1839] 



THE CIVIL ENGINEER AND ARCHITECT'S JOURNAL: 



147 



much to be desired, is certainly seldom tlie case." The author then goes on 

 to select sonie experiments from those made on the North Star and Harvey 

 engines, as reported by Mr. Wood to the Directois oCthe Great Wcstetn Hall- 

 way. He also gives such columns from Mr. Wood's Tables as are requisite, 

 together with additional columns resulting from the computations above in- 

 dicated. And after treating upon these at some length, he concludes his paper 

 by making a few observations on the ett'ect of gradients. 



" The Description of a Floating Clough." By George £lli.«, Associate 

 lust. C. E. 



This machine was used for scouring a channel which leads from the 

 Winestead Drainage and Haven of Patrington into the River Humber. It 

 was constructed in the following manner: — The frame is made of timbeis 

 6 inches by 4, 1 2 feet long, 9 wide, and t! deep. This frame is covered with 

 planking, two inches thick, and through the middle of it a culvert is formed, 

 with planks 2 feet inches in width, with a small lifting door at the end. 

 Connected with the bottom and projecting in front are two long beams 

 called feelers, which keep the machine in its course ; at the bottom in front 

 are frames of wood, shod with rough iron like the teeth of a saw, and these 

 are connected with racks which can be raised by a lever. At each side of the 

 machine there is a wing which is made to tit the slope of the banks, to dress 

 the mud from the sides and to keep up the water behind the machine. 



At high tide the machine is moored in the middle of the channel, the wings 

 are e.xtended and kept so by ropes, and when the tide is at half ebb the plugs 

 are taken out, and the water rises about 2 feet in the machine, which causes 

 it to sink ; the plugs are then replaced, and thus it remains till full ebb, when 

 the iron shod frames are let down in front and the tide forces the whole 

 machine, which is like a great dara, gently down the stream, scraping with it 

 all the mud down to the river, where it is emptied, and Hoated back with the 

 return tide, the whole distance, about 3 miles, is performed in two hours. 



A similar machine has appeared in the '..'nd vol. of the "' Transactions of (he 

 Institution of Civil Engineers," p. 181 ; only the former was used for a drain, 

 and the latter for navigable rivers. 



March 12. — The President in the chair. 



The following gentlemen were elected: — Philip Benjamin Scott, as a 

 Graduate ; Thomas Cubitt, Samuel Enys, and Hobcrt Mallett, as Associ-ates. 



" A description of the Rhymney Ironworks,'' accompanied with a" Draw- 

 ing of the Paddling Forge and Mill," from Mr. Richards. 



These works were erected by the author for (he Rhymney Iron Coiupany ; 

 and he describes the various processes necessary for converting refined metal 

 into finished iron. He states (hat each furnace receives IJ cwt. of refined 

 metal as a charge, which is worked into si.x puddled balls in about a half an 

 hour. These balls are then taken to a shingling hammer, weighing about 

 4J tons, with a fall of '20 inches, and the balls are subjected to about twenly- 

 five blows. Instead of this process the balls might be taken to the si[ueezcr, 

 but this method is not so eft'ectual in removing the impurities of the iron ; it 

 is then passed to the puddling rolls, where it is gradually reduced to the re- 

 quired size, when it becomes puddled bars. These are then, whilst hot, cut 

 into lengths, and subsequently piled into weights and sizes according to the 

 description of the iron that is about to be rolled. The piles arc then brought 

 to a welding heat in heating furnaces, and passed through roughing rolls, till 

 they are reduced sutiiciently to go through the finishing rolls, where they arc 

 made into bars of the description required. The same operation of shearing, 

 piling, and heating of these bars, and rolling through other rolls forms the 

 railway bars. 



ROYAL INSTITUTE OF BRITISH ARCHITECTS. 



At an ordinary general meeting of the members, held on Monday, the 1th 

 of March, I8;3y, P. K. Robinson, V. P., in the chau-, the following gentle- 

 man was elected an associate: — George Ward, of 22, Pcnton-place, Pen- 

 tonvillc. 



The report of the Council respecting the adjudication of the medals for the 

 priie essays was read. 



