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

JUNE I 5, I 900.]

THE RESTORATION OF THE NORVALS PONT BRIDGE ON THE ORANGE RIVER.

(For Description, see Page 775.)

DESTRUCTION OF LIFE AND

PROPERTY BY LIGHTNING.
By M. F. O'REILLY, D.Sc.
IT is often said that the electrical resistance of
the human body is very great, a value of 1500 ohms
being frequently assigned. In reading such a
statement we have to remember that our ohmic
integral depends upon the conditions in which it is
taken ; and as these vary within very wide limits,
it follows that the resistance is neither constant
nor one-valued, as in the analogous case of inorganic bodies. In general terms, we may say
that the tissues act as good conductors of electricity, offering but little opposition to a steady
flow of current. The seat of obstruction is at the
terminals, where difficulty is found not only in
making an entrance, but also in effecting an exit.
The skin, when clean and dry, is the arch-obstructionist, as we see by the singeings and bun1s
inflicted upon persons who have incautiously
touched live wires.
Since the resistance of the tissues is small, very
little of the energy of a passing current will b e
converted into internal heat, the greater part of
the energy absorbed in transit through the body
being employed in doing electrolytic work. The
final effect of the decomposition is the evolution of
oxygen and hydrogen at the anode and cathode respectively. If this process of chemical change be
kept up for some time, it is obvious that the comfort and health of t he subject may be injuriously
affected, and even permanently modified.
With a pressure of 100 volts or so, a slight
commotion is also fel t on closing and on opening
the circuit, and likewise whenever the current is
made to undergo any increase or diminution.
Hence the grave danger that attends the sudden
stoppage of a strong continuous current, and also
the necessity of carefully slowing down the speed
of dynamos, or gradually reducing the voltage by
other means, for the purpose of rescuing from
contact with the wires, a person who, as it frequently
happens, is unable to free himself, on account of
the tetanisation of the muscles by the current.
The nervous twitchings just referred to augment
in intensity with the voltage. Thanks to the
sensational press, it is widely known to-day that
electric lighting circuits give s hocks totally d evoid of
all pleasurable feeling; whilst the amperes and volts
used on traction lines rarely allow any unskilled interference without inflicting a serious penalty.
'l'he write1 remem berR how, on the oceasion of

a visit t o the Giant's Causeway a few years ago, he alternators and induction coils, the chemical effects
could not r esist the temptation of giving a passing on the system are very weak, on account of the
poke with the tip of his umbrella to the rusty rapid reversals in direction, and also on account of
sheet of iron that form ed the insulated conductor the small quantity of electricity in each cycle or disof the Portrush Railway; and he retains a vivid charge; but it is very different with their physiorecollection of t he vertical trajectory which he logical action. The nerves quiver under their ininvoluntarily described in the air, to the amaze- fluence, and the muscles contract convulsively.
ment of his travelling companion, and the surprise Commot ions of this kind,. when n ot of a violent
of the tourists who happened to be on the road. character, are often recommended by physicians as
He regrets that, for a brief period of time, he forgot a remedy for rheumatic and other troubles ; their
the wise exhortation of the Norfolk clergyman to patients settle the matter of violence for themselves
his rustic congregation, to the effect that the scin- by nicely adjusting the contact screw of their s mall
tillations of their intellects should ever be like the medical coil or by regulating the speed of their
coruscations of summer lightning lambent-and in- hand-driven miniature magneto-machine.
nocuous, for he allowed the surgings of his temper
It may here be remarked that the nerve effect
to spend themselves in an angry denunciation of of alternating currents does not go on increasing
an electric company that allowed its engineers to indefinitely with their frequency.
Experience
place along a frequented road, at a couple of feet seems to place the limit of severity at 3000 periods
from the ground, a broad conductor constantly per second. Above that, the violence of the
charged to 400 volts.
shock falls off and practically disappears at a
Shortly afterwards a cyclist ran up against this frequency of about 10,000. At this frequency and
''rail, " and received an electric shock that ter- above it, the terminals of t h e Tesla coil may be
minated fatally. The writer's experience, taken grasped with impunity, even if yielding a few
in conjunction with that of the unfortunate wheel- hundred thousand volts and spitting out vicious
man, goes to show that the physiological effects sparks at conductors in the neighbourhood. An
of industrial currents depend n ot merely on the incandescent lamp will light up when held near,
numbers by which they are expressed, but also on and a vacuum tube will begin to glow, but the
the general health of the individual, the goodness nerves of the human subject, unlike the filament
of contact, and its duration.
of the lamp or the rarefied gas of the tube, will
In the State of New York electrocution has, remain irresponsive to the pulses of energy sent
within recent years, replaced the time-honoured out by the coil. But if the rapidity of the pulses
mode of capital punishment. For this purpose, be increased many a million-fold, they will no
contact plates of large surface are closely adjusted longer pass undetected by our organism.
The
to th e head and legs of the doomed criminal ; a delicate nerve fibres of the eye will then be
continuous current of high density and voltage is affected by the radiation, and will sympathetically
then s witched on for a few seconds in order to de- respond to the rhythmic stimulus, giving rise at the
str oy instantly both consciousness and life . This same time to the sensation of vision. Light thus
is immediately followed by a weaker current for a becomes an electro-magnetic phenomenon, and the
longer t ime, so as to eliminate all r eflex action. In eye, a receiving instrument of wondrous delicacy
a recent case, a current of 8 amperes at 1760 volts* and beauty.*
was applied for four seconds ; it was then reduced
A flash of lightning is, like these pulses, an
to 2 amperes at 200 volts, and kept up for 56
seconds.
* Clerk Maxwell demonstrated that luminous vibra'Vhatever bungling may have occurred in the tions are periodic varia.ti.ons of electro-magnetic forces,
first app~ications of the ~lect~ic current to the legal an~ H~rtz showed expenmentally that electro-magnetic
destruct10n of human hfe 1n the State prison at oscillatiOns are propagated pre01sely as light thereby
Sing Sing, the extreme penalty of the law seems giving !3' sure physical.ba.sis to t~e theory of 'Maxwell.
Accordmgly the. sensatiOn of red 1s p~duced by the imn.o~ to be carried out with promptitude and pre- pact on the retma. of electro-magnet1c waves having a.
ClSIOn.
frequency of 4 x 10 1 ~ per second, that of yellow by waves
With currents of high tension, such as those from of 5 x 1014 per second, and that of violet by waves of
7 x 1014 per second. The ge~erators of such waves of
~ha.?gin~ mag?etism are of atomic-or, as we now say,
* The h orae-power used = 8 X 1760 = 19 n~a.rly.
Iomc-dJmenslons, and are to be found only in the labQ746
' ra.tory of N a.ture.

770.
oscillatory cunent of momentary duration. Its
energy, the product of the amperes by the volts,
is usually enormous, and is entirely spent along
the track of the discharge in doing work, thermal,
mechanical, chemical, or physiological, or all four
together. It will detach a block of masonry, rip
open a tall chimney, knock a hole in a gas pipe,
and fire ricks, and shatter trees just as easily as
it tears to shreds the clothes of a victim, rends his
shoes, fuses his watch. chain, or magnetises iron
articles that may be in his pockets.
So, too, it often makes our incandescent lamps
duck in response to a distant discharge ; it burns
out our safety fuses, and occasionally takes extraordinary liberties with switchboards, as the following incident shows. During the Spanish-American
War, a flash struck the switchboard at Fort Washington, which controlled the mines in the Potomac,
damaging the whole system and firing three of the
mines. Three deep-toned booms were heard, and
the water of the river shot up like huge geysers.
Luckily no boats were lying near the mine-fields at
the time of the explosion.
Persons who have had the unenviable experience
of being struck by lightning, agree that consciousness was blotted out instantly. They remembered
neither the flash nor the accompanying crash, but
had some idea of being suddenly enveloped in a
blaze. Recovery has frequently been attended by
a temporary derangement of some of the senses,
such as partial blindness, noises in the ear, and a
metallic taste. In some instances various paralyses
persisted, including severe affection of the brain.
It is a popular belief that death f.rom lightning
is caused by internal burns or by the rupture of some
vital organ, such as the heart, the lungs, the
stomach ; but though severe lesions may sometimes
occur, post-mortem examinations seldom reveal any
serious affection of the viscera, or for that matter,
anything abnormal in the physiological conditions
of the stricken person. The same also applies to
people killed by contact with live wires. A case
occurred a few years ago in Taunton, in which a
young man, being sent to oil a Thomson-Houston
alternator, had hardly begun his work when he
was seen to drop dead. The post-mortem showed
all the organs to be in healthy condition ; and as
there was no perceptible injury, internal or external, death was attributed to concussion.
In cases of lightning stroke and electric shock,
some of the chief nerve-centres are intensely stimulated. One of these, the med~tUa oblongata, situated
at the head of the spinal cord, exercises considerable control over the movement of respiration,
while the nerve which it sends out, and which is
called from its wanderings the vag~ts, has a similar
power over the action of the heart ; so that when
these nerve masses are subjected to any undue excitement, the functions of respiration* and circulation are at once interfered with. For this reason,
in all cases, whether of lightning stroke or electric
shock, the sufferer is to be placed without delay in
the most favourable position for breathing, so that
by energetically rubbing all parts of the body, and
especially by regular traction of the tongue, respiration may be restored, if at all possible. Such attentions have recalled animation more than once when
all hopes of recovery were given up.
D'Arsonval, who directed public attention to
this matter a few years ago, when accidents were
not uncom.m on in electric installations, relates the
case of a mechanic who was sent to fix up a telephone line, and who was unfortunate enough to
touch both conductors of a neighbouring alternating
circuit. The machines were feeding the line with
a current of 750 milliamperes at a pressure of
4500 volts. By promptly applying the method of
artificial respiration outlined above, th~ life of the
workman was saved. In 45 minutes he gave signs of
returning vitality, and at the end of two hours
was able to speak. He experienced no other injury
than burns on the hands and thigh.
It is not easy to form a satisfactory idea of the
destruction of life and property caused by lightning,
on account of the great paucity of statistics. The
information needed is often very charily and
imperfectly supplied by people. This is all the
more to be regretted, as such data would be of
great service to students of meteorology and also
to agriculturists generally.
From the information t0 hand, we find that in

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

(JUNE I 5,

France the annual number of deaths from lightning

varies between 80 and 150. 1\tl. Henri de Parville,
in discussing the figures which he obtained from
the Ministete de la Justice, points out five years
of high maxima during the past thirty years, viZ).,
1872, when there were 187 fatal cases; 1874, with
178; 1884, with 174; 1888, with 156 ; and 1893,
with 155.
He concludes with the significant
remark that these years were all memorable for
their warm, dry summers.
In England the number of fatalities fluctuates
from year to year, hardly ever reaching 30. Dr.
Lawson, in his paper on this subject, refers to the
fact that the ratio of deaths to the number of inhabitants is least in metropolitan, and greatest in
rural, districts; but this peculiarity is not restricted to England, the statistics of other countries
likewise show that lightning strokes are more
frequent in country places than in large centres of
popub.tion. When seeking to account for the
comparative immunity of cities and towns, one
naturally thinks of their tall buildings with wellearthed metal columns and girders, their protected
church spires and factory chimneys, their grounded
network of electric wires,* as well as the heated
products of combustion thrown from every home
into the atmosphere, all of whieh tend to prevent
the formation of steep potential-gradients and the
accumulation of dangerous charges.
In the United States, the Weather Bureau has
taken over the work of gathering and collating
statistics from all parts of the country ; and, though
the responses continue to be somewhat indicative
of the inertia of human nature, much general in
formation has been obtained. 1'he thoroughness
with which the system is organised, and the zeal
with which it is administered, promise well for the
immediate future. The data are summarised in the
following Table :
Deaths by Lighflning in the United States from 1890
to 1893.

...a! ...:::sa!

>.

Year. :::s
c

1890
1891
1892
1893
1894
1895
1896
1897
1898

.c
0

""ll ""a!

-........

1>,

a!

I~ -~ ::a < =a
-0 0
0 0

Cl>

1>,

...
'
..:

.0
...
.0
s .0 I S .0s
0
a..

Cl>

....Q

1>,

:::s

Ctl

:::s
t:i)
:::s

--- <
~

8 37 55 12
23 73 52 34
27 74 67 M
17 66 73 18
45 96 60 78
66 109 123 78
71 45 89 75
44 107 109 61
44 71 110 86

Cl>

Cl>

Cl>

Cl>

G)

en

Cl>

0
0

>
0

Cl>

Cl>

a!

:::s

s:l
s:l
~

120
204
201
209
336
426
341
362
367

0
0
1
0
0
0
1
4

1t

0
0

Totals.. 0 4 36 122 345 678 738 496 153 35

3 2496

0 0

6
13

0 2

5
6

0 0
0
0
0
0

0
1

5
6

1 11

19
14
29
26
8
2

- - r - - r - - 1 - --

9
15
8

29
16
21
14
41

2
6
0
0

0
0
2

1
0
0
0

The almost complete absence of casualities during the colder months of the year is explained by
the rarity of thunderstorms during that period.
In winter, in our latitudes, the atmosphere is not
subject to sudden changes. The conditions that
prevail, thermal, barometric, electric, and hygrometric, are all more stable and uniform than in
summer. When, however, a serious disturbance
does occur during winter, it is not unfrequently
accompanied by lightning and thunder. We had an
instance of this in the last week of 1899, when
tempestuous weather prevailed in the Channel for
several days, and heavy thunderstorms swept the
western parts of France. In Brest, the trolley service
was suspended, the telegraph and telephone lines
were unworkable, and big trees were destroyed.
In the Arctic regions, where the pressure and temperature vary but little, thunderstorms are unknown ; on the other hand, in the tropics, where
the variations of thermometer and barometer are
notoriously fitful, electric storms break out with
with appalling violence. Accordingly, we find that
the most destructive months in the United States
are precisely June, July, and August, when the
mercury frequently rises beyond the nineties.
It will be seen from the above Table that the
annual death-rate is about 278, which is but little
less than 4 per million of inhabitants, if we take
the average population of the United States for the
period included as 65,000,000. For Prussia the
number is 6, for Sweden 3, for France 3, for Belgium 2, and for England and Wales 1. For other
countries statistics are wanting.
As to destruction of property, the returns for

* There is a. popular superstition, says Trowbridge, that

the multiplication of electric circuits in our cities has

* People often express their appreciation of the down- driven off thunder3torms ; but there is no proof that such
pour of a shower-bath by saying tha.~ it takes their is the case. The wires serve to distribute the electric
ohn.rge, so that it finds a quick passage to earth,
brea.th away.

1900.

1898 in the United States show that 966 barns and

sheds were damaged, 95 churches and schools and
735 other structures, making a total of 1866 buildings, which, with their contents, were valued at
1, 441,880 dols.
. The following Table gives the money value of
Insured property destroyed during eiaht
years as
0
reported in the 0/vrO?vicle Fire Tables ;
'
Lo~s by Lighting in
Dots.
1890
1891
1892
1893
1804
1895
1896
1897

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

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

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

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

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

1, 615, 639
1, 487, 322
3, 251,494
1, 843,872
21 5071 061
1 839 786
2:936:985
2, 187,710

Total in eight years

... 17,672,772
~i ve stock in the field increase the danger to
whiCh they are always exposed by their habit of
seeking shelter under trees and along fences. Out
of 1842 animals killed by lightning in 1898 in the
United States, nearly one-third were found lying
close to wire !ences. Only last summer, a heavy
loss was experienced ~y a f~rmer near Jedburgh in
Scotland, 18 cows being killed by a flash of lighting ; they were evidently attracted by the wire
fence along which they were found lying. It is
obvious that these fences,. like our telegraph poles,
should be grounded at mtervals ; otherwise as
~hey b~come c~arged eithe~ by direct stroke o~ by
Inductwn durrng an electric storm, their vicinity
must be a region of danger. Ungrounded as they
usually are, either through the ignorance or carelessness of th~ farmer, they act as death-traps to
the unsuspectmg beasts, and cause a considerable
loss of life every year.
Similar gregarious habits and a like disregard
for consequences are sometin1es shown by tho
'' l01:ds of creation " thems~lves. To avoid a puff
of Wind or a few drops of rain, they do not hesitate
to place their lives in peril. What Franklin wrote
a hundred years ago is equally true to-day:
Dangerous it is to take shelter under a. tree during a
thundergust. It has been fatal to many, both men and
beasts. It is safer to be in the open field ; for when the
clothes are wet, if a. flash on its way to the ground should
e~trike your head, it may run down in the water over the
surface of your body; wh~rea.s, if your clothes are dry, it
would go through the body, because the blood and other
humours are .readier conductors. Hence a wet rat cannot
be killed by the explotting electrical bottle,* while a dry
rat may.
Two illustrations have been brought to our notice
by the daily press of the United States, which
convey the same important moral. During a certain
country f11neral a storm came on, and most of the
mourners sought refuge under trees. Nine were
standing together under a large oak. The tree was
struck, and all were killed.
In the second instance, six young men- brothers
- were waiting under a tree for the end of a heavy
downpour ; four of them were killed by a flash,
and the other two badly injured.
The following serves to show the vast destructive power of a flash. Lightning struck a pine tree
in California, under which 200 sheep were huddled
together. The two herders, who were a short distance a way, were rendered unconscious for a few
moments, 52 sheep were killed and all the others
stunned. On a ranch in Colorado, 91 sheep were
killed by a single stroke.
Trees, in general, are not equally liable to
lightning stroke. The favourites appear to be
the oak, the pine, the elm, the poplar, and the
chestnut ; whilst the beech, the birch, and the
maple enjoy the privilege of comparative exemption or neglect. The former are, therefore, the
the trees to plant round our homes if we want to
provide ourselves with natural, inexpensive lightning conductors ; but just as in the case of metal
rods, they are the very trees to be carefully a voided
in time of storm.
The reaf:lons for this selective action of lightning
when it strikes are not easy to ascertain, as one may
see by reading the papers of Du Moncel, Hess, anti
Hellmann. The most recent contribution to the subject is that of J anesco, of Stuttgart. Briefly put, his
conclusions are: (1) That the conductivity of different woods is independent of the moisture contained
in their fibres or cells ; (2) that trees deficient in
fatty substances during the thunderstorm season,
as also those rich in starch, are preferred by
light ning ; and (3) that trees rich in fatty materials

--------------------------------------* The Leyden jar.

JuNE 15, 1900.]

and especially in oil, posssess a. high degr ee of
immunity from lightning stroke.
This last conclusion h as a. direct bearing on t he
fact that trees are rarely struck in winter, as t he
wood of most of our o1 ltivated trees contains much
oil during that season.
The nature of the soi: seems to h ave little influence in determining the path t he discharge will
take. Mr. Alfred J. Henry deduces from t he
Weather Bureau returus;* the following relative
freque ncy : Loam, 26 : sand, 2 t ; clay, 19 ; prairie
or upland soil, 19.
On the other hand, instances are n ot wanting to
show t hat lightning manifests a marked preference
for ridges, hill tops, and high isolated areas, especially when they consist of good conducting
material. One occurred quite recently in South
Africa. We give it as reported in a telegram from
Spearman's Camp, dated January 18 : " Captain
Cayzer, chief signalling officer, returned to h eadquar ters last night from Weenen. He has kept
communications open between Ladysmith and
Frere for n early seven weeks. His lon ely post
was on th e top of a very high rocky mountain.
There was no water within eigh t miles of it. The
ironstone rocks constantly attracted the ligh t ning,
which on e night struck t he fire around which he
and his men were sitting, scattering the ash es, and
giving them all an electric sh ook. " As nothing is
said in the above d espatches about casualties, we
infer t hat the men promptly recovered from t h e
n ervous per turbat ion to which th ey were so abruptly
subjected.
It is often said, as in the above telegram, that
certain localities, structures, and articles 4 ' attract"
lightning.
When we ask people who use this
familiar expression to state exactly what they mean,
t hey say that such objects have the natural property, or that th ey possess a special int rinsic
quality, in virtue of which they draw down the
lightning of our skies, just as the lodestone draws
to itself a neighbouring scrap of iron. Thus interpreted, the expression is not at all a happy one. It
cannot be said that t he iron tip of an umbrella, t he
edges of a lance, the points of a lightning-rod, the
bricks of a tall chimney, or the growing tops of
loft y t rees have anything whatever in their atomic
structur e or molecular arrangement which endows
them with t he power of attracting a flash of lightning. I t is true th at by their continuity and intimate connection with th e ground t hey offer, when
struck, a ready passage to earth for a discharge
which might otherwise prove destructive; but that
is a case of actual conduct ion, not of antecedent
attraction.
Moreover, when, during a t hunderstorm, the
electrical condit ions of a place undergo very sudden
changes as frequen tly happens in a storm, t he impulsive rush of electricity which t h en takes place
is so violent in character as t o render improbable,
if n ot utterly impossible, any process of deliberate
selection. Iron rods, copper tape, barbed wire,
the trunks of trees, t he ridges of houses, and the
like, are t hen struck indiscriminately.
I t may be urged that the discharge will take the
path of least resistance, and t hat this path is determined by our natural and artificial conductors.
N ot so : t he extre.mely high voltage of a flash takes
very little cognisance of our ohms and megohms. If
it is able to burst t hrough a mile of air, before
reaching our immediate vicinity, another 100ft. or
so is surely a triflng matter. Our conductors do
not attract lightning. They deal with it in a
totally different WA.Y. They have a twofold funct ion ; t he first is to attenuate or gradually n eutralise t hreaten ing charges and t hereby prevent
the stroke ; and t he second is, when struck, to
carry the energy of t he flash harmlessly to eart h.
It will be seen that these
two functions have

n othing in common with attraction ; one of t hem

is prevent ive, the other protective, but neither is
att ractive.
Let us point out further t hat attraction implies
the presence of considerable masses. As electricity is neither matter n or a form of matter in
the common meaning of the term, it follows that we
cannot with propriety say of any conductor that it
' 'attracts , an electric charge as such.
These remarks will serve to show that t he explanations currently given of some of the electrical
phenomena of the atmosphere leave a little to be
desired in point of accuracy and completeness. The

* United States

No. 26, 1899,

E N G I N E E . R I N G.
fault is evidently due to a want of ample information which experiment and observation alone can
supply. Time will h elp to r emedy this deficiency,
We know th at th e growth of knowledge, like the
organic world, is slow and gradual, and the experience of every day tends to confirm us in t he
conviction that t here is no such thing as finality in
science. The achievemen ts of one age are t he
common places of th e next. The calculus of Newton,
for instance, has become the every-day pabulum of
t he commoner, and the q uaternions of Hamilton
never fail to be served up as dessert at mathematical
banquets.
Our advances towards a clear apprehension of
t he mechanism of t he occurrences which daily take
place in this physical world of ours, seems pretty
much like the approach of the asymptote to its
associated curve.
The further our discoveries
carry us, t he n earer we get to the coveted knowledge of the hidden workings of Nature, even
though we may never actually r each it . We fully
agree with t he late much regretted Dr. John Hopkinson when he says t hat our knowledge must
always be very limited, though t he knowable itself
is limitless. But when he goes on to add that t he
greater the sphere of our knowledge is, t he greater
also t h e surface of contact with our infinite
ignorance,* we suspect that some of our readers
will find in that statement a little too much
of th e senior-wrangler element . Be t his as
it may, another
eminent wrangler - Professor Poynting- thinks that we should abolish
t he why, the wherefore, and the cause from all
physical descriptions, contenting ~ursel ves with
just stating h ow t hings happen. This, he claims,
would be a great assistance to clear thinking. t
Even in this apparently simpler matter of saying
only how electric charges accumulate, how the
energy is stored up, and how lightning strikes, we
would experience no mean amoun t of difficulty.
Our efforts would soon bring home to us the truth
that we are still at pioneer work in all matters
relating to atmospheric electricity. Indeed, it may
be said, without much hesitation, that t he very
first and fundamental chapters of t he physics of
lightning have yet to be written. I ts normal
behaviour, as well as its many tantalising fre~ks,
t.ho length and en ergy of flashes and t heir effects
on organised n ature, are subjects about which we
need further information before we can sit down
satisfied with our knowledge of the very complex
phen omenon which we call the lightning flash.

sharp curves calculated t o daunt th e spirits of the

pluckiest engine-driver who ever handled a regulator. Beattock bank, with its 2 miles of 1 in 88,
2 miles of 1 in 80, and 6 miles of 1 in 75, is well
known t hroughout the railway world, an~ is a
sufficiently tough obstacle for any locomotive to
tackle; but not everyone is a ware h ow broken
up the main line is by nasty stretches o.f sti!f
climbing and sharp r everse curves, makmg 1t
almost impossible to mai~tain a r eally high speed
for any length of t ime. Again, the numberless
permanent slowings over bad j unctions and crossings, especially between Carstairs and Larbert, are
such as are unkno wn on t he English main lines.
We have travelled from Carstairs on a n e ngine
drawing a train consisting of 20 eight-wheel bogies
and 3 twelve-wheelers, say, 329 tons, and this,
although starting from a dead stop at Thank erton
(mile 68f), ran into Carlisle station in 83 minutes
35 seconds, an average speed of close on 50 miles
an hour. This included a very bad signal check
ou tside Carlisle, and it should be remembered that
the first 19 miles represent hard climbing up
1 in 300 and 1 in 100. The speed down Beattock
bank never exceeded 61 miles an h our. The speed
by all trains invariably is restricted for the whole
of the 10 miles from the summit . The steam pressure at the end of the 19 miles stood at 170 lb.
11.-Run by Engirne 775 (lJwnalastair No. II.
T ype). A berdeen to P erth. Up London Express.

TABLE

Stations.

mls. oh .
16 12

so

18

67 25

( Ooncluclecl from page 637.)

HAVING in our previous article d escribed the

latest passenger locomotives of the Caledonian
Company, it is interest ing to give some data. of t he
work done, and of the line on which the h eavy loads
are drawn. Of t he Dunalastair No. III. class three
engines have been completed, 900, 901, and 902.
They have only recent ly been put on to run the
corridor ~rains betwee~ G.lasgow. and Edinburgh
an~ Carhsle, ~nd, as I~d10ated In our preceding
article, J.Lre domg splendid work. Other thirteen
are being built, some of them for the Aberdeen route.
P ending detailed results of the running of this latest
type, it may n ot be unint eresting to notice at length
the performance of the earlier locomotives of the
type,. one of w.hioh is illust~ated on page 772. The
pr1n01pal particulars of th1s locomotive were given
in our preceding article. A profile of the Caledonian line between Carlisle and Aberdeen is given
on page 773, and is self-explanatory.
The duties performed by the Caledonian locomotives in general are varied and difficult. The 2.0 P .M.
trains to which we have referred are the h eaviest in
the United Kingdom. The 10 A . M . ex Glasgow- and
the Down Postal-2.45 A.. M. ex Carlisle-rarely have
l~ss t han.10 bogie coaches. Then, again, the Caledonian engines are expected to take light loads at very
high speed. Throughout the year there are at least
two t rains daily, timed to run from Stirling to Perth
33 miles 2 chains in 35 minutes ; and t he 32! mile~
from F orfar to Perth by one train in 33 minutes or an
average speed of 59 miles per h our. The cha~acter
of t.he road over which these tasks have t o be
carried out, as sh own on the profile presents physical difficulties in the way of st~ep banks and

89 65

h. m. s.
Aberdeen ..
..
. . d ep . 10 28 20
Ston eh aven
..
. . arr. 10 60 4/i
,
..
d ep. 10 63 46
Mile post 222
..
. . pass 11 0 10
11 1 33
,
221
..
.. "
11 2 60
..
.. "
"
2201
11 4 35
"
219
..
. : .,
11 6 47
,
218
..
.. "
11 7 43
"
216
.
.. "
11 9 25
"
214

.. ,
,,
218
..
. ,
11 10 16
,
212
..
.. ,.
1111 6
,.
211
..
.. ,
11 11 68
..
.. ,
,
209
11 13 49
..
. . ,.
,
208
11 14 40
11 15 29
"
207
..
. . .,
Chronog raph registered 81.8
..
. . pass 11 17 0
Mile post 205
Chronog raph regist ered 80.3
Mile post 204
..
. . pass 11 17 50
,
203
..
,
11 18 43
11 19 48
,
202
..
. "
Dubton Junction ..
. . arr. 11 20 15
,
..
. dep. 11 23 8
Bridge of Dun Junction.. arr. 11 27 15
,
,
. . dep. 11 so 0
Forfo.r
..
..
arr. 11 49 45
,
..
.
. dep. 11 53 36
..
. . pass 11 67 s
Mile post 182
,
180
..
. . ,,
11 69 9
12 5 29
173
..
"
,.
171
..
.. "
,
12 7 u
12 8 6
..
. . ,.
"
170
,
169
..
. ,
12 8 68
,
168
..
.. ,
12 9 50
,.
167
..
.. ,
12 10 42
Two miles P.er hour slowed to
80 mtles per hour
Mile post 163

pass 12 16 40
,,
162
..
.. ,
12 16 42
,
161
.. .
. . .,
12 17 42
,
160
..
.. ,
12 18 42
"
169
..
. .,
12 19 43
.,
166
..
.. ,
12 22 20
.,
165
.
.. ..
12 23 8
,
154
..
. . .,
12 23 66
Obronograpb r egistered 80.8
Mile p ost 163
..
. . pass 12 24 43
.,
152
..
12 25 38

't
Perth
. . a rr. 12 26 S9

Speed,
bfiles per
Hour.

43.2
43.3
35.2
42.8
60.0
62.0
70.5
72. 0
70.6
69.2
6 . 3
70.6
73.4

79.4
72.0
67.9
66 4

46.8
67.1
64.6
68.0
69.2
69.2
69.2
69.2

48.9
69.0
110.0
60.0
59.0
69.0
76.0
'i6.6
76.0
65.

A verage Speed.
Stonehaven to Dubton Junct ion 23 miles 6 chains in
26 min. SO sec. = 62.2
Forfar to Perth 32 miles 40 chains in 83 min. 8 sec. = 66 1.

Load.
4 six-wheelers.

6 eight-wheel bogies.
10 c oaches = 198 tons .
Locomotive No. 776.

The 10.5 A M. train from Aberdeen to P erth

wo.rked by engme N o. 775-a Dunalasta.ir No. II.
(F1g. 9)-gave some most creditable r esults. The
load was 198 ton.s, and with this behind him the driver
~ade up 10 mmutes 20 seconds on his schedule
t1me .. From Forfar to Perth this train is allowed
37 min~tes, b~t the 32 miles 40 chains wei'e
covered In 33 .minutes 3 seconds, giving an averao-e
speed of ~9 mtles per hou~ ; and this in spite 0 {~a
ha~ r elaymg slack, extendmg over 2 miles of r oad
It Is no~eworth~ that on three separate occasion~
* ~he "James Forresb L eoture," Institution of Civil the engme at~In~d a speed of over 80 miles an
Engmeera, 1894.
hol!r: Th~ chmbmg capacity of t hese engines was
Department of Agriotdture, Bulletin,
t A~d~ess to the Physical SP.otion of the British strikingly Illustrated throughout this run and w
Assoctat1on, 1899,
have therefore shown it in eonsidere.ble detail

41 71

CALEDONIAN RAILWAY PASSENGER

LOCOMOTIVES.

771

i!

CALEDO:NIAN RAILWAY PASSENGER LOCOMOTIVE; "DUNALASTAIR" NO. II. CLASS.

'-t
'-t

CONSTRUCTED AT THE COMPANY'S WORKS, ST. ROLLOX, GLASGOW, FROM THE DESIGNS OF MR. JOHN F. MciNTOSH, LOC01\10TIVE SUPERINTENDENT.

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with his spade but not with his head. We are all
of us very apt to grumble when time is lost on a
long journey ; but few realise the anxiety and
stress which devolves on the men, who, in fog and
in storm, in the bitter blast of a winter's day, or
the scorching heat of a summer sun, faithfully and
unobtrusively carry out their arduous duties.

OuR LocoMOTIVE ExPORTS. -The va.lue of the locomotives exported from the United Kingdom in May
showed some falling off, hub a. substantial increase was
still established to May 31. The value of our locomotive
exports in Ma.y was 112,30ll., as compared with 120,554l.
in May, 1899, a nd 143,477l. in May, 1898. The most
important exports were made to British India.. which
figured in the total just given for 40,64ll., 59,34&., and
58,397l. respectively. The value of the locomotives ex-

ported to Mc1.y 31 this year was 718,152l., a.s compared

with 570,528t. in the corresponding period of 1899, and
426,938l. in the corresponding period of 1898. British
India figured in these totals for 255,411l., 278,320l., and
141,125l. resp ectively. South America took locomotives
from this country in the rsb five months of this year to
the value of 122,477l., as compared with 84,459l. and
46,880l. re3p ectively; British South A frica to the value of
60,830l., as compared with 26,031l. and 8487t. respectively;

and Australia to the value of 85,348l., as compared with

42, 703l. and 121, 719l. respectively.
ARGENTINE IRRIGATION.-A commission of engineers
has been investigating the irrigation of ala.rge area of the
Argentine Republic by utilising the Limay, the Neuquen, the Rio Grande, and the Colorado rivers. The
commissioners consider that irrigation, to be successful,
m ~t be accompanied by colonisation.

':t
'l'
<N

774
THE PYRITIC SMELTING OF COPPER
ORES.

E N G I N E E R I N G.
units. On the other hand, as the combustion of
carbonaceous fuel in a blast-furnace is chiefly to
carbonic oxide (C 0), the amount of heat, derived
from such fuel, in smelting may be limited to this
r eaction, and can be estimated at about 5600
thermal units. Theoretically, therefore, it would
appear that for fuel purposes :
llb. of iron pyrites
= .4 lb. of coke.
1 ,
ferr\>US ~ulphide = .55 ,
,

By Captain C. C. LoNGRIDGE, M.F.I.M.E.,

M.I.M.E., &c.
1. Definition and Object of Pyritic Smelting .Pyritic smelting, in its strictest sense, implies the
smelt ing of raw uncalcined pyritic ores, solely by
the heat generated from the rapid oxidation of their
calorific constituents. So far, however, the proProbJ.bly this ratio, under the most favourable
cess is rarely, if ever, successfully accomplished conditions, is m~intained in practice, for it must be
without heat derived from some extraneous source. r~membered that when coke is burnt in the pyritic
Pyritic smelting, therefore, as a practical metallur- furnace, something like 44.82 per cent. of the total
gical operation, may be defined as a fusion process heat is lost in gases, and there is not the same local
in which, as far as possible, the pyritic or sulphu- concentration of heat as i'3 produced by the combusrated constituents of the ore are utilised as a fuel tion of the iron and sulphur in the fusion zone
and concomitantly, of course, as flux or slag-form- under t he action of the blast. Owing, however, to
ing material, and as a carrier or collector of the the rapid decrepitation of pyritic ore and its reducmetals, for which t he ore is smelted.
tion into fines, and to the caking of the mass under
2. The Calorific Constit1tents of P yritic Ores. - the influence of heat, as well as to certain other
Although the combinations of zinc, lead, copper, causes, the most favourable conditions are seldom
&c., with the metalloids of the sulphur group are maintained continuously, and for this reason the
all capable of yielding he9.t in t he r eactions of the thermal virtues of pyrites must be considerably
furnace, it is the union of iron with that group discounted.
which is the chief calorific agent in pyritic smelting.
4. Estimation of the CarbonaceoHs Ft"el R eqtti red
In iron pyrites (Fe S 2) therefore, in pyrrhotite or in Pyritic Srnelting. - Assuming for the time being
magnetic pyrites ( Fe7 8 8), arsenopyrite (Fe As S 2), the above ratio as approximately correct, the
chalcopyrite (Cu Fe S 2), blende (Zn S), galena anJl.lysis of a copper ore will enable the smelter to
(Pb S), &c., the main he~t-supplying constituents rouahly estimate the quantity of coke required to supare the sulphur and the iron. As the latter is com- ple~ent the natural heat-producing constituents of
bustible only, in the state in which it exists, at the charge. In ordinary copper smelting in the
the instant when it is in stat'l~ nascendi, it re- United States, according to Dr. Peters, the amount
quires to be dissociated from its previous combi- of carbonaceous fuel employed averages fully k or
nation, and thus placed in a position to combine 16.66 per cent. of the weight of the ?re. To repla.c~,
with t he oxygen, supplied by the blast. This dis- were it desirable, the whole of th1s fuel by pyntic
. 16.66 per cent.
sociation is effected by heat ing the compound to material wou t ere ore req mre
Id
h
f
the necessary temperature, when the iron and
.4
oxygen combine to ferrous oxide, while the sulphur,
' t e3, or 16.66 per cent. =
o
pyr1
41.
p
er
cent.
6
f
uniting witih the same ele ment, generates sulphurous
.55
acid gas. Both reactions are accompanied by an 30.2 per cent. of ferrous sulphide. This amount
evolution of h eat, which it is the object of pyritic would, of course, be exclusive of the iron and
smelting to ut.ilise.
sulphur needed for matte-forming. As an illustraA familiar illustration frequently quotad in proof tion, let it be assumed that a 30 per cent. matte
of the thermal effect of the che1nical reactions in has to be formed from the following selected ore :
question, is the converting or bessemerising of
Per Cent.
copper matte. In this case air is blown into the
3 ~
. ..
...
...
F e.. .
...
...
. ..
molten sulphide, until practically all ~he iron ~t
S ...
. ..
. ..
...
. ..
...
. ..
3S
contains is consumed. The combustwn of this
Cu ...
.. .
...
...
. ..
.. .
. ..
2.6
Silica., other metals, &c.
...
. ..
... 28.5
iron and incidentally that of the sulphur associated
with it (.Wolves sufficient heat to maintain the mass
The concentration in this case will be about
at the' temperature o.f fus~on. That of the tw:o 15 into 1, and the 15 tons (2000 lb.) will contain :
heat-yieldinCY agents Iron Is the more potent, IS
capable of d~monstration b~ thermal calculations.
I
Silica,
It might, however, be surmised from th~ fact that
Pounds. Oopper. Iron. Sulphur.
&c.
the sulphide treated is largely x;nonosul~htde (Fe S).
lh.
lb.
lb.
lb.
It is thus evident that the Iron pyntes (Fe 8 2 ),
11,40()
8520
9600
30,000
750
Selected ore

even after losinO' one atom of its sulphur, has still

p otential heat s~fficient heat to maintain a temperaIn producing a 30 per cent. matte, t he 7~0 .lb.
ture of fusion.
3. The Thermnl R elation between S ttlphides and of c0pper will make 2500 lb. of matte, contaming
Oarbonaceot~ Ft~et-The exact estimation of the 937lb. of sub-sulphide of copper and 1563 lb. of
calorific or fuel value of iron pyrites in the pyritic mono-sulphide of iron. This will contain 994: lb.
furnace, involves experiments, of which, . if under- of iron and 569lb. of sulphur. As half the sulphur
taken the r esults do not appear to have been pub- in the charge will be expelled at an early stage,
lishei. The chemical changes that take place ~re there will r emain for fuel purposes 5700 - 569 =
simple. The iron pyrites (Fe 8 2) on contact with 5153 lb. of sulphur and 9600 - 994: = 8606 lb., of
heat, yields up the equiva~ent of free sulphur in iron, which will form 1oughly 14,000 lb. of ferrous
the form of vapour, and Itself ~ecomes proto ?r sulphide equivalent to 14,000 x .55 = 7700 lb. of
ferrous sulphide (Fe S). Tlus compound, . In coke or 28i per cent. of the ore. Theoretically,
turn, absorbs oxygen ~rom the blas~, . and .w1th ther~fore, a charge of this description ought to
the evolution of considerable heat, IS qu10kly smelt without the aid of extraneous fuel. In pracreduced to proto or ferrous oxide, the re- tice however, there are reasons for using from
action being Fe S + 03 = Fe 0 + ~ 02. .In 2 td 3i p er cent. of carbonaceous fuel, even with
the presence of silica the Fe 0 combn1es wtth the most suitable ores.
5. Ore Cha?ges S~t,itable for P yribic Sntelting.Si 0 to form slag, and the reactions, so far, are
com~lete. As regards . the heat evolye~, the . first As 2 and 3~ per cent. deducted from the average
equivalent of sulphur, 1n a~ much as It 1s subhmed coke consumption of 16.66 per cent ., leave from
or burnt at a comparatively low temperature, and 14.66 to 13.33 per cent. of coke to be replaced by
in the upper portion of the !urn~ce, has no value ferrous sulphide, the minimum of this latter comfor fusion purposes. For this obJect, the combus- pound that charges for pyritic smelliing shoul~ contion of the ferrous sulphide alone has to b~ con- tain will b e from 26.6 to 24.2 per cent., exclusive of
sidered. Theoretic~lly, the amount of c~lon~ pro- the iron and sulphur needed for matte.
6. lnfl~tence of Carbonaceo1ts Fuel in Pyritic Smeltduced by the deo )mposition ~nd recombmat10~ of
the constituents can be readily calculated. Since ing.- The necessary addition of co~e to the fu.riron pyrites consists roughly of 53 per cent. S and nace charge is not, however, Without certain
47 per cent. Fe, every pou~d of pyrites, after tbe disadvan tacres. The added carbon consumes the
expulsion of the one equtvalent of sulphur, sup- oxygen of the blast, forming .carbonic oxide. This
plies .47 lb. of Fe and . 265lb. of S, that Is, . 735.lb. produces a powe~ful r eduCing atmosp~ere, ~nd
of ferrous sulphide. In burning to ferrous oxtde, hinders the oxidation of the ferrous sulphide, wh10h
this amount of ferrous sulphide will evolve about should be the main source of heat. To counteract
2284 British thermal units. In other words, every this result, the atmosphere of t he smelting zone
pound of pyrites used as fuel is capable of supply- must be maintained oxidising, by increasing the
ina 2284 t hermal units; and every pound of ferrous volume of the blast; but this in turn has the evil
suiphide bu1nt to ferrous oxide will yield 3107 effect of reducing the temperature. Again, as the

[JuNE 15,

1900.

coke is likely to kindle before it falls to the region

of the tuyeres, the ferrous sulphide, before reaching the Amelting zone, may meet a temperature at
which it will dissociate. This premature combustion of the sulphide not only uses up its Cl\lorific
p ower before the sulphide enters the zone of fusion
where all the heat that it can give is required ; but
it communicates warmth to the upper portion of
the charge where heat is prejudicial. For a high
temperature in the upper part of the furnace
r eadily converts the pyrites into a pasty mass,
liable to adhere to the walls and to impede the
proper working of the furnace. Possibly the best
method of employing carbonaceous fuel will, therefore, the author thinks, be found to be in the form
of producer gas, introduced with the blast, and
thus applied so as to concentrate the heat at the
proper spot.
7. The Slag - F orming Constituents of Pyritic
Oharges.- These are chiefly silica and iron. While
silica must be present in sufficient quantity to slag
off the iron, a deficiency of the latter may be supplied by earthy bases. "With r egard to fusibility," says Professor W. L. Austin,* "practice
has shown that the best slag for the process is a
monosilicate one, in which t he oxygen of the silica
is equal to that of the bases." Instances of the
composition of such slags are the following:
Monosilica.te. Per Cent.
Sillca.te with
Per Cdnt.
Iron
... 29.4l
F errous oxide ... 70.59
Lime
... 3!.83
Calcium ,
... 65.12
Magnesia.
42.88
Magnesium oxide
57.14
Aluminium 46.68
Aluminium ,
53.32
As the specific gravity of iron monsilicate nearly
approaches that of iron matte, to keep such slags
clear of copper, silver, or gold requires that they
should be maintained liquid and given ample time
to settle and separate. To lessen this difficulty, it
may, in cases, be preferable to form a more complex slag, introducing lighter bases so as to r educe
the specific gravity of the slag and induce a more
rapid and complete separation of the matte. The
use of such bases, however, detracts from the heat
available for fusion. At times the employment of
the lighter bases is n ot merely advisable, but
necessary. This happens when t he charge does
not contain enough iron to flux off the silica. In
such cases lime, magnesia, aluminium, &c., may
be employed ; and, for slag purposes, every pound
added, multiplied by 2, may be reckoned as equivalent to 1lb. of ferrous oxide. The extent to which
these earthy bases may be used to replace a deficiency of iron is probably about 30 per cent.
From what has been said it will be apparent that
silica largely governs the concentration of the matte.
For, as the silica in a charge is decreased, less iron
is fluxed away, and more fall~ into the matte.
Consequently the volume of matte is raised, and
the percentage of copper lowered. The amount of
silica required naturally depends on the proportion
of iron present, the degree of concentration r equired, and the nature of the slag to be made, but
the following calculation will illustrate how, in the
case of an iron monosilicate, the right proportion
is estimated. Assume that the amount of ferrous
oxide to be slagged away is 1 ton (2000 lb.), then
if x be t he total amount of slag . 7059 x = 2000 lb.
or x= 2833 lb., the total weight of iron monosilica~e, in which 833 lb. will be silica, the amount required. Although the high percentage of silica
in the pyritic furnace is necessary to matte concent ration, there is a limit beyond which an excess of
silica is liable to form crusts in the region of the
tuyeres, and may necessitate the blowing out of the
furnace. The format ion of the crusts is perhaps
due to the fact t hat the iron, there exposed to the
full force of the blast i~ likely to be oxidised to
ferric oxide, and thus becomes uns uitable for com.
bining the silica.
8. Ores Sttitablefor Pyritic Smelting.-The c~nef
desiderata in ores for pyritic smelting are sulpludes
(preferably of iron) and silica, the necessary proportions of which have already b een discuss.ed.
Whilst, therefore, iron pyrites and pyrrhot1tes
which practically affords the same amounb of heat
as pyrites, together with all su]phuretbed copper
or es, are extremely suitable ; all metallic-sulphides
and sulpho-arsenides witl~ non-me~llic bases. a.lso
can be used. F or t reatmg cer tain ores gnmg
difficulties in the ordinary process, pyritic smelting
has distinct advantages. It very thoroughly removes

* "Pyritic Smelting, " by Prof.es.t-or

\V"m:

La.urence
A.ustin. Tra.ns. Fed. lost. of 1\lmmg Engmeer~, vol.
xiv., 18!>i.

