iS47.J 



THE CIVIL ENGINEEll AND ARCHITECT'S JOLRNAL. 



2-J7 



reference, not only to tlie student, but also to tlie experienced ar- 

 oliitert. 



With reg-.ud to tlie Lecture wliich is appended to the present 

 work, we dm only siiy, at tlie present time, that it is a good summary 

 to a course of lectures, but there are some porlions ol it will) which 

 we cannot agree; — our reasons for differing must be deferred to 

 another opportunity. 



The Mrt of Sketching from Nature in Perspective Simplified by the 



Goniomttricon. ByGtoBGE Eahl, Principal of the School of 



Design, Peckham. London : G. W. Medes, 1S47. 



We gave a short account of this inslrument in the Journal for 



December last (Vol. IX. p. 369). The object of the present work is 



10 show how the inslrument may be used; it is extremely simple, 



and is handled wiih great facility. It will be found of great service 



to the travelling student in taking sketches of buildings and other 



objects. 



The Tiadtsman's Book of Ornamtntal Designs. — The second part 

 of this work fully sustains its character for utility : the design for an 

 iron gate is exceedingly good. 



REGISTER OF NEW PATENTS. 



RAILWAY AXLES AND SIGNALS. 



Thomas Watehhocse, ofEdgeley, near Stockport, cotton manufac- 

 ti.rer, for " mechanical Improvemtnls opplicat le to railway engines and 

 luiders, and to railway carriages of various kinds." — Granted March 

 10; Enrolled Sept. 10, 18-17. 



The object of the improvements is, firstly, to facilitate the passage 

 of railwav engines and carriages round curves, by allowing each wheel 

 to move independently of its fellow. This is effected by forming one 

 I f each pair of wheels with a long nave equal to one-half the diameter 

 of ihe wheel to which it is applied, which is bored to fit the axle, and to 

 vsoik against a shoulder on the same ; it is to be kept in contact with 

 ll.e shoulder by a washer, secured to the axle, outside the nave by a 

 key; the other wheel is fixed to the opposite end of the axle. Another 

 method is to divide the axle at the centre into two parts, and fix bear- 

 ings to the lower framing of the carriage, for the purpose of support- 

 ing the inner ends of the two parts of the axle ; by which means the 

 wheels are permitted to rotate independent of each other. 



The second improvement is for an apparatus for sounding signals by 

 u.eans of compressed air; consisting of a force-pump for compressing 

 air into a receiver beneath the carriage, from which it can be admitted, 

 by the guard orallendant, into a railway whistle or other iuslrumeut 

 for sounding signals. 



DRESSING LACE AND FABRICS. 



John Keely, Jun., of Nottingham, dyer and lace-dresser, for "Im- 

 provements in dressing orfnis/iing lace and otJier fabrics."— Granted 

 December 14, 184G; Enrolled June 14, 1847. 



This invention relates to a dressing for lace and other fabrics, which 

 when made up, will not be liable to absorb moisture from the atmo- 

 sphere, but will preserve their shape when exposed to heat or damp. 

 51b, of shellac is to be dissolved with 1 lb. of borax in 3 gallons cf hot 

 water, or the shellac may be dissolved by other alkalies, and in diffe- 

 rent proportions to the befure-merti'med. The solution of shellac 

 may be used alone, or, when thought desirable to give a greater de- 

 groe of stiffness, it may be mixed with starch, gelatine, glue, or other 

 siiffeniig material, dissolved by the ordinary methods, and then stirred 

 into the solution of shellac while the latter is at a boiling heat: the 

 quantity of stiffening material added will vary according to the stiff- 

 ness required; the addition of 1 lb. of glue to a solution containing 

 1 lb. of shellac has been found to answer well. The solution is applied 

 Iv dipping the fabiic therein, or spreading it upon the fabric ; the 

 tinishing is proceeded with in the ordinary manner. 



GAS METERS. 



