THE CIVIL ENGINEER AND ARCHITECTS JOURNAL. 



[September 



The Atmospheric Railway.— We perceive by the Irish papers, that a 

 preliminary experiment of the principle upon which the atmospheric rail- 

 way is to act was made on Saturday, 19th Aug., and it is reported to have 

 answered in every respect the expectations of the patentees, Messrs. Clegg 

 and Samuda, as well as of all those concerned in the introduction of this 

 most important national project into Ireland. The experiment was one 

 made solely for the satisfaciion of the engineers, the works being as yet in a 

 very crude and imperfect state, and owing to the long continuance of dry 

 weather there being scarcely as much water in the reservoir as would charge 

 the boilers. At five o'clock the scientific gentlemen interested arrived, and 

 the steam was soon afier laid on, when the leviathan air pump commenced 

 its labours — the mercury in the barometer soon displayed with what suc- 

 cess. In sixty strokes an altitude of twenty inches was obtained, and 

 shortly afterwards it reached twenty -two inches. This was the realiza- 

 tion of the most sanguine expectations, and left no room for doubt as to 

 the completeness and power of the machinery and its capability of pro- 

 ducing sufficient vacuum. Thus far having progressed — the next course 

 pursued was to introduce the piston into tlie tube at the equilibrium valve 

 near Glasthule bridge ; but while this was being done the key of the fly- 

 wheel slipped, and a delay of nearly an hour elapsed before it was adjusted. 

 It has been stated before that the experiment was but preliminary, and to 

 this may he ascribed this trifling incident for accident it cannot be called. 

 The fly-wheel movement being rectified, the engine was set going once more, 

 but not on its condensation jrinciple, for there was no cold water to con- 

 dense. It was at high pressure and half power ; the height of mercury in 

 the gauge varied from 11 to 14 inches. The signal was given, and the piston 

 carriage, with two passenger carriages, one second and one third class, at- 

 tached, moved along per se amid the joyous shouts of those assembled. In 

 four minutes they accomplished the distance, one and a quarter miles, retarded 

 considerably at starting by the breaks on the wheels to keep the motive 

 power under proper control, as also at the terminus, not to let the train over- 

 shoot the line of rails. A few data of the line of railway and the machinery 

 may not be uninteresting. When finished there will be in length 9,200 feet 

 of open or valve pipe. The close pipe forming the connexion with the air pipe 

 is upwards of 400 yards. The engine is 100 horse power— to be worked on ; he ex- 

 pansive condensation principle. The air pump is double stroke, its diameter 

 f -7 inches; the diameter of the tube or open pipe 15 inches. The Station at 

 Dalkey is 76 feet higher than that at Kingstown. The elevation varies — 1 in 

 .■57 being the greatest, I in 210 being the least, and the main ascent being 1 

 in 115. It is computed that the train will descend from Dalkey by its own 

 gravity, at the rate of from 30 to 35 miles an hour. The sharpest curve is 

 only 547 feet radius. 



