380 



THE CIVIL ENGINEER AND AUCHITEcrS JOURNAL. 



[Decembeb 



ply of so important and necessary an article as water upon private companies 

 or individual speculators. He would not express any opinion as to the 

 means by which a sufficient supply of water should he ohtained; hut he he- 

 li.'i-ed that a public discussion of this nature would be attended with very 

 beueficial results. 



Mr. It. Stei'hensok expressed his gratification at the paper which had 

 been read by the rev. Doctor, and observed, that though he did not wish to 

 Rive any opinion as to the mode in which the rev. gentleman's views should 

 be carried out, he must say that be had some doubts as to the practicability 

 of the plan he had suggested. He thought that a measure which might tend 

 to obstruct the navigation of so important a river as the Thames should not 

 be decided upon without most careful consideration; but the obstruction of 

 thewatersof the tributary streams would not be open to the same objection. 

 He quite agreed with the rev. Doctor that it could not he expected that any- 

 thing like an adequate supply of water could be provided for the metro- 

 polis from Artesian wells. 



Mr. HoMERSHAM cxprcsscd his opinion, founded upon experience which 

 he had had in Watford and the neighbourhood, that a sufficient quantity of 

 water might be ohtained by means of Artesian wells to meet the wants of 

 the inhabitants of the metropolis. 



Mr. \V. HoR.NE said that, as the owner of an Artesian well in the vicinity 

 of Goswellstieet, his experience tended to confirm the Dean's views as to 

 the inadequacy of such wells as a source of supply to the people of London. 

 It had been found necessary to deepen the well twice, and its working had 

 been found very expensive, as the pipes and joints were constantly getting 

 out of order. 



Mr. Dickenson had had a good deal of experience with regard to Arte- 

 sian wells in the valley of the Coin. He had bored wells in four different 

 places to a considerable depth, and in none of them did he find the water 

 rise to thesurface, although it rose somewhat above the level of ailjaceiit 

 springs. 



A gentleman said he knew that an arrangement had been made by some of 

 the brewers who obtained their supplies of water from what were called 

 Artesian wells that they should not brew on the same days, in order that 

 they might all have a sufficient quantity of water. 



After a few words from Dr. Buckland in reply, 



Mr. Stanford expressed his thanks to the Council of the Institute for 

 having allowed him the opportunity of attending a discussion in whicli, as a 

 mend]er of the Legislature, be felt great interest. He thought they were 

 much indebted to the very rev. Dean for the interesting information be had 

 afforded them on the subject. The question was one in which his (Mr. 

 Stanford's) constituents took much interest, and he hoped it would receive 

 the attentive consideration of Parliament. 



On the motion of the Chairman, a vote of thanks to Dr. Buckland was 

 unanimously carried, and, the rev. Doctor having briefly acknowledged the 

 compliment, the proceedings terminated. 



SOCIETY OF ARTS, LONDON. 



Nov. 14.— \V. TooKE, Esq., F.R.S., V.P., in the Chair. 



"On a neitt Princijtle for Suspension Bridges and Landing Piers." By 

 Mr. H. H. Russell. 



The paper commences with some preliminary remarks on the origin and 

 adoption of suspension bridges, which would appear to be of great antiquity, 

 Humboldt and other travellers having seen them in uncivilised countiies 

 constructed of liark, reeds, and bamboo-cane, &c. slung across wide and dan- 

 gerous chasms, and used for passenger-traffic. In Thibet and China they 

 have been found sufficiently strong to enable beasts of burden, and men with 

 loads and palanquins, to pass over in safety. The application of this mode 

 of coristructing bridges in our country was first made by Captain Samuel 

 Brown, R.N., in what he termed his " Chain Cable Bridges," and was first 

 suggested to bim by the rope-bridge of Penipe. Bridges of this description 

 were constructed, and others proposed, by Telford, Mr. Tierney Clerk, and 

 others. The success of these bridges gave so great a stimulus, as to cause 

 their introduction into almost every civilised country in Europe; and tl'.eir 

 partial destruction has led to various arrangements for increasing their sta- 

 bility, especially with a view of arresting tlie undulations which niay be 

 excited in them. The principle adopted by Mr. Russell was first suggested 

 to him by witnessing the rigidity of two lines of cobwebs crossing a street 

 in the direction of the main-chains of the bridge; a third, running in a 

 nearly horizontal direction un<lerneatb, was supported at intervals from the 

 U|iper two in the one spandrail, and in the other had a circular web, of 

 large diniensiims, also stayed in all directions to the upper and lower webs; 

 and a spider was observed to cross the lower cord withont causing sensible 

 deflection. The model and drawings exhibited were of a bridge with jners; 

 the main-chains are arranged so as to pass over the top and uniler the bottom 

 of the outer piers ; thus presenting two systems of chains, having tiieir ex- 

 tremities fastened at different points. By this arrangement the structure 

 will, it is conceived, he nioie rigid, and the disturbance to which the bridge 

 is subject less felt. 



