ENGINEERING,

A UGUST

11, 1893.

THE

KOSHESHAH

BA

SI~

S CAPE,

MIDDLE

EGYPT.

CRN, C.M.G. , ENGINEER.

LIEUT. COLONEL J. H.

(F(n Descrip4 JI ~ Page 163.)

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AuG.

t63

E N G I N E E R I N G.

r, 1 893.]

THE H..OSHESHAH ESCAPE, MIDDLE

EGYPT.
I T was a hap py circumst ance, b ot,h for this
country and for E gypt, t ha t we had a train ed
staff of ir rigation engineers in India t hat could
be drawn upon when we undertook to g uide the
political a nd economic fort unes of the country
watered by the Nile. In th ~ confusion of cou tradictory eviden ce as to whether we h a ve or have
not greatly benefited E gypt by th e r eforms we
have instituted and th e changes we have effected,
o~e p oin.t comes out clearly- the work of the irrigatlOn engmeers has don e n othing b ut good, and they
enjoy the goodwill of the people. They have

of the money was wasted. The perennial system of

irr igation was, h owever, ret ain ed, and other crops
were int roduced. The esta tes lay on the west
bank of the N ile, commen cing at 1\falla wi, about
177 miles south of Cairo, and extending n orthwards nearly t o Aahmen t , a distan ce of 117 miles.
Their wid t h varied from on o. quarter t o more than
half of thA-t of the cultivable track b etween the
Nile and the desert, so that they cover ed a very
considerable proportion of Middle E gypt. As they
had t o be watered n ot only when t he N ile was in
flood, but also when it was low, a canal was made,
branching from the ri ver at Assiout, 51 miles south
of the most south erly p oint of the estate, c:\nd
with a flatter gradient than the ri ver , so that it

' I

_,

'

FJO. 10.

substituted scientific met hods for the antiquated

proceedings of the native engineers ; they have t ak en
the direction of affairs out of the han ds of numerous
native officials who wer e often venal, and always
given more t o discussion Lhan work ; a nd they have
done at least two great pieces of con structive work .
These are the streng thening of the barrage,
whereby full use is n ow made of the summer f1 ow of
the Nile, and the Kosheshah basin escap e in U pper
Egypt. This latter was rendered necessary by th e
action of Ismail Pasha in converting the system of
irrigation on his private (Daira) esta tes from t he
ancient basin plan t o the m odern one of p erennial
flow. This was d one with the primary object of
creating great sugar plantation s, and immense
sums were lavished on the erection of factories and
the purchase of machinery for stocking them. The
climate of Egypt proved, however, to be not well
suited for the growth of the sugar cane, and much

event ually rose high enough above the surface of

the country t o enable its waters t o be distributed.
This is called the Canal Ibrahimiyah , and has a
length of 168 miles.
B efore the creat ion of this canal t he whole of
Middle E gypt had b een principally under basin
irrigation. That is, it was divided by wide and
comparatively high banks into areas varyin g from
12 to 78 square miles, and these areas could
be flooded during t he time of high Nile, the inlet
and outlet of wa ter b eing fairly under control. All
t he important basir.s had independent conn ections
with the Nile, and these were con t rolled by regu lators or by earth dams. The flood waters all
red with silt, were admitted in the second or third
week of August, and were impounded until the
fertilising matter was deposited and the river had
fallen sufficiently low to enable them to be run off.
The cutting off from this system of irrigation of a

long strip of country varying from two t o six miles

in wid th along the Nile, a nd its devotion t o uses
which precluded it from being flooded at high Nile,
q uite altered the conditions for the land between
it and the d esert. After 1873 it was no longer
possible to admit water directly from the river t o
the principal basins, a nd in place of this water had
to b e passed from basins, get ting poorer and poorer
as it proceeded, until, t owards the end of the course,
it was quite d est itute of silt, and the land obtained
no enrichment whatever. Thus a large number of
cultivators were r obbed of their immemorial rights
in order that the Khedive might obtain an increased
r eturn from his estates.
The arrangement of the basins is shown on. the
map* (Fig. 1, on page 167). To the left is seen
the Jbrahimiyah Canal branching from the Nile,
and forming the n orth-east b oundary of several
basins or hods. A t Mella wi it attains such a height
that the summer water level is at the surface of
the country, and the " ~;efi " tract--that is, the
p er enniallyirrigateddistrict--begins. This is shown
hatched in the map, and is protected from the
annual flood on the east by the left raised bank of
the Nile, and on the west by the bank called
"Muhit, " which also bounds the basins. The
whole length of the "sefi " tract is watered by the
Ibrahimiyah Canal.
After the construction of the canal, the basins to
the west and south-west of it had t o be filled fr01n
various sources. At Derut (see map, and also Fig. 2,
page 166) ther e were important works by which
t he wat er arriving by the canal could be directed
into the Canal D erutiyah, the Bahr Yusuf (Canal
of J oseph), t h e Canal Saheliyah, the D algawi head,
besides into the continuation of the canal itself,
and through an escape t o the N ile. There were
also three small h eads opening from the canal to
the basins b etween D erut and Assiout. These
sources were n ot s ufficient alone, and were supplemented by water from the basins t o the south of
Assiout, b ut which had already deposited all its
suspended matter.
In this way the Assiout
basins- that is, those included between Assiout and
D algawi, of which the most northerly is Hod el
Ashmunin - were filled in a fairly satisfactory
manner. The filling of the remainder was commenced from t h e Bahr Yusuf, which, however,
from its level can only command the lower portions
of th e basins. T o fill the higher p ort ions, the wa ter
'vas discharged from the upper basins into the
Bahr Y usuf, and raised its level t o the r equired
a mount, but it was clear, or blue, water, and the
high er portions of the basins grew less and lees
productive for want of the fertilising Nile deposit.
The levels of t h e basins and of the Bahr Yusuf are
shown in Fig. 3, page 167. The horizontal full line
in each basin shows the inundation level, and the
dot and dash line (- - - - -) the approximate level
of t he country. The thin inclined line shows the
ordinary full discharge of the Bahr Yusuf. This is
high enough t o fill all the basins from the left hand
of the diagram up to H od Tahnashawi. When the
upper basins are discharged into the Bahr Yusuf
they raise its level to the dotted line, and when the
discharge is a b out complete the water surface rises to
the t hick full inclined line. Much of the water is
passed on from basin t o basin through bridges in
the cross embankments, or through cuts made for
the purpose. When the Bahr Yusuf is at its
m ax~um lev~l, due to ~he basi~ dis?harge, the
B en1 S uef bas1ns cannot d1scharge 1nto 1t, so their
discharge must b e from basin t o basin .
Before the commencement of English control of
the irrigation in 1884, two efforts had been made t o
improve matters, but neither had been carried to
completion . A syphon and a canal h ad been built
towards the north end of this chain of basins. A
feeder had also been branched off the Ibrahimiyah
Canal, with a masonry head built in the channel of
the old Sabakhah Canal, which used to feed the basin
Ashmunin from the Nile. The first of these was
got to work at once by the irrtgation officers and
the second in two years' time. Since the~ the
following red-water feeders have been constructed:
~

We. are indebted for the engravings accompanying

th1s .art1cl~ to t~e courteay of the Council of the ROyal
Engmeers Inst1tute, Cha.tham. They form illustratione
to a. paper read be~ore that Institute by Major R. B.
Bro~n R.E., th~ t1tle of the paper being "Koshesbah
Bas~n E scape, M1ddle EgyJ?t, a~d the Basins between
Ass1out and K oshesbah wh1ch d1scharge their content!
through it." We have drawn most of our facts from thia
paper.

 N G I N E E R I N G.
( I) From D erutiyah Canal-Kolobba h eadbasin .Ashmunin.
(2). From Nile-Abu Baqurah- basin Garnusi.
(3). From Nile- Sultani Uanal-b~.~=. il Sultani.
(4). From Ibrahimiyah Ca.nal-Kolussi Canalbasin Nuerah.
(5). From Nile - Salim Pa.cha Canal - basin

[AUG. 11, 1893.

fixed by Colonel Western, from whose report we members meeting again in the Town Ball on the
extract the following :
following day, Wednesday, the 2nd inst., Dr. .Ander" '\Ve may assume that the basin escape will be opened son called on Mr. Aspinall, of H orwich, to ren ew
o~ October 22, or 19 days before November 10, the date the discussion.
laid down for the completion of the disc:harge. . . . .
Mr. Aspinall stated that he was surprised to hear
The beads at the time of opening will vary from .30
t? 4. 50 metres, and with those beads, less the rise of the what Mr. 'Vindsor Richards bad said in regard to
n ver eonsequen t on the discharge, the escape must be mild steel, especially in regard to the matter of
B~habsbin.
designed to pa!:is 100 to 150 cubic metres per day. . . . . case-hardening : he (Mr. Aspinall) had found
(6 ). From Nile - Magnunal Cc:~.nal and two Minimum spring level at site of work may be taken as at that mild s teel- and certainly basic steel- l\ould
branches- !Cosh eshah.
R . L. 19, and foundation line must be below this, or, say, case-harden exceedingly well. He had used steel
(7). From Nile-ope ning in Kosheshah bank at R. L. 18.5; flow line may then be placed at 20.5 or largely at the locomotive works at Borwich, and
above. Assuming this level of 20. 5, basin level at 26. 7,
and Nasri bridge- basin Kosheshah.
and river at its minimum 22.20, it will be manifestly had introduced basic steel for bvilers, and also for
Two other canals are projected to basins Deri in jud iciou~ to allow, on first opening, the fuJl depth for crank axles. So far it had given sat~faction, ar.d had
and El Qurn. The feeders 2, 3, and 5 pass under discharge of 26.7 - 20.5 = 6. 2 metres, in to a backwater of been used on locomoLives for a con sid erable mileage.
only 22.2- 20 5 + 1 (rise of river)= 2.7 metres. The Mr. Windsor Richards had aid that if a. piece of
the Ibrahimiyah Canal by syphons.
The average daily inflow into the Assiout- depth of opening must be divided into two, the first or steel were nicked it would break easily, and the
l{osheshah basins during the fifty days the basins upper series to be opened to discharge the volumes speaker would give an instance bearing on this
demanded of 100 and 150 millions, and the lower series to
are filling (from August 10 to September 29) is now be held as a reserve, and opened only to maintain the dis- p oint. It would be remembered that some time
56 million cubic metres, of which 6 millions are charges as the hea-d decreases, or water surfaces in basin ago t h e price of copper went up very much, and
diverted into the Fayum, and do not r eturn to the and river fall. The lower sluices will also be available he had to cast about to find a substitute for the
Nile. Part is disposed of by evaporation, and for filling the Kosheshah basin during the rise of the very costly material. At that time Mr . .Aspinall
river, the volume to be passed in being estimated at 400
part is left in hollows, but some 2000 million cubic million
cubic metres. From variou~ trial calculations the had brought before him some basic Hteel, which
metres are left to be discharged from the Kosheshah upper sluice gate has been fixed at 3 metres in dep h, or showed on test great elongation and reduction of
basin into the Nile, at a rate which may \'ary from from R. L. 26.7 to R . L. 23.7."
area. It seemed so good that he thought it would
100 to 150 millions per 24 hours, according to the
The escape (Figs. 5 to 9, on our two-page plate) be all right for firebox stays, but unfortunately it
exigencies of the crops, a low Nile requiring a more was built with 60 bays of 3 metres opening. Each had turned out badly, so that those steel stays had
rapid discharge than a high one. All the water opening has an upper and a lower sluice (Fig. 10, to be taken out and copper ones substituted.
finds its way into the Kosheshah basin, and about page 163), divided by a masonry sill. There is a Turning to another part of the paper, Mr. Aspinall
the midd.le of October this commences to rise door for each sluice, or two to each bay. The lower said, in regard to the comparison of the blast
rapidly until the discharge is commenced about the door slides in grooves; it weighs 1. 75 tons, and ca.n furnace with grain storage bins, that in a case at
20th. This was formerly effected by cutting the be raised 75 cent . (27! in.) without obstructing the Fleetwood which had come within his experience,
b1nk with a considerable amount of ceremony, and water-way of the upper gate. The upper door turns where the bins belonging to the Lancashire and
was r egarded as an important event, as the conse- on pivots, and, when released, falls into a horizontal Yorkshire R ailway Company were 10 ft. by 10 ft.,
quent rise of the river is required to raise the water position. It is usually held by hooks taking into eye- they had t he greatest difficulty in getting the
level in Lower Egypt high enough to reach the bolts built into the masonry. When made ready for grain out as it was required. In unloading the
more elevated land. Fig. 4, page 166, shows the release, the strain is taken by chains (Fig. 11, page ship t he good grain came out first, and, conseeff~ct at the barrage of the discharge of the basin. 166) secured by a clip link, and thehooksarereleased. quently, that went to the bottom of the bin,
In 1884 the usual course was followed, but in It is the work of only a few moments to knock off' the lighter chaffy matter coming last and being at
1835 the river burst through the bank into the t he link and let the door go. On the opening of the top. When, therefore, it was attempted to
hasin at the b eginning of August, at a time when the escape on October 17, 1891, all the sixty upper sample the grain by taking some from the bottom,
the provin ce was in the temporary charge of an gates were re1eased within a period of twenty a fair average was not obtained. This proved a
English officer who had lately joined the depart- minutes, and the operation could have been effected very serious difficulty until one of his staff suglnsnt, and while the inspector was away on leave. in half t he time, if it had not been prolonged to gested that vertical pipes should be run down ecah
There was no record of the bank having ever been enable the distinguished company prsent to shift bin, having square openings cut in it at intervals
accidentally breached b efore, and the nati\e their positions. The plan foll owed is to close the of about 6 ft. or 8 ft. By the use of this device they
authorities regarded it as of the highest importance upper openings and fix the gates before the river were able to get grain from different strata throughthat it should not be cut until the accustomed commences to rise. The lower gates are raised to out the bin, and that this was the fact had been
period. They urged its being closed at all costs, give an unobstructed passage for the inlet of river shown by experimenting with coloured grains conbut the engineer, after calculating the consequences water until the basin and the river come permanently tained in a model bin. Mr. Aspinal1, as bearing
of leaving it open, lined the sides and bottom with to one level. The bottom sluice gates are then closed, on the manner in which t he loose contents of a
dry rubble, and, having collected a considerable and the water rises in the basin. If the basin bin were supported by the sides, also instanced
amount of stone for use if required, let the waters should attain its required level before the proper the case in which sand was put in a glass tube, the
take their course. The waters in the basin rose date for discharge and be still filling, the lower end of which was closed by tissue paper, it being
successfully to the required level in spite of the gates are raised a little to enable the surplus to found that the paper would stand, however great
discharge into the Nile through the Lreach, and it flow off. When the time for a general discharge the h eight of tube ; also that a loose plug might
was not until the full inundation level was reached has come, all the upper gates are let go, under the rest on the top end of the sand, and a b!acksmith
that the sides of the cut gave way. Major Brown normal condition of affairs, and a. day or two later hammer on the plug, without bursting the paper.
Sir Lowthian Bell wished to add a few words on
tells us that the beneficial effect of the direct entry the lower sluices are fully raised to assist the
the eubject. Although Mr. A.spinall's experiments
of the Nile water through the breach to lands de- discharge.
prived of red water for, perhaps, fifteen years, was
In conclusion, we may add that Major Brown, appeared to confirm what Mr. Cocbrane had Eaid,
so marked that in 1886 the landowners petitioned the Director of Irrigation for the province, has in- Sir Lowthia.n dissented, if the r esults were to be
Government to leave the breach open, and repeat formed us that the deBign and execution of the applied fully to wbat took place in the blast furnace.
the act they had denounced the previous year as Kosheshah Escape were the work of the following: The laws as to t he composition and resolution of
folly. The breach was narrowed to 40 metres at Lieutenant-Colonel J. H. W cstern, C. M. G., made forces had to be carefully used, or they would not
He might, he
base, with a floor built in dry rubble and cheeks the general design, and was assisted in the design- always apply in blast furnaces.
similarly revetted at one t o one. The plan was ing and drawing of the ironwork and winches by said, direct attention t o a few facts bearing
successful, but for a few days b 3fore the basin Mr. A. G. Reid, C.M. G., M. Inst. C.E., of the Pun- upon the points. In coke bunkers they had a
ro3e to its full level a day and night struggle jaub Irrigation Service, who completed the designs parallelogram in section, with sides sloping towas carried on with ston es and sacks filled with and estimates when Colonel Weetern left Egypt. wards each other to the bottom, where there
earth to prevent the opening from widening out Mr. W. Marshall Hewatt, A.M.I.C.E., was resi- was a discharging opening of relatively small
too soon. The flow through the opening dug dent engin eer in charge of the work from beginning size. There was, however, no difficulty in getting
out a hole 27 metres below water surface, or to end. He was assisted by Mr. Mason in the out the coke. In the case, too, where the iron1 metre below mean sea level, the country sur erection of t he gates and sluices. The contractors stone was taken into the charging wagons, the disface at Kosheshah being about R.L. 24.00. In for the masonry were Messrs. Zuro and Patouna., a charge opened downwards and was closed by a
1887 the same arrangement was repeated, but, Greek firm, with whom was associated M. Garozzo, conical valve, and when this valve was opened the
in 1888, to avoid the risks encountered in 1886, who was practically their manager. The gates and ironstone ran out without difficulty. It would be
the fl oor of the cu ~ was very much raised, and ironwork, with the exception of the winches, were r emembered also that in former times it was usual
as soon as the river and the b1sin became the supplied by Messrs. Alien and Alderson, of Alex- for every blast furnace to be provided with a sma11
same level the breach was closed. This proved andria, and the winches by Messrs. A1lchin and crane, the object of which was to carry a very
heavy shovel which was used for the process called
to be a very fortunate arrangement, as the Nile Co ., of Cairo. The total cost was 62, 619l.
''scaffolding. " This ehovel was inserted into the furwas a low one, and no waste of basin water
nace, and by means of it lumps of material were
could be allowed.
F ortune had wonderfully favoured the irrigation THE INSTITUTION OF MECHANICAL brought out at first cold, but ultimately almost in
a molten condition. It might, moreover, be regarded
ENGINEERS.
officers in r eo-a.rd to this K osheshah breach, but it
IN our last. issue we gave an account of the first as probable that the fused materials in a blast furwas n ot to b; supposed that their luck would always
continue to be so propitious. It was so important day'ssittin~ at the summer meeting of the Institution nace acted as a lubricant and assisted in bringing
that the discharge of the basins should be under of Mechanical Engineers, which was held in Middles- the contents down.
Mr. Jeremiah Head, in replying to the discusfull control that in 1889 it was determined, the brough on the 1st, 2nd, 3rd, and 4th inst., under
financial co~ditions b eing favourable, t o build the the presidency of Dr. Anderson, the President of sion, said that be would first thank the meeting for
masonry escape which forms the subj ect of Major the Institution. It will be remembered that on the the patient way in which his paper had been listened
to. There was, he said, n ot much to answer, as
BrJ wn's paper. In that yea:r, and also in 1890, no first day Mr. Head's paper on
the difi'erent speakers had largely replied to each
breach in the bank was perm1tted, and the entrance
THE CLEVELAND IRON AND STEEL INDU~TRIES
other. It was necessary, however, to say something
of Nile water was restricted to an old four-arch
bridge in the Kosheshah bank. In 1891 the escape had been read, and at the time the meeting had to about the paragraph in which he had referred to the
was used for the fir~t time. Its dimensions were rise the discussion was not completed. On the form of blast furnace introduced by Messrs. How son

AuG.

I I,

1893]

E N G I N E E R I N G.

meeting- t h e remaind er of t h e diecussion on Mr.

vertical
p
osition,
so
that
th
ey
can
be
r
ea.djJy
lifted
and Ua.wdon. Th escgentlomen h ad given him a written
Head's paper having been take n , . as r ec?r?ed
description bu t this he had been obliged to con- out by a crane through d oors at the tops of t he .furabove- was a contribution by Mr. Richard Gr1gg,
dense so that he was responsible for the wording. nacee. By t his crane the ingot s are placed Jn a
of Middlesbr ough, en titled " The 1\iiddlesbrough
t
ipping
cradle,
which
delivers
them
on
t
o
a
train
of
If lw'wever it required correction, h e would be
Salt Industry. '' This was a good paper un a n
by
which
they
are
conveyed
to
the
cogl
ive
rollers,
gl~d to con~ult with those gentlem en and have it
amended for the publication of the proceedings. ging milL The latter is a 36-in. mill driven . by . a inter ef. t ing subject, and we shall publish it in full
.
The discussion had l arg~ly turned on the way iu pair of r eversing engines with cylinders 50 111. 1n shortly.
Mr. \Vindsor Richard s was the first speakEr In
which the ma terials came do wn in a blast furnace, diamete r by 5 ft. strok e, made. by . M essrs. Da,~y
the
discussion
which
followed
.
lie
referred
to
the
Brothers,
of
Sheftield.
From
tlus
m1ll
another
tram
and the speaker thought that the way in which
sand acted in an h our-glass illustrated the matter. of live rollers conveys the ingots to the hot bloom q uestion of Eubsidence, up0n which the author h ad
In order that the sand might fl ow wi th perfect ~ hears, which can cut an ingot of 140 square inches dwelt in his paper. 'This question has very
uniformity, it was n eces~ary that the glass should section, and c1n deal with ingots 11ft. long. After naturally excited a good deal of interest in M iddlesbe a certain shape and that the sand ~hould be being cropped, t he ingots are conYeyed by a narrow- brough, wh ere the inh abitants ha ve t h e example of
perfectly dry. There could be n o doubt that in a gauge locomotive t o tbe.fini~hing mills, of w hit h ~h.ere Cheshire befor e th em. In our description of the
blast furnace there was some viscosity of the are two. Next, while st1ll h ot, the r olled JOists N or th wich district, written in connection with the
materials as th ey approachccl the zone of fusio~. pass to the saws whe re they are cut t o length, and 1884 visit of the Iron a nd Steel Institute to Ch ester,
So long as sand in a sand-glass was p erfectly dry, It t.hen are conveyed t o the h ot bank a nd the nce to we r ecord ed many curious result s due t o the
Mr. Grigg h ad pointed out in
Messrs. D orman , brine pumping.
was n ot in the le1st sticky or viscoue-, and thus it the straightening machines.
could flow regularly ; if pressure were put on t he Long, a nd Co. are rolling a great variety of sections his paper t hat at Middlesbrough the d epth of the
top, it would probably a lter the action altogether. of joists from 18 in . by 7 in. d ownwards, in addition salt bed is much g reat er than in Cheshire, whilst
ln the case of the blast furnace, it appeared t o him to deck beams, &c. Besides the rolling mills they the character of the strata is very different, and it
that any contra.ction t o ena ble the sides t o suppor t have a large depar tment well equipped with t ools did n ot therefor e follow t hat the same results
I t was, th e author had pointed
tho materials must b e applied near th e top when for producing ri veted g;rd er work, stanrhions, would occur.
the materials were in a dry state. 1\iessrs. H owson ~.: .c. Adjoining this department is an other ftr ship out, believed by some that g reat arches would
and Hawdon , recognising this fact., had designed work, where the visitors had an opportunity of form themselves over the funnel sh aped cavities,
a furnace on principles which seemed reason- seeing t h e preparation of deck beams, the latter made in t he rock-salt by the action of pumping, exable and likely t o succeed. More than this, h ow- having t he web split at each end, the lower flan ge tending fr om p oint to p oint of support. A n oth e r
e,er, they were able to come to the meeting being then curvf'd down for the length so split, and opinion was that the int erstices left by broken
and say that the actual work done was in accord- a g usset pla te being welded in. Glut- bars of H masses of fallen rock would eq ual t h e bulk of salt
ance with the results exp ected. Such an arg ument section are placed between the edges of the split removed, and would so support the surface. " On
web and the gusset plate, and the joint being heated the oth er hand, " Mr. G rigg had said , "it is the
as that was very bad to beat.
On the motion of the President a h ear t y vote of in short length s by a pair of gas fires, the weldin g opinion of experien ced p er son s in Cheshire that
is effected by a pair of h ammers-somewhat re- subsidence will ultimately t a ke place ; and to this
thanks was given to Mr. H ead for his paper.
sembling a pair of olivers placed vertically- which resul t the experien ce of mining engineers seems to
ExcuR~Io~s TO I RON \ YoRK "'\VE T Olt
operate simultaneously on the two sides of the j oint. p oin t . All that can be said with certainty is that
1\flDDLE BROGG H.
M essrs. Gj~ rs, Mills, and Co.'s blast furnaces no sign of subsidence has yet sh own itself. " Com\Ve have gi vcn the discussion on Mr. Head's were n ext on the programme. There are four blast menting on these passages, Mr. Windsor Richard s
paper in continuous order, and will n ow r eturn t o furnaces, each 85 ft. high by 25 ft. diameter of said that wh en the question of getting salt in the
t he prvneedings of the first day of the meeting, bosh ; Gjers' pneumatic hoists are used. Of these Cleveland district was first broach ed, t h e N or t hTu esday, the 1st inst. Afte r lunching in the crypt works- to which much interest attaches on acco unt Eastern Railway direct ors were ver y naturally
of the M iddlesbrough Town H all, members pro- of thei r plant embodying so many details introduced anxious about their n e w docks, and especia1ly the
ceeded t o visit works in t h e ironmasters' district by Mr. Gjers, which have become estaLlished gat es. He had accordingly gone t o Nancy, where
west of Middlesbrough, b eing first con veyed by features in Cleveland practice- a very full accoun t they had been getting salt for half-acen tury, to
train to Newport station, where the Newport was given in E NGINEE1UNG some years ago.*
examine into the matter. His inquiries there had
The North-Eastern Steel W orks were also visited. been r eassuring, and amongst oth er things he h ad
blast furnaces of l\1essrs. Samuelson and Co. were
inspected. One of these furnaces is lined on the These importan t work s were built in 1883 for the seen a fi n e cathedral, which had not shown signs of
Hawdon and H owson principle as described by Mr. manufacture of basic B essemer steel, and a descrip- a crack, although the salt, as s tat ed, had bee n
H ead in his paper. A drawing sh~ wing a. section of tion of t hem was published in ENGINEERING in 1884 worked in its n eighbourhood for fifty years .
this furnace was exhibited, and was ex:).mined wi th (vide vol. xxxviii., page 301). On the occasion of There the Ealt was at a depth of 500 ft., whilst in
much inte~est. There are at the N ewport Works the visit with which we are n ow dealing, an in spec- Middles bor ough it was 1000 f t. , and in some places
eigh t blast furnaces, from 84ft. to 85 ft. high , with tion was first made of the n ew plant which h as 1700 ft. d t>ep. Ther e was n ot, therefore, much
bo3hes varying from 20 f !i. to 28ft. in diameter. Three been recently p ut up for the treatment of the pig n eed to trouble about subsiden ce f or many y ears
classes of pig iron are made at these works, n a mely, iron by the Massenez process. One of the Massen ez t o come.
h ema.tite from Spanish or e, Cleveland from local mixers is n ow in use, and a second is in course
Mr. L awrence asked if it was n ot a fact that
oro, and b asic fo r the B essemer-basic process. of erection. E ach mixer consists of a vessel Messrs. B ell Broth ers had used the water works
The slag is disposed of by mean s of the Hawdon mounted on trunnions and r esembling a gigantic water f or running d own into the salt b orings to
slag machine, which deposits it in the f or m of Bessemer converter tipped down n early into its fo~m t h e brine that was pumped back, and whether
shingle, so that it is easily handled, mostly being pouring position. This mixer is capable of h old- this was because the sutface water was not suffitaken out to sea.
About 5000 t on s of slag per ing some 140 t ons of molten iron, and the ciently pure.
metal brought from the blast furnaces in large
week are n ow thus deal t with.
Mr. A . L . Steaven son , of Durham, spoke as to
Messrs. John Hill and Sons, Newport R olling bogie ladles is charged into i t t hrough an opening th e geological formation of the district, and inl\1~ills, were next visit ed .
These are the works in the top at the rear en d . From time to time the stanced a case in which a b oring h ad missed the
started by M essrs. F ox, Head, and Co. in 1864. mixer is t ipped so as to pour t he metal from the salt and had gone d own to th e magnesian limeston e.
H er e iron plates and sheets for ships, bridges, &c. , mouth or front end in to other b ogie ladles, which They then thought they would continue it deeper
are manufactured, and steel plates and sheets are convey it into the converter house. The process and t~y for coal! but at 201)0 ft. they came upon
rolled from blooms supplied by local steelmakers. is thus a continuous one, the mixer constantly t he millstone grit, and h e came t o the conclusion
The output of the works is stated t o be 800 t on s of receiving metal from the b last f urnaces, and de- that they had no r eason t o expect t hat there was
iron an d steel plates p er week. Me5srs. D orma.n livering it t o the steel works. In thus passing coal under M iddlesbrou gh. R egarding th e question
and Co.'s Galvanising and Corrugating W orks were through t h e mixer the m etal is d esulphurised and of subsidence, while the cavities f ormed were full
the n ext on the list. They are the only works of rendered h omogen eous. Th e mixer is n ot h eated of water there was n o r eason to fear th ey would fall
their kind in t h e Cleveland district. The output is in any way. We regret t hat the space at our dis- in. F or that reason h e would r ecommend that the
about 200 t ons of galvanised and corrugated sheets po~al will n ot allow us to d eal fully with th e N orth- b oreh oles sh ould he p lugged with cement to keep
p er week. The works also produce puddled bars, Eastern Steel Works, but we must content ourselves the water in. H e added that in Durham they had
wedge and packing iron, and black sh eets.
with r eferrin g to our former n otice.
subsidences produced by the r emoval of coal
The n ext works visited were those of Messrs.
Next came the Acklam Iron W orks, built in 1865 although this was mined at a greater d epth t han that
Dorm ~ n, L ong, and Co. This firm h ave two estab- and having four blast furnaces 70ft. high. The Lin ~ at which the salt was found in the Middlesbrou oh
li ~hments adjoining each other- namely, tho West t horpe blast furnaces wer e also visited. They were district.
b
lVIarsh Iron "'\V orks, producing about 600 tons er ected in 1864 for M essrs. H opkins, G1lkes, and
Sir Freder ick Bram well asked for explanation s as
weekly of iron angles and bars, and the Brit=1nnia Co. by Mr. J ohn Gjers, and afterward s passed into to the arrangement of t h e t ools used in boring. He
Steel Works, h aving an output of about 1500 t ons the hands of the late Mr. Edward "\Villiams. There was not sure whether the whole string of tools deof steel tees, angleS!, bars, and j oists per week. At are six furnaces 78! ft. high. The Gjers pneumatic scribed was in the boreh ole a t once. It seemed
the former works the forge contains twenty pud- h oist is also used here, and the p ig beds ar e worked if it were so, that anything happening t o the chisei
dling furnaces, a 4-ton steam hammer, and a 20-in. by rope-driven travelling cranes, whilst slag is dealt
would create a difficulty, and h ow would the other
forge t rain ; while t he r olling department has with by a Truran and Hawdon machine. The last tools come t o h elp ? The author h ad said that n oteleven heating furnaces and a 16-in. and a 10-in. works on the list was the T ees-side Iron a nd Engin e
w it htstanding the fact that en dless efforts had' beon
mill. At the Britannia Steel "'\Vorks the plan t is a "\Vork s. These works were establish ed in 1857 and
made to improve the method of evaporation, and
very fine on e. In the melting d epartment a.ro ten in 1865, by an am~lga.mation, became H opkins
that a large number of plans h ad b een devised for
acid-linedopen-hearthfurnaces, five of them being of Gilkes, and Co. There are four blast fu rnaces'
the purpose, yet the same open pans, having h eat
40 t ons and five of 30 t ons capacity ; the former 75 f t. high and 24 ft. bosh. Gj ers' hoists and Haw:
passed und er them, are used now for evaporating
are amongst the largest in the Cleveland district. don 's slag-breaking machine are her e used.
the brine as they wer e eigh teen hundred years
The gas producers are of t he I ngham type, and
ago in t h.e time o f t h e R omans; the only d ifthey supply gas to both the open-hearth and t he
MIDDLESBRO UG H SALT I NDUSTRY.
heating and reheating furnaces. The h eating furThe first paper r ead on the second day of the f erence bemg t hat they ar e n ow of iron or steel in
place. of lead, and are very much larger. Com.
na?es are .of the v~rtical ty.pe, t~e 3-ton ingots
See ENGINEERING, vol. xiii., pages 156, 189, 231 296 me ntmg on these facts, Sir Frederick said that it
b emg-as In t he GJers soakmg pits- placed in a and 343.
'
'
was shown in producing salt that the rate of

166
evaporation was only 6 lb. of water per pound of
coal burnt.. lie would raise the question whether
economy. Im~ht not ~e very much increa ed by
Avaporattng 1n succeastve stages. 'Vhat was known
u the ".tripl~ e~et ., in the sugar industry depended
upon th1s pr1nc1ple, a~d very high evaporative results were obta.med 1n this way. 'Vhy should it
not be tried with salt l
1\lr. Cochrane said that the question of subsidence
was one of great importance to the district In
Staffordshire the removal of the 10-yard ~earn
of coal at a depth of 300 to 400 yards made itself
felt at the surface, and, therefore if dealing with
5~ ft . to 60 ft. of alt at 900 ft., 'the same result
mtght be expected to follow . It seemed that one
of two things must occur in time. Either the
ground .would fall slowly and piecemeal, or it
would g1 ve way. su~denly by t!1e breaking in of the
~oof of the cavtty, JUSt as a gtrder would give way
1f overloaded.
~ ir Lowthian Bell said that the giving way of
the surface was a subj ect which had caused much
alarm, and the matter had been discussed by the
Board of the . North.-Eastern Railway. He had,
therefore, advtsed h1s brother directors on the
~oard to send two skilful engineers to the Conttuent. to see what had been the experience abroad.
H~ d1d ,not, however, quite share Mr. Windsor
R1chards confidence, and he was not entirely
free fro~ . apprehension. '!here was not always
that stabthty at Nancy whiCh Mr. Richards had
found to distinguish the cathedral. At Nancy the
salt was mined , and in working, it was usual to
leave pillara in, so that the conditions existina
were dtfferent from those where brine was pumped~
E\en at Nancy, however, the water had percolated
through, and soften ed the shale which underlies
the salt, so that the pillars had sunk down through it.
As a r~sult, le) acres of land went down suddenly, and
the notse caused was so great that it was heard twelve
miles away. 'Vith regard to the evaporative results
and what ir Frederick Bramwell had said about
the evaporation of 6 lb. of water per pound of
coal, he would point out that coal was cheap, whilst
appliances for economi~ing it were dear ; besides
which there were other d.tfficulties in introducing
the system. In reply to the speaker who had asked
about using the company 's water, he would explain
that when they first started pumping it was found
that the surface water contained vegetable matter,
which made it unfit for evaporative purposes.
That, however, had been got rid of, and they could
now use the natural water. It was surprising how
a very small quantity of greasy matter would check
evaporation.
l\Ir. H eenan pointed out by aid of a diagram on
the blackboard that the salt being taken away in
circular holes, the rock would fall so as to form a
d ome-shaped r oof over the cavity, and n ot arches as
described in the paper, and, therefore, the surface
would not be likely to be affected. The case, he
said, was very different to coal.
Mr. D. IIalpin pointed out in regard to the proposed use of the "triple effet" that it would be too
costly to use with salt at lOl. to 12l. per ton.
Mr. Jeremiah Head thought that the subsidence
could never be sudden, a'! the cavity and borehole
would be fully charged with water. Before the surface could fall , water would have to be forced out,
and therefore until fountains were Rpurting np
hundreds of feet in all directions there need be no
fear.
l\lr. Pattison said that in Sardinia vast quantities of alt were made by evaporation of sea water
by the s un, so that no coal at all was used. 'Vhy
should that n ot be followed hero, in place of pumping and evaporating in pans l
1\lr. E. B. :rt-Iarten gave an instance of a brick
reservoir, for which he is responsible, and which
sank down every year, the subsidence being caused
hy salt workings some miles away. He also mentioned a town (Droitwich) in which a large area
had subsided, so that gas and water pipes were disarranged. 'Vith regard to the boring plant used in
sinking for salt, Mr. Iarten asked whether the
r ods were lowered by the crank arrangen1ent described in the paper, or whether they were allowed
a free fall.
1\lr. 'Vindsor Richards said that there was one
correction he would like to make. The author had
stated that "the knowledge of the existence of the
1\liddlcsbrough salt bed .came !Lbout by mel\~S of
operations undertnken w1th qmte another obJect.
In 1 39-62 lea rs. Bolckow, Yaughan, and Co.,
having b ored to a depth of 1200 ft. on the south

E N G I N E E R I N G.

[AUG.

I I' I

893

THE KOSHESHAH BASIN ESCAPE : niiDDLE EGYPT.

LIEUT. -COLO EL \YE TERN,

C.M. ~.,

ENGINEER.

(For De3cription, s e Paye 163.)

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bank of the Tees in search of water, discovered a

bed of r ock salt 100 ft. thick." Mr. Richard
would state that salt was discovered by the late
John Vaughan when boring for coal. He did not
like, however, to say he was sinking for coal for
fear of being laughed at, and, therefore, said he
was trying for water.
Sir Lowthian Bell said he had known ~Ir. John
Vaughan intimately, and had constantly been consulted by him, especially on this particular matter.
Sir Lowthian had told him it was useless boring for
water, which would be bad if got ; but he, the
speaker, thought he might reach salt.
o it had
turned out; but he had never heard a word about
coal.
Mr. Windsor Richards said the then leading
engineer to Messrs. Bolckow, Va.ughan, and Co.
(the late Mr. Godfrey) was his authority, and had
repeated the tale many times.
?tfr. Grigg, in replying to the discussion, said
that in regard to Mr. Steavenson's proposal to
seal the boreholes so as to prevent escape of
water from the cavities, the difficulty would arise
that the wells were connected and were in work.
As they could not tell when , ubsidence would
occur, it would not be possible to take this precaution. In regard to ir Frederick Bramwell's remarks, the speaker feared he had sacrificed clearness to brevity, and he regretted his explanation
of the manner of working the tools wu not more

explicit.
H e had, however, stated that the
"chisel, " "stem, " "jars, " ''sinker bar, " and
" rope socket" comprised "a string of tools,''
altogether about 60 ft. long. They were connected
by taper screw joints. The jars were a pair of
links having a vertical play of 9 in., so that the
tools might be released if jammed. This was
effected by a number of rapid upward blows being
given, the play in the links allowing of a sudden
jar or blow, and in this way great power could be
brought to bear to loosen the tools. He should
have said that the "string of tools " formed one
tool when screwed together. The movement was a
rapid up-and. down motion, the crank of the engine
having a stroke of 2ft . gave a motion of 4 ft. to
the tools, so that each revolution of the crank
produced one blow of the tool. ~fr. Grigg had
purposely avoided r eference to uch a debatable
question as the influence of the elasticity of the
rope on the blow of the tool, as it would lead
to points which would tako too long to discuss.
The result, however, was that the tools were practically fa.lling freely, and were not controlled by
crank at the moment of the blow being struck,
and the rock was pounded sufficiently fine to be
brough t up by the sand pump. With regard to
the various modes of e,aporation, as he had stated,
thousands upon thou ands of pounds had been
spent upon all imaginable 'Chemes, and among the
rest the process of evaporation under vacuum had
been tried. A patent had been taken out, and a
company had been duly formed. The plant was
erected, and the vacuum obtained. But after
working a very short time the salt stuck to the
sides of the apparatus, so that evaporation was
stopped, as, indeed, any salt-maker would have
predicted had he been asked. The company persevered for a week, after which the system was a ban
doned. Eventually, however, the time will no
doubt again come r ound for another in ventor to
take out another patent and another company to be
formed. In America the aame idea had been put

THE KOSHESHAH

BASIN ESCAPE: MIDDLE EGYPT.

LIEUT. -COLONEL WESTERN, C.M.G., ENGINEER.

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forward with somewhat greater probability of

success, but ultimately it was found necessary to go
back to the .Roman plan. In regard to subsidence,
Mr. Grigg said he had been careful to use guarded
language. He had referred to the mishaps in
Cheshire, and had stated that it was the opinion of
experienced persons that subsidence will ultimately
take place in the Middlesbrough district. On the
other hand, he had put forward, as a theory, the
argument advanced by those who thought that t he
surface of t he ground would not be affected . He
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board the shape that it was supposed the cavities

would take under the influence of pumping. The
borehole was s unk well down in the strata of salt,
and the cavity formed by the solution of t he salt
would first be in the neighbourhood of the pipe.
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seen in vertical section, would become curved, with
the convex side towards the borehole, so that a
funnel-shaped or trumpet-mouth hole would be
formed. When the water descended it would
gradually become saturated, and the more nearly
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the rate at which it would dissolve the salt. The
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BA SIH~

of the salt would tend to spread chiefly under theory would appear, like the dome itself, to r est
the superposed stratum of rock. The reasoning of on very uncertain foundations. R eference had
some was that this r ock when it fell in would form been made to the effect of the deleterious action
a natural arch, or, rather, as Mr. Heena.n had better of the vegetable matter in surface water, and
expressed it, a natural dome. We did not gather he could confirm what he had heard as to the
that Mr. Grigg himself put much confidence in r emarkable manner in which a film of greasy
these speculations-particularly as he pointed out . matter would prevent evaporation. It was n ot an
that the "domes " belonging to adjacent bore- : uncommon thing for men who were offended for
holes would in time overlap- and he gave an some reason to ''poison the pans, " as it was
instance of a large mass of rock which had fallen called. The operation consisted in just dropping
in the centre of a cavity, breaking the pipe which a little oil or slipping a little butter over the side
formed the bottom end of the borehole. This large I of the pan. The salt-maker might then stoke his
piece of rock had t o be bored through, so that it fire and burn his coal, but he would get very little
was certainly retained in the centre of the cavity, return in the shape of salt. Mr. Pattison had r eas it would be if the latter was of the trumpet ferred to the natural evaporation of brine in
form he had sketched. As was said, the dome Sardinia. Solar salt was well known in the trade,

......
0\

'l

!68
and it had its place as a cheap material useful for
fishery and such purposes. It would not, h owever, take the place of manufactured salt for finer
purposes. Mr. Marten had r eferred to subsidence
in the Cheshire district, but it must be remembered
that the eastern and western districts were n ot
quite similar. In Cheshire they had natural springs
which would be carrying salt to the sea, whether
there were pumping or not. There t he amount
of salt extracted by the evaporating pans might be
a trifle compared to that which escaped by natural
means, and the foundations of the land were constantly being eroded by the springs. In Middlesbrough the conditions were different . It was only
the salt abstracted by the pumping which was taken
from the earth. He would r efer to a circumstance
in the economy of salt-making which would be of
interest. In l\iiddlesbrough they had much waste
h eat in the slag from the blast furnace, and if this
could be utilised it would be of universal advantage. Ideas had been formed of arresting some of
this waste heat t hat at present radiated into space
from the sides of slag tips, and experiments were in
progress which had afforded some promising results.

E N G I N E E R I N G.
whieh he met them was to offer to them every
opportunity to try their explosives themselves, and
if they could do better than the powder, he would
be only too glad. The petroleum engine was doing
good work as stated, but there were little difficulties in its use which he would prefer not to enlarge
upon. The gases had given a l ittle trouble, put
n othing very serious ; the engines had worked well
for three years. There was sometimes a little
difficulty in the electric firing of the gases in the
petroleum engine. A speaker had asked whether
t he gear in the electric drill was covered up. That,
he said, might easily be done if necessary. The
speed was 400 r evolutions a minute.
ENGINEERING ON THE T EES.

[AuG.

