1841.] 



THE CIVIL ENGINEER AND ARCHITECT'S JOURNAL. 



61 



sentation, no matter whether horizontal ones or vertical. Horizonta 

 lines, indeed, generally converge, but then it is because they are situated 

 obliquely to the picture ; but that vertical lines can be so situated is ut- 

 terly impossible, for then they would no longer be perpendicular to the 

 horizon — that is no longer upright lines, but sloping ones. Conse- 

 quently Mr. Parsey's doctrine either goes much too far, or else, does 

 not go far enough. He is either much too daring, or nuich too timid, 

 and fearful of following up his own principles consistently. He has 

 no objection to say A, but it goes against him to say B. Either he 

 must now give up in toto his new law in regard to Perpendiculars, or ex- 

 tend it also to Horizontal lines parallel to the picture. There is no 

 other alternative for him; and how so very keen-sighted a gentleman 

 could possibly have make such a "sheer omission" in regard to the last 

 is to us quite' inexplicable ; more particularly as he himself calls notice 

 to his own oversight — to the unlucky flaw in his doctrine, by remark- 

 ing that the same laws apply to and govern both Vertical and Hori- 

 zontal lines, on the strength of which axiom he founds his doctrine in 

 utter opposition to it, referring us to the visible vanishing or conver- 

 gence of horizontal lines inclined, or situated obliquely to the picture, 

 in order to convince us that lines perpendicular to the horizon, and 

 therefore parallel to the picture plane, ought to converge similarly!! 

 The fact is, Mr. Parsey has built up his fine theory on utter rottenness, 

 and laid the foundation of his notable theory on a mere (quicksand. 



Here we were just going to lay down our pen, when the thouglit 

 came across us that Parseyism or the new light in perspective, may 

 easily be put to the test by anyone, by merely applying it — as through 

 "slie'er omission," we suppose, Mr. P. himself has neglected to do — 

 to an interior view of a building, for as the end facing the spectator 

 would by the rules of Parseyjicatton, alias the convergence of perpen- 

 dicularsj be narrower at top' than at bottom, the consequence must be 

 that the sides would incltjic fornard. If after this, Parsey's is not 

 allowed to be a complete Mare's Nest, we can only say that John Bull 

 is more of a John Gull than we took him for, and that he deserves 

 liencefortli to resign his roast beef, and diet himself upon moonMne. 



A P radical Detail of the Cotton JVIanufacture of the United States of 

 America, and the State of the Cotton manufacture of that country 

 compared icilh that of Great Britain. By James Montgomery. 

 Glasgow : John Niven, lS-10. 



Mr. Montgomery is known as the author of the Cotton Spinner's 

 Manual, and the 'Theory and Practice of Cotton Spinning, both w'orks 

 of established and deserved reputation. The present volume is not 

 less important either to the manufacturer, the mechanic, the economist, 

 or the Englishman who regards the prosperity of his country as con- 

 nected with its great staple article of export, hi the United States 

 we see the country which most threatens our supremacy — our main 

 producer of the raw material, our victor in many foreign markets, and 

 our still more dreaded rival as the introducer of factoiy slave labour. 

 Under such circumstances, and with the threatening future staring us 

 in the face, this volume before us comes with an equal interest to that 

 which it would ensure from its own merits. Our satisfaction in pe- 

 rusing it has been great, but how to communicate by any extract an 

 equal degree of interest to our readers has appeared to us a task of 

 some difficulty, for it is not easy to detach such a portion of a work so 

 connected as shall do justice to the subject, and at the same time it is, 

 of course, out of our power to give any thing like a sketch which shall 

 include the details of a subject so diversified. We must therefore 

 content ourselves with noting down such remarks as we tliink may 

 prove most interesting to our readers. 



The plan of the Mills, says our author, is nearly tlie same in the 

 different districts, none exceed five stories in height, except two at 

 Dover (U.S.J, which are six stories on one side and five on tlie other. 

 The general height of the mills is three or four stories with an attic; 

 but the mills recently built at Lowell are five stories high with a plain 

 roof, from whicii he infers as probable that although the double roof 

 has been the plan generally adopted, that it is likely to be abandoned, 

 as it is the most expensive, and does not give so much room for ma- 

 chinery as the five stories and a plain roof. The mills are generally 

 strong and durable. Instead of joists for supporting the floors, there 

 are large beams about 14 inches by 12, extending quite across from 

 side to side, having each end fastened to the side wall by a bolt and 

 wail-plate ; these beams are about five feet apart, and supported in 

 the -centre by wooden pillars, with a double floor above. The under 

 floor consists of planks three inches thick ; the upper floor of one inch 

 board. Some have the planks dressed on the under side, others have 

 them lathed and plastered; the floor being in all four inches thick, is 

 very strong and lasting. The average thickness of the side walls may 



be from "20 to 21 inches, and they are generally built of bricks, there 

 being very few stone walls, from the scarcity of freestone. 