JuNE 15. 1900.]

arsenic and antimony. As regards zinc and lead
sulphides, Dr. Peter holds t hat these are about as
deleterious in pyritic as in ordinary smelting ; but
Professor Austin considers t hat, if the different
bases be duly combined, 14 per cent. of zinc (so far
the maximum reported) has no evil effects. Careful
fluxing is necessary, for while blende yields heat
(1992 deg. Cent.), nearly equal to that of protosulphide of iron (2225 deg. Cent.), it produces zinc
oxide, and silicate of zinc is not so fusible as t hat
of ferrous oxide. As zinc is a base, it acts as iron,
and goes rather into the slag than into the matte .
Sulphide of lead assists fusion by producing heat,
according to Holloway, 1863 deg. Oent. A portion
of the lead enters the matte, much is volatilised,
and t he rest goes into the slag, the fluidity of which
it increases. Sulphate of baryta or heavy spar
presents no difficulties in the pyritic furnace, the
baryta being slagged and the sulphuric acid escaping as gas without any increase in the quantity of
the matte.
Unfavourable, but n ot prohibitive, ores are those
in which the sulphide is disseminated in a stony
gangue. In such ores, the combustible particles
are covered by non-conducting material, whereas
the success of pyritic smelting largely depends on
the separation of the components of the charge
into sulphide without gangue, or gangue without
sulphide.
10. ..Acflion of the Py1itic Furnace.- A clear understanding of this action explains the peculiar method
of charging, the manipulation of the blast, and the
construction of the furnace required for pyritic
smelting. As the ore, dried on the top of the furnace, gradually sinks, it loses the first atom of
sulphur, and under t he increasing heat the sulphides, as they descend, soften and dissociate. The
sulphur of the ferrous sulphides is burnt to sulphurous or sulphuric acid gas, with the evolution
of heat, considerably increased by the combustion
of the iron to protoxide, while t he copper, momentarily reduced to a metallic state, instantly combines
with sulphur to form a :::;ub-sulphide. The first
feature of note is the softening of the sulphides
and, under the influence of heat, their gradual
conversion into a pasty mass. This has a strong
tendency to cake, and so become impermeable to
the blast, and, further, to adhere to the furnace
walls and thus impede the descent of the charge.
As these effects would obviously be accentuated in
a high column of small diameter, the heigh t of t he
pyritic furnace is kept within very moderate limits,
while the diameter is proportionately large. At
Mount Leyel the furnaces, which embody many
detail.s of construction peculiar to themselves, are
14 ft. by 40 in. in the clear at t he tuyeres. In
general it may be said that t he height should be no
more than is sufficient to provide a column that
will offer enough resistance to the blast to cause it
to penetrate throughout the charge.
Professor
Austin's interior feeding-cylinder, and the system
of column-charging, in which the pyritic charge is
separated from walls by silicious flux, are expedients to lessen the difficulties arising from
agglutinat ion of the pyrites in the upper portion
of the furnace; while layer-charging and th,e admixture of coke are designed to prevent caking.
The t endency of the sulphide to cake as it
approaches the fusion zone, partly explains why
a powerful blast is needed to force the air into the
charge; but an equally cogent reason lies in the
short space in which t he fused sulphide is exposed
to the blast. As the molten globules dtop quickly
past the tuyeres, a weak blast would have only a
superficial oxidising effect. Whereas to break up,
thoroughly oxidise the drops, and bring them in
contact with the silica, considerable force is needed.
These results are better attained by the use of a
larger number of tuyeres than in ordinary smelting.
Though the pressure of the blast may, within
limits, vary, its volume must be carefully gauged.
An excess of air would not only be liable to reduce
the ferrous sulphide to ferric oxide, but would
assuredly unduly lower the furnace temperature.
The cooling produced by increasing the volume of
the blast is illustrated by Professor Austin* by the
following formula, giving the maximum efficiency
of any fuel burned in a blast-furnace with a blast

775

E N G I N E E R I N G.
P n = maximum temperature attainable before the
tuyeres.
a
= ca.lonfic power of each element.
u = weight in pounds of each element.
t
= temperature of blast.
p
weight of each product of combustion.
c
= specific heat of each product of combustion.
c 11. = specific heat of fuel.
0.2375 = specific heat of air.
Then in the case of iron monosulphide, when
only the theoretical amount of oxygen necessary
for the operation is introduced,
C t
_ 1155 + 0.237 X 400 X 2.3523 _ 2 _ d
0
87 eg. en
T 0.6683 - 0.1375
-

If the air be doubled,

_ 1155 r 0. 237 X 400 X 4 7046 = 1469 d
C t
T 1.2258 - (.'.1357
eg. en .,

which is scarcely a smelting temperature.

Although L ange recommends the use of a cold
blast, when the sulphur contents of the charge are
low, say n ot over 8 per cent , and when the oxidisa.b!e constituents, therefore, are so small that they
have mainly to be kept unburnt to form matte, the
general practice is in favour of a hot blast in all
cases. With a cold blast there is always danger
that the heat of combustion may not be sufficiently
concentrated to dissociate the iron from the sulphur. To insure t he requisite ten1perature the
blast is heated to from 600 deg. to 1200 deg. Fahr.
(320 deg. to 605 deg. Cent.). The most economical
methods of blastheating are by utilising the waste
heat of the slag, or by gasifying cheap fuel, and
burning t he gas in the tuyeres. The advantages of
t his direct application of the heat t o the air are
economy, and also the facility with which the
smelter can vary the temperature of the blast
and render it at will either oxidising or reducing
according to the furnace requirements.
The amount of air required to oxidise ferrous
sulphide to protoxide, according to the reaction
Fe S + 0 3 = Fe 0 + S 0 2, may be calculated as
follows : 1 unit of F e S req uires .545 0 for reduction to ferrous oxide, and since oxygen exists in
the air in proportion of 23.5 per cent. by weight,
we ha ve: 23.5 : 100: .545 = 2.23 ; that is, 2.23lb.
of air are needed per 1 lb. of ferrous sulphide.
In practice a slight excess would be added.
10. F'lt?'nace Uhwrges.- The heavier the charge in
a furnace of given size, the longer it is subjected to
the blast, and the greater the oxidation, and vice
versd. As a general rule, Dr. Peters- '' Modern
Oopper Smelting,, 1895, page 381-considers that
for medium furnaces of, say, 15 square feet area, a
charge of about 200 lb. to the square foot is about
right. This must be lowered to about 150 lb. per
square foot for much smaller furnaces, and increased to 225 lb. or 250 lb. for the larger ones.
11. M atte Concent?ation. - The greater the
amount of iron slagged away, the greater the concentration of the matte. Pyritic smelting then
should not be conducted too rapidly, but time n1ust
be given for the blast to oxidise the iron s ulphide
and reduce it to a slag-forming condition. In
copper smelting it is not considered economical to
make matte of higher grade than 40 to 50 per cent.
copper, and thus the degree of concentration is
governed by the richness of the charge. To avoid
copper loss by foul slags, it is preferable with lowgrade copper ores to concentrate by a double
smelting, throwing away the first slags, and remelting with a fresh charge t hose of th e second fusion
which are more likely to be foul.
A concentration of 5 or 10 to 1 is customary in
the first smelting, giving, say, a 25 to 30 per cent.
matte. In re-smelting this, highly silicious fluxes
are n~ce~sa.ry, and, for this purpose, such poor
metalhferous substances as the gangue of mines,
ancient scorire, poor silicious copper ores, &c.,
containing small quantities of precious metals, are
valuable.

NORVALS PONT BRIDGE.

TnE sketch which we give on page 769, and for which
we . are in?ebted to .Captain E. D. Swinton, R.E.,
Railway PlOneer Regiment, shows the condition of
Norvals Pon~ railway bridge, over the Orange River,
after about stx weeks' work towards restoration by the
Rai.lway Pioneer Regiment under the command of
heated to 400 deg. Cent.
MaJor Capper, R .E. The three ce;ntre spans, out oi
p n = Ea g + 0.2375 q = T.
twelve, were de~troyed by t.he Boars, and were lying in
E p c - on
the bed of the r1ver, and propped up against t he piers.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - The spans are each 136 ft. long, and each con~ists of
* "Pyritic Smelting, " by Professor Wm. LQ!urence two girders ca~ried on cast-iron twin-cylindrical
~ustin. Tra.ns. Fed. Inst. of ~Lining EngineerE', vol. C?lumns, fill~ w1th concrete, a:bout 60ft. high. One
pter, the one m the sketch wtth the derricks alongxiv., 1897.

side, was totally destroyed, and has bcen, as sbowu,

replaced by a ei!Dilar new pier speci~lly !'llade.
'fhe general 1dea of the restoratwn I S as follows :
The three deotroyed spans are being replaced by three
spans taken away from the ends of the bridge-two from
the Orange River Colony end, and one from the Col~ny
end. The gaps thus caused are filled up, one w1th
embankment and two with trestles dividing each span
into three clear spans of 40ft., which. are in ~urn
bridged by spans of the Bate portable ratl way br1dge
sent out from England. The weight of each span,
including cross-girders, &c. is about 90 tone.
The sketch merely shows the ends of the perman~nt
bridge on the extreme right and left, the latter be10g
the Oolony side. The complete spans of the bridge and
the arrangements at the ends of the Lridge are not
shown, but only the gap in the centre.
The right central pier was practically undamaged,
and the left central pier has been entirely replaced.
Thc two-trestle frames shown are to temporarily take
the weight of the girder while being launched, the
casting and wheels upon which the weight slides
forward being shown slung up on the "aerid tram"
on their way to the top of one of t he trestle frame~,
of which there will be three. This aerial tram was
put up in order to take supplies across the river,
irrespective of floods, in case the" deviation " low-level
line should be washed a way. The tram can carry
nearly 4 tons weight at a time, and was used to carry
supplies for the Army at Bloemfontein for a day or
two before the deviation was complete. The locomotive is on the deviation line on the far side of the
bridge. This, upon which practically all the traffic
for the north was run for some weeks, consists
partly of bridge over the old low-level concrete piers
which were used d uring the original construct ion of
the highlevel bridge, and partly of a stone embankment, and was put in by the Royal Engineers and
Railway Pioneer Regiment together. This, of course,
being so low, is liable to flood, and was, in fact, nearly
washed away during a flood, when trucks were passed
across for a. day and night in small numbers, w1thout
locomotives, by the Railway Pioneer Regiment. A
~imilar deviation was made over the Orange River at
Bethulie by the left wing Railway Pioneer Regiment,
by which means two unbroken lines of rail were completed from the ports to Bloemfontein, though both
liable to flood. The high level bridge at N orvals Pont
was completed on May 20, and the first train passed
over that night.
Five spans at Bethulie having been broken, a similar
restoration cannot be done hastily.
We believe that the restoration of Norvals Pont
Bridge is the heaviest piece of bridge engineering
undertaken by any army in the .field with the more or
less improvised plant and gear which alone is available.
For some time work was going on day and night,
the bridge being lit up with electric lights by the
Field Searchlight Section Royal E ngineers. During
the whole of this time the men were working with
arms piled close to them, and were guarded by out
posts and picquets all around, as an attack by the
Boers was quite possible.
THE PARIS EXHIBITION ELEOTRIO
POWER STATION.*
THE ENGINES OF THE CAlL COMPANY.
THE combination of the Cail Company and the
Thomson-Houston Company contribute an important
unit to the electric power station; its location is
shown at No. 5 on the plan we published on page
606 ante. Under their old and well-known name the
Can works have ceased to exist, having been transformed int,o the Societe Fran~ise de Constructions
Mecaniques; it is preferable, however, to avoid confusion, to retain the familiar title. It will be rem~mbered that the ?n.gines furnishe~ by this company
dr1ve a dynamo exh1b1ted by the Soctete Fran9aise des
Procedes Thomson- Houston, supplying a triphase
current of 25 periods and 5000 volts ; we shall refer
to this part of the installation on another occasion,
for the present we have only space to deal with the
Cail engines, detailed engravings of which will be
found on page 776 of this issu&. These are of the
Allis vertical compound type, and the two which
form . the pair are placed suflioie?tly far apart
to gtve room for the dynamo wh10h is mounted
direct on the main shaft. As will be seen from
Fig. 3, the distance between the main bearings is
also suffioien t to receive the fiyw heel. The two bed plates
of the engine~ are qu~te independent; they each carry
one of the ma1n bearmgs, and are of such dimensions
as to give an ample bearing surface on the foundations and insure the stability of the installation. The
main shaft is carried in the two bearings at the ends
a~ shown, so as to obtain accurate alignment; in additiOn . the brasaes are ma,.de spherical to insure a true
bea.rmg OYer the whole surface ; in this way the
danger of heating, that might aria~ from any deforma..

* See pa;ses 647, 712, and 746 a1t.te.

3000

[JUNE I 5,

ENGINEERING.

776

1900.

HORSE-POWER VERTICAL COMPOUND ENGINE AT THE PARIS EXHIBITION.

CONSTRUCTED BY THE SOCIETE FRANOAISE DE CONSTRUCTIONS MEOHANIQUES, DOUAI.
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tion of the shaft, is avoided; as a further precaution,

the bearings are surrounded with a jacket through
which water is circulated. The crank discs are of a
special quality of ca.sL iron ; they are carefully
balanced, and were forced on to the shaft by hydraulic
pressure, and afterwards keyed.
The main frames are b olted to the bedplates ; they
ara of cast iron, circular in form, and spread at the
base so as to make, when secured to the bedplate, an
absolutely rigid structure. The guide bars, which form
an extension of the frames, are secured to the cylinder
connections, as shown on t he engravings ; in this way
the exact alignment of the cylinder and guide bars is
assured. The slide blocks of t he piston-rod crossheads
are fitted with means for easy adjustment, so that the
pistons and connecting-rods can always be maintained
exactly in the axis of the ~lide bars. .
.
The cylinders are prov1ded each w1th four rota.tmg
valves, with double openings and small range of
motion, two for steam admission and two for exhaust ;
they are placed in the ends of t he cylinders so as
to reduce dead spaces to a minimum. The cylinders
are steam-jacketed at top and bottom, as well as
round the sides; they are further encased in a non
conducting envelope, and lagged with polished
sheet.
The intermediate receiver is formed of a steel
cylinder, placed transversely to th~ frames; it
-oontains a number of tubes for shghtly super-

heating the exhaust steam from the high-pressure

cylinder before its admission to the low-pressure;
the receiver is completely encased with non-conducting material, and lagged to match the cylinders. The
valve gear is of the Corliss-Reynolds type, of simple
and strong construction, which is feund to work most
satisfactorily at the highest speeds. The steam distribution is controlled, for each cylinder, by t wo eccentrics, so that admission and exhaust can be regulated
separately.
The engines are furnished wit h two governors ;
one of them, the speed regulator, acts simultaneously
on the valve gear of the two cylinders, in order
to maintain a fairly equal distribution of work
between the two cylinders under variable load, an
ordinary condition for electric generators. The second
regulator is a safety device, arranged to come into
action if the speed of t he engine rises a few revolutions above the normal maximum; it operates gear
that shuts off steam from t he high-pressure cylinder,
and so stops the engino in case of the speed gover nor
failing to work from any accidental cause.
Two working platforms are provided for the engines;
they are bolted to the main frames and provided with
stairways ; the main steam admission valves can be
controlled, either from the ground, or from each of
these platforms.
The condensation plant is independent of the engines,
and is placed partially below the ground level, on

_.J

the low-pressure cylinder side. It comprises a motor

condenser and air pump ; the motor cylinder is placed
above the air pump, and is fitted with four CorlissReynolds valves which are controlled by a speed
regulator of a special type, that shuts off steam in the
event of the driving belt breaking. All the upper
portions of the condenser, which requires supervision,
are above ground.
The principal dimensions, &c., of this very important installation, are as follow:
Diameter of high-pressure
0.813 m. (32.01 in.)
cylinder ...
...
.. .
Diameter of low-pressure
1. 726 , (67.95 , )
...
.. .
cylinder . ..
1.220 , (48.03 , }
Length of stroke . . . . . ..
Number of revolutions per
75
minute ...
...
...
Initial steam pressure ...12 kilos. (171lb. per sq. in.)
Outside diameter of flywheel ...
...
...
7.315 metres (24ft.)
Total weight of flywheel... 65,000 kilos. (65 tons)
D iameter of main shaft in

bearings . . .
. ..
. . . 0.556 metre (21.90 in.)
Distance between bearings 1.067 metres (43 in.)
The indicated powers developed at different pressures, and percentages of steam admission are as
follow:
1. With effective initial steam pressure of 171 lb. per
square inch.

} UNE I

5, 1900.]

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

COMPOUND

AGRICULTURAL

CONSTRUCTED BY l\f ES RS.

777

THE

AT

LOCOMOTIVE

CLAYTON AND SHUTTLEVVORTH,

SHOW.

YO RK

ENGI NEERS,

LINCOLN.

(For Descripti$, see Page 77 8 )

F I G.

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E N G I N E E R I N G.
Percentage of steam admission
to high-pressure cylinder ...
15
25
40
Correspondingindica.ted horsepower . ..
...
. ..
. .. 1330 2020 3130
2. With effective initial steam ~ressure of 142 lb. :
Percentage of steam admiss10n
to high-pressure cylinder ...
15
25
40
Corresponding indicated horsepower .. .
. ..
. ..
. . . 1105 1690 2630
3. With effective initial steam pressure of 128 lb. :
P ercentage of steam admission
to high-pressure cylinder ...
15
25
40
Corresponding indicated horse.. .
. . . 990 1530 2370
power . ..
. ..
All. parts of the engines have been designed for a
workmg pressure of 17.1 1~. per square inch, and 3000
horse-;power can be mdtcated continuously, corresp_ondmg to an out put of 1750 kilowatts on t he termmals of the dynamo. With an initial pressure of
128 lb., and a 30 p er cent. a dmission to the highpressure c>'lin?er, the required output of the dynamo
c~n be mamtamed under t he most economical expenditure ~f ~team. ~e are indebted t o Messrs. Cail
(La Somet1~ ~ra~9atse d~ Constructions Mecaniques)
for t he foregomg mformat10n and illustrations.

the wo~k facilitated in the shops. By the removal

of a ~mgle top c?ver the slide valves are readily
accesstble for settmg , examination, or repairs, the
t?rottle valve and stop valve are also exposed to view.
'I he cent res of the .cylinde:s and. cranks are kept
clo2er together than 1s practicable m the usual sideby-side compound engine. The following are some of
the dimensions :
Ft. In.
D iameter of high-pressure cylinder
0 6~
,
low
,
,
0 10
Stroke of both cylinders
...
.. ,
1 0
Diameter of flywheel . ..
. ..
.. .
4 6
Width of flywheel on face . . .
. ..
0 6!
Diameter of driving wheels ...
...
6 3
Width on face of driving wheels .. .
1 6
Diameter of leading wheels...
...
4 0
Width on face of leading wheels ...
0 9
Working pressure
.. .
. ..

... 160 lb. p. sq . 1n.

Test pressure .. .
...
. ..
... 260 ,
,,

[JUNE I 5,

900.

All ot hers with which we are acquainted

structed.
require that t he bucket shall be lowered on to a heap
or brought in contact wit h an extraneous stop of som~
S?rt; but the Tem~erley bucket can be tipped in mid
a1~, and at any hetght from the ground. Details of
thts automatic gear are given in Figs. 9 to 13.
The pivots by which the bucket is carried on its
bridle are fixed below the centre of gravity of a full
bucket, and above the centre of g ravi ty of the empty
bucket, and the full bucket is prevented from tipping
prematurely by a latch in t he usual way. This latch
1s connected by a chain with a lever passing over the
s~spe nding hook, as shown in Fig. 13. This suspen~lOn ~ook 1s slotted to receive a special hook, as shown
m F1gs. 11 and 12, and this hook n is connected
by a chain with certain links in t he fall block. If
this chain i~ pulled, it- by means of the special
hook and 1ts connections-unla.tohes t he bucket
and allows it to tip. The posit ion of affairs when
a bucket has been filled ready for lifting is shown
in Fig. 11. The chain from n is connected to
TEMPERLEY TRANSPORTING PLANT AT block o pivoted on a lever p which again is pivoted to
SFAX.
the frame of the fall block. As shown in this figure
(Concluded from page 615.}
?ne end of this lever rests on a stop, whilst the othe r
THE original Temperley traveller was described in 18 connected by links with a. t hird lever q. As the
our issue of November 15, 1895, but considerable load is raised the fall block finally enters the hood of
CO:rviPOUND AGRICULTURAL LOCOMOTIVE. changes have been made in the details as now manu- the traveller, as already explained, and the hook e
AT the York Show of the Royal Agricultural Society factured, rendering the device easier of construction ~lready described, and shown again in Fig. 9, comes
of England, which op~ns to- mor~o~, Messrs. Clayton since the compl~cated cam surfaces. originally used mto contact with the short end of this third lever q,
and huttlewor.th, of Lmcoln, exhtbtt a newly-designed are done away w1th. The tra,eller 1s shown in two and moves it over into t he p osition shown in Fig. 9.
compound ag ncnltural _loco~otive possessing some po~itions in Figs. 7_and 8 on our two-page engraving The effect of this has been to turn the lever p about its
nov~l features of value 1~ thts class of engine. The thts week.
In F1g. 7 the fall block is home on pivot, and as a. result the pawl ,. carried by the block o
engme has been made m accordance with h'Iessrs. the traveller hood, the latter is unlock ed from the is brought into contact with the rim of the rope pulley,
beam on which it runs, and can be as shown in the figure. The lower end of this block,
hauled up this beam, the load during its ho wever, remains during this motion at its orig inal
travel being supported from the hook level, a nd thus exerts no pull on the unlatching chain.
With matters in this condition the traverse along the
marked e in the figures. Should, however, t he hauling rope be paid out in t ransporter beam is made, until the desired stopping
place of being hauled in, the small pawl f p oint is reached and the t raveller lock ed there a.s
will catch on the notch causing t he already explained. The load is now allowed to deblock g t o r otate on its pivot , so that scend, and the rope pulley catching in its rotation the
~he project ing t coth on it will engage pa.wl 1, moves it over to the position shown in Fig. 10,
---------------,--,.....~
-------------1n the large uotch shown. The weight so that it now points in t he opposite direction. This
motion of 1' does not s wing t he block or unlatoh the
of
t
he
trM:ellor
tending
t
o
make
it
slide
.______ _l __ ---down t he beam causes the block g to chain. If now the desceHt is stopped and the attendant
'
move round still further into tho posi- begins to haul in the lifting r ope, the rope pulley
tion shown in Fig. 8. One end of t his catches on the pawl 1, and through it forces over the
b lock is, it will be seen, connected t o a block o, and thus by means of the chain connections
system of links let t ered h, i , j, k, l. lifts the latch and allows t he bucket to tip. The relaIn the position shown in Fig. 7 the tive position of the different parts at the tipping point
links i and j are nearly in a straight is shown in Fig. 12.
We also give in Fig. 6 on our two-page engravina
lino, and thus the weight of t he fall
b lock, which is in that fig ure carried a r eproduction of a photograph of one of these trans~
by the link k, exerts very li ttle pressure porters as it stood in the yard of the Chatteris Engion the block g, and what little press ure neering Company, who were entrusted with the conthere is tends t o keep g against its st ruction of the steelwork by the patentees. This
stop in the position there shown: When, engraving gi ves an excellent idea. of t he size and
however, the tooth on{] engages with a general appearance of the towers and their equipment .
notch, as in Fig. 8, it pu1ls, by means
of the link h, the two links i and j into
the position shown in Fig. 8. The link
NOTES FROM THE UNITED STATES.
then descends, being helped by its
PHILADELPHIA, June 6.
weight and the weight of the fall block.
The hook is provided with a cam slot
REPORTS from all iron and steel centres throughout
shown at m, in which engages a fixed the United States show a more settled condition of
I
I
,.,.,.. ---- -L-pin.
This
cam
slot
is
of
such
a
shape
--------------Lthin gs, due to several causes, chief of which are t he
1
that as the hook e descends it is swung approach of iron and steel values to normal level,
to t he left , as shown in Fig. 8, t hus the probable suspension of work in most mills for a
releasing the fall block, which can now time during t he summer, and to t he fact that a great
descend freely on paying out the lift- many consumers are very low in stocks, and will be
ing rope. On rais ing the block again, forced to buy soon. The stock markets have re covered
striking pieces on it will come in contact from their scare. The downward tendency in values
with the hook e, and ra.isiug the latter, is at work, and the restoration of normal and healthful
Shuttleworth and Fletcher's patent No. 16,668, of 1899. will force up the link k, the latter by means of the link j conditions is being already discounted. An adjustThe high and low-pressure cylinders are arranged will then pull over the links h and i from the position ment has also been praotically arrived at in wages
as shown by the illustrations annexed and on page 777. shown in Fig. 8 into the positi0n shown in Fig. 7, thus of mill men for t he ensuing year, based probably on
The valve chests aud distribut ing valves are placed on unlocking the traveller; whilst at t he same time hook e an increase of 8 per cent., although the final words
top of the cylinders, and the slide valves are act uated comes again into position to suspend the load, as in have not yet been spoken. Bessemer anJ billets are
Fig. 7. In fact, the conditions shown in Fig. 7 are still considerably above what consumers believe the
by radial valve gear of t he Joy t ype.
The engine shown in Fig. I , p 3.ge 777, has recently restored, with one single exception, viz. , that the market ought to be. The outlook has not imbeen put to heavy hauling work in Franco. The engine small pawlfnow slopes up to the left in place of up proved much, but there are indicat ions of a broadenexhibited in Y ork is intended for general purposes, but to the right, as there shown. Hence, on slackening ing demand from lower prices. The president of the
is very similar to t ha t illustrated. On page 777, Fig. 2 the rope, this pawl no longer catches on the beam, and Union Traction Company of this city t old your correis a. plan of the eng ine and Fig. 3 a. side elevation of the traveller is free to r un down the latter, on paying spondent to-day h is company had put off buying a.
the valve gear. Fig. 4 a nnexed represents a section of out the ha uling rope. Generally the traveller is in great deal of material, and would not make improvethe c.vlinders showing the slide valves placed on the these circumstances allowed to run to the very end of ments that were in contemplation, simply because the
top. It will be seen from the engravings t hat t he usud the beam, where a projecting block of metal catches market was too high. The r ailroad companies are
four eccent rics on the cranksha ft for the r eversing the t ooth on the block g, which t hus locks itself con templating still g reater outlays for radical improvegear are dispensed with, the radial valve gear g iving a without any assistance from t he small pawl; but the men ts. This course has been recently determined upon
bett er dist ribut ion of the steam, but the c bief ad - traveller can also be brought to res t at any inter- because of t he continued qualifying earnings. F or years
vantages gained by the removal of the eccen tri cs is mad ia.te notch in t he following manner : The rope is past frigid economies have been exercised, and all railthe extra space on the crankshaft for the two wide paid out , allowing the traveller to move dQwn past way manager s are delighted to get away from them.
crankpins and strong crank webs ; the first motion t he notch at whi ch i t is desired to stop. It is then Rail mills are booking orders for small lots for 30 to 60
g earing can also be placed inside the box brackets ha ul ed up p ast it again, during which upward motion days' delivery. Plate iron and steel is weakening,
between the bearings without any crowding of the the small p!l.wl f catches on this notch and is moved beoause of the en ormous capaci t y. Structural map arts. The same geari ng is used t hroughou t on this over, so as to slope up from left t o ri ght, as in F ig. 7. terial beats every thing else in demand. The bridge
engine as fo r a single-cylinder t rac"ion engine, wh ich On again slacking out the rope again, this pawl will material ma.k ors havo all gotten under the same
now engage with the small notch, as in Fig. 7, and blanket, and are going to havo things t heir own way.
is an important manufacturing advantage.
From F ig. 21 it will be seen tha t tho slide valve thus cause the locking of the traveller, as a.lrea<.ly The stock papers have left off making idiots of themsolves by predicting disasters. E veryone in P hiladelfaces and valve-rods are parallel with tho cent re line described.
The self-tipping device adopted for the plant at phia. is buying cough drops to have t heir t hroats in
of t he cylinders, t he setting of the cylinder s on the
machine for tooling, t h e planing of the valve faceR, and S fax is operated on quite similar principles, and is, good order to cheer and h owl when President :McKinley
the boring of the st uffing- boxes are t hus simJ>lified 1 and we heli~ve 1 t h e only truly self-tipping dev ice yet (/Ol)- is renominat ed her~ in t wo w~eks from to-day.
I
I

cb l
I

-------m---

'

J UN E

15,

1900.]

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

779

telegraphic ad~ress of th~ commercial information office in Colorado, the Pike's Peak Power Company. decided
THE AMERICAN SOCIETY OF CIVIL
some time ago to blow up the summit of a graru~e butte
is, care of "Bntpa v," Pans.
ENGINEERS.
in the immediate neighbou.r hood of th~ dam site. A
partition,
known
by
the
t
rade
name
of
'~ gypsine,"
A
IN common with other important American t echnical
tunnel was driven into the s1de of. the hill at a level of
was
recently
subjected.
to
a
test
.at
the
stat10n
of
~he
societies, the American Society of Civi~ Engineers ha~e
75 ft. below its top. On reaohmg the centre a cross
British
Fire
Prevention
Committee.
The
matertal,
adopted the plan of holding a conventt~n every year m
tunnel extending 35 fb. each way was constructed, and
which
is
a
mixture
of
plastic
hydraulic
lime
with
coke
or
some city more or less rem_ote from th~tr headquarters,
in the one end was placed a charge of 12,000 lb .. of black
sand
and
asbestos,
was
moulded
iJ?to.
bricks,
an?
the
parthus givinf; an oppor tumty of ~e~tmg to. members
powder and in the other one of 15,000 lb. The mterventition
was
constructed
of
these
la.td
10 hydrauhc mortar,
practising lD wide!y separate~ .l<;>cahttes. o.wmg to. the
mg spa~e was tamped with rock and earth, though some
the
joints
being!
in.
thick,
and
on
the.
side
exposed
t
o
fire,
attractions of the Paris Exh1btt10n, the So01ety de01ded
3000 lb. of powder we re also distribut~d al<?ng ~he
the
partition
was
coated
with
a
thm
layer
of
fireclay.
to hold its convention this year in Europe, and have
wall adjacent to the entrance tunnel. . Thuty-stx fi.!lng
The
area
exposed
to
the
flames
was
7
ft.
9
in
..
b~
10
ft.
accordingly conferred the honour o~ Londo~. The conholes, each containing 4 lb. of dynamite, and prov1ded
The
t
est
lasted
an
hour,
and
the
temperatur~
.m
stde
the
vention, which is the thirty-second m the htstory of the
with electric fuses, were arranged f_or. The explotest
hut
attained
2050
deg.
Fahr.
The.
partlt10n
prov~d
Society, will be opened on Monday, July 2, at ~ p.I_n.,
sion proved most successful, 110,000 oub1c f~et of. rook, or
impervious
to
the
flames,
and
at
no
pertod
of
the
te~t
did
the meetings taking place in the roor~s of the Instttut10n
80 per cent. of that above the tunnel level. bemg d1~pla?ed.
the
temperature
of
its
outside
surface
become
s
ufficiently
of Civil Engineers, which the counml have P.laced at the
The dam for which this rook is needed will be 69 ft. high,
high
to
tgnite
a
match.
disposal of our visitors. The {>roceedings w1ll commence
125 ft . wide at its base for a lengt~ of 150 ft. and 16 ft .
with an address by the Presid~nt, r. J. F . ~all~ce,
Experience with the aluminium. electric tra.nsmissi_on wide at the toP., where ~ts length will be 420 ft. The up.
and in the evening at 8 p.m. a discu~ston on the Hetgbt mains erected in W astern Amenca has proved quite stream face wtll be inclined at a n a!lgle of .30 deg. ~ the
of Buildings," will be opened by Mr. T. q. Purdy, and sn.tiefactory. For a given conductivity ~he aluminium is vertical and will be made watert1ght, With a facmg of
will raise the question a.s to whether recent Improvements just half as heavy as copper, and five-etghths 8:8 strong. steel pl~te. The lower slope will be inclined at a n angle
in construction, sanitation, intercommunication, and eco- Breakages have been few, though s_ome of the li?es have of 45 deg.
nomy of administration, do not warrant a removal of all suffered from wilful damage, t~e m sulators betr;'g: used
The Liverpool Self-Propelled Tr~ffic Association. are
restrictions on these heights. On Tuesday, July 3, at as targets for gun practice, and wues have been mah01.o~sly
10 a. m. Mr. R. W. Hunt will open a discussion.on ':Recent thrown over the leads in a number of cases. The JOmts making arrangements for another trtal of motor vehicles
Practice in Rails," dealing with the progress1 ve morease between successive lengths of wir~ are not soldered, as for heavy traffic, to be oa~ried out next June. .The objecb
in weight and hardness, with the forms of sections most experience shows that such connectiOns stand badly. ~y of the trials is to provtde a means of makm~ a preused and with effect of changes in these matter3. At the pushing the ends of the wires into an oval tube,. and twl.st- liminary test of types of heavy motor wagons sm~Lle .for
sam~ meeting M~. R~dolph H ering will i?trodu;,Q the mg the latter, a joint has, however, been _obta~ned wh~oh haul age operations in Lancashire, prior to theu bemg
subject of the" Flltrat10n of W ater. for ~ubho Use, t~us is a-s strong and conducts as well as the sol1d wue. Owmg taken over by a Lancashire syndicate, which will be
affording an opportunity for the dlScusston of the prm- to the fact that aluminium expands more by heat than formed for the purpose of condu?ting road . transporb
oipal methods of purification now employed. On Tburs copper it is necessary in erecting a line to make a. g reater bebween Liverpool and manufa~turmg .t~wns ~n Lancashire The vehicles entered will be d1v1ded mto three
day July 5 the day meeting of the Society will be de allowa~ce for contraction in cold weather than usual.
vot~d to g~neral busin~, whilst in t~e evening ther.e The daily press has recently contained numerous re- class~, having the general characteristics set forth in the
will be an official reoept10n of bhe Somety by the P rest ferences to the strike of tramcar men at St. Louis, but annexed T able :
dent and Uouncil of the Institution of Civil Engineers,
at the Guildhall. A number of excursions have also been has given little information as to the origin of the disMinimum Minimum
pute.
According
to
the
St'reet
Rail'Way
Jou
rnal
the
arranged for, Her Maje.sty ha:ving granted permission for
Maximum Level
Width of
Speed.
Olnss.
Load.
trouble
arose
from
the
extravagant
demands
of
the
work
Tate.
P latfor m
Driving
a visit to Windsor Castle and Its g rounds on the afternoon
Area.
Tyr es.
of Tuesday July 5 ; whilst on Friday, July 6, an excursion men's union. These included a claim that the company
I
to Stratford.on-Avon and Warwick has been arranged for. should compel all its hands to join the union, a:nd should

