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THE CIVIL ENGINEER AND ARCHITECTS JOURNAL. 



[November, 



Great Britain to fit a vessel of war of tlie same magnitude. There were about 

 220 men employed by the Messrs. Seawards on the vessel ; her engines are 

 upon the same system as those of the " Gorgon, Cyclops, Alecto and Pro- 

 metheus." The "Poh-phemus" will be immediately armed with two 10 

 inch guns, and will proceed directly to the Mediterranean. 



Kttviyation of the Trent. — An attem])t is about to be made to revive the 

 steam navigation of the river Trent. There were packets on the river about 

 twenty years ago, but the extreme shallowness of the water in dry seasons 

 between Nottingham and Newark, fretjuently interrupted the navigation. — 

 flull .idvertisei: 



Great Western Steam Ship Compant/.—'We understand that some of the 

 experimentalizing Directors of this Company, have resolved on adopting the 

 Archimedean screw for the great iron shiji, and are now reconstructing her at 

 an enormous expense, for that purpose. We need hardly observe, that this 

 course has been adopted without the sanction of the Proprietors. — Bristol 

 Mirror. — [How many more changes and whims ?] — Ed. C. E. & A. Journal^ 



Steamers in ttte Pacific. — Extract of a letter from Captain Peacock, dated 

 on board the Pacific Steam Navigation Company's steam vessel Peru, lai. 9 

 15 Jv., long. 25 50 W., out 14 days from Plymouth : — " The Peru has hitherto 

 had a most prosperous voyage, answering in every respect my most sanguine 

 expectations." 



Calcutta. — A Company has been formed at Calcutta for establishing two 

 steam ferry boats upon the river I oghly with chains, upon the principle of 

 Mr. Rendel's floating bridges at I lyuiouth, Portsmouth, and Southampton ; 

 and orders have been sent to this country for their purchase. We have great 

 pleasure in stating, that the contractors are Messrs. Acraman, Morgan & Co., 

 of the Bristol iron works ; their competitors ba\ing been Messrs. Fairbairn, of 

 London, and Messrs. Jawcett and Co., of Liverpool.- -Bristol Mirror. 



Sicily. — On Thursday, the 15th ult., was launched at Mr. Pitcher's yard, 

 at Northfleet, the Moriyibelle, a vessel of 500 tons burden, for the service of 

 the Steam Navigation Company, for the kingdom of the two Sicilies. It is 

 intended to fit the Mongibelle with a pair of Messrs. Maudslay, Sons, and 

 Field's patent double cylinder engines, of the collective power of 200 horses. 



America. — Two large steam-ships are building at New York for the Spanish 

 government, and one for the Russian. Mr. Norris, the engine manufacturer 

 of Philadelphia, has received an order from Frankfort-on-the-Oder for 15 of 

 his best locomotives. Thus American ingenuity in steam machinery is pros- 

 pering. — Times. 



Canal Steam Navigation. — The experimental steamer, at present on the 

 Forth and Clyde Canal, was lately docked for the purpose of making certain 

 alterations on the propeller. On the former occasion the floats were fixed at 

 an angle of 45 deg. to the shaft of the propeller, which gave, of course, a pro- 

 gressive motion from six feet in each revolution, the diameter of the propeller 

 being two feet. On the present occasion, the floats were placed on the shaft 

 at a more obtuse angle, so as to reduce the progressive motion six to four feet. 

 On Friday week, the boat was got under way from Lock 16. To conduct to 

 a satisfactory conclusion, of course, the pressure of steam in the boiler was 

 made the same as on the first experiments, viz., 54 lb. on the square inch ; 

