468 



THE CIVIL ENGINICER AND AKCIIITECT'S JOURNAL. 



[J)ja KMriER, 



Clayholc Cluiniiel, the Neiic into Lynn Well and the Ouze along the Norfolk 

 shore, there would lie a far greater (|uantity of retaining embankments to 

 make ; the ehannels, by being .sc|iarate, would not be able to maintain them- 

 selves open so well; the land gained would bo divided into several separate 

 islands, which would render it more diftieult of aceess, and couseqiiently re- 

 duce its value, whilst the cxjiensc of acquiring it wonld be greater; and, 

 lastly, the boundaries of the counties of Lincoln and Norfolk would be dis- 

 turbed. 



Presuming that the foiu- rivers in (|uestion be turned into one common 

 Outfall in the centre of the Wash (as shown in the Plan), and the other re- 

 quisite measures carried on, there woidd most ]irobably be gained, in com- 

 liaratively a few years, 150,000 acres of land. This, if taken'at 40/. an acre 

 (and a great proiiortion of that acquired lately on the old ebaiuiel of the 

 Ouze is now worth a great deal more), would he worth 0,000,000/., and, after 

 deducting 12/. per acre for the expense of obtaining the greater portion, and 

 ITi/. per acre for tli.at portion lying nearest to the o)>cn ocean, would anioimt 

 to the sum of 2,000,000/., leaving a clear gain of 4,000,000/. ; perhaps an 

 additional quantity may be obtained hereafter, although it is unnecessary to 

 say more at ]u'eseut, because the other when carried into ett'cct will alone 

 fonn a sufficient remuneration. 



In addition to this profitable result, the following luay be added :^ 



First, — The conqdcte natural drainage and eo)isc(inent improvciuent in the 

 salubrity of tlie whole district of low lands draining by the Ouze, the Nene, 

 the Welland ami the Witham, and into the W.ash, aiuouiitingto about 900,000 

 acres, 160,000 of which, as above mentioned, are in a very defective state 

 and comparatively valueless. 



Secondly, — The navigation of all the rivers would be so improved as to 

 occasion no inconsiderable reduction in the charges for freight; there would 

 be a great saving in the pilot and harbour dues; the deepened cliannelswoidd 

 admit vessels of nuich larger tonnage; and the ports of Lynn, ISoston, Spald- 

 ing ami AVisbech would, in consequence, be rendercil nuicii more available for 

 all the jiurposes of trade and merchandize. 



Thirdly, — The shii)ping interests in general would derive great l)enefit in 

 stormy weather, during the nuxt prevalent winds, from having an opportunity 

 of entering a roadstead equal in security (o any on the eastern coast of Eng- 

 land. 



Fourthly, — There would be one uniform efficient system of barrier banks 

 round the (beat M'ash, which would relieve the present proprietors from a 

 very heavy contimial tax, amounting at tiuu's to 20i-. and o0.v. per acre, and 

 at the same time guarantee them against all danger of inuuilation. 



LOCOJIOTIVE EXCAVATOR. 



M. Gervais, a manufacturer of Caen, ami a member of the Superior Council 

 of Connncrce. has lately ]iresented to the Academy of Seiences a small model 

 of a locomotive excavator (Terassier Loeomotcnr). This machine luay be 

 usefully employed in the excavation of canals and formation of railroads ; but 

 from the want of strength in its construction, it seems at present suitable 

 only to an alluvial soil. A force of steam of from two to three horse-power 

 is required to work it ; it clears a space eiglit feet (2 m. .">0) wide, and 2 feet 

 3 inches (0 m. 70) deep, and advances 1 foot 3 inches (0 in. 38) a minute. 

 Thus, in twenty-four hours it completes IHOO feet (.')47 m. 20) in length ; 

 having cleared out 3250 cidiie feet (1000 cubic metres) of earth, which is 

 levelled as regularly on each bank as it could be ilonc by the hands of men. 

