Nov.

22,

rgo1.]

THE NEW SU.BWAY IN NEW YORK

CITY.
By

6gg

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

C.E., New York.

(Continued from page 676. )
THE first part of the fifth section of the subway
begios at 41st -street and Park-avenue and ends at
47th-street and Broadway. The contractors are
t.he Degnon McLean Contracting Company of New
York.
This section of the subway starts with two t unnels,
forming a continuation of the East and West tunnels
built by Mr. Ira A. Shaler, and which were descrioed in Section 4. There is, however, this difference; that while the \Vest tunnel continues on a
straight line or tangent, the East tunnel curves
CuAI{LES PRELINJ,

leaving the station will proceed slowly along the

short circular curves and run at full speed on the
transition ones.
The subsoil along 42nd-street from Park-avenue
to Sixth-avenue consists of an upper stratum of
rubbish followed by a. layer of hardpan, resting on
the soft rocky bed which forms the cap of the solid
rock met below. The first two layers have an
average depth of 10ft., so that the roof of the subway
had to be excavated through loose soil, and the floor
through solid rock. From Sixth-avenue to Broadway the soil is loose, consisting chiefly of gravel
and hardpan ; while from 44th-street to 47th-street,
along Broadway, the solid rock comes up close again
to the surface. The , roof of the subway from
Madison-avenue to ]'ifth-ayenue is nearly 22ft.

scribed in Section 4 are being built by the opentrench method. Where the East tunnel passes under
the tracks of the surface cars, it is driven by the
usual tunnelling method of a wide heading. The
construction of these t unnels has gone on as usual,
no difficulties having been encountered. They
require, however, very accurate engineering work
in locating the lines of the side walls, and also the
tracks which are laid along the transition curves.
Very accurate work is also required in preparing
the cantering, on account of the rise and the span
of the arches Yarying continuously, so that n o
centre can be used a second time.
A considerable section of the circular curves lies
under private property at the corner of 42nd-street
and Park-avenue. The property was officiaiJy con-

Fig.49.

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--~-~------t-----.:.-------t------.. &. -------4----!

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SOUENC OF THE 'XCAVATION THROU~H ROCK .

SECTION SHOWING LONG I TUDINAL HEADING, SECOND TRACK

Fig. SO.

STRUTTING OF THE HEADINGS

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LONGITUDINAL SECTION OF niE STIIUTTI!D HEAD H

B l.ectric
])u,c,l4

4'lloUow

Tile-

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SECTION ON ORIGI NAL CROSS S ECTION HEADING SHOWIII:G EXCAVTI NG FOfl Tt!IRO T.7At:K

round so as to effect its junction with the corref ponding one at a point nearly 100 ft. north of
41st-street., at which point the four-track standard
section of the subway is resumed. In turning
round from Park-avenue to 42nd-street, the fourtrack road makes t he sharpest curve to be found
on the entire line. Compound curves are uced, beginning with transition, and followed by circular
curves. Calling A the tracks of the north-bound
local trains, B those of the expre~ses, C the tracks
of the south-bound express train~, and D tho.se of
the south- bound locals, the lengths of the transit~on
curves are as follows :
Ft.
ForA
.. ... ... ... 360
B
... ... ... 440

c
... ...
... ... 200
D
... ... ... ... 275
The dimensions of the circular curves on an angle
of nearly 90 deg. are :

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\~\\"\\\\\\\\\\\\~~~\\\\\\\\\\~\\\\\\~\\\\\\\\\\\\\\.\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\'..\\\\\\\\\~\\\\\\\\\\\\\~
7101
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SQVNC OF THE EXCAVATION WHEH THE ROOF IS EXCAVATED

THROUGH LOOSE 60/l AND THE FLOOR THROUGH ROCK

4....J 12'

-~

Length.
Ft..

Ft.
293
A
300
250
174
B
230
163
c
147
D
180
The north-west end of the circular curves is followed by tangents until 42nd-street Station is
reached. This is one of the most important of the
whole subway, being located just opposite the
Grand Central Station. The object of placing
transition curves at the south end of the circular
curves is to allow north-bound trains to run at full
speed until they begin to slow down on entering
the station by reason of the resistance due to the
circular curves, while the south-bound trains on

Track.

I
I

"

WOODEN STRUTS SUPPORTING THE CAR TRACKS.

from the surface; while at Broadway it is only 3 ft.

Various methods of excavating have been used
on this section of the subway, some of which had
not been employed at all on any other section.
They were devised by Mr. H. C. Sa.nford, M. Am.
Soc. C.E., engineer for the contractors, and Mr.
W. 0. Briggs, assistant engineer.
The tunnels that continue those which were de-

damned, and the houses torn down, after which the

subway was begun by the open-trench method.
The line follows 42nd-street, close to the buildings,
on the south side, and immediately under the sidewalks, while on the north aide it scarcely reaches
the curbstone. The object of this unsymmetrical
arrangement with respect to the axis of the street
is t o get curves of longer radius at the Broadway
turning, to prevent the obstruction of traffic, which
is greater on the north than on the south side of
t he street, and, finally, to take up less private property under the sidewalks.
Although the contractors are authorised to open
two trenches, one on each side, they are trying t o
carry on the work with only one, so as not to interfere too much with traffic. For this purpose they
are using different methods in different places,
according to the nature of the soil, the depth of the
subway, and the traffic of the surface road.
In places where the solid rock comes up near
the roof of the subway the work is being carried
on in the following manner : Along the south side
of the street, and near the sidewalk, a trench
20 ft. wide is carried down so as to reach the plane
of the foundations. The sides of the opening are
strutted in the usual way, with sheeting planks held
in position by horizontal beams placed lengthwise,
and k ept up by other horizontal beams laid across
the trench. Then a portion of the steel bent of the

700

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

[Nov.

22, 1901.

st~?-dard section of the Rubway is erected, after of the subway is

t.hen built, and the road-bed be erected on the vacant ground fronting BroadwhiCh a. s mall heading is excavated, and iron !-beams thereby supported, after which the intercepting way, 43rct-street, and Seventh-avenue.
30 ft. long and 24 in. high are inserted, abuttin<Y narrow sections marked 3 in Fig. 54 are removed
( To be continuccl.}
with one end on a wooden b eam placed across th; and other portions of the subway constructed and
.:> teel bents, the other end being supported by short connected with those already completed, so as to
hor.izontal beams kept in place by wooden blocks form one continuous structure.
THE
INSTITUTION
OF
MECHANICAL
wluch rest on the rock, as shown in Fi<Y. 49. The
Work is curied on on the longer sections-viz.,
ENGINEERS.
I -beams are placed 5 ft. apart from-=> centre to those 12 ft. 8 in. long- in the following manner:
ON Friday evening last, the 15th inst., an
centre, the rvof of the heading being formed of At night, the surface of the street is torn down
short heavy planks laid across the beams, and and a wooden platform set in its place. This plat- ordinary general meeting of the Institution of
parallel to the axis of the street. When the roof form is flush with the street and serves for the Mechanical Engineers was held, the President,
of the heading has thus been secured, and the gener~l traf:fic. The planks of which it is composed Mr. W. H. Maw, occupying the chair. The
road-bed itself strongly supported, the underlying are 4 1n. th1ck ; they are placed longitudinally with paper set down for r eading and discussion was a
rock is blasted in order to admit of another panel of the axis of the street and are supported by two or contribution by Professor W. E. D~lby, of L onthe steel bents of the standard section, which is im- more cross-beams abutting against the concrete don, on
mediately erected. The work is afterwards continued superstructure of the car-tracks and curbstones.
THE BALAKCING OF LOCOl\10TIVES.
by driving another similar heading across the axis of These beams also serve to support the pipes and
The President stated that the author would not
the street and at right angle~ to the trench, after conduits met with in the course of excavating. read the paper as printed, but would give its
which the iron 1-beams are inserted as described Work is carried on from the side trench, and under- substance in a lecture. This course was more
above. The flanges of these beams are s urmounted neath the wooden platform. Near the ends ef desirable, as it would enable Professor Dalby to
with caps which support the poling-boards and this small section of the s ubway two trenches are make his meaning clear by means of models and
shore the roof of the excavation, as shown in opened, and an 8-in. by 8-in. beam laid across, to lantern slides, which would illustrate the dynaFig. 50. .After this, the space below the floor serve as the cap-piece of the wooden bent that sup- mical principles involved in the system of deterof the heading is removed, the corresponding part ports the car tracks. The beam is temporarily mining the balancing factors which he presented
of the foundation laid, and another panel of the strutted with timbers resting on the unexcavated to the meeting.
steel bents set up. Continuing in this way, the ground ; but when the soil ha<3 been removed
We commence to print the p~per in full in our
heading is gradually pushed forward and the rock and the plane of the foundations of the subway present issue, and as the lecture was practically
removed to make way for the last panels of the steel reached, the temporary timbers are replaced by the the s -~me in substance as the text, we will only
bents. The diagram Fig. 51 shows the sequence various members of the bent. As indicated in refer to the lucid manner in which Professor Dalby
of the excavation, the parts bearing the same Fig. 55, t he bent will be formed of a cap-piece and treated a difficult subject before proceeding to the
numerals being driven simultaneously. As soon as two braced racking posts resting on a mud sill. discussion.
the last heading is driven and all the steel bents One of tbese b ents is set up at each end of each
The President, before calling on members to
set up, the wall which encloses the structure on car track.
speak, said that although Professor Dalby had, in
the north side is built and waterproofed, after
When all the earth between the bents has been commencing his remarks, stated that the subject
which the concrete arches of the side walls and removed, a part of the subway is constructed; and with which he was about to deal was an old one, yet
roof are proceeded with. On the roof of the as soon as the roof is built, the platform is removed he (the President) felt sure tlie meeting would agree
structure, small pillars of masonry are next from the surface of the street, the space filled in that the admirable way in which the matter had
erected for the purpose of supporting the road- with earth, and small pillars of brick masonry been put forward would throw new light on it to
bed while the iron beams are being removed erected for the support of the repaved street and many engineers. He hoped that locomotive engiand earth rammed in to fill up the void. With the surface tracks.
neers would come forward freely and take part in
this method of working progress has been very
The sections, which are 7 ft. 4 in. long, are con- the discussion, so that practical r esults might be
rapid.
structed in a simpler way. At night, the street the outcome of the investigations. It was t.o be
But where the rock is soft, or where there is con- is torn up, and a wooden platform fixed flush regretted that owing to an unfortunate coincidence
siderable distance between the top of the solid with the surface. The ends of the platform several of the locomotive engineers of our big railrock and the roof of the excavation, it is rather planks res~ on the roof of the parts of the way companies were unable to be present that
dangerous to have the sub5oil so extensively honey- subway already constructed, and all the work evening. For instance, Mr. T. Hurry Riches, who
combed. In s uch cases the following modification i-; done from underneath. No strutting is needed had attended the council meeting that afternoon,
has been adopted : A long trench is excavated under for the surface tracks, as the undermined lengths had been summoned back to Cardiff; whilst Mr.
the sidewalk at the south side of the street, and are so short.
Aspinall and Mr. Ivatt, both of whom had
carried down to the level of the foundation of the
Whatever the method employed in excavating, intended to be present, were also prevented
subway, being strutted in the usual manner. the earth is always removed from the side trench. from doing so by important engagements. He
Headings 17 ft. wide are driven every 35 ft. apart This necessitates hoisting and conveying machines trusted, however, that those locomotive engiacross the axis of the street, so as to enclose the all along the line. These consist of cableways of neer members who were unavoidably absent would
roof of the subway. They are strongly timbered, the Carson Lidgerwood type, already described in communicate their views in writing t0 the Secreas shown in Fig. 52. On top of the solid rock, two Section 3, or a modification of this type built by the tary, so that they might be incorporated in
the volume of the Proceedings. Turning to the
wall-plates are placed longitudinally, which carry master mechanics of the company.
the inclined struts that support the cap-piece.
The rock is excavated by blasting, the holes being paper, there was one point which Professor D~lby
These timber ribs, made up of 8-in. by 8 .in. beams, bored by Ingersoll drills. The explosive used con- had not mentioned. That was the effect on the
are placed 4 ft. apart, and support the poling tains only 40 per cent. of dynamite. At first only wear of coupling-rods, &c., produced by the distriThe boards are planks 3 in. thick ; four holes were fired at a time, but the number has bution between two or more pairs of wheels of that
boards.
they support the roof of the heading, and con- gone on increasing, so that ten of them are now proportion of the balance weights introduced to
counteract the effect of the reciprocating parts.
sequently also the road-bed of the street. When fired at once.
Compressed air is used as the motive power for Professor Dalby had shown how this proportion of
the roof of the heading has been strongly secured,
the rock between the wall -plates is removed. drillin~, hoisting, and riveting. The plant located the weight might, if concentrated on one pair of
The foundations are laid as soon as sufficient at 42nd-street, near the East River, is run jointly wheels, produce slipping. Now, if such slipping
space is cleared, three steel bents of the four- by Mr. Ira A. Shaler and the Degnon McLean did occur, it would follow that the turning effort
track standard section of the subway are set up, Contracting Company. The compressed air passes exerted by the connecting rods, instead of being
and t he concrete arches of the side wall and roof from the generating plant through a 10-in. wrought- partially absorbed by the adhesion of that pair of
are erected. Small pillars of masonry are built on iron pipe up to 42nd-street and Park-avenue. wheels, would be transmitted through the couplingthe roof thus constructed, in order to support the Here a. 6-in. branch is taken to supply power rods to the other pair or pairs of wheels, causing
road-bed, the space all around them being filled in to Section 4, while the main, reduced to 7 in., extra wear on the crankpins, coupling-rod brasses,
goes all along Section 5.A, decreasing continuously &c. Mr. T. Hurry Riches had made some experiwith well-rammed earth.
The bench which was left between the headings in diameter until it is only 4 in. at the end of the ments in this direction, and found that great advanhge, in regard to wear and tear of the couplingis next excavated and strutted ; the struts support- section.
This section of the subway has two stations, rod, followed the proper distribution between two
ing the cap-piece of the headings abut directly on
the roof already built, instead of resting on the both of which are on 42nd-street. One is located or more pairs of wheels of that portion of the
wall-plates, as usual. vVhen the strutting is com- near Pt\rk-avenue, just opposite the south-west balance weights required to counteract the action
plete, the bench is entirely removed, other steel corner of the Grand Central Station, to be used of the reciprocating parts. Mr. Maw remembered
bents are set up, and the part of the subway thus both for express and local trains, while the other that, forty years ago, his old chief, the late Mr.
constructed is made continuous with the part station, situated at the Broad way corner of 42nd- Robert Sinclair, had adopted the practice referred
previously built. Fig. 53 shows the sequence of street, will be for locals only. The station for to.
With regard to the proportion of the weight of
the express trains is builv somewhat differently
the excavation of the headings.
From Sixth-avenue to Broadway, where only from the one described in Section 3. On account the reciprocating parts which it was desirable to
loose soil is encountered, and the roof of the sub- of the small space available, there will be only two balance, little change of opinion appeared to have
way lies close to the surface, a method of working island platforms for the local and express trains, taken place for many years past. As some present
has been adopted which is very similar to the slice the usual side platforms being suppressed. An would remember, the practice of balancing the remethod used in the construction of the Boston underground passage over t he tracks will afford ciprocating parts was introduced over half a century
Subway. A long trench is opened on the south communication between the two platforms, and ago, and it was dealt with fully in the late Mr. D.
side of the street, and the ground divided up into will subsequently be extended into the Grand Cen- K. Clark's treatise on "Locomotive Engines, "
alternate slices of 7 ft. 4 in. and 12 ft. 8 in. Work tral Station for the accommodation of passengers published, he believed, in 1851. As a consequence
begins with the larger strips in the order indicated who wish to avoid the crowded street. The station of the general attention then drawn to it, many locoin Fiu. 54. The parts marked l are first removed, at 42nd-street and Broad way, being for local trains motives constructed during the following ten years
and
slices of the subway built. When the only, will have two side platform~. This station or so had the whole weight of the reciprocating parts
surface road is well supported by the r oof of ~he will h~ve an underground passage communicating balanced, with the result that a very uneqal wear
new structure, section 2 is attacked. Another shce with the St. Cloud Hotel, and with a new hotel to of tyres wa13 produced, this inequality of wear being

two

Nov.

22,

1901.]

accentuated by the tyres thca being of iron.

Very early in the 'sixties, when he was head
draughtsman in the locomotive department of the
Great Eastern R ail ..vay, he had been instructed by
Ml. Sinclair Lo look into this matter, and to collate
the data bearing upon it, with the result that he
was led to recommend that in the case of single
engines fi ve-eightbs only of the reciprocating weights
shonld be balanced . The deduction was agreed to
by Mr. Sinclair, and it was adopted as their standard
practice for uncoupled engines. For coupled engines the amount balanced was slightly greater,
and the weights needed were- as he had already
stated- divided between the coupled wheels. He
remembered, also, discussing this matter in 1862
wit h the late Mr. Beyer, who told him that his
firm had arrived at a similar conclusion, and
that they were limiting t he proportion of the
reciprocating parts which they bahnced to twot hirds. The present modern practice referred
to in the paper was t hus of long standing.
I t had to be borne in mind that in the
early days to which he had referred the r eciprocating parts were, owing to the moderate sizes of
cylinders and low steam pressures, very much less
-and less even in proportion to the weight on
the wheels-than in the engines of to-day, and
there was thus less danger of slipping being produced by the b~lancing of such parts than was the
case with the weights to be dealt with at the
present time. On the other hand, the tyres being
of iron, the effect of unequal wear produced by
the hammer-blow was much more marked. There
was one other point on which he would be glad if
some information could be elicited during the discussion, and that was the effect of counterbalancing
the reciprocating parts on the wear of the main
bearings. Mr. T. Hurry Riches had made some
interesting observations on this point, which he
hoped he would contribute to the discussion in due
course, but possibly other locomotive engineers
now present might have some facts of the kind to
bring forward .
Mr. McDonnell , who rose in response to the invitation of the President, said that it was difficult to
enter into the details of a paper more or less complicated on the sput of t he moment. He could,
however, see enough of the author's train of
reasoning to show him that the paper was most
interesting. For his own part, he had, in balancing
locomotives, followed the mathematical investigations of M. Le Chatelier. So far as he could remember, he balanced about two- thirds of the
weights ; but it was some time since he had had
such work to do ; he was sure, however, that he
never balanced the whole amo unt. He had also discussed this matter with Mr. Beyer, who agreed
with the system of Le Chatelier. He had at one
time as his assistant Mr. Park, who did n ot believe
in balancing ; so they tried an unbalanced engine.
The results, however, were so unsatisfactory t hat
the engine had to be balanced. The results that
followed from hammer-blow were very curious at
times. In an Australian engine, which was a heavy
one, whilst the rails were light, the rails were broken
at distances at which the hammer-blow would strike,
say at each length of 18 ft. or 20 ft., corresponding
to the circumference of the wheel. It bad always
seemed to him a question whether the hammer-blow
was sufficiently powerful to break rails, but doubtless in this case the rails were weak, and the extra
stress due to t he blow caused the rail to give way
at these particular points.
Mr. C. H. Wingfield referred to that part of the
paper in which the author had shown by calculation
that two-thirds is about the greatest proportion of
the reciprocating mass which should be balanced
in a single engine. The engine might not slip, however, because the other wheel may provide safficient
adhesion at the instant. The paper also stated
that the turning effort on the crank axle must be
compared with the couple resisting slipping, this
latter couple depending upon the s um of the rail
pressures. It seemed to the speaker, therefore,
that one cheek of the crank might take the whole
of the twisting moment- namely, that cheek which
was nearest to the wheel which did not slip. Might
it not be that this would account for some of the
'' mysterious " breakages of cranks, of which a good
deal was heard from time to time.
Mr. Druitt Halpin said that the Yarrow-Schlick
and Tweedy system of balancing had been tried on
four-cylinder locomotives in Germany. He pointed
out, in regard to slipping, that it seemed like a
beautiful provision of Nature that where adhesion

JOI

E N G I N E E R I N G.
of wheels was most needed- namely, at startingthat it was most marked ; whilst at high speed,
when the hammer action was most strongly pronounced, the weight of the train kept it going. In
regard to rails breaking at distances proportional to
the circumference of the wheels, he pointed out that
rails were held between two supports as by a rigid
anvil 3 ft. apart and tested by a falling weight,
whilst the hammer action was of the nature of a
gradual blow.
Professor R. Smith said that t he balancing of
locomotives was a complicated subject, especially
when the driving was by more tha.n one axle. The
paper referred to the distribution of the mass of a
coupling-rod working on three cranks, which might
be suspended on the platforms of three weighing
machines. He had made a large number of calculations in connection with the balancing of locomotives, and he would ask how it was possible to
determine how the weight of the coupling-rod was
distributed between the three cranks. He considered the diagram giving the driving effort and the
couple resisting slipping for a complete revolution
with a Lancashire and Yorkshire four-coupled
bogie express engine the most interesting in the
paper. It was alarming to notice t he closeness
with which the curve giving the torque on the
driving axle approached that showing the couple
to resist slipping; b ut he thought some mistake
had been made in the calculation by t he author,
and he did not think the curves should come so
close together. The difficulty of knowing how
much effort was exerted by the coupling-rod made
the matter very complicated, and one could never
be sure of the calculations. If one wheel was
worn more than another, it would not travel the
same distance for an equal number of revolutions
unless it were shoved forward. The cou{>ling-rod
might therefore be either in tension O\" compression. For these reasons the share the couplingr od did depended upon t he wear of wheels.
He had made many calculations, but had found
t hat uncertainty of this side of the question
batHed accuracy. In old locomotives the centre
lines of the cylinders were often oblique, and the
hammer-blow depends to a large extent on this.
The question of steam pressure also enters into the
problem when the cylinders are not horizontal. It
might be said these were internal forces and did
not act on the rail; but it must be remembered that
the two parts of the locomotive were connected by
springs. The question, however, would not apply
to large modern engines with horizontal cylinders.
Mr. A. D. Jones, of Horwich, said that the remarks of Professor Smith respecting the author's
diagram illustrating the driving effort and the
couple resisting slipping were worthy of attention.
He had ridden many thousands of miles on the
engines of the type referred to by the diagram,
however, and had never found them slip. He had
intended to ask if there was an error in the calculations, but no doubt the author would reply to Professor Smith. As a matter of fact, these engines
(the four-coupled bogie express of the Lancashire
and Yorkshire rail way) rode very well, although the
10-w heel passenger engines of the Atlantic type
were better. In regard to slipping, there was diffi
culty in running in fog, especially in towns where
t here were chemical works, when the rails were
rendered greasy by the material deposited on them
by the fog ; therefore every point bearing on the
causes of slipping deserved careful attention.
The President asked if the speaker had noticed
any irregularity in the wear of tyres; to which Mr.
J ones replied he could not say he had, but the
paper would lead him to look into this matter ; and
he was sure other locomotive engineers would find
a good deal in it that would lead them to think.
Mr. Masterton, of the South-Eastern R~ilway,
was the next speaker, and in answer to a question
by the President as to whether it was the practice
of his company to put on the driving wheels all
the balance weights required to counteract the action
of the reciprocating parts, he said that they distributed the weights. He pointed out that the author
had not considered back-slipping.
Mr. Russell, of the Great Eastern Railway, said
that they balanced two-thirds of the r eciprocating
weights, and in the six-coupled engines distributed
the balance on the three pairs of wheels. They
found great wear on the tyres opposite the balance
weights; but when the balance weights were taken
out, they did not have further trouble in this
respect. The coupling-rods then acted as balance
weights. The engines without special balance

weights did b etter than with. 'Fh ese engines. had

small wheels. With the larger wheeled eng tn e!=l,
balanced in t he manner Professor Dalby had explained, they experienced satisfactory res~lts . .
Professor Dalby, in replying to .the dtscussw~,
referred to the remarks of t he President, and sa1d
that a point might be mentioned wit~ regard t? the
almost universal practice of balancmg by weights
placed in t.he spokes of th~ wheels. Th~ unb~lanced forces in t he centre hnes of the cylmders
arising from crank webs, reciprocatin~ parts, &c.,
were applied to the crank axle at the JOUrnals, and
had to be transmitted from there, along the axle
to the balance weights in the wheels, t_hus putt~ng
a bending moment on the axle, whtch at h1gh
speeds was as great as the bending moment due to
the steam pressures. This ad~ition~l straining
action on the axle could be got rtd of tf the cr~nk
webs t hemselves were extended to form balance
weights in the way sometimes seen in marine
practice. He was interested t o hear what Mr.
McDonnell had said about the breaking of rails
by hammer-blow. He had a recollection of r eading
this in ENGINEERING, but could not find the reference, so had not mentioned it. He was n ot aware
that locomotive engines had been balanced in the
way Mr. Halpin had mentioned. Professor Smith had
r eferred to the influence of the coupling-rod on the
three outside crankpins, and had stated that the
Theorem of Three Moments was required to fi nd the
respective pressures on the pins ; he would point,
however, to the fact that no rod coupling three
wheels was ever made without a joint at the centre,
either just near the crankpin or on the pin itself ;
so that the method given in the paper was quite
correct. With regard to the remarks of the same
speaker and Mr. J ones, he thought that both had
overlooked the statement in the paper that the
diagram comparing the driving couple with the
couple resisting slipping referred to the driving
wheels only. It illustrated that the engine would
just be able to do the work it was at the ins tant
doing, without using the coupling- rod, but, as
stated in the paper, "if t his had been a single en
gine, a little more steam, and curve No. 1 would cut
curve No. 2, slipping being the inevitable result. "
The figure in fact showed how exactly the Lancashire and Yorkshire engineers have adjusted their
design to the work they wanted the engine to do.
The diagram therefore was only put forward tc
illustrate what would probably take place if there
were no coupling-rod. He was glad to hear the
r emarks of Mr. Russell, as they were a corrobora
tion of his views by one who was engaged in de
signing locomotives. He might say, in extension
of Mr. Russell's remarks, that a six-coupled engine
without balance weights between the spokes is in.
correctly described as an entirely unbalanced
engine. The coupling-rod is, in fact, a balance
weight, providing, of course, that the outside cranks
are at 180 deg. with the inside cranks, which is the
usual practice. In many cases it might happen that
such an engine would be very little out of balance.
The President, in bringing the discus8ion to a
close, said that the Secretary would be glad to
receive in writing the remarks of any memberd
who had been unable to speak, but who desired
to add to the discussion.
THE NEXT MEETING.
The next general meeting of the Institution will
be held on Friday, December 20, when a paper on
'' The Microscopical Examination of the Alloys of
Copper and Tin," by Mr. William Campbell, B.Sc.,
of London, will be read and discussed.

ENGINEERING VALUATIONS.
(Oontinuea from page 491.)

HonsEs ; PRELIMINARY ExPENSEs; GooDWILL.

THE valuation of horses is almost as much out4
side the duties and ability of an engineer as the
valuation of plant and tools is beyond the capacity
of the a.udito.r. There are many elements of great
uncertainty In the problem : the market price of
horses fluctuates to a greater extent and much
more rapidly, than that of machinery;' the animals
themselves are not only liable to accident-a lia
bility which machine-tools also share with thembut they are also subject to diseases which may
prov~ difficult of cure, and, even after cure leave
ble~ushes and marks which seriously interfe;e with
their sale. Most men flatter themselves that they
understand horseflesh, but few rea1ly do unless
they have been trained to deal in it, or ba've been

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

702

educated as veterinary surgeons. The sale of a

hor.se frequently depends even more on the profuslO?- or. m~agreness of the season's crops than on
the Intrinsic value of the animal. The horse
dealer, or veterinary surgeon, is therefore an
almost indispensible ally in t ransactions of this
character, and his opinion should be obtained whenever it is deemed desirable t.o review and revise the
book value of the horses. A record of the livestock
~ay, however, be usefully kept in the form already
g1 ven fo.r lo~se plant an~ tools, the estimated length
of working h_fe, an~ estimated ~ale price thereafter
(bC?th of which will be extremely problematical),
bemg fixed_ by the dealer. at the time of purchase.
The exp~r1ence of . earners, tramway companies,
a:nd omnibus propnetors shows that the working
!ife of a horse IS only from three to six years. This
Is much less than the useful period of employment
on a farm, the difference arising chiefly from the
nature of the ground on which they are employed,
and the greater strains thrown upon town horses
by paved roads, sudden stoppages, and increased
speed of working. Paved roads are destructive to
a horse's feet; and trotting over them, or even over
~acadamised roads, with heavy loads t o drag, is
di~astrous to the leg and other muscles of the
animal. All these factors, and also the attention
paid to feeding? s~oeing, stabling, and working,
tend to comphcat1ons which render the values
recorded in the books extremely unreliable, and
useful ch iefly for purposes of comparison. After
the lapse of a few years, if careful records have
been kept, it may be possible to fix an average rate
of depreciation which will keep the horses at near
the price which could be obtained for them on a
favourable sale ; but until the experience of some
years has been obtained- not generally, but in the
particular factory affected- it will be safe to reduce
the value by 25 per cent. per annum. Fortunately,
horses do not usually constitute a very hea vy proportion of the assets, and the tendency to replace
them by mechanical appliances is an increasing one,
and productive of economy in most engineering and
shipbuilding yards.
Preliminary expenses are decidedly not a valuable asset. They have to be incurred in order to
form the company, but they never add to its earning power, nor assist its capacity for work. They
are merely a contribution to legal and financing
exactions, and a tax on legitimate shareholders.
There cannot be any question of valuing them, in
the way that land, buildings, and machinery are
valued ; the fluctuations which affect real estate and
labour-saving appliances do not touch preliminary
expenses; the money has been spent, and cannot
be recovered, either from the lawyers and State
officials who have received it, or from any future
purchaser, and there being no ultimate hope of
recovery, there cannot be any increase in value.
The amount must be written off, and it is good finance
to write it off as quickly as possible after profits
commence, even if the earlier dividends have to
suffer by doing so. This, however, is a question for
the consideration of directors, accountants, and
auditors, rather than of engineers. It chiefly concerns the latter to remem her that formation expenses
have no actual value, and are incapable of acquiring any ; when they appear in the balance-sheets
as assets it is merely as a book-keeping entry ; an
interim statement of how the money raised has
been spent, but with an implied understanding that
it will disappear when profits commence.
Good will is worthy of a little more consideration
than has been given to it by Mr. Dicksee, whose
dicta under the several heads of "Goodwill " and
''Patents " appear slightly ambiguous, if not cont radictory. It may arise in much the same manner
as other permanent assets acquire their value ;
either by a payment to t he prior proprietor from
whom the works are purchased, or by a synthetic
process, in which from the various developments of
the business, from its completed engineering equipment, from its perfected workshop management,
and from its careful commercial arrangements, an
increased value is given to it as a whole, apart from
the separate value of ita several sections. It is an
almost inscrutable quantity ; it cannot be valued
solely by an engineer unless he is also a financial
expert., because it largely depends on commercial
methods, and continuance of commercial success;
it cannot be valued by an auditor or accountant
alone, because of the factors of workshop management, of exclusive rights, of special training of
workmen, and special facilities for production,
which are essential for the promotion of such corn-

[Nov.

22, 1901.

ANGLE-BAR BEVELLING MACHINE.

CONSTRUCTED

BY

J\1ESSRS.

DA VI S

AND

PRIMRO E,

ENGINEER ,

LEITH.

(For Dest;?-iption, see Page 706.)

mercial success. In t ne former case, that of purchase, it must undoubtedly appear as an asset in
the first balance-sheet, whether it be written down
as depreciated or not ; in the latter it need not
necessarily appear in the balance-sheet, b ut it
must be present to the engineer's consideration
whenever he is giving thought to the possible or
probable sale of his business.
So far as patents, which are the property of the
firm either by purchase or original invention , are
concerned, it is undoubtedly right that they should
be written off within the limits of their respective
lives. They confer a monopoly for a limited period
only, and on the expiration of that period their
value, as patents, has disappeared. It is better
that they should be stated in the balance-sheet as a
separate item from good will, so that they may be
gradually depleted as the exclusive rights tend
towards expiration. But it is possible that as the
value of the patents, as legal patents, decrease, the
value of the good will of the works may increase,
and the same process may occur "where a patent
has not been purchased, but r emain s the property
of the original patentee, " being worked by the
firm under a licence. It is not a matter of legal
righ b or exclusive privilege; the dog in-the-manger
policy is wholly untenable, but the acquired skill of
the workpeople, the adaptation of machinery to the
end desired, t he technical ability obtained by the

managers, tnay assure to the firm a virtual command of the market more certain and lasting th;, n
the merely legal right could give.
We may therefore assume that in some instances,
if not in all, goodwill has a value, and that if it
be acquired by purchase it may be represented in
the balance-sheet without "the amount being
absolutely meaningless." The meaning is that a
certain sum has been paid to acquire the reputation
which attaches, d ghtly or not, to the trade marks,
factory, name of the firm, and established connection of the business purchased ; the sum paid
may be in excess of the benefits gained, but the
amount paid for the machinery in place may also
be more than the advantage afforded by having it
ready for immediate work ; but the payment has
been made, and it is as intelligible a balance-sheet
entry to place the goodwill among the assets as it
is to include the machinery there. Whether on a
re-sale the second purchaser would or would not
be influenced by this amount is hardly the question.
If he were wise, he would re-value the asset
himself, and might even estimate it at a higher
value than appeared in the balance-sheet,
b ut using the latter figure for the purpose of
abating any higher price demanded by the vendor.
No establishment would stand in exactly the same
position at the second sale as at the first, even if
only a short interval of time elapsed between the

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

profits an absolute test of increase or decrease.

The profits of most trades, calculated on turnover,
have shown a marked decline during recent y ear~;
but t he decline has been general, not merely
through one trade, but t hroughout the chief t rades
of the country. Arising as it does from causes
independent of managemen t of particular works,
a nd being fostered by t he large amount of surplus
c~pital waiting investment, it induces capitalists to deal very liberally with any firm offering to sell a b usiness which in t he past has
been a l ittle more prosperous t han its neighbours, and which affords the prospect of further
development in the future. The general depression
arises from far-reaching, if n ot universal, causes;
the slightly additional margin of profit is even
more valuable than it would be in more prosperous
times : it is proof of vitality under str ess of ad varsity.
These very condit ions, however, wliich
govern and insure t he continuance of good will as
a valuable asset, are a snare and a temptation to so
r egard it after its value has passed away. Every
egoistic feeling of t he proprietor or manager (and
most men cherish them) will combine to show t hat
workman ship, discipline, commercial insight, and
market r eputation are as good as of yore. It is
impossible to lay down any rules for dealing wjt h such
a danger ; it cannot be reduced to any mathematical
term. It can only be said that good will is sometimes a valuable asset, and that ic is undoubtedly
liable to depreciation ; that the reasons for its
value, and also for the loss of value, are very
subtle, and dependent on the conditions of each
particular works; and t hat t he owners are much
more likely to over value t han to under value it.
The same r easoning will apply when the goodwill
is built up by the owners in the progress and development of a business, and not acquired by goodwill. In this case, however, it is undoubtedly
wrong to include it in the balance-sheet, not merely
beca use it is an exceedingly unstable asset, but
also on account of the inherent temptation to
regard it too kindly. Patterns have before now
been used to assist in the dl claration of a dividend ;
goodwill would prove a much greater boon to an
impecunious board in an e1nergency of the kind. A
r ecord of it may, however, be kept with advantage
for t he private information of t he management,
apart from the fina~cial books of t?e c ?mp~ny, and
this despite the dtfficulty of esttmatmg 1t. The
very endeavour to grapple with the. problem wi11 be
a useful object-lesson to the manager in the general
progress or decay of his factory.
DIAGRAMS OF VALUES AND DEPRECI ATION.

[Nov.

it is desirable to record not only the money value

of the additions to plant, &c., but either by descriptive note, or r eference to other books, some
particulars of the improvements made, or the n ew
m!lchines purchased or constructed.
The first diagram represents fi xed plant and
machinery, purchased or erected in the closing
months of 1880 at a cost of 8000l. The depreciation has been fixed at 200l , that is, forty years'
life ; but it must be remembered t hat the amount of
depreciation must not be an arbitrary amount, taken
eit her by percentage, or a term of years, over t he
whole amount of plant and machinery, but t he sum
of the several items written off in the machinery
schedule, after due consideration of the conditions
of each machine. At the end of 1885 the annual
depreciation has reduced the valuation to 7000l.,
and in 1886 400l. of new machinery is purchased,

22, 1901.

increasing it to 7400l., from which, however, 200l.,

t he year 's depreciation, has to be written. In the
following year the annual abatement has to include
t he new purchases, and it is therefore increased to
210l., being at t he same rate as we havo previously
assumed. This, howover, is a mere assumptivn,
and in actual practice the sum must be obtained
from t he schedule in preciseJy the same manner as
the original abatement. I t will also be observed
t hat t he diagrams only show variations in hundred~
of pounds ; but it wiH be evident t httt in a working factory t hey should be ruled in divisions of
not n1ore t han 10l. , p referably less. In 1888 a
further addition of 600l., and in 1890 of 1000l., was
mnde to fixed plant and machinery, the annual
amounts for depreciation being C')rrespondingJy
increased. These variations are represented on t he
di,tgram by three lines. The top on e, c 'mmencing

FIXED PLANT & NACUINERY

TOTAL FACTORY'

iOl

l--~>;i,u1
'lt )/)

ZOT1

~200

201
9fl .

'35

~--~=i700

f,OII Ii'i:.

""

18.1/:J
f,

L.

