private !  The  answer  to  this  is, 
that  A  has  first  made  it  patent,  and  is  the  legal  owner.  But  it  is  an  in- 
justice, and  ought  not  to  he !  If  so,  neither  ought  there  to  he  a  copyright 
in  books. 

But  hooks  do  not  embargo  principles !  They  embargo  forms  of  words 
containing  principles,  and  for  three  generations ;  the  patent  is  only  for 
fourteen  years.  But  anybody  may  write  other  words  to  the  book  prin- 
ciple !  And,  save  when  it  is  the  enunciation  of  a  new  principle,  any  one 
may  set  a  new  form  of  machine  to  the  principle. 

Still  it  is  monopoly. 

True ;  and  almost  all  property  is  a  monopoly.  The  title  of  this  Journal 
is  a  monopoly.  The  word  "  Times  "  is  a  monopoly  of  a  large  value — 
if  any  one  doubt  it,  let  him  try  the  result  of  printing  it  on  a  broad  sheet, 
and  he  will  soon  get  notice  to  "  clear  out  of  those  diggings."  Various 
hieroglyphics  on  manufactured  iron  are  a  monopoly,  as  the  Chancellor 
will  quickly  show,  if  any  one  use  them  without  the  owner's  leave. 
The  throne  is  a  monopoly — regiments  and  ships  are  monopolies  to 
colonels  and  captains.  The  House  of  Lords  is  a  monopoly,  and  the 
House  of  Commons  is  monopolized  by  men  with  long  purses,  or  strong 
connections,  or  great  power  of  talk.  The  universities  are  monopolies. 
Churches  and  chapels  are  monopolies.  Land  and  water,  and  everything 
above  and  below  them,  are  monopolies  ;  and  all  of  those  monopolies  are 
maintained,  and  will  be  maintained,  because  the  public  believe  that  by 
these  monopolies  society  benefits.  Why,  then,  should  not  individual 
mental  property  in  a  patented  invention  be  a  monopoly  also? 

There  is  only  one  reason.  Showing  that  it  is  not  beneficial  to  the 
public.  But  it  is  a  thing  the  public  did  not  possess  before,  and  there- 
fore it  was  not  theirs.  If  they  value  it,  it  is  a  proof  that  service  has 
been  rendered.  A  very  common  proof  of  this  is,  that  a  patent  not  po- 
pular is  never  followed  by  imitative  patents;  but  a  really  useful  patent, 
known  to  be  so  by  its  ready  sale,  is  instantly  followed  by  a  host  of  pseudo 
improvements. 

But,  it  will  be  said,  other  persons  than  the  patentee  might  have  found 
it  out,  and  given  it  gratuitously  to  the  public. 

This  is  merely  begging  the  question.  The  attention  of  the  imitative 
patentees  is  only  drawn  to  it  by  its  successful  use.  A  contemplated 
patent  and  a  secured  patent  are  equally  valueless  in  the  market,  till 
public  opinion  has  stamped  them.  They  are  like  the  new  books  taken 
round  to  all  the  booksellers,  who  refuse  them  in  turn,  till  some  one  tries 
his  chance,  hit  or  miss — the  public  gives  a  favourable  verdict,  and  then 
tho  whole  town  is  in  a  furor.  The  inventor  is  a  "  schemer,"  as  the 
Author  is  a  fool,  till  cash  seems  forthcoming  from  their  brains,  and  then 
the  schemer  becomes  a  mark  for  antagonists,  whose  previous  contempt 
has  grown  into  envy.  Numberless  patents  have  been  as  useful  the  day 
they  were  promulgated  as  at  any  subsequent  period ;  yet  it  is  noto- 
rious that  three-fourths  of  the  time  pass  away  before  they  get  into  use. 
And  what  stops  them  getting  into  use?  Not  the  public;  but  the  oppo- 
sition of  party  interests,  which,  in  many  cases,  finally  compound  for  a 
share  of  the  profits — the  black-mail  which  inventors  pay  to  society. 

But  then,  again,  it  is  objected  that  patentees  get  enormous  profits 
it  the  expense  of  the  public.  In  nine  cases  out  of  ten,  the  objectors 
would  be  found  to  be  those  desirous  of  sharing  in  the  profits.  But,  as  a 
mass,  inventors  are  not  such  men.  There  are  many  blanks  to  one  prize. 
But  what  if  an  inventor  does  get  a  £100,000  prize,  or  double  that  ?  How 
loes  the  public  suffer,  unless  he  be  a  spendthrift  ?  The  inventor  is  the 
public  saveall  instead  of  somebody  else,  out  of  the  wealth  he  himself  has 
created.  And  to  what  purposes  will  he  apply  these  savings  ?  Not  to 
horse-racing !  No ! — to  putting  in  practice  still  newer  inventions  to  the 
-till  greater  service  of  the  community.  Who  should  better  know  how 
to  employ  wealth  than  the  creator  of  it? 

We  have  written  thus  far  to  show  that  the  inventor  is  the  benefactor  of 
the  public ;  but  he  is  also  the  benefactor  of  the  capitalist,  who  would  go 


on  competing  with  his  neighbours,  till,  by  competition  in  profit,  none 
were  left  for  want  of  new  things  to  work  in. 

"  But,"  it  has  been  said,  "  inventors  cannot  help  inventing  more  than 
hens  can  help  laying  eggs,  and  so  the  public  will  get  the  inventions 
without  payment."  This  is  coolly  selfish  enough,  but  it  is  an  argument 
lacking  basis  of  support.  The  eggs  may  be  laid,  but  it  will  be  in  holes 
and  corners,  and  they  will  not  be  hatched.  The  large  capitalist  will  not 
embark  in  a  set  of  experiments,  such  as  most  new  things  need,  unless  he 
has  some  security  that  he  shall  reap  where  he  has  sown.  He  will  not 
work  for  his  neighbour's  benefit,  and  the  only  trifling  things  that  will 
be  improved  in  will  be  kept  as  mysteries  and  secrets  as  long  as  possible. 
Factories  would  become  as  fortresses  with  no  strangers  admitted,  and 
a  wholesale  system  of  stealing  patterns  and  methods  from  each  other 
would  prevail,  as  it  did  before  the  registration  act,  precisely  as  the 
Egyptian  fellahs  steal  each  other's  unripe  crops,  to  the  general  loss  of  all 
around. 

Driven  out  of  this,  the  objectors  to  patents  take  refuge  in  the  asser- 
tion that  patents  do  no  good  to  inventors,  and  that,  if  successful,  they 
are  ruined  at  law  by  infringers.  This  is  another  begging  of  the  ques- 
tion. The  invention  is  proved  good  and  useful  by  the  fact  of  the 
infringements;  and  yet,  because  the  law  is  inefficient  to  protect  the 
mental  property  which  the  law  has  conferred,  it  is  taken  as  a  matter  of 
course  that  the  inventor  must  sit  down  under  his  wrong  and  grievance. 
It  does  not  seem  to  enter  into  the  objector's  mind,  that  the  plain  and 
simple  remedy  is  to  alter  the  law  and  make  it  effective. 

"  But,"  continue  the  objectors,  "  if  patents  are  made  certain  and 
safe  from  risk  of  litigation,  so  many  will  be  taken  that  they  will  inter- 
fere with  the  processes  of  industry." 

It  is  quite  clear  they  do  not  interfere  with  existing  processes  of  indus- 
try, and  if  the  public  dislike  to  use  the  improved  process,  or  consider  the 
inventor  of  it  unreasonable,  they  can  wait  till  the  fourteen  years  are 
expired.  There  is  another  point.  Now  that  patents  are  cheapened,  they 
are  taken  in  larger  numbers ;  but  out  of  those  numbers  a  large  portion 
are  duplicates  or  reinventions  of  what  has  been  done  before,  taken  in 
ignorance,  because  there  has  been  no  correct  means  provided  for  ascer- 
taining what  really  has  been  done.  Had  a  cyclopaedia  been  published, 
or  a  well-digested  plan  embodying  all  the  existing  patents,  many  a  fancied 
new  invention  would  have  been  set  aside,  and  the  inventor's  money 
saved.  We  should  possess  a  record  of  much  rubbish,  but  also  of  much 
that  is  most  valuable. 

There  can  be  no  doubt  that  a  community  without  originating  minds 
would  be  very  rapidly  reduced  to  the  effete  condition  of  the  Chinese 
Empire ;  and  everything  tending  to  impede  original  progress  will  have 
more  or  less  this  effect.  The  abolition  of  patents,  and  the  continuance 
of  the  present  law  of  partnership,  would  leave  no  chance  to  original  minds 
in  a  lowly  condition,  and  they  would  largely  emigrate  to  the  United 
States,  or  any  country  where  their  mental  property  might  be  recognized. 
We  might  not  feel  it  at  once,  but  assuredly  the  next  report  of  Mr.  Whit- 
worth  would  mark  a  still  greater  change  fatal  to  England's  ascendancy. 
That  country  must  be  the  most  powerful  that  is  at  the  head  of  civiliza- 
tion, and  is  provided  with  all  the  latest  improvements  in  the  arts,  both 
of  peace  and  war;  and  it  is  men — intelligent  men — by  whom  these  arts 
are  promoted.  We  have  reached  a  position  hitherto  unequalled,  in  spite 
of  our  disabilities ;  but  if,  presuming  on  what  we  have,  we  take  it  for 
granted  that  all  is  attained,  and  that  we  may  now  throw  aside  the  class 
of  men  who  essentially  have  made  us  what  we  are,  grave  questions 
will  thenceforth  be  mooted.  The  possessors  of  property  in  the  natural 
sense — i.  e.,  the  existing  possessors  of  the  land  and  the  waters,  and  all 
that  thereon  and  therein  is — hold,  as  they  think,  an  inalienable  right; 
but  no  man-made  laws  can  abrogate  the  laws  that  nature  made  in  the 
beginning.  Man,  in  the  aggregate,  is  a  product  of  the  soil,  and  has  an 
aboriginal  right  in  the  soil.  Individual  ownership  can  only  be  based  on 
the  claim  to  make  that  soil  beneficial  to  the  community.    If  the  material 


THE  PRACTICAL  MECHANIC'S  JOURNAL. 


251 


property  be  all  entailed,  and  the  property  in  original  brains  be  made  to 
merge  in  common  stock  for  the  benefit  of  the  material  owners,  they  will 
do  well  first  to  examine  all  the  hearings  of  the  question,  and  they  will 
find  that  it  is  a  one-sided  socialism  in  the  objectionable  sense,  and  that, 
after  making  common  stock  of  the  brains,  it  will  not  be  long  before 
common  stock  will  be  made  of  the  material  land  and  water,  and  all  that 
thereon  and  therein  is,  in  the  form  of  a  many-sided  socialism,  in  which 
the  original  brains  will  claim  the  land  from  the  hereditary  possessors  on 
the  ground  of  making  a  better  use  of  it. 

For  those  who  hold  power  undisturbed,  it  will  be  well  to  take  care  that 
the  originators  shall  hare  their  legitimate  spheres  of  action.  Let  them 
not  be  made  to  feel  that  there  is  no  part  in  the  system  for  them.  The 
free  circulation  of  society  upwards  and  downwards  is  its  health.  Stop 
the  circulation,  and  fever  will  be  generated— a  stagnation  that  will  end 
in  paralysis. 

There  is  no  profession  so  poorly  paid  as  that  of  originators — in  every 
branch  of  thought  or  imagination.  Yet  origination  is  the  living  soul  of 
the  community.  It  is  not  a  healthy  condition  of  society,  when  the  large 
prizes  of  life,  and  the  power  they  confer,  are  chiefly  gained  by  the 
charlatan  class.  While  the  philosopher  contemplates  the  spectacle,  the 
passionate  hearts  of  the  natural  leaders  of  men  brood  over  it. 

W.  Bridges  Adams. 

THE  LAW  OF  PATENTS  FOE  INVENTIONS  IN  THE 
KINGDOM  OF  SPAIN. 

A  royal  decree,  signed  the  27th  March,  1826,  established  the  follow- 
ing regulations : — 

Every  person,  to  whatever  class  or  country  he  may  belong,  who  pro- 
poses to  establish,  or  does  establish  in  Spain,  a  machine,  apparatus,  or  a 
mechanical  or  chemical  process,  or  operation,  which  is  new,  wholly  or  in 
part,  or  which  has  not  hitherto  been  established  in  the  same  manner  or 
form  in  the  kingdom,  shall  have  the  exclusive  ownership  and  use  of  it; 
and  to  insure  that  ownership  and  use  to  the  author,  there  shall  be  deli- 
vered to  him  a  royal  patent  of  privilege.  The  patent,  however,  will  be 
no  guarantee  of  the  novelty  or  utility  of  the  invention.  Patents  shall 
endure  for  five,  ten,  or  fifteen  years,  at  the  option  of  applicants,  in 
respect  of  original  inventions,  but  for  imported  inventions  they  shall  be 
limited  to  five  years.  A  patent  for  five  years,  in  respect  of  an  original 
invention,  may  be  afterwards  prolonged  for  five  more  years  ;  but  patents 
for  ten  or  fifteen  years  cannot  be  prolonged. 

To  be  entitled  to  a  patent  for  an  original  invention,  it  is  necessary 
that  the  invention  shall  not  have  been  brought  into  use,  either  in  Spain 
or  elsewhere,  out  of  the  kingdom.  When  it  has  been  practised  abroad, 
but  is  new  in  Spain,  a  patent  for  an  imported  invention  can  be  applied 
for.  The  inventions,  of  which  models  or  descriptions  shall  have  been 
deposited  in  the  Royal  Conservatory  of  Arts  at  Madrid,  cannot  be  the 
objects  of  patents  until  three  years  have  elapsed  since  their  deposit,  and 
then  only  patents  for  importations  will  be  permitted. 

The  exclusive  privilege  granted  by  a  patent  for  an  im- 
ported invention  applies  only  to  a  manufacture  within  the 
kingdom,  and  does  not  authorize,  the  importation  from  abroad 
of  things  there  manufactured. 

The  petition  for  a  patent  must  not  comprise  more  than 
one  invention,  and  it  must  be  accompanied  by  a  plan  or 
model,  with  a  description  of  the  invention,  specifying  the 
mechanism  or  particular  process  which  is  the  subject  of  it. 
This  description  must  be  clear  and  precise,  so  that  there 
may  be  no  doubt  as  to  the  identity  of  the  invention,  nor  as 
to  the  particular  part  of  it  which  is  claimed  to  be  new. 

Before  the  patent  is  issued,  the  applicant  must  produce  a 
receipt,  proving  that  he  has  paid  to  the  Royal  Conservatory 
of  Arts  the  sum  imposed  by  Government  on  the  patent. 
This  sum  varies  in  the  following  manner,  according  to  the  length  of 
the  privilege  awarded,  viz. : — Five  years,  1000  reals  (about  £10.  10s.)  ; 
ten  years,  3000  reals  (about  £21);  fifteen  years,  6000  reals,  (about 
£31.  10s.)  On  a  patent  for  an  imported  invention,  however,  3000  reals 
are  payable. 

A  registry  of  patents  is  kept  at  the  Royal  Conservatory  of  Arts,  and 
is  open  to  the  inspection  of  all  applicants. 

Patent  rights  are  transferable  and  bcqueathable  in  the  same  manner 
as  other  personal  property. 


A  patent  becomes  void  in  the  following  case3  : — If  the  patentee  does 
not  apply  for  the  royal  document,  within  three  months  after  the  presen- 
tation of  his  petition ;  if  he  shall  not  carry  his  invention  into  effect  with- 
in a  year  and  a  day  after  the  date  of  the  patent ;  if  there  should  be  a 
cessation  for  the  same  space  of  time  in  working  the  invention ;  if  it 
should  be  proved  that  the  invention  had  been  in  use  within  the  kingdom 
previous  to  the  date  of  the  patent,  or  had  been  described  in  printed  books, 
or  in  engravings,  paintings,  models,  plans  or  descriptions,  to  be  found  in 
the  Royal  Conservatory  of  Arts  ;  if  the  invention  was  previously  known 
abroad,  and  the  patent  has  been  taken  out  in  respect  of  an  original  in- 
vention. 

Persons  guilty  of  infringing  a  patent  are  liable  to  confiscate  all  the 
machines,  apparatus,  and  manufactured  articles  made  in  violation  of  the 
patent,  and  to  the  payment  of  a  fine  equal  to  three  times  the  value  of 
the  confiscated  articles. 

THE  CUT  NAIL  MANUFACTURE. 
MESSRS.  DANES  &  WALKER'S  NEW  MACHINERY. 

The  manufacture  of  cut  nails  by  machinery  was  originated  by  the 
Americans,  who  have  for  a  long  time  carried  on  an  enormous  trade  in 
the  article,  exporting  large  quantities  to  different  foreign  markets.  Since 
its  introduction  here,  the  trade  has  rapidly  grown  up,  more  particularly 
during  the  last  fifteen  years,  which  is  about  the  time  that  cut  nails  with 
heads  have  been  made  in  England.  Prior  to  this  date,  cut  brads — or  nails 
completely  finished  at  one  blow,  being  in  general  mere  wedges  and  shoe- 
bills — had  been  in  use  here  for  a  long  time,  probably  forty  or  fifty  years. 
Until  about  twenty  years  back,  these  nails  were  made  by  hand  presses. 

At  the  present  time,  there  are  in  Birmingham,  and  in  the  busy  metal- 
working  district  of  Wolverhampton,  about  a  dozen  large  manufactories  of 
this  kind,  besides 

several        minor  Fig.  1. 

establishments. 
Leeds,  with  some 
of  the  Lancashire 
towns,    also  pos- 
sesses       several 
small     manufac- 
tories. The  week- 
ly produce  in  this 
country  is  calcu- 
lated at  300  tons 
— a  vast  mass  of 
solid  metal  to  be 
worked    up   into 
such  small   arti- 
cles.       Amongst 
the       more 
prominent 
English 
firms  is  that 
of     Messrs. 
J.Walker  & 
Conjunction 


WorJcs,  Wolverhampton,  where  the  recently  patented  machinery  of 
Messrs.  Banks  &  Walker  is  now  at  work.  In  these  machines,  the 
blank  for  the  nail  is  made  to  turn  over  during  its  descent  from  the  strip 
which  is  being  used  as  the  raw  material  of  the  nails.  This  movement 
is  effected  by  means  of  the  "  spring  guage,"  which  is  set  upon  a  swivel 
joint,  and  is  made  to  descend  through  a  greater  space  than  the  cutter 
itself,  so  as  to  cause  the  blank  to  perform  a  quarter  of  a  revolution  during 
its  descending  traverse  from  the  crude  strip  of  metal  to  the  grooved  dies 
used  for  shaping  the  nail  head.     The  result  of  this  operation  is,  the 


252 


THE  PRACTICAL  MECHANIC'S  JOURNAL. 


production  of  a  nail  which  has  its  opposite  sides  shaped  to  the  same 
angle  of  inclination,  whilst  the  fibres  of  the  metal  are  kept  in  a  sound 
and  compact  condition,  instead  of  being  disintegrated,  as  usually  occurs 
in  the  ordinary  process  of  manufacture.  Fig.  1  of  our  illustrations  is  a 
side  elevation  of  one  of  the  improved  nail-making  machines  complete,  as 
fitted  up  with  the  new  guage  and  turn-over  piece.  Fig.  2  is  a  corre- 
sponding front  view  of  the  machine.  Fig.  3  is  an  enlarged  side  view  of 
the  cutter  edge  and  guage  point  detached;  and  fig.  4  is  a  plan  of  a  slip  of 
Bheet  metal,  showing  the  way  in  which  the  blanks  are  primarily  cut. 


Fig3. 


The  framing  of  the  machine  consists  of  a  single  casting,  A.  The  driv- 
ing shaft,  n,  is  carried  in  bearings,  c,  at 
the  top  of  the  framing,  and  on  this  shaft 
is  a  fly-wheel,  d.  The  upper  cutting- 
tool,  e,"  is  fixed  by  adjusting  screws  in 
the  head,  e',  of  the  heavy  bent  lever,  F, 
which  vibrates  upon  centres,  o,  in  bear- 
ings in  the  framing,  and  is  actuated  by 
the  crank,  n,  of  the  driving-shaft,  b,  and 
connecting-rod,  I.  The  lower  or  sta- 
tionary cutter,  J,  is  secured  in  its  place 
by  set-pins,  and  it  rests  upon  the  sta- 
tionary gripping  die,  K,  so  that  its  verti- 
cal face  is  in  the  same  line  with  the  face  of  the  gripping  die,  k.  The 
opposite  gripping  die,  L,  is  adjusted  in  the  slide,  m,  which  is  worked  by 
the  end  of  the  lever,  f,  to  which  it  is  connected  by  a  short  adjustable  link, 
v.  When  the  nail  is  gripped  by  the  dies,  k,  h,  a  head  is  formed  upon  it  by 
the  lever  punch,  o,  vibrating  on  the  centre, 
p,  and  actuated  by  the  driving-shaft,  b, 
through  the  connecting-rod,  Q,  and  side- 
lever,  R. 

The  width  of  the  nail  blank  is  determined 
by  the  guage,  s,  attached  by  a  slot  and  pin, 
t  to  the  cutter  head,  e.  The  motion  of 
this  guage,  s,  is  regulated  by  the  two  blade 
springs,  n,  r,  the  upper  one,  u,  of  which  acts  on  a  pin  fixed  in  the  guage, 
and  tends  to  raise  it,  whilst  the  other  one,  v,  presses  the  guage  against 
flic  nail  blank.  On  the  other  side  of  the  cutter  head,  e',  is  a  vertical  rod, 
w,  carried  in  suitable  eyes,  and  arranged  to  strike  some  fixed  part  of  the 
framing  when  the  cutter  descends.  This  necessarily  forces  up  the  rod, 
which,  Icing  in  contact  with  the  end  of  a  lever,  x,  vibrating  on  a  centre, 
v,  on  the  cutter  head,  the  other  end  of  which  lever  is  similarly  in  con- 
tact with  the  top  of  the  spring  guage-piece,  s,  forces  the  spring  guage- 


Fig.  4. 


piece,  s,  down,  and  causes  it  to  turn  the  nail  blank,  z,  a  quarter  round, 
as  shown  in  dotted  lines  in  fig.  3.  In  this  position  the  blank,  or  par- 
tially formed  nail,  descends  to  the  recesses  in  the  gripping  dies,  k,  l,  anil 
has  a  head  formed  upon  it,  as  before  described.  When  the  cutter  head 
rises,  the  spring,  u,  elevates  the  guage  to  its  normal  position.  The  lever, 
x,  is  fitted  with  screws,  a,  at  its  two  extremities,  by  means  of  which 
screws  the  stroke  of  the  guage  may  be  effectively  adjusted.  It  will  be 
obvious  to  the  practical  man,  that  the  downward  motion  of  the  guage,  s, 
may  be  effected  by  various  other  mechanical  contrivances.  Thus,  the 
nail  blank  may  be  turned  by  a  spring  turn-over  piece,  similar  to  the 
one  already  described,  and  used  in  connection  with  the  spring  guage,  as 
commonly  used.  In  feeding  in  the  strip  of  metal,  from  which  the  nail 
blanks  are  to  be  cut,  it  must  be  turned  at  each  stroke,  so  as  to  use  up 
the  metal  equally,  because  the  blanks  are  tapered  in  form.  This  is 
represented  in  fig.  4,  the  inclined  cross  lines  representing  the  successive 
cuts,  showing  that  the  broad  ends  alternate  with  the  narrow  ones  or 
points. 

It  must  be  evident  that  the  nails  made  in  this  way  are  far  superior  to 
those  hitherto  used ;  and  hence  we  may  look  for  some  impetus  to  our  trade 
in  this  respect;  for  the  quality  of  the  nails  made  at  the  majority  of  the 
English  works  is  at  present  so  far  inferior  to  that  of  the  United  States' 
productions,  that  the  English  makers  find  themselves  quite  shut  out  from 
many  foreign  markets,  in  spite  of  the  much  higher  price  charged  by  the 
Americans.  The  general  character  of  the  machinery  employed  in  thiscoun- 
try  for  cutting  nails  is  of  a  very  low  class,  both  the  design  and  workman- 
ship being  exceedingly  rude.  Indeed,  we  believe  that  there  are  not  more 
than  four  English  makers  who  can  supply  really  good  nails  at  all  times. 

Large  quantities  of  zinc  and  copper  nails  are  made  by  the  "  cut"  pro- 
cess, for  sheathing  and  slating,  the  cut  nail  having,  to  a  very  great  ex- 
tent, superseded  the  use  of  wrought  nails  for  most  purposes.  But  the 
wrought  nail  is  still  made  in  very  large  quantities,  by  hand  and  hammer, 
in  the  neighbourhood  of  Dudley.  For  work  where  nails  are  required  to 
clench,  cut  nails  are  obviously  inadmissible,  as  they  are  not  sufficiently 
fibrous  and  ductile ;  otherwise,  it  seems  not  improbable  that  the  use  of 
wrought  nails  would  be  still  more  interfered  with. 


PATENT  LAW  AMENDMENT  ACT,  1852. 

A  third  set  of  rules  under  this  Act  has  just  been  issued.  Those  im- 
portant to  the  public  generally  are  given  below,  verbatim: — 

"  Every  application  for  Letters  Patent,  and  every  title  of  invention  and  provisional 
specification,  must  be  limited  to  one  invention  only,  and  no  provisional  protection  will 
be  allowed  or  warrant  granted  where  the  title  or  the  provisional  specification  embraces 
more  than  one  invention. 

"The  title  of  the  invention  must  point  out  distinctly  and  specifically  the  nature  and 
object  of  the  invention. 

•'  In  the  case  of  all  petitions  for  Letters  Patent  left  at  the  office  of  the  Commissioners 
after  the  31st  day  of  December,  1853,  the  notice  of  the  applicant  of  his  intention  to  pro- 
ceed for  Letters  Patent  for  his  invention  shall  be  left  at  the  office  of  the  Commis- 
sioners eight  weeks  at  the  least  before  the  expiration  of  the  term  of  provisional  protection 
thereon,  and  no  notice  to  proceed  shall  be  received  unless  the  same  shall  have  been  left 
in  the  office  eight  weeks  at  the  least  before  the  expiration  of  such  provisional  protection; 
and  the  application  for  the  warrant  of  the  Law  Officer  and  for  the  Letters  Patent  must  be 
made  at  the  office  of  the  Commissioners  twelve  clear  days  at  the  least  before  the  expira- 
tion of  the  term  of  provisional  protection,  and  no  Warrant  or  Letters  Patent  shall  be 
prepared  unless  such  application  shall  have  been  made  twelve  clear  days  at  the  least 
before  the  expiration  of  such  provisional  protection ;  Provided  always,  that  the  Lord 
Chancellor  may  in  either  of  the  above  cases,  upon  special  circumstances,  allow  a  further 
extension  of  time,  on  being  satisfied  that  the  same  has  become  necessary  by  accident,  and 
not  from  the  neglect  or  wilful  default  of  the  applicant  or  his  agent." 

It  will  be  seen  from  the  last  rule,  that,  practically  speaking,  the  six 
months  given  to  an  inventor  to  determine  whether  he  will  proceed  with 
his  invention  or  not,  is  reduced  to  four — is,  if  the  notice  to  proceed  is  not 
given  before  the  expiration  of  four  mouths,  the  patent  cannot  issue. 

It  appears  that  the  Patent  Office  are  at  length  carrying  out  the  pro- 
visions of  the  Patent  Law  Amendment  Act,  by  printing  and  publishing 
the  whole  of  the  specifications  and  drawings  as  they  are  filed.  We  have 
obtained  several  of  these  copies ;  and  as  some  criterion  of  the  prices 
charged,  we  may  state  that  the  cost  of  a  specification  of  ordinary  length, 
with  one  sheet  of  drawings  attached,  is  about  sixpence.  Au  office  copy 
of  such  a  specification,  to  be  obtained  from  the  Enrolment  Office,  costs  ai 
least  £3.  If  these  specifications  can  be  produced  at  an  early  date  from 
the  time  of  filing,  and  proper  indexes  to  them  are  published,  an  inventor 
will  possess  greatly  increased  facilities  for  ascertaining  the  novelty  or 
otherwise  of  his  proposed  plans. 

The  number  of  patents  applied  for  appears  to  suffer  no  decrease. 
From  the  1st  of  January  to  the  13th  of  December,  of  the  past  year,  no 
less  than  2,900  patents  were  applied  for.  Considerable  dissatiffaction 
is,  however,  caused  by  the  unnecessary  delays  arising  with  the  law- 
officers — as  from  the  mass  of  duties  which  those  gentlemen  have  to  per- 
form, it  is  perfectly  impossible  that  they  can  spare  time  to  attend  to 
the  business  relative  to  patents  coming  before  them. 


THE  PRACTICAL  MECHANIC'S  JOURNAL. 


253 


GOLD;    ITS   PROPERTIES,    COMBINATIONS,    TESTING, 

EXTRACTION,   AND   APPLICATIONS. 

Gold,  so  precious  in  its  character  of  an  exchangeable  commodity,  is  of 
inverse  significance  in  the  arts— an  industrial  sphere,  where  it  is  beaten 
by  iron  and  brass ;  yet,  so  great  was  the  thirst  for  this  empirically  pre- 
cious metal,  about  the  middle  of  the  second  century  of  the  Christian  era, 
that  the  most  monstrous  attempts  were  made  to  obtain  it  by  artificial 
means.  Hence  arose  those  wild  conceits  and  hallucinations  embodying 
the  erroneous  doctrine  of  alchemy — leading  onward  numbers  of  skilled 
men  to  spend  their  lives  and  squander  their  fortunes  in  the  vain  endea- 
vour to  obtain  the  philosopher's  stone,  and  by  it  to  transmute  baser 
metals  into  gold,  besides  arresting  all  our  bodily  infirmities  into  the 
bargain. 

It  was  vulgarly  believed,  that  by  some  such  magical  aid  Artephius 
was  enabled  to  spin  out  his  earthly  days  to  the  extent  of  1 ,025  years ; 
and  as  the  then  strong  body  of  alchemical  philosophers  mingled  their 
theories  with  the  doctrines  of  mythological  visions  of  all  the  various 
sects  then  in  existence,  no  difficulty  was  met  with  in  obtaining  converts 
to  the  foolish  belief.  Indeed,  the  nobility  and  gentry  of  England  be- 
came so  infatuated  on  the  subject,  that  Government  interposed  for  the 
prevention  of  such  egregious  waste  of  substance  in  searching  for  the 
universal  solvent;  and  the  following  short  act — as  Lord  Coke  has  termed 
it — was  passed  in  reference  to  the  movement  in  the  reign  of  the  fourth 
Henry : — 

"  None  from  henceforth  shall  use  to  multiply  gold  or  silver,  or  use  the 
craft  of  multiplication ;  and  if  any  the  same  shall  do,  he  shall  incur  the 
penalty  of  felony.'' 

Gold  is  one  of  the  elementary  substances,  and,  with  the  single  excep- 
tion of  platinum,  it  is  the  heaviest  body  in  nature — its  specific  gravity 
being  19"258,  or  very  nearly  twenty  times  the  weight  of  its  bulk  in 
water. 

In  making  the  thin  gold  sheets,  known  as  gold  leaf,  so  extensively  used 
for  overlaying  various  surfaces,  a  number  of  thin  rolled  plates  of  gold 
are  hammered  between  pieces  of  animal  membrane,  technically  known 
as  "  gold  beater's  skin."  A  single  grain  of  gold  thus  fully  worked  out, 
covers  56f  square  inches,  the  absolute  thickness  of  the  metal  being  no 
more  than  itjitooo"  °^  an  'ncn-  But  this  is  by  no  means  a  test  of  the 
ultimate  malleability  of  the  metal,  for  some  copper  is  always  added  to 
harden  the  comparatively  soft  gold. 

Gold-lace  makers  use  a  fine  wire,  which  is  drawn  from  a  gilt  ingot  of 
silver,  the  primary  gold  coating  remaining  perfect  during  the  severe 
reduction  which  the  ingot  necessarily  undergoes  in  being  extended  into 
fine  wire.  The  final  thickness  of  the  wire  coating  is  no  more  than  l-12th 
of  that  of  ordinary  hammered  gold  leaf. 

In  gilding  copper  surfaces  by  the  amalgam  process,  the  upper  sur- 
faces are  first  well  cleaned  by  tripoli,  and  then  immersed  in  a  dilute 
solution  of  nitrate  of  mercury.  A  thin  coat  of  mercury  is  thus  precipi- 
tated on  the  copper,  and  an  amalgam  of  gold  is  then  thinly  spread  over 
the  mercury  coat.  The  articles  so  treated  are  now  removed  to  an  oven, 
and  the  heat  therein  being  raised  to  660°,  the  mercury  is  volatilized, 
leaving  the  gold  alone  upon  the  copper  surface.  When  cooled  down, 
the  articles  are  rubbed  with  a  piece  of  soft  leather,  and  a  beautifully 
gilded  surface  results.  On  the  large  scale,  the  furnaces  or  ovens  are  so 
constructed  that  the  mercurial  fumes  are  condensed  and  collected  for 
further  use.  Brass  is  gilded  in  the  same  way,  and  so  is  iron,  through 
the  medium,  however,  of  a  copper  coating.  The  iron  is  first  dipped  in 
dilate  sulphuric  acid,  and  then  rubbed  dry  with  whiting,  to  brighten 
it — the  upper  coating  being  subsequently  applied  by  immersion  in  a 
solution  of  sulphate  of  copper.  Steel  is  gilded  by  the  ethereal  solution  of 
gold,  made  by  adding  to  a  solution  of  chloride  of  gold  a  quantity  of  sul- 
phuric ether.  When  the  mixture  is  well  stirred,  it  is  allowed  to  settle 
for  a  few  seconds,  when  the  ethereal  solution  separates  from  the  mass, 
forming  a  well-marked  stratum  at  the  top  of  the  mixing  glass.  A  piece 
of  silk,  satin,  or  ivory,  wet  in  a  solution  of  chloride  of  gold,  and  placed, 
whilst  wet,  in  a  jar  containing  hydrogen  gas,  or  sulphurous  acid  gas, 
soon  glistens  with  all  the  brilliancy  of  gold,  from  the  reduction  of  the 
solution  to  the  metallic  state.  If  the  chloride  solution  is  employed  as 
an  ink  for  drawing  a  device  upon  the  silk,  the  delineation  alone  will, 
of  course,  be  in  gold,  whilst  the  ground  of  the  silk  remains  white. 
Again,  if  the  silk  is  wetted  with  phosphoric  ether,  and  the  ether  allowed 
to  evaporate,  the  subsequent  dipping  of  the  silk  in  a  solution  of  chloride 
of  gold  produces  a  golden  coat. 

In  gilding  glass  or  porcelain,  a  permanent  film  is  obtained  by  using 
a  composition  of  gold  powder  and  borax  ground  in  a  mortar,  with  gum- 
water  added  to  it.  This  mixture  is  laid  on  with  a  camel's-hair  pencil, 
and  the  glass  or  porcelain  article  being  put  into  an  annealing  oven,  the 


gum  is  burned  off,  and  the  vitrification  of  the  borax  cements  the  gold 
down  to  the  treated  surface. 

These  are  the  original  modes  of  gilding — now,  for  the  most  part, 
superseded  by  the  elegant  modern  process  of  electro-gilding.  In  this 
process,  the  article  under  treatment  is  connected  with  the  anode-electrode, 
or  positive  wire,  of  a  Smee's  or  Grove's  battery,  and  placed  in  a  glass 
cell  containing  a  solution  of  cyanide  of  gold;  and  a  plate  of  gold  is  con- 
nected with  the  cathode-electrode,  or  negative  wire,  and  placed  in  the 
solution  alongside  the  article  to  be  gilded,  but  not  in  immediate  contact 
with  it.  The  electrical  action  of  the  battery  then  decomposes  the  solu- 
tion, and  the  contained  gold  is  precipitated  upon  the  metal  article  at  the 
anode,  whilst  the  liberated  cyanic  acid  acts  upon  the  gold  plate  at  the 
cathode,  dissolving  a  portion  of  the  solid  mass,  so  as  to  keep  the  solution 
at  a  uniform  strength.  Leaves  of  plants,  fruit,  silk,  indeed  almost  any 
surface,  may  be  coated  with  gold,  by  giving  such  surface  a  conducting 
power.  To  do  this,  the  article  is  first  wet  in  a  solution  of  phosphorus, 
prepared  by  dissolving  phosphorus  in  bi-sulphuret  of  carbon  or  sulphuric 
ether.  When  the  liquid  evaporates,  the  article  is  connected  with  the 
anode  of  the  battery,  the  glass  cell  being  filled  with  a  solution  of  sul- 
phate of  copper,  with  a  copperplate  attached  to  the  cathode-electrode 
placed  in  it.  A  film  of  copper  is  thus  quickly  deposited  upon  the  article 
when  it  is  ready  for  the  gold-plating  process. 

Plumbago,  rubbed  upon  the  article  to  be  plated  with  a  brush,  may  be 
substituted  for  the  phosphorus;  but  the  conducting  power  of  the  lead  is 
inferior  to  that  of  phosphorus. 

Gold  unites  with  most  of  the  metals  by  fusion.  With  silver  it  forms 
a  compound  of  a  pale  tint,  much  paler  than  might  be  anticipated  from  the 
quantity  of  silver  employed.  Copper  unites  with  gold,  forming  an  alloy 
much  harder  and  more  easily  fusible  than  pure  gold — it  is  this  alloy  of 
which  our  current  gold  coins  are  made.  The  addition  of  a  very  little  tin 
renders  the  mixture  brittle.  Lead  destroys  the  ductility  of  gold,  brittle- 
ness  being  produced  by  the  addition  of  only  a  single  grain  to  the  ounce. 
With  iron,  gold  forms  a  greyish  compound,  capable  of  magnetic  attrac- 
tion. Mercury  unites  with  it  in  all  proportions,  forming  an  amalgam 
liquefiable  by  heat,  and  cooling  into  crystals.  Zinc  produces  brittleness 
and  a  beautiful  whiteness ;  and  the  same  changes  attend  the  admixture 
of  antimony,  arsenic,  bismuth,  manganese,  and  nickel.  Equal  weights 
of  zinc  and  gold  produce  a  fine  grained  alloy,  used  for  telescope 
specula. 

The  metals  which  diminish  the  ductility  of  gold,  here  arranged  in  the 
order  in  which  they  affect  the  ductile  property,  are  bismuth,  lead,  anti- 
mony, arsenic,  zinc,  cobalt,  manganese,  nickel,  tin,  iron,  platinum, 
copper,  and  silver.  Mr.  Hatchett,  to  whom  we  are  indebted  for  this 
arrangement,  considers  the  first  three  to  be  of  nearly  equal  effect.  Hydro- 
chloric acts  but  slowly  upon  gold;  but,  when  mixed  with  nitric  acid, 
it  becomes  a  powerful  solvent  of  the  metal.  Chromic  acid,  added  to 
hydro-chloric,  produces  a  dissolving  mixture  also;  but  nitro-chloric  acid 
(aqua-regia)  is  the  most  convenient  of  known  solvents.  Gold,  immersed 
in  this  fluid,  produces  effervescence,  and  the  solution  is  of  a  yellowish 
tint,  tinging  animal  substances  a  deep  purple,  whilst  evaporation  gives 
chloride  of  gold  in  fine  topaz-coloured  crystals.  Precipitation  of  the 
metal  from  its  solvent  is  produced  in  many  ways.  Lime  and  magnesia 
give  a  yellowish  precipitate ;  the  same  occurs  with  potash  and  soda,  an 
excess  of  the  alkali  acting  again  as  a  solvent.  This  precipitate  appears 
to  be  a  pure  oxide,  soluble  in  nitric,  hydro-chloric,  and  sulphuric  acids. 
Ammonia  readily  gives  an  orange  precipitate,  which  detonates  with  a  loud 
report  when  gently  heated,  or  treated  frictionally.  Gallic  acid  furnishes 
a  red  precipitate,  soluble  in  nitric  acid,  when  a  beautiful  blue  is  produced. 
Most  of  the  metals  precipitate  gold  from  nitro-chloric  acid.  Mercury, 
copper,  iron,  zinc,  and  bismuth,  throw  it  down  in  its  metallic  condition; 
and  silver  and  lead  precipitate  it  of  a  dull  purple  hue.  The  precipitate 
afforded  by  tin  is  termed  the  purple  precipitate  of  cassius,  and  is  exten- 
sively used  in  enamelling  and  painting.  The  sulphurets  have  alike 
precipitating  power — the  alkali  unites  with  the  acid,  and  the  gold  falls  in 
combination  with  the  sulphur,  which  may  be  driven  off  under  a  moderate 
heat. 

To  determine  whether  an  article  is  really  gold  or  not,  a  slight  scraping 
of  it  is  put  into  a  test-glass,  adding  a  little  nitric  acid.  If  the  scraping 
is  gold,  the  acid  will  have  no  effect ;  but,  to  make  sure  of  the  point,  it  is 
usual  to  add  some  hydro-chloric  acid,  and  the  treated  metal  will  theu  be 
dissolved  with  effervescence.  A  portion  of  the  liquid  being  then  put 
into  two  test-glasses,  to  one  of  the  quantities  a  few  drops  of  a  solution  of 
gallic  acid  are  added,  and  to  the  other  a  little  chloride  of  tin.  If  gold  is 
present,  the  precipitate,  in  the  first  case,  will  be  reddish,  and  in  the 
latter,  a  fine  purple.  Instead  of  scraping  the  tested  article,  it  is  usual  to 
rub  its  edge  upon  a  piece  of  unglazed  porcelain  or  ground  glass,  covering 
the  mark  so  made  with  nitric  acid,  and  following  the  proceduro  already 
described. 


254 


THE  PRACTICAL  MECHANIC'S  JOURNAL. 


FiC,  1. 


Gold  is  largely  diffused  over  the  earth,  but  in  many  localities  it  occurs 
in  such  minute  and  widely-scattered  fragments,  that  it  will  not  pay  for 
working  expenses.  On  the  other  hand,  portions  of  California  and  Aus- 
tralia, as  all  the  world  knows,  have  proved  splendid  exceptions.     Fig.  1 

of  our  diagrams  will  afford 
Bome  idea  of  the  Australian 
gold  field  strata,  represent- 
ing what  the  diggers  call  a 
"  surface  gullet,''  gold  being 
met  with  at  about  16  feet 
from  the  surface.  Fig.  2  is 
a  section  of  a  "  deep  gullet," 
the  ore  being  36  feet  down. 
The  ore,  or  the  auriferous 
earth,  is  of  a  light  colour, 
largely  mixed  with  quartz 
pebbles,  very  tenacious,  and 
difficult  to  wash.  It  lies 
upon  a  yellowish-brown 
rock,  of  a  rotten  texture, 
known  as  fixed  slate,  whilst 
higher  up,  above  the  gold, 
the  strata  present  igneous 
features.  The  gold  itself  also  gives  the  impression  of  having  been 
melted,  resembling  drops  of  melted  metal  as  poured  into  sand,  the  inden- 
tations being  visible  even  upon  the  smallest  particle  of  the  gold,  when 
microscopically  examined. 

Fig.  3  is  a  microscopical  view  of  a  fragment  of  Australian  gold,   as 
magnified  700  times.     The  Transylvanian  auriferous  lamellar  ore  con- 
tains, in  addition  to  gold  and 


Black  loam  and  quartz. 


White  loam,  clay,  and  sand. 


Brown  clay. 

Gold  layer. 
Yellowish-brown  rock. 


Fig.  2. 


Black  loam  and  quartz. 
Common  clay. 


Quartz  in  a  concrete  mass. 


■ 


j?l'"7i">  w 

IflM 


in  ■■ 


m 


White  loam  and  clay. 


Second  stratum  of  quartz. 

Stratum  of  sand. 

Third  Btratum  of  quartz. 
Gold  stratum. 
Yeilowish-hrown  rock. 


mica,  highly  coloured  with  the  oxide  of  iron 
writer's  analysis: — 

Silica, 

Alumina,    ... 

Potash, 

Oxide  of  Iron, 

Manganese, 


quartz,  silver,  lead,  copper, 
tellurium,  oxide  of  manga- 
nese, and  sulphur.  About 
a  year  ago,  great  excitement 
arose  at  the  Cape  of  Good 
Hope,  in  consequence  of  the 
discovery,  near  Simon's  Bay, 
of  a  substance  said  to  con- 
tain a  large  proportion  of 
gold.  Dr.  P.  G.  Stewart,  of 
Simonstown,  sent  a  quantity 
of  this  suspected  mineral  to 
the  writer  for  his  analysis. 
It  was  found  to  possess  a 
glistening,  yellow,  semi-me- 
tallic lustre ;  but  when  sub- 
mitted to  the  searching 
powers  of  the  microscope, 
its  metallic  brilliancy  dis- 
appeared, especially  when 
viewed  by  transmitted  light, 
when  it  had  a  darkish  grey 
colour,  being  in  thin  semi- 
transparent  plates.  Fig.  4 
iB  a  sketch  of  the  microsco- 
pical appearance  of  small 
particles  of  it.  It  is  un- 
acted upon  by  nitric  acid, 
and  hence,  no  doubt,  arose 
the  error  in  taking  it  to  be 
gold.  In  reality,  it  is  merely 
The  following   is  the 


46 
23 
14 
16 
1 

100 


The  sulphurets  of  iron  ore  and  copper  pyrites  have  also  often  been  sup- 
posed to  be  gold,  but  the  distinction  is  very  easily  made  out.  If  gold, 
scraping  will  betray  a  peculiar  softness.  Its  retention  of  colour  under 
the  blowpipe  is  another  favourable  proof;  but  if  it  burns,  leaving  a 
scoria  behind,  it  is  a  sulphuret  either  of  iron  or  copper.  If  of  iron,  the 
magnet  will  distinguish  it ;  but  it  may  be  a  mixture  of  iron  and  copper. 
To  ascertain  this,  some  of  the  scoria  is  treated  in  a  test-glass,  with  a  few 
drops  of  hydro- chloric  acid,  when  an  effervescing  solution  is  obtained.   A 


little  of  this  liquid  is  then  transferred  to  another  glass,  and  one  of  the 
glasses  must  now  have  added  to  it  a  few  drops  of  ferro-cyanide  of  pot- 
assium— liquid  ammonia  being  added  to  the  other.  If  iron  is  present, 
the  ferro-cyanide  glass  will  become  blue,  the  iron  combining  with  the 


Fig.  3. 


Fig.  4. 


cyanic  acid  of  the  ferro-cyanide  of  potassium,  and  producing  cyanide  of 
iron — Prussian-blue.  If  copper  is  there,  the  glass  will  be  of  a  reddish- 
brown  tint,  cyanide  of  copper  being  formed.  If  iron  and  copper  are  pre- 
sent together,  the  two  metallic  precipitates  will  be  the  result,  and  a 
purple  tint  arises  from  the  intimate  mixing  of  the  red  and  blue  colours. 
The  glass  to  which  ammonia  was  added  will  be  changed  to  a  brownish 
tint,  if  iron  is  present,  and  to  a  fine  blue,  if  copper  is  there. 

By  a  modification  of  Klaproth's  method  of  analysing  gold  ore,  a  deter- 
mined weight  of  the  ore  is  reduced  to  powder  in  a  mortar,  and  digested 
at  a  moderate  heat  with  nitro-chloric  acid.  An  effervescence  now  takes 
place,  and  the  black  colour  of  the  ore  disappears  ;  the  solution  is  then 
poured  upon  a  filter,  the  residuum  being  again  digested  with  hydro-chlo- 
ric acid,  and  the  whole  filtered  again.  In  a  short  time,  crystals  of  the 
chloride  of  gold  are  deposited  in  the  fluid  and  upon  the  filter  paper :  these 
are  treated  by  pouring  boiling  water  upon  them  until  they  are  dissolved, 
when  only  a  portion  of  quartz  and  a  little  sulphur  remain.  The  sulphu- 
rous ingredient  in  the  ore  unites  into  a  coherent  mass,  and  is  conse- 
quently easily  removed  from  the  earthy  residuum,  when  it  is  placed  upon 
a  calcining  test,  and  submitted  to  a  low  heat,  when  the  loss  of  weight 
will  indicate  the  quantity  of  the  contained  sulphur.  The  calcined  sub- 
stance is  then  dissolved  in  hydro- chloric  acid,  adding  to  it  the  foregoing 
solution.  That  portion  of  the  matrix  which  consists  of  white  grains  of 
quartz  is  then  dried  and  weighed,  and  mixed  with  four  times  its  weight 
of  carbonate  of  potash,  and  melted  to  vitrification.  On  breaking  the 
crucible,  a  few  grains  of  silver  will  be  found;  and  these  particles,  on  being 
collected  and  weighed, furnish  an  approximate  idea  of  the  quantity  of  silver 
contained  in  the  ore.  The  nitro-chloric  solution  is  then  concentrated  by 
evaporation,  and,  when  cold,  crystals  of  chloride  of  lead  are  deposited,  and 
these  are  separated  from  the  solution  by  filtration,  when  they  may  be 
reduced  to  the  metallic  state  by  heat.  After  the  concentrated  solution 
is  thus  freed  from  lead,  it  is  diluted  with  a  little  water,  alcohol  being 
added  as  long  as  any  precipitate  falls.  The  mixture  is  then  placed  upon 
a  filter,  edulcorated  with  alcohol,  redissolved  in  hydro-chloric  acid,  and 
again  precipitated  with  caustic  soda.  This  precipitate  is  oxide  of  tel- 
lurium. 

To  ascertain  the  proportion  of  gold,  the  liquid  from  which  the  tellu- 
rium is  obtained  is  put  into  a  retort,  when  the  alcohol  is  distilled  off,  and 
nitrate  of  mercury  is  added  to  the  concentrated  fluid  until  the  brown  pre- 
cipitate no  longer  appears,  and  until  the  white  precipitate  succeeding  the 
brown  one  ceases  to  change  its  own  colour.  The  mixture  is  then  placed 
in  a  warm  atmosphere,  when  the  white  precipitate,  which  is  produced 
by  adding  the  nitrate  of  mercury  in  excess,  gradually  disappears.  The 
heavy  brown  powder,  which  falls  to  the  bottom  of  the  glass,  is  the  oxide 
of  the  gold  sought  for;  and  when  collected  and  fused  in  a  crucible,  with 
nitrate  of  potash,  this  gives  a  bead  of  pure  gold.  The  liquor  from  which 
the  gold  is  precipitated  is  now  saturated  with  carbonate  of  soda  at  a 
boiling  heat,  and  a  copious  grey  precipitate  is  formed,  turning  to  a 
blackish-brown  by  ignition.  When  digested  in  hydro-chloric  acid,  with 
the  addition  of  a  solution  of  carbonate  of  ammonia,  carbonated  oxide  of 
manganese  is  thrown  down,  which,  when  collected  and  dried,  is  of  a 
greyish  colour.  The  blue  liquid  of  the  last  process  is  super-saturated 
with  sulphuric  acid,  by  which  it  is  rendered  colourless,  when  a  plate  of 
polished  iron  is  introduced  into  it,  and  it  is  placed  in  a  warm  atmosphere. 
Under  these  circumstances  the  plate  becomes  coated  with  copper,  the 
proportion  of  which  is  at  once  ascertainable  by  weighing  the  iron  plate 
before  and  after  deposit  in  the  fluid.  When  the  quantity  of  gold  alone 
|  is  required,  the  two  last  processes  are  unnecessary. 


THE  PRACTICAL  MECHANIC'S  JOURNAL. 


255 


THE  SOCIETY  OF  ARTS  EXHIBITION. 
II. 

CAYANAGH'S  ADJUSTING  LOCK  SPINDLE WATERPROOF  CANVAS  HOSE DRAIN- 
ING LEVEL GOLD  ORE  CRUSHER POLYTIXT  PRINTING  MACHINE SEMI- 
TUBULAR  TRANSVERSE  RAILWAY  SLEEPERS BOAT  LOWERING  APPARATUS 

COMBINED    REFRIGERATOR  AXD  FILTER DIOPTRIC    REFRACTORS  FOR  LAMPS 

DISTRIBUTOR  AND  MISER  FOR  GRAIN — -TRUSS  FOR  OVEN  CROWNS — NICOLE'S 

ROTATORY  ENGINE. 

Mr.  Cavanagh,  of  Frederick  Mews,  Connaught  Square,  one  of  whose 
designs  lias  already  been  illustrated  in  this  Journal*  shows  his  "  tubular 
adjusting  lock  spindle,"  one  form  of  which  we  have  delineated  in  figs.  1, 
2,  and  3.  This  spindle  consists  of  three  parts,  the  outer  portions  being 
each  provided  with  a  stud,  arranged  to  fit  into  holes  or  recesses  in  the 

Fig.  l. 


inner  central  part.  The  formation  of  the  spindle  in  three  pieces,  which 
constitutes  the  novelty  of  the  design,  so  arranges  it  that,  on  the  removal 
of  the  centre  piece,  the  other  two  pieces  collapse  or  fall  together,  and  dis- 
engage the  studs  from  their  holes ;'  and  after  this  the  spindle  may  be  set 
to  any  length  by  inserting  the  studs  in  other  holes.     It  is  thus  easily 

Fig.  2. 


adapted  to  any  thickness  of  door — a  most  important  feature  in  house- 
fittings  of  this  class.  Fig.  1  represents  the  spindle  with  one  side  or 
end  in  section  ;  fig.  2  shows  it  in  complete  longitudinal  sectiou  at 
right  angles  to  fig.  1 ;  and  fig.  3  is  a  detached  view  of  one  of  the  side  pieces. 

Here,  a,  are  the 
usual  hollow  turning 
knobs,  B  being  the 
thickness  of  the  door 
through  which  the 
spindle  passes,  taking  into  the  latch  of  the  bolt  or  lock  in  the  usual 
manner,  c  is  a  hollow  metal  rack  shank  inserted  within  the  knob,  for 
the  purpose  of  giving  increased  strength  to  the  adjusting  spindle,  and 
obviating  the  necessity  of  extending  the  mortice  in  the  lock  or  door. 
Set  screws  are  fitted  at  e,  for  fixing  the  knobs  to  the  shanks ;  F  are  the 
rack  openings,  and  g  the  adjusting  studs.  The  three  separate  pieces  of 
which  the  spindle  is  composed  are  indicated  by  the  letters,  B,  I,  j. 

Mr.  E.  Weir  of  Bath  Place,  New  Road,  exhibits  a  useful  "  Waterproof 
Canvas  Hose,"  in  lengths  of  120  feet,  with  gutta  percha  union-joint  con- 
nections. This  hose — which  is  not  more  costly  than  common  sewed  can- 
vas hose,  and  is  only  half  the  cost  of  leather — is  not  subject  to  the  rapid 
destruction  usually  arising  from  alternations  of  moisture  and  dryness,  or 
from  the  acids  of  manures.  Noxious  fluids  may  also  be  passed  through 
it  without  allowing  any  perceptible  odour  to  escape,  so  that  tanks  may 
be  pumped  off,  and  the  contained  fluids  conveyed  to  a  distance  without 
inconvenience. 

The  same  exhibitor's  "  Draining  Level "  is  a  simple  arrangement  of  a 
spirit  tube  upon  a  tripod  stand,  as  an  improvement  upon  the  common 
plumb-line,  which  is  so  liable  to  deranging  influences  in  open  exposed 
An  important  feature  in  this  contrivance  is  its  self-telling 


situations. 


*  Page  228,  Vol.  IV. 


capacity — no  calculation  whatever  being  necessary  on  the  part  of  the 
observer ;  for  when  the  air-bubble  has  been  brought  to  its  dead-level 
central  position,  the  actual  amount  of  inclination  of  the  ground  is  shown 
by  an  index-hand  upon  a  segmental  scale. 

Messrs.  Nourse  &  Co.  of  Cornhill,  here  bring  forward  Berdan's  Gold 
Ore  crushing,  washing,  and  amalgamating  Machine,  as  noticed  by  us 
in  October  last.  The  exhibited  model  is  one-eighth  the  real  size  of  the 
machine,  the  larger  ball  of  which  weighs  two  and  a  half  tons,  and  the 
smaller  one,  one  ton.  This  combination  of  mechanical  crushing  with 
the  action  of  heated  mercury,  seems  to  be  most  successful.  The  same 
exhibitors  also  show  Messrs.  Sands  &  Cumming's  Brick  Machine,  capable 
of  producing  20,000  bricks  per  day,  with  a  single  working  horse — going 
through  the  processes  of  tempering  and  moulding  at  one  operation. 

The  "  Polytint  Printing  Machine "  of  Mr.  H.  C.  Gover,  of  Prince's 
Street,  Bedford  Row,  is  a  very  complete  mechanical  colour-printing  appa- 
ratus, resembling,  in  its  general  features,  the  "  Rotatory  Printing  Ma- 
chine "  of  Mr.  S.  Sharp.*  It  consists  of  a  series  of  plattens,  or  pressing 
surfaces,  according  to  the  number  of  colours  the  machine  is  intended  to 
print,  arranged  equi-distantly  round  a  common  centre.  The  colours  are 
printed  simultaneously  on  a  suitable  number  of  sheets  of  paper,  the 
sheets  being  moved  successively  from  one  block  to  another.  Beneath 
the  plattens  are  placed  the  blocks,  or  surfaces  to  be  printed  from,  each 
block  being  supplied  with  a  different  coloured  ink  by  a  suitable  appara- 
tus. There  is  a  rotating  table,  on  which  are  fixed  the  tympans  for 
carrying  the  paper,  there  being  as  many  tympans  as  there  are  blocks. 
In  order  that  each  sheet  of  paper  may,  in  succession,  receive  an  impres- 
sion from  all  the  blocks,  the  rotating  table,  after  each  action  of  the 
plattens,  carries  the  paper  from  each  block  to  the  next,  and  at  each  such 
action  a  perfect  impression  is  withdrawn,  which  has  successively  received 
the  various  colours ;  the  first  block  is  supplied  with  a  fresh  sheet  of 
paper,  and  the  previously  supplied  sheets  of  paper,  still  in  the  machine, 
are  each  advanced  one  stage.  Unlike  the  letter-press  machine  to  which 
we  have  referred,  where  super-imposed  cylinders  are  used  for  giving  the 
necessary  printing  pressure — constituting  it  a  pure  "  cylinder"  machine, 
Mr.  Gover's  press  is  an  effective  combination  of  the  "  platten  "  and  rota-." 
tory  systems.  The  impressing  action  is  derived  from  a  central  verti- 
cal shaft,  carrying  a  cam  which  actuates  in  succession  a  series  of  knee 
joints,  one  above  each  platten,  for  giving  the  necessary  pressure.  It  is 
easy  to  see  that  accurate  registration  is  secured  by  this  plan ;  and,  as  it 
is  self-inking  and  feeding,  a  high  rate  of  production  is  obviously  attain- 
able. 

Messrs.  Day  &  Laylee,  of  Barrow  Hill,  Ashford,  have  examples  of 
their  "  Semi-tubular  Transverse  Railway  Sleepers,"  in  wrought  and 
cast-iron,  affording  a  favour- 
able instance  of  the  appli-  ■  Fis-  ■*• 
cation  of  metal  to  structures 
of  this  nature.  The 
wrought -iron  sleeper  is 
stamped  and  pressed  out  of 
boilerplate,  and  the  cast- 
iron  seating  for  the  rail  is 
in  two  parts,  with  a  flange 
to  rest  upon  the  arched  top 
of  the  sleeper,  the  rail  being 
secured  in  its  seat  by  a 
wooden  key,  which  is  the 
only     fastening      required. 

The  sketch,  fig.  4,  is  a  longitudinal  section  of  part  of  a  sleeper,  with  the 
rail  in  transverse  section  upon  it.  The  cast-iron  sleeper  is  in  two  parts 
connected  by  wrought-iron  bars  running  across  the  space  between  the 
rails.  The  seating  or  chair  is  cast  with  the  sleeper,  and  the  rail  is  keyed 
in  just  as  we  have  sketched  it.  With  this  plan,  the  bearing  surface 
being  within  three  inches  of  the  top  of  the  rail,  the  whole  depth  of  the 
ballast  is  available  for  the  stability  of  the  road. 

A  "  Truss  for  supporting  the  Crowns  of  Ovens,"  by  Mr.  Thomas  Day, 
Upper  Mall,  Hammersmith,  exhibits  a  satisfactory  mode  of  preventing 
the  expansion  of  the  brickwork  in  these  erections.  It  is  an  admitted 
fact  that,  after  being  some  time  at  work,  the  durability  of  ovens  is 
affected,  not  so  much  by  positive  working  wear,  as  by  some  part  of  the 
mass  giving  way ;  and  it  is  by  no  means  uncommon  for  an  oven  to  re- 
quire fresh  support,  either  by  tyeing  or  shoreing  up,  after  having  been  built 
but  a  few  years,  especially  if  the  erection  is  above  the  earth's  surface. 
This  arises  from  the  crown  being  necessarily  very  flat,  and  a  heavy 
weight  of  brickwork  being  required  on  the  top  to  retain  the  heat,  a 
powerful  pressure  is  produced  on  the  sides,  forcing  out  the  weakest  part. 
But  by  Mr.  Day's  contrivance,  the  crown  is  capable  of  standing  un- 

*  Page  183,  Vol.  I.,  Practical  Mechanic's  Journal. 


256 


THE  PRACTICAL  MECHANIC'S  JOURNAL. 


Fig.  6. 


assisted,  whilst  it  is  deprived  of  its  "  spreading"  influence,  the  truss  act- 
ing on  the  crown  in  the  same  manner  as  a  hoop  on  a  cask.  The  furnace 
may  be  taken  out  and  repaired  without  injuring  the  structure. 

Fig.  5  represents  a  plan  for  lowering  ships'  boats,  by  Mr.  G.  F.  Russell, 
Thames  Chambers,  Adelphi.     By  this  arrangement,  although  the  boat 

possesses  the  great  advantage  of  rest- 
FiS- 5-  ing  her  whole  weight  upon  the  keel 

cranes,  A,  yet  the  very  act  of  lower- 
ing at  once  disengages  her  from  them 
without  hoisting,  at  the  same  time 
projecting  the  boat  several  additional 
feet  from  the  ship's  side,  as  the  link, 
B,  straightens  out,  and  as  both  the 
pendants,  after  passing  over  the  heads 
of  the  cranes,  lead  to  one  barrel  of  the 
winch,  both  ends  of  the  boat  must  be 
lowered  together.  When  near  the 
water,  one  man  can  disengage  the 
boat  fore  and  aft,  by  a  single  band 
lever.  The  winch  is  placed  flush  with 
the  staunchions  inside  thebulwark,  and 
is  fitted  with  a  brake.  One  man  on 
board  can  lower  tbe  boat  when  full ; 
or,  by  a  lanyard  fastened  to  the  brake 
handle,  a  man  in  the  boat  can  lower 
it  by  himself.  The  same  tackle  is 
always  ready  for  hoisting  the  boat,  and 
the  winch  being  placed  at  a  distance 
from  the  cranes,  which  turn  inboard, 
the  boat  can  easily  be  brought  on 
deck. 

The  "  Combined  Refrigerator  and  Filter,"  represented  as  open,  in  fig. 
6,  is  a  most  useful  contrivance.  It  forms  an  ice-safe,  with  a  compart- 
ment for  a  filtering  appara- 
tus, and  a  passage  for  the 
flow  of  the  filtered  water  in 
immediate  contact  with  the 
ice,  so  that  the  water  may  be 
drawn  off  iced.  There  is 
also  a  support  for  the  ice,  so 
that  the  water  formed  there- 
from may  be  readily  collect- 
ed and  withdrawn.  It  is  by 
Mr.  T.  D.  Mills,  of  Vernon 
Street,  Pentonville. 

The  "  Dioptric  Refractors," 
for  artificial  light  of  all  kinds, 
byMr.Boggettof  Lisle  Street, 
Leicester  Square,  present  a 
very  elegant  practical  appli- 
cation of  a  well-known  phi- 
losophical principle.  Here, 
a  prismatic  lens  on  each  side 
of  the  light — as  an  argand 
gas-burner,  for  instance — 
produces  the  appearance  of 
three  perfect  flames. 

Messrs.  Davison  &  Hor- 
rocks,  of  Mark  Lane,  contri- 
bute their  "  Distributor  and 
Mixer,"  for  treating  all  kinds  of  granular  matters  requiring  drying. 
This  is  a  modification  of  the  common  screw  conveyer,  such  as  is  in  use 
in  grain  mills,  the  screw  threads  having  ribs  or  minor  blade-pieces  at- 
tached, so  that,  in  revolving,  these  pieces  turn  over,  and  mingle,  or  dis- 
integrate, the  particles  being  traversed  through.  As  arranged  fdr  such 
a  purpose,  the  screw  conveyers,  with  their  encircling  tubes,  are  built  in 
tiers  inside  a  rectangular  case,  and  the  spindles  of  these  conveyers,  being 
geared  to  work  in  concert,  the  grain  is  passed  through  the  series,  by  being 
fed  into  a  hopper  on  the  top  of  the  case,  and  thence  passed  back  and  for- 
ward from  one  conveyer  to  the  other  through  tubular  end  connections, 
until  finally  discharged  at  the  bottom  of  the  case. 

The  "  Rotatory  Engine"  of  Mr.  Adolphe  Nicole,  of  Dean  Street,  Soho, 
presents  a  mode  of  obtaining  a  direct  rotatory  action  from  the  combina- 
tion of  two  cylinders — an  outer  and  inner  one — the  outer  one  being  fixed, 
whilst  the  inner  one  acts  as  the  revolving  piston.  The  piston  is  con- 
stantly eccentric  to  its  outer  case,  so  that  there  is  a  constant  lunate  space 
between  the  two,  as  in  Barclay's  and  other  engines.  But  the  present 
plan  differs  from  these  in  the  fact,  that  the  piston,  although  carried  upon 


a  crank,  does  not  entirely  rotate.  Fig.  7  is  a  longitudinal  section  of 
the  engine,  and  fig.  8  is  a  transverse  section  corresponding.  The  outer 
stationary  cylinder,  A,  has  within  it  the  revolving  piston,  b,  working  on 
the  crank-pin,  c,  of  the  main  shaft,  d.  The  stop  or  steam  abutment,  e, 
is  fixed  to  the  external  cylinder,  and  passes  through  the  opening,  f,  of 


the  inner  cylinder  or  piston.  At  G  is  a  four-way  cock,  which,  being 
turned  to  the  right  or  left,  allows  the  steam  to  enter  the  cylinder  on 
either  side  of  the  stop,  for  the  reversing  action.  The  working  move- 
ment possesses  some  elegance.  As  the  shaft  with  its  working  crank 
goes  round,  the  slot  in  the  piston  works  back  and  forward  over  the  stop, 
the  space,  f,  allowing  of  the  play  of  the  inner  end  of  the  stop,  as  the 
piston  partially  revolves  upon  its  pin. 


RECENT  FRENCH  INVENTIONS. 

"  SAFETY  PAPER"  FOB  PREVENTING    FORGERY PLATINA    PLATING ELECTRIC 

SMELTING CAVfi'S  COMPENSATING  MARINE  ENGINES — ORNAMENTAL  INCRUS- 
TATION IN  GLASS. 

One  of  the  last  curiosities  of  French  invention  is  the  "  safety  paper" 
— marque  incontrefaisable  ou  genre  de  fabrication  de  papier  inimitable — 
of  M.  Millet.  In  our  language,  this  scheme  would  be  designated 
simply  as  a  plan  for  the  prevention  of  forgery,  the  object  being  the 
production  of  irregular  marks  upon  paper  intended  for  bank-notes  and 
other  negotiable  documents,  so  as  to  place  the  greatest  difficulties  in  the 
way  of  the  forger  copyist.  So  far,  the  highest  ingenuity  has  been  able  to 
do  but  little  for  the  prevention  of  forgeries  of  this  class ;  and  the  tediously 
reiterated  labours  of  "  Messrs.  Perkins,  Bacon,  and  Petch,"  and  their  more 
modern  imitators,  in  the  engraving  of  the  words  "Five  Pounds"  an 


Fig. 1. 


Fig.  2. 


Fig.  3. 


Fig.  4. 


almost  infinite  number  of  times,  on  an  infinitesimally  small  scale,  have 
merely  given  the  forger  a  little  more  trouble,  without  adding  anything 
to  the  honest  man's  security.  Such  a  principle  of  prevention  is  bad ;  for 
whatever  a  skilled  artist  or  engraver  can  execute,  can  be  equally  well 
copied  by  the  clever  forger.  He  must  not  work  by  rule  ;  for,  as  M.  Millet 
remarks,  although  "  distinguished  engineers,  artists,  and  engravers  have 
produced  most  remarkable  results,  as  well  with  regard  to  complexities 


THE  PRACTICAL  MECHANIC'S  JOURNAL. 


