II. Of the Rain.

The observations on the rain have been, since 1838, confined to the station on the ground, the position of which is described in the second report above referred to. The gauges for measuring the snow, as well as the rain, have been used at this station, and the general results of the observations are given in Table V.

Table VI, shows the number of days in which the quantities of rain and snow, recorded in Table V, have fallen.

Table VII, shows the average quantity of rain which has been received from different quarters of the compass. From this statement it appears, that in the summer season about one-half, and in each of the other seasons two-thirds, of the whole quantity of rain comes from the N.E.; of the remaining quantity about one-half comes from the S.W.

The slight discrepancies which may be remarked, in comparing the general averages in Tables V and VII, arise from the circumstance that the observations during the last eight months of 1835, (being the beginning of the series,) are included in the averages of Table VII, but not in those of Table V.

The following cases of remarkably heavy rains, which have occurred during the period of these observations, are considered worthy of special notice :

In 1838, September 12th and 13th, there fell, in 25 hours, 5.174 inches of rain, wind N.E.

In 1840, April 11th and 12th, there fell, in 174 hours, 3.381 inches of rain, wind S.W.

In 1840, August 12th and 13th, there fell, in 24 hours, 3.137 inches of rain, wind S.W.

In 1841, August 10th and 11th, there fell, in 17 hours, 5.330 inches of rain, wind S.W.

In 1842, July 15th and 16th, there fell, in 134 hours, 3.179 inches of rain, wind N.E.

In 1843, August 5th, there fell, in 144 hours, 4.080 inches of rain, wind N.E.

In 1843, August 7th, there fell, in 1 hour, 1.018 inches of rain, wind S.W.

In the city of Philadelphia the fall of rain, on the 5th of August, 1943, was 4.5 inches in 1 hour, and about Chester, in Pennsylvania twenty miles south of Philadelphia, the rain was still heavier. VOL. VII, 3RD SERIES. No. 4.-APRIL, 1844.

23

TABLE V.

Quantity of Water fallen in Rain, or Snow, in each Month, and in each Season.

Period. 1836 1837 1838 1839 1840 1841 1842 1843

Mean of 8 years.

January,

February,

March,

April,

May,

Inches. Inches. Inches. Inches. Inches. Inches. Inches. Inches. Inches. 5.138 1.745 1.721 4.163 1.886 6.600 1.221 2.056 2.498 2.809 1.549 2.531 2.808 2.001 3.704 2.146 1.420 3.425 2.242 1.015 2.304 3.797 2.766 3.019 1.969 2.841 1.434 6.649 5.277 4.133 1.929 4.351 3.220 5.519 2.086 2744 4.421 June, 7.665 2.814 4.192 3.818 4.723 5.359 July, 1.917 3.677 1.865 August, 2.356 4.579 1.199 September, 1.906 2.228 8.492 October, 2.929 0.569 3.667 November, 2.921 2.386 2.787 3.198 2.360 5.030 December, 3.850 2.367 0.686 5.173 2.549 4.784 3.560

3.066

2.506

3.921

2.611

3.471

3.599

2.132

3.300

3.202

4.157

4.491

Spring,

6.368 9.745 8.303 7.968 11.039 11.818 11.320 9.524 Summer, 11.938 11.070 7.256 10.409 15.779 18.545 14.892 17.481 Autumn, 7.756 5.183 14.946 8.432 8.095 10.042 5.612 12.450 Winter, 11.486 6.921 3.956 11.867 7.243 13.385 8.485 7.521 | 8.858 Year,

37.548 32.919 34.461 38.676 42.156 53.790 40.309 46.976 40.854

TABLE VI.

9.510

13.421 9.065

Number of Days in which Rain, or Snow, fell in each Month, and

TABLE VII.

Average quantity of Rain, or Snow, annually, from each quarter of the compass in eight years.

1836 to 1843 N. E. S. E. S. W. N. W. Total.

Mr. Austin's Apparatus for Fitting Ships' Boats as Life Boats, in cases of shipwreck, and for raising Sunken Vessels.