I I,

1893.

board at a price of 2s. 6d. a t on, and sent direct to

any port in the world. F or this they had to thank
the Tees Conservancy, t o which hody the author
of the paper they had just h eard, was engineer.
Mr. Cocbrane was the n ext speaker. He referred to details as to dredgers mentioned in the
paper. The author had said that as a rule 36 to 40
buckets were placed on each ladder; the capacity
of each bucket being 9 cu hie feet ; the buckets, with
their links, pins, bushes, &c., were all interchangeable amongst the various dredgers. The upper
and lower tumblers were of steel cast in one piece;
these castingd weighed 23 cwt. and 35! cwt. r espectively. The backs and mouthpieces of the buckets,
also the links, pins, bushes, and spur pinions, were
of cast steel ; the turn bler shafts and ladder r oller
spindles were of forged steel ; the bodies and bottom
plates of the buckets were of ~-in. steel plate. The
speaker called attention to the fact of steel being
used, as when it was first introduced it was thought
to have been a failure. The author had said that
the crew of a double-ladder dredger usually consisted of nine men, but while dredging clay two
additional men were employed to loosen the clay in
the buckets as they passed the level of the deck in
th~ dredger. Mr. Cochrane would ask whether the
buckets had h oles in them, as he had known an
instance in which the h oles had n ot been made, and
the consequence was t hat, on account of the suction,
the clay could n ot be r emoved without being dug
out piecemeal.
Dr. Ryan referred to that part of the paper in
which the author had said that the total area of
land reclaimed from the foreshore cf the river was
about 2400 acres. In 1892 the Commission obtained
parliamentary powers for the further r eclamation
of the foreshore n ear Port Clar ence and Cargo
Fleet. The speaker thought that the r eclamation
of land in this way might be carried out at the expense of the tidal scour, for if there were less area
to be covered by the flood tide there would be a
smaller quantity of water coming down on the ebb.
Sir Frederick Bramwell said it might be interesting to the meeting if he were to state that fifty
years ago, when he was employed on a small locomotive works, he had brought down an engine by
a paddle steamer, called t he Emerald I sle. I t was
taken to the River Tees, and put on to the Stock ton
and Darlington R ailway. H e had then driven it to
where it was to be delivered, had received his
money, and went back to London by coach. That
was, h e thought, just fifty years ago, probably
within a month or two. The weight of the locomotive was 10 tons. In r egard to what had been said
about r eclamation affecting the scour, Sir Frederick
Bramwell r eferred to the case of the Manchester
Ship Canal, the promoters of which wanted to
bring half-tide training walls down the middle of
the estuary of the Mersey. That scheme was very
properly thrown out by Parliament. Next an impossible scheme was brought forward, but ultimately the promoters agreed to a sensible plan,
which was that the canal should be brought through
the land to near the mouth of the river. The application was before Parliament for a space of three
years. It was the custom of people to criticise and
ridicule the action of P arliament, and it might seem
strange that after three years of application, costing
very large sums of money, the proposal should be
agreed to at last. But those who judged in this
way should r emember that the third scheme was
the one which the opponents of the measure had
said from the first was the only one permissible;
and had the promoters adopted their ultimate
course at first the long litigation might have been
prevented.
The author not being present, ther e was no reply
to the discussion.
The paper by Mr. B. A. Dobson, of Bol ton, on
the "Artificial Lighting of 'Vorkshops," and ~fr.
Alexander Borodin's contribution on the "\Vorking
of Ste~m Pumps on the Russian South-'Vestern
Railway," which were both on the programme,
were adjourned till the next meeting.
The meeting was then brought to a conclusion,
so far as the reading and discussion of papers was
concerned, and hearty vott::s of thanks were passed
to the local committee, to th e various railway companies, and to other persons or corporations who
had done so much to make the meeting a success.

A pa.per entitled "Some Engineering Improvements in the River Tees,'' by Mr. George J.
Cla.rke, of Stockton, engineer t o the Tees Conservancy Commission, was nex~ read . Th e jurisdiction of the Tees Conservancy extends a distance of 25 miles from Tees Bay. At one time
there were no less than four different channels
of the river, between Middlesbrough and the
sea, and these channels were so t )rtuous, varying,
ELECTRIC RocK D RILLS.
and uncertain, that formerly several of the leadA paper by Mr. A. L. Stea.venson, of Durham, ing lights were placed on rollers, so that they
comprising a "Description of the Electric Rock could be more easily moved, as the main channel
Drill Machinery in the Carlin H ow Ironstone shifted . The depth of water on the bar in 1863
Mines in Cleveland," was next read by Mr. Bache. was 3~ H. at low water of ordinary spring tides.
This paper we sha.ll print in full s hortly, together At the present time it is 20 ft. at low water and
with illustrations by which it was accompanied. 37 ft. at high water. The improvement has been
Mr. Steavenson has been connected with the pro- effected by means of training walls, dredging, and
gress of ironstone mining in Cleveland for the period breakwaters, descriptions of which the author
of forty years over which it has extended. In his proceeded t o give. Since 1854, about 29,000,000
paper h e dealt with the various methods of attack- tons of material have been removed by dredging.
ing the r ock ; eith er by hand-labour, by the hand- It is intended to construct a channel, having a l owratchet drill, the compres~ed air rotary drill, the water depth varying from 12 ft. at Stockton t o
hydraulic drill, or the petroleum engine ; and also 15 ft. at Middlesbor ough, the total length being
by the electric drill, which was more especially the about 12 miles. During the two years ending
subject of his paper. In comparing the results October, 1891. nearly 3, 700,000 tons were dredged
obtained with different drills, the conditions of the by a fleet of five double-ladder dredgers and one
seam of ironstone have to be considered, but, on the single-ladder dredger. There were bt3tween 40 and
whole, we gather that Mr. Stea.venson gives pre- 50 hopper barges, carrying 200 to 300 tons each,
and nine steam tugs. The shortest distance towed
ference to the electric drill.
The discussion on this paper was open ed by Mr. was about 10 miles, and th~ longest 31 miles. The
Heena.n, who r eferred to the subject of the use of greater part of the material consisted of stiff boulder
higher explosives. He asked the author the size clay, but no less than 302,000 tuns of rock were
of the drill, and was informed that it was 1i in. r emoved by one dredger alone without explosives.
The speaker then s uggested that it might be pos- The author gave a. description of the dredg~ rs used.
sible to use a drill making a i-in. h ole, and to As an indication of the development of the river,
supplant powder by some of the higher explo- it was stated that the largest cargo ehipped from
sives. He thought this would lighten the labour. Middlesbrough dock in 1864 was 708 tons ; in 1891
He was himself in want of drills for two mines the largest was 5000 tons ; while in 1892 a vessel
in p ositions where the carriage was very high- as with 6500 tons deadweight cargo left the river.
In the discussion which followed, Mr. J eremiah
much as 6d. p er lb., so that if higher explosives
Head was the first speaker.
He said no one
were used it would be a saving.
In his paper Mr. Steavenson had stated that he could help being impressed by t he importance
had introduced the petroleum engine of Messrs. of the work with which Mr. Clarke had dealt
Priestman, and a drill suited to its conditions. in his paper. A detail which very much inFive of these he said were then in use, and had terested him, as living on the coast in the neighdone good work. In the concluding part of his bourhood, was the placing a gas buoy to light
paper he had given the first cost of machinery for the Scars Reef. During the time he had lived
the various types of drilling, and also the work at Coatharo he had seen as many as six wrecks
done. The first cost of the petroleum engine was on the Scars at once, and he had seen Redcar Pier
375l., and it drilled eight holes an hour, and by it and Coatham Pier, one with two gaps and the other
100 to 130 tons of ironstone were got per shift. with one, through ships driving through them inside
With the electric drill the first cost was 350l. ; ten the Scars. Since the gas buoy had been put there,
holes were drilled per hour, and th e quantity of there had been no wrecks at all. These buoys had
ironstone CYOt per shift was 140 tons. Judging to have the gas full on night and day. It seemed
from the diagrams exhibited on the walls! the perhaps a wasteful thing to burn gas- carried
petroleum drilling e!lgine was. self -contained ; there a.t very great expense-in the day-time for
that is to say, the engme ~nd drtll were mount~d no purpose, but the varying length of days and
on one bedplate ; whilst In the case of the electric niCYhts during the progress of the seasons necesdrill the power was genera:ted at great~r or le~s sitated this, and if the gas were al ways burning
distance and conveyed by wires. Referrmg to this there was sure to be a light when it was needed.
fact a member asked what would be the cost of a The South Gare breakwater, for the protection of
com'plete plant of the. other systems. I t d.id not the entrance to the river, the author had stated had
seem to him fair to Ignore the fact that In one taken twenty-four years t o build, and was made of
case the petroleum had silll:ply .to be taken to Portland cement concrete, upon a foundation of
the engine in buckets, whilst In others th~re slag, with slag hearting between the exterior walls
must be a more or less elaborate power-generatmg near the head. Nearly 5,000,000 tons of slag had
machine. The petroleum engiue was its own gas been used in its construction, the breakwater
plant. Another speaker asked if th~ exhaust.gases being upwards of two miles in ~ength. Mr. He~d
from the petroleum motor caused In conventenc~. said that it would only be possible to use slag In
He would like to know the speed of the electnc this way in a. district where there were many iron
works, so that it would be produced close by. The
motor.
d h
In r eplying to the discussion the a~thor sa\ t at works were costly, but they had converted a stream
h e had tried all .manner of explost!es,. but that which he remembered well could be walked acros~
powder still h eld the field. The obJectwn to the in the early fifties, into a. river that would carry a
use of the higher explosive~ was tha~ th~ugh they 6000-ton ship laden. It was said that tra~e follows ExcuRSIONS TO WoRKS EAST OF MIDDLESBROUGH.
would cut the stone, they d1d not ?ring It down ; the flag, and this harbour now sends ships to all
On the afternoon of the second day of the meetparts
of
the
world.
Formerly
they
had
to
forward
the material was left standing 1n place.. He
ing, excursions wer e made to works east of Middles
their
merchandise
to
Hull,
Newcastle,
&c.,
to
find
had gentlemen constantly coming to h1m with 3:ll
brough. The m emhers who attended these excuran
outlet
for
it
;
n
ow
it
could
be
put
straight
on
kinds of n ew explosives to introduce. The war In

Auc. I I, I893.]

E N G I N E E R I N G.

sions were divided into two parties, who visited the visit the steel works were by n o means fully emworks in diff~rent order. The establishments ployed, but visitors had an opportun!t~ of seeing
examined were as follows : Messrs. Cochrane and rails rolled and fish-plates rolled and nntshed. The
Co. 's Ormesby Blast Furnaces, Messrs. 'Vilsons, South Bank Iron Works of this firm are immeP ease, and Co. 's Tees blast furnaces and foun- diately opposite the last- me ntioned works, ~nd
dries, the Cargo Fleet Iron Company's blast fur- comprise eight blast furnaces 78ft. to 79 ft .. htgh.
naces, including the Tees Scorim Brick Company's The output is about 600 tons of Cleveland ptg per
plant, the N ormanby Iron Works Company's furn ace per week.
The Clay-lane Iron Works are about half a mile
blast furnaces, the blast furnaces and steel
works of M essrs. B olckow, Vaughan, and Co., distant from Bolckow, Vaughan, and Co.'s property.
Limited, and the Clay-lane Iron Company's blast There are six blast furnaces 85ft. high and 25ft. in
furnaces. Of these various important works, the diameter of bosh. Two are being relined. The
demands upon our space will, we regret to say, output of the furnaces is from 450 to 600 tons per
allow us to speak but very briefly.
Messrs. week, Cleveland stone only being used.
On the evening of Wednesday the Institution
Cochrane and Co. 's works were first visited. Here
there are four blast furnaces, which are the dinner was held in the R oyal Exchange, Middleslargest in the district, measuring 90 ft. in height, brough, and passed off with great success, the caterwith a diameter at bosh of from 23 ft. to 29ft., the ing being very efficiently carried out, and the
hearth being 10 ft. The output from the three speeches unusually britf.
furnaces now at work is 2350 tons of pig iron per
week, all from local ores. There are here twelve ExcuRSIONS TO P oRT CLARENCE, TaoRNABY, AND
SALTBURN.
R()ot boilers heated by furnace gases. The works
Thursday, the 3rd inst., was wholly given up to exare lighted by electricity, the motive power being
obtained from a Parsons steam turbine running at cursivns, with which, however, we can deal but very
8000 revolutions per minute. Messra. W 1lsons, briefly. One party visited Messrs. Bell Brothers'
Pease, and Co.'s Iron Works were next in rotation. bla~t furnaces, where there are, on what is known
There are five blast furnaces, the highest being as the " old side," eight furnaces 80 ft. high by
85 ft. high, with 27 ft. diameter of bosh. There 17 ft. to 25 ft. diameter of bosh, and on t he
are in all 18 calcining kilns. The product is solely ''new side, four blast furnaces 80 ft. high by 23ft.
Cleveland pig. There are also extensive foundries diameter of bosh. The average output per furnare
where castings are made in large quantities. The per week is 500 tons of Cleveland pig. A notable
Oargo Fleet Iron Works have five blast fur- feature here is that the Le Chatelier pyrometer is
naces, 75 ft. high. One is now out of blast ; but in r egular use, so that the temperature of blast
the output of the four furnaces working is about can be readily known.
The Port CJarence Salt Works were the next
2000 tons of Cleveland pig per week. One-fourth
of the slag produced is converted into slag blocks feature in this programme. The method of WCirkfor paving by the Tees Scorire Brick Company. ing salt was fully described in Mr. Grigg's paper.
The plant owned by the latter company comprises The remainder of the excursion consisted of a visit
one rotating wheel fitted with 140 moulds, and 18 to 'l'hornaby- formerly known as South Stockton
kilns, each capable of h olding 1000 blocks. The - where the following works were d own for in
Normanby Iron vVorks are also at Cargo Fleet, spection : Cleveland Flour l\1ill, Messrs. Head,
and comprise three blast furnaces, each 75ft. high. Wrightson, and Co.'s Iron Works, the Union
The output of each furnace is about 600 tons per F oundry, and Messrs. 'Vhitwell and Co.'s Thornaby
week of h ematite pig made from Spanish ore. The Iron Works-all important establishments, which,
above wvrks comprised the first half of the excur- however, it is impossible for us to describe on the
sion for one party and the second half for the other present occasion.
The alternative excursion for Thursday morning
party, t he latter having first visited the following
started from Saltburn, aud various ironstone mines
estJ.blishments :
Messrs. Bolckow, V aughan and Co.'s Cleveland were visited. In the afternoon a trip was made to
Steel and Iron Works, South Bank, comprise eight the South Ga.re Breakwater, which forms a part of
blast furnaces, three being out of blast, having the Tees Conservancy work, and was referred to in
been stopped a y ear or two ago, after having been Mr. Clarke's paper read the previous day. In the
over twenty years at work without being relined. evening there was a. fete held in the beautiful
Two of the furnooes in blast are 92 ft. and 95! ft. gardens of the Sal tburn estate.
Friday, the 4th inst., the last day of the meeting,
high by 20 ft. to 25 ft. 8 in. in diameter of bosh,
and 9ft. to 10 ft. hearth. The output averages over was, like the previous day, wholly given up to
600 tons of Cleveland pig per furnace per week. In excursions. Two ste3.mers, kindly provided by the
the hematite furnaces pig iron is made for the acid- Tees Conservancy, conveyed the members to Hartlelined converters, the bulk of the ore being rubio. pool, opportunity being afforded on the way down
The three furnaces smelting hematite ore are 72 ft. the river of seeing the improvement works in prohigh and 23 ft. to 24 ft. in diameter of bosh. Their gress. At Hartlepool, visits were paid to Messrs.
output is about 1000 tons of hematite pig per fur- T. Richa.rdson and Son's Marine Engine W orks, to
nace per week. The steel works* occupy an area of the Central Marine Engine 'York&, to Messrs.
60 acr~s, of which 20 are covered by roofing. When William Gray and Co.'s shipyards, to the West
in full operation they can produce 5500 tons of Hartlepool Steel and Iron~' orks, and to the British
finished steel per week, and find employment for Metal Expansion Works. The two works first
2500 men. A feature which attracted special atten- named are ad mirably equipped with modern plants
tion in these works was the mixing plant for desul- for the class of work turned out, the boiler shop
phurisation and homogenisation of pig iron by the machinery being in each case particularly fine, and
Massen~z process, which was in operation.
There including splendid hydraulic tools for Banging, &c.
are two mixer3, each capable of h olding 140 tons of Of the Central Marine Engine Works we p ublished
molten pig. Like those at the North-Eastern Steel a full account in vol. xliii. of E~GINEERING, page
W orks already referred to, they are mounted on trun- 270, while more recently (see pages 278 and 314 of
nions, and the molten metal is brought by locomo- our last volume) we described the later extensions
tives from the blast furnace, and, being poured in it of the establishment. On a future occasion we
at one end of the mixer, is run out at the other as hope to be able to deal in a similarly complete way
required. In the Bessemer shop are four 8-ton acid- with Messrs. Richardson's works. Of the interestlined converters. In the basic department there ing machinery at the British Metal Expansion
are six 15-ton converters, which are tipped by means Works, an illustrated account will be found on
of steam engines actuating worm-gearing. The other pages 100 and 102 of our fiftieth volume.
machinery is mostly hydraulic. The ingot heatin<Y
With these excursions, ended the summer meeting
furnaces comprise six of the vertical type, togethe~ of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers for
with seven others of the older h orizontal pattern. The 1893. The gathering was an exceedingly successful
vertical furnaces are served by steam overhead one, in spite vf the showery weather, from which
travelling cranes, whilst the horizontal furnaces t~e excursion to the ironstone mines (made by carhave hydraulic appliances. The cogging and plate ~Iage) on Thursday suffered considerably, especially
mills are close by. One of the plate shears is cap- m the case of those members not in covered
able of cutting steel plates cvld up to 2! in. The vehicles. The arrangements made by the local
blades are 12 ft. long and 4 ft. 8 in. in the gap, committee, under Mr. Jeremiah Head, and the local
the stands b eing 9 ft. apart. They are steam secretaries, Mr. John Dennington, of Middlesdriven, and are said to be the largest in the world. brough, a.nd Mr. Th?mas Mudd, of Hartlepool ,
There. are seven 12-ton Ateel melting furnaces. were admirable; wh1lst Mr. Bache and his staff
There 1s also a steel foundry. At the time of the wor~ed with their usual vigoor, to the usual happy
.lfor an account of these works see ENGINEERING effect. In fact, the whole proceedings, so far as
vol. xxxvi., page 277.
' we are aware, passed without a. hitch.

THE INTERNATIONAL MARITIME

CONGRESS.
(Continued from page 138.)

LoNDON DocKs SYSTEM.

SECTION I I. resumed on Friday, July 21, with
Mr. James Abernethy in the chair, when P!ll?ers
were read describing some of the docks to be VlStted
later by t he members of the Congress. The first
paper was on "The Docks of London on the North
S ide of the Thames and their Appliances," the
authors being M essrs. R. Carr and F.~ ~uckha!D.
The subject was treated first from an lustor~cal. pomt
of view, and the importance of the port mdiCated
by the statement that the value .of exports was over
87 millions in 1891, and of 1mports about 149 ~
millions. The dimensions and distinctive features
of each dock were then narrated, but space forbids
a re production in detail of t he paper, and a s ummary
would scar cely be satisfactory. One point, however, may be referted to-the appliances at the f5re~t
Tilbury D ocks, as it represents m ode~n practiCe 1n
this matter. The lifting of heavy we1ghts, such as
boil ers and machinery, into vessels isdone byfloating
cranes and derricks, which come alongside the vessel,
even when it is discharging and loading car~o ~t the
ordinary berths. The most modern plant 1s 1n ~he
Leviathan the dimensions of the hull bemg
110 ft. l~ng by 45 ft. beam. This ~raft can
steam six miles an hour.
The crane 1s 73 ft..
high from the deck, and has a radius of 45 ft. The
engine power is 50 indicated h orse-power,. and the
lifting capacity GO ton.s fu~l load.. ?-'hts crane
ha.s hfted on board sh1p bollers we1ghmg 55 tons.
There are two other cranes lifting each 30 tons, and
one of 20 tons capacity. At the Millwall Dock
the h opper dredger used discharges her cargo .of
mud on the company's waste land 500 yards dstant from the wharf. On board the dredger is an
air compressor worked by the main engines, forcing
air of 20 lb. pressure into the h oppers, and the mud
is thus forced through a 2-in. discharge leather
hose into cast-iron piping passing underground to
the waste land ; 200 tons of mud are thus discharged in half an hour.
l.Vlr. J ames Adair McConnochie contributed a
paper on the Surrey Commercial Docks, the great
timber emporium in the metropolis. There is also
a very extensive import in grain, and the m ethod
of overcoming the dust from the discharging of the
grain is interesting, as the result of great experience, and the description may be quoted :
"Warehouse No. 7, completed in 1886, has three portable hydraulic oranes on the quay fitted with Priestman
tubs, and three elevators in the building, one at the
centre and one at each end . The grain is delivered by
the cranes into portable weighing hoppers travelling on
the quay outside the building, weighing 4000 lb. at a
time, from which it passes through shoots in the wall to
carrying bands in a tunnel under th~ ground floor, which
convey it to the bottolll of the elevators. Each elevator
delivers the grain to a cross band in the roof, which
throws it off to either of three longitudinal bands running
along the whole length of the roof, from which it can be
pa~sed at any point to the vertical spouts commanding
all the floors of the building. These spouts revolve, and
are arranged at such distances apart as practically to
avoid all trimming on the floors, and beyond the necessary trimming in the hold of the vessel for the buckets,
there is no other manual labour from the time the buckets
drop into the grain until it is deposited in the bulk on the
floor. The distributing bands, each 22 in. wide, capable
of conveying 600 quarters per hour, are in incloserl passages in the roof, and as the weighing is performed outside the building, the inconvenience from dust is reduced
to a minimum. When a vessel is placed alongside th~
warehouse, the Cntre hatchway crane and hopper are
arranged to shoot direct into the centre elevator ; the
other hatchways, being variable, require the underground
bands for conveying the grain to their respective elevators. Portable elevators were not adopted for working
grain out of ship, as they are less suited for cargoes with
parcels of vary10g qualities than the cranes and tubs,
and the cranes possess the furth er advantage of being
available for bag cargoes, and, if required, for general
merchandise, the warehouses being also ae well fitted for
general merchandise as for grain. The quantity of grain
dis~harged by each crane from ship with bulk cargoes
van es from 300 quarters to 375 quarters per hour, but in
working from open barges as much as 560 quarters have
been landed by one crane, weighed, and housed in one
hour. Better work could be obtained from the machinery
but for the time lost in breaking down and removing the
bulkheads which pass through the centre of the batchways."
T:a:E NEw DocK AT NEWPORT.
l\ir. W. S. Smyth read the next paper, on "The
Newport Harbour and Docks," in which he described, inter alia, the new dock recently constructed. The l ock is 503! ft. long, divided by
intermediate gates into lengths of 370 ft. and

E N G I N E E R I N G.

lAuG.

I I,

TEN-WHEELED FREIGHT LOCOMOTIVE WORLD'S COLUMBIAN

EXPOSITION.
CONSTRUCTED BY THE BALD WIN LOCOMOTIVE 'V'ORKS, PHILADELPHIA.
(For Description, see Page 172.)

...

-to . . . . o o . .ooo

..

ooo " ' '

Fig. 1.

I
I

--.

., ..

,,,,. r"- I
I~ 7''' ' .
'. .; ' I

~-..:"~: ,... .. l...}t

.

..

...

-.

..
.
.. .. ' .
" .... !!

'

.-t~)o ...

"

'' :

I'

..

l:

f.:!'
."" ..

I ,]

EE'il

...........
........

--

---

k.J. .

-- .

< ...
r :
C'
~ ::

:t~;

::.:
,, I

= ' l-'.i :1:

.I

I '

..

..

--

Fig. 3.

lfllf l

' = 0-

--=

--

s
-

:Ftg. 5.

....

...."l.

E N G I N E E R I N G.

AuG. I I, I893.]

171

COMPOUND EXPRESS LOCOMOTIVE: WORLD'S COLUMBIAN EXPOSITION.

CONSTRUCTED BY THE BALDWIN

LOCO~DOTIVE

WORKS, PHILADELPHIA.

(F01 Desc1iption, see Page 172.)

..

'""""" ....._

.___..........__ ,

=-

'

Fig 2.
cl

ll

..:..: ....
.. .:

-.

.......
---

Fig. 3.

Fig .5

F0.6.

I F ia. 4 .
.-..;~

...

-.

'

. ..

E N G I N E E R I N G.

172
133! ft .. the width being '72 ft.
The inner or
dock sill is 5 ft. above the outer sill, which has
3~ ft;, of water on it at average spring tides.
Ttmber jetties project into the river, and form a
trumpet-mouth entrance 340ft. wide. The river bank
was left un til the lock including the outer apron
was constructed and the walls WP.re sunk in open
trenches, the foundations of the lock b eing carried
60_ ft. b~lo w the l evel of the coping, and the 8-ft.
th1ck s1lls of all threa gates were carried 72 ft.
below coping. For the bottom 10 ft. of the side
walls concrete was used. The bottom courses of the
masonry wa!ls are laid at a dep th of 50 ft. below
the level of coping, between the outer and inner
sills, the level of the springing of the invert being
38 ft. below the coping level. Cornish granite,
Pennant rock, mountain limestone rubble, and
concrete made with Abertawe lime, sand and broken
stone were used. The invert is segmental, with a
versed sine of 8ft. forming the bottom, and is formed
of lime cement concrete, but the top layer oi 3 H.
is of P ortland cement concrete, the top coating of
6 in. being in the proportion of 1 t o 3, excepting
where the double grooves occurring before and behind each gate are formed in tooled stone. These
grooves are 4 ft. apart, and provide means of in
closing any gate within dams, if it sh ould be desirable. All the gates were partially fixed before
the river bank was remo"\'ed; and preparatory to
this a cofferdam was formed in t he outer grooves of
the outer gate, with cast-iron channels and sluices
in the inner face of the cofferdam for admitting
the water when the gates were finally completed
and the river bank excavated. There are two
wrought-iron gates of 40 ft. 2 in. high, weighing
400 tons, and one of 35 ft. 2 in. high, weighing
350 tons. They are double skinned, greenheart
timber b eing used for heel posts, mitres, and sill
pieces. The method adopted for opening and
closing the gates is the overg~te system.
The new, the South, D ock is 1500 ft. long, 350ft.
wide, and will, when excavations are completed,
have a deep-water area of 30 acres. The walls are
sloped 3 to 1 to the natural surface, a detail
which excited some discussion. Two timber jetties
are provided with hydraulic coal hoists to lift
20 tons. The cradles are raised by central telescopic
rams, giving an effective lift of 34ft., or 40ft. from
water level. Two additional hoists to be erected
will r aise wagons a greater height, and discharge
them into two hatch ways at the same time. There
is a connection 65ft. wide between this new dock
and the old North D ock, and the construction is
similar to that in the locks, while a swing bridge
120ft. long and 200 tons weight spans the connecting
channel. The wall of the old North D ock was left
until the junction side walls had been completed and
the swing bridge was in use. In the old wall there
were then drilled 46 2-in. holes, and 100 lb. of ammonite explosive inserted and fired by electricity.
The masonry was thus riven and broken up, and re
moved by divers using small charges of explosives.
The new masonry was not injured by the blasting.
HYDRAULI C INsTALLATION .AT THE PoRT oF GENOA.

This was the subject of a paper contributed by

Messrs. L . Luiggi and E. Borgatti, of the Italian
Government Corps of Civil Engineers. Experience, they state, seems to show that floating cranes
are more useful than stationary. None of the
fixed cranes at Genoa carry more than 20 tons,
while there are various floating pontoons carrying
sheerlegs of 40, 50, and 60 tons power; and one to
carry 120 t ons, and with a radius of 9 metres (30 ft. ),
has recently been constructed. There are about
8000 metres (26,256 ft.) of double cast-iron piping
laid underground for water under pressure, and
return pipina of vatious diameters, 51 fixed and
movable cra~es of various p owers, 10 hydraulic
portable jiagers
of the power of 400 kilogrammes
0
(880 lb.), a nd 21 hydraulic capstans for moving the
trucks of 1000 kilogrammes (2200 lb ) power,
equal to 1 ton strain on the ~auling rope~. The
power is raised
three eng1ne~, ea?h w1th two
high-pressure cylinders of 18.98 1n. d1ameter, and
two low-pressure of 30 in. diameter, while the
force-pump has a ram 6. 98 ~ in diameter, ~he
stroke in all cases being 30 1n. The theoretteal
volume generated by the four pu~ps for every
revolution is 56 litres (1. 97 cub1c feet), an.d
the efficiency is 95 per cent. The water 18
pumped into accumulators at a pressure of
50 atmospheres, and then into the pressure
mains along the quay. There are th1rty-four
movable cranes of the low type with fixed jibs,

?Y

six movable cranes with derricking jibs, and

eight movable cranes of the high type. These
latter are regarded by the authors as the ' ' very best
in every respect. , The crane is carried on columns
at a sufficient height to admit of locomotives
and railway trucks passing under, the columns
resting on double-flanged wheels which run on rails
of about 13 ft. gauge. The height of the cranes
above quay level is about 56 ft., their radius being
about 64ft. The turning cylinders have a diameter
of 6.49 in., and generally they are heavier than
the low-type movable cranes. Investigation has
been made as to whether chains or wire r opes
were preferable for liftiing and turning, with the
result that the ropes were found to break very
easily, and were declared unsuited for this work,
with its jerks and shocks. In somo of the fixed
cranes there are three hydraulic cylinders inside
the central column, so that one-third, two-thirds,
or the total power may be applied. The turning
is effected by a. small motor, with four simple
acting cylinders, worked by water pressure and
fitted with reversing motion. The authors give
details of all the cranes, and indicate some of the
financial results. At present the receipts just
balance the expenditure, without taking into
consideration the interest and amortisation of the
capital cost of the installation, which has been
carried out by the State.
The four papers we have thus briefly summarised
were d iscussed together ; but, the feature of the
conversation was really a consideration of
VERTICAL YERSU." SLOPI NG WALLS IN

DocKs.

Mr. Arthur C. Hurtzig, who opened the discussion, directed attention to this question, r emarking
that the new docks at Newport were the most recently constructed docks at an important centre,
and it would be interesting to know how the precedent of having vertical walls in the adjoining dock,
the Alexandra, had n ot been followed. He admitted that t he system of sloping sides with jetties
was suitable for loading coal, and was rightly
adopted at Cardiff, which was primarily a coal exportin g port, but they were not suited for import
trade. A vessel had to discharge rapidly and frequently from several hatches, and if moor ed against
a narrow jetty this was impossible. The use of
vertical walls might, therefore, prove to the disadvantage of Newport. Re mentioned several caees
where vertical quaywallswere preferred by shippers.
Mr. vV. T. Olive also agr eed t hat it was genera11y
better to make quay walls vertical instead of
battered, as more in accordance with the section of
a ship. He would like to know the r atio of length
of quay to water area in the L ondon docks, as he
was convinced from investigations in various harbours in America, Canada, and Buenos Ayres that
by the use of moles, or by adopting an oblong dock
with jetties at an angle of 45 deg. to the shore, 40 per
cent additional quay space could usually be obtained.
Mr. \Volff Barry was the next speaker, and had
arguments to adduce in favour of the abused slopir:g
wall and jetty system. He drew on the board a
plan of the method carried out at one of the docks
of Barry. A bout one-half is constructed w~th
vertical walls for import trade, and the other w1th
sloping waHs for coal export. .The coal loadi~g
crane was in the centre of the Jetty, and the sh1p
lay at an angle to the quay wall, touching only one
corner of the jetty, so that if it was moved ahead
or astern to change the hatch under the crane, it
overlapped conveniently with the ship at t he next
jetty. More coal hoists could t hus be placed on a
limited length of dock wall or dook quay. The experience of several years had proved the advant-age
of this arrangement. For import trade he agreed
with what Mr. Hurtzig had said.
Mr. Vernon Harcourt, after giving some reminiscences of his connection with the south dock of the
West India Dock- the first work with which he
was responsibly connected-said that pro?ably
financial considerations suggested the adoptwn of
sloping walls. Moreover, the system of jeUies had
already proved very suitable for the port. He was
somewhat surprised, however, that Mr. Smyth had
not made the sill of the new docks rather lower.
It was true, he said, that the river was rather
shallower than the sill of the lock, but he looked
forward to t he time when the Usk would be improved by the rem.oval of the exi~tin~ .shoals. He
agreed with Mr. Ohve as to the su1tab1hty of ~ole~,
and reviewed l. t lenath what had been done 1n thlB
country, in tl is direction, for the increase of
wharfage.

[AuG.

I I,

1893

Mr. Hunter said he had been glad to hear that they

were doing r ather more work at Tilbury, although
t he policy pursued was the opposite t o that at Manchester. He commanded the use of floating sheerlegs, as they enabled extensive repairs to be done
to machinery while vessels were loading and discharging. The "Leviathan" floating crane had put
on board the three 55-ton boilers of H .M.S. Blenheim between 9 A.M. and 5 P.M.
Mr. Smyth, in replying to the discussion, said
that, as to precedent, three-fifths of the walls of the
Alexandra. D ock were vertical and the remainder
sloping, and ten years' experience of projecting
jetties induced the directors to adopt that system
in the new docks, n1ore especially as it was supported by the experience at Barry Docks. Moreover, the construction was cheaper, and for the
import trade there already existed quays, while the
east side of the new dock could be devoted to the
import trade when it increased sufficiently to
demand more accommodation. As to the depth of
sill, referred to by Mr. V ern on Harcourt, he said
it was already 18 in. below t he bed of the river, and
it was not thought desirable to go deeper. When
the river was deepened a low-water lock could be
constructed, as suggested in the paper.
Mr. Abernethy, in proposing the usual complimentA to the authors, said that during half.a-century
he had constructed many docks, and had always
adhered t o vertical walls, and intended to adhere
to that system. L ord Brassey then took the chair,
and there was quite a long list of complimentary
votes adopted, after which the proceedings of the
section terminated.
(To be conti-nued.)

BALD WIN LOCOMOTIVES AT THE CHI CAGO

EXPOSITION.
o ~ pages 170 and 171 we publish illustrations of two
of the fine collection of locomotives exhibited by the
Baldwin Locomoti\e Company, of Philadelphia, at
J ackson Park in the Transportation Building. The
first of them (Figs. 1 to 5, page 170) is designed for burn
ing bituminous coal, and has been constructed for the
Baltimore and Ohio Railway Company. It is of the socalled "ten-wheeled" freight type, with six coupled
wheels and a four-wheeled truck. The boiler steel for
this engine was supplied by Messrs. Park Brothers and
Co., of Pittsburgh, and the firebox steel by the Well man
Iron and teel Company, of Thurlow, Pennsylvania.
Other manufactured parts were furnished as follows :
Tubes ...
...
...
...
The Reading Iron Com
pany, Reading, Pa.
The Standard Steel
Tyres

Works, Philadelphia..
United States Metallic
Metallic packing

Packing Company,
Philadelphia.
Messrs. W illiam Sellers
Injector ...

and Co., Philadelphia.
The Adams and WestHeadlight

lake Manufacturing
Compa.ny, Chicago.
American Brake ComDriving brake ...

. pany, St. Louis, Mo.
' Vest in g h o u s e Air
Tender and train brake

Brake
Company,
Pi ttsbuf'gh.
National Hollow Brake
Tender brake beams ...

Beam
Company,
Chicago.
The principal dimensions of this engine and tender
are contained in the subjoined Table :

W eight and General Dimensions.

Total weight of locomotive in working order (actual) ...

. ..
...
Total weight on driving \Vheels
(actual)
...
...
...
...
Total wheel-base of locomotive
Distance betwe()n centre of front
and back driving wheels .. .
.. .
Distance from centre of main driving
wheels to centre of cylinders
...
Length of main connectingrod from
centre to centre of journals
...
Transverse distance from centre to
centre of cylinders .. .
. ..
. ..
Cylinders, Valws, c.f:c. :

127,000 lb.
101,000 ,
23 ft. 3 in.
12 , 6 ,
7 , 10 ,,
9 , 4~ ,

7,

2,

20 in.
Diameter of cylinders
...
...
24 ,
Stroke of piston
...
. ..
...
Horizontal thickness of piston over
piston bead and follower plate ...
4!,
Dunbar
Kind of piston packing
..
...
3~ in.
Diameter of piston-rod
. ..
...
Size of steam ports .. .
...
... 19 in. by 1! in.
2t,
,
exhaust ports ...
...
... 19 ,
5~ in.
Greatest travel of slide val ves
...
1 ,
Outside lap of slide valves .. .
...
~one
Inside
,
,
.. .
.. .
t in.
Lead of slide valves in full stroke ...

E N G I N E E R I N G.

AuG. 11, 1893.]

Throw of upper end of reverse lever
from full gear forward to full gear
backward, m.ea.sured on the chord
...
. ..
of the arc of Its throw
Sectional area. of openi~g in .each
steam pipe connected Wlth cylinder

I73

46 in.
25 sq. in.

Wh eel!J, c!c.:

are the principal dimensions of t~is ~ngi~e, wh ic~ has

four coupled driving. w?ee~s 78 m. m diameter' one
pair of rear wheels 48m. m diameter, and a two-wheeled
truck. The material and Yarious p arts were, for the
most part, fu rnished by the firms na~ed above,
except that the lubricators were supphed by the
Detroit Lubricator Company, of Detroit, a~(l the
tender coupler by the Hazelton ~ew U~nersal
I nterlrcking Couple Company, of Philadelphia.; the
wheel bodies, of the Vauclain pattern, a~ well as ~he
ty res, were ma.de by the S tandard Steel \\ orks, Ph,la delphia.
Weight and General Dimensions.
T otal weight of locomotive in working order, including two men
(actual)
...
...
...
... 12!>,700 lb.
Total weight on drhing wheels
(actual )
.. .
.. .
:..
.. .
82.700 ,
T otal wheel base of locomotive ... 23ft. 4 in.
Distance between centre of front and
back driving wheels
:.
... .
6 , 10 ,
Distance from centre of mam drlV
ing wheels to centre of cylinders .. 12 , 3 ,
L ength of main connecting-rod from
centre to centre of journals
. ..
8 , 0~ ,
Transverse distance from centre to
centre of cylinders . ..
.. .
. ..
7 , 4! ,
Cylinders, Valves, c!c. :
H .P. 13 in.
Diameter of cylinders
...
{
L P. 22 ,
2! in.
Strok e of pistr n
...
.. .
.. .
Horizontal thickness of piston over
piston head and follower plate ....
.4! ,
Kind of piston packing
... Ca.st-1ron rmgs sprung
into solid head
Diame~er of piston -rod
. .. . ...
. 3~ in.
~ize of steam ports .. .
24 m. by 1~ m. } ci rcular
,
exhaust ,
.. .
24 ,
-1} ,
.
Greatest traYel of slide valves
...
5 m._ .
H.P. ~ m.
Outside lap of slide valves ...
... { L p

d , '
.
{ H .P. ! in . negaInside lap of shde val ves
...
ti ve, L.P. n on e
H .P.
i in.
in.
. f ull stro1{e {
L ead of slide va1ves m
L.
P. H

. .

m.
Diameter of dr1vmg wheels outside
56
of tyres
...
.. .
...
. ..
26
Diameter of truck wheels . ..
. ..
Size of driving-axle journals, diameter and length . . .
...
. .. 8 in. by 8! in.
Sizs of truck-axle journals . ..
. .. 5 ,
10 ,
main crankpin journals
... 5i ,
5~ ,
... 4 ,
3~ ,
: coupling-rod journals
L en'gth of driving springs, centre
2 in.
t o oen t re of hangers
...
. ..
Boiler:
Description of boiler ...
. ..
. . . . Wagon top
Inside diameter of smallest b01ler
ring .. .
. ..
. ..
...
. ..
60~ in.
Material of barrel of boiler . . .
...
Steel
TbickneEs of plates in barrel of ~

boiler .. .
. ..
...
. ..
.. .. . and 11 ,\ m.
Kind of horizontal seams ... Butt )Omte~, w1tl~
double covet'lng strtps
circumferential seams
... Single riveted
Jvl~teria.l of tubes
...
.. . Iron, No. 12 W. G.
Number of tubes
.. .
.. .
.. .
22~
Diameter of tubes outside .. .
...
2;t m.
Distance between centres of tnbes. ..
2~ " .
L ength of tubes over tubeplates . .. 13 ft. 3!. m.
.Length d firebox inside
.. .
...
119~ m.
3R
\Vidth
,,
,
...
...
~t ,
Depth of firebox froru underside of
crown plate to bottom of mud ring
76~ "
\Vater spaces, sides, back, and front
of firebox
.. .
.. .
.. .
. .. 3, 3, and 4 in.
~Iaterial of outside shell of firebox ...
' Steel
Thickness of plates of outside shell
ln.
..
of firebox
...
.. .
..
teel
~Ia.terial of inside of firebox ...
.. .
Thickness of plates in sides, back
:~ in.
end, and crown of fi rebox ...
.. .
:Material of firebox tube sheet
.. .
Steel
,
,
smokebox "
...
Thickness of front and back tubeThrow of upper end of reverse
plates .. .
. ..
. ..
.. .
. ..
~ in.
lever from full ~ear forward to full
Crown plate is stayed with . ..
... !A-~n. stay b?lts
gear backward, measured on the
Diameter and height of dome
... 32 m. by 2! m.
chord of the arc of its throw
...
45i in.
\Vorking steam pressure per square
Sectional area of opf\ning in each
inch .. .
.. .
.. .
.. .
.. .
160 lb.
steam pife connected with cyK ind of grate ...
... Rocking bars and ~d~op p1ate
linder .. .
. ..
...
.. .
.. . 19 G3 sq. in.
Width of bars ...
...
...
...
~ m.
WhOtls, d:c. :
,,
openings between bars . . .
~ ,,
Diameter of driving wheels outside
Grate surface ...
...
.. .
...
28 sq . ft.
of tyres
. ..
...
...
.. .
6 ft. 6 in.
.. . 185 ,
H eating surface in firebox .. .
Diameter of truck wheels ...
...
4 ft.
,
,
of tubes
.. .
. .. 1822 ,
Size of driving axle journals, diaTotal heating surface...
.. .
.. . 2007 "
meter and length .. .
.. .
.. . 8! in. by 12 in.
Kind of blast nozzle .. .
...
. ..
Double
. .. 6~ ,
10 ,
Size of truck axle journals .. .
Diameter of blast nozzles (three
Size of main crankpin journals ... 5~ ,
6 .,
sizes provided)
...
. .
... 3 in., 3\ in.,
Size of coupling rod journals
... :F. 5~ in. diam.
and 3i in.
by 4 in. long,
Smallest inside diameter of smoke
B. 6 in. diam.
...
...
...
...
18 in.
stack .. .
by 4 in. long
Height from top of rails to top of
L ength of driving springs, centre to
smoke stack .. .
. ..
...
.. . 14 ft. 3 in.
.. .
.. .
centre of hangers . ..
4 ft.
Smokebox
.. .
...
...
.. Extend ad, with

netting and de- B &iler:

flecting pla.tes
Description of boiler ...
.. .
. ..
Straight
Tender:
Inside diameter of smallest boiler
Weight of tender empty (actual) ...
29,650 lb.
ring .. .
.. .
.. .
.. .
.. .
56 in.
,
,,
with fuel and
Material of barrel of boiler .. .
.. .
Steel
wa'ter, full . ..
.. .
. ..
.. .
72.256 ,
Thickness of plates in barrel of boiler
6 in.
Number of wheels under t ender .. .
Eight
Kind of horizontal seams . .. Butt jointed, with
Diameter of tender wheels . ..
.. .
2 ft. 9 in.
double covering strips
Size of journals of tender axles, dia,
circumferential seams
.. . Double riveted
mater and length
..
.. .
.. . 4i in. by 8 in.
~Iaterial of tubes
.. .
Iron N 0. 13 B. vV. G.
Total wheel-base of tender ...
. .. 16 ft. 8 ,
Number of tubes
...
...
. ..
324
Distance from centre to centre of
Diameter of tubes ou tsid e . ..
.. .
1~ il".
truck wheels of tender
.. .
.. .
5 ft.
Distance between centres of tubes...
2 1111' ,
\Vater capacity of tank (in gallons
Length of tubes over tubeplates ...
10ft.
of 231 cubic inches) ...
..
... 3500 gallons
,,
firebox inside (Wootten
Fuel capacity of tender
...
...
6 tons
type) . ..
.. .
...
.. .
.. . 9 ft. 6 in.
\ Vidth of firebox inside
...
. . 8 ,,
Er'l{line and Tender:
Depth of firebox from underside of
T otal wheel-base of engine and
crownplate to bottom of mud ring 3 , 2f in.
t ender .. .
. ..
.. .
...
... 49 ft. 9:i in.
Water spaces, sides, back, and front
Total length of engine and tender
of firebnx
. ..
. ..
.. .
. ..
3~ in.
over all
.. .
.. .
.. .
.. . 59 , 8! ,
Material of outside fhell of firebox
Steel
Figs 1 to 6, on page 171, are illus trations. of a. Balc.lThickness of plates of outside shell

win compound passenger express locomotive of th e
of tire box
...
. ..
. ..
.. .
a m.
Material of inside of firebox ...
.. .
"double-ender " type. It was built for the Phila~tetl
Thickness of plates in sides, back
de1phia. and Reading Railroad Company, and is inend, and crown of firebox . . .
. ..
All l'u in.
tended to bu rn anthracite coal. This engine is built
Material of firebox tube sheet
...
Steel
under the patents held by the Baldwin Com pany for
,,
smokebox , ,
...
,
compound locomotives, and of which nearly 500 have
Thickness of front and back tubebeen constructed by them.
We shall postpone a
plates . ..
.. .
.. .
. ..
. ..
!
in.
description of the system till th e publication of detailed
Crown plate is stayed with radial stays 1 Ain. d iam.
drawings of other compound locomo tives on the
Diameter and h eight of dome
... 27 in. by 24 in.
same system, exhibited by the firm at the Columbian
Working steam pressure per square
Exposition. M eanwhile we may call a ttention to
inch . ..
. ..
. ..
..
.. .
180 lb.
the fact that the eng ine we illustrate is pro vided with
Kind of grate ...
Water tubes a.nd cast-iron bars
\Vidth of bars ..
...
...
...
! in.
a. Wootten firebox of great width and length, and
,,
openings between bars . .
g ,,
that the driver 's cab is placed about the middle of
Grate surface ...
.. .
. ..
...
76 sq. ft.
the boiler, an arrangement that may be n ecessary,
Heating su rface in firebo x and combut which is certainly very incommodious for the
bustion chamber
...
.. .
.. . 173 "
driver, whose means of ingress a nd egress are very
Heating surface of tubes
...
... 1262 ,,
limited, as is shown in Figs. 1 and 6, while the stand
Total heating surface.. .
.. .
.. . 14~5 ,.
ing space available is extremely small. The following
Kind of blast nozzle . . .
. ..
. ..
Variable

oa ,,

5i in.
Diameter of blast nozzles .

