1841.] 



THE CIVIL ENGINEER AND ARCHITECT'S JOURNAL. 



211 



which exhibited no lights ; and a large hole was made in lier hnw, which 

 must, had she been built like ordinary steamers, liave involved her almost 

 instantly in the same fate as the Albion. The bulkhead, however, near her 

 bow, prevented the leak from spreading— nay. so httle inconvenience did this 

 alarming collision occasion, that she proceeded on her voyage to Plymouth, 

 scarcely depressed in the slightest degree, to use nautical language. " by the 

 head." This is a striking anecdote ; and we only wonder that steam-boat 

 proprietors have not long ago seen the importance, even for their own inte- 

 rest, of adopting the mode of construction which saved the Royal "William. 

 We repeat that that they ought to be compelled to do so ; and we trust that 

 some member of Parliament will bring the subject forward without delay. We 

 are not able to say whether some such safeguard might or might not be 

 adopted in ships ; blit the recent frightful loss of life occasioned by the sink- 

 ing of the Governor Fenner, owing to a collision with a steamer, ought at all 

 events tu draw attention to the subject. In the Thames 1,000 or 1,200 per- 

 sons often trust themselves in a single steamer of comparatively slight con- 

 struction. — Glocestershire ChroriicU'. 



Launch of a Steam Frigate. — The West India Royal Mail Steam-packet 

 Company's magnificent and powerful steam ship the Forth was launched 

 from the building-yard of Messrs. Robert Menzies and Sons, Leuh, on .Sa- 

 turday last. She glided into the Forth, the estuary after v\hich she has been 

 called, in a most majestic manner, and in presence.it is reported, of not fewer 

 than 80,000 spectators. So gay a scene had not been witnessed in Leith 

 since the visit of his late Majesty George IV., in August, 1822. The follow- 

 ing are the dimensions of the Forth ; — Length of keel, 21, t feet : on the spar 

 deck, 229 feet ; over all, 245 feet ; breadth over paddle-boxes, 60 feet ; depth 

 of hold, 30 feet 3 inches ; tonnage. 1.940. She is to be propelled by two 

 engines now fitting at Liverpool by Mr. Bury, of 220 horse-pon er each. The 

 Forth is the third steam frigate already launched for the West India Royal 

 Mail Steam-packet Company. The two first were built on the banks of the 

 Clyde. 



Steam-shiji Building in Den;/. — In Mr. Coppin's yard there has been laid 

 the keel of a vessel intended for foreign trade, which, in point ot dimensions, 

 will come very little short of the largest steamers ever built, the proprietors 

 of her being partly Englishmen. She is to be'impelled by the Archimedean 

 screw, to have a horse-power of between 500 and 600, and to be of 1,500 

 tons register. Her keel is 221 feet, only a few feet inferior to that of the 

 greatest steamer launched, and her length over all will be 230 feet. — Derri/ 

 Journal. 



iaiSCEI.I.ANEA. 



Westminster Bridge is again opened to traffic, after having, during the short 

 period of four weeks, been subjected to extensive repairs The well-known 

 hollow arch lins been removed, and spandrel walls with longitudinal arches 

 in brickwork have been substituted. so as not only to strengthen the pier, but to 

 remove a serious cause of danger, threatened by the pressure of the hollow- 

 arch on the haunches of the adjoining main arches. A rather unusual cir- 

 cumstance has been the removal and restoration of a whole course of stone 

 throughout one arch. Great satisfaction has been given by the prompt and 

 energetic manner in which the alterations have been effected by Mr. Cubitt, 

 under the directions of the engineers, Messrs, Walker & Burgess. 



Preston and JVijre Railwny, Harbour and Dock Company, — -Extract from 

 a report to the directors by Captain Denham, at the last half-yearly meeting 

 of the proprietors. — " The new channel through the 'Knot-spit,' and over 

 the * Little Ford,' has been so deepened as now- to aflord 13 feet of water at 

 half tide through the straight course thus produced upon the hne of lights 

 direct from sea into the harbour. The present period is occupied in dredging 

 up the shelving bottom between the landing wharf and ' Canshe-hole' an- 

 chorage, so as to produce a continuous depth of 12 feet at low water spring 

 tides, an object we hope to attain by June next, during which the upper layer 

 of shelving shore now interrupting the north or early approach to the wharf, 

 will be excavated, leaving the under or lower shelf to be dredged down to 12 

 feet over the whole space across to ' Canshe-hole.' The dredge's service this 

 year will thus be wholly dedicated to the wharf frontage and approaches. 

