166 



THE CIVIL ENGINEER AND ARCHITECTS JOURNAL. 



[May, 



How far tbi'; may answer in practice 1 don't know, but (be tbcoiy docs 

 not look well. 



It will be apparent tbat tbe proper place for tlie crank sbaft is in 

 the line of tbe centre uf the centre of pressure, or centre of tbe cylin- 

 der, and to obtain such place, I jiropose tbat tbere be four piston rods 

 uniting in one cross bead, as shewn in Fig. 1. 'I'be sectional area of 

 tbe four rods would require to be very little greater than for two ur 

 only one rod, but of course tbere would be the additional friclion 

 caused by the enlarged surface. 



The arrangement is sulBciently shown in Fig. 1, witbuut any further 

 description. 



Fig. 2 is another plan for keeping the shaft in the same central 

 position wilb ouly two piston reds; in this case there will nquire a 

 double cranked shaft as shown, and of course two connecting ruds. 



By the arrangement in Fig. 2, cylinders of a minimum diameter 

 may be employed. 



Messrs. M. & F. may have thought of these methods of combination, 

 or they may not ; however, Sir, if you think the above worliiy a place 

 in your Jouriial, nothing would give greater satisfaction to 



Amicus MACHiNARUii. 

 Apidm, 1S4 '. 



THE ASSIZE COURTS, LIVERPOOL. 



Sir — The decision has just taken place with respect to tbe desigiis 

 for tbe Liverpool Assize Courts, for which no fewer than eigbty-ti\ e 

 designs had been sent in on the 1st Jamiary, and tbe two lucky com- 

 petitors to whose lot the premiums have fallen, are Mr. Elmes of 

 London, and Mr. Grieg of Exeter. During the present week there is 

 to be an exhibition of all (be drawings at tbe Town-ball, Liverpool, but 

 the time allowed for its being open is so exceedingly slioit, tbat very 

 few professional men here in town, or at distance from Liverpool, will 

 be able to avail themselves of it, more especially as no public notice 

 beforehand has been given of it in tbe newspapers, — which certainly 

 ought to have been done. Besides which, the same egregious blunder 

 has been here comuiitted,- — or if not blunder, tbe same crooked and 

 perverse policy has been here pursued, which has justly been animad- 

 verted upon in similar cases; namely, instead of preceding the deci- 

 son, the exhibition is not allowed to take p'ace until it is over, and all 

 appeal from it rendered unavailing. 



This surely might bo remedied — at least might be attemjjfed to be 

 remedied by the institute, who ought to draw up and publisli a protest 

 against Such a highly injinious mode of procedure, and ought also for 

 the future, in every similar case of the kind, that is, in a public com- 

 petition for a building of any magnitude, and in wdiicb numerous 

 members of the profession are likely to engage, — to address themselves 

 formally to the committee — or, however, the presiding powers may be 

 styled, and urge upon them the propriety and decency of granting a 

 public prc-exhibition of the designs, and (hat too, for a reasonable and 

 satisfactory time. 



I certainly cannot help being of opinion, tbat tbe Institute have been 

 culpably supine and remiss in regard to the very important matter of 

 competition; and negligent both of the interests (jf architecture and 

 Its professors. What they have yet done towards advancing either, 

 I do not know, nor have 1 been able to leain : probaMy, let their dispo- 

 sition and zeal be what they may, there are very few cases in which 

 that body can exert ifscif with any effect ; but that becomes only an ad- 

 ditional reason wherefore they should exert themselves the more 

 ^trenuously wherever (hey can ; and in attempting to check the abuses 

 of the present system of competition and establish a better one, — the 

 Institute would, at all events, have public opinion on its side. 



As regards the particular competition here mentioned, it does look 

 rather odd that Mr. Elmes, who, but a few months before, bad been the 

 successful architect for St. (ieorge's Hall, should have obtained a 

 second and still more expensive in tbe very same town, ere tbe tirst 

 one has been fairly commenced. Indeed, it is rather singular that tlia t 

 gentleman should have chosen to enter a second competition imme- 

 diately after succeeding in a previous one, unless he bad particularly 

 good reasons for anticipating success. However, it is to be hoped that 

 bis design will be found fully to justify his so extraordinary good 

 fortune, and thereby remove the awkward impression now likely to be 

 made upon those, who at present know only the curious fact itself, and 

 nothing further. 



I remain, &c. 

 ; Aprinith, 1-40. Q. 



GREAT WESTERN STEAM SHIP COMPANY. 



The annual meeting of tbe Great Western Steam Ship Company 

 took place on tlie 28tb March, when discussions took place bigbly 

 interesting, both in a professional and public point of view. The 

 question in dispute is as to the propriety of the steps taken by tbe 

 Directors in constructing an iron vessel of im|)araileled size, and in 

 erecting a manufactory for supplying the pulilic with engines. 



