436 



THE CIVIL ENGINEER AND ARCHITECTS JOURNAL. 



[November, 



CURTIS'S PATENT RAILWAY IMPROVEMENTS. 



Hydrostatic Jack. 



The machinery or apparatus consists of a machine to place or re- 

 place an engine or carriage upon the rail ; this nAchine is an adap- 

 tation of the hyilraulic press for the purpose of a lifting jack. 



Figure 1 is a side view, one half is shown in section. Figure 2 a 

 plan partly shown in section, and Figure 3 an end view partly sho%vn 

 in section ; similar letters refer to similar parts of the machine in 

 each figure, and the description refers to each figure so far as the 

 parts are shown in each. A, is the end rail of the framing of an 

 engine or carriage which may be required to be placed upon the rails. 

 B, two cylinders or tubes of. wrought iron or other metal, furnished 

 with stuffing boxes and leathers in the manner usually employed in 

 hydraulic presses ; rams or ijistons C, C, work in these tubes in the 

 usual way, and the upper ends of the rams are provided with notched 

 ends or otherwise as may be found convenient. E is a force pump 

 fixed horizontally upon the plank L, e is a metal block in which the 

 channels are formed for the channels valves, and adjusting screws, 

 the general arrangement of wdiich valves and screws is the same as in 

 the hydraulic press, but I form it in this manner, in order to avoid the 

 use of connecting pipes and the usual fittings, which would be very 

 liable to be broken or deranged. F is the plunger of the force pump 

 E, worked by the bell-cranked lever G. H, a cistern to hold water to 

 supply the pump, which is introduced into the pump thro\igh the 

 lying valve, which is kept in its place by a spring in the usual manner; 

 when the pump is set to work, the water lifts the vertical valves d, d, 

 and passing through channels clearly shown in Figures 1 and 2 in sec- 

 tion, enters the cylinders or tubes B, B, and thus raises the rams or 

 pistons C, C ; the water may be prevented entering either of the 

 cylinders, as may be desired, by screwing down the screws s, s, over 

 either of the vertical valves, when the entire force of the pump will 

 then pass by the free valve and enter the cylinder to which it belongs. 

 This adjustment may be necessary to keep the engine or cJirriage 

 level, and the same adjustment may be made by stopping the pump, 

 and letting out the water from the waste-holes p, p, by screwing back 

 either of tile adjusting screws 0, ; the two barrels B, B, are fixed 

 upon a strong plank, about four feet asunder, and the basement plate 

 coimecting them together is formed of a wTought iron plate rolled with 

 a rib down the middle ; this rib is bored to the requisite distance 

 from each end, and thus the channel is formed for the water from the 

 pump to the cylinders ; the cylinders are formed with flanch ends, and 

 the joints made with the basement plate in the usual wav, either with 

 a rust joint, or lead, or other jointing ; the upper plank L slides upon 

 the long plank M, which is laid across the rails, and the projecting 

 end supported with blocks of timber, or in any other ready and con- 

 venient manner ; the plank M, has fixed down the centre, the notched 

 plate 71, the centre of which sinks about an inch and half below the 

 surface, thus forming a longitudinal groove, within which slides a bar 

 of iron fixed to the under side of the plank L ; thus the upper plank 

 L is steadied and cannot get out of position. When the engine or 

 carriage is lifted, the bar K is hooked into the link ;, and the toe of 

 the bar inserted into one of the notches of the plate n ; then a man, 

 bearing down the end of the bar, drags the apparatus and engine or 

 carriage towards him, the whole sliding upon the plank M. When 

 tlie engine or carriage is adjusted over the rails, the adjusting screws 

 are screwed back, and the water escapes through the waste \\o\es p, p, 

 when the rams descending, the engine or carriage is placed upon the 

 rails ; this object being effected, the water is thrown out of the cistern 

 H, and the apparatus placed in ihe tender or other ))lace provided for 

 it ; in some cases, a single cylinder and ram may be employed with a 

 vertical pump, and for other purposes besides that described, likewise 

 the cylinders may be substituted by screws, the other general arrange- 

 ments being the same ; also pipes or fittings for the water channels in 

 any other suitable way than that shown. 



