38 



THE CIVIL ENGINEER AND ARCHITECT'S JOURNAL. 



[Jan. 27, 



for proi'elling vessels by steam power, which consists in the application of an 

 endless rope or ropes circulating with repeated convolutions around grooved 

 drums, for the purpose of transmitting motion from one drum to another. 

 The second improvement consists in the application of a revolving propeller 

 having two, three or more oblique vanes, and also in the application of two 

 rudders in place of one, which rudders are placed behind the revolving pro- 

 peller, as seen in the accompanying diagram. Fig. 1 is a side elevation of 

 a portion of a vessel, showing one of the rudders and the revolving propeller. 

 Fig. 2, an end view of the same : a n, is the revolving propeller fi.xed upon 

 the end of the shaft b, whicli passes through the stern of the vessel, as 

 shown by dotted lines. The propelling shaft receives its motion from the 



Fig. 1. 



Fig. 2. 



% o 



crank shaft of the engine in the manner above described, or the same may 

 be driven by spur wheels : c, c, are the two rudders, the situation of which 

 will be seen by the drawing. Mr. Maudslay claims for this part of the in- 

 vention the improvement in machinery described for propelling vessels, which 

 consists in the application of any revolving propeller by oblique action, 

 being situated behind or abaft the stern post of the vessel, and substituting 

 for the ordinary rudder two rudders, when such rudders are used in combina- 

 tion with the revolving propeller. 



■STREET CLEANING APPARATUS. 



Stephen Geabt, of Hamilton Place, King's Cross, Middlesex, Architect, 



and Civil Engineer, for " Improvements in machinery, or apparatus, for clearing, 

 changing, ivatpring, or wliothj or partially covering witii sand, or other materials, 

 roads, streets, or ways ; and which machinery is also applicable to other similar 

 purposes. — Granted July 13, 1843; Enrolled January 13, 1844. 



TuE machine, as described in the first part of the specification, consists of 

 a large drum or cylindrical case of wood, or other material, mounted in a 

 frame running upon two wheels; to one of these wheels is fixed a spur 

 wheel, which takes into and drives a wheel keyed on the end of a horizontal 

 shaft, w hich passes through the centre of the machine ; upon this shaft, and 

 wiihin the machine or cylinder, there are keyed two wheels, or circular pieces 

 of wood, havingnotches or openings in the periphery, which receive the ends 

 of two or more pieces of wood or metal, v hich are denominated the " stock ;" 

 between these pieces of wood or metal, the brushes or brooms, formed of any 

 suitable material, such as " birch, cane or whalebone," (or scrapers of wood 

 or iron), are secured by means of screws or rivets. It will, therefore, be seen, 

 that on motion being given to the machine, a rotary motion will be imparted 

 to the axis, upon which is keyed the circular pieces of wood, and the brushes 

 (which may be arranged in consecutive order, or alternately with scrapers, 

 or scrapers alone may be employed^ are caused to act against the surface of 

 the ground, whereby any accumulation of dirt will be removed by the 

 brushes, which are in close contact with the internal surface of the cylinder, 

 and the same w ill be conducted by the brushes or scrapers, and deposited into 

 a receiver formed within the machine, and from which it can be removed 

 through an opening formed for that purpose. The claim is for the construc- 

 tion and application of revolving brushes or brooms when (acting against a 

 fixed curved surface, or portion of a cylinder, with which they are in close 

 contact, for the purpose above described. 



The drawings show another modification of the machine above described, 

 in which the receptacle for the dirt, in place of being within the ma- 

 chine, is placed in front ; in this case the receiver may be placed on a pair 

 of wheels, and so constructed as to be detached from the machine itself. 

 Another part of these improvements relates to the application of certain 

 parts to the machine first described, whereby the said machine may be ren- 

 dered available for the purpose of watering the streets or roads, when the 

 machine is not required for the purpose of removing dirt or soil. In order 

 to convert the aforesaid machine into a watering machine, it will be neces- 

 sary, in the first place, to throw the wheels out of gear and remove a portion 

 of the brushes. The reservoir, in this case, is constructed with openings at 

 the lower part, to which are attached the brancli pipes, provided with a valve 

 pr stop cock, mi\ delivery pipp, whloh is pnrforated in liko manner to tliose 



in ordinary use. The next step is to fill the reservoir with water, when the 

 machine is fit for use, and can be employed for the purpose of watering 

 streets, roads, or ways. The claim is for the general combination and ar- 

 rangement of parts constituting a machine for the purpose above described. 