257 


of  design  as  to  precision  and  beauty  of  workmanship,  yet  it  has  always 
been  possible  to  imitate  the  marks,  in  spite  of  their  multiplicity  of  lines, 
because,  inasmuch  as  the  devices  were  produced  by  the  hand  of  man, 
they  must  necessarily  admit  of  imitation  in  artistic  hands."  Reasoning 
on  this  point,  it  occurred  to  M.  Millet,  that  in  order  to  manufacture  a 
paper  which  it  would  be  impossible  to  counterfeit,  no  mechanical  means, 
nor  yet  any  direct  handiwork,  should  be  employed  in  producing  the  dis- 
tinguishing figures,  as  such  work  must  always  be  more  or  less  regular 
and  geometrical,  and,  therefore,  susceptible  of  imitation  in  the  hands  of 
a  clever  artist.  M.  Millet,  therefore,  employs  what  may  be  called 
"chance"  figures — such,  for  example,  as  the  chance  irregularities  of 
surface  consequent  upon  the  fracture  of  a  piece  of  metal.  In  carrying 
out  this  idea,  he  obtains  the  nucleus  of  his  design  from  the  transverse 
fracture  of  a  block  of  metal,  wood,  or  coal,  fig.  1;  and  then,  placing  be- 
tween the  corresponding  irregular  surfaces  of  such  fracture  a  piece  of 
lead,  gutta  percha,  or  other  impressionable  substance,  he  obviously  pro- 
duces corresponding  irregular  marks  on  each  side  of  such  soft  material, 
as  at  fig.  2.  Then,  supposing  a  portion  only  of  such  fractured  surface  to 
be  made  use  of  in  the  intended  design,  certain  ciphers  or  devices,  moulded 
in  wax,  are  added  to  the  primary  figure,  forming  a  matrix  or  mould,  from 
which  a  reverse  impression  is  obtainable  in  plaster,  or  any  soft  plastic 
substance,  as  in  fig.  3 — fig.  4  being  the  transverse  section.  From  this, 
again,  any  required  number  of  metal  or  composition  moulds  may  be  made 
for  actual  use,  in  impressing  their  device  upon  the  wire-cloth  of  the  frame 
in  which  the  paper  is  made,  and  thus  each  sheet  of  paper  is  indelibly 
marked  with  the  figure  of  the  original  fracture,  and  the  word  "  Paris,"  or 
whatever  word  or  cipher,  may  be  added  to  it.  Should  a  clever  artist 
succeed  in  imitating  the  irregularities  of  the  mark,  he  would  still  be  very 
far  from  producing  an  accurate  copy,  inasmuch  as  he  has  to  follow,  not 
only  the  various  outlines,  but  also  the  light  and  shade  effect. 

M.  Savard,  an  extensive  worker  in  precious  metals  at  Paris,  has  re- 
cently introduced  "  platina  plating,"  for  works  where  a  non-oxidizable 
metal  is  required.  He  produces,  in  fact,  a  compound  metal,  consisting 
of  leaf  platina,  strengthened  by  being  joined  to  copper,  brass,  silver,  or 
steel,  and  he  thus  secures  a  cheap  and  strong  substance,  possessing  all 
the  peculiarly  valuable  properties  of  solid  platina.  The  plating  process 
may  be  performed  either  with  or  without  the  aid  of  heat.  When  heat 
is  employed,  the  contact  surfaces  of  the  platina  and  the  baser  metal  are 
made  perfectly  clean,  and  then  laid  together  face  to  face,  several  such 
combinations  being  piled  into  one  mass,  with  a  sheet  of  iron  between 
each  series,  if  copper  is  used  as  the  base  metal,  the  iron  being  firstrubbed 
with  garlic  to  prevent  adhesion.  The  pile  is  then  placed  between  two 
external  plates  of  iron  or  steel,  held  together  by  wire  binding,  and  is 
deposited  in  a  furnace  until  it  attains  a  red  heat.  It  is  then  removed 
and  subjected  to  a  powerful  compressing  apparatus,  which  is  more 
effectual  if  made  to  work  with  a  percussive  action,  and  this  treatment 
secures  the  perfect  adhesion  of  the  two  plates  of  each  series.  The  com- 
pound sheets  may  afterwards  be  rolled  and  worked  up,  just  as  if  they 
were  entirely  composed  of  one  metal.  When  heat  is  not  used,  the 
inventor  effects  his  object  by  the  simple  process  of  rolling  under  great 
pressure. 

The  electric  light  has  found  a  novel  application  at  the  hands  of  M. 
G.  A.  Pichon,  in  smelting  ores.     In  carrying  out  this  peculiar  idea,  the 

ores  of   iron,   or 
F'g-5.  whatever  metal  is 

under  treatment, 
are  prepared  in 
the  usual  man- 
ner, with  the  ad- 
dition of  about 
l-100th  of  char- 
coal or  coke,  and 
the  mass  is  then 
fed  down  between 
the  poles  of  two 
'arge  electrodes, 
;wranged  in  two 
or  more  tiers,  in  a 
furnace  or  oven, 
and  connected 
with  a  battery, 
according  to  the 
usual  plan  of  pro- 
ducing the  elec- 
tric light.  As  the 
ore  drops  through 

the   light    fusion  takes  place,  and  the  metal,  with   its   contaminating 
g     alia  down  intoa  heated  receiver  beneath. 
No.  71.-  Vol.  VI. 


Fig.  5  is-  a  vertical  section  of  the  apparatus,  containing  a  duplex 
electric  system.  The  electrodes,  a,  which  are  prisms  of  about  two  feet 
square  and  nine  feet  long,  are  tapered  off  at  one  end  for  about  two  feet, 
whilst  their  opposite  ends  are  enclosed  in  metallic  caps,  b,  each  of  which 
has  a  small  ring  for  connection  to  the  conductive  wires,  c,  of  the  battery. 
A  screw  spindle,  d,  is  also  fitted  into  each  cap,  for  the  purpose  of  ad- 
vancing the  electrodes  as  the  combustion  goes  on. 

In  the  crown  of  the  containing  oven  is  fixed  a  hopper,  e,  supplied  with 
ore  from  the  inclined  trough,  f,  and  the  metallic  mass  is  thus  dropped 
through  the  lights  at  e,  into  a  receiver,  it,  kept  hot  by  a  furnace  be- 
neath, when  the  slag  separates  from  the  molten  metal,  on  account  of  the 
difference  in  the  specific  gravities  of  the  two  masses. 

M.  Pichon  also  proposes  a  modification  of  this  plan,  wherein  one  of 
the  electrodes  is  tubular,  and  the  ore  is  supplied  through  it.  The  electric 
power  is  produced  by  an  electro-magnetic  apparatus,  like  that  used  in 
this  country  for  electro-gilding. 

M.  Cave,  the  eminent  Parisian  engineer,  is  now  introducing  a  new 
form  of  steam-engine,  embodying  apian  of  compensation  for  the  working 


Fig.  7. 

strain  of  the  crank  action,  and  thus  enabling  the  engines  to  be  driven  at 
a  much  higher  velocity  than  is  possible  with  the  ordinary  unbalanced 
arrangement.  The  contrivance,  which  is  a  simple  crank  and  connecting- 
rod  arrangement,  is  represented  in  figs.  6  and  7,  as  applied  to  marine 
purposes.  Fig.  6  is  a  sectional  elevation  of  the  four-cylinder  engines  of  a 
screw  steamer,  two  of  the  cylinders  only  being  actually  seen;  and  fig.  7 
is  a  plan  of  the  duplex  cylinder  arrangement,  forming  one  engine;  the 
other  pair  of  cylinders,  with  the  intermediate  crank-shaft  and  air-pumps, 
being  broken  away.  The  steam  cylinders,  a,  b,  in  each  case,  are  dis- 
posed opposite  to  each  other,  or  right  and  left  athwart-ship,  the  screw-, 
shaft,  c,  being  run  along  the  keel  line,  between  each  pair  of  cylinders. 
The  piston  actions  of  the  two  cylinders  are  conveyed  to  the  main  shaft 
through  a  triple  crank,  D,  e,  e,  the  centre  crank,  d,  being  set  diametri- 
cally opposite  to  the  other  two,  e;  and,  of  course,  in  a  double  marine 
engine,  like  the  present,  the  opposite  duplex  engine  has  three  similar 
cranks  disposed  at  right  angles  to  those  in  the  figures.  The  piston  of 
the  cylinder,  a,  has  a  single  rod  connected  directly,  as  in  a  common 
oscillating  engine,  with  the  central  crank,  d;  whilst  the  piston  of  the 
opposite  cylinder,  b,  has  a  pair  of  parallel  rods  respectively  jointed  to 
the  outside  cranks,  e.  To  give  a  steadier  bearing,  the  piston  rods,  in 
both  cases,  work  through  stuffing-boxes  in  the  external  ends  of  the 
cylinders.  The  valve  motion,  working  slide  valves  of  the  ordinary  kind, 
is  so  arranged  that  the  pistons  are  made  to  traverse  in  opposite  direc- 
tions, as  indicated  by  the  arrows;  hence,  as  one  piston  pulls  just  as 
much  as  the  opposite  one  pushes,  the  action  on  the  crank-shaft  is  similar 
to  that  of  the  hands  upon  the  double  lever  of  an  auger  or  wrench,  and 
the  shaft,  therefore,  turns  without  undue  pressure  upon  its  bearings. 


258 


THE  PRACTICAL  MECHANIC'S  JOURNAL. 


A  novel  system  of  ornamentation  in  glass,  porcelain,  and  metal,  has 
lately  been  patented  in  this  country,  by  Mr.  W.  Johnson,  C.E.,  on  behalf 
of  M.  Gellee,  of  Paris.  It  is  by  a  species  of  incrustation,  or  inlaid  work, 
that  the  invention  is  worked  out,  pieces  of  glass  of  different  columns  being 
laid  one  upon  the  other,  and  united  into  one  mass  by  heat ;  such  com- 
posite masses  are  then  softened  in  an  enamelling  furnace,  and  a  device — 
as  a  rose,  for  instance — is  then  impressed  upon  the  upper  surface  of  the 
glass  by  a  die.  Supposing  a  layer  of  purple  glass  is,  in  this  case,  laid 
upon  a  blue  layer,  the  die  will  impress  the  purple  glass  with  the  body  of 
the  blue  layer,  at  the  same  time  cutting  out  the  glass  to  the  intended 
shape  of  the  brooch  or  other  ornament  to  be  made.  The  design  so  pro- 
duced is  in  intaglio,  and  the  process  is  continued  upon  it  by  grinding 
flat,  and  removing  the  superfluous  glass,  or  that  which  has  not  been 
impressed  by  the  relief  surface  of  the  die.  The  piece  of  glass  is  then 
polished  and  finished,  when  it  presents  a  perfectly  smooth  face,  formed 
by  a  blue  ground,  with  a  purple  flower  in  it.  Instead  of  this  process, 
a  similar  effect  may  be  produced  by  impressing  the  figure  on  a  piece  of 
glass  of  one  colour,  and  then  uniting  a  second  colour  by  heat. 

By  another  modification,  the  figure  is  punched  out  of  one  colour,  and 
inserted  into  a  corresponding  hole  in  another;  any  number  of  colours 
being  thus  incrustcd  at  pleasure. 

SCOTT'S  CONTINUOUS-ACTION  SCREW  PURCHASE 

FOR  SLIPS. 

(Illustrated  by  Plate  143.) 

Mr.  Scott,  whose  excellent  arrangements  of  hydrostatic  keel-blocks 
and  swivel-arms  for  slips  have  been  fully  illustrated  in  our  Plate  73, 
Vol.  IV.,  lias  here  introduced  a  still  more  valuable  adjunct  for  the 
shipbuilder's  slip  and  dockyard.  This  contrivance  is  a  very  elegant  me- 
chanical combination  for  working  slips  by  an  easy  continuous  drawing 
action,  whereby  vessels  may  be  drawn  up  from  the  water,  and  again  let 
down  into  it  by  a  traverse  movement,  at  once  powerful,  steady,  and 
convenient.  Fig.  1  on  Plate  143,  is  a  longitudinal  section  of  a  portion 
of  a  slip,  showing  the  purchase  in  side  elevation  complete.  Fig.  2  is  a 
corresponding  plan  of  the  purchase. 

The  essential  feature  of  the  traction  apparatus  is,  a  large  compound  or 
right  and  left  threaded  screw,  a,  laid  down  at  the  head  of  the  slip,  and 
carried  in  end  bearings,  b  c,  set  on  a  timber  base,  forming  the  upper 
surface  of  a  massive  foundation,  d.  The  outer,  or  higher  projecting 
end  of  this  screw,  carries  a  large  spur  wheel,  e,  by  which  it  is  actuated 
through  a  train  of  gearing  in  connection  with  the  steam-engine,  or  other 
prime  mover  of  the  establishment.  Each  thread  of  the  screw — the  junc- 
tion of  the  two  threads  being  at  the  exact  longitudinal  centre  of  the 
spindle — carries  a  massive  nut,  f,  o,  both  nuts  being  expanded  laterally, 
to  such  an  extent  as  to  fit  in  between  the  longitudinal  guide-frame  pieces, 
H,  bolted  down  to  the  foundation  and  to  the  end-hearing  pedestals  of  the 
screw.  The  upper,  or  right  hand  nut,  g,  has  attached  to  it  a  pair  of  paral- 
lel traction  rods,  i,  running  down  one  on  each  side  of  the  screw,  and  at 
the  same  axial  level.  These  rods  work  freely  through  eyes  in  the  left  hand 
nut,  f,  as  well  as  through  similar  holes  in  the  bearing,  «,  and  pass  thence 
to  the  large  duplex  horse-shoe  hook  or  link,  J,  k,  to  which  they  are 
jointed  by  link  discs  at  i..  This  arrangement  forms  one  of  the  hauling 
movements  for  the  ship  carriage.  The  other  is  made  up  of  another  pair 
of  parallel  traction  rods,  m,  which  are  connected  to  the  left  hand  nut,  f, 
passing  thence  through  eyes  in  the  pedestal,  b,  outside  the  first  pair, 
and  through  pedestal  guides,  n,  bolted  to  the  timber  base  of  the  incline, 
and  they  terminate  in  a  larger  duplex  hook,  o,  r,  to  which  they  are  jointed 
by  disc  links,  q,  as  before. 

The  hauling  chain,  r,  is  formed  of  flat  iron  links,  in  alternate  sets  of 
three  and  four  pieces,  jointed  by  transverse  pins,  like  the  chains  of  a 
suspension  bridge.  The  lower  end  of  this  chain  is  connected  in  the  usual 
way  to  the  ship  carriage  on  the  slip  incline,  running  down  to  the  water 
at  s,  the  upward  course  of  the  chain  being  in  the  line  of  the  main  trac- 
tion screw,  a,  over  which  it  passes,  upon  a  line  of  supporting  pulleys  on 
a  timber  stage,  t,  to  the  coiling-drum,  n.  The  connection  of  the  travers- 
ing nuts,  f,  g,  and  their  duplex  hooks,  j,  o,  with  the  hauling  chain,  is 
by  means  of  square  shoulders,  v,  formed  on  the  links  at  each  joint  eye, 
and  contrived  so  that  the  upper  pieces,  j,  o,  of  the  traction-hooks  may 
fall  over,  by  their  own  weight,  and  catch  upon  the  shoulders  at  each 
change,  whilst  the  corresponding  lower  pieces,  k,  p,  are  borne  up  to 
catch  in  a  similar  way,  by  blade-springs  underneath,  each  portion  of  the 
hooks  being  loosely  jointed  to  the  disc  links,  l,  q. 

The  whole  of  the  movements  are  driven  by  the  first  motion  shaft,  w, 
in  connection  with  the  steam-engine.  The  spur  wheel,  x,  on  this  shaft, 
gears  with  a  wheel,  y,  fast  on  a  short  carrier  shaft,  having  upon  it  a 
pinion,  z,  in  gear  with  a  large  spur  wheel,  a.     The  wheel,  a,  is  fast  on 


a  longer  shaft,  6,  carrying  as  well  three  wheels  of  regularly  graduated 
diameters,  gearing  with  three  inverse  corresponding  wheels  on  the  shaft, 

c.  These  wheels  are  capable  of  being  engaged  in  any  given  pairs,  like 
the  speed  cones  of  a  lathe,  so  that  the  shaft,  c,  can  be  driven  at  three 
different  rates,  with  a  continuously  regular  motion  of  the  driving  shaft. 
As  represented  in  the  plate  the  slowest  motion  is  in  gear,  the  least 
wheel  of  the  driving  series,  on  the  shaft,  6,  being  in  gear  with  the  largest 
one  on  the  opposite  shaft,  c.    This  latter  shaft  also  carries  a  spur  pinion, 

d,  driving  the  large  wheel,  e,  on  the  right  and  left  screw  spindle ;  and 
its  prolonged  end  also  carries  a  bevil  pinion,  e,  in  gear  with  the  bevil 
wheel,  /,  fast  on  the  spindle  of  the  capstan  or  windlass  barrel,  g,  for  a 
simple  hauling  motion.  This  driving  gearing,  which,  of  course,  may  be 
variously  arranged  to  suit  actual  localities,  is  also  furnished  with  revers- 
ing gear,  such  as  an  open  and  crossed  belt  movement,  for  the  purpose  of 
driving  the  screw  in  alternate  directions.  The  action  of  the  purchase  is 
this : — The  ship  being  upon  the  carriage,  one  of  the  drag  hooks  of  the 
traversing  nuts  is  passed  upon  one-of  the  angular  shoulders  of  the  trac- 
tion chain,  just  as  both  hooks  are  represented  in  our  drawing.  The 
gearing  is  then  put  in  motion  to  drive  the  screw,  and  the  obvious  result 
of  the  screw's  rotation  is,  that  one  of  the  nuts,  F,  G,  is  made  to  traverse 
along  its  guides,  h,  towards  the  central  junction  of  the  right  and  left 
threads,  whilst  the  other  traverses  in  the  opposite  direction,  so  as  to  ap- 
proach one  end  of  the  spindle.  In  the  position  here  selected  for  illustra- 
tion, the  two  nuts  are  shown  at  the  extreme  ends  of  the  spindle,  the  nut, 
g,  having  traversed  to  the  landward  extremity  of  the  screw,  whilst  the 
nut,  f,  has  similarly  reached  the  other,  or  seaward  end.  The  screw's 
movement  is  therefore  to  be  reversed  at  this  stage,  causing  the  two  nuts 
to  approach  each  other,  the  hook,  o,  becoming  the  hauler;  whilst  the 
other  one,  J,  slides  freely  back  over  the  smooth  edge  of  the  chain.  The 
traverse  of  each  nut  is  made  to  correspond  exactly  with  the  length  of 
the  individual  chain  links,  so  that,  as  the  screw  is  continuously  driven 
in  alternate  directions,  each  hook  alternately  catches  and  slips  in  its 
operation  upon  the  chain,  and  the  carriage  with  the  ship  upon  it,  is  thus 
steadily  and  continuously  drawn  up  the  incline. 

The  hauling  chain  is  always  preserved  in  its  complete  unbroken  con- 
dition, and,  as  a  convenient  means  of  stowing  the  hauled  up  length,  it 
is  wound  upon  the  hexagonal  drum,  u.  Each  of  the  sides  of  this  drum 
corresponds  exactly  with  the  length  of  the  chain  links,  so  that  in  winding 
up,  the  bend  can  always  take  place  with  facility,  from  the  joints  hitting 
the  angles  as  they  come  round.  The  pair  of  inclined  standards,  h,  carry 
this  drum,  by  means  of  the  horizontal  screw  shaft,  i,  the  ends  of  which, 
j,  are  squared  to  fit  immoveably  in  square  recesses  on  the  tops  of  the 
standards.  The  boss  of  the  drum  is  formed  as  a  nut  to  fit  the  screwed 
shaft,  the  pitch  of  the  threads  of  which  is  made  to  agree  with  the  space 
required  for  the  chain  coils.  In  this  way,  when  the  hauling  commences, 
the  drum  is  always  stationed  near  one  end  of  its  spindle,  and  as  the  loose 
end  of  the  chain  comes  forward,  it  passes  upon  the  drum,  causing  the 
latter  to  turn  as  each  link  is  laid  on.  This  revolution  of  the  drum  then 
causes  its  lateral  traverse  along  the  screw,  so  that  the  chain  coils  are 
thus  wound  up  spirally,  without  interfering  with  each  other.  As  the 
carriage  is  lowered  to  the  water,  the  reverse  movement  takes  place,  and 
the  chain  winds  off,  each  link  being  supported  in  turn  as  it  goes  down, 
by  the  traction  hooks  alternately,  just  as  in  the  upward  traverse. 

Our  drawings  are  made  from  a  purchase  constructed  by  Messrs.  Lyon, 
Lawson,  &  Co.,  of  Camlachie,  Glasgow,  for  an  Australian  slip.  To  that 
firm  considerable  credit  is  due,  for  the  general  working  out  of  the  designs, 
and  the  arrangement  of  the  mechanical  details.  The  purchase  is  decicledy 
the  best  which  has  been  hitherto  devised,  whether  as  regards,  the  beauti- 
fully steady  and  uniform  action  of  the  right  and  left  screw  movement, 
or  the  elegant  means  of  coiling  up  the  hauling  chain  in  one  unbroken 
length. 

MECHANIC'S  LIBRARY. 


Ancient  Art,  Illustrations  of,  4to.,  25s.,  cloth.    Rev.  E.  Trollope. 
Curvilinear  Perspective  of  Nature,  12s.  6d.    W.  G.  Herdman. 

RECENT  PATENTS. 


EVAPORATING  AND  CONCENTRATING  APPARATUS. 

G.  I.Higginson,  Meeting-house  Lane,  Dublin. — Patent  dated  May  25,  1853. 

This  very  elegant  contrivance  consists  of  a  hollow  rotating  screw, 
working  in  the  liquid  to  be  evaporated,  and  having  steam  passed  through 
the  continuous  flattened  chamber  formed  by  the  spiral  threads,  so  as  to 
furnish  an  extended  heating  surface  for  lifting  up  thin  films  of  the  eva- 
porating matter.     Our  engraving  represents  the  evaporator  in  longitu- 


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THE  PRACTICAL  MECHANIC'S  JOURNAL. 


IV.) 


dinal  section,  as  used  for  the  concentration  of  syrup  in  the  sugar  manu- 
facture. In  this  figure,  a  is  the  evaporating  chamber  containing  the 
liquid  to  be  evaporated.  It  is  open  on  its  upper  side,  and  is  surrounded 
externally,  on  all  its  other  sides,  by  a  steam  space,  B,  formed  by  the 
external  jacket  or  casing,  c.  On  the  upper  edge,  at  each  end  of  this 
chamber,  is  a  bearing,  d  e,  forming  the  end  carrying  supports  for  the 
main  tubular  shaft,  f  g,  which  is  made  to  rotate  at  the  desired  rate 
by  means  of  a  spur-wheel,  h,  keyed  on  one  end  of  the  shaft,  and  in  gear 


with  any  convenient  prime  mover.  It  is  on  this  main  shaft  that  the 
hollow  screw  blade,  or  spiral  disc  thread,  i,  is  wound.  This  screw 
thread,  which  is  of  narrow,  double-convex,  transverse  section  externally, 
as  represented  at  j,  may  be  conveniently  made  of  dished  or  hollowed 
metal  plates,  built  and  soldered,  or  otherwise  attached  together.  It  forms 
a  continuous  steam  thoroughfare  from  end  to  end,  contrived  so  as  to 
present  a  broad  thin  stratum  of  steam  to  the  evaporating  liquid,  the 
level  of  which,  in  the  containing  chamber,  is  represented  at  k.  The 
heating  steam  for  the  entire  apparatus  passes  from  the  boiler  through 
the  fixed  pipe,  l,  at  one  end  of  the  shaft,  the  open  inner  end  of  which 
pipe  is  connected  with  the  shaft  by  the  stuffing-box,  m,  so  that  the  shaft 
has  liberty  to  revolve  quite  independently  of  the  pipe,  l.  The  open  end 
of  the  pipe,  l,  is  in  a  direct  line  with  the  tubular  end,  n,  of  the  main 
shaft,  so  that  the  steam,  in  passing  from  the  pipe,  f,  can  flow  through 
the  stuffing-box,  m,  without  escaping  as  the  shaft  revolves.  The  tubular 
portion,  s,  of  the  shaft,  thus  supplied  with  steam,  has  a  lateral  opening, 
o,  communicating  freely  with  the  end  of  the  spiral  screw,  through  the 
hollow,  j,  of  which  the  steam  can  thus  flow  uninterruptedly  along  the 
whole  of  the  convolutions.  After  thus  traversing  along  all  the  turns  of 
the  screw,  the  steam  similarly  escapes  through  a  lateral  opening,  p,  at 
the  opposite  end  of  the  shaft,  into  the  hollow,  o_,  at  that  end  of  the  shaft. 
At  this  point,  a  second  stuffing-box,  r,  serves  to  form  a  steam-tight 
communication  between  the  hollow  in  the  revolving  main  shaft  and 
a  stationary  curved  pipe,  the  other  end  of  which  pipe  is  bent  back,  and 
opens  into  the  steam  case,  b,  of  the  containing  vessel,  A,  at  the  point,  t. 
In  this  way  the  steam,  after  exercising  its  evaporative  effects  upon  the 
spiral  blades  or  screw,  i,  is  employed  in  keeping  the  containing  vessel 
well  heated.  Whatever  water  of  condensation  ma}'  be  formed  in  the 
steam  space,  e,  is  allowed  to  flow  off  by  a  small  pipe,  u,  and  at  the  op- 
posite end  of  the  apparatus  is  a  large  pipe,  v,  opening  into  the  contain- 
ing chamber,  for  the  periodical  discharge  of  the  boiled  matter. 

In  working  this  apparatus,  the  constant  revolution  of  the  screw  both 
exposes  a  large  heating  surface  to  the  evaporating  mass,  and,  at  the  same 
time,  traverses  and  agitates  that  mass  in  the  vessel  by  the  screw  action. 
Hollow  discs,  or  surfaces  of  other  forms,  may  likewise  be  used  instead  of 
screw  blades  for  a  similar  purpose;  and,  instead  of  causing  the  heated 
surfaces  to  revolve  continuously,  a  reciprocatory  rotation  may  be  em- 
ployed; whilst,  for  some  purposes,  the  steam  maybe  entered  the  reverse 
way,  first  passing  through  the  outer  casing  of  the  containing  vessel, 
and  afterwards  through  the  screw  blades. 


MOULDING  IN  METAL. 

Jumajt  Bernard,  London. — Patent  dated  April  25,  1853. 

The  versatile  inventive  talents  of  Mr.  Bernard  have  been  devoted,  in 
this  instance,  to  the  development  of  a  highly  elegant  mode  of  casting  in 
metal,  or  moulding  in  plastic  substances,  whereby  a  peculiarly  effective 
sharpness  in  the  reproduction  of  form  is  secured.  The  entire  novelty 
lies  in  the  fact  of  the  extraction  of  the  atmosphere  from  the  moulds  or 
matrices,  in  which  the  shaping  takes  place.  When  metal  is  operated 
upon  in  this  way,  the  pot,  ladle,  or  crucible,  concerned  in  the  process, 


V\\\\\\\E\\\\\\\\V 


may  have  a  plugged  hole  in  the  bottom,  the  vessel  being  placed  over  » 
channel  in  communication  with  the  mould;  and  the  mould  may  be  kept 
at  any  desired  temperature  by  steam  or'heated  air. 

Fig.  1  is  a  vertical  section  of  the  arrangement,  as  applied  in  casting  a 
steam-engine 

cylinder.  The  Fis-  *■ 

mould  boxes, 
A,n,  arejoined 
together  by 
the  flanges,  c, 
one  of  the  sec- 
tions having 
its  bottom 
cast  on  it, 
whilst  the 
other  one  is 
fitted  with 
additional 
flanges,  d,  to 
receive  the 
cover-plate,  e. 
Both  sections 
may        have 

supporting  bars,  f.  The  mould  is  prepared  in  the  usual  way,  the  sec- 
tional surfaces  being  so  placed  together  as  to  be  air-tight,  the  object 
being  to  exclude  the  atmosphere  from  the  moulding  space,  G. 

The  ladle,  h,  is  supported  on  the  fire-brick  mass,  i,  composed  of  two 
pieces,  the  division  being  along  the  channel,  j.  A  bed  of  loam,  k,  is 
laid  in  the  seat  of  the  ladle,  to  exclude  the  ail-,  and  a  fire-clay  plug,  l, 
into  the  bottom  aperture  of  the  crucible,  being  kept  in  its  place  by  the 
superincumbent  pressure  of  the  fluid  metal. 

At  m  is  a  stop-cock,  temporarily  fitted  into  the  top  of  the  moulding 
boxes,  and  a  flexible  tube  is  led  from  this  cock  to  an  air-pump,  and  the 
air  is  in  this  way  exhausted  from  the  moulding  space.  W"hen  a  suffi- 
cient vacuum  has  been  made  by  pumping,  the  cock,  m,  is  closed,  and  the 
plug,  i,,  in  the  ladle,  is  withdrawn ;  so  that  the  atmospheric  pressure 
forces  the  metal  down  from  the  ladle  into  the  mould,  from  the  bottom, 
until  the  level  of  the  cup,  N,  at  the  top,  is  reached.  The  opening  in  the 
bottom  of  this  cup  is  closed  before  the  exhaustion  takes  place,  by  a  lower 
disc,  o,  fitted  loosely  on ;  but  when  the  metal  reaches  this  point,  the 
disc  is  displaced,  and  the  presence  of  the  melted  metal  in  the  cup,  N,  in- 
dicates that  a  sufficient  quantity  has  been  poured  in.  The  plug,  l,  of 
the  ladle  is  then  let  down,  to  stop  any  farther  supply ;  and  thus  none 
can  enter  the  cock,  m.  When  the  cast- 
ing operation  is  completed,  the  ladle  is 
removed,  and  the  brick  base,  i,  is  divided 
longitudinally,  so  that  the  solidified  metal 
within  it  is  easily  extracted. 

Fig.  2  is  a  vertical  section  of  a  mould, 
similarly  contrived,  for  shaping  plastic 
substances.  The  mould,  a,  is  in  two 
halves,  joined  by  central  flanges,  b,  to 
form  an  air-tight  joint.  In  the  instance 
before  us,  a  flower  vase  is  being  cast,  the 
internal  core,  c,  forming  the  capacity  of 
the  vase,  being  held  in  position  by  the 
slightly  overlapping  conical  piece,  d,  at 
its  upper  end.  An  exhausting  cock  is 
fitted  to  the  mould  at  e,  and  an  inlet,  f, 
is  made  at  the  bottom,  for  the  admission 
of  the  plastic  matter.  When  exhaustion 
takes  place  through  the  cock,  e,  the  bot- 
tom stop-cock,  G,  is  closed;  and  when 
the  vacuum  has  been  formed,  the  cocks 
are  reversed.  The  plastic  material  is 
thus  forced  into  the  mould  by  atmo- 
spheric pressure,  aided  or  not  by  sepa- 
rate mechanical  force. 

In  addition  to  his  treatment 
of  metals  by  this  process,  Mr. 
Bernard    proposes     to    mould 
gutta      percha,      caoutchouc, 
earthenware,  and  other  plastic  or  soluble 
matters,  in  a  similar  may,  thus  giving 
the  accuracy  and  sharpness  so  much  de- 
sired in  all  objects  where  external  configuration  is  the  essential  feature 
in  the  design. 


2G0 


THE  PRACTICAL  MECHANIC'S  JOURNAL. 


TIMBER  SHIP-BUILDING. 

Samuel  Schollick,  Ulvenston. — Patent  dated  May  20,  1853. 

Mr.  Schollick's  invention,  which  essentially  relates  to  the  construc- 
tion of  the  frames  of  timber-built  ships,  is  a  clever  contrivance  for  com- 
bining pieces  of  timber  in  such  a  manner  as  to  secure  great  strength 
in  the  curved  framing  pieces. 

Fig.  1,  a1  and  e1,  represents  the  timbers  as  primarily  cut  for  bending. 
Fig.  2,  a2  and  b2,  is  a  view  of  the  timbers  bent  on  the  wooden  plat- 
Fig.  1.  Fig.  2. 


Fig.  3. 


form,  and  screwed  and 
wedged      t  iy  111  ly       to- 
gether to  the  intended  curvature,  after  being  steamed.     Fig.  3,  a3  and 
b3,  shows  the  curved  frames  set  up  for  planking. 

In  commencing  to  build  a  ship  on  this  principle,  the  timbers  are  all 
sawn  out,  ill  the  first  instance,  to  the  form,  a1  b1,  in  fig.  1,  and  in  this 

state  they  are  put  up 
to  season.  When 
ready  for  putting  the 
ship  together,  the 
pieces  are  steamed 
and  bent  on  a  plat- 
form and  allowed  to 
cool  down  in  that 
position.  Tarred  felt 
is  then  inserted  be- 
tween the  saw-gates, 
and  the  iron  rods, 
shown  at  e,  in  fig.  3, 
are  put  on,  to  keep 
them  to  the  required 
shanc  until  the  ri- 
bands are  put  on,  and 
the  framing  is  ready 
for  planking.  The 
rods  can  then  be  cut 
up  for  bolts,  and  the 
eyes  are  found  useful 
in  various  parts  of 
the  ship. 

The  part,  c,  is  a 
piece  of  stern  fram- 
ing, as  set  up  after 
this  plan  of  treat- 
ment; and  at  d  is  a 
piece  of  framing, 
keyed  together  sideways,  to  prevent  their  lifting.  This  shows  water- 
ways behind.  At  f  is  a  tenon  in  foot  of  stern  framing,  to  fasten  into 
dead-wood.  The  limber,  a,  is  continued  and  scarfed  on  the  other  side  of 
the  ship,  like  that  between  a3  and  b3.  Inside  planking  may  be  put  on 
teinyrarily  at  first,  a  ,d   thjn    the    outside,  bolting  the   two  firmly  to- 


gether.    Framing  so  made  is  nearly  as  strong  as  that  made  of  solid 
timbers;  and  hence  it  has  received  the  name  of  "  whole  framing." 

CONICAL  FIRE-BOX  BOILER. 
John  Cameron,  Manchester. — Patent  dated  Nov.  3,  1852. 

This  is  a  vertical  boiler,  with  a  cylindrical  shell,  hemispherical  on  its 
top.     Fig.  1  is  a  vertical  section,  and  fig.  2  a 
sectional  plan  of  the  boiler.     The  fire-box  is  Fig.  1. 

formed  of  two  cones — a 'large  external  cone, 
a,  with  an  inverted  cone,  e,  within  it.  These 
two  cones  converge  to  a  junction  at  their 
upper  ends,  the  connection  between  them  being 
by  an  annular  piece  of  semi-circular  section. 
There  are  two  fire  doors,  c,  set  one-third  of 
the  shell's  circumference  apart ;  and  the  whole 
stands  upon  an  open  cast-iron  base,  D,  through 
which  the  central  water-space  cone,  b,  de- 
scends. The  smoke  passages,  e,  are  made 
near  the  top  of  the  external  cone,  the  gaseous 
current  being  made  to  pass  off,  along  curved 
external  channels,  to  the  chimney  at  F.  Un- 
der this  form,  the  boiler  is,  of  course,  an  inde- 
pendent metal  structure ;  but,  by  encasing  the 
external  shell  with  brickwork,  leaving  an  an- 
nular space  between  the  brickwork  and  the 
shell,  the  heated  air  may  pass  along  this  space 
to  the  chimney,  and  so  make  the  external  sur- 
face available  for  heating. 

Such  a  boiler  possesses  many  advantages. 
It  is  economical  in  space,  it  is  easily  made, 
and  it  is  of  the  strongest  form  consistent  with 
economy.  The  inclined  cone  surfaces  are  also 
favourable  to  the  due  application  of  the  heat ; 
and  a  very  thin  stratum  of  water  is  opposed 
to  the  heating  surfaces,  whilst  the  water  line 
presents  the  whole  area  of  the  boiler.  In  the 
event  of  the  water  running  low,  the  strongest 
and  least  heated  part  of  the  fire-box  is  first  laid 
bare,  and  any  deposit  from  the  water  is  produc- 
tive of  far  less  injui  y  than  in  common  boilers. 
There  are  also  several  favourable  points  in  it 
as  regards  marine  purposes. 

Amongst  other  examples  of  working  boilers 
on  this  construction,  one,  which  has  been 
twelve  months  in  use,  blew  off  steam  from  its  Fie- 2' 

safety  valve,  loaded  to  25  lbs.,  in  twenty  minutes  after  lighting  the  fire. 


CHIMNEY-TOPS   AND  FLUES. 

Robert  Lister, 

Scotsu-ood  Tile    Works,  Newcastle. 

Patent  dated  June  17,  1853. 

This  is  a  very  simple  contrivance 
for  aiding  chimney  draughts  and 
ventilation,  and  preventing  "  down 
draughts,"  the  only  addition  to  the 
common  flue  or  chimney-top  being 
a  few  small  tubes.  These  tubes 
may  be  placed  either  inside  or  out. 
In  our  illustrative  figure  they  are 
disposed  outside,  in  a  spiral  form, 
the  top  or  shell  itself  consisting  of  a 
square  base,  A,  immediately  above 
which  is  a  torus,  or  annular  and 
rounded  moulding,  B,  joined,  by  a 
small  fillet,  c,  to  the  main  cylindrical 
or  slightly  tapered  body,  d,  of  the 
chimney-tnp.  It  is  around  this  last- 
mer.tiuned  portion  of  the  chimney- 
top  that  the  draught-tubes,  e,  are 
disposed.  Their  lower  ends  are 
immediately  above  the  narrow 
fillet,  c ;  these  ends  are  open  to  the 
external  air,  and  may  be  formed  in 
any  manner  that  may  be  deemed 
best  for  receiving  or  catching  any 


THE  PRACTICAL  MECHANIC'S  JOURNAL. 


2C1 


current  of  air.  Thus,  they  may  be  formed  with  openings  of  the  same 
diameter  as  the  body  of  the  tube,  or  they  may  be  formed  with  trumpet- 
shaped  mouths,  so  as  to  catch  external  air  currents,  and  direct  them  up 
the  bodies  of  the  conducting  tubes.  These  tubes,  e,  are  made  cylindrical 
throughout,  from  mouth  to  mouth,  and  they  may  either  be  made  of  clay, 
or  other  plastic  material,  or  of  metal.  In  the  example  before  us,  their 
lower  receiving  mouths  are  turned  with  a  slight  curve  outwards,  and 
from  this  point  each  tube  winds  spirally  round  the  chimney  shell  or  top, 
and  then  passes  into  the  interior  of  the  top,  through  a  suitable  aperture 
in  the  thickness  of  the  shell,  at  a  point  just  beneath  the  bead  or  annular 
moulding,  f.  After  passing  through  the  shell's  thickness,  each  tube 
bends  sharply  upwards,  as  at  g.  The  whole  of  the  tubes  are  arranged  in 
a  precisely  similar  manner,  and  after  this  internal  return  bend,  each 
passes  up  to  the  level  of  the  line,  a  b,  so  as  to  form  a  ring  of  tubes  rather 
less  in  diameter  than  the  internal  diameter  of  the  chimney-top,  and 
stopping  somewhat  short  of  the  top  of  the  ornamental  capital,  h,  of  the 
chimney-top. 

Mr.  Lister  shows  several  other  forms  of  chimney-tops,  with  the  addi- 
tional draught-tubes  variously  arranged.  In  one  of  these  modifications, 
the  tubes  run  parallel  with  the  axis  of  the  main  shell ;  in  another,  instead 
of  a  series  of  tubes,  an  internal  cylinder  is  fitted  to  the  main  shell,  leav- 
ing an  annular  space  between  the  two.  A  ring  of  lateral  openings  is 
made  in  the  main  shell,  just  above  the  bottom  moulding,  to  form  a  com- 
munication between  the  external  atmosphere  and  the  annular  space,  and 
the  internal  shell  is  carried  up  to  the  same  height  as  the  separate  tubes 
in  our  engraving. 

With  chimney-tops  arranged  according  to  this  general  principle,  all 
side  currents  will  be  directed,  more  or  less,  up  some  of  the  external 
tubes,  or  along  the  internal  annular  passage,  so  as,  on  escaping  near  the 
head  of  the  capital,  the  ascending  air  stratum  inside  the  top  will  act  upon 
the  passing  smoke  and  gases,  and  greatly  improve  the  chimney  draught. 
At  the  same  time,  if  a  "  blow-down"  is  threatened,  these  tubes  or  pas- 
sages will  afford  material  aid  in  preventing  the  down  flow  of  the  smoke, 
by  carrying  off  the  deranging  air  current  clear  of  the  chimney  current. 

MARINE  CHRONOMETERS. 

George  Philcox,  London. — Patent  dated  Nov.  13,  1853. 


Fig.l. 


3L_ 


Fig.  1  is  a  plan,  and 
fig.  2  is  a  side  elevation, 
of  Mr.  Philcox's  new 
compensating  balance,  a 
is  the  plain  steel  or 
brass  balance,  with  com- 
pensating arms,  e,  com- 
posed of  brass  and  steel 
in  the  usual  way,  the 
attachment  to  the  bal- 
ance being  by  one  or 
two  screws,  c.  One  of 
the  balance  weights  is 
at  d,  the  other,  being 
under  the  bracket,  and 
at  e,  are  the  regulating 
screws.  An  eccentric 
screw,  f,  is  introduced, 
to  adjust  the  compensat- 
ing arms,  e,  in  extremely 
cold  temperatures.  The 
chief  improvement  in 
this  balance  consists  in 
the  employment  of  two 
volute  springs,  g,  g', 
which  act  in  reverse 
directions,  by  which 
means  all  variation  in 
the  action  of  the  springs, 
due  to  change  of  tem- 
perature, is  compen- 
sated for.  In  figs.  3 
and  4,  respectively  a 
plan  and  elevation,  ano- 
ther arrangement  is 
shown,  in  which  the  re- 
verse springs  are  on 
opposite  sides  of  the 
balance  -  wheel.  The 
same    literal   references 


and  description  apply  to  figures  3  and  4  as  to  figures  1  and  2;  k 
is  the  spindle  of  the  balance-wheel  and  h  is  the  bracket,  to  which 
the  outer  ends  of  the  springs  are  attached.  Mr.  Philcox's  im- 
proved escapement  is  represented  in  three  different  positions  in  figs. 


5,  6,  and  7.  c  is  a  notched  disc  upon  the  spindle  of  the  propelling 
lever,  and  is  acted  upon  by  the  escape  disc,  n,  whilst  a  second  disc,  f, 
below,  acts  upon  a  pro- 
jection on  the  spindle  of 
the  disc,  c.  In  this  ar- 
rangement a  great  deal 
of  rubbing  surface  is 
got  rid  of,  and  the  fric- 
tion is  consequently  re- 
duced. This  escape- 
ment is  used  in  combi- 
nation with  a  train,  by 
means  of  which  half- 
seconds  are  obtained  by 
a  fifth  wheel.  Where  a 
fifth  wheel  is  not  em- 
ployed, the  escapement 
disc,  r>,  must  have  nine 
acting  points  cut  upon 
it,  instead  of  four.  Mr. 
Philcox,  however,  re- 
commends the  intro- 
duction of  a  fifth  wheel, 
stating,  that  he  thereby 
obtains  a  much  better 
action. 

A  plan  is  also  shown 
of  jewelling  the  staff 
of  the  impulse  lever 
with  a  solid  ruby, 
instead  of  the  hollow 
one  now  used,  and 
also  a  form  of  pen- 
dulum rod,  in  which 
pieces  of  steel  and  brass 
are  combined,  in  a  pe- 
culiar manner,  so  as  to 
compensate  for  any  va- 
riation of  length  produced  by  alteration  of  temperature.  A'l  these  ar- 
rangements are  characterized  by  great  ingenuity  and  elegance  of  design. 


262 


THE  PRACTICAL  MECHANIC'S  JOURNAL. 


UNIVERSAL    RATCHET    DRILL. 

F.  A.  Calvert,  Manchester. 

Perhaps  no  class  of  our  con- 
rig.  1.  structive    apparatus   is    in    a 
worse  position  than  the  com- 
mon hand-drilling  tackle;   for 
although    hand- drilling    must 
always  he  largely  required  in 
most  of  the  operations  of  the 
mechanic    and    engineer,    the 
rudest    contrivances    are    still 
employed  in  that  work.     Mr. 
Calvert's   new  drill  is  a  most 
effective     improvement     upon 
this  state  of  matters.      Fig.  1 
is  a  side  view  of  the  drill,  and  fig.  2  is  a  plan, 
the  operating  lever-handle  being  broken  away 
in  both  views.     The  boring-bit  is  fitted  into  a 
spindle,  a,  carrying  a  small  bevil-pinion,  b,  in 
gear  with  two  opposite,  or  reversed  pinions,  c, 
of  larger  diameter.     These  pinions,  c,  answer 
both  as  bevil-wheels  and  spur  ratchets — their 
greatest  diameters  li«ng  shaped  as  ratchets — 
to  be  worked  by  catches,  d,  let  into  the  handle, 
E.     The  handle  is  formed  with  a  fork,  or  double 
eye,  entered  upon  the  stud  of  the  bevil  wheels,  c; 
and  one  of  the  catches,   i>,  is 
set  in  the  side  of  each  fork,  or 
eye-piece,  and  is  pressed  into 
gear  with  the  ratchet  teeth,  by 
a  helical  spring  behind,  as  at 
F.     The  boring-bit  is  made  to 
descend  by  the  box-nut,  o,  in 
the  usual  manner.     The  prac- 
tical workman   will   thus   see 
that  the  boring-bit  is  made  to 
revolve  during  the  back  as  well  as  the  forward 
action  of  the  lever;  and  the  pinions,  c,  being 
larger  than  their  driven  pinion,  b,  a  hole  can  be 
drilled  in  about  one-third  the  time  required  by 
the  common   apparatus.       Holes  may  also   be 
made  by  it,  when  the  bit  stands  at  an  angle 
with  the  handle,  as  indicated  by  the  dotted  lines; 
and  hence  the  new  drill  can  be  used  in  places 
which  are  inaccessible  to  the  common  apparatus, 
l'ig.  2,                   The  handle  may  also  be  worked  up  and  down, 
or  sideways,   or   diagonally,    and  the   ratchet- 
springs  are  very  little  liable  to  derangement. 

The  "universal  ratchet-drill"  is  now  being  introduced  by  Messrs. 
F.  Lewis  &  Sons,  the  well-known  tool-makers,  of  the  Stanley  Street 
Works,  Manchester. 


MOULDING  IN  METAL. 

J.  W.  Hoey,  &  J.  Kinmbukgh,  Renfrew.—  Patent  dated  Nov.  26,  1853. 

This  contrivance  relates  to  the  use  of  fire-clay  as  a  material  for  iron- 
founders'  moulds.  Either  fire-clay  alone,  or  fire-clay  mixed  with  clean 
course  sand,  or  grit  and  plumbago,  is  used  as  the  raw  material  of  the 
moulds.  These  moulds  are  baked  at  a  red  heat,  like  common  fire-bricks, 
iind  they  are  either  solid  or  in  pieces  carefully  joined — the  moulding 
faces  being  smoothed  either  before  burning,  or  by  frictional  action  after- 
wards with  a  final  wash  of  plumbago.  If  in  pieces,  the  junction  edges 
are  treated  with  plastic  clay  to  secure  them,  and  a  plumbago  wash  is 
given  after  each  casting.  Any  slight  injury  sustained  by  the  mould 
during  working  may  be  repaired  with  common  loam  ;  and,  in  this  way, 
the  inventors  propose  to  employ  the  same  mould  for  many  successive 
castings.  Our  illustration  represents  a  portion  of  a  pipe  mould  of  this 
kind,  in  longitudinal  section.  The  fire-clay  mould,  a,  is  divided  longi- 
tudinally into  two  semi-cylindrical  portions.  The  core,  b,  is  made  on 
a  core-bur,  c,  in  the  ordinary  manner.  The  lower  end  'of  the  core 
is  fitted  into  the  bottom  of  the  mould,  which  is  slightly  contracted  in 
diameter.  The  mould  rests  upon  a  plate,  d,  within  a  ring,  e.  Another 
plate,  f,  is  placed  on  tiie  top  of  the  fire-clay  mould,  and  connected  to 
the  bottom-plate,  d,  by  three  bolts.  The  "gate-box,"  a,  is  filled  with  sand, 
in  which  gales  or  passages  are  made  for  the  introduction  of  the  liquid 
metal  in  the  ordinary  manner.     A  ring,  n,  is  supported  by  the   pins. 


I,  and  this  serves  to  maintain  the  upper  end  of  the  core  in  its  propel' 
position.  The  gate-box  fits  on  to  three  pins,  J,  in  the  top-plate.  The 
two  portions  of  the  mould  are  held  together  by  hoops  of  iron  placed 
round  them.  The  mould  so  bound  together  may  be  placed  in  a  pit,  and 
sand  rammed  around  it.  The  inside  of  the  mould  is  warmed  by  a  cur- 
rent of  hot  air,  or  in  any  other  convenient  manner,  and  it  is  brushed  with 
awash  of  plumbago,  applied  by  means  of  a  long-handled  brush.  The 
ore  is  then  introduced  and  the  gate-box  put  in  its  place,  and  the  fluid 
metal  is  then  poured  in.  When  it  has  become  solid,  the  core-bar  is  lilte.i 
out  of  the  mould  and  the  pipe  adheres  to  it,  and  separates  from  the 
mould  by  its  own  contraction. 
In  lieu  of  making  the  mould  in 
two  or  more  pieces,  it  may  he 
made  in  one  piece,  where  the 
casting  is  of  such  a  form  as  to 
be  capable  of  being  removed 
from  it.  The  fire-clay  is  im- 
proved by  the  admixture  of  about 
one-fifth  of  its  weight  of  sand 
or  old  fire-brick  ground  to  pow- 
der. Moulds  for  pipes  and  other 
circular  castings  may  be  made 
by  means  of  a  "  sweep,"  or  board, 
turning  upon  centres  in  the  ordi- 
nary manner  of  preparing  loam 
moulds.  The  sweep  may  be 
edged  with  iron,  in  order  to  pro- 
duce a  smoother  surface  on  the 
clay,  as  it  is  found  advantageous 
to  make  the  surface  as  smooth 
as  conveniently  may  be  before 
burning  the  mould  in  the  kiln. 
When  the  mould  is  of  consider- 
able height,  it  is  built  up  at  in- 
tervals, so  as  to  allow  the  clay 
in  the  lower  part  to  settle,  as  is 
practised  in  making  pots  or 
crucibles  for  melting  glass.  The  mould  is  burned  or  baked  at  a  red 
heat,  so  as  to  destroy  the  plasticity  of  the  clay,  and  convert  it  into  brick. 
The  wash  of  plumbago,  used  for  coating  the  surface  is  made  by  mixing 
powdered  plumbago  with  water,  or  with  beer  or  yeast.  The  ordinary 
blacking,  made  with  charcoal,  and  employed  for  coating  the  surfaces  of 
moulds  of  other  descriptions,  may  be  employed  in  lieu  of  the  plumbago 
wash. 

REVIEWS  OF  NEW  BOOKS. 


An  Attempt  to  Define  the  Principles  which  should  Determine 
Form,  in  the  Decorative  Arts.  By  M.  Digby  Wyatt,  Esq.  Bogue, 
London.     1853. 

A  very  slight  reflection  indeed  upon  the  present  state  of  civilization  is 
sufficient  to  impress  us  with  the  truth  of  the  proposition,  that  a  time  has 
now  arrived  in  the  world's  history,  when  generalizations  of  a  higher 
order  than  we  have  been  accustomed  to  ought  to  be  made.  The  conception 
of  a  proposition  of  this  kind  is  evidence  in  itself  of  the  momentous  period 
at  which  we  have  arrived;  for  it  is  not  confined  to  the  painstaking 
philosopher,  shut  up  in  his  study,  in  complete  seclusion  from  the  world, 
or  roaming  at  large,  in  his  wider  spot  of  investigation,  the  broad  expanse 
of  nature  and  art.  Every  thinking  man  in  these  times — be  he  high  or 
low,  learned  or  unlearned,  according  to  the  schools — has  made  this  dis- 
covery for  himself;  and  wherever  the  proposition  is  stated  viva  voce,  it 
seems  to  mount  up  at  once,  as  it  were,  upon  a  hundred  wings,  and  fly 
abroad,  as  a  scroll,  legible  by  all.  Some  great  things  are  at  hand. 
Some  intelligence  has  begun  amongst  us  its  embryonic  existence,  and 
we  may  hope,  at  least  the  younger  of  us,  to  live  to  see  the  embryo  take 
the  form  and  substance  of  the  time.  Human  activities,  of  all  orders, 
are  crowding  around  us,  compelling  into  their  labouring  fellowship  the 
most  dread  and  mighty  processes  of  nature.  The  observer  is  about. 
He  has  hunted  up,  among  the  secret  passes  and  concealed  glens  of  the 
earth,  a  great  many  wonders  and  excellencies,  each  of  which  bears  a 
glass,  which  distinctly  reflects  to  our  vision  many  more.  But,  above 
all,  a  mightier  conqueror  has  yet  to  come — a  mightier  conquest  has  yet 
to  be  made.  Is  the  Baconian  mode  of  investigation  an  ultimate  fact, 
beyond  which  nothing  is  to  be  eliminated  ?  or  is  it  but  a  glimpse,  a 
stepping-stone  to  some  other  safe  and  true  conclusion,  which  shall 
eclipse  it,  as  much  as  it  eclipsed  all  moulded  thoughts  of  other  minds? 
But  we  must  not  in  this  place,  and  now,  anticipate  what  we  may  have 


THE  PRACTICAL  MECHANIC'S  JOURNAL. 


26a 


farther  to  say,  by  and  by,  on  such  things.  Let  it  suffice  that  the  pre- 
sent publication  has  drawn  us  out  a  little  more  than  our  own  volition 
alone  would  have  done;  for  it  is  from  reflection  upon  such  things  that 
we  have  ourselves  ventured  to  stray  into  regions  of  thought,  heterodox, 
it  may  be,  as  this  world  is  wagging,  but,  as  we  believe,  orthodox  as  re- 
gards the  Great  Truth  which  envelops  all  things. 

Our  best  thanks  are  due  to  Mr.  Wyatt  for  thus  "  coming  out."  It  is 
not  every  one,  if  he  think  such  thoughts,  that  would  publish  them,  and 
in  print  too.  It  is  not  every  one  who  is  so  bold.  But  it  is  not  for  this 
only  that  our  best  thanks  are  due  to  Mr.  Wyatt.  We  have  a  Great 
Teacher  here.  His  teachings  are  the  natural  result  of  a  long  discipline 
in  the  supreme  of  arts — architecture — combining  the  beautiful  and  the 
useful,  wherever  it  has  appeared ; — and  where  has  it  not  ?  The  difficulty 
is  to  review  a  work  of  this  character,  in  which  almost  every  sentence 
might  form  a  text,  upon  which  many  long  pages  could  well  be  written, 
and  which  suggest  matters  of  the  deepest  importance  to  society  at  large. 
Willingly  would  we  transfer  the  whole  of  the  contents  to  our  columns; 
for  we  ourselves  are  teachers,  and  our  effort  is  to  teach  what  we  learn. 
But  our  limited  space  compels  us  to  refer  only,  when  we  would  extract; 
and  we  assure  our  readers,  at  all  interested  in  the  subject — our  young 
readers  especially — that  they  will  do  well  to  invest  one  of  the  smallest 
coins  of  the  realm  in  the  purchase,  and  to  employ  a  few  hours  in  a 
thorough  study  of  the  pages  here  offered  to  their  notice. 

The  principles  here  attempted  to  be  defined,  as  the  results  of  careful 
analysis  of  both  the  works  of  nature  and  the  works  of  man,  are,  variety, 
fitness,  simplicity,  contrast,  and  truth.  On  each  portion  of  his  subject, 
the  able  essayist  has  many  profound  and  just  observations  ;  and  in  treat- 
ing of  their  application  to  decorative  art,  there  is  very  much  that  is  new, 
told  in  a  style  as  simple  and  unpretending  as  the  matter  is  interesting 
and  important.  The  following  passages  will,  -we  hope,  induce  many  of 
our  readers  to  recur  to  the  original  pages  in  which  they  are  to  be  found. 
Truth  in  art  is  the  writer's  immediate  idea: — 

"  When  we  turn  to  a  consideration  of  the  united  action  npon  human  design  of  the 
general  principles  of  consistency  exhibited  in  the  works  of  nature,  we  find  that  of  all 
qualities  which  can  be  expressed  by  the  objects  upon  which  our  executive  ability  may  be 
occupied,  the  noblest  and  most  universally  to  be  aimed  at,  is  plain  and  manly  Truth. 
Let  it  ever  be  borne  in  mind,  that  design  is  but  a  variety  of  speech  or  writing.  By 
means  of  design,  we  inscribe,  or  ought  to  inscribe,  upon  every  object  of  which  we°deter- 
mine  the  form,  all  essential  particulars  concerning  its  material,  its  method  of  construc- 
tion, and  its  uses.  By  varying  ornaments,  and  by  peculiar  styles  of  conventional 
treatment,  we  know  that  we  shall  excite  certain  trains  of  thought,  and  certain  associa- 
tions of  idea.    The  highest  property  of  design  is,  that  it  speaks  the  universal  language 

of  nature,  which  all  can  read.    If,  therefore,  men  be  found  to  systematically  deceive by 

too  direct  imitation  of  nature,  pretending  to  be  nature — by  using  one  material  in  the 
peculiar  style  of  conventionality  universally  recognised  as  incident  to  another by  bor- 
rowing ornaments  expressive  of  lofty  associations,  and  applying  them  to  mean  objects— 
by  hiding  the  structural  purpose  of  the  article,  and  sanctioning,  by  a  borrowed  form,  the 
presumption  that  it  may  have  been  made  for  a  totally  different  object,  or  in  a  perfectly 
different  way. — such  men  cannot  clear  themselves  from  the  charge  of  degrading  art  by 
systematic  misrepresentation,  as  they  would  lower  human  nature  by  writing  or  speaking 
a  falsehood.  Unfortunately,  temptations  to  such  perversions  of  truth  surround  the 
growing  designer.  The  debilitating  effects  of  nearly  a  century's  incessant  copying 
without  discrimination,  appropriating  without  compunction,  and  falsifying  without 
blushing,  still  bind  our  powers  in  a  vicious  circle,  from  which  we  have  hardly  yet 
strength  to  burst  the  spell.  Some  extraordinary  stimulant  could  alone  awaken  all  our 
energies;  and  that  stimulant  came — it  may  not,  perhaps,  be  impious  to  esteem  providen- 
tially—in the  form  of  the  great  and  glorious  Exhibition.  It  was  but  natural  that  we 
should  be  startled  when  we  found  that,  in  consistency  of  design,  in  industrial  art,  those 
we  had  been  too  apt  to  regard  as  almost  savages,  were  infinitely  our  superiors.  Men's 
minds  are  now  earnestly  directed  to  the  subject  of  restoring  to  symmetry  all  that  had 
fallen  into  disorder.  The  conventionalities  of  form  peculiar  to  every  class  of*objects,  to 
every  kind  of  material,  to  every  process  of  manufacture,  are  now  beginning  to  be  ardently 
studied;  and  instead  of  the  vague  system  of  instruction  by  which  pupils  were  taught, 
that  anything  that  was  pretty  in  one  shape  was  equally  pretty  in  another,  a  more  correct 
recognition  of  the  claims  of  the  various  branches  of  special  design,  and  the  necessity  of  a 
far  closer  identification  of  the  artist  with  the  manufacturer,  in  point  of  technical  know- 
ledge, have  been  gradually  stealing  upwards  in  public  estimation.  Let  us  hope  that 
success  will  crown  exertion,  and  that  in  time  the  system  of  design,  universally  adopted 
in  this  country,  will  offer  a  happy  coincidence  with  those  lofty  principles,  by  means  of 
which  the  seals  of  truth  and  beauty  are  stamped  on  every  emanation  from  the  creative 
1     skill  of  Divinity." 

The  following  on  styles,  as  the  Grecian,  the  Roman,  the  Gothic,  the 
Renaissance,  &c,  is  as  profound  as  it  is  probably  true.  A  very  little 
reflection  upon  it  must  produce  a  long  commentary  in  every  mind 
capable  of  duly  appreciating  such  teaching  : — 

"  Styles  may  be  regarded  as  storehouses  of  experiments  tried,  and  results  ascertained, 
concerning  various  methods  of  conventionalizing,  from  whence  the  designer  of  the  present 
day  may  learn  the  general  expression  to  be  obtained,  by  modifying  his  imitations  of 
nature,  on  the  basis  of  recorded  experience,  instead  of  his  own  wayward  impulses  alone. 

t  Canova,  Gibson,  and  many  of  the  greatest  masters  in  art,  held,  and  hold,  the  creed,  that 
nature,  as  developed  in  the  human  form,  can  only  be  rightly  appreciated  by  constant 

1  recarrence  to.  and  comparison  with,  the  conventionalities  of  the  ancient  sculpture  of 
Greece.  Mr.  Penrose  has  shown  us  what  beautiful  illustrations  of  optical  coiTections  in 
line  may  be  gathered  from  the  study  of  her  architectural  remains.  Mr.  Dyce,  who  has 
made  himself  deeply  acquainted  with  the  ancient  styles,  thus  expresses  himself  upon  the 
subject: — '  In  the  first  place,'  he  remarks,  '  the  beauties  of  form,  or  of  colour,  abstracted 
from  nature  by  the  ornamentist,  from  the  very  circumstance  that  they  are  abstractions, 
assume,  in  relation  to  the  whole  progress  of  the  art,  the  character  of  principles,  or  facts, 
that  tend,  by  accumulation,  to  bring  it  to  perfection.  The  accumulated  labours  of  each 
TOccessive  race  of  ornamentists  are  so  many  discoveries  made — so  many  facts  to  be 
learned,  treasured  up,  apolied  to  a  new  use,  submitted  to  the  process  of  artistic  general- 
ization, or  added  to — a  language  and  a  literature  of  ornamental  design  are  constituted; 
the  former  of  which  must  be  mastered  before  the  latter  can  be  understood,  and  the  latter 
known  before  we  are  in  a  condition  to  add  to  its  treasures.    The  first  step,  therefore,,  in 


the  education  of  ornamentists,  must  be  their  initiation  into  the  current  and  conventional 
language  of  their  art,  and,  by  this  means,  into  its  existing  literature.'" 


Home  Resorts  for  Invalids — On  the  Climate  of  Guernsey.  By  S.  E- 
Hoskins,  M.D.,  F.R.S.  Pp.20.  8vo.  London:  1852. 
This  is  a  reprint  from  the  "  London  Journal  of  Medicine"  of  an  article 
contributed  to  the  "  British  Meteorological  Society."  The  observations 
which  it  furnishes  were  made  in  consequence  of  frequent. applications 
which  reached  the  author,  with  the  view  of  obtaining  information  as  to 
the  sanative  influence  of  Guernsey  as  a  place  of  residence.  Going 
seriously  to  work,  on  a  meteorological  examination,  he  arranged  his  ap- 
paratus thus : — 

"The  barometer  employed  until  the  end  of  June,  1851,  was  one  of  Newman's,  with  an 
iron  cistern  and  brass  scale,  made  for  the  Observatory  at  St.  Helena,  and  compared  with 
the  standard  at  the  Royal  Society.  Unfortunately,  the  miuutes  have  been  lost,  so  that 
the  correction  for  index  error  is  wanting,  as  well  as  that  for  elevation  above  the  mean 
level  of  the  sea,  amounting  to  123  feet.  Corrections  for  capacity,  capillarity,  temperature, 
and  diurnal  range,  have,  however,  been  carefully  applied.  The  instrument  now  in  use 
was  made  by  Barrow,  and  compared  with  the  standard  at  Greenwich  by  Mr.  Glaisher. 
The  tube  requires  no  capacity  correction;  those  for  capillarity  and  index  error  amount  to 
+  "027.  It  is  placed  in  a  dressing-room,  in  which  the  temperature  is  equable,  and  its 
readings  are  registered  at  9  a.m.  and  3  p.ar.  daily. 

•'The  thermometers  consist  of  registering  instruments,  for  maximum  and  minimum 
temperature,  on  Rutherford's  construction;  they  are  read  at  9  a.m.  daily,  when  the  indices 
are  re-adjusted;  these,  as  well  as  a  delicate  wet  and  dry  bulb  thermometer,  are  made  by 
Newman.  They  are  grouped  together  about  four  feet  from  the  floor  of  a  shed,  built  for 
the  purpose  in  a  small  garden,  which  receives  no  ray  of  sunshine  from  November  tp 
March.  Nevertheless,  a  white  double  camelia  japonica  blossoms  freely  in  this  plot  of 
ground  during  the  months  of  January  and  February.  The  aspect  of  the  instrument  is 
north  by  east;  the  nearest  object  is  a  dark  blue  granite  wall,  thirty  feet  distant,  and  ten 
feet  high ;  a  higher  wall  forms  the  western  boundary;  and  a  house  front,  with  an  inter- 
vening street,  the  eastern  side  of  the  otherwise  open  space  they  occupy.  They  are.  com- 
pletely protected  from  radiation  and  reflection  by  an  open  trellis,  and  some  shrubs,  before 
and  on  each  side  of  the  pent-house.  Until  the  end  of  1848,  the  dew  point  was  observed 
by  means  of  Daniell's  hygrometer,  made  by  Newman ;  since  that  time  it  has  been  com- 
puted from  the  readings  of  Mason's  wet  and  dry  bulb  hygrometer,  at  9  a.m.  and  3  p.m.,  by 
the  means  of  Mr.  Glashier's  tables. 

"  The  rain-guage  is  a  copper  funnel,  twelve  inches  in  area,  forty-seven  above  the  ground, 
which  discharges  its  contents  into  a  closed  reservoir,  from  which  the  water  is  measured 
at  9  a.m.,  by  means  of  a  graduated  glass  jar.  The  receiving  fuuuel  is  remote  from  walls, 
chimneys,  or  other  influence. 

"The  direction  of  the  wind  is  chiefly  ascertained  by  a  very  delicate  vane,  constructed 
according  to  Mr.  Luke  Howard's  plan.  In  estimating  its  force,  a  calm  is  represented  as 
O,  a  gale  as  6\" 

His  deductions,  apparently  made  with  every  care,  are  that  "  persons 
from  the  northern  and  midland  counties  of  England,  with  temporarily 
impaired  health,  but  without  any  specific  disease,  derive  the  greatest 
benefit  from  removal  to  this  island;"  and  he  commends  it  "as  a  transi- 
tion stage,  between  the  East  and  West  Indies  and  England,  for  indivi- 
duals whose  health  has  suffered  from  long  residence  in  tropical  climates." 
A  comparative  table  of  actual  meteorological  results,  and  a  list  of  plants 
which  bloom  in  Guernsey,  in  the  open  air,  during  the  winter  months,  are 
valuable  appendices  to  the  pamphlet. 

Notes  on  the  Organization  of  an  Industrial  College  foe  Artizans. 

By  T.  Twining,  jun.     Pp.  32. 
Letters  on  the  Condition  of  the  "Working  Classes  of  Nassau.     Same 

Author.  Pp.  55.     London  :  Barclay.     1854. 

The  introductory  letter,  heading  the  first  of  these  pamphlets,  found  a 
a  place  in  this  Journal  as  far  back  as  Part  XLIL,  Vol.  IV.;  and  at  that 
time  the  benevolent  author  expressed  his  intention  of  going  further  into 
the  matter  during  a  visit  to  be  made  to  Germany  and  France.  Accord- 
ingly, the  pages  now  presented  to  us  have  sprung  into  being  from  con- 
siderations due  to  a  three  months'  continental  visit,  during  which  the 
successful  Gewerbe  Institutoi  Berlin,  the  Conservatoire  des  Arts  et  Metiers., 
and  the  Industrial  Schools  at  Chalons,  Angers,  and  Aix,  all  contributed 
to  the  author's  information  on  the  subject  in  hand.  The  result  is,  that  he 
has  drawn  up  a  "  Review  of  matters  to  be  considered  in  reference  to  the 
proposed  College  of  Trades,"  with  the  especial  view  of  eliciting  extraneous 
opinions  on  the  matter.  This  suggestive  statement  relates  chiefly  "  to  the 
organization  of  the  Central  Industrial  College,  which,  we  assume,  might, 
allowing  free  scope  for  progressive  enlargements,  be  made  to  accommo- 
date at  the  first  about  300  students,  representing,  in  duly  apportioned 
numbers,  a  considerable  variety  of  trades — artistical,  chemical,  and  me- 
chanical. They  would  enter  as  good  workmen,  being  required  to  give 
previous  proof  of  such  abilities  as  carl  be  derived  from  an  ordinary  appren- 
ticeship ;  they  would  be  instructed,  collectively,  in  general  information, 
and,  by  groups,  in  special  knowledge ;  they  would  be  trained  to  work 
with  head  as  well  as  hand,  and  to  appreciate  and  apply  the  advantages 
of  science  and  the  graces  of  art,  and  they  would  leave  the  college  fully 
qualified  to  become,  some  masters  in  trade,  others  foremen  or  first-rate 
workmen;  whilst  others,  again,  carefully  selected  and  instructed  for  the 
purpose,  would  become  teachers  in  their  turn,  and  diffuse  throughout 
the  country  the  advantages  of  industrial  education." 

