1844.] 



THE CIVIL ENGINEER AND ARCHITECT'S JOURNAL 



237 



versely with regard to the hopper, and firmly fixed by their ends to a frame 

 supported by anti-friction rollers -, thus, by giving motion to the frame, which 

 is effected by means of a lever, the " saddle hack bars" will have the efl'ect of 

 dividing the ores contained in the hopper, the smaller portions of the ores, 

 after passing through the bars, are delivered upon the inclined plane, and are 

 carried from thence to the huddle by the streams of water running from the 

 cistern at the bottom of the inclined plane ; and before coming to the buddle 

 there is a perforated plate or grate upon which the ores fall, the object of this 

 plate is to arrest and more effectually separate the earthy matters from the 

 ores. The ores after leaving the inclined plane as described, are received in 

 the buddle, where they may be further washed with a broom or other conve- 

 nient means. 



The slime and water produced from the washing and dressing of the ore 

 passes through a perforated plate at the opposite end of the apparatus, and 

 into a cistern, where it is allowed to settle, the water is then raised by means 

 of a pump and is allowed to pass along a trouL'h to a cistern, in which the 

 slime and water are to be deposited, the residue being afterwards subjected to 

 the process of trunking. 



A PROFILE DELINEATOR. 



OcTAVios Dellingham Mordadnt, of Clifford .Street, Bond Street, in the 

 county of Middlesex, gentleman, for ^^Improvements in apparatus/or obtaining 

 the profile of various forms or Jiguresy A communication. — Gi'anted Nov. 2 1 , 

 1843 jKHroUed May 21, ISM. 



This invention consists in an apparatus for copying or taking the profile of 

 a moulding, cornice, or other article of similar figure ; a plan and edge view 

 of which is represented in the accompanying drawing, fig. 1 being the plan. 



Fig. 1. 



and fig. 2 the edge view; a a are two bars of wood or other suitable material 



Fig. 2. 



d 



which constitute the frame of the apparatus ; b h represent a number of 

 sliders, consisting of thin slips of wood, which slide between the bars, a a ; 

 c c are also two sliders of the same length and depth as the others, but con- 

 siderably thicker, the object of these sliders being to keep the sliders, h b, 

 together, and in close contact with each other, thereby serving as a support 

 to the same. 



In using this apparatus, the ends of the sliders are placed against the cor- 

 nice or moulding inteniled to be copied, then by pressing the apparatus against 

 the same, the sliders will recede more or less according to the several projec- 

 tions of the moulding, and take the configuration of the same ; the sliders 

 being afterwards fi.xed by turning the binding screws, d d, which bring the 

 two bars, a a, closer together, the insides of which are covered or lined with 

 a thickness of leather, e e. The form of the moulding may now be taken by 

 laying the apparatus upon a sheet of paper and moving a pencil thereon, ob- 

 serving to hold the point of the pencil against the end of the sliders. The 

 apparatus is sometimes provided with a spirit level, g ; asijuare,/; and slide 

 )i, carrying a pencil, the object of which is to get a true horizontal and ver- 

 tical line to work from. A similar apparatus on a larger scale may be used 

 for taking the profile of a horse's back or a statue. 



SIGNAL LIGHT. 

 Wm. John Hay, of Portsmouth, Operative Chemist, for " Improvevients in 

 producing light by percussion for signals and for other purposes,'''' — Granted Nov. 

 25, 1843 ; Enrolled May 25, 1844. 



This invention consists in a mode of constructing the tube, and apparatus 



connected therewith, for containing the prepartion which 

 is to form the signal light, the invention having no reler- 

 ence to the compounding or m'xing of such pyrotechnic 

 preparation, or giving the desired colour to the light, the 

 nature of the invention being clearly shown by the accom- 

 panying drawing and following description ; that is say, 

 fig. 1 is a sectional elevation of a signal light constructed 

 according to this invention, and fig. 2 an end view thereof. 

