39G 



THE CIVIL ENGINEER AND ARCHITECTS JOURNAL. 



[November, 



amiiiCd tlie liottnin of the Vangiiai J after she took tlic grouiul on being towed 

 out of harbour by tlie Ecbo steamer. As this difficult operation required him 

 repe:.tedl.v to pass head foremost under the keel of the Vanguard, he per- 

 formed it in Mr. Sielje's improved tight diving dress, but in recovering the 

 cable of the Howe, which was comparatively an easy task, he used the eom- 

 mou diving dress, in which he has generally worked on the wreck of the 

 Royal George, leaving Siebe's dress to tlie divers of the Royal Sappers and 

 Miners, who liave lieen employed on the same wreck for the last three months, 

 and whom it was desirable to send down in a tight dress, as being the safest, 

 they not having had any i)revious experience like the professional divers with 

 wboii they have been co-operating. 



NEW IN\'ENTIONS AND IMPUOVEMENTS. 



Improvements iu Steam-engines and Steam-Ijoilers ; patented by Thomas 

 Craddock, of Broadheath, near Presteign, in the county of Radnor, Sept. 16. 

 — T);e improvements in steam-engines consist, first, iu an improved mode of 

 obtaining a rotary motion from the rectilinear and reciprocating motion of 

 the jiiston rod ; and, second, in an improved method of condensing steam. 



Tlie improvements in boilers consist in an improved construction of boiler, 

 and in an improved method of regidating the generation of steam. 



Fiist claim is to the mechanical arrangement of the apparatus delineated 

 and described, whether employed for converting the rectilinear into the 

 rotary motion, or the rotary motion into the rectilinear. In this improve- 

 ment' the piston rod carries two toothed racks, one being behind, on one 

 side of the other; one of these toothed racks works into a pinion, which 

 pinion takes into the teeth of a drum, which is firmly keyed on the main 

 shaft, which drum has teeth over half its circumference on one side, and over 

 the lemaining half of its circumference on the other side. The mode of 

 working is as follows : by the np-stroke of the piston-rod, the pinion, taking 

 into the teeth on one side of the drum, brings it half round, and is released ; 

 then by the returning stroke of the piston-rod, the other rack takes into the 

 teeth on the other side of the drum, and finishes the stroke in the same 

 direction. 



Sccoiul claim is to the exclusive right of condensing the steam or vapour 

 of water, or other liquids, by causing it to pass into metallic tubes of small 

 diameter, or into metallic vessels of any other suitable figure, which tubes or 

 vessels are put in motion, either rotative or otherwise, either in air or water, 

 independently of any motion of the carriage, boat, or vessel, to which the 

 condenser may be attached, whereby the condensation of the steam or vapour 

 is greatly accelerated. This condenser is composed of two chambers, con- 

 nected by a liar, and supported by hollow axes revolving in bearings, which 

 axes are connected, the one with the eduction pipe of the engine, the other 

 with a liot well or reservoir. From each chamber a number of hollow arms 

 diverge, which are connected together by small tubes, reaching across several 

 times. 



The condensing is performed as follows : the steam, after operating on the 

 piston, is introduced through the chamber into the tubes; the condenser is 

 then caused, by bearings from the engines, to revolve with great rapidity, by 

 which means the caloric is abstracted and the steam condensed ; the water 

 resulting from which is conveyed from the other chamber, into which it flows, 

 through a pipe into the hot well ; from whence it is drawn by the feed pump 

 into the boiler. 



Third claim. — The construction and arrangement of the parts constituting 

 the boiler. 