Smallest inside diameter of smoke18 ,
stack . ..
. ..
...


Height from top of ra.ils to top of 14 ft. 0.1 in.
Emkokbestack ...
... Sh~~t with register i~ front
mo
e
ox
...
...
,
S
Tender:
33,800 lb.
Weight of tender empty (actual) ...
Weight of tender with fuel and
80,573 ,
water; full .. .
.. .
..
..
Eight.
Number of wheels under tender .. .
36 in.
Diameter of tender wh eels .. .
... .
Size of journals of tender axles, diameter and length . ..
.. .
.. . 4~ in. hy 8 in.
Total wheel base of tender .. .
...
16 ftJ.
Distance from centre to centre of
truck wheelAof tender
. ..
.. .
5 ft. 4 in.
Water capacity of tank (in gallons
4000 gals,
of 231 cubic inches)...
.. .
...
6 tons.
Fuel capacity of tender
...
.. .
Engi ne and T ender.
T otal wheel base of engine and
...
... . .. 47 ft. 3 in.
tender ...

Total length of en gine and tender

... ... ... 62 ft. 7! in.
over all

RAILWAY CARRIAGE FOR PRUSSIAN

STATE LINES.
THE Columbian exhibit of M.M. Van der Zypen and
Charlier's Railway Car and :Machinery Works at
Coln-Deutz, Germany, consists of a first-class day
coach, a steel flat-car, a steel coal -car, and samples
of pressed steel parts, pictures, an d photographs.
1'he day coach, of which illustrations will be,fonn.d
on p age 1781 is generally known on the World s Fair
g rounds as t he " Blue Car. " It is destined to run on
th e Prnssian branch road, 'Viesbaden-Langenschwal bach, where many cars of this kind a~e in service.
The car is 30 ft. in length and 10ft. wide, and resta
on twoaxled tru cks of a peculiar design, made en tirely of steel, in part pressed, in part milled. It h~s
the European couplings and two-buffer system, and.Is
provided with artistic gilt wrought-iron platf~rm r ailings, the platform and step bein~ covered with r?bber.
The floor plan is on the Amencan system, with an
entra nce at each end of the car, a cen tre wa1k through
t he whole length, with seats arranged to right and
left the whole body forming thus one car without
sep~rat~ compartment~. The body frame ~s constructed
in a qUite different kmd from the Amencan cars. It
is covered w ith sh eet steel, and the part beneath the
side windows with one steel plate of 30 ft. in length,
3 ft. wide, and ! in. thick. This steel plate, strengthened below and above with steel angles, forms a
truss, supporting the whole framework of the bocly.
The underpart of the floor is entirely made of milled and
pressed steel sills and crossbars.
The exterior of the coach is painted rich light blue,
and the milled iron mouldings, richly ornamented, are
gilt. On the side-panels are two Prussian State Hailway coats-of-arms. The windows, which are balanced
and move downwards, are in small aashes of brass.
The glasses a.re ex tremely high and wide, giving the
coach the character of an observation car.
The inside finish of the car is of walnut in combination with brass, the windows being surrounded by
ornamental brasswork. The nettings are mounted on
brass columns, standing on the backs of the seats,
which have ornamental carved timber panels, and are
upholstered in da.rk blne plush, harmonising very well
with the brown colour of the curtains and the silk
overlaying of the side walls. The ceiling is painted to
represent blue sky with clouds, birds, and rows of

vmes.
The car is ligh ted by Pintsch gas, and has seating
capacity for forty persons. Ventilation ie secured by
ventilators arranged above the windows. Generally
~peaking, the ca.r in its inside and outside finish is a
fine piece of work.
The platform car is a four-wheeled low-side timber
car with steel underframe, pressed steel axle guards,
and arm plates of a novel pattern. There are also
many minor parts of novel design. The total length
is 30ft., width 10ft., capacity 33,000 lb. To take
curves of small radius the car is prQvided with flexible
wheel bae, allowing the axle-boxes to mo\e i in.
to either side within the axle-guards, the weight of
the car reg ulating by the springs the right position of
the a xle on a straight track, The painting is of a red
brown colour.
The coal car is a four-wheel truck, entirely mad e of
steel, with the only exception of the floor, which is in
yellow pine. The sides are ma.de of pressed sheet
steel 13~ in. thick. On each side there is a double door,
which is locked by lever mechanism. The front of th e
car opens entire1y, swinging around pivots on the
top to the outside, allowing the coals to be discbar~ ed
at the front, as well as by side doors. The painting
is like the flat car, red brown.
THE FRENCH NA\Y. - The French ~Iinister of Marine
has ordered several t orpedo-boats from the St. Denis
Shipbuilding 'Vorks, belonging t o the Cail Company
and the Societe d es Chantiers de la Loire.

174

E N G I N E E R I N G.

STEAM

EXCAVATOR:

WORLD'S

(AuG.

COLUMBIAN

II,

1893.

E X P 0 S I T I 0 N.

CONSTRUCTED BY THE BUCYRUS STEAM SHOVEL AND DREDGE COMPANY, BUCYRUS, OHIO, U.S.A.

(For Desc'ription, see opposite Page.)

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E N G I N E E R I N G.

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STEAM

175

EXCAVATOR:

CONSTRUCTED BY

WORLD ' S

THE BUCYRUS STEA ~l

J.'

E X P 0 S I T I 0 N.

COLUMBIAN

SHOVEL AND DREDGE COJYIPANY, BUCYRU, ',

OHIO,

U.S.A .

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Bucyrus Steam Shovel and Dredge Company,

of Bucyrus, Ohio, make a very fine display of excavating machinery in the Transportation Building of the
Columbia.n E xposition, a.nd we publish on the present
and opposite pages illustrations of two of the principal
types shown. Figs. 1 t o 5 illustrate the larger class
of machine. I t is supported on two four-wheeled
trucks pivoted in t he centre to the main frame, which
is all of iron, except for th e timbers at each end. A
covered body on this frame in closes the boiler, engine,
and winches ; the boiler is vertical and the engines are
horizontal, bolted to the frame of the machine. The
sizes of the cylinders vary with the power of the excavator, from 6 in. in diameter and 8 in. stroke, to
10 in. by 14 in. From the forward part of the frame
two strong brackets project, terminating in supports
for anchor screws as shown in Fig. 3, to increase the
stability of the machine. In front of the covered
car is t he turning centre for the crane and bucket. This
centre rests on the transverse frame (see Fig. 5). The
foot of the crane rests in a socket in this centre casting, which has above a horizontal grooved disc, round
each side of w hieh pass t he chains used to turn the
crane. As will be seen from Fig. 2, one end of each
chain is attached to hooks on the discs, the other end
being wound round the drum of the rear windlass (see
Fig. 2). The bucket is attached to the end of t he
bucket pole that passes between the arms of the crane,
between which it is held; at the back of the pole is a
rack that gears into a pinion on t he shaft of a friction
d rum, mounted, as shown, on the crane. This latter
is supported, as shown, by the two raking struts and
tie-rods, the latter being secured to anchor bolts at the
rear of the car. From the t op of the crane post t hus
made extends a t ie- rod to the head of the crane. The
forward of the two winches serves to raise th e
bucket and pole. The shaft of the rear winch is
driven direct by t he pair of engines, as shown, and
a spurwheel drives a pinion t hat actuates the spurwheel on the forward winch. As will be seen from
the plan, Fig. 2, chains pass direct from the drum of
the rear winch to the turning disc of the crane, while
between these chains others pass to t he r ear for propelling the machine along the line of rails. The
elevating chain passes from the forward winch over
a guide roller in the frame, then over a wheel mounted
at the foot of the craue to t he head of t.he crane,
thence to a pulley attached to the bucket, back to a
second wheel near the crane head, and t hen to the
frame of the pulley bucket. A pitched chain working
on a sprocket-wheel on the shaft of the g uide-wheel
at the foot of the crane, gives motion to a friction
drum, and through this to another drum and pinion
THE

gearing into t he rack on the bucket arm. An operator

standing on the small platform near the foot of the
crane throws this in and out of gear, according to the
amount of thrust he wishes should be exerted by the
cutting edge of the bu~ket against the bank. Working
the elevator r equires t wo men, one at the engine, the
other at the crane, and in order to work w ith good
results the operators must be able to carry on the
various processes together. The driver, when the
bucket is lowel'ed into the position shown in Fig. l,
star ts hoisting, giving a circular sweep to the
bucket; the man at the crane regulates the thrust
of the bucket, or dept h of cut, by operating the
friction brake and raising or lowering the bucket.
When a cut has been made, the driver, by operating
the turning winch, swings the cran e round into the
position shown in Fig. 3, and the other man empties
the bucket into the dumping car by tripping a lever
that holds the bottom in place. la t his way the work
proceeds with considerable rapidity. The size of
buckets in these machines varies from i yard t o
3 yards, and even larger. Wheu advancing t he machine beyond the track laid, t he crane, if desired,
can be employed to handle lengths of track. Figs. 6
to 8 illustrate a machine for lighter work, but ern~
bodying t he same principles.

NOTES FROM CLEVELAND AND THE

NORTHERN COUNTIES.
Wednesday.
The Cleveland Iron Trade.-Y esterday there was only a
moderate attendance on 'Change here, and the amount
of busi ness transacted was not large, but the tone of the
market was pretty cheerful, a.nd sellers were firm in their
quotations. There was, however, a good deal of difference in the prices of buyers and sellers. A few transactions were recorded at 35s. 3d. for prornpti No. 3 g.m.b.
Cleveland pig iron, a.nd that may be said to be the general
quotation, although most sellers asked 36s. 6d., and
it was said that a small lot of a special brand was
sold at 36s. No. 4 fO'U ndry was firm and in fairly
good demand at 33s. 9d., but grey forge was weak
and was barely 32s. 6d., whilst mottled was at most
32s. 3d., a.ll for prompt f.o.b. delivery. Although there
is a likelihood of losing orders from Sheffield firms,
owing to the coal crisis, hematite producers reported that
up to the present there was no diminution in the demand,
and 43s. Gd. was still the price of Nos. 1, 2, and 3 makers'
east coast brands. There was very little doing in Spanish
ore, and about 12s. 3d. t o 12s. 6d . ex-ship Tees was quoted
for rubio. Middlesbrough warrants closed nominally
35s. 5id. cash buyer~. To-day the market was a. shade
weaker, but makers were not at all disposed to alter their
prices, and business wa.s done at 35s. 3d. for prompt
MrDDLESBROUGH,

No. 3, although several buyers endeavoured t o J.>Urchase

at rather less. Middlesbrough warrants 36s. S~d. cash
buyers.
The Make and Diaposal of P ig I ron.-The official return
from the Cleveland Ironmasters' Association for July
sho ws the total make of Cleveland iron to have been
119,582 tons, an increase of 2492 tons on the previous
month, 30,188 tons over July last year, a.nd 6400 tons
below July, 1891. Of hematite. spiegel, and basic the
outpnt reached 111, 616 tons, 3571 tons over June, a.nd
about 6000 tons over July, 1892. It, however, shows an
increase of 22,300 tons over July, 1891. The total
output, as compared with June, has increased 6063
bons. The makers' stocks and stores contain 126,567
tons, 6181 tons over June, and about l<iO,OOO tons
over July, 189~, when stocks were depleted by an
unusual circumstance. In Connal's and the public
stores there ace 79,443 tons, against 72,200 tons at
the end of June, showing an increase of 7243 tons.
The total stocks amount to 206,010 tons, are 13,244 tons
over June, a.nd about 155, 000 tons over the corresponding
month last year, but are below July, 1891, by about
67,000 tons. The same number of furnaces have worked
as during June-viz. , 50 on Cleveland and 37 on hematite.
Manujactu1ed I?on and Steel. -Very little change can
be reported in the manufactured iron and steel trades.
The former industry is, however, if anything a shade
firmer, but it is still very dull, works being o~ly moderately employed, and quotations very low. Messrs.
Dorma.n, L ong, and Co., of Middlesbrou~h are about to
discontinue the production of puddled uon and devote
more attention to steelmaking. Common bars are
4l. 17s. 6d., and ship plates and angles each 4l. 12s. 6d.
all.less discount. There is nothing new in the steel trade:
S b1p plates are 5l. to 5l. 2s. 6d., and ship angles 4l. 15s.,
both less 2i per cent.
T he Fuel T rade.-Coal is being larg~ly produced and
taken up on old contracts at low prices, but at Newcastle
a. few small lots of best Northumbrian steam have been
sold at between 11s. and 12s. Prices of manufacturing
C?al are very firm. Here few consumers of fuel are necessitated to buy, as they have contracts r unning. Good
blast-furnace coke is fully 13s. per ton delivered at works
here.
. Clevela17fi M iners and the R atch{;t Drill.-The recent
mtroduct10n of the band ratchet into the Cleveland ironstone mines has given rise to some little friction between
the employers and th e men. With the drill in question
th.e men can obtain sufficient stone in many parts of the
mmes to oc~upy two ~ll~rs, and t~e employer has paid
sepa;ate pr1ces fo~ dr1llmg and filhng respeotively. The
men s r~presentat1ves ask that a drill shall be attended
by_a pa1r of men only, that one overhead price should be
p~n~, and that .two men, the driller and filler, &hottld
d1v1do the earmngs equally between them as has been
cemmonly done by hand miners in the absence of the

E N G I N E E R I N G.
new machine; but the mineo wners consider that this
would be likely to prevent the machine from obtaining
the best results, seeing that it is capable of getting more
stone than one filler can load up. The owners have,
however, offered to leave the whole system of working
these drills, and the rat~s of payment for the work to
an independent arbitrator, an offer which th e m~n's
agents h ave refused.
The men's representatives are
only willing to r efer the question of the undivided tonn age rate, which the two men they con tend should
share. The owners, h aving offered the opportunity for
a.n arbitration on all the points in dispute, do not see their
WAY to concede more.

NOTES FROM SOUTH YORKSHIRE.

SHEFFIELD, Wednesday.
Iron an d Ster.l. -A firm t one continues to characterise
both the iron and steel trades, and quotations show an
1nolina.tion to rise. Pig iron of local make moves off
easily, and both merchant buyers and consumers a.re pur.
ch as10g more freely. Stocks of local-made forge and
foundry pig are very light in the district, and in the event
of the blast furnaces having to be damped down through
an interruption in the supplies of coke, rates would go
up with a leap. The coke burners are now handing in
their n otic3s. F orge pig is fetching 40 3. to 42s. , and
foundry 42s. to 44s. In manufactured irons, the h eaviest
call is for bar of ~edium and best qualities for the
h ome trade, and for export, principally to Australia.,
South Africa, and India. S heets are selling slowly in the
face of home and Continental competition at unrem u nerative prices. For best boiler plates, flues, and
tubes there is a. healthy market. In the steel trad~ a.
noticeable feature is the growing demand for marine
material, the principal buyers being nort h and east coast
h ouses. Propeller blades, shafts, light steel fitti ngs, and
engineers' tool steel are th e principal lines from the shipyards. For rail way material there a re renewed inquiries
from the home companies at rates given last week,
and every appearance of an extension of the present
t rade, which is in a fairly h ealthy condition. Agents of
Bessemer billets and slabs report more doing, especial1 y
on Continental account. Quotations are: Bessemer,
5l. 7s. 6d. to 5l. 12~. 6d . per t on ; Siemens (acid),
6l. 17s. 6d. to 6l. per ton. Converters of best crucible
ca.st steel for tools are doing well on orders from the
U nited States, South Africa, and mining countries
generally.
E n.gilneerirvJ.-A depressed condition of things still
affects the various branches of th e ~ngineering trades,
but business is certainly better as compared with three
months ago. The mechanics are obtaining more work,
and the number of the unemployed has been reduced.
Th~ ;Placing of armour-plate orders by the Russian and
Spantsh Governments has given relief in one direction,
but the holding back of orders for armour by the home
Government is causing great d issatisfaction and loss.
Houses turning out ordnance and projectiles are far from
busy. At L eeds the locomotive builders are d oing steady
busmess, and those engaged on traction engines and
agricultural machines are reported to be well off for work.
Makers of mining machinery note a falling off in the
d emand both for home and export.
Midlan d I nstitute of M ilni'N}, Oi1Jil, an d M echanical
Enginee1s.- The annual rr:eeting of this association has
this year been held at Barnsley. ~Ir. \ V. E. qarforth,
West Riding Collieries, has been reelected pres1dent for
the ~nsuing yElar, with ~Iessrs. vV. Hargreaves, H. B.
Nash and J. L ongbotham as vice-presidents. Allusion
was ~ade to the great rail way extensions now in progress
in the district. These, it was said, would lead to further
d evelopment of the Yorkshire coalfield an ~ a reduction
in coal carriage. Professor Lupton comphmented them
on the great progress they had ma_d e in their knowledge
of mining. The death-rate was 50 per cent. less per
t on of coal raised than it was 25 years ago. He drew
attention to the eminent services the chairman bad rendered by his in~estiga~ions into t!'te question of coal-du~t
in connection w1 th colhery explo~10ns.

NOTES FROM THE NORTH.

Wednesday.
Gla8fJOW Pigl'l'on Man-ket.-Th~ warra:nt market w~
again fi rmer last Thursday, but without tmpr~vement m
the business doing. At the forenoon meetmg of the
"ring " 7000 tona of warrant iron changed handB. In
Scotch 1500 tons were done at 42s. 4!d. per ton cash, and
2000 tons at 42s. 5d. cash, and on month account 500 tons
ab 42s. f>!d. and 1000 tons at 42~. 7d . .per ton. For a
month fixed with 1s. forfeit in seller's optiC~n 500 tons w~re
dealt in at 42d. 4! d. per ton. The cash pnce at the fimsh
was 1d. per ton up fron, th e preceding day. In Cleveland
iron 1500 tons changed h ands-500 tons each at ~5s. 8~d.
and 35s. 9d. per ton cash, and 35s. 10i d. one month, th e
cash quotation bei ng ~d: per ton_be_tter tban on W ednesday. Nothing was done m hemattte u ons, but Cumbcrl~nd
was quoted 1~d. per ton deare~. ~be market was qmet,
but, 1f anything, ? rmer for ~ time m the ~fternoon, but
at the finish a. shghtly easter tone prevatled,. sellers of
S cotch iron wanting 42:3. 5::1. cash. The bus~ness done
amounted t o about 7000 tons, and the pr iCes were
42s. 5~d. to 42s. 5d. per t on ca~b, and 42.:r. 7d.
to 42s. 8d. one month. Cleveland u on was. quoted
ld. per ton higher, and 500 t.ons were dealt m . . At
the close the settlement pnces were -Scotch u on,
42s. 4~d. per ton; Cleve~an~, 35s. 7~d. ! Cum~erland
and Middlesbrough hemattte uon, respectively, 4os. 4~d.
and 4;~3. 4 ~d. per ton. Friday's forenoon m~rket ~as
ver
uiet, only 4000 or 5000 tons of Scotch 1ron bet_ng
dealt
and at 42s. 4,d. per tot! sellers ; the cash prtce

marked a drop of ~d. per ton from the prev iou~ day. A
lot of 1000 tons wae done at 42s. 5d. this week. The tone
was quieter on account of the heavy and unex pected increase of 1~ 1 000 tons in the stocks of Cleveland iron.
Without busmess transpiring, Cleveland fell 1d. per ton,
while Cumberland hematite iron was marked l~d. per ton
dearer. The markeb was ijasy in tone in the afternoon,
but there was more disposition to do business, about 15,000
tons of Scotch iron being dealt in, quite the half of which
was taken by one operator. The cash price dropped to
42s. 2~d. per ton, but rallied a penny, closing sellers at
42s. 3~d., or 1~d. per ton down on the day. A 300-ton
lot of Bcotch was done at 42s. 3~d . per ton this week,
with 6d. forfeib in seller's option . Cleveland was weak,
dropping 3~d . per t on on the day ab 35s. 5d. per ton
seller~, but n othmg waRdone. Cumberland hematite iron
was quoted 3~d. per ton down on the day. The settlement prices at the close were-Scotch iron, 42d. 3d. per
ton; Cleveland, 33s. 4~d.; Cumber land and Middlesbrough
hematite iron, respectively, 45s. 3d. and 43s. 4~ d. per ton.
~Ionday was a blank on 'Change, that being Bank
Holiday, when there was no meeting of the iron "ring. "
A very firm feeling ruled in the warrant market on Tuesday forenoon. Scotch iron was then in demand, J:artly
on outside account, and 4000 tons were sold at from ! d. to
1~d. over F riday's cash figure. At the close of the market
41 per cent. wa.s offered to carry Scotch. The market
was firm in the afternoon, but th e greater portion of the
business was done on "plant " terms, 4000 tons changing
hands at from 42s. 2d. to 42 ~. 3d. next week with a.
"plant." About 3000 tons of out-and-out dealing took
place at from 42s. 4!d. to 42s. 4d. per ton cash. The settlement prices at the close were-Scotch iron, 42s. 3d. per
ton; ClE\veland, 35s. 6d.; Cumber land and Middlesbrough
hematite iron, respectively, 45s. 3d. and 43s. 4~d. per ton.
Ooly a quiet business was done in the pig iron market this
forenoon. Some 5000 or 6000 tons of Scotch iron were sold at
42s. 3i d and 42s. 4d. per ton cash, and at 42~. 6d. one
month, and 500 tons were sold at 42s. 3~d. n ext week
with a" plant. " For carrying over 4 per cent. was paid.
Cleveland iron was ~et per ton down in price. In the
afternoon the market was quiet. Cleveland was done at
35s. 4d. cash, or Hd. down from the forenoon. In Scotch
iron the dealings amounted to ~000or4000ton s, and the tone
was flat, 42s. 3~d. cash being done, with sellen:J at 42s. 4d.
at the last . The closing settlement prices were : Scotch
iron, 42s. 3d. per ton ; Cleveland, 35s. 4i d. ; Cumberland
and Middlesbrough hematite iron, respectively, 45s. 3d.
and 43s. 4 ~ d. per ton. The following are some of the
prices for N o. 1 special brands of makers' iron : Clyde,
47s. per ton; Gartsherrie, S ummerlee, and Calder,
48s. ; L angloan and Coltness, 53s. Gd. - the foregoing all shipped at Glasgow ; Glenga.rnock (sh ipped
at Ardrossan), 48s. 6d. ; Shotts {shipped at L eith),
51s. ; Carron (shipped at Grangemouth), 52s. 6d.
per ton. L1st week 's shipments of pig iron fro m all
Scotch ports amounted to 5688 tons, as compared with
6701 tons in the correspondi~g week of last year. They
included 100 t ons for the United S tates, 380 tons for
Canada, 110 tons for Routh Ameri ca, 180 tons for India,
148 tons for Australia, 380 tons for Italy, 185 tons for
Germany, 490 tons for H olland, 701 tons for Belgium,
smaller quantities for other countries, and 2379 tons
coastwise. There are now 67 blast furnaces in actual
operation, against 75 at this time last year. The stock
of pig iron in Messrs. Connal and Co.'s public warrant
stores stood at 336,372 tons yesterd ay afternoon, as compared with '335,305 tons yesterday .week, thus showin g a.n
increase ~or the past week amountmg to 1067 tons. Thts
is t he first time for very many weeks that there has been
any increase to the stock of warrants in store.

[ run 01e I mports at 0/yde.- The imports o_f Spanish

iron ore at the Clyde ports of Glasgow, Bowhng, P ortGlasgow, and Greenock during the month of July
amounted to 28,895 tons. This is a decrease of 16,565
tons as compared with the landings in July last year.
For the seven months of this year the imports, 243, 2!)5
t ons show a falling off to the extent of 118,835, or near
50 p~r cent. as compared with those of t he same period
last year. The imports were not much more than double
those of the seven months in 1891, during five of which
all but six of the Scottish furnaces were out of blast owing
to the strike of furnaceman. The returns are:

GLASGOW,

rn,

1893
1892
1891
1890
1889

.. .

.. .

Month.
Seven 1\IIon t hs.
Vessels. Tons. Vessels. Tons.
... 19 28,895 155 243,295
...
28
45,460 228 362,130
... 19 27,310 100 126,529
... 29 42,914 222 326,561
...
22
28,476 189 265,524

Finished Iron an d Steel. -There is now a better feeling,

accompanied with more employment, in the finished iron
and steel trades. Eleven out of the twenty furnaces at
N ewton S~eel Works have been started afresh this. week,
after having been shu t down for nearly a month, mcluding the Glasgow Fair holidays. At t~e works of Messrs.
Colville and Sons and the Lanarkshtre Steel Companyboth at JHotherwell-th ere is a somewhat active condition
of things bnt prices still remain very low, nor does there
seem to be much chance of im,Provement taking place so
long as the present competition for orders continues.
Steel plates are quoted at 5t. 5s. per ton, angle bars at
4l. 12s. 6d., sheets at 7l. 5.s., hoops at 6l. 15s.-all less
5 per cen t. discount. The Glengarnock I~on .a nd Steel
Company, Limited, are said to have th e1r Stemens department ready for starting, but good. orders are want~d
to start with ; Calderbank Steel Works, however, still
remain closed.
Coppe7' Ore I mports at Clyde.-The imports of Spanish
copper ore at the Clyde ports during the month of July

[AUG.

I I,

Ig93

--

amount ed to 5475 tons, being an increase of 2228 tons as

compared with the imports for July, 1892. For the seven
months of this year the landings have amounted to
~8, 098 tons, being an increase of 7265 tons over those for
the same period last year, or an average increase of fully
1000 tons per month. The ret urns specially made up are:
Month.
Seven Months.
Vessels. T ons.
V easels.
T ons.
18H3
...
~
5475
22
38,098
2
3247
18
1892
...
30,833
1891
.. .
3
4935
20
29,401
1890
3
5043
21
32,588
...
1889
...
3
3296
27
33, 804
New Shipbuilding Orders.-Se\eral new shipbuilding
orders have been placed within the past few day s. The
Grangemouth Dockyard Company have contracted with
a firm of Spanish shipowners to build a 2000-ton steamer,
the machinery to be supplied by 1Iessrs. Hutson and Son,
Glasgow. F or Messrs. L ewis T . Merrow and Son, Glasgow, Messrs. Russell and Co., Port-GlMgow, are about to
build & first-class steel sailing ship of 2700 tons. She is
to be built under special survey. :Messrs. William
Hamilton and Co. , P ort-Glasgow, have contracted for the
construction of a three-ma-sted sailing sh ip of about 3000
tons carrying capacity. for Messrs. Corn foot and Co. ,
Glasgow. Messrs. A . Rodger and Co., of the same town,
are laying down the keel of anoth er sailing ship of about
the same dimensions as those of the Glen bank, which they
launched quite recently. An order has just been booked
by :Messrs. Charles Connell and Co., \ Vhiteinch, to build
a screw steamer of 4500 tons dead weight capacity for
Messrs. James L ittle and Co., Gla~gow.

Wick Harbour Works.-At a mee ting of the Wick Harbour Trustees on Monday th ere was submitted the report
to the Public W orks L oan Board on \Vick H arbour by Sir
Alexander Rendel, C. E. T be report speaks favourably
of the charact6r of the operations which have been
carried out by the aid of the loan of 50,000l. from the
L oan Board, and generally appro\'es of the work which
is further in contemplation, and the cost of which
is estimated at 16,000l. In a letter from the se:retary of
the L oan Board to the H arbour Trust ees, it is stated that
there does not appear to be any net revenue, after paying
the interest of the lo1n of 50,000l. , to meet any further
borrowing by the trustees. The secretary warns the
trustees tbat engineers' reports are obtained by a Board
only for their own information, and if borrowers act upon
any of the suggestions offered them, t hey do so on thei r
own risk and responsibility.

NOTES FROM THE SOUTH-\VEST.

Work at Portsmouth. - Steady progress is being made
with the Centurion and th e F ox. 'l'he Devastat10n will
shortly be ready for her trials. Preliminary work is also
in hand in connection with the new cruiser Eclipse. The
E clipse will be a.n improved and enlarged cruiser of the
As tr~:ea t ype, with a displacement of 5600 tons; she will
be fitted with engines of 9600 horse power.
G1eat Western R ailway.-Tbe widening of the line
between Taplow and Didcot has been completed, with the
exception of a short length at R eading, and the additional
lines ha ve been brought into use with much ad vantage to
the working of the traffic. New stations in connection
with the widening of the line are in cou rse of construction
at Maidenhead, 'l' wyford, Pangbourne, and Goring. The
doubling of the South Devon line between H emerdon
and Rattery is approaching completion, a considerable length of the second line of rails being already
in use. A contract will shortly be let for the construction
of a new station at I vybridge, and new stations are in
course of erection at Cornwood and Brent. Good pro
gress is being made with the doubling of the Cornwall
line between Liskeard and St. Austell, the second line
between Bodmin R oad and L ostwithiel having already
been opened for traffic. The widening of the South
Wales line on the west side of the Cardiff station has
been sufficiently advanced to admit of the running of
the Barry Company's trains over the additional line to the
new station at the commencement of the R i verside branch.
The adaptation of this branch for passenger traffic is in progress. Preparations are being made for the improvement of
the Cardiff station, and for the construction of additional
lines between the station and the Ea-st Junction with the
T aff V ale line, so as to provide an access for that company's trains into th e station without interfering with the
Great W estern main lines. Ne w viaducts at Beckleigh
and Ri verford, on the Tavistock branch, ha,e been completed, a nd the reconstruction of the viaducts at Coombe
by-Saltash ia p rogressing. Prep~rations are being made
for the renewal in masonry and brick work of the wooden
viaducts at Gower and S t. Austell on the Cornwall line.
Contracts are about to be let for the construction of a
portion of the East U sk line, the powers for which were
transferred to the Great W e~ tern by an Act of 1892, and
also for th e construction of the uncompleted portion of
the L eominst er and Bromyard line, from S teer,s Bridge
to Bromyard, a distance of 9 miles.
The" N arcissus."-The Narcissus is being repaired at
P embroke. Considerable difficulty has been ex~rienced
in extricating a bent piston from the low-pressure
cylinder.
Oardiff.-Steam coal has been hardening iu price. In
ferior descriptions have baen selling for immediate ship
ment at from Us. 6d. to 12s. per ton, while as much as
14s. to 15s. per ton has been demanded for the best
qualities; the .best Monmouthshire has not, however,
been making more than 12s. 9d. to 13s. fner ton. House
hold coal has been in good demand. There has been a

AuG. r r, 1893.]
steady inquiry for coke; foundry gua.lities have made
19s. to 20s. per ton, and furnace d1tto 17s. to 18s. p er
ton. Iron ore has been rather ea.sie~. T~e manufactured
iron and steel trades have shown httle unprovement; a.
few small orders for rails have, however, been secured.
L ondon and South-Western Railway.-Mr. E . Corke,
marine superintendent of the L ondon. and South-Western
Railway has resigned office through Illness. 1\Ir. Corke,
who had' been connected with the company for 35 years,
is succeeded by 1\tir. J . Dixon, who will also act as dock
superintendent at Southampton.
Rkymney R ailway.- The balance of net ~evenue for the
past halfyear is 41,512l. ; the sum ~eqUired to pay the
dividend on the preference stocks IS 19, 755l, a.nd the
balance remaining is accordingly 21, 757t. The dtreotors
recommend a d ividend of 7 per cent. per annum.upon the
ordinary stook, which will absorb 20,523l. , l ~avmg 1233~.
to be carried t o the next account. The capttal expendi ture during the half-year amounted ~o 20. 773l. On th e
Aber branch the works of construct1~n are now nea.rl.Y
completed. The principal work remaming to be done 1s
that connected. with the signalling apJ?Qratus and the
block t elegraph.
Devonpt>-rt. -The U ndaunted and th~ Hima.laya are in
basin at Keyham for ~be ~urpo~e of bemg refitted and repaired. The Warsptte IS bemg also ~verhauled and
repaired in No. 2 dock, Devonport; she 1s not expected
t o be ready for sea before the beginning of September.
Good progress is bein~ made with . the . Halcyon, the
Harrier and the Hussar. The Hermwne IS also ad vanoing a t the ?viutlton Cove slips, and she is ex.pected t o be
launched No vember 9.
Portsrru:tUth Docks. -The Works D epartment ha~ not
yet decided as to the aooept.a.nce of the tende~s sent lD by
six. or seven contractors des1rous of undertakmg the construction of new docks at P ortsmouth. There have been
two offers from local contractors, and it is considered probable that one of these will obtain the contract . The
present contract does not provide for the completion of
the docks, but the firm which obtains the preliminary
contract usually completes the whole of the work.
Gas at N ewport.-The directors of the Newport Ga s
Company have issued their report for the half-year end
ing June 30, 1893. They recommend the payment of the
usual di vidends and interest on the debenture st ock on
August 21. A n ew gasholder tank has been completed,
but not yet taken over, and the construction of the gas
bolder is progressing satisfactorily. The revenue from
gas consumed a:nd met er rentals exceeded ~hat of the corresponding penod by 556l. ; bu~, as at Card1ff: the de~and
for residual products has deohned? and the su~ rece1ved
on this a~ount was 456l. less than m the first stx months
of last year. The expenditure, however, owing principally to the reduction in the price of coal, amounted to
14 249l., against 15,006l., a decrease of 757l. The balance
of' profit was, therefore, 955l. more than at the close of
June, 1892.
Bristol Wagon Compani es.-The half-yearly meeting of
the Bristol and South vVa.les Railway Wagon Company,
Limited, was held at Brist ol on J.i' riday, Colonel Savile
presiding. The chairman, in moving the adoption 9f the
directors' report, said the board would pursue a pohcy of
caution in vte w of the great strike in the coal trade, and
in view also of the generally strained condi~i~n of financial
affairs. T he report was adopt ed, and a. d1 v1dend was declared at the rate of 10 per cent. per annum, with a bonus
of 1s. per share.-The annual meetin~ of the W estern
Wagon and Property Company, Limited, w.as. also held
at Bristol on Saturday, Mr. J. Bartlett pres1dmg. The
chairman stated that the company's works at Cardiff were
in a good condition, and that there was every prospect of
their being fully employed. H e trusted that the company
was within measurable distance of an increased dividend.
The report of the directors was adopted, and a di vidend
was declared at the rate of 8 per cent. per annum.

MISCELLANEA.
THE Corinth Canal was formally opened on August 5
by the King of Greece.
Work will shortly be commenced on the Trans- African
Telegraph, proposed by Mr. Cecil Rhodes. The contract ors for the fi rst portion of i t- viz., from Salisbury to
Tete--have justlefb Cape T own.
The Midland Railway officially announces th e expect ed
opening for g:oods traffic in the autumn of the D ore and
Chinley R a.1lway. This is a line cut at vast exP.ense
through the Peak, and intended to improve the facilities
of communication between Sheffield and Ma.nchester.
The U nited States Government recently call ed for bids
for a torpedo able to dive under the nets surrounding an
ironclad, explode a. torpedo undernea th, and get away uninjured. For such a boat they are pre,Pared to pay
200,000 do1s. Eight proposals have, 1t l S said, been
received, but as yet nothing ha.s been decided on .
During the past seven months-from January 1 to July
31 inclusive-10,129 persons have vi"i ted the Highgate
M useum of Sanitary Appliances, which shows that t.he
efforts of the sanitary authority in establishing this, the
first museum of its kind in thfJ country, have been appreciated by the public. The total number of visitors to the
museuru since it was opened by the Right Hon. the Lord
Mayor on the 8th of December last, amounts to 12,989, or
an average of 64 p&rsone per day.
The B oard of Trade are at present considering the best
method of examining ships' officers for colour blindness,
and contemplate the establishment of an entirely new
system of teets as soon as the necessary arrangem ents can

177

E N G I N E E R I N G.
be completed. Some change cer tainl y a ppea.rs neoess~ry,
as naming the colours appears to be pa~t of the examma.tion. Thus amongst tho~e wh~ have failed we no~e some
returned a.s having deecnbed pmk as r~d, though 1t must
be admitted that worse errore t han this were also made
at the same tim e.
A business meeting of the Incorporated Society of
Inspect ors of Weights and ~easures was held last afternoon at th e County Hall, Spnng Gardens. To day meet ings will be h eld in the same place at. 10.30 a m. and
2.30 p.m. At the fi rst of these, the Prestdent, !VIr. John
Button, will deliver an inaugnra.l addres~, and a paper
by Mr. J. W . Hildreth will be read and dtscussed ~s far
a s p ossible. In the afternoon Mr. R . D. ~I. Littler,
C. B , Q. C. , will deliver an address on the . ] oo~ and
Drugs Acts," and a. pa-per on the same subJect w.1ll be
read by Mr. W . Tyler. In th e evening the annual dmner
w ill be held in Anderton 's H otel, Flee~-street, at
7 p.m.
The Farmers' S upply Association of Scotland re~n.tly
offered a. prize of 1~l. 103. f~r t~e best ca.ttle-~e1ghmg
machine the r.aachmes bemg Judged by pomts, 100
being the maximum. Of this total25 were ~war~~d for
moderateness of price, 30 for strength and stm.phClty of
construction 15 for simplicity and ease of erect10n, 15 for
weighing pr~perties, such as sensi.ti.veness, &c. . and 15
for simplicity, suitability, and fa01l~ty o~ attachment of
a cage or pen for li \' 8 st ock. . The Judgmg ~as done by
two practical farmers, at?- en~meer, and an mspec~or of
weight$ and measures. F1ve firm s entered as compet1tors,
and the pri ze was fin~lly a warded to ~eesrs. He~uy
P ooley and Sons, of Ltverpool, wh.o obta.u~ed 98 pomts
out of the 100, their nearest competitor gettmg 83.
In Dingier's P olytechnisches Jou/rn~Z, th ere was recently
descri bed a. new form of apparatus I~ use at the Rora.l
R esearch L aboratory. Berlin, for testmg the comparatl ve
hardness of different materials. The substance to be
tested is prepared. with a sm l)~tb .or poli::-hed face! and
scratched with a. dtamond. T hts du~mond has a pomt as
nearly as possible conical, with an angle of 90 deg., and
is drawn over the substance to be tes~ed und er a cons~ant
pressure. The ha rdness is then estm.ated by the wtdth
of the scrat ch mad e which is measnred by a micrometer.
The following compa rative results were 9btaioed, and
are expressed in arbitrary units. which are n;1versely proportional t o the measured brea:dths of th~ hnes: L ead,
168 ; tin, 234 ; copper, 398 ; ztnc, 426 ; m ckel, 557 ; soft
steel, 765 ; glass, 1355; hard steel, 1375.
o:'l

In a paper recently read before th e Engineers' Society of

W est ern Pennsylvania., on '' Iron and Steel vVater Tanks,"
!VIr. W. C. Coffin stated that the most economical proportions for such were obtained when the height was equal
to from two-thirds to the whole diam eter . The height of
settling tanks should be about a quarter the diametor.
Stand pipes should ha':e a diamet er not les~ than one- te1~tb
their height. The thmnest plat es used m constructmg
such tanks or 3tand pipes should not be lees than Ar ~n.
thick and the bottom plates should n ot be less than ! m.
to
in. thick. Dipping the plates in a bot bath of
a.spn'a.ltum before shipping protects the material better
than any other method of painting. In painting the
tanks care should be taken to see that the paint is of
such a consistency that it will not scale off. This can be
ascertained by dipping a piece of painted iron in cold
and in bot water, and also testing it by a hammer.

r";

In certain parts of America the roMls are largely paved

with brick, a specially hard and strong quality being
used. In Columbus, Ohio, there are fifty miles of such
pavement, and the city engineer, :Mr. J oseph Kinnear,
gives in the Engineering R ecord an account of the methods
adopted in laying th e brick. The foundation, he states,
may be either broken st one or concrete. In th e former
case the greatest dimensions of the broken stone should
not exceed 2i in. This is laid on the sub grade, and
covered with sufficient sand t o fill the inter$tices. 'l' his
is rolled to a firm bed, which should be not less than 8 in.
thick. When concrete is used, a thickness of 6 in. is
sufficient. The bricks used are hard -burned paving
bricks, of uniform size, and free from flaws, cracks, or
breaks. They are laid on a. bed of sand spread 2 in.
thick on top of the foundation, and break joint at least
2 in. They are thoroughly rammed to a. bearing with a
paviour's rammer weighing at least 75 lb., and the joints
are then filled with coal tar oement or with a grout.
The French naval estimates for the year 1894 contem plate the laying down of no fewer than thirty-two new
vessels of various types-viz.: Three first -class battleship~, five second-class cr uisers, one third-class cruiser,
one seagoing torpedo- boat, five first-class torpedo- boats,
four second-class torpedo-boats, nine torpedo launches,
one second-class despatch vessel, and three gunboats.
The battleships, which will be built two in the dockyards
and one by contract. will have a displacement of 11,000
t ons, and engines of 14,500 horse power, giving a speed
of 18 knots. The armament of each will be four 11.3-in ,
t en 5. 5in. six 3. 9-in., sixteen 1. 85-in., ten 1. 45 in., and
eight revolving guns. The second-class cruisers, one of
which will be built in a Government yard and four by
contract, are of two types. The first type, which is t o
include the vessels provisionally known as E 4, E 5, and
E 6, will be of ~990 tons di splacement, 9000 horse power,
and 19 knots speed, ca.rrymg four 6.2-in., ten ~. 9- in. ,
fourteen 1.85-in., and four 1.45-in. quick-firing guns.
The second type, which is to include the vessels provisionally known as G 3 and G4, will be of 3800
tons displacement, 9100 horse-power, and 19.25 knots
speed, carrying stx 6.2-in., four 3. 9-in., eight 1. 85-in.,
and twelva 1.45- in. quick-firing guns. These five
vessels are improved Chasseloup - Laubats.
The
third-class cruiser, which is to be built in a Govern

ment yard will b e a modified Galilee of 2300 t ons

displaceme~t 6600 horse-power 1 and 20 knot~ spfed,
carrying fou; 5.5 in., two 3.9 m., eight 1..85 In., our
1.45 in. quick-firing guns, and. four. rcvol vmg canno.n.
The sea-going torpedo boat, wh1ch w11l proba.b~y be fbu~t
by M. Norm and , of Havre, will b e a r~pet1t10n o. t e
Forban, which is now under constructiOn, and wtll ~e
of 3260 horse-power, and 30 knots speed. She w~ll
measure 144ft. long. The first-class torpedo-boats w1ll
be of 80 tons dis2_la.cement, 1~50 horse- power, a.~d
23.5 knots sp eed. The second-class torpedo-boats Will
be of 53 tons dis placement, 700 horse- powe~, and 2~.5
knots speed. The torpedo launch ea, w h10h are m
tended t o be ca1 ried on the deck of tb~ n ew torpe~o
d epot ship Fondre, ~11 be . 62 ft. 4 m. long, dtsplacement 14 tons, havmg engmes of 210 h~ree-power,
and being capable of a speed of 16.3 knots. It 1s expected
that they will be built at Creusot, wb~re the plans have
b&en prepared. The gu~boats, of wht,ch part10ulars are
not made public, are behaved to be nver gunboats for
colonial service.
CATALOGCES.-!VIessrs .J. Bagsbaw ~nd Sons, LimitEd,
of the Victoria Foundry, Ba.tley, have sent us a copy of
the:r ne w catalogue of shafting, pulleys, hang.ers, and
other power transmission plant. The ca.ta~ogue lS of ~n
venient s;ze is well illustrated, and the a.rtlCles d escrtbed
are fully p~iced.-Der Maschinen F~brik Oerlikon, of
Z urich have also sent us a. copy of the1r new catalogue of
Drehstrom motors. The descriptions are unfortunately
printed in German, and so will be of limited value to
English buyers. - Mr. Hans Renold, of Manches~er,
has issued a. new illustrated catalogue of gear chams,
of which he has long made a epecia.lity.-lYiessrs.
vV. H. Bailey and Co., Limited, of Salford, have issued a
catalogue of pumps and hydraulic mac~inery, which t.bey
claim to be the most complete ever published. It certa.m1y
is very well got up, and contains n~rly 400 pages of
finely illustrated matter. A very fullmdex enhances the
value of the publication.
CASINGS FOR ELECTRIC MAINS. -~Ieesre. Doulton and
Co. have brought out casings for electric mains, formed of
highly vitrified stoneware. They contain a. numher of
channels, of round or square sect ion, into which the
mains can be drawn as req uired. By building a number of
these ca sings togeth er, a conduit of large capl.city can be
constructed, and one that is bo~ h strong to reE-ist street
traffic and incapable of corrosion or decay. The usual
length of the section~ is 3ft., and several methods of
jointing have been designed. In one form a mandril,
having at one point a thick rubber sleeve, is slipped into
the channel until the rubber stands in the joint
between two contiguous sections. The rubber is
then compressed by being screwed up endwise, until
ib completely fills the channel and holds t he two
pa.rts fair and steady. An external co ver of Portland
cement wm then secure the parts permanently. According to another method, the ends of tha casing, when
brought together, are lapped round with a. b1nd of prepared canvas, and inclosed in a stoneware trough open at
the top. The lo wer interior surface of the trough, before
being placed in position, receives a layer of Portland
cement, which is prevented from entenng between the
casings by the ~nva.s band. The trough is the.n filled
to its upper edge with cement. A reliable joint can
by this method be conveniently and rapidly made.
Stoneware junction boxes, with cast-iron lids, are provided for connections and changes of directioif. These
new casings are full of promise, and are worth a trial.
TRIAL OF A DAVEY P o~IPING ENGINE.-At a recent
meeting of the Widnes Town Council, the engineer re ported tllat a trial bad taken plac& of the "Benjamin
Brown ' ' engine at the Netherl~y extension: The
engine was desig aed by Mr. Henry Da vey, M. I. C. E., of
3, Pri nce'sstreet, Westminster, an:i is a compound
engine having 32-in. and 60-in. cylinders by 6 ft. 3 in.
stroke. It works two sets of pumps. There ig a pair of
18~-in. diameter lift pumps in the boreholes, G ft. 6 in.
stroke, and these pumps deliver the water into a. sump
u~der the engine-room fi?or, .fro'Ir!- which a double acting
ptdton force-pump, 18~ m. m dtameter and 6 ft. 3 in.
stroke, takes the water and forces it to the reservoirSl.
The final trial of the engine and pumps extended over a
p eriod of 4~ hours. The engine was required by the
Corporation to d o a duty of 90 million foot.pounds of
work on 1008 lb. of steam, which is eq_ual t o UO million
foot-pounds on 112 lb. of coal, evaporatmg 9 lb. of water
p er pound of coal. The first m easurement was con tinued
for six hours, and the result was a duty of 112 millions.
The second measurement was conti nued for six h ours
on the second day, with a result of 109 millions duty:
The third measurement was continued for three hours
on the third day, with a result. of 106 millions whE'~
the trial terminated. The contract speed of the' engine
w.as l 1 strokes per minute and 2i m~llion gallons per
dtem. . The actual averag"e spe~d, durmg the whole of
the trtal, was 12.45 strokes per m mute pumping 2 5G6 000
gallon s per diem, or 14.4 per cent. in excess of the ~on
tract quantity.
Result B.
Duty on 1008 lb. of steam, or on
112lb. of..coal evaporating 9lb.
of water per 1lb. of coal
... lO!l.0 millions.
Indic~ted horse-power ...
.. 230
Pump horse-power
.. .
. .. 200
Ivlet;ha.nical efficiency . . .
. .. 87 per cent.
Steam per indicated horse-power
per hour .. .
..,
...
. . U5. 6lb.
Steam per pump horse-power
p 9r hour
. ..
...
. ..
18.0 lb

E N G I N E E R I N G.