The  actual  propositions  contained  in  this  Review  are,  in  many  points, 
carefully  considered,  and  on  that  account  highly  valuable;  and  we  con- 


2G4 


THE  PRACTICAL  MECHANIC'S  JOURNAL. 


ceive  that  their  wide  dissemination  would  be  productive  of  a  great  good, 
in  setting  thinking  minds  to  work  in  aid  of  the  general  project. 

The  author's  Nassau  letters,  which  are  addressed  to  the  Council  of  the 
Society  of  Arts,  embody  a  "  Report  on  the  intellectual  and  technical  train- 
ing, earnings,  household  economy,  and  institutions,"  established  for  the 
benefit  of  the  industrial  population  of  Nassau;  and  they  are  thrown  out 
in  the  hope  of  being  "  but  No.  1  of  a  long  string  of  miniature  likenesses, 
each  representing  the  industrial  features  of  some  foreign  country,  and 
each  somewhat  rounded  in  itself,  yet  only  acquiring  its  full  value  by  the 
concatenation  and  joint  meaning  of  the  whole." 

The  five  chapters  on  "Primary  education,  technical  training,  earn- 
ings, expenses,  and  resources,"  into  which  Mr.  Twining's  gleanings  are 
divided,  are  in  the  highest  degree  creditable  to  the  writer's  head  and 
heart.  With  him,  we  hope  that  his  collected  information  will  indeed  be 
the  precursor  of  many  other  such  contributions,  which  will  reflect  back 
to  us  the  true  state  of  our  industrial  position  here,  by  showing  us  how 
contemporary  affairs  stand  abroad. 

Hints  to  Intended  Gold-Diggers  and  Buyers — Australia  the  An- 
cient Opiiir.  By  G.  F.  Goble.  London :  Effingham  Wilson.  Pp. 
64.     1853. 

"  Having  fitted  out  some  hundreds  of  gold-diggers,"  the  author  very 
naturally  thinks  he  knows  something  worth  communicating  to  those 
who  are  dreaming  of  wild  adventure  in  the  gold  countries;  and  he  has 
here  strung  together  some  pithy  hints,  purchased  by  his  own  actual 
experience  abroad.  The  chapters  on  "  Bush  Chemicals"  and  "  Tools," 
suitable  for  the  diggings,  are  especially  worthy  of  consultation  by  those 
for  whom  the  gold  countries  possess  attractive  charms.  The  title  of  the 
second  division  of  the  pamphlet  affords  ils  own  explanation. 


CORRESPONDENCE. 

STUFFING-BOX  GLAND  ADJUSTMENT. 
The  annexed  sketches  represent  a  simple  contrivance  for  operating 
upon  two  or  more  gland  nuts  of  a  stuffing-box  at  one  time,  so  as  to  give 
a  quicker  and  more  accurate  adjusting  power  than  is  available  at  present. 
Fig.  1  is  a  half  sectional  elevation  of  the  new  form  of  stuffing-box,  and 
fig.  2  is  a  plan.  A  circular  rack  or  wheel,  A,  is  made  to  gear  into  the 
pinion  nuts,  b,  c,  d,  which  answer  as  gland  nuts;  the  main  pinion,  d, 
being  arranged  for  the  application  of  an  actuating  key  or  spannel,  in  the 

usual    way.      By    turning    this 
Fig.  1.  main  nut,  it  moves  the  circular 

rack,  and  the  latter  then  actuates 
the  rest  of  the  nuts,  thus  causing 
them  all  to  move  at  once,  and  to 
one  level.  In  putting  this  con- 
trivance together,  the  nuts  are  all 
screwed  down  to  one  starting  level 
— say,  to  the  amount  of  their  own 
depth — by  the  finger  and  thumb. 
The  circular  rack  is  then  dropped 
down  into  gear,  upon  the  collars 
of  the  nuts,  and  the  set  are  finally 
worked  down  upon  the  gland  face. 
This  clearly  obviates  the  danger 
of  canting  the  gland,  and  produ- 
cing undue  friction  on  the  work- 
ing-rod. 

I  would  suggest  that  in  cases 
where  three  bolts  are  used,  the 
screw-threads  should  be  of  fine 
pitch,  say,  half  the  usual  pitch,  so 
that  the  whole  three  might  be 
worked  with  little  more  power 
than  is  required  for  a  single  bolt 
i  under  ordinary  circumstances. 
A  worm  might  be  made  to  work 
into  the  circular  rack,  a,  but  this 
is  not  necessary,  and  would  in- 
Fig-  2.  volve  additional  complication. 

Such  an  arrangement  as  I  have 
here  proposed,  might  be  advantageously  applied  to  the  glands  of  trunk 
engines,  where  many  bolts  are  required;  or  in  pump  glands  of  large 
diameter,  as  well  as  in  large  piston-rod  glands.  The  latter  application, 
especially  refers  to  oscillating  marine  engines,  which  make  long  voyages 
without  once  stopping;    as  the  packing  may   thus  be  operated  upon 


whilst  the  cylinders  are  in  action.  Or  if  the  vibration  of  the  cylinders 
is  too  rapid,  the  engines  might  be  eased  a  few  strokes,  to  allow  of 
tightening  up  without  stoppage.  Care  must,  of  course,  be  taken  to  place 
the  main  nut  in  the  most  convenient  place  as  relates  to  the  cylinder — 
and  where  th  ere  is  the  least  vibration — that  is,  in  a  line  with  the 
trunnions. 

Elias  Barlow. 
Hull,  January,  1854. 

SNOW  SLEDGE  FOR  CARRIAGES— DEEP  SEA  SOUNDING- 
SAFETY  MINING  GEAR. 

The  present  season  has  powerfully  reminded  us  of  the  great  difficulties 
arising  from  deep  falls  of  snow,  as  regards  the  use  of  wheeled  carriages. 

At  the  time  I  write,  three  horses  are  necessary  for  doing  the  work  of 
one,  under  ordinary  circumstances.     It  appears  to  me  that  a  species  of 

Fig- 1. 


sledge,  which  could  be  applied  to  carriages  and  carts  without  involving 
the  removal  of  the  wheels,  would  be  very  useful  under  such  circum- 
stances.    In  case  of  sudden  thaw,  the  apparatus  could  be  easily  re- 
moved. 
Fig.  2.  Fig.  1  represents  such  a  contrivance  drawn  to  l-12th  the 

real  size.     It  is  composed  of  four  stout  pieces  of  timber,  and 
P?     the  wheel  is  intended  to  drop  between  the  two  longer  pieces, 
1   Wm     A,  resting  upon  the  fore  and  aft  cross  pieces,  B.  The  loose  piece, 
I     c,  is  intended  to  keep  the  wheels  secure  in  their  place,  by 
being  screwed  down  after  the  carriage  has  been  set  upon  its 
sledge  carrier.     The  two  irons,  D,  are  intended  to  grasp  the 
spokes.     These  are  better  shown  in  the  side  view  of  the  cross 


piece,  fig.  2. 

I  observe,  from  your  December  Journal, 
that  Lieut.  Maury  proposes  to  carry  out  his 
"  deep  sea  sounding"  plans,  by  releasing  a 
heavy  shot  from  an  iron  rod  attached  to  the 
sounding  line,  upon  the  apparatus  reaching 
the  bottom  of  the  sea.  Now  this  may  be 
effectually  done  by  the  simple  insertion  of  a 
jjine  or  other  soft  wood  lath,  just  below  the 
shot,  in  a  slot  made  through  the  rod.  The 
feeble  wood  will,  of  course,  break  on  reaching 
the  bottom,  and  thus  release  the  shot.  I 
should  myself  use  a  piece  of  fire  brick,  or 
thick  tile  made  for  the  purpose,  as  being 
cheaper  than  cast-iron.  Fig.  3  is  a  sketch  of 
A  is  the  metal  rod  on  the  end  of  the  sound- 


Fig.  3. 


my  plan. 

ing  line,  b  the  weight,   and  c  the  transverse  piece  ol 

lath. 

I  am  glad  to  find  that  my  safety  mining  gear,  which 
you  illustrated  in  December  last,  has  come  under  the 
immediate  notice  of  Lord  Palmerston,  who  has  com- 
municated it  to  the  different  mining  inspectors  of 
Government. 

C.  Butler  Clough. 

Tyddyn,  Mold,  January,  1854. 

FISH  JOINTS  FOR  T  RAILS. 

I  beg  to  submit  to  your  notice  a  proposal  for  a  fish  joint  for  T  rails,  of 
which  fig.  1  is  a  section  near  or  at  the  joint,  fig.  2  a  side  view,  and  fig. 
3  a  plan.  By  means  of  this  plan,  the  joint  is  easily  and  firmly  secured 
without  the  use  of  screws  or  rivets,  and  the  fishing  piece  may  be  also  as 
easily  and  speedily  disconnected  when  required.  To  gain  these  adv.in- 
|  tages,  it  is  necessary  that  the  rail  should  be  of  the  section  shown  in  fig. 


THE  PRACTICAL  MECHANIC'S  JOURNAL. 


265 


1,  which  differs  from  those  in  common  use  in  the  hollow  of  one  side  of 
the  rail  between  the  top  and  the  base,  being  formed  with  straight  lines, 


instead  of  a  curved  one,  and  the  base  on  this  side  being  partly  inclined 
and  partly  horizontal. 

As  soon  as  the  rail  is  rolled  and  sawn  to  the  required  length,  it  being 
yet  hot,  each  of  the  ends  on  the  side  with  straight  lines  is  put  succes- 
sively under  a  press,  and  the  edges  turned  up  perpendicularly  to  the  base 

of  the  rail,  say  three  inches 
F!"  s'  lengthwise,  at  one  end.    The 

edges  are  not  turned  up  ex- 
actly parallel  to  the  rail,  but 
are  slightly  inclined  to  it, 
say  an  eighth  of  an  inch  to 
each  three  inches,  thus  mak- 
ing an  inclination  of  a  quar- 
ter of  an  inch  for  both  of  the 
tnmed-up  edges,  the  breadth  turned  up  at  the  ends  of  the  rail  being 
eqaal,  so  that  when  two  rails  are  laid  end  to  end,  the  degree  of  inclina- 
tion through  the  turned-up  edges  is  the  same,  forming  a  wedge-shaped 
space  between  the  edges  and  the  side  of  the  rail. 

The  rails  being  laid,  a  fishing  piece  with  a  wedge-shaped  flange, 
shown  in  section  at  fig.  1,  is  to  be  driven  into  the  space  between  the 
turned-up  edges  and  inclined  base  and  the  under  side  of  the  upper  part 
of  the  rail.  The  side  of  the  wedge-shaped  flange  is  inclined  in  the  same 
degree  as  the  rurncd-up  edges.  The  fishing-piece  itself  is  made  a  little 
broader  than  the  space  between  the  fiat  under  side  of  the  upper  part  of 
the  rail  and  the  inclined  base  at  the  narrowest  part,  so  that  as  soon  as 
the  small  end  of  the  fishing  piece  has  been  driven  as  far  as  the  further 
end  of  the  narrowest  turned-up  edge,  it  cannot  go  further  forward,  ex- 
cept by  forcing  itself  laterally  between  the  flat  underside  of  the  top  part 
of  the  rail  and  its  inclined  base.  The  flange  of  the  fishing  piece  being 
acted  on  by  the  inclined  turned-up  edges,  is  the  cause  of  the  lateral  move- 
ment. Thus  a  firm  and  unyielding  joint  is  produced,  without  any  more 
trouble  than  is  required  to  drive  a  key. 

It  can  be  shown  how  provision,  if  required,  may  he  made  for  expan- 
sion and  contraction  at  every  third  or  fourth  joint,  by  two  slight  addi- 
tions to  the  fishing-piece  and  rail. 

January,  1854.  Kenneth. 

ELECTRO-MAGNETIC  MOTIVE  POWER. 

Would  you,  or  any  of  your  readers,  be  kind  enough  to  afford  me  some 
information  in  answer  to  the  following  queries: — 

1.  What  is  the  principal  obstacle  which  has  hitherto  prevented  the 
production  of  an  effective,  and  at  the  same  time  economical,  electro- 
magnetic engine. 

2.  Which,  and  what,  is  the  peculiar  construction  of  the  most  success- 
ful engine  of  the  kind. 

3.  Is  a  current  of  electricity,  passing  through  an  engine,  diminished 
or  absorbed,  in  proportion  to  the  amount  of  work  given  out. 

4.  Which  is  the  best  recently-published  work  on  the  subject. 

Magnet. 
Glasgow,  January,  1854. 

WEIGHT  AND  HYATT'S  ELLIPTIC  ROTATORY  ENGINE. 

In  the  Practical  Mechanic's  Journal  for  December,  1852,  where  this 
engine  is  described,  it  is  stated  that  a  certain  property,  there  pointed 
out,  "  is  a  peculiar  and  unlooked-for  characteristic  of  the  elliptical  figure." 
This  sentence  is  calculated  to  give  rise  to  the  impression  that  the  ellipse, 
a3  a  mathematical  curve,  possesses  some  property  hitherto  undiscovered. 
It  struck  me  in  this  light  at  the  time,  but  I  felt  inclined  to  consider, 
judging  from  the  context,  that  such  was  not  the  real  meaning  intended 
to  be  conveyed,  it  being  subsequently  stated,  that  "  the  true  action  can 
only  be  attained  in  a  figure  of  very  small  eccentricity ;"  and  it  is  obvious, 
that  if  the  ellipse  possessed  the  property  alluded  to,  the  amount  of  eccen- 
tricity would  be  of  no  importance,  theoretically  speaking. 

Now  the  ellipse,  whatever  may  he  its  eccentricity,  does  not  possess 

the  property  alluded  to,  in  a  strict  mathematical  sense;  although,  in  a 

figure  of  small  eccentricity,  a  point  may  be  found  so  situated,  that  the 

chords  drawn  through  it  will  not  vary  very  considerably  in  length,  and 

Ho.  71.— Vol.  VI. 


the  approximation  may  be  sufficiently  good  to  admit  of  practical  appli- 
cation in  the  manner  described,  as,  indeed,  is  proved  by  the  result  of 
Messrs.  Wright  &  Hyatt's  experiment. 

Lest  any  doubt  should  remain  in  the  minds  of  your  readers  with  re- 
gard to  the  theoretical  accuracy  of  the  principle  involved,  I  subjoin  a 
process,  which  proves  that  the  ellipse,  as  a  mathematical  curve,  does 
not  possess  any  such  property,  and  affords  a  simple  expression  by  which 
the  actual  length  of  any  chord  may  be  calculated,  and  the  actual  amount 
of  the  difference  easily  ascertained. 

Assuming  the  well-known  equation  of  the  ellipse  with  reference  to 
the  centre  as  origin,  and  the  arcs  as  co-ordinates — viz., 


V  =  —  Vo-  —  x"; 
a 

we  find  at  once  the  situation  of 
the  point,  0 ;  in  which  it  is  re- 
quired tln.t  0  A  shall  be  equal  to 
6,  by  making  x  =  b  in  that  ex- 
pression— which  gives  us,  for  the 
corresponding  value  of  y  or  C  0, 
the  expression — 

5      / 

—  Va!  —  b\ 
a 

From  this  it  follows,  that  the  algebraical  equation  of  the  ellipse,  with 
reference  to  the  point,  O,  as  origin,  and  the  co-ordinates,  0  A  and  O  C,  is 


V  +   -  V«2- 


p  ==  -   Va2  - 
a 


or  a  y  +  6  Vo2  —  b2  —  °  Va2  —  x2 ; 

from  whence  we  obtain,  by  squaring  both  sides  of  the  equation — 

a*  y"  +  2  a  b  V^m2  ■  V  +  V  (o?  —  b2)  =  V  {a2  —  x2), 
or  a?  if  +  b2x"  +  2ab  •J'tfZL'tf  ■  y  —  bl  =  0. 

If,  in  this  last  expression,  we  now  substitute  for  x  and  y,  their  values, 
V  ■  cos.  0,  and  V  ■  sine  0;  V  being  the  radius  vector,  and  8  the  theoretical 
angle,  made  by  the  radius  vector,  with  the  base,  0  A,  at  the  origin,  O, 
we  have  the  following  expression : — ■ 

(a2  sine2  8  +  b2  ■  cos.2  8)  V2  +  2  a  b  Va2  —  b2  ■  sine  6  ■  V  —  54  =  0. 

From  whence  is  at  once  deduced  the  polar  equation  of  the  curve,  with 
reference  to  the  origin,  0,  and  base,  0  A;  namely, 


V  = 


*J&  a2  b-  (a2  —  &'-)  sine?  tl  -\-  i  bi  {n~  sine-  0  +  b'z  cos.2  8)  —  2  a  5  *Ja'2  —  b'l  sine  8 


2  (a2  sine-  8  +  62  cos.2  8) 

b  V  at  ■  sineZ  6+  bi-  cos.2  II  —  a  b  «J~aZ^lsl  •  sine  8 

a2  sine2  0  +  6-  •  cos.2  8 

If  now,  we  have  any  chord,  B  D,  passing  through  the  point,  O,  and  let 
V  represent  0  B,  the  value  of  0  D,  which,  we  may  call  V,  will  be  ob- 
tained by  substituting  sr  +  fl,  for  0,  in  the  above  expression;  and  we 
shall  therefore  have — ■ 


V: 


b    ^/ai  sine'-  0  -f-  &1  '  COS.-  0  -f-  a  b   \/a£  —  &2 


a-  sine2  0  -f-  &2  '  cos.2  0. 


sine  (cr  +  0)  =*  —  sine  8,  and  cos.  (*  +  8)  =  —  cos.  0. 
And  the  value  of  the  chord,  B  D,  which  is  equal  to  the  sum  of  B  O  and 
O  D,  will  be  represented  by 

-y  ,  -y'       9     I,      a      *J ^    '     SIM2   0+54'     COS.2   8 

'  a2  ■  sine2  8  +  62  •  cos.2  0" 

This  expression  assumes  the  value,  2  6  — ,  when  9  =  0,  and  when 
8  =  ?-,  but  under  no  other  circumstances,  whatever  may  be  the  relation 

of  a  and  b ;  and  it  proves,  therefore,  that  the  ellipse  does  not  possess  the 
property  alluded  to,  of  having  a  point,  O,  in  the  minor  axis,  so  situated 
that  all  chords  passing  through  it  are  of  equal  length;  while,  at  the 
same  time,  as  it  gives  an  expression  for  the  value  of  such  chord,  in  terms 
of  the  semi-major  and  semi-minor  axis,  a  and  b,  and  of  the  angle,  8,  it 
affords  an  easy  mode  of  calculating  the  actual  length  of  such  chord  in 
any  given  ellipse,  for  any  given  value  of  the  angle,  8. 

It  would  be  an  interesting  exercise  for  any  of  your  readers,  who  may 
be  so  inclined,  to  investigate  the  nature  of  the  relation  existing  between 
the  maximum  length  of  such  chord,  and  the  eccentricity  of  the  ellipse. 
But  as  sucli  investigations  can  hardly  be  interesting  to  the  majority  of 
your  readers,  I  need  not  pursue  the  subject  farther. 

Ualsteacl,  Essex,  Nov.,  1853.  William  Davison. 

[It  is  quite  true  that,  in  a  strict  mathematical  sense,  the  property 
alluded  to  does  not  belong  to  the  ellipse,  a  fact  well  known  to  the  inven- 


2G6 


THE  PRACTICAL  MECHANIC'S  JOURNAL. 


tors  of  the  elliptic  rotatory  engine;  but  the  approximation  is  so  close,  as 
to  render  the  principle  true  in  practice.  Taking  a  piston,  measuring' 
18  inches,  and  making  it  turn  on  a  centre,  6  inches  from  the  end  of  the 
conjugate  axis  of  the  elliptic  cylinder,  it  will  only  require  to  vary  in 
length  about  its  irJ^th  part,  or  the  ^th  of  an  inch.  Now,  the  spring 
packing  which  would  be  necessary,  even  were  the  principle  mathemati- 
cally true,  provides  quite  sufficiently  for  this  trifling  variation.  Added 
to  this,  there  will  be  a  constant  tendency  to  wear  truer,  as  the  greater 
pressure  of  the  spring  packing  will  be  upon  those  parts  of  the  cylinder 
where  the  shorter  chords  occur.  But  Messrs.  Wright  and  Hyatt's 
engine  does  not  depend  entirely  on  the  adoption  of  the  elliptic  figure 
for  its  novelty  and  superiority.  This  figure  has  been  previously  pro- 
posed by  many  parties.  Not  so  the  beautiful  and  practical  arrangement 
of  the  piston  and  the  piston-shaft,  which  admit  of  the  employment  of 
packing  of  so  simple  and  efficient  a  description.  These  arrangements 
are  claimed,  under  the  patent,  in  combination  not  only  with  an  elliptic 
chamber,  but  also  with  a  chamber  of  any  differentially  or  otherwise 
curved  form  answering  the  purpose. — Ed.  P.  M.  Journal.] 


PROCEEDINGS  OF  SCIENTIFIC  SOCIETIES. 


INSTITUTION  OF  CIVIL  ENGINEERS. 

December  20,  1853. 

J.  M.  Rendell,  President,  in  the  Chair. 

ANNUAL   GENERAL    MEETING. 

The  annual  report  of  the  council  touched,  amongst  other  matters,  upon  the 
scarcity  of  papers  furnished  to  the  meetings  by  the  members.  It  is  to  be  hoped 
that  the  actual  statement  of  facts  on  this  subject  will  induce  the  members  to  add 
somewhat  to  the  present  meagre  supply  of  matter. 

The  principal  papers  read,  during  the  past  session,  were  enumerated,  with  a 
short  notice  of  each,  and  of  the  tenor  of  the  discussions,  which  were  shown  to  be 
the  distinguishing  features  of  the  meetings  of  the  society.  It  was  apparent,  that 
those  were  the  most  valuable  papers  which  were  the  most  readily  furnished  by 
engineers,  as  being  observations  of  the  effects  of  natural  causes,  in  constant  opera- 
tion, in  the  vicinity  of  work  constructing  under  their  direction,  and  the  attention  of 
members  was  urged  to  that  point. 

The  following  medals  and  premiums  were  presented: — Telford  Medals  to  Messrs. 
Coode,  Clark,  Brooks,  Huntingttn,  Burt,  Duncan,  Siemens,  Cheverton,  and  Barrett ; 
and  Council  Premiums  of  Books,  to  Messrs.  Richardson,  Armstrong,  Kawlinson, 
and  Sewell. 

Attention  was  directed  to  the  engraving  of  Mr.  Andrews'  portrait  of  the  past- 
president,  Sir  John  Ronnie;  to  the  portrait  of  Brindley,  presented  to  Mr.  Plawk- 
sbaw ;  and  to  a  marble  bust  of  the  first  president,  Telford,  by  Hollins,  which  had 
been  lost  sight  of  for  many  years,  and  only  accidentally  recovered  by  the  secretary 
within  the  last  few  months.  It  was  now  restored  to  the  institution,  for  which  it 
had  been  originally  destined,  and  Mr.  Rendell,  as  a  last  act  of  presidentship,  pre- 
sented for  it  a  pedestal  appropriately  carved  from  a  block  of  Peterhead  granite — a 
material  which  had  been  so  extensively  employed  in  the  works  of  the  first  president 
of  the  institution. 

The  vital  importance  of  printing  the  arrears  of  the  minutes  of  proceedings,  and 
of  giving  rapid  publicity  to  the  papers  and  the  abstracts  of  the  discussions,  was 
generally  admitted  ;  the  question  had  occupied  the  serious  attention  of  the  council, 
and  nothing  but  the  fear  of  involving  the  institution  in  hopeless  financial  diffi- 
culties had  caused  the  present  arrears  of  publication.  After  giving  an  account  of 
the  progress  of  the  printing  of  the  volumes  of  the  transactions  and  of  the  minutes 
of  the  proceedings,  showing  the  gradual  extension  and  the  cost,  it  was  demon- 
strated, that  there  existed  no  other  bar  to  the  rapidity  of  publication,  than  the 
extent  to  which  the  members  of  all  classes  were  willing  to  assess  themselves,  by 
voluntary  or  compulsory  contributions,  to  defray  the  inevitable  amount  of  expen- 
diture for  printing. 

This  statement  produced  a  lengthened  discussion,  which  resulted  in  the  deter- 
mination, that  contributions  should  be  collected  from  members  of  all  classes  on  the 
following  scale: — President,  thirty  guineas;  past-presidents,  vice-presidents,  and 
members  and  associates  of  the  council,  twenty  guineas  each;  members,  five 
guineas  each;  and  associates,  one  guinea  each.  This  assessment  was  cheerfully 
agreed  to,  and  several  members  and  associates  present  doubled  the  amounts  of 
their  contribution,  to  aid  in  the  very  desirable  object  of  the  immediate  publication 
uf  the  minutes  of  proceedings. 

The  following  gentlemen  were  elected  to  fill  the  several  offices  in  the  Council  for 
the  ensuing  year: — James  Simpson,  President;  G.  P.  Bidder,  J.  K.  Brunei,  J. 
Locke,  M.P.,  R.  Stephenson,  M.P.,  Vice-Presidents;  J.  Cubitt,  J.  E.  Errington, 
■I.  Fowler,  C.  H.  Gregory,  J.  Hawkshaw,  T.  Hawksley,  J.  R.  M'Clean,  C.  May, 
•f.  Penn,  and  J.  S.  Russell,  Members;  and  H.  A.  Hunt  and  C.  Geach,  M.P., 
Associates  of  Council. 


Janttary  10,  1854. 
J.  Simpson,  President,  in  the  Chair. 

The  newly  chosen  president  delivered  bis  customary  address;  after  which  the 
discussion  on  Mr.  Harrison's  paper  was  resumed. 


Jaxt'ary  17. 
Renewed  discussion  on  Mr.  Harrison's  paper. 


SOCIETY   OF    ARTS. 
November  30,  1853. 
W.  Bird,  Esq.,  in  the  Chair. 

11  On  the  Consumption  of  Smoke,"  by  Mr.  A.  Eraser, — The  author  commenced 
by  remarking,  that  it  was  not  intended  to  enter  upon  the  various  theories  which  had 
been  advanced  upon  the  subject,  or  to  discuss  the  many  inventions  before  the  pub- 
lic, still  less  to  bring  forward  any  new  theory,  but  to  give  the  "  results  of  absolute 
work,"  m  a  successful  attempt  to  remove  the  smoke  nuisance  from  an  extensive 
London  brewery  and  its  neighbourhood.  Messrs.  Truman,  Hanhury,  Buxton,  and 
Co.,  had  tried  most  of  the  plans,  which,  previous  to  1847,  gave  reasonable  hopes 
of  success.  It  was  unnecessary  to  allude  to  these,  but  a  general  remark  might  be 
made  respecting  many  of  them,  viz.,  that  any  plan  requiring  additional  attention 
on  ihe  part  of  the  stoker — such  as  the  opening  or  closing  of  air-valves — or  giving 
him  extra  labour,  which  was  required  in  some  cases,  was  found  in  practice  to  be 
unsuccessful,  although  a  single  experiment,  carefully  conducted,  might  seem  to 
prove  the  contrary.  In  1847,  the  writer's  attention  was  first  drawn  to  Jucke's 
Patent  Furnace,  which  consisted  of  a  strong  cast-iron  frame  of  the  full  width  of  the 
furnace,  and  about  three  feet  longer.  The  fire-bars  were  all  connected  together, 
forming,  when  complete,  an  endless  chain,  and  were  made  to  revolve  round  a  drum, 
placed  at  each  end  of  the  frame.  The  front  of  the  frame  was  provided  with  a  hopper, 
in  which  the  fuel  was  placed,  and  a  furnace-door,  which  opened  vertically  with  a 
worm  and  pinion.  The  height  to  which  this  door  was  raised  by  the  stoker  regu- 
lated the  supply  of  coal,  which  was  carried  into  the  fire  by  the  gradual  motion  of  the 
bars.  This  plan  was  first  applied  to  an  engine-boiler — a  cylindrical  one,  with  two 
tubes — driving  a  40  horse-power  engine.  Having  been  successful,  it  was  adapted 
to  a  second  boiler  of  the  same  kind.  In  the  same  year,  the  probability  of  its  suc- 
cess under  a  brewing  copper  was  discussed.  There  was  no  doubt,  from  the  formei 
experiments,  as  to  its  capabilities  for  raising  steam  or  for  evaporation  ;  but  with  a 
brewing  copper,  provision  had  to  be  made  for  a  process  in  the  manufacture  almost 
peculiar  to  it.  The  contents  of  the  copper  have  to  be  turned  out  several  times  in 
the  course  of  a  brewing,  rendering  it  necessary  to  "  bank  up"  the  fire  thoroughly, 
to  protect  the  bottom  of  the  copper,  until  refilled  with  wort  or  water.  It  was 
feared  that  the  machinery  would  interfere  with  this  being  done  effectually;  it  was 
tried,  and  with  the  same  success  as  with  the  steam  boilers.  The  remainder  of  the 
coppers  and  boilers  were  afterwards  altered.  The  total  cost  of  the  fourteen  fur- 
naces, including  brick-work,  had  been  about  £3,000,  The  consumption  of  coals 
in  the  establishment  was  about  6,000  tons  per  annum.  The  saving  in  the  coal 
account,  since  the  introduction  of  the  patent,  to  July  1  of  the  present  year,  had 
been  £8,338  ;  from  which  must  be  deducted  for  casualties  and  sundries,  say  £350. 
The  above  economy  had  not  arisen  from  less  weight  of  fuel  consumed,  hut  owing 
to  the  screenings  or  dust  of  coal  only  being  required  for  the  furnaces.  Should  the 
difference  of  price  between  large  and  small  coals  be  reduced,  the  economy  will  be 
less  in  future  years.  It  would  appear,  at  first  sight,  that  the  wear  and  tear  of  a 
machine,  apparently  so  complicated,  must  exceed  the  expense  of  the  common  fixed 
bars.  This,  however,  has  not  been  found  to  be  the  case,  and  it  need  not  be  so,  if 
ordinary  care  be  given  to  the  machine,  and  a  periodical  examination,  such  as  any 
other  machine  of  equal  value,  and  producing  equally  important  results,  would 
receive.  Within  the  last  week,  a  set  of  bars  had  been  renewed,  for  the  first  time, 
which  had  been  in  use  since  May,  1849;  and  three-fourths  of  the  old  bars  were 
being  again  used  for  another  furnace,  where  the  boiler  was  of  less  importance 
than  the  one  from  which  they  have  been  removed. 

December  7. 
Harry  Chester,  Esq.,  in  the  CnAiR. 

Before  the  reading  of  the  paper,  the  secretary  called  the  attention  of  the  meet- 
ing to  a  large  number  of  specimens  which  had  been  received  from  the  Imperial 
Printing-office  at  Vienna,  produced  by  the  process  known  in  Germany  as  "  Natur- 
selbsfdruck,"  and  in  this  country  as  "  Phytoglyphy,"  or  the  art  of  printing  from 
nature.  These  specimens  included  every  variety,  botanical,  geological,  entomolo 
gical,  fossil,  and  fabrics.  In  the  year  1851,  Dr.  Ferguson  Branson  communicated 
to  the  society  "  an  account  of  a  method  of  engraving  plates  from  natural  objects," 
which  was  read  at  a  meeting  held  on  the  26th  March  in  that  year,  and  was  pub- 
lished in  the  notices  of  proceedings  at  the  time.  Dr.  Branson  only  contemplated 
the  application  of  the  process  to  ferns,  leaves,  seaweeds,  and  other  flat  plants.  The 
method  he  adopted  was  to  impress  the  object  itself  into  gutta  percha,  or  other  soft 
material,  and  then  to  obtain  an  electrotype  from  the  mould.  The  novelty  in  the 
present  process  consisted  in  the  use  of  lead  for  receiving  the  impression,  in  place  of 
gutta  percha  ;  and  also  for  applying  to  the  polished  surfaces  of  minerals  a  weak 
acid,  which  acted  with  different  degrees  of  intensity  on  the  materials  of  which  the 
mineral  was  composed,  and  so  caused  a  greater  or  less  indentation.  The  moulds 
from  the  fossils  were  taken  by  liquid  gutta  percha.  Specimens  were  also  exhibited 
by  Messrs.  Bradbury  and  Evans,  who  are  working  the  process  in  this  country. 

Samples  were  exhibited  from  Dr.  Forbes  Royle  of  cultivated  "  Rhea  Fibre,"  from 
Assam,  produced  by  Boehmervia  Nivea,  which  was  the  plant  which  yields  the 
Chinese  grass,  of  which  the  fine  grass  cloth  is  m  ide  ;  also  the  wild  Rhea  fibre. 

The  Anslo^Franco-Algerian  Vegetable  Fibre  Company  also  exhibited  some  sam- 
ples of  "  Jute,  Palm,  and  Ditz  Fibres,"  in  various  stages  of  manufacture,  prepared 
by  Claussen's  process. 

December  19. 
W.  Bird  in  the  Chair. 
Discussion,  M  On  the  Consumption  of  Smoke." 


THE  PRACTICAL  MECHANIC'S  JOURNAL. 


267 


SCIENTIFIC  DEPARTMENT  OF  THE  BOARD  OF  TRADE. 
Museum  of  Practical  Geology. 

The  following  courses  of  lectures  have  commenced  at  the  Metropolitan  School  of 
Science  applied  to  Mining  and  the  Arts: — 

Thirty  lectures  "On  Applied  Mechanics,"  by  Professor  Willis,  F.R.S.,  com- 
menced January  4,  at  twelve  o'clock. 

Thirty-six  lectures  "On  Geology,"  by  Professor  Ramsay,  F.R.S.,  commenced 
January  5,  at  one  o'clock. 

Fifty  lectures  "  On  Metallurgy,"  by  Dr.  Percy,  F.R.S.,  commenced  January  G, 
at  eleven  o'clock. 

Twenty-four  lectures  "  On  Palaeontology,  by  Professor  E.  Forbes,  F.R.S.,  com- 
menced January  6,  at  one  o'clock. 

Fifty  lectures  "  On  Mining,"  by  W  W.  Smyth,  M.A.,  commenced  January  9, 
at  three  o'clock. 

The  Chemical  and  Metallurgical  Laboratories  re-opened  for  the  winter  session  on 
the  4th  January. 

Officers  of  the  Army  and  Navy,  in  the  Queen's  or  the  H.E.I.  Company's  Service, 
acting  mining  agents  or  managers,  members  of  the  College  of  Preceptors,  and  cer- 
tificated schoolmasters,  can  attend  the  lectures  at  half  the  usual  charges. 


ROYAL  SCOTTISH  SOCIETY  OF  ARTS. 
annual  general  meeting. 

November,  1853.  % 

distribution   of   prizes. 

1.  William  Alfred  Roberts,  M.D.,  Duke  Street,  Edinburgh,  for  his  "Descrip- 
tion of  an  Apparatus  for  Cauterizing  the  Dental  Nerve  by  means  of  Galvanism." 

The  Society's  Silver  Medal  and  Plate,  value  Ten  Sovereigns. 

2.  Mr.  John  Kolbe  Milne,  Hanover  Street,  Edinburgh,  for  his  lt  Description  of 
a  New  Gas-Stove  for  economically  heating  Ornamental  Tools,  and  Glue  for 
Dressing-Case  Makers." 

The  Society's  Silver  Medal,  value  Five  Sovereigns. 

3.  William  Husband,  M.D.,  Clarence  Street,  Edinburgh,  for  his  paper  "On  the 
Adaptation  to  every-day  practice  of  the  Capiilary  Tube  Method  of  preserving 
Vaccine  Lymph." 

The  Society's  Stiver  Medal. 

SPECIAL  THANKS. 

1.  George  Wilson,  M.D.,  Edinburgh,  for  his  "  Communication  on  the  Preva- 
lence of  Colour-Blindness  or  Chromato-Pseudopsis,  and  the  limit  which  it  puts  to 
the  use  of  Coloured  Signals  on  Railways,  at  Sea,  and  elsewhere." — With  a  grant 
of  Ten  Pounds,  to  assist  in  defraying  the  expense  of  the  prosecution  of  his  impor- 
tant researches. 

2.  Robert  Ritchie,  C.E.,  Hill  Street,  Edinburgh,  for  his  elaborate  communica- 
tion "On  Mechanical  and  other  contrivances  for  Ventilation,  with  a  description  of  a 
New  Method  for  Ventilating  Buildings  by  means  of  Steam  Apparatus,"  with  a  model. 

3.  Robert  Henry  Bow,  C.E.,  Edinburgh,  for  his  "  Description  of  New  Designs 
for  Iron  Roofs  of  great  clear  span,"  &c.  ;  with  drawings. 

The  committees  on  Mr.  Stewart  Hepburn's  Suggestions  for  the  prevention  of 
I?  nil  way  -Accidents  arising  from  Collision,  and  on  Mr.  Campbell's  Communication 
on  the  Cause  of  the  Antilunar  Tide,  and  his  Review  of  the  Theories  held  by  dif- 
ferent Philosophers  on  that  subject,  have  not  yet  given  in  their  reports. 

No  communication  was  read  during  the  past  session  to  which  it  seemed  proper 
to  award  the  Keiih  Prize  of  Thirty  Sovereigns. 
December  12. 
"  On  Decimal  Notation  and  Currency,"  by  J.  Alexander. 
December  19. 
Professor  Kelland  in  the  Chair. 
"  On  the  Time-Ball  recently  erected  on  Nelson's  Monument,  in  connection  with 
the  Royal  Scottish  Observatory,  Edinburgh,"  by  Professor  C.  P.  Smith. 


MARLBOROUGH  HOUSE. 
Department  of  Science  and  Art. 

Eight  lectures  "  On  the  Human  Form  "  are  now  in  course  of  delivery  by  John 
Marshall,  Esq.,  Assistant  Surgeon  to  University  College  Hospital,  as  under: — 

I. — 3d  January — The  Human  Form  considered  as  an  object  of  Art. 

II. — loth  January — Tbe  Hard  or  Angular  Elements  of  the  Human  Form,     The 
Bones  with  the  Joints. 

III. — 17th  Jan  nary — The  Soft  or  Round  Elements  of  the  Human  Form.     The 
Mu  cles,  Skin,  and  Interposed  Structures. 

IV. — 24th  January — The  Forms  of  the  Torso. 

V. — 31st  January — The  Forms  of  the  Limbs. 

VL — 7th  February — The  Forms  of  the  Head  and  Neck. 

VII. — 14th  February — The  Varieties  of  the  Human  Form,  dependent  on  Sex, 
Age,  Character,  Nation,  and  Race. 

VIII. — 21st  February — The  Human  Form,  as  influenced  by  the  Will,  the  Pas- 
sions, DUease,  Sleep,  and  Death. 


MONTHLY  NOTES. 


LIVERPOOL  POLYTECHNIC  SOCIETY. 
Dec  km  be r  5. 
H.  P.  Horner  in  the  Chair. 
Mr.  Maxwell  Scott  read  a  paper  on  his  new  Screw  Propeller,  and  exhibited  several 
models  illustrative  of  its  practical  construction. 

We  gave  particulars  of  this  invention  last  month,  in  our  notes  on  the  "  Progress 
>f  Screw  Propulsion." 


London  Gas. — We  have  ever  zealously  advocated  the  universal  introduction  of 
gas  lighting.  We  wish  to  see  it  adopted  as  fully  in  our  dwellings,  as  it  has  already 
been  in  our  manufactories  and  shops.  This  economical  and  cleanly  light,  in  our 
opinion,  ought  to  be  used  in  the  drawing-room,  bed-rcom,  library,  and  boudoir. 
Look  at  the  example  which  Scotland  has  set  in  this  respect.  There  every  town, 
even  of  the  smallest,  has  its  well-accustomed  gas-works.  A  candle,  or  an  oil 
lamp,  is  rarely  seen,  and  with  them  a  vast  aggregate  of  dirt  and  disagreeables  of 
various  kinds  has  been  effectually  abolished.  In  many  parts  of  England,  and 
particularly  in  London,  the  rule  is  the  very  reverse.  Something  of  this  is  owing 
to  baseless  prejudice — something  to  the  quality  of  the  article  which  the  London 
gas-works  produce.  Dr.  Letheby,  the  inspecting  chemist,  has  just  thrown  some 
light  upon  the  latter  difficulty.  In  a  recent  statement  before  the  "  City  Court  of 
Sewers,"  he  lias  said,  that  "some  of  the  companies  are  supplying  gas,  which,  in 
the  course  of  a  few  years,  will  tend  to  damage  very  much  the  atmosphere  and  the 
property  in  it,  for  it  is  so  highly  charged  with  sulphurefc,  that  I  am  able  to  obtain 
21  grains  of  oil  of  vitriol  from  100  cubic  feet."  It  further  appears  that  there  is  in 
it  a  quantity  of  ammonia,  holding  in  solution  a  large  amount  of  tar,  and  whenever 
there  is  a  leakage  in  the  streets  this  oozes  out.  During  the  last  half  century,  it 
has  got  into  the  public  roads,  and  has  rendered  the  soil  offensive  in  tbe  highest 
degree. 

The  use  of  such  gas  is  attended  with  the  most  lamentable  results.  The  metro- 
pnlitan  libraries  furnish  innumerable  examples  of  books  tumbling  to  pieces  from 
this  very  cause,  and  perishable  fabrics  of  all  kinds  are  constantly  undergoing  more 
or  less  deterioration  from  the  same  unseen  and  noiseless  agent.  Besides  tins, 
which  speaks  more  directly  to  the  pocket  of  the  London  resident,  there  is  the 
fatal  injury  to  living  matter;  and  in  close,  ill-ventilated  rooms,  which,  even  in 
these  modern  times  of  scientific  applications,  are  still  of  abundant  extent,  the  lungs 
of  the  occupants  are  subjected  to  fatal  injury.  To  such  an  extent  is  this  the  case, 
that  a  chemical  examination  of  the  snow  falling  in  London  has  revealed  the  pre- 
sence of  a  large  quantity  of  sulphuric  acid  in  combination  with  ammonia.  The 
autumnal  strewings  of  leaves  convey  the  same  instructive  lesson. 

Now,  we  draw  attention  to  these  important  facts — not  from  any  desire  to  dis- 
countenance the  further  adoption  of  gas  as  a  means  of  obtaining  artificial  light — 
for  that  view  would  be  totally  at  variance  with  what  we  have  previously  advanced 
in  its  favour — but  from  a  wish  to  see  every  possible  objection  to  its  use  cleared 
away,  as  far  as  is  practically  possible.  Does  it  not  reflect  something  like  discredit 
upon  the  great  metropolitan  companies,  that  they  can  be  coolly  told  by  a  chemist 
of  known  reputation,  that  they  are  poisoning  the  atmosphere,  and  positively  re- 
tarding their  own  progress  by  making  and  vending  a  deleterious  gas? 

Progress  of  Screw  Propulsion — Marine  Memoranda. — Not  long  ago, 
between  Point  de  Galle  and  the  Mauritius,  the  crank  pin  of  the  mam  shaft  of  the 
engines  of  the  Bosphorus,  which  is  solid  cast-iron,  about  a  ton  in  weight,  broke  in 
two  pieces.  The  engineers,  under  the  direction  of  Mr.  T.  Turner,  chief  engineer, 
manufactured  a  steel  plate,  and  ingeniously  forced  it,  one-half  into  the  crank,  and 
the  other  half  into  the  crunk  pin,  in  a  hole  one  inch  and  three  quarters  in  diameter, 
and  six  inches  deep,  which  had  been  previously  drilled  to  receive  it.  At  the  Mau- 
ritius a  spare  steel  pin,  two  inches  in  diameter,  was  obtained  ;  and  as,  on  arriving 
at  the  Cape,  the  manufactured  steel  plate  was  discovered  to  be  broken,  it  was  re- 
placed by  the  pin  obtained  at  the  Mauritius.  Since  her  accident,  the  Bospkorus 
has  been  unable  to  steam  fully;  but  still  she  arrived  at  the  Cape  thirty-six  hours 
before  her  time;  and  on  leaving  St.  Vincent  she  was  eighteen  hours  before  contract 
time. 

A  fire  in  New  York  has  put  a  stop  to  all  further  conjecture  as  to  the  success  of 
the  git:  an  tic  American  ship  Great  Republic,  just  finished  by  her  most  enterprising 
of  builders,  Donald  Mackay.  The  disaster,  which  is  said  to  have  occasioned  a  loss 
of  some  £200,000,  broke  out  in  a  street  near  the  docks,  and  some  sparks  were 
blown  thence  upon  the  sails  of  the  Great  Republic.  The  fire,  thus  generated 
amongst  the  shipping,  rapidly  spread  into  other  vessels,  and,  amongst  the  rest,  it 
got  into  the  well-known  clipper  White  Squall,  and  completely  destroyed  her.  The 
Great  Republic  was  valued  at  £60,000,  and  her  cargo — for  she  was  on  the 
point  of  sailing  for  Liverpool — was  worth  £55,000  more.  The  New  Yorh  Tri- 
bune, in  speakiug  of  this  loss,  says — "The  destruction  of  the  clipper  Great  Re- 
public is  justly  considered  to  be  a  public  calamity.  She  was  not  only  one  of  the 
most  beautiful  ships  ever  built,  but  her  extraordinary  magnitude,  and  the  antici- 
pations connected  with  her,  had  caused  her  to  be  regarded  with  something  of  na- 
tional pride  and  interest.  The  opinion  was  very  generally  entertained  that  she 
would  outstrip  all  competitors,  and  carry  off  the  palm  from  the  world,  and  her 
loss,  just  as  she  was  about  to  start  for  the  prize,  sends  a  shock  far  beyond  the 
limits  of  the  commercial  class  among  the  great  public  of  those  who  are  in  the 
habit  of  watching  the  progress  of  industry  and  enterprise  in  every  department. 
Besides,  she  was  a  scientific  experiment.  We  were  to  learn  from  her  whether  the 
speed  of  ships  increases  indefinitely  in  proportion  to  their  size,  or  whether  our 
builders  have  already  reached  the  maximum  of  velocity,  as  well  as  the  bounds  of 
safety  and  economy,  in  nautical  construction.  In  Europe,  too,  where  her  fame  had 
already  gone,  her  coming  was  anxiously  looked  for,  and  her  untoward  fate  will  be 
regretted.  It  is  a  consolation  that  her  spirited  builder  and  proprietor  was  insured, 
and  will  not  suffer  by  the  event.  If  he  does  but  produce  another  ship  like  that 
now  destroyed,  he  will  call  into  existence  a  finer  specimen  of  naval  architecture 
than  the  world  has  seen  from  other  builders  in  6,000  years." 

The  experimental  voyages  to  Port-Phillip  and  Sydney,  of  the  General  Screw 
Steam  Shipping  Company's  ships,  Harbinger  and  Argo,  have  been  the  most  sue- 


2C3 


THE  PRACTICAL  MECHANIC'S  JOURNAL. 


cessful  of  any  efforts  yet  made  to  shorten  the  distance  between  Australia  and  the 
parent  country,  a  strange  fatality  having,  in  fact,  attended  the  operations  of  every 
other  company  up  to  the  present  time.  The  company,  encouraged  by  their  suc- 
cess, are  arranging  a  new  line  of  steamers,  for  the  purpose  of  providing  regular 
steam  communication  with  Australia.  The  first  of  this  line,  the  Croesus,  the 
largest  merchant  steam-ship  which  ever  left  the  Thames,  is  of  2,500  tons  burden, 
and  was  built  by  Messrs.  Mare  &  Co.,  of  Blaekwall,  who  are  also  building  three 
other  ships  of  similar  dimensions,  to  be  respectively  called  the  Golden  Fleece,  the 
Jason,  and  the  Prince.  Tiie  Crcesus  is  built  of  iron,  in  water-tight  compartments, 
the  dimensions  being  as  follows: — Length  between  perpendiculars  2S0  feet,  length 
over  all  300  feet,  breadth  43  feet,  depth  3H  feet.  She  is  full  bark  rigged,  with 
an  immense  spread  of  canvas,  sufficient,  with  a  strong  breeze,  to  force  the  ship 
through  the  water  (irrespective  of  steam  power)  at  the  rate  of  13  or  14  knots. 
She  is  propelled  by  the  auxiliary  screw,  and  her  engines,  by  Messrs.  Rennie,  are 
of  400  horse  power,  on  the  direct-acting  horizontal  principle.  The  screw  is  a 
two-bladed  one,  of  \G\  feet  diameter,  with  a  23t  feet  pitch,  and  weighs  five  tons. 
By  an  ingeniously  contrived  hoisting  apparatus,  it  can  be  disconnected  and  lifted 
bodily  out  of  the  water,  so  that  when  the  vessel  is  under  canvas  alone  (which  will 
frequently  be  the  case)  no  obstruction  will  be  offered  to  the  speed  obtainable  from 
the  force  of  the  wind  acting  upon  the  sails.  The  steam  cylinders  have  a  diameter 
of  63|  inches,  and  the  steam  is  generated  in  four  tubular  boilers,  so  arranged  that 
they  may  be  used  singly  or  collectively,  according  as  it  may  be  necessary  or  pru- 
dent to  expend  or  economize  fuel,  The  performance  of  the  engines  is  about  52 
revolutions  per  minute,  with  16  lb.  pressure  of  steam,  and  a  vacuum  of  27  inches 
in  the  condenser.  She  can  carry  200  first  and  second  class  passengers;  and  be- 
sides the  great  space  thus  allotted,  she  has  a  capacity  for  1,300  or  1,400  tons  cf 
measurement  freight,  will  carry  1,000  tons  of  coals,  and  possesses  stowage  room 
for  300  tons  of  baggage  and  stores,  with  103  tons  of  water  in  tanks,  in  addition  to 
an  apparatus  for  condensing  700  gallons  of  water.  The  qualities  of  the  Crcesus 
were  tested  in  atrial  trip  down  channel,  which  lasted  three  days,  during  which  the 
maximum  speed  under  canvas,  with  a  strong  breeze,  and  the  screw  disconnected, 
was  found  to  be  13  to  14  knots.  Close  hauled,  with  double-reefed  topsails, 
courses,  trysail,  and  jib  (canvas  alone — no  steam  power  applied),  10£  knots.  In 
smooth  water,  with  no  sails,  the  ship  steamed  10£  to  11  knots;  and  in  coming 
up  channel  against  a  heavy  north-east  gale,  with  a  rough  sea,  all  yards  across,  the 
engines  forced  the  ship  through  the  water  at  the  rate  of  4^  to  5 L  knots. 

The  Peninsular  and  Oriental  Steam  Navigation  Company's  new  screw  steamship 
Himalaya,  of  3,550  tons  and  700  horse  power,  was  tried  at  the  Nore,  on  the  11th 
January,  when,  notwithstanding  the  prevalence  of  a  strong  S.E.  wind,  the  perform- 
ances of  the  ship  were  satisfactory.  She  ran  the  measured  mile  with  a  current  of 
1^  knots  in  her  favour,  in  four  minutes  seven  seconds  ;  being  equal  to  14*575  knots 
per  hour.  By  the  log,  which  was  several  times  hove  during  the  trip,  the  speed  was 
quite  14  knots,  the  engines  going  at  the  rate  of  5G  revolutions  per  minute.  The 
machinery  is  by  Messrs.  Penn  and  Sons. 

The  Himalaya  went  round  to  Southampton  the  next  day,  and  the  following  is 
an  abstract  of  her  performances:— She  left  Greenhithe  at  0  a.m.  At  Sea 
Reach  a  thick  fog  came  on,  and  she  was  obliged  to  anchor  for  a  considerable  time, 
and  on  proceeding  after  the  fog  partially  closed  was  compelled  to  slow  her  engines 
several  times  between  the  Nore  Light  ard  the  North  Foreland.  She,  however,  per- 
formed this  distance  (31  miles")  in  just  two  hours.  Passing  round  the  "Downs,  she 
ran  from  the  North  to  the  South  Foreland  (17  miles),  with  a  strong  W.  wind,  in 
one  hour  twenty  minutes.  Thence  to  Dungeness  (21  miles)  in  one  hour  thirty 
minutes.  From  Dungeness  to  Beaehey-head  (29  miles),  blowing  very  strong  from 
S.S.W.,  with  a  heavy  swell  on.  and  tide  against  her,  she  was  three  hours.  Thence 
to  abreast  of  the  Ower's  lightship  (36  miles),  with  an  increasing  breeze,  she  was 
three  hours  thirty  minutes,  having  to  slow  several  times.  She  finally  anchored  in 
St.  Helen's  roads  at  3  o'clock  on  the  morning  of  the  13th.  It  was  calculated  that 
the  Himalaya  was  13  hours  under  way,  and  averaged  13^  knots  per  hour,  which, 
considering  the  weather  she  met  with  from  Dungeness  to  the  Nab,  is  a  very  high 
rate  of  speed.  She  was  as  stiff  during  the  breeze  as  could  be  desired,  and  proved 
herself  to  he  one  of  the  fastest  seagoing  ships  afloat.  Fore  and  aft  canvas  was  set 
for  a  short  time,  during  which  she  went  fully  15  knots.  At  10  a.m.  on  the  13th, 
she  ran  to  Stoke's  Bay,  and  tested  her  speed  at  the  measured  mile,  with  the  follow- 
ing results: — ■ 

M.  Spc.     Knots. 

First  run,  with  tide 4    10=  14400  "\    ,.  -, 

Second  run,  against  tide 4    39  =  12003    LMSaSfi"S        I 

Third  run,  with  tide 3    54  =  15384    f     £3*44  knots  per 

Fourth  run,  against  tide, 4    56  =  12-162  J  " 

The  experiments  with  the  Himalaya  are  said  to  have  satisfactorily  demonstrated 
the  achievement  of  the  desideratum  so  long  sought  for  in  a  screw-steamship, — 
namely,  the  almost  total  absence  of  any  vibratory  motion;  bnt  we  are  not  informed 
to  what  this  is  supposed  to  be  due,  or  what  description  of  screw  propeller  she  has. 

The  Himalaya is  the  largest  ocean  steamship  in  the  world.  Registering  3,550  tons, 
she  is  equal  to  4,000  tons  actual  burden.  Over  all,  she  measures  372  feet  9  inches ; 
her  keel  is  311  feet  long;  breadth  for  tonnage,  46  feet  2  inches;  and  d«pth  of 
hold,  24  feet  0  inches.  Her  cylinders  are  84  inches  in  diameter,  with  a  stroke  of 
3  feet  6  inches.  Her  screw  is  a  two-bladed  one,  presenting  no  especial  novelty.  It 
is  IS  feet  in  diameter,  and  28  feet  pitch,  and  weighs  7  tons.  The  hull  is  full 
ship-rigged;  and,  with  all  her  canvas  bent,  in  a  stiff  breeze,  and  full  steam  on, 
her  captain  talks  of  getting  20  miles  an  hour  out  of  her. 

The  Royal  George  120  gun  screw  steamship  lias  been  tried  during  her  passage 
from  Sheerness  to  Devonport.  Messrs.  Perm's  400  horse  power  trunk  engines 
worked  to  the  entire  satisfaction  of  all  on  board,  and  the  engineers  who  worked 
them,  and  the  stokers  who  attended  to  getting  up  the  steam,  state  that  they  never 
«erved  in  a  ship  so  well  ventilated  and  eonl  before.     The  great  breadth  of  the  ship 


has  allowed  of  the  furnaces  being  constructed  so  as  to  give  a  space  of  12  feet 
between  the  six  furnaces  on  each  side,  and  they  are  so  arranged  that  there  is  an 
ample  supply  of  pure  air,  although  the  mouths  of  the  furnaces  are  nearly  60  feet 
below  the  upper  decs.  The  average  speed  obtained,  as  nearly  as  possible,  10£ 
knots  per  hour,  has  fully  confirmed  the  result  given  at  her  trial  between  the  Nore 
and  Mouse  lights  before  she  left  for  Devonport, 

The  Fairy  screw  tender  to  the  Royal  yacht,  has  been  trying  a  new  propeller, 
manufactured  at  the  steam  factory  of  Portsmouth  dockyard,underthesuperintendence 
of  Mr.  Murray.  The  new  screw  is  in  principle  similar  to  that  of  Griffiths' — the 
pitch,  being  the  same,  but  the  ball  at  the  centre  is  dispensed  with.  Two  runs  were 
made  at  the  mile,  the  average  result  of  which  gave  a  mean  speed  of  \2\  knots,  or 
one  quarter  of  a  knot  less  than  has  been  obtained  by  Griffiths'  patent  itself;  but  the 
engines  worked  at  one  stroke  less  per  minute.  The  Fairy  returned,  and  was  put  on 
the  slip  the  same  evening,  to  have  the  central  boss  attached,  ready  for  another  trial. 

It  is  understood  that  the  new  Royal  yacht  will  he  built  of  the  following  dimen- 
sions and  capabilities : — Length  of  keel,  300  feet ;  length  on  deck,  3 1 5  feet ;  beam, 
40  feet ;  depth  of  hold,  22  feet;  diameter  of  paddlewhee],  30  feet  0  inches  ;  stroke 
of  piston,  7  feet;  diameter  of  cylinder,  84  inches;  tonnage,  2,340.  The  revolutions 
of  the  engines  have  been  estimated  at  from  25  to  28,  which  will  yield,  it  is  calcu- 
lated, a  speed  of  from  1 5  to  10  knots  per  hour.  The  engines  are  to  be  manufactured 
by  Penn,  upon  the  oscillating  principle,  but  to  obtain  the  speed  calculated  upon, 
they  must  be  worked  upon  the  high-pressure  system.  They  will  occupy  great  space  in 
the  body  of  the  vessel,  and  consequently  allow  of  less  ventilation  and  working  room 
for  the  engineer's  staff,  and  admit  of  the  stowage  of  a  less  quantity  of  coals. 

Mr.  "Watney,  the  proprietor  of  the  Gwendraeth  Works,  went  over  to  Lisbon  a 
few  weeks  since  in  the  Brazikira,  one  of  the  General  Steam  Navigation  Company's 
large  screw  steamers,  to  superintend  a  trial  which  was  being  made  with  anthracite 
coal  from  his  works.  The  Brazikira  reached  Lisbon  in  three  days  and  twenty 
hours  from  the  time  of  her  leaving  Liverpool,  being  the  quickest  passage  ever  made, 
and  the  trial  of  the  anthracite  was  in  every  way  successful.  The  Brazikira  ivas 
on  her  way  to  the  Brazils,  this  being  her  second  voyage  thither,  which  promises  to 
even  surpass  the  first.  The  Brazileira  is  Liverpool  built,  whilst  the  OUnda, 
another  steamer  belonging  to  the  Brazil  line,  and  whose  mishap  we  noticed  last 
month,  is  a  Clyde  built  ship,  and  the  Liverpool  people  are  highly  pleased  at  the 
superiority  exhibited  by  the  former. 

Reaping  Machines. — No  sooner  does  one  important  novelty  attract  public 
attention,  than  it  set<  to  work  a  hundred  differently  thinking  minds,  and  imitations, 
improvements,  or  things  of  a  like  kind,  are  brought  forth.  This  has  eminently 
been  the  case  with  regard  to  these  machines,  if  we  may,  as  we  only  can,  judge  from 
the  number  of  them  that  have  been  patented  in  England  alone.  Mr.  Bennet 
Woodcroft's  "  Appendix  to  Specifications  of  Reaping  Machines"  is  very  appropri- 
ately brought  out  just  now,  and  will  well  repay  perusal.  In  the  multitude  of  coun- 
sellors there  is  safely;  and  from  the  multitude  of  these  patents  we  may  hope  to 
frame  hereafter— for  it  remains  to  be  done,  notwithstanding  all  the  large  expendi- 
ture of  thought  and  material  hitherto  made — an  instrument  that  will  do  its  work, 
under  such  economical  conditions,  as  will  make  it  an  acceptable  and  readily  acces- 
sible piece  of  farm  furniture.  Claiming  the  original  invention  as  English,  it  is  a 
little  startling  to  find  it  stated  that,  in  the  United  States  alone,  upwards  of  100 
patents  have  been  taken  out  on  the  subject.  Surely  here  is  a  field — a  new  and 
comparatively  untried  field — for  our  ingenious  mechanics,  in  which  to  exercise 
their  inventive  faculties  to  the  full  extent.  A  very  large  reward,  indeed,  because 
it  must  necessarily  be  a  world-wide  one,  awaits  that  inventor  who  shall  beneficially 
eclipse  his  predecessors  in  the  path.  The  problem  is  as  a  gauntlet  thrown  down 
to  the  profession,  but  which  should  be  taken  up  only  after  much  study  now,  and 
careful  thought  and  reflection.  The  present  status  of  the  machine  has  a  history 
which  must  be  acquired  before  anything  rationally  good  can  be  recommended  to  be 
attempted;  and  this  appendix  goes  a  great  way  to  furnish  what  was  wanting  on 
the  subject. 

Clayton's  Brick-making  Machine. — The  capabilities  of  this  machine,  as 
regards  the  working  of  stiff  clay,  or  generally  inferior  material,  have  long  been 
recognised  by  practical  builders  and  contractors,  who  have  largely  adopted  Mr. 
Clayton's  plans  for  all  kinds  of  work.  Recently,  Messrs.  Waring,  the  eminent 
railway  contractors,  put  the  machine  to  a  practical  test  upon  the  softest  possible 
clay  at  the  works,  Upper  Park  Place,  Dorset  Square,  with  the  view  of  positively 
ascertaining  its  behaviour  under  such  extreme  circumstances.  During  this  trial 
the  machine  was  worked  by  a  single  horse,  going  at  a  speed  to  suit  his  own  direct 
will,  without  driving,  and  it  was  attended  by  a  single  unskilled  labourer  and  two  boys. 
After  working  for  five  minutes,  Messrs.  Waring  stopped  the  horse,  and  found  that 
101  good  clean  bricks  had  been  made  in  this  time,  being  at  the  rate  of  12,000  per 
day  of  ten  hours.  The  clay  was  of  a  very  rough  quality,  and  was  reduced  in 
tenacity  to  the  lowest  point  workable  by  hand.  In  Mr.  Clayton's  machine,  the 
clay  which  issues  from  the  die  in  a  continuous  stream,  being  afterwards  severed  into 
the  required  brick  lengths,  is  not  expressed  through  fixed  side  pieces,  as  is  usual. 
Instead  of  this,  the  moulding  dies  are  formed  of  rollers,  and  the  day  is  thus  rolled 
out,  producing  peculiar  sharpness  and  accuracy  of  form.  The  machine  has  just 
carried  off  the  great  prize  medal  from  the  Exhibition  of  Industry  at  Amsterdam. 

Gallery  of  Inventors. — "Bide  your  time"  is  a  simple  but  all-important 
piece  of  advice.  It  will  come,  depend  upon  it.  Your  time  will  come.  The  large 
bodv  of  inventors,  dead  and  living,  are  abont  to  have  some  slight  honour  paid  to 
them.  For  a  suggestion  from  Prince  Albert  to  the  Society  of  Arts,  on  such  a 
topic,  will  necessarily  soon,  as  we  hope,  he  forwarded  a  few  steps.  The  Prince 
suggests  the  origination  of  a  Gallery  of  Inventors — a  gallery  of  paintings,  draw- 
ings, prints  of  those  worthies  who,  by  working  with  their  heads  aloue,  have  placed 
us  in  the  pleasant  and  proud  position  we  now  occupy.  We  are  glad  to  find  all 
agree  in  the  excellence  of  this  idea;  and  we  trust  the  Society  of  Arts  will  act  upon 


THE  PRACTICAL  MECHANIC'S  JOURNAL. 


2C9 


it  at  once.  We  ourselves  anticipate  many  an  hour  of  calm  enjoyment  in  the  midst 
of  the-e  not  sufficiently  illustrious  men,  many,  nay,  most  of  whose  properties  and 
even  Kves  were  sacrificed  upon  the  altar  of  that  idea  or  notion  which  we  live  to 
see  realised  in  all  its  plenitude  of  benefit  to  asward.  We  hear  that  already  several 
noblemen  and  gentlemen,  having  authentic  portraits  of  some  of  our  inventors,  have 
placed  them  wholly  at  the  disposal  of  the  society.  This  is  an  example  that  we 
shall  l>e  glad  to  see  followed  by  all. 

"  Winged  Words"  for  Railtvat  Danger  Signals. — Captain  Norton  pro- 
duces four  different  and  distinct  sounds,  by  means  of  shooting  his  short  arrows  from  a 
Steel  cross-bow,  or  from  a  revolver  of  the  musket-bore  size,  to  be  discharged  by  the 
guard  of  a  train  against  a  Chinese  gong,  hung  behind  and  over  the  he:id  of  the 
driver  of  the  engine.  The  four  sounds  may  be  distinct  words  of  command,  such 
as  "bring  up,"  "go  on,"  "go  fast,"  "go  slow."  More  sounds  could  be  produced, 
but  the  above  four  are  sufficient  for  all  purposes,  and  more  might  lead  to  confu- 
sion. These  sounds  of  command  act  like  the  sounds  of  a  bugle  in  battle,  where, 
from  the  thunder  of  artillery,  and  the  long  roll  of  musketry,  no  other  sounds  can 
be  distinguished. 

Raw  Materials  for  Paper.— If  ever  there  was  a  time  better  suited  than 
others  for  the  introduction  of  new  raw  materials,  or  tlie  more  economical  employ- 
ment of  old  ones,  fur  paper  making,  that  time  has  now  reached  us.  For  many 
years,  the  crude  fibrous  matters  which  modern  scientific  discovery  has  enabled  us 
to  work  up  into  the  white,  close,  even-textured  fabric  on  which  these  notes  are 
impressed,  have  suffered  continuous  exaggerations  of  scarcity.  The  world  has  been 
ransacked  for  the  much-wanted  refuse  fibre,  thrown  aside  from  all  conceivable 
quarters,  and  widely-sundered  nations  have  eagerly  competed  in  the  purchases. 
The  cheapening  of  popular  literature,  and,  in  a  less  degree,  the  reduction  of  postal 
ci'Sts,  have  each  contributed  immensely  to  the  growing  demand  for  paper,  whilst 
every  educational  movement  tends  to  the  same  point,  and  heightens  the  evils  con- 
sequent upon  the  impossibility  of  creating  a  supply  equal  to  the  demand.  This  is 
felt  everywhere,  and  many  commercial  nations  have  put  an  entire  stop  to  the  ex- 
port of  rags;  and,  worse  still,  the  Americans — powerful  rivals  in  such  a  matter — ■ 
have  stepped  into  our  own  markets  to  bid  against  us  for  our  own  waste  materials. 
Paper  is  generally  understood  to  be  made  merely  of  rags  ;  but  such  materials  fur- 
nish but  a  small  portion  of  what  is  really  employed  in  the  manufacture.  Cotton 
and  flax-mill  sweepings,  old  ropes,  bale  coverings,  straw,  and  some  ligneous  fibres, 
all  work  up  into  good  paper.  But  even  all  the  economical  collection  which  we 
have  been  able  to  make  has  not  averted  the  evil  of  scarcity,  and  a  new  and  cheap 
material  was  never  so  much  in  request  as  at  this  moment.  "  Let  every  merchant," 
says  a  sensible  writer  in  the  Times,  "  direct  the  attention  of  his  foreign  agents 
to  the  discovery  of  a  cheap  6brous  material,  and  the  transmission  of  specimens  in 
sufficient  quantity  for  trial,  and  let  every  housewife  preserve  what  she  may  hitherto 
have  destroyed  in  linen  or  cotton  fibre,  if  for  no  other  reason  than  to  aid  in  supply- 
ing the  necessary  material  for  transmitting  that  intellectual  food  without  which 
an  intelligent  nation  would  indeed  starve." 

Society  of  Arts. — During  the  last  quarter  of  the  last  year,  this  venerable 
society,  which  is  sensibly  becoming  one  of  the  most  important  institutions  of  the 
realm,  has  taken  into  union  so  many  new  and  additional  scientific  institutes  of  all 
descriptions,  as  to  have  increased  the  number  in  union  to  319.  A  centralization  of 
this  kind  promises  well  to  the  country  at  large,  and  bids  fair,  by  the  exercise  of 
appropriate  and  wholesome  means,  to  attain  the  creat  end  the  society  has  in  view. 

Covering  for  Smithfield  Market,  Manchester. — The  Manchester 
Smithfield  Market,  which  has  hitherto  been  roofless,  is  now  being  covered  in  with  a 
roof  of  iron,  slate,  and  glass.  The  area  is  about  2£  acres,  and  this  great  space  has 
72  supporting  columns  upon  it,  the  roof  resting  upon  them  being  of  the  class  now 
commonly  used  for  the  principal  railway  stations.  It  is  of  iron,  supported  by 
seven  girders,  resting  on  the  flange  of  an  iron  guttering  running  from  column  to 
column  longitudinally.  The  ridge  of  the  roof  in  the  inner  bays  is  42  feet  from 
the  ground;  in  the  others,  it  is  36  feet;  and  it  is  covered  with  glass  for  14  feet 
on  each  side  of  the  ridge,  the  rest  being  slated.  The  drainage  is  effected  on  the 
tabular  system,  a  line  of  tubing  running  down  the  centre  of  each  bay,  the  water  on 
the  surface  of  the  market  being  conveyed  to  these  ducts  by  putters,  whilst  that 
from  the  roof  descends  by  the  tubular  columns.  Water  is  supplied  to  the  market 
by  a  main  service  pipe,  running  right  down  the  centre  from  north  to  south — and 
three  branches,  eacli  with  three  stand  pipes,  run  right  and  left  from  this  main 
channel.  These  details  are  so  arranged,  that  the  whole  surface  can  be  well  washed 
by  attaching  hose,  to  the  stand  pipes.  At  each  end  of  the  rows  of  columns,  is  a 
square  paneled  pillar;  and  these  pillars,  and  all  the  columns,  have  foliated  capitals. 
The  ends  of  the  bays  are  closed  with  one  framing,  glazed  with  sheet  glass,  and 
resting  npon  elliptical  arches,  springing  from  the  columns.  On  the  side  of  a  new 
thoroughfare,  called  Oswald  Street,  elliptical  moulded  arches  spring  from  the 
colomns,  with  perforated  spandrils,  and  a  cornice  above.  The  columns  extend  up 
to  the  cornice,  with  square  paneled  blocks,  surmounted  by  external  paterse  and 
escutcheons.  The  design  is  by  Mr.  James  Heywood,  of  the  Phcenix  Foundry, 
Derby,  who  is  the  contractor  for  the  roof;  and  the  works  are  being  executed  under 
the  superintendency  of  Mr.  W«  Fairbaim,  at  whose  recommendation,  the  committee 
adopted  Mr.  Heywood";*  plan. 

