observes that "the original gauge of 4ft. sin., and the more recent improvement of 5 feet, have both been found in practice to be too narrow to admit of a proper and free arrangement of the machinery of the locomotive engine, and also creating at great speeds an unpleasant transverse oscillation of the carriages, with the liability at high velocities to fly off at a tangent from quick curves. On the other hand, the 7 feet gauge appears to entail too great a weight in the construction of the locomotive engines and carriages, and consequently a proportional expense, this increased weight and width of gauge also involving a considerable increase of outlay in land, and construction of the railway and bridges. Looking then at the question fairly between the existing gauges of rails, it would seem desirable that some medium or national width should be adopted, and the simple gange of 6 feet (or thereabouts) presents itself as admitting a desirable width for convenient arrangement of locomotive engines and carriages, without extreme weight or expenditure in any department. In explaining the next head of my invention, (improvements applicable to locomotive engines,) I would observe that it has been found in practice that a 6 feet wheel is as high as can be use. fully employed, so as to combine the two advantages of power and speed, and it seems to be in mechanical unison with the 6 feet gauge. I would also propose to make the flanges of the wheels of the locomotive engines and carriages deeper than they now exist, viz., to not less than 24 inches, which would greatly tend to lessen the liability of engines and carriages getting off the rails. The improvements in locomotive engines consist, 1st, in the application of a self-acting governor to the steam-pipe, which in all cases regulates the power of the engine, and prevents excess of speed, (beyond that to which the governor adjusted,) which is at present at the discretion of the engine-driver. The governor thus employed is the common pendulum governor, encased by a dome on the top of the boiler, acting on a throttle-valve in the steam-pipe in the ordinary way. 2. In the use of a self-acting water governor or regulator, which preserves an equable height of water in the boiler. The water regulator is a spherical copper float, acting on a vertical spindle, which works through a stuffing-box in the top of the boiler, acting on a valve in the water-pipe. 3. In encasing and surrounding the smoke-box with a stratum of water, which is pumped into this auxiliary directly from the tender, there retained by means of a stop-valve, and thence admitted as required into the boiler, after absorbing the hitherto waste heat escaping from the tubes, and preventing the burning out of the plates of the smoke-box and chimney, the steam pipes and steam chest cover in, which till now has been a common occurrence, and a great desideratum to avoid. 4. A tube in connection with the safety-valve on the boiler, which tube carries off the surplus steam into the chimney, thus increasing the draft, doing away with much disagreeable noise, and preventing the steam, as heretofore, from flying in the face of the driver and obstructing his view of the line. 5. In the employment of a universal jointed pipe, connected with the bottom of the boiler at the chimney end, for the purpose of clearing out the boiler tubes, by directing a jet of hot water and steam through them; thus more speedily effecting the desired object, than by the present imperfect method of using a rod of iron with tow at the end. Lastly, as regards locomotive engines; in the use of self-acting breaks on the wheels, which breaks are raised by the pull of the engine, through the medium of an apparatus for that purpose, between the engine and tender, which, when the engine censes to draw, (either from necessary or emergent causes,) descend upon the wheels with great force, and stop the engine; these breaks being also further available, under the discretionary use of the engine-driver. The third head of these improvements refers to railway carriages, and consists in the application thereto of self-acting breaks lifted off the wheels by a traction-rope, in connection with, and pulled by the engine; and which fall upon the wheels whenever the rope becomes slack, and thereby stops the carriages. By this traction-rope, the engine draws and works considerably in advance of the train, so that in case of collision, of the engine upsetting, running off the rails, &c., the rope immediately becomes slack; and the breaks falling forcibly upon the wheels, bring up the carriages before the train reaches the scene of danger. The length of traction-rope between the engine and train prevents any danger to life and property from accidental explosion; it a'so prevents the igniting of goods-trains by sparks issuing from the engine chimney. On one of the axles of the tender a drum and apparatus are fixed, for letting out the tractionrope to such lengths as may be required, to suit the curves of existing railways, in which the rope is peculiarly serviceable, by always pulling round the trains from a tangential direction, and thereby preventing the danger of a train flying off the railway in a straight line, under high speeds. This rope may also be wound up by the same drum, to such length as may be required to draw up the trains into their proper position in existing stations or termini. It may be necessary to observe, that the letting out or taking up