The Cathedral of Ci.ast.ow. — Amongst other reli, s which have been 

 turned out of the cathedral in the general clearing up, there is ore for which 

 we hope a place may yet be found within the pile where it has stood, we 

 have no doubt for much more than 1000 years. This is a large block of 

 blue marble, 101 feet long by 5 feet broad, and inches thick, which at pre- 

 sent lies in the churchyard. It was found in the chancel of the Old Barony 

 Church, near the tomb of St. Mungo, and from its appearance altogether 

 there is every probability that it has been used either as the top or the base 

 of the high altar of the old church, The marble appears to he of the same 

 kind as that of which the ancient tombs at lona are formed, and probably 

 enough came from the same quarry. There is nothing similar to it at any 

 rate in this quarter, and the material is more durable that granite. The 

 stone is cut as if a plate or some kind of metal or other had been sunk into 

 it. There is another octagon altar-piece of the same material also lying 

 outside, and in danger til being destroyed. At the period that this alt ir 

 piece was discovered, namely, in 1800, there was a skeleton found in the 

 choir, having 3<i inches of a massive gold chain round the thigh bone. We 

 trust that these relics will be preserved inviolate; indeed, we have no fear 

 about the matter, when their supposed antiquity is known; but we have 

 thought it our duty to direct attention to the subject, lest they should he 

 broken up^ or sold, as it is said was intended. After the recent removal of 

 the Bishop's Palace, a picturesque and most interesting ruin which slood on 

 the hanks of the hclvin, to build a dyke for a kail-yard, we have hut very 

 little trust in some people's veneration lor the antique.— Glasgow Constitu- 

 tional. 



A Monsti r Bi;m„— On Monday, Aug. 7, an immense bell, the largest ever 

 cast in Knghmd, weighing no less than 7 tons, 11 cwt. 2 qrs. and 121b., was 

 shipped on board the Lady Seaton, bound for Montreal, and lying on the 

 Brandy-quay, London Dock. This splendid bell, which is intended for the 

 new Catholic cathedral at Montreal, was cast at the foundry ol Messrs, 

 Mears and Sons, Whitechapel, and has attracted, since it has been finished, 

 the attention of a vast number of persons. Some idea may be formed of the 

 immense size of this hell, from the fact that it required 10 tons of fused metal 

 to form the cast, and the casting itself weighs upwards of seven tons and a 

 half, that its diameter at the edge is seven leet three inches, that its clapper 

 weighs upwards of 3 cwt.; the wood work, which is composed of old Knglish 

 oak, one ton ; the iron work more than half a ton, and that the bell itself is 

 heavier than the Great Tom of Lincoln by 32 cwt. The bell, as has been 

 before stated, has been paid for from a fund subscribed by the merchants, 

 artificers, agriculturists, and inhabitants of Montreal, and has cost, with its 

 woodwork, &c, upwards of 1,200/. The bell was removed on a truck drawn 

 by eight horses, from the foundry to the London Docks, preparatory to 

 being shipped on board the Lady Seaton, but the dock officers refused to 

 allow it to pass over the bridge leading from the West to the Brandy-quav, 

 as they were apprehensive the structure was not sufficiently strong to support 

 so enormuus a weight without being strongly propped, ana it was obliged to 

 remain on the West-quay, until the bridge was propped up as required, and 

 the great be 11 was taken safely over, and afterwards shipped on board, a part 

 ot the deck being obliged to be cut away to admit it luto the hold. 



f „j r !'^ Pm:w : E '\ p - 1 5,K,LivERrooi..-The prizes offered for the best designs 

 tor terraces in the Prince's Park have been awarded as follows :-For tcr- 



races A and B. to Mr. Henry Currey, of London ; for terrace D, to Mr. W. 

 Papworlh. of London. The elevations for terraces A and B are very beauti- 

 ful. Mr. Currey was a pupil ot Mr. Decimus Burton. We understand that 

 two of the designs for terrace D were considered of equal merit ; on this 

 being declared, Air. Homblower, of Liverpool, who had sent in one of those 

 designs, handsomely withdrew from the competition, he being in the office of 

 one of the judges. 



LIST OF HEW PATENTS, 



(From Messrs. Robertson's List.) 



GRANTED IN ENGLAND FROM JULY 31 TO AUGUST 25, 1843. 



Six Months allowed for Enrolment, unless otherwise expressed. 



William Davey, of Bath, slate merchant, for " improvements in covering 

 the ridf/es and hips of roofs of buildings with slate and other materials."— 

 Sealed July 31. 



Charlton James Wollaston, of Welling, in the county of Kent, gentleman, 

 for *' improvements in machinery for cutting marble and stone." — August 1. 



Peter Borrie, of Prince's-square, St. George's in the East, engineer, and 

 Mayer Henry, of Crutched Friars, merchant, for " improvements in steam- 

 engine boilers and propelling machinery." — August 3. 



