1867 December 27th

Dt;C. 27, 1867. '£ H E E N G I N E E R. .531 

THE ARTILLERY AND OTHER WAR MATERIAL 

PRODUCED AT THE INTERNATIONAL EXHI 

BITION, PARIS. 

No. III.-Ton.PEDOES. 

TliE mine, large or small, has for centuries been n. 

military instrument, not atone for the destruction of 

works, but of m~n individually or in mass. Although 

some imperfect suggestions as to the employment of subaqueous 

mines are to be found in old writings, such as 

Bi1·ringocio (1558), the state of practical art., until a very 

late period, confined their use to dry land. As agents on 

land again11t works examples are innumerable; our own 

military annals probably present none more striking than 

that of the great mine sprung by Lord Combermero beneath 

the walls of Burbtpore, nor, as an a"ent for the 

whol esal~! destruction of men, anything mere aecisive than 

the overwhelming of the French column in the ditch of San 

Sebaat.ian by the blowing in of the counterscarp und.:r 

Lore! Wellington. 

On a much minuter scale buried shells, or other small 

mines, under the name of fougfUsfM, were an established 

met.hod of resisting the advance of small bodies of troops, 

especially close in front of besieged places. These were 

fired by quick matches or by sauci88oM-i.c., long tubes of 

canvas filled wit.h loose powder. They, hence, always bad 

the immense disadvantage that the ~~tlosion could not be 

timed wjt.h absolute precision, and · 'tary history is full 

of event.s "t.he tide and current" of which were changed, 

by mines with whatever aim intended, blowing up either 

too soon or too late. 

Upon or in the water the fu:e ship was for a lon~ time 

the only known form of mine; but, while as a mere mcendi.ary 

weapon fire-ships were known and employed by the 

old nations of .Asia for thollSands of years, it would seem 

that the floating mine- the explosive fire-ship-was the conception 

of the brilliant genius of the able and ill-requited 

Gianibelli, of .Antwerp, in 1585. 

\Ye wish we bad scope to repeat, in the noble andnerYous 

language of Mottley, in his "History of the United 

Netherlands," the circumstances nnd~r which Gianibellia. 

Mantuan by birth, but long an Antwerpiau burgherproposed, 

and the unerring success with which be carried 

out his grand scheme for the destruction of one of the 

greatest and most daring operations of any age-the timber 

bridge across the wide current of the Scheldt, to reach the 

sea-girt city from the opposite shore; but we commend it to 

our readers as exceeding in thrilling interest mostevents narrated 

in military history, full as are its pages with all that 

stirs the blood. 

The bridge had been all but joined on to the islandresistance 

to its advance bad been iu vain-bristling with 

cannon and troops, and surronnded by gua.rdships nod 

rafta, even the hoped-for as&~u l ts of Lbe rolling down 

of the winter ice, borne seaward by the swollen river, 

had proved vain, and ninety tht>nsand people in t\ntwerp 

waited the almost calculable day that should enable Parma. 

and his ruthless Spanish soldiery to pounce upon them as 

their prey. 

One bold and subtle intellect saw the means to baflle all, 

if rightly suppor t.ed in his project. Fortunately, in St. 

Aldegonde, he found a geneml wise enough to listen to 

and second his plans. Two "fu·e-ships," as they were 

called, the Hope and the Fortune-inreality, two magazines, 

containing each about 7000 lb. of powder, skilfully stowed 

beneath ponderous slabs of stone and other missiles and 

confining masses, the one arranged to be fired by a slow 

match, the other by a lock regulated by clockwork (an 

anticipation here of Bushnell), were prepared, and at the 

right time of tide and in the gloom of evening of the 5th 

Apri~ 1585, were let drop down against the rafts and 

huge carpentry structure of the bridge. Both reached 

their places-one, the F ortune, laying herself broadside on 

against the doomed structure at the very spot intended, 

"as though with the intelligence of a sentient creature," as 

'Mot.tley says. The explosion followed. A clear breach of 

200ft. in length of the structure of the bridge-compared 

to which Cresar's over the Rhine was but a toy-was 

swept away, and with it more than a. thousand of Parma's 

chotcest soldiers and some of his best commanders. That 

the world was not ridded of himself also, was but the 

merest. accident. It was one of the grandest incidents of 

one of the grandest wars of history-one of the very 

few that the world has seen amongst its counUess 

wars, ennobled and hallowed by men fighting for all 

that is dearest and most sacred-kindred, friends, hearth 

and home, native land, freedom in body and in soul. 

Against the t·uthless and murderous, yet fanatic hosts of 

Spain, those crusaders of the bitterest and most devilish 

tyranny the world has ever seen, in which, in one black 

cause, was united the subtle and searching ecclesiastic 

ty1-anny of the priesthood of Rome, with the secular 

despotism of the narrow and bigotted Philip, and the greed 

and lawle!IS violence of his domineering captains. 

To us Ei:lglishmen these soul-stirring events of the days 

of Willi.am the Silent and of the brave and much-enduring 

Netberlanders ought ever to be a subject of reverential 

regard, for out of them grew our own deliverance from like 

suffering, and, at last, the day of our real liberties, both as 

to Church and State, by Lbe advent of William the Third. 

Let us further add that out of them also, though less directly, 

grew ~ba:t state of twngs that has made the N orth of Ireland 

what 1!. IS, and aU that which contradistinguishes it from 

the rest of that part of the empire at the present day. We 

should understand F enianism better in some of its many 

rt>~tions, !f we in.England at the p;esent hour had a more 

phil?sopwc and w1desprea.d histor1cal knowledge of theRe 

glonous struggles for liberty against Spain in the sixteenth 

century. 

Bu~, to ret~rn to our more immediate subject. In those 

days 1t was difficult enough to keep powder dry, even in 

the hold of the leak(, and uncoppered wooden ships from 

which " bilge water.' .ve.ry generally needed to be p~ ped 

once a day; to del?os1t 1t m safety for any time under water, 

m.uc~ less to fire 1t there, and at a given moment, was not 

~thin the compass of human knowledge. The under-water 

mtne, alone became p~ticable after arte and m.anufa.ctures 

---- = - - =----..;_,~=-- ===- =-=--·--==== 

had been largely advanced, and many branches of physical 

knowledge furlher explored, and it is only in virtue of the 

most recent advances in physical science of our day that 

these have become the well understood and formidable 

weapons both of offence and defence that they have proved 

themselves to be. 

Leonardo da Vinci's (1452-1519) all-pervading intelligence 

was engaged with this, amongst its many and diverse 

objects, and he has left some traces of his speculations as 

to the possibility of a boat to be navigated below the surface 

of t.he waters, and capable of being employed as an 

iosti·ument of warfare. · 

::>ome such machine, and upon the lar"e scale necessary 

to carry twelve rowers, was designed and apparently constructed 

by Cornelius Drebell, a. Dutchman we believe, in our 

JamMI.'stime, and Mr. J3oyle testifies to its inventor having 

possessed a. liquor capable of purifying tbc air vitiated by 

breathing in the subaqueoua boat. If so it was a remarkable 

anticipation, more or less complete, of what has been 

actually effected in our own days. In France oxygen of the 

air taken up by the carbon of the blood in the lungs has 

been with success restored by evolution from permanga 

I 

nates, and the evolved ca.rboni~ acid and aqueous vapour 

absorbed by circulating t he air, in the naut.ilus or other like 

forms of divin~ bell, over caustic lime steeped in strong solution 

of caust1c pota.ss. 

Daniel Bushnell, of Connecticut in the United States, 

seems, however, to have been the first to design and carry 

into actual practice a submarine vessel, with the distinct 

and sole object of firing subaqueous mines in contact with 

shipping or other objects io or on the water; and he seems 

to have been also the inventor of the term torpedo, as the 

name now universally accepted for such mines, and suggested 

(as is obvious) by th~ analogy of their effect to that 

of the stroke of the electric ray fish. Bushnell's vessel was 

first projected in 1771, and was completed, and attempts 

made to employ it against. British shipping, in 1775, though 

uo account of it seems to have been published prior to 1787, 

and t.ben in the "Transactions of the American Philosophical 

Society.'' 

SCALE :7'. 11£ (UU.lstZE 

GCIILE 

A brief but very clear account of it, taken from the 

above source, will be found in the "Repertory of Arts," 

ser. 1 1 vol. xv. Bushnell's vessel was a strong hollow 

ellipsoid of timber, which by ballast was caused to float, 

whether partially or wholly immersed, with its greatest 

diameters horizontaL It was provided with a manhole of 

entrance on the top side, and with bull's-eye windows, 

and closeable apertures for vision or to permit an arm to 

be thrust out. 'l'wo screw propellers (a. very early use of 

tills method of propulsion and leaving very little more 

for the inventor who first applied the same to ordinary 

shipping)-one with its axis vertical, tbe ot.her bori.7-ontal, 

and aided as t.o the latter by a rudder at the opposite end 

(Jf the diameter, and all worked from within, gave the 

means of movement. 

Ascent or descent were also producible by the admission 

of water by a valve, or its rejection by pumps. A certain 

mass of lead ballast suspended outside the bottom of the 

vessel could be let run to the bottom by a line of about 

50fL. long, so that the vessel could instantly almost rise to 

the surface if need be. The depth at any moment beneath 

the surface, was shown by a manometer gauge, and the 

direction of horizontal movement by a. compass, the 

indices of both being rendered luminous by being tipped 

with phosphorus. l'resh air eoounh was included to 

enable one man to exist for about bill an hour. Further 

supplies of fresh air were obtained only at the surface, 

and by means of a. " ventilator " or fan, which pumped the 

vitiated air out and fresh air in. Through a tubular 

cylindric spindle, workin~ throu~b a sLufiing-box at a. 

suitable part of the vessel, a. con1cal sbat·p-pointed steel 

wood screw could be rotated, so that when it had been 

screwed into the hull of a ship under water the screw 

itself could be wholly detached from the spindle and the 

submarine vessel. A swivel eye connected this screw by 

a few feet of rope with a magazine, secured Ui such a way 

at the other end of the submarine vessel that it could 

also be cast off as soon as the screw was fastened into the 

ship. 

1'his magazine held 150 lb. of powder, and was excavated 

out of two thick blocks of , oak timber joined 

together water-tight, so that the whole should be rather of 

less specific gravity than wa~r. Thus as soon as this 

ma~zine was loosed oft' it floated up, and assumed such a 

honzontal or other position as the detaining screw and 

length of rope permitted, close to the ship's hull. 

Within the magazine was a train of clockwork so 

arranged that the cllange of .Position due to casting off the 

m~azine released the mot1ve spring and set it ~oing. 

ThiB was regulated as to time so that at the expirat10n of 

a given interval a lock like an old-fashioned flint ~n-lock 

was released, and fired a. panful of powder, which fired 

the whole magazine. A very interesting specimen of a 

clockwork lock of this description, and of about this 

period, exists in the uow magnHiceut collection of arms and 

appliances of watfare of the museum of the United Service 

Institution, London. Bushnell gives a very modest 

account of the attempts made by meu more or less trained 

by him, to the use of this his vesse~ to blow up British 

shipping. A 50-gun ship lying off New York, not far 

from Governor's I sland, had a. narrow escape. Two unsuccessful 

attempts also were made on shipping in the Hudson 

river, but the t01pedo vessel was discovered, the vessel on 

board of which it had been taken was pw'Bued, and sunk by 

shot from the British squadron. The submarine vessel, in 

virtue of it.s unsinkable qualities, seems to have been ultimately 

recovered; but Bushnell got into bad health, and 

was unable to raise funds to pursue his object further. 

H e, however, demed floating torpedoes of two olher different 

and new furros, and at least proved that they were 

capable of all he aimed at. One of these forms consisted 

in a torpedo (or magazine as he calls it) which floated on 

the surface, and was towed after a whale boat in such a. 

manner that it necessarily came in cont.:lct with the sides 

of the devoted ship. 

The contact at once drew the trigger 

Of a flint lock Wlthin, WWCh fired the torpedo. This he 

actually tried against the Cerberus, British frigate, lying at 

anchor between Connecticut River and New London. 'fhe 

torpedo unluckily fouled, not the intended frigate, but an 

unoffending schooner anchored close under her stern, and 

this it demolished, and destroyed all but one man of her 

crew. The other form of tor~~~o consisted in barrels of 

powder caused to float samet. · rr below the surface, and 

while dra~ging a li~ht weight ()n the bottom after them, to 

float slowly down with the tide in an estuary or river such 

as the Delaware, each being provided with projecting 

spud3, any one of which on coming in contact with 

a solid body released the lock and fired the charge. There 

is gTeat ingenuity in these several contrivances of Bushnell. 

to whom appears certainly to belong the honour of having 

been the inventor of the torpedo. In the form in which 

he tried his torpedoes against the Cerberus they were used, 

though 'vith much better and more delicate means of ignition, 

by the Confederates in the late American war, and 

with some, though with uncertain success. 

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In the latter form they are the germ of the most, modern 

and most effective form of torpedo, with the ditl'erence, 

however, that now the ship, if an attacking vessel, is made 

to approach the torpedo, and not the torpedo the ship, as 

in Bushnell's case. F or the destruction of blockading vessels 

or others not in motion, however, it is sufficiently obvious 

that some modification of Bushnell's art-angements is 

alone applicable. 

Nor has his submarine vessel ceased to stimulate attempts 

more fully to realise what he proposed. At present there 

lies in Cberbourg dockyard an irou submarine vessel, L e 

Plongeur, constructed it is reported by the Emperor Napoleon's 

expr~ desire, if not from his designs, which is in fact 

chiefly an improved edition of Bushnell's. Another Plongeur 

was not long since launched and experimented with at Toulon, 

and amongst the naval models exhibit.ed at Paris by France 

was one of an under-water steamer, of a highly elaborate 

and not very unlikely-looking design- a sort of cigar boat, 

presenting nothing above water but certain air apertures, 

when it might be desirable that her bull should be so wholly 

immersed. The real_objection to all these ingenious toys-

532 THE .f4~NGINEER. 

for tb ... yare not much more-is simplytl1is-thatlife isswee~.~ s~ore charged; and thick gree.n glass globes even of a large 

Men will face wounds and death amidst the stormy mustc StZe bear very rou~h usage wttbout frncture. 

an•l tbu r. pture of the fiubt, and the mulual encourag~ment Torpedoes. made under Captaiu Rhamste~t's instructi~ns 

of nil wLf) to~··ther seek a. soldier's reputation, "e'en 10 the have, we belteve, been expe.tme.uted upon ~ the Swed1sh 

canuon ·s mouth;" but at such moments men are uo longer arsenals, but whether adopted m to the serVIce or uot we 

contempl ~th·e philosophers and mechanicians. Ten thou- are not aware. 

saud nH'n can be got manfuUy to fall in, and bear them- The Confederates soon, however, found the means to 

st>l\""e;J like meu in the tumultuous rush of a forlorn hope, produce better and larger instruments, and before the close 

for one to be found who, in solitude, silence, darkness, aud of the war showed the perfection to which they had 

darwcr both from nature and from man, shall retain his brought these weapons by their success in destroying a 

bead and his 1ang froid sufficiently to manage to good very serious number of ships of war of their enemies. 

purpo~e th(' delicn.le manipulations of submarine boat navi- Captain Maury, whose name in connection with meteoro 

~;Ltion. This, although perhaps not qnite articulately felt, logical Md pelaJiC science is so well known, was one of 

ba~, iu f:\l't, eau ed the practical abandonment of at- the Confederate officers who were engaged in this service, 

tcmpta to fix and fire torpedoes uy submarine navigation. and wh'.> was sent to Europe. amongst other objects, for the 

It. j .. slllti.d, however, by Captain Harding Stewart, R.E., purpose of collecting information and forwarding torpedo 

in his very at.le and iustnt(tive pam1,hlet on torpedoes, stores to the Soutberns. While in London the writer had 

pliuletl in 1866, at Woolwich, for priv"\te circulation only the pleasure of conferring with him on this subject. 

-I h:1t thP Conf'lderates did employ somE' form of marine Several distmct systems, so to sa.y, of torpedoes were 

boat at Chat·leston, and with it sucoeeded in destroying the tried or employed by the Confederates. 

Federal sloop of war Hosatonic. 

Amongst these was tba.t originated by Bushnell, as 

!t is not a little remarkable that America, which wit- already described, viz., by 11 dropping torpedoes," or those 

nessed the first production of the torpedo, is still the which, composed of casks of powder armed with fulmicountry 

in whioh theao have been most employed and been nating studs. were in pairs connected by a rope of more or 

most improved, and with the most success. 

less length permitted to drift clown rivers and estuaries 

The Russians in 1854 sowed the surfaces of some of either with stream or tide, or both, and which came into 

their military sea ports in the Baltic thickly over with small contact with the ship's hull as soon as the latter intersected 

and very iuetlicient torpedoes. These were nearly all of the bight of the connecting rope. But these were found 

one form, siu, and construction, and pretty nearly as uncertain and unsatisfactory; towed down by boats at night 

shown in Figs. A and B. Fig. A is a vertical section of they may be tolerably sure, but if left to themselves they 

the entire torpedo, the lower part of which is vacant, to must ever be highly uncertain, for unless both torpedoes drift 

give tluata~e power, while the upper and larger one is filled down in water of precisely the same velocity the two must 

with powder, holding iu general not more than 60 lb. ere long, with their connecting rope, cease to be transverse 

or 70 lb. The arrangement for firing by contact is seen to the stream; other disadvantages are pretty obvious. 

at the centre of the top, and to a large scale in Fig. B. Amonf?St the forms of stationary t.orpedo chiefly used, were 

It ha:; been sta.ted to have been contrived by Professor thosewluch were secured to t.be upper end of an under-water 

J acobi of St. P etersburs. 

pile, driven diagonally or vertically into the bed of the river, 

Walled off from the matn powder space is a cylinder of thick &c., and which were fired by contact; these they called" stake 

t.in plale, the shell of the torpedo being of zincked plate iron. guns." Those which were moored by rope or chain at given 

At the bottom of this is a short socket like that of a candle- spots, and which were usually fired by galvanism or by fric 

Rtick. Into this is placed a ~lass tube sealed at both ends, tion electricity from the shore; there were some of these 

urface. But 

this i ~ slipped a bit of thin iron tubing, which just passes the methods of mooring employed do not appear to have 

ovl'r the glass tube, and rests upon its top end by a cork, been adequately contrived to meet the great di:fliculties 

with which the iron tube is closed. Thls iron tube is there always must be, to prevent twisting round and round 

1·cndered water-tight, with the collar seen projecting up- of the mooring chains, by the effects of a rapid stream way 

wanls around it from the top shell of the torpedo, by a upon the torpedoes. Thus, not only are the latter lowered 

loose stocking of caoutchouc tied to each. At the t op of n the water by the twisting, b ut the conducting wires got 

the torpedo are arranged two or more sliding rods or fouled or broken. 'l'his appca1'8 to have originated the 

"strikers," T-shaped in cross section, passing through guides, third system, viz., tbat of moored or simply wei~hted and 

ami c:.n filled with powfler. This 18 seen in longi- The success of the Confederates towards the later periods 

tudinal section in Fig. 2. When filled with powder the of the war with their torpedoes was as indubitable as it 

firing apparatus, seen in axial section in this, and to a was striking. On the attack upon Mobile by Admiral Lee's 

larger stze in Fig. 3, was screwed in where the bunghole fleet alone they succeeded in destroying no less than nine 

usually is placed. The intenor of these kegs was coated 

with tallow, and the exterior with pitch and tar, and each 

of the enemy's gunboats. 

