IS47.] 



THE CIVIL ENGINEER \ND ARCHITECT'S JOURNAL. 



389 



readers who feel an interest in seeing the plan in working, shoiilil visit 

 what may be called the museum of the patentee, at No. 9, Buckiughaiu' 

 street, Strand, where a great many models have been exhibited and ex- 

 periments made, and which are really deserving of inspection by profes- 

 siooal men, especially those practically engaged, as so many are, in 

 hydraulic engineering. 



REGISTER OF NEW PATENTS. 



HYDRAULIC AND PNEUMATIC MACHINERY. 



John Walker, of Crooked-lane, LonJon, for " Improvements in 

 certain hydraulic and pneumatic machinenj, and in the application of 

 »team or other powers thereto," — Granted AprJ 20; Enrolled October 

 20, 1S47. [Reported in the Mining Journal.'] 



This invention, which is comprised under two heads, consists of the 

 following arrangements and combinations of parts — the first is as fol- 

 lows: — In the accompanying drawing, A A, marks a metal tank, hav- 

 ing three sluice-doors B, covering openings therein, either of which 

 may be covered or uncovered at pleasure. Such tank is sujjported 

 by a strong framing of wood, and upon the top of this tank are strong 

 metal framings, C, which support and carry the several working parts 



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K 



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of the machine, of which D D marks a steam cylinder, and there are 

 two, placed side by side, fitted with suitable pistons, E, and piston- 

 rods, F; to the upper part of these piston-rods, a cross-head, G, is 

 attached, from each end of which there depend tvro rods, H H — the 



lower ends whereof are attached to a cross-head, I, from which there 

 depends, in a similar manner to the cross-head, G, two rods, K ; the 

 lower ends of the last-mentioned rods are securely fixed to a cruci- 

 form-shaped piece, L, to which piece there are fixed four rods, M 

 with their upper extremities attached to a valve-piston, N, of pecu- 

 liar construction, hereafter mentioned and exhibited in transverse and 

 vertical section. O, marks a water cylinder ; there being two of them 

 placed side by side, and fixed to the framing, P, as is the case with 

 the steam cylinders, D D. The water cylinders, O O, are furnished 

 at their upper ends with valves, Q, similar in construction to those in 

 the pistons, N ; and such valves are arranged and combined as fol- 

 lows; — a marks a grating, upon the outer edge of which there is 

 shrunk a wrought-ring, b; and the lower edges of the bars, c, which 

 form this grating, are made wider than the upper part, or seat, for 

 the valves, d, to allow the water to pass freely — such valves being 

 composed of metal tubes, plugged with wood ; and they have free 

 liberty of vertical movement, and are guided in their proper course 

 by cross pieces e, which embrace their ends ; and immediately above 

 the valves, Q, which are fixed at the tops of the cvlinders, O, there 

 is a box, R, furnished with a cover, S, over each valve ; and to this 

 box is attached a pipe, T, which terminates in a box, U, having three 

 clacks, or sluice-doors, V, which can be opened or closed at pleasure. 

 W marks a slide for regulating the admission of steam through the 

 pipe, X, to the two cylinders, D D, alternately. Y, the eduction pipe, 

 to which is attached a rectangular-shaped box, Z, arranged in the 

 following manner: — 1 1 mark a series of pipes, which extend to with- 

 in a short distance of the bottom of the box, Z — the upper ends of 

 such pipes being fixed in a partition-plate, 2, as also is the eduction 

 pipe, 3. The operations of this machine are as follows: — Steam, 

 of the pressure of about 25 lb. to the square inch, being admitted to 

 the under side of one or other of the pistons, E, will cause it to ascend, 

 and thereby impart motion to a crank-shaft, through the medium of a 

 connecting-rod, G, and the upward movement of one piston will cause 

 the downward movement of the other — the cranks upon the shaft 

 being suitably placed to effect the same — and the heated air will pass 

 alternately from one cylinder to the other by a valve, which connects 

 the two cylinders together; and such movement of the pistons will 

 impart motion to the valve-pistons, N, in the water cylinders, O' 

 through the agency of the rods and cross-heads before mentioned ; 

 and, assuming the tank. A, to be charged with water, and one of the 

 valve-pistons, N, to be at the top of the water cylinder, the descent of 

 such piston will cause the valves, or tubes, d,to be raised, and the 

 water below them will pass until the piston has completed its down- 

 ward stroke. The quantity of water which passes will depend upon 

 the velocity of the piston, which, for raising water, the inventor states, 

 he has found 70 revolutions per minute of the crank shaft to answer. 



The piston is now ready to perform the upward stroke, by which 

 movement the tubular valves, d, will be closed, and the body of water 

 above them will be thereby raised, and forced through the opening in 

 the valve, Q, the downward stroke of the piston causing the tubular 

 valves in the valve-seats, Q, to be closed ; and this will continue so 

 long as the water in the tank is not lower than the bottom of the water 

 cylinders. The water thus raised may be passed off through one or 

 other of the sluice-doors in the box, according as the machinery is re- 

 quired to be used either for draining, irrigating, or raising water. 

 The waste steam from the cylinder passes into the box, Z, and the 

 water from the cold-water pump passes through the pipe, 4, into the 

 said box. The cold water, as it passes down the pipes, 11, becomes 

 heated to the boiling point, or nearly so, in which state it is forced 

 into the boiler by the hot-water pump, which receives motion from 

 the crank-shaft. The inventor states that, in adapting this machine 

 for pneumatic purposes, the cistern and box may be dispensed with ; 

 and the position of the piston and valve must be reversed, and the 

 velocity of the crank-shaft should not be less than 120 revolutions per 

 minute. 



The second part of this invention consists in the application of 

 vanes, mounted upon a spindle in sets, each set being placed in an 

 opposite direction to the other. The inventor states that, although 

 he has used flat vanes, he does not confine himself to them, as, in 

 some instances, he prefers using vanes forming the segment of a screw, 

 similar to those used for propelling boats. These vanes are mounted 

 upon each end of a spindle, the periphery of which fits into a short 

 cylinder, the ends whereof being open; and such cylinder is fixed 

 within a box or cistern, at one side whereof is a suction-pipe ; and, 

 at the top of the open cylinder, there is attached a pipe, which is the 

 exit-pipe for the passage of water, or air. The said spindle may re- 

 ceive motion from manual or steam power ; and the motion of the 

 vanes in one direction will cause the water to be raised up one pipe, 

 and a reverse movement of the vanes vpill raise it up the other pipe— 

 the water, in the tiist instance, passing the openings between (h* 



