1848.3 



THE CIVIL ENGINEER AND ARCHITECTS JOURNAL. 



SLAILWAV RAILS. 



""Mosis Pools, of Lincoln's-inn, in the county of Middlesex, gent lem»n, 

 for "improvements in rails for railiaays." (A communication.) — Granted 

 October 6, 1845 ; EnroUed April 6, 1846. 



The invention consists in so constructing 

 rails for railways, that the wheels of the 

 locomotive engines may run on wood, and 

 the wheels of the railway carriages may 

 run on metal, as shown in the annexed 

 figure ; 'a is a rail of wood armed with 

 iron i, on the inner edge, c the wheel 

 of a locomotive, and d the wheel of a car- 

 riage. The wheels of the locomotive en- 

 gine being thus removed from off the metal 

 rail will not be so liable to slip, particularly 

 in damp weather, as has been heretofore 

 the case, when the locomotive engines and 

 railvvay carriages of the train all run on the 

 aame metal rails. 



STEERING APPARATUS. 



KoBERT Clark, ship's painter, and Alexander Pirnie, ship's smith, 

 both of Newburgh, Fifeshire, for '^Improvements in steering vessels." — 

 Granted October 2, 1845 ; Enrolled April 2, 1846. 



The improvements relate to an apparatus arranged as shown in the an- 

 nexed engrayings. Fig. 1 is a side view, and fig. 2 a plan, a is the steering 



Pig. J. 



Fig. 2. 



wheel fixed on one end of an axis *, on the other end is a chain wheel c, 

 which by means of a chain transfers the motion to another small chain 

 wheel d, fixed on an axis e, with an endless screw /, that takes into the sec- 

 tion «■ fined on the head of the rudder. The axis e turns on bearings, which 

 are formed with cork or other elastic substance placed at the ends, so that 

 any sudden movement of the axis endwise would be counteracted by the 

 elastic packings. For the purpose of keeping the chain at all times tight, 

 the standards carrying the bearings of the axis 6 are made to rise or fall. 



gas apparatus. 



Hbmrt Baucis, of Wardour-street, London, civii engineer, for " Im - 

 pronementi in the marm/acture of Gas," — Granted Oct. 9,1815 ; Enrolled 

 April 9, 1846. 



The apparatus consists of an ordinary retort, supported on a perforated 

 tile fixed over a furnace ; the openings in the tile allow the heat to pass 

 freely to the retort, and at the same time form a complete support. This 

 tile constitutes the first claim for improvements; the second claim consists 

 in the mode of fastening the door to the retort ; this door is made with in- 

 clined surfaces on the rim, and is ground to the mouth piece, so that when 

 the door is pressed close by means of a key that turns it slightly round under 

 fixed lugs, it will be gas tight. The gas, as it is made in the retort, ascends 

 by a pipe in the front, and enters into a hydraulic main or vessel placed 

 within a larger vessel fixed on the top of the brick-work over the retort ; 

 the larger or outer vesstl receives the tar and ammoniacal liquor as it flows 

 over from the inner compartment, and at the same time forms the tank for 

 those materials. It is the combination of this apparatus in one vessel that 

 constitutes the third improvement claimed. The gas passes from this inner 

 vessel or hydraulic main by a pipe to a condenser, consisting of a coil of 

 pipe or worm placed in the tank of the gasometer ; by these means, only 

 one vessel of water is used instead of two apparatus, as heretofore, for the 

 condenser and gasometer ; this constitutes the fourth claim. After the gas 

 has passed through the vjorm condenser, it then passes into the purifying ap- 

 paratus, consisting of a vessel divided into two compartments, and so ar- 

 ranged that w et and dry lime purifying can be adopted in the same vessel ; 

 this combination forms the fifth claim. From this vessel the gas passes back 

 into the gasometer, and thence to the burners. To prevent the pressure of 

 gu in the gasometer blowing up any part of the apparatas, there is a cbatB 



fixed to the inside of the top of the gasometer, and at the other end of the 

 chain there is an inverted cap, which closes the orifice of a pipe standing op 

 in the lower part of the gasometer ; the upper part of the pipe just emerges 

 above the water, so that when the cap is down it enters the water and forms 

 a water valve ; when the gasometer rises beyond a certain point, the cap is 

 lifted off the pipe and allows the gas to escape down it and pass away to a 

 distance. This valve forms the sixth claim. 



