280 



THE CIVIL ENGINEER AND ARCHITECT'S JOURNAL. 



[August, 



to descend towards the eartli with a S|iecd constantly accelerating; so that if 

 the cloud were liigh from which it fell, it onght hy its velocity, and conse- 

 quently its 7)iomfnfnin, to inflict evils of a serious nature on all animal and 

 vegetable life. Then how is it that such effect is not produced ? Simply by 

 the resistance of the air. Eacli droji of rain, while in the cloud, maybe con- 

 sidered to be in a quiescent state. It begins to descend from a state of rest, 

 with a motion constantly accelerating, and thus it continues until it acquires 

 a certain amount of speed; from which time forth the motion of its descent 

 is uuiforni. This uniformity of motion, Mr. Adcock stated, is produced by 

 the resistance of the air ; by its not being aide to flow from beneath the drop 

 beyond certain rates of speeil under certain amounts of pressure, and the lUti- 

 mate amount of jiressure is determined by the weight of the drop. Hence 

 the drop descends with an accelerating speed at first, compressing the air 

 more and more immediately beneath it, until the resistance and the eonipres- 

 sioji become equal to tlie weight of the drop ; thenceforward its motion is 

 uniform. Mr. .\dcock stated that he then proceeded to investigate the greatest 

 descending velocities of drops of rain, and he found that, under ordinary cir- 

 cumstances, they were from eight to twelve feet in a second ; from ivhieh 

 time the remaining jiortion of the reasoning was to him clear and decisive, 

 viz., if water, in globules of a certain size and weight, like drops of rain, can- 

 not, under ordinaiT circumstances, and in consequence of the resistance which 

 they meet with in the air, descend with a greater speed than twelve feet in a 

 second, then it is certain that if those drops were in a quiescent state, and a 

 current of air were made to move upwards, at a greater speed than twelve 

 feet in a second, those drops would flow upwards, instead of downwards, and 

 that too, whatever the height. Hence the invention was perfected. He had 

 only to try the experiment in secret. It far surpassed all that he had ex- 

 jiected from it, and he forthwith secured the patents. Mr. Adcock, therefore, 

 does not raise water in solid mass as in pump work, hut in a <livided state 

 like drops of rain. His apparatus consists of a fan, which is driven the re- 

 quired nuuiber of revolutions by steam or water power, and two pipes, as we 

 have before remarked — the one to couvey the air from the fan to the bottom 

 of the mine, and the other to return the air back to the surface, together 

 with the water with which it is accompanied, ^\"ith a 20-inch fan, 6 inches 

 wide, he has driven up C3 gallons of water in a minute, 40 feet in height; 

 and by a 3-feet fan, 1 foot wide, erected at the works of Messrs. Milne, Travis, 

 and Milne, at Sliaw, near JIanchestcr, he states he has driven up 130 gallons 

 of water per minute 120 feet in height. His experiments having been seen 

 b_\- numerous miners and practical men, a highly respectable body of them 

 have subscribed a certain sum each, that its merits, so important to them, 

 may be at once fully tested ; and it gives us much pleasure to add that the 

 machinery, now being made for that purpose, will be put down at the Pem- 

 berton Colliery, in the neighbourhood of ^A'igall, which is under the manage- 

 ment of Mr. K. Daglish. Tiie deiith of the pit is 100 yards ; and from that 

 depth Mr. Adcock proposes to bring up 300 gallons of water per minute. 

 The fan, now making, will be 6 feet diameter and 18 inches wide. — Mining 

 Jo lima I. 



NEW KAILMAY LOCOMOTIVE. 



Invented and construeted ly Mr. If'alter Ilancocl; of Stratford, Essex, and 

 noil) on trial on the Eastern Counties' Railway. 



One of the princijial advantages of tliis locomotive is presented in the 

 boiler, by «liich steam of greater power is generated with far greater certainty 

 of continued supply, and more perfect safety, than by the boilers now in use, 

 cither in railw,iy, marine, or stationary engines. This boiler is constructed 

 of a number of distinct chambers, each chamber composed of several tubes. 

 Each chandjer, or raid; of tubes, connects with two general cylinders or re- 

 servoirs — one at the bottom for the supply of water, and the other at the top 

 for the reception and passage of steam. The communications from each 

 chamber to the water, steam pipes or reservoirs, have self-acting v.ilves. 

 AVhcn any leakage occurs, from wear, rents, or other causes, to any one cham- 

 ber, the v.ilvcs belonging to it close, and are kept to their seats by the pres- 

 sure of the water and steam contained in the neighbouring sound' chambers, 

 and the boiler remains as effective as before, exce])ting that the surface of 

 that one chamber, is thrown out of use, without stopping the eugines, and 

 perhai)s it would not be observed by the engine driver uutil the end of the 

 trip, when tlie pressme being reduced liy withdrawing the fire, the valve 

 would fall from its seat, and point out the defective chamber by the discharge 

 of water. In half an hour a new chamber could be attached in its stead. In 

 the ordinary locomotive boiler, when any one of its tubes become defective, 

 the whole is rendered inoperative by reason of the unchecked communication 

 of all the parts with each other, and so it remains until the defective tube is 

 repaired, replaced, or plugged, which generally occupies three or four hours, 

 and is attended besides with the inconvenience of stopping the train until 

 another engine is procured from the next station. 



l!y ailopting the improved boiler no such delay would occur, and the ex- 

 pense both in fuel and wages, of keeping a number of engines with their fires 

 up ready to meet such casualties, would be avoided, as well as the risk when 

 a train stops out of time, and having another train brought in collision with 

 it, and the lives of passengers and attendants endangered. 