/8 (1UU

roo

'

).'
, 4

.__ii00..:;~

~-

8Jf!J
'14.<:

:t)o

uu

OAII

l:;'1U

uoo
~

'00

IU

'0

3.0 ll0

']0
Jt)O

2.-+--t---+--+--l

I.
tO O

'. I~
(

NOTE. IN THE DIAGRAMS FOR USE '-

~00=t=t=t4tt=tj=~~=t=t==t=t=~~==+=~7~:H4t:e_.~
t=~~~~

Ll NS SHOULD BE EQUALLY
n I'Uif ~"' rl'f 1.::> OF 10 OR I

1--+-t--1

~ <;sft-+--1-i--1

400
800

xuu
-lllll

Diagrams are n ow so constantly used by engin eers for all sort s of purposes t hat it appears almost
superfluous to say t hat t hey may r eadily be applied
to valuation purposes. It must, however, be
F ixed P la;nt and Maokine1y.
remembered that the diagrams which the board and - - - --managing engineer require should exhibit the final
Deprecia- Add 1"t'
Value,
Value,
Year.
tone. December 31.
result of the annual valuations, and not be complition.
Janu:u y 1.
cated with details of t he calculations by which t hey

.e

are arrived at. We have previously suggested a

7,800
1881
8,t00
200
7,600
200
method of making and recording such calculations :
18 2
7,800

7,400
200
1883
7,600

they may, of course, be made in graphic form, but as
7,200
..
200
1884
7,400
they are useful also for book-keepi~g purposes, ~nd
7,000
1835
7,200
200

7,200
200
400
1886
7,000
may, and indeed ought, to be available for p~1me
6,990
210
1887
7,200
cost p urposes it is far better to keep them 1n a
7,380
000
210
6,s:IOO
1888
7,155
225
form underst~od by clerks and auditors, and wh.ich
7,:380
1889
7,9RO
1000
7,165
226
1S90
is consonant to their ordinary methods of reasonmg
7,680
260
1891
7,930
and practice. It is, however, desirable that the
7,480
2oo
1892
7,680

7 180
260
7,430
1893

diaarams
should
exhibit
the
change
in
values
of
0
0,930
181)4
21i0
7,180

the various sections of the assets, as well as that

6,680
1895
250
6,030
in the total assets. But to exhibit t hese changes
109,655
0l0
8320
110,876
on one diagram will lead to so mat;ty interesting
I
and conflicting lines as to render 1t more of a
T otal Faoto1y.
Chinese puzzle than a workable and useful plan.
This may be avoided by having different sheets,
Vulue,
Value, 1 Dc>preoiaYear.

Additions. December 81.

say, for :
t 100.
J anuary 1. 1
- - - -----1----- -1- - - - - Land.

Buildings and wharves.

.
23,400
600
1881
24,000

Steam engines, boilers, and furnaces. F1xed

22. 00
coo
1832

23,400
22,200
GOO

22,800
1883
plant and machinery. Small loose plant, patterns,
21,600
coo
22,200

1884
and tools.
2l,OOO
2l,600
600
18 5
21,000
600
21,000
600
1886
Horses.
20,585
20
6'6
21,000
1887
P reliminary expenses.
20,765
800
620
20,585
1888
20,125
..
640
Goodwill.
20,765
1889
20,885
6,JO
H OO
20,125
1890
General summary.
20,210
675
20 885
1891
The annexed forms will probably be found to
20)
19.735
675
20,210
1892
19,0!l5
680
19,735
answer the purpose desired, and the Tables whi~h
1893
400
18.776
680
19,055
1894
follow show the amounts, assumed for deprema18,095
680

18,775
1895
tion, or additions. I t will be u_nderstood ~hat
1 - - -- '----- - - - - --316,135
P505
3600
Sl0,230
these amounts will, in actual practiCe, be ?btan~ ed
from the schedules already referred to, and 1n whiCh

at 8000l. in 1880, and ending at 6700l. in 1895

(the actual amount should be 6680l.) is the vary..
incr value of the plant year by year. The leftha~d bottom line, commencing at 200l. ~tnd ending at
3020l. , exhibits the depreciation written off from the
commencing date, 1880, whilst the r ight- hand bottom
line shows t he successive additions which have been
made. The difference between these two li11es
will exactly give t he varying valu 9 line at t he top
of the diagram. 'Ve have thus three points brought
under the notice of t he manager : first, t he present
value of the plant and machinery, with a graphic
delineation of its variations, starting from its first
cost : secondly, t he amounts which have been successively debited to r evenue for depreciation
thereon, with t heir total at the present time ;
thirdly, t he expenditure on replacements ? r additions to plant, with the several dates at whteh tlHy
occurred.
The sum of several such diagrams is given in our
second one, and t his should be either com~iled
from or checked by t hem. The whole of the factory, including goodwill, cost 24,000l. in 1880, and
the depreciation first written ~~ was 600l. _per
annum, increased by the provtston for var wus
additions to 680l. per annum. In 1886 400l. was
s pent on additional machinery, and 200l. on a new
boiler : in 1887 new sheds wete erected at a cost
of 200l. : in 1888 600l. was spent on mA.chinery,
and 200l. in extensions of buildings ! in 1890 1000l.
appears for n~\~ mach~ory and ~OOl . for overhauling and repa1rmg e!l~mes : wlnlst ~892 and 1894
witness further add1t10ns to t he mot1ve power and
other facilit ies of the works. The net r esult is thn.t
the total value of t he buildings and appurtenances,
which cost 2-1 1 000~ . in 18807 havo cleprt-ciated to

Nov.

22,

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

rgor.J

- .-

ea

NAVIGATION.
SEINE
DREDGER;
SUCTION HOPPER
CONSTRUCTED BY THE SOCIE rE ANONYME DES ANCIENS ETABLISSEMENTS SATRE,

LYONS AND ARLES.

--

- - - - - - J'fl- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - --=-- - -- - - -18 0951. in 1895. This r esul t must not only agree
with the detailed diag rams, and the s chedules from
which t h ey a re compiled, but should also be identical with t h e a m ount stated in t he balance-sheet of
the company, if the manager's valuation h as been
adopted for fina ncial purposes.
'l'h ese diagrams do not r epr esent the con d ition of
a prosper ous engineering factory maintained in
the highest state of efficien cy ; but they p oi n t out
mor e cl early than such an instance would t h e
constant drain which an efficient rate o f depreciat ion ca uses. Mr. Ewing Matheson, in his example,
assumes that t h e or iginal 8000l. h as been brought
up (durin g thirty yea1s) to 19,040l. by addition s
and r enewals, '' t h e money being applied in threo
ways- i . e., to the renewal of worn -out or obsol ete
plant by purchasing new, the price obtained on resale of the old going t o diminish the expense ; to
the rene wal of important parts of old plant, or the
enlarging of machines so as to add to the e~~ning
capacit y ; and, lastly, to t he purchase of add1t 10nal
plant, eit h er to supersede manual operations, or to
extend the ou t put of the factory. , The r ate of
d epreciation allowed (5 per cent.) brings t h e value
down to 8073l. at t h e end of 30 years . N ow it is
eviden t t hat the maintena nce of t h e value of tho
machinery, and, indeed, of all the ot h er plant and
buildings, depends on a. la.vish expenditure for
r enewals a nd extension s, and t hat only by constan t
efiorts a fter improvement can t h e works avoid
r apid and prob a bly increasing deterioration. This
fact cannot be too constantly or e mphatically
brought un der t h e notice of t h e m an agemen t ,
especialJy when it is remembe red t hnt competing
and yo unger firms will r eadily adopt all improved
and h.bour-saving m achines.
(To be contmued.)

NEW SATRE DREDGERS FOR SERVICE

ON THE LOWER SEINE.
TH E lower reach of the Seine, from Rouen t o the
opon sea, had, unt il recently , been practically unused
for ma ritime service, although it migh t have been
m1de a. first-class cha nnel for commercial purposes .
Navigation, as far as Rouen, was carried out under
very great difficulties, owing t o the varying nature
of the water d ischarge a.cd the chs ngin~ depths. U p
till 1848, of the 78 miles which separate Rouen from
the sea, 37, at least , formed an estuary of exceedingly
great width, useless in the point of view of n a viga
tion, the fairway being a. shallow and very changeable one, in the midst of shift ing sandbanks and mud.
In t he period from 1848 to 1866 a series of longitudinal dyk es were built on both banlcs, the total
developed length of which rapidly extended to oYer
40 miles; t hese gave good results in the sense t hat
they deepened the channel at many places. From
1866 to 1885 no new work was carried out, a nd the
m"'intenance in good state of r epa ir of the dyk es
previously bnilt- with unsuitable material - was very
Ja,bori ot}s. Sin re 1885 al. tempts have been mn<.le to

--- - -

'

improve the conditions of navigation up stream

from the Risle River, and the conditions of the
estuary prop er.
The object is to regulate the
distance bet ween t he opposite banks in such a
\Va.y that the body of water available is t he largest
possible, dredging being re~orted to in order to in~
prove the flow and d eepen the cha nnel. In 1895
a powerful bucket dredger was put in service ; t his
was found very efficient, in that it easily red uced to
3 ft. under the zero of the charts, beds that were
formerly above zero. As soon, h owever, as an experi
meutal suction dredger had been t ried and fo und to
give excellent r esults, the Seine Board of \i\7 ork s
ordered t hree powerful ones of this system from the
Societ e des Anciens Eta.blissements Satre, of Lyons,
Aries, and Rouen.
There being very often rough weather on the Lower
1 eine, and as there could be no question of putting
the dredgers in shelter when not in actual \VOrk, they
had to be built seaworthy throughout. They, in fact,
travelled under their own steam from M ar seilles to
Hav re, having been built a t Aries, in the South of
France, and behaved perfectly well in the crossing.
The det a ils and principal dimensions of the dredgers
in question are given in Figs. 1 t o 6 (see p age 705 and
our two-page plate). Fig. 7 is a view reproduced from
a phot ograph, and Fig. 8 a view of t he engines (eee page
714). The hull is divided into compartments by eight
wa t ertigh t bulkheads. The first con1pa rtment is the
forepeak, used as a hold ; the second one is the
crew space, with berths for eight men. The next
compar t ment contains the officers' cabins and one
cabin for the Ponts and Cha nssees engineer, who
h a~ charge of inspecting a nd supervising the work
done. In the following compartment are th.e sand a nd
mud well~ , the normal capacity of which is 17,658
cubic feet, the maximum capacity being 20,483 cubic
feeli, when extension t ops a re put round the openings
of t he hoppEP"s, which is possible in fine weather. The
wells are seven in number, fitted with two pairs of
doors or sluices. The next compartment forms the
engine-room, and also con tains t he dredger pumps; the
one next to it is t he stokehold, with coal bunkers, the
last one being the chain looker.
T here are in each dredger t wo vertical compound
en~ines, capable of developing together e. t otal of 540
indicated horse- power at 150 revolutions. This type
of engine h as been buil t in large numbers by Messr$.
Satre for various purposes. Their principal dim ensions are the following :
Diameter
linder
Diameter
linder
Sbroke

of high-pressure cy...
.. .
...
... .440 m. (17lil in.)
of low- pressure cy. ..
.. .
. ..
.. . . 800 , (31! , )
...
...
...
... .450 , (17g , )

together or separately, both the propellers or the

pumps. The boilers a re B elleville b oilers, fitted wi t h
economisers of 2154 square feet hea ting surface, wit h
two donkey pumps, and with an air compressor of
8830 cubic feet. A fresh-wat er tank can supply the
boilers during a oontinuolls run of 75 hours ; suita ble
apparatus are provide-d for filtering t he feed-water
taken from the drain-pip es and condensers.
Each dredger is driven by two propellers worked from
the engine sha fts through couplings. The propellers are
independent one of the ot her, and can t urn inversely,
this being rather a. novel feature for this kind of craft.
The dredging device consists of two centrifugal
pumps worked from the main engine.
The pump
shells are cast in one piece, a nd provided with manholes for removing all obstructions when necessary.
The suction turbines have four blades, and contain
a special arrangement which prevents the sand from
p enetrating b etween t he blades and the inside walls
of the pump body. The door-pieces on the front part
of the pumps carry the suct ion neokP, which are connected, t hrough an elbow tha t r uns through the deck
a nd a horizontal conduit , to another n eck; t he latter
is fitted to the suct ion pipe through another elbow, a
flexible length of tubing and a. Hook e's joint. The suct ion pipe can draw sand from a depth of 43 ft. below
water level, and can work even during a rolling swell
of 19 in. The joint with the suction pipe being l evel
with t he deck, all work of maintenance and r epair is
easily carried out. The discharge from t he pumps is
effected through shoot s, each with seven openings,
provided with sluice doors to regulate the d elivery on
the d redger. Hoppers of p erforated plates a re provided iu the sand w ells.
Dou ble steam winches are placed on deck a.t both
ends ; t hese are supplied with steam from an auxiliary
boiler. Another steam winch serves to work the
sluice valves and the suction pipe. The aux iliary
boiler in question is multitubular, and supplies not
only the winches, but also gives st eam for the electric
lighting of th e boat and for heating the various berths.
The electric-lighting equipment serves to facilitate
night work; three arc lamps of 1000 candle-power
each a re provided on deck for this purpose.
These dredgers give full satisfaction. They were
to draw each 17,658cubic feetin 50 minutes; their
travelling ~peed in a rolling swell of 15 in. was
sp eci fied to be 8 knots, with a. coal consumption of
1.87 lb. per indicated horse-power per hour. During
the t ests, the wells were filled in 38 minutes; the
speed reached was 8~ knots, with a coal consumption of
1. 70 lb. only.
'Ve hear that the Societe des Anciens EtablisEements
a.tre have recently booked a n order for seven
similar suction d redgers for the Monte Video Harbour
W orks.

They are surface-condensing ; the condenser is placed

horizontal, and forms pa rt of t he engine fra me. The
?yfonE.PRESSED STEEL C~ns. -Tbe Pibtsburgh and Lake
valves a re easily accessible for inspection and ma in- Ene Ra.droad Company w11l shortly place an order with
tenance in good working order. T he engines a re so the Pressed Steel Car Company for 1000 additional steel
a t ranged tlu"t they can readHy be made to drivt', hopper. bottom coal C!l.r~.

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

j06

THE
,-- ---f~ ~---- - -

DAVID

COPPER

[N ov.

22, 1901.

PROCESS.

(FoT Desc?-iption, see Pa(le 708.)

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The crosshead pins have 6!-in. by 6~-in. journals

600 IIORSE-POWER COMPOUND ENGINE and are removable, t hus enabling the builders to use
SHIPBUILDERS' ANGLE-BEVELLING
AND ELECTRIC GENERATOR.
MACHINE.
a solid-ended connecting-rod at t his end. The crankW E briefly not iced in our issue of June 28, 1901, the pin end of the connecting-rod is of t he bolted strap
W E illustrate on page 702 an angle and Z bar bevelling machine made for Mesera. Palmer and Co., of compound engine built by Messra. ~Iarkham and Co., type, with journals 7 in. by 7 in. for crankpin.
Both ends of the connecting-rod are fitted with
J arrow, by Messrs. Davis and Primrose, of the Etna Limited, of Chesterfield. On page 703 will be found
Iron W orkE, Bangor-road, Leith. The machine is of a illustrations of th e above engine, including a vertical boxes cast of a suitable bronze for wearing purposes,
type specially suited to large shipbuilders, as it greatly section through the low-pressure cylinder and frame. and are a.dj ust able by means of a. wedge block and
facilitates t he execution of all the open and shub As remarked in our previous notice, this engine is an screw.
The cranks are of the disc type, made of cast iron.
bevelling needed. Where this is done by hand, the example of a British-built engine, on the lines as laid
workman has, in the first instance, to guess at the down by American practice, for the generation of They are balanced and polished a ll over. The crank angle, and frequent alterations are usually required electric energy for t ramway purposes, and it was the shaft is 17 in. in diameter at the flywheel and genebefore the work is right. This often leads to the bar only example of this type of plant on exhibition at rator seats, and is of ample size to withst,and the great
being worked too cold, or, in extren;te cases, to t~e bar Glasgow. The engine is a vertical cro~s compound and erratic variations of stress due to the nature of
having to be heated three or four times. The rask of Corliss engine of 500 indicated horse-power, designed the duty which a plant of this description has to meet.
damage to the ~teel is t~us con~iderable, .and, i.n the to run at lOO revolutions per minute, and having The flywheel weighs about 37,000 lb., of which
end, ft~.ir work 1B not easily obtamed. W1th this ma. cylinders 18 in. and 36 in. in diameter by 42 in. 26,800 lb. is in the rim. It is in halves, strongly bolted
and hooped t ogether.
chine- which, as shown, is motor driven-all these stroke.
The flywheel and generator, the latter of which was
The trunk frames are of graceful outline, of substanrisks are avoided. The machine is brought in front of
the furnace, and it then draws the bar out, bevels it built by the British W estinghouse Company, Limited, tial construction, and are well ribbed. They are superout from the heel, and s mooths down the rough are mounted on the crankshaft, occupying the space poEed upon a. bedplate of deep section, the holdingedges of the rivet boles, lea ving a fai r job, which will between the two engines. A receiver of suitable down bolts passing through and fixing both frame and
lie close t o the plating when put in place. The opera capacity lies along the b ack of the trunk frames, and bedplate. 'he main beari ngs, which are 14 in. in
tion is effected by rollers whilst the bar is hot, so that is connected by suitable pipes to the cylinders. The diameter by 24 in. long, are formed in the bedplate,
local straining of the edges of the bar is avoided. The receiver is arranged with r eheating apparatus for the and are fitted wit h t op and bottom removable boxes
time occupied is, moreover, so shor t that after the purpose of drying and reheating the r eceiver steam. lined with Ba.bbitt metal. These boxes are so design(d
bar leaves t he machine it is still hot enough to be bent Galleries are built ou the frames and are connected that by easing the weight of the crankshaft they may
t.o the curve of the frame wi t hout reheating. Angles, by stairways, band-railing being provided where be conveniently removed from their places. Arrangements are made round t hese boxes for a water-cooling
Z.bars, and some sizes of chaune~ bars can be operated necessary.
on with equal ease. In settang the machme the
R eynolds's Corliss valve gear is used, and is designed service. The engine t hrou ghout has been designed
bevels a.re taken from the body plan of t he ship a.t with double wrist plates, giving a range of cut-off with a view to efficiency, substantial proportions and
eq ual intervals along the bar, a.nd the angle at each from 0 to . 75 stroke. The trip gear on both high and ample bearing surfaces, and convenience of mani pulanumber or spot is measured and transferred to th~ cor- low-pressure cylinders is controll~d bJ: a Por~er tion and access, and may be taken as a good example
r esponding angles of ~he ~evel b?ard.. The bevelmdex govern or, arranged to handle the engmes wit~l a varaa- of Brit ish workmanship in a field hitherto almost exwith which the machme I8 provided 18 g raduated from tion of not more than 1~ p er cent . The pistons are clusivelv occupied by t he American engineers.
The electric generator is of 325-kilowatt capacity,
90 deg. to 45 deg. , and the angles ~!lrked on the be~el built with a r emovable outer periphery, which conboard a.re set in turn on the bevelmdex of the m achme tains the packing rings, so that, when cylinder r e- and was built direct on the crankshaft of the
This generator
in their proper relative positions, measuring from t he boring becomes advisable, the. P.iston can be increased engine we have just described.
to suit the new bore a t a m1n1mum of expense and is constructed according t o standard Westingbouse
end of the bar.
designs, and is of the direct-current shunt-wound
trouble.
The crossheade are fittei with adjustable shoes, type. The field consists of a circular yoke, into
PERSONAL AND T RADE NoTES.- We a.re asked to state having a. wearing face of 20 in. by 10 in ., and lined which are cast the internally projecting pole-piece~.
tbatl the recent! fire &b the works o Messrs. B. Rhodes and with Babbitt metal. The back of the shoes are wedge The field coils are wound and insulated on sepaSon brassfounder8 of 234 and 240, Bow-road, London, shaped, and slide on inclined surface ~ formed on the rate formers, then slipped on the pole-pieces, and
E ., 'was confined 'to . a coml?arati vely ~mall porti<?n of cr oss head casting, and are " set" for the cor1 ect posi- secured by lugs a.nd eet-screws to t he field ring.
the premises, and wall nob mterfere wath t~e b~sm~s, tion on the crosshead wedge-face by means of adj ust- The field ring is vertically divided, and provisions
which is bting oa.t r ied on as usua1.:-Electr10 L1ghbmg ing screws. The slide paths ard bored in the frames are made whereby the halves of t he field may be
Boards Limited. have transferred their sales nepar tmentl
easily d rawn apart on guide-plates iu a horizontal
to
24
in.
in
diameter.
to 9, G~osvenor Mansion~, Victori~-sbreeb, S, W,

'

Ncv.

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

t 961.]

THE BARROW HEMATITE STEEL WORKS.

(For D escripflion, see Page 710.)

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E N G I N E E R I N G.
direction. The armature core is built up of soft-steel
?tampings, held together by oast-steel end-plates. It
1s wound on the drum principle, the windings being
so arranged that the coils are formed and iosulated,
and afterwards placed in the core slots without any
bending or hammering. They a.re secured in position
by fibre wedges driven into notches in the slots
above the conductors. A peculiarity of the armature
winding is the method adopted for securing magnetic
balancing. Additional connections are made between
points of the armature windings, w hi eh are nominally
of equal potential. Any want of balance in the coils
is taken up by a flow of current through these addi
tional connections, instead of passing by way of the
brushe~. Perfectly sparkles1 running is thus secured.
The armature and the commutator are both built on
one cast-iron spider. The commutator end-connections
are thus perfectly rigid; and should it ever be necessary
to remove the armature, this can easily be done
wi.thou.t disturbing the connections in any way. The
sp1der 1s travers'3d by cored passages, and the core discs
and windings are so spaced that a constant stream of
a~r is forced round the machine windings by the rotatiOn of the armature, and exceptionally cool running
and big overload capacity are the results.
This generator was running as a motor on a 500.volt
direct-current circuit, the current for this purpose
being supplied by a Westinghouse gasdriven set. The
Markham engine, being turned through its operating
cycles as load for the 325-kilowatt generator, was
shown to foil advantage.

[Nov.

11 , 1901.

THE BARROW HEMATITE STEEL WORKS.

( F'o1 Desc?iption,, see Page 710.)

THE DAVID COPPER PROOESS.

the metallurgy of copper has advanced
during recent years, further simplifications appear
desirable in several respects, and so far the oftenattempted adaptation of the Bessemer process to
copper had failed. It is noteworthy that in the very
year when Bessemer succeeded in making steel djrect
from pig it occurred to several metallurgists to treat
copper matte in a converter in a similar manner.
Among the earliest patents which aimed at this direct
production of copper we may mention those of Gassage,
Baggs, and Keates, and many other n9.mes could be
quoted. Holway, it may be remembered, at any rate
succeeded in obta.ioing a white matte. Most of the
other attempts ended in practical failures, and the
Royal Institution of London agreed that the con
verter did not appear to be suited for turning out
metallic copper.
It had, howe,rer, been introduced into copper works,
but without sufficient modification to yield practical
results. A decided transformation was required. The
converter had preserved its well-known shape of a cy lin
drical recipient with vertical or horizontal axis, and a
system of lateral tuyeres, admitting the air blast at a
slight dept h below the surface of the metallic bath.
Of this kind was a Bessemer apparatus for the metal
lurgy of copper, patented in 1880 by Mr. ~1anhes, a
French engineer. The process was adopted or tried
in the Eguilles Smelting Works, near Sorgues, in the
Department Vaucluse. The managing director of the3e
works was ~fr. David, the inYentor of the charac
teristic novel process which we will presently describe. On the .Manhes plan, the ores were first
smelted to matte in furnaces ; the liquid matte was
then introduced into the converter, and the blast
turned on; under abundaet evolutions of sulphurous
acid vapours, the ~etallic copper began to collect in
the lower part of the converter. A copper with 1.5
per cent. of impurities r esulted, which could easily be
refined. In the United States, where converters are
applied on a grand scale, experiments have been made
with lower pressure blasts, and particular attention
has also been paid to the preservation of the converter
lining, which is subject to rapid corrosion ; sand and
silicious minerals have been injected through the blast
pipes, and basic linings have been tried.
Mr. Da.vid, the director of the Eg uilles W orks, had
all the more reason to devote his ingenuity to the im
pr0\ ement of the copper converters, as he has to deal
with raw materials of extremely varied types. As a
rule, the converter copper is both auriferous and
argentiferous; but refining in a reverberatory furnace
does not eliminate all the substances which are likely
afterwards to disturb the electrolytic separation. For
this reason particularly he gave the practice of t he
Welsh smelting works a trial. In Wales, the impurities of the metal are concentrated in the ''bottoms "
of comparatively low density, which are separately
treated in a reverberatory furnace. It occurred to the
inventor to produce these bottoms directly in the converter. In countries where fuel is expenai ve, the
converter is more economical than the smelting fu rnace,
and the task was to produce, in one operation, both
tha bottoms and a purified copper in its metallic state.
Success, it need hardly be stated, was attained only
after a large number of more or leas fruitless experiments. Mr. Dd.vid first had the idea of fixing the
tuyeres horizontally at a certain level above the
bottom of the converter, with the object of confining
the blast to the matte; while the metttllic copper
ALTHOUGH

FIG 1.
would sink to the lower space beneath the tuyeres as
it was being red uced from the matte. The metallic
copper would thus not be exposed t o the cold blast,
and not tend to cool rapidly. Unfortunately, this
apparatus did not answer, especially not with lowgrade mattes. In their case the operation had to be
repeated. The first blast had to produce a superior
matte of 60 or 75 per cent., which had then to be subjected to a second treatment. For a.s the tuyeres
were stationary, care had to be taken tha.t a sufficient
amount o(metal 'vas always covering the lower portion
of the converter, so that the unreduced matte should
be raised to the proper level within the blast zone.
Mr. David therefore constructed a horizontal cylindrical converter whose tuyeres formed a cylindrical
generatrix. That arrangement permitted of changing
the level of the nozzles during one and the same opera
tion, so that the cold air struck only the matte, but
neither the metallic copper nor the slags. This proved
successful within limits. As long as the ores were free
of certain constituents, notably a ntimony and arsenic,
a good copper was obtained; but with their presence a
mechanically inferior copper resulted. As now these
very constituents are characteristic of auriferous and
a.rgentiferous copper ores, something better had to be
found, not to lose these valua.ble by-products, which
the practical metallurgist cannot waste.
The solution of this difficult problem has been
found in the special converter which Mr. David distinguishes by the term "selector." The principle is
that of the extra. process of the Welsh smelting works.
When a complex sulphide ore, containing nickel, anti
mony, &c., is being oxidised, the reduction should
proceed in the inverse order of the affinities of the
different metals for sulphur, which we know form
their heat of combination with sulphur. That is to say,
gold should first be reduced, and copper last. As a
matter of fact, of course, the process does not follow
such simple lines. Copper is continuously reduced;
but when we fractionate this copper as it is being
formed, we find in the first portion all the gold,
together with a little of the antimony ; in the second
all the antimony, together with other metals; and,
finally, we draw off pure copper containing only
a little silver. Chemical analysis of a mineral will
tell us how much copper we must separate by the &rat
fractionat ion in order to make sure of removing all the
elements which impoveriP.h the copper.
The David selector allows of repeating this separation as many times as we desire without interrupting
the process, and thus exposing the fused matte to
cooling. The selector is made spherical for various
reasons. The spherical form combines the greatest
capacity for a shell of a certain area with the greatest
strength ; the fireproof lining can best be applied, and
will wear uniformly. The converter is a sheet-iron
retort lined with refractory earth, and provided with
a mouth, through which it is both crarged and die-

chargtd, and which further serves as an outlet for the

gases. The box, also of ~heet iron, for the tuyeres
is fixed into the lower portion of the selector. The
air arrives through the axis C and through the curved
conduit D (Fig. 3, page 706), on which the gearing for
turning the converter is mounted. The bottom of the
box E is provided with orifices; a. perforator is passed
through the holes to force air passages through the
lining in the proper direction. The level of the
nozzles lies a. little higher than the bottom of the
vessel. To the one side of the converter is fixed, by
means of bolts which can easily be removed, a.
spherical dome, also made in sheet iron and lined Jike
the whole converter. This dome forms a pocket which
communicates- or communicated, for a simpler con
struction is now applied- with the interior of the
vessel by a. passage. There are two openings in the
pocket. Through the first it is cleaned and the port
is opened or closed ; through the second opening, a t
a. lower level, t.he metal is discharged. Theee manipulations are carried out with the help of the gear R
(Fig. 1).
The joint with the air-supply pipe requires par
ticular care. It comprises a flexible steel tube which
can take up the concussions of the converter due t o
the agitation of the heavy liquids and solids, and
is packed with leather. The tuyeres do not project into the interior, nor is there any need for
keeping them open by special means, as they are
inclined and grouped like generatrices of a hyper
boloid. Under the influence of t he oblique currents issuing from the air passages, the whole mass
assumes a gyrating motion, and the matte, thrown
obliquely against the wall of the converter, sinks
down again. This brisk gyration of the mass keeps
the air passages unobstructed, as already pointed out,
and clearing is only required at the beginning of the
operation, when the mass i<J still cool; but t he converter need only be inclined for this object.
Recently Mr. Da.vid has considerably simplified the
const ruction of the selector pocket, which will occupy
the lowest position of the selector, when the vessel is
inclined the opposite way in which it is held fol' pour
ing out the charge. The rather complicated pocket
above described is now reduced to a truncated cone,
from the s maller base of which the discharge passage
starts. Clay is rammed into this passage to close it,
and the passage is reopened with the aid of a steel
rod,
The selector rests on a fra me of U-shape and turns
about a hollow axis when passing through the
different operations of a cycle . The diagram Fig. 1,
page 706, explains the mechanism. The worm w hieh
engages with the toothed wheel fixd on the hollow
shaft is turned by a. crank. The whole converter
travE'ls with four wheels on two rails, and can thus be
brought up to the smelting furnace to r eceive its
charge and r eturned to its position under the chimney

Nov.

22,

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

1901.]

TilE BARROW HEMATITE STEEL WORKS.

(For Desc1'iption, see Page 710. )

11

Fig . 6.
P tg- Breaktng Machine.

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hood, which takes up the fumes ; these fumes pass

through condensing chambers before they escape into
the atmosphere.
...
The rammed refractory lining is an agglomerate of

quartz and a little clay; it is dried with the aid of

three or four coke stoves, which hea t the mass to red
glow and convert it into a. fireproof covering.
The following lines briefly describe the various
operations of the process, which are indicated in the
seven diagrams of Fig. 5. The minerals or mineral
mixtures, to which suitable fluxes are added, are
brought into the furnace; t he flux is of the ordinary kind, calcareous or eilicious, according to the
nature of the gangue. The whole mass melts, the sulphides sink to the bottom, and the slags float on the
top. The slag is tapped off at intervals of 20 minutes,
and finally the metallic sulphides-the ma.ttes-are run
off into the mouth of the selector through an inclind

conduit of sheet iron, protected by a. fireproof lining.

When the selector is full, the t ap-hole is closed, and
the conduit withdrawn. This is the first operation.
For the second phase the selector is returned to its
normal position under the chimney, and the flexible
air pipe is attached. The reactions commence immediately.
Clouds of white fumes escape; they
consist of sulphur dioxide and of the vola.tile oxides
of metals like zinc, lead, &c. The iron combines
with the silica of the lining to a. basic silicate.
This silicate is very fluid, and floats on the matte; its
formation and its oxidation are powerful sources of
heat. The temperature rises rapidly during the first
stages from 500 deg. to 1500 deg. Cent. and the mass
soon becomes white hot, in spite of the cold blast
passing through the fluid. The beat is not due to the
sulphur, for as soon as the sulphur begins to be burned,
the ~mperature goes down. It is the silicate which

binds the oxyg~n, and one might indeed say that the
iron plays t he part of the fuel, and acts as combustible.
This view is quite in accord with recent researches on
the corn bustion of metal@. Soon the sulpbide3 of the
other metals (not copper) will be oxidised, and the
fumes become brighter ; the flame, originally a t ransparent red, due to the combustion of iron sulphide,
turns into a. light blue. At this moment only iron
silicate and copper sulphide will be left in the selector,
which musb then be emptied without delay. For
otherwise the liquid would boil over and be ejected
from the converter; a tumultuous seething gives timely

warmng.
We come to the third phase, the pouring-off of the
slag. This slag, which is white hot and liquid like
water, is removed by tilting the selector, and received
in cast-iron pots, running on two wheels. The operation must be conducted with care not to allow the

N OV.

2 2' I

90 I. J

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

wards lowered by the usual counterbalanced beam controlled by a rack and pinion arrangement. The ores
emelted consist of both local and best foreign hemabite,
usually containing (SO per cenb. of metallic iron. T he
coke u ed is principally obtained from Durham and
Lancashire, and from the company's own collieries at
Baros.ley. . The limestone. is p rocu red from the company's
quarr1es, s1t~ated b.hree mles from nhe furnaces. The blasbfurnace slag 1s run m t o self tipping bogies (Fig. 6, page 707)
a nd baken by uarrow.gauge locomotives to the tip situa~ed

7II

rams, worked from an eccentri c shaft, which bring sufficienb force upon th e pigs to break them, the broken pieces
fa1ling into a receiving wagon placed under a shoot on the
other side of the ma.cbine.
Mixer.-The mixer (Figs. 3 and 4, p 9ge 707) was the rsb
receptacle for this purpose erected in bbis country having
mechanical movement. It has a capacity of 120 tons of
molten iron, nearly 6000 tons passing through ib weekly.
The iron is con veyed by a locomotive from the mixer to
, the Bessemer shop in ladles of 18 ton~ capa.citv.

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f\boub half a mile from the furnaces. The gases from th e

furnaces are utilised for heating the stoves and boilers.
Breaker.-Tbia mechanical d e vice for brel\.king pig iron
ha.'3 jusb been introduced (Fig. 6, pa~e 709}. It is placed
upon a massive concrete foundation 13ft. 6 in . high, and
is actuated by electric motors. The pig iron is cast upon
the pig bEds in the customary mann~r, and when cool is
pi ck~d up by means of a steam travelhng crane and placed
upon wagons. These wagons are all taken to the machine,
where an electric travelling crane lifts the comb of iron
on to the breaker girders, between which the feed table
reciprocate3. The machine is then pub in motion, the
tavle rises, and the comb is carried forward under breaking

RAIL MILL .

