1846.] 



THE CIVIL ENGINEEERAND ARCHITECTS JOURNAL 



G3 



flames to each side of the retorts, and heating them by reflection from llie 

 roof n, of ihe furnace, composed of fire-brick, j, is a vessel contain in;; 

 ■water, to protect the flre-bars k, from the destructive action of Ihe fire, and 

 by the steam arising therefrom to increase the combustion of the fuel. 



The mode of working wilh this apparatus is as follows : — The covers of 

 the purifying relorts are first secured and carefully luted ; the retort b, is 

 nearly filled with coke or charcoal, and its cover secured and luted ; a fire 

 is then lighted in the furnace, to bring the retort n, and purifyiug retorls 

 to a cherry-red heat, and the water retort h, lo a hriglit red heat ; and 

 when this heat is attained, the retort n, is charged with coal, and water is 

 admitted, in small quantities, into the retort h. The action of the heat 

 upon the coal disengages gas mixed witli tar, which passes iuto the first 

 purifying retort, and the sulphuretted hydrogen contained tlfereiu is de- 

 composed by the coil of incandescent iron; at ihe same lime the tar under- 

 going a second distillation is converted into gas, and mixes with that 

 coming direct from the coal. The gas, which is now mure dense from its 

 combination with the carbon contained in tlie tar, proceeds aloni- the 

 purifying retort, until it arrives at the retort h, where it mixes with the hy- 

 drogen resulting from the decomposition of tlie water by the incandescent 

 coke or charcoal, and passes into the second purifying retort, c, carryinf 

 with it the carburetted vapours and volatile oils which may have escaped 

 decomposition, but which, in tlieir course along the retort t. become de- 

 composed by the heated coil of iron, and give out their carbon to the 

 hydrogen. By this means the hydrogen becomes carburetted without im- 

 poverishiug the other gas. The gas then proceeds llirough the pipe c to 

 the cooling apparatus/, and tlicnce through the pipe /i, to the gasometer. 

 Instead of coal, resins, schistus, oils, fats, and similar substances, may be 

 distilled in this apparatus ; and, provided the punfying retorts, with the 

 coils of iron, are retained, the gas may be distilled and purified at one 

 operation, without the employment of a water retort. 



MANUFACTURE OF TILES. 



Richard WELLF.R,of Cape), near Dorking, Brick and Tile manufacturer. 



for " Impruvemeiits in the manufacture of drain and other tiles and jiipex." ■ 



Granted March 27,1815 ; Enrolled Sept. 27,184a.— (TFii/i ok Engruving.) 

 — Reported in the Rcpertorij. 



We gave a brief description of this invention last Dec, which for want 

 of drawings was not properly understood, we now give another description 

 with reference to the drawings, which will make the invention intelligible.' 

 The invention consists of improvei;ients in arranging and constructing 

 machinery for facilitating the making of drain, and other tiles and 

 pipes. 



Description of the Drawing. — Fig. 1, is a side view of a machine, con- 

 structed and arranged according to this invention. Fig. 2, is an end view ; 

 and, Fig. 3, is a plan of the machine ; and the other figui-es of the drawing 

 show details ; and in all the figures, the same letters are used to indicate 

 the same parts of the machinery, a, o, is the framing of the machine, 

 the nature of which will readily be traced on examining the va- 

 ' Jious figures of the drawings. The machine is mounted on four wheels, 

 to_ facilitate the transport thereof from place toplace. b, b, are tw-o vessels, 

 witliin which work pistons, for expressing the clay through dies or mould- 

 ing orifices at the outer ends of the vessels, 6, b, and the machinery is so 

 arranged, that when one of the vessels h, is having the clay expressed 

 therefrom through the monldiug orifice or die, affixed thereto, the other 

 ■vessel, b, is brought into a position for allowing the same to be tiiied with 

 •clay. The vessels, b, are of a cylindrical form at their upper pai ts, and 

 flat at the under parts, which will be found to be a very convenient form, 

 particularly when making half cylinders, or bent tiles of large diameter, 

 compared w ith tlie diameter of the vessel.', 6; and, although it is believed that 

 it is better to have somewhat more than half a cylinder as shown, yet the 

 shape may be varied, so long as the sectitinarfigure of the vessels b, be 

 coDiposedof acurve and a straight or horizontal line. The vessels i, 6, 

 are mounted on necks or trunnions, so that they may move in bearings, in 

 such manner as to assume at one time a horizontal, and at another, a° ver- 

 tical position, by which, when either of the vessels b, has been emptied by 

 Its piston or plunger, it may be turned in a position to be again filled. 

