200 



THE CIVIL ENGINEER AND AKCHITECTS JOURNAL. 



Sept. 



Rugby railway. He lias in liis report exhibited in their true light the 

 great danger and diflicullies attending such a project. We shall liere 

 briefly give Mr. Stephenson's reasons for the conclusions at which he 

 has arrived. 



Allbough Mr. Stephenson admits the possibility of laying an inter- 

 mediate rail, he entirely disagrees from Mr. Drunel as to the number 

 of crossings required. He stales that on tlie 112 miles of the Loridun 

 and Birmingham line, 58 crossings are required, and where there is a 

 mineral traffic a still larger proportion. Even on the Great Western 

 no less than two crossings are allowed to the Slough station. Work- 

 ing out in detail Mr. Brunei's rough sketches, he shows that accordiiig 

 to one plan there must be at each crossingtwo additional half switches, 

 two additional crossing points, two additional pairs of overcrossing 

 points, four additional gaps, and three additional meeting points. 

 On another plan, two additional switches, two crossing points, two 

 overcrossing points, six gaps, and four meeting points — all additional, 

 to be passed over by trains of either gauge. On another, two auto- 

 maton switches of dangerous construction, to be passed over by all 

 trains — one of which being placed the wrong way, would meet all the 

 trains in one direction — with two half switclies, four crossing points, 

 two overcrossing points, six gaps, and four meeting points — -all addi- 

 tional, to be pussed over by every train. 



From this Mr. Stephenson argues that great difficulty and danger 

 would be brought into railway transit, and that the increase of inter- 

 ruptions or gaps in the line would be as two to one in the present 

 system. Mr. Stephenson concludes, 1st. That the mixed gauge system 

 increases the complication very much, so as to be inadmissible. 2nd. 

 That it increases ihe danger greatly. 3rd. That it increases the ex- 

 pense. His estimate of the increased expense per mile of a narrow 

 gauge line added to a broad gauge line is 5.79-1^., and of the increased 

 yearly expense of maintenance of way and working, 500/. He cal- 

 culates the gross capital cost as equivalent to 18,474/. per mile, while 

 he denies that there is any equivalent advantage. 



The drawings of points and crossings attached to Mr. Stephenson's 

 report show the great complexity to which they have arrived in the 

 progress of railways, and the great attention now required in their 

 study. Members of the profession will therefore derive great ad- 

 vantage from these practical examples. 



The Baronial and Ecc'.esiaatical AntiquiHts of Scotland Illustrated. 

 By R. W. Billings and W. Burn. London : Blackwood, 1847. 

 Partil. 



The second pirt of this work illustrates the chapel of Holyrood, as 

 the first part did the cathedral of Glasgow, and we can now recom- 

 mend it with still greater confidence as wottliy of support. 



The Engineer's and Contractor's Pocket-Book, for the Years 1847 and 

 1848. London : Weale. 



This work contains the usual very valuable information, and much 

 additional matter that will b:^ useful to the engineer; but we doubt 

 the policy of leaving out the standing orders, which, in consequence 

 of the alierations made this year, particularly interest engineers and 

 surveyors. 



REGISTER OF NEW PATENTS. 



GAS RETORTS. 



Richard Walker, of Rochdale, Lancashire, cotton-spinner, for 

 " hiiptovtmtnts in the apparatus Jor the miinitj'acl are of g as for ttlumma- 

 iion, winch said imj-rotcmtnts are also applicable to the maimjacture if 

 other products oj distillation." — Granted January 20; Enrolled July 

 26, lsl7. 



The improvement is for preventing the choking of the ascending 

 pipe, which conveys the gas from the retort to the purifier, bv the 

 accumulation and incrustation of tar and other carbonaceous matter, 

 and consists in breaking the immediate connection between the inner 

 surface of the retort and the ascending pipe, by causing the latter to 

 project inside the retort about two niches, instead of lis being flush 

 witli the upper side, which improvement allow:^ free egress of Ihe 

 gas, and allows the tar as it ascends the sides of the retort, iuitead of 

 passing up the pipe, to fall from the top, and accumulate on the 

 bottom, and from thence it is easily removed. 



