1841.] 



THE CIVIL ENGINEER AND ARCHITECTS JOURNAL 



103 



The Shefftfid nnd Manchester Rmlwaif. — It appears tlip works In tlip 

 Ci-"nti'e tunnel are goins on niglit and day. the men working ''shifts.'' 

 Bat when we finil it is three miles, or j.280 yards in length, and 

 there are five shafts to S'nk of the following depths, sume time must elap.se 

 before this great work is finished :— Shaft No 1. 180 yards deep; No. 2. 

 194 yards; No. 3. 189 yards: No. i. 19.3 yards. No. .5, 135 yards. 



The Cmmford and High Peak Railway.— T\w applieation of the loco- 

 motive engine to the purposes of railway transit on this line, was maile 

 ahout a fortnight since, several of the proprietors accompanying the engine. 

 The intention is to construct, as speedily as possible, two riiorc engines to 

 viork the two twelve mile levels between Hop:on and Buxton, at a rate of 

 from ten to twelve miles per hour, so as to enable the Company to transport 

 goods and passengers to Wlialley Rridge in a I'ew hours, instead of two days, 

 which it now usually takes. — Sheffield Iris. 



The Taj' I'ale Railwa:i.—lhe operations for finishing the lino are going on 

 with sreat vigour, particularly at the Merthyr Terminus, wher>' a great 

 number of men. carpenters, m'asjns, and labo'urers. are at present Ijusily 

 employed. The damage caused by the late sudden rise in the river, has. we 

 are glad to hear, been greatly overstated, as a comparatively small sum will 

 suffice to repair it. A w.all is' now building on the bank of the river, which 

 will be built so strong as to prevent the recurrence of a like calamity, and the 

 Toid caused by the earth having been carried awa} is now be ng filled up.— 

 Mtinmouth Gazette, 



Great North of England Railway. — Mr. .Storey has resigned the office of 

 fingineer-in-chief, who has been succeeded by Mr. Robert Stephe son. 



ENGINEERING 'WORKS. 



Crotm Point Bridge. — Th? Commissioners of th^ Crown Point Bridge and 

 Roads met at the Court-house, in Leeds, on Monday the 1.5tli ult.. for the 

 purpose of letting the works of this bridge, when tenders were received from 

 many highly respectable contractors. and the competition was. we are inform- 

 ed, exceedingly close. The bridge is to be thrown over the river Aire, a little 

 above the Nether Mills \Veir. or from Chadwick's dye-houses on the south 

 side (part of which will have to be removed in order to make way for it), to 

 Medley's Oil Mill on the north side ; and when the roads to and from its site 

 are completed, it will open out a direct communication from Hunslet-lane and 

 the southern parts of the town to York-street and the northern and eastern 

 district of the town. The design for the iron bridge, prepared by Messrs. 

 George Leather and Son, theengineers. of this town, is one of the most taste- 

 ful and elegant ue h ve ever seen, combining in a remarkable liegree symme- 

 try and lightness with strength. The bridge will be of one arch, including in 

 its span the whole width of the river and the towi^ig path on its side. The 

 span will be 120 feet, (that of Victoria bridge being only 80 feet), the rise of 

 the arch 12 feet, but the height, from the water of ihc river to the waterside, 

 of the arch at the crown will be 17 feet, and to the roadway of the bridge 

 about 22 feet. The width within the parapets will bo 42 feet ; there being a 

 Macadamized carriage way of 10 yards wide, with a footpath or causeway of 

 two yards ^vide on each side. The arch upon which the road is to be con- 

 structed will be entirely of iron; the abutments and wing walls Will be of 

 stone. The total weight of iron is estimated at about 420 tons. The masonry 

 was let to Messrs. Bray and Duckett. who have executed works in a very 

 creditable and satisfactory manner on the North Midland Railway, and who 

 are also contractors for the works now in progress for the Leeds \V;iterworks 

 Compariy, on Woodhouse Moor. The ironwork was let to Messrs. Booth and 

 Co.. of Park Ironworks. Sheffield, who are also a firm of the first lespeela- 

 bilily. The sum at which the bridge let for was. we understand, £8,750. being 

 somewhat lower than the estimate of the engineers, so that the commissioners 

 have every reason to consider the bridge favourably let. not only as regards 

 the respectability of the contracting parties, but also as regards the terms on 

 wdiich it was taken, fhe work will be commenced forthwith, and the terms 

 of the contracts are such as to ensure its being carried forwa.nl with vigour ; 

 and t is confidently anticipated that this bridge may be opened for the use 

 of the public at the close of the present year. — Leeds Mercury. 