B esse1ner Shop.-This is one of the most modern of

European Bessemer shops, and contains four converters,
each of 20 tons capacity, arranged in one row, and facing
what is generally kno\vn as the pit. T he con vertera are
elevated sufficiently to allow the ladle, standing on a
crane below, to receive the contents of steel, and also to
allow a bogie on a road beneath the converter to receive
the slag. Eaoh converter is actuated by means of a powerful pair of vertical hydraulic rams ha ving a rack-andpinion acting in oppostte directions. In front of the converters is a. platform, SU{>ported by iron columns, to which
access is obtained by an m clined road wa.y, along which the
molten iron is brougbb from the mixer m ladles (Fig, 7,

page 709). The locomotive places the ladle of iron in front

of the mouth of the converter, a. hook engages itself on to
a pin fa~tened on the ladle, and lifts it up gradualJy until
the whole of its contents are {>Oured into the converter.
When the ladle is emptied, it 1s again lowered on bo the
carriage and returned to t~e mixer to be re-fil~ed. . .
Spiegeleisen is cha.rsed mto the converter m a stmtlar
manner, the cupola bemg ab the one end of the platform
and on the same level as the converter.
The converbers are attended below by two transfer
cranes (Fig. 8, page 710), on which are placed the ladles for
receiving the steel. These cram~s transfer the .ladles .to a
centre or casting crant-, from wh10h the hea.t lS cast mto
moulds. In addition to the ladle cranes there are two
smaller ones, which ser ve for changi ng the ladles or any
obher .Pit work. All these cranes, although of different
sizeP, are of the same principle, viz., the top supported
pillar having a. wheel actuated by a ram and rack for the
turning movement. This is a very simple arrangement,
a nd is found t o work admirably. The cranes are worked
from an ordinary distributing-box, from which the converter and lifbs a re also worked.
All the moulds are placed on bogies, ea,{)h bogie carrying two mou lda. They move forward under the nozzle of
the ladle a<J required, the centre crane remaining stationary. The bogies are moved along by means of a
finger fixed on a. ram, which is sitJUated on the floor level.
Each mould is made to hold 2 t ons of steel, and in order
tbab the arrangeru ent of casting should work well, about a
hundred bogies are always in ust-, the consequence being
that there is a constant stream of bogies and moulds in
circulation, and by keepi ng them running in proper order,
the moulds become cool by the time they are requi red
without recourse to water-cooling.
When the ingots have remained in the moulds ten
minutes, the bogies are dra wn forward to the ingot
stripper. This is a. very useful machine, which, with a.
minimum of labour, strips the moulds from the ingots
and places them on to an empty bogie that they may
re turn to the ya rd to cool before being used again. The
ingots still on the bogie, but stripped of their moulds, are
baken to two gas-heated pits by a small locomotive.
These gas-fired pits bake the form of a long passage or
channel 5 fb. 6 in. wide and 6 fb. 6 in. deep, an either end
of which is a set of regenerators. There are five lids to
each pit, and they hold twenty ingots, that is, four i n~ots
under each lid or d oor. The doors or lids are of oast Iron
lined with bricks, and are supported by girders, on which
the four wheels of each lirl run during the openin~ and
closing. These doors are moved by a rack and pmion,
actuated by a small hydraulic ram, there being a clutch
for each d oor. Each pib is served by a amall crane
similar to the serving cranes in the Bessemer shop, but
wi th the addition of a racking-in motion.
When the ingots ara sufficiently heated, they are taken
oub of these pits by the same hydraulic cranes, and are
placed UJ:On a brain of live rollers, which convey them to
the cogging mill.
Cogginq Mill.-This mill (see Fig. 9) is a. 36-in . train
driven by a. pair of high-pressure hori zontal re versing
engines, having cylinders 42 in. by 48 in, and geared
2 to 1. The rolls have five grooves, and the screws are
fibted with a rack-and-pinion movement actuated by a
ram, which lo wers the rolls 2 in., so that the bloom receives a draught of 2 in. in passing through and returning.
\Vhen the bloom has passed through the last groove of
the oogging mill, ib runs on roller gearing to a. shears
where the rough ~nds are out off. This prevents collars
and other troubles arisi ng during subsequent rolling.
R oughvng Mill.-After shearing, it pa&es in a straight
line to the roughing mill. This mill consists of a 28-in.
train and is driven by a pair of high-pressure horizontal
reversing engines with cylinders 50 m. by 64 in., and
working direob. In usual work a bloom makes five passes
in this mill and then proceeds to the finishing mill.
Finishing JlfiU. -This mill (see Fig. 10) also is a
28-in. train, and the engines are similar to those ab the
roughin~ mill, except that the cylinders are 48 in. by
54 in. There are five grooves here, after passing through
which the bar proceeds on live rollers to the saw, where it
is cub into the requisite lengths. After sawing, each
rail is placed on the hot bank by means of skids, of whi ch
there are four pair~:~, one pair for ea.ch bank. When the
~ails are cold they pa,ss on roller. gearing to the nishmg bank, where they are straightened, drilled, and
fiuished in the customary way. 'l'he mill is capable of
easily producing 6000 tons per week.
Siemens Melting Shop.-Thereare four Siemens furna{)es
of 60 tons capacity (Figs. 11, 12, and 13, page 722), one of
36 tons and three of 20 tons capacity. They are of the ordina ry design, producing about 1600 tons of steel weekly.
Tbe gas for the Siemens furnaces is generated from a range
of thirty-six ordinary Siemens gas producers. There are
three coal-fired hori zontal heating furnaces for the slabbing
mill arranged in semi-circular order, the curve being struck
from a centre on which revolves an hydraulic charger and
d.rawer. This oh~rger rec~ives the ingots from the pibstde crane, and w1 th ''ery httle manual labour attends to
the charging and drawing of the furnaces.
Slabbing M iLl.-The heated ingots are nhen conveyed by
a small locomotive to the slabbing mill, where they are
rolled to any desired size, and cub (by means of a mechanical shears) into the necessary len~ths to suit the
order specified, and conveyed to the plate mills. The
mill is driven by a pair of htgh-pressure horizontal reversing engines having cylindera 36 in. by 42 in., and is geared
3 to 1. The train is 36 in. with a lift of top roll of 16 in.
balanced by hydraulic rams. The screws are driven by a
pair of small engines.
P late M ills. -There are two p late mills; the first is
drh:en by a. p_a ir of h~gh.pressu~ehorizont!l-1 non. condensing
en~mes, havmg cylinders 60 m. by 54 m. The train is
28 m., and consists of two pairs of rolls, each 7 H. 6 in. long,

7!2

and rolls plates from 1in. to 2 in. thick. The slabs are
heate~ by four ordinary coal-heated furn aces served by a
ohar~ng a!ld drawing machine similar to that a.b tJbe
slabbmg null. There are live rollers on both sides of the
rolls and a skid arrangement to convey the plates from
the soft to the hard rolls. The plates when cool are conveyed to the shears by a steam travelling crane having
a. ~an of 70ft.
The second plate mill is driven continuously by a
vertical. beam engine of. a.~ old type. The soft rolls are
three h1gb, 9:nd the fimshmg are two high, the rolls in
both cases bemg 6 ft. long and the brain 26 in. This mill
receives slabs about 4 in. thick, and rolls all orders reoe~ved w~ic~ are ~oo tJhin for the large mill, viz., from
l m. to ! m. m clus1 v~.
JJfe:ohar~:t Mill.- This mill has a.n 18-in. train Qf roll:J,
a:nd 1s dr~ven by a.. pair o.f horizontal engine3 with cyhndera ~3 m. br. 48 m . It 1s used for the rollin~ of fishplates, hght rails, angles, ba.l'f!, &c., from 4-in. billets.
T ram-Rai? Mill.-This is driven by a. pair of highpressu.re horizc;m tal rev~rsing engines, with oy linders 42 in.
by 48 1~., ha~ng CorllSs valves, and is geared 3 to 1.
The m~ll c_onsists of two pairs of rolls and is a 28-in. train.
The mtll IS also used for the rolling of girders, angles,
channels, sole-plates, &c.
Fotl!nd-ries.-The foundries, of which there are five
nam~ly, _three for the production of steel castings, one fo~
makmg m got moulds, and one where all the brass castings
are made, are well equipped with stoves and powerful
cranes, the former serving tlo oast, and the latter to after.
wards lift, the hea.vi~sb stern frames, rudder frames, rolls,
!l'nd other large oastmgE~.. The small steel foundry, which
1s used for the product10n of small steel castings, possesses a 7-ton Siemens furnace, having a. Duff's gas producer alongside.
R_oll-Tu rning Shop.-Tbis shop has nine lathes, and js
d~Igned on the best known principle. It is provided
with an overhead rope t ravelling crane which runs the
whole length of the shop.
E11,gineering Shops.-These are extensive, and comprise
the machine shops and subsidiary shops, vi z., the boiler,
smiths', wagon-building, saw-making, and pattern-making
shops, &c., and saw mills, all containing fine tools of
r ecent date. It is in these shops that the machining
and finishing of the marine castings takes place, as well
as the
construction of all the firm's own new work, and

repa.ue.
E leotrioal I nstallation. -Thi s consists of two dynamos,
each giving 750 amperes ab 220 volts, driven by two
vertical non-condensing engines and one dynamo of 300
amperes at 120 volts, driven by a horizontal engine,
which also drives the shop machinery. These three
dynamos supply the necessary electricity for 1500 incandescent lamps, 130 arc lamps, 12 motors, and the electric
welding.
General. -There are 60 steam boilers in use ab the iron
works, and 105 at the steel works(one is indicated onFig.14,
page 723), and 15 broad-gauge and 15 narrow-gauge locomotives employed. The wire works is situated ab a short
distance from the steel works, and contains a. rod mill
and tJwo hoop mills. Other departments of the works
are th e general offices, laboratory, drawing-office, testin~
house, stores, &c. The total number of hands employed 18
about 3500, exclusive of th ose at the coal and iron mines,
which are extensive, and about 250 at the wire works.
The area. of the land occupied by the company's works,
including railway sidings and reservoirs, is 245 acres.
~IESSRS . R. H ORNSBY AND SoNs, L unTED. -The direct ors of Me~srs. R. Hornsby and Sons, Limited, Gra.ntham,

recommend a divi dend of 6s. per share on the ordinary

share:a, free of income tax, placing 5000l. to the reserve
account, and carrying forward 1284l.
R ussi AN METALLURGICAL I NDUSTRY. - The Russian
For~e Ma~ters' A ssociation has just published some
statlStics of the production of pig iron and steel in Russia
during the first half of this year. The production of pig
iron is returned ab 85,677,900 poods, as compared with
87,867,300 poods in the first haJf of 1900 (62 poods =
1 ton). The production of Soubbern Russia. in the
first half of this year wa'3 44,573,400 poods, as compared wi th 44,227.100 poods; of the Oural, 25,573,300
poods, a.s compard with 26, 849,100 poods ; of Poland,
9 183,800 poods, as compared wibh 7,668,100 poods; of
the Moscow district, 6,387, 700 poodEI, as comp~red with
7,428,000 poods; of N orthern Russia., 945.600 poode, as
compared with 1,125,900 poods ; and of Sout h-Western
Russia., 14,200 poods, as compared with 69, 100 poods.
During the last five years the blast-furnaces of Southern
Russia have more than doubled th eir production, but for
the last three half-years there has been a certain check in
affa.irs. This check is observable throughout Russia, the
production of the first six mon ths of 1900 remaining inferior to that of th e first half of 1900, as is shown by the
figures which we have j ust given. The production of pig
made its first great start in Russia in 1877. Io amounted
in that year to only 23,036,571 poods, but in 1886 it bad
been carried to 3 l , 578,495 poods. In 1887 it f urtber
ad va.nced to 36,410,149 poods, and it t hen increased ra pidly
and continuously until the output for the whole of 1900
was 176,778,672 poods. As a conseq uence of the great
increase in home production, the impor ts of pig into
Russia declined in the fl rst half of th1s year to 438,000
p oods, as comparPd with 1,358,000 poods in t he fi rst half
of 1900, and 3 032,000 poods in the first hal f of 1899.
The imports of iron into Russia have also considerably
declined, having recrded to 2,626,000 poods in tho first
half of 1901, from 2, 905,000 pood:J in the first half of 1900,
and 9,091,000 poods in the first half of 1899. The imports
of steel, again, declined to 433,000 poods in the first half
of this year, as compared with 705,000 poods in the fi rst
half of 1900, and 1,254,000 p oods in the first half of 1899.

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

[Nov.

22, 1901.

were held as read from the opening meeting by Mr. J.

A. Clark and Mr. P . A. G . Bell, both of whom attended
GLASGOW, Wednesday.
Glasgow P ig-Iron Market.-The warrant market was to take part in the discussion.
steady las~ Thursday forenoon, hub very idle, only 1500
tons cha.ngmg hands. Cleveland, to which the busines3
NOTES FROM SOUTH YORKSHlRE.
was confined, improved 1d. per ton, to 43s. 3d. cash buyers.
SHEFFIELD, Wednesday
Scotch warrants were quoted 2d. per ton better ab 543. 5d.
Sheffield University College. - The council of the U nisellers one month, while Cumberland hematite iron was nob
quoted ab all. Aboub 5000 tons of Cleveland was done in the versity College, Sheffield, have decided to erecb buildings
a.fter~:10on, the price finishing ab 433. 5d. per ton cash, being to house all the various departments in St. George'sa gam of 3d. on the day. Scotch warrants were nob square, in order that the college may adequately carry
quoted. The settlement prices were: Scotch, 54J. 6d.; out its work. This, it is estimabed, will involve an exCJleveland, 43s. 3d.; Cumberland hema.tite iron, 58s. penditure of 90,000l. The sale of the old college
per ton. . Business was done on Friday forenoon in will, it is expected, realise 27,000l., and a further
Scotch Iron at 54s. 9ld. p er ton, in Cleveland ab 40, OOOl. has already been promised. Speaking ab the
43~. 5~d. cash; and none was done in Cumberland hema- annual meeting of the governora of U niversiby Coloi te iron. In the afternoon business was only trans- leges, . held on Tuesd~y, Sir J. T. Mappin, M.P.,
acted iu Cleveland iron ab 433. 5d. per ton cash. The referrmg to the Techmcal Department, said tha b the
settlement prices were : 543. 9d. per ton, 433. 4ld., and needs of Sheffield manufacturer3 and student3 urgently
58s. 4! d. per ton. A fair amount of business was done in demanded a magnetic sub-department; that a small lowthe warrant market on Monday forAnoon. Some 7000 pre3sure Bessemer plant, and a. small hammer-shop wi t h
tons were sold. Scotch was bid for from London, and forging, an~ealing, hardening, ~nd t empering appliances
made 1s. per ton at 55s. 6d., and Cleveland fell ~d. per should bela.td down. These thmgs were a necessity. No
~on. I~ the afternoon about 10,000 tons changed hands, ane who was aware of what was being done in Germany
mcludmg 2000 tons of Cleveland ab 43s. 4~d. per ton in electrical engineerin~ would fail to see that the college
three months, and prices were very firm . U p bo 55s. 9d. was insufficiently accommodated for teaching electrical
per ton cash was paid for Scotch, and Cleveland subjects. As regarded the metallurgical section, the
was l ~d. per ton dea.rer than ab the forenoon c!ose. question ha.d been raised whether operations should be
The settlement prices were : 55s. 7~d., 43s. 4~d., and confined, as heretofore, to one metal-steel, or whether
58s. Gd. per ton. The markeb on Tuesday forenoon ws.s they should launch out in other directions as well.
steady, with, however, not very much doing, the turnH alf- a-Millio'n, for Electric Light at Sheffield. -On
o 1er nob exceeding 7000 tons. Scotch warrant~ further Tuesday Mr. A. A. G. Maleb, A.M.I.C.E., one of the
improved 1~d. per ton to 55s. 10~d. cash, but Cleveland was inspectors of the L ocal Government B oard, h.:>ld an
a shade off ab 43~. 4~d. cash per ton buyers. Cumberla.nd inquiry into the application of the Sheffield Cioy Council
hema.tite iron was dealt in at 58s. 4d. per ton cash. About for sanction to borrow 500. OOOl. for purposes of the
1000 tons changed bands. In the course of the pay 2165 electric-light undertaking. The town clerk stated that
tons of hema.tite pig iron were landed a.b Grangemouth the demand for electricity was rapidly overtaking the
fromStettin. Thesettlemenbprices were55s.l%d.,43s. 4~d., supply, and it was now necessary to establish new
and 58~. 4~d. per ton. The market was full this forenoon, works. In 1893, when a. private company had possession,
and aboob 7000 tons were dealt in and ab easier prices. the number of electrical unitls supplied was 131,006, and
Cleveland only was dealt in. In the afternoon only some for the fifteen months ending March 25 last, 2,381,000
4000 tons changed hands, and the settlement prices were: units were used. Mr. Fedden, the manager of the
55s. 9d., 43s., and 583. l i d. par ton. The following a.re the department, stated that the proposed new station would
q uotations for No. 1 makers' iron: Clyde, 66s. 6d. per ton; contain three 1500-kilowabb alternator sets and a. spare
Ga.rtsherrie, 67s.; Langloan, 69s. Gd.; Summerlee, 71s ; boiler. Each boiler would be about 1500 horse-power,
Colbness, 7ls. 6d. per ton-all the foregoing shipped at so that the total power of the plant would be 6000 horseGlasgow; Glengarnock (shipped ab Ardrossa.n), 66s. ; power. The total sum of 500,000l. includes 136,000l. for
Shoots (shipped ab L eith), 703.; Carron (shipped at exten.sions on the present station, and for extensions of
Grangemouth), 67s. 6d. per ton. American advices mains. The new works at Neepsend were roughly estihave again come s trong and etocks have been re- mated to involve an expenditure of 238,000l., and 10,500l.
duced. 'he number of Scotch blastfurnaces in operation is allowed for the projected arc lighting scheme for 100
is still 83, a-s compared with 80 at this time last year. lamps. Contingencies are placed at 31,000l. , and a further
One has been changed during the week ab Clyde Iron sum of 83,000l., completing the half million, is to cover
Works from hematite to ordinary iron. The week's expenditure already incurred.
transactions have been chiefly in Cleveland iron. ProIron and Stecl.- The decrease in the quantity of work
bably 50,000 tons changed hands in the course of la.sb
week. M essra. Connal's stocks stood las t night ab 56,612 on hand in the heavy departments of trade shows no
sign of being checked. The falling off in the consumptons, as against 56,726 tons a week ago.
~ion . of B essem.er, Siemens, a~d ot~er open-hearth steels
Sulpkate of Ammonia,- Thia commodity is in brisk IS sttll proceedmg, and there IS no 1mmediate prospect of
demand, and the price f.o. b, a.t L eith ranges up to lll. 5s. improvemen b. Manufacturers of railway stores are short
per ton. Almost every iron works in Scotland is now of v:ork, and the companies are placing orders very
making sulphate. There are, perhaps, two works that are spa.rmgly.
nob yet fittf d up for collecting the gas and extracting
South Y orkshire Coal Trade.-During the week the de
the ammonia as sulr.hate- Ca.rron a.ud Ardcar, in Ayrma.nd for house qualities has increased, both locally and
shire, close by Nobels explosive works.
for L o?don and the Eas tern counties. Prices are firm.
Coal Trade of the West of Scotland.- This branch of Best sllkstones make from 13s. to 14s. per ton; Ba.rnsley
trade continuP.s to be very well employed, and prices rule house 12:3. to 12J. 6d. per ton ; and nuts from 10s. 6d. In
firm all round. House coal is in good demand, wit h the steam coal market, although there is plenty of corprices unchanged. Stellm is unaltered, both 8.9 regards rent business on hA.nd, there is no Rtrong feeJing as to the
pdce and the amount of business doing. Splint gives future. Values are maintained, Ba.rnsley bards making
evidence of la.r~e outputs, and is still plentiful, but from 93. 6d. bo 10s. per ton. There is a very strong deproducers of this class of coal show no disposition to mand for gasmaking qualities, a.nd engine fuel of a11
modify their quotations. E ll is ab present in much kinds sells readily. Nuts are quoted a.t 9s. 6d. to 10s.
request for e xport, especially the better qualities, per ton ; screened slack from 5s. 6d. per bon; and pit
and the price is, if any t hing, a shade higher. Treble slack from 2s. 6d. per ton.
and double nuts are being got rid uf with freedom,
more so, perhaps, in the cage of the latter class,
and price3 are sbeady. First-class dross and single
NOTES FROM CLEVELAND AND THE
nuts have ample outlet for home consuruption, and
NORTHERN COUNTIES.
the pric3 keeps very firm. A ll other classes of small
MIDDLESBROUGH, W edneaday.
stuff are in rather better request ab slightly improved
The Cleveland I ron Trade.- Y esterd a.y the weekly
prices. The quotations for shipment at Glasgow may be market here was numerously attended; but business was
taken at about the following rates. Steam co~l, 9~. 9d. to quiet, and quotations for Cleveland pig iron were weak.
10s. per ton; splint, 10~. 6d. to 11s.; ell coal, 10~. 3d. to At the 2a.me time, however, there were one or two
Us. per ton, according to quality.
traders who reported that there was rather mora
I nstitution of Elect1ical Engitneer s: Glasgow Section.- doing than at the previous weekly gathering. Sellers
The opening meeting of the new session of this institu- were in no great hurry to do business, and were
tion took place last night. Professor Magnus Maolean, most reluctant to reduce quotations; whilst, on the
F.R S.E., chairman of the section, presided, and there other hand, buyers were backward and were only diswas a large attendance of members and associates. The posed to make purchases sufficient to meet their early
chairman bad the honour of presenting to Mr. M. B. Field, requirements, so that it is not ab all surprising tra.nsao
the chief elec-trical engineer to the GlMgow Corporation tions were on a limited scale. Both makers and mertramwa.~s, a prize which had been awarded by the parent chants were prepared to sell N ~. :3 g. m. b. Cleveland pig
instit ut10n in London on account of a paper read by iron at 43s. 9d. for prompt f.o. b. delivery, but they
Mr. F1eld lacst session. S ubseq uently the chairman would nob, as a ruJe, entertain offera at anything
delivered an address, in the course of which he referred below that price. Transactions were recorded at th e
to the Nernsb lamp, whi ch is now in actual runnin g in foregoing quotation, which was regarded as the general
Scotland. Mr. '\;Va.Her Jamieson occupied the rest of the market rate. N o. 4 foundry and g rey forge were each
evening with a verbal com.munic~tion on. "High Fre- 433. 6d. ; mottled, 43~, 3d. ; and white, 42~. 9d. East
quencies," the apparatus bemg chiefly deVlsed and con- Coasb hematite pig was in good request., and the supply
structed by himself. Currents up to 120,000 volts were was still insufficient to meet the requirements. Nos. 1, 2,
experimen ted with. Mr. J a.mieson was awarded a. very and 3 were firm ab 60s. for next month'd delivery. Rubio
hearty vote of thanks, and on th e motion of Mr. Mavor, ore was steady at 153. 9d. ex-ship T ees. To-day prices
a.n exceedingly cordial vote of thanks was awarded to the were practically unaltered.
chairman.
M a;nttfacttll,.ed Iron and Steel.- The manufactured iron
West of Scotland I ron and Stul Institute.- La.sb Fri- and steel trades are, on the whole, steady, and thongh
day evening the second meeting of the session of the new orders are scarce, producers of most descriptions
West of Scotland Iron and Steel Institute took placeA- have a good deal of work on hand, and they are unwilling
D r. William Jacks, President, in the chair. The prin- to lower the rates that have ruled for some time past.
cipal business was the discussion of two pa.perR on At t he same time, there is no doubt that a good contract
"Water- Softening '' and "Water Purifying," which might be made below market quotation3. Common iron

NOTES FROM THE NORTH.

'

N 0 V.

2 2' I 90 I.

bars are 6l. ~3. ; be~b bar~:~, 6l . 15s. ; iron ship plates,
6l. 17s. 6d. ;, u on sh1p -angle.13, 6l. 53.; steel sbipplabes,
6l. ; ste.el shipangles, 5l. 17s. 6d. ; and heavy secbtons of
et~el rail~, 5l. 103.-all less 2~ per cent. discount, except
rails, whiCh are net cash at works.
Coal amd Coke.-Fuel keeps steady. Good Durham gas
coal is 11s. 9d. to 12~. 6d. f.o.b., and unscreened bunkers
which are very plentiful, lOa. 9d. to lls. 3d. The demand
for household coal is better t han it was but it is still
only moderate. Coke is not plentiful eno~gh to meet requirements, o.nd quotations are very strong. Average
olastfurnace qu alities are 163. 9d. delivered here and coke
'
for shipment is 18.!. and upwards f.o.b.
JAPANE E CONTRACT l<'OR RAILWAY MATERIAL.Tenders were opened at the Government Railway Office
Tokyo, on October 18, for a number of engineering re~
qairements, and amongst which was an inquiry for 1246
tons of fishplates, 72 tons of st eel bolts and nu ts, 4~ tons
of look washers, and 256 tons of spikes. The bulk of the stuff
had to be delivered either ab Y okohama or Kobe and
about one-third of the whole at Sa.kai, a p ort on the' west
coast of J apa.n, necessitating transhipmen t in Kobe or
Nagasaki. The remit of bbe tender was as follows:

Messrs. lilies and Co.

.. .
. ..
... 14,339
T a kata
...
...
. ..
. . . 14,562
.,
The China and Japan Traditig Company 14,988
Me3Sr3. Mi tsu i
. ..
...
...
. . . 15,477
:1
Okura
...
...
...
... 15,647
,
J ardine
. ..
. ..
...
. . . 15,855
,
Isono
. ..
. ..
...
. .. 16 379
,
Birch
..
. ..
...
. . . 16, 4 U
The order wa~ taken by the lowest bidder, and placed
with Krupp. H eretofore these orders have gone either
to America or England. Of the merchant firms tendering above, the first is a Gerwan firm, and is supposed t o
represent Krupp in Ja pan; the second, fourth, fifth, and
seventh n.re J a.panese, the third is A merican, and the
sixth and eighth are British. If an order goes past a
merchant firm, it is not the merchant's fault, as the business is cub by them all to the finest point, competition
for this kind of business is so severe. The prices above
include bank interest (as the Government does nob pay
until after the goods have been delivered into their " godowns " in Japan, and the goods examined and weighed ),
landing chargfs, and merchant's profi t,- but do not
include imp01 t duty. The interest might be reckoned ab
about 2! per cent. for about 4~ months' use of the money,
and the interest on the 10 per cent. deposit made with
the Government. The landing charges would be about
48. a ton.

--COLLEGE, L IVERPOOL

UNIVERSITY
(STUDENTS' ENGI
NEERING SooTETY).-The third meeting was held on Tuesday1 November 12, 1901, Professor Hele-Shaw in the
chair, when a p aper was read by Mr. P. H. P owell, B.Sc.,
on "Elecbrical Safety Appliances," of whi ch the following is a very brief abstract. Mr. Powell first alluded to
the necessity of providing means to prevent live conductors charged ab the high voltages commonly in use at
the present day, coming into contact with people, and
went on to describe one of the first systems in use- viz.,
that of protecting the trolley wire on tramway circuits
by fastening long pie<:es of cane over . ib. ThiS sys~m
has many great objec~10ns, most of wh10h, as well as Its
general application, being generally well known. Another
method was to use guard wires placed above the conductor in the same plane, and about 18 in. apart ; these
wires ~re sometimes, though nob always, insulated. Mr.
Powellsaid he did not eee much use in insulating them,
as if a broken telephone wire came in con tact with the
conductor as well as the guard wires, it were better that
t he guard wires should oe _well earthed, :when a sh?rt
circuit would result, causmg the fuses m the sect10n
boxes to blow. He also described (1) Canter's device. of
having the guard wires laid t ransversely und er the wue
to be protectJed, and lead weights atba<:hed to the t~le
phone wires, causing them to C?~ e m contact w_tth
the guard wires if broken ; (2) Quirt s system o~ havmg
a J?ilob wire lead from the far end of the sect10n suP
phed to the sw.itch-pillar, an~ connected to the ehunb
coil on the sw1tch; so that m the event of a stoppage of the current through the coil, the latter allows
the core to fall, knocking up a catch and . releasing the
switch lever, which is forced out by a sprmg, and thus
cuts off the trolley wire Jro!D the feeder. (3) T_he
U lbricht earthing method, wh10h d epends on the prmoiJ?le of a momentary connection between the trolley
wire and the earth, estJablishing a direct communication
between the same, this connection remaining until the
apparatus is reset ; (4) Messrs. Bosbock and C~eetham's
plan of service only in the case of the troll~y wue ~reak
mg, and of which Mr. Powell g~v~ the ~nventor ~ ?ascription ; (5) Mr. C. if. Mesurter s device, providmg
against accidents due e~ther t o. the over~ead conduc~or
breaking, or t elephone w~res falhng a?ross 1~. A ~escrlp
tion of several brakes was then gt ven, mclud1ng the
"slipper " air and electric types ; an adva ntage of
the last~named being that the frequency of stoppage
does nob matter as it is the cu rrent from the motors
driven from the' car itself, which furnishes the brake;
the " eddy current and fri<:tion " type of brake, in w?ich
there are three different act10ns ab one an4 the same tnme,
tending to stop th~ car ; ~nd the W _es.t mghouse brake,
which is also of triple act10n, combmmg track brake,
wheel-rim brake and axle brake. An elaborate account
of the various ty'pes of switches and fuses in use was also
given the paper being profusely illustrated throughout.
After' the paper had been discussed, a cordial vote of
thanks was gi' en t o Mr. PowelJ.

E N G I N E E R I N G.
NOTES FROM THE SOUTH-WEST.
Card~ff.-There

has been a steady inquiry for large

steam coal at previous rates, hub the market for small
coal has been ~omewha t easier. The best steam coal has
been making 16s. 6d. to 163. 9d. per ton, while secondary
qualities have brought 15s. 6d. to 16s. p er ton. F rosty
weather is giving an impetus to the house-coal trade ;
No. 3 Rhondda large has made 15s. 6d. to 16s. per t on.
There has been a. steady inquiry for patent fuel. Foundry coke has been firm ab 20~. to 233. p er ton, while furnace ditto has brought 17s. 6d. to 18J. 6d. per ton. As
regards iron ore, ruoio has q1ade 14~. Gd. t o 148. 9d. per
ton. and Tafna 153. to 15s. 6d. per ton.
South Wales Ooal and I ron. - The exports of coal from
the six prinoipal W elsh ports, Cardiff, Newport, Swansea.,
Port Talbot, Llanelly, and Neath, in October were:
Foreign, 1,768,298 tons ; coastwise, 348,125 tons ; total,
2,116,423 tons. The exports of iron and steel from the
six ports for the month were 3753 tons, whlle those of
coke were 5473 tons, and these of patent fuel 90,576 tons.
The shipments of coal from the six ports in the ten months
ending Oobober 31 th is year were: Cardiff, 13 313,382
t ons ; Newport, 2,837,038 tons ; S wansea, 1,739,273 bona:
Porb Talbon, 358,300 tons ; Llanelly, 221,017 tons; and
Neath, 4!>,428 bona; making an aggregate of 18,518,438
tons. The exports of iron and steel from the six p orts
were : Cardi ff, 23,037 tons; Newp::>r b, 23,600 tons; Swansea, 328 tons ; and Port Talbob, Llanelly, and Nea.th,
nil: making an aggregate of 47,865 tonE!. The exports
of coke were: Cardiff. 50,194 tons ; Newporfl, 18,156 tons;
S wansea, 9086 tons ; Port Talbob, 9179 tons ; and Llanelly
and N eath, nil; making an aggregate of 86,615 tons. The
exports of patent fuel were: Oard iff, 351,012; Newport,
69,691 tons; S wansea, 395,136 tons ; Porb Talbof!, 52,573
bona ; and Llanelly and Port Tal bob, nil ; making an
aggregat e of 868,412 tons.
A. New I ndusflry for Card~ff. -Messr~ . Thomas and
William Smith, steel-wire rope manufacturers, of Newcastle-on-Tyne, have acquired A. site known as the Old
Soap Works, an acre in exten t, at Ma.indy, Cardiff, for
the purpose of erecting a. steel-wire rope manufacbory, and
also plant for other purposes.

Moumtstuart D 1y Dock.-A new dry dock which the

M ountstuarb Dry D ock and Engineering Com\)any,
Limited, Cardiff, has been construcbing is now pract10ally
completed. The dock, which is 550 ft. long and 66 fb.
wide, has been fi nished, and progress is now being made
with bbe removal of the cofferdam and jetty, and with the
dredging of t he en trance channel. The work which
remains to be done in connection with the equipment,
&c., is expected to be completed by the end of t he year.
The entrance cuts acroes the former "lay-up " for the
pilot boats, and the company has bad to dredge out
another place in the East Mud for their accommodation.
The dock is the widestJsingle dry dock in the Bristol
Channel.
Bute D ry Dock Company.-The directors of the Bute
Shipbuilding, E ngineering, and Dry Dock Company,
Limited, have under consideration a proposal to issue
debenture capital to the extent of 76, OOOl., in respect of the
purchase of the Mercantile Pontoon Company, Limited.
The Bute Dry D ock Company now owns the whole of
the ordinary capital in the Pontoon Com pany, only the
preference shares and debentures remaining unMquired.
lb is intended to create 100,000l, capital in debentures,
bearing interest ab the rate of 4 ~ per cent. per annum ;
hub the difference between ~be figures j ugtJ mentioned and
this sum (24,000l.) will not be issued until wanted for
further developments.
P w llkeli.-The town clerk of Pwllbeli has received an
official intimation of a Government grant of 17,500l. in
aid of a projected harbour ab Pwllheli.

SuNDERLAND GRAVING DoOit.-The River Wear Commi~ioners have decided to proceed wibh the construction
of a graving dock 600 fb. long. The dock, which is estimated t o cosb 100,000l., is to be leased to Messrs. J. L.
Thompson and Sons, a leading rm of Wearaide shipbuilders.
DOVER.-The Prince of Wales' rier, constructed by Sir
J. Jackson for D over commercia harbour, is now practically cam plebed, and w~l pr~bably be opened befo~e
Christma~. Accommodatton Will be afforded for Atlantic
linera which will make D over a porb of call. Electric
crane~ are to be placed on t he Admiralty pier for dealing
with the transference of crate~ on and otf cross Channel
steamers.
I LKESTON Er.EOTRIO TRAUWA YS. -On Tnesday the chairman of the Tramways Committee of the Ilkeston Town
Council accompanied by the ex.mayor and others, commenced' tramway lines for ~he north end of the borough.
Alderman Hunt and several others drove a large chisel into
the ground ab the Cotmanha.y terminus of the lines. The
ex-mayor said he believed the soheme would be a means of
developing the town.
F RENCH CoAL IMPOR'l'S.-The imports of coal into
France in the first nine months of bhi~ year were 9,049,?50
tonR as compared with 9 391,420 t ons m the correspondmg
perl~d of 1900. In the~e totals British c.oal figured for
5,188,810 t ons and 5,471,720 tons respectively; B~lgian
coal for 2 235,250 bona and 3,296, 400 tons respectively,
and Germ~n coal for 592,120 tons and 578,410 tons respec
tively.
..... -~

MISCELLANEA.
A FOND is being formed in Belfast for sinking boreholea
in the line of the euggeated tunnel between Ireland and
Scotland.
The discovery of extensi ve oil fields in Texas has led
to several of the railroads operating in that State
taking ateps to equip their locomotives with oil-burning
furnaces.
The American Bridge Company has secured the contracts
to construcb twenty steel bridges for the Uganda Rail
way. The amount of the contract is about 1,000,000 dole.
Several British and Continental firms tendered, but the
American Bridge Company nob only offered the lowest
terms, but also guaranteed the completion of the contracts
in the shor test time.
The traffic receipts for the week ending November 10
on thirty t hree of the' princip~l lines of the U nited
K ingdom amounted t o 1 765,637l., whieh was earned on
20, 153! miles. For the corresponding week in 1900 the
receipts of the eame lines amounted to 1,767,239l., with
19,886~ miles open. There was thus an increase of 2398l.
in the receipts, and an increase of 267! in the mileage.
T he Camden and Atlantic City run of the Reading
Railroad has been mentioned eeveral times in our
columns. A few days ago, a train consisting of five oars
weighing 210 tons behind the tender, made bhe run of 55~
miles from start to stop in 46~ minutes, the average speed
being thus 71.6 miles per hour. Mr. Gibb and other
officials of the North-Eastern Rail way were amongst
the passengers. The train made the run withou b a stop,
but was checked three times. The maximum speed
attained was 85.7 miles per hour. The train was hauled
by a Vauolain compound locomotive with 7-fb. driving
wheels, and 2530 square feet of heati ng surface.
T he enamel paints whioh have been introduced for
protecting from corrosion the ballast tanks of steamships
are finding an additional application in the U nited States,
where bitumasti-o solution, obtained from M essrs. \Vailes,
Dovt\, and Co., Limited, of Newcastle, has been used for
protecting the penst ock of a turbine wheel. These often
suffer badly from corrosion, which, roughening the surface,
increases the resistance to the flow of water, and diminishes
the output of the wheel. In one case n oted by Mr. D . J.
L ewis, of South Orange, the enamel paint was sound a b
the end of two yea.ra ; whilsb c0ats of red lead and coal
tar applied at the same time were found badly scored at
the end of a year.
The Board of Trade have recently confirmed the following Li~ht Railway Orders: 1. Derby and Ashbourne
Light Railway Order, 1901, authorising the construction
of light railways in the County of Derby, from Derby to
Ashbourne. 2. Bath and District Light .Railways Order,
1901, authorising the construction of light railways in the
County of Somerseb, in the City and County Borough of
Bath, and in the rural district of B!i.th. 3. Ta.nab Valley
Light R ailway (Amendment) Order, 1901, amending the
Tanab Valley Light Railway Order, 1898. 4. Mitcham
Light Railway Order, 1901, authorising the construction
of light railways in bbe pariah of Mitcha.m, in the rural
district of Croydon, in the County of Surrey.
It is suggested, in l' / nd/u,strie E leof;rique, that a recent
observation of Dr. Emile Bose, of Breslau, may lead to
the development of a direcb-rea.ding photometer. Dr.
Bose has discovered that if a slightly acid solation is
electrolysed for a long period between gold electrode!!,
one of the latter becomes covered with a thin layer of
hydroxide. If now the electroly sin~ current is stopped,
and the electrodes connected through a high-resistance
~alva.nometer, a deflection is obtained, provided that light
1s allowed to fall on the electrode covered with the film of
hydroxide. The intensity of the current varies with
tbab of the light ; and it is noted that whilst violet light
lowers the eleotromoti ve force obtained, red light augments ib.
Writing in l'I ndustrie E ltctrique, M. E . H ospitalier
suggest3 that after all the true solution of long-distance
electric lines may be found in the use of single-phase
alternating currents. T o this end, however, ib is essential
that some kind of friction clutch shall be devised which i.s
capable of dissipating a.a beat a very large quan tity of
energy, since a. single-phase motor having bob an extremely smaJl starting torque, it will be necessary to keep
ib constantly running, and start the train by throwing
into gear t he friction clutch. The main difficulty to be
faced is a probable excessive amount of wear. In other
regards the system has many advantages. But a single
trolley-wire or its eq uivalent would be needed, a very
large starting torque would be obtained, and the sub
station plant would be of the simplP.st character.
SLIPWAY AT L AS PALl!IAS, GRAND CANARY.-F1RRATOl'li:
By an undetected printer's error the style of the builders
of the slipway at L a.s Palma!.l, descri bed on page 579 of
our issue of October 25, was given as ' 'Hay," Summers,
and Oo , in place of Da.y, Summ.ers, and Co., of the
Nortbam Iron vVorks, Southampton.
HIGH CAPACITY ROLLING STOOK.-The Leeds Forge
Company is building 150 mineral wagons to carry about 32
tons, each for the Imperial military rail ways in the Transvaal. The oom~any is also enga ged upon an order from
the Caledonian Railway Company for 30 similar wagons;
these latter wagons are, however, fitted with three pairs
of doors on each side t o facilitate unloading. They are
supplied wit h W estinghouse and hand brakes. It should
be noted t hat a good many of the early wagons upon
the Caledonian system are of a very small type.

[ N 0 V.

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

2 2 , I 90 I .

==~~~~~~~~~~~====================~==~~~~~==~~~~

SUCTION HOPPER DREDGER ; SEINE NAVIGATION.

CONSTRUCTED

BY

'fHE

SOC I ETE

ANONYME

DES

ANCI ENS

El'ABLlSSE MENTS

SATRE,

LYONS

AND ARLES.

(Fm Desc1-iption, see Pctge 705.)

'

..

.'

'

..

..

'

..

] ' I G.

7.

..

v)

f
;~ J\ J'

HE

:.}

...~ ,... ..\I d!,.~,,~

'

,~

I,'( rJ 'I :\ :11

~ .~

FIO . 8 .

.:)

. :)

Nov. 22, Igor.]