[AuG. rr, r8g3.

FIRST-CLASS PASSENGER CARRIAGE AT CHICAGO: PRUSSIAN STATE RAILWAYS.

CONSTRUCTED BY THE EISENBAHNWAGEN UND MASCHINEN-FABRIK VAN DER ZYPEN UND CHARLIER, CQLN-DEUTZ, GERMANY.

(For Description, see Page 173.)

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AuG.

E N G I N E E R I N G.

r, 1893.]

179

degree, in nearly all operations ?f m~ke- believe

NOTICE.
warfare- it is seldom that either s1de w1ll acknowAGENTS FOR ' ' ENGINEERING."
T he New C unarder s "CAMPANIA " and " LU- ledge itself worsted, so that one has to ta.~e a great
.A.unau., Vienna: Lehmann and Wentzel, Kamtnemraeee.
CANIA ;" and the WORLD'S COLUMBIAN deal on trust. At any rate, shortly after s1x secondCAPB TOWII : Gordon and Gotob.
EDilfBUB.GH : John Menzies and Co., 12, Hanover-etreet.
class boats attacked, this time from ahead ; _hut the
EXPOSITION OF 1893.
FB.ANoB Paris : Boyveau and Chevillet, Librairle Etrangere, 22,
Rue de la Banque; M. Em. Terquem, 3lbil Boulevard Hausamann. The PubUsher begs to a nnounce that a R eprlDt i s Red fleet n ot only destroyed the whole flot1lla, but
Also for Advertisements, Agenue Bavas, 8, P lace de la Bourse. now r eady of the Descriptive Matte r and Illustr~ '' t hrice they slew the slain "-in some cases at
(See below.)
least for the number of boats claimed to have been
GBBllANY Berlin: Messrs. A. Asher and Co., 6, Unter den Llnden . tions conta.tned In the issue of ENGINEERING of
' Leipzig : F. A. Brockhaus.
April 21st, comprlstng ov er 130 p ages, with nlDe sunk' exceed the tale of the enemy. Torp~do-boats
Mulhouse: H. Stuckelberger.
t w o - page a nd four single page Plates, printed seem to have as many lives as cats, durmg peace
GLASGOW : William Love.
t h r oughout on special Plate paper, bound 1D clot h . manreuvres. A cruiser, however, appe_ars to have
I NDIA, Calcutta: Tbacker, Spink, and Co.
Bombay : Thaoker and Co., Limited.
gUt l ett ered. Price 6s. Post f r ee. 6s. 6d . The ordi been hit by a t orpedo, but whether 1t. emanated
ITALY: U. Hoepli, Milan, and any post oftloe.
nary editi on of t h e issue of AprU 21st is out ofprtnt. from a '' destroyed " boat or n ot, umptres alone
LIVBR.POOL: Mrs. Taylor, Landing Stage.
MANOHEBTBR : John Heywood, 143, Deansgate.
can decide. All this occurred in narrow 'V!a.ters _on
Nsw SoUTH WALKS, Sydney : Turner and Hendereon, 16 and 18,
a. somewhat misty night, the squadron dtsplay1ng
Hunter -street. Gordon and Gotch, George-streetl.
the regulation navigational ligh~s~ but there was
QUBBNBLA.ND (SouTH), Brisbane : Gordon and Gotch .
(NORTH), Townsnlle: T. Willmett and Co.
a moon which made the boats vts1ble, and so put
RooTIIRDAM : H. A. Kramer and Son .
FRIDAY, AUGUST 11, 1893.
them at a considerable disadvantage.
SOUTH AUSTRALIA, Adelaide : W. C. Rigby.
UNITBD STATBS, New York: W. B . Wiley, 63, Eaet ~oth-et.r e~tl.
These small excitements were but a prelude to
Cbioago : H . V. Holmes, 44, Lakes1de Buildm~ .
grander events to follow. D ur ing the afternoon
VICTOB.lA MBLBOtrRNB : Melville, Mullen and Slade, 262/264, Collins
THE NAVAL MANCEUVRES.
str eet. ' Gordon and Gotoh, Limited, Queen-street.
of the same day J uly 28, the main bodies of the
TUE naval manreuvres for 1893 have been short two Red squad~ons met n ear Cardigan. Bay and
NOTICE TO AMERICAN SUBSCRI BERS.
and sharp, a state of affairs satisfactory to those en - joined forces, but, befor_e they had qutte taken
We beg to announce that American Subscriptions to ENGIMIB&ING
their positions for steammg, they were enveloped
may now be addressed either direct te the publisher, MR. CHARLES gaged. In sham fighting, as in r eal fighting, it is
This was on~ o_f. those fo~tunes, or
GlLBBRT at the Offices of this Journal, Nos. 35 and 36, Bedford the watching and waiting which men and officers in a thick fog.
street, Strand, London, W.C., or to our accredited Agents for the hate; indeed, patience and perseverance are almost misfortunes, of war, the poss1h1hty of wh tch should
United States, Mr. W. H . WILEY, 63, East lOth-str eet , New York,
and Mr. H. V. Holmes, 44, Lakeside Building, Chicago. The as great military virtues as courage and skill . The make this country careful to be paramount at sea.
p rices of Subscription (payable in advance) for one ~ear a re.: For opposing fleets this year, as usual, have been and a little over. Admiral Fairfax was extremely
thin (foreign) paper edition, ll. 16s. Od. ; for t h1ck (ordinary)
fortunate in effecting the junction before the fog
paper edition, 2l. Os. 6d., or if r emitted to Agent s, 9 dolla re for divided into Red and Blue forces, the one to act on
the defensive, and the other to be essentially the came on otherwise there would have been the very
'hlD and 10 dollars for thick.
attacking force. The latter was the Red side, and real risk of collision, and the more hypothetical
ADVERTISEMENTS.
was, on the whole, the stronger. Both forces were, on e of the two squadr ons mistaking each other for
The oharge fo r advertisemeats is three shil1fnga for th e flret tour however, divided into two fleets, and one of the enemies. The fog lasted for about two hours, the
Unee or under, and eightpence for each additional line. The line
anr ages seve~ words. Paymen~ must .acc!lmpal?y all orders for Blue fleets was stronger than one of the Red, and combined fleet steaming on, and affording h elp to
Biogle adnrt1semeots, otherWJse then msert10n cannot be the two Blue fleets, if united, were stronger than the torpedo-boats of the enemy by sounding the
guaranteed. Terms for displayed adyertisements ~>n t.he w rap~er
The hornets
and on the inside pages ma.y be obta1ned on apphcat10n. Sertal either Red fleet separately. The chief object of steam sirens and firing signal guns.
adver,ieemeots will be insert ed with all practicable r egularity, but the Blue admiral in command, under these circum- of the sea did not fail to profit, for when t he fog
absolut e re~larity cannot be guarant eed.
stances, would manifestly be t o unite his two fleets, lifted suddenly the torpedo-boats were discovered
AdYertisements iDt ended for 1Dsertlon In the cur and bring t he Red fleets to action separately, over- ri<Yht in the midst of the fleet.
They were, of
rent week's issue must b e delivered not later than
5 p .m . on Thursday. In consequence of the necessity whelmin<Y them thus in detail, whilst it is equally co=>urse, promptly "sunk," but n ot befor e they had,
for &otng to press early with a portion of the editton. obvious that the R ed commander-in-chief would so they signalled, torpedoed a. battleship and a
alterations for standing Advertisements should be strive t o prevent this combination.
cruiser. The two hours' fog, however , was responrooelved not later than 1 p .m. on Wednesday afterThe ultimate object of the R ed side was to obtain sible for far more serious consequences than even
noon 1D each week.
The sole Agents for Advertisements trom the Con command of St. George's Channel, so that the seas the loss of a. battleship and a cruiser.
tiale:Dt of Europe and the French Colonies are the might be open for an expeditionary force to be sent
The fog, though it favoured the Blues, as will
AGJ:NCB BAVAS, 8, Place de la Bourse, Paris.
across it. The Blue side had also a number of tor- appear later, did somewhat to upset Admiral Fitzpedo-boats which the R eds had to destroy or put out roy's plans. He had made a forecast that the two
SUBSCRIPTIONS, HOME AND FOREIGN.
of action before the seas could be deemed open. An Red fleets would endeavour to form a j unction,
ENGINEERING oan be supplied, direct from t h e publisher, important feature in the scheme of operations was somewhat in the manner they did, and he enpoet free for Twelve Months at the following ratee, payable in that ships were not allowed to pass from north to deavoured to bring about a j unction of his own
advance:south or south to n orth on the western coast of squadrons, so that they would meet Seymour's
For the United Kingdom . - - - .......... . 1 9 2
I reland. To arrange for this prohibition, what was vessels, over which they would have a sufficient
, all placet abroad :called a " forbidden belt " was created, extending advantage in points to give him the victory and
Thin paper oopiee .. - ... ..... .. 1 16 0
Thick
,
............ 2 0 6
from the south-western corner of Ireland out across virtually decide the issue of the war. It was not,
All accounts are p ayable to t he p ub1isher , MR. CHARLES GILBBRT. the Atlantic. As the two Blue fleets were situated h owever, until two o'clock on the morning of Sat urCheques should be crossed .. Union Bank, Charing Cross Branch." r espectively at Berehaven and Blackrod Bay, they day, the 29th, that Fitzroy and Dale joined hands,
Post Office Orders payable at Bedford-street, Strand, W.O.
When forei~ Subscriptions ar e sent by Post Oftlce Orders had to make the junction by way of the narrow the former having slipped by th e combined Red
advice should be sent to the Publisher .
waters that separate Scotland and I reland, known forces in the fog just about the time the latter met.
Foreign and Colonial Subscribers receiving as the North Channel. The two Red fleets were On Saturday morning the main bodies of both Red
Incomplete Copies throllgh News-Agents are re conveniently situated at Lamlash in Arran and a.t and Blue were in the neighbourhood of t he Isle of
quested to communicate the fact to the Publisher,
Torbay respectively. The .Reds were commanded Man. The Blue fleet then numbered 136 points,
together with the Agent's Name and Address.
Oftlce for Publication and Advertisements Nos. by Vice-Admiral Fa.irfax and Rear-Admiral Sey- and at daybreak the r ival fleets were in sight . A
85 and 36, Bedford-street, Strand, London,
mour ; whilst the Blue fleet was commanded by great naval battle was now imminent, and at 4 A. M.
Rear-Admiral Fitz.roy, with Rear-Admiral Dale as on the Saturday both fleets opened fire, passing
bLBGJU.l>BIO ADDRB88-ENGINEERING, LONDON.
in
command.
second
each other within range. It would be useless
TBLBPHONB NUMBll&-3663.
For t he purposes of the manreuvres certain '' tac- to attempt to describe th e manreuvres of the
tical values " ar e given to different ships, and it by rival fleets 1 and it is doubtful whether the rules
ENGINEERING is r egistered for t re.nsmii!J8lon abr oad.
no means follows t hat because a battleship is of the game were observed throughout. That
RliADJNG CABBIJ. - Reading cases tor containing t wenty-six heavily ar moured and carries a powerful armament is a point which the umpires will have to
numbers of E~GINliBRING may be bad of t h e publish er or of any that she is more powerful, for manreuvre purposes, th ink out, endeavouring to disentangle intricacies
n ews-agent. Price 68. each.
than a.n actually weaker sister. The total tactical by the light of such evidence as may be for thcom
value of the Red side was 179, whilst the Blue side ing. On e thing is certain, that no make-believe
CONTENTS.
had a value of 160. Special service vessels and can ever throw much light on what would occur in
PA<JB I
PAGE torpedo-boats had no " tactical values " assigned to
r eal warfare, even if umpires could be omnipresent
The Kosbeehah Escape,
The Awards Muddle in
Middle Egypt {nltU
Chicago . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 181 them; nevertheless, a torpedo-boat could put a and entirely wise. All are agreed, however, that
trated). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 163 Notes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 182 battleship out of action if she could make a hit with as a spectacle the action was an entir e success; and,
The Institution ot Mechani
Literature . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 183
cal Engineers . . . . . . . . . . 164 Books R eceived ..... . .... 184 her torpedo without being herself previously sunk. indeed , one could hardly imagine a grander sight
The I nternational Maritime
Judges at the Columbian
It should be added that a superiority of 12! per than these splendid ships manreuvring agains t each
Con~resa .. . ....... . .. .. . 169
Exposition, Chicago . . 184 cent., or one-eighth, was r equired to be possessed
other, and firing th eir big and r apid-fir ing gun s.
Baldwm Locomot ives at
Cement Concrete .. . . . . . . . . 185
for on e side to claim victory over the other.
t he Chicago Exposition
Monolit hic Construction of
They might, h owever, have blazed away until they
(Illustrated) . . . . . . . . . . . . 172
Sea Works . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 185
It was not long after th e time fixed for t he out- had burn t all t he powder in all the magazin es of
Railway Carr1age for PrusThe International Maritime
sian State Lines (l llm
Congress ........ . . . .. .. 186 break of hoRtilities that the fighting began. The Eur ope, and been no nearer a decision, for t he
trated) .. .. .............. 173 Th 6 Report of the Ad
B squadron of the Reds left Lamlash at 10 P .M. on issue was a matter of strategical points, n ot of hard
mira.lty Boiler Commiitee;
Steam Excavator at the
J uly 27, and early on t he following morning the blows, and neither side had a sufficient balance of
World's Columbian Expo
Torpedo-Boat Engine Per sition (l Umtm ted) ...... 175
formances . . . .. .. . . . .... 186 old Rupert, unable to keep up th e pace, and which units to decide th e matter. The rival admirals
Notes from Cleveland and
Breaking up Macadamised
had therefore dropped aster n, was attacked by six r ecognised t his, and after a sufficient period of
the Northern Counties . 175
Roads . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 186
torpedo-boats, of course of the Blue enemy. spectacle, agreed by signal to consider t he affair a
Notes from South York
Engine Vibration (l llm
shi re . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 176
trated.) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 187 These boats attacked from the stern, and it is drawn battle, so t hat "Cease firing " was the or der
Notes from theN orth . . . . . . 176 1Industrial Notes . . . . . . . 187
Notes from the South-West 176 Boiler Eploeion at Bileton 188 possible, ther efore, t hat the claim that they were shortly after five o'clock. The two fleets, thereMiscellanea . ... .. . . . . ... . . . 177 The Extension of the Port
destroyed- " according to the rules" -may have fore, went into port for twenty-four hours, accordThe N a.val Manceuvres . . . . 179
of Dunkirk (Illustrated). 189 been well grounded ; and her e we meet the first
ing to the rules of t h e game ; an d so ended the
Arbitration.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 180 The Cleveland District . . . . 191
inst~nce of the very unsatisfa{}tory feature that con- battle of the Calf of Man.
H.M. S. '' Theseus " . . . . . . 180 "Engineering" Patent Re
cord ( nzustra,te.d) . . . 193 stantly arises in commenting on naval manreuvres
After these heroic proceedings we do 11ot care to
With a TwoPage Engra'VVng oj the KOSHESHAH BASIN before the official repor t is issued. In torpedo-boat come down to th e minor actions which followed ;
ESC.APE, MIDDLE EGYPT.
attacks- and the same thing applies, only in a minor h ow th e Forth and A polio were torpedoed by their

E NGINEERING.

w.c.

18o

E N G I N E E R I N G.

own side t hrough n eglect to display the private sig- unfortunately, when an occasion arises for the
nal, or how the same torpedo-boat put out of action application, the parties directly concerned are too
another cruiser of h er own side, the Melampus. often in a mood which savours of t he belligerent,
There were various breakdowns, but nothing with the result that even if no difficulties exist they
apparently of a very serious nature ; and her e we are readily created. It is true that the thousand
think the value of th ese annual manoouvres is well and one details are difficult of adjustment, and
shown. By then1 the ships are put t o a high test when there is little will there is less action. The
und~r service conditions- not trial trip conditions time was when a contest could be waged to a. bitter
-with the eye of the public upon them in the end without much loss. It is only in comparatively
shape of cer tain very observant newspaper corre- r ecent times that it has become necessary to employ
spondents, only too anxious for an incident to add several advocates, with large retaining fees and
colour to t heir descriptions. In this connection we refreshers, to present a case to the court in such
may notice another improvement which has been a way as to win a verdict, and the press of business
brought about by the introduction of naval in the courts tends not only t o increase the cost,
manoouvres. When they were first started the but invol ves a state of indecision which is not at all
repor ts that came through the daily press were conducive to the successful development or activity
sometimes absurd in the want of knowledge in of an establishment. M oreover, t he advance of
naval mat ters they displayed. The whole business science, particularly in its application to t he
was naturally an enigma to them, and correspon- mechanical industries, has r esulted in a great
dents were dependent on what they were t old, variety of technical points being involved in diswhich was often not without a strong flavour of putes. However learned the barristers and Queen 's
wardroom jokes at th e expense of the innocent . counsel and judges may be, they can scarcely be
No one is, h owever , mor e apt at gaining informa- said to have acquired sufficient skill within the
tion than the j ournalist, and the best n ewspaper precincts of t he law courts or in Parliament to
correspondents n ow send admirable accounts of the enable th em to weigh aright the subtle q uestions
proceedings, while some go so far as t o criticise t he underlying a dispute between a cont ractor and a
course taken by the admirals, or else patronise t hem client, and which may involve for its settlement a
with qualified praise. It must b e altogether a novel knowledge, say, of thermodynamics. The j udges
sensation to these great potentates to find them- have themsel ves r ecognised their inability in t he
selves either picked to pieces or patted on t he back , matter, and occasionally invite the co-operation of
To return, however, to the proceedings of the scientists of high standing to assist them in their
fleets. U nder the rules laid down, vessels put out decisions, as, for instance, in the case of t he question
of action were able to become fit for ser vice again of infringement of patent in connection with the
after twenty-four hours in port, so that the two Edison incandescent lamp. That being so, one
fleets, which had been battering each other so can t h e mor e r eadily appreciate the advantages of
fiercely in the Irish Sea a fe w days previously, arbi tr ation. Again, Parliament has admitted t he
came together again in the neighbourhood of H oly- advantages, and in many private Bills the principle
head on the morning of August 4. The Blue fleet is recognised by t he appoint ment of arbiters for
was up Lo i ts full strength of 160 points, and it settling disputes r egarding the value of property to
would therefore r equire a fleet of 180 points to de- be compulsorily purchased for railways and other
feat it. The R ed fleet, although including 28 vessels public works.
As we have already pointed out, the difficulty in
was nine points short of the required number, so
there was nothing but another indecisive action to a mor e extensive application is in the arrangement
look forward to. There was, h owever, a chance of preliminaries, and every one interested in the
for the Blues that some of the ships of the enemy point will welcome the constitution of the L ondon
before them might be sunk by having been pre- Chamber of Arbitration, for voluntary references
viously torpedoed, and , indeed, the R ed flagship, to arbitration, and for the arbitration of cases
The
the R oyal Sovereign, was claimd to have been so referr ed by courts of law or the judges.
destroyed; but in any case it would never do for Chamher may not be legally recognised, but the
British ships to come in the face of an enemy with- fact that it is organised by the Corporation of t he
out burning powder, so at it the two fleets went. I t City of London and the Ch9.mber of Commerce is of
was all over by ten o'oclock, in time for the com- itself sufficient to insure complete confidence in the
batants to enjoy a somewhat late breakfast. What arrangements. E ach year a list of arbitrators is to
was the result of this second great fleet action can be prepared, the n ominations being by the Corporation, the Chamber, and'' such other commercial
only be decided by the umpires.
There can never be finality in sham figh ting; in associations and institutions as may be from time
the present case, especially, we do not thin~ that to time determined, " and the first list gives the
either side could be a warded the palm of victory, names of about 1800 gentlemen under their probut if there is a choice to be given, we think the fessions, w bile r eference is made to the ~' special
Blues might claim i t. After the two ~lue fleets knowledge" possessed. Much depends on t he
j oined, which they were enabled to do owmg to the status of the arbitrators insuring universal con fortunate-for them- intervention of a two hours' fiden ce, and certainly t here is a large body from
fog, the task of the Red~ became practica:lly a!>- i~1- whieh arbitrators and umpires may be chosen. A
possibility. Of course, 1n r eal war a d1spanty In large number of them are well known in t heir proforces would soon be caused by the action of shot fessions ; but it must be said also that in many
and shell torpedo, or ram, for it would hardly be cases names of eminent men are missing. The
that the' chances of battle would be distributed Institutions of Civil Engineera, of Mechanical
with an exactly equal hand. In sham fighting, Engineers, of Naval Architects, the Iron and
h owever, one ship is as good as ~nother, so long .as Steel Institute, the Chemical Society, &c., were,
she keeps blazing away, and so It must necessanly we believe, approached, and requested to nomibe. I t is n ot, however, for these reasons that nate arbitrators; but we do not think with
naval manreuvres should be decried; and we n eed with any definite result. Prominent members of
here only repeat the statement we have so often these well-known organisations are included ; but
made, that the money spent on them is. the best the profession generally might have more r eadily
recognised the value of t he arbitrators' status if it
laid out in the service of all voted by Parliament .
There is one bit of practice that stands out from was announced that their institution had been
the r est and which is of more especial inter est t o parties to t he selection. .The r ules of the ins~itu
our r ead'ers. The torpedo gunboats are said- as a tions would, however, In few cases we thmk,
rule-to have been complete failures, more trouble allow of this being done ; b ut any case there
than they wer e worth, appar ently. They f~iled t o should not be much difficulty in litigants findcatch t he t orpedo-boats, and wer e continually ing ''good and true men " in the list.. The
breaking down. I t is our opi!lion that the.re has approval of. t he Court of. Common Council . havbeen too much of t he big cruiser element In the ing been gtven, the arbitrators are appomted
design and execution of these vessels . .The to:p~do for a year, and it would appear that only t hose who
boat has b een a special growth, having a distinct are thus acknowledged can be chosen by litigants.
origin, and having been cul~i vated by men who As to the qualifications, nominees must be British
have devoted t hemselves to It from th.e first. To subJects, and must have been established in busineEs
in
t
he
metropolis
for
at
least
seven
years,
or
t
hey
put the business 1nto the hands ? f big vessel demay be ship-captains, ,~bile. t he Corpor~tion r~servc
sicrners
and
builders
is
like
attemptmg
to
scale
down
0
th e engines of an Atlan tic liner to fi t a steam launch. unlimited powers, whiCh Insures the mcluswn of
men in the provinces. Of course insolvency, or
felony, or misdemeanour, disqualify. Attendance
on cases, even when chosen, is voluntary.
ARBITRATION.
Presuming that a . clause has been inserted in a
THE principles of arbitration are almost universally accepted, the ad va.ntages recognised ; but contract to the effect that all disputes which may

[AuG.

II ,

1893.

arise are to be submitted to arbitration under the

rules of the L ondon Chamber of Arbitration, and
that a dispute has arisen, r eference is made to the
Chamber, and at the same time selection is made
by parties of one, two, or three arbitrators from the
approved list ; failing which the R egistrar of the
Chamber will select. This Registra.r , by the way,
is t he principal official, and must be a barrister or
solicitor, and have practised in L ondon for seven
years preceding his appoint ment. When there are
two arbitrators they choose an umpire, who may
sit with them, or subsequently hear t.he appeal, the
procedure being according t o best practice. The
proceedings are to be in private, witnesses may be
examined on oath, and the award of a majority is
sufficient and binding. The costs may be awarded
at the discretion of the arbitrators, and it is interesting to note the amount of these. F or t he first
hour of the sitting the arbitrator s and umpire get
t wo guineas each , and for each subsequent hour
one guinea, the time occupied in preparing the
award being included. The parties, however, may
agree to higher fees, in which case the submission
has to be endorsed. One guinea is to be paid for
office fee. "Vitnesses' fees are as at t he High Court.
If a settlement be come to after the arbitrators are
appointed, they are paid as if for the first hour of
hearing, although th ey may not have sat on the
case, or for the time they actually did sit. If
desired by t he parties, a legal assessor may be employed. H e is to be a barrister of seven years'
standing, and appointed by th e Corporation. His
fee is three guineas for each day on which he is
engaged for a period not exceeding three hours,
and if it exceeds three h ours, ten guineas. Any
party to the case may be represented by barrister
or solicitor, provided he gives five days' notice to
his opponent, and the fees are as in t he High Court.
I t will, therefore, be seen that all the machinery
is provid ed, and t hat if a dispute clause is inserted
in the contract, any dispute arising need not cause
friction, when it can be set tled by exper ts at a
small cost. If the pointe are not intricate, or easily
expressed, a case may be " stated " inst ead of all
the procedure of proof being undertaken; personal
attendance will not then be r equired, and the
arbitrators' fees are not to exceed four guineas.
We have referred to the desirability of decisions
being given without undue delay. The arbitrators
are r equired to make t heir award within twenty-one
days after the signing of the submission, and this time
is only to be exceeded in exceptional circumstances.
The experiment, if such it can be called when the
principle of arbitration is so frequently adopted,
will be watched with extreme interest, and if t he
Chamber secures the confidence of the metropolis,
there is no r eason why similar arrangements should
not be made in all important centres, not only for
references by private parties, but by the law courts.

H .l\1.8. '' THESEUS."

THE Theseus is a first-class cruiser, one of the
last ships of the Hamilton pr ogramme. She has
been built by the Thames I ron Works and Shipbuilding Company at Black wall, and has j ust been
completed in the Victoria Docks. 'Vhatever
mission fate may have in store for this war vessel,
she has commenced her career by an act of charity
and peace, which should, at any rate, make her a
lucky ship. The P oplar H ospital is one of the
hardest worked and most deserving charities of the
kind in the metropolis, and t he directors of t he
Thames Iron Works, in whose neighbourhood t he
hospital is situated, hit upon t he happy expedient
of opening the Theseus to the inspection of the
p ublic on payment of a certain sum, the pr oceeds
going to the hospital. The vessel was accordingly
open for inspection on Saturday and Monday last,
the L ord Mayor taking part in the opening proceedings. It is to be hoped a very large sum has been
netted for the hospital.
The Theseus is 360ft. long, 60ft. wide, and has
a. mean draught of 23 ft . 9 in., the displacement
at this draught being 7391 tons. Like other ships
of her class, she has no side armour, but the usual
protective steel deck is worked in, the maximum
thickness being 5 in . To protect t he oogine
cylinders, which come aboye the water level, t here
is an inclined armoured breastwork of 6-in.
steel. This is backed by 3 in. of teak and 1t in.
of plating. The coal bunkers are arranged as
usual, so as to supplement this protection. There
are eighteen main compartments, divided by bulkheads, all of which can be made watertight by

Auc. r 1, 1893.]

E N G I N E E R I N G.

r8r

closing the doors. The conning-tower is made of the closing apparatus for the mag~zine, thi.s is meter. The fresh-water distillers and evaporators
two rolled steel plates 12 in. thick, another plate worked by pouring water down a pipe, provided for domestic purposes have a combined capacity of
On 540 gallons of fresh water per hour.
protecting the entrance. Each of the two con- for the purpose, from the deck above.
It is satisfactory to find that the Than1es can
ning-tower plates weighs 25 tons. On the poop, aft the back of the valve or shutter there is a rack,
of the chart-house, there is a steel-plated torpedo- and into this a pinion gears. The pinion is actuated still turn out warships of the highest class. In
director tower, which is of oval section. On the by a lever, to the end of which is fixed a float, the naval engines the metropolitan river still hol~s
main deck there are four search-light towers ; float resting in a chamber. \hen it is desired to her own, but for big war vessels the London dtsthese are so arranged that they can be entirely close the door from above, so as t o shut off the trict-once so great a centre of iron shipbuildingclosed by watertight doors, so as t o isolate them opening in the bulkhead necessary for the passage has now to depend on the Thames Iron Works
from the deck, and thus prevent water entering of air, water is poured down the pipe from above alone, there being no other establishment which
the ship. The armament consists of two 9. 2-in. and falls into the float chamber. This causes the at present builds large craft of this nature,
22-ton breechloading guns, one on the poop and float to rise, and, as it rises, it works the pinion, so although in the smaller vessels of the Navy the
the other on the forecastle. These are mounted starting the shutter or watertight door, which then firms of Thornycroft and Yarrow put the London
on the central pivot system, the arc of fire being falls the rest of its travel by its own gravity. In district in the foremost position. The existence of
240 deg.; the ammunition is brought up t hrough the steering compartment aft is kept a small the Thames Iron Works is really a matter of
the mounting. There are ten 6-in. quick-firing portable hand fan, which is placed on a carriage on national importance, it being highly desirable that
guns, throwing 100-lb. projectiles.
Five are wheels. There are two of these fans, and t hey are yards capable of building large warships should be
mounted on each side. There are eight 6-pounder used for ventilating any small compartments. The distributed over the country . . Were it left to comquick-firing guns and eight 3-pounder quick-firing coal bunkers have a system of ventilation of their mercial considerations alone, doubtless the building
guns. In addition to these there are two 9-pounder own, pipes being carried from them into the funnel of big ships would leave the southern part of the
field guns, and five .45-in. N ordenfeldt guns. This casing, so that the circulat ion of air depends on the kingdom in favour of the north, but for strategical
makes thirty-five guns in all. There are also four natural draught, due to the heat given off by the purposes it is n ecessary that there should not be
14-in. torpedo guns, two being fitted below water funnel. All openings in the protected deck are concent-ration of building yards in any one part of
forward, and two above water aft. The under- sheltered by double cofferdams, and the armoured the kingdom. Within recent times the 'l,hames
water torpedoes are fired from the conning-tower, hatches, with which the openings are fitted, are Iron Works has built the Benbow, Sans Pa.reil,
and those aft from the director-tower. There are, balanced so that they can be easily opened from the Blenheim, the Grafton, and the Theseus ;
whilst it will be remembered that our very first
for the torpedo service, three Brotherhood air below.
The ground tackle consists of three 92- cwt. ironclad, the Warrior, was launched from the
compressors, which work to 1700 lb. pressure
to the square inch. The steering engine is anchors, by Brown, Lennox, and Co. , whilst there famous slips at the mouth of Bow Creek. Another
placed aft, below the protective deck. Arrange- are smaller anchors of the ordinary Admiralty vessel which will become historical, although still
ments have been made for alternate methods pattern. The windlass and capstans are by in active serYice, was constructed at this yard.
of working the rudder. The gear can be changed Harfield, and are suitable for 2! -in. cables. They The Himalaya, we are reminded, has just comfrom steam to hand gear in the usual way, but can be worked by steam or hand. The windlass pleted her fortieth year of service, having been
should the main steering screw of the gear become will work a cable at each of the two hawsepipes at launched at Blackwall on May 28, 1853. She
damaged, the connecting-rods of the crosshea.d on once. The starboard and port cables can be veered was built for the P. and 0. Company, but the
the rudder can be disconnected and attached to and hauled at the same time, and the windlass and vessel proved a most valuable accession to our
tackles provided for the purpose. These can be capstan will work together or independently. There national resources at a time when they were put to
worked either by the hand wheels or by the steering is a hand-power capstan on the quarterdeck. There some strain. The length of the Himalaya is 340ft.
engine, the falls being led over a barrel. Should are fifteen boats, the largest being a 56-ft. vidette between perpendiculars, her breadth 46ft. , and
the engine be disabled, or the hand wheel break boat, a class of vessel that has taken the place of her depth to the top of the keel 34 ft. 4 in. ; the
down, the rudder can be actuated by the tackles the old second-class torpedo-boat with advantage, load draught is 20 ft. 6 in. The displacement is
direct, eye-bolts for luff tackles being placed in being a much more useful although a heavier craft. 43~2 tons. The engines are of 2600 horse-power,
the bulkheads. In all there are five distinct methods There are two steam winches for handling the and were constructed by the historic firm of Penn.
of steering, so that as long as the rudder itself boats. The vessels of the Theseus class are .titted Thespeedis13. 9 knots. These figures seem moderate
holds good, there are four alternatives if the main with two pole masts, and are lightly rigged as for e- enough in the present day, but those of our readers
gearing is out of order. The steam gear will put and aft schooners. The chief use of the masts, who can carry their recollection so far back will
the rudder from hard-a-port to hard-a-starboard in however, is for signal purposes, and to act as crano remember how ambitious a step was then considered
thirty seconds with the ship going at full speed. posts, there being a large iron derrick on the main- to be em bodied in the design of the Himalaya, and
There is the usual helm indicator on the mast, of mast for boat-hoisting purposes. F or the supply it was thought that the P. and 0. directors had
which we have heard so much lately in regard to of electric light there are three Siemens dynamm~, altogether overstepped the limits of prudence.
the Victoria disaster. This, as most of our readers each capable of giving a steady current of 400 Commencing with the Himalaya, no less, we are
doubtlesFJ know, consists of a continuous wire amperes. They run at 320 revolutions a minute, told, than sixty-five vessels have been built by the
rope, which winds over a barrel attached to the and are actuated by Brotherhood engines, coupled Thames Iron \Vorks for the British Admiralty,
steering gear. Half-way up the mast, attached to direct. The current is 80 volts at terminals.
The total displacement of them is 113,243 tons.
the r ope, is a flag on one side, and on the other
The propelling machinery is by Maudslays, each Sixty-eight vessels have also been built by this
there is a cone. As these ascend or descend, set of engines being placed in a separate engine- firm for foreign Governments, with a total disother vessels are able to tell whether the vessel's room as usual. 'fhey are of the ordinary inverted, placement of 75,000 tons. These are all naval
helm is port or starboard. In action the steering vertical, three-cylinder, triple-compound type. The vessels, but in addition to them 696 ships have been
can be done either from the hand-steering compart- cylinders are40 in., 59 in., and 88 in. in diameter, constructed for the mercantile marine.
ment below, or from a protected position forward. the stroke being 51 in. Ordinary double-ported
An ingenious arrangement has been introduced slide valves are used, actuated by eccentrica in the
for ventilating openings to t he magazines. In conse- usual way, solid bar link motions being used. The THE AWARDS lVIUDDLE IN CHI CAGO.
quence of the hygroscopic properties of the n ew cylinders are supported in front by cast-steel
SINCE writing last week on the troubles and
powder, it is desirable that places wher,e it is columns, each engine of the set being indepenstowed should be well ventilated. At the same dent of the other, so that each cylinder has its vexations that beset the experts who reported
time openings into magazines are not desirable, on separate bedplate. The cylinders are, however, themselves in Chicago t owards the middle of July
account of danger in case of fire.
In order to stayed to each other and to the engine-room bulk- and placed their services at the disposal of th~
meet the case, a ventilating box, having a valve heads. The main and auxiliary steam pipes are of Exp?sition a?thorities to judge exhibit~, we have
which can be easily closed, is placed on the maga- copper, and are bound with wire. The shafting is rece1ved copies of the Chicctgo T1-ibttne dated
zine. This box is connected with the ventilating of hollow forged steel. The crankshafts are in July 25, which fully confirm t he vi~ws we
trunk, and, under ordinary circumstances, the air- three pieces, and interchangeable. Each set of expressed, as will be seen from the following
way is open. There is, however, a ball which will engines has a gun-metal air p~1mp, 33 in. in dia- ex.tracts:
form a valve to close the airway. A pipe leads meter, worked by t he low-pressure piston. There
." In John Boyd Thaoher, acting chairman of the Comfrom the upper deck down to this b ox, and, on an are two brass condensers, having 13,500 square mittee of Awards, the Oolumbian Exposition ha.s its evil
alarm of fire, it would be the duty of certain per- feet of cooling surface, the steam passing through g~n~us. If Mr. _T hacher manages to hold the fort, the
sons to at once pour water down this pipe. This the tubes. For circulating water there are four U mted Sta.t~s w11l be able to show the nations of the
water, entering the box, on the bottom of which centrifugal pumps, each capable of delivering 1000 ea.r~h. the cur~o~ts spectacle ~fa World's Ji'air without competltlv.e exhibits. Dr. Rwhter, who succeeded Privy
t he ball rests, would cause t he latter to be floated tons of water per hour. The usual interchangeable Councillor
Wermuth as executive commissioner of the
up until it assumed a position closing the airway, so system of suction and delivery is adopted, so as to G;erma.n ~overnment, said yesterday that if ~lr. Thacher
that there would be no danger of sparks being draw either from the bilge or from the sea, and to d1d not. mst~ntl~ ab~ndon his policy of red tape and
carried into the magazine by the ventilating cur- deliver into either condenser, as required . For the ?bs_truct10n m d1rectmg the business of the awards
r ent. Domestic ventilation in this ship, as in all auxiliary engines there are two horizontal brass JUries~ he would. feel obliged to withdraw Germany's
of her class, is very perfect; the main ventilation surface condensers, having a cooling surface of ma.gmficent exhibits from competition. The German
jurors who reached Chica~o more than a. week ago pretrunk is square in section, and is carried from end 1~00 square feet. There are, for aJl purposes, eight pared
to plunge a.t once mto their duties on the a~ards
to end beneath the protective deck, going right s1ngle-ended boilers, each 16 ft. 2 in. in diameter ~uri~s, ~ave_ not yet been permitted to begin their work.
inbo the fore peak and into the rudder compart- and 9ft. 10 in. long, having four corrugated steel Th~1r t1_m~ IS valuable, and their stay in Chicago is necesment aft. Its cross-sectional area amidships is furnaces of 3 ft. 7 in. mean diameter. The aggre- sarily llm1ted. They say that, under Mr. Thacher's
300 square inches, the dimensions being 30 in. by gate tube surface in all the boilers is 21,4.00 square system, they do not believe the awards juries can be
10 in. It tapers at the ends to a sectional area of feet, aud the fire-grate surface 855 square feet. through their work by next Christmas.
"Dr. Richter said yesterday : 'Mr. Thacher's
50 square inches. The branch pipes t o the various The working pressure is 155 lb. to the square inch. method
is impractical in every sense, and contrary to
compartments are circular in section. There are The desig ned coal bunker capacity is 1000 tons t~e . c:ustom at all for_mer ~xpositiOJ?S. For example,
two 5-ft. ventilating fans for this trunk. 'Vhere although, we believe, there is room for more tha~ exh1 b1tor X, an Amencan Jeweller, IS to have one juror
the trunk passes through bulkheads there is a this quantity. The usual closed stokehold arrange- for necklaces, one for brooches, one for table-spoons one
will
device for closing a slide door of the nature of a ~ent for forced draught is fitted, there being for tea-spo_ons, &c. This system will never do.
drag the ~ury_ work oub ~ntil the ~nd of the Fair, and
sluice valve in construction. As in the case of e1ght forced-draught fans, each 5 ft. 6 in. in dia- even
then It w1ll not be :fimshed, for if, when these single

It

E N G I N E E R I N G.