t ons
tons
square
m.
neither
,discharge
nor
take
on
a
new
man
wttbout
the
miles per
We may add that members of all o~asses of the Ins~itutio~
feet
hour
consent
of
the
union
officials,
and
further
that
in
case
the
of Civil Engineers, and all AmeriCan. and. C~lomal engiA
2
1!
45
3
8
union
suF~pended
or
discharged
one
of
their
members,
the
B
neers who may be in London, are cordtally InVIted to take
6
3
76
5
5
company
should
immediately
follow
suit.
If
this
state5 (minimum) No limit
0
05
part in any of the discussions announced above.
6
5
ment of the case is correct, ib is remarkable that the
strikers should have gained as much public sympathy as
is evidenced by the press reports, but as t~e Homes~ea.d Further particulars oa.n ~e _obtained on applicatio~ to .the
strike showed some years ago, the AmeriCan pubho IS secretaries of the Asso01at10n at the R oyal Institution,
MISCELLANEA.
T HE great cantilever bridge across the St. Lawrence at much less j udicial-minded than our own in these matters. Liverpool.
Quebec, the construoti~n of which has now been comA meeting of the Society of Engineers was held at the
According to the report of the Chief of the Bureau of
menced will have a mam span of 1800 ft., or 90 ft. more Statistics of the United States Treasury Department, the Royal U nited Service Institution last Monday night,
than th~ main s pans of the Forth Bridge.
total value of the exports of domestic merchandise in the when Mr. A lgernon H. Binyon read a paper on "Electric
Traction ." He said that the London tramways-horse
first
ten
months
of
the
fiscal
year
ending
with
April,
1900,
T he seven hundredth anniversary of the com~enc~ment
and cable-carried 309,000, 000 passengers, or 45 per
a
mounted
to
1,152,990,907
d
ols.,
against
1,018,290,
718
dols.
of working the mines in the Har~ Mountam~ wtll be
cenb. of the total traffic, the underground railways
in
the
first
ten
months
of
the
fiscal
year
ending
with
April,
celebrated towards the end of tlus month With much
128,400,000, or 19 per cent. of the total traffic, and
solemnity, and the Kaiser himself has intimated his in- 1899. The total value of imports of merchandise in t he the omnibuses 248,GOO,OOO, or 3G per CE\nb. of the total
first ten months of t he fiscal year 1900, both free and dutitention of being present.
able, amounted to 717,241,544 dols., against 565,230,807 traffic. The whole population of London-6~ millions
The Association des Industrielle3 de France offer a prize dols. in the same months of the fiscal year 1899. The - travelled 124 times in a year, whilst the New York
of 1000 francs for the best insulating gloves intended for excess of domestic exports in the first ten months of the population of 3! millions travelled 210 times yearly. He
the use of linemen. Full particulars can be obtained on fiscal year 1900 over imports was 435,749,363 dols., and the favoured the overhead trolley system, used in nearly all
application to the offices of the Association, 3, Rue de exports over impor ts in the same months of the fiscal year E nglish to wns, as being the most efficient and economical,
Lutece, Paris.
1899 was 453,059,911 dols. It will thns be seen that especially the form of it known as the side trolley systeru,
In connection with the paragraph which appeared in American imports have greatly increased during the first which obviated the unsightliness of very long brackets.
Miscellanea in our issue of April 27, to the effect that ten months of the present fiscal year, the increase being The London U nited and the L ondon County Uouncil
Wells' lights were used for lighting the enclosures at Cape 152,010,737 dols. The increase of exports during the tramways would, in time, he thought, force railway companies to adopt electric traction for suburban traffic
T own in which the Boer prisoners were confi_ned, Mes~rs. same period was 134,700, 189 dols.
within a radius of from 10 to 25 miles round L ondon,
George Findlay and Co., of Cape T own, wnte us saymg
An unprecedented condition of the coal trade ab Hull that being probably the r!l.nge within which competition
that they also supplied arc lamps for thab purpose.
is disclosed in the return of the Hull Incorporated would be strongly felt, and beyond which a s.t eam locoThe traction engines which were sent to the fron.t for Chamber of Commerce and Shipping just issued. An ex- motive would beat its electric rival. In combining
t ransport purposes, are reported to hMe proved .htghly panding trade bad been anticipated, but the actual figures lighting and tramway plant, Mr. Binyon advocated the
satisfactory. Operating on the bare veldt, seven of them s how a pressure on the Yorkshire coal supply greater than use of completely separate dynamos and mains. He rehave been responsible for an aggregate wo~k of 5000 ton- had been realised by any but a few largely interested in commended the use of meters in cars, and said that from
miles per day of profitable haulage. The T_vmes says that the business. The total tonnage forwarded to the port 30 to 40 per cent. of the waste caused by the careless
at the rates paid for bullock transpo~t, viz_. . 3s. 3d. per last month, 381,872 tons, was 54,736 tons, or 16.7 per handling of controllers could be saved.
cenb., more than was forwarded in May, 1899, which was
ton-mile, an engine will about pay for Itself m 10 days.
The Northern Salv~e Company, of Hamburg, have
itself
a
busy
month.
In
the
five
months
of
the
present
It is expected th3.t the gold output !rom the Yukon
contracted t o raise the Greab W astern Company's steamer
year
1,458,944
tons
were
sent,
an
increase
of
215,392
tons,
territory will this season show ~ constdera~le advance,
I bex, which was losb in January last near St. Sampson's
or
17.3
per
cen
t.
The
quantity
of
coal
exported
coastowing to the more general adoptiOn of machinery. T~e
Harbour, Guernsey. The vessel lies at present with the
wise
last
month,
61,761
tons,
was
114.6
per
cent.
more
Canadian Government has also spent much money In
upper deck just awash at lo w tide. U nfortunately, she
than
was
despatched
in
the
previous
corresponding
month,
road building thus decreasing the cost of transport. The
is right in the tide way, and the divers can only work for
most
of
it
going
to
L
ondon,
whilst
on
the
five
months'
fact that coal' has been found within 25 miles of Dawson
about an hour at slack water. She rests on a. tableshaped
orading
the
increase
amounted
to
81.6
per
cent.
The
exCity should also do much to increase the output of these
rock, with about 9ft. of her stem and stern jutting beports
to
foreign
countries
last
month
totalled
199,638
tons,
fields.
an increase of 95,618 tons, or 9t.9 per cent., the five yond it, so that it is possible in certain places to walk
Announcements have frequently been made in the months' total amounting to 666,748 tons, an increase of underneath her. A diver reports a hole in her port bow
and injury to some of the starboard plates. While prosepress reporting the sale. of the Dowla~s Iron Company's 351,344 tons, or 89.8 per cent.
cuting his search he came upon a man's body, nearly
works and mines belongmg to Lord Wimborne. We n<;>w
The Pennsylvania Railroad Company report that their covered with seaweed and kept down by pieces of iron from
have authority to state that the whole of these properties
have been purchased by Mr. Arthur Keen, Sa.n~yford, experience shows that the traction resistance per ton is the wreck. It has been identified by the clothing as the
Ed~ba.ston, Birmingham, for the purpose of um tmg the very much less with loaded than with light cars, and, body of an able seaman named .Randal, who was seen
busmess with that of the Paten.t Nut. and B olt Company, further, that the relative resistance of a fully loaded clutching thefia~staff as the vessel went down. The remains
highcapacity car is less than that of smaller oars. At have been bur1ed in the Peter Port Cemetery. Two
Limited, of which company he lS chairman.
s peeds of 15 to 20 miles per hour, experience on the
The Canadian Pacific Railway C~mpany has this week Pennsylvania linos has led to the following formula for lighters, of a carrying capacity of 700 tons each, are
begun to r un its fast summ.er serviCe betwee~, Montr~al the resistance of a train moving on the level, and made moored on two sides of the wreck, and eight 9!-in. wire
cables are to be passed under the keel. The rock will
and Vancouver with the tram known as the Imper1al up throughout of similar cars fully loaded,
have to be blasted amidships to afford room for the passagee
Limited, " which makes the journey in 100 hours. ~he
of the cables ; and as they each weigh 5 tons it will b
R
4.0t- 0.0255 . W.
company have been encoura~ed to. resume the servtce
owing to the great success IO achieved las.t year. The In this formula R denotes the resistance per ton at the some time before all the preparations for rai~ing the vessel
CanA.dian route, being the shortest and qmokest across speed named above, a.nd W the weight of the train can be completed. When a ll is ready the lighters will be
the Continent. has attracted a large share of travel to and divided by the number of oar3 constituting it. Ib thus filled with water to Plimsoll's mark, and the cables
tautened. The lighters will be then pumped out by
from the Far East.
appears that under these conditions the resistance of a pumps raising 3000 tons of water an hour, and a:s they
A commercil).l information office has been eatablished fully loaded oar weighing 40 tons amounts to about 3.02lb. rise with the tide the vessel is expected to come off the
on the upper floor of the Bri~ish Roya~ Pd.vili~n! Rue des per ton, whilst with a larger car w~ighing 72i tons the ledge. It will be t owed into St. Sampson's Harbour.
Nations, Quai d'Orsay, Parts.. ~ngliSb ~xlubttors and resistance will be about 2.19 lb. per ton. The formula, it The final stages of the enterprise cannot be undertaken
visitora will be able to _obtam mf~r!Dat1on a-s regar~s is stated, is unreliable for oa.rs of less than 40 tons capa. before the neap tides.
tariffd duties &c., and will find writmg-rooms at the1r city. The general conclusions a.q to the relatively easier
dispo;al furn'ished with all the necessary books of refer- haula~e of large cars is independently confirmed by other
ence and a poste restante has been opened in the build- Amencan lines.
COAL IN SPAIN.-The imports of coal into Spain in the
ing ~here letters will be received, provided they are
In order to provide the 42,000 cubic feet of stone needed first quarter of the year were 438 428 tons. The cor~
llddressed to the care of the st}cr~ta.ry. T he re~istered for the construction for l\ large dam across :Beaver Creek, respon~ing imports in the correspo~ding period of 1899
were '!)11007 tone,

E N G I N E E R I N G.
BRITISH MACHINE TOOLS AT PARIS.
MESSRS. ALFRED HERBERT'S {LIMITED) EXHIBITS.
AMONG the few collections of machine tools sent by
British firms to the Paris Exhibition, that of Messrs.
Alfred Herbert, Limited, of Coventry, is conspicuous.
It comprises a vertical milling machine, turret and
capstan lathes, and screwing machines, all of good
design and excellent workmanship. The machines
exhibited are illustrated on pages 780, 781, and 784.
Fig. 1 is a vertical milling machine ; the engraving
shows that the main frame is of a massive design,
possessing great stiffness and freedom from vibration.
The sliding head moves in very long bearings, and its
p osition is regulated by the graduated bandwheel
shown in the illustration; an adjustable stop is provided .t o control the range of vertical movement, and
the locking handle on the left, clamps t he head firmly
while the machine is in operation. The head is
counterbalanced by a weight inside the frame, so that
it ?an. be easily raised ~nd lowered. The spindle,
whiCh 1s of cruetble steel, 1s made with a slotted holder
bored to. a standard (No._l1, Brown and Sharpe) taper;
the end 1s thre~ded outs1d.e for mounting large milling
beads. The spmdle runs 1n a phosphor-bronze adjustable main bearing. Tbe driving pulley is not mounted
rlirect on the spindle, but on a sleeve, the spindle being
driven by two keys. The back gear is entirely encased
as shown in the illustration. The table is massive and
stiff enough to resist deflection when heavy work is in
the machine; it has a considerable longitudinal travel,
and the tramnerse slide is guided by a wide raised
tongue in the centre. Automatic feeds a re provided
for both movements, and are instantly r eversible
sudden contact with the dead stops is prevented by
autom~tic .stops placed in ~dvance of ~be dead stop.
The followmg are som1 part1culars of th1s machine :
L ongitudinal feed of table . . .
.. .
52 in.
Transverse
,
,
.. .
.. .
15 ,
Maximum distance from table to
spindle
...
..
. ..
...
17 ,,
Size of table . . .
.. .
. ..
.. . 7 4 in. by 15 in.
Working size of table...
. ..
. . . 62 , by 15 ,
Width of holding-down slots
...
.75 in.
Distance from centre of spindle to
face of frame.. .
.. .
. ..
. ..
17 ,
Vertical movement of spindle
...
12 ,
Diameter of spindle . . .
. ..
.. .
3;!; ,,
,
driving pulley . . .
. ..
15 ,
Speed of spindle, 12 changes
... 10 revs. to 270

revs. per mm.

.... 5 in. to 7.5
in .
Range of feed, 16 changes ...

per mm.
Ra.tio of back gearing...
. ..
. ..
6 to 1
Speed of countersha ft...
. ..
. .. 80 and 200 revs.
Floor space occupied . ..
. ..
. .. 10ft. by 6ft. 9 in.
The automatic turning machine is one of those many
labour-saving machines of American origin which are
now finding a large use in this and other countries,
and are manufactured by some of our leading tool
makers. From its original form, that of the automatic
screw machine, designed especially for the rapid production of accurate screws of small size, it has been
developed for the manufacture of an a lmost endless
variety of small parts previously made slowly and at a
much higher cost. Thus, to take an ordinary example
of a locomotive hand-rail pillar; under the old system
this cost 1s. 9d. for labour- 6d. for forging and l s. 3d.
for turning and finishing. With automatic turning
machines, three of which are attended to by one
mechanic, the output of the three machines is nine
pillars per hour, and the labour cost of each 1d. The
general principles of t hese machines have been already
described in ENGINEERING, so that we need only point
out some of the characteristics of those exhibited by
Messrs. Herbert, in Paris. We may, however, remind our readers that the machines are practically
turret lathes, in which all the varied movements of
the cutters, the opening and closing of chucks, and
the forward feed of the bar from which the object
is produced, are obtained from more or less complicated cams, driven by gearing. Several simple
objects may be turned out by each re volution of the
set of cams, but for more complicated form s, one p er
revolutioo is the output. Figs. 2 and 3 illustrate the
two machines of this type, exhibited by Messrs. Herbert, the former being t he smaller, and capable of
taking bars up to ft in. in diameter. As will be seen,
the frame is a very solid casting, surrounded with an
oil t ray; on one standard is mounted the headstock,
on the other the turret slide, and between them is the
cut-off slide. At the back of the right- hand side of
the frame are two driving pulleys, one of which drives
a wormshaft, and thence through gearing, imparts a
very slow movement to the shaft on which th~ cam
drums are mounted; t he other pulley also drives t he
camshaft, but at a much higher speed. On t he right
hand end of the camshA.ft is a disc with projectmg
pieces bolted to it; the function of these is automati
cally to t hrow the driving belt off and on the slow and
fast feed pulleys ; being adjus table, any va riation : in
the number, and duration of the changes can be
effected by altering the position of the blocks upon the
disc. The slow speed is required for regulating the

(JUNE I 5, 1900.

MACHINE TOOLS AT THE PARIS EXHIBITION.

CON TRUCTED BY :ME

RS. ALFRED HERBERT,

LI~HTED.

ENGINEER , COVENTRY.

Fw. 1.

VE.&TJCAL MILLING MACHINE.

F(Q. 2.

SMAI.L

AuTOMATIC TuRNING

MACBINE.

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

L
CO

' T R u c T E ])

By

l\1 E I '

~.

1, THE PARIS EXHIBITION.

A L 1J.171 I)" ] ~~ D

H 1~ R B ]~' R T '

E..~ N G I N SJ
L~ ER

L I l\I IT lt
J ~ D,

"..

Fw. 5.

'

"

"c.
'

,.

'

c 0 V g N T R y.

'

"

o ..

t:a"
.~

R EXAGO.N Tu.&RET L ATH E.

Fxo. 6.
feed of the cutting tools ; the fast speed for drawing
back the cutters, rotating the turret, and bringing
forward the cutt er. The other cam, driven on the lefthand side of the machine, controls the automatic chuck
and the bar feed. The t ool in the slide in the centre
of t he machine fini~hes the contour turning of the
object and cuts off t he finished wor~ from the bar ; it
is opsrated intermittently by an mdependent cam.
Obv1ously for producing different kinds of work, difftrent cams are required. To form a simple object
such as a short post with rounded head and reduced
screwed end, seven operations take place, which

T uRRET L ATIIK W ITH A uTOMATIC

CaucK.

are performed by one or other of the tools in the

turret head, or by the for ming tool in t he slide rest.
The whole process is automat ic, each tool in the turret
being brought round to its work at the proper moment.
The operations for such an object as we have assumed
are : 1. Starting, in which t he bar, having been fed
through the headstock, is attacked by a. starting t ool
in the tm'ret, which points t he end of the bar, and
trues it for the next operation (2) of rough-turning
t he reduced shank of the post; for t his the second tool
in the tltrret is brought round into position. Operation 3 is finish turning, and 4 and 5 are forming the

body and rounded head. For this, t he fourth tool in

the turret (a holding centre in this case) steadies the
piece while t he forming tool is brought up and shapes
the shank and rounded head of the post. The sixth
operation is ~crewing t he reduced end of t he post by
the fifth to.ol m t he. tu rret, and the .seventh is cutting
off the fimshed obJect by the tool m the central slide
rest. The general working of these machines will be
understood from the preceding description; it is obviously necessary t hat a liberal supply of oil should be
main.tained, a?d for this purp?se special oil pumps are
proVIded. F1g. 3, page 784, 1s t he largest size of t his

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

machine made by Messrs. Herbert, and exhibited by

them in Paris; the illustration shows the arrangement
very clearly. This machine is capable of taking bars
up ~o 2~ in. in diameter. The following are some
pa.rt10ulars of the two automatic lathes exhibited :
Fig. 2.
Fig. 3.
Diameter of largest bar admitted through chuck .. .
ft in.
2~ in.
Maximum length turned .. .
8
2~ ,
"
,,
,,
of article
produced ...
.. .
. ..
10 ,,
at,
Diameter of turret . . .
. ..
12 ,
5~ ,,
Number of tool holes in
turret
...
.. .
.. .
5
5
Diameter of tool holes
.. .
~ in.
1 ~ in.
H eight of centre of tool
holes above slide . . .
. ..
1ft ,
3~ ,,
Diameter of dri viog pulleys
6
14
Floor space occupied
... 2 ft. by 14 ft. by
3 ft. 9 in. 2 ft. 9 in.
Fig. 4 illustrates another special pattern of tool by
Messrs. Herbert, a capstan lathe with a chasing
saddle. It is adapted for such work as valves, collar.s,
g lands, &c. , a lso ~quare and other forms of threads,
and fo~ boring. The ~hasiog saddle is a patent devi ce,
by wh10h changes of p1tch can be made by reversing a
lever; taper boring, turning, and chasing may also be
done with a special saddle, internal and external taper
threads being cut as easily as parallel thread~. 'l'he
capstan slide is fitted with a six-change automatic
feed vary ing from 21 to 160 revolutions per minute.
The following are some particulars of this machine:
Height of centres
.. .
...
...
8 in.
Largest bar admitted through spindle
2 ,
Working stroke of capstan slide .. .
12 ,
Diameter of capstan head .. .
.. .
10 ,
,
tool holes in capstan
l ,
Number of speeds of spindle
. ..
12
,
changes in speed (21 to
160 revolutions)
.. .
.. .
. ..
6
Diameter of oountershaft pulleys ...
14
Speed of countershaft, forward .. .130 and 170
reve.

per mm.
,
,
reverse
...170revs. per min.
The hexagon turret lathe exhibited by Messrs. Herbert is illustrated by Fig. 5, page 781, and is ada.pted for
a great variety of heavy work, such as cylinder covers
and other engine parts. The design is very massive and
compact ; the headstock is fitted with a rapid speedchanging devine, and t here are 18 different speeds provided for. The lathe may be run direct, or with either
of two sets of back gear, the r atios being 4. 3 to 1
and 15.8 to 1 ; there are two speeds to the countershaft, and three speeds to the cone pulleys. ' he
main feature is the turret, which is hexa.gonal, and
measures 18! in. across the faces, each fa.ce being
1 0~ in. by 7! in. ; tool holes 3i' in. in diameter are provided, but extra heavy tools ca.n be bolted to the
faces of the turret. The axis on which it turns is
slightly inclined, and it is turned by hand, the
makers claiming that this possesses advantages over
automatic action. T he turret is mounted on a saddle
sliding on the bed; the saddle has an automatic
feed, with 18 speed changes, divided into t wo
series, one for fine and. the other for coarse feeds ;
the feed motion can be stopped at any point by
automatic tdps.
T here is also a supplementary
turret with four tool-holders ; it has longitudinal and
transverse automatic feed with nine changes, and a
chasing d evice is addtd for cutting outside or inside
thread~.
Specimens of the work produced by this
machine are exhibited, showing it to have a very wide
range of usefulness. The following are some leading
particulars :
.. .
...
.. .
11 in.
H eight of centres
...
2~ ,
M aximum swing overhead .. .
Swing o ver supplementary saddle:..
15 ,
Diameter of hole through spindle ...
2ft .,
cone pullE-ys ...
... 13 in., 15~ in.,
,
and 18 in.
...
... ... 4.3 to 1 and
Ratio of gearing
15.8 to 1
18 in.
.. .
Greatest length cleared
...
Maximum distance from flange of
spindle to face of turret .. .
. .. 4 H. 8~ in.
Size of main turret across faced ...
18! in.
, , E-ach face of main turreb . . . 10~ in. by 7~ in.
Diameter of boles in turret . . .
. ..
3;1 in.
Speed of countershaft...
...
... 100 and 160 revolutions per
minute
... ... 4.5, 6, 7, 8.5, 10,
Speeds of spindle
14, 17, 23, 27,
32, 37, 51, 72,
100, 115, 138,
160, and 221
revolutions per
minute
Number of au tomatio changes in feed
of turret slide
.. .
. ..
. ..
18
N umber of automatic changes in feed
of supplementa,ry saddle ...
...
9
Floor space occupied ...
...
.. . 15 ft. by 4ft.
Fig. 6 shows one of Messrs. Herbert's special-type
hexagon turret lathes, which has several details belonging exclusively to the m anufacturers. Of these the

...

automatic chuck is the most important; this devic e is

n~t only automatic in that it can be opened and closed
w1thout stopping the machine, but it is self-adjusting
within considerable limits above and below the
nominal size of the bar. A section of the chuck is
given in Fig. 7, in which A is the end of the spindle,
B the body of the chuck, coned at the end to r eceive
t he jaw C, and having a scr ew thread cut outside it; on
this the phosphor-bronze sleeve D is screwed, and t his
also has an outer thread to receive the steel cap E;
this ca.p bears truly on t he front smooth edge of the
chuck body E 1 The cap cannot turn because it is
held by t he pin P, but it will travel longitudinally by
revolving t he sleeve D, and when thus traversed the
flange F opens or closes the jaws C. The inner and
outer thread s of D are right handed, but are not of the
same pitch, so that when the sleeve is rotated the cap

'F'1J. 7.

advances or recedes by an amount due to the difference in pitch. F ast on t he sleeve is the toothed wheel
L, which gears on to the pinion M on the spindle J,
and by turning the latter the sleeve is caused to rotate.
It will be seen that t he und er side of pinion M is recessed, and taper EO that one of these cones, K and
N , if advan ced can be forced into contact and fotm a.
clutch. The cone K is one wit h the pinion H, which
is loose on t he spindle J, and it gears into G, which is a
toothed extension of the chuck body B; it revolves
constantly in a direction opposite to that of the lathe,
and at a slightly higher speed. The cone N is fast
with the chuck casing, and cannot revolve. In the
central position the clutch wheel M is free of both
cones, but if the lever 0 is moved to the right M
becomes fast with the fixed cone N, and holds t he
sleeve D, but as the chuck body of B and cap E continue to revolve the oa.p E is caused to travel, and the
jaw to open. By re.veraing the lever movement, the
clutch K and toothed wheel H cause a movement in
an opposite direction, and close the jaw of t he chuck.
The whole of t he mechanism is encased, and the
various parts are strongly made. There a re various
other improvements and modifications in the arrangement of the turret, and special d etails of toolholders
and hollow turning tools, bolted to one of the faces of
the hexagon turret. Some particulars of this machine
are annexed :
Maximum capacity of automatic
2 in.
chuck . . .
...
. ..
...
. ..
27 ,
Greatest length of work completed
Largest diameter of finished work
that will pass through turning
2 ,
tools . . .
...
. ..
. ..
. ..
Maximum size of thread (Whitworth) cub ...
.. .
...
.. .
l! ,
H eight of centres
.. .
.. .
...
8 ,
.Largest diameter of cone pulley ...
12 ,
Diameter of hexagon t urret. ..
...
14 ,
... 8 in. by 5 in.
Size of each face of turret ...
Length of bed .. .
.. .
.. .
.. .
7 ft. 9 in.
Diameter of tool holes i n turret . . .
2! in.
Altogether, Messrs. Herbert are to be congratulated
on their excellent exhibit.
PIG IN GERMANY.-The production of pig in Germany
in April was 680,159 tons, as compared with 666,625 tons
in April, 18DD. The aggregate production for the first
four months of this year was 2,654,028 tons, as compared
with 2, 658,443 tons in the ~orresponding period of 1899.
I PSWIOH.-The revenue of the Ipswich Dock Commission for the year ending March, 1900, amounted to
15,657l., a.s compared with 14, 518l. in 1898-9. The
engineer (Mr. T. Miller), in his annual report, states
that dredging operations in the Orwell within the last
six years have been devoted mainly to the improvement
of the Channel outline by cutting back points, regulating
curvature, and equalising the bottom or deep.water
widths. In the early part of lasb year the Ipswich comJ?leted the improvement of the east ~ide of Freston
R oach, and the further cutting back of Pond Oo1.e Point.
The Lady Nanoy was engaged for two months in clearing mud accumulations from the New Cut and outside the
look entrance for five months in widening and deepening
along the west side of Freston Reach, and latterly in
raising gravel ballast from Hearth P oint.

[JUNE I 5, 1900.

NOTES FROM THE NORTH.

GLASGOW, Wednesday.
Glasgow Pig-Iron Mo;rket.-A fair amount of business
was done in the warrant market last Thursday forenoon. Prices were fiat because of the poorer trade
reports from America. Scotch lost 6d. per ton, Oleveland
2s., and hematite iron 9d. The afternoon market was
suspended, out of respect to the memory of the late secretary, Mr. Wilson, whose funeral took place on Thursday.
The settlement __prices were: Scotch iron, 64s. per ton;
Cleveland, 65~. ~d. ; hematite iron-Cumberland 75s. 1~d.,
and Middlesbrough 85s., per ton. On Friday forenoon
the market exhibited renewed weakness ab the opening, but subsequently recovered. Scotch warrants
started 5d. per ton down at 63s. 6d. per ton cash, but
rallied to 63s. 1ld. per ton, the market closing with a
month at 63s. 9~d. buyers. The turnover amounted to
about 10,000 tons. In the afternoon there were buyers
at 64s. 6~d. per ton cash, with sellers ~d. per ton less.
The markeb was firm in the forenoon on Monday, when
it was reported that 20,000 tons were dealt in. Prices
were higher. Scotch rose 11d. per ton, and hematite
iron 4~d. In the afternoon only some 5000 or 6000
tons changed hands, the prices marking a further
substantial advance; Scotch closing at no less than
1s. 8~d. per t on on the day, at 66s. 3d. per ton
cash buyers, Cleveland hematite iron 9d. up, and
Cle\eland finishing very strong at 68s. per ton buyerl\
and no sellers about. The settlement prices at the close
were: 66s. ~., 67s. 9d., 76s. 6d., and 85s. per ton.
Prices were very strong on Tuesday forenoon, and some
sharp fluctuations took place. The turnover was about
15,000 tons, and the prices reached 67s. 6d. for Scotch,
Cumberland and hematite iron reaching 78s. per ton cash.
Cleveland was not dealt in. The turnover amounted
in the afternoon to about 10,000 tons, and the tone
was irregular. Cumberland and hematite iron finished
1s. 4d. up on the day, Scotch being 8d. per ton up.
At the close thesetblemenb prices were: 67s., 69s. 3d.,
77s. 7i d. and 85s. per ton. About 10,000 tons changed
hands this forenoon. The tone was steady, and prices
advanced slightly. In the case of hematite iron, which
was specially scarce, the advance was 1ld. per ton. In
the afternoon 5000 tons were dealt in, but Scotch iron
was the turn lower, and hematite iron rose I s. 2d. per
ton from yesterday. The settlement prices were:
66s. 10~d., 69s. 6d., 78s. 10~d., and 85s. per ton. The
following are the current prices for makers' iron No. 1:
Clyde, 86s. per ton ; Gartsherrie and Calder , 86s. 6d. ;
Summerlee and Coltn~, 90s.- the foregoi ng all shipped
at Glasgow ; Glens-arnock (shipped ab Ardrossan),
83s. 6d. ; Shotts (shipped a.b Leith), 90s. ; Carron
(shipped at Grangemouth), 88s. per ton. The record of the Glasgow market for the past week has
been one of almost uninterrupted disaster to holders
of all classes of warrants. '.ro this result several
causes have contributed. Firstly, the failure to effect
the projected "corner" brought a burst of settling,
then there was uneasiness with regard to the state
of politics in the Far East, which induced further
selling; but these transient influences have been quite
overshadowed by t he overwhelmingly fiat reports received
during the week from America. 'fhese reports have undeniably depressed the market, and as American prices
led the rise here, so may their reductions lead the fall, which
is freely predicted for the immediate future. The saving
clause against this decline, however, is the continued diminution of the public warrant stores. Makers' quotations
naturally show decreases, but the quotations are irregular
and mostly nominal. The stook of pig iron in Messrs.
Connal and Co.'s public warrant stores stood at 122,424
tons yesterday, as against 129,050 tons yesterday week,
thus showing_ a reduction for the week amountin~ to
6626 tons. '.rhe following 'are the returns of the uon
shipped during the week: To Canada, 424 tons; to India,
215 tons; to Australia., 234 tons ; to France, 130 tons ;
to Italy, 2245 tons; to Germany, 818 tons ; to Russia,
250 tons; to Holland, 480 tons ; to Belgium, 185 tons ;
to China and Japan, 100 tons; lesser quantities to other
coun tries; coastwise, 4678 tons. The week's shipments
amounting to 10,156 tons, against 5778 tons in the corresponding week of last year.
Successor to Mr. W'ilson as Secretary to the Piq.Jron
Trade A ssociation.- Ab a meeting of the Committee of
the Scottish Pig-Iron Trade Association, held yesterd~y
afternoon, it was agreed, on the motion of Mr. A. G.
Service, de:J?u ty chairman, who presided, that there should
be en tered m the minutes an expression of the loss sustained by the death of Mr. Wilham Wilson, who had so
ably discharged the duties of secretarr. ever since the
Association was started. Mr. J oseph Wilson, his brother,
was afterwards appointed interim secretary. The committee decided to recommend that the Association should
now have a paid secretary.
F<inished bon cvnd Stcel.- The value of business doing
in finished iron and steel is getting within limited bounds,
there being practically no new orders going about; still
the amount of work in the books at the big firms is very
considerable. Steel strips are not in such demand as
was formerly the case, and the value has been lowered
from 10l. 10s. to 9t. 15s. per ton, and American houses can
quote ab lower rates than any local firms. There is a
report going about that two steamers, chartered by Gla.s
gow merchants, are due at Belfast with cargoes of
American iron. Prices remain at the top level, but lower
rates must be accepted for new orders.
Glasgow Coppe?' ltfarket. - The demand for cop~r
remains practically unchanged. Quotations are qmte
nominal in the Glasgow market, and yesterday afternoon,
at bhe close, copper was priced at 7ll. 5s. per ton.
Duration of the Scottish Ooalfields.- In the course of a
discussion at the last meeting of the Mining Institute of

JuNE 15, 1900.]

Scotland on " The Probable Duration of the Scottish
Coalfields,, H. M. Cadell, of Bo'ness, said that ~~en
the Bo'n~s harbour authorities asked the North BrttlSh
Rail way directors for increased coaling accommodation,
they were told that the coalfields of Scotland would
be exhausted within 10 years. He (~Ir.. Cad ell) knew
of a mine which in 1875 w&.a reported as hkely ~o be exhausted in a few years, and they were now gettmg more
coal than ever from it. The coalfielrls of Scotland generally would he thought, last very much longer than was
supposed. ' The discussion was adjourned to all~w of
Mr. Dron, author of the paper, haVlng an oppor t umtY: <?f
replying. M r. Cad ell subsequently read a paper on a :'lSlt
which he paid last D ecember to the Ku~hurban Colhery,
200 miles from Calcutta, and belon~mg to the East
Indian Railway. The great stocks m t he home coalfields bad been very beneficial to the Indian coalfields,
a.nd bad permanently excluded British coal from Calcutta.
and other Eas tern markets in favour of coal produced
in India.
E xtension of Wcmyss Bay P ier. -Messrs. P. McBride
and Co. Port GlMgow, have received the con tract t o
make th~ extension at Wemyss B ay Pier. The ext~nsion
will involve carrying the pier 130 ft. sea~ard, w1th an
additional width of 70 ft. Messra. McBrtde and Co.,
who have only completed quite r~cen~ly an exten~ion of
t he pier at Innella.n, on the oppos1te Side of the Ftrth of
Clyd e, will proceed ~th th~ work ab ~emyss.Bay f<?rthwith and the extensiOn will be earned out ID sectiOns.
The p robable cost of the works is set down at 20, OOOl.
Sewerage Contraot. -Eleven offers were submitted for
the constru ction of the public sewer on the west bank of
the K elvin, from Old Dumbarton-road to W estbnnk
Quadrant; and the lo west, that of 1Ylessrs. R . C. Brebner
and Oo, amounting to 2729l. 12s. 6d., was accepted.
ubsequently Messrs. Brebner and Co. wrote to the effect
that an error had occurred in the examination of their
tender, which would alter their offer to the extent of 300l.
The committee then resci nded their former resolu t ion,
and agreed to accept t he tender of 1Ylr. J ohn Drysdale,
the amount of which is 3094l. ls. 8d.

NOTES FROM SOUTH YORKSHffiE.

SHEFFIELD, Wednesday.
The Grirr1.sby Dook Scheme.-The Grimsby T own Council
have agreed to provide a yearly subsidy of 500l. for seven
years towards the interest of a p ortion of the capital to
be expended in connection with the construction of new
docks by the Great Central Railway Company. The new
undertaking, which is to cost from a million to a million
and a half of money, is t o be built on the West Fitties
where the water is of considerable depth. It will open
out into the A lexandra Dock a nd the Royal D ock so that
the three docks will be connected. Ib is not anticipated
that the engineering difficulties will be very great. The
necessity for more accommodation is shown by the fact
that last year 1,800,000 tons of coal were exported from
the porb, and more would undoubtedly have been sent
had the facilities existed. The timber trade has also
reached considerable dimensions, and the grain trade
is only at a standstill for lack of accoml!lodation. The
rail way company have asked for a substdy of 5000l. a
year for the first seven years after the completion of the
works, and this sum has been nearly subscribed .
West Y orkshire Cor-porations amd their Coal Contracts.
-A short time ago the West Y orkshire coalowners met
in L eeds to discuss counter proposals made by represen tatives of the Corporations of Leeds, Halifax, Huddersfield, and Keighley in regard to coal contract conditions.
T he result of the meeting has been that no concession of
any importance whatever has been made by the coalmasters in regard t o the form of tender. The L eeds
Corporation propose to advertise for tend ers for a supply
of gas coal, and to immediat ely put up the price of gas
3d. per 1000 ft.
South Yorkshire Coal Trade.-A heavy output continues
from all the Houth Yorkshire pits, and prices are well
maintained. Consumers complain of tha heavy advances
on last year's rat es, but coal masters state that 1t is hardly
realised how heavy the demand is for both home consumption and export. For gas coal the companies are only
paying 5s. per ton increaae in rates ; whereas for export
owners can readily obtain 6s. and even 7s. m ore than last
year. A similax: state of affairs exists. in regard. to the
railway compames. Coalowners both ID Yorkshtre and
D erbyshire can easily get 1s. per ton better price-s than
they are asking the railway companies to pay. The
Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway Company have
accepted tenders for next year's supplies at 16s. per t on,
and this figurtl, it is expected, will for m the basis of
contracts with other com panies.
i ron and Stcet.-The large works are ex trembly busy,
and the armour-plate a nd forging d ep artments have work
on hand to keep them fully employed for months to come.
A fair amount is also being done in t he ra ilway shop s,
although ne w orders a re nob coming to hand so freely. Ib
is understood several contracts for new ships are a waiting
pla-cement, but the high prices now ruling check enterprise
m that direction. The experience of several leading houses
in the crucible steel trade is that there is a distinct falling off in orders, not only from the home market, but
from France, Germany, and Australia. Only a few
months ago there was not an idle steel furnace in Sheffield, but some are now being put out of work, there being
no market for the outpu t, and the cost of production
being too high to encourage working for stock. Iu the
file trade, although most houses are able a t present to
keep their men fully em ployed, orders a re bei ng work ed
off more rapidly than new ones are coming in, n.nd the
out look in this branch is not as encouraging as it was at
the beginning of the year.

E N G I N E E R I N G.
NOTES FROM CLEVELAND .AND THE
NORTHERN COUNTIES.
MIDDLESBROUGH, Wednesday.
The Cleveland I ron Tra~. -Yesterday the weekly
market here was pretty well attended and the t one
was cheerful. Buyers were more disposed to do business than th ey have been for some time past, but
they were still very cautious a nd would not, as a rule,
purchase anything for delivery ahead, as they. are
very scept ical with regard t o the fu ture. ~he;r P<?mted
to the state of the American market as an md10at10n . of
the way trade is tending. The general market quotat1~n
for prompt f. o.b. delivery of No. 3 g. m. b. Cleveland .Pig
was 69a., and several merchan ts sold parcels at that pr10e.
l'Ylakers still adhered to 70s. and upwards for No. 3.
No. 1 Cle veland pig was pn b at 7ls.; No. 4 fo undry,
685.; and grey forge, 67s. Middlesbrough warra~ta
closed firm at 693. cash buyers. There was some Inquiry for ea-st coast hematite pig iron, hub little or no
bt,siness was done, owing to the fa,ct that t~ere was pra<:tically no iron a vailable for sale for early deh very. Nomtnally about 87s. was the pgure for N os. 1, 2, ~nd 3. T here
wM no quotation for Mtddlesbrough hemat1te wa rrants.
Spanish ore was strong. Rubio could not very well
be bought under 21s . exship Tees, and that was
the genera l market quotation. Freights Bilbao t o
Middlesbrough were fully 7s. ; and vessels were reported rather difficult to get. To day the market was
stron~er and merchants advanced quotations for Cleveland Iron 6d. per t on, making No. 1, 7ls. Gd.; No. 3,
69s. 6d.; N o. 4 foundry, 68s. 6d. ; and grey forge, 67s. 6d.
Middlesbrough warrantB rose to 69s. 3d. cash buyers. W e
must expect only hand-to-mouth business t o be done
while t he uncertainty with regard to future prices prevails for buyers a nd sellers alike hesitate to -Jommit
the~selves far ahead. Undoub tedly confid ence i n the
market has been lost by the fluctuations which have
occurred since Easter, and i t will take a little while t o
restore that confidence. Shipments so fn.r thi s month
are pretty good, exceeding as they do 4000 tons per day.
Scotland is not taking so much iron as usual, but the
oversea clearances are fairly heavy.
Mcvwufactu1'Cd !?on and Steel.-Very little ne w can be
reported of the manufactured iron and steel industries.
In nearly all departments a very large quantity of work
is being turned out, and producers have good contracts on
hand; but ne w orders are scarce, and prices all round,
though not quotably altered, have a decided downward
tendency. Steel ship-plates, iron ship-angles, and steel
ship-angles a re each Bl. 7s. 6d. ; while tron ship-plates are
Bl. 10s.-all less the usual discount. H eavy sections of
steel rails are n. 10s. to n. 15s. net at works.
Head, W rightson, and Co., L'wnitcd.-Alderman C. A .
H ead presided at the tenth annual meeting of Messra.
H ead, Wrightson, and Co., Limited, held at Thornabyon-Tees, and moved that Sir Thomas Wrightson, Barb.,
M.P., be congratulated upon being made a baronet.
M r. C. J. Archer seconded the motion, which was
adopted, and Sir Thomas suitably responded.
The
chairman then moved the adoption of the report published in last week's ENGINEF.RING, a nd said the
value of the work in progress was 107, 946l. 2s. 2d., as
compared with 77,207l. 11s. 11d. last year. The directors
had, therefore, decided to apply to the shareholders for
power t o raise an additional sum of 105,000l., and to suggest that it be offered in the form of 6 per cent. cumulative preference shares. It was proposed, in the first
instance, to offer this ne w issue to the present s hareholders. Sir Thomas Wrightson, Bart., M.P., seconded
the motion, and the report was unanimously adopted. A
dividend of 7 p er cent. free of income-tax was declared,
and Sir Thomas Wrightson, Bart., M.P., a nd the Right
Hon. J. G. T albot, M.P., were re-elected directors.

engines, which are to be of 22,000 horse-pow~r, are exp ected to give her a speed of 23 knots w1th natural
draught.
A Military Contract.-A Salisbury- firm has taken a
contract for putting in the founda tions for p ermanent
hutments whtch a re to be erected for t roops at Bulford.
The huts are intended to accommodate 19,800 men.
Dockisation of the A von:- The d<?ckisation committee
of the Bristol T own Councll has rece1 ved a lengthy rep ort
from Sir J . W olfe Barry, Sir Benjamin Baker, and Mr.
A . C. Hurtzig upon that now well-wo~n theme, the
dockisation of the Avon. The rep~rt es.tima tes the cost
of the works requir<!d as follows : D 1vers1on of the Avon,
and construction of reclamation embankment, 765,oqoz.
Dock works including deep-water quays, lock -gravmg
dock appro~ch channel and piers, dam and slui~es and
smali lock, hydraulic machinery a nd dock eqmpmect,
&c. , 1,446,000l. ; allowance ~or sheds (525~oqo sqnare f_eet)
and buildings, 172,0p0l.; ra tlways and s1dmgs (12 miles)
and passenger statiOn, 42,000t. ; cofferda!lls, t emporary
watercourse diversions and com pensatiOns, 50,000l.;
capitalised ~ost of working sluices and dealing with floods,
100 OOOl. land a nd Parliamentary expenses, 100,000l. ;
sun'dry ~xpenses and engineering1 100, OOOl. ; total,
2, 775, OOOl. 'rhe report observes : '' Dockisation or do<:k
extension, unaccompanied by ample quay sp~ce a~d . rail
way facilities in the way of storage and shuntt~g std~~s,
and connections with main lines, would certa.mly fa1l1n
attaining the desired end of at.tracting. shi~ping t?, the
port of Bristol and would result ID financtal dlSast er .
Bristol Ste<Mn NallJigation.-A circular letter has been
forwarded to t he shareholders of the Bristol Steam Navigation Company, L imited, in whi ch the directors inform
the shareholders that, as ex plained by the chairman at the
last genera~ meeting, it ~aa be.come ~ecessary, owing to
the expansiOn of t he busm ess mvol vmg the employruent
of more steamers, t o increase the capital of the company;
and as several alterations a re also required in the articles
of association, the directors a re advised to form a n ew company to purchase the steamers a nd business of the present
company, giving the present shareholders shares in the
new company in exchange for their shares in the presen t
company. The ne w company h ~, accordingly, been
formed and named cc The Bristol General teamship Company, Limited, " with a share capital of 300,000l., divided
m to 40,000 ordinary ~hares of 5t. each, and 20,000 preference shares of 5l. each, with borrowing pow9rs restricted
to 50,000l.