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

-~========~============~~~~==~==========================================~
~

of
fire
there
is
the
other
advantage
that
for
a.
AGENTS FOR ''ENGINEERING."
TRACTION and TRANSMISSION. given offensive quantity less weight of armour
AUBTRtA, Vlenraa : Lehmann and Wen tzel, Karntnerstrasse.
(Publuhed on the fi;rst Tuuday in each month.)
is involved; and as a barbette like that for
OAPB ToWN : Gordon and Gotch .
PART VIU. NOW READY.
EDINBURGH: J ohn Menzies and Co., 12, H anover-street.
the new battleships, the Queen and Prince of
PatOB 2a., Net; POST FB.Bll 2s. 4d.
FRANOB, Pads: Boyveau and Ohevillet, Librairie Etrang~re, 22,
vVales, carries 315 tons of armour, the additional
Rue d e la Banque ; M. Em. Terqu em , 31 bia, Boulevard Haussman Publlahed ab the Oftlcea of ENGINBBRTMG, 86 and se, Bedford Stree,,
protection for the 9.2-in. guns and their mountings
Also for Advertisements, Agence Havas, 8, Place de la Bourse.
Strand, London, W.O.
GKRlUNY, Berlin: Messrs. A. Asher and Co., 6, Unter den Liuden
taxes the displacement capital of the ship designer.
Frankfur~-am-Main : Messrs. G. L. Daube and Oo. (fo;
CONTENTS OF PART VIII.
But against this there is the serious difficulty with
Adverttsem en ts).
PAn l
PAO~
L eipzig : F. A. Brockhaus.
The Inner Circle . ..... . ......... . 129 & rlln Tmmwnys. Dy J . Z'\cbarln.s 171 the superimposed system of concentration of weight
Mulbouse: H . Stuokelberger.
The Econom ics of St reet RAilwn.ys.
Tbe Krldger Elcctro mohlle. By
and of stresses due to the firing of the guns, and
1 Comad W. Cooke, M.I. R.E.,
By the H on. R obort P. Porter:
GLASGOW : William Love.
n .-Rn tlld 'l'nm~lt of Now
(Pinte XLI. , XT~ll. , nnd Uluatmthe still more important objection that one such
INDIA, Calcutta.: Thaoker, Spink, and Oo.
York (Pintos XXX IV. to
tious In Text) ........ .. .... ... . 1'11
Bombay: Thacker and Co., Limited.
XXXVIII., nod l llustrnt lon
New Locomotive for tbe Control
mishap as is to be reckoned upon as of frequent
ITALY : U. Hoepli, Milan, and any post office.
in Tuxt.) .. ........ . ........ l.JO
London Rullwny (Plates XJ,JII.,
H lgh SJI{'od Bleotrlo 'l'rnotlon In
XLlV, and Xf.V.) .. .. .... .... .. 180 occurrence in action may throw out of use at the
LrnRPOOL: Mrs. Taylor, Landing Stage.
Germany (Plntes X XXIX., XL.,
The New Electric Power Plnnt for
MANCBBSTKR: John H eywood, 148, Deansgate.
critical moment a larger proportion of guns. It
Md Illustrations In Text) .. ... . 162
the Brooklyu R.o.pid Tm nslt CornNoRWAY, Ohristiania : Oammermeyers, Boghandel, Oarl Johans Municipal 'l'n\dlni:
pnD y (PII\te XLV I.) . ........... 192 should be a first principle, in anticipating mi~for.
Gade, 41 and 43.
(i) By W . Vo.lentlue Ball. ..... 100 I The Uoldsohmldt Procel\8 of
Ul By .\ uot ber Borough Eng!.
1cotrlc Ran Weldin g (Plate
t une, to so arrange that the proportion of power
NEW SOUTH WALES, Sydney: Turner o.nd Henderson, 16 and 18,
rteor .... . ... . .. .. . ... ... 1~
XLVII.) ............. . ........ . 185
Hunter-street. Gordon a.nd Gotch, George.street.
thus lost will be as small as possible, consistent
(k) The NewC~~.~~tle,li Tyne l m The Croydon Electric Tnmwnys
QUBB.NBLAND (SOUTHt Brisbane : Gordon and Gotoh.
brogllo . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 166
nnd Lighting System 1Pla t e
with other conditions. From this standpoint the
(NORTU , Townsvllle : T. Willmett and Oo.
The !Jn11chester md Liverpool
XL Vlll., nod IDuatrationa In
Electric Express Ra ilway ...... l 6S , Text) .. ...... .. .. ........... .. l SS British arrangement is preferable.
RO'rl"RRDAM : H . A. ra m er and Son.
There are venSOUTH AUSTRALiA, Adela ide : W. 0. Rigby.
tilation difficulties with superimposed gun positions,
UNITBD STATRB, New York: W. H . Wiley, 4S, East 19th-street.
and the r epah of the larger guns below is certainly
NOTICE TO CONTINENTAL ADVERTISERS.
Ohicago : H. V. Holmes, 1267-1268, Monadnook
Block.
not simplified. It is true that one man may ' 'sight"
Advertisements
from
Germany
should
now
be
sent
VtoroRU, Melbourne : Melville, Mullen, and Slade, 261/264 Oollinsstreet. Gordon and Gotch, Limited, Queen-street.
through Messrs. G. L. Daube and Co., Frau.kfurt..am and fire all the guns, but here again there is a conMain. who have been appointed our Sole Agents for centration of dependence on one factor, with greater
We beg to announce that American Subscriptions to ENGINRBRlNO that country for Trade displayed Advertisements. proportion of loss through failure. American naval
may now be addressed either d irect to t he Publisher, Mr. 0. R. Advertisements from France, Belgium, and Bol experts are divided on the merits even after pracJ OIJNSON, at t h e offices of this Journal, Nos. S5 and 3~, Bedfordst reet, Stra nd, London , W. O., or to our accredited Agents for t he land should be sent through the Agence Havas, tical experience, and it is just probable that it will be
United States : Mr. W. H . WILKY, 43, East 19th-street, New York, 8, Place de la Bourse, Paris, our Sole Agents for departed from. We have seen it suggested in connec.
and Mr. H . V. H oLMBS, 1257-1258, 111onadnock Block, Chicago. those countries for similar Advertisements.
t ion with ships for a European P ower that instead
The prices of subscript ion (payable in advance) for one year are :
For t hin .<~oreign) paper editi.on, ll.. 16s. Od. ; for t hick (ordinary) . RBADlNG OASBH. _Reading cases for containing twenty-six of having either broadside casemates or a superimpaper e.J1t10n , 2l. Os. 6d. ;, or, tf remttted to Agents, 9 dollars for numbers of ENGINBBRING may be bad of the Publisher or of any posed position for the placement of such guns as
tbm and 10 dollars for thick.
newsagent. Price 6s. each.
the 9.2-in., t hey should be arranged in barbette~
NOTICE TO AMERICAN ADVF.RTISERS.
====-----=====---====---====-=========- along the centre line of the ship, between the two
American firms desirous of advert ising in ENGINBBRING are
NOTICE8 OF MEETINGS.
m~in gun positions. This, if we mistake not, was
requested t,Q apply to Mr. H. V. HOLMBS, 1267-1258, Monadnock
T ilE SURVEYORS' l NSTITOTB.- Monday, November 25, at 8 p.m.,
Block, Chicago, or Mr. WtLLARD a. TYLER, 160, Nassau-street, when a. paper will be read by Mr. A. Dudley Olar ke (Fellow), tried long ago, before even the battleship became so
Room 1910, New York City, from whom all particulars and prices en tit led : ''The Fioa.\ Report of the Local Taxation Commission." packed with machinery. Boiler casings, funnels,
can be obtained.
SOOIBl'Y OF AR'fS. -Monday, Novem ber 25, at 8 p.m. Oantor ship's boats, and the necessary top hamper generLectures. ' 'The C hemistty of Oonfectionerb' Materiah and Pro
ADVERTISEMENTS.
ceases," by Mr. William Jago, F. C.S., F.I .O. F our lectures: ally make the idea difficult of realisation ; and
The. charge for advert~sements is three shilli?~S for . the first Lecture 1.- Wednesda.y, November 27, at 8 p.m. '' Leatbn for questions of stability are also involved.
four hoes or under, and etght pence for each addit10nal hoe. The Bookbind ng," by Mr. J. Gordon Parker, Pb.D , Director ot the
There is therefore much in favour of the sepaline aver ages seYen words. Payment must accoml?any all orders London Leather Industries Researob Laboratories. Mr. Richard
rate positions for the 9.2-in. guns in the British
for single advertisements, otherwise their insert10n cannot be Garoett, LL D., C. B., will preside.
guaranteed. Terms for displayed advertisements on the wrapper
TilE iNSTITUTION OF Cl\'IL ENGl!\EBRS.-Tuesday, November 26, ship : they can be more quickly manipulated, with
and on t he inside pages may be obtained on application . Serial at 8 p .m. Paper to be submit ted for discussion : " Train Resist
a higher-aimed rate of fire. Their superiority over
advertisements will be inser ted with all practicable regularity, but a.nce," by l\Ir. John A. S. Aspina.ll, M. Inst.. 0. E.
a bsolute regularity cannot be guaranteed.
SOCIETY OF CIIE:\IICAL I NDUSTRY: LONDON SECTION.- Monday, the 6 in. gun confers undoubted advantage. Firing
December 2, at 8 p.m., at the Ohemioal Societ} 's Rooms, Bur a projectile of 380 lb., they attain a muzzle energy
Advertisements intended for insertion in the cur- Jiogton
House, Piccadilly. The following paper s will be r ead
rent week's issue must be delivered not later than and discu ssed : The Lemon on Industry," by Messrs. Herbert of 19,494 foot-ton8, and there is no r eason to sup5 p.m. on Thursday. In consequence of the necessity E. Burgess and J. F. Child. ''The Separation of Materials of pose that the rapidity of fire will fall short of 3 to 4
for going to press early with a portion of the edition Different Specific Gravity," by Mr. J. W. Hinc::hley.
rounds per minute. 'J.lhe 6-in. gun, on the other hand,
alterations for standing Advertisements should be
develops 6240 foot tons with its 100-lb. projectile.
received not later than 1 p.m. on Wednesday after
Indeed, this 9. 2-in. gun is, for its weight, one of
noon in each week.
the most effective of weapons ; some assume tha.t
it may yet displace the 12- in. gun even in battleSUBSCRIPTIONS, HOME AND FOREIGN.
FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 22, 1901.
ships-an opinion based on the ineffective work
ENGINEERING can be supplied, direct from the Publisher,
done by the larger guns in the attack on Cerfera's
post free for twelve months at t he following rates, payable in
escaping ships at Santiago. But with the very
advance:THE GUN POWER OF WARSHIPS.
hard - faced armour now constructed, no such
For the United Kingdom . . 1 9 2
" all places abroad : THE Admiralty are now preparing for the laying change is likely to be made.
Effort will rather be
Thin paper copies . .. .. 1 16 0
down of three immen se battleships and six. directed to wards making t.he guns still more effecThick
"
. .. .. .. . 2 0 6
armoured cruisers, the designs of which suggest tive by the use of other powders and forged-steel
All accounts are payable to "ENGINEERING " Limited.
Cheques sh ould be crossed " Union Bank, Oharing Oross Branch ." the trend of naval opinion, especially as to ord- caps on pr ojectiles. In this matter we are not
Post Office Orders payable a.t Bedford-street, Strand, W.C.
nance. The chief characteristic of both types is quite so progressive as some other Powers, and
When F c reign SubscriJ,~tions a! e sent by Post Office Orders, the increase in gun power, the tendency being in objection is still entertained against nitro cellulose
advice sh ould be sent to the Pubh sbe r.
F oreign and Colonial Subscribers receiving incomplete copies this country, as well as in America and in some powders, which are greatly superior to nitrothrough newsa-<Tents are r equested to communicate the fact to Continental countries, to add to the number of glycerine combinations, giving quite 10 per cent.
the Publisher, together with t h e agent's na.me and address.
weapons of the first class, even at the cost of the higher ballistics, because in the earlier stages of
Oftlces for Publication and Advertisements, Nos. 35
in
some
foreign
countries,
there
was
manufacture,
total
number
of
guns.
Thus,
the
three
new
battleand 86, Bedford Street, Stra.ud, London, W.C.
ships, unlike all their immediate p~edeces~ors, not uniformity in result. This, however, has been
we desire to call the attention of our readers to will have in addition to four guns of 12-m. cahbre, c01npletely overcome, and the chief of the Ordthe tact that the above is our SOLE Address, and an equal number of 9.2-in. weapon~. ~he .larger nance Bureau of the United States Navy,
that no connection exists between this Journal and guns will as heretofore, be mounted 1n paus 1n bar- Admiral O'N eill, in his annual r eport just issued,
any other publications bel.ring somewhat simllar
bettes fo~ward and aft, and the 9.2-in. pieces will be refers to this important question. He says :
titles.
placed one on each side of each barbette. This will u The bureau does not doubt the safety of cordite
TRL'BQR.APHIO ADDRESS-ENGINEERING. LONDON.
enable them t o be utilised as bow or stern chasers, powders, but believes that such powders deteriorate
TBLBPBONB NUMBB&-3663 GePrard.
but it has the disadvantage that while all four 12-in. with age, are very susceptible to changes of tem- - breecl'.-!oaders can be used on either broadside, only perature, which affects their efficiency, and are
CONTENTS,
two of the 9.2in. pieces can thus be utilised in the very destructive to the bores of the gun." There
PAOB I
PAGB line-of-battle. The 6in. guns which they displace, is little need to enforce this point ; experience in
The New Subway in New
~?tea feom th ! South-West 7 1 ~ however werd similarly restricted in their arc of South Africa has helped to bring the point home.
Yor k City (/llus.) ... ., . . 699 1 l:ltecella.nP~ .. ...... ; ... : .. 713
The Instit.ution of Mecha
The Gun ~ower of " ~rshtps 715 training ' but the effort of the warship designer is Again, Admiral O'Neill says: ''If the rules which
nical E'lgioeers .. .. ... . . . 700 r he A.rohtt~ o u a l Stde of .,
directed' not only to secure the highest maximum of have been established for the inspection and storage
En~ineering Valuations (Il
En~mePrang . . . . . . . . . . . . 16 gun power consistent with other claims-protectiOn, of smokeless powder are properly carried out, no
lu.strated) .. . ........... 'i"Ol The E 'ect~ica.l Indu~try .... 716
speed, &c.-but also to so dispose his w eapon~ as trouble or danger will be experienced in the storage
New Sa.tre DrHigers for Ser The De&tgmrg of War
vice on the Lower Sdne
Vessels . . .. .... . .. . ... . 717 to en~ure the greatest attack on an enemy, ure- and preservation of nitro-cellulose powder. "
(Jllu~tl'ated) . . . . . .. .... 706 l Notes .. . ... .. .... . . .. 718
The slmo general tendency as to gun power is
l'pecthe of the relative posit ions of his ship. Thus
Shipbuilders' An1d e-BeveJNotes from the United ,..
line- Machine ( I llustrated) 706
States : . .. .. :. . . . . . . . . . . t l 9 it comes that opinion is widely divided on this point obvious in the case of the design of our new
600 IIorse-Power Compound
0) roscop1o Ao,t,lOn an~ t he
cruisers. Speed, at one time, was considered the
of
the
placement
of
guns.
.
Tracr.iou Engine and Elec
TJ088 of the
Cobra (l l1
It is purely a. matter for comprormse so as to dominant desideratum, and it must ever be an
t r lc Generator ( I ll us.) . . 708
ltut-ra~ed) ....... : . . . . !19
The David Copper Process
Patent s m South Afrtca .... , 20 embrace the least evils. The l Tnited Stat~s naval important q uestion ; but, at the same time, the
( nlustrat~>d) . . . . . . . . . . . 70S Industrial ~otes ....... .. .. 721
cementation
process
of
hardening
the
face
of
authorities
have
tried
the
system
of
superimposed
Tbe Barrow ITemat ;t e Steel
The E lectrtftcatton of the
Works (Jllu8t1'ated) .. .. 710
bhtropolitan and ~etroturrets with the pair of guns of secondary power armour has enabled the naval architect to clothe
Notes from t he North .... 712
polit an D!~trict Ratlways 722 over the usual couple of 12-in. breech-!oa.ders; and the broadside of his high-speed cruiser so as to
Notes from South YorkThe Balnnc10g of Looomoehire .. ...... .... .. ... ... 712
tives ( Illustra.ted) .. .. . . 726 this arrangement, it will be seen, perm1ts of. that resist attack with the old-time cruiser guns of 6-in.
Notes from Olevela.nd and
" EngineE-ring " Patent Retraining of all four guns at each en~ of the sh1p .on calibre; and t hus it becomes imperative to equip
the Northern Counties . 712
cord (lllmtrated) ....... 729
an enemy on either broadside, wh1ch the Bnt~sh the opposing cruiser with guns of great penetrating
With a Pw!J-Pagt Engtavi11(1 of a SUCTION B OPPER
design lacks. In addition to this concentta.twn p ower, even at the expenc:e of the number of smaller

ENGINEERING.

DREDGER i SEillB NJ1 V JG.t1TJO,:V .

E N G I N E E R I N G.
weapons, to provide arxnour protection and speed.
The commerce destroyer of a weaker nation naturally depends primarily on speed ; but '' our friend
the enemy, is, at the same time, adopting a measure
of protection which, while it may not render the ship
invulnerable, will nevertheless give her a fair chance
of maintaining her buoyancy and to get beyond the
range of many of the existing commerce protectors.
It is true that in the Blake and Blenheim and in
the vessels of the Edgar class we adopted 9.2-in.
guns ; but in later first-class cruisers of n1oderate
displacement., the 6-in. gun has been the heaviest
piece ; something of greater calibre, well manipulated, with real armour- piercing shell, would defeat
the 4-in. or 5-in. hardened armour. Thus the
change in our new cruisers is most commendable.
They will be fitted with two of the powerful7.5-in.
weapons which Vickers, Sons, and Maxim have
recently introduced. This will be the first application of this calibre of gun to the Navy, but it has
been well tried both by the Navy al!lthorities and
at the company's Eskmeals range. Under service
conditions it will develop a muzzle energy of
11,825 foot-tons with its 200 lb . projectile, as
compared with the 6240 ft. of the 100 lb. shot by
the Vickers, the most powerful of our 6-in. pieces.
This doubling of the power of the blow which the
~eaviest guns may strike will give the new cruisers
great ad vantage alike in range and in penetration.
Not only will they prove effective against a highspeed commerce destroyer, but they may harass
a battleship of less speed if without modern
armaments ; and it would be easy to name
many such ships still on the effective list. A
comparison of the eight vessels of the Diadem
class, built five years ago, with the new vessels also
indicates the progress in gun practice, and also in
armour. The Diadems depend upon a 6-in. protective deck, the new cruisers will have 4-in.
hardened steel on the broadside, as well as protective decks, although of less thickness. No guns of
greater calibre than those of the 6-in. type are
mounted on the Diadems, but of these they have
14; the new cruisers of the County class, already
ordered, have also 14, while the six now to be laid
down will have two of 7.5-in. calibre, mounted
respectively at bow and stern for ahead or astern
fire, and both for use on either broadside. There
are also ten 6-in. guns. As this has been gained
without reducing the speed, it marks the new ships
of 9800 tons superior to the Diadems of 11,000 tons.
The question of weight is an important item ;
but here there is no detraction from the general
advantage. The one 7.5-in. gun, with its mounting, will not weigh any more than the pair of 6-in.
weapons carried on the same training mechanism
within an armoured turret as adopted in the earlier
County cruisers. It is doubtful, too, if the pair of
6-in. guns will fire a greater number of separate
shots than the one larger piece. The distance
between the guns is so small that the work
of loading, &c., must be greatly retarded by
the men getting in each other's way, notwithstanding all the ingenuity which has been spent
on the mechanism, and in the arrangement
for enabling the one hoist to deliver shot alternately to the guns on each side of the ammunition
trunk (see page 201 ante). The 6-in. gun has in practice a rate of aimed fire of eight rounds per minute,
but this can never be reached in these t urrets.
The mechanism of the 7.5-in. gun (see ENGINE"ERING, vol. lxix., page 746) has a special loading gear,
consisting of a tray pivoted on a bar at one ~ide of
the cradle, which is moveable with the gun, and
this tray is operated by worm and wormw heel gear,
so that at any position of the gun it can be swung
into the breech on an axis always parallel with the
gun. Thus the 200-lb. shots can be fired at the
biO'h rapidity of six aimed rounds p er minute; but
this does not n eed to be attained to equal the performance of the twin 6-in. sets, especially in view
of their higher ballistics and greater range.

THE ARCHITECTURAL SIDE OF

ENGINEERING.
ON previous occasions we have advocated the
association of an architect with an engineer in
the design of structures which, situated within
city boundaries, should charm the eye as well
as serve the less resthetical requirements of the
public.
In view of a recent discussion of
the matter, however, by Mr. H. H. Statham,
F. R. I. B. A. (see The B~uilder, Octoher 5, 1901),
to which our attention has lately been directed,

we feel almost inclined to withdraw the recommendation and advise engineers to rely on their
own resources till architects are prepared to
exhibit a less impracticable spirit. In his search
for beauty of outline, Mr. Statham is apparently
quite prepared either to contract the water-way
of such a bridge as that now building at Vauxhall,
or to raise the gradients. In either case the
public in general would be permanent sufferers.
The first object of a bridge is to accommodate
traffic, and we cannot afford to rob the Peter of
utility to pay the Paul of art. The latter in short
must be content to wait till the demands of the
former have been completely satisfied. Architects
are slow to admit this, and are not prepared to
accept without protest the conditions imposed by
the requirements of modern civilisation and make
the best of them, whether it be a matter of a
plate-glass shop front, or of a sky-scraper in
an American city. Both are practically necessities
of the modern scheme of existence, and it should
be the architect's business to discover in them possibilities of beauty. So far, the architect has
done little but bewail the hard fate which has
condemned him to live in an age in which a shopkeeper is not content to display his goods through
leaded lights, and in which the demand for ~ccom
modation on limited areas has compelled him to
accept the steel-framed building. He has, we fear,
expended but little effort in the attempt to harmonise the new requirements with his views on
art.
In calling attention to the architect's failure to
attain his ideals in these regards, we in no way
wish to defend engineers' architecture, which is
generally at its worst when most pretentious.
Gothic and other ornaments are stuck on, which
have no organic connection with the structure as a
whole. All we can say in palliation is that when
architects do come forward, as Mr. Statham has
done, to show engineers how their work should be
treated, they too frequently show serious ignorance
of statical principles, and of the " intention " of
the main members of a structure. The suggestion, for
instance, has been made that the polygonal outline
of the lower chords of the Forth Bridge cantilevers
should have been replaced by a curve, thus introducing gratuitous bending strains into these struts,
and outraging the eye of every properly-educated
spectator. A still worse example is afforded by
Mr. Statham's sketches (see The B'ttilder, loc.
cit. S'1.11p1a.) suggesting an architectural treatment
of the engineer's design for the Vauxhall Bridge,
which is calculated to entirely mask the true
character of the structure. Thus he does not
seize on its characteristic features - the three
hinges- and embellish them, but breaks up the
whole of the elevation, arch ring proper and
spandrel walling inclusive, into a series of sham
voussoirs, giving the impression that the arch
ring extends the full depth of the structure
between the road-line and the intrados, in place
of being in thickness a mere 4 ft. or so
throughout, as it actually is. Near the widest
part of these sham voussoirs he places great
shields, which break up the voussoir lines. Apparently Mr. Statham has not grasped the theory
of the structure. He expresses the opinion that
a three-hinged arch is really a couple of huge
cantilevers, whereas nothing could be further from
the truth. A three-hinged arch differs from an
ordinary solid arch merely in that three points of
the line of thrust are fixed, a fact which facilitates
calculation, and localises joint action on decentering.
Architectural emphasis of these three master points
would therefore have been intelligible and proper,
but failing this, Sir A. R. Binnie's original treatment does not mask the true nature of the design
to anything like the extent of Mr. Statham's, and,
with all its faults, is therefore infinitely preferable,
as the truth is always preferable to a sham.
The main defect, indeed, of the engineer's design
is the heavy cornice along the line of the roadway.
This breaks into the arch ring near the crown in a
very unpleasing manner. This arch 1ing is the
characteristic feature of the design, and should
therefore be boldly outlined, with its extrados
standing free from confusion with any other principal line of the structure. The total removal of
the cornice in question would therefore be a substantial improvement. Mr. Statham's design, on the
other hand, is wholly vitiated by his gratuitous
assumption that a three-hinged arch is . really a
pair of cantilevers. The total inaccuracy of this
idea is easily realised when one r em em hers that

[Nov.

22,

1gor.

~ome p~rtion o~

a .cantilever or bracket is always

1n tenswn, whtlst 111 a masonry arch no tension
whatever is admitted in any part.
Again, Mr. Statham appears to think that it
would have been impossible to construct the arches
in question wholly of granite masonry without alter~ng the proportion of rise to span.
This, again,
1s erroneous. A perfectly satisfactory ordinary
masonry arch could have been built without difficulty to the same span and rise, and with the same
thickness of arch ring. In fact, whilst at Vauxhall the span is 149f ft. by about 19 ft. rise
the Dor~ Riparia bridge at Turin has a spa~
of 148 ft., and a rise of 18 ft.; and, in fact an
experimental granite arch was built in the 'sixties
at Souppes, with a span of 124.3 ft. and a ris~
of 6. 97 ft., and the settlement on striking was
but ~- in. Indeed, with mo~ern arrangements,
even very fiat arch('S can be bmlt without trouble
arising from the opening of joints in settlement.
But steeped in their worship of medi::evalism some
architects would seem to have lost touch with progress, even in the matter of masonry construction. In fact, it looks as if architects seldom
calculate pressures or get out lines of thrust, but
rely entirely on eye-designing. This serves well
enough where the work is familiar, and on a small
scale ; but, if we may judge from similar experience
in structural steelwork, it must in work of an unusual character lead to an excessive waste of material. Engineers have no desire to build ugly brid~es,
and will welcome the assistance of architects; but
the latter, if their advice is to carry weight, must
show themselves endowed with a reasonable appreciation of the conditions of modern life, and with
a sufficient knowledge of statical principles to
enable them to grasp the function of, at least, the
main constituents of a structure.

THE ELECTRICAL INDUSTRY.

AMONG the many matters touched upon by Mr.
C. H. Wordingham in his inaugural address, delivered last luesday evening before the Manchester
Section of the Institution of Electrical Engineers,
the most interesting was the condition of the electrical industry, and the causes which have rendered
it unable to meet the demands made on it. .As
every one knows, most of the orders given out during the past year for really large electrical plant
have been secured by American and Continental
manufacturers; and the idea has arisen in the
public mind that British engineers are not only
incapable of constructing such machinery, but also
that they lack the skill to design it.
Mr. Wordingham traces this fallacious idea to
several causes. First, to our national habit of
self-depreciation, which makes us praise the
methods and products of foreigners, to our own
detriment. Secondly, to the fact that it is in
accordance with good business principles for the
foreigner to accept low prices in order to get a
footing in a new market, and therefore the home
manufacturer is often undersold. Thirdly, to overproduction and industrial depression on the Continent, which forces engineers there to choose
between selling at a loss and closing their works.
Fourthly, that the same reason enables the foreigner
to promise early delivery. His order-books are
bare, and nothing stands before the execution of any
order he may secure. Owing to the want of forethought of those in charge of electrical undertakings here, the demand is allowed to overtake
the supply; and then machinery is called for in
great haste, and sometimes is even supplied before
the auxiliary contracts for buildings, boilers, and
the like, are half executed . All these c~tuses work
to the disadvantage of the British manufacturer :
although he can turn out machinery whioh cannot
be excelled either in design, workman<:hip, finish, or
durability.
Mr. Wordingham says that he does not pre3ume
to suggest a remedy for this state of things, and
then immediately puts forward the heroic counsel
that engineers must join hands and combine-not
as has been done in many branches of commerce to raise prices, but to lower them, and RO
drive away the competitors who now menace their
very existence. It seeml3 strange to sugge~t a combination to lower prices; that is a matter any man
can do for himself, and which he must do when he
runs out of ordere, or else close his establishment.
The manufacturer who refuse3 to do so is simply
left out of the competition. Works cannot be
extended and tools bought when profits are not

..

N 0 V.

2 2' I 90

I.]

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

bei~~. made; and it is just the want of greater rests with the traction companies, except to obey We do not feel we are qualified to give our readers

faCihttes for manufacture at home which lets in

t~e foreigner. He has had several years of splendtd trade under fiscal protection, and his works
haYe grown to an enormous size ; while at the
same time the manufacturing processes have become
pedected by a succession of orders for the same
articles. These are very difficult conditions to
meet, but the man on the spot has always an advantag~, and our f?reign friends will not be willing
to continue s~pply~ng us at a loss always. Their
home depresswn will pass away, and they will tire
of a turn-over with no profit.
The subject of the electric industry is bound up
with that of municipal trading, and there are many
persons who would attribute our backwardness
in the former entirely to the popularity of the
latter. Mr. Wordingham apparently does not
hold this view ; indeed, he has been looked
on in the past as one who, up to a certain
point, was eager in his defence of municipal
privileges. Now that he has severed his connection with the City Council of Manchester, he
appears in the role of the candid friend, and his
remarks carry the weight of one who knows both
sides of the question. To begin with, he adopts
the definition of the Lord Provost of Glasgow as to
the conditions necessary to render an industry a
proper one for a municipality to take up. "It
must be monopolistic in its nature, must be a
necessity for t he inhabitants of the district, and
must cause interference with the streets." ''If, ,
says Mr. Wordingham, "municipalities stop short
at the point indicated, and confine themselves to employing plant manufactured by private companies,
and using it for the supply only of public necessities,
the manufacturing portion of the electrical engineering profession, at all events, has nothing to
lose and everything to gllin by the establishment
of undertakings for which capital is found at a low
rate of interest." This, of course, entirely overlooks the fact that the reason why the British
manufacturer cannot compete in electrical machinery
with the foreigner, is that the latter has already
equipped his own country, while the municipalities
here were considering the matter, and that it is
he who is now in a position to reap the advantage
of English cheap capital. However, that is a
twice-told tale, and we will not weary our readers
by going over the old ground again.
Mr. Wordingham is more interesting when he
discusses the inherent weaknesses of municipal
management. He puts, first, the liability to an
entire change in the constitution of a committee
from political reasons. Next, the large size of
most municipal committees, which tends greatly to
ham{ler the work, and to preclude the prompt
action necessary in commercial undertakings, w bile
the class of men preponderating on town councils
tends yearly to deteriorate. rtien whose business
is confined to the keeping of small shops find
themselves called upon to direct large undertakings,
requiring for their conduct a very Napoleon of
commerce. Again, there is a tendency on the part
of members of municipal committees to seek to
shine as technical experts, often deriving their
knowledge from some friend who has a smattering
of the subject. These men insist upon interfering
with their paid advisers. often marring their carefullythought-out plans. Lastly, t here is the danger-and it is a very serious one-of political considerations being allowed to influence the policy of
municipal trading committees: More especiall.Y is
this the case where any questwn of labour artses.
Many members are in abject terror of the workingclass vote, and will go to almost any length to avoid
losing it, with the result that the undertaking is
severely handicapped.
The above is quoted almost textually from the
address, and is a severe indict1nent of t he management of industrial enterprises by corporations. It
is wonderful that they are so successful under such
adverse conditions. The good results they do
attain must be ascribed in large measure to the
efforts of the permanent officials, whose positions
cannot be very pleasant. Having to thread their
paths among the suggestions of amateur engineers
and electricians, they need a double measure of tact
and amiability, and at the back of these a large
fund of firmness. A second.rate man would lose
all heart under such circumstances, and allow
matters to drift to disaster.
Mr. Wordingham takes an intermediate position,
in relation to the electrolysis of gas and water
pipes, between those who argue that no liability

the Board of Trade rules, and those who would

fetter them with a load of disabilities. His view is
that it lies with the owners of the pipes to prove
that the damage is due to electric action, and that
when they have done so, the electric interests
should bear the cost. This, however, is a matter
which is not likely to lead to much trouble in the
future, as the growing use of negative boosters
and feeders limit the drop of potential below the
Board of Trade requirements.
In the matter of schemes for the supply of
electric energy over a large area, Mr. Wordingham
is not an enthusiast. He sees many difficulties
ahead. In the first place, the works do not exist in
England for the manufacture of the machinery, and
if it be required now, it will have to be ordered
abroad. In Germany the banks financed the manufacturers so liberally that the works grew as fast as
the demand, But here that kind of aid is almost
non-existent. The banks have other outlets for
their money than manufacture, and prefer the quicker
and safer trade of bill-discounting. It would be
a hopeless task to raise money here for the construction of works in advance of the demand ; it is
difficult enough to get it when the demand exists.
As to the future of the stations when built, Mr.
Wordingham is not sanguine. He does not agree
that the power factor over a large area, including
small and scattered towns and villages, will be
greatly better than the individual factors ; and he
does not see why a number of inherently unprofitable towns, when connected by mains, the interest
charges on which represent a large proportion of
the total probable revenue, will be converted into
a gold mine by the use of the magic words '' supply
in bulk. 11
We have only been able to notice a few points
in this address. It is a difficulty with these
compilations that they aa:e generally too long to
print in full, and that they cover so wide a grouad
that justice cannot be done to them in an abstract.
This is the more to be regretted when they deal
with subjects of present-day interest, and when the
author is not afraid to give his views, and show
that he has formed opinions on the subjects of
which he treats. In a former address before the
same society, when known as the Northern Society of
Electrical Engineers, Mr. J. S. Raworth commenced
his remarks by saying that mankind wanted more
of everything, except of presidential addresses ; and
this is certainly true of the majority of those orations.
But there are exceptions, and when, as in this case,
a President will give the results of his experience,
he will always find hearers and readers. We are
not of those who would rigidly exclude all debateable matter from such addresses, for to do that is
to deprive them of interest. There are cerbainly
plenty of inaccuracies that go unchallenged before
technical societies when the meeting is open for
discussion ; while in other walks of life it is not
customary to confine every speaker to platitudes.
If it were, gatherings for speechmaking would
become more tedious than they generally are at
present. We are often in disagreement with Mr.
W ordingham, but he is always worth li::~tening to,
for he holds pronounced opinions and knows how
to make out a good case for them.

THE DESIGNING OF WAR VESSELS.

THE German Emperor, whose versatility as a
universal provider of information has hardly been
equalled since the publication of " The Child's
Guide to l{nowledge," has been instructing his
Admirals and the world at large in the way to
design and usea navy. Our own leading journal,
fired by so bright an example, has been directing
some of this fertilising educational flood over British
fields. At a meeting of the German Society of
Naval Architects, the Emperor not only listened
to a technical paper ''On the Disposition of Guns
in Battleships and the Results upon Naval Architecture," but actually took part in the discussion ;
probably an unprecedented thing for a monarch,
but the German Emperor is essentially unprecedented. He treated the subject ((b ovo; going back
to the days of galley-ships-of-the-line ; for, a true
Teuton, his mind is essentially encyclopmdic. His
Majesty worked through the long era of ma&ts and
sails, arriving finally at the day of the steamdriven
armour-clad. Lessons to be learnt by admirals of
modern fleets from the tactics of oar-propelled
galleys were impressed; the Battle of Lepanto and
Don John's semi-circle appearing in due course.

the benefit of conclusions to be drawn from this

Imperial disquisition on t~e art ?f destruction i. b?t
the prosaic details of shtp design are more within
our mental grasp. His Majesty said that the distinctive point of German construction is "that
from the first it was our object to secure for na,al
officers who sail and fight the ship the greatest
possible influence upon constructors and builders.
In fact, we are the first nation that has ventured
to place an active navy captain at the head of our
Construction Department."
The Emperor appears to have been misle~. in
regard to his facts; at any rate, so far as the BrttJsh
Service is concerned . The Controller of the Royal
Navy, who is sometimes, though rarely, a captain,
but generally an admiral, is the he&d of the Construction Department at our own Admiralty; whilst
at the Royal Dockyards the captains or admirals
Our
superintendent are the chief authority.
Director of Naval Construction and our Engineerin-Chief are but officials in the Controller's Department at Whitehall ; whilst chief constructors and
chief engineers at the dockyards are subordinate
to the rule of the naval officer who is superintendent.
The professional officials are subject to the commands of naval officers in both instances. As a
matter of practice the naval officers have the control of ship design. When the design of the ships
of the Royal Sovereign class was got out, the procedure followed was made public by an official
document- a most surprising and unusual event.
It will be remembered that the military fe~tures
were settled at a conference of naval officers, and
the duty of putting these features into practical
shape was alone left to the constructors and engineers.
This is the orthodox method of procedure, and
one that is stamped by common sense. The
naval officer should, by his training and experience, be the best judge of what is needed to
make the most efficient fighting machine. Whether
gun-fire, speed, or armour, should preponderate
in any given class of vessel, are details learnt
through strategy and tactics acquired at sea and by
long study of the science of naval warfare, and of the
experiments undertaken to ascertain the efficiency
of guns, armour, &c. That is the naval officer's
business. He does not know, however, to what
extent it is possible to combine each of the qualities
respectively in one design. All military features
mean simply added weight, and the natural laws
which govern displacement, stability, speed, &c., are
inexorable. The naval architect can interpret
these. It is obvious that the ship cannot have
ar tillery, protection, and speed in excess. The
naval architect can say : "If you must have 20
knots and so much armour protection, you cannot
have so many or so big guns. \Vhich will you
sacrifice ?" In fa.ct, the naval officer designs the
ship, the naval architect works out the details.
'!'his, as we have eaid, is common sense; but
what is not common sense is that the admirals,
having told the constructors and engineers what
they need in the completed ship, should interfere
as to the way their instructions are to be carried out.
The military design having been settled by executive naval officers, they should stand aside until
the ship is built ; and then, if the constructors and
engineers at the Admiralty or the dockyards have
not carried out the design, it would be they who
would be responsible. The controllers and admirals
superintendent of dockyards are more than redundant ; they prevent those who could really control
and superintend taking up their proper positions
and due responsibilities. Until reform in this
direction is brought about, the Navy will never get
ships built efficiently, cheaply, and expeditiously,
either by the Royal dockyards or by contractors,
and this, in spite of all that committees of inquiry,
dominated by naval officers, may say to the contrary. The sway of the uninstructed amateur cannot be otherwise than pernicious.
The German Emperor, who works as conscientiously at arriving at the true inwardness of things
as any man in Europe, appears to have an idea of
these important facts. "No doubt," he says," the
shipbuilder must arrive at a compromise between
the conditions of artillery fire, the po,ver of the
engines, and the tactical requirements of the naval
officers." If His Majesty will carry his convictions
further, and determine that the proper and instructed authorities shall be empowered to carry
out the work, he may set a useful example that we
shall, perhaps, be wise enough to follow. At the

E N G I N E E R I N G.
meeting to which we have referred, His Majesty,
with the true histrionic instinct, which is one of his
most valuable gifts, felt that his long and serious
speech needed, possibly, some relief ; and he told a
little tale which was truly humourous. He explained
how his zeal for naval architecture led him to inquire
of an old naval officer what the "meta-centrum "
was. The officer said "he did not quito know, he
believed it was a secret; but if it were placed in the
truck at the masthead, the ship would capsize.,
The Times Berlin correspondent, to whose report
we are indebted for these details, appears to have
considered that the Imperial joke needed journalistic
explanation. "For the benefit of those--and there
must be many, " he adds with undoubted truthfulness, "who are in the p osition of His Majesty's
captain as regards their knowledge of naval technology, it may be mentioned that the ' metacentrum ' is a point in an imaginary perpendicular
line passing through the middle of a ship, at which
that line would be cut by the level of the water " !
We hope Sir William W bite, in the next edition of
his "Manual of Naval .Architecture," will take
note of this enlightenment of the ignorance of
average humanity, and will correct the mistaken
description he has incorpor<lted in his work. We
think, however, there must be a slight misprint
somewhere, for every one knows that the metumcentrum, as made in Germany, is calculated from
the equator-we should say the equatum-not the
water-line. When not in use it is always placed
under the charge of the senior navigating officer
of the marines.