(AuG.

II,

1893 .

Jurors report to ~heir committee, the latter does not

agr,ee, the work WI11 have to be done over again . . . . '
A q.erman Government officer, who was a juror at
the Ph~lad~lphia Exposition, says the whole 'fhacher
system Is nd10ulous and entirely worthless.
" 'In Philadelphia,' he said, 'everything worked
smoothly, and we were through with our work in a few
~eeks. Th~ committees there consisted of five and six
JU~?rs workmg together, and their decisions were final.'
Ge_r~an Gove~nment architect Zaffe, of the German
Commission, who I~ also detailed ~o jury work, condemns
the e~stem, and thmks no good will result from it. He
explamed that, according to Mr. Thacher for instance
~perfumery exhibit will be judged by a nu:nber of speciai
Jurors, one for eau de cologne, one for hair oil one for
soap, and ~nother for pomade-in fact, a. juror for every
ar~!cl~ wh10h belongs to one branch of industry.
F1fty thousand exhibitors are repres~nted beneath
the roof of the great Manufactures Building Some of
them have displays worth millions; others h~ve spent a
few dollars only in contributing to the tremendous total
that repre~ents the wealth and genius of the world. Two
hundred J~dges are to determine the specific points of
exce~ence m each of the 50,000 exhibits. The exhibit
that l S wort~ 100,000 dols. will be inspected and reported
UI,>On by .a su~gle judge, and the exhibit that cost 10 dols.
wlll rece1 ve h~e treatment. In the three months to elapse
before the Fatr closes each judge has to receive his assignment from J obn Boyd Tbacher, make his examination of
t~e ex~ibit dema.nd~ng his attention, present a report of
bts findmg to the enttre jury for its approval or rejection
as the case may b~, the jury making its final disposal of
the report, should 1b be confirmed, by sending it to the
Executive Committee on Awards.
. "By this. circuitous meth.od 50,000 exhibitors are bopmg to obta.m medals and diplomas. The 200 jurors are
beginning to wonder whether they can measure the length
of th~ re~ tape that runs out of John Boyd Thacher's
office m tnme to see the hopes of the exhibitors realised
and also do themselves justice in the tremendous task
before them.
"The conscientious judges have been striving vainly
to do a full day's work ever since they perfected the
organiaati?n of the jury, more than a. week ago. Yesterday the~ hstened to the statement of their president, Mr.
H. I. Ktmball, that each of the 50,000 exhibits in the
department of manufactures would have to receive the
inspection of a single jud~e, and some of the judges at
once began to figure out how much time would be required
for the work.
"They found that each judge would have to write 250
reports, and one judge jumped to his feet and declared
that at the present rate of progress the work of the jury
would nob be finished inside of seventy days. President
Kimball's statement was made for the evident purpose
o~ impressing the judges with the necessity of wasting no
t1me."
Probably every effort will be made by the jurors
to make the best of a bad business, and proceed to
the work of making awards as quickly as possible,
but it is quite certain that if, to some extent, a pretence be made of adhering to the elaborate system
prescribed, in order to save appearances, the
juries will do the work their own way, or will not
do it at all. In this way only can the Exposition
authorities be extricated from the dilemma in which
they find themselves.

N 0 T E S.
REINFORCING STEAM PIPES.

IT has been proposed more than once to reinforce

copper steam pipes by shrinking steel rings around
them. Theory, however, shows that unless these
rings are very closely spaced the pipe may actually
be weakened by their presence, and the correctness
of this view was borne out by a series of careful
experiments made on this point by Commodore
George W. Melville, chief of t he Engineering
Bureau of the United States Navy. Comparative
tests by him between plain and reinforced pipes
showed both to fail at practically the same pressure.
In the Italian Navy the plan of reinforcing the
pipes with wire has definitely been adopted, and is
described by Mr. N abor Soliani in the " Re vista
Marittima. " The practice is to serve the tubes
over with one or more layers of closely laid metal
wire, wound on under tension.
Up to about 8 in.
in diameter, drawn tubes are used without reinforcement. Above this diameter, however, the
tubes are made out of copper sheets by brazing in
the usual way, and are then wrapped rou!ld with _a
close spiral of copper or D elta metal wue. This
n1ethod of reinforcement is only considered applicable to straight tubes, and, accordingly, these
only are used, gun-metal castings being adopted
at the elbows and bends. The wire is of sufficient
section to carry the full steam pressure independently of the strength of the tube; the latter is,
however, made strong enough to stand the usual
hydraulic test before the w_ire is put on. Th~ reinforcement is made up w1th two or three Independent spirals, so that if one wire breaks the tu be
is still held up to its work by the others. The ends

of these separate spirals are fixed independently to xii., page 67, was of a totally different build.
the flanges. The t ension at which the wire is The attention of the Gramme people has been
wound on is about 1!- tons per square inch.
called to the inaccurate character of the information conveyed by the printed card hanging from
THE FASTEST PADDLE STEAMER AFLOAT.
Some time back (ENGINEERING, May 26, 1893) ~he comm~tator of the machine ; a simple adjective
we refArred to an unfortunate accident to the Is all that Is necessary to prevent misapprehension.
Marie H enriette, a new paddle steamer, built by
LLOYD's RETURNS OF VESSELS LosT AT SEA.
the Societe Cockerill, of Hoboken, near Antwerp,
The returns of Lloyd's Register for the quarter
for the Belgian Government, and destined for the ended March a1, 1893, show that a total of 293
Ostend- Dover service. On running her trial one steam and sailing vessels, with an aggregate tonnage
of her wheels collapsed, bringing the trial to an of 181, 582 tons, were lost in that period. Of this
abrupt conclusion. Since then the necessary re- to~~l 216 ~essels, with _a tonnage of 99,282, were
pairs have been made, and last Saturday the boat saihng ships, the remainder being steam tonnage.
was again run over the measured course on the The merchant marine of Great Britain would from
Clyde, this time without mishap, and attained a tbe~e returns appear to be considerably better
m ean speed of 22.2 knots. The runs were as equipped than that of other nations, as in only one
follows:
instance is the percentage of tonnage lost to tonnage
Time.
Speed.
owned less than in the case of Great Britain, and in

mm. sec.
knots
this instance, that of H olland, the total tonnage
I.
36 5
22.724
owned is but 442,071 tons, which is too small an
I I.
::l8 1
21.57
amount to allow of a fair average being deduced
I I I.
35 51
22.86
IV.
37 54
21.636
from the returns of one quarter only. But of a total
The steam pressure was 7. 8 atmospheres, and the of 6227 steamships, with a gross tonnaO'e of
revolutions 53 per minute. The considerable dif- 9,028,258 tons, Great Britain lost 31 vessels, :ggreference in the respective runs is largely due to the gating 43,454 tons, a percentage of .50 on the total
very unfavourable weather, which almost led to the number owned, and of .48 on the tonnage. The
postponement of the trials till a more favourable only other large owners of Rteam tonnage, viz.,
occasion. The mean speed attained is fractionally Germany, France, the United States, and the
better than that of the sister boat Leopold I I., British Colonies, lost a much larger percentage than
built by Messrs. Deany, of Dumbarton, the trials this, France being by far the worst, as her losses
of which were described in our issue of April14 were 1. 3 per cent. of the vessels owned, and 1.15
last. The mean of the four runs in that case of her tonnage. The most fruitful source of loss
was 22.16 knots, so that Messrs. Denny have has, as usual, been wreck, which was accountable
now lost the palm of speed, which has- tem- for t he destruction of no less than 40 vessels out of
porarily, let us h ope-crossed to the Continent. a total of 77. Collisions were responsible for the
Perhaps a still better gauge of the capacities of the loss of 14 vessels, whilst 7 foundered. Coming to
new boat than the official trial is the record of a sailing t onnage, one is struck by the large number
preliminary private trial made at the end of her of boats belonging to the British Colonies included
voyage from Antwerp, after a run of 55 hours. In in the losses under this h ead. Out of a total of
this case the boat attained a speed of 21.964 knots, 1678 vessels, with a tonnage of 708,149, t he British
the fuel being briquettes, and the engines and Colonies lost 36 ships, aggregating 14,528 tons, a
boilers being naturally not in their best trim. The percentage of 2.14 as compared with the total
speed attained in the official trial entitles the number owned, and of 2.05 as compared with the
builders to a premium of 4000l. over and above the total tonnage. Out of nearly double the number of
contract price. We shall shortly publish full par- ships, the United Kingdom lost only 29, or . 93 per
cent of the total number owned, and . 54 of the
ticulars and illustrations of this remarkable boat.
total
tonnage.
It
appears
that
the
average
size
of
HISTORICAL D YNAMOS AT THE CoLUM.BIAN
the sailing fleet of the United Kingdom is much
E XPOSITION.
The Electricity Building contains four machines lar~er than that ~f other nations, being 816 tons, as
471
tons
In
the
case
of
the
United
States,
agamst
which are of special interest to the student of
dynamo-electric machinery. They are interesting, 482 t~~s in that of Norway, the two largest owners
of
saihng tonnage after Great Britain. In our
not because of any novelty, but precisely on
account of their antiquity. We may call them colonies, who come fourth on the list, the averaCYe
size
of
sailing
ships
is
422
tons,
and
in
the
case
~f
antique, though built scarcely twenty years ago.
France
it
is
308
tons,
in
spite
of
the
fact
that
some
But those twenty years form an epoch in the deof the finest sailing ships in t he world belong to that
velopment of electrotechnics.
The machines in country. As in the case of t he steamers, wrecks
question had their day of usefulness and honour; were accountable for far the greatest proportion of
at t he Columbian Exposition they are valuable as the total lost, vjz,, 117 out of 216. Thirty boats
showing, by way of contrast with their successors in were abandoned at sea, 21 were r eported missing,
the electric field, how rapid and substantial has and 8 were lost by collision and 7 by burning.
been the progress- effected since the Centennial
Exposition of 1876. One of this historical colCANADIAN PACIFIC RAILWAY.
lection is called the "First Dynamo, " as it claims
This important undertaking is making steady
to be the first machine constructed and practi- progress ~ot only in the development of its system,
cally operated in the United States. It was built but also m the amount of revenue which it acquires
by Mr. Wallace in 1873, and exhibited by him year by year. The gross receipts last year were
at the Centennial. It is of the magneto type. 21,409,352 dols., as compared with 20,241,096 dols.
A Recond member of this group is called the in 1891, 16,552,529 dols. in 1890, and 15,369,138
"Anthony Gramme" dynamo. It was constructed dols. in 1889. The working expenses last year
by the Department of Physics of Cornell U ni- were _12,989,004 dols., as compared with 12,231,436
versity, in 1874, from designs made by and under dols. In 1891, 10,252,828 dols. in 1890, and 9 241 302
the supervision of Professor William A. Anthony. dols. in 1889. It follows that the net re~enu~ of
For some time it was used in lecture experiments the company last year was 8,420,347 dols., as comin lieu of a large Grove battery. It was shown at pared with 8,009,660 dols. in 1891, 6,299, 700 dols.
the Philadelphia Exhibition , where it attracted in 1890, and 6,127,136 dols. in 1889. The Canasome attention. Since that time, it was used to dian Pacific was guaranteed a minimum dividend
light up the college campus, and latterly has been of 3 per cent. per annum for ten years by the
turned to account as a motor in the machine shops ~anadian Government. This guarantee was given
of the university. Its capacity is estimated at 4.4 In August, 1883, and it accordingly expires in
kilowatts, or 6 horse-power. The third was christened August, 1893. The success which has attended
the "Centennial" dynamo. It was built in 1875 by the undertaking is reflected in the fact that, quite
Mr. Wallace at Ansonia, and used at Philadelphia irrespective of the Government guarantee, the
to feed lights in the Machinery Hall during the system earned in 1892 rather more than 5 per cent.
whole period of the Exhibition. The fourth and upon its ordinary stock, while an available surplus
last bears the classical name of the " Telemachon., has been accumulated, amounting to rather more
It is said to be the first dynamo made in the than two years' ordinary stock dividends at fi per
United States with an armature built up with cent. per annum. It takes 3,250, 000 dols. per
laminated iron plates. It was fitted up in the Ma- annum t o pay 5 per cent. per annum upon the
chinery Hall at Philadelphia, where it was used in ordinary stock, and the surplus at the close of 1892
experiments illustrating the transmission of power. stood at 6,923,531 dols. Considering that the
In another part of the Electricity Building we company's lines traverse what were ten years since
found a small Gramme machine which claims to be little more t han wilderness districts, and which are
the first of its kind. This must be a mistake, as the even now but thinly inhabited, this must be re
original Gramme described in ENGINEERING, vol. garded as a remarkable result. It is to some

..

AuG. I I, I893.]

extent due to the fact t hat the company received a

valuable grant of land from the Canadian Government, in addition to a cash subsidy of 25,000,000dols. ;
bonuses were also received from sundry provinces
and municipalities to a. furth er extent of 522,358
dols. The actual cost of the system to the close of
1892 was 164,940,558 dols., to which should be
added 16,884,776 dols. for equipment. The length
of line worked last year was 6015 miles, as compared with 5766 miles in 1891, 5564 miles in 1890,
and 5029 miles in 1889. It should be further observed that at the close of 1892 the company had
expendedca.pitaltothe extent of 3,486, 169dols. upon
steamers running to China and Japan. This steamship line, it may be observed, has fully justified the
expectations of the directors. The greater part of
the company's lines having been constructed in
1882, 1883, and 1884, and the ordinary life of the
timber used as sleepers being from six to nine
years, renewals of timber in the permanent way have
involved a heavy charge since 1890. By the end of
1893 only a small percentage of the original timber
will remain, and renewals are then expected to fall to
a moderate average. No fewer than 551 timber bridges
were replaced last year by masonry or iron, or by
earthen embankments; the improvement or replacement of 99 other bridges was also commenced in
the course of 1892. The ratio of the working expenses to the traffic receipts last year was 60.67
per cent., as compared with 60.43 per cent. in 1891,
61.94 per cent. in 1890, and 60.04 per cent. in
1889. The improvements which are being carried
out in the road way and bridges will, it is expected,
have the effect of r educing the ratio of t he working
expenses to 55 per cent. The company contemplates the construction of an additional grain elevator, with a capacity of 1,500,000 bushels, at Fort
William, and another, with a capacity of 800,000
bushels, at Winnipeg. The directors consider that
large additions must be made to the company's
wharves at Vancouver, and to the terminal facilities
provided at Montreal, Toronto, and other points.
They further consider that the company's system
of telegraph should be extended t o a number of
more or less important points not yet touched.

LITERATURE.
A Text-Book of Coal-Mining, for the Use of Colliery
Managers and others. By H ERBERT W. H uGHES.
London: Charles Griffin and Co., Limited, 1892.

MosT books on coal-mining hitherto published

have been open to one of two objections : they were
written either by practical men, familiar with the
details of actual working, but with no great scientific
knowledge ; or by men of considerable scientific attainments and theoretical knowledge, but lacking in
practical experience. Mr. Hughes has the ad vantage of bringing to his work both the practical experience and the theoretical knowledge necessary
for the writing of a thoroughly good book. He was
a distinguished student at the Royal School of
Mines, and has had a wide and varied experience
as manager of the extensive collieries of the Earl
of Dudley. To these qualifications he adds a complete knowledge of the literature of the subject,
and a personal acquaintance with the actual working of the chief collieries of Gr eat Britain and the
Continent. His aim has been "to supply a textbook of moderate dimensions giving all t he information with which the student and the practical
miner should be familiar, " and the book is a model
of what such a. work should be. It is clearly
written, although without pretensions to a finished
literary style, and is copiously illustrated, the 490
illustrations introduced having been specially
drawn for the book. MA.ny of these are from
actual working drawings, and are of the practical
kind which shows all essentials without overelaboration of details. To each of the 14 chapters
into which the book is divided has been added a
carefully selected list of memoirs in which fuller
information on the subject can be sought, and this
novel feature will be invaluable to the mining
engineer and student, and should be considered
essential to books of this kind. A very full index
completes the volume.
In his preliminary chapters, Mr. Hughes deals
briefly and concisely with the geological principles
and definitions involved in coal-mining, the method
of formation and the classification of coal, and the
estimation of its commercial value. N otwithstanding the dictum of the judge in the Torbane mineral
case, that a scientific definition of coal is "impos-

E N G I N E E R I N G.
sible," Mr. Hughes ventures to give one. It is
that coal " is a solid stratified substance capable of
undergoing combustion in contact with oxygen, n ot
containing sufficient earthy impurities t o prevent
its being applied as a source of heat in furnaces and
fireplaces, and varying in colour from brown to
black., Excellent chapters then follow on the
search for coal, breaking gr ound, sinking and
tubbing shafts, prelim~nary underground. op~ra
tions, methods of workm~ coal, haulage, winding,
pumping, ventilation, lighting, surface works, an.d
the preparation of coal for the market. In this
portion we get not only clear descriptions of machinery and methods, but very many interesting part iculars and practical hints and suggestions from
Mr. Hughes's own experience.
In discussing the various methods of boring, the
author somewhat severely criticises the diamond
drill, which he considers quite useless for soft
strata like coal, because it breaks off the core and
grinds it to powder, its indication s being "scarcely
better than those of ordinary boring. " We do n ot
think this objection will apply to the later methods
of diamond drilling, and there can be no doubt this
method has an enormous ad vantage over all others
in the extraction of a core which enables an almost
complete section of the strata passed through to be
built up. We believe it is a mistake to describe
the Sperenberg bore-hole as one made with rigid
rods, this method having been used for the first
1000 ft., and a rope used to finish the hole.
In the section on contracts for breaking ground
Mr. Hughes gives an interesting instance of the
application of scientific knowledge to practical purposes. In one of the collieries under his charge
numerous intrusions of basaltic rocks are met with.
"A sample of every intrusion is kept, and labelled
with the price per yard paid for driving through it,
and in addition a. microscopical section is cut from
the specimen. When other intrusions are met
with, a piece is broken from each of them, and a
section cut and carefully compared with other
pieces and sections, of which the price is known.
From this comparison the price to be paid to the
workmen is found."
The author ably discusses the transmission of
power for breaking ground, and concludes that only
compressed air and electricity are admissible for
this purpose, steam and water being objectionable
in the workings, and wire ropes inapplicable. He
is very hopeful that electricity will supersede cornpressed air both for power drills and coal-cutting
machinery, the facility with which power can be
carried about by this medium, and the small cost
of up-keep, placing it far ahead of all other systems.
The risks of explosion by sparking at the motors
are, in his opinion, very much less t han are usually
supposed, and can be practically overcome by good
ventilation and the use of proper safeguards. The
great desideratum is an efficient alternating current
motor.
A part from the diminished risk to life from falls,
Mr. Hughes shows that the use of coal-cutting
machinery is more efficient and more economical
than hand work. The yield of round coal is 20 per
cent. greater, and t he total cost of coal-getting is
reduced by about 1s. per ton in a. 3-ft. seam, and
1s. 6d. per ton in a seam 18 in. thick. Discussing
the proposed prohibition of blasting, Mr. Hughes
insists that with careful supervision and good
ventilation accidents can be prevented, while loss of
life may be entirely avoided by firing all shots
simultaneously by electricity from t he surface when
all workmen are out of the pit. As to the economy
of blasting there seems very little doubt ; two
months' work at Podmore Hall Colliery, one with
and one without powder, showed that the quantity
was 24l per cent. less without powder, while the
total increase of cost was 1s. 2!d. per ton.
On sinking and tubbing shafts the author is particulal'ly clear, but he might with advantage have
given a fuller account of Triger's method of sinking through quicksands and water-bearing strata..
In dealing with t he driving of main roads in preliminary operations, we get another excellent
example of the original matter Mr. Hughes has
introduced into his book. An experiment made in
1888 clearly demonstrates the advantage of the
introduction of soft material as packing between
brick arches and the superincumbent strata.. Two
successive lengths of 7-ft. arch were built, one
18 in. thick packed with a foot of sand, and the
other not less than 18 in., but made solid ; the
latter was crushed, and had to be taken out in a.
year ; the former is still in, and does not show a

crack. The packing seems to distribute the pressure and prevent local crushing.
.
.
On haulage Mr. Hughes can speak '!Ith pecuhar
authority, since he has every s~stem In actual use
in t he various collieries under h1s charge. H e says
the one which stands pre-eminent is undoubtedly
th~ slow-moving endless rope w~t~ tubs attach.ed. at
regular intervals, the cost of this~ some colher1es
being as low as 0.2d. per ton per mile. But out of
main roads horses are absolutely necessary, and
the arrangements for stabling, feeding, &c., are
fully and carefully given by Mr. H~ghes. . .
The chapters on winding, pumptng, venti~ahon,
li()'hting surface works, and the preparatiOn of
c~a.l fo~ the market, fully maintain the high
standard set in the early portion of the book, and
leave very little to be desired.
.
The only serious defect we notice throughout
the book is the omission of full particulars of the
precautions to be taken in approaching known or
probable pent-up water in old workings. So many
serious accidents have occurred through neglect of
these that the necessary information should have
been' given, and we hope it will be included in
future editions of this excellent text-book. The
value of the book would be still further enhanced
to the student if a supplemental chapter on t he
practical working of the Mines Regulations Acts
were added.
The book is of an eminently practical character.
The mining student will find theoretical considerations clearly and accurately dealt with ; but to him
and to the practical miner its chief value will be
that in it the details of general colliery work have
been fully described, on the ground that
"collieries are more often made remunerative
by perfection in small matters than by bold
strokes of engineering."
T he P-ractical Brass andIron Founder's G1J.ide. By J AMES
LARKJN. London : E. and F. N. Spon. 1892.

It is generally understood that in a technical

"guide, ihe subject matter should be treated in
a full and distinct manner ; and when such a. guide
has been written by a practical man, we rather look
for precise information in it. In the preface to
the book bearing the above title we are informed
that the world "groans under a load of new publications," nevertheless the author felt such sympathy for the bewildered seeker after know ledge
that he set about the task of publishing what he
himself had collected, including ''much information gleaned in the field of experience and from
the arcan~ of science .., The first edition has been
some years before the public, and has now been exhausted, so the present one has been made, and it
claims to contain '' new and important matter
added, whilst some matter has been eliminated as
being out of date."
It is a pity that the dual process of addition and
elimination has not been carried further, or else
that the author had not given another name to his
work, for it now consists very largely of cuttings
from various scientific papers, many quite out of
date, though some contain much useful matter.
Besides these cuttings, t here are a few chapters
upon subjects of interest in connection with founding, as well as a. large collection of recipes from all
manner of sources, many of which, indeed, are
very useful, whilst others are good, but numbers of
them are chiefly interesting to-day as records of the
deplorable state of practical science in the past.
Whilst it must be r emembered that the workman
with limited opportunity for study requires a very
different mode of presentation of facts to him to that
suitable to the student possessing more leisure, still
it does not necessarily follow that his books should
be written in the technical language of a century
a.g.o, and with .all the crudeness of the popular
sCience of that time. On the contrary, there is all
the more n eed that books for practical men should
be as perfect as it is possible to wribe them.
T~e author deals first with some of the properties common to metals and alloys, and gives a
table of specific gravities, melting points and
equivalents. The table itself was doubtles~ compiled at a. time when neither the specific gravitieR
nor the melting points of many cf the metals were
known, and when many metals now in common
use were chemical curiosities ; the equivalents
give~ are those that wer~ in use in the early part
of this century. As an Instance of the confusion
seen throughout the pages of the book this table
is, without any ~xplana.tion, followed by the tables
taken from Mallet's work 0n the copper-tin and

E N G I N E E R I N G.
copper-zinc series of alloys, in which the atomic
weights now in use are adopted.
The work ef Pouillet forms the ba~is o f the
author's remarks upon the electrical conductivity
of metals, and one looks in vain for even Mattheisen's results. Further on in the book we read
that "steel and wrought iron cannot properly be
fused by h eat,, a statement that was only true
before the ad vent of regenerative and of petroleum
furnaces. In another part of the work, h owever,
we discover some of the late Mr. A. L. Holley's
remarks about the production of steel castings !
Again, the best way of obtaining pure copper,
''where extreme purity is an object," is said to be
by precipitation upon iron from a nitric acid solution, whilst the method of electrolysis empl oying
a sulphate of copper solution is not mentioned,
although it is so widely adopted. It is not stated,
m oreover, that the precipitated copper requires
further metallurgical treatment before it can be
utilised.
Towards the end of the book we read, with
reference to experiments upon the strength of cast
iron, that ''the most recent and reliable are those
of Mr. E. Hodgkinson, the English experimenter. "
This is somewhat too much behind date to be
allowed to pass without protest.
Foundry practice is very scantily treated ; a
chapter is given upon b ell-founding, and another
on bronzes, though in the latter phosphor bronze
is spoken of with as mu ch as 4 per cent. of phosphorus ! One looks in vain for the proper treatment of such subjects as loam or of greensand
moulding, or, indeed, of practical ironfounding at

all.
However, there is some good and useful matter in
the b ook, but it needs much better arrangement, and
to be brought up to date. At present one has not
to go b eyond the catalogue of Messr s. Span in
order to find b etter books upon the subject, and
there are many other3 publish ed both in America
and in this country.

--A M anual of JJiachine Drawing a nd Design. By DAVID

ALLAN L ow and AL.lt'RED WrLLYAM BEvrs. London :

L ongmans, Green, and Co.
This treatise on machine drawing and design is a
thor oughly practical book, well adapted to be used
as a g uide in the drawing office. Also for the large
class of mechanical engineers who may never have
any actual drawing-office e~perience, and yet h~ve
occasionally t o get out dra.wmgs for work for whiCh
they are responsible without access to drawingoffice records , this manual is likely to prove most
serviceable . The authors a re Mr. Low, the head
master of the People's Palace Day Technical School,
London, and Mr. Bevis, the Director of Manual
Training to the Birmingham School Board. They
have both reached their present p ositions through
\Vhitworth scholarships and the workshop and
drawinCY offices, and their intimate connection with
the te;'hnical training movement has made t hem
well acquainted with the wants of the artisan class,
and enabled them to put the information they communicate in the form best adapted to their requirements.
B e()'inning with '\ drawing paper " and
endin()' with the fully-dimensioned detailed drawings of a small marine engine, the book is, between,
full as an encyclopedia with the principles of
mechanics, properties of materia~s, and refere~ce
drawings for almos t every cont~nuall~ recu.rrmg
element of mechanical construction, dtmenswned
proportionately according to the m ost conven~ent
unit. There a re excellent chapters on keys , ptpes
and pipe joints, shafting, coupli~g~, and clutches ;
also on belt, r ope, wire rope, fr1~t10n a.~d toothed
CYearing. To only name the subJects fatrly would
:xceed the space here available. The illustrations
are of course, in many cases taken from other
bodks or from technical journals, often from ENGINEEltiN<J, but the text is always specially . written
for this w ork.
In the chapter on shaftmg and
shaft couplings, we find the followi~g : '' Th~n t he
force p in each case produces a.. tw1stmg actwn .on
the shaft which will be proportwnal to the radms
R and the force P, and is measured b.Y ~he product
p R. This product is called the ttms~tng mom.ent
on the shaft." This is very clear ; st1ll, we . thmk
that the signification of the word moment 1s ~~t
sufficiently to the front.
Tho~son and '!a1t s
words '' The moment of any phys1cal agency 1a the
nume;ical measure of its importance,, ought to b~
early impressed on the mind of every student rf
mechanical science.
At first, the product . ~ 1{,
should be described as '' the moment of the tw1stmg

[AuG.

11, 1893.

6. Elgar, Professor
Great Britain
85-86
Francis
7. Haarman, H on. A.
Germany
80-81-82-84
8. Grosser, :M ajor
Germany
85-86
9. Hudson, Robert
New South Wales 80-81
10. Littrow, Hermann
Austria
80-81-82
V on
11. Oldrini, Professor
Italy
80 8182
Alex.
12. Thrupp, G. H.
Great Britain
83
13. Barandon.
CapGermany
85
tain C.
Germany
14. Ulbricht, Dr.
80-81-82-84
15. Unge, Capt. W.
Sweden
85-86
86
Russia
J. A. B erly's Universal E lectrical Director y. L ondon: 16. Mer~va_go, Captam D.
H. Alabaster, G::ttehouse, and Co., 22, PaternosterDomestic.
row, E . C. [Price 4s.]
Michigan
80-81-82 84
This directory, which is in its twelfth year of pub- l. Clements, W. L.
Boston
83
lication, is well-defined in its sub-title-a complete 2. French, ]ford. L.
3. Goss, Professor W.
United
States
80-81-82-84
record of all the industries directly or indirectly
F. M.
connected with electricity and magnetism, and the 4. Gibbs, George
Wisconsin
80-81-82-84
names and addresses of manufacturers in Great 5. H err, E. M.
Riverside, Ill .
80-81-82-84
Huntsville, Ala.
83
Britain, India, the Colonies, America, the Con- 6. Hooper, Dr. W. P.
Detroit, Mich.
83
tinent, &c.
The proof of necessity for the 7. J ohneon, Hugh
8.
Kirby
Ohio
80-81-82-84
publication is its bulk ; it extends to 784 pages. 9. J aques, W. H.
South Bethlehem, 85-86
With it is given a list of electric lighting stations in
Pa.
Great Britain, from which we gather that about 10. Little, Lieut. \V.
Newport, R . l .
85-86
McCarty
forty stations are now in operation, twelve of which
Cleveland, 0.
80-81-82
are in London. Several other stations are in course 11. Loree, L. F .
12.
Lauder,
James N.
South Boston, 1'Iass. 80-8182
of erection ; but the list is not complete, as the 13. Miller, Irvine
Chicago
83
works now nearing completion at Manchester, and 14. McLear, Henry C.
Wilmiogton, Del. 83
in progr ess at other parts, are not included. New- 15. Paine, Charles M.
U nited S tates
80-81-82-83
Hoboken, N. J .
85-86
castle still stands lowest for charges-4! d. per unit. 16. Stevens, Colonel
Edwin \V.
Gal way, which is favoured with a water fa ll from a
17. Sbaw, Colonel C. B.
Indianapolis, lnd. 83
lake giving 13ft. head, convenient for generating 18.
V ogo, A. S.
Pennsy 1vania
80-81-82-84
power, has the current at 5d. per unit, against 19. W all, E. R .
Illinois
80-81 82-84
5s. 9d. per 1000 cubic feet of gas, but no other town 20. Williams, L . \ V.
Oak Cliff, T ex.
83
appears to be so favourably assisted by natu re. Judges' Committcefor Section I .-Groups 80, 81, 82, 84:
M ost of the districts charge 7d. This table gives
Railroads, Cable a ,ul Electric Railroads, Street L occnwtion, cf.c., and other Forms of T ransportation GeneraUy.
m ost suggestive information, and altogether the
directory, in view of the extensive adoption of
Chairman, R obert Hudson; Vice-Chairman, L. F.
L oree ; Secretary, Alex. Oldrini.
electrici ty for many purposes, is most serviceable.
Barattoni, C. A.
. ..
. ..
Italy.
Borries, H err von
.. .
. ..
<.+er many.
BOOKS RECEIVED.
Clements, W . L.
...
...
Michigan.
H eat. By ~1ARK R . W RIGHT. London and New York:
Goss, Prof. Wm. F. M.
. ..
Indiana.
L ongmans, Green, and Co. [Price 4s. Gd.]
Gibbs, Geo.
. ..
. ..
. ..
Wi~consin.
L abour - Savimg MachinerJt.
By J AMES SAMUELSON.
H err, E. M . . ..
. ..
. ..
Illinois.
With illustrations. L ondon : Kegan Paul, Trench,
Haarman, H on. A. . ..
. ..
Germany.
Triibner, and Co., Limited. [Price 2s. Gd.]
Hudson~,.. Robert
...
...
New South Wales.
Captain Enderis, First W est A frican R egiment. By
Kirby, John ...
. ..
. ..
Ohio.
ARCHER P. CROUCH. Two Volumes. L ondon : W. H.
...
.. .
Unitd States.
La.uder, James N .
Alien and Co., Limited. [Price 21s.J
Littrow, Hermann von
. ..
Austria.
Gas Holders with or without Guide-Framing. A diEcussion
Loree, L. F.
...
.. .
U nited States.
between E. L LOYD PEASE and F. SouTHWELL CRIPPS.
Oldrini, Prof. Alex. . . .
.. .
Ita.l y.
L ondun : vValter King.
Paine, Cha.s. 1\[.
. ..
...
New J ersey.
A coustics, Sound (Ad1:anced). By \VILLIAM L EES, M .A.
Ulbricht, Dr. ...
...
...
Germany.
\Vith 58 illustrations. Enlarged ed-ition. London and
V ogb, A. S.
. ..
...
. ..
Pennsy1vania.
Gla ~gow : \Villiam Collins, Sons, and Co., Limited.
'Vall, E. B.
...
. ..
. ..
Illinois.
Ozl)ne: Its Commereial Production ani its A pplication s.
By E.\HLE ANDREOLI. London : H. Alabast.er, Gate
Railways-&ction I . -Special Committee (ConsultitJ ).
house, nnd Co.
Loco- Passe~ger Frei~ht PermaM ise.
Sir Francis Ronalds, F.R.ll., and H is W ork in Connection
.
EqmpEqutp- nent Brakes. and
with Electric Telegraphy in 1816. By JOHN SnfE. mott ves.
ment.
ment. \Vays.
Signals.
London : Simpkin, ~1arshall, Hamilton, Kent, and
Co., Liruited. LPrice I s.]
.
Littrow Hudson
Paine
Loree Borries BaratElectric L -ight Fitting. By JOHN \V. URQUHART. Wtth
toni
numerous illustrations. Seoond Edition, revised, with Borries Barattoni Barattoni Haar- H err Littrow
large additions. London: Crosby L ockwood and Son.
man
L cs M otewrs d. Gaz et et P et1ou en 1892. Par .M. GusTAVE H err
Paine
Hudson Paine Goes Oldrini
RrcBA RD. Paris : V ve. Ch. Du nod.
Goss
Littrow
Oldrini
H err Gibbs
P roceedings of South Sta.ffordshi1e Institute of I 1on and Vogb
(Dr. Ulbricht) Vogt
Gibbs
Steel W orks Manage1s. Session 1891-92. Brierl~y Hill : Gibbs
(St. Rail
Wall
Ulbricht
Ford and Ad disou.
ways)
Steamships and their Ma cltint'I'Y from First to L ast. By
Vogt
J. W. C. H ALDANE. With many plates and other
Wall
illustration. L vndon: E . and F. N. S pon ; New
M eetings.
York: Hpon and Chamberlain.
Mondays at 11 a. m. Wednesdays at 11 a. m. F ridays
Practical Su?"Veying. By GEORGE W. U. ILL, Assoc.
A. Otnm~I, Secretary.
Memo. Inst. C.E. With four litho~aphic plates and at 11 a.m.
about 350 illustrations. Third Edttion, revised and Judges' Committee for Section !I.-Group 8~ : Ca1riages,
Cars, Sleds, &c. , Vehicle& Generally.
enlarged. L ondon : Crosby Lockwood and Son.
Chairman, Hugb J ohnson; Secretary, G. H . Thrupp.
... United States.
J U D GES AT THE COLUMBIAN EXPOSI- French, Ferd. L. ... Carriages

Hopper,
Dr.
W.
P.
Ambulances
.
.
.
,
TION, CHICAGO.
Hugh
... Carriages
...
,
WE publish below a list of the gentlemen who have Johnson,
Irvine
. .. Bicycles
...
,
consented to act as judges in Department G of the Miller,
McLear, H enrJ7 C.... Carriages
. ..
,
World's Fair, . Chica~o. This department d.eals with Shaw,
Col. C. B. . . . Wagons
.. .
,
transportation m all 1ts bra.ncl.es, and comprtses seven
.. .
,
groups-viz., 8~ to 86. Group ; 30, 81, ?2, and 8! have Williams, L. W. . .. Harness
. .. Carriages
.. . Great Britain.
reference to ra1lroads, oable and electnc tramways, and Thrupp, G. H.
. . . Japan.
other forms of transportation generally. Group 83 com- Akyama, Hirota . . . Carriages
prises carriages and other vehicles; whilst groups 85 and J 'udgei$' Comm ittee for Section III.-Groups 85-86: Ve~ stls,
86 have to do with the mercantile and naval marmes. The
Boats, cf:c., Marine and Wat er Tran spo?tation Gene
following are the names :
rally, Naral Wctrja?e and Coast Defmce.
Chairman, Captain Concas y Palau, Spain; Secretary,
LIST OI<' JUDGES APPOINTED UP TO J ULY 26, 1893,
D.&PART!\IEN"T G.
Lieutenant W. MoCarty Little, U nited States.
Browne, Captain Orde . .. Great Britain
Trcmsportaticm, c(c. -Fo1eign.
Bara.ndon, Captain C. ... Germany
Classification by Groups.
Concas y Palau, V. 1\II. . .. Spain
Japan
83
1. Akyama, Hirota
Elgar, Professor Francis... Great Britain
2. Browne, Captain
Great Britain
85-86
Groser, Major
. ..
... Germany
Orde
Little, Lieut. W. McCarty U nited Statfs Navy
Italy
Si g.
80-81-82
3. Barattoni,
Stevens, Colonel Edwin '\V. U nited States
C. A.
J aques, W. H. . ..
...
,
85-86
Germany
4. Borries, Herr von
U nge, Captain W.
. .. Sweden
Spain
85-86
5. Concas y Palau,
Mertvago, Captain D. . . . Russia (86 only)
V. M.

action, '' meaning ''the numerical importance of the

twisting action,'' and not as the "twisting moment
on the shaft." We m Pan this as only friendly suggestive hyper criticism. The whole execut ion of the
book is character ised by thoroughness, and the language employed is everywhere of t he utmost plainness, suitable for the workshop, and at the same time
equal to the class-room. Many of the drawings
have been obtained directly from firms known to
the authors. In all cases the information is, we
think, reliable.

AuG.

I I,

E N G I N E E R I N G.

1893.]

