1840.] 



THE CIVIL ENGINEER AND ARCHITECT'S JOURNAL. 



363 



of the Gothic, which are so deigned and hlended togetlier that the whole 

 buikliug is kept in perfect symmetrj' of style throughout. The interior is fitted 

 up in a kind of double theatre, having at each side rising seats, with a row of 

 seats in the centre. The interior is plain, but would have been executed in 

 a more elaborate style had not the limited funds prevented. There are gal- 

 leries at eacli end of the chapel, one appropriated for the organ, and the 

 other for children. The cost of the entire building is about f 4,000, and is 

 capable of containing 1400 persons. Mr. James Wilson, of London and 

 Bath, is the architect. 



A spacioufi huildivi* iox Xh^ Sciitlnvark Literary and .Scientific Instilution, 

 situated in the Borough Road, occupying a !ronla;-e of 50 feet by 70 feet 

 deep, is nuw in course of erection ; it will comprise a Library. Reading Room, 

 Newspaper Kooni. Class Rooms. Lecturers' Room, and Libraria'i's apartments. 

 Messrs. Wyatt and Brandon are the Uichitects. 



niISC£I.I<A?7£A. 



Improved methods of coating iron, under various circtnnstances, to prevent oxida- 

 tion or corrosion, and for other purposes ; patented by James Beaumont Nei'son. 

 Glasgow, Aug. 29. — The invintor claims th^ method of coaling or covering 

 iron, &c., by means of copper or alloys of copper, with zinc or tin. The 

 copper or alloy is brought to that minute state of division in which it is ob- 

 tained by precipitation fi'om its solution, or it may be used in a gninulate.l 

 state. In order to cover cast-iron, sprinkle a thiu coating of granulated, or 

 other fine copper or alloy over the surface of the mould, to which may be 

 added borax, or other flux, to facilitate the spreading or difl'usion of the metal. 

 Thus, when the molten iron is poured into the mould, the copper or alloy will 

 be fused, so as to cover the casnng, and render it secure against o.\idation or 

 corrosion. If malleable iron is to be coated, put a covering of the pulverised 

 copper or alloy over the upper surface of the iron, wliile it is being heated, 

 and the borax or other flux will S"on cause it to spread over the heated part, 

 which should be plunged into water, to detach the sca'e of oxide that forms 

 upon it. — Invenfor^s Advocate. 



Improvements in apparatus fir tvithdraivivg air or vapour; patented by 

 Samuel Carson, Caroline-street, Euston-stpi; re. Aug. 5. — The inventor states, 

 that revolving heads with cones have been applied to chimneys, in order to 

 improve the draft thereof, but in such case the cones have not been made 

 of sufficient length to pass beyond the opening of the chimney ; hence the 

 same has been of little use. owing to the w ind being blown dow n ihe chiin - 

 ney. First improvement is tor withdrawing heated air from chimneys, by 

 means of the atmospheric air blowing through a cone, situated in a cylin- 

 drical box that revolves, at the chimney top, by the aid of a vane or weather- 

 cock ; the wind passing through this cone, the orifice of which extends be- 

 yond the opening of the chimney or shaft, causes by its attraction or draft 

 the smoke from the fireplace, or rarilied air of the chamber, to rise rtith ve- 

 locity, and pass round the casing connected to the chimney by a revolving 

 joint. Second improvement consists in bringing the pi[io that is to carry off 

 the condensed or heated air of an apartment, down to the conical apparatus 

 situated near a jet of steam, or near the waste steam-pipe of a boiler. In 

 place of the atmospheric air passing through the cone, a jet of steam is 

 made to draw oH the confined air of the chamber, or from the bottom of a mine. 

 Third im])rovement is to introduce a jet of steam into a chamber, without 

 the use of a cone, whereby the vacuum is produced, and the confined air 

 passes up from the mine or chamber through the valve at the upper orifice of 

 the tube. This improvement we have examined at the Polytechnic estab- 

 lishment, where it works beyond all expectation, and we have since learned 

 that Mr. Brunei has allowed Mr. Carson to introduce it at the Thames tunnel, 

 where a four-horse engine cannot sufl^iciently ventilate the shaft ; by this 

 improvement, the waste steam alimewill perform the whole operation. — Ihid. 