NOTES.
J{RIEGER ELECTROUOBILE.
OF the many motor cars t.hat took part in the
Automobile Club run from London to Southsea, on
Saturday last., probably the most interesting was
the Krieger electromobile. This was not the
'' Powerful, " which last summer made the Yery
remarkable run fron1 London to Glasgow and back :
a record performance which has been carefully reported on by Mr. Conrad W. Cooke in the pages of
TRACTION AND TRANSMISSION. It was a s maller car
that made such a good record in th e LondonSouthsea run, and was built by the Krieger firm
to the specification of the British and Foreig n
Electrical Vehicle Company, of 4, Bloomsburyplace. The weight of the car in running order is
1 ton 15 cwt., and it took five passengers. The
following particulars of the run were taken by Mr.
Llewellyn Preece, and will be read with interest :
THE

Stoppin~

and Starting
Places.

Automobile Olub
Egbam Hall ..
)I

..

Winchester
I

Co3ham

Times.

Dist.ances.

Speedd per
Ho ur.

Nov. 16
9.87 a.m.
11.25 ,
11.41
~.40 p.m.
4.22 ,
0.0 .,

mile~

mil ea

23

12

44!

14

23!

13

)I

The total timed distance was 90~ miles, the total

time 6 hours 26 minutes, and the average speed 14
miles an hour. 'l'he run from Cosham to Southsea
was 6 miles. At the start the voltage was 95,
which fell at Southsea to 86, in each case with 30
amperes. A charge of 30 units was put into the
cells before starting, and 6 units at Winchester,
where the stoppage was made for lunch ; on t he
journey only the prescribed stoppages were made.
'fhis performance was a better one t han that of the
"Powerful," and promises well for the future of the
Krieger electromobile, in t he hands of the English
company.
THE CrTY AND SoUTH LoNDON RAILWAY.
The City and South London Railway was the
first deep-tunnel line-the first tube railwayin the world. It was designed by the late Mr.
J. H. Greathead, and built, under his supervision,
by the shield which he invented, and which has
since been used in many other tunnels. Originally
it ran from Stockwell to the Monument, that portion being opened in 1890. In February, 1900, a
portion of the line was temporarily abandoned,
and a new line was constructed from the south side
of London Bridge to Moorgate-street. In June of
t he same year t he sout hern end of the system was extended from Stockwell to Clapham Common. Now,
in t he present week, the northern end has been
carried to the Angel at I slington, and opened
for traffic, so that there is direct communication
from Islington to Clapham Common, connecting

two hitherto somewhat inaccessible suburbs. The

journey is now ma':le in 27 minutes by trains
having 2! minutes headway, and it is expected to
decrease the time shortly to 24 minutes, and to
run trains at two minutes during t he busy hours,
morning and evening. Even this short interval
migh t be further reduced were it not for the great
crowds to be dealt with at the Mansion House
Station. It often takes a minute to fill and empty
a train at this station. The total length of t he line is
6! miles, and the speed 14 miles an hour, including
12 stops. There is before Parliament a project, separately promoted, to carry the line from the '' Angel, "
along Pentonville-road and Euston-road to Euston
Station; and if that undertaking is carried out, the
line will make connection with quite a large number
of rail ways, including theNorth-Western at Euston,
the Midland at St. Pancras, the Great Northern at
IGng's-cross, the Metropolitan at King's-cross, the
Great Northern and City (under construction) at
Old-street and Moorgate-street., the Metropolitan
at Moorgate-street, the Central L ondon at the Bank,
the London, Brighton, and South Coast, and the
South-Eastern and Chatham at London Bridge, and
the South-Eastern and Chatham again at the Elephant and at Clapham-road. None of these are
physical junctions, but in some cases there are
covered ways between the two stations, and in all
the distance is insignificant. Not only was the City
and South London Rail way the first of its kind,
but it has been worked out on independent lines,
by British engineers. The early electric equipment
was designed by Dr. Ed ward Hopkinson (Messrs.
Mather and Platt), and when the extensions outgrew its capacity, the directors, instead of going to
A m erica for ideas, adopted the three wire system
of transmitting electric energy, this rail way being,
we believe, the first and only example of this
system applied to traction. They built a new
engine and boiler-house, and installed new machin ery of the latest type, fitted with all possible
labour-saving appliances. This station is situated
at Stockwell, and there are sub-stations at London
Bridge and at the " Angel. ,
These sub-stations
are fed at 1000 volts above the earth, at 2000 volts
across t he outers, the additional 500 volts being
boosted up on the switchboard at Stockwell, and
reduced at the sub-stations by special continuouscurrent r educers made by the Electric Construction Company. At each station there is a
battery of 250 Tudor cells to steady the current,
and to drive the t rains when the main current
is cut off. At the ''Angel " the station is in a
tu be 30 ft. in diameter, the lower part of the
tube serving as a house for the machinery. New
rolling stock is being built for the traffic, including
more powerful locomotives and ten trains of four
coaches each. In a short time there will be twentyfour trains in operation. All the new hoists are
operated by electricity, and have been provided by
Messrs. Easton and Co., Limited, of Erith. Mr. P. V.
McMahon is the engineer of the railway company ..
THE CoMPLETION oF THE MANCHURIAN
RAILWAY.
We have frequently remarked that the engineer
is a more powerful personage t han the politician,
or even the military man. By his works he creates
conditions against which these cannot prevail, and
hence t he necessity for t he study of what we have
called industrial dynamics. The engineer may
call forces into action which upset t he calculations
of all who confine their attent ion to merely local
conditions. The developments which have taken
place in the methods of communication have
shrunken the globe into s mall dimensions, and
brought economic conditions to something lik e
equality.
We have had many examples of
this during the past quarter of a century, and
probably the most recent will be the most important. The congratulations which passed bet ween the Czar and M. \Vitte on the completion of
the Manchurian extension of the great Siberian ra.ilwaywere fully justified, not only bythe magnitude of
the work which had been done, but also because of
t he results which were certain to follow. \Vhile we
cannot justify all that has been done in the name
of Russian diplomacy, we must confess th!\t a great
deal of the criticism which has been made of their
work in t he Far East has been very unfair. A
well-known man recently remarked that the
Russians had not taken possession of any territory which was of any use to any other European Power; and that if he were a Russian, he
would rather die than give up the determination

[Nov.

22, 1901.

to have a free opening to the Pacific Coast for their

vast territories in the north of Asia. It is only ten
years since the Czar, then on a tour r ound the
world, cut the first sod of the railway at Vladivostock, and from that time the work has been carried
out with an unceasing and tireless energy. The Czar
was justified in the warmth of his language to M.
Witte, when he said, " I congratulate you on the
completion, within so short a time, and amid
incredible difficulties, of one of the greatest railway undertakings in the world. "
We have
from time to time given some account of the
details of that work ; our object n ow is not to
enter into these, but merely to note the completion of a very important section, which is destined
to have great economic, industrial, and political
results. .As originally planned, the terminus of
the railway was to be at Vladivostock; but, ~ince
the qndertaking was entered upon, events in the
Far East have added to the scheme. If that scheme
had been British instead of Russian, no criticism
would have been offered in this country to those
developments. The acquisition by Russia, in 1898,
of P ort Arthur and Talienwan, with the right to
connect these places with the main Siberian
system by a railway through Manchuria, not
only added to the magnitude of the undertaking,
but also to its commercial and industrial importance. It is expected when the 1ine is in good working order, and when trains may run uninterruptedly,
that the distance between Moscow and Vladivostock or Port Arthur will be covered in about ten
days at a fare of 12l. for firstclass sleeping car.
It is also estimated that the journey by the
Siberian route from London to Shanghai will
take 16 days, and cost 32l., instead of the 35
days and 90l. involved in t he present sea route;
but probably this calculation is unduly optimistic. In any case the commercial results must
be very marked. No doubt a great portion of
the heavy goods will still be sent by sea ; but
much of the lighter goods and a large proportion of
the p1ssengers will go overland. The industrial development of Siberia, however, opens up possibilities which it is impossible at t he present time
even to imagine. Politically, the railway brings
Russia right into t he politics of the Far East, and
places her practically within striking distance of
Pekin. We will not, meant ime, attempt to follow
the commercial and political results which are
certain to follow, but even to superficial observers
these must appear to be very great.
THE INTERNATIONAL AssociATION FOR TEsTING
TECHNIC..il MATERIALS .AT B UDAPEST.
The International Association for testing technical materials met at Budapest in the week September 9 to 14, under t he presidency of Professor
L. von Tetmajer, who was re-elected president
for the n ext conference, t o be held at St. P etersburg in 1903. The Budapest meeting was attended
by 424 deleaates and members, comprising 175
from Hungary, 44 from Austria, 72 from Germany,
38 from France, 27 from Russia, four each from
the United I{ingdom and the U ni ted States ; all
European States, including Turkey, were represented, with t he exception of Greece. Reports
from the respective national associations were presented by Professors Ho we, of New York, Le
Chatelier, of Paris, and Martens, of Berlin ; and,
further, by Professor Rejto on behalf of the
Hungarian Organising Committee. The Congress
was overburdened with papers, not all of which
were in print. Otherwise the arrangements were
excellent, and the three days' excursion which
followed t he five days, meeting, down the Danube
to the Beoczin Cement \Vorks, near Peterwardein,
the Resicza Iron Works, the Iron Gates, &c., was
thoroughly enjoyed by t he 150 particjpants.
The Government placed an express tram entirely at the disposal of th~ membe~s for this
excursion. The Congress dehberated In two sections dealing respectively with metals and with
ston~s, cemAnts, &c. The first, Section A, received
many papers, among which we may mention a c.omprehensi ve report on the Strengths of Matenals,
by the President, taken as read ; Baron J uptner's
paper on The Carbon Modifications in Iron ;
further those by Mesnager (Paris) on Optical
Tests; ' Osmond and Cartaud, on Metallo-Micro
scopy ; E. Heyn (Charloltenburg), on The Influence of Hydrogen on Iron and of Oxygen on
Copper.
A. Wahlberg's (Stockholm) paper on
Impact T ests after Brinell at Ordinary and Very
Low Temperatures, and on Brinell's Sphere

Nov.

22,

I90r.]

T.ests, unfortunately not iu print, was vigorously

discussed . Many-notably French memb ers- insisted that the h abit ual methods of testing did n ot
s uffice to ch a racterise materials like mild iron, and
that impact tests with indented r ods sh ould be
adopted. Oth ers poin ted to t he great difficulties
of arriving at m ethods which would secure comparable results . The Con gress h ence contented
itself with expressing a desire for further investi<Yation of the matter, and with recommending s;ch
tests. In a paper on The Inter-relation b etween
the Phenon1ena of M echanical, Electrical, and
Magn e tical Pola risation, Professor von Ho6r
(Budapest)~proposed that m echanical tests s hould,
so far as possible, be conducted parallel wit h electrical and magnetical tests ; and this motion was
carried as a general resolut ion by the Congress.
Electricians will welcome this resolution.
Dr.
Wedding a nnounced t h at the International Siderochemical Laboratory would b e opened at Ziirich
in t he Polytechnicum as soon as the gran t of
16,000 francs had been passed.
Section B also
received m any paper s, especially on cemen ts and
concretes, and on 'Arn1e:l' Concretes (Concrete
Constructions strengthened by Iron). We n otice
among t he a u th ors Gary (Charlottenburg) ; Considere, Mercier, Le Chatelier, and Leduc (Paris);
B. Blount (London) ; Baire (Amsterda m) ; llelelubsky (St. P etersburg) ; F oss (CoEenhagen );
Feret, Zielinski, Zhuk, a nd Schaffarzik (B udapest).
D efinitions of Portland cements were proposed by
E. Schott (Heidelberg) and I{irsch (Vienna). A
direct attack was made against t he use of
blast- furnace slags in Portland cements, and
after a long and lively discussion, the following
definition was accepted : '' Portland cement is
an hydraulic cement, obtained by heating a natural
or an artificial mixture of lime and clay, or
other materials containing silicates, to sintering ; the product is ground to a fine powder.
The Congress d oes n ot regard as Portland cements any other hydraulic cements, n or mixtures
of Portland cement with other s ubstances. "
Herfeldt (Andernach-on-the-Rhine) reported on
testing of puzzolane and trass. The St. Petersburg
meeting of 1903 will be h eld by invitation of t h e
Russian Government. The Association has been
in working order since 1896.

HEAVY DIMENSION GRINDI NG .

In a paper read befor e the Manchester Associa tioi). of Engineers, Mr. Hans Ren olds, who h as done
so much towards bringing to its present pitch of
perfection chain-gearing, d escribed a r ecent development of dimension grinding in t he U nited
States. Reamers, milling cutters, and the like
have long been finished by means of a grinding machine, a nd, in fact, wibhoub the latter would
be valueless from a commercial p oint of view,
and hardened surfaces generally have also been
quite commonly brought to truth in a similar
way. The met hod h as, h owever, been used comparatively little .fo~ finishing unh.a~dened wo~k;
and as it necessanly Involves an add1t10nal h and}ng
of any piece treated,. it .would s~em at first s1ght
that in such cases gnnding has httle to re~ommen~
it. Mr. C. H. Norton, however, an American engineer with a large experience in g rinding machinery,
thought differently, and when una ble to pers ua de
large firms to take the. mabter up on the sca}e
he had in view, determined to open a factory, In
which grinding was done for t he trade generally.
The machine he has constructed for the purpose
will finish off cylindrical work 8ft. long ~y 18 in.
in diameter and is of an extremely masstve construction. The emery wheels u sed are 24 in. in
diameter. The work operated on is traversed, and
n ot the emery wheel, though provision is made
for feeding the latter ~owards or f~om t~e work,
the actuating screws b eing fit~ed w1th m~crom eter
heads which render t he grindmg of a cy hnder to a
predetermined size a very simple matter. Both
work and emery wheel. revolye, but. the speed
of the former is so adJusted 1n relatiOn to the
rate of t raverse that at each r evolution of the
work the t otal' traverse is equal to the width
of the wheel.
All guidiug surfaces ar e,. of
course, very carefully protected from part icles
of emery or other dust, and t~e arrange.ment
for varying speeds a nd feeds admtts of practiCally
instantaneous changes being . made V.:itl~out the
necessit y of stopping the machine. ThlB IS accomplished by joining the different steps of t~e b elt
pulley by conical surfaces, up or down whiCh .the
belt can be forced frorr.. one step to another w1th-

E N G I N E E R I N G.
out stopping the m achine. Mr. Norton states that
it is a bad plan to put the machine in charge of a
good t urner, as t h e latter is misled by his lath e
experience, and therefore fails to get th e same output from th e machine as an inexperienced but intelligent labourer. Thus in using t he steady-rests the
latter does not trouble to " spot off" bearin g
places for them on the rough-turned bar ; but
simply lets them r est on t h e rough-t urned s urface
and goes ahead. The use of these steady-rests is
found a dvisable even on the h eaviest work. Thus
Mr. Norton states t hat wit h out the steady-rests,
a locomotive piston-rod, 3! in. in diameter an d
50 in. long, and rough turned iz in. over size,
will r equire two hours to finish ; whilst by using
steady-rests th e work will be finish ed with equal
accuracy in t hirty minutes. Mr. Norton's firm
are now doing a very large business in fi nishing
with t heir machines work from outside factories .
This comes to them rough -turned from :?<r in. to
trJ in . over size, and is then finished in the grinding machine to size within the 1 -if"1n5 of an inch in
much less t ime than would be n eeded for fi nishing on the lathe, a nd the work turnod ou t is,
moreover, more truly cylindrical, and has a s urface which requires n either file nor emery cloth
to r ender it s mooth.
As an instance of the
time saved, Mr. H ans R enolds showed at the
meeting two b ars 14 in. lon g and originally
2~ in . in diameter. The one was rough t urned to
21 in. in diameter, and the other, after roughing
in a similar way, was finished to 2fa- in. in
dia meter by grinding, t he time taken being
12 minutes. T o finish t h e bar entirely in the
lathe would h a ve r equired, by turning and filin g,
seven or eight times as much t ime. Mr. Renolds
ment ions that Oorliss valves 8 in. in dia meter
and 48 in. long are sent to t he N orton factory
for finishing from engine - builders as much as
1000 m iles away.
NOTES FROM THE UNITED STATES.
PHILADEL"PHIA, November 14.
THE activity in iron and steel has been a. surprise
to manufacturers, consumers, jobbers, and others, and
the inquiries of t he past forty-eight hours indicate the
strong probability of a heavier dema nd than has yet been
experienced for early deliveries. While prices have not
yet advanced, and while it is safe to say that advances
are improbable, there are enough who think otherwise
to give the market an unsettled condit ion and to
lead to higher prices for specia l accommodation. The
event of the past few days has been the attempted
organisation of a 50,000,000 dols. trust made up of
nearly all the independent plate mills outside of the
great J ones and Laughlins plant at Pittsburgh. This
combination will work in harmony with the United
States Steel Corporation, if it goes through, as it
appears to be on the point of doing. The combining tendency is at work in other directions,
and we may expect the so - called independent
producing interests to very largely come under
t he control of t he great central power. The volume
of business for the past week has been exceptionally
large, and it is quite prob3oble that demand will continue about as it has been, and that large consumers
will make purchases for summer delivery. The great
feature of the past few days has been the scarcity of
cars which amounts to a famin e. T h( re are not enough
cars' to haul finished products, coke or coal, wheat or
lumber, and many other heavy articles of mercha?dise.
The condition was never so intrnse and aggravatmg as
it is, and the pressu~e for r?lling stock is ~ikely. t? co~
tinue for an indefintte penod. Steel rail a.cttVIty IS
as great as o~hers, and the estimat~d volume of business includmg unfilled orders, 1s now placed at
1 300 000 t ons. Railroad requirements are far from
b~ing' filled. Numerous heavy requirements are being
heard of. All lines of hardware manufacture are
crowded. Great activity continues in engineering and
mechanical branches. Electrical equipment p1a nts ar.e
bringing in new capacity. Conditions are most gratifying. Coal and coke are in abundant supply at their
sources but distribution is much ha mpered. A heavy
demand continues for all lines of pig iron. Steel
billet production is still over-t axed. Bar iron and
steel are held high, and are very active.
GYROSOOPIO A CTION AND THE LOSS
OF THE " 00 BRA. "
To THE EDITOR oF ENGINEERING.
Sxn,-In reply to Mr. H enry J. Da.vis, I _have to say
that a perfect gyroscope of the typ~ sketched m m~ lette.r,
without friction either in the bearmgs of the aX:ts or m
the pivot about whic~ ib prec~ses, and suppo3IDg that
the air opposes n? resista.nc~, wlll nob ~esc~nd a.~ all by
the action of gravity, but will preoeas w1bh tts axiS ab b~e
same inclination to the vertical for ever an? ever. . I eatd
in my letter that the axis would precess m a horizontal

plcvne because I supposed it to be placed horizontally to

begin' with; but i f placed at any inclination, it will preserve
that inclination for ever, if undisturbed. If a ahght tap
be given to the frame, the axis will wag ~bout its previous
inclination, and describe a waved cone m apace, as Mr
Maofarlane Gray says of the top, at about the mi?dl~ of the
firsb column on page 624, " the top keeps on sp10mng but
wavering continually to one aide and the other .of the
position of inclined balance." I am sure that so ~mshed a
mecha.ni01an as Mr. Gray does nob mean that th1s wavering is a necessary conditio~; he is only taking a. gen.eral
case. The simplest case 1s one of smooth motion m a
true or E uclidean cone.
But Mr. Da.vis will eay-In a practical trial I find that
the axis does gradually fall ; and any one over six years
of age will tell you that a top does not remain inclined,
but gets upright again when whipped over to a sloping
position. Tliat is because another couple is acting, and
the axis turns so as to get a com ponen b rotation of toe sort
that that couple bends to produce. Your correspondent
" K . Y ." states the direction of change correctly: the
couple demands, so to speak, rotation about a certain
direction, the axis satisfies that couple by burnin~ so that
its rotation acquires a component about that dueotion ;
and the rate of acqui3ition of that component is strictly
proportional to the rnagnitude of the cowple. The couple
keeps its accounts correctly; ib is never out in its cash.
What then are the couples which make the gyroscope
fall in the one case, and the top, which is only another
gyroscope, rise in the other ?
First, take Mr. Davis's case of the gyroscope. Instead
of a fine point, leb the top of the vertical support be a
spherical knob of considerable size, so as to produce
a ~ood deal of friction. The axis will descend much
qu1cker than when the sharp point was employed. This
friction-opposing motion about a vertical axis lS a couple
aboub a vertical axis, in a sense contrary to the precession.
Let Mr. Da.vis draw a circle about the ,Pivot in my Fig. 2
(page 625 ante), and put an arrow on 1t contrary to the
arrow a, to represent the friction couple, and let him con-

.#--- -------... -....__. .)

~ .... _
_ ,.~
'\

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

\ .I

'

'

(7118)

sider which way the axis must move to get a componen~

rotation of the sort that this couple deals in. Clearly the
top must fall. H owever sharp the _point of support, it
must have some friction, and there IS also the resistance
of the air; but there is yet another couple, a little more
obscure, which opposes the preceesion and eo helps the
system to fall; and I will endeavour to describe it. It is
due, strange as it may appear to those who hear it for
the first time, to the frict10n of the bearings of the axis
of the top, and the friction of the air opposing motion
about the axis. These causes diminish the rate of rotation about the axie, and consequently (as follows from
bhe formula) the rate of precession increases ; but accelerating the precession involves an opposite reaction due
to the inertia of the body, opposing the precession like
the friction of the pivot, and so the t?P _falls. T~erefore,
if a gyrosco-pe had an absolutely fr1ct1onless ptvob, but
had friction in the bearings of the top, ib would gradually
fall.
Indeed- (how hard ibis to tell a11 the truth at once I)my statement in your issue of November 1, that the apparatus does not fall down when placed on the support,
requires modification : if the liand releases the ring
"cl~n, " without impul~e t~ the right or left, in pl~c
ing Ib on the support, Ib wtll fall through a small dtstance, because the system has to be accelerated to the
speed of precession froiD: rest, and ~ts inertia <?PPOSES a
reaction contrary to tb1s acceleratiOn. But 1 ab the
ruomenb the band lets go of the frame, the latter has the
speed of precession w, then on release it will nob fall,
but continue to move in a. plane if horizontal, and in a
none if sloping.
Now, as to the small boy's gyroscope, or peg-top, which
generally rises to the vertical position. It depends on
the shape of the point on which it spins whether ib 1tJiU
so rise. If it be ground to a clean conical point like a centre
punch, and this point turns in a small depression or
centre-punch dab in the t able, the top will nob rise, but
will precess in a cone, just as in the case of the gyroscope
above considered, gradually falling and precessing quicker
as the spin dies out. But if the point is rounded, as is
usual, then in any inclined position the top is not resting
on the poinb of the peg, hub on one point of a smaU
circular section of diameter a in the annexed figure, a
little above the point. Now if there were absolutely no
friction between the peg and the table, the top would
precess in a double cone about its centre of gravity, as
shown by the two dotted lines ; and since there is friction,
the small circle a constitutes a little locomotive driving
wheel urging the precessional motion round faster than
its n~tural rate. This constitutes a couple about a
vertical axis in the same direction as the precession.
After what I have said above as to the direction of
precession, it should be clear to everyone who reads this
carefully that the preces~ion is in the eame direction ae

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

7~0
the rotation as viewed from above ; therefore the effect
o! the friction couple is to increase the component rotatlOn of the top about a. vertical axis ; in other words,
to make it more upright.
I would recommend all who wish bo master this subject
to get a. most charming little book by Professor John
Perry, called "The Spinning Top," published by the
Society for the Promo~ion of Christ1a.n Knowledge; price,
I think, half-a-crown. Also "The Mechanics of Rotation," or some such name, by Worthington ; the publisher
~ have forgott~n; the price is pro~ably a. little mor~. Ib
1s no use abusmg the gyroscope, hke "K. Y.'s " fnends.
What does Kipling's old sergeant say? I quote from
memory:
" If the 'alf of your bullets fly wide in the ditch,
Don'b call your Martini a. cross-eyed old bitch;
She's human, as you are-you treat her as sich,
And she'll fight for the young British soldier."
If "K. Y." will treat the instrument "as sich," he will
soon understand it . He has half the truth- namely, as to
which way the axis is deflected ; the other half- the rate
of deflection-is almost as simple, viz., the sort of r.:>tation
which the acting couple tends to produce, and produces,
when applied to a body at rest, is produced, 0/I'IAl at pre
cisely the same 'rate, when the couple is applied to a. body
which is already rotating in anobher manner ; only the
gain of the sort of motion the couple requires is brought
about by the deflection of the ortginal axis of rotation
towards a direction coincident with, or parallel to, the
axis of the applied couple.
The following is a good 'recipe for teaching the principles. Take one man who understands the matter, and
not more than three or four who do nob, but really want
to. Let them all be good enough friends to wrangle
hobly and contradict each other without losing their
tempers, and set them to fighb for two or three hours
with one or more gyroscopes on the table before them.
The instruments need not be expensive ones: the form
shown in my last letter costs aoout 6d. : there wa.s a
very pretty_ one at the last Brussels Exposition, having a.
miniature Eiffel Tower for a. supporfl, and a cardboard
box which precessed ou one corner when the top in
motion wa.s shut up inside it (price 1 franc). The instrumen b has not escaped the notice of those extremely
clever people, the makers of the toys which a.re sold on
the kerbston(>. I bought an admirable one of a new type
for 2d. from a.n itinerant merchant in the Strand, in
which the couple and consequent precession could be rever.aed in a. moment. Also much can be done with bicycle
wheels, as several correspondents have shown. Well,
the first sitting will make those learners think they know
a.ll about it; but they will be back the next da.y and assail
their instructor with, " What you say is a.ll very well,
my dear fellow, but you are quite wrong. How do you
account for this ?'' And they will proceed to disclose each
a. differeab mare's nest. With very little help from the
man who knowE', they will annihilate each other's mistakes, a.nd will soon become confirmed gyrosta.ticia.n~.
Mr. Ca.ssel need not suppose one set of propellers to be
oub of the water, a.nd racmg, to upset Sir H. Maxim's
equation 0 :::: 0; a.ll he ba.s to suppose is the order from
the deck to the engine-room which must sometimes be
given, " port engines full speed ahead, starboard engines
full speed astern," and be ba.s a.ll the turbines going the
same way, and the sum, instead of the difference, of their
gyrosta.tic efforts acting on the ship. It will nob do her the
slightest ba.rm. I wish to write with all proper restraint
of a. gentleman so obviously earnest in his desire to arrive
at the truth as Mr. Ca.ssel, and imbued with so evidently
patriotic a. feeling, so I will j usb ask him to reconsider his
statement that two parts of a. rigid body ma.y be moving
with different angular velocities. The idea is entirely
inadmissible. And a.s to the combined pitching, rolling,
a.nd steering motion, it sounds very formidable; but the
forces due to each a.re those which would exist if it alone
existed. Thufl, let a be the angle of the shaft with .the
horizontal ab any moment, we have a. horizontal rotation
In cos a, and a. vertical rotation In sin a; and ifX be the angular rate of pitching ;
1{1
,
,
,
rolling;
w
,
,
,
steering ;
the couples called out arcfor pitching, In X ;
, , rolling, In 1{1 sio a ;
, steering, In w cos a..
I is, o course, the moment of inert' a wuk'l, a.nd

n the

rate of rotation of the shafb.

Mr. H. J. Bi.ngham Powell's vie~s are ~orrecb, unless
his closing sentence means that he thmks, w1th Mr. CasseJ,
that two parts of a. rigid body can have different instantaneous angular velocities. Mr. ~illiam Leig~ton J orda.n'd
case is almost hopeless ; he thmks gyrostat10 effec'lis are
produced by the motion of revolving shafts parallel to
themselves ; and this is curious, as be lias a gyroscope. I
should think he could easily satisfy himself that such is
not the ca.se, but that the moment he changes the d,irection of the revolving shaft the effects show themselv~.
If the shaft of a ~hip is. horizontal, a.nd s~e rolls ever so
inuch keeping 1t honzonta.l, there wlll be nob t he
sli~htest gyrostabic effec~; and this effect, ~her~ it does
enst, is not due to gra.vtty, as ~r. J ~rda.n tma.gmes, but
to inertia; gra vity mere~y supphes-m s01;ne oases, hub
nob in all-the couple. wbto~ ca.':lses precessiOn. We can
conceive a. universe m whwh t~ertlla.. was poesess~d by
bodies, but nob mutual attraot10n; tn such a. uruverse
gyrostatic effects would be the same as they are n ow.
All this is dreadfully ~on g. I ~ear there i~ su~h a thing a.a
'lJisinertice scribendi, wh10h requues defleotmg mto.another
direction but I would say just one more word 1n reply
to Mr. D~vis. He says "gyroscopic action is only caused

by a change in the direction of the axis of revolution." It

is nob quite that ; say, rather, "the gyrostatic couple is
i nsepara.ble from the change of direction." The couple
may cause the precession, as in the free gyrostat, or the
forced change of direction ma.y call into existence the
couple.
Your obedient servant,
G. A. MATI'HEY.
15, Rue Ba.sseina.ya., Kieff,
October 31-November 13, 1901.

[Nov.

22, 1901.

the opposite direction with the reversal of the stresses.

It must, however, I think, be also admitted that by
getting half over any heavy spar (such as the mast of a
large ship) chancing to be in the vessel's course, a similar
stress a.nd resulting fracture might be caused ; and I see
no sufficient reason to be sure that so great a stress could
be created by any gyroscopic action of the propellers and
turbines a.s could be created by such a spar.
I am, Sir, your obedient servant,
WM. LEIGHTON JoRDAN.
November 18, 1901.

To THE EDITOR OF ENGINEERING.

