374 



KNOWLEDGE 



[May 1, 1885. 



British McKar-ki Air-Engine Co. The length of these 

 out-door liu^s will be about 700 ft. each. 



Ill the court ou the right — known as the North Court — 

 is bfing rapidly put together a capital display of civil 

 engineering work, mining machinery, and metallurgical 

 appliances. Noticable in this section of the Exhibition 

 will be a collection of mechanical " testing" apparatus, by 

 Messrs. W. H. Bailey &. Co. ; but there is already finished 

 a case of metal specimens, than which it is doubtful if any 

 other exhibit may be seen involving discoveries of greater 

 moment. This exhibit is illustrative of the properties of 

 Bessemer steel. Several samples which have undergone a 

 variety of crucial tests are displayed. At the side of the 

 case, in an unpretentious place, is a small piece of metal, 

 comprising apparently less than two cubic inches, but 

 which may fairly be said to be worth its weight in 

 gold many times over. And this is its history : — 

 " On Wednesday, the 13th of August, 185G, Sir 

 Henry Bessemer first announced the discovery of his now 

 well known feteel process at a meeting of the British Asso- 

 ciation at Cheltenham. On the following morning his 

 paper was published in the Times. In the afternoon of 

 that day the account was read at the great Dowlais Iron 

 Works in Wales, where it excited the greatest interest, and 

 it was at once perceived by Mr. Edward Williams, of 

 Middlesbrough, who was at that time manager of the 

 bar-iron department at Dowlais, that the new process 

 threatened an entire revolution in the system of making 

 railway bars. Mr. Williams at once determined to put the 

 process to the test of exjieriment, and with an energy and 

 perseverance rarely equalled, he and his staff of workpeople, 

 in conjunction with their chemist, Mr. Edward Riley, 

 succeeded in extemporising a " Bessemer Converter," and 

 by the afternoon of Saturday a charge of pig-iron was con- 

 verted and run into troughs of sand on the ground. These 

 rudely-formed ingots were on Saturday rolled into bars, 

 much to the astonishment of all who had taken part in the 

 experiments. So deeply and so favourably were the pro- 

 prietors of the Dowlais Works impressed by the results 

 thus obtained, that they came up to London on the follow- 

 ing Tuesday, and on that same day purchased of the in- 

 ventor a licence to use his patent at their works for a cash 

 payment of £10,000, returning to Wales on the same 

 evening, or just within one week from the date of the 

 announcement of the invention at Cheltenham, thus back- 

 ing their faith in the new process solely on this first bar, 

 the small portion of which is here exhibited." If anything 

 were wanting to stimulate would-be inventors they have 

 it here. The world is not yet so full of comfort and con- 

 tentment, nor has human ingenuity so far availed itself of 

 the forces of Nature, as to leave no hope for further pro- 

 gress. Progress there must be, and the man that realises 

 this, and makes a move forward may nowadays rest assured 

 that he will get a substantial return for his labours, besides 

 having such pleasure as is to be derived from a knowledge 

 of having conferred a real boon, often greater than the 

 boldest general can hope for, upon his fellow men. 



The gallery ou the left, known as the South Court, will 

 be devoted to agricultural machinery, and here plenty will 

 be found from abroad and from all parts of the kingdom to 

 interest the rural portion of the community. In these 

 times of agricultural depression, when the tiller of the soil 

 finds it next to an impossibility to earn his bread as a 

 reward for his labours, it behoves him to turn his attention 

 to the products of inventive genius. One can scarcely help 

 feeling, however, that there is too great a degree of gaudi- 

 ness in the painting, and that on that account the machines 

 look hardly so serviceable as they might do. This applies 

 AS much to English as to American productions. 



Returning to the main entrance, the visitor will find on 

 his left hand a long gallery known as the East Arcade. In 

 this j)lace will be found the exhibits of electrical apparatus, 

 which are being brought together fairly well. Further 

 on, the gas appliances are exhibited, and still further fuel 

 (including a good show of gas-stoves by i'letcher, of War- 

 rington), educational apparatus, and aeronautics. On the 

 left of this gallery is the East Gallery, part of which is 

 devoted to Chinese exhibits, the remainder being very 

 well stocked with machines for paper-making and print- 

 ing. The East Annexe is another g-illery siill further to 

 the left, and is allotted to the Food section. Here, if 

 anywhere, we shall find displays void of any real interest 

 or utility. Already may be seen a number of tubs and 

 boxes labelled " Butterine," and presumably other articles 

 of a like nature will find their way here. 



From the northern extremity of the East Arcade the 

 visitor enters the "East Quadrant," in which are located 

 the toys, clothing, and leather groups. Very little appears 

 to be in readiness in either of the clas.ses. Nor can much 

 more be said for the indiiirubber, pottery and glass, or cut- 

 lery groups, which occupy the " West Quadrant," although 

 there is some promise of a first-rate show of rubber goods 

 by the Silvertown Company. 



Leaving the West Quadrant, the visitor enters the West 

 Gallery and the West Arc=ide, where considerable progress 

 has already been made, and where much will be seen of 

 considerable interest. John Bell ct Co, cif London ; Watson, 

 Liidlow, & Co., of Glasgow ; Fanner &, Sons, of Salford; 

 Mather it Piatt, of Manchester; Hal^e & Co., of Manchester, 

 and a number of others promise excellent displays in their 

 diti'erent specialties. The West Annexe is on the left of 

 the West Gallery, and is devoted to hydraulic machinery. 



Carriages, bicycles, and tricycles, and naval architecture 

 will together make an attractive display in the " Queen's 

 Gate Annexe," which is to the right (when walking south- 

 wards) of the West Arcade, and into which the Queen's 

 Gate entrance opens. 



The South Central Gallery runs from east to west across 

 the grounds, just north of the 0;d London Street and the 

 Au.stro-Hungarian section. Here a collection is being put 

 together which ought to constitute an exhibition in itself, 

 exhibits being requisitioned from the following classes : — 

 Chemistry and physics, philosophical instruments (many of 

 the best makers are well to the front), photography, clocks 

 and watches, jewellery, and furniture. 



The extensive galleries to the north, allotted to foreign 

 countries, as marked on the plan, are unfortunately but 

 sparingly occupied, although large consiynmeuts of goods 

 are streaming in and being put into positi(m. 



The second division of the exhibition devoted to music 

 occupies the whole of the central gallery, which looks very 

 much as though it will have hard work to contain comfort- 

 ably all the good things that are being placed in it. A 

 really good display of musical instruments by the best 

 known firms will be made, and the central gallery should 

 prove one of the most attractive portions of the exhibition. 



A Novelties Exhibition is to be held in Philadelpliia this year 

 under the auspices of the Franklin Institute. It will open on 

 Tuesday, Sept. 15, and close on Oct. 31. The exhibits are to ba 

 restricted to such as possess the double qualification of " novelty 

 and merit." 



A Textile Shield. — The Mexican Indians, when at warfare with 

 troops, make a shield out of their blankets by wettin;? and holding 

 them up by the upper edges. Bullets sway the blankets instead of 

 penetrating them, the blanket actiug like a ballistic pendulum. 

 These blankets are hand-woven, and are fulled until thick and 

 waterproof. The object in wetting them may be to facilitate tha 

 glancing of bullets which strike the blankets at acute angles. — 

 Engineering. ... . t .. • 