Materials used in lighting or landling fires ; patented by Richard Kdwards, 

 of Fairfield -place. Bow. Middlesex, Aug 29. — In the ordinary faggots of uood, 

 used for lighting fires, there is not sulhcient ventilation to allow the wood to 

 burn, in case it be used in the close form of a bundle, but by this improvement, 

 the pieces of wood are so combined with rope, cotton, paper, or other such like 

 material, as to leave a space between each slip of wood or reed ; ihus it be- 

 comes what ihe inventor terms a " Ventilated Faggot," which may have its 

 ends dipped into pitch, tar, resin, liquid sulphur, or other inflammable matter. 

 By throwing one of these "ventilated faggots'' into a lire-place, the coals 

 may Le heaped over it, and the servant, or other individual, will find no diffi- 

 culty in causing the fire to burn after it is once lighted. — Ibid. 



An improved method or methods cf adjusting, shifting, and working theatrical 

 sceneryj and apparatus; patented by Rowland Macdonald .Stephenson. Tpper 

 Thames street, civil engineer. Aug. 29. — The object proposed by the patemee 

 is the greater speed and facility with which stage scenery may be b.ought 

 forward, shifted, or removed. The arrangement about to be described, pro- 

 vides means for shifting or removing simultaneously, and without noise, .35 

 distinct pieces of scenery, viz., 10 side scenes removed and 10 fresh sutjjects 

 brought Ibrward ; five sets of clouds removed and five substituted ; and five 

 main scenes removed. The general arrangement of the machinery for efi'ect- 

 ing the above, may be described as follows : — The interior of the house be- 

 tween the basement and the roof may be said to be divided into four floors or 

 comparments, viz., 1. a raised platform, on which the gearing for working 

 the stage-traps is to be placed. 2nd. The stage with traps of various forms 

 and dimensions, including a considerable portion formed to rise or fall by 

 suitable machinery, and called the sinking stage. 3rd. The lower flats, be- 

 tween which and the stage are placed the wing scenes : between the framing 

 formed by the girders and the supporting columns, and stretching from side 

 to side of the stage, are suspended the border frames, w hich can be raised or 

 lowered by means of ropes passing over drums and connected with counter- 



poise weights ; and fourthly, the upper flats upon which the inventor places 

 the movins power to communicate motion to the whole. On each side of the 

 stage on the upper flat, are placed a series of frames called main scene car- 

 riages, having racks, which can Le connected ni'th piniors or long horizon'al 

 shafts when reciuired to bo moved backuards or forwards : these two shafts 

 are connected at their extremities by a third shaft. From the upper hori- 

 zontal shafts, by means of bevel gear and vertical rods, on the lower ends of 

 which are drums, an endless chain is driven horizontally in either direction, 

 tri which are attached the borders representing clouds, foliage, arches, &c. 

 The side frames, of which the number is limited b the depth of the stage, 

 may be cither flat, circular, or triangular ; in the present case they are trian- 

 gular, and receive a forward, backward, or rotatory motion, or both at plea- 

 sure, and can be placed at any convenient angle' to the audience, so as to 

 represent closed doors, &c. ; at every change of tlie scene they will be moved 

 round 130 degrees, or one-third of a circle ; the whole of the side frames may 

 be moved together or separately, by m"ans of gear connected with the mov- 

 ing power on the upper flat. Attached to the centre of the border frames, 

 and revolving i^n a pivot, are the traversing frames for crossing the stage in 

 any direction, and at any given inclination ; these, when ready for use. are 

 raised up and secured at one end so as to farm an inclined plane, and the 

 object to be traversed having been attached to a wire passing round a drum 

 fixed in a heavy frame, will descend Ly its own gravity. The trap-frame 

 consists of a rectangular platform traversing on the lower or fixed platform, 

 and having an upright frame of iron mounted on rollers and capable of being 

 traversed on the lower platform in any direction ; when brought under the 

 aperture in the stage, it allows the trap to be sunk steadily by bearing on a 

 disc or square iron plate, counterbalanced by weights. The clium is to the 

 improved mode of shifting and working scenes and theatrical machinery, and 

 to the obvious modifications of which the above arrangements are susceptible. 

 —Ibid. 