GAS METERS. 



Tfio.mas Friexd Dickenson, of Newcastle-upon-Tyne, share- 

 broker, and John Falkous, of the same place, gas engineer, for " c6r- 

 tam Improvements in gas-mttcrs." —GrAnled December 15, 1846; En- 

 rolled June 15, 1847. 



Fig. 1. 



f'g- -. 



This invention relates to the construction of wet gas-meters, for 

 preventing any tampering with the meter, by tilling it, to produce a 

 greater flow of gas through the meter than indicated by the index. 

 By the improved meter, if it be tilted, no gas will pass through it. 



Fig. 1, is a front elevation of the improved meter, showing part of 

 the interior, and fig. 2, a vertical section through the centre of the 

 same ; 1, 2, is the exterior case, within is the drum, 3, on a horizoutal 

 axis, 4, with an endless screw on the front end, which takes into a 

 worm at the bottom of the vertical axis 5. The upper end of this 

 axis 5, is also provided with an endless screw, gearing into the first 

 wheel G, of the index aj)paratus. The front plate 2, has a chamber, 7, 

 in front divided by a partition 8, 9, 10 ; the space beneath the lowest 

 part 8, is for water, it communicates with the water in the case 1, 2, 

 through two openings 1 1, 11, the space above the partition 8, is divided 

 into two, being for gas. An exit vilve 12, with a float is fitted to 

 an opening in a partition, so that if the water be at the proper level, 

 the fiuat will raise the valve to allow the gas to pass through the par- 

 tition 10, to the exit-pipe; but if there be a deficiency of water, the 

 float will decend and close the valve. On the top is a pipe 14, with 

 a stopper for supplying water to the case under the partition S, to 

 the required level. It there be any excess of water it will overflow 

 as hereafter explained. 



The above parts are similar to the ordinary gas-meters; but the 

 following, indicated by letters, vary, a, gas entrance-pipe coramuni- 

 catuig with the drum 3, by means of an elbow-pipe 6, at the back of 

 the case 1, and protruding through the additional eiid-plate c, of the 

 drum. The pipe b, rises a little above the water in the case, for the 

 purpose of introducing gas above the water : the pipe 6, is introduced 

 into the space between the additional end c, and the real end of the 

 drum, as in common gas-meters, excepting it i<at the back of the 

 meter, instead of the front, a', is a continuation of the pipe a, which 

 descends at the back of the case 1, and is then continued at right 

 angles along the bottom and again at the front, where there is a small 

 hole atyl Any excess of water in the case 1, 2, will flow over the 

 top of tlie pipe b, and pass down the pipe a, a', and escape at the hole, 

 f, so that no water will stand liiglier in the pipe a, a', than the level oi 

 the liuleyj and consequently no obstruction is ollered to the flow of the 

 gas from the pipe a, into the pipe 6. But if the meter be tilted back- 

 wards, the water in the case will flow through the pipe 6, and the 

 tscape liuleyi being raised, iu consequence ot the tilting, the water 

 will be retained in ilie |)ipe a, a', at tlie same level as the hole^, and 

 will prevent the gas passing through the pipe 6, into the case 1,2, aiul 

 consequently the measuring will be suspended so long as the meter 

 remains iu that position. 



The gas, which during the revolution of the drum 3, is discharged 

 from the cunipartmems into the upper part of the case 1, 2, passes 

 through an opening e, into the space above the partition 8, and then 

 enters through a protection-valve (, into an elbow-pipe g, and is then 

 conducted into the space above the water in the lower part of the 

 chamber 7. Fiom thence the gas ascends through the valve 12, then 

 through the exit-pipe j, which extends over tiie upper part of the 

 case 1, 2, to the back of the meter ; so that both the exit and entrance- 

 pip-s for the gas will be at the back of the meter. 



If the meter be tilted forward, the water iu the case 1, 2, will 

 rise in the front part of the im ter, within the space beneath the par- 

 titiou 8, 9, 10, and against the upriglit part 9, of that partition, where- 



