294 



THE CIVIL ENGINEER AND ARCHITECTS JOURNAL. 



Sept. 



The shaft or piston-rod may be of any proportional part of the 

 shorter axis of the ellipse, the longer axis being varied accordingly, 

 and so thai the correct principle of action may still be retained ; but 

 the proportion, which tlie patentee recommends as liaving been found 

 to bo most efficient in practice, is that the revolving shaft shall (as 

 seen in the diagram) have a diameter of not less than two-thirds of 

 the shorter diameter or minor axis of the ellipse, and which will make 

 the longer diameter oi major axis about l-OG times such shorter dia- 

 meter; for if the diameter of the revolving shaft or piston-rod be ma- 

 terially smaller than this, the figure of the case must either cease to 

 be a perfect ellipse, and thereby become very difficult to bore, or else 

 the increased length of the piston will involve the necessity of the 

 metallic packing moving through a very considerable space, and which 

 would be inconvenient. 



MAKING ZINC AND GAS, 



Daniel Towers Shears, of Bimkside, Southwark, for " Improve- 

 ments in the treatment of zinc ores for the purpose of producing zinc 

 ingots, rehich improvements are applicable to the reduction of other ores 

 and metals." (A communicatiuu.)— Granted January 19; Enrolled 

 July 19, 1847. 



The invention relates to making zinc from ores in combination with 

 the making of gas for the [lurposes of light and heat by using a blast 

 high furnace and anthracite, cpke, charcoal, or other suitable fuel, aud 

 other metals may be made at the same time. 



Fig. 1. 



Fig. 1, is the section of the furnace and apparatus. The furnace 

 a, is cliarged through a funnel 6, at the upper part, there being slides 

 to prevent the passage off of the gas which m;iy be at the upper part 

 of the furnace, the lower slide being closed when the upper one is 

 opened at the time of introducing a charge ; tlie upper slide being 

 closed when the lower slide is drawn out to allow the materials to 

 descend into the furnace. The materials for charging the furnace are 

 raised by an endless chain C. If iron be contained in any of the ores 

 or materials to be used (and such is found sometimes to be the case), 

 then the lower part of the furnace is to be made suitable for tapping 

 off the iron from time to time in precisely the same manner as iron 

 furnaces have heretofore been constructed. No claim is made for the 

 construction of such furnaces, but only the mode of making zinc there- 

 in. At the upper part of the boshes c, the furnace is contracted under 

 which the gas and the vapours of zinc accumulate and pass off through 

 the pipe, d, into the receiver e. The pipe d, passes through the ves- 

 seiy, which has a flow of water constantly through it, passing into it 

 by a pipe g, at the lower part and off at the pipe A, at the upper part. 

 Or oil may be used in place of water, in which case, as long as the 

 oil is kept below its boiling point, it will indicate that the gases are 

 not carrying off zinc vapours, and the receiver is kept sufficiently 

 heated to prevent the zinc solidifying, which it is preferred to do by 



a gas burn'^r supplied with gas from the apparatns, and there is a tap 

 hole at the lower part of the receiver to dr;'.w off the zinc. The gas 

 passes from the receiver through a pipe ;, in order to convev the gas 

 to be burned for any desired purpose, whether for light or heat, and 

 it may be used for roasting the ores before they are used by placing 

 the same in suitable ovens or retorts, and heating such retorts with 

 the gas. This furnace is similar to that described by Mr. Constable, 

 in his patent for making gases from anthracite and other fuel in blast 

 or high furnaces, and would, if no ores or matters capable of yielding 

 zinc be introduced with the fuel simply produce gas, but by introduc- 

 ing roasted zinc ores with the fuel from time to time, zinc will be 

 made and be received into the receiver, thus beneficially employing 

 the heat of the furnace. The quantity of ore introduced into the fur- 

 nace may be varied according as it is desired to make a large or a 

 smaller quantity of zinc. Any quantity up to one part by weight of 

 roasted ore to three parts of the fuel employed is recommended. 

 Iron or other ore may be introduced auJ treated with the zinc ore. 



ELECTRIC TELEGRAPHS. 



Alfred Brett, of Holbom-bars, gentleman, and George Little, 

 of High-Holborn, electrical engineer, for "Improvements in electric 

 telegraphs, and in the arrangements and apparatus to be used therein 

 and therewith, part of mhich improvements are also applicable to time- 

 pieces, keepers, and other useful purposes." — Granted Feb. 1 1 ; Enrolled 

 Aug. 11, 1847. [Reported in the Mechanics' Magazine.] 



The improvements claimed under this patent are ten in number. 

 We shall give the claims in the words of the inventors; and such ex- 

 planations of them as may be necessary to show their general scope 

 also nearly in their own words. 



First Claim. — "We claim, as an improvement in electric tele- 

 graphs, the use of a ring, or piece of metal, partially magnetised, in 

 combination with a reel or coil of wire, whereby and wherein the 

 electric current so acts, that the motions take place in a direction 

 transverse to the axis of the coil, and parallel, or nearly so, to the 

 planes in which the wire, constituting the coil, lies." 



The electric fluid is made to pass through a number of coils of fine 

 wire, properly coated or covered with silk, or other suitable non- 

 conducting material; which wire is wound round a flat reel, or reels, 

 of ivory, or other suitable material. The ends of these fine wires are 

 alternately brought into contact with the galvanic battery, by suitable 

 arrangements, whereby the current is made to act on and give motion 

 to a partially magnetised ring, or piece of metal, suspended and 

 moving on a fixed centre irj a plane parallel to the side, or face, of the 

 flat reel, about which the wire is coiled; that is to say, parallel to the 

 planes in which the wire is so coiled; the motions of this partialis 

 magnetised ring being co'mmunicated to an indicator, or indicators, 

 wliose motions in connection with a peculiarly arranged dial-plate 

 with symbols thereon, may be employed to designate letters, figures, 

 or other conventional signals, and transmit intelligence by meafLS of 

 electricity. 



The patentees say, "We wish it to be perfectly understood, that 

 although we have described the foregoing, by the application of cir- 

 cular coils of fine wire prepared as above described, wound round or 

 upon a flat circular reel or reels, in conjunction with a flat metallic 

 partially magnetised ring, moving parallel with such coils of fine wire 

 for the giving motion to inductors, by which letters, figures, or other 

 conventional symbols are designated ; the same motion can be ob- 

 tained, and the same principle applied, by other modifications and 

 arrangements, but we prefer using and adopting the arrangement 

 above described." 



Several exemplificatious of such modifications are afterwards 

 given. 



Second Claim. — "We claim, as an improvement in electric tele- 

 graphs, an indicator, or indicators, deriving motion respectively from 

 a current of electricity transmitted through a coil arranged and acting 

 on a partially magnetised ring or piece of metal, as above described, 

 and tlie adaptation of such motions to communicating intelligence 

 betveeen distant places." 



Third Claim. — "We claim, as an improvement in electric tele- 

 graphs, the adaptation of an indicator or indicators to a dial-plate, 

 constructed and arranged as described." 



On the dial-plate are two vertical columns containing numerals 

 from 1 to 25. The centre of the plate is retained for the symbolic 

 arrangement of letters and figures by which the whole of the letters 

 of the alphabet can be designated. When the indicators are in a 

 state of rest they are in au angular position; but when put in action 

 they move to a position nearly vertical, but are prevented from pass- 

 ing the vertical line by a pendant bar. In transmitting a signal or 



