22 TEAR-BOOK OF FACT3. 



violent storm swayed it from the perpendicular, the deflection pro- 

 duced extending to 7 feet 9 inches. On the 21st of the same month, 

 and subsequent days, it was restored to the perpendicular by twelve 

 separate sawcuts, as recommended by Mr. D. Macfarlane, architect, 

 who afterwards reported, as did Mr. Rankin e, that it was then per- 

 fectly safe. The highest cut was 128 feet from the top, and the 

 least distance between any two cuts was 12 feet. — Builder. 



COAL-BURNING AND FEED-WATER HEATING IN LOCOMOTIVES. 



Mr. D. K. Clark has described to the Institution of Civil 

 Engineers his Steam-jet System for improving the combustion. He 

 also described a new form of heater introduced by him, in which the 

 steam from the blast-pipe is projected into a short tube in conjunc- 

 tion with the feed- water, which is delivered in a thin annular sheet 

 around the steam nozzle. The water is broken into spray by the 

 steam ; the steam is instantly condensed, and the water is raised 

 nearly to the boiling point. 



WATER-BLAST FOR STEAM BOILERS. 



A PAPER has been read to the Institution of Mechanical Engineers, 

 at Birmingham, ''On some Hot-blast Stoves, working at a tem- 

 perature of 1300° Fahrenheit," by Mr. Edward A. Cowper, of London. 

 These new stoves are constructed on an entirely different plan from the 

 present ; the cold blast is heated by being passed amongst a largo 

 quantity of fire-bricks, which have been previously heated by passing 

 the heat f rom the fire in the opposite direction. This arrangement is 

 called a "regenerator" for heat, and is on the same principle in this 

 respect as Mr. Siemens's regenerative furnace for puddling and 

 heating iron and steel, &C, being modified to suit the circumstances 

 of the hot-blast stoves. The whole of the stove is enclosed in an air- 

 tight casing, or skin of wrought iron, to keep the blast in, whilst the 

 fire-brick lining of the casing withstands the heat. It is found In- 

 experience of the working of a pair of these hot-blast stoves, which 

 have been in regular work for more than two months at Messrs. 

 Cochrane's iron- works, Middlesborough, that tiny can be conve- 

 niently worked for two hours before reversing tin- currents of cold 

 blast and heat through them ; and the variation in temperature of 

 blast during the two hours is only about 100°or 150°. The economy 

 of fuel is very great ; for instead of the heat passing away to the 

 chimney at 1200° or 1300°, it does not escape until lowered to 150° 

 or 250°, only about the temperature of boiling watt r ; so that, prac- 

 tically, the whole of the heat given out by the fuel is absorbed in the 

 stoves, and made use of for heating the blast. — Mtc/tanics'Mcy 



BTBAH TRAITIC ON CANALS. 



At a meeting of the Royal Boottish Sooiety of Arts, a oommnni- 

 oation "On Steam Traffic on Canals," by .Mr. Thomas Lampray, 

 K.k.s., lias been read by the Moretary. Alter premising that it 

 will, lie believes, bo readily conceded that the future snoot of 



canals, and the value consequently of canal property, are dependent 



