1843.] 



THE CIVIL ENGINEER AND ARCHITECT'S JOURNAL. 



181 



already to the civil engineer, what the planing machine is to the engine 

 maker. 



I will mention as an instance of the accuracy with which dredging can be 

 performed by engines like that I have alluded to, that I have been in the 

 habit periodically of removing a large accumulation of mud with it from 

 the rails of one of Morton's patent slips, touching each rail throughout and 

 leaving the whole clean, and without the slightest injury from one end to the 

 other. 



I am, Sir, 



York Chambers, Adelphi, Your obedient servant, 



April 15, 1843. George Edwards. 



[We are obliged to Mr. Edwards for his correction ; upon inquiry we find 

 that the radius cutting described by W. C. in the last month's Journal, is 

 the same as that given by Mr. Edwards in the above communication. — 

 Editor.] 



THE SELF-REGULATING EXPANSION SLIDE VALVE. 



Sir — In a late number of your Journal, I perceive that there is a com- 

 munication from Mr. II. II. Edwards, of a plan for working steam engines 

 expansively, by means of a plate at the back of the slide valve, which is 

 regulated in the extent of its motion, by means of arms worked by the 

 governor. It is stated that when the plate is held fast by the arms, the 

 steam will be cut off to the greatest extent. Now a very slight examination 

 of the drawings will show that though the steam is cut off as soon as the 

 port of the cylinder is half open, admitting steam during rather less than 

 one-fourth of the stroke, yet on the return of the valve, the port will again 

 be opened, and will allow the steam to pass into the cylinder during the last 

 quarter of the stroke. The same will take place, in a less degree, in every 

 position of the arms until they are at a distance equal to the width of the 

 small ports from both ends of the plate, which is the only place in which 

 they can be of any service, so that of course the plan of altering them by 

 the governor fails. 



I am, Sir, 



Your obedient servant. 



Glasgow, \&th April, 1843. Throttle Valve. 



FLAX MILL AT CASSANO, LOMBARDY. 

 Sir — I observe in your excellent number for April, a slight mistake, in an 

 article headed — " Flax Mill at Cassano, Lombardy.'' Mr. Albano, C. E., of 

 London, is therein stated to be the erector of the works, which may be cor- 

 rect, inasmuch as he was the superintendent of the building of the mill. 

 The mechanical work, that is, the water-wheel and mill-gearing, were solely 

 constructed and erected by Mr. Fairbairn, of Manchester; the greatest credit 

 is therefore due to that eminent engineer in regard to the execution of the 

 mechanical part. Fiat justilia ruat caelum. 

 I am, Sir, 

 Your obedient servant, 

 London, Tuesday, April 4, 1842. S. N. S. 



RESPONSIBILITY OF CONTRACTORS. 



In the Court of Exchequer, Saturday, April 22, 1843.— Sittings in Banco at 

 Westminster. 



TOWNLEY, CLERK, V. COLEMAN. 



The Attorney-General moved ill this case for leave to enter the verdict for 

 the defendant upon facts found by the award of the arbitrators to whom the 

 cause had been referred, or to set aside that award, and for a new trial. 



This was an action in which the plaintiff, who is a magistrate for the 

 county of Norfolk, sought to recover damages on behalf of the county from 

 the defendant, who is a builder, under the following circumstances : — The 

 magistrates having determined to erect a bridge near Downham, procured 

 certain plans from an eminent architect usually employed on such occasions, 

 and then advertised for tenders. The defendant became the successful com- 

 petitor for the job, and, according to the usual course, entered into a con- 

 tract, to which were attached the plan and specifications. One of the cove- 

 nants in this contract was, that the bridge should be finished within a speci- 

 fied time, and '■ kept in repair by the defendant for one year afterwards." 

 Wheu the bridge was completed, the architect and engineer certified that the 

 work had been executed to their satisfaction, and the claim of the defendant 

 was forthwith liquidated by the county treasurer. Little or no repairs were 

 required at the hands of the builder during the early portion of the year, but 

 towards its close the bridge gave symptoms of instability, and just before 

 the expiration of the time, it fell in altogether. When called on to comply 

 with his covenant, the defendant refused, on the ground that the failure of 

 tbe bridge was not owing to the insufficiency of the work executed by him, 

 but to the inherent vice of the original plan, which, as he averred, was of a 

 nature altogether insufficient and vicious. Not satisfied with this, the pre- 

 sent action was instituted, and having been referred to a learned gentleman 

 and two architects, the present award was afterwards made, in which certain 



facts were found, which fully bore out the above answer of the defendant to 

 the action, and damages were assessed contingently upon the opinion of this 

 Court as to the sufficiency of that answer in point of law. The learned 

 gentleman now at great length urged upon the Court the hardship of attach- 

 ing the penalty for the architect's defective plan upon the shoulders of the 

 builder, who, ex confesso, had honestly and fairly performed his duty. If the 

 plan were of a character which militated against the laws of matter, and 

 was such as to insure its own defeat, it was the fault of the engineer, and 

 not of the builder, whose contract could only be held to extend to a covenant 

 to make good those casual defects which might he caused by wear and tear, 

 or by the insufficiency of his own work. The defendant, therefore, submitted 

 that he was entitled to the verdict on these facts ; but at all events he trusted 

 that the award might be set aside, and an opportunity given to him to go 

 down to trial with certain pleas averring those facts on which he relied, in 

 order that the solemn decision of the court of error might be obtained on the 

 case. 