 The new Channel to Sea will, however, be improved by excavating and carry- 

 ing away at low water the remainder of the ' Knot-spit,' and trimming down 

 the surface and marginal projections of the new cut or channel, the marl 

 arising from which will be appropriated to the ' neckings ' half tide w ier about 

 to be constructed on the opposite side of the channel. This latter work will 

 also he prosecuted this year, and additional pontoons and stone flats are pre- 

 paring for it. This tide wier will have the effect of concentrating the whole 

 volume of bark water, the scouring force of which has already been so essen- 

 tially increased by the completion of the ' Knot-gulph' embankment." 



Florence and Leghorn Railway. — A supplement to the Florence Gazette of 

 the 27th April, contains the decree of II. 1. and R. Highness, the Grand 

 Duke of Tuscany, granting for the term of 100 years (to be reckoned from 

 the time when it will be completed and opened to the public), the railway 

 from Florence to Leghorn, to the Company announced by the Manifest of 

 Fenzi and Senn of the 24th April, 1838, to be executed according to the re- 

 port of the celebrated English engineer. Robert Siephenson, Esq. His Im- 

 perial and Royal Highness graciously allows said railway to bear his royal 

 name of" Leopold," and grants numerous advantages and privileges, among 

 others the importation duty free, of all the iron worl.i, machinery, locomotives, 

 and every othe? article required for its constrnction, and completely placing it in 

 active operation The exemption from the register stamp due on all the deeds 

 of the company during the construction of the railway, the option of con- 

 verting into perpetual leaseholds the amount of such lands as will be occu- 

 pied bv the company, and which may belong to the state, or to religious cor- 

 porations, and which from its nature should be subject to re-investment. 

 The right of expropriation fixed on a liberal basis, with the right of imme- 

 diate occupation, and a low tariff for the transport of persons and goods. 



Copper Mine. — The copper mine recently discovered in Jamaica is situate 

 in Mount Vernon, a huge mountain six miles to the East of Kingston. The 

 lodes run from east to west, with a dip to the north. The veins of ore are 

 found in the neighbourhood of Lucky Valley estate, in the parish of Port 

 Royal, and at the base of the mountain. The richest ore is a sulphurte, 

 yielding 40 per cent, of metal. This ore is obtained in immense quantities 

 from a shaft which opens on a small stream sufficient to carry away the 

 debris. . Several hundredweights have been sent to London and Swansea for 

 smelting, great difficulty having been experienced in performing this opera- 

 tion perfectly in Jamaica, from the want of reverberatory furnaces. There is 

 also a carbonate wliich yields II per cent, of metal by the humid process. 

 This is a very beautiful ore, and occurs in what is called abon rock. The 

 matrix consists principally of lime-stone, argillaceous sand-stone, slate, schist, 

 and a fine black sand-stone. The black sulphuret, which is abundant, is ob- 

 tained in masses resembling wet and rotten coals, soft when extracted from 

 the mine, but hardens in the snn, and is full of pjTites. When dry it is per- 

 fectly friable. The situation of the mine is convenient, being only three 

 miles and a half from the sea, and the road is a gradual descent to the har- 

 bour. Bull Bay, where there is good anchorage for vessels. It may be added 

 that the mine is in full operation, a company having been formed, and all the 

 shares bought up. When the packet left Jamaica, Senor Don Rennaldo, the 

 captain of the Cuban mines, had been applied to for assistance and advice, 

 and was daily expected there. 



Consumption of Smoke. — AVe have great pleasure in directing public atten- 

 tion to the efficacy of Hall's apparatus for the consumption of smoke from 

 steam engine chimnies. Mr. Hall has just completed one at the manufactory 

 of Messrs. Boden and Morley, in Castle-street, in this Borough, which from 

 its efficacy, if generally adopted, will leave no cause of complaint from what 

 has hitherto been a source of annoyance to the inhabitants of the borough. 