Nottingham  Framework  Knitting. — The  complicated  varieties  of  goods 
manufactured  in  the  Nottingham,  Leicester,  and  Hinckley  districts,  by  what  is 
known  as  "framework  knitting" — as  gloves  and  hosiery — owe  much  to  recent 
mechanical  improvements.  The  "  circular  frames,"  in  particular,  have  received 
many  perfecting  touches;  and  the  latest  modifications  have  already  quite  dis- 
tanced the  machines  made  only  a  year  or  two  ago,  both  as  regards  quantity  of  pro- 
duction and  quality  of  work,  whilst  the  first  cost  is  no  more  than  one-half  that  of 
the  superseded  contrivances.  So  far,  a  machine  to  make  "  fashioned"  goods  by 
steam  power  has  been  much  wanted.     Messrs.  Harris,  of  Leicester,  have  introduced 


Mr.  Mowbray's  patented  machine  for  this  purpose;  and,  as  far  as  it  goes,  this 
invention  is  a  real  improvement,  although  it  seems  more  especially  suited  for  heavy 
woollen  goods.  Sir.  Haywood,  of  Nottingham,  has  also  since  contrived  a  frame 
for  a  similar  purpose ;  and  Messrs.  Hine,  Mundells,  &  Co.,  of  Nottingham,  have 
contributed  two  separate  arrangements,  which  promise  important  results.  One  of 
Messrs.  Hine's  machines  has  been  expressly  designed  for  fashioning,  or  narrowing 
differentially  by  power,  without  stoppages.  The  other  is  an  improvement  upon 
the  machine  employed  for  making  the  old  Derby  rib.  This  substitution  of  me- 
chanical power  for  manual  labour,  as  in  all  parallel  cases,  has  materially  aug- 
mented the  manufacturing  capabilities  of  the  extensive  district  concerned  iu  this 
trade. — The  lace  manufacture  of  Nottingham  has  lately  received  an  enormous 
increase  of  development.  The  extension  has  indeed  been  such,  that  cotton  spin- 
ning and  doubling  mills  have  begun  to  spring  up  in  the  neighbourhood  for 
the  purpose  of  supplying  the  raw  material  for  the  more  elaborated  manufac- 
ture. A  mill  of  this  kind  has  just  been  built,  and  set  to  work,  by  Mr.  John 
Morley.  in  a  style  capable  of  fair  comparison  with  the  finest  establishment  of  Lan- 
cashire. 

Central  School  of  Art,  Marlborough  House. — The  School  of  Design 
which  Government  lately  maintained  at  Somerset  House,  having  proved  a  failure, 
has  ceased  to  exist,  and  a  new  school,  called  the  Central  School  of  Art,  has  been 
opened  at  Marlborough  House,  under  a  different  system.  This  school  is  attached 
to  the  department  of  Art  and  Science  of  the  Board  of  Trade,  and  its  superintend- 
ant  is  Mr.  Redgrave,  R.A.  It  consists  of  three  divisions: — I.  A  model  school,  in 
which  lectures,  teaching,  and  practice,  daily  go  forward  in  freehand,  model,  and 
elementary  mechanical  drawing,  practical  geometry  and  perspective,  painting  in 
oil,  tempera  and  water  colours,  and  in  modelling.  Each  student  pays  £4  for  the 
session  of  five  months.  Evening  instruction  is  given  in  advanced  drawing,  paint- 
ing, and  modelling,  including  the  figure.  £2  are  paid  for  the  session,  except  by 
qualified  students,  formerly  registered  at  Somerset  House,  who  are  admitted  on 
payment  of  a  fee  of  £1.  10s. — II.  Special  classes  for  technical  instruction,  having 
reference  to,  1,  practical  construction,  (architecture,  building,  plastic  decoration, 
furniture,  metal  working);  2,  mechanical  and  machine  drawing;  3,  surface  deco- 
ration, as  applied  to  woven  fabrics,  lace,  paperhangings,  &c. ;  4,  porcelain  paint- 
ing ;  5,  wood  engraving  ;  6,  lithography — chalk,  pen,  and  colour.  The  fee  for  each 
course  is  £4,  except  as  to  No.  2,  where  the  fee  is  £2.  In  some  cases,  there  is 
evening  instruction  with  a  fee  of  £2. — III.  A  training  school  for  teachers.  A 
class  for  the  instruction  of  schoolmasters  and  pupil  teachers  meets  on  two  evenings 
of  the  week,  and  on  Saturday.  The  fees  are  10s.  for  the  session  for  pupil  teachers, 
and  for  masters  of  parochial  schools,  and  similar  parties.  5s. — Lectures  are  delivered 
in  connection  with  the  objects  for  which  the  Central  School  of  Art  has  been  estab- 
lished, by  Professor  E.  Forbes  and  other  persons.  To  these  lectures  the  public  is 
admitted  by  a  payment  of  6d.  each  lecture. — The  museum  and  library  at  Marlbo- 
rough House  are  placed  at  the  service  of  the  students,  who  are  allowed  to  matri- 
culate for  a  term  of  three  years,  upon  payment  of  £20,  in  one  sum,  on  entrance,  or 
by  three  annual  payments  of  £10.  They  are  then  entitled  to  attend  all  public 
and  class  lectures,  the  general  and  technical  cour-es,  to  receive  personal  instruc- 
tion, and  to  practice  in  the  school  at  all  times. — "  In  closing  its  rooms  at  Somer- 
set House,"  says  the  Times,  "the  department  virtually  abandons  the  task  of  direct 
teaching  in  the  early  stages  of  practical  art  education.  Its  efforts  are  now  con- 
fined to  the  training  of  masters,  and  to  instruction  in  the  higher  branches  of  de- 
sign. For  these  purposes  regular  courses  of  tuition  are  prescribed,  and  lectures 
given  by  competent  professors,  the  students  possessing  the  additional  advantage  of 
the  museum  and  library  for  consultation  and  reference.  The  museum  is  extending 
with  a  rapidity  which  will  soon  force  upon  Government  the  necessity  of  finding  a 
more  suitable  home  for  it  than  the  small,  inconvenient,  and  mean  apartments  of 
Marlborough  House.  Though  still  in  its  infancy,  it  possesses  extreme  interest; 
and  from  the  comprehensive  classification  of  objects  included  in  it,  it  is  certain,  at 
no  distant  period,  to  equal,  if  it  does  not  excel,  anything  of  the  kind  in  Europe. 
No  one  with  a  true  perception  of  the  beautiful,  as  applied  to  the  industrial  arts,  can 
visit  it  without  being  highly  gratified.  In  metal  work,  in  ceramic  manufactures, 
in  lace,  in  textiles,  in  furniture,  it  contains  a  small,  indeed,  but  an  exceedingly  choice 
and  valuable  selection  of  specimens  and  examples.  The  library  is  a  still  more 
recent  creation  than  the  museum,  and  though  less  attractive  to  the  general  public, 
not  inferior  in  utility.  It  already  comprises  several  thousand  volumes,  and  is  a 
place  to  which  manufacturers  engaged  in  ornamental  production  may  resort  with 
great  benefit  to  themselves ;  for  as  long  as  the  peaceful  arts  have  flourished  on  the 
earth,  and  considering  what  important  aids  books  could  lend  them,  it  is  surprising 
how  little  that  aid  has  hitherto  been  sought,  and  how  few  attempts  have  been  made, 
and  how  few  materials  exist  for  forming  a  special  library  of  the  kind  now  open  at 
Marlborough  House.  The  astonishing  progress  of  photography,  added  to  the  faci- 
lities which  other  beautiful  and  cheap  processes  afford,  will  soon  enable  us  to  wipe 
away  this  reproach." 


PROVISIONAL  PROTECTIONS  FOR  INVENTIONS 

UNDER  THE  PATENT  LAW  AMENDMENT  ACT. 

flag-When  the  city  or  town  is  not  mentioned,  London  is  to  be  understood. 

Recorded  August  13. 

1900.  John  G wynne,  Essex-wharf,  Essex-street,  Strand — Improvements  in  the  prepara- 
tion of  a  black  powder  from  coal,  and  the  application  thereof  to  the  mauuracture 
of  paints,  blacking,  and  various  other  purposes. 

Recorded  October  5. 
227G.  William  Crofts,  Derby-terrace,  Nottingham  Park — Improvements  in  the  produc- 
tion of  figuring  in  weaving. 


270 


THE  PRACTICAL  MECHANIC'S  JOURNAL. 


Recorded  October  6. 
2290.  Charles  A.  Holm,  21  Cecil-street— Improvements  in  machinery  for  raising  or  pro- 
pelling elastic  and  non-elastic  fluids. 

Recorded  October  19. 
2406.  Gustavus  Gidley,  43  Robert-street,  Hoxton,  and  John  B.  Muschamp.  Kensington— 
An  improvement  in  making  india-rubber  solution  for  waterproofing  cloths  or 
other  articles,  without  the  offensive  smell  produced  by  the  use  of  naphtha,  tur- 
pentine, oils,  &c. 

Recorded  October  24. 

2452.  Edward  J.  M.  Archdeacon,  Gravel-lane,  South  wark— An  improved  method  of  in- 
dicating places,  divisions,  or  contents,  in  directories. 
Recorded  October  27. 
2486.  George  E.  Dering,  Lockleys,  Hertfordshire— Improvements  in  galvanic  batteries. 

Recorded  November  21. 
2701.  Aaron  Parfitt,  Newbury,  Berks— Improvements  in  the  construction  of  certain  de- 
scriptions of  vehicles. 
2706.  William  Joyce,  Greenwich,  and  Thomas  Meacham,  same  place— Certain  improve- 
ments in  marine  steam  engines. 

Recorded  November  22. 
2710.  William  Mee,  Leicester — Improvements  in  the  manufacture  of  braces. 

Recorded  November  25. 
2741.  Alexandre  A.  V.  Sarrazin  de  Montferrier,    Paris,  and  4  South-street,  Finsbury— 
Improvements  in  wheels  for  vehicles  on  common  roads  and  railways. 

Recorded  November  28. 
2771.  John  C.   Ramsden,  Bradford— Improvements  in  apparatus,  or  the  mechanism  of 
looms,  for  weaving  a  certain  class  of  plaids,  checks,  and  fancy  woven  fabrics. 

Recorded  November  29. 
2776.  Edward  J.  Hughes,  Manchester— An  improved  method  of  purifying  and  concen- 
trating the  colouring  matter  of  madder,  munjeet,  spent  madder,  or  any  prepara- 
tions thereof,  however  they  may  be  made. 

Recorded  November  30. 

2781.  Joshua  Jackson,  Wolverhampton — A  new  or  improved  signalling  apparatus. 

2782.  John  Elce,  Manchester — Certain  improvements  in  machinery  for  spirmimr. 

2783.  Peter  A.  Le  Comte  de  Fontaine  Moreau,  Paris,  and  4  South-street,  Finsbury — 

Certain  improvements  in  the  construction  of  the  Jacquard  machine. — (Communi- 
cation from  Mr.  R.  Ronze,  Lyons.) 

2784.  Edward   K.  Davis,  1  Howley-street,   Lambeth — Improvements  in  machinery  for 

making  pipes,  sheets,  still-worms,  and  other  articles,  from  that  class  of  metals 
called  soft  metals,  as  lead,  tin,  zinc,  bismuth,  or  alloys  of  soft  metals,  that 
are  capable  of  being  forced  out  of  metal  receivers  or  chambers,  through  dies, 
cores,  &c. 

2785.  John  Hewitt,  Salford— Certain  improvements  in  machinery  or  apparatus  for  spin- 

ning cotton  and  other  fibrous  substances. 
2766.  Joseph  Redford,  Pilkington,  near  Manchester— Certain  improvements  in  power- 
looms. 

2787.  Richard  Balderston,  Blackburn — Improvements  applicable  to  spinning  machine*, 

known  as  mules,  and  to  machines  of  similar  character,  for  clearing  or  cleaning 
certain  parts  of  such  machines. 

2788.  John  Paterson,  Beverley,  York— Improvements  in  land  rollers  or  clod  crushers. 
27S9.  Alphonse  Loubat,  Paris — Improvements  in  the  construction  of  tramways. 

2790.  Lewis  Jennings,  Fludyer-street,  Westminster— An  improved  mode  of  producing 

plain  and  ornamental  sewing,  and  in  machinery  applicable  thereto. 

2791.  Norbert  de  Landtsheer,  Ghent,  Belgium— Improvements  in  machinery  for  comb- 

ing flax  or  other  fibrous  material. 
2792-  Francis  S.  Cole,  Childown,  Surrey— A  smoke-consuming  apparatus  for  enabling 
every  fire  to  consume  its  own  t>nioke. 

Recorded  December  1. 
2793.  Thomas  Garnett,  Low-moor,  near  Clitheroe,  Lancashire,  and  Daniel  Adamson, 

Dukinfield,  Cheshire — Improvements  in  generating  steam,  and  in  consuming 

smoke. 
2791.  Auguste  E.  L.  Bedford,  16  Castle-street,  Holborn— Improvements  in  machinery  for 

manufacturing  horse  shoes. — (Communication.) 

2795.  Alfred  I.  Jones,  New  Oxford-street — An  improved  cigar  light. 

2796.  Joseph  Dilworth,  Preston — Improvements  in  escape  valves  and  safety  valves. 

2797.  Thomas  Hollinsworthand  John  Hollinsworth,  Winwick,  near  Warrington — Certain 

improvements  applicable  to  "  alarm  whistles"  to  be  used  upon  railways,  or  as 
signals  where  otherwise  required. 

2798.  John  H.  Johnson,  47  LincolnVinn-fields.  and  Glasgow — Improvements  in  the  treat- 

ment or  manufacture  of  caoutchouc. — (Communication  from  Charles  E.  F.  Guibal 
aud  Louis  P.  B.  E.  Cumenge,  Paris.) 

2799.  John  H.  Johnson,  47    Lincoln's-inn-fields,  and   Glasgow — Certain   applications  of 

vulcanized  india-rubber.— (Communication  from  Charles  E.  F.  Guibal,  Paris.) 

Recorded  December  2. 

2800.  James  Reilly,  56  Thomas-street,  Manchester — Improvements  in  machinery  or  appa- 

ratus for  tenonting,  mortising,  aud  sawing  wood,  metal,  or  other  materials. 

2801.  Arthur  W.  Callen,  Pcckham— An  improved  excavating  and  dredging  machine. — 

(Communication.) 

2802.  Auguste  E.  L.  Bellford,  16  Castle-street,  Holborn— Improvements  in  blocks  for 

ships'  and  other  uses.— (Communication.) 

2803.  Hemy  Deacon,  Widnes,  and  Edmond  Leyland,  St.  Helen's,  Lancashire — Improve- 

ments in  apparatus  for  the  manufacture  or  production  of  sulphuric  acid. 
2S04.  Alexander  Brown,  Glasgow — Improvements  in  metallic  casks  and  other  vessels. 

2805.  George  Williamson,  Glasgow  — Improvements  in  applying  motive  power. 

2806.  .Alexander  Bain,  Paddington— Invention  of  an  apparatus  for  damping  paper  and 

other  substances,  in  order  to  prepare  the  same  for  the  reception  of  labels,  stamps, 
and  other  like  articles  coated  with  a  gummy  or  adhesive  matter. 

2807.  John  C.  Wilson,  Redford  Flax  Factory,  Thornton,  Kirkaldy— Improvements  in 

machinery  for  scutching  flax,  hemp,  and  other  fibrous  materials. 
2S08.  George  Collier,  Halifax — Certain  improvements  in  looms  for  weaving. 
2809.  Robert  Reyburn,  Greenock— Improvements  in  sugar  refining. 
2S10.  Samuel  C.  Lister,  Bradford— Improvements  in  combing  wool,  hair,  cotton,  and  other 

fibrous  materials. 

2811.  Henry  Bessemer,  Baxter-house,  Old  St.  Pancras-road— Improvements  in  the  ma- 

nufacture and  refining  of  sugar. 

2812.  Jonathan  Saunders,  St.  Johu's-wood— Improvements  ia  the  manufacture  of  rails  for 

railways. 

Recorded  December  3. 

2813.  Charles  E.  Green,  13  Blandford-street,  Portman-square,  and  John  Bayliss,  34  Par- 

liament-street—Improvements  in  machinery  to  save  persons  and  property  in 


case  of  fire,  wbieh  machinery  may  also  be  applied  for  the  purpose  of  raising  and 
lowering  weights  of  any  kind,  also  for  the  purpose  of  compression,  and  for  other 
useful  purposes. 

2814.  Abraham  Rogers,  Bradford — Improvements  in  ventilating  sewers,  mines,  or  other 

subterranean  works. 

2815.  Charles  Buck,  Wellington,  Somersetshire— An  improved  apparatus  for  retarding 

or  stopping  the  progress  of  wheel  carriages. 

2516.  William  Dray,  Swan-lane— Improvements  in  the  construction  of  portable  houses 
*  and  buildings. 

2517.  John  Gwyune  and  James  E.  A.  Gwynne.  Essex  Wharf,  Strand— Improvements  in 

the  manufacture  of  fuel,  its  preparation  and  applications  for  the  reduction  of 
ores,  fusing  and  refining  metals,  cementation  or  making  steel,  and  treating  salts. 
— (Partly  a  communication.) 

2818.  Henry  J.  Iliffe  and  James  Newman.  Birmingham— Certain  improvements  in  the 

construction  of  metallic  bridges  and  other  similar  structures. 

Recorded  December  5. 

2820.  Squier  Cheavin,    Spalding,   Lincolnshire — Invention  of  a  double-action   or  belt- 

filterer. 

2821.  Benjamin  Skillman,  Crosby-hall-chambers— An  improved  mode  of  preparing  sheets 

of  paper  suitable  for  postal  communication. 

2822.  William  Simons,  Glasgow — Improvements  in  propelling  and  steering  vessels. 

2823.  Matthew  A.  Muir,  Glasgow— Improvements  in  check  and  fancy  weaving. 
2S24.  John  Patterson,  Beverley,  York — Improvements  in  reaping  machines. 

2825.  Thomas  Storey,  Phcenix  Foundry,  Lancaster — Improvements  in  the  construction 

and  arrangement  of  apparatus  employed  in  connection  with  sewers. 

2826.  James  Robertson,  Kentish-town—  Improvements  in  the  consumption  or  prevention 

of  smoke. 

Recorded  December  6. 

2828.  Edward  Oldfield,  Salford— Improvements  in  machinery  for  spinning  and  doubling. 

2829.  John  C.  Haddan,  Chelsea— Improvements  in  the  manufacture  of  cartridges  and  of 

wads  or  wadding  for  fire-arms. 
2831.  Auguste  E.  L.  Bellford,  16  Castle-street,  Holborn — The  manufacture  of  an  artificial 
tartaric  acid,  and  the  application  of  the  same  to  useful  purposes. — (Communica- 
tion.) 

2833.  Thomas  Mills,  Leicester— An  improvement  in  the  manufacture  of  lined  gloves. 

2834.  William  E.  Gaine,  4   Hare  wood-street,   Harewood-square— An   improvement  in 

treating  or  preparing  paper. 
2S35.  Robert  C.  Witty,  1  Portland  Place,  Wandsworth-road,  Surrey— Improvements  in 
the  construction  of  boiler  and  other  furnaces. 

2836.  John  H.  Johnson,  47  LincolnVinn-fields,  and  Glasgow— Improvements  in  printing 

oil  cloths  and  other  fabrics. — (Communication.) 

2837.  Julian  Bernard,  15  Regent-street— Improvements  in  machinery  or  apparatus  for 

stitching  or  uniting  and  ornamenting  various  materials. 
2S38.  John  Hargrave,  Kirkstall,  Yorkshire— Certain  improved  apparatus  for  washiug 
and  scouring  wool 

2839.  Alfred  V.  Newton,  66  Chancery-laue—  Improvements  in  fire-arms  and  ordnance — 

(Communication.) 

Recorded  December  7. 

2840.  William  Slater  and  Robert  Halliwell,  Bolton-le-Moors— Improvements  in  machi- 

nery for  spinning. 

2841.  Lewis  H.  Bates,  Bradford— Improvements  in  machinery  for  stamping  and  cutting 

metal  nuts  and  other  similar  metal  articles. 
2843.  John  Getty,  Liverpool- Improvements  applicable  to  the  plating  of  iron  ships,  part 
of  which  improvements  is  also  applicable  to  the  construction  of  boilers. 

Recorded  December  8. 

2544.  William  G- Reeve,  Elizabeth-street,  Eaton-square— An  appendage  to  horse  shoes 

to  supersede  the  necessity  of  roughing  them,  as  hitherto  practiced. 

2545.  William  B.  Adams,  1  Adam-street,  Adelphi— Improvements  in  railway  wheels, 

their  axles  and  boxes. 

2846.  William  T.  Henley,  St.  Jrtnn-street-road— Improvements  in  electric  telegraphs. 

2847.  Thomas  Morau,  Dublin— Improved  means  or  apparatus  for  the  prevention  of  acci- 

dents on  railways  in  certain  cases. 

2848.  Benjamin  Solomons,  Albemarle-street,  Piccadilly— Improvements  in  telescopes 

and  other  glasses  in  their  application  to  the  measurement  of  distance. 

2819.  William  C.  Jay.  Regent-street— An  improved  cloak. 

2850.  Joseph  Goddard  and  Charles  Yates,  Tottenham-court-road— Certain  improvements 

in  machinery  or  apparatus  for  obtaining  and  applying  motive  power. 

2851.  Joseph  Robinson,  Carlisle— Improvements  in  mills  for  grinding  corn  and  other 

substances. 

2852.  John  Nelson,  Selby,  Yorkshire,  and  David  Boyd,  same  place— Improvements  in 

scutching  flax  and  hemp. 
2S53.  James  Beall,  Cheshunt,  Herts -Improvements  in  apparatus  for  applying  sand  to 
the  rails  of  railways.  . 

2854.  William  E.  Newton,  66  Chancery-lane— Improved  machinery  for  drilling  or  boring 

rocks  and  other  hard  substances.— (Communication.) 

2855.  Philippe  J.  T.  Bordone,  Paris— Improvements  in  extracting  and  treating  the  juice 

of  beetroot  and  other  vegetables. 

2856.  Marcel  G.  Laverdet,  Paris— An  improved  mode  of  treating  photographic  pictures. 
2S57-  Benjamin  Murgatroyd,  Bradford— Improvements  in  washing  or  scouring  wool,  and 

fabrics  composed  entirely  or  partly  of  that  material. 
Recorded  December  9. 

2858.  Jean  B.  E.  RUttre,  Paris,  and  5  Lawrence  Puuntney-lane— Improvements  in  ma- 

chines for  producing  shoddy  from  woven  fabrics,  and  for  sorting  the  fibres  of 
fibrous  materials. 

2859.  Pierre  M.  Fouque,  Louis  R.  Hebert,  and  Vincent  E.  D.  le  Mameur,  Pans,  and  5 

Lawrence  Pountney-lane,  Cannon-street— Improvements  in  rudders. 

2860.  Arthur  James,  Reddi'tch,  Worcestershire— Improvements  in  counting,  measuring, 

and  weighing  needles,  and  in  preparing  papers  to  receive  the  same. 

2861.  Duncan  Christie  and  John  Cullen,  1  Bromley  High-street— An  atmospheric  coun- 

terbalance slide-valve  for  the  steam-engine,  hydraulic,  aud  all  other  machines 
in  which  the  slide-valve  is  used  or  required. 

2862.  Andrew  Shanks,  6  Robert-street,  Adelphi— Improvements  in  instruments  and  ap- 

paratus for  indicating  or  measuring  weights  and  pressures. 

2863.  Charles  Mackenzie,  Bayswater,  Middlesex,  and  Alexander  Turnbull,  Manchester 

square,  do.— Machinery  for  paring  fruit  and  vegetables.— (Communication.) 
2S64.  John  Winspear,  Liverpool— An  improved  mode  of  coating  meUls,  wood,  stone,  and 
plaster  to  preserve  them  from  decay. 

2865.  Richard  Eccles,  Wigan,  John  Mason,  Rochdale,  and  Leonard  Kaberry.  Rochdale 

—Improvements  fn  slubbiug  and  roving  frames  for  cotton  and  other  fibrous 
substances. 

2866.  James  Sutclift'e,  Manchester— Improvements  in  steam-engines  and  in  apparatus 

counected  therewith.  . 

2867.  Frederick  Osbourn,  Aldersgate-street— Improvements  applicable  to  the  distribution 

of  manure.  . 

2S68.  John  Chisholm,  Hollo  way— Improvements  in  the  distillation  of  organic  substances, 
and  in  obtaining  products  therefrom. 


THE  PRACTICAL  MECHANIC'S  JOURNAL. 


271 


2569.  John  H.  Johnson.  47  Lincoln's-inn-fields,  Middlesex,  and  Glasgow—  Improvements 

in  portable  cases  for  containing  provisions. — (Communication  from  Alexandre 
D.  E.  Boucher.  Paris.) 

2570.  Gideon  Morely.  Birmingham — Ornamenting  or  producing  pictures   on   japanned 

goods,  pannels,  canvass,  or  other  material,  whereby  a  vast  amount  of  artistic 
skill  and  labour  is  superseded. 

2571.  "William  Schaeffer,  Stanhope-terrace — Improvements  in  purifying  spirit. 

2572.  John  Bourne,  Fort-Glasgow — Improvements  in  steam-engines. 

2873.  John  Bourne,  Port-Glasgow — Improvements  in    machinery  for   the  production  of 

iron  ships  and  other  similar  structures. 

2874.  John  Bourne,  Port-Glasgow— Improvements  in  the  construction  of  iron  ships. 

2575.  Henry  Bessemer,  Baxter  House,  Old  St.  Pancras-road — Improvemeuts  in  the  con- 

struction of  railway  axles  and  breaks. 

Recorded  December  10. 

2576.  Allan  Macpherson.  Brussels — Improvements  in  disinfecting  sewers  or  other  drains 

or  depositories  of  foetid  matters  or  gases,  and  in  converting  the  contents   thereof 
to  useful  purposes. 

2577.  "William  Mnir,  Britannia  "Works,  Manchester — Improvemeuts  in  machinery  and 

apparatus  for  cutting  out  parts  of  garments. 
2S7S.  Charles  Coates,  Snnnyside,  near  Rawtenstall,  Lancaster— Improvements  in  and  ap- 

Hcable  to  looms. 
2S79.  Hippolyte  L.  Du  Bost,  62  Rue  Neuve  des  Petits  Champs  a  Paris,  and  21  New-street, 

Covent-garden — Improvements  in  the  construction  of  locks  and  keys. 
2SS1.  John  H.  Johnson,  47  Liucoln's-inn-fields,  Middlesex,  and  Glasgow — Improvements 

in  furnaces  for  the  manufacture  of  steel. — (Communication.) 
2882.  Edward  Green,  "Wakefield,  York— Improvements  in  boilers  and  furnaces. 

2553.  Nicolas  V.  Guibert,  Paris,  and  4  South-street,  Finsbury— Improvements  in  forge 

hammers. 

2554.  William  Thornley,  Clayton  "West,  York— An  improved  manufacture    of  woven 

fabrics. 

Recorded  December  12. 

2555.  Edward  O.  "W.  "Whitehouse,  Brighton — Improvements  in   effecting   telegraphic 

communications. 
2886.  Thomas  Hollinsworth,  "Winwick,  near  Warrington — Certain  improvements  in  the 
method  of  applying  breaks  to  carriages  employed  upon  railways,  and  in  the 
machinery  or  apparatus  connected  therewith. 

2557.  William  Evans,  Myrtle-street,  Hoxton —  Improvements  in  obtaining  and  apply- 

ing motive  power. 

Recorded  December  13. 

2558.  William  Redgrave.  Cmxley- green,  Rickmansworth — Improved  safety  travelling  cap. 

2559.  George  K.  Hannay,  Ulverston,  Lancashire — The  combination  and  manufacture  of 

composition  grinding  wheels,  hones,  and  other  grinding  bodies. 

2890.  James  Wansbrougb,   Grove,   Guildford-street,    Southwark — Improvements  in  the 

manufacture  of  waterpoof  fabrics. 

2891.  William  F.  Plummer,  St.  Mary's  Overy  Wharf,  Southwark — Improved  machinery 

for  griuding  or  crushing  animal,  vegetable,  and  mineral  substances. 

2892.  Christian  Schiele,  North  Moor  Foundry,  Oldham — Improvements  in  preventing 

undue  oscillation  in  engines,  machinery,  carriages,  and  other  apparatus. 
2893-  Andre"  G.  Guesdron,  Montujartre,  Paris — Improvement  in   or  addition  to  sugar 
basins. 

2594.  Andr6  G.  Guesdron,  Montmartre,  Paris — Method  of  producing  plans  in  relievo. 

Recorded  December  14. 

2595.  Philip  Grant,  Manchester— Improvements  in  printing  presses. 

2896  Frederick  A.  Gatty.  Accrinston,  Lancaster,  and  Emile  Kopp,  Accrington,  aforesaid 
— Improvements  in  printing  and  dying  cotton,  wool,  silk,  and  other  fibrous  sub- 
stances. 

2897.  John  A.  Coffee,  Providence- row,  Finsbury — An  improved  method  of  evaporating 
liquids. 

2898-  Edward  Beanes,  57  Charlotte-street,  Portland-place— Improvements  in  the  manu- 
facture and  refining  of  sugar. 

2899.  John  Z.  Ray,  Dundee — Improvements  in  gas  meters. 

2900-  Benjamin  Fullwood,  23  Abbey-street,  Bermondsey— Certain  improvements  in  the 
manufacture  of  cement. 

2901.  John  Wibberley,  Eagley,  near  Bolton— Certain  improvements  in  machinery  or  ap- 

paratus for  winding  yarns  or  threads  on  to  spools  or  bobbins. 

2902.  Richard  J.  N.  King,  Exeter — An  improved  artificial  bait  for  fish. 

2903.  Robert  Parrock,  Glasgow — Improvements  in  coats  and  similar  articles  of  dress. 

2904.  William  B.  Johnson,  Manchester — Improvements  in  machinery  or  apparatus  for 

making  bricks  and  other  articles  from  clay  and  other  plastic  materials. 

Recorded  December  15. 

2905.  Engine  II.  Rascol,  Catherine-street,  Strand — Improvements  in  retorts  for  the  ma- 

nufacture of  gas. — (Communication.) 

2906.  Samuel  Messenger,  Birmingham — An  improvement  or  improvements  in  railway, 

ship,  and  carriage  lamps. 

2907.  Thomas  Pagh  and  William  Kennard,  King-street,  Snow-hill — Improvements  in 

lock  and  latch  spindles. 
2908-  Joseph  B.  Howell  and  John  Shortridge,  Sheffield — Improvement  or  improvements 
in  the  helves  of  tilt  hammers. 

2909.  Jacques  P.  H.  Vivien,  Paris,  and  16  Castle-street,  Holborn— Certain  improvements 

in  the  manufacture  of  paper  and  pasteboard. 

2910.  Auguste    E.  L.   Bellford,   16  Castle-street,    Holborn — Improvement   in   blasting 

powder  for  mining,  and  other  operations  of  a  similar  nature. — (Communication.) 

2912.  Jean  B.  Pascal,  Lyons,  and  16  Castle-street,  Holborn — Certain  improvements  in 

obtaining  motive  power. 

2913.  Frederick  W.  Branaton,  Oak  Tree  House,  Clapham — Improvements  in  certain 

tablets,  labels,  and  signs,  or  their  surfaces  exhibiting  letters  and  designs. 

2914.  Charles  J.  Morris,  Kir  by-street,  Hatton-garden — Certain  improvements  in  book- 

binding. 

2915.  Benjamin  Whitaker,  Brighton — Improvements  in  the  manufacture  or  production  of 

useful  toys. 

2916.  Alexander  Cochran,  Kirkton  Bleach  Works,  Renfrewshire — Improvements  in  the 

application  of  starch  or  other  substances  of  a  similar  nature  to  woven  fabrics  and 
in  the  machinery  or  apparatus  employed  therein. 

2917.  Ferdinand  D.  Gibory.  Paris — Improvements  in  instruments  for  ascertaining  heights 

and  distances  for  levelling. 

2918.  Arthur  B.  S.  Redford,  Albion-place,  Walworth- road,  and  Thomas  Cloake,  Saville- 

row,  Wal worth-road — Improvements  in  retarding  and  stopping  the  progress  of 
railway  carriages. 

Recorded  December  16. 

2919.  William  Binnion,  Birmingham— Improvements  in  carriage  and  other  lamps. 
2020.  Walter  G.  Whitehead,  Birmingham — Imprdvementor  improvements  in  hats,  caps, 

bonnets,  and  other  coverings  for  the  head. 

2921.  Wiliiam  Tranter,  Birmingham— Certain  improvements  in  fire-arms,  and  in  bullets 

and  waddings  to  be  used  therewith. 

2922.  Antoine  Limousin,  Paris,  and  5  Lawrence  Ponntney-lane — Improvements  in  looms 

for  weaving  pile  fabrics,  and  in  a  mode  and  apparatus  for  cutting  the  pile. 


2923.  AlplmnsR  Medail,   Paris,    and  4  Trafalgar-square,    Charing-cross — An  improved 

hydraulic  machine. 

2924.  Thomas  Williams,  Liverpool — An  improved  revolving  pistol. 

2925.  Thomas  S.  Truss,  Cannon-street — Improvements  in  brakes  for  railway  carriages 

and  other  vehicles. 

2926.  Thomas  S.  Truss,  Cannon-street — Improvements  in  apparatus  for  communicating 

between  the  driver  and  the  guard  nf  railway  trains. 

2927.  John  H.  Johnson,  47  Liucoln's-inn-fields,  and  Glasgow — Improvements  in  dyeing.— 

(Communication  from  Monsieur  Bellancourt,  Rheims.) 

2928.  John  H.  Johnson,  47  Lincoln's-inn-fields,   and  Glasgow,— Improvements   in  the 

treatment  or  preparation  of  wool,  and  of  the  wash  waters  employed  in  such  treat- 
ment.— (Communication  from  Messieurs  Villermet  and  Mannheimer,  Paris.) 

2929.  Stephen  Norris,  New  Peter-street,  Horse  ferry-road — Improvements  in  lighting  and 

extinguishing  gas  lamps. 

2930.  Samuel  Smith,  Horton  Dyeworks,  near  Bradford— Improvements  in  preparing 

rovings  and  yarns  of  wool. 

2931.  Alexander  Parkes,  Birmingham — Improvements  in  separating  silver  from  its  ores 

or  other  compounds. 

2932.  Robert  B.  Hall,  Whitecross-street— Improvements  in  crushing  and  grinding  quartz, 

minerals,  and  other  matters. 

2934.  Andrew  L.  Knox,  Glasgow— Improvements  in  ornamenting  certain  descriptions  of 

textile  fabrics. 

2935.  Henry  Thomson,  Clitheroe— Improvements  in  machinery  or  apparatus  for  stretch- 

ing textile  fabrics  as  they  are  wound  into  laps  or  rolls  after  the  processes  of 
bleaching  and  dyeing,  or  operations  connected  therewith. 

2936.  Robert  W.  Waithman,  Bentham   House,  Yorkshire— Improvements  in  belts  or 

bands  for  driving  machinery  for  use  in  mines,  and  for  other  purposes. 

Recorded  December  17. 

2937.  Joseph  S.  Bailey,  Keighley — Improvements  in  machinery  for  operating  upon  wool, 

alpaca,  mohair,  and  other  fibrous  materials,  preparatory  and  prior  to  being 
spun. 

2938.  Joshua  Horton,  Birmingham — Improvements  in  the  manufacture  of  certain  kinds 

ot  metallic  vessels. 

2939.  George  Anderson,  Rotherhithe — Improvements  in  apparatus  used  when  manufac- 

turing gas,  which  apparatus,  or  part  of  which,  is  also  applicable  wk^n  trans- 
mitting gas  from  one  place  to  another. 

2940.  Caleb  Bedells,  Leicester — Improvements  in  the  manufacture  of  elastic  fabrics. 

2941.  John  D.  M.  Stirling,  Larches,  near  Birmingham — Improvements  in  the  manufac- 

ture of  iron. 

2942.  John  Greenwood,  10  Arthur-street  West — Improvements  in  preventing  drafts  of  air 

into  rooms  and  places  when  the  doors  and  windows  are  shut. 

2943.  Isaac  James,  Cheltenham — Improvements  in  carts  for  distributing  water  or  liquid 

manure. 

2944.  Matthew  P.  Houghton,  Hillmorton,  Warwickshire,  and    Andrew    Stewart,  same 

place— An  improved  means  of  preventing  accidents  upon  railways. 

2946.  Robert  Whewell,  Little  Bolton,  Bolton-le-Moors— Improvemeuts  in  machines  used 

for  cutting  paper. 

Recorded  December  19. 

2947.  Henry  Milward,  Redditch — New  or  improved  machinery  formanufacturing  needles 

and  fish  hooks. — (Communication.) 

2948.  John  Tribelhoni,  St.   Gall,  and  Dr.  Pompejus  Bolley,  Aarun,  Switzerland — Im- 

provements in  the  process  of  bleaching  vegetable  fibrous  subitances. — (Commu- 
nication from  Charles  Custer,  Switzerland.) 

2949.  Auguste  E.  L.  Bellford,  16  Castle-street,  Holborn — Improvements  in  paddle-wheels 

for  propelling  vessels.— (Communication.) 

2950.  William  Crossby,  Devonshire-street,  Sheffield— Invention  for  the  ventilation  of 

granaries,  storehouses,  or  places  of  deposit  for  grain  whatsoever,  and  for  im- 
provements in  the  grinding  of  grain  and  dressiug  of  grist,  and  grinding  gener- 
ally. 

2951.  Auguste  E.  L.  Bellford,  16  Castle-street,  Holborn— Certain  improvements  in  presses 

for  expressing  oil  or  other  fluids  from  fruits,  grains,  or  other  substances.— -(Com- 
munication.) 

2952.  Richard    Waygood,    Newington-causeway,   Surrey  —  Improvements    in   portable 

forges. 

2953.  David  Goldthorp,  Cleckheaton,  near  Leeds— An  improved  propeller. 

Recorded  December  20. 

2954.  Adam  Paterson,  Westminster — An  improved  cooking  apparatus, 

2955.  James  II.  Campbell,  1  King's-arins-yard,  Coleman-street — Improvement  in  ma- 

chinery for  cutting  corks. 

2956.  Josiah  Litimer  Clark,  Chester-villas,  Islington — An  improvement  in  insulating 

wire  used  for  electric  telegraphs,  with  a  view  to  obviate  the  effects  of  return  or 
inductive  currents. 

2957.  Henriette  E.  F.  De  Gergy  V.  Durut,  Paris — Certain  improvements  in  the  manufac- 

ture  of  bread. 
295S.  Paul  Wagenmann,  Bonn,  Rhenish  Prussia — Improvements  in  the  manufacture  of 
liquid  hydro  carbons  and  parafine. 

2959.  James  Boydell,  Gloucester-crescent — Improvements  in  the  manufacture  of  wrought- 

iron  frames. 

2960.  Emile  V.  F.  Lemaire,  2  Rue  Drouot,  Paris— Improvements  in  tanning. 

2961.  John  Webster,  3  Cornwall-road,  Stamford-street — Improvements  in  acting  on  dry- 

ing oils  and  preparing  varnishes. 

2962.  James  Burrows,  Haigh  Foundry,  near  Wigan— Certain  improvements  in  the  for- 

mation of  such  metallic  plates  as  are  required  to  be  conjoined  by  riveting  or 
other  similar  fastening. 

2963.  James  Burrows,  Haigh  Foundry,  near  Wigan— Certain  improvements  in  the  con- 

struction of  steam  boilers  or  generators,  and  in  the  arrangement  of  furnaces  con- 
nected therewith. 

2965.  R.  B.  Huygens,  Holland,  now  89  Chancery-lane— Improvements  in  machinery  for 

crushing,  washing,  and  amalgamating  gold,  and  other  ores  and  substances. 

Recorded  December  21. 

2966.  Gottlieb  Boccins,  Hammersmith — Certain  apparatus  adapted  to  the  breeding  and 

rearing  of  fish. 

2967.  Charles  J.  Farrington,  Hampstead— Improvements  in  signalling  and  preventing 

collisions  on  railways  by  electrical  communication. 

2968.  Heiman  Kohnstamm,'7  Union-court,  Old  Broad-street — Certain  improvements  in 

the  manufacture  of  imitation  leather. 

2969.  Thomas  V.  Lee,  5  Bedford  row,  Dublin— Improvements  in  the  construction  of  cer- 

tain machinery  and  apparatus  for  the  manufacture  of  bricks  and  tiles. 

2970.  James  Dinning  and  William  Inglis,  Southampton — An  improved  apparatus  for 

purifying  and  filtering  residuous  water. 

2972.  John  Jones,  Glasgow— Improvements  in  governors  or  regulators  for  steam-engines 

and  other  machinery. 

Recorded  December  22. 

2973.  John  Youil,  Burton-upon-Trent— Improvements  in  the  mode  or  method  of  obtain- 

ing power  to  raise  liquids,  and  of  treating  the  said  liquids  when  raised,  and  of 
using  them  to  obtain  additional  power. 


272 


THE  PRACTICAL  MECHANIC'S  JOURNAL. 


2974.  Louis  A.  F.  Besnard.  Paris,  now  in  Essex-street,  Strand— Invention  of  a  new  sys- 

tem of  painting,  by  means  of  lithography,  without  leaving  a  particle  of  paper  on 
the  canvass. 

2975.  Peter  A.  Le  Comte  De  Fontaine  Moreau,  4  South-street,  Finsbury,  and  39  Rue  de 

l'Echiquier,  Paris— Certain  improvements  in  constructing  and  applying  connect- 
ing-rods.— (Communication.) 

2976.  William  H.  Woodhouse,  Parliament-street,  Westminster— Improvements  in  the 

construction  of  roads,  ways,  and  ducts. 

2977.  Charles  Lewis,  Hull — An  improved  lamp  for  signalling 

2978.  Benjamin  Murgatroyd,  Bradford—  Improvement  in  washing  or  scouring  wool,  al- 

paca, and  mohair,  and  fabrics  composed  entirely  or  partly  of  those  materials. 

2979.  Thomas  Berry,  Rochdale,  James  Mangnall,  Ileywood,  and  John  Chadwick,  Iley- 

wood— Improvements  in  winding  and  twisting  wool,  cotton,  and  other  fibrous  ma- 
terials. 

2980.  James  Gibbons,  yr.,  Wolverhampton— Improvements  in  locks  and  latches. 

2981.  Joseph  Shaw,  Uatton -garden— Improvements  in  piauofortes.— (Communication.) 

Recorded  December  23. 

20S2.  John  Oi11ow,jun.,  Norwich — Certain  improvements  in  the  manufacture  of  salt. 

2983.  John  Britten,  Birmingham — Improvements  in  girders,  bridges,  roofs,  and  other 

such  like  structures. 

2984.  John  O'Neil,  Bury — Improvement  in  apparatus  for  drawing  condensed  steam  and 

air  from  pipes,  or  other  chambers,  in  which  steam  is  used. 

2985.  Francis  Bennoch,  Wood-street,  Cheapside— Improvements  in  coating  silk  and  other 

yarn  or  thread  with  gold  or  other  metal — (Communication.) 

2986.  Jean  I).  Pfeiffer,  Paris,  and  4  Smith  street,  Finsbury — Improvements  in  machinery 

or  apparatus  for  cutting  paper  and  similar  materials. 

Recorded  December  24. 

2987.  Richard  G.  Coles,  Cheltenham — Improvements  in  the  locks  of  fire-nrmq. 

2988.  Joseph  Gaul  tier,  Paris,  and  4  South-street,  Finsbury — An  improved  apparatus  for 

washing  and  bleaching. 

2989.  George  Goutaret,  Paris,  and  4  South-street,  Finsbury— A  new  system  of  propul- 

sion. 

2990.  Joshua  Margrrisnn,  Preston— Improvements  in  railway  breaks. 

2991.  Harris  HariHnge,  New  York— Invention  for  manufacturing  liquid  quartz  or  silex, 

to  be  used  in  the  manufacture  of  certain  compositions  for  ornamental  and  useful 
purposes. 

2992.  Gustav  A.  Buchholz.  Gould-square,  Crutchod-friars— Improved  machinery  for  the 

cleaning  and  hulling,  or  dressing  of  rice,  wheat,  or  other  grain. 

2993.  Joseph  Lewis,  Salford — Improvements  in  apparatus  for  drilling  or  boring  metals 

and  other  substances. 

2994.  Thomas  Cooper,  Leeds— Improvement  applicable  to  the  binding  of  ledgers  and  other 

books. 

Recorded  December  27. 

2995.  Thomas  W.  Makin,  Mnnchcster — Improvements  in  machinery  or  apparatus  for 

finishing  woven  fabrics. 

2997.  Frederick  C.  Calvert,  Manchester — Improvements  in   the  treatment  of  naphthas 

and  other  volatile  hydrocarbons,  and  in  the  application  of  the  same  to  various 
other  purposes. — (Communication.) 

2998.  George  J.  Mackelcan,  Lechladc,  Gloucester— Improvements  in  winnowing  or  corn- 

dressing  machines, 

2999.  Samuel  Stul^wick  and  Thomas  Dawson,  ISO  riccadilly— Improvements  in  the  mo- 

derator lamp,  or  in  lamps  of  a  similar  principle. 
'J000.  Thomas  S.  Prideaux,  St.  John's  Wood— Improvements  in  apparatus  for  regulating 
the  supply  of  air  to    furnaces,  and  for  preventing  radiation  of  heat  from  fire 
doors  and  other  parts  of  the  fronts  of  furnaces. 

3001.  Thomas  Mnlyueanx,  Manchester — Certain  improvements   in   winding  and   doub- 

ling silk,  a  part  of  which  improvements  is  applicable  to  the  treatment  of  other 
fibrous  substances. 

Recorded  December  28. 

3002.  John  Parkinson,  Bury — Improvements  in  governors  for  regulating  the  pressure  of 

steam,  g:is,  and  other  fluids  or  liquids. 

3003.  John  Moffat,  lleiton,  Roxburgh— Improvements  in  the  means  of  communication 

between  the  cruard  and  the  engine  driver  in  a  railway  train. 

3004.  James  Taylor,  Birkenhead — Certain  improvements  in  raising  and  lowering  weights. 

8005.  William  U.  Coates,  Omhersley,  Worcester — Improved  rotatory  steam-engine. 

8006.  Joseph  Alexis,  Avignon,  Fiance— Improved  railway  break. 

3007.  Richard  Green,  of  the  firm  of  Davis,  Greathead,  and  Green,  Flint  Glass  Works, 
Brettell  lane,  Stafford — Improvements  in  insulators  for  insulating  the  wires  or 
rods  employed  for  conducting  or  transmitting  electricity. 

3n08.  John  Mackintosh,  12  Pall  Mall,  East — Improvement  in  discharging  projectiles. 

SuOi).  John  Barnes,  Church,  Lancishire— Improvements  in  dyeing  and  cleansing  cotton, 
silk,  wool,  and  other  fabrics. 

3010.  Francis  Parker,  Northampton— Improvement  in  the  manufacture  of  gaiters. 

3012.  Duncan  M'Nee,  Kirkintilloch,  and  Alexander  Broad  foot,  128  Engrain- street,  Glas- 
gow— Improvements  in  printing  with  colours  on  cloth,  which  are  also  applicable 
to  printing  ornamental  designs  on  paper  and  other  surfaces. 

<5013.  Thomas  Phillips,  jun.,  Sparkbrook,  Warwick,  and  Samuel  Phillips,  Birmingham — 
Improvements  in  the  construction  of  window  shutters,  which  improvements  arc 
also  applicable  as  an  additional  security  for  doors  and  other  similar  openings. 

Recorded  December  29. 

3014.  Henry  Jackson,  High  street,  Poplar — Improvements  in  machinery  for  moulding 

bricks  and  other  articles  of  brick  earth. 

3015.  Edward  Estivant,  Givet,  France— Improvements  in  the  manufacture  of  tubes   of 

copper  and  its  alloys. 

3016.  Mary  Phillips,  Birmingham — Improvement  or  improvements  in  metallic  revolving 

or  winding  shutters.— (Communication  from  her  late  husband.) 

3017.  Aniedee  F.  Kemond,  Birmingham — New  or  improved  metallic  tubes. 

3018.  James  White,  East-street,  Red  Lion-square— Improvements  in  friction  joints  or 

fastenings. 
1020.  Claude  A.  Roux,  Paris,  and  1G  Castle-street,  Holborn — Improvements  in  printing 
warps  of  cut  pile  and  similar  fabrics. 

3021.  Hippolyte  C.  Vion,  Paris,  and  16  Castle-street,  Holborn — Improvements  in  pistons 

and  stuffing  boxes  of  engines  moved  by  water,  steam,  or  gas. 

3022.  Alfred  V.  Newton,  63  Chancery-lane — Improvements  in  the  manufacture  of  screws. 

—(Communication.) 

Recorded  December  30. 

3026.  Henri  C.  Camille  de  Rnolz,  and  Anselnie  de  Foutenay,  Paris— Improved  metallic 

alloy 
3028.  Walter  Mabon,  Ardwick   Iron  Works,  Manchester — Improvements  in  machines 

used  for  rivettiug  together  metallic  plates. 

Recorded  December  31. 
3030.  John  Milner,  Stratford,  Essex — Improvements  in  connecting  the  rails  of  railways. 


3034.  Weston  Tnxford,  Boston  — Improvements  in  portable  thrashing  machines,  part  of 
which  improvements  is  also  applicable  to  fixed  thrashing  machines. 

3036.  Richard  Waygood,  Newington  Causeway— Improvements  in  portable  forges. 

3038.  James  Slater,  Salford — Improvements  in  cocks,  taps,  or  valves. 

3040.  Thomas  Brown,  Manchester,  and  Peter  MacGregor,  same  place — Improvements  in 
power-looms  for  weaving. 

3042.  Benjamin  Hunt,  Brighton— Improvements  in  obtaining   and    applying   motive 

power. 

3043.  Francois  A.  Clerville,  Paris,  and  4  South  street,  Finsbury— Improvement  in  the 

construction  of  fire-arms. 

Recorded  January  2, 1854. 

2.  Edwin  D.  Smith,  7  Hertford-street,  May  Fair— A  mode  of  communication  between 
the  passengers,  guards,  and  engineer  of  a  railway  train. 

4.  James  Gowans,  Edinburgh — Improvements  in  apparatus  for  heating  and  ventilat- 
ing, and  in  baths  and  washing  apparatus  connected  therewith,  applicable  to 
dwelling  houses. 

6.  Peter  A.  Le  Comte  de  Fontaine  Moreau,  4  South-street,  Finsbury,  and  Paris — Im- 
provements in  dyeing  wool.— (Communication.) 

Recorded  January  3. 

8.  Henry  L.  Corlett,  106  Summer  Hill,  Dublin— Improvements  in  caoutchouc  springs 
for  locomotive  engines  and  tenders,  railway  carriages  and  waggons. 

10.  David  Kennedy,  Reading,  Pennsylvania,  U.S.— Invention  for  the  use  of  tanners, 
being  certain  compositions  of  matter  to  be  used  in  the  manufacture  of  leather. 

12.  Felix  A.  Testud  de  Beauregard,  Paris— Improvements  in  drying  cigars,  and  ligne- 
ous materials  or  other  substances. 

14.  John  Collins,  32  St.  Ann-street,  Liverpool— Improvements  in  the  manufacture  of 
vinegar. 

16.  Thomas  Mann,  Horseham,  Sussex— Improved  cinder  shifting  shovel. 

18.  John  Dransfield  and  William  Robinson,  Oldham— Improvements  in  carding  en- 
gines, for  carding  cotton,  wool,  and  other  fibrous  substances. 

Recorded  January  4. 

20.  John  Taylor,  Miles  Wrigley,  and  Samuel  Greaves,  Oldham— Improvements  in 
carding  engines  for  carding  cotton,  wool,  and  other  fibrous  substances. 


CfW  Information  as  to  any  of  these  applications,  and  their  progress,  may  be  liad  on  appli- 
cation to  the  Editor  of  this  Journal. 


DESIGNS  FOIi  ARTICLES  OF  UTJLITY. 

Registered  from  22d  Dec,  1853,  to  10th  Jan.,  1854. 

II.  Barlow  and  J.  Kay,  Manchester, — "  Blind  apparatus." 
C.  Meinig,  Leadenball-street, — "  Grindstone-frame." 
G.  W.  Reynolds,  Birmingham,— "Gaiter-fastener." 

Ilolden  and  Nicholas,  Birmingham, — "Shot-charger." 

W.  Meyerstein,  Friday-street, — "  Sofa-bed," 

II.  Hill  and  R.  Millard,  Dungannon-street, — "Chair-arm." 

Dent,  Allcroft,  &  Co.,  Wood-street, — "  Windsor-cravat." 

J.  D.  Potter,  Poultry. — "  Parallel-rule." 

Hammond,  Turner,  &  Son,  Birmingham, — "Button." 

Hammond,  Turner,  &  Son,  Birmingham,— "  Metal  button.1 

Stock  &  Son,  Birmingham,— "Water-closet." 


)cc.  22d, 

3542 

— 

3543 

31st, 

3544 

1S51. 

Jan.  2d, 

3545 

— 

3546 

5th, 

354T 

Glh, 

3548 

7tb, 

3549 

— 

3550 

— 

3551 

10th, 

3562 

Not.  11th, 
19th 
21st, 

22d, 
24th, 
29th, 

Dec.    7th, 

8th, 

24tb, 

1S54. 

Jan.    7th, 


DESIGNS  FOR  ARTICLES  OF  UTILITY, 
Provisionally  Registered. 

N.  Dare,  Piccadilly, — "Collar." 

S.  S.  Gower,  Ipswich,— "  Shirt-front." 


G.  H.  Wain,  Liverpool,— "Pulley-block." 

F.  Clerk,  Whitehall,— "  Pipe-tube." 

C.  Rowley,  Birmingham,—"  Button-shank." 

G.  Sivers,  Bingley, — "Sash-plane." 

J.  Wren,  Tottenham-court- road, — "Chair-bedstead.1 
R.  P.  Hopkins,  Wimbourne, — "  Lamp." 
T.  Trotman,  Camden-town, — "  Child's-carriage." 
T.  Trotman,  Camden-town,— "Chariot." 


554    J.  Duffett,  Bristol,—"  Indicator." 


TO  READERS  AND  CORRESPONDENTS. 

Completion  of  the  6th  Volume  of  the  "Practical  Mechanic's  Journal." — Our 
next  Part,  No.  72,  completes  the  6th  Volume  of  this  Journal,  when  the  set  may  be  had 
(rom  any  bookseller,  in  cloth,  lettered,  price  14s.  each,  or  the  whole  72  Parts  separately, 
fa-  binding,  to  suit  the  purchaser.  The  set  may  also  be  had,  handsomely  bound  in  half- 
calf,  and  lettered,  to  form  three  double  volumes,  with  the  Plates  bound  separately,  to  cor- 
respond, price  31s.  6d.  for  each  double  volume  and  volume  of  Plates.  Volume  VI.  will 
contain  27  quarto  pages  of  Copperplate  Engravings,  and  nearly  700  Engravings  on  Wood. 

S.  P.,  Newark. — Messrs.  Watkins  and  Hill,  5  Charing  Cross,  London. 

A  Young  Millwright.— See  "  The  Practical  Draughtsman's  Rook  of  Industrial  De- 
sign," page  44. 

Steam-Engine  for  a  Lathe. — An  Oxford  correspondent  writes  as  follows: — "I  am 
about  to  construct  a  small  engine  to  drive  my  lathe;  but  before  getting  the  castings,  I 
wish  to  obtain  advice  as  to  the  diameter  of  cylinder,  and  length  of  stroke,  and  weight 
of  fly-wheel,  necessary  to  drive  a  6-inch  centre  self-acting  lathe,  in  a  satisfactory  man- 
ner. The  boiler  to  be  a  plain  horizontal  tubular  one;  single  flue,  and  fire  in  centre. 
What  will  he  the  proper  size,  and  what  the  roost  desirable  working  pressure?  The  engine 
is  to  be  a  high  pressure  one,  with  expansion  gear." 

Reflecting  Fog  Bells. — The  signature  to  this  communication,  at  page  240,  in  our 
last  number,  ought  to  be  Thomas  Meikle. 

Science. — For  lines  with  sharp  curves,  such  a  plan  is  obviously  desirable.  Nothing 
of  importance  has  been  done  here,  except  the  partial  importation  of  the  American"  bogie," 
or  swivelling  truck.  See  our  plate  in  Part  35,  Vol.  III.  We  shall  be  glad  to  see  our  cor- 
respondent's suggestion. 

J.  S. — His  engine  strongly  resembles  the  plans  of  Messrs.  Yule,  Davies,  and  others. 
All  the  novelty  which  we  can  detect  is  in  the  mode  of  setting  up  the  pistons. 

E.  P.,  Rio  de  Janeiro. —  His  letter,  requiring  private  information  of  interest  and 
value  only  to  himself,  cost  us  2s.  We  have  forwarded  the  communication  to  the  proper 
parry. 

J.  M.,  Aberdeen. — This  information  amounts  to  nothing.  Besides,  it  would  be  prema- 
ture to  publish  until  he  possesses  his  legal  security. 


.•Jit.,  is. 


s 


THE  PRACTICAL  MECHANIC'S  JOURNAL. 


2T6 


THE  AGE  WE  LIVE  IN.  . 

iT  is  universally  admitted  that  definitions 
form  some  of  the  most  difficult  matters  that 
the  man  of  science  or  art  has  to  deal  with. 
And  yet  how  often  and  often  do  we  jump 
at  and  tenaciously  hold  on  to  them,  heedless 
of  things  observable  by  the  slightest  atten- 
tion, and  which,  if  observed,  must  neces- 
sarily lead  us  to  alter  or  modify  the  defini- 
tions to  which  we  cling?  No  doubt,  the 
true  reason  of  this  constant  shifting  of  the 
very  foundations  of  thought  is  the  fact  of 
the  constant  shifting  of  all  circumstances 
pertaining  to  us,  as  that  the  true  reason 
of  oar  grasping  at  definition  is  to  be  found  in  our  unconscious  endea- 
vour to  rest  awhile  in  our  steady  but  uncontrollable  course  along  the 
stream  of  time. 

If  the  attempt  be  thus  vain  with  regard  to  what  we  have  above  called 
the  very  foundations  of  thought — the  a  a,  bb,  and  c  c  with  which  we 
form  the  syllables  of  world-teaching — how  much  more  so  must  it  be  when, 
as  in  our  race  onward  to  a  goal  or  no  goal,  man's  imagination  strays 
aside  into  the  wide  universe,  and  fancies  his  great  world  of  various 
labours  floating  onwards  by  him,  and  attempts  to  portray  its  actual 
status  between  its  whence  and  whither  ? 

It  is  thus  that  some  individual  first  called  the  age  we  live  in  a  mecha- 
nical age. 

We  cannot  but  suspect  that  the  term  originated  with  some  one  who, 
indignant  at  the  darker  follies  of  his  neighbours,  made  his  rod  of  casti- 
gation  out  of  the  gross  antithesis  of  his  habitual  thought.  We  call  it 
the  gross  antithesis,  however,  in  the  sense  only  of  the  least  abstracted. 
But  somehow  or  another,  the  general  public  mind  appears  to  have  adopted 
the  low  meaning  conveyable  by  the  expression,  and  to  have  thrust  it, 
nolens  volens,  upon  .the  mechanic.  Who  is  he  ?  What  is  he  ?  Oh,  he  is 
only  a  mechanic !  One  of  those  living  hammers,  or  breathing  chisels,  that 
beat  and  beat,  and  hew  and  hew,  until  they  effect  any  desired  change  of 
shape  or  figure  in  any  material — one  of  those  noisy  or  noiseless  wheels 
set  to  work  by  the  power  of  capital,  and  whose  only  virtue  consists  in 
the  same  monotonous  and  uniform  motion  all  the  long  year  round. 
Not  quite  such  a  thing,  we  think. 

If  the  age  may  truly  be  called  mechanical,  it  must  be  so  in  a  different 
sense  from  all  this.  What !  are  we  to  imply  that  our  thinkers  think 
mechanically  ?  That,  just  as  our  fathers  thought,  so  we  are  to  think,  and 
do  think?  That  the  "  good  old  times"  have  left  to  us  nothing  but  the 
best  of  things,  and  modes,  and  that  all  our  efforts  to  compete  with  them 
must  be  puerile  ?  Are  we  to  believe  that  all  the  worthies  of  the  world 
have  already  lived  and  died,  and  that  no  more  can  come?  Are  we  so 
self-opinionated  that  we  cannot  trace  something  better  than  ourselves 
in  the  youth  springing  up  around  us — in  the  neighbour  by  our  side  ? 
There  are  moments,  indeed,  when  the  dullest  among  us  cannot  be  other- 
wise than  startled  with  some  indications  of  the  present  age  bein"'  far 
otherwise  than  mechanical.  On  all  sides  around  us  we  behold  a  conti- 
nuing argument  to  this  end.  Let  us  look  only  at  a  particular  instance 
when  it  first  passes  under  our  observation,  and  we  see  some  peculiar 
constitutional  exercise  of  an  inventive  mind  that  is  very  different  from 
what  is  universally* admitted  to  be  mechanical,  in  the  low  sense  of  the 
term.  Ab  una  disce  omnes,  and  we  are  enforced  to  deduce  the  same 
conclusion,  after  observing  the  legion  of  new  inventions  of  the  presrnt 
day,  until  at  length  we  find  ourselves  compelled  to  discover  all  our  pre- 
conceived notions  to  be  turning — nay,  to  have  turned — a  very  sharp 
comer  indeed,  inducing  a  belief  that,  so  far  from  the  present  being  a  me- 
chanical age  (always  in  the  sense  already  disparagingly  noticed),  it  is  the 

most  nobly  spiritual  age  that  the  world  has  witnessed.    We  do  not  call  it 
Vi.  72—  Vol.  VI. 


spiritual  (as  perhaps  we  might)  in  there  being  more  aiming  at  spiritual 
tilings  through  the  means  exercised  by  the  best  Christians ;  but  we  call 
it  the  most  spiritual,  inasmuch  as  we  consider  that  in  no  age  of  the 
world  has  man's  mind  been  endowed  with  so  much  power  for  good  or  for 
evil  as  is  the  present  hour. 

By  thus  defining  our  position,  we  are  not  calling  it  a  better,  we  are 
also  not  calling  it  a  worse,  age.  This  has  been  the  rock  at  which  both 
the  wise  and  the  unwise  have  stumbled.  People  have  stereotyped  in 
their  brains  ideas  of  good  and  bad  attaching  to  progress.  This  is  not 
necessary.  We  do  not,  however,  mean  to  say  that,  other  things  being 
equal,  if  what  we  call  good  holds  larger  sway  than  what  we  call  evil,  that 
we  are  not  progressing ;  but  we  mean  to  say,  that  without  any  reason  at 
all  in  the  matter,  we  are  not,  philosophically,  justified  in  fellow -yoking 
with  progress  a  result  which  possibly  may  hold  many  different  com- 
plexions from  the  idiosyncratic  points  of  view  with  which  it  is  looked  at. 

We  cannot  see  what  we  call  Power.  It  is  not  a  tangible  entity.  We 
know  it  only  by  observing  the  result  of  its  use.  We  know  it  exists  in 
the  same  mind,  because  we  see  it  exercised,  in  some  cases,  in  a  pleasing, 
and  others  in  a  manner  abhorrent  to  us.  But  look  where  we  will,  at  all 
hours  of  the  day  and  night,  at  all  seasons  of  the  year,  in  every  age  of 
life,  there  it  stands  forth  before  us  in  some  manifestation  or  another, 
and  no  obscurity  can  conceal  it  from  us. 

It  is  of  paramount  importance  that  our  readers  especially  should  hesi- 
tate to  believe  and  to  act  upon  the  belief  that  this  is  a  mechanical  age 
only.  It  is  of  equal  importance  that  they  who  may  have  too  readily  ac- 
cepted this  character,  of  what  we  may,  with  no  impropriety,  call  their 
own  world,  should  abandon  the  idea  at  once,  for  it  clips  the  wings  of  the 
imagination,  (which  is  only  another  name  for  power,  in  one  sense,)  and 
cramps  high  effort  most  effectually.  We  have  had  this  shackle  about 
us  already  too  long.  It  gives  us  a  faith  different  somewhat  from  that 
which  the  great  reasoning  herald  of  modern  inductive  science  would 
have  endowed  us  with.  Indeed,  it  not  only  does  not  enable  us  mentally 
to  realize  "  all  things  possible,"  but  makes  us  not  fear  to  tread  in  paths 
well  known  to  angels  as  to  men.  Let  us  believe  rather  in  "  the  effecting 
of  all  things  possible" — that  there  is  no  one  thing  within  the  domain  of  the 
possible  which  is  out  of  man's  attainment.  Let  us  no  longer  nickname 
this  magnificent  locale  of  wondrous  appearances  among  which  we  our- 
selves are  found,  but  ascribe  to  it  due  honour.  Let  us  do  this,  not  by 
throwing  an  idle  word  to  the  winds,  but  rather  in  demonstrating  our  own 
view  of  the  subject,  by  the  full  and  free  use  of  our  own  power,  each, 
from  his  own  particular  centre,  radiating  forth  all  that  is  not  opposed  to 
his  conscience. 

We  would  ask  our  young  readers  particularly  to  reflect  how  times  and 
seasons  come  and  go;  how  circumstances  surrounding  them  are  ever, 
ever  shifting;  how,  as  hour  after  hour  passes,  each  one,  by  constantly 
enlarging  the  boundaries  of  his  knowledge,  is  really  living  in  a  com- 
pletely new  world. 

Our  pages,  month  after  month  filled  with  descriptions  of  new  inven- 
tions of  all  kinds,  really  prove  that,  although  our  countrymen  appear  to 
believe  the  age  to  be  a  mechanical  one,  they  act  in  complete  disbelief  of 
the  notion.  Aud  if  our  readers  were  behind  the  scenes  with  us,  still 
greater  proofs  would  be  daily  observable.  Why  then  libel  the  time  we 
live  in,  and  libel  it  too  to  our  own  hurt  ?  What's  in  a  name  ?  you, 
strange  reader,  may  say.  By  asking  this  question,  you  show  that  all  we 
could  say  must  necessarily  he  lost  upon  you.  We  expect  no  such 
question  from  any  of  our  readers — from  any  pure  mechanic — and  for  this 
simple  reason,  that  his  school  has  been  nature.  He  knows  that  his  tools 
are  simply  modes  of  using  her  powers — that  they  are  in  their  most  effi- 
cient state  when  he  most  correctly  observes;  and  that  with  them,  sharpened 
to  all  use,  his  strong  arm  will  raise  up  a  monument,  in  the  coming  time, 
grander,  because  only  mightier,  than  that  which  his  coadjutors,  in  the 
past,  have  erected  in  our  own,  by  having  bestowed  upon  it  the  distin- 
guished, though  erroneous,  sobriquet  of  "  The  Mechanical  Age." 


274 


THE  PRACTICAL  MECHANICS  JOURNAL. 


LUTTGENS' 


DIFFERENTIAL -ACTION    GOVERNOR   FOR 

STEAM-ENGINES. 