The Court, however, without much hesitation, unanimously refused the 

 rule. The law of the case was too clear to admit of a doubt. The defend- 

 ant hound himself to keep a bridge in repair for a period within which it fell 

 down. Prima facie he was bound to rebuild it, and the only question was 

 whether that construction could be varied by the context of the contract. 

 The language, however, did not appear on examination to admit of such a 

 solution. The defendant had the plan before him, and and the specification 

 too, and though it was probable that he confided in the skill of the engineer, 

 and never for a moment contemplated the possibility of the bridge falling 

 down through the defective nature of the plan, yet if he meant to guard 

 against such a state of things, he ought to have done so expressly. It might 

 be a hard case ; but the law was so, and the defendant was bound to make 

 good the bridge. With regard to the second branch of the application, it 

 was enough to say that it could never he listened to except in cases of 

 doubt. Here there was no doubt whatever on the bench as to the liability 

 of the defendant, and it would be idle to allow further litigation with such 

 a view of the case on the mind of the Court. For these reasons, therefore, 

 there must be no rule. 



Rule refused. 



MISCELLANEA. 



New Houses of Parliament. — Mr. Barry, Mr. De la Beehe, and Mr. 

 Charles H. Smith, the three Commissioners who were appointed by the 

 Crown in 1 S39, to examine and report upon the quarries of this kingdom, and 

 to select a proper stone suitable for the New Houses, which report is to be 

 found in our journal, vol. 2, 1839, have received instructions to make another 

 inspection of the quarries of Great Britain, both of stone and British marble, 

 and to report upon the qualities of the stone already used in the New Houses, 

 and as to the sufficiency of supply for the remainder of the building, or if 

 there be any other stone more suitable than that now used, either for the 

 exterior or the interior. We anticipate much valuable information in this 

 report, which if unly equal to the first, will be received with high approbation 

 by the profession — the three Commissioners have already started on their 

 tour of inspection. 



Iron Frigates for the Navy. — We are glad to announce that Government 

 have given orders for the immediate construction of two iron steam frigates, 

 one of 9U0 tons to be built by Messrs. Ditchburn and Mare, of Blackwall, 

 and furnished with engines by Messrs. Maudslays and Field, and the other 

 vessel, of 1300 tons, to be built by Mr. Laird of Liverpool, and furnished 

 with engines by Messrs. Fawcet and Co, 



Steam Navigation in France. — A letter from Brest states that the five 

 steam frigates which are intended for the trans-atlantic navigation between 

 France and the United States, are ready for sea, and will commence service 

 in the spring ; and that the French West India Steam Company are going to 

 have a reguiarline of packet ships between Havre and the Brazils, besides 

 touching at all the West India Islands. The first packets will commence 

 running in May next. 



The West India Mail Company's Steamer " The Severn."— This vessel 

 is reported to have made a trial trip at Bristol, from King's-road to llfra- 

 eombe, and it is slated she steamed at the rate of 9 to 10 knots an hour. 



The Red Rover. — This fine steam vessel which runs between London, 

 Heme Bay and Margate, has undergone a thorough examination, and consi- 

 derable increase of speed has been obtained ; the engines are by Messrs. 

 Boulton, Watt, and Co. This vessel bus always proved to be of the first 

 character. 



Norwich and Leamington Railway.— This branch (if the Birmingham 

 Railway is about to be commenced and pushed « ith vigour during the ensu- 

 ing summer. 



The Thames Tunnel.— In the first month alter the opening, 450.000 

 passengers have passed through. 



Bristol and Exeter Railway.— This line will be opened to the public in 

 a few days, to Beam's Bridge, two miles to the South of Wellington. 



Value of Manure in Large Towns.— A new contract has recenfly been 

 signed, by which the contractor agrees to give £22,000 per annum for the 

 contents of the cess-pools of the city of Paris, which are at present deposited 

 in a place in the suburbs, called Monfaucon, but are about to be conveyed by 

 a new drain five miles further from the city. 



Sir John Guest and Co have contracted with the Russian government for 

 45.000 tons of railway iron, and it is not improbable that this order will be 

 doubled, 