Two forms of fulminating fuze were chiefly employed. 

was gra!!ped ~enera lly by a simple double aling loop of rope, One known as Singer's patent, the other as Brookes's. 

which was att.ached to the mooring line, the mooring berng Reference to these and to other points of torpedo science, 

frequently nothing but a lArge block of stone. The firing however, 've must now reserve for our next article, when 

apparatus coru;isted of a rapid burning fu.ze composition they will beet be treated of in connection with the Austria.n 

driven into a. brass or hard pewter tube. Upon the top torpedo systems as exhibited at Paris. These are at once 

end of this was placed a pellet of fulminating compound the most elaborate and the most complete that have been 

enclosed. in tinfoil, and upon the top of this a cylindrical produced as yet by any military power. The Austrians, 

punch, or " striker," with a projecting end, was fixed; the however, have owed very much to the prior skill, energy, nnd 

whole was made water-tight by simply enveloping it in a experience of the Confederate States. 

thick coating of wax and tallow. For marine or river \lse 

three or more of these firing studs were screwed into different 

P

Dec. '1.7, 1867. 

TH E ENGINEER. 

533 - 

• 

RAILWAY MATTEU '. 

Ono tlJOUS:\nol c .~ f11r t he P acific lbil way nre to bo built in 

Ma.nbnll, 1\licb. 

A CO:iTMcr for 2:i,OCO toM of nih i• cxpecte•l to ho given out 

•hortly for the P oti anJ Tifiis lt.Lilway, auotber Uuuia.n lin{ 

recently conceded. 

Tuc low t~ rms at which tbo house or Do Dorlodot recently 

took 1\ contmct for r.1ili for tho lldc;wn St.at. railways has been n 

good deal di.scuaaeu. 

To& DecazeviUe mines anrl ironworkl, in the 'Frenoh depart· 

ment of the Aveyron, ho\VO l>ccn diJpoaed of to t he Orleans llt.U· 

way Company for £111),200. 

TuE Stafford and Uttoxeter line, which wn commencerl 11omo 

years ago by an intlcpuvierc, tcmlered a t £1733 

each lot; while Chl\rles Cammell and Co., of • beffield, teno.lered 

1\t .flS.:;G each lot; several other tenders \VCN 1\lao d elivered at 

intcnnedio.te rata. J obn Brown antl Co., of Sheffield, obtained 

a contract for 600 iron piston buff.:rs for lO·t.ons goods truclu, nt 

£ .il:.i 10..; Messrs. Tnylor Brothers, of P aris, tendered Ull8UCCCill· 

fully at £648. 

Tu.& directora of the Oreat Indian Peninsula Railway Company 

llAvo i sued a circular apociGcnUy de,cribing the nrr.Ulgemont with 

tho I ndia Council a.s respects the incWenco of the heavy expondi· 

turo to be incurred in t bo rcat.omtioo, nod, wberu necessary, in tbo 

complete reconstruction of the defective works of the line. Under 

t bi.s arrangement the surplUll profit of the haJr.year ended the 30th 

of Junelut amounting to £t.i6,0:'i7, is to bo applied to the pur· 

p oae, but ail the additional expenditure tbo.t may be neccaaary is 

to be provided out of capital. No cbnrge, therefore, except t ho 

intoroet on the caplhl thUll applied, will fall on receipta of tho 

current or future half·yeara. 

A V!BT painful excitement wns occMioocd amo~~g~t tho p M· 

aengers and ofliciala at the Nowbur.f atation of the Great W eatcrn 

Railway, on Saturday morning, by the •udJen death of a. man well 

known in that nei,abbourhood. It appears tllllt Mr. Cba.t lea Hay. 

wood, head coachmo.n in the service of .Mr. S11tton, of Benh~m 

P .uk, wu on t ll&t morning driven to the Newbury ~tation, in 

orJer to proceed by the morning t rain to London. Arrived at the 

station he took a aeat iu the parcels offico, and eoon afterwards 

his appearNioe enatly changed. E\•ery pouible wi•tanco was 

r endered, and a meclical man wa.a sent for, but he became Wl· 

conaoioua, t.Dd expired in about five minutes. 

Tru: d.irectora of the London, B righton, antl South Coo.at Com· 

~y ~av~ wu~ a cir~[nr to t be proprietors atating thAt they 

think 1t ngbt, lD d epontin~; a bill which MD for power to increaee 

tb.o sba.ro .~pitat or tho company by £1,000,000, to say they are 

1t1U of opm1on that tbo existing share capital. together with tbo 

debenture ~we r nc~ru.i~s;: in respect thereof. will auffice to cl01o 

all the adu11ttPd hablht1 e1, but tber,, ore d l ~p utcd liabilities in 

re~pec t to the_ Surrey auu Su.~'ex and otbor line,, amounting to 

upw~da of ~.,oo,ooo. Tbc dtrectors arc advised that tt-.o com. 

pany 11. not liJ\ble for theae olaima. The prO\"ition, therefore for 

lDcroa.~lDg the aharo Ci\plt..ll by 1:1,000,000 really amounts to uklng 

for a power ~ be nblu to raise, with the o.tacnt or future special 

g.~neral ~ee~~~·· . the who!~ or part of a aum not exceeding 

£000,000 lD , lD the p01s1ble event of all qucatioDS in di.sputo 

respecting the con.tingent liabilitiea being decided against tllo 

company. 

NOTES AND MEMORANDA. 

ALL P arisian vehiclea, whether puhlio or private, aro obligod to 

carry Lamps at night. 

THE socket b:lyonet wo.s introduced nbout the year 1690, and in 

1703 wa.a in geoeml uao. 

Tru: 6nt regiment armecl with mUJiketll wns formed by Colonel 

Thoma.a, in the Low Countries, in the reign of Elizabeth. 

I t'l 162.3 tbo stooks or gun.a were mndo of beech nod walnut 

wood3, and abou~ tbia period browning barrels fi.nt came in 

prnotice. 

TITE ftlnfl lock tloca not appear to have been omJ>loyed In 

England Wltil 1677, although used in tbo French army abo.>ut 

seven years earlier. 

DB. BENC! J 08£S atated'that sugnr ill produced in fluida of the 

animal body by extreme cold, owing to deficient o.riJo.tion of the 

carbonaceoua articles of fo~L 

I N 1\ mcmoir by 1\1. F"lici be at~ted 

thnt by hie npparatu11 ho 

bad determined the velocity of electricity to be in roWid numbers 

r~bout 260,000 kilometres n second. 

!{. E. G OICSI!T founll thnt porous or Unjtlazr.d ea.rtbenwsrc, IUOh 

u ia uaerl in tho cooatruction of porou11 cella for ga.lv&nio battorlea, 

anawered perfectly for the purpose.a of dtaly•ia. 

BT ad•!ing to puro aul phur a four·hundrodth, or even a few 

thouao.ndth p arte of chlorme or iodine it become• porfeotly 

soft, so that 1t may bo apreac.l in t hin lct.vea na dexible u le&vea 

of wax. 

I N 10-4:i n nR.val officer under ChBrlc• V. is aald to hue proJ)IJllod 

a abip of 200 tone by atcam. No nccount of the macllioery wu 

given. except that i ' bad a .large oopt,er Loilor and that paddle· 

wbeola were uaod. 

TR& manufOLCturo of aoap in Lndon Brat began in 1624., before 

which time the city wu 1upplied with white ao11p from abrond, 

and with grey aoap, •Dccklcd with white, from Brl.atol, which wu 

sold for a penny a po\llld. 

Jlf. W JEDERTTOLD mllllc a series of cxpcrlmenta wtt b a view of 

deter mining tbo auitnbilitiea of varloua aubatancea for the manu . 

facture of lucifcr matches. He found thnt the mixture• oompoaed 

of cblorato of pota.eh o.nd hypoaulpbito of lead gave tbo beet 

r caults. 

THE practice of fitting lug.a to mortnr 1hella u very onoient, {or 

in TILe Grtat .d rt of A rlillcm tbo foUowing dl'tcr1ption of tbo 

mortar 1holla of the time (lOO) occure :- ·• Near the vent tbey 

have two littlo eo.n or handles, by which they ar c lifted into the 

mortar. 

Fon>rEllLY the atrongest meo. were aelootod and trninod for tho 

duty of throwing jp'Cnadea, and in con•equence they were called 

"gren.adiera." T ho term has boon r otmned for the tallest and 

6neat.compan.lea of infantry, and u appllod generally to men of a 

aupenor pbys1que. 

I F the light omitted from a heated platinum wire bo examined by 

meaM of a priam, i t will bo fouod tbat o.s the heat ine~a in 

intenaity ao tbo various colours of the ar~e ctrum are emitted, until 

it roaehet a whito beat, when aU the coloun will bo found to be 

correctly and aimultaneoualy displayod. 

~ ln. HYDe HILLS presented to the Royal Institution 1ome 

charred wood which ho found in rep~t rlng tbe cue of a. tln pan 

uaed for pbarmacoutica.l purpoaOll. and boa~ by atMm at a hm· 

perature not oxceedin~t250 deg. Fah., generally working from G lb. 

to 15 lb. on the aq11aro inch. 

llroU·BUliBER ia pcrvioua to guca in tho following order:-· 

Ammoniacal gy, 1 min.; aulpburettod hydroaen, 2~ min.; cyanogen, 

3 ~ min.; carbonic acid., 5A min.; protoxide of o1trogen, tU min.; 

aneniuretted hydrogen, 274 min.; oleliant gM. 28 min.; hydrogen, 

37 ~ min·; oxyg~:n, 1 ruin. 53 sec.; carbonic oxide, 2 min. 40 •~c . 

Accoao~o to M. Folici tbe dumtion of the electric tpllrk depend• 

on the rel.o.tion between tho tension Rnd tbe qunntity of the charge. 

By augmenting the ten~ ion and dimini1hing the cbn~e the dul'lllion 

of the apnrk ia also dimioiabed. The duration of tho apru·k, be 

eays, also depends on the state of tho aurlace of the ruetalllc baU. 

or points. 

lY one of tho camp ~ign ' in Flander1 tbo Britleb 2oth regiment, 

wboae bayonets were made to screw Into the muzzle of their tire. 

loela, was attacked by a l' rench regiment, the men of which bad 

their bayonets fitted by a ring over tbe muz11le: the French fired 

a volleyt.and lrnmcd.la.tcly charged, greatly to the utonf.ebmcnt of 

the Enguah. 

WTTll regard to the durntion of the electric spark M. F cllci 

n.•aerts tbat when tho spark hM n. aensiblo tluntion it is composed 

of aevcrnl sparla of an intensit y aucceaaively more feeble, and 

separoted in themaelvea by in6nitoly lmAIL intervals of time. 

There are coosequ~mtly one whole 1park and aomo partial sparks 

of exceedingly amnll duration. 

A. CERT.UN mode is adopted in the manufacture of glo.s• for 

bottles which groBtly lcasena tbe coat, but the glAta ao obtained ia 

aubjoct to diaaolution in t ho long run by the fluids it contnin•, 

eapeci.~lly by winet, which are alway1 more or leas charged with 

t..~rtaric acid. It ia thus glass will aoon bccomo opaque, and con· 

tribute to the wino it holds certain ingredient• rendering tllem 

quite Wlfit to drink. 

I N a lecture given by him at the R oyRl ! DStitutlon ! [r. 

Glniaber atated thnt the tempomtnre of the air does not. decreuo 

Wliformly with the heigh t nbovo tbe earth's aurface, and con,e· 

quently the theory of n deCTOaso of 1 deg. of temperature Cor ar. 

increa.ae of elevation of 300ft. muet bo abAndoned. In fOLCt, more 

than 1 deg. declined i n the fir1t 100ft. when tho aky wna clear, 

an1l n ot so much M 1 deg. in 1000£t. at n height exceeding five 

mile~. 

P ABt8 hu within tho fortification, for the accommodation of 

1,825,274 inh4bitaota, 10,3L8 public vebiclel!, of which 678 arc 

ordinary omnibuaea, in connection with the railway traio.a, and 2a0 

omnibuaea running aomo little diatance in tile environ3. The 

number of vebiclea approximating to our London cabs is G.;oo, nnd 

those nsaimihting to the hired brougham n o leas than 2000. Then 

thoro nre 800 vehicles somewhat resembling our Hampton Court 

excursion va n11. During the put fourteen years the ,number of 

publio vehicle• in P aris has almost doubled. 

THE buis of the mob. I employed by the Romans in their coinage 

wa.a pure copper, alloyed with different J>roportion.a of t in, lead, 

zinc, silver, &;c. F ormerly nwnismatiata were agreed in beUeving 

that the ancients never cmployeo.l pure copper in their coio.a, and 

ltlongez usertll that no antique coin of pure copper hM ever been 

found; but Pelow:e now states tbat he bu not only met with 

Roman medAll with vuy amall quantities of a foreign metal 

combined with copper, but that ho bu analyaed several coio.a of 

copper ao puro that magneta could not r eveal the slightest trace 

of any other mctol 

IN 1827 the colebratod bot&n.lat, Robert Brown, observed a 

phenomenon which micro1copista have aince detignl.ted Brownian 

motion. A very amnU drop of limpid dew holda in suape11.1ion 

gn..io.a of duet or of impt.lpable orga.nic r cml\ios imperceptible to 

tho naked e7e, which the water of which the d rop is composed 

conveys to the object - a leaf, flower, &c.- on which it is deposited. 

T he parlicl011 of mnttcr 1 

when seen by the microscope, by tbolr 

vibratory motion, h ave tnc appearance or true animalculee. Tho 

opinion at ftrst held, that these movements were indication~~ of a 

rudimentary life, wns aoon abandoned. 

The \)henomenon was 

afterward~ nttributcd to cUI'l'Cntll, C3uacd by the mequality of tbo 

temperature atlecting dift'ercnt laycra of the liquid, aod by per. 

m&Mnt evaporation. Acootdin1 to H. Wiener, we muat ~eek the 

caUlle in the COD.It&nt movemmta which ~e plnco in bodiet in the 

liquid atak aod the oacilla,ion of th ) molccul-. 

MISCELLANEA. 

SILK culture u progreasiog favourably at tho C.1pe. 

IT is p ropoacd to wind up tho Bombay nnd D~ognl Sr.uatnship 

Compo.ny. 

Lono SOlfER'l has presented tlve norca of }nod to the town of 

Beigate ne a public park. 

Tne Egyptian lbll, l\Ian.eion·houae, ia about to bo ro·dccorat~d, 

at a c01t of oea.rl¥ £a0UO. 

OBBAT foara aro cntartained of so· called .Abysainian p ri vatccra, 

which rumour 1aya are o.bou~ to aettlo the Alabama cl.Uma in a. 

vory inconvonlon t fuhlon. 

GusT AV! DonE has joat sold the immense picture whicl1 oceu· 

p ied ao large n 1pace in the central 1alon. of t he Annual E~hib1tion 

at P aris this year to an American amateur for £!:WO. 

IT ia gratif) in~ to atl\to that the co.so CJf the U>ith ateamer 

haohoe is recoiVUig attention in oflici•'l quarters. The question 

of deck loads demands and mUllt receive l ogr~l decilrion. 

TaB ooloual bronze stntue of Lord P almeraton, by N oble, 

intended for th-. Mat·ket·p!Bco nt R omsey, has jus t been »ucceasfully 

oaat, a.nd wlU be ready for inau,urotion about }!: .~.&t..: r. 

Tns Metropolitan Board of Worka rebut t bc chargo of the 

Metropolitan D iatrict Bailwar. Cvmptlny th.tt t be del.\y of tbo 

Thames Embo.nk rneot rests w1tb tbo board, o.nd diatincLly fix the 

delo.y u po!J the raU way c: otnp~toy. 

Tu nEE men wore killed and five ar r iou1ly hurt by a boiler cxplo· 

aion at Illnochuster on Monday. 'l'ho aceno of the aen&aria. They comprlle motallic copper and grey o re~ , • bich 

have given .. bJgb analyau. 

A oompany ia Lcing formed in 

Syd11ey to dovelope t he mine. 

llllt. Srouv CoorEJ.l hu, it ia repor ted, purcbrured a h ou•e in 

St. Peter't·atreet, Oantcrbury, which ho intends for nn exJ>Ori· 

onr nta\ echool of art ; if tbo experiment ia fll1preointuu by tbq 

Cant )tl ury folk, t be artiat will beatow tbo place on t.be corpora. 

tion of the eity, to be continued in ita intended ser vice. 

Tu effect of a reduction of ratea in atimul.o.ting bu ineu b.u 

again been illu tratcd in the ca.ae of tbo Atlantic Tclegr..oph Com· 

pany. The cho.r1c for a meua.;e wo.s nlt.ered on t bo Jlt i nat. 

from £10 to£) 6a., and since that dt\to tbo receipts h.we •bown 

an averago dally excess of £'lOO over tboao of the precc liQ~ t~me. 

