18iO.] 



THE CIVIL ENGINEER AND ARCHITECT'S JOURNAL. 



175 



same elevation. Granting, tlien, his definition of harmony to be correct, 

 BO building could possibly be beautiful ; for (he eye, which was gratified 

 by the simple ratio existing between the angles, must also perceive and be 

 offended by the want of these so-called harmonic proportions in the sides. 

 Mr. Purdie farther objected to this theory on the broad ground that it 

 involved the setting aside of taste altogether; that it was calculated to 

 erect within the dominion of taste a tribunal to overrule and supersede 

 its judgments. If any one were to object to a building of l\tr. Cousin's, 

 or of any other architect, designed on the principles brought before the 

 Society as being ill-proportioned, it could be no answer to tell him that 

 this was an angle of thirty degrees, that of forty-five, and so on. Unless 

 the jurisdiction of this theory were to be supreme, the architectural critic 

 would have a full title to hold to his opinion, notwithstanding these so- 

 called mathematical demonstrations. But as the explanations which the 

 discussion on Mr. Cousin's paper called forth, at a late meeting of the 

 Society, had placed the matter on a very narrow ground, Mr. P. preferred 

 to leave it there, rather than enter upon matters which could only lead to 

 endless and perhaps altogether unprofitable discussion. 



Observations on what is 7'equired to be done, in order to improve the 

 Dwellings of the Working- Classes ; with a brief notice of some Model Houses 

 recently erected in this neighbourhood, and some account of those which have 

 been built in London, Glasgow, Sfc. By Patkick Wilso.n, Esq., Architect. 

 Mr. Wilson observed, that in looking at the large tenements in the centre 

 of Edinburgh, occupied by a prodigious number of families, some of ihera 

 elevated sis or eight stories from the street, it must appear almost an im- 

 possibility fur such families to have anything like cleanly dwellings; the 

 common stair of such tenements is, in general, in such a state of filth, that 

 there is no inducement to the housewife of cleanly habits to attempt keep- 

 ing a clean house. He, therefore, contended the working-classes must be 

 placed in self-contained houses. Such an idea might at first sight appear 

 Utopian, but so far from this being the case, it had actually been realised, 

 and that at a rent not exceeding what is paid for the same accommodation 

 in other situations. 



Mr. Wilson then took a rapid glance at what had been doing in other 

 towns. He gave some brief account of the houses recently erected in 

 London; but in general remarked that they could not be taken as a guide 

 for us in Edinburgh, the rents paid for them being far beyond what could 

 be afforded by Edinburgh operatives. 



Mr. M'ilson laid before the Society the plan which had occured to him- 

 self sometime ago for improving the dwellings in question, which he had 

 since had opportunity of carrying into practice. To effect this on the 

 most economical plan, he proposed having houses of two stories high, the 

 houses on the first floor to have their entrances on the one side, and those 

 on the second floor on the other side; and further, that rows of such houses 

 should be placed at right angles to the road or street. 



There are six rows i>f houses, each row cuntalniug eight houses, four on 

 the ground-floor and four on tlie second floor. The spaces of ground be- 

 tween the rows are devoted for bleaching-greens, willi the exception of a 

 footpath on each side leading to the houses. The Model houses recently 

 erected at Industry-lane, North Leith, under the superintendence of Mr. 

 Wilson, are built on this plan. The piece of ground at Industry-lane only 

 admitted of two rows: one is built, and the houses are at present being 

 finished, the other is in contemplation to be built. The houses are of 

 various sizes. The average size contain, one large living room or kitchen, 

 one bed-room, a scullery sufticiently large for the mistress of the family 

 ■washing in, well lighted, and furnished with sink and water-pipe, and a 

 pantry. The sculleries are placed two and two togeiher, not only so, but 

 those on the lower floor being immediately under those on the upper iioor; 

 there are four sculleries all in a cluster, which arrangements, besides the 

 economy, possessed other advantages which Mr. W. pointed out. With 

 the exception of the water-closet, each house possesses every convenience 

 within itself. The water-closets are placed out of view at the farther end 

 of the row, and under lock and key. The apparatus for these closets are 

 of the most simple construction; one cistern supplies the whole cluster 

 with water. 



The largest size of houses at ludustry-lane contains a large kitchen, 

 two bed rooms, and the other conveniences already described. These 

 were commodious houses, and what in Mr. \Vilson's opinion, every house 

 should be, provided those for whom they are intended could pay a propor- 

 tionate rent. The parents and younger branches would be accommodated 

 in the large apartment, the boys in one room, and the girls in the other. 



The houses at Industry-lane are all let at the following rents : — Two 

 bouses at ot.bs ; two houses at 6/. 6s.; two houses, each with two bed- 

 rooms, at 71. 15s. Total receipt, 511. is. Cost of the eight houses, 700i., 

 5 per cent on which is 35/.; feu-duty, or ground-rent, il. 5s. (id.; making 

 a total outlay of 38/. 5s. dd.; and leaving for taxes, repairs, 6^c., a margin 

 of 12(. ISs. Cd. 



A considerable portion of ground has been feued at a very moderate 

 rate, through the kindness of Mr. Balfour, of Pilrig, and on which it is 

 intended to erect houses somewhat similar to those at Leith. 



