1844,] 



THE CIVIL ENGINEER AND ARCHITECT'S JOURNAL. 



277 



base (if the cone, on the rod below these pins; which groove being lappeil 

 round with rope yarn and putty, will serve to prevent steam from getting 

 through the piston, by the sides of the |)ins. To make it move easy to 

 get these pins out, they should have flat tails, bent upwards, so as to be close 

 against the outside of the cone of the piston, when the pins are in their places, 

 and to screw them there, mortices must lie cut in the wood which fills the 

 hollows of the piston, to which must be fitted wooden wedges, made very 

 tapering, by driving which down, the tails of the pins will be pressed against 

 the cone, and the tapering form of the wedges will make it easy to dislodge 

 them when the pins are wanted to be taken out. It is necessary to observe, 

 that the pius shoidd be fitted light into tlie boles in the piston cone, and that 

 the holes into which their points enter in the cone of the rod, should be made 

 easy for them, otherwise they might prevent the one cone from being pulled 

 far enough into the other. 



2fl. The oakum, with which the joints ara caulked, should be well smeared 

 with the strong or thick boiled oil, mentioned in these additional directions. 

 If the under side of the pipe of the inner bottom does not fit close to the 

 lower edge of the opening made for it, in the outer bottom ; that is to say, 

 if the space left there for pasteboard, or caulking, be wider than one quarter 

 of an inch, a piece of hammered iron, an inch and a half broad, must be 

 forged of such thickness as to fill up the space, so as to make it light by the 

 help nf a thickness of pasteboard above il. and another below it. Lead ought 

 not to be used in these cases, as its expansion and contraction by heat and 

 cold, are too great. Instead of putting a prop from the nozzle to the ground, 

 it is found better to put a balance beam sideways under the floors, with a 

 short upright, having a flat end to take a broad bearing under the nozzle. 

 The weight of the balance should not support more than two-thirds of the 

 weight of the nozzle. 



31. The lower ring on the cylinder, to which the steam ease is fixed, is 

 sometimes made with a projecting flanch, on which the steam case rests, and 

 the joint is then made tight, by caulking between the flaneh of the steam 

 case, and that on the ring. 



32. To avoid theiuconvenience of the perpendicular steam pipes (tccasionally 

 proving too .short, they are now made without any flanch at the lower end, 

 and a socket is cast upon the nozzle 1o fit them, in which they are to be 

 made tight by caulking. 



The weight of the upper nozzle must be supported by a prop from the cruss 

 piece between the cylinder lieams. And if the boiler steam pipe be very long, 

 and consequently heavy, part of its weight should be supported by a balance 

 beam near the wall of the house. 



3.5. The best way of making the standing joints of the condenser is by 

 means of rings of lead a quarter of an inch thick ; as broad as the flanches ; 

 and pierced for all the screws. They may either have putly, made with the 

 thick oil put on each side, or, for greater security, they may be covered with 

 Russia duck and putty. In other respects proceed as directed in 3.'). The 

 solt rope does not answer well. 



38. Where the joints of the eduction pipe are made with flanches, they 

 must be fi.\ed together by strong flat rings of iron, put on each side of them 

 as directed for that at the nozzle; and the joints must be made tight by 

 pasteboard and putty ; for. on .acciiunt of its expansion, lead will not answer 

 where it is subjected to be allerualely hot and cold. 



39. The hot water pump must be fixed down by two long bars of iron, with 

 screwed ends, which must go through the bottom gf the cistern and extend 

 upwards through two of the holes of the lower flanch of the hot water pump. 



42. The guide posts may be fixed upon a sill passing from one to the other ; 

 and the best way of fixing the weight of the e.xhaustion regulator, is to make 

 it in the form of a saddle, moveable at discretion, upon a beam centred at the 

 further guide post, so that the beam may fall flat upon the sill, when at 

 lo«e.st ; and the saddle will produce a greater or less weight according as it 

 is placed farther from the centre or nearer to it. — The door to the condenser 

 may be converted into a window, and a seat for the engine man, as soon as 

 the condenser and eduction pipe are fixed. 



4.'). Some people use a plaited rope to make the joint of the cylinder lid, 

 which is a bad practice ; for though a plaited rope may make a joint appa- 

 rently steam tight, vet it has been found by e.xperience, that such joints are 

 not air tight ; but when, by working of the top regtdator, a partial vacuum is 

 produced in the upper part of the cylinder they permit some air to enter im- 

 perceptibly, and without noise, which passes to the condenser; and to per- 

 sons who are not aware of this circumstance, may be thought to enter at some 

 air leak. tVe, therefore, recommend that this joint be. always made with paste- 

 board and putty ; and that a strict attention be paid to the tightness of the stuffing 

 box, wherever the top regulator is used, 



4C. The proper quantity of tallow to grease the piston with is two pounds 

 per week, for every foot the cylinder is in diameter. But where opportunity 

 can be obtained of adding it more frequently, the whole quantity ou^ht not 

 to be added at once, but divided according to your opportunities. Mhen the 

 top regulator is used, if the tallow is put into a flat tunnel, which ought to be 

 made to surround the piston rod, above the cylinder suifHoj; box, ii will be 

 gradually sucked in without the trouble of taking off the lid. 



