1841.] 



THE CIVIL ENGINEER AND ARCHITECTS JOURNAL. 



125 



mentioned in the fourth claim, and exposed to the action of the carbonic acid, 

 by whicli they acquire great hardness. — Inventors' Advocate. 



STEAM ENGINE REGULATOR. 



Benjamin Hick, jun., of Bolton le Moors, Lancashire, engineer, for certain 

 improvements in regulators or governors, for regulating or adjusting the speed 

 or rotary motion of steam-engines, water-wheels, and other machinery. En- 

 tered at the Petty Bag-office. February 27. 



This improved governor is applied to the tbrottle valve of steam engines, 

 in place of the ordinary pendulum governor. The ordinary iron standard or 

 frame of the governor, is placed as usual over the crank shaft of tlie engine, 

 on which is fastened a bevel wlieel that drives a pinion attached to an up- 

 right spindle or shaft ; by this means a rotary motion is communicated to 

 the spindle, whicli revolves iu suitable bearings in the frame. The upper 

 part of this spindle is cut into a screw, on which a bush or nut. having an 

 internal screw, works ; this bush, having two arms extending from it, to each 

 of which is attached a vane ; and the bush is connected to tlie throttle valve 

 of the engine by links and a swivel, and connecting rods and levers, in the 

 usual manner. If the crank shaft overruns or increases its ordinary velocity, 

 it will cause the bush to rise up the spindle, and by means of the connecting 

 rods and levers, partially close the tbrottle valve ; ou the contrary, if the 

 crank shaft decreases its ordinary velocity, the bush will descend, and so open 

 the throttle valve wider, in order to admit an additional quantity of steam to 

 the engine. The patentee does not confine himself to the above, as the parts 

 may be varied to suit circumstances. — Ibid. 



APP.\RATUS FOR PRE\'EXTIN'G SHIPWRECK. 



A few months since we gave an account of an interesting attempt made by 

 Mr, Page, the superintendent of our Harbour Works, for simplifjang Captain 

 Manby's plan for reUeving vessels in danger of shipwreck. It is with tlie 

 greatest pleasure that we have to state that Mr. Page has tested the value of 

 his efforts by saving a vessel, to all appearance, destined to inevitable de- 

 struction. .About one o'clock p.m., of the 13tb of February, the schooner 

 Leii/Jiton, Jones, master, was seen making for this port, and driving with a 

 heavy sea right for the north side of the harbour, where we have witnessed 

 many a wreck with loss of life and property. The sea being at this time so 

 heavy, and the boat, with the pier rope, being unable to get through, in con- 

 sequence of the surf, the vessel struck on the North Bank. The situation of 

 the vessel was now so critical, and the breakers surrounding so violent, that 

 no boat attempting to relieve her could live. Under these circumstances, Mr. 

 Page brought the twelve pounder belonging to the Harbour \\'orks to bear 

 upon her, and at the first discharge, succeeded in conveying a rope across the 

 breakers, which passed fairly over her rigging. To this rope, a hawser was 

 fastened by those on the pier, which, being hauled by the crew on board, 

 sufficiently steadied her, and the result was the vessel was saved. We feel it 

 our duty to give pubUcity to this circumstance, feeling perfectly confident 

 that were it not for the rope conveyed by the carronade, she would either 

 have been a wreck, or have received considerable damage. James Davies, 

 Esq., the owner, was present, and seemed not a little pleased at the result of 

 the first trial of Mr. Page's experiment. — Carmarthen Journal. 



Since the appearance of the above paragi'apb, the above plan has been 

 again adopted with complete success, but with such variation, as to give it 

 additional value, by showing the versality of its apphcation. On the 23rd 

 ult., the schooner Nanteos, Griftitlis, from London, appeared before this port, 

 but the breakers were so high, that it was impossible for any boat to go out 

 to assist her in. On this occasion the carronade was fired from ofl^' tlie pier, 

 which carried i\\e plvi) beyond the breakers, — this was picked up by the boat 

 from the Nanteos, and a communication was immediately made with the 

 shore, and the vessel came in without any difficulty. 



The advantage of the plug over a shot, may be seen on occasions like the 

 present, — had this been a shot connected with the line, it would have sunk, 

 but iheplug floated, and was easily picked up by the boat from the Nanteos. 



PROCEEDINGS OF SCIENTIFIC SOCIETIES. 



INSTITUTION OF CIVIL ENGINEERS. 

 Annual Report. 



The Council of the lustitution of Civil Engineers, on resigning the trust 

 which has been confided to them during the past year, invite the attention 

 of the Annual General Meeting, and of all who are interested in the progress 

 of practical science, to the following report on the discharge of their various 

 duties, and on the general nature of the proceedings of the past year. 



