316 



THE CIVIL ENGINEER AND ARCHITECT'S JOURNAL. 



LAVGVST, 



degrees, and consist of parts added to the orijrinal plan at long 

 intervals of time, very great incongruities and discordant con- 

 trasts may I'e found, and may he pleaded by some as sufficient 

 precednit. But the "Houses" will have been erected from one 

 comprehensive original plan, laid down by the architect from the 

 very outset ; and so far from aiming at variety and contrasts in his 

 elevations, Mr. Barry has most studiously attended to perfect 

 regularity of composition and uniformity of features, — at least, 

 such is the case with regard to the river-front, which, although a 

 secondary one in regard to its situation, will hardly be secondary 

 in regard to display. Nevertheless, so lofty a structure raised at 

 one corner of the general mass as the Victoria Tower will be, 

 must inevitably show itself as a striking irregularity,^an archi- 

 tectural excrescence, and apparently an after-thought — at least 

 to those who may not happen to know that it was so planned from 

 the very first. 



■\Vith regard to the river-front, the question now is : How can it 

 be rendered accessible to the public, so that its elaborate ornamen- 

 tation can be fairly seen and enjoyed } At no very great distance of 

 time, perhaps, and on ing to the very insecure condition in which it 

 now is, AVestminster Bridge will be taken down, and either consi- 

 derably lowered or rebuilt further off from the Houses of Parlia- 

 ment ; in which case. Bridge-street will be converted into a cul-de- 

 sac, similarly to the streets which run from the south-side of the 

 Strand down to the river; consequently, the "Houses" will no 

 longer be looked down upon from the bridge— but then how is their 

 river-front to be looked at at all, except from a boat on the river 

 itself .'' The only way of enabling the public to contemplate that 

 facade, will be to form a second terrace or quay for foot passengers, 

 advanced about fifty feet into the river, and perhaps about a couple 

 of feet lower than the terrace between the advanced extremities of 

 the building itself. Unless something of that kind were to be done, 

 quite as much would be lost as gained by the removal of the present 

 bridge ; to say nothing of the great inconvenience attending the 

 disturbing such a long-established line of communication and 

 traffic. 



That we agree with the Westminster " in much or most of what 

 it savs, both in regard to the Houses of Parliament and the other 

 structures which it notices, we freely admit. And it is pleasant to 

 us to find opinions that are upon the whole in accordance with our 

 own entertained by others. Speaking of Buckingham Palace, the 

 '■'■Westminster" observes that the Marble Arch "might have been 

 advantageously incorporated with the design by an artist of re- 

 source and genius ;" and again, of the British Museum, that the 

 central portico or octastyle ought to have been loftier than the 

 other colonnades, both which ideas have been brought forward in 

 sketches in this very Journal. Although we should not have been 

 displeased at his noticing that circumstance, supposing him to have 

 been aware of it, we do not accuse the writer of making use of " our 

 thunder ;" on the contrary, we are right glad to meet with the 

 coincidence of opinion, and to find that we are not altogethe soli- 

 tary in our own. Here we will conclude, by earnestly recommend- 

 ing a perusal of the article in the " Westminster" to our readers. 

 It certainly bears rather severely upon Mr. Barry, but he, if any 

 one at all, can very well bear on his part to hear unpalatable 

 truths. Of flattery and adulation he gets enough, or more than 

 enough — more than may be altogether wholesome for him. An 

 occasional draught of "bitters" will therefore do him no harm. 



of one cenfrnl buffer in lieu of the two side ones, as hitherto 

 used ; this the ]iatentee constructs in combination with the draw- 

 link. The annexed diagi-am represents this arrangement. A, A, 

 are the buffer-plates of adjoining carriages ; they are attached to 



REGISTSR OF NS'W PATKNTS. 



RAILWAY LOCOMOTION. 



Richard Wriohton, of Lower Brook-street, Grosvenor-square, 

 for " Improvements in apparatus to he applied to rni/n-ay carriages and 

 engines." — Granted December 22, Ib-tT ; Enrolled June 22, 1848. 