 and the result of this change in the angle of the floats to the shaft, was found 

 to be an acceleration of speed of 20 per cent., or rather more, as compared 

 with the first experiments. That is, when the floats are placed at an angle 

 of 45 deg. npon the shaft, the speed was found to be five miles an hour ; now, 

 when the angle was rendered more obtuse so as to produce four feet pro- 

 gressive motion, it was found that the speed was at the rate of sL\ miles an 

 hour. The result was extremely satisfactory to all the gentlemen present, 

 confirming, as it did, their former anticipations; and the boat has again been 

 laid up preparatory to otlier alterations which are contemplated, in order, 

 experimentally, to demonstrate the most eflicient angle at which the floats 

 should be placed upon the propelling shaft. — Paisley .lilvertisen 



Improrement in Sliip-luiUUiig. — The liosranna, a new tliip, lately built by 

 Mr. Jnckson. at the South Shore, is the first vessel ever entirely fitted with 

 iron Io«er-di ck beams. '1 hey are remarkable fur their strength and neatness, 

 and above nil, give additional room for stowage, equivalent to 12 inches 

 depth of hold. It is by such practical combinations of wood and iron tlMt 

 we may expect to compete with other nations more highly favoured with 

 shipbuilding; and we advise every man who takes an interest in the " wooden 

 walls " to KO and judge for hinisell. The Roseanna lies at the south-west 

 corner of the Brunswick Dock. — Liverpool Albion. 



ENGINEERING 'WORKS. 



New Aqtiedvct at Dijon — It is stated in a letter from Dijon, that the ex- 

 periment made there of the aqueduct which is to conduct the water from the 

 fountain ot Rosoir to Dijon, a distance of 12,610 metres (about 13.700 yards) 

 eompletely fucceeded. iLrowds of people assembled on the day the aqueduct 

 was to be opened, to wait for the coming of the wnler. which was three hours 

 ami a half in flowing through that distance.— /«iT«;ors' Advocate. 



The Fleet Scwtr, Blachfriars Briil^e.^A meeting v{ the City Ccmmissioners 

 of .Sewers took place a! ijuildhall on Tuesday the 13th ult , feir the purpose of 

 taking into consideration Mr. Walker's plan of a culvert at tlie mouth of 

 FleetJitth, adjacent to Blackfriars Bridge, as a remedy for the very great 



nuisance occasioned by the want of some scientific application. After some 

 discussion in the cummittee, the Commissioners of Sewers agreed to the 

 adiiption of Mr. Walker's plan of the culvert by a ni,ajoriiy of about 15 to 3. 

 'j he apprehen.sions so generally entertained of the (ippcjsilion of the Com- 

 missioners of .Sewers to the enlightened project of the President of the Civil 

 Engineers, are thus very agreealily and Jiermanently removed. 



Herefordshire and Gloucestershire Canal — A general meeting of the pro- 

 prietors of this canal was lately held at Ledbury. The report on the state of 

 the works was very sat'sfactory, the committee expressing their conviction 

 after a careful survey, that the main part of the line betw ecu Ledbury Wharf 

 and Ashberton, nj on w bich the heaviest portion of the works occurred, would 

 be completed within the estimated cost, notwithstanding that the payments 

 for land had been much larger than was expected. The three locks, com- 

 municating \v;th the summit level, would be completed before November next, 

 when the trade of the canal would be brought up to the town of Ledbury, 

 from which an immediate increase of traftic was anticipated, and by the end 

 of August, next year, the canal would be opened for the conveyance of goods 

 to the distance of 74 miles beyond Ledbury, by which extension the trade 

 would, in all probability, be doubled, if not'trebled. M'hen it was recollected 

 that the present annual average receipts of the canal, subject as it was to 

 suspension and loss of trade lor many months of the year from want of water, 

 was £1,800, the committee anticipated a profitable traffic on the completion 

 of the whole of the works. The estimated expense of the line to Hereford 

 was £76,000, of which sum £4-5,000 was to be raised by preference shares, 

 and they recommended that the remainder should be obt: iued by mortgage 

 at five per cent, upon the lolls of the canal. The report concluded by a refe- 

 rence to the ccimplotion of the Birmingham and Gloucester Railway, which 

 would open a direct communication with all the large manufacturing towns 

 of the north, and thus operate most beneficially upon the interests of the 

 canal. By the statement of accounts presented to the meeting, it appeared 

 that the receipts amounted to £21,477 5s. .5rf.. and the expenditure to 

 £21.296 3s. id., leaving a balance in hand of ±181 2s. U. Mr. Ballard, the 

 Company's engineer, read a satisfactory report on the state of the works, the 

 leading features of which are embraced in the s'atement of the committee. 