The disturbances to nhich chain bridges are subject are of two kinds— 



undulatory and oscillatory. The proposed plan prevents, it is conceived, the 

 undulation, by relieving the summit of the piers from a great part of all 

 strain, and throwing it upon their lower parts, where it is resisted by the 

 roadway in the direction of the greatest strength. The oscillatory disturb- 

 aiues, or those from side to side, are considered to be practically annihilated 

 by reason of the smaller curvature of the chains; and the more equal distri- 

 bution of the load renders any local pressure less effective in causing dis- 

 turbance; anil additional facility is aflforded for the introduction of stays 

 between the chains, so as to equalise to a greater extent the tension and 

 strength of the parts. The attachment of chains to the upper and lower 

 points of the piers diminish, it is conceived, the tendency to general oscil- 

 lation, while the alternation of long and short suspension-rods, and the 

 steadying of the longer rods by passing between links of the lower chains, 

 must almost entirely obviate local oscillation. Mr. Russell is of opinion, 

 that, hy the mode suggested, a counteraction to any passing weight is ob- 

 tained by the lower portion of the catenary curve being supported on the 

 pier through which it passes. The masonry above supporting the upper 

 chain, acts so as to prevent deflection of the upper chain, unless the lower 

 chain or pier should ascend, which is impossible, for the weight upon the 

 suspension-rods is applied to both piers, thereby affording rigidity against 

 action upwards. 



Nuv. 21.— T. Webster, Esq., F.R.S., V.P., in the Chair. 



The Assistant Secretary read a paper " On Flexible Breakwaters and 

 Li:jhlhouses." By Mr. W. H. Smith, C.E. 



The paper, after alluding to the losses and amount of property annually 

 sacrificed on our coasts, referred to various eft'orts that have been made, by 

 means of floating breakwaters, to effect an economical harrier to the sea. 

 The peculiar principle of Mr. Smith's proposed breakwater is to give elas- 

 ticity to the structure. The models exhibited were formed of a long wall 

 of open piles, divided into separate sections, each having an independent 

 motion at the top, but secured and pivoted at the bottom, on the screw-pile. 

 The braces (with counterbalance weights at the centre), extending seawards 

 from ench side, are also affixed by the screw-pile, "Ihe sections, on being 

 struck by the sea, yield to it, thereby eluding violence, and the waves passing 

 tlirougb the close grating are disseminated. The structure recoils when it 

 becomes in equilibrium with the waves, and on its return still further cuts it 

 up. Exceptijig in a storm, tlie breakwater is comparatively motionless. The 

 author conceives it applicable in every situation to the formation of harbours. 

 The m.iterial employed may he either wood or iron. The same principle of 

 giving elasticity is proposed to he applied to lighthouses, whatever the varia- 

 tion of circumstances as regards depth of water, situation, &c., — the object 

 beiiig to obtain the greatest possible strength and least possible shock from 

 the force of the sea or wind draft. 



ROYAL SCOTTISH SOCIETY OF ARTS. 



Nov. 12.— John Cay, Esq., F.R.S.E., President, in the Chair. 



The President, on taking the Chair, opened the session with the follow- 

 ing address : — As the time had now come when he must vacate the chair to 

 which the Society had done him the honour to elect bim, he could not do so 

 without adverting to the interesting session which they were that night to 

 wind up. They bad had a great many excellent communications connected 

 with the practical arts, both of chemistry and mechanics, as the prize-list and 

 models on the table abundantly testified. He must advert, in a particular 

 manner, to the papers of Mr. Buchanan on the Strength and Strain of Mate- 

 rials. He was sure that these papers were of the highest importance to 

 practical engineers, and that every member who had heard them must agree 

 V. ith bim in thinking that tlie thanks of the Society were especially due to 

 Mr. Buchanan for his vyluable communications. He had to deplore the loss 

 of several members hy death duiing the last session. He could not but 

 name Dr. S. Hibbert Ware, a distinguished naturalist, and a member of the 

 Society from its commencement. Their ranks were continually thinning 

 from various causes, and hence the necessity for continued recruiting to keep 

 the Society in healthful woiking order. It was manifestly the interest of 

 this country, he said — a couniry which depended so much upon its me- 

 chanical elliciency — to promote and encourage improvements in the useful 

 nrta, more especially as, from the report of the Society of Arts of England, 

 to which he referred, it appeared that Ihe French are treading very closely 

 upon our heels. The Americans, too, he understood, were now spinning 

 and weaving their own cotton, and that to such an extent as to give no 

 little anxiety to those great £ut;lish lowns which depended so entirely for 

 their prosperity upon this article of commerce. He had, however, no fear 

 for our 15ri(ish machinists — they had long stood unrivalled for their me- 

 chanical ingenuity, and he did not for a moment doubt that Krilish skill 

 aud British enterprise would still maintain their wonted superiority. He 

 called Ihe utienlion of the Society to two most important opporlunilies for 

 the exhibition of mechanical skill and research, which would soon occur — 

 namely, the great exhibition to be opened to all nations in London, under 

 the patronage of H R.H. Prince Albert, and the meeting of the British 

 Association at Kdiuburgh next year, and expressed a hope that the mem- 

 bers of this Society would avail themselves of these occasions for distin- 

 guishing tiiemselves. In quitting the Chair, he thought it his duty to 

 state that his experieucc of (her coustaul atleniioa to the interests of the 



