1844.] 



THE CIVIL ENGINEER AND ARCHITECT'S JOURNAL. 



273 



Unfortunately to many of the causes which hcivc opposed the interests of 

 architecture in Great Britain, there have been added in Ireland other circum- 

 stances on which it is not my province to dilate ; but which, however variously 

 judged of in other respects, are admitted in their effects to have impeded the 

 progress of almost everything calculated to improve the country, to har- 

 monise the affections of her people or to refine their taste. Under such cir- 

 cumstances it was scarcely to-be expected that the blossoms of architectural 

 cultivation, which require the genial soil and climate of national civilization 

 and social quietude, shoidd overcome the difficulties which from other causes 

 retarded their expansion. They drooped indeed neglected amidst our coun- 

 try's moral desolation ; or if in some instances they flourished under happier 

 auspices, those h ere hut few, and uninfluential as examples. By the majority 

 who should have cherisheed so fair a plant, it remained unvalued, and to 

 them if not its very existence, at least its sweetness was unknown. I will 

 not, however, dwell on a painful retrospect, while the dawning of a brighter 

 day for Ireland enables us to indulge in a more grateful anticipation. The 

 eminence and talent of the Royal Institute of British Architects have given us 

 the aid of their sympathy and of their fellowship in our efforts to elevate our 

 profession in this country, by diffusing a knowledge of its principles, and 

 already have the highest in rank responded to our call, to promote our object 

 by the weight of their example ; amongst whose names (with that of our late 

 noble President, for whose too early loss to his country and her interests we, 

 in common with all who love Irelaml and the arts, have to pay the tribute of 

 our deep and lasting regret) it is our pride to enrol that of one other, not less 

 influential from personal character than from individual and official station. 

 Under the same just and generous influence which seeks to advance the true 

 interest of all, X trust, indeed, it is no delusive dream to anticipate, in many 

 ways, a decided improvement for Ireland ; and to indulge the expectation 

 that, amongst the means which are essayed for her amelioration, the encou- 

 raging of those liberal arts which sweeten the asperities of life, by giving a 

 taste for intellectual pleasures, and by affording, in their contemplation, to 

 those who learn to value them, a source of innocent and refined enjoyment, 

 will not be forgotten. I trust with confidence that we shall have the gratifi- 

 cation of witnessing a rapid progression of the fine arts, with their decidedly 

 most useful influence in this country, under the warm and discerning protec- 

 tion of those who value such pursuits, as well for their good effects as for 

 their intrinsic merits; and if it may be permitted to one, who as an artist is 

 not the less an Irishman, to indulge in an anticipation grateful to his feelings 

 as a lover of his country, I would fain congratulate those whom I address on 

 the prospect of a happy epoch, when, under an administration wise and en- 

 lightened as it is benevolent and impartial, the clouds which still hang over 

 our country shall disappear; when the pursuits of science, of literary enjoy- 

 ment, and of social happiness will prevail in this land above all others but 

 those of virtue, of charity, and of religion"; and when the hearts of all Irish- 

 men, united in a common anxiety for the prosperity of their country, shall 

 form, not less in their strength of unanimity than in the nobleness of their 

 object, "one arch of peace." 



MESSR'=^. BOULTON AND WATT ON THK STEAM ENGINE. 

