18^6. 



THE CIVIL ENGINEER AND ARCHITECTS JOURNAL. 



231 



when the apparatus is suitably sealed, it may be applied to submarine 

 ligliting, and lo tlie illumination of plitces where it is necessary to guard 

 against ibe inflammation of hiRlily combustible or explosive compounds, as 

 in powder magazines, mines, &;c. When the current is of sufficient inten- 

 sity, two or mure lights may be made in the same circuit; care being 

 taken to regulate the power, by increasing or diminishing the number of 

 »rmalures (if a magneto-electric machine be employed), or the number of 

 celU (if a voltaic battery be used), so ihat the united resistance of the 

 •trips of platinum or carbon shall be sufficient to preveut the passage of 

 such a quantity of electricity as would destroy them. 



The patentee riaims the application of continuous metallic and carbon 

 conductors, intensely heated by the passage of a suitably regulated current 

 of electricity, to the purposes of illumination, as above described. 



SHIP PROPELLERS. 



Thomas Samuel Parlour, of Park-road, Holloway, in the county of 

 Middlesex, geutieman, for •• improvements in jiriipelling tesseU.'' — Granted 

 November 20, 1S45 j Enrolled iMay 20, IHJO. 



Fig. 1. Fig. i. 



The improvements relate to the form of the propeller, fig. 1 Is a side view, 

 gnd fig. 2, a vertical section of the propeller. '■ The propeller is formed by 

 taking a hollow cone, of sudicient thickness, and cutting it through the 

 vertex at right angles to the plane of its base, so that the two parts may be 

 equal ; these are alfiied to arms, as represented in the drawing ; and these 

 arms are affixed to a boss; which boss has a hole through it, for ihe pur- 

 pose of securing it to the shaft. The number of half cones forming the pro- 

 peller may vary. The au,:le also of the vei lex of the cone may vary ; but 

 the most satisfactory results have hitherto been obtained by taking a half- 

 cone, whose angle at the plane of the base was thirty-two degrees, liy 

 extending the surface of the half-cone, a greater propelling surface is ob- 

 tained. 



FIRE ENGINES. 



John White, of Salford, Lancaster, engineer, for " certain improre- 

 ments in engines, machinery, or apparatus for raising and forcing water." 

 Granted Nov. 27, Iti45; Enrolled May 27, 1846. 



This invention is for certain improvements in engines commonly called 

 Bre-engiues, the object of the inventor being to construct such apparatus 

 with a greater number of pumps of considerably less calibre than those 

 hitherto employed. The mode of arranging the pumps according to this 

 invention is shown at fig. 1, which represents a plan of a fire engine ; a a 

 is the edge of a circular tank or reservoir, from which the pumps are sup- 

 plied. This lank is mounted upon wheels in the ordinary manner, to fa- 

 cilitate its removal from place to place; bb are force-pumps, twelve in 

 cumber, each of which is worked with a separate handle c, moving upon 

 a fulcrum or fixed axis at c'. In the drawing only one handle is shown, 

 which is sufficient to explain the construction of Ihe engine, as each of Ihe 



flumps are worked in the same manner, namely with a separate handle or 

 ever. The several pumps discharge their contents into the air-vessel d, 

 which is fixed in the centre of the machine, and over the air-vessel there 

 is fixed a platform for the firemen to stand upon. We have not thought it 

 necessary to give a sectional elevation of the machine, as it will be evident 

 that each of the pumps must be provided with two valves and a channel 

 or passage leading to the air-vessel and are the same in construction as 

 ordinary force pumps. 



The advantages of a fire engine constructed as above are stated to be, 

 that the engine can be worked before a sufficient quantity of men arrive, 

 Ihat is to say, it can be partially worked; another advantage is stated lo 

 t>e that it will be easy tu detect those men who are not doing their dut) ; 



also, a greater pressure per square inch will be obtained upon th* sorfttoe 

 of the water; and lastly, Ihe pumps may be worked alternately, whereby 

 a mure regular supply of water will be obtained. 



Fig. I. 



Fig. J. 



Another part of this invention consists in the construction of air-veaselg 

 for regulaling the flow of water through the pipe. Fig. 2 shows a sectional 

 elevation of one of these improved vessels, in which a u represents the 

 vessel, on the top of which there is a perforated plate A, and on the lop of 

 this plate there is stretched a piece of vulcanized india-rubber c ; d is an 

 hemispherical vessel forming a cover to the whole, which are firmly bolted 

 together; within this last vessel the inventor proposes to compress atmos- 

 pheric air to about two atmospheres, or thirty pounds, which forms a re- 

 sistance or elastic cushion for the water to press against. By this ar- 

 rangement it will be seen that the water in the aforesaid vessel does not 

 mix with the air ; Ihe consequence of which is, that the air cannot pass off 

 from the vessel through the pipe and form the crackling noise which is so 

 frequently heard when working engines of the ordinary construction, llx 

 air in the air-vessel being kept entirely distinct from the water. 



GAS BURNERS. 



John Lesslie, of Conduit-street, Hanover-square, tailor, for " Imprure- 

 ments in the ctmbustion of gas." Granted, Dec. 4, 184S ; Enrolled, Juua 

 4, I84C. 



This invention is for certain improvement' 

 in the construction of gas burners, the object 

 being to obtain a greater supply of atmoi<- 

 pheric air for the more perfect combostion of 

 : the gas. The peculiar form or construction 

 of this improved burner will be clearly seen 

 on referring to the annexed drawing, in 

 which fig. 1 shows a sectional elevation of 

 the burner and glass, and fig. 2 is u plan view 

 of the burner, the glass being removed, a a 

 is a circular tube, having a branch pii>e t 

 for the purpose of fixing the burner ou the 

 supply or gas pipe ; c is the glass, wliich 

 the inventor prefers to be of the form sLovvq 

 in Ihe drawing; on the top side of the circu. 



Fig. 1. 



lar tube, a a, is fixed a number of small bent tnbet **t, throagfa wkieh 

 Ihe gas passes, the point of ignit-iou being at /, just t>elow the prujevting 

 or bent part of the glass, as shown in the drawing. 



