1845.] 



THE CIVIL ENGINEER AND ARCHITECT'S JOURNAL. 



169 



This inTenlion relates to using galvanic currents for precipitating copper 

 from solutions of sulphate of copper, oblaineil by dissolving copper ores. In 

 previous attempts to effect this object, the excilint; licjuiJ ami the solution of 

 copper have bien kept sepnrate ; but. in the present instance, the exciting 

 litjuid is in contact with the solution of copjicr. Anolher improvement con- 

 sists in the application of east-iron for receiving the precipitated copper ; 

 though, wlien using other parts of the invention, other metal surfaces may l« 

 employed, and these surfaces the inventor calls the " generating surfaces." 

 Another part of this invention consists in cnmhining sulphate of iron or zinc 

 with cupper ores, » hen they are being calcined or roasted. 



The ore3 are mixed with as much sulphate of iron or zinc, in the slate of 

 crystals, as will be cqu.ll to one-fifth of the quantity of suliihate of copper 

 contained In them ; they are then calcined in the ordinary manner, and are 

 afterwards dissolved ; the solution is then put into any suitable vessel, and 

 on the top of it is placed a solution of sulphate of iron, for the exciting solu- 

 tion, as shown in the annexed engraving, wherein a is llie vessel, b the solu- 

 tion of the ores, and e the exciting 

 solution. A cast-iron plate or " ge- 

 nerating surface," li, and a " cim- 

 ductiiig surlace" or plate of lead, or 

 other suitable metal, e. are now in- 

 troduced, and being su.ipended from 

 a rod of co|iper, or other suitable ma- 

 terial,/, llie copper in tlie solution 

 becomes deposited on the leaden 

 plate: as many pairs of cast-iron 

 and leaden plates may be used as the 

 vessel a, will contain. 



Owing to the dillerence in their 

 specific gravity, the, solution of sul- 

 phate of copper will be at the low er 

 part of the vessel a, and the solution 

 of sulphate of iron at ihe upper part, 



and they will remain in contact without mixing. In the course of working 

 the solution of sulphati- of copper will become lighter at the upper p.art that 

 lower down, and should be drawn off when it has lost about half its copper ; 

 the solution of sulphate of iron, which is made by mixing two parts of water 

 with one part of a saturated solution, becomes heavier at the lower part than 

 at the upper, and should be draw n of! when it is as dense as the weak solu- 

 tion of sulphate of copper that is being drawn off. To keep up a constant 

 equilibrium in the liquids, an outlet ^, is applied to the vessel a, so that the 

 solution of sulphate of copper may flow off at the upper part, whilst an equal 

 quantity is entering at the inlet A ; and there is an outlet ;, for carrying oil' 

 the solntion of sulphate of iron, at the Ijwer part of that liquid, whilst a 

 corresponding quantity is admitted into the veisel a, at the inlet^' : the sul- 

 phate of iron, thus drawn off, may be crystallized, and used in tlie process of 

 calcining the ores. 



The patentee claims, firstly,— combining with the roasting of ores, sulphate 

 of iron or zinc. Secondly, — the mode, herein described, of manufacturing 

 copper, by using the exciting liquid in contact with the solution of copper. 

 Thirdly,— the use of cast-iron for what he terms the generating surfaces 

 Fourthly, — the use of sulphate of iron as the exciting liquid, when using gal-' 

 vanic currents to precipitate copper. 



ARTIFIC1.4L STONE. 



Feederick Ransome, of Ipswich, caster, for " Jmprovemeuls in the manu/ac- 

 Ivre of artificial slune for grinding and other purposes."— Granted Oct. 22, 1814 ; 

 Enrolled April 1845. 



This invention consists, first of producing artificial stone for grinding and 

 other purposes, by employing a solution of silica as a means of cementing 

 broken stone, sand, or oilier convenient earthy or metallic matters; and se- 

 condly in causing artificial stone, produced by cementing broken stone, sand 

 or other convenient earthy or metallic matters with a solution of silica, to be 

 •ubjected to pressure in moulds, by hydraulic or other mechanical pressure. 

 The great object of the invention is to use a solution of silex as a cementing 

 material for combining uncalcined malerials into substances resembling sione 

 of different kinds, depending on the material used and according to the pres- 

 sure to w hich the substances arc to be applied, thus when f ,r grinding pur- 

 poses, pulverised or broken burr-stone is preferred ; and for imitating Bath- 

 stone, pulverised or broken Baih-slone; and for granite, broken granite; such 

 materials are I o be used in a broken or pulverised state, sifted so that the 

 granular parts may be as equal as may be : or other broken stone or earthy 

 matters or sand may be used, and mixtures thereof made to produce varied 

 characters of artificial stone. 