 « « is a tube made of paper or other suitable material, b 

 a disc of wood forming a bottom to the tube, a; c c is a 

 small tube attached to the side of the tube, a, by folding 

 and cementing a piece of paper round the two tubes, a and 

 c, which may be further secured by tying a piece of cord 

 round them at intervals ; rf is a piece of wire, which passes 

 through the small tube, c, which piece of wire is bent at 

 (» the top so as to pass through a slot formed in the tube, a, 

 and in like manner at the bottom end, as at b', which part 

 is turned round in the form of a scroll ; and in order to 

 keep the wire, d, in its place apiece of paper is pasted over 

 the slot at the lower part of the tube, which prevents the 

 /" ~ Tefcv wire, d, from moving, c is a metallic plate fixed to the 

 ' p'-'r top of the tubes a and b ; on the underside of this plate 



there is riveted a steel spring, the outer edge of which is 

 made to rest upon the end of the wire, d ; betwixt this 

 spring and the metallic cover, e, is placed the percussion 

 matter, which consists of a small globule of glass containing sulphuric acid, 

 and covered on the outside with a mixture of chlorate of potassa and sugar, 

 or other carbonaceous matter ; between this spring and the composition 

 (marked f) which is to form the signal light, there is placed a little cotton 

 impregnated with gunpowder. ^ is a circular piece of paper or cardboard 

 having a projecting edge similar to the lid of a pill-box, and cemented to the 

 bottom end of the tube, a, the object of which is to secure the light from ac- 

 cidental firing. 



When it is required to ignite one of the signal lights, it is only necessary 

 to hold it firmly in one hand, or fix it in any convenient situation, then by 

 inserting a stick or other instrument in the lower end and forcing through the 

 lid,,?, the wire, d, will be forced upwards and by its raising the spring will 

 burst the small glass globule containing the percussion matter, which will 

 have the effect of igniting the composition forming the signal light. 



IRON SAFES AND LOCKS. 



Edward Ta.\n, Sen., Edward Tann, Jun., and John Tann, of Minerva 

 Terrace, Hackney Road, Middlesex, Iron Safe Manufacturers, for " Improve- 

 ments in loclis and latches, and in iron rooms, doors, safes, chests, and other repO' 

 sitories." — Granted November 25, 1843 ; enrolled May 25, 1844. 



The improvements in iron safes, rooms, doors, &c., consist in constructing 

 the safes with two or more cases or chests, that is to say, with one or two 

 intern,al cases and an external case, these cases being east of such dimensions 

 and so placed together as to leave a space between each case or box forming 

 the iron safe, which spaces are afterwards to be filled wilh a chemical com- 

 position, which on the safes being subjected to fire is intended to melt and 

 fill up the crevices, and also to be a bad or non-conductor of heat. The 

 composition intended for this purpose consists of finely pounded alum and 

 Austin's cement or gypsum, either of vihich are to be taken in equal quan- 

 tities and placed in an iron vessel with the alum and then sulijfcted to heat 

 and ebullition, taking care to stir the mixture so as to have the alum and 

 cement perfectly incorporated, after which it is to be poured out upon a flat 

 iron tray and allowed to cool, when it will form a flat cake. This cake is 

 afterwards to be reduced to a coarse powder. The cases or ir^n boxes in- 

 tended for the safe are then to be put togeiher so as to leave a space between 

 each box forming the safe, which space or spaces are to be filled and tightly 

 rammed with the pounded composition, and in like manner with the door of 

 the safe, which is also constructed with a hollow space for the purpose above 

 described. 



It is stated that should a safe constructed as above be subjecteil to fire 

 even to a white heat, the composition will melt and fill up the inlersliccs 

 formed by the fitting of the door and other parts, and thereby eflectually 

 preserve any deeds or other documents which may be contained therein from 

 being scorched or in the slightest damaged by the fire. 



The improvements in locks and latches consist in the application of a 

 number of levers, or "tumblers," of peculiar shape and placed alternately 

 upon two studs, upon which the bolt of the lock slides, and are acted upon 

 by the various projections or wards of the key, on the lower edge of each 

 tumbler, in such manner as to shoot the bolt of the lock backwards and for- 

 wards, but in what manner is not clearly described. 



21 