The great heating surface obtained in a com))arativelv small space, is like- 

 ■Pise a recommendation to this boiler. It is intended to attach a reciprocating 



set of fire bars to it, Ijy which a clean floor of bars can be introduced without 

 lowering the fire. The small weight of this boiler in comparison to its gene- 

 rating power, is another material i)oint in its favour, for it leaves room for 

 giving sufficient strength to all other parts, without exceeding the present 

 total weight of a locomotive. 



Having given a general description of the power — the engines and ma- 

 chinery come next under consideration. 



The engines of the present locomotives are placed horizontally, and are 

 thereby very much confined and ditfieult of access, but in this one they are 

 vertical, and therefore the whole of the machinery, pumps, &c., are open to 

 view, can be readily oiled, and speedily deta,ched for repairs ; or any portion 

 may be put right and secured whilst the engines are working. 



The engines of this locomotive give motion to a separate crank shaft, and 

 this communicates tlie jirogressive motion to the wheel axle by an endless 

 chain, working over a pulley fixed on each, and which two puUies may be 

 either of eiiual or difterent diameters, so that ailvantage may be obtained 

 either for speed or power, whichever may be required. This arrangement 

 not only allows the wheel axle to be straiglit instead of cranked, but it also 

 possesses the advantages of a moderate accommodation or play, by which all 

 sudden jerks or concussions of the machinery, &c., are avoided. 



The friction is reduced to above one-half, from such large eccentrics, crank- 

 bearings, &c., not being required, in consequence of the weight of the ma- 

 chineiy, boiler, &.C., being on straight instead of cranked axles. 



This aiTangenient allows the work to be immediately thrown out, so that 

 the engines will work the injection pumps, and get up the fire, without work- 

 ing the driving wheels. By running locomotives about to efteet these pur- 

 poses, much of unnecessary wear and tear is incurred, besides running on the 

 rails in the way of trains, &c. The present locomotive need not stir from the 

 spot until the train is attached — the clutch then thrown in, it immediately 

 starts upon its trip. — Correspondent of the Railway Times, 



STEAM LOCOMOTION ON COMMON KOADS. 



An experimental trip of Sir J. .Anderson's stcam-dr.ig for common roads, 

 took place yesterday on the Ilowth road, and fully answered the anticipations 

 of all concerned. It ran for about two hours, backing and turning in every 

 direction — the object being chiefly to try the various parts in detail. It re- 

 peatedly turned the corners of the avenues at a speed of about twelves miles an 

 hour, and at a pressure of only about 10 or 48 pounds upon tlie square inch. 

 r."o smoke whatever was emitted, and very little steam was observed, while 

 even these, it is alleged, will be removed, when running publicly on the roads. 

 The whole machinery is ornamentally boxed in, which prevents the nervous- 

 ness so often experienced in railway carriages, when the movements of the 

 different parts are exposed to view ; neither do horses show any alarm when 

 it passes them. 



The directors of the English company formed for the purpose of working 

 out Sir James .Anderson's patent, are about to assemble at Manchester, in 

 order to witness a trial of the carriages constructed there; and it is expected 

 that the noblemen and gentlemen forming the company will afterwards come 

 to Dublin ; it being the intention of the p.itentees to form a company, in eon- 

 junctiou with that of England, for establishing communications by means of 

 these drags, between the principal towns in Ireland, as soon as a few of the 

 carriages now constructing, and in a forward state, are completed. It is pro- 

 posed that the English company should, iu the first inst,ance, in conjunction 

 with the railway trains from London, run from Birmingham to Holyhead ; 

 the passengers to be thence conveyed by steam vessels to Dublin twice a day ; 

 from Dublin to Galway by the steaui drags, and thence by steam vessels to 

 New York, touching at Halifax. Thus making Ireland the stepping-stone 

 between England, Nova Scotia, and the United States, and avoiding the de- 

 lay and danger of beating up the channel, the most arduous and annoying 

 liart of the present route. The whole distance Iictween London and New 

 York will be accomplished, it is expected, in ten davs. — Dublin paper, June 

 30. 



Daguerrcotjipe Eiif^raving. — AVe have received from Dr. Mackenzie, still at 

 Vienna, some further particulars of the interesting process by «hicb Dr. 

 Berres fixes and engraves the Daguerreot) jie pictures, and also two impres- 

 sions from .such engravings. These impressions are shadowy and very indis- 

 tinct, but the design is sutiiciently m.ide out to justify the hope that further 

 experiments and practice will render the discovery practically available. 

 Kespeeting the process. Dr. Mackenzie observes, " The proportions are now 

 fixed as follow : — Seven parts of aeidum nitricum, of forty degrees of sirength, 

 lo eight parts of distilled water. With gum arable the operation is a httle 

 longer in being finished, but the picture is much handsomer; without gum 

 it is quicker, but it requires much more care and attention to produce a good 

 engraving. M'hen it happens that the nitric acid produces a pi-ecipitateupon 

 the silver plate, ammonia must be poured upon the plate, and it will instantly 

 disappear. From time to time it is ilesirabie to take the plate out of the acid 

 and Have it about : thus drying it you perceive better the progress m.ade In 

 the engraving. Mhen the .icid becomes muddy it Is necessary to change it.'' 

 Allii:ni€tni\ 



