IS45.] 



THE CIVIL ENGINEER AND ARCHITECT'S JOURNAL. 



259 



inspected by Mr. Burges of London, one of the principal engineers ; and we 

 believe his opinion was, that tlie greatest credit is due to Mr. .lackson and 

 Mr. 13ean, the contractors, whose arrangements have hitherto so fully 

 realized the wishes of gOTernment and the public. 



COLLEGE FOR CIVIL ENGINEERS, PUTNEY, SURREY. 



The Annual Meeting for the Distribution of Prizes and receiving the Re- 

 port of the Principal on the Progress of Studies in the Institution was held 

 in the College on Tuesday, July 15. His R. H. the Duke of Cambridge had 

 been expected, but was unfortunately prevented from attending.* 



The Chair was taken at J-past 2 o'clock by the Hon. R. E. 1Io-w.\rd, one 

 of the Members of the Council, who opened the proceedings by expressing 

 his regret at the absence of the Duke of HuccleuL'h and Lord Devon, the 

 latter being expected before the termination of the meeting. He then called 

 on the Principal to make a Report. 



The Pbinciiml, the Rev. .M. Cowie, then addressed the meeting. He 

 began by adverting to the main object of Education, viz., to instil principles 

 as distinguished from facts merely, to lead students to form a system for 

 themselves and not treasure up mere isolated truisms. It was, therefore, 

 more important that the result of the year's work should exhibit the students 

 as liaving made progress in this argument of principles than in showing a 

 vast amount of mechanical work. He stated that he had traced out for evury 

 one a regular system, which comprised the rudiments of construction neces- 

 sary for a civil engineer. He then pointed out a peculiar feature, which here 

 was kept in view, to invite the students as much as possible to combine 

 knowledge of one department with that of another, and instanced the Prize 

 Essays, which would be mentioned, viz., on the " Manufacture of Iron" and 

 on "Ventilation;" intended, the one as an exercise in " Chemistry of the 

 Principles and Practice of Machinery," and the other in " Chemistry of Ar- 

 chitecture." He finally referred to the general moral conduct of the stu- 

 dents as exemplary, — and explained his position as a cluryyman at the head 

 of an eiijificejv)!!/ institution, which did not, at first sight, seem compatible, 

 but which would cease to appear so when we reflect that all education ought 

 to be carried on under the superintendence of the clergy. 



He then proceeded to give the prizes, and announce the names of those 

 who were worthy of mention. 



MatliematUs— Clsssl. Kingsbury, Shillito P, JEq. : Class II. Bartholomew: Class III. 

 NealeP. Kssav on Iron — Kingsbury. Kssay on Ventilation— Codrington. Chemistry — 

 Bridgem.nn P. Geodesy— Levelling, Iwine P. : Surveying.Cf drington P. : General Atten- 

 tion, Clarke P. General Construction and Architecture — Classes I. and II. Bemey P. : 

 Classes II. and III. WoodiUeld P. Machinery— Classes Land II. Male P. : Class III. 

 WlUettP. : Manipulation. Bartholomew P. Classics— Fraser P. French— Class I. Sti>. 

 phenson P., Cl.iss II. Lloyd. German— Class I. Bridgeman : Class II. Hansen. Land- 

 scape Drawing- Shillito P., Forde P. Geography— Class I. Shillito P. : Class II. Purler, 

 Legeyt. Geology — Kingsbury. General Indiisity ana Improvement in Several Branches 

 —Brown P.; Encouragement to Improvement— Batley P. 



Before the end of the Principal's Report the Earl of Devon had arrived, 

 and taken the Chair, temporarily occupied by the Hon. R. E. Howard. 



Mr. Edwin Chadwick spoke most favouritbly of the past creditable work 

 of the students, whose maps and plans and contour drawings of part of 

 London had been published in the Government Reports of the Commission 

 for Enquiring into the Health of Towns, &c. He showed several instances 

 in which large sums of public money had been completely wasted through 

 the inefficiency of the persons employed in surveys and drainage, and all of 

 which woulil have been saved to the country if the education here given had 

 been insisted upon as necessary to the holding such important offices. 



Dr. Lyon Playfair then made a few remarks on the extreme importance of 

 scientific instruction in connexion with human health. The subject of Ven- 

 TiL.vTioN was of immense importance to human welfare, of which he cited 

 instances, and he also particularized how important it was to join Chemistry 

 with the Arts, by referring to the enquiries made for the Smelting of Iron 

 ores, by which it appeared that in some cases 92 per cent, of fuel was wasted 

 in the process as at present carried on. He concluded by proposing a vote 

 of thanks to Lord Devon for his kind and able conduct in the chair. 



Mr. Babuage then addressed the meeting, st.iting that he was extremely 

 gratified with the proceedings. He then enforced on the students the neces- 

 sity of application to ensure success, by the fact that even in cases where the 

 world generally gave credit for spontaneous natural abilities forcing them- 

 selves out in brilliant displays, the real fact of the case was that much study 

 and preparation were resorted to. He instanced Burke (from private iufjr- 

 mation which he mentioned), Sheridan, and Dr. Playfair. 



The Eari. of Devon in returning thanks repudiated the idea that the Col- 

 lege was meant to produce perfect practical engineers, on the contrary, we 

 only meant to lay a solid foundation on which practical experience would 

 build a solid superstructure. 