Fourth. — The use of a separate cylinder to supply both air and fuel to the 

 furnaces, and regulating the supply of steam to the cylinder by the pressure 

 of steam in the boiler, in such a manner that as the pressure increases, the 

 supply of steam to the cylinder is diminished, thereby diminishing the supply 

 of air and fuel to the furnace. The boiler is composed of two furnaces, the 

 sides of which are formed of ranges of hollow tubes, which are full of water, 

 conmiunicating at the top and bottom with rectangular reservoirs ; the bot- 

 tom is formed of smaller tubes, extending liorizontally from one reservoir to 

 the other, and acting as fire-bars ; the top is likewise composed of tubes 

 extending from one resen-oir to the other ; the ash-pit is a taidt filled with 

 water, which, by the heat from the fire-bars, evaporates, and jiassing up a 

 tube into the condenser, is there condensed ; thereby supjilying any loss from 

 leakage. The fuel is conveyed into the furnaces by shoots from two hoppers; 

 ujion being thrown into the hopper, it falls upon two fluted rollers, which 

 are worked by the pinion that drives the fan; it then falls through or between 

 these rollers, and down the shoot upon a swinging plate, which scatters it 

 over the surface of the fire. The wind passes from the fan through a pipe 

 to tlie liottom of the fire-bars. Mlien the steam gets beyond the regular 

 working pressure, it shuts the valve which supplies the fan cylinder with 

 steam, and escajies through another opening into the atmosphere, whereby 

 the pinion that works the fan is either stopped, or works very slowly, by 

 which means the sujiply of air and fuel to the furnaces is very much decreased 

 or cut ofi" altogether; wiien the steam has returned to the regular working 

 pressure, it is again admitted to the fan cylinder, which works as before. 

 There is a suitable opening, provided with a cover, for the admission of the 

 fire, and likewise a tube with an eye-piece of talc for viewing the fire when 

 required. There is likewise a contrivance for burning the smoke arising from 

 the coals when newly thrown on the fire ; it 0])erates in this manner— there 

 is a tube whicli communicates with the two shoots, and at the bottom of each 



furnace there is a valve for slnitting off the supply of air ; when one or both 

 of the furnaces have burnt bright, and fresh fuel is required, the sui)i)ly of 

 fuel and air is shut off from the other one ; the smoke arising from the fresli 

 fuel is driven, by the force of the air from the fan, through the flue into the 

 other furnace, where it passes through the fire and is consumed. — Inrenlor's 

 Ath'ocate. 



Improvemt-nis in the manufacture of iron and oilier metals : patented by Sir 

 .Tosiah .lohn Guest, of the Dowlais Iron Works. Glamorgan, Baronet, and 

 Thomas Ev.ms, of the same place. .Sept. 28. These consist principally in 

 the introduction of jets of steim into the puddling furnace while the iron is 

 in the state usually called "fermentation." The success of the operation 

 depends very mueli on bringing the steam in close contact with the melted 

 iron, to etlcct which, wrought iron telescope tubes, sliding one on the oilier, 

 are employed, the jet pipe being J of an inch in diameter, and the steam 

 pressure iSttj. upon the inch. These tubes are raised or lowered according 

 to the quantitv of fluid metal in the furnace, by means of a suitable lever. 