 c, c, are the two pistons or plungers, which respectively work in the two 

 vessels h, b. These pistons are fixed to the two ends of the bar, rf, which 

 js supported, and slides in a suitable bearing in the bridge, e. On the 

 tinder surface of the bar, d, is formed or affixed a toothed rack, which is 

 worked by means of the pinion,/, on the axis, g, such axis receiviu' mo- 

 tion, by means af a lever hereafter described. In each of the pistons is 

 an opening, over which is placed a flap or valve, A, which allows of the 

 air passing between the piston and the clay, when the piston is drawn back, 

 and thus is the drawing back of tlie piston facilitated. On the upper 

 surface of the bar, d, are formed four rows of ratchet teeth, two rows bemf 

 formed so as to receive the catches or stops, i, which will retain the band 

 from going back in one direction, the other two rows of teeth being formed 

 or cut in an opposite direction, so as to receive the two catches or stops, j, 

 to retain the bar, d, from moving back when working in Ihe other direction ; 

 and the object of thus stopping the bar, <;, is, that the piston which is in 

 work, may not be driven back by the air which may have been compressed 

 between the piston and the clay, %vheu the lever, m, is put back, in order 

 to make another stroke. The two sets of catches or stops, i,j, are con- 

 nected together as shown, so that, by moving the lever, k, those stops or 

 catches wluch have been in action are moved out of action, and those which 



are out of action, are brought into action. By this arrangement the bar 

 will be held from returning, in whichever wav it may be workiu- ■ and 

 when the piston at the end of the bar, d, has been forced up to the''e'iid of 

 Its stroke, the lever, k, is reversed, which will change the positions of the 

 catches or slops, i and.;, and then the bar, (/, may be reversed in its di- 

 rection of movement, which will, by the other piston, force out the clay 

 from the other vessel, b, and allow the vessel, l>, which has just beeii 

 emptied, to be moved in its axis or trunnions, so as to assume a vertical 

 position, rn order again to be filled with clay. I, I, are catches which re- 

 tain the vessels, b, in the horizontal or in the vertical position. It may be 

 remarked, thai although the vessels, b, I,, are preferred when mounted on 

 axes to be of the form shown and dcscribe<l, yet this part of my in- 

 vention is equally applicable to vessels of a cylindrical or other shape 

 from whicli clay is forced by pistons or plungers, through moulding- orifices' 

 or dies, to make tiles or pipes ; for such vessels may, with equal advan- 

 tage, be mounted on axes or trunuions. The moulding orifices are formed 

 m Ihe said covers of the vessels, i, and are as heretofore, suitable for 

 making tiles of diUereut forms or pipes, and are well understood, and 

 therefore do not require to be described in this specification. The bar 

 d, IS moved to and fro by means of the lever, in, which gives motion to the 

 axis,/, first ill one direction, then in the other, in the following manner-— 

 n, IS a ratchet-wheel fixed on the axis,/: this ratchet wheel has two sets 

 of teeth cut in opposite directions, and the lever, m, (the nature of which is 

 clearly shown in the drawing,) has the drivers o. p, so that when the lever- 

 handle, m, IS on one side the axis, it will, on being raised and lowered 

 cause the wheel, n, and consequently the axis,/, to move round, which 

 action will be continued till the pision (in action) has completed its stroke 

 when the small lever, k, is to be moved over, which will reverse the stops 

 or catches, when the lever, m, may be moved over lo the other side of the 

 axis,y, when the working of the lever, m, up and down, will cause the 

 axis,/, to be moved in the opposite direction, and by the other piston 

 it will force out the clay from the other vessel, 6, allowing time for the 

 empty vessel, i, to be filled agaiu with clay. The tiles, as they are forced 

 out, are received on suilable "horses" as heretofore ; and they are cut ofi' 

 by means of the wires, rj, carried by the sliding frame, r ; and when the 

 tiles are to be punched with holes, such as flat tiles for roofiug purposes, a 

 suitable punch is applied, s, to the frame, )■, so that in causing the frame 

 lo descend, a tile will be cut off, and punched at the same time" 



ISISCB&iZiA^ s1£l. 