EXPLORING ONTARio.- In the last session of the Ontario

L egislature 8000l. was appropriated for the exploration of
certain sections of N ew Ontario, in order to obtain as accurate knowledge as possible of the mineral and other natural
resources of the country. The work is to be undertaken
at once, and ten exploration pa.rtie~ have been appointed
by the Crown JJands Depa rtment, a civil engineer with
some experience of the back country being placed at the
head of each party. The firs t party is to explore the
region about AbitibbiRiver and L ake; the second covers
H aliburton, from the 200th mile of Niven's boundary,
between Algoma and N ipissing, up to the Missinabie ;
the third t akes in the Kalemakaqine down t o the M issin abie, and thence to the lVIo~se ; the fourth starts at Jackfish Station, passes t o L ong Lake, down English River to
the Al bany and the K enogami; the fifth goes from Lake
Nipissing to the A lbany, along the Ombabilri ; the sixt h
traces the country from Lake Nipissing, Wabinos B ay
and River, through the chain of lakes across the height of
land up the A lbany, t he Sa vane and Savane L ak e ; the
seventh is to survey the region of Lake Minnietakie
Lac Seine, Lake So. J oseph, the Engli~h. the Root, and
Sturgeon Lake; the eighth, L ake Nipissing and the
Nipigon t o Dog L ak e and River and B lack Sturgeon
Lake; the ninth confinoo itself t o the country be tween
Coal and Ooke.-In the bunker coal t rade quotations W abigoon and Rat Portage ; the t enth traverses the Lake
vary considerably. About 16s. f.o.b. may be g iven as Temagami district.
the medium figure. Gas coal shows little or no change
since our last report. Household a nd manufacturing coal
OuR RAI LS A BROAD.-The expor ts of rails from the
unaltered. A strong demand for coke both for shipmen t United Kingdom m May were 34,586 t ons, a~ compared
and for home consumption continues. U p to 35s. is with 51, 614 t ons in May, 1899, and 48,922 tons in May,
quoted f.o.b., a nd average blast. furnace q ualities de- 1898. The falling off in last month's exports was almost
livered here over the next half-year realise 29s.
entirely explained by the contraction in the Indian demand which only amounted to 7466 tons, as com pared
with 20,755 tons and 27,128 tons respectively. The aggreNOTES FROM THE SOUTH-WEST.
gate exports in the first five months of this year were
Oardiff.-Tb e steam coal trade has been relatively 163, 159 tons, as compared wit h 173,574 tons in the correquiet, the best descriptions have made 23s. to 23s . 6d. per sponding period of 1899 a nd 245,476 t ons in the correton, while second~ry qualities have brought 22s. to sponding period of 1898. T he principal cause of the
22s. 6d. per t on. H ouse coal has been in less demand in decline observable in this year's exports was the fact that
consequence of the warmer weather of the last few days ; the shipments t o British India to May 31 were only
No. 3 Rhondda large has made 22s. 6d. to 23s. per ton. 43,072 tons, as compared with 86,310 t ons in the correCoke has shown little change; foundry qualities have sponding p eriod of 1899 and 106,814 tons in the correbrought 353. to 35s. 6d., and furnace ditto 32s. t o 33s. per sponding period of 1898. The shipmen ts of r ails to
ton. As regards iron ore, the best rubio has brought British ~outh A frica to May 31 this year were 18,888 tons,
20a. Gd. to 2l s. per ton.
as compared wit h 11,491 t ons and 26,234 tons; t J Au~
T he Elcct1ic liight ctt Bristol.- Mr. S. Tryon presided trala.sia, 25,657 ton~, as compared with 16,302 tons and 10,579
ab a meeting of the Electrical Committee of the Bristol t ons; a nd to Canada, 3893 tons, as compared with 2935 t ons
Town Council on Friday. The chairman and the engi- and 1326 tons. Egypt took 12,527 tons of British rails in the
neer were appoin ted to represent the committee at the first five months of this year, as compared with 19,575 tons
Convention of the ~funicipal E lectrical Association at and 25, 666 tons ; Mexico, 10,716 tons, as compar~d with
Huddersfield this month. A n ext ension of the alternating- 4833 ton s and 5641 tons; and the Argentine R epublic
15,072 tons, as compared with 992 tons and 30,840 t ons:
cu rrent main to Paul -street was sanctioned.
There has been a marked falling off in the demand for
New Cruiser at Pembroke.- The D rake is proposed to British rails this yea~ in Sw:eden and Nor way, the exbe launched ab Pembroke not later than January, 1901, ports to those countnes havmg been only 8910 t ons to
in order that a new armoured cruiser may be laid down ~ay 31., as compared with 41,840 to~s in the corresp ond immediately afterwa rds. The new vessel will be one of a mg.pen od of 1899, and 25,136 tons m the oorre~ponding
class of seven ships, five of which are to be built by con- period of 1898. The value of the r r:.i1s exported in the
tract, one ab Portsmouth, and t he oth er ab Pembroke. fi~st fi ve mont~s of this year w~s 954,901l., as compared
The cruiser will be 440 ft. long between perpendiculars, w.1th 827, ?20l. m the cor.r espond10g p eriod of 1898. The
and 66 ft. wide, and ~he wi11 h ave a di~placement of 9800 ht~her pnces current thlS year have, of course helped to
tons. She will be fitted with Belleville boiler~:~, and her reduce t he demand.

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EN G I N E ER I N G .

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FOR THE COMPAGNIE DES T>ROSPHATES 1n DU CH EMIN DE I!'ER D ~t; OAFSA,

BY TH E T EMPE RLEY TRANSPORTER COMPANY, LONDON.

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

t.ively
slow
;
but
the
latent
impetus
has
enormously
AGENTS FOR "ENGINEERING."
increased in volume. The awakening is partly the
AUSTRIA, Vienna : Lehmann and Wentzel, Kartnerstrasse.
Advertisements from Germany should now be sent work of a society specially organised for translating
OAPB TowN : Gordon and Gotch.
through Messrs. G. L. Daube and Co., Frankfurt-am and publishing works on science and gonera.l subEDJNBUROU : ~ ohn Men zies and Oo. , 12, Hanover-str eet.
FRANOB, Par1s : Boyveau and Ohevillet, Lib rairie Etrang~re, 22, Main, who have been appointed our Sole Agents for
Rue de la Banque; M. Em. Terquem, Slbl11, Boulevard Haussma.nn. that country for Trade displayed Advertisements. jects, as well as on religion; and it is remarkable
Also fo r Advertisements, Agence Havas, 8, Place de la Bourse. Advertisements from France, Belgium, and Bol that, whereas in 1893, two years before the war, the
(See next column.)
books
thus
sold
were
worth
817
dols.,
the
value
in
land
should
be
sent
through
the
Agence
Bavas,
GBIUI.ANY, Berlin : Messrs. A. Asher and Oo., 6, Unter
inden .
Frankfurt-am-Main : Meaars. G. L. Daube ~ . Oo. (for 8, Place de la Bourse, Parts, our Sole Agents for 1898 was 18,467 dols. The significance of the inAdvertisements).
crease is still greater when it is noted that only
t,.. .."' countries for stmnar Advertisements.
Leipzig: F. A. Brookhaus.
10 per cent. of Chinese can read, and that the manMulhouse : H. Stuckelberger.
.mo 0ABBS. - Reading cases for containing twentysix darins and others, who are able to imbibe the lesGLA.BOOW : William Love.
uutJlc.>ers of ENOINBRRINO may be had of the Publisher or of any
INDIA, Oaloutta: Thacker, Spink, and Oo.
sons of Western civilisation, are in positions where
n ewsagent. Price 6s. each.
Bombay: Thacker and Oo., Limited.

they can give an impetus to, if indeed they do not

ITALY : U. Hoepli, Milan, and any post office.
LIVRRPOOL: Mrs. Tay lor, Landing Stage.
set in action, the reforms suggested by this reading.
NOTICES
OF
MEETINGS.
MANOBBSTBR : John Heywood, 143, Deansgate.
ROYAL METBOROLOOIOAL SOOJETY.- Wednesd ay, the 20th inst. , The copyright laws, too, are so lax that many
NoRWAY, Ohristiania: Oammenneye1'8 Boy'landel, Oarl Johane
at i O, Victoria strcet, Westminster, S. W., at 4.30 p.m., t he follow of these books are printed by others than the
Gade, 41 and 43.
Nsw SoUTH W ALBS, Sydney : Turner and Henderson, 16 and 18, ing papers will be read : "Rainfall in the West and East of society, so that there has for some time been a
England in R elation to Altitude above Sea Level," by Mr. Willia.m
Hunterstreet. Gordon and Gotoh, Georgestreet.
Ma.rriott, F.R. Met. Soc. "Description of Halliwell's Self-Record great educational wave in motion, which may be
QUBllNBL.AND (SOUTH), Brisban " : Gordon and Gotoh.
ing Rain Ga ug e ," by Mr. Joseph Baxendell, F.R. Met. Soc.
(NORTH), Towns\ille : T. Willmett and Oo.
momentarily checked but can never be stemmed.
THE I NSTITUTION 011 lftNtNO AND M'ETALLIJROY.- Wednesday,
RoTrBRDA.M : H. A. Kra.mer and Son.
June 20, in the Lectur e Hall of the Geological Museum, Jerm1n A further proof of progress is found in the circumSOUTH AUSTRALIA, Adelaide: W. 0. Rigby.
street, S . W., at 8 o'clock. To read and discuss the following stance that the number of native newspapers has
UNITBJ> STATBS, New York : W. R. Wiley, 43, East 19thetreet.
Ohicago: H . V. Hobnes, 12571258, Monadnock papers : 1. "On t he Extraction of Gold from Auriferous Pyrites more than quadrupled in the past five years, a fact
by Amalgamation," by Mr. T. G. Da.vey , 1\l. Inst. M. M. 2. "Notes
Block.
VIOI'ORtA, Melbourne : Melville, Mullen, and Sla.de, 261/264, Oolline on Gold-Bearing Oravels," by Mr. W. S. Welton, M. lnst. M.M. which greatly disturbed the peace of mind of the
3. "On the Treatment of l{algoorlie Sulphotelluride Or es," by Mr. Dowager Empress, the dominant actor in all
street. Gordon and Gotch, Limited, Queen-street.
Alfred James, M. lost. M . M.
movements for the suppression of foreign imWe beg to announce that American Subscriptions to ENoiNRBRINO
portations. For years she has utilised her great
may now be addressed either direct to the Publisher, Mr. 0. R.
JOD.NSON, at the offices o f this J ournal, Nos. 35 and 36, Bedlord
influence
and
power
to.
stimulate
the
Conservative
street, Strand, London, W.O., or to our accredited Agents for the
Manchu element to action hostile to the spread of
United States, Mr. W. H. WILKV, 43, East 19th-street, New York,
and .Mr. H. V. HoWtt~s. 12571268, Monadnock Bloc k, Ch icago.
railways and industries; for it must not he forgotten
The prices of subscription (J?aya.ble in advance) for one year are :
11
that
there
have
been,
prior
to
the
''
Boxer
moveFRIDAY,
JUNE
15,
1900.
For thin (foreign) paper edition, ll. 16s. Od. ; for thick (ordinary)
ment, several serious collisions between the parties
paper edition, 2l. Os. 6d. ; or if remitted to Agents, 9 dollars for
thm and 10 dollars for thick.
of progress and of retrogression. We have time
AMERICAN ADVERTISERS can obtain full particulars con
and again referred to the great difficulties set up by
cerning our Advertisement Rates from Mr. WILLARD 0. TvL~R,
913, Morton Building, New York; and Mr. H. V. HOLMM, 1257 INDUSTRIAL PROSPECTS IN CHINA. the ruling class against railways. The destruction
1258, Mona.dnock Block, Ohicago.
WE have here no concern with politics as defined of cotton mills in Shanghai fully twenty years ago,
by the party syRtem of Government pursued so and the dead s~t against electric power in the same
ADVERTISEMENTS.
The. charg e for adver~sements is thrtte shilli?S"B for . the ftrst beneficially in this country; but there are problems progressive city later, are cases in point. The prefour lines or under, and e1gh t pence for each additional hne. The
line averages seven words. Payment must a.ccompa.ny a.ll orders in economics and international relations which sent rising is the outcome of two or three years'
for single advertisements, otherwise their inser t ion cannot be are above the narrow limits of this definition, official encouragement, now openly avowed by the
guaranteed. Terms for displayed advertisements on the wrapper and are associated directly with the advance- supersession in the Tsung-li-Yamen of the only
and on t he inside pages ma.y be obtained on application. Serial
advertisements will be inserted with all practicable regularity, but ment of industry and commerce : in the present minister with foreign experience and sympathy,
absolute regularity cannot be guaranteed.
situation in China there is a typical instance. by practically one of the leaders of the '' Boxer "
Advertisements intended for 1Dsertion in the cur- The chief actors, it is true, are politicians and movement; and this fact, combined with the magnirent week's Issue must be delivered not later than diplomatists, but they are concerned " ="ih the tude of the movement, encourages the hope that
6 p.m.. on Thursday. In consequence of the necessity evolution simply of means to attain ari end the action now being taken to meet the danger
for going to press early with a portion of the edition, desiderated in the interests of humanity and by common to all Western Powers will be not only
alterations for standing Advertisements should be
received not later than 1 p.m. on Wednesday after- the industrial and commercial world, while in the unanimous but decisive. We have no concern with
result to be achieved engineers are most vitally the means to insure this desiderated unanimity of
noon in each week.
involved. China is almost virgin soil to the engi- action. We hope that jealousies will be set aside
SUBSCRIPTIONS, HOME AND FOREIGN.
neer ; it is a vast continent where millions live - if not permanently at least temporarily- and that
"ENGINEERING can be supplied, direct from the Publish er, under the most primitive conditions, without, how- the present 'regime in China will give place to one
post free for twelve m onths, at the following rates, payable in ever, enjoying any of the peace and freedom which which serves t he best int.erests of the Chinese by
advance:encouraging trade and capital for industrial dewe
are
wont
to
associate
with
the
''
good
old
For the United Kingdom ~ 1
9 2
times." The system of Government is so arbitrarily velopment.
,. all places abroad :The present indications of amicable and combined
autocratic, that the humbler Chinese are serfs,
Thin paper copiee ....... ... 1 16 0
lit tle better indeed than the animals. It is action by the Powers-and the association of
Thick
.,
. . . .. . .. . . 2
0 6
All accounts are payable to "ENGINEERING " Limited. true that preferment is nominally open to all Russia and Britain is particularly satisfactoryOheques should be c rossed" Union Bank, Oharing Oroes Branch." that attain to scholastic distinction, but this is augur well for engineering prospects, provided
Post Office Orders payable a.t Bedford-street, Strand, W.O.
When foreil{n Subscriptions are sent by Post Office Orders, very difficult to reach, and, from the nature of the settlement is permanently favourable to foreign
advice should oe sent to the Publisher.
the studies, there is generally developed in t he enterprise. There is no need for the partitioning
Foreign and Oolonia.l Subscribers receiving incomplete copies minds of those who obtain positions of eminence of China, or indeed of leases, or spheres of inthrough newsagents a.re requested to communicate the fact to
a reverence for ancient customs and authority, fluence, or the rest; a combined support in somt\
the Publisher, together with the agent's name a.nd address.
Consequently, definite form to the rightful Emperor, Kwang Hsu,
Ofllce for Publication and Advertisements, Nos. 30 which is a bar to all progress.
and S6, Bedfordstreet, Strand, London, W.C.
should there be, on the part of some, an occasional and to such statesmen as K'ang-Yu-Wei will suffice.
We desire to can the attention ef our readers to or sporadic lapse from this attitude towards Already the foreign trade of China. totals 69 milthe fact that the above is our SOIE Address, and modern civilised ways, it is quickly suppressed. lion sterling, cotton goods alone accounting for
that no connection exists between this Journal and There is little reason to doubt, however, t hat there 15 million sterling; and most countries participate,
any other publications bearing somewhat stmnar is among many of the middle-class Chinese, who although the British portion predominates. But,
titles.
have been brought into contact with Europeans, a although this figure appears large, it represents less
latent desire for a change to modern conditions. than 3s. 6d. pe1 capita. Now the natives of India
Tn.Beaumo ADDaMs-ENGINEERING, LONDON.
TBLli:PHONll NUlfBBR-8668 GerPard.
Once the Chinaman has got over the shock whieh are a somewhat analogous people; and here we find
Western customs give to his traditional beliefs, he that although the population is less by 26 per cent.,
CONTENTS.
develops a rapid appreciation of the conveniences the imports and exports combined are more than
PAOB
PAOB of civilisation. The violence of the methods of the double. In other words, they represent lOa. pe1
Destruc bion of Life and P ro
Industrial P rospeots
in
" Boxers" is evidence that the Conservative party capita. A few years of equally progressive rule
perty by Lightniop: .. .... 769
Ohlna . . . . .. .. . . . . . . .. .. 786
Caledonian Railway Pa8$en
The Factory Bill .......... 786 at Pekin realise the inevitable awakening of the in China would, we are confident, so improve
ger Locomotives (lllus.) 771 The Production of Sulphur
people to the advantages which accrue by the her industrial position a.s to bring it more in
The Pyritic Smelting of
in England ........... . . . 786
Oopper Ores . . . . . . . . . . 774 Oanadia.n Oaoa.ls and Trade 787 development of the mineral, a.s well as the agri- line with the other great Asiatic country named.
Norvals Pont Brtdge (Jllus.) 775 Shipping in Japan . . .... .. 788 cultural, wealth of the country.
The interests Such an increase to 10s. per capita would mean
The Paris Exhibition Elec
The J1ate John Viret Gooch 789 of the governing classes lie in the maintenance that the foreign trade would increase from the
trio Power Station (lllttB
Notes .................... 789
They have wealth, 69 millions sterling of last year to 200 millions
trated) . . .. .. .. .. . . .. . . .. 776 Literature .. . . .. . . . . . .. . . . 790 of the present state of affairs.
Compound Agricultural Lo
Books Received . . . . . . . . . . 791 influence, and creature comforts-j ust what human sterling-an improvement by no means beyond the
o Jmotive (lUtMtrated) .. 778 Railway Acoident . . ...... . . 792
nature era ves for- and they drca.d the creation of range of probability. The mineral wealth of China
T ranspor ting
The Pa.teots Examination
Temperley
Plant at Sfa.x (fllus.) .... 778
Question . . . . . . ..... 792 a great and successful cOinmercial community, has never yet been explored; but it is known
Notes from the United
Foreshore Protection .. . ... 792 such as they know exists in Europe, by which that the coal deposits exceed those of the United
States .. . . . . . . . .. . .. .. . . 778 Electrio Condensers. . . . . . . . 792
they would be overshadowed. They, therefore, set Kingdom many times, and it is believed that below
American Society of Civil
The Campbell Oil Engine
Engineers . . . . .. . . .. .. .. 779
(Rltutmted) . . .. .. . . .. . 794 themselves to resist the influences which for some the 1,336,000 square miles there are hidden vast
MiscelJanea ........ . ....... 779 Industrial Notes ......... 794
beds of valuable ore. These have yet to be deveBritish Maohine Tools at
The Physical Sooiet.v . . . . . . 796 time have been at work in the land, and which
Paris (RltMtraUd.) . . . . . . 780 Corrosion and Failure of
received an immense impetus from the events of loped, and the railway build~r must be the pioneer.
Notes from the ~orth .. .... 782
Propeller Shafts (RlmIt is true that there are great waterways constitutthe
Japanese
\Var,
by
which
it
was
brouglit
home
Notes from South Yorkshire 788
traWl) ....... . .. .... .. .. 796
Notes from Olevelcmd and
The Post Office Tele~ra.phs 80V to the more enlightened of the mandarins that ing suitable arterial means of communication ; but
the Northern Counties . 783 Launches and Trial Trips 800 China was doomed to speedy partition unless she until more honest encouragement is offered for
Notes from the Soutb-WestJ 788 1 " Engineering" Patent Re
cord (nlmtrated) . . . . . . 801 followed the example of the victors, and adjusted steamboat as well as railway companies, the immense
potentialities of China can never be realis&d.
With a TwoPfV.Je .BtYJra'Ving oj the TEMP ERLEY T R.A.NS her methods to the new condition of affairs.
As to the will and means to promote such railway
Thus far the visi \.,!e progress ha'3 been eo mparaPORTI.N'G PLANT AT SFiJ .Y.
NOTICE TO CONTINENTAL ADVJCRTISERS.

ENGINEERING.

786

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

lines, there is nothing wanting. The engineer has

been for years soliciting permission at Pekin to
prosecute his great work of advancement; and when
he has obtained permission, it has been by the payment of commissions, sometimes to the wrong
parties, with the result that the encouragement he
has received has been short-lived ; if, indeed, as
is the case with the Pekin and other lines at the
presen t momen t, his work and capital are not swept
away by mob violence at the instigation of t he
ruling powers. But there is distinct hope in the
alarming situation to-day, and we doubt not
t hat the am ba.ssadors will take advantage of the
occasion to have the various railway concessions
p ut on a much firmer basis, and to convince the
Chinese Government that no W astern Power dare
sit inert when the property of its subjects is being
maliciously destroyed. With a strong international
advisory board behind the Emperor, Chinese
cupidity and the intriguing to which it gives rise
would be checked, and the foreign lines would
progress as steadily as the Siberian Rail way
through Manchuria.
In relation to the Siberian R~ilwa.y, Mr. A. R .
Colquhoun, who has just read a paper on the subject
at the Royal United Service Institution, has been
suggesting that a. still more direct Jine may yet be
taken from the south of Lake Baikal right across the
Gobi desert to Pekin itself; and as he has recently
traversed the route, he is able to speak of the convenience of such a line. But there are other routes
where work will more conveniently, perhaps more
economically, be carried out, and with better financial results, connecting the north with the south,
and Shanghai with the north ' and west. Meanwhile it is interesting t o note that Mr. Colquhoun
is quite satisfied that the Siberian line will be completed to Port Arthur, as well as to Vladivostock,
within the t ime originally fixed-the autumn of
1902. Even n ow passengers can reach China
in 30 ~ days. Thus they may travel by tail to
IrkutSk, near to L~ke Baikal, in the heart of
Siberia, and on the northern borders of Mongolia,
in a t?ain de luxe, with library, gymnasium, piano,
bath-room and lavatories, and other conveniences
to rob a ten days' journey of much of its inconveniences. The remainder of this journey Mr. Colquhoun made across the Gobi desert along post
roads; but passengers can travel by rail to
Stretensk, which is considerably west of Lake
Baikal and thence by steamer on the River Amour
to Kh~barovsk, from where the railway is open to
Vladivostock. This new route, of course, has immense strategic va.luo ; indeed, there are those
who regard it solely from this point of view; but
into this we do not propose to enter on the present
occasion further than to say that while it will, when
complet~d, entirely alter Russi~'s status in the Far
East and has already had effect in the recent diplomati~ sit uations, it is not sufficiently completed t o
give rise to that coup d'etat which is being feared
not in Korea and Japan alone. We prefer for the
present to consider the Siberian Rail way in its relation to the future commercial prospects in China.
The rail way will be completed to Port Arthur in
the autumn of 1902, an addition to the European
Russian line of 4000 miles, excluding the detour,
orio-inally entered upon to Vladivostock. T~e
sp:ed now is 16 ~iles an .ho~.tr, .but ~hen, as IS
intended heavier ra~ls are la1d, 1t will be Increased to
25 miles 'an hour, and then the time from Paris t~
the Pacific coast will be 11 days, and to Shangha.1
15 days as compared with the present minimum of
a month and a half ; while the cost of the journey
will be 32l. 10s., made up as follow : Express to
R ussia, 7l.; rail to Port Arthur, 1ll. 10s. ; steamer
to Shanghai, 6~., w~th 8l. for meals, &c. T~e
mail steamer rate 1s 70l., so that there 1s
a. great saving alike in time and money. F or
goods the charge by steamer is 32s. p~r t on
to Shanghai which cannot be equalled by ra1l ; but
for N orther~ and Central China the Siberian route
n1ay compete for some classes. of. goods. As to
passengers, t he V(,yage by sea 1s 1mmensely to . be
preferred for its comforts . and. health-rest?rmg
qualities; but for men on bustness 1n:tent the ~a1l way
journey has much to commend 1t, espeCially .as
other markets can be taken on the way-at P~!l~,
B russels, Berlin, Moscow,, St. Pet~rsburg, N tJnlN ovgorod and in the rap1dly-grow1ng new towns
in Siberi~. The Trans-Siberian Rail way th~s
promises to bring China within m~ch shorter distance of European traders, and will consequently
be an important factor in the commercial awakening of the near future. Th~ situation, therefore,

[JUNE I 5,

1900.

is worth close study by the manufacturer who stituted for the individual order of that important
wishes to avail himself of a new and promising field official. Were it possible to codi(y the multitudiso soon as it is ready for development.
nous Factory Acts, the establishment of hard-and-fast
rules for the regulation of all factories might come
within the range of practical politics ; but it is clear
THE FACTORY BILL
that until uniformity of principle has been reached,
IN a letter addressed by the Home Office to the uniformity of detail is quite impossible. Seeing
secretary of the London Trades Council, which that the questions which are brought before him
was published in the Time$ for June 11, the Secre- for decision are not usually of a political nature,
tary of State seeks to allay certain fears which have and that any orders which he may make must be
arisen with regard to the measure which is now be- laid before Parliament for 40 days before t hey
fore the House of Commons. It appears that in the acquire any force, we think that, subject to alterareport of the conference convened by the London tions in detail in the present Bill, the administration
Trades Council, a number of objections were taken of the Factory Acts is still safe with the Secretary
to the n ew Bill, with which Sir I{enelm Digby of State for the Home Department.
deals one by one. It is suggested, in the first
place, that the alterations with regard to dangerous
trades are objected to as "quite inadequate." THE PRODUCTION OF SULPHUR IN
ENGLAND.
Turning to the text of the Bill, we find the
gist of ss. 1- 11, which are devoted to " RegulaI N view of the . fact that the Anglo-Sicilian
tions for Dangerous Trades," to be as follows : Sulphur Company is within measurable distance
Where the Secretary of State i~ satisfied that any of its determination, as far as the five years working
manufacture, machinery, process, or description of arrangement is concerned, speculation is somewhat
manual labour used in factories is dangerous, he rife as to the move which the directors may take
may certify it to be dangerous, and may then make in the way of continuing it . It is not our intensuch regulations with regard thereto as seem to be tion here to make any conj ectures on the subject;
practicable. With a view to giving persons (in- but it may not be without interest, however, to
cluding employers &.nd workmen) likely to be enlarge on one or two points prominently connected
a:ffacted by such r egulations an oppor tunity of with the inception of the company ; and we hardly
objecting thereto, t he Secretary of State must think that any apology is needed for doing so, as
publish t hem, and upon hearing the objections he the main raison d'et?e of the company has not, to
may amend the regulat ions in accordance there- the best of our knowledge, been clearly indicated
wit h. In addition to the right of lodging obj ec- in the press. No doubt the over-production of the
tions with the Secretary of State, any objector Sicilian mines a few years ago had tended to bring
may require the matter to be referred to a referee. prices down to an unremunerative level, and no
The referee then makes a report which is laid doubt the lot of t he miner was miserable in the
before the Secretary of State, who may either act extreme ; but these were facts which the consumers
upon it, or withdraw t he proposed regulat ions with- of the sulphur did not allow themselves to be
out prejudice to his right to issue fresh regulations. distressed by, and t here hardly seemed any reason
such r egulations n1ay apply to all the factories and why Englishmen should exer t themselves to put
workshops in which the manufacture, machinery, matters on a better business footing.
The question why, then, did certain prominent
process, or description of manual labour cer tified to
be dangerous is used (whether existing at the t ime Englishmen bestir themselves in the matter may
when the regulations are made, or afterwards esta- naturally be asked, and we at once make reply
blished), or to any specified class of such factories they did it for t he very good reason of selfor workshops. In order to prevent any radical interest, England having become a producer of
change being introduced by means of these regula- brimstone. The expense of the production of
t ions, it is provided (in Clause 8) that where any the brimstone, however, was such that t he proregulation
cess could not compete successfully with the native
(a) interferes with the employment or period of Sicilian product, so the scheme of consolidating
employment of adult workers ; or
the interests of the rival producers was evolved,
(b) imposes duties on owners of factories or work- and took definite root in the formation of a
"ring," under the name of the Anglo-Sicilian Sulshops who are not occupiers; or
(a) prohibits the use of any material or process; or phurCompany, which now controls practically all the
(d) modifies any regulation contained in the sulphur used in England. Now, although this concern may seem to have cornered t he sulphur market
Factory Acts ;
the regulation shall not come into force until it has to the detriment of the consumer, and may thus
been laid for six weeks before both Houses of appear to deserve the censure of those people-and
Parliament.
t hey are not a few- who are strenuously opposed
In order to see whether these alterations are to any such combination in trade, to our mind it
really inJJ.dequate, it is necessary to consider-and presents itself in quite a favourable light, and for
t his is fully emphasised in Sir Kenelm Digby's two main reasons. I t has rendered it possible, by
letter- the present state of affairs. Hitherto it regulating the output, for mining operations to be
has been necessary to inquire into the manufacture carried on in Sicily much more to the benefit of the
carried on by each employer, in order to ascer tain miners than was formerly the case; and secondly, by
whether his trade must be regarded as dangerous fostering the production of sulphur in England, it has
or not. The new proposal, founded as it has been prevented the accumulation of those unsightly heaps
upon the reports of the departmental committee of alkali waste which were in former years a source
appointed to inquire into certain dangerous trades, of annoyance, if not of actual danger, to the d weBers
has much to commend it, as it will dispense with a in the vicinity of the alkali works. This recovery
costly inquiry in cases where rules established for of sulphur, amounting t o about 40,000 tons per
one factory may be fairly and equitably applied to annum, could not have been profitably effected if the
others of the same class. In this way the new value of the article had remained at the low level to
regulations promise to effect a saving of expense which it had sunk in 1895, and after t he expenditure
and t rouble to employers; but it is not alone of a large amount of capital an abandonment of the
advantageous to the employers. Hitherto a work- process would have been necessary, as was the case
man has had but little voice in any discussion at an earlier period in the history of sulphur
relating to t hQ question whether a trade is to be recovery systems.
regarded as dangerous or no. In fact, he can only
It is the Chance-Claus process of sulphur reintervene to discuss points in at~bitration pro- covery which now holds t he field, and which,
ceedings where the actual objections have already by reason of its superiority, has caused the abanbeen taken by his employer; and this limited donment of the formerly-worked processes of
right to be heard is further restricted by the fact Mond and of Schaffner. As in many other importhat he may be required to give security for costs. tant chemical processes, the success which has been
Such restrictions find no place in the regulations attained by Messrs. Chance and Claus was due
to which we have briefly alluderl above. It is more to the perfecting of method than to theoretical
proposed to place the workman, for all purposes, considerations, because Gossage, fifty years ago,
on the same footing as his employer.
proposed t he chemical reaction which Chance
Space does not permit us to enter very fully worked out successfully ; and it is probable that
into a consideration of the numerous points dealt Gossage would have reaped 1nore benefit from his
with by Sir J{enelm Digby. There is one objec- expenditure of 10,000l. over his process, if some
tion, however, which merits attent ion. It is urged s0r t of an arrangement had existed by which
that " the autocratic power '' of the Secretary of the price of sulphur was maintained. However,
State should not be further extended ; that clearly not to spend time on matters of history, we prodefined provisions in all clauses should be sub- ceed to say that t he Chance-Claus process is now

JuNE 15, 1900.]

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

in operation on the large scale at many of the works

of the United Alkali Company, a n otable plant for
its size and engineering arrangements being that
of the Gateshead works of the company just
mentioned, and which belonged to the Allhusens before the great chemical combine was brought about.
\Ye will attempt a brief description of the
process as worked, though we are aware that
it is at all times a matter of some difficulty
to make a synopsis of a chemical process clear
to the uninitiated without the aid of drawings.
The alkali waste, which is the residue from the
manufacture of sodium carbonate from common
S<\lt by the L eblanc process, consists practically of
calcium sulphide, a body which has t he objectionable tendency to decompose, when moist, into
s ulphur compounds seven times worse than itself,
of which it is sufficient to particularise sulphuretted hydrogen gas. In the process under
description, this waste is ground up fine, and
made into an emulsion with water in large iron
vessels provided with mechanical stirrers. This
emulsion then passes into a Feries of cast-iron
cylinders, called carbonators, into which carbonic
acid is pumped, the result being the production of
calcium carbonate and sulphuretted hydrogen. The
carbonic acid is produced by burning limestone
with coke in a special German type of kiln, in which
the gas can be produced pract ically free from
oxygen ; a matter of the greatest importance, and
the attainment of which in the present case has
been easily brought about by adoption of the kiln
used by Messrs. Brunner, Mond, and Co. in the
ammonia-soda manufact ure. The chief impurity
of the gas is dust, and this is removed during
its passage through water and air condensers,
in order to cool it to a temperature which will not
damage the compression pumps. To return to the
sulphuretted hydrogen produced in the carbonators;
this is drawn oft' to a gasholder of the ordinary
type, but luted with coal-tar oil instead of water.
From here the sulphur gas passes to t he Claus kiln,
where it is mixed with the t heoretical quantity
of a ir required to produce the equation sulphuretted hydrogen + oxygen = water + free
s ulphur. The kiln contains layers of ferric oxide, and
when the combustion of gas and air has once
corn menced, the heat generated by the reaction is
sufficient to keep t he process going on. Fron1 this
kiln t he sulphur runs off, part ly as brimstone, the
remainder going into a chamber a little distance off,
where it condenses as flowers of sulphur.
The success of the process depends upon the gas
and air being iu the correct prop or tions,and where
this is so the operation goes on steadily and continuously, and with a minimum of supervision or labour.
In fact, to those who are accustomed to judge the
importance of a factory by the number of hands
engaged, there is a somewhat ghostly air of desertion about the extensive series of kilns in operation at Allhusens' Works, so rarely is a workman
seen ; but it would be very erroneous, indeed, for
the casual visitor to suppose that the manufacture
of s ulphur is proceeding on but a trifling scale.
The fact is that once theClaus k iln is started, it works
automatically, and requires but a minimum of attention, a remark which applies in a lesser degree to
t.he whole sulphur r ecovery process. At the works
just mentioned, the large volume of 3,500,000 cubic
feet of gas is dealt with every 24 hours, a statement
which renders it almost unnecessary to say that the
plant covers many acres. This brief description will
suffice for those who are not particularly interested
in the subject, but who are not altogether averse
from learning a little about matters which may not
seem to have any direct bearing upon their regular business.
.A word or two as to t he sulphur itself : it
was thou(Yht at fir.st that this could not compete
with the best q ualities of Sicilian because, although
it was over 99 per cent. purity, it contained traces
of that disagreeably-smelling body, persulphide of
hydrogen. This difficulty has now, however, been
overcome, and the brimstone and flowers of sulphur produced by the U~ited Alkali Company ~n
rank with the best of Imported brands. With
r egard to the econ omy of the process it is a distinct
advance on those of older date, as 90 per cent. of
the total s ulphur in the alkali waste is recove~ed ;
at least this is what has been proved possible,
though whether this efficiency is always maintained
is a matter on which we are n ot prepared to be
dogmatic. Where gases are dealt with there is
always a certain loss du~ to .leakage, tho~ ~h
this in the present case Is, owmg to the vtgil-

ance of the alkali inspectors, of very trifling

At first there was some genuine
amount.
ground for complaint, especially on account of
the waste gases escaping from the Claus kiln ;
but the improvements which have been effected
have r endered any annoyance quite infinitesimal.
The use of the Claus kiln, it may be said, is not
confined to alkali works, for within the last few
years it has been applied to works where sulphate
of ammonia is manufact ured from gas liquor, such
works also being under the surveillance of the
alkali inspector. In this manufact ure the gas
liquor is distilled with lime, the free ammonia gas
and H 2S passing into a saturator containing sulphuric acid where the sulphate is formed. The
sulphuretted hydrogen evolved from impurities in
the ammonia liquor would con taminate the atmosphere unless some means were provided to deal
with it. Hitherto the sulphuretted hydrogen was
passed into purifiers containing oxide of iron or bog
ore, where the sulphur was absorbed, but this
method is rapidly being superseded by the sulphur
kilns, which, though more expensive in the p rime
cost, gr eatly reduce the working expenses, and also
producing a useful commercial product, viz.,
sulphur.
'J.lo revert once more to the matter of the AngloSicilian Company, ment ion may be made of the
fact that the invasion of our markets by sulphur
from countries other than Italy has not come to
pass, though it was confidently predicted that the
rise in price would render this not only p ossible
but probable. Japan certainly has increased her
export of late years to the r espectable total of
about 15,000 tons, but there are difficulties about
freight charges which militate against her chances
The
of becoming a formidable competitor.
Japanese exports go mostly to the United States,
though seeing that of the 350,000 tons which Sicily
annu&lly exports, n early one-half goes to the States,
the icilians cannot, so far, have been much affected
by the growth of the Japanese expor ts. With
regard to the production of sulphur in the States,
m9.tters are still in a transition stage. Th~ deposits
which have been worked are in inaccessible regions
of the West, and the total annual yield has not
exceeded 2000 tons.
Considerable interest attaches to the process
of Mr. Frasch, which has been under trial at
Sulphur City in south-western Louisiana, and
which consists in melting the sulphur undergr ound by hot water and then pumping it to
the surface; but we are not in a position to give
any details as to the success attained, though an
American writer has expressed his regret at the
serious effect the process must eventually have upon
the fortunes of the Sicilian miner. No doubt, if
the Anglo-Sicilian Company had sought to make
exorbitant profits out of the sale of the product
under their control, it would have given a decided
fillip to the exploiting of sulphur deposits in other
lands ; but as they have been contented to charge
a fair price- and a price which the consumers of the
article can well enough afford to pay- the necessity
for opening up new sources of supply has not made
itself obvious. It will need an era of higher prices
befor e the more remote sulphur dep osits of America
can compete with the Sicilian shipments to San
Francisco ; and though the position as regards
Japan is one on which it would be somew hat
hazardous to express a decided opinion, it hardly
seems probable that any new arrangement which
the Anglo-Sicilian Oompany may be about to make,
will be influenced by the fear of competition from
this source. In using the composite term, AngloSicilian Company, it may make the position of
aft'airs more apparent if we say that it might, as
far as its policy is concerned, be ca1led the
United Alkali Company, as Mr. Chance, whose
name has frequen tly occurred in this article, is
closely connected with the latter, while being the
moving spirit of the form er. It is hardly necessary
to say that the Sulphur Company does not r egard
with great favour the application 0f the Claus kiln
to the ammonium sulphate plants of gas works, as
the sulphur recovered from this source is outside
its control. The makers of sui phuric acid from
brimstone, however, regard the matter in a different
ligh t, as they are enabled to buy their raw product
in a ch~aper market. In one district in the north
of England, where the Olnus kiln is in use at
several works, there is a r eady sale for all the sulphur produced, the sulphuric acid made from it
being required for the manufacture of mineral
waters, for which purpose the acid must be quite

free from arsenic, an impurity which is always

present in greater or less quantity in acid
made from Spanish pyrites. It may be mentioned that the patent for the Claus kiln has
lapsed, a fact which necessarily has had a good
deal to do with its increased use of late.
We have referred to the impetus which the rise
in price has given to sulphur mining in the States,
~nd it may be added that a spurt has also been
given to the working of the New Zealand deposits,
the sulphuric acid makers of Australia now drawing
their r equirements from the sister colony instead of
from Sicily or Japan as of old. To conclude, we
have preferred not to indulge in any conjectwe as
to the nature of the new commercial arrangement
which the Anglo-Sicilian Company will shortly have
to enter into, and pass without comment the rumour
which comes from Hamburg, and which may or
may or may not be well-informed, to the effect that
the new agreemen t t o be made will include the
whole output of Sicily. That our opinion is favourable to the combine will be apparent, and what we
have said as to its serving a useful purpose finds
support in what has been published in the Italian
presR. The case seems to be one where the adage
Vestigia nulla reflrorsum suggests itself as particularly appropriate, if the British sulphur manufacture
is not to enter upon a period of decline.

CANADIAN CANALS AND TRADE.

IN the recent approval by the authorities at
Ottawa of the project for the construction of a deepwater canal from Georgian Bay to Ottawa and
Montreal by way of Lake Nipissing and the Ottawa
River, we have further evidence of Canada's intention to make a big bid for the diversion of the
whole of the Lake traffic. Down to this current
year much of this vast traffic has been taken by way
of Buffalo and the Erie Canal to New York for
shipment to Europe ; but the completion of deep
water communication, throughout the existing
Canadian system, has given Montreal, as a p ort of
shipment, a great advantage, by making it possible
to carry goods alongside the ocean steamer from
the far interior without the necessity of breaking cargo anywhere on the route. New York has
made a pretence of recognising the danger, and the
State Legislature has before it the plans for a
virtually now canal which is to obviate all the
disabilities that New York now suffers under.
But we may assume that it will be a long
time before any definite action is taken, and
even then it must be some years before the
proposed canal can be constructed ; and in the
meantime Montreal is displaying energy, such as
we generally associate with Americans rather than
Canadians, to so improve its position that nothing
which New York may do in t he undefined future
will avail to injure it. Concerning the greater
cheapness of all-water over all-rail, or rail-andwater, transit we need say nothing. It has been
shown beyond queetion that grain and other agricultural produce from the American and Canadian
States, bordering upon the Lakes, can be laid
down at Montreal und'3r existing conditions at a
saving of at least 50 per cent., as compared
with the cost of sending it to New York. If the
proposed waterway from Georgian Bay to the seaboard is constructed-as seems likely, a strong
syndicate having the matter in hand- the saving
should be greater, and New York's chance of recovering its lost ground the more remote.
We have previously dealt with the chief constructive featt1res of t.his undertaking. H ere it
will suffice to say that the intention is to
take advantage of the French river (which runs
into Georgian Bay), of Lake Nivissing, and of the
Ottawa Ri~er. Cons~derable deepening of existing
channels w1ll be requrred, but of actual excavating
work t here will be only a few miles in the neigh
bourhood of Mattawa. A glance at the map in
our issue of February 3, 1899, will show why a
Georgian Bay canal should facilitate traffic even
more than the Canadian system. It will obviate
the navigation of Lakes Huron, Erie, and Ontario
it is right in the way of traffic from Duluth and
other ports on Lake Superior, and from the great
in~er~or distributing port of Chicago on Lake
Mtchigan. Through the Sault Ste. Marie Canal
~bout 13,000,000 net tons of freight now pass
1n the course of a year ; and the total Lake shipments, which in 1890 reached 33,300,000 tons are
now estimated at close upon 45,000,000 tons: It
does not all go to the sea for shipment abroad, but

E N C I N E f: R. i N G.