IN connexion with the H onduro.s railway, land, and m in •nglba'n, 

it appears t!J.nt Mr. L. b!ercer, C.K, and Mr. F. W. t;rncrson, 

rnl.ning engineer, aoiled last week for Central America b,Y the 

Southampton atel\mer, with tbo vlow of making a thorough Jnvcatigation, 

t he retulta or whlch tboy will repoxt aa soon u t>raco 

ticable. 

PnoFESSOil FAWCBTT, at a meeting near Cambridge on Tbunday 

night, &.dvocated co·operation in agricultu.re. Tbo c ... ndition of 

the labourer, bo 1aid, would never be improved till be wu 

allowed some bonus on his work in propor tion to Ilia Wftiea, aft.er 

the farmer bad taken h is proper ah.aro or tbo prolita. Co-opcrotion 

bad aucoeedcd well in France, and woul cl do 10 in ~o glnn1l wbcn 

tbe peoplo hnd better moral qualifica~ionai and theao they could 

only g~t by an improved eyatcro of nationa education. 

IT appean that the local fund raiaod at Dury St. E Jmunda in 

conncxion with t be late visit of the Royal J\4:ricultural Socictl to 

that town wu £.10~1, of which £1900 wu voted to tbc 11001ety. 

Of the balance no leaa than £ 1613 was expendetl in conoexlon 

with the ahow.grounds, rond11, approaches, &c., and £4~ for tbo 

water supply. After providing for varioua other contin0oncles, a. 

balance of £5t7 remained on band, of which £150 b11.1 bc.uu voted 

to Jll r. Ola.y, the honorary aocretnry, in recognition of b ia vnluAblo 

aervicea. 

A. meeting ia to be h eld next month to conaider t bo beat 

means of applying the ftnal b&lanco of £397. 

To I nvalide Ruue ann-ouncee that t be Ruaaian war depart. 

moot (of which it is the organ) ho.s, after numerout OXllCriu•eota, 

d~i.ded on adoptiog tbe JUr i breccb·loader tor the Ruasiao ~rmy. 

T bia weapon ia 1imilar to the Pru.nian needle·gun, and ita accuracy 

wu found to be in no way impaired after 30,000 ahot.s bud bel'n 

fired with it. It ia atated by the I nt·altdt to be superior to tho 

needle·illn both in tho rapidity of ita fire (twelve to fourteen shots 

e. minute) and in the arro.ngement for koepl.ng the needle in its 

place, which is mnch leas liable to got ~ut of order t han In the 

PrUllsian gun. It may be t aken to p leoe1 aud put together again 

with very littlo difficulty, and tllo meohAnism ia not diatur bod by 

the effualon of guea. 

.ArrEn a lapa& of more than twelve montb.a there u now tome 

prospect or the Oaka Colliery being rmdually cleared, and the 

remaln.l of the men and boye, to tbe n umber or more thnn 260, 

brought to l.iiht. Duriog tbe laat low days o. number of men 

have been ablo to enter the workinga with air·proof drc~sc s, nnd 

put np sbccting at certain dietancea, 10 ne to confine tbo air to 

the places where opora~ion• are being carried on with aafety 

l.o.mps. Tho bottom hlll been cleared, and somo thirty or forty 

yarda of tbo aoutb level penetrated. On Fridny the men came 

acre s tJle rom:1ina of one of tbe boraos, nnJ had tho very UD· 

pleua.nt task of ou\ting it up, ao tbat tt could be aent to the top 

to be buried. Aa the \wo ebafta fol' aomo time put have aeted in 

the ordinary ny t here ia e'l8ry indication that no atanding fire 

uiabl in the mina, 10 that ~be object 10 much desired- t he 

recovery of the bodice, with a view to their in~erm ent-· ia likely 

to be now proe11oded with ae ac~ively a.a possible. 

A CIRCULAR hu jlUit been ianod to tho shareh olders of t he 

){etropolit..n Oompany by tho chairman, ?.Lr. J. P arson, and blr. 

C. Gilpin, M.P.J deputy.ch4irman , stating that the rec~:nt fall in 

t he pncea of r.1etropolit&n stock ia not believed to be due to any 

'lridcapread di•truet of the intrin.aic ao\llldncaa of tbe u ndcrl.lking, 

nor to be the re1ult of genuine huainesa tranaactiooa; but to ba•o 

been cau.scd aolely by the operatioDS of a comblnatio~ of ~peou . 

latore who10 onl y aim bu been a temporary deprceaton 111 tbe 

mark~t value or the stocka. Article• in newap ().pera, p ffiJihlete, 

anonymoWJ let ten, advertillemente thrrtltening leg~l ocoellinge, 

aro all parts of the machinery which ho.s been set in 111otiun to 

indnce the abarcholdora to aeU their atock 1 

under the in tlucnco of 

panic, at a depreciated paice. It ia, tberctore, coosiderc•l right to 

warn them tb~ot, ao far u the exec11tive can percdve, tLc 1Jt(llent 

position of the Metropolitan Bail way affords no cauao Cor nppreheneion, 

but on the conttvy there il in every relpeCt matter for COil· • 

gratulati.on. 

•

TH E ENGINEER. DEc. 27, 1867 

E M: B A N K M E N T W 0 R K S A T B 0 U R G E N E U F. 

Flt:. l . 

FIC . Z 

• 

p 

FJC,3. 

• W. S . T 

};MBANKMENT OF TIDAL LANDS. 

No. II. 

In Tm: ENGll

Dr-c. 27, 1867. T H E J~ N G I N E E R. 

r:. > 

,),)•) 

- 

• STEAM CR ANES. 

• 

11uch po~'lbility 11.11 they po88clt3 much of tbci1· cnll'icncy IUlH 

Ul:l'~ ~~cn6ct-d: 

BY THE DALI,AM J:OROE COI'llJ'ANY, WARRTNGTON. 

Tmil cnmc, which a loft. l•igh nnd 15ft. rncliuH, i11 hung upon n 

ctu~t iron control pillor firmly fixed on o ml\lsivo aolo plate, wbioh 

ill Ht!curcd to n !oundotion by tbo uaunl holding·clown bolt~. nod 

whioh ha, on it n turnt!d roco for tbo roller nt tbo gib foot to tl'lwol 

upon. 'l'bo crnno O!\n bo swung complotoly round by mcnns of n. 

worm, cnrriod by tho ornno wniet, gearing into n wonn wbcol koycd 

on t6 tbo con~rol p!Unr, tho boiler nod water took wbioh is under 

tbo foot·plnto acning M n countorl.olnnco to tho load. Tbo atcom 

cylinder, of 5io. dinmotar, nnd with l Oin. 11~roJ..r, i11 fflltcnc, h~wuvcr, to rf the c:tiatiog 

proJIIIUntyfour 

l;C3!"'nl?o, iUuat.rntca their cooetruction lloclc.\rly thnt no Rpccinl 

dc1Cr1pt10n 1.11 nec~ ry. The CGilt irou bOAe weighed hut. 2!:!11.>., Clod 

• 

·r.;, 

WM fixed ton. piece of two.inch plnuk 24 X 16. The mortar, o£ g~m 

met.'\ I wt.lighod only 61llb., and wM, of courfJe, still moro port.Bblt'. 

Tho chnrgo conRilttcd oi 8 oz. of powder nnd o. common 5w. shell. 

It may bt• thought that M thoro Wl\8 no longtb of cb.nsc, only hnl( 

tbo 11hcll boing contAined in tbo mortar, tbo rnugo would hAve 

J>LI\11 OF BCO 

GE: CTION THAO' 1 1t!Ci 

A . OI 

bcn very 11mnll. J n point of {not, however, tho rnngo WOA 

550 ynrde, t1 put d••wn nt :~ mmfl(·nt.·,. uolit•t• nurl u 'cl \v hilo 

tr(lo]>t~ woru on tho ulnrcu. 'i'boy cllrt.c'liuly t•);C\Jcd iu pow1•r any 

otbor weapon o£ Ctt, nncl the ('luuolll'r of 

Commorco of tb.o town h 1111 ofTorcd to ndvnnco the nccuH.•ry funds 

in ordor thnt no doln.y mny bo cl\uaed in tho work. 

At Dunkirk now dooks aro boing construot~Jd on the 11ito of tho 

old forti6cn.tione, nnu the town of Dunkirk, liko tbo

536 THE ENGINEE!t DEc. 27, 1867. 

m:~.king in all 9837 miles. Thill is o. small total for a. country 110 The situation of e:drnordino.ry public works appertaining 

l:\rge !\ll Franco, but the incrrased ro.to of the present year, which road and w2!1,000 

'Vestern lin6 :- Oeinturo, l eft bank of the Seine, Rouen to Amiens J,nrge brld.;es .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 21!,08•,000 

(one third), St. Pierre to Louviers, L'Aigle and Surdon, Fleurs to }livers .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. I'H,6'l8,000 

Vire. Orleans line :- VeuclOme toTourrt, Orsay, L imours, Poitiers Cantl!cs .. .... .... ........ .... G9,7 14,000 

t o Lhnoges, Chi\teaulin to Laudernea..n. Lyons and Mediterranean Ports and lll!'hlhousu . • .. . . . • . . . . .. . • I G!l, 6i~ . ooo 

line' :-M aia~o to Montargis, Anuelot to Champagnole, Villefort to HYdmullc woru .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. :l~, O I 4 , o o o 

lo. Levade, St:tog to Autun, Montcet\u to Digoin, lllontchauni to 

Cercy !:1. 'l'olll·, Lemel to Aries, Auberge to the mines of Fuveau. 

Southern lino :- Lomd~::s to Pau, Montrejeau to Tarbes, Collibure 

t o P ort Venrlres. Chareutas line :- Rocllefort to So.intes, S:\intes 

to Co~ntloc, Cognac to An:;oulemo. Lille to Beth:me and Bully 

Grenay :- Viola.ntes to Haubom·di.n, &c. 'l'be line from Vitro! to 

J.'ougllres. 

Thoro Nmain tllen n.bout 3300 miles to be executed and ,rened ; 

or this tot:~l nearly two - fif~be belong to the MeJ itt>rranenn lino, 

one-ninth to the Orleans line, ono-tenth to the Southern, and so 

on in diminishing l'roportione. 

The total expenditure for the whole of the railways of France 

down t o tbo on•l of the present ye!\\' Is aet down at £26l,l45,400, 

nntl ~he amount to be tMid during tbe con•ing year at £n4,16l,800 

together .£:Jt.1,307,200. Dividing tbcl two former tot>\ls by the 

number ot kiioruet1·es executed we have the following roault: - 

~ r k llomet re. 

Ohlllnrs . .. •. • • • • . • . • . . •. • • . • • • £ •t;.27l 

1\:l'\\' ln~s . • . • . • . . . • . . . . • • • • • • • 0 £ 14,7 10 

0\:ntr .. a.J averagu 0 o o. • • • • • • 0. 0 0 0. 0. • • £1 a,!) ~u 

or wit bin a fraction of £2 !,000 per mile English. 

0£ the total amount of j tl, arula hope isexprestod that the Goverumunt wtllahortly hod 

1 t.~elf in a p ositton to aubmit a certain number of conventions to the 

Uorp~ Lcgul.latif. As r tg,wds linos of 81'oondary i1oportance, so 

1nuch wanted in Fr.lnoe, ~be 

GoveroUient pt'Oposes to classify the 

projects an d commence the exucution of tbe moat pressing on its 

own account, until conceuious eau be granted for these in their 

turn. 

'1'ue last clllSa of raihva.ya is that of rural lines, or lines of l ocal 

interest ns tuey nro called, for which there is a pressing demand 

th1 cm;, bout the couutry- concessiona fot· aucb liues to t he extent 

of 11bont 130 Uliles, with sub\"cntions amounting to .£16l,Oll0; 

during the present year the concessions have amounted to 272 

m iles, aml tae aubv110tiona .£.)08,314. Tbe aparsenen oi t be popu· 

l::ltion in the agrtcultural district and the length of the roads 

lu .. ke thuse lo~al r.-ilways ot great importance to farmers, ma.nuf"c 

tur ~l'd , and other peoplo. The subventioM in t h e case of these 

l oc.~llioeq 11re to be rPimbursed in periods varying from two to oight 

ye.na. A nnu1ber of new lines are now untler oonsiderati(ID, and if 

n.ll go.:q wolln,bo total nnmbor of concessions will be greatly in 

cren2eo t tluriug tb& coming year. 

'fho :\lini:lter ol' Public \Vorke devotes several p:u·agrapbs to the 

subject of tbe working of the railways and t he effect of the late 

E'thibiLion ll!JOn their receipts. The companies, saya tbe report, 

c ~tabli~hed special trains with reductions of prices varying fro10 

50 to 75 r er cent., according to the length of tbe journeys, and 

some of thlllll also granted return tickets by the ordinary trnins 

with a r eduction of bet \.reen 2:) and 4!i percent., the return ticlcets 

availa.t.le for two to eight days by the speoit\1, and uaually live ublin Corporation 

Waterworks fot· the Supply ot Water from the River Ve.rtry;" 

and in this paper be does not even m ention lllr. H~sard's name, 

but leads bill hOl\reril to infer tha~ ~ho locality WI\S simply recommended 

bt Mr. Hawkshaw, acting ns r oya.J commissioner, and 

that the sQ.be{l)e waa clealgned by himself. 

I think " beyond, que&tion tbat the calculations l\1r. Hassard 

made u, to the amount af W&ter to be expected will be fully 

reali.sr.J. H e took \,he average rainfall in Dublin from 1837 t·o 

l 852 a~ 29 ·Q8in, ; he COI'I'eoted t.bis for altitude by gaugings made 

for six months by Mr. l.lat.e10an, nu11r Ballisrou~tt~d, about eight 

milca d.istant from the Vurtry bas.in, a.nd found an increase of 

60 per cent. might fairly be expQOtecl, giving i n all a mean 

averaae ~in fall of 46~in.; and thils auticipa~ion has been more 

~an bQrne ant, as tbe rain gauges p h,ced in the distric ~ by t he 

corporation have given for t he years 1861, 18ti2, 186:s, aud 1864, a 

mean avernge of 53'64in., notwitbstandiug that the yel\l'S 18ti3 

and 1864 had been of unusual drought. 

1\Ir. HaNa.rd's general design has been departed from in one 

respect by the omission of a safeguard, with which all large 

reservoirs situated similarly to tbat at R ound wood should be provided. 

T he flood watercourse alongii.idb-which was intended to 

lntc~cep t , 

in onse of need, tbe ~raiua8e of a greater portion of the 

wa\Ql'U6d, 1\lld \o afford thu llleana of diver•ing the riv~r Vartry, 

an(l proven' it. fta wiog \nto 'he reservoir, has not been con 

"uuoted, and U i• oo.natqnently quite possible that if the 

neceuity of emptying h al\onld a";"ise at the commencement of a 

"'fl' aea.ao.11, and when the reservoir wa.s fUll, months, or at any 

ra~ aoveral week., might e\apae before the outlet pipipes, t his 

latter having been thought of only after the Sheffield catastrophe, 

and although there was every facility for driving o. tunnel 

through the solid rock at one end of and outside the embankment, 

it WIUI deemed preferable to build through the bank and under its 

de.pett part-a mode of conatrucUon lo.na ~tinoe abandoned by all 

ex}llli'IUOed en&ineera. The oulvurt waa partly Clteavated in the 

rook pd acebed over, the back of ~be aroh beiug perfectly smooth. 

A piUJ of brickwol'lc in oemen ' thfl)ugh which the pipea were 

cant"" wu builb in the centre of the culvert \mder the pulldle 

Wll-11, the culvert abutting again11t its smooth face on eiti.Jer side. 

The top of the brick plugging WitS also smooth. As soon tu1 the 

pres~u re of water became sufficiently great on the inner face of tbe 

plugging a leakage was established between the end of the culvert 

and the plugging, aided by water }Jassing through the radial joint s 

of t he al'ch of the culvert, and spreading along its smooth outer 

surface, soon found i ts way round the unbroken plo.ne between the 

brickwork and the puddle wall, and made its appearance in jets of 

to dirty water through the joints of the arch of the outer culvert 

boyond the plugging, and was thus the test of the mischief going 

on within. 

I uct:d bar(lly tell you tint the sa.fe coul'lle would. have been to 

drive a. tuunel through the rvck at one end t\nd outstde the bank ; 

but when once a. culvert wM decidcu on the arob n.nd plugging 

should have been deeply ribbed, antl tbo end• of t.he culvert 

toot hed securely and d eeply into tbe faces of tho pluggmg. 

The 48in. pipe inserted for lowering tbo wa~er was onJy carried 

through the brick plugging, i ts mouth being in the c~n tre of a. 

Ion,. tunnel. In tbe event, therefore, of accident to the outlet 

val;e, there woulu be no convenient means of stoppiug the water. 

Such an accident did, in fnct, arise just before the lea.k in the 

embankment appeared. W'ith great .litliculty and by th~ aid of 

divers, a wooden b"ll Wi\S got into the culvert a.nd ngamst the 

mouth of the pipe, and the v;\lve taken out for repairs, but, unfortunately, 

just al tor tbi.i had been done the l~ak occurred, an(l the 

ball being jammed by the pressure of w .. ter m tbe mouth of the 

pipe, i t so happened th:\t at the very moment when it~ services 

were most needl'd it could not be m11de nse of. 

Re.d the obvious aud common precaution been taken to carry the 

pipe throng h the tunnel and turn its mouth upwards, so that a ball 

could at any moment be lowerocl into it by means of a crane attached 

to the water tower, a vast deal of anxiety and danger would 

have been avoided. '!'he embankment is now being made good in 

the manner in which it should originally have been constructed, 

ahvays reserving the point tht\t it should ne\·er havo been t here; 

the pipes will be arranged iu the \Vay here recommended, and the 

citizend of Dublin will have the satisfaction of kno1viug that they 

hl\ve paid a good many thousand pounds fot· the professional education, 

so far as by1lrl\ulic3 are concerned, of the "' atcrworks' 

Committee and its officers. 

