1844.] 



THE CIVIL ENGINEER AND ARCHITECT'S JOURNAL. 



49 



WATSON'S PATENT IMPROVEMENTS IN DRAINING. 



The serious diflSculties which 

 railways have had to contend with, 

 particularly in the vicinity of the 

 metropolis where there are deep 

 cuttings in the London clay, in con- 

 sequence of the continued slipping 

 or ratlier sliding of the banks, 

 mainly owing to the filtration of 

 the surface water or the springs 

 percolating through the substrata, 

 induced Mr. Watson to turn his at- 

 tention to the evil, to see how far 

 it might best be corrected, and that 

 with economy. For this pu'-pose 

 he invented iron drain pipes with 

 conical perforations, the smaller 

 end of the cone being on the out- 

 side, and the base or larger end 

 inside ; or instead of holes the 

 pipes are sometimes maile with 

 BJits, having a small aperture on 

 the oulside of the pipe enlarging 

 towards the inside; by thus making 

 the ouler apertures smaller than 

 the inside, they do not become 

 clogged up. These pipes are 

 shown in the annexed figures A, 

 B, C & D; they are cast in lengths 

 of 1 ft. each, and 3 in. diameter, 

 for which the charge is 4s. Ijd. 

 each, they are also made in pot- 

 tery from 4 in. to 12 in. diameter. 

 It is not to the pipes only that Mr. 

 Watson, directed his attention, but 

 likewise to their insertion in the 

 banks, without being obliged to cut 

 a deep trench; this he contrives to 

 do by a boring machine that he 

 has invented for the purpose, and 

 which we shall describe in our next 

 number. By the aid of this ma- 

 chine, the pipes are easily and 

 cheaply inserted in the clay or 

 other soil, as shown in the annexed 

 engraving of a cutting. 



Another advantage offered by 

 this patent is the ventilation that 

 is procured in the works to which 

 it is applied, and which will pre- 

 serve building materials and con- 

 solidate earthwork. The borings 

 are to extend not merely through 

 the masonry, but some distance in 

 the solid earth. As mortar will 

 nut harden if kept from the air, 

 the importance of admitting air 

 within masses of brickwork will 

 be readily acknowledged. It may 

 here be remarked, that holes bored 

 for drainage, without the insertion 

 of pipes, soon become choked and 

 useless. 



These pipes have lately been 

 introduced for draining the back 

 of the retaining wall in the cutting 

 of the London and Birmingham 

 Radw.iy, between Eustun Square 

 and Camden Town, and also on 

 the Croydon Hallway. 



Mr. Hughes of Bunhill Row will 

 be happy to give any explanation 

 as to the cost of inserting the pipes 

 either by his own men, or he will 

 instruct others. 



Fig. 1.— A, B, C, Sketches of the Pipes. D, a Drain Pipe. 



Fig. 2. — Drain. Pipes in Open Cutting. 