CEMENT CONCRETE.
To THE EDITOR OF ENGINEERING.
SIR,-I write to askyou to use your powerful influence
in a matter which is, I think, of great importance to the
whole of the profes&ion, and particularly to those members
of it who are practising abroad.
e are all accustomed
to look upon such works as your journal, and the Min utes
of Proceedings of the Institution of Civil Engineers, as
sources of information upon the latest developments of
engineering practice. Such works are not supposed to
take the place of text books; they are intended for the
use of those who are E-xpected to be t olerably familia r
with the subjects treated of, but for this very reason
it is absolutely essential that all desrriptions of new
works or new methods should be perfectly clear as regards
detail. General descriptions alone are of very little use,
except as matters of history, while incorrect or inaccurate descriptions do more harm than good.
There is one subject really of first-class importance, on
which an immense amount ha!=! been written, and yet regarding which I do not hesitate to say it is quite impossible to tell, from the records published, what is the
practice of the engineers of the present day in charge of
large works, or even to tell whether there is any uniformity of practice a.t all. I refer to the making of cement
concrete. I wish to make it quite clear that I am not
asking for general statements as t o how such concrete
should be made. Like most other engineers, I a.m under
the impression that I know that already, but what I ask
is that you should again, as you have done before, urge
upon engineers who are givmg accounts of '\\< Orks executed under their charge the importance of giving clear
statements on this subject, so that one may compare his
own practice with th at of others, and, if advisable,
modify it.
One great fault is that E-ngineers, in describing works,
give specifications of their concrete instead of descriptions
of it. For instance, in the last volume of the Minutes,
vol. cxi., page 63, the concrete used in a very important
work is described as " 1 part of Portland cement to 2 of
sharp sand. 2! of w h instone metal, and 3! of coarse
gravel." This might do very well for a specification, if
the metal and gravel are known to the contractor, or it
might be a sufficient description for Webster's Dictionary,
but as a record of modern practice it is quite useless.
There is no indication here (not as far as I can find in the
paper) of what space was occupied by the met al and
gravel mixed. If approximately uniform in size, it is just
possible they might measure nearly 6 parts; or, again, if
judiciously sized, they might only measure 5 parts. There
is no indication of whether the metal and gravel contained
any material that would rank as sand, so that there are
no means of guessing at the amount or quali~ of the
mortar resulting from mixing the materials. Nor, most
important of all, is there any statement as to the volume
of mterstices or voids in the aggregates of metal and gravel
when mixed. lb is certain that the greater the bulk of
the m ixture the greater would be the percentage of voids,
It is within the bounds of possibility that the voids were
anything between 1~ and 3 measures. They probably did
not approach either limit, but no one can tell whether
they were above or below the mean of three, viz., 2-i measures. ~ ow the mortar resulting from 2 parts sand and 1
cement, when set, will measure about 2~ parts, and it is
consequently impossible to tell whether the concrete was
solid or nob. I have no wish, and I have no right, to ~ay
that the concrete was honeycombed, nor is there any law
against an engineer using such concrete if he likes, but I
think we might ask him to tell us what h e does use.
Of all t he m aterials employed for making concr etE>,
air is certainly the cheapest and most abundant,
and if it really is as efficamous as Portland cement, an
immense saving may be offeoted in future works. From
the discussion on the paper it appears that som9 of the
members believed that this concrete was not solid, and
that certain difficulties which arose were attributable to
this cause, but while, as I have pointed out, it is quite
possible that this was the caee, on the other hand, it is
equally possible that the metal and gravel measured, say,
5~ parts with 35 per cent. voids, say 2 parts, in which case
the mortar would fill the voids with! part to spare for separating the stones. This is rather less than I should like
to employ, but perhaps it might do, and what we want to
have is distinct information on these details. If we have
this, then after the lapse of some yeara, when the lasting
properties of the concrete have been determined, our
knowledge of the subject will have advanced.
I will give another instance of inaccurate description.
At page 112 of the volume cited above, an engineer is
giving a. description of how be arrived at the weight of a
cubic foot of concrete (it not having apparently occurred to
him till after the dock was finished and opened to break off a.
piece and weigh it). The description is given thus: "He
t ook 7! parts of broken steelslag which weighed 19.35lb.;
2~ parts of sand, all lost in the interstices, 8. 75 lb.; 1 part
dry cement, 2.67lb. When that was mixed and measured
in the dry st ate it measured 33 cubio feet. and when made
into concrete 22 cubic feet. H e assumed that ultimately
the water evaporated from it. He bad simply taken the
dry weight, and that came out at 132 lb. per cubic foot. "
In the first place, the weights of materials added up
come to 30.77 lb., and if these measured 33 ft., or even
22 ft., they would have made better s tuffing for a life belt
than for a. dock wall. As, however, theauthor says in another
place that his measures contained 3 cubic feet, and as he
states that the slag measured 26 cubic feet to the ton,
which would give 1935 lb. or thereabouts for 7! measures (or 22! cubic feet), it is probable that the decimal
point should in each case be omitted. His next statement,
that the materials mixed dry measured 33 cubic feet, is
somewhat astonishing, particularly after be has said
that the sand was " lost in the interstices."
He

'V

probably meant measured separately. His next statement, that the concrete measured 22 cubic feet when the
slag measured 22!, can only be accepted on the assul!!p
tion that his figures are approximate. Itl would be m teresting to know the author's ~ound for assuming that
all the water evaporat es, and hkewise to know by what
rule of arithmet1o be obtains 132 lb. instead of about
140 lb., which is the result of dividing 3077 by 22, but I
shall not attempt t"O get to the bottom of this. Assuming, however, that when the author say 19.35 he means
1935, that when he says mixed be means unmixed, and
that when he says 22 be means about 22, his description
seems to be somewhat fuller than usual, but be tells us
something more about this cement on page 77, where be
says, "The concrete consisted of 10 parts of this furnace
slag, broken up into pieces of 2! cubic inches, t o 1 part
of cement, the fine material resultin~ from the crushing
taking the part of sand. To ascertam the shrinkage of
the dry material after being deposited as concrete, the
author made the following trial. The materials were
mixed dry in the following proportions : 7! measures of
broken slag, 2! of sand, and 1 of cement, making 11 altogether, each measure containing 3 cubic feet. When these
were made into concrete they formed a block of 22 cubic
feet." Now does this mean that he took 10 parts of furnace
slag as it came from the crusher, or that he took 7!
parts and mixed them with 2~ parts of sand (which, of
course, would simply give 7~ parts and n ot 10)? I hardly
like to hazard the suggestion, but it looks as if he made
his concrete on the former plan and his experiment on
the latter. His statement regarding the experiment is
clear, while as to the concrete he says furth er on : " The
first Ion of concrete was put in near the lock pit in the
south wall a nd up t!o thelE:~vel of the dock floor, ga.u~ed as
stated above, but as it did not appear satisfactory, It was
subsequently made as follows : A measure containing
1t cubic yards was filled with the broken slag as it)eft
the crusher, and to this was added ! th measure of sand
and 3 cwt. of Portland cement. This mix~re, which
consists of about 8 parts of the aggregate to 1 of the
matrix, was used throughout the work excepting for the
face concret e." As this is clear, I will n ot quarrel with
the form. Taking cement at 90 lb. per cubic foot, this
gives 8. 7 parts of slag, 1. 7 parts of sand, and 1 of cement,
and as the sand would n ot add to the bulk, this may be
called, though not very accurately, "about 8 parts of the
aggregate to 1 of the matrix," though the words "aggregate" and "matrix" are, unfortunately, not used by all en
gineers in the same sense. But what I specially wish to call
attention t o is the fact that this concret e, accordino to the
description, is a poorer concrete than that described in the
experiment, but it is stated to have been a better concrete
than that first used in the work, henco either the author
deliberat ely experiments with a composition different
from tha t he was using, or else his ex~lanations, even
when apparently clear, are absolutely umntelligible.
I will give only one other instance. On page 88 a.
speaker in the discussion, referring to the shrinkage of
bulk, remarks that at the Madras Harbour Works "'the
shrinkage was very nearly the same. The proportions
used were 10.28 cubic feet of stone, 4.16 cubic feet of sand,
and 1. 66 cubic feet of cement, m aking: 16.10 cu hie feet
altogether; 42 of those charges went to make a block of
18 cubic yards. The total amount of dry material was
776 ft., but mixed as concrete it became 464 cubic feet."
Now a speaker in a discussion is not called upon t o bA as
precise as the author of a paper, but the above contains
some puzzling statements. The measures given add up
16.10 as stated, but if this be multiplied by 42 we get 676,
and not 776. This may be a misprint, but how about
18 cubic yards makin~ 464 cubic feet ? There does not
seem room for a misprmt, nor can the idea be entertained
that the stat ements are approximate, as 464ft. are very
little more than 17 cubic yards. It is not worth while to
try to explain the above. The Madras Harbour Works
form an mteresting and instructive subject of study, but
I do not wish t o discuss qualities of concrete, I merely
wish to call attention to the exceedingly inaccurate and
incomplete descriptions of concrete to which we are
treated in plaCE:s where we are entitled to look for something very much better; and while I admit that the
papers on graving docks given in the volume referred to,
with the discussion on them, ara full of interesting and
valuable information, on this one point - viz., the
present practice regarding the composition of cement
concrete, there i3 no information that can be called
n ew, nor that adds anything to the information to be
found in text-bookst or in the special papers on concrete which, interestmg as they are, are, as a rule, somewhat too theoretical, and the authors, after describing
what they consider good concrete, are not in a position
to say. as Mr. Kyle says of Colombo, "I have seen
over 200,000 tons of this concrete used, and after twelve
years I have never seen the slightest sign of disinte~ra
tion." W e want the composition of concrete in var1ous
work~ accurately tabulated in a uniform manner, so
that we, or our successors, after time has bad a. fair
chan ce of testing the work, may know what to follow and
what to avoid. I do not know that I can suggest anything new as to form, but what I would like would be
something like the following :

Volumes of Materials as Dete?mined by Actual

M ea surement.
Mortar Concrete
when set. when set.
1
2
41
1. 8
2.3
5
The figures, of course, are filled in only to show the form
not as a suggestion of what they should be.
'
By sand I understand all the material of such a character
that when mixed with cement it will form mortar and
the volume tabulated sh ould include what is added t~ the
mass, and also what can be separated from the aggregate

Cement. Sand. Aggregate. Voids.

..

...

by screening. The aggregate should include all stones

after the sand has been carefully screened fr~m tb~m, and
after they are thoroughly mixed. 1v!ea.surmg dtffer~nt
sorts separately, though, of course, essential to the. ~akz?tg
of good concrete, is worse than useless.for descnb1(1J It.
The voids should be measured by pour~ng water m t<? a
vessel filled with aggregates also after Inlxmg. Meas~umg
voids separately is most misleading. The mortar Is, . of
course, what results from the mi x ture of the cement w1th
the whole of the sand.
.
A glance at such a. table would s~ttle the questiOn as to
whether or not the concret 9 was likely to be honeycombed.
In some cases it would show that it must be so, and
though all the measurements have .to be made for the
special purpose and cannot be made 10 th e regular process
of makmg the ~ncrete, it is possible that the time, expense, and trouble woul~ be. l~ss }han that involved in
making concrete and fillmg 1t m up to the level of the
dock floor" in order to test it51 fitness f_or the purpose.
There are, of course, many other p01~ts of mterest : the
size and quality of the stones compos.mg the aggregate,
t;he quality of the sand, an? the quahty of the ee~ent,
which latter, as a rule, IS the only . <?De suffiCiently
described. There is one way of descnbmg concrete to
which I have not yet alluded, viz., 1 to 5, 1 to 7, &c.
Suppose an e~gine.er takes 6. measures of shingle, a.nd
findmg that thlB sbmgle contams 1 measure of sand whiCh
can be screened from it without altE-ring its bulk. Suppose be, thereupon, det ermines to add 1 measure of ~and,
and specifies hts concrete to be 1 cement, 1 sand, Gshmgle,
is this 1 to 7 ? Suppose, &,gain, another engineer finds
shingle precisely resembling the above, but quite clean.
H e can add 2 measures of sand without altering the bulk,
and he specifies his concrete 1 cement, 2 sand, 6 shingle.
I s this 1 to 8 ? It is clear that the two <.:oncretes are
absolutely the same, but it is probable that they would be
described 1 to 7 and 1 to 8 as above. I say nothing as to
their absolute qualities, th ey would probably Le rather
poor, but good or bad they are the same, and to my mind
it is as bad to be unable t o tell the quality of concrete
within 12 or 15 per cent. as it would be to be in doubt as to
the quality of cement to that extent, yet if some one was
to describe cement in such a way as to make it appear
15 per cent. better than some other cem ent which was
exactly the saroe, he would be pulled up at once. I know
that this method of speaking of concrete is nsed by the
highest authorities, by men whose oldest works are as
good to-day as they were when first erected, but the custom is none the less bad, and results, no doubt, in younger
men making mistakes by following, as they suppose, in
the footst eps of their elders. Without taking exceptional
cases, it is quite possible for the qualities of two concretes
to vary t o the extent of, say, 8 or 10 per cent., while they
are both described as, say, 1 to 6 ; and I think the day
has passed when a description of concrete which only
comes within 10 per cent. of being accurate is of any
use to those who are really qualified to judge and who are
looking for the details of modern practice. It is true
that at t o 4 concrete will be better than a 1 to 10, but it
is not by any means true that the quality ''aries accordto the proportion of cement to s tones. It varies more
nearly according to the proportion of cement to voids,
a nd these do not always bear the 3ame proportion to the
stones. It may often happen that the addition of half a
measure, or even a measure, of small gravel may turn
&. poor and honeycombed concrete into a first. rate article,
ye t the idea left on any one's mind if he hears one concrete called 1 to 6 and another 1 to 6~, is that the latter is
the poorer of the two, and it is with regard to the effect
of this last half-measure that one wishes to consult records
of modern work.
I must apologise for the length of this letter, and I
must also apologise to the gentlemen whose remarks I
have criticised, but I trust it will be understood that it ia
not with the substance of the papers that I find any fault.
I only regret they have n ot stated their practice with
sufficient clearness to be available for future reference,
and I have only taken their remarks as convenient ex
amples of the almost universal practice of giving incom
plete information on this important matter.
I am, Sir, your obedient servant,
G. JAMES M UNRO.
Shanghai, May 27, 1893.

MONOLITHIC CONSTRUCTION OF SEA

WO.RKS.
To TRE EDITOR OF ENGINEERING.
SIR,-In your issue of the 4th inst., Mr. Shield claims
that the method in use at the Government harbour of
refuge works at Peterhead for obtaining monolithic work
is his own invention and bears no resemblance to mine.
H e states that his method is described in ENGINEERING
of September 16, 1892, and on referring to your issue of
that date, I find it there described and illustrated and
further . spoken of as having been recently devised by
Mr. Shield.
I have been so mu~b acc.us~omed, within the past few
years, .to .r ead of par~1es cla1mmg, as new discoveries, the
monoht~1c construction of breakwaters which I invented
som~ thuty-five years ago, and have since used when
~~quue.d, tha:t I fe~ tb~ most part h~ve passed over such
. new mvent10ns 10 silence, as I dtd the article in your
Issue of September 16, 1892, referring to the Peterhead
wor.ks! but wh~n, as in your issue of the 4th inst., I find
a. dtstmct demal of facts put forth, I consider it only
rig!lt to contradict it.
The matter in question is v~ry simJ>le. At the Peterhead works a base of concrete IS j>Ut m over an irregular
rocky ~ottom and levelled off, and on the t op of this base,
~f~er It has set, concrete blocks are laid dry, the face
Jomts caulked, and the whole of the joints and 1ntersticea

186
afterwards filled up with cement grout passed down
through a tube.
To show there is no novelty in this, so far as I ~m concerned, ~Ir. Shield will fi nd references t o and descriptions
o! my ~ethod of construction in the following publicat10ns, vtz. :
1. :Minutes of the Insti~ution. of Civil Engineers, vol.
x xv., page 127. In the dtscuss1on on that paper in Sess~on 1865-6, .I . there described my system of constructlOn as cons1stmg of a concrete base on which concrete
blooks were placed, their face joints caulk ed, and the
blocks cemented together by Portland cement grout.
2. R eport in March , 1869, to the G reenock Harbour
Trust ees on the construction of the north-west pier at
Garvel Park, ad vising the adoption of a concrete levelled
bade with a blockwork superstructure on top.
3. Patent specification of mine, dated October 5, 1881,
for the construction of marine works, where a levelled
concrete base is used in connection with various forms of
superstructure.
4. ~Iinutes Institution of Civil Engineers, vol. lxxxvii. ,
page 65. This is a paper I contributed to the Ins titution,
wherein levelled concrete bases and various forms of
superstructure are de,gcribed and shown.
5. Lectures delivered in March, 1889, to the Royal
Engineers at Chatbam, and afterwards republished in
E~GINEERING on October 10 and 31, N ovember 21, and
D ec('mber 28, of 1890, describing a number of works, including several of my own, amongst which were the Jersey
Harbour \Vorks, comprising the Hermitage Breakwater,
executed 1887-89, which was the first application on a.
large scale of the syst em of grouted monohthic work from
the bottom of the sea to coping level.
6. ENGINEERING of May 20 and 27, 1892, where the
system of repairing and strengthening the under-water
portion of the older portion of the H ermitage Breakwater,
constructed under Sir John Coode, is described and
illustrated.
In the Hermitage Brea.k?water the foundation bed was
formed of rubble and shingle, which, after being levelled
off, was grouted with neat cement grout passed down
through a pipe, and formed m agnificent concrete.
Prior to this I had abandoned the system of passing
fresh made concrete through water, either for levelling of
foundations or other work, owing to the unreliable results
obtained.
Mr. Shield is apparently following one of my methods
of forming a levelled concrete base under water, but I
have abandon ed this particular method, and can assurE'
him that if he would adopt my other method of a grouted
rubble base as used at Jersey, be would find that better
work in every respect would be obtained.
\Vith regard to the caulking of the face join ts of blocks
and then groutin~ the blocks into a monolithic mass, I
think Peterhead 1s the first work of any importance to
follow up what I did at Jersey, and I was certainly
gratified to learn from your issue of September 16, 1892,
that such excellent results were there obtained from my
grouting method, as ib shows that the grouting is being
p roperly carried out, and wherever this is done, not only
will there be satisfaction to all concerned, but likewise
much more economical and stronger work will be
obtained.
It would appear from what is now being done ab
Peterhead that the time has ab last come when monolithic
breakwaters from foundation to cope will be constructed
in exposed positions, instead of piles of rubble or loose
blocks or oomposite arrangements with a concrete capping, followed by repeated tales of failure during or after
construc tion.
I am, yours truly,
W ALTER RoBRRT KINIPPLE, M. I. C. E.
3, Victoriastreet, Westminster, S.W., August 5, 1893.

THE INTERNATIONAL MARITIME

CONGRESS.
To THE EDITOR OF ENGINEERING.
SrR,-Ha.ving been recently asked by several persons
wh en and where the next meeting of the Maritime Congress was to b e h eld, it may be ad vi sable t o explain t~e
con stitution of this congress, and in what respoots It
differs from that of the International Congresses on
Inland Navigation, of which the sixth congress is to be
h eld n ext year at t he Hague.
At the close of the first m eeting of the International
Maritime Congress in Paris, in 1889, the members present
u nanimously decided to make t he congress a p~rmanent
institution, and to en t rust the a.rr~ngements f~r ~ts future
meetings t o a permanent InternatlOnal Commtsston, to be
selected by the officials of the Paris Congress, and which
should hold its sittings in Paris. This commission was
constituted in 1890, with representatives on it of thirteen
European nations; and at t he first sitting in October,
1890 the for eign representatives were requested to form
loca.i committees in their r espective countries to assist in
furt hering the objects of the congress. In accord ance
with the powers entrusted to it, the commission decided
in January, 1892, that the second m eeting of the e;ongress should be held t his year; and at a; sitting of the
c::>mmission in Paris in July, 1892, I submttte~ a proposal
of the British local committee tha:t the meetmg. of 1893
sh ould be held in L ondon, wh1ch was unammously
accepted.
When a sufficient interval sha.ll have elapsed to render
a third meeting of the conifess expedient, it will be.the
duty of the commission t o settle the year of the meetmg,
and to consider any propositions with regard to the place
of meeting which m ay be brought forward. The act~al
tima of the meeting, and all otb~r . arra.ngem.ents for I~,
will be determined by the orgamsm g. oo~m1ttee, nomlna.ted in th e country where the meetmg 1s t o be held,
aided by the co-operation of the commission, and the re-

E N G I N E E R I N G.
presenta.ti ves ab local committ ees in the several countries
of Europe. This organisation dispenses with any n ecessity, at t he close of one meeting, of fixing the time and place
of the next meeting; and it leaves a con venient lat1tude
as to the interval between the meetings, which it is considered might, with advantage, b e from four to six years.
It, moreover, provides a permanent authority in Paris to
whom suggestions and proposals relating to the 1-laritime
Congress can be submitted at any time, and also representatives, and in some cases local committees, in the
principal m aritime countries of Europe, who should form
centres of information on maritime subjects, a nd might
very materially aid an organising commit t ee in obtaining papers, information, a nd other assistance for a meeting of the congress.
The International Congresses on Inland N aviga.tion,
which are at present held biennially, possess no permanent
organisation; but after the termination of a congress,
the management devolves upon the organising committee
of t he followin~ congress, as soon as it is constituted, in
the country whtch has given an invitation to the members
at the ~revious congress. These Congresses on Inland
NavigatlOn are considered by many persons to follow one
another t oo closely for a permanent arrangement; and if,
at the termination of a congress, no in vitation should be
forthcoming, there would be danger of t he congresses
coming to an end. A permanent organisation, accordingly, appears to offer a better prospect of continuity
than an arrangement for holding congresses at fixed
intervals of two years.
The subjects appertaining to the t wo congresses are
9.uite distinct, as indicated by the titles "Inland" and
'Maritime;" and though the.Congresses on Inland Navigation encroach somewhat, in section 4, on the domain of
maritime works by including estuaries amon gst their
subjects, which constitut e a sort of borderland, any chan ce
of interference has been avoided in the L ondon meeting
of the Maritime Congress by omitting estuary works
from the questions considered. Nevertheless, a sufficient
number of persons are in terested in both maritime works
and inland navigation to render it inexpedient to
hold the two congresses in the same year ; and this
consideration, and the frequency of the Congresses
on Inland Navigation, have led to the suggestion that
these congresses should be united . The Paris P ermanent
Commission, however, considers that there is ample difference of scope and variety of subjects to occupy the
attention of two congresses, that the org anisation of the
Maritime Congress offers too definite advantages to be
lightly Ret aside, and that there would be ser-ious dan~er
of maritime subjects not receiving adequate consideration
if merged with inland navigation, which already embraces
a. wide range of commercial and engineering problems.
The intel'eats of both t hese congresses would probably
be best consulted by extending the interval between
the Congresses on Inland Navigation to about four years,
and thereby enabling a meeting of the Maritime Congress to be occasionally held in the interval, without
necessitating the holding of these congresses in three
consecutive years.
I remain, yours faithfully,
L. F. VERNON H AROOURT,
British Mem her of the Paris Permanent Commission.
6, Ql!een Anne's-gate, W esbminster, S. \ V.,
August 8, 1893.

[AuG.

I I,

1893.

engi ne when st eam i~ taken away from it before having

done any work on the low-pressure piston.
In a case that has com e within the writer's expeiience,
the engines (7000 indicat ed horse-power) indicated several
hundred horse-power less when the h eater was engaged,
with a corresponding reductjon in the speed of the ship.
Although this might be modified by a difference in the
original design of the propelling apparatus, it scarcely
looks as though tht! b eater were an unmitigated advantage
as a weight-reducing appliance.
}'uthfully yours,
0. H muPHRRY GILBERT.
August 8, 1893.
To THE EDITOR OF ENGINEERING.
SIR,--Absence from home h as prevented me from signalling to you two errata to my letter which you were
good enough to publish on July 28.
1. In the consumption trials made at 15 knots for two
of the first-class boats, the mean coal burnt per horsepower amoun ted to 1~ lb. instead of 1lb. 10 oz.
2. An omission in toe last paragraph (this fault is ours)
has rendered the sentence quite unintelligible.
Instead of:
"Even in F rance . .
. . . cannot realise such low figures at low and mean
power, and 13 lb. at full power, but . "
It should be :
" Even in France . .
. . . cannot realise such low figu res as lllb. at low
and mean power, and 13 lb. at full power, but . . ."
I remain, dear Sir, yours sincerely,
J . A. NORIHAND.
Havre, August 8, 1893.

BREAKING UP MACADAMISED ROADS.

To THE EDITOR OF ENGINEERING.
SIR,-I wish to collect such information as I can respecting the rise and progress of the application of machinery to the breaking up of macadamised road surfaces preparatory to re-formmg and coating such surfaces.
Can any of your readers favour me with data ?
I am, Sir, yours faithfully,
ARTHUR E. COLLINS.
Reading, August 9. 1893.
T HE KRAG-JORGENSEN RIFLE. -This r ifle, which has
now been tried by the military authorities of several
countries, has also recently been tested with most sa.tis.
fa-ctory results in Norway, where the inventor resides.
The shooting at 1000 metres was exceedingly satisfactory,
and it is probable that t he Norwe~ian Government will
also soon adopt t his small-calibre rtfle.

NEW L IGHTHOUSES AXD SIRENS ON THE COAST OF

~KA-GF..RAK.-A Norwegian official e<;>mmittee, which has
m vest1gated a nd reported upon an Improved lighting of
the Skagerak coast, recommends several new installations and extensions. These include a lighthouse at the
"Gjaslingerne," which will entail an expenditure of
500,000 kr. (27,500l.), exclusive of the cost of the lighting
appliances. As this, however, will be a lengthy and
expensive undertaki ng, it is proposed to increase the
strength of Ryvingen lighthouse, and to fit it with sirens.
THE REPORT OF THE ADMIRALTY BOILER It is all:!O proposed to alter the Oxo lighthouse, so that it
COMMITTEE ; TORPEDO-BOAT ENGINE will be strong-er and more easily distinguishable from
other lights; m fact, a new lighthouse will in all probaPERFORMANCES.
bility h ave to be built. It is further suggested that t he
To THE EDITOR OF ENGINEERING.
SIR,-The discussion under this heading has raised Farder lighthouse shall be made intermittent, and that
sirens shall be installed at several places.
more than one interesting point.
In his recent letter, M. Normand claims an economy of
COAL AND I RON IN BELGl'UM.- The production of coal
20 per cent. by use of his surface feed heater. In his
original paper he reasons in thi9 way : "Suppose that the in Belgium in the fi rst half of this year amounted to
work already supplied by the heater steam=7 per cent. 9, 428,842 tons, as compared with 9, 736,185 tons in the
of the total work done by the engine, and that the effi- corresponding period of 1892, showing a decrease of
ciency of the remaining 19tfrr=30 per cent. of the t heoretical 307,343 tons this year. The total of 9,428,842 t ons, representing tha production in the first half of this year, was
maximum efficien cy, then
made up as follows: First di vision, G,833,635 tons; second
.07 X 1 + .93 X .3=1 X .34.
division, 2,595,207 tons. The first division comprisf:s the
The efficiency of the en?,ine would thus be raised from 30 Coucba.nt de Mons and the Centre and Charleroi disp er cent. to 34 per cent. ' These figures were hypothetical, t ricts. The second division comprises the Luxembourg
and the Na.mur and L iege districts. The stocks of coal
merely given as an example.
All the feed heater can do is to diminish the loss due to in hand at the close of J une this year were 1,143,489 tons,
" misa.pplica.tion of heat t o the feed water. "
as compared with 1,201,333 tons at the'close of June, 1892,
In the case of the Meteor, this loss was under 11 per showing a decrease of 57,844 tons this year. The produccent., so that were the feed heater of the ideally perfect tion of pig in Belgium in the fi rst half of this year was
pattern ably described in an article on the subject in your 370,364 tons, as compared with 386,513 tons in the correlSSue of May 2, 1890, only this percen tage could be gained; sponding period of 1892, showing a decrease of 16,149 tons
with the feed beater used on the torpedo-boat in question this year. In the t otal of 370,364 tons, representing the
nob much more than half of t his saving WOllld be realised. production of Belgian pig to June 30 this year, casting
Even admitting that with a. higher steam pressure the pig figured for 37,456 tons, refining pig for 221,622 tons,
loss by " misapplication of heat to the feed " might be and st eel pig for 111,286 tons. The production of casting
greater in the torpedo-boat than. i~ the Meteor, it seems pig increased in the fi rst half of this year to the extent of
difficult to account for the reroamm g 12 to 15 per cent. 2875 tons ; the production of steel pig also increased to
saving by the genaral statement that it is u consistent the extent of 1374 tons. On the oth er hand, the producwith well-known experiments on the transmission of tion of refining pig fell off to the extent of 20,398 tons.
Iron was made in B elgium in the first half of this year to
heat. "
This d oes not cast any doubt on the accuracy of the the extent of 248,207 tons, as compared with 264,785 tons
trials, but may not the economy have been due to some in the corresponding period of 1892, showing a decrease of
16,678 tons this year. In the 248,207 tons representing
other cause?
In his papar M. N ormand went on to explain t hat the the iron made in Belgium to June 30 this year, rails and
advanta~e of this surface arrangement over Weir's jet plates fi~ured for 62,132 tons, and miscellaneous iron for
system IS that m the latter "the beating is n ecessarily 186,075 tons. The quantity of st eel made in Belgium
limited to a temperature considerably less than 212 deg. '' in the first half of this year was 222,641 tons, as
Surely this is not the experience of those who have sailed compared with 240,652 tons in the corresponding period
with Messrs. Weir's appliances, and have certainly noted of 1892, showing a decrease of 18,011 tons this year. In
temperatures up to 220deg. He also stated that a saving the 222,641 tons, representing the production of steel in
in weight is realised by the use of the heater, as the heat- Belgium in the first half of this year, casb steel and ingots
figured for 123,097 tt>ns, and forged steel rails, plates, &c.,
ing_ surface of the boilers may be reduced.
There is no reference here to the loss of power in the for 99,544 tons.

E N G I N E E R I N G.

AuG. 11, 1893.]

On the present page, in }'ig. 1, is shown diagramma tically the a rra ngement of eng ine used
for the experiments we are about t o describe. The
engine was fitted up in the machine shop at Messrs.
Yarrow's works, b eing supported in the middle
by a short block of wood. At each end were indiarubber discs as shown. It will be seen tha.t the engine
was, therefore, free to oscillate endwise, in seesaw
fashion, so far as the elasticity of the discs would allow.
The engino is, as sta.ted , of 1600 horse-power, a.nd is
of the three -cylinder, tri-compound type, with three
cranks. In the paper before referred to, Mr. Ya.rrow
makes t he following statements with regard to this type
of engine : "Triple-expansion engines with three
cra nkq, although pa rti.l.lly balanced when a.t rest, a.re

ENGINE VIBRATION.
THE question of steamship vibration is now attracting a good deal of attention in a very unpleasant
manner. To obtain the high speeds d emanded by
t ra,ellers _in the present rushing age, engineers and
na.,:a.l a rchttects ha ve been b ot_h compelled t o lighten
tbetr structures. In the shtp's hull this has been
d one by the in t roduction of st eel in place of iron the
scantling has bren reduced, and th e consequence' has
been a lig hter and more elas tic s tructure.
The
engineer on his p 3.rt has incr easecl th e number of
rev?lution~, and t~ o u gh r eciprocatin g par ts in the
~ngm ~s h=tve Lecn lightened, the j H caused by h ringtn 0a to res t a nJ star in 0rr ao
0 'in t he moviua
0 1)1rt s is a

/ "'

).,

Fig . 1.

../""' . ..........._ I

'
I

-w

o,,,,,., ,.,.,
/
- LA
r-

-~
Jitr A

Pig 2.

'I
'1

~;..~1

Ba lo no

A ft tr tnd .

w' 'ghts

8 a lan ct

Vtrt1 ca~

Fig . 4 .

'I'T

'

........

~ ~=

*=..

.~

-i

'

~-- ~
-

Forward tnd

no l fitttd.

Forward md .

fllt t d

p
"'

~
-r

Balanct

w~ighls

fittt d

'

Vtrttc al m otton ~

wt t ghts fiUtd

m ot io n ~;

Fig. S.
~tights

Vu t, cal m olto n J-;6

Fig . 3 .

..........

,. ...
Forward rnd .

Balanct

.,,,,,,

l
/

'

,./

,!...

Fiif . 7.

Afftr trt d

Ba lana wtghtJ f/tt1d

Aftu tnd

Balana wnghls
not f itltd

Vtrl tCal motton JJ

A fltr tnd
Bolanet wtghtl nqt fiUtd

Forward M d

Sol:uw .,wghll not filltd

Fig. 8.

,u, 6

Vtrllcol mott Jn ,.

.Fiq.9.

Vtr/ICal mot1M t Y,

very serious matter. The apparently eccentric manner

in which steamers would v ibrate or be comparatively
stil~ a.t different times, was _for a. long time a. puzzle to
eng lDeers, but the laws whiCh go\ern the qu estion a re
now fairl y well understood in fundamentnl prin cip 1 t>.
It was in torpedo-boats- those pioneers of so much
recent practice in marine e ngineering- that the r emarkable effects of vibration were first studied, and it
is to the torpedo-boat builders that th e solution of the
question is mainly due. The propeller itself was long
credited with the odium of vibration, but investigations of a. practical and theoretical nature have shown
that a: well:ba.lanced _propeller adds l~ttl~, if anything,
to thLS evtl ; the chtef cause of whtch 1s the reciprocatory movement of the engines, a.nd it is when the
reciprocations synchronise with th e natural period of
\'ibration of the hull that the vibration reaches its
maximum effect.
All this, our readers will remember, was most ex cellently put forward a.t the spring meeting last year
of the Institution of Naval Architects, when Mr. Yarrow r ead his n ow well-known paper on the subject.*
The rema rkable effect in damping vibration produced
by the addition of wha t :Mr. Y arrow called "bob weights, " which moved in a vertical direction so as to
balance the vertical movement of the reciprocating
part~ of the engine, will be r emembered. Mr. Yarrow
then illustrated his reasoning by means of working
models sh own at the meeting , but h e has since put
some of the principles enunciated into actu al practice,
and. we have la tely ha.d an oppor~unity of seeing a.n
engtne of 1600 horse-power fitted w1th balance weights
with the most happy results. To p erfectly balance an
en~in e, it is necessary_ to fit the vertica11r moving bobwetghts, but for practical purposes on shtpboard it ma y
be ~s well to dispe_nse with this, and use on]y rotating
wetghts for ba.la.ncmg purposes. By the use of rota ting
":eigh~s, e~gines I? ay b e b~lan~ed v~rtica.lly, although
v tbra.twnsm a. honzonta.l chrectwn w11l s till be present
the latter, however, owing to the shape of a vessel'~
hull, are not important.
*See E~ciNERRING, vol. liii., page 434.

to balance them and as we supposed, avoid vibration,

we made each piston' of th e sa.me weight in a. first-class
torpedo-boat . Thus w e pre vented any vertteal mo,ements of the centre of gravity of the engines, yet we
found no improvement. This clearly indicates that
the rocking vibrations are of more importance than the
'"ertica.l vibrations in triple-expansion engines. " We
quote these passages from Mr. Yarrow's paper in order
to assist our readers' memories ; but to fully grasp the
bearing of the present exp eriments, all the de tails of the
p aper should be had in re co~lection.
.
.
As shown by t he illustl'atlOn, the engllle was dn ven
by a. p ulley connected to its crank shaft by mea ns of a
length of shafting, hav ing considerable pla y, in ord er to
allow for t he vibration of the engine. 'fh e tria ls were
d ivided into two parts : those made without balance
weights, and those with bala nce weig hts fi t ted. These
weights were attached t o the cra nk webs in the usual
manner, the effect of all th e moving parts being carefully calculat ed , and th e balance weights so proportioned as to coun teract the movement, so far as
vertical motion was concerned. The principle adopted
was, in fact, th e same as that usuall y followed in locomotive practice ; but whHeas in a locomotive it is
th e hori zontal dist urbir g forces, du e to the motion of
the reciprocating partt~ , whi C'h a re ba la n ced, and the
vertical lifts unbalan ced, in ~Ir. Yarrow's engines the
re,rerse wa.s the case.
On the present page we reprodu ce d iagrams taken .
Iu the first four diagrams, Figs . 2 t o 5, the r evolutions
wer e 72 p er miHute, and th e records w ere obtained by
means of vibromet ers fixed on the forward and after end a
of the engine base, a.s shown iu the illustration. In
Figs. 2 and 3 the balance weights were fitted, and it
will be seen tLat the movement was very small; in one
case the deviations from the s traight line amounting to
(.r in., w hilst in the second case they were n\ in. Figs.
4 a.nd 5 show the effect of removing the balance weights.
On the forward end the p en cil of the vibrometer had
moved r elatively to the paper, through a. vertical distance of 1 in.; whilst on the after end the movement
was about i in. more as a. maximum.
It will be
remembered that a description of the v ibrometer
was given in Mr. Ya.rrow's paper, before referred to.
The last four diagrams were taken direct from th e bedplate a.t the forward and after ends; these recorda
were obtained by fixing a. pencil on to the bedplate
itself, a. suitable adjustment by means of a. spring
having been provided t o keep the pencil in contact
with the paper. The papers were of course supported
by the floor of the shop. The papers were continuous,
and were wound on a. drum so as to obtain the necessary horizontal motion. This last mode of obtaining
the diagrams wa-s selected because the vertical range
of the vibrometer was not sufficient to record the oscillations of the higher speed of 78 r evolutions, when
the balance weights were not fitted. The records speak
for themselves. It will be seen that with the balance
weights the vertical motion was but i in., whilst
without the balance weights the range wa.s from 3l in.
t o 3~ in. The value of balance weights is well shown
by this illustration, but they must be balance weights
actuall y, not merely in name. ]'or this reason the
calculations governing their position must be carefully
made, and a.ll factors considered. The thanks of
marine engineers a.re certainly due to Mr. Y arrow for
his researches in this important matter of vibrations ,
a nd more especially for the liberal manner in which
he has placed the results of his labours so freel y a t
their service.

INDUSTRIAL NOTES.

IIH C

Vtrl tcol mot1 on

3 J) '

very !ar from being balanced _when a~ work, owing to

the. dLSta.nce between the varwus reciprocating parts,
whiCh .co~ sequently set up a. rocking motion, which is
the prmc1pal one to be ov~rcome, and in such engines
we have to deal with this rocking motion iu addition
to t?e verti~al m~t10n of the cent~e of g ravity, this
verttcal motion be10g due to the d1fference in weight
of the working parts of the three engines. . . . ln a.
singl e-cylinder engine the vibration is practically up
and down. ln a double-cylinder engine, with cranks
at r_ight. angles, i~ is a. more pron?unced galloping
motwn, t. e., a.. motwn ?f a comple:c kmd, being a. compound of vert1cal motwns of their centre of g rav ity
a.nd a rocking motion. . . . Some years ago we thought
the vibration in triple-expansion engines was due to
the difference in weight of the pistons, and with a view

THE g reat miners' strike overshadows a.ll other

labour questions at the present tim e. It was inevitable that it should do so, b ecause of the enormous
number of workers involved, of t h e vast interests at
s take, and of the far-reaching effects of the stoppage
of the coal industries of the coun t ry. From the purely
l~bour poi.n t of view, there is another aspect of constderable tmporta.nce, and one t hat oannot fail to exercise immense influence in the future whatever the
final is~ue may be-~amely, the que;tion of labour
federattonEI. Federatwn, as a principle, is on its trial.
For m~ny yea~s past we have had examples of amt\.lgamat10n, a s1mple form of federation, such as the
Amalgamated Society of Engineers, of the Carpenters
and Joiners, of the Tailors , S hoemakers, and others.
In those cases the small individual societies ceased
to exist as such, and became branches or lodges of
one amalgamated union, governed by the ~a.me laws
and rules, with common funds and benefits open to
and shared by all. The M iners' Nation al Federation
is different. It is a congeries of large unions or as
they term them, of federations, for several' of 'the
great mining centres have each their federation of the
l~ca.~ soci_eties, or branches, as the case may be.
' a nous Circumstances ha\e occurred to bring within
the. sphere of t~e . federation several large l>odies
wbtch are n?t qutte m accord upon all p oints; indeed,
upon one pomt, and that the most important in many
respe~ts, there is a. strong dive rgence-namely, upon
the etght hours. But, upon the wages question, the

188

E N G I N E E R I N G.

conference recently helu came to the r esolution that

In the Lancashire district there would be little of
a~l must act together, or be cut off from the federa- change to report in connection with the engineering
t10n. The effect of this has been that the area of the 1 and iron ann steel branches of industry if it were not
dispute has extended, and now the power of the for the coal crisis. That is everywhere already befederation principle is being tried, and that, too, I ginning to aff~ct trade even in anticipation of a scarcity
under difficult conditions, for men who were not : of fuel. Coal has gone up with a bound in some disunder notice of reduction have gi veu notice to cease tricts, and where manufacturers have litt]e room for
work out of loyalty to the majority of the federa- storage the outlook is very dark indeed. Short time
tion districts. The battle, therefore, is general, or partial stoppage is being resorted to in many
though not quite universal. The success or failure of places, both in the iron aud steel trades generally,
the federation will be shared by all. The very exist- and in the cotton mills. The fact of its being the
en~e of the federation i3 at stake, and surprising holiday seas(Jn will minimise the difficulty for a brief
developments may ta.ke place before the strike is ter- period, but the effects will be felt all the more keenly
minated.
when the time comes for the full res1mption of work.
The loyalty o[ the fdleratbn districts ha3 b een At the glass and chemical works in Lancashire the
marvellous. It is shown not only in the districts men have been put on short time.
where notices of 25 p ar cent. reduction were posted,
or notices practically involving that reduction, but in
In the Cleveland district the threatened stoppage
places and at pits where no notices were given, and of the honstone miners over the ratchet machine is
where, therefore, the miners could ha.ve worked under cJ.using some friction. Some of the men, at the four
the old rate3, without any reduction at all, until the mines select ed, seem to have refused to strike. The
dispute ended. In accordance with the Birmingham fact is, the use of the ratchet machine does not affect
r esolution, the men gave in tla.eir notices where the mine- all alike. Some of the men are better off by its use,
owners diu n'>t, and in distriets where previous reduc- while others are worse off. Human nature comes in,
tions had been accepted the unions gave in notices for an and the better off refuse to risk their positions on beadvance equivalent to the ag~regate reductions, except half of the underpaid.
in South \V ales, where the sliding scale operates, and
In the Midlands the sliding scale arrangements have
'vhere any stopp3.ge would amount to a breach of contract, and render the men liable to prosecution under been settled in s uch a manner as to cause some little
the law. The effect of the policy enforced by the surprise. The recent report of the accountants
feuera.tion ha'3 been to widen the area of the dispute, showed a r eduction in the average selling price which
and at the same time t o cut off supplies in the shape of would h ave necessitated a reduction in wages equal t o
pecuniary help to the men, as well as of coa.l and fuel 2~ per cent. But the \YagP-3 Board have settled the
for domestic and m!lnufacturing purposes. The esti- matter upon a higbcr b'lsis of ls. 6d. premium on
mate of the actual number of workers thrown idle by the sliding scale. This at once averts the reduction of
the dispute varie3 from 300,000 to 350,000, quite irre- 2~ per cent., and sets aside the difference of Gel. per
spective of those indirectly affected by the non supply ton between the North of England and the Midland
districts. The surprise of the men at the result is
of fuel.
great, because the employers had often declared that
Outside the federation proper, so t o speak, there the barrier of the 6d. per ton was impassable.
The effect of the new arrangement upon the iron and
are three large bodies of miners who are in a different position. The Durham miners decided to steel industries of \Vol verhampton and Birmingham
ask for an advance, equal to the amount of reductions cannot at present be estimated. Some transactions on
suffered, in accordance with the resolution of the Bir- the probable Lasis of a 2~ per cent. reduction were
possibly effected, but sellers were fortunately shy to
mingham conference. They, however, also decided deal
in anticipation of a fall. Those who did were
not to strike. Therefore the position is that the men caught napping. The one great effect of the new
will, as a rule, continue at work on the old terms, arrangement will be the removal of complaints which
at least for the present. The N orthum berla.nd men were beginning to be heard as to the working of the
asked for an advance of 161 per cent., that being equal sliding scale in the Midland district~, by the iron and
to the total re<.l uction in t~eir rates. The coalowners
refused to concede the advance, and, therefore, the steel workers.
men will work at the old rates, unless and until a
In some of the Scottish mining districts the men
ballot decides otherwise. In those two large coalproducing counties, therefore, the men a.re in rstatu quo have declared for a rise in wages, and some have
already ceased work. Others have begun a restricante bellum.
tive policy of short time as a means of redncing the
In South \Vales the men are under the sliding output, so tha t no large consignmen t s of coal shall be
scale, but in some districts they are so far in sent south to compete with the English mineowners so
accord with the federation idea., strengthened by as to keep down prices.
recent reductions in wages, tbat they appear to be
The heavy, and one might say the irresistible, presrather anxious to take part in the fight. At several
pits the men ceased work last week, ~n violation of sure brought to bear upon the Government during the
the sliding scale compact. But p ossibly the small last few years, as regar<1s the hours of labour, overadvance of li per cent. under t be scale, given on time, and pay of Government employes, has had the
Saturday last, may tend to mod~rate the enthusiasm effect of making great improvements in the condition
of the men in some districts. Before the week closed of the workers in many respects, This pressure was
there were iL is estimated, 30,000 Welsh miners on begun in the year 1886, and was made still more apstrike in th~ R~oadda Valley alone, the district above parent in 1887 . The first thing to which the Government
yielded
was
with
respect
to
overtime,
which
at
all other.:J where Mr. \Villiam Abraham, M. P., exercises
that date was worked to such an extent that a few
the most influence.
thousand men bad put in nearly 6,000,000 hours of
In North Wales the miners tendered their notices, overtime in some eight or t en months, while other
in accordance with the Birmingham conference resolu- men of the same class were 'valking the streets out of
tion and ceased work a'!cordingly. Some 10,000 employment. Systematic overt~me is no~ pra~tically
min~rs in the Flintshire colliery districts are idle, and abolished extra hours only bemg permitted 1n cases
the local industries already complain of shortness of of emerg:ncy or difficulty. Some modifications have
fuel for manufacturing purposes. In Cumberland the also been since introduced as regards the hours of
miners are federationists, but they accepted a reduc- labour and further experiments are being tried in the
tion in wages some time ago rather than strike, and Arsen~l and small arms factories with the view of
were not cut off from the fP.deration for so doing. They seeing whether the eight hours system can be adopted,
have now put in their claim for a restoration of ~he on the lines of Mr. Allan's firm at Newcastle. The
reduction and will either to have to come out w1th wages of the unskilled labourers are being slowly
the rest 'or be dismissed from the federation. I.n levelled up to something like a u?iform minimum, but
cases where notices were not given by the coalownere, tha.t minimum of l9s. p er week 1s re~arded as unduly
and the men gave in their notices in~tead, the me~ are low, and some inqui ~ies are (ID foot ID order ~o see to
what
extent
the
minimum
can
be
further
ra.1sed.
It
allowed to work until the legal exp1ry of the notiCes,
is now resolved that, during the generally slack time
as in all other cases where a dispute has arisen.
in many industric.:J instead of further dischargfs of
The efforts of Mr. Pickard and others to obtain the men the employes ~hall be put on short t ime, so that
co-operation of the minHs. of !ranee, G~rmany, all ~hall share the amount of work to bt" done. This
Austria-Hungary, and Belgmm,. m. P.reventmg any policy will help to relieve the la?our market ~f ~ny
export of coal in case of need! ~Vlll! 1t Is thou~ht, not large accession of unemployed ID all the d1stncts
be very successful. Ind.eed, 1t. I S ~IDted that IDte~a where Government work is being carried on. These
tional complications might anse 1f any such pohcy may be small concessions in the opinion of some, but,
were carried out. It is not very clear as to how or why in the aggregate, the progressive improvement cannot
these complications should arisE>, b~t th~re are t~ose fail to be of benefit to all Government employes.
in either country and perhaps some 1n th1s, who m1ght
On Friday last the member. for the !nee divi~ion of
seek to make a~y such reci~ro?al .action a cause of Lancashire called the attent10n of the Committee of
complaint, and possibly of untat10n, betwe~n the Supply in the House of Commons to the acti.on of a
Governments concerned. _But ap~~t from th1s, the firm of printers, having large contracts w1th the
Continental miners are not 1n a pos1t10n ~o afford much Government, in discharging a. number . of workmen
help, either by way of stoppage of supphes or by pecubecause they had joined a. trade un1on. It was
niary assistance.

further alleged against the firm that for the particular work they paid lower than the current rates
of wages in the district. The latter, it was contended, was in dirct violation of the resolution of the
House of Commons in February, 1891, an<.l cons2quently deserved censure by the House. ~1r. 'Voods
had been in communication with the Financial
Secretary to the Treasury on the subject for some
time, but, as he could get no satisfactory reply,
be brought the matter before the House. The most
serious allegation made was that of discharg:ng a
number of men for belonging to a union, which
by law they have a perfect right to do, and intimidating a. number of others to give up the union
rather than sacrifice their employment. It appears
that Sir John Hihbert, the Financial Secretary, was
not able to deny the allegation generally, but he said
that the firm had hitherto been a "non union house,"
and the men who were discharged were agitating
among the men to compel the firm to make it a union
house. The Committee of the House of Commons
decided that the contracts should be revised so that
such undue pressure should not again be brought to
bear upon the men. One or two members thought
that this action might go further than was intended,
but it was explained that it wa.s only intended to preserve the right of joining or not joining a union, and
that firms would not be compelled to give preference
to union men. On this understanding the motion was
withdrawn, and the discussion terminated, but with
the evident feeling that (,he resolution of 1891 must
be observed.
A large number of British delegates travelled by
th e London, Cha.tha m, and Dover Railway en 1oule to
Zurich to attend the International Congress held this
week. Nearly all the labour members were obliged to
abandon their intention of being present at the
Congress, in consequence of their Parl!amentary duties
a.t1d because of the coal strike. Some members of t he
Lond( n County Council were, howeYer, able to be
present, and a few of the chief officers of some of the
larger unions. The Amalgamated Society of Engineers were represented by Mr. John Anderson, the
general secretary, and others ; but the larger proportion of the delegates really represented the Social
Democratic Federation, the Fabian Society, and other
bodies more political than industrial. This fact will
doubtless give zest to the proceedings, as the political
element is more congenial to Continental delegate~,
as the labour unions are not so completely industrial
on the Continent as in the United Kingdom. But
some of them admit that more rapid progres'3 is made
with English methods than they are able to attain.
The Trades Union Parliamentary Committee ha,e
issued their final notice for the Congress to be held in
the Ulster Hall, Belfast, during the first week in eptember. So far, it appears, the number of delegates
appointed falls short of recent years, but many societiE-s
postpone their final selections and arrangements till the
last moment. But it is not anticipated that the number
present will equal those of the last three years. The
programme of the committee will be a very moderate
one; but theresolutionssentinalready extend to ei,ehtyfour, and many others are expected by the date of the
opening of the Congress. :M any of the resolutions are
political in their character, as, for example, manhood
suffrage, triennial Parliaments, all elections t o be on
one day, payment of members and of all official expenses, the second ballot, &c. Then there are anumber of rsolutions of a socialistic character, such as
the nationalisation of all lands and minerals, the State
acquisition of all railways and other means of transit,
complete control of the liquor trafficbythe ratepayers,
free compulsory education, reform of the Poor Law
syst em. Then there are resolutions for the aboliticn
of the House of Lords, and all other hereditary offices,
and for the election by the people of all magistrates,
and the payment of jurymen of lOa. per day. The
labour programme is also pretty wide and full : an
eight-hours day for all trades and occupations, further
factory inspection, contract labour, amendment of the
laws of conspiracy, of t he Factory Acts, boiler inspection, court of criminal appeal, old age pensions, labour
representation, Labour Day, unemployed, federation of
labour, Government contracts, accidents and coroners'
juries, calling out of the military. weights, measureP,
coinage, merchandise marks, employers' liahility, seamen's grievancet~, boards of arbitration, &c. These
quoted are the chief subjects only ; there are many
others, social, political, and industrial. It is obvious
that full discuss:on will be out of the question for all
of them, indeed, for even a few of them, inasmuch as
half an hour for each s ubject would occupy over eight
hours each day for five days in the week.