'1'he workmanship and mnterinls of the works, I am informed by 

competent juog

• 

DEc. 27, 1867. 

TH E ENGINE E R 

53'7 

• 

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR. 

( We do not hold. our1dvu rupontiblefor tlte opinions of our 

Oorrupcmdtntl) 

MOUNT AI~ LOCOMOTIVE&-MONT CE'N IS RA ILW A V. 

Sm,- A corrcaponllent in &n Fmnci.aco acnde me the following 

detail• of o. Ulountuin locomotive iu oporo.tion thoro:- " I woe up 

ma.k.ing experiments with the geared locomotive, and fount! that 

it exceeded our expectations. It weighs 32{000 lb., wood o.nd 

water included, antl rcata on four wheel• a 1 do, or eight in all 

connected ; ia geared three to ono with Sin. oylintkra, 14in. 

stroke; at.ca011 very euy. With oiaht large can and two amall 

weighing 135,000 lb., wo went up o.n incline of 187ft. to tbo mile, 

with 9:1 lb. of ateam in the boiler, at the rnte of fivo tnilca an 

hour. 

W e backed clown the grade again and stopped on the 

incline, 1\nd with llfi lb. of steam ant.l a clear rail we a lipped the 

wheels, but with 100 lb. a team we coulu not do it. Wo then 

hinged on the brnkct and took advantage of the aii\Ok, and, with a 

little aand, ato.rtcd the above load in motion aaain up hill. Tho 

130,000 lb. doea not include tho engine. 11 

I find the gradient of 187ft. to the m.ilo ia 1 in 29, and n. locomotive 

32 1 

000 lb. wclabt draw• l:$.'l,OOO + 32,000 = 167,000 lb. up 

thi.a gradient, or, in round numben, tlvo tlrnca ite weight. I 

undcrato.nd the akepeat gradient of the Mont Cenlllino i.a 1 in 12, 

and if ao, an engine of the kind doacribed would draw twice ita 

own weight up tbo Mont Oonil hno- thl\t is the locomotive weighing 

32,000 lb.t and a cnrriago and pa.aeengors or load weighing 

3li.OOO lb. ana all thia without the objectionable third roil. 

Ioatead, then, of loJing time bothering with a machine which 

will not work, would then it not bo bottur to make eome ailllJile 

locomotive• of the kiod deacribed, o.nd get tho lino to work. In 

varying traftlc- auch 111 .Mont Oonls truffle will bo- inatel\d of 

making largo enginea, it would bo better to o.ttnch two or moro 

together for e. hea-ry load, they might be ao con1tructed that 

the One eoameman could have the COIDDlll.nd_ of tho whole of 

t hem. 

R. !If. 

December 18th, 1807. 

ALLEOED RESTIUCTtON OF l' A TP.NTIJ. 

StB,- In the cue of White 11. Tome, Vicc-CIJanccllor Mallna ia 

reported to have made the following arotemcot :-"'l'ho inch 

DAtion of the court• of late hu been to rcatrict the taking out of 

patent., u tbo numben of IO·callod invention• are 10 gTellt Ill to 

create an embarrneewent to the public, and it ia conaidercu highly 

inexpedient tho.t a more improvement ahould be the •ubjeot of a 

fourteen years' monopoly. 11 

It appeara to mo very importo.nt to guard tbis atatement from 

miacouttruction. at it may aeom to imply that the jutlgea ore 

unanimoua in their determination to "reatrict the taking out of 

patent." for tho public coovenionco. 1 have not myeolt diJcovered 

the alleged "lnclino.tion of tbo court. of late." If thoro 

i..e any change to be obaervcd it il nther 1n the direction of a more 

narrow conatruction of apecificatione, thereby allowing n. greater 

number of CO·exilting patent. than formerly. :Uut there hM been 

no ci.Anae in the law on the 6ubJoct, and of couno the d~:o i.aiona 

muat bo according to t ho law ne 1t is. 

It m~y , however 1 

be worth whHo to refer to aome remark• ma1lo 

by other judge• 1n patent caeca with a view of teatiog the 

accuraoy of thoao reported to have been mndo by the Vice 

OhauceUor. 

In the coae of Stovcna v. Kcating, Sir F. Pollook, C. B., aaid : 

"Some obacrvationa have been mnc.le 1\t the bur on the subjcot of 

patents and epeci6catlona, and the t.lifferent rulca of conatruotion 

that ho.vo been maintAined at different perioda. I take the rule 

to be tbo.t you aro not to intend anytb1ng in favour of a apeci6- 

:at ion or p:1tent, a1.1d cort&ioly not to intend anything o.gainet it; 

you are t.o deal with it juat u you find it; you ore to put the true 

t.ad right and fair oon1tructlon upon every ollegation nod every 

'act connected with it, o.nd you nro to find wbl\t il the truo and 

air and juat re1ult. You are not to lean in fnvour of tbo public 

gaioat the po.tent, which, lt ia to be regretted, was many yeara 

go rather the fo.ahion of courts of j uetice, under the notiun that 

~ wo.a a monopoly, that all mouopollca wcro otlioua, nnd tho.t, 

hereforo 1 

you wore to intend cvorythin' Qfrainat them. Although, 

n the otnor hand, in modern time• it 1.8 eaid the leaning ie the 

~bcr way, I do not t hink there ought to be o.ny leaning either one 

•ay or the other." 

'fhen, to take a. more modern cue. In Simplon v. Ilolliday 

865) Lord Weatbury, L.O., aaid :- " I concur in the remark• 

~~0 by Mr. Baron l'arke in hie charge . to. tbo JUry in the Cf\10 or 

eilaon 11. Ho.rford, in the worda :- •\V1tbin tb11 ltut ten yco.ra or 

Lore the courts have not been ao atriot in tniUnz objection• to 

Xloillcation_a, and they ho.ve endeavoured to hold a fair hand 

ltweon tbo patentee and t he public, willing to JIVe tbe p&tenku, 

1 hie part, the reward of a valuable patent, but taking car11 

• secure the public, on the other band, the benefit of that proviso 

hich il introduced into the patent for tlleir o.dvautage.'" 

It woulon, and 

almoat the ne.r.t moment tJ1e gM could be re-lighted, and bumt u 

brilll•1ntly M boforo. The cauao WM not qult.e olel\r, but I attributed 

i~ to the llte:un or vapour pAasing along in the p ipe~ unmixed 

with the gns. Some cont.leneln~; arrnngemtut would, 1 think, have 

rcmt·tllod thitt, butwM not triuO near the aurrace, aD!l ill trapped out or it at a depLh Q( 

1:,0 yanls at an upper bed or coo.l, from which the water is raised 

by tho JlllliiJll. 'J'hu prCllsuro wo obtain works most satiMfllctorily, 

anti, mcuaured by iroches of water celurnn, ill ne follow8 :- At tbo 

g 1\.~om u ter, 2'(iin. ; nt the top of the slmft, z·Sio.; un!l at th 

hottom in the Jowett be1l ol co;ll, :.! •i!in. 1'ho water ill obt.;ined 

from a ciatern aupJilied by Cho engine pumps. Tbe atream being 

lml\ll, and DQt ltavin" any great pres•ure whero it enter• the gne 

pipt•, ~he orifice hae occasionally got closed by floating sub,taoccs, 

whiuh i!l tbe only ioconvenionco we bo.vo cvor experienced. 'l 'hi..e 

i..e dctl!cted at once by having o preesure gauge placed in the pumping 

engine-houao unrler the eh l.rgo of the engine tenter. 1'bts J•lan 

ia UHially adopted in collicriua for tbo purpose ia the north of 

Eogl.mcl. I shall be very glad to afford ·• S. D. " an opportunity 

of wetmg the whole arrangement . 

Holmcs Collie• yb Rothorhnm, 

!IIJNJNO EN"OTNEER. 

December 20t , 1807. 

====== 

Trr& IRO:.-i TR.\D! OP NORTH ST,\FPORDimBE L'i 18G7.- Tbe year 

18G7 hM been ono of considcroblo depression in the iron trade of 

North Stafford~thiro, with intervals whtm a somllwhat improved de· 

mand for iron luUI appeared to promise a ruvival, but it bM not in 

any in11tance been of more than quite a temporary char11cter. On 

the 3rd of Jll!luru-ytho ironmnatora of North l:ltnffordshiro declared 

n retluct!on in thl' price of iron of £1 pur ton, nod in tbo wages of 

pucldlers of le. per loo, with a proportionnto reduction in tho case 

of millmcn and other workmen. A week aubsequently. nt the 

date of the Birmingham general quarterlv meeting of the tl'ade, 

t bo quotation for gootl brucd• or pig iron was £3 a ton at the 

furnace ; for red m1ne 9e. Ud. t.o tO,. Od. into trucka or boat., and 

for clnyhand aton1:1 from 1111. to 13e., with o. fair buainen doing . 

As the quarter wore on, however, the traJe became more inJI.Ctive 

nod in April although there continued to be a demand for 1moJi 

sizes of merchant iron, the heavier branchee of the t rade auffcrcd 

from an absence of ordt.!rs. Pig iron, conacqucntly, wu dull of sale, 

yet the make of the district was under tbo u ora;;e ; &nd for iron· 

stone th~ro were more ~ellers than buycre. From J une to September 

W i.UI a }1criod of almost uninterrupted depreuion, with the 

mitl1 anrl forges working 1bort time i nnd although hope• were 

ooolitl~ntly etJtertoined about ~!lcbROJrnns that an improvcm.,nt 

w •s at hand, tboy have been completely di.Jiarpointocf, and the 

!ut quarter b:u been the worat of tht' year. In abort the yeo.r 

clo cs with the iron trade iu a etato approaching eta('Oatlon, tbe 

works being with tlifficulty kept going from halt to one-third of 

tboir producing power. Notwitllltanding the reduction ln price at 

the co1omencemcnt of tbo year there ha, been considerable u,n· 

dcnelling, and at the present time such is the unsettled etnte of 

the trade, and eo restncted i..e the amount of busineae being done, 

tb.at it is impossible to gi,·o reliable quotations, and until the 

cneuing gencntl f'JUI\Ttcrly meeting at Birmingham ahall have been 

held price• will remain lllllottled, 

NAVAL APPOJNT~(1.NTB. -Willinm Donnison, chief engineer, to 

the Megoora; (;corgo Poot, engineer, to the Ml'grcra; lt(IIJert \V. 

AlJison and JolUl Wntts, tlrat-cl,\111 Msiatant•, to tho l\£t·yl""ra; and 

'l 'homu H.arrap, rwtiog ~oond -()lau &~~i.alant, to the 1\leg&r.h 

MECILUnCAL l NDOSTnY IN R OI!SlA.- (F1•om our C&rrti'JH.Indcnt. ) 

- HuaJi.a ill making great exertions to execute ato houu.•, 111 far a 

pouiblo, the great metallurgical works to which the con1trnction 

of railways is giving rile. Thus a contract for an iro'l bridge 

about to be thrown acrou the Bong in connection witb the Wo.r· 

ea.w nod 1'ere.spol Railway (for which foreign tendere bad been in· 

vited) has been let to a local establishment. Tbe R~ ian Government. 

alao propo•es t.o order an important quantity or rull.ing 

atook, including locomotivoa &nd tenders, from four Ruuian workl, 

which would tbua bo tuaurcd employment for sovoml yMra. In 

order to encourage entorpriao the Government, it ia unJcntood, 

will make cooaidcrablo advancee of monoy. 

CoALINO Jlf TOE PAcrnc.-A puaonger from Panama to New 

Zvalnnd in tbo Ruahmo givea, in tho Nt1D ZwlantJ Titn'l, the 

following account of the ialand of Opun, or &pa 1 

tbe now co-tling 

atMlon :- 1'ho harbour ia protected on throe aiaea by high laot.l; 

in fact it may bo d ~:acl'ibed u a r.1vine runnina toworJa the centre 

of the i..ela.od, becoming ver1 ahaUow u ic goea inlancl, an•l protected 

to acaward b1 oon.l reef• riling up almoet to the eurfa.cu of 

tho aca. The whole harbour hu been aurveyed, and tbe pa .aaze 

tbt•ouJ.h the rocfe buoyed by oftlccn in the Panama Company's scrv1oe. 

l'ho Rullhioo Jlroceodetl luto t.ho harbour at half apeo•l with the 

arua.toet eue, and wu at once !)lAced alooplde the colllahlp Mulas, 

and with the Ulilt&nce of her exccllent a team maohinery the coaliog 

proceeded at the rat..l of twenty-be tona an hour. lllany puaengers 

vi.aited the ahore, and, acalina the hills, were rewarolod by a u10•t 

ruaaniticent view. Tbe harbour wae aeen to c.r.tond 1nl uul about 

two milc1, with many waterfowl aportin& in the calm Wlltcrs at tho 

w e~ tern end, while t.o aoa ward tlio coral reofe, with the pauago 

throuah them, wore 111 plainly viliblo throuab t he blue ll·a u m 

t.ho ben deluleated chart. Tho valley• are filled w1th douao acrub, 

amonJ which o.re aomo eplendld epeehnona of tb., trco fern. Tho 

ialand containa o.bout 70v0 acree of land available for grazing 

purpoee1, but the grua i..e coane and aoanty, yet the wild goo e 

aoewa to thrive Ul)On it. The natlne are a aimple ha.r·ul· 

lell race, about 200 in number. Upon ~he eummite of tho hiJuc•t 

poalu are tbe e.r.tenaive remt.int of D&,ive !ortltkahona, con· 

atructed of hown a~n• woU aquared aod amootbO'ing bo~tght the eovcrou~rntr from tho kinlf for a g.Uiou of 

rum and aome old clothca, hoiArtad tb~ fi"i of tb11 Talutun ProtecteriLte. 

'l'hla flag wu kept 6yina ut the miniouv.nca' bouee 

nod cblli)Ol during tbv R u11h iue'~ vlalt. H is du~ky lll ~lj\!aty, 

havingdrallk roll the rum, now begu11 ~o repent of hi.a b,\rgru.u, and 

any• IJo bopea the l!:npilh willl\lwa.ya oom11 to h.i.a doWWIOUJ, and 

preserve the111 from &11 intrudera." 

MtTBOPO.LITA.'l TBAVWAYd. - In mt.ny of tbo private bill contests 

of late yeat'll the gcneral Jmblic have takon Httlo port in the fmys. 

The chrcftains have ha.d no co.UJe to aond "ma.li.ae" forth w1tl1 

the injunction to speed, and the aununona of tbo comb 1tuate to 

"the muaecr place at Lnurie M eaU." Their battl11 grouou bu 

been in the committee rooms of the HolliCI or Parlarn11nt, and tbo 

proeu.ic wo.r-cry t o henchmen ant! odboruntl btu boun to mevt 

in the l~>ng corridor• of "the Hou.ae" oo cert1uo rhlyt. 'l'bo 

lotcreat of the goneral t•ablio in many of these fllmout b11ttles ba8 

not been very a.pparent, nor very diltinctlt felt, t.ntl thu1o who 

have not had the fortune, or miarortuoc, of bolog "hollouNble 

proprietor• " iu ooe or other of t he groat oompanlee, who bavo 

generally done the fighting, have been iodifferout tu to whether 

thil company cxtl'ndod iu territory and cooocotion, or that ono 

11uffcred an inva~~ion . 'l'bo boats have not been aummoned to 

public meetings in town hallJ or vcetry rooUll becauae-exctpting 

w cue or gaa and water billa and 1ucb liko-tbey rolt nu int.:rc.ot 

in tbo ma.Lt.ore in dU.pato, and reaolutlooe piUiaed l•y auch mllutn· 

tinlly attended meetLoga could not have bteo obtuued, a01.l htn•o 

not b ~en a.ttump~ed. A new order of billa hM c~> r ne ut> tbnt 

rcc~>lll tbo ti111U wbon, in rcapoot to rdUWI\Y 110homoa, tllu r....,l promoteTll 

were tbo inhnbitaut• of tho dU.triota in wh1ch 1t w.u JITO· 

11o•eJ that the line• should be cooatructed. Of la tu ye lra tbcru 

havo bcto vlgorull'l and pllrseveriog promoters enough wtthout tbo 

public taking any trouble to tberuaolvoa In the matter. 'l'bv new 

oli\SII of scbeme to wblch we ref'lr la the r ropo•al to lay dnwn 

atrtot tramw&ys in London. A comp&ny, o whioh Meaara. John 

Noblo and Co., ot \Veatminater, are t be agents, le io tbts aea,ion, 

for tho t bir

• 

.538 THE ENGINEER . Dec. 27, 1867 

cc No. 20 '' CUTTING, BHORE GHAUT INCLINE~ 

GREAT INDIAN PENINSULA RAILWAY. 

' 

' 

SKETCHES OF INDIAN 1 RAI'LWAY SCENERY. 

No. IV. 

IN the construction of the Great Indian Penl.nsula. Raihva.y 

difficulties were encountered of which the engineer, whose 

e.ltperience is confined to England, happily knows nothing. We 

allude to the difficulties of climate and the scarcity of water, 

and these told heavily against the contractors and engineers in 

the construction of the famous Bhore Ghaut incline. In the 

annexed illustration we give a. view of uNo. 20" cutting in course 

of formation, and nothing is more striking than the enormous 

nuJDber of men crowded together in a comparatively small 

space. Two causes led to the employment of many hands. 

One is the small amount of work performed by RindoQ labourers, 

the other we shall refer to presently. It will be seen that a. 

ledge from 30ft. to 40ft. wide had to be cut for the railway in 

the side of a precipice so steep that the men had to be let down 

and hauled up by ropes. The men shown m our engraving were 

engaged in working "churn " jumpers, making holes for blasting. 

Two men held each jumper-a long heavy bar of iron 

pointed with steel, raised, rotated, and suffered to drop until the 

hole was sufficiently deep. From 3ft. to 4ft. of rock were 

drilled daily, according to the character of material, principally 

trap, specimens of which may be seen in the Jennyn-street 

Museum. 