In  this  governing  apparatus,  which  is  the  invention  of  Mr.  H.  A. 
Luttgens  of  New  York,  the  expansion  or  cut-off  valve  is  actuated  by 
an  eccentric,  which  is  made  to  assume  different  degrees  of  eccentricity, 
in  obedience  to  the  action  of  the  governor.  Considerable  ingenuity  is 
displayed  in  the  details  of  the  apparatus,  which  we  engrave  in  two  views. 
Fig.  1  is  an  elevation  of  the  governor,  together  with  the  main  crank  of  the 
engine  and  a  portion  of  the  framing;  and  fig.  2  is  a  vertical  section,  on 
an  enlarged  scale,  of  the  mechanism  for  communicating  the  governing 


pressed  outwards  by  helical  springs,  I,  so  as  to  hold  the  pulley,  y,  with 
a  determined  pressure,  between  the  pulley,  d,  and  disc,  F.  The  pulley,  r>, 
and  disc,  f,  are  prevented  from  moving  longitudinally  on  the  main  shaft 
by  means  of  retaining-collars,  g.  The  disc,  F,  is  formed  with  a  rim,  a, 
having  internal  teeth,  in  gear  with  which  is  a  small  pinion,  j,  fast  on  a 
short  spindle,  i,  carried  in  bearings,  n,  fast  upon  the  main  shaft.  The 
opposite  end  of  the  spindle,  i,  carries  a  small  bevil  wheel,  j',  in  gear 
with  a  similar  bevil  wheel,  s,  on  the  inner  end  of  a  screw  spindle,  c, 
lying  in  a  radial  direction  with  reference  to  the  main  shaft,  and  at  right 
angles  to  the  spindle,  i,  which  is  parallel  to  the  former.  The  outer  end  of 
the  screw-spindle  is  held  by  a  centering-screw,  passed  through  a  small 
bracket  upon  the  pulley,  b.  The  screw-spindle,  c,  works  in  a  nut,  t, 
fast  upon  the  eccentric,  c.  This  eccentric  is  formed  with  an  elongated 
opening,  so  that  it  can  be  set  with  different  degrees  of  eccentricity  with 
reference  to  the  main  shaft.  It  is  held  by  V-slides,  b,  working  in 
guides,  a,  cast  upon  the  face  of  the  pulley,  b. 

Fig.  2. 


action  to  the  eccentric  which  works  the  cut-off  valve,  these  details  being 
carried  by  the  main  shaft. 

The  main  shaft,  a,  of  the  engine,  has  keyed  upon  it  a  pulley,  B,  the 
belt,  1c,  of  which  actuates  a  pulley,  M,  on  a  short  transverse  shaft, 
immediately  above  and  parallel  to  the  main  shaft.  This  upper  transverse 
shaft  carries  a  bevil  wheel,  o,  in  gear  with  a  bevil  wheel  on  the  vertical 
spindle,  r,  of  an  ordinary  ball  governor,  r.  The  spindle,  p,  is  supported 
in  footstep  and  upper  bearings,  m,  in  the  engine-framing,  k,  which  is 
also  provided  with  hearings,  for  the  support  of  the  upper  transverse 
shaft.  The  same  shaft  has  also  keyed  upon  it  a  pulley,  n,  of  larger 
diameter  than  the  pulley,  m.  From  the  pulley,  n,  a  belt  descends  to  a 
pulley,  y,  fig.  2,  carried  loosely,  by  the  enlarged  boss  of  a  pulley,  d, 
loose  upon  the  main  shaft,  a.  A  disc,  f,  is  bolted  to  the  boss  of  the  pulley, 
D ;  and  the  pulley,  y,  is  held  between  the  disc  and  outer  part  of  the  pulley, 
and  is  provided  with  a  friction-ring,  h,  on  each  side,   the  rings  being 


The  action  of  the  governor  balls  is  communicated  by  two  slender  rods, 
n,  to  a  grooved  collar,  q,  loose  upon  the  spindle,  p.  This  collar  is  em- 
braced by  the  forked  end  of  a  lever,  y,  carried  by  a  support,  w,  rising 
from  the  framing.  To  the  outer  end  of  the  lever,  v,  is  adjusted  the  rod, 
x,  passing  down  to  a  lower  lever,  u,  which  is  connected  to  a  steel  fric- 
tion belt,  t,  upon  the  pulley,  d,  so  that  the  action  of  the  governor  in- 
creases or  diminishes  the  friction,  as  the  case  may  be.  The  apparatus  is 
so  adjusted  that,  when  the  shaft,  a,  revolves  at  its  determined  rate,  the 
tendency  of  the  pulley,  Y,  due  to  the  proportions  of  the  several  pulleys, 
B,  m,  and  n,  to  drive  round  the  pnlley,  n,  'at  a  quicker  rate  than  that  at 
which  the  shaft,  a,  is  revolving,  is  just  balanced  by  the  action  of  the  re- 
tarding friction  brake,  t.  If,  from  any  cause,  the  velocity  of  the  engine 
increases,  the  action  of  the  governor  balls  will  tighten  the  brake,  T,  so 
as  to  retard  the  velocity  of  the  pulley,  d,  and  its  internally-toothed  wheel, 
G.  As,  however,  the  spindle,  i,  with  its  pinion,  j,  is  carried  round  with 
the  shaft,  A,  it  will  be  caused  to  turn  on  its  axis  to  an  extent  proportion- 
ate to  the  retardation  of  the  pulley,  n.  This  action,  by  means  of  the 
bevil  wheels,  j',  s,  and  screw  spindle,  c,  will  so  act  on  the  eccentric,  V,  as 
to  alter  its  eccentricity,  and  thereby  reduce  the  supply  of  steam. 

If,  on  the  other  hand,  the  engine  goes  at  a  slower  rate,  the  falling  of 
the  governor  balls  will  relax  the  brake,  T ;  the  pulley,  y,  will  then  act 
on  the  pulley,  d,  and  wheel,  g,  so  as  to  make  these  revolve  at  a  quicker 
rate  than  the  main  shaft.  The  spindle,  i,  will,  in  consequence,  be  turned 
as  before,  hut  in  the  reverse  direction,  and  the  necessary  adjustment  of 
the  eccentric,  c,  will  be  thereby  effected. 

In  an  ordinary  ball  governor,  if  the  rate  varies,  the  balls  rise  or  fall, 
and  shut  or  open  the  throttle  valve.  The  engine  is  then  brought  back 
to  its  proper  rate ;  but,  as  a  consequence,  the  balls  return  to  their  first 
position,  and  the  throttle  valve  is  necessarily,  also,  brought  back  to  its 
original  position,  and  the  benefit  is  thus  only  momentary. 

This  defect  does  not  exist  in  Mr.  Luttgen's  arrangement,  since  the  ad- 
justing of  the  eccentric,  for  a  variation  in  the  rate,  does  not  cease  until 
the  balls  recover  their  proper  position ;  and  a  reverse  action  cannot 
take  place  unless  the  balls  go  beyond  that  position  in  the  opposite  direc- 
tion. 


THE  PRACTICAL  MECHANIC'S  JOURNAL. 


275 


THE  ROYAL  INSTITUTION. 

.HE  name  of  this  establishment  has  been,  and 
is,  upon  many  tongues ;  but  we  have  found 
comparatively  very  few  persons,  out  of  its 
list  of  members,  who  are  acquainted  with 
its  actual  position  among  the  scientific 
institutions  of  the  land,  and  scarcely  one 
informed  with  regard  to  its  origin  and 
history ;  indeed  we  are  not  aware  that  any 
printed  document  exists  in  which  informa- 
tion on  these  points  is  to  be  found.  We 
propose,  therefore,  to  devote  a  few  lines  to 
the  subject,  so  that  at  least  our  own  read- 
ers may  not  remain  in  ignorance — or  what 
is  worse,  misinformed — with  regard  to  what 
we  may  justly  call  the  most  brilliant  scien- 
tific association  in  the  British  Empire. 
The  names  of  Humphrey  Davy  and  Michael  Faraday — so  honourably 
known  in  all  the  world  wherever  any  gleam  of  science  has  penetrated — 
which  have  been  immediately  and  successively  connected  with  theinsti- 
tutioD,  almost  from  its  foundation,  have  impressed  upon  it  somewhat  of 
their  own  fame  ;  and  hence  the  general  public,  who  hear  little  and  know 
less,  commonly  regard  it  with  an  indefinite  sense  of  something  awfully 
profound,  dryly  scientific,  intensely  blue.  But  its  intention  is  this 
wise. 

Many  years  ago — still  not  quite  out  of  the  memory  of  the  present 
generation — there  sat  together  over  their  afternoon's  refreshment  two 
gentlemen.  The  one  was  all  science ;  the  other  all  the  lover  of  it. 
The  conversation  naturally  flowed  into  the  channel  most  agreeable  to 
both.  The  former  detailed  the  new  tidings  of  the  day  in  all  departments 
of  study,  and  expatiated,  in  a  strain,  eloquent  from  its  very  character, 
upon  the  prospective  general  benefits  which  would,  in  his  mind's  eye, 
necessarily  result  from  them.  Visionary,  in  some  degree,  as  the  ideas 
uttered  forth  were  to  the  other  of  the  party,  a  brighter  beam  shot  over 
his  benevolent-looking  face  as  he  silently  listened.  The  number  and 
labours  of  the  then  existing  societies  in  London,  established  for  the  pur- 
pose of  disseminating  knowledge,  were  discussed,  and  the  germ — though 
then,  as  yet,  however,  sufficiently  indistinct — of  founding  another  was 
born. 

When  this  conversation  took  place,  a  youth  of  twenty-one  was  in  a 
country  town,  far  away  from  the  metropolis,  revising  an  epic  poem  written 
by  him  at  twelve,  or,  after  analysing  some  compound  substance,  was 
writing  to  a  friend,  "philosophy,  chemistry,  and  medicine  are  my  pro- 
fession,"* becoming  unconsciously  a  devotee  to  his  "harsh  mistress," 
science,  and  who  not  long  afterwards  resolved  to  make  no  profit  of  any- 
thing connected  "  with  her."f  This  was  the  future  Davy.  There  was 
also  at  the  same  time  a  little  boy  of  some  seven  or  eight  years  of  age, 
destined  in  due,  or  rather  undue,  time  to  be  apprenticed  to  a  bookseller, 
and  to  turn  from  the  stores  at  his  command  to  the  great  book  of  nature, 
already  beginning  to  be  conscious  that  he  could  accurately  see,  and 
handle,  and  understand  things  and  appearances  around  him,  although  he 
did  not  then  know  that  this  was  scientific  observation,  or  that  the  facts 
he  perceived  were  known  to  others  by  the  high-sounding  name  of  pheno- 
mena. The  two  fine  old  English  gentlemen  as  little  dreamt  that  in  that 
child  would  be  developed,  by  means  of  the  realization  of  their  present 
desire,  the  latent  genius  of  Faraday.  Count  Rumford  bade  his  friend,  Sir 
Joseph  Banks,  "  Good  night,"  and  going  down  the  steps  of  the  great  centre 
house,  on  the  west  side  of  Leicester  Square,  lately  used  as  the  Western 
Literary  Institution,  walked  pensively  homewards.  They  thus  separated 
for  the  evening ;  and  each  in  his  little  coterie  endeavoured  to  bring  about 
an  assemblage  of  friends  of  similarly  constituted  minds  and  dispositions. 
The  first  meetings  to  talk  over  the  idea  were  held  at  the  house  of  the 
distinguished  traveller  and  naturalist,  and  the  ingenious  and  eccentric 
Count  continued  to  promote  it  in  every  way  in  his  power.  The  number 
of  congenial  minds  multiplied  at  every  successive  meeting,  while,  at  every 
successive  meeting,  arguments  of  the  substance  of  new,  interesting,  and 
important  facts,  enforced  upon  the  conviction  of  all,  not  that  a  new 
society  had  to  be,  but  that  a  new  institution  had,  in  fact,  been  founded. 

The  Royal  Society  beginning  then  to  be  devoted  mainly  to  the  physico- 
mathematical  science,  had  its  royal  charter;  why  should  not  "We?" 
The  fight  for  this  traditional  English  vantage  ground  was  not  likely — 
with  the  doughty  hearts  around,  and  conducted  by  their  enthusiastic 
leaders — to  be  long  lasting.  The  easy  old  monarch's  ear  was  soon 
reached;   some  dim  hope  of  shedding  brighter  lustre  on  his  reign  had  its 


*  Paris'3  Life  of  Davy,  p.  43. 


t  In  a  letter  to  J.  G.  Children. 


legitimate  influence,  and  the  usual  authorities  received  instructions  to 
prepare  the  draft  of  the  longed-for  charter  of  incorporation,  which  "  will 
make  our  institution  no  longer  dependent  upon  our  subscriptions  or  our 
wills,  but  will  make  it  a  living,  self-subsisting  thing,  immortal  iu  the 
land." 

"  Ah !  this  is  the  charter  for  the  Royal  Institution,"  said  George  the 
Third,  as  his  favourite  minister  put  a  finely  illuminated  copy  into  his 
hand ;  "  good  society,  good  society — wanted,  wanted — glad  of  it,  glad  of 
it."  The  heads  were  carefully  explained  to  the  king,  who,  to  his  honour, 
listened  with  as  much  attention  as  he  was  capable  of,  and  directed  the 
formal  instrument  to  be  forthwith  prepared.  This  was  not  long  before 
the  13th  of  January,  in  the  40th  year  of  his  reign  ;  and  that  day  stands 
in  the  Royal  Testimonium — "  Witness  Ourself  at  Westminster" — as  the 
day  on  which  the  incorporation  of  the  members  originated. 

This  charter  recites  the  fact  of  "  several  of  our  loving  subjects  being 
desirous  of  forming  a  public  institution  for  diffusing  knowledge  and 
facilitating  tlie  general  introduction  of  useful  mechanical  inventions  and 
improvements,  and  for  teaching,  by  courses  of  philosop>hieal  lectures  and 
experiments,  the  application  of  science  to  the  common  purposes  of  life,"  and 
having  subscribed  considerable  sums  of  money  for  that  purpose,  had 
"humbly  besought"  to  have  the  charter  granted.  Whereupon  His 
Royal  Majesty,  "  being  desirous  to  promote  every  useful  improvement  in 
arts  and  manufactures,  for  the  increase  of  the  industry  and  happiness  of 
all  our  loving  subjects,  &c,  &c,  our  right  trusty  and  well-beloved 
cousins,  George,  earl  of  Winchelsea  and  Nottingham,  George,  earl  of 
Morton,  George,  earl  of  Egremont,  and  Frederick,  earl  of  Besborough, 
our  right  trusty  and  well-beloved  counsellors,  Thomas  Pelham  and  Sir 
Joseph  Banks,  our  trusty  and  well-beloved  Benjamm,  count  of  Rumford, 
of  the  Holy  Roman  Empire,  Sir  John  Cox  Hippesley,  Richard  Clark,  Esq., 
chamberlain  of  our  city  of  London,  and  Rd.  Joseph  Sulivan,  Esq.,  and 
such  others,"  &c,  were  declared  to  be  "  one  body  politic  and  corporate, 
by  the  name  of '  The  Proprietors  of  the  Royal  Institution  of  Great  Britain,' 
and  by  the  same  name  to  have  perpetual  succession,"  &c,  &c,  with 
power  to  possess  property  to  the  amount  of  £2,000  yearly  value,  and 
to  have  a  common  seal.  The  direction  and  conduct  of  the  institution 
were  declared  to  be  by  a  committee  of  managers,  a  treasurer,  and  a  secre- 
tary, to  be  elected  by,  and  from  among,  the  proprietors ;  the  Earl  of 
Besborough,  Count  Rumford,  and  Mr.  Clark,  holding  the  places  of  chief 
honour  in  the  first  nomination  of  managers,  viz.,  for  three  years,  while 
the  nomination  of  others  above-named  was  limited  to  one  year  from  the 
1st  of  May,  1799.  The  Earl  of  Winchelsea  was  named  the  first  presi- 
dent. The  Earls  of  Morton  and  Egremont,  and  Sir  Joseph  Banks,  the 
first  vice-presidents;  Thomas  Bernard,  Esq.,  the  first  treasurer;  and 
Samuel  Glasse,  Doctor  in  Divinity,  the  first  secretary.  A  committee  of 
visitors,  also  to  be  elected  from  among  the  proprietors,  is  instituted. 
The  managers,  or  any  five  or  more  of  them,  with  the  consent  of  the 
visitors,  or  any,  &c,  are  empowered  to  make  bye-laws  and  appoint 
officers.  The  mode  of  electing  the  managers,  president,  treasurer,  and 
secretary,  is  then  pointed  out ;  accounts,  &c,  are  required  to  be  kept, 
examined,  and  reported  upon,  with  other  customary  provisions  under 
somewhat  similar  circumstances. 

For  upwards  of  ten  years  the  institution  went  on  flourishing,  the 
hopes  of  all  the  "proprietors"  gradually  rising ;  some  with  the  warm, 
generous,  and  genial  glow  whence  everything  of  mundane  good  has 
originally  grandly  sprung  ;  others  with  a  glow,  indeed,  but  of  calibre  of 
another  kind.  Suffice  it  to  say,  that  the  element  of  private  property  in 
the  institution  was  just  such  an  element  as  it  could  very  well  do  with- 
out. It  is  the  glory  of  science,  that  in  all  times  she  has  scrupulously 
regarded  the  behest,  "  Touch  not  the  unclean  thing."  Some  may  judge 
her  selfish  in  this  matter,  that  money  distracts  her  attention  from  her 
own  little  pet  private  pleasure,  and  therefore  she  desires  to  have  nothing 
to  do  with  it,  to  be  out  of  temptation's  way.  But  a  sentiment  more 
honourable  than  this  abounded  more  and  more,  as  gradually  the  wish 
grew  into  the  way  of  completely  and  for  ever  annihilating  all  suspicion 
of  the  hope  of  pecuniary  benefit  attaching  to  all  parties  connected  with 
the  Royal  Institution.  This  was  effected  by  an  act  of  parliament,  which 
was  passed  in  1810,  "for  enlarging  the  powers  granted  by  his  Majesty 
to  the  Royal  Institution  of  Great  Britain,  and  for  extending  and  more 
effectually  promoting  the  objects  thereof." 

This  act  recites  the  charter,  and  the  facts  of  the  proprietors  having 
then  purchased  a  house,  and  formed  a  mineral  collection,  library,  and 
laboratory;  and  that,  at  a  general  meeting  of  the  proprietors,  it  was 
unanimously  determined,  that  measures  should  be  taken  to  form  on  its 
basis  a  public  national  and  permanent  establishment,  devoted  to  the 
cultivation  of  practical  science,  and  to  the  promotion  of  every  improve- 
ment in  agriculture,  manufactures,  and  the  arts ;  and  that  it  was  also 
determined,  that  all  the  saleable  and  hereditary  rights  of  the  proprietors 
should  be  done  away  with.     After  further  reciting  various  other  improve- 


27G 


THE  PRACTICAL  MECHANIC'S  JOURNAL. 


merits  and  alterations,  rendered  expedient  or  necessary  in  consequence 
of  the  fundamental  change  in  the  constitution  mentioned  above,  this 
special  law  enacts  that  the  objects  of  the  institution  shall  be  extended, 
and  applied  to  the  prosecution  of  chemical  science,  by  experiments  and 
lectures  for  improving  arts  and  manufactures,  to  discovering  the  uses  of 
the  mineral  and  other  natural  productions  of  this  country,  and  to  the 
diffusion  and  extension  of  useful  knowledge  in  general ;  and  that  the 
name  should  be  "  The  Members  of  the  Royal  Institution  of  Great 
Britain." 

By  this  law  no  member  can  have  more  than  a  life  interest,  and  pro- 
visions are  made  for  compensating  the  loss  of  proprietary  rights.  The 
election  of  managers  and  visitors  is  declared  to  be  by  ballot,  from  among 
the  members  subject  to  the  bye-laws ;  and  regulations  are  made  as  to 
the  making,  adhering,  or  repealing  of  any  bye-law.  Other  incidental 
clauses  are  embodied  in  the  act,  which,  short  as  it  is,  has  hitherto  satis- 
factorily answered  the  ends  of  its  promoters. 

It  is  thus  seen  that  the  chief  objects  of  the  institution  are,  as  expressed 
in  the  prospectus — 

1.  To  promote  Scientific  and  Literary  Research; 

2.  To  teach  the  Principles  of  Inductive  and  Experimental  Science; 

3.  To  Exhibit  the  Application  of  these  Principles  to  the  various  Arts 

of  Life ;  and 

4.  To  afford  Opportunities  for  Study. 

By  the  bye-laws  the  institution  is  governed  by  a  president,  fifteen 
managers,  fifteen  visitors,  a  treasurer,  and  a  secretary,  chosen  annually 
from  among  the  members. 

The  bye-laws,  moreover,  regulate  the  admission  of  members,  the 
election  of  the  officers,  the  duties  of  the  several  members  of  the  governing 
body,  the  forms  of  and  proceedings  at  meetings,  the  disposition  of  the 
property  of  the  institution,  the  custody  of  the  common  seal  and  title  deeds, 
and  the  internal  economy  of  the  house.  They  also  legislate  as  to 
professors,  lecturers,  and  lectures,  and  provide  for  the  increase  of  the 
library  and  other  collections,  and  for  the  care  of  the  laboratory  and  its 
extensive  apparatus,  which,  in  many  examples,  stands  unapproached. 

Any  person  desirous  of  being  admitted  a  member  must  be  first  proposed 
at  a  general  monthly  meeting,  and  recommended  in  a  printed  form,  which 
must  be  signed  by  four  members  at  least.  This  form  states  the  candidate's 
desire  to  be  a  member,  also  his  knowledge  or  love  of  science,  adding  that 
the  same  is  certified  from  their  personal  acquaintance  with  him  or  with 
his  works.  This  paper  is  then  exposed  in  the  house  until  the  next 
monthly  meeting,  when  the  ballot  takes  place  ;  the  month's  delay  being, 
however,  not  required  in  the  case  of  peers,  peers'  sons,  and  privy  coun- 
cillors. The  ballot  being  in  favour  of  admission,  the  candidate  pays  his 
entrance  fee  of  five  guineas,  and  enters  into  an  obligation  to  pay  a  like  sum 
annually,  as  long  as  he  remains  a  member ;  or  he  pays  about  sixty  pounds 
as  a  composition  for  all  payments,  and  becomes  a  life  member.  A 
further  payment  is,  previous  to  admission,  required  to  be  made  to  the 
library  fund.  These  fees  and  subscriptions  entitle  the  member  to  all 
the  advantages  of  the  institution :  one  of  the  principal  of  which  is  the 
right  of  free  admission  for  himself,  and  two  nominees  above  fifteen  years 
of  age,  to  the  celebrated  Friday  evening  meetings.  This  is  the  ordinary 
subscription ;  as  a  matter  of  course,  different  grades  of  benefit  attach  to 
different  amounts  of  subscription,  but  we  cannot  here  enter  into  the 
details.  Ladies  maybe  admitted  as  members;  and  the  institution,  at 
the  present  moment,  rejoices  in  the  names  of  many,  at  the  head  of  whom 
is  that  of  our  Queen,  whose  autograph  as  the  patron  may  be  inspected 
in  the  Register  Book  of  members. 

Honorary  members  have  the  usual  privileges  of  admission,  and  the 
usual  deprivations  of  a  vote  and  eligibility  to  office.  Among  these 
honorary  members  are  numbered  some  of  the  most  brilliant  in  modern 
times — Cuvier,  De  Saussure,  Klaproth,  Leopold  Von  Buch,  Humboldt, 
Berthollet,  Gay-Lussac,  Biot,  Arago,  Oersted,  Berzelius,  Raumer,  Silli- 
man,  Liebig,  &c. 

The  Emperor  Nicholas  himself,  who  seems  now  to  be  striving  to 
throw  all  science,  except  fortification  and  gunnery,  to  the  winds,  is 
enrolled  as  such  an  honorary  member;  but  we  shall  see,  by-and-by, 
how,  for  some  unexplained  reason,  he  refused,  when  here  in  1843,  to  sign 
his  imperial  autograph  in  the  Members'  Book.  This  is  a  curious  fact 
to  reflect  upon  at  the  present  moment. 

All  members  have  a  right  of  admission  to  all  parts  of  the  institution  ; 
to  all  the  lectures  and  public  experiments;  to  the  repositories,  library, 
reading-rooms,  collections,  and  laboratories ;  as  well  as  of  sending  any 
substances  likely  to  be  useful  in  arts  or  manufactures,  to  be  analysed 
and  reported  upon. 

The  Library,  of  nearly  27,000  volumes,  includes  the  best  editions  of  the 
Greek  and  Latin  classics  and  the  fathers  of  the  Church, — English  county 
histories, — works  of  science  and  literature,  of  art  and  antiquarian  research, 
— the  transactions  of  the  principal   British  and  Foreign  academies  aud 


scientific  institutions,  as  well  as  an  extensive  collection  of  historical  and 
miscellaneous  tracts. 

Among  the  principal  of  the  more  precious  articles — the  MSS. — here 
collected,  are  the  MS.  Note  Books  of  Sir  Humphrey  Davy,  the  MSS.  of 
his  papers  printed  in  the  Philosophical  Transactions,  some  miscellaneous 
papers  of  Lord  Stanhope,  and  fifty-six  volumes  of  letters,  &c,  respecting 
the  American  War,  principally  regarding  the  movement  of  the  British 
troops,  and  Dr.  Boyce's  musical  MSS. 

It  is  not  unworthy  of  remark,  as  showing  the  animus  which  prevails 
among  the  members  in  general,  that  this  large  collection  of  books  has 
been  made  by  free  gift  of  individuals  composing  the  body,  or  interested  in 
the  welfare  of  the  institution.  . 

The  first  edition  of  a  catalogue  was  published  in  1809,  a  second  edition 
in  1821.  A  new  classified  edition  is  now  in  course  of  construction,  under 
the  careful  superintendence  of  Benjamin  Vincent,  Esq.,  and  his  son,  Mr. 
Charles  W.  Vincent. 

In  a  Reading-room  for  study  will  be  found  many  series  of  English, 
French,  German,  and  Italian  scientific  memoirs  and  journals,  and  a  great 
number  of  works  connected  with  medicine  and  the  mathematical  sciences. 
A  Newspaper-room  contains  the  principal  journals,  magazines,  and 
reviews,  in  the  English,  French,  and  German  languages ;  and  a  circu- 
lating library  is  subscribed  to,  in  order  to  afford  the  members  an  oppor- 
tunity of  seeing  the  newest  books  as  soon  as  published. 

The  Museum  contains  mineral  specimens,  many  of  which  are  named, 
and  also  other  collections.  The  chief  object  of  this  museum  is  to  furnish 
illustrations  for  the  regular  lectures,  and  the  Friday  evenin  g  discourses. 
Among  some  of  the  more  interesting,  although  perhaps  not  estimated 
by  all  as  the  principal  objects  in  this  collection,  may  be  mentioned  the 
following : — One  of  the  first  Davy  lamps,  and  one  of  the  first  diamonds 
converted  into  charcoal  by  the  battery,  and  some  other  of  these  first  and 
first-rate  things.  An  enormous  mass  of  Amethyst  Rock,  weighing  131 
lbs. ;  models  of  Crystals  by  M.  Haiiy,  who  investigated  the  subject  of  their 
structure  so  interestingly ;  Queen  Elizabeth's  Pocket  Watch;  Busts  of 
George  III.,  John  Fuller  of  Rose  Hill,  a  very  liberal  benefactor  to  the 
institution,  Faraday,  &c. ;  and  portraits  in  oil,  drawing,  or  prints  of  the 
Earl  of  Winchelsea,  the  first  president,  Count  Rumford  (painted,  by-the- 
by,  by  his  daughter),  John  Fuller,  Sir  Humphrey  Davy,  Faraday,  Earl 
Spencer,  the  curious  Sir  John  Soane,  and  those  of  D.  Moore  and  Dr. 
Paris,  the  present  president  of  the  College  of  Physicians,  and  the  bio- 
grapher of  Davy.  An  excellent  sketch  of  the  venerable  chemist,  Brande, 
must  not  be  omitted,  but  wc  cannot  mention  all.  While  more  immedi- 
ately connected  with  the  celebrated  laboratory  are  many  scientific 
machines  and  instruments,  which  have  been  influential  in  aiding  those 
discoveries  in  science  which  have  distinguished  the  Royal  Institution, 
and  upon  which  we  shall  say  something  in  another  paper. 


THE  LAW  OF  PATENTS  FOR  INVENTIONS  IN  THE 
EMPIRE  OF  AUSTRIA. 

This  law  has  been  recently  remodelled  by  an  imperial  decree,  dated 
the  15th  August,  1852,  which  established  the  following  regulations 
throughout  the  empire.  Patents  are  not  allowed  for  alimentary  prepara- 
tions, beverages,  or  medicines,  nor  for  discoveries,  inventions,  or  im- 
provements which  are  contrary  to  public  health,  public  welfare,  morality, 
or  the  interest  of  the  state.  With  this  exception,  patents  are  granted 
for  every  new  discovery,  invention,  or  improvement,  having  for  its  object 
(a)  a  new  industrial  product,  (6)  a  new  means  of  producing,  or  (c)  a 
new  method  of  producing.  By  discovery,  is  meant  the  refinding  of  some- 
thing once  known,  but  subsequently  lost.  Invention  signifies  the  pro- 
duction of  something  new,  either  by  new  or  old  successes,  or  of  some- 
thing already  known  by  a  new  process.  Improvement  signifies  the 
application  of  a  contrivance,  arrangement,  or  process,  to  an  object  already 
known,  whether  patented  or  not,  whereby,  in  the  object  itself,  or  in  the 
mode  of  production,  a  more  favourable  result  or  some  kind  of  economy  is 
obtained. 

A  discovery,  invention,  or  improvement,  is  deemed  new  when,  up  to 
the  moment  the  patent  was  applied  for,  the  same  had  not  been  put  into 
operation,  or  been  ma'de  public  in  the  empire. 

Foreigners,  as  well  as  Austrian  subjects,  may  be  patentees ;  but  with 
regard  to  inventions  made  by  foreigners  not  resident  in  Austria,  patents 
are  only  granted  when  a  patent  has  been  obtained  in  the  country  where 
they  were  made,  and  then  only  to  the  original  patentee,  or  his  assignee. 

A  mere  unapplied  scientific  principle  is  not  patentable ;  but  every  new 
application  of  such  a  principle  may  be  patented,  if  constituting  a  new 
industrial  product,  or  anew  process  of  manufacture. 

Two  or  more  inventions  cannot  be  included  in  a  single  patent,  unless 
they  refer  to  the  same  subject  matter,  as  essential  parts  of  it. 


THE  PRACTICAL  MECHANIC'S  JOURNAL. 


277 


The  petition  for  a  patent  may  be  made  either  by  the  inventor,  or  by 
his  legal  attorney,  and  must  comprise  the  full  name,  profession,  and  do- 
micile of  the  inventor,  or  of  his  attorney ;  also,  the  exact  title  of  the 
invention,  and  the  number  of  years  for  which  it  is  desired  the  patent 
should  last.  The  maximum  duration  of  a  patent  is  fifteen  years,  which 
length  of  time  cannot  be  exceeded,  except  by  special  imperial  authority. 

"When  the  petition  is  lodged,  it  must  be  accompanied  by  the  proper 
amount  of  patent  tax,  or  by  the  voucher,  showing  that  the  tax  has  been 
paid.  There  are  no  other  payments  exacted,  even  when  a  previous  ex- 
amination has  been  made  for  public  consideration. 

The  amount  of  government  tax  is  thus  paid: — For  the  first  five  years, 
20  florins  (£2)  a  year ;  sixth  year,  30  florins ;  seventh  year,  35  florins ; 
eighth  year,  40  florins ;  ninth  year,  45  florins ;  tenth  year,  50  florins ; 
eleventh  year,  60  florins ;  twelfth  year,  70  florins ;  thirteenth  year,  80 
florins;  fourteenth  year,  90  florins;  fifteenth  year,  100  florins;  or  for 
the  entire  fifteen  years,  700  florins  (£70). 

Previous  to,  or  at  the  time  of  lodging  the  petition,  the  tax  mrst  be 
paid  for  the  entire  number  of  years  for  which  the  patent  is  applied  for. 

The  description  (specification)  accompauying  the  petition  must  be  in 
the  German  language,  or  in  the  language  of  the  province  in  which  the 
petition  is  presented  ;  it  must  contain  a  full  and  minute  explanation  of 
the  invention,  and  must  be  so  clear  that  any  professional  person  may 
carry  it  into  effect,  without  being  obliged  to  supply  anything;  the  novel 
part,  that  which  forms  the  essence  of  the  invention,  must  be  minutely 
indicated ;  nothing  must  be  concealed,  either  as  to  the  materials  or  the 
process ;  the  materials  must  not  be  represented  as  more  expensive  than 
they  really  are,  nor  must  any  peculiar  method  or  contrivance,  necessary 
to  the  success  of  the  operation,  be  kept  back ;  if  drawings,  samples,  or 
models,  are  required  for  the  full  comprehension  of  the  description,  they 
must  be  supplied. 

A  patentee  is  entitled  to  establish  workshops  or  factories,  to  employ 
the  workpeople  he  may  find  requisite  to  carry  out  the  object  of  the  pa- 
tent to  its  fullest  extent,  and  consequently  to  form  establishments,  stores, 
and  warehouses  for  the  manufactory,  within  the  entire  empire.  He 
may  sell  and  dispose  of  the  proceeds,  and  license  others  to  use  his  inven- 
tion, to  take  partners,  and  to  dispose  of  his  patent  right  in  any  way  what- 
soever. 

A  patent  for  an  improvement  is  strictly  confined  to  the  particular  im- 
provement, and  confers  no  right  upon  a  previously  patented  invention, 
or  any  publicly  practised  process  upon  which  it  may  be  an  improvement. 
The  patentee  of  an  improvement  is  effectually  protected  against  the  ori- 
ginal patentee,  who  cannot  make  use  of  the  later  invention  without 
license. 

"When  the  original  term  of  a  patent  is  less  than  fifteen  years,  the 
patentee  may  apply  to  have  it  prolonged  for  the  full  period  of  fifteen 
years.  He  must  make  application  before  the  term  originally  limited  has 
expired,  and  he  must  pay  the  entire  tax  for  the  term  of  prolongation. 

A  patent  will  be  cancelled  on  proof  that  the  legal  requisites  for  a  pa- 
tent do  not  exist,  or  that  the  description  Soes  not  fulfil  the  prescribed 
conditions,  or  that  the  invention  is  not  new,  or  being  an  importation  from 
abroad  ;  that  the  patentee  is  not  the  real  owner  of  the  foreign  patent,  or 
that  the  object  of  the  patent  is  contrary  to  law,  as  to  the  health  or  mo- 
rality of  the  public,  or  the  interest  of  the  state. 

A  patent  will  expire  not  only  by  efflux  of  the  term,  but  also  in  case 
the  patentee  should  fail  to  bring  his  discovery  into  operation  within  a 
year  from  the  date  of  the  patent,  or  in  case  he  should  entirely  suspend 
working  the  same  for  the  space  of  two  years. 

A  patent,  on  being  granted,  is  enrolled  in  a  register,  kept  at  the  Min- 
istry of  Commerce  and  Industry,  which  register  may  be  inspected  by  any 
one.     Copies  of  patents  may  also  be  taken. 

Patents  may  be  transferred,  either  entirely  or  in  part,  at  the  option  of 
the  patentee  or  his  assignee. 

Persons  will  be  deemed  guilty  of  infringing  a  patent  who  import  from 
abroad  objects,  counterfeiting  or  imitating  those  made  under  the  patent, 
with  the  view  of  selling  the  same. 

The  remaining  sections  of  the  decree  have  reference  to  the  mode  of 
obtaining  patents,  or  to  official  proceedings  for  their  publication,  registry, 
&c,  or  to  the  punishment  of  persons  infringing  them,  and  need  not  be 
set  forth  here. 


HUNTS   GOVERNOR   FOR   PRIME   MOVERS  AND   SCREW 

PROPELLERS, 

AND  SPRING  COUPLING  FOR  SHAFTING. 

The  governor  represented  in  the  accompanying  engraving  recommends 

itself  by  its  simplicity,  and  its  direct  mode  of  action.     The  power  of  the 

prime  mover  is  transmitted  through   the  piece,  which  constitutes  its 


principal  feature.  This  consists  of  a  coupling-box,  a,  connecting  two 
separate  portions  of  the  main  shaft  of  a  steam-engine,  or  other  prime 
mover.  The  end  of  the  shaft,  b,  which  is  the  one  in  immediate  connec- 
tion with  the  prime  mover,  has  one  or  more  helical  threads  cut  upon  it, 
and  the  coupling-box,  A,  is  at  that  end  formed  with  an  internal  thread 
to  correspond.  The  end  of  the  shaft,  c,  which  conveys  the  power  to  the 
machinery  to  be  driven,  is  formed  with  longitudinal  feathers  working 
in  grooves  in  the  corresponding  end  of  the  coupling-box,  A.  The  two 
shafts  abut  against  each  other,  and  are  incapable  of  longitudinal  move- 
ment. The  coupling-box,  a,  is  capable  of  traversing  longitudinally  upon 
the  shaft,  c,  whilst  it  can  only  alter  its  position  upon  the  shaft,  n,  by  a 
rotatory  combined  with  a  longitudinal  motion.  The  coupling-box  is 
formed  externally  with  two  collars,  constituting  a  retaining  groove  for 
the  two  points  of  the  forked  arm,  d,  of  a  lever  connected  with  the  throttle 
valve,  or  other  regulating  mechanism  of  the  prime  mover.  Between  the 
coupling-box,  a,  and  a  disc,  e,  abutting  against  a  collar  on  the  shaft,  b, 
is  an  india-rubber  cylinder,  f,  arranged  like  the  bearing  springs  adopted 
by  Mr.  Coleman  for  railway  purposes,  and  answering  as  an  elastic  con- 
nection, adjustable  by  screws  in  the  disc,  e. 

As  here  represented,  the  apparatus  is  intended  for  shafts  always  re- 
volving in  one  direction,  and  its  action  is  as  follows: — On  starting  the 
engine,  the  shaft,  b,  turning  in  the  direction  of  the  arrow,  will  tend,  by 
the  action  of  the  screw,  to  force  the  coupling-box,  a,  against  the  spring, 
f,  at  the  same  time  opening  the  throttle  valve  by  means  of  the  lever,  d. 


More  steam  will,  in  consequence,  be  gradually  admitted  to  the  enginei 
and  the  coupling-box  will  be  driven  more  and  more  against  the  spring, 
until  the  increasing  reactionary  resistance  of  the  latter  balances  the 
resistance  to  be  overcome  by  the  shaft,  c,  in  turning.  The  longitudinal 
motion  of  the  coupling-box  will  then  cease,  and  the  two  shafts,  b,  c,  will 
revolve  as  if  connected  by  an  ordinary  coupling-box.  The  apparatus 
should  be  so  arranged  that,  when  the  spring  is  in  its  most  elongated 
state,  the  throttle  valve  may  be  just  so  much  open  as  to  allow  sufficient 
steam  to  pass  to  overcome  the  friction  of  the  engine  itself. 

If,  from  any  cause,  the  load  should  increase,  the  longitudinal  move- 
ment of  the  coupling-box,  and  consequent  further  opening  of  the  throttle 
valve,  will  be  the  immediate  result,  the  spring  being  still  further  com- 
pressed. On  the  other  hand,  if  the  load  becomes  less,  the  reactionary 
force  of  the  spring  will  cause  the  coupling-box  to  traverse  back  upon  the 
engine  shaft,  b,  thereby  partially  closing  the  throttle  valve. 

For  a  shaft  which  is  required  to  revolve  in  both  directions,  the  coup- 
ling-box must  be  longer,  and  provided  with  springs  acting  in  both 
directions,  whilst  the  mechanism  for  actuating  the  throttle  valve  must 
be  contrived  to  produce  the  same  effect  to  whichever  side  of  a  central 
point  the  coupling-box  is  traversed.  Instead  of  arranging  the  spring, 
as  we  have  shown  it,  it  may  be  applied  to  the  lever,  d,  and  it  may  be 
formed  in  various  ways. 

The  spring  being  obviously  a  measure  of  the  load,  may  he  connected 
with  an  index,  and  thus  form  a  dynamometrical  indicator;  it  will,  how- 
ever, be  necessary  to  take  note  of  the  number  of  revolutions  in  a  given 
time,  so  as  to  form  a  true  estimate  of  the  power.  It  is  easy  to  conceive 
a  mechanical  arrangement,  in  which  counting  gear  may  be  so  combined 
with  the  index  of  the  spring,  as  at  all  times  to  indicate  the  momentary 
absolute  power  exerted. 

This  governor  is  particularly  applicable  to  a  screw  propeller  with 
swivelling  blades,  the  action  of  the  coupling-box  being  made  to  alter 
the  inclination  of  the  blades,  and  that  instantaneously,  on  any  change 
taking  place  in  the  resistance. 

The  spring  coupling  might  also  be  beneficially  applied  to  long  ranges 
of  shafting,  as  it  would  tend  to  soften  the  effects  of  sudden  variations  in 
the  power  or  resistance  transmitted. 

Likewise,  by  dispensing  with  the  spring,  f,  and  converting  the  lever, 
D,  into  a  simple  hand  lever  for  moving  the  coupling-box  back  or  forward, 
a  convenient  means  is  afforded  of  setting  round  one  part  of  a  shaft  in 
reference  to  another. 


278 


THE  PRACTICAL  MECHANIC'S  JOURNAL. 


WYMEK'S  SYSTEM  OF  BOAT  GEAR  FOR  SHIPS. 

The  screw  steam-ship  Chanticleer,  built  by  Messrs.  Denny  of  Dum- 
barton, has  lately  been  fitted  with  the  boat-hoisting  apparatus  repre- 
sented in  our  engraving.  It  is  the  invention  of  Mr.  F.  W.  Wymer,  of 
Newcastle-upon-Tyne.  The  boat,  a,  is  hoisted  up  to  davits,  b,  which 
are  contrived  to  turn  over  inboard  with  the  boat.  For  this  purpose,  each 
davit,  B,  is  keyed  into  a  socket  formed  radially  in  a  large  worm  wheel, 
c,  fast  upon  a  shaft  carried  in  iron  brackets,  d,  fitted  upon  the  top  of  the 
bulwark,  e,  of  the  vessel.     The  worm  wheel  is  worked  by  a  worm,  f, 


the  spindle  of  which  passes  down  at  an  angle  convenient  for  the 
application  of  manual  force  to  cross  handles,  a,  fixed  upon  it.  The 
davits  are  made  to  stretch  across  the  boat,  embracing  its  opposite  gun- 
wales by  means  of  suitable  projections.  When  the  boat  is  to  be  raised, 
it  is  brought  immediately  below  the  davits,  which  stretch  out  horizon- 
tally from  the  ship's  side,  and  is  hoisted  up  to  them  by  means  of  tackles 
in  the  usual  way,  sheaves  for  that  purpose  being  fitted  to  the  davits  im- 
mediately over  the  centre  line  of  the  boat.  Manual  force  is  then  applied 
to  the  worm  handle,  o,  and  the  davits  are  made  to  turn  through  half  a 
circle,  carrying  and  turning  over  the  boat  at  the  same  time,  the  whole 
finally  resting  upon  the  poop  deck,  h,  round-house,  or  other  support 
provided  for  it  within  the  vessel.  The  cross  handle  and  spindle,  g,  can 
be  removed  from  the  worm,  so  as  to  be  put  out  of  the  way  when  not  in 
use. 

SMALL   DIAMETER   STEAM    BOILER. 

Hoi.CKOFT  AND  HoYLE,   ENGINEERS,  MANCHESTER. 

(Illustrated  by  Plates  144  and  145.) 

The  daily  increasing  use  of  high  pressure  steam,  and  the  great  economy 
of  fuel  gained  by  its  judicious  application,  seem  to  point  to  a  day  not  very 
far  distant  when  its  adoption  shall  become  general;  while,  at  the  same 
time,  the  many  fearful  accidents  which  have  attended  its  generation 
with  old,  miscalculated,  or  improperly  constructed  apparatus,  call  loudly 
for  some  particular  modification  of  boiler,  which  shall  render  its  use  per- 
frctly  compatible  with  safety,  and  remove  all  feeling  of  risk  or  danger 
from  the  minds  of  those  disposed  to  avail  themselves  of  the  advantages 
which  it  offers. 

For  this  purpose,  a  boiler  is  required  which  shall  possess  increased 
strength,  if  possible,  without  additional  expenditure  of  material,  and 
which,  while  it  combines  the  several  advantages  of  the  various  existing 
modifications,  shall  be  free  from  their  drawbacks  and  defects.  With 
this  end  in  view,  and  to  meet  these  requirements,  the  triple  boiler,  which 
wo  now  illustrate,  has  been  designed. 

Fig.  1,  on  our  Plate  144,  is  a  transverse  vertical  section  of  the  boiler ; 
fig.  2  is  an  end  elevation,  looking  on  the  fire  and  smoke-box  doors.  Fig. 
3,  on  Plate  145,  is  a  vertical  longitudinal  section,  taken  through  the  fire- 
box ;  and  fig.  4  is  a  horizontal  section,  taken  through  the  two  lower 
boilers  and  the  fire-box.  The  boiler  consists  of  three  distinct  steam 
generators,  A,  n,  c,  triangularly  disposed  and  supported  in  brickwork, 
d,  e,  at  each  end,  and  by  two  longitudinal  walls,  f,  on  each  side  of  the 
ash-pit.  The  boilers  communicate  with  each  other  by  the  pipes,  h, 
which  descend  beneath  the  ash-pit;  and  the  feed-pipe,  i,  provided 
with  a  stop-cock,  j,  is  joined  to  them  at  their  lowest  point.  The  boilers 
are  also  blown  off  by  this  pipe,  a  stop-cock  being  provided  for  this  pur- 
pose at  the  front.  The  lower  boilers,  b,  c,  are  furnished  with  steam 
domes,  k,  and  these  communicate  with  the  upper  and  central  boiler,  a, 
by  means  of  the  large  horizontal  pipes,  t,.     In  this  manner  the  water  in 


all  three  boilers  is  maintained  at  the  same  level,  and  as  the  central 
boiler,  a,  has  always  a  less  quantity  of  water  in  it  than  the  other  two,  it 
serves  as  a  large  steam  chamber,  whence  the  steam  is  conveyed  by  the 
steam-pipe,  m,  and  on  which  is  fitted  the  safety-valve,  n.  A  pressure 
guage,  o,  communicates  with  the  boiler,  a,  in  front,  where  are  likewise 
three  level  guages,  p,  communicating  with  each  of  the  boilers.  The 
fire-box,  g,  is  immediately  beneath  the  central  boiler,  A,  and  between  the 
side  boilers,  B  and  c,  which  reach  down  to  the  grate  bars,  Q,  in  front,  so 
that  the  direct  action  of  the  fire  expends  itself  entirely  upon  the  surfaces 
of  the  boilers,  whilst  the  exposed  surface  is  formed  of  a  single  plate  in 
each  boiler,  thus  avoiding  the  uncertainty  and  risk  always  attending 
rivet  seams  and  unequal  plates  exposed  to  the  direct  action  of  the  fire. 
The  flames  and  gases  pass  to  the  back  of  the  fire-box,  and  are  there 
separated  into  two  currents  in  the  flue  spaces,  r,  which  admit  them  to 
the  back  of  the  side  boilers,  b,  c.  These  boilers  are  provided  with  flue 
tubes,  s,  through  which  the  flames  and  gases  pass  to  the  front  smoke- 
boxes,  t,  whence  they  descend  by  the  flues,  u,  to  a  single  flue  under- 
ground, communicating  with  the  chimney.  The  smoke-boxes,  t,  are 
provided  with  doors,  w,  which  greatly  facilitate  the  cleaning  out  of  the 
tubes.  Access  is  also  obtained  through  these  doors  to  manholes  in  the 
front  tube  plates,  by  which  the  interior  of  the  boilers  are  cleaned.  A 
couple  of  doors  are  also  provided  at  x,  for  cleaning  out  the  back  flue 
spaces,  e. 

The  injurious  action  of  sediment  upon  the  bottom  of  the  central  boiler, 
a,  which  is  entirely  exposed  to  the  direct  action  of  the  fire  beneath,  is 
prevented  by  the  interposition  of  a  sediment  collector,  y.  This  consists 
of  a  false  bottom  of  thin  plate-iron,  corresponding  in  shape  to  the  bottom 
of  the  boiler,  and  supported  at  about  three  inches  from  the  latter,  whilst 
its  edges  reach  to  about  five  inches  from  the  water-level  above.  The 
ebullition  of  the  water  on  the  bottom  of  the  boiler  itself  prevents  the 
settling  down  of  the  sediment,  whilst  the  water  inside  the  collector,  being 
tranquil,  encourages  its  deposition  within  it.  A  blow-off  pipe  (not  shown 
in  the  engraving)  communicates  with  the  sediment  collector,  for  the  pur- 
pose of  clearing  it  periodically. 

The  patentees  lay  fair  claims  to  the  following  especial  advantages,  as 
embodied  in  this  boiler : — The  great  strength  due  to  the  employment 
of  a  greatly  reduced  diameter.  A  boiler  4  feet  in  diameter,  made  of 
■A  inch  plates,  and  working  at  a  pressure  of  75  lbs.  to  the  square  inch, 
is  subjected  to  no  greater  strain  than  a  boiler  7  feet  in  diameter,  made 
of  -j7s  inch  plates,  and  working  at  a  pressure  of  60  lbs.  A  second  advan- 
tage is  economy  in  space — a  sixty-horse  boiler  taking  up  a  space  of  only 
12  feet  by  13  feet  6  inches,  whilst  a  much  larger  fire  space  is  provided 
than  can  be  obtained  when  the  fire-box  is  placed  inside  the  boiler,  and  a 
very  large  surface  is  exposed  to  the  direct  action  of  the  fire.  In  addi- 
tion to  this,  the  tubes  are  placed  much  wider  apart  than  is  possible  in 
many  forms  of  boiler,  and  there  is  consequently  no  liability  of  the  filling 
up  of  the  interstices.  Internal  flues  are  dispensed  with,  and  with  them  a 
fruitful  source  of  accidents,  on  account  of  their  liability  to  become  over- 
heated and  collapse.  » 

These  boilers  may  be  modified  in  various  ways,  to  suit  different  situa- 
tions and  requirements;  and  to  meet  the  views  of  those  who  object  to 
small  tubes,  the  p'atentees  have  designed  an  arrangement  with  large  flues. 

The  boilers  are  also  well  suited  for  exportation,  as  they  may  be  very 
conveniently  stowed,  and,  when  detached,  they  are  both  of  light  weight 
and  small  size. 


ANGLE-IRON  SHEARING  AND  PUNCHING  MACHINE,  OF 
DUPLEX  ACTION. 

This  excellent  tool  is  the  invention  of  Mr.  Hugh  Donald,  of  the  firm 
of  Craig  and  Donald,  of  Johnstone,  Renfrewshire.  It  presents  a  most 
compact  and  efficient  arrangement  for  the  performance  of  the  several 
operations  of  cutting  or  shearing,  punching  and  riveting,  within  the 
limits  of  a  single  machine  tool.  Fig.  1  is  a  side  elevation  of  the  tool, 
divested  of  its  driving  gearing ;  and  fig.  2  is  a  plan  corresponding,  the 
scale  being  J  inch  to  the  foot. 

It  has  a  simultaneous  quadruple  action;  that  is  to  say,  it  is  capable  of 
both  cutting  and  punching,  or  riveting,  on  each  side,  and  all  at  the  same 
time.  It  consists  essentially  of  a  main  cast-iron  frame,  A,  in  the  open 
centre  of  which  a  vertical  lever,  B,  is  hung  on  a  horizontal  axis  of  oscil- 
lation, c.  The  lower  end  of  this  lever  is  jointed  to  a  connecting-rod,  D, 
from  a  revolving  crank,  in  connection  with  the  prime  mover;  so  that,  as 
the  crank  rotates,  this  lower  and  longer  arm  of  the  lever  is  caused  to 
vibrate.  The  head  of  this  lever  carries  a  cutter,  e,  on  each  side ;  the  lino 
of  cutting  being  very  little  above  the  centre  of  oscillation,  so  that  a 
powerful  leverage  is  secured.  The  reverse  or  bottom-fixed  cutters,  F, 
corresponding  to  the  moveable  cutters,  are  set,  one  on  each  side  of  the 
lever,  on  the  fixed  frame ;  and  thus,  as  the  lever-head  vibrates,  its  two 


LTU- 1-14 


ESS"?    HOLCROFT   $    HOYLE 


ENGINEERS,    MANCHESTER. 


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12        0        0 


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flate  J4:>. 


iMVL-mim^m.  mum  ©on  mis, 


THE  PRACTICAL  MECHANIC'S  JOURNAL. 


270 


sides  cut  alternately.     In  tins  way,  two  men  can  cut  or  shear  at  once, 
the  cutter  ascending  on  one  side,  whilst  that  ou  the  other  descends:  and 


Builder's  Price-Book,  1S54,  Svo,  4s.  sewed.    Crosby. 

Builder's  Price-Book,  1854,  Svo,  4s.,  sewed.     Taylor. 

Chemical  Recreations,  tenth  edition, first  division,  crown  Svo,  2s.,  cloth.    J.J.Grifi 

Conic  Sections,  Elementary  Treatise  on,  7s.  Gd.     G.  H.  Puckle. 

Curiosities  of  Industry,  Svo,  reduced  to  3s.  Gd.,  cloth.     G.  Dodd. 

Dialling  Diagrams,  12mo,  Is.,  sewed.     \V.  Watson. 

Electricity,  On  Human,  post  Svo.  6s.,  cloth.    J.  C.  N.  Butter. 

Manufacturing  Districts,  Hand  Book  to,  12mo,  3s.,  sewed, 

Painter's  and  Grainer's  Assistant,  5th  edition,  12mo,  2s.,  sewed.    Barber. 

Photography,  Art  of,  12mo,  Is.,  cloth,  sewed.    Halleur. 

Practical  Assaying,  Manual  of,  2d  edition,  8vo,  20s.    J.  Mitchell. 

Science  and  Art,  Yearly  Book  of  Facts  in  1854.  foolscap  8vo,  6s.,  cloth. 

"Woollen  Manufacturer's  Guide,  12mo,  5s.,  cloth.    G .  Ibbetson. 

RECENT    PATENTS. 


Fig.  2.— l-4Stll. 

this  enables  the  attendants  to  cut  such  pieces  of  metal  as  are  troublesome 
to  manage  in  the  ordinary  way,  as,  by  giving  one  cut  on  one  side,  the 
piece  may  be  completely  severed  by 
being  turned  to  the  other  side.  The 
punching  and  riveting  actions  are 
effected  in  a  very  simple  manner,  by 
setting  the  working  mandiils,  o,  one 
on  each  side  of  the  main  lever,  a 
little  below  the  centre  of  oscillation. 
Each  mandril  works  through  a  ho- 
rizontal guide  in  the  main  frame,  its 
inner  end  being  linked  to  the  side  or 
edge  of  the  lever,  whilst  its  outer 
working  end  projects  through  the 
frame-piece,  and  comes  up  to  a 
socket  on  a  projection  cast  on  the 
frame.  Thus,  each  mandril,  work- 
ing either  a  punch  or  riveting-piece, 
H,  comes  into  action  alternately. 
By  this  arrangement,  the  duplex- 
cutting  action  is  kept  in  the  centre 
of  the  heavy  framing,  whilst  the 
punching  and  riveting  operations 
are  on  a  lower  level  at  each  end. 

The  general  arrangement  may 
be  modified  to  a  certain  extent  to 
suit  special  purposes ;  or,  instead  of 
setting  the  machine  as  described,  it 
might  be  erected  in  a  vertical  posi- 
tion, with  the  main  lever  vibrating 
horizontally.  The  machine  may, 
indeed,  work  at  any  angle. 

The  tool  from  which  our  draw- 
ings were  made,  is  at  work  at  the 
shipbuilding  yard  of  Messrs.  Law- 
rie  &  Co.,  Whiteinch,  Glasgow.  It 
is  obviously  enough  a  most  valuable  contrivance  for  the  marine  engineer. 

MECHANIC'S  LIBRARY. 

Baths  and  Wash-Howies,  imp.  8to,  3s.  fill.,  sewed.    G.  A.  Ope. 
Builder's  Price-Book,  1854, 12mo,  4s.,  cloth.    W.  Laxton. 


COMBINED  SEED,  MANURE,  AND  LIQUID  DISTRIBUTOR. 

W.  C.  Spoonee,  Southampton. — Patent  dated  June  30,  1853. 

This  invention  relates  to  the  combination  of  a  liquid  supplier  with  a 
seed-box  and  manure  drill,  so  that  seed,  manure,  and  water  may  enter 
the  soil  in  close  proximity  with  each  other.  Our  engraving,  fig.  1,  re- 
presents the  apparatus  employed,  in  vertical  section,  a  is  the  water-tank, 
composed  partly  of  wood  and  partly  of  iron ;  it  is  supported  on  the  stud 
centres,  b,  which  rest  in  suitable  forked  bearings,  c,  bolted  to  the  shafts, 
d,  of  the  drill,  e,  e,  are  a  series  of  valves,  which  are  fitted  inside  the 
tank,  serving  to  shut  off  the  communications  between  the  several  com- 
partments, such  communications  being  opened,  however,  during  the  fill- 
ing of  the  tank,  in  order  that  each  of  the  compartments  may  be  filled 
simultaneously.  The  whole  of  the  valves  are  opened  by  the  transverse 
rod,  e',  worked  by  a  handle  outside  the  cart.  A  blade-spring  is  fitted  to 
each  valve,  to  keep  it  shut  when  the  whole  of  the  compartments  are  full. 
A  series  of  cocks,  r,  are  fitted  to  the  bottom  of  the  tank,  each  cock  open- 
ing into  a  set  of  ordinary  pipes  or  cans,  G,  which  receive  also  the  manure 
from  the  manure-box,  h,  and  the  seeds  from  the  seed-box,  i,  such  seeds 
being  conducted  therefrom  by  the  inclined  conductors,  j,  which  open  at 
their  lower  extremities  into  the  pipes  or  cans,  o.  A  perforated  plate,  g', 
prevents  the  entrance  of  dirt  into  the  cocks,  which  might  otherwise  be- 
come clogged  up.  The  cocks,  p,  are  opened  or  shut  by  means  of  the 
small  spur  pinions,  k,  k,  fitted  to  a  transverse  shaft,  l.  These  pinions 
gear  with  similar  pinions,  attached  to  the  plugs  of  the  cocks.  The  whole 
of  the  cocks  may  be  opened  or  shut  by  means  of  the  rod,  ar,  which  is  con- 
nected to  a  levos  attached  to  the  shaft,  t,  the  movement  being  trans- 


Fig.  1. 


mitted  by  a  pair  of  bevil  pinions,  o,  to  the  spindle,  e,  which  is  fitted  with 
an  index,  to  show  the  position  of  the  cocks  to.  the  drill-man  in  attend- 
ance ;  or  the  covers  may  be  opened  or  shut  by  the  lever,  Q,  also  attached 
to  the  end  of  the  shaft,  l,  and  connected  to  the  rod,  it,  formed  with  a 
handle,  s,  for  inverting  the  lever.     The  body  of  the  drill  is  adjusted  oi 


280 


THE  PRACTICAL  MECHANIC'S  JOURNAL. 


Fig.  2. 


turned  on  its  centres,  b,  by  the  handle,  t,  and  rack  and  pinion,  u,  in  the 
ordinary  manner.  The  arrangement  described  is  obviously  applicable 
to  drills  with  any  number  of  coulters,  and  the  water-tank  may  be  used 
either  in  conjunction  with  a  seed-drill  alone,  or  with  a  manure  distri- 
butor, or  simply  as  a  water-cart. 

MANURE  DISTRIBUTOR. 
W.  Taskee,  Andover,  Hants. — Patent  dated  June  30,  1853. 
This  invention  relates  to  a  novel  arrangement  of  mechanism  for  giving 
a  regular  and  constant  supply  of  manure  from  the  manure-box  in  manure 
distributors,  and  consists  in  placing  a  cylinder  in  the  bottom  of  the  box 
containing  the  manure.  This  cylinder  is  fixed,  and  a  fluted  cylinder 
revolves  round  it,  the  bars  or  projections  of  the  latter  being  in  contact 
with  the  exterior  of  the  former,  so  as  to  form  a  number  of  cavities,  into 
which  the  manure  falls,  and  thence  passes  to  the  conducting  spouts  as 
the  cylinder  revolves.  We  have  represented  this  manure  distributor  in 
combination  with  Mr.  Spooner's  liquid  supplier,  fig.  1  being  a  vertical  sec- 
tion of  the  entire  drill  apparatus,  and  figs.  2  and  3  end  and  front  views 
of  the  distributing  cylinders  on  an  enlarged  scale.  The  manure-box, 
which  is  placed  between  the  water-tank,  a,  and  seed-supplier,  i,  is  di- 
vided into  as  many  compartments  as  there  are  coulters,  and  is  pro- 
vided with  revolving  agitators,  n.  Immediately 
below  the  agitator  is  the  distributing  cylinder. 
This  cylinder  is  carried  on  the  transverse  shaft,  d, 
figs.  2  and  3,  driven  by  one  of  the  running  wheels 
of  the  machine,  by  means  of  intermediate  external 
gearing.  The  outer  moveable  or  rotatory  part  of 
the  distributing  cylinder,  o,  is  cast  with  a  central 
boss,  p,  which  is  fitted  on  to  a  square  portion  of  the 
shaft,  r>.  This  outer  cylinder  consists  of  a  series  of 
transverse  bars,  Q,  which  slide  over  the  fixed  seg- 
mental plates,  it,  bolted  to  the  side,  s,  of  the  con- 
ductor, p  (fig.  1),  by  the  flanges,  t.  As  the  man- 
ure in  the  box,  a,  comes  in  contact  with  the  revolv- 
ing cylinder,  it  is  conveyed  into  the  conductor,  r, 
whence  it  falls  into  the  Ciins,  G,  and  is  deposited  into 
the  ground  in  the  ordinary  manner.  The  size  of  the  openings  through 
which  the  manure  passes  to  the  cylinders  is  regulated  by  the  sliding- 
door,  v,  which  is  actuated  by  the  screw,  w,  and  pinion,  x,  the  latter  gear- 
ing with  a  rack 
on  the  body  of  the 
door,  or  sliding- 
plate,  v.  By  this 
means  the  door  is 
raised  or  lowered, 
and  the  apertures 
for  the  passage  of 
the  manure  pro- 
portionately in- 
creased or  dimin- 
ished. By  the 
employment  of 
the  peculiarly 
formed  cylinders, 

hereinbefore  described,  all  chances  of  clogging  or  filling  up  is  entirely 
obviated,  since  the  constant  traversing  or  rubbing  of  the  outer  cylinder 
over  the  fixed  segmental  plates,  before  mentioned,  keeps  the  cylinder 
always  clean. 


WATER  DIE  FOR  BRICK  MACHINES. 

John  Heritage,   Wamnek.— Patent  dated  August  17,  1853. 

In  brick  and  tile-making  machines,  great  difficulty  is  ordinarily  expe- 
rienced in  obtaining  a  smooth  outer  surface,  owing  to  the  adhesion  of 
the  clay  to  the  dry  unlubricated  mouth-piece  of  the  die.  This  defect  is 
entirely  obviated  by  Mr.  Heritage's  water  die,  or  lubricated  mouth-piece, 
which  is  represented  in  vertical  section  in  our  engraving,  as  applied  to 
the  well-known  Beart  Brick  Machine.  Outside  the  original  mouth- 
piece, A,  of  the  machine,  a  second  one  is  fitted,  consisting  of  a  hollow 
conical  casing,  b,  entirely  surrounding  the  issuing  brick,  c,  and  having 
its  narrow  outer  edge  coincident  with  the  outline  of  the  latter.  This 
casing,  b,  is  supplied  with  water  from  the  cistern,  d,  placed  above  the 
mouth-piece,  by  means  of  the  pipe,  e,  fitted  with  a  stop-cock  to  regulate 
the  supply.  By  this  means  the  issuing  brick  is  efficiently  lubricated, 
and  is,  in  consequence,  delivered  by  the  machine  with  a  perfectly  smooth 
outer  surface.     In  the  pugging  and  expressing  processes,  quantities  of 


air  are  apt  to  become  mixed  up  with  the  clay  in  a  condensed  state;  and 
on  leaving  the  ordinary  die  mouth,  this  air  exudes  from  the  brick  with 
a  slight  explosion,  very  much  roughening  and  injuring  the  surface.  This 
defect  does  not  exist  where  the  secondary  mouth-piece  is  employed,  as 
the  air  escapes  from  the  brick  immediately  on  leaving  the  first  die,  and 


,-,,,. _L~J. 


the  surface  is  rendered  quite  smooth  on  its  subsequent  passage  through 
the  external  die.  In  our  engraving,  the  brick  at  p  is  shown  as  having 
exuded  from  the  machine  a  short  distance  prior  to  letting  on  the  lubricat- 
ing water,  the  surface  being  cracked  and  rough,  as  in  bricks  produced  by 
the  ordinary  dry-mouthed  machine,  whilst  the  succeeding  portion,  which 
has  issued  in  a  duly  lubricated  state,  is  recognizable  by  its  smooth  and 
perfect  surface.  This  important  improvement  is  being  practically  car- 
ried out  by  Messrs.  Martin  Samuelson   &  Co.,  of  Hull. 

NOISELESS  POWER  LOOM. 
Robekt  Boyd,  Paisley. — Patent  dated  May  16,  1853. 

This  inventor  proposes  a  novel  and  very  ingenious  mode  of  actuat- 
ing the  shuttle  in  power  looms,  being  a  substitute  for  the  ordinary 
picking  mechanism  at  present  in  use,  and  consisting  in  the  employment 
of  the  direct  action  of  compressed  air,  steam,  water,  or  gases,  or  of  atmo- 
spheric pressure  derived  from  exhaustion.  In  applying  this  system  of 
working  to  large  manufactories — if  compressed  air  is  used — an  arrange- 
ment of  pumps,  or  other  compressing  apparatus,  is  fitted  up  to  keep  an 
air  reservoir  constantly  charged  to  the  required  working  pressure;  such 
reservoir  is  conveniently  placed  near  the  looms,  and  conducting  pipes 
are  led  from  the  receiver,  and  made  to  branch  off  to  each  side  of  each 
individual  loom.  At  each  end  of  the  loom  lathe,  or  slay,  is  attached  an  air 
cylinder,  fitted  up  with  an  air-tight  piston,  the  rod  from  which  projects 
from  the  inner  end  of  the  cylinder,  and  carries  a  suitable  picker  or  driver 
adjusted  to  the  line  of  traverse  of  the  shuttle.  In  this  way,  by  adding 
suitable  valve  apparatus  and  actuating  cams  or  catches,  the  loom  and 
slay  motions  are  made  to  admit  the  compressed  air  to  the  cylinders  at 
the  required  times,  and  the  piston  actions  thus  drive  the  shuttle  across 
its  race.  When  the  shuttle  arrives  at  the  end  of  its  run,  its  traverse 
action  drives  in  the  piston  on  that  end  of  the  lathe  or  slay,  and  thus 
prepares  the  piston  for  the  return  stroke;  or,  instead  of  this,  a  separate 
spring  may  be  employed  for  retaining  the  piston  at  the  commencement 
of  its  working  stroke  when  unacted  upon  by  the  air  pressure,  or  waiting 
to  be  put  into  operation.  The  air  thus  used  for  actuating  the  shuttle 
may  be  afterwards  made  to  heat  or  ventilate  the  weaving  shop. 

Fig.  1  of  our  engravings  is  a  front  view  detail  of  the  air  motive 
apparatus,  showing  the  air  cylinder  as  fitted  up  on  the  lathe  end, 
with  the  shuttle  in  its  box,  or  at  the  commencement  of  a  "  pick," 
and  a  portion  of  the  reed  and  shuttle  race ;  and  fig.  2  is  an  external 
end  elevation  corresponding  to  fig.  1,  and  at  right  angles  to  it,  show- 
ing the  rotatory  cam  movement  for  regulating  the  air  cylinder's  action. 
a  is  the  end  standard  of  the  framing,  carrying  the  vibrating  frame  or 
lathe  swords,  b,  in  the  usual  way,  for  causing  the  vibration  of  the  lathe, 
c.  At  each  extreme  end  of  the  lathe  is  an  air  cylinder,  e,  of  consider- 
able length,  but  small  diameter,  and  accurately  bored  out.  This  cylin- 
der in  each  case  is  held  horizontally  in  the  end  piece,  F,  of  the  lathe, 
between  the  fixed  collar,  G,  and  the  end  valve  box,  h,  which  is  screwed 
on  from  the  outside.  The  cylinder  is  thus  held  steady  at  its  outer  closed 
end,  and  it  is  retained  at  its  opposite  end  by  a  collar  piece  or  cap,  I, 
screwed  on  outside  the  cylinder,  and  carrying  a  lug  or  eye  for  attach- 
ment to  a  steadying  guide  rod,  J,  screwed  at  its  opposite  end  to  the  lathe 
at  k.  The  cylinder  is  fitted  with  an  accurately  working  solid  piston,  l, 
the  rod,  m,  from  which  works  out  through  the  cap,  i,  as  a  guide,  and  this 


THE  PRACTICAL  MECHANIC'S  JOURNAL. 