The annual report of the council of several preceding years has dwelt in 

 considerable detail not only on alterations in the ordinary business of the 



Institution, and on the introduction of measures which might tend to the 

 convenience of the general body, but also on changes of a more important 

 character, aflfecting the constitution and permanent stability of the Institution 

 itself. The year which has now past has not been marked by any features 

 of this nature. The principal duty of the council has been to carry out and 

 persevere in the practice and regulations established during previous years, 

 which have been found to contribute so much to the rapid growth and in- 

 creasing value of the Institution. 



But, though the jiast year may not have been marked by extensive changes 

 or by the introduction of new regulations, it has been characterised by events 

 of great interest, and the proceedings of the last session surpass in extent 

 those of any previous year. The extended importance of the Institution has 

 imposed an augmentation of duty and responsibility on your council, and 

 they have laboured so to direct the art'airs intnisted to them, that the dis- 

 cbarge of those increased duties might be attended with a corresponding ele- 

 vation in the character of the Institution, and that their successors in office 

 may realize a still further progress towards that eminence which is already 

 in some measure attained. 



Among the various duties which devolve on your council, that of disposing 

 and awarding the Telford premiums is of the highest consequence, and on 

 the proper discharge of which much of the permanent success of the Insti- 

 tution will depend. The council, deeply impressed with this, have given 

 their most careful consideration to the subject; they would direct your 

 attention to tlie following notice of the premiums, and of the respective com- 

 munications for which they have been awarded. 



In the annual report of the last session, the council stated that it would 

 be one of the earliest duties of their successors, to consider in what manner 

 the benefits conferred by your member Mr. Parkes on practical science, by 

 the communications tlien alluded to. could be most ajipropriately acknow- 

 ledged ; and the present council, concurring most fully in these sentiments, 

 are of opinion that as no papers have hitherto been received by the Insti- 

 tution, exhibiting so much originality, labour, and ingenuity, in dealing with 

 the facts presented to his notice, combined so essentially with practical 

 utility, they are warranted in conferring on Mr. Parkes the highest honour 

 which the Institution has in its power to bestow. They have awarded, there- 

 fore, the Telford Gold Medal to Mr. Parkes, for his communications on 

 " Steam Boilers and Steam Engines," which are now published in the first 

 and second parts of the third volume of the transactions. These papers and 

 the discussions to which they gave rise, occupying as they did the attention 

 of several of your meetings, together with the interest which tiiey excited, 

 must be fresh in the recollection of all who were present. It will, therefore, 

 be unnecessary to dwell particularly ou their contents ; but, inasmuch as 

 the highest honour of the Institution has been awarded to them, an honour 

 which (it must be remembered) has been but once previously conferred, the 

 council feel it to he a duty which they owe to the Institution, to themselves, 

 and to the public, no less than to the author, to point out (as has lieen par- 

 tially done in the report of the last year) some of the principal features in 

 these communications, and the peculiar benefits which are thereby conferred 

 on practical science. 



These communications are the continuation of the labours of the author, 

 which commenced with the paper on the "Evaporation of Water from Steam 

 Boilers," published in the second volume of the transactions, and for which 

 a silver medal was awarded on a previous occasion. The first communication, 

 forming the subject of the present notice, relates especially to steam boilers, 

 respecting which many well-ascertained facts had been collected ; but pre- 

 viously to Mr. Parkes devoting his attention to this subject, no clear and 

 connected view had been given of the various facts, or of their relation to 

 each other, and to the circumstances under which they are exhibited. When 

 so represented, it appears that the peculiar circumstances under which steam 

 boilers are employed and their corresponding qualities and characteristics in 

 respect of construction, proportion of parts, and practical management, pre- 

 sent certain quantities and relations, which exert a peculiar influence over 

 the results connected with evaporation ; and these being clearly developed 

 and understood, indicate correctly the character of the boiler. Certain defi- 

 nite quantities, relations, or exponents, with other facts of paramount im- 

 portance, such as the etfecf of the element time, or the period of the deten- 

 tion of the heat about the boiler, and various actions independent of the 

 temperature of the fire, and tending to the destruction of the boiler, are here 

 for the first time pressed on the attention of the practical engineer. In the 

 second communication, the author traces the distribution and application of 

 steam in several classes of steam engines. In the execution of this task, he 

 is led into a detailed examination of various important questions : the best 

 practical measure of the dynamic efficiency of steam — the methods employed 

 to determine the power of engines — the measures of effect — the expenditure 

 of power — the proportions of boilers to engines — the standard measure of 

 duty — the constituent heat of steam — the locomotive engine — the blast and 

 the resistance occasioned by it — the momentum of the engine and train, as 

 exhibiting the whole useful eftbrt exerted by the steam — and the relative ex- 

 penditure of power for a given effect, by fixed and locomotive non-condensing 

 engines. The bare enumeration of the principal subjects which have been 

 carefully analysed and illustrated by the facts applicable to each respestive 

 case, will give some idea of the magnitude of the task here undertaken ; and 

 when, in addition, is considered the elaborate and extensive series of tables 

 exhibiting the results and analysis of tlie facts collected and used in the 

 course of the inquiry, the council cannot but feel that a more laborious task 



