352 



THE CIVIL ENGINEER AND ARCHITECT'S JOURNAL. 



LNoVEMBEB, 



Ice. — The intrinsic value of ice, iilte that of metals, depends on the 

 investigation of an assajer. Tiiat is to say, a cubic foot of Lovper 

 Canada ice, is inlinilely more cold than a cubic foot of Upper Canada 

 ice, which contains more cold than a cubic foot of Wenhani ice, 

 ■which contains infinitely more cold than a cubic foot of En>;lish ice; and 

 thus, although each of those four cubic feet of ice has precisely the same 

 shape, tliey each, as summer approaches, diminish in value— that is to say, 

 Ihey each gradually lose a portion of their cold, until, Ion'; before the 

 Lower Canada ice has melted, llw rnglish ice has been converted into 

 lukewarm water. — Chambers' Edinliurgk Joui-nnl. 



An I'.xpjrimi'ntal Vessel. — There is now lo;tding in the North Docks, 

 Sunderland, an experimental vessel, named the Mary Caroline, built by 

 Mr. Siddon, of Rochester, who is also the owner. She has no keel, but is 

 flat boitoriud, and built in the barge style. Neither is she caulked— the 

 seams are Imed w ith fill. She is 22J tons register, and carries 4,000 yards 

 of canvas when in full sail ; and when full laden with 20 keels of coals, 

 she draws only 0^ feet of water. She is intended for the French trade. 

 f)n the run down, with a N.N.W. wind, she outstripped 40 colliers. — 

 Durham Aiheriiscr. 



Railway in Spain.— An experimental trip was made on the 8th of 

 October, on the railway from Barcelona to ftlalaro, by the directors and 

 their friends. The journey from liarcelona to Mataro was made in an 

 Lour, exclusive of stoppages, and the journey back in 50 minutes— the 

 distance is live leagues. The BarceUmes are very proud of Catalonia being 

 the first in Spain to possess a railway. The line was to be opened to the 

 public on the 15th. 



The Railway Interest.— \s there appears to be a good deal of misap- 

 prehension and misstatement aOoat with reference to the object of the 

 nieetjngs of the three great railway companies, and their consequent nego- 

 ciations, we have endeavoured to ascertain the real facts, and we have 

 reason to believe that they are as follows:— The distinct object of the con- 

 ference is not to increase fares or arrange trains, but it is for effecting a 

 complete union of capital of the three great companies— ihe North- 

 Wesiern, the South M'esteru, and the Great M'estern, and tlie conversion 

 of the three into one great company, under one controlling body, leaving 

 the working details with the respective boards. The delegates consist of 

 five oirectors from each company, headed by their respective chairmen. 

 Ihey have generally met twice a week at Mr. Glyn's house, adjoining the 

 bank. W e understand that some general principles of union have been 

 atfirmed, and the details left to the consideration of the solicitors of the 

 respective companies, who will have to consider of the proper notices to 

 Parliamenl ; for, of course, nothing can be done without the consent of 

 the proprietors of all the companies and legislative sanction. We 

 have heard that some obstacles have arisen from (he discussion introduced 



by that vexrd question— the broad gauge and narrow gauge interests 



but more parlicidaily from the difiiculty of ascertaining the relative values 

 of Ihe gnat interests which it is proposed should be united. We have, 

 liowever good reason to hope that these difficulties will be surmounted.— 

 Morning: Chronicle. 



Clahanised Wire anil Hemp Ropes.— Aa experiment was lately tried in 

 VI oulwiih Dockyard, to ascertain Ihe comparative strength of wire and 

 bemp ropes. A wire rope, 3 inches round, and a hemp rope of three 

 strands, hawser laid, common make, 7 inches round, were spliced together, 

 and placed in the testing machine, and on the liydraulic power being ap- 

 plied, the hemp rope broke in the middle on the strain reaching 1 If tons, 

 the wire rope remaining apparently as strong as when the experiment com- 

 menced A wire rope, 35 inches round, was then spliced with an 8inch 

 hemp shroud rope, and on Ihe power being applied the hemp rope broke 

 in Ihe middle, with a strain of lOJ tons, the wire rope continniug appa- 

 rently uninjured. 