An interesting experiment took place at Portsmoiith on the 13th Jan 

 off the Excellent, Captain Cliads, on tiie most speedy and efficacious modi of deetl-oyiiiK ■ 

 boom, whicli miglit impede tile Jirogress of boat squadrons in narrow rivers, ns in the 

 case of tne receot attack on tile pirates of Borneo by tlie squadron under Kear-Admiral 

 hir Ihomas Cochrane. The ijrst esperiment toolc place ou tile Olh, but was on a 

 smaller scale tlian the pre5e-.it, consequently was not so convincinsr or successful in its 

 results. On thi: present occasion two li.ne-of-battle sidps' tower masts were tak-en ;rom 

 tne old mast pond and moored at a short dislauce from the Esceiient. Six turns of 

 small chain lashing secured the two spavs in the centre ; the ends of tb' spars were 

 secured by two half hitches of cliaiu, and f.vo parts of tlie chain cable ran kong the 

 spare, and nvre secured in the same manner round tiie ojiposite ext-eme. The spars 

 hemg thus secured, as if at the enti-ance or a river or creek, to prevent intrusion the 

 operations now commenced to dislodge them :— A breaker, containing alilli. of eun- 

 powdcr, was brought to the spot : at one end were eii;ht inches of port-lire passed info it 

 over which was secured a copper tube made perlec'tly water tight, and two threads of 

 quick match being attached to the upper end of the port-fire, and the opposite extreme 

 brought through to the mouth of tlie tube above the water, they were ignited and the 

 breaker being thereupon hauled and secured immecdately under the spars, a sufficienc" 

 of time (eight minutes) was provided for the boat to get clear of the ma«s before the lort'. 

 hie readied the powder, which it did in the time above mentioned, when a Iromendous 

 explosion took place. On examining tile spars and their fastenings a.' terwards the fol- 

 lowing was the result :— 14 feet out of tlie centre of both spars were shivered into atoms 

 with one of the chain bashings blown up with th« timbers. The same e.tiieriraent was 

 afterwards repealed upon llie shorter end of the obstrui-tion, under the part^ of the chain 

 cable, the result of wliich was that the whole of the spars was lilown to pieces. These 

 experknenls were highly snccesslul and salisfactory. On tlie following morning a fur- 

 ther experiment was made upon the two long ends of the same spais, with the chaii- 

 cable wound round them, and a hemp (IB-inch) cible hove "taut" in the intervalt, 

 the rest of the arrangements being the same as yesterday, except tlie qnar.uty of 

 powder, Ill'lb. being used lo-day. The result w.is the total demoHtion of both spars, 

 the chain cable was thrown to Ih" bottom, and the hempen one blown away. Thus the 

 success of the experiments is most unqualified and important. They were performed at 

 the desire of Lord Ellenborough, who had expressed to Captain Chads, in a letter, his 

 opmion upon the importance of naval officeia becoming acquainted with the safest and 

 most speedy method of removing such obstruclions as those ollorcd to the China squad- 

 ron on the late occasion of the conlliot with the pirates in ttw Malvodo river. Captain 

 Chads personally superintended the operations of the respective experiments, and which 

 were executed by Lieutenant Robert Jenuer, gunnery iieutenaiit to the Excellent, in a 

 manner highly creditable to the talents and ingenuity of that officer. 



DiFFEKENCt; OF TiME. — In the streets of Brussels there may now be 

 seen in the windows of the clockmakers' shops lar^e mahogany clocks with the following- 

 mscription, "Railway time." It appears that it is owing to the care of the directors 

 that these clocks have been exposed, in order to facilitate the arrival of travellers at the 

 ditterent times of departure. — "L'OIiservatenr." 



An AniEp.icAN Manufacturisg Citv. — The tm manufacturing compa- 

 nies of Lovveil consume annually 12.UU0 tons of coal, 3,1171.' cords of r.ood, 72,.'j49 gallons 

 of sperm, and Ul,(lll(l of other oil. Of the whole population of Lowell, (1,320 lemaies. 

 and 2,915 males, together 9,2;l5, are employed ns operatives, either in the mills or con- 

 nected .vith other mechanical employments. There are 33 mills and about 5J0 houses 

 belonging to the corporations. The capital invested in manufacturing and mechanical 

 enterprises is PJ.OOO.OOO dollars. There are made in Lowell every week l,.I.51).15ll yards 

 of cloth, or 7'5.86pI,0U0 yards per year. The cotton worked up every year is (11,101} bales. 

 The printed calicoes made annually amount to U,OOl',(lllO yards, the payment annul 

 ally amounts to more than l,500,oilO dollars, and the annual piofit of this immense 

 business has been estimated at the same amount, or at about 124 per cent- *• tjlobe," 



