1847.] 



THE CIVIL ENGINEER AND ARCHITECTS JOURNAL. 



91 



driving in wedges or keys at the end of the roll, which keys should be se- 

 curely retained from moving by shrinking wrought iron collars on the sliaft 

 or axles ; the working journals are turned in the wrought-iron shafts, after 

 keying on the rolls, ami the surfaces of the rolls turned ; by which means of 

 luanufacluring rolls for rolling iron and other metals, the inventor is enabled 

 to obtain them with stronger necks or axles. The wrought-iron shafts or 

 axles are pass?d through hollow rolls, whicli the inventor prefers to he cylin- 

 drical openings in the cast iron rollers, but he does not confine himself 

 thereunto, as other shapes may be used. Tlie elaim is for the manufacture 

 of hollow cast rolls fur rolling iron and other metals, and fixing thereunto, 

 wrought iron shafts or axles, as described. 



GAS METERS. 



Alex.\nder Angus Croll, of Suffolk-street, Clerkenwell, for " Im- 

 2]rovemenl.sm gas-meters." — Granted May 13 ; Enrolled November 13, 1846.* 



The improvements relate to the use of a tumbler apparatus for actuating 

 the valves of dry-gas meters with one partition, which approaches to and re- 

 cedes from the plane of attachment to the side of the meter, but does not 

 pass through the same ; so that the flexible material whereof the diaphragm 

 is partly formed, is bent only in one direction. The improvements consist 

 in the application of an apparatus for working the valve, which depends for 

 its action upon the use of a tumbler, so formed, that on being moved to a 

 point just beyond the horizontal or central position, the tumbler will fall 

 over and instantly change the position of the valve. 



Fig. 1, Plate VI. is a vertical section of the improved meter ; fig. 2, a ver- 

 tical section, taken at right angles to fig. 1 ; fig. 3, is a horizontal section, 

 taken on the line a, b, of figs. 1 and 2; and fig. 4, is a plan, top plate re- 

 moved; (7, the central part of the diaphragm, formed of metal, and i, the 

 flexible material, fastened to the edge of the part a, and to the side of the 

 meter at c, c; the part a, is so large that it cannot pass beyond the point c, 

 where the outer edge of the flexible material is secured, but simply advances 

 to and recedes therefrom ; hence the bending of the flexible material will 

 only be upon one surface. The diaphragm is supported in a vertical posi- 

 tion by the frame d, d, which is jointed to it, and to the upright rod e, sup- 

 ported by the army, which is fixed on the vertical spindle (/; the diaphragm 

 is guided in its movements by the rods Ji, h, the lower ends of which are 

 connected by short links to the part «, and their upper ends are suspended 

 by a horizontal rod i, (inserted through them), from two arms j,j, fixed to 

 the upper side of the cylindrical portion of the meter. Upon the top of the 

 spindle g, is fixed an arm /r, carrying a roller, which, being moved to and fro 

 within the inverted arch /, on the tumbler tube w, will cause either end of 

 that tube, alternately, to be raised from a depressed position to a point be- 

 yond the horizontal, when the weight, preponderating at the other end, will 

 occasion the instanstaneous descent of that end, and this movement is com- 

 municated to the valve by the means hereinafter described; — the tumbler- 

 tube falls on a spring n, at either side, and thus any shock is prevented. The 

 tumbler-tube contains quicksilver, but shot may be substituted, and the 

 tumbler apparatus may be otherwise varied, and yet retain the same charac- 

 ter of action. 



o, is an arm, fixtd to the tumbler, and provided 'with a fork p, which acts 

 on a plate or arm q, on the axis of the valve r, and by this means the posi- 

 tion of the valve is changed at each movement of the tumbler, which, as will 

 be readily understood, derives its motion from the reciprocating action of the 

 diaphragm, communicated to it through the agency of the parts d, e,f, g, k, 

 and /. The valve r, is contained in a valve-chest s, (to prevent the gas'from 

 coming into contact with the works in the upper part of the meter) into 

 which the gas enters from the supply pipe through the passages i, n; by the 

 movement of the valve, the gas is alternately adrui ttd on either side of the 

 diaphragm, and, after acting upon it, proceeds through the passages v, w, to 

 the pipe leading to the burners. The motions of the diaphragm are regis- 

 tered by means of a detent or driver x, on the upper part of the spindle g, 

 taking into a ratchet-wheel y, connected with an ordinary registering appara- 

 tus or index. 



