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THE CIVIL ENGINEER AND ARCHITECT'S JOURNAL. 



[November, 



SMOKE NLISANCE IN LARGE TOWNS. 



At a Court of Common Council held at Guildhall, London, on the Mth 

 October last, Mr. Anderton presented a Report of the Committee appointed 

 to inquire into the nuisance arising from smoke of manufactories and steam 

 engines, &c., and the hest means of obviating the same. 



The following is the document referred to: — 



To THE Right Hon. the Lord Mayor, Aldermen, and Commons of 

 THE City ok London, in Common CovNtii. assembled. 



We, whose names are hereunto subscribed, your committee for general 

 purposes, to whom on the 29th day of October last it was referrcil to inquire 

 into the annoyance and nuisance to which the inhabitants of tliis city are 

 subject from the smoke of manufactories and ^team-cngincs, and .ilso from 

 steam-boats on the river Thames, and the best means of obviating the same, 

 and to report thereon to this Court, do certify, that with a view of collecting 

 every information upon the subject we directed advertisements to be issued, 

 intimating the nature of the reference to us, and expressing our desire to 

 receive any suggestions in writing as to the best means to be adopted for 

 remedying the inconveniences complained of, and in consequence thereof we 

 were favoured with communications from upwards of 41 jiarties, suggesting 

 a variety of modes for that purpose, and for the better information of this 

 hon. court we have classed and arranged the same under the following 

 heads : — 



1 . Parties tendering general advice. 



2. Methods for the combustion of coal and the prevention of smoke, by 

 the introduction of fresh or undecomposed air into the furnaces. 



3. Methods for the purpose of coking or charring the coal in furnaces, 

 such furnaces forming part of the ordinary furnace of steam-boilers, coppers, 

 &c. 



4. By the introduction of a jet of steam, in conjunction with a jet of air, 

 into the furnace of steam-boilers. 



5. By the use of anthracite, Welch coal (eitlier Langannoch or Merthyr), 

 or coke. 



0. Cy compressed fuel. 



7. Parties possessing plans, but at present unexplained. 



8. General complaints, but no remedy proposed. 



Class No. 1. 

 Number of 

 Communication. 



17 Hood, C, Earl-street, Clackfriars. 



33 Reid, Dr., 1.^, Duke-street, Westminster. 

 39 Wright, J., Hart-street, Bloomsbury. 



Class No. 2. 



15 Ilazelden, W.. at Mr. Bewley's, Liverpool. 

 5 b Bewley. John, Brunswick-street, Liverpool. 



18 Hall, Samuel, 18, King's .\rms-yard, Moorgate. 



41 Dircks, IL, at Routledge, W., 38, Prince's-street, Manchester. 



11 Forrester, R. F., Derby. 



Class No. 3. 

 1 Aeraman and Co., Bristol Iron Works. 

 3 a Chanter, John, Earl-street, Blackfriars. 

 7 Dartmouth, Earl of, St. James's-square. 



19 Juckes, J., 95, Union-street, Borough. 

 30 Rodda, R., St. Auste, Cornwall. 



36 Thompson, R., Liverpool. 



Class No. 4. 



3 Bell, W., 11, Queen-street, Edinburgh. 

 9 English, 37, New Broad-street. 



13 Greaves, W., Westgate-street, Newcastle. 



34 Smith. W"., Police-office, Aberdeen. 



Class No. 5. 



4 Barber, E. S., Newport, Monmouthshire. 



5 Coles Child & Co., Belvedere Wharf, Lambeth. 

 10 Flisher, Parker's-terrace, Bermondsey. 



12 Fyfe, Andrew, Edinburgh. 



16 Ilinde, J., 39, Chester-terrace, Regent's Park. 



20 Langannoch Coal Company, Crosby-hall Chambers. 



23 Manby, Brothers, 22, Parliament-street. 



24 Mackay, W., Swansea. 



25 Nutting, IL, 37, Neble-street. 



27 Pocock and Sons, St. Bride's Wharf. 



29 Pritchard, D., Capeldewy-house, Carmarthen. 



32 Rowton, F., 2, North-place, Kingsland-road. 



35 Scale, Henry, Merthyr Tydvil. 



37 Vickery, T. W., 25, Lincoln's-inn Fields. 

 39 Wright, J. Ilart-street, Bloomsburj-. 



Class No. 6. 



26 Oram, Thomas, Lewisham. 



Cl.' ss No. 7. 



6 Dez Maurel, 3, Newington-terrace, New Kent Road. 



8 De Varoe, E. 11. liryanston-street, Portman-squarc. 



14 Griesbach, W. IL, G, Baker's-row, Walworth. 



22 Miller, W., surgeon, Poole. 



28 Parsons, John, Whitecross-street. 



31 Reddell, Brothers, Bow. common. 



38 Williams, John, Pitmaston, near Worcester. 



40 Wood, W., Croydon-eommon. 



4 a Brinley, R. J., 121, Leadenhall-street. 