Mr. I. K. BniiNEi, saiil that he fidly concurred in these remarks. He 

 wished to assure the students that though they might not perceive at every 

 step of their subsequent practical work science in full action, yet they would 



* Among the ctmpany present, in addition to those mentioned, were Sir Patrick Ross, 

 Sir Charles Sullivan, Sir Howard Douglas, Cap. Dawson, R.E., J. T. Leader, Esq., M.P., 

 Col. Hutcliinson.Capt. Goldie, xMr. Wllberfoue Bird and several other gentlemen con- 

 nected with the E. I, Company, the Keys. C. T. Itobinlon, R. Baker, Dervvent Coleridge, 

 T. Helmorc, S. R. talSley, and mhers. 



from time to time feel their own strength when compelled to fall back on 

 first principle, and this he would certify to them from his own personal ex- 

 perience. 



.Vfter the addresses were delivered the company inspected the College 

 grounds. Lecture Rooms, the Students' Models of Steam Engines, specimens 

 of constructive carpentry, itc. The visitors witnessed the casting of iron, 

 the ladies standing in close proximity to the liquid metal with |)erfect confi- 

 dence, and taking ai)parently the greatest interest in the operation. In the 

 evening the company attended service with the students in the College 

 Ch.ipel. 



ON THE STRENGTH OF STONE COLU.MNS, 



By Mr. E. IIodgkinson. 



Read at the British Association. 



The columns were of different heights, varying from I inch to 40 inches ; 

 they were square uniform prisms, the sides of the bases of which were 1 

 inch and IJ inch, and the crushing weight was applied in the direction of the 

 strata. From the experiments on the two series of pillars it appears that 

 there is a falling oflf in strength in all c<dumns from the shortest to the 

 longest ; but that the diminution is so small, when the height of the column 

 is not greater than about 12 the side of its square, that the strength may be 

 considered as uniform, the mean being 10,000 lb. per square inch, or upwards. 

 From the experiments on the columns one inch square, it appears that whea 

 the height is 15 times the side of the square the strength is slightly reduced ; 

 when the height is 2-i times the base, the falling oil" is from 138 to 96 

 nearly ; when it is .iO times the base, the strength is reduced from 138 to 75 ; 

 and when it is 40 times the base the strength is reduced to 52, or to little 

 more than one-third. These numbers will be modified to some extent by 

 the experiments in progress. In all columns shorter than 30 times the side 

 of the square, fracture took place by one of the ends falling; showing the 

 ends to be the weakest parts; and the increased weakness of the longer co- 

 lumns over that of the shorter ones seemed to arise from the former being 

 deflected more than the latter, and therefore exposing a smaller part of the 

 ends to the crushing force. The cause of failure is the tendency of rigid 

 materials to form wedges with sharp ends, these Wedges splitting the body 

 up in a manner which is always pretty nearly the same ; some attempts to 

 explain this matter theoretically were made by Coidomb. .\s long columns 

 always give way first at the ends — showing that part to be the weakest — we 

 might economise the material by making the areas of the ends longer than 

 that of the middle, increasing the strength of the middle both ways towards 

 the ends. If the area of the ends be to the area in the middle as the 

 strength of a short column is to that of a long one, we should have for a 

 column whose height was 24 times the breadth, the area of the ends and 

 middle as 13,766 to 5,595 nearly. This, however, would make the ends too 

 strong ; since the weakness of long columns arises from their flexure, and 

 increasing the ends would diminish that flexure. Another mode of increasing 

 the strength of the ends would be that of preventing flexure by increasing 

 the dimensions of the middle. From the experiments it would appear that 

 the Grecian columns, which seldom had their lengths more than about 10 

 times the diameter, were nearly of the form capable of bearing the greatest 

 weight when their shaftt were uniform ; and that columns tapering from the 

 bottom to the top were only capable of bearing weights due to the smallest 

 part of their section, though the larger end might serve to prevent lateral 

 tiirusts. This last remark applies, too, to the Egyptian columns, the strength 

 of the column being only that of the smallest part of the section. Fiom 

 the tv;o series of experiments, it appeared that the strength of a short 

 column is nearly in proportion to the area of thesection, though the strength 

 of the larger one is somewhat less than in that proportion. 



Mr. IIodgkinson added that he had found the columns to give way chiefly 

 in the direction of the cleavages of the stone ; and that hence the same size 

 and shape of the stone cut out of the same block, required very diiferent 

 forces to crush them across the grain from what they did with it. — Prof. 

 Stevelly said, that it was one peculiarity of Mr. Hodgkinson's researches, 

 that they opened up so many collateral objects of interest and wide fields of 

 inquiry. It was easy to see that the present researches might become im- 

 portant to the geologist, by leading him to the source from which originated 

 the splitting up of extended rocks into beds and strata, and the contortions 

 of them ; for example, to some volcanic matter forced up vertically in such 

 a manner as to exercise a crushing force upon even distant masses. — Prof. 

 Willis showed, by examples deduced by various styles of architecture, that 

 the ancients must have been practically in possession of similar principles ; 

 and from several examples which he gave, it would appear that columns of 

 a shape suited to these principles were again coming into use. 



Xewcastle-on«Tvne — The monument at the mouth of the Tyne to Lord 

 CoUingwood, near to the Spanish battery, is proceding with, and the pedes- 

 tal for the fignre nearly completed. Scafl'olding of whole timber is used. 

 The figure will be coUosal, and by Lough ; and the whole will be about 30 

 feet high. Nothing definite is done with the high level bridge, or joint 

 railway station. |The grand stand at Newcastle has been much improved by 

 Messrs. Green. 