Steam I'ower of /■j-awce.— According to a late statistical report, made 

 to the government, Ihe number of locomotive engines constructed in 

 France, and employed by the country in 1842, equalled the number im- 

 ported (rom abriiad ; in 1843, there were two moie French than forei-'n 

 engines; in 1844, the surplus was 44; in IS45, 76; in 184G, beyond 

 which year the report did not go, this excess was 101. In 1846, there 

 were 294 steamboats, belonging to private individuals and companies 

 Davigating Ihe rivers and seas. The numbers and force of the engines in 

 use on land, and acting as locomotives in the steamers, were, in 1846, as 

 follows— viz. : 4,395 engines at work on land, equalling 163,402-hoise 

 power ; 401 locomotives, of 60-horse power each, upon the average 

 amounting to 27,600-horEe-power ; 338 engines used in steam-ships and 

 boais, amounting lo 108,513horse power. These, together, give a force 

 of 299,51.5 horse power. Comparing the strength of man to horse-power, 

 It will be found that Ihe steam-engines employed in France in 1846 were 

 sulisiitule- for 2,097,625 men. 



Veijetable Wax.—Vi. Jules Rossignon submitted to the Academy of 

 Sciences a specimen of vegetable wax, extracted from the berries of a com- 

 mon laurel grown on the mountains of Vera-Paz, in the Republic of Guati- 

 mala. The analysis of this wax gave, Carbon, 76'29 ; Hidrogen, 15-08; 

 Ux,gcn, 863. It IS of a green colour, and exhales a slightly aromatic 

 odour when ruhhed or melted. The candles which have been made with 

 this wax give a beautifully clear light, and difl'use a pleasant aromatic odour, 

 the laurel whose berries furnish this wax, has the character and leafage of 

 J^amu^ nubihs ; it forms numerous thick forests in the mountains of Vera- 

 raz. that IS, throughout the whole of that part of the Guatimalian teriitory 

 Which commences at Rio Polochis, and spreads to the limits of Yuctan. 



Geological Discovery. — A correspondent of the Fi/e Herald states that 

 " a section of limestone rock has been lalely laid open by the cutting of 

 the Edinburgh and Northern Railway, at the Newburgh station, which 

 belongs to the cornstone of the old red sandstone formation. The face 

 exposed is about 100 feet in leoglh, by upwards of 20 feet in thickness 

 and very distinctly stratified. 'I'he beds are broken near the centre, which 

 causes their edges to slip down and dip in opposite directions, inclining 

 on one side at an angle of 28° towards Ihe north-east, and on the other 

 approaching to nearly a vertical position towards Ihe north-west. M'hat 

 adds lo Ihe geohigiial importance of the discovery, is Ihe fact that the grey 

 sandstone, or Carmylie fossilliferous pavement slone, is found in the 

 immediate vicinity of the calcareous deposit. The representative of the 

 Cornstone in England, it is well known, is extremely rich in fossils, par- 

 ticularly of the genus cephnlaspis. while not a fragment has as jet been 

 detected in any of its numerous localities in Scotland. The colour of the 

 liineslone is that of a dark flinty grey, with innumerable white thread- 

 like veins of carbonate of lime, bo:h vertical and longitudinal, and which 

 cause the rock to split up into thin bands of larger and smaller rhomboidal 

 masses. The deposit is subcrystalline, of an extremely hard and cherty 

 texture ; it is not nodular or compound, as in so many other places, but of 

 a close, uniform, homogeneous structure." 



LIST OF ^SEW PATENTS. 



GRANTED IN ENGLAND FROM SEPTEMBER 28, TO OCTOBER 26, 1848. 



5(> Months allowed for Enrolment, unless otherwise e.rpressed. 



Robert Stirling Newall, Gatesliead, Durh.im, for " Improvements in loclts and springs 

 and 111 tlie means of fastening and setting up the rigging of ships."— Sealed .Sept. 2d. ' 



Andrew Paton Hailiday, Manoliester, niaiiufacturing cliemist, for " certain Improve- 

 ments in tlie manufacture of pyroligneous acid."— Sept. 28. 



Fennell Allman. of Ctiarles-strfct, Saint James's-square, Westminster, for " certain 

 Improvements m apparatus for ttie production of liglit from electricity."— Sept. 28. 



William Wilkinson Nicholson, of Aclon-strcet, Gray's InnToad, civil engineer for 

 ' Improvements in machinery for compressing wood, aiid other materiale requiiiug such 

 a process "—Se(.t. L'tf. ^ 6 ou*,** 



Joseph Gillot atid John Morrison, Birmingham, for "Improvements in ornamentine 

 cyhudrical and other surfaces of wuod aud other material."- Sept. 28. 



