160 



THE CIVIL ENGINEER AND ARCHITECTS JOURNAL. 



[May, 



is only uiidi-r -.i new deed of settlement tliit tlie dircctois can carry 

 out any such plans, As to the propriety of engaging as rivals to pri- 

 vate manufacturers, public opinion is too strongly against sucth a prac- 

 tice to render any further comment necessary, wliile, as concerns the 

 shareholders, if this departure be allowed from their original jilans, 

 there is no reason why the Directors should not set up chain-cable 

 works, rope walks, sail lofts, machine biscuit bakeries, or anything con- 

 necteil or not connected with shipping, — they may engage in banking, 

 life assurance, or any pursuit. 



We cannot, therefore, but be of opinion that, on every point, the 

 Directors are not only totally unwarranted in the course they have 

 pursued, but are o])en to severe reprobation for their imprudent ma- 

 nagement of the ali'airs of the shareholders, whose jiroperty must, by 

 such proceedings, be rendered more unsaleable than it is even at pre- 

 sent. The future operations of the Company are in every way em- 

 barrassed, both by the mismanagement of the capital, and the heavy 

 charge that must be created by such a lumbersome vessel ami expen- 

 sive establishment, which must be kept up, whatever may be the 

 revenues of the Company. The report which recommends and justi- 

 fies the course adopted, is of a most fulsome and trumpery character, 

 with the stamp of official paternity strongly marked ; the self-lauda- 

 tion is too apparent to be disguised, and, like on passing the line, every 

 one of the novices is abundantly bedaubed with tlie glittering slime of 

 the concoctors. The phraseology is as rich as the matter of which it 

 is the vehicle, and renders the whole affair still more sickening. We 

 do not think it necessary to give the report any lengthened exami- 

 nation, or we should waste the time of our readers and our own in 

 exposing this tissue of egotism and presumption. Among other infor- 

 mation which we see with regret is, that the Company have been 

 compelled to accede to the grievous demands of the Dock Company, 

 and pay a large sum for docks their vessels can never enter. They 

 were obliged to take ofl' the paddle-boxes of the Great Western to 

 get if into Cumberland Basin, and, as if to make the difficulty greater 

 the new iron vessel will be seven feet wider. This is making a man 

 too large for his house with a vengeance, and we very little cpiestion 

 that the Great Western Directors will, in time, in their zeal for the 

 interests of Bristol, make their vessels so large that they will not be 

 able to get up to the city at aU. The experience and observation of 

 the Directors and officials is very much praised, but if we are to judge 

 by one example, we fear a little too much. They coolly state that a 

 modification of the Cireat Western's paddle-wheels has been made, 

 founded upon the results of accurate observations during her voyages, 

 which modification, if we are informed rightly, so far from being an 

 improvement, has had the effectual result of reducing the speed of 

 the vessel. The sang-froid with wdiich they mention the superiority 

 of themselves and their yard is admirable; it shows a becoming 

 obliviousness of the Maudslays, Millers, Boltons, Acramans, Seawards, 

 Fawcetts, Napiers, &c. ; their confidence in the estimates and opinions 

 of the most eminent manufacturers is rich, the persons answering to 

 this descrijition are, the patrons. of the Trunk Engines, Messrs. Halls, 

 of Dartford, and a most eminent and practical man, in whom they 

 put their trust, is Mr. John .Scott Russell. Well may the direc- 

 tors talk about its being for the interest of the i<hareholders that their 

 Singular appliances should be directed to mannfacture and repair for 

 o/Z'e/-/aj-te.s', if they believe that anyone can feel any confidence in 

 their ignorance and quackery. We leave this subject with an earnest 

 entreaty of the shareholders concerned to look about them, and get 

 their affairs out of. the hands by which they are at present mismanaged, 

 or the end of tlie experiments vpill be the" total ruin of their property. 



BAKEWELL'S PATENT BRICK MACHINE. 



