1849.] 



THE CIVIL ENGINEER AND ARCHITECT'S JOURNAL. 



25 



the log in the chucks, by tliis movement, the log is thrown out of 

 the centre to counterbalance wliich, tlie under-side of tlje roller- 

 frame carries two weights, one at either end, which slide on arms or 

 from the fulcrum; tlie distance being regulated to suit the position 

 of the log, when being cut. 



The chuck for holding the timber, consists of a vertical plate, 

 pendant from a shaft, wliich oscillates in suitable Ijearings; the 

 lower end of the plate projecting at right angles, and forming: a 

 table on which the wood rests. The improvement consists in the 

 addition of a claw, hinged at the upper part, which is brought 

 down and driven into the wood. 



For the purpose of giving tlie necessary inclination to the log 

 to cut a bevel, the patentee employs a bevelling-bar, secured to 

 the chuck at the lower end. The upper part being hinged to a 

 nut, works on a transverse screw over the top of the machine; 

 but, as the distance between tliis nut and the chuck, will vary ac- 

 cording to the inclination given, the bevelling-bar is therefore 

 made in two pieces, the one to slide on the other, for the purpose 

 of elongating or contracting as required. 



The improvements in the saw frames consist in applying a double 

 frame within the same gate or outer frame; these saw frames are 

 one within tlie other, and admit of giving a separate motion and 

 adjustment to the saws. The improved means of giving stability 

 to the head Idock consists in the adaptation of a central rail, on 

 whicli the table part of the chuck slides during the operation of 

 sawing; it has also the addition of a right-angled piece at the 

 back part of the chuck-plate, which also slides on this rail. 



The apparatus for indicating the bevels being cut, consists of a 

 plumb line, whicli hangs from the apparatus at the upper part of 

 the bevelling-bar; this is immediately in front of a graduated 

 index, showing the number of dettrees from the centre, or zero, 

 which is the horizontal position of the log. This line is readily 

 moved to suit the position of the log when first placed in the 

 machine. 



WATER SUPPLY FOR PLYMOUTH. 



Mr Beardmore has recently issued a report in the form of a 

 letter addressed to Lord Ebrington, on improving the supply of 

 water to the important towns of Plymouth, Devonport, and Stone- 

 house : the three may be considered as one large town. He first 

 investigates the present supply, and shows that the mode by which 

 it is now obtained is most objectionable ; and then explains, very 

 successfully, how it may be vastly improved. "With regard to that 

 part of the report which describes the way the water is to be col- 

 lected in the reservoir, we have one alteration to suggest ; that is, 

 instead of making the one at Torr both a settling and distrihutiny 

 reservoir, we recommend that it be used only for the latter purpose ; 

 and that the intermediate reservoir should be made larger, so as to 

 allow the water there to deposit its solid particles, and become 

 perfectly pellucid before it goes into tlie Torr reservoir. With 

 these few obs ervations, we shall proceed to give some extracts from 

 the report : — 



The waler is to be taken from the River Plym or Mew, at a weir two 

 miles above Meavy, and runs in an open winding leaf, 18 miles in length, 

 until it arrives at I'lynionih, v here part of it falls into two small reser- 

 voirs, about 135 feet ahove high-water, from which the distributions are 

 made; hut at this point, a diverging branch carries about two thirds of 

 Ihe entire quantity brought into Plymouth, into a miil-rourse, which suc- 

 cessively works ^everal mills on its passage to the tide at IViillbay. 



The evil of this to tlie public health is not, pei'hrips, a' present great, 

 until the water arrives at the lower part of the lowu; here, for about 

 halfa-mile, it is ponJed up for working a mill situate at the poiut where 

 it falls into the tide at JliilbdV. 



My first proposition is, that the (ntire water-power on the leat-eourse 

 through Plymouth, and the profit arisiny from it, should be abandoned, so 

 that tlie whole water entering Plymouth could be diverted to domestic use, 

 public and trade purposes, surface and sewer cleansing, and for streH water' 

 ing in dry weather.. .. I apprehend that the utmost obstacle to the exlinc- 

 tion of water-mill power, would be the purchase of the leases. Assuming 

 the available fall to be about 50 feet, and the supply 10 cubic feet per 

 seconil, which is very much bejoiul what the miller can ever obtain, the 

 power is equal to -83 horsepower per foot of fall, or 50 X 'H3 = 4lo 

 horse-power Hi foto, which, if valued as sieiim-po«er to be extinguished 

 in 16 jears, would represent a loss to the curporaliou of oSOZ. per annum, 

 or 14/. per horse. 



A most imporiant niaiter of economy is in the use which can be made 

 of water for street cleansing and summer watering. The general streets 

 of Plymouth are well paved for cleansing by hose, and the cost of placing 

 additional stand-pipes or valves, required as they are for other purposes, 

 becomes a mere trilie. At a small expense, stand pipes, or a few more 



fire-plugs than now exist, should he placed so that a range of hose from 

 100 to 200 feet in length can be attached, at least once a day, for the pur- 

 pose of washing and waiering. One man, with the head of water avail- 

 able, and the general rapid fall of the streets, coidd wash thoroughly 

 10,000 square yards per diem, or, at an average of S yards wide, a leuixlh 

 of 1.250 yards, or two-thirds of a mile of street, per diem. Now, in efti- 

 cieut sweeping by hiind, one man can cleanse not mure thau 800 square 

 yards, or 100 yards lojeal at S ynrds wide. If the sweeping cart be used, 

 tlie compaiisou is not so good, bnl waiering then becomes an advantage, as 

 it enables the machine to work more edicieully, especially on macadamised 

 roads. 