Frederic Stainer, of Hyndburn Cottage, Lancaster, Turkey red dyer, for 

 " a new manufacture of a certain colouring matter, commonly called garan- 

 cine." (A communication.) — August 8. 



James Home, of Regent's Fark, esquire, for " improvements in the maim- 

 facture of horse-shoes." — August 8. 



Charles Bourjot, of Coleman-strcet, London, merchant, for " improvements 

 in apparatus for obtaining the profile of various forms or figures." (A com- 

 munication.) — August 8. 



Richard Archibald Brooman, of 1G6, Fleet-street, London, gentleman, for 

 " the manufacture of /taper, cordage, matting, and other textile fabrics, .from 

 certain cef/cfablc matters not heretofore Made use of for that purpose, as also 

 for the application of the said materials to the stuffing of cushions and mat- 

 tresses." — August 10. 



John Wood, of ParklielJ, Chester, merchant, for " improvements in ma- 

 chinery or apparatus for affording additional or artificial buoyancy to sea- 

 going and other vessels, or for lessening their draught of water, and which) 

 said improvements arc also applicable to raising vessels or other heavy bodies, 

 and for securing or snj'porting the same." — August 11. 



Archibald Horn, of Aldersgatc-strect, zinc worker, for " improvements in 

 the construction of shutters for windows, and other purposes." — August 15. 



George Bennetts, of Giuinis Lake, Cornwall, civil engineer, "for improve- 

 ments in steam-engines -ami boilers, and in generating steam."— August 15. 



Thomas Young, of Queen-street, mcrchaut, for " improvements in obtain- 

 ing potter." — August 15. 



James Brown, of High-street-place, Stepney, engineer, for " improvements 

 in tackle and apparatus for working and using chain cables in ships and 

 otherwise, and Md improvements in the tillers of rudders of ships and other 

 vessels."— August 16. 



Frederick Lipscombe, of University-street, gentleman, for " an hydro- 

 static engine, parts whereof are applicable as improvements to other engines 

 and other purposes, and also improvements in railway carriages." — August 

 17. 



John Collard Drake, of Elm-trce-road, Saint John's-wood, land surveyor, 

 for " improvements in lining walls of /muses." — August 22. 



-Mark Freeman, of Sutton, gentleman, for " improvements in card cases."— 

 August 22. 



Gaspare Conti, of Sherard-street, Golden-square, gentleman, for "im- 

 provements in hydraulic machinery, to be applied as a motive power."— 

 August 22. 



William Fletcher, of Morcton House, Buckingham, clerk, for "improve- 

 ments for the purpose of securing corks, or substitutes for coris, in the 

 months of bottles, or vessels of the nature of bottles, whether mailc of pot- 

 tery, or of pottery of tlie kind called stone ware, or of glass." — August 24. 



Alexander Connisou, of Everitt-street, Brunswick-square, engineer, for 

 " improvements in steam-engines. — August 24. — Dated March 3. 



N.B. — This patent being opposed by caveat, lodged at the great seal office, 

 was not sealed till the 24th of August, but bears date the 3d March last, the 

 day the patent would have been sealed if the same bad not been opposed, by 

 order of the Lord Chancellor. 



William Wilson, John Hudholme Brownrigg, John Cockerell, and Sir 

 George Gerard de Hochepied Larpent, Bart., all of Belmont, in the Wands- 

 worth-road, patent cocoa-nut candle and oil manufacturers, assignees of a 

 patent granted by his late Majesty King George the Fourth, unto James 

 Soames, jun., of Wheeler-street, Spitalfields, for " a new preparation or 

 manufacture of a certain material produced from a vegetable substance, and 

 the application thereof to the purposes of affording light, and other *«e*."— 

 For the term of three years from tlie 9th day of September next, the expira- 

 tion of the original grant. — Aug. 24. 



Bryan Corcoran, of Mark-lane, in the city of London, merchant, for " im- 

 provements in the grinding of wheat and other substances. — (A comoiuaic*. 

 tion.)— Aug, 25. 