[] UNE I

5, I 900.

a ~arge proportio~ does, and no one, we suppose, 10,000,000 dols. in the harbour, and 6,000,000 dols. despatch of ships to India, Australia, and America.
wtll deny that this trade is worth capturing, for it in th e channel, providing the east end of the bar - The number of vessels which it is proposed to conmea~s revenue t o Canada in the shape of t olls, hour with new clocks and the channel t o Quebec struct are, it is said, 15 small and 17 large ones,
and It means profit t o its citizens for carriage and with 30 ft. of wat er. The local Harbour Commis- with a tonnage of about 35,000 t ons. The dividends
handling.
sioners have arranged for piers of concrete, and declared by the Osaka Shosen Kaisha for 1899 were
As b etween the two Canadian canals-- the exist- hope that within two years the entire water front at the rate of 8 p er cent. and 9 per cent. respecing ch~in.and t he pr.ojected waterway from Georgian will be so supplied. A big company, known tively for the two half-years. The services of the
Bay- It Is a questiOn whether damage might not as the Oonners' Syndicate (composed mainly of company to and from Formosa have also been exr esult t o the former by the g reater directness of the Buffalom en who recognise the possibilities of' tended during the year.
la~ter: But that has yet t o be proved. Much of the the port), is erect ing at Windmill P oint elevaThe writer of the report says that the enterprise
MIChigan and Superior traffic would go by way of t ors and warehouses with a capacity of 6,000,000 manifested by t he J apanese in shipping matters
Georgian Bay, but there would n o doubt be a bushels of g rain, and at the east end of the brings into greater relief the apathy displayed by
r espectable p ercentage a vailable for the St. Law- harbour similar structures of a capacity only a Brit ish shipowners in Far E astern seas. Opporrence r oute, and it must n ot be forgot ten that this trif:le smaller ; and under a cont ract wit h the tunities neglected by them have been taken adlatter will still be able to glean trade from Lakes Harbour Commissioners, it undertakes to move at vantage of by others far more far-seeing and
Huron, Erie, and Ontario, which all border upon !east 25,000,000 .bushe~s of grain in a !ear. Were blessed with broader ideas and gre1ter aims,
highly productive count ry. Anyway the benefit It n ot for the winter Ice, Montreal might look for though n ot so well equipped for the purpose, either
r ests with the D ominion, and presumably the development that would compare with any p ort in money, means, or experience. He complains
federal au thorities, for that reason, will not which it would be p ossible t o name. But early that British steamers trading to J apan, vici the
g rumble, t he more especially as the ret urn winter and late spring must be reckoned with, and Suez Canal, do not give such p rompt and reliable
upon the St. Lawrence outlay cannot fail to be it is in consequence of this that the railroads, which service as foreign lines, and on t his account the
eminently sat isfactory . But the G eorgian Bay might swell deliveries tremendously, have chosen competition of the latter is much more successful
scheme has still t o b e carried out, like the new some other terminals, and carry much of their than otherwise would be the case. It would seem
Eri~ under taking.
The St . L awrence system is for eign freights to them. Ice bin ds the St. Law- as if t he British shipowne r preferred t o sacrifice the
available, ~nd the route is being improved in r ence nearly five 1nonths in the year, and for an- interests of the cargo in general for the sake of
every possible way. The completion of the St. other 1nonth or so the Gulf fogs are a source of gaining extra freight between ports en 'route, while
Clair and Erie Ship Canal, now in course of con- danger. In the remaining mon ths, however, navi- t he foreig n shipowner looks a t t he matter from a
struction, will facilitate traffic to a considerable gat ion proceeds quit e comfortably, and there is no wider point of view, and instead of attempting to
extent. It will cross the Canadian peninsula which room to doubt that the city has a good fut ure before serve a variety of ports with satisfaction to none,
lies between the two Lakes, and will have a length it, by virtue of the improved canal system, if for devotes his attention to a more limited field, a.nd
of 13 miles, with a dredged channel 19 miles long no better reason. And it is possible n ow, by the thus gains the confidence and support of shippers.
in L ak e S t . Clair to t he canal entrance- t ogether provision of better facilities, for Montreal to take The r esult is seen in the fact that the J apanese
32 miles, as compared with 111 miles over the more ad vantage than was formerly t he case of the and German lines, although carried on with vessels
cowse n ow in use by the L ake carrying trade open season ; and, any way, the full benefit of the of practically the same t ype and sp eed a.c; t hose of
through the D etroit River. The saving of time iu canals will accrue t o Canada by the establishments their British competitors, make the fastest and
favour of the canal must be a consideration , of of sailings with ports such as Paspebiac, w hieh are most regular voyages, and such is the preference
course, and t he difficulties of navigat ion in the free from ice throughout the year, and are also now given to these lines, that they could double
D etroit River are an even more p otent factor in wit hin r eady access of the canal.
their fleets and still secure all the cargo required.
the situation. The channel is a t ortuous and
It is especially to be regretted that there is n o
p erplexing one, and L ak e craft, in working
British steamship company running direct mail
through, make 34 changes of course before
SHIPPING IN JAPAN.
and passenger steamers from England to Japan.
emerging into L ake Erie. In the early clays
IN the latest British Consular report on the trade Other things being more or less equal, British
of short and shallow-draught vessels, crooked of Japan, a considerable amount of information is subjects would naturally give the preference to
channels an d sharp bends did not count for much, given with regard to J apanese and foreign shipping, their own line, but as things are at present, th e
p erhaps ; but now t he bulk of the freight is carried and as the subject is one which is of interest to a bulk of the passenger t raffic between Great
in long st eamers, many of them 400 ft. in length, considerable nu m her of our readers, we propose to Britain and J apan, by way of India, goes to foreign
and this makes a differ ence. Under the most note some of the most important facts.
lines, more particularly t o those of Germany. The
favourable condit ions, on account of shoals and
The J apanese mercantile marine is continuously P. and 0. Company, however , have now improved
b ends, the fastest freighters can scarcely make 10 gro wing, both in t he number of vessels and in th eir service from Japan to England, so that it will
miles an hour t hrough the D etr oit River; hence t onnage. The lat est published statistics are up to only be necessary to make one change, and that at
the trip consumes a little over 11 hours. The canal the end of Sep tember last, and from these we find H ong Kong, instead of to change twice as heretor oute would take fi ve hours- two through L ake St . that there are 723 Japanese registered steamers, fore .
Clair and three through the canal. This would be wit h a tonnage of 489,371 tons ; and, in arldit ion,
German shipping ent erprise was very marked in
a saving of six hours on each trip, or half a day in 2556 sailing ships, large and small, with a tonnage 1899. A new fortnightly direct service to J apan
t he r ound trip. The average number of round of 256,896 t ons. The leading Japanese steamship was inaugurated by the N orth German Lloyd
t rips from Port Art.hur, or Duluth, to P ort Colborne, companies showed great energy and enterprise during Steamship Company on October 4, and the IG>nig
or Buffalo, is in a season 22, giving from nine t o ten the year 1899. The Nippon Yusen Kaisha decided Albert, a vessel of 10,000 tons, which r eached
days to each trip. Half a day saved on each t rip to extend, from October , its ser vices to North Yok oha ma, the terminus of the line, in November,
would be 11 days saved in a season, or more than China, a field of commer ce which is more and more is the largest vessel that had ever entered a port
sufficient for an extra trip, the r eceipts for whi eh attracting the attention of Japanese traders. In in Japan. The K onig Albert represents a class
would be almost clear profi t . I t is further urged J anuary, 1900, the company instit uted a new direct of vessel by which the trade t o these waters will
t hat a very s ubs tant ial saving to shippers and owners service between Nagasaki and Hong K ong. The eventually be entirely conducted. She is a dis will result from lower insurance rat es. At any r ate, fleet of ve(;sels flying the N ippon Yusen Kaisha flag tinct advance in size and accommodation upon
every thing tells for what we may call " a more is being st eadily augmented, an important addition any British vessel ever sent t o the East, and with
excellent way " from t he L akes to t he ocean. An made during t he year 1899 being t he s. s. A wa Maru, the advant age of a journey wit hout change from
enlarged Erie system would, of course, participate a vessel of 6309 tons b urden, built at t he Mitsu Japan to Southampton, t he line is r apidly coming
in t his par ticular improvement; but, as we have B ishi Yard at N agasaki. That steamer was con- into favour with British passengers, who cannot
said, we are not likely to have an enlarged Erie structed in a shorter period, and at less cost, than secure anything approaching t o similar accommodasystem for a number of years to come, and while t he Hitachi Maru, a similar steamer, launched tion on Brit ish st eamers. All concerned in the
t he St. L awren ce canals will always be there to from the same yard in 1898, ancl of which we management of t he n e w line are using their best
eom pet e with it, t he Georgian Bay Canal may by gave some particulars at the time. Two more efforts to cater for British travellers, and unless our
t hat time be provided to prevent it recovering t he vessels of equal t onnage are shor tly to be shipowners show themselves better able to keep up
commenced at the same place for the Nippon wit h t he t imes, t hey will before long lose en tuely
ground which it will th e~ have l~st comple~ely. .
Montreal is th e port aimed at n1 connectiOn with Y usen K aisha. The company enjoys a subsidy their share in the t raffic. A lesson ought t o be
both t h e Georgian B ay and St. L awr ence canals. from the Government, and t his enabled a ret urn to taken from the fact that while a few years ago
The old n otion t hat New York was t he only p roper b e made to the shareholders for 1899 at the rat e of British st eamers carried a large proport ion of the
g rain- shipping c~ntre. has ~ong been exploded. 9 p er cen t. p er annum for t he fi rst half of t he year, cargo from Ant werp , t hey have now almost wholJy
.
Much of its t rade In t his particular has been stolen and 10 p er cent. for the second half. The lines to disappeared from t hat route.
The shipping trade across the P acific continues
by B oston PhiladelJ.Jhia, Maryland, N ewport N e ws, E urope, India , Australia, and America are in good
and other places. But Mont real threat ens. to inju.re work ing order, and command a large shar e of t he to develop. It has been subject to considerable
all these por ts as we11 as N ew York. Drffer entJa.l trade. The three new st eamers belon ging to the interruption s on account of the r egular ves~el s
r ailway traffic r ates cannot prevail against t he all- Toyo Kisen K aisha, which arrived in J apan during having b een chartered as t ransports by tho Un1ted
water r oute. And M ont r eal is 200 mil~s f.lear er to the closing months of 1898, made regular t rips from States Governmen t, but these have been r eplaced
Liverpool than is New York. . L arge sw1f~ ~IJ?-ers are H ong Kong acros~ the P acific, by way of the by other boats, and it is probable that t he tonna~e
engaged in the trade . In t erminal ~ort. fac1hties.New J apa.nese por ts in 1899. The dividend of t he com- of goods carried over this route was greater In
y ork cannot be m en t ioned along w1t h It. In direct- pany for t he first half of t he year was 10 per cen t. 1899 than ever before, and for some time the cargo
offer ed was in excess of the carrying capacity of
n ess and cheapn ess of tran~fer, .and. in t he p:o~isio.n per annu m.
The Osaka Shosen I{ aisha is expanding i ts busi- the vessels engaged in the t rade. This expa.n~ion
for getting goods from the InteriOr , Its supenor1ty IS
incalculably g reat. Montreal is. n ot co?-t.ent wit h n ess, and is reported t o have under contemplation will undoubtedly con t inue, and with the establis~
what it has already don e. Wit h a mmtmum of the raising of furt her capital, and t he addition of ment of settled rule in the Philippines, there 1s
14 ft . of water to t he gr eat L akes and 27 ft . t o a n urn her of st eamers to its presen t fleet . From ample prospect for the employmen t of much a.ddi
September 15, 1899, t he company established a tion al t onnage.
Ouebec
t
he
por
t
is
better
equipped
t
han
ever
~:~
,
G
.
Russia was not idle in 1899 in the mat ter of the
b efore for ocean business.
overnmen t Improve- three - weekly service between ICobe and N ewments ar e under way in t he harbour and in the chwang. Its expansion programme includes t he extens ion of h er shipping, and a great increase took
chan n el. They will result i n t he expenditure of developmen t of its ser vices to China, and t he place in the nun1ber of her ships visiting Japan,
'

}UNE

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

15, 1900.]

Russian vessels passing through Nagasaki, en

r<rute to Port Arthur or Vladivostock, disclosed a.
remarkable increase. The acquisition of Talien wan
has had a great effect upon the development of
Russian shipping. The Messageries Maritime have
now four fine vessels on their Japan line, a new
twin-screw vessel having paid its first visit to Japan
in the summer of 1899.
The following Table gives a comparative return
of all shipping entered at the open ports of Japan
during the years 1899-8 :
1899.

Nationali ty.

British

JQ.pant'Se

French ..

German ..

Ru~tsian ..
..
United St.ates ..
Other countries
Total

Number
of
VeSBels.

Number
Tons.
3,321,246
3,079,215
282,792
560,624
290,778

1467
2724
129
81 3
I 99
1 6
876

5883

1898.

ot

Tons.

VeSBels.
4,035,743
2,10l,Sll

366,328

1916
1697
136
426
llli
127
1383

8,296,530

6799

8,033,244

394 ,5 ~ 8

287,888
696,497
181,409
276,981
463,415

From that Table it will be seen that the total

number of vessels entered at Japanese ports, coastwise and from foreign countries, last year, was
5883, with a total tonnage of 8,295,531 tons, an
increase compared with 1898 of 184 vessels, with a
tonnage of 262,286 tons. The British share in the
shipping trade was 40 per cent. of the total, but
shows a large falling off as compared with 1898.
German shipping, while it increased towards the
end of t he year, displays a decrease on the whole,
while that of France remains more or less stationary.
Japanese shipping has grown by more than onethird; t hat of Russia shows a substantial augmentation; and United States shipping was almost as
large for the first half of 1899 as for the whole of
the preceding year.
Last year a new Law of Shippinsz and a Law of
Seamen was passed by the Japanese Diet, and they
came into force on June 16. The hitherto existing
enactments 'with regard to shipping and the control of seamen were far from satisfactory, and it was
deemed advisable, as the Government delegate explained on introducing the Bills to the House of
Representatives, in view of the operation of the
revised treaties and the amended commercial code,
to make proper provision for the registry and
survey of ships. That the rights and duties of
masters and members of ships' crews should be
determined was imperative, having regard to the
growth of Japanese shipping. The lack of suitable
rules for dealing with sailors had been greatly felt
for a long time, and some people attributed to their
non-existence the absence of subordination on
board the merchant vessels of Japan. There is
still much room for improvement as regards discipline, more noticeably on vessels which have European officers. Obedience to foreign officers does
not appear to come within t he scope of a Japanese
sailor's idea of his duty. This fact is worthy of the
attention of officers of the British mercantile marine
who may contemplate entering the service of
Japanese steamship companies.

THE LATE JOHN VIRET GOOCH.

IN the death of John Viret Gooch on the 8th
inst. at his residence, Cooper's Hill, Bracknell,
Berks, there has passed away one of the last two
or three remaining pioneers in railway locomotive
engineering. Mr. Gooch had reached the ripe old age
of eighty-eight years, and had retired from active
business many years ago-quite forty years sinceso that to all but a few of the present generation
of engineers he was unknown, except for the
excellent work he did and the influence he exerted
in the evolution of t he locomotive of to-day.
In this connection, indeed, he deserves to be
remembered with Trevethick, the Stephensons,
his brother, Sir Daniel Gooch, Brunei, Locke,
Sinclair, Ra.msbottom, Allan, and others who
need not be named. It was under Locke, when
at his years of greatest energy and initiative, t hat
Gooch served his pupilage, and during part of the
time, away back in the thirties, he was engaged in
the construction of the Grand Junction Rail way,
for which Locke was engineer.
In view of Mr. Gooch's practice in later years, it
is worth recalling that it was while he was with
Locke that the great engineer reintroduced into

favour the outside cylinder arrangement. The

Grand Junction Railway was opened in 1837, and
the first locomotives had inside cylinders ; but
when it became necessary to refit the engines, t~e
cylinders were placed outside, so t hat by 1851 this
type became the standard locomotive of t~e liu~ .
Gooch was occupied on this wor~, and cont~n~ed It
during the three years he occupied th~ postti.on of
resident engineer on the Grand JunctiOn Ratlway.
Early in the forties he becR.me resident engineer on
the London and South-Western R ail way, and for
ten years had entire charge ~f .the locomot.ive d~p~rt
ment . He resigned this pos1t10n to serve In a s1milar
capacity for the Easte~n. Counties-now th.e Great
Eastern- Railway, rettrmg, as we have satd, over
forty years ago.
.
.
It is scarcely necessary to recall that durmg his
later years on the South-Western Railway, and
the earlier years of his services on. the E~st~rn
Counties Rail way, controversy was act1 ve as to Inside
and outside cylinders, and as to the relati~e a~van
tages of great deadweight, as c01~pared w1th hght,
locomotives. Most of the heavy rail way haulage was
done then by engines having inside cylinders, and 30
tons was by no means an uncommon weight- we refer
to the year 1849 particularly ; but Gooch held the
view that engines with large driving wheels, on
which the weight was equally distributed and was
comparatively light, gave results as good, both as
regards economy and speed, as could be realis~d
with the heavier locomotives then more largely 10
voaue. With this arrangement he combined the
outside cylinders, inclined to clear the leading
wheels, which were thus placed behind the cylinders, the drivers being before, and the trailers
behind, the firebox. The original South-Western
locomotives made in 18S8 had inside cylinders, the
first outside cylinders being applied by Gooch in
1843, and this engine had 6 ft. 6 in. driving wheels
- the first engine with drivers over 6 ft. (except
Dr. Church's 6 ft. 2! in.), to be run on a railway of 4 ft. 8! in. gauge. Within a few years,
too, he increased the size of his express-engine
driving wheels to 7ft. Their success was marked,
for they "struck a mean" between the very light
locomotives which William Bridges Adams built
for some of our lines about this time, and
the much heavier types. The former, in fact,
known as the "Express," never came within the
range of practical ap plication, whereas Gooch's design, especially as embodied in the ''Snake" class,
and subsequently developed in the tank engines
built by him when on the Eastern Counties Railway, for working the Tilbury traffic, had a permananent influence on later locomotive practice. In
fact, the '' Lady of the Lake " class, and some of
the beet known of the earlier express types on the
Caledonian Railway, decidedly had their origin in
Gooch's designs.
Gooch's "Snake" class was, in fact, a famous
type in the earlier days of our locomotive practice.
The original engine built by Gooch when on the
London and South-Western Railway was a sixwheeled engine with driving wheels 6 ft . 6~ in. in
diameter, and leading and trailing wheels 4 ft. 0~ in.
in diameter, the wheelbase being 12 ft. 8! in., and
the total weight in working order only 19 tons. It
is noticeable that of this weight only 6 tons rested on
the drivers, while the load on the leading wheels was
8 tons. In the tank engines subsequently built, and
to which reference has already been made, the
addition of rear tanks and the extension of the footplate, gave a better distribution of the load. The
''Snake" had cylinders 14! in. in diameter with
21 in. stroke, and the slide valves were fitted with
ba,;kplates arranged to admit steam through the
valves as well as past the ends as usual, the effect
of double ports being thus obtained. There we1e
also other special features about the " SnS\.ke ;"
the pumps were driven by eccentrics forged solid
on the driving axle, the firebox was fitted with a
mid-feather made of corrugated plates, and the boiler
was fitted with Gooch's combined pressure indicator
and safety valve, which was the predecessor of
the modern pressure gauge. This indicator consisted of a short brass cylinder of !square inch area.
fitted with a piston loaded by a helical spring. The
steam pressure acted on the underside of the piston
and forced it upwards, the pressure being shown by
a finger on the piston-rod moving against a graduated scale. On t he piston being raised above a
certain distance it uncovered a port through which
the steam could escape, the arrangement thus constituting a safety valve. The "Snake," we may add,
had 12.4 square feet of grate surface, 898! square

feet of h eating surface, and the boiler :pressure w~s

80 lb. During some trials of the engine ma?e m
September, 1848, on t he South-Weste:n RaD:way
with a train weighing 17! tons, t he engme atta1~ed
an average speed of 51! miles per hour, excluding
stoppages (or 41.4 miles ~er hour with stoppages
included), on a consumptiOn of 23.~ lb. ?f coke
per mile, the water evaporated be1ng g1 ven as
8. 9 lb. per pound of coke.
We have already referred to the tank locomotives
built by Gooch for the Tilbury .traffic. ~hese w~re
successively built in three different sizes, w1th
11-in., 12-in., and 14-in. cylinders respectively, the
boilers being also s uccessively ~nlarg~d. Of ~he
second-sized type, which had 12-m. cylinders with
22 in. stroke, and which-weighed in working ~rder
23f tons, of which 9 tons rested .on the drivers
(6 ft. 6 in. in diameter), some tnal~ were mad.e
in 1853 between London and N orw1ch, when It
was found that the water evaporated per pound
of coke was 8.5 lb., and the consumption of coke
per mile from 15.1 lb. to 15.5 lb. The train load
was 45.6 tons, and the mean speed-including eight
or nine stoppages on the 259 miles run~about ~7 to
37! miles. In two caseR, however, With a train of
68 tons, speeds of 46 and 43.3 miles an hour were
obtained, the steam pressure being 105lb. and 100 lb.
instead of 84 lb. These r esults, even in the light of
the 47 years' progress since made, are distinctly satisfactory ; although after all experience went to show
that, while there might be commercial advantage
in the diminution of relative weight, the light locomotive as an engine worked at a decided disadvantage, and that in proportion to the effective
horse-power exerted, the larger sizes, if they had
equally good design, structure, and management,
worked at a less cost for fuel, r epairs, and attendance than the light engines.
In Mr. Gooch we had another instance of commercial success prematurely robbing engineering
science of an able and experienced worker, for he
did little practical work during the past forty years,
enjoying country life in his Berkshire home. While
engaged in the work of rail way locomotion he applied
himself diligently to his business, and although he
became a member of the Institution of Civil Engineers in 1854 he only spoke on two occasions,
once on his favourite subject of light versus h eavy
engines, and again on the treatment of water to suit
it for locomotive use, giving results of the experimental use of many chemical solvents. By those
who knew him his memory will be cherished, and for
his services to locomotive engineering he will always
be respected.

N 0 T ES.
THE NAPHTHA. TANK VESSELS oN THE VoLGA.
THE tank vessels employed in carrying naphtha
in the Kasan district, from Rybinsk to the
mouth of the Volga, with all the tributary
rivers except -the Oka, were counted last winter,
and comprised 1594 wooden vessels and 82 iron
vessels, making a total of 1676. The life of the
wooden vessels is reckoned at seventeen to eighteen
years. In 1895 the age of them was ascertained,
and it was found that 25 per cent. were between
one and five years, 26.4 per cent. between five and
ten years, 26.7 per cent. between ten and fifteen
years, 18.3 per cent. between fifteen and twenty
years, and 3 per cent. over twenty years. The
maximum li~e .of the iron tank vessels is put at fifty
years, t he mmrmum at twenty years, although twelve
years are looked upon a<3 the probable life of very
shallow and thin vessels. There are not any
vessels which have seen fifty years' service the
oldest being built in 1863. In the year 1895 the
age of the iron vessels was as follows : From one
to fne years, 42 per cent. ; from five to ten years,
19 per cent. ; from ten to fifteen years, 23 per
cent.; from fifteen to nineteen years, 12 per cent.
BRITISH GovERNMENT CoMMERCIAL Ao-ENTs
ABROAD : AN EXPERIMENT.
We have had cause to refer, time and a.aain to
the small service rendered by our consula:' ser~ice
for the advancement of commerce, and particularly
to .the fact that the information obtained through
th1~ channel at g:eat cost was available by other
natwns as soon as 1t was utilisable by British firms
because it was published broadcast. The alterna:
tive was suggested of submitting all r eports first to
Ch~mbers of Commerce ; but the Government have
decided on another course, which will continue as
an experi~ent for two y~ars. Thus agents have
been appomted for Russia, Switzerland, United

790
States, and Central America, and these British commercial agents in each of these countries will be at
the ?all of any firm who desires information on any
subJect. They will inquire into the bona fides of
contracts or t he financial status of firms, report on
trade processes, and conduct just s uch investigation as a special agen t of a firm would prosecute.
Of ?ourse, c~ar~es ":ould be . made for such special
services, and It IS quite possible that there will b e
obj ections r aised to this innovation but we think
that information of S.\ commercial n~ture is usually
valued at what it costs, and that when a firm makes
a spe?ial inquiry and gets special information on
the hnes suggested, the fees will not be looked
upon as exorbitant. Thus for ordinary inquiries
5s. has to be pai~ ; for inquiries involving reports
as t o trades, a gumea ; and for extended inquiries
th~ ?harg~, to be determined by the ambassador o~
mm1ster, IS not to exc~ed five guineas. If journeys
are unde~taken, the railway charges are to be paid,
an~ a guinea a day for the agent's services, half-aguinea for every broken day, and a guinea per night
for subsistence. The amount of fees can be ascertained in advance by r eference to the Embassy or
~egati~n. The agents will also watch and report
In ordinary course on the commerce, industries
and products of special districts.
'
CONTINENTAL M ECHANI CAL INDUSTRY.
The exp erience of ~he famous Krupp, of E ssen,

affords a re1narkable illustration of the progress of

European mechanical industry during the last 85
years. The Napoleonic wars which devastated the
Continent for n early a quarter of a century were
brought to a close in 1815 ; and since then Western
Europe ha:s enjoyed al~ost unbroken peace, with
the exceptwn of the ternble episode of the FrancoGerman War of 1870-1. The result has been that
mechanical and metallurgical industry has made
~stonishin.g strides. Krupp, of E ssen, set to work
In 1832 w1th ~small foundry, employing nine men.
~n Jan~ary this year the pay r olls of the company,
Into wh10h l{rupp has long since blossomed, showed
t~at 41,750 persons were employed by it, of whom
2o,OOO were at work in Essen. The Krupp works
consumed in 1895 more than 1, 000,000 tons of coal
and coke, and the con sun1ption has gone on increasing year by year. The quantity of water and
gas consumed by the company is larger than
that of the whole city of Dresden, although
Dresden comprises 340,000 inhabitants.
The
Krupp works have 3000 tools and machines
driven by 458 steam engines, making up an aggregate force of 36,650 horse. power. N o less than
50 miles of railway are laid down in the Krupp
works, and upon this mileage 36 locomotives are
employed, while the average number of trucks upon
the line is 1300. The Krupp Company owes these
marvellous results not only to the security of a
prolonged peace, but also to the accumulation of
German capital and the increase of German population. German labour and German capital have
n ot only multiplied at home, but have overflowed
into all the leading countries of the world ; and
as German commercial and social relations have
b een extended, the greatKrupp business has gtown
also. The Krupp works have, at the same time,
been directed with remarkable intelligence. No
doubt the surrounding conditions haYe gradually
b ecome increasingly favourable, but Krupp and
his a!!sociates are entitled to the credit of having
turned these conditions to the utmost possible
account.
P ROPOSED NEW CENTRAL P ASSENGER R AILWAY
STATION, COPENHAGEN.

At the competition for plans for the new Copenhagen Cen tral Passenger Railway station, 21 prop osals and plans were sent in from engineers in
Denmark , Sweden, Norway, and Germany. No
first prize was awarded, but a second prize with an
ex tr~ sum added, was awarded to the plan of the
city engineer, Mr. Ambt, of Copenhagen ; an
addition~! second prize and several third, fourth,
and fifth prizes were also given. Mr. Ambt points
out the unusually large development of Copenhagen since the building of the first rail ways in
D enmark. He proposes to remove the central station
from its present site to one south of the important
V esterbro thoroughfare, and to connect the present east station with the new station by a rail way
along the boulevards. The necessary area for this
arrangement has, fortunately, been kept available.
The Boulevard Railway can either be built as an
open low level line, or, if preferred, as a compl e~e underground r ail way.
.An in'"ermediate

E N G I N E E R I N G.
station in this boulevard line might be constructed
for the local traffic. Another local station is recommended nor th of the east station, and separate
local lines between Hellerup and IClompenborg .
T owards the south, connection with the south line
and the west line is effected at Hordoore, from
whence direct communication with ICoge by a new
railway might with advantage b e brough t about.
The main building of the central station is to face
the Ti voli ; the structure over the rails is to
be so mew hat light, with a large central hall.
The n orth side is to have ample accommodation
for booking, luggage, superintendent's offices,
baths, lavatories, &c. The waiting r ooms are
to be on the south side, and between the
two, staircases lead to the platforms. The two
upper storeys are intended for offices. The
expenditure is calculated at 21,700,000 kr., or
about 1,200,000l., of which about 500,000l. r efer
upon the cent ral station. The total area required
amounts to about 1,600,000 square feet, of which
the greater portion belongs to the Copenhagen
Corporation, some to t he State, and about onethird to private individuals. The removal of the
main station from its present site, of one or two
other stations, and the abandonment of some
existing railway lines, will, however, make available for building or other purposes about 2,000,000
square feet.
THE PROTECTIVE VALUES OF OIL AND ENlliEL
p .A.INTS.

An interesting contribution to our knowledge as

to the efficiency of various protective coatings
for steel or iron work is to be found in a. paper
con tributed to the Proceedings of the Engineers'
Club, Philadelphia, by Professor A. H . Sabin.
The experiments were more especially directed to
a comparison of the relative values of ordinary
oil pain ts, and of the so-called varnish or enamel
paints, and the r esults showed conclusively the
marked superiority of the latter. About 300 plates of
sheet steel were carefully cleaned free from all
rust and scale, and were then covered with three
coats of the paints or enamels to be tested.
One-third of these plates were sunk for two
years in a fresh - water lak e near Boston,
another third were suspended from a float in
sea water at New York Navy Yard for a similar
time, and the remainder in sea water at Norfolk
Navy Yard, Virginia. As stated, the enamel paints
proved much better t han their competitors, and
this superiority was particularly marked in the case
of enamels which had been subjected to the baking
process. Some of them were absolutely unaffected
by their long immersion. The character of the
pigment mixed with the paint appeared to influence
the r esult but little, the one exception being
th e red lead which proved much the best of the oil
paints. The distinction between an oil and a varnish
or enamel paint is explained by Professor Sabin as
follows : An oil paint is made with raw linseed oil,
to which is generally added a. drier . The linseed
oil is extracted by pressure, and pur ified by standing in a cask for two to three months. A paint made
with this "raw " oil will dry in a. bout five days,
but as this is too long for convenience, a drier is
generally added, though the resultant film suffers
t hereby. The best drier is " boiled oil, " which
is made by heating linseed oil in a k ettle, and
adding 4 lb. of le:td oxide and a. little manganese dioxide to every gallon of this oil. Lead
linolate is thus produced, and is thinned whilst
still hot by adding raw linseed oil. The boiled oil
thus produced is stated to be rather better than the
product obtained by older methods of manufact ure. The paint is made by stirring in the pigment, which should be as finely ground as possible,
and for the best paints, the resultant mixt ure is
passed through burrston e mills before packing. In
enamel paints the vehicle is a varnish produced from
lisseed oil and various r esins. The plan followed
is to place about 1UO lb. of r esin in a. large
flat- bottom k ettle, which is then run over
a very hot coke fir e. In about half.an hour
the resin is melted, about a quarter its weight
having been lost in the process. R efined linseed
oil, h eated in a separate kettle, is now run in, and
the whole mixed with constant stirring. 'l'he
amo unt of oil thus added varies with the character
of the varnish n eeded. The less oil, th e higher the
gloss of the r esultant varnish, but the more brittle
it will be. F or indoor work as little as 9.6 imperial
gallons are added p er 100 lb. of r esin, whilst
for CR.triage varnishes from 20 to 28 imperial gallons

[JUNE I 5, I 900.
of oil are used. After the oil is added the kettle
is replaced on the fire and maintained at a temperature of from 400 deg. to 500 deg. F ahr. for
several hours. Sam pies ar e tested from time to
time till the desired result is attained when the
kettle is r emoved, and the varnish thi~ned down
with turpentine, or for cheap work with benzine
so that when cool it will be thin enough to work
with the brush. Spirit varnishes, such as shellac are
of an entirely different nature. One of the piates
tested at B oston was protected with shellac varnish,
and ~hough the shel!ac was bleached by the immersiOn, the protectiOn proved efficient. In sea
water, however, shellac varnish will not last a
week. The enamel paints are made by addina
pigments to the oil varnishes j ust described. Thi~
addition consi~erably. incr~ases their durability,
t~ough the pla1n varnish, w1thout any admixture of
ptgment, appears to form a better protective coverincr
than any oil paint . Professor Sabin has also called
att~nti~n to the excessive t~inness of the coating
wh10h lS expected to protect rron from corrosion for
prolonged periods. Films measured by him produced by two good coats of paint proved to rancre
in thickness from ~to- in. to ~tlJ in.
e

LITERATURE.
T he Naval A nnual, 1900. Edited by J oHN
Portsmouth: J. Griffin a.nd Co.

LEYLAND.

The H Naval Annual" appears this year under the

direction of another editor. Mr. T. A. Brasseyor, as we should say, Captain Brassey- having been
appointed to raise and take command of the Sussex
Company of Imperial Yeomanry for active service
in South Africa., it became necessary some one else
should undertake the editorial duties he has carried
out during the last ten years. The '' Annual "
could hardly do otherwise than suffer by the
absence of its guiding spirit ; but we may say at
once that Mr. J ohn Leyland, who has undertaken
the work, is to be congratulated upon having
brought out the volume in s uch good form. There
are the usual features to which we nave become
accustomed; the four parts dealing with the differ ent branches of those things which appertain to
the Navy. P art I. is contributed by Commander
C. N . Robinson, Commander R. H. S. Bacon,
R .N., and Messrs. J . R. Thursfield, G. R.
Dunell, and David Hannay, a.n anonymous contributor, and the Editor. Part II. consists
of the useful lists of ships, and is contri
buted by Commander C. N. Robinson and the
Editor; whilst Mr. F. K. Barnes has again taken
up the supervision of t he plates in the absence of
Mr. Barnaby, who is making a voyage round the
world. P art III. is, it need hardly be said, under
the charge of Captain Orde Brown; and Part IV.
consists of the usual republication of various official
documents and other papers.
I t is unnecessary for us to repeat what we have
said so often about the value of this publication.
H ow much of the popularity, and the consequent
increased efficiency of the Navy, is due to the
14 volumes of t he "Annual " that have already
appeared, it is impossible to decide ; but it must
be remembered that, not only is the publication
influential through the medium of its wide circle of
readers, but it is furthermor e of value in giving to
writers in the Press, and others, a ready source of
information which enables them to write with
assurance and an appearance of technical knowledge that is often quite impressive. That the
information is generally trustworthy is creditable
to the editor and his contributors. If it is not in
variably accurate in all the multitudinous details
involved, that is no mor e than is inevitable in a.
work that deals with a vast public subject, without
official help from the Government department
which alone iti the corn plete r epository of the
r ecords of the Navy. It is in the nature of things
that one does not discover omissions or misstatements in a work of this n~ture-we are r eferring
more especially to the tabulated matter-so much
in the course of r eading it for r eview as in the course
of reference. The principal lapses we have noticed
in th e past have been the inclusion of vessels in the
Tables that have ceased to exist, or have been permanently taken out of service.
We have one other criticism to make. The
"Naval Annual " not only gives a record of the facts
of the year, but aspires to lead p ublic opinion. For
this purpose the editor summonses to his aid contribtltors wh<:> are competent authorities on the sul)-

JUNE I

5, I 900.]

E N G I N E E RI N G.