Thomas Metcalf. High-street, Camden Town, Middlesex, gentleman, for " Imnrove 

 meiits in the construction of chairs, solas, and other articles of furniture for sittinir anrt 

 reclining ou."— October 3. ° 



Edward John Massey, Liverpool, for " Improvements in apparatus for measuring the 

 speed of vessels ;ind streams, and for ascertaining the depths of water."— October 5? 



Joseph Sharp Bailey, Bradford, York, spinner, for " certain Improvements in prenar- 

 ing, combing, and drawing wool, alpaca, mohair, and other fibrous materials."— Oclfs. 



John Wright, Camberwell, Surrey, engineer, for " Improvements in generating steam 

 and evaporating fluids."— Oct. 12. " 



Charles de Bergue, of Arlhur-street, West, London, engineer, for " Improvements in 

 bridges, girders, and beams."— Oct. 12. 



Arthur Dunn, of D ilston, chemist, for " Improvements in ascertaining and indicatinir 

 the temperature and pressure of uids."— Oct. 12. 



John Davie Monies Stirling, of Black Grange. N.B., Esq., for " Improvements in the 

 manufacture of iron and metallic compounds."— Oct. 12. 



Elias Robinson Haodruck, of 111, Regont- street, London, and Bathmoyle-House 

 yueen s County, Ireland, Esq., for "certain Improvements in mechanism applicable to 

 iinpellmg and lucilitaiing the propulsion of vessels in the water, which improvements are 

 applicable to locomotive engines for railways, and other similar purposes." — Oct. 12. 



John Ashby, of Carshalton, Surrey, miller, for " certain Improvements in machinerv 

 apidicable to cleaning grain and dressing meal."— Oct. 12. 



Daniel Watney, of Wandsworth. Surrey, distiller, and James John Wentworth, of the 

 same place, for " Improvements in machinery for drilling metals and other substances." 

 Oct. 12. 



Samuel Cunliffe Lister, of Manninghara. York, gentleman, for " Improvements la pre- 

 paring, hackling, and combing wool, and other fibrous substances "—Oct. 19. 



Frank Clarke Hills, of Deplford, Kent, manufacturing chemist, for " Improvements in 

 treating certsin salts and gasscs, or vapours."— Oct. 19. 



Robert Angus Smith, of Manchester, tor " Improvements in the application and pre- 

 paration of coal tar."— Oct. 19. 



Robert William Sievier, of Upper Holloway, Middlesex, gentleman, for " Improve^ 

 nients in the means of warping and weaving plain and figured fabrics."— Oct. 19. 



Joseph Eugene Asaert, of Lille, in the republic of France, machinist, for " Improved 

 meaus of obtaining motive power." — Oct. 19. 



William Brown, of Cambridge Heath, Middlesex, weaver, for " Improvements in 

 manufacturing elastic stoikings and other elastic bandages and fabrics "—Oct. 26. 



Soren Hjorth, of Jewi7.street, Aldgate, for "certain Improvements in the use of 

 electro magnetism, and its application as a motive power, and also other improvements 

 in its application genera.ly, to engines, ships, and railways."— Oct. 26. 



James Clark, of Glastonbury, Somerset, manufacturer, for " Improvements in the 

 manufacture of boots, shoes, and clogs."— Oct. 26. 



William Longmaid, cf Beaumont square, Middlesex, gentleman, for " Improvementa 

 in treating the oxydes of iron, and in obtaining products therefrom."- Oct. 26. 



William Church, civil engineer, and Thomas Lewis, woollen-draper, both of Birming- 

 ham, for " a certain Improvement or certain improvements in machinery, lo be employed 

 in making playing and other cards, and also other articles made wholly, or in part, of 

 piper or pasteboard, part or parts of which said machinery may be applied to other pur- 

 poses where pressure is required." — Oct. 2tl. 



Peter Fairbairn. of Leeds. York, machine maker, for " Improvements in machinery, 

 for hackling, carding, drawing, roving, and spinning flax, hemp, tow, silk, and other 

 fibrous substances." — Oct. 26. 



Jame« Burrows, of Haigh. near VVigan, Lancashire, engineer and drauchtsman, and 

 George Holcroft, of Manchester, consulting engineer, for " certain Improvementa, in and 

 applicable to steam engines in the machinery or apparatus belonging thereto, in the con- 

 struction and arrangements of boilers, for the generation of steam, and in the furnaces 

 and flues useil in connection therewith; parts ot whictl improvements are also spplicablt 

 to other similar purposes,"— Oct, 26. 



