Ifi-iG.] 



THE CIVIL ENGINEER AND ARCHITECT'S JOURNAL. 



247 



GLASS TILES. 



John Rosstli, of Eilinbursli, accountant, for " Mnnv/acture of glass 

 tiks." — Giaiiled December 30, 1845 ; Eurolled June 30, 1810. 



This invention relates to making tiles out of sheets or pieces of Rlass ; 

 the pieces iiave two of llieir opposite sides turned up perpendicularly, 

 from half an inch to an inch, lo form flanges, and made in such a manner 

 that the plane or flat part of the glass jhall be wider at the upper enil of 

 the tile than the lower end, so as to allow the lower end of one tile lo lap 

 and lit into the lop of another between the two flannes. These tiles, the 

 inventor stales, may be formed of any shape, suitable for hips, valleys, 

 domes, or anades, and either of staineil, coloured, or opaque glass. The 

 tiles when used are laid on laths nailed on to the rafters, in the usual 

 manner, and the apertures between the flanges are to be filled up wilh 

 putty or any oiher suitable cement, and covered oier with a hollow head 

 of metal or glass, or a thin slip of metal may be fastened lo the rafters 

 and passed up belvveen each tile and thea turned over the flanges on the 

 top. 



The patentee slates that he does n >t claim the mode of shaping or manu- 

 facturing tilt gla^s, but only for the f.irra or shape of the glass and for the 

 purposes of rooliug, as above described. 



ATMOSPHERIC RAILWAYS. 



John Robi;rt Johnson, of Alfred place, Blaclifriars, in the connty of 

 Surrey, chemist, for ^' Imjirovemeiits in the nutttriuts emiihijid in constriut- 

 ing and tvofking almusiiheric railivuijs." — Granted December 0, 1845; 

 Enrolled .lune 0, 184C. 



This invention relates, first, to a new composition for sealing the longi- 

 tudinal vaUes of aimospheiic railway tubes. It is made by adding to 

 various mixtures of resinous, oily, and bituminous substances, dry clay, 

 ochre, and chalk, in powder, as much as will make the composition of the 

 proper confistency ; the following mixture is preferred and found to suc- 

 ceed : 1 part palm oil, 2 parts brown resin, and 4 parts china clay, in fine 

 powder. Insoluble soaps, prepared by a combination of fat and an oxide 

 or earth with oily or resinous substances, may answer the same puipose. 



The second improvement is a composition for lubricating the interior of 

 the traction tubes, made by mixing with fat or oil, and resin or pilch, a 

 quantity of earihy malter, as before described ; the following proporlions 

 are recommended : 7 parts rrsin, 4 parts slearine, 4 parts tallow, and 12 

 parts clay. 



The third improvement is for making fabrics impervious to air and 

 moisture with elastic varnish, for the purpose of using them instead of 

 leather for the longitudinal valves. The fabric may be made eillier of cot- 

 ton, flax, hemp, or wool, in the form of a belt, of the breadth and thicKness 

 required. The varnish must be such that oils or fats will not act upon it 

 when dry, and it must possess sufKcient elasticity to bear the bending re^ 

 suiting from its use; linseed or nut-oil is pre:erred, particulaily boiled 

 linseed oil, v\hich is made to penetrate the fabric by healing the oil to 250°, 

 and immersing it therein until the air and vapour is expelled from tbf in- 

 terstices of the fabric. The fabric is then passed between a pair of iron 

 rollers, to squeeze out the superfluous oil, and dried in a warm room, and 

 afterwards again passed through oil healed to 200% and also between the 

 rollers, and dried. Ihe operations are repeated until the interstices are 

 filled by the successive (oats of varnish and the fibres cemented together 

 into one mass. To remove the inequalities, if any, on the surface, pumice 

 Btone must be used, after which a finishing coat of varnish is to be ap- 

 plied. 



The fourth and last improvement is for constructing the traction lubes of 

 materials not before used for that purpose, such as calcareous cement, 

 Keene's cement, Roman cement, and the like, which can be cast in the 

 form desired, and do not require burning. The cement may be mixed 

 ■with sand or fine gravel and r.immed into moulds of the form required. 

 The patentee prefers to form the pipes by the aid of an apparatus made 

 with a cylindrical case and a hollow core for forming the inside of the 

 pipe. When the tubes are dry and seasoned they are rendered impervious 

 lo air and moisture, by causing the cement to absoib coal-tar, which has 

 had its more vol^ttile portions separated by distillation. 



STEAM ENGINES AND PROPELLERS. 



John Penn, of Greenwich, engineer and manufarturer of steam engines, 

 William Hartrlb, the younger, and John Matthew, of Greenwich, en- 

 gineers, for " the inventton of certain improvements in steam engines and 

 machinery fur ]iro]jelling vesstls, which irnvrcvements are also appltcable lor 

 »lher purposes.'— Gianieil December 25, 1845; Enrolled June 25, 1846. — 

 Reported in the Patent Journal. (6'ee Engraving, Plate XUi ) 