The blasts were put in close together, and, hAving been 

charged, the holes were connected by trains of loose powder, as 

many as 2000 charges being thus fired at the same time. Blasting 

took place twico a day. Very little time was lost in removing 

the dtbris, which was nearly all blown by the effects of the charge 

into the ravine below. The cost of the work was ls. l~d. for 

exea.va.ting soil, and about • s. 6d. for rock. 

On account of the frightful ravages of cholera,· due to the 

crowded state of t he dwellings, Messrs. Adamson and Clowsor 

employed the largest possible number of hands and pushed on 

the works as fast as possible, in order to take advantage of the 

healthy season; the men sinking the blasts were therefore 

crowded together as close as they could stand. All the water required 

for the supply of the men, the wetting of mortar, moistening 

the tools, &c., had to be brought from Kandalla. and from 

the foot of the incline, through distances of several miles, on 

bullocks, by no means a pleasant state of affairs in such a 

climate. 

RAND-POWER CENTRIFUGAL PUMP. 

IN Tm: ENGINEl!R, for July 12th 1867, we illustrated a novel 

form of centrifugal pump patented by Mr. Bernaye, and manufactured 

by Messrs. Owen'!.> of London. We now give an engraving 

of a. neat modification ot this pump, adapting it,_for manual 

labour, which wl\8 exhibited at Srnithfield. The engraving is ~;o 

clear that little description is needed. The gearing in this case is 

specially adapted for getting up high speeds with comparative 

EL[VA.TIDN 

• 

PLAN 

• 

this arrangement, laid three times in succession rottnd thee 

pulleys, thus eqU&lising the strain over the thxee different cg 

parts, a.nd exerting a minimum strain on the axles. 1'bee 

pump exhibited will raise tt 

sixteen gallons per miuutr 

960 gallons per hour, to the lt 

of nearly 20ft. by the exertf 

oce miUl. \Ve uuderstBndt 

large numbers of these pumpe 

been exported to India . 

NEW GuNilOAT8. - On ;y 

last the gunboats Fly and-t 

were launched from Devrt 

dockyard by ?!Ir. A. Moone 

master shipwright. The cel\Y 

was performed by Miss Spen!d 

?!1iss Matilda Spencer, da\1'8 

of the OommandAr-in-Chiehe 

Western District, ?!Iajor-GU 

the H on. Sir A. A. Spencer, B. 

The Fly and Flirt are sistclboa.ta 

of 464 tons, built ocs 

supplied by Mr. E. J. Reeostructor 

of the Navy. Thill 

have engines of 160-horse r, 

with double screws. Thre 

built on the composite prle 

of wood and iron, ant!, a~h 

much stronger than woodeps 

of the same dimensions, wilhg 

lighter, draw leas water.le 

frames are of angle iron, wis 

at intervala doubled back bk 

in connection with iron•rcostala, 

to secure atrength,ch 

is also obtained by longUal 

stringers. This fre.mew< is 

planked outside by two thiotes 

of teak. The inner skin .n. 

thick, and is fastened witbal 

screw bolts and nuts. Th~e r 

akin, 2in. thick, is faatenedbe 

inner skin in those partf it 

which are unconneeted whe 

ironwork by small copperts, 

rivetted inside on washers, ar 

to tbe fastenings of boats b:m 

the diagonal principle. It be 

thus observed that great )utiona 

are taken to prevent 1.0t 

I ense, and little strain on the pump spindle, by the use of the by copper and iron in aalt water, the effoota of which ha.'fen 

patent multi-grooved gut driving gear. One gut (only is used in so detrimento.l.-7'imu.

• 

DEc. 27, 1867. 

'fHE ENGINEER. 

539 

TO CORRESPONDENTS. 

••• We beg to call tht aUention of our Ad11-ertim·• to the notiu 

below, and to state that tl~ large circulation of THE ENOINE.ER 

~ '""' to go to press at an early Mur on tl~ morning of 

publication. Advtrtisements, to ensure imerti~, mtut be delivered 

at the Entf'nur Offi« before ltlltn o'clock on the Thur&day 

tvtning of em:h. uuk. 

••• Letters inltndtd for publication mmt be acc017&1>anitd by 

tlte nam.u and addt-CMU of the wrikra, not neceuarily for imtrtio7t, 

but as an eWknce of goocl faith. 

•• • We cannot undertake to 1'Ctum drawirt(JIJ or mamucripts, and 

must $htrqore requut our corre8Jxmdtna to kup copiu. 

:UR. SEPTnltJS :\IO.r."TX, C. E.-Reed~ tDUla thaw. 

T. B . .M. (B..rc:elooa).-4 ~tu IU• al our offiajor lllil co~tnt. 

w. ''· w.-" Orl Limu and CtniOILJ,'' IYtalt'l &riu; " GratU on Ctmtnl•," 

paper rt4d. b(J~m tM. Irul(lutum of Ctua Enqinur4. 

J . B. 0'. rTicoodn-oga). -Your ltller dated 291/i Mareh, 1867, toa4 duly rtcdrtd, 

ana tct hart ol4o to ackn~Mitdgt a ~«t>nd. remittance (20th Dtcunber). 'l'l•t 

1ubscr•ptWn trpiru Felm4ory 16111, 1868. 

THE D~\lUEN CA~A'L. 

(To tM Edtuw 0/ TM Engirwr.) 

SIR,-" B. 0. W." la completely ill nubfbw. Tbo Une explored by mo Is 

nMr lbe we.t cncl of Darltn; tiJo.t anrtCJ~ bY bf. Julca Flacbat Is In lis 

cxrremo eau encl. JJ.nd ll. Flo.cbat road wbat I wrote about rbat Une years 

ngo bo might haft ll&ved btl:naelf the troublo or IJUrvcylng lt. Tho looseness or 

bls nomenclature w doabUeu m}'1t11le4 ''B. 0 . W.'' H;o calls t.he Tuyra 

by rho obsolero aamo or Rio Orande, and bo name~ U1e Atrato " Fleovo clu 

Darten," oltbougb ltle not In tbo Isthmus or Darlen, but l.n tbe adjacent province 

or Cbocll, oa tbe cooUDent or South Amcrlen. 

E. OtJLLEN. 

BUA~E RJ.\ILS. 

(To the Editor of 17lc Envmur .) 

Srn,-Tn my letter coucernlog tbo bro.ke rau, tnsertccl In your ttsue or hut 

week, 1 Ood there la a mltprlnt, vi~ .• lbe worc1 " Qbalo " aubatitotcre 

exists almost the only field in which we can come iuto 

competition with them or tl1ey with us; :urd it is 

upon this trade Lhttt tbe influence of exhibitwu,;; wiU. 

be felt. by England for better or for wol'Se, anJ if tbe 

RAILS. 

NoTBINO will sbo\V more clearly the unfairnes~ not to 

say dishonesty, of the arguments used by tbc steel-at-any· 

price party, than a careful examination of their statements. 

It has, for example, heen asserted tbat steel rails h;n·e 

worn out from five to fifteen irou rails; and thP. assertiun 

ba.s been received by incautious individoals u' n valun.hJe 

illustration. of the great superiority of steel O\ll' iron. We 

do not for a moment question that a steel rail has worn out 

ten iron rails; but at this point our faith stops. We 

accept the statement as giving accurately the result!> of 

certain experiments, but we refuse to a,ccept the deductions 

which have been drawn from the circumstance by steel 

makers. Either the results of these trials, and of similar 

experiments, convey a gr~at scientific and commercial 

truth or t hey do not. If they do they possess much value; 

if they do not they possess no value whatever. Very few 

experiments can be made under any circumstances which 

do not require explanation or elucidation in order tbat the 

results may deserve t: be regarded as exponents of truth ; 

and men who love sc1ence for her own sake are very careful 

in recording tbe results of practical investigations of 

theoretical problems to supply such information as may be 

requisite to prevent those to whom their tale is told from 

being in any 'w\y misled by false appearances. Unfortunately 

for themselves and their cause this is just the com-se 

w~ich the steel party obstinately refuse to adopt. They 

will not tell the whole t1·uth. So much as they think is 

sufficient to guard them against the imputation of wresting 

facts in o~·der to mislea.d,_ they supply freely enough ; but 

the. full history and part1culars of those experiments on 

wbteh they found the1r arguments are never st.c1.t.ed with 

that candour which is so essential a characteristic of the 

men who really love pra.ctical science for her own sake. 

Thus when we come to examine the assertion that a steel 

r~il has out-lasted five, ten, or more il'on rails, we see how 

littl~we are helped bY_snchexperimentsto atTive at a justconcluston 

as to the relat1ve merits of the two materials. It is impossible 

to consider the question of steel ve1'SU8 iron track 

apar:t from thecompara?vecost.a~d 9uality of t~e bars repre· 

sentmg. the two m.atenals; thts ts JUst the pomt ou which 

everythmg turns, and the steel maker shuts his mouth. 

H is statement is baldly, "there was a steel rail which 

lived longer than ten iron rails-ergo, steel is ten times 

bet.ter than iron." Ask him what the steel rail cost 1 ask 

him how the teu iron rails were made 1 and what they cost 

per . ton, and. you are receive~ with a. frigid silence.* 

Yet 

he lS audacious enough to 1magine that men who like 

o~rselve~, really seek the t~utb, and nothing but the truth, 

Wlll. tac1tly _accept e_xpe:unents of the most important 

~etaJls of whtch nothing lB known, as conclusive evidence 

m favo~r of a ne~ material. For anything to be 

found m the published particulars of such experi 

ments the ten iron might in the end have proved 

cheaper and better than the steel rails. Until the 

cost of the materials tested is accurately known no engi- 

• Aa a furlbcr proor - abould one be wantccl-of tbc acc~traGy or lbeae statements, 

wo may point out tbat Mr. A.Jhcrort, of tbe So~ttb Eastern, bu recentl7 

pobllabcd aome extracts from the results ot bla tests uoder llle monkey of ateel 

a.od lrcn ra.lla, wblcb are or no value wbatover to eoglocen, at no~ one J)'llablt 

11 w

n eer who has the interest of the company which he represents 

at heart will dream of acceptmg the results of any 

test as being conclusive, or even a.pproximatw valuable, 

evidence, for or aaainst either steel or iron. ow are we 

to know that any of the rails experimented upon are 

really representative in the proper sense of the term? It 

is, unfortunately, but too well known that iron rails which 

are hardly, if at all, superiot· to cast iron, either in quality 

or cost, are in the market, and can be had in quantity 

almost at a m»meut's notice. W e know also that iron· 

masters, worn out by the demands made on them for 

cheaper and cheaper rails, and grown careless as to the 

maintenance of reputations which no longer pxomoted 

their pro~ perity, have turned anything which could be 

called wrought iron out of their works in the shape of 

mihwty bars without ~'\ring whether they lasted a month 

ot· ten yeai'i!. Against this r ubbish the very best steel bars 

which can be got, costing no one will ever know how 

much- probably not even the makers-is brought iuto 

competition, and the world is called upon to hold up its 

hands in admiration. It is useless to attempt to prove 

that t.he iron rails which have been cited as rep~eseutiug 

what the ironmasters l:an do were of even moderately 

good quality. The advocates of steel cannot deny that good 

iron rails will last unJer heavy main line tratfic for 

twenty years, and e\"en more. Denial is impossible, 

because rails are still down and doing their duty well 

which were laid in 1847. A Rlcel rail ten times better 

thn.n one of these shoulJ last 200 years! We could point 

out iron rails which have been do,vn for ten years close to 

L ondon, ou one of the most he~wily worked lines in the 

kingdom, and which are uot yet worn out. A steel rail teu 

times better than one of these should l.'l.lit 100 years! Who, 

among the steel party, will venture to come forward and 

assert that a. Bes!>emer rail eau be made for £13 per ton 

which will last under similar traffic for a centuryl The thin I! 

is simply impossible, and the fact that it is so shows that the 

ten rails which have been cited were of \'ery inferior 

quality; and they failed, beyoud question, not by being 

worn out, but by being ct"llshed out, the probability being 

that, had a really g\lod iron rail been put down, the steel 

rail, side by sidt:, would have beeu found to possess no 

appreciable advantage, at least uo advantage worth the 

additional cost. 

A certain amount of confusion exists, especially among 

railway directors and shareholders-the men most interesteJ-as 

to the meaning of the words 'worn out' as 

applied to a rail. There are two ways in which a rail may 

ordinarily be rendered unlit for service. In the first place 

the table may be graduaUy abraded until it becomes so 

thin that it no longer impart.s the requisite stiffness to the 

bar regarded as a girder. In the second place the mil may 

be destroyed by the sides of the table splitting away from 

the vertical web; and this lnst is just the way in which a 

bad iron rail does, and a bad steel rail does not fail. 1'he 

latter breaks without warning, but it does not lose wei.,ht 

very rapidly; nor do we find steel rails with hollows pouu:ied 

in them by the lurching of he.wy engines-though of a 

brigh t dry morning we may see the sleepers glittering with 

s cal~:s ground otf them on every curve. Beyond tlus we 

are at a loss to know what advantage steel poi>sesse.

• 

• 

1:>Ec. 27, 1861. 

TirE ENG IN EER. 

541 

_....., 

• 

chian gold-fields is that of the D orn Mine in South 

Carolina, where, during the space of eighteen months in 

1851!-3, "an amount of gold equal in value to 300,000 dollars, 

is stated to have l>eeu obtained by the aid of a Cbilinn 

mill, from an opening 300ft. in length, 12ft. deep, and 15ft. 

wide. Such rich deposits cannot be expected to be continuous, 

aud it is not surprising that in 1854 the yield of 

this property began to decrease! 11 The deposits along the 

Atlantic sho1e have been far surpassed in richnes.~ by those 

discovered in 1848 on the P acllic coast, and of these our 

author gives a. Yery full description from his own personal 

observatJons. 

The exit~ tence of gold in California was known in 1843; 

it was five years afterwards, however, t hat the great 

discovery of the precious metal took place, and the rush 

of adventurers to the P acific shore began. A saw-m ill 

was built in that yea.1· on the American Hiver, in E l Dorado 

County, and whilst setting it in action a number of 

glittering particles were noticed in the water rushing 

through tbe tail-race. 'l'ho news of this discovery could 

not be kept a. secret. San Francisco was soon emptied of 

its iubabitants; before four months bad passed some four 

thous:LDd people were at work at the new diggiugs, and by 

the end of the following year, 1849, about forty will ions of 

dollanl worth of gold bad been collected. A1r. Phillips 

gives a detailed account of the chief gold-fields of this region, 

and amongst the m ore curious forms of deposit that be 

recor ds is one at Table Mountain, in Tuolumne county. 

H ere the metal hs found ill a thick stmlum of tertiary gr:avel, 

which is capped wit.b a thick l.x>d of basaltic lav11. To 

reach tbe uuder surface of the auriferous deposit tunnels, 

having a very slight dip, to eoable them to carry off the 

water, are driven through the underl) ing rock till the 

" pa.y gravel " is reacbtld. The Maine Boys' Tunnel was 

commenced in October, 1856, and completed in :March, 186U, 

at a cost of £9500. I t is to be hoped that t he gravel, when 

reached, was found worthy of its name, and repaid such 

enormous labour. 

I u Nova S~otia the yield of gold is increasing, though 

the peculinr nature of the ruining laws of the colouy, 

wher~.>by the size of the claims iii ret~tricted to a very 

limited area, has greatly retarded the mining of this metaL 

A t Wav~rly a horizonW bed of auriferous quartz of a very 

curious corrugated structure hu.s beeu found uuderlying 

met.aruor;•hic t~bal e. This "barrel quartz," it is stated, 

"is eut.il'Cly different from anything we have seen elsewhere, 

pre outing an appearance not unlike a. series of 

small casks laid together side by si. le and end on end." Of 

the gold-fields of .British Columbia our author has but 

little tQ tell us; he considers tois regiou to produce from 

12;;,ooo oz. to 150,000 oz. of metal JX:r annum. 

We next C'Ome to the occurrence of gold in .Australia, 

with which will ever be ti.S.1ociattd the happy prediction of 

Sir Roderick 1\iurchisou, fouuded on the knowledge he 

derived from an examination of tbe collection of igneous 

rocks of Count Strzelecki in the y~ar l b+!, that certain 

di:;tricts of the now continent explored by that nobleman 

would be found to yield the prectous metal. The colony 

of Victoria is tbe roost produngin~r it of eepecial value. Uf what bl\.8 been acoompb.ched 

in thi8 fidd we have a succinct record in the book 

before us. Finlt we have that primi~ive engi ne, tbe at'l'Mtre, 

the duhtess and moootonv of action of which ouerht, one 

woul~ th\uk, suffice t.o drive even a. Mexican ~ uJe to 

d,ea.~ll'- ~ "'ore c~rful appearance is presented by the 

Chllian mill, w"tv-re, in pl~ce. of a lollg block of stone, we 

fin.c.l ~ •erLtcal ru~er, stmllar to that used in cement 

grtodmg works, go10g it11 eternal rouod. These, however, 

8Upplanted by the stamping 

~vc to a ~t extent. ~el.L 

tDilJ, ~ maobme verY: snnaJar to that previously uaed for 

Cl'USbing lead and tm ores, and more recently introduced 

for the abrasion of our shirt buttons. 

These stamp 

batteries, in their various forms, with their attendllnt 

amalgamators, aro described by the aid of plans drawn to 

scale. 

In the ITuogarian mines the gold occurs in association 

with sulphides of lead, iron, billips bas but little to tell us. 

When be left California. a year since the new proceSii had 

not been generally adopted, no index, he considers, that its 

clairus to superior advantages over mercury have been overrated 

at home. We might reasonably expect, however, 

that the employment of such a substance by unskilled 

hands wou1d be beset with difficulties at the commencement. 

With a compact ch:tpter on the assay of auriferous ores 

and gold bullion, in illustrating which the somewhat fancy 

sketch of an as~ay laboratory might, we think, have lxleu 

advantageously J•eplaced Ly a ft:w woodcuts of the chiof 

tools, furnaces, and vtssel.a, made use of by the analyst, Mr. 

~hi lups brin&rs the first portion of his subject to a conclu 

Blon. 

The Londml. .Brcuhloatc. W. J. ADAMB, Fleet-street, London. 