Another part of these improvements relates to the application and arrange- 

 ment of certain parts to the above mentioned machine, whereby it may be 

 employed for the purpose of distributing sand or other material, over and 

 upon the surface of roads, so as to aflbrd a better foothold for horses, and also 

 more secure for pedestrians. Presuming the machine last above described 

 to be employed for this purpose, it will be necessary to remove the pipes, &;c., 

 and the reservoir, which is constructed with a flange, has another portion 

 affixed to it by means of bolts, which, when put together, form a circular 

 reservoir, with an opening at the lower part for the delivery of sand, or other 

 material, which is regulated by a slide or hopper. The patentee does not 

 claim any of the separate parts of the machine above described, except so 

 far as the same may be employed in the general combination and arrange- 

 ment of parts constituting a machine or apparatus for the purpose above 

 described. 



PROCESS FOR OBTAINING AMMONIA AND CYANOGEN. 



RicH.^RD Laming, of Radley's Hotel, New Bridge Street, Blackfriars, gen- 

 tleman, for " Improvements in the purification and application of ammonia to ob- 

 tain certain products.''— Granleii July 13, 1843; enrolled January 13, 1844. 



In order to obtain ammonia according to the first part of this invention, 

 sufficiently pure for the .arts, the patentee employs a solution of muriate of 

 hme and gas water, as follows : a sufficient quantity of muriate of lime in 

 solution is mixed with gas water, in order to convert the ammonia which is 

 present into muriate of ammonia ; the carbonate of lime is then separated, 

 and the remaining solution boiled for an hour, and then left to cool ; it is 

 afterwards mi.xed with a sufficient quantity of hydrated oxide of iron to 

 combine with all its sulphuretted hydrogen, and secondly with sufficient lime 

 to saturate the muriatic acid which is present, after which the solution may 

 be distilled, when the ammonia will be found in the water in a tolerably pure 

 state. The second part of these improvements is the application of ammonia 

 to the production of cyanogen, so as to make pmssic or hydrocyanic acid 

 the primary result, and at a price so low as to admit of its application to the 

 economical production of the cyamirets, ferrocyanurets. and hydrocyanates. 

 Generally the process is as follows : the inventor provides an iron cylin- 

 drical retort about 1 ft. 6 in. diameter and 8 ft. long ; this cylinder, which is 

 lined with fire bricks, and filled with pieces of charcoal, is set vertically in a 

 furnace, and brought to a red heat ; ammonia in the form of vapour, with 

 certain other substances, which do not prevent the desired result, is intro- 

 duced by a pipe near one end of the retort. In its passage the ammonia is 

 deprived of part of its constituent hydrogen, while the remaining part, to- 

 gether with its nitrogen, combines with carbon to form prussic or hydrocy- 

 anic acid, which finally escapes from the heated vessel in the form of va- 

 pour, mixed with other matters, amongst which will be some of that sub- 

 stance in an undecomposed state. The prussic acid vapour thus obtained 

 may be condensed in water, for subsequently making the compounds of cy- 

 anogen and for other purposes, or it may be brought at once into communi- 

 cation with the several substances with which it, or its constituent cyano- 

 gen, is to be combined ; for instance, it may be received into water con- 

 taining certain metallic oxides, with which it will make the corresponding 

 metallic cyanurets or hydrocyanates, 8ic. The patentee claims the making of 

 prussic or hydrocyanic acid by the re-action at a red heat of .any convenient 

 form of carbon and ammonia, by whatever means such re-action is es- 

 tablished : also the use of prussic acid so made for saturating and dissolving 

 bases ; and thus giving existence to cyanurets and hydrocyanates, and for 

 other purposes, to which prussic acid is or may be usefully applicable. 



Condensation OP Carbonic Acin BV Chakcoal.— The cells of wood char- 

 coal have a diameter of about l-2400th of an inch, and if a cubic inch con- 

 sisted entirely of cells, their united surface would amount to 100 square feet. 

 By experiment it can be shown that the cells constitute five-eighths of the 

 whole cubic contents of the charcoal, and, allowing for the space occupied 

 by the charcoal, the actual surface of the cells will be about 73 square feet. 

 When charcoal is plunf:ed into carbonic acid gas, it .absorbs into its cells no 

 less than 5G times their cubic contents at the ordinary temperature .and 

 pressure, and, consequently, the gas is condensed to 56 atmospheres. But 

 according to the experiments of Addams, cirbonic acid liquifies under a pres- 

 sure of 3G'7 atmospheres, and we are hence compelled to conclude that above 

 one-third of the carbonic acid which is condensed on the walls of the cells is 

 in the liquid sla.te,—Mitscherlich. 