 (Coniinued from page 152.^ 

 42. The guide posts, or Y posts, of the plug frame must be fixed exactly, 

 according to the drawing sent for that purpose ; and the cross swords, which 

 slide in the guide posts, must be of oak or beech, two inches thick and 

 eight or nine inches broad. The plug tree itself sliould be of hard, straight- 

 grained, seasoned oak ; the hole, one and quarter inch diameter, bored off 

 both sides by a centre bit; for if you bore them by an auger, they will be 

 apt to break into one another; care must be taken to bore a sufficient 

 length of the plug. The opening horns, or arches of the Y shafts, which act 

 npon the levers of the regulators, must be bent exactly to the curves of the 

 full size drawings sent for them. TUis is best done by taking a piece of 

 soft iron, an inch broad, and three sixteenths thick, and bending it cold, 

 until its hollow side exactly fit the drawing ; and by applying this mould to 

 the arch, whilst red hot, you can set it truly into form. These moulds 

 should be carefully laid up, lest by any accident the arches should require 

 repairs. To fix ihe Y shafts, make the levers of both the regulator spindles 

 truly horizontal, and so long, as just to reach their proper places on the Y 

 shafts. The lower side of the exhaustion lever, and ihe upper side of the steam 

 lever, will then point to the axes, or centres, of their respective Y shafts. — 

 The coupling brasses for the Y shaft pivots or gudgeons, must be fixed one 

 inch from the inside of the guide posts, and the centres of the pivots must lie 

 exactly in the line of the inner sides, or rabates, of the grooves, in which Ihe 

 swords move; a piece of wood, with a slit in it, three inches wide, and about 

 three feet long, having holes in it like an old fashioned plug-tree, must be 

 pierced to receive the opening horn and lever of the steam regulator ; and by 

 means of wooden pegs, one inch diameter, put through its holes, and saddles 



of leather laid above them, regulate the opening of the steam regulator. To 

 prevent shaking and noise, the lower end of this piece of wood must rest on 

 the ground in the floor of ilie cellar. The lower end of the guide posts must 

 be fixed upon the sills parallel to the working beam ; otherwise the weight of 

 the exhaustion will fall upon them, and shake them every stroke. The floor, 

 over the eduction pipe,'must be easily moveable, that the pipe may be easilv 

 got at. There must be .i window towards the condenser to give light to the 

 plug-fiame. The weight which hangs to the detent of the exhaustion, and 

 which serves to raise the arch and open that regulator, must be of lead, cast 

 on the rod; and square pieces of lead with a notch in them, to admit the 

 rod, may be laid on, if the weight prove too light. Some oakum must be 

 laid between these saddles to prevent noise. A box, eighteen inches square, 

 and two feet deep, must be fixed about the blowing pipe, to prevent the hot 

 water from mixing with the cold, in the cistern ; but there must be a few holes 

 in the bottom of this box, to suffer the water to go out below. This box 

 should rise six inches above water. 



43. Care must be taken that both the regulators fall into their seats with- 

 out touching sooner on one side than the other ; and if the the copper cones, 

 under the regulators, be not already rivetted or screwed to .them, it should be 

 done before you begin ; but avoid bending tlie valves in so doing. Some 

 threads of oakum, well puttied, must be lapped round the necks of the regula- 

 tor spindles, beyond the shoulders, to keep them steam and air tight ; but 

 this must be done in such a manner, as not to prevent the spindles from going 

 quite home to their shoulders, otherwise the regulators cannot fall right in 

 their places. 



44. The brass of the cylinder] stuffing box must be fixed in its place, and 

 the upper, or thin edge of it, set out against the sides of the iron part. When 

 the piston rod plays truly up and down, in the axis of the cylinder, put on 

 the stuffing box, and screw it down by its flanch ; then pack the box with soft 

 rope yarn, wrapt round the rod. until you have nearly filled the box ; then 

 take a collar of deal wood, two inches thick, made easy for the rod and for 

 the box ; divide it in two by its diameter, lay it on the top of the stuffing, 

 and apply the gland above it ; as you go on with the packing, melt some 

 grease and pour amongst it, and when finished, screw down the gland mo- 

 derately tight. 



45. The cylinder lid must have no screw holes over the square pipe ; its 

 joint must be made with pasteboard, puttied on the lower side, but notonthe 

 upper side; and the lid being greased with tallow the pasteboard will not 

 stick to it, but will lie in its place when the lid is raised. Two long iron rods 

 with hooks at their lower ends, must be hung to eye bolts in the spring 

 beams ; so that, w hen the lid is raised about three feet from the cylinder, 

 these hooks may be put into two opposite screw holes, to support the lid at 

 that height, while the piston is being packed. 



46. To pack the piston, take sixty common sized white or untarred rope 

 yarns, and with them plait a gasket or flat rope, as close and firm as possible, 

 tapering for eighteen inches at each end, and long enough to go round the 

 piston, and overlap for that length ; coil this rope <he thin way as hard as 

 you can ; lay it on an iron plate, and beat it with a sledge hammer, until its 

 breadth ansners its place ; put it in, and beat it down with a wooden driver 

 and a hand mallet ; pour some melted tallow all round ; then pack in a 

 layer of white oakum, half an inch thick ; then another rope ; then more 

 oakum ; so that the whole packing may have the depth of about four inches, 

 or only three inches if tbe engine be a small one. dist segments of a circle 

 of lead, about twelve inches long, three inches deep, and one and a quarter 

 inch thick, fitted to the circle of the piston, and cut down square at both ends ; 

 lay Ihem round upon the packing as close as they can lie to one another 

 without jamming, and screw down the piston springs upon them. The piston 

 springs must be bent downwards at the end next to the piston rod, and a 

 little mortoise must be cut in the cast iron there, for the bent down point of 

 each of them to lodge in, which will prevent their coming forwards to touch 

 the cylinder.— Previous to the piston being put into the cylinder, the hollows 

 among the crosses must be quite filled up with solid pieces of deal wood ; put 

 in radius fashion. Tbe packing of the piston must be teat solid, but not too 

 hard, otherwise it will create so great a friction as to hinder tbe easy going 

 of the engine. Abundance of tallow must be allowed it, especially at first ; 

 the quantity required will be less as the cylinder grows smoooth. 



47. The joints being all made, the regulator valves in their places, and their 

 covers screwed on, but no water in the condenser cistern, admit steam, and 

 when the cylinder and steam case are thoroughly warmed, screw up the nuts 

 of all your screws, and caulk the pasteboard or oakum of such joints as may 

 require it with a caulking chisel, until you find that every thing about the 

 cylinder is perfectly fleanch ; then pour three or four feet deep of water into 

 the hot water pump; slake down the injection and blowing valves, and also 

 those on the air pump, then let the steam into the condemer, which will show 

 the defects or leaks, if there be any. 



48. Screw on the steam guage to the steam case near the nozzle, and behind 

 the engine man's place; pour as much mercury into it as will half fill the 

 open leg ; put a float on it, broad at bottom, but very slender in the stem ; 

 cut the float or index ofl' close to the end of the open tube, aud fix a scale to 