Tne first numbor of a new railway guide has just made its 

appearance, and sbottld ~xcite inwrest \,y its i.ntrinsic 

merits, nud in its being the advent of what is destiuec.l 

doubtless to be a vigorous perennial. A11 its name indicates, 

t he new guide JS for '' L ondon," a.nd its iuforw.atiou 

relates to all the tmius, outwnrdt~ and in ward~ between tbe 

metropolis and all piU,ts of the United Kingdom, with 

alphabetical lists of steamers for London per Southampton. 

The new guido contnius several other alpbabetical t~rrangements 

of a. novel character, which will greatly facilitate 

commaud of the mass of information it embraces, which is 

set forth in beautifully-clear letter-press and tables, every 

word, whether in full or contracted, and every figure beiog 

perfectly legible and distinct. The little work includes two 

maps of London and .its environs-one on an enlarged 

sc.'\le-whioh nre admirably executed, and each more than 

an equivalent for the price of the whole. 

METROPOLITAN .BOARD OF WORKS. 

During t he put year tbo eogineer3' department of tbo Above 

board havo executed works to upwards of £2,150,000, without 

either a law-suit or a dia!\greoment \vith ooe of its variotLB 

cootmetors or employb. 'Vo wish we could say as much 

for olher Oovernmeot dupnr tmeo ts, on the same l!ubject, bu t we 

ca.nnot do 110 unfotionntely. The cauae of the departUieDt 

undu the guidWlco oi l\lr. J. "'V. Baz.1lgettc.>, O.E., being so 

clficieot is .simply that the ch ief engineer is to all intents and 

vurposes a pr,lcticnl man ; but the n.ssistan ts in the various depiU'tments, 

wbo arc 118 a staff unequalled in E ngland, take a pride 

m emnlating their prime mover; beooo everythtng works we!ll, and 

the l)ublicroooivo rC8lly wbatthey pay for, "each man'$but SCI'Ilicu. " 

L'ho rollowingsummary will give11ome idenof the vastncsSI\nd variety 

of tbo works to be designed nnd superintended by this department. 

About eighty. two miles uf ae1vere, in adJition to the several pumpmg 

statioos, have been constructed for the dnunage of 1J 7 squnre 

mtles of the metropolis, where not leas t han three millions of souls 

exist.. Tho aewagl' of that part of the area which lies on t.he nurtb 

aide or the 1'hamea, and which is intercepted do.i.ly in its passage 

towards the river, nmounts at present to about 10,000,000, and 

that on tbo aouth sido to about 4,000,000 cubic feet. The northern 

low level sewer ia the only one remaining to be constructed to 

comph.te the main intercepting acheme. This sewer has been 

designed for taking the sewage directly from an area of about eleven 

square uillcs, and ia also intended to form the main outlet for the 

western dittrict, which comvriaes about fourteen square miles. 

Tho area of thu lAtter di.atrict ia so l ow ihat its sewage will have to 

be lifted a height of l7~ ft. into the low level sewer. Those portions 

of the sower unfinished are the western extension from w~stwioater 

Bridge t.o Vremorne New-roru.l, and the part which 

extends from the enatern ODd of the 'Iemple to Tower bill. 

Between Weatmiuater lirid:;o and the TeLDple it ia being coo· 

atructed in connection with the Thames Emban.Innent (north). The 

western portion, however rewlrina in abeyance, it being the intention 

of the Hoard of Worb to construct the part of the ac.>,ver be· 

twecn B~tlorse:\ .Bridge and Chelsea H ospital in connection with 

the proposed embankment of t he rivel' nt Ch~lsea, the bill for which 

is to be brought forward t.¥a se811ion of Parliament. The cons~ruction 

of the remaining portion (If this sower, from the enatern ext 

remity lo Tower l:bJI, ha.a up to tbo present time been deferroo 

in coruequ,OOO. The 

ouLmlleowur couvey11 the suwuge through Greeuwteb and Woolwich 

t.o Cro,socs:J J'olllt, in the .t:rith UJurabcs, and ia abuut eevon 

nud a-halt uul~:s w loogtb. It t uoorves frow the hlgb a nd lowlevel 

sewen U , OOO,OOO gallons of sewnc;e daily, ww.cb, until 

ita for•uatiou, fiuwud into the '.J:bawes b.:tween WWldsworth and 

Woolwio.h. 'l.'ho cost Ql the land tllld works w.as ,L~lO, li48. 

Crount.lenwtcb to tbe pumJ.II.Ilg station 

at J.)ept.ford, hll8 beeu cunatructed, at a cost of abuut ..C~,ISOO. 

Sotna K~SlNOTOY Mt:SBCl!.-Viaitors during the weekending 

2lul)cccmber, .l.bu7: On 1\londay, Tu.ciday, w.nd :SaturUI\Y 1 

free, 

from 10 a. m. to 10 p.w., .J:!Jl; on \~ cdnesday, ·.r~ur~day, aod 

~' riday, n.dUI.I.8 ion liu., from JO a.m. till4 p.tn., Jl52; total, G;j8J; 

lWOrago ~f corresponding week in former )eara, 701ll; total !rotn 

the O)JCill.llg of the ID\beum, 7 ,1()7,~(;4, 

MlNINO A.'ID Waots Il:l OmLr.- Mr. Consul Gallon, writing 

frow Coquimbo, gtvcs somo i nteresting particulars of the tb.reo 

princip1Ll copper u1iues of that oountry, those of the Htll of 

'!'a ruayn, Bdlll~tdor, and l::ian.uleillo. 'file t>artiouliU's giveu were 

re col vec.l direct h '(IOl tboao places, nnd, tbo consul s tn tot, may bo 

accepted as 1\utbeutic. Uuring tbo l)lLl>t year the '1'amayo. produced 

35,0\10 tons ol orl' of the avoruge qunlity of 20 per cent., and of the 

estiwat11d Vllluo of £ .)00,0UO, the n umber of hnnUs employed 

on full work during the year hM ing been 4000. At tbo l:!anulcillo 

!liino tbo q wmtity of oru cxtroot.:u was 5J, ~07 tons with a consumption 

of 15,000 ' ons of .t:~W,h coal nod 1),000 't.ona of Chill 

coal, the nunabcl' of h nnds employed duriug tbo year having been 

1200. Tb~ works of Lt\ CornJnlnllL h'we been ewploycd ohLuOy on 

aulphnte of copper, wblch ill used in tbe district for silver amelt 

~g. It appears from the report that the largeat aod wost 

uoportant. copper amohiug eatablr.ahruonta, not only in Ohili, but 

P,ro_b~bly m ~ue world, 11 that o( GuyoActln, belonging to the 

Vbilian firm of l\lesill'l, U rmeneta and l::rrazuriz, and sJLUated at 

the bead of l:lerradurt1. Bay, about tbree ·Ctuart~rs of a mile from 

the Port or Coquimbo. I have been favo11ted with the foUowing 

particulan of thutr operations during the }la&t year :-Number of 

men employoo during tho year (of wllom about lifty ue E nglish), 

a50 to 400; oru awcltull, 3;$,:.!00 totll ; bar copper pro•luced, 

0000 tons; wgot or r~,;hneJ c~pper produced, 31\JO tona; English 

coal (rccetvod during year), ta,.JOO tona; Chih cool (received during 

year), 21,000 toll!. l t wtll bo seen trom the above figures that 

up'."urds of 9000 toru of copper were produced during ~be year 1 

wbteh, taken at the M'eroge value of £w per ton, gtvO.'I m rouna 

numbers tbo largo aum of .t:O,OOO,OOU st{lrliug. It aL.o appoara t.hat 

a comploLe aystem of telcgr.1ph it c.>xtendwg i tself tbruugbout tbe 

country, and that addittonalltues of railway are in course of for. 

'llation. 

'Vith regard to labour our con4ul st11to_, that the 

ordinary rate of wages horo is high, a skilled mcchnufc being 

euuy abl& to earn !:loO or £200 per annum. Domestic aerva.nta 

(nlltivo woman) can be obtained tor from £12 to £20 a·year; but 

they ~ro lazy ~d illle, and, aa a rule_ do not care to rerun.in long in 

one attuaUon. 

• 

•

542 

THE PATENT JOURNAL. 

Co~cWiwl from U&t Journal of the CommwtioMI'B of Pattnu. 

Grants u.ud Du.tes ofProvtaionu.l Protection for S i::r:: Months. 

3080. llBNat ,APan:N 80NNJtVILL£, Porchester:-terrncc, Bayawaler, London, 

A new a nll l •,. PN Ved rnacbloe for manufucturlng paper baga."-A communication 

lrnm Joeepb A.ugusto Puglnler, Lyon•. Fra.nce.-28lh Octobtr, 1867. 

31G9. JAMIOS GaiBHAil. Maoch~ter. ' Improvomenu In or appUcable to that 

apparatus kn11wn a' • Ollfard's lnjtctor.' and In lllo method of and machinery 

or tools ror maklna- the aa~q."-:-; 9111 No~ . 1867. 

3261. RICO &RD 0 &RBST1', '' alallll, 8UIII'11NISblro, ' 1 I mprovements In the COD· 

structlon or Ule paru, apparatua, or mS EOW~'! PmLLII?&, SpltUegalo tron· 

work ~. 'Q~IIIIlhllll\ , Lluc!)ln~lro, ''lmprovc.mcota tu reapll•g and n;owlog 

rot~cbioc, . 

• 

3U 3. NA11U..NIEL G~W, Now Bt!l&4·.s~ree~, Lonl\iln. "Improvement.! In 

11ppnratus for cloanlng, or doconicat4og cotton soed a.nd othec gr!lius or 

se~t.''-3rd l)tefm/wr, 1867. 

3•1(!1, CWUS:COPRER .('AL,E'i;, Englc.atreet, R ed Llon..aqunrc, London, ''An 

lmpron~d clastic ro.ate.r1al to bo used as 1prtnga In boots and sboes, and In 

vmJoys O\bor wdys 10 whlcb tbo 8Rme roay be oopiiCAble.'' 

3447. 'l'.UO)(A,S STI!PJIPliSO.l/, 0EORO& 8A.L~ ST&PBJt."SOll, and BBNJA&ffi> 

STRt'.ll&:SSON, B 1ad~ord', ;Yorlr. sb)r~ " An Improved mode of W&.OJ \ I .''~A comman!catloo rrom Carl DJtt·mar. Berlin. Prus•J~. 

341>6 ARTROR 0/JAALES S'I;E.RRY. \Voodgate Cottage, Ewell, Surrey "llll· 

nrovemenu Jn eo!{lnc,j wocked by h~.ucd air or Kas." 

' 

316~. T,IIOlLAS JOSBPB LEtOB, Lall,tenco l!o11n tney-lane, Cnnnon-~lrrot.. 

Londqn, ')Olprove~enu In fW'natel!, and In ej]'il~ung tbo combustion of 

fJ.oltb.t.vcln.'' 

3471). EDWARD .AIJi:R&D PONttn.x, 51\oc-laoo, London, "Improvements ln 

cooden-ers."-6th Drambv. 1807. 

3t72. J OUII WJLLlUI K.I:NYON awl llOBERT ARTIJOR AIUtlTSTBAD Man- 

"' • t . • 

c,.est e~ . J,mp ro vOCIIent.~ In tafet.y npparatus fur steam boUe•s or swam 

generators." 

3H4. COR.N&LJllS KBRBY, l't. non"nn'•·blll, London," ~mprovemcnts In the 

oomblnatloo of ma trlels to be used for llll0. BODBR'I! WEBBtrR t.IND9AY 1 Blrmtngbam, "Jmproveroent.• In machinery 

for tbe mRmlfaclure of brass e.od COI?pcr tabea."-6th :Otwnbtr 

tso7. 

• 

348 1. JAllllS R I!ALL MORRISON, Ooodgc.strcet, London, " Tmprovcmcom la 

t ho coostructlon of opcratJng cbalrs, more' eapeclaUy designed ror dentll!u, 

parts of euch Improvements belntr &ppllcntl!e ror other purposes." 

3.186. J'OU:N BLA!t8Y 1 Liverpool, and B OWAAD BUSBY FOX, Oxton, Cheshire, 

• • Improvements lo collar!, culls, anklets, bolt!, nod other like arUclcs of 

wtnrl np: appnel.'' 

3488. JAllES RAil, Sydcnbam, Kent, aocf GllORCE MlLLER, Glasgow, Lanarkshire, 

" Improvements In railway w)leels." 

3 190. JOBN BE&TTY. Ballymene., Antrim, Ireland, " A ocw or Improved 

caodle-dlpplotr machine." 

349 ~ . ROBIIRT W'A.RllY. St. Mary's Barrneb, Chatham, Kent, "Improvements 

In the con~truet!on or breech-loading flre-arms." 

3494. J08BPB: ALVIN MUM.N, Commercial-street, London, "An lmpro\'cd 

weighing apparatus.''- 7th Deurribtr, U!67. 

3196. WITJLIAll HBNRY COO'KB, Oldham, Laoc"-•hiro, " Cerllllo Improvements 

In eprlng~ to bn applied to doors and ror stmllar purposes." 

349S. WILLJUI CLABlt, B nlter·Si reot, l'ortman-sqoarc, London, " A now 

Instrument for cllflplog or shearing horses or other animals, also appUcatJie 

lC other slmUnr ourul pnrpo~~:· 

3500. WtLt.IAll ROBBRT LAKB, SoutbRmplen-bolldln"'S Chancerv.}ane 

Lod 

"f Gl I o 

o on, 

ro provements In excnvall ~g machines, more especially dcllgned 

for m•klog dltebcs and drnlns."-A communication from Henry Charles 

Tngrnbam, Teeum!eh, Mlcbiii&D, U.S. 

350'2. CBARLIIS MA.&tllf, Cbancer y-lan~. London, WILLIMI BARRET1', 

N orlen, l>arham, aitd TnO!lAS STAlfiCRRS WEBB Norton Durham 

"I I h ( • I • 

mprovement:a n t o treatment and reduction o \ltnnii'Crous Iron ores, 

lllld In tbc manot'llctoro of Iron. ani\ In tha construction or furnaccJ to bo 

employed tbereto."-9111 Doctmbtr, IS&7. 

ABSTRACTS OF SPECIFICATIONS. 

flw foTlOtlin9 dacr ipliiJM are~ from 4./ulra.t:U tmfPOred ezpreuiy fo., TBE 

bQilUID, eN llu ~of 118 Mqje~tr'• 

Oomm£ui1Jntr1 of Paltnll. 

Clu.u 1.-PRIME MOVERS. 

I ncluding :Fiud Suam. and orlur Engin~ Horse, Wind and 

Wattr Afuu, Gearing, Boiltr8, .l!'iltings, J:c. 

' 

1284. T. WOOD. Jlanchuter, "3tifd y oaiM and a~ngmtmfl for pf'tl)tnting 

darMga to Of' the uplli1ilm of lfcom by one. two. or 

more t>Or.30n!!, accortllng to lll" slzo or the cnrrla.:o. The I ovcotlon also conslot'! 

In ltnvlng a 1)10\'llblo bolT tll!:ed to the 8llld frnme by means or hnntl ·cNW3 

or pin~. to wblcb bar tho suld connecting roo Is attached, and which bar mny 

be •blfted so M to t;n!n greiltcr leverl\ge In ascending steep blllil. The ln,•emloo 

also o.:t~n•lsllt 

In carrying u cord rrom ouo ond or a lever nllnched to tho (runt 

whc.nl or the carriage oiOI\'( the shsfl, nnd pnrUy round the Mid frame. thence 

aiOnl( I he o ller sban to tho other • ' ~" of thu ·run~ wheel, whcro lt Ill fo«l~n• "MaLned wllh a hollow metalllo I)Mc 1 AOil alto Ln tile p&QIIIlllr coraaa\loA o, 

• 

DEC. 27, 1867. 

t he baso of tbe spindle. wborclly tbe thread upon the start more rcadUy cllnp 

le tbc ba.se, so lbnt lt cannot &lip up. 

Tbe Invention C3JlllOt be fully described 

without reference to tbo drawings. 

12•1. J. COa!B&, &/fa&l, "lmprotltmtn(& in tDindln(J or boJling."-Daltd 291}1 

.4pril, 1867. 

ThiS loveo\lon cannot be described without reference le t.bo drawlogs. 

1278. J. and J. Lo~x. Farnworlh, near ~Uon. "Manii/ lht construdion of kmdingllagts 

and iron lllip& or -r:tUbcr. or other eulwble Ocx•ble 

or cl ~>tic mnwrlal, eo lltM when the no•e or a tappet Is at Its full for tbe pick 

the cone or arm or tbe pleklng abaft ca'!not leave 1~ 

oo ncwunt of tbls ton~oe 

tbeo ~:ulng 

against the loom wd or ot bcr stop provided In JKkSCS or openings for tho \Ol{glo-jo1med levers 

nnd slllllng rod are formed, separillely Crom tbe other par' or the shaft, nnd by 

cMIInt: tbe llrst-mcutloned part or the sbaf't be Is enabled to form In lt the 

required recesses or openlngs, aod to suitably sbapo lt In otber res or slot, which mny be h n spiral form, In the part or the shaft 

on which the drlvlug pulley tuTII ~ . 

and tllh lt with cloth, or eomo otbcr 

ohsorbent 111nterlal to lwlu n rcsen ·ed ~upply 

of oil, end ho conui:cts the 

recea• which contains tho re· er••ed supply of oil "ltlt tllo outer end or U1e 

sball. by means of a hole or tube, In such manner lbnt the •upply of oH mGy be 

Nplenl;hcd wbllst tbo drlvlm; pulley ts In m Citlou. 

'Cho spe.:.IOcatlon ot' \.be 

I1Wentloo comprises much .1ddttlooat dot.l\.1 wblclt we CllllUOt pr

D EC. 27, 1867. 

abOot ~o. 20 gaogc, and wiUuucb gauge of koltUog framoho QJelaslzo ofaboot 

No. 40 or 60 tingle to pi'OIIoco a fabric, the boles or mW!es or wblcb arc or a 

very open character; such fllbrlc Is then, alter removal trom tbo knltUng 

&ame, placed In an ordinary dreaalng frame, In wblch lt la stretched out aDd 

aUII'~ned 

In a similar manner to that employed lu aUII'enlog laeo or other 

fabr!ea. 

