292 



THE CIVIL ENGINEER AND ARCHITECT'S JOURNAL. 



[Sept. 



upon standard bearings, in the usual manner, and fitted to the deck of 

 a v.-ssel, with a liorizontal crank-shaft passing through it; this shaft 

 is firmly kfved to tlie whelp-wlieel, and receives motion from two 

 reciprocating steam cylinders, in connection with double cranks, on 

 tlie driving-sliaft; each arm of the wheel wliich is employed for the 

 purpose of receiving the whelp, is fiirnislied with a slot, diverging 

 from tlie centre to the peripliery of the same, and forming in all six 

 radial guides or channels, in which six adjusting whelps, c,c, c, are to 

 be fitted, and placed at equal distances from the central driving-shatt, 

 and are made fast by wedges, which can be withdrawn at pleasure, 

 and ahow the circumferential or radial distance of tlie whelps to be 

 increased or diminished, producing thereby corresponding rales ol 

 motion when required. By this arrangement the wlielps form a reel, 

 on which the coil of galvanised wire-rope or chain, d, is w-ound, and 

 so grip the warping-line, which is fixed firmly at each end to some 

 stationarv object or holdfast upon the land or water; so that when 

 the wheel, a, is caused to rotate, the vessel, by reason of the rope 

 aforesaid, alternately embracing and leaving the wh^dps formiig tie 

 reel, is propelled backwards or forwards, by motion being given to tlie 

 wheel carrying the whelps in the required direction ; c,e, are horizon- 

 tal rollers mounted in cast iron standards, fore and aft ol the warping- 

 wbeel a, and serve the double purposfc of guiding the warp-line and 

 keeping it tight on the reel; /,/, are two pairs of vertical guide- 

 rollers, mounted on bracket bearings. On the axle of each ot the 

 lower horizontal rollers, e,f, a bevel-wheel.g:, is mounted, which gears 

 into others on the horizontal shaft h,h ; the pair of bevelled wheels, 

 g,g, at the forward end of the shaft h, is intended to be of a less 

 speed than the aft pair, for an object hereafter explained. 1 he no- 

 tion of the warping-rope, as the vessel moves, will cause the rollers 

 to revolve, and as the upper rollers, e,e, by their weight, press or nip 

 the rope or chain against their under rollers, and the speed of the tore 

 ones is less than the aft pair, the latter will have a tendency to take 

 up the rope or chain quicker than it is given ofi from the reel, and 

 thus keep it taut. • i i- r 



In order to allow one vessel to pass another on a single line ot 

 warping-chain or rope, it will be necessary to throw one vessel out of 

 connection with the rope temporarily; for this purpose the rollers e,e, 

 may be readily lifted out from their bearings, which will admit ot the 

 warping-chain or rope being thrown off from the rollers e, e, when 

 required. 



A further modification of the above arrangement is next described, 

 which consists of a roller, mounted upon suitable bearings, having 

 two smaller ones above it attached to the same framing, the upper 

 ones being pressed down by means of screws or springs, or otherwise 

 made to nip the chain or rope sufficiently, so as to [irevont its slipping 

 when the lower roller is caused to revolve by the steam-engine or 

 other motive power employed in the vessel. 



The next mode described by the patentees for applying such ar- 

 rangements to locomotive purposes, consists of placing in the front of 

 the engine the whelp-wheel aforesaid, and attaching it thereto, caus- 

 ing it to be driven bv means of connecting rods from the crank-shaft; 

 in other respects, differing but slightly from the ordinary construc- 

 tion. 