Class No. 8. 

 2 Ansell, S., West Hackney. 

 21 Misokapnos, Cannon-street. 



Class 1. 

 General Advice by Papers, Books, &e. 

 The papers and communications of Mr. Charles Hood (No. 17), Dr. 

 Reid (No. o.i), Mr. C. W. Williams, presented by Mr. Henry Dircks (No. 41), 

 are of too valuable a character to be curtailed (particularly'the latter). The 

 whole suliject is handled in a manner that would, if put fairly in practice, 

 completely do away with the smoke, and be attended with highly beneficial 

 results to the proprietors of steam-engines, manufactories, and others using 

 coals in large quantities ; it will he needless here to refer to any particular 

 point, as the whole are included, by the methods to be considered, as they 

 present themselves in the following classes ; — 



Class 2. 



Methods for the Combustion of Coal and the Prevention of Smoke 



by the Introduction of Fresh .\ir into Furnaces. 



Mr. W. Ilazelden (No. 15) writes a favouralde report of a furnace patented 

 by a Mr. Andrew Kurtz, and of which piitent he has a share ; he further 

 states that a saving of 22 per cent, in fuel has been etfected by the use of 

 this patent. Their terms are liberal, and they are willing to allow any engi- 

 neer appointed by the committee to examine and report upon the same. 



John Bewley (No. 5 b), on the same patent, writes that the plan is simple 

 and easy of application to the great majority of steam-engines ; that he is 

 agent for this patent, and shall be happy to show the plan in operation to 

 any person conversant with such matters, and give them the opportunity of 

 testing the same to their entire satisfaction. 



This patent, we believe, consists of a series of hollow fire-bars forming an 

 inclined plane, the highest end being next the bridge; through these bars 

 air is admitted from thence through small openings in the bridge. This air, 

 mixing with the gases from the fuel, forms an explosive mixture which 

 readily fires; thus doing away with smoke, &c. 



Samue' Hall (No. 18) is the patentee of a plan mneh of the same nature. 

 His method is to place a quantity of pipes in the flue between the boiler and 

 the chimney. Air is admitted through those pipes, thence it passes in flues 

 or tubes to perforations in or near the bridge. 'The office of the tubes (placed 

 in the chimney throat) is to intercept and return a portion of the heat 

 (which would be lost up the chimney i to the fire, and to warm the air ad- 

 mitted for the purpose of forming an explosive mixture with the gases. 



Mr. Samuel Hall thus writes— 



" If you will select a stationary engine, and one on board a tolerably large 

 steam-boat on the banks of the "Thames, for the application of my apparatus, 

 I will furnish it and put it up to the engines at my own expense, to be paid 

 for at a moderate price (to be previously agreed on) if it answers the pur- 

 pose ; but if not, to be taken away also at my own expense, and the success 

 or non-success of the process to be left to your decision." 



Numerous testimonials accompany this communication. 



R. F. Forester (No. 11) is a testimonial of more recent date (in favour of 

 the foregoing), and since the advertisement has been put in by our directions. 



Henry Dircks (No. 41) — This communication is principally in explanation 

 of a patent by C. W. Williams, of Liverpool, which is for the admission of 

 fresh air through small orifices placed in the flame bed behind the bridge, 

 stating that by the use of this apparatus, the air (forming the explosive mix- 

 ture with the gases) will be mure divided and mix more readily, and the 

 combustion will be more perfect. He at the same time uses a perforated 

 plate, or a series of tubes in the ash-pit beneath the fire bars, thus insuring 

 a more perfect and economical combustion of the coke or charred coal on 

 the bars, and by this process the Newcastle coals possess every advantage of 

 the .\nthracite, Langannoch, and other Welch coals. 



A variety of testimonials in favour of the process from the most eminent 

 chemists accompany the communication. 



Class 3. 

 By the method of coking or charring the coal in furnaces, forming 

 part of the ordinary furnace of steam-engines, &c. 

 John Chanter (No. 5 a) is the patentee of a number of plans for the pur- 

 pose jnst described. 



His combination, as he now describes it, is as follows: — To the front of 

 the common boilers now in use, he places an " auxiliary boiler," which is 

 connected to the principal boiler by both water and steam pipes, tlius in- 

 suring a circulation of tlie water. Under this supplementary boiler he places 

 the fire bars, laying them lowest at the back end (the incUnation being six 

 or eight inches to the foot) beneath these fire-bars he places a plate of iron, 

 which he terms a " deflector ; " this is for the purpose of warming the air 

 (feeding the fire on the bars) by reverberation. .\t the lower end of this 