of the rope can be accomplished without any interruption to the progress of the train. The carriage breaks consist of a drawbar under each carriage in the train, coanected at each end by buffers and chains; on this bar there are two wedge inclines, over which a pulley works in connexion with the weigh-bar and breaks, and in the centre of the carriages around the draw-bar is a helical spring, having a double action against two collars. When the engine begins to move, the bar is pulled forward, the pulley rises in the guides, and with it the break rises from all the wheels of each carriage throughout the train. When the engine stops, the spring draws the bar into its place, lets the breaks down upon the wheels with sufficient force to stop the train within any required distance. The claim is 1, To a kind of medium gauge, (say about 6 feet) of the rails upon railways calculated to afford the advantages alleged at the outset. 2. In reference to locomotive engines; firstly, the use of wheels with an increased flange; secondly, an arrangement of apparatus by means of which the speed of the engine is regulated with much greater precision without the agency of the driver; thirdly, a self-acting watergauge, or regulator; fourthly, a preparatory heating of the water supplied to the boiler for the formation of steam, by a vessel inserted in the smoke-box; fifthly, a mode of conducting the waste steam, attended with the advantages hereinbefore set forth; sixthly, a method of clearing out the tubes of the boiler with more efficiency and dispatch than by the present practice; and lastly, a means of stopping the engine by the use of selfacting breaks upon the wheels. 3. Under this head the patentee claims the use of self-acting breaks raised from off the wheels of the carriages by the pull of a traction rope descending with impeding force simultaneously upon all the wheels in a train when the rope ceases to operate upon them by its being slack, according to local circum stances. Intending Patentees, or Patentees of unspecified inventions, may have every needful information and assistance on moderate terms by application to the Office of this Journal, where also may be consulted the only Complete Registry extant of Patents from the earliest period (A.D. 1617,) to the present time. LIST OF SCOTCH PATENTS GRANTED BETWEEN THE 24TH MAY AND THE 22ND JUNE 1841. Edward Henshall, of Huddersfield, York, carpetmanufacturer and merchant, for certain improvements in making, manufacturing, or producing carpets and hearth-rugs. May 24. William Petrie, of Croydon, Surrey, gentleman, for a mode of obtaining a motive power by means of Voltaic electricity applicable to engines, and other cases where a moving power is required. May 21. Moses Poole, of Lincoln's-inn, Middlesex, gentleman, for improvements in the manufacture of fabrics by felting. May 24. (Being a communication from abroad.) William Joest, of Ludgate-hill, London, merchant, for improvements in propelling vessels. May 24. (Being a communication from abroad.) Andrew M Nab, of Paisley, Renfrew, North Britain, engineer, for certain improvements in the manufacture of bricks. May 26. Christopher Nickels, of York-road, Lambeth. Surrey, gentleman, for improvements in the manufacture of mattresses, cushions, paddings, or stuffings, and in carpets, rugs, and other napped fabrics. June 1. (Being partly a communication from abroad, and partly invention of his own.) John Clay, of Cottingham, York, gentleman, and Frederick Rosenberg, of Sculcoates, York, gentleman, for improvements in arranging and setting-up types for printing. June 3. Sir Samuel Brown, knight of the Royal Hanoverian Guelphic Order, Commander in Her Majesty's Navy, of Netherbyres-house, Ayton, Berwick, for improvements in the means of drawing or moving carriages and other machines along inclined planes, railways, and other roads, and for drawing or propelling vessels in canals, rivers, and other navigable waters. June 4. William Brockedon, Esq., of Queen-square, Middlesex, for a composition of known materials, forming a substitute for corks and bungs. June 9. John Lambert, of No. 12, Coventry-street, in the parish of Saint James, Westminster, gentleman, for certain improvements in the manufacture of soap. June 10. (Being a communication from abroad.) Richard Laming, of Gower-street, Bedford-square, Middlesex, surgeon, for improvements in the production of carbonate of ammonia. June 14. Joshua Field, of Lambeth, Surrey, engineer, for an improved mode of effecting the operation of connecting and disconnecting from steam-engines the paddle-wheels used for steam navigation. June 16. Andrew M'Nab, of Paisley, Renfrew, North Britain, engineer, for an improvement or improvements in the making or construction of meters, or apparatus for measuring water or other fluids. June 21. Joseph Maudslay, of Lambeth, Surrey, engineer, for improvements in the arrangement and combination of certain parts of steam-engines, to be used in steam navigation. June 21. John Condie, of Blair Iron-works, Ayr, in the kingdom of Scotland, for improvements in applying springs to locomotive and railway and other carriages. June 22. George Richard Elkington and Henry Elkington, of Birmingham, Warwick, for improvements in coating, covering, or plating certain metals. June 22. Moses Poole, of Lincoln's-inn, Middlesex, gentleman, for improvements in producing and applying heat. June 22. (Being a communication from abroad.) LIST OF IRISH PATENTS FOR JUNE, 