STEAM-Pr.ouGii.— A trial was lately made in one of the fields on tlie estate 

 of Fossil, near Glasgow, of the steam-ijlough, intended for tlic cultivation of 

 the sugar lands of British Guiana. This trial was completely successful, and 

 gave great satisfaction to the luimerous party who witnessed it. The field 

 was laid ont similar to those in the colony, which have canals on each side 

 running parallel with one another. The machinery consists of two iron boats, 

 one containing a small liigh-pressnre steam-engine, with adrnni, ronmi which 

 the endless diain or rope is coiled, and the otbera reversing pulley, liy means 

 of wliicli the chain or rope is extended, and allowed to worli whidicvcr way 

 is rcfpiiri'il; the plonglis are attached to this chain, and made to work hack- 

 wards and forwards witli great rapidity and accuracy. Mr. MacUac, whose 

 long residence in the colony, and great practical experience of the working 

 of sugar estates, had directed his attention, for a consideralilc time past, to 

 tlie great and absolute necessity of employing some otlier pov cr to supersede 

 cultivation hy manual laliour, invented the steam-plough, wliicli was executed 

 by those enterprising engineers Messrs, Thomas Edington and Sons, Plio-nix 

 Iron-works, whose great ingenuity iii constructing and ilesigning the various 

 parts was very much admired. — Olasgow Courier. 



This machine is strong, of simple construction, and made of 

 cast iron. The mould for receiving the brick is fixed at the top, the 

 inside being accurately ground, and the bottom made to slide freely up 

 and down, when opeiated upon by the screw and lever underneath; 

 the top is made with a counterbalancing weight by which it is easily 

 opened on withdrawing the catch that secured it. A winch is likewise 

 connected with the underside of the mould to raise the brick after it 

 has been pressed. 



The jn'ocess for pressing the bricks is as follows : — The bricks when 

 half dried are placed in the mould, the lid closed and secured, the 

 bottom is then forced up with a pressure of from 4 or 5 tons, by means 

 of the screw acted upon by the horizontal lever. The brick is then 

 raised out of the mould by simply forcing back the winch and removed 

 by a boy ; the bottom is then lowered by its own gravity, and is ready 

 for another operation: by the aid of this press, between two and three 

 thousand bricks may be pressed in a day with the labour of one man 

 and two boys. 



It will be seen that this machine does not profess to make the bricks, 

 but is intended to improve them when made; this it accomplishes in a 

 superior degree; the bricks when turned out of the mould have the 

 sides smooth, and the arrises perfect and parallel, and when burnt, they 

 retain their form, and are of great hardness; they are consequently, well 

 adapted for facings of buildings and paving, as the joints can be laid 

 quite close and regular, the bricks being all of an exact size : they are 

 equally desirable, on account of their extreme hardness and near im- 

 permeability to water, for engineering works; particularly for arches 

 and abutments, viaducts and bridges, foundations, retaining and dock 

 walls, and other works requiring great resistance. The press may also 

 be used for quarries or fancy bricks, which can be pressed to almost any 

 form by merely changing the mould. This press has been in use for many 

 years, more particularly in the midland counties where several public 

 buildings have been faced with these bricks, which gives them a very 

 superior character, far surpassing the bricks commonly applied to that 

 purpose; and although the machine has been used very extensive by 

 Mr. Rhodes, it is not much known in London. The front of Bielefield's 

 extensive Papier Machc Works, in Wellington-street, are faced with 

 bricks of this description. We understand that several parties are now 

 in treaty for licenses, and that the introduction will shortly become 

 very general. The extra cost of the bricks will be from live to seven 

 shillings per thousand; — a sum comparatively small, for the superior 

 quality of the brick, which cannot add very greatly to the cost of the 

 building when used for facings only. The miserable looking brick 

 buildings at the several railway stations, would have been much bene- 

 fited by them, as they now exhibit generally a very mean and stable 

 like ap|.earance, which a clean well coloured facing brick, at but small 

 cost, would have been easily prevented. We with pleasure recom- 

 mend the attention of the profession to this important patent , which 

 can be viewed at the proprietor's office, Adelphi Chambers. 