281 


projecting  end  has  upon  it  adjusting  nuts  for  securing  it  to  the  cross 
angular  end,  s,  of  an  external  carrier  piece,  o.  This  piece  extends  back 
along  the  outside  of  the  cylinder,  and  has  an  angle  piece  at  its  opposite 
end,  carrying  an  elastic  driver  or  "  picker,"  q,  for  driving  the  shuttle,  k, 
along  its  race,  s.  This  carrier  piece,  n,  o,  has  an  eye,  t,  on  its  front 
end,  s,  entered  upon  the  guide  spindle,  J,  to  secure  a  parallel  picking 
action;  and  above  this  eye  is  a  small  flange  for  holding  the  end  of  an 
elastic  band,  u,  the  opposite  end  of  which  is  screwed  at  v,  to  the  lathe 
end,  as  a  retaining  spring  for  the  piston.  The  valve  case,  H,  which  is 
screwed  on  at  right  angles  to  the  cylinder's  axis,  has  a  bored  collar  guide, 
w,  at  its  lower  end,  for  the  passage  through  of  the  actuating  valve 
spindle,  x,  and  its  upper  open  end  is  closed  by  a  screwed  cap,  Y,  formed 
to  act  also  as  a  guide  for  the  upper  end  of  the  valve  spindle,  which  is 


framing,  into  the  line  of  reciprocatory  traverse  of  the  lower  curved  arm, 
e,  of  the  lever,  c  e,  carried  by  the  vibrating  lathe.  Hence,  the  moment 
the  lathe  reaches  its  furthest  back  position,  and  when  the  "  shed  "  of  the 
warp  is  at  its  fullest  extent,  the  lathe  vibration  strikes  the  lever  arm,  e, 
against  the  stud,  /,  as  a  stop.  This  action  then  causes  the  upper  lever 
arm,  c,  to  strike  up  the  valve  spindle,  x,  and  thus  admit  a  jet  of  com- 
pressed air  through  the  valve  from  the  upper  side  of  the  valve  casing, 
into  the  space,  6,  between  the  closed  cylinder  end  and  the  piston.  The 
piston  is  thus  rapidly  carried  to  the  other  end  of  its  cylinder,  and  by 
means  of  its  picker,  Q,  it  throws  the  shuttle,  R,  to  the  other  side  of  the 
loom,  the  air  in  front  of  the  piston  escaping  from  the  cylinder  by  the 
small  aperture,  1.  The  back  action  of  the  lathe  then  releases  the  valve, 
which  closes,  and  the  reaction  of  the  spring,  u,  then  takes  back  the  piston 


encircled  by  a  spring,  z,  to  keep  the  valve  down.  The  valve  is  a  lifting 
disc  fast  on  the  spindle,  and  faced  on  its  working  surface  with  an  elastic 
ring.  It  thus  governs  the  communication  between  the  upper  part,  h,  of 
the  valve  casing,  and  the  lower  cell,  o,  the  fixed  working  face  being  be- 
tween these  two  sections.  The  lower  projecting  end  of  the  spindle,  x, 
rests  upon  the  upper  arm,  c,  of  a  curved  lever  working  loose  upon  a  stud 
centre,  <?,  screwed  into  the  eud  piece  of  the  lathe.  This  curved  lever 
has  a  lower  arm,  e,  hanging  downwards,  so  as  to  be  within  the  sphere  of 
action  of  a  traversing  stud,/.  This  stud,/,  is  secured  into  a  carrying 
bracket,  g,  fast  on  one  end  of  a  long  horizontal  traversing  bar,  h,  fitted  to 
work  in  bracket  guides,  i,  on  the  main  bracket  arms,  j,  bolted  to  the  out- 
side of  the  end  standards  of  the  framing.  This  bar  has  a  constant  ten- 
dency to  be  drawn  towards  the  left  side  of  the  loom  by  the  action  of  the 
helix,  connecting  the  bar  to  the  end  standard  on  that  side.  At  the  right- 
hand  end,  this  bar,  h,  has  also  bolted  to  it  the  broad  flat  end  of  an  arm,  I, 
extending  back  at  right  angles  to  the  bar,  and  fitted  into  a  horizontal 
guide  slot,  m,  in  the  upper  end  of  a  separate  bracket,  n,  bolted  to  the 
loom  standard  behind.  This  free  end  of  the  arm,  I,  carries  a  loosely  re- 
volving pulley,  o,  arranged  to  bear  against  the  face  of  the  cam  ring  of 
the  combined  wheel  and  cam,  p,  employed  to  work  the  picking  move- 
ment. The  crank  shaft,  q,  which  works  the  lathe,  c,  in  the  usual  way, 
by  means  of  connecting-rods,  has  upon  one  end  a  small  spur  wheel,  r,  in 
gear  with  the  cam  spur  wheel,  p,  running  loose  upon  a  stud,  s,  carried 
on  a  bracket  on  the  stationary  frame.  The  cam  face  of  this  wheel  con- 
sists of  a  differentially-curved  ring,  t,  u,  standing  out  at  right  angles  to 
the  wheel's  face,  a  recess  or  curved  hollow,  t,  being  formed  on  one  side, 
and  a  corresponding  projection,  «,  diametrically  opposite.  The  com- 
pressed air  is  brought  to  the  loom  through  a  line  of  pipes,  which  com- 
municate with  the  flexible  junction  piece,  v,  at  the  centre  of  the  loom, 
opening  into  the  lower  end  of  an  inflexible  pipe,  sustained  on  a  bar,  w, 
at  the  centre  of  the  vibrating  lathe  frame.  From  the  upper  end  of  this 
pipe,  branches,  x,  pass  right  and  left  along  the  inner  face  of  the  lathe, 
bending  upwards  above  the  shuttle-box,  as  at  y,  and  finally  entering  the 
back  of  the  upper  chamber,  H,  of  the  cylinder  by  the  branch,  z. 

The  operation  is  as  follows: — The  air-conducting  pipes  being  kept 
charged  with  compressed  air  at  the  proper  working  pressure,  and  the 
sliding  bar,  h,  having  a  constant  tendency  to  traverse  to  the  loft  side  of 
the  loom,  it  occurs  that  as  the  hollow,  f,  of  the  rotatory  cam  comes  round 
until  it  is  opposite  to  the  pulley,  o,  as  represented  in  the  figures,  the 
spring  can  draw  its  bar,  h,  to  the  full  extent  of  its  traverse  to  the  left — 
that  is,  until  the  pulley,  o,  sinks  into  the  bottom  of  its  cam  recess.  This 
movement  then  brings  the  stud,  /  which  is  carried  by  the  stationary 
No.  72— Vol.  VI. 


to  its  starting  point,  as  shown  in  the  figure,  for  a  succeeding  throw. 
Then,  as  the  cam,  p,  revolves  in  the  onward  action  of  the  loom,  the 
pulley,  o,  is  lifted  out  of  the  recess,  t,  and  simply  bears  against  the  plain 
zero  portion  of  the  cam  ring,  so  that  the  stud,  /  on  both  sides,  is  kept 
clear  of  its  corresponding  vibrating  valve  lever.  But,  as  the  cam  revolves, 
the  opposite  projection,  u,  comes  into  play,  and  acting  on  the  pulley,  o, 
draws  the  bar,  h,  as  much  beyond  the  zero  line  of  the  cam  to  the  ri<*ht 
as  it  formerly  passed  to  the  left.  This,  then,  brings  the  stud,  /  on  the 
left  of  the  loom,  within  the  vibrating  scope  of  the  valve  lever,  so  that  the 
air  valve  at  that  side  is  opened,  and  the  piston  at  once  throws  hack  the 
shuttle. 


WINDOW  SASH  FASTENER. 

W.  Westley  mid  R.  Bayliss,  Derby. — Patent  dated  December  23,  1852. 

This  simple  and  efficient  sash-fastener  is  represented  in  the  engrav- 
ings annexed,  fig.  1  being  a  vertical  transverse  section  through  one  end 
of  the  fastener,  fig.  2  a  similar  section  through  the  central  part,  and  fig. 
3  is  a  section  of  a  simpler  form,  without  a  locking  catch,  and  intended 
for  the  windows  of  the  upper  parts  of  houses  which  do  not  require 
locking.  The  meeting  bars,  A  and  b,  of  the  top  and  bottom  sashes  are 
respectively  formed  with  a  wedge-shaped  catch,  c,  and  socket,  d,  which 

Fig.  1.  Fie  2. 


are  so  formed  as  to  draw  the  bars  forcibly  together  in  closing.  In  the 
central  part  of  the  fastener,  a  lever,  g,  is  hinged  to  the  bar,  b,  and  is 
forced  forward  by  means  of  a  spring,  ii,  whilst  a  finger-piece  is  provided 
above  for  drawing  it  back.  The  lever  itself  projects  into  a  groove  in 
the  socket  of  the  bar,  A,  but  it  has  a  lateral  projection,  i,  which  enters 

2N 


282 


THE  PRACTICAL  MECHANIC'S  JOURNAL. 


Fig.  3. 


under  the  overhanging  piece,  k,  of  the  latter,  so  as  to  lock  the  two  sashes 

securely  together,      m  is  the  head  iu  the  window-frame  between   the 

traversing  grooves  of  the  two  sashes. 
The  arrangement  represented  in  fig. 
3  is  precisely  similar  to  the  other 
one,  except  that  the  spring-locking 
catch  is  dispensed  with. 

By  means  of  this  fastener,  the 
window  is  secured  by  the  mere  ac- 
tion of  closing  the  sashes ;  and  by 
attaching  a  hanging  cord  to  the 
finger-piece,  a  window  of  any  height 
may  be  opened  without  its  being 

necessary  to  mount  a  chair  for  the  purpose  of  reaching  the  fastening,  as 

it  can  be  loosened  by  simply  drawing  the  string. 


SHIPS  AND  BOATS. 

F.  Lipscombe,  Temple  Bar,  London. — Patent  dated  June  7,  1853. 

There  is  no  subject  embodying  the  application  of  mechanical  principles 
upon  which  bo  much  difference  of  opinion  exists  among  scientific  men,  as 
the  form  of  sailing  ships  and  boats.  Mr.  Lipscombe,  in  endeavouring  to 
solve  the  grand  problem  as  to  what  is  the  best  form  for  speed,  buoyancy, 
and  stability,  has  investigated  it  in  a  novel  and  original  manner,  and, 
striking  out  a  path  totally  different  from  that  pursued  by  earlier  inquirers, 
arrives  at  conclusions  rather  at  variance  with  received  opinions.  Like 
others,  Mr.  Lipscombe  makes  the  bows  of  his  ship  in  the  form  of  a  wedge, 
but,  instead  of  giving  a  vertical  position  to  this  wedge,  he  arranges  it 
horizontally.  In  other  words,  he  makes  the  under  forebody  of  the  ship 
of  a  nearly  fiat  form,  inclined  to  the  surface  of  the  water,  and  increasing 
in  depth  towards  the  after  part  of  the  ship,  as  far  as  a  certain  point,  be- 
hind which  it  again  rises,  coinciding  with  the  surface  of  the  water  at  the 
stern.  The  resistance  met  with  by  a  ship  is  lessened  in  proportion  as 
her  wedge-formed  bows  exceed  in  length  her  greatest  width.  Accord- 
ing to  Mr.  Lipscombc's  theory,  this  principle  is  true,  whether  the  wedge 
be  vertical,  and  compared  with  the  width,  or  horizontal,  and  compared 
with  the  depth ;  whilst  the  broad  flat  shape  accompanying  the  latter  dis- 
position of  the  wedge  form  are  superior  in  point  of  buoyancy  and  stability. 
On  the  strength  of  his  convictions,  Mr.  Lipscombe  has  accordingly  pa- 
tented the  form  of  vessel  described,  and  there  is  some  chance  of  his  prin- 
ciples being  put  to  a  practical  test. 


SHIPBUILDING  TEMPLATES. 

Andrew  Burns,   Glasgow. — Patent  dated  July  12,  1853. 

This  invention  relates  to  an  improved  arrangement  of  template  for 
setting  out  and  marking  the  correct  situatious  of  the  rivet  or  bolt  holes 
in  the  plates  and  frames,  together  with  the  exact  shape  of  the  plates  used 
in  the  construction  of  iron  ships  and  other  metallic  structures. 

According  to  the  ordinary  and  general  system  of  constructing  iron 
vessels,  the  workman  finds  it  necessary  to  take  each  individual  plate  in- 
tended for  the  actual  shell  of  the  vessel  to  its  allotted  place  in  the  vessel 
as  the  building  proceeds,  and  be  there  temporarily  fastens  the  plate,  and 
then  ascertains  its  intended  accurate  finished  shape,  and  the  position  of 
the  rivet  or  bolt  holes,  by  such  actual  fitting  or  adaptation  to  the  struc- 
ture in  progress ;  and  having  thus  set  off  and  marked  the  required  points, 
he  disengages  the  plate,  and  conveys  it  from  the  vessel  or  structure  to 
the  punching  and  shearing  machine,  and  having  cut  and  punched  the 
plate  as  required,  he  reconveys  it  to  its  proper  position  in  the  vessel, 
where  it  is  finally  fixed. 

This  routine  of  construction  is  well  known  to  be  attended  with  very 
considerable  loss  of  labour  and  time  ;  and,  as  the  pitching  or  setting  out 
of  the  holes  is  committed  to  different  workmen,  errors  and  irregularities 
in  the  pitching  are  of  frequent  occurrence. 

According  to  Mr.  Burns'  improved  system,  the  structure  is  commenced 
with  the  regular  pitching  of  the  boles  through  the  frames  which  hold  the 
shell  plates,  a  template  or  guide  frame  of  wood  or  metal,  arranged  in  the 
form  of  an  open  parallelogram,  being  used  for  this  purpose. 

Fig.  1  of  our  engravings  represents  one  form  of  Mr.  Burns' template. 
The  main  longitudinal  or  side  pieces,  a,  are  made  up  of  a  series  of  sepa- 
rate lengths  or  sections  of  metal  plates,  placed  end  to  end,  and  overlap- 
ping each  other.  These  lengths  are  bolted  together  by  lateral  overlapping 
pieces,  b,  the  bolt  holes  in  which  are  elongated  to  admit  of  a  slight  lon- 
gitudinal adjustment;  each  length  is  in  two  pieces,  jointed  together,  as 
at  b',  to  enable  the  whole  to  be  set  more  accurately  to  a  curved  plate 
when  required.  The  figure  represents  the  under  face  of  the  template — 
that  is  to  say,  that  side  which  is  applied  to  the  frames  of  the  ship.     The 


immediate  contact  of  the  template  with  the  ship  frames  is  by  means  of 
the  pieces,  c,  riveted  to  each  length  of  the  longitudinal  bar,  a,  and  made 
of  a  thickness  sufficient  to  keep  the  heads  of  the  junction  bolts,  d,  from 
touching  the  ship  frames.  The  longitudinal  bars,  a,  are  each  pierced 
with  one  or  more  rows  of  holes,  corresponding  to  the  holes  along  the  edge 
of  the  plate,  and  by  which  the  latter  is  riveted  to  the  one  next  to  it. 
The  sections  of  the  longitudinal  plates,  a,  correspond  in  length  to  the 
distances  between  the  ship  frames,  and  each  section  is  provided  with  a  cross 
bar,  h,  which,  whilst  it  serves  to  stiffen  the  entire  template,  is  chiefly  for 


Fig. 1. 


the  purpose  of  taking  off  the  positions  of  the  holes  on  the  frames,  by  means 
of  which  the  plates  are  attached  to  the  frames.  The  cross  bars,  h,  are 
slotted  longitudinally  for  adjustment  upon  the  longitudinal  plates,  A,  by 
bolts,  and  are  formed  with  projections,  i,  with  round  holes,  which,  being 
set  to  the  holes  in  the  ship  frames,  serve  to  mark  the  corresponding  holes 
in  the  plate.  To  prevent  the  angular  working  of  the  template,  a  diagonal 
stay,  J,  is  bolted  to  any  diagonally-disposed  points  of  connection  of  the 
longitudinal  plates,  A.  The  stay,  j,  is  made  in  two  or  more  pieces,  united 
by  bolts  and  slots,  so  as  to  be  adjustable  in  length.  In  setting  the  tem- 
plate, the  various  connecting  bolts  being  loosened,  the  cross  bars,  h,  are 
applied  to  the  edges  of  the  ship  frames,  and  the  different  parts  being 
shifted,  as  the  case  may  require,  the  bolts  are  screwed  tightly  up,  and 
the  entire  template  frame  is  removed  from  the  ship's  side,  and  applied  to 
the  plate  to  be  punched  and  cut,  when  the  outline  and  the  various  rivet 
holes  may  be  marked  off  with  the  greatest  facility. 

In  the  modification  represented  in  fig.  2,  are  comprised  several  con- 
trivances for  varying  the  pitch  and  positions  of  the  rivet  or  bolt  holes. 
The  longitudinal 
bars,  a,  are  form- 
ed with  elongated 
holes  for  marking 
the  rivets,  and  the 
actual  positions  of 
such  rivet  holes 
are  defined  by  a 
plate,  or  pair  of 
plates,  laid  upon 
the  plate,  a.  Such 
a  pair  of  plates 
are  represented 
as  detached,  at 
B,  c;  they  are  of 
any  convenient 
length,  such  as 
the  space  be- 
tween two  frames, 
for  example,  and 
are  pierced  with 
marking  holes  ar- 
ranged in  any 
desired  manner. 
They  have  also 
slots,  d  ;  and  the 

longitudinal  plate,  a,  is  provided  with  pins,  e,  at  suitable  positions,  upon 
which  pins  the  slots  of  the  plates,  b,  c,  are  entered,  and  the  latter  are 
thereby  made  capable  of  longitudinal  adjustment  upon  the  plate,  A,  bo 
that  the  positions  of  the  rivets  may  be  determined  in  the  best  manner. 
Where  there  are  two  rows  of  rivet  holes,  it  will  often  be  desirable  to  adjust 
one  rowindependentlyof  the  other.  In  this  case  two  plates  will  be  required, 


THE  PRACTICAL  MECHANIC'S  JOURNAL. 


283 


as  represented,  but  in  other  cases  a  single  plate  will  be  sufficient.  The  end 
plates,  f,  of  the  template,  represented  in  this  figure,  are  fitted  with  rivet- 
hole  markers  of  a  varying  pitch.  These  markers  consist  of  a  series  of  short 
plates,  G,  articulated  together,  and  made  with  tubular  joints,  which  serve 
as  marking  holes  for  the  rivets.  The  extremities  of  this  series  or  chain  of 
plates  are  jointed  to  projections,  h,  on  the  two  adjacent  ends  of  the  longi- 
tudinal plates,  a,  and  a  pin  is  fixed  to  the  centre  of  the  under  side  of  each 
plate,  G,  which  pin  works  in  a  guide  groove  in  the  end  plates.  On  either 
side  of  the  plate,  p,  are  two  slots,  i,  which  lie  immediately  below  the 
tubular  joints  of  the  plates,  k,  and  admit  of  the  rivet  holes  being  marked 
through  them.  The  plates,  g,  are  disposed  in  a  zig-zag  manner,  the 
joints  being  alternately  over  the  two  slots,  i.  By  this  arrangement,  the 
pitch  of  the  holes  adjusts  itself  to  the  width  of  the  plate,  for  as  the  lon- 
gitudinal plates,  a,  of  the  template  are  brought  nearer  together,  the  zig- 
zag chain  contracts,  and  so  reduces  the  pitch  of  the  holes.  If,  on  the 
other  hand,  the  longitudinal  plates,  a,  are  set  further  apart,  the  zig-zag 
chain  will  be  elongated,  and  the  pitchoftheholes  correspondingly  increased. 
The  slots,  i,  are  made  sufficiently  wide  for  the  lateral  variation  of  the 
tubular  joints,  which  is  in  proportion  to  the  variation  in  the  chain's 
length.  The  template  is  represented  as  applied  to  the  frames,  j,  of  a  ship, 
and  the  marker  holes,  l,  on  the  cross  bars,  k,  are  supposed  to  be  set  for 
the  bolt  holes  on  the  frame.  Instead  of  the  plates  marked,  b,  c,  a  series 
of  adjustable  hole  markers,  m,  may  be  used  in  the  elongated  holes  of  the 
frames,  a.  These  markers  consist  of  short  collared  tubes,  which  are 
entered  through  the  slot  in  the  template,  and  secured  by  a  collar  screwed 
upon  the  end  projecting  through  the  plate.  These  markers  can  be  set 
and  screwed  in  any  position,  and  may  be  employed  in  combination  with 
slotted  longitudinal  cross  or  diagonal  bars,  in  any  of  the  described  modi- 
fications. 

EOTATORY  ENGINE. 
A.  Parsey,  London. — Patent  dated  June  15,  1853. 
The  main  working  chamber  of  this  engine  consists  of  a  cylinder,  a, 
the  ends  of  which  are  provided  with  stuffing-box  bearings  for  the  passage 
of  the  main  shaft,  b.  This  shaft  lies  parallel  to  the  axis  of  the  cylinder, 
but  is  placed  a  little  on  one  side.  A  cylinder,  c,  is  keyed  upon  the  shaft, 
b,  and  is  of  such  dimensions  as  to  touch  the  outer  cylinder,  a,  at  one  side, 
whilst,  on  account  of  the  eccentricity  of  the  shaft,  a  lunate  space  is  left 
towards  the  other  side.  The  inner  cylinder,  c,  is  formed  with  grooves 
or  cavities,  extending  the  whole  length  of  the  cylinder,  in  which  are 
fitted  the  pistons  or  paddles,  d.  Two  or  more  of  these  pistons  may  be 
used;  but  they  are  in  all  cases  disposed  so,  that  each  one  has  another 
diametrically  opposite  to  it.  A  helical  spring,  e,  is  placed  centrally  be- 
tween each  pair  of  pistons,  and  is  kept  in  position  by  a  rod  passing 
from  one  piston  to  the  other,  and  working  loosely  in  a  socket  in  each. 
The  spring  and  rod  pass  through  an  opening  in  the  main  shaft ;  and  two 
or  more  such  springs  may  be  employed,  according  to  the  length  of 
the  cylinder.  The  springs  serve  to  keep  the  pistons  pressed  in  a  steam- 
tight  manner  against  the  outer  cylinder,  whilst  they  allow  for  the 
variation  of  the  diametrical  length  of  the  pair  of  pistons,  as  they  revolve 
and  assume  different  positions  in  the  cylinder.     Owing  to  the  eccen- 


tricity of  the  shaft,  b,  from  which  they  radiate,  the  inclination  of  the 
pistons,  d,  to  the  outer  cylinder,  A,  is  different  at  different  parts  of  the 
revolution.  To  compensate  for  this,  and  at  the  same  time  obtain  a 
sufficient  surface  for  acting  upon 
the  outer  cylinder,  the  pistons  are 
formed  with  self-adjusting  heads,  f, 
similar  in  principle  and  form  to  those 
employed  by  Messrs.  Wright  and 
Hyatt  in  their  elliptic  rotatory  en- 
gine. 

Mr.  Parsey's  engine  somewhat 
resembles  Mr.  Eorrie's  in  general 
principle.  As  one  piston  recedes  into 
the  cylinder,  c,  the  opposite  one 
emerges ;  and  when  one  is  pressed  in 
altogether,  as  at  the  point  where  the 
inner  cylinder,  c,  touches  the  outer 
one,  a,  the  opposite  piston  is  pressed 
out  to  its  fullest  limit.  The  cylin- 
der, A,  is  provided  with  two  ports,  g, 
h,  for  the  entrance  and  exit  of  the 

steam,  according  to  the  direction  in  which  the  engine  is  to  turn.  The 
steam  enters  the  lunate  space  between  the  two  cylinders ;  and  as  a  pis- 
ton is  always  interposed  between  the  entrance  and  exit  passages,  the 
steam  acts  upon  this  piston,  and  thereby  turns  round  the  cylinder,  c,  and 
with  it  the  shaft,  b. 

REGISTERED    DESIGNS. 


AMERICAN  ENVELOPE. 
Registered  for  Messrs.  Waterlow  &  Sons,  London  Wall. 
This  envelope  possesses  peculiar 
features  of  security — obtained,  too, 
in  a  very  simple  manner  —  by 
cementing  the  whole  of  the  flaps 
to  one  another.  Our  figure  repre- 
sents the  envelope  in  its  complete 
state,  but  with  its  seal-flap  open, 
as  it  would  be  when  a  letter  is 
about  to  be  enclosed  in  it.  The 
two  end  flaps  are  made  to  overlap 
each  other  considerably,  the  flap,  a, 
passing  beneath  the  opposite  one,  as 
shown  by  the  dottedline,B,  and  these 
junction  surfaces  are  well  cemented 
together.  The  bottom  flap,  c,  is 
then  folded  down  over  these  joined 
ends,  and  made  to  overlap  them  also,  with  a  cemented  junction.  The 
seal-flap,  d,  is  contrived  so  as  to  overlap  the  bottom  flap,  c,  but  slightly, 
so  that  all  the  four  flaps  are  at  once  securely  connected  by  the  seal 
when  the  envelope  is  fastened  up. 


CORRESPONDENCE. 


THE  MECHANISM  OF  CARRIAGE  WINDOWS. 
Fig.  l. 


Having  frequently  been  struck  with  the  great  inconvenience  arising 
from  the  present  mode  of  opening  and  shutting  the  windows  of  carriages, 


and  more  particularly  those  of  railway  carriages,   I  have  ventured  to 
submit  what  1  think  would  be  a  very  simple  and  cheap  apparatus  lor 


284 


THE  PRACTICAL  MECHANIC'S  JOUENAL. 


Fig.  2. 


effecting  that  object  in  a  more  satisfactory  manner.  It  will  be  more 
easily  understood  by  tbe  enclosed  rough  sketch,  in  which  fig.  1  repre- 
sents a  section  of  the  window  and  frame  ;  fig.  2  simply  shows  the  action 
of  the  wheelwork.  a  is  the  framework  of  the  door,  and  is  that  of  the 
window,  to  which  latter  a  rack  and  pinion  movement,  c,  is  fitted.  This 
is  driven  by  the  horizontal  shaft,  D,  earring  a  worm-wheel,  e,  in  gear 
with  a  worm,  f,  fast  on  a  short  transverse  spindle,  driven  by  a  wheel 
and  pinion  movement,  o,  h,  from  an  ivory  handle,  i,  projecting  inside  the 
carriage. 

The  action  will  at  once  be  understood  by  any 
of  your  mechanical  readers,  but  it  may  be  well 
to  state  that  the  worm  and  worm-wheel  are  in- 
troduced for  the  purpose  of  retaining  the  win- 
dow at  any  required  height  in  opening  or  shut- 
ting it,  and  the  pinions,  g  h,  are  for  the  purpose 
of  increasing  the  speed  from  the  action  of  the 
handle. 

The  shafts  and  pinions,  having  only  the  weight 
of  the  window  to  lift,  would  only  require  to  be 
made  as  light  as  possible ;  and,  to  resist  the  ac- 
tion of  the  weather,  would  be  better  made  of 
brass. 
Bolton,  Feb.,  1854.  J.  H. 

REVOLVING  GUN  BATTERY. 

It  appears  to  me  that  a  great  improvement  might  be  made  upon  the 
ordinary  stationary  gun  batteries  of  forts,  by  arranging  the  guns  so  as  to 
be  capable  of  revolution  upon  a  circular  platform.  Such  a  plan  is  repre- 
sented in  vertical  section  in  my  sketch.     Here  a  is  a  metal  platform,  of 


annular  form,  having  a  deep  collar  or  cylindrical  portion  sunk  into  the 
battery  wall.  The  bottom  of  this  well  or  recess  has  upon  it  a  circular 
rail,  on  which  the  platform  rests  by  a  ring  of  carrying  wheels,  so  that, 
on  the  application  of  levers  to  the  side  holes,  b,  from  the  interior,  the 
entire  platform  may  be  easily  turned  round.  The  portion,  c,  of  the 
masonry  is  an  external  platform  on  the  landward  side,  whereon  the  men 
stand  in  loading.  The  upper  annular  portion  of  the  platform  is  simi- 
larly borne  by  a  ring  of  wheels,  n,  running  in  a  channel  rail  on  the  top 
of  the  tower.  The  guns,  e,  are  ranged  in  a  radial  direction  upon  this 
portion,  each  gun  being  fitted  with  a  helical  spring,  to  receive  the  firing 
recoil.  The  gunners  are  placed  inside  the  platform  well,  completely  out 
of  the  reach  of  the  enemy's  shot,  whilst  the  men  intrusted  with  the  load- 
ing are  equally  well  shielded  behind  the  tower.  As  each  gun  is  fired, 
the  platform  is  swung  round,  to  bring  the  succeeding  gun  in  the  circle 
to  bear  seaward,  and  at  the  same  time  bring  the  discharged  guns  oppo- 
site the  loading  platform. 

Edinburgh,  Feb.,  1854.  G.  E.  Bdett. 


FIREPROOF  LATHS. 

Of  the  different  materials  which  have  been  used  r.s  substitutes  for 
laths  in  ceilings  and  partitions,  I  am  not  aware  of  slate  having  been 
tried.  The  slate  could  be  cut  into  strips  of  the  same  breadth  as  a  lath, 
and  after  a  hole  is  drilled  in  each  end  of  the  strip,  it  could  be  nailed  to 
the  joist  in  the  same  manner  as  a  wooden  lath.  The  strips  of  slate  would 
be  heavier  than  wooden  laths,  but  the  difference  of  weight  in  comparison 
to  that  of  the  whole  ceiling  would  be  very  trifling. 

On  the  other  hand,  slate  has  the  advantages  of  being  fireproof  and  im- 
perishable ;  these  are  two  important  considerations  in  its  favour,  espe- 
cially in  public  buildings,  where  safety  and  durability  are  most  required, 
and  in  private  buildings  these  considerations  do  not  become  of  less  con- 
sequence. It  may  be  said,  that  in  those  ceilings  where  wooden  laths  are 
used — while  the  ceiling  remains  entire — they  obstruct  the  progress 
of  the  fire  just  as  much  as  if  they  were  of  an  uninflammable  nature. 
This  may  be  true  when  the  extent  of  the  fire  is  small,  and  the  heat  not 


sufficient  to  penetrate  the  plastering;  but,  as  soon  as  the  fire  has  gained 
the  ascendancy,  the  ceiling  will  no  longer  remain  entire,  and  after  it  is 
broken  up,  the  laths  powerfully  aid  the  conflagration.  Slate,  on  the 
contrary,  will  assist  in  surjduing  the  flames  by  falling  on  the  burning 
materials,  and  covering  them  with  a  fireproof  coating.  And  when  the 
building  is  taken  down,  at  a  period  long  after  the  wooden  laths  would 
have  become  useless,  the  slates  would  again  be  fit  for  use,  if  taken  off 
entire. 

The  adhering  surface  of  the  strip  might  be  increased  by  perforations 
made  in  the  middle  iu  a  line  parallel  to  its  length  ;  but  this  will,  perhaps, 
not  be  necessary. 

In  the  quarries  where  the  slate  is  worked,  there  will  doubtless  be 
pieces  not  broad  enough  to  make  roofing  slates,  and  also  roofing  slates 
chipped  or  broken  in  process  of  cutting,  which  would  be  suitable  for 
cutting  into  strips,  thus  making  a  profit  to  the  proprietor  of  what  would 
be  otherwise  useless,  and  at  the  same  time  lowering  the  price  to  the 
consumer. 

February,  1854.  Kenneth. 

RATCHET  BRACE  AND  SELF-ADJUSTING  SCREW-KEY. 

The  ratchet  brace,  represented  in  longitudinal  sec- 
Fig.  1.  tion  in  fig.  1,  and  in  sectional  plan  in  fig.  2,  of  my 
sketches,  has  been  in  use  for  five  or  six  years ;  and 
I  therefore  lay  it  before  you,  as  a  practically  success- 
ful arrangement  of  a  very  necessary  tool.  The 
working  lever  has  upon  its  inner  end  an  inclined 
tail-piece,  a,  acting  as  a  catch  for  the  ratchet  teeth,  b, 
which  are  cut  out  of  the  solid  of  the  drill  spindle. 
Immediately  behind  this  inclined  piece,  a  stud-pin  is 
passed  through  the  lever,  and  through  the  projecting 
end  of  a  box  cover -piece,  c,  which  encircles  and 


totally  covers  up  all  the  working  details.  This  box  is  of  malleable  cast- 
iron,  and  the  working  end,  a,  of  the  lever  is  steeled.  In  working,  when 
the  lever  handle  is  pushed  from  the  operator,  the  tail,  a,  recedes  from  the 
ratchet  tooth  with  which  it  is  engaged,  passing  round  without  noise  or 

Fig.  2. 


friction  ;  and  when  the  handle  is  drawn  in  the  reverse  direction,  the  tail, 
a,  immediately  takes  its  bite  upon  the  next  tooth,  so  as  to  carry  the 
spindle  round  with  it.  The  working  parts  of  this  drill  are  thus  well 
protected  from  external  dirt,  and  the  movement  is  rendered  quite  noise- 
less. 

Fig.  3  is  a  partially  sectioned  view  of  my  self-adjusting  screw-key, 
in  which  the  lever  is  set  upon  a  stud,  a,  beyond  which  a  toothed  rack- 
Fig.  3. 


piece,  b,  projects,  so  as  to  gear  with  corresponding  teeth  on  the  edge  of 
a  sliding-piece,  carrying  the  moveable  jaw,  d.  Thus,  as  the  lever  is 
pulled  round,  the  rack  action  forces  the  sliding-jaw  up  to  its  work ;  and 
hence  the  key  can  never  slip  round,  and  pass  the  corners  of  the  nut. 
The  hold  is  obviously  slackened  the  moment  the  working  strain  is  re- 
moved. This  key  is  very  effective  in  working  old  and  worn  nuts, 
round  which  a  common  key  would  easily  slip. 

London,  February,  1854.  Ai.ex.  Clabk. 


THE  PRACTICAL  MECHANIC'S  JOURNAL. 


285 


PROCEEDINGS  OF  SCIENTIFIC  SOCIETIES. 


INSTITUTION  OF  CIVIL  ENGINEERS. 

January  24th  and  31st. 

_  "  Oa  the  Drainage  of  the  District  South  of  the  Thames,"  by  Mr.  J.  T.  Har- 
rison. 

On  reading  the  minntes  of  discussion  of  the  meeting  of  January  24th,  attention 
was  directed  to  the  statement  of  the  experiments  recently  made  at  Alnwick,  on  the 
quantity  of  water  discharged  through  a  "pot-pipe,"  of  eighteen  inches  diameter; 
for  while,  on  the  one  hand,  the  results  of  the  experiment  sufficiently  confirmed  the 
accuracy  of  the  formulae  of  Du  Buat,  Eytelwein,  Smeaton,  Prony,  Hawksley,  and 
other  investigators,  and  as  decidedly  contradicted  the  results  published  in  the  Blue 
Books  emanating  from  the  Board  of  Health,  these  results,  nevertheless,  differed  too 
considerably  from  other  consistent  conclusions  to  be  fully  relied  upon ;  and  it  was, 
therefore,  desirable  that  this  experiment  should  not  be  taken  as  a  datum  upon 
which  to  found  any  hydraulic  law,  for  the  determination  of  the  quantity  of  water 
which  mhht  be  transmitted  through  tubes.  For  this  purpose,  indeed,  the  cited 
experiment  must  be  deemed  unsatisfactory ;  because  pot-pipes  were  never  of  uni- 
form or  exact  diameter — inclinations  were  always,  more  or  less,  vaguely  stated — 
joints  were  seldom  sound,  and  when  the  discharge  was  into  free  space,  the  differen- 
tial level  was  rarely  satisfactorily  afforded.  Moreover,  this  experiment  itself  was, 
in  some  respects,  contradicted  by  very  carefully  conducted  experiments,  made  by 
Monsieur  Conplet,  at  Versailles,  on  a  pipe  eighteen  inches  in  diameter,  the  results 
of  which  were  extremely  consistent  with  the  mathematical  determinations  success- 
fully resorted  to  by  all  practical  hydraulic  engineers. 

The  experiment  by  Monsieur  Couplet  was  made  on  a  pipe  of  43,200  inches 
long  and  18  inches  diameter,  the  motive  head  was  145  inches  (all  French 
measures),  the  calculated  velocity  was  40^  inches,  while  the  observed  velocity  was 
39}  inches,  differing  from  the  velocity  calculated  from  established  formula?  only 
about  3  per  cent. 

It  was  also  contended  to  be  extremely  undesirable  that  centralized  authorities 
should  continue  to  exist,  as  it  was  uniformly  found  that  these  authorities  did 
great  mischief  by  the  wide  dissemination  of  errors,  apparently  under  Government 
influence,  and  by  the  consequent  repression  of  scientific  and  practical  improve- 
ments. 

"  On  Macadamized  Roads  for  the  Streets  of  Towns,"  by  Mr.  J.  Pigott  Smith. 
The  lengthened  experience  of  the  author,  as  surveyor  to  the  corporation  of  Bir- 
mingham, having  under  his  charge  about  150  miles  of  street  road,  and  50  miles 
of  turnpike  road,  enabled  him  to  express  confident  opinions  on  the  comparative 
cost,  durability,  and  general  qualities  of  paving,  and  of  broken  stone  for  roads,  and 
even  for  streets,  subject  to  a  considerable  amount  of  heavy  traffic. 

The  parties  chiefly  interested  in  having  good  roads  were  shown  to  be  the 
owners  of  carriages  and  horses,  and  the  rate-payers,  at  whose  expense  the 
roads  were  originally  constructed  and  subsequently  maintained.  For  both  these 
classes,  cheap  roads  (i.  e.,  those  of  small  first  cost)  were  contended,  generally,  to 
be  the  dearest;  horse-power  being  uselessly  expended,  carriages  destroyed,  and 
constant  repairs  to  the  surface  of  the  road  being  necessitated.  Any  undue  increase 
of  tractive  power  was  shown  to  fall  indirectly  on  all  who  purchased  any  commo- 
dities conveyed  through  the  streets,  and  the  annoyances  and  hindrances  to  com- 
merce, arising  from  ill-paved,  or  ill-kept,  muddy,  dirty,  and  noisy  streets,  were 
patent  to  all.  The  necessity  was  thence  deduced  for  having  the  roads  and  streets 
so  constructed,  that  the  surface  should  be  firm,  even,  and  smooth,  without  being 
slippery,  and  be  free  from  mud,  or  dust,  or  loose  stones. 

To  attain  this,  the  foundation  should  be  of  firm  material,  well  consolidated,  and 
perfectly  drained,  then  covered  with  stones,  broken  to  uniform  dimensions,  well 
raked  in,  and  fixed  by  a  binding  composition  of  grit,  collected  during  wet  weather 
by  Whitworth's  sweeping-machine,  and  preserved  for  the  purpose.  This  binding 
being  regularly  laid  on,  and  watered,  if  in  dry  weather,  would,  in  great  thorough- 
fares, consolidate  the  new  metal  in  a  few  hours,  preserving  the  sharp  angles  of  the 
stones,  which  assumed  all  the  regularity  of  a  well-laid  pavement,  with  a  consider- 
able saving  of  material,  and  a  firmer  crust  than  by  the  ordinary  method  of  allowing 
the  vehicles  to  pass  for  many  days  over  the  uncovered  surface  of  the  new  stones, 
grinding  off  the  angles  with  a  deafening  noise,  and  forming  dust,  or  mud,  to  be 
carried  on  to  the  footpaths,  and  into  the  houses  and  shops. 

Instances  were  given  of  the  advantages  of  this  system,  of  using  the  grit  for 
binding,  which  should,  however,  be  that  collected  by  the  sweeping-machines,  and 
not  mere  slimy  mud. 

A  street  in  Birmingham,  subject  to  great  traffic,  had  been  thus  perfectly  made 
and  consolidated  in  five  days,  whereas,  under  the  ordinary  system,  three  months 
would  have  been  required  to  produce  the  same  effect. 

The  repairs  were  capable  of  being  effected  at  any  period  of  the  year ;  under  no 
circumstances  were  the  street  surfaces  permitted  to  be  worn  down,  and  they  were 
never  stopped,  as  was  the  case  for  lifting  and  repaving. 

Rules  were  then  given  for  keeping  the  surface  in  perfect  travelling  order,  for 
picking  off  all  loose  materials,  for  sweeping  and  never  scraping,  for  preserving  the 
profile  of  the  surface  and  getting  rid  of  all  lodged  water,  for  light  watering  in 
dusty  weather,  and  heavy  watering  when  there  was  adhesive  mud  that  could  nut 
be  otherwise  removed  by  the  long  brushes  of  Whitworth's  sweeping-machines,  which 
were  contended  to  be  indispensable  for  keeping  roads  and  streets  in  good  repair, 
and  for  preventing  the  nuisances  of  mnd  and  dust. 

The  system  employed  in  London  of  heavy  watering,  without  removing  the  mud, 
or  of  scraping  and  of  hand-sweeping  and  lifting  by  shovels  into  carts,  was  shown 


to  be  bad  and  expensive.  The  loss  of  speed,  and  the  extra  power  required  to  be 
exerted  by  horses  drawing  carnages  over  street  surfaces  in  the  state  of  those  in 
London,  were  shown  to  be  as  much  as  twenty-five  per  cent,  as  compared  to  the 
work  done  in  Birmingham.  The  employment  of  a  better  system,  combined  with 
the  use  of  the  sweeping-machines,  had  been  productive,  at  Birmingham,  of  an 
economy  of  nearly  one-third  of  the  materials  employed  for  the  construction  and 
repairs  of  the  streets  and  roads. 

Instances  were  given  of  the  actual  results  of  the  system  of  washing  and  sweep- 
ing parts  of  the  Quadrant,  Regent  Street,  where  the  method  had  been  satisfac- 
torily proved  to  have  produced  superior  effects,  but  prejudice  had  induced  obsti- 
nate adherence  to  the  old  system,  to  the  annoyance  of  the  public,  and  with  the 
derision  of  all  foreigners  who  visited  the  metropolis.  The  actual  state  of  all  the 
leading  thoroughfares  could  vouch  for  the  justice  of  the  criticism  on  the  present 
metropolitan  system. 

The  greatest  amount  of  wear  and  tear  of  macadamized  street  surface  in  Bir- 
mingham, was  shown  to  be  four  inches  per  annum;  the  average  might  be  there- 
fore taken  at  two  inches;  the  cost  of  maintenance  was  fourpence  per  superficial 
yard,  and  that  of  watering  and  cleansing  was  twopence,  giving  a  total  of  sixpence 
per  yard  per  annum. 

Paving  cost  fifteen  shillings  per  yard  ;  it  required  to  be  renewed  once  in  fifteen 
years,  and  the  cleansing  cost  about  one  halfpenny  per  yard.  Paving  was,  there- 
fore, evidently  about  double  as  expensive  as  macadamizing  at  Birmingham. 

It  was,  therefore,  contended,  that  macadamized  roads  and  street  surfaces,  if 
properly  constructed  and  carefully  managed,  well  water-cleansed  for  mud  and 
watered  for  dust,  brushed  or  swept  by  machinery,  maintained  with  a  uniform 
surface,  and  not  permitted  to  become  degraded,  were  well  adapted  for  towns  and 
cities  of  average  traffic,  and  for  many  localities  in  and  around  the  metropolis. 

February  7. 
11  Description  of  the  Navigation  and  Drainage  Works  recently  executed  on  the 
Tidal  portion  of  the  River  Lee,"  by  Mr.  N.  Beardmore. 

February  14  and  21. 

"  On  the  Principles  and  Construction  of  Locks,"  by  Mr.  A.  C.  Hobbs.  The 
author's  object  was  to  give  a  brief  review  of  the  mechanical  principles  involved  in 
the  construction  of  locks,  and  the  degree  of  security  hitherto  achieved  by  manufac- 
turers. 

The  paper  commenced  by  asserting,  as  an  axiom,  that  the  highest  point  of  secu- 
rity to  be  attained  in  the  construction  of  locks,  must  consist  in  the  fact,  that  the 
possibility  of  picking  or  opening  them,  without  their  true  keys,  should  depend  en- 
tirely on  chance ;  and  that,  notwithstanding  the  immense  variety  of  locks  already 
invented,  there  were  really  but  three  absolutely  distinct  principles  involved  in  their 
construction — so  classed  without  reference  to  dates  and  for  convenience  of  descrip- 
tion. 

The  first  principle  included  all  locks  having  a  series  of  fixed  obstructions,  or 
wards,  in  and  about  the  key-hole,  to  prevent  any  instrument,  except  the  key,  being 
turned  in  the  lock;  this  principle  was  shown  to  be  inefficient,  however  complicated 
the  construction  might  be,  as  the  wards  themselves  afforded  the  means  of  ascer- 
taining the  form  of  key  required  to  open  the  lock. 

The  second  principle  was  that  of  the  letter,  or  puzzle  lock,  which  appeared  to 
carry  out  the  principle,  or  doctrine  of  chance,  to  the  fullest  possible  extent.  But 
in  this  case,  also,  a  method  "was  shown  by  which  the  lock  could  be  opened  as  easily 
as  in  the  former — proving  that  the  inventor  of  that  class  of  lock  had  failed  to 
accomplish  the  object  of  producing  a  fastening  whose  security  was  dependent  ouly 
on  mere  chance. 

The  third  principle,  or  last  class  of  locks,  included  all  those  possessing  a  series 
of  moveable  pieces,  called  slides,  pins,  tumblers,  &c,  placed  within  the  case  of  the 
lock,  and  which  pieces  must  be  operated  upon  and  moved  into  certain  given  posi- 
tions by  a  key,  before  the  bolt  could  be  shot.  This  .principle  was  illustrated  by 
descriptions  of  the  Egyptian  lock,  the  Bramah  lock,  ffie  inventions  of  Barron  and 
of  Bird,  the  detector  of  Mitchell  and  Lawton,  and  the  later  improvements  of  Chubb 
and  of  Cotterill  (of  Birmingham)  and  others.  Allusion  was  then  made  to  the 
great  reliance  which,  until  recently,  had  been  placed  on  these  locks,  and  an  expla- 
nation was  given  of  the  principle  on  which  all  locks  of  this  description  could  be 
as  easily  picked  as  their  predecessors. 

The  author  then  commented  on  the  necessity  of  devising  some  simple  and  effec- 
tive means  by  which  the  defect,  common  to  all  the  above  locks,  might  be  remedied, 
without  adding  materially  to  the  cost.  This  desideratum  he  had  endeavoured  to 
secure,  by  the  introduction  of  what  was  called  a  moveable  stump,  which  projection, 
instead  of  being  riveted  into  the  bolt,  was  fixed  to  a  piece  moving  upon  a  centre, 
or  pin,  at  the  back  of  the  bolt.  The  action  of  that  piece  was  such  as  to  render 
it  impossible  to  ascertain  the  true  position  of  the  tumblers ;  for,  on  any  pressure 
being  applied  to  the  lock  for  that  purpose,  the  stump,  by  its  motion,  locked  the 
bolt,  and  left  the  tumblers  at  perfect  liberty.  The  author  stated  his  conviction  that 
this  apparently  slight  alteration  rendered  it  impossible  to  open  such  a  lock,  except 
by  the  mere  chance,  or  accident,  of  a  key  fitting  it — there  being  no  possible  means 
of  ascertaining  the  form  of  key  requisite  to  open  it  surreptitiously.  Since  the 
introduction  of  this  lock,  several  attempts  have  been  made  to  produce  the  same 
result,  without  actually  copying  the  exact  original,  but  with  very  little  success. 

An  additional  principle  of  security,  devised  in  America,  was  then  pointed  out  in 
the  celebrated  permutating  bank  lock,  invented  by  Robert  Newell,  of  the  firm  of 
Day  and  Newell  (New  York),  of  which  inventiou  Mr.  Hobbs  was  the  proprietor 
in  this  country.  Previous  to  the  introduction  of  that  system,  permutating  keys 
had  been  used,  but  they  required  that  the  lock  itself  should  be  altered  to  suit  any 
new  adjustment  of  the  bits  of  the  key ;  whereas,  in  the  American  lock,  the  key 


286 


THE  PRACTICAL  MECHANIC'S  JOURNAL. 


alone,  being  altered,  produced  by  its  own  action  the  corresponding  arrangement  in 
the  lock ;  by  this  ingenious  contrivance,  the  person  using  the  lock  became  his  own 
lockmaker,  and  was  able  to  render  the  key  useless  to  any  other  person,  by  a  simple 
change  in  the  bits  after  locking  the  door.  Such  locks,  whose  numbers  of  permu- 
tations varied  from  720  to  479,001,600,  according  to  the  number  of  bits  in  the 
key,  were  intended  principally  for  strong  rooms  of  banks,  and  other  establishments 
where  large  amounts  of  property  were  deposited  ;  they  were  therefore  compara- 
tively expensive,  and  were  necessarily  of  larger  size  than  locks  required  for  ordi- 
nary use. 

In  conclusion,  it  was  remarked,  that  questions  would  continually  arise  as  to  the 
violability  or  inviolability  of  particular  locks,  and  especially  of  new  inventions.  The 
author,  however,  claimed  to  have  established,  that  any  new  modification  or  arrange- 
ment of  the  parts  of  locks,  which  did  not  affect  the  principle  of  construction, 
could  have  no  particular  claim  to  security ;  or  conversely,  that  if  it  could  be  shown 
that  any  lock  was  constructed  on  a  principle  not  hitherto  violated,  it  might  be 
deemed  secure,  but  certainly  not  unless  such  a  claim  could  be  made  good.  In 
respect  to  the  locks  alluded  to  in  the  paper,  the  author  justified  his  statements  by 
the  two  facts,  that  he  had  not  only  elucidated  the  principles  on  which  all  such  locks 
might  be  picked,  but  that  he  had  actually  performed  all  that  had  been  described. 
Finally,  a  hope  was  expressed,  that  whatever  had  been  done  and  said  to  enlighten 
the  public  as  to  the  insecurity  of  many  locks  now  in  use,  instead  of  causing  any 
unpleasant  personal  feelings,  would  stimulate  lock  manufacturers  to  produce  what 
was  really  required,  viz.,  secure  locks,  adapted  to  all  purposes,  of  good  workman- 
ship, and  at  a  moderate  price. 

Discussion  "  On  the  Principles  and  Construction  of  Locks,"  by  Mr.  A.  C.  Hobbs. 

"  Description  of  Martin's  Improved  Jacquard  Machine,"  by  Mr.  Laforest. 


SOCIETY  OF  ARTS. 
December  7. 
Harry  Chester,  Esq.,  in  the  Chair. 
"  On  a  New  Safety  Lamp,  and  on  the  invention  of  the  Safety  Lamp,"  by  Dr. 
Glover.  As  the  history  of  the  invention  of  the  safety  lamp  was  frequently  misun- 
derstood, the  author  thought  it  advisable  to  call  attention  to  the  simple  facts  of  the 
case  in  the  first  instance.  He  said  that  Dr.  Clanny,  so  far  back  as  the  year  1806, 
conceived  the  idea  of  a  safe  lamp  to  bum  in  mines.  In  the  year  1813,  a  paper  by 
him  on  the  subject  was  read  to  the  Royal  Society,  and  published  in  the  "  Philoso- 
phical Transactions."  Dr.  Clanny's  first  lamp,  although  cumbrous,  was  quite  safe. 
His  plan  was  to  insulate  the  light  by  means  of  water,  and  to  supply  the  flame  with 
air  by  a  bellows.  Sir  Humphrey  Davy,  before  the  production  of  his  wire-gauze 
lamp,  proposed  four  others,  all  modifications  of  that  of  Dr.  Clanny.  At  length  his 
attention  was  drawn  to  the  researches  of  Tennant,  "On  Flame."  Tennant,  of 
Cambridge,  had  discovered  that  flame  would  pass  along  tubes  in  a  ratio  compounded 
of  their  breadth  and  length,  ^he  smaller  the  calibre,  the  shorter  would  be  the 
length  that  flame  could  traverse.  Davy  improved  upon  the  idea,  and  with  that 
happy  and  sagacious  genius  which  belonged  to  this  wonderful  man,  came  to  the 
conclusion  that  wire-gauze  was,  as  it  were,  an  abstraction  of  this  principle,  and 
that  here  we  had  tubes  of  the  shortest  possible  length,  and  narrowest  diameter. 
Hence  his  invention  of  the  safety  lamp.  But  as  the  object  of  these  preliminary 
observations  was  to  do  justice  to  all,  it  must  not  be  denied  that  there  was  indisput- 
able proof  that  George  Stephenson,  absurdly  called  by  a  biographer  of  Davy,  a  Mr. 
Stephenson,  had,  when  a  humble  miner,  ascertained  the  same  fact  practically;  and 
it  was  also  quite  cleaf  that  these  two  great  men  knew  nothing  of  each  other's  in- 
ventions. But  after  the  invention  of  the  wire-gauze  safety  lamp,  certain  imper- 
fections began  gradually  to  reveal  themselves.  In  the  first  place,  it  was  found  to 
give  so  little  light  that  the  pitmen  seized  every  opportunity  of  removing  the  gauze, 
finding,  in  point  of  fact,  that  their  work  could  not  be  done  with  the  imperfect  light. 
And,  in  the  second  place,  the  great  fact  began  to  be  developed,  that  this  lamp, 
however  secure  in  a  still  atmosphere,  was  not  safe  in  a  current.  An  account  of 
the  various  attempts  made  to  remedy  the  defects  of  the  Davy,  viz.,  insecurity  in  a 
current,  and  deficiency  of  light,  would  fill  a  volume.  As  far  as  the  author  was 
aware,  the  only  lamps  that  had  to  any  extent  superseded  the  Davy  were  the  Clanny 
and  Miiseler  lamps.  Dr.  Clanny  found  that  if  the  lower  part  of  a  lamp  were  made 
of  thick  glass,  and  the  wire-gauze  cylinder  retained  above  this,  two  things  arose: — 
1st,  the  current  of  air  descended  to  feed  the  flame  in  converging  curves,  and  the 
gaseous  products  of  combustion  ascended  in  diverging  curves;  and,  2d,  owing  to  the 
use  of  the  glass,  the  gauze,  being  no  longer  required  to  give  light,  could  be  made 
much  finer,  or  even  doubled  and  trebled.  The  Miiseler  lamp  differs  from  the  Clanny 
only  in  having  a  chimney  in  its  interior,  just  above  the  flame.  But  there  were  two 
objections  to  the  Clanny  lamps,  viz.,  the  liability  of  the  glass  to  fracture  on  being 
heated,  from  a  drop  of  water  falling  upon  it  in  this  state,  and  also  its  liability  to 
fracture  from  mechanical  causes.  To  remedy  these  defects  as  far  as  possible,  Dr. 
Glover's  lamp  had  been  invented.  Instead  of  the  sinple  glass  cylinder  of  the  Clanny 
lamp,  a  double  cylinder  was  used.  The  outer  cylinder  was  a  quarter  of  an  inch 
thick,  the  inner  one  a  good  stout  glass,  a  full  eighth  of  an  inch  thick.  The  air  to 
feed  the  flame  entered  at  the  top  of  both,  through  wire  gauze,  and  passed  downward 
between  them,  entering  the  inner  cylinder  through  gauze.  The  double  cylinder, 
kept  packed,  as  it  were,  together  by  the  gauze,  was  thus  much  stronger  than  a 
single  one  would  be,  and  if  either  cylinder  be  broken,  the  lamp  was  still  a  safe 
lamp.  The  current  between  the  glasses  kept  the  outer  cylinder  cool,  so  that  it 
could  always  be  held  in  the  hand,  while  a  Miiseler  or  Clanny  got  soon  so  hot,  that 
it  would  burn  the  Hesh.  The  light  was  even  superior  to  the  Clanny,  owing  prob- 
ably to  the  more  perfect  combustion,  the  air  entering  the  inner  cylinder  at  the 
bottom. 


December  14. 
Harry  Chester,  Esq.,  in  the  Chair. 

"  On  British  Agriculture,  with  some  account  of  his  own  operations  at  Tiptree 
Hall  Farm,"  by  Mr.  J.  J.  Mechi.  —  In  presenting  another  balance-sheet,  the 
author  stated  that  he  intended  chiefly  to  call  attention  to  the  new  method  of 
irrigation  as  practised  successfully  by  him,  which  involved  in  its  consideration  onr 
water  supply,  sanitary  condition,  and  physical  support,  and  the  application  of  steam 
to  cultivation.  The  balance-sheet  gave  a  favourable  and  encouraging  result,  as  the 
benefit  derived  this  year,  in  real  profit  and  interest,  was  nearly  £600;  and  this, 
notwithstanding  the  purchase  of  £700  worth  of  corn,  oil-cake,  &c,  for  the  live 
stock.  Nearly  the  whole  difference  between  this  balance-sheet  and  the  former  one, 
arose  in  the  fife-stock  account.  By  irrigation  he  was  enabled  to  double,  if  not 
triple,  his  green  and  root  crops,  and  thus  render  them  profitable  instead  of 
unprofitable. 

It  was  quite  clear,  that  if  he  could  double  his  stock,  he  doubled  his  manure,  and 
thus  affected  importantly  the  cereal  crops.  If  he  doubled  his  green  and  root  crops, 
he  would  diminish  their  cost  one -half.  This  was  actually  the  fact,  and  therein 
was  his  present  and  most  agreeable  position.  Every  practical  farmer  knew  that 
the  losing  part  of  his  farm  was  the  root  crop,  in  costing  him  more  than  the  annual 
repayed,  and  leaves  a  heavy  charge  on  the  ensuing  grain  crop.  Irrigation  changed 
all  this,  and  permitted  each  crop  to  be  responsible  for  its  own  annual  charge,  thus  ren- 
dering them  all  remunerative.  Professor  Way,  in  his  recent  analysis  of  grasses 
in  the  Royal  Agricultural  Society's  Journal,  had  revealed  the  astounding  truth, 
that  irrigated  grasses  contain  twenty-five  per  cent,  more  meat-making  matter  than 
those  not  irrigated.  We  know,  by  our  great  chemists,  that  our  sewers  contain  the 
elements  of  our  food — of,  in  fact,  our  very  selves — and  that  to  waste  them,  as  we  now 
do,  was  a  cruel  robbery  on  the  welfare  and  happiness  of  our  people.  Practical 
experience  had  taught  Mr.  Mechi,  that  the  sewerage  was  all  the  better  for  ample 
dilution  ;  that  the  more  you  flood  your  cities  with  limpid  streams,  rushing  from 
every  tainted  and  poverty-stricken  court  and  alley,  the  elements  of  pestilence  and 
suffering,  the  grateful  earth  will  absorb  them  in  her  bosom,  and  return  them  to 
you  as  treasures  of  health  and  strength.  When  he  spoke  of  liquefied  manure,  he 
must  be  understood  as  meaning  all  excrementitious  matter,  solid  or  liquid,  rendered 
fluid  or  semifluid  by  the  action  of  water,  or  by  decomposition  in  water — uniting 
with  large  quantities  of  such  decomposing  matter,  a  disagreeable  and  unhealthy 
effluvia  would  arise,  however  small  the  trap  or  cover  of  the  tank ;  but  experience 
had  at  length  taught  him,  that  a  jet  of  waste  steam  admitted  into  the  tank  above 
the  agitated  mass  of  putrefaction,  effectually  prevented  any  noisome  odour.  To 
irrigate  a  farm  of  about  200  acres,  you  would  require — four  horse  steam-power; 
fifteen  yards  per  acre  of  three-inch  iron  pipe  ;  a  circular  tank,  about  thirty  feet  in 
diameter,  and  twenty  feet  deep  ;  two  hundred  yards  of  two-inch  gutta  percha 
hose ;  a  gutta  percha  jet ;  and  a  pair  of  force  pumps,  capable  of  discharging  100 
gallons  per  minute.  At  present  prices,  all  this  could  be  accomplished  for  about 
£6  per  acre,  so  that  the  tenant  paying  9s.  per  acre  to  his  landlord  for  such  an 
improvement  would  be  a  great  gainer.  While  touching  on  irrigation,  it  might  be 
useful  to  consider  drainage,  with  which  it  had  a  close  connection.  Of  course, 
without  drainage,  natural  or  artificial,  irrigation  would  be  injurious.  There  could 
be  no  doubt  as  to  the  necessity  for  applying  sand  or  peat  pots,  or  other  natural  and 
free  receivers  of  water,  when  surrounded  by  tenacious  clays.  Up  and  down  drains 
would  generally  do  this,'but  where  they  did  not,  lateral  branches  might  be  added. 
Every  farmer,  with  200  or  300  acres,  who  had  not  a  steam-engine,  had  a  great 
lesson  to  learn,  as  a  good  four-horse  power  steam-engine,  worked  at  70  lbs.  to  90  lbs. 
to  the  inch,  would  tire  any  sixteen  real  horses  that  could  be  found,  its  comparative 
cost  being  £150  against  £600,  besides  eating  nothing. when  not  at  work,  occupying 
less  space,  and  economizing  an  immense  outlay  in  casualties  by  disease,  cost  of 
attendance,  and  daily  food.  The  author  then  alluded  to  Mr.  Romaine's  steam- 
cultivator,  and  to  Mr.  Usher's  steam-plough,  both  of  which  he  thought  might  yet 
be  made  sufficiently  powerful  to  work  thirty  or  forty  acres,  or  even  a  hundred  acres 
a  day.  The  former  machine  would,  if  required,  deposit  the  seed  and  roll  the  land 
at  one  and  the  same  time,  and,  when  not  cultivating  it,  would  be  available  for 
driving  the  thrashing  machine,  millstones,  irrigating  pumps,  chaff  and  turnip-cutters, 
cake-breakers,  &c,  requisite  on  most  improved  farms.  It  was  also  intended  to 
work  a  reaper  at  harvest.  The  new  American  thrashing  machine  was  considered 
to  be  an  implement  that  would  supersede  all  ours  in  cost,  utility,  lightness, 
durability,  and  general  economy;  but,  instead  of  working  it  by  horse  power  as 
had  been  proposed  by  their  Yankee  friends,  he  had  erected  a  small  portable  steam- 
engine  of  100  horse  power  to  the  machine,  and  proved  its  advantages  over  a  relay 
of  eight  horses. 

December  21. 

Harry  Chester,  Esq.,  in  the  Chair. 

"  On  Pettit's  Fisheries  Guano,"  by  Horace  Green.  The  paper  commenced 
by  stating  that  guano  was  generally  understood  to  have  been  introduced  to  the 
notice  of  Europeans  by  Von  Humboldt  in  1804.  It  was  brought  to  England  as 
an  object  of  merchandise  in  1839.  It  had  been  used  in  Peru  for  100  years  and 
upwards,  and  the  island  depositories  had  been  for  ages  under  the  management  of 
the  State.  In  1841,  Professor  Johnston  gave  the  price  of  guano  as  £25  per  ton 
in  this  country,  and  not  more  than  £2.  5s.  to  £3.  10s.  on  the  spot;  and  having 
made  an  analysis,  and  calculated  the  price  at  which  the  same  amount  of  ferti- 
lising matter  might  be  added  to  the  soil  from  the  manufactories  of  this  country 
(say  £9.  10s.),  he  deduced  that  the  British  farmer  should  not  be  called  upon  to 
pay  more  than  £20  per  ton  for  Peruvian  guano.  Mr.  Philip  Pusey  also  gave  the 
same  opinion.  Of  the  excrementitious  matter  voided  by  sea  birds,  a  very  large 
proportion  was  decomposed  before  the  guano  of  commerce  was  extracted  from  its 


THE  PRACTICAL  MECHANIC'S  JOURNAL. 


28? 


beds,  and  more  still  before  its  arrival  in  this  country.  Proof  of  the  rapid  depreciation 
of  guano  in  keeping,  might  be  found  in  the  analysis  of  the  dung  of  birds,  by  M.  de 
Coindet  and  Sir  Humphrey  Davy.  Coindet  found  in  recent  excrement,  S'01  of 
pure  ammonia,  and  of  ammonia  in  the  form  of  its  equivalent  of  uric  acid,  35*20, 
rnaking  a  total  of  43*81  percent.  Davy  found  that  the  soluble  matter  of  the 
dung  of  pigeons  decreased  from  23  per  ceut.  in  the  recent  excrement,  to  16  per  cent, 
in  that  of  sis  months  old,  and  to  8  per  cent,  after  fermentation.  It  appeared  that 
in  five  years  (1845-50),  nearly  650,000  tons  of  guano  had  been  brought  almost 
round  the  world  for  the  stimulation  of  the  soils  of  this  country ;  but  it  was  gene- 
rally believed  that  the  zenith  of  supply  from  Peru  was  past.  From  the  mean  of 
many  analysis  of  different  varieties,  it  was  stated  that  the  amount  of  ammonia  was, 
in  Saldanha  Bay,  1 '68  per  cent.;  in  Patagonian,  2'55  per  cent;  in  Cape  and 
Algoa  Bay,  2*00  per  cent. ;  and  in  the  New  Islands,  1*96  per  cent. ;  but,  in  phos- 
phate of  lime,  which  was  the  next  most  important  element,  these  guanos  were 
richer  as  they  were  poorer  iu  ammonia.  The  mean  amount  of  phosphate  of  lime 
was,  in  Saldanha  Bav,  55*40  per  cent. ;  in  Patagonian,  44*00  per  cent. ;  in  Cape 
and  Algoa  Bay,  2000,  per  cent. ;  and  in  the  New  Islands,  62*80.  The  question, 
however,  arose,  whether  or  not  large  quantities  of  such  manures  could  be  sold  at  a 
price  which  should  not  exceed  the  home  cost  of  super-phosphate  of  lime.  Reference 
was  then  made  to  the  Gnano  Substitute  Prize  of  £  1 000,  and  the  gold  medal,  which 
were  offered  by  the  Royal  Agricultural  Society  for  the  discovery  of  a  manure  equal 
in  its  fertilizing  properties  to  Peruvian  guano,  and  which  could  be  sold  at  a  price 
not  exceeding  £5  per  ton  ;  and  it  was  contended  that,  according  to  the  composition 
of  guano,  as  given  by  Professor  Way,  and  the  known  value  of  these  several  articles 
in  the  markets  of  commerce,  the  value  of  a  ton  of  such  material  would  be  upwards 
of  <£12,  it  was  not  at  ail  probable  that  any  one  could  dispose  of  it  for  £5.  The 
author  then  proceeded  to  describe  the  fisheries  guano  of  Mr.  Pettit,  and  gave  the 
results  of  several  analysis,  from  which  it  was  deduced  that,  according  to  the  scale 
before  alluded  to,  the  mean  value  of  the  samples  tested,  was  £9.  7s.  7d.  per  ton. 
The  manufacture  of  this  guano  on  a  large  scale  would  be  carried  on  by  a  process  of 
the  following  nature  : — A  given  weight  of  fishy  matter  was  placed  in  a  large  tank, 
and  sulphuric  acid  of  commerce  added  to  the  mass.  The  action  of  the  acid  was  so 
powerful  as  speedily  to  reduce  the  organic  matter  to  a  soft  pulpy  consistency, 
resembling  in  appearance  the  fcecal  matter  of  birds.  This  pasty,  mass  being  placed 
in  a  centrifugal  drying  machine,  and  the  superabundant  moisture  forcibly  driven  off, 
the  partially  dry  matter  was  now  submitted  to  a  heat  not  exceeding  212°  Fahren- 
heit, and  afterwards  pulverised  in  a  suitable  manner.  In  this  process,  the  oily 
matter  of  the  fish  separated  itself,  and  swam  upon  the  surface  of  the  liquid,  hence 
it  could  be  easily  separated,  and  formed  an  important  item  in  the  economy  of  the 
manufacturer ;  since,  taking  all  kiuds  of  fishy  matter,  we  obtained  an  average  of 
three  per  cent,  of  oil,  worth  £25  per  ton,  or  three-fourths  of  the  whole  expense  of 
the  raw  material.  Another  process  might  in  some  cases  be  adopted  with  advan- 
tage, especially  with  cartilaginous  fish.  As  to  the  supply  of  the  raw  material,  it 
was  believed,  from  the  testimony  of  many  persons  on  the  coasts,  as  well  as  in  the 
evidence  in  several  Blue  Books,  that  an  ample  supply  of  refuse  fish  would  be  ob- 
tained at  an  average  price  of  £1  per  ton,  and,  taking  60  tons  of  this  weekly,  the 
cost  of  manufacture  and  incidental  expenses  would  be  £10,043  per  annum.  From 
this  there  would  result  93  tons  of  oil,  which,  at  £25  per  ton,  would  give  £2,325, 
and  1653  tons  of  guano,  at  £7  per  ton,  or  £11,571 — making  together  £13,896, 
as  the  amount  of  sales,  or  a  profit  of  £3,253. 

"  On  Fish  Manure  as  a  Substitute  for  Guano,"  by  J.  B.  Lawes.  He  stated 
that  some  years  ago  an  inquiry  was  instituted  as  to  whether  the  offal  and  refuse 
fish  of  Newfoundland  could  not  be  prepared  into  a  manure  at  a  cheaper  rate 
than  that  already  in  the  market,  when  it  was  found  that  there  were  difficulties  in 
the  way  which  led  to  the  abandonment  of  the  idea. 

January  18,  1854. 
T.  Winkworth,  Esq.,  in  the  Chair. 
"  On  Stitching  Machines,"  by  C.  T.  Judkins. 

January  25. 
Harry  Chester,  Esq.,  in  the  Chair. 