Resolved, — That the recommendation of the Council he approved, and that 

 Medals of Merit be awarded to the authors of the papers with tlie mottoes 

 " Roma fuit, " and '■ Respice ad Palatinura montem vasta rudera. ' 



The letters, bearing the mottoes of the successful candidates, having been 

 opened, the authors appeared to be as follows : — 



William Willmer Pocock, Associate of the Essay with the motto " Roma 

 fuit." — Edward Hall, 12, Brown-street, Manchester, of the Essay with (he 

 motto " Respice ad Palatinum montem vasta rudera." 



The following papers were read ; — Description of various specimens of 

 metal sash-bars, manufactured by Mr. Clarke, of Lionel-street, Birmingham ; 

 forwarded by Mr. Jones.— Description of a superior quality of crown glass, 

 manufactured by Messrs. Stock and Co., Birmingham. — Description of 

 various sorts of stone used for building purposes in Belgium, by Mons. .Serrurc, 

 Hon.and Cor. Mem. — Description of double gateway to the city of Piestum, with 

 a restoration and remarks illustrative of the military architecture of the Greeks, 

 by T. L. Donaldson, Hon. Sec. 



Mr. Donuldsun read the Jhlluivinij e.rlrail frum it leltcr he recch-cJ /rem Mr. 



Charles U. Greijuri/,eiigaijeUoii (he Manehcstcr and Jjinitiiif/haiit llailivaj/. 



Manchester lies nearly at the north of the red sand-stone district. In iho 

 immediate neighbourhood, on the north side, wo come iutu the coiil.brds and 

 carboniferous limestone; on the west the saird-stono is cimlinncd (lir.iuglunil 

 the greater part of Cheshire to Flint, where we pass through strata of lime- 

 stone to the clay slate; on the east side, 10 or 12 miles bring us to the 

 boi'ders of Yorkshire ami Derbyshire, and to that ridge ol'.moor-hills which 



has been termed " The Backbone of England;" it is here that the summit- 

 stones are obtained, being a strong grit, and the best building stones for ordi- 

 nary purposes used in Manchester. The best of the summit stones for strength 

 aud durability comes from the lilackstoue-Edge Quarries. This stone much 

 resembles the Bramley Fall stone, and will bear nearly as much. The Saddle- 

 worth stone is another of the summit stones, but the qnarrv is not half worked, 

 so that it cannot be so well trusted as the Blackstoue >jdgc. The price of 

 the summit stone at Manchester is from 10((. to Is. per foot. Another stone, 

 much used here for Ashlar worl;, is a red sand stone, obtained at Runcorn, on 

 the Mersey, a few miles from Warrington. The Runcorn stone is rather 

 cheaper than the summit stone (I think it is sold at Vid. per foot at the 

 (|uarries) ; it works well, but there is a gi'cat deal of waste, the stone abound- 

 ing in clay sptits. I-'or cornices, mouldings, &.C., where much work is to be 

 put on the stunc, the IIuddersHeld stone is the best suited. This is a very 

 Kne sand stone, approaching in texture to the Y'orkshire landings — it is very 

 free, and good for tooling ; it costs Is. (W. per foot here. 



We leave Manchester (on the Manchester aud Leeds Railway) by a 

 viaduct, ft)r about \\ mile in length; for a considerable part of this distance 

 the piers are now up aud the imposts laid, waiting for the spring weather 

 before the arches arc tunuHl. In the midst of this viaduct there is to be one 

 skew bridge of iron, of about I:?0 feet span (if I remember rightly). — The 

 next large work along the line is the Stockport \'iaduct, about 100 feet high 

 in the highest part, and rather more than oire-third of a mile long. The 

 fifundations are now being excavated for this work, and it will probably be 

 in active operation in about a month's time. — The viadixct at Congletou 

 will be a still larger work, and is to mc more interesting, as I have been 

 actively emidoyed in the preparation of it. The length will be 3,078 feet, 

 the greatest height to the rails 08 feet (i inches ; it consists of 42 arches of 

 t>0 feet span, each with piers 10 feet in thickness between them. It will 

 contain about 62,000 cubic yards of brickwork, and 620,000 cubic feet of 

 stone. I do not remember the precise amount at which it is contracted 

 for, but I thhik it is about Jil 1:3,000. 