The solution of .Mlica, called by the patentee "silicious paste or cement," 

 is prepared in the following manner — 100 lb. of crystallized carbonate of soda 

 (subcarbonate of soda, or in commerce called soda), is dissolved in about 50 

 gallons of water; the carbonate of soda is then rendered caustic in the usual 



manner by means of lime ; or, instead of carbonate of soda, about 50 lb. of 

 carbonate of potash, usually called pearlash, may be used. The caustic alka- 

 line solution is reduced to about 20 or 25 gallons by heal, and then put with 

 about U)0 lb. of finely broken flints, or other convenient silicious substance, 

 into an iron boiler or digester and heated 10 or 12 hours v[> to a pressure of 

 about 60 lb. to the square inch, and frequently stirred. Wlien the mixture is 

 incorporated it is removed from the boil, r and passed through a sieve to re- 

 move any undissolved stone ; Ihe cement is then fit fur use, or may be tem- 

 pered to any required consistency by the admixture of sand or finely pow- 

 dered flint. For the purpose calcined flint is generally used, and if too thick 

 fur llie purpose the same is reduced by adding water. 



For manufacturing miU-stones for grinding the following proportions are 

 taken— the silicious cement one part, of finely powdered flint or powdered 

 pipe clay one part, and of fragments of burr or other suitable stone three or 

 four parts, which is regulated by the size of the fragments which should be 

 as uniform and free from dirt or earthy matter as possible ; the above ingre- 

 dients are to be well mixeil and incorporated together, when it may be com- 

 pressed in iron moulds under mechanical pres.sure. When the stone thus 

 formed is removed from the mould, it is to be allowed to dry at common 

 temperature for about 24 hours, when it may generally be removed into an 

 oven or drying room where the temperature is to be gradually raised to that 

 of boiling water, or even beyond that point. In like manner when manufac- 

 turing artificial stone for other purposes, granite, common s;;nd, or fragments 

 of any convenient silicious or other hard stone or substance are used, and 

 mixed with from i ne-fourth to one-sixth of the silicious paste or cement, so 

 as to form by trituration an uniform mixture of the cement and silicious par- 

 ticles. 



The claim is, first for the mode of manufacturing artificial stone for grind- 

 ing and other purposes by cementing broken or pulverised stone, sand, earthy 

 or metallic matters wiih a solution of silica ; and secondly the subjecting ar- 

 tificial stone produced by the aid of a solution of silica with broken or pul- 

 verised stone, sand, earthy or metallic matters, to hydraulic or other me- 

 chanical pressure in moulds. 



STEAM CONDENSER F»R ATMOSPHERIC RAILWAYS. 



James Nasmyth, of Palricroft, I.ancaster, engineer, and Charles Mat, of 

 Ipswich, engineer, for •' improrements i7i worl:ing atmospheric raihvaijs and is 

 machinery for constructing tht apparatus tmpluyed Mert'in."— Granted October 

 22, 1844; Enrolled April 22, 1845. 



Mr. Nasmyth has favoured us with Ihe following account of bis invention. 

 The idea is analogous to that of the condensers of atmospheric steam engines, 

 and here receives a very ingenious application. We have, in elTect, in this 

 invention the work of a steam engine performed without the craploiment of 

 the piston. We do not think there would be much loss from the steam 

 mixing with the air, for in whatever manner the particles of steam might be 

 arranged with respect to those of air while driving it out, still it is clear that 

 whatever steam was admitted to Uie condenser would rfisp/aec so much air, 

 and therefore do full duty whether it preserve integrity of stratum or not. 

 The only loss occasioned by inequality in the stratum of steam, or — so to 

 speak— by part of the steam pro(™rf;n^ beyond the rest, would be that that 

 part would escape, instead of remaining in the receiver to be condensed , but 

 this loss would be very trifling. 



A graver ground of apprehension is whether much of the steam would not 

 be lost by condensation with the cold air supplied to the condenser for each 

 operation. An experiment might easily fce made on a small scale by which 

 the steam mixed w ith air and escaping with it from the receiver could be con- 

 densed and measured; also the steam condensed by contact with the cold air 

 in Ihe receiver could be measured separately from the water for injection and 

 the steam condensed by that : these two measurements would give the total 

 loss with great accuracy. 



" The chief difficulty which stands in the way of the atmospheric railway 

 system is the much greater expenditure of fuel in the production of the motive 

 power as compared with the locomotive engine system ; this objection (and a 

 serious one it is} arises from loss of power .n the means at present employed 

 for the production of the vacuum in the atmospheric pipe, as also from leak- 

 age in tlie long valve which covers the slit in it. Much ingenuity is being 

 eiercised at present to remedy the leakage of the long valve, with what suc- 

 cess time alone can show. It is, however, in the economizing the production 

 of the vacuum itself to which »e ought to look as the source from whence the 

 most important improvement must come, ami it is with an aim to Ihe attain- 

 mc.it of this object a .system has been invented of forming vacuum by the 

 direct use of steam alone, which from its extreme simplicity and eflSeicncy 

 bids fair to bring about the most important results in economising the pro- 

 duction of the motive power for service of the atmospheric railway. 



The principle on which this invention is founded consists simply in the 

 employment of steam as an air dislodging agent in place of the piston of an 

 air pump, by which all friction and complex machinery is done aw.iy willi, 

 and the whole apparatus reduced to a simple boiler and a few tall air tight 



vessels, which perform all the fuuction^ o£ steam engiue and air pumps. 



