1840.J 



THE CIVIL ENGINEER AND ARCHITECT'S JOURNAL. 



431 



side. We linvc bad the pleasure of inspecting the plans of the line sui-veyeil 

 by Mr. Barber, ami as our readers feel great interest in the subject, we will 

 endeavour to obtain the details of its course.^iJr;.«(()/ Paper. 



Proving Steam-Engvic Boilers in Belgium. — Ey a decree of King Leopold, 

 flated Oct. 28. it is ordained : — " That every boiler in which the steam is re- 

 quired to have a pressure of more th n one atmosphere shall be submitted to 

 a proof of trcple the force it will be required to support. This pressure to be 

 determined by the diiTerence between the authorised pressure ot the steam in 

 the boiler .md atmospheric pressure. — Considering that tabular boilers of lo- 

 comiitive engines may safely be exposed to less rigorous proof, on the report 

 of our Minister of the Public Works, we have decreed.— Article 1. That the 

 toilers of locomotive engines intended to run on railroads shall be submitted 

 to a proof of twice the amount those engines are required to support. — Art. 

 2. The permission to make use of locomotives belonging to the state will be 

 granted after the trials prescril)ed by the articles of the first and second de- 

 cree, by the director of the rai'roads now in operation. — Art. 3. The proof of 

 the locomotive engines shall be renewed at least once a year ; they shall take 

 place after every important repair of the boiler. The boilers that are injured 

 during the proof shall not be used. — Art. 4. The director of the railroads in 

 operation shall address to our Minister of the Public "Works a duplicate of the 

 permission to use the engines, and of the declarations of proof." 



Tliames Haven Doek and Railway.— CoxisiieraXAe exertions are being made 

 for pushing forward this important undertaking in the ensuing spring. 



MISCEI.L,ANEA. 



Mast Comieying. — It has been usual of late, since it has been considered ob- 

 iectionable tu immerse made masts in the wafer, to send them from the mast- 

 nouses on trucks, a process which does them no good, and occupies a whole 

 day when a line-of-baltle ship's lower mast is to be dealt with. A method, 

 however, was tiied on Tuesday last with the Indus"s foremast, and it answered 

 admirably, to convey it by water, without wetting it, in the following way :— 

 Two flat-bottomed boats, placed side by side, and having strong skids laid 

 on their gunwales, were brought to the slipway, at the l)ack of the mast- 

 houses, and properly placed ; the mast was then launched out until it pre- 

 lected beyond the boats, and over the centre of the skids until its heel end 

 rested upon tliem; the launching of the mast was then continued, the boats 

 hearing it, and another pair of flat-bottomed boats, similarly fitted with skids, 

 were brought and placed under the mast towards its head, which, as it des- 

 cended the slip, presently rested on them, as the heel had done before, upon 

 the skids of the boats first placed ; the tressel trees were then bolted on, and 

 the flats with their burden were towed away to the sheers, where the Indus 

 was waiting for, and very soon received, her foreinast, which had thus been 

 conveyed perfectly dry. This novel operation was carried into effect under 

 the superintendence of the officers of the mast-house ; for the idea, however, 

 and also the details of the scheme, the service is indebted to Mr. Whettem, 

 an intelligent and zealous inspector in the mast-making department. — Times, 

 Nov. 2. 



A steam fire-engine has been invented at New York, by Captain Erichscn. 

 It weighs only 2i tons, and will throw 3.000 pounds of water per minute to a 

 height of 105 feet, through a nozzle of IJ inch diameter. — Times. 



Patent Wire Hope for Standing Rigging. — Last week a series of trials of 

 Smith's Patent Wire Rope was made at the Corporation testing-machine, in 

 Trentham Street, Liverpool, in presence of a number of nautical gentlemen 

 and others interested in improvements in navigation, and the result was 

 highly satisfactory. The patent consists of improved melho<ls of forming a 

 rope from any number of wires that shall be flexible, is served with hemp, 

 and can also 'be spliced or knotted. The rope is tarred in the usual way, so 

 as to exclude the water ; and a chemical preparation is employed to prevent 

 oxidation. The rigging with wire rope is smaller and lighter than of hempen 

 rope, and as it offers much less resistance to the wind, is of great advantage 

 in beating to windward. The cost, too, is much less, and the durability 

 greater. In the trials we have alluded to, the following results were ascer- 

 tained : — 



1-inch rope broke at 2 tons 1 cwt. 

 U .. .. 5 .. .. 

 2f . . . . 8 . . 14 . . 



other sizes were also tried with proportionate success ; and it should be re- 

 marked, that a three inch hempen rope of the best quality broke at 2 tons 

 1 cwt. The weight or traction borne by each piece of different sized rope far 

 exceeded that fixed in the scale of the patentee, thus showing great superi- 

 ority in the w orkmanship of the manufacturers, Messrs. Fox and Co. of Lon- 

 don and Birmingham. According to the scale alluded to, the weight to be 

 sustained by li inch wire rope is 3 tons 10 cwt., and so in proportion. 

 Another good quality of the wire rope is its elas;icity, which, though not of 

 course equal to that of hemp rope, is quite sufficient to counteract the efff!cts 

 of a sudden jerk while a vessel is rolling heavily at sea. One comparatively 

 short length of rope that was tried, stretched ISi inches before it broke. A 

 very short length of li inch stretched 6 inches. The machine on which the 

 tests were made is very ingenious, and of tremendous multiplying power ; it 

 is that on which iron cables for the largest ships are put to their utmost 

 tension of many tons. The gentlemen present took a deep interest in the 

 operations, and were at once gratified and astonished to witness the immense 

 weight or traction sustained by lengths of wire rope so comparatively small 

 and light. It should be added, that this patent rigging has been tested at sea 

 upwards of five years, and that amongst the ships htted with it in our own 

 port are those crack steamers the Oriental and the Liverpool. The new light 

 ship, the Albert, destined for the Victoria Channel, is also rigged with it, and 

 it has hitherto been highly approved by practical men.— Liverpool Standard. 



