1840.] 



THE CIVIL ENGINEER AND ARCHITECT'S JOURNAL. 



327 



increase, is a sufllcient proof of the soumlncss of the concern ; and with my 

 grateful acknowledgments to the Directors for their invariahle kind bupport 

 amidst many trying difiicullies, now happily surmounted. 

 'I have the hoiiour to subscribe myself. 



Their very faithful servant. 



CnARi.r.s Vignot.es. 

 4, Trafiilgnr-sqmn:. London, Engineer-in-Chief. 



■ .higtist 4, 1840. 



PXTBLIC BVIIiDINGS, AND IMPROVEMENTS. 



New Church at Golileit Hill.— On Monday, 3rd idt., the first stone was laid 

 of a new church about to he erected at Golden Hill, a populous village .situated 

 at the northern extremity of the Potteries. The church will contain 'jOO 

 sittings, one-half of whicli will be free. Mr. Stanley is the arcliitcct. and 

 Str. Sliufllehotham is the builder, and it is expected that the building will be 

 ready for consecration in the month of July ne.vt year. 



Kew Church at Hill Tup. West liromicich.— On Tuesday. 4lh ult., the first 

 stone of this church was laid. The architect is Mr. Hottert lOiibells. 



The Nelson Pillar.— On Friday. 7lh ult.. the Duke of Northumberland, Sir 

 George Cockburn, Mr. Herries, Sir Peter Laurie, and other members of the 

 Nelson Testimonial Committee, met at tlie Nalional Gallery on the subject 

 of the magnificent pillar now rapidly rising in Trafalgar-.square. The brick- 

 work appears above the hoarding, and will soon be very cons[iicuous, and the 

 committee expressed their warm approbation of the energy manifested by the 

 contractors, ^Icssrs.Cirissell and Peto. It appears from what has recently 

 taken place before the members, that the altitude of the pillar is not to he so 

 great by .30 feet as was at first contemplated. Mr. Bailey is at work upon 

 llie figure of the naval A\"arrior, M Iiich is to be of Portland stone, and for the 

 execution of wliich the sculptor is to receive lOOU guineas. It is calculated 

 that Portland stone will retain its colour ami polish upon being strongly 

 salurated, better than bronze ; and Mr. Croker instanced the Nelson statue 

 of Dublin as a proof of the superiority of the former. Mr. Lough is to exe- 

 cute ■• the lions" at the pedestal ; biit they are not to be commenced until 

 the near approach of spring, when it is expected ihe subscription will recei\'e 

 numerous additions. A committee of the Uouse of Commons reported a little 

 while ago that Ihe Nelson pillar imght not to be raised in Trafalgar-sciuare. 

 hut the house having taken no notice of the suggestion, the work will pro- 

 ceed without a check to completion. The project of a new site would not, it 

 is conjectured, be very kindly received, as government gave the ground, and 

 contriljutors gave their money, expressly for the purpose of raising the testi- 

 monial on that spot to the great naval hero of Lngland. — Daili/ paper. 



Ulac/.friars B'idge. — We are requested to call the attention of the pubjc 

 and especially of the ddlercnt paving committees, to the paving of the car- 

 riage way now in progress on Blackfriars Bridge. It is the first time the 

 narrow paving has been tried in this metropolis, and it is considered a very 

 great improvement, as a horse will not be so liable to slip as on wider stones. 

 The blocks are principally of Guernsey granite, 9 inches long, only 3 inches 

 wide, an<l square at the top and bottom. Tlie substratum is formed of a con- 

 crete 12 inches thick, of stone-lime and Thames ballast. The contractor is 

 Mr. .Tohn Mowlem, of Paddinglon, who has, we hear, met with very great 

 ditTicultv in obtaining the granite from Guernsey. It is considered the best 

 piece of paving in London, and it is supposed that the bridge will be o[ien in 

 about a week. — Times. Aug. 27. 



