30 



THE CIVIL ENGINEER AND ARCHITECTS JOURNAL. 



[January, 



superior tiensily arc reinjireil. some of the alknline earths (Ijarytcs for in- 

 stance) are employed. The aciil conslilueni is obtained by usinf; sulphur or 

 sulphuric aciil in combination with other matters, as pyrites and mineral 

 sulphates, or seme solid substance containing both an acid and an alkali, as 

 alum. &c. In tliis case it is necessary so to rcRulale the acid and alkaline 

 proportions, that they shall always exactly neutralize each other. The aeiil 

 and alkaline matter beinp; provided in any of these ways, is to be mixed with 

 gypsum, or lime-stone, or chalk, in the following proportion : to anv given 

 <pi;intity of either of the foregoing or similar substances, ad'l ns much solid 

 alkali and acid as that for every part by weight of alkali fof the strength of 

 the best American pearlasb) there shall be about LW parts of the gypsum. 

 &c., or of the gypsum and lime combined in ecpial proportions. These ma- 

 terials are then to be ground together into a fine .-ind well-mixed powder, 

 which is to be first dried and afterwards calcineil in suitable revolving cy- 

 linders. By the second improvement, cenunt may be formed by combining 

 gypsum and lime with a third substance containing or producing an acid ; or 

 by combining gypsum and lime alone, without the .addition of any third sub- 

 stance either ol an arid or alkaline (juality. 1. About two parts by weight 

 of gypsum are to be mixed with one part of lime, and for every 100 p,arts of 

 lime or thereabouts, there is to be added one part of sul|)liur, or of some 

 substance from which acid is produced, regulating its i]ua:ility according to 

 its superior or inferior aeid-producing qualities. 2. To make a cement from 

 gypsum and lime a'one. these are to bo mixed in such proportions as that the 

 moi.sture given nil in the process of calcining them together by the gypsum, 

 shall be just suflicient to slake the lime. When the l,i)n(lon grey -stone lime 

 IS used, alxint two part> of gypsum are required to one part of lime. In all 

 c ses the materials are to be ground and calcined as before stated. The 

 mode of using the cements thus formed is the same as set forth in the speci- 

 fication of the former patent. It is found to be advantageous to use none of 

 such cements in a fresh state. — Ibhl. 



Imporlant to Mariners. — We have lately read so much of the calamity of 

 shipwreck, that .any attempt to lessen its horrors, must be hailed as a rea' 

 ble.ssing. Few that have not heard of Captain Manby's Life-Preserver. We 

 have just witnessed a .successful attempt of simplifying the principle upon 

 which that valuable discovery is founded, so as to be availalile wherever a 

 common cannon and a piece of rope are at band. There is no occasion for a 

 mortar or a rocket, a common ship gun will answer the purpose. The ex- 

 periment was lately tried on the sea .shore, about a mile southward of Aber- 

 istwith. We had been previously inlbrme I that Mr. Page, the superin- 

 tendant of the Harbour Works, had, at the instance of the 1-iarbour Trustees, 

 directed his attention to the subject, and we are glad to state with the most 

 perfect success. The machinery is the simplest possible. A common twelve 

 pounder that belonged to the old Agenoria, was placed on the store, elevated 

 to 40 degrees, and loaded with a nine ounce charge of powder, with a well 

 fitted wadding. Before us lay a long coil of rope, i inch diameter, with a 

 stout piece of wood or plug, of the length of a common spade fastened to it. 

 This plug is intended to Ixi put in the mouth of the gun. The ploblem to be 

 solved, was to pnijcct this piece of wood over the breakers before us, so that 

 should a vessel have struck there, as we remember one to have done about 18 

 months since at that very spot, and the se.i should be too high for any boat 

 to live in the surge, a rope might be sent from the land to the ship, or from 

 the ship to the land. The simplicity of the whole aflair struck us extremely, 

 and no alchymist waited with more anxiety the moment of "projection" 

 than we did the firing of tht' cannon. Those that know anything of these 

 matters will understand us when we say that our great apprehension was, 

 lest the rope should snap — that being the great difficulty to be got over in 

 these experiments. But our apprehensions were quite needless. The gun 

 ■was fired once, twice, thrice, and the plug and rope were hurled beyond the 

 breakers without a thread of the latter breaking or straining. Its length w as 

 160 yards: but it might be extended by increasing the charge of powder. 