1841. J. J. Cordes and E. Locke, for a new rotary engine. J. Johnson, for certain improvements in machinery for the manufacture of frame-knitting, commonly called hosiery, and for certain improvements in such frame-work knitting or hosiery. G. D. Paterson, for the following improvements in curvilinear turning, that is to say, a rest adapted for cutting out wooden bowls, and a self-acting slide-rest for other kinds of curvilinear turning. H. S. Pattinson, for improvements in the manufacture of white lead. John Rand, for improvements in preserving paints and other fluids. N. Defries, for improvements in gas-meters. LONDON: Edited, Printed, and Published by J. C. Robertson, at the Mechanics' Magazine Office, MR. T. BURSTALL'S PATENT RE-ACTING STEAM-ENGINE. Sir,-This engine is on the principle of Barker's Mill, and consists of two or more tubes inserted into a hollow shaft, the tubes being bent or bored, so as to deliver the steam in a tangent to the eircle in which they travel. To prevent the obstruction which would arise from the tubes striking the air or steam in which they revolve, these tubes are inclosed within, and attached to two slightly conical circular plates, which may be either of iron, copper, or brass, but must be turned or hammered as true as possible; this will insulate the tubes, and instead of the arms cutting their way through the air or steam a true metallic disc will move through it. Fig. 1 (on this page) is a plan of the engine with one plate removed to show the tubes; and fig. 2 is a cross section through the central hollow shaft and the insulating plates. In fig. 1 are shown four tubes, with their exit orifices reversed: this double set of tubes is to facilitate the reversing the engine, as would be more particularly requisite for locomotive purposes, and this is accomplished in the following manner: The central shaft B is hollow throughout, except in the centre, in which there is a partition, or stop, the two sets of tubes being inserted one on each side of this partition, and the steam being admitted by separate pipes and valves into each end of the central tubes; all that is required to work the engine backward or forward, is to shut off the steam from one pipe and turn it on to the other. Fig. 3 (see front page) is an elevation of the whole engine, steam case, framing and driving drums, and fig. 4 is an end view of the same. The engine spindle is mounted, and revolves upon two pair of anti-friction wheels H H, fixed to the steam case I I, in which the engine revolves, and which case is for the purpose of taking off the steam by the tube K, to the chimney or other outlet from the building; the power is conveyed from the engine shaft by two pulleys fixed upon it, to two drum wheels, by two flat belts, and if required, by a second belt on the drum N. P is a feed pump to supply the boiler, and may be worked by a crank or eccentric from the shaft which carries the drum N. F G, in the end view, fig. 4, are a steel stud and lever to carry a weight to keep the steam pipe sufficiently tight to the central shaft, into which they are to be fitted and grooved, and by the lever being weighted a trifle above the pressure of the steam, the engine may be worked with the minimum of friction. As you have lately had several articles on Avery's steam engine, and on Craig's importation of it into this country, it may not be out of place to point out the principal differences between my Having seldom known the power of this engine calculated in a way that I could consider satisfactory, perhaps you will permit me to state my views of it. I have generally found it considered that the re-action arose from the elastic steam issuing from the engine, re-acting against the steam in which the engine revolves. That some power is got from that source I admit, but the principal power is, I think, got from the re-action of the steam as a ponderable body put in rapid motion. If we take the water to be converted into steam, as is usually done at one cubic foot per horse power, this gives 1lb. of steam or water per minute, and as 50 to 80 lbs. of steam pass through a proper shaped orifice at a velocity of about 1,800 to 1,900 feet 1900 × 60 in a second, or say, 315 33000 = In Avery's engine, the arms, though shaped to cleave the air, yet have to make their way through it, and with so great a speed, that they must have a considerable pressure in front, with some vacuum behind, causing a material loss of power; while this engine, instead of cleaving the air, moves through it with a true and polished surface. The double set of arms, and double steam ways, give great facility in reversal, and without much additional cost. ON THE PERFORMANCES OF THE CORNISH ENGINES. Sir, In resuming this subject, I wish in the first place to assure 66 Scalpel" that, entertaining no suspicion of his views respecting the great value of the Cornish method of condensation having been derived from others, I thought it quite unnecessary to advert to that point; to many persons his assurance to this effect may prove satisfactory; to me, it merely confirms my previous opinion; still it was an act of justice to point out to the public an unnoticed paper by Mr. E. Galloway, in which an estimate of the proportional value of this plan of condensation, more in accordance with my own ideas, had been brought forward. 1 consider it uncertain, whether it is founded on Mr. Galloway's observations, or on the opinion of the miners, who, I am inclined |