At  this  meeting  a  model  was  exhibited  of  Parratt's  Patent  Tubular  Life  Raft. 
This  raft  is  composed  of  two  rows  of  vulcanized  india-rubber  tubes,  enclosed  in 
canvas  cases  and  nettings,  the  two  rows  meeting  at  their  ends,  and  forming,  when 
extended  by  means  of  cross  spars,  a  contrivance  which  is  capable  of  being  rowed 
like  a  boat.  The  tubes  are  proposed  to  be  always  kept  inflated,  so  as  to  be  ready 
at  a  moment's  notice,  and  to  occupy  the  interior  of  a  long-boat,  or  any  ordinary  boat 
carried  on  a  ship's  davits. 

The  paper  read  was,  '*  On  Laws  relating  to  Property  in  Designs  and  Inventions, 
and  the  effect  of  such  Laws  on  the  Arts  and  Manufactures,"  by  Mr.  Thomas  "Web- 
ster. After  alluding  to  the  effect  and  practical  operation  on  the  progress  of  know- 
ledge, and  on  the  advancement  of  the  arts  and  manufactures,  of  the  recognition  and 
protection  of  property  in  intellectual  labour,  the  author  proceeded  to  say  that  ex- 
ception had  been  taken  to  the  term  property  as  applied  to  these  subjects,  on  the 
ground  that  it  could  only  be  said  to  exist  in  that  of  which  possession  could  be  had, 
and  that  possession  of  the  idea  being  gone  when  a  book,  or  design,  or  invention  had 
passed  out  of  the  hands  of  its  author,  he  could  no  longer  have  any  property  therein. 
Now,  the  real  subject  of  property  in  intellectual  labour  was  the  right  of  multiply- 
ing copies;  and  the  creations  of  the  mind,  whether  embodied  in  a  book,  a  piece  of 
rnu.-.icj  a  painting,  a  design,  or  an  invention,  resembled,  and  were  in  many  respects 
analogous  to,  each  other.  The  assumption  that  books  add  to  the  intellectual  re- 
sources of  the  world,  capable  of  being  used  the  next  day,  but  that  an  invention,  the 


subject  of  a  patent,  prevented  the  manufacturer  from  using  not  only  it,  but  any- 
thing like  it,  was  considered  to  be  fallacious.  The  objects  of  the  patent  laws 
were  believed  to  be  threefold — 1.  the  communication  of  the  secret  and  its  preserva- 
tion for  the  public ;  2.  the  extension  of  the  arts  and  manufactures  and  trade  of  the 
country;  and,  3-  reward  to  the  author  and  publisher  of  such  secret,  or  introducer  of 
such  new  trade  or  manufacture.  Much  of  the  disappointment  experienced  by  pa- 
tentees arose  from  their  own  ignorance,  and  it  was  thought  that  this  would  be  obvi- 
ated by  a  proper  system  of  preliminary  examination.  So  far  as  the  individual. in- 
ventor was  concerned,  the  patent  laws  acted  as  a  powerful  stimulus  on  his  inventive 
faculties;  and  the  author  contended  that  our  manufacturing  superiority  could  only 
be  maintained  by  continual  progress,  and  that  such  progress  could  only  be  insured 
by  giving  property  in  the  inventions  which  were  to  contribute  thereto.  With 
regard  to  the  impression,  that  many  of  our  machiues  were  so  far  advanced  that 
their  farther  improvement  was  so  simple  and  obvious,  that  any  special  property  in 
them  would  only  produce  embarrassment,  it  was  thought  that  each  machine  so 
improved  was,  in  fact,  a  new  machine,  and  that  the  inventor  was  fully  entitled  to 
reap  the  benefit  of  his  discovery.  The  stimulus  of  the  patent  system  in  encourag- 
ing useful  arts,  and  the  introduction  of  new  trades  in  the  realm,  was  felt  at  a  very 
early  period  in  the  country  ;  and  the  operation  of  strikes  had  had  considerable 
influence  on  the  progress  of  invention.  The  self-acting  mule,  the  wool-combing 
machinery,  and  the  riveting  machine,  were  due  entirely  to  these  causes.  The 
testimony  of  the  most  intelligent  and  best  judges  showed  that  a  very  large  propor- 
tion of  inventions  proceeded  from  operatives ;  and  he  believed  that  the  artisans  of 
this  country  would  be  found  in  the  next  century  to  occupy  the  position  of  the 
Watts  and  Arkwrights  of  the  last  century.  For  designs,  whether  for  the  framing 
of  machinery,  the  damask  manufacture,  or  calico-printing,  the  law  had  hitherto 
provided  most  inadequate  protection,  and  he  was  at  a  loss  to  understand  the 
grounds  upon  which  the  Copyright  of  Designs  Act  assigned  different  terms  of  copy- 
right. The  legislation  on  the  subject  of  designs  required,  in  his  opinion,  entire 
revision,  both  as  regarded  the  subject,  the  term,  the  payment,  and  the  remedies; 
and  it  could  hardly  be  doubted  but  that  all  assimilation  to  the  practice  of  the  new 
patent  law  would  be  a  great  boon  to  artists  and  other  ingenious  men  engaged  in 
what  has  been  designated  art-manufacture. 

Mr.  E.  B.  Denison  contended  at  some  length  that  the  patent  laws  were  a  bar 
to  improvement — that  it  was  admitted  that  patentees  generally  lost  money,  and  in 
some  instances  had  had  to  apply  to  Parliament — that  a  man  who  made  a  trumpery 
invention,  which  came  into  general  use,  might  make  a  fortune,  although  he  had 
not  extended  the  bounds  of  human  knowledge.  Neither  Newton,  Oersted,  Leib- 
nitz, nor  Faraday,  had  obtained  patents  for  their  discoveries.  When  the  Parlia- 
mentary Inquiry  was  made  in  the  year  1829,  the  average  number  of  patents  was 
ISO  a  year,  whilst  in  1851  they  had  increased  to  500  a  year.  He  had  looked 
through  the  evidence  given  before  those  committees,  and  he  fouud  that,  in  1829, 
not  a  single  person  had  hinted  at  getting  rid  of  those  laws,  whilst,  in  1851,  the 
independent  witnesses  were  divided  in  opinion  upon  the  subject. 

Wednesday,  February  8, 

A  discussion  took  place  on  the  "  Defects  in  the  Administration  of  the  present 
Patent  Laws."  The  subject  was  divided,  for  convenience  of  discussion,  into  four 
heads: — 1st,  Cost;  2d,  Preliminary  Examination;  3d,  Tribunal;  4th,  Length  of 
Time  and  Renewal. 

Mr.  Webster  wished  to  correct  an  unintentional  misstatement  in  his  paper, 
relative  to  Sir.  Burch's  invention.  Mr.  B.  was  the  sole  inventor,  and  not  jointly 
with  any  other  person.  As  to  cost,  he  was  of  opinion  that  the  present  sum  was 
practically  unobjectionable. 

Mr.  Denison  made  some  objections  as  to  the  order  of  discussion  laid  down  by  the 
Council. 

Mr.  Cole  thought  that  inventions  should  not  be  taxed,  and  that  the  inventor 
should  be  called  upon  to  pay  no  fee  beyond  that  required  for  the  expenses  of  the 
office. 

Mr.  Stansbury  agreed  with  the  principles  laid  down  by  Mr.  Cole,  and  stated  that 
such  was  the  practice  of  the  American  Patent  Office. 

Mr.  C.  Variey  said  the  present  sum  charged  was  too  high. 

Mr.  Alexander  Campbell  thought  the  cost  too  high,  and  the  term  of  three  years 
not  sufficient  in  the  first  instance.  It  was  not  long  enough  to  secure  the  invention 
being  taken  up  by  the  public. 

Mr.  Denison  said  that,  if  patents  were  to  exist,  he  thought  that  no  fee  should 
be  exacted  beyond  that  which  suffices  to  cover  office  expenses.  He  then  spoke  of 
the  necessarily  heavy  costs  to  which  every  successful  inventor  was  subject,  in  try- 
ing and  establishing  its  validity.  He  saw  no  remedy  for  this;  it  was  a  necessary 
incident  to  such  rights. 

Mr.  Campin  said  that  the  American  Patent  Office  charged  500  dollars  to  an 
Englishman,  and  300  dollars  to  other  foreigners,  and  suggested  that  these  high  fees 
enabled  the  office  to  show  a  flourishing  balance. 

Mr.  Stansbury  said  that  there  had  been  only  200  patents  granted  to  Englishmen 
and  foreigners  since  its  establishment,  and  the  balance,  therefore,  did  not  arise 
from  that  source.  He  considered  such  distinctions  bad,  and  had  advised  their 
removal. 

Mr  Curtis  introduced  and  gave  results  of  his  experience  as  to  difficulties  in  ob- 
taining a  patent  for  the  colonies,  under  the  present  law. 

Mr.  Webster  explained  that  the  nature  of  the  conflicting  patent  laws  in  the  dif- 
ferent colonies  had  induced  the  Government  to  determine  not  to  grant  any  patents 
for  the  colonies  generally. 

Mr.  Stansbury  spoke  of  the  American  system  of  preliminary  examinations,  of 
which  he  did  not  altogether  approve  ;  too  much  was  attempted. 


288 


THE  PRACTICAL  MECHANIC'S  JOURNAL. 


Mr.  Fontaine  Moreau  said,  that  after  great  consideration,  France  and  Belgium 
had  rejected  a  preliminary  examination. 

Mr.  Cole  thought  the  example  of  France  and  Belgium  a  good  one.  Every  man 
should  be  (and  he  thought  under  the  present  system  of  indices,  and  publications  of 
specifications  at  a  low  rate,  every  man  could  be)  his  own  examiner,  and  would  do 
it  better  than  any  Government  board  could  do  it  for  him. 

Mr.  Campin  thought  that  to  extend  the  examination  beyond  novelty  was  going 
too  far. 

Mr.  "Webster  thought  the  American  system  attempted  too  much.  He  considered 
it  the  duty  of  Government  to  warn  parties  applying,  and  then  let  them  take  out  then- 
patent  at  their  own  peril. 

Mr.  Prosser  said  that,  as  a  patentee,  he  protested  againstany  man,  however  emi- 
nent, examining  and  pronouncing  a  preliminary  opinion  on  any  invention  whatever, 
and  cited  mauy  instances  of  well-known  men  of  high  standing  giving  opinions  on 
inventions  not  warranted  by  subsequent  experience.  He  thought  every  man  should 
be  his  own  examiner. 

Mr.  Curtis  agreed  with  Mr.  Prosser. 

Mr.  Denison  thought  it  was  no  business  of  Government  to  advise  people  ;  let 
each  man  examine  for  himself. 

Mr.  Cole  spoke  highly  of  what  the  Patent  Office  was  now  doing  as  to  publication 
of  indices  and  specifications;  under  this  system  a  man  could  readily  make  his  own 
preliminary  examination. 

February  15. 

Henry  Cole,  Esq.,  C.B.,  in  the  Chair. 

"  Ancient  and  Modern  Metal  Working  and  Ornamentation,  with  some  Allusion 
to  the  newly-discovered  Art  of  Nature-Printing,"  by  Mr.  W.  C  Aitken,  of  Bir- 
mingham.— After  a  few  remarks  on  the  subject  of  ornament  on  metal-work  gene- 
rally, and  on  the  objections  made  to  certain  kinds  of  ornamentation,  in  which 
mechanism  had  taken  the  place  of  hand  labour,  a  description  was  given  of  the 
method  adopted  for  producing  a  large  bronze  statue,  as  well  as  for  small  castings, 
such  as  statuettes,  &c.  References  were  then  made  to  the  beaten  work  of  the 
ancients  and  medievalists,  which  was  somewhat  akin  to  the  modern  process  of 
stamping,  except  that,  in  the  latter,  the  falling  below  of  the  stamp-hammer,  on 
which  the  die  was  fastened,  took  the  place  of  the  hand-hammer.  A  short  account 
was  next  given  of  the  modern  art  of  electro-metallurgy,  which  admitted  alike  the 
creation  of  new  and  the  reproduction  of  old  works  of  art,  at  a  comparatively  small 
cost.  Ornamentation,  by  means  of  engraving,  was  considered  to  be  an  expensive 
process;  and  on  this  account  attempts  have  been  made,  from  time  to  time,  to 
supersede  it,  and  also  the  cheaper  substitute  of  chasing.  Attention  was  then 
directed  to  a  process  which  had  been  recently  introduced,  the  practical  application 
of  which  was  due  to  Mr.  R.  T.  Sturges,  who  held  the  patent  jointly  with  Mr.  R. 
W«  Winfield.  The  fact  of  a  soft  material  imprinting  on  a  harder  one  an  impress 
of  its  form  had  long  been  understood.  In  the  early  stages  of  this  invention,  it 
was  imagined  the  harder  the  material  out  of  which  the  design  was  made,  the 
better  for  the  purpose.  Keeping  this  their  imagined  requisite  in  view,  the  first 
ornament  imprinted  was  made  out  of  steel  wire,  formed  into  shape,  and  afterwards 
tempered;  but  the  result  was  remarkably  indefinite  and  unsatisfactory.  Ordinary 
thread-lace  was  then  suggested,  and  tried  with  success.  It  was  found  that  it 
would  sustain  a  pressure  of  not  less  than  ten  tons,  and  come  out  from  such  a 
pressure  comparatively  uninjured,  leaving  its  impress  even  on  so  soft  a  substance  as 
Britannia  metal.  Subsequently,  it  was  found  that  the  same  result  was  produced 
on  copper,  on  the  compound  metal  brass,  on  German  silver,  on  iron  and  tin  plate, 
and  on  what  is  generally  believed  to  be  the  hardest  metal,  steel.  It  should  be 
stated  that  the  device,  whatever  that  may  be,  either  in  perforated  paper,  thread- 
lace,  or  other  media,  is  placed  between  two  sheets  of  metal,  and  the  whole  is  then 
passed  through  metal  rolls.  The  author  then  referred  to  the  art  of  nature-printing, 
for  which  the  Austrians  had  preferred  a  claim,  remarking  that  the  English  patent 
for  the  ornamentation  of  metals,  which  was  precisely  similar,  so  far  as  the  means 
employed,  was  taken  out  on  the  24th  January,  1852 ;  he  explained,  that  some 
time  back  he  had  himself  taken  impressions  of  a  leaf,  a  flower,  a  feather,  in  Bri- 
tannia or  other  metal,  from  which  he  had  printed  direct,  except  that  in  some  cases 
he  had  made  a  transfer  to  a  lithographic  stone,  and  had  multiplied  copies  by  the 
ordinary  process  of  lithography. 


ROYAL  INSTITUTION. 

The  following  are  the  Friday  evening  arrangements  before  Easter: — 

January  20. — Professor  Faraday,  D.C.L.,  F.R.S.  On  Electric  Induction — 
Associated  Cases  of  Current  and  Static  Effects. 

January  27.— Professor  Tyndall,  Ph.  D.,  F.R.S.  On  the  Vibration  and  Tones 
produced  by  the  Contact  of  Bodies  having  different  Temperatures. 

February  3.— "W.  R.  Grove,  Esq.,  Q.C.,  F.R.S.  On  the  Transmission  of  Elec- 
tricity by  Flame  and  Gases. 

February  10. — Professor  Owen,  F.R.S.  On  the  Structure  and  Homologies  of 
Teeth. 

February  17. — John  Conolly,  M.D.,  D.C.L.     On  the  Characters  of  Insanity. 

February  24.— Henry  Bence  Jones,  A.M.,  M.D.,  F.R  S.  On  the  Acidity, 
Sweetness,  and  Strength  of  different  Wines. 

March  3. — Rev.  Professor  Baden  Powell,  MA.,  F.R.S.  On  certain  Paradoses 
of  Rotatory  Motion, 

March  10.— Charles  Brooke,  Esq.,  F.R.S.  On  the  Construction  and  Uses  of 
the  Modern  Compound  Microscope. 


March  17.— Stephen  H.  Ward,  M.D.  On  the  Growth  of  Plants  in  closely 
Glazed  Cases. 

March  24. — Edwin  Lankester,  M.D.,  F.R.S.  On  the  Structural  and  Physio- 
logical Distinctions  supposed  to  limit  the  Vegetable  and  Animal  Kingdoms. 

March  31.— John  Hall  Gladstone,  Esq.,  Ph.  D.,  F.R.S.  On  Chemical  Affinity 
among  Substances  in  Solution. 

April  7. — Rev.  John  Barlow,  F.R.S.,  V.  P.,  and  Hon.  Sec.  On  some  of  the 
Properties  and  Applications  of  Silica. 

January  20,  1854. 
The  Right  Hon.  Mr.  Baron  Parke  in  the  Chair. 
Professor  Faraday  began  the  season  as  usual,  this  place  of  honour  being  now 
generally  conceded  to  him  ;  and  upon  his  favourite  subject,  it  is  no  wonder  that  a 
very  numerous  assembly  came  to  hear  him  descant  upon  "  Electric  Induction — 
Associated  Cases  of  Current  and  Static  Effects."  It  is  very  singular  to  notice  how 
new  arrangements  of  well-known  substances  and  instruments  generate  new  classes 
of  facts ;  and  it  is  still  more  remarkable  how  the  scientific  observer  stands  ready 
on  the  watch  to  catch  hold  of  such  facts,  and  make  the  most  of  them.  The  land 
electric  telegraph  was  one  thing.  It  turns  out  that  the  submarine  telegraph  is  ano- 
ther, just  as  a  plain  copper  wire  passing  through  the  air  is  productive  of  certain 
phenomena  when  subjected  to  electric  influence,  while  such  a  wire  coated  with  gutta 
percha  exhibits  still  more  extraordinary  phenomena.  The  lecturer  stated  that  he 
had,  by  means  of  the  great  machine  employed  by  the  Electric  Telegraph  Company, 
proved  the  truthfulness  of  the  view  which  he  had  put  forth  sixteen  years  ago  (Ex- 
perimental Researches,  1318,  &c),  respecting  the  unusually  dependent  nature  of 
induction,  conduction,  and  insulation.  He  had  been  enabled  to  experiment  with 
100  miles  of  wire.  AVhen  the  wire  in  the  air  was  experimented  upon,  not  the 
slightest  sign  of  any  of  certain  effects  upon  the  galvanometer  was  produced;  with 
the  water  wire  the  action  was  made  evident,  yet  the  wire  was  equally  well  and 
better  insulated,  and,  as  regarded  a  constant  current,  it  was  an  equally  good 
conductor.  In  consequeuce  of  the  very  accurate  manner  in  which  the  wire  is 
covered  with  the  gutta  percha,  a  Leyden  arrangement  is  produced  upon  a  grand 
scale  ;  the  copper  wire  becomes  charged  statically  with  that  electricity  which  the 
pole  of  the  battery  connected  with  it  can  supply  (Davy,  Elements  of  Chemical 
Philosophy,  p.  154);  it  acts  by  induction  through  the  gutta  percha,  producing  the 
opposite  state  on  the  surface  of  the  water  touching  the  gutta  percha,  which  forms 
the  outer  coating  of  this  curious  arrangement.  The  gutta  percha  across  which  the 
induction  occurs  is  only  0'1  of  an  inch  thick,  and  the  extent  of  the  coating  is  enor- 
mous. The  surface  of  the  copper  wire  is  nearly  8,300  square  feet,  and  the  surface 
of  the  outer  coating  of  water  is  four  times  that  amount,  or  33,000  square  feet.  Hence 
the  striking  character  of  the  results — results  which  the  best  ordinary  electric  ma- 
chines and  Leyden  arrangements  cannot  as  yet  approach.  The  phenomena  offer  a 
beautiful  case  of  the  identity  of  static  and  dynamic  electricity,  the  whole  power  of 
a  considerable  battery  being  made  capable  of  being  worked  off  in  separate  portions, 
and  measured  out  in  units  of  static  force,  and  yet  be  employed  afterwards  for  any  or 
every  purpose  of  voltaic  electricity.  The  Professor  then  proceeded  to  further  conse- 
quences of  associated  static  and  dynamic  effects,  showing  by  experimental  demon- 
stration many  very  striking,  such  as  a  current  of  electricity  flowing  on  to  the  end 
of  the  wire,  whilst  there  was  none  flowing  in  at  the  beginning — currents  flow- 
ing out  at  both  extremities  of  the  wire  in  opposite  directions,  whilst  no  current 
is  going  into  it  from  any  source — a  current  first  entering  into  the  wire,  and  then 
retuming  out  of  the  wire  at  the  same  place.  When  an  iron  wire  of  equal  extent  is 
experimented  with  in  like  manner,  no  such  effects  as  these  are  perceived,  proving 
that,  in  the  former  case,  time  is  exactly  appreciable.  All  these  results  as  to  time 
depend  upon  lateral  induction.  Admitting  that  such  and  similar  experiments  show 
that  conduction  through  a  wire  is  preceded  by  the  act  of  induction,  then  all  these 
singular  phenomena  are  explained.  Mr.  Wheatstonc  had,  in  1834,  measured  the 
velocity  of  a  wave  of  electricity  through  a  copper  wire,  and  given  it  as  288,000 
miles  in  a  second.  Professor  Faraday  had,  in  1838,  shown  how  it  was  possible 
for  this  to  be  retarded,  and  now,  with  1,500  miles  of  subterraneous  wire,  the  wave 
was  two  seconds  in  passing  from  end  to  end;  whilst,  with  the  same  length  of  air 
wire,  the  time  was  almost  inappreciable.  "With  these  lights,  it  is  interesting  to 
look  at  the  measured  velocities  of  electricity  in  wires  of  metal  as  given  by  different 
experimenters : — 

Miles  per  Second. 

Wheatstone,  in  1834,  with  copper  wire,  made  it  288,000 

"Walker,  in  America,  with  telegraph  iron  wire,             *■  18,780 

O'Mitchell,     do.                          do.                      ...  28,524 

Fizeau  and  Gonnelle,  copper  wire,    -----  112,630 

Do.                   iron  wire,        -----  62,600 

A.  B.  G.  (Atkenceum,  Jan.  14),  copper  (Lon.  &  Bruss.  Tel.),  2.700 

Do.                    do.                      do.      (Lon.  &  Edin.  Tel.),  7,600 

The  Professor  remarked,  that  although  these  effects  are  so,  the  conducting  power 
of  the  air  and  water  wires  are  alike  for  a  constant  current.  Mr.  Clarke  arranged 
a  Bain's  printing  telegraph  with  three  pens,  so  that  it  gave  beautiful  illustrations 
and  records  of  facts  like  those  stated.  The  pens  are  iron  wires,  under  which  a 
band  of  paper,  imbued  with  fcrro-prussiate  of  potassa,  passes  at  a  regular  rate  by 
clockwork,  and  thus  regular  lines  of  prussian-blue  are  produced  whenever  a  current 
is  transmitted,  and  the  line  of  the  current  is  recorded. 

In  the  course  of  the  evening,  Professor  Faraday  explained  the  operation  of  the 
Statham  fuze,  which  is  of  the  following  nature: — Some  copper  wire  was  covered 
with  sulphuretted  gutta  percha;  after  some  months,  it  was  found  that  a  fibre  of 
sulphuret  of  copper  was  formed  between  the  metal  and  the  envelope ;  and  further, 
that  when  half  the  gutta  percha  was  cut  away  in  any  place,  and  then  the  copper 


THE  PRACTICAL  MECHANIC'S  JOURNAL. 


289 


wire  removed  for  about  one-fourth  of  an  inch,  so  as  to  remain  connected  only  by 
the  film  of  sulphuret  adhering  to  the  remaining  gutta  percha,  an  intensity  battery 
could  cause  this  sulphuret  to  enter  into  vivid  ignition,  and  fire  gunpowder  with  the 
utmost  ease.  The  experiment  was  shown  of  firing  gunpowder  at  the  end  of  eight 
miles  of  single  wire,  and  Mr.  Faraday  stated  that  he  had  seen  it  fired  through  100 
miles  of  covered  wire  immersed  in  a  canal,  by  the  use  of  this  fuze. 


MONTHLY  NOTES. 


Progress  of  Screw-Propulsion. — Marine  Memoranda. — The  prac- 
ticability of  advantageously  substituting  screw  for  paddle  steamers,  on  the  mail 
routes,  has  now  been  fully  demonstrated  in  the  case  of  the  East  India  mails. 
These  mails  were  brought  from  Calcutta  to  Suez,  by  the  Peninsular  and  Oriental 
Company's  screw-steamer  Bengal,  in  the  short  space  of  22  days  12  hours,  being 
at  the  average  rate  of  11^  knots,  or  about  13  miles  per  hour.  The  Colombo,  on 
this  side  the  Isthmus,  has  been  equally  fortunate  and  successful,  her  average  speed 
on  the  voyage  from  Southampton  to  Alexandria,  and  back  to  Malta,  having  been 
equal  to  that  of  the  Bengal,  notwithstanding  the  disadvantages  incident  to  a  first 
trip.  The  overland  India  and  China  mail,  the  Marseilles  portion  of  which  was 
received  in  London  on  the  12th  January,  was  delivered  in  Southampton  three  days 
and  a  half  before  due,  and  occupied  a  shorter  period  in  its  transit  than  any  previous 
mail.  It  is  intended  eventually  to  despatch  the  Colombo  to  India,  where  she  is  to 
be  employed  on  the  Calcutta  and  Suez  route, 

Since  the  above  was  written,  the  Himalaya  has  returned  from  her  first  voyage, 
and  has  more  than  accomplished  what  was  expected  of  her ;  although  she  has 
experienced  most  adverse  and  unfavourable  weather  throughout  the  voyage,  she  has 
made  the  quickest  run  to  and  from  Alexandria  on  record.  Her  best  day's  run 
was  347  knots,  or  close  upon  400  statute  miles,  in  the  24  hours,  and  she  made 
others  nearly  equal  to  this.  On  her  return  voyage,  the  Himalaya  had  an  oppor- 
tunity of  trying  her  speed  with  the  paddle-wheel  steamer  Euxine,  The  latter 
vessel  left  Gibraltar  25  hours  before  the  Himalaya,  which  arrived  in  Southampton 
at  3  p.m.  on  the  16th  February,  nnd  was  passed  by  that  ship  at  8  the  same 
morning  to  the  westward  of  Portland,  having  up  to  that  point  beaten  her  a  little 
more  than  one-foorth  in  speed.  The  Euxine  is  1200  tons  and  400  horse  power, 
while  her  competitor,  the  Himalaya,  has  a  power  of  only  700  horses,  to  3,560 
tons  burden.  This  is  very  much  in  favour  of  the  screw,  more  particularly  when 
it  is  considered  that,  with  one-third  less  power,  in  proportion  to  tonnage,  it  is 
quite  possible  to  obtain  a  higher  rate  of  speed,  and  with  a  consumption  of  coal  of 
nearly  one-half.  The  original  cost  of  the  ship  and  engines  is  also  proportionately 
reduced. 

Perhaps  the  most  extraordinary  run  ever  made  by  a  sailing  ship  is  that  of  the 
Red  Jacket,  lately  arrived  in  Liverpool  from  New  York.  A  question  having  been 
raised  as  to  why,  with  a  fair  wind,  she  should  have  run  500  miles  more  than  the 
steamers  making  the  same  voyage,  Captain  Elridge  has  published  the  following 
extract  of  his  log,  showing  the  actual  state  of  the  winds,  and  other  particulars. 
The  vessel  left  New  York,  Jan.  10,  at  seven  o'clock,  a.m. : — 


Jan.      Lat. 


40°  33' 

41  03 

42  19 

44  25 
46  35 
46  13 

45  55 

50  39 

51  58 

50  39 
49  27 

51  07 

53  27 


Loti. 

Dist. 

Miles. 

71°  15' 

103 

68  30 

150 

62  41 

265 

58  20 

232 

54  15 

210 

51  52 

106 

49  03 

119 

47  00 

300 

35  55 

417 

27  00 

364 

18  35 

342 

11  21 

300 

411 

360 

S.  by  E., 

Ditto, 

S.S.E. 
S.E.  by  E.( 

Ditto, 

S.S.E., 

Ditto, , 

E.by  S 

W.  by  S.  £  S 

Ditto, , 

Ditto, 

W.S.W., 

South,  


Course. 


E.AN-, 

E.  by  S., 
E.  byN.iN, 
N.E.  by  E.,. 
N.E.-i  E.,.,.. 

E.  by  S., 

E.fS 

N.byE.  i  E. 
E.  by  N.,".... 

E.by  S.  JS., 

E.by  S 

E.by  N.4  N 

Up  Channel, 


Rainy,    unpleasant 

weather.     " 
Rain,  hail,  aud  snow. 
Ditto. 
Ditto. 
Rain. 

Snowy  aud  hailing. 
Ditto. 
Ditto. 
Ditto,  terrific  gale 

and  high  sea. 
Ditto,  and  gr.le. 
Ditto,  fresh  gales. 
Snow,  strong  wind, 

and  heavy  squnlls. 
Ditto,    and    squally 

dirty  weather. 


Late  experiments  with  "Welsh  anthracite  coal,  some  of  which  have  been  recorded 
by  us,  have  induced  the  Royal  West  India  Mail  Company  to  take  certain  collieries 
in  the  southern  part  of  Pembrokeshire,  in  order  to  obtain  an  adequate  supply  of 
coal  for  their  large  ocean  steamers.  Carmarthenshire,  and  the  adjacent  county  of 
Pembroke,  possess  ample  supplies  of  this  species  of  fuel,  which  is  now  very  largely 
being  taken  into  use;  and  in  a  short  time  there  cannot  be  a  doubt  that  it  will 
exclusively  be  used  for  sea-going  vessels.  1,000  tons  were  taken  out  by  the 
Great  Britain  on  her  present  voyage,  which,  on  the  report  of  Captain  Mathews, 
have  answered  well,  steam  being  quickly  raised,  the  fires  burning  brightly,  and  no 
injurious  action  on  the  bars.  Large  steamers  are  now  continually  employed  in 
taking  in  cargoes  at  Llanelly  for  ocean  purposes. 

The  new  steamer,  Willi/im  Norris,  which  is  warranted  to  run  from  New  York  to 
Europe  in  five  or  six  days,  is  reported  to  be  nearly  completed.  This  vessel  is  simply 
flat  and  sharp,  with  a  good  model  for  running  fast  in  smooth  water.  She  is  made 
unusually  strong,  by  having  her  timbers  strapped  diagonally  with  bars  of  iron,  and 
by  an  iron  kelson,  extending  from  the  keel  to  the  deck,  excepting  in  the  central  part 
of  the  vessel  devoted  to  the  engine.  This  kelson  is  composed  of  two  parallel  sheets 
of  iron,  nearly  half  an  inch  in  thickness,  less  than  a  foot  apart,  and  so  fashioned  and 
No.  72.— Vol.  VI. 


connected  as  to  form  a  water-tank.  On  either  side  of  this  kelson  are  bilge  kelsons, 
formed  in  the  same  manner,  also  reaching  up  to  the  deck.  It  is  expected  that 
these  unusual  supports  will  give  such  an  amount  of  strength  and  solidity  to  the 
steamer,  as  to  make  her  excel  all  other  vessels  of  similar  dimensions. 

Captain  Ericsson  is  again  trying  to  talk  the  scientific  and  commercial  world  into 
hopes  of  seeing  the  triumphant  success  of  the  caloric  engine.  He  states  that  there 
is  not  the  slightest  cause  for  doubt  in  relation  to  the  enterprise.  The  new  engines 
are  completed,  and  have  been  at  work  several  days,  their  operation  proving  conclu- 
sively that  the  practical  difficulties  which  attended  the  first  arrangement  have  all 
been  overcome,  The  new  engines  are  much  reduced  in  size,  while  their  principle 
of  action  is  the  same  as  before,  with  this  exception  only,  that  condensed  atmo- 
spheric air  is  employed  in  place  of  the  ordinary  atmosphere  for  producing  the 
motive  power.  This  modification  admits  of  an  increase  of  power,  limited  only  by 
the  capability  of  retaining  the  pressure  in  the  machine.  Some  difficulty  has  been 
experienced  in  this  respect,  and  it  is  this  which  has  caused  some  delay  recently. 
The  obstacle  is,  however,  nearly  removed,  and  the  public  will  shortly  have  an 
opportunity  of  judging,  by  practical  evidence,  of  the  merits  of  the  caloric  ship. 

The  near  prospect  of  war  has  induced  the  Board  of  Ordnance  to  institute  an  inquiry 
into  the  capability  of  converting  the  mail  steamers  into  vessels  of  war.  In  report- 
ing on  the  vessels  belonging  to  the  Peninsular  and  Oriental  and  the  Royal  West 
India  Mail  Company,  the  Committee  of  Engineers  say — "  Our  opinion  is,  that  the 
ships  of  these  companies  can  never  be  regarded  us  efficient  substitutes  fur  regular 
men-of-war;  and  that  opinion  is  based  on  the  following  considerations: — 1.  Their 
sharp  form  of  bow  to  promote  speed,  continued  upwards  as  it  is  to  the  height  of 
the  port-sills,  renders  it  impossible  to  point  and  elevate  guns  in  the  line  of  keel. 
2.  Their  rake  of  stern  would  render  it  dangerous  to  fire  a  gun  when  elevated,  more 
particularly  when  trained  from  a  fore  and  aft  line.  3.  These  vessels  having  been 
designed  entirely  for  steam  propulsion  and  passenger  accommodation,  all  other 
purposes  have  been  made  subservient  to  those  ends.  We  find,  too,  that  no  atten- 
tion has  been  paid  to  the  importance  that  should  be  attached  to  the  exposure  of 
the  engines,  boilers,  and  steam-chest  to  shot,  which,  though  in  some  degree  un- 
avoidable in  all  paddle-wheel  steamers,  appears  to  exist  in  these  vessels  to  a  most 
dangerous  extent,  After  taking  a  deliberate  view  of  the  whole  question  submitted 
to  us,  we  have  arrived  at  the  conclusion  that  the  ships  referred  to,  provided  they 
could  be  spared,  would  serve  the  purposes  of  armed  troopships,  and  might  occa- 
sionally be  used,  in  the  event  of  war,  in  our  colonies  abroad."  The  Committee 
also  extended  their  inquiries  to  the  vessels  of  the  British  and  North  American 
Company,  the  Pacific  Company,  the  General  Screw  Steam-Shipping  Company, 
the  Australian  Company,  the  South- Western  Company,  and  the  African  Company, 
and  found  that  out  of  91  vessels  employed  as  mail  contract  steam-packets,  belong- 
ing to  these  eight  Companies,  there  were  only  16  which  they  could  report  with 
any  degree  of  confidence  to  be  available,  on  an  emergency,  for  auxiliary  war  pur- 
poses (not  taking  iron  vessels  into  the  account);  that  of  the  16,  there  were  eight 
belonging  to  the  British  and  North  American  Company,  which,  at  a  cost  of  about 
.£3000  each,  and  within  a  period  of  not  less  than  a  fortnight,  might  be  rendered 
fit  for  temporary  service  as  war  steamers;  that  the  other  eight  might,  on  a  great 
emergency,  be  employed  for  defensive  purposes,  and  might  be  fitted  for  any  press- 
ing service  at  a  cost  of  from  £600  to  £800  each,  within  about  a  fortnight.  The 
inquiry  also  touched  the  merchant  service  generally,  and  the  steamers  in 
the  ports  of  Londun,  Bristol,  and  Liverpool  were  examined;  but  only  seven  (five 
belonging  to  London,  and  two  to  Liverpool)  were  found  fit  for  conversion  into  war 
steamers;  while,  in  consequence  of  the  age  of  the  frames  of  four  of  these,  it  would 
not  be  advisable  so  to  convert  them.  The  three  others  were  vessels  built  fur  the 
Germanic  Confederation,  and  recently  purchased  by  the  General  Steam  Navigation 
Company.  The  Board  of  Ordnance,  finding  that  the  examination  of  the  merchant 
steamers  of  the  three  principal  ports  had  conclusively  proved  their  unfitness  to  act 
as  war  steamers,  and  considering  that  it  was  not  probable  that  steamers  belonging 
to  the  remaining  ports  would  furnish  any  more  powerful  or  better  adapted  vessels, 
referred  it  to  the  Admiralty  to  consider  whether  the  inquiry  should  be  any  further 
continued. 

Telegraphic  Longitude. — In  another  portion  of  the  present  part  of  our 
Journal  will  be  found  a  report  of  the  lecture  delivered  at  the  Royal  Institution,  on 
the  20th  ult.,  by  Professor  Faraday,  upon  electric  induction,  exhibiting  many  sin- 
gular and  new  effects  resulting  from  the  method  of  insulation  adopted  in  long 
lines,  and  especially  in  submarine  operations.  The  submarine  telegraph  has  lately 
been  employed  for  the  purpose  of  ascertaining  the  difference  of  longitude  between 
the  Observatories  of  Greenwich  and  Brussels.  The  problem  had  already  been  solved 
by  the  land  telegraph  in  determining  such  difference  between  the  Cambridge  and 
Greenwich,  and  also  between  the  Edinburgh  and  Greenwich  Observatories.  The 
former  was  accurately  ascertained;  but,  from  some  difference  in  the  rate  of  the 
chronometers  necessarily  used,  in  the  other  case  there  was  an  uncertainty.  To 
solve  the  new  case,  M.  Quetelet,  the  Belgian  astronomer,  entered  into  the  arrange- 
ments with  right  good-will,  and  provided  everything  for  the  utmost  accuracy. 
An  unbroken  metallic  communication  was  made  from  the  transit-room  at  Green- 
wich, through  the  Dover  and  Ostend  wire,  to  the  transit-room  at  Brussels.  This 
rendered  the  use  of  chronometers  unnecessary.  The  requisite  batteries  were  sup- 
plied. The  result  of  the  arrangements  is,  that  about  3,000  signals 'have  been 
observed  simultaneously  at  the  two  Observatories  for  the  comparison  of  the  two 
transit  clocks.  The  time  occupied  by  the  passage  of  the  galvanic  current  between 
the  two  places  has  been  thus  ascertained  to  be  one-tenth  of  a  second.  This  implies 
a  velocity  of  2,700  miles  only  per  second.  Professor  Faraday  explains  the  reason 
of  this  retardation  in  his  lecture  already  referred  to.  Great  hopes  are  entertained 
that  the  means  afforded  for  thus  ascertaining  the  relative  longitudes  of  different 
Observatories  may  be  extended  to  all  on  the  Continent.  The  immediate  result  of 
such  a  connection  will  be,  as  a  correspondent,  A.  B.  G-,  in  the  Atlienwum,  suggests, 

20 


290 


THE  PRACTICAL  MECHANIC'S  JOURNAL. 


the  possession  of  the  power  of  bringing  into  combination  the  astronomical  observa- 
tions made  at  different  Observatories  as  if  they  were  made  at  one.  The  want  of 
accurate  determination  of  difference  of  longitude  for  that  purpose  has  been  practi- 
cally felt  by  astronomers,  and  is  now  particularly  so,  in  several  instances.  It  is 
not  for  its  immediate,  but  for  its  prospective  results,  that  the  introduction  into 
Europe  of  this  great  instrument  of  observation  is  to  be  hailed  with  more  than 
ordinary  satisfaction. 

Soap  as  a  Vehicle  of  Art. — Dr.  Branson,  of  Sheffield,  who  has  lately  been 
endeavouring  to  find  an  easy  substitute  for  wood  engraving,  or  rather  to  find  out  a 
substance  more  readily  cut  than  wood,  and  yet  sufficiently  firm  to  allow  of  a  cast 
being  taken  from  the  surface  when  the  design  is  finished,  to  be  reproduced  in  type- 
metal,  or  by  the  electrotype  process,  suggests  the  employment  of  soap  as  a  matrix 
for  the  die-sinker.  In  a  communication  which  he  makes  to  the  Society  of  Arts,  for 
the  benefit  of  the  public,  and  without  any  desire  to  derive  a  profit  from  his  inge- 
nuity, he  says — "  A  drawing  may  be  executed  with  a  hard  point  on  a  smooth  piece 
of  soap  almost  as  readily,  as  freely,  and  in  as  short  a  time,  as  an  ordinary  drawing 
with  a  lead  pencil.  Every  touch  thus  produced  is  clear,  sharp,  and  well  defined. 
When  the  drawing  is  finished,  a  cast  may  be  taken  from  the  surface  in  plaster,  or, 
better  still,  by  pressing  the  soap  firmly  into  heated  gutta  percha.  In  gutta  percha 
several  impressions  may  be  taken  without  injuring  the  soap,  so  as  to  admit  of 
1  proofs'  being  taken  and  corrections  made — a  very  valuable  and  practical  good 
quality  in  soap.  It  will  even  bear  being  pressed  into  melted  sealing-wax  without 
injury." 

Dublin  Winter  Garden. — The  building  lately  occupied  by  the  stores  sent 
to  the  Great  Exhibition  of  Native  Arts  and  Manufactures  in  the  metropolis  of 
Ireland,  has  been  temporarily  converted  into  a  winter  garden.  It  is  found  to  be  a 
great  attraction;  so  much  so,  indeed,  that,  on  many  ordinary  days,  more  persons 
are  present  than  were  present  at  the  opening  of  the  building  on  the  first  grand 
occasion.  This  promises  well  for  our  own  New  Crystal  Palace,  which  is  to  asso- 
ciate all  kinds  of  gardens  with  all  kinds  of  exhibitions. 

M'Lellan's  Emigrant's  Churn. — A  very  convenient  form  of  churn,  espe- 
cially suited  to  the  purposes  of  the  distant  traveller  or  emigrant,  has  been  lately 
introduced  by  Mr.  Peter  M'Lellan,  of  Bridge  of  Earn,  Perthshire.  This  churn,  as 
represented  in  our  annexed  illustrations,  is  in  the  form  of  a  neat  barrel,  surmount- 
ing an  open  framework  stand.  Fig.  1  is  a  longitudinal  section  of  the  churn,  with 
the  lower  portion  of  its  supporting  stand  broken  away.     Fig.  2  is  a  corresponding 

Fig.  1.  Fig.  2. 


end  view,  looking  on  the  driving-winch  side.  The  cream  receiver  is  a  barrel,  a, 
resting  with  its  side  immersed  iu  the  hot  or  cold  water  chamber,  B,  forming  the 
top  of  the  stand.  The  beaters  or  dashers,  c,  r>,  consist  of  a  pair  of  flat  boards, 
each  somewhat  less  in  width  than  half  the  barrel's  length.  One-balf  of  each  beater 
is  perforated  with  round  holes,  whilst  the  remainder  is  barred  across.  They  are 
entered  into  the  barrel  through  the  elliptical  door,  e,  made  just  long  enough  to 
pass  the  separate  beaters  through,  and  they  are  disposed  at  right  angles  to  each 
other  upon  a  spindle,  passing  through  the  axis  of  the  barrel,  and  turning  at  one 
end  in  a  centre  formed  by  a  set  screw,  passed  through  the  barrel  end,  whilst  at  the 
other  it  rests  in  a  brass  collar,  screwed  on  one  side.  This  spindle  is  driven  by  a 
winch  in  the  usual  way.  The  barrel  is  held  in  position  by  embracing  hoops  of 
metal,  with  thumb-fastenings  at  f,  the  hoop  pieces  being  hinged,  to  admit  of  the 
cask's  removal.  Handles  are  fitted  to  the  stand  for  the  purposes  of  temporary  re- 
moval. But  when  the  churn  is  to  be  conveyed  to  a  distance,  the  whole  of  the 
moveable  details  are  conveniently  disposed  inside  the  barrel,  and  the  barrel  itself 
may  then  be  either  conveyed  alone,  or  it  may  be  placed  inside  the  stand.  Mr. 
M'Lellan  is  also  the  maker  of  a  somewhat  similar  churn,  which  gained  a  premium 
at  the  Highland  Society's  meeting  in  August,  1852. 

Government  School  of  Mines  in  Cornwall. — A  report  on  a  scheme  for 
a  Cornish  School  of  Mines  has  just  been  drawn  up  by  a  committee  of  gentlemen, 
appointed  at  a  late  county  meeting  for  the  purpose.  This  document  recommends 
that,  in  the  Central  School,  instruction  shall  be  given  in  mathematics,  natural  phi- 
losophy and  mechanics,  applied  mechanics,  plan  drawing,  surveying,  levelling,  ma- 
chine drawing  and  construction,  mine  accounts  and  mine  surveying,  chemistry,  with 
special  application  to  metallurgy  and  assay,  mineralogy  and  geology,  working  of 
mines,  and  preparation  of  ores.  A  competent  knowledge  of  these  subjects  may  be 
acquired  by  a  diligent  pupil  in  two  yearly  courses,  extending  over  six  or  eight 
months  in  each  year.     The  fee  for  admission  is  to  be  £20,  which  is  to  be  reduced 


in  the  case  of  young  men  engaged  as  practical  miners.  The  students  are  to  be 
examined  annually,  and  certificates  of  progress  awarded  to  those  who  pass  such 
examinations.  The  teachers  of  the  Central  School  are  to  make  periodical  tours 
into  the  mining  districts,  under  the  direction  of  the  governors  of  the  Central  School, 
to  inspect  the  local  schools  and  give  lectures.  It  is  also  proposed  that  these 
schools  should  be  in  connection  with  the  "  School  of  Mines"  in  Jermyn  Street,  by 
which  all  the  advantages  of  communicating  with  a  central  source  of  information 
would  be  secured. 

Cotton-Seed  Oil. — An  establishment  has  lately  been  started  at  New  Orleans 
for  the  manufacture  of  oil  from  cotton  seed.  The  oil  so  produced  possesses  a  soft 
and  pleasant  flavour,  with  all  the  qualities  of  olive  oil.  It  burns  with  great  bril- 
liancy, and  seems  to  be  peculiarly  suitable  for  lubricating  purposes,  as  it  does  not 
dry  up,  nor  become  glutinous.  As  the  quantity  of  the  raw  material  is  unlimited, 
we  may  expect  the  manufacture  to  grow  up  into  something  considerable,  if  the  good 
qualities  we  have  named  are  solid  realities. 

Industrial  Courts  at  the  Sydenham  Exhibition. — To  aid  the  manu- 
facturer in  selecting  his  best  position  in  the  Sydenham  building,  a  series  of  beauti- 
fully executed  views  are  being  produced  in  cbromo-lithography.  The  first  of  tbese, 
printed  in  colours  by  Messrs.  Day  &  Son,  from  a  drawing  by  Mr.  G.  H.  Stokes 
the  architect,  has  just  been  issued,  represents  the  court  set  apart  for  the  display  of 
Sheffield  cutlery  and  other  wares.  These,  in  themselves,  do  not  give  much  scope 
for  pictorial  display;  and  the  attention  is  consequently  riveted  upon  the  exquisite 
forms  and  colours  displayed  in  the  construction  and  ornamentation  of  the  court 
itself.  Perhaps  a  brief  verbal  description  of  its  situation  may  not  be  unacceptable. 
The  long  building  runs  north  and  south,  crossed  by  the  east  and  west  transepts. 
The  long  central  aisle  or  nave  is  to  be  occupied  by  statuary  and  sculptures,  and 
bordered  by  a  belt  of  garden  and  plantation.  On  the  west  side  of  the  south  nave, 
nearest  to  its  southerly  end,  is  the  Roman  or  Pompeian  villa,  extending  from  the 
garden  back  to  the  outer  west  wall  of  the  edifice.  Adjoining  it  to  the  north,  and 
communicating  with  it  by  an  open  archway,  is  the  Sheffield  Court,  with  six 
entrances,  the  east  one  from  the  nave  ;  the  west  leading  out  to  the  ranges  of  stalls 
for  mineral  manufactures  and  hardware;  the  two  south  entrances  communicating 
with  the  Pompeian  villa;  and  the  two  to  the  north  connecting  the  Sheffield  Court 
with  that  of  Birmingham.  The  view  is  taken  from  the  westerly  side,  showing  the 
eastern  side  of  the  court,  and  beyond  the  belt  of  garden,  between  it  and  the  nave. 
The  entrances  we  have  described  are  not  closed  doors,  but  open  archways,  across 
which  are  drawn  crimson  curtains,  so  as  to  prevent  draughts,  yet  give 
easy  ingress  and  egress.  Six  long  counters  or  tables  occupy  the 
floor,  and  the  walls  are  also  decorated  with  cutlery  hung  in  ornamental 
figures,  as  stars,  circles,  &c.  But.  it  is  the  pictorial  effect  produced 
by  beautiful  forms  and  rich  colours  that  we  seek  to  notice.  The 
walls  seem  to  be  hung  with  crimson  draperies.  Above,  a  richly 
ornamental  Norman  arcade,  with  the  dogtooth  ornament  and  appro- 
priate dentelles,  &c,  separates  the  court  from  the  garden;  and 
through  the  open  arches  are  seen  the  lofty  tree-palms,  and  other 
luxuriant  products  of  tropical  climes,  rearing  their  tall  stems,  and 
spreading  their  fan-like  or  feathered  leaves  in  rich  profusion.  The 
coving  above  this  arcade,  with  its  outer  greenth,  is  composed  of  large 
ornamental  brackets,  or,  perhaps,  to  describe  more  technically,  ham- 
mer-beams, but  elaborately  enriched.  Above  all  is  the  light  blue  of 
the  ridged  roof  of  glass;  and  the  harmony  of  colour  is  at  once  felt, 
though  not  easily  described.  The  various  compartments  of  the  court, 
occupied  by  different  manufacturers,  bear  the  names'  of  the  firms,  on 
labels  in  the  frieze,  painted  light  blue,  and  which  by  their  colour  con- 
tribute to  the  general  decorative  effect.  It  is  in  its  commercially 
valuable  character  that  we  wish  to  bring  this  undertaking  more 
prominently  before  our  industrialist  readers.  They  must  remember- 
that  the  collection  will  form  a  vast  dictionary,  wherein  a  great  portion  of  the 
worlfl  will  look  for  the  names"  of  the  best  makers  of  whatever  is  in  general 
and  active  demand.  Each  exhibitor  pays  a  moderate  rent  for  the  area  which 
he  monopolises,  and  thus,  at  a  trifling  annual  expense,  the  textile  producer, 
the  steam-engine  builder,  the  glass-maker,  and  the  members  of  a  thousand  other 
trades,  can  each  show  the  world  what  they  are  severally  turning  out. 

A  New  Timber  Tree. — In  the  Himalayas,  there  flourishes  a  most  valuable 
timber  tree,  called  the  Deodar,  which  possesses  several  qualifications  for  introduc- 
tion here  as  a  good  workable  and  serviceable  material.  It  is  indigenous  to  the 
Himalayas  from  elevations  of  5,000  up  to  12,000  feet  above  the  level  of  the  sea, 
and  is  of  a  very  hardy  nature,  growing  on  the  tops  of  ridges  and  at  the  head  of 
gorges,  where  it  is  exposed  to  great  vicissitudes  of  temperature  and  violent  gusts  of 
wind,  and  flourishing  also  in  the  poorest  soils.  A  group  in  the  neighbourhood  of 
Simla  measured  on  an  average  ten  feet  in  girth,  and  another  group  nearly  eleven  feet, 
taken  at  five  feet  from  the  ground ;  while  on  the  northern  declivity  of  the  Hima- 
layas they  have  beeu  measured  from  twenty  to  thirty  feet  in  girth  at  the  same 
height  from  the  soifc  It  is  most  excellent  in  quality,  being  sufficiently  close  in 
texture  to  be  made  into  articles  of  furniture,  and  is  of  great  strength  and  durability, 
whilst  it  requires  little  or  no  seasoning,  and  takes  the  saw  kindly,  though  it  will  not 
split  into  planks.  The  deodar  is  said  to  be  preferred  by  the  natives  of  the  Hima- 
layas for  the  construction  of  houses,  temples,  and  bridges,  and  is  used  not  only 
under  cover  but  for  the  verandahs,  roofs,  and  external  framework  of  houses,  and 
for  the  piers  of  bridges.  It  is  considered  almost  imperishable,  and  peculiarly 
exempt  from  the  attack  of  worms  and  insects,  its  only  defect  for  building  purposes 
arising  from  its  extremely  inflammable  nature.  The  deodar  is,  however,  owing  to 
its  strength  and  durability,  admirably  adapted  for  naval  and  architectural  purposes, 
and  it  is  said  that  a  boat  built  of  this  wood  will  last  from  twenty  to  thirty  years. 
There  seems,  therefore,  no  doubt  of  the  deodar  being  fit  for  all  the  purposes  to 


THE  PRACTICAL  MECHANIC'S  JOURNAL. 


291 


which  any  of  the  pine  tribe  are  applied  in  Europe.  So  early  as  1S19,  attempts 
were  made  to  introduce  the  deodar  into  this  country,  but  they  do  not  appear  to  have 
been  successful  until  1831,  when  the  Hon.  L.  Melville  brought  over  some  seeds, 
from  which  most  of  the  larger  de  >dars  in  Great  Britain,  from  twenty  to  twenty-five 
feet  in  height,  may  be  traced.  The  deodar,  which  used  to  be  one  of  the  dearest, 
is  now  one  of  the  cheapest  of  the  recently  introduced  foreign  pine  trees,  the  price 
haviug  formerly  been  a  guinea  a  plant,  while  they  can  now  be  had  for  6d.  each.  There 
are  few  parts  of  the  British  Isles  where  the  deodar  will  not  succeed,  as  it  already 
flourishes  as  far  north  as  Forres. 

Roe's  Sluice  Valves  for  Hydraulic  Works. — -Mr.  Freeman  Roe,  of  the 
Strand,  so  well  known  for  his  hydraulic  mechanism,  and  in  particular  for  his  excel- 
lent hydraulic  rams  for  raising  water  by  the  agency  of  mere  trickling  rivulets,  has 
lately  introduced  a  new  form  of  sluice  valve,  which  we  have  represented,  in  eleva- 
tion and  longitudinal  section,  in  the  annexed  figs.  1  and  2.  The  general  details 
of  construction  are  obvious  from  these  figures.     The  special  object  of  the  plan  is 

Fig.  1. 


the  obtainment  of  superior  facilities  for  repairs  and  renewal ;  for,  when  such  treat- 
ment is  required,  it  is  quite  unnecessary  to  resort  to  cutting  out  of  the  line  of  pipe, 
as  is  commonly  done.  By  simply  removing  the  bonnet,  the  whole  of  the  working 
parts  can  be  taken  out,  without  in  any  way  disturbing  the  body  of  the  valve. 


Mr.  Rr>e  also  makes  an  ingenious  ball-cock,  which  is  valuable  from  its  non-liability 
to  set  fast,  the  ball  merely  rising  off  the  spindle  when  the  proper  fluid  supply  has 
been  given,  thus  releasing  the  valve,  which  is  at  once  closed  by  the  pressure  from 
below.  The  valve  is  of  gutta-percha,  and  the  seaming  of  vulcanized  india-rubber. 
OCR  Coal  Treasures. — The  present  annual  raising  of  coal  in  this  country 
amounts  to  37,000,000  tons,  the  value  of  which,  at  the  pit's  mouth,  is  little  less  than 
£10,000,000;  at  the  places  of  consumption,  including  expenses  of  transport  and 


other  charges,  probably  not  less  than  £20,000,000.  The  capital  employed  in  the 
trade  exceeds  £10,000,000.  About  400  iron  furnaces  of  Great  Britain  consume 
annually  10,000,000  tons  of  coal  and  7,000,000  tons  of  ironstone,  in  order  to  pro- 
duce 2,500,000  tons  of  pig  iron,  of  the  value  of  upwards  of  £8,000,000.  For  the 
supply  of  the  metropolis  alone,  3,600,000  tons  of  coal  are  required  for  manufac- 
turing and  domestic  purposes  ;  our  coasting  vessels  conveyed,  in  1850,  upwards  of 
9,300,000  tons  to  various  ports  in  the  united  kingdom,  and  3,350,000  tons  were 
exported  to  foreign  countries  and  the  British  possessions.  Add  to  this,  that  about 
120,000  persons  are  constantly  employed  in  extracting  the  coal  from  the  mines, 
and  that  in  some  of  the  northern  counties  there  are  more  persons  at  work  under 
the  ground  than  upon  its  surface,  and  some  approximate  idea  may  be  formed  of  the 
importance  and  extent  of  this  branch  of  our  industry.  The  extent  of  the  coal 
areas  in  the  British  islands  is  12,000  square  miles,  and  the  annual  produce 
37,000,000  tons;  of  Belgium,  250  miles,  annual  produce  5,000,000  tons';  of 
France,  2,000  miles,  annual  produce 4,150,000  tons;  of  the  United  States,  113,000 
miles,  annual  produce  4,000,000  tons;  of  Prussia,  2,200  miles,  annual  produce 
3,500,000  tons:  of  Spain,  4,000  miles,  annual  produce  550,000  tons;  of  British 
North  America,  ISO, 000  miles,  annual  produce  not  known. 

Drainage  of  Cities. — Getting  rid  of  solid  and  fluid  waste,  bears  about  the 
same  relation  to  pure  water  supplies,  that  foul-air  ventilation  does  to  pure-air  ven- 
tilation.    Aerial  purity  has  close  connection  with  drainage.     When  streets  are 
covered  with  fetid  mud,  and  untrapped  sewers  abound  on  every  hand,  the  atmo- 
sphere gets  stenchy  and  jrrespirable,  people's  feet  grow  chilled,  and  everything  be- 
comes sullied  and  deteriorated  accordingly.     Drainage  should  be  constant,  efficient, 
unobrmsive,-as  may  be.     A  basalt  or  granite  tramway,  one  or  more,  with  cementi- 
tious  intervals,  instead  of  the  wasteful,  inhumane,  and  dirt-engendering  system  of 
broken  stones,  as  usually  managed,  would  at  once  promote  effective  sewage  and 
the  public  health.     The  unhealthy,  stenchy  chill,  owing  to  the  ceaseless  evapora- 
tion from  surfaces  ever  moist  and  ever  foul,  is  greater  than  what  is  imagined.    The 
disruption  of  the  causeway,   and  periodic  stirrings-up  of  sewers  and  cess-pools, 
induce  stenches  not  less  revolting,   than  productive  of  discomfort-  and  disease. 
A  close  tubular  sewage  ought  everywhere  to  subsist,  with  metal  or  other  pipes,  of 
adequate  dimensions,  strength,  inclination,  curvature,  connection,  and  depth,  with 
the  further  aid  of  hydraulic  pressure,  to  force  obstructions.     Mr.  Allen  has  pro- 
posed semicircular  soilage  drains  with  moveable  lids,  to  yield  access.     In  Paris, 
there  are  no  covered  sewers ;  the  consequences  may  be  imagined.     Arched,  acces- 
sible culverts,  accommodating  gas  and  sewage  pipes,  would  obviate  disintegration 
of  the  pavement,  and  poisoning  of  the  atmosphere.     A  system  of  subvlce  has 
been  suggested.     "Were  the  road  laid  on  arches,   or  on  cast-iron    beams,  there 
would  be  ample  room  for  every  necessary  purpose.     Even  the  sewage  might  be 
carried  tbrouth  large  pipes  of  cast-iron.     It  is  a  practice  inconceivably  revolting 
to  convert  streams  like  the  Thames,  the  Liffey,  the  Seine,  flowing  through  great 
cities,  into  mere  sewage  conduits,  instead  of  leaving  them  as  nature  intended,  a 
continual  solace  and  endless  source  of  health  and  purity.     Nothing  would  be  easier, 
due  science  and  skill  being  pressed  into  the  arrangement,  than  daily  to  get  rid  of 
all  the  filth  and  soil  of  our  cities.     Mr.  M'Clean  lias  proposed  to  carry  the  London 
sewage  to  the  Essex  flats,  while  Messrs.  Harding  and  Foster  have  projected  catch- 
water  drains,  extending  through  the  Thames  tunnel  to  the  Surrey  side.     Where 
towns  are  situated  on  a  declivity,  it  would  be  easy,  as  Mr.  Ward  has  suggested,  to 
drain  the  sewage  into  tanks,  and  then  to  pump  the  contents  through  pipes  laid 
along  railways.     In  well-constructed  farm-yards,  properly  diluted  sewage  might  be 
distributed  from  tanks,  through  hose,  amid  the  fields,  producing  everywhere,  as  it 
has  produced  in  Ayrshire,  six  and  seven  crops  of  Italian  rye-grass,  two  feet  long 
each  time.     The  Rev.  Mr.  Gore  not  only  points  out  how  towns  are  to  be  drained, 
but  how  masses  of  rich,  available  inodorous  manure  may  be  created.     Dr.  Mal- 
colm has  detailed  a  triple  arrangement  of  street  sewers,  and   subvias  galleries. 
There  cannot  be  a  doubt  as  to  the  expediency  of  a  system  of  subvise,  but  it  is  cer- 
tain, if  we  would  have  regard  to  health  and  decency,  that  foul  sewage  should  be 
isolated,  as  in  pipes,  from  all  direct  connection  with  the  atmosphere.     Assuredly, 
neither  outlay  nor  effort  should  be  spared  in  applying  the  sewage  of  towns  in  fur- 
therance of  agriculture,  its  only  legitimate  direction.     How  much  better  were  it 
to  promote  organic  growths,  than  to  suffer  nauseous  waste  to  pollute  the  health  and 
homes  of  men  ?     Animals  should  be  prepared  for  food  in  the  country,  and  so  avoid 
great  loss,  together  with  the  infliction  of  ammoniacal  putrescent  waste  in  towns 
where  such  proves  in  every  way  hurtful.     Crowded  churchyards,  swarming  lodg- 
ing-houses, open  and  overflowing  sewers,  vie  with  each  other  in  the  production  of 
discomfort,  degradation,  and  disease.     Refuse  may  be  deodorised  by  the  sulphate 
of  iron,  chlorides  of  soda,  lime,  or  zinc,  and  very  effectively  by  Rogers'  charred 
turf  or  peat,  rendered  so  by  Violette's  heated  steam,  or  otherwise.     Common  earth, 
as  well  as  dried  peat,  though  less  effective,  is  also  available.     Mr.  Holland  of  Man- 
chester, indeed,  showed  how  the  foulest  matters  may  be  freed  from  all  appreciable 
fetor,  by  means  of  ordinary  humus  or  mould,  within  the  half  hour.     Irrespective  of 
spiritual  soil  and  bodily  suffering,  putrid  emanations  break  down  the  health,  and 
pave  the  way  for  an  infinity  of  disease.  Owing  to  imperfect  drainage,  houses,  otherwise 
of  superior  pretensions,  become  next  to  uninhabitable.     Serving  women  and  others, 
condemned  to  an  underground,  cellar  life,  betr.-vy,  in  their  suffering,  anxious  aspect, 
the  noxious  influences  to  which  they  are  habitually  subjected,     These  evils  abound 
almost  everywhere,  but  seem  to  have  reached  their  climax  in   the  quarter  of  St. 
Saviour,  in  the  city  of  Lille,  as  described  in  Blanqui's  Classes  Ouvriers.     It  is  a 
succession  of  small  houses,  separated  by  dark,  narrow  alleys,  leading  to  coureites^ 
or  small  courts,  serving  at  once  as  sewers  and  depositories  of  filth.     The  windows 
and  doors  of  the  cellars  open  on  these  infected  gullies,  where  a  constant  stench 
and  humidity  reign.     Wild,  hunchbacked,  haggard  children,  at  once  unhealthy  and 
deformed,  abound.     It  is  only,  however,  in  the  cellars  that  it  is  possible  to  judge 
of  the  sufferings  of  those  whom  age  or  infirmity  does  not  permit  to  move  abroad ! 


292 


THE  PRACTICAL  MECHANIC'S  JOURNAL. 


No  population  living  amid  aerial  impurities,  the  partial  emanations  of  cess-pools, 
drains,  and  sewers  of  deposit,  can  be  healthy  or  free  from  devastating  epidemics. 
In  Philadelphia,  a  small  immoveable  hose,  screwed  upon  a  brass  cock,  concealed 
under  a  little  iron  plate,  near  the  kerbstone,  distributes  the  refreshing  element,  at 
will,  over  the  fronts  of  the  houses  and  pavement  of  the  streets.  On  the  Conti- 
nent, fountains,  at  once  refreshing  and  delightful,  almost  everywhere  abound,  while 
here  there  is  nothing,  or  next  to  nothing,  of  the  kind. — Dr.  MlCormuc. 

Soda  from  Salt. — Soda  has  been  used,  from  time  immemorial,  in  the  manu- 
facture of  soap  and  glass — two  chemical  productions  which  employ  and  keep  in 
circulation  a  vast  amount  of  capital.  The  process  of  obtaining  soda  from  chloride 
of  sodium,  is  the  one  given  by  Leblanc  in  the  last  century,  and  still  adopted,  with 
a  few  minor  improvements,  to  the  present  time.  This  grand  process  consists  in 
converting  the  chloride  of  sodium  into  a  sulphate  of  soda  by  means  of  sulphuric 
acid,  and  decomposing  the  latter  salt  by  means  of  coal  and  carbonate  of  lime,  upon 
the  floor  of  the  reverberatory  furnace.  The  duty  upon  salt  checked  for  a  time  the 
full  value  of  this  discovery;  when  it  was  repealed,  its  price  was  reduced  to  its 
minimum,  and  the  cost  depended  upon  the  sulphuric  acid.  This  manufacture,  says 
Liebig,  may  be  regarded  as  the  foundation  of  all  our  modern  improvements  in  the 
domestic  arts;  and  we  may  take  it  as  affording  an  excellent  illustration  of  the  de- 
pendence of  the  various  branches  of  human  industry  and  commerce  upon  each 
other,  and  their  relation  to  chemistry.  This  manufacture  became  of  immense  im- 
portance during  the  wars  of  Napoleon  ;  France,  before  it  was  discovered,  purchased 
soda  from  Spain,  at  an  expenditure  of  twenty  to  thirty  millions  of  francs  annually. 
Marseilles  possessed  for  a  time  the  monopoly ;  the  destruction  of  which,  by  Napo- 
leon, excited  the  hostility  of  the  people  to  his  dynasty,  who  became  favourable  to 
the  restoration  of  the  Bourbons.  France  derives  at  the  present  time  more  than 
twenty  millions  of  francs  from  this  manufacture;  other  countries  quite  as  much, 
or  even  more.  The  attempts  to  modify  or  entirely  supersede  the  process  of  Le- 
blanc have  been  incessant,  and  of  the  most  varied  character.  One  of  the  latest  is 
that  of  Mr.  Longmaid,  for  decomposing  common  salt  by  means  of  iron  pyrites.  It 
was  ascertained  that,  with  a  pyrites  containing  2  or  3  per  cent,  of  copper,  sul- 
phate of  soda  was  economically  produced  by  the  ignition  of  the  former  with  chlo- 
ride of  sodium — the  recovery  of  the  copper,  converted  at  the  same  time  into 
sulphate  of  copper,  contributing  to  the  profit.  A  great  benefit  of  this  process  is, 
that  it  dispenses  with  the  preparation  of  sulphuric  acid  in  the  leaden  chamber. 
In  the  manufacture  of  soda  from  salt  by  Lehlane's  process,  it  is  first  converted  into 
sulphate  of  soda ;  the  action  of  the  sulphuric  acid  producing  hydrochloric,  or 
muriatic  acid,  to  the  extent  of  one  and  a  half  times  the  amount  of  the  sulphuric 
acid  employed.  At  first  the  profit  upon  the  soda  was  so  great,  that  the  muriatic 
acid  was  not  collected;  in  fact,  it  had  no  commercial  value.  A  profitable  appli- 
cation of  it  was  soon  discovered :  it  is  a  compound  of  chlorine  ,■  and  this  sub- 
stance may  be  obtained  from  it  cheaper  than  any  other  source.  Chlorine  possesses 
powerful  bleaching  properties,  but  was  not  employed  to  its  full  extent  until  obtained 
from  the  ro-iduary  muriatic  acid,  from  which  it  is  prepared,  by  mixing  it  with  per- 
oxide of  manganese  and  sulphuric  acid,  as  a  dense,  suffocating  yellow  gas.  As  it 
was  inconvenient  to  transport  it  to  distances,  either  as  liquid  muriatic  acid  or 
gaseous  chlorine,  it  was  combined  with  time,  forming  a  hypochlorite  of  that  sub- 
stance, which  is  well*  known  in  commerce  as  chloride  of  lime,  or  bleaching  powder. 
This  compound  possesses  all  the  potent  properties  of  chlorine,  and  is  used  for  the 
purposes  of  disinfection,  bleaching  linen  and  cotton  goods  rags  for  the  manufac- 
ture of  paper,  ecc.  Rut  for  this  proce.-s  of  bleaching,  Great  Britain  could  not 
have  competed  with  France  and  Germany  in  the  price  of  cotton  goods.  In  the  old 
process  of  bleaching,  every  piece  must  be  exposed  to  air  and  light  for  several  weeks 
during  the  summer  season,  and  kept  moist  by  manual  labour.  Now  a  single 
establishment  near  Glasgow  bleaches  1400  pieces  of  cotton  daily  throughout  the 
year.  The  hire  of  so  much  land  in  England,  necessary  in  the  old  operation, 
would  require  an  enormous  amount  of  capital,  and  would  greatly  increase  the  cost 
of  bleaching,  to  pay  the  interest  for  the  large  sum  expended  This  would  not  be 
so  much  felt  in  Germany;  but  the  cotton  stuffs  bleached  with  chlorine  suffer  less 
in  the  hands  of  skilful  workmen;  and  in  some  parts  of  that  country  they  are 
adopting  it,  and  find  it  advantageous. — H.  0.  Iluslcisson. 