Wben a round fl'nmo Is employed for tho above POl'JlOI« tbo f!lbrlcla, 

eltber before or alter removal Crum aucb tl'ame, cut up so u to be capable of 

bclng opeoed oat to permit of Ita bdng plaeecl In a drcnlng frame for the purpose 

or bdog atrul

544 

wcl~hu with a tn1nk contalnln11 water or llqulll, and bavlni within lt an air 

barrel or bell, !llCh b~rrcl or bell bnvtf\A' the liquid dltpl~ rrom lt or admit lAid 

j uto lt to ct~u·o 1t to rloe or fall, and llehJi ~unectod by ropeJ or dlalns pau· 

tn~: aro11n•l pullty~ with wcl"bta 10 ho mlttd or lowrrcd, They also claim tho 

orrnnttlonr ·~'''••In couM t lon with tho olr harl"'ll or b; ll. en tb.n a• l(o()l) 111 

the uicl b 1 rcol or bell Cll nrnrn" ·A to ntnve. chh..r uv or llownlnt\)o uunk, tile 

rn~•11o or ~lr In to or rro:~m lt lt nrre.tcl auto:le.tlr•lty 80 M to render lt 

Jmpof•lblc for the lnllll to &111\ltl n clono~o r~ ll' 

lptod. Th~y alao claim IIIo oon· 

tr>~ct llljl 

tllo wc\lerw cy IJrtwe •n t4e trunk au~ b crrel or llell. 10 8.8 lO ell~ tho 

rise or tho •I •Cc•ll ot ttce •ai•l b.l•rcl or bell, n11mewh t arte• ttlc m1nner or tt.e cou11ter of a gas meter). On tb., 

ul• or the -Gld '"""f'~ arc ploce-1 hon•l• nr Pr propocts ln plane the •e\'eral pairs or roll5 In 

n dlrcd lln~. 

eo d arnn~ttd In 811Ch A m11nner and at aucb dllta.ntfl from eac.b 

othtr II•M upon tho billet comiot; rru~• 

tho Or.t pair or roll• lt m~ at once 

pae.!l Into tho ~econd patr of r olllo to tbe dr.w~bt upoo I be Iron, w lh '' ti•e boop m.a,y enter eacb pol r of 

• ''• tu a direct tl.oe-, or nearly eo, from t.bo rol.l:s ltl1 IMYLD!:.-.(}'ol t •roc-.Jtd 

tiiiUI. 

) ~O. 0. DA Vt tc. ,mbloatlon 

and arraot:tnunt or the mec:bBn~m of the l!ncral parts or tba machine. The 

followlnr Is an eumpte or tbe mt4nJ by 'lrbleb thu tnYeowr propo•es to eatct 

tbtiO ltnpronmrnll :-l:ndtr tbe Orat bead he cc nnects to t.bo 1hutUo carrier 

a bar In the form or a cro•t, tbe t nd• or the uld t-ar being !Opporttugb the top or !ldo or the • eut.l for holdlni tbe oil, which bole he makeJ 

air·tl•bt by an adjustable ,·aJvo or .crewed ptUIII', or 8011le rucll C!ftlaten t coo· 

trtvancc, 11nd bo edmlu air on the top of Lhe piston to allow of lu belnr prc.o•ed 

down by plerclnll the veascl wlt.ll a 1mall hole, the area or wnlcb, LD some c:llles. 

ho reliulate• by a valvo or coned ptur; or ho errccta the same by makmg the 

piston rod eo that I~ does not qllliAI 6t 111 gland. Tile aforesaid veasetto receive 

the oil bo makcJ, by p rcr~rw co. furmel s ~ apod at tbe bottom, BJod, In some 

cases. ho provides means to ~ulnte tlto a:r.lt or tho oil by llxini n llnely por· 

roratcd platAl, dl.c, couc, or bag or r~tt, 

tlJJHltl, or canvass. or by n picco or 

eoon(lo or otber p~rou.t 

materlnl over t.bC bole, or by a n adju.ttable valvo or 

o oecl plur. 

1262. H . A . Y. CLUII, Btui-.#}1JOrt Lond.ort, "IMirvmtriU for indi~oling 

aJifiDip/IDU dl.aii{IU and tAf forcA ll/ IUirffii.."-Daud l1t M11y, 1867. 

Tblt Invention uttnot be d~nllad wltbout rtle~nee to the drnwlngs. 

126~ J . 11 JOONSO!'i', L i.r.«ot111M "-·"-A CQillmunkatwr>. 

- Da4d l•t rlng 

for hall. 

Tho covertng ma.r be or on1 ehope gl• en to bat!, and may be 

d)ed an ~ cotou.•. Tbese cove.th\111 a ro l tnllll In bulk, n11d o•cupy but llllllll 

apneo wb~ll (olded and place\l 111 the pocket -No' procMJ.JIJ villi. 

19!12. C. D UTTON, ll'nt Brmnt#kh, &offord tu t.be lncvr cy liodor, aDd coal .. r am.allttlt me u .creeu•d ln 

the O)IICT c~ I n ler. 

Tbe acreen cyllJl..tora may ta made to revolve aL ttk illme 

speed, or at d ff' 

t1un1 tn, uch other, M mny be re(lull"\'d. The ~aid fcreen cyliJtders may be 

d rl•~n 1>1 trfcU"u plllle,-o working ut lde the rakl C) llnders, or In any otb~r 

conwnlent man nu. 1 be screen C) ll11dcre are lnclloecl and tbe I!C•eened coal 

J)MHI out of tloe mouths of tbo respective C) lluders, ttod Is rece~•tic.l:, "IJurtll{lit~a." 

DaJtd 3rd Ma11, 18ti7. 

Accordln;; to tbh Invention tbo patentee arr11nge5 tbc two val\'ca at the 

bottom or tbe pump cyllndar, the lniJT~SS 

valve being lo the axls or tho 

cylinder, and carried by o ch11mbcr scro••ed to the bottom ol the eyllntlcr. 

The c:'rtted, and the bammer or atr111.er made to ll)lpart a ropld lUt:Cc&ohm of 

blowato the bell, a.nd tbJJS 10und Gll alarm.-NOlpi"'OCUdtd~U/r. 

1308. C. ll. RJUTI, LeadmluiU·dl'td, 1A11rlon, "J/dwafor mM~UrillfJ lhl jfOIIQ 

(If valtr and oilltr jfufdl.''-,d commwni(Oii4rt.- DaUd 3J'It Jlay, 1867. 

Th" pQtentee claims the coo!tructlon an 1 oppltcstlon or a pecullnr!y r.,nno4 

clnctlc llisc within a perme4 cbamber, tbo ftuld preswrc ag ~aln.t 

lb.a 

lllld d l~c CI\U lug ll to operatA! Ot" glvo motion 10 a tt raw rod an.d worUniC beam 

or lcvr r, by meous of an nrrllllgcmoot or Inlet ancl outlet valvea ond pi\8Mig01 

ami ~tide val\·es, sucll motion be.lni uaed or employed to gi vc motion lO a 

\Ohcetwork, or other LDdlcati.Dg mecbaohm, 10 .u 

to regl:ltcr tbe llow or 

llulda. 

1 30~ . R. R CSSE.L, Dc!W. u Kildttn r'M(Ifi."- DaW 4«l Jftrll, 1867. 

lu con ltllc~ tho o\'en tbo tnnmor C&!ltS lt wltb a stron;; metal llan~ro 

P"'Jecling from the ootlom edge along tbe aode next to tbe lire, and on a left! 

wltb the surf11ce of tbe lire-bare or ~:rate, 10 tbat part or tbe fuel resta upon 

this lla.,ae an:1 beats tho bouom or tba onn by contact 

Thl! llan~e ma.r 

tlther be cut or one piece with tbe oveo, or tbo bottom and Oo.ngt may be 

c " t In one. Clod tbo remainder mado to wrouabt troo aod r1vett.-d thereto. 

The back aide and bolt"m Out·s wblcb paq round tbe o•eo are enca•ed In Iron, 

50 u to n•olcl the d.IJDculty ortcn ~sperlenc.ro In ~e ulng or llxlng rana-es or 

thi t lwvs. The down dr11ught In kitchen o.r other fire.-placeJ la prevent(.Ject the reoderflll or coal·eottlng mac.h!Jiel or 

nppal'lltus for getting coal, ttont, or oUter mlneralt more compa~t 

u d port· 

ntJio. end 10 u to fix them to their .orll, and provide th•m wolb a 1ultable 

gwtlanca and road to true! on In a more elfectl.,e way lbao bat bttberiA) beeo 

oocompllsbed. The app 11nto- Is 10 &nllllled u to cut rtCJO•e' Ln the coal or 

other t ub!ta.noe to a.n.r con•cnteJH width, and to a depth edequaiAI to the 

requlreQltDtl of lho case, ancl tU ntllolentlf eecare \be m ecf!lne by meaN o(

• 

DBc. 27, 1867. 

the I!TOOVC when cat.. whleb groove wUI altO form tbo road on wblch tbo 

machine wiU travel. To cfl'ecl thl1 the paten~& cnn•c the support or rr~mC' 

worlt or the mecblno carrying the cutters •o be mll'lo or a ~nlto bl ~ fbrm to 

allow lt to ~ntcr the ~rotwe 

frttly, and wb~n In Ill plaro cauee tho tame to 

become fnffiolcntly •eou·e bv being jam bed thPrcln, tbe motive power cmployotl 

helnl( nrrnnged to actontc ranu. pl•tooa, or other 1'!111 f float ani! vnh·o 

u a meant or 'ctr· rr~tnlnllntllhe con ~• ant 81pply llfpllln the lamp. Thirdly, 

the burner wllb double wick having tbe OaneA pln "h~t 

nctaln•t c•ch orhcr. as 

dracrlbed. Fourthly, lho construction or" l ~mp b; wblch tho liGht Is proj 

ected Into tbo horizontal posltlo::, a' doscrlbOII and lllustrl\led ln tbo 

drawlnf!S. 

1317. W. BRA»lliTRY, PmiiiJick . lAncashire, ' Siillagu tmpiO!Jtd in 'fKlcl.:lng ana 

/JQ/1.119 prtun''-Dattd 6tfl Ma!f, 1867. 

This I oven• Ion relates to tbftt olau or etUIA11'i' bnvhg certain portions of tho 

aurraco capable or being wllbdrawn a short dl""nce f~m tho general surface to 

form groo,·es for the pns~~:o of the hoop• wh01 bcinr llud aroun•l the bale, 

and ~onalste, prlociD&IIy In an lmpro,,ed metht!( of ~f~ctln~t such withdrawal. 

Tbe fru!e or the auuago which Is In contact wllhlhc b&lo Is formed or a number 

or aeollon,, which aro capable ofbelofl rendllyMtbrged Iron, wblch Is rh•ctted thereto, aod gives lie nece&ary 

strength to Ute tnng. 

1330. J . ll. J Oini'SON. Lincoln's i n"·fitlds, Landon, "_Lighting gt~lamp1."-A 

communication. Doltd !Jtll Jfay, 1867. 

.According to t b l~ lm>cntlon the !188 jet can be lighted from tbo 

rlor of the 

lnmp. ond special dool'll or s pcrwrcs 10 the body or tho lamp f •r-.e Introduction 

of tho ll~eble r ar11 dlspcnE\'d wllh. Tho e~sc ntlnl f~lllu ro or-Jnventlon 

coml s~ In tho corublnalloo with the ordinary burner tobo or •l'cond tubo 

placed alt•nf!slclo lt. onO parnllel, or nearly parallel. therowllb, sucbltcond tU bo 

@crvlng for tbo tran~ml~l on or tha flnmc to the gM bume.r, nnll ~orore tbo 

Inventor terms lt tbo " l~nJtiog" tube. Tbls tube IJ In commonllauon with 

tho gos supply pipe. either lhrou.ab the samo COCllt wblcb sunpllet'e burner 

tube, or thn ugb n special nnd >rporate coclt or Its own, bot the f'-l nrrenvement 

le PNfcrrro, tlJo rlog or the cock sen·lng to open and cl:Ja"lboth tho 

tboroogbfares lcadin~r to t be burner nnd IR nltlng tube re.•pecli1'Cly. t he urper 

end or I be Igniting tubomny be contracted In Ule form or a burner, _. $bould 

be situate close to the burner, so as to dlrcc~ 

n Jet of O' tne acro slldo tbrouah tbo \Yards of a latch ltcy. Tbe sald link mOJ' 

divided Into a nt..nbcr or tbln pllat~ or divWon.e, eacb of which may be r 

Independently or ~e Olbera hy dltTcrcutly form') ... Cltallol:try·ta1tt, Landon, "Fa~/trti!I{JI 

f or batll.ls or hoops for baling ~Uon, .tc:'-4 CQmmumcaJirrespomllng 

to the bud and puocbCJl, so 

thllt tbe number aod poahlon 

of thG boles being a.lwll}'j the um.o with each aet ut ap pn.ratu ~. 

the 

scales are nl3o drilled allu, whlcb allows or any pair ot 8C&ICS 

bol11r 

applied lndlscrlmloatdy together to any knife. rork. or otbcr article of tbelr 

kind. The tang of tho knhe, fori\, or other arllclo being placed bet ween the 

bed and plate tbc puncb bloc!> 

Is l.trought qul ~kly llo" n, cau OF W on& 

lfEll : B y wllom P roiTI()i.t.d : .Sentim.enu E~1·e.tsed: 

The A lle{Iaticns 

Contut.ed: Retulu of f.AIIl.e Moment- COAL: Du/J T rade : 

Ruedinp Pricu-PIO I RON: Probable JWte.y f ur All-mint throwihout 

the Quarttl'- 

l!AllDWARES : D ulttlu·o•Jglwut tile Year: 0l'tUriJ 

Worked uv-BmlnNGB1\M INSTITUTE: A nnual &port &11iewecl 

- N£\V E DUCATIONAL lllOVEliBNT lN BllUJUIGiil.ui- TECHNICAL 

EDUCATION I N SOUTEJ STAFPORDSRIRF.: I nfluential iJJtttillg 

SoROOL A CCOMl!ODATION UNDEll TH& FACTORIES ACT: How tM 

D ifficulty 1IXU met ,·n the Potteriu-FAT.\L Bu.sT F UASAOE 

A OOIDE.NT. 

THB year is closing ulll!nti11faetorily upon ~he iron, the hardware, 

and the mining trades o f this part of the k1 ngdow. 

W e began the 

year with a reduction of £l a. ton in the price of finished iron; and 

when the reduction · was made it was thought that trade would be 

stimulated. The year hns, however, passed with very little nltemtion 

in the e xpressed requirl\ments of the consuming markets both 

at h ome a n d abroad, upon the state of things eltiating at the open 

ing of the year. 

In meeting the requirements of the export fall 

trod e the different ironma.sters w ere btlBy, and so, too, were many 

of the lf.'ading producers of harn made in 

South Stafford.ahtre compnred wttb the other home d tstncts named. 

This last vie w is held by the lestding member3 of the trade- the 

gen tlemen who compose the panel of the past and futur~ chairnu:n 

of the .Assoointion. 

Prepared to rccom•ncn d the adopt t?n of thlll 

course-in other words, that there should be no alteratton-they 

wont to the meetin~. B etween them anrl the advo~.:fltes of a 

reduction of Ills. in 1rou and h. in wnges the chief struggle waa 

e:tpected to t ake place. ~be f~ct that after a reduct~on o~ 20s . 

this time lost year such a d1scuss1on should be called for 1s of 1~elf 

an indicat ion. unmistakable in i ts char acter, of the depresSion 

which pre va ils. 

'Vhatever difference of opinion there might bave 

been at tbo meeting as to prices and wages, there was n one whatever 

as to the subject which first eng3gerl the attention of the 

members of the trade. 

It re lated to tho election of chairman for 

the ensuin g year. 

The h onour devolved upon Mr. George Barker, 

the principal partner ~n 

the. Chillington Company, who .are the 

makers of pig and 6mahed 1ron and steel, and the propn e tors of 

collieries in ' Yolverhnmpton and Scabrook. 

• 

Certain of the workmen have h eld, and they continue to bold, 

m eetings, in whioh they assert, with the contiTicea or wages. 

They do this in a tone which 

is very objectionnble to the masters. They cbargo t hose gentlemen 

with combining to keep down wa~es, whereas the only effect 

of t he ma$ters' com'binati6n, such as it 18, ill to lix upon a s ta ndard 

which shall guid them in their prices, and at the same t ime help 

them to arrive at n. u niform mto of wnges. 

This pmotice, instead 

of being objected to by the m en , ehould be received by them with 

feelings of gmtitude; for whilst, as we have already intimated, 

lioitly to observe the scale· of pl'ices in his 

transactions, and d oes not, therefore run the risk nf being 

m altreated, or regarded as a 

lJlackleg; thnt much O..'\llnot 

be said of workmen, either in or out of the union, who accepi 

lower Wl\ges tha n tho manage:rs of these organisations choos.e to 

regard as tte rate which they should receive. 

1t is, however, 

some ~.:onsol ntion to the masters who are being soundly abused, that 

the ahus e does not come either from tho men who nro at worlt in 

the mills a nd forges of this or a ny other rlistrict. 

It comes from 

men who bave recently left the Cleveland district, where the 

union is insu.llic.iently popular to afford them a living. a.nd who 

hMe therefore migrated to S outh Staffordshire h oping for better 

succes$ there. T hey bsve been ironworkers, a n d vel'y likely skilful, 

but this th l\y h11ve abandoned for tbe much lesa sat isfactory calling 

of workmen 's agitatora. 

They h ave not received much sympathy 

yet, nor do we believe t hey will find their calling much more profitable 

h ere than it was in the n orlb of England. 

The South Stafford 

shire workmen wbo aro members of any union at all are connected, 

the millmen with 110 association peculiar to that order, and 

t b e pud!U .. rs wit h an association almost confined to puddlers, with 

th eir h ea.d quartera a t Briefly-h ill, and their president nn u n t>aid 

officer. 