Portsmouth Harboxir. — A most complete survey of the Portsmouth Harbour, 

 with its various lakes and approaches, has recently been made by Lieufs. 

 Sherringham and Otter, and their assistants, including a minute map of the 

 towns. The most extraordinary coincidence exists, we understand, between 

 the present survey, with all the improved methads, and still more improved 

 instruments, and the old survey of Mackenzie, made in 17.S2. and tlie still 

 more recent one of the late talented and industrious Mr. Park, who was then 

 Master Attendant here ; and, still more extraordinary, the soun.iings, all 

 over, have varied only in the slightest degree in the period alluded to, 60 

 years The bar oH the Southsea land-marks remains unaltered from its shape 

 and size as recorded in the oldest minutes ; and we find ii consists of no 

 shifting matter, but is a firm substance of flint and chalk, almost concreteJ 

 together with gravel ; it could be channelled with much ease, but with some 

 expense. 



Tlie Shannon Iniprai'cnient. — Two steam dredging machines have commenced 

 operations on the shoals of the river near Baaagher. One of the machines It 

 is slated, removed 38 tons of clay intermixed with gravel in 20 minutes. Be- 

 sides the liredging operation, works have been contracted fjr at Killaloe, 

 Meeleck, Banagher, and .\thlone. 



Jn Iron Bridge has been constructed at Nantes, on the same principle as 

 that adopted by M. Polonceau, on the Pont du Caroussel. drawings of which 

 and a description will be found in the 2nd \olume of the Journal. The bridge 

 of Nantes is of one arch, about 66 feet span, and the width of the roadway 

 40 feet. 



miSCEl^LtA^lEA. 



Artificial Stainivsr of Marble .—Tbh art was practised bv the ancien's. and 

 is described by Zosimus : it is now makinsr considerable advance at Verona. 

 The re.5ults are as follows; — A solution of nitrate of silver penetrates the 

 marble, and communicates a deep red colour to it. A solution of nitrafe of 

 gold penetrates le.ss deeply, and communicates a b autifu! purple violet 

 colour. Verdigrise sinks to the depth ot ;i line into the marble, and gives it 

 a fine areen colour. A solution of dragon's blood communicites a beautiful 

 red colour, and gamboge a yellow tint. To apply these two colours, it is 

 necessary to polish the marb'e v»lth a pumice stone, to dissolve the gum re- 

 sins in hot alcohol, and put them on w ith a camel-hair pencil, Th" tinct'ires 

 obtained fmm woods, as Brazil wood. logw«,otl. 8cc.. pene'rate deeply into 

 marble. Tincture of euchine.il. with the addition of a little alum, gives mar- 

 ble a fine scarlet colour, similai to African marb'e. Artificial oipiment pro- 

 duces, when dissolved in ammonia, a lively yellow colour. If ver ligrise be 

 boiled with white wax, and the mixture be applied to the marble, and then 

 removed wdien it has cooled, it will be to have penetrate 1 five lines, and to 

 have produced a fine emerald colour. When it is wished to apply the diife- 

 rent colours in succession, some precautions are necessary. The tinctures 

 prepared by spirit of wine and by th ' oil of turpentine are to be applied to 

 the marb'e' while it is hot; but the dragon's blood and gamboge are to be 

 used with the marb'e when cokl. For this purpose, it is necessary to dis- 

 solve them in alcohol, and employ the .solution of gamboge first. This, 

 which Is clear, soon becomes turbid, ;ind affords a yellow precipitate. Those 

 parts of the marble wdiich are covered with the tincture are then to be heated, 

 by passing over them, at the distance of half an inch, a laj-hot iron plate, 

 or a charcoal chaufier ; it is then a'low ed to cool, and the iron is to be again 

 passed over those portions where the colour has not penetr.ited. When the 

 yellow colour has teen imbibed, a soUition of dragon's blood is to be applied 

 in the same manner ; and. while the marble is hot. the other vegetable colourt 

 may be communicated. The last colours to be applied are those in unioQ 

 with the wax. These must be used with great caution, because the slightest 

 excess of heat causes them to penetrate deeper than is necessiiry. which ren- 

 ders them less adapted for delicate wor'. During the operation, cold water 

 should be occasionally thrown upon them. — Athenmm. 