The  Paper  Manufacture. —  By  the  old  and  long-continued  vat-mill  system, 
twelve  or  fourteen  different  processes  were  required  in  the  paper  manufacture — re- 
quiring a  period  of  three  weeks  to  produce  the  paper,  whereas  now  it  is  manufactured 
in  almost  as  many  minutes.  The  paper  machine  at  present  in  use  was  invented  early 
in  the  century  by  Fourdrinier,  a  Frenchman ;  but  it  did  not  come  into  general  use 
here  until  1822.  Since  that  period,  various  important  improvements  in  the  manu- 
facture have  been  introduced,  such  as  the  strainer  and  the  sand  trap,  which  clear 
the  pulp  of  all  knots,  dust,  and  extraneous  matter.  The  manufacture  of  "  laid" 
paper  by  the  machine,  which  was  at  first  thought  impossible,  has  been  in  operation 
for  the  last  s-ix  years,  and  as  fine  paper  is  produced  by  it  as  formerly  could  have  been 
turned  out  by  the  hand.  Waste-cotton  from  the  mills,  which  formerly  was  con- 
sidered quite  useless,  money  being  often  paid  to  get  rid  of  it,  is  now  largely  used 
in  the  production  of  such  paper,  particularly  newspapers.  Straw  is  another  mate- 
rial which  has  lately  been  successfully  tried.  The  paper  produced  from  it  is  plea- 
sant to  look  upon  ;  it  takes  a  clear  impression  from  types,  and,  as  it  does  not 
require  to  be  damped,  considerable  time  is  saved  in  printing  upon  it.  Straw  avail- 
able for  the  manufacture  can  be  had  at  about  £2  per  ton ;  it  is,  however,  loaded 
with  an  Excise  duty  of  £15.  In  Fiance,  the  Messrs.  Montgolfier  have  made  paper 
of  untanned  leather,  to  be  used  as  cartridges  for  cannon,  tor  which  purpose  we  in 
this  country  use  flannel  bags.  It  is  said  that  there  is  an  objection  to  its  use  from 
portions  remaining  in  the  piece  alter  discharge,  rendering  the  next  charge  liable  to 
ignition.  Edinburghshire  is  a  considerable  seat  of  the  paper  manufacture,  there 
being  about  twenty-four  machines  in  operation  in  that  district.  Supposing  these 
machines  travel  at  the  average  rate  of  thirty-six  feet  per  minute  (some  of  them 


travel  at  fifty),  and  supposing  that  they  work  fifteen  hours  a-day,  this  would  be 
equal  to  about  147  miles  of  paper  per  day,  about  five  feet  broad.  There  are  about 
3G0  machines  in  Great  Britain,  producing  daily  about  2160  miles  of  paper. 

Reform  in  the  American  Patent  Laws. — The  following  correspondence, 
which  has  passed  between  Messrs.  George  M.  Knevitt  &  Co.  (our  correspondents  in 
the  United  States)  and  the  Commissioner  of  Patents,  will  be  read  with  interest  by 
European  inventors  ; — - 

"New  York,  January  6, 1S54. 
"  The  Hon.  Commissioner  of  Patents, 
Washington. 
11  Whilst  the  subject  of  '  Amendment  of  the  Patent  Laws'  is  under  consideration, 
permit  us  to  call  your  attention  to  the  injustice  which  is  done  to  European  inven- 
tors by  the  high  tax  which  is  imposed  upon  them  as  patent  fee.     In  many  cases, 
the  high  fee  is  prohibitory  to  an  inventor's  applying  for  a  patent,  and  consequently 
to  his  obtaining  any  benefit  from  his  invention.     This  scarcely  accords  with  the 
liberality  of  the  American  character.     The  argument,  that  it  would  cost  an  Ameri- 
can as  much  to  secure  a  patent  in  Europe,  is  not  a  sound  one,  for  the  European 
governments  charge  all  applicants  alike.     If  the  fees  for  all  foreigners  were  reduced 
to  100  dollars,  very  many  more  useful  inventions  would  he  introduced  here.     The 
business  of  the  Patent  Office  would  be  increased,  but  its  income  would  also  be  con- 
siderably increased.      If,  sir,   you  will  recommend   the  subject  to   Congress,  you 
will  confer  a  favour  upon,  and  do  justice  to  all  European  inventors. 

"  Geo.  M.  Knevitt  &  Co." 

"United  States  Patent  Office, 
Washington,  January  8,  1854. 
*'  In  reply  to  yours  of  the  6th  inst.,  I  have  to  state  that  the  subject  of  the  ex- 
orbitant fees  demanded  of  foreign  applicants  has  for  many  months  been  a  subject 
of  consideration  with  me,  and  that   I  shall  feel  it  my  duty  to  recommend  some 
pretty  radical  changes  in  this  respect.  "  C.  Mason,  Commissioner." 

"  Messrs.  Geo.  M.  Knevitt  &  Co. 
New  York." 

This  is  somewhat  promising.  But  the  objectionable  feature  to  which  it  refers  is  by 
no  means  the  most  disheartening  of  those  which  surround  the  American  system  of 
granting  patents.  The  difficulties  thrown  in  the  way  of  British  patentees  by  the  ex- 
isting process  of  examination  are  of  much  more  serious  import.  We  are  ourselves 
constantly  subjected  to  annoyance  from  this  cause.  To  quote  a  case  in  point,  we 
may  state  that,  in  the  year  185*2,  we  applied  for  an  American  patent  for  a  very 
important  invention,  and  after  waiting  for  a  lengthened  period,  without  obtaining 
the  necessary  legal  right,  we  were  told  that  some  of  the  claims  seemed  to  clash 
remotely  with  a  previous  invention;  still  no  means  were  pointed  out  by  which  we 
were  to  get  the  matter  arranged,  and  lately  we  have  been  finally  told,  amongst  other 
trifling  objections,  that  the  model  required  by  the  office  did  not  agree  with  the  de- 
scription. Somewhere  near  two  years  have  thus  flown  by,  the  time  having  been 
completely  frittered  away,  and  now  the  inventor,  naturally  disgusted  with  the  stupid 
proceedings,  withdraws  his  claim — subject  to  the  usual  penalty  of  paying  200 
dollars  for  the  amusement  of  the  negotiation. 

"Continuous  Check  Strap"  for  Power  Looms. — Action  for  In- 
fringement.— This  was  an  action  brought  by. the  plaintiffs,  Cochrane  and  Crooke, 
to  recover  £3.  1 6s.  from  Messrs.  Croome  and  Brothers,  manufacturers,  of  Chepst,ow 
Street  Mill,  Oxford  Koad,  for  the  use  of  an  invention  belonging  to  the  plaintiffs, 
known  as  the  "  Continuous  Check  Strap,"  used  upon  power  looms, — Mr.  Saunders, 
for  the  plaintiffs,  said  that,  about  the  year  1844,  the  plaintiff,  Crooke,  then  a 
hand-loom  weaver,  had  his  attention  drawn  to  a  defect  in  the  power  loom,  from  the 
sudden  rebounding  of  the  shuttle,  whereby  the  "cop"  was  often  broken  in  the 
shuttle,  and  breakages  of  the  warp  were  caused.  After  some  time,  the  idea  of  a 
continuous  strap,  from  one  picker  to  the  other,  passing  along  in  front  of  the 
"breast  beam,"  struck  him  as  an  effective  remedy.  Being  ill  at  the  time,  he 
called  in  to  his  assistance  a  power-loom  weaver  named  Lancaster,  who  completed 
the  invention.  As  they  were  both  poor  men,  they  were  unable  to  raise  the  neces- 
sary funds  to  make  a  working  model  and  obtain  a  patent,  then  a  very  expensive 
process.  Under  these  circumstances  they  applied  to  the  late  Mr.  William  Eccles, 
of  Blackburn,  who  at  once  took  out  a  patent  in  the  joint  names  of  Crooke,  Lan- 
caster, and  Eccles.  Subsequently,  it  became  the  property  of  the  present  plaintiffs, 
Cochrane  and  Crooke.  These  facts  were  proved  by  Crooke  and  Lancaster,  and  a 
a  great  number  of  witnesses  were  called  to  show  that  prior  to  1844,  the  date  of  the 
letters  patent,  no  such  strap  had  been  used  for  such  a  purpose  on  the  power  loom. 
Mr.  Ovens,  for  the  defendants,  submitted  that  Crooke  was  the  original  inventor, 
that  Lancaster  was  called  in  to  assist  as  a  mere  mechanic,  and  that  Mr.  Eccles 
had  nothing  to  do  with  the  invention  beyond  the  mere  act  of  finding  the  money  to 
obtain  the  patent.  That  being  the  case,  the  patent  was  bad,  because  a  false  de- 
claration was  set  forth,  inasmuch  as  all  three  had  to  swear  that  they  were  the  sole 
inventors,  before  the  patent  was  granted  in  their  joint  names.  Thus  the  Crown 
was  deceived,  and  Hindmarsh  upon  Patents  (p;ige  21)  laid  it  down  as  the  law,  that 
where  a  false  declaration  was  made,  the  patent  obtained  under  such  declaration 
was  void. — The  judge  took  a  note  of  the  objection,  but  ordered  the  case  to  be  pro- 
ceeded with. — James  Sailsbury  was  then  called  and  examined  by  Mr.  Ovens.  He 
was  an  overlooker  of  power  looms  for  Messrs.  Croome  and  Brothers.  In  1838  he 
was  overlooker  at  Mr.  Smethurst's,  of  Chorley,  when  his  attention  was  first  directed 
to  the  "  continuous  check  strap."  He  "  gaited"  84  looms,  made  by  Mr.  Jackson  of 
Bolton,  to  many  of  which  he  applied  the  check  strap,  precisely  as  the  one  now 
useJ  by  his  present  employers.  In  1844  he  worked  at  the  Oxford  Road  Twist 
Company's  mill,  where  he  also  applied  the  check  strap.  He  was  sure  that  the 
invention  was  not  new  in  1843  and  1844,  when  Crooke  obtained  the  patent  for 
it.  Cross-examined  by  Mr.  Saunders — He  did  not  use  it  on  all  the  looms  he 
"gaited"  at  Mr.  Smethurst's,  because  he  could  not  always  get  sufficient  leather 


THE  PRACTICAL  MECHANIC'S  JOURNAL. 


293 


far  the  purpose.  The  strap  he  used  in  1S38  was  exactly  the  same  as  the  one  for 
which  the  patent  right  was  now  claimed. — Robert  Salisbury,  brother  to  the  last 
witness,  swore  to  the  fact  that  his  brother  had  applied  the  strap  to  looms  in  1838 
or  1839.  Several  other  witnesses  were  called  to  prove  the  use  of  the  check  strap 
before  the  date  of  the  letters  patent. — The  judge  said  he  thought  the  objection  to' 
the  patent  had  not  been  supported  by  the  evidence ;  that  this  strap,  or  some  such 
strap,  had  been  used  prior  to  the  date  of  the  patent  he  believed;  but  it  was  not 
such  a  use  as  gave  the  public  a  fair  and  reasonable  opportunity  of  judging  of  its 
merits  as  a  whole.  Upon  the  evidence,  therefore,  there  would  be  judgment  for  the 
plaintiffs.  The  point  now  to  be  argued  was,  whether  the  patent  was  rendered  void 
by  the  alleged  false  declaration.  There  were  three  persons  included  in  the  patent — 
Crooke,  Lancaster,  and  Eccles;  and  the  objection  was,  that  the  patent  was  bad  be- 
cause Crooke  alone  was  the  original  inventor,  and  therefore  Lancaster  and  Eccles  had 
no  right  to  share  in  it. — Sir.  Ovens  then  proceeded  to  argue  the  point  of  law,  quoting 
many  authorities  and  test-books  upon  the  subject,  the  object  of  which  was  to  show 
that  "  the  first  and  true  inventor  or  inventors  only"  were  entitled  to  the  letters 
patent. — Mr.  Saunders  replied,  recapitulating  the  evidence,  and  quoting  many 
authorities  and  reports  of  law  courts,  with  a  view  of  establishing  the  point,  that  in 
cases  where  inventors  had  called  to  their  assistance  other  persons  in  the  construc- 
tion of  the  machinery,  or  persons  who  had  assisted  in  the  necessary  publication  of 
the  invention,  as  in  this  case  of  Eccles  and  Lancaster,  they  had  as  good  a  right  to  and 
a  share  in  the  patent  as  the  party  who  first  conceived  the  idea. — At  the  close  of  the 
argument,  the  judge  said,  that  in  an  important  case  like  the  present,  he  would  be 
glad  if  his  judgment  could  be  renewed  by  a  superior  court;  but  in  this  case  he 
feared  it  was  not  pnssible.  It  was  one  of  those  points  of  law  which  had  not  before 
been  raised,  and  therefore  the  more  difficult;  but,  after  having  heard  the  case  so 
fully,  and,  he  might  add,  so  ably  argued  on  both  sides,  and  having  himself  given 
great  attention  to  it,  he  must  give  his  verdict  for  the  plaintiffs  with  costs. — Verdict 
accordingly. 

Electric  Time-Ball  for  the  Clyde. — The  practical  success  of  the  electric 
time-bull  made  for  the  Calton  Hill  station  at  Edinburgh,  by  Messrs.  Maudslay  and 
Field,  has  been  most  complete.  Sir  T.  M.  Brisbane,  who  has  spent  some  weeks 
in  Edinburgh,  observing  and  remarking  upon  the  daily  descents,  has  found  it  so 
exceedingly  accurate  and  easy  of  observation,  that  he  has  strongly  urged  the  im- 
portance of  such  a  system  for  the  Clyde.  He  proposes  that  time-balls  should  be 
erected  at  Glasgow  and  Greenock  for  the  sea-going  ships,  and  being  put  into 
electrical  communication  with  the  Edinburgh  Observatory,  they  would  be  dropped 
by  the  same  galvanic  touch  which  disengages  the  Calton  Hill  ball. 

PROVISIONAL  PROTECTIONS  FOR  INVENTIONS 

UNDER  THE  PATENT  LAW  AMENDMENT  ACT. 
(Ja5**  When  the  city  or  town  is  not  mentioned,  London  is  to  be  understood. 
Recorded  August  29. 
2004.  John  II.  Johnson,  47Lincoln's-inn-fields,  and  Glasgow— Improvements  in  the  pre- 
paration and  application  of  gluten*—(Communicauon   from   Francois  Durand, 
Toulouse.) 

Recorded  October  11. 
2330.  Charles  Rowley,  Birmingham — Improvements  in  ornamental  dress  fastenings. 

Recorded  October  25. 
2468.  Marcus  Davis.  5  Clondesley- square,  Islington — Improvements  in  the  treatment  of 
fibrous  materials  other  than  flax  and  hemp. — (Communication.) 

Recorded  November  8. 
2595.  George  Shepherd,  3D  King  William-street— Certain  improvements  in  the  construc- 
tion of  railways. 

Recorded  November  14. 

2638.  William  Anderson,  junior,  and  Alexander  W.  Murphy,  Glasgow — Improvements 

in  that  class  of  ornamental  fabrics  nsually  termed  Ayrshire  sewed  work. 

Recorded  November  19. 

2689.  Anguste  Caste ts,  Paris— An  improved  composition  for  curing  diseases  of  the  feet 

of  animals. 

Recorded  November  22. 
2707.  Edward  Brigg3,  Castleton  Mills,  near  Rochdale— Improvements  in  weaving  and 

manufacturing  raised  pile  fabrics,  and  in  machinery  employed  therein. 
2712.  Robert  Adams,  King  William-street — Improvements  in  fire-arms. 

Recorded  November  28. 
2773.  James  Lord,  Farnworth,  Lancashire — Improvements  in  the  manufacture  of  certain 
articles  for  ladie3*  under-clothing,  and  in  fabrics  for  the  same. 

Recorded  December  5. 
2827.  Edward  Lavender,  Deptford — Improvements  in  apparatus  for  subjecting  substances 
to  the  action  of  heat,  for  the  purpose  of  carbonizing,  calcining,  or  combining 
such  substances,  or  for  subjecting  such  substances  to  the  process  of  distillation. 

Recorded  December  6. 
2832.  George  Ross  and  James  Inglis,  Arbroath— Improvements  in  looms. 

Recorded  December  10. 
2880.  John  H.  Johnson,  47  Lincoln's-inn-fields,  and  Glasgow — Improvements  in  mould- 
ing, more  particularly. ipplied  to  toothed  wheels. — (Communication  from  Monsieur 
De  Louvrie,  of  St.  Mark,  France.) 

Recorded  December  16. 
2033.  Charles  Goodyear.  St.  John's  Wood — Improvements  in  the  treatment  and  manufac- 
ture of  india-rubberj— (Partly  a  communication.) 
Recorded  December  20. 
2964.  Archibald  Thomson,   Glasgow — Improvements  in  setting  out   and   marking  the 
rivet  holes  in  the  plates  used  in  constructing  iron  ships,  boats,  boilers,  and  other 


vessels. 


Recorded  December  27. 


Edward  J.  Hughes,  Manchester— Improvements  in  sewing-machines.— (Communi- 
cation.) 


Recorded  December  28. 
3011.  Samuel  Barnes,  Oldham — A  certain  improvement  or  improvements  in  the  construc- 
tion of  looms. 

Recorded  December  29. 
3019.  James  W.  Crossley,  Brighouse,  Yorkshire — Improvements  in  the  production  of 
surface  finish  to  certain  descriptions  of  fabrics  composed  of  worsted,  cotton,  or 
silk,  or  combinations  thereof. 

Recorded  December  30. 

3023.  William  Pickstone,  Radcliffe,  Lancashire— Improvements  in  looms  for  weaving. 

3025.  Benjamin  Swire,  Ashton-under-Lyne — Improvements  in  machinery  or  apparatus  for 
making  metal  tips  for  shoes  and  clogs. 

3027.  James  Marlor,  Oldham  —Certain  improvements  in  ascending  and  descending  mines 
and  shafts,  and  in  the  apparatus  connected  therewith,  by  which  said  improve- 
ments the  ventilation  of  mines  is  increased. 

Recorded  December  31. 
3029.  Isaac  Holroyd,  Sowerby  Bridge,  Yorkshire — Improvements  in  apparatus  employed 

in  singeing  textile  fabrics. 
3031.  Henry  V.  Physick,  3S  North  Bank,  Regent's -park— Improvements  in  electric  tele- 
graphs and  apparatus  connected  therewith. 
8033.  John  Pym,  Pimlico — Improvements  in  michinery  for  grinding  auriferous  and  other 

ores,  and  separating  the  metal  therefrom. 
3035.  Alfred  Trueman,  Swansea,  and  Isham  Baggs,  London — Improvements  in  grinding, 

amalgamating,  and  washing  quartz  and  other  matters  containing  gold. 
3037.  Joseph  Holbrey,  Bradford — Improved  machinery  for  combing  wool  and  other  fibrous 

materials. 
3039.  Julian  Bernard,  15  Regent-street— Improvements  in  stitching  and  ornamenting 

various  materials,  and  in  machinery  and  apparatus  connected  therewith. 
3041.  Adolpbus  Oppenheimer,  Manchester— Certain  improvements  in  the  manufacture  of 

silk  velvet  and  other  such  piled  goods  or  fabrics. 
3043.  Pierre  Sonntag,  Paris,  and  4  South-street,  Finsbury — Improved  apparatus  for  mea- 
suring and  fitting  garments  of  persons. 
3045.  Stanislaus  T.  M.  Sorel,  Paris,  and  4  South-street,  Finsbury — Certain  improved 
compositions,  to  be  employed  as  substitutes  for  caoutchouc,  gutta  percha,  and 
certain  fatty  bodies. 

Recorded  January  2. 
1.  Charles  H.  Collette,  57  Lincoln's-inn-fields — Improvements  in  the  manufacture  of 

sugar. — (Communication.) 
3.  Alfred  Dawson,  14  Barnes-place,  Mile-end-road — Invention  of  converting  small  coal 

or  coal  dust,  or  small  coal  and  coke,  into  blocks  of  fuel. 
5.  Pierre  A.  Montel,  Paris— Certain  improvements  in  stopping  the  trains  on  railways. 
7.  Peter  Armand  Le  Comte  de  Fontaine  Moreau,  4  South-street,  Finsbury,  and  Paris- 
Certain  improvements  in  water  wheels. — (Communication.) 

Recorded  January  3. 
9.  Joseph  Madeley,  Walsall,  Staffordshire— Improvement  or  improvements  in  the 

manufacture  of  certain  kinds  of  tubes,  and  in  nuts  for  and  heads  of  screws. 
11.  James  Stovold,  Barnes,  Surrey — Improvements  in  machinery  or  apparatus  for  sift- 
ing and  washing  gravel  and  other  similar  substances. 
13.  Edward  J.  Wilson,  477  Oxford- street — Improved  method  of  making  portfolios, 

music  books,  briefcases,  and  pocket  hooks. 
15.  Johnl.Grylls,  3  Murton-street,  Sunderland — Improvement  in  whelps  for  the  barrels 
of  capstans,  windlasses,  and  other  machinery. 

Recorded  January  4. 
19.  David  Hulett,  High  Holborn — Improvements  in  gas  regulators  for  regulating  the 
supply  of  gas  to  the  burner.— (Partly  a  communication.) 

Recorded  January  5. 

21.  Joseph  Idddiard,  Deptford— Improvements  in  the  construction  of  furnaces  with  a 

view  to  the  prevention  of  smoke. 

22.  David  Schischkar,  of  the  firm  of  James  Ackroyd  and  Son,  Halifax,  and  Frederick 

C.  Calvert,  Manchester— Improvements  in  dyeing  and  printing  textile  fabrics 
and  yarns. 

23.  David   B.   White,  Newcastle-upon-Tyne — Improvements  in   the    manufacture  of 

waterproof  fabrics,  and  of  waterproof  bags  aud  other  like  articles. 

24.  John  H.  Johnson,  47  Lincoln's-inn-fields,  and  Glasgow — Improvements  in  venti- 

lating carriages  and  buildings,  part  or  parts  of  such  improvements  being  appli- 
cable to  the  obtainment  of  motive  power. — (Communication  from  John  Chilcott 
and  George  Palmer,  Brooklyn,  New  York.) 

25.  William  Rigby,  Glasgow  —  Improvements  in  steam  hammers  and  pile-driving 

machinery. 

26.  Leon  J.  Pomme,  Paris— Improvements  in  reducing  the  friction  of  axles  and  axle- 

trees  of  carriages. 

27.  John   Mason,    Rochdale,   and  Leonard    Kaberry,  same  place — Improvements  in 

machinery  or  apparatus  for  preparing  cotton,  wool,  and  other  fibrous  materials 
for  spinning. 

28.  Alfred  V.  Newton,  66  Chancery  lane — Improved  machinery  for  crnshing  or  grind- 

ing and  washing  and  amalgamating  quartz  rock  and  other  substances. — (Com- 
munication.) 

Recorded  January  6. 

29.  Isaac  Pearse,  Cawsand,  Cornwall — Improvements  in  means  for  navigating  ships  or 

other  vessels. 

30.  Henry  II.  Edwards,  Ludgate-hill — Certain  improvements  in  peat  and  vegetable 

matters  for  the  purpose  of  fuel,  as  well  as  in  the  extraction  of  other  useful  pro- 
ducts therefrom. — (Partly  a  communication.) 

31.  Robert  T ait,  Glasgow— Improvements  in  the  manufacture  or  production  of  orna- 

mental fabrics. 

32.  John  Radcliffe,  Stockport — Certain  improvements  in  power  looms  for  weaving. 

33.  John  Healey,  Bolton-le-Moors  —  Improvements  in  spinning  machines  known  as 

mules,  and  in  machines  of  similar  character. — (Communication  from  Adolphe 
Peynaud  and  Edmund  Peynaud,  Charleval  pres  Fleury  sur  Andelle,  France.) 

34.  Moses  Poole,  Avenue-road,  Regent's-park — Improvements  in  the  manufacture  of 

dextrine,  glucose,  and  alcohol,  and  in  employing  the  products  of  such  manufac- 
ture.— (Communication.) 

35.  John  D.  M  Stirling,  Larches,  near  Birmingham — Improvements  in  the  manufac- 

ture of  iron. 

36.  Alfred  V.  Newton,  66  Chancery-lane — Improvements  in  the  construction  of  motive 

power  engines;  part  of  which  improvements  is  also  applicable  to  the  packing  of 
pistons  generally.— (Communication.) 

Recorded  January  7. 

37.  William  Aspden,  Blackburn,  Lancashire  —  Certain  improvements  in  looms  for 

weaving. 

38.  William  E.  Newton,  66  Chancery-lane — Improved  machinery  for  dyeing,  washing, 

and  bleaching  fabrics. — (Communication.) 


294 


THE  PRACTICAL  MECHANIC'S  JOURNAL. 


39.  Anthony  Bernhard  Baron  Von  Rathen,  Wells-street — Improvements  in  chimneys 

and  flues  of  houses,  and  in  stoves  to  be  employed  therewith,  whereby  better  di  aft 
will  be  obtained,  consumption  of  fuel  will  be  diminished,  smoke,  fog,  and  night 
damp  will  be  prevented  from  entering  apartments,  more  warmth  will  be  thrown 
out,  and  whereby  fire  in  the  chimney  can  be  readily  extinguished. 

40.  Henry  S.  Edwards,  Paris— Improvements  in  preparing  textile  fabrics  or  materials 

for  the  purpose  of  their  better  retaining  colours  applied  to  them. — (Communi- 
cation.) 

41.  John  H.  Johnson,   47   Li n col n's-inn -fields,  and  Glasgow— Improvements  in  ma- 

chinery or  apparatus  for  effecting  agricultural  operations,  and  in  communicating 
power  thereto,  parts  of  the  said  improvements  being  applicable  to  the  obtainment 
of  motive  power  for  general  purposes. — (Communication.^ 

42.  Nicholas  M.  Caralli,  Glasgow — Improvements  in  the  manufacture  or  production  of 

ornamental  fabrics. 

43.  John  G.  Taylor,  Glasgow— Improvements  in  writing  apparatus. 

Recorded  January  9. 

45.  Benjamin  Burleigh,  Great  Northern  Railway,  King's  Cross — Improvements  in  rail- 

way switches  and  chairs. 

46.  Zachariah  Pettitt,  Fordham,  near  Colchester— Improvements  in  thrashing  ma- 

chines. 

47.  Richard  A.  Tilghman,  Philadelphia,  U.S. — Improvements  in  treating  fatty  and  oily 

matters,  chiefly  applicable  to  the  manufacture  of  soap,  candles,  and  glycerine. 

48.  Richard  Husband,  Manchester— Certain  improvements  in  the  method  of  ventilat- 

ing hats  or  other  coverings  for  the  head. 

49.  William  Garforth  and  James  Garforth,  Dukinfield,  Chester — Certain  improvements 

iu  mechanism  or  apparatus  for  retarding  or  stopping  the  motion  of  locomotive 
engines,  and  other  railway  carriages. 

50.  Richard  Howson,  Manchester — Certain  improvements  in  screw  propellers. 

51.  William  Taylor,  How-wood,  Renfrew— Improvements  in  furnaces  and  fire-places, 

and  in  the  prevention  of  smoke. 

Recorded  January  10. 

52.  Edward  Tyer,  3  Rhodes-terrace,  Queen's-road,  Dalston— Improvements  in  giving 

signals  on  railways  by  electricity,  and  in  instruments  and  apparatus  connected 
therewith. 
63.  William  Brown,  Bradford— Improvements  in  preparing  to  be  spun  wool  and  other 
fibrous  material. 

54.  Antoine  M.  E.  B.  E.  Ducros  and  Ossian  Verdeau,  Paris,  and  16  Castle-street,  Hol- 

bom — Certain  improved  compound*  to  be  used  in  dyeing. 

55.  The  Rev.  William  R.  Bowditch,  Wakefield— Improvements  in  economizing  fuel, 

and  in  the  more  economical  production  of  light  and  heat. 

56.  Rev.  William  R.  Bowditch,  Wakefield — Improvements  in  the  purification  of  gas, 

and  in  the  application  of  the  materials  employed  therein. 

57.  Elmer  Townsend,   Boston,  U.S. — Improvements  in  machinery  for  sewing  cloth, 

leather,  or  other  material.— (Communication  from  William  Butterfield  and  Edgar 
M.  Stevens,  Boston.) 

58.  Alexander  Mitchell.  Belfast— Improvements  in  propelling  vessels. 

59.  John  R.  Englpdue,  Southampton — Improvements  in  furnaces. 

60.  Adolphe  Drevelle,   Halifax— Invention  of  a  new  combing  machine   suitable  for 

any  textile  or  fibrous  matter. — (Communication  from  Augustine  Morel,  Roubaix, 
France.) 

61.  William  L.  Tizard,   Aldgate— Invention  of  machinery  for  stamping,   crushing, 

washing,  and  amalgamating  gold  and  other  ores. 

Recorded  January  11. 

62.  Ambrose  A.  Masson,  Paris— Improvements  in  the  manufacture  of  thread  or  wire  to 

be  used  for  making  gold  or  silver  lace. 

63.  Joseph  J.  W.  Watson.  Old  Kent-road— Improvements  in  signalling. 

64.  Henry  Bennettsmith,  St.  Sepulchre's— Invention  of  a  machine  for  mowing  or  reap- 

ing all  kinds  of  corn,  grass,  clovers,  or  any  other  field  growth,  and  lawns 

65.  Daniel  Semple,  1st  Bombay  European  Regiment  Fusiliers,  Aden,  South  Arabia — 

An  improved  guide  for  the  finger  boards  of  musical  stringed  instruments. 

66.  William  Watt,  Glasgow— Certain  improvements  in  the  application  of  heat  to  dry- 

ing purposes. 

67.  Felix  L.  Batiwens,  Pimlico — Improvements  in  treating  fatty  matters  previous  to 

their  being  employed  in  the  manufacture  of  candles. 

68.  Richard  A.  Brooman,  166  Fleet-street — Improvements  in  extracting  gold  from  the 

ore. — (Communication.) 

69.  Ralph  Lister,  Scotswood,  Northumberland — Improvements  in  distilling  apparatus. 

70.  Marcel  Vetillart,  Le  Mans,  France — Improvements  in  drying  woven  fabrics,  yarns, 

and  other  goods. 

71.  Henry  B.  Leeson,  Greenwich — Improvements  in  gas-burners. 

72.  Felix  Tussaud,  Paris,   and  16  Castle-street,    Hnlborn — Invention  of  a  universal 

pump-press,  with  continuous  action,  called  "  Continuous  producer." 

73.  Antoine  Poncon,  Marseilles,  France,  and  16  Castle-street,  Holborn— Invention  for 

obtaining  a  motive  power. 

Recorded  January  12. 

74.  John  W.  Wrey,  16  Upper  Berkeley-street,  West — A  new  and  improved  method  of 

transmitting  motion. 

75.  Thomas  Waller,  Ratcliff— Improvements  in  register  itoves,  and  other  stoves  or 

fire-places. 

76.  Thomas  E.  Moore,  St.  Mary-le-bone— Improvements  in  apparatus  to  he  used  for 

extinguishing  fires. 

78.  John  F.  Boake,  Dublin— Improvements  in  and  applicable  to  certain  lamps  or  lan- 

terns, so  that  either  candles  or  oil  may  be  used  therein  with  facility. 

79.  John  W.  Partridge,   Birmingham— Certain  improvements  in  the  manufacture  of 

soap. 
SO.  John  Bethell.  8  Parliament-street — Improvements  in  manufacturing  coke. 

81.  Leon  J.  Anger.  Paris — Improvements  in  the  manufacture  of  metallic  tubing. 

82.  Thomas  F.  Henley,  Cambridge-street,  Pimlico — Improvements  in  the  preparation 

of  certain  colouring  materials. 

83.  Auguste  E.  L.  Bellford,  16  Castle-street,  Holbom — Improvement  in  the  manufacture 

of  glass. — (Communication.) 

84.  Samuel  Wilkes,  Wolverhampton — Improvements  in  the  construction  of  chairs  and 

rails  for  railways. 

85.  John  H.  Johnson,  47  Lincoln's-inn-fields,  and  Glasgow — Improvements  in  the  pre- 

paration of  glycerine,  and  in  its  application. — (Communication  from  Victor 
Courbolay,  Paris.) 

86.  Robert  Maclaren,  Glasgow — Improvements  in  moulding  or  shaping  metals. 

Recorded  January  13. 

87.  William  Eassie,  Gloucester — Improvements  in  trucks  used  on  railways. 

88.  Arthur  Parsey,  3  Crescent-place,  Burton-crescent,  St.  Pancras — Improvements  in 

machinery  for  obtaining  and  applying  motive  power  by  means  of  compressed  air 
and  other  fluids. 

89.  Patrick   O'Malley,   Dublin— Invention  for  the  manufacture  of  a  new  drink  or 

beverage  from  certain  vegetable  and  other  substances,  and  the  conversion  thereof 
into  vinegar. 


90.  Thomas  B.  Foulkes,  Chester— Improvements  in  the  manufacture  of  self-adjusting 

gloves. 

91.  John  Wilkinson,  Manchester— Improvements  in  the  manufacture  of  dies  for  pro- 

ducing printing  surfaces  for  calico-printers,  applicable  also  to  embossing. 

Recorded  January  14. 

92.  James  Newman,  Birmingham,  and  Henry  Jenkins,  same  place— Improvements  in 

the  manufacture  of  spoons,  table  forks,  and  other  articles. 

93.  James  Bird,  St.  Martin's  lane — Improvements  in  taps  and  cocks. 

94.  Julius  Jeffreys,  37  Carlton  Villas,  Maida  Vale— Improvements  in  the  manufacture 

of  mineral  charcoal  and  coke,  and  in  adapting  open  grates  for  the  combustion 
of  them. 

95.  Arthur  Dobson,  Bolton-le-Moors,  Lancaster — Improvements  in  looms  for  weaving. 

Recorded  January  16. 

96.  Charles  F.  Stansbury,  17  Cornhill— Improved  method  of  propelling  machinery.— 

(Communication  from  Bernard  Hughes,  Rochester,  U.S.) 

97.  William  Crosskill,  Beverley,  York— Improvements  in  construction  of  portable 

railways. 

98.  James  Newall,  Bury,  Lancaster— Improvements  in  machinery  or  apparatus  for 

stopping  or  retarding  the  progress  of  railway  and  other  carriages,  and  in  the 

mode  or  method  of  connecting  two  or  more  carriages  with  the  said  apparatus 

together. 
Philip  Grant,  Manchester — Improved  roller  used  in  the  processes  of  letterpress, 

copperplate,  and  lithographic  printing. 
Peter  Blaker,  Crayford,  Kent,  and  William  Wood,  126  Chancery  lane— A  machine 

for  crushing  coal  and  the  refuse  arising  from  the  combustion  of  coal  used  for 

brick-making  and  other  purposes. 
George  F.  Wilson,  Belmont,  Vauxhall — Improvement  in  the  manufacture  of  candles 

and  night-lights. 
Penrose  G.  Julyan,  71  Bath-street,  Birmingham — Improvements  in  communicating 

signals  to  engineers,  guards,  and  others  in  a  moving  railway  train. 
Joseph  Spires,  Lower  Drummond-street,  Euston-square — Improvements  applicable 

to  boots  and  shoes. 

Recorded  January  17. 

William  Brown,  C  am  be  rwell— Improvements  in  printing  machinery. 

William  Crosskill,  Beverley,  Yorkshire — Improvement  in  the  construction  of  car- 
riage wheels  to  run  on  railways  and  ordinary  roads. 

Edward  Highton,  Regenfs-park — Improvements  in  suspending  the  wires  of  elec- 
tric telegraphs. 

Henry  Holland,  Birmingham — Certain  improvements  in  the  construction  of  parts 
of  umbrellas  and  parasols. 

Robert  Maclaren,  Glasgow — Improvements  in  moulding  or  shaping  metals. 

Henry  Corlett,  Summerhill,  Dublin— Improvements  in  springs  for  railway  and  other 
carriages  and  vehicles. 

Karl  Weber,  Rechtberg,  Wiirtemberg— Improvements  in  the  manufacture  of  boots 
and  shoes. 

Bevan  G.  Sloper,  London— Improvements  in  machinery  or  apparatus  for  separating 
gold  from  earthy  matters. 


99. 
100. 

101. 
103. 
104. 

106. 
107. 

108. 

109. 

110. 
111. 

112. 

113. 

114. 
115. 
117. 


Recorded  January  18. 

William  B.  Hnigh,  Oldham,  Lancaster— Improvements  in  machinery  for  tenon- 
ing, mortising,  slotting,  cutting,  or  shaping  wood  or  metal. 

Edward  Lord,  Todmorden,  Yorkshire  —  Certain  improvements  in  looms  for 
weaving. 

Charles  S.  Cahill,  Greenwich,  and  Annadown,  Galway — Improvements  in  submarine, 
subterranean,  and  other  electric  and  magnetic  telegraphs,  and  in  insulating,  lay- 
ing down,  joining,  and  covering  the  same. 

118.  William  Batten,  74  Westbourne-street,  Pimlico — Improvement  in  the  construction 

of  a  sink,  drain,  or  gully  trap,  named  the  self-acting  effluvium  trap,  for  the  more 
effectual  conveyance  of  all  liquids  or  admixtures  in  passing  into  drains,  sewers, 
cesspools,  or  other  receptacles,  and  the  better  prevention  and  exclusion  of  all 
vapours,  effluvia,  or  gases  arising  therefrom. 

119.  Walter  Green  shields,  Edinburgh — Improvements  in  chenile  fabrics. 

120.  William  Thomas,  Cheapside— Improvements  in  stays. 

121.  Edmund  Sharpe,  Swadlincote  Potteries,  near  Burton-on-Trent— Improvements  in 

the  apparatus  used  for  sifting  clay. 

122.  Charles  Howard,  4  Trafalgar-terrace,  Hoxton— Improvements  in  the  manufacture 

of  iron. 

125.  Jean  P.  Bourquin,  Newman-street — Improvements  in  or  applicable  to  troughs  or 

vessels  for  holding  liquid  substances  required  in  the  art  of  photography. 

Recorded  January  19. 

126.  George  H.  Bursill,  Ranelagh  Works,  Pimlico— Improvements  in  operating  upon 

metalliferous  ores  and  other  minerals,  and  upon  "  slags"  and  "sweep,"  in  order 
to  facilitate  the  separation  and  recovery  of  the  metals  and  other  products;  also 
in  machinery  or  apparatus  for  effecting  such  improvements,  which  is  in  part  ap- 
plicable to  other  purposes. 

128.  Alexander  Delgaty,  Florence-road,  Deptford— A  new  construction  of  rotatory  en- 

gines or  pumps. 

129.  John  Norton,  Cork— Improvements  in  effecting  communication  between  the  dif- 

ferent parts  of  railway  trains. 

130.  Thomas  Webb,  Platts  Glass  Works,  Stourbridge— Improved  apparatus  applicable 

to  the  annealing  of  glass  and  the  firing  of  pottery  ware. 

131.  Heloise  Guyon,  Paris— Improvements  in  the  manufacture  of  bread. 

132.  Henry  Brownentt,  Liverpool— Invention  of  treating  scrap  and  waste  iron  so  as  to 

render  the  same  more  readily  available  in  the  manufacture  of  iron. 

133.  Francis  Parkes,  Sutton  Coldfield,  Warwickshire— Invention  of  a  mode  or  method 

of  fixing  tools  and  implements  in  helves  or  handles. 

134.  Jeremiah  Hunt,  State  of  Massachusetts,  U.S.  — Improvements  in  machinery  for 

sewing  cloth  or  other  material. — (Communication  from  Christopher  Hodgkin- 
son,  of  the  aforesaid  state.) 

135.  Charles  W.  R.  Rickard,  5  Great  Charlotte-street,  Blackfriars-road— Improvements 

in  cocks  and  taps. 

Recorded  January  20. 

136.  Henry  Dircks,  32  Moorgate  streets-Improvements  in  safety  apparatus  applicable 

to  certain  boilers  and  stills. 

137.  Henry  B.  Condy,  Battersea— Improvements  in  the  manufacture  of  sulphate  of  soda, 

sulphate  of  potash,  and  other  sulphates,  and  in  the  manufacture  and  employment 
of  muriatic  acid. 

138.  Edward  Aitchison,  Lieutenant  Royal  Navy,  14  Manor-street,  Cheyne-walk,  Chel- 

sea—Improvements in  apparatus  for  fixing,  removing,  and  plugging  tubes  of 
tubular  steam  boilers. 

139.  Auguste  E.  L.  Bellford,  16  Castle-street,  Holborn— Certain  improvements  in  cut- 

ting cloth  and  other  fabrics  and  materials  suitable  for  garments  and  furniture. — 
(Communication.) 

140.  Oliver  R.  Chase,  Boston,  U.S.— Invention  of  pulverizing  machinery. 


THE  PRACTICAL  MECHANIC'S  JOURNAL. 


295 


141.  James  J.  Field,  Charles-terrace — Improvements  applicable  to  guns,  cannon,  or 

ordnance,  rifles,  and  other  similar  implements  of  war  or  the  chase,  for  more  ac- 
curately aiming  at  the  object  to  be  struck  by  projectiles. 

142.  Robert  A.  Smith,  Manchester,  and  Alexander  M'Dougall,  same  place — Improve- 

ments in  treating,  deodorizing,  and  disinfecting  sewage  and  other  offensive 
matter,  which  said  improvements  are  also  applicable  to  deodorizing  and  disin- 
fecting in  general. 

143.  John  H.  Johnson,  47  Lincoln's-inn-fields,    and    Glasgow — Improvements  in  the 

manufacture  of  stays  or  corsets. — (Communication  from  Adolphe  G.  Gercnes, 
Paris.) 

Secorded  January  21. 

144.  Richard  Roberts,  Manchester — Certain  improvements  in  machinery  for  cutting 

paper,  pasteboard,  leather,  cloth,  and  other  materials. 
146.  Marie  L.  L.  Beaudloux,  Paris — Invention  of  a  candlestick,  working  by  machinery, 
so  as  to  keep  the  candle  always  at  the  same  height  in  a  tube;  with  a  shade  of  a 
peculiar  construction,  so  as  to  augment  greatly  the  quantity  of  light. 

145.  George  Grace  and  Thomas  F.  Jones,  Birmingham — Improvements  in  boots  and 

shoes,  as  also  boot  and  shoe  socks  or  inner  soles,  whereby  the  same  are  rendered 
waterproof. 

149.  John  Westerton,  Earl's-court-Toad,  Brompton — An  improvement  in  the  manufac- 

ture of  night-light  boxes  or  cases. 

150.  Cyprien  M.  T.  du  Motay,  24  Rue  Fontaine  St.  George,  Paris — Improvements  in  the 

manufacture  of  oil  from  rosin. 

151.  Herman  E.  Falk,  Gateacre-house,  Liverpool— Improvements  in  preparing  or  manu- 

facturing salt. 

152.  Thomas  B.  Yenables,  Burslem — Certain  improvements  in  the  manufacture  of  earth- 

enware. 

153.  Peter  Spence,  Pendleton,  near  Manchester — Improvements  in  manufacturing  the 

prussiates  of  potash  and  soda. 

154.  Daniel  Warren,  Exmouth— Improvements  in  raising,  pumping,  and  forcing  water. 

155.  Charles  J.  Edwards,  Great  Sutton-street— Improvements  in  the  manufacture  of 

bands  for  driving  machinery. 

Secorded  January  23. 

156.  Andrew  Shanks,  6  Robert-street,  Adelphi — Certain  improvements  in  machinery  for 

punching  and  shearing  metals. 

157.  Charles  C.  Armstrong  and  William  Pursall,  Birmingham — A  new  or  improved  per- 

cussion cap. 
158-  William  Darling,  Edinburgh — Improvements  in  sewing  machines.— (Communica- 
tion.) 

160.  Thomas  Robinson,  5  Farringdon-street — Improvements  in  apparatus  for  filtering 

volatile  liquids. 

161.  Matthew  A.  Muir,  Glasgow — Improvements  in  weaving. 

162.  John  Lockhart,  jun.,  Paisley— Improvements  in  the  manufacture  of  bobbins. 

163.  John  G.  Taylor,  Glasgow — Improvements  in  treating  the  fleeces  or  natural  cover- 

ings of  sheep  and  other  animals  when  on  the  animals. 

164.  John  G.  Taylor,  Glasgow — Improvements  in  lamps,  and  in  substances  to  be  burned 

therein. 

165.  Henry  Seebohm  Esholt,  near  Leeds — Improvements  in  combing  wool,  goats'  hair, 

alpaca,  cotton,  and  other  fibrous  material. 
166-  John  Getty,  Liverpool— Improvements  in  the  manufacture  of  tubular  bridges;  part 
of  which  improvements  is  applicable  also  to  the  preparation  of  plates  for  covering 
iron  ships,  for  constructing  boilers,  and  for  other  analogous  uses. 

167.  John  Westlake,  Totnes — Invention  for  pulverising,  washing,  separating,  amalga- 

mating, and  otherwise  treating  ores,  gossans,  earths,  and  rocks,  so  as  the  better 
to  obtain  and  extract  therefrom  the  gold  and  other  metals  and  minerals  which 
may  be  contained  therein. 

168.  Augnste  E.  L.  Bellford,  16  Castle-street,  Holborn — Improvements  in  machinery  for 

bending  metal,  and  producing  forms  thereon  by  pressure, — (Communication.) 
169-  Jean  M.  J.  L.  Bouvet,  16  Castle-street,  Holborn,  and  Paris— Certain  improvements 
in  kneading  machines. 

171.  Richard  A.  Brooman,  166  Fleet-street — Improvements  in  machinery  for  sawing  stone 

and  marble. — (Communication.) 

172.  Richard  A.  Brooman,  166  Fleet-street — Improvements  in  extracting  the  copper  from 

the  ore. — (Communication.) 

173.  Adolpbus  T.  Wagner,  Berlin — Invention  of  a  psychograpb,  or  apparatus  for  indicat- 

ing persons'  thoughts  by  the  agency  of  nervous  electricity. 

Secorded  January  24. 

174.  Sir  Adderley  Sleigh,  1  Weymouth-street,  Portland-place — Invention  of  creating  a 

continual  self-acting,  self-sustaining  new  motive  power,  applicable  to  every  pur- 
pose requiring  speed,  motion,  and  power,  together  or  separately, 

175.  George  Williams,  16  Cannon- street,  St.  George*  in- the-East—  Improvements  in  the 

construction  of  water-closets. 

176.  Jean  B.  Moinier,  La  Villette,  Paris,  and  4  South-street,  Finsbury — Invention  of  a 

new  chemical  process  for  the  production  of  sulphates  of  soda,  potassa,  and 
alumina  of  nitrates  of  soda  and  potassa,  of  soap,  and  of  hydrochloric,  sulphuric, 
stearic,  morgaric,  and  elaidic  acids. 

177.  Jean  L.  Schlossmacher,  Paris — An  improved  support  of  lamps. 

178.  John  Ridgway,  Cauldon-place,  Staffordshire — Certain  improvements  in  the  method 

of  generating  and  applying  heat  to  kilns,  ovens,  and  furnaces  for  manufacturing 
purposes. 

179.  William  I.  Ellis,  Salford — Certain  improvements  in  turntables  to  be  employed  on 

or  in  connection  with  railways. 

180.  William  Massey,  Hemer-terrace,  near  Liverpool — Improvements  in  artificial  teeth 

and  gum3. 

181.  John  Bapty,  Leeds— Certain  improvements  in  machinery  for  preparing  to  be  spun 

wool  and  other  fibrous  substances  when  mixed  with  wool. 

182.  Samuel  C.  Lister,  Manningham,  Bradford — Improvements  in  combing  wool,  cotton, 

and  other  fibrous  materials. 

183.  John  Bird,  Kingswinford,  near  Dudley — Improvements  in  kilns  for  burning  bricks 

and  other  articles. 

Secorded  January  36. 

184.  Joseph  A.  Mingaud,  St.  Pons,  France — Certain  improvements  in  producing  orna- 

mental surfaces  on  velvet  or  other  hairy  cloths  or  fabrics. 

185-  Edward  B.  Walmsley,  Middle  Mall,  Hammersmith— Improvements  in  utensils, 
implements,  and  apparatus  for  the  purposes  of  lighting,  heating,  and  cooking. 

186.  William  E.  Newton,  66  Chancery-lane — An  improvement  in  violins  and  other  simi- 
lar stringed  musical  instruments. — (Communication.) 

188.  William  H.  Thornthwaite,  Newgate-street — An  improvement  in  the  manufacture  of 

sulphuric  acid. 

189.  Richard  A.  Brooman,  166  Fleet-street — Invention  of  a  new  and  improved  fluid  for 

illominafing  purposes.— -(Communication.) 

190.  Archibald  L.  Reid,  Glasgow— Improvements  in  printing  textile  fabrics  and  other 

surfaces. 

191.  James  Anderson,  Auchnagie,  Perthshire— Improvements  in  obtaining  motive 

power. 


203 
204 


205. 


Secorded  January  26. 

192.  Thomas  Wicksteed,  Leicester  —  Improvements  in  the  manufacture   of   sewage 

manure. 

193.  Thomas  Wicksteed,  Leicester  —  Improvements   in  the  manufacture  of  sewage 

manure. 

194.  Thomas  Wicksteed,  Leicester — Improvements  in  the  manufacture  of  sewage  man- 

ure, and  in  apparatus  for  that  purpose. 

195.  Francis  M.  Blyth,  Norwich — Improvements  in  the  mode  of  heating  water  for  steam 

boilers. 

196.  Charles  Reeves,  jun.,  and  William  Wells,  Birmingham— An  improvement  or  im- 

provements in  casting  metals. 

197.  Sydney  Smith,  Hyson  Green  Works,  near  Nottingham — Improvements  in  valves 

or  apparatus  for  regulating  the  passage  and  supply  of  fluids. 

198.  Samuel  S.  Stallard,  York-street,  Leicester— Improvements  in  the  manufacture  of 

knit  fabrics. 

199.  George  Firmin,  Bath — Improvements  in  anchors. 

Secorded  January  27. 

200.  Francois  F.  Roharr,  Sotteville  les  Rouen,  France — Improvements  in  the  preparation 

of  a  certain  substance  for  clarifying  liquids. 

201.  Patrick  M.  Crane,  18  Canonbury  Villas,  New  North-road,  Islington— Improvement 

in  the  manufacture  of  iron. 

202.  Alphonse  Cajetan  de  Simencourt,  Paris,  and  4  South-street,  Finsbury— Improve- 
ments in  composing  and  distributing  type. 

William  Church,  Birmingham— An  improvement  or  improvements  in  ordnance. 
Henry  Fendall,  Hoxton,  near  London—  Improvements  in  machinery  and  apparatus 

for  crushing,  washing,  and  amalgamating  auriferous  quartz  and  other  ores. 
Thomas  Thurlby,  Guild  ford-street  East,  Spafields — Improvements  in  the  means  of 

effecting  instant  communication  between  distant  points  of  railway  trains. 

206.  William  Palmer,  Brighton — Improvements  in  the  manufacture  of  materials  for  and 

in  constructing  houses  and  other  buidings. 

207.  William  Partington,  Bolton-le-Moors,  Lancashire— An  improved  construction  of 

safety  valve  for  steam-engines. 

208.  Joseph  Atkinson,  Richmond-grove— Improvements  in  thrashing  machinery, 

Secorded  January  28, 

209.  Jules  J.  L.  Fournier,    Montpelier,    France — An    improved   mode  of   obtaining 

alcohol. 

210.  John  Grist,  New  North-road,  Islington — An  improved  break  for  railway  and  other 

carriages. 

211.  Mead  T.  Raymond,  25  Clement's-lane,  Lombard-street— Improvements  in  appara- 

tus for  retarding  and  stopping  trains  of  carriages  on  railways. 

212.  Josiah  L.  Clark,  2  Chester  Villas,  Islington — Improvements  in  apparatus  for  con- 

veying letters  or  parcels  between  places  by  the  pressure  of  air  and  vacuum.. 

213.  Wellington  Williams,  Cheapside — Invention  of  a  method  of  and  apparatus  for  heat- 

ing the  heaters  of  box  irons,  and  other  like  purposes. 

214.  David  Chadwick,  Sali'ord,  and   George  Hanson,   Manchester —Improvements  in 

meters  for  measuring  water  or  other  liquids,  and  vapours  or  gas. 

215.  Donald  Bethune,   Toronto,   Canada  West — Improvements  in  the  construction  of 

vessels  propelled  by  steam  or  other  motive  power. 

216.  William  G.  Taylor,  Norfolk-terrace,  Westbourne-grove — Improvements  in  certain 

parts  of  machines  employed  for  preparing  and  spinning  cotton,  wool,  hair,  silk, 
flax,  and  other  fibrous  substances  or_materials. 

217.  William  Woolford,  Bowling  New  Dye  Works,  Bradford — Improvements  in  pressing 

and  watering  moreens  and  other  fabrics. 

218.  William  Redgrave  and  Thomas  Redgrave,  23  Bow-street,  Co  vent-garden— Inven- 

tion of  new  railway  signal  lights,  to  be  called  "  Redgrave's  patent  railway  signal 
light." 

Secorded  January  30, 

219.  Peter  A.  Le  Compte  de  Fontaine  Moreau,  4  South-street,  Finsbury,  and  Paris- 

Improved  means  of  preventing  accidents  on  railways,— (Communication.) 

220.  Peter  Armand  le  Comte  de  Fontaine  Moreau,  Paris,  and  4  South-street,  Finsbury 

— Certain  arrangements  for  preventing  accidents  on  railways. — (Communication.) 

221.  Henry   J.   lliffe,   Birmingham,  and  Nehemiah   Brough,    same  place— Improve- 

ments in  the  manufacture  of  buttons,  and  in  attaching  them  to  articles  of  wear- 
ing apparel. 

222.  William  Phillips,  Birmingham— Improvements  in  the  manufacture  of  coffins. 

223.  William  Hodgson,  Wakefield — Improvements  in  machinery  for  the  manufacture  of 

looped  fabrics. 

224.  Benjamin  O'Neale  Stratford,  Earl  of  Aldborough,  Wicklow — Improvements  in  aerial 

navigation. 

225.  Joseph  R.  Cooper,  Birmingham — Improvements  in  preparing  or  constructing  and 

dressing  rolls  for  rolling  gun  barrels,  tubes,  and  bars. 

226.  Richard  Garrett,  Leiston  Works,  near  Saxmundham — Improvements  in  thrashing- 

machines. 

227.  John  Kershaw,  Dublin — Improvements  in  steam-engines. 

228.  John  H.  Johnson,  47  Lincoln's-inn-fields,  and  Glasgow — Improvements  in  the  manu- 

facture or  production  of  gas,  and  in  the  application  of  the  materials  employed 
therein.— (Communication.) 

229.  Robert  Chapman,  Eaton — Invention  of  an  apparatus  for  regulating  the  feed  to 

millstones. 

Secorded  January  31. 


230. 
231. 
232, 
233. 
234. 
235. 


238. 

239. 

240. 

241. 


Thomas  Cox,  Wolverhampton— An  improvement  or  improvements  in  buttons,  and 
in  attaching  the  same  to  articles  of  dress. 

Arnold  M.  Fatio  and  Francois  Verdeil,  Paris — Improvements  in  preserving  animal 
and  vegetable  substances. 

Edward  W.  K.  Turner,  31  Praed-street,  Paddington — Invention  of  treating  gold 
and  other  ores. 

Thomas  Hollingsworth,  Nottingham — Improvements  in  forming  or  applying  tags 
to  laces. 

Luther  Young,  8  Bow-lane,  Cheapside,  and  Edwin  Marten,  19  Louisa-street— Im- 
provements in  apparatus  for  regulating  the  pressure  and  supply  of  gas. 

Caroline  Erkmann,  La  Villette,  near  Paris,  and  16  Castle-street,  Holborn — Inven- 
tion of  the  manufacture  of  telegraphic  wires. 

Isaac  Hazlehurst,  Ulverstone,  Lancaster — Improvements  in  the  manufacture  of  iron 
by  blast,  and  in  the  construction  of  furnaces  used  for  the  same. 

Richard  Oliver,  Robert  Barlow,  and  James  Blundell,  Manchester— Certain  improve- 
ments in  machinery  or  apparatus  for  embossing  and  cutting  out  patterns  or  de- 
vices for  the  ornamentation  of  textile  fabrics  or  other  materials  or  surfaces. 

Louis  C.  Koeffler,  Rochdale,  Lancashire — Certain  improvements  in  machinery  or 
apparatus  for  preparing,  dressing,  auc*  finishing  yarns  or  threads. 

Louis  C.  Koeffler,  Rochdale—  Certain  improvements  in  the  method  or  process  of 
scouring,  washing,  and  oiling  wool  and  other  textile  materials,  for  the  purpose  of 
spinning,  and  in  the  machinery  or  apparatus  connected  therewith. 

William  Wright  and  George  Brown,  Newcastle-upon-Tyne — Improvements  in 
cupolas,  which  improvements  are  also  applicable  to  smelting  and  other  furnaces. 

Pierre  J.  Meeus,  Paris — Improvements  in  producing  metallic  surfaces. 


296 


THE  PRACTICAL  MECHANIC'S  JOURNAL. 


242.  William  Malam,  Bl  nek  friars-road,  Surrey— Improvements  in  apparatus  for  the 

manufacture  and  holding  of  gas. 

243.  Richard  A.  Brooman,  166  Fleet-street— Improvements  in  the  manufacture  of  steel. 

— (Communication.) 

244.  Philibert  Beaudot,  Paris,  and  16  Castle-street,  Holborn— Improvements  in  gas- 

burn  efs. 

245.  James  Jackson,  Broad-street,  Golden-square,  and  George  M.  Hautler,  Sloane-street 

— Improvements  in  baths. 

Recorded  February  1. 

246.  Claude  B.  A.  Chenot,  Paris,  and  16  Castle-street,  Holborn  — Improvements  in 

accumulating,  conducting,  and  treating  gases  of  combustion,  and  also  in  gene- 
rating and  applying  the  same  to  metallurgic  and  other  purposes. 

247.  Henry  Wickens,  4  Tokenhouse-yard,  Bank— Improvements  in  the  mode  of  inter- 

communication in  railway  trains. 
24S.  Augustin  Mortcra,  Paris —Improvements  in  apparatus  for  stopping  locomotive 
engines,  waggons,  or  other  vehicles  on  railways. 

249.  John  Buchanan,  Leamington  Priors— Improvements  in  propellers,  and  applying 

them. 

250.  John  Burgnm,  Birmingham— A  new  or  improved  self-acting  damper  for  the  fur- 

naces of  steam-boilers. 

251.  William   Guest,   Sneinton,   Nottinghamshire  — Improvements  in   machinery   for 

making  whips;  parts  of  which  improvements  are  also  applicable  to  the  manu- 
facture of  braids  and  wire  nets. 

253.  Albert  Robinson,  9  Whitehall-place— Improvements  in  preparing  compositions  for 

coating  iron  and  other  ships'  bottoms,  and  other  surfaces. 

254.  Charles  F.  Le  Page,  Paris— Certain  improvements  in  apparatus  for  lighting. 

^55.  John  Jobson,  Litchurch  Works,  near  Derby,  and  Robert  Jobson,  Holly  Hall 
Works,  near  Dudley,  Staffordshire— Improvements  in  the  manufacture  of  moulds 
for  casting  metals. 

256.  Alfred  Daniel,  Dudley-road,  Wolverhampton— Improvements  in  locks,  and  handles 

for  the  same. 

257.  James  Uargreaves  and  James  Fletcher,  both  of  Facit,  near  Rochdale— Certain 

improvements  in  machinery  for  preparing  to  be  spun  cotton  and  other  fibrous 
materials. 

255.  John  D.  Morrison,  Sunderland,  Durham — Improvements  in  winches. 

259.  Joseph  Beattie,  South-street,  Lambeth— Improvements  in  furnaces,  and  in  the 

treatment  of  steam. 

Recorded  February  2. 

260.  Thomas  Atkins,  Oxford — Improvements  in  transmitting  power,  and  communicating 

motion  to  implements  for  agricultural  and  other  purposes. 

261.  Adolphe  Mohler,  Obernay  (Bas  Ellin),  France— Certain  improvements  in  apparatus 

for  lubricating  machinery. 

263.  Charles  E.  Paris,  Paris— Certain  improvements  in  covering  with  metals  certain 

metallic  surfaces. 

264.  James  Stevens,   Darlington  Works,   Southwark  Bridge-road— Improvements   in 

apparatus  for  giving  railway  signals. 

265.  John  H.  Glassford,  Glasgow —  Improvements  in  lithographic  and  ziucographic 

printing. 

266.  Frederick  H.  Sykes,  Cork-street,  Piccadilly — An  improved  apparatus  for  supplying 

or  feeding  boilers  with  water,  applicable  to  raising  and  forcing  liquids  for  other 
purposes. 

Recorded  February  3. 

268.  Anguste  E.  L.  Bellford,  16  Castle-street,  Holborn — A  new  system  of  apparatus,  to 
be  called  "  atmospheric  post,"  for  transmitting  letters  and  messages,  and  appli- 
cable to  railways,  and  as  a  speaking  trumpet. — (Communication.) 

270.  Robert  B.  Newhouse,  Uckfield,  Sussex— Improved  apparatus  for  conducting  off  the 
gases  of  combustion  from  open  fireplaces. 

272.  Alfred  Lanues  Marquis  of  Montebello,  Mareuil-sur-Ay,  France — An  improved 
propeller,  applicable  to  the  navigation  of  ships  and  other  vessols. 

274.  Edward  Howard  and  David  P.  Davis,  Massachusetts — Improvements  in  machinery 
for  sewing  cloth  or  other  material. — (Communication  from  Sylvester  H.  Roper, 
Massachusetts.) 

Recorded  February  4. 

276.  William  Gosling,  4  Edward-street,  Woolwich— Invention  for  the  purpose  of  pre- 
venting collisions  on  railways,  which  he  bas  designated  "  Gosling's  railway 
danger  signal." 

278.  Alfred  V.  Newton,  66  Chancery-lane— Improvements  in  springs  applicable  to  rail- 
way carriages  and  other  uses. — (Communication.) 

280.  William  Little,  Strand— Improvements  in  distilling  or  obtaining  products  from 
coals  and  bituminous  substances. 

282.  Edward  Cole,  Hemming' s-row — An  improvement  in  the  frames  of  travelling  bags. 

Recorded  February  6. 

284.  Dominiques  Deyres,  16  Bateman-buildings,  Soho-square— Certain  improvements  in 

drilling  or  boring. 
288.  Thomas  and  William  Hemsley,  Melbourne,  Derbyshire — Improvements  in  the 

manufacture  of  looped  fabrics. 
290.  Andrew  Duncan,  Glen  House,  Denny,  Stirlingshire — Improvements  in  bleaching. 
292.  Peter  Trumble,  Huddersfield— Improvements  in  paper-hangings. 


Recorded  February  7. 

294.  James  Murdoch,  7  Staple-inn,  Holborn— An  improved  process  for  manufacturing 

paper.  , 

296.  Edward  Poitiers,  Maiden-terrace,  Haverstock-hill— Invention  of  a  new  material  for 
the  manufacture  of  cordage,  canvas,  and  linen,  and  generally  as  a  substitute  for 
hemp  and  flax. 

295.  William  J.  Curtis,  23  Birchin-lane— An  improved  railway  signal,  especially  adapted 

as  a  danger  signal. 

300.  Alphonse  F.  D.  Duviliier,  16  Castle-street,  Holborn,  and  Paris— Invention  of  a  new 
system  of  remontoirs  or  apparatus  for  winding  watches  without  a  key. 

302.  James  Taylor  and  Isaac  Brown,  Carlisle,  and  John  Brown,  Oxford-street — Improve- 
ments in  the  charring  of  animal  and  vegetable  substances. 

304.  Alfred  V.  Newton,  66  Chancery-lane — Improved  machinery  for  heckling  flax  and 
other  fibrous  materials. — (Communication.) 

Recorded  February  8. 
306.  Edward  T.  Eees,  Prospectrplace,  Swindon,  Wilts— Improvements  in  pressure  slide 
valves  in  steam-engines,  to  be  called  the  "  Anti-pressure  valve." 

tt&°  Information  as  to  any  of  these  applications,  and  their  progress,  may  be  had  on  appli- 
cation to  the  Editor  of  this  Journal. 

DESIGNS  FOR  ARTICLES  OF  UTILITY. 

Registered  from  19th  January  to  13th  February.  1854. 

Batty  and  Co.,  Leadenhall-street, — "  Jar  and  cover." 

H.  Greaves,  Birmingham, — "  Portmanteau." 

Waterlow  and  Sons,  London-wall, — "  Envelope.'' 

H.  Hill  and  R.  Millard,  Duncan  non-street, — "  Writing-case." 

P.  Arkell,  Brixton-hill, — "  Manger." 

P.  Wagenmam,  Bonn,  Prussia,—"  Lamp." 

I.  Cheek,  Ox  ford -street, — "  Hook-spinning  bait." 

Walsh  and  Brierley,  Halifax,— Waistband  clasp." 

W.  Oxley  and  Co.,  Manchester, — "  Flyer-washer." 

H.  T.  Bodcn,  Birmingham, — "  Tooth  brush." 

W.  Aston,  Birmingham, — "  Button." 


Jan. 

19th, 

3553 

20th, 

3554 

23d, 

3555 

— 

3556 

28th, 

3557 

31st, 

3558 

Feb 

2d, 

3559 

3d, 

3560 

4th, 

3561 

7th, 

3562 

13th, 

3563 

DESIGNS  FOR  ARTICLES  OF  UTILITY, 

Provisionally  Registered. 

Jan.  16th,  555  T.  Lavender,  Goswell-road,— "  Cinder-sifter." 

19th,  556  Carl  Von  Berg,  Bath-street, — "  Miniature-case  catch." 

20th,  557  J.  Stoker,  Doncaster,— "  Signal -break." 

31st,  558  C.  J.  Recordon,  Barnstable, — "  Angle  trisector." 

Feb.     2d,  559  T.  Gloghegan,  Jermyn-street, — "  Raglan  surtout." 

8th,  560  G.  Grace,  Birmingham, — "  Screw-nicking  machine." 

—  561  E.  Aldis,  North- street, — "  Cramp." 


'  TO  READERS  AND  CORRESPONDENTS. 

Completion  of  the  6th  Volume  of  the  "  Practical  Mechanic's  Journal."—  The 
preseut  Part,  No.  72,  completes  the  6th  Volume  of  this  Journal,  and  the  set  may  be  had 
from  any  bookseller,  in  cloth,  lettered,  price  14s.  each,  or  the  whole  72  Parts  separately, 
for  binding,  to  suit  the  purchaser.  The  set  may  also  be  had,  handsomely  bound  in  half- 
call',  and  lettered,  to  form  three  double  volumes,  with  the  Plates  bound  separately,  to  cor- 
respond, price  31s*.  6d.  for  each  double  volume  and  volume  of  Plates.  Volume  VI.  con- 
tains 27  quarto  pages  of  copperplate  engravings,  and  nearly  700  engravings  on  wood. 

The  Practical  Draughtsman's  Book  of  Industrial  Design.— This  work  is  now  com- 
plete. It  is  composed  of  13  Parts,  price  2s.  each.  The  whole  forms  a  volume  of  200  pages 
of  letter-press,  105  quarto  pages  of  copperplate  engravings  of  the  highest  class,  and  60 
wood  engravings.  Price,  complete,  in  cloth,  gold-lettered,  £1.  9s.  Any  of  the  Parts  can 
be  had  separately. 

Science. — Wheels  set  on  separate  axles  have  already  been  proposed  to  work  with  his 
system  of  articulated  connections.  All  such  plans  have  been  given  up  as  impracticable; 
and  we  regret  that  our  correspondent's  modification  does  not  alter  our  views  on  the  sub- 
ject. 

T.  Walker,  Manchester,  gives  us  no  further  address,  consequently  we  have  been  unable 
to  reply  to  his  inquiries.  Several  life-boats  have  appeared  in  our  pages.  His  bookseller 
will  advise  him  how  to  obtain  the  parts. 

J.  G.,  Halifax. — The  address  is  ■'  Old  Kent  Road,  London." 

Received. — "Analytical  Physics,  or  Trinology,"  by  R.  Forfar. — "  The  Crystal  Palace 
and  Park  in  1853;  what  has  been  done,  and  what  will  be  done,  addressed  to  Intending 
Exhibitors." —  "Sub-Arch  Railways  in  the  Streets  of  London."  By  John  Williams. — 
"  On  Peruvian  Guano,"  by  J.  C.  Nesbit. — "  A  Letter  to  the  Right  Hon.  the  Earl  of  Aber- 
deen on  the  New  War  Shell,"  by  J.  A.  Smith. — "  People's  Journal."  New  York.  ParLs 
I.  to  IV. 

Montgomery. — It  is  made  by  Sword,  22  South  Hanover  Street,  Edinburgh.  Phonal 
examination  is  the  only  guide  as  to  actual  value.  The  mill  our  correspondent  mentions 
is,  we  believe,  a  good  one;  but  the  particulars  asked  for  are  obtainable  only  from  the 
maker. 


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