 The expense in twenty-foui- horns cannot exceed 40 francs. The clearing of 

 a cidiic metre of earth, therefore, costs about 4 centimes. If we compare 

 this with the price usually paid, the advantage of the invention is evident ; 

 hut this is nothing in comparison with the ailvautagcs w4iicb we may expect 

 to derive from the great saving of manual labom-, and from the rapid increase 

 of works so beneficial to the ilu^^^try of the countrv. 



'I'hc inventors's first idea w, is to employ men in levelling all occasion.il ele- 

 viitioiis beyond fifteen inches (0 m. 40), but it was found less expensive to 

 ein]doy the machine used in cutting railroads. His plan proceeds on the 

 same jirinciple. The same frame which carries the locomotive, is arranged 

 so that tools, attached to it, can work iqiwards from the surface of the earth, 

 instead of downwards, and thus remove these elevations. A space is levelled 

 equal in width to the working of the locomotive excavator, ami then rails are 

 laid down to preserve the direction and the level. The locomotive follows, 

 excavating am\ throwing otit the earth either on one or both of the banks, 

 and forming an inclined jilane, on each side, of forty-five degiTcs. If a canal 

 is req\urcd to be sixteen feet (five metres) deeii, or deeper, and cannot be ex- 

 cavated at once, there is attached to the machine behind, an axletree, and 

 east-iron wlieels with large felloes, by which means, as fast as the first cutting 

 is finished, lines are traced on which to jilacc the rails for the second, and so 

 as to preserve the original level. A machijie cajiable of working twenty-feet, 

 wide, and eight feet deep, excavates sixteen cubic feet of earth in a minute. 



In railroads, the process would be nearly the same as in canals, except 

 that the inclined plane on the sides need be" only of fifteen degrees, and the 

 eai-tli might be carried away in carts wlierever it was w anted. This machine 

 is calculated for light and sandy soils ; and is so constructed, thiit, shoidd it 

 encounter any obstacle, it may be stopped in a nmment to prevent accidents. 

 Thus, any rocky substance, if small, can he lifted u]); if large, can be broken 

 to pieces by the workmen, and earned away on the frame of the machine, 

 .after removing the tools, which can then be replaced, and the work con- 

 tinued. 



It would be difficult to give a more partieidar detail without the aid of the 

 plan, which the inventor has transmitted to the .icadcmy for the use of the 

 committee, who, as well as ourselves, have seen the machine at work. \Vhat- 

 ever their decision may be, it seems to us that the only i|uestion now, is the 

 .application of steam to the excavation of canals and railroads. Tlie employ- 

 ment of this machine on a large scale, must be atteiuled with great ailvan- 

 tages, whether we consider the difficulty of collecting a considerable nundjer 

 of workmen on one spot, the increased rapidity of the work, or the improved 

 salubrity of low grounds by the draining of m<irslies, ami the removal of mi- 

 asma .ind its consequent diseases. And these great advantages, if the ma- 

 chine of M. Genais can really be employed on a large scale, are to be ob- 

 tained at a remarkably small expense. Taking the model, which we have 

 secii at work, as our data, if we calculate on a 3-horse jiower steam-engine, 

 and on a consumption of 15 kilogrammes (30 lbs.) of coal per hour, we shall 

 find, after deducting 30 per cent, interest for the outlay, and making every 

 allowance for rejiairs, and loss of time when the machine is not at work, that 

 it can excavate 05 7 cubic metres of earth at a cost of IS francs 50 cents ; 

 whereas we now pay for excavating the same quantity, 47S francs 50 cents. 

 In short, the invention of JI. Gervais bids fair to make a great revolution in 

 the mode of excavation, and we look forward with a degree of impatience for 

 the decision of the committee of the aeademv. — Juvciilors Adoucate. 



BUTE DOCKS, CARDIFF. 



In our last nundjer we gave the particulars of the ojiening of these docks. 