Height of (Caji.T. — The highest wave which slrmk the French ship Vmus, 

 during her voyage, was 7'5 metres {2^ '(^i^t) ; the longest \vave was m-t with 

 in the south of New Holland, and « as three times the length of the frigate, 

 or 150 metres (492 feef). 



TIte quantity of Air veces.sary for the Healthful Respiration of the Horse. — The 

 Committee of the Academy of Paris, to whom this question was referred by 

 the Minister of M'ar, have reported, that in a building where the air is pro- 

 perly renewed, and that result is effected by a skilful and efficient system of 

 ventilation, a horse can never suffer, so long as he has from 25 to 30 cubic 

 metres of air. 



// new method of nailing deck plank has been adopted in the upper deck of 

 the Driver steamer, the invention of Mr. Blake, by w hich the expense of cip- 

 per or composition nails in the deck mty be saved, simply by punching the 

 nails down one inch, and filling the hjle with a circular plug dipped in white 

 lead. 



Reflecting Tclescop'. — Unfortunately Sir William Hersche! never made 

 public the means by which he suceeeded in giving such gigantic deve'ojiment 

 to this telescope, and the construction of a !;irge reflector is still a perilous 

 adventure. According, however, to a re[)ort I'y Dr. Robinson to the Irish 

 Academy. Lord Oxmantown his overcome the .lirticuliy. and carried to an 

 extent, which even Herschel himself did not venture to contemi>late, the 

 illuminating power of this telescope, along with a sharpness of definition 

 little inferior to that of the achromatic : and it is scaixely possible, he ob- 

 serves, to preserve the necessary sobriety of language in speaking of the 

 moon's appearance with this instrument, which Dr. Robinson believes to be 

 the most powerful ever constructed. However, any question about this op- 

 tical pre-eminem e is likely soon to be decided, for Lord 0-\maato,vn isa'iout 

 to construct a telescope of six feet aperture, and fifty feet focus, mounted in 

 the meridian, but with a range of about half an hour on each side o'it. 



Hotel de Tremouille. — All who take an interest in Parisian antiquities, may 

 be glad to know, that the demolition of the Hotel de Tremouille. in the Rue 

 des Bounlonnais, is not to include that of the beautiful little tower which 

 forms the conspicuous om.amentof its principal court. The proprieti rs have 

 presented this fine relic of the architecture of the 13th century to the city, — 

 and it is about to be transported to the Museum of Historical Monuments. 



Head of the Laoroon. — The following statement has appeared in the French 

 papers, and Is professedly contained in a letter from M. Valraore, an artist 

 at Brussels — ■• In the gallery of the Duke d'Aremburg there are many things 

 which are not known to any but the initiated. Among them is tht original 

 head of the Laoroon. This fine group, when first discovered in Italy, was," as 

 is generally known. " without the head of the father, and an arm of one of 

 the s::ns. The head was supplied by a celebrated artist, who copied it from 

 an antique bas relief. Some time afterwards, the origiual was found by some 

 V'enetian connoisseurs, and was ultimately sold to the grandlather oi the 

 Prince for about 160,000 francs, and brought to Brussels. V/hen Napoleon, 

 during the Consulate, had the group transported into France, he knew that 

 the real head was in possession of the Duke, and odered him his weight in 

 gold for It. This was refused; and as it was known that Napoleon was not 

 scupulous in gratifying his desires, the Duke il'Aremberg sent this chef- 

 d'ceavre to Dresden, wliere it remained concealed tor ten years, but was 

 briuglit back again into Brussels, w hen Belgium became tranquil. It ex- 

 presses, in the highest and most admirable degree, ni;jral griel mingled with 

 physical pain. 1 he compression oi the leeih and contraction of the lower 

 aw are aimost too horrifying to be ling contemplated ; and yet in this in- 

 ense expression of sutlering there is not the slightest grimace. The pupils of 