One of the machines may be seen at work. Cat the Manufactory, 

 John's Place, Holland Street, Blackfriars Bridge,) loaded with a 

 weight of 8 tons, which is lifted one foot high by the force of one 

 man in 5 minutes ; thus the worst accident may be set to rights in half 

 an hour by 1 men, although the engine may be buried in the soil up 

 to the axles. 



Ancif.nt Bfxl.— The tower of Leak church, near Northallerton, contains 

 three bells, one of which is supposed to have been brouglit from the adjnin- 

 ing Oissolved niotias'ery ot KievauL\. from the name " Aelred Grendale '' 

 being upon it. the said Aelred lieing the third abliot of Kievaulx. He was 

 the noted cbronicle of that age, and was the author uf " Historia de belkt 

 Standard!." the history of the battle of the Standard, near Northallerton, in 

 the year 1138. He die"d in the year 1167, so that this bell must be 700 years 

 old. 



RAILWAY CURVES. 

 Sir. — ^Your correspondent R. W. S. in your September number sup- 

 poses that Mr. Ely had formed an incorrect notion of the plan I sub- 

 mitted to the readers of your Journal, for setting out Railway Curves, 

 under the signature of " A Sub." Such however is not the case; the 

 plan is easily understood, try a simple diagram. 



\% 



10« 



Let the line a, b, be the direction of the railway previous to curving 

 C, the point required to be arrived at, I propose, if local circumstances 

 admit, to use, first, a curve of two and a half mile radius, and then for 

 a short distance only a curve of one mile radius, instead of curving 

 from the point d to C, with one mile radius, the advantages gained 

 are these ; 



In the former instance, the engine has to travel for only about half 

 the distance orer the ubjtctionahle working curve, and the engine driver, 

 instead of maintaining his velocity till he nearly reaches the curve, 

 and then suddenly shutting off his steam, much to the detriment of 

 the working-gear, (which he would do in the latter case) would gra- 

 dually close his valve and be able to run with a good velocity much 

 nearer to his destination, with less wear to the rails, and less danger 

 to the train. 



I leave the discussion of other subjects that have arisen from my 

 former communication, to R. W. S. and W. Ely. 



I am, Sir, your obedient servant, 



E. Murray. 



THE ROYAL EXCHANGE.— REPORT OF THE ARCHITECTS 



The following is the report of the architects. Sir Robert Smirke, 

 Mr. Joseph Gwilt, and Mr. Philip Hardwick, to whom the designs for 

 rebuilding the Royal Exchange were submitted :— 



" London, Oct. 2, 1839. 

 " We beg to report to the joint committee for the management of 

 the estates of Sir Thomas Gresham, that, in compliance with their 

 request, we have inspected the plans, designs, and specifications re- 

 ceived for rebuilding the Royal Exchange, with the view of selecting 

 the first, second, third, fourth, and fifth best, in reference to, and in 

 conformity witli, the printed instructions issued for that purpose. 



" Om- examination, we trust we need liardly state, has been con- 

 ducted with every attention to the object in view, and with the utmost 

 care to discharge in a satisfactory maimer the duty with which tha 

 committee have honoured us, not less on the ground of the national 

 importance of the subject, than that of doing strict justice to the 

 artists who have been engaged in the competition. 



" [n proceeding to perform the duty in question, we considered it 

 advisable that we should each in the first instance separately make a 

 particular examination of the several designs, taking our individual 

 views on their respective merits, according to the best of our judgments, 

 with reference to the general character of the design, the convenience 

 of the arrangements as exhibited by the plans, the estimated expense 

 of the building, and the practicability of carrying the works into exe- 

 cution, in conformity with the printed instructions to which in all 

 respects the candidates were required to adhere ; and, lastly, with the 

 object of ascertaining wdiich, with respect to the instructions of the 

 committee to us, was ' practicable, advisable, and capable of being 

 made a durable edifice.' 



" In reference to the convenient arrangement of the apartments, we 

 think it proper to observe, that the committee did not in their instruc- 

 tions specify the object or use to which they were to be appropriated ; 

 and ne have tlierefore considered, that if offices and rooms of the re- 

 quired number and size were provided, if they were well lighted, and 

 having the means of being warmed, capable of being made fireproof. 