The lirst question is with regard to (he size of the vessel, wdiich, a.s 

 we sbotdd state, is to be of 312 feet in length, 42 feet breadtli of 

 beam, 32 feet depth of hold, 2-5(lU tons, and with engines of KJOO 

 horses power. The reasons assigned for tbif step by the Directors 

 are, (lie increase in stowage afforded by the use of iron, increase of 

 power, and consequently tpiicker and more certain passages. To 

 these reasons the objections are objections of expediency, and a ques- 

 tion of expediency (his must be considered in all its bearings, mixed 

 up as it is with the ci cunistances of the company, and the objects for 

 which it has been projected and carried into etfect. It seems tbat (he 

 capital of the company is small, and the difliculty of raising fiuids at 

 the present time is very great, and consequently, on tbat account, it is 

 inexpedient to engage in large enterprises, for which the funds are 

 insntlicicnt, and from which the returns cannot be obtained quickly, 

 nor dc|K'nded on with certiunty. What is wanted at the present 

 period is to have more frequent steam connnunication between Eng- 

 land and (he United States, so as to make the use of steam habitual, 

 and its advantages jjermanently manifest, and not to be looked on 

 merely as a casual relief to the regular sailers. It is only in this way 

 that the liners can be successfully competed with, for it seems the 

 saving of time is still so little ap|u-eciated, that, by a reduction of fare, 

 they have been enabled successfully to contend with the large steam- 

 ers, and force them also to reduce their prices. The Great Western, 

 also, at ))rescnt, has rarely her full couqilement of passengers, and in 

 the last three trips, there has been a considerable falling olV, so that 

 the necessity of a large vessel on tbe score of accouunodatiou, evi- 

 dently cannot be asserted. Tbe Comjjany will also, in the cour.se of 

 this year, be subjected to the competition of numerous steamers, so 

 thai they will be the more called upon to ]jrcserve (be regularity of 

 their communications, while they must necessarily have spcedi.'y a 

 new vessel on the station, not only for the purpose of securing quick 

 returns to the proprietors on their capital, but to prevent them from 

 losing all profit in the e\'cnt of the temporary or total incapacitation 

 of the Great Western. On all economical groimds, therefore, the con- 

 struction of a vessel of a larger size than the Great Western is clearly 

 inexpedient, and indeed the proprietors, in giving their consent to the 

 construction of an iron vessel, never contemplated any increase of 

 dimensions. Supposing, even, that the experiment should be success- 

 ful, the Directors will not even then be exonerated from blame, in 

 having unadvisedly made such an attempt, so uncalled for by tbe cir- 

 cumstances, and bighlj' perilous to tbe financial prospects of tbe Com- 

 pany. We now come to the rjuestion of the pro])riety in an engineer- 

 ing point of view, of engaging in such an undertaking, and we find 

 that not only has it no example, but, from the highest authorities, it 

 meets with no encouragement. We do not say tliat an iron vessel 

 312 feet long cannot be constructed, but we must say that it augurs 

 considerable temerity to attempt it in the teeth of the opinion of those 

 most eomijetent to judge. The largest iron steamer which has been 

 built is tinly of -li:(J tons, one sixth of (he size of the proposed vessel, 

 and Mr. Laird, the engineer, jiositively refused to contract for an iron 

 vessel of only 1S5U tons, so little was he disposed to proceed without 

 some practical result upon which to base his operations. Mr. Ditch- 

 bourn, the eminent iron shipbuilder, of London, expressed himself to 

 a similar eft'ect before the Committee on Steam Connnunication with 

 India. It must be further recollected that the Company's vessel, 

 instead of being under the responsible control of a private builder, is 

 being built in their own yard, so that, shou'd it prove a failuie, the 

 proprietors have no remedy. As if to hea]) experiment on cx])eri- 

 ment, the Directors liave chosen to adopt ;* form of ergine, of which 

 the best that can be said is that it has not succeeded, if, indeed, it be 

 not regarded as a total failure. Humphrys' Patent Engines will be 

 found in another part of the Jo\irnal to have been patented as Mr. 

 Broderip's, in ly2S, by Col. D'Arcy, and how they ever came to be 

 called after Mr, Humphrys, no one presumes to surmise. A pair of 

 them was put on board the Dartford, built at Gravesend about four 

 years ago, for Messrs, Halls, of Dartford, by Mr. Baulckham. Tbe 

 lines of the Dartford were very tine, and she bad a very promising ap- 

 pearance ; when, howevej', her engines came to be put on board, so 

 far was she from justifying tbe predictions of her proprietors, that 

 they were obliged to give up running her on the Thames, after she 

 had been beaten b^ piost of the boats on the rivcrt She Nvas then 