The apparatus consists of five distinct applications to railway 

 carriages and engines for different jiurposes. The first part con- 

 sists in the construction of apparatus attached to the breaks of 

 railway carriages ; the actuating force upon the breaks being that 

 of steam. The patentee claims under this head of his s])ecification, 

 the combination and arrangement of apparatus, whereby the 

 piston of a steam-cylinder may be made to act upon central trac- 

 tion-rods or shafts, for the purpose of working the breaks of car- 

 riages and causing them to act simultaneously upon the wheels 

 throughout the whole train ; also the construction of box-coupling 

 for connecting the shafts, and the power to the breaks. — The 

 second improvement consists in the employment, inrailway carriages, 



the buffer-rods B, B, the ends of which are made of the looped 

 form shown, for the purpose of admitting the loop of the connect- 

 ing-links C, C. The buffer-plates A, A, are made with holes 

 through their centres, through which are passed the double-ended 

 hooks 1), when the carriages are required to be connected, which 

 are hooked to the links C, C, upon the buffei-rods B, B. Immedi- 

 ately liehind the loop are cut threads, upon which work the nuts, 

 E, E, upon which are loose collars, that do not revolve with the 

 nuts. To the loose collars are attached by studs the links C, C ; 

 When it is required to connect two carriages, the buffer-plates 

 are lirought together, the two nuts are turned up to tlie looped 

 ends of the buffer-rods, and the double hook inserted and hooked 

 on to the links ; the nuts are then to be turned back until the 

 links and the hooks become tight. Instead of passing the traction- 

 rods entirely through the carriage as hitherto, the patentee passes 

 the rod B, only through the end-frames V, F, of the carriage, 

 where the helical spring G, is placed upon the rods, and acts as 

 the buffing-spring. — The patentee claims as his third improvement, 

 the employment of helical springs or other elastic substance, incom- 

 bination with adjusting-screws, for making the couplings of rail- 

 way carriages ; also the combination of a double-joint with the 

 adjusting-screws. — The patentee's fourth improvement consists in 

 constructing 1 he axle-box and the axle in such manner that the 

 lubricating nu.terial employed shall be retained in contact with the 

 journal and the bearing, and thereby prevent a considerable por- 

 tion of the waste which has hitherto taken place with axle-boxes 

 as usually constructed. He constructs the axle of one piece or of 

 two pieces, as in the usual way ; the brass forming the bearing is 

 properly fitted in, and the end of the axle is inserted into the axle- 

 box from the back ; the axle inside against the journal is turned 

 with a flat or taper shoulder, against which is fitted and placed a 

 metal ring; between the ring and the back of the axle-box is 

 inserted a ring of vulcanized india-rubber, or other similar sub- 

 stance, thereby preventing the escape from the axle-box of any 

 considerable portion of the lubricating material employed. — The 

 fifth improvement consists of a means of enabling any of the pas- 

 sengers in railway carriages of a train to signal and communicate 

 with the engine-driver or guard, by the aid of electi-icity. To the 

 middle partition of each railway carriage, near the roof, is fixed a 

 small voltaic battery, by means of which the passengers are en- 

 abled to bring into action an electro-magnet, that explodes a per- 

 cussion-cap or rings a bell. 



COKE OVENS. 



George Ambroise Miciiaut, of Epieds, France, for " Improve- 

 ments in tlie production and applicntion of heat, and in the manufac- 

 ture of coke." — Granted December IS, Ih-ti; Enrolled June 15, 

 1848. 



The application of the heat evolved during the formation of 

 coke is the object of this invention. Sevei-al ovens are combined 

 together, which are provided with fire-bars that occupy only a 

 small portion of the area of the bottom. The ovens are separated 

 from each other by partitions, ami in the upper parts there are 

 openings to permit the flame and jiroducts of combustion to pass 

 from one oven to another ; and there are openings in the top of 

 each oven, through which the flame and heated gases ascend, in 

 order to heat gas-retorts, lime-kilns, steam or other boilers, or 

 other apparatus, situated above the coke-ovens. The patentee 

 states, that by means of this invention the heat may be more ad- 

 vantageously obtained and applied than before. When the ovens 

 are at work, the charges of coal are introduced in siiccession, in 

 such manaer that the charge in two out of three may be in a high 



