302 



THE CIVIL ENGINEER AND ARCHITECTS JOURNAL. 



[Skptkmbkr, 



DOCTOR SPURGIN'S PATENT HOISTING MACHINE, 



For Raising Bricks, Mortar, and any ol/itr materials employed in 

 Building, and adapted to the Unloading tf Ships and Warehousing 

 oj Goods. 



In our last month's Journal we stated tli.it a new machine for hoist- 

 ing bricks, &r., was to he seen at Prince Albert's Gate, Knightsbridge; 

 we are now enabled to give our millers a rough sketch of the machine, 

 together with a description which will explain its operation. 



Description of the Machine. — The main part of (he machine, A, con- 

 sisting of the gearing to set the machine in motion, rests upon the 

 ground. The second part is a trestle, which may be placed upon the 

 scaffolding of the bricklaj ers, as it F; in the upper pari of this trestle 

 is an indented wheel, 13, which corresponds perpendicularly with a 

 similar wheel, attached to the principal body of the machine, resting 

 on the ground. Passing round these two wheels is an endless iron 

 chain, which is put in motion by one or several men, who turn the 

 handle of the machine, A, consisting of a pinion-wheel working into 

 a large toothed wheel, ou the axis of which is an indented wheel, 



round which an endless chain passes, and also round a corresponding 

 wheel at the side, of the one at the foot of the vertical chain; the 

 latter is set in motion when the wheel A revolves, together with the 

 endless chain just described, over the indented wheels at C and E, by 

 which the chain operates its rotation. On the. side of the chain as- 

 cending, the workmen attach their hods full of materials, by means of 

 a hook fixed in the hod, as at B, and others detach them, as at F, to 

 carry them to the bricklayers on the scaffolding. The empty hods 

 are attached to the chain on the opposite side, as at G, ami descend 

 to the ground, where they are detached, as at H. 



The chain may be lengthened and shortened as necessary. When 

 a story is added to the scaffolding, the trestle is placed upon the new 

 story, and the chain lengthened as required. At the top is a screw 

 for tightening or relaxing the chain, as occasion may require. 



The figures I, K, L, are accessories used for hoisting the materials, 

 viz. I, for broken bricks; K, for water; and L, for pieces of stone for 

 windows, chimneys, &c. M is an enlarged view of the indented 

 wheel, and N the chain. 



The advantages of this machine are, that it relieves the work man 

 from the most toilsome part of his labour, by doing away with the 

 practice of ascending the ladder ; and it prevents, as far as possible, 

 the accidents arising from this practice, to which he so often falls a 

 victim. It also enables building operations to be carried on with 

 much greater expedition than heretofore; and at the same time it 

 diminishes the cost of such works. 



Dynamical Table of the Strength of a Man, shotting the number 

 of Bricks that can be carried up a Ladder by an ordinary Labourer. 



Messrs. Grissell & Peto, and Mr. Cubitt, have adopted the mat lime, 

 and hive it in use at this time; the former at the New Houses of 

 Parliament, the latter at Prince Albert's Gate, Hyde Park, where the 

 machine may be seen in operation. 



ELMES' PATENT MOORING AND SIGNAL BUOYS. 



Plan of the top. 



Section through the centre. 



Mn. Elmes, who is the Surveyor of the Port of London, observing 

 the very great inconvenience and loss occasioned by the constant 

 sinking of the mooring buoys on the river Thames, through perfo- 

 rations being made in them either by accident, or by the. shrinkage of 

 the materials, which cause them to be filled w ith water, turned his 

 attention to see whether their construction could not be so formed as 

 to render it next to impossible to sink them; the result has been the 

 formation of the Patent Buoy, which we shall proceed to describe. 

 In external appearance and materials, it is the same as those in general 

 use, but through the centre there is a tube for the bridle-chain; 

 ami instead of it being attached to the underside of the buoy, it is in 

 the patent buoy attached to the mooring ring at the top. The patentee 

 states that the buoyancy is such that any number of holes perforated 

 in its external surface will not injure it ; and the interior of the buoy 

 is divided into "vascular cells," which form water-tight compart- 

 ments. 



This invention is also applicable to all manner of floating bodies, as 

 well as for ship's moorings, such as signal buoys, to indicate the situ- 

 ations of shoals, roc ks, wrecks, and other dangerous impediments to 

 navigation, for the carrying of floating beacons, flags, lights, bells, and 

 other signals of contiguity to such clanger. One of these buoys, a 

 large beacon or signal buoy, has been floating securely for twelve 

 months past, including the" last tempestuous winter, in the bay of 

 Dublin; and a mooring buoy of the largest size has been used, by 



