352 



New Patents and Mechanical Inventions. 



[May 1, 



unifoiinly without fracture or injiiiy 

 either to its texture, or its complete 

 impermeabilify to water, vvhcnever the 

 ship's scams are opened by straining in 

 hard weather, or in the more dangerous 

 cases of the starting of i>lanks or break- 

 ing of timbers, as in stranding. In all 

 such cases, when with the usual mode 

 of sheathing watei- would necessarily 

 be admitted to flie certain destruction 

 of the vessel, this material forms an im- 

 penetrable and elastic case or garment 

 for the whole ship's bottom, and in the 

 case of the opening of seams by strain- 

 ing, it recovers its first dimensions with 

 the return of the part so opened, or the 

 release of the strain, in such cases it 

 generally fell into the openings in a 

 certain degree so as to render tlicm 

 afterwards more secure against a recur- 

 rence. He also finds it to be a com- 

 plete protection against every descrip- 

 tion of worm in all climates : tii is de- 

 structive animal is never known to pe- 

 netrate the material in the slightest de- 

 gree. The material hair, or hair and 

 wool is prepared for felting by the opera- 

 tions of dressing and bowing, as in the 

 practices of hat-making, and is felted 

 in the usual manner. Sheets or por- 

 tions thus felted, are dipped into melted 

 tar and pitcli in certain stated propor- 

 tions to each other, and then undergo 

 a slight compression to take away the 

 extraneous or dripping quantity of the 

 material ; they are then exposed for a 

 short time to dry and cool, and are 

 then considered fit for use. 



The patentee uses mechanical ar- 

 rangement, by which the Jusual labour 

 of dressing and bowing is greatly re- 

 duced, and which also effects in a very 

 simple and expeditious manner the 

 uniform deliveiy of the dressed and 

 bowed or prepared material in the pre- 

 cise quantity, and in the proper figure 

 for felting for each sheet. The same ma- 

 terial is also applied with the same ad- 

 vantage to the caulking of seams, and 

 as far as regards the impermeability to 

 water, the application renders every 

 vessel a perfect life boat. It is con- 

 sidered by all nautical men who ex- 

 perience its use as the most solid im- 

 provement in ship-buildmg of modern 

 times, and to bid fair to make an epoch 

 in the art. 



To John Hague, of Great Pearl-st. 

 Spital-fields, London, for an Improved 

 Method of preparing Materials for 

 Potters" JFkre, Bricks and Tiles. 

 The patentee separates all extraneous 

 matter from the material clay, by forc- 



ing it through the interstices of a sieve, 

 of suitable dimensions and arrangement, 

 by compression. 



The vessel in wliicli this cleansing 

 takes place, is a rectangular trunk, the 

 sides of vvhieh are set with bars at small 

 distances, leaving spaces or interstices, 

 through whicli the cleansed clay is 

 forced by the action of a piston, having 

 a rack upon it working with a pinion 

 upon a shaft in communication witli 

 the power. Bricks or tiles aie also 

 formed by the patentee's machinery, 

 by pressing the material thus prepared 

 through apei-iures of the figure of the 

 transverse section of the proposed brick, 

 &c., the length of it being regulated by 

 the action of a curve or cutter of any 

 df^scription, which is passed through the 

 pro'.riuled portion at the proper distance 

 from the first extremity. 

 To Major Rohdk, of Lemon-street, 

 Goodman'' s Fields, London, for a Me- 

 thod of separating the Molasses from 

 Muscovado or other sugars, 

 A considerable portion of the colour- 

 ing matter of sugar, constiiufing mo- 

 lasses, is found to adhere to its finer 

 crystals : this the patentee proposes by 

 his specification to remove by a process 

 of absorption ; to eflect this, the lumps 

 are broken, and the whole mass is pass- 

 ed through a sieve, whose wires are ar- 

 ranged with due regard to the protec- 

 tion of the grain. The sugar thus 

 equalised in its grain is theu spread in 

 thin strata upon linen cloths or other 

 absorbent surfaces. Several of these 

 are laid together, and the whole is sub- 

 jected to friction, by which the molasses 

 is taken up by the cloths l)y absorp- 

 tion, and the sugar remains iu a clari- 

 fied state. The molasses is afterwai-ds 

 collected by washing the cloths and 

 evaporating the liquor. 



A machine has been invented by the 

 Rev. Mr. Cecil, of Magdalen College, 

 Cambridge, in which motion was pro- 

 duced by the successive explosions of 

 a body of gas ; and a paper, containing 

 an account of the principle and con- 

 struction of the engine, was read by its 

 inventor. Mr. C. stated, that there are 

 two ways in which explosions may be 

 applied to move machinery, either by 

 using the expansive force of the ex- 

 plosion, or by taking advantage of the 

 vacuum which it produces. The con- 

 trivance described on this occasion be- 

 longs to the latter class. A piston 

 moves in a cylinder; and as it retreats, 

 the space which it leaves is occupied by 

 a mixture of hydrogen gas and atmo- 

 spheric 