II 



chimney FOTg. 



George Ewart, of New Road, Middlesex, zinc manufacturer and plonber, 



for " certain improvements in the mantifaeture of chimney pott." Grant«t 



November 2, 1845 ; Enrolled May 2, 1846. 



The following is very nearly word for word of the specification of this ia- 

 vention, which is said to " consist in constructing chimney pots in such man- 

 ner that each pot consists of a double tube, one portion sliding upon the 

 other, and capable of being fixed to any desired height by the aid of thumb 

 screws and nuts, or other convenient means." The pots may be constructed 

 of zinc or other suitable material. The advantages arising from the applica- 

 tion of these improved chimney pots are stated to be very great, inasmuch 

 as it gives the povver of increasing the draught of the chimney by increasing 

 the height. The inventor claims the constructing of chimney pots to slide 

 one upon another in the manner described. 



ship building. 

 James Boydell, Jun., of Oak Farm Works, near Dudley, iron master, 

 for " improvements in building ships and other vessels." — Granted NoTember 

 17, 1845; Enrolled May 17, 1846. 



The first part of this invention relates to a mode of building ships and 

 other vessels with iron and wood, and secondly, to building vessels with 

 iron. Fig. 1 shows a sectional plan of portion of the side of a vessel con- 

 structed according to the first part of this invention, in which a a represents 

 the iron ribs of the vessel, on the inner edges of which is firmly fixed, by 

 means of rivets, plates of iron 4 4; c c is the planking forming the sides of 

 the vessel which is afterwards covered with copper in the ordinary manner 



Pig. I. 





s'mSTR 



^ ^-■^.■M.-t-'.VioJJ-V^ssv^sskl.,^ 



the space between the planking c c, and plates of iron 4 4, is filled np wiili 

 timber marked with the letters d. d, tlie grain of such pieces of timber o» 

 planks being in a direction fore and aft of the vessel. Fig. 2 shows a sec- 

 tional plan of portion of the side of a vessel constructed according to the 

 second part of this invention, in which e represents plates forming the sides 

 of the vessel, /one of the ribs of the vessel having a groove throughout its 

 entire length. The edges or ends of the plates are bent at right angles so 

 as to enter the groove, and are secured therein by means of a wedge-formed 

 bar g, the whole being firmly held together by means of keys i, which pus 

 through holes in the rib, edges of the plate, and bar or wedge, as shown itt 

 dotted lines. 



atmospheric engines. 



Joseph Richard Atha, of Walton, near Wakefield, of Yorkshire, engi- 

 neer, for " improvements in atmospheric engines." — Granted November 4, 

 1845 ; Enrolled May 4, 1846. 



This invention consists in the application of wind power, as the first mover 

 in the following manner. Four or more sails are to be attached to a shaft, 

 which shaft is intended to give motion to two force pumps for the purpose of 

 compressing atmospheric air into a large vessel or vessels, denominated re- 

 ceivers, which may be provided with a safety valve for preventing accident. 

 From this vessel there is to be a pipe leading to a minor receiver fixed npoa 

 the carriage of a locomotive, the pipe to be capable of being connected and 

 disconnected at pleasure, for the purpose of filling the minor receivers, and 

 from which receivers the compressed air is to be admitted into the working 

 cylinders of an ordinary locomotive instead of steam. The speciScation is 

 not accompanied with any drawings to show how the above is to be carried 

 into effect. 