Monday, March I8th, IKin, P. I'. Robinson, V. P., in the Chair. The 

 meeting proceeded to the ballot for the removal of Sampson Kempthorue, 

 Associate to the class of Fellows, who was declared to be unanimously elected. 



A letlcr was read from the .Signer Gactuxo Beria, of Milan, acknowledging 

 his election as honorary and corresponding member. Also from the S or 

 Atberllolli,of the same place, and from the Signer Klangabe, Secretary of the 

 ArchsEological Society at Athens. 



It was announced by the Secretary that a copy of Professor Phillips's xiork 

 on Geology, published in Dr. Lardncr's Cabinet Cyclopa'dia, 2 vols., 8vo., 

 would be presented by a member to the most ample and accurate abstract of 

 the course by any associate or student. 



The first of a Course of , Sir Lectures on the Gsoluyy of tlie South East of Eng- 

 land, was then commenced by G. V. Richardson, Esq., of the British 

 Museum, whose able treatment of the subject was admirably supported by the 

 clegaitce of his style and the harmony of his delivery. The illustrations were 

 most eifeclive, and among them were a series of drawings of the caves of 

 Adelsberg, near Trieste, which had never before beerr seen ia England. 



" Geology," said he, "is a science interesting because it is new, aud as Colum- 

 bus excited the strongest sensations in the old world, by discovering to them 

 the new, so in our days wc have, as it were, laid open to us a new creation 

 in the re-discovery of the old. This science has been frequently defined, but 

 never perhaps to suflieient extent, for it is a science which is not restricted to 

 a few objects, but considers the past, the i>rcsent, and tho future, (he li\iug 

 and the dead, the whole organic and the inorganic ivorld. It may be divided 

 into dynamical portions, or geology proper, which considers the operation of 

 forces ; and paheoutology, or the natural history of the antediluvian era." 



CieoUtgy is a science, which, while too many regard it as merely s)>ecnla 

 live, is a science of the highest practical utility, — one equally important in 

 mining, agriculture, and the arts. It is by the character of the strata that 

 we determine their mineral deposits, as in granite we tiiul tiu, iu the transi- 

 tion series lead, and in the alluvial gold; so we have equally pointed out 

 to us the positions, iir which, as they are destitute of productions, research would 

 be fruitless. Inattention to these has been too often attended with vexation 

 and loss ; and in one instance, within his own expeiience, the lecturer stated 

 that the late Uuchess of Dorset was induced to expend £10,000 in the use- 

 less attempt to find coal at Bexhill, in Sussex, although, uoiv, any geologist 

 could have told that the exertion woulil be as abiutive as it is absurd. Wo 

 regret that, from misconception, Mr. Richardson, in endeavouring to inculcate 

 the utility of a Government school of mines, as on the Continent, stigmatized 

 our present mining operaticuis as the suggestions of avarice aud ignorance, 

 for the vilest purposes of jobbery, instead cjf recognising the wonderful po\vci- 

 of that great principle which has enabled .Joint Stock Companies to place 

 England in a prouder position, as a mining country, than any of her neigh- 

 bours, aud which, not contented with the native field, has sought a new theatre 

 of exertion across the great Atlantic deep. The importance of geology in deter- 

 mining the productiveness of soils is of paramount utility, and intervenes iu 

 all operations in diaining ; by attending to the fissures in the strata, if they are 

 of a poious nature, we may, by directing branch-channels into thcin, save more 

 extensive operations ; ,n bile we can ascertain if the strata be impervious, by 

 observing whether they abound iu land-springs. Tho sidijcct of Artesian 

 wells is one of great interest iu this particular districl, aud it is well deserving 

 of altention in many places, whenever, iu seasons of drought, numbers of 

 callle perish from the want of the great necessary of life. In road-making, 

 in the vicinity of London, we had long pursued an erroneous courso, by 

 employing griiNcl and round pebbles, until, tuidcr M'.Vdam's direction, tlaj 



