1844.] 



THE CIVIL ENGINEER AND ARCHITECT'S JOURNAL. 



4G5 



PROCEEDINGS OF SCIENTIFIC SOCIETIES. 



ROYAL ACADEMY. 



On Saturday Dec. 9, being the 75th anniversary from the foundation of 

 the Academy, a general assembly of the Academicians was held at their 

 apartments in Trafalgar-square, for the annual election of officers and other 

 business, amongst which was the ceremony of delivering the prizes to the 

 successful candidates in the various classes of students. The distribution 

 took place in the grand saloon of the Academy, before a very numerous 

 assemblage of royal academicians, artists, and persons of distinction. 



In consequence of the sudden indisposition of the President, Mr. Jones, 

 R.A. (the Keeper of the Academy) took the President's chair, and announced 

 officially and with regret the cause of their accomplished President's absence, 

 which he truly stated they all felt as a great disappointment, but the cause 

 of which he could assure them would not be of long duration. Of course, it 

 fell to his lot as the senior officer to go through the duties of the evening, 

 however unprepared he might be for that purpose. The prizes were fewer 

 this year than on any former biennial distribution, for there was not a single 

 candidate in the first class (historical painting). This incident had, doubtless, 

 arisen from the exertions to get up the cartoons having occupied the time of 

 those who were in a condition to compete for these prizes. The chairman 

 then bestowed the prizes on the following students : — 



Mr. E. B. Stephens, for the best composition in sculpture — The gold 

 medal, and the Discourses of the presidents Reynolds and West. 



Mr. Henry Bayly Garling, for the best architectural design — The gold 

 medal, and the Discourses of the presidents (as above). 



Mr. J. Harwood, for the best copy made in the school of painting — The 

 silver medal, with the Lectures of the professors Barry, Opie, and Fuseli. 



Mr. A. Ranckley, for the next best copy made in the painting school — The 

 silver nv'dal ; but, this student having received a similar medal in 1842, this 

 medal, though adjudged to him, could not be given. 



Mr. A. Solomon, for the best drawing from the living models — The silver 

 medal. There was only one medal given in the class this time. 



Mr. G. Perry, for a drawing of the west wing of Greenwich Hospital — The 

 silver medal. 



Mr. J. E. Millais, for the best drawing from the antique — The silver medal 

 and the Lectures of professors Opie and Fuseli. 



Mr. G. E. Sintzenich for the next best drawing from the antique — The 

 silver medal. 



Mr. J. Engel, for the best model from the antique — The silver medal and 

 the Lectures of professors Opie and Fuseli. 



Mr. A. Gatley, for the next best model from the antique, the silver medal 

 was adjudged, but not bestowed, as he had already (in 1842) received a 

 similar medal. 



Mr. W. Thomas, for the next best model from the antique — The silver 

 medal. 



On the audience retiring, the Academicians proceeded to the election of 

 officers, &c., for the ensuing year, when Sir Martin Archer Shee was unani- 

 mously re-elected President. 



INSTITUTION OF CIVIL ENGINEERS. 



The Council of the Institution of Civil Engineers have awarded the fol- 

 lowing Telford and Walker Premiums, for Papers read during the last 

 session, 1843 : — A Telford medal in silver to F. W. Simms, for his papers 

 " On the application of horse-power to raising water, &c.," and " On brick- 

 making." A Telford medal in silver, to W. Pole, for his papers " On the 

 friction of steam-engines, Sec." and " On the pressure and density of steam 

 &c." A Telford medal in silver to T. Oldham, for his " Description and 

 drawings of the automaton balance, invented by Mr. Cotton, and used at the 

 Bank of England for weighing sovereigns." A Telford premium of hooks to 

 D. Mackain, for his paper " On the supply of water to the city of Glasgow." 

 A Telford Premium of hooks to D. Brimner, for his " Description and draw- 

 ings of the Victoria Bridge over the river Wear." A Telford Premium of 

 books to D. T. Hope, for his paper " On the relative merits of granite and 

 wood pavements, and Macadamized roads." A Walker premium of books to 

 Robert Mallet, for his paper " On the co-efficient of labouring-force in water 

 wheels, &c." A Walker premium of books to W. J. M. Rankin, for his 

 papers and drawings " On laying down railway curves," " On the spring-con- 

 tractor for railway carriages," and " On the causes of the fracture of railway 

 axles, &e." A Walker premium of books to W. L. Baker, for his " Descrip- 

 tion and drawings of the water pressure engine, at the Alte Mordgrube mine, 

 (Freyberg)." A Walker premium of books to S. C. Homersham, for his 

 paper and drawings "On the construction of valves for pumps, &c." A 

 Walker premium of books to J. 0. York, for his paper " On the comparative 

 strength of solid and hollow axles." A Walker premium of hooks to G. D. 

 Bishopp, for his " Description of the American locomotive engine, ' Phila- 

 delphia,' used on the Birmingham and Gloucester Railway," communicated 

 by Captain \V. S. Moorsom. A. Walker premium of books to G. B. W. Jack- 

 son, for the drawings illustrating " The description of machiucs for raising 

 and lowering miners," by John Taylor. 



In the report of the proceedings of the Institution of Civil Engineers, in 

 last month's Journal, p. 427, we stated that we rather suspected Mr. Wick- 

 steed had been misunderstood in his remarks on the Construction of Valves. 

