THE CIVIL ENGINEER AND ARCHITECT'S JOURNAL. 



35 



Jlints to Mechanics on Self-education and Mutual Instruction. By 

 Timothy Claxton'. London: Taylor and Walton. 1839. 



Just in the same manner as in physical subjects wevalue the experience 

 of practical men, so in moral and social questions we derive pleasure 

 from seeing them treated by those who are '" to the manner born." This 

 is the gratification which must be communicated to every reader of the 

 amusing book before us, wliich has all the ease and simplicity of De Foe, 

 and the exemplary utility of Franklin. To tlie meelianic it oft'ers at 

 once an example and a pleasant companion in the pursuit of knowledge, 

 and to the general reader it aftbrds a deep insight into those labouring 

 classes which are the sinews of the nation. This bearing of the work we 

 must, however, leave to our literary brethren, and content ourselves with 

 such practical extracts as may be of interest to our utilitarian readers. 



The author, in his plain and easy style, while giving an account of his 

 labours in Russia, thus mentions the columns of the church of St. Isaac, 

 the greatest cathedral work of the present century- : — 



Some of their columns minle of granite are very large aud liiglily polished. 

 I took the pains to measure one of the columns intended for a new churili, 

 and found it fifty- six feet long, and near seven feet diameter at the base. 

 They were brought from Finland, and two of tliem were a load for a ship, 

 one on each side of the masts, to balance each other. 'J'hey were rolled 

 from the deck to the vicinity of the intended building- on timbers nine inches 

 square, (placed but little distance apart,) which were completely crushed to 

 splinters. The rolling was performed by two ropes ; one end of each being 

 made fast, some distance ahead, to stakes driven into the ground. They 

 were passed under the column, up the back side, and over the top. The 

 other end of each rope was wound round a separate capstan. Each capstan 

 had four long levers, with from ten to twenty men at each lever. These 

 columns were placed in a temporary building for polishing. 



I also visited the foundry where the bases and capitals were made. They 

 were of brass, of the Corinthian order, and highly pohshed and gilt. The 

 square plinth for the bottom nu^asured about nine feet on each side, and one 

 foot thick. Several women and children were polishing these with pumice- 

 stone. The torvs, a round bead belonging to the base, was turning in the 

 lathe, and the workman had a very strong tool for this purpose. A steam- 

 engine, with a man to attend it, was employed entirely on the work. The 

 capitals, with their leaves and volutes, had a very splendid appearance. 



The following is but one feature of the great scale on which they do 

 things in Russia. The whole empire.indeed, is a great poor-law union, 

 which beats our Somerset House commissioners by a long way: the 

 whole is carried on with such system, that it almost realizes the satirist's 

 suggestion of boarded, lodged, clothed, and flogged by steam : — 



The bxiilding in which I was engaged in putting up the gas-works, was for 

 transacting the business of the Russian army. In this building were several 

 departments, with a ** general" at the head of each, some ^)f whom employed 

 above two hundred clerks. In this building I saw lithographic printing for 

 the first time ; copper-plate and letter-press printing were carried on here, 

 and a very extensive establishment fur the manufacture of mathematical 

 instruments, all belonging to the government ; also a drawing-school, con- 

 sisting of about two hundred young officers. 



The next extract exhibits anotlier of their arrangements for removing 

 great weights : — 



In another building I noticed a model of the machine on which a large 

 hlock of granite, weighing ujnvards of nine hundred tons, was removed seve- 

 ral miles. Peter the Great is said to have stood on this rock, giving com- 

 mands to his army, wlien he subdued the Fins. The Empress Catherine 

 ordered it to be removed to the city for a fomidation on which to place a 

 bronze statue of that monarch on horseback. Many inett'cctual attemiits 

 were made for its remo\ al ; but it was easily performed afterwards by intro- 

 ducing cannon-balls for rollers between bars of iron. 



The three wood-cuts exhibit some ingenuity, and although there is 

 little that is new about them, we thought that tliey might be of interest 

 to some of our readers : — • 



Fig. 1. Fig. 2. Fig. 3, 



Figure 1 represents a contrivance for shutting doors. The power is ap- 

 plied in the same manner as in our modern printing presses. There is a pill 

 at each end of the apparatus : one pin is fitted to and tunis in a socket at- 

 tached to the frame, and the other is fitU'd to a similar one on the door. In 

 opening the door the pins are brought nearer together, and the weight in the 

 centre is raised. The door is shut by this weight straightening the bars, and 

 spreading the pius AirtUer apart, Sumc of these articles are made uf iron, 



and are black; others are of brass, and kept bright; both kinds are exten- 

 sively used. Figure 2 is a cistern for water, with a valve in the bottom, 

 which is much used fur Hashing the face and hands. liy r.iisiiig the valve 

 the water is let down in small quantities, and, as it is used, passes off by 

 means of a sink placed underueath. The advantages of this method are that 

 persons do not w ash in the same water with others, ncu- use it more than 

 once themselves, which is not only more conducive to health, but makes less 

 water necessary than washing in a common basin. These cisterns are made 

 of various forms and sizes. Some of them have a dozen or more pipes, each 

 furnished with a valve, so that many persons may wash at the same time ; 