 That peculiarity of the apparatus upon which tlie engineer mainly depends 

 for cotmteracling the tendency of the rope to break is. by strengthening 

 about two feet of that part of it which comes in contact H ith the plug ; this 

 is done by adding to it four others of the size of lead lines, and which are 

 bound together with pieces of spun yarn. an<l fastened to the plug with four 

 small .staples, the main rope or a bit of chain instead, being fastened to it, by 

 a ring and thimble. Thus strengthened, the rope is found sufTicigntly strong 

 to stand unharmed against the |crk with wbicli it is projected from the can- 

 non, and this it could not do without the lour extra supporters. Upon en- 

 quiring of the engineer why he preferred ' wood plug to a rocket or ball, he 

 S1iitc<l that in case of a man overboard, the plug would /on/ ,• and that also 

 in case of being filed /com a vessel, it would from its buoyancy be carried on 

 shore by the mere acuon of the sea. Its extreme simplicity is its great re- 

 commendation. There are few vessels without a cannon of some size on 

 board, and a hand-spike or capstan bar will answer the purpose of a plug 

 perfectly w ell. We should have stated that the wetness of the rope after the 

 first disch rge was found to be of no inconveniences but care should be had 

 in c<iiling it properly, so as to enable it to play out with facility.— Carmnr/Acw 

 Journal. 



New Code of Signals on the Great Western Raitway. — The whole of the en- 

 Sine-driver.s, stokers, guards, conductors, and other persons employed on the 

 railway throughout the line were assembled at the engine-house of the Pad- 

 dington station last week, when a new code of signals, prepared by Mr. 

 Brunei, the engineer-in-ehief to the company, were fully explained to them 

 by that gentleman, and several of the signals were put inio practical oiiera- 

 tion. A special train was sent from the Paddinglon to the I'arringdon-road 

 station, to convey the engineers, stokers, guards, &c., at that end of the line 

 to town. By the adoption of the new' code, distinct and immediate intima- 

 tion will be given to the engine-drivers .and others of the least obstruction 

 along the line. 



Eastern Comlies Night Signals. — The manager of this company, R.Hall, 

 Esq., has invented an ingenious system of night signals for the Eastern 

 Counties Uaihv.ay. On the back part of the chimney of the sngine is placed 

 a reflector, so inclined that a light pressing from the top of the train will be 



re'lected down upon him. The two guards sent with every train are provided, 

 besides their common lights, with two signals consisting of blue and red 

 lights. Upon the removal of a piece of tin, a screw presses upon some ful- 

 minating powder, which immediately ignites the signal, and gives out a most 

 intense light for some time, which, falling on the engine rcflecti r, is sent 

 down concentrated u|>on the engine man, so that he is immediately aware of 

 the signal. The blue light indicates caution, and the red light ilanger. The 

 light is so exceedingly intense as to give a brilliant illumination all around, 

 and the men who have tried it declare if they were asleep it would wake 

 them. The present signals throw ofl several luminous balls in succession, 

 but Mr. Hall will in future use the light only. At the junction of the 

 Northern and Eastern, and other pirts of the line, the men are provided 

 with the.se signals. A sliding rellector is adiled to give greater power to the 

 liglit, but from what we have seen, we are of opinion that that is unneces- 

 sary, as the lights are so strong that they may, in our opinion, be seen for 

 10 or 15 miles oil. — Hnilnn;/ .Magazine. 



Advertisement. 



To tlie Directors of the Seyssel Asphalte Company, " Claridge's Patent." 



Oentlemen — In reply to your application, I think it but an act of justice 

 to state, that wherever I have introduced your Asphalte Mastic, it has beea 

 perfectly successful. 