79I

jects with which they deal. It could be wished discussing and criticising at some length the pro- some length, and then d evotes several pages t o the
that those gentlemen would b e a little b older and ceedings of the Admi rl\ls . As will be remembered, question of auxiliaries, in the course of which he
more outspoken in their criticis ms . It may be fog was the prominent feature, but, under the quotes the views of Admiral Melville unfavourable
that everything is for the best in the best of all pos- experienced guidance of t he author, those inclined to electric distribution for this purpose. H e con
sible R oyal Navies, but unt il we are assured of the to follow such exercises will see that there was a eludes with a brief reference to the Parsons' steam
fact it is a hazardous position to take up. Admira- good deal to be learned from last summer's turbine, giving two illustrations of the Viper and
tion for the pe1so1vnel of the Navy, and for the manreuvres, in spite of t he barren r esults that her machinery taken from our pages.
profession al staff at ~he Admiralty, as well a.s at the seemed to follow at first glance. H e poin ts out
The remaining two chapters in the first part of
Royal Dockyards, 1s so often expressed 1n these that though Admiral Ra wson, as events proved, the volume are devoted to ' 'The R ecent Discussion
columns that we are sure our m otives will not be made a fatal choice in searching again t he area of Naval Training," the author being anonymous ;
misunderstood when we say that a little stiffening which had been imperfectly searched in the fog, and on "Naval Brigades," by Mr. David Hannay.
of the critical faculty would be a good thing in the yet " with t he data before him it was not perhaps
"Naval Annual. "
an injudicious choice- not such a choice as VilBOOKS RECEIVED.
We have recently had so serious a proof of the leneuve made when having t he opportunity of Publications of the British Fire Prevention Oommtittee.
Edited by .Eow1N 0. SAOHS. Vols. II. and Ill.
enervating effect of optimism applied to t h e sister crushing Cornwallia off Brest, and joining hands
London
:
Offices
of
the
Committee.
[Price
20s.
per
service, t hat, if we are wise, we shall carefully and, with Ganteaume, he turned away and took
vol.]
perha ps painfully, consider whether the Navy is refuge at Cadiz.
It was rather such a choice N 11neteenth A nnual Report of the United States Geological
quite that faultless wa~e-ruling instrument it is as Nelson made when he judged wrongly the
S'Wrvey to the Secretary of the I nterim, 1897-8. 0HARI,RS
D. W ALOOTT, Director. In Six Parts. Part III.
described by First L ords, music hall patriots, and Villeneuve had gone to Egypt, and decided to
Economi c Geology. Washington: Government Printpicturesq ue leader writers.
go thither in pursuit. " For our own part we do
ing
Office.
not
q
uite
follow
the
parallel
;
but
if
our
Admirals
in
The book commences wit h a record of the '' ProNineteenth An-nual Report of the United S tcttes Geological
gress of t he British N a.vy, " by Commander Robin- war time will only err in company with Nelson they
Swrvey to the S ecretary of the Interior, 1897-8. CHARLES
son, who tells us that " the British standard of need have little fear of the enemy, whilst, so long as
D. W ALCOTT, Director. In Six Partfi. Part V.
Foret~t R eserves. HENRY GAN.NETT, Chief of Division.
strength by sea is relative to something which newspapers send r epresentatives t o the manreuvres
Washington : Government Printing Office.
depends on the action, act ual or proposed, of at once so courtly and so well informed as Mr.
A nnttal Report of the Uni ted States Geological
others ;" and t hat "regarding the naval horizon Thursfield, they need have little fear of that oft- T wentieth
S'Wrvey to the Secretary of the I nterior, 1898-9. CHARLES
from this st andpoint, it has to be confessed t hat times dreaded foe of peace-time, the newspaper
D. W ALOOTT, Director. In ~even Parts. Part I.
the prospect is n ot altogether so clear as could be correspondent.
D i reoto1s' R epo1t, w luding Triangulation cvn.d Spvrit
L eveUing. Washington: Government Printing Office.
The following chapter is on " Marine Engineerwished " -in other words, "Look out for squalls!"
Tho chapter on "The Progress of Foreign Navies, " ing," and is, a.s usual, con tributed by Mr. G. R. The Techlnic of Meoha;nical D rafting. A p ractical gui de
to neat, correct, C1111d legible DrfiiWitng. By CHARLES W .
which used to be written by t he late Mr. Weyl, Dunell. The writer opens with the-just nowREINHARDT. New York: The E ngilneering N ews Pubhas b een undertak en by Mr. Leyland, who gives a inevitable reference to "the outbreak of hostilities
lishing Company.
painstaking r ecord of what has been chronicled of with the Boer Republics," the "resourcefulness Eleot1ic Wiring. By CEoiL P . PooLE. New York : The
Power Publishing Company.
the transact ions abroad. The next chapter on of the sea service," and the - at all times-appro" Comparative Strength " is also from the present priate remark about the " dependence of the Magnetic I 'Yiduotion in Iron cvnd, other Metals. By J. A.
EwrNG
,
1'I.A.,
F.R.S.,
M.
Inst.
C.E.
Third
Edition,
country
for
existence
in
a
Navy
in
which
there
is
Editor's pen.
revised. London: The E leotrioia;n Printing and PubThe special feature in this year's ''Annual" is !1. much engineering." Considering that modern warlishing Company, Limited. [Price lOa. 6d.]
chapter on "The Tactics of Fast Craft, " by Com- ships are nothing b ut "boxes of machinery " from Enolish a;nd A mer icC1/11. Lathes. By J OSEPH G. HORNER,
A.M.I. Mech. E . London and New York: Whitta.ker
mander R. H. S. Bacon, R . N. It will be re- stem to stern, tho writer mig~t better have said,
and Co.
m embered t hat the author, as a lieutenant, dis- "a Navy which is all engineering; " for hulls,
Fluor et ses CO'lnposes. Par M. HENRI MorssAN.
tinguished himself in the manoouvres of a few guns, and torpedoes are just as much engineering LeParis
: G. Steinheil.
years ago in torpedo-boat attack. His chapter as t he engines and boilers themselves. F loating Adm inist1ation R eport of the Irrigation Bra'YI.ck of the
ho wever, is by no means confined t o the handling machine-shops . H.M.M.S. From the higher
Public W orks D epart1nent in the Madras P residency,
for the Y ea;r 1898-9.
Madras: Governmenb Press.
of the m osquito fleet ; for by the term tactics of plane of his opening paragraph the author plunges
[Price 10s.]
fast craft, he does not mean ' ' any particular vessels at once into the vort ex of the boiler p roblem. We D ynannometers
and the M eastliTement of P ower . By J oHN
do
not
q
uestion
his
facts,
for
they
are
taken
chiefly
from battleship t o t orpedo-boat, but mere1y t he
J. FLATHER, Ph.B., M.M.E. Second edition, revised
from
our
own
pages
;
neither
do
we
question
his
tactics that any ship or b oat not in the line of
and enlarged. New York: John Wiley and Sons.
London : Chapman and Hall, Limited. ' [Price 12s. Gd.l
battle may have to employ when her speed is conclusions, because, like the Brit ish Fleet on a
superior t o that of her opponent." There is a great memorable occasion, they do not appear t o be yet The T heo ry cvn.d Practice of Surveyi!ng . By J. B. J onNSON. Fifteenth Edition, revised and enlarged. New
virtue in t orpedo craft t hat is evident from this in sigh t. A leaning, however, is discernable
York : John Wiley and Sons. London : Ohapma.n
towards
small
t
u
be
boilers
rather
than
to
the
chapter. I t is the respect they engender in the
and
Hall, Limited. [Price 4 dola.]
Belleville
form.
The case of the Diadem's boilers R ailway SignalUmg. By H . RAYNAR WILSON. London:
breasts of executive officers for the engineering deOffices of the Railway E ngilneer. [Price 18s. net.]
part men t . The first of the author:s "two maxi~s '' he says is '' not encouraging," -a felicitous nonis, '' that every care of the machmery and bo1lers committal phrase ; and he appears particularly Thermo-Geogra~phical Studies : Gene1al E xpos-ition of the
A nalytical M ethod Applied to R esea;rc.hes on T empe-r ashould be studied, and sp eed never unnecessarily unhappy on account of the check valves that are
ture and (Jlima te. By C. L. MADSEN. Copenhagen :
peculiar
to
that
type
of
steam
generator,
in
which
forced, and t he engine-r oom given every possible
G. E. C. Gad; London: Williams and Norg~te.
''
the
passage
for
wat
er
and
steam,
i
.e.,
the
element
notice of large changes of sp eed. " No one can get
A M an ual of Naval .JJ.rohitectwre. By Sir W. H. WHITE,
K .C.B., Sc.D., LL.D. Fifth Edition. London: John
far away from the machinery department in a or generating tubes, is long and tortuous, so that
Murray. [Price 24s.]
torpedo craft. The other '' maxim " is not plea- the natural circulation once checked is very difficult
The E lements of A lte?"YY..atilng Currer~ts. By W . S.
sant to contemplate. It is that "the warfare of a to start again. "
FRANKLIN and R. B. WILLIAMSON. New York:
In
r
egard
to
the
policy
of
adopting
the
Belleclass whose d efence may vanish as rapidly as t he
The
Maomillan
Company
;
London
:
Macmillan
and
explosion of a magazine, is one of great danger, villa boiler for ships of the Navy, we are at
Co., Limited. [Price 7s. 6d. net.]
and that whenever these vessels are used, the Ad- one wit h t he writer in t h e '' Annual " that some The Atlalntio F erry: Its S hips, M en , cvnd, Workitng. :By
AHTHUR J. MAGENIS, M. Inst. C.E. Third Edition,
miral should be prepared for their loss." Literally change was necessary from the ordinary shell boiler
revised and enlarged. London: Whittaker and Co.
that of cours e, is a truis m of any species of war- of the design fitted in Her Majesty's ships, and
[Price 7P.. 6d.]
the
Belleville
boiler
was
t
he
only
water-tube
boiler
fare ,' but the author means a little more than this .
of which there existed experience for largo oceanLater on he says :
going ships. The chief feature t hat remained to be
GoLD.-The Transvaal War has, of course, os.used a
"As surely a.s one batt!eship. would be sacri~ced in settled was that of durability, and this could only great contraction in our gold imports. The receipts of
single duel with another (m whtch, whatever mt~ht be be proved by a sufficiently lengthened period of gold from South Africa in May were only 2000l.. as comthe outcome in the bitter end, both must tempora.r1ly forpared with 1,747,406l. in May, 1899, and 1,762,449l. in
practical
experience.
.~t
is
q
uite
possibl~
~hat
.a
feit their services to the Navy for some considerable ~ime),
May, 1898. The aggregate imports of gold from all
as surely as such duels are to the advantage of one s1de. or certain lack of durab1hty would be permissible 1f quarters in May were 2,165,009t , as compared with
to the other, so surely it may be of ~dvantage to nsk other advantages were manifest, as was undoubtedly 2,538,556l. in May, 1899, and "8,241,182l. in May, 1898.
ships, nob mere boats, of a less-requtred class even ~o the case; but that view would only be sound up In the five months ending Ma;v 31 this year gold was imannihilation to deal a. blow and restore the balance m to a. certain point. Supposing t he pitting of tubes ported into the United Kmgdom to the extent of
vessels of a more-needed type . . . . Vessels will have to to be due, as is maintained by some, to the ineffi- 10,8201993l., as compared with 11,926,407l. in the correbe deliberately sacrificed and lost for objects worthy to
spondmg period of 1899, and 22,572,817l. in the correbe attained and the man who orders a. vessel on a cient circulation in the Helleville boiler, and per- sponding period of 1898. British South Africa figured in
course from ~hich there is most probably no retu~n, must haps other types with large tubes, then the time these totals for 81,346t., 7,639, 780l., and 6,984, 746l. redo so with no hesitating half-saving orders, wh1ch mosb for a trial of the further extension of the small-tube spectively. The imports of gold from British India in
probably ruin the whole plan."
boiler to larger ships has undoubtedly. arrived. the first five months of this year were 225,194l., a.s
compared with 628,814l. and 652,762l., while the
Failinatheir
success
we
see
no
alternat1ve
but
a
The author has done well in bringing forward
rece1pts from Australasia were 2,022,263l., as compared
this " new p ossibilit.y " in naval .warfare. Wi~h recour~e to mercantile practice of larger -diameter with 1, 820, 240l. and 2, 934, 192l. The imports of ~old from
the results of the Belleisle experiments fresh 1n tubes with more water space between them than in Germany to May 31 this year were 2,171,660l., as compared with 154, 559l. and 3, 206, 176l. ; from France,
our minds it brings h ome very vividly the accumu- the Navy b oilers t hat failed. That would mean 1,602,
201l., a.s eom pared with 553,281l. and 3, 037, 182l. ;
additional
weight
for
a
given
area
of
heat
ing
surlat ed hor:ors of m odern naval warfare, in which
and from the U nited States, 2,577,278l., as compared
but
the
whole
virtue
of
shell
boiler
design
face
large bodies of men will be ordered t o almost cerwith
5965l.
and
30,206l.
The
exports
of
gold
from
the
tain dest ruction for the good of the cause. ~ o doe~ not consist of crowding in heating surface, United Kingdom in May were 786,886l . as compared
prospect so terrible has existed in the whole. hls- oblivious t o the fact whether such surface is, or is with 1,288,852l. in May, 1899, and 1,598,971l. in May,
The aggregate exports in the five months ending
tory of warfare ; still, we may. be sure. that. officers not, effective in safely generating good, fairly dry, 1898.
May 31 this year were 5,302,127l., as compared with
steam
for
engines
to
use.
We
are
yet
on
the
and crews, having made the1r b.a rgam ~1th th.e
9, 746,229l. in the corresponding period of 1899, and
threshold
of
the
Navy
boiler
problem
;
but
it
is
country, will not avoid th~ recko~mg,_ t errible as 1.t
14,398,605l. in the corresponding period of 1898. It will
to
remember
~hat
prac_
tically
no
sh~ll
well
al
ways
be seen tbat the exports have also considerably declined
may be if ever the day arr1ve, wh1ch, 1n all fervoUl,
boilers are being placed 1n warsh1ps of the b1g this year ; this is explained by a greatly diminished
b
"d
I
"
,
we say "God for 1 .
movement of gold from this country to Germany and the
Mr. J . R . Thursfield renews hi~ c.omme~ts. on navies of the world .
United tates,
Dunell
discusses
the
Bullfinch
disaster
at
Mr.
the .Nf\v&l Ma.n ~uvres after a. years 1r.tterm1ss10n,

792

E N G I N E E R I N G.
RAILWAY ACCIDENT.

COLJ.ISION AT WORTLEY J UNCTION.

. THE slight collision which occurred at W ortley JunctlOn, near Leeds, on March 29 last, is of interest mainly
as sho~i~g . how excellent signall~ng arrangements and
good d1sc1phne of the staff may fa1l to prevent accident
owing to the temporary failure of the human element.
In one of his Breakfast Table series, Oliver W endell
Holmes r~fers to a calculating machine as too stupid to
ma~e a m1stake, and so long as it remains impossible to
entuely supersede the reasoning element in routine railway work, so long will accidents oncurt even with the best
plant and the most careful staff. In tne present instance
the driver saw a signal lowered which he admitted he knew
belonged to the down outside line, whilst his train was
standing on the down inside line. For the moment he
forgot the latter circumstance, and accepting the signal a.s
intended for h.imself! went forward. He bad not gone far
wh~n he reahse.d h1s e~ror, .but was unable to stop his
tram before fouhng the JunctlOn of the two lines a short
di~tance further on,. and t~is brought about a collision
w1tb a passenger tram commg up on the down outside
line. The damage done was fortunately almost confined
to the rolling stook.

THE P.ATENTS EXAMINATION QUESTION.

To THE EDITOR OF ENGINEERING.
SIR,-The conclusion from your article of the 8th inst.
appears to be that the Patent Office should examine, but
should not make public report. With some experienoe
of patents at home and abroad, I venture to agree with
the first part of this conclusion, but not with the second.
G ranted that an adverse report would diminish the
value of a patent, and that examiners blunder; but, if
reasons for the report are given in detail, blunders and
all, the report would not diminish the value of the patent
much more than it deserved, whether the report were wise
or foolish, and, per cont1a, the official report of even a
moderately thorough search would be of very great commercial value to the patentee in seeking licensees.
You speak of capitalists being averse to interesting
themselves in a patent of which even a remote implication of official doubt existed. But does not every sensible capitalist assume complete official doubt now? In
fact, he has to satisfy himself without any help whatever
from officials. A report, with reasons given, would be
helpful both to the capitalist and to the patentee. Either
the licensee has to incur the great expense of a search,
and that expense often prevents him even entertaining
an offer of license, or the patentee {even though he has
thoroughly satisfied himself by his own research and
knowledge) has to obtain a search and report from a
patent agent at great expense ; and in the latter case the
report is liable to be doubted or regarded as biassed in
f!lvour of the man who paid for it, and so may rE q nire to
be made over again.
An official report would, at least, be free from these
objections ; and I very much doubt if there is any reason
why an official report should not be quite as free from
error as that made by a patent agent. Of course, it will
be said the Pt1tent Office cannot go to unlimited expense;
but the facilities for examination in the U nited States
Patent Office are so much greater than those possessed
by any private agent, that a moderate expense in the one
case is equivalent to a large expense in the other. As to
relative intelligence, why should it not be conducted by
the very same class of men ? The defect of the United
States examiners is ignorance, and is probably due to the
manner of their appointment. vVhy need we imitate
this ? If official examination is instituted, it must presumably diminish (temporarily) the private search work,
but the gentlemen now employed in that work, if competent for it, are the very men which the new department
of the Patent Office should secure to start the department,
so there is no rea.son why they need be at a loss for work
or the department at a loss for a certain number of competent examiners. If they are not competent, the public
is evidently benefited by their supercession.
As to the inj ury which may be done to a patentee by
an erroneous report, in cases which have come before me,
the objections made by the examiners were frequently so
obviously irrelevant that they would have very b ttle
weight with any one understanding the subject matter.
When this was not the case, or when a probable licensee
is also ignorant, the remedy is obvious. It is a far simpler
and less costly matter for the licensee to obtain a report
on the official report from a patent barrister, in whom he
has confidence, tban to obtain a search de novo. The
Patent Office might reasonably assist patent barristers in
such work by making accessible to them all the detail on
which the official report was founded.
It may be said that if the official report were made
only to the patentee all those objects would be equally
attained. But if it is known that a report ha,s been made
the patentee coul~ not .refuse to show it to a customer,
except at cost of 1ts bemg assum ed to be a bad report, so
that the oases in which non-publication would make any
difference, are solely the c~es in which a ~an .wishes to
conceal from a rival a possible weakness m h1s patent.
Is such a case one for protection by the machinery of the
Pt1tent Office? S urely it is rather the other way. The
rivals have some right to be informed.
In fact, the true principle to follow is ~he greatest possible ope'YIIness. F ollow out the soggest10n of the name
" Patent," conceal nothing. .
.
.
I t is certainly true that official exammers have h1tberto
been far too fallible to make it reasonable to allow them
to refuse a patent, or even to p enalise ajatentee as proposed by the National Assomat~on ; !1-~ . ~o grant them
such power implies a degree of mfalhb1hty greater than
we can expect at any tirne. :But we can, if we ohoose,

obtain men competent to make a report of great value

e_qnally to the .Public and to the patentee and to the
h_censees; and 1f we do not allow him to give himself
a1rs ~nd J?ronounce any opinion without giving full reasou
for 1_t, w1th chapter and verse exactly quoted, the utmost
poss1ble harm he can do at his worst is much less than
the good he will do in the ordinary course of his work.
Y ours faithfully,
H . D. PEARSALL, M. Inst. C.E.
21, Parliament-hill, Hampstead, London, N. W.,
June 11, 1900.

FORESHORE PROTECTION.
To THJjl EDITOR OF ENGINEERING.
SIR,-With reference to groyning, I do nob think the
advocates of special systems of groynes usually sufficiently
bear in mind the many factors which govern the form of
the foreshore, such as the force of the waves, the direction from which they come, the material and size of
such material of which the foreshore is composed,
the quantity of drift, range of the tide, position with
regard to shelter, prevalent winds, the effect of sea walls,
and many other things. Nature knows no re..qt and her
law is incessant change. If the foreshore is an elliptical
curve to-day, it will probably a couple of straight lines
or a segment of a circle, or a combination of the two, tomorrow. It is seldom two days alike. Where the
natural protection of the shore is shingle, as at Hastin~s,
groynes suitable for flab sandy foreshores, are qmte
useless. It is quite easy to raise th(:\ low-water sand or
grit, a. few feet by means of faggots placed in rows running in a suitable direction. But it is quite a different
matter to form a permanent shingle bank. This means
collecting a shingle bank some 20ft. in height, and the
groynes must be suited to a tidal range of some 24 ft.
Groynes, of the types built by Mr. R. F. Grantham,
at Lancing, by Mr. C. L . Morgan, near St. Leonards,
and groynes built on Beard's contour system, would be
useful ab Hastings. The last is a combination of a high
and low groyne with the object of doing away with scour
out on the lee-side, and it has been successful in protecting land, lying below the level of the sea, from encroachment, between Bexhill and Eastbourne. It seems to
allow the beach to accumulate on the lee-side of the
groyne, which iEI, no doubt, an essential point, in such
places, where there is no seawall or cliff, and the groyne
stands alone.
Fifty years ago there used to be a considerable number
of long low groynes near to P evensey; but, as they were
fottnd useless, they were cut down; and lately, at Eastbourne, they tried some low, long groynes, but they have
now returned to the old system. It is a mistake to r:mppose the water is getting deeper towards the Hastings
wall owing to erosion near the sea ends of existing groynes.
The difficulty is with the shingle, as the supply from the
westward is lessened by large landowners selling the
shingle from the foreshore. This ought to be stopped by
the proper authorities, as it is a great evil.
Yours faithfully,
TRA V.ELL.ER.

ELECTRICAL CONDENSERS.
To THE EDITOR OF ENGINEERING.
Srn,-While looking over the columns of your issue of
May 4, I became greatly interested in an account therein
contained (page 590) of the difficulties encountered-and
overcome-in connection with the designing and building
of electrical condensers now playing their part in the
production of the unique electrical effects displayed on the
fa~ade of the P alais de l'Electricite at the Paris Exposition. Having myself trod the same thorny path, the difficulties enumerated had quite a familiar ring, and recalled
to me numerous experiences with "busted " and "busting " condensers, gainE-d long anterior to the work of the
French gentlemen, and while engaged assisting in the development of condensers for use with the high.tension
apparatus of Professor Elibu Thomson exhibited at the
World's Fair, Chicago, in 1893.
Every kind of material that at all suggested itself as fit
for use waa given a trial, liquid, as well as solid dielectrics, and the resulting uniformity and promptitude with
which most of the materials investigated, when of reasonable thickness, "bust up" was monotonous and depressing.
The high-tension apparatus of Professor Thomson, it
will be remembered, threw dischar~es about 5 ft. long,
and when in action persistence of vtsion made a perfect
torrent of sparks appear to be in the air at once, The
quality of the sound emitted was high pitched, rattling
and ear.splitting, suggesting the cracking of innumerable
whips. It was an abominable noise. But through it all,
soonf:'r or later, was pretty certain to be heard the sharp
crack and sputter of an expiring condenser. Then the
electrical features subsided a bit and thin~s quieted down.
Condensers having plates of best quahty bard rubber
.25 in. thick, were broken down with great ea-se. Glass
plates .5 in. thick (made up of four plates each .125 in.
thick) were a t once exploded. Oils that appeared to
insulate very well when points, or plates of limited area,
were approximated beneath the surface, proved worthleSl:l
when used as dielectrics in a condenser having about .012
ruicrofarad capacity. Not until :plates of built-up mlca
were pre3Sed into service did hghb appear, and then
trouble vanished. The sheets finally used were 15 in.
Etquare S~nd .075 in. thick; two of these J.>lates formed the
di electrics between each pair of tinfmls. These sheets
were assembled, 84 in each wooden box, which in length
and width just contained them. Boxes were then filled
with high-grade paraffin oil, to a point 1 in. or so above
the top edges of the mica sheets. No trouble was ever
experienced in the ol>eration of condensers so constructed.
The str~ngth to w1thstf\nd very gr~at oleotricA.l atre~es

(JUNE I

5, I 900.

possessed by this material puts it in a class by itself-it

has no competi~or. It was the~efore to be expected that
the same ma~nal would be arr1 ved at and employed in
the oonstruot1on of the apparatus you describe. Truly
it may be said that our command of wica renders modern
electrical developments possible.
In the course of a lecture having for its subject "Elec~
tricity at High Pressures," delivered before the New
York Electrical Society about 15 months ago by Professor
Elihu Thomson, reference was made by the lecturer to
his condensers and high-tension transformers, dimensions
and some other data being given. A report of the lecture
was published by the society, copies of which can pro~
bably be obtained by addressing the secretary.
Regarding the operation of his apparatus, Professor
Thomson says, "these (the condensers) were charged by
a stepup transformer to 30,000 volts and discharged
aor0ss air gaps through the primary. An air blast was
kept blowing on the gaps."
The greatest distance at which it wa,s possible-on
account of the construction- to set the terminals was
64 in., which was crossed with ease. The current used in
the primary of the step-up transformer being of 125
cycles, there were at least 250 of the 64-in. discharges in
each second.
Very truly yours,
Lynn, Mass., June 5. 1900.
R. SHAND.
CATALOGUEs.-The Standard Pneumatic Tool Company,
of 141, Broadway, New Y ork, have issued a special
Paris Exhibition catalogue, conta.inin.s illustrations of
the various hammers, drills, and riveters manufactured
by the firm.
EMIGRATION FROM RussiA. -During 1899 an aggregate of 33,097 Russian subjects emigrated vi(), Hamburg
and Bremen, against 30,800 in 1898 and 18, 000 in 1897.
This emigration does not corn prise the Fiolanders, who
gene~ally emigrate direct from Finland by way of
Enghsh ports.
Between 6000 and 7000 emi~rated by
way of Odessa, and about 200,000 persons em1grated to
Siberia. Four-fifths of the people emigrating vid H amburg and Bremen went to the United States.
THE SIBERIAN RAILWAY.-The building of the Baikal
line will, it is confidently expected, be completed in
August, but the cost of this section of the great line
turns out far greater than at first calculated. The section
Irkutsk-Baikal averages 6700l. per mile. The bridge over
the River Irkutsk has also proved more expensive than
calculated, and the total expenditure on the Baikal
Railway will amount to at leaat 9,500,000l., which is an
excess above the calculated price of 1, 600, OOOi.
ROYAL I NSTITUTION.-A general monthly meeting of
the members of the Royal Institution was held on Monday
afternoon (the 11th inst.), Sir J ames Crichton-Browne,
treasurer and vice-president, in the chair. The following
were elected members: Mr. C. E. Baxter, Mr. C. Coward,
Mr. A. Dupre, M r. L. V. Harcourt, Mr. W. C. Prescott,
and Mrs. M. F. Thorne. The special thanks of the
members were returned to Mr. Harold Swithinbank for
his donation of 50l. to the fund for the Promotion of
Experimental Research at Low Temperatures. The
managers reported that at their meeting held that day
the following resolution was unanimously agreed to:
"The managera of the Roy-al Institution of Great Britain,
on the occasion of the retirement of Sir Frederick Bramwell from the office of honorary secretary, desire to place
on permanent record an expression of their high appreciation of the admirable way in which he has :performed
the duties of that office and of his signal serv1ces to the
Institution generally. Elected a member of the Royal
Institution in 1876, Sir Frederick Bramwell haa since then
delivered seven Friday evening discourses on subjects
cognate to that branch of applied science with the progress of which in this country, during the Victorian
era, his name must ever remain honourably a-ssociated.
Having joined the board of managers in 1879, he was
induced in 1885, notwithstanding professional engagements of the most onerous and responsible character,
to undertake the additional burden of the duties of
honorary secretary to the Institution. F or fifteen
years these duties have absorbed no inconsiderable proportion of his time, and have been discharged with
mcomparable energy, business ability, and courtesy.
Himself a generous patron of the Institution, and foremost to support every project for its ad vantage, he has
been able to suggest improvements in the administration
of its property whioh ha ve added to its material resources.
Mainly concerned in the arrangement of the courses of
lectures and Friday evening discourses, he has succeeded
with no small expenditure of labour in maintaining these
at a high level of educational value and in making them
attractive and popular and representati ve of every modern
advancement in the arts and sciences. While extending
the uaefulness of the Institution in every direction, and
introducing into it many new members, he ha-s by his
genial personality done much to promote smo0thness and
harmony of working in its several departmen ts. The
managers feel that the Royal Institution has been singularly fortunate in having so long enjoyed the services
of Sir Frederick Bramwell in the capacity of honorary
secretary, and they rejoice to know that although he is
no longer to fill that office, they are still to have the
benefit of his counsels at their Board. Sir Frederick
Bramwell's name is indelibly stamped upon the history of
the Royal Institution for the past quarter of the nine-.
teenth century. He will always be gratefully remembered by its members, but the managers wish to add to
personal remembrance this formal record of the cordi~
recognition of his merit!i."

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

J UNE I 5, I 900.]

793

BRAKE HORSE-POWER OIL ENGINE.

13

ENGINE COMPANY, LIMITED, ENGINEER~ , HALIFAX.

CON TRUCTED BY THE CAMPBELL GA

(F01 Description, see P age 794.)

..

..
..

'

.,

'..

'

'

'

' .

"

.
'

... '

'

_
..
. . --. .........
:

- .-.

-~

. . .
~

:filii

..

all-

."

..

... .

.'

..,...

.;

'\

..

..

...

'

.... ...

.... .

..

" . .,.,.
. ....... ,..._.,.,._
. ...
~

-:-_ ..
_. - . : .

~,(

!_,...} -

..

1.

FIG.

.Ft.'g.b.

21 .4 .1800.
M~

--

Fig .2.

...

...

........

Power Tr~ ( 8. 21 p.TT1/)

Scale-m
Cych8 p.TT1/. ?0 . '76.

,. . I

e h!-_ _....,
f S J81.8 )

Fig.?.
-

.-

1-1H

21 .4 . 1900 .
.FWLPower I.ri.aL ( 10.55 QATTV J
8cai.R, !kb

Cycle8 p.TnJ...

68.26 .

FitJ.4.

I 387 CJ

c
Fig .6.

L.

L ................
l

llz{;.O.

t r..

( &387 0)

O.'n

'\,'-

']1)

J.

21 .4. /900 .

L ighi/ Power .IriaL {6 .18pJJ;)

8 co.l.e :loo

\
CyU8 p.ITI/ o 6 5 f) f'ur both,

_,-;.

9.

... c.:t

=mu;

21. 4.1900.
Half Power TriaL ( 4.48 p.nl/)
Soole loo
Cycle8 p.rru.- ? 0 7 5.

(5387. 1

diafjraJ'n8 .

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

794
THE CAMPBELL OIL ENGINE.
THE illustration on the previous page shows an oil engine of 13 brake horse-power, constructed by the Campbell Gas Engine Company, Limited, of Halifax. A most
satisfactory test of this engine has recently been made
by Mr. Richard Sta.nfield, Professor of Engineering at
the Heriot-Watt College, Edinburgh. In this te3t, the
details of which are given below, the oil consumption
per brake horae-power per hour was at a maximum
power (17.8 brake horse-power), . 773 lb. ; at full
power (15.6 brake horse-power), .846 lb. ; at halfpower (8.6 brake horse-power), . 957 lb. ; at light
power, 1.111lb. per indicated horse-power per hour.
It will be seen that these are m ost satisfactory figures,
and demonstrate that the engine was both well made
and carefully designed. The oil used was of a specific
gravity of .824, and its calorific vdue may be taken at
18,630 heat units per pound. The thermal efficiency
of the engine at full load was therefore
42.63 X 60
.846 x 18, 620 = .1622 or 16.22 per cent.
The construction of the engine is shown in the
engravings. It will be seen that the engine has
only two valves- the inlet valve A (Fig. 2) and the
exhaust Vd.lve B (Fig. 3). Each valve is fitted in
a loos~ cone-shaped box ground into its seat. The
valve can, therefore, be easily removed for cleaning,
and as easily replaced. The valve A is held up by a
spring, and opens wh~n a vacuum is formed in the
cylinder. The valve B is worked through a lever
and side rod by an eccentric on the crankshaft.
When the speed exceeds the normal, a centrifugal
governor pushes down a stee} catch and prevents the
exhaust valve closing. When this valve is held open,
n o vacuum can form in the cylinder during the suction
stroke of the piston, and consequently no charge of oil
is drawn through the inlet valve A.
The oil is contained in the cistern above the cylinder. It flows by gravity through a pipe to a branch
C in a circular chamber surrounding the inlet valve A
on the top of the vaporiser. Small holes lead from the
circular chamber to the conical face of the inlet valve.
When the " alve is arawn do wn by the vacuum created
by the suction stroke of the piston, the oil can flow
past the valve into the vaporiser; at the same time air
is also drawn in, and spreads or sprays the oil against
the heated sides of the vaporiser. The vaporised
oil and the air go together into the cylinder and form
the combustible mixed, which is compressed and then
fired by the ignition tube. The vaporiser and ignition tube are kept hot by the ~ame lamp, which is fed
with oil by the pipe D.
Figs. 5 to 8 show sample diagrams taken during
the trial. The mean effective pressure given in the
report is taken from all the diagrams. The following
is a copy of Professor Stanfield's report:

[JUNE I 5, 1900.

Effective circumference of brake

16.029 ft.
Load on brake ...
...
...
156.5 lb.
Spring balance reading (average)
10.06 ,
Effective load on brake ...
...
146.44 ,
Brake horae-power
...
...
14.95
Explosions per minute, average
80.17
Effective mean pressure...
... 68.45 lb. per sq. in.
Indicated horse-power ...
...
17.68
Mechanical effiCiency ...
... 84 _50 per cent.
Oil consumption, total .. .
...
50.625lb.
Oil per brake horse-power per
hour
...
...
...
...
0.846 ,
Oil per indicated horse.power
per hour...
...
.. .
. ..
0. 715 ,
In connection with the above test, the consumption of
oil and brake horse-power was ascertained at intervals
during the run, the following particulars being obtained:

Time.

8.52!
9.52!
11. 22!
11.47
12.21

to
"
"
"
"

Oil Consumption per Brake

Horse-Power
per Hour.

Brake
Oil OonsumpHorse-Power. tion per Hour.

9.52!
11 22!
11.47
12.21
12.52!

15.10
16.00
15.08
16.01
14.6!l

lb.

lb.