Mr. Austin, formerly harbor-master at the island of Heligoland, suggests the following plan as sufficiently simple to be within the reach of every vessel in such emergencies:

When a vessel is driven on the rocks, sand, or shore, or founders at sea, in getting the boats over the side they are frequently stove alongside the wreck before the tackles can be unhooked, and, even if cleared off the tackles, it too often occurs that they are stoved, swamped, or upset, when brought alongside to receive the passengers and crew. To avoid such calamities, Mr. Austin recommends that every boat, before she is launched over the side, should be fitted as a life boat, with canvas cases on each side, of the whole length of the boat, having a round head at either end marled on to a good hawser, or small chain, and secured round her at light water mark, tautened up by nettles to the gunwale. The cases may be cut out of good topsails, or courses, and made from two to three feet in diameter; another case of lighter cloth of duck, or even of calico, should be made, rather larger in dimensions, and placed within the stout canvas case, each case having three flexible tubes, or pipes, inserted at the bottom part, one near to each head, and one in midships, made of raw hide, India rubber cloth, or several thicknesses of canvas, about a fathom in length, and half an inch in diameter, with a mouth piece, or pipe, to be blown into, and stopped, or corked. The long boat and skiff should be placed on two spars projected over the side, for the purpose

of launching them; the cases, well saturated with water, filled with air, stopped, and the boat launched, with plenty of warp slack under foot, and not brought up with less than half a cable, each boat having only two hands in her when launched, with a line passed round them and stopped to the thwart to bale her out, and to receive the passengers and crew, who should have a smaller similar case placed round each of them.

The boats so fitted would contain, with safety, double the number of persons they could possibly hold under ordinary circumstances, and would not be upset in a heavy sea, and, on going on a lee shore, would hold together and drive well up.

If the weather and sea should admit of the boats being brought alongside the wreck, the cases being filled with air would serve as flexible fenders, and allow her taking in a number of persons to be removed to the other boats.

Raising Sunken Vessels.-According to Lloyd's List, taking an average of three years, not fewer than 557 vessels are sunk, or altogether lost annually.

A vessel having gone down, the first operation is to ascertain her position as nearly as possible, by sweeping with a rope of sufficient length, having two leads fixed thereto, at about sixty fathoms apart, the object of which is to draw the rope along the bottom till it meets with an obstruction. It is easily ascertained, by sounding, whether he obstruction to the progress of the sweeping rope is caused by the vessel, or by an anchor, or other object; if it be the vessel, it is necessary to ascertain the position in which she lies; this is done by again sweeping the vessel with a small working chain, properly buoyed at equal distances, which will show her length and beam. To ascertain if the bowsprit is still standing, it is necessary to sound again at each end of the vessel. The purchase chain is next passed round the vessel, having a sufficient number of collapsed air cases, formed as above described, shackled on to it, and when tautened round her by means of other cases, or purchase lighters, the chain is effectually secured round the vessel by stoppers. The operation of filling the air cases is next proceeded with, which is effected by powerful air pumps on board a steam vessel taken out for the purpose, and as the displacement of the water is going on, the vessel is gradually being raised from her bed, and by the time they are filled she will be above the surface of the water, and ready to be towed to shore by the Trans. Soc. Arts, &c.

steamer.

Description of a machine for Blocking Straw Bonnets. By VINCENT PRICE, of Soho.

The object of bonnet pressing is to give to the work a finished appearance, after the plait is sewn together.

This operation is usually performed by placing the bonnet on a wooden block of the required form, and pressing it with a heated box

iron, a damp cloth having been first applied to it to prevent the material from being discolored.

The blocker increases the pressure of the iron by throwing the weight of his body upon it, a practice frequently productive of serious bodily injury.

The object of Mr. Price's machine is to obviate this serious defect in the ordinary mode of blocking bonnets. The accompanying view exhibits the several parts of the machine.

A, fig. 1, is one of the blocks in a position to receive a bonnet; B, is the box iron, with its handle C, which is hung with double joints and swivel to the lever D, which is connected with the treadle E, by means of the vertical bar of iron F, the weight of which is sufficient to overbalance the box iron B, and treadle E, and raise them up, as shown by the dotted lines.

Instead of standing, as usual, the blocker sits on the stool G, and by his feet on the treadle, lowers the box iron, which he can guide and turn in any direction by its handle C.

The middle upright bars H and 1, of the frame are made double, to serve as guides to the lever D, and treadle E, and also to receive the movable cross bar J, which supports the block A. When the sides are to be blocked, the bar J, is lifted out of its place, and the axis K, fig. 2, is put into the metal socket L, shown by dotted lines, fig. 1, the block A, being placed on the end of the axis, as seen in fig. 2. To the axis K, is attached an arm M, which is moved by either hand of the blocker, so that the bonnet may be turned quite round under the iron; the arm has a balance weight N. OO, is a net stretched across