THE CIVIL ENGINEER AND ARCHITECT'S JOURNAL. 



1813.] 



tar which is one of the products of the distillation of coals for ^-lighting. 

 The mode by which thev obtain a more perfect combustion of the na| .1 ; 

 tnanbefore reached, is simple. Thev contrive, by the apparatus of the lamp 

 Staler that the gas should be projected to some *-^e. ^ *M™ 

 it takes fire, there being, however, within the tube of the burner, a constam 

 am ■, w hich serves the double purpose of igniting the gas Pgeotadbw ithe 

 openings of the burner, and by its heat, in decomposing the naphtha with 

 which the lanin is supplied, generating new gas for continued MmUist on. 

 The ras being consumed at a short distance from the burner, is thoroughly 

 suppled whir-'- and this free supply causes perfect combust ion. and a br - 

 iiant light without smoke ; but it may be presumed that, as he gas escapes 

 from he burner before it is in a state of perfect combustton the smejM .S^morc 

 •ffimsive than it would be if consumed at the immediate orifice. MM. Rouen 

 and Busson estimate that the use of this light is at, ^ f . "l^ ™ '^"^ 

 of five-sixths as compared with oil, an equal quantity of light being furnished 

 at a sixth of the expense. 



Peematubb Rise of the Nile—A very remarkable anomaly has been ob- 

 served 1 .is yeat in the periodical flux of the Nile. From time immemorial 

 the first day of the rise of the Nile has ensued soon after the summer solstice, 

 and at Cairo the phenomenon has usually taken place some time between the 

 1st and the 10th of July s this year, however, there was a rise of the river on 

 the night of the 5th of May, consequently two months earlier than usual. 

 This rise continued only four days, after which the water lell, and it still 

 continues falling as it always does until the period of the summer soll.ee. 

 History affords no example of so early a rise of the river, and only a few 

 instances are recorded of a second rise taking place shortly after the first. 

 One of these instances occurred in the reign of Cleopatra and the other in 

 the year 1737.— Cologne Gazette. 



Rise and Fall of the Mediterranean Sea.— A singular phenomenon 

 appeared in the harbour of Valeria on June 2, the water suddenly rising to 

 the height of three feet, overflowing the works of the new dry dock; it 

 almost immediately fell five feet and a half : during this period,* very strong 

 current was running out of the harbour, which the boatmen could scarcely 

 stem It is supposed this circumstance must have occurred through some 

 earthquake at a remote distance. We hear that at Tripoli in Barbary, seve- 

 ral severe shocks have been felt. 



Legal Decision regarding Wei.i.-Sinki.ng.— In the Court of Exchequer 

 Chamber in Error, on Wednesday. May 19, a judgment of considerable im- 

 portance was pronounced by Lord Chief Justice Tindal, in the case of ' Acton 

 i. Blundell." Within twenty years before the commencement of the action, 

 the plaintiff had sunk a well, and the water which it collected was sufficient 

 to work his mill ; hut in 1837, the defendant dug a coal-pit three-quarters of 

 a mile distant, which, eventually, drained the well dry, and, there ore, an 

 action was brought to recover compensation. On the trial, the pudge tow 

 the jury that if the defendant had dug the pit in the manner which was usual 

 in working and winding a mine, he was justified by law in what he had done j 

 and the jury found for the defendant. A bill of exceptions to this charge 

 was presented, which had, subsequently, been argued, hut the Court now 

 decided that the summing tip was correct. The Court were of opinion that 

 the case should be decided on the principle of the rule which gave to the 

 owner of the soil everything under the surface of it ; and that if the plaintiff 

 had suffered loss by the exercise of the defendant's right, it was a loss which 

 was damnosum non 'injuriosum. and for which no action could be maintained. 

 The Court, therefore, unanimously gave judgment for the defendant. 



Galvanic Battery.— The battery lately used for the explosion of the 

 Royal George was composed of 20 plates of amalgamated zinc and 40 of cast- 

 iron, on the same principle as Mr. Davidson's battery, with which be exhibits 

 his interesting electro-magnet experiments at the Egyptain-hall, Piccadilly. 

 Two batteries being judged necessary, another was made of the same number 

 of plates and of the same size, that is, 7 by 10 inches square, but using cop- 

 per instead of iron as had been done in the plate batteries at Dover. On 

 comparing them by the voltameter, the zinc and iron battery was found much 

 more powerful than the zinc and copper battery of the same dimensions; 

 but contrary to expectation, on combining them into one battery, they 

 neutralized each other instead of doubling the power of either, which would 

 have been the case if two voltaic batteries of the same sort had been thus 

 combined. 



Electricity of Water— An interesting and highly important discovery 

 has been made by Professor Faraday during his investigation of the hitherto 

 supposed electricity of steam. At the evening sittings of the Royal Insti- 

 tution, on Friday, the 9th June, a paper was read on the subject, which with 

 some beautiful experiments, convinced his auditory of the fallacy of some 

 important poinls in the opinions recently held on electrical science. It has 

 been laid down as a principle upon which important theories have been based, 

 ihat electricity is produced by the evaporation of water into steam, but Mr. 

 J.', lias shewn that not only has steam nothing to do with it, but that the 

 least vapour in contact with the water prevents the production ol the electric 

 fluid, and that waier alone, pressed rapidly through a tube, produces the 

 effect hitherto supposed to belong to steam ; it being, however, essentially 

 necessary that the water should be pure, even that supplied to our houses 

 for domestic use not answering the purpose ; distilled water, however, is now- 

 proved to be the most excitable of all electric bodies, while the smallest 

 addition of any extraneous substance will reverse the state of the fluid from 

 negative to positive, and vice versa, or destroy it altogether. Its intensity 

 was shewn to he very great, by charging Leyden jars, and drawing sparks 

 from the boiler sufficient to light a jet of hydrogen gas. Mr. Faraday con- 

 tends that steam, or its action, has no connection with the production of 

 electricity, or thunder and lighting, as there is no water on the surface of the 

 earth sufficiently pure, the evaporation of which could have the effect. The 

 principles propounded in this lecture have excited much interest in the scien- 

 tific world, particularly among electricians, as the establishment of this 

 theury is so opposed to formerly received opinions, and quite upsets the 

 generally understood rationale of engine-boiler explosions. 