 The report was unanimously ailopted, and a resolution passed for raising the 

 sum of^ £35,000. in the manner suggested by the committee. Votes of thanks 

 were then passed to the committee (who were rc-appointed for the current 

 year) and to the Chairman, after which the meeting separated. — Midland 

 Counties Herald. 



PROGRESS OF RAILWAYS. 



Dublin and Drogheda Railway. — We are happy to announce that the Dublin 

 and Drogheda Railway Company made their first contract on Friday last. 

 The Messrs. Jeff of Lanarkshire were declared the contractors for the part of 

 the line between the Royal Caial and Raheny, on very favourable terms lor 

 the Company, and for an amount less than the estimate of Mr. Macneill, the 

 rngineer-in-chief. The competition was a very brisk one, there being no 

 fewer than seventeen temlers for the work, and from some of the principal 

 contractors on the great lines in Englanil and Scotland, as well as from some 

 very respectable Irish Companies. — The parties selected have been engaged 

 extensively on the Ballocbine Railway, the Monkland and Kirkintilloch 

 Railway, and have just completed a large work to the amount of thirty or 

 forty thousand pounds, on the Wishaw and Collness Railway in Scotland. 

 Mr. Ilarl, a contractor on the Great Western Railway at Box, near Bath, 

 made so satisfactory a tender, and so close in amount to that by the Messrs. 

 Jeff, (we hear it was within fi\c pounds.) that the Directors thought It right, 

 with a view of encouraging such competition, to hand him a gratuity of £50, 

 » ith an assurance that they will be happy to deal with him on a future occa- 

 sion. — Dublin Evenini^ Mail. 



Norfolk, Suffolk, and Cambridgeshire Railway. — Considerable exertions are 

 being mode in these counties for getting up subscriptions to form a railway 

 to Norwich and Y.arniouth. in continuation of the Northern and Eastern 

 Railway from Cambridge. The latter line it is expected will be opened to 

 Bishop Stortford in June next. 



H'est London RaiUcau. — An adjourned general meeting of the proprietors 

 in the West London (fate Birmingham. Bristol, and Th,ames Junction) Kail- 

 way C(;mpany w as held in London on fhe Titli ult., to receive the report of .Mr. 

 R .Stet henson. the recently appointe.l engineer, on the stale of the works. 

 The chairman explained lliat the report of Mr. .Stephens(m was not yet pre- 

 pared, but tl.at the secretary would read to the meeting the report of the 

 directors. It stated that it was proposed (o make two exte.sions of the line, 

 one to the Thames, (the originalline stopping short of Ihe river by about a 

 mile and a half,) and the other to Knightsljridge ; the extensions to be under- 

 taken by a separate company. The directors ealculated that £140.000 would 

 be sufficient to accomplish the object. lo;li companies to be amalgamated 

 when Ihe whole of the works were completed, or as soon after the extension 

 company had obtained an act of incorporation as ihe proprietors of the two 

 bodies might consider fit. The report was unanimously adopted, as was also 

 a series of resolutions in respect to the mode of issu ng the new shares for 

 the raising of ihe additional capital. It was expUiined ihat the amount of 

 arrears dti^e upon calls was £14,437. llie meeting adjourned to the 14lh 

 November, to receive Mr. .Stephenson's report. 



Opening of tlie Tuff Vale Railway.— The public opening of the comnleted 

 portion of this interesting an 1 important line, between Cavdifl and Navi- 

 gation House, nine miles from Merlbyr. took place on Thursday the 8lh ult. 

 The manner in which the works on the line are executed, drew iurlh frequent 

 expressions of admiration from the parly. The tunnel and viaduct at Qua- 

 ker's Yard are, indeed, noble specimens of engineering skill ; the viaduct 

 across ihe Tail' rises to the height of 120 feet, and is built on six massive 