13.175
12.770
12.500
12.340
11.810

0 873
0.847
0.830
0 823
0.807

The above results show a gradual diminution in th

consumption of oil per brake horse-power per hour as th:
trial proce:eded. At the beginning of this test too little
cooling water wa.s flowing through the cylinder jacket,
consequently the cylinder became overheated; this fact
no doubt accounts for the slightly heavier consumption
during that time.
Half Powe1 Trial:
Duration of trial ...
...
...
2 hours
L oad on brake .. .
. ..
. ..
87 lb.
Spring balance reading, mean ...
4,
Effective load on brake ...
...
83 ,.
Effective circumference of brake
16.020 ft.
Revolutions per minute, average
213.05
~~~~~sf~~e~~~~i~ute, ~ean :::
~:g~
Effective mean pressure
... 68.87 lb. per eq. in.
Indicated horse-power . . .
. ..
10.70
Mechanical effiCiency ...
. .. 80.20 per cent.
011 consumption, total ...
...
16.44 lb.
Oil per brake horse-power per
hour
...
...
.. .
...
0.957,
Oil per indicated borsepower
per hour ...
. .. ...
...
0.768,.
Light Powe1 T rial :
Duration of trial ...
...
...
1 hour
Revolution per minute, mean ...
217
Explosions per minute, mea.n ...
17
Effective mean pressure...
... 54.55lb. per sq. in.
Indicated horse- power
...
2.98
Oil consumption, total
...
3.313 lb.
Oil per indicated horse-power
per hour ...
.. .
.. .
...
l.lll ,

ErmrNEERING LABORATORY.
Maxirtnwm Power Trial:
. 50 hour
Duration of trial .. .
. ..
...
0
Heriot-Watt College, Edinburgh,
Load on brake ...
...
...
b.
1921
April 28, 1900.
ring balance reading, mea.n ...
,
15
Messr~. The Campbell Gas Engine
. ve 1oad on brak e .. .
177 ,
ff
eo
t
I
.
..
Compa.ny, Halifax.
Revolutions per minute, mean. ..
207.8
GENTLEMEN,-! have now much pleasure in submitting
Effective circumference of brake
16.029 fb.
the results of a series of tests made by me, at your reBrake horse-power
...
...
17.86
quest, on an oil engine ab your works. The tests were
Explosions per minute, mean ...
93.2
similar in every respect to those carried out by me in
... 66.83 lb. per sq. in.
Effective mean pressure...
connection with the Edinburgh Show of the Highland
Indicated horse-power ...
...
20.06
and Agricultural Society in July, 1899:
Mechanical effiCiency
... 89.00 per cent.
Date of tests
...
...
. ..
... Apri12l, 1900
Oil consumption, total ...
...
6 9lb.
13
Declared brake horse-power of engine
Oil per brake horse-power per
773
Diameter of cylinder ...
...
...
9.5 in.
Oi~o~~r in'd.icated. hor~~pow~~
O.
lb.
Stroke
.. .
.. .
. ..
. ..
. .. 18 , ,
0.687 ,
per h our...
.. .
...
...
Normal speed, revolutions per minute
210
Description of oil used during tests ... " Russolene "
S wmmary of the above Trials.
Specific gravity of oil ...
...
...
0.824

The engine was run at full load for four houra without
a stop; a trial lasting for two hours was then made at
about half power; afterwards the engine was run light for
one hour; finally, a maximum-power trial of half an hour's
duration was made.
The total revolutions and explosion3 during each test
were taken by means of counters.
The power was absorbed by a rope brake ; the spring
balance readings and all weights used were carefully
checked at the conclusion of the tests.
Indicator cards were taken at intervals of about 15
minutes.
The oil was contained in a cistern placed on the top of
the engine cylinder, being fed by gravity to the vaporiser and vaporiser lamp.
.
The oil cistern wa..Ci fitted with a float gaug.e, by means
of which it was possible to accurately determme the level
of oil in the cistern at the beginning and end of each test.
Oil was afterwards weighed in, and the amount thus
ascertained.
.
During a greater part ?f the full-powe~ tnal ~he vaporiser lamp was not burmng; the . vaportser b~mg sufficiently heated to vaporise the o~ and to brmg about
igr1ition ab the end of the compressiOn stroke.
The fol10wing are the results of the several tests:
F ull Powe/r T 1ial :
4 hours
...
Do ration of trial ...
. .. 210.26 revolutions

b1ean 8peed

per minute

...

Oondi, ions of Tri~l.

Brake horse-power ..
Indicated
horse
power
..
..
Mechanical efficiency
Oil oossumption per
hour..
..
lb.
Oil consumption per
brake horse-power
per hour . .
lb.
Oil consumption per
indicated
horse
power per hour lb

Full
P-.~wer.

Half
I Power.

Light
Pl)wer.

M~ximum

17.86
20.06
89 00

Power.

14.96

8.58

17.68
84.50

10. 'iO
80.20

2.98

12.656

8. 22

3.313

0.846

0.957

0.773

0. 71'

0.768

1.111

0.687

13.8

The engine appeared to work exceedingly well, and it

is to be regretted that time did not permit me to continue
the maximum power trial, as I am convinced the engine
could have mamtained that load for a considerable time
without showing any signs of distress.
All bearings were quite cool at the end of the tests,
and the combustion of the oil seemed to be perfect as the
exhaust was quite clear.
I remain, yours faithfully,
.
RroRA nn STAN l"IELn
(Professor of Engineering).

INDUSTRIAL NO rES.
THE Whitsuntide holidays have become popular
with some of the large bodies of men, orga.nieed for
eocial, industrial, and other purposes, as a seasonable
period for congresse@, conferences, and other general
assemblies. Euter was at one time more generally
h
b t 't
f
d th
h
th
f
c osen, u 1 was oun
at t e wea er was o teu
unpropitious for such gatherings. Even congrefses
for social amelioration go all the more smoothly in
sunshine than in storm, for wt>ather, after all, affects
the nerves and influences the temper. The earlier Caoperative Congresses were held at Easter, now they
are held at Whitsuntide. The thirty-second annual
congress has just met at C11rdiff, and it appea.rs to
have been the largest and most influential yet held.
There were 1000 delegates present from the co-operative societies of Great Britain and Ireland, enough to
constitute a great public meeting; it was a conference
nevertheless. The president's address dealt with
poverty and thrift, and with the organisation of trading associatioos for the purpose of hindering co-operation. The conflict raged mostly in Scotland, but in
the end it failed. The delegates were welcomed by
ex-Mayor and by Mr. Alfred Thomas, M.P. Several
deputations were present, one being from the Trade
Unions Parliamentary Committee. Both the Oxford
and Cambridge Universities were represented, but the
delegate of the former was unable to attend. The
Congress resolved to erect a memorial over the grave
of Robert Owen, and to establish a library at a cost
of lO,OOOZ.
Resolutiqns were passed in favour of extending the
co-operative movement by opening branch stores of
the more flourishing societies, rather than the establishment of new but weak independent societies.
Another dealt with co-operative production, expressing regret that this branch had not kept pace with
distribution; it was therefore resolved that the distributive stores should keep prominently before the
members the goods and articles manufactured by the
productive societies. A large selection of such wares
is always a feature at such congresses, and thus the
delegates are enabled to report on them to their cornmittees.
It was further resolved to devote more attention to
educational work by the extension of educational
establishments, and the grant of funds for that
purpose. This is already a feature in the co-operative
movement; most have reading-rooms, a large number
have libraries of well-selected books. On the motion
for extending close relations with the co-operators of
other countries there was sonie difference of opinion,
as in some countries the people are not ,ripe for the
movement; but the resolution as moved was carried,
and aleo one for promoting legislation for the purpose
of establishing' co-operative Eocieties in the West
Ipndi?s. It waCs de~ided t? hstrhengt~en tfhe jeint
ar1tamentary ommittee w1t t e new o a more
1

It was reso1ved t o t a1{e

energetic
me of actiOn.
measures for a more thorough administration of the
Sale of Food and Drugs Act, 1899, in Ireland, from
whence it is hoped that a pure s upply of butter and
cream will be obtained.
The only resolution that caused real perturbation
in the Congress was one in support of working-class
candidates for Parliament, the motion for which was
lost by an overwhelming majority. The advice was to
steer clear of party politics, as the Congress had done
of r eligious controversies, and this was marked on the
part of a Labour M.P., and of the oldest veteran of
co-operation. With respect to co-operation in Ireland,
it was reported that there are now 440 co-operative
societies, and a closer union was urged to promote a
fuller development of the ~ystem in that country. It
was resolved t o take measures to extend co-operation
in agriculture. On the question of old-age p ensions
there were strong differences of opinion, and t he
matter was relegated to the next Congres~. A resolution was adopted in favour of a more extended
system of co-operative house building. I t was stated
that 224 societies ba d expended 5,147,526l. on the
erection of 24,000 houses for their members. On a
motion to forestall capitalist trusts, it wa.s agreed
that the information as to the matter was insufficient
to act upon, and the matter was referred to the united
Bo!l.rd for inquiry. The Congress was severely prosaic
and business-like in its resolves, mere sentimentalism
was shelved, except in the case of Robert Owen's
Memorial.

Thrift, as r epresented by friendly societies, is so

closely allied to industrial questions that a note or two
in reference to the annual gatherings will not be out
of place. The ~Ianchester Unity of Oddfellows met at
Portsmouth, and was the largest of the kind ever held.
There were 700 deputies present from the United
Kingdom and the Colonies, such as Australasia, the
Cape, Canada., and the West Indies. The Grand
Master stated that the total membership on Janua.ry 1
last was 961,500. The income for 1899 was 1,235,425l.;
CANADIA~ GoLD.-Gold was produced in the province the payments for sick benefit amounted to 704, 777l.;
of Ontario last year to the valu~ of 419,328 dul::~.
funeral bene fit to 171,527l.; the increase of funds in

795

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

the year being 359,120l. The total capital of the

Order has now reached 10,074,410l. In referring to
the Colonies, the Grand Master stated that 20 per cent.
of the members in Natal had volunteered for service
in the South African War. The contributions of those
members were paid by the other members. He defended old-age pensions by the State. There was a
difference of opinion as to the action to be taken in
respect of shop sick clubs. One section was for a compromise, the other for absolute resistance to any
scheme which involved belonging to a sick club in
connection with a firm, or joint stock company, as a
condition of employment. The withdrawal or refusal
of Poor L9.w relief by reason of sick benefit was condemned, and a suggestion was made to suspend benefit
so as tu insure Poor Law relief where required. But
t his could hardly be done unless the law were altered
as to benefit societies. The proposal to reduce the
interest payable to friendly societies by the National
Debt Commissioners was also condemned. It is a
rather rough-banded proposal, seeing that such societies
are bound to invest their tunds with t hat body of
Commissioners. Most of the other business had reference to amendments of the rules and other matters
connected with the internal administration of the
Order. It is a vast body of nearly a million of members, and with over ten millions of capital; its work
is of a provident kind-succour in sickness and distress, decent burial when dead, and all by mutual
help, the management being entirely by members,
mostly of the wage-earning classes. And this is but
one of many Orders having the same objects, and
similarly conducted.
. The National Independent Order of Oddfellows held
j ts annual conference in Manchester at the CoOperative Hall. A large number of delegates was
present. The .Grand Master stated that the total
membership on January 1 was 62,628, an incres.se on
the year of 1340 after deducting deat hs and secessions
by non-payment of contributions. Besides which
there were 9545 juvenile members, making a total of
72,173 members. The total funds amounted to 291,033l.
The total income for 1899 was 62,113l. ; the payments in benefits amounted to 56,391. The work
of the conference subsequently was chiefly wit h
amendments of rules and the internal administration
of t he affd.irs of the Order. Though not a large
affiliated Order like the Manchester Unity, its aims
are nearly the same in all essential particulars.

---

The Order of Druids met in the Town Hall, Chorley,

the delegates present representing 37,435 members.
The total membership was s tated to be 71,897. The
Grand Master considered that in proportion to other
societies, the Druids had made fair progress in the
year. As regards old-age pensions, he believed that
for 3d. per week 13l. a year could be secured at the
age of 65 without further payments. This was cheaper
than by the State. As regards compulsory shop
clubs, it was contended that the compromise suggested by the Friendly Societies would work advantageously.

---

The Ancient Order of Shepherds met at Bristol. In

the secretary's report strong condemnation was expressed at the using of the sick funds to pa.y management expenses, and if the districts continued so to use
such funds, the matter would be laid before t-he Registrar. This threat will doubtless prove to be effectual in preventing any further pa.yments of management expenses out of the sick funds.
The Midland United Order of Oddfellows met at
Manchester and the Sons of Temperance at Lincoln.
At all these gatherings thrift and mutual help were
the chief topics, all as bearing upon the welfare of
the working classes. At all the places the local
people extended a cordial welcome, people of high
position and the local magnates entertaining the
delegates. The six Orders above named represent
the general body of Friendly Societies on most questions.
The monthly report of the I ronfounders states that
there is a further improvement in trade, as regards
their branch of it, there being a decrease of 50 on
donat ion benefit, and also a decrease of 54 on sick
benefit. The total number of members at the close of
:May was 18,120, the decline in the previous month,
through arrears, having been nearly made up during
the month under review. There was an increase in
the funds of 2828l. 2s. 9d. in the month, after payment of all dues and demands. The total number on
donation benefit was 327-decrea.se, 50; on siclt
benefit, 440- decrease, 54; on superannuation benefit,
879-increase, 1 ; on dispute benefit, 4 decrease, 1 ;
unemployed, but out of benefit, 73-increase, 4. Thus
the total number on the funds was 1723, last month,
1823-decrease, 100. The total cost of 'b enefits
amounted to 535l. 2s. 4d. per week, or a. trifle over
7d. per member per week . The aggregate funds,
balance in hand, amounted to 99,878l. 4s. 2d., or in

round figures, nearly 100,000l. The following con- all kinds and conditions of carpenters and joiners,
densed Table shows the state of trade as given in the with no prospect of work. At Walker-on-Tyne, ob,~
returns of the branch secretaries for the two months: jection was raised to the employment of "handy-men,
whose wages were stated to be 25s. p_er wee~ .only;
the men were removed, and the work g1 ven to. Jomers,
This Month.
P revious Month.
at the usual rates of wages. The advance m wages

movement is going on pretty sm~>Othly as a rul~, t~e

State of Trade.
Number Number Number Number object being to obtain advance~ m the. underpa1d dlstricts rather than to create disputes 10 those places
of
of
ot
of
Places. Members. Places. Members. wher~ the rates are comparatively high. In the latter
places
the
men
have
acted
with
self-restraint,
rather
12,595
12,798
88
90
Very good

t han risk a stoppage of wor k on a large scale, except

8,684
3,846
28
24
Good .

1,260
440
2
6
where, as in Scotland, the employers sought to reduce
Not eo good

46
265
1
2
Moderate

wages .
303
1
605
Declining
5

Slack ..
Short time
Very bad
Totals

1
1
1

34
38
94

1
1

99

126

18,120

126

18,024

37

The figu res in the first line are important, as the

90 places described as good embrace most of the chief
centres of industry. A letter appears in the repor t
on rail way rates as affecting foreign competition,
in which some comparative rates are given. There
are also letters on the superannuation funds and other
matters.
The report of the Associated Ironmoulders shows
that the total adult membership is 7321, and of apprentice members 376. Of the total 5929 were in full
work, 444 idle on benefit, 186 idle but not on benefit,
and 328 on superannuation benefit. There is a slight
increase of idle members, but this is explained by the
existence of a dispute with the iron dressers, which
affects to ~ome extent the inonruoulders. As regards
the finances during the month, the income amounted
to 2559l. 15s. ; the outlay to 1535l. 7s.; increase of
balance 1024l. 7s. lld. The total worth of the union
now is 65,184l. lls., or nearly 9l. per member. This
is regarded as a high proportion in a trade union.
There are some pertinent remarks a.nd good advice
in the report as to hasty local action involving labour
disputes, indeed, we may call the observations a eaution to the members not to be p recipitate. "There
is no need for it whatever; nothing being gained by
hasty action." Shop3 and committees, the members
are told, have no authority to act, except by the consent of the central council. As a rule, the executives
of unions act in the nature of brakes, to restrain the
speed, not to accelerate it. This is as it should be.
Schedules have been sent. to each district as to a
census of the trade, number of shops, of union members, non union members, rates of wages- of day work
and of piecework, number of hours worked, &c. It
would appear that the union is inclined to minimise
piecework, as deteriorating in its effects.
The b onworke1s' Jou11wl, notifies to the members
of the association a further development of Conciliation Boards by the formation of a joint committee in
the sheet t rade, whereby the whole of the Staffordshire mills in Wales and Monmouthshire will be
governed as to wages, conditions of employment, &c.
Reports are given of the recent advances in iron and
steelworkers' wages, under the sliding scale arrangementa of the North of England , and the Midland
Wages Boards, and lodge committees are notified as to
the care expected of them as regards questions in
dispute, so as not to involve precipitate action. An
unfortunate dispute has arisen at Neath between the
Ironworkers' Association and the Dockers' U nion,
which is causing some trouble.
The report of the Amalgamated Society of Carpenters and Joiners gives the total membership of the
society as 62,966, of which number 908 were on unemployed benefit, 1078 on sick benefit, and 880 on
superannuation benefit. The number of unemployed,
as well as of sick and superannuated members, includes
those in America, Canada, Australia, South Africa,
&c., as well as in the United Kingdom. The proportion, therefore, out of work is small. The attempt to
reduce wages in Scotland is stated to have failed,
after a contest of some weeks in two centres where
reductions were attempted. The dispute is now
settled, the men having resumed work at the old rates.
This presumably will have the effect of averting
further disputes in Scotland on this matter at present.
Further advances in the rates of wages are reported
to have been secured at Bath, Chepstow, Da.rtford,
Darwen, Dover, Long Eaton, Macclesfield, Penarth,
Heywood, Ilkeston, Market Drayton, Pudsey, Pontypool, and Workington. The advances are from ld.
per hour to id. per hour, the latter, however, only in
one instance. At Limerick the employers have conceded a reduction of one hour on Saturdays. At
B~lfast the members are on strike for a.n advance in
wages, and in resisting a change in the working rules,
mutually agreed to by the employers and the workmen.
The officers of branches of the union in South Africa
caution the members against any emigration of
joiners to those colonies, as they are crowded with

The cotton spinners report a slow but steady increase in the numbsr of members, but the number of
unemployed was large in the month of May, being ~t
the rate of 5.75 per cent.-alarger percentage than~
the previous month, and 1. 70 per cent. more than 10
the same month of last year. The outof-work claims
alone amount to nearly 8~d. per member per week.
The united membership is now 14,238 of all sections.
There were 43 accidebt cases reported during the
month, but none of a serious character. The number
of dispute cases dealt wit h by the officers of the union
was 22, the requisite assistance to the members concerned being giveJL Disputes respecting bad work
are frequent, and it is D?W pr?posed t~ draw up a.
clause so as to avoid strikes and cessat10n of work,
and also delays in settlement. The matter is to be
dealt with at a delegate meeting at an early date.
Eleven cases were dealt with under the Workmen's
Compensation Act; in no case was there any dispute.

The d ispute with respect to weekly pays on the

Clyde has entered into the acute phase. The employers allege that the t ime lost is greater than under
t he old system of for tnightly pays, while the workmen call in question, to some extent, that view. But
without reference to the a mount of time lost, whether
greater or less, the workmen have, by ballot, declared
that they will resist, if need be, the return to the
old system. The men submitted a propo3al to allow
the question to remain in abeyance for six weeks from
May 24, and meanwhile to submit the whole case to
the Board of Trade under the Conciliation Act, or to
any Court of Arbitration which may be mutually
agreed upon. No decisive action is reported up to
this date, but it is to be hoped that no strike or
stoppage of work will take place, as a large number
of trades will be affected, and many thousands of men
may be engaged in the st ruggle, especially engineers
and all the allied trades, such as boilermakers, iron
shipbuilders, ironfounders, smiths, shipwrights, carpenters and joiners, &c. The hesitancy to take any
step to prejudice the case looks favourable.
The position of the engineering industries aud of
the iron and steel trades in Lancashire remain about
the same in most particulars, so far as can be seen,
for last week was a holiday week, the principal
works being mostly closed over the bulk of the
working days. There seems to be a disposition to
take a less favourable view of the prospects of the
future.
The holidays interfered with work at the mills and
forges in the Wolverhampton district, where a cessation of work was eagerly welcomed by the furnacemen
and others, whose trying occupation needs some relief
from time to time. The demand for material, raw
and finished, has been fully maintained, but, as a
rule, customers only purchase a sufficiency for immediate wants. There are numerous inquiries and offers
by export houses, but producers decline to entertain
the terms. 1VIanufacturers, indeed, rather look forward t o higher rates than t o any decline in prices.
Bar makers of all qualities, marked and unmarked,
appear to have large arrears of old contracts still to
work off. Steelmakers are reported to have made
concessions, owing to American competition, but as
yet it is difficult to estimate the effect of such competition.
In the Birmingham district most of the mills forges
and o~her establishments ~ere closed the greater part
of Wh1tsun week. Very httle business was done in
t~e ~on an? steel branches .. The drop in American
p1g-uon pr10es, and the fall 10 Scotch and Cleveland
warrants, seem to indicate changes in prices in the
Midlands, Lancashire, and the north of England but
it is not safe to predict on what the turn of the
wheel will be. Up to the end of the Whitsun week
bars held their own at fu,l l prices, and there were some
rumours of a furthe~ advance in the p rices of marked
ba.rs. The resumpt10n of full work will mark the
tendency of the market better than a broken week.
A dispute has arisen between the rivet-heatera and
th~ ~ivet.ers at Messrs. Harland and W olfrs shipbulldmg. yard, Belfast, regarding the rates to be p aid
by the r1veters. Indeed, the dispute involves another

question-that of piecework. More than a month ago

the Boilermakers' Union notified to the heaters that
it was the intention of the riveters to pay by the
piece to obviate broken time, to which the heaters
objected. It is really requisite that some steps be
taken, in cases where one set of men, by their idle
habits, can throw a lot of others out of work, to prevent or minimise the loss of time thereby incurred.
But it is a difficult problem, one in which the best
unionists in all the unions ought to stand shoulder to
shoulder to solve.

---

The strike of dock labourers at Ghent, and the riots

that ensued to prevent the hiring of n on-union men,
has unfortunately ended in loss of life in one case and
in severe injury in others. The police used their
revolvers, and the military had to intervene before
order was restored. Several arrests were made. The
dispute at Chalons-sur-SaBne practically ended on
Thursday in last week, most of the strikers baYing
returned quietly to their workshops in the morning
of that day. The strike of Paris cabmen seems to be
spreading ; but they have a quiet knack of ending a
dispute by some compromise when things look serious.
Some serious dis turbances are reported to have taken
place at Hanover owing to a strike of railway men.
The p olice used their weapons freely, and several
p ersons were severely wounded. The unrest on the
Continent is spasmodic and intermittent; but it is felt
oYer wide areas in many industries.

THE PHYSICAL SOCIETY.

AT the meeting of the Physical Society, held June 8,
Dr. J. H. Gladstone, lf.R.S., VicePresident, in the
chair, a paper on "The Magnetic P roperties of .AUoys
of I ron and Altt.m.inium," Part II., by S . W. Riohardson and L. Lownds, was read by Dr. Ricbardson. Experiments have been mll!de to ascertain in what way the
hysteresis loss. between given limits of the field str~n~bh
is connected w1th the temperature for an alloy contammg
3.64 per cent. of aluminium. The experiments show
that the hysteresis loss attains a maximum value at a.
temJ;>erature considerably higher than the temperature of
ma:nmum induction. The changes produced in the magnetic properties of the al~oy by. heating and subsequ~nt
cooling have also been mvestiga.ted. The properties
depend largely on the previous history of the specimen,
but there does not appear to be any essential difference
between the behaviour of the alloy during beating and
cooling (except near the temperature of minimum permeability). Experiments have also b een conducted on
the abrupt change in the permeability that takes place
at a temperature of about 650 deg. Cenb. The conclusions arrived at are as follow : 1. The hysteresis loss at first diminishes as the temperature rises.
It then increases and reaches a maximum at about
550 deg. Cent. On further heating it falls off rapidly
and is negligible at 700 deg. Cent. 2. The ma:gnetic prope.rties of the speciJ?en depend ~argelr on 1ts
previous history. 3. There IS no essent1al difference
between the behaviour durin~ heating and cooling except
near the t emperature of mimmum permeability. 4. An
abrupt increa-se in the permeability takes place at about
650 deg. Cent. ~uring heating, foll~wed by a~ equally
abrupt diminution on f~rbher ~eatmg. ~ T~~ abrupt
change is more marked w1th falling than w1th r1Smg temperatures. 6. Continued heating and cooling diminish
the permeability. 7. ~.he curve connecting tempe~a~ure
of minimum permeability a?d per~ntage C?f a~unumum
is a straight line. 8. The microscopic exammat10n of the
specimens shows the presence of crystals.
ProfessorS. P. Thompson asked If the specimens had
been kept for any length of time at a high temperature
because crystals changed and grew in metals at temperatures even far below their melting points.
Professer R einold asked if any specimens had been
examined where the crystalline structure had not been
observed.
.
h
.
Mr. Blakesley asked if any explanation of t e onentation of the crystals could be given.
The chairman said it was difficult to know exactly what
substances were being dealt with. They mig~t b.e pure
alloys or mixtures of two or three alloys With uon or
aluminium.
.
Dr. Richardson, in reply, said the crystals nngbt be
dissolved in nitric acid and analysed, but at present he
did nob know their composition. 11
Mr. W. Campbell then read a Note on Orystallisation
Produced iln S olid Metal by Presstvre." In the prepar~
tion of sections of tin, /articles cling to the file, and, If
allowed to remain, ten to tear t?e surface of the me~al.
The effect is not immediately noticea~le, but on etohmg
the polished surface there appear, beside the usu~l s~ruc
ture of the tin, lines of much s~alle~ crystals ~th l.r regular boundaries, but p_ossessmg d.I fferent onentatHon.
The effect is only superfi01al _beca.use It. can ~e removed by
polishing. The same behaVIour 1s notiCed m some alloy~,
and it would thus appear that the pressure of a. file IS
sufficient to cause a metal or an alloy to rearrange Itself.
Professor S. P. Thompson suggested that .the effect
mighb be due to local heating caused by tearmg rather
than to_pressure.
.
Mr. Campbell said the effect was not due to the heatmg
of the file, because if the file were kept p erfectly clean no
cristals formed.
.
.
ProfessorS. P. Thompson asked 1f ~ora~ohmg the sur.
.
face with a diamond produced cry~tall1sat10n.
The author Raid he had tried with a sha~p kmfe Without success, but cutting ~ith a blunt chisel produced
o ystallisation along the chisel mark.

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

[} UNE I 5, 19<)0.

A paper on '' The Viscosities of Mixtures of JAquids and that 10 per cent. of them were accidents to propellers
Solutions" was read by Dr. C. H. Lees.
Three formulre have been suggested for expressing the
viscosity of a mixture in terms of the percentages and
viscosities of its oonstituenb parts. The first of bhese
represents the viscosity as being the sum of a number of
terms, each one of which is the product of the percentage
of any constituent and its viscosity. The second formula
represents the logarithm of the viscosity in a similar
manner, and the third one the reciprocal. None of these
formulre represent the viscosity of a mixture with closeness. The author suggests a formula in which the ?nth
power of the reciprocal of the viscosity of a mixture is
equal to the sum of a number of terms, each one of which
is the product of the percentage of any constituent, and
the mth power of the reciprocal of the viscosity of that
constituent. This formula gives satisfactory agreement,
and, moreover, leads to Slotte's formula for the variation
of viscosity with temperature.
The Secretary read a note from Professor Wood on
"An Application of the M ethod of Str ire to the ntumilnation of Objects under the M icroscope." The object chosen
was powdered glass immersed in cedar oil of the same
refractive index. The glass particles were almost invisible under ordinary conditions of illumination. The
illuminating system was then arranged as follows :
A screw bounded by a straight dge was placed
in front of an incandescent gas lamp, so as to
cut off half of the mantle and give a source of light
bounded by one perfectly straight edge. A small lens of
very short focus was placed below the stage as close as
possible to the object. The lamp was at a distance of
6 fb., and the light reflected from the mirror was brought
to a focus by this lens, passing through the object on its
way. An image of the lamp was formed in space and
viewed by the microscope. A little strip of thin brass
with a carefully out straight edge was fastened to the
stand carrying the hull's eye condenser and moved into
position between the objective and object so as to cut off
the flame image with the excepti0n of a narrow thread of
light along the straight edge. The brass screen must be
in the plane of the flame image with its edge parallel to
the straight edge of the plane. The brass was then advanced over the flame until nearly all the light was out
off. Upon lowering the microscope until the object was
in focus and carefully advancing the brass strip until
practically all the flame image was cut off, it was found
that the glass particles suddenly appeared with great
sharpness, showmg as distinctly as if in air. Two photographs of glass in oil were shown, one taken with ordinary illumination and the other by the SchlierenMethode. The meeting then adjourned until June 22.

only, due to grounding or other obvious causes. Of the

remainder, it appears that accidents to propeller shafts
were 50 per cent. more numerous than those to all the
other kinds of shaftiBg taken to~ether.
According to a well-known shipping paper, there were,
during 1899, nearly 250 oases of accidents to the shafting
and propellers of steamere of all nationalities. The
particulars of these are not given with the same exactitude as those already mentioned, so that a similar analysis
is impossible; but. assuming the same proportions to
be observed, it would appear that about 136 of these
must be failures of tail-end shafts.
In addition to these, it is well known that during the
year a very large number of propeller shafts were condemned when under survey; but, in the absence of data,
no useful estimate of the number can be made. Enough
has been said, however, to show that the evil is one of
wide and far-reaching importance.
As many able papers dealing with this subject have
been read before the different engineerin~ societies,
perhaps some apology should be offered for m traducing
It to your notice, but the excuse for doing so must be
found in its extreme interest and importance. It is also
proposed to call attention to and emphasise the influence
of the propeller, as this does not seem to have been adequately taken into account in most previous papers.
It may be stated that the object of this paper is to
endeavour to account for the extreme corrosion which is
found to occur at the ends of the brass liners on tail. end
shafts, as it is felt that this is one of the commonest causes
of shaft failure, and the writer does not think the explanation usually given oan be correct.
It is further proposed to review some of the methods
that have been suggested to overcome this difficulty, in
the hope that a full discussion may lead to the adoption
of some plan which will give more satisfactory results
in the future.
The general arrangement for supporting the tail-end
shaft is as given in Fig. 1 below. It shows the shaft,
which may be either made of iron or steel, supported by
two bearings, A and B. the part in way of these bearings
being sheathed with brass or gun-metal liners, usually
in. to 1 in. thick. Corrosion occurs at points
from
marked 1, 2, 3, and its character is too well known to need
much description, thou~h it may be added that the corrosion at points 1 and 2 1s usually more severe than at 3.
There is frequently slight general corrosion over t.he
whole body of the shaft, but this is seldom a cause of
failure, and will not be further referred to.
Fi~s. 2 to 9 illustrate some of the methods suggested,
and m common use, for mitigating the ill-effects of this
corrosive action. These also are too well known to need
description, but will be referred to later on.
This &ubjeob has been attracting attention for many
CORROSION AND FAILURE OF
years now, and so far back as 1886-7 papers* were read
PROPELLER SHAFTS.*
dealing with it. The extreme local corrosion was comBy J\IIr. A . ScoTT YouNoEn, B.Sc., Member.
mented upon and attributed generally to galvanic
IN common with other marine engineers, the writer action between the liners and the shaft. The North-East
has had his attention called to the frequent fractures of Coast Engineerst have frequently bad this matter under

I.

FiB'

'

.. .

SKETCH SHOWING STERN-TU8E,TAIL-SHAFT 1

PROPELt.ER AND FORCES ACTING ON SAME.

--- -

-- -------- --- L ----.-------. --- ----------M

:r
I
I

. C)

I
I

..

-- -- - -- . . - - - -------12.6. a...-- -- - ------ ---------P 152 TON.S .

STEAMER :n0 '41J 21 6

iJRAFT..AFT {4 "0 , '

D
5Jst.A)

tail-end shafts, many of which have resulted in disastrous

loss of property, and still more lamentable loss of life. It
can hardly be doubted that these shaft failures have of
late years been on the increase. That this is widqly recognised is eyident by the amount ?f attention the. subject has received on all bands. A list has been pubhshed
of 83 casualties which occurred to the shafts and pro~llers of classed vessels during the months of January to
July (inclusive), 1899. On analysing these oa-ses, it seems

consideration, and several papers dealing with it have

been read before their society. An interesting paper was

* 1886. Institution of Engineers and

Shipbuilder~,

Scotland, Mr. Davidson. 1887. Institution of Engineers and Shipbuilders, Scotland, Mr. Hector McColl.
t 1892. North-East Coast Institution of Engineers and
Shipbuilders Mr. Hirst. 1899. North-East Coast Institution of Engineers and Shipbuilders, Mr. Frank Caws.
1899. North-East Coast Institution of Engineers and
* Paper read before the Institution of Naval Architects. Shipbuilders, Mr. E. Chaston.

797

ENGINEERING.

JuNE I.), 1900.]

recently read before the Bristol Channel Engineera, * in
which the corrosion was attributed entirely to galvanic
action.
While all writers are agreed that corrosion occurs just
ab the ends of the liners, there is nob the same agre~ment
among them as to its cause. It is said by some to be
solely due to galvanic action. Others sa.y that the corrosion is due to galvanic action plus the vibration and shook
set up by the propeller in striking the water. Others,
again, have adopted the theory that the water at the ends
of the liners has a sawing action, which gradually wears
away the shaft. ~1ore recently the idea. has been growing
up that the corrosion is to be accounted for in other ways
than those named, and in the discussion on Mr. Manual's
paper+ it was suggested that it arose from longitudinal
stresses set up by the bending of the shaft. This opinion
was again expressed during the discussion on 1\IIr. Hunter's
paper on large cargo steamers, read before this Institution
la.st year.
It was stated on one occasion that the fractures caused
by this action were not so remarkable as the reasons
given for their occurrence, and it certainly seems to the
writer that the theory of galvanic action is wholly inade-

zero. Calling l the distance from the waterti~h t bulk

head to the centre of the propeller, and a the distance
from the wa.terbight bulkhead . to the centre of the after
bearing, this gives
zas
l'ii a,2
1() ( [ 2 a,2
l a,2
a,3 )
w ( 2 - -6 + - 2 + -2 2 - -3 + i2 -

upper bla.d~ (22 per cent. of the diameter) standing out of

the water when the 15lade is upright.
The exact position of the centre of e ffort of all four
blades is difficult to determine, and will probably vary
from poi nt to point during one revolution, though it is
obvious that the same position will recur four times in a.
revolution. Assuming that the worst position is with two
blades vertical, it is clear that the bending moments produced on the shaft by the pressure on the two transverse
blades will be equal and opposite, and may therefore be
neglected. Making the further assumption that the two
vertical blades are doing at least half the work, we
may, for the purposes of this investi~ation, take still
water conditions in which the centre of effort will be onethird of the vertical side of the triangle C D E representing the water pressure on the surface of the blades.
If the propeller were a.l ways working in smooth water,
it would perhaps be unfair t o take this point so low down :
but, in view of the fact that in bad weather, with the
stern of the ship rising and falling, the conditions will be
very much worse, it is submitted that this may be t aken
to represent a. fair average.
The p osition, then, of the centre of effort of the two

a,4)

Pa3 = 0 .
3

(1)

and substituting known values of W, ~I, w, l, a nd et, this

equation gives P = 15.2 tons.
It is now possible to determine the bending m oment
at any p oint of the shaft, and as this is best done gra phically, the drawing shown in Fig~ 10, on the present
page, ha.~ been constructed.
The sum of all the
bending moments acting in one direction is subtracted from those aoting in the reverse direction, the
difference giving the net bending moment, the value
of which can be determined at any point by scaling the
diagram.
The bending moment has its maximum value somewhere
about the middle of the after liner, and there is also a

Rea

r~. a

RUBBER RING

- lt'UB~~ER

RING

--

- - - --

t- -

- -

1-- -

I
I

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

-----

'
IRON COLLAR

RUBBER RING fiTTED AT END

RUBBER RING At'ID ANGLE IRON

OF LINER .

PACKING GLAND AT END

COLLA R FITTED

Rj.6.

LINER STEPPED AND WELL

OF LINER .

FITTED INTO BOSS

~. 7

WHITE METAL

-- ----f . - -

r'

--------

--------

END OF LINER TAPERED AWAY

IRON RING

----------

RUBBER RING

-- .

- - H -

1/ rJ \

END OF Ll NER PROTECTED WITH

MACOLLS PATENT

WHITE METAL .
r-

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

.......

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

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

SHAFT ENTIRELY COVERED WITH BRASS LINERS

-------T

DIAGRAM SHOWING BENDING MOMENTS

ON PROPELLER SHAFT.
SCALE FOR SHAFTt' SFEET
.,
., CURVE1125F!TONS

'
I

t
I

... ...-

F1.fJ.11.
DIAGRAM SHOWING VARIATION OF STRESS
IN TONS PER a
. .. , .
.

SCALE ( :..2l TONS.

''

....- --

'

(I) '

... (I)

I
'

S:

~ ~
.J 0
~

...

...

~~

u~

~ -I

~~=>
...,
Cl:ll:)

....,.

-+--------------------------I

ZDrA/.

~ ~-

r+---
H51SJ I

6 - - - - -

----- ----------- 1..2

'

c --------------------- --------.!

quate to account for the corrosion, though it is admitted

it may have some effect in aggravating it.
It will be remembered than an increased number of
fractures ha,s occurred with the larger-sized vessels of
light dra.u~ht which have frequently to make long runs in
ballast, wtth the propellers only partially immersed. In
thinking over this matter, and in endeavouring to explain
the phenomenon, esp ecially the extreme looa.lisa.tion of
the action, the writer has been led to the conclusion that
cross-bendinS' in alternate direotions was alone able to
account for It, and he now submits for your considerat~on the following in vestiga.tion which led to that concluSlOn.
It ma.y be premised that, from the nature of the case,
the assumptions made can only be rough approximations
to the truth, and thus the quantitative results obtained
rua.y not be reliable i but it is considered certain that some
such condition of tnings as is here indicated must exist
and exercise immense influence over the propeller shaft.
Referring again to Fig. 1, W L represents the
draught of a. vessel (370 ft. by 48 ft. by Zl ft. 6 in.)
in ballast, viz., 14 ft., which would be the mean
draught aft, over a run of, say, 16 days. The diameter
of the propeller is 17 ft., a.nd there is 3 ft. 9 in. of the

vertical blades will be about 4 ft. below the centre of the

abaft. The resistance of the ship at this draught a.t
9 knots, is ~tima.ted approximately at 8 tons.
'
The shaft lS assumed to be fixed at the watertight bulkbead, where it is held ~y the packing gland ; and merely
supported a.t .the after liner, where the force representing
th~ suppor.t ts taken to a.ot at the centre of the bearing.
Thts force IS called P, and is really the sum of the pressures per unit length assumed uniform throughout the
bearing.
. There are then the following forces acting on the shaft,
Vl Z. :

T = half the tota:l effeotive ~hrust of the propeller

4 tons ; actmg a t a p om t about 4 ft. below the
oentre of the shaft.
M= bending moment in foot-tons due toT= 16
W = weight of the prop eller, say, 8.2 tons.

P = rea.ction of afte~ bearing in tons.

w = wetg:ht of shaft m tons per foot of length assumed
uniform throughout = .184.
All these forces are known, except P, which may be
found a.s follow : The general oq uation for the deflection
2y
.
d
~l
b
of a eam lS
=
; and by applying this formula.
2

dx
El
* 1897. Institute of Marine Engineers, Mr. M. W. to each of these forces taken separately, the defleotions
Aisbitt.
due to ea.c~ can be ~ound, and the sum of these defleotions
t 1897, Institutien ef Naval .ArchitieQts, Mr. G. Manuel, ail the pemil 6f aetien of 1? mus- evidently be equal to
. ..
- ' . ,

point of contrary flexure somewhere between the liners

where, o~ course, the bending mome';lt is zero. Knowing
the bendmg moments at every pomt, the di~am of
stress can be constructed from the formula. v =
Y care

I ,

bemg taken to allow for the difference in value of y and

I between the liners a.nd over the liaers. These stresses
a~e s~own in Fig. llh and illustrate clearly the variatiOn m stress throug1 out. It is obvious that a t the
ends .of ~he liners the shaft will not receive the full
contribut10n of strength due to its inoreased diameter
so that the stress diagram has been rounded away at
the corners a.s shown.
The exa.ot determination of these stresses is a matter
of some difficult~, but it is . evi?ent that at these points
there must be an m crease wh10h IS bound to have a serious
e!fecb. on ~he shaft . . It has been assu med for simplificatlOn m. t~us ca.lcu_lattC?n that the value of the brass liner
for resisting longttu~ma.l stresses is equal to the material
of t~e shaft, and th1s no doubt ha.s modified the values
obtamed.
';{'he aotual magnitude of these stresses is not great (in
thl.S case a.b~ub 2 tons), but it must not be forgotten that
the first busmess of the sh~ft is t o tra.~mit a twisting
n;10~ent, an~ that the hendmg moment lS entirely substdtary. .VIewed in this light, these stresses become of
extreme I.mporta.n.ce. Now, when it is remembered that
the shaft IS revolV1ng when under the action of the bencl

E N G I N E E RI N G.
ing mop1ent, it is clear that it must be bent backwards
and forwards each revolution, and, owing to the change
of section, the stresses attain their maximum values at
the ends of the liners, lea.din~ ultimately to fracture of
the shaft through fatigue. For obvious reasons these
calculations have been based upon still water conditions,
but it is certain that in ba1 weather, with the engines
racing, and the blades being brought into violent contact
with the wa.ter, these stresses in the propeller shaft must
be largely augmented. It is perhaps unnecessary to
point out that the a.ssumptions here made can never be
realised in practice, and in some ca.ses are far from being
correct, as the shaft is never so rigidly held at the bulkhead as to justify the assumption that it is fixed . Again,
even if the after bearing was perfectly in line when the
shaft is fitted, it would soon wear down out of line, and
largely modify the results.
In order to illustrate practieally the action of b ending
moments on revolving shafts of irregular section, a number
of experiments were carried out, of which the following
may be ta.ken as examples. It may, however, be stated
that they all bore out the general resulb of those here described.
A series of model shafts were turned out of rolled bar
steel, all being cut off the same bar, the dimensions being
one-twentieth of those of the tail-shaft for which the previous calculations were made. These shafts were held
at one end in the lathe centre and passed through a
well-fitting brass bush at A, Figs. 12, 13, and 14, also
another be~ring :l~ in. slack a.+J B , and an upward force of

X 1
X2
X 3

Sum

Melln ..

Mark.

y 1* ..
Y2 ..
Y3

..

Sum

..

Mean .

1.-.ltinered Shafts.

ness, in that it prevents the bending moment, which is

inevitable, from producing its proportionate effect on
each unit of length. of shaft, and appears to localise its
Time Required
POClition
of
to Produce
Remarks.
action at the change of section. This point, regarding the
I
Fracture.
Fractures.
continuity of strength in beams subjected to bending, iR
-- one of extreme importance in naval architecture, and
hrs. min.
further illustrations of the same action are afforded in the
1 23
All show well-defioed case of a vessel by the cracking of the li~ht bulwark plate
1 48
} End of liner {
circular fracture.
at the break of the bridge, and somettmes even of the
1 30
deck plating in way of the hatches.
4 4l
It would be well to consider now some of the devices
in common use for preventing this action on propellijr
1 e4
= 9! mioutes
shafts. These are illustrated on page 797, and for the
most part explain themselves, though they all depend for
success upon the exclusion of the salt water from the
TABLE ![-Plain Shafts.
ends of the liners in contact with the shaft. The first
four figures refer to the outer end of the after liner where
Time Required
Position of
the shaft enters the propeller boss, and the other figures
Remuks.
to Produce
F racture.
t o the end of the liners inside the stern tube.
Fractures.
One plan, Fjg. 6, consists of tapering off the ends of
hrs. min.
the liners and wrapping them with red-leaded canvaa
3! in. from end Slight flaw at fracture. and marline to exclude the water. This method is
3 45
7 10
,
Irregular fracture.
sometimes partially succeesul, though it may be pointed
8 30
out thab 1ts success appears to depend more up0n
the tapering away of the liners, and with them of the
19 26
strength of the shaft, than on the exclusion of water.
= 388 minutes
6 28
In cases where this is done, it will sometimes be found
possible to insert the point of a knife under the edge
of the liner, as i f the bending had stretched the liner
388
Ratio
= 4.13.
somewhat. It may here be stated that an attempt
91
TABLE

Mark.

}s! ,

Fig.14.

~ --------

Fig.12.

- -

---

Zk-~ 1{~

.
I

I ~ ""'T'"

f ~ .... ,;

II

......

r-------- f~---------+ ~-~-

~ ,

.
~-- -- -..j....

......

' ,
,

---.
___
-- - -.,,., .
-- - --u. "
. . ..

8{ -------"*" 1*---

.......

15, I 900.

[JUNE

r r 11

I
,.-

f-.
,.

1-

--
--------- ~1 t'>~~
r,.
...
.
.
"" _..
~

-;'I'

.+

.
t<-~

- -

--
c
--
.
-.,
-- ...-
t
-.,

'!>~

------------- --------- - ------~

-'

."

Fig.13.
------ --------- ----- -79$1$

' -

.
I

...._

-J

'