* The description of this patent was accidentally omitted in last 'month's Journal ; the 

 engravings are there given. 



IMPERMEABLE SOLUTION FOR STONE. 



Francois Tpychenne, of Red Cross Square, Cripplegate, fealher mer- 

 chant, for ^'■Improvements in treating stone, to render it liard and imper- 

 mealjle, and ill colouring the same." (A communicatioD.) — Grauled Aug. 

 6, 1840; Enrolled February 6, 1847. 



The improvements relate to rendering soft and porous stone impermeable 

 to moistuie, and coloring the same by imniersing the stone io a boiling so- 

 lution consisting of coal tar, pitch, bitumen, lalJow, and other fatty sub- 

 stances, in the proportion of 85 parts tar, 10 bitumen, i tallow, and a small 

 portion of linseed oil. The ingredients are boiled ia a suitable "ssel, and 



when they boil the stone is placed on a frame, and lowered into it. The 

 period allowed for the stone to be soaked through is from 8 to 48 hours, 

 according to the size, or if it be only desired that tlie solution should pene- 

 trate the surface, two hours will be sufficient for every inch in depth. 

 Some description of very porou."! stone will not become filled by a long con- 

 tinued boiling : for such ftone there is to be added to the above mixture 

 carbonate of lime, such as chalk or marble, iron rust, granite, and potters' 

 clay, in fine powder ; this latter mixture ia to be applied to the surface of 

 the stone with a hot iron. If it be required to have the stone of a light 

 colour, instead of tar apply resin of the lightest colour, mixed with turpen- 

 tine, oils, and all kinds of gum, in the proportion of l."; parts resin to 80 of 

 turpentine, and if the stone is to be of a clear while colour, add white 

 lead, zinc, and carbonate of lime— if any other colour is desired, add to 

 the last compound the dyes usually employed by painters. 



CLARKE AND VARLEYS PNEUMATIC PILE-DRIVER. 



The pneumatic pile driver, which has been erected on the premises of 

 the invpntor.s, is of the full working power, being 30 feet high, the air lube 

 a 17 inches diameter, and the monkey weighing IG cwt. The engine and 



air-pumps at present in use are very inadequate to the proper working of 

 this powerful machine, and the air-pumps are only 10 inches diameter— • 

 still, even with these, a vacuum is obtained, sufficient to raise the monkey 

 to the summit in one minute ; and, by opening a valve s below the pistoa 

 i, for the admission of air, it instantly descends ; yet such is the perfect 

 control under which it is held, that it can, by the operator at the valve, be 

 arrested in its descent at any part of its fall. There is no time lost in the 

 descent of a calih, as in the old plan — the chain connecting the monkey 

 with the piston being constanily attached, and can be, of course, length- 

 ened or shortened, according to the height of the fall required. The dia- 

 meter of this tube being 17 inches, the area is nearly 227 inches; and thus 

 allowing only 10 lb. pressure to the inch, this diameter of piston, b, would 

 raise a monkey of considerably greater weight. — Mining Journal. 



The Art of Glass Painting has sustained a loss by the death of M. S. 

 Frank, who died lately at Munich, agcw' 77, He was one of the first who 

 made experiments for resuscitatjog f'Wal ancient methods of glass 

 staining, which had been lost during tho^lapse of centuries. Thus, he bad 

 beer called, io 1818, Io Munich, to assist the establishment of the Royal 

 lasiilutioa for Glass Paintings. 



13* 