289 



The Breakwater Lighthouse.— This valuable addition to the public works 

 iu our port is now fasl approaching io completion. During the past ueck 

 the third story of the building was completed, so that the oil-room, the store- 

 room, and the living-room are now up. The fourth room, which will be the 

 sleeping appartment. is in a forward slate, nearly the whole of it being dry 

 set at the Breakwater Quarries at Oreston. Owing to the great inconvenience 

 experienced from the large number of persons who visited the breakwater 

 and lighthouse, it was found necessary, in order to prevent the constant 

 interruption consequent upon their visits to the latter, to suspend the admit- 

 tance of the public for the present, but as the several remaining parts of the 

 edifice are put together at the quarries, ihose persons who may be desiruus 

 of inspecting the workmanship may gratify their wish by a visit to the latter 

 place. — Plymouth Times- 



Dr. Sfurgin's Patent Hoisting Machine..— A new machine for raising 

 bricks and other materials to the top of the scaffolding, has just bei 

 strncted, and is now in use by Mr. Cubilt, at the houses building at Prince 

 Albert's gate. The hods, baskets, itc. are hooked to a chain ladder, which 

 turns over a wheel at the top of the building; and when emptied, they are 

 sent down ty the descending chain. One man is sufficient to work the ma- 

 chinery, so that a vast saving of time and labour is attained. Messrs. Grissell 

 and Peto have also adopted it, and have it in use at the N:w Houses of 

 Parliament. Dr. Spurgin is the patentee, and M. Journet, a French engi- 

 neer, has purchased from him the universal licence to carry the invention 

 into operation. 



Paris.— The building of the large cellular prison, in the Faubourg St. An- 

 toine. is proceeding with great rapidity. It is in the form of an open fan. 

 All the corridors will arrive at a common centre, fivm which the whole may 

 be inspected. The prison is to contain 1200 cells, and the total expense is 

 estimated at 4,381,000f. It is to be called La Nouvelle Force. 



LIST OP WEW PATENTS. 



(From Messrs. Robertson's List.) 

 Six Months allowed/or Enrolment, unless otherwise expressed. 



SUPPLEMENT TO PATENTS GRANTED IN JUNE. 



William Newton, of Chancery-lane, civil engineer, for " improvements in 

 the preparation of paper designed for bank notes, government documents, 

 bills, cheques, deeds, and other purposes, wherein protection and safety from 

 forgeries or counterfeits are required." (A communication.)— Sealed June 



Thomas Mitchell, of Dalton, York, dyer, for " a machine and apparatus 

 for increasing and permanently fastening the face or gloss of all kinds of 

 woollen, worsted, and fancy cloths, by the application of steam alone, with- 

 out immersing thegoods in water."— June 15. Two mouths. 



Thomas Richard Guppy, of the Great Western Iron Ship Building and 

 Steam-engine Works, Bristol, civil engineer, for " improvements m the bmld- 

 inq of metal ships and other vessels." — June 15. 



George Edmund Donisthorpe, of Bradford, York, top manufacturer, for 

 " improvements in combing wool and other fibrous substances." — June 15. 



John Oliver York, of Upper ColeshiU-strect, Westminster, engineer, and 

 William Johnson, of Horseley Iron Works, Staffordshire, ironmaster, for 

 " improvements in paving or covering roads, streets, and other ways or sur- 

 faces." — June 15. . 



Samuel Mason, of Northampton, merchant, and Caleb Bedels, of Leices- 

 ter, manufacturer, for " improvements in the manufacture of boots, shoes, 

 slippers, overalls, and clogs, and improvements in machinery or apparatus 

 used in such manufacture, and in the preparation of materials for the said 

 manufacture." — June 15. _ . 



William Edward Newton, of Chancery-lane, civil engineer, for improve- 

 ments in apparatus for propelling vessels." — June 15. ... 



George Kobins Booth, of Hanlev, Stafford, manufacturer and chemist, 

 for " an improved mode of applying heat from various combustibles to manu- 

 faclurinq and other useful purposes." — June 15. 



Thomas Oldham, of Manchester, manufacturer, for '■ an improved mode 

 of manufacturing bonnets and hats. — June 15. 



Oglethorp Wakelin Barratt, of Birmingham, experimental cnemist, for 

 » improvements in gilding, plating, and coating various metallic surfaces, — 

 June 15. ,_ , , 



Lemuel Wellman Wright, of Gusford Cottage, North Wales, engineer, for 

 " improvements in machinery or apparatus for bleaching various fibrous 

 substances, and is also in possession of an invention of improve,,,, nti m 

 machinery or apparatus for converting or manufacturing the same into 

 paper. (A communication). — June 15. 



GRANTED IN ENGLAND FROM JUNE 22, TO JULY 26, 1843. 



Louis Le Page, of 72 Lombard-street, for " an improved method or methods 

 for preventing accidents on railways. (A communication.)— June ZZ. 



William Wylam, of Newcastle-upon-Tyne, merchant, tor " improvements 

 in the manufacture or preparation 0/ 'fuel.— June 22. 



Samuel Ellis, of Salford, Leicester, engineer, for " improvements m 

 weighing machines, and in turn tables to be used on or in common «•»./< 

 railways, and in weighing machines to be used in other places. —June --. 