Survey of the Northern Counties of England. — ^^"c have much satisfaction in 

 conveying the gratifying iufelligonce that the secretary of the Manchester 

 Geological Society has received a communication from the Lords of the Trea- 

 sury, announcing their intention to co duct the survey of the six northern 

 counties of England, on an enlarged scale of six inches to the mile, instead 

 of two inches, the .size adopted for the other counties, and that they are to 

 commt^nce with Lancashire forthwith. This is a matter of very great im- 

 portance to the landed interest, as well as to the proprietors of mines, coal 

 mines, and quarries, and hence to the community at large, in this thickly 

 peopled district. For this important improvement in the survey, we are 

 indebted to the exertions of the Geological Society of Manchester, with whom 

 the idea originated. They memorialised the Treasury, and inffuenced other 

 scientific societies to follow their example, and thus paved the way to this 

 important result. This fad alone proves the high importance of the Geo- 

 logical Society, seeing that their first acts are directed to the prosperity of 

 the county and its varied mercanti'e interests. It is, therefore, the duty of 

 the gentlemen of this and the surrounding towns to become members of this 

 society, and by increasing its funds enable it to pursue its useful and laudable 

 exertions with increased vigour. — Manchester Chronicle. 



Ancient Window. — An ancient stained glass window of the 15th centmy, 

 which formerly belonged to a convent at Mechlin, has just been placed in the 

 church of St. George's. Hanover Square. — Times. 



Improvement of the Severn. — T^he Bristol Journal has the following remarks 

 upon the proposed improvement of the navigation of the river Severn; — "In 

 the trading interests of Bristol, this long-wanted improvement must be of 

 the greatest advantage in developing and carrying out those vast enterprizes 

 which our fellow citizens have of late projected with such laudable spirit and 

 liberality ; thereby securing to them the readiest and cheapest conveyance 

 of the vast mineral products and the produce of the potteries of Staffordshire, 

 the salt of Droitwich, and the various manufactures of Birmingham and its 

 neighbourhood, through the Worcester and Birmingham canal ; nor v ill the 

 port of Gloucester, and more particularly those of Newport and Cardiff, in 

 South Wales, be less benefitted. In the present migratory state of commerce 

 and manufactures, with competition every where taking place, and in which 

 the minutest fraction in cheapness and certainty of conveyance will turn the 

 scale, »"e do consider the contemplated improvement of first-rate advantage 

 to Bristol. The great wonder is, that such an anomalous stale of things, in 

 these days of commercial enterprise, should so long have been suffered to 

 e.xist." 



ZjIST op ne'w patents. 



GRANrED IN ENGLAND FROM 2nD NOVEMBER TO 25TH NOVEMBER, 1840' 



John Duncan, of Great George Street, Westminster, Gentleman, for 

 " improvements in machinery for cutting, reaping, or severing grass, grain, 

 com, or other Ulce growing plants or kerbs." Communicated by a foreigner 

 residing abroad. — Sealed November 2 ; six months for enrolment. 



Elijah Galloway, of Manchester Street, Engineer, for " improvements 

 in propelling railroad carriages.'* — November 2 ; six months. 



JosiAH Humphrey, of New Tower Row, Birmingham, Brass Founder, for 

 " certain improvements in machinery to be employed in the manufacture of 

 wire hooks and eyes." — November 2 ; six months. 



Henry- Wimshurst, of Limehouse, Ship Builder, for " improvements in 

 steam vessels, in communicating jmifer to propellers of steam vessels, and in 

 shipping and uyishipping propellers." — November 2 ; six months. 



James Heywood M'hitehead, of Royal George Mills, York, Manufac- 

 turer, for " improvements in the manufacture of vioollen belts, bands, or driv- 

 ing straps." — November 2 ; six months. 



James Boydell, junior, of Cheltenham, for " improvements in working 

 railway and other carriages, in order to stop them, and aho to prevent their 

 running off the rails." — November 2 ; six months. 



John Edward Orange, of Lincoln's Inn Old Square, Captain in the 81st 

 Regiment, for " improvements m apparatus for serving ropes and cables with 

 yarn." — November 2 ; six months. 



Herman Schroeder, of Surrey Cottage, Peckham, Broker, for " improve- 

 ments in filters." Communicated by a foreigner residing abroad. — Novem- 

 ber 2 ; six months. 



John Wordsworth Robson, of Wellclose Square, Artist, for "certain im- 

 provements in water closets." — November 2 ; six months. 



Richard Farcer Emmerson, of AValworth, Gentleman, for " improve- 

 inents in applying a coating to the surfaces of iron pipes and tubes." — No- 

 vember 3 ; six mouths. 



John Rapson, of Limehouse, Millwright, for " improvements in jmddle- 

 wheels for propelling vessels by steam or other power." — November 3 ; six 

 months. 



Henry- Hind Edwards, of Nottingham Terrace, New Road, Engineer, 

 for ** improvements in evaporation." — November 5 ; six months. 



Pierre M.\thew Mannourv, of Leicester Square, Gentleman, for *' im- 

 proveynenis in wiiid and stringed musical instruments" Communicated by a 

 foreigner residing abroad. — November 5 ; six months. 



George Gwynne, of Duke Street, Manchester Square, Gentleman, for 

 " improvements in the manufacture of candles, and in the operating on oils 

 and fats." — November 5 ; six months. 



George Dacres Paterson, of Truro, Esquire, for " improvements in 

 curvilinear turning, (that is to sayj a rest adapted for cutiing out wooden 



