3-0 



THE CIVIL ENGINEER AND AUCIIITECTS JOURNAL. 



[Decembeb, 



the wheel; wliile the boss, or that part of each wliich is inserted 

 in the wlieel transversely, is made slij^htly taperinfc towards the 

 other : tlie \\igs or projections *■ , «-', which correspond with the 

 mimber of wedffes t, t, are made equally taiicring, tlie lieads of tiie 

 ivedges lieing cut away to receive them, and the recesses thus 

 formed in the boss impinging u]ion the ends of the spokes. 

 Wlienever the bolts which secure the two portions of the nave 

 witli each otlier and to the spokes, are screwed up by the nuts, 

 their action upon tlie surfaces of the boss of each portion of the 

 nave causes the wedges to be driven up further between the spokes 

 r, r, which are also brought into more effectual contact with tlie 

 inner circumference of the tyre, as a small space is left between 

 the two portions of the nave in the middle of the wheel. In tliis 

 wiieel the tyre is shown attached by jagged spikes, one of which 

 is driven into each spoke. 



The next improvement consists of a cast-iron wheel ; the nave 

 from which the arms radiate, and the inner or cast-iron tyre, is 

 formed in the usual manner, the outer tyre being made of wrouglit- 

 iron. The arms of the wlieel have a hollow opening or slot, extend- 

 ing from the inner tyre to the nave ; down this opening the bolts 

 which secure the outer tyre to the wheel, pass, and are held by 

 cotters driven transversely through the nave, under the first 

 series of improvements. One great advantage of this method is, 

 that as the outer tyre becomes loose by continual wear, it can be 

 tightened and held fast to the wheel by merely driving up the 

 cotters, without involving the necessity of re-tyring the wheel; and 

 this applies equally to wooden as to ii-on wheels. The fifth part 

 of the imin-ovements refers to a method of preparing, dressing, and 

 finishing the outer surface of tyres for railway wheels, by grinding 

 them with hard stone, instead of dressing them in the lathe 

 in the ordinary manner. 



HEATING AND VENTILATION. 



John Brittekn, of Birmingham, machinist, for " certain im- 

 prwemeiits in heating, lighting, ventilating, and climing and screwing 

 the doors of apartments ; also in lighting and ventilating carriages ; 

 parts of which improvements are applicable to other tike purposes." — 

 Granted April 20; Enrolled October 20, 184.8. 



This specification is so comprehensive, that we can only notice 

 the principal objects which the invention is intended to accomplish. 

 In the first place, the patentee claims a mode of closing fire- 

 )ilaces or stoves with ground glass, introduced like panels into the 

 iron frame. The door is placed in front of the fire, and is not 

 hinged to the frame of the stove in the usual manner, but rests 

 upon a sliding dimiper below the bottom of the fire ; thus by with- 

 drawing the damper, the door is also withdrawn at the same time 

 for the admission of air to the fire. The door is kept close to the 

 frame at the top by means of a weighted latch. The second part 

 of the invention relates to the ventilating of apartments. This 

 the patentee proposes to do by closing up the fire-)ilaee by a door, 

 and supplying the fire with air by means of a pipe from the top of 

 the i-oom. The pipe conveying the air is divided into two branches, 

 one of which delivers tlie air above the fire directly into the chim- 

 ney, and the other deli\ers it below the fire to aid the combustion 

 of the fuel : it is provided with a valve or damjier, by which the 

 intensity of the fire can be regulated as required. x\nother part 

 of the invention consists of a candle-guard to prevent candles from 

 glittering. It is formed by a cap, which is jdaced upon the top of 

 the caiuile, the upper part of the cap forming a ring round the 

 melted part of the tallow, and, as the candle burns away, the cap 

 descends with it by its own weight. Improvements in the 

 windows of carriages are comprised in this specification : the im- 

 provements proposed consisting in having the windows to open 

 outwards witli hinges, like French windows of houses; and a pro- 

 j<'cting roof to the carriage is proposed, for the jiurpose of avoiding 

 drafts. The hinges and locks of doors come next within the scope 

 of the patentee's improvements. Among other alterations, he 

 proposes to place the common arm-spring on the opposite side of 

 the door to that on which it is usually placed. The two last parts 

 of the invention relate to the latches and locks of doors. The 

 patentee describes a variety of methods of effecting the lifting of 

 the latch or other fastenings of doors, by simply pulling the door- 

 knob on one side of the door, or by pushing in on the other. 