These improvements in steam engines relate to a certain mode heretofore 

 invented, of making the piston rod of steam engines of enlarged iize, and 

 hollow, like a tube, to admit a long connecting rod to be received within the 

 hoUon of the piston rod, for transmitting the force and motion of the piston 

 to the revolviii:: crank on ilie axis, which is to be turned round by the force 

 of the steam cnfine, likeibe direct acting steam engines, the said connecting 

 rod being jointed to the piston at that end of the rod which is fuitiiist with- 

 in the said hollow of ihe pinion rod (and which for distinction may be Icriu- 



ed its inner end), and the other (which may be termed the enter end, because 

 that end extends out from tlie said hollow beyond the hollow end of the 

 piston rod) being jointed upon the crank pin of the revolving crtnk, so as to 

 operate ly direct action for turning the crank ami axis thereof round. The 

 said hollow within the piston rod is sufficiently wide for permitting the 

 vibration of the connecting rod, without touching the inside of the hollow, 

 so that the connecting rod liciiig moved round with continuous onward mo- 

 tion in the circumference described by the crank pin, the joint at the inner 

 end of the connecting rod will move with alternating motion in a line which 

 is central with the line of the piston roil, the said joint being guided in the 

 said line by the sliding motion of the hollow piston rod, thrcugh its stuffing 

 box in the cylinder covers, as the mution of the crank piu in the circumfe- 

 rence of its orhit will occasion a very considerable extent of vibration of the 

 connecting rod within the hollow of the piston rod, which is of so large size 

 externally, in order to have sufficient hollow to allow its vibration without 

 touching. The large size of the hollow piston rod deducts materially from 

 the surface of the piston against which the steam is to act for impelling the 

 piston in that direction which will move the large hollow pi^lnn rod (through 

 its stuffing boxes in the cylinder covers) into the interior of the cylinder ; 

 consequently the piston will lie impelled with less force than if the rod were 

 small, or of proper size to such piston. But, on the other hand, steam will 

 operate against the whole area of the piston, without any such deductiou 

 therefrom, when steam operates for impelling the piston in a contrary direc- 

 tion to that already said, or in that direction which will move the large hol- 

 low piston rod (through its stuffing box), out of the interior of the cylinder. 

 Hence, the piston of a direct-acting steam engine, with large hollow piston 

 rod as afonsaid, will move by the steam with more velocity in one direction 

 (luring one half of the stroke, than in a contrary direction during the other 

 half of the stroke. And to avoid any unnecessary size of the hollow piston 

 rod, the same (instead of being of cylindrical form and circumference in its 

 transverse section), has been made oblong in its transverse section, having 

 two flat sides and two semicircular ends, so that the lengthway or oblong 

 should allow as ninth room within the hollow of the connecting rod as re- 

 quired for the performing of its vibrations, hut in breadthnay the oblong 

 hollow being no wider between the two flat sides than necessary fur admit- 

 ting the connecti.ig rod to move freely. The stufbiig box in the cylinder- 

 cover was adapted to the oblong form of the said hullow piston rod. In 

 direct acting steam engines, with such oblong flattened form of hollow piston 

 rod, have been called trunk engines, and were subject of patent granted to 

 Francis Humphreys, fur England. 2Slli March, 1835.* Our improvement in 

 steam engines of the aforesaid descriptiun, consists in extending the afore- 

 said hollow piston rod or trunk each way from the piston, instead of merely 

 on one side as heretofore. And with that improvement, the suiface against 

 which steam will operate for impelling the piston, will be the same when 

 impelled in one direction as the other. Also, the guidance of the piston in 

 its alternating rectilinear motion within the cylinder, will be rendered more 

 complete in consequence of llie said prolonged hollow piston rod passing 

 through the stuffing boxes at both ends of the cylinder. Also, the joint at 

 the inner end of the long link or connecting rod, is rendered more accessible 

 than heretofore. Fig. 1, is a horizijiital section of an engine constructed ac- 

 cording to this part of our impruvcments ; a a, is the steam cylinder ; 6 b 

 the steam piston lifted ii to the cylinder, and moving up and down therein; 

 e c, the hollow piston rod or trunk, fastened to the piston, and moving 

 therewith ; dd, the end of the cylinder ; and E E, the cylinder cover, having 

 the stuffing box, e e, at the centre pait of it for hollow piston rod, c c, to 

 pass through ; y is the long link or connecting rod, jointed at its inner end 

 U|)on a pin, A, at the centre of the piston, and jointed at its outer end upon 

 the crank pin, B, of the revolving end of the crank, G, which is on the main 

 revolving axis of the steam engine; ; i, is the frame-work for sustaining the 

 said axis. The hollow piston rod may be either of cylindrical or oblong 

 form, as aforesaid, but must be truly prismatic. In the motion of the en- 

 gine, the centre of the joint-pin. A, at the inner end of the connecting rod, 

 will move along the cylinder with an alternating rectilinear motion, whilst 

 the centre of the crank pin, B, at the outer end of the said rod,/) is moved 

 onwards around, in the circle described by the crank pin with a continuous 

 rotary motion, and during such motion the connecting rody will require to 

 vibrate from the direction ol the central line of cylinder to the extent of the 

 internal diameter of the piston rod, with alternate deviation on opposite 

 sides. The hollow within the hollow piston rod c c, is sufficiently large to 

 permit of such extent of vibration of connecting rodyon either side. Ihns 

 far this engine is the same as other trunk engines, or hollow piston rod en- 

 gines ; hut fig. 1 show tlie hollow piston rod c, c to he prolonged at 1, 1, 

 Irom opposite side of the piston b, b to that side thereof from which the 

 aforesaid part c, c proceeds; the prolonged part 1, 1 passing through, and 

 being fitted with a stuffing box 2, 2, at the centre part of end, d, d, ot cylin- 

 der, and the part 1, 1 being a continuation of the part c, c, which, together 

 with the said part 1, 1, forms a long hollow piston rod, c, c, having piston 

 b, b fastened to it at or near the middle of such rod, and the said long hol- 

 low rod c, c, being cuided by both stufling boxes at e, e and 2, 2; the piston 

 A is thereby securely retained in a proper position at the centre of the cylin- 

 der when moving with its altrrnating motion therein, without any undut 

 rubbing with more force at one side than the other of the inside ot the ey- 

 hnder; and the sa d lung hollow rod c, c bring open at the end of the pro- 

 longed part 1, 1, the joint of the inner end of the connecting rody upon 



* See C, E. and A. JounuU, vol. 3, 1840, page 142. 