I have used it very extensively not only as Paving and to resist damps, but 

 also at the South Metropolitan Cemetery at Norwood, in covering a very ex- 

 tensive range of catacombs, where it forms a terraced floor quite imperylous 

 to wet, and not acted upon by the weather. 



I am, Gentlemen, your obedient servant, 



William Tite. 



17, St. Helen's Place, Dec. 22, 1840, 



Note. — The reader is also requested to peruse the List of Testimonials at 

 the end of this Journal ; the above having been received too late to he in- 

 serted in the list referred to. 



Seyssel Asphalte Cumpani/s Works, Stawjate, Westminster Bridge. 



LAW PROCEEDINGS, 



PATENT LAW— AMENDMENT OF SPECIFICATION. 



IN THE MATTER OF JOHN SHARp's LETTERS P.\TENT. 



In the Rolls' Court, Tuesday, Dec. 22. 



Lord Langdale pronounced his decision upon the petition of Joshua Words- 

 worth (reported in last month's Journal, page 428,) for expunging from the 

 memorandum of alterations in the specification of Sharp's letters patent " for 

 machinery for converting rope into tow," certain portions which were alleged 

 to be in substance descriptive of the same machinery as was iiiveuted by the 

 petitioner. The petition stated that Sharp had, under the .'>th and 6th Will. 

 IV., c. 7.3, with the leave of the Solicitor-General, entered with the Clerk of 

 the Patents certain memorandums of alteration of part of his specification, 

 which alterations the petitioner, Wordsworth, coirplained of as a new ar- 

 rangement of machinery, extending Sharp's patent to what the petitioner 

 alleged was in substance his own invention for heckling and dressing fla,\, 

 &c., as described in his specification. His Lordship said he had delayed his 

 decision for the purpose of collecting information as to what had been done 

 by the Court resjiecting amendments of specifications, and it appeared it was 

 usual to make aincudmeuts in the enrolment in cases where there were cleri- 

 cal errors neijligenter per incuriam vet er lapsft echini scriptoris, and this 

 had been done, sometimes by reference to the M.aster of the Rolls, by the 

 Lord Chancellor, and iu one instance by the Lord Chancellor himself upon 

 an order from the Crown, sometimes by writ of Privy Seal, sometimes by 

 consent of the Attorney-General, and sometimes by sign manual. In all 

 modern instances the alterations had been merely clerical. It did not appear 

 that the Master of the Rolls as keeper of the records had ever exercised any 

 authority in matters of this kind when the error coin))laincd of was not merely 

 clerical. He was clearly of opinion that he had no authority to make the 

 alteration asked for, and he must dismiss the petition with costs. 



Till' Qneen v. tlie Grand Junction Railway Company. — Mandamus. — Court of 

 Queen's Beiieh. November 15. — Sir F. Pollock applied for a rule, calling on the 

 Grand Junction Railway Company to show cause why a writ of mandamus 

 should not issue, commanding them to oljcy the enactments of the 19th sec- 

 tion of the Acts Victoria. cap."49, which was as follows :—•' And be it further 

 enacted, that the charges of the .said recited Acts, or either of ihem authorised 

 to be made for the c.irri,age of any passengers, goods, animals, or other mat- 

 ters or things to be conveyed by the said company, or for the use of any 

 steam power or carriage to be supplied by the said company, shall be at all 

 times charged equally and after the same rale per mile or per ton per mile, 

 in respect of all passengers and of all goods, animals, on carriages of a like 

 description conveyed or propelled by a like carriage or engine passing on the 

 .same portion of the line only, and under the same cireuinsianees, and no re- 

 duction or advance in any cliarge for conveyance by the siiid comp.any, or for 

 the use of anv b.romotive power to be supplied by them, .shall be made, either 

 directly or indirectly, in favour of or against any particular company or per- 

 son travelling upon "or using the same portion ot the s.aid railway, under the 

 same circumstances as aforesaid." He ni.ide this application at the instance 