Thomas Edge, of Great Peter-street, Westminster, for "Improve- 

 mcnts in the manufacture o/ gas- mt/trs."— Granted Dec. 31, 1S4G ; 

 Enrolled June 30, 1847. 



This invention relates, firstly, to the manufacturing of gas-meters 

 of plates or sheets of iron, covered with a coating, first of tin, and 



then a coating of zinc, or with an allov consisting of tin and other 

 metals, to prevent or retard the destructive effects of the gas. The 

 melaU or alloys employed for this purpose are lin and zinc, as being 

 found in practice to be the most desirable and efficient. Any known 

 method for coating plate-iron with these or other metals may be em- 

 ployed. The inventor lays no claim generally to the coating or cover- 

 ing of plates or sheets of iron with zinc and tin, or with any alloy of 

 metals, as these processes form no part of his invention when taken 

 separately. 



The second part of the invention is fur forming the internal parts 

 of the meter of the same or a similar kind of metal, so that no vol- 

 taic action may be induced between the several parts, by constructing 

 them of an alloy of metals, as being most suitable, and which alloy is 

 made to bear some analogy to the particular coating of the plates or 

 sheets of iron of which the case is constructed; and, in order to pre- 

 serve the solid parts, which are liable to be injuriously acted upon by 

 the gas, or that come into contact with the water that becomes im- 

 pregnated with the gas that passes through the meter, the inventor 

 constructs them of an alliy of metals, consisting principally of zinc 

 and tin, the proportions of which may be varied, or other metals may 

 be added, for the purpose of hardening the alloy. For the above 

 purposes, an alloy consisting of from 50 to 70 part« of zinc to from 

 30 to 50 parts of tin, will be found to answer the object required. 



PIERS AND HARBOURS. 



Peter Borrie, of the Crescent, Minories, City, engineer, for "Im- 

 provements in the construction of piers and harbours." Granted Dec. 

 21, 184(j; Enrolled June 21, 1S47. (Reported in the Patent Jour- 

 nal.) 



This invention relates, first, to the construction of piers, whereby 

 the communication is maintained between the approach and the ves- 

 sel, without the intervention of stairs, at all times of the tide. It 

 consists of a combination of a permanent way, a floating pier, and a 

 platform connecting the two, which is hinged at one end to the per- 

 manent way, and at the other rests on the barge or vessel, which rises 

 and falls with the tide. For light traffic this erection is constructed 

 almost entirely of wood ; the permanent way, which in the drawing 

 is represented as being curved, but which may be formed according 

 to the nature of the approach, is supported on piles driven into the 

 ground; the space betweeu each set of piles leaving a clear water- 

 Fig. 1. 



VVV 



way. The roadway, which is of peculiar construction, is represented 

 at fig. 1. Beams, a, are laid longitudinally and resting on the piles; 

 at their extremities they are slightly curved upwards and strengthened 

 by means of tension-bars, or chains, b ; these chains are secured to a 

 cast iron cap on each end of the beam, and support it at intermediate 

 points by stretchers, c, c, c, c. Now, it will be obvious that the ten- 

 dency of weight placed on the centre of the arch will be to straighten 

 and, consequently, lengthen the beam, thereby throwing the greater 

 part of the strain on the chain 6. The barge, or floating part of the 

 pier, is placed between two buttresses formed of piles, one at either 

 end, and by them is guided in its rise or fall with the tide; and it is 

 generally preferable to place this barge parallel to the current, with- 

 out regard to the position in which it is necessary to connect the 

 roadway ; tliis barge may be constructed of iron, with a wooden deck, 

 or it may be wl'.olly of wood; the inner side, on which the hinged 

 platform rests, having a greater displacement of water to compensate 

 for the weight thereof, and it is furnished with water-tight bulk- 

 heads for additional security and strength. The platform v\hich con- 

 nects the roadway with the floating barge, is constructed in a similar 

 manner to the permanent roadway, being formed of longitudinal 

 beams, strengthened by tension-rods and stretchers, as belore de- 

 scribed ; one end of these beams is connected by a strong bolt, passing 



