1844.] 



THE CIVIL ENGINEER AND ARCHITECT'S JOURNAL. 



367 



the die, 6' ; C, jointed bar moving on a knee joint at c, and hinge 

 joints at c' and c" ; D D, upright standards fixed with bolts at the base 

 df and on the top at d', to side rods or stays, E E ; F, cast iron base 

 with a projecting bracket,/, on the underside, and a projection on the 



Fig. 4. 



Kg. 6. 



Fig. 5. 



top,/', with a wrought iron hoop to securely hold the base of the stem, 

 A; G, open top steam cylinder; g, piston; H, piston rod with a 

 moveable joint at h on the piston and at the top, c ; J, valre with 

 steam and eduction ports ; j, steam pipe ; j', eduction port, and j", 

 bandle for a man to regulate the admission of the steam. 



The article to be rivetted is suspended between the die, 6, and 

 counter-die, a, and in the position the engine in fig. 1, appears the 

 steam has been admitted under the piston and raised it to the top of 

 the cylinder, and pressed the jointed bar, C, into a straight line, and 

 forced the die, 6, upon the rivet. When the steam is cut off, and the 

 underside of the piston opened to the eduction passage, the weight of 

 the machinery, together with the weight of the piston, causes it to 

 descend, and with it the rod, H, and the jointed bar, C, which then 

 takes an angular form like the knee when bent, and draws back the 

 standards, B B, and with them the die, 6 ; when the steam is again 

 admitted the piston is again raised to the position as shown, and 

 presses upon the rivet as before. 



REGISTER OF NEW PATENTS. 



(tTlider this bead we propose giving abstracts of tlie specifications of all the roost im- 

 portant patents as they are enrolled. If any additional information be required as to any 

 patent, the same may be obtained by applying to Mr. LAXTON at the Office of this 

 JOURNAL..^ 



STEAM BOAT PROPELLERS. 



H»NRY Davies, of Norbury, Staffordshire, Engineer, for " certain Improve- 

 ments in the construction of vessels for conveying goods or passengers on water, 

 also certain improved arrangements of machinery for communicating motion to such 

 •«<«;«."— Granted Jan. 25 ; Enrolled July 25, 1844. 



Fig. 1. 



Fig. 2. 





■:X-r 



■■■■ '-J '-' X] U' vj 



The first part of this invention consists in constructing that part of vessels 

 which is immersed in water with a tube or channel, for the purpose of allow- 

 ing a current of water to pass through the hull of the vessel from head to 

 stern. Secondly, in the application of rotary curved plates or propellers 

 within such channel, and lastly, in a peculiar mode of connecting one vesssel 

 to another, so as to form a train of vessels. 



Fig. 4. 



Fig. 8. 



In constructing vessels according to this invention, Mr. D. prefers that 

 they should be made of plate iron, rivetted in the same manner as in the or- 

 dinary way of constructing vessels, with this difference that the bottom or 

 keel of the vessel should be level, and the sides of the vessel parallel to each 

 other, as shown in the end view fig. 2, and plan view fig.3 . The deck of the 

 vessel should be slightly curved from the ends and sides of the vessel, as 

 shown at fig. 1, which is a longitudinal section ; a a is the channel formed in 

 the hull of the vessel ; 6 is a shaft, (there being two of them as will be seen 

 by the end view and plan,) supported by standards c c c, and coupled toge- 

 ther by universal joints to allow of a lateral movement if required, and upon 

 each of these shafts there are 4 propellers, which constitute or form' two half 

 circles or revolutions of a double threaded screw of considerable pitch ; the 

 above forming the principal features of the improvements in the construction 

 of vessels. With regard to propelling such vessels, which constitute the 

 second part of these improvements, the specification proceeds as follows; — 

 Supposing that a vessel constructed as above to be propelled or towed along 

 the canal, river, or other water, by means of a horse or other power, apartii 

 vacuum will take place in the water towards the stern of the vessel, and a 

 pressure of water will take place against the fore part, of the vessel, which 

 combined effect will cause a current of water to pass through the water-way 

 or channel a, in an opposite direction to the motion of the vessel, to fill up 

 the vacuum caused by the motion of the vessel, and would have the effect of 

 turning or giving a rotary motion to the shafts, but in consequence of the 

 water way being contracted in the middle of the vessel by lowering the deck 

 for the purpose of giving buoyancy to the vessel, the velocity of the current 

 will at such part be greatly increased, and in order to counteract this differ- 

 ence in the motion of the water in passing through the channel or ivater way 

 the inventor constructs the propellers of a different pi'ch, those at the ends 

 of the vessel being given as 5 ft. pitch and 3 ft. 6 in. diameter, whilst the two 

 propellers marked d d being stated at 2 ft. 8 in, diameter and 6 ft. 6 in. 

 pitch. 



The last improvements, in connecting vessels together so as to form a train 

 of vessels, fig. 4 being a plan, and fig. 5 a sectional elevation ; a a is a rect- 

 angular box or trough of plate iron with a division in the middle, this box 

 being of such dimensions as to receive the prow of one vessel and the stern of 

 another, and allow of the vessels moving out ot the straight line, or turning 

 in the trough, when required, as shown by dotted lines, the two vessels being 

 held together by means of a rope, /. The object of connecting a series of 

 vessels, as above described, being to prevent them producing separate dis- 

 placement in the water, the whole being as it were one vessel and forming 

 one displacement. 



SAFETY VALVES. 



Thomas Lidole, of Newcastle-upon-Tyne, engineer, for " Improtemcnts in 

 apparatus for preventing explosions in steam boilers.'' — Granted Feb. 21 ; En- 

 rolled August 21, 1844." 



There are two modes described in the specification of preventing explosions 

 in steam boilers , the first is the application of a float for aiding or assisting 

 in raising the safety valve. The second is the application of a syphon con- 

 taining mercury, which by the pressure of steam within the boiler is caused 

 to exert a power on the lever of the safety valve, in addition to the pressure 

 of steam upon such safety valve. The apparatus first described consists of a 

 float suspended from a rod, which passes through a stuffing-box attached to 

 the top of the boiler, and also through the end' of a lever of the first order, 

 the end of this rod being provided with a nut or other projection. At the 

 opposite end of the lever Is suspended a rod, to which is attached the safety 

 valve, and below the valve and inside the boiler is attached the weight, but 

 the weight may, if required be outside the boiler ; the object of this arrange- 

 ment being that when the water in the boiler gets lower than a certain point, 

 and the pressure of steam in the boiler is not sufficient to open the valve, the 

 nut upon the end of the rod, which is attached to the float, which floatlhas 

 descended as the water evaporated, comes in contact with the end of the 

 lever, and thereby raises the valve and allows the steam to escape. There is 



32* 