The fourth part of this invention has reference to different modes of 

 nipping the rope or chain, and consists first of three or more cylinders 

 fixed to the arms or periphery of the whelp-wheel, which is placed 

 across the vessel, with its guide-puUeys fore and aft; pins are in- 

 serted in the periphery of the wheel a, fi)r the purpose of receiving 

 the coil of rope or chain around it, and preventing its sli|)ping; the 

 cylinders, which are placed at equal distances apart, are supplied 

 with steam at different intervals through the same shaft on which the 

 wheels rotate, having suitable valves for that purpose; every cylinder 

 so placed has a piston and piston-rod, and, when in operation, receives 

 the pressure of steam on one side of the piston only, while on the 

 other is fixed an elastic medium, such as a spring or otherwise suit- 

 able contrivance, the effect of which will be thus uiiderstoed :— The 

 rod of the piston, which in this instance forms the nipper, having a 

 notched end for the purpose of holding the rope or chain, is pressed 

 forward by the force of the steam acting behind the piston, and made 

 to nip the ro|ie or chain against the off flange of the whelp-wheel a, 

 through which tiie rod on one side passes; when, upon the steam 

 being condeiisi d in the ordinary mode, the action of the spring being 

 free to move, the piston-rod Or nipper is again wilhdrawn and the 

 rope wound upon the wheel. When the wheel a, having the warping 

 rope or chain passing round, is employed for the purpose of (jropel- 

 ling, it rtill be at times necessary, in order to ensure a firm hold for 

 the rope or chain and prevent its sli[ipiiig upon its drum or periphery, 

 to resort to other means, such as a bar of iron or any other arrange- 

 ment for pressing the rope or chain in the running groove against the 

 sides of the flange, until another nipper or wheel is brought to bear 



upon the rope or chain, alternately pressing and nipping the rope or 

 chain during the revolutions of the wheel. 



The apt)lication of vibrating-levers with sliding-rods is next de- 

 scribed, for the purpose of pinching or nipping the rope; these 

 levers are mounted on centres resting on the sides of the wheel, to the 

 outer ends of which two sliding bars are attached, and pass in a hori- 

 zontal direction through one flange of the wheel, so as to press upon 

 the inside of the other, against which the rope is wound : the requisite 

 action is communicated to them by means of a fixed cam, situated 

 near the centre of the wheel, whilst the re-action is effected by springs, 

 the cam pressing the sliding-bars by the motion of the lever against 

 the rope, and the springs releasing them. Placed on the wheel are 

 small boxes having springs, with a tendency to draw into their boxes 

 the sliding-bar aforesaid, which, by being attached to one end of the 

 vibrating-levers worked by the cam, keeji the rope tight by throwing 

 the hook or notch upon the same; llius enabling each bolt, nipping 

 rod, or buffer (forced back against the chain in succession) to release 

 its hold alternately as the wheels revolve. 



The adaptation of the principle hereinbefore mentioned, when ap- 

 plied to steam tug-boats, consists in arranging the apparatus in the 

 centre of the boat, and casing it in upon the top, that the central por- 

 tion thereof may act as a bridge, and thereby offer sufficient resistance 

 to the strain, at the same time enabling the steer?man to perform his 

 duty without any interruption from the warping line or rope. 



Lastly is described the means employed for raising boats and barges 

 from one level to another, and consists in forming at convenient dis- 

 tances along a canal, a number of inclined surfaces or banks crossing 

 the stream, between which the water of different levels is confined ; 

 each bank so formed being at an angle of 45°, and having on its face 

 trams or rails. The boats or barges on the lowest level, in order to 

 be raised to a higher one, are mounted upon wheels for the purpose 

 of traversing the rails; other boats or barges on the next level are 

 then attached by means of ropes to the lower ones, and when the ap- 

 paratus is put in motion from above by steam or other motive power, 

 the lower boats or barges are drawn up the incline, and thus caused to 

 pass from one level to another by the use of the hauling apparatus 

 hereinbefore described.* 



* An iuvention similar to this latter part has been adopted on the Morris Canal. U. S. 

 America, and described in the Civil Engineer and Architect's Journal, for lt^2, page 104 

 — Ed.C. E.& A. Journal. 



ELECTRO COPPERLS'G, GILDING, AND SILVERING. 



Louis HvpOLiTE Pi.\GET and Philip Henry Du Bois, of Wynyalt- 

 street, Clerkenwell, Middlesex, for " ImpTOvemenls in producing orna- 

 mental surfaces." — Granted November 12, 1S4G; Enrolled May 12, 

 1847. 



This invention consists of improvements in depositing metal, by 

 the employment of a bath in the following manner, as shown in fig. 1. 

 The bath consists of an earthenware vessel, A, with a similar plate B, 

 perforated, and with one or more apertures C, to receive tubes D, and 

 a long opening, E, in the centre, for suspending the model or electro- 

 type plate. 



Fig I. 



Fig. 



For electrotype plates the bath is to be filled with a solution of 

 1411). blue vitriol dissolved in 7 quarts of water, and when it is cooled 

 put on the plate B, with some pieces of vitriol laid on the top ; then 

 fill the tubes D with a preparation consisting of 5 pints of water, i lb. 

 common salt, i pint of fresh human urine, and ti drams sidphuric acid. 

 The tubes to be filled up everv six hours, until the third day, when 

 they must be emptied and refilled, as before, till the deposited plate 

 is as thick as desired. Care is to be taken that not a drop from ttese 

 lubes falls into the bath. 



