1813.] 



THE CIVIL ENGINEER AND ARCHITECTS JOURNAL. 



railways — as, for instance, the Grand Junction costs 55-53 of tlie 

 income, the Great Western 51-87 per cent. ; and taking the average 

 of all the railways, it would be found considerably below the American 

 lines. In the case of the English lines, this amount will be still further 

 reduced when their heavy earth works become perfectly settled, and 

 no longer subject to those slips which, up to this time, have occasioned 

 such heavy expenses. We find that the average dividend of 82 rail- 

 ways reported in the Railway Times amounts to Al. 10s. per cent, per 

 annum, which, although less in absolute amount than that produced 

 by the American lines, is in reality far greater when the prospective 

 circumstances are considered. Thus, for instance, supposing the 

 slight timber bridges and viaducts of the American lines will last 20 

 years, which is a favourable supposition, where is the capital to come 

 from in order to effect their restoration at the end of that time. Un- 

 doubtedly it can scarcely be reserved out of the present dividends of 

 oi per cent., for nearly the whole amount will be required to provide 

 the large capital for restoring their perishable works. On the other 

 hand, the English lines, firmly and substantially constructed, are oay- 

 ing a steady dividend of 4i per cent, on the average and no reserved 

 fund is required, as the works are calculated to endure for many cen- 

 turies. The conclusion to be drawn from all this is highly unfavour- 

 able to the American system, and at the same time encouraging to 

 those who have embarked their capital in our own lines. While the 

 railways of the United States must inevitably, in a very few years, 

 present a condition of premature decay, with a hopeless prospect of 

 restitution, those of this country will, in all probability, afford a more 

 favourable investment for capital than at the present day. We have 

 no wish to dispute much that is really valuable and ingenious in the 

 railways of the United States, but we must contend against these lines 

 being held up as a model for the great trunk lines of this country. 

 Mr. Weale points out several lines in which he considers the American 

 system would be applicable, and particularly advoc ites its adoption 

 in Ireland. With certain restrictions, and under certain circum- 

 stances connected with the expected revenue, and the capital avail- 

 able to the undertakings, the American system of cheap temporary 

 constructions and inferior gradients may be advisable for some lines in 

 Ireland, but we should extremely regret to see the main lines in that 

 country laid out on such a principle. 



The most valuable part of Mr. Weale's book, because the most 

 practical, and that which contains the most information is that which 

 relates to the bridges actually constructed for the American railways. 



The Utica and Syracuse Railroad, which has been selected as 

 affording so favourable a specimen of cheap engineering in the United 

 States, forms part of the great line of communication across the states 

 of Massachusets and New York. This great line, which has been 

 executed by several different companies, is upwards of 530 miles in 

 length. It commences at Boston, in Massachusets, and passing through 

 or near the towns of Worcester, West Stockbridge, Albany, Sche- 

 nectady, Utica, Rome, Syracuse, Auburn, Waterloo, and Worcester, 

 sweeps along the southern shore of Lake Ontario, for the last 200 

 miles of its course, from the Atlantic Ocean, and terminates at Buffalo, 

 the north-eastern extremity of Lake Erie. The part of this great 

 line which lies between Utica and Syracuse, is 53 miles in length, 

 and throughout its course it follows the line of the Erie Canal. We 

 have no information as to the gradients on this line, but judge that 

 that they must be extremely favourable, as the Erie Canal was on a 

 perfectly dead level, without any canal lock whatever between Utica 

 and Syracuse, and for several miles east of the former place. 



After an attentive examination of the plates referring to these 

 bridges, we feel bound to pronounce that, as specimens ol carpentry, 

 they possess by no means superior merit. In place of that admirable 

 system of timbers abutting against each other, which gives so much 

 stiffness to some of the best specimens of English carpentrv, the light 

 planks of the American bridges are held together by an innumerable 

 quantity of bolts, and the proper strength of the timber is not applied 

 to the fullest advantage. The white pine, which is used so exten- 

 sively in the American bridges is a timber very little known in this 

 country. It is a white wood with a short grain, possessing little 

 strength of fibre, and abounding in small black knots; it is used a 

 good deal in Edinburgh and other parts of Scotland for the interior of 

 houses, but is never applied to external work. 



In addition to the plates of the bridges, and of the viaduct over a 

 considerable valley and creek on this railway, there are several plates, 

 showing the system of piling and laying the permanent way on a part 

 of the line about ID miles in length which was laid upon piles, the 

 remaining length being graded, as it is called in America, that is 

 f onned by cuttings and embankments, as usual in this country. 



