Oct. 5, 1888.] 



SCIENTIFIC NEWS. 



37i 



Each erecting shop is provided with two 25 tons over- 

 head travelling cranes, which are capable of lifting an 

 engine bodily from one road to another, and each is 

 capable of lifting and travelling transversely and longi- 

 tudinally at one time, all of which operations are con- 

 trolled by one man. Hydraulic piping, supplied with 

 water at a pressure of 1,500 lbs. per square inch, is laid 

 throughout the entire length of these two shops, so that 

 small hydraulic tools can be worked from this source of 

 power. The boiler shop, which is 178 ft. longby 116 ft. 

 wide, is divided into two bays, the first of which contains 

 the machine tools. There is also a plate-grinding 

 machine which has been recently made at Nine Elms, 

 and is found to be thoroughly efficient. A very large 

 number of boilers are in progress of manufacture. Steel, 

 with the exception of the firebox and tubes, is wholly 

 used in their manufacture; manganese steel stays are 

 now replacing copper for the firebox. In the adjoining 

 bay is fixed one of Tweddell's stationary hydraulic 

 rivetters, having 11 ft. 6 in. gap. In connection with 

 this is a 7 tons hydraulic crane. In the hydraulic engine 

 house are fixed two pairs of engines by the Hydraulic 

 Engineering Company of Chester, which supply water at 

 a pressure of 1,500 lbs. per square inch to an adjoining 

 accumulator, from which all the hydraulic tools in these 

 shops, including three turntables, are worked. The 

 smiths' shop is 194 ft. long by 57 ft. wide, and contains 

 twenty-six forges, inclusive of bolt makers' fires. The 

 forge and spring makers' shop is a large brick building 

 176 ft. long by 51 ft. wide. The iron foundry is served 

 by two 5 tons steam cranes by Appleby Bros. Adjoin- 

 ing this is the brass foundry, which is fitted with 

 Fletcher's furnaces and the usual appliances. The 

 carriage building shop is a well-lighted building 194 ft. 

 long by 60 ft. wide, in which the bodies and under-frames 

 of coaches are built. This shop is heated by exhaust 

 steam. In the saw mill all the saw-dust, etc., is auto- 

 matically conveyed by a fan to a collecting tower, from 

 whence it is utilised to raise steam in one of the 

 stationary boilers. The whole of the shafting for driving 

 the various machines is fixed below the floor, which 

 arrangement keeps all the driving bands out of the 

 way, and does not necessitate the use of counter-shafts. 



In the carriage machine shop, which is 194 ft. long 

 and 57 ft. wide, are numerous drilling, nut tapping, shap- 

 ing, and slotting machines. There is also a brick factory, 

 in which the fire bricks for the brick arches of locomotives 

 and furnaces at Nine Elms are made. The running shed 

 is 235 ft. wide by 180 ft. long, and is capable of holding 

 60 engines. At the east end of the works, i.e., towards 

 Vauxhall Station, is situated a large shop 225 ft. long by 

 170 ft. wide, in which are made the road vans and out- 

 station furniture, and attached is a small saw mill and 

 smithy, with the necessary tools for quickly despatching 

 this class of work. Four of the arches under the main 

 line are fitted up as dining halls for the workmen ; the 

 remainder being used as shops and stores. The South 

 Western Railway has now in operation about 850 miles 

 of line, which is served by 550 locomotives, 3,000 car- 

 riages, and 8,000 waggons. 



This completed a very interesting tour of the London 

 and South Western Railway shops ; but, perhaps, the 

 chief characteristic that pervades the works is the evi- 

 dence of vitality and vigour of the Management, which 

 is sufficient to account for the rapid progress made by 

 this establishment under the superintendence of Mr. 

 William Adams during the last few years. 



MANCHESTER MICROSCOPICAL SOCIETY. 

 At the meeting held on September 13th, Mr. James 

 Hart, F.C.S., read a communication on " Insect Powder." 

 After referring to powders previously used as insecticides, 

 he described the insect powder in most common use 

 to-day, which is prepared from the flowers of Pyrethrum 

 roseum, or P. cineraricfolium, the former known as 

 Persian, and the latter as Dalmatian insect powder. The 

 powder from Dalmatian flowers is acknowledged to be 

 the best and strongest, owing, perhaps, to the fact that 

 fewer double flowers are found in it than the Persian. 

 More than twenty years ago a German traveller described 

 this powder as a sure protection against all kinds of 

 insects, and by making a tincture of the flowers, diluting 

 it with water, and sponging his body he was enabled to 

 sleep without even the protection of the mosquito net. 

 An American naturalist describes the action of the 

 powder on different insects. The smell does not affect 

 them, but, when carried to the maxillae or mandibles, 

 complete paralysis of the motor nerves takes place, the 

 legs being paralysed in regular order, beginning at the 

 first pair. Different classes of insects are susceptible in 

 varying degrees to its influence, all insects having open 

 mouthparts being peculiarly liable to its influence, whilst 

 others, such as the Hemiptera, owing to their peculiarly- 

 shaped mouths, are able to vigorously resist it. The 

 plant itself is quite inactive and utterly valueless as an 

 insecticide. The best powder is prepared from half- 

 open or closed flowers, that prepared from open flowers 

 being much weaker. After describing the structure of 

 the flowers by means of drawings, Mr. Hart drew the 

 attention of the meeting to an adulterated powder which 

 is being sold in large quantities at a price fifty per 

 cent, below that at which the genuine can be pro- 

 cured. This powder is made by grinding up the entire 

 plant, which, as before stated, is innocuous. It also 

 contains at least twenty-five per cent, of wheat starch 

 and twelve per cent, of yellow ochre, so that the 

 insects who come across this so-called insecticide must 

 have had quite a joyful time of it, for twenty-five per 

 cent, of it they can devour with impunity, and the rest 

 will not have the slightest effect upon them. 



An interesting discussion followed the reading of the 

 paper, more especially as to the use of the microscope in 

 detecting adulterations. The general impression seemed 

 to be that for mineral adulterants it was not of much use, 

 chemical analysis in these cases being requisite, but that 

 in the detection of organic adulterants it was a most valu- 

 able instrument to the analyst, as is shown by the 

 numerous illustrations of the microscopic appearance ot 

 various food-stuffs which are given in the standard works 

 on the subject of analysis of food and drugs. As to the 

 percentage of adulteration which it is possible to detect 

 by a microscopical examination, considerable difference 

 of opinion seemed to prevail. In the case of an adultera- 

 tion by means of starch it was held by some that five per 

 cent, of the adulterant would escape, whilst others thought 

 that so low a percentage as one per cent ought to be 

 detected by anyone acquainted with the microscopic 

 appearance of the commercial starches. It was agreed 

 by all that if the adulterant were rice starch one per cent, 

 ought to be detected, owing to the peculiar character of 

 the grains of rice starch. 



Mr. Edward Ward, F.R.M.S., described some micro- 

 scopical objects met with in an afternoon's ramble, and 

 showed under the microscope slides prepared from them. 

 He mentioned an instance of what he considered com- 



