'8-15.] 



THE CIVIL ENGINEER AND AKCIIITECT'S JOURNAL. 



S97 



REGISTER OF NEW PATENTS. 



(I'mltr this head arc given abslroc's of the spcciecatioiis of nil the most imporlnnt 

 patents as they arc enrolled. Any additional information required ns to any pa'ent, the 

 same may be obtained ty apulung to Mr. LAXTON at the Olfice of this JOL'U^fALJ 



Benjamin SEEnoiiM, of Ilirton GraiiKe, Braclftr.I, county of York, for "an 

 Improved mode of mamtfacturing certain desci ii'lion of chains.' '— G raiil ed Dec A, 

 1844; Eniollal June 4, 1645. 



Tliis invention is for a machine or apparatus for manufacluring cliain?, ami 

 consists principally of two main shafts actuating certain cams antl arrange- 

 ments of levers for clTectin;; the p.uriiose. The first operation is tint of heat- 

 ing the bar of iron to a welling heal, llie bar in Ihis state is passed into the 

 machine anil between a pair of ciiltcrs which divide it in an angular direction, 

 so as to form a spliced or lap joint ; upon one of ihe main shafts there are a 

 number of cams or lappets, one of which, when the bar has been cut as above 

 tlescribed, gives motion to an arrangement of levers which bend the piece of 

 iron round a vertical mandril of the required form lor the link, this being 

 effected there are a pair of dies actuated by a cam fixed on the second shaft 

 ■which forcibly ccmpress the link, so as to cdcct the welding, this link is then 

 l)y tlie aclim of ihe machine drawn from the mandril and a second piece of 

 iron passed through it which upidergoes the same operation as that above de- 

 scribed, and a second link made, and so on with each'succeedinglink ; the bar 

 of iron being passed through the last link manufactured so as to form a con- 

 tinuous chain, one link being made for every revolution of the main or tap 

 pet shafts. The inventor claims the manufacture of chains by heating rods 

 or bars of wri ught iron, and then cutting them off into proper lengths antl 

 turning them with lap, spliced, or jump joinis within another link and h eld- 

 ing them. 



IMPROVE.MENT IN METALS. 



Ap.tir'r M'.m.i, late of liistorn-place, but now of India-row, Kast India 

 road, Middlesex", for " Certain Improvements in tlie manufaciure of steel, copper. 

 and other metals."— Gianied ISlIi December, 1844; Enrolled 18ih June, 1845. 



This invention relates to the manufacture of steel, copper, tin, and zinc. 

 ■W'itli regard to the manufacture of steel, Ihe specification states that the 

 bars of iron intended for conversion are to be imbedded in charcoal, 

 or in the carbonacious substance now in general use, cr they may be im- 

 bedded in a mi.\ture of charcoal and chalk; for Ihis purpose the inventor 

 takes six pounds of charcoal to three pounds of chalk, and to one bushel of 

 tliis mi.xture ho adds one or two pounds of zinc filings. This mi.xture is ti) 

 be spread in the bot'om of the converting furnace or chamber, or suitable 

 retort, and a fire made suflicient to give off the carbonic o.xide, Ihe carbon- 

 acious bed being properly laid, Iho steel is then to be introduced, and arranged 

 in a convenient manner, so as to admit of a continuous stream or current of 

 electricity to be passed through the whole range of bars under operation, 

 which current is to be continued for the space of twelve or fourteen hours, 

 without intermission or a longer time, if it is found necessary for the con- 

 version. The fpecification is accompanied with a drawing, shewing the mode 

 of arranging the bars in Ihe furnace, in such manner that by connecting ihe 

 ends of two bars to the opposite poles of a galvanic battery, a current of 

 electricity will pass through the whole range of bars. In the manufacture of 

 copper and other metals, the inventor proposes to pass a current of elec- 

 tricity through tlie same, in every possible du'cction, whilst Ihe same is in a 

 melted .state, or when in the process of solidification, for which he claims 

 the improvement in the manufacture of steel, copper, and other metals, by 

 subjecting them, whilst in a melted state, and in the process of solidificalion, 

 tp the intluence of electricity. 



PROPELLING VESSELS. 



Grorge .'JrEXCEn, of Hungerford Street, West .Strand, for "Improvements 

 in propelling vessels on inland icntos."— Granted Jan. II ; Enrolled July 11, 

 1845. 



This invention relates to a peculiar mode of applying locomotive engines, 

 or carriages combined with certain apparatus, for propelling boats or other 

 vessels on inland waters. The principal object of Ihis invention is to apply 

 at one or both ends, or any other convenient part of a locomotive engine or 

 carriage, guide wheels working either horizontally or at an angle in combi- 

 ralion with a guide rail to prevent the locomotive being drawn olf the rails 

 when Ihe same is applied to propelling boa's on inland waters. The specifi- 

 cation shows several modes of applying guide wheels and rails, one of whicli 

 was lately patented by Mr. Prossrr, a drawing and description of which will 

 be found in the Journal for June last. 