Wilh the astounding number of persons living in single rooms in 

 Pl\ mouth, there should be a svslematic arrangemeut for a vertical pipe, 

 with branches to the diilerent tluois of houses let <)ir in rooms, like the 

 plan of supply up the coninion stairs of the flats of Edinburgh and Glas- 

 gow, where, of course, each tenant is i barged a separate water rent. 

 Now a charg-- of ihree shillings per annum, allowing a deduction of 25 per 

 cent, for pay ment by the landlord, would at once bring accession of revenue 

 to a large amount, and be au incalculable boon to tlie poorer community. 

 An olijection may be taken to Ihe apparent expense of this arrangement ; 

 but if galvanised wrought-iron were used for the vertical pipes, it would 

 be small. If a service were combined with a sink and waste-pipe for 

 each floor, the cost would be thus — 



£ s. d. 

 Thirty feet of vertical iron pipe at yd. lixed, including 3 branches I 



Three iiipes and taps 10 6 



Three sinks ol sh\te, to be erectcl in staircase angle I 4 



Waste-pipe (stack pipe available) 15 



Cost per house with three floors £3 il fi 



This would he a charge upon the landlord, including inlerest and re- 

 pa>meot of first expendilure \l. 3«. per floor, or per service; or 

 assuming two rooms let off per floor, having the joint use, his weekly 

 loss would be ^ of a penny per tenant, which would be fully made 

 up by the increased convenience of the lodging, as a merely volun- 

 tary question. If compulsory service of water be put into force, houses 

 let out in rooms or floors ought to be treated as separate tenements, and 

 charged at cottage rates ; a measure of this kind would save the poor 

 laliour. remove bad habits, and promote cleanliness in every way. The 

 effect of obtaining small tenants is always beneficial to the revenue ; more 

 water is paid for, and cmteris paribus, little more is taken, as the poor must 

 have water to some extent. 



The charge lor houses under 6/. per annum rack rent, is fixed by Act of 

 Parliament for Edinburgh and Leilh at 'is. if paid by the Undlord, or is. 

 if paid by the tenant. Out of 25,410 houses supplied in the whole dis- 

 trict, 11,519 houses (floors or single rooms in fai't)are supplied at this low 

 rate. In (ilasgow the average rales for domestic purposes in 1843 were 

 V>s. Id. per renter— a striking proof of the advantage of selling waler for 

 trade purposes. 



The subject of Hre is one that will he immediately responded to, as it is 

 not many niou'hs since the lamentable destruction of life in the lower 

 part of Plymouth, when there was delay in procuring the tire-engines. 



An instrument used at Leeds, is so simple, and has so entirely removed 

 the necessity of fire-engines, that it is worlhy of descriptitiu as an excel- 

 lent example for the surveyor of the borough, for it might easily be at 

 once adopted for the lower and thicklj-inliabited parts of Plymouth, 

 where the mains are constantly charged with sufficient pressure for the 

 purpose. A light-built tumbrel or hand-cart is kept at various stations, 

 wilh a hose coiled rountl a reel ou ils axle, carrying, likewise, a copper 

 stand-pipe with two diverging branches.* On alarm of tire, one man caa 

 run with this, stop at the nearest tire-plug, run it out, and attach the hose 

 to the nozzle of the stand-pipe, wliidi he iiumedialely introduces into the 

 fire-plug seat, and by a few turns of the apparatus, the waler is let into 

 the hose and at full play on Ihe site of danger. There is, likewise, no 

 reason why the arrangement for tire-cocks should not be the same as that 

 required for washing and waiering streets, but with less expensive hose, 

 and this might obviously vary to suit locality, water-mains, iXc. 



i\Ir. Beardmore next proceetls to exi>lain the two questions of quality 

 and height of supply, and successfully shows that Ihe delicious and 

 springlike quality of the water, as taken from the Mountain Plym at 

 Meavy, might be delivered, with a head of 275 feet above high-water, in 

 lieu of the present pressure of 135 feet, and placed in a reiervoir, at this 

 height, in such manner that the entire course froui Knai kerskuowle to 

 Plymouth, should be no longer used for the co.'ivejauce of the towu sup- 

 plies ; thereby avoiding about five miles of circuitous and sidelong course 

 through pasture fields, for three-fourths of the distance, where, with Ihe 

 utmost care, it will and must receive a vast quantity of drainage of au un- 

 pleasant character, if of no further detriment. 



Mr. Beardmore j^roposes to take the leal into a culvert beloto JVidf-g Mill, 

 and carrying the water thence by apipe across the Manadon Valley, would de- 

 lioer it into a large distributing reservoir, at an excellent site on ihe elevated 



* [The best arrangement is a lire-cocli that shall always be ready, either for watering 

 the streets or in case of lire, u-ithout requirinij a -stanu-pipe The Edimr hasiectfllly 

 had a coctc made lor the Falmouth Waterworks, by lilessrs. I^aml'ert and Souii.— The ar- 

 rangement consists of a li-incll diiij.hragni patent cock made in iron, with a biiyonet joint 

 to receive the brass swivel of ihe hose-pipe, a cast-iron case and cover, and a flange elbow 

 to attach to a2-iiich branch fiom the main. The whole cost is only 32d.— Kd. C.E. St A. 

 Jouruai]. 