 In the seconil place, jets of damp steam are introduced into the refining 

 furnace, after the pig iron is melted, through the same apertures as the blast, 

 the quantity and pressure of tlie steam being regulated by the quality of the 

 metal acted upon. During this process, in order to keep the sides, bridge, 

 and bottom of the furnace from burning, a quantity of steam is introduced 

 upon the fluid cinders as soon as the heat is drawn, until the cinders become 

 of the consistence of paste; this paste is then raked up against the back, 

 sides, and bridge of the furnace, so as to fill up any cavity that may have 

 been burned during the previous heat of iron. The use ot cinders in this 

 state keeps the iron (piitc clean and free from the dirt which always attends 

 the use of clay and limestone. In this instance four jet pipes are used, J an 

 inch in diameter, and steam of 2011). on the inch. The steam may be gene- 

 rated in a tube or cvlinder in the furnace cbimney, or may be supplied from 

 a regular steam boiler. The employment of steam in a similar manlier in 

 melting the allovs of copper and iron, and iron and tm, is also cb:imed, but 

 tlie particular application is stated to be to the manufacture of iron, whereby 

 a better material is obtained with greater economy. The claim set forth is 

 for the use or application of steam forced upon or into, or in contact with 

 the melted iron in the refining or puddling furnaces for the manufacturing of 

 flic same; also for the similar use of steam in the process of melling or 

 manufacturing alloys of copper and iron, and of tin and iron, m such fur- 

 naces: and lastly, ibe application of steam to fluid cinders as described, to 

 produce the paste aforesaid ; and the use and application of the said paste.— 

 Merh. Ma2, , , tt m .• 



Improvements in preparing surfaces of paper: patented by Henry Marlm, o 

 Morton-terrace, Camden Town. Sept. 30. The processes constituting these 

 improvements, are fourfold, viz.; 1. The mode of preparing surlaces of 

 paper by combining thereon a coating of oil paint, with subsequent embassing 

 as afterwards described. 2. The mode of preparing surfaces of paper in the 

 manufacture of paper-hangings, by combining thereon a coating of oil paint, 

 and aftenvards printing or producing ibereon the required pattern. 3- the 

 mode of preparing surfaces of paper by combining thereon a coating of oil 

 paint, and subsequently alazing or planishing the same. 4. ihe mode of 

 producingacoatingof oil paint on paper, by means of rollers, ihe paint 

 used for this purpose is the same as ordinarily employed in house painting; 

 a piece of paper of 12 yanls, or other required length, is to be laid upon a 

 table of similar dimensions, sized with one or two coals of common or su- 

 perior size, and then painted with an ordinary brush; while yet wet. the 

 surface is to be smoothed over with a dry brush, to take out the mirks left 

 by the first, and subsequently finished with a badger softener, which produces 

 a smooth and level surface, so essential to the success of this process. In the 

 other process, oil colour is laid on the surface ol paper by passing it between 

 two rol ers, togethei u itb an endless felt ; this felt in its revolution is sup- 

 plied with oil colour by passing into a trough, and under a roller partly im- 

 mersed in the colour ; a scraper removes the superfluous colour as it r ses. 

 and levels and equalizes the colour; the iraper is passed through the roi.ers 

 two or three times, according to the thickness ot colour required. Paper 

 thus prepared on the surface, may be embossed with engraved dies or rollers 

 in the usual manner, or printed willi blocks, ike , for paper hangings, whicli 

 may be washed with soap and water when soiled. If marbled paper Is to be 

 produced, the colours are thrown upon water in the usual manner, the eflfect 

 being increased by softening oft' before they are dry. II the surface is to be 

 glazed or enamelled, the oil colour is thinned wholly with turpentine, as a 

 flatting colour; when set, it is to be mounted on a woollen cloth, cotton vel- 

 vet, or other firm soft bed. and smoothed over with a palletle knife, or trowel 

 having a very smooth surface ; when dry and hard, the polish may be height- 

 ened by any of the usual methods, which will produce a beautiful surlace for 

 copper-plate printing, paper hangings, and various other purposes.— iV/ec//. 

 Mas. 



Vahesfor Canal locks; patented in America by William Lake, Richmond. 

 Virginia, .lune 7, 1839. The patentee remarks, that ■■the valves of canal 

 locks are subject to a pressure, the intensity of which is measured by the 

 height of the head and the area of the valves ; and this pressure on the com- 

 mon sliding-valves for locks of ordinary lifts is of such magnitude, .-,nd re- 

 quires the application of so great a force to open them, as greatly to de ract 

 from the superiority which they otherwise possess." 



" My improvement consists in giving such form to the valves and apertures 

 that, by the momentary application of a very small force in opening a small 

 orifice, I apply the hydrostatic pressure in such a manner .as to open the 

 valves. Upon ihc back of Ihe valves closing the aperture through which the 

 water flows in filling and discharging the lock, I attach a flaueb ot the same 

 length as that of the aperture, and of such a width as to have the same Jiro- 

 portion to the width of the valves as the friction ol ihe valve on the seat has 

 to the pressure. At the lower edse of the valve, below the flanch, 1 make 

 an orifice of about one inch in width and .about hall the lengdi of the valve l 

 this orifice I open and shut by means of a lever and cunnecung rod. 



We were about to make further extracts from the specification, but hnd 

 that in so doing we must occupy more space than is convenient to allow to 