Chard Canal. — This undertaking, which has now occupied .six years, is fast 

 approaching to completion. The whole extent of the line, with the exception 

 of a mile and a half of its basin, is almost finished. The principal and only 

 hazardous point is now the reservoir in Chard Common ; here liie attempts 

 to make a liank have once or twice alieady failed, but increased labour and 

 jTCrseverancc wi I. we trust, overcome the obstacle, and within a period of six 

 months we trust Ihe reservoir may present an immense sheet of water, occu- 

 ]iying a sp,ace of 70 acres. The expenditure on the works has been very 

 great ; during the last year £20,7.j!) is. 9d. has been expended, and the whole 

 expenses have been i.2b',47y llis. 'Jr/. Of the 1,140 new shares created by the 

 committee in April last, 992 have been taken. The proprietors have now a 

 very cheering prospect, as the committee hope and expect the canal will be 

 completed in the early part of next year. — Western paper. 



Napoleon Monument. — A model of the monument proposed to be executed 

 to tlie memory of Napoleon, has been erected beneath the dome of the Inva- 

 lidcs, under the ilireelion of M. Maroehctti, for the purpose of ascertaining 

 its effect ; from the description, it seims to combine simplicity with grandeur. 

 It stands in Ihe centre of the mosaic work, beneath Ihe dome, and is com- 

 posed of four parts. The first is a va^t base, surrounded by columns and has 

 reliefs, supporting, at its corners, four statues, one of which holds the globe, 

 another the sceptre, a third Ihe emblem of justice, and the fourth the im- 

 ]ierial crown. On this base rests another, half the height of the first, two- 

 thirds smaller in extent, also adorned with has reliefs, and having, at its 

 angles, four eagles, with outspread wings. From this second base rises a 

 pedestal 8 feet in height, likewise enriched witth bas reliefs, having in its 

 centre the single word " Napoleon." And finally, on this pedestal, stands 

 the colossal equestrian statue of the Emperor, wearing the imperial mantle, 

 and having the laurel crown upon his brow. His left hand holds the bridle, 

 and in his raised right liand is the sceptre of empire. The two bases and 

 perlestal are 40 feet in height, and tlie equestrian statue is Ij ; the eagles are 

 6 leet liigh, and the four figures on the lower base ol the same proportions as 

 the imperial figure. The colossal and pyramidal form of tlie monument gives 

 us the impression of lieing well adapted to its site beneath the vast dome of 

 lhe Invalides. It will be entirely of bronze, and three jears arc assigned for 

 Us execution. — Athenteum. 



Draining the Huerlent Lake. — M. Dietz. a celebrated Dutch engineer, has 

 invented a machine which it is supposed will be adopted for this purpose, and 

 by means of whichhe calculates that 100,000 cubic ells of water may be 

 drained o/f daily. This ingenious person estimates the body of water con- 

 t.iined in the Haarlem .Sea at 770,000,000 of cubic feet, to empty which it 

 would require 10 of his maeliines of 30 horse power each, the quantity drained 

 off by them daily being 1.000,000 of cubic feet, thus making the period re- 

 quired for its entire removal 800 days. The estimated expenditure of this 

 work, second only in grandeur and importance to the Thames Tunnel, is as 

 follows: — Florins. 



10 machines, at 30.000 florins for each 300,000 



Coals, Sec, .)00 florins per diem for 800 days 400,000 



60 workmen at Uf. each per diem for 800 days .. 72.000 

 Stiperintendence, plans, &c 2.'),000 



Total . . . . 

 About .. 



797. OOU 

 £66,41 G 



MISCELLANEA. 



Electro-chemic.\l Gilding. — M. De la Rive, of Paris, has been very 

 successful iu gilding by electricity. This kind of gilding is thicker and firmer, 

 as has been ])roved by the experiments to which it has been subjected by a 

 Parisian goldsmith, who was requested to examine it. .'V vase, gilt by this 

 process, was heated in a fire to a red heat, and then thrown into cold water, 

 and when taken out was found to have lost notlung of its lustre. 



Steam Boiler. — Lieutenant .lanvier. of tlie French navy, is said to have dis- 

 covered the means of getting up the steam of engines with such rapidity, 

 that in ten minutes from the first lighting of the fire, and although the water 

 in the boiler be quite cold, a vessel may be set in motion. This is, it is added, 

 to Ix! accomplished \vithout an_v additional apparatus, and at very little ex- 

 pense. 