Improvements in tlie stuffing boxes of lift pumps : patented by James Home, 

 Claphani Common, Esq.. March 3, 1840 — These improvements consist in the 

 .'ipplication of tnu cupped leathers to the purpose staled, in the following 

 manner: the stuffing -box consists of a metal collar and cap, each having a 

 projecting; ring or shoulder on the inside ; two pieces of leather are blocked 

 into the form of cones with a horizontal base, having an aperture at the 

 apex just large enough to receive the piston-rod ; one of these cones is placed 

 ujjon the piston-rol with it.s apex downwards, its base resung upon the 

 shoulder in the collar of the stuffing-box ; a metal disc is then shpped on to 

 the piston-rod, and af <'rwards the second leather cone with its apex upwards, 

 its Ijase resting upon the metal disc ; the stuffing-box cap is then put into its 

 place, and screwed down tight. The metal disc becomes a guide for the pis- 

 ton-rod. while the pressure of the fluitl telow, and of the air above, upon the 

 external surfaces of the tivo cui>ped leathers, keeps all tight. The arrange- 

 ment is doubtless a good one. but we think the patentee would hardly have 

 gone to ihe expence of a patent, ha, I he been acquainted with the more beau- 

 tiful, as weil as more ingenious mo le of constructing stuffing- boxes, employed 

 by Bramah in his hydraulic press half a century ago ; and which has proved 

 efficient under greater pressures than a lift pump can possibly be exposed to. ' 

 — Merlianics^ Magazine. ^ 



Petroleum Oil Well. — About ten years since, whilst boring for salt water, 

 near Burksville, Kentucky, aftei penetrating through solid rock upwards of 

 200 feet, a fountain of pure oil was struck, which w , as thrown up more than 

 twelve feet above the surface of the earth. Although in qu mtity somewhat 

 abated after the discharge of the first few minutes, during which it was sup- 

 posed to emit seventy-five gallons a minute, it still continued to flow fur 

 several d ys successively. The well being on ;he margin and near the mouth 

 of a small creek emptying" mto Cumberland river, ihe oil soon found its way 

 thi.her, and for a long tim.- covered its surface. .St me gentlemen below ap- 

 plied a torch, when the suriace of the river blazed, and the flames s^^on climbed 

 the most elevated cliffis. and scorched the summit of the lottiest trees. It 

 ignites freely, and produces a flame as brilhant as gas. Its qualities were 

 then unknown, but a quantity w-as barrelled, most of which soon leakel out. 

 It is so penetrating as to be ditflcult to confine in a wooden vessel, and has 

 so much gas as frequently to burst bottles when filled and tightly corked. 

 Upon exposure to the air it assumes a greenish hue. It is extremely volatile, 

 has a strong, pungent, and indescribable smell, and tastes much like the heart 

 of pitch pine. For a short time after the discovery, a small quantity of the 

 oil would flow nhilst pumping the salt water, which led to the impression 

 that it could always be drawn by pumping. But all subserjuent attempts to 

 obtain it, except hy a spontaneous flow, have entirely failed. There have 

 been two such flows within the two last years. The last commenced on the 

 4;h of July last, and continued about six weeks, during which time about 

 twenty barrels of oil were obtained. The oil and the salt water, with which 

 it is invariably combined during these flows, are forced up by the gas. above 

 t«o hundred feet, into the pump.and thence through the spout into acovered 

 trough, where the water soon becomes disengaged and settles at the bottom, ^ 

 whilst the oil is readily skimmed from thesurlace. A rumbling noise resem- 

 bling distant thunder, uniformly attends the flowing of the oil, whilst the 

 jL as, which is then visible every day at the top of the pump, leads the passing 

 .'ranger to inquire whether the we'll is on fiie,^Sitli7iian's Journal. 



Napier's Patent Shot Machine. — The Board of Ordnance have determined 

 upon emiiloying Napier's machine for making balls by compression at the 

 iioyal Arsenal, Woolwich ; it is to be worked by steam, as also the turners 

 and borers r f cannon. At present, the same system as was in vogue forty 

 years ago, is used in the boring of large guns, horses being employed as the 

 moving power. This alteration will relieve about ten artiUerymeti who have 

 charge of the horses employed in this duty. 



Hint for Hou-ie Decorators. — The walls had a novelty of decoration not pe- 

 culiar to Affghanistan, as I have seen it in India, though never so well done 

 as m the rooms I speak of; the chunam or plaster being stamped w hen moist 

 or plastic, and worked into a pattern, over which a varnish of po.vdered talc is 

 spread, which more nearly resembles the richness and hue of new and unused 

 frosted silver plate than anything I have seen elsewhere. This might be in- 