BOILER EXPLOSION AT BILSTON.

A FORMAL investigation has been held with reference
to an explosion which occurred on Monday, May 1, a.tJ
the Regent IronWorks, Bra.dley, nea.r Bilston, owned by

AuG. r r, r893.]
Messrs. Tupper and Co., L imited. The Commissioners
were Mr. H oward Smith and Mr. .J. H. Hallett. Mr.
Gough appeared for the B oard of Trade, and 1Ir. Shakespear, solicitor, of Oldbury, for Me~srs . Tupper; while
Mr. Young, m anaging director of the Scottish Boiler
Insur.~once Company, who had insured th e boiler, represented tha t company, and was accompanied by Mr.
~Iunro, th e chief engineer.
'rhe boiler was of the plain cylindrical egg-ended
externally-tired class, 33 ft. long by 6 ft. in diameter, the
pressure at which it w~s worked being 30 lb. to 38 lb. It
bad formerl y b 3en used at a colliery, and was bought
secondba.nd in 1882 by Mr. Onions, who was then in possession of the R egent Iron W orks. At that time it had a
flue tube running through it from end t o end. It was extensively repaired before being pub to work in its new
position, hub the flue tube was left in, and the boiler was
thus at thab time fired internally. At a later period the
tube was removed, but when or by whom could not be
ascertained. The boiler had changed hands before being
purchased by Mr. Onions, and its age was therefore unknown. Mr. Onions gave up the w0rks in 1886, previous
to whi ch further repairs had been mad e. li'rom 188G to
1888 the works stood idle, a.nd in the la tter year they were
taken over by the Albi on Iron Works Company, now
known as Messr.s. Tupper and Co., Limited. Some of the
r~ pairs , which had at some time or other been made, consisted of the introduction of two longitudinal plates
running along the bottom for the length of three belts of
plating.
On the evening of 1\'Iay 1 the boiler exploded, ripping
at one of the longitudinal seams attaching the lastmentioned repair plates, and being torn into three principal frag-mentQ, 1'he back end was blown 170 yards, and
the other parts 20or 30 yards in d ifferent directions. No
lives were lost, and only one p erson was injured. The
CJ.use of the explosion was a long seam rip wh ich had
evidently exi3ted for a considerable time, and had probably developed from f racture~ started when the repairs
were executed. ]\{any boilers of this olass have burst from
a. similar cau-se, and the fact that these flaws are di fficult
to det ect renders the use of this description of boiler
somewha t a ma tter of risk.
In opening the proceedings, Mr. Gough gave particulars as to the con t r uotion and history of the boiler, and
stated tha t it was ab the time of the explosion insured
with the Scottish Company, alonf) with other boilers at
the works, the amount of the poltcy being lOOOl. on the
group of twelva boiler3. WiLh regard to the posi tion of
the tnsurance company in relation to the owner, Mr.
Gougb said th ~t the company, so fa r from regarding
their inspection and th eir pohoy as a guarantee of the
safety of the boiler, would state that they examined the
boiler only to ascerta in if it were in such a condition as
t o constitute a fair risk. Having described the circumstances attending the explosion, and stated that the cause
would probably be found to have been a seam rip, as
above explained, Mr. Go u~h proc:eeded to call witnesses.
Mr. Enocb Thompson, ot the firm of Thompson Brothers,
boilermakers, Bilston, gave evidence to th e effect that he
sold the boiler to Mr. Onions after repairing ib in 1882.
H e bought it from a Mr. Foley, and had then no idea of
its age. Before buying it he made an examination, and,
being satisfied, completed th e purchase, the price being
31l. 10.3. rrhe boiler had then an internal tiue tube
running through it. After buying it he repaired it
th oroughly, putting three best best plates into the tube
and seven best plates into the shell, as well as one best
plate into the front end. He then tested it to 80 lb. on
the square inch.
By Mr. Shakespear: After the repairs be considered it
a thoroughly good secondband boiler, and suitable for a
pressure of 40 lb. The price pa id to him for it by Mr.
Onion~ was 75l. 16~. Gd.
By Mr. Commissioner Smith: H e made no calculations
to ascertain the pressure for wbich the boiler was suitable. H e knew in the ordinary way of trad e what it would
stand, and test ed it by water t o twice the pressure at
whi ch he thought it ought to work.
Mr. Onions, now manager for Messrs. Davis Brothers
and Co., Bilston, gave evidence as to his t enancy of the
works up to 1886. After he had had the boiler about
two years, the internal tube was remov ed, and the boles
in the end blanked up. He could not remember who
made th ese !l.lterations, nor the exact date. He insured
the bJilers with the English and Scottish Company, who,
he believed, had since amalgamated with the Scottish
Company. He had no engineering knowledge himself, but
the boilers, after insvection, were always reported to him
as being in fair cond1tion.
B enjamin Gettings, boilermaker, Bradley, deposed to
effecting certain repairs to the boiler about eighteen
months before Mr. Onions gave up the works in 1886.
Mr. Adams, secretary to Messrs. Tupper, gave d etails
a..<1 to the insurance of th e boilers, and stated that tha
annual premium was 12t., a.nd the pressure stipulated in
the policy, 40 11..>. M eE-srs. Tupper employed J ames Higgs
as their engineer. \Vitness was not able to say definitely
what object the firm had in insuring.
Mr. Shakespear, interposing, said he might explain
that Messrs. Tupper's object was twofold- first, in
order to obtain an extra insp ection, although they con
sidered th eir own quite sat1sfactory; and, secondly, on
purely commercial grounds, to obtain compensation in the
event of an explo&ion.
Mr. Adamr, continuing his evidence, said that on
receipt of the insurance company's reports they were
h anded t o Mr. Higgs, who would give them attention. In
1889 to 1891 th e insurance company requested facilities
for prop~r in ~pecti on, but the time was not convenient, as
the works were in operation, and if an inspection bad
been made they would have had to be stopped.
J a.mes lligg--, engineer in lVIessrs, Tupper's employ for

E N G I N E E R I N G.
twenty-five years, said he ha~ not. ser ved . h.is ti~e to
angineering, but had had ex pen ence m exammm~ hollers.
H e described the repairs made to the exploded bml~r. lie
knew that there were plates at tha back end wtth the
longitudinal seams in line for a considerable length, ~nd
the points of the ri vets in those seams were on the outstde.
He went to the works when M essrs. Tupper took them
over, and the boiler was then fired by waste gases from a
puddling furnace. In 1890 t hat furnace was removed a.nd
the boiler turned into a hand -fired one. It was fed w1tb
canal water, and the safety valve blew o!f ab 40 lb. 'Ihr~e
weeks before the explo ion some al terattons were made 1n
th e brick work flues, so that one side could be fired from a
paddling furnace at one end, and the other side b~ hand
at the other end. Prior to making these al terat10ns he
looked searchin gly for seam rips. He did this becau se he
had found a seam rip in one of the other boilers. He saw
some leakage at a couple of edge cracks over the fire at
the handfired end, but there were no signs of leakage at
the other end, where the long seams were. H e sounded
the plates with a hammer, and found no defects. H e also
made a careful examination internally. The boiler was
cleaned every three weeks, and th en he always went
inside to examine. H e last did so on April 24, a week
before the explosion; on which date he also examined it
externally, and saw some leakage at an edge crack at tbe
second ring seam from the furnace end. He then considered the boiler was all right. The long seams in line
did not rest on the brickwork; he could see them, and
there was no sign of leakage. He thought the cause of
the explosion was a flaw ori~inating at the long seams referred to, for he found evtdence of a seam rip having
eAisted at that part. The rip was between th e lap of the
two plates, but he could not g-ive its length. If the boiler
bad been t ested by hydrauhc pressure the defect would,
he thought have been discovered.
By Mr. s'hakespear: The long seams were plainly to be
seen. He considered such seams safe at 40 lb. pressure .
B e had always received in~tructions to do anyt~ing that
was necessary without sparmg ex pense.. The firmg of ~he
boilers from both ends would, he considered, be an 1m
provement, by distributing the heat more evenly. .
By Mr. Young : He would not say that of a certamty the
seam rip would have been discovered by a hydraulic t est.
Mr. Young, managin~ direct or of th e Scottish Cornpany, stated that th ey msured the boiler on October 10,
1888, but it had not been examined. The first inspection
was made under steam on November 22, 1888, and the
first "thorough " was obtained on July 6, 1889, on which
occasion the external flues had not been cleaned. Later
in th e year 1889 there was another " thorough " examination, and again the flues were not cleaned, though they
were entered by the inspector. The last "thorough" was
made on December 26, 1892, but on that date, as before,
the flues were not prepared. Mr. Young produced letters
and reports which showed th a t frequent requests for
thor~mgh inspections. had been mad~ by h.is company. On
Apr1l 5, 189iS, the b01ler was exammed mternally, and,
as far as seen, was in fair order. The policy was not a
guarantee of the safety of the boiler. H e would not say
that the examinations were satisfactory, inasmuch as the
flues had not been cleaned , but they were sufficient to
satisfy the company that the ri sk was a fair insurance
risk to continue.
By Mr. S bakespear : H e would not say the boiler was
all right; he would only say that it was fit to be insur ed.
By Mr. Smith: Some insurance offices issued a certificate of safety in addition to tb e policy of insurance, but
his firm did not do so unless in exceptional cases. On
the examinations made in this instance by the inspectors,
his company would not have issued such a certificate.
By Mr. Sbakespear: The exceptional cases referred t o
were those in which they exarr. ined the Loiler during construction, saw it tested, and examined it afterwards. In
such cases they issued a certificate. M essrs. 'l'upper had
not asked for a certificate, and, if they had, his company
would have said that with a boiler of such an age and
constru ction, it would be impossible to grant it.
Mr. Munro, engineer to the in E~urance company, gave
evidence oriefly as to th e bursting pressure of the boiler,
which he esti mated at 208 lb.
Alfred Higgs, engine driver, said that on the night of
the explosion the boiler was hand-fired only. The steam
pressure was about 38 lb.
Mr. J ames Cauld well, inspector to the insurance company, said he examined the boiler in D ecember, 1892. The
preparation was not satisfactory, but he had enough scale
removed to satisfy himself as t o its condition. In his
opinion the condition was good and the boiler safe.
By Mr. Szr:ith: H e scraped the longitudinal seam
which had since failed, but saw no leakage. H e did not
have the scale removed from the other side of it. Even
if the scale had been removed the seam rip could not have
been seen. The scale on the water side might stop a lt:akage. He was not now sure whether he had the scale
removed or not; possibly he had. Witness suggested
that the fracture had been started bv the use of the drift
at the time the seam was bei ng riveted.
By Mr. Young: The fracture being in the outer overlap, no inspection could have deteC'ted it.
By Mr. Smith: It mighb have been detect ed by a.n
hydraulic test .
Mr. S hort, inspector, gave evidence as to an internal
examination he made on April3 last. He saw no evidence
of a seam rip.
Mr. Henry vVoodthorpe, EngineAr-Surveyor to the
Board of Trade, said he had examined the boiler since it
burst, and gave a full description of its general construction a~d equipme~b. .T he cause of the ex plosion was a
seam r~p at a longttudma.l seam, where two repair plates
extendmg across three belts of plating had been put in
the bottom of the shell. So far as he was able to judge
the repair plates had been laid the wrong way of th~

grain. The rip could not have been disc?ver~d by ordt

nary inspec tion ; it was th~o11gh the outside oyerlap.
f
th e boiler had been submttted to an hydraul rc t ear, the
defect wonld have been detected.
.
.
Mr. E . B. Marten, consulti ng engi?eer, 8tourbrtdge, said
he had examined th~ exploded bmler at the r equE>st ~f
Messrs. Tupper, and in the main corroborated the ~vi
dence of Mr. \Voodthorpe. He thought the explos10n
was due to a rip on the outside plate, and ~hat there was no
rip on the inside seam. There was no s1gn of shortne~s
of water . He did not think that any reasona~le hydraulto
test would have revealed the defect. He did . not consider that the longitudinal plating had con.tnbuted to
the explo~ion. In the north many large bo1le-rs of. that
type were wh olly lon~itudinally plated.
.
After Mr. Gough had submitted a number of quest10ns
to the judgment of th&Court, Mr. Y oung, on behalf of the
insurance company, made a few rema.rks to th e effect that
his company were fir$t of all an ms~rance compa~y,
taking risks, and they existed by so domg. Th~ poltcy
was the bargain betv. een themselves and the tnsured.
They were not bound to make any examinations at al.l,
and such examinations as th ey did make were for th eu
own guidance, and really had nothing to do with the
insured. Judging from the remarks of Mr. Sh ake~pear,
Messrs. Tupper's solicitor, no one had been misled m the
matter, and his company thought they were perfectly
justified in the course they took.
.
. .
Mr. Smith here remarked that th ey m1ght be Justtfied
legally.
After deliberation, Mr. Smith gave judgment the
following day. He reviewed the evidence gi\'en, and said
that the Commissioners had come to the conclusion that
th e boiler bad been repaired with plates of an inf~rior
matet ial. M essrs. Tupper bad taken proper precaut10ns
to have the boiler insured in order that it might be
inspected, so as to ascertain that it was in a workable con. dition. 'l"'he e.ngin eer, Mr. Higgs, appear~d to be a v~ry
~ntelligent m~n, and ~apable of p~r~ormmg the dut1~s
m trusted to htm. Owmg to ~he pos.1t10n of t~e seams, 1t
would, however, have been Impossible fo~ htm to have
discover.td the rip. I.t was a~ open qu&stlOn wh ether an
hydrauhc t est of a b01ler of tht s character ~ould not havo
endangered th e whole fabric and rendered 1t unsafe .. rrhe
boiler was evidently of doubtful age. It bad been m use
for many years before being taken to R egent Iron vVork~,
and the Commissioners thought it would be a good practice for persons purchasing second-hand boilers to ascertain their age and have them carefully examined. The
mod e of firing th e boiler had been changed several tim e~,
and this would probably prove a stram. When M essrs.
Tupper t ook over the works th ey should have had the
boiler examined by a.n indep~ndent engineer. The Com t,
however, did not hold them responsible for the explosion,
as the see.m rip could not have been perceived, even if the
scale had been removed. In conclusion, Mr. Smith said
they di~ not attach blame to the owners, t o Mr. Hi ggs, or
to the m &urance oompany, and would therefore make no
order as to costs.

THE EXTENSION OF THE PORT OF

DUNKIRI{.*
By M . .Jor.Y, Inge.aieur-en-Cbef des Ponts et Cha.us~ees,
Dunkirk.
(Concluded from page 144.)
F1eycilnet Docks.-The new docks have four b ranch
docks, 80 to 100 metres in width, and two large spaces for
turning. These spaces are connected by a passage of
21 :oetres (68ft. 11 .in.) widt.b, pro~ided with gates by
whtch they may be Isolated tf requued. Docks No~. 1
and 2 are exca. v::~.ted t o a depth of -2.50 m etres (98. 4 in.) ;
docks Nos. 3 and 4 t o - 4.50 metres. A ll the docks are
inclosed by quay walls, except the ends of docks Nos. 3
and 4, which have stone pitching, in view of some future
extension. The quays hav e a. width of 180 metres. Docks
1 and 2 communicate, by means of two locks of 38.50
metres in length and 6 metres in width, with a boat-dock,
called the Canal de I'Ile Jeanty, 800 m etres long and 40
metres (131ft. ) wide. The available length of the quays
is 5096 metres ; the area of the docks is 31 hectares (76 G
acrP.s) ; that of the quays is 33 hectares 70 ares.
The con&ttuction of the new docks and subsidiary
works wag begun in 1881. In the course <,f 1884 the fint
section was opened. Certain accidentls occurring in conn~ction wi tb the new walls r etard ed the progress e:f th e
works. In the original design it was intended that tho
quay walls should be constructed in masonry, the section
of which sh0uld be the same as that of the walds of the
west dock. The country only furnish ed bricks of rather
poor quality, and the stone which h ad been used came
eith er from Cherbourg or the neighbourhood of Boulogne
The engineers, fearing that they would be unable t o pro:
cure in good time the supply of more than 300 000 cul.>ic
metres of materials which t~ey would require: had proposed t o replace the masonry m part by a concrete form ed
of a m ixture of cement and sand in the proportion of 7 to
1. They had proved by long experience that this mixture
made blocks which co~ld only be crushed under a weight
of more than 30 kilogrammes p er square centimetre
(426 lb. per square inch); that it was less permeable by
the water of the sea than masonry of local bricks. They
had calculated the section of the walls in such a way that
the weight supported by the concrete did not exceed 3
kilogrammes per square centimetre, and had built on the
east side of the channel a wall of the proposed type of 100
metre~ in length. The results of the experiments appeared
so satisfactory that the new mode of construction- which
would obviate all cause of delay in the progreEs of the

* !.Japer read before the Interna.tiont\.1 Maritime Con

grass, London Meeting.

190

E N G I N E E R I N G.

works, and would bring about a saving of 250 fr. per

metre of w~ll (9.1l. per yard)-was autLorised.
T~e sect10n actually made differed a little from the
sectiOn of the. trial wall; in the latter the sand con c ret e
~as <:onfine.d m compartments formed by a n exterior a nd
mtertor fact~g of b rickwork in rich m ortar; these were
co~nected With on e another by small brick walls spaced
at t.nte rvals .of 3. 75 metres. In the n ew walls the ext erior
facmg of brtcks was. replaced by a facing of rubble of a
q uartzose st one, set m mortar of 1 to 4 ; fl nd in order to
allow of th e u se of machines, by which it ~as h op ed t o
ra~ the con cre te m echanically, the transverse walls were
omttted.
. The concre t e, in a p owdery condition, was spread out
m b ed s of 7 centi~et~es, levelled, and well r amm ed with
woo~en ramm ers ttllits volume was reduced in the prop ortion ~f 3. t o 2 Each layer was united to th e previou s
on e ~y p1Cktng the surface. The mass of con crete thus
obtamed ~ppeared homogeneous, and blocks whi ch were
cut from It presented the appearance of m onoliths with
sharp and hard edges.
However, scar cely had a few months passed after the
new qua~s b ad heen ~pened for use, wh en slight fissurell,
both verttcal !l'nd ~ort zontal, began t o show in the walls ;
a.t t h e same tt me 1 t was n oted that the coping ston es b ad
rtsen. ~ The t ro.ub.le devel~ped rapidly, and i n the course
of 18~o a com~tsston appomted t o examine th e walls gave
warmng that tt was n ecessary t o recon st ruct them. Th ev
re~.:omme~ded at the same time that for the future ail
works whiCh had not yet been given up to commercial use
shculd be execn ted exclusi ve1y in masonry.
.Fig. 2

EASTERN J TT!

Pi!J.:l.

--
,

(AuG.

II,

1893.

en~roach as little as p ossible on the dock; twenty-six the.present direction seems the most favourable for na" i

catssons were sunk from June, 1886, to t h e end of Decem bel', 1~89. The a verage t ime r equi red for each, from
the e reot10n of the cofferdam to the comple tion of the
m~sonry, was 46 days; i t was r educed to 29 days for on e
catsson and rose to 95 for araother.
Average Time.
days hours
Erect in~ cofferdams
.. .
...
...
4
0
Concretmg the girders .. .
...
1
0

Masonry for ballast
.. .

3
5

Towing to site and sinking
...
...
10
3
Sinking with compressed ai r ...
6
7

Concreting
,,
...
4
9

Completion of masonry .. .
...
...
10
8
R emoving cofferdams .. .
...

4
8
46

The caissons were separated from one another by spaces

of 0. 75 metre (29. 5 i n. ), where the iron was left i n place
and o~ 1 30 metres in t.be r est. These spaces were filled
up with concrete run m between timber frames. The
r emoval of spoil was effected by means of a pump and
completed at the bottom by a di ver . T o pour the' con
ore te, a Yery n arrow box was used, of special shape which
could pass into the emall width availabl e.
'
Th~ mortar used was a mixture in the proportion of
550 ktlogramrues (1215 lb.) of cement t o 1 cubic m etre
(35:3 cubic feet) of sand, except for the joints, where the
we1gbt of cement was made 700 kilogt'ammes.
.4.

QU~Y

WALLS

gat10n.
The n ew pier will be found ed at - 5.00 m etres, except
the last .100 ~etres, where mud is found , and where the
foundation w~ll be at -8. 00. The foundations a re of
concrete, .carried out by means of caissons sunk by com
p~es~ed atr. A t th e outer end of the pier for 350 metres the
pier 1s t o be of open timber work from the level of + 2.00
metres upwa:rds, t o a void silt 'being deposited, which
wou!d n ecessi tate the use of buck et dredgers in place of
suot10n dredgers. The net 250 m etres length is solid
and the shore end is mad e with a pitched slope of 1 i~
10. T he ground level descends from +5.00 to - 1.00
metres. The caissons, thirty-eight in number are 20
~o 22 metres in length; thirty-one of them are' already
m ~lac~. They are built on the beach and drawn to
thet r s1tes on a temporary ~ailway, at low water, except
those for the outer end, which are built in the harbour
to,~ed ?ut, and sunk by admitting water into them. Tb~
fi lh ng m of con crete is done by ~ide work, as also enough
masor;try .to enable ~m pressed a1r to be safely introduced.
The smkmg of the catsson proceeds afterwards in the usual
wa~, as t~e masonry ad yance~. The greatest liability to
ac01d~nt IS when t?e c~tsson ts at its fu1l depth and the
~or~mg chamber ts bemg filled with concrete. During
smkm g th ~ masonry is kept about up to half-tide level.
The. material~ are brou~ht u p on a metregauge railway
earned by a t1mber stagmg. The caissons du ring rough
weather are only sunk at low water, but in fin e weather at
a ny stat~ of t~e tide. T.he exca?ation is very easy, the
sand bemg s1phoned direc tJy over i nto the sea. The

OF THE FHYCI11Ei" {)OCK.J

:Ag . .f.~l

--

Fig. 6.

-,:;r,./'J 8 .

OutvPart

... '-::/ 'I 15

41.5

The trial wall, constructed now nearly fifteen years a~o,

The length of quay thus b uilt was 777 met res. The wn.ll chief difficulty arises from the p arts of old wrecks met
shows no sign of failure, though it is exposed to the rise has cost 2500 fr. p er running m etre (llOl. per ;vard ). The with.
and fall of the tide; it cannot, therefore, be said a priori extra payment t o the contractor for furnishm g the caisThe caissons sunk so far are within at most 10 centithat walls in sand con cr ete, having the composition then sons and using compressed air accounts for 950 fr.
metres of the true alignments, an error easily corrected
adopted, are unable to r esist the sea.
Completion of the Old D ock.-Tbe q uays of the old above low water.
There have b een attempts to explain in various ways dock-" du Commerce"-were completed in 18889 by the
The interval between two adjoining caisson s is , on the
this accident.
It is to be presumed that it was due same methods as those d escr ibed a bove. Compressed air average, 20 centimetres, varying from 10 centimetres to
to more than on e cause: partly to the great rapidity with was similarly used in cutting through the quay wall of 30 centimetres. To fill it above the level + 1.00 metre
which the work bad been execut ed ; partly to the apl?a- the old d ock, "de la Marine," on the site of the n ew (39. 37 in.) piles were driven, and a small cofferdam made.
ratus used to mi x the materials; pa.rtly to the weak m tK passage, and i n joining in the old work with the new.
The time required for one caisson, from putting it in
ture of mor tar used for the outsid e maeonry, and to the The details of the caissons differed slightly, di vera being place to fillin g the working chamber with concrete, is very
extremely light sand from the sandbills used in it.
used to detach the movable part of the caisson from that variable, reaching in certain cases 100 day~, and has been
In the n ew masonry walls a mortar of three p:1.rts of left in the work.
on the average 55 d ays. The difficulties have increased
N orth L ock.- A s the entrance channel was deepened considerably in advan cing fur ther from the shore.
sand with on e of cement in the interior, and of five parts
of sand to two of cement in the facings, has been adopted. the want of d eep sills at the west lock raised t omplaints,
Present C011di tion of the P ort.-The east d ocks authoThe mixers with vertical axes have been r eplaced by and a new lock, estimated t o cost in all 7,500,000 fr. r ised by the law of 1879 a re not yet commenced.
crushers with heavy rollers and hori zontal axes ; finally, (300, 000l.), was authorised in 1887.
The port in its present cond ition has 8166 lineal metres
It is 25 metres in width, 210 metres in length over all, of quay, 42 hectares of water space, and 54.70 hectares of
in the facing coursed ashlar has been substitu ted for rn bble.
The r ebuilding of the walls in the part of the dock 170 metres in available length , and has three pairs of quay space. Besides t he dry d-:>oks mentioned already,
which was in use wa.s don e by m ean s of compressed air; gates, making it into two chambers of 106.80 a nd 70.20 there is a sli pway taking ships up to 80 metres in length
iron caisson s 30 me tres (33 yards) long and 5.20 me tres metres in length respectively. Its si11s will be at the and a weight of 1000 t ons, and a gridiron.
wide at the bottom were used. Each caisson was com- level -5. 00 metres, giving a depth of 9. 00 metres of water
H Q/TI.dling of Goods. - Dunkirk being a port of transit
posed (1) of a. lower part 2.80 metres high, which re- in the lowest n eaps, and 10.50 metres (34 ft . 6 in. ) in the ~he rapid and economical handling of goods is of the first
Importance. The n ew docks are well arranged for this
mained buried in the bottom after the completion of the lowes t springs.
The lock is founded on a t hick bed of sand , with a few purpose, either for load ing direct into canal and ri ver
work, comprising the working chamber and the girders
a.bove it, and (2) of a cofferdam attached by bolts t o the patches of clay. This would have carri ed the lock, but a. craft, which can come alongside ships in th e docks, or for
lower part, which was removed when the work could be part of the site having been wash ed into d eep holes by loading into railway wagons. 'here are 35 kilometres
the old scouring sluices which were close by it, it was (21. 7 miles) of railway track on the quays, arranged with
done in the dry.
The cofferdam was formed of eight panels 8.45 metres thought well to pile the foundation. On the piles rests curves that admit of locomotives and entire trains passhigh, on e a t each end, and three on eacll later al face ; a bed of hydrau lic lime concre te, then a layer of bricks, ing throughout. At 2 kilometres (1.24 miles) from the
separate chambers of 50 centimetres (20 in.) in width and on them a floor of cut stone set in rich mortar. The port is a sorting station.
E quipment.- Tbe Chamber of Commerce administers
and 1.25 m e tres in h eight were provided, into whie:h men floor joins the walls with curves of small radius. The
the equipment of the port, including tugs, cranes and
could descend t o put in place and r emove the bolts which quoins, sills, and coping are in granite.
There is a main culvert along each lock wall 3 metres sheds. Hydraulic machinery is being installed to' ser ve
fasten ed eae:h ptmel to the lower part of the caisson and
to the contiguous panels. \Vatertigbt joints werA obtained in h eight, a nd vary ing in width from 2.70 to 2.40 mEitres, 21 e:ran~s of l~ tons and of 3 t on s, and <?thers that may
be obtam ed la ter. The smaller cranes Will make 40 lifts
at the bottom by a band of rubber, and at the sid es by connected by branches with the lock .
The lock gates are i n two leaves, 14 metres wid e and per hour. This in stallation was offered for public tender,
chockR of wood.
The fixed part of eae:h ca~sson was con structed on a 12.10 metres high. The outermost pair have iron strut and the option was given of t ender ing for electric or
slipway and then l~unched mto .the d ock. When the gat es. Th(i) gat es have flotation chambers supporting all h ydraulic transmission. T he high er cost of purchase and
time came came for 1t to be used, It was brought along- the weight except 36 tons, at high water spr ing tides. The maintenance shown by the tenders for electric transmis
side a staging, set up near mortar ~n:ixers; t.h e cofferdams construction of each leaf is on the system of transferring sion led to its being rejected in favour of the ordinary
wer e built by means o f a large fioatmg dernck; then the all the load by vertical girders to t wo hori zontal girders, method.
A 40-ton floating d errick has been in use for seven
con cr ete was filled in between the girders, and the on e at the top and on e at the bottom. The upper girder
masonry raised until the draught of water was about transmits to the wall a load of 450 tons. The upper girder years.
T ?a:Oic.-In 1892 the traffic was:
6 metres. The caisson was then taken to its site, and the is of r olled steel, the rest of the gates of gal vanised iron ;
Tons
masonry was continued until the bottom of the dock (pre- the foot steps and thrust blooks a re in cast st eel, the
(l\1easur ement).
viously dredged) was reach~d,. at a depth ?f &~bout. - 2.50 pivots and collars in forged steel.
The masonry of the lock is now fi n ish ed, and the gates
Import .. .
... ... ... ... 1,513,393
metres (98.4 in.), and unttl tb had .suffiCient. wetght to
Export .. .
are in course of erection; the dock walls outside the lock
...
...
1,601,065

e nable itl to be sunk by compressed air.
The caiAson was then sunk to a depth of -4.50 metres, ar e being built with compressed ai r, and it is hoped to
T otal
.. .
3, 134,458
a nd immediately the working chamber was filled up with open the look to traffic in 1894.
East P ier.- The present channel is too narrow for large
Of this total 416,622 tons was coasting t rade. The
con crete. The masonry was begun again as soon as ~he
concrete was set, and was raised above the level of h1gh sh ips to be able to reach the north look. It was conse- principal import~ a re : Wheat, 464,.0 62; minerals, 232,587;
water n eap tid es n ext the movable panels were t aken quently d ecided to widen it by building a new east pier coal, 190,496; m trate, 170,073; otl seeds, 160,169 ; oats,
101,820; wood, 84,275; wool, 79,782; maize, 35,37 7.
a. way by means of the floating d~rrick~ ~hich transfe~red a nd removing the present one.
This n ew pier is 800 metres in length, being a little
1 'he trade with England amounts to 1,208,571 tons
them to anot her caisson al ready m poe1t10n at thestagmg.
The work advanced r a pidly. It presented, however, sh orter tha n the old one. It will make a channel 120 measurement, the country coming next (United States)
serious difficulties and was r ender ed dangProus by the metres wide at the pier head, and 200 metres abreast of the having 215,403 tons, after whiob follow Argentine
n eighbourhood ot' th e old wall in part d emolished, in lighthouse. The oblique line of the cha nnel with respect Republic, S pain, British India., Peru, Ru~sia, Germany,
front of which the n ew wall had been placed, so as to to the sh ore lin e has been criticised, but on the whole and Scandinavia.

AuG.

I I,

THE CLEVELAND DISTRICT.

On

R~cent

t N G I N E t R I N G.

1893.]

Developments in tke Cleveland Iron and Steel

J ,ulustrics.

.By Mr. JERE~IIAH H EAD, Past-President.

THE twenty-two yeara which have elapsed since the inhabitants of this town and district bad the honour of a.
visit from the Institution of Mechanical Engineers have
produced so many developments in the industries of
Cleveland t~ab it would. be quite impossible, within
reasonable ttme, to deal w1th more than a small selection
of the~ . In .making that sele~tion, I propose to direct
attent10n mamly to those apphances and processes which
have been here devised or improved, or which have been
otherwise specially identified with this district and to
give preference to what is little known over ~bat has
been fully described and widely published in the technical
literature of the day.
Natw al Advantages. -The Cleveland iron industry of
which the town of Middlesbrough may be regarded as the
centre, owes its rise and progress to three natural ad vantages, namely : First, the existence in the Cleveland hills
of ironstone, of sufficient purity and in sufficient quantity
for profitable working; second, the proximity of the sea,
and of an excellent navigable river affording means of
communication therewith ; third, the existence, at an
average distance ofJ say, twenty-five miles, of the wellknown Durham coalfield. which yields some of the besb
fuel in the world. Untii these natural advantages were
recognised and developed by Messrs. Bolckow and
V aughan and other pioneers, the trade of Cleveland was
practically confined to agriculture. It might have remained so indefinitely, but for the opening of the Stock ton
and Darlington Railway in 1825, and its subsequent extension to Bishop Auckland and Middlesbrough. The
new iron road afforded easy and cheap means of bringing
together fuell ore, and fiuxes, and facilitating their conversion into tne then much -needed rails and other rail way
material.
Origin and G-rowth of Cleveland I ron and Steel Industries.-The existence of ironstone in the Cleveland hills
bad long been known, but it was only in 1850 that
arrangements were made for working it on an E'xten&ive
scale. The ~rimary aim and object of the Stockton and
Darlington Railway, the pioneer of all railways- the
successful accomplishment of which was due to the enterprise and genius of the late Ed ward Pease and George
Stephenson, our first President-was not to facilitate iron
smelting, but to convey Durham coal to Stockton and
'Middlesbrough for shipment. When in 1839 Messrs.
Bolckow and Vaughan selected 1\'Iiddlesbrough for their
new works they appear to have bad no idea. of working
the minerai contents of the neighbouring hills. In 1843
we find them making marine engines for the Rose, the
first steamer ever built at Stockton. In 1846 they erected
blast furnaces, but, strange to say, not at Middlesbrough.
They actually built them at W1tton Park, some thirty
miles inland, in the hope that the coal measures of that
locality would furnish clay-band iron ore in sufficient
quantities for their purpose. It was the urgent need
arising from the failure of these supplies which led to incessant explorations, and finally to the opening out of the
Eston mines in 1850.
The first blast furnaces in the Cleveland district were
erected by the same firm in 1852 at 1\'Iiddlesbrough.
These were quickly followed by others at Port Clarence,
built by Messrs. Bell Brothers. After that date the development of the Cleveland iron trade proceeded with great
rapidity. At the time of your last visit the blast furnaces
of Northumberland, Durham, and the North Riding of
Yorkshire, which I will henceforth call the north-east
distriob, were almost exclusively occuP.ied in smelting
ironstone obtained from the Cleveland h1lls. I say almost,
heoause a small proportion of foreign ores were even then
imported for the purpose of improving the quality of
forge and foundry grades. Offimal statistics show that
the quantity of Cleveland ore raised in 1872 was about
6,300,000 tons, and the quantity of pig iron made in the
north-east district about 1, 920,000 tons.t
Although
Bessemer steel was made in Great Britain during that
year to the extent of over 410,000 tons of ingots, no steel
of any kind was made in this neighbourhood. The smelting of Cleveland ironstone into pig iron ; the rolling of
the latter into iron rails, plates, angles, and bars, for ship,
boiler, bridge, and general purposes; building of ships,
engines, and bridges ; making iron castings, particularly
those involving heavy weights and large quantities, such
as gas and water pipes and rail way chairs; and constructing blast furnace and rolling mill plant-these were
the ptincipal industries of the district when you came to
see 1t in 1871.
Ore is still extracted extensively from the Cleveland
hills and is still smelted into Cleveland pig-iron. lb
would not be fair to quote the prod-:.tction of 1892, ber.ause
one-third of that year was v1rtually lost owing to the
Durham miners' strike. But taking the records of the
previous year 1891, the production of Cleveland ore raised
was about 5,300,000 tons, and of pig iron about 1,493,000
tons, + or 16 and 20 per cent. respectively less than in
1871.
The Cleveland mining and Cleveland pig-iron trades
have therefore to some extent losb ground during the last
twenty-two years. But in addition to the above produc
tion there was made in this district in 1891 no less than
1,130,000! tons of other kinds of pig iron, mainly bematite,
intended for the manufacture of steel. This involved the

use of 2, 260,000 tons of ores other than Cleveland, and of

this about 2, 100,000 tons were imported, oh iefly from Spain.
Taking into account this new branch of the smelting industry, there has been an increase of production of pig
iron to the extent of about 36 per cent. as compared with
1871.
In 1872, 299,000 tons of iron rails were made in the
north-east district, which absorbed about 17 per cent. of
the pig iron produced. Of plates, angles, and bars,
389,000 tons were made, which absorbed another 23 per
cent., giving a total of 40 pf\r cent. made into finished
iron. The remaining 60 per cent. was used for foundry
purposes or sent inland, or ship:ped coastwise or abroad.
The total number of works m the north-east district,
which were concerned in making the above quantities of
finished iron in 1872, was 37. Of these21 have since disappeared or are now inoperative;

8 continue to roll iron only;

5 have had a steel meltin~ and rolling plant added,
and now produce both n on and steel ;
3 have been altogether converted into steel works;
and
3 entirely new steel works ha\'e been built: making a
present total of
19 works for the manufacture of finished iron and
steel.
But the size and power of production per works are now
far beyond what th ey were at the earlier date.
In 1891 only 3426 tons of iron rails and 268,000 tons of
iron plates, bars, and angles were mR-de in the north-east
district. These figures show a loss of the iron rail trade
to th e extent of nearly 99 per cent., and of the other
kinds of fi nished iron to the extenb of 36 per cent.
Instead of finished iron absorbing 40 per cent. of the
Cleveland pig-iron made, as in 1872, in 1891 it absorbed
only about 23 per cent. And instead of having to find
other markets for 60 per cent. of their produce, as in
1872, smelters ID 1891 had to do this for 77 per cent.
thereof, even although it was less by 20 per cent., and
without taking into account the disposal of their additional produce in hematite pig.
To some extent such new markets have been found by
the increased demand due to the enlargement of local
foundries, and toincrea.sedconsignmentsinland, coastwise,
and abroad. But the most important new channel of consumption, and that which is of most interest to us, is the
steel trade, which has arisen entirely since your last visit.
Official statistics show that during the year 1891 steel
ingots were produced in the North-East district as
follows:*
Tons.
By the Bessemer acid process
162,748
,
433,798
, , open-hearth ,,

203,461
, , , Bessemer bas10 ,

open-hearth ,
5,480
,

"

"

Total
795,487

This would be sufficient to absorb most of the hematite,
basic, spiegel, and other special dig-irons which were
then produced : the remainder, an the ex<'ess of Cleveland u on proper, having to be sent away for utilisation
elsewhere.
Having given this brief sketch of the origin of the iron
and steel industries of Cleveland, and of the position to
which they bad attained ab the time of your last visit,
and having indicated in general terms how and where
they have increased or diminished up to the present time,
I propose to ask your attention to a few of the chief improvements which have taken place in appliances and
processes since 1871.
I ronstone Minin g.-In Cleveland ironstone mining, one
of the principal improvements that have been effected
during th~ last t~enty years ~s in the mode of drilling
the holes mto wh10b the explos1ves are placed for blasting
the stone. In 1871 these holes were made by the use of
jumpers driven by men working singly or in couples.
The average quantity of stone so obtained was from 4 to
6 tons per ma.n per eight hours, including drilling,
blasting, breaking, and filling, and the cost varied from
10d. to 1s. per ton.
Drills.-The machine drills new in use are of four kinds,
namely :
1. 1'be hydraulic turbine drill, devised by Mr. A. L.
Steavenson, and in use at the Lumpsey mine near Saltburn, belon~ing to Messrs. Bell Brothers.
2. The dnll driven by the Priestman petroleum engine.
This also was first introduced by Mr. A. L. Steavenson
and is to be seen at the same mine.
'
~. The pneumatic drill, perfected by Mr. William
Walker of Saltburn, and applied ab the North Skelton
and other mines.
4. The electric drill,_ ~ecently adapted and used at the
Carlin How mine by lVlr. A. L. Steavenson.
The principle adopted in all these four cases is that of
rapidly rotating an auger-shaped drill 1fixed in an adjustable frame, and supported upon a bog1e which is capable
of being advanced towards the working face and withdrawn, as found necessary. The hydraulic turbine drill
is driven by water ab a pressure of 140 lb. per square
inch, obtained from a feeder tubbed back in the shafb
and brou~hb to the machine by suitable piping. Forth~
pneumatto drill, air at a pressure of 55 lb. per square inch
IS similarly brought from a reservoir and compressors at
the surface.
Whatever be the motor, the rapidity of drilling depends
* Paper read before the Institution of Mechanical on the amounb of power applied and the energy and expertness of t he men in pushing forward the work. The
Engineers.
t British Iron Trade Association Reporb, 1883, page hydraulic drill has the advantage that the requisite

138.