Goeeniment School of .Irrhiteetnre. — The Lords Commissioners of the Ad- 

 miralty having come to the determination that a civil architect's department 

 shall lie established at each of Her Majesty's dockyards, the w hole to be un- 

 der the superintendence of Capta'n Brandreth, of the Uoyal Engineers, the 

 following are the names of officers who will he attached to the department at 

 M'oolwich dockyard :— Lieutenant M'illiam Dennison, Royal f'lnginccrs ; Mr. 

 William Scamp, Clerk of M"orks ; Messrs, Colborne and Young. Assistants ; 

 Mr. .lohn Hopkins, superintendent of bricklayers ; Mr. 'William Reed, super- 

 intendent of carpenters. 



.In Iron Express Coach, for cmssiui; Sandy Deserts. — The want of a vehicle 

 of this description has long been considered a desideratum by European tra- 

 vellers, in their toilsome jouriieyings across the arid and scorching deserts of 

 Egypt and Arabia, Hitherto the means of conveying travellers or merchan- 

 dise over these extensive and barren sands has been by camels and drome- 

 daries, for w ooden carriages of any constructicjn were utterly useless, as it 

 was found impossible to discover any species of timber that could resist the 

 intense heat of those districts, which soon splits and rends the best seasoned 

 timber. British ingenuity has, however, found out a mode of overcoming the 

 difficulty, by substiluting'/'roH for wood. In fact a carriage has been con- 

 structed, under the direction of -Mr. W'aghorn. by Messrs. Theodore, Jones, 

 and Co., of Spitalfields. the patent iron wheel manufacturers. This vehicle, 

 which is calculated to hold six person.s, their stores, water, &.C., has not the 

 smallest portion of wood in its construction. The frame-work, the wheels, 

 shafts, flooring, benches, S,:c.. are all of wrought iron bars, either flat or 

 round according to purpose required, the bottom being open like a net work 

 to allow the temperate air to come up freely, and drive out the hot air as it 

 generates through the top valves. There arc hair cushions placed on the 

 benclies, which form seats quite .as comfortable as those of any other coach. 

 The machine is hung on the centrical spring principle, wdiich discharges the 

 weight from the horse, and throws it on the wheels— this is another great 

 advantage in a hot country. It will thus aflord, when brought fully into 

 operation, p. safe and comfortable conveyance for travellers, despatches, and 

 the lighter articles of commerce, and is I'ikely to be the means of opening e.x- 

 teiisivclv th.at easy intercourse between Palestine, Persia, Arabia, and Egypt, 

 w hieh is greatly w anted, and wotdd vastly extend the bounds of human know- 

 ledge, commerce, and civilisation. — Morning Herald. 



Improrenients in the construction of furnaces and in boilers ; patented by Philippe 

 Marie Moiudron, Bedford Place,' Russcl Square, .luly 31.— These improve- 

 ments are with a view to bring into action, more fully than is now practised, 

 the useful properties of caloric, by the combined using of polished reflecting 

 surfaces and non-conducting materials, by which means the heat evolved is 

 reflected on to the surface of a boiler or other apparatus. The heat is pre- 

 vented from passing awav without fulfilling the duties to which it is applied. 

 First, to envelop ihe boiler or other apparatus with a reflecting surface, at 

 sudr a distance that the heat can pass between the reflecting surfaces and 

 the surfaces to be heated, but in so applying reflecting surfaces, care is to 

 be observed in arranging the same, that they may be conveniently got at 

 from time to time to be polished. The materials employed for obtaining 

 heat, when working the invention, are comljustible gases and .'spirits, or fatty 

 matters, which arc consumed by burners or lamps. The boiler is placed on 

 a frame that will allow the gas flame, from three or more cniicentrical and 

 perforated rings, to pass round ; the outer casing is made of any non-con- 

 ducting material, and the lining nearest to the boiler consists of polished 

 steel ; the draft of .lir below supports combustion. Tea-kettles, or other culi- 

 nary articles, m,ay be encased with this reflecting surface and non-conducting 

 material, whereby is obtained great economy of fuel and he.at.— /«cen/ors 

 .Ideocatc. 