 the large ones are made in a circular form, and placed in the middle of a 

 room, but the small ones are hung against the wall. In figure 3 is repre- 

 sented a spring bow or arch. This is used with the horse-collar, for tho 

 horse that is placed in tho shafts, as other horses do not have them. It was 

 a long time before I could ^-ee any other use for this contrivance than to ■ 

 cause the horse to hold up his head, and to keep him from stumbling, by th» 

 bridle being hooked to the top of this arch. I was informed afterwards by 

 an intelligent man, that the spring being connected with the collar prevented 

 the shoukier of the aiiim.il from chathig, by continually easing the collar ofT, 

 and suflering the air to p:iss between that and the shoulder of the horse. 



This work will doubtless prove of considerable interest to our 

 American readers ; but the strict boundaries which limit the sphere of 

 our labours, prevent ns from entering into tlie work generally. It may, 

 however, be read with gratification, for.as a piece of autobiogiaphy, it is 

 as amusing as it is valuable, and fully reflects the ch.aracterofits author, 

 who is known and esteemed for his endeavours for the improvement of 

 his working brethren. 



Journal of the American Institute for Promoting Agriculture, Com' 

 merce. Manufactures, and the Arts. Vol.3. "New York. Wake- 

 man, 1838. 

 This is a publication belonging to the New York Society of Arts and 

 Manufactures, and is an excellent compilation of valuable materials 

 from European and native sources. We find that our own work, 

 among others, lias been laid under contribution. 



It contains, among other interesting subjects, the account of the 

 last mechanics' fair at New York. Mechanics' fair is the term for 

 an exhibition like that of the Conservatoire des Arts ct Metiers at; 

 Paris, or rather like those of some of the continental provincial 

 towns, and it is an omniuin-gatherum of new inventions, old manu- 

 factures, confectionary, pictures, baby -linen, penmanship, perfumery, 

 liobby-liorses, and the fine arts. At' the last fair there were above 

 1,500 contributors, and 160,000 persons paid down their admission 

 shillings to the tune of about £2,000. The greater part of tins 

 money is re-issued in the shape of medals and premiums, and the 

 institution, no doubt, stimulates enterprize equivalent to its 

 popularitv. 



These fairs both at Boston and New^ York are strongly supported 

 from political motives, being mainly upheld by the home manufac- 

 turing party. It is astonishing to see the strength with which pro- 

 tective duties and anti-free trade notions are maintained in tlie 

 annual addresses ; and it is very tridy observed that partial free 

 trade, without universal concurrence, is something like Govenior 

 Penn's peaceable constitution, laid at the mercy of neighbouring 

 nations. Free trade is no favourite in the northern states, so that 

 if our political economists are in the right, tl;e progressing nation 

 must be behind-hand for once. 



We feel very happy to see ourselves in the far-west, for it is an 

 additional proof to our readers, that we have been successful in endea- 

 vourino- to fulfil our duties to them, while it imposes on ourselves the 

 task of seeing that our labours may be such as to merit the extended 

 circulatiouwhichourwork has obtained both in the old world and the 

 new. 



Map and Sections of the Railways of Great Britain, icith Tables of 



the Gradients. By George Braushaw. jSIanchester : Brad- 



shaw, 1839. 



This is a verv careful compilation, on a large scale, from tlie best 

 authorities, executed in a good style, and surpassing any publica- 

 tions of the same kind yet attempted. The railways for which acts of 

 Parliament have been obtained are accurately delineated, and the 

 accessories are executed with equal attention. The canals and roads 

 are given in such a manner as to render it equally valuable for a 

 general map as for its special object. By the side of the map arc 

 sections of all the railways, enabling the'spectator to form an esti- 

 mate of the gradients at a glance. The canals in the map have their 

 levels miirked upon them^ and it would have been a considerable 

 benefit if the same plan had been pursued as to the railways. 



On the whole, it is a work which does credit to its compiler, and 

 ^cems to be attended with few faults either of omission or comniia- 