Another part of this invention relates to the construction of locomotives ; 

 the object of which is to construct lliem with tt heels and axles capable of 

 accommodating themselves to any description of curve. One modification 

 consists in supporting one end if the locomotive engine by an au.siliary car- 

 riage capable of moving upon a centre pin, similar to ihc fore wheels of an 



ordinary wagon, so that Ihe a.xle of tlie fore wheels always forms a radial line 

 or nearly so to the curve ihey are p,as3ing Tlie specification, which shows 

 («o or three modidcations of the above, and also several modes of attaching 

 the guide wheels, claims the following when applied either to locomotive 

 engines or to carriages used in propelling boats or other vessels on inland 

 waters; first, the use of lioriiontal guide wheels generally : secondly, the use 

 of oblique guiile wheels generally ; thirdly, the use of a pivot or turn plate, 

 to enable ihe axles of such locomotives to assume a line radial or nearly so to 

 Ihe centre of the curve round which the locomotive carriages may be passing; 

 fourllily, Ihe use of a tooilied rack fi.\ed to the middle guide rail, in combi- 

 nation with a wlicel attached to the driving wheel; fifthly, the application of 

 an additional middle guide rail of wood or iron ; sbvlhly, the application of 

 horizontal guide wheels and frames woiklng on pivots ; seventhly, the com- 

 bination of horizontal guide wheels and axle frames work'iig on pivots ; also, 

 a mode described of (ausing Ihe opposite bearing wheels of engines to run 

 iodepenilently of each other, this is ell'ected by kejing one ivheel on the end 

 of a solid axle, and the other tn the end of a hollow axle working upon the 

 solid axle. 



MACHINERY fOll PROP£LLI.\G. 



Joii.N Seawaro, of the Canal Iron Works, Poplar, Middlesex, engineer, for 

 •'improvement in machinery for propelling."— (ir^uteiX February 5 ; Enrolled 

 August 51, 845.— (With Engraving, see Plate XXU.; 



The first part of these improvements in machinery for propelbng relates to 

 that class of engines called direct-acting engines, and consist in a mode i»£ 

 constructing the conneeling rod, or that rod which connects the piston rod 

 to the crank, whereby such connecting rod may be increased in length with- 

 out increasing Ihe height of the engines. In order to cllect this, the cross 

 bead in place of being made straight is bent in a manner shewn and here- 

 after described, with reference to fig. 1, which represents a front elevation of 

 Ibe connecting rod and cross head construcled according to this invention. <i 

 shews a portion of the main shaft and one of Ihe cranks, b is the piston rod, 

 and c the cross head, which is bent duwnwards, as shewn, and again bent at 

 its lower exlremilics at right angles, terminating in gudgeons; d is Ihe con- 

 necting rod terminating at its lower end in prongs w hich embrace the gud- 

 geons or bearings formed on the ends of the ero;s head, which ends are con- 

 tinued for Ihe purpose of receivii g the brasses ee, which work between guides 

 //: g is the cylinder cover which is made with two recesses for securing the 

 end of the cross head and connecting rod; there are also corresponding re- 

 cesses formed in the piston for receiving the projections on the undersi le of 

 the cylinder cover formed by the aforesaid recesses. 



Seaward's part of this invention consists in a novel mode of passing the 

 smoke and other products of Ihe fires Ihrcugh the stern of the vessel, thereby 

 dispensing with tlie ordinary funnel or chimney. For Ibis purpose there arc 

 two ch.ambers, and between them there are three or more air pumps, worked 

 by a small engine. The smoke and other producls of combustion are Jrawa 

 from the fires by means of the air pum|is into the first chamber, an I from 

 thence are forced by the a'bresaid pumps into the second chamber, and through 

 a pipe passing horizontally throu>,h the after hold and stern of the vessel, 

 this pipe which is bent down a little at the tunnel, is provided with a valve 

 opening outwards, so as to prevent the sea from rushing in as the vessel 

 heaves. The aforesaid chambers are provided at the top with a perforated 

 plale, through wliicli a stream of cold water is throwing, the object of this 

 arrangement is to cool and condense the grosser parts of the products pass- 

 ing from the fires. The pipe passing through the hold is surrounded by 

 .nnolher pipe, so as to leave an annular space bet«een them through which a 

 stream of cold water is made to pass. 



The tliir.l part of ihis invention is for a mode of purifying or filtering the 

 water previous to feeding the boiler. Fig 2, shews a section of this appara- 

 tus, w hich consists of a square or oblong iron case a a, having a number of 

 drawers or boxes 4 t l>, perlorated at top and bottom with a number of small 

 holes, these boxes whicli are made to slide in and out of Ihe case, as may be 

 required, are filled wiih gravel, sand, fiannel, sponge, or other suitable mute- 

 rial, for clearing the water, and fastened into the case as a a, by means of a 

 door or lid c r, bolted to the case, d is a pipe connected with the feed 

 pump, the water from which is forced into the space e, found in the lower 

 part of the ease, and through the several stra a ol earthy matter con- 

 tained in Ihe bo.xes, and into ihe space /, and through the pipe/' into the 

 boiler. 



Fourth relates to a mode of applying pumps for forcing or ejecting the 

 water through the stern or sides of the vessels, for the purpose of propelling 

 the same. 



Fig, 3 shews a sectiu nal elevation of a steam-engine cylinder, and one of 

 the force pumps; and fig. 4, a sectional plan of Ihe arrangement of 

 pumps, and other apparatus, the cylinders in the plan being left out. a, fig. 

 3 is the cylinder, and n the piston, the rod of which passes through both 

 ends of the cylinder, one end being cemenlcd. in the ordinary mani.er, to the 

 crank, ihe other being connected lo the p ston of the force-pump, as will le 