 The construction of which was entrusted to Mr. Cubitt, of London, as en- 

 gineer in chief, and to ^Ir. Turnliull, as the resident engineer. The following 

 particulars are from a statement furnished by the engineers : — 



" The river Tail', which falls into the sea at the port of Cardiff, forms a 

 principal outlet for the mining districts, with which Glamorganshire abounds; 

 the ju'odncc of these mines has hitherto foiuid its way to market through the 

 Gl.iniorgansbire Canal, but its sea lock, constructed about 10 years ago, has 

 long been found inadecjuatc to the demands for increased aceonunodation, 

 consequent u]ion the extraordin.ary increase of^ trade since the can.al was 

 opened, some idea of which may be formed from the fact, that according to 

 the Can.al Company's Report, 123,234 tons of iron, and 220,071 tons of coal 

 passed down in 1837 — making a total of 349,905 tons, or about 1,000 tons 

 per day. ** 



" The Marquis of Bute possessing lands in the neighbourhood of Cardifl', 

 an<l especially an extensive tract called Cardiff Moors, where docks, wharfs, 

 and warehouses, might be constructed to any extent, and a convenient outlet 

 made into the well-known safe roadstead, protected by the headlaml of Pen- 

 narth, obtained in 1830, an act for constructing a new harbour, to be called 

 ' The Bute Ship Canal,' and has completed this great work at his iiulividual 

 expense. 



" The princijial advantages of the undertaking .ire as follow : — .V straight 

 open chainicl N.N.E. and S.S.W. about three-quarters of a mile in length 

 from Cardift' roads to the new sea-gates, which aretj feet widi, with a depth 

 of 17 feet water at neap, and 32 feet at springtide. On passing the sea- 

 gate, vessels enter a capacious basin, having an area of about an acre and a 

 half, railed the outer basin, calculiited to .icconunodate vessels of great 

 burden and steamers ; the main entrance lock is situated at the north end of 

 this outer basin, 152 feet long, and 36 feet wide, sufficient for ships of 600 

 tons. 



" Beyond the lock is the inner basin, which constitutes the grand feature 

 of this work. It extcmls in a continuous hue from the lock to near the to^^ n 

 of Cardiff, 14.50 yards long, and 200 feet wide, an area of nearly 20 acres of 

 water, capable of accouuuodating in perfect safety from 300 to 400 ships of 

 all classes. Quays are built on each side for more than two-fhu'ds of its 

 length, finished with strong granite cojung, comprising nearly 0,000 feet, or 

 more than a mile of wharfs, with ample space for warehouses, exclusive of 

 the wh.irfs at the outer basin. To keep the channel free of deposit, a feeder 

 from the river Tafi' supjihcs a reservoir 1.5 acres in extent, adjoinhigthe basin, 

 This reservoir can be discharged at low water by means of powerful sluices 

 v\ith cast-iron pipes five feet in diameter, and by 10 sluices at the sea-gates, 

 so as to deliver at the rate of 100,000 tons of water per hour. 



" The feeder was connnenced in 1854, the first stone of the docks laid on 

 the 10th of March, 1837, and the last coping-stone laid on the 2jth of Mav, 

 1830. 



" Some doubts existed whether sufficient water coiUd be suppUed to keep 

 the channel clear, but experience has already shown that the daUy discharge 

 is more than adequate to the removal of the daily deposit, and in fact, a con- 

 siderable portion of the entrance was cleared by loosening the clay and mud, 

 so as to be carried out by the power of the sluices." 



Some idea of the vastness of this undertaking may be formed from the fact 

 of its having already cost the noble Marquis about 300,000/. ; and an addi- 

 tional expenditure of considerable amount will be inciuTcd in the erection of 

 warehouses, &:c., along the quays. 



Mii,li:r's Patknt Firh-dars. — A patent has been taken out for a new 

 fire-b.ar, which is sinted not only to the common steam-engine furnaces, but 

 can with equal facility be a|iplied to the furuitces of marine engines, and the 

 locomotive engines of railways, &c. Tlie principle of the invention consists 

 in moving each alternate bar longitudinally in one direction, whilst the inter- 