HEALTH OF TOWNS. 



First Report of the Commissioners for Inquiring into the State of Large Towns and 



Populous Districts, 



To the Queen s most excellent Majesty, 



We. the undersigned commissioners appointed by your Majesty to inquire 

 into the present slate of barge towns and populous districts in England and 

 Wales, with reference to the matters hereunder specified :— 



'' The causes of disease among the inhabitants. 



" The best me.ans of promoting and securing the public health, under the 

 operation of the laws and regulations now in force, and the usages at present 

 prevailing with regard to— 



" The drainage of lands , 



" The erection, drainage, and ventilation of buildings ; 



" And the supply of water in such towns and districts, whether for purposes 

 of health, or for the better protection of property from fire, and — 



** How far the public health anti the condition of the poorer classes of the 

 people of this realm, and the salubrity and safety of their dwellings may be 

 promoted by the amendment of such laws, regulations, and usages;" and to 

 report our proceedings from time to lime ; Humbly certify, in manner fol- 

 lowing, our proceedings in the execution of your Majesty's commission. 



We desire, in the first place, to express the sense which we entertain of the 

 importance of the subject committetrto us, not only as involving general 

 benefit to the public, but especially a gradual improvement in the moral and 

 physical condition of large numbers of your Majesty's poorer subjects. We 

 have entered upon these duties with an earnest hope of being able in due time 

 to fulfil the benevolent intention of your Majesty's commission. 



We confine this our first report to a brief statement of our proceedings, and 

 to a notice of such portions of the evidence, reports, and other documentary 

 information which will best display the course of our inquiry, and the ad- 

 vance we have made to the attainmant of the object of your Majesty's com- 

 mission. Sever.al investigations are yet in progress, the results of which it 

 is necessary for us to receive and to consider in connection with the facts al- 

 ready in our possession, before we can form a matured opinion upon the na- 

 ture of the measures, which we may hereafter consider it to be our duty to 

 recommend to your Majesty. 



Having obtained the information, respecting the operation of the laws now 

 in torce, which had been collected under previous inquiries, and had been 

 laid before parliament, or could be acquired from other sources, we proceeded 

 to examine before the board such persons as were prepared from long expe- 

 rience or observation to give their testimony on the general subject, or upon 

 specific topics of inquiry. The evidence referred to is appended to this re- 

 port. Among the principal witnesses upon the general subject are physi- 

 cians, whose atteniion bad been specially directed on former occasions ti the 

 examination of the causes of disease ainong the poorer classes, and to the 

 means nf prevention, which come within the provisions of the existing law, 

 or for the attainment of which further legislation is required. 



We would refer, in the first instance, to the evidence of Dr. N. Arnott and 

 Dr. Southwood Smith, wlio have slated to us the results of their continued 

 and latest observations ; and also to the evidence of Dr. Guy, Dr. Aldis. Dr. 

 Rigby, and Mr. Toynbee, who have had extensive practice in hospitals and 

 dispensaries. This evidence, with that of Mr. Ward, displays their opinion 

 and experience, that defective drainage, neglect of house and street cleansing, 

 ventilation, and imperfect supplies of water, contribute to produce atmos- 

 pheric impuritie.s, which allect the general health and physical condition of 

 the population, generating acute, chronic, and ultimately organic disease, 

 especially scrofulous aflections and consumption, in addition to the fevers and 

 other forms of disease, to which public attention has hitherto been cbielly 

 directed by previous san.itory inquiries, .and which are more disiinctly no- 

 ticed in the returns annually laid before parliament under the lirovisions of 

 the Registration Act. 



Our first investigations relating to drainage were directed to the condiiion 

 of the metropolitan districts ; we examineil the chairmen and chief olbcers of 

 the several Commissions of Sewers respecting iheir usages and re;:ulaiions ; 

 and architects and builders as to the difficulties, which have hitherto inter- 

 fered with the adoption of a better system of house drainage. 



We then extended our inveslii;ati(ms, and for that purpose we prepared a 

 letter enclosing a series of questions, framed by the boar^i, which, wiib a 

 letter from your Majesty's Princiiial Secretary of Stale lor the H me De- 

 partment, we transmitted to the municipal and other public olficeis in filty 

 towns where the rate of mortality appeared by the returns of the registers of 

 deaths, with a few exceptions, to be the highest. Those include the largest 

 manufacturing towns and the principal purls after London, and contain a 

 population of more than three millions of persons. 



Kacli of these towns was afterwards visited by one of the commissioners, 

 who examined on the spot, the general condition of the town, and of the most 

 crowded and the most unhealthy districts, making personal inquiries of the 

 inhabitants, and hearing such statements as were made by them, or respect- 



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