The unionist officen who h ave come from the north of England 

are agitating fot· one powerful union to embrace millmen and 

purldlers all over the kingdom, with of course a paid president. The 

millmen. however, will n oo join a.ny such an asaooiat.ion, nor will 

tbo pudcllera couneoted with the Brierly.bill executive consent to 

bnvo a pnid p resident "t their boad. It is some consolation to tit~ 

ma8ters that the men by whom they are called h nrd names are 

not more considerate of the members of the two workmcn 'a 

organisations they are so d esirou s of in6uencing. It may be inferred, 

therefore, thl\t whilst comliderable personal annoyance may 

be experien ced by the mastora from the action of the mea who are 

getting up tbe meetingtt, the gat herings will not be atteaded with 

any serious inconvenience to trade. 

The cod trade bae sympathised' with the uon, and , exeep\iDr few 

thlck col\1, prices baTe declined throughout tbe year. Ther aN 

now so low that certain colliery proprietors wbo llave opened 

workings in expectation of a continued good d ema11d from cutaia 

6nished iron drms, finding that that d emand has fallen oA', ara 

now offering mill and forge coal at u low 6gure u &. • 

ton. 

Previously the l owest price quoted in other than exoepoual 

instances wa.s 6s. 6d. 

Pig m ak ers of thi s district wbomake all-mine iron ue U... 

posed t o give way in price, notwi•hatanding the alt.olm•' of tllll 

demand. Last quarter·d&J t3 101. waa demN1tlecl for .......... 

•

• 

• 

546 

• 

iron; but within & few weeks after the meeting £3 7a. 6d. would 

have been accepted. 

Perhaps the majority of the sales will be 

regulated at that lower figure, whatever may be the course 

pursued by the association in respect of the prices of finished 

i ron. 

• 

The hardware trades of Birmingham and South Staffordshire 

have generally been in a slightly better condition t ban the iron 

trade. The yel\r closes, however, with them alsQ pr~>hY much as 

it doe~ 

wi\h the iron trade, i. c , with all the orderJ in hand 

worked out, aud no very cheering prospect in respect of tho 

fu~ut·e. 

The metal market continues depressed, and prices are 

d1ooping. 

The council of the Birmingham and 1\Iidland I nstitute bnve prepl\r('d 

their report to be presanted at the annual meeting on the 13th 

of January. The document opens with the statement that the 

Institute has received more support this year than during any 

correspond in~ peri,d. Mr. Alfred Smith Evans has invested fUJlds 

to produce £20 a year for nn anuual prize to students of chemistry 

and mechanics in the industrial depnrtment of the districts. 

The prizes will go to chemist•-y and mechanics alternately. 

The first £20 has gone to chemistry, the next will go to 

pmctical mechanics. 

Whilst tbo subscribers have risen from 

710 to 820, tho students are scarcely so many as in 

1866. I n that year the total number was 1371, in this yenr it is 

1319, but notwithstanding some classes bnve fallen off in attendance, 

in others the numbers are more numerous. 

Of the practical 

mechanics class Mr. Alfred Cress well writes : 

"The amount of 

work done by the members of this cl.'\Ss is satisfactory, parti· 

cularly during the bst term. The metric system has been introduced 

in place of the ordinary ana clumsy system of weights and 

measures in genernl use, and works admirnbly. 

The students 

readily understnnd it." 

A new education(ll movemt>nt has been commenced in Birruin g 

ham. It contemplates the putting up, if pos~ible, 

of fifty new 

schools in t he most destitute districts of the town in which tb 

educate the 20.000 children who are now suppoMed to be entirely 

without education in Birminghnm. 

The money to ac,2omplish 

this, or ns much of it as is practicable, is being raised uf der _.the 

title of "King Edward the Si.xth's Memorial School Fund." " 

Tbo subject of technical education is to be brought very 

prominently before the notice of the people of South Staffordshire 

next Monday, when speeches are to be delivered at \ViUenhall by, 

amongst others, 1\Ir. Villiers and Mr. Weguolin, the members for 

the borough of 'Wolverhampton, Sir John Morris, and Mr. Rupert 

Kettle, tbe judge of the Worcestershire District of CoWlty Courts. 

The latter will take up the subject where 1\fr. Villiers leaves it, 

and will shew the necessity for technical education in the trades of 

the district. 

The question which led to a conference of employers and others 

in South Staffordshire a few weeks ago, and which had reference 

chiefly to the amount. of school accommodation which existed fol· 

the children who would come under the operation of the Factories' 

and W orkshops' Acts, received partial solution in the Potteries 

last Saturday. On that occasion Earl Lichfield, the Lord Lieutenant 

of the county, distributed the prizes that had been gained 

under the North Staffordshire scheme. Of the 356 candidates 153 

were the children of parents engaged in the special tt·ades of the 

district. The number of children drawn from the same trades last 

year wus 120. 

T here wore n()w in that district 3000 children at 

school during, at least a portion of their time, who, it was reasonable 

to conclude, would havo been wholly at work if the Factory 

Act hnd not been in operntion in the Po tterie~~ . 

'l'o provide accommodation 

for this extra number the voluntary system had proved 

effectual. ThA only compulsion that was needed was to make 

parents send their children to schools that had beon readily built, 

and were continued to be supported for t heir accommodation. 

Lord Lichfield spoke of this fact as elucidating the South Stafford· 

shire difficulty. 

The danger which attends workpeople about blast furnaces 

when they go to sleep within reach of the fumes which are given 

off in the process of sm~lting 

received a further illustration on 

Sunday last at the furnaces of the Coalbrookdale Company, when 

one man was foUJld dead, and four boys nearly dead in a cabin 

olose to the furnaces. 

WALES AND THE ADJOINING COUNTIES. 

(Front our oum C~m·upondent.) 

TSE IRON TRADE : Co1ttinucd. Dulnus at tltt Work$: A Change 

jo1· the Better Anticipated in lM Early Pa>·t of lM Nt:W Yea1·: 

No I mp>'ovement in the Home Trade : Ea1·ly Shipments 1.ctations not be 

realised, he would be quite prepared to call the shareholders together 

in order to determine their future course. 

of several largo items, £2000 being put down aa due fC~t J oaa of 

bwin~. I t was c~ntended on belialf ?f _the defendanla that ' 

the accu~~nt was owmg solely to the plamtiff's carelessneee, and 

that the oempany had been guilty of no negligence. The jury returned 

a. verdict for the defendants. 

As regards north-eastern topics, we may note that the iron screw 

steamer Azoff, built by Messrs. A. Leslie and Co, of Hebburn, and 

which sailed from the Tyne on the l 9tb ult, with a cargo of 2000 

tonf for Odessa, has arrived out after an excellent passage, having 

made the rWl in 20 doys ] 9 hours. 

The engines of the Azoff were 

supplied by Messrs. J. Peun and Son, Greenwich, and the vessel 

is the property of t.1e Russian Steam Navigation and Trading 

Company. 

The hrena.tite iron trade in Cumberlnnd and Lancashire 

is feeling the ecpression prevailing in other localities ; no 

change has occurred il the number of furnaces in blast, but stocks 

are accumulating. 1he · reduction mnde · in wages in the northeastern 

cl1;trict has been generally accepted, the men seeing clearly 

that the position of tte trade is far from good. 

Still stocks of pig 

iron do not accumuhte, the last return as to the total in the war 

rant stores showing an ag~gate of GO,Ol9 tons. 

A contract for 

the ironwork of a nev pier at Salt burn is to be prooeeded with in 

J anuary. 

The iron York fJr the pier, which 'Will be !,500ft. long, 

will be supplied b) 1\[csu-s. Cochrane, Grove, and Co., of the 

Ormesby Ironworks. The price agreed upon for tbo cn~ tings 

removes 

, any doubts m to vbetber tbe pier can be erected for the 

snms named by the engi1oer, the rat& per ton being considerably 

lower than he hld caculnted t hat it would be. 

A testimonial, which took th..- form of a handsome silver epa·nne 

of approptiat& design, value £300, has just been presented to Mr. 

George F isher, C. E., for mnny years general manage1 of t he Tafl' 

Vale Railway. 

It bore the following inscription :-''Presented by 

tbo directors, officers, aud servants of the 1'aff Vale Rnilway Company, 

Cardiff, to George Fisher, Esq., O.E., in token of their respect 

and esteem, on his retirement from the office of general 

SU}Jerintendont of that undertaking, on the 1st January, 1867, after 

.o. pl·dod of twenty years' sen;cc." Mr. Busholl, tho managing 

director of the company, in presenting the testimonial referred to 

the able manner in which lift. Fisher bnd fulfilled the duties of his 

responsible office. 

1\[r. Fisher, in reply, thanked the donors for 

their kind expressions of regard, and stated that the success which 

bad attended hill management was duo in no small measure to the 

cordial cO-O})eration of the whole of the officers and servants of the 

company. 

lllr. Fisbe1· still continues to occupy the position of 

engineer to the lino. 

SCOTLAND : ITS TRADE AND OPERATIONS. 

(From ou1· cnon C&n·upondent.) 

Tm: GLASGOW PIG IRoN lllABKET-1\LwoFACTORED JnoN-TBE 

COAL TRADK- 

GLASGOW AND SooTB-WE TERN RAILWAY TRAFPIC 

FOR W&EK ENDING 21ST DEOJ!M'BER, 1867.-Sun> P oROHASE 

PnESENTATION TO A CLYDE SBIPllASTKR - P ROBABLE STBIK& IN 

GLASGOW. 

Ptc iron is again lower than this day week, the market remained 

firm up till Thursday at 53s. cash, but has since been flat with 

considerable desire to selL 

To-day, W ed11esday, 52s. 3d. cash, and 

52s. Gd. one mouth, has been accepted fornbout5000 tons. The ship· 

ments of this week are unusually low, and greatly under those of 

the corresponding week of last year. 

The manufactured hon market is quiet without much change in 

prices. 

Merchant iron not so much inquired for, but anglE: Slu.ffidd: Soulh York81tirc. 

AN increased nmount of activity ba.s b2en observable in the shipping 

trade of the port of Liverpool, which arpears to have presented 

of late some depression. 

In ordinary times the number of 

labourers Md porters employed at the docks averag~s frqm 12 000 

to J5,000, but during the last few weeks this total has fallen~ as 

low a point ns 5000. 

During the week ending D ecember 21 the 

average number of men employed daily was 8257, sho,ving an increase 

of 1025 as compared with the previous week. 

The Liverpool Assizes were occupied on Friday with 1a case Fox 

11. hl'Iver nnd others. The plaintiff is one of the partners of the 

firm of l\Iessrs. Oeorge Grey and Co., wire manufacturers, Sheffield 

and the defendants are the Cunard Company. The action w~ 

brought to rPcover compensation for personal injuries sustained on 

board the defendants' steamer Scotia, and tb~damages were laid at 

£7000. In August the plaintiff was a pa.ssenger on board the 

Scotio. on the outward voyage to Now York. 

R e was not well 

acquainted with the intricate nrrangements of steamers, and as 

the Scotia. is built almost exclusively for the conveyance of 

passengers, and has many passages leading to the berths and 

saloons, tbo plaintiff was much confused as to the turns ho 

should makt>. 

TbE:re arc many placet to which passengt>rs 

arc not cX)Jected and have no ngbt to go; and on the 

25th of · Augu~t, in attempting to got to his berth, the 

plaintiff took a wrong turn down a passage which w:w~ 

not well 

lighted and stumbled and fell down an opening. 

He sustained n 

very serious injury to the knee, and he was for a. long timet and 

atill ia, under medical treatment. The olaim of £7000 wu maae up 

At present we believe -he ironworkers emt•loyod at the Atlas 

and Cyclops 'Vorks have come to no definite arrangement with 

respect to a reduction of .Vt14:es, of which they had recei ved notice. 

Trade is considered, upn the whole, to be improving at Sheffield. 

There is a good cea1 doing in most de11crtptions of railway 

materid, and especially a steel rails. 

The iron trade of tb South Yorkshire district iR in a quiet 

state. A reduction of 11 per cent. in wages, of which notice has 

been given at Milton ad Elsecar, has come into operation, and, in 

the present state of tb iron trade, it is not expected that any 

opposition will be m&e to it. 1'here is rather a better demand 

for Bes~emer steel, ~echlly 

for rails and tires. The railway 

deliveries of coal frol)):)Outb Yorkshire show a large i.Qcrea.se this 

year, and next year thy premise to be fu1·ther increased by t he 

opening out of new ollieries in Yot·ksbire and Der byshire. 

As 

regards engine fuel, 

moderate business is being done in Lancashire 

by the hlancester, Sheffield, and Liucolnsltire Railways, 

and also to Goole, fo1shipment to Lynn, Wisbeacb, Boston, &c. 

. 

PRICEI CURRENT OF METALS. 

1867. 1868. 

COPPBB-Br1tiab cake&nd tile, £ •• d. £ '· cl. £ I . d. £ '· d. 

per ton ·-- ·t••··- 76 0 o •• 77 0 0 80 10 o • • 8 1 0 0 

Beat actected. •••••• ••••• •• •• 77 0 o • • 7g 0 0 82 0 o • • 84 0 0 

Sheet •••• •• •• •••••• • •• • • •• 711 0 o •• so 0 0 8~ 0 o .• 116 0 0 

Bottoms •••• •••••••• ••••• •• S4 0 o .. 0 0 0 90 0 o •• 91 0 0 

Au.straU_au, per too ••••••• •• 79 0 o .. 82 0 0 82 0 o .. 8~ 0 0 

8p&nl.ab Cake • •• •••••••••• 70 0 o .• 0 0 0 76 0 o .• 0 0 0 

ChiU Slab. • • ~ • •• # ..... .... 68 0 0 • • 69 10 0 76 l l 0 •• iG 0 0 

Do. reOnod Ingot •.••• •••. 0 0 o .. 0 0 0 0 0 o •• 0 0 n 

YELLOW M.&TA.L, por ~ . •• .... 0 0 6! 0 0 1 0 0 7 0 O?l 

I B.ON, Pig ID 8eottandtOD. , •• . · 2 12 6 ..asb. 2 14 9 caeb. 

Bar, Wobb 1 1D Lot.n .... •• 6 10 o .. 6 15 0 6 15 o .. - s 0 

I 

w •........ ~ 10 o .• 0 0 0 5 16 0 • • G 0 0 

S~rdahire .• 7 7 G .. 1 10 0 8 6 0 .. 8 7 6 

RaJl, lD w aJ es •• ..,. • • • • • • • • • 6 16 o .. 0 0 0 ~ 12 6 • • (j 0 u 

Sboel.l, alngle IJl IfDdon .... 9 ~ o •• 9 10 0 10 10 o • • 11 0 0 

Hoops, G.nt qual.lf •••• ••• ••• 8 6 o .. 

" 10 0 9 10 o • • 0 0 0 

N a1.lrod.s • • • •••• ·• • • • • • • • • • • 7 7 6 •• 7 11) n lj 6 o • • lj 7 fi 

Swedlab . .... .,. .......... 10 6 o .• l cl 10 0 10 6 o .. 10 10 (I 

L EAD, P ig, For41igl!Pe!r ton • , . , Ill 10 o .• IS I~ 0 19 10 o .. Ill I!> 0 

EngUsb, w. a .. , ........... ~ · u o .. 21 I) 0 22 10 o .. 211 15 0 

Other braucta o # 0 o • • • • o • • • • 19 0 o •• 19 6 0 !10 ~ o .. ~0 10 0 

Shcot, milled •• • •••• • ••••• :.!0 10 o •• 0 0 0 :ll 0 o •• 21 6 u 

Shot • .po.tent ••••••••••••••• 28 0 0 •• '() 0 0 24 0 o •• 0 0 0 

BOO or mln.Ju.m. • • • • • • • • • • • • 

21 0 o •• 0 0 0 l2 0 o .. 0 0 0 

White, dry • • •••••• • •••••• •• 27 10 0 •• ~8 0 0 31 0 o • • 31 10 0 

ground in OIJ• • • • • • • • • • • •• 

~~~ 0 o • • 2!1 0 0 30 0 o • • 32 0 0 

Llt.h BTfe, W.& •• ••••••• • • •• ~ · 

10 o •• 0 0 0 :u 16 o • • 26 0 0 

Q OJOKSILVBR, p( bot . •• , , •• .• b 17 o .. 0 0 0 6 17 6 •• 7 0 0 

SPBLTBLI, SUeat•, per LOD., . ... ~0 0 o •• 0 0 0 22 0 o .. 22 6 0 

Eu,gUab sheet • ••••• •••• •••• .:Cl 5 o •• 0 0 0 211 0 o • • 0 0 0 

W hJte ztno, pWdcr • •••• • • • •• 0 0 o •• 0 0 0 0 0 o .. 0 0 0 

STEEL. Swodl•lfli&'Ot ....... . 0 0 o •• 0 0 I I !I 0 o •• 0 0 0 

KOS". •. • •• • •• •••• • • • • • • • ••• 15 6 o •• 15 10 0 0 (I o .. 11 0 0 

TLN, Baoca, pt ton .•••••••••• 4 12 o •• 0 0 I) • 6 o • • 0 ~ 0 

Btralta, Qno-. .. 11 10 12 10 

IJ 0 0 0 Ard>a"ici,Jollow . 11 10 Ill 0 

l5 10 0 0 IlL Pcltnb"'l! 701 .. ) Oo 10 11 (I 

3 10 4 w l'lcUaod .... ..... 7 1) Ill~ 

17 0 u 10 

12 0 N V 

I~ 0 13 0 

10 10 11 1q 

8 0 !) 10 

0 0 11 u 

ll 0 10 10 

8 0 8 10 

11 0 u 0 

9 0 10 10 

0 0 0 0 Mom 10 s ... , ... p•r '"'u"-'"lll. 

e 10 7 10 I Qll•btc pipo ...... 10 o eo 

pw>Cb .. D lJ) 0 20 

13 IO 21 I ~ lloJUo crowu } UO (I 180 

lJj 0 16 u pip> ...... 

0 88 ,. should be provided wtth 

10ientific inrtruments for measurins the quantity and quohty of 

the air passing through the t

1867 December 27th

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