Description and Drawings of a new Patent Air-Spring for Shutting Doors 

 and Gates, opening one or both ways: with a narrative of the Patentee's 

 Experiments in arriving at the bist arrangement. By Mr. CiEOBGi; Beattie. 



Mr. Beattie stated that in this new Patent Spring Hinge the pressure of 



the atmosphere is employed for the motive power to close the door. That 

 it is not a spring properly so called, but simply a counterbalance, by means 

 of the pressure of the atmosphere made to act towards a vacuum, the re- 

 sistance being uniform throughout the travel of the door, which combines 

 comfort, safety, and durability. The air spring consists of an iron box and 

 cover let into the floor, which contains a verticle axle supported at battom 

 in a hollow cup, and furnished at the top end, which projects above the 

 floor, with a shoulder and lever hinge for carrying the door on this shaft, 

 and within the box is fastened a horizontal wheel, which is toothed upon a 

 portion of its circumference. On each side of this wheel is a rack attached 

 to a piston, which is made to fit lightly into a cylinder by a cap leather. la 

 the under side of the cylinder is a valve communicating with the outside; in 

 the bottom of the cylinder is another valve communicating with an ex- 

 hausted chamber, and on each side of the racks are guides for the piston. 

 The teeth of the wheel are made to take in either of the toothed racks, ac- 

 cording as the door or gate is opened one way or other, so that the piston 

 will be drawn along the cylinder, leaving a vacuum behind, at a uniform and 

 regular degree of resistance, until the door is released, when the unbalanced 

 pressure of air upon the face of the piston will cause the door to resume its 

 original position. The use of the valve communicating with the outside of 

 the cylinder is that, in case of a leakage of air behind the piston, it shall be 

 driven by the return of the piston through it to the outside. The use of the 

 exhausted chamber and valve communicating with it is, that a portion of 

 the leakage air or oil which cannot be discharged by the valve leading out- 

 wards, escapes into the exhausted chamber, which allows the piston to get 

 to the bottom, and to bring the teeth of the rack in hard contact with the 

 teeth of the wheel, and thereby keep the door steady and in its proper place 

 when shut- The box requires to be filled with lard or sperm oil to seal the 

 piston, and keep the whole lubricated. 



Description of an Improved Method of Constructing Wire Fences. By 

 Mr. James Smith. 



It was stated that the object of this plan is to increese the simplicity and 

 facility of the construction of wire fences, and to afford easy means of cor- 

 recting the occasional defects of over tightness or over slackness of the wire 

 lines, whether arising from faults in the construction, or from the vicissi- 

 tudes of temperature: that this is effected by mounting the straining posts 

 with rollers and ratchet wheels for the wires, by which, with tools of the 

 most simple kind, an ordinary labourer can erect the fence and stretch the 

 wires in the most perfect manner; and the wires, when becoming too slack 

 or too tight, can be easily corrected, so as to keep them always in a perfect 

 state: and that the expense of obtaining these advantages very little exceeds 

 that of constructing the fence on the common method. 



NOTES OF THE MONTH. 



Important Application of Hydraulic Pressure. — A powerful hydraulic 

 engine has been placed at Murton colliery, belonging to the South Hetton 

 Company, by Messrs. .\rrastrong and Co., for the purpose of drawing the 

 trains of waggons underground without the aid of a steam-engine (so dan- 

 gerous in such a situation), or of horses, where a large number would not 

 be so efticient as this new machine. The engine consists of four small cylin- 

 ders and pistons, each being three inches in diameter, with a 12-in-stroke; 

 the water whii h supplies the power is that pumped from the shaft, collected 

 in a reservoir 606 feet above the level of the water engine, and, of course, 

 applying an enormous force to the pistons; the pipes conveying the water 

 down the shaft are i\ inches in diameter; the distance from the shaft from 

 whence the trains are propelled is 880 yards, with gradients from 1 in 30 

 to 1 in 18; the number of tubs in each train is at present 20 or 21; the 

 time travelling the distance is -tj to 6 minutes, or 6 miles an hour; the 

 quantity of water pressing on the pistons is 1,500 gallons, and the average 

 speed is 100 strokes per minute, although 130 have been obtained without 

 any jarring motion; the power of the engine is about 30 horses, and the 

 reservoir and column of water collects as ranch as will draw 20 trains per 

 day; but although it is contemplated to increase that number to 50, that 

 extra number will only involve the pumping of an additional 30 gallons per 

 minute through the 24 hours. 



New Brick-Making Machine — .Mr. Hart, engineer, of Seymour-place, 

 Bryanstone-square, is now exhibiting a machine for making bricks, which, 

 besides producing them with greater rapidity than by any previous machine, 

 and at a less cost, possesses the advantage of turning them out in an exceed- 

 ingly dense and homogeneous form, requiring no great length of time after 

 pressure before they are fit for the kiln. The machine is very powerful, but 

 compact. The clay is placed in a hopper, in a rough state, from whence it 

 passes, in a well-kneaded condition, into the brick moulds, which are placed 

 upon an endless chain ; here it passes beneath the presser, which reduces 

 the bricks to the proper size, and after this part of the process they are 

 stacked for drying. It is stated that one horse, two men, and four boys, at 

 a cost of about 1/., can turn out 26,000 perfect bricks, stacked, in 12 hours. 

 The machine is also admirably adapted for pressing into cakes oil dregs, 

 and other similar substances. 