 The pin or rod connecting the two knobs is so connected by levers 

 or other apparatus to the latch or bolt, that any motion given to 

 it will lift the latch. The last part consists in a mode of locking 

 locks without the aid of the opening key. It consists in forming 



the pins upon the tumblers bevelled on one side, so that by simply 

 pushing forward the bolt, by means of a small lever attached to a 

 handle, the pins will be raised from their respective notclies by 

 tlieir peculiar sliajie, and thus allow the bolt to pass ; but the ver- 

 tical faces of the pins fully lock the bolt, and prevent its being 

 forced back without the key. 



ROTARY STEAM-ENGINE. 



Isaiah Da vies, of Birmingham, engineer, for " improvements in 

 steam-engines and locomotive-carriages; parts of which are also ap- 

 pUcalde to other machinery." — Granted May 2; Enrolled November 



2, 18-t8. 



The improvements in steam-engines comprised in this specifica- 

 tion have chiefly reference to rotary-engines, and to a new kind 

 of stuffing-box adapted to the shafts of such engines, for the pur- 

 pose of keeping them steam-tight, where the shafts pass through 

 the curves, with little friction. The patentee uses a metallic 

 packing, which consists of several segments, the larger set of 

 which are adapted to the size of the box, and are furnished with a 

 flange piece projecting inwards so as to fit the shaft; while the 

 inner set of segments are placed within, so as to rest on this flange 

 piece : the whole are prevented turning by two fixed ribs running 

 parallel with the shaft. These segments are cut so as to leave 

 about one-eighth of an inch between the ends, and are placed so as 

 to " break joint," as it is technically termed. The whole are forced 

 up by spiral springs, placed in recesses cast in the box : the steam 

 has access to the back, and also acts as a spring thereto. Metal 

 discs are placed above and below this packing, and the whole is 

 secured in the usual manner. Another improvement consists in 

 fitting the piston of rotary-engines to the shaft, by means of 

 three feathers let into the shaft, instead of keying it fast. This 

 is to prevent the piston turning on the shaft, and at the same time 

 to admit of any slight end-mo\ement consequent on its application 

 as a motive-powei', without giving rise to a great amount of 

 friction, which would otherwise be produced in the cylinder. 

 Another part of the invention consists in working the expansive- 

 valves of steam-engines by a double-acting cam, so that by moving 

 a lever, which changes the position of the different connections, 

 the steam is cut oft' at a different point of the stroke. 



The mode of connecting the engine in locomotive-carriages to 

 the driving-wheels forms another part of the patentee's claims. 

 The engine is placed midway between the wheels, within the 

 framing. The axle projecting through has a suitable crank af- 

 fixed at each end ; these being connected by the rods to similar 

 cranks on the driving-axle, describing a circle of the proper 

 radius from the centre. According to the ordinary method of 

 constructing these carriages, (the engine being a fixture to the 

 framing, and the driving-axle moving vertically in the axle-guards 

 or gabs), the distance of the centres must be increased or dimin- 

 ished, as the points are nearer or farther from a straight line : to 

 prevent which, the patentee constructs the axle-guards in portions 

 of circles, struck from the centres of the engine-shaft and crank- 

 pin ; consequently the axle-boxes are kept at the same distance, 

 whatever may be the rise and fall of the framing on the driving- 

 axles. 



LAYING-DOWN OF RAILS. 



Lewis Dunbar Brodie Gordon, of Abingdon-street, 'West- 

 minster, for "«« inijirovement or improvements in railways." — 

 Granted May 9; Enrolled November 9, 1848. 



The patentee puts in five claims for improvements in the con- 

 struction of railways. The first is for forming the ends of rails 

 in such manner that the end of one shall rest upon the end of the 

 next. Second, the adaptation of thin malleable plate-iron to form 

 the sleepers for supjiorting the rails, combined with a mode of 

 fastening the chairs to the sleepers. Third, a mode of support- 

 ing the ends of adjoining rails by a trough or girder. Fourth, a 

 mode of fastening the rails in the chairs. And lastly, a mode 

 of preparing the keys of railway-chairs. 



The first of these improvements consists in forming the ends of 

 tlie abutting rails in such manner, that the end of one of them 

 shall rest upon the other ; the end of one rail being cut so that, 

 when laid in the chair, it shall rest as well upon the end of the 

 rail as upon the chair. In the second improvement, the patentee 