WE.IGHT OF BAR AND SHACKLE. '13i LBS .

\..

DIAGRAM SHOWING BENDING MOMENTS

ON MODEL SHAFT
....

..

Fi[j.15.

DIAGRAM

- - - T

SHOWING STRESS PER

ON MODEL SHAFT

I
I

I.

,...

I
56 ~ss.

1-

'- ~+- r

1-

1-

SCALE. 'OR SHAFT lf~S INCHES

DO
CURVE 1;,2500 INCH LBS

SCALE OF STRESS I =- 2600 L.BS.

...

1...
... . IQ

:t ' ...

'IJ
....
.....,

Fi1J.16.

l6l I i

--r

o ' ..

.
_....

I
I

~ ~-

U IIO
:t I~
Q l

:t nu

153
PERo'

"' ';:)

~ o

I
I

l-irr
.....__

__

LINER EO SHAFT BROKE HE

I
-~

about 487 lb was applied at the point C, which corresponds to the centre of the propeller boss. This load is,
of course very great in proportion to the size of the shaft,
but was ~opted with ~he obj,ect of producing ~racture in
a comparatively short t1me. 1:hearrangement gtven shows
the enlarged pa.rt of the shafts J?assing through the bearings, and the method of applymg the loa~ by meanR of
a lever.
Three shafts were ma~e havmg enla.rged
partsturned on them, correspondmg to brass. hners
on tail-shafts ; and three others were made plam of a
uniform diameter throughout equal to that between the
liners.
.
5 d 16 h .
Other diagrams are given, Figs. 1 ~~
, s owmg
the bending moments and stresses . arismg_ from the!fi
under these conditions, the calculatiO~s bemg m~de 10
the way already described, only modtfi~d to ~Ult ~he
slightly different circumstances. The ch1ef modificatiOn
is the largely reduced bending moment an~ consequent
stress at the propeller end of the after hoer, due to
the absence of the force corresponding to the thrust of a
propeller.
.

d
The lathe was run at 180 revolut10ns per mmute, an a
very careful record k ept of th~ tiiD;e required to fracture
ea.eh &haft, Tbe reAults are gtven 1n the anneJEed Tables :

r--------

it - -----~

PLAIN SHAFT BROI<E HERE.

Experiment marked thus (*) shows considerable diver- was made to test model shafts with the liners shrunk on
gence from average results, and, omitting this, the re- instead of merely having them turned out of the solid.
spective averages are for linered shafts 94 minutes, and As might have been expected, the liners came loose a.n_d
the experiment had to be abandoned. .
.
.
The method of covering the shafb ent1rely w1th b~ass .Is
for plain shafts 470 minutes, giving a ratio~
5.
94
now more frequently adopted, and prevents all actt<:>n m
The analysis of these Tables and diagrams leads to the the tube, provided the liner is all in one piece. If jomted
anywhere there is a plane of w~~kness with an incr~~d
following conclusions ;
1. Every shaft broke at the point indice.ted by calcula- chance of failure, and the conditiOns are worse than w1th
the usual liners, as any fracture which might ooour oa.n~ot
tion as being most severely stressed.
2. The maximum stress per square inch, at the point be seen. This method amounts to increasing the dtaof fracture in the plain she.ft, is greater than in the linered meter of the s haft inside the tube, but leaves a reduced
diameter at the propeller where fracture would take place
shaft.
3. The plain shafts on the average ran four to five times ultimately, even when precautions were taken to prevent
.
as long as the others, indicating greater fitness for that water getting in.
Among other arrangements having the same obj_ect m
particular work.
The final result of 2 and 3 is that a shaft is weakened view, may be mentioned that of Mr. M'Ooll (F1g. 8},
by being made of irregular section, as the plain shafts which consisted in shrinking a wrought-iron band round
stood a greater stress per square inch alternating from the shaft a few inches from the end of the liner, and filling
tension to compression for a much lon&'er time. It is not, in the intervening space with white metal or an indiaof cours~, claimed that these exper1ments are exactly rubber ring. Another plan suggested by Mr. ~ud? w_as
analogous to the daily work of a. propeller shaft, but the tha.t of drawing over the shaft a closely-fittmg mdmaction is sufficiently alike to indicate that the fitting of rubber sleeve, long enough to enter on the taper ends of
brAAs line-rs on ta.il-~nd shafts is j,Ct'l.lallf a soux-oe of weak- bo5h liners. thus exol'l.lding the water oompletelf.

JUN E

1 5, I 900. )

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

In some c~se~ these devices a.Ppear to have a beneficial

effect, and tt IS doubtless owmg to this fact that the
theo~y of galvani c nctio!l has received so much support,
and 1 'l may be u~ged agam sb the theory here advanced that
t hese m~tbods gtv.e a complete s_ol~tion of the problem of
preventmg corrosiOn . . As exp~am1!l~ why the exclusion of
the wa.ter_prevents th1s corrosiOn, 1t may be said that, ns
the shaft ts bent backwards and forward~, the air in the
water attacks the. material mosb severely stressed (i.e., a.t
the ends of the h nera), and when r ustmg ha.s occurred
fresh su rfaces ~re continually exposed to the attack, thu~
gradually wastm g away the material and cutting into the
shaft.
On. the other hand, when t he water is excluded, this
~astmg does not occur_
, a:nd th~ shaft might appear to be
m ~ood or~e;, though 1t ts posstble that it may have been
sertously mJured by the bending action. Cases have
~ccurred where. shafts have broken at the ends of the
lmer~ from whiCh t~e w~ter. has been rigidly excluded,
show1ng that gal vam c actiOn 1S not the oause of this corro-

799

propeller, and thus enormously red uce the net bending

momen t on the shaft.
Of course, to carry out this nrrangemen t it would be
!lecessary to alter t he design of the outer pbst, and make
It strong en ough to supply this renction and resist lateral
deflection, but it is con!:\idered that thi~ could readily be
done, and would more than compensate for any evils arising from its introd uction.
(b) By fitting as li~ht a pro~eller as possible. In one
case that came witbm the writer's exper ience a vessel
had a. pr'?pel.ler ~eighing about Si tons, driven by a shaft
only lOft 10. m dtameter, the stern t ube and liners all being
of normal proportions. This boat, only seven years old
broke no fewer than three propeller shafts and on~
other was condemned on account of this oorro;ion at the
forward end of the after liner. It was found on investigation that the stress on the shaft, arrived at in the way
descri bed, amounted to nearly 3 tons, and this was found
to bs mai~ly owing to her. en ormo~aly heavy built propeller, wh iCh was finally dtscarded 10 January, 1899, in

and have a gland at the outside end of the tube, or

fit an a.rr~ngement similar to Cedervall's box, Fig. 17,
below. .Tbi~ latter arrangement, it is understood, has
been tned m a large number of steamers with great
success, and h!ls recently bean fitted on SC?me l~J.rge
cargo boats butlt on the Clyde. One objec 1 ton seems
to be the. number of small springs and fittings conn~cted Wlth ~be glan~ at the after end, which might
~tve trouble m c<Ju plmg up the propeller, as the job
1s frequently done at night time and 10 a great hurry.
The re appears to be no reason why some simple screw
glan~ should not be thoroughly effective in holding back
the 011 and tallow. ~h ~s would be adjusted by t he engineer when the vesselts m dry dock , and would, of course,
be prevented from tightening itself or coming back and
be suitably protected from ropes, &c., by gua.rd-piates.
A sketch of what is proposed is submitted, Fig. 18. It is
ev~d~nt thab this last ~rrangement could be fitted to a.oy
extstlng steamer. It m cludes a stuffing-box with a. gland
nut made in halves and bolted together eo that it coald

ELEVATION S HOWING
END OF STERN BUSH
OVRFL OW COCK

Fi[J. 17.

f-Et=~-- -- -- -- ----+-:.-.:-.:-:~-----_-_-:_-_-::.::_-!-_~~~;--~J!!.-~~----:_::J
I

- - - - - - - - - - -. ~- --~!~-f~~~-v_~----:-J

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

1I S J il

- -

---+

ORAIH COCK

o.J
CEDERVALL:S S HArT PROTECTIVE AND LUBRICATINC BOX .

FiB. 18.

-4--1- - -H - - -

--

-- -- -- --

-+-- - - -

- - - - - -

- -

---

..

S ECTlON THROUGH ST ERf~ TUBE SHOWINC PROPOS ED

ARRANGEMENT OF PACKING GLAND AT AFTER END.

sion, and it is believea that several present will be able

from their own experience to su~ply many such cases.
Assuming now that the prevtous argument is ?Orrect,
it is necessary to find some means of preventmg the
fr~qoent shaft failures, and clearly there are three ways
open to treatment :
1. The first method naturally suggests itself, though it
is perhaps unscientific and wasteful of materialt. viz., to
increase th e diamet er of the shaft to a poin t wnere the
stresses arising from this bending ac tion are negligible.
In most oases this would amount to increasing the diameter of the shaft by, say, 15 per cent., though the weight
of the .Propeller and speed of the ship would h&ve to be
taken mto a~cou nt.
2. The second method consists in reducing the _b ending
moment on t he shaft, and this could be d on e m three

ways, v1 z. :
.
.
(a) By reintroducmg the ou ter bearmg on the rudder
post which so fa r as these stresses are concerned, would
be ~f great ad vantage, though its introduction would
bting other evils in its trai n. I t wi)l be obvious, from an
inspection of Fig. 1, page 796, that, 1f bhe end of the shaft
were supported by .a suitabl_e bear~g, t here could. be no
deflection of th e kmd considered m the calculatiOn, ag
the reaction of this bearing would supply an upward force
which would compensate for the weight and thrust of the

favour of a solid one weighing under 6 tons. From this

will be seen the importance of havi ng a propeller as light
as possible.
(c) By increasing the quantity of water ballast, and
thus by increasing the immersion of t he propeller on a
ballast run, the centre of effort of the thrust would be
b rought nearer the cen t re of the shaft. There is little
doubt that many modern cargo steamers are very badly
equipped in this respect, and there appears good reason
to beh eve that this fact is responsible for man y tail-shaft
fractures. It seems t o the writer that this difficulty
could be overcome by constructing deep tanks which
conld be made available for either cargo or ballast.
T his, of course, is done in some cases; but the practice
might be greatly extended, and would, it is believed,
tend greatly to the better working of the ecgi nes during
ballast runs, as well a.s reducing the serious effect which
such runs have on propeller shafts .
3. The third and last method is t o arrange the material
in such a way that the section of the shaft is continuous,
and thus do away with the localising of the stresses ab
particular points. The only satisfactory way to do this
IS to abolish the liners altogether, and then th e stern tube
should be tilled with tallow or oil t o prevent the bearings
rusting. T o insure comple te success, it is advisable to
line the le wer half of the after bearing with white metal,

readily be removed to allow the gland to be packed and overhauled without disturbing the propeller. Another ~reat
ad vantage is that any propeller shaft fitted with hners
could be replaced by a. larger one, whose diameter is eq ua.l
to the diameter of the old shaft over the liners. Thus a
10-in. shaft with liners ~ in. thick could be replaced by
one 11! in. in diameter, being a n increasa of 15 per cent.
on the diameter, and over 50 per cent. in strength.
As a remedy, then, for frequent failures of propeller
shafts, the previous remarks would lead to the adoption
of one or more of the following plans :
1. Increased diameter of shaft.
2. (a) Re-introduction of outer bearing.
(b) Minimum weight for propeller.
(c) Increased water ballast.
3. Abolish brass liners, and run shaft on white metal,
with oil or tallow surrounding it.
Except for the statement that these shafts are made
of either iron or steel, nothing has been said about the
material ; and so far as this corrosion is concerned, there
does not appear to be much difference, though it is
generally considered that steel shafts are more subject
to it than iron. It is p erhaps owing to this that there
is a preference in somequat ters for propeller shafts made
of good scrap or fa.ggoted iron; but owing to the difficulty of obtaining iron of uniform quality, it is considered
preferable by the writer to make propeller shafts of
ingot steel. Especially would this material commeud
itself, if the plan last referred to were A.dopted, as a
good ingot steel shaft when turned is absolutely free from
reedRor marks, and would be likely to run sweetly on
the whi te metal bearing. Apart from this advantage,
such a. shaft is uniform in quality and much tougher than
iron, and therefore better adapted for the severe work of
driving a propeller.
In conclusion, the writer has t o express his acknowledgments to Messrs. John MeNeil and Co., Glasgow,
who were good enough to carry out the experiments on
model shafts.
This firm has had large experience with heavy sugar
mill rollers, and they state that, in the even t of fracture,
these rollers, which are subjected to both bending and
tw1sting, almost invariably break a.t the change of section
in way of the bearing.
YORKSHIRE LIGHT RAILWAYS.-An inquiry was held
in Leeds on Thursday by the L ight Railway Commissioners into applications for powers to construct light
railways from B radford to Gilderstone, Morley, and
Ardsley; and through Ra.vensthorpe, Dewsbury, Heck
mondwike, Liversedge, and Cleckheaton. After having
the proposals full y laid before them, the Commissioners
said they were prepared to recommend the granting of
the order for the first-named line, with the exception of
the portion within the borough of B radford. Wtth
regard to the second line, they approved of the scheme
with the exception of a portion relating to Batley, and
suggested that Parliament ~hould be left to decide upon
th~ whol~ schema,

8oo
~

THE POST OFFICE TELEGRAPHS.

E N G I N E E RI N G.
more than 3d. per 100 words. Here, again, it is contended that the public has gained by the great facilities
afforded for t he transmission of intelligence ; but the
s~me answer has to be give_n, viz that economic prinmples ought not to be viOlated, and that business
ought not to be carried on at a loss.

[} UNE I 5, 1900.
str,oke of 45 i.n., steam being supplied by two large steel
boilers, workmg at 180-lb. pressure.

THE Post Office telegraphs may be regarded from

The screw tug Fueguino, built by Messra. Day, Summers
two standpoints- first, with respect to the growth of
and Co., of Southampton, for the Argentine Government'
the business ; and secondly, with respect to the
went out for the official trial trip on the 29th ult th~
financial results worked out by " the department. "
con.ditions being a. conti!luous ~ix-hours' full-speed.'run,
From t he firat standpoint, the outcome is eminently
wh~ch was aocomphshed m a satisfactory manner during
satisf~ctory ; and from the second, it is about equ9.1ly
whwh a speed of over 10 knots was maintained. 'On the
unsatisfactory. In other words, the business has
30~h ult., Messra. Da.y, Summers, and Co., launched the
LAUNCHES
AND
TRIAL
TRIPS.
grown beyond the most sanguine anticipations, while
MEssRs. John Brown and Co., Limited, Clydebank Tubuelche, a sister ship to the ll'ueguino, built by the
at the same time it has been carried on at a continual Engineering and Shipbuilding Works, launched on firm for the same owners.
loss. The revenue acquired by the Governm~nt tele- t~e 19th ult., the twin.screw torpedo-boat dest~oyer
The lrvine Shipbuilding and Engineering Company
graphs in 1870 was 6l2,302l. In 1880 the correspond- T1~e.r. The vessel is the second of three building for the
ing total was 1,469,795l. This wac:~ a remarkable Bnt1sh Government, and is of dimensions similar to Limited, launched on Wednesday, the 30th ult., a steei
result, but by 1890 t he progress made had been still those which have recently been completed at Clydebank. screw steamer of about 850 tons dead weight, built to the
order
of
Messrs.
J.
and
P.
Hutchison,
Glasgow
The
m~re considerable, the total receipts of that year
d~mensions of the vessel are: 185 ft. be~ween perpenThe
s.s.
Cardium,
built
to
the
order
of
Messrs.
M.
bemg 2,364,099.
The revenue is still growing,
dLc~lars by ?8ft. b.y 14 ft. m~mlded .. Trtple-expansion
Samuel
and
Co.,
of
London,
was
taken
when
loaded
for
and almost without any int erruption from year to
engmes havmg cyhndera 14 m., 23 ID., and 37 in. in
at
sea
on
the
24th
ult.
by
Messrs.
Sir
W
.
G.
trial
year. In 1891 the receipts were 2,456, 764l. ; in 1892, Armstrong, Whitworth, and Co., the builders. She has diameter by 27 in. stroke, is being supplied by Messrs.
2,545,6l2l.; in 1893, 2,526,312l. ; in 1894, 2,579,206l. ; ~een specially constructed for the carriage of petroleum Hutson and Sons, Limited, engineers, Glasgow. The
in 1895, 2,646,414l. ; in 1896, 2,879, 794l. ; in 1897, m bulk through the Suez Canal to the East, returning with vessel was named Achilles.
2, 967 ,353l. ; in 1898, 3,071, 723l. ; and in 1899, a general cargo. Her principal dimensions are: Length,
Sir Raylton Dixon and Co., Limited, Middlesbrough
3,260,145l. I t should, perhaps, be r emarked that the 410ft. ; . beam, 52 f.t. ; depth moulded, 33 ft. 9 in. ; with a
revenue for each year is helped up by the estimated deadwmght capamty of about 8500 tons. The engines launchecl on May 31 a steel screw steamer, built to th~
order of the Deutsch Australische Dampschiffs Gesellvalue of the services claimed to be rendered by " the are by the North-Eastern Marine Engineering Company, schaft,
of Hamburg. Her princi(>al dimensions are :
department " to other public departments without re- a~d the c~linders 28 in.,, 46 in., and 77 in. in diameter, Length, 403 ft.; beam, 47 ft. 8! m.; depth moulded,
muneration. In 1870, the credit taken under this With a 48m. stroke, takmg steam at 180 lb. working pres- 31ft.; and she has a dead weight carrying capacity of over
from three large singleended boilers. The Cardium
head was 1467l. ; in 1880, 15,382l. ; and in 1890, sure
has been built under the direct supervision of Messrs. 6800 tons. The engines, by Messrs. T. Rwhardson and
36,324l. ; while the amount creditf3d for 1899 was Flannery, B~gallay, and J ohnson, of London, particular Sons, Limited, Hartlepool, have cylinders 28 in., 46 in.,
55, 749l. It should be observed that the credit is a. atte~tion havmg been ~ive!l to th~ fitting of l~q';rid fuel- an.d 77 in. in diameter. by 54 in. stro~e, supplied with
singularly elastic one ; and it might, perhaps, be in- burnmg apparatus, whiCh IS a spemal characteriStic of the steam by four large smgle-ended botlera working at
teresting to learn upon what principle it is calculated. vessels of this fleet. The average speed on the trial was 180 lb. pressure, and are designed to drive the vessel a
Thii, however, is a point of comparatively minor im- 10.08 knots, the forward boiler being under oil-burning soeed of 12 knots fully laden. The vessel was named
portance. In the earlier stages of Government tele- condition and the two aft boilers under coal burning. Bergedorf.
graphy, a. profit was made year by year; but these profits The vessel was loaded to her summer freeboard. On the
Messrs. Short Brothers, Sunderland, launched on the
completion
of
the
trial,
the
oil
gear
was
dismantled
from
appear to have now altogether vanished. In 1870,
1st. inst. a steel screw steamer, named South America,
the
forward
boiler
and
the
boiler
put
under
coal
burning
the year's profit was 261,925l.; in 1871, 238,695l. ; in
built for the Australian trade to the ord~r of the Southern
for
the
voyage,
and
the
time
occupied
from
completion
of
1872, 139,424l.; in 1873, 92,992l.; in 1874, 85,808l.; trial till the fires were well alight with coal was 11 hours. Steamship Company, Limited, of London. This vessel
is of the following dimensions: Length, 382ft.; breadth,
in 1875-6, 103,272l.; in 1877, 119,913l. ; in 1878,
125,108l. ; in 1879, 207,917l.; in 1880, 296,508l.; in
On Friday, May 25, the official trial took place of the 48 ft. 8 in.; and depth moulded, 30 H.; having a large
1881, 325,433l.; in 1882, 213,892l.; and in 1883, first-class torpedo boat Hydra, built for the Dutch Govern- carrying capacity. The vessel is to be fitted with triple184,194l. Profit-making ceased at this point , and in ment by Messrs. Yarrow and Co., Limited, of Poplar. expansion engines by Messrs. Blair and Co., Limited, of
having cyhnders 26 in., 43 in. and 76 in. in dia1884 t here was a loss of 19,697l.; in 1885, a loss of The contract speed was 23 knots, during a continuous run Stockton,
meter, with a stroke of 48 in., and having three large
36,350l.; in 1886, a loss of 45, 137l.; in 1887, a loss of pf three hours, and 24.3 knots was the speed realised. steel boilers of 180 lb. working pressure.
145,473l. ; and, in 1888, a loss of 6084l. Then there Th~ Dutch authorities were represented by Mr. Loder,
--Chief
Constructor
of
the
Dutch
Navy,
Mr.
Koning,
Chief
was once more a little spell of sunshine ; 1889 balancThe trial trip of the s.s. Dagmar, built by the Elsinore
En~ineer of the Dutch Navy, and Captain De Booy.
ing off with a profit of 88,604l.; 1890, with a profit of ThiS vessel is the first of two mtended to be sent out to Iron Shipbuilding and Engineering Company, Elsinore,
85,113l.; and 1891, with a. profit of 68,183l. Since the Dutch East Indies to reinforce the naval power at Denmark, to the order -<>f the Russian Baltic Steam
Navigation Company, of Riga, took place on the
1891 matters have ence more gone decidedly in the that station.
7th inst., and was considered satisfactory. The vessel is

wrong direction, the following annual losses having

--built of steel to the highest class of British Lloyd's special
been sustained : 1892, 90,283l.; 1893, 166,682l.; 1894,
The steel screw steamer Grayfield, built by Messrs. survey, and her dimensions are 290 ft. by 42 ft. 6 10. by
178,439l.; 1895, 141,638l.; 1896, 40,548l.; 1897, William Gray and Co., Limited, to the order of Messrs.
20 ft. 7' in. depth of hold. The engines are of the triple144,456l.; 1898, 307,118l.; and 1899, 22l,869l. The John Ruthen and Co., of Cardiff, was taken to sea for expansiOn
type, with surface condenser. During the
general result of 30 years' working, after allowing her trial trip on the 26th ult. The principal dimensions trial trip the engines indicated normally 879 horse-power,
for interest on 10,868,664l. stock, issued to provide are: Len~th over all, 360 ft.; breadth, 42 ft.; and depth, and the speed was 10! knots, with a consumption of coal
for the purchase of the telegraphs, was a. loss of 21 ft. 9 m. Triple-expansion engines having cylinders of 0.54 kilogramme per indicated horse-power per hour.
21! in., 35 in., and 58 in. in diameter, with 39 in. piston
7, 756,655l.
The steel screw steamer Julia has just completed a
"The department," by the way, does not refer to stroke, and two large steel boilers working at a pressure
160 lb. per square inch, have been supplied from the steam trial, after a very extensive overhaul by her
this 7,756,655l. as a loss; it employs a convenient of
Central Engine Works of the buildera. The trial was original builders, Messrs. David J. Dunlop and Co., Port
official euphemism, and styles it "a deficiency." satisfactory, the average speed being 11 knots.
Glasgow. She is owned by Messrs. Sobrinos de Herrera,
Primd, facie, the current aspect of the Government
of Havana, for passenger, cattle, and cargo service betelegraphs is decidedly unsatisfactory; but it is, of
Messrs. Furness, Withy, and Co., Limited, Hartle- tween Havana, the West Indian I slands, Canary Islands,
course, fair to note that "the department " gives pool, launched on May 29 a steel-screw steamer built to and America, but was acquired by the Spanish Governa good deal of addit ional accemmodation to the the order of Messrs. Donaldson Brothers, Glasgow. The ment as a transport and dispatch vessel. When fully
public.
The creation of the Government tele- vessel is 413ft. in length, with a measurement capacity equipped winh all stores, ammunition, and soldiers on
graph system was attended from the first wit h of 13,600 tons. A refrigerating space of 11,000 cu btc feet board, the J ulia could steam from 15 to 16 knots. She
the adoption of a. uniform scale for the transmis- is provided in the after 'tween decks, and the shade deck has now been restored to her ori~inal condition. The
arranged for the carriage of cattle. The machinery four original single-ended boilers, fired from a central
sion of telegrams in all directions.
In old times is
will be supplied by Messrs. C. Furness, Westgarth, and stokehold by two dou ble-enderl boilers, 13 ft. 6 in. in diathe companies which first linked together the principal Co., Limited, Middlesbrough, and the engines will have
cities of Great Britain and Ireland charged according cylinders 27! in., 44 in., and 75 in. in diameter by 48 in. meter by 16 ft. Ion~, having two stokeholds, each of the
to the distances over which messages were carried; stroke, with three single-ended boilers 14ft. 6 in. by 12ft., new boilers having SI X patent corrugated furnaces, working
160
lb.
per
square
inch.
A
large
new
pressure
being
but " the department" at once went to a universal and 180 lb. working pressure, with Howden's forced donkey boiler has also been supplied with a working pres1s., and for telegrams not exceeding twelve words it draught. The vessel was named Marina.
sure of 120 lb. per square incli. The engines have been
has since consented to a uniform charge of 6d. More
thoroughly overhauled, and the cylinders, which were
On the 29th ult. Messrs. Sir W. G. Armstrong, Whit- originally 26~ in., 42 in., and 65 in. in diameter by 42 in.
over, " the department " has grea tly multiplied telegraph offices, so that scarcely any considerable village worth, and Co., launched from their Walker Shipyard length of stroke, have been all re-bored. The J ulia had
is now without some smart young lady or some sharp the s.s. Bulysses, built to the order of Messrs. M. Samuel between 500 and 600 tons of bunker coal on board on her
Co., of London, for the carriage of petroleum in bulk trials, which were satisfactory.
lad who can despa-tch a telegram for a casual visitor. and
to the East, and general cargoes home. She is the third
All t his has, no doubt, to be taken into account; b ut, ship of similar size built for the firm by Messrs. ArmMessrs. Irvine's Shipbuilding and Dry Docks Comat the same t ime, one has a n old-fashioned prejudice strong, and is being fitted for burning liquid fuel as well
pfl,ny, Limited, launched a steelscrew steamer named
in favour of conducting business on sound commer cial as coal. Her principal dimensions are: Length between W
oodbridge, built to the order of Sir Christopher Furprinciples-that is, making it self-supporting. Another perpendiculars, 410ft.; beam, 52ft.; and depth moulded, ness, for Messrs. J. T emperley and Co., London. She is
reason why "the department'' has to confess to a "defi- 33 ft. 9 in. ; with a total deadweight capacity of about of the following dimensions: Length, 352 ft. ; breadth,
ciency " of 7, 756,655l. upon the working of the Govern- 8500 tons. The vessel has been constructed throughout 48ft. ; depth, 27 ft. 9 in. ; and capable of carrying 6000
ment telegraphs during the past 30 years is t he fact that to Lloyd's highest class, and to conform to the Suez Canal tons deadweigh t on a light draught. Engines of the
it is working with a closed capital account. No further regulations for bulk oil-carrying steamers, under the inspec- triP.le-expansion ty pe are being supplied by Messrs.
tion of Messrs. Flannery, Baggallay, and Johnson, of Wllliam Allan and Co., Limited, S underland, with cyGovernment stock has been issued for the purchase or London
. She will be equipped with the latest type linders 25 in., 40 in., and 66 in. in diameter by 45 in.
extension of telegraphs since 1877-8, and additional of machinery, the main engines being by the Northplant a?d ext~nsi~ns have been charged to reve?ue. Eastern Marine Engineering Company. The cylinders stroke, and two single-ended boilers, constructed to work
But th1s, aga1n, 1s contrary to generally recetved are 28 in. 46 in., and 77 in. in diameter with a stroke of ab a pressure of 160 lb.
ideas ; revenue is r evenue, and capital is capital, and 48 in., taking steam from three large single-ended boilers,
AMERICAN .RAILROAD BUILDING.-The extent of new
the two should not be jumbled up together. Another each having four furnaces, at a working pressure of 180 lb.
American railroad completed last year was 4588 miles,
--reason why the past 30 years' working of the GovernThe screw steamer Norman Prince, recently launched and it is expected that this mileage will be equalled, if
ment telegraphs has been attended with such poor
is not surpassed, this year, there being now 6000 miles
financial resulti is found in the thoughtless-not to by Messrs. Short Brothers, Sunderland, to the order of it
under contract, while additional contracts are expected
the
Prince
Line
of
Steamers,
Newcastle-on-T
yne,
left
the
say recklesA - arrangements made with r egard to Wear for her trial trii? on M ay 30. On a series of runs ~o be let during the next few weeks. Of the new lines
rates charged for the transmission of press telegrams. over the measured mile a mean speed of 12 knots was actually in hand, 600 miles are in the Indian and OklaIn old times, the Electric and International Tele- attained. This vessel is of the following dimensions, hama territories, where the Chicago, Rook I sland, and
graph Company charged the presg 2s. 6d. for viz.: L ength over all, 363 ft.; breadth, 45ft. ; and depth Pacific, the Topeka and Santa Fe, and the St. Louis and
every 40 words despatched from the South of moulded, 27 ft. 9 in. The engines and boilers have been San Francisco companies are building some importa~t
England to any Glasgow newspaper. Now, t he rate supplied by the North Eastern Marine Engineer- extensions. Upwards of 400 miles of new line are now ID
oha.rged is 1s. per 100 words; while, when copies are ing Company, Limited, of Sunderland, and have hand in West Virginia, 260 miles in Texas, and 350 milii
multiplied, t he average rate is b1'Gught down to little Gylinaera 24g in., 40 in. anEl 66 inl in di~meter, with P> in lGWBII

~NGINEERING.

J uNEI5 .1900.]

8o1

================================~=================================================.
12,294. B. Oppenheimer, London. (Alix and Genest;
to t he electromagnet. The coberer may be constructed so that
"ENGINEERING" ILLUSTRATED PATENT it can be exhausted and sealed with small chance of its sensiti\'e Berlin. ) Magneto Generators. [3 PtgB.] June 13, 1899.

RECORD.

COMPILED BY

w.

LLOYD WISE.

ness bein~ impaired by the bot blast of the glass blower , by fusing -Magneto-machines for telephonic call rinA"ing ha\'e, in the
into the bottom of a glass tube the two platinum wirts attnobed armature on the side which faces the magnets, a .. notch " and
t o t he lower portion of two metal electrodes insulated from one also .. the magnets, which face t he armature, are notched in two

IBLB<r.,_.l'BD._. ABSTB.A<7r8 OF RBOBNT PUBLISHED BPBOIFICATIONS

UNDER THB Am'S 1888-1888.
Thf number of vietcB given in the Speci,Mation Drawings is stated
tn each case ; where MM are mentioned, the Specijication is
n ot illustrated.
Where inventions are comm.unicated from abroad, the Names, ~c. ,
of the Commttnicators are given in italics.
Copies of Specifications may be obtained at the P atent Otflce Sale
Branch, !5, Southampton Buildings, Chancery-lame, W.C., at
the uniform price of Bd.
The date of the advertisement of the acceptance OJ a complete
Specification i.s, in each case, given aJter the abstract, unless the
Patent has been sealed, when the date of sealing i.s given.
A ny person may at any time toithin two month8 from the date of
the advertisement of the acce-ptance of a, complete SpecifU;a.tion,
give notice at the Patent Office oj opposition to the grant of a
Pa,tent on anv of the groundS mentioned in the .Act.

Ftg.l

another, and afterwar ds cleanin~ the acting surface from the

open end of the tube, inser ting 6hngs and a plu~ or screw, nod,
finally exhausting and sealing up the open end. A Morae local
inker can be attached in parallel to the decoher ing magnet, or an places." It is st at ed that., with such notched, coombed, or cas
electro-chemicnl recorder may ue used in order to avoid self tella.ted lreneratore" the form of theo urr ent wave is so modified
induction. (.Accepted .llay 2, 1900.)
that while an equal ringing efficiency is attainable, the induc
15,525. R. W. Crull, Ober Yssei. BoUand. Eleotrlo tional effect on other t elephone linea in juxtaposition to that
ELEC'rRICAL APPARATOS.
Switch. [2 F igs. ] July 28, 1899.-Tbis is a quick-break switch, transmitting the ringing cu rrent is much less than when t he ordi
nary form of magneto-machine is used. (.Accepted Jfay 9, 1900.)
2742. F. ~{~ander, Magdeburg, Prussla. Firing
f"'
Submarine
ea. [5 F igs.) February 12, 1900.-With this
7776. B. M. Drake and J. M. Gorham. Wirtng
rapparatus submarine minetJ are fired by means of Hertzian radia
Candelabra. [8 Figs. ) April 18, 1899.-It is frequently
~
tions so that the firing is effected only if the apparatus is ac
found difficult in wiring candelabra to carry the wires in the in
Ft1J
.7
/'
f\I
coated by a certain signal. A float connected to the mine by a
side of the arms, and in most cases it ba.s been usual to place the
- \ o
telescopic tube, cont.ains a number of d ry batteries, and the
!
ftexible cords outside and attach them at intervals to the arms,
i
;
apparatus proper, which consists of two plates connected with
which renders it difficult for the candelabra to be efficiently
e' l-r' 0
each other, and provided with notches according to the intended
length of the radiations. These two plates are rotated by clockwork
at the same speed as the contact plate for a transmitter of

Il l @

Fig.2.

F~ . l

, ..-

Fi_g .:t.

~@1-----i""--~.

the construction as well as t he action of which is clearly indi

cated by the drawings. (.Accepted Jllay9, 1900.)

4785. M. Deri, Vienna, Austria. Alternating

Current Motor. [3 Figs. ] March 13, 1900.- The eleot ro

motor described in the specification No. 13,399 of 1898 has a com

bined field. magnet winding for the purpose of exciting it by
means of continuous and alternating currents, operating simul
taneouely or otherwise. The machine constitutes the combina
tion of a continuous-current motor with collector, and an alter

,s,.t)

F~ . 1.

'Her tzian radintions, t he notchu of the plates engaging with the

]>ivote of the armature of an electromagnet which is energised
when Hertzian rad iat.ions of short duration affect the coherer so
.as to r educe the r esistance in it, whereupon the current of half
the battery pas~es for a sh?rt time through the coils of.the elect ro
magnet. Continued rotat1on of the plates causes a pm on one of
them to close the contact for the actual fir ing of the mine. The
coherer is carried on a glass-covered platform above the float.
At t he firing station is a contact ph.te ha:lng sin;til!lr .m eoh~n ism ,
which plate is, of course, held from rotating until1t 1s des1red to
fire the mine. (A ccepted May 2, 1900.)
516. A. Mulrhead, Shortlaud~J!.ent. Telegraphic

Receiving and Translating

Gl1NS AND EXPLOSIVES

11.973. A. T. Dawson and G. T. Buokham. London.
Light GunCarriages. [6 .Figs. ] March 8, 1899.-Wheeled

carriages or mountings for light ar tillery, suoh as moUlltain guns

or landing ~ne, are made in such manner that they can be easilr
separated mto parts without the use of tools. The carriage 18
made in separate parts, namely : The trail, the axle with wheels,
and the elevating gear. The t rail consiste of steel plates (gene

trnment. [9 i''igs. J

January 9, 1899.-Tbe signal coil is con n~cted to ~be cradle which

carries the ink syphon by two fibres, which at pomts between the
coil and c radle a r e fastened to the free end of two phosphor
b ronze strips whic.h normally rest against two con~ct. stops
carried by a n a rm p1votally mounted and supported by fnot1on on
a standard. The circuits of two local relays for t ranslation a re
completed t hrough the strips and the stops against which they
rest. In some cases the two phosphor-bronze strips (or one strip
fixed ~entrally and having both ends free) are fixed at one end to
a plate, on t he su rface of which is mounted a series of contact

cleaned. According to this invention one flexible cord is carried

through the imitation candle In t he centre, wbioh oan usually be
drilled for the purpose, and from t his point the cord is distributed
underneath the shades to t he connections between the different
lamps, t hese being made at the top of the candle, instead of from
below. The shades mny be made lar~er than usual so as to mini
mise the \'iBible amount of wire. (Accepted At ay 9, 1900. )

F ig .1.
nate current-induction motor with short-circuited armature.
According to the present invention. the arrangement described in
the said patent, namely, the two field windings for two different
numbers of poles and the combined armature winding, are also
arranged for working with alternate current alone, by combining
in one and the same machine a collector motor, and an induction
motor, and render ing this capable of wor king with alternating
current. (Accepted May 9, 1900.)

5167. J. Yates, W. Yates, and J. B. Bent, Swin

ton, Lanos. Alternating-Current Motors. [4 Figs.]

I I 1 ~---~

March 19, 1900. - This invention has reference to alternating

current motors of a certain class, and has for object to simplify
the form and application of t he armature winding. A plurality
of wires (perhaps composing one ca ble) are applied in one opeu

DiS~D

r
.Ctf}.

,.J.

F'-9. I
I

r ods in connection with a series of resistances forming part of a

differential local relay circuit. The str ips are so fixed that they
wrap or fold over the curved surface of a plate more or less aCJ
the si~nal coil with which they ar~ in connection at their free
ends 1s deflected on the passage of current fro~ the ~ble or
telegraphic oirouit through t he conductor of the s1gnal coil. The
greater the amount of flexure of t he -phosphor-bronze strips or
springs the greater the number of restBtancea left in circuit or
short-circufted as t he case may be ; that is, the ~ renter the varia
tion of resistance of the local r elay circuits wh1oh include these
resista nces. Various modifications a re descr ibed and shown.
(.A ccepted Jfay 2, 1900.)

rally two side plates and one top and one bottom plat e), joined
together by a shoe and t ransoms. The bearings on the trail for
securing the t runnions of t he gun tor r eceiving the 'a xle, and for
r ecei\'iog the trunnions of the elevating gear with concentrically
curved tahoulders, are C')nstruoted to operate in combination with
cunred studs projecting from the gun, from the axle, and from
the elevating gear respectively, for holding the parts in connec
tion. (.Accepted Jlay 2, 1900.)

10,406. L. B. Miller, London. Wireless Tel~grap~y.

[6 F igs.) May 17, 1899.-For the purpose of decobermg rap1dly

the coherer is attached to the light a rmature of a small and very
quick-noting electromagnet ,. which ser~es as a. ~orae sounder as
well as for decobering, and 18 thrown mto achon by the r elay,
the sudden jerk forward of the armature ser\'ine- to decohere the
filings. It is stated t hat the speed of decohermg is greatly iJ?
creased if the mo,ement of the armature away from a stop 18
made to break the coberer circuit, and that in addition the relay
can be more delicately ad j usted wb~n this is done, t\!ld then when
the shunt circuit t hrough the r elay 1s open the rece1ved wave can
only pass through t he coberer. The co~erer fil~ngs should .be. of
a met31 or alloy that cannot be magnet1sed owmg to proxumty

12,852. The Morris Tube Ammunition and Safety

Rang e Company, Limited, and A. J. B. Wyat~,
~on~on. Gun Tubes. [3 Fiqs.] June 20, 1899.:-:Tbis inven

tion, and they are afterwards connected together as desired.

In the kind of fan motor shown in the drawings, a nineteen-wire
cable is used which is connected up after being wound as illus
t rated by the thin line in the diagram, Fig. a. The second wind
ing illustrated by the t hicker line in Fi(. S may be cut out of
circuit after the motor bns commenced running. (Accepted
May 9, 1900. )

t1on 18 for the purpose of allowmg small ammumt1on practice

tubes to be accurately centred in guns in which the charge
chamber is of larger diameter than the bore of the ~un or the
truok opening. On the miniature barrel is a sleeve hanng at eaob
~nd three projecting e:rms at 120d~g. apart. In a do\'e~il groove
m each of these a!mS 18 tltte~ to shde one of the ~rojeotmg limbs
of an E shaped p1ece, t he m1ddle member of wbtch has i(JS back
rounded so as to fit or approximately fit the bor e of the eun. The
middle projection of the E is internally ecrew-threaded to receiv~
a screw. Thus t her e are t hree Epieces with their screws uni

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

802

formly arranged around the sleeve. Each of the screws has ftxed that the apparatus is applicable to the washing of the ftbres of
on it a bevel pinion, and these three pinions gear with a bevel textile materials, such as esparto grass and wool r educed to
wheel which can be caused to revolve on the slee~e hy turning a
spindle which is parallel to the sleeve and has on it a pinion gear
ing with the bevel wheel. After the barrel with the sleeve on it
and its three E-pieces retracted is introduced into its place in the
bore of the gun, the spindle, which extends either back beyond the

tubes are arranged beneath an upper collector or collectors, such

groups when two are employed being preferably placed o\er the
ftregrate, so that the gases pass around the iodhidual tubes of the
group. That the combustion of the srases shall be mora perfect,
according to this invention a space or combustion chamber is
formed in the group by placing an extra row of tubee in front of

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

--------

" half stuff" or other fibrous materials used in pnper-making.

(Accepted A1Jril25 , 1900.)

sr+:AM ENGINES, BOILERS, EVAPOBATOR.S,lto.

'7!43. T. Sugden, London. Superheater. [3. Pigs.]

April 6, 1899.-A number of cur ved tubes suspended m ~be

path of the furnace gases from a '{>air of vessels through which
steam to be superheated passes on 1ts way to the mai~, forms a
superheater according to this invention. The. draWlDgs show
eucb a superheater applied to a water-tube bo1ler, the vessels
being placed one on each side of the steam drum and the curved
tubes connected t hereto being suspended in the path of the furnace gases and bent to an approximate c.atenary curve, so a~ not
to become distorted when heated . A sb1eld or damper that ts ad
justable bv chains and weights, extends across the furnace, to
direct the gases towards the tubes or to divert them from. the
tubes and guide them under the same as. and when deslled.
Steam from the boiler enters one of the patr of vessels, passes
through the curved tubes to the other vessel and thence to the
main. To protect the tubes when steam is shut off from the

,, "

I
t
I
I
I

I
I

'

Pi-91.

breech or forwards beyond the muzzle, is turned, turning the

three sorews and the three Epieces are thus moved radially out
wards until they are ftrmly pressed against the interior of the
bore, thus holding the miniature barrel centred and ftrmly gripped.
Instead of bevel pinions on the screws gearing with a bevel wheel
on the sleeve, they may be ordinary toothed pinions gearing with
a crown toothed wheel on the sleeve. (Accepted !Jiay 9, 1900.)

each main group and between them and the ftre, an<! by provid
ing both groups with walls or baffles to direct the course of the
gases ftrst through the ex tra group or row into the combustion
chamber and then into the main group {which by the arrange
ment of t he walls forms a flue) and out tbrousrh the chimney.
(Accepted Jlav 9, 1900.)

w.

B. Wright, Ontario, Canada, W. Roth

schlld aud G. D. Smith, London. Gun-Carriages.
7712.

10.629. R.. B. Smith, Birkenhaad. Water-Tube

Bollen. [6 Figs.] May 20, 1899.-In this boiler there are

April 12, 1899.-To balance the vehicle as far as is ad

visable, is the objeot of this invention, and while varying the dis
position of weight as may be required for the particular object
in view, a feature common to vehicles, according to this inven

(4 Figs.]

several tilted nests of tubes disposed one above another, and

baTing combustion chambers between the sets. The tubes are of

------

........

F'1J

Fr{j.2.

Ftg 7.//.

Frs z.

tion is that the axle is made with a deep crank or depression

adopted to receive a portion or the whole of the main framework
or body the ends or journals projecting to receive the wheels,
and, pe;bapa, being tapered. Sliding so~kets f_or the upper por
tion of the axle are in the frame and ap1ral eprmgs a re eD?ployed
to absorb vibration. A folding armour shield and contr1butory
devices are pro,;ded. (Accepted May 9, 1900.)

lcli"i1ING AND BAOLING APPLIANCES.

10,999. w. B. Wise, West BartlepC!o~. D~rrick

SwtnglDg Gear. [1 Fig.] May 26, ~899. -ThlS m.vent1on has

reference to derrick cranes, and proVIdes for the s1~u~taneous

lengthening and shortening of the two gu.ys of the sw1n~1.ng arm
when the latter is moved. The motor drives a no~-elnst1c band
(shown by dotted lines) kept taut by a pulley at 1ts upper end,

D
. . . ---------

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

decreased size and increased number in the sets in the upper

part of t he boiler. The disposition of t he tubes and of tbe.con
necting water vessels and pipes may be as shown in the drawtngs
Air may be admitted to the combuetion chambers. (Accepted
superheater, a pipe is connected to one end of the steam receiving May 9, 1900.)
VEHICLES.
vessel, which communicates with a channel in the furnace wall,
opening into the ashpit or furnace. By closing the steam inlet
11,288. B.
Maxim, London. Moto.r Cycle. [6 Pig~.]
and outlet valve of the superheater, and by opening a valve May 30, 1899.-In this arrangement the two dnven whe~ls ar~ tn
which is provided between the pipe communicating with the close proximity to each other on a crankshaft t hat 1s dr1ven
furnace wall channel and the superheater vessel to which it is directly from the working cylinder. The working cylinder ar.d
connected, and also on opening a further valve provided at the the air compressor cylinder are of unequal diameters, and are
end of the delivery veseel opposite that end to which the arranged coaxially, both pistons being carried on a sinsle rod.
steam outlet pipe is connected, a stream of air can be drawn The longitudinal frame of the vehicle serves as a contamer for
through the superheater by the chimney draught or by a fan, and
the air thus heated can be used , it is sto.ted, with advantage for the
purpose of promoting combustion in the furnaces. When steam
is o.dmitted to the superheater, of course the air admitting and
discharging valves are closed. In a Lanca.ahire or Oornish boiler
the construction, it is stated, is similar, but the superheater is
placed at the rear of the boiler, the tubes hanging in the down
take. (A ccepted April 25, 1900.)

s.

14,476. c. A. Parsons, Newcastle-on'l'yne. Steam

Turbines. [6 Pigs.] July 13, 1899.-In marine reversing turbines the ~oing-aste rn turbine is placed (and is preferably " tele
scoped")Wlthin the main tu r~ine, a~d both are arranged so that t~ey
discharge, as nearly as poss1ble, dtrectly into the passage leadmg
to the condenser. The outer portion of the going-astern turbine

and the guy lines are attached to t he band, so that when the
band revolves one line is lengthened as th~ other shortens. The
uy ropes may be of coir. An alternat1ve arrnnge~ent c~m
g ises a separate single guy around .a. barrel, t he. dernck be~ng
&r g out of plumb with its lower p1vot by sbackhng the dernck
0~~n to c ross-trees on the upright. (Accepted May 2, 1900.)

MILLING AND SEPARATING MACHINERY.

J
B Anaanclale, Polton Midlothian.
4756.
ous .Material Washer. [3 Figs.] March 4, 1899.-In

Fi~f is

arranged so ns to be capable of revolving, a perforated

llo
dric-.al drum having an inlet at one end for the fibrous
~a~rial to be washed and an outl~t at ~he other ~nd. . The per
f ted shell of the rotating drum 1s carried on long1tudtnal sp~rsi
aO:d is provided on its inner periphery with a '{>erfor'?'ted hehca.
blade or worm. The delivery end o! the drum 1s contca.l, ~nd at
th' end th e wnehing water lS adwtted, the fibrous mater1al fed
in~ the drum at the other end is b~ rota~ion of the drum and
bei.U borne along against the stream of mfiowmg wat~r, a?d by the
conioality of the delivery end portion of the drum, 1s r:us~d c!ear
f tbe water and delivered through the outlet, the. longtt.ud1t!al
~ us repeatedly lifting and turning over the matertal durmg tts
travel from one end of the drum to the other. A vat v.:ould not
be necessary if an unperforated drum were used. I t 1S stated

~~

. .,)

~=~~~~

may rotate, t he centr~ p~rtion being fixed. In one a.r~ange~ent

the going-astern turbme 1s at the steam end of the mam turbme,
and the exhaust from the going-astern turbine passes t hrough the
interior of the main turbine revolving drum. A plan for dividing
and somewhat similarly disposing the two parts ot a non-reversing
turbine is descr ibed and illustrated. (A ccepted !J1ay 2, 1900.)

gat1oline, the vapour of which forms an explosive mixture witb.tbe

air. Electrical ftring is used. Anti-ex.plosive o~ fire-extingUISh
ing devices are provided as well as vano?~ contrtbu~ory ~rra~g~
ments and modifications. In the prov1s1onal speclflcatton 1t 18
stated that the inventor employs rubber valves for the air pu~p,
and that to overcome the liability of the indi.a-rubber bet~g
attacked by the oil employed to lubricate the ptston, a specull
lubricant is used. (Accepted Jfay 2, 1900.)

UNITED STATES PATENTS AND PATENT PRAOTIOE.

Descriptions with illustrations of inventions paten~ in tbe

12,584. B. J. c. Pattlson and J. A. Pattlson,
GrauW. Naples, Italy. Water-Tube Steam BoUer. United States of America from 1847 to the present time, and

[2 Figs.] June 16, 1899.-~his i~vention re~ates.to improvements r eporte of trials of patent law cases in the United States, may be
on the type of boiler descrtbed m the spectflcatton No. 14,639 of consulted, gratis, at the offices of ENGINB&RING, S6 and 86, Bedfofd..
1898. In this class of boiler a group or g roups of 11 Field " or like street, Strand.