SIR,- ! beg that you will allow me to record a. protest
PATENTS IN SOUTH AFRICA.
a.~ainst the manner m which your correspondent "ExpeTo THE EDITOR OF ENGINEERING.
rtentia Docet" denounces as either ignorant or dishonest
~~~-We a.re 'Ya.iting for and hoping for a United
all who differ from his opinion on the above subject. He Bnttsh South Afnca.. I hear rumours of alterations in
seem~ to consider the fact of two of your correspondents, the patent laws of the new colonies in South Africa, a.nd
each properly held in high repute in the scientific world, your readers interested in such matters should be on
having argued aga.insb the existence of any gyroscopic their guard.
actiop on board the Cobra. ought to be sufficient to put a.n . My immediate reason for writing is to suggest that the
end t~ further discussion. But against tha.b view I beg mterested Governments should be urged to arran~e that
you to bear in mind that one of his two champions (Mr. "one South African J?~tenb " should cover a.ll British
Macfarlane Gray) has declared the gyroscope to be a. South African p ossess10ns; it would be still better to
''mystery " ; a.nd the other (Sir Hira.m Max im) in his adopt the French system, and make one British patent
letter in your igsue of October 25 say~, "there is no cover all British possessions, or, to meet the prejudice of
philosophical instrument in existence which is so little some, make two distinct sets of patents-one for Greab
understood," and the expression of such opinions by men Britain and Ireland, a.nd one for all other British Possesso well known to be of great experience and ability in sions; call the latter the "Imperial patent."
scientific matters must, I think, be considered fully to
The present arrangements here oblige us to take out
justi.fy your apparent desire to have the matter threshed ~ve or six separate patents : a. very heavy tax on
out m your columns.
mventors.
Presuming that you continue disposed to keep your
The country is extensive; but the centres, where the
columns open for the discussion, I offdr further comments patents are likely to be of use, a.re few and far a.pa.rb, and
on two points.
the population small in any of them, compared to EuroFirst, Sir Hira.m Maxim alludes to the tendency of the pean towns. The adjustment of revenue could easily be
rotation of a rifle bullet to roll on the air compressed arranged between the various Governments. Patenb laws
bel_ow it as tending to cause the bullet with a right-hand were made to encourage invention, and for the benefit of
twiSt to be deflected to the right, recognising, however, the public generally; the multiplication of expenses prethat the actual deflection is in the opposite direction. In vents many inventors from coming forward, and progress
connection with that theory of the rolling of a. projectile, is consequently delayed.
a paper by L ord R9.yleigh (Scientific Papers. vol. I, page
Some years back a British patent was sound here; bnt
344) '' Oa the irregular flight of a. tennis ball," is, I think, we have gone backwarde!, and have wiped oub that
appropriate to the present discussion, as ib gives a. practical sensible law.
refuba.oion of a similar theory ad va.nced in explanation of
Yours faithfully,
the motion of a tennis ball progressing with a. horizontal
A. W. AoKERMANN, A.M. Inst. C.E.
twist. In the case of the t ennis ball, a.s well as in that of
Castle Compal!y'B Buildings, Adderleystreet,
the bullet, the actual deviation from the straight course
Cape Town, October 22, 1901.
is in the opposite direction to that which the suggested
rolling motion would tend t o cause. That practical
divergence from the theory has been pointed out by
THE SuEz CaNAL.-The transit revenue of the Suez Cana
Lord Rl-yleigh in the one case, a.nd by Sir Hiram Company in the tirsb 10 months of this year amounted to
Maxim in the other. The deviation of the bullet 3,345,994t., as compared with 2,981,35ll. in the correagrees with the combined action of gravity a.nd the sponding period of 1900, and 3, 099, 767l. in the correrotati ng motion described in connection with bhe dia- sponding period of 1899. The company will pay on J a.nuary
gram in my letter which you published on the 1st inst., 1, an interim dividend of 2l. 2~. p er ordma.ry share for
and in the case of the tennis b9.ll, moving with a. hori- 1901. This dividend shows a.n increase of 43. per share a.s
zontal twist (instead of the vertical twist of the bullet) the compared with the corresponding distribution made on
conflicting action is between the motions of progression J a.nua.ry 1, 1901.
a.nd rotation. In both cases the resulting deflection
accords with the gyroscopic reaction described in my
T HE GERMAN IRON TRADE.-The exports of metalletters in your issues of the 1st and 8th inst.
lurgical products of all kinds from the Zoll verein in the
The same gyroscopic reaction as described in those first nine months of this year amounted to 1,599,477 tons,
three cases is created by the flapping of the wings of a as compared with 1,124,416 tons in the corresponding
bird, a.s the reaction against the downward stroke of the period of 1900; 1,152,833 tons in the corresponding
wings acts reciprocally in the two wings, making the period of 1899; 1,231,998 tons in the corresponding
resistance to the downward stroke of each wing act as a. period of 1898; a.nd 1,009,115 tons in the corresponding
fulcrum to the leverage exerted by the resistance to period of 1897. The imports of metallurg ical products of
the downward stroke of the other win6' I venture all kinds into the ZoJl verein in the first nine months of
to recommend your correspondent, "Exper1entia. D oceb," this year amounted tO 329,765 tone, as compared with
to endeavour to test the above with his double 775,807 tons in the corresponding period of 1900; 605,858
gyroscope, and I also tell him beforehand the result tons in the corresponding period of 1899 ; 372,929 tons in
will be that immediately he gets the correct con- the corresponding period of 1898; and 404,540 tons in
flicting action between gravity a.nd the two opposite the corresponding period of 1897. The exports acmotions of rotation, the flimsy gyroscopes be alludes cordingly exceeded the imports in the first nine months
to will for a.n instant disappear in a buzzing blur, of this year by 1,269, 712 tons. The corresponding
and the nexb instant they will reappear in silent frag- excess of exports over imports in th e corresponding l?eriod
ments on the floor. In those gyroscopes the ring which of 1900 was 348,609 tons ; in the corresponding per1od of
holds the pivots for the rotating axis of the disc is suffi- 1899, 546,975 tons ; in the corresponding period of 1898,
ciently pliant to be easily elongated by the vibrations in 869,064 tons ; a.nd in the corresponding period of 1897,
the line of the axis, so as to allow the disc to escape from 604,575 tons. It will be seen that the exportation excess
the pivots; but the sinews of the bird's wing~ hold their has varied considerably year by year, a.nd that after falling
joints together, a.nd use the corresponding reactions to a. comparatively low point in the first three quarters of
1900, it experienced a. rapid a.1vance in the tirst three
a.ga.insb their motion as fulcra for lifting the bird.
Secondly, it seems to be taken for granted by some of quarters of this year. The value of the metallurgical
your correspondents that because the gyroscopes rotating products of a.ll kinds exported from Germany in the first
m juxta-position in opposite directions allow their axes to nine months of this year was 21, 741,500l., as compared
be easily moved in a manner which would be resisted by with 17,961,000l. in the corresponding period of 1900 ;
either of them alone, therefore there ca.n be no gyrosco.J?iC 16,059,5001. in the corresponding period of 1899 ;
stress in a ship in which two turbines rotabe in opposite 13,643,500l. in the corresponding period of 1898; a.nd
directions. The fact, however, is that the force of each 12,294,500l. in the corresponding period of 1897. The
stress must of necessity continue to be exactly the same value of the imports in the first nine months of this year
a.s when either gyroscope is alone, though the combined was 3t147,500l., as compared with 5,439,500l. in the correstress cannot ba.ve effectrive action in either of the direc- sponding period of 1900; 3,927,000l. in the corresponding
tions in which the gyroscopes a.ct singly. A pair of period of 1899; 2,667,000l. in the corresponding period of
scales is easily tilted by a slight force, whether empty 1898, a.nd 2, 547,000l. in the corresponding pe~od of 1897.
or heavily loaded with equn.l weights in each scale; though The excess value of the exports m the first mne months
if weighed fully down by a. weight in one scale only, the of this year was accordingly 18, 594,000l., as compared
beam might resist the effort of the lesser force to change with 12,521,500l. in the corresponding period of HlOO;
its position; but there is, nevertheless, a. greater str~s on 12,132,500l. in the corresponding period of :1899 ;
the beam when both scales a.re heavily loaded. The length 10,976,500l. in the corresponding period of 1898; and
of the ship ma.y be considered to represent the beam of 9 747,500l. in the corresponding period of 1897. Rails were
the pair of scales ; a. gyroscopic stroos of the turbines and e~ported from Germany in the first nine months of this year
propellers, the weight in one scale (which may act either to the extent of 125,538 tons, as compared with 111,200
upwards or downwards) a.nd the action of the sea on t ons in the corresponding period of 1900 ; bars, to the
the bow of the vessel, the weight in the opposite scale extent of 225,748 tons, as compared with 124,114 tons ;
(which may be either a.n upward thrust of the sea., or the plates, to the extenb of 180,147 tons, as compared with
downward pr~sure of a heavy sea. shipped over the bow). 115,165 tons; wire, to the extent of 113,966 tons, as comThe bending inwards of the Cobra's plates where the pared with 69,028 tons; galvanised wire, to the extent of
transverse fracture across the bottom of the vessel 64,245 ton~, a.s compared with 57,747 tons; axles and
occurred, agtees with the idea. of the bottom of the tyres, to the extent of 37,349 tons, as compared wibh
vessel having first given wa.y by crushing inwards under 35 609 tons; pipes, to the extent of 34,418 tons, a.s com
the latter of the above-mentioned stresses, and then, p~red with 29,711 tons ; and fish-plates, to the extent of
when weakened by that fracture, ha.ving doubled up in 22,526 ton~, as compared with 26,677 tone.

Nov.

12, I 90 I.

INDUSTRIAL NOTES.
state of the labour market, as disclosed in the
Board of Trade returns, Labour Department remains
unchanged in comparison with the month 'previous
but is not so good as in the same month a year ago. Th~
~eturns upon wh~ch these conclusions are based are 2390
m number, of wh10h 1727 were recei ,ed from employers
5,62 from tr~de unions, and 101 from other sources:
'Ihe curve hoe as to employment, or, rather, non-employment, has for two months been practically unchanged, but stea dy.
In the 142 unions specially
reported upon there was an aggregate of 544,827 members, of whom 19,995, or 3.7per cent., were reported
as unemployed,. the same as in the previous month,
as compared. w1th 3.3 p er cent. in the same month
a year ago, m four fewer unions, with a. total of
535,668 members, a comparison which is favourable.
THE

E N G I N E E R I N G.
fair; in the weaving branch there is some improve
ment, but it is moderate only. A considerable percentage is unemployed.
The proportion of females in full employment, in
factories ~epor.tin~, employing about 80,000, was 84
per cent. 1_!1 spmnmg mtlls, and 71 per cent. in weavmg factor1es, as compared with 88 and 69 per cent.
respectively in the previous mont h, and 64 and 52 per
cent. respectively in same month a year ago.
Employment in the woollen trade is fairly good ; in
the. worsted trade there is some improvement; in t he
hos1ery branches there is a little improvement.
Agricultural labour is well employed on the whole,
but ca~ual men .are. in irregular work.. The supply of
labour m most d1str1cts reported upon 1s quite equal to
the demand.
Dock and riverside labour is fairly employed in the
Lo?don docks and wharves. The average number
datly employed was 16,845 ; in the previous four weeks
16,335 ; a year ago, 17,711.

r~gards employment in the several groups of

mdustrt~s, ther~ ~as a. decre8.se in the average time
wo~ked m co~lmtnmg, as compared with a year ago, but . The~e were 26 fresh labour disputes in the month,
a~ mcrea.se m. the number employed. As compared ~volvmg 10,501 persons-5488 directly, and 5013 inwtth t~e preVIOUs month, there was practically no dtrectly. In the previous month there were 33 dis-

. As

change .m the volume of employment. At collieries

employmg 483,117 persons, the pits worked on an
average 5.36 days per week in the four weeks as compared with the same a verage in the previou~ month
and 5.63 days a year ago.
'
In . ironstone. mining employment continues good,
showmg pract1ca lly no change. There was a slight
d~crease in the average tim? worked as compared
w1th a year ago, and a. considerable decrease in the
numbe~ employed. At 137 mines and open works.
employmg 15,418 p ersons, the time worked was 5.76
days per week ; in the previous month 5. 76 days a
year ago 5. 78 days. This is fairly regular.
'

Employment in the pig-iron industry shows a slight

decline, and is considerably worse than a year ago.
At the works of 113 ironmasters furnishing returns
315 furnaces were in blast, employing about 21,900
persons, as Clmpared with 321 furn aces in the previous
month, and 344 a year ago.
In the manufacture of iron and steel employment
shows a further improvement as compared with a
month ago, and is now better than it was a year
ago. At 202 works, covered by the returns, 81,418
persons were employed ; the totll volume of employment, taking into account both the number employed
and the number of shifts worked, shows an increase of
2.5 per cent. as compared with the previous month,
and of 3.5 per cent. a.s compared with the same month
a. year ago.
The tinplat e industry also shows a further improvement, and is better than a year ago. There
were 381 mills at work, including those engaged in
the manufacture of blackplates, as compared with 377
at the end of the previous month and 360 a year ago.
The number employed was about 19,000 persons.
In several branche3 of the engineering and metal
trades group there is a complaint of a slight falling off
in employment. The proportion of unemployed mem
hers of unions wa.s 3. 7 per cent., as compared with
3.5 per cent. in t he previous month, and 2. 9 per cent.
a year ago. The depression in the textile machine
industry will account for much of this.
In the shipbuilding industries some decline in employment is visible. The proportion of unemployed
members was 4.2 per cent., as compared with 3.9 per
cent. in the month previous, and 2. 6 per cent. a year
a.go. But the report of the union shows that there is
still work for many of the idle hands to do.
Employment in the building trades has continued to
decline in most branches. The proportion of unemployed
members of trade unions reporting was 3.1 per cent.,
as compared with 2. 9 per cent. in the month previous;
but in the same month of last year it was 2.5 per cent.
In the furnishing and woodworking trades it is not
quite so good. The proportion of unemployed union
members was 3. 6 per cent., as compared with 3. 2 per
cent. in the previous month, and 3. 7 per cent. in the
same month a year ago.
Most branches of the printing and bookbinding
trades show a further improvement, as is usual at this
season. The proportion of unemployed union members
was 4.6 per cent., as compared with 5.6 per cent. in
the month previous, and 4.5 p er cent. in the same
month of last year. In the paper trades there is little
change. The proportion of unemployed union members
was 2.3 per cent; in the previous month, 2.2 per
cent.; a. year a.go, 2.2 per c-ent.
Employment in the boot and shoe trades is reported
to be slack in most centres. In the other leather
trades it has continued to decline. The proportion of
unemployed union members was 3. 2 per cent.; in the
previous month, 3 per cent.; same month a year ago,
2. 2 per oen t.
In the glass trades there is a. slight decline ; employ
ment is not so good as a month ago, or as a year ago.
In the cotton trades the spinning bra.noh eontinues

7~ I

trade, on the whole, is very favourable. Another

vote is being taken as regards apprentice agreements
in shipyards. The reason assigned is the small vote
recorded on the last occasion; over fifty branches
never voted at all. The points to be voted upon are :
Limitation of age, indentures, increased pay to apprentices, right of limiting t he number, and publication of full list annually. Members are urged to vote
in order to maintain the position of the society. Two
disputes as to demarcation of work were settled
during the month by arbitration. The Board of
Trade arbitrator gave the award in favour of the
union in both cases at Bristol and at Goole.
In the Wolverhampton district the iron trades are
reported to be quiet; in some finished branches
q uota.tions are weaker. Consumers continue to limit
orders for the most p art to immediate requirements.
Marked bars and best chain and cable iron are, howe,~er, in steady demand, a.nd these maintain full rates.
In unmarked qualities makers are not able to command the recent advance rates owing to Belgium bars
sent into the market at lower rates. With lessened
inquiry, sheets have been sold at lower rates of from
Is. to 2s. per ton. Hoops and tube strip are in fair
demand. Steel is in active demand, and quarter-day
rates are fully maintained ; but foreign agents are
securing good otders at lower rates. Pig iron is in
strong demand, is scarce, and makers command their
own terms. The engineering and allied trades are in
full employment generally. Moulders report a. decline;
cycle and motor makers as dull. At Madeley and
Ooalbrookdale employment is slack, and also with the
malleable ironworkers at Walsa.ll. In t he hardware
industries employment generally is good, or fairly
good. In some branches the report is that trade is
moderate; in two branches quiet; in two branches
slack. On the whole, the position is favourable, and
the outlook is not to any degree discouraging.

putes, involving 8654 persons; in the same month of

last yel.r 30. disputes, involving 16,079 workpeople.
Of the 26 dtsputes in the month, 10 were in mining
an? ~ uarryiog ; e~gh.t in the engineering and ship
butldmg groups ; s1x tn the textile trades ; and two in
other trades. Thirty disputes, old and new, were
settled. Four, involviug 1304 persons, in favour of the
workpeople ; 16, involving 3244, in favour of the employers ; and 10, involving 2668, were compromised.
Changes in the rates of wages affected 17,684 persons.
The net effect was a gain in wages of f d. weekly per
head. In t he preceding month the net result wa<3 a
reduction of 9!d. p er head in the weekly wages of
1.72,890 workpe~ple. In the same month of last year
tnere was a. gam of ls. 11d. per head in the weekly
wages of 142,776 work people. The chief advance was
In the Birmingham district the iron trade has been
in the wages of co.},lminera in the Forest of De1n ; the
decrease was in the wages of ironstone miners in Cleve- quiet- business restricted to immediate ' ants. It is
land. Only 35 workpeople were reported to be on reported that neither smelters nor makers will increase
their output at present rates. Competition in colonial
strike in all those changes in wages.
and foreign markets is said t o be severe. Home
The J ournal of tlte A. malgamated Society of Engi demand is well maintained for railway work, con neets reports that the membership increased from structive engineering, shipbuilding, and for railway
90,247 to 90,686 during the month. "The number of wagons ; the latter branch has been busy all the yea r
members on donation benefit continues to show an in local yards. Marked bars are in good request;
ominous increase, having reached 2723, an increase of Other kinds and qualities no change. Pig iron scarce ;
214 in the month, which is the highest point reached increased output expected. The engineering and allied
for some years. " The number on superannuation trades good to moderate. In the cycle and motor
benefit increased by 90, and has now reached 3989; industries quiet. Electrical workers fully employed.
the number on ~ick benefit was 1957, also an increase.
The complaint throughout Lancashire is that there is
A conference with the employers has resulted in an
advance of wages, under contractors, at Portsmouth a continued slackening off in some of the principal
and Devonport from 37s. 6d. to 38s. per week, to cor- branches of engineering, and that it is making itself
respond with the rates a.t other dockyard centres. appreciably felt in the augmented number of unemThe question of out-workers' insurance was discussed, ployed union members in those trades. It is reported
but the conference was adjourned. The report states, that the fallingoff in orders among the toolma.kera
however, that the deliberations were of a friendly is particularly noticeable, and there is less new
character. In the matter of levies, the vote of 3d. work been given out in boiler-making, and in the more
for the benevolent fund was carried by 10,071 for to general branches. lVIeanwhile, the textile machine12 against; for the trade fund 3d., by 9156 for to 141 making industry is very depressed, with no material
against. The two levies were therefore carried. signs of increasing activity. Most branches of elec
The following notice is significant : " There has been trical engineering are still exceedingly busy, but it is
considerable trouble c~used by members leaving t heir said that t he pressure is not quite so gre~t as it was.
work without previous sanction of council. Council Locomotive a nd railway-warson builders are full of
therefore, here intimate that such should not continue, w ork for a considerable time ahead, and a fair weight
on pain of forfeiture of benefits.'' Strikes without of new orders is still coming forward in railway work.
sanction are usually di~astrous to all concerned. "The The iron market continues quiet, though the full
elimination of the unfib " is progressing, "some more attendance last week rather indicated renewed interest
of the malingering gentry " being got rid of during in business traneactions. Pig-iron buying is said
the month. One, whose name is given, "has been to be restricted to requirements ; although merexcluded for chronic laziness. He had received no chants offered, it is said, under current rates, yet conless than 213l. 2s. 8d. in sick and donation benefit, sumers were not tempted. In the finished branches
and ought to have been excluded long ago.'' Others business comes forward in moderate weight. A fair
business is reported in the steel trade, but only for
are named.
present requirements, and prices have been rather
weak. Generally, the position and prospects are not
The monthly report of the Boilermakers and Iron
regarded
as
bright.
Shipbuilders says, as regards the state of trade :
'' From Cardiff, London, Liverpool, a nd Hull come the
Trade unionists are rather alarmed at the division
tale of want of work ; and although that is an undoubted truth, yet the fact remains that for many of in Dewsbury, and the candidature of practically two
those out of work employment can be found else- labour candidates. It is a case of Trade Unionism re1sus
where." In "twelve other district s work is in a Socialism. The Trades Council have selected a candiflourishing condition, with the likelihood of its con- date, while & Social Democratic candidate is being
tinuance for at least a few months more." The total forced upon the constituency by another section, backed
number of members on the funds, out of a total of by outsiders. The two sections are by no means agreed
48,105, was 4368- increase of 515 in the month. The as to a. labour policy.
total employed was 2128, laE?t month 1738. Of that
The Sliding Scale Joint Committee of the South
totall662 were on home donation, as compared with
1327 last month. On the sick list there were 1522, Wales and .N!onmouthshire Miners met last week to
and on superannuation 718; the increase was under oonsider the situation. The operatives' section and the
every head. Attention is called to t he fact that employers' section met separately at first, then jointly.
while so many a.re unemployed, advertisements appear Nfr . W. Brace, for the miners, said that the stop-days
in the reports of situatiOns open, which have uot yet were for the advantage of the coalowners as much a.a the
been filled. There was an increase of 760l. on home miners ; they were to arrest the downward trend of
donation last quarter, and yet, the report stat es, it was prices. It was reported that the coalowners refused to
a. record one in the shipbuilding industry. The discuss the policy, in view of legal proceedings. It
expenditure was 638ll. in the month, at the rate of was further stated that instead of a number of separate
1595l. 5s. per week; an increase of 123l. 10s. 3d. per actions, the whole question will be raised by a conweek. This is a large rate of increase at a time when solidation of actions as a test case. Power to do this

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

[Nov.

22, 19Ct.

THE BARROW HEJYIATITE STEEL WORKS.

(For Description, see Page 710 )
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is given by t he Act, and rules and orders of the Court

provide for such consolidation. In the case at issue
some very broad questions may arise as to public
interest, as well as regards the personal rights of individuals or of bodies of men associated together for
trade purposes.
The Northumberland Miners assembled at their
half-yearly meeting on Saturday last, and again decided not to join the National Federat ion of Miners
by 58 to 8 votes. This seems conclusive. But the
Federation officials seem to think that the men will
come over in parcels, in Ppite of the votes of t heir
duly-elected delegates.
It is reported that the Judges have decided
that the action of the Ta.ff Vale Railway Company against the Amalgamated Society of R!i.ilway
Servants shall be tried in London, and not at the
Glamorganshire Assizes, a-s was desired by the defendante. It is stated that the company's statement
of claim is not yet delivered. How long these
a ctions at law t ak e. Surely this is a matter which in

the public interMt ought to be settled one way or

THE
ELECrRtFICATION
OF
THE
METRO,
another without delay.
It appears that the great strike of French miners is
to take place after all. Indeed, over 2000 are reported
to be out on strike already. A conference was held
towards the close of last week between some French and
English representatives. Mr. Benjamin Pickard, M.P.,
and Mr. John Wilson, M.P., met those of ~,ranee at
Dover to consult on the situation. Mr. Wilson is a
level-headed man, and he will probably give excellent
advice; but whether it will be followed is another quest ion.

POLITAN ANDMETROPOLITANDISTRICT
RAILWAYS.

(Concluded jrCJm page 690.)

ON Tuesday, Wednesday, and Friday, the 12bh, l3bh,
and l 5bh insb., the proceedings in the Arbitration Oourb
were resumed and concluded.
The firab witness ca.lled on Tuesday was Professor
J. A. Ewing, who declared thab bhe facb that polyphase
currents were used in whab he sby led the mixed soheme,
for the purpose of conveying power from the generating
stabion to the sub-station, was an admission of the efficiency
and ad vantage of transmission by polyphase currenbs,
The election of Mr. Will Crooks as Mayor of Poplar n.nd he thought that wha.b seemed to him an entirely un
is a tribute to an honest, fearless, labour leader. No necessa.ry operation-converting them into continuous
currents-would probably cease to bs performed after a.
higher compliment cou1d b e paid to a poor man than time. He had no doubt that with either system the cont o be elected by the inhabitants of the municipal dibions of the Inner Circle would present difficulties, and
borough in which he lives to t he position of :Mayor. in that sense both systems might be described as experi
I t is a testimony to the man's high character, for he mental. He mentioned the Zossen line e.s showing the
has no personal means whereby t o conciliate the trades- practicability of taking current at very high potlentia.ls
people of the district.
from trolley lines. For the purpose of transmitting
1

'

Nov.

22,

1901.]

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

THE BARROW HEMATITE STEEL WORKS.

(Fm Desc1iption, see Page 710.)

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power, polyphase currents had very great advantages:

one could readily generate current ab a high pressure ;
that high-pressure current could be conveyed through conductors of comparati vely small size, and could be utilised
mechanically by motors of a very simple and efficient construction . He thought conversion into continuous current
unnecessary and prejudicial; prej udicial in two important particulars : it involved expensive and elaborate machinery for con version, which meant an addition of capital
o:>st, an additional expense in attendanc~, and a loss of
current, the rotary converters being a source of loss;
besides all thifl, the conversion was prE'j udioial in the
senEe that it imposed a. limit upon the pressure ab which
the currenb could be carried to the train. With low pressures large conductors were necessary. Wh en several
trains were starting ao on e~, th~ rotary converter would
have a very heavy load imposed upon it. Rotary converters,
if well designed, would stand alon~, perhapfl, twice their
normal rated capacity ; but if a load much heavier than
that were applied, they would be liable to go out of phase
and to cease working, and it would be necessary to provide a very large margin of p ower in the rotary converters.
He did nob want to suggest that the continuous-current
system might nob be capable of working satisfacoorily; but
to adapt it satisfactorily to such conditions tt.s ruled on the
Inner Circle, it would be necessary t o pub down a
very large margin for the provision of rotary converters, to provide for contingAnoies. Comparing
these conditions to those on the Central L ondon R ailway, Pcof~sor Ewing stated that the acceleration on
the latter took place to a large extent in consequence
of gradients which were prepared for the purpo:3e ; as
each train left the station, in entered a gradient of 1 in
33 dow nwatds; this alone gave an acceleration without
electrical assistance approachmg 1 ft. per second per
s 3Cond. With regard to drop of potential, he stated
there would be practically none in the system ad vocated by Ganz, because of the very small currents in
bhe first plac3 and the ea.sy p ossibility of multiplying
transformer s bations. This advantage would increase
with the inoreast d length of the line; it would be a. comparatively simple matter to apply electric traction on a
large scale to a long railway when dealing with polyphase
currents ab 3000 volts; hub it would be a difficult one
when dealing with continuous currents at 500 volts, for in
this case it would be necessary to place sub-stations with
rotary converters ab short distances along the whole line
of railway. He had no expectation whatever of seeing
'railways driven over fairly long distances by continuous
current. On the other band, it had very great advantages
for tramway service, because it was then practicable to
use a. single overhead conductor to carry the current and
to use the rails as return. In railways where large ourrents had t o be conveyed from the sub-stations, it became
practically imperative to use t wo insulated conductors,
because if the rails were used as return conduotorf!, the
drop in voltage would be dangerous a.<\ regards electrolysis
of water and gas p ipes. It would also be a ftlotor in disturbing the telegraphs. With polyphase currents it was quite
easy to prevent a. difference of more than 7 volts existing
in the ra.ili, and the leakage of current into the ground
had not the same disadvantage a.s the leakage of continuous

current had. In both cases one bad to use two insulated

conductors, because in the continuous system there were
large currents, and three conductors were required in t he
al~ernating, but ~n the latter it was possible bo use the
rails as the thud. So far as the acceleration with
continuous - current motors was concerned compared
with polyphase motors, the former motor~ used less
energy and produced t he same effect on trains; but, on
the other ~an~, polyphase motors bad the advantage,
when workmg ID cascade, of restoring part of the energy
they bad taken. In the continuous-cu rrent system a very
heavy flywheel would have to be used on the engines, in
order that fluctuations in the demand should be met
without any material change in the speed. There would
nob be the same strict need for observing absolutely
~niform periodicity ~here converters are nob used, and
ID that aspect the engmes and generators might be eomewbat cheaper in t he polyphase system thau would be
prudent in the other. The American engineer?, according
to Professor Ewing, began with tramways, and had continue.d with rail~ays as if they were tramways; the
Contmental engmeer~, on the other hand, attacked
the railways as a quite new problem, and seemed,
according to him, to,have taken a. wise course. With the
polyphase system, a practically constant speed was maint ained in the train, both on rising and falling gradients,
and whether ib consistd of a few on.rriages or of a large
number, so long as the motors had the power to drive
ib at that sp eed. Aa regards the overhead wires,
he had examined the proposals that bad been made
for their earthing, and had fo und them workable; but
personally he would prefer to see in long tunnels a. stiff
rail rather than the comparatively flexible trolley wires,
as a. matter of engineering preference. There would be
no possible element of danger bo the passengers and
drivers if the methods proposed by ?viessrs. Ganz were
carried oub. H e was in favour of the water rheostat,
proposed by them also. As bo the small air g-ap,
tb was mechanically a perfectly sound thing, prov1ded
there were long bearings, properly looked after and
lubricated.
l\hjor Philip Cardew, who was next called, stated that
the Inner Circle presented different conditions to other
electrical railways, such as the Liverpool overhead railway, as it was in connection with the whole railway
system of E ngland; the third-rail continuous current was
nob applicable to lines of considerable length which might
have a heavy traffic, such, for instance, as the Mebropolitan line from Baker-street to Qua.inton-road . Until
very recently, he had nob looked favourably upon the threephase system for traction, hub he now thought that with
the arrangements worked oub by Meesrs. Ga.n ~, the threephase system would work with even greater efficiency
nha.n that with continuous current. Such was his present
opinion, but he would lik~, of course, to make tests upon
a. railway thoroughly equipped. As to bhe high-tension
conductors, if they A.re quite inaccessible, and if proper
provision is made, in the event of any rupture, that they
should be harmle.:Js before they oa.n touch anybody, there
would not be any practical danger, He thought, on the
other hand, there was a. certain element of danger in the
500.volt ~ystem. At this point 1\Ir. Parsball asked the

witness to check the figures given by Mr. Kapp as to

the working of the Sondrio-Lecco line, compared to wh at
would be those for bhe Inner Circle. Major Cd.rd e w
thought the Ganz system of control was both simple and
reliable ; he did not see why the liquid rheostats Ehould
not work with grea.b satisfaction. He explained from a
sketch he made the way in which be would get over the
difficulty ab the triangle junctions. In reply to the
Umpire, M.a jor Oa.rdew repeated that it would be desirable, and it would even be necessary, before converting
any large length of railway, or, indeed, the whole
of the Inner Circle, to equip a. portion, in order tba~
sufficient trials might take place to satisfy the Board
of Trade, and to satisfy the advisers of the company,
that the system was going to work safely and satisfac torily. The equiJ?menb of the primary high-tension
circuit could be oarr1ed out so as nob to be affected by
the kind of traction system ul timately decided upon. Be
did nob see tha.b it would take more than a. fortnight to
make the necessary traction tests on a portion of the
line. In his cross-examination Mr. Moulton compared
ab great length the respective power of the central station
plants proposed by Mesar~. Ganzand byTbomson-Houston.
Major Ca.rdew stated that on the Inner Circle one was
getting on new ground in the nse of a complicated insulated system-the double rails, two insulated rails instead
of one. That must lead to certain difficulties, especially ab
the points A.nd crossings. In the case of rails, they would
have to be cu b so that the brains ran clearly through them,
as ib were, because they were on the level of the permanent
way, while the overhead wires were over the crossing.
The Central L ondon was a self-contained railway, while
the District bad many other brains coming into ib, and
those other trains bad to clear the insulated rails.
Referring to the probable action of the Board of Trade
with regard t o both systems, he stated that owing to
the much higher pressure in the alternating-current
system, the Board of Trade would require more experiments before bsing satisfied that it would be per
fectly safe, than they would require with a. system of
which they had already pra.ctlcal experience. With
the continuous system the Board might nob insist on
trials.
The next witness was Mr. Ernesb Talbob, whose evidence bore exolusi vely on the use of overhead trolley wire
and its mode of suspension. The oars used by Mr. Ta.lbob
were in no way similar to those proposed by Ganz as
regards the safety devices pub forward by Mr. Bla.tby.
He had no experience ab all of phosphor - bronze

Wl l'~.

Professor Sylvanus P. Thompson was the last witness

called ; his evidence being of special interest, we reproduce it almost textually from the official minutes.
Mr. Cripps : To which of the two systems do you give
the preference?
Professor Thompson: Decidedly bo the alternating
three-phase system. I give the preference to that system
in all oases where the necessity comes of using high
voltages.
Mr. Cripps : Do you consider we have here a. case where
high voltage is in itself an ad vantage ?
Professor Thompson: Obviou~ly, because both ss s ~ems

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

[Nov.

2 2, 1901.

begin with high voltage. A ll the tenders are high voltage stationary p art in the continuous-current motor. In other
tenders t o begin with.
words, the stator of the three-phase will nob be as heavy
Mr. Cripps: Starting at the generating station, you do as the field magnet of the cont inuous. Then it can be
not draw any distinction between the two systems?
used with a much smaller clearance than the continuousP rofessor Thompson : There is practically none.
current motor for the same power of speed. Then it
Mr. C ripps : But when you get to the sub-stations, t he requires less attention from time to time, because it has
two systems differentiate?
no armature. It has merely solid connections on slip
P rofessor Thowpson : Yes. They begin with steam rings. The con t rolling gear for starting and running the
Pn gines which drive three-phase alternators working at a motor is far simpler.
high voltage. T hose alternators supply three-phase alter ~Ir. Cripps: Are the controllers used on the Cen t ral
nating o~rrents to the cables, and the cables bring those L ondon simple or complicated?
currents, as three-phase high-voltage curren ts, to the
Professor Thompson : They have a large number of
place where they are to feed-the distribution of which- notches on the manipulation part. They have, if I have
ever kind.
counted them right, 72 different electrical parts on the
Mr. Cripps: There, as we know, we have in the case inside, which may be grouped in various ways, and they
of the continuous system. the rotary converter?
consist of some hundreds of parts put together. This oarProfessor Thom pson: But before that there are trans- controller is a highly-organised, higbly.complicated con
formers to t ransform down from the high voltage at which trivance. It has grown up from the con t rollers of train
the currents are generated to a. lower voltage. There are cars, which have been developed time after time in di ffestationary transformers in both cases for that. Then, in rent ways, and have settled down into a. re~ula.r wellthe continuous case, comes io the rotary converter and known piece of apparatus, highly complicated m side, but
its accompanying nece~sary switch gear supplying the which works marvellously well in spite of its complicacontinuous-curren t line.
t ion. The polyphase controller is far simpler.
Mr. Cripps : Y ou have the rotary conver ter and the
Mr. M oulton: You sa~ the Ganz is simpler ?
larger conductor upon the continuous-current system?
Professor Thompson : Distinctly so.
Profe~sor Thompson : Y C'S'.

Mr. Cripps: I s t he operation of cascade of importance

Mr. Cripps: Do you look upon it as an advantage in and advantage ?
itself to get rid of the rotary converter ?
P rofessor Thompson : The advantage of the cascade
P rofessor Thompson: Yes; distinct.Jy an advantage.
system of grouping is that while actin~ as a brake it
'IYir. C ripps : Apart from the question of cost ?
en ables you to recover a portion of the kmetio energy of
Professor Thompson: Yes; the introduction of it is in the train and return it as electric power on to the line. It
itself a complication. You ~eb back one step further to brings the threephase motor to a position in advance of
simplicity by d oin g without 1t.
the series parallel ; it enables you to do what you cannot
Mr. Cripps: What do you say a-s regards having the do with t he series parallel arrangement. It enables you
conductor on the rail level ?
to work during the p eriod of acceleration with nearly
Professor Thompson : T here is a. certain amount of double acceleration during th e first half of the period.
danger in that, and there is a certain loss of energy also, Thab is a greab advantage. For the same given time of
which reduces the efficiency of the system as a. whole.
acceleration, it increases the distance run. It enables
Mr. Cripps : What is your esbimate of the loss of energy you t o get up quick er to the top speed, because it enables
in the conducting rail ?
you to work with a. rather less top speed than in the case
Professor Thompson: That d epends upon how ma ny of the series parallel of a continuous motor. The conplaces there will be with sub-stations with rotary con- troller in the series p arallel for getting acceleration is
verters. It may be 6, 7, 8, 10, or 20 per cent. loss.
more complicated than in the three-phase. The threeMr. Cripps: Take seven or eigh t sub-stations?
phase induction motor is automatic in its action in this
Professor Thompson : If with seven substa.bions, I sense: there are two elements oo it-a stationary part to
estimate the average loss in th~ rails would be 8 per cent., which the primary current is brought, and the revolving
or might go np to 12 or 13 per cent. at the maximum, part; when you turn on the current, by switching on
taking the ca~e of a train in an unfavourable position.
the primary on to the station ary par t automatically, by
Mr. Parshall : How many trains was t hat ?
the process called induction, you have the large correspondProfessor Thompson: That is assuming the full service ing current in the secondary part. Or, in the case where
- 40 t rains.
the primary part is left on the hi~h- tension mains, the
Mr. Parsball : What is the average star ting power tak en moment you allow current to flo w through the secon by the trains ?
dary part automatically, current comes from the line
P rofessor Thompson: 780 kilowatts.
through the primary part, and both elements are strength
Mr. Parshall: So th at taking 780 kilowatts a train-mile, ened, and you geb the lar~e ncessary torque. The turnthat only gives you 150 as an average a train ?
in~ force, other things being equal, depends upon there
Professor Thcmpson : I am taking the voltage at 750.
bemg strong currents in both parts.
Mr. Cripps: I thought you were taking the maximum?
Mr. Cripps : What do you say as regards the overhead
P rofessor Thompson: The aver age I took asS percent., system?
with seven s ub . station~ .
Professor Thompson: Personally I have never been
Mr. Cripps : What are the 780 kilowatts applicable to ? favourable to overhead wires, whether for telephones,
P rofessor Thompson: The average demand of power electric lighting, or tramways, and i t is pretty well known
tha t I have spent thought, time, and money in endeap er train.
Mr. Cripps : I s there any other source of loss besides vouring t o show that a tramway can be operated without
this which you say might be from 8 to 12 per c<;; n b?
overhead wires. But my view is that if there is any place
P rofessor Thompson: I have mentioned the loss in the where overhead wires can be tolerated, it is on a. rail way
rotary con verters.
and in a tunnel.
Mr. Cripps: Did you give the amoun t of that loss?
Mr. Cripps : For running into the country from the
P rofessor Thompson: No, I have nob stated that. I t ook Inner Circle, would a ny other syst em be possible than an
it as being from 7 to 8 per ceub. Then there are the overhead system?
commutators on t he motors on the cars, which will lose,
Profes'3or Thompson : I think not for long lines in the
perhap~, half of 1 per cent.
count ry. But quite apart from the question of connecMr. Cripps : What would be the totalloes in the con- tions to outside long lines, my view is that the Circl~, if
tinuous-current system ?
it stood alone, would be worked best by overhead wires.
Professor Thompson: I make it somewhere about 16 The overhead wire would also be more conduci ve to
per cen t. There a re som~ losEes that we would hn:ve to safety. I have seen two tunnels where wires were put
set against that in t!:te polyphase syst~m. There I S the overhead for the purpose of giving current to oar~ moving
loss in our copper mam overhead and ra1l return, a n_d that below. The one is the Jungfrau Railway-three-phase.
will amount to about 1 per cen t. And then our stationary
Mr. Moulton : How long is that?
transformers will either have to be a. little more costly
Professor 'l'hompson: Nob much more than 2 miles; I
than their stationary transformers, or, if not more bhink it is about 3 miles.
costly, they will lose a. little more energy; hub that is
Mr. Moulton: It crawls up a hole in the mountain.
not much.
Mr. Cripps : A_s regards the p~oblem of attachment of
Mr. Cripps : What would be the correspo~ding figure ? a wire to a roof, ts the problem different whether you are
Professor Thompson: About 3 ab the outside.
crawling up a hole in the mountain, or round the Inner
Mr. Cripps : Ther~fore there ~ould be 13 p er cent., Circle?
.
Mr. 1\1onlton : Nob, I agree, if you a re crawhng round
according to your view, to the d ~advantage of the conthe Inner Circle.
tinuous.ourrent system ?
P rofessor Thompson: The difficulties are difficultie3 of
P rofessor Thompson: Yes.
Mr. Cripps : W ould you give .us, as the result of degree, notJ of kind.
M r Cripps : Where is t he other case?
your experience, what YC?U consider as regards the
Pr~fessor Thompson : The other case is a short tunnel
efficiency of the motors designed here for the p olyphase
under the River Spree-ab Treptan Tunnel, a few miles
system?
.
Professor Thompson : Taking s~mply motors. as ~otors, out of Berlin, less than ha:lf a m ile long.
Mr. Cripps : Do you thmk there can be an~ dt~culby
for a given s1ze, and the revolvmg part (which, m the
case of a continuous current, you call an armature, or as regards the attachment of the overhead Wire m the
in the case of a three-phase ~otor, Y?U ge~era.lly. call case of the I nner Circle?
Professor Thorupson : I do nob imagine that there can be
a rotor) in a motor of equal s1ze, mov1!lg w1t~ a gtven
speed the dri ving effort, or the torq ue, 1s practically the any difficulty that is unsurmoun table by the wit of man.
same 'for each, provided . yo~ design them to have the Ib is a. simple engineering job.
same efficiency. T here IS httle to choose b~tween t~e
Mr. ~Ioulton : Or the money of man ?
P rofessor 'fhompson: It is a. simple engineering job.
two motor for motor. So far as the revolving part I S
con~erned the same size of revolving part can be de- It is also simpler to maintain insulation in d:oub.tful places
wit h alternatJm g current_, because damp, which 1s a source
signed to do equal duty in either case.
.
Mr. Cripps : A re there any .advantage~ ID the three- of leakage is dealt wtbh differently. The continuous
pha-se over the cont inuoue, or ID the contmuous over the current el~ot~olyees the film o~ moisture, a~d produ~es
chemical aot10n ; the al ternating current Simply dnes
three. phase outside that ?
. .
.
.
P rofessor Thompson: They have different peculiarities, it up.
Mr. Cripps : You have VISited, I thmk, several eleotnc
and t here are several distinct advantages th~t may be
n amed for the polyphase motors. In the fi rst p lace, th ree-phase lines?
Professor Thompson: I have visitErl several t hat have
ven the size of the revolving pf!-rb ~or a. given wo~k,
the case of th~ polyphase maohme Ib w1ll nob reqmre been mentioned here. The Burgdorf-Thun line and the
the outer stationary parb to be as heavy as the outer Jongfrau :Railway. The clearance ip the motora i~

fn

2 millimetres, with which clearance they work perfectly

well.
Mr. Cripps : Do you think the placing of the exciter on
the end of the shaft of each generator a proper device ?
Professor Thompson : That is modern practice ; I think
it distinctly preferable to the older arrangement of having
separate exotters.
Mr. Pa.rshnll : You say it is modern practice. Will
you tell me an installation in E ngland where it is used ?
Professor Thompson: I am thinking rather of some
larger installations.
Mr. Pa.rshall: There have been some large ones pub in
use in the K ingdom during the last year or two?
Professor Thompson: I have never seen them.
Mr. Oripps: I think t he separate exciters may lead to
more serious results if you have a breakdown, may not
they ?
P rofe:s1r Thompson: They did in the c~e of the City
and South L ondon Station. On one occasion, ab a time
when the excitation was entirely separate, there was a
shorb-circuiting which occurred on the bus-bars of tJhe
exciting circuit, with the result that the whole of the
alternators for the moment lost their current from the
field magnet. If each alternator bad had its own particular exciter on the end of its shaft, that would obviously nob have occurred.
Mr. Parahall: You know they pub that in ju3b &'i you
said ; it was an absolute failure ; they bad to sor11op the
machines.
~Ir. Cripps : When was that?
Mr. Parshall: Within the las t few years.
Prof~sor Thompson: I was nob aware of it.
~Ir. Parshall: I designed the exciters.
Mr. Cripps: You are not aware of that, and we must
take your evidence for the moment.
Professor Thompson : But I do know very wen the
accident that happened from having the exciters aJl pub
on to bus-bars.
Mr. Moulton: Potting all your excibers on to one busbar, instead of having each on tJhe end of i ts own al ternator!
Mr. Cripps : You visited so me of the larger Continental power stations in order to see what the modern
practice was ?
Professor Thompson: No; I did not visit them for
that particula~ purpose.. I kn~~ . them ; you had only to
look
those m the P~triB Exhib1t10n to see how many of
them were made in that way.
Cross-examined by Mr. Moulbon:
Mr. Moulton: D :d you take t he average p~wer for
driving the train ab 780 kilowatts ?
P rofessor Thompson : Yes ; 780 kilowatts.
Mr. :rt1oulton : I put it to you it is 160 ?
Professor Thompson: Well, if i bis-What?
M r. M oulton: Then, if there is a mistake of ab:m t
5 to 1 in your data, your calculations are not much to be
relied n pon ?
P rofe3Sor Thompson: Yes.
:Mr. Moulton: They are; they can stand a litbl3 trifle
of that kind ?
Professor Thompson: I will re-calculate if you wi:-h.
Mr. M oulton : You have taken 7 to 8 per cent. fvr loss
in the rotary converters. That is much too much.
Professor Thompson : No, not for an average.
Mr. Moulbon : I mean the actual loss is not so great.
H ave you ever found out?
P rofessor Thompson : No ; I cannot tell you.
Mr. Moulbon: Where did Joa get t his 7 or 8 per cen t.
from ?
Professor Thompson: One has data about various
machines.
Mr. Moulton: I am talking ab:mt large power stations.
Professor T hompson: I have been taking converter3
such as are on the market.
Mr. Moulton: Have you ever found what the loss ii ab
large power stations?
ProfeE~Sor Thompson: No ; I cannot bell you that.
Mr. Moulton: The Inner Circle is a line with frequent stops, and for such a line the three-phase is nob
suitable ?
Professor Thompson: On the contrary, I regard it as
more suitable, because of the excellen t accelerating prop Erties of the concatenated motors.
Mr. Moulbon: Now I am going to read a passage from
a. book by Sylva.nus P. Thompson, D.So., B. A., F.R.S.,
M.I.E.E.; it was written in 1900 : " . . . Ib may be
taken that for short li nes of, say, under five miles, where
frequent sbart ings and sboppin~s and very variable speeds
are the rule, better resul ts Wlll be ?btained with continuous currents. If the power sbatwn has to be (from
consideration of smoke, ven tilation, water, and cooling)
a long distance away, and the train or r~ilway is short
and of this character, then the best system 1s undoubtedly
a combination of t he t wo-that is, the generation of highpressure three-phnse current distributed to rotary converters Rlaced along the line. These feeding the latter
at 500 or 600 volts, there will, of course, be a loss in the
double conversion and increased cost of maintenance.
But as a general rule, these disadvantages would be more
tha~ balanced by the advantages ~ccruing fron;t the use
of standard material and cheaper bne construction, and
the best possible speed regulation and starting con brol.,
Do you agree with that?
.
Professor Thompson: It was true when I wrote tb.
~lost certainly.
.
M r. Moulton: I p~t i~ to ~ou that you ~nnot, wtthoub
experiment and familia.nty w1th the motor 1tself, prophecy
what the heating of a. motor wi.l l be ;
.
.
Professor Thompson: Not 1f you had to begm Wl~b an
entirely new type of motor. But when you have des1gned
and built mobors of a. given t ype, then you are able to
calculate what a new one of that type will do.
1\!r. MouHon : I pub it to you even then, it is very

at

Nov.

22 ,

difficult, indeed, to foretell what the heating of a motor

will be ?
P rofessor Tbompson: There are difficulties, but they
are nob insuperable.
}.fr. ~foulton: And the question of efficiency depends
largely on the heating ?
Profellsor Thompeon: Par tly on the heating.
Mr. Moulton : As a matter of facb, the clearance cnn
be considerable. Can be up to t in. in the continuous
motor without i ts causing nny lo3s '?
Professor Thompson : Without its causin g any losP, bub
there would be cerbain advantages if ib could be made
somewhat smaller.
Mr. lYfoulton : T o geb anything like practical results
from the alternating motor, you must work ib with a small
clearance like 1 '~ '?
Professor Thompson: Yes, certainly; if you mean to
use it in cascade, for traction.
}.fr. ~1oulton: I pub itJ to you that collectors give q uit e
ag much trouble now as commu tators in practice ?
P rofessor Thompson : I do nob agree with you.
~lr. Moulton: You are very much against overhead
wires, are you nob ?
P rofessor Thompson: Yes.
Mr. Moulton: Apparen tly, in the evidence you have
given, if you are in a tunnel you ought to use them, and
1f you are nob in a tunnel you must use them; is that
what you say'!
P rofessor 'hompson : No.
Mr. Moulton : In the lines outside the Circle you say
you would use the overhead wires ?
P rofessor Thompson: Yes ; economic considerations
oblige ib in long line!:'. \Vith regard to suburban lines,
ib would d epend upon t hei r length. For suburban lines
of, say, 20 miles altogether, I should certainl y u~e overhead wires.
Mr. Moulton: Would you ever use anything but over head wires on a. rail way ?
Professor Thompson : I am n ot sure that I should on a
railway.
Mr. Moulton: Therefore, your partiality for overhead
wires does not lead you largely to ind ulge in them ?
Prof~sor Thompson: I ehould try to get rid of them
everywhere else.
Mr. Moulton : 'be trains in the Treptau Tunnel slow
down ?
Professor Thompson : They go down an incline at one
end and up an incline at the other. I do nob know tha.b
there is a ny reason for them to go more slowly in the
t unnel.
Mr. M oulton : In the J ungfra.u, when you ara taking
cu rrent from t he lin ~, you are going very glo w]y?
Prof~sor Thompson: About 12 miles an hour, I should
think.
Mr. !Yfoul ton: That is half speed. My memory of
steep lines lik e tJba.tJ would nob tell me that you went a
mile in five minutes ?
P rofessor Thompson : Ib i.ca difficult to estimate in a
tunnel. I could nob really sp eak con fidently.
Mr. 11oulton : A nd when you come down ?
Professor Tbompson : You come down ab about Lhe
same speed-2 per cenb. quicker. You do nob want any
large am ount of power then ; you are forcing back vower
into the line when yon are coming down. There ts the
beauty of the three-phase plan: up hill and down hill
t he same speed.
~Ir. Pt~.rsball : The same speed, barring the slip ?
P rofessor Thompson: W i thin 2 per cent.
Mr. Parshall: 2 per cent. slip ?
Prof~ sor Thompson : That would make 4 per cent.
Mr. Moulton : Th ose are nob oon catena.tions ?
Professor Thompson : S ome of the motors are by
Brown, Boveri, and Co., and some by the Oerlikon Company.
Mr. Jr!oulton : I believe thab it is well known that
Brown, Boveri, and Co. h ave tried oonca.tenation, and they
ea.v that i t gives worse results than the simple apparatus?
Profeesor Thompson: I haYe n on seen their letter;*
I do nob know what they have written.
Mr. Moulton : But you know pretty well what I re fer to ?
P rofessor Thompson : I heard you sny something in
c.:>urt ab an earlier stage.
Mr. ~Ioulbon : When you go awa.y, yon will have the
curioaity to see whether they did say so or not ?
P rofessor Thompson : I do nob know. We shall all
have curiosity when we leave the Oourb.
M r. Moulton: In the case of the breakdown on the
City of London, all the exciters bad gone through one
common bus-bar ?
Profe~sor Thompson : Yes.
:Mr. ~[ou lton: A nd made one exciting system, and
there was a short oirouib in that exciting syst em ?
P rofessor Thomp~on: Y s.
~Ir. !Yioulton : I t was nob a question of t here being
separate exciter~, bub their current united before i b wn.s
used, and this affected the whole of the generators ?
Profeasor Thompson: Yes; it was the circumstance
that they were on omnibus bars.
~[ r. M oulton: They took the remedy, you say, of
putting on an exciter to each, working actually with the
unit CJ f plant?
Professor Thompson: I do not know that they went
through that for the whole of the station; it was done
for certai n machines.
Mr. Moulton: I put it to you that that was thrown
out again ?
Professor Thompson: I am nob aware of it.
~fr. ~Loulton: If you have only three sets, each with
its own exciter, if one ex<.iter gets wrong, then the
wh ole of thab machine is gone ?
P rofessor Thompson : No; because you can still use in

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

1901.]

* See ENGINEEJUNG1 vol. lxxii. , page 626.

emergency the curren t from one of the other exciters to

excite a second alternator.
Mr. ~foulbon : Then you must run an alternator just
for the sake of the exciter ?
])rofessor Thompson: Presumably, you will always be
running one altornabor. At the minimum time when
there is less demand there will be ab leasb one alterna.tor
running. Therefore there will bA one exciber r nnning,
and that exciter, on emergency, oan s upply- Mr. Moulton : I am speaking abonb the normal time;
you will have two alternat ors runnins: ?
Professor Thompson: Then you wlll have two exciters
running, and those two exciters could each of them, on
emergency, supply two other alterna tors.
Mr. ~Ioulton: Bub they could only supply if you kept
one of the units going for the sak e of its exciter '?
P rofessor Thompson: Ob, no.
~Ir. Moulton : Ob, yes.
Profes:!or Thompson: One exciter can be arranged; you
can arrange one so tha.b it shall feed two alternators ab
the same time.
Mr. Moulton: These are desig ned only to be sufficient
to feed one alternator ?
P rofessor Thompson : That depends whether they are
designed to meet emergencies.
Mr. M oulton: If you are running them independently,
you oan vary the wor k they do ; but if they are attached
to the generator on the same sha ft, you cannot ?
Professor Thompson: Oh, ye3, you can ; you oan vary
the amount of work you take out of them.
Mr. Moulton: You cannot vary ib so as to i ncrease the
current on the same pot ent ial ?
Professor Thompson: Yes, you oan.
Mr. Moulton: You would not have much liberty of
adjustin~ them when they are working.
Y on cannot
vary thetr speed without varying that of the alternators
and otherwise ?
P rofessor Thompson: Y ou do not want to vary their
speed. Ib does nob matter to a given exciter that is to
be driven ab a given speed, and bo ~ive out currents,