 The furnace is supplied by a current of air heated by the furnace itself, which, 

 when in full operation, completely cunsumes the volume of dense smoke, 

 which is frequently sent forth from the chimney of a steam-engine. Of 

 course this cannot be done till the fire is got up in the morning, and when- 

 ever the furnace door is opened for feeding, the apparatus ceases to act ; but 

 half a minute suffices to clear the chimney, when the furnace door is shut, 

 and then, however thick and dark the smoke was previously, the quantity is 

 immediately greatly reduced and its density gives place to a silvery hue. We 

 believe the apparatus saves something considerable in fuel, and we are sure 

 its adoption will be hailed with general approbation by the inhabitants of 

 this borough. — Derby Reporter. — A short time ago, our columns contained a 

 notice of the perfect consumption of smoke by apjiaratus applied to the steam 

 engine of Messrs. Benjamin Cort and Co.. of this town ; it has also been used 

 with equal success as applied to other steam engines, both here and at Derby. 

 We are highly gratified at being informed that this invention answers equally 

 well with locomotive engines. A trial was made of it, as attached to the 

 '• Wizard," a few days ago, on the Midland Counties Railway, in the pre- 

 sence of some of the directors of the company, and of several other gentle- 

 men ; of the former were William Hannay, Esq., and Henry Youle, Esq.. and 

 of the latter were Francis Wright, Esq., of Lenton Hall, H. B. Campbell, 

 Esq., &c., who all expressed their high approbation of its satisfactory opera- 

 tion. The above apparatus for which a patent was taken out in January last, 

 is the invention of Mr. Samuel Hall, the inventor of the condensers (known 

 under his name), for supplying pure distilled water instead of salt or other- 

 wise impure water to the boilers of marine and other steam engines, as well 

 as the inventor of the reefing paddle wheel for steam vessels. The importance 

 to railw.ay companies of being able to use coal instead of the costly article of 

 coke to locomotive engines, can scarcely be estimated, so greatly must it re- 

 duce the expense of the transit of passengers and goods, and consequently 

 increase the profits of the shareholders. — Nottingham Riview. 



Dorsetshire — The body of the church of St. Mary's, Warehani, Dorset, is 

 n iw being pulled down for the purpose of being rebuilt. This part has evi-- 

 dently been already once before pulled down and rebuilt, the nave being 

 divided from the side aisles by square massive piers of rough rubble con- 

 struction, with impost and archivolt mouldings of a Roman character. This 

 alteration was possibly done towards the latter end of the 17th, or beginning 

 of the I81I1 century. The workmen have found in the walls some fragments 

 of stone with curious carvings and inscriptions. There i.? a fine tower and 

 spacious chancel of decorated Gothic which will not be touched, and attached 

 is a small sepulchral chapel with tombs of cross legged knights in chain ar- 

 mour. The new church provides accommodation for 1000 persons. The con- 

 tract has been taken by Messrs. Cornick and Son. of Bridport, Dorset, and 

 the works are to be completed by Michaelmas 1842, under the superintendence 

 of Mr. T. L. Donaldson, architect, by whom also a new Scotch Church is to 

 be erected at Woolwich, in the Norman style, with accommodation for 1000 

 persons, half of whom will be soldiers of the garrison. The plot of ground 

 for the church and .schools, which are to be erected in connexion, has been 

 given by the Government, in consideration of the sittings, which will be pro- 

 vided for the troops of the Kirk communion. 



Mr. Stephenson'.; Lime Il'grks at Amber Gate. — Mr. Stephenson has now- 

 commenced burning lime at these works, and is sending it to the difleient 

 places adjacent to the North Midland Railway. In the course of a short 

 time it will be conveyed to most of the principal towns in England. The 

 kilns are built in a handsome and substantial form, standing from 30 to 40 

 feet above the surface of the ground. The limestone is procured from the 

 village of Crich, about two or three miles distant from the kilns, on a tram- 

 way formed for that purpose. A short distance from Crich, the tramway 

 passes through a tunnel between 50 and 00 yards in length ; a httle further 

 on is an inclined plane, worked by a wheel, which lets down six wagons full 

 of limestone, and draws up the same number of empty wagons. Nearly ad- 

 joining this is another inclined plane, which is uncommonly steep, rising at 

 the rapid rate of one yard in three and a half, and is worked by a large drum, 

 ound which passes a wire-rope; a lever is attached to the drum, by which 