In England the factories have joists about three inches by ten; these 

 are laid on their edges about 20 inches apart, with one inch flooring 

 above, lathed and plastered beneath, or sheathed with thin boards. 

 The joists are also supported in the centre by a beam about 11 inches 

 by G, running from end to end of the building : the pillars are of cast 

 iron, and placed right under this beam, which does not rest on the 

 pillar, but on a cast iron case which passes upon each side of the 

 beam, and meets together above, by which means the uppermost floors 

 are supported on columns of cast iron from the foundation; there is 

 therefore no danger of sucli floors sinking in the centre. In the United 

 States where the cross beams rest on the top of the pillars, while the 

 pillars above rest again upon the beams, the floors in the upper stories 

 sink down in the centre, in consequence of the shrinking of the tim- 

 ber, and the pressure of the ends of the pillars into the b»ams. Mr. 

 Montgomery says, that he has seen some of these which had sunk down 

 four or five inches in the course of four years. 



The mills in England are from six to eight stories high, Stirling and 

 Becktow's mill, Lower Moseley-street, Manchester, is nine stories. 

 The general height of those in Scotland is six stories with a plain roof. 

 In the United States there are few mills driven by high pressure steam 

 engines; four in Newport, one in Providence, Rhode Island, and three 

 in Newburyport, Massachusetts. The coals used whether anthracite 

 or bituminous, cost from seven to eight dollars per ton (30s. to 34s.) 

 In general the mills are moved by water ; and in constructing them the 

 water-wheels are necessarily put under cover, so as to be kept in an 

 atmosphere, considerably above the freezing point in winter, otherwise 

 the severity of the frost, which frequently descends to nearly 30 de- 

 grees below zero, would prevent them from operating a great part of 

 the year; hence the water-wheels are generally placed in the base- 

 ment story, whicli besides the wheels contains the mechanics' shop 

 and cloth room, or sometimes it is filled in whole or in part with ma- 

 chinerv. The English cotton factories generally have their picking or 

 scutching rooms within the mill ; but in the United States there are 

 separate buildings erected fur these purposes, generally standing like 

 guardhouses about 20 or 3U feet from the main building, with the 

 passages that connect them secured with iron doors, to prevent the 

 communication of fire to the loose cotton in the picking house. 



The method of communicating motion from the first moving power 

 to the dirterent departments in the English factories is by means of 

 shafts and geared wheels ; but in America it is done by large belts 

 moving at a rapid speed ; these are of the breadth of 9, 12, or 1.5 

 inches, according to the weight they have to drive, and pass through 

 a space of from 2500 to 3600 feet per minute. A belt of 15 inches 

 broad, moving at the rate of 3000 feet per minute, is considered capa- 

 ble of exerting a propelling force equal to 50 horses' power. All the 

 most recent mills are belted, while many of the older ones have had 

 the shafts and gears removed, and belts substituted in their stead ; 

 indeed beHs are generally preferred even by those who have had suffi- 

 cient experience of both. A belt of ordinary size would be between 

 three and four hundred feet long, from twelve to fifteen inches broad, 

 and would require from six to seven hundred pomids of good belt 

 leather to make it. Such belts are always made from the centre of 

 the back of the hide, to that they may stretch equally at botli sides. 

 Mr. Montgomery further remarks that however partial American 

 manufacturers may be to this mode of conveying motion to the ditterent 

 departments, those who have been accustomed to the neat manner in 

 which factories are geared in England must regard the above as heavy, 

 clumsy, and inconvenient, as uell as more expensive. As all these 

 belts have to be enclosed, they occupy a considerable portion of the 

 rooms they pass through : which, besides interrupting the view, gives 

 less space for arranging the machinery. '1 hey are likewise very liable 

 to stretch, and when too slack, they will slip on the drums; and owing 

 to their breadth, it requires a considerable time to cut one joining and 

 sew them up again. As to whether belts have more or less power 

 than English gearing, Mr. Montgomery states his inability to decide 

 satisfactorily; diflerent opinions prevail in America, but there are two 

 mills at Fall River, Rhode Island, which are said to decide the ques- 

 tion in favuur of the belts. 



With regard to the arrangement of the machinery, diversities also 

 prevail. In England the weaving is generally in the lower stories, 

 and the carding and spinning above ; but in the States, the weaving 

 is contained in the upper stories, with the carding and spinning be- 

 low. 



Mr. Montgomery next goes on to describe the several classes of 

 machinery used in the States, and to point out the differences from 

 those of England, and here we shall endeavour as far as we can to fol- 

 low him. The first class is the Willow, in coraiection with which he 

 says that the American Picker is very injurious to the cotton, and 