There are also several plates showing culvert*, but these possess 

 little interest for the English reader; nor could the engineer derive 

 any advantage from a comparison of this part of the American railway 



system with his own. The last portion of the work contains an in- 

 teresting account (historical and statistical! of the Belgian railways 

 by Mr. Edward Dobson, but we believe this part of the work is only a 

 translation. 



These ensamples of railway making, affording the best account 

 which has yet been published in this country of the railroad works of 

 the United States, will sertainly find a place in the library of every 

 engineer. Although we cannot consent to the wholesale adoption of 

 the American system which Mr. Weale appears to advocate, there 

 are yet many cases, both here and on the continent, in which these 

 examples will prove very useful in railwav engineering. We must 

 not omit to mention, in conclusion, that the pl'ates, as in all" Mr. Weale's 

 works, are admirably executed, and the details are -o well shown 

 that the most ordinary capacity may readily comprehend every part 

 of the construction. 



The Principles and Practice of Land, Engineering, Trigonometrical 

 Subterraneous, and Marine Surveying. By Charles BjDRNs, C. E. 

 London : John < Hlivier. 



We need scarcely say that on all occasions we feel much greater 

 pleasure in speaking well of any book which comes under our notice 

 than when we are obliged to pronounce an opinion of almost unquali- 

 fied censure. In the present instance, however, an impartial reviewer 

 has only the latter alternative ; and we could wish sincerely for the 

 credit of the profession both at home and abroad, that the production 

 of works with such feeble claims upon public favour were much less 

 rare than it is. We are told in the preface of Mr. Bourns' book, 

 that the aim with which it is written has been "the formation of a 

 book of reference." Had this really been the case, had the volume 

 been merely a work of reference, and had it been so styled on its title- 

 page, we should have known what to expect, and should never have 

 been deceived into supposing that we were opening a book containing 

 the principles and practice of every kind of surveying. But we are 

 told in a few lines further on in the preface, " that the volume is in- 

 tended to constitute a consistent whole; so that to understand an ad- 

 vanced part, a person must be conversant with what goes before." 

 How then can it be a work of reference in the common acceptation of 

 this term, since by the author's own showing, it requires a regular 

 study to be made of what goes before, in order to understand any ad- 

 vanced part. Surely this destroys its value as a work of reference. 

 Indiscriminate censure is seldom just, and in the present case we are 

 far from saying that the book before us is absolutely worthless, and 

 that there is nothing in it which might be instructive to the profes- 

 sional man. At the same time we feel bound to enter a strong protest 

 against that too prevalent system of book-making of which this work 

 is a remarkable specimen. It contains an immense mass of antiquated 

 information injudiciously selected and badly arranged. The few grains 

 of original matter which are scattered through its pages relate to 

 minute points of professional practice, often magnified into undue im- 

 portance, and introduced to the exclusion of more valuable things for 

 no reason that we can discover, except that they happen to have 

 formed part of the author's own practice, or to have been introduced 

 by some of his friends. We make no pretence of having waded 

 through the wdiole contents of this book, which is an octavo volume of 

 350 pages; but having looked into several of those parts of it which 

 are not purely elementary, the general impression is by no means such 

 as to encourage a further search. In every point of view the work is 

 far inferior to those of Mr. BrurT, and to Mr. Williams' Geodesy, books 

 which hive been reviewed in former numbers of the Journal. 



Bluni's Civil Engineer and Practical Mechanist. Division C 

 Portion the Second. London: Ackerman and Co. 



This portion is principally devoted to the delineation and descrip- 

 tion of machinery by the Messrs. Rennie. The first plate is of the 

 gun-boring and turning mill, with the lathe apparatus— machinery 

 used in gun and engine manufacture. Another plate is of M«st<. 

 Rennie's great boring lathe ; it is used in the boring of cylinders, 

 condensers, air pumps, and bored vessels of engines and mills, 

 and in turning pistons, rods, shafts and journals. Three plates 

 are of their marine dredging and excavating machine, part of which 

 was in the first portion. The last plate is devoted to Sir Isainbard 

 Brunei's shield for the Thames Tuunel. We must observe, however 

 that although we have used the term plate to express the several 

 sheets, many parts of the works are separately described on each 

 sheet, and form valuable drawings for reference. 