 We have since made inquiries and believe the following statement will be 

 found to contain a correct report of Mr. Wicksteed's observations : — • 



Mr. Wicksteed observed, that with two valves made according to Harvey 

 and West's patent, and fixed in the pump work at Old Ford, each valve being 

 4 feet in diameter, the lower valve rose 4 or 5 inches, while the upper one 

 rose from 1£ io If inches only. The concussion in these valves was much 

 less than in the ordinary valves — that although the wooden faces in the seat 

 of the upper valve, where the lift was so little, had lasted for three years, 

 they would not rjtar.c' in the lower valve, where the lift was greater ; for 

 which latter he considered metal far superior to wood, and he considered 

 metal better for the upper one also ; — he had not found any corrosion atten- 

 dant upon the contact of the two metals. The reason that the lower valve 

 of the pump at Old Ford had not answered so well as the upper valve was 

 owing to the difference in form of the valve boxes ; the lower valve box was 

 of an irregular shape on the plan, while the valve was circular ; in addition to 

 which, the exit pipe branched from the box at a level with the seat of the 

 valve, and this is of even greater importance. The passage of the water 

 therefore through the valve was irregular, a greater quantity passing on one 

 side than on the other, which caused the valve to cant and to wear out the 

 guides ; but on the contrary, in the upper valve, the exit pipe was above the 

 top of the valve, and of a circular form, allowing the water to pass more 

 equally on every side of the valve, and hence the guides were not worn as in 

 the lower valve ; and in the cases of above 40 valves which had been intro- 

 duced by his recommendation into pumps made by Boulton and Watt, and 

 other firms at various dates, the boxes being circular and the delivery pipes 

 above the valve, they had worn as well as the upper valve at Old Ford (and 

 in a commercial point of view it is important to remark that in none of those 

 instances was it necessary to alter the boxes, or pipes connected therewith), 

 he therefore recommended that in all new constructions where these valves 

 were required, the form of the box and the position of the delivery pipe 

 should be carefully attended to. He considered that the form of the double- 

 beat valves, being cylindrical, possessed greater strength, and made the lia- 

 bility to fracture less than in the ring valves, as originally designed by Mr. 

 Homersham, and he considered that the model on the table, which as nearly 

 as possible resembled the form of Messrs. Harvey & West's valves, was a 

 decided improvement ; at the same time, it made it evident that the actual 

 difference between these valves and Messrs. Harvey & West's was the appli- 

 cation of two valves, one placed above the other, instead of one, the advan- 

 tages of which he could not perceive. He at the same time, gave Mr. Ho- 

 mersham great credit for the ability displayed in the paper just read, and 

 thought that if the same talent had been applied to the proper proportioning 

 of Harvey and West's valves to the locality or circumstances in which they 

 were required, he would have effected the good object he had in view at less 

 cost, as there could be no doubt that, if not properly proportioned, the valves 

 could not work so well. 



ROYAL INSTITUTE OF BRITISH ARCHITECTS. 



December 4. — W. The, Esq. v. p., in the Chair. 



A letter was read from C. R. Cockerell, Esq., R. A., giving some account of 

 the Foundations of the Church of St. Bartholomew, near the Bank of Eng- 

 land, removed in 1841, under his direction. The letter was accompanied 

 by a plan, and two elevations of the north and east walls, which ex- 

 plaining the principle of their construction, were of very great interest, 

 as showing the rude, but efficient manner of building adopted by our fore- 

 fathers, as also the masterly judgment and skill with which Sir C. M ren, 

 availed himself of these foundations, in his new structure, after the fire of 

 London. In the east wall, the piers, a swell as those under the pillars of the 

 nave, were formed by digging a pjt, into which a mass of well made concrete, 

 consisting of chalk, fragments of tile, stone, pebbles, and lime, were cast, 

 the surrounding grouud being left undisturbed: this concrete penetrated 

 about one foot into a good stratum of sound gravel. Where arches were 

 required, as in the east and north wall, in order to continue the course of the 

 wall without the expense of so much foundation, the natural soil was left 

 undisturbed, and formed a rude centering from pier to pier, on which the 

 voussoirs of the arches, in chalk, were at once placed. From the springing 

 of the piers, which took the form of the pit into which the concrete was cast, 

 the masonry in chalk and rag, battered on the face, was of a superior kind, the 

 centre however being filled with concrete. The side walls of the church 

 were of a better masonry, with upright faces. The north wall rising with 

 the natural bed of gravel, was found to be inferior to the rest, being often 

 composed of pebbles, or shingles laid in loam instead of mortar. Such was 

 the simple manner of building adopted in the old church, the date of which 

 may have been the 12th or 13th century. But the judgment, skill, and eco- 

 nomy of Sir C. Wren, in the employment of this rude substructure, and 

 erecting upon it a finely proportioned church of the Tuscan order, cannot he 

 sufficiently admired. His argument here, was doubtless the same he cm- 

 ployed at St. Paul's. "If," said he, "these foundations have carried the 

 ancient superstructure without failing, I will take care, by lessening the 

 weight of the new, that they shall suffice for my purpose, and I shall econo- 

 mise all the expense which new foundations would occasion ;" and the sound 



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