CHAP. IV. 



THE ALBION MILLS. 



139 



mens of iron work, and exercised no general influence 

 on mechanical improvement. Mr. Rennie's adoption of 

 wrought and cast iron wheels, after a system, was of 

 much greater importance, and was soon adopted generally 

 in all large machinery. The whole of the wheels and 

 shafts of the Albion Mills were of these materials, with the 

 exception of the cogs in some cases, which were of hard 

 wood, working into others of cast iron ; and where the 

 pinions were very small, they were of wrought iron. The 

 teeth, both wooden and iron, were accurately formed by 

 chipping and filing to the form of epicycloids. The 

 shafts and axles were of iron and the bearings of brass, 

 all accurately fitted and adjusted, so that the power em- 

 ployed worked to the greatest advantage and at the least 

 possible loss by friction. The machinery of the Albion 

 Mills, as a whole, was regarded as the finest that had 

 been executed to that date, forming a model for future 

 engineers to work by ; and although Mr. Eennie exe- 

 cuted many splendid specimens in his after career, 1 he 



1 Shortly after the completion of 

 these mills, Mr. Eennie was largely 

 consulted on the subject of machinery 

 of all kinds. The Corporations of 

 London, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Perth, 

 and other places, took his advice as to 

 flour-mills. Agriculturists consulted 

 him about thrashing-mills, millers 

 about grinding-mills, and manufac- 

 turers and distillers respecting the 

 better arrangement of their works. He 

 supplied plans for a steel lead-rolling- 

 mill for Messrs. Locke and Co., at 

 Newcastle-on-Tyne ; he was called in 

 to remedy the defective boiler-arrange- 

 ments at Meux and Co.'s brewery; 

 he advised the Government as to the 

 power for working their small-arms 

 manufactory at Enfield, and the Navy 

 Board respecting the apparatus for 

 blowing the forge at Portsmouth. In 

 1792 he invented the depressing 

 sluice for water-mills, which a Go- 

 vernment engineer, a Mr. Lloyd, after- 

 wards brought out (in 1807) as his 

 own invention. The Don Navigation 



Company's mills at Doncaster were 

 entirely rebuilt after his designs ; he 

 sent plans of large flour-mills to one 

 Don Diego at Lisbon, and of the ex- 

 tensive saw-mills erected at Arch- 

 angel in Russia. In July, 1798, he 

 was called upon to examine the ma- 

 chinery and arrangements at the 

 Royal Mint on Tower Hill. The re- 

 sult was, the construction of an entire 

 new mint, worked by steam-power, 

 with improved rolling, cutting-out, 

 and stamping machinery, after Mr. 

 Rennie's designs. The new machinery 

 was introduced between the years 

 1806 and 1810. Although it has 

 now been in use for half a century, 

 it continues in as efficient a work- 

 ing state as in the year it was 

 erected. It is still capable of turn- 

 ing out from the metal, in each 

 day of twelve hours, two and a half 

 tons of copper, and a ton each of 

 gold and silver coin. The whole 

 process, as carried out by this appa- 

 ratus, is extremely beautiful and effi- 



