1844.] 



THE CIVIL ENGINEER AND ARCHITECTS JOURNAL. 



369 



ders, which allows the steam to act on the underside of both pistons at the 

 same time ; the steam after having performed its functions is allowed to pass 

 off to the " hot condenser" before referred to, and a similar operation is per- 

 formed for the down stroke of the piston, &c. alternate. 



There are several other improvements described, one of which consists of 

 an apparatus for supplying high pressure boilers with water, and consists of 

 an additionol boiler, or hot well, placed a little above the level of the water 

 in the boiler, and at one end or side thereof, from the underside of this hot 

 well, which in a locomotive may be placed in the smoke box, there is a pipe 

 which conducts the water from thence into the boiler; from the steam cham- 

 ber of the boiler there is a bent pipe which leads into the top of the hot well, 

 and which pipe terminates in a two way cock, the other way forms a com- 

 munication with the atmosphere ; this two way cock is actuated by an ar- 

 rangement of levers and floats placed within the boiler; the action is as fol- 

 lows — presuming the boiler to have a plentiful supply of water, the opening 

 of the two way cock will form a communication between the hot well and the 

 atmosphere, and the condensed water from the engine will be pumped into the 

 hot well ; but should the level of the water in the boiler become loo low, the 

 float will fall, and by means of the arrangement of the levers the two way 

 cock will be turned so as to close the communication with the atmosphere 

 and open a communication between the sleam chamber of the boiler and the 

 hot well, whereby an equilibrium of pressure is established between the boiler 

 and the hot well, and the surface of waterin the latter being somewhathigher 

 than that in the boiler, the water will proceed to flow from the hot well into 

 the boiler, and is prevented from returning by means of a ball valve, when 

 the water has attained the desired level the communication is again formed 

 by the two way cock between the hot well and the atmosphere, and that one 

 closed with the boiler. 



CARRIASE WHEELS. 

 Samdbi. Atkinson, of Manchester Street, Gray's Inn Road, in the county 

 of Middlesex, turner, for " Improvements in the construetum of whitls for car- 

 riages.''— Gisaiteii March 4; Enrolled September 4, 1844. 



Fig. 1. 



1^ 



SM 



Kg. 2. 



These improvements consist in combining iron spokes with wood felloes 

 and wood tyre in the manufacture of wheels for caiTiages, which spokes may 

 be of any required form ; in the accompanying figure we have given a view 

 of one description of spoke referred to in the specification, there being several 

 forms and also several modes of fastening the same within the felloe and nave 

 of the wheel. Fig. I shows a view of a spoke similar in form to those now in 

 use, the lower end being rounded and burred up with a diamond tool, so that 

 when driven into the nave of the wheel such projections may assist in retain- 

 ing it therein, the opposite end of the spoke being fastened to the felloe by 

 means of a nut and screw. Fig. 2 shows a transverse section of a wheel and 

 two spokes, which in this case are made hollow, or tubular, and then filled 

 with wood, the ends of the tubes having an opening or slit on each side, the 

 object of such opening being that when fastening the end of the spoke within 

 the felloe or nave, an iron wedge being first inserted into the opening, the 

 spoke on being driven into the aperture enlarges the end thereof, and retains 

 it firmly within. 



The inventor claims the means of manufacturing wheels for carriages 

 whereby iron or other metal spokes are combined with wood felloes and wood 

 naves as described. 



BA1LV»AT KETS. 



Willi am Henht Barlow, of Leicester, civil engineer, for " Improvements in 

 the construction of keys, wedges, or fastenings, for engineering purposes."— 

 Granted March 6 ; Enrolled September 6, 1844. 



The nature of this invention consists in the application of hollow metal 

 keys for fastening railway bars to the chairs, and also the chairs to the 

 blocks or sleepers, in place of solid keys of iron v,i wood as heretofore em- 

 ployed, and which hollow metal keys are applicable to other engineering pur- 

 poses. 



The mode of applying these hollow metal keys is precisely the same as those 

 heretofore in use, as will be seen by referring to Fig. 1, which shows an ele- 



vation of a railway chair, and end view or section of a rail which is fastened 

 within the chair by means of one of these improved hollow metal keys, which 



Fig. 1. 



is also shown in section and marked a, the same being applied to fasten the 

 rail in the ordinary manner, viz. by driving the key between the rail and the 



Kg. 3. 



7 r 



cheek of the chair. Fig. 2 shows another form of key, 

 which is left open on one side ; in using this description 

 of key it would be advisable to let the ends meet so as to 

 form a butt joint. Fig. 3 [shews an elevation and end 

 view of two hollow pins for fastening the chairs to the 

 sleepers, one of which, it will be seen, has a slit or open- 

 ing on one side throughout its length ; for which the 

 inventor claims the mode of making wedges, keys, or 

 fastenings, for securing railways chairs to the blocks or 

 sleepers, and other engineering purposes, by forming such 

 keys or fastenings of hollow metal. 



GAS FOR LIGHTING. 



Alexanher Angos Ceoll, Superintendent of the Gas Works, Brick Lane, 

 in the county of Middlesex, and William Richards, of the same Works, for 

 "improvements in the manufacture of gas, for the purpose of illumination, and in 

 apparatus used therein, and when transmitting and measuring gas." — Granted 

 March 7 ; Enrolled September 7, 1844. 



It would not be convenient to enter minutely into the details of this inven- 

 tion, the specification of which is accompanied with fourteen sheets of drawings, 

 but as it is above observed, should any of our readers require any information 

 as to any particular part of the invention, the same can be forwarded with a 

 drawing of such part or improvement. The first improvement relates to a 

 method of manufacturing gas, and consists in a peculiar mode of arranging 

 certain apparatus, and in such manner that water may be decomposed by the 

 application of sulphuric acid, (which operation is performed in a leaden ves- 

 se]), the gas evolved from this process being mixed with the fumes or vapour 

 of naphtha, or other proper fluid, for the purpose of giving colour to the 

 light obtained from burning such gas. 



The second part of this invention relates to a peculiar mode or modes of 

 arranging and fixing clay retorts in an arch or arches whereby the same are 

 said to be more advantageously heated, thereby cfliecting a considerable saving 

 in fuel in the manufacture of coal gas-; the peculiar arrangement consists in 

 so combining three arches that they may be heated by two fires, each of the 

 fires being placed under the retorts of the two end or side arches, the centre 

 arch and retorts being heated from the two fires ; the heat, which after passing 

 over the retorts in the end arches passes through flues at the lower part and on 

 each side of the centre arch into the same, and after passing over the several 

 retorts contained in that arch, finally escapes through a flue at the top 

 of the arch. There are two modifications of the above arrangement de- 

 scribed and shown in the drawings of the specification, and also another, 

 which consists in a mode of arranging two arches one above another and 

 heated by one fire, which is placed immediately above the crown of the lower 