+ British Iron Trade Association Report, January 14,

* British Iron Trade Association Report, February 24
1893, page 8.
1892, pages 3 and 5.
'

motive power is obtained at the mere cost of pumping up

to the surface the water exhausted by the turbine. 'rhe
petroleum drill has the ad vantage that neither .air ~or
water supply pipes are needed; and the pneUJ!lat10. dnll,
that it assists the ventilation. A pneumatic dr1ll attended by sixteen men will obtain fro~ 8~0 to 1050 tons
of ironstone per week of 45 hours, whtch 1s e9ual to. an
average production of 101 tons per man per sh1ft of e1ght
hours, or about twice the weight obtained by hand
jumpers. The cost of getting is from 8d. to lOd. per ~on,
or about 2d. per ton less than formerly. These m achm~s
are capable of drilling a 1f-in. hole 4 ft. to 4~ ft. ~eep ~n
about a minute. In practice 80 to 85 holes are drilled m
eight hours. As the electric drill forms the subject of a
separate paper by Mr. Steavenson, it will not be necessary
to say anything further about it here.
The band ratchet-drill manufactured by the Hardy Pick
Company, of Sheffield, takes a position intermediate between the old jumpers and the machine drill&, and is well
worthy of notice. It has of late been brought into use in
several of the Cleveland mines. It is cheap in first cosb,
and easy to fix, especially in awkward pos1tions where no
other tool would be applicable. No complications in the
way of pipes or conductors are required, nor any fuel supplies. Mr. Willia.m Charlton, engineer at Sir B. Samuelson and Co.'s Slal?ewath ~1ines, hM made some improvements in the details; and by aid of these nearly as much
stone per man per shift can be obtained as with machine
drills proper.
The North Skelton, the deepest of the Cleveland mines,
extends to 120 fathoms below the surface. Nevertheless
there is no great quantity of water to contend with, 100
gallons per minute being about the average. For ventilation the Guibal fan is the one generally preferred. The
largest, namely, that at E ston, is 40 ft. in diameter by
12ft. broad, and delivers from 120,000 to 140,000 cubic
feet per minute.
Nature of Ore. -At the Cleveland mines the "main
seam," namely, that first opened out by Mr. John
Vaughan, which is from 10 ft. to 16 ft. thick, is the only
one worked at present. There are othE!r seams above and
below, but they are much thinner. The proportion of
metallic iron in the raw stone varies from about 26.5 to 31.75
per cent. The general average may be taken at about 28.5
per cent. When calcined the ore yields from 38.0 to 43.5
per cent. of metallic iron, or about 40 per cent. on the
average. The phosphorus in the raw stone varies from
0.4 to 0.8 per cent., averaging about 0.6. The sulphur
averages 0.12 per cent. The duration of the bP.st de:{>osits
is estimated at from fifty to sixty years. The quant1ty of
inferior stone is as yet undetermined, but is no doubb
very large.
At the Liverton, Lingdale, and Stanghow mines, the
contents of the tubs as they come from the pib are tipped
upon moving belts of considerable breadth, which carry
the stone forward to the trucks. A ll shale, dogger, and
other impurities are thus ea.sily seen and picked out by
boys placed there for the purpose, This plan enables the
quality of the ore to be greatly improved.
Blast Furnaces.-In 18~ the late Mr. Thomas Whitwell stated, in the course of a paper upon blast furnaces
which be read before the Cleveland Institution of Engineers {Proceedings, 187778, page 135), that the
average Cleveland furnace was then 80 ft. high, 23ft. to
25ft. in diameter at the bosh, and 8 ft. in diameter at the
hearth. The average temperature of the blast was
850 deg. Fahr. , and the consumption of fuel 23 cwt. of
coke per ton of pig iron. He gave the blast ~ressure as
varying from ~ lb. to 4! lb. per square inch. From other
sources I find that the average make of pig iron per furnace in 1872 was under 300 tons per week. Some furnaces,
however, almost as large as any since built, were then in
operation; notably two at Messrs. Wilsons, Pease, and
Co.'s works, 85 ft. high by 27 ft. bosh and 9ft. hearth,
built under the supervision of Mr. Charles Wood in 1869;
and two at Sir Bernbard Samuelson's Newport Iron
Works, builb to the designs of Mr. R. Howson in 1871,
85 ft. high by 28 ft. bosh and 8 ft. hearth, and having a
capacity of 30,085 cubic feeb. In a paper read before the
Iron and Steel Institute in 1887 (ENGINEERING, vol. xliii.,
page 583, and vol. xliv. pa.ge 25), Sir Bernhard gave the
average production of these furnaces at 490 tons each per
week, and the consumption of coke at 20.35 cwb. per ton
of pig iron, with calcined ore containing 43.5 .Per cent. of
iron. It appears, however, that their consumptiOn rose subsequently to 23.48 cwt., but was again reduced by 3.89
cwt. , namely, to 19.69cwt. per ton of pig, by the substitution of firebrick for pipe stoves, and the use of better fuel.
Since 1871 no great change has been made in the size,
form, or performance of the then besb designed furnaces
using the best materials; but much better average results
have been obtained than those named by Mr. Whitwell.
This has been brought about by the reconstruction since
that year of almost all the older furnace plants, thus rais
ing the average efficiency to the level of previously exceptional performances. A weekly output per furnace of 500
tons of Cleveland or of 800 bona of hematite pig is no
longer considered remarkable ; and even these figures
have been considerably exceeded.
The best performance which has come to my knowledge
at regards any furnace on Cleveland iron is that obtained
by Messrs. Cochrane and Co. at their Ormesby Iron
Works. One of their furnaces, 90 ft. high by 23 ft. bosh
and 10ft. hearth, is J>roducing on the average 700 tons of
pig iron per week. Two others, 90 fb. high by 29 ft. bosh
and 10ft. hearth, produce each an average of 825 tons.
In one particular week no less than 949 tons was obtained
f~om one of these furnl!-cesJ.. which, as regards cubic capaCity, are the largest m vleveland, and perhaps in the
world.
~he effect of the int~rnal shape of blast fnrnaces upon
theu: pow~r of productH?n. has lately been engag!ng the
cons1derat10n of Mr. Wllham Hawdon and Mr. Richard

E N G I N E E R I N G.
H owson, of the Newport Iron Works. In furnaces made
of ~he ordinary shape they point out that the whole
w~tght of the charge rests upon the inverted conical surfa.~e of the bosh and upon the hearth, the consequence
bemg tha.~ the desce~d.in~ charge. becomes tighly packed
a._t the reg!on where It IS 1n a. semi-fused or plastic condit Lon. Thts causes difficulty in forcing the blast through
and dela.;y in the proces~ of reduction. The remedy they
p ropose ts. to alter the mterna.l form in such a way that
the ma.tena.ls shall be sustained in the upper part of the
f~rnace, _where they are a.s yet in a solid and open condit10n ; whtle lower down the internal form will be such
that the charge shall be able to descend more freely than
at present, and shall thus become more permeable to the
blast: One of the Newport furnaces working on Cleveland tr~nstone has been altered on this principle with the
result that a.n increase in output of from 30 to 50 per cent.
ha~ been obtained, tc:>get~er with a higher average g rade
of tron and som e sa.vmg m coke.
_ The average output of pig iron per furnace per week
lD the _
north-e_a.st d1strict during the year 1891, including
h emat1te, baste, &c., was 548 tons.* The consumption of
coke per ton of pig iron has fallen from 23 cwt. to 20 cwt.
and even b elow for Cleveland, and to 19 cwt. t and below
for h ematite, where good ore and fuel are used; though
probably it still remains at the higher figure where the
conditions are less favourable.
It is alleged by some authorities on blast furnace
management that neither the Cleveland ironstone nor the
Du~ham C')ke are so p~re as they used to be. This is
behaved to be partly owmg to the exhaustion to an appreciable exte?t of the best mineral beds, and the consequent admixture of less pure materials. It is not infrequently asserted that, whatever advantage in blast
furnace economy has been obtained by improved appliances and processes, has been to a great extent neutralised
by deterioration in the quality of the minerals supplied.
H ot Blast Stoves.-The increased average output per
furnace working on Cleveland ironstone and the lessened
consumption of fuel-where the best qualities are usedseem to be largely due to the higher t emperature of blast
rend ered posRible by the adoption of fi rebrick instead of
pipe stoves. In 1871 the only firebrick stoves in the district were those devised by the late 11r. Edwa.rd A .
Cowper, p:.\st-president, at the works of M essrs. Cochrane
and Co., who, acting under the advice of Mr. Charles
Coohrane, past-president, led the way in this great improvement; those at the works of :l\i1essrs. Willia.m Whitwell and Co., of Thornaby, who adopted their own particular type in 1869 ; and those at Consett, which, being
erected under the sup~rvision of the late Mr. Thomas
Whitwe11, wera of the same kind. At the present time
firebrick stoves are almost universal, there being only two
works without them. At first they were made 28ft. high
by 22ft. in diameter, and two were thought sufficient for
one furnace. Now they are made 60 ft . to 80 ft. high by
22ft. to 26 ft. in diameter; and three, four, or even five
are worked to a furnace. The t emperature of the blast
has risen from an average of 850 deg. Fahr. t o about
1450 deg. Fa.hr. ; and the pressure from a.n average of
3~ lb. per square inch to 51 lb. in Cleveland and 6! lb. in
h ematite furnaces, and even higher.
Blowing En(Jines.-At your last visit, a paper was read
by the late Mr. Alfred C. Hill on the compound surfacecondensing blast engin es (Proceedings, 1871, page 175),
which bad th en recently been erected to hi s designs by
Messrs. Kttson and Co. at the Lackenby Iron Works.
These engines are still in operation ; but until quite
lately there has been little extension of fuel-saving expedients as applied to blowing engines since that time.
This is probably owing to the circumstance that all
neoossary steam can usually be obtained from the combustion of the furnace gases, at all events when Cleveland ironstone is bein~ smelted. The favourite blowing
engine in the district 1s still the inverted non-condensing
type, which has the ad vantage of great simplicity and
compactness. Wherever b9matite came to be substituted for local ores, the furn ace gases were found to be of
much poorer quality, owing mainly to their dilution by
the steam from the water mechanically and chemically
combined in that class of ore. Consequently wh ere
hema.tite ore is smelted, steam must now be economised,
if it be desired to a void the use of extra fuel at the
boilers. Inasmuch also as all feed water used in T eeside
works is pumped from the river at Darlington, and paid
for by meter a.t 3d. per 1000 gallons, the saving of water
as far a.s possible is a. consideration, a.s well as the saving
of fuel.
The methods which have been recently adopted for
economising in blast engines are three-namely, feedb eating, condensing, and compounding. A very complete example of all three methods is afforded by the new
plant at M essrs. Cochra.ne and Co.'s works. Three noncondensing blast engines exhaust into one common main.
From this, steam is taken by a fourth engine, which exhausts into a. surface-condenser. The circulating water
for the condenser is drawn from and returned to the
river. From the exhaust main a portion of the remaining
steam passes into a series of Berryma.n evaporator condensers in which it is condensed, and becomes again
availabie as feed water. In its condensation it gives up
its latent beat to the circulating water, which is from the
Darlington mains; and from this it distils a sufficient
quantity of feed water to make up all waste. The exhaust steam however, would soon heat up the circulating water' to its own temJ?era.ture of about 212 deg.
Fahr.z and further condensat10n would thereupon cease,
"Were 1t not for another expedient. The space above

(AuG.

II,

1893.

the circulating water is connected by a pipe with another tained. The engines are indeed used as air meters as well
B~rryman condenser, cooled by ri ver water, and beyond as _air-pumps. Each one is provided with a governor
th1s w~th an air pump. Thus the Da.rlington ci rculating whwh keeps it approximately at a uniform speed how~
water lS under a vacuum, and consequently evaporates at ever much the resistance may vary. An ingenious ~entri
a correspondingly low t emperature; it is therefore able fugal_sp~ed- recorder by Mr. Edward Brown, of Phila~o condense steam at atmospheric pressure and to become delph1a.? 1s employed as a check, and has since been intro1tself gradually distilled. In this way, out of the 75,000 duced nere by M essrs. William \Vhitwell and Co.
gallons per 24 hours evaporated by the boilers, only 12,500 Cleveland engineers, as a whole, are still unconvinced that
gallons,_ or say one-sixth of the total, has to be supplied separate blowing il; better for their circumstances than
and patd for anew. The feed water thus obtained is blowing into and drawing out of one common main but
forced through a. series of Edmist on filters to free it from nev~rtheless arrangements have in some cases been :nade
grease and other impurities, then through another Berry- to give the power of separate blowing as in America. At
man b eater, utilising the remainder of the s team from one w<?rks a. special.furnace has been built to use Spanish
th e exhaust main, and so into the boilers. The pressure bemattte on the hnes of the most recent A merican
in the exhaust main varies from 2 lb. or 3 lb. below to practice; but sufficient experience has not so far been
2lb. or 3 lb. above the atmosphere. The t emperature of obtained for enabling deduction s t o be made. The lining
the feed a s it enters the pumps is 110 deg. Fa.hr., and of a. Cleve_land furnace lasts any time from six years* if
on hematite, up t o 18 and even 20 years if on Cleveas io enters the boilers 210 deg. Fahr.
One of M essrs. Cochrane and Co.'s furnaces
Another application of compounding and condensing to land.
blast engines 1s that recently carried out at Sir B. Samuel- which has just been re-lined, las ted 18 years, and served
san and Co.'s works by Mr. Tom Westgarth, under the for 500,000 ton_s of pi~ i~on . . The American highly-forced
direction of Messrs. Hawdon and H owson. Ot four non- furnaces reqmre re-hnmg m two or three years, t whi ch
con_densi ng bl,owing engines of usual construction, one re- '!'o~ld scarcely admit of such a. production as this per
ma.ms untoucued; a second has bad a. jet conden s~r and hnmg.
(To be ccmtinued.)
air pump fitted; the third and fourth have been comp_ou!lded by the addition of extra. cyli nders, and have had
stmtla.r condensers added. The condensing water is
NEw LIGHTHOUSE.-A new lighthouse has just been
separately pumped from and returned t o the river, a.
water tower intervening. The amount of economy ob- completed at Punta. M edia.nos, on the Atlantic coa..c;t of
tained has not yet been accurately determined; but Mr. Argent~na.. The height is about 210ft., and th e hei~ht
W estga.rth claims that one boiler in six has been dis- of the hgbt some 8 ft. less above the ordinary level of the
pensed with, without diminishing tho output of pig iron sea at high water. The light is a first -class st eady
and wi~ho?t using any fuel specially for _evaporation. At white light. It is visible 21 miles from the' whole of
the Skmmngrove Iron Works two blowmg engines work the sea horizon. The optical syst em is of the Brobner
together, forming one compound jet-cond ensing engine, type, with eigh t lenses; the lamps fill automatically
but th~: can be used separately if necessary. :M essrs. (Denecbong syst em), with concentric wicks (Bourtel's
Y'f Wh_ttwell and Co. ~a.ve a. si!Dple jet-condensing blow- system).
--mg engme; and there 1s one With a M orton's ejector-conJAP~NESE RAIL,YAYS.-Tbe G?vernment of Japan has
denser a.t the Cargo Fleet Iron Works. All others in the
plans m band for the construct10n of fourteen new raildistrict are simple non-condensing engines.
B oilers.-As regards blast-furnace boilers, in 1871 they ways. _At presen~ the ra.ilw~ys of Japan comprise some
were almost exclusi \-ely of the plain cylindrical type, 15oq miles, of whtch 894 miles belong to various com80 ft. long by 4 ft. to 5 ft. in diamet er, and rigidly sup- pa.mes. These lines, it is stat~d, will be tak?.n over by
ported. These were found t o strain themselves at every th e State._ Forme~ly th e l~nes were built by British conchange of temperature, and to be far from safe. In some tractors With maJ.&tel supplted from the U nited Kingdom;
cases th ey were cut in two in the middle of their length, but _now the J a_panese Governm ent and Japanese comand connected by a short pipe. In others they were hung pames have t~eu own Japanese engineers, and a. great
on volute springs on the plan suggested by the author. * p ~ rt of the railway 'f!lateriel and rolling st ock can be furThe elephant type first introduced by Mr. Charles W ood m sbed from the national shops at Shinbasi.
was substituted at the T ees Iron Works, and also to some
CHEAP ELECTRIC P OWER. - The Berliner Elektriextent a.t the Tbornaby Works, with good results. The
H owa.rd boilers at the Lackenby Works were found un- citats:v~rke haye rec~ntly reduc:ed their charge for
safe, and others of the L ancashire type were substituted. electrtCity for mdustnal purposes to 20 pfnnig (zt d.)
M essrs. Cochra.ne and Co. still work R oot's boiler!!, and per 1000 watt-hours. An economical motor uses about
have done so for 18 years; but their me has not extended 800 to 900 watts pe.r borse-powey, according to size, so a
further_. Only the purest water .can be used; they are horse-power hour w1ll only codt 16 to 18 pfennig (2d. to
As, however full load can
expensive to k eep up, and reqmre extra attention on 2i d-) when fully loaded.
account of the fluctuations due t o the small body of water o~l y be reckoned upon. d uring about haif the workinj:!
contained in the tubes. They also require some coal to ti~e~ and. as. t~e capacity of the motor is fairly constant
w1thm this hmtt, the average price for a nominal horse~e always burning as a_wick _for k eeping alight the entermg gases. The favourtte boiler for furnace plants is now power hour will be 9 to 10 pfennig (1{rd. to l i d.).
the three-flued Beeley boiler, which is a. simple, compact,
NEw FRENCH CR?ISER. - A new cruiser, the largest in
and efficient steam-raiser. In boilers of all kinds the
material use.d, the mode of constru~tion and mounting, the Fren~b Navy, 1s ordered to be built at La Seyne,
and the fittmgs have been greatly Improved during the after d ~Igns by M. Lega~e., the constructor of the Spanish
battleship Pelayo, the Chihan armoured cruiser Captain
las t 20 years.
Comparison with American Blast-Furnaces.- On the Prat, and other celebrated modern vessels. S he will be
occasion of the visit of the members of the Iron and Steel name~ the D'.Entr~casteaux, after t~e famous navigator
Institute to America. in 1890, most en~in eers and iron- ~ho d1ed durmg h1s search for La P erouse and as she is
mastera from this di.:strict were deeply tmpressed by the mt~nded for service as flagship i,n distant s~as. ;he will be
enoriD;ous outp~ts obtained pe~ furnace at som e of the sheathed and coppered. Her displacement will be 8114
Amencan smAltmg works. This was found to be due in tons; her length at the water-line, 393 ft. 6 in. ; her exa. large measure to the use of exceedingly rich ores; but treme ~readtb, 5~ ft. 5 in. ; and her extreme draught,
that did not altogether account for the observed results. 29 f~. 6 m . . She will ~ave. two vertical triple-expansion
Mr. James Gayley, one of Mr. Carnegie's managers, has engmes, wtth five cyhndrtcal boilers developing in all
since published the performance of the Ed6'ar 1~homs on 14,000 horse-power, and giving a speed of 19 knots. The
furn ace "I " during J anua.ry, 1892. t This furnace is norn;al bunker capacity is t o be 650 tons, but it will be
90 ft. high by 21 ft. bosh and 12 ft. hearth, and has ~oss1ble to ca:rry 1000 tons of. coal. The prot ection cona. capacity of about 23,000 cubic feet. The make during Sist s of a ~.9- m. steel deck, w1th, above it, a great number
the month was 12,706 tons, the a9erage yield of the of .cellular compartments for coal and stores, the whole
ore 61 per cent., the fuel consumption 1700 lb. or about bt:nng covered by another st eel deck f in. thick. The
15 cwt. per t on of pig-iron, the bes t week's work 3005 whol~ of the h.ull below the protection is occupied by the
tons, the best day 's work 511 tons, the temperature of mac~mery, boilers, punkers, and magazines. Each of the
blast 1200 deg-. Fabr., and the pressure 10! lb. per beavter guns has Its own separate ammunition hoist.
square inch. The volume of air delivered by the blow- These! and al~o a.l l the a~xiliary m~c~inery, steering
!ng engine_was 27,000 cubic feet p er minute, which g~ar, mternal.hghtmg, loadmg and trammg engines, &c.,
w11l be electncal. The armament will consist of two
I S 1175 cubic feet per 1000 cubic feet capacity, or from
3 to 4! tim es what is usual in Cleveland. As regards 9.4-in. guns. of 4~ cali~res; twelve 5. 5-in. quick-firing,
the ad vantage obtained by richer ore, that is clearly un- t~elve 1.85-m. qutck-firmg, and four 1.45-in. quick-firing,
w1th two submerged and five above-water torpedo tubes
a.~taina.bl~. here, if_ local ores only are used. ~s regards
d1fference m practwe, the most noteworthy thmg is the two of t~ e latter being in the bows. Each of the 9.4-i n:
enorlll:ously greater qu~ntity of air passed through the guns will occupy a closed turret covered with 9.8-in.
Amencan furnace th_an IS customary _her~, and the higher steel. Four o_f the 5.~-in. quick-firing g uns will be on th e
pressure of blast whwh has t o be ma.mtamed for enabling spar-~e.ck b~hmd 2.8- In. hardened st eel shields, and the
it to penetrate the charge. The circumstance that the r~m.ammg _eight upon the main deck in sponsons behind
maximum American output exceeds the Cleveland maxi- stmilar shields. The smaller guns will be distributed
mum in about the same proportion as the air passed over the superstructure and in the t ops of whi ch there
through per 1000 cubic feet of capacity, seams in some will be three-or, rather, a three-decked' one-on each of
the two military masts. Within the masts there will be
measure t o explain these wonderful results.
Although the American practice of ft)rcing furnaces the usual staircases and fighting position~ and there will
with the consequent rapid des truction of linings, has not be also a. heavily-armoured conning tower.' The D 'Entrefound favour generally in Cleveland, s till it has raised cas teaux, which is estimated to cost 620,000l., will be
much discussion, and indicated various lines of progress somewhat larger than our new first-clasR cruisers of the
for the future. In America great stress is laid upon Edgar and Cr.escent classes, b~lt a little smaller than those
the Blenh_eim type. Sh~ will also be exceeded in size
large blowing power, and upon blowing every furnace of
by the Russian crmser Rurtk, than whi ch however she
from a separate engine or engines, independently of any will
be. a knob faster. In si z~ she wili most n~arly
others. The quantity of air entering a furnace is regu- a.pproxuna.te
o the new American cruiser New York
lated by the number of revolutions per minute which the Another ship tof
the class is to be laid down presently.
engines make, without regard to the blast pressure ob* Proceedings Cleveland Institution of Engineers,
* British Iron Trade Association, Bulletin No. 23,
* I ron and Steel Institute J ournal, 1871, p ut 1, page 64. 1890-91, page 180.
1893, pages J and 3.
t Cleveland Institution of Engineers, Proceedings + Iron and Coal Trades R eview, Octob~r 28, 189?, t Proceedings Cleveland Institution of Engineers,
page 570.
I 1890-91, page 177.
1890-91, page 182.

"ENGINEERING" ILLUSTRATED PATENT

RECORD.
OOMPIIJID BY

193

E N G I N E E R I N G.

Auc. r r, r893.]

W. LLOYD WISE.

BBLECTBD ABSTRACTS OF RECKNT PUBLISHED 8PBOIFICATI0118

UNDER THE ACTS 1883-1888.
The number of vU1os given in the Speci~cation Dra~nqs Ul ~~
in wch case ; where~ art ?mntwMd, the :Specifo;a.tum ...,
not illU8trattd.
Where Inventions are communicaud from abroad, the NQ~r~~,U
lkc., of the Communicators are give-n in italics.
Copies of Specifications may bt obtai?Ud at the Patent O!f,ct
Sale Branch, 88, Our sitor-street, Chancery-latnt, B .O., at the
tm iform price of Bd.
The date of the advertU/e?mnt of the acceptanu of a oompltte
specification is, in each cas~. gio~ after the abJJtract, unltss the
Patent ha1 been sealed, when tht date of sealing i8 given.
A ny person may at any ti?m within two months f rom the date (If
tM advertise~ of the accep tance of a CQmp/.ete epecijica.tion,
give notice at tht Patent Ojfice of on-osition to tht gra;nt of a
Patent on any of the grounil8 mentioned in the Act.

GAS, &c., ENGINES.

17,732. A. Paton. Leeds. Gas Engines.

formed in a, so as to insure facility in turning round. this co~tar

being prolonged FO as to o verhang the loose collar c, a!ld ~a~ tng
an angularshaped slot cut through it, t he pitch of wh10h IS JUSt
s u fficient to give the necessary tran l to the c lutch alon.g the
ehaft7. The collar c is mountt>d loosely on the sh ~ft k, but 18 dre
vented from m oving laterally by two collars d, dM firmly fixe to
tbe shaft k. Fixed metallic arms e, e2 have ~\IOmetal. rolle rs
loosely fitted on their inner ends, which work m th~ he.hcal slot
formtd in the sleeve b, the inner end of each a r m e, e2 bemg Ji~ed
in the collar c, and their outer ends to a bea.m h by clepend10g
bolts. By pulling the cord nt the collar lJ pa.rt 1ally turns on thA
clutch et the fix ed arm e causing them to ehde along the shaft
sufficiently tar to t hrow the clutch into gear. (.Accepted June 28,
1893).

15,972. Siemens Brothers and Co., London

( Siemens and H alske, Berlin., Germany.) Pulleys, &c.F~or

Driving Machines from Electromotors.

(4

1!J8. ]

tieptember 6, 1892.-This invention rela~es to pull~ys and bands

by which machines such .as lathes ar~ driVen .f rom electr~motors ,
the object being to prov1de for sufficumt teos ton and g np o~ ~h~
driving bands without requi ring between the axes of the dnv1ng
pulleys any intPr mediate a nd. d ri ve n wheels. A pulle~~ ~on the
shaft of an electromotor E dn ves by a band R . a . pulle~ r on the
abaft z, on wbioh is a stepped pulley r2, dri\'Jng by a band a

by being brought into contact with ta~h other, a n d uncoupl~ d

without the n ecessity of any pueon go10g under the b uffe rs ~
manipulate the coupling, T o eye bolte attac hed to the end o
the vt:bicle a hook d is pi voted, whi~h is ~urn.~d bac~ at. an ac~t~
angle on its underside. The b ook IS ma10tam.ed "'tth 1ts sh~v
in a h o rizontal position by means such as a eprmg, and the P 1 o.
on which it is supported is e xtended , so as to form a rod c ac r os s
the end of the vehicle. When two ve hicles are brou~ht toget~er,
the inclined end of the face of each coupling- h o?k. d comes agamet
the horizontal rod c of the oth er vehicle, a.nd nd1ng upon the ~ar
becomes lifted. As Poon a9 the extreme pomt o~ the book rea~ es
the top of the bar, it drops .over it by the ac t1on of. the sprtnp-,
thHeby coupling t h e two veh1cles. The rode a re p~ov1ded at each
e nd with a h 1ndle in order to disengage the couphngs. (~ccepted
J une 28, 1893).
11,677. B. S. Barton, Dovercourt, and E. K. St~n
ford, Colchester, Esse x. BaUw~y SlgJ;lals. [~ .F 1{Js. 1
Juoe 22, 1892. -The signalman places h1e lever tn ~ p os1t1on to
set his semaphore arm at "danger," and in 30 do~ng pulls the
pi voted arm D, whic h carries with it, from .1he hopper, .the
Eocketfittiog with its detonator, and ple.cee th1s upon the ho e ,
the a rm soc ket remaining upon the arm out of r eac h of tb~ wheels
of the vehicles : the bell N is rung in the signal box, showmg that

-.. 1

[3 Figs. ]

October 5, 1892.- The objec t of this invention is to relieve the

back pre88ure on gas eng ines, which drive the exhaust up long
pipes, by the application of a balance pipe to tbe exhaust one.
T wo long pipes A, B communicate at the bottom, and into t h e

r-- - - -
l~r--

11 b """'

118

r'Lfi z

.
- '
I

'

-- __

r -

1---rl~ . -

_j

- .-

.-

the signal is in p osition. After the train has passed, the signal
man r eturoe hie lever , thereby moving the p1voted arm I? ~nd
ateppd pull ~y r3 on the shaft A of the lathe. The el.ectromotor withdrawing the signal di sc~arged, and by means of a. B~1drn.g
E is carried on a lever a rm pivoted at 0 , and the heanngs of the bolt throwing it otf the lever mto any r ~ceptacle f rom wh1ch 1t
s haft Z a re in a pair of lever arms H, p1 voted ~t 0~, so t~at the c an be ultimately recovered and u sed agam 1f not e xploded. Upon
weight of the electromotor and the arm carrymg 1t strama the the compl etion of the movement, the pivoted arm has r eturned to
band s Rand RI, t h e r elative strains on each being determined by its backward p osition , and is ready to enter the n ext socket
t he angular position of t he arms H. By means of a t readle l ev~ r fitting upon the next forward movement. (.&ccepted Jur1e 28, 1893)
hl con nected to the a r ms H, the latter can be moved on thetr
pivot 01 so as to b ring the two stepped pulleys ,.~, ,.s nearer to
STEAM ENGINES AND BOILERS.
one another tbue facilitating the shifting of Rl from one pair of
19,239. J. Miller, London. Steam Pumps, &c.
steps to another to alter tht> speed of the mac hine. (.Accepted
(1 Fig.] Oc tober 26, 1892.-This io,ention r.elates to reoiprocat
June 28, 1893).
iog engines with automatic vahe g ear, dn,en by steam, &c.
10139. F. Jackson, Raiaonville, F. Atklnson and The steam pn.sses from the supply pipe 0 into the valve box v
w. 'Baldwin Monroe, Monroe, Michigan, U.S.A. t hroug h a po.r t f to tb.e underside of the p_iston B. The . r od
Converting Reciprocating into Rotary Motion. (5 s r emain s s tat1ooa.ry unt1l the collar R comes mto contact w1th a
Figs.] May 20, 1893.- Thia invention refers to means to~ co~ shoulder S2. The motion th~ reby imparted to the rod s raises
verting reciprocating into rotary movement. The dev1ce t8 the lever C and the auxiliary c hamber H to a posi t ion beyond tbe
supported upon a frame A, in wbich the double c rankshaft B dead point. The pressure in tbe cylinder li then dri ves the
is jouroalled the power being transmitted by the wheel C from link D attac hed to the rod 11, and also the lever C upwa rds, until
this shaft to the mac hine to be driven. T he two frames D, DI a re
pivoted upon the pins E at opposite sides of t h e c ranks, and
/j9JZ

'
the e ngine exhaus t pipe C is introduced, eo.

firs t
th~t when
tbe exhaust is driven into the first pipe, the balance IS d1st u r bed
and the ai r r ushes from the second pipe into the first to keep up
the balance. (A. ocepted J une 28, 1S93).

MACHINE TOOLS, SHAFT ING, &c.

21305. w. Huds on, Keighley, Yorks. Driving
Gear of Lathes. (6 Figs.) November 23, 18~2.-:-This inv~n

tion r elate s to the driving j!'ear of lathes, ~o~ coos1sts m a rra"!g!ng

it so tha.t freedom is allowed fo r the dnvtDg belt. The dnvmg
cone b with a toothed wheel c and d at each end of it, is mounted
upon the driving spindle e, and behio? i.t a supplementary sh an
f , having tooth gearing w heels fixed to 1t, IS made to be movable, eo
tbat its toothed wheels g, h can be brought, when a d:ol;lb_legear
dri ve is d esired into gear wif h the toothed wheels adJOinmg the
coue. When tr~ble gear is required, instead of the wheels on the

.Ftg .1.

Rg 1

/OIJ9

''

. 2.

s uppleme ntary shaft gearing directly with those on. the spindle,
an intermediate wheel is mounted m movable beannve, and the
large wbe2l on this supplementary shaft ia made to gear with the
intermediate wheel, while the smaller wheel at the other end of
the ~h a ft is made to gt-ar with a toothed wh eel mounted in ad
justable bear ings, the shaft of this latter wheel extending t~rou~b
its bear ings to car ry another toothed wheel on tbe other s1de, m
which position it is sit\)ated for ~earing with a toothed wheel
attacbed to the faceplate, whic h ts thereby r otated. (.& cce.pttd
JuM 21, 1893).

from thrse a re arranged pine, the pins a being provided with

beads c. Each of the two le vers F, Fl a re fixed upon a
c rank and p rovided near thei r C<!ntre with heart shaped enlarge
ments K . Bellc rank levers a re journalled in stationary bearings on the frame and pivotally engap:e the e nds of the leve rs
F, Fl. The connecting-rods a re connected at t h eir lower ends to
the treadle I , which has a. pivot J alidingly secured in a alot in
the bre.cket J2 upon the floor. At one end of the enlargemenQ3
K a re cam g rooves L which pass t hrough the levers and beneath
the u pward extending &nge M . (Accepted J un e 28, 1893).

the latter r aises the val ve-rod a, and valves a l, a2 sufficiently t o

reverse the engine, thereby clos ing the ports d, f, and opening
the induc tion port e and eduction port. On the descent of the
RAILWAY APPLIANCES.
piston, the cy linder H, lever C, and valves a t, a~ r emain stationRry
13,554. B. Tyson, Brackenthwalte, Cumberla.nd. until the collar R comes in contac t with a button s', and thus
Coupltng for Railway, &c., Vehicles. (2 .Fir;s.] July reverses the position ot the valves. When the cylind er li is
approaching the dead point, the plunger, being a.t ita farthest die
F'-9 . 1.
ta.nce within the cylinder, forces open the val ve K against the
strength of the spr iog, thus allowin~ the waste water or steam
to escape, while the end of the val ve K plugs the passage in the
plunger G. (i!cce.pte.d J une 21, 1893).

W. G. Cowllahaw and C. E. Walker,

Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire. Actuating Friction
Clutches. (2 Jligs. ] August 6, 1892.- This invention relates
14.198.

.4tl. ....
..

.,._ -e:!!r- .. .....

- . ----- ......... . ... .

-"

Eg 1.

Thie io Yeo tion relates to means connected to the exhaust pipes

of locomotives for relieving the engine piston from back p ressure
I

I~ Z

'

FiB_.1.

/)

J. B. Bartigan, Oswego. New York. Ex

haust Pipes of Locomotives. [2 Figs.] May 4, 1893.8948.

'

~ )

"l

1&1
,q

I
'

'I

11!:!.

t o means for use in e.ctuating fric t ion clutches, &c. a is a part

due to the con traction of the nozzle of the exhaust pipe. The exha uet
ot a clutch loosely mounted on the shaft k, and is capable of being
pipe A is a rranged vertically in the smoke-box to conduct the exslid along it, eo that l t may be thrown into and out of gear with 26, 1892. -Tbia invention relates to an automatic epriog coupling haust steam t hrough it, and is provided on ita upper end with the
another clutch. A collar made in halves fi ts into t he receee for railway, &c. , vehiclee, by which t he vehlclee are coupled merely nozzle C by which the exhaust steam is directed into the smoke

R N G I N F: E R I N G.

f94
stack D. Upon the bottom of the inter io r of th e smoke box t he
chamber R is mounted a nd communicates with th e exhaust t>ipe
by a constan tly open tube c, this cbamb!r bt>ing divided m to
two com partments, each of wbiob commun icates wit h t he exh aust
passages of one of the engine cylinders by t h e exhaust pipe Part
of t he steam is intercepted near t he base of t he pipe by t he
chamber Rand its pipe c tapping t he exhaust pipe at t hat point.
This chamber bei n~ located in the smokebox a nd h eat ed by the
products of combustion entering t he latter , prevents condensa
tion of t he steam in t he chamber, a nd as soon as the pipe B is sufficiently relieved from p ressure of t he direct exhaust, the steam
in t he chamber R escapes by its own pressur e into the p ipe Band
follows t he preceding por tion of the exhaust steam tb rou~h the
pi pe to t he smokestack D, and thus produces nearly a contmuous
ex haust. (.Accepted June 21, 1893).

A !larrow chamber A is constructed of cast iron and adjusted in

position t r ansversely below t he boiler o utside t he fr ont of t h_e
b rickwork. The ends of t hie chamber a re open, and communi
cate with two side ft ues. An op ening in t he middle upper par t
of t bie chamber communicat es w ith another cast iron chamber B,
passing beiow t he firebars and extending to th e back of the bridge
and rising u p to near the top of it. Another b rid~e Disarra nged
behind the fi rst, tbe second chamber B intervemng between tbe
two. These ch ambers a re p rovided with holes co,ered by doors
for cleaning , a nd the fi rst ch amber has da m per s t o r egulate t.he
draught , steam being injeote~ in to the second chamber B tolD
cr ease th e draugh t when r eqUired . (..4. ccepted June 28, 1893).

A. Knudsen, San Francisco, California,

U.S.A. Steam, &c., Engines. [6 Figs.] April 2~, 1893.8230.

is fo rmed between the cylind ers a nd t he upper steam and water

d rum both at the front and r ear ends of the boiler by ftanged
pipes of large internal diameter. ( A ccepted J une 28, 1893).

M:ISCELLANEOtJS.
15,031. J. c. Walker and J . E. Stephensou,
Shipley, Yorks. Operati~g .upo~ Fibrous Materl~l.

[2 Figs.) August 20, 1892.-Thts m vent1on r elates to screw-gill

boxes for operating upon fibr ous material, in which screws of
incr easing- pitch ar e used to traverse the ~ ill s. The fibre.s~ after
being loosened a nd opened ont, a r e pa.ased m a loose cond1t~on on
to a second set of gills operated by the same screws to stra1gbten
out and clean the fibres. A double thread is for med on the latter

c.

.Fig. z.

FU,
1

This invention r elates to engines prope1led by steam , au , o r gas.

2164.
F. Ltttlejohn, Bridgeport, Fairfleld, Con The hollow receiver B r ecipr ocates within the exter ior c~ins-, and
necticut, U.S.A. Steam Engines. [6 Figs. ] January 31, a second r eceiver within the first one t ransversely to 1ts h ot> of
1893.- This invention relates to steam engines fo r steamer s, &o. , motion a shaft and cr ankpin being connected with both pistons. The
in which it is necessary that the weight of the motor is placed as steam dhest has ports for t he admission of steam alternately to
low as possible, &c. The guided crossb ead has in it a t ra nsverse
0

Fig .1.
10

Fig .2.

t.....-------------------

- - - - - - _ _ .., _

------ ------- -

- - - - - - &...

part of the screws of increasing pitch, and operates a second set

of gills. This double t hread only commences after the fibres
have been opened out sufficiently t o enable them to be t r eated by
a more closely arranged set of ta llers. In o rder to obviate the
difficulty of cleaning t he g ills, the inver ted set o f falle rs is
mounted in an independent frame A capable of bein~ detached
from the machine a nd raised, so as to give access to both sets of
gills C and E. (.Accepted June 28, 1893).

18,133. A. George, Glldersome, and W. George,

East Morton, Yorks. Bag Engines. [2 Figs.] October

11, 1892.-This invention r elates to rag eng ines tor making pulp

for manufaoturin~ paper, &c., and consists in adding a circ ulating mix ing and stripping roller immediately behind the tearing
roller in order to prevent the latter from becoming choked. T be

opposite ends of the piston chambers, and over these por ts a

rectangular \'alve moYes, this valve being mounted on an eccen
tric, whereby it r eceives a circular movement over the por ts, a nd
2161r adius links being connected with opposite angles of the valve,
slide way, t.he levers 10 and 11 being rulcrumed together and wher eby the edges maintain their paraJJelism durin~ its moveguided in the crossbead. T he sliding bead 17 is oper ated at right mente. High steam is admitted to act upon the inner pis ton , and
angles to the length of the piston by one of the levers, a nd is con- when exhausted is t ransmitted to operate upon the in ner recipro
nected to the main shaft crank by a pitman. The backward and cating cylinder. (.Accepted June 21, 1893).
for ward movement of the head through the pitma.n 19 impar ts
8635. J . Beche, Hucheswagen, Germany. Steam
r otati\e movement to the shaft 1. (Accepted J une 21 , 18~3).
Hammers. [4 Figs.] April 29, 1893.- This invention relat es
2418. G. E. Hudson and G. Sanderson, Scar to steam hammers. The hammer head is connected to the piston
borough, Yorks. Supplying Heated Feed Water to of its actuating cylinder by a cord or belt passing over fixed a nd
the Boilers of Non-Condensing Engines. [2 Figs.1 t ravelling sheaves. The exhaust vahe and steam supply of the
February 3, 1893.-The object of this invention is to r emove t he
l ar~er par t of t~e g rease, &c., from the exhaust st~am of n~n
Ptj;
1
.
Fig Z .
condensing engmes, and to use the water so obtamed, ~h1 le
still in a h eated state, as feed fo r the boilers of t hese eng mes.
The exhaust steam pipe enters the side of th~ first cham ber

r.

---

. 2.

., .

.rt.g. 1

I'

circulating roller is provided with iron plates p , which ar e bent

in the opposite d ir ection to that in which the shaft d r otates.
A cover inoloses both t he beating and circulating rollers, and is
carried sufticiently close t o t he latter to act as a stripper to it,
whilst the circulating r oller acts as a stripper to the beating one,
both rollers r evolving in the same direction. (.Accepted June 28
1893).

A. H. Wallis, Baslngstoke, Hampshire.

Road Picking Machines. [5 F igs.] July 18, 1892.13,131.

This in vention r elates to a method of moving t h e picking tools

of road-picking mach ines described in Patent No. 19,104 of 1891
A frame F attach ed t o t he body of the veh icle V carries a cr ank

B, in which the main part of the oil and g rease becomes

separated from the steam and is deposited upon the sides, from
whence it is d rawn off, mixed with a cer tain propor tion of water, by
t h e valve N. F rom the chamber B t he steam passes to the second
chamber C by the pipeD, and is met by a jet of cold water from
t he pipe E, which immediately condenses it and causes it to fall
ae hot water to t be lower par t of t he chamber, from whence it is
withdrawn by the feed pipe F. (..4.ccepted Jt~ne 28, 1893).

actuating cylinder ar e oper ated by a r od w provided with collars

v, vl and a roller t, which engages with a tappet lever q of the
valve! andie adafted to be operated by an a rm n provid ed upon
the p1stonrod b of the actuating cylinder . (.Accepted Jwne 28
1893).
,

12,765. L. Delaney and P. Kershaw. Bradford.

Yorks.

949. J. Mlll.s, Manchester, aud J. E . Mills, HeySmoke-Consumer and Fuel-Economiser, wood, ~a.ncs . Steam Boilers. [4 Figs.) Jan uary 16,
18~3.-~hls m venttOn relates to water -tube steam boilers.

The
bo1~er ~s made with either an open br ick lined fu r nace or a
oyhnd n cal water cased fur nace, steam d rums, and inclined water -

Fig .Z.

. .........
shaft C. Each crank is linked to a block B working in guides G
an~ having attached to it a piston P working in ao air cylinder
which has lateral apertures about t he middle of its length. The
cylinder. A ~s fr ee t o slide in the guides G, and has jointed to its
end a p1ckmg-tool T, the holder of which is h eld up by side
springs. (.Accepted June 28, 1893).

UNITED 8TATE8 PATEirl'8 ABD P!TENT PRAO'l'IOB.

.. .. ...... ....

oI

11

'

Descriptions with lllustrations of inventions p atented in t he

United States ot America from 184'1 to t he present time and
reports of t rials of patent law caaes in the United Statea uiay be
consulted, gratis, at the offioea of ENGDmB&I.NG, 36 and 36 Bedtortlstreet, Strand.
'

Io

'

t ubes, terminatin~ at either end in sh or t cylinders e, el instead of

headers, these cylinders being made sufficiently large to allow of
t he rows of inclined tut>es being expanded in t h eir r ear ends.
The front ends of t he cylinders are made with a cover bolted to
[6 Figs.] J uly 12, 1892.-'T his invention r elates to s mok e oon t he a ng ular fian&e forming t he outer front rim of the cylinders
~ru mers for economising t he fuel in steam boile
&c., furnaces. this cover b eing r emoved to examine the t u bee. A connection
'

GREAT NoRTHERN TELEGRAPH CoMPANY.-The number of tel egrams ~orwarded by t h is company in the first
five month s of t h1s year was 750,492, as co~ared with
698,541 in. t h e correspon ding period of 1892. The reven ue
~llected m t h e fi r s t five months of this year was 108, OOOl.
1n rou~d figu! es, as compar ed with 104,800l. in t h e corre
apondmg pen od of 1892.
.