whether it has a separate steam eng me to dri ve it or
whether itJ is driven on a shafb that is also driving something else.
Mr. Moulton: If it is d ri ven by a sbo.fb that drives the
alternator, its speed is limi ted and fixed by the speed of
the alternator ?
Ptofessor Thomp.qon: So it would be by its own engine
if ib were a sepa.rabe engine . You would wan t to alter th e
speed of that engine.
Mr. M oulton: Nob if you wanted to make it excite two
alternators ?
Professor Thom pson : No; you would si m ply have twice
a~ m uch current from ib. If you want to put two lamps
on a machine instead of one, you do nob have to run that
machine quicker; you simply take more current from the
machi n~.

Mr. ~1oulton: What I suggest is thab if you put the

E'xciter of a.n alternator on its own shaft, you cannot use
that independent ly as you like for the other alternators ?
P rofessor Thompson : There is nob the same amount of
i ndependenoe.
Mr. ~fou lton: That is exactly what I have said. With
regard now to the astonishing statement bha.b the alternating con trol is simpler. First of a ll, you have n e,er
yen seen a conoaten ated system under cont rol, have you ?
Professor Thompson: If you mean for traction, no.
~Ir. Moulton : In has n ever been ueed for anything
else?
P rofessor Thompson: I have nob seen ib in use for any
purpose.
Mr. Moulton: The control of the series parallel has
been completely worked oub, and ib simply means changins: certain connections of fix~d resistances a nd fixed
ootls?
P rofessor Thompson: Yes, it does mean that.
Mr. Moult.on : All embodied in one handle?
Professor Thompson : One handle for the ordinary
control, and another handle, if need be, for reversing.
Mr. Moulton : As you say, ib took years t o evolve that ?
Professor Thompson : It took years bo develop it, and
now it works very satisfactorily.
Mr. M oulbon : L ot me take the other control. What
do you mean by eaying ib is simpler ? L et us see what
facts there are. First of all there are fluid resistances.
You never heard of fluid resistances being used for traction ?
Professor Thompson : For traction, no.
Mr. M oulton: These fluid resistances have bo be driven
in by air pressure ?
P rofessor Thompson : They are in t he case of the prop osed arrangement. They can be used otherwise ; they
ha ve been used for years otherwise.
Mr. Moulton : Tha t a ir pressure is due to the leakage
from a reservoir of compressed air throu~b a s mall hole.
Do you can that an uncomplicated thin~ m construction '?
P rofessor Thompson: It simplifies bhmgs very much to
have that pneumatic arrangement, instead of all the
innumerable contact devices that there are in an ordinary
oar -controller.
Mr. Moulton : If the pressure varies ab all in the
reservoir, the resul b will vary ?
P rofessor Thompson : If the prel:sure varies ab all in
the reser voir, that will mean a different heighb of liquid
in the interior, and a different rate ab which ib mounts.
~Ir. ~[oulton: Then ib is a small orifice; and if anythi ng like dirb gob into that orifice, it would make a serious
di fference in the moving of the resistance ?
Professor Thom pson: I do nob say a serious difference.
Mr. Moulton : We can judge for ourselves how serious
it would be. Have you seen even a diagram of the actual
mechanical arrangement of this suggested control ? A lso
a rliA.gram of the oonstruntion '?
Ptofeesor 'l'hompson: Yes.

Mr. Moulton : 'Vhy were you more favoured than

M a jor Cardew ?
Professor Thompson: I do nob know. I tbougbb he
had seen itJ.
}.fr. Moulton: Ca.n you tell me, within one or two, how
many ball-cooks there a re in ib '!
Professor Thompson: In whab I saw there w~ o.ne
ball-valve rising and falling on a lever-whab we ordmarlly
call a. ball-valve.
!Yir. M oulton : Oh, bub I thought they had nob so
shamelessly preferred _you to the other witnesses:-th~tJ
is a very early form. That is whab we call a n archatsm 10
this a rbitration. Why, thab must have been two days
ago; we are in a different century now. D o you know
what other ball-cocks they have ?
Professor 1,hompson: Besides, there was a very s mall
ball-valve in the bottom- that is to say, a. little boxwood
ball to rise and fall- an ord inary ball- valve.
Mr. Moulton : A very nice sort of thing for delicate
work, when you are jostling along in a ra ilway train?
P rofessor Thompson: A n admirable thing is a ball-valve
in a liquid.
l\Ir. M oulbon : But I am talking about it for g raduated
work. I s bhab the sor t of thing which you say would work
well un der the oir umstances of t raction ?
Professor T hompson : I say it would do admirably to
let the liquid outJ quickly.
~fr. 1-foulton: Would you or would you not, before you
tried this in a huge system, like to eee whether it did
work or nob ?
P rofeesor Thompson: Yes, certainly. All these things
ought to be tried, whoever makes them.
Mr. M oulton: I s there a solenoid there?
P10fessor Thompson: Ye!'.
Mr. M oulton : Can that open the orifice more than
what I call the n ormal amou nb ?
Professor 'rhomflSOn : Ib can.
Mr. M oulton : D o you call that control ? You agree
with me that if o.nytJhing went wrong there, the rate a.tJ
which the resistance was switched outJ would differ
widely from the intentions of the maker ?
Professor Thompson: ItJ would differ, but not necessarily very widely.
~Ir. Moulton : Bub it would differ'!
P rofessor Thompson : No ; I am nob even s ure ib would
differ from the intentions of the maker.
~ir. Moulton: The maker intends these litble varieties?
Professor Thompson : The thing is done to have a certain, as you pub ib, normal operation, but the thing is a lso
under con trol in various ways.
Mr. Moulton : Yes ; but we were told thab no control
could make the resistance go outJ quicker. It could only
make it go out slower. Can you make ib go out quicker ?
Professor Thompson: I am nob sure tJhatJ I can ans wer
your question right off. I musb think.
Mr. M oulton: This is t he simple control which vou
have been favoured with a sight of ?
P rofessor Thompson: I do nob want to answer you o.nd
give a wrong ans wer. (A pause.) The solenoid ca.n
certainly open the port above the n ormal amounb.
Mr. Moulton : Therefore it can let the whole of this
resistance oub q1.1icker t han the normal run ?
Professor Thompson : Slightly quicker.
Mr. M oulton : What do you mean by slightly ? Supposing ib goes wrong, then this resistance may go oub ?
Professor Tbompson : In a rather shorter time.
Mr. Moulton : What do you mean by a. rather shorter
time? Come now, say 7 or 8 seconds is the normal time.
I do nob know whether that is right ?
Profe~sor Thompson: I can guess-5 or 6 seconds, or
7 or 8.
Mr. M oulton : H ow do you know that?
Professor Thoropson: Because the liquid, even ii you
give ib a wider opening, does nob necessarily flow q uicker
because of that opening, in proportion to tpe wtdth of
that opening. There are other oases of liquid friction.
Mr. Moulton: You mean to say you a re trusting to
the air paasing th rough the small orifi ce, and yet nob
obeying the laws of liquids that flow through a n orifice.
Do you mean that if you open that orifice wider, the air
will nob pass through ?
Professor Thompson: The air will go through quicker,
cer tainly.
~fr. M oulton: And then it will d rive the water out
q uicker ?
Professor Thompson: Yes; but the rate a b which the
water will move up and down depends upon the friction
in the path that it meets wibh; and if you increase the
pressure, you do nob get the rise of water exactly proportional.
}.l!r. 1-Ioulton : In fact, your hope of salvation is that
you have a disobedient servant in the water ?
Professor 1,hornpson : No.
:Mr. ~Ioulton: I will bake it at five or six, because it
really does n ob matter. Therefore the quickest it could
be switched in is fi ve or six seconds ?
Professor Thompson: I will nob un dertake to say that
even. It is only a guess.
Mr. M oulton : B ut, really, you have told us that this
system of con t rol is so much simpler than the seriesparallel one. What do you mean? You do nob mean to
say ib is mechanica lly more simple ?
Professor Thompson : E lectrically, it is much more
simple.
A'Ir. Moulton: I should like to know what electrically
simple means. Thab is to say, if you had no difficul ties
mechanically, the one would have a simpler dia~ram than
the other'!
Professor Thompson : N o ; it would be much simpler in
the construction of the electrical parts-many fewer
parts.
~ir. Mtlulhon : How many parts has a pint of water,
I ~:~hould hke to know ?

'

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

Professor Thompson : As many as a lump of brass I

expect.
'
Mr. l\1:oulton: But they do not walk quite as much in
step, do they ?
Professor Thompson: No.
. Mr. Moulton: Y,ou are nob quite sure whether or nob
1b c_ould go out qutcker; but the whole question of the
tram control depends upon that, does it notl ?
Professor Thompson: Nob the whole question.
Mr. Moult~n : A gr~ab deal of it ; the question of
whether that IS a u boJ:!labtc control or whether 1b is under
the control of the dn ver, depends upon that little item ?
Professor Thompson: To some extent.
Mr. ;oulton:. It ~s something ~ore than "to some
extent.. Supposmg 1t must take 1ts normal time then
the drtver oann<?b accelerate the time during whi~h he
passes through hts first stage ?
Professor Thompson: Oh, yes; he can.
Mr. Moulton: I thought the great beauty of this was
that he could . nob; ~nd I hear somebody saying-it
sounded to me hke MaJor Cardew's voice-" That is the
very reason we have it." Ara you sure he is intended
to be able. bo make . it go. quicker. I remember Mr.
~lathy saymg the pomb of 1b is that though he can make
1t go slower, he oannob make it go quicker ?
;J?r<;>fessor ~h~mpson: He cannot make it go quicker
wtbhm certam bmtts.
Mr. Moulton : Come now?
Professor Thompson : I do nob think Mr. Mculton
you have g rasped the first principle of this control.
'
Mr. Moulton : You are quite right, but, in self~efence, I must say I have done my besb to. I will leave
1t there.
Reexamined by Mr. WallB~ce :
In this re-examination, Professor Thompson stated that
ab the time he wrote the book quoted by Mr. Moulton he
h.ad nob in his min? any use of three-phase motors except
stmple-nob two m cascade. The cascade system was
kn?wn to him vaguely, bu~ be did nob know the advantages
of tb. As regards the heabmg of motors, it would be a mere
mabber of calculation.
The Umpire : What is bh~ field in which your conversion to overhead wires operates ?
Professor Tbompson: Wherever they could either fall
upon the public or where other wires could fall upon
them. I have for years objected bo all overhead wires on
principle for that very reason, bhab there is a certain
public d anger in wires that go over a place that is
accessib~e bo the public, or wir~ that are crossed by
other wues; and the one place, m my judgment, where
they may be used without introducing any danger is in a
tunnel or on a railway. I have given in evidence several
times in past years my views that all wires should be
underground. 1 have been looked upon M somewhat of
a black sheep in th~ engineering profession because I
have taken that view very strongly.
With regard to the system proposed by Ga.nz for control, Professor Thompson stated that it was a very efficient piece of electromagnetic mechanism, and one which
curiously works better if it is subjected to vibration,
beor:a.use the moving part~ are less liable to stick.
.
Mr. Wallace: Assummg that the controller dtd go
wrong, would there be any injurious result ?
Professor Thompson; No.
Mr. Moulbon: No injurious result ? Then bhe control
is simple. If on the control going wrong there is no bad
result, then the control is triumphant ?
Mr. Cripps, K.C., M.P., then proceeded to sum up
the case on behalf of the Metropolitan Company. He entered ab great length into a comparison between the bwo
systems, and pointed out the var10us advantages in favour
of the albernating-current one, stating that the Metro
p')litan Company had very large interests involved, and
ha1 made up their own mind as to the system they
thoughb should be adopted, on the i'round of cost,
efficiency, and safety. The effoot of the decision come
to might b~ bo pub upon the predominant partner
a syatem they believed to be wholly inferior. He
referred to the figures given by Mr. Blathy as to the
saving which would be effected in using the system advocated by Ganz, both for the Inner Circle and for lines
running to the outside. For the latter, anything except
the overhe&d wires would be quite prohibit1 ve as regards
cost. The outside lines were a factor that should nob be
pub out of sight. As regards safety through, say, a
broken wire, and looking ab the matter from a commonsense point of view, was it conceivable one could nob
succeed in eliminating all risk in the present condition of
electric science? Whether overhead wires were put up
in the tunnels or n ot, all repair work could only be
carried out when the line was nob running, . as is done
even now with steam traction. The Metropolitan
Company were anxious to have a system and an
equipment which, they wera advised, were almost
absolutely essential when one gets outside the Inner
Circle. As to acceleration, it was a great advantage
in the direction of efficiency to get the greater acceleration during the firat half, as was claimed with the
ca~oade system.
With regard to the .question of the
" untried,, he recollected what bad been ab the time the
criticism on the Forth Bridge case. This and that diffi culty was suggested; it was said that Sir William Arrol
made something like 10.000 designs of novel devices in
order to get over the difficulties of that construction. Of
course he did get over them, and all honour to him. On
the point of efficiency it could nob be suggested there
was any factor in which the polyphase system would be
behind the continuous-current system. It was more
simple and eliminated to a greater extent the human
element. Where was the novelty in its essence and
in its substance? They were simply applying wellknown well-ascertained, well-tried, well-experimentedupon principles. It was true that they were applying

b~em to the solution of a new problem.

So were the contmuous-ourrent people. The novelty was the Inner Circle.
!dr: Moulbon, K.C., M .P., who spoke on behalf of the
D1stnct C<?mpany, stated that both parties were agreed
that the du~ob current was perfectly capable of doing
the work wJthout _any engineering or electrical risk at
all, bhab the experience we bad acquired made ib quite
safe and cerbam, and therefore both parties were
ag.reed th.ab it was wise and prudent to change these
rallways mto elec~rical railways on the direct system.
But the Metropohtan Company bad proposed another
cours~, they thought more wise and prudent and the
Umpt.re had to decide. The point that the w~rk could
be done safely and efficiently by the direct current was
no~ even challenged. But it was said there was another
system so good that it was wiser and more prudent to
take it. 9ne immediately asked whether there were two
systems m use. The answer was practically " No.,
There was not. a single yard worked by any other
system hub dueob current.
It had been chosen
years a.go, perfeo~ed by experienc~, and it holds its
o~n wtthoub a rival.
Therefore one started with
th1s t<;> the go<?d, that experience had perfected it, and
made tb a certamby, and experience had not begun to be
formed on t~e other. To go and pub an untried system
to work, as tbs fir.sb work, probably the heaviest and most
congested traffic m. the world, where phe interruption of
traffic was most serious, appeared to htm so much the rever ae of prudence, that he had great diffi culty in treating
wit~ due .forenaic courtesy the arguments that were pub
agamst htm. If be knew a really shrewd man who had
wanted to put his money in the polyphase system, and if
he had _w anted that man nob to adopt the ad vice of the
other stde, he would have gob him to hear the evidence of that exceedingly able witness, Mr. Bla.thy.
T~at man would have said : " Why, Mr. Blathy
bhu~ks. that when a .thing is on paper ib is as good
as 1f 1b had been tned; Mr. Blathy's mind does nob
see anv value in experience. Keep me from such an ad.
,, M r. Blathy bad a. half-tried system he had
v1ser.
tried _it on a mile of .tra.c~ ab Budapest, and bad made
experimental runs Wlth 1t ab Sondrio. But so little he
valued having tried a. thing that he bossed the whole of
th!Lb over for something which on paper had fairer promises. What would be the cost of the failure of a safety
appliance on that mile of track at Budapest? Ou the
U nderground it would mea.n the loss simply of 1000t. to
2000l. c:>f fares, a complete interruption o f traffic, and
the feehng that the engmeers are not to be relied upon. To
refuse to have an untried system under such conditions
h&:d nothing to do with one's belief in the growth of
s01enc~. It was utter~y unscientific to attempt tlo develop
anythmg new under Circumstances where experiment was
ab all costly, and therefore we dared nob risk experiment.
The Central London was on the direct-current system
ib had not had any electrical difficulty; the vibratio~
difficulty was due to its locomotives, because the system
~ad de12_arted in their construction from the ordinary practiCe. He compared ab great length the Ganz tender with
the other tenders, statmg that the normal output of the
Ga.nz plant ought to have been stated as 5400 kilowatts,
and nob 14,000, as against the Thomson-Houston 10,000.
He d emonstrated also that the system ad vooated by Ga.nz
would nob be cheaper to work, owing to the difference in
the acceleration now proposed and that tendered for.
The whole Ganz scheme had been changed, both in figures
and in form. The General Elecbric Company, the largest
electrical manufacturing concern in the world, had come
to the conclusion that, under equal and ordinary circumstances, the direob-current system was cheaper to instal
and to work than the polyphase. That company admitted that very long runs at a uniform speed would be
congenial work for the polyphase; but in all oases where
the polyphase would be ab a disadvantage, the worst
would be where it had very little time to run ab top and
uniform speed, where ib had bo start and sbop frequently.
The alternating-system ad vooates abuse the converter&,
hub they would be taking about in their system something like 320 tons of motora which were not used the
greater part of the time. He did nob want to make it a
q_uestion of prejudice, hub the case on the Metropolitan
stde had been pub forwa rd by those most interested in the
commercial success.
The addresses very briefly reported above concluded
the proceedings.
The Umpire stated, on taking leave, that this was not
an ordinary case, where one bad two arbitrators differing
and an umpire called upon to do his best himself. The Act
of P41.rliament said that tbe special tribunal should report
to the Bos.rd of Trade. The decision might be a little longer
than it would have been if left to a sin~le individual.
In the course of the proceedings var10us railways have
been mentioned. We may state we have described them
fully in TRACTION AND T RANSMISSICN, as follows:
"The J\IIultiple U nit System of Control in America,"
vol. i.h page 24.
" T e Paris Mebropoli tan Electric Rail way,, vol. i.,
p~ge

89.

"The Paris Exbension of the Orleans Railway," vol. i.,

page 225.
"The Burgdorf- Thun E lectric Railway,, vol. ii.,
page 32.
"Hi~h-Speed Elecbric Traction in Germany ,, (trials on
the mihtary Berlin-Zossen line), vol. ii,, pages 42 and 152.
Vol. ii., page 129, ~i ves the history of the Inner Circle,
and considerations with regard to its electrification ; this
article will be continued in the Decem her issue of TRA CTION
AND TRANSMISSION, which will also contain a full description of the Sondrio-Lecco Railway.

[Nov.

22, 1901.

THE BALANCING OF LOCOMOTIVES.*

By Professor W. E. DALBY {Member), of London.
AR'!lOLE ~.-The object of this paper is primarily to
explam.at;td Illustrate a ~onvenienb semi-graphical method
of ?hbammg the m~gmbude a.~d .position of the balance
~etghts for locomottves, and m01dentally to discuss and
illu.sbrate the d~fferenb ways of dealing with the reoiprocatmg masses m coupled engines, and to consider the
effect of the balance weights on the permanent way and
on the tractive effort of tlie engine.
. Th~ ~vantag~ of the metliod to be explained is its
stmphctby,, and, m the case of engines in which the L.
and R. cyhnder gear are alike and symmetrically disposed
that it is self-checking.
'
The dynamical principle on which the method depend3
has been previously fully described by the author t hub
for the sake of completeness a brief explanation ~f the
fundamental ideas involved will be given here.
The paper has been divided into nineteen sepuate
Articles, as follows :
1. Object of the paper.
2. Principle of the method.
3. Definition of the reference plane.
4. Graphical representation of the centrifugal force
and couple on the reference plane.
5. Conditions of bal.a.nce.
6. Preliminary reductions.
7. Revolving and reciprocating masses.
8. Example 1: Inside cylinder single engine, 26 in.
stroke.
9. Example 2: Six-coupled goods engine, Lancs.shire
and Yorkshtre Railway.
10. Variation of rail pressure; hammer-blow.
11. Example 3.
12. Speed at which a wheellifbs.
13. Slipping.
14. Value of 'W , the resultant variation.
15. Example 4: Four-coupled bogie express passenger
engine, Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway.
16. Distribution of the reciprocating mass between the
coupled wheels.
17. American practice.
18. Example 5: Eight-coupled engine Class E, B~ld
win Company.
19. Four-cylinder looomobive3.
ARTICLE 2.-Priln{)iple of the Method.- The firs b point
to be clearly underabood is that the effect of a F orc3 F
(Fig. 1), with reference boa point 0, whose perpendicular
distance from the line of action ofF is a feet, is equal to1. An equal and parallel force to F, indicated by j,
acting at 0.
2. A couple, whose m agnitude is Fa.
The applica.bion of this principle t > the case of a revolving shaft acted upon by the centrifu~al force due to an
attached non -axial mass is the key to the method. Consider Fig. 2, in which a shah 0 X carries a truly- turned
.1.

Pu:,.J.
(.

------------- ,...
""""'---------- -- ---

BBz.
REfERENCE

,.k-----

II

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r.

\ ~'f

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I
I

,'

I
I
I

I
I

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1-- - - --+-----!..

- -

+Ji.,

tI --J..-----+-1----i-'
'
I

I I

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~\ 'I-I

r.

.... _... ...,

II

1--..L-.

X
1--...-.1;1

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PLAN.

~0

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\ I

0 ' -+
c.' <VI

' 'Y

, "II

r ,

1 1

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,.~'

disc D, to which a mass M is attached. Let ?' be the

distance of the mass centre of M from the axis of the
shaft; then when the shaft turns at w radians per second,
a. centrifugal force M w2 r = Facts upon the s haft. The
effect of this force with reference to the point 0 , which
may be taken anywhere, is1. An equal and parallel force M w~ r = F acting at 0.
2. A couple M w2 r a acting on the shaft tending to turn

* Pd.per read before the Institution of J\IIechanioal

T ENDERS IN BELGIUM.-Contracts are being arranged by Engineers.
t "Balancing Engines," Insbitution of Naval Archi.
the administration of the Belgian St~be Ra.ilways for 180
teots, 1899, page 186.
locomotive tenders.

Nov.

22,

tl.t aboub 0, in the plane containing the axis of revolut ion 0 r , and the radius of the mass ~I. A couple
of this kind is usually called a. " centrifugal couple,
beca.use the forces forming it are centrifugal for ces.
In these expressions, and in all the expressions following, M or '1n is the ma~ mea.<Jured in J?OUnds, conse
quently the forces will be in ab10lube umt~, unless the
expression be divided by g, in which c~se the forces are
in pounds weight, the us u'l.l unit of force. In b~lancing
problems bhe mass of the different parts is under considerd.tion, and the question of force is nob immediately
conce rned, so th ab the form~ M w2r, &o., are more
.
h M w2r
.
oonvemenb t o use t an
, or t he equiValent form
g

~ w2 r.

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

rgot.]

Hence M is alwaya to b3 interpreted mass

g
d.
measure m pounda or to:u. a3 the ca<Je may be.
ARTICLE 3.-Reje?ence P lane (F1g. 2).- A plane ab
right angles to the axis of revolution containing the
potnt 0 is the plane _in which the transferred force aobs,
and for convemence 1s c~ll ed a. reference plane. B oth the
refdrenoe plane a.nd the plane in which the centrifugal
couple aob~, rotate as bhou~h fixed to and forming part
of the rubabing system. The reference plane i~ besb
thought of as a. drawing-board keyed bo the shaft ab 0,
and therefore rotatin~ with ib. Ib is on this ideal drawing-board thab the bJ.la.ncing is worked oub.
AUTICfJ& 4. -Graphical R epresentation of the CentrifuJal
Force an!t Couple on. the R eference P lane.- The tunsferred force acting a.b 0 may be represente d by a line,
0 F in Fig. 2, drawn to scale in the reference
plane. It must be drawn Mw2 r units long, and p arallel
to the radius of M.
The couple may similarly (as shown in Fig. 2) be reprdSented by its axis, but for the purpose in hand ib is
s ufficient to represenb ib b7 a line drawn on the r eference
plane p arallel to the radtus of the m'l.S~, M w2 1 a units
long.
The direction in which the3e line3 are drawn must be
carefully attended bo. The line representing the force
must always be drawn in a direcbion from bhe point 0
oub word~. If the line representing the couple is drawn
from the p)in~ 0 oub ward3 and parallel t o the radius
when the mass is to the right of the reference plane, ib
must be drawn radially towards 0 for a mass on the lefb
of the plane, since the two masses tend to burn the system
in opposibe directions.
ARTICLE 5.-Condtitions of Balance.- If there are several
ma.-3ses attached t o and revolving with the same sha.fb, the
centrifugal force due to eaoh is to be treated in the same
manner-that is bo say, a reference plane is to be chosen
and e1ch force separately referred to it, giving a. system
of forces a oting ab 0, and a system of couples. The
tota.l unbs.lanced effect of the m'l.sses will b s represented
by:
1. The resulbanb of bhe transferred faradS aobing ab 0.
2. The resultant of bhe couples.
T he conditions of balance for a system of 1evolving 1n({,Sses
are evidently bha.b, when the proce33 of transference has
been carried oub with respect bo any reference plane :
1. There shall be no resultant force-i.e., the force
polygon in the reference plane must close.
2. There shall bs no resultant couple-i .e., bhe couple
polygon must clo3e.
ARTICLE 6. - Preli minary R eduction.-In drawing the
lines representin~ bhe forces and couples they may be
made proportional bo Mr and Mar simply, because the
w!, being the same for every mass in the system, and being
C)mmon to any applied balance weights, may for the
time bein~ be considered equal bo unity, ab the end of bhe
problem, 1f bhe actual magnibude of the resultant force,
or resultant couple is required, the proper value of w2
must ba Msociabed with the line represenbmg the resulba.nb
foroe or coup1e, found by measurement from the force or
couple polygons.
Ib should be noticed that if the force and couple p olygons for a given system respectively close, the system is
in ba.la.nce for a.ll spefds. So far then a.s the s peed is
concerned, in finding the b~lance-weighbs w may always
b3 written equal to unity. A further simplification is
made in the work by first reducing all the m9.5Ses bo crank
radius. Then the radius cancels oub and the sides of the
force polygon are drawn proportional to the respective
masses at crank radius, and the sides of the couple poly
gon proportional bo th~::SSe masses respectively multiplied
by their distances from bhe reference plane.
To find the a.obual force or couple in this latter case bhe
lengbh of the line representin~ either of them must be
multiplied by w2 r, where r 18 the common radius to
which all the masses are supposed reduced. By making
the assumption bhab w2 <r = unity:
1. The ma~ ab crank radius is the centrifugal force in
absolute units.
2. The mass ab crank radius multiplied by its distance
from the reference plane is the centrifugal couple in absolute units.
This assumption will be made throughout, so that,
insbead of mo.~ and ma.s3 moment, the terms centrifugal
force and centrifugal couple may be used.
AR'J.liCLE 7.-Revolving and R eciprocating Masses.-The
moving masses in an engine may be divided into those
which revolve with the crankshaft, a nd those which the
crankshaft reciprocates. The preceding principles applying to revolving mass, may be made to a.pply to the reoiprocabing masses. It is only necessary to suppose that
the reciprocating masses are transferred to t heir respecbi ve
crankpins and to brea.b them th ere a.s a sepa.rabe revolving
~Jystem, the balance weights found being those which,
when reciprocated, will balance the reciprooatin~ masses.
This method of treatment really assumes a.n infi01tely long
Clnnecbing-rod, so thab the solution obtained for ordinary
rods is only approximate. The error involved is, however,
negligible in locomotive work. Again, in locomotive

work ib is almost the uni veraal custom bo balance bhe reoiprooabing ma~es by revolving mas 3es placed in the
wheels, the o.obual b'ltlance weight in a wheel being the
resulba.nt of the b~lanoe weights req uired for the revolving
and reoiproca.bing parts respectively. There is therefore
no need to discriminate between the revolving a.nd reciprocating pa.rts in the process of finding the balance
weights. Having settled ho w muoh of the reciprocati ng
pa.rt3 itJ is desirable bo balance, include ib with the ravolvmg masses at the ora.nkpio, and consider the whole as a.
re volving sys tem.
The method adopted in the follo wing examples is to
bake a seb of reciprocating p arts and to balance them con
sidered a.~ belonging respecbi vely: bo an inside cylinder
sins-le engine, and a. 6-coupled instde engine. The reoiprooatmg p~rb3, dimensions, and revolving pa.rts whera po3sible are bhns3 common to a. large number of the L ancashire and Yorkshire 4-coupled and 6-coupled engines, the
d a~a. of which has kindly been supplied by Mr. Aspinall.
F ollowing a. UAual cusbom, bwo-thtrds of the reciprocating
masses are balanced in each case.

A d represents the resultant, and therefore d A the

force which will balance the system. This must be supplied by a. mass revolving with the reference t>l~ne-tbab
1s, in the righo-ha.nd wheel. The angular pos1t1on of the
R . balance weight is given by drawing a line parallel to
d A from tho centre of the axle. The magnitude ~~I is
given by the lenR"bh of d A. Thii measures 766 units.
M is therefore 766 Ib.
The check on the accuracy of the work lies in the facb
bha b if the masses ab the R. and L. crankpins are equal,
a.nd thab if their planes of revolution and the planes in
whbh the balance weights are placed are symmetrically
disposed with regard to bhe central vertical plane of the
engine, the two balance weighbs must be equal in ma~ni
tude, and their angular positions must be symmetnca.l
with re3p eob to the cranks. One balance weight is found
from the couple triangle A B C, Fig. 5; the other is
therefore known ab once, and the dra wing of the force
polfgon A b c if, is therefore really unnecessary, bhoue-h
md1spensable a.s a check, since d A should scale 1ts

E XAMPfJE ].
A RT IOLE

Pt:J

8.-Z:nside Oylin,dcr Single E n.ginc, 26 i n. Stroke:

3.

Data.
Distance centre to centre of cylindera
Dista.ncs between the planes containing the n1as 3 centres of the balance
weights
...
...
. ..
. ..
M~s of unbalanced revolving part~
per crankpin reduc3d to 13-in.

radius . ..

...

...

. ..

1 ft. 11 in.
4 ,, 11 ,

. ..

644 lb.

Ma.<38 of reciprocating parts p er

cylinder ab crankpin radius
...
Proportion of reciproca.bing parts to
be balanced . . .
.. .
.. .
. ..
The mass bo be balanced a.b each
crankpin is therefore 6H + ~ of
551 lb. = 10lllb.

551 ,
two-thirds.

Draw the plan and elevation of the ora.nk axle as shown

in Figs. 3 a.nd 4, so that in elevation bhe L. driving wheel
shows to the front. Choose a rf ference plane to coincide
with the ~;>lane containing the ma3s centre of the R.
balance wetghb and mark on the plan bhe three dimensions i j k. Ib will be found couvenient to a.rrang(! the
data. in the war illustrated in the folio win~ S chedule No. 1.
The numbers 10 italics are those whioh have to be found.

:IJ.4.
I

I
... II

Q)
~

N'2.

ScHEDULE No. 1.

,..L-4-

1/l.hs. - ~

Inside Cylinder Single Eng ioE'. R efe rence plane at No. 1,

plane, Fig. 4.

I
I

...
~

No. of Oran lr.

- - w.

No. 1 R. h \lo.nce

wt. . .

No. 2 R. orank
..
No. 3 L. orank
..
No. 4 L. b~lance wt.. .

X.

Y.

18 in.
41 in.
59 in.

76G
l Oll
l Oll
766

0 in

18 .198
M,Mil

and, moreover, M must be placed ab crank radius in the

relabi ve angular p osition to the cranks given by C A (nob
A C). This line 0 A is oa.lled a. closure, since ib is the
line which closes the couple polygon, giving at once the
direction and magnitude of the balancing couple.
The angular oosition of the balance weight in bhe L.
wheel is therefore given by simply drawing _a line Q Q
(Fig. 3) parallel to C A. Its magnitude M. o.b crank
radius, is found from the above product by dividing bbe
45,220 by 59 in., nhe distance a.b which the balance weight
is to revolve from the reference plane, giving 766 lb. The
three masses-vi~ . 1011 lb. ab the L. and R. crankpins
respectively, and 766 lb. in bhe L. wheel-have now no
tendency to turn the system about 0 ab all. There is
still left, ho wever, the transferred equal and parallel
forces due to these three masses acting ao 0 . To find the
resulba.nb of bhesP, choose a. suitable scale, which will in
general differ from the scale used to draw bhe couple
p Jlygon, and set out Fig. 5, Ab o d respectively equal
and parallel bo these forces- i.e.:

A b parallel bo the L . crank 1011 units long.

,,
,
units long.

R.

---'-

-*.

~
I

I
I

1
I
I

.... 4

cr=========L~=====:;>

I
I
I
I
I
I
I

M>,.UO

Consi der the R . Crank.- ItJ is 18 in. from the re ference plane. The centrifugal force, w2r being unity, acting
on bhe a.xle du e to the 101llb. ab the R. crankpin is 1011
absolute units, acting always along the crank radius out
wa rd from the centra. 'ra.nsferred to the reference
plane, this is equivalent to an equal and parallel force
acting ab 0, and a couple whose moment is represented
by the product 1011 x 18 = 18,198. The effect of the
1011lb. a.b bhe L. crankpin, with respect to bhe reference
plane, is similar bo a force at 0 represented by 1011 and
a couple repre3ented by the product 1011 x 41 = 41,451.
To see wha.b bhs resultant effect of these two couples is,
and what mass must be added to balance them, choose
any convenient scale and draw A B (Fig. 5) parallel
to the L. crank and 41,451 unibs long to any convenient
scale, a.nd B C parallel to the R. crank 18,198 units
long. A C represents bhe toba.l burning effect, and therefore C A represents bhe moment of bhe couple which will
effect balance. This line scales 45,200 units, and therefore the b1.la.ncing mass musb be of such magnitude, M,
and placed ab such diabo.nce a from the reference plane
that
M a-= 45,220;

z.

bo
od

I
I

Distance Equ ivalent ~lass Equivalent.

from
at Orauk ~hdius &lass Mo.ment
refer ence = Oentr1fu~al = Oen t.r1fugal
lane
Force when
Oou ple when
P

w2 r = 1.
w 2 r = 1.

L. bl.la.nce weight radius C A, 766

ll{] 5.

oB
already-known magnitude, and should be inclined to the
R. crank at the same a.ngle that CA is inclined to tha
L. crank. A consideration of the above method will
show that the artifice consists in choosing the reference
plane to coincide with the plane of rsvolution of one of
the unknown balance weights. Whatever be its mass,
it has no moment with respect t o 0, and can form no
centrifu~al couple acbing on the sysbem; balance amongst
the couples due bo tihe remainin~ three masses ca.n then
be effected, leaving the mass m reference plane to be
adjusted bo balance the forces transferred to 0.
'he method of finding the balance weights may be
shortly summarised as follows :
1. Draw a plan and elevation of the axle; mark on
the necessary dimensions from the reference plane taken
o.b the centre mass of the R. balance weigh t.
2. Fill in a. schedule like Schedule No. 1 (above).
Multiply the figures on the Sillme level in columns X and Y
together, placing bhe products in column Z.
3. Set oub the products in column Z as if to form a
polygon ; remembering the instructions of Article 4 : the
direotJion of each produob is defined by the corresponding
crank given in column W. The line necessary bo close
the polygon defines bhe a ngular position of bbe balancing
produot-i.e., of the balance weigh b. Transfer this direction bo the elevation of bhe crank axle. Measure its
length and divide it by the quantity k. The quotient is
bhe magnitude of the balance weight ab crank radius.
4. Sat onb the quantities in column Y as if to form a
polygon. The closing sidE', taken in order with the rest
defines the angular position and magnitude of the balanc~
weight in the reference plane. For symmetrical engines
this checks the work in the way already explained.
The actual mas3, M 1 of the balance weight, depends

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

of oou ~se, upon the distance R of its mass centre G from

the aX\8,
If.'~' is nhe crank radiu~, M 1 is found from M 1 R = M 1'
= ~66r for Example 1. Taking r = 13 in., and R = 36 in.,
wh1ch . would be about the practicab!e distance for a
'!-ft . 3-m. wheel, M 1 = 276lb. This should be arranged
m crescent form between the spokes, as shown in Fig. 3
(page 727).
E XAMPLE 2.
AUTIOLE 9.-Six-Coupled Goods Engine, 18-In. x 26-In.
Cgli~n.fters, Lancas_h~re and . Yorkshire Railway. - A
drawmg o~ th~ dnvm~ axle IS shown i n Figs. 6 and 7.
There are m t~1s case e1ght _masses revolving in the eight
planes sh~wn m the plan (Ftg. 7). The new feature in this
exa~~le IS the coupling rod. Each coup1in~-rod is to
be dt vtqed between the three outside crankpms in the
proportiOn that they respectively support of its weight.
In the present example the leading and trailing wheels
each take 143lb. per crankpin. the driving wheel257 lb.
The total mass of each rod is 543 lb. The proportion may

Distance between planes 3 and 6

containing mass centres of balance
weights
...
...
...
.. .
U nb&.lanced mass ab each outside
crankpin in planes 1 and 8 re
duced to 13 in.
.. .
.. .
. ..
Unbalanced mass of wheel cranks and
part of pin in them reduced to 13 in.
radius revolving in planes 2 and 6
Un~~lanc~d ~ass of re~olving parts
a each ms1de crank pm . ..
...
M~~s of reciprocating parts per cy.
lmder .. .
.. .
. ..
. ..
.. .
Mass revolving at each inside crank
journal in planes 4 and 5 is :
Revolving...
. ..
.. .
644
Two-thirds reciprocating
367

LNov.
S CHEDULE

U6,
644 , ,

-------

Number ot
Crank.

w.
H

,
,

Equivnl('nt
EquhaJeo t.
Distance
Mass at Oraok Mass Moment. =
from R eference R1dius = Cen Cent.rifu~ral
Plane.
t rifugal Force
Couple wben

w = l.
No. 1

551 ,

3.

Six:Cou pled Inside Cylinder Engin('.

L ead mg Wheels. Crank radius = 10 in.

4 ft. 11 in.
217 lb.

rgor.

2 2,

X.
I nches.
- 7.2
- 1. 4
0
fi9

2
3
4
6
6

OO.t
66.2

w=J.

Y.

z.

168
125
3 17
3 17
126
168

- ] ,'~09

- 176

0
18,720
7,550
11,122

The couple a nd f?rcA _pol_ygons Oorre~ponding t o t he

T otal
... ... lOll
schedule are. drawn m F 1g. 10, and the balance weights
Fill in Schedule 2 for the driving wheel, and compute they de.ter~me are shown, the L . one full, and the R. one
dotted m F1g. 9.
column Z.
T he balamcing of the trailing 1vheel is the same as for
SoHEour. .E 2.
the leadin~ wheel. in every respect.
Six-Coupled Inside Cylind er Engine :
The radn ab wh10h the actual balance weights were pub
Driving WheeL- Crank R adius = 13 in.
are :
l~efe re oce P lane at No. 3.
Fb. In.
Driving wheel
.. .
.. .
.. .
.. .
1 10
Equivalent Mass Eq uivalent Mass
Leading
,
.. .
...
.. .
.. .
1 10
mstance
\ t Crank Radius Moment = OenNumber of
Trailing
,
.. .
...
. ..
...
1 10
from Refer ence = Centrifugal t rifugnl Couple
Crank.
Plane.
For~e wbere
where
Therefore the mas~es of the actual weights are:
w2 r = 1.
w2 ,. = 1.
Driving wheel = 494 x_ 13 = 292 lb.

--

-----------------....,---- - --

'I

~
()),

w.

X.

Jn c h~>P.

No. 1

,
,
,
,
,
,

F0 '1.

,
- ------""'"-;..1--- ,-""---.- -

..

-.-

.. a.

Ref.P~

N !'5.

1,~

c- b
D

/111 4 Cl

be arrivd at expeditiously by l>laoing the rod on three

knife-edges ab the three centrelin~, each knife-edge being
suitably supported in the platform of an independent
weighing machine. The readings of the three scales give
the proportions ab the respective crankpins.
In general, the common radius of the outside cranks of a
coupled engine is less than t hat of the inner cranks. The
masses forming the system about the driving axle must
be reduced to a common radius. Generally the radiu~
of the inside cranks is used.
Dnving Wheel.
F or each outside d riving crankpin:
lb.
Proportion of coupling-rod ...
... 2571 ab 10 in.
Outside part of crankpin and washer 25 f
Total . ..
...
... 282
Equivalent t o 217 lb. at 13 in. rad ius.
The connecting-rod is the same as in the previous examples. The usual practice in E ngland is to balance the
propo~tion of ~h~ reciprocating _masses dec~ded upon e~
tirely m the dnvmg wheel. ThiS method IS followed m
t he present case.
Collecting the data for the driving wheel :
Data.
Distance centre to centre of cylinder 1 fb. 11 in.
Distance centre to centre of coupling-rods
. ..
.. .
.. .
. . . 6 , 1~ ,
Distance between planes 2 and 7
con t&ining mass cen bres of wheel
cranks . ..
.. .
.. .
.. .
. . . 5 , 1~ ,

- 72
- 1.4

0
18

4
5
6
7
8

41

2 l7
96
494

- 1,562
- 13r1

lOll

18,198
41,451
29,140
5,798
14,365

1011

494

59
60.4
66.2

z.

96
217

L eading

N'! 1.
.. 2.

C B

Y.

Draw the couole polygon, Fig. 8, A B, B C, C D,

DE, E F , F G, to scale, baking the magnibudes from
column Z. Notice t hat C D returns over A B and
BC, and that E F, F G are dra wn in a direction from
their cra nkpins t o the axis, since the planes in which
the corresponding masses revolve are on the opposite side
of the reference plane to the other masses (see A rt. 4). The
closure G A measures 29,140, and it fixes the direction of
the balance weight in plane 6-i.e., in the L. wheel.
Dividing by 59, the quotient 494 is the magnitude of the
balance wei~h t. Check the work by drawing the force
polygon. F1g. 8, A b, b c, o d, de, e j . f g, g h. The
closure hA ~ives the direc~ion of the R. wejgbt, and it
should 6cale 494 lb., thereby checking the work. R emember that for the force polygon the direction of
drawing is always from the axis parallel to the radius
towards the crankpin (see Art. 4).
L eading Wheel.-The unbalanced masses are wh olly
revolving and should therefore be entirely balanced. They
consist of the urankarm, crankpin, and a proportion of
the eoupling-rod. They revolve in different planes, forming a system of six masses revolving in six different planee-,
which are t abulated in Schedule 3, column X, relatively to the reference plane. An elevation of the leading wheel is shown in Fig. !l.

Trailin~

.,

22
= 3l7 22
x 10

,, = 317

= 133 ,
10 = 138 "

22
The angles, measured from the drawiue-s of the polygons, which the L. weights .make with hor1 zonbal are :
Driving wheel 43 deg. below centre line.
L eading ,, 4 ,,
,
,
Trailing ,. 4 ,
"
,
. Thelelt-hand side of th e engine id Lhown in Fjg. 17 (to be
g1 ven la ter), the cranks being placed in their proper relation
to one another, and the balance weights shown in bla.ck.
In ~h~s type of engine b~e distance between the planes
contammg the balance wetghts and those containing the
wheel cranks is so nearly the same that practically they
may be treated as coincident. In the previou3 example
t?e two planes have been retained in their exact posit iOns for the sake of generality. The example then forms
a. type for coupled engines with double frames and overhung crankarms.
A four-coupled inside cylinder engine is worked out in
the same way as in the previous example.
(To be continued. )

DARLINGTON TRAMWAYS.-The Tramways Committee

of the Darlington Town Council have arran~ed to seek
powers to borrow l OO,OOOl. for the const ruction of a new
tramway.

SouTH AFRICAN GoLo-:NIINING. - Although crushing

has been resumed in the ~ransvaal, it _appoars very
doubtful whether the extractiOn effected th1s year will be
equal to tha b of 1900. In January, February, and M arch
1900, as well as in November and December, 1899, th~
Boer Government worked the Witwatersrand mines with
a certain vigour, the extraction for the first quarter of
1900 being 251, 677 oz. Nothing was done in the way of
working the mines between 1\farcb, 1900, and 1'Ia.y, 1901.
In the lat ter month a few mines were started by British
managers, and the number of mines in working has
since been gradually increased, so that while the outpub of May was 7478 oz., the production of October
was 33,393 oz. The extraction for the six months
ending October 31 was 147,019 oz. But even if the
output in November and December amounts t o 40,000 oz.
per month, the yield for the whole year will still
be somewhat below the irregular produqtion of 1900.

There is, however, every probability that production will

I
be carried on with a gradually increasing vigour in 1902.
i
Although the working of the mines by the Boer Government in November and December, 1899, and January,
:Ft{j.10. L~ s.1iwJ.uyJ TV/~.
February, and March, 1900, was really carried on with a
view to give the Boar Government immediate funds,
without any regard being pa.id to the rights of the companies owning the mines which were brou~ht into activity,
t he general result was probably favourable from the
owner's point of view. The Boer Government had entire
control of the mining interests of the J ohannesbnrg district for t he five months in question, and inflicted no
damage upon the mines. as ib r('garded t hem as a
valuable aeseb from which to derive the sinews of war.
At the close of the first quarter of 1900, the authority
of the Boers was so weakened that they derived no f urtber
}
.B., v
.c
profit from the mines, and ab the same time their power
D
A
for working mischief was ab an end. The progress of
Clo.nu-~
E
gold-mining in R hodesia has scarcely realised the expectations formed respecting it. Still, the output of
Additional Data.
Rhodesian gold for the fus t ten months of this year was
lb.
140,506 oz., as compared with 91,850 o~. for the whole of
... 143
1-Iass due to couphng-rod
1900, 62,313 or.. for the whole of 1899, and 18,085 oz. for
Mass due to part of pin and
the whole of 1898. ' Vhen the returns for November and
washer ou tside crankarm .. . 25
December are brou~hb in, ib will probably be found thab
168 at 10 in. radius. this year's Rhodes1an produotion will range between
165,000 oz. and 175,000 oz. The combined output of go'd
Mass of wheel crank and the
in the Transvaal and Rhodesia this year appeard likely to
part of the crankpin in the
be nearly 400,000 oz., of the value of 1,500,000l. in round
wheel
. ..
...
.. .
. .. 125 , 10 ,
figun s.
Fill these masss in Schedule 3.

1-a:

rr------!

, ,, . 0}

Nov. .,.,
--, 190 !.]

E N G I N E E R I N G.
ELECTRICAL APPARATUS.
2~! 700. J. B. Langford, London. Cable Connectors

"ENGINEERING" ILLUSTRATED PATENT

RECORD.

(1 P t~B. ]

Decembe.r 28, 1{)00.-:This invention relates to termiuo.ls;

COMPIT.ED DY
LLOYD WISE.
coupliog.il, or j unct10ns for a w1re or for stranded electric ca bltP
the .hk e, and according thereto a pin with a t.hread cut o~
BEIECTED ABSTRACTS OF RECENT PUBLISHED BPBCIFIOATIONS or
one o~ tts ends has on the other end a smoot.b r.oned point, and
UNDER THE ACTS OF 1883-1888
screw10g on to this t h read and over the coned end icJ a bend o r
T~ mnnber oj views given in the Specification. Dr~uri s i8 t ted nut. The upper part of the inside of this head is coned to fit
!::,t
where none are mentioned, the
is rnrnllel to the surface of ~he cone. on t.he pin, and a hole is out
through the top of the sntd head m order to allow the wire or

w.

e:Ji':r~t~::::J.

pla~es

in a solution of ammonium sulphate. It. is state d that the

ncttve matter t reated as d escribed is liable to very slig h t expan
sion and contraction in use. The g rid u sed to support and con
neot the act.ive matter is preferably of the kind illustrated. The
first claim is as follows: " In a method of mixing secondary

sp:Jjlcat~o':1

Where inventi0?18 are communicated from abroad the N

d:~. of the C~mm'!'nicators are given in t'-tali~. '
anus,
Copteg of Specijlcattons may be obtained at the Patent Office s l
Bt,rancl~, t6, So~tthampton Buildings, ChamcenJlane lf. c aa~
,~,e tmt/ orm. pn.ce of 8d.
' '
Th e d~te 0.~ th~ a!'lvertisement of the acceptance of a Com lete
'Jfctfit1ttw 1bts, tn each case, given after the abstract tmles~ the
. a en as een sealed, tuhen the date of sealing is o'iven
~ 11 p:dson '!lav, at a'll1J tim e within two m011.ths from the date of
t !e
v~ttsement of the acceptance of a Compl~te Specification
gu;e 11ottce at the Pate11t Office of opposition to the r nt 0.r '
Patent 01~ any of the grounds mentioned in the .Acts.g a
J a

AGRICULTURAL APPLIANCES.
wi res to be pushed through. The outsid e of t h e bead may be
21,019. J . .E. Rausome, Ipswich. Short-Grass shaped so as to be easily screwed up by b and. lu u se the wires
Cutter. [5 Frys. J November 2l, 1900.- ln ord er that the nra J?UShed thr_ough the hole in the bead and spread out on
meet1~~ t~e

<~t g rass may not c log t.be kni\'CS or be thrown in improper directiOns a c~ncave deflector is fitted behind the knhe~ . and the top

po10t of . the cone. On screwing up the connector

eao~ "!re 1s firmly ~ rt pped between the surface of the cone and
t he _lDBtd~ of the bead or nut, thus making g ood elect rical contact.
Vart_ous smgle and double forms of such a connector a re described
and Illustrated, and are dnimed broad ly and in detail. (Accepted
October 2, 1901.)

~s.----------
I

bnttery plates m ixing lend oxide (with or without t.he addition of

finely-divided lend) with a solution of a soluble silicate to form
a p~te, maki.ng the ~as te into a plate and dipping the plate into
a dllute alkahne soluttoo, substantially as herein described." (.Ac
cepted October 2, 1901.)

21,233. J. Pescatore, Manchester, and The Tudor

17,024. The British Thomson-Bouston Company Accumulator Company, Limited, London. Storage
Limited. ( W. C.. Fibh, Lynn , .Mass., U. S ..A.) Insulating Batteries. [4 Fig~.] Nove~b~r 23, 1.000.-A fo~m of storage
Mate.r~als.

[6

August 24, 1901.- Insulntiog material

compn smg carbomenble subst.ance, is according to this inventio~
made from layers of asbestos p oper or the like with small b roken
! 'l{JR.]

battery plate accordmg to th1s mvent10n compn ses two thin

plates made fr<;>m pe~forated g riJs whose perforations have heen
wholly filled wtth act1ve matter , t he t.wo t hin plates thus consti

Fig 7

Pig.2. Fig.3.

I'-

Fig.2.

.tl

i:zr,1~:>

r-

I I
I !

I I

B'

-- . =~
-

---- -

(,,,~# )

or powdered mica between , t.he whole being caused to adhere

tog ethEr by being m ixed with va rnish and subjected to preesu re
while hot. Assembling frames and a p ressing device, by means of
which the nontents of a number of frames can be pressed at one
lime, a re described an d illustrated. (Accepted October 2, 1901.)

of th e g raf s b ox i::t broug h t o ,er t.he d eflector in such a manner

~bat ic; ser ves to r eceive the g rass fr om t h e knives and direct it
l!lto t~e box. A clearer for t h e g rass box comprises n t ravel
hng diaphragm moved by ch ain gear, put in motion by a h andwh eel. (il ccepted September 25, 1901.)

17,029. The British Thomson-Bouston Company,

21,751. A. Shuttleworth and R. Gamble, Lincoln. Li.m ited. (H. R. S arne?tt Scltenectady , .N.Y. , U.S.ii.)

Threshing Machines.

Lightning Arresters. [1 Fig.] August 24, 1901.-A device

[6

F igs.] November 30, 1900.- Tbis

invention has reference to t hreshing machines of the kind in which
the th reshin~ d rum is provided wit.h ribbed beaters, and there is
aw~n~ed half round its periphery or ther eabout a compound" con
cave" provided w ith cross bars, a narrow space being ltft. between
t b e drum and the concave through which t he unthresh(d corn is
drawn by the rapid ro tation of the drum so that the g rain becomes
St>parated from the straw by the friction between the bentera of
the d rum and the c ross bars of t h e concave. As is well known,
the friot.ion r eferred to in ooune of time wears away t he upper
edgfs of the cro~sbars of the con cave, thus rendering them
blunt and impairing the efficiency of the threshing . T o obviate
the necessity, wh ich formerly obtained, for taking the concaves to
pieces and r e-inRerLing the c rossbars in t h e heads in r eversed
position in order that their worn edges s h ould be underneath
and t h eir sharp edges uppermost, compound concaves such as de
scribed have been made with bot.h ends of the beads of the upper
part alike, and of s u ch form tbat t h e position of t h e upper par t
c1n be reversed whenever the upper edges of t h e c rossbars have

Fig.f.

nppliclble for breaking arcs wh ich may have been started by light
mog between conductors conveying high-tension c urrent o f g r eat
enerf!Y according to this invention comprises means for causing
a sumcient r esistance t o be automatically introducP.d in to the
diecharge p ath by t h e current passing tl.&eretbrougb in order to
prevent the maintenance of an a rc at the nor mal potential of the
mains . An apparatus is described which comprises a series of

I
(

I I

I I

I I
J (

I I

II

II

(
I

I I

Il

I l

I l

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tuted being made up together to form a single plate in such

manner that there is a sufficient space between them to allow
acid to percolate to the interior parts of t be active material. A
double electrode &eotion may comprise " neJ,tative" spongy lead
plates made according to the invention, and ordinary peroxide
plates for "positives." (Accepted October 2, 1901.)

14,841. J. T. Armstrong and A. Orling. London.

Wireless Telegraphy. [8 .Figs.] Aug u dt 18, 1900.-Wire

less telegraph apparatus s pecially designed for use in controlling

tor pedo r udders, and with tbe object of eliminating secondary
disturbances which would affect t h e cober er, in one arrangement
according to this invention comprises : In electro-magnetic wave
r eceivin't apparatus, a normally closed eleotric circuit having a

2.

Fig '
.--~---.1'
-

....
'

1.1. 11-'
-'

1'1' 1'

~ecome

blunted tbro~gh w~ar. In n thresh ing machine accord

mg to t.h e present mventton both t h e. upper and the lower
parts of t.be concave a re m.nde r~verstble, both ends of the
beads of the upper part ~etnJ! ahk~, and both ends o f the
heads of the lower part be10g also ahk~. The two par ts of t.he
coocaye a re jointed toget~er by a rod wbtch passes t~rougb round
holes tn the adjacent portto~s of the beads of . the satd two pa~ts,
tbe. ends of the rod p rojecting through. the Btde.s of t h e machme
wbtl~ supported on the frame, means bemg prov1ded for adjusting
the dtstance of the concave from t h e drum ~e~ters. The top nod
the bottom of the ~ompound concave ar~ stmtlarly suppor ted. by
o t her two rods wbtcb pass through slots 10 the beads and a re hke
wise provided witb means for ad j usting the distance of t he con r a ve from the d rum leaters, the slots being made oblong t.o allow
or the said adjustment.. The vacant spaces which would other
\\ise be left between the outer sides of the upper part of the con Cl\'e and the machine sides a re provided with filling pieces, whereby
straw is pre,ented from accumulating between the heads of the
upper portion of the concave and t he machine frame the said
filling pieces being p rovided wiLh dowels or projections ' which ftt
into corresponding h?les in t h e said beads. (Accepted S eptem ber
25, 1901.)

metallic buttons with air gaps between, constituting t h e safet.y

d ischarge path, and to a contig uous pair of its buttons is connected
(in shunt to t he a ir gap) an elect ro-mag netic de vice adapted on
t h e p assage of cu rrent to open a sbor tcircu itswitob on a carbon rod
resistance connected in series with the safety discharge path. The
p roprietors of t h e patent, eay: " We consider ourselvea the first to
conceive the idea of automatically inserting a resistance in series
with contacts between wbiob au a rc ruay bts form ed, in order to
break the arc, and that we a re the fi rst to c onceive the idea of
npply iog this conception to a lightning arrester for high-potential
cn cuits." (A ccepted October 2 1901.)
'

17.490. B. Kuettner, Lon~on.

~t.orag~ Batteries.

[3 l 1'1gs. ) Oo.t.ober 2, 1900.-Accordmtr to t.hts mvent.ton spc_:mgy lend

and le!ld o~tde el~ctrodes nre .hnrdened by menns of sthoa. T~e
paste 1s m1xed .wth sol~tble stlicnte, and tl.te pasted electrode .ui
lmmer~ed firs~ ~ very dtlute alkaline solutton, nod .~fterwards m
a solut10n o~ stmt lar c bara.oter, b~t strong~r. The ~1hcate may be
that of sodiUm, and t h e tmmerbtOn nlkahne solut10n may be of
ammonium sulphate .. It is stated t hat "forming" of s~ch plates
p roceeds from the J:rrtd outwards, and .that the peroxtde plates
s h ould be " form ed" in the u sual solut.1on, but the spongy lead

I
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Fig.2.
.fig. 3. "\
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coberer, a battery, and a sensitive relay ndapt.ed to control a re1ay

circuit p rovided with a batliery and an electromagnet whose
nrmn.ture carries a detent which on being attracted is withd rawn
from its nor mal position of engagement with a ratobet wheel
m ounted on the shaft of a motor, thus p ermitting it to l'Ot.ate, a
b reak wheel form ing p:Lrt of either or both the receiving and relay
circuits, which is or are thereby opened and the detent permitted

l Nov.

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

730

21, I

90 I.

to return to its normal position, to enga~e the next tooth of boxes for railway or tramway vehicles, and it has fo r its object to CMing (when such is used) attached t o the fa n-bear ing. When it
t.be ratchet wheel, and thus atop the motor , by wbioh a t rip provirte a valve through which the sand will flow fr eely, and not is d esired that the air pro pelled by the fan shall be humidified,
hammer or equivalent device is a lso opt>rat ed and decohesion be liable to choke on account of the diminished sectional area oft he the casing of t he tur bine is omitted altogether, or is provided with
Effected. (Accepted Septembt:r 25, 1901.)
body of aaud. The valve casinlr with its upper par t is made in t he
form of a hopper to contain the sand, and the sides a re flan~f'd
so t hat it can be secured to t he oar , an intermediate neck uniting
Fig.R.
GAS ENGINES. PRODUCERS, HOLDERS, &c.
the hopper to a abort coupling-pipe. The valve i~elf, which is of
16.619. J. G. Bormann, Berlin. Gas and Vapour the cylindrical or conical plug type, is fitted in the aforementioned
Engines. f2 F igs.) September 18, 1900.-A gas engine ac- neck, and has a small upper port nod a larger one on the under side,
cordin~r to t his invention has no watercooling device for t he so t hat when the valve is open sand will flow downwards by the
C.} Jinde r, but in one arrangement the cylinder and piston a re action of g ravity from the hopper t hrough t he valve to the coup

---.. ---. . . .
oriflCf:s, controlled or not by taps, in order t hat the steam Exbauqt
from the tur bine may jo!n the t ravelling air stream. (.Accepted
September 26, 1901.)

..

MISCELLANEOUS.
17,443. J. C. Stanley and the Cotton Seed Oil Syndt
..
cate, Limited, London. FatBleach~g A~p~ra~.
ling pipe, which is pr eferably screw-threaded for the attachment [3 Figs.) October 2, 1900. - An apparatus accord JOg to tb.IS mve n~1on
,

.....

'

. . ..

{11,11.1)

organiafd so as to be double-acting , gas exploding on one side of

the piston and volatile liquid being evaporated (nod serving to
produce power) on the other, such volatile liquid being chosen as
will sufficiently reduce t he temperature of the cylinder walls.
(Acupted September 26, 1901.)

21,622. A. J. Boult, LondoD. (The New P rocess L ighting Company, Cleveland, Ohio, U.S. .A .) Gas Burners.
[6 Fu;s.] November 29, 190:>. - The fi rst claim in this specification
is broad ly : "In a lamp haviog an illuminating burner, tbe employment of a caloric en~ine which converts a portion of the
w~te heat into meoha mcal power (as distinguished from a
de,ice driven by t he upward c urrent of ai r caused by the flame
or beat from the burner, or a device for separating bented gas or

' I

of a pipe for di~t r ibuting the sand on the rails. The opening at for bleaching fat while in t~e liquid state. by the aottoo o~ hgbt
the bottom or lower part. of the p lug or key is so desi~ned that when comprises a glass house bavmg a tank a t tts base to the s1des of
t he supply of sand is cut off the plug or key will automatically
~
empty itself. A number of prongs or spikes are fix ed in the
upper side of the cylindrical plug alon~side the port and project
into the hopper , to serve the double purpose of breaking up the
sand when the valve is turned from its closed posit ion to its open
position by means of a lever outside the casing, and of limiting
~ ,..~
the movement of t he valve por t to that necessary to enable it
to pass from t he open to the closed position. tA.ccepted Sep
tember 25, 1901.)

STEAM ENGINES, BOILERS, EVAPORATORS, &c.

23,821. J. Hopktnson, J. Lowis, and J. Hopktnson
and Co., Limited, Huddersfield. Stop Valves.

l\

~~~

[1 Fig. ] December 20, 1900.-A screw-down stop-vahe according

to this invention has the valve proper borne upon a part provided

1-- -

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~

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n

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ll.

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which a re bolted uptiAh ts that sen e to ~upport a smaller tank,

wbioh receives fat pumped up from the base tan k, and is pro,ided with distributing means by which t he fat is ser"'ed in
regular flow on to a series of glass plates, also supported by the
uprights. A steam coil is provided in the lower tank if ne)cssary
for keeping the fnt fluid. (Accepted OctolJer 2, 1901.)
with n screw of such coarse pitch that while the valve i:J free t.o
15.873. J. B. Stuurman, Brooklyn, N.Y., U.S.A.
rise and fall upon the same, yet chat~e rinK o( t.be valve uoder con Cutting Diamonds. [7 F igs.] J uly 29, 1901.-Accordiog to
dit.ions of unstable eQuilibrium is prevented. The part bearing this invention, and instend of ~ ri nding down t he whole exteri<'r
t he valve is conveniently a block fr ee t o turn on the end of the of a diamond to form a brilliant, the atone is c u t through one
screw-down spindle. (Accepted Octobe1 2, 1901.)

20,553. La Societe Soltgnac, Grille et Cie., Parts.

Steam Generator. [2 F igs. ] November 14, 1900.- (0on,en

nir from cooler fluid, and rei.} iog on its t emperature to supply
the pressure), a nd mechanism operated by such power of the
e ngine for increasing the supply of combustion supporter to t he
huroer substantially a.a herein set forth." Means are provided
for star ting the engine, t hese comprising a Bunsen buruer a nd
by-pass and a mec hanical star ting device. The apparatus works
by pumping air into the gas pipe, and controlling apparatus for
use with such a system is described. (Accepted Septernber 25,
1901.)

tion date August 1~ , 1900.) Io t his boiler:::> fork-shaped tubes at

their lower ends take water from and at tbeir upper ends discharge steam and water into a water and steam drum situated
bet ween t he ends of t heir legs. The entrances to t he t ubes may
be c onstricted by tuyeres or by other means. There is one claim, as
follows : .. A system of steam generator consisting of a water-feed
drum sen ing as a store of b eat energy a nd s team space, comprised
between the branches of :J-sbaped tubes forming a nest of vaporia

GUNS AND EXPLOSIVES.

22,369. A. Reichwald, London. (Fried. Krvpo, Essen,
Germany.) Gun-Sights. [7 Figs.] December , 1900.- Ac-

Fig .3.

r---o

Fig. 7.

of its nxes to form two stonel', and t.bese are chipped and polished
until th ey finally assume the f,hape of pyr amid ;i with the lower
edges ground off at an angle of about 4b deg. with t he base surface, ~bus producing witb little waste two finished diamonds
having la rge tables. (A ccepted October 2, 1001.)

cording to this invention n. ~n-sigbt _compr!st>s a ~r<;>ss-wire

telescope mounted upon a carr1er prov1ded w1tb a apmt-le,d.

1.

16,620. J. G. Borma.nn, Berlin. Obtaintug Motive

Power. [6 Figs.) September 18, 1900.-In order t o u tilise
waste beat, the invent or proposes to place n. vessel, perhaps
t ubular, within some substance acting as an interceptor nod

r =hr

Tbe attachment is prefera.bly mounted on t he gun in such manner

tha~ ita axis of r otation passes through its centr e of g ravity, in
rrder that t he adjust ing mechanism of t be level may be r eli eved
from the effects of u mnsa pressur e set up by th e flring or t he
moving about of the g un." (.Accepted Septembe1 26, 1901).

RAILWAYS AND TRAMWAYS.

ing tubes, the ends of each of satd tubes connecting wi th t he d ru m

at two diamet rically opposite points, the water inlet to the tubes
being at the lower part, and the steam out.let from the tubes being
at the upper par t of the drum, and t he end of ea~h t ube which
connects with t he water space beiog furnished with a tuyere or
diaphragm for limiting the admission of water according to the
evaporative power of the tube and resisting t h e back flow of the
steam so as to force it to fl ow out t hrough the upper leg of the
bent tube, substant ially as herein before described wit h reference
to the accompanying drawing, for t.he purpose apeclfled ." (4 c
C6pted October 2, 1901.)

16,025. F. 0. Horenz, Dresden, Germany. Hnmldi

7758. Burst, Nelson, and Co., J.tmited, and A. C. fying and Venttlating. [4 F igs.) August 9, 1001.-A comNelson, Motherwell, Lanark. ValveforSandBoxes. bined appar atus compr ising an a ir fan a nd a steam turbine on

[2 F(7B. ) April16, 1901.-Tbia invention relates to valves of sand one shaft according to this invention can be made with the t urbine

reser voir of b eat, injecting into t he vessel some volatile substance

- for example, acetone, alcohol, ammonia, or .. sulphuric acid "
- whose vapour under pressure is used for t he production of
motive power. In one arrangemen t the evnporatin~ vessel is also
the cy linder of a motor. (.Accepted September 25, 1001.)

UNITED STATES PATENTS AND PATENT PRAOTIOE.

Descriptions with illustrations of imentions patented in the
United Stntea of America from 1847 t-o the present time, and
reports of trials of patent law ca.aes in the United States, may be
consulted, grntia, at the offices of E.'\OIN~KR I NO, 35 and 86, Bedlord